So a Demon and an Angel Walk in the Park...

Life was strange. That much was very clear to Masuyo.

So far, thing should have been looking up. The two had found themselves on a bench, not far from the fountain, and with plenty of daylight to spare. People were out and about, the weather was nice, hardly any clouds in sight, and a pleasant breeze was washing over the entire park. Seemed like the perfect conditions for any date.

So why did she feel so uneasy? Maybe because she’d managed to catch a few of those errant glances as the two started walking. Yeah, that could be it. This was the opposite of what she wanted. Eyes drawn on them. The possibility of the pair being recognized. That was her nightmare scenario.

Not that she didn’t appreciate the affection that Elsa was showing. She’d done similar things with her boyfriends in the past. Although, they’d ever gotten to one another out in public, aside from the occasional loving kiss, was holding hands. That was all she ever really wanted, anyway. But this. This was a little...more than she was expecting. The nuzzling. The close grip. Although, she refrained from mentioning that to Elsa. As much as the attention was making her uncomfortable, it would be even worse to make her date feel as though she were being too forward.

Even Masuyo didn’t realize she was this much of a lady killer. She’d had a lot of male admirers in the past, took up on more than a few of them, and they all seemed to have positive memories to look back on by the end of it all. But Elsa looked positively enamored, almost like she were under a spell. She was even drawing eyes with how closely the two were clinging together. They hadn’t even known each other that long. How badly did she want this date to work? Did she-

And then it dawned on the Demon. Her date was still nervous.

She felt stupid for not realizing sooner. She was putting her all into impressing Masuyo so she wouldn’t second guess herself. So she wouldn’t ruin this afternoon for the both of them with her anxiety. It was just like their match together. Elsa must have been blocking out her doubts to focus on the task before her, ignoring everything else inbetween. Masuyo didn’t want that. Not at all.

“I’m not going to float away if you let go, you know.” She chuckled a bit and gave a slight grin to Elsa as they kept walking along the waterfront. Her body relaxed a bit even as her date tugged closer. “I know you were the one who asked me out, but you don’t have to push yourself too hard. I’m here. You’re here. Let’s both just relax a little, okay?”

Elsa listened to Masuyo's words, and while she knew that her date wasn't a balloon....she had been treating her like one. She'd been forcing herself to go a little overboard on the whole lovey dove thing...made it was time to take a step back. So after releasing her tight grip on the demon, the swede would simply hold hands with the woman.

"Ok...yeah...taking things easy...here I go.....How's this?" Elsa would ask with a soft smile on her face as she tried to look super chill. But in reality, the swede just looked like she was trying not to laugh since she felt odd from trying to keep a straight face while being so giddy about this date. She wasn't feeling very nervous anymore, but remaining super calm was still out of reach for her.

"Heheheh! I'm sorry! I can't do it! Hehe...I'm just too excited about this!" the snowy angel would laugh before looking around at the area to try to calm herself. As she did so, Else would notice that this park was a very pretty place. The birds were chirping, there were butterflies fluttering about, and the sun was shining brightly...but thankfully not too bright that she'd need to squint her eyes. It was really nice out right now, and the swede was loving it.

"This is really nice...I love getting out and seeing nature. It's pretty cold where I grew up...so Japan is a really nice change of scenery." Elsa would explain before turning towards her date. "What's your favorite thing about the park?"

One step at a time, it seems.

Elsa’s brief implosion gave Masuyo a pretty good idea of just how far she was going to get in trying to calm her date down. Perhaps she shouldn’t be so worried. She didn’t know much about Elsa either. From a glance, she appeared like a more reserved individual, so perhaps this might just be her coming out of her shell a bit. Come to think of it, she didn’t know much of anything about Europe either. Maybe Sweden was just full of really affectionate people. Maybe this kind of thing was more common abroad. Hm. Foreigners sure come from interesting cultures.

“The ginkgo trees. Definitely. You really get the full experience this far into autumn. There’s a grove not too far from here, actually. My elementary teacher took our class there once for lunch. They sprout these beautiful golden leaves, and the way they move with the wind is so mesmerizing. They looked so giant back then, too. It’s like a dream almost.” The corner of her mouth curled into a smile as she looked up at the passing branches. “I’ll have to head back there one day.”

Masuyo’s smile brightened for a moment as she felt herself getting lost in her garden of memories. She stopped herself, though. Today wasn’t about her. Well, it was half about her, but her date took precedence. The two kept walking along the trail until it occurred to Masuyo that she hadn’t been taking the chance to get to know the woman she was holding hands with. This might have been a good chance to put Elsa back in the driver’s seat, too. It was her date, after all.

“So." She began, looking back over at Elsa. "What made you want to ask me out? Besides the obvious, I mean. I know we agreed to drop it and everything, but I’d still like to know. If you're just trying to get into my pants again, there are easier ways to go about that.”

It wasn’t not a possibility after all. It’d happened before, but her date didn’t seem like the kind to pull that sort of stunt.

Elsa would listen closely as her date talked about ginkigo trees. Masuyo must have really loved them from how she spoke about the way their leaves looked, and how dreamy they seemed. Elsa really liked how the dark haired woman described them, she made them beautiful without even needing a picture.  

"That...sounds amazing..." the swede would say with a smile. "Maybe you could take me to see them sometime...I mean if that's ok. They sound really beautiful." Elsa would add as she focused on Masuyo's bright smile. The angel really liked her date's smile...it made her thankful to be here with the woman as they continued to walk peacefully on the park trail. That is...at least until her date popped the question. Not THAT question, but one that still made the swede a little bit nervous as she blushed faintly at the mention of her trying to get into Masuyo's pants.

"Oh! Well um...no that's perfectly fine. I understand where you're coming from...so I'd be happy to tell you!" Elsa would say a bit nervously but more so happy. She was glad to see Masuyo was curious about her as well. "First off...No. I'm not doing this to get into your pants...at least not yet te-he~..." the swede would say with a wink to joke with the woman. "But seriously...you're just a really impressive woman to me...you seemed so cool during our match. And besides the...well um...sex...I couldn't help but be amazed by you. You're a great fighter. You're really confident. And you're really nice."

Elsa would then take a break to think on her next words, and then after turning towards the demon, she'd continue.

"I'm sure you'll be at the very top in no time...but at the same time...I'm already blown away by you. So I just had to ask you out...does that make sense to you? Sorry if I'm rambling..." Elsa would say as she scratched the back of her head with her free hand. Hopefully what she said made sense to Masuyo...

It was a good idea to get this out of the way before they went on with their date.

As upbeat as Elsa was, there was still a bit of ambiguity to it all. Why her? Why some rookie if this was about something other than the match? Was Masuyo really just that good? Maybe she wanted some of those skills for herself? This had to be related to the wrestling ring, of course.

Then again, could be this was all just for another chance for Elsa to score. The thought made her a tad glum. It wouldn’t surprise her, though. The Demon had met more than a few people like that in the past. If it were all just a front, then the very least she could do was come out and say it.

Turns out, it wasn’t either.

Masuyo kept her hands in her jacket pockets as the two turned and looked at each other. Elsa made her intentions clear, with a bit of playfulness, and a touch of red made its way onto Masuyo’s cheeks. The corners of her mouth made a soft smile. Flattering was a bit of an understatement for what she felt. Masuyo had never really thought of herself as 'amazing'. Formidable, talented, confident. Yeah, those were things she heard a lot of. But 'amazing'. There was a warmth that flickered inside of her when she heard that.

“Not at all. It's sweet. I’m really glad you think that. You’ve been around longer than I have, after all. You must have seen some really great fighters come and go in your time. It means a lot.”

Elsa was technically the veteran between them. She knew the organization better than Masuyo. Trained in it longer. Had more experience in the business. Earning praise from her was very reassuring that the demon was heading in the right direction.

“But I feel the same way, honestly. You can be really impressive in the ring, and you seem like a nice person, Elsa.” If a bit jumpy. “Hm. Maybe we can train together sometime. I’ll show you a few moves that could help in a pinch.”

Masuyo seemed to really like like what the swede was saying. With a soft smile forming and reddened cheeks, Elsa could tell her date was happy to hear such compliments. Everything the swede said was from the heart, and she was glad it had a positive effect on the demon. She could have talked to Masuyo even more, but the snowy angel didn't want to go into too much detail and seem like she was obsessed.

Then when her date responded, Elsa would be happy to hear that the woman found what she said to be sweet and that it meant a lot to her. Smiling wide, the swede would blush a tiny bit too as she listened to Masuyo go on about how she felt the same about her. Thew demon would say how impressive Elsa was, how nice of a person she seemed to be, and best of all, that they could train together some time!

"Oh! That would be super! I'm sure anything you showed be could really come in handy...Maybe I could show you a few of my aerial techniques! I didn't get to show you any from that department in our match, heheh. I bet you'd be able to use the ropes really well~" Elsa would say as she sped up a little so she'd be in front of the woman while talking. The swede would keep eye contact with her date by walking backwards, as well, before looking up and bringing her fist close to her lower lip to think.

"Hmm...maybe a spring board move...not like my reverse DDT one...but maybe a bulldog...what do you think?" Elsa would ask her date wondering if there was a move like that she could train Masuyo in.

A big smile made found its way onto her face when Elsa accepted her offer.

On the surface, Masuyo was just excited that she got to show off some of her moves to the woman. Their match didn't really give her a chance to impress. Inwardly, however, she’d been thinking for a while now of a way to repay the woman for forcing her to spend a night in the medical center. Sure, injuries were the name of the game, but it didn’t stop her from feeling a little bad about it. Kinda put a damper on this pleasant afternoon.

But the thought of a sparring with the high-flyer sounded like a ton of fun. Yeah. That seemed nice. Just the two of them. On a mat. Training. Alone.

Elsa brought her out her little daydream when she popped out in front of her. Her eyes gently studied her date as she made her suggestions. Promptly, Masuyo’s face turned blank. The Swede might as well have been speaking in her native language for all she could understand. Pro wrestling was plenty more complex than she gave it credit for.

A springboard? Was that a part of the ring? There was a reverse for a DDT? And a bull-what? She pressed her lips together, doing her best to interpret the jargon as best as possible. No such luck. She mastered aikido, not a flykido. Trademark.

“...I’ll leave that up to you. Just whatever keeps me from flying out of the ring again.”

She needed to get away from this conversation before she said something stupid.

“I’m sure I’m in good hands either way.” She gave a soft smile. “I’ve seen a couple of your matches already. And, I’m sure you get this a lot but, you are a seriously good acrobat. Were you really a cop? They teach cops gymnastics in...Sweden, right?”

A gentle wind rustled the frail branches above and washed over the couple as they continued down the path. Masuyo brushed a few errant strands of hair away from her eyes, catching a glimpse past the Swede and down the path ahead. Looks like they were coming to the clearing.

Elsa could tell that she had just confused her date a great deal with her wrestling terminology. But even though they went right over Masuyo’s head, the woman still seemed glad that the swede was being so generous. That soft smile told her everything, plus she said she was in good hands! That made Elsa light up like Christmas tree, but she made sure not to go overboard and keep talking like a crazy woman. Thankfully, the next set of compliments stunned the swede silent.

“R-Really? You think I’m that good?” Elsa would say trying not to sound too surprised. “Thank you, Masuyo! That’s the nicest thing someone here has told me!” she’d say genuinely happy. What Masuyo dais next though made her start to chuckle.

“Heheheh~ No I’m not a real cop silly. It seems like everyone in my family is a cop, but I went for wrestling.” Elsa would say before look up at the sky in thought. “Yeah...I miss Sweden a lot sometimes...but I’m really enjoying it here! So I’m not too homesick!” The woman explained after looking back at the demon she was on a date with.

“Hhhmmm...So what about you Masuyo? How did you get into fighting?”

Homesick, huh?

Masuyo had to be honest that the feeling was lost on her. Japan had been her whole world from the moment she drew her first breath. Internet was a rare privilege in a household like hers, or lack thereof rather. The attic gave her a decent view of the city she’d come to love. The packed sidewalks and bustling streets of Shibuya were all she’d ever known. She couldn’t imagine leaving all of it behind one day.

In that way, it made this time together all the more meaningful. Perhaps Elsa wasn’t as lonely as she would have been, but Masuyo would be happy to be someone she could always rely on in this new and mysterious land.

“I guess you could say it's in my blood.” She gave a chuckle and warm smile. “My grandad studied aikido in his later years. He was determined to make it a family tradition, and it looks like he managed it with me.” She made an exaggerate karate chop motion and grinned cheekily at Elsa. “I had the whole thing down by the time I was ten. Guess I picked it up faster than my mom did, too. They were really impressed with me. Both of them.” The smile dimmed slightly. “Then, uh...things happened and I started doing mixed martial arts. I was really good at it. So good that it got me noticed. It felt great, but I kind of neglected telling my parents for a while.”

She glanced down to the side, a solemn look upon her countenance revealing itself for only a second. She liked fighting. Loved it even. Is that why it felt so wrong to her sometimes?

“I...guess I’m not sure if they’d be so proud of me now.”

Elsa listened closely to the demon's words. She was really impressed to learn about how much of a prodigy the woman was. Ten years old? That was crazy! It wasn't too surprising though, considering how awesome Masuyo was. When she started talking about her parents, though, Elsa could tell something was bugging her date. The way her smile dimmed, it sounded and looked as if there was more than she was being told.

"Whaaat? How could they not be proud of you? You're a major bad ass and there's no doubt you'll be a future champ! Trust me! I have great instincts!" Elsa would say with a reassuring arm around Masuyo's shoulder. So after pulling her close for a quick, one armed hug, the swede would start to grimace.

"I mean...neglecting to tell them wasn't the worst idea. Imagine if they'd seen our match..." Elsa would say timidly, knowing her own situation over the match. She moved heaven and earth to make sure her parents didn't see it, but a few family members still got a peek before quickly changing the channel. She just hoped Masuyo's parents never, ever saw it. That'd make things super weird if she ever met them.

"What I'm trying to say is...whenever you tell them...I'm sure they'd be happy for you" Elsa would say with a big smile before looking around at the surrounding area. "Oh! Are we getting close to the clearing!? I can't wait to see it!" the swede would say eagerly as she started to walk a little bit faster down the path.

"Come on slow poke~ You're falling behind~" Elsa would say while grabbing Masuyo's hand. That way the swede could hurry her date along so she wouldn't fall behind.