Just a regular girl looking for wrestling guidance (For Deus001)

After she was done singing, Kotone just had to ask how was it, and it wasn't even an arrogant question. She was actually concerned and worried about John's reaction, not because she thought that he would tell her insensibly that it was bad. But because she knew that if he really didn't like it, then he would lie, saying that he did, but she would be able to tell that he was lying. But that didn't appeared to be the case, when he told her that he did liked it, however, it didn't sound like a lie. Perhaps he really did liked how she sang, despite her knowing that she could do better. Or maybe she's being to harsh on herself? If he liked her, he liked her, she probably needed to leave it like that.

"Y-you think? I'm glad that you liked it, didn't know that you had an artistic side like that" The bluenette was tempted about asking him to draw her. But that might be difficult without drawing stuff, so she put that thought on hold for the moment. She was, however, curious about other wrestlers with more artistic things to them. "Is people in AFW expected to be as talented as you and I? Or are they gonna pick on me for being like this?" She asked, referring to her attire.

"I mean, I do see people making fun of someone dressed fully in pink. Do they pick on you lot in here? The Heel wrestlers? I mean, I guess that it can't be helped, they are supposed to be like that with the Faces like you, right?" It should be noted that for as smart as Kotone was, somethings did escaped her mind, like the fact that not because someone is decent in their every day, does that mean that they are Heel or Face in the ring. She just put John in a tough spot like that. "To be honest, I'm looking forward to those interactions, I want a rival that allows me to have a cool persona. Think that we could be friends? I mean, me and my rival outside of the ring? Do you know something like that ever happened?" And once again, she was in the zone, the zone of "Overwhelming your tutor with questions"

However, she was also getting very pumped about this, it appeared that her past insecurities disappeared for the moment. She was focused right now in learning about the environment that she was getting herself into. After all, it wasn't every day when she could talk to someone about her two great passions. Artistic expression and wrestling.

John these days didn't often boast of his artistic talents, more focused on his wrestling career more than anything else now. But that wasn't to say he didn't keep up with the times of it all and didn't still do pieces, when he had a weekend to himself the guy would take to the countryside or a high view of a city and draw it and anything else that came to mind. John chuckled and said "Yeah! I had art pieces on display at Kyoto's galleries, do other things like foam armour crafting lately too....." the lad had been making big strides in building Monster Hunter armour lately. He wouldn't lie at first he joined Tension way back as an art college student he'd hoped to see about getting a girl to model for him, John grew past that but if he were to be asked........

Kotone asked about if the people on AFW were expected to be as talented as him and the idol, or if they'd be picked on for it. John raised an eyebrow for it and crossed his legs on the apron as he got comfy to do what was expected of his role as her coach and answer to the best of his ability. She talked about the wrestling alignments of heels and faces..........and John inwardly drew a deep breath. Ah crap. John rubbed the back of his head and looked the idol in the eyes and said "Kotone look......sometimes wrestling is like being back on the school playground, doesn't matter how ideal you are someone will want to have a go at you eventually. Hell I saw two people feud over who'd model in some shampoo advert so there's your precedence! When I held a title me and my boss had targets on our backs and we took them all on."

The idol spoke of how she'd like a rival, one that could let her develop. John could see the idea of what she had, it'd be a nice way to get Kotone settled in her wrestling career and have her learn and develop with a boots on the ground mentality. John put a thoughtful hand on his chin and said "I've seen it happen yes, tell you what I'd be glad to help you out there. Get you booked and do some scouting and go from there, I could be in your corner if you want......

John felt he had a matter to address with the idol, as much as he'd rather not talk about it. For fear that Kotone would think lesser of him, the artist took a deep breath and said "Kotone there's also tweeners, I'm more on that spectrum these days. Ever since my boss.......got injured overseas he and I take to the ring with a lot less adherence to the rules. He lost an eye in a barfight and it was on my watch so I gotta make it up to him. I'm sorry if I'm not looking clean here but I assure you I keep that in the ring a hundred and ten percent, but listen don't let your enthusiasm dull. Listen to what I've said but don't do as I do if you know what I mean." the artist was going to be perfectly honest there he often didn't care much about the rules, saw them as rough guidelines now more than anything. Meeting the idol here though and seeing her bright enthusiasm though, reminded the artist of what he was like long before now..........

Just to clarify, Kotone was not a scatterbrained person, she was actually very clever. But he wasn't the most experienced with other people, a sheltered girl of some kind. This generally meant that she usually didn't really understood people who was "beyond her understanding". With John's case, she thought that she did understood him, they were pretty similar after all. She was quick to see in him a mentor, not only in the wrestling part, it appeared that he was also gifted with artistic prowess. She was very interested. "Ohhh. You mean like those cosplay things? You didn't striked me as an otaku" She laughed teasingly, but not really judgy, it would be very hypocritical since she was quite a geek herself. Although, her strict background made her unable to experience things like cosplay, so that little fact about the artist sent a good amount of curiosity her way.

Then came the talk about the things that she really wanted to know about, a morbid curiosity; Just what was the deal with this place? What John explained was interesting, and also a bit concerning. Her having an indoor education, things like high school sounded foreign for her, so his example didn't really stuck for her. But nonetheless, she did understood the idea of lots of wrestlers being petty and even childish. People just was like that, everywhere.

An idea that made her smile did came. John offered to be in her corner to offer support. That made her otherwise negative view lighten up a bit. "I would like that, yeah. I'm not gonna lie, It all sounds scary, so having you there will be great!" Her voice sounded grateful, but it definitely was tired as well. She didn't wanted to sound rude, but the idea of having to deal with that kind of things was both exciting and disturbing, and in both cases, tiresome. To think that she managed to make such a good acquaintance before her debut was certainly noteworthy!

Something else did came up; she assumed John was a Face wrestler because of his mannerisms, his silly way to be, and because he just seemed like a decent and heroic person. The moment he revealed that for some reasons, he and his friend are more... morally ambiguous, it surprised her. Her eyes opened up for a second, as well as her mouth. "Oh... Wow... I didn't expected that..."She didn't expected that, but it didn't meant the end of the world either. She knew very well what it was like, to follow the instructions of someone you didn't wanted to disappoint. For a while, that was the perfect description of her relationship with her parents. She tried to be the best kind of daughter for them, so maybe that was it with John as well. He was trying to be the best kind of wrestler for his boss.

"I think I get it, yeah. Don't beat yourself too much about it. You don't need to be the same person that you are in the ring" Kotone tried to cheer him up, mostly because it was her the one who asked him about all of this, and he looked a bit down, like he thought that she would think less of him for that. "I mean, look at me. Koto-chan, this character is not who I am, not always at least..." She took off the flowered ribbon that tied her hair and made her look like an idol, looking at it, smiling nostalgically. "I'm just... a regular girl, but I try to be an idol because I want to be one. It's fine to try being something for the people you like, but maybe you should talk to your boss? I mean, if you are friends, then perhaps he can get that you're not always as mean as he wants you to be... Well, for your sake, if he really appreciates you, then perhaps he will get it?" Her eyes looked at John's, trying to see beneath them into his feelings and thoughts.

John blushed a little at Kotone's playful remark of him being into cosplay, which he then coughed to the side to try and hide it. He was a tad worried about the response there, but Kotone enjoyed it and that made the artist say "Well I've watched Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, I know people who spend a year building giant transformer armour or stuff from Kamen Rider. I've got a few builds I'm working on......could do with someone who wants to model too......" John said with a little chuckle. Perhaps the idol might be keen on having something custom made for a performance, the artist wouldn't lie he'd do that for free there.

But as it was right now John was focused more on being honest with the idol and telling her about the fact that he wasn't squeaky clean in the ring anymore, at first John had found it a curious experiment. To test what he could do now that he was more loose, Lucy had taken to that new way with pure gusto actually. More than enough to somewhat unnerve the artist at first, but he got accustomed to it he reasoned. Eventually he simply just pressed on, John simply decided that it was the best way to go about things. The artist hadn't felt like he'd need to talk about this to someone really, it was more just how he felt like he'd do things and not really be all that miffed about it. If he won he won simple as, Ryan would yell that all history cared for was the results and John were to be honest he'd have said.........well that wasn't wrong per se.

Seeing Kotone here today though, made John think. Perhaps it was her earnest nature and enthusiasm that made John remember what it could be like to be on the idealistic side, when he and Ryan had the belts and were on top of the world. When they helped make the division relevant again. John looked down to the side in contemplation, before looking at the idol in the eyes and saying "Y-Your right, he uh.....sleeps during the day mostly now but when I can get to him I'll ask. I'm just hoping one day he goes back to that person who gave me that shot at greatness, the one who could peer into your very being with a glance and tell you how to achieve your potential." at this point John was looking more and more like the air was defeated out of his balloon here.

But he'd take a deep breath and get all that back into him there before looking at Kotone and giving a small smile to her, before giving her a pat on the head and saying "Thanks Kotone, I.......know this is kinda silly but I feel like I learned a lot here today too. Are you wanting to keep going? I'm around long as you want it." Seeing Kotone all perched up there on the ring apron, in all honesty the idol was looking more and more like an angel there~

If she had had the opportunity to make friends her age during her childhood. Kotone definitely would have been the troll among them. Looking at John's blushed expression gave her life, she giggled after teasingly calling him an otaku, listened how he talked about it and his taste for anime. She might be a bit of a jokester, but this was hardly out of malice. It was more of a way of hers to loosen up. And being totally honest, she liked those things as well! She hoped that he didn't catch up on that, because if he happened to begin teasing her in return, she might get flustered as well. The artist asked indirectly for a model for his work, and even if she wanted to do it badly, she had to show some formality about it. "I can serve as a model if you want me to, It's a promise?" She asked with a smile, already imagining herself in a costume. For someone so fond of cuteness and pink, she was mostly pumped with the idea of dressing up like a fantasy warrior or badass magician more than a princess or so.

After that, she smiled after seeing how she managed to get into him. She really liked John, and would like to make a good change in his life. He appeared to remember some good memories about him and his boss, hoping that someday he'll go back to being a role model. Kotone could tell just by sight that this person was of high value for her coach, so she really hoped from the bottom of her heart that they could stay as good friends, whatever happened next.

She couldn't help but to smile as John thanked her and told her how he learned a thing or two from her as well. And not only had she learned some things as well, she felt as if she had made her first real friend! Someone besides her own family to count on, and the idea of that person being John left a welcome feeling in her chest. "Don't sweat it! After all, what are idols for if not to make life better for those around them?"

After that wholesome piece of bonding, the former champion appeared to get all fired up and ready to go. And the bluenette girl was also feeling pretty alright after all that, so she agreed with him about keeping their little sparring session going for a little longer. "Sure thing, Teach. What's next in schedule?" She asked, already inside the ring, jumping in place.

Most people wouldn't have seen this side of John in all honesty, that despite being a former title holder and having done wrestling long enough to properly teach people he could be well.......a bit of a dork at times. But he'd insist it was for the sake of sampling various artistic viewpoints and styles so that he could expand his knowledge, it was likely due to Kotone's earnest nature that helped bring about this part of the artist here. When the idol suggested that she could model for him sometime John's cheeks reddened and he coughed to the side before saying "Y-Yeah? Awesome! We can go about looking at stuff and then we'll draw up templates and get it sorted sometime~" Seeing the cute idol girl model some badass and cute looking attire at the same time made John would be a real dream there!

Her earnest nature made John be more open about the facts that he'd been through, he had drawn on the old stiff upper lip more times than he could. But sometimes and over time, the path of shedding one's morals had gotten to him a bit. John would still fight as he did, nothing would change there. But perhaps he could at least suggest to Ryan here and there that they could take a less dark path here and there, he didn't know if it would work but it was worth a try at least. Kotone explained that idols were there to cheer people up, to which made John chuckle and gave a small smile to her. She wasn't wrong there, damn he needed to get some more glowsticks. The idol got herself back into the ring there and John jumped up to the apron and got himself into the ring

"Aight so.......I reckon we're gonna cover jumping off the top rope here, I've taken to the skies a few times in my career and a flying idol is an epic idea if your keen to learn. These moves are high risk and high reward, look great too. So we're gonna start simple, climb the turnbuckles and just jump towards me and I'll catch you. Whenever your ready~" John said as he'd pat the corner and make his way to somewhat being near the middle of the ring with his arms outstretched to show he was ready to try and catch the angel during her descent.........

This whole interaction felt pretty great for Kotone, it was just what she needed to become more confident about everything. And that wasn't just about her wrestling knowledge. She felt pretty good with herself about managing to make John feel somewhat better, she could tell by his expression that she managed to make his day better, even if a little bit so. This was it, this was the reason why she wanted to do this with her life. Being an idol and a wrestler is very similar in that aspect, they both made a spectacle for other people so they can smile. And to know that she was able to do that for John, it meant that she probably could make it happen for anyone who looked at her! That was her dream.

So, when the artist told her to keep going, this time with high flyer moves, she responded with an eager smile, while she tied her hair once again with her idol ribbon. "Gotcha, show time!" She had to admit it, those captivated her attention quite a big deal. After all, they were so impressive, so unique and for her at least, they represented wrestling as a whole. So of course she wanted to try them out! Some people might be intimidated about the idea of climbing the high rope. But not her!

Kotone climbed the turnbuckle very fast, and once she was at the tip of it all... She had to admit that the first sight maaaaybe was a bit intimidating. Perhaps it would have been better not to climb it as fast as she did. "Wowowowooa! Ok, I'm here, should i just like, jump?" She said, sounding slightly nervous about it. She was holding the top ropes as if she were a scared cat at the top of a tree. "Alright, I'm making the jump. You better catch me John, or else I'm kicking your butt!" She joked, if only to make her nervousness fade away. "Here I gooo!!!" She warned, or rather, cried after flying off, hoping to land at the hands of her trainer and dear friend.

Truth be told the top rope was the last place John would really ever be if he could help it, it just wasn't his cup of tea at the end of the day. He was grounded and preferred to lock in intricate holds and restrain the enemy, but he knew that people liked to jump around instead. The idol was active and she could make a striking and powerful image taking to the air and dropping down hard on someone John reasoned, so Kotone was gonna give it a go here! John could tell right away as soon as she got to the top of the ropes that she was feeling a bit of tension there from being up high, the lad kept an aura of comfort around him though. Beaming a reassuring smile at her to give her the further courage to go for it.

"Yep, just leap off the ropes right at me. I'll catch you, when your ready!" John said with confidence, it was harder to hit a standing target when your going up high actually. Cause they could move, here though the artist was gonna catch Kotone clean as best he could. Her declaration that she'd kick his butt if he didn't catch her was pretty funny given she'd be crashing into him anyway! But regardless the idol was heading off the top rope and there she was, she took flight like an angel coming down from heaven towards the artist.

He took a quick forward step and turned his neck to the side a bit with his arms outstretched, then the cute and curvy form of the idol crashed into John's toned chest. With momentum on her side Kotone would take John crashing down to the mat, he landed on it with a heavy grunt. But he got his arms around the idol, making sure she didn't touch the mat there. It was more like not her so much as landing a high flying move but more making sure that she and him both took that bump well.

Up close though John could catch a whiff of Kotone's shampoo, it was......bubblegum? Sweet as heck though, plus even if John's back was a bit sore she was actually......really soft there. John's arms had gone from tightly securing Kotone as she crashed into him to lightly wrapped around her in a soothing manner more than anything else. The artist took a deep breath (Which wasn't as easy considering he had a cute idol girl on top of him having just crashed square into him) and said "N-Nice one Kotone. That was a straight leap tackle from start to end, clean as a whistle. First flight of the angel idol there, you were great. not to mention their faces would be right next to each other there. So John got a right look at himself in her ocean blue eyes and that he had a massive blush on himself there as he realised their closeness here~

When she made the jump, the first thing Kotone felt was an emptiness in her stomach, although a quick shot of adrenaline made the experience more emotional than she would have thought. She might have been able to enjoy it if it wasn't for the dreadful fear that came once she saw the floor getting painfully closer. "Aaaah...!" She wanted to scream, but the feeling of something catching her midair stopped that from becoming a cry for help, and turned it more into an exclamation of surprise. For a second, amidst that whirlwind of emotions, she forgot that John would be there to catch her. And once she remembered upon seeing his face. she cracked a smile her first jump from the high ropes, and it ended up a success!

"I did it John! I DID IT!!!" the blue-haired idol wasn't able to hide her excitement; The adrenaline, the feeling of accomplishment, her gratefulness, everything, she was enchanted by it all. She kissed the artist in the heat of the moment, hugging his neck from the position she was in. Se wasn't thinking straight from her position, but this wasn't something that came out of the blue either, it was one of those moments were one wouldn't think about their actions, and simply did the something that came naturally.

A couple of seconds passed by before the bluenette girl understood what she just did, and predictably, her face turned a shade of red that did quite a contrast with her hair. It was at this point that she regretted this morning, when she bathed with her bubblegum shampoo, used for casual occasions. She would have preferred to use a more womanly hair conditioner for this situation. "Ehh- Th-thanks for catching me" She was still pretty embarrassed, and looking at his own expression didn't helped here, so she tried to thank him in a desperate attempt of making things less awkward. She waited until he decided to put her down once again. Although, if she was really honest (which she wouldn't because this situation was embarrassing enough) the idea of staying like this for some time also sounded pretty fine by her~

John had to catch the idol here, if he didn't he'd mentally kick himself and considered himself a failure as a coach and a decent lad. The artist was ready, time had slowed down and the artist was heroically able to save Kotone from eating the mat there. Funny enough as odd as it was John felt like the hero there swooping in and saving the day, preventing this spar from having a disaster in it. John was no stranger to injury during sparring, you had to be careful of that because not only would you not improve but you could go into your match injured or worst case not even able to make it to begin with! It was one of the reasons why John didn't really do many high flying moves, but he knew how to catch people at least. Usually to counter and transfer into a hold of his, but here John would just catch the idol in a reassuring embrace to show he had her and she was safe.

Kotone upon realising that she'd managed to complete her first ever flight from the top rope couldn't hide how chuffed she was, John was expecting her to jump up and do a little celebratory dance. But instead......the cute idol girl went ahead and laid one right on the artist! She closely hugged John's neck and planted her lips right on his, at this moment the world around the artist ceased to register to him. If her hair smelled of shampoo then Kotone's lips would vaguely taste of blueberry funny enough to the artistic senses of the lad. His cheeks flushed bright red at this point, the idol blessed him with this intimate gesture for a couple of seconds before she pulled back.

John lightly gasped after parting from her, as if the realisation had fully set in for him also. He smiled politely but was easily still flustered from his expression being clear, he chuckled a little as Kotone gave him thanks for catching her like she were an angel plummeting from heaven. "Y-Yeah no worries Kotone I......." John said before shuffling up in their caught together little embrace into a more upright sitting position with her. The lad's arms still gently wrapped around her waist to keep her secured as he shifted up with her. Taking a moment to look her in the eye John would then say "Listen I er......I know your the one to make requests of me, but I'd have one to make of you if you'd let me......." he'd take a deep breath to try and steady himself. The usually composed and welcoming lad was more like a flustered and awestruck artist at this point but he then said "Y-You know I'm an artist right, would you please let me sketch you? To mark the day?" John felt the odds were slim to none but that intimate gesture begged the artist to at least ask..........