Something Sweet

She could feel her heart pounding, equal parts excitement and fear in her declared challenge. She had thought about this showdown quite a lot since that night. It had been eating at her, questions of if she could have done better or how well she could have gone up against Rose if they were alone. She hadn't been herself by the end of things in that ring. This was her redemption.

Ellie cracked a smile when Rose said she adores her. She wasn't even aware of it happening, meaning to hide her own perking cheer. Though when Rose seemed defensive she blinked, quickly clarifying. "O-oh! I didn't mean to say our last match wasn't real, I mean… this new match, I wanted it to be a real match. Such as needing a pinfall or submission. I try not to make a excuses, Ms. Rose. We lost fair and square within the rules of our last bout…"

The rookie watched Rose move, little simple things kept her attention. When the redhead reached up to you with her name of hair, Ellie absentmindedly began to fiddle with her own braid as well. She nodded slowly as the terms were paid out, on board with just about everything until the end. "I would prefer it not be at your club… if that isn't too much trouble."

The sight of Ellie’s smile was a wondrous thing, innocent and simple, and Rose wondered if she even noticed it. There was a purity about this woman, though not without some sadness. To her eyes, it seemed like she was ruled by emotions and thoughts she couldn’t parse, impulses she couldn’t understand. While Rose didn’t subscribe to such lofty thoughts as religion and fate, she couldn’t help but feel an unseen hand was putting them together, compelling her to help the younger woman.

If so, it wouldn’t have to compel much more. She was all in.

The honorific drew another laugh from her, and a genuine one at that, free of her usual sultry tone. ”’Ms. Rose’, Ellie? Not quite the title I want from you, but close enough for now.” And she certainly liked the way it sounded, but she didn’t want to tease her too hard. Not now. Save that for later.

Once more, to her surprise, Ellie was amenable to her requests, going along with no qualms, save for a small one. The hesitancy made her curious, but there was no need to quibble. ”My home will suffice, then. I have a room and mats that can make for a suitable area. No ropes, of course, but perhaps that’s for the best? Without countouts or rope breaks, our skill as grapplers will be paramount.”

Growing eager with each passing second, Rose was quick to take the reigns of her cart and start away, spinning it about to fae the other direction. ”I’ll handle the details with Mr. Kingsley and forward them to you, leave it all to me. Bring a change of clothes with you, though. Accidents happen, after all, and I doubt we’re the same size.”

"Oh, sorry. What should I ca-" The young rookie had innocently mistaken the comment as Rose taking a small offense at the label. No sooner had she started to speak than she understood the other woman's meaning and was stunned back to silence again.

"Your home?" Ellie inquired sheepishly in little more than a whisper, quietly listening to Rose rattle off the various items that would be needed. The lack of ropes had been a problem at the mention until she recalled how the redhead had tangled her up in a corner during their match and had her way with her… she swallowed hard. Still, she wasn't sure just how comfortable she was with this arrangement. Sure, it was most certainly more private than a real ring or whatever this woman's club was like but it was a home field advantage…

Before she could comment, Rose had already started talking again for the proper preparations. The Brit found it difficult to slip a word in edgewise until it was too late and the other woman was moving away. She furrowed a brow, kicking herself mentally for not saying something and cursing over running after to state her mind. Whatever. She had sparred on mats plenty of times and it wasn't least she wouldn't have already brought a change of clothes. Things were bound to get sweaty… shaking her head she pulled her own set of tongs from the wall and continued through the aisles to finish off her shopping with a slight bit more pep in her step.

Rose wasn’t too quick to move away from the aisle, watching Ellie from the end as she moved away with a sad, soft smile. As excited as she was to have this baby bird in her home, she knew there was a need for delicacy, and that she was being presented with a responsibility. The last thing she wanted was to ruin what could be a unique, enriching experience for this budding beauty.

She waited until her future foe was out of sight, then let her shoulders sink and calmer thoughts take root. She moved towards the checkout aisle without pause, knowing there were many, many more things to be done in the near future.

Setting things up with Kingsley had been a painless process, one that endeared him to Rose. He was fairly lenient and understanding, more so than previous Friction GMs to her understanding, willing to let her direct the details and give the match an official seal of approval. It was all she required, wanting to give the match an air of legitimacy. While she had few cares on the subject, she hoped the professional touch would be one Ellie appreciated, wanting her to be comforted in as many ways as possible. At the start of things, at least.

She hadn’t lied about the structure of her home and the room in question, either.  The workout room in the middle of her home was well suited for this sort of activity, with enough space to rival a ring itself when all the equipment was removed. A padded floor, soft and pliable, she had often used it to wrestle with some of her more adventurous, physical clients, and it was well suited to such a match. She kept a few surprises in the closet, but otherwise kept the room bare, with light coming through the closed blinds to give it all a dim, dusky look. Perfect for the mood.

The rest of her home was the picture of suburban life. A wooden, rustic styled kitchen, a living room with a large TV mounted on the wall and bearskin rug in front of it - Rose found it gaudy, but Thorn insisted, so it stayed. The floor was lined with a rich, creamy white carpet, and the walls were a light beige to match. Roomy and warm, it had a welcoming feel to it, a stark contrast to the steel and grit of her dungeon.

When Ellie arrived and darkened the doorstep, she would hear the sound of sizzling coming from the inside and swing music playing over a speaker, along with the sound of clashing dishes. Not the typical preamble to a match between rivals.

Ellie liked to keep herself busy. It helped with putting the awkward exchange at the grocery store behind her. So much so she. She received an email about an upcoming match she was surprised to see it was against Rose. The details were all there… official. She hadn't really thought the other woman would have been able to put it together so soon. That was fine though. She still had some time to prepare. The only difficulty was keeping it all the details from Lyla, who was more than happy to help Ellie test being locked in various submission moves to help her become accustomed to them and learn how to escape.

---

Ellie:

Gym bag slung over one shoulder, she arrived at the address she was given. In time for the setting sun to paint the sky in beautiful shades of red, orange, and a bit of purple. Slightly earlier than was expected, but she liked to be punctual. She was dressed rather simply in her workout gear with a large black T-shirt on over it all that hung so low it almost looked like a dress.

She lingered at the door, brow furrowed at the soft distant sounds, looking around sheepishly. This couldn't be the right place. Looking down she checked again, eyes flicking from the listed address to the one posted beside the door. The home looked… nothing like she expected. It wasn't that she had thought it would be jet black with red lights, spitting flames, and chains everywhere, but this was just so… normal.

She reached out, hand lingering near the door as she considered calling the arena to verify the information she was given… but what was the worst thing that would happen if she knocked? Someone would tell her she had the wrong home and she could laugh it off. With a small sigh she tapped her knuckles to the door. Soft at first, but if that got no response she would give it a slightly harder thump.

Rose had a small confession to make - she was partially taking advantage of this opportunity to cook for Ellie. It was something she had so little occasion to do these days, with Thorn preferring to eat out and the two of them rarely, if ever, having company that would stay long enough to do it. She had slaves she could bring over, but they tended to stay in the roles, wanting to serve and not be served themselves. Ruin the illusion and all that.

But cooking was a staple of her family, second only to religion, something that brought them together every Friday. While she had cut many ties from Venice, this wasn’t one of them, and the idea of introducing Ellie to it - among other things - was an opportunity too rich to ignore.

She had been working on some cheese cannelloni for the past hour or so, along with a shower to freshen up, and she was just putting on the finishing touches when she heard the louder knock coming from the front door. It startled her at first, swept away by the music and sizzle and the kitchen’s atmosphere, but she was able to slip back to reality in time. She dialed down the volume with her phone, then padded her way along the carpet with eager steps.

Rose spared a second to look through the peephole and confirm her guest, before opening the door wide and smiling at what she saw. Her guest was looking fine as ever, and while she did miss that little leotard number of hers, the woman’s workout attire was a strong contender. She looked ready for all manner of physical activities, and Rose was eager for them.

Later. At the moment, she was wearing a black bathroboe, covering her from head to her ankles, and barefoot. ”Ellie, you came, wonderful.” She stepped aside with an open arm. ”Come inside, please, but mind your shoes. I just vacuumed.”

They had messed up. She knew it. After waiting a few moments at the door she had started to turn away, searching through the side pockets of her bag when she head the door opening. She quickly turned back around, putting on a smile with full intentions of apologizing to whomever she had disturbed tonight onto to be surprised by who she had actually come to see… though she hadn't expected to see her like this.

"O-oh. Hey! I… uh, sorry, for coming so early. Do you need me to jog around the block or something so you can… finish getting ready?" Her eyes wandered the length of the bathrobe before settling back on Rose's eyes. Ellie was clearly nervous, fingers wringing the strap of her gym bag practically into knots.

She was hesitant to enter, but once it was offered she thought it best to do so. With a small mumbled "thanks" she ripped her head and walked inside. She set her bag down out of the way and crouched down to untie her shoes and slip her sneakers off to place them nearby, likely where other footwear was gathered.

Getting her back up, she rose to her feet and gave the entryway a once over. Once again surprised by just how… normal everything was… save for what looked like a flattened animal on the floor in a distant room. She tried not to linger on one thing too long to not seem as though she was judging her surroundings, even though she very much was. "You have a very lovely home."

Unknown to Rose, she had come prepared with her actual ring gear in her bag. Her current attire wasn't planned for their match, simply a byproduct to the fact she had actually walked here from the bus station. She had seen no real reason to not get a bit of a warm-up before they were set to throw down. "I hope I didn't interrupt anything. I wanted to be sure to get here on time."

Rose merely shook her head at Ellie’s suggestion, along with a good-natured smile. The funny thing was, she knew the Briton was 100% serious with her suggestion, that she would, if asked, do just as she said and run around the block while Rose prepared. Whatever happened between them, whatever changes they could make, she hoped her companion never lost that precious innocence.

”Nonsense, Ellie, I wouldn’t have you running around in the street while I dress. It’s not as if I’m going to change in front of you. As much as you might enjoy that.” She closed the door with a pleased hum and dipped down to take Ellie’s shoes, placing them on a rack that was just outside the foyer. She laid them on the top shelf, one of the few empty slots in her extensive collection. Mostly high-heels, but of almost every variety.

Something was sizzling a bit too much in the kitchen, prompting Rose to powerwalk her way past Ellie and return to the stove. She was just in time, arriving soon enough to keep the cannelloni from being too burnt. There was some smoke filling the kitchen, but it was nothing a ceiling fan wouldn’t fix.

”There we are. Phew!” She had a sharp laugh, making the loudest noise to come out of her mouth since she and Ellie met, as she flicked the fan on and turned off the stove. ”But no. You are certainly not late, Ellie. If anything, I’m the tardy one. I had wanted this done and the table set before you darkened my doorstep, but here we are.”

With the meal cooling to acceptable levels, she turned on her heel, long hair whipping about as she made her way back to Ellie. ”Forgive the deception. We will have our match, I promise, but I simply cannot have a guest leave my home unfed. My ancestors demand it.” She placed a gentle, soothing hand on Ellie’s shoulder and led her to the table, giving her a light rub as they went. ”Please, sit. We eat, we talk, then we fight.”

Ellie looked absolutely horror struck at the accusation that she might enjoy watching Rose change. The young rookie proved to be an easy target for this manner of teasing and her bright red face was evidence of that. She shook her head rapidly, gesturing wildly in a fluster. "I… no, I would never!" Her voice cracked… adorable.

Ellie remained awkwardly in the doorway for some time as Rose moved last, uncomfortably glancing about. She was unsure if she should go someplace and sit or stay here until directed… it wasn't until her host started talking to her again that she hazarded to follow after slowly, moving to the kitchen.

"Set the table?" She questioned, clearly confused. She started putting things together. Rose having gotten showered recently, cooking… dinner? Setting the table… was… was this a date? This wasn't what she signed up for! Had she said something to mislead? Had she missed small print in the match email? Oh God, what had she agreed to?!

She jumped when Rose put a hand on her shoulder, though wound up easing into her touch at the light kneading rub. The other woman's explanation had done a bit to help her nerves. This was… a cultural thing. Sure. This wasn't a date. People like Rose didn't date. Hell, Ellie didn't date women, that wasn't her. This was just dinner and a wrestling match.

Before she relieved it she had already been walked to the table to the place intended for her. Quietly she set her gym bag aside and slipped into her chair. She sat straight, rigid, with her legs firmly pressed together. Like she was being watched and judged for her behavior. It was here she felt a bit underdressed… though she wasn't sure why. Rose was only in a robe after all… and still looked ravishing. Ellie gave her head a small shake. "Ah… thank you, for setting this all up. You didn't have to do this."

”Never?” Rose placed a hand on her chest - a chest that was on the verge of spilling out over her robe - and looked back at Ellie, askance and confused. ”The way you look at me, I would’ve suspected different. My imagination running away with me, I suppose.”

Ah, it was too easy to tease Ellie. Rose would have to try and cut down on it tonight, not wanting the girl to go running off, but that would be the greatest challenge all by itself. Like only eating a single potato chip.

She moved over to the stove and began fixing a plate for them both, putting fair portions on them both. Ellie was clearly into fitness, a body like that only came through discipline and diligence. Rose only hoped she wasn’t adding too many calories to her totals - she struck her as the type to be bothered by that sort of thing.

”I didn’t have to, but I wanted to. Wrestling you again is a pleasure I didn’t expect to enjoy again for a while, if ever. The least I can do is show my gratitude.”

Breaking out her best waitress impression, she brought the plates over and placed one right underneath Ellie’s nose. A rich, flavorful scent, thick with spices and flavor, wetting the tongue in ways that only a fine Italian meal could. Rose stayed to watch her guest’s reaction for a moment, savoring it, before she moved back to the fridge with a pleasant sway to her hips.

”Now, one more thing.” She opened the refrigerator and began riffling through it. ”I have tea, water, and sake if you’re feeling adventurous. What’s your taste?”