Super Best Friend Time! Yay!

Continued from Here:


Well, today had been a confusing day.


Ace had shown up today full of guts and gusto, ready to fight and get payback on Styx and WAR. She had managed a bit of that, saving Alicia Wells from an attack and starting an impromptu tag match, even getting a bit of action with Styx and Abbatoir, before the lights went out and the two somehow Ninja'ed themselves away from the fight, like a couple of true cowards, leaving a battered Ace and a perfectly fine Alicia standing confused.

Still, they hadn't just ended things there. Ace had invited Alicia back to her and Valley Dolls private locker room, hoping to talk over something with the fighter, asking for some spare time so she could shower first.

It was in that very shower where Ace was now, letting the hot water flow over soapy body and wash away the sweat, grime, and face paint. Once again, she silently thanked herself for convincing Valley to let her shell out, and pay AFW for a private changing room of their own with its own shower. No offense to the rest of AFW's girls, as she didn't do it to be a snob, but since the attack on her and Angel by WAR, Ace had felt unsafe in the main locker room, as there was simply no telling what WAR, or their perpetual stalker Amethyst, or just anyone with a chip on their shoulder, could attack her or her friends in the main locker, or showering rooms.

No, this was better. This way, with only Valley, Gallium, and a couple close friends having keys, she and her friends could relax or prepare/change before/after a match in safety, without having to worry about watching their backs all the time.

After enjoying her hot shower, perhaps longer than she should have, considering she had company coming, Ace dried her body off, towel around her head for her hair, before slipping her naturally soft and smooth skin into some skimpy undies, taking some time to just relax, stretch, and breath after tonight's fight. After all, she had plenty of time before Alicia showed up, right?

While she hadn’t actually got to fight in the match – which was definitely contributing to her frustration – Alicia had still gone and taken a quick shower as well as changing out of her ring gear. She’d sweated enough when she’d been jumped by Styx to start with, the ring was hot and she needed to wash her disappointment away.

Under normal circumstances, she’d have had an equally quick shower followed by a swift exit from the arena to drink tea, read something historical and avoid thinking about anything to do with Styx. Or she’d have been off to the gym to find a trainer to hit. But Silver Ace, the other participant in the failure of a tag team match that spun out of the failure of a singles match with Abattoir, had asked her to stop by so they could talk. About what, she didn’t know but the redhead was more than curious enough to see what ‘proposition’ the veteran had in mind.

So, after close to half an hour, she grabbed herself a pair of soft tracksuit pants that hung low on the bold curve of her hips and an old but comfy sports bra and headed out. A private locker room, huh? Valley hadn’t mentioned anything about that but, while the two were friendly, Alicia supposed they weren’t friends as such. They got on well enough but, thinking about it, she wasn’t offended that Valley hadn’t told her.

Actually, she was a bit curious about that too. By the time she’d arrived, most of the big locker room had been taken so that, while Alicia theoretically had one to herself, it was approximately big enough for two people. And she didn’t mean for two people to use as a locker room. She wouldn’t have been surprised if it used to be a closet or something. But it gave her a place to sit and a place to stash her stuff and she didn’t mind sharing the showers.

So, it would be interesting to see what an actual private locker room was like.

It took her a couple of minutes to find the right door and a friendly tech, but Alicia was still definitely five minutes early as she thumped hard on the entrance.

Then she shrugged – Ace had invited her – and tried the door. If it was unlocked, clearly she was meant to just go on in.

So she would.

Having lost all track of time, Ace hadn't finished getting ready yet, still enjoying the after effects of her hot shower and being in her own locker room. She had just started stretching, leaning back, putting her hot, slim, athletic, bra and pantie clad body, and modest ,though not overly impressive, bust, as well as her toned booty, on display.

When she heard the door opening, she thought little of it. Only her and Valley Doll had the keys to unlock it, after all, so this had to be Valley coming in to say hi, congratulate her on getting back in the ring, even if it went weirdly.

"Hey Val! Like what you see?"

Alicia hadn’t been sure the door would be open. If Ace was bent on using the building’s supply of hot water, it would probably be locked. If she was getting dressed, probably locked. But she wasn’t going to get hung up on the nebulous protocols about when she could try a locker room door or not. And, given she’d been invited, it made sense that Ace would leave the door unlocked so she could get in.

Solid logic, and when the handle turned easily, she nodded to herself. The first thing she noted when she stepped in was that this was a nice place. But she didn’t have too long to take in her impressions before she was faced with her recent tag team partner.

Well. Not her face so much…

In short order, she was confronted by a side of Silver Ace she definitely hadn’t seen before in decidedly less than she was used to seeing the silver-blonde. And if that wasn’t a deliberate display, Alicia was in the running for a Nobel Peace Prize. Fortunately, her confusion was slightly eased – because she was wondering what the hell was going on in a world where Valley’s girlfriend was trying to put the moves on her – when Ace greeted her as Valley.

That made sense. It did make her wonder why the door hadn’t been locked or if Ace had taken a knock to the head, because she could have been anyone – not to mention that Ace had been the one to invite her here. But it made more sense than the situation when she walked in.

”I’m pretty sure she’d love the view, and I’m not complaining either,” the British amazon drawled, grinning with amusement and folding her arms under her own rather more substantial endowments as she watched Ace show off, ”But you’re not really my type.”

More importantly, she was in a relationship with Alicia’s… frenemy? She hated that word, it was stupid, but defining how she felt about Valley Doll remained a tricky proposition. As with Valley, of course, that wouldn’t stop her play-flirting, but she knew her boundaries.

The unexpected, but not unfamiliar, voice that responded to Ace's teasing question got the girls attention, causing her head to snap down, eyes widening as she realized that it was Alicia Wells, not Valley Doll, that was standing before her, getting an eyeful of her body and new, expensive, undies.

"Oh....Um...I...I uh...I guess I...forgot to lock the door..."

Well shit. Funny enough, her and Val had taken a bet on who would be the first to make that mistake. Now she was embarrassed AND she owed Valley money! But, on the bright side, Alicia had paid her a compliment, so at least she knew the new pink and white (Valley Doll's signature colors) undies looked good on her. That was actually a good morale booster!

Taking a quick look towards her gear bag, and contemplating a bit, Haley decided that frankly, while it would be the proper thing to do, actually going through the effort to go through her gear bag, wear clothes, talk to Alicia, then strip down again for when Valley showed up, was just too much effort for the moment...plus, the cool air the fan in the corner was blowing just felt so damn good on her skin at the moment!

"Oh well...at least I wasn't naked....Soooooo....um...we uh, have places to sit, and some drinks in the mini-fridge, if your interested..."

She said slowly, gesturing to the couple padded chairs in the room, as well as the soft looking couch in the middle of the room, facing a flat screen tv monitor on the back wall. Haley herself headed for the couch, sitting down and letting herself sink into it, with a contended sigh, before looking back at Alicia.

"So, I know your curious to know what the pitch is...and its actually pretty simple. WAR, frankly, sucks. They've hurt me, they've hurt two of my friends, they tried to hurt you. Now, I know you and I got off on a bad start...but you helped my friend when she needed it, and I appreciate that, and Valley has spoken pretty well of you. That tells me that your a good person. A bit abrasive and not interested in pulling punches, but a good person.

Plus, quite simply, you're incredibly talented, especially for someone in their rookie year still...Your hardcore title match actually reminded me of when I was a rookie, facing Taylor Parker in just my second match in AFW. Like you, I made my mark, even in defeat, against a much higher level of opponent.

So, to put it bluntly...I like you, I'm going to press the fight against WAR, and I think I need your help to do it. I'd like to form my own faction to counter WAR, and I'd like to make you the first offer to join up. Whaddya think?"

She asked, her not-so-brief offer now out and on the table.

Ace’s reaction earnt her a barking laugh from Alicia; no kidding she’d forgotten to lock the door. While the doors in this place weren’t the sturdiest around, she thought the blonde would have heard if she’d tried to kick one down. And, well, Alicia had many talents but her skill set did not include either teleportation or walking through walls.

Her evening had just improved a little bit, she had to admit.

Still chuckling, she waved off Ace’s comment about at least she wasn’t naked.

”Seen it all before – I’m sure you have too. Locker rooms aren’t great for privacy.”

So saying, she took Ace’s invitation and headed for the fridge, settling on a bottle of water and taking a good swig – she’d got no interest at all in getting dehydrated, thank you – before heading over and taking one of the chairs. Once sat, she leant forward, elbows on her knees, absently twisting the water bottle in her hands as she listened to the pitch.

So that’s what this was.

Her fingers drummed thoughtfully on the bottle as she pondered what Ace was telling her. Alicia had to admit that, right now, WAR definitely sucked. And that really wasn’t a strong enough opinion. And she’d met people like Styx before – she’d been balked once, but that didn’t mean she had given up. If anything, she’d be even more inclined to come after Alicia. Now, the redhead was more than comfortable taking on the bald woman but that numbers game bothered her more than she was happy admitting.

Nor was she honestly that keen on sticking around in a federation run by the likes of River Styx and her cronies.

Did that mean she wanted to team up with Silver Ace and… well, god knew who?

Her fingers kept on drumming. This hadn’t been anything like what she’d expected. Alicia had fought her battles alone. Always had, always thought she would.

But on top of that, she wasn’t being asked as a last addition. No, she was the first pick and she had to admit, coming from a veteran like Silver Ace, that was pretty damn flattering. Nobody in her experience ever disliked being told they were amazing at their chosen line of work and Alicia was no exception.

A thin smile played over her lips for a moment.

”Alright. I’m in. I’m always up for a good fight and Styx needs a good beating.”

She shrugged her shoulders, glancing down at the water bottle.

”As for Gallium, I still don’t think she’s got what it takes to make it here. And she has the dumbest ring name in this place, which is saying something. But that doesn’t mean she deserves to be crippled for it.”

As Ace herself had said, Alicia didn’t pull her punches. But she wanted to be clear on that, in case Ace had some idea she’d done it purely out of the goodness of her heart.

Ace actually blushed as Alicia brought up the notorious lack of privacy in AFW's common locker rooms and community shower areas, which in days past had often been used for matches as well.

"Umm...actually I uh...always showered in a bathing suit when I was in the common locker rooms..."

Her faced turned a bit redder ans she sank into the couch a bit, but her enthusiasm returned as Alicia accepted her offer...while giving Gallium some shit in the process, too which Ace shrugged as she stood up.

"Why all the hate for the name? It's cute! Besides, you've seen the hentai sluts and barely legal bikini models that inhabit this place, Gallium's better than half of them by default...but anyway, enough of that..."

Ace stuck her arm out to Alicia, the lingerie clad blonde smiling at her.

"Glad to have you as the first official member of Team Ace! Welcome to the team...we'll uh...fix the name later..."

Alicia hadn’t actually been thinking of the AFW locker rooms when she said that. School was more like it or the various other locker rooms she’d been in during her school and uni years. The AFW ones were pretty bad by comparison, given matches sometimes ended up back there from what she’d heard, but she was pretty inured to it by now.

That said, she wasn’t sure whether to laugh at Ace’s comment or view it as a sensible proposition in this company. Or both. But, before she had to decide, Ace changed the subject and saved the British kickboxer from having to make any decisions.

Instead, it was on to the equally controversial topic of Gallium Heart, her name and her chances in Friction. And, if she was being nice, Ace kind of had a point or two there but…

”I don’t think they’ve got what it takes either,” Alicia pointed out coolly, ”And if management put me in a match with some bikini model or hentai girl, I’ll go through them just like I went through Gallium.”

She shrugged and took Ace’s hand in her own, giving it a firm shake and holding it.

”I just wanted you to know where I stand. If we’re doing this.”

The redhead flashed a toothy grin.

”And the name’s fine. It’s not like ‘WAR’ is any less corny.”

Finally, she released the handshake and stepped back, gesturing to the empty room around them.

”Alright. Thanks. What’s next?”

Ha! Little did Alicia know, that Ace wore her swimsuit in the high school showers as well...at least, until she dropped out halfway through to follow her dream of a career where people punched her in the face...um...stay in school kids.

Ace shrugged in response. "Well, much as I hate to say it, I think Gallium did more damage to Styx that night than either of us managed to get in tonight, so we'll just have to fight em harder and keep em from running off next time. Lucky for me I've got a badass on my side, eh? Oh and speaking of Gallium, she sends her personal thanks for what you did. I've got her out of the ring for now, she's helping make team uniforms. Hopefully you liked that cute one piece of hers, you'll have one of your own soon."

Ace stuck out her tongue, though if she was actually serious or just messing around was up in the air.

As for what was next...well that was a good question. Ace pondered, rubbing her chin, while also feeling unsure if she should feel underdressed or if Alicia should feel overdressed. Surely she wasn't the first general to plan for war in her undies, right?

"Well...for right now...I'm thinking of recruiting. Have a couple people in mind...How would you feel about Adrian Kytes? I know you two damn near killed each other at Summer Splash, but she's fought Styx before...She's BEATEN Styx before. Could be a good asset?"

That stung, albeit it definitely wasn’t the whole story. When Alicia finally got her hands on Styx, she’d make what Gallium tried look like a walk in the park. As it was, she just growled irritably and shifted her weight.

And yes, Ace was lucky to have her on her side.

Despite the tongue stuck out in her direction, the redhead decided it was probably best to take it seriously. Just in case. Or she might end up in an exact replica and that colour scheme wasn’t her idea of fun.

”Might be a little less cute on me,” Alicia noted, waving a hand down the eye popping curves that graced her tall body, ”But I think I’ll cope. Just make sure it comes in black and grey.”

While she waited for Ace to make up her mind about the next step, the British amazon found herself a seat on one of the chairs where she crossed one long leg over the other and settled back with every appearance of being right at home. If nothing else, this place was definitely more comfortable than hers as she’d expect.

Recruiting though was a good plan. Adrian though…

The redhead hissed out a slow breath, thinking it over.

”If you’re asking me if I can work with Adrian, probably. Depends on her. If you’re asking me if I’ll like it, no. As a fighter, she’s just one step above Styx as far as being part of the problem – that’s the way I see it anyway.”

She raised a shoulder, let it fall in a laconic shrug.

No, Adrian Kytes wasn’t a thug like River Styx. But she was still a tricks and weapons using curse on the federation. And the two of them hadn’t exactly got on like a house on fire the first time so she wasn’t confident that was going to have changed.