Seeing Red [for Mystery & Liesmith]

When Mikayla Pryor set her mind to something, there were very few things she let get in her way on her path to achieving that something. While her rather slow daily life in Minnesota as a student had not exactly prepared her for an arrival in such a busy, fast-paced city like Tokyo and her old training regimen for the discipline it took to measure up to all these fantastically fit women in AFW, she felt pretty good about the way she was keeping up with the pace and thriving. Days were pretty chaotic; she had so much she wanted to do. Spend time with Fallon. Go to the gym. See something new. Typically, she was on the move from sunup to sundown and then some doing something or other that was important to her.

That was why she was still in the gym at a fairly late hour - one of the last few women who lingered. She, too, was just finishing up and ready to head out to do something to unwind, like play some video games or watch TV with her Californian friend if Fallon had the time. To that end, she - fresh from a shower - propped her elbows on the top of the shower wall and checked the phone lying there in between drying herself off and pulling her underwear back on. She had just one strict rule about working out all afternoon - that she got a shower immediately. If there was one thing that Mikayla Pryor did not want to be, it was sweaty for longer than she needed to be. Normally she would have just gone home to shower for a variety of reasons, but with the showers fairly quiet, the blonde had opted to go ahead and feel fresh and clean. This despite the fact that she knew and everyone told her she didn't sweat that much anyway, but hey, she could be obsessive if she wanted to.

Paying little mind to the goings-on around her, the blonde finished up drying her hair as the door leading back to the gym opened with a squeak, a few sets of feet padding against the floors. Mikayla would have kept going on her business had she not heard a voice echoing off the walls ask, with some disgust, "Where's Pryor?" Raising her eyebrow, the blonde peeked over the top of the shower wall again, dropping the shorts she was trying to pull on, to see who it was that wanted her.

It was the brunette trainer from the other day...that one...that one Alicia had knocked out. Her and two other trainers - one Mikayla had sparred with once before the trainer had not shown up to keep working with her, and one around Mikayla's height that the blonde didn't recognize. They looked...unhappy, Mikayla noticed, in her peeping.

What in the world did they want?

Chelsea appreciated the Gym more when it wasn't bustling with activity, so she didn't mind comin in late and there were fewer people, though it did lack the occasional interesting sight of two girls trying to show off, it allowed her to focus when it was necessary. After a particularly long workout she emouh was enough and began heading towards the showers to freshen up before going for a walk.

Unfortunately she could tell that was going to be a problem as soon as she entered the showers and saw a group of three girls, they looked like the trainers she'd seen around her, only recognizing one of them, the brunette and the redhead being complete strangers. "Where's Pryor?" The redhead said aggressively, the three reminding her of the clique of bullies she was a part of in college and she frowned. "The three of you looking for one chick? What reason?" She said defensively, even if she knew the girl in question, she wasn't about to feed her to the dogs.

Secretly, Mikayla was glad that someone from outside walked in the showers in time to interrupt the trio of trainers. She was a redhead that Mikayla had noticed working out in the gym tonight, but whom she had not yet spoken to. The answer that this stranger received to her question as to why the three trainers wanted to find Mikayla was not exactly what Mikayla wanted to hear, though. "We, uh...have something we need to talk to her about. Just the three of us and her. So why don't you just go take your shower if you don't know where she is."

The brunette's tone in response was seething, and Mikayla didn't feel as if the three were actually there to talk to her - they had just shown up after official training hours in sparring gear, and they didn't have a bead of sweat on them anywhere. Still... it wasn't doing Mikayla any good just to hide out in a shower and wait for them to leave. They might not leave. They might track her down. They might cause the stranger some trouble. And Mikayla's encounter with the less-friendly folks around here had made her a little wary of what someone with a bad attitude might do. Sighing to herself, she tossed her shorts atop her bag and stepped out in nothing but the basics in view of the four women, wearing her confusion on her face.

"I was actually just heading home," she stated, with her best diplomatic tone and smile. "Did you need me for anything tonight, or can it wait until tomorrow?" The way the three trainers turned to face her was that of the villains in a western after the movie's hero showed up in the middle of town. At least, Mikayla liked to think of herself as the hero in this situation...maybe. Then again, maybe she was just imagining this as more sinister than it really was. "Oh, no, I think you probably need to stay a little longer tonight. We've got something really important to run by you." Maybe not. Whatever it was, Mikayla supposed she was in the deep end now. "Uh...okay. Are we going to talk about it in the showers?" "Come on out to the ring. It's so late we'll have more privacy there." Oh, so this needed privacy. Also a little worrying. Plus, it sounded like Mikayla and the redhead were the only two left in the building. "Okay, lemme get my bag," she said, and when she did, the brunette whispered to the other two. She and the one Mikayla recognized left. The third - the one around her size - stayed leaning against the wall.

A little anxious, the Minnesotan ducked into the shower again long enough to pick up the loops on her bag before she headed to the door of the showers, locking eyes with the other wrestler as she passed by. She gave the other woman a shrug. "I guess I'm popular, huh?", she said, with some forced cheerfulness, before she pushed her way through the door and back to the gym proper.

OOC: (Liesmith will be jumping in a little later!)

Chelsea wasn't liking where this was about to go before some big blonde showed up, apparently she was the girl they were looking for, Pryor something, unless Pryor was her first name though she doubted it. The trainers voice oozed malicious intent and Chelsea wanted to to just back out, the blonde looked like she could handle herself but it was still 3 on one.

Chelsea couldn't believe what she was about to do but took a deep breath and did so anyway. When the wrestler walked past her she followed her. "I guess. You think it's something you can handle or should I stick around a little while longer? Names Chelsea by the way. Chelsea Loski."

Mikayla outwardly projected comfort with the situation, but as she passed the stranger, her stomach was in a few knots. The brunette, she supposed, had a reason to have a beef with her - admittedly, Mikayla had sort of laughed openly at her with her newest friend, Alicia, only a couple of days before. In Mikayla's experience, people didn't typically retaliate when someone laughed at them over a decision that was clearly pretty stupid, such as the brunette's decision to challenge Alicia's scissor power. Then again, Mikayla had little experience beyond high school, and certainly no experience with women who participated in combat sports for a living. Maybe they were a little more touchy and open to retaliation than the average person. Karen Starring hadn't even been the subject of Mikayla's laughter, and she had been upset at Mikayla and possibly the whole world regardless.

But still, would trainers really cause trouble? They were AFW employees...

As she placed her hand on the door, the redhead - the other woman who had been working out - appeared beside her again. Mikayla paused, wide-eyed, to listen to her, and blinked at her offer. Well, for all the people around here who were worrying, there were just as many who were nice people, like this Chelsea. "Mikayla," she told the other woman, warmly. "I mean, I wouldn't want to get you involved in my concerns...but I also wouldn't exactly say no to your sticking around, that's for sure." She flashed the other woman a forced grin before she pushed through the door.

The brunette and the redheaded trainer were propped up by the ropes when Mikayla discovered them, and to maintain the image that she had confidence of this being a quick meeting, she kept her back and her shorts in her hands and trotted up to them, the diplomatic smile returning. To some extent, it made the situation even more worrisome that Mikayla did not see her most friendly ally in the trainers, Red, among the little troupe. If the trainers needed to talk to Mikayla about something, it would seem that the one she usually worked with should be around...right?

"What did you two-" She tilted her head to see the unfamiliar trainer coming up behind her. "-three need?", she asked, sweetly. The brunette was trying to seem just as sweet, but she didn't seem to be as good at projecting as the Minnesotan. "It's about your technique. We've had some...concerns about it." Admittedly, that was not what Mikayla expected to hear. "What? What do you mean?" "We can show you better than we can tell you. Let's hop into the ring and have a little instructional session. This should be solved before your next match."

Stomach fluttering a little, Mikayla shrugged. "Does it have to be solved tonight?"

Before she received an answer, something struck her in the back of the knee hard enough to make her cry out and her leg buckle beneath her, and she dropped her belongings to the floor as she crouched to grab at the impacted area. As she did, she felt fingers slip underneath the strap of her sports bra and yank her forward. Eyes squinted shut in her shock, she could do nothing as the two trainers dragged her towards the side of the mat and tossed her into the ring, still holding onto her leg.

Mikayla Pryor was her name appearantly. She seemed nice enough, unfortunately she was too nice to be walking into this obvious trap, Cheksea would have cut and run at the first opportunity. She considered calling Amy, who would more then even the odds but she wasn't sure if Mikayla would appreciate more people getting involved in this mess, she didn't even seem to want her involved. Yet here she was and she was walking out behind her.

Mikayla was walking up to them like nothing was wrong, did she expect acting calm would ease the tension? If anything it would piss off these girls more. Chelsea saw them circling her and began moving faster but wasn't able to stop them jumping her and before Mikayla could act they threw her in the ring. "Hey, back off you cowards!" Chelsea sprinted towards the ring only to be stopped by the the third girl who raised a steel pipe in her face. "It's in your best interest to run along, we only want to talk to Pryor." Some talk, Chelsea wasn't having none of it. "You can talk without this!" Chelsea grabbed the the pipe and pulled on it to try and take it from the trainer.

Well, for all Mikayla's trying to convince herself that she was just being paranoid, she wasn't being paranoid. She was, nonetheless, still in disbelief that three women would even want to ambush her like this. Her mind raced between explanations, justifications, and outright anger at them for being such crappy human beings as she rolled over onto her side, holding onto her leg, but she couldn't really get any of it figured out. They were just being jerks and snobs, so far as Mikayla could tell, and she was getting really upset by how many people around here seemed to have those traits. For all the good ones, there seemed at least one bad one.

Nothing was ailing her leg besides stinging and the shock of the situation, so Mikayla grit her teeth and started to push herself up when a foot drove into her lower back to force her back down against the mat. Had she not been so confused by the situation and hoping to think of a solution, she would not have failed to notice that the trainer's foot was hardly enough to hold her down, but as it was she waited long enough to let a second woman come up through the ropes behind her, grab one of her arms, and pull it back as she planted a foot in her back. "Aaaagh!" Pain engulfed Mikayla's shoulder briefly before she reacted, but she pulled back enough that she alleviated the pain. "What do you even want!?", Mikayla called out, but as she cut her eyes up above her to the two trainers, she could see that they were not looking at her - instead, they were focused and yelling at something going on outside of the ring. Chelsea causing trouble for her benefit? Sounded like it. Thank goodness for her.

Mikayla took the opportunity while the two were distracted to forcefully roll herself over, tripping up the redhead behind her and wresting her arm from out of the brunette's grip. The brunette reacted by trying to stomp her bare foot onto Mikayla's face, but Mikayla wrapped both hands around the woman's ankle just as the foot brushed her cheek and yanked at it as she scooted away, pulling the woman down into an awkward-looking split that earned an angry growl. Holding tight to the ankle, Mikayla stared into the trainer's face. "Why!? What did I ever do to you!?" The woman only scowled deeper. "I heard you giggling at me with that bitch that knocked me out. We don't put up with that kind of disrespect around here."

Mikayla blinked, really trying to figure out if she was hearing her right. That she had gathered up three trainers in retaliation because Mikayla had giggled a little at her making such a stupid decision?

The blonde had just begun to understand how absolutely stupid and petty that was when the redhead showed back up again, slamming into her to tackle her back down into the mat.

For all of Chelsea's good will she was only one person, and that meant there was still two who were going after Mikayla despite her effort to hold of one of them. The trainer in question decided to simply push forward in there stifle and drive herself into Chelsea sending them both into the ground. Before she could try and keep up her resistance the trainer drove her hand into her face with a punch.

"Oww!" She moneymaker so her head was rocked balc by the blow and the girl got full control of the steel pipe. "Told you not to get involved, now you'll be getting  what she said having!" She said as she raised the pipe over her head. Before she could finish that however Chelsea quickly moved her legs up and wrapped them around her in a body scissor, for a trainer she neglected to properly mount her and take control. The trainer helped as she forgot her attack and brought her hand so round her leg so on try and pry them off. "Or I can deal with you and get helping her out in a few seconds!"

There was a frustrated look on Alicia’s face as the big kickboxer strode down the corridor that led past the gym to the locker room. It was late for her to be here – in fact, as her old but comfy sweatshirt, jean shorts and tights suggested, she hadn’t meant to be here today. In fact, she’d been curled up in her room, nursing a cup of tea and taking notes on an article, when she’d suddenly reached for her phone and it hadn’t been there. Nor had it been on her desk charging, nor anywhere else it ought to be – like her gym bag. She’d torn her room apart, not literally, and not found it.

She’d left it in her locker. Or so she thought, so she’d pulled a decent top on and some trainers and headed back to the gym in hopes that she’d get there while it was still open. Which it was, luckily, because she did not fancy the idea of being even a night in a foreign country without it. Sure, she still had the internet but yeah.

Lost in her thoughts or not, she wasn’t so distracted though that she could miss the sounds coming from the gym, which drew her up short before she could pass the doors. Ajar, she could hear the sounds of a fight inside, accompanied by raised angry voices and shouts of pain. What the hell?

Wasn’t it a bit late for sparring? And the girl at the front desk had said something about everyone being done for the night.

Weird.

Equally, was it her problem? Frowning, the redhead was about to move on when- Wasn’t that Mikayla’s voice?

Pushing through the doors, Alicia took in the situation at a glance though it took a second before she really got what was going on. On the floor, a woman she didn’t know was busily kicking the ass of another woman she didn’t know, keeping her locked in a scissorhold despite her opponent having a pipe to hand.

In the ring though… Two women had a familiar blonde in some trouble, and Alicia didn’t hesitate any further. She hadn’t got a clue what this was all about but it clearly wasn’t any sort of sanctioned fight. Breaking into a sprint, she covered the distance between the doors and the ring as fast as she could, sliding under the ropes and going to throw herself bodily into the woman who’d just tackled Mikayla.

Catching her entirely off-guard, the two redheads went tumbling, Alicia already hunting for the other’s back so she could sink both a rear naked choke and a bodyscissors. Hopefully, the distraction would let Mikayla get the upper hand on her other tormentor and, if not, she didn’t think this’d take too long.

Mikayla's attacker rolled into the tackle, leaving Mikayla spilled onto her back and at a disadvantage as the obviously-much-less-cordial redheaded trainer employed by AFW was now perched on her knees above the downed blond. The Minnesotan was just starting to gather a method to defend herself when she saw the trainer's fist raise, surely to come down and blast Mikayla in the chin. The blonde raised her arms to defend herself, but instead of a fist flying down to meet her, another figure flew in before Mikayla's eyes could track her and relieved Mikayla of the bodily weight of the trainer sitting on her stomach. The blonde sat up, and upon seeing that it was two redheads now tangled instead of one, she looked on in awe before realizing Alicia as much by her legs as by any of the rest about her that she could barely even see in the scuffle.

Before she could even internally thank her newest friend, she felt a hand wrap around her chin from behind and yank her backwards. Unbalanced and distracted by the chaos, she gave way with a yelp of surprise, flopping onto her back. So unused was she to be in this position that she barely realized what was happening as a pair of legs emerged from around both sides of her head while she was continually yanked backwards, until the ankles crossed and the soft skin of a pair of thighs constricted around her skull from behind, starting to squeeze with lean muscle. "Urgh!", Mikayla quietly cried out, bringing her hands up to the legs that had her trapped. This was nothing like how Fallon's scissors had been - and Fallon didn't even think her own legs were all that great - but the surprise of it made Mikayla simply grimace and stare up the length of the trainer's narrower legs all the way to her feet. Her neck contorted forward from the rear headscissor, but that was her worst pain. The scissors wasn't even locked in skillfully.

She heard the brunette who had her trapped say something in a mocking tone, but with Mikayla's ears covered by flesh and muscle, she didn't hear any of it. Whatever it was, though, it was related to the utter stupidity that had brought on this whole attack in the first place. So...she didn't have the stomach to admit she was an idiot, so she decided to retaliate with violence? And now, she surely thought this was the perfect repayment to Alicia's knockout - put her own scissors on in return. Well, Mikayla was sorry to tell her - this was nothing but a pain in the neck. Enough of one to get Mikayla more than a little ticked off.

Sucking in a breath and gathering herself, Mikayla gripped tightly against the brunette's legs and, with a growl of effort, she used all the strength in her recently-more-powerful arms to pull at the brunette's legs. All the while, her feet swung up to kick the brunette's locked ankles apart. She felt the brunette squeeze tighter to stop Mikayla's escape, but to no avail. The blonde, once her feet got the trainer's own untangled, broke the hold immediately, and immediately swung around to stare down the brunette before she sailed on her, her legs searching the brunette's for the beginnings of a grapevine to pin the woman down.