Lost In Translation (Slice of Life featuring Miss Penance)

30,000 Feet in the Skies and Descending...

When you're in a economy class flight traveling on a red-eye trip to Japan, you can expect attempting to sleep or nap is hard. Take the two blond women cramped in an aisle by the window. Clover Grant was well asleep, managing to pass out with a black sleep mask over her eyes and some earbuds that had ambient lo-fi music cranked up. Next to her was Juniper Nashville, her girlfriend and aspiring AFW wrestler.

Juniper Nashville was looking out the window, ignoring the occasional crying baby or loud sneeze. She managed to end up in the AFW, though she knew it was going to be rough. Though not as rough, as that time her friend Duncan nearly broke his neck after he overshot that foam pit with his motorcycle back at Tennessee. Then again, she wasn't just some wrestler who wanted to smack folding chairs onto people, she was more interested in being the one getting smacked with folding chairs. Juniper wasn't just a wrestler. She was a wannabe daredevil pioneer of "pain entertainment".

She can tell you about that time she rolled down a hill in a trash can. Or she also went down that same hill in a shopping cart and bruised a good portion of her body that was visible for a month. At least, another local friend Keith let her play on his X-Box. Along with that pie fight, though it was the time that she had to take a classmate to a rehab, since they were doing nitrous oxide. Juniper was going to be more responsible. She had matured a lot, even if she was more at risk at harming herself with this new role. Her wrestling character was even made to reflect this as Miss Penance.

*ding*

"This is your captain speaking, we are nearing our destination in Japan from our flight path from LAX. We will begin landing in a few moments. Please head back to your seats and fasten all seatbelts." the captain said over the intercom. "Hey. Clover. Wake up, babe." Juniper gave a shoulder nudge to Clover, who began to wake up. "Are we there yet?" Clover had the sleep mask over their eyes with one removed earbud. "Yeah, buckle up. I gotta carry you, if the jet lag gets to you." Juniper gave a joke. "Reminder me to find a place for coffee." Clover let out a yawn, getting the sleep mask off.

Narita International Airport, Chiba, Japan

The plane didn't land in Haneda Airport in Tokyo, instead it landed in the middle of Narita International Airport in Chiba. It wasn't a big deal. It was just a two hour drive from the airport. Clover had arranged for Juniper's "manager" to pick them up, when they got their luggage from the baggage claim and went through customs, since they were going to be living in Tokyo for a while.

Clover Grant was one of seductive mystery for Juniper. She was faithful, beautiful, but she wasn't someone to mess with. "Girlboss" wasn't the perfect term. Clover was meticulous, yes, but she was soft. Only when she is challenged is when she allows herself to shed her warmth away to show that she was as powerful as Juniper. Not by means of strength, but by wit. Clover hired Mitchell Dasi, since the job would earn both of them money, even if Mitchell was giving out half his cut, he was going to still have enough. Plus, he was paranoid enough to be worried but need Clover, due to his involvement with "the incident" back at the States. It was telling that Mitchell was worried that his head might end up in the mail that he resorts to mostly using phone booths to make calls. One conveniently in front of his flat and office in Akihabara.

The man that was holding a sign with both Juniper's and Clover's names happened to be visible, after the two got themselves ready with their luggage, along with Clover needing that coffee (which she preferred black). "Figured you get here well in the morning." Mitchell was American, though he had a visible Italian-American accent. "You must be Mitchell. I'm Clover and, of course, we spoke over the phone." Clover shook his hand. "This is your girlfriend Juniper?" Mitchell asked Clover, taking a glance at Juniper. "That's me! Here for the AFW competition. I may not be on the Tension roster, but I can still kick anyone's ass." Juniper said, cracking her hands together.

"Right. Calm down. Let me try to go over the usual where we're in the car. I have to meet someone by my place to exchange some special prize tokens." Mitchell said, as the trio walked to his car that was at a parking lot. There wasn't visible buildings, but instead there was lots of greenery and small hills. Mitchell allowed the two to put their luggage into his trunk, before he got himself into the driver's seat. "Hop in, you two." Mitchell said. The interior reeked of tobacco, but Mitchell had the AC and the windows down. Starting his car, he began his drive to Tokyo.

"Alright. Here's the deal. You're not the first two Americans to be here. I do admit, there have been a lot of English-speaking people, because of AFW. Here's the skinny. You don't eat or drink while walking on the street. You don't tip. You don't play with chopsticks. You don't use your cell phone loudly on the trains or buses. You don't greet people physical. You don't litter. You don't blow your nose in public. You don't cross on red. Also.. You need to take off your shoes when you're in someone else's place."
"We take off our shoes back at California. It's so we don't dirty up the carpet." Clover mentioned, while Mitchell looked his eyes.
"You two are going to be in the bubble in Tokyo. There are a lot of wrestlers walking around, but you need to consider that you two are going to be a new pair of outsiders. I already sent out a voicemail out to see if there's anyone interested in beating up your girlfriend's ass, so put that in consideration." Mitchell mentioned.

"You think I'm worried about the pain? Please.. I got shocked with a cattle prod."
"Wait wha-" Mitchell's eyes moved away from the road in front of him.
"Nothing!" Juniper and Clover uttered in unison.

While Mitchell was driving, he had his phone hooked up with an aux cord to play a song from his playlist. An indie song can be heard playing with Mitchell at the wheel.

Tokyo, Japan

Mitchell drove through and by some hotspots, while the two looked out the car window, taking in the sights. All the colors, posters, places to see and go. Mitchell was happy enough to take a trip through the Shibuya crossing, where Juniper can see an advertisement for AFW. Her hopes were on the horizon.

Shinjuku City, Tokyo, Japan

The car stopped in the middle of a thin street with several apartment buildings nearby. "Alright. Let me show you where you two are going to be staying." Mitchell pulled out a pair of house keys. "Here's the deal. I managed to snag this flat for you from this salaryman. He was from Sapporo and he got this vacation flat in Tokyo for the summer, but he declined the reward. He mentioned it to me, where I took it from his hands."
"Is that legal?" Juniper asked.
"I got his permission, didn't I? Plus, his boss wouldn't complain, since the flat isn't wasted."

Upstairs, Mitchell unlocked the door to the flat, letting them inside. There was a cross between modern and traditional. There was even a kotatsu table with an electric heater underneath in the living room near a couch. "The bathroom has a modern toilet, but the bedroom only has one queen-sized bed." Mitchell pointed out, but the two were, of course, going to sleep together. "Any more questions? If not, you can contact me later. You can call me, but I will be calling from a phone booth near my place." Mitchell pointed his phone to check the time. "I need to get going. The guy I'm meeting is at Roppongi Hills. I will call you two to tell you about the debut match and who's booked to nail Juniper." Mitchell was about to say, but Clover realized that the fridge was empty. "Wait, where can we get some food?"

"Oh yeah!" Mitchell dug into his pockets quick to give Clover some yen. "It's not like you can go to some seafood place to get dried mullet roe. There's a 7-11 and I think Dominos or some other pizza place is nearby. However, you're best off to get bento boxes. They are meals you can have." Mitchell was about to leave, until he remembered one more detail. "Also!" Mitchell pulled out a metro card. "You need to use the trains! Everyone does here in Tokyo." The next thing they knew, Mitchell was off. Leaving them to fend for themselves.

After a while, Clover tidied up the joint, while Juniper went shopping whatever store looked like a supermarket or a convenience store. Her Japanese was poor, but she was still able her message across. She got a bunch of bento boxes that the two women can microwave, along with Juniper getting some food to act as fiber. She knew that whatever food was available it was in walking distance. It was good, since she needed a cardio workout with two or three full bags of groceries. She had yet to find an official AFW gym, even though she's on the roster.

When she got back to the flat, the place was more tidy due to Clover's hard work. Juniper shared a permission fruit with her, while going over more of the basics. "It's going to be a while until we get used to this place. It's not like L.A, but it's a new home with a heart." Juniper said, chilling on the couch in front of the television. "You know, we should try to visit with what we have. It will be better than that time I went to Paris." Clover said, wanting to do some exploring with Juniper on her side. "What place do you have in mind? I know you mentioned that time you got ripped off by the Eiffel Tower, but the place seems chill enough." Juniper remarked, until Clover got her phone up to show Juniper a picture. It was the Great Buddha Hall. "Where's that?"

"It's in Nara. It should be good for the season, plus there are some deer to take pictures with. It will be good for a photo shoot, after we get you into that debut match." Clover was strategizing how to get some publicity with Miss Penance up for Juniper. "I wonder if it's cheap to do a photo shoot with a purikura. We can make some Miss Penance stickers." Juniper suggested. "Also, I want to let you pet some deer." Clover mentioned. "That would sound good. As long as they don't bite at my outfit, then we got something down."

The two went ahead and ate dinner at their new living room. When it got late, the two huddled themselves together on the bed. Juniper was already getting some comfort from her girlfriend warming herself up next to her.

---

OOC: A new post will be at this thread soon, however it will also allow for other characters to meet with Miss Penance. It shall open soon.

Akihabara, Taito City, Tokyo, Japan

"I get it! You can't come to Tokyo. Hell, I know you're in Utsunomiya in Tochigi!" Mitchell was at a phone booth near his office, sharing a call with a fellow bookie. "I can't send you the coins by mail! I don't care what Tanaka says, you need to send someone here to my office to get your cash!" Mitchell hung up the phone.

God, he needed a cigarette.

He went over to the vending machine that was outside his building. He would use it to get himself lunch normally. Today he got himself some Katto Yocchan and some tropical flavored cotton candy. In Japan, they call cotton candy, watagashi.

Mitchell was at his office with his snacks and cigarette, when he saw an email. The topic of it was different than the usual ones he would get. This was related to AFW. Mitchell's eyes lit up with interest. He took a read.

He ought to meet this "La Niña Estrella". He sent back an email and to arrange a meeting to discuss things about a special debut match.

Later that day, Mitchell would recieved a positive feedback from the sender. Everything was being settled for the first appearance of the "Niña Estrella" the mail is talking about!

Mitchell's office

More sooner than later, because someone doens't like to make people wait, "La Niña Estrella" herself would present in this manager's office, wearing the best suit she found consisting of a black jacket and skirt, a white sleeved top, pantyhoses and a pair of black high heel shoes. You could have expected this girl's manager, or at least something proffesional on the matter... Or maybe this girl was her own manager. Thinking about it, the email that was sent to Mitchell was from a AFW Staff member rather than a personal one, so Isabelle came to represent herself.

"Sorry if I'm late!"

But, in fact, she wasn't, just right on time. Isabelle let herself in and sits in front of Mitchell's desk.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, mister Mitchell. I'm glad to be part of this"

She started the conversation, showing how honored she was. A quick analysis could tell than this girl was nervious, but it was her first match, so you can tell why.

"As you may know, I'm Isabelle, "La niña estrella". That means that I'm... like... the kid from the stars"

She explained. Not only by her nickname, but her accent was actually foreign as well. The email told Mitchell that she was from south america, so that's the reason.

Mitchell's Office, Akihabara, Taito City, Tokyo, Japan

Mitchell was at his desk, leaning back, taking in Isabelle.

"A pleasure to meet you, Isabelle. I get onto the point, so things can be scheduled for the gal I'm representing." Mitchell straightened up his posture, putting his hands together.

"Your opponent's name is Juniper Nashville, otherwise known as Miss Penance. She's a debut wrestler, too. Her girlfriend is the real manager here, but I'm the one with the.. direct connections as you will."

Mitchell was about to offer Isabelle a cigarette, but he stopped himself at the last second from blurting it out loud.

"The match you're going to be in is meant to show off both of you two skills. Normal ring. No gimmicks. No weapons. Just physical contact and making the crowd happy."

Mitchell laid out the basics.

"Now, Juniper. She's nice. If she met you, you two would be chill with another. But she has this wrestling persona of hers. Miss Penance is a different story, but there's the tweener angle that is being pushed. She's the crusader of pain. Like a sadomasochist crash test dummy. I heard Juniper has a YouTube channel, but she mentioned some weird shit like getting herself shocked with a cattle prod."

Now Mitchell wanted that cigarette.

"Any questions or stuff you want me to point out to Juniper?"

"Well... Now that you mentioned it..."

The whole conversation was surprising Isabelle a lot... Of course, the world had its people with different personalities but she wasn't expecting her opponent to be so... Unique. Luckily the match would be simple with basic rules and no weapons, but she actually had to take that out of her mind

"Since you tell me all this about Juniper... Does she actually wants to be... Defeated?"

Poor Isabelle had to understand, it was her first day after all and it was a common concerning

"I don't have any more questions other than that... What you could tell her it's that... I'm more than willing to fight! Maybe I'm a rookie but I'm also a strong high flyer fighter!"

Mitchell thought about what to say next.

"Hard to say. Debut fighters like to sweep things under the rug and get a good win on their portfolio. It's up to you two on who wins. She might go easy on you, since you're a babyface, but she's meant to be no pushover."

Mitchell explained briefly.

"I make sure to tell her that. I get the match set up after you leave, which I message Juniper that you're willing to fight." Mitchell wrapped up the meeting, allowing Isabelle to leave.

"Give the folks what they want out there. You two are going to be in the spotlight." Mitchell said as a final quote.

"Understood mister. Thanks for letting some or your time to meet with me. Give my salute to Juniper and her girlfriend!"

She responded respectfully before leaving the Manager's office. She would let the adult do the work and she'll help with everything she can since she was representing herself. She had a good first impression and was actually hyped to meet Juniper in the ring!

Shinjuku City, Tokyo, Japan

Juniper didn't have time to look for the AFW gym. Instead, she was doing sit-ups in her flat, while Clover was reading a josei manga. Clover's phone began to ring, which she answered. "Hello?"

"Clover! It's Dasi! I spoke to the gal who is supposed to duel with Juniper!" Mitchell said on the phone, calling from the phone booth. Clover immediately put the phone on speaker. "How did it go?" Clover said, giving the phone to Juniper, as she was still doing her sit-ups.

"She's a debut wrestler. Calls herself La Niña Estrella. Babyfaced and wants a debut, too. She's willing to fight, even if she's a rookie like Penance. Says that she's a strong high flyer fighter. Gives a salute to Juniper and you Clover. I gave her the details, but you will be meeting her at the ring for the first time. Be aware of that." Mitchell explained, before he hung up.

Juniper finished her set-ups, stretching her body, before a mischievous grin appeared on her face.

"There's a new rookie bitch in town and she's in a debut match with another rookie!" Miss Penance declared.

After the Debut Match against Isabelle Starlight...

At the locker rooms, Juniper Nashville was taking a shower after the climatic debut match against her debut challenger Isabelle Starlight. Juniper did wonder how Isabelle felt about her. She went hard on her, though there was that leg to the neck. Maybe next time, Juniper could schedule a sparring day at the gym? So she didn't get messed up next time.

Juniper did have a visible large bruise on her chest, which needed to heal. She got herself dressed in her casual clothes, before she got her stuff from her locker. There was already her phone that was ringing.

"Hello?"

"Juniper! We're going to be in the jackpot here!" It was Mitchell on the other end. With the crowd ambience in the background, he appeared to be calling from a phone booth near the arena. "Jackpot? What do you mean that we're in the jackpot?"

"Your debut match with Isabelle was a success! The livestream of the match was put up online, so everyone can check up your match for later! Not only that, but we're raking in some profit to both you and Isabelle."

"That's actually great to hear. I'm guessing that Clover knows?" Juniper asked him. "She has been in the VIP seating area this whole time, watching you wrestle! She's going to meet you outside, but you get things sorted out. I need to attend to some courier stuff, so you and Clover take things easy." Mitchell replied.
"I'm going to need like a good week or two to get myself set up for a match." Juniper explained.

"No sweat. It looked like you got slammed hard from that double backflip slam."
"The bruise on my chest can prove it."

Shinjuku City, Tokyo, Japan

"Jesus, it's cold!" Juniper was having Clover take care of her, since she needed to heal herself. Clover had an ice pack to cover the bruised parts of Juniper's chest. Clover rubbed the ice pack at the bottom of Juniper's rack, though it was unintentional. The TV was on to the sports channel, where a double fault had occurred.

"Anything else on the TV? Any science-fiction movies or something?" Juniper complained, though she was just fidgety from the bruises. "We do have YouTube and Netflix, but sports is the only thing I can think of." Clover put a pillow under her girlfriend's head. "Hope that trip to Nara isn't going to delayed. I want to try to train myself, too. The match tonight was rough. I have more of my own penance to get."

"Fortune still smiles, Juniper." Clover rubbed her cold hand on Juniper's neck. Juniper was starting to blush. Her girlfriend was helping her relax, though she was making her aroused.

The sports channel had switched from tennis to soccer. Even though AFW catered multilingually, the stuff on TV at Tokyo were still in the Japanese language. Juniper wanted to get in touch with the culture, due to the language barrier. "Besides, you're stronger than you think, Juniper." Clover put her hand on Juniper's. Juniper immediately spied the look on Clover's face.

If there were two types of Clover that Juniper knew, it was kind and confident, along with seductive and dominant. The look that Clover had was of the latter. "I could volunteer for having an apple shot with an arrow from my head, but I'm not that reckless when it comes towards strength." Juniper said. Clover could clearly see that Juniper was trying to put her a straight face, but she was clearly blushing. "I make sure to give you time to think this week. We need to heal up those nasty bruises. Maybe I can offer something extra?" Clover grinned, kissing Juniper's cheek.

"Ohh!" Juniper was being clearly flirted at, however Clover rested herself afterwards, reverting back to her usual self. "I think I should start buying some tea. Something intense that I should try, too." Clover offered. "If it's not steroids, then I can allow it." Juniper said, feeling more relaxed after tensing up from the kiss.

---

Two Days Later...

Juniper had recommended that they mellow out and take in some of the culture in Japan. While they could do Shibuya, Clover thought of doing something more classical. The power of literature!

While Juniper switched from an ice pack to a heat pack, she and Clover began to read some literature in Japan. First, they read a few fairy tales, such as Bunbuku Chagama and the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. Then, Clover managed to find the story that was part of the inspiration from the 1950 film Rashomon and the author. While Juniper read Rashomon, she also found a story that she found stuck out from Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, "The Spider's Thread".

It was a story that have been referenced in other works before. Those who had played The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword would know the reference to a dungeon in the game, known as the Ancient Cistern. It is a story about Buddha, who looked in a lotus pond in Paradise to view Hell. A criminal encounters Buddha and asks for escape. Buddha uses a rope made of spider silk for the criminal to rappel up. However, as the criminal climbs, other souls attempt to escape, until eventually the rope snaps, sending the criminal back to Hell.

For Juniper, she smelt a good match idea. She just needed to get some more fame in. Speaking of fame..

Juniper checked her Instagram and the account that Clover set up, using her iPhone SE. One that still had the headphone jack, luckily. The last time that Juniper got Airpods, she lost them in 3 months. The video of Juniper's match as Miss Penance was posted there. Clips were there, too. Likes were coming in at a steady pace. How was her Twitter? She checked her Twitter, too. It was good, but there was some random drama or political bullshit that was top result. The usual, but Juniper never got her hopes up when it came to Twitter.

"How are the search results on the web, Clover?" Juniper asked her, since Clover had her laptop out. "Search results for what?"
"I'm wandering if my name is getting good clicks. How many people watched my livestream?" Juniper asked, where Clover's fingers tapped rapidly on the keyboard. "You're getting good views. About 100,000 views."

"Pretty good. I hope that Starlight girl gets another match. I know that she has a good shot." Juniper mentioned, though she did wonder where Isabelle was. They weren't friends, but they definitely weren't enemies either.

OOC: Roleplay Opportunity Time! Does your character happen to be in Nara, Japan? This is the perfect place for them to bump into Juniper Nashville, during dinnertime! Greet her, harass her, verbally say a death threat to her. Do what you please without harming her!

Two More Days Later...

Nara, Japan

Clover got the tickets for both herself and Juniper ready, boarding the N700 train that moved on the railroad from Tokyo, near Lake Biwa, to their destination of Nara.

Their first destination was The Great Buddha Hall in Nara, surrounded by deer and featuring a giant Buddha statue inside. Ironic, knowing that Juniper had read The Spider's Thread. Of course, inside she left a fortune as respectably as possible. Way better than some other asshole 4 years ago..

(Juniper could go into details for those unaware of the reference, but she wants you to trust her on this.)

Next was to feed the deer outside the temple at the park. People had bags of dried fruit to sell to feed the deer. There were trees that had cherry blossoms that bloomed, even during this season. Clover and Juniper took pictures of each other feeding the deer, until...

"I wonder if there's raccoon dogs here. I would love to see some other types of animals." Clover said, happily petting a deer that was eating some of the dried fruit that she gave to it. "I'm happy to see if there's a national zoo we can go to. You mentioned a photoshoot I'm having?" Juniper asked Clover. "I already sent your costume over to the photographer. He's planning on taking your photos by the train station."
"Works for me." Juniper said, taking some more pictures for Clover.

A stray deer came to Juniper, brushing against the side of her waist. "Hey there, I don't have any more fruit." Juniper said, but the deer was impatient. It was starting to bite at the bottom of Juniper's shirt. "Hey! I said I don't have any!"

Clover would end up becoming surrounded by more deer, who were going after the bag of fruit she had. Immediately, they began to bite and tug at Clover's clothing. "Juniper!"
"Clover!"

The horde was deployed. While nothing was stripped up, their clothing would become ruined. Deer saliva would be dirty to wear in public, though for some, it was a common occurrence. The sight of two random American women getting licked and bit by a horde of deer was one for some other tourists. It wouldn't be long until some park officials came by to help the women.

The photographer Ezume was waiting in a street away from Nara Park for the ladies to finish up their trip at the park, since he rented out a small studio needed for the photoshoot. They should be here now. Clover was supposed to text him that they were coming. Instead of a text message, he got a phone call. "Yes Clover?"
"Ezume.. Do you have some spare clothes?"
"No, I only have Juniper's Miss Penance outfit. You asked for the photoshoot for it alone."
"I think I see you down the street. Don't say anything.."

Ezume was confused. He looked up the street to recognize Clover and Juniper. However, he saw the reasons for the gloomy looks. Those deer had salivated all over the women and their clothes. Those stains would stick out for their train ride back. Ezume's face was one that showed pity.

"Ok! Pose like that! There we go!" The photoshoot was going more smoothly. It was good for Juniper, since she got to be out of those filthy clothes. Not for Clover, however. Juniper was kind enough to Clover to make it up to her by offering her a nice bath at their flat. Clover didn't mind, until Juniper managed that she would bathe at the same time. That horny part of Clover was interested, even if she wasn't in the mood, though she could use some sex appeal to lighten herself up.

Juniper, as Miss Penance, was in photos to highlight her chaotic side. Devilish, but morally ambiguous. Anti-hero or anti-villain, people wanted to know. After the shoot was done, Juniper kept her Miss Penance outfit on, where the three of them went to an izakaya restaurant at the train station to have dinner.

It was a modern joint. There was a ping-pong table set up, while people can order food at the counter and tables. The special on the menu was botan nabe, which translated into boar meat hot pot dish. The trio shared the hot pot with some additions, such as spinach, oysters, and even mullet roe.

"I'll make sure to find us a better place to do some vacationing in Japan. Not one that has to do with killer deer." Clover said to Juniper, sipping some water. "Be lucky I didn't lose my temper against those deer. Neither did you. If they continued to gang up on me, I would have to sucker punch a deer." Juniper replied.
"And get kicked out of AFW for animal cruelty."
"Is animal cruelty even a rule that's in AFW?" Juniper said and thought about it, but she didn't want to risk it. She was still calm, since no deer brutality happened to the animals.

"You should shop at the 109 in Shibuya. I do happen to head there to purchase clothes for my gig." Ezume mentioned to them, since they were near Shibuya in Tokyo with where they lived. "I could do a little stunt at Shibuya, but with today, I don't want some publicity to happen." Juniper shallowed a chunk of boar meat. It was some protein, that's for sure.

OOC: Like I said, feel free to have your character enter the restaurant and bump into Juniper and Clover! If there are any questions, feel free to PM me!