Wolves Not Far

What did Valley like the most about being the Entropy Champion?

Aside from the pay raise, the better contract deals, having a private dressing room, and extra sex with her girlfriend?

The signings. Definitely the signings.

That was what she was doing at the moment, in what had to be one of the nicest days she’d ever seen. Yoyogi Park was beautiful this time of years, with the trees in full bloom and the wind tossing about the leaves and a shining sun to illuminate it all. A prime jogging spot, with people running all about, waving to each other, smiling here and there.

Valley would’ve have minded a run herself, and she’d hopefully get one before the day was over. She was definitely dressed for it, wearing her pimk and white jogging shorts along with a matching bra. Before that, though, she was taking care of some business with her devoted fans.

Off to the side of the jogging track, in the shade of a few years, Valley sat at a table. On one side, AFW personal handed out her merchandise, selling it to interested passerbys. On the other end, she signed said merchandise, had little chats with her fans, took the occasional selfie and sent them on their way.

It was good outreach, a nice way to mingle with the fans, and it was all thanks to the belt she had in her lap. She carried it around wherever she went. Partly because she was required to per her contract, but also because she liked the reminder. Who she was. Every she’d done to get this belt. Everything she might have to do to keep it.

Sobering thoughts, but she didn’t let them trouble her too much. For now, her only concern was how best to sign the next poster that was laid out before her. ”Hey, there.” She smiled up at her fan, wide and bright. ”Thanks for coming out, appreciate it. Who am I making this out to?”

Manami licked the last scraps of blood away from her knuckles as she walked out from the treeline. The loquacious shadows of the park seemed to back away from her as she stepped from the darkness and into the light, squirming in her presence. And why shouldn’t they fear her? The woods were her domain. And it was time to go hunting.

She kicked off some of the dirt from the path she’d taken to reach here off her shoes. There was a thinly-laced smile on her lips as she looked up and made her way over to the commotion overtaking the middle of the park. As Manami expected, the crowd was one befitting the presence of an Entropy champion. It stretched back a way down the concrete path, leading into the wide opening. Could take a while to reach the front.

But she didn’t have time for that. For that reason, Yuki had placed herself in line nearly an hour prior, keeping herself about halfway down its length as it continued moving forward. Once she spotted the Wolf Girl, the rugged woman would give an upturned nod, letting Manami approach from behind before the two pressed their way forward. Being three grades above the average Japanese citizen in both height and physique, she’d manage to not so subtly peel the line apart as Manami continued to walk forward, deterring the occasional glare with one of her own.

In her hand, she clutched a poster. Not hers, of course. She drew it forward as she approached the front of the line, subtly eyeing Yuki from the corner of her eye. The tall blonde departed from the crowd, seemingly disappearing off to the side and walking down the path behind a jogging couple.

Manami laid the large piece of paper out in front of the champion, circling it around and giving the warmest smile possible to compliment such a beautiful day and such a rare occasion. The wolf hadn’t actually known what was on the merchandise until it was fully unfolded. A promo picture, from the champion’s Summer Splash bout against the Scissor Queen herself. In the left corner closest to Valley, one could just barely make out a scarlet stain, a simple drop, from its original owner.

“Kuroda. Manami Kuroda. And I wouldn’t miss this for the world, Ms. Doll.”

As much as Valley loved her fans, she couldn’t lie - not to herself, at least - and admit that she remembered most of them. After the first couple dozen signatures, it all sort of became a blur. Smile, make small chat, sign, move on. Smile, make small chat, sign, move on. She honestly could only recall a handful of names out of the bunch, and even then, only the ones she’d had trouble pronouncing them.

The woman who came up next, however, would be an exception to the rule. She was reasonably sure of it.

For starters, Valley could tell she was well built, far more than just about anyone she’d come across in the line. Not that all of the people who’d come before her were slobs, but this woman had a chiseled look to her, the kind that only came from years and years of vigorous work, and it was apparent even if her clothes were meant to show it off. A looker, too. Nice brown hair, a sweet smile, welcoming demeanor. Plus, she spoke English, which was a nice plus, since Valley’s Japanese was only just passable on her best days.

And her name…

Her name…

”Manami Kuroda.” Valley had been returning the woman’s smile, but she stopped and replaced it with a confused grimace, as the gears in her head started to process a few things. That name was familiar. Oddly familiar. She’d heard it before, and she felt like could match this face to it, too. They’d never met before, she was sure of that. Maybe in a match she’d watched…

She brushed it off with a shrug, not wanting to be too rude. ”Sorry, your name made my brain itch a little.” She wagged the pen her wave, with a playful wink. ”Wouldn’t happen to be a wrestler yourself, are you?”

Not that there was anything wrong with that, of course. It was a weird thing to ponder, but there were apparently quite a few younger wrestlers who looked up to her, far more than she’d ever dared dream. It was always nice to meet another.

”Please, just call me Valley.” She gave her pen a few clicks and started on the signature. ”Keep it simple.”

That wasn’t a lie, either. She truly was somewhat of a fan of Ms. Doll. Beyond the berserker world champion herself, the woman currently holding the Entropy belt was the only other amongst the roster that had managed to retain her interest for longer than an eye glance.

Manami had seen plenty of footage and images of the Entropy Champion, inside and outside the ring. She was impressed with most of what she saw. Remarkable displays of athleticism and a poised nature that guided her every action. More high-flying maneuvers and plunges from high elevations in a single match than Manami would have attempted in her entire life. The kind of agility that would evade her for as long as she lived. From the outset, she knew she’d be approaching someone with years of experience even on her.

That only made things all the more enticing.

She had managed to avert her gaze from the shimmering gold around the champion’s waist, maintaining eye contact and her cheery outlook. It faltered slightly when Valley’s smile seemed to disappear at the mention of her name. Perhaps she wasn’t as ignorant as she thought to the ongoings in her own promotion? Only slightly. All the same, Manami was here to simply receive an autograph. Nothing more.

She threw a quick glance at “her” poster, checking on the signature’s progress before turning her attention back to where it should be.

“Not an issue, Valley. I tend to have that effect on people.” She relaxed slightly and returned the wink with a smile. “You hit the nail on the head. I’m a recent addition, though I’ve been meeting some tough competition already. Perhaps that’s why I may have reached your ear in passing.” She placed a hand on her hip, adjusting the collar of her cropped jacket with her free hand. “Belinda Northman? Alaina Sanders? Would those names mean anything to you?”

Valley’s brain was working overtime, trying to knit together all the memories she had of Manami Kuroda into a half decent quilt. She was fairly sure she’d heard that name not mentioned with happy, wholesome tones, but she wasn’t about to judge the woman based on those vague thoughts alone. There was a time, only two years ago, when people wouldn’t have had much nice to say about her, either.

In wrestling, it was best to judge people off what you knew, not what you thought you knew. So far, all Valley knew about Manami was that she was :

A) Pleasant.

B) Was willing to stand in line for an extended period of time to get an autograph.

C) Was a promising up-and-comer.

All three of those things were enough to earn her respect, moreso when she followed up with those two names. ”I’ll say so, yeah. Belinda’s been on my radar for a bit, and Alaina’s who I got this baby from.” She took a quick pause from signing to pat her belt, then it was right back to work. ”You’re starting off at the deep end of the pool, I like it. They’re both solid. How’d you do with them?” She shook her head. "They keep me busy with the belt these days, so I don't get to watch the show as much as I'd like."

As Valley went about the task, a small dot on the top of the poster caught her eye, a red stain. Blood? Looked a little like blood. She gave it a scratch, and when that didn’t work, she shrugged and finished up the signature, then held it up for Manami to see. Right away, it was clearwhy it had taken her a bit longer: she’d taken the time to write her name in both kanji and plain English, the former of which she thought she’d done a fairly decent job on, along with a line below.

From one pro to another!

Along with a winking smiley face, of course.

She would’ve loved to talk more with Manami, never wanting to pass up an opportunity to speak with the younger wrestlers, but she could see that some in the line were already getting antsy. The line had to keep moving. Lucky her, though, she had an idea for it.

”You have anywhere to be?” She patted the chair beside her. ”Stay a while, would love the company.”[/i][/i]

Manami’s eyebrow twitched when she noticed the woman fussing with the stain. Thankfully blood dried relatively quickly, a fact that had been beaten into her over and over across the years.

“Not quite the way I hoped for, unfortunately, but I have a feeling I’ll be turning things around soon enough. Stick to the smaller game for now.”

The brunette had to resist the urge to reach out and grab for it and merely waited for the champion to slide the poster back over to her. She gave a pleasant smile and looked at Valley’s handiwork. Huh, decent kanji for a Californian. Almost made up for the fact that the smiley face made her want to hurl.

She went to express her gratitude until somebody shoved her from behind. It was subtle, practically a tap on the shoulder for all the force it had, but somebody did it. In quite possibly any other circumstance, she’d speed that person to the table facefirst, again and again.

But she bit her tongue. For the moment.

Her attention turned back to Valley. At the very least, it seems her efforts weren’t being wasted. Anyone who even had a relative idea of who the wolf was wouldn’t let her within a mile of their company, let alone sit at their table. Not to mention her compatriots were surely getting anxious. But, this was a chance to get to a little closer to someone she admired. This would certainly help smooth things over in the long run as well.

“Why thank you. I was actually hoping to get a few questions in before I took off. Do you mind?” She asked as she rounded the table and took her seat, crossing one leg over the other as she made herself comfortable.

Manami took a moment to take in the scene from behind the table as the next fan approached for their own signature. Birds chirping. Sun beaming. Wind blowing. Such a beautiful day. She should do this more often.

Valley was all too happy when Manami said she’d stay for a spell, eager to talk shop with the woman and get a feel for how her career was going. One of the advantages she had when growing up being born into the sport, always able to get advice from someone who’d been where she was and did what she did, even if she didn’t want to listen to said advice at the time of it. She didn’t like to think of herself as some kind of wrestling den mother, but sharing wisdom with the fresh generation was never a bad thing. Kept their sport alive.

Plus, frankly, she didn’t mind the company. As much as she did love her fans, things were starting to get a wee bit monotonous, and some wrestler-to-wrestler chat would help pass the time.

”Sorry to hear things aren’t quite going the way you’d like.” She gave her pen a few clicks as Manami rounded the desk, and started up on the next poster in line, dividing her attention easily enough. ”But don’t let it swear you off the higher ranks, you know? Mix it up. Wrestle women who are on your level, sure, but every time you get the chance for something big, you just…”

She reached her hand out and grabbed at the thin air, seizing an invisible prize. ”...snatch it up.”

Valley scooted over a bit to give Manami ample room, not wanting to crowd the younger woman too much and give her the wrong impression. This was a friendly chat, and even though they could be potential opponents someday, it didn’t have to get aggressive at the moment.

”Questions?” She waved over the next people in line, a couple of giggling schoolgirls that were talking about breast surgery, thinking she didn’t understand Japanese and wouldn’t understand. The fifth time something like that happened today, as a matter of fact. ”Sure, hit me. What’s on your mind?”

Valley was smart to back away. Though she hadn’t realized it, every inch away from the Wolf Girl she took was another opportunity she was denying her later on. Already, her mind was forced to cross out a few possible approaches. She wouldn’t normally devote this much time and effort to any one person. Every person fell in the end. She could have even been embarrassed with how much attention she’d given the Entropy champion.

But what could Manami say? She was a fan.

True to what she’d heard of her behind-the-scenes encounters, Valley was every bit the galvanizing, kindly figure that her colleagues made her out to be. The two had never shared words before, yet she spoke as if they’d been compatriots for a long while now. For all her scavenging, Manami was unable to find a single bad bone in the Californian’s entire body.

There were controversies here and there, of course. Pointless rumors and global stardom may as well have been packaged together. But from what she could tell from the real Valley Doll, this was a woman who built her entire career upon respect. For her fans, for her opponents, for the industry. A person who deserved to stand where she was.

Shame she never realized, despite clearly being some years Manami’s senior, that that would always be her downfall.

“Well, they just so happen to involve that giant, golden buckle you have over your waist.” She gave the belt a point with her finger before folding her arms again. “I’ve seen the interviews, the press releases, but I would really like to know from you. As someone who's been in this as long as you have. As Valerie. How did it feel when you first held that belt? When you finally seized it with your own two hands?”

She brushed some hair behind her ear as a cool wind brushed over them, smiling back at the champion with bright, brown eyes.

Valley felt she had an idea of what this conversation would be centered around before it even started in earnest: the belt. That was what it came down to eventually, right? Manami was young, bright, clearly had some ambition, and she doubted the woman came here to day just to get a poster signed and waltz off.

No, no - this was a woman with plans. Valley could respect that.

Also, Manami used her real name, which was nice. Valley preferred her nickname, sure, but she suspected people often forgot it wasn’t the one she was born with.

”Call me, Val, please.” She winked and wagged a finger Manami’s way, before finishing off a signature and sending off a patron with her thanks. ”And I could tell you to find out yourself.” She had a quick chuckle. ”But I won’t. It’s…”

She took a moment and tapped her pen on the table, thinking of the best way to put it, gathering her words before she moved on. ”It’s sheer elation, you know? Like, it wasn’t even the first title I had. I won the title in the last company I was with, this indie fed back in America, right before it collapsed. In some school gymnasium, with about forty people. Not a big deal. But this, though?’

Valley closed her eyes and sighed, going back in time for a moment, reliving the instance. ”You’re in the middle of thousands of people, millions watching worldwide, all seeing you with this belt in your head. You know you’re good, but the belt solidifies it. You’re at the top of the mountain and everyone’s cheering your name and you feel like you could run straight through an entire army.” She shook her head, coming back to reality before she went on too long and got too weird for her new acquaintance. ”It was great. Felt amazing.” She patted Manami’s shoulder and looked her way with a nod. [color:4e1b=Ff00ff]”Keep going, you’ll get there, someday.”

It seemed innocent enough to pry into the nature of one of her most prized possessions. Valley was a champion, Manami was a fan. It only seemed natural for their talk to steer in that direction, at least that was how the thought process went in rehearsal. There was always the chance she would have preferred not to open up to just anyone, altering the tone of this conversation irreversibly. The Wolf Mother’s presumptions were seldom wrong, though there was always a first for everything.

But no, she really was as generous a person as she’d snuffed her out to be. She broadened her smile a couple twitches as the veteran eased into the question.

“Cruel.” She chuckled along with Valley. Or, Val, rather.

She sat with crossed arms, nodding along to everything the Californian had to say to her. Despite the context surrounding their friendly chat, Manami really did listen to everything the champion had to say. Out of respect? No. That was a privilege people earned from her first.

No, knowledge was what she was after. There was valuable insight there. Not only in what she was saying but the way she put it. The intent and passion lingering in the words as they hung in the air. Let her into just how Valley thought, what this oversized token of plastic and leather around her waist really meant to her.

Unsurprisingly, a great deal.

She suppressed the urge to break Valley’s wrist when she patted her and channeled the raw energy towards keeping her smile as straight as possible. Some laughing children passed by the crowd, chasing butterflies and nearly bumping into the table, killing the silence for a brief moment, long enough for Manami to refocus.

“You really are the best champion in the whole federation. Amazing, honestly. You have no idea how much those words mean to me.” She turned her gaze away for a moment to look at the table, tapping the poster in her hand absentmindedly against the ground. “But I am curious…” She said, turning her head back to Valley. “When the glamour fades, and cheers die down, and the belt changes hands, as it inevitably does and always will, what then? Continue to wrestle for how many odd years? Retreat back to America a success? Stay and foster future generations? Do you think, perhaps, you’ll be leaving behind anything important for others who follow in your wake once you’re gone, be it today or years from now?” She unfolded her legs and twisted her body the side, clasping her fingers together as she leaned her elbow on the top of the chair, easing into her posture as she looked at the champion straight on. “How do you see it all ending for you?”