An Enticing Offer (with Lilybell)

The following is a DM interaction, with the replies compiled into one thread for ease of access


"ONE....TWO...THREE!!!!" called the ref, slapping her hand on the mat as the defending Aztec Champion Maria Castillo managed to pin  yet another challenger to her prestigious belt. Granted this was one of AFW's many small house shows that the promotion held throughout the smaller cities outside of Tokyo. Maria didn't particularly care where she wrestled, so long as she got into a ring and do what she loved.

Wiping sweat from her hair, the luchadora held up a proud fist, rolling out of the ring with her glittering title slung over her shoulder. All up the ramp she gave out high fives and thumbs up to the many fans who clamored to meet her, before she brushed the curtain aside and headed into the back, the bumps she took from the match already making her body throb with dull aches.

Maria Castillo:

Lily was in her element in the smaller venues AFW used around Japan to test out new talent and draw in new fans. There was a sincerity that sometimes got lost in the glamour of the big shows. Also, the drink service was usually better. In her black pencil skirt, stockings, and tight white blouse she leaned against a road case as the crew slipped past her to check out the ring before clearing the next match to come out. From her shadowy vantage point by the staff entrance LIly watched a sore and sweaty Maria making her way triuphantly out of the ring and backstage.

With a smile on her cherry lips Lily lifted a plastic cup of kirin to her lips to take a cooling sip before turning to disappear back into the wings herself. Between the ramp and the locker room she spotted the older woman, a rare sight in the circles she frequented, and waved her free hand to get her attention, calling out to her first in Japanese and then in surprisingly good Spanish, "Maria, hello! [Hello, a moment if you please]!" Her black kitten heels clicking on the hard floor as she followed after the luchadora while minding not to spill her beer.

Lily Belle:

Maria's head perked up the moment the fluent Spanish reached her ears. Her grey eyes widened considerably behind her luchador mask, turning this way and that before her gaze focused on a rather lovely young woman, who was weaving her way toward her. The veteran had never seen this lady in her life before, but clearly she had some pull in AFW if she was allowed this far backstage!

Shouldering her belt, she leaned against the wall of the adjacent hallway, which thankfully contained far less people and allowed the pair more breathing room, ["Ah! I didn't know we had more Spanish speakers here in Japan!"] she replied with a warm smile, extending her hand, "Maria Castillo senorita."

With a gentle laugh Lily reached out to take Maria's hand, giving it a delicate shake, "Lily Belle..." A quick search of Maria's face showed no recognition, "... a manager who sometimes gets dragged around the ring for the audience's entertainment." She flashed a playful wink, making light of her own record of defeats. "" She offers the explanation without any details as to when or why, not that may seem odd at all.

Maria was a bit confused at her expecting recognition, but the explanation filled her in well enough "Ah yes. My apologies, I just got here less than a year ago, and even then I'm still learning how different this company is compared to my home promotion in Mexico."

She gave a small chuckle, brushing her damp hair back as she was finally able to start catching her breath. Thankfully that was a good excuse for her red cheeks peeking under the mask, a good alternative to admitting that wink caught her a bit off guard, "So what can I do for you Miss Bele?" She asked, leading her down the hall as they passed into one of the empty gyms.

Taking the opportunity, Lily took another sip of her beer, listening and watching the woman as she spoke. For some reason she was feeling particularly thirsty, but it was quite hot in the poorly ventilated corridors of the arena. As Maria walked Lily moved at her side, a full six inches shorter her face was practically level with Maria's cleavage, which was not a position that bothered her in the least. "Ah, well, you're fairly new and that is sort of what brings me to you. After watching your match against Rosa I thought, perhaps, you and I... and my girls... could get together." She paused to take another sip of her drink, "For some networking. We might even be able to arrange for you to use our facilities unless you'd rather..." Lily gestures around them at the semi-public gym in which they found themselves.

Maria's face flushed, clearly embarrassed by that little fact, "Oh...you...uh...you saw my debut didn't you?" She asked, scratching the back of her head as her heart skipped a few beats at the resurfacing memories, "I had hoped people forgot about that match. It was so....so...embarrassing." she admitted. Thinking to herself, she turned back to Lily with a bit of curiosity, "Networking with your girls? Interesting. No one's really offered me that before. What did you have in mind while I train at your facility?" She asked, seeing a few wrestlers wrap up their warm ups and head to gorilla for their own matches

Seeing Maria's obvious discomfort at the memory of her debut, Lily stepped in a little closer to her, a soft hand reaching up to rest on her bicep. She seemed not to notice or mind the sheen of sweat on the woman's skin, letting her thumb absently brush over sore muscles. "Losses happen, the best we can do is entertain our fans on the way... and if we're lucky have some fun in the process." Stepping back again, she sits herself down on a pull-down machine, demurely crossing her legs at the knee. "As for what I have in mind? Now we've come to the negotiations. Meet my girls, see our place, and then we can talk about what sort of collaboration we can do. If it looks like we can help each other out, I see no reason not to let you use our little facilities. The gym, the mini-ring, the poles, the beds..." She takes another sip of her beer, longer this time, slower.

Maria let out a sigh, not shying away from the oddly comforting hand on her arm. It was true, losses *did* happen in the career of a wrestler. But Maria never shook off the sensation of her first AFW loss.

"It just always lingers in my head. I guess because I didn't look like a veteran at all in there did I?" She asked, nervously grinning before Lily went on.

"I mean a new facility with other wrestlers would be quite the asset to- wait poles?! Beds?!"

Her calm demeanor changed a bit, body becoming just the tiniest bit tense, "What training is that for?"

Lily tipped back the last of her drink before regarding Maria with another giggle at her bewilderment. Her legs uncrossed and recrossed the opposite way as she made herself comfortable on the stiff padding of the bench. "Bed and Living Room matches are a thing in AFW, although hardly common. As for the poles, they're not essential to anyone's wrestling career. But I did spend a few years making my living on them, and those talents have come in rather handy for riling up the crowd. The girls asked me to teach them, so we got a few poles and a wall of mirrors." She shows no shame in any of this, as if it was a completely normal part of her showmanship.

Then she leans forward, crossing her wrists over the top of her knee as her biceps absently pressed her breasts together accentuating her cleavage in a way that could be confused for accidental. "As for your match, AFW is a whole different beast than anything else. I'm used to performing for crowds, dancing and wrestling, but it still took me a while to adjust to all that comes with it. Add enough gorgeous warrior women to the mix and it's easy to be put off your game. Then again, sometimes that is the whole game... matches that you just don't want to win. Or rather, not that you don't want to win... but where losing is just so tempting." She almost purrs the last few words.

That last part almost made Maria do a double take. What was Lily implying here? A hand on her hip, she eyes the manager suspiciously, sizing her up and trying to glean what her endgame was with this networking scheme of hers, "I...I don't know what you mean. I'm the Aztec Champion! All my defenses have been stellar matches and the crowd loves me!"

Yet as she spoke, Lily's words rolled around in her head, and she thought back to that strange sensation when Rosa, or Remy, slammed her down so hard she didn't have the strength to move. It was an alien sensation to her, the urge to...stay down? Was Lily implying she was a jobber?

Lily straighten up slightly, touching her fingertips to her chest in feigned surprise at Maria's assertion. "Oh, but of course. Naturally I wasn't talking about you. I have no doubt that you give your matches all you've got, senora. I can only speak for myself. There have been times when a match has slipped away from me and I find myself thinking: Yeah, I'm just gonna let this happen... But then again, few of my matches have been quite as stiff as yours, so even in losing I win a little." She smirks, quietly laughing at herself, "Anyhow, you have a new audience who is just getting to know you. And your first impression has been... well, we'll just have to see what can be done about that, hmmm?"

Maria let out an inward sigh of relief, glad at least that there guess at the implication seemed to have no weight to it. But that last comment did catch her attention, with the older luchadora tilting her head quizzically, "Fine...I'll bite. What was my first impression to you?" She asked, knowing that she possibly set herself up to get insulted. Still, if her image was that bad, and Lily had a potential solution, then maybe it was worth the wound on her pride.

Leaning slightly to the side Lily set down her empty cup before leaning back casually on her palms, half reclining on the workout bench. The pull of her shoulders tugging and straining at the tight fabric of her blouse. The black lace beneath her shirt could be discerned through the thin white material already, but now Maria could nearly make out the patterning in the lace. "My first impression? A lot of strength and confidence, but perhaps a bit too eager to try impressing the audience with that power... But my impression isn't important. The audience's impression is what matters, it's what governs our booking and from there our opportunities. Judging from the fans... you're adorably sincere, and beautiful... fodder." She bites her lower lip, watching Maria's face as these words sink in, "I imagine you'd like to show them otherwise."

Maria's mind was a mess of different emotions. Shame that she had essentially been called fodder to better wrestlers, confusion at how Lily made the premise sound so...right. Like it was the only logical answer, even though the Luchadora wished it weren't so. Then the heat rising in her face as Lily managed to move herself to display her body perfectly for her to see. Maria had to admit, Lily Belle was quite the lovely specimen, and her own opinion on Maria was straightforward and well thought out. Perhaps she did seem too eager.

Taking a breath, she sat down beside Lily. Staring at the empty ring, "Yes I fo. But the fans are quite insisting on how they perceive us. What If I never break out of that mold, no matter how many times I win or how long I hold this belt? I'd hardly seem like a useful asset to you and your group in that regard"

As Maria moves to sit beside her Lily lifts herself upright so they might still look each other in the eye. Not that the woman didn't have a delicious back, but talking at it was hardly polite. Her body shifted, twisting slightly in a half turn towards the luchador, their legs brushing together as she stared up at the conflicted veteran wrestler, seeming like Lily's frank assessment stung her deeply. A delicate hand lifted to touch Maria on the chin, gently guiding her attention to lock eyes with the young manager beside her. Lily spoke softly and earnestly, her normally flirtatious tone set aside for the moment, "If crowds are nothing else they are fickle. And every match is going to be someone's first impression of you... But more importantly, I do not view you or anyone else as... assets. Associates, collegues, maybe friends, sometimes more... So before we enter into any business together please understand that I will never see you as useless or expendible."

There was a look of genuine concern or perhaps dismay behind Lily's dark eyes. She had gotten into the business of business to protect people who were treated like disposable prophet functions, their humanity disregarded. It was what drove her to gather her stable of misfits and play mother to them through all of this. Or was that playing mommy? Whatever she was to them, she did it to protect them from the callous nature of this world.

Maria wasn't used to feeling so...vulnerable before. True she had lost matches before, be it by knock out, count out, or pin. But she never really paid any mind to it. All that mattered was ascending to the highest rung and showing the world she was worthy of such accolades. So why did she feel so small next to Lily, especially given her age and experience? This was rookie behavior!

Her chin was tilted up, and her lips parted slightly in surprise at the warmth, and how close they were to one another, "V...Very well....I am tempted to accept Lily. I just don't know how you could utilize me in your group of friends." She murmured quietly in the silence of the empty gym. How odd the Mother figure in AFW was being treated like the child here, but the love was not unwelcome.

Lily let her thumb caress Maria's cheek, touching against the edge of her mask as she continued to hold her gaze. She was not normally this intense when meeting new wrestlers, but sometimes it was necessary to take her own mask off and reach out. "Don't sell yourself short, bonita, I see plenty of potential in you. Come out to our place, see it and meet the girls, then decide if you want to work with us. I don't want to rush you into anything you aren't sure about."

The smaller woman stared up into Maria's eyes, soft and sympathetic, but their closeness and the intimacy of the situation was not lost on her. The parting of the luchadora's lips as she looked down at her enticed her own lips to part receptively, her head tilting slightly to the side but not leaning in further. She was trying to focus on reaching out to the woman, but keeping her own libido in check wasn't always easy around such gorgeous company.

Maria was indeed intrigued. Both by Lily's beauty and by the enticing offer, to the point where any offense before was utterly lost from her mind. All she could think of was how Lily looked at her, mirroring her lip part and even tilting her head.

"So..." she whispered, leaning ever so slightly forward so she could smell the mix of alcohol and perfume, "Beautiful fodder hm? I...I suppose....I could....pay...a visit...." she trailed off quietly.

Lily's hand slid gently along Maria's jaw to curl her fingerly around the back of her neck under her dark tresses. Her hips twisted, one thigh shifting over the closer of the other woman's knees as she half climbed into the luchador's lap. Leaning in her eyes sunk closed, their lips a breath apart but holding out a moment longer. The scent of Maria's skin and her sweat permeating her senses and sending a shiver down her spine. "Don't... make me... wait too long..." Unable to resist her own urges she pressed herself against Maria's side and let their lips brush together.

Between their bodies Lily ran one hand along her own neckline, fingertips disappearing into that black lace bra for a moment before reappearing with a business card which she pressed into Maria's palm without breaking off the smoldering kiss.

Maria couldn't break away, and in all honesty she didn't want to. Even as Lily climbed into her lap and stile a deep kiss from the champions lips! Her eyes fluttered, a look of surprise dotting her masked face, but she gave in slowly, letting Lily push against her and press the card into her hand, "Mmmmmmph..." she moaned, ["This....all normal for a business deal senorita? If so...Ill come by as soon as possible"]
In the heated moment she slipped back into Spanish, Her body swaying a bit from the intense kiss

Releasing Maria from the kiss, but still kissably close, Lily opened her eyes and smiled at the older woman, "[Business deals with me? Very much so.]" She slipped from the woman's lap and back to her feet to stand in front of her, fixing her clothes absently as all of her squirming about had her a little out of sorts. "[If you play your cards right I might even show you what the poles are for,] mami." With a coy laugh she tugged the hem of her skirt back down as it had climbed enough to show the bands of lace at the top of her stockings and even a little bit of the pale flesh above.

The luchadora tilted her head up to look at the manager standing above her, managing to give a flushed smile, ["Well that all depends on what "booking plans" you have in mind for me"] she chuckled, rising to her feet, her skin shining in the dim light with sweat that made her ring gear cling to her athletic frame

Lily stood nearly body to body with Maria, her own clothes already clingy and damp in places where she'd picked up the wrestler's sweat turning her thin blouse more transluscent. Staring up at her past the slope of her breasts, Lily flashed a playful smile and set her hands on Maria's abdomen and let her fingernails drag down her belly to her waist. "Oooh, now you're speaking my language. [I'll try to come up with something that will excite you.]"

She gave another saucy wink before forcing herself to take a few steps away from the luchadora, if she was allowed to do so. "And don't lose that card or I'm making you fish the next one out for yourself."