Reunion Tour - Viola vs Vanguard

Match Type: Handicap
Win Condition: Pinfall or Submission
Location: Hotel Parlor

Madame Viola:

Legs crossed, sitting up against a clothed table Viola rapped her fingers on the surface as she waited for her opponents. Her nerves were difficult to suppress at this moment because she was taking a huge gamble here. Having the gall to attempt a two versus one situation was significant enough but she was also issuing the challenge to the now defunct Cutlass Tag Team champions, Vanguard. The risk was a crushing defeat but she had spent so long during her time in Cutlass in the middling tier that she could never rise enough to get the big matches. It was debilitating to just not gain any ground. Maybe if Cutlass was still around, she'd have managed to crack the top but that surely didn't happen with that cursed company going down.

This Japanese league was, well, really the only option considering how big it was. Of course everything here was so foreign and she'd be lying if she said she was comfortable in this country. That only pushed her to do something desperate like this. If she could etch out a seemingly impossible match like this, then surely her prominence would rise enough to be considered for the top. A championship would be enough to finally rally enough people to support her or at least that was the plan.

Settling her fingers, she leaned up and glanced around the room. Classical furniture furnished the carpeted room but lay pushed to the walls so that there was room to operate for the wrestlers. Relics related to the original builders of the hotel who had a more Western sense of decoration. It was familiar to her and helped take the edge off, matching that sort of antique costume she kept from her Cutlass days. Rising her feet, she strode into the center of the room in a sort of pace. It should be any minute now that her opponents would show up and she had to steel herself for what was to come.

For the life of her, Mackenzie just could not recall who their opponent was tonight. Sure, she knew the name given to her by management as well as the match rundown, but Lexi seemed to have though they had all met before. It was possible. It had been awhile since Cutlass went under and her memory wasn't exactly the best... it was one of the reasons she tended to take so many pictures. If this lady was from Cutlass though, it was nice to see more people getting picked up here at AFW. The wrestling federation was already a haven to countless other dying or dead brands, so she supposed that added some manner of prestige to it all.

The two women had arrived slightly early, making use of the spare suite AFW had booked for them as a personal dressing room. She was appreciative of that, solely so she wasn't forced to make idle chit chat with everyone who asked who she was cosplaying as or what convention she was heading to when she was in her wrestling gear. She and Lexi had checked in, got changed, and lazily watched some Japanese game shows on the TV until it was showtime.

Vanguard made their way down the hall, Lexi leading Mackenzie along with a gleeful bounce in her step, practically tugging the blond along. The brunette was excited to see a familiar face, especially one that she had always liked watching back in Cutlass. The mysticism angle Viola had was always enthralling to watch, as was the woman behind it all. Found memories, when things were more simple and fun than the politics that came with AFW. When they reached the room, the brunette gave it a gentle knock out of courtesy before using the keycard they had been given to the room. With a soft beep of confirmation and a clock of a lock, both women slipped into the room and let the door close behind them.

Vanguard:

Mackenzie stepped past the threshold, glancing around the far more lavishly designed room than the tiny suite the duo were current being lent, her eyes settling on the one piece of finery that didn't belong here, Viola. The blond tucked her arms under her breasts, folding them firmly as she looked the woman up and down, regretting not remembering this woman at all. She was a looker, that was for sure. Had that whole dark and brooding thing going for her. Lexi remained at the door, flicking each lock closed, making sure the women wouldn't face interruption before coming to stand behind her partner, peeking out from behind one of her shoulders with a big grin on her face.

"So I'm told you requested a match with us, specifically... Either you are really confident or really foolish... Though I suppose the two aren't mutually exclusive." Mackenzie stepped out of the entry hall, slowly beginning to pace the outer edge of the room, her cool blue eyes surveying the terrain. Lexi followed suit, but separated from her partner to walk in the opposite direction. Both of them wouldn't stop until Viola wall between them, though none of the women were close enough to grapple just yet.

"The last woman who tried this... it didn't go so well for her. Isn't that right, Aegis?" Mackenzie peered over to her partner, using her stage name for the first time in forever. It seemed fitting as they were all from the same federation back in the day. The brunette gave an energetic nod, licking her lips a bit at the memory. "She was a Olympic boxer... and a former champion here if I recall. We had fun taking her apart... I'm pretty sure we made sure she enjoyed it too." The blond mused softly to yet another nod from her silent companion.

"So... while you are still able to talk. Humor me, and tell me why you thought this was a good idea?" Mackenzie tilted her head slightly, a slightly smug yet still sweet smile painted across her perfect lips. She slipped her hands behind her back, letting her chest puff out a bit as she swayed idly in place. Lexi appeared far less casual, already leaned forward and arms at the ready, seemingly about to pounce at a moments notice.

Viola's attention focused on the door as a rap on the door caught her attention. There was a brief pause as if there was a question of just who it could be but the answer was swift to follow. The door opened and her time alone in this room had come to an end. In walked in the matching pair of Vanguard, Glaive and Aegis.

The two might have conjured feelings of nostalgia in the fortune teller wrestler if it had not been for the excessive amount of film prep she did for this match. Watching some of the old Cutlass clips of these two was a necessary step to understand strategy but in spite of that additional work, there wasn't much of an insight found. The two had been pretty much dominant in every match Viola had watched, yet the situation wasn't entirely hopeless.

Viola crossed her arms and leaned to one side, glaring grimly at the pair. The chatty one, Glaive, just couldn't understand and there was no way that was going to dignified with a response. Confidence or foolishness had nothing to do with this. It was purely ambition and having no fear of taking those risks to be greater. It bothered her that she was reduced to something as meagre as arrogance or stupidity.

Aware of what the two were doing, Viola remained stationary in a sort of defiance to Glaive's intimidation tactic. The recital of the ill fate of another despite a certain pedigree was also an obvious call to what they were doing. Now being prodded with a question, she began to pace towards the entry side of the room. She needed to keep them off for just a moment before applying her bit of subversive tactic.

"Would the answer change the future? Doubtful." She'd continue her progress towards the entrance taking a moment to eye the switch panel for the room. It had been awhile since she spoke with all this mystic in mind, something that she made the mental note of to practice later. "No, the future is shrouded in darkness. Undeterminable." She turned around and glanced over the far side of the room where a fire exit lay tucked away. The sign that hung just above the door was the key to her strategy and she carefully approached the switch panel, facing away from her true goal to not betray her intentions.

If her opponents were content with talking... "Yet I can divine the light. Would you like your fortunes read before we start? I foresee you both being surprised." Just a bit further and she'd make it, hopefully the other two hadn't figured it out.

Neither woman seemed opposed to talking, though their reasons were different. Lexi was eating it all up. She loved the vague mysterious statement, especially when they came from Viola. She had this brooding tone that had a hint of edge to her words that the brunette liked. It felt dangerous, exciting. Much of that amusement was apparent in her bright eyes as she followed along. Even poised to strike, she looked more like a happy kid who just arrived at Disney World than a hardened warrior about to do battle. Still, she remained focused enough to walk along with Viola, making sure that she kept the other woman between the two of them as she moved about the room. Though, it was arguably more so that she just liked watching the other woman move in general.

Mackenzie, who ordinarily loved to be chatty was significantly less impressed, at least by what her competitor had to say. While she was almost certain the other woman was stalking for time, the blond was confident it didn't matter. After all, it was the two of them against just her in a locked room. The only reason their last 2v1 with Carmen had been remotely favorable to the former champion had been when she had smartly split the duo up. That wouldn't be the case tonight and the confidence in victory showed as Mackenzie allowed Viola to roam the room unopposed as they spoke, unaware the woman had another plan in mind.

When Viola had asked if either girl had wanted their fortunes told, Lexi gave a small gasp before enthusiastically nodding. She expected more than the one witty line the platinum haired woman gave, seemingly willing to sit down with her right now and have her palm read or tarot cards laid out before her. She caught a a judgemental look and a shake of the head from her tag partner that caused the silent brunette to pout.

"Unless you have a way to split yourself into two people or someone is hiding under the couch here…" The blond gave the furnishing a small bump with her hip, moving it about half an inch along the floor. "I don't foresee it mattering." Mackenzie seemed just about done with listening, unclasping her hands from behind her back as she followed closer, preparing to actually engage now.

"If you don't want to share now, that's fine. I'll ask again later… when you will be more receptive to giving me an answer. It's been a hot minute since the last time I got to interrogate someone." With an amused smirk at the thought, the blond started forward towards Viola with Lexi doing the same on the other side. In a moment both women would be practically on top of her. The silver haired woman had to act now, and fast, before it was too late.

A slight smile cracked onto the otherwise brooding face of Viola. The brunette's excitement was a tad infectious as it harkened her back to a time when her mystique was something that certainly drew fans to her. She was the cult classic in Cutlass with a small but avid fanbase. She had enjoyed those days, but the brief lapse of character was quickly suppressed and her brooding veil returned. It had appeared anyway that the blonde wasn't quite as amused but nonetheless, she'd have to endure a bit more.

"The sun sets on the fool who casts a shadow of doubt, leaving them in darkness. Call out if you will but the bell tolls for thee..." Viola let her words hang for a bit but she had finally reached where she was going for. The light switch, a single dial that controlled the level of lightning had allowed for more moodier lights to be cast. Thankfully wasn't illuminated like an electronic switch like so many more modern hotels have. Everything Viola tried to meticulous plan was all in the effort to better her odds without making it obvious. Even arriving to the room early was to arrange things according to a grand plan.

Viola turned to look at Lexi, that slight smile reappearing again before giving a sly wink. Then without turning, she reached behind and turned the lights off. The room became overwhelmingly dark that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

Blindly moving her hands down from the light, she swiftly reached and grabbed the small table and picked it up. Her focus on where the brunette was standing had not moved and thus she knew approximately where to throw the table to cause the brunette at least to stumble, losing her sense of direction toward where the light was.

Viola gave the table a toss towards Lexi and in the next second she was crouched low and crept along towards the blonde's direction, hugging the wall as she changed focus to the floating exit sign on the far wall. The weak light inside couldn't illuminate the room but if Viola could get the blonde in between her and the light, there would be enough for to make out her silhouette and thus give her the vision needed to approach.

Going for the mouth of the pair and silencing her would hopefully leave the other lost. One thing was for sure, Lexi couldn't talk and relied on sign language so if Viola could get the drop on Mackenzie, she could cut off any communication. She needed time to dispatch one and needed to do swiftly she were to have any chance. Everything up to this point had been tested when she arrived early. The look of the room without the lights on, the table, while she had the hope that her opponents would logically split up, coming in with an overconfidence to overlook details... She just needed a little more luck now.

Continuing her low creep she had eventually caught the silhouette of the blonde in the dim red light and made a quick line towards her. Trying to remain silent, she looked to quickly swing an arm around the blonde's neck and apply a sleeperhold cut off any vocalizations. Meanwhile she hoped that the table was enough to disorientate the brunette enough that she'd struggle to find her bearings to delay finding the switch or her partner.

Mackenzie was half through rolling her eyes when the lights suddenly cut out leaving her half way through the expression. darkness swallowed them all leaving the room deathly quiet... save for the distant sound of what she knew was Lexi, giggling. The blond let out a soft sigh of annoyance before the startling sound of a heavy crash came from the general direction of her partner. Instinctively she wanted to call out, but she stopped herself with her mouth part way open. Quietly, carefully, she eased away from where she had been standing just in case something else flew her way.

It was hard to keep from talking. The uncertainty over where Lexi was and if her partner was in trouble coupled with the fact she would be practically handling this Viola woman a free ticket to find her kept her from chatting as she normally would. Until she let out a soft swear under her breath as she side stepped into what felt like a chair, having to frantically reach out to blindly grab hold of it to keep it from falling.

The strangest game of hide and seek had just begun as Mackenzie tried to silently navigate a room she had paid so little attention to, occasionally swinging her fist at open air any time she thought she heard something nearby, hoping to hit her opponent but only finding emptiness. Eerie similar to the last time they fought a 2v1, she couldn't help but wonder if Viola had watched that match... Though granted it had been Lexi who cut the lights then. One thing she knew though, once she found the other woman she was going to make her regret trying to play mind games.

Lexi for her part had been knocked clear off her feet after her enjoyment of the situation had quickly deteriorated when Viola decided to redecorate by throwing furniture at her. She sat on the floor where she had been struck, nursing her chest where the brunt of the force had been absorbed. Unlike her partner, rather then trying to look about in the dark, the level headed brunette simply closed her eyes and listened. Small bits of ambient noise all around her. The quiet hum of the air ducts. Distant shifting on the caret flooring... at least one swear from her partner which got a smirk from her. Her ears twitched, her head slowly to direct her ears where she heard sound... she was almost certain she could hear Viola but she couldn't be certain. Slowly, carefully, she used the toppled table beside her to aid her rise to her feet again, continuing to listen.

The single burning word against the far wall had been an eye sore. Something she tried to look away from as it continued to burn her peripheral vision and prevent her eyes from truly adjusting to the darkness. The only real landmark in the room, every time she passed it the blond had drifted inadvertently closer to it. It was at that point she realized she didn't have to remain like this. Wasn't their a switch there? The very one Viola had used? Glancing both ways in the dark, she fumbled towards where she assumed the switch was, waving a hand in from of her to avoid walking into any more pieces of furniture.

Just as she was reaching for the wall to feel for the switch her throat tightened up feeling an arm close in around it. She stumbled back into the hold, bringing a hand up to grip at Viola's forearm to fight the woman from getting a tight cinch on her. Her other hand flailed, reaching around, feeling behind her for wear the platinum haired woman was, finding her quickly enough. With a grunt, she threw a hard elbow backwards, trying to shake the other woman as she struggled to keep her sleeperhold at bay.

There it was. Viola had been watching the blonde stumble around in the dark for awhile, careful not to risk being struck by a blind strike or accidentally bumped into. The opportunity to finally dart in and secure one of her opponents had presented itself. Slightly bathed in the red light now, Mackenzie was clearly visible as the platinum haired woman slipped in behind and secured the sleeperhold.

It took careful work but Viola had kept her grounding as the blonde frantically moved to find her silent assailant. It was predictable that her opponent was going to put up a fight and fairly common was the elbow in an attempt to strike backwards. The blow had even been nicely telegraphed by the hand waving as it searched for a target. Dropping the arm that wasn't securing her opponent by the neck, Viola grabbed that frantic arm by the shoulder and slid an clasping hand down just in time to catch the arm before it hit any soft bits that might interrupt the hold.

With the initial resistance squashed, Viola began shuffling her feet back. There had been an internal debate in her head to remain silent at this point or just hurry up and try everything to put out one of her opponents no matter what. The argument for the latter won out in the end, but she had to be sure this hold would be enough. Besides, Lexi was a complete unknown at this point. Viola and Mackenzie had drifted too close to the exit sign and had likely been just visible under that red glow. Now instead of staggering around trying to find the light switch, the brunette could confidentially cross the room find the struggling pair or at least be dangerously close to helping.

Thus Viola had to move quickly. She continued to shuffle back into the undiscernible dark but took a moment to further her hold by spinning before she stopped in a sudden direction. Facing towards the wall she knew was there and charged ramming the blonde into it.

Viola pressed herself up fully against the other, her curves sliding into place along the blonde's back. Her lips even providing a light peck on the blonde's neck inadvertently from the momentum. Sandwiching the blonde, she pulled her head back, exhaling an exerted breath along the back of the blonde's neck.

There was certainly a slight mindset that kept the platinum haired girl to hold here a bit longer than she should have as she felt her own thighs brush up against the blonde's. However, any thought was stamped out of her head as she pulled the blonde away from the wall. In the event Lexi did choose to come to this side of the room, that misdirection was important as Viola shuffled back. The arm that had been preventing any further resistance from that frantic elbow had now wrapped around the knightly blonde trying to keep the both of them pinned together. If she could just keep this going then she might have a chance after all....

Viola had gotten the drop on her. As a submissionist herself, she understood the power of surprise and the futility that came with struggling against a hold once it was properly locked in. A second felt like a lifetime as she kept the arm across her throat from tucking under her chin and constricting around her. Straining with grit teeth, she shambled along with Viola's own movements. An immediate throw of an elbow was cut short before it gained momentum, feeling the other woman's hand grasp hold of her arm, prepared. Her boot shuffled across the floor as she was thrashed to the side, fingers nearly slipping from Viola's forearm as she held it at bay.

When Viola threw them forward, the blond was taken for the ride only to come to an abrupt stop as she was slammed up against the wall with a hard thud. The impact had been enough to shake the last of her grip, finally allowing Viola to properly secure the sleeper hold as she pinned Mackenzie to the wall. She grunted and wheezed, twisting her body as they came away from the wall, dragging her heels to make moving her difficult.

Mackenzie had surrendered flailing as a course of action. Viola knew what she was doing and had a good hold of her. She could already feel her senses becoming hazy. Lightheaded… she didn't have much longer before she was fully at her opponent's mercy. She made the platinum haired woman work to move her, training her to use force if she wanted to get anywhere. When she finally made her move it was sudden and precise. One of her legs slipped back between Viola's,slipping it far enough back to hook her ankle behind the other woman's leg to lock it down. With a hard shift, she threw herself backwards into the hold and Viola. Using her leg to try and trip her captor while throwing both women down to the ground trying to slam her weight down on top of her.

Lexi had heard the scuffle, opening one eye to peek furiously like a child cheating at hide and seek. She saw the struggling women cast in sinister red halo of the illuminated exit sign. Despite this, she didn't rush to MacKenzie's aid immediately. She watched, climbing up onto her to feet. Staying low she circled the pair, staying on the outskirts of the light, setting herself up in the perfect spot to pounce from while watching the action unfold.

Things had been going well up to this point, Viola thought. The room was still dark and Mackenzie was slipping further into the clutches of her sleeperhold. However there was that fear in the back of her mind about Lexi. What was she doing? Where was she? The lingering doubt soon stirred enough that she focused on it and how to avoid the worst case that she was distracted by what her current opponent was doing.

The moment after that leg was felt anchoring up behind her own, Viola knew what her opponent was trying to do. It was far to let to brace herself, however, as the realization hit just as the red knight's weight was forced back. Clenching her teeth, she tried to keep quiet as the two began to fall back...

Due to having been dragging her opponent earlier, Viola had already leaning back and the pair were top heavy. It was ill-fate that she hadn't predicted the danger and naturally after that sudden force, the pair came tumbling backwards.

Although she was late to predict the tripping hazard, Viola had managed to maneuver into a half turn during the fall. It was only a half protection as she still fell onto the shoulder that had been maintained around Mackenzie's neck. Now with that impact, the arm wavered and offered the blonde a little room to breath.

In a few seconds, Viola contemplated her next move and decided that she had to reset. Even if Lexi had no idea where they were, that thump could draw her over here if she was indeed investigating the pair rather than searching for the lights. Even if she stumbled an tripped into the two, it would be bad. She had to break away and reassess.

Giving the blonde a punch to center of her back, Viola announced her intention to break away, sliding free after a brief bit of untangling her limps. She rolled onto one knee before trying to jump back to her feet and retreat into the dark. It was a difficult decision to make but going all-in at that moment felt to exposing. The shadows were supposed to cloak that and seeing the blonde still just barely visible meant they were in the wrong part of the room. It was time to go find Lexi...

Mackenzie had committed herself fully to throwing herself back into Viola so when the two of then were twisted on route to the floor she found herself slamming into the floor gracelessly on her side along the other woman. A jolt of sharp pain ran through her shoulder straight to the spine causing her to let out a cry of pain. The realization of her own voice in the darkness however had immediately clued her into the fact she had earned herself some breathing room within the sleeper hold and drawing in a gasp of air. She redoubled her efforts, reaching up to grasp Viola's arm at the elbow and wrist, not effectively holding her back from cinching the hold in, practically nullifying it's effectiveness as the two struggled on the floor.

"Cheeky woman... I can't wait to get my hands on you." Her voice was strained but the implied threat still had edge even while she remained practically incapacitated. Vanguard had a history of meticulously taking opponents apart in what some professional wrestling aficionados would deep unconventional. This sort of thing, however, fit in nicely with the landscape of AFW. It may have come at the cost of some of their uniqueness given Cutlass hadn't been know for much in the way of lewd wrestling outside of what the duo had brought over and made into a genre all its own though. Neither woman seemed to mind as they had traded in their thirst for gold for simple enjoyment of the job. Viola likely knew exactly what these two women were capable of if they seized control even if the audience of AFW was only just starting to learn.

"Ggh!" The blond grunted at the unprotected strike to her spine. Not pleased at all with giving away free strikes, she was making sure to take note and repay them later. The break had been mostly clean with Mackenzie only providing a small hitch in the way she had kept a leg wrapped up. The delay was negligible though as she has no real position to keep Viola from freeing herself up and retreating. The red clad knight rolled only onto her stomach with a huff, face down and grumbling. Slowly she started to push herself up to her hands and knees, taking in fresh air and letting blood flow back to her brain so the dull throb of her headache might subside.

Finding Lexi turned out to be surprisingly easy. No sooner had Viola managed to get to her feet in hopes of retreat than a warm body pushed itself up against her from behind, arms attempting to wrap themselves around the woman's slender waist to draw her in close enough that the woman in blue armor's giggle was practically in her ear. Her grip would be surprisingly strong if she caught Viola's unaware. While she may have wanted to indulge a bit in their closeness, there was a certain order of operations when it came to tricksy little women like the platinum haired fortune teller. It was best to wait until some of their resistance had been snuffed out. So almost the moment she had grabbed hold, Lexi would brace her boots and snap the two women backwards, trying to heft the other woman up and over to plant her gracelessly on her head and shoulders with a german suplex.