~Crème De La Crème~ Feat. Sonic Boom[FWC]

~~~Crème De La Crème~~~

~~~Act 2.~~~

Highly skilled caterers and maids had just finished putting the finishing touches on decorating the ring as per their employer's wishes, though the pristine scenery laid out before the masses did little to assuage their foreboding dread. Extravagant tapestry lining the ropes with floral bouquets atop each corner ring post, all surrounding the Victorian-era designed circular table and four adjoining cane-back chairs. The scent of simmering Darjeeling wafted from the tea cup set alongside several scrumptious pastries doting the table. Aside two of the plates were bent name tags to assign seating to the special guests for the evening, those names being embroidered in excessively cursive lettering...

"Alaina"..."Julia"...

Without much further ado, the imposing theme of tonight's sovereign hosts began trumpeting from the speakers and heralded the entrance of the dainty aristocrats themselves. Gwendolyn and Akiha than elegantly striding out amidst a chorus of boos and impassioned disapproval over who was representing the league's tag-team division. Adorned once again in their trademark dress-suit ensembles with their tag belts draped across their shoulders, both heiress' would exemplify refined elegance with their poised foot work and sophisticated demeanor as they entered the beautified ring strewn with rose petals. With their theme music dying down and Gwendolyn turning to address the audience with a mic in hand and smirk on her lips, the crowd would collectively groan from what they knew was coming since seeing the decorated ring in the first place...

"Greetings, and Salutations~...my woefully unrefined ne'er-do-well's, and REJOICE~...for you are once gifted the serendipitous privilege of basking in the evanescent radiance of your flawless superiors, your abundantly affluent deities, your shining beacons for which to model your menial lives after~...and, perhaps more relevant at the moment, your tag-team champions~..." Gwen shrugged the shoulder that carried her tag belt to emphasize her point further, a sly smirk on her lips as she continued onward.

"And how exceedingly fortunate you are. For I must declare that today's installment of Crème De La Crème is somewhat...personally, motivated. They say..."You can't start the next chapter of your life if you are constantly re-reading the last one." And while I profess to have move passed certain unfortunate happening's in my storied past, recent events have apparently seen fit to unearth those long since quashed vendettas. As evidenced by my perhaps slightly over-exaggerated reaction during our last session, and how certain Amazonian ghosts from my past have taken to laying waste to my staff in a vain attempt at getting my attention." Gwen sauntered back and forth as she spoke before finally settling down at her chair besides Akiha, mic still in her gloved hand as she now faced the entrance ramp.

"Therefore, today I intend to close the book on two very specific chapters in my life. And if those two could now make their presence known and formally accept my invitation, we can begin to move matters forward...and let the healing commence~..." Gwen elegantly uttered before placing her mic down and intertwining her fingers underneath her chin as she leaned forward on the table...

Julia had some mixed feelings about this one.

On one hand, she wasn't much of a fan of gatherings as "fancy" as this. She didn't like wearing dresses - which, along with the thinking that a talk involving Gwen hardly deserved her Sunday best, was part of her reasoning for going with a red and white plaid shirt, jeans, and her usual mask and cowgirl boots as her attire. There was a memory in her head of a dozen or so uniformed employees one time beating Julia down and setting her up to have her face used as the heiress' cushion. And despite the claim that this was all about burying the ol' hatchets, the cowgirl highly doubted much progress would be made on that front tonight, if any.

However, Sonic Boom had had a busy year. And while she didn't expect it to be pleasant, it was about time for a little chat with the reigning tag champs.

Soon a familiar theme began to play over the speakers, and Julia walked out through the curtain with a bright smile on her masked face, and her tag partner by her side. "Guess it's time t' get this party started," she said, giving Alaina a little nudge with her elbow before she started walking down the aisle.

She high fived as many fans along the way as she could until she arrived by the decorated ring and ascended the steps. Julia stood on the apron for a moment, grabbing onto the top rope in front of her, and temptation briefly set in to sling herself over and come crashing down onto her feet into the ring, just to mess with the champs and their fancy setup.

She bit the inside her lip and considered it for a moment, then half-reluctantly opted to simply step through the ropes. Her eyes found Gwen and Akiha for a moment, then moved to the mic that was waiting on one of the open chairs and picked it up and held it to her lips.

"HOW'S IT GOIN, TOKYO?!" she called out, addressing the crowd first rather than their hostesses, then smiled and listened as thousands of voices briefly cheered out in response. Then she turned to Gwen and Akiha again and finally sat down in one of the chairs, casually closing her right leg over the left.

"Well, long time no see, Gwen," she said. As far as Julia could remember, this was might've been only the second or third time she and Akiha had even been in the same room. It was far to early for her to decide what she thought of the girl. But she was an effective and cohesive partner for Gwen, which was practically a red flag in and of itself for Julia.

Time will only tell, she supposed...

Alaina was with Julia as they walked out, feeling conflict of her own. "Lets do this, any sign of things going down I have no problem swinging first, asking later in regards to Gwenniecakes." She couldn't stand Gwendolyn and she saw Akiha as a rival inside the ring, yet pleasant outside the ring. Alaina was dressed in a simple yet nice purple tank top, a necklace, black miniskirt, and pair of nice heels she had. As Sonic Boom came out the crowd roared and she high fived fans as she strut down the ramp with Julia. To rub it in to the champs she posed for a few photographs with fans sitting along the ramp, flexing in one, her arm around a fan in another. The amazon was all smiles on the outside, but ready for things to go downhill quickly inside that decorated ring.

Like Julia had, Alaina spoke into the mic to the fans first. "Hey everyone! Who is enjoying the show so far?!" Alaina said as she strut around a bit, firing up the crowd even more. She blew a couple kisses and accentuated the sway of her hips before coming to a stop. She had plans for these two, but at first appeared ready to play this little game of tea party. "Miss Akosha, Miss Dupont Bettencourt a pleasure to see you both." Alaina said with a grin, as well as deep down being genuine about happily seeing Akiha again. Alaina sat down, grinning like a cheshire cat waiting to see the real reason behind Sonic Booms appearance on Gwendolyns little segment.

It was that time again, time for another Creme De La Creme. With their theme music now playing, Akiha would make her way down the ring alongside with Gwendolyn. As the duo made their way down the ramp, the crimson hair wrestler would look around as she was hit with a barrage of boos. She was a bit disappointed but not because she was being booed but because the Creme De La Creme was once again in a Victorian style instead of a Japanese style. Akiha had insisted it being Japanese but in the end, this Creme De La Creme was mainly about Gwendolyn so, in the end, the Japanese Crusader had decided to yield to her partner demands when it came to the choice of design.

The duo would then enter the ring and Akiha would take a seat while her partner began to speak. She would continue on and talk about her past and how she wanted to close that chapter. Akiha would then look at the ramp and wait for their “guests” to arrive. Then Sonic Boom would make their way down. Akiha would eye the two of them. She was a bit disappointed with what Julia was wearing, she had hoped she would have worn something more professional. In fact, this enraged her, as Julia was the one who inspired Akiha to become a high flyer, so in a way, she was a bit of a hero to the crimson hair wrestler, not that anyone actually knew any of this. Alaina, on the other hand, was dress a bit better but still not to the level that she wanted. The Amazon was a bit of a rival to the Japanese Crusader but someone she got along outside the ring.

Akiha would raise to her feet first and place the mic near her mouth before taking a step towards Sonic Boom. “What are you two wearing? Could you not at least show some class and respect. Do you have any idea how silly the two of you look and how you are ruining this with what you are wearing? Though I guess this is to be expected from low-class foreigners.” stated Akiha in an annoyed tone as she would take a step back. Usually, she would have continued but this was Gwendolyn event, so she needed to let her partner have the spotlight.

Despite the extensive backlog of tumultuous history the heiress had with the two individuals traipsing down the ramp to a decidedly more welcome reception than their team did, Gwendolyn remained seated throughout their bombastic entrance. She was the quintessential definition of calm, cool, composed, and restrained as their obnoxiously upbeat theme played during their equally obnoxious placating to the fans while the heiress' were forced to wait in the ring even longer. Weeks of soothing anger management techniques with meditative breathing having helped Gwen prepare herself with being reacquainted with the walking-talking embodiment of her Entropy title run.

No...today, Gwendolyn was duly dedicated to not flying off the handle like last time with the Pride Queens, keeping her emotions in check, and preventing herself from being the aggressor. A role that Akiha was apparently took up as she admonished Sonic Boom for their deplorable attire. Gwendolyn than calmly standing back up and putting a reassuring arm around her partner's shoulder.

"Now, Now, Madam Kosha~...We mustn't begrudge our esteemed guests for not adhering to our own sophisticated sensibilities and cultured regalia. As the dignified noblewoman we are, we must remain cordial and accepting of our loutish, uncivilized sisters in arms. Come now, have a seat~..." Gwen pleasantly stated while gently coaxing Akiha back down to her chair, the heiress now turning to address Sonic Boom with her hands placed gently on her lap and an uncharacteristically wholesome and perhaps unsettling smile.

"Ah~...I'm ever so delighted that you both saw fit to accept my gracious invitation. Perhaps not an easy decision to make considering our...*giggle*...history...But!!...that is what I intend to rectify this day~..." Gwen elegantly uttered while leaning forward to place on of her gloved hands on the table. "For you see, I intend to use this very platform as way of brokering a peace treaty, so to speak. An amicable resolution to what may still be festering and unhealthy resentment one of us may have towards another. Dear Alaina here has certainly made her vengeance laden voice abundantly heard by laying waste to my staff, and I'd imagine Julia isn't particularly satisfied with how our last singles match concluded..." Gwen offered a sly and condescending glance in Julia's direction that spoke volumes before continuing onward.

"However, as you are no doubt aware after our last encounter, I professed to having relinquished past vendettas and set my sights on future gains in my ever continuing ascent into glory~...and as you can tell, that particular decision has certainly payed off in dividends~..." Gwen tapped the metal plate on her Tag-Team belt to emphasize her point, her snooty smirk and patronizing tone of voice also doing the same.

"Therefore, rather than mull over who unmasked who~..." Gwen waved her dainty hand in Julia's direction. "...Or hold ridiculous grudges over who allegedly bribed referees~..." Gwen waved her hand in Alaina's direction. "...I implore you both to follow my glorious example, and simply let bygones be bygones and continue your wrestling career unfettered by the past. Perhaps you too one day will reattain championship gold, and I, in my bountiful generosity, would even be so willing as to assist in that endeavor. Agree to my call of peace, and I absolutely intend to accept you into the Primol family with all the generous perks that it entails. Simply wrestle under the Primol name, and you will be afforded affluent lodgings, top-tier treatment, numerous sponsorship's, and a substantial pay increase as befitting those I deem worthy to brandish the Primol insignia. All of which are accommodations I'm certain you are regretting the absence of ever since the absolutely tragic shuttering of the Dojo's doors~..."

"Now~...*giggle*...what say you?" Gwen queried pleasantly while leaning back to take a refreshing sip of her Darjeeling tea, awaiting their response along with an entire arena of people and millions watching at home.

This was certainly an interesting little surprise. Julia had expected Akiha to introduce herself. She just hadn't expected the girl to be so, well...bold about it. Not that it bothered the cowgirl. She actually found Akiha's annoyance at their choices of attire to be kind of amusing, though it was quickly eased down thanks to Gwen's efforts.

"Hey now, I'll have ya know these jeans are Levi's," Julia sarcastically pointed out with a small chuckle. Then Gwen had the floor again, and Julia listened intently to every word that came from the blonde's lips. A few seconds of silence passed after the profoundly surprising proposition was made. Was Julia actually considering taking her up on it?

"....PFFTHahahaha!!!" Julia finally burst out, unable to hold her laughter in any longer. She'd genuinely tried to keep a straight face, but this was just too much.

"Ya can't possibly be serious, right?! After everything that's gone on, your idea of buryin' the hatchet is for us to work for ya? You must be outta yer mind!" By now her laughter was dying down.

"Gwen, let me make this crystal clear for ya. We don't need yer money, we don't need yer sponsorships, we don't need yer sompany, and we damn sure don't need you. There's a better chance of hell freezin' over than there will ever be of either of us workin' for you of all people.... And that brings me to you, Lil' Mrs. Fashion Police!" she said, now turning her gaze toward Akiha.

"There's somethin' I've been wonderin' 'bout you. Obviously," she motioned a hand toward Akiha's tag team championship belt, "you two've managed to find some chemistry together. Now, I could probably count on a single hand all the people in this league that can handle Gwen's company without wantin' to punch her in the face, and I probably wouldn't even need all five fingers for it either. How the hell do ya put up her, and why the hell do ya do it?"

There may have been a small bit of humor in her wording, but it was a serious question. Julia couldn't fathom how anyone could see the prospect of teaming regularly with Gwen to be appealing in the slightest, and she genuinely wanted to know what Akiha's perspective was on all of this.

Alaina listened with a raised eyebrow, shaking her head the whole time with her arms crossed. This could not have been serious, could it? "Oh my precious delusional Gwenniecakes.... what about either of us has 'corporate hack' written anywhere? If you thought this little insulting offer to be your minions was supposed to bury a hatchet, or go over remotely well you clearly are off your meds little girl." Alaina said still struck by a look of disbelief. "I also wonder what it is about your working arrangement that makes your team work. Like, to me the balance is..... uneven. Sonic Boom is an equal partner type deal where Imperial Order looks kinda like Gwendolyns big mouth running rampant with Akiha just kinda, I dunno.... tagging along? Playing second fiddle?" Alaina added, trying to stir the pot just a bit, and to put them on the defensive.

Alaina waited a moment for her comments to sink in before asking another much more important question. "We are doing great on our own without the dojo. What could make you possibly think we need you, or would ever want to work for you?" Alaina said, very eager to hear what either of these women had to say. Alaina took a deep breath as she waited. She wanted to make sure that she wasn't going to let her temper get the best of her out here.

Akiha would glare at Julia comment. It was clear she didn't have any respect. She wanted to make a comment but right now Gwendolyn had the stage. Gwendolyn would then make a proposal but just as Akiha expected the other two wrestlers were not interested, in fact, they were laughing at such a proposal. The Japanese wrestler would look at her partner before turning her attention back to Sonic Boom.

It seemed that the conversation now began to focus on her, they were wondering how in the world Akiha could work with Gwendolyn and play second fiddle. She would bite her lip, knowing that they were putting her in a minefield. She would first turn to Julia. “Gwendolyn is good for business, she is good for me. She does not give up, she never backs down, she always gives it her all and she always looks forward, never backward. Maybe if you were not making excuses for your defeats and instead looked at what made Gwendolyn such a great wrestler, you would understand why I can work with her so well.” stated Akiha in response to Julia comment.

Her attention would then turn to Alaina. “Second fiddle? Is it second fiddle when you get everything you want? Just because Gwendolyn does most of the talking, does not mean I don't have an equal say. Though I don't expect low class foreign to be able to comprehend this. Though it is a bit clear what you two are doing, you are trying to drive a wedge between us. You are not first to try and you certainly will not be the last.” said Akiha in a serious tone. Though she would back down, knowing that Gwendolyn would probably have some harsh words to say as well.

Gwendolyn savored her tea with refined poise, grace, and most importantly, saintly patience. Sonic Boom predictably showcasing their complete inability to act with even a modicum of class towards their dignified hosts. But true to her inner resolution, Gwendolyn was not acting on her bubbling indignation and remained ever stalwart. The heiress glancing with a smirk to each person at the table as they voiced their opinion until it all came full circle.

"Well...while I'm certainly accustomed to being the premiere topic of conversation, that may have very well been the first time it unfolded while I was in the immediate vicinity. I mean come now, is it really so difficult to fathom why a fellow like-minded entrepreneur saw the benefits of aligning herself with an individual whose mere name is synonymous with unparalleled glory, elegance, and conquest~..." Gwen pridefully boasted with her fingertips on her chest and a beaming smirk.

"Still, I expected such an uncouth response from the likes of you two. And here I was...trying ever so tactfully to have you both save face by subtlety offering you a solution to your individual predicaments." Gwen stated with disappointed tone of voice before turning in Alaina's direction.

"You...who have been on a spiraling nosedive into irrelevancy ever since losing MY Entropy title belt..." Gwen than turned her head golden-curled head back to Julia.

"And especially you...*giggle*...It truly is a dreadful shame when family businesses struggle to remain afloat amidst today's unsteady economy, isn't it Julia? Especially fledgling wrestling federations who just might so happen to be drowning in numerous unpaid bank loans. If only there was someone sitting at this very table with the resources needed to salvage such a sinking endeavor~..." Gwen coyly remarked, speaking as openly about Julia's family and their financial struggles without outright naming names.

"Now...will you actually listen to the terms of this, my second suggested arrangement...or can Julia's entire family fit inside whatever squalid hovel you two have squirreled yourself away into?"

Julia may not have agreed with a single word that came out of Akiha's lips, but she took it all in and grinned while she listened. She was learning a lot about Akiha in this first meeting with the girl, and despite her bizarre loyalty to Gwen, she was pleasantly surprised with what she was seeing and hearing.

But the smile on Julia's face quickly disappeared once Gwen suddenly made the struggling state of her family's promotion. Her gaze turned to glare into her old rival's, uncrossed her legs and leaned forward in her seat. If looks could kill... Well, fortunately for Gwen, they didn't.

"Don't...talk...about my family...again..." She practically growled the words. "We don't need any charity handouts, least of all from someone like you! Ya got somethin' t' say? Go ahead and say it. But I'm warnin' ya, better choose 'yer words real carefully. If you even mention my family or their promotion one more time, you and I just might have a problem."

She hadn't come here looking for a fight, but she wasn't going to hesitate about slugging Gwen right in the face if the heiress provoked her enough. It seemed that was largely going to depend on Gwen and whatever this "arrangement" was she wanted to propose...