Climbing the Mountain

Eka was still looking around a little bit as Harumi spoke. She wondered if Harumi with all her stoicism was like an Agent Smith of sorts, and she had just stumbled into some glitch in the matrix where the world was totally clean. Her footfalls did not pass through the floor, and there was something there when Eka had the temerity to glide her fingertips across the outmost edge of the nearest table. Just as she anticipated, there was no dust. And it was very much real. Just like the pretty little Judoka not standing near her. The Georgian girl wondered if Harumi saying that she did not receive many visitors as a joke, given that this place seemed clean enough to welcome an emperor.

Whenever you like. Eka's eyebrows arched at that. The raven-haired girl really wanted that to be true, but she was not sure if Harumi was being polite. A moment of doubt passed her mind. It was possible that this woman was merely tolerating her to be polite, and would shoo her out the door the moment it was socially acceptable to. Eka was looking at the back of Harumi's head as she walked by, and tried to fix her face before the woman turned around and saw her. The Georgian girl was tired of miring herself in poor self-esteem and a fear of failure. No, she was going to take this head-on.

"That sounds very nice, yes? I am sure that I am not smelling very good right now. Is this why you wish me to get in the shower?" Eka put a hand on her hip as she cracked a joke. She tried to do the hair flip as well, but her naturally clumpy hair was not aided much by the sweat, causing almost half of it to fly to the side. The move was not nearly as graceful as she imagined it to be.

Eka peeled off her jacket as she made her way over and hung it on the coatrack. She was back in her sports bra once more, but she had some decent clothes in her bag. Well, as decent as Eka ever got. She looked at Harumi once more before she disappeared into the shower. The Georgian girl was not really sure what she was looking for. Reassurance, that she could figure out the shower head. Honesty, that she could feel comfortable around a new friend. Fierceness, that she could ignite a great passion within herself.

"I am sure that dinner is going to be very good, yes?" She said with a wink as she closed the door behind her.

Despite Eka’s unnoticed doubts, Harumi did indeed mean what she said. She had never considered herself to be a person who said things they didn’t mean, and would never do something as cruel as invite someone over and then turn them away. In Harumi’s heart, she really was happy to have friends or family drop by anytime, especially since she had moved out. The Judoka had struggled making any real friends, coming close once before until the sad woman had said they were destined to be foes and left. Harumi had spent many months alone in the apartment. Simply cleaning, eating, training, and sleeping in it. Having that cycle of lonely repetition broken, even if it was only once in a while, seemed like a welcome change to a rather dull seclusive existence.

As Harumi suggested her guest take a shower to help her relax, the newly appointed hostess secretly peeked inside her bathroom. She was not worried about it looking dirty, as she cleaned it just as regularly as she did the rest of her house. Instead, she was subtly checking to make sure everything Eka may need was out in the open and easy to find. Shampoo, conditioner, and body wash were all located next to a scrub inside the shower stall. Two fresh and clean towels hung from a rack near the stall, its soft material ideal for both comfort and proper functionality. Even Harumi’s personal hairbrush sat on op of the counter, the only thing that may have implied the bathroom was ever used.

Satisfied that everything was where it needed to be, she let Eka inside with a smile. The Georgian cracked a few jokes, and Harumi simply smiled on.  Her mind was currently running through what she should make for dinner at the moment. Harumi had a few things in the refrigerator, but wondered what would be an appropriate meal for the two f them to share together.

As Eka showered in peace, Harumi would get to work on dinner. After washing her hands and getting out all of the needed ingredients, Harumi began to work on a special chicken salad accompanied with a warm noodle soup. The soup would take a few moments to prepare and set to the proper temperature, so Harumi went to work on that first. Using a mixture of fine broth, homemade noodles, and zesty herbs and peppers, Harumi quickly put her creation into a crock pot to simmer and blend the flavors together. The Salad would be much easier, with Harumi ripping apart some lettuce and pour it in a large bowl, mixing it with small cheese bits, a light ranch sauce, and topping it with diced chicken and boiled egg bits. The high protein was sure to keep anyone who ate the salad full and satisfied for hours! Harumi’s mother had given her the recipe herself, and the Judoka did not doubt its power!

To top everything off was the drinks. While the soup stirred in the crock pot, Harumi decided to heat up a pot of green tea, deciding its simple, delicate flavor would go well with the salad and noodles. She also filled a pitcher of water in case Eka was not interested in the tea.

Soon, everything would be ready, and Harumi would quickly set the table in preparation of Eka’s arrival.

Eka did not notice that Harumi was peaking into the room. The Georgian girl was not undressing yet, but she would have found such a look to be playful if nothing else. Eka did not know herself well enough to know whether or not she was really interested, but for a woman who found herself dragged down by self-doubt as much as Eka did, it would have been nice to have been appreciated. Least of all, from a woman who liked showing a tough exterior like Harumi did. She disrobed, considering the sparkly tile floor below her as she did so. It was probably more hygienic to eat of the floor here in the bathroom of Harumi's apartment than it was off a plate in her own apartment, she thought. With that thought, she stepped into the bathtub and turned the knob to the shower.

Much to her surprise, she managed to turn the right one on the first try. The water was nice and hot, but not too hot for Eka's taste. She let the water run down her naked form. It was pure. The Georgian girl had done her body a few favors today with getting the cardio in, and tussling with Harumi was not easy. Her body had repaid her with the sweet sweat one earns, and she was feeling that melt off her. The hot water in her own apartment rarely lasted long, and she was so accustomed to that she did not let the nice feeling linger that long. Eka scrubbed herself down with a quiet efficiency, until she got to her hair.

She reached towards the shampoo bottle before she stopped herself. The Georgian girl had so much hair that she found herself going through a bottle of shampoo when most women would have been a quarter way done with the first one. She didn't want to use all of Harumi's shampoo. But maybe it would have been even more rude not to use it all. The ravenhaired girl reached for it, and poured a massive dollop of it onto her hand. After she got her hands nice and lathered, she started washing her hair. Trying to make it obey was a foolish endeavor, and Eka had long since given up on even attempting it. The best that she could do was contain it. With that, she could not take her time. Even if she was going fast, there was simply too much to work through. She wove her hands in and out of her long black mane, working with what she had until she was quite satisfied with the results. It took a while to rinse it all out, but she found that it was always worth it.

Eka killed the water and fumbled for the towel. She dried herself as much as she could before wrapped one of them around her body. The Georgian girl then wrapped the other one around her head, as she looked for a hair dryer. The only thing that was out was a hairbrush, but no hair dryer. Harumi did not even have a TV, so Eka was kicking herself for thinking that Harumi would have such an appliance. She was going to have to do it the old fashioned way. The towel unfurled with a flourish, and Eka was a rubbing demon, doing what she could to rid herself of the water that had just flowed gently through it. Eka looked in the mirror in front of her, to find that it was still too foggy from the steam to report anything useful. Had it found itself clear, it would have found Eka doing her best to battle it with the hairbrush that was laid out. Eka lay the brush down after a few attempts. It was still wild, but Eka didn't notice.

She quickly donned her blue jeans and her purple University of Tokyo t-shirt. It was not the most fashionable of choices, but Eka felt she could rock it. Although she was not entirely sure if she had just gotten used to it, after wearing something similar nearly every day. The Georgian girl emerged from the bathroom with a billow of steam that faded in a second. Her blue eyes found Harumi, and then all that she had prepared for Eka.

"Oh my," Eka said as she walked up to the table. She sat down, cross-legged, as she had been taught after she moved to Japan. "This looks all very nice, yes?" Eka still did not know enough about manners to know whether or not she should go first. The Georgian girl began slowly reaching for the chicken salad bowl, eyeing Harumi with a weird look on her face. She was quietly asking permission, but in reality all she looked like was awkward.

After looking over the table for the third time to make sure she didn’t forget anything, Harumi heard the bathroom door open wide, a small cloud of steam rolling into the hallway as Eka made her appearance known. If Harumi had to guess, she would say that it appeared the Georgian enjoyed the shower…at least a little bit. Her dark mane was a bit wild here and there, some parts of her hair still tangled up from when she tried her hair with the towel. Of course, Harumi was too polite to bring such a manner up, although she did consider offering to finish brushing Eka’s hair later that night if she chose to stay over. Harumi had long hair herself, and while she had kept the same style for years, she had confidence that she could work out at least a few of the wild bits of hair on Eka’s head.

“Hello Eka. I hope there was everything you needed to have a nice shower.” Harumi exclaimed with a happy smile. She analyzed Eka’s casual wear, taking note of her blue jeans and casual shirt. Most of Harumi’s casual tops consisted of button ups, and she made a mental note to go out and shop for a T-shirt sometime in the future. Perhaps if she bought a shirt that matched Eka’s, they would grow closer…

“I didn’t know what you might like, so I tried to make dinner with a bit of variety.” Harumi said, gesturing towards the tables contents, “For protein, I tried to make a chicken salad bowl with eggs, spinach, and cheese. There’s also a light mayo sauce for a healthy fat to go along with it. If you prefer something warm, I prepared a bit of Noodle soup. I wasn’t sure if you liked Udon, so I used some home-made noodles and just threw a few things in there, some herbs and spices, along with a few vegetables I thought would be good with it. It may be a bit tough still, I didn’t let it sit long enough to make sure everything was tender, but I do hope its enjoyable. Finally, I made some tea and some rice, though the rice is still in the cooker, it will be ready in just a few more minutes. I’ll get you a bowl as soon as it is finished.”

Harumi was really getting into her role as a host, smiling kindly and speaking with an excited tone as she listed of tonight’s dinners and making sure her guest was satisfied with the preparation of the meal. Eka seemed hungry, and began to reach over towards the salad bowl, but stopped just sort of actually grabbing it. Harumi had only just noticed Eka was watching her expectantly, as if wondering if it was okay to dig in. Harumi simply reached over to the tea pot and poured a small cup for Eka, smiling happily as she did so.

“Please enjoy yourself. If there is something else you would like, please let me know.” The hostess said as she then poured herself a cup. The rice cooker would eventually go off, and with a quick “Excuse me”, Harumi got up to collect a small bowl for Eka and herself.

Eka had a load lifted off her back. Harumi was incredibly polite in explaining everything that was on the table, giving the Georgian girl a solid explanation of everything that was laid out before them. Eka looked around the table and found all of the foodstuffs as Harumi so helpfully went through everything. The amount of care that she put into something so simple as making dinner was obvious, and Eka was not one to do much about concealing how impressed she was. Eka considered herself an above average cook, but she needed the right ingredients and some time. Harumi had thrown all of this together in no time at all, and using just the ingredients she had already had in her house. The Georgian girl smiled.

And Harumi even had the patience to accept Eka's weirdness in reaching for the bowl. The Georgian girl audibly exhaled as she grabbed the bowl, and served herself a good portion. She made sure to leave enough for her friend. What really interested her was the noodles, however, as she had never had home-made noodles before. Eka slipped some onto her plate, mesmerized by the steam coming off them for a second. She happily nodded in appreciation as Harumi poured her some tea. "Thanks!" Eka was beaming now. She took a sip of it. Back in Alabama, she had guzzled sweet tea by the gallon, loaded up with ice and sugar to the point that it no longer resembled anything that may be found here. But the piping hot liquid had a subtlety to it that Eka really appreciated.

Eka watched as Harumi went to get up, and once again she found herself not really knowing what to do. She had always found it more polite to wait until everyone was seated, and eyed Harumi's back as she went to go get the rice. Then she looked down at her meal once more. Her tummy rumbled. Eka's choice was clear. She raised her fork high, as if accomplishing some great feat, and then sank it into the noodles, carefully wrapping them around her fork with turn after turn. With all of the solemnity of Arthur pulling Excalibur clear of the stone, Eka then pulled the fork from the pile of noodles and then brought it up to her mouth.

She devoured it. The Georgian girl was relishing it, chewing it with great fervor. After chomping down for what felt like an eternity, Eka finally swallowed, enjoying it to the very end. "These are the best noodles I have ever had, yes?" Eka was looking at her friend with stars in her eyes. Wanting to show her friend how she felt more than say it, she did the same thing again, eagerly eating the noodles as if she had not eaten in a week. After swallowing, she rested her hand on her knee and waved her fork in the air. "Whoever taught you to make noodles must be world famous."

The soft ding of the timer finally stopped as Harumi walked over and opened up the rice cooker. A fresh wave of steam came floating up and warmed her soft skin as she quickly grabbed a spoon and began to pile the white rice into a small serving bowl. She repeated the process one more time before picking up both bowls and walking back towards the table. Eka was happily slurping up the noodles Harumi had made, exclaiming that they were the best she had ever had before. A small blush crept across Harumi’s face as she sat back down and handed Eka’s rice over to her. The Georgian seemed to be enjoying herself so far, and the compliments towards Harumi’s rushed cooking made her feel rather happy.

“O-oh, um…Thank you!” Harumi said as she watched Eka snatch up another fork-full of noodles, “I had just made them the other day, and I thought it best to use them while they were still fresh. My Mother showed me how to make them, but these are nothing compared to her noodles. Mother makes the best soups in the entire world.”

Harumi smiled warmly into her tea, remembering her Mother’s cooking and how kind her Mother truly was. When Harumi had left to live on her own, her mother had given her a fan much like the one her mother’s family carried around with them for generations. The color of the fan was said to be the color of their family’s souls, each fan carrying a part of the family’s tradition along with it in a show of respect and honor. Harumi’s mother’s fan was a dark blue, and so Harumi’s was actually a lighter shade of blue.

Realizing she had been lost in thought, Harumi cast away such thoughts for the moment and decided to save that in case it came up later in conversation. In the meantime, Eka seemed to be wolfing down the food with glee, making Harumi think she should try to get some food while she still could.

“So, Eka…what kind of homework do you have tonight? Is it difficult?” Harumi asked as she scooped a bit of salad from the bowl onto her plate and began to eat a small bit of white rice. Harumi was interested in what Eka did during her school time, and what better time to ask questions then when they were gathered around eating together.

Eka accepted the bowl, and placed it down. She basically inhaled another forkful of noodles before turning her attention to the bowl of rice beside her. "Oh wow, it is very cool that you made them the other day, yes?" Eka paused for a second. She was reflecting, her light blue eyes briefly glossing over for a second. When she was a little girl, she would often make her parents tell her stories of the land where she was born. At the time, she appreciated the convenience of never having to tend to a flock of sheep in order to get wool, reasoning that it was far easier to just go to the store. But now that she had grown up a little, she saw the value in doing it for yourself. "My mother is a very good cook too, yes? She has shown me a great many things, and I have forgotten some of them. But it is okay, yes? Even the 75% I remember is still better than anything I would ever be able to do on my own. It really makes one wonder. If I have a daughter, what will she remember? Or a son for that matter. I don't know if things always go from high to low," Eka traced knowledge's descent with her fork through the air, "but how much has been lost?"

Eka let that waft through the air as she dug into the rice and got a bite. It was warm in her mouth, and Eka chewed for a bit before she began anew, prompted by her friend's question. "It is about international relations. And sort of history, yes? Let me explain." Eka paused for a bit, recognizing that she was coming close to stumbling over her words. She took another forkful of rice and continued. "In the 1950s, the Soviet Union had many disputes with Japan. Both sides wanted to resolve them, yes? For example, there was some dispute over who could fish where, because there are always disputes about that, going back to 1000 years before both of us were born." Eka shrugged her shoulders in the face of a millennium. "But after Stalin gkkk," Eka made a throat slashing gesture with the fork, "it looked like there was a chance for friendship. Or at least normalization, yes? So they signed all of these agreements and printed all of these stamps, but very little happened." Eka was speaking more animatedly now, her singsong Georgian accent rising and falling like the shift in melody of some grandiose orchestral work.

Eka stabbed at the salad and wolfed a bite down before launching into it again. Whatever the dressing was made out of was fantastic, and complimented both the chicken and the salad very well, she thought. "So I have been asked to write a paper. About why the Japanese were still willing to negotiate and try to be friendly with the Soviets. Because even after everyone started playing nice, there were still disputes. Over small rocky islands where there are very few people. Even today, both Russia and Japan dispute who owns what. That is interesting, yes?" Harumi had just asked a simple question, and now she was going on and on about it. She felt embarrassed.

"So I am writing a short paper on that. I think I have the core ideas down, but some of the Japanese papers I have been asked to read are very difficult. I am pretty good at Japanese, but with some more technical or older terms, I am..." Eka extended her left hand out and shook it, showing how tenuous her grasp on certain concepts was. "It is just a question of how to interpret certain words." And with that, Eka finished her little spiel, taking a sip of tea to wash her words away.

"Has it been long since you have studied?" Her blue eyes peered out above the tea cup.

Now, Harumi never considered herself to be the smartest person in the room at any time. She could read an atmosphere well enough, get a decent feel for people and the subjects they preferred to talk about, and really only had a few things she could speak with some authority on. When it came to history, math, or academics of any higher level, she tended to just devolve into a person who just nods her head and says “Uh-huh” a whole lot. When her illustrious guest began to open up about her academic education and homework, Harumi quickly smiled, and clammed up. Truthfully, Harumi only understood a fraction of what Eka had kindly explained to her. The cool beauty nodded her head a bit and suddenly took quite a bit of interest in her tea, sipping it every time Eka paused to take a breath so as to not respond foolishly and make herself seem incompetent.

When Eka finally slowed down, Harumi felt a little embarrassed by just how naïve she was on the subject at hand. She recognized a bunch of the names Eka had mentioned, but that was as far as the judoka’s understanding went. Harumi shifted about in her seat a bit, and when Eka was finished, Harumi smiled kindly and nodded enthusiastically.

“Oh yes! Very interesting! I love how thought out and knowledgeable you are on the subject and your passion really come out when you speak. I would be happy to help you read any text you might be struggling with, so please let me know if you need any help.”

Harumi leaned over to pour Eka a fresh cup of tea, letting the mood settle a little bit before her friend asked her about her own education. Truth be told, Harumi had mostly been educated by her parents. They were a very traditional household, and while there were some advantages to her close upbringing, even she had to admit that she was becoming increasingly aware how naïve she was of the real world. Most of her education came from her mother and the books she provided. Everything else was learned through osmoses of others.

“Well, I like to think that I continue to learn every day thanks to those I meet. Whether its about relationships, life, or their cultures, everyone I interact with teaches me something new. Sometimes it can be brutal, other times subtle. Most of what I learned came from my parents, so I suppose when I left their home was when I left my teachers…but everyone is a teacher if you pay attention…and learn from any mistakes you make.”

Admittedly, she was avoiding the subject of her lack of actual education. She was taking a college class at the moment, and working a side job on weekends to pay for her books. She was making decent money with her fights at AFW, which helped her live comfortably on her own. She was trying to set up a decent safety net for herself…should she ever get injured in her line of work.

“But you sound rather educated yourself, Eka…have you been always been interested international relations? I would think someone as pretty as you could make decent money doing some modeling. I don’t know much about the business, but I assume Japan would love foreign models and would jump at the chance to acquire you.”

Eka reached for the cup of tea that Harumi had just poured for her. She took a sip, peering out through the steam at Harumi as she spoke. Her new friend was right. The Georgian girl was speaking very passionately about treaty negotiations in the middle of the 20th century between the Soviet Union and Japan, and was perhaps the only one in the world to think that such a subject was exciting. Eka recognized that this subject was too specialized to the point of it being esoteric, which made it unworthy as a subject of conversation. The Georgian girl was quietly thanking Harumi for steering the conversation away from what she was talking about mere seconds ago.

She nodded along as Harumi spoke about learning. Eka paused for a moment to reflect on it. The Georgian girl thought that Harumi was very wise. She looked around the apartment once more. Not only did the Judoka have lovely thoughts, but she enacted them. Everything was in perfect condition. Eka had a pretty similar ethos, all things considered, but she did not have the discipline to order her life the same way Harumi had. She turned her blue eys back to her friend, and there was a faint glow of admiration in them as Eka listened.

"I very much agree, yes? I teach classes sometimes, and the students, some of them are..." Eka shrugged a bit, not wanting to hurt the feelings of those who looked up to her, "but sometimes even in their lack of experience they come up with questions so out of nowhere that understanding them requires a deep knowledge of the subject at hand." Eka took another sip of her tea. It was just as pleasant as the first sip. She then sat the tea on the table and placed her palms face down on her knees. "But it is awfully clever of you to say such a thing, yes?"

And then something truly wild happened. Harumi asked if she was a model. A model. Like one of those girls that she saw every day on the side of billboards. The Georgian girl's pale face flushed a deep red and she brushed her hair to the side. Harumi had also asked about international relations, but that question did not have a chance of breaking through the din that was now occupying Eka's brain. So many questions and thoughts raced through her, and her mouth hung open stupidly for a second. The comment seemed so offhand, so casual, yet here Eka was barely able to pull it together.

"You think I am pretty enough to be a model?" The question hung in the air for a while, and every second to her seemed like a thousand years. Eka was flustered a little bit, trying to do her best to summon words forward. "I mean, uh, when I got a new wrestling outfit, the staff at AFW asked me to take some pictures, yes? And I was on a poster. It wasn't very widely published, but I kept a copy. I am not really sure why." Eka's words were coming rapid fire now. "But serious modeling, no. Not like for billboards or anything like that. And I, uh, no, no one has approached me asking me to be their main girl for their advertisements."

She paused for a second. "Do you really mean that?" Eka played with the end of her hair a little bit.

Harumi was more than happy to hop off any conversations about treaty negotiations right along Eka. It wasn’t that they were boring or anything of the sort, Harumi was sure Eka could do a fine job teaching her all about the ins and outs of a subject she was ever so passionate about. It was just human nature to want to escape something you didn’t understand. Harumi had little knowledge on the subject, and couldn’t contribute to it. Continuing on would have made her feel useless and uneducated, which would sour the sweet and friendly mood the two had created. Harumi’s true goal was to steer the conversation over towards her friends’ interests, see if she could prod about and find something, anything they could both speak on about with excitement and care.

However, Eka actually snagged on something that Harumi had said afterwards. Truth be told, Harumi was more surprised that Eka WASN’T a model. Sure, the judoka brought it up rather casually, but she honestly expected to hear something about Eka being some type of model of some type. The emerald eyed woman actually tilted her head when Eka explained what little experience she had in the field of modeling. While she hid her shock well, there was little doubt one could see the alien look of surprise in the warriors usually calm or stoic eyes. When Eka asked if Harumi actually thought she had the looks to be a model, the answer was near instantaneous.

“Of course.”

Harumi answered while taking a sip of her tea. Her tone was like her answer was common knowledge, as if she just answered if the sky was blue. It was a tone that was firm, no mistake could be made that Harumi believed in her answer through and through.

“Eka, I know we just became friends, but please don’t think that is swaying my answer. You are extremely attractive, and from what I have seen, you have one of the most marketable appearances at the AFW. Your lean, but not over muscular, tall, but not too tall, and you have a rather sweet appearance. The fact no one had contacted you is a bit stunning in my opinion, but as I said, I don’t know the industry very well. I do think you would fit in the modeling business very well.”

Harumi said all of this with an encouraging tone, listing off just a couple of the reasons why she thought Eka could be making much more as a model. A part of the Judoka wondered what got Eka into wrestling, and how she came to be here in japan. Harumi stuffed these questions down by clearing her throat before continuing on with the new subject.

“But, to answer your question; Yes. I think you are overqualified. Maybe I can ask my manager and see if she knows anybody? I’m sure all they would have to do is meet you, and they would find you a product to model."