Something About Us

Small doubts flickered in Ryoko’s head, buzzing about like flies inside her cranium. Was she pushing AJ too hard? Should she just give her space? Was everything she said just a mush of feel-good words, some weak attempt to just brute force her friend back into happiness?

Do you trust me?

It was a question that Ryoko really didn’t need to ask. They’d known each other a relatively short time, but they’d spent that time well. Movies, eating out, Skype conversations that went on long past the time they should’ve gone to sleep. Ryoko had never been the most sociable person, never made friends easily, but she and AJ just sort of...fit. In a way that she couldn’t even boast of. Close like family, close like sisters, close like…

Ryoko brushed the thought aside again and shook her head, nuzzling her head against AJ’s a bit. ”If you trust me, then trust yourself, because I believe in you more than...anything. When I look at you, I see things, I…”

She was rambling, had to stop that. She moved away, took a step back, but kept her hands on AJ’s shoulders to look at her straight on. ”I don’t have answers, but I think if you stick with this, you’ll find them. You’ll get where you’re going, where you need to be. And if that’s not what you want to do, if you want to try something else...I’ll stick with you, too.”

Ryoko finally let and brought her hands together, wringing them over, fidgeting for a moment. Hadn’t felt this nervous in so long. ”I don’t want to give up on you, is what I’m trying to say. I guess.”

Ryoko knew her so well, perhaps too well. She almost always knew what to say or do to get a smile. It was almost uncanny how well the two women synced up, even despite the years separating them. Who would have thought she would find someone so in tune with how she thought halfway across the world. It was a part of what made every failure that much more damaging however.

She couldn't stay in Japan forever if all she was doing was losing. Who wanted to even see that? Would they even keep her employed? When she finally went back home she would be alone again and her father would be waiting. This was the sort of thing she would never live down, defying him only to fall short time and again.

If she stayed she might have done well for herself. The women of the league back home were more showgirls than athletes. If she swallowed her pride and just remained, maybe she could have even have been champion there. It wouldn't have meant as much with so little actual competition, but she would have gold, fans, and possibly the respect of her father.

She had come here to cement a legacy, to make herself worthy of her family inheritance of title. The first female Shay to take up the mantle, it was supposed to be her dreams come true. Instead it was hard work, a shitty apartment, and heartbreaking loses. She hated feeling so weak and powerless. Like the world was playing cruel tricks on her. Each time she wrestled there was that glimmer of victory just outside her reach before someone snuffed it out.

Ryoko didn't have any answers for her tonight. It left a void in her chest, something she was willing to fill to any manner of positivity despite anything that got close was sucked inside to vanish into darkness like a black hole. An offer of continued support, loyalty, is all Ryoko had for her. Was that enough? Would anything be enough?

She understood she wasn't in the right mindset, that this wasn't who she was or wanted to be. The world looked bleak and lifeless through her eyes. She wanted to be alone with her sadness, to mourn over her failures in solitude far from prying eyes. It wasn't good. It wasn't healthy.

“Hey…” Alexa quietly eyed Ryoko as the two parted, creating distance between them. “Want to come over and watch a movie or something? I don't really want to be alone right now… maybe something with a happy ending?” the brunette gave a small sad half smile. Her heart was only partly into the request but she was making strides towards trying to feel better rather than curl up at home in a ball and feel miserable about herself. With Ryoko there she could have some measure of escapism. Put tonight behind her, for a little while at least.

One day at a time, one match at a time, one move at a time.

That was the philosophy that Ryoko’s teacher instilled in her above all else, learning how to take things as best could and move on. It was the same way of thinking she brought to the moment. She wasn’t sure if she’d done anything more than put a bandaid on the problem, if she could really deliver in the longterm and help her friend through this...but she knew that if anything could happen, it would have to be when they were together.

She wanted AJ to stay. She needed AJ to stay. At least, for now.

So, they were at a par. They had something stable, and they could build on that. Together. Tomorrow. But tonight…

”Something with a happy ending, something with a happy ending...oh!” She snapped her fingers. ”There’s this movie I always wanted to see, big in America, never got the chance. What was it called…” Ryoko looked to the sky for a moment, as if the answer would show itself amongst the clouds. ”It had a dog and a lion and a witch and a strawman...flying monkeys…”

It was a welcome, but not too unexpected moment when Ryoko expressed interest in watching a movie. Alexa needed to shut off and lose herself in something else right now, anything to keep her thoughts from spreading her up. There was a small shimmer of light in her eyes at the mention of a movie the other girl had in mind, garnering the Japanese native a curious look.

The brunette's brow knit in deep concentration as she tried to put the pieces together. While she wasn't terrible familiar with the series these days, didn't Narnia have all those things? Maybe? A witch and a lion for sure. Was Ryoko mixed up? A strawman… what? She wore her confusion no different than her baseball cap, plain to see and slightly slanted.

A moment of clarity hit her, causing her to sputter and suddenly laugh. “Strawman? You mean Scarecrow? The Wizard of Oz? Strawman…. Means something entirely different these days.” She had to reach out a hand, perching it on Ryoko's shoulder to steady herself as she laughed. Why was this so funny? Maybe her mind broke somewhere in that match.

Her knees were weak, was it from the laughing or the match? She wasn't sure. Alexa worked hard to compose herself so she wouldn't drag Ryoko down will her if and when she buckled. “That's certainly a movie.” She remarked, rubbing at her eyes with the back of her hand, they had watered a bit. On paper it had a happy ending, that old moral lesson about being happy with what you have. While it wasn't what she had in mind, sharing the movie with Ryoko for the first time would be fun, especially with their colorful commentary on a dated classic from a bygone era.

That got her thinking though. What other movies did Ryoko know. “Tell me. Have you seen the six fingered man?” It was a Longshot, especially if Ryoko didn't know the Wizard of Oz, but perhaps she would know the reference. If not, she was going to make her watch The Princess Bride tonight too… one of the few movies she actually had at her apartment on DVD.

Ryoko was worried for a moment, thinking that her friend’s grasp of pop culture might’ve failed them, but that changed when she came through and named the exact movie Ryoko was thinking of. Neutrons fired, her brain cells aligned, and it all clicked into place, the great feeling when something on the tip of your tongue finally falls off.

”That was it, yeah!” She snapped her fingers in quick confirmation. ”I think I saw a clip or something from it when I was really young, but it wasn’t translated, so I just kind of moved on.” She shrugged and laughed along with AJ, and...they were laughing.

It was a weird thing to make note of, but after what had just happened, it stuck out. She really had the best laugh, too, this light, happy noise that was infectious. There had been a couple of times when AJ’d made a joke, a reference to something that Ryoko hadn’t seen or heard of in her bumpkin life, but Ryoko had found herself giggling along, anyway, as if it made total sense. When AJ was happy, you wanted to be happy, too.

Ryoko started to walk in the direction of AJ’s place, nudging her companion along - the sooner they got off the street and onto a couch, the better. Her eyebrow quirked at the question she was asked, though.

”The Six-Fingered Man? No, don’t think I’ve seen that movie…” Her brow furrowed, wracking her brain for it and coming back empty handed. ”Is it just about a guy with six-fingers? I mean, that sounds...inconvenient? Weird thing for a movie to be about, though.”

Alexa hefted her gym bag up off the ground, working the strap back over her shoulder with a strained grunt. She was more sore than she thought now that she had stopped being in motion and all the punishment she had taken during the match was starting to settle in. She winced, though, in typical fashion tried her best to keep the pain to herself now that she was back to feeling more like herself again. The brunette took a small shaky step forward, attempting to throw an arm around Ryoko's shoulder. Originally intended as a friendly gesture, she found herself using her buddy was a pillar of support for her weight to make the walk home.

“You have no idea… yet. It's time I taught you a few things. I can't believe I haven't forced to to watch some of these movies before…” Alexa snickered softly. She could think of a wealth of movies they could watch from her personal favorites, though likely not tonight. Maybe that was something she was missing? Just being herself for a bit and casting off the stress that came with her commitment to wrestling. She wasn't going to magically solve her problems by moping all night, so maybe this would do the trick.

“We should make an official movie night a thing instead of our usual streamed wrestling match grind sessions. I have a feeling there are a lot more good American classics I need to catch you up on. I can't have you being behind on all the cool kids stuff, otherwise you are gonna drag down my image.” She couldn't help but snicker at that. The thought of having an image worth protecting. At this point she was a bottom barrel loser, so it make her chuckle. Self deprecating humor abound.