Put 'Em Up

”DRINK! DRINK! DRINK!”

Vanessa had been in Japan for a little while, and she’d managed to get accustomed to the place - as much as a redheaded Glaswegian with a New York accent could ever get accustomed to such a place. It was big, cramped, noisy, and busy, so she managed to handle the decor easily enough, but it was the little things that bugged her the most. The customs. The traditions. The mannerisms. Learning the spoken language was hard enough, but the body language was a challenge all its own.

”DRINK! DRINK! DRINK!”

But finally, she’d found something that she could completely sink into. Something that was undeniably hers. All of the sudden, she wasn’t in Japan anymore. She was back home in the States, after a hard night in the ring, slamming down shots with some guy or gal who thought he or she had what it took to put her under the table, and proving them wrong every single time.

”DRINK! DRINK! DRINK!”

The Heavy had quickly became one of Vanessa’s favorite bars after she came to Japan, and with good reason. The place was big, nice and roomy, with scattered arcade machines that mostly worked. The large bar in the middle was well-stocked with beers from around the world, not just the local stuff. Nice, hard wooden floors, good for stomping, and speakers that played a variety of music, not the sort of dubstep crap her daughter would’ve listened to.

”DRINK! DRINK! DRINK!”

It was a fairly rowdy place on a normal night, but tonight things were heating up quick. There was a newcomer to the bar, a spicy sort of woman, and well, Vanessa had started things up with her. She couldn’t recall exactly how the conversation had went, but she was fairly sure curses were said and challenges were made. That was the only explanation for how she ended up sitting on side of a table, with a bottle of Bicardi and a growing line of shotglasses between her and her new ‘friend’.

”DRINK! DRINK! DRINK!”

Vanessa poured.

Vanessa drank.

Vanessa slammed her glass down.

The crowd of middle-aged men and women around them cheered.

Vanessa took a moment to adjust her tie, then leaned back and folded her fingers behind her head, putting her long, lean arms on full display with her sleeveless shirt. She was decked out in her wrestling attire, really, figuring that was the best way to draw some attention her way and drum up publicity, while enjoying a few drinks and having a good time.

”And I do believe that’s my...third? Fourth? Fifth?” She started to count it on her fingers, then gave it up with a shrug. ”Strong stuff. I mean, I’m used to it, had worse, but if it’s causing you some trouble…”

Vanessa paused and her nose scrunched up, as she tried to rake her memory. When that didn’t work, she just decided to ask the question her brain was struggling for. Short-term memory was shit, right now.

”What’d you say your name was, honeybuns?”

Why do people feel the need to yell things like “drink” and “chug” at shit like this, like we’re not gonna do it anyway? the black haired woman said as she watched Vanessa and listened to the crowd gathered around them. She was dressed in a white tank top, brown leather jacket, and jeans, and had her long hair tied up in a small bun on her head. The white ribbon used to tie the bun hang down to her shoulders, almost like an extension of her hair itself.

She couldn’t quite remember how she got to this moment. She’d only arrived in Japan a night ago, finished moving into her new apartment today, and had come here both to celebrate and to see what the bars here in Tokyo were like. One moment she was sitting at the counter enjoying a fine glass of Baiju, somewhere along the line she’d started chatting with a pretty redhead, and now they were some number of shots into a drinking contest with everyone in the bar enjoying the show.

This wasn’t her first drinking contest. Not by a long shot. Though she was surprised to see this other chick seemingly handling herself just fine so far. But if anyone thought that’d intimidate her, they were about to be proven quite wrong.

Once Vanessa set her glass down, the Chinese woman wasted no time in grabbing the bottle, filling up another small glass of her own, and quickly raising it to her lips. She gulped it down, but didn’t immediately set her glass on the table. Even with the glass to her lips, it was easy to see she was grinning happily and confidently. And while she held it up her tongue stuck out and began to gently lick around the inside of it, as if she were hunting down every last drop of that delicious drink. That got some reactions from the crowd, though she didn’t seem to be paying attention. And only once she was sure there was nothing else in the glass did she set it down on the table, face down, prompting a fresh round of cheers in every direction.

“Hm? You say somethin’?” she asked Vanessa, vaguely aware the woman had spoken to her while she’d been putting that shot away. It took a second, but her mind remembered the sounds she’d heard and recalled the question posed to her, which elicited a small laugh.

“Don’t worry. You westerners couldn’t pronounce it right if ‘yer life depended on it. Just call me Bacchus,” she answered, sliding the bottle across the table so Vanessa could pour another shot for herself. “And I think I’ll just call you….” she scanned the girl over, looking for something to give her an idea, until her eyes settled on that crimson hair. “....Red. There, how’s that work for ya?” Bacchus asked with a chuckle, not really caring whether Vanessa minded the nickname or not. The way she saw it, she probably wouldn’t remember whatever her real name was anyway.

There was a mix of reactions from the crowd as Bacchus licked the glass clean, but Vanessa’s was coming in the loudest.

”Oh, for fuck’s sake.” She groaned and rolled her eyes so hard it almost hurt. ”You done? You gonna hump the glass, too? Want me to get a camera?”

Tongue action aside, her foe managed to get through the glass easy enough, and then it was on to introductions. ‘Bacchus’. Not exactly a name Vanessa expected to hear from a woman who looked like that, though she was fairly sure she could’ve pronounced whatever it really was - when she was sober, anyway. As for the nickname, well…

”Red. Huh.” Vanessa blew some of the crimson strands away from her eyes, making sure the irreverent look on her face was clearly seen. ”At least we know you don’t get more creative when you're drunk. Everyone who calls me that always thinks they’re the first ones to do it, like they’re so goddamned cleaver.”

Vanessa caught the bottle, just before it had the chance to slide off. Even while intoxicated, her hands were fast little lightning bolts. ”Cute name, though. Somebody took a mythology class.” Vanessa gave her a little clap, and then it was back to business.

Pour.

Drink.

Slam.

She held up her finger, high to the sky, as the crowd cheered her on, and used her other hand to slide it back towards Bacchus. ”So, Bacchus, what brings you to Japan? Work? Can’t imagine there’s too many openings for ‘pretentious Chinese bitch’.”

Vanessa had a lot of words for Bacchus, none of them complimentary, at least not when factoring in the obvious sarcasm when it was there. But if getting some sort of a rouse out of the Chinese woman, or simply angering her at all had been any part of Vanessa’s goal, then she was far from succeeding.

Bacchus only laughed at the words the other woman threw at her. And even once that laughter died down, her grin was still wide as ever. “‘Yer funny, Red, y’know that?” she said, reaching a hand out to catch the bottle while the other grabbed a fresh glass. She poured, lifted, drained it all down in one quick go, then slammed the glass down to another round of cheers, though they went ignored by Bacchus.

“I’m a fighter. Just signed on with AFW. You’d be surprised how many ‘pretentious bitches,’ Chinese or otherwise, they’ve got spots for. Hell, I bet you’d fit right in ‘yerself,” she said with a chuckle, sliding the bottle back Vanessa’s way. She wasn’t noticeably reacting much to the alcohol, but that was only because she was such an experienced drinker, much like Vanessa seemed to be. But she could feel her face heating up. Too many more of these shots and “playing tough” wouldn’t be an option. And she knew there was a high probability the same could be said for Vanessa.

“And what about you? No wait, let me guess…” Bacchus tapped a finger on the table, pondering over the possibilities. “‘Yer...an English teacher! No, wait… Retired English teacher! Well, am I close?” It was a wild guess and even Bacchus figured it probably wasn’t true. But it was as good a guess as any. Vanessa was European, but talked as if she were pretty familiar with Japan. Granted, in depth analyses were hardly Bacchus’ specialty, especially after this many drinks. But if nothing else, she at least picked up on enough to make her random guess somewhat plausible. The "retired" bit was just a fun little add-on for the banter. Though whether or not Vanessa would find it amusing or not remained to be seen.

Maybe it was just the alcohol - in fact, she was reasonably certain that had something to do with it - but she had absolutely no idea what this woman was talking about.

Oh, she understood the first part well enough, though it made for one hell of a coincidence. Last she checked, Tokyo was one of the biggest cities in the world with a massive population and more bars than quite a few entire countries. What were the odds that two Friction wrestlers, even with a roster this massive, would end up in the same place at the same time and wind up in a drinking contest.

If she’d been sober, she might have chalked it up to divine providence. As it was, she lost the thought as soon as Bacchus’ next taunt came out.

”Retired?” Vanessa gave a hard sneer as she poured, though it didn’t last long when she nearly spilled the glass. Had to pay attention. ”What’s that, a crack at my age? The best you got?”

Pour.

Drink.

Slam.

This time she held the bottle out, just far enough that Bacchus would have to reach over to grab it. ”I’m in the AFW, too, Einstein, but don’t think I’ve seen you around. Don’t watch much hentai shit, though.”

It was meant to be a jab, but Bacchus’ body wouldn’t have been the worst fit for that kind of competition…

Truth be told, Bacchus didn’t have the slightest clue how old Vanessa was. She didn’t look particularly old to her. She was hot, but that’s about all she knew. For all he knew the redhead could’ve been anywhere between her mid twenties and late forties. But evidently she wasn’t a fan of guesses toward the latter. Vanessa may have tried to shrug it off, but it was easy to tell it bothered her. A more considerate person would’ve made a mental note to avoid that going forward. Bacchus only saw it as a big red button that’d be fun to push just to see what might happen.

Vanessa holding the bottle barely within reaching distance rather than sliding it over didn’t go unnoticed, and earned a half grunt, half chuckle from the ravenette. Though her thoughts deviated from that when the other woman revealed she was also a wrestler for AFW.

“No shit. Small world, huh?” Bacchus replied, then finally reached out to take the bottle. “Ya wouldn’t have seen me even if I’d done any of that,” she said, showing no signs the verbal jab had struck any nerves with her. She filled another little shot glass and drained its contents, then set the bottle down on her own end of the table, close to the corner. Literally as far away as it could possibly be from Vanessa without being in danger of falling off the table.

“I’d ask if you’d done any of that hentai shit, probably a dumb question though. Pretty sure they only let people in their twenties do those kinds of matches.”

Vanessa wasn’t insecure about her age.

She thought she looked damn good for it, frankly, especially considering she’d had a kid. You would never have known it to look at her. She kept up, worked out, maintained a fit body, and she was proud of the results. Most women in their twenties weren’t hitting on nearly as much. And what would Bacchus know? She probably couldn’t even see her clearly.

So maybe she was a little insecure, then.

She blew it off and leaned back as Bacchus took on another glass and gave it a sound defeat. ”Pfft, honest? It probably isn’t that big of a coincidence. There’s, like, two thousand Friction wrestlers out there.” She was just making up a number, but the sad thing was, she likely wasn’t too far off.

Vanessa’s arms were long, but not so long that she could reach over and grab the bottle where Bacchus left it. She thought about leaning over, but then she had a better idea. Or, what seemed like a better idea right now.

Vanessa stood up and crawled over the table, her wild redhair covering wild eyes as she moved towards Bacchus. When she reached the other end, she swung her leg out so that one was on either side of the Chinese woman, and then she reached over and grabbed the bottle in one hand and a shot glass in the other.

Pour.

Drink.

Slam. This time, she laid the glass between her legs, right in front of Bacchus, and gazed down on the woman with a crooked grin.

Needless to say, the audience appreciated the display. Catcalls were heard. Didn’t matter to Vanessa, though, since she just wanted to fuck with Bacchus’ head a little. ”Only twenties, huh? Seems unfair.” Vanessa leaned forward, close enough for them to smell each other’s reeking breath. ”Doesn’t matter. I win my matches the old-fashioned way: beating my opponent’s shitless. You ever want a personal demonstration, you let me know, cupcake.”

Well, things certainly got interesting over the next several seconds.

Of course Bacchus expected Vanessa to try to one up her after she’d tauntingly set the bottle down so far away from the redhead, but she didn’t expect her to succeed. But that’s precisely what happened. Bacchus watched with a cocked brow as Vanessa crawled over the table and settled herself down on the end, with those sexy legs of hers coming down by either side of her.

Despite her teasing over Vanessa’s age, Bacchus did find her figure simply divine. And as she watched the woman pour, drink, then set her glass down right in between her legs, it took some willpower not to indulge in the various temptations that entered her less than pure mind. But she maintained that confident, amused grin of hers as she enjoyed her little show - and yes, the gathered crowd may have been enjoying it as well. But there was no mistaking Bacchus was the one getting the full benefit of it.

Vanessa then lowered her face to speak right in front of Bacchus’, and there was plenty of alcohol on her breath to smell. Many would’ve found it overwhelming and backed off. But Bacchus liked that stench - even wondered on occasion why there weren’t toothpastes made in that flavor. No words were immediately spoken once Vanessa was finished. Instead Bacchus’ right hand began to strail ever so gently up the redhead’s leg. It started along her shin and calf, then slowly worked on up to her thigh, feeling all the firm muscle contained in the limb. Then, just when it seemed like some impromptu foreplay might be in the works, her hand slipped off to grab the glass resting between Vanessa’s legs, while the other one moved to grab the bottle still being held by the other woman, assuming she’d let go of it.

But even in the midst of all this sexy entertainment, Bacchus’ mind still hadn’t forgotten about that “red button” she’d stumbled onto moments ago. Vanessa had done well to keep herself from overreacting. But she was still reacting. And things were different now. Teasing her about her age was one thing when Vanessa was sitting across the table, far out of arm’s reach. It would be another to do it now, with the redhead hovering astride Bacchus and easily within range to strike if she wanted to - or perhaps more appropriately, if she felt motivated enough to. That’s when realization set in. This wasn’t Vanessa trying to be sexy to get a better reaction from a bunch of no-name losers in a bar. This was Vanessa daring Bacchus to hit that button again and see what happened. A wise person would’ve just had fun enjoying the show in front of them and backed off of the rest.

Bacchus was a lot of things, but wise had never been one of them.

“Heh, sure thing. And I’ll do my best not to shatter those dentures. How’s that sound?”

Vanessa was plastered. Pissed. Extremely fucking intoxicated, to put it in mild way. Her head felt ‘fluffy’, if that made sense, like she could feel her brain moving around in her skull case. Her stomach had some tingle going on, and while she doubted she’d throw up, she had a strong feeling it would be best if she avoided any sudden movements. Which, given where this had a good chance of going, was all too unfortunate.

But while she was drunk, she hadn't reached the place in her mindspace where she was too spaced out to realize the effect she was having on Bacchus. She knew she was hot, and if there was any debate, well, that cocked eyebrow confirmed it. As did the way her fingers started to roll up her thigh, feeling her over, touching and teasing while Vanessa’s smile grew wider and the crowd grew louder, clearly expecting a live demonstration of the AFW hentai match…

But they’d be disappointed. Sighs filled the room as Bacchus took the glass and lived up to her namesake, downing another glass and smiling the silly grin of hers. Irritating enough, but then came the taunt.

”Heh.” Vanessa snorted as she held on tight to the bottle, not letting it go just yet. Her gaze was calm, even jovial, chuckling at Bacchus’ joke. As she did, though, you could see the muscles on her arm begin to tighten and stretch, see her quickening breath. ”Dentures. That’s funny. That is really, really-”

Without warning or pause, she broke the sentence in half and went into action, raising her leg up and kicking Bacchus square in the face chest, looking to knock her right off the chair and her high horse at the same time.

Even though Vanessa was laughing, Bacchus could tell she wasn’t finding anything about that comment amusing. Her grip on the bottle seemed to tighten, and irritation was written all over her face. If anything, the smile on the redhead’s face just highlighted the fact rather than mask it.

What came next probably shouldn’t have been much of a surprise. Regardless, Vanessa’s foot came crashing right into Bacchus forcing a grunt from her lips as she and her chair toppled backward and crashed onto the floor. For a moment she just stayed there. Anything from a groan to rampant cursing probably would’ve come from most in her position. But in Bacchus’ case…..

“PFFTHAHAHAHAHA!!!!”

A cackling fit of laughter rang out. Some of that reaction was no doubt a result of how goddamn wasted she was. But even beyond that, she was quite entertained by the reaction all her teases and comments had earned her. It was like turning the handle of a jack-in-the-box and waiting for it to pop open. Except this was quite a bit more fun.

Rolling onto her hands and knees, Bacchus pulled herself back up and peeled her jacket off, then dropped it aside. “Now we’ve got ourselves a party!” the drunk ravenette exclaimed, then whirled around and hurled herself right back at Vanessa, trying to tackle her right on the table! And from there a barrage of punches would proceed to rain down right toward the redhead’s face! And by now the crowd was wisely spreading further out as what had only moments ago been an immensely entertaining drinking contest escalated into a full on brawl!