A Picture Worth A Thousand Words

Another night, another episode of Friction. Bomber Kishima didn’t have a match scheduled, but she liked to attend the shows even when she wasn’t booked if she could. She wanted to see the matches, and maybe find some other wrestlers to chat with. Definitely beat watching it from her couch at home, anyway.

The former Wrestle Angels champion wore a t-shirt featuring a picture of herself flexing a bicep with the words “Lariat Queen” written above the head, as well as a pair of jeans and sneakers as she entered the backstage area of the arena. The Bomber felt in a considerably today than normal, largely due to the conversation she’d recently had with Chris Morgan. It felt so good to bury the hatchet between them. It was like the weight of the world had fallen off her shoulders.

Her steps eventually brought her to the catering area, where she wasted no time, getting herself a cup of coffee. Then a low rumble in her stomach led her to check out what food was being served today. “Lets see here... Chicken, barbecue, hot dogs.... Hm, think I’ll just take a sandwich,” she said aloud, picking out a ham and cheese sandwich for herself, then started biting into it while she looked around to see who else might be in the area...

To say it had been a bad couple of weeks for Risako had been an understatement. It had all started with her loss to Chris in the ring: she had gone in there to punish her ex, to make sure that she couldn't hurt and more of the Angels, and above all, to gain some justice for the way the old league had been shut down. But in that match, she had allowed her emotions to cloud her: she had been angry, unfocused...and ultimately, Chris managed to pick up the win, defeating her in front of a wide audience. 

In the afrermath of that, Risako had felt lingering shame, feeling like she had failed her fellow Angels. It was a cruel irony then, that her next match had been against another fellow Angel, Suzumi Ishikawa. She still didn't know how things had come to a head in that match: Risako just knew that she had felt just as angry, frustrated, and unfocused as she had during her bout with Chris. Once again, she lost to someone who once thought of her as a peer....but this time, Risako had barely been able to control herself. She had attacked Suzumi in the ring after her win, and only realized what she had done after the crowd started booing her.

And now, because of all of that, her reputation was in ruins, her fellow Angels hated her, and the crowd saw her as a heel. Risako had kept to herself afterwards, avoiding matches and even trying to avoid her fellow Angels where possible. She had at that point seriously considered retiring permanently, removing herself from the wrestling world and just leaving it all behind her. That was before she had seen the photo.

Right now, she saw Kishima at the back of the arena, eating a sandwich and seeming a few minutes away from a workout. Risako herself was wearing a black tank top and denim shorts, her violet hair flowing freely over her shoulders. Her face hardened into an angry grimace, and without missing the opportunity, she started striding towards the other Angel.

"Kishima!" she barked, aiming to get the Bomber's attention. "I want a word with you!"

“Hm?”

A sudden voice off to the side caught Kishima’s ear, turning her attention its way while swallowing a mouthful she’d just bitten out of her sandwich. The first thing she’d recognized was that the voice sounded familiar, and it only took a brief glance to see who the voice belonged to.

“Oh, hey Risako! How’s it going?” the Lariat Queen said with a friendly smile. It had been ages since she’d last spoken to this woman. In fact, she couldn’t recall getting in touch with her anytime between the final Wrestle Angels show and tonight. Or if it had happened, she’d forgotten. Either way, she was happy to see Risako again after so long...well, at first, anyway.

Then Kishima saw the expression on the woman’s face, and the intensity of the strides she was taking toward her. The Bomber’s smile quickly died away as she realized Risako was clearly upset about something. But what? Maybe it had something to do with the problems Chris had mentioned being between the two for so long now. Definitely didn’t seem like a long shot, but what would any of that have had to do with Kishima?

“Hey, you alright? You kinda look like something’s bothering you...” she said, attempting to sound as friendly and casual as she could. Until she knew why Risako seemed to be angry with her, Kishima wouldn’t act like there was any reason for her to be. As far as she knew, there really wasn’t. Or maybe she was missing something. Hopefully Risako would be able to make some sense of it to her...

As if you don't know, Risako thought angrily to herself as she strode towards Kishima, already feeling her anger build at the other Angel's innocent reaction. A part of her urged caution-- that maybe Kishima didn't know what was going on. Maybe Chris hadn't told her the whole story, or maybe Chris was just using or manipulating her. But Risako had to know, one way or another. Damn it, she deserved to know how long this had been going on.

"Explain this." In an instant, she had pulled the picture out of her pocket and held it up in front of Kishima's face. She watched the other Angel's expression, waiting to see what the Lariat Queen's reaction would be.

Bomber Kishima was not exactly big on social media. In fact, she wasn’t on it at all. Found the idea of thousands of strangers constantly keeping an eye on her really creepy. But it was because of that she had no idea that someone had taken a picture of her and Chris Morgan at the bar, and that it had blown up all over the wrestling-based side of the internet.

So when Risako held up the photo, Kishima’s eyes went wide with shock. Who the hell had even taken this? No, not the issue. Chris had told her about her turbulent relationship with Risako. After seeing a picture like this, without anything to fill in the real details or context, it was completely understandable why she’d be so upset now.

“Ok, ok, just listen...” Kishima said, setting her sandwich and coffee down on the nearest table while she spoke. “We just ran into each other there, had a few drinks, and talked for a while. That’s all there is to it. There’s nothing between Chris and I. Never has been, alright? It’s nothing to get worked up over,” Kishima explained, hoping to calm Risako down some. But at the same time, even though she’d told the truth, the Bomber knew just how unlikely it sounded. Before that night, the notion of Kishima and Chris casually enjoying a drink together would’ve been outright laughable to anyone familiar with the Angels. What could she say? Apparently hell had frozen over. She just hoped Risako would believe her.

A small part of Risako wanted to believe that Kishima was telling the truth. After all, Kishima and Chris were old enemies back in the Wrestle Angels. The chances of them having a civil discussion with one another was remote, let alone those two being in a relationship. But the more Risako thought about it, the more ludicrous it sounded...and the surprise in Kishima's face was telling in and of itself. She didn't want this getting out into the public.


She still felt tensed, ready to pounce on Kishima and tear her to shreds; it took a supreme effort of willpower to keep her cool. "You...had a few drinks...just like that?" she said, still glaring needles at Kishima. "The two of you could barely stay in the same room as each other, let alone talk civilly...and yet you expect me to believe that you and Chris sat and drank like old friends?"

She couldn’t blame Risako for not believing her. Chris had ended Kishima’s one and only world title reign less than a full day after it had begun in a match that never should’ve even happened, and injured the Bomber in the process. She had all the reason in the world to hate Chris, and for a long time she’d done exactly that. Risako knew that as well as anyone. How could anyone possibly expect her to think what Kishima was saying now was true? But it was. Now Kishima had the daunting task of trying to get Risako to believe her.

“I know, I know, it sounds ridiculous,” Kishima admitted, holding her hands up in front of her. “We just talked about the old days in the league. Hashed things out. Buried the hatchet. That’s all!”

With a friendly smile, Kishima moved her hands toward Risako’s shoulders, hoping a bit of gentle contact might help ease her tension and worries. “Nothing happened, Risako. I promise.”

For a moment, Risako didn't know what to think. She had come here expecting the worst, almost wanting to believe that there had been something going on. It would have, in her mind, justified all of the suspicious she had, and all of the negative feelings she felt about Chris. But now...Kishima seemed genuine in what she was saying. She still didn't know to trust her, but...if she was speaking the truth, what then? Was she just being taken by a ride by Chris like Risako had been, way back when?

In her confusion, Risako was taken aback when Kishima suddenly placed a hand on her shoulder. Hard-wired instincts flared up. "Don't touch me!" she snapped, her hand moving of its own volition as she slapped Kishima, hard, across the face.

A hush fell over the eating area, everyone around them freezing at the same moment...

The sound of Panther Risako’s hand slapping Kishima right across the face echoed throughout the area, then all went silent. Kishima’s head jerked to the side with the strike, which left her momentarily stunned with a look of shock on her expression.

But in a matter of seconds, that started turning to anger, fully reflected in Kishima’s eyes as she met Risako’s gaze again. “Ok, what the hell is your problem?!” she yelled, thrusting her hands out to give the other Angel a big shove in the chest.

By now a few who’d heard the commotion were starting to gather to watch from a safe distance as the two bickered.

It was only after she had already acted that Panther realized what she was doing. The sharp sound of the slap cut through the haze of frustrated tension that had been building, and for a few brief seconds, Risako realized that, for the second time now, she had let her anger get the better of her. She had just lashed out and attacked Kishima. Just as she had done with Suzumi.


Before she could stop, compose herself, and offer an apology and an explanation to Kishima, however, the Bomber rounded on her, eyes blazing in anger. The big girl shoved her, hard. Unbalanced, Risako was sent stumbling backwards, crashing into a nearby table and sending chairs clattering everywhere. Sharp pain bit into her back, and she collapsed onto her butt, a hiss of pain escaping her lists. Around her, alarmed people in the rapidly-forming crowd ran back to the periphery of the room, not wanting to be a part of the sudden violence.

With the pain, Risako felt the fury suddenly return, running into her limbs and filling them with a tense shake. Wordlessly, she would push herself up to her feet and throw herself at Kishima, lashing out at her with a fist to her face!