Starcrossed

Phew. Phew boy.

The second taste was a bit easier, in the same way that smacking your face against a wall is easier if you know you’re about to do it. She balled her fists, tightened up, and let the liquid fire pour down her gullet. She could even feel the fizzle as it made its way through her system, giving her innards an early Christmas present.

Now she had to do her turn. For real. No training wheels. She exchanged a glance with Belle when she threw out the idea of going soft this time, maybe starting lower on the totem pole. For a second she even considered the idea. But…

”Nope. No. I got this.” She took a few quick breathes and psyched herself up, all while she set up the Sake Bomb. She nearly spilled it, messed up the chopsticks, but after a few seconds, it was all in place. ”I am Tatiana Siamko, I have walked on tightropes, I have done somersaults at a hundred feet in the air, I have wrestled Belle Christensen and survived. I got this.”

She held up three fingers, signaling a countdown when Belle was ready, too. ”One, two, three!”

Down came her fists, slammed the table hard and dropping a precision strike of sake into the beer. In the next moment, she grabbed the beer and took a swig. And another swig. And another swig, until she nearly started to fall out of the chair. ”I’m good!” She grabbed the bar just in time to right herself and stop a truly unfortunate mishap. Her face was ablaze, her insides were tingling, it felt like her entire body was pumping, but damn it, she felt alive. Wild, insane, and alive. ”Ha!”

Getting a few stares. She didn’t much care.

Brought a hand to her mouth. Should she find this so funny? Was that wrong? Something about the girls bright eyed excitement was so devastatingly charming. She shook her head, letting the laugh come anyway. Her cool cold exterior slowing being worked down by the redhead, Belle didn't even seem to notice anymore. This was pretty fun. Her earlier doubts about coming had been thrown to the wayside. She liked Tatiana. She liked her a lot.

"That's the spirit!" She leaned over, bumping shoulders lightly with Tatiana, mindful not to knock her off the stool. She raised her fists, counting along with her. "One, two, three... go!" A bit off time, Tatiana apparently wasn't a go-girl. That was fine. As she pointed the counter she collected the glass in hand. Unlike Tatiana, the experienced Belle never brought the glass away, chugging the entire thing. Though she had gotten the later start, she finished far and away first slamming her glass down much to the frustration of the tender on hand.

She let out a roar of an exhale, pounding her chest with a fist. "Wooooo!" She grinned over at Tatiana who handled her own bomb like a champ. She threw an arm around the girl's shoulder, giving her a firm shake. "That's my girl! I guess I taught you well, ha!" She grinned wide, rosy faced.

This was hardly a polite sort of bar, one that was well-used to the people being louder than usual - it was American-themed, after all. Even so, the two of them gained more than a few stares from across the room, as Tatiana took her first steps into the joy of inebriation

Better yet, she did so with Belle.

She was sure it was more of a show than anything, sure that Belle was just trying to keep her cheered up and pumped, but if that was the case, it was working. It took her a couple more swigs to finish off the glasses, and she did so as Belle put an arm around her shoulder.

”I only managed to get so far with your strong hand to guide me.” After saying in jest what wasn’t too far from the truth, she placed the glass back on the table - gently, she didn’t want to end this night paying for it. Tatiana turned to Belle...whose face was close now. Who had a hand over her. Whose honeyed scent was all around her.

Feeling an awkward silence coming on, she turned back to her glass and contemplated it. ”Thanks for that. For this. For being so cool.”

"Pfff, okay. You're not going to win any brownie points for sucking up." She gave Tatiana move last supporting shake. She would pull back after giving the redhead a small clap on the back, hand raised high gesture the bartender for two more. "Another?" She grinned over at Tatiana, though the question wasn't really one for her to answer no to. The bartender was already setting up two more sake bombs in front of them.

"Eh, it's nothing. Don't sweat it." It seemed most of the awkwardness on Belle behalf had faded once Tatiana had evolved into a drinking buddy. The touches, the looks, the smiles... They seemed natural here with no need to guard herself. What she thought of Tatiana had taken a back seat to the experience, giving her a small release from her possible attraction to the girl.

She drew her glass closer, looking to Tatiana to once again lead their charge onto the front, unintentionally putting pressure on her to deliver. She didn't think much of it, she could back a few of these away. She had decided early on to cut Tatiana off at two since this all seemed new to her, how potent the beverage was however never crossed her mind. Two was two... Though not all alcoholic beverages were created equal... She also didn't count the initial sample bomb as part of the count.

”Another.”

She nodded, more sure of herself than before - though she wasn’t sure how much of that had to do with the drinks working their way through her system. More drinks? She’d taken one down, she could take two down.

She steeled herself as the new round was brought her way, and she took deep breaths as she got them into position. Eyes on her. Moment of turn.

”Russian this time. Sounds cooler.”  She balled her fists up, raised them high, tensed up. Раз! два! три!”[/color]

Down came the fists and down came the drinks soon after, fizzling out in the beer. She waited for Belle to move, then reached out to grab the drink in unison with her, lifting it up and downing the concoction just like her newfound friend was. It wasn’t perfect, and she only kept from falling down by reaching up and grabbing Belle’s shoulder for support, but down it went all the same.

”Whoa, that is-” A burp came unbidden from her mouth, interrupting her, but not before she was able to turn her head away from Belle. Thank God. ”Sorry. But that was intense!” It was her turn to put an arm around her the brunette’s shoulder, pulling them in together. ”Are there other little tricks like that? You’ve got to show me more, sometime.”

"Haha, alright well, you got this than." She nodded along with Tatiana's counting, echoing her as best she could. Because like hell Belle knew Russian. She was patting her palms on the counter, providing a drumroll. As Tatiana hit the table, she slammed her forearm down to release her own shot. Quick to take up her glance, she looked sidelong at Tatiana as she chugged down her own glass.

She wobbled but held firm as Tatiana reached out to her. Instinctively she leaned in closer, putting a hand to Tatiana's back to keep her upright. She almost choked on her drink, breaking away from it with a bark of laughter. She set her glass down, bringing a fist to her mouth as she coughed and laughed all at once.

"You sure you haven't done this before? You're like a little monster!" She clapped Tatiana on the back just as she burped. Whoops did she do that? She had to read her head down along her forearm, laughing her ass off at this point with how much gusto Tatiana was showing.

"Holy shit... Ah heh... Eh... Yeah, the whole bomb thing isn't just for this. A few other styles, same idea. Also have flaming drinks, which are fun... Plenty of other drinking games, not necessarily with the drinks but... " She squinted over at Tatiana. " Not tonight, but sometime in the future, I am going to get you to do a keg stand. Let's see how graceful you can be then."

She stood herself up, palm lightly rubbing Tatiana back. A supportive gesture she didn't really realize she was doing. She picked up her unfinished glass, nursing the rest of what remained before she had choked on it. She grinned over at Tatiana, giving her a small wink.

"This was a good idea... You did good kid. Any time you want just let me know and I can take you someplace to get..." Hammered? No... She liked drinking with Tatiana, she was fun, especially once she loosened up. She didn't want to get her wasted though... Her smile faulted a bit as she eyed the redhead. Tatiana was too nice, too good, too innocent in her mind. She wasn't sure she could bring herself to willingly put any of that at risk.

"How do you feel?" She inquired cautiously, a hint of concern in her voice. She looked fine, but still. At least she knew the girl wasn't on an empty stomach. She leaned in closer, trying to get a good look at her eyes.

There were probably smarter things that Tatiana could’ve reached to in order to keep herself from falling. The bar would’ve been the first choice, with its solid handles, probably made specifically for that purpose. Heck, she could’ve just stood up and leaned on and she would’ve been fine. It’s not like there was a rule stating she had to sit on the wobbly stool, which had probably sent more than a few patrons to the floor.

But, somehow, Belle was the safer bet. Belle would hold her up. Belle wouldn’t let her fall. Belle had her.

She was still bursting out with random stints of laughter when the brunette confirmed that, yes, this wouldn’t be a one time thing. Already, Tatiana was doing the calculus on that. Valerie thought she was out to do some late-night shopping...which wasn’t untrue, she just hadn’t mentioned that it wasn’t the only thing she’d come out for. Thursdays were the nights she met with this book club she trying to get into, though, so maybe then they could squeeze something in…

She perked up when Belle asked how she felt, though. ”I feel…”

Tatiana looked forward for a moment, giving that simple question more thought than Belle had likely been going for. She just couldn’t help but think of this situation as a whole, what it meant for her, what was happening.

”You know, since I left home, you’re the nicest person I’ve met. This is the best time I’ve had. It’s the least lonely I’ve been in Tokyo. Japan’s not quite home for me yet, but it’s a bit closer than it was yesterday. All because of you.”

She turned Belle’s way and flipped her fiery hair back over shoulder, making sure Belle could see her face with this. There was still a smile there, but her face was more calmer than it had been all night. ”So I feel good.” She leaned in, edging towards Belle’s personal space. “I feel great.”

Belle didn't much like Japan. It was in part to the nature of why they were there... Not the AFW, she loved wrestling most days. It was the YouTube side of things, all the media accounts, this and that... The other thing too. It hadn't gotten to her until Japan. Back home she still had friends, old friends, ones that didn't want to get to know her because they wanted to use her like so many other people to get someplace in life. She had people to lean on, people that were still a safe haven.

Belle had never really been into the idea of being a role model or a star. The thought of people wanting to be like her was somewhat terrifying. Coming Together, while the start of her career had taken most of her life. In that time she was shuffled about from place to place, told what to do, how to act. Between on the set schooling, training for the physicality of her character... She had to learn how to play every sport. Every manner of extracurricular activities known to man, because that's who she was on set.  Number of check boxes from episode to episode. Where was her childhood? She wouldn't wish that on anyone.

Here? She had Kaylee... Just Kaylee. It was almost like back on set. Kaylee told her what to do, how to act... She even dressed her for their matches. It had been a return to a cycle she thought was behind her. This time she spent her free time drinking or working out just to keep from feeling depressed. She could understand Tatiana, because in part they were in similiar situations... At least she felt that way.

There was no support for her, she found herself sometimes spiralling as she made the mistake of scanning over the comment sections of her videos. These horrible nasty people wanting to do things to her, treating her like some object, ragging on her for everything. There was no buffer, just raw unadulterated malice flowing from people. Kaylee loved that, thrived from it. It ate away at Belle though.

For as much as she didn't care how she presented herself, she found this giant black mass of hate stabbing at her daily debilitating. She had wanted to turn the comments off completely, but their manager said no. It brought in numbers. Even if people hated her, or her content, they watched it, then they left nasty comments, which started arguments that brought in more people...

But Tatiana had called her nice. Belle couldn't recall the last time anyone had said that to her and meant it as a genuine compliment. Her features reddened slightly, she felt the want to hug Tatiana, to comfort her... But did she need that? She was fine... She seemed happy in this moment.

That's what you want. What you need isn't it?

She met Tatiana's eyes in a rare moment of vulnerability. What was she supposed to say to her? She seemed self aware of herself, pulling back to face the bar, turning away from Tatiana. Her hand fumbled on the bar to grab for the remains of the beer used for their drinks, taking a swig. Her more recent means of support. It never spoke to her. Never judged her. It was just there to help her forget.

"There you go... I'd say you were going to make me blush but..." She chuckled faintly, gesturing to her face. She could feel the heat in her cheeks. "I'm glad I could be that person for you... Honestly. You seem like a really nice girl."

She cringed. There it was. That dismissive compliment, using that word in the way she had come to hate. Just moments before she had been to charmed by Tatiana's pure use of it.  She couldn't bring herself to look Tatiana in the eye, instead taking another swig from her bottle. She was slowly sinking back into her shell. "That's awesome."

There was a moment, just an instant, where Tatiana thought she shouldn’t have said all that. She wanted - needed to look cool in front of Belle. Belle was cool, so she had to have cool friends. She had to be worth this woman’s time. Just to see her there, sitting there with that flowing hair and that solid, fit body and that jacket that looked like something Tatiana could never have pulled off in a thousand years, but looked so badass on the brunette’s shoulders…

Intimidating? That seemed like the right word. At least, she could see how anyone would think Belle was at a glance. But getting to know her, taking a glance under the hood, that wasn’t what she was seeing.

The woman she saw when she looked over wasn’t the same one that she had been drinking with, who’d introduced her to the wonders of the Sake Bomb. There was sadness in those words, regret in her eyes. Tatiana couldn’t pick up what the cause of it was, but if she had to guess? It was something that had been simmering for a long time, and was just now boiling over.

What she did know for a fact, though, was that she didn’t like that look, and she wanted to make it go away. So she did, in the only way she could think to.

”Hey,”Tatiana stood up, reached around Belle, and pulled her in for a hug. It wasn’t anything forceful, nowhere near as sensual as the one they’d experienced in the ring. Just a hug. A close, warm hug. The kind she wagered neither of them had received in a good long while. ”It’s okay.”

She held it for a moment, ready to pull away if things got awkward. Hoping Belle might hug her back.

Belle half turned as Tatiana called to her, armed wrapped around her to pull her into a hug. She felt tense, unsure, she looked confused. The bartender made himself scarce, wanting no part of these two. Her face reddened as she fleet her finger curling up, clenching into fists.

The longer Tatiana held her, the more her body seemed to want the contact, easing into the redhead. Her hands loosened as her fingers fell free from their balled state. With a soft shallow breath she brought her arms up hesitantly to wrap her arms around Tatiana. She was careful, gentle, unsure if she were crossing a line someplace.

If the other girl didn't pull away, she would hug her a bit tighter, closing her eyes as she just felt this sweet girl holding her. This was something she had been missing for quite some time. A real moment of human connection. She sighed softly, trying to vent out all the bad feelings and soak in what Tatiana was giving her.

"You're pretty great..." She fought laying her head down on Tatiana's shoulder, or hugging her even closer. It was hard. She was emotional. All these things swirling in her head what she should do with Tatiana so close to her like this, in this intimate moment. Would she poison it with her words or actions if she went further? She bit her lip, eyes opening slightly as she stared past the redhead.

"Thanks." This had all meant too much to her to risk it now. She liked Tatiana... Really liked her. She knew that now for a fact and was finally able to admit that to herself. It had been possible that the match was a fluke. Tensions a d adrenaline running high, two exhausted women rolling around together, it happens. This tender moment was something entirely different. It opened her up, exposed her heart so blatantly that it was almost frightening.

"I think I really needed that." Her hold of the girl would lessen as she let her own end of the embrace go, though she seemed content to allow Tatiana to hold her for as long as she liked. Someone had to go first though.