An Honourable Spar (For Valicon)

Charlotte was one who either you found her in the ring, or in the gym. Hardly if ever would you find her elsewhere, the duel seeker was apt in her name. Some might call her a tryhard, Charlotte simple considered herself dedicated to the art of combat in response to that statement. Drawing from her noble warrior heritage of knights Charlotte figured the only way to live up to their deeds was to test her might in the ring, Ms Harenwood knew here in Tension that she had big shoes to fill here if Eliza's merits were anything to go by. Rather than be dismayed however it merely wetted Charlotte's hunger for to get stuck in. Charlotte would draw the line and say bring it on, anytime, any day and any place and she'd be there. Until she got the call however the French MMA fighter would be in the Tension gym, giving it her all.

Currently Ms Harenwood was in the punching bags area, dressed in a pair of black MMA shorts with 'Harenwood' emblazoned around the hips in sparkling red. Alongside a French patterned sports bra, topped off with white fingerless gloves and black tape around her ankles leaving her feet bare. Charlotte's bread and butter in the ring was her stand up striking game, much like her Cousin Eliza. But she came at it from a different angle, instead of acrobatic kicks that came from any angle Charlotte was like a warrior clad in armour coming at you like a bull. 

The French girl bobbed and weaved, delivering stiff hooks and jabs and knees into the bag. Imagining herself in pitched battle to deliver better results, Charlotte was picturing her name being chanted across the crowds. They'd know the name of the duel seeker one day, after her combo Charlotte leaned back. Breathing heavily before deciding to take a pause and eye the gym around her, perhaps she might get some measure of her fellow competitors at least........

Nearby the punching back area were some small workout machines, one of who currently was occupied by the tall woman Rebecca Owens. Another one who faced herself a warrior, but instead of being decended from knights, Rebecca and her family on her mother's side could with a certain degree of certainty trace its lineage back to Charlemagne, the first Frankish king of what would be France. Rebecca had always treasured thst and tried to live up to the Warrior ideals if honor and courage. She was willing to take on any person any where, and in any type of match. Currently thought she was working on trying to increase her already unbeatable endurance, running on the treadmill with training weights straped to her arms and legs, a white t-shirt over black shorts was all that she wore beside a hair tie to keep her long red hair tied in its braid. She had been at this for an hour already and was scheduled for another half an hour when the treadmill suddenly broke down. With a small curse she got off and began looking around to see if another machine was unoccupied.

Charlotte was one that favoured her practise of martial arts first and foremost, but she knew the importance of exercise. She loved a good half an hour jog first thing in the morning, although on colder winter seasons Charlotte favoured jogging on the spot instead. The French girl casted her gaze on the gym around her, to see if there was any wrestlers that she knew were a big name in Tension. It was doubtful they'd interact with a newcomer like the duel seeker, still she reasoned her heritage as a Harenwood might get her foot in the door loath as she was to indulge in nepotism. Regardless Charlotte settled for simple people watching right now.

Still a loud noise somewhat nearby to Charlotte caught her attention, it was a loud mechanical noise that jolted the French girl's senses. A treadmill malfunctioning?! Tension certainly should have maintained their equipment better Charlotte reasoned, she saw the woman that was at least able to make sure she wasn't injured thankfully. The forward thinking mindset of the duel seeker prompted her to at least check in on her, the woman was a redhead. Tall like a male, seemed around Charlotte's age. Yeah why not.

The Frenchwoman would get herself off her seat and step towards the redhead and catch up with her, Charlotte made sure to approach from her side rather than behind. Better to avoid seeming as an ambushing danger in her mind, in the gym warrior instincts could always be present. "Hey there, you okay?" Charlotte asked, a malfunctioning treadmill could give anyone a fright at least.

"Yeah, I'm alright, but this machine is being tres stupide, and decided to break down on me. I just hope the cost for this doesn't get taken out of my pay." She was more than a little frustrated and it was good that the girl had decided to approach from the side, she had a nasty tendency to lash out when she was frustrated.

Finally looking over at the the one who had come over to check on her, she was a younger girl it seemed, with shorter, silvery hair and the look of someone who knew their way around a punch. "Thank you for coming over to check on me though, I do appreciate it." The Redhead indicated a small bench where they might talk a bit more comfortably, her mood to keep running gone for the moment until she could get her mood back under control.

Charlotte had run into her own fair share of gym mishaps, sometimes it'd been do disheartening that she left the domain of exercise in her earlier days. However times when the machine was to blame Charlotte would be able to press on, she'd hoped that this woman wasn't deterred from this malfunction at least. The duel seeker knew that even though she was well on her way to being a highly skilled warrior was still a journeywoman at the end of the day. So she'd like to help someone on their quest as well as befitting of one of her noble stature, Charlotte would at least make sure the lady was okay. As it turned out she was alright at least. "I doubt it will, you had like a billion witnesses out there." 


Charlotte said to her, her voice was indeed French. Delightful, the duel seeker had since arriving in Tension met people from Britain, America and Japan of course. But she'd been hard pressed to find one from her native land, Charlotte had a small smile on her face at the thought. Perhaps her day would be going on the up here, with the redheaded lady gesturing towards a bench Charlotte would take her up on the offer and follow suit crossing her legs as she sat down on the bench.

"Aucun probleme Ms. The gym is a place of progress and development. Ah where are my manners, I am Charlotte Harenwood from Paris. Has the day been well for you besides?" Charlotte said, the duel seeker feeling like she was back in her days at college here in actuality now that she thought of it here. Where she'd just take a pause and confer with her fellows at the MMA club and simply do small talk as they exercised~

"Bonjour Mademoiselle Harenwood. I am Rebecca Owens. And the pleasure is all mine" Rebecca's voice was a layered symphony of influences, at the top was a controlled neutral that she used when conversing with people for work. Underneath that however was a French base accent mixed with an Italian flair from her years spent as the daughter to the ambassador to Italy. And because of that she was well versed in the upper class of many European nations...especially her own homeland France. "Forgive me for asking but you said you're from Paris Oui? Might you be the daughter to the Harenwood Noble Family?" She had never met them in person, her home for most of her life had been Rome. But She had heard of them before from those business trips her father had taken back to Paris and had taken her along with him.

Charlotte despite her noble lineage hadn't really spent much time in the ways of politics, it wasn't her career choice and there was more siblings than her who were favoured towards that role anyway. Charlotte's place was on the battlefields where fists could be exchanged rather than verbal barbs at the end of the day, still her name seemed to carry weight it seemed as the redheaded lady introduced herself as Rebecca Owens. 

Charlotte listened intently with a smile on her face as her fellow gym goer elaborated on herself and the background of the duel seeker, the Frenchwoman would nod to clarify Rebecca and say "Why yes! I'm from the Harenwood clan! My Cousin Eliza has been a mainstay here in Tension and when I started to focus on doing MMA I called up and came in, I learned my place wasn't in the boardroom but rather an octagon or squared circle and I'd develop as a fighter better here than some hobby college club." Charlotte wouldn't have admitted it but that long plane ride, the Harenwood dreamed of grand battlefields against various foes and earning glory to her name. One day surely.
 
The Frenchwoman sized Rebecca up and down after her dream discussion, the redhead would certainly see the way Charlotte's face lit up as she talked about her pursuit of the dream. With her MMA background Charlotte knew a trained fighter when she saw it and what was in front of her certainly impressed. A good set of abs for one and a lean and mean frame to back it up. Charlotte would smile and say "Are you new here lady Rebecca? You have the frame of one trained in the art of combat I can see that for certain!"

"I am relatively new, only arrived here about a month or 2 ago. But I have been wrestling about 10 ish years now. Mostly though it was small, local circuits around Europe, mostly Italy where my Husband is from. Though if I am being honest, Italy has felt more like home than France, because it is there I grew up, a French girl growing up in the city of Rome."

She got this distant look on her face as she remembered back to people and buildings around which she had spent 65 percent of her youth. It was there she had learned to fight, beating off street thugs who had mistaken her for easy prey. It was there she had meet the man who had at various points of her life been mortal enemy, rival, boyfriend, and then husband. And it was there that she first stepped into the ring.

"Merci, but I do get caught in my own head. A promoter From AFW happened to be scouting around the local circuits where we had dominated and offered us a chance to move up, we took it and never looked back."

Charlotte had never really taken the time to get to know her opponents usually, she'd bonded with her fellows at that MMA club in college sure but rarely had she managed to learn the paths that her opponents had taken. She'd been curious in the past certainly, such as with Angela Gil. But the realm of combat was usually focused on self improvement first and foremost, martial arts would make you a better person should you allow it as the saying went. 

So needless to say Ms Harenwood listened calmly and intently as the tall redhead spoke of herself, it seemed Ms Rebecca had quite the esteemed track record here. Wrestling for a decade, Charlotte had been wrestling less than a year technically but she'd been doing MMA technically a lot longer there. Rebecca cut her teeth on the indies, a natural start Charlotte was told. You paid your dues, while Charlotte had technically a head start thanks to her Cousin Eliza opening a few doors for her the lady had full intent on getting her nose close to the grindstone.

It also turned out that Rebecca was married too! Charlotte was indeed curious now for certain, she had been curious about finding herself a boyfriend at some point. It wasn't that none had expressed desires towards her, far from it back in her college days. Charlotte however had high standards that only she knew of, well her and her maid Vivienne at least. Rebecca's multicultural background and combat experience impressed Charlotte greatly here, the Frenchwoman would put a hand on her chin and say "You are indeed a skilled fighter then lady Rebecca! I'd like to ask, would you grant me the honour of working with you in the ring today? I'm keen to improve my wrestling ring senses so to say, its a far cry from the octagon and I'd be grateful for the experience!"

Needless to say this woman intrigued her. Meeting with new people usually ended only 1 of 2 ways. With respect as warriors...or with them doing something to trigger her temper and then her trying to send them through a wall. Suffice it to say, she did not make friends very well. Shad had be a fluke, he had been the right person at the right time, doing the right thing, that had forged the connection between them. But Charlotte...she might be a different connection, but perhaps this was the right circumstances for it.

"Very well then Charlotte, I will spar with you and help you improve...on one condition, you help me improve as well. When it comes to slams and submissions, I feel like I excel there...but strikes...that has always been a weaker side of my repertoire. So if you agree to thst I will help you as long as you wish and as many times as you wish." She help out her hand to shake, a smile on her face, and the light of battle in her eyes.