Costars

Belle had hit the pale blue mats with a solid thud, slowly sinking into them. Thick, and far too cushioned, they were a detrimental to most fast moments or jumping. That hadn't been bought for that though. Originally the mats were used to practice taking bumps at home for her and Kaylee. Far more forgiving than an actual ring with the added benefit of being comfortable enough to lounge on. They might as well have been a great big super padded futon.

She had spend a few hours now rearranging her personal gym on her own. She had given the compound staffers the weekend off without Kaylee around to push their workload so she hadn't had anyone to assist. She had to improvise moving techniques to keep any of the equipment from scratching up the hardwood floor. The bulk of that consisted in hoisting up a corner of it, and sliding a folded up blanket under it to make it easier to slide around. Once she was done, a decent sized sea of mats had been put down... Then cleaned. They hadn't made much use of these, most likely because setting them up had been such a hassle.

She had been secret planning this for awhile now, but the time was never right. She was so busy, or Kaylee was around, or Tatiana was training... The stars had finally aligned though. Kaylee had been gone for a few days now and wasn't set to be back until Monday, off filming for an episode of her new YouTube Red series. Belle had her videos preuploaded for the whole weekend, and Tatiana had said she would be around. The two of them hadn't gotten to spend much time together with the song and dance required to keep things on the down low... Plus she didn't want to seem needy.

While both girls had accepted they liked one another, things hadn't really been made official yet. The last thing Belle wanted was to scare off the girl with seeming desperate despite how much she missed having her around. She felt like a brighter person around Tatiana, smiles came easier, laughing seemed natural. The girl had this aura about her that was infectious, her normal hardened demeanor was hard to maintain when the redhead got up in her business and flashed her smile and gave her looks. She hated the level of manipulation she had over her, but liked it just as much even if she wouldn't actually admit it.

Today was going to be special. She would have almost the entire day with Tatiana, just the two of them. She almost fleet like a kid on Christmas. Ever since their tag team match, both girls had spoken fondly about facing off again in friendly competition. While this wasn't a ring, it was the next best thing, in a far nicer setting. She already had a take out order placed to have food delivered, and they could finish the evening off in the theater again. She planned it almost like a date... If they were dating anyway.

She stared up at the ceiling, blindly rooting around in her pockets for her phone. She slipped the device out, flicking through menus on the screen. Tatiana's number was at the top with a star next to it right beside Kaylee's personal phone number. She was listed simply as "Red" just in case someone ever happened upon her contact list. Turning the phone over in her hands, she quietly tapped away.

Belle: Yo.
Tat: Yoooooooooo
Belle: How are you?
Tat: Was bored. You fixed that, so thanks.
Tat: Wha'ts up?
Belle: That mean you are still today?
Belle: Er
Belle: Still free

She was playing it cool, as always. Despite the fact both of them were far more casual with each other, she still felt the need to maintain appearances as much as possible. It was just a part of who she was... and was thankful it hadn't been grating on Tatiana to deal with.  It didn't seem like she could really do any wrong with the acrobat, the girl practically radiated sunshine.  She was almost certain Tatiana would be free. She had gone out of her way to prod the girl about the weekend in hopes she would bite at the line she had thrown out without actually asking. She wanted this to be as much of a surprise as possible.

Tat: You know it
Tat: Val's out for the day, catching some fancy play
Belle: I have some free time and we haven't hung out for a bit. Want to change that?
Tat: Very much so.

"Yessssss!" She grinned, chuckling excitedly as she rolled over onto her stomach. Propping herself up with her elbows, she opened up a browser screen on her phone, setting up a taxi. This was the first time she had sent someone to pick up Tatiana alone. The last time they had hit the movies, she had taken a car from the compound to the end of the block the redhead was on, handling their meetings rather cloak and dagger since she lived with her sister. While she didn't frequent the other girl's home for obvious reason, she had it saved as a favorite pickup/drop off in the service car app. She filled out the proper info and plugged in her payment ID. She flicked back to her text messenger to resume chatting.

Tat: If it's a movie this time, though, let's watch something early
Tat:: Those teenagers in the last one were SO annoying >_<
Belle: I don't think that will be a problem. Got other plans. Dress comfy, bring a change of clothes too.
Belle: Going to have a car come pick you up in the next fifteen or so minutes. That okay?
Tat: Change of clothes? Interesting...
Tat: But sure! I'll be waiting.
Belle: Awesome. See you soon.
Tat: ^_^

She had peppered in a few heart emojis, but deleted them at the last moment. Those weren't her, also overbearing maybe? She was content giving Tatiana the last word...smilie face? Whatever. Belle really hoped what Tatiana brought would be good to wrestle in, she didn't want to give too much away by asking her to bring gym gear or something. If worse came to worse, she was willing to bet some of Kaylee's clothes would fit her... the likelihood of the blond ever even noticing they went missing was very unlikely. Flopping back onto her back, she closed her eyes, resting her phone face down on her chest with a sigh. It would have been nice to see the redhead in her actual gear again, tussling with her with no one there to gawk... her lips curled into a fond smile remembering their few close encounters in the ring. Her eyes slowly opened after a moment of daydreaming. "Stop Belle... seriously don't be creepy." She snorted to herself.

She had lounged about, checking her phone every few minutes for taxi updates. Once she got a notice that they were on route, she headed downstairs to the service door they had used last time. She had given the taxi a temporary security code to get through the front gate, and instructions to head around to the side door where she would be waiting. There was a faint chill in the air, so she grabbed her jacket on the way out. She wasn't really dressed for the cold. Plopping down on the lone step, she waited patiently while browsing the internet on her phone.  She wore a t-shirt that looked like it had been through the ringer. Sleeves torn off with visible fraying at the seams, cut short just above her midriff with small cuts all around the base making it look almost like it has small tassels along the base. It was a bright aqua blue with jarring jagged designs of other loud colors.

The collar was stretched out wide, so far in fact one side hung down off her shoulder slightly giving a small peek at the strap of her black sports bra beneath. In reality it was a piece of designer clothing made to look retro 90s. in style. She didn't much care that it costed far more than it had any right to, she just wore it because it was one of her normal workout tops... plus she wore it well. She also wore a simple pair of cut off shorts, lightly more modest than your ordinary daisy dukes but in a similiar style. pale blue denim with white frayed fabric clinging to her thighs. Her simple white socks were gathered up at her ankles, pushed up against gray sneakers with white lining and laces. Despite normally tying her hair back in a ponytail while at home, she left it down tonight. Tatiana seemed to like it when she just let it run wild, she had even played with it a bit before which she didn't mind in the least.

When Tatiana said she was bored, she hadn’t been kidding. She was drop-dead, undeniably, inescapably, amazingly, disgustingly, nauseatingly bored.

Normally, the day would’ve been spent doing something with Valerie. Getting the apartment in order, studying matches, working on their routines, anything along those lines. Her sister was not a woman who believed in idle time - if they weren’t sleeping, they needed to be doing something, anything to improve themselves. It made her industrious, it made her successful, but it could also make her a real pain. But today she was out. She’d gone to seen a play, some fancy Japanese production with a name Tatiana had already forgotten, leaving her with the house to herself for hours. Yay.

For a while, it had been fine. But then she realized that there wasn’t much on Netflix that interested her. Nothing to watch on Youtube, either. No games that really interested her, and she didn’t have the time or money to download much of anything. So she was left to her own devices, and her own devices were boring as sin. Cleaning up a little, doing some push-ups, channel surfing. The usual dull routine.

Belle couldn’t know how much it made Tatiana light up when she heard Stevie Wonder’s ‘Part-Time Lover’ come buzzing through her phone. It wasn’t wholly unexpected, mind you. Belle had been dropping little hints, in her As soon as she heard it, she immediately scarfed down the half-made peanut butter sandwich she’d been working on and went to the task of getting ready while she typed, down for whatever Belle wanted to do with their time, eagerly replying as she worked her clothes on, and…

”Dress...comfy.” She chewed on her lip as she stood in front of her closet, not just thinking about what would fit the bill, but why Belle suggested it in the first place. With the change of clothes, she couldn’t help but wonder if her maybe/possibly/hopefully girlfriend was thinking about taking their relationship to that level. So far, they hadn’t gone beyond extended makeout sessions - fun, god yes, but fairly tame by AFW standards. Belle had done more in her matches,all of which Tatiana had watched in completion at least four times a piece. But this, the possibility of turning it up a notch…

Tatiana couldn’t get dressed fast enough. She settled on the comfiest thing she could find, putting on a pair of her workout pants, black and bagg with a red streak down the middle, along with a black sleeveless shirt that had white stars dotted all over it - a little something Tatiana wanted to market, once Novae picked up in popularity. If Novae picked up in popularity.

Underneath all that, though, she dipped into Valerie’s dresser and put on a pair of her black, lacy underwear, the kind that clung tight to her chest and pulled up around her hips. She didn’t want to assume too much, but if this went in that direction, she wanted to have all the bases covered.

She was hopping in the taxi a few minutes later with a gym bag slung over her shoulder, and the taxi was making its way past Belle’s gate a few more minutes after that. When her surly gal pal came into view, the wait was just too much, and she wound bounding out of the taxi before it could come to a full stop.

”Hey!” She dropped the bag and came at Belle with open arms and eager lips, hoping to get in some quick loving to kick things off. Couldn’t help it. She had the most awesome kisses, Tatiana was addicted, and she had to get her fix.

Belle spent her time waiting checking up on her most recent video. It was a hot sauce challenge, which she beat Kaylee in handily, as well as one of their other guests who was another big name YouTuber who was co-starring with Kaylee in their Red series. It wasn't even on anything. Just spoons of hot sauce. They have recorded it early in the week and it had taken her up until the weekend to recover. It went live this morning so she double checked to make sure it was public.

It already had been flooded with views, so clearly the upload had gone off without a hitch. She scrolled down browsing some of the comments to fill time. It was normally a mixed bag of people down below. The inevitable accusations of the challenge being fake. People posting about how good Kaylee or she looked... But mostly Kaylee. Today she was getting far more hate. Likely due to the guest they had on. Anytime one of the girls beat a guest star their fanbase tended to dislike bomb the video. She couldn't be bothered to care today. Her mood was impervious to insults from strangers.

Her phone chimed, letting her know someone had accessed the front gate. She double checked the code used and enabled the gate open knowing it was the taxi with Tatiana. She stood herself up, straightening her clothes, trying to stage herself to look cool for the redhead's arrival. She scooted up against the wall, leaning there to look as casual as she could, pretending to browse her phone again.

"Hey beautiful..." She said to herself, trying out a few opening lines as the taxi made the way up the winding road in the distance. "What up babe? ...Sup girl? ...Lookin' good." As the taxi rolled up she fell silent, eyes downcast as she waited for the right moment, remaining slightly aloof for effect. She could see the car in her peripheral vision, brow furrowed as the door burst open before it even came to a stop.

Her cool had been ruined as she lifted her head in surprise as Tatiana came running out. She was at a loss for words, already a smile crackling away at her stoney facade. "Uh... Hey!" She was running at her looking like she was expecting a hug. Her cheeks took a gentle red hue as she pushed off the wall to close the distance at a brisk walk. She was at a disadvantage here, knowing what she wanted to do with the girl, but worried  about actually doing them. She straightened up a bit as they reached one another, scooping Tatiana up in a tight hug, pulling her up off her feet to give the two of them a twirl in place. She leaned in close, peering into her eyes. "Imagine seeing you here. Crazy, right?"

She didn't really know how much she missed the girl until she was here again. It had been just a few days more than a week since they were able to see each other in person, filling the void with texting nonstop. She hadn't really even looked the other girl over to take in what she was wearing, far too distracted with just her presence. She hesitated a moment with the two of them so close, not sure why. They weren't going to be seen by anything beside the taxi driver, and she had given them enough of a top upfront that they were unlikely to pry.

She pressed her lips softly to Tatiana's, giving the girl a small kiss. She was worried if she did anything more they wouldn't make it inside. She gave her a loving squeeze before finally letting her feet touch solid ground again. "Glad you can make it... Need to to take your bag?"

Was Tatiana coming across like a creepy girlfriend? She hoped she wasn’t coming across like a creepy girlfriend. She could hear the driver muttering as she opened the door and darted out, probably saying a few things that weren’t too flattering about her just leaving the moving vehicle like that. But, really, she couldn’t help herself.

When they pulled up, Belle had been standing there, looking so cool. Belle always looked cool, that was the main thing about her, and even though Tatiana had been around her long enough to sense that it was kind of an act, that didn’t diminish a thing in her eyes. Belle was a star, she was famous, she was an international sensation, she could’ve had just about any man or woman she laid eyes on. That a person like that cared enough about her to put on a front?

Sexy. Damned sexy. That, among other pertinent reasons, was why she had to come rushing to Belle the moment she saw her. Like a junkie with her addiction, she couldn’t ignore her drug of choice when it was so close by. Belle wrapped her up in those deceptively strong, loving arms of hers, held her close, warmed her up, and the world was just perfect while they spun about.

She squeaked at the light kiss, then picked up her bag and gave the driver a quick wink and a wave, to which he responded with a nonplussed shrug. He went about his way as Tatiana looked back Belle’s way and answered her with a shake of the head. ”Such a gentlewoman. But no, I’ve got it.” She let the gym bag rest on her shoulder, while she took a moment to look Belle’s ensemble over. She looked great in it, but then again, Belle would’ve looked great in a nun’s habit. Even so…

”Man, you have such great style.” She pouted and looked her own outfit over. ”You’ve got to give me tips, sometime. Share a secret or two. Definitely approve of those shorts, by the way.”

More than a little cold, she’d stay close to Belle and follow her inside, eager to get inside so they could do...whatever Belle wanted, really. ”Speaking of, this is the sort of thing you had in mind for me to wear, right? It’s about as comfy as my clothes get.”

Tatiana made a mousey noise when Belle had kissed her. She assumed that was a good sign, the redhead tended to have a habit of being inadvertently cute when the two of them were close. Either that are remarkably cunning. While she could never see herself making sounds like that, it melted a part of her cold exterior when she was able to get one out of the redhead. It was a guilty pleasure, though most of what she did with Tatiana was a guilty pleasure with how they were keeping things mostly secret. Someday it wouldn't be... she hoped. For now things were too complicated though.

"Suit yourself, who am I to interfere with you being a strong independent woman." Belle gave a small shrug, taking a moment to actually look Tatiana over while she was fetching her bag. Thankfully she looked dressed for the afternoon's activities. At least she thought so, she wasn't sure what the first normally liked to wear during whatever practice sessions her and Valerie likely had. She finally noticed Tatiana looking her over. She turned to her side, tossing back her hair to strike a pose with her arms folded up behind her head.

"Thanks." That actually meant a lot to hear. Belle was rather fond of 80s and 90s culture and music. While the top at least was a designer item, she owned quite a few similiar items from more humble locations. She was a bit embarrassed to admit how expensive the top was. She likely could have made two dozen of her own from scratch for the same amount of money... Rather than go into detail, she simply offered.

"Well, you can borrow some of my clothes, if you want. I have more things to wear than I know what to do with." She slipped her hands into her pockets, leaning out one of her arms to offer it to Tatiana to slip one of her own arms through in escort fashion. A hint of color rose in her cheeks again at the mention of her shorts. She only just not realized this was the most skin she had shown to the other girl, that she knew of anyhow. If she had been aware Tatiana had looked at her match backlog, especially her more risque matches, she likely would have been mortified.

She led the two of them inside, making the journey to the the gym. Unlike the first time they have been here together, she didn't seem concerned about keeping the noise down or moving quietly. She took her time navigating them up the stairs. "You look ready for a slumber party." She said in a casual dry tone, befitting her normal form of teasing. Considering she had the house to herself for two more days, a sleepover wasn't off the table. They hadn't really gotten a chance to snuggle up again to much after their first encounter at the compound, save for the movies. It hadn't been quite the same though. "That'll work, I think. If not, we can find you something else... Cute shirt by the way." She had come to associate stars with Tatiana.

She shouldered he way into the gym, holding the door open for Tatiana. "We had talk a bit about it so..." She motioned to the far wall of windows looking out into the garden. The mats laid out meticulously along the floor. She couldn't help but wonder is she was more excited about this than she should be. Party Hard was on a bit of a hiatus with Kaylee still recovering for a shoulder injury and she had been jonesing for some in ring action. Finally getting Tatiana alone again, as a sparring partner had been a massive bonus.

Tatiana wasn’t falling for Belle just because of her money and fame. She was a fun and energetic person. She was cool and calm. Plus he could tolerate being around a hyperactive Russian millennial such as herself for more than two minutes, which was a huge plus by itself and a must-have for any relationship with her. She would’ve liked to think that, if the situation had been different and she hadn’t known a single thing about her prior to their match, they would’ve still found their way to each other.

But Tatiaina would be lying to herself if she said the fortune wasn’t, at the least, icing on a thoroughly satisfying cake. She stood there, watching as Belle flipped those brown tresses back and struck a pose, and it was impossible to not be smitten with what she was seeing, loving the thrill of this whole scenario. Clandestine meetings, a late-night rendezvous away from prying eyes. As much as she hated lying to her sister, the adventure of this whole thing sent a chill up and down her spine.

She eagerly took the offered arm and made her way into the house alongside Belle, staying nice and close deep the awkwardness it created with the gym bag. ”A tempting offer.” Just the thought of trying out some of Belle’s stuff made her giddy. ”But I wouldn’t want to tip off Val, too much. She knows I pretty much have no fashion sense whatsoever. If I start looking as good as you, she’ll get all suspicious.” She sighed and let her head roll to the side, rubbing her cheek against Belle’s bare shoulder. ”Besides, you do the Stranger Things look better than I ever could.”

A small statement, but she meant it as high praise. Tatiana’s growing love for that show was something she hadn’t shied away from sharing since they’d met.

It wasn’t long before she was led to their destination, a place she’d gotten glimpses of before: Belle’s own private gym. Impressive, of course, but what drew her attention were the mats, laid out and ready for someone to tussle on top of them. Her ever-present smile grew wider at the sight, and she turned to look at Belle with an evil glint.

”Oh, you want to wrestle around a bit, hm?” She gave her a little punch in the stomach. PlayfuL. Wouldn’t hurt. Tatiana would have to hit her much harder than that to really hurt her. ”Trickster. You should’ve said something, I would’ve brought my outfit.”

Belle let out a soft pleasant hum as Tatiana nuzzled up against her shoulder. She had missed the girl so much, her sweet voice, her soft affections, all those expressive looks she had... No matter how long they spent together, regardless of the setting, she always found new things to be enamored with. She hadn't really felt this way about anyone in a very long time. It was a bit frightening actually, how easily she found herself lost in giddy moments of girlish bliss that were so contrary to the woman she had become over the years, all because of one person. She could think of a wealth of excuses for Tatiana to borrow some of her clothing, even if for no better reason than having a shirt to wear to bed. She wouldn't press it though, it wasn't a big deal and the less the two talked about Valerie and Kaylee in what was essentially their day together, the better.

"You think?"  She cast a silent glance to Tatiana, not sure what she meant by a "Stranger Things" look. Everyone seemed to rave about the show, including Tatiana. So passionate had she been about everything, Belle hadn't had the heart to mention she had never seen it herself. The redhead made it easy to gloss over with how much she liked to chat about it while Belle listened and offered generic commentary as to not clue the other woman in on her dark secret of somehow avoiding the popular series. It had crossed her mind to watch the show with Tatiana. It was after all, suppose to be scary, which lended itself well to cuddling up. The ever growing facade of being in the know about the show made asking difficult though, she felt as though she had sunk too deep into the lie, despite never having made the claim to have seen it. She didn't watch much in the way of TV or movies, especially not alone. She had spent so much of her life then, and technically now, in the industry that she would rather spend her time elsewhere. Physical activity and music tended to be her go to activities when it was too early to hit a bar or club.

Belle's small smile grew into a wide grin as she observed Tatiana's reaction, she had to turn her head away to keep from showing how pleased she was with not only the redhead but herself for setting it all up. "And ruin the surprise? Not on your life." As the girl lightly papped her stomach with a fist, she brought a hand to clench the spot she had struck as if hit but a sniper bullet. "B-betrayer... how could you?" She slipped away from Tatiana, staggering wounded to the side before fake stumbling back into her to bump their shoulders together. "I'm sure we can make due... what you have on now isn't a problem though, is it?" She turned to face Tatiana, pinching the the fabric of one of her sleeves between her fingers to give a light tug.

"Besides, I would have been unfair if you had your real gear on. Blinding me with how bright you shine and all. Bad form." She seemed very aware of how cheesy that sounded, in fact it was why she had said it. Belle was personally glad to not be in her own gear. The ornately designed ring gear Kaylee dreamed up for them both tended to be cumbersome. She had no doubts that if she wasn't dressed up like a doll most nights she would preform infinitely better in the squared circle. It was complicate though. Not only did the girls have to match a theme, but it helped push Kaylee's clothing line... brand recognition was important, to the blond anyhow.

”Oh, yeah.” Tatiana nodded when she pressed her on the clothing issue, eager to explain where she was going with it. ”It’s a neat little retro look. Like something out of the 80s, very...what’s the word…” She snapped her fingers a few times, as if trying to kickstart her brain into working, and got it going soon enough. ”...punkish. I love it, though.”

More fashion discussion could happen later, though, because Tatiana was currently too busy being dazzled by Belle’s setup. This all worked out in so many ways - she needed the training, that was for sure. Valerie was a good sparring partner, but their styles were too similar for her to get that much out of it. Belle was built differently, fought with strength over agility, and as their match so clearly proved, that power was something she had to come to terms with.

On top of that, she just liked the idea of wrestling Belle again. It was what brought them together in the first place, after all. Only natural.

”Hmmmmmm…” She stretched out her shirt after Belle pinched the sleeve, nodding right after her, though she was wondering if she shouldn’t switch to the training bra she brought with her. It was so tempting to just take off the shirt and let Belle see the lacey number she had on underneath, but maybe that would’ve been a little too desperate? Too awkward?

”This will do, I think. And you’re cheesy.” She leaned forward and gave Belle a peck on the cheek, then bounced back. ”But you’re hot when your cheesy, so it’s okay.” Tatiana dropped into an Indian-style sit and started to slip off her shoes and socks. ”But I’ll miss my spandex. You, uh…” She bit her lip, needed a hot second before going on. ”When I had that on and you had me in that bearhug, it felt really good. I mean…really good.”

"I dig that sorta look." Much of the space in her closest the drawers was devoted to retro styled clothing. Among her favorites were items meant to replicate the bold design a d color choices of the era while others were comprised more of the grungy sort of British punk movement. She skipped out on things like parachute pants, almost certainly not her jam.

"I'll miss it a bit too..." Did she just say that? She just said that! She wasn't sure how Tatiana managed to be so open and blunt about these sorts of things with her. She was normally the sort to call things out as she saw them, but not so much when it came to more intimate things. It was clear she hadn't meant to let that slip out. The words alone hadn't caused the flash of red though, she had been thinking about that moment herself and hearing the redhead speak about it as if she peered into her mind had done a number on her. The worst (and best) part was just how casual the girl was about it all.

It was likely best the acrobat caught her so off guard yet again. There was no doubt if she hadn't, Belle would have really given her hell over the whole being cheesy was hot. Oh how there was some questions there for that one, thankfully for her they got shuffled off to the side. Half turning she gave Tatiana a slightly accusatory look as if she had put the words and thoughts in her head that found her embarrassed. A small part of her wondered if it had been intentional strategy on her behalf, but most of her knew this was just Tatiana being herself. The girl didn't have a very good filter, not when she was hanging with Belle anyway.

She slipped her hands behind her head, peering down at the sitting girl quietly. With her toes, she pressed down on the heel of her sneakers, wiggling her own feet free to kick them aside. "Not very smart, giving me your weaknesses. I might just have to exploit them." She spoke in a soft hushed tone despite the fact they were very much alone. Raising one leg up to tuck behind her, she hooked a finger to the gathered cloth of her sock, wiggling it up past the heel to slip off and drop neck to her footwear, the other followed suit.

She looked to the mat, lips parting in a grin. "No three counts here to stop me from having you down as long as I want." She was feeling slightly inspired by Tatiana's candor so she followed her through the door the redhead had opened. While it was meant to be more of a playful threat than a promise, after saying it she actually started to consider. She didn't really have a hidden agenda when she set this all up. They both had wanted to spar after all... And while rolling around with Tatiana had been a major bonus, being saucy with things on the mat hadn't crossed her mind until now. Was the other girl thinking the same thing?

Belle prodded Tatiana's leg with a toe. "Whenever you're ready." With that she slipped away from the redhead and made her way to the mats. They were slightly cool to the touch as her bare feet sunk down into them, traveling all the way to the center. She took a moment of peer out into the garden before her gaze shifted upwards.

"Alexa, playlist fifteen, shuffle and repeat songs." The speakers embedded in the ceiling chimed softly before music started playing. She had compiled a fairly large selection of background music for their encounter, all of it lacked vocal accompaniment. The bulk was comprised of orchestral jazz, but she had thrown in a bit of fast swing music in to for a bit more frenetic feel. Most of it was fairly old stuff, but there was a decent selection of newer remixed stuff as well. The mood set, she turned back to Tatiana to wait expectantly for her.

There it was! There was the blush!

Belle was hardly the first blushing woman she’d seen in her life, but Tatiana always loved it when she was able to get the brunette’s cheeks glowing, taking glee in the way the lit up. She was always trying to hide them, which made her treasure the sight even more. It just mystified her that she could be this amazing bruiser of a badass one second, then turn into the single most adorable thing she’d seen outside of a Powerpuff Girls episode.

She managed to keep squeeing to a minimum, though, and went into doing her stretches on the floor. Usually the routine would’ve taken her a good ten minutes to properly do, but she didn’t want to waste too much time here. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t take advantage of the situation…

She dropped into a full split, showing off her flexibility as she worked her legs apart. She twisted. She turned. She brought her legs back, pulled forward, arched her back to an angle that would’ve had most women screaming in pain. Over a decade of acrobatics had made her body malleable, in ways that only few could dream, and she was more than willing to give Belle a little show. Even if some of it would go to waste with the clothes she was wearing.

When she was through, Tatiana planted her palms flat on the floor and did a handstand to rise back up to her feet, flipping up in one swift, smooth motion. ”So ready.” She started to skip over to Belle, but stopped for a second when she heard Alexa kick in and the music started to play. After a moment, she just chuckled and shrugged it off. ”I am never getting used to that. Also, tell me you made that playlist just for this.” She pointed up with the most sly grin she could create. ”Because that would be amazingly cute. If you did.”

She covered the rest of the distance with a handless somersault, dropping down right in front of Belle. Ready and eager, Tatiana took a couple steps back and began bouncing on her heels, full to bursting with energy. ”You can try to get me down. But I’ll make sure you’re nice and sweaty before it happens.If it happens.”