Eye of the Tiger

While Ryoko was still the stronger woman between them, having a slight weight advantage and more muscle to back her moves up, her friend was closing the gap faster than she expected, and it was enough to surprise her more than once during their training. When they’d started, grinding her down was a simple task, but now it was becoming a true task. Doable, but anything less than her highest efforts wouldn’t cut it.

She gritted her teeth, pouring real effort into her offense, trying to overpower AJ and having moderate success…

...maybe too much success. She let a yelp slip as she was tripped up, brought to the floor with a slick move that left her legs trapped. A deftly applied drop toehold, in estimation. But could AJ followup? Eager to test, Ryoko crawled forward with wide arms, going for the ropes in an attempt to force the break. It was an easy way to break a foe’s momentum, and she was hoping AJ would react in time to stop it.

Turning her losing grapple into an offensive move had been a risky endeavor. Had she not gotten her legs around, it would have been easy for her mentor to just shove her to the mat and have a plethora of options to use against her. Thankfully she had managed to score a hold on her legs and drag her to the mat. That was her way in, the lifeline to her next move. They had drilled transitions so many times now, simple ones, difficult ones, even mused over the unlikely string of moves they would love to see. She went for something a bit more showy.

Shoving her palms off the mat, she rolled her body towards the retreating Black Mask, with one leg still trapped between her own, she would bend it backwards into the other woman. With a graceless flop, AJ would threw her weight on top of the other woman, trying to twist her body just enough… with some wiggling, to bring an arm around. She tried to scoop the other woman's head into the crook of her elbow, drawing her back into a folding STF. It wasn't a move she saw too often, but it was one that looked great with this application.

She would bear down hard, enough to flex her control, but actively avoiding wrenching Black Fang's leg or applying the full choke. This was practice after all and she has no doubts that her mentor was going easy. No need to be a bully here while they were just drilling. "How's that?"

The question: Could AJ follow up?

The answer: Yes, she could. Quite well, in fact.

Ryoko was well on her way to the ropes when her pupil moved in and capitalized on the hold. There were a variety of things she could’ve gone for - the Boston Crab and the Camel Clutch came to mind, popular mainstays that were simple to do. That would’ve been her guess, if she had to pick one. To her surprise, though, AJ went for something a little more complicated but far more effective than either of those moves, locking on a slick STF.

She grunted as she was pulled back. Not too far, mind you, AJ was always careful not to reach the breaking point. All the same, she did a great job of applying pressure. It didn’t hurt all that much, but it was obvious it could, easily. ”Good. Real good.” Ryoko nodded. As best she could in the current position, anyway. ”Great choice, love this move. Can’t remember anyone escaping from it.”

"Why thank you." Praise was a prime currency for her. While Black Fang was always quick to be supportive, she trusted her teacher to call things as they were. There were no "buts" attached here either, so the pure pat on the head left the young rookie grinning from ear to ear. The pure joy she got from hearing her wrestling idol complimenting her hadn't gotten old, even after all their training sessions. Something else she said however, made the young girl smirk a bit mischievously.

"Oh... really? So what I'm hearing is its a good time to ask if you're up for a double session today. We can take a lunch break maybe and get back to it... wanna pay for it?" It was pretty clear Alexa was joking around, at least about making Black Fang pay for it. She lackadaisically spoke though, teasing the idea of ramping up the hold with a small squeeze if she received an unfavorable answer. She wasn't going to act on that though, obviously, but was having fun milking the position while they were here. She had tried pushing for longer training sessions in the past, they rarely tended to be a good thing with how often the two tended to meet up this way. It was pretty clear that even though the brunette was driven to improve, she was having issues keeping up physically.

Ryoko laughed and regretted it instantly - this wasn’t the best position to do that in, the contraction of her body against the hold making her tense up, which made her groan, which made her laugh all over again. Couldn’t be helped, though. AJ was at her best when she was like this - silly, happy, funny, energetic. It was one of the reasons she liked being around the American so much in the first place, with her unending ability to make her smile, no matter how she was feeling at the time. In hindsight, it was probably why she’d been so eager to cheer her up, not wanting this constant source of light in her life to dim.

Maybe it was a little selfish. She hated to think of it that way, though.

She chewed her lip at the suggestion of an extension, not sure how much she should push this. Aside from increasing the risk of her identity slipping, she’d never pushed AJ longer than this before, knew there might be some risks involved. That seemed like a real risk with teaching, one she hadn't anticipated. Knowing when to hold back, when to push…

”It’s up to you, I’d say.” She wriggled in the hold, trying to get as comfortable as she could with this position. ”I’ll go as long as you think you can go today, fair enough?”

"I guess we're going to be here foOoOoOrEeEever." The young rookie grinned, more for herself. She had even winked to drive home she was kidding, but both gestures were lost on her mentor in this hold since they had no real good line of sight on one another's faces. Alexa gave the hold a light twist, tightening it just enough to be on the cusp of the full application just to demonstrate through practice the steps to do it. After that brief pulse though she leaned back, swaying to the side to roll off her teacher. Laying on her back, she unfurled herself like someone hogging the bed sheets, spreading her arms and legs out wide to catch the small draft breezing through the gym to help cool off. Lazily she brought one arm back to drape over her face, shading her eyes from the bright lights overhead.

"Lunch first though. I am starving."  She found herself sighing softly, the smallest pang of homesickness somehow managing to wriggle into her skull. Her mother always used to give her grief about claiming she was starving. Children in third world countries and stuff. It had been so long since she spoke to her family, she wanted to hear their voices again but hated the idea of the conflict that it would likely bring. She was making strides, good ones, and couldn't slow down for sentimentally, especially if it was going to mess with her. Eyes forward, focus on the prize. When she had something to show for her sacrifices she could call and tell them all the good news she accrued.

"Can I ask you something personal?" Alexa suddenly blurted out, unaware of the intrinsic comedy at play by asking someone who hid their identity probing personal inquiries. In the absence of something more substantial to chew on she sucked in a corner of her lip, rolling it lightly between her teeth. "Is your mom proud of you?"  It could sometimes be hard to connect the dots to how Alexa's mind worked. She would often laugh at odd references that remind her of things or just thrust a "pop quiz"  on Ryoko when they hung out to ask her best friend outlandish things that rarely have any direct correlation. It was just a quirky aspect of what made her spontaneous during their little watch parties where wrestling matches or movies were on the menu.

Unlike those times though, this question was basically a loaded gun, the young rookie projecting now and looking for reassurance. There was no escaping the question, Alexa had turned her head to peer back at Black Fang with an expectant look. She of course wouldn't push it, she never did, even to her detriment.

To be honest - 100%, brutal honest - Ryoko could’ve stayed in Shay’s hold for a while longer, and she wouldn’t have had too many problems with it. It wasn’t a matter of danger, because she knew this woman would never hurt her - there was a trust here, a complete and total reliance. It was a strange thing to think, but she had more faith in AJ than she did in herself, at times. She was solid gold, one of the most dependable people she’d ever met, even if she didn’t know it sometimes.

On top of that, being this close, this intimate, was somehow comforting to her in a way she couldn’t put into words all of the time. She wasn’t sure why she liked it, but she liked it.

Nonetheless, AJ did release the hold, and the Black Fang flopped out with a long sigh, stretching out all of the way and letting her body settle. She wasn’t too hungry herself, though she suspected it was less of her having enough to eat and more of her body being so amped up that the hunger hadn’t properly taken root. It would be hitting her soon enough.

She was content to lay there and catch her breath while AJ gnoshed away, when the question made her sit up. ”Hm?” She sat up on her elbows with a furrowed brows, as if she’d just been asked if she were an alien from space. It was a question out of left field, and one she had to shift gears with to even respond to, moving into the Ryoko mindset.

”My mom is…” She took a moment to think, but disguised it as a chance to fix her mask. ”Not exactly, no. I mean, she’s supportive. She says she is, anyway. But I think she kind of wishes I did something more normal. Go into the nursing profession like she did, get something steady, something that doesn’t have me getting thrown around a ring all day.”

Ryoko was underselling it, if anything. She could still remember when the decisions on her life path had left to some heated discussions, where things were said that she wished they could take back. Her parents knew better than to broach that topic now, but there was always the occasional gripe, a misspoken word every now and then. Lingering shadows.

”It’s my life to lead, though.”

Alexa had been fishing, looking for that easy lie of everything getting better eventually. She had been living like that since coming to Japan but life had a way of throwing her curveball after curveball to the point she had lost a lot of the hopeful gusto that had carried her through those early days. She didn't have much going for her now save for her friendship with Ryoko who had become far and away the best friend she ever had even accounting for those she knew since childhood. There was a connection there she couldn't really deny, just enjoying any moment the two of them spent together however small. The Japanese local just seemed to get her, going out of her way to make time for their little movie nights or somehow always know when to send her funny texts when the day was going bad. The only thing else she had was Black Fang. Her personal hero was now her mentor. It felt strange but somehow familiar… almost like she had known her for far longer than the time they spent training. Without them, she wasn't sure she could have managed, she might have already quit on her dreams to resign herself to what waited for her in Boston.

"Oh…" The brunette murmured quietly, notably quite as Black Fang went into more details… things that Alexa couldn't ever recall coming up until now. Perhaps it was because she tried her best not to pry. After all, the woman made a point to always wear her mask, even when they were alone in the gym. Clearly there was more to keeping her identity and life a secret, which was something the young rookie not only loved but respected immeasurably. When her mentor had finished though, her words had struck a chord.

"Yeah… it is our life to lead." It was a truth that was in front of her this whole time but it had never really clicked. Perhaps it was because as simple as it was, it was equally as hard in other ways. There were so many people in her life she didn't want to disappoint, even if pleasing them had meant making concessions to her own happiness. Was that wrong? She didn't think so, but perhaps she should start to think a bit more selfishly to release that burden she placed on herself. How she could give up on her nature though… she didn't know.

Later. It could wait. Alexa leaned to the side, slowly rolling herself along the canvas until she retreated through the ropes, dropping her sneakers lightly onto the floor. She padded to the nearby bench where her gym at lay, digging through it to find her phone. "What do you want? I am really feeling like today is a burger day." The rookie hiked as she fished the smartphone from her bag, tapping the screen a few times, pulling up the number of a place down the street she had started frequenting since they had begun their training here. The owner actually knew her by name these days. "The usual, or are you feeling adventurous?" The brunette glanced towards the ring, giving her mentor a small smile.

‘Our life to lead’.

Ryoko liked the sound of that. She liked the sound of a lot of things AJ said, really. The girl - er, woman, the was the right word - had a habit of being sage at the best of times, showing more wisdom than she probably even realized she had. There was this innocence to her that most people lost long ago. She wouldn’t call it being childish, she was too mature for that, but there was this light inside of her that she could shine on things. A winning smile, bright eyes, those rose-tinted cheeks. It was like she just radiated comfort.

It was why she hated the idea of her losing it so much, why she was glad to see it coming back. That purity was just too rare.

Ryoko was happy with her life, and that was all that mattered. She had a good job, a good friend, and a roof over her head. What more was there to ask for? With AJ around, things felt complete, like this was the way things were meant to be, and she didn’t need her parents’ approval. At the end of the day, she had to make herself happy, and that was working out so far.

She rolled over to her back and arched it as AJ went to her phone, talking about getting some burgers, a proud tradition of their training sessions. Her old trainer would’ve frowned on that, putting in too many calories after a good session, but she wasn’t here, so…

”Mmmmm. Something spicy.” She closed her eyes and stretched her arms towards the ceiling, getting out all the wear and tear of a good spar. “I want to lose some taste buds.”

"Oooooooo, careful what you wish for, hero, you just issued me a license to kill… all the feeling in your mouth, forever. Mwahahahaha!" Gave gave her best mad genius laugh, peering deviously over her shoulder to waggle her eyebrows at Black Fang. The shadow of their first counter looking over them as she personified the scientific supervillain known none other than Sien Teist. Plopping down on the bench she hunched over her phone, flicking through the online menus as sinisterly as possible to find something appropriately taste bud meltingly hot. "You'll rue the day…"

A few flicks of the finger, a tap here or there, and an attempt or to to undo an accidental addition to her checkout window and it was done, the order placed. Sitting back with a sigh, she dropped her fanatic facade and looked back to her mentor with a half smile. "Going to go clean up a bit and pick it up myself. We'll see how I am feeling after we eat before deciding on a double session today, if that is alright with you. Sitting down has just now started to feel real good…" she let out a soft chuckle, the brief somber exchange they had perhaps opening her eyes to just how run down her body was. A break might have been best.

"I'll be back with food soon enough. Think of a good story about your training to tell when I get back. I am paying so you're the entertainment portion of the meal." With a groan she lifted herself up off the bench, tossing her phone into the open gym bag. Hefting it by the strap, she shouldered the load and started towards the locker room to freshen up. Just before she vanished from sight she glanced back to Black Fang, lingering for a moment in thought before smiling. It was hard to forget how lucky she was despite all the bad things that came down the pipeline towards her. Without another word she slipped from sight beyond the doorway.