The Right Thing

Taylor's sullen, blank face lit up and broke into a grin. When she realized she was laughing along with Cecelia, she made an effort to cool it.

"Hi, I'm Cass-OH GOD I KISSED MAMOURU AND WE SLEPT IN A HOTEL!" Taylor laughed.

Cassie didn't think it was funny at all. She flinched like she expected Cecelia to yell at her, but as everyone else began laughing, Cassie's brow furrowed with concern. "Cecelia, you don't understand. Mamouru was a perfect gentleman the whole time. He... told me about what he tries to do with girls... He was very honest, and that's good even if what he does isn't. I was worried that he'd try something with me, even though I'm not the kind of girl guys like that go for... But he didn't. He never touched me... like that. I kissed him, because I wanted to. Er, at the time. In the moment it was a good idea. It, uh..." Cassie swallowed hard. "He didn't cheat on you."

Her eyes flicked over the table and she seized Taylor's water glass and quickly drank half of it. Taylor didn't stop her. Her mouth felt so dry. "Mamouru seems to think you're a couple. And you seem to think it's a big deal." Cassie said. She saw Cecelia's face, and she wasn't going to let her fool herself into thinking that it was nothing. "I think you guys need to have a long talk." She said, with a sort of authority that seemed so out of place on such a cute, young, petite girl, as though she expected them to do it.

"She's always been like this." Taylor informed Cecelia. "Well, she's smarter now. And it looks like she's found some balls. She's getting dangerous, man, she has to be stopped."

"You can't stop me. Let's just pretend I tapped you out already and move on." Cassie teased, her tone serious but with a twinkle in her eye. Taylor poked her in the ribs and tickled her and Cassie wriggled away. Cassie and Taylor had a long standing competition. Despite Taylor's physical advantages and her tenacity, when grappling Cassie almost always managed to make Taylor tap with her voodoo magic Jiu Jitsu skills.

"I'm being serious right now! Quit it!" Cassie protested. "Both of you guys seem a little sad that you don't have the relationship that you want. You have to talk about it. My parents talk all the time about everything." She said, her Canadian accent pronounced on the word 'about'. Taylor snickered.

Cecilia laughed a little bit more when she heard what Taylor had to say and she did have to admit that the scenario was quite funny. It wasn't like she hadn't expected Mamouru to go out and screw around with other girls, she was pretty sure of it and the fact that their relationship had already been established to be a very free one that was mostly about sex than anything else didn't really change even if he would have gone after other girls a lot sooner.

Cecilia tried to hold back the laughter as she listened to Cassie speak and tell her how he was a total gentleman and all that, it caused Cecilia to smile, " That's his play Cass. He did the same thing to me, and I bet he does that to anyone that asks him, I asked him and he told me, you did as well right ? and he told you." Cecilia said as she then shook her head a sighed. " Isn't it possible that you weren't just being played by Hige ? Ah! Hige is Mamouru's nick name by the way, look I don't want it to sound like I am being mean or anything, but! Mamouru is a sly and slippery bastard. He is able to play people without them knowing it quite well, even if they think they know that they are being played he has some plan that works around it. " Cecilia said as she leaned back and eyed Cassie.

" It's fine! it's not like it's cheating on me if I already expect him to do so right ?" Cecilia asked with a little laugher in her voice, " Hige does ?...huh? interesting." Cecilia said as she tapped the table with her index finger tip, " A-a talk ? about what ?? are you sure that I even want that kind of relationship ??" Cecilia asked teasingly as she didn't want to be mean or anything, she just wanted to see if it worked to frustrate the cute girl.

" Hehe I think you might be right Tay." Cecilia answered Taylor with a smile, " It's not like Mamouru isn't getting the price here, dude can't stop hanging out in the penthouse and watch movies and stuff, not really with me all the time, just slacks around a little and drinks in the rich life I guess. Kinda like Taylor said before you got her Cass, Mamouru's got a rich girl with big boobs, It's not like there is much else he cares about. " Cecilia said as she shrugged her shoulders a little.

" I'm sad most of the time when it comes to relationships Cass, "I'm just not good at them...not entirely good at any type of relationship really. Me and Tay Tay here got of on the wrong foot the day we first met, she being annoying as all hell and me having a short temper didn't mix all to well, Right ? Tay Tay " Cecilia said as she teasingly put her tongue out at Taylor. " All I am saying Cass is that, I got no clue and if I am to be honest without, I think Hige is playing you."

Cassie's cheeks turned bright red and she tucked her chin down, at once embarrassed and frustrated. She began to redoubt Mamouru's sincerity. She'd been so careful that night about what to believe from him, but she was sure he was genuine, at least some of the time... Could she be wrong?

"You don't understand." She said again, quietly. Taylor discreetly stopped laughing after seeing Cassie start to get upset, and looked around to see if food was coming yet.

"We don't get along because you're a major dick, Tugboat. Check with me again after Akashi and me kick your ass." Taylor said to Cecelia without paying much attention to her.

"Well, maybe you're bad at relationships, and Mamouru's really bad at them, but you don't seem happy that you're bad at them. You want things to be better, right? If they can be better? Well, they can be better. And... I think you're selling Mamouru short, a little bit. There's more to him than I would've thought. Oh!" She said, as if she'd just remembered something pleasant to change the tone of the discussion. "Mamouru's gonna manage me! Drake used to, the one who manages Eclipse, but... he hasn't had much time for me."

"You had a manager?" Taylor asked incredulously. "What the hell has he been doing You've had like two matches in your whole life." Cassie responded with several pokes to Taylor's ribs, which Taylor did her best to defend against by tucking her elbow down and squirming away.

Cassie looked back at Cecelia and gave her a warm smile. "We don't have to just talk about this, though, I know it's a little weird. But... I think you're both a little disappointed that you don't have more, so... You have to promise you'll have that talk." She said.

"Yes, and find a good therapist. You can go for marriage counseling now, and then after the match you'll be up for some grief counseling. Maybe to soften the blow of your upcoming loss you can go use some of your rich girl powers to buy some freaking clothes." Taylor said. She was getting a bit uncomfortable, and it showed in her increase in mouthiness.

Cecilia rolled her head a little when Cassie told her that she didn't understand, what the girl mean, perhaps she didn't. but she wasn't really trying to find out. Cecilia didn't know why Cassie felt that she had to butt in on her and Mamouru's arrangement as it was. and she didn't know why Cassie wanted her to be together with Mamouru if she found him so nice and good, good enough to kiss at least.

" Oh ?! I'm the dick am I ? could say the same about you short round. We'll see what happens! " Cecilia quipped back at Taylor, she thought a bit about Heather for a moment, she wouldn't say anything at the moment like me and Heather is gonna whoop your ass or anything like that, her little rocky feelings towards Heather still plagued Cecilia's mind. She soon went back to Cassie and listened to what she had to say, even if she didn't find it all that fun to listen too, she had to say that it would be very rude to dismiss this person, and at least she was kinder than Taylor, Which was something that could easily be said about anyone really.

" Hmm, So what ? I just talk to him one night all random about my feelings and how we should be a real couple ?? isn't that like the number one way to drive guys away ? Oh! I see now.." Cecilia said as she found a window to tease a little, " You want me to do that so you can have Hige all to yourself right. " Cecilia said as she put on a cute little smile and stared at Cassie for a moment, she then flashed a teasing grin and sat back.

" Manager ???...I don't think I have one..I guess it might be Fredrik, he's his own manager so maybe he is mine and Michael's as well...AH! those are my brothers by the way." Cecilia said as she looked up a bit ponderously wondering if Fredrik was her manger or if she didn't have one at all.

Cecilia laughed a bit as Taylor made her exclaim and then got a bunch of pokes from Cassie, " Well..he isn't doing a good job really, cause I had no idea who you were...ehm sorry " Cecilia said to Cassie as she gave the girl her thoughts about her current manager.

Cecilia found herself letting out a long sigh as she looked on at Cassie and stared deeply into the girls eyes with her red eyes, she studied the girl for a few moments after she finished making her request. " Hhmmm...Fine Fine, I'll talk to Hige, It's not like it matters how it goes right ? " Cecilia said as she flashed a little grin.

When Taylor gave her two cents worth after Cecilia agreed she found a sudden urge to punch her in the face, but she resisted. It wasn't a great urge but she did want to take a swing at the girl. " I guess we know who the dick is now. " Cecilia said in a monotone tone as she glanced over at Taylor for a moment before letting out a sigh, the food had arrived and she figured it was time to eat, she took the fork and began to eat of her salad.

Cassie's eyes widened at Cecelia's accusation, and then she got quiet. She looked down at the table. It wasn't true, though, she didn't just want Mamouru to herself. She just wanted to help! What was so wrong about that?

Maybe the little part of her that sort of wished Mamouru was available was what made it tough for her to let it go.

"Maybe you're just catching on, but the rest of us have had you pegged for a while." Taylor retorted. She didn't really mean to start talking trash, but with Cecelia giving it back to her it was so hard to stop. Cassie scowled. She'd had enough.

Cassie slammed her palm on the table hard enough to rattle everything on it. "Shut up!" She shouted. Taylor nearly jumped out of her skin, and looked back and forth between Cassie and Cecelia with mock fear and a little smile. Cassie leapt to her feet, almost knocking over the waitress in the process.

"I am not trying to manipulate you!" Cassie shouted at Cecelia. She tried to contain herself and keep her voice down. They were in public. "I just want to help! I know both of you feel things that you don't tell the other, and I don't think it's helping! Maybe you can swallow your stupid pride and just be honest with each other! Mamouru was NOT 'playing me'. Okay? I think he's more sad about you than you are about him. Don't think I don't see your face when you talk about him, and right after you stop." Cassie wasn't sure if she was overstating it now to prove her point, but she still felt like it was the right thing.

"Easy, tiger. Jesus, Cecelia, look what you did."

Cassie looked hard at Cecelia for a silent moment, looking like she was either fighting mad or ready to cry. She blushed, then lowered her eyes, and then without warning she dove into the booth next to Cecelia, pushing her in and wrapping her arms around her in a big hug. She gave her a tight squeeze, and when she pulled back, she looked her in the eye and said "Everything's gonna be better, okay?"

She stood up, a little embarrassed, and almost knocked the waitress over again, who had been trying her best to put food on the table, keep her head down, and get out without being noticed. For an awkward moment, they were face to face. The waitress tried keeping her eyes down, but they briefly made eye contact, and exchanged uncomfortable nervous smiles.

Cassie gave the waitress a big hug too. And then she sat back down next to Taylor. "Hey, you guys ordered without me. That's okay, I was late. Gimme a menu." She began to carry on almost as if nothing had happened. Taylor stared at her in stunned silence. The way Cassie operated wasn't new to Taylor, but in the last year she'd certainly become more assertive about it.

Cecilia didn't enjoy the fact that her and Taylor was starting to get into some sort of trash talking match here, but if she was gonna pile on then there was no way that the Queen of the North would back down after all. " Catching on to how much of a dick you can be ?? that's not hard, everybody already knows th.." Cecilia retorted, but was interrupted when Cassie shouted for them to shut up.

Cassie seemed pretty angry so Cecilia rested back again and crossed her arms under her chest, she looked on carefully at Cassie as she began to walk over to her side. Cecilia listened to what the girl had to say, and it might have been a little to much to tease her about things like that, Cassie seemed serious about wanting to set Cecilia and Mamouru up as a couple, maybe that would be hard or maybe it would be easy, so far they had two things that they had in common or made them compatible, the first was that they were sexually compatible with each other, and the second point was that they liked to play around with others...sort off.

When Taylor told her that she did this, Cecilia gave her a bit a scowl, but then turned back to Cassie, what the hell should I say...I get it..I got it from the beginning, it's not like Cassie need to say much, because all she said Cecilia knew, she just didn't know that Mamour felt the same way. Cecilia jumped up a little when Cassie down down and hugged her causing her to look quite uncomfortably towards Taylor and then back at Cassie, Cecilia put on a silly grin as Cassie moved back a little, she would move her hand up to Cassie's head and pat her gently, " There there. I'll talk to him okay! I was planning to...sort of, at some point I think, do it anyways." Cecilia said as she looked of a little whit her eyes.

Cecilia stared on at Cassie and the waitress as they did their thing and then she looked over at Taylor, " Well..I now know what kind of people you hang out with now. " Cecilia said with a little smile towards Taylor, forgetting about the previous word duel that the two had had, or perhaps she just let it be. Cecilia soon went to eat her salad, also as if nothing real special had happened before she looked up a little, " So you actually think that Mamouru can stay tied down to one girl ?"

"Of course!"

"Hell no." Taylor and Cassie said simultaneously.

Cassie gave Taylor a look. "Be nice." She chided.

"And I don't hang out with this runt, she just follows me around sometimes." Taylor said. Cassie grinned in spite of Taylor's efforts to distance herself and then it was Taylor's turn for a hug.

Taylor began to pick at her salad. She was always very uneasy when it came to eating in front of people. Cassie would've been alright, but with Cecelia there she had difficulty rousing her appetite. Still, she was hungry, so she ate in little bird bites.

"I'll be right back, I'm going to order. I don't want to bother the waitress and make her come all the way back here." Cassie said, and then got up and walked off, leaving Taylor and Cecelia alone again.

Another awkward pause made Taylor chew the same bite of salad for way longer than was necessary. "She's always like that." She said, finally. "But... she's not always like that. Um, sorry, I guess, that was weird." Taylor picked some more at her salad.

"So did Heather tell you about our little run in? That was weird. I mean, she's probably sort of nicer than you or whatever, but she's way crazier. You guys are gonna be in big trouble when it's time to go. Akashi's loss did something to her... I'd be afraid of her if I were you. I would not want to be in your shoes." She said, almost absent mindedly while she stared off into space, visualizing the match to come.

Cecilia quickly turned to look at Taylor and swiftly scolded her, " I didn't ask you! " Cecilia then smiled at Cassie and let out a little laugh when she heard her tell Taylor to be nice. Cecilia shook her head a little and made a little remark " Like that's ever gonna happen. "

"Aha.." Cecilia would let out as she heard Taylor tell her that she didn't hang out with Cassie that much, she didn't sound convinced at all, and after Cassie had hugged Taylor, Cecilia had to let out a little remark again. " You two are pretty cute together, as friends of course." Cecilia said as she grinned at the two.

Cecilia ate pretty normally, she didn't have any problem eating in front of others, it was something that might have bothered her when she was a child, but such things had been cleared out through training, of course Cecilia ate pretty formally, using the *correct* way to hold a fork and eating in small pieces at a time, she used what was called proper table manners, eating as if she was in a fine restaurant or something.

Cecilia remained seated, but she stopped eating when Cassie went off and put her fork down. She let out a light sigh when the girl disappeared and left her and Taylor all alone again, Is it gonna go back to being uncomfortable again... Cecilia thought to herself before Taylor started to speak, she waited for her to finish before shaking her head a little, " No it isn't, it's hard to describe people and explain how they are...I guess, one of us needs to do something like this at some point in time..So I guess I will start." Cecilia said as she looked away from Taylor and began to search the cafà for Cassie.

" I guess..I'm kinda sorry for my behavior in club...before you know, Been through a lot since then..and I guess I sort of understand a few things better, I suppose that makes little sense, but still..just wanted to say that." Cecilia said as she kept her gaze away from Taylor.

Cecilia hadn't really spoken to Heather that much since Avalanche so she hadn't heard anything, nothing at all, and it caused her to looked up and back at Taylor, " Nice than me ?..Heats ? really ? " Cecilia blurted out, she kinda knew that Heather was a bit crazy in a sense, but she didn't really like hearing that, " Look, Taylor...there isn't anything that you can say that won't make me want to go into that ring and wrestler Akashi, I won't ever back down I guess...that sounds weird maybe but, No matter what I face I can't back down you know..it's just who I am, and as I said earlier, We'll see what happens." Cecilia said with a little smile, she didn't enjoy the fact that Akashi had lost to Sarah herself, mostly because of two reasons. One was that she had kinda wanted to fight Akashi for a long while, and try to get that title from the notorious former champion, and the other reason had been that Gatt became the champion instead.

" I'll always just go out there and give it my best! I can expect nothing less of that from either you or Akashi right ? "

"Okay..." Taylor said, playing with her water cup again. "I guess I'm sorry too. I was being a total spaz. I mean I'd just had like, this amazing night with Johnny, and he was sort of my boyfriend, and then there you were all blonde and slutty trying to get into his pants in front of everything. I kinda wigged out a little."

Taylor grinned without looking up. "That makes two of us." Taylor had some pathological fear of backing down from anyone, although these days she found herself more motivated by her self confidence and less by her fear and insecurity.

She looked Cecelia in the eye. "I know what you mean, man, my second match here was against Gatt, in a cage that she picked, with her two training wheels ringside. And I would've won it if it weren't for those stupid rainbow bitches. I'd do it again, too, because fuck them, man. I'll fight anyone. It's not even that I'm not scared of anyone, I am, but I'll get over that after I beat their ass."

Damn. Taylor realized that she'd felt a little twinge of fondness for Cecelia. They were bonding. Where the hell was Cassie? This was all her fault. She leaned back and continued.

"Let's see... I ended up fighting that Karina Rine bitch and her stupid sister at the same time, and I almost died. She went after me with her guitar, and then Akashi murdered her in the face. Good times. If something happened to Akashi and she couldn't make the match, I'd take you and Heather on myself. It'd almost be better that way. I work well under pressure"

Across the cafe, at the counter, Cassie watched Taylor and Cecelia with a smile. Taylor was loosening up, which in her experience didn't happen very easily. She'd grown up a lot in a year. Cassie decided to wait for her yakisoba at the counter instead of going back to the booth right away, just to give them some time to talk.

"Speaking of working under pressure, how's Mams in the sack? I can't imagine how a skinny little guy like him handles a moose like you. Johnny's a quick learner, though. Enthusiastic, and his body fucking rocks." She laughed, then quickly changed the subject as her mind inevitably drifted back to the match. She couldn't remember ever being so casual talking to an opponent before a match. She didn't realize how much faster she was talking now, having left behind the slow, apathetic tone of her moody and cheerless self.

"Look, I've had a few little tussles with Akashi before, so, like, here's the thing. You can hurt her. You can hit her all day long with everything you've got and she might not like it, but you can't stop her. She's way bigger than you, stronger than you, better than you, and she has way more experience. You could try to cheat, and it wouldn't surprise me, but I will fucking kill you if you try to ruin this match with that bullshit. I know you're buddies with Adrian. That shit spreads like a disease. So don't back down, that's great. Just fight hard, and when we beat you we'll help you up and send you off to see the medics."

Cecilia sort of sat back and relax right now as she talked to Taylor, she did have to admit that she had gotten a bit slutty in her match with Johnny and that she did kinda feel bad about it in hindsight. Same thing had happened when she face Clyde, guy's seemed to have a bad tendency of not being all that clear about how they where together with anyone in Tension.

" Yeah...Sorry about that, I'm not saying this as some kind of defense for what I did, but Johnny wasn't the clearest person if you know what I mean, he didn't say anything about being taken...I guess, I mean what I did was kinda wrong still, But yeah..guess he was probably just nervous ?" Cecilia said as she looked on at Taylor as she played with her water cup.

Cecilia was kinda surprised when she heard Taylor say that she knew what she meant, she tilted her head a little to the side and looked on at Taylor, while the girl stared her in the eye, she gave her a little nod after she finished speaking and had to agree with what she was saying. Cecilia of course started to realize what was happening between her and Taylor, they were sort of bonding...kinda off, it's not like Cecilia was against the idea, she didn't hold any hatred for Taylor at all, so it was all good in her mind.

" Ouch, don't think I have had any match like that...although I kinda do want to be a part of a handicap match someday, just to see how well I would do." Cecilia grinned a little when Taylor told her that she would fight Heather and Taylor herself if she had to, Cecilia shook her head a little in respond. " You wouldn't have to, I don't double team..don't really care to much about being...but I don't do that kinda thing." Cecilia said with a little smile towards Taylor.

" Moose ?...really? " Cecilia said before sighing, " Hige didn't need much instruction, he was okay...small you know...stuff that could be better, but most was pretty damn enjoyable, plus as you said, they do have rocking bodies, I mean you could bounce a quarter off his abs. " Cecilia said as she smiled and laughed a little, relaxing and just sitting back for now, enjoying the moment as it passed the uncomfortable awkwardness and went into something more pleasant.

" Hmmm, I am no weakling myself Tay, she might be bigger but I got some fire in me as well." Cecilia said with a smirk,when Taylor brought cheating Cecilia shook her head, and said " I don't do that...rare occasions when the other person started it, then It has happened that I have given them a taste of their own style...but I don't like it, and come on...I've been working hard to make sure that Adrian won't cheat anymore, and she looks to be doing good. And you can dream about it Tay, cause I'm the one who's gonna have my hand raised by the referee by the end of it all. " Cecilia said with a little grin. there was one thing that was different when it came to how they talked, Taylor spoke of her and Akashi as a team, but Cecilia didn't do that of Heather, she had before but not now.

Cecilia was quite aware of this an didn't bother at the moment to call them that, she was quite unsure of it herself. Hige didn't need much instruction, he was okay...small you know...stuff that could be better, but most was pretty damn enjoyable, plus as you said, they do have rocking bodies, I mean you could bounce a quarter off his abs.