Challenges before "The Challenge".

---

A mangled pen cap danged precariously from Alexa's mouth as she say perched upside down on the old gutted recliner. The only piece of furnishing really comfortable, even in this awkward state. She had thought to use it at a bed in place of the futon in her apartment, but found the inner workings had been removes and the actual base that use to pop out into a foot rest had been stapled and glued to the metal frame inside.

In her hand was a pad, the subject of a full day of brainstorming set to its pages, various doodles and notes had very little rhyme or reason to anyone but her. She had been planning for the big day for what seemed like an eternity... despite it only having been two days. Still, she still had much to do, chief among them was to decide.

AJ Shay, wasn't cool. AJ Shay, was a nobody.

She couldn't be herself, not for this. She needed to be a worthy adversary to square off against someone like Black Fang. "Blessing to the innocent and a curse to the guilty..." She was pained in repeating it, as if her total lack of awesome somehow soiled Black Fang's words. She groaned loudly, thunking her head against the base of the non-recliner.

"Ow..."

She hadn't been to the gym today, she likely wouldn't be going at all. Busting her butt to finally unpack the rental car so she could return before it was overdue. Alexa had figured the running up and down the stairs with boxes constituted enough exercise until the marathon walk home after dropping the car off would be. It was fine though, she'd bring music and make a day of it.

Today had officially become her skip day. She had more important matters to attend to now after all. She bit down on the pen cap, scanning over the various designs she had sketched up on the notepad in her hands, flipping through the pages. She had to become something bigger, badder, and better than herself. Black Fang wasn't just a person, she was an ideal. Movies had taught her that much. Heroes were larger than life, how was she suppose to stand eye to eye with that?

"I need to impress her somehow." That much she knew.

It was all a matter of which one of the sketches now. She supposed that would in turn fall on what she had to work with. A few of these would work with her current wardrobe, she just needed a few extra pieces, for cheap. Alexa pursed her lips, letting the pen cap push outright as she sheathed the pen inside of it, and tossed both items beside her.

Patting herself down she was searching for something. "Where'd it go?" She craned her neck, looking around on the floor. Rolling backwards she took a practiced tumble off the chair. She hadn't looked nearly as graceful as she would have hoped... but nobody was watching anyway. Dropping her cheek to the floor she squinted to check beneath the old recliner... sure enough, there was her phone. It likely fell down there through the sides when she was draped over it moaning and lamenting in angst over all of this. She strained, throwing her shoulder into the chair to lift it enough to grab her phone. With a heavy sigh she turned over to sit against the chair's base as she flicked through her phone with a finger. Finding what she wanted, her head lulled back against the cushion as her thumbs tapped the digital keypad.

TEXT CHAT:

AJ gave her phone a playful flick, having a minor panic attack when the screen went black for a moment. "Shit... no... not now. Ple- oh." She blinked as color returned, displaying her legs and socks... she had managed to turn on the camera. Her cheeks reddened slightly, overwhelming happy no one had been around to witness that. She navigated her way back to the messenger, scooping her pad up off the chair. Resting the papers on her knee, she put her attentions back on her phone.

Text Chat:

With a labored groan she picked herself up off. No gym, but some other errands. She could handle that much. Going through the motions she set herself up to face the outside world. She brushed her teeth, tossed on some mostly wrinkle free clothes, and made sure she put the shop Ryoko mentioned into her phone's gps. What else?

"Right." She gave the fridge a once over. She was going to need a few things from the store. better to get them while she still had the rental. She collected her keys from the fruit bowl on the table, waving a banana good by as she made her way out. Things were looking up!

Then she fell down.

Laying on her side, Alexa contemplated existence. Her eyes drifted to the small raised step that separated her apartment proper from the small carpet entryway. This hadn't been the first time it had tripped her up, normally it was when she was coming and not going. With a discouraged huff she combed her fingers through her hair. Scraping her dignity up off the rug as she stood herself up, she dusted herself off, and headed out. She had to go play dress up.

---

"Well, I didn't even want your noodles anyhow... even though they smell DELICIOUS!" She had waited for who she assumed proprietors of the establishment to go back inside, lessening the chance of a confrontation. She wasn't even certain they spoke English... they certainly hadn't been yelling at her in English. She folded her arms, the paper bag of arts and crafts dangling from the crook of her elbow. With a huff she walked over to the small raised area she assumed was a sidewalk, but here? Who knew. She was still white knuckling her phone after recording the tail of the exchange. She wanted to be sure if something happened to her there was some evidence. She set her bag down lightly, mindful that some of the contents were fragile.

Looking to the streets, even with the sun long sense dipped below the horizon everything was pretty lit, people out and about as if it were mid day. If she hadn't looked to the darken sky or checked her phone, she'd have never known. She kicked her sneaker on the hard ground a bit dejectedly. Still hungry, as her growling stomach was sure to remind her, but she was a bit nervious to try someplace else, not when the same thing might happen. She eyed her phone, turning it on it's side to send a text.

Text Chat:

Alexa cracked a small smile. Scooting back on the curb she collected herself inward to sit cross-legged. Temporarily flicking through her phone menus she checked though her recent gallery. Pictures. Downloads. Video. She tapped through the last two items, briefly watching the dark video. They had tried to grab her phone when she first started recording, so she had started another video with it out of view, pressed to her jeans to record the audio. With a quick file rename she was good to go.

Text Chat:

She wasn't certain, but she thought Ryoko might have deleted her as a contact. It has been a little over two minutes now, and she hadn't gotten a response. Was her signal bad? She frowned, flicking through her network settings until she got a text alert. Perking up she bright the messenger back up. suddenly remembering she had to ask Ryoko about something else as well.

Text Chat:

With a groan she looked skyward rocking on her legs. She should call home... check up. She wondered if her dad was still mad at her. He likely was. They hadn't parted on the best of terms, the fact her mother was helping her out with money was likely a huge point of contention back home right now. She set her phone down in her laps, pressing her fingers to her face to gently massage her eyelids. She hated thinking about it, it just kept coming up. She had enough stress on her own without worry about home.

"Everyone can have a good cry later, and lots of hugs. You just have to make it first, then everything will be alright."

She pushed herself up off the curb, scooping up her bag. She needed to stay busy doing... well, anything. So she paced and popped a few strands of hair into her mouth to chew lightly on the tips. It didn't help, not really. She glanced back to her phone, tapping.

Text Chat:

Alexa peered into the noodle shop, almost pressing her face into the glass. Maybe if she apologies for the nose blowing thing they would still sell her food... Ooop... wait no, he man who ran the place was coming back with a broom. It was time to go.

Text Chat:

As the elderly man burst from the shop Alexa was already scurrying off into the night. She'd have to find some fast food on the way back.

---

Her apartment was a mess. Most of tonight's dinner was sitting under a bike in the entry way and she was nursing her knee with ice. A productive day had been flushed nearly down the toilet all before of a few inches. She glares down the the small incline by her door in which she sat. Who would do this, make something so cruel? Was this in all apartments in Japan, or was this some hazing thing they did to Americans. She wanted to scream, had screamed in frustration and pain. Now she was just boiling. She didn't anger easy or often, so this was something else. Things had been stressful. Life in Japan, trying to get everything ready, the fate of here career.

She hated it. She came out here to be free and make it, but it felt like the walls of her apartment were closing in on her, making it hard to breath. She had been sleeping poorly thanks to her futon, but was set to visit Ryoko tomorrow if everything went according to plan to get that pull out bed. She wanted that so bad, a raised surface in which to sleep on... with a mattress? Sorcery of the highest order in the land of Japan. At least when it came to apartments... cheap apartments.

The plan had been simple. Bring up the groceries, then bring up the bike. She new the step was there. She had placed the brown paper bags on top of the thing. She should have just put it away, but she had been to afraid to leave the bike for long. She worried it would be stolen or vandalized. Who knew what small transgression she would have been a part of to draw the ire of the Japanese people upon her again.

"Public nose blowing. Seriously." She snorted softly.

It had taken her awhile to get the bike up the stairs, having to balance it nearly vertical on the tight landings. She had thought the third floor would be nice. A high location in which to have a romantic view of... whatever. It had made getting next to anything inside a trial, and she was not looking forward to putting herself and Ryoko through it tomorrow. She'd have to go to the safe and pick them up something to eat and drink maybe before the other girl arrived in the morning, to soften the blow.

After about twenty minutes of dragging the bike up the stairs, she had celebrated far to soon, and gain, tripped on the stupid stair. In the past it had just been a bump, no worse then anything else she had to deal with in the ring. Today it came with a side serving of aborting her dinner plans. Of all the places to fall, right onto her bags. She had in turn fallen onto the bike and scraped her knee pretty bad. Hazarding a glance, she lifted the makeshift cold compress comprised of ice in a sandwich bag. A bit of blood, not much, and a very red knee. It didn't feel too hurt, just the dull ache of a nasty scrape. She'd wash and wrap it regardless. There was no telling what dangers lurked inside her apartment as it related to disease. Japan had given her enough already, she could use a break.

Lifting the bike, she slipped the two bags out from under it, moving to the small kitchen. Something was dripping... yup. Great. Both bags went into the sink while she sorted through them, pulling up a trash can. She paused, narrowing her eyes as she fished her phone from her pocket.

Text Chat:

She hadn't expected a reply, not right away, but was thankful. She could multitask though. Time was of the essence if some of her groceries were in danger, but she seriously needed to vent to someone that might actually take pity on her. She certainly knew nothing else in her dim apartment would.

Text Chat:

She slowly and carefully set the carton aside, gooey yolk dribbling from a cracked portion of the casing. She popped the carton, checking the eggs. Of the dozen, two had survived. Dinner was saved. She murmured softly, silent praise to the fallen before tossing the whole carton in the trash with the three intact eggs taking point on the counter. Reaching out she grabbed a few sheets of paper towel to wipe off her hands.

Text Chat:

She was never going to live that down, was she? With a shake of the head she laid out a dish towel, a few disposable towel sheets over top of it as she alternated between cleaning off her groceries and texting.

Text Chat:

Alexa craned her neck to peer over the counter at the older bike, eyeing it sharply. Everything looked alright, save for the paint. That had been wearing off when she had gotten it. Truthfully, as long as it worked she didn't care what it looked like. She didn't really go out of her way to accessorize with her attire.

Test Chat:

She had set a few items on the towels along with her ice baggy and hobbled her was to thr rest room looking around the claustrophobic space. The brightest room in the apartment, of that there was no doubt. It  wasn't that the lights were better here, it was just that everything with shiny and white tiles. No clue what sort. Everything was just right there. Toilet, the shoer bath combo, and the sink.

Text Chat:

Was this a gentle nudge to leave her alone? She had been bothering here a lot since they met. She liked Ryoko, they were friends, she thought at least. She was hesitant to respond as she crossed from the bathroom to the kitchen again. She didn't want to feel as though she were a burden. Maybe she would give her some place and check out those classes or whatever they were. If the AFW helped cover them... why not?

Text Chat:

The last of her groceries were set on the towel now. All and all the greatest casualty had been the eggs and a carton of milk. She stowed everything in the fridge, including the remaining milk which she poured into the only big container she had for it, a clean empty flower vase, and tucked it away. She looked between the balcony door, the slender storage space beyond it then back to her toppled bike. "Ready for round two?"

---

She had walked Ryoko out to the car, apologizing the whole time. She had really wanted to have more time to hang out with the Japanese local, but it hadn't been in the cards. She had picked the girl's brain a little more about the surrounding area and managed to convince her to stay a bit longer to rewatch a match she had been recommended. The Black Fang vs Mikki Wylde had become one of her favorites in the library of matches she had watched since moving to Japan, and had cemented her love for the charismatic luchador. Watching it with Ryoko had been an exceptional treat as well, as she was able to point out so many little things throughout the match that, even after her forth time watching, Alexa herself had missed. They shared a few laughs, gasps, and ultimately turned the match off just prior to the end. She liked her own ending better, where The Black Fang stood over the villainous juggernaut and went on to win all the titles ever.

Ryoko had laughed about that.

Watching her friend drive away was harder than it should have been. used to living back home, there were always someone for her to talk to. Left to her own devices she had developed something of a personal slump, her only real joy had been fueled by her plans to come. Making her way back up the stairs, she traced her fingers along the walls, noting the several scuffs and dents they had mistakenly left in the tight corridor when struggling to get the fold out couch bed up to her apartment. It had taken two trips to get it here in pieces from the storage unit, and a collective of a few hours to get it upstairs.

She pushed open the door, stepping inside she made certain to lock up behind her. In the entryway she slipped offer her shoes to set lightly on the small ledge, a small smile on her face as she made certain to clear the step tonight. Her apartment looked better than it had the last two days, to anyone who had been a casual observer. Knowing that Ryoko was coming she had scrambled to make things look presentable, to show how together her place was. Living on her own in a new country, so cool, so collected... She sighed, eyes glancing to the small folding screen in the corner, the stacked junk and boxes all piled behind it.

Ryoko insisted they put the fold out bed together tonight. The day had been so tiring, but she couldn't say no to the help. Did she know Alexa that well already, did she figure it would have been left undone. Perhaps she had taken note of the hasty cleaning she had done and thought to make sure their efforts didn't go to waste. Between it all they ahd spent most of the day together though had accomplished so little. The day went too fast.

She walked to the fold out bed, her laptop sat at the edge, the faint impressions of bodies where they had laid down to watch the match like a bunch of school girls still lingers on the old mattress. She flopped down, planting her face into the cushioned surface with a sigh. She'd have to go get sheets, the various coverings and blankets she had from the futon lay thrown about, having been used as makeshift pillows while they watched. She could tell already, even uncovered this would be a far better for her sleep then that mat ever could be. Rolling over onto her back, she nudged the laptop closer with a foot, fingers reaching out to try and meet her efforts half way until she finally took hold of it. On her side she navigated the old machine to the desktop, double clicking on a folder with a oddly suspicious name...

What could it mean?:

Chalk full of various documents, this had been the staging ground for most of the weeks activities. Her list of materials, promotional "how to" links, master lists of supplies, a few selfies she took with her unfinished costume, and lastly... her promo script. She had stayed up late writing it two days ago, and every day since she had made adjustments. She needed to buckle down and memorize it all though, her deadline was drawing close. She clicked the small document as she plopped her cheek to the mattress and read out loud. "Ladies and gentlemen of the AFW, I am here to construct the perfect wrestler. You may call me, Madam Sian Teist..."

---

Alexia sucked on the tip of her finger, nusing the small pin prick in what was certainly one of the least hygienic things she could do. Needlework wasn't her strong suit. She remembered a bit back from home ec, but high school was a distant memory and she was mostly there for the free cookies. Before her lay a whirlwind of supplies. In an effort to save herself from additional needles stabbing her, she had opted to just overturn the cheap sewing kit and let it all lay out on the floor. Apparently she forgot her own ability to stab herself with the stick. Thankfully the small droplet of blood had only stained the inside cuff of the coat. She hadn't had luck last minute finding something her size, so she had to tuck and hem a lot of it back to be ready for tomorrow.

Everything was almost ready. Things were looking up. It was time to spring the surprise. She shook out her finger as she picked up her phone.

Text Chat:

True to her word she picked herself up, carefully tip toeing through the minefield of scissors and needles laying on the floor on her way to the door. She could use a bit of air, it wasn't as if she was going to get any sewing done while she chatted with Ryoko anyhow. Slipping her bare feet into her sneakers, she wiggled them in enough to pop the backs in as she made ehr way back towards the cramped balcony. She didn't feel like heading all the way downstairs to get some actual fresh air.

Text Chat:

"Uh Ryoko! Gross!" She let out a disgusted grunt, tossing her phone at the couch. It bounced harmlessly off the back cushions before finding a resting place on the mattress. She imediately froze in her post picth stance, staring at what could have been a disastrous outcome. She decided to pretend it hadn't happened as she collected her phone again to slip outside.

Text Chat:

She jumped as her phone started playing a small clip from her theme music, she was getting a call. It was her home phone calling. Her actual home.

The phone vibrated with each few beats before she hesitantly tapped the screen, and dragged her finger to the red decline button.

Alexia quietly let herself back into the apartment, making her way to the pull out bed when her phone chimed to let her know she had a message. She settled down onto the edge of the bed, frowning down at the screen as she considered just leaving it there, unlistened to. It had to be her father. The two times she had been in contact with her mother, it had been through the woman's cell phone. She pulled her legs up onto the bed as she sat crosslegged, absentmindedly coaxed a small frayed bit of her bangs into the corner of her mouth... and played the message on speaker.

You have 1 new voicemail:

She stared down at the phone as it asked if she wanted to play the message again, hands clasped over her mouth. She could feel tears welling up, vision blurred for just a moment as she blinked. Her face slip down into her hands as she hunched over the edge of the bed, choking back a sob. She screamed into her palms, in frustration as the knots inside ehr stomach threatened to tear her apart. She felt to drained, so empty. Was there a place to just curl up and fade away? With a long groan she furiously rubbed at her eyes. She declined to listen to the message again, sending the prompt away.

She stared at the messenger screen as it popped back up, a few more texts had been waiting for her when she was listening to the voicemail.

Text Chat:

She quietly sniffed, a few tears rolling down her cheeks. She pinched the bridge of her nose as she picked up the phone, not sure what to say. She had left her hanging...

Text Chat:

She drew her forearm across her face, wiping away the tears. She took her time, was a bit more deliberate with her texting. She didn't even know if Ryoko would notice, but she just wanted to convey how much it meant to her, how much all of this last week had meant to her. She was so lucky to have met someone like Ryoko, luckier still to have them as a friend.

Text Chat: