London Calling

Addyson smiled as well. Just because she worked for and loved England didn't mean the fact that its government could be an unruly behemoth was lost on her. "I daresay the money is still being justly spent but as it stands I follow the orders. I don't make them." She allowed the simple critique to pass, nothing more.

The cream was making Addyson melt. She relaxed as well. Everything was as pleasant as it should be. Even the small talk. A wonderful decision to take a trip to this place. She was thrilled with meeting Allison as well. She'd love to meet with her in the ring some day. She just hoped that it wouldn't be as part of her duties... or maybe she did. Either way she wasn't sure if it were her thoughts or the cream that was making her body tingle.

"Indeed."Addyson agreed. "Anything but the best is quite unacceptable." She added. "If we cannot expect that from ourselves then we shouldn't be surprised when it doesn't come from others. Pity more don't consider things in the light you and I do."

Addyson had to laugh at Allison's words. A soft chuckle, not unbecoming of a lady of her caliber. "I was greeted with quite the warm welcome if I do say so myself. Pair of uncouth harlots that call themselves Death by Seduction. Honestly, I'm surprised Ms. Sellers only sent two of her dogs after me. I certainly expect more next time. Almost had them until they pulled out that cane. Dreadful business." She added.

"Smashing woman." Addyson said, complimenting her nemesis. "She's done right by herself with the company she keeps as well." Addyson paused. "Her peers, I mean. She's our sort, you see."Addyson explained. "Unfortunately for those concerned, her wealth is vast enough that the things she does can have impact beyond the local community. To put it succinctly, what's good for Cassandra Sellers and her bank account is bad for England."

Addyson was silent for a long moment as she felt the exquisite touch of the attendant. "You know, Allison." Addyson said in the smoothest, softest tone she had since she walked in. "With women like us, the line between those who do right and those who do wrong is quite razor thin. Often times it's hard to even tell which is which." Addyson let her voice stiffen again. "Determination. Discipline. Vigilance. That's what a woman of fortitude must be forged from. It's certainly not easy to keep at it day in and day out especially with so much temptation in this world." Allison didn't need to know this. Allison certainly didn't care or worse would be irritated by it but Addyson had a point to make before they continued.

Addyson smiled. "It's certainly nice to see you've been blessed with all 'the right stuff' as they say... Makes me proud to be a fellow Englishwoman." The best way to tell Allison that one eye was being kept on her was to coat her threat in the richest kind of honey.

Allison exercised impressive self-restraint to keep from laughing out loud. How delightful this woman was. A slow, sly smile spread across her lips.

"Darling, I do so enjoy beautiful melodies telling me terrible things. Such poetry! These things you speak of, you surely are a noble woman. Certainly, you are a guardian of English dignity. I'm quite pleased that you chose to walk through my door today. However..."

The attendants finished their facial work and turned on each blanket so that it slowly began to heat up and thoroughly warm their clients from head to foot. "Please, relax." Sukiyo said simply, and the two of them gracefully exited.

Without opening an eye or moving a muscle, Allison continued. "Perhaps you should tell me what it is that you know about me. And perhaps I will tell you which qualities are missing from your list."

And with that, it seemed, that all the formalities had been removed entirely. Addyson let Allison's silky voice bite at her and smiled pleasantly. She certainly didn't need the heating pad for things to warm up but the massaging warmth relaxed and calmed her. She let out a contented sigh when Allison had finished.

"And I as well. Our short time together has been quite thrilling, I assure you." Addyson remained as stoic as Allison had. If only others could see how a proper lady got down to business. Real women, English women, didn't need to even move a muscle to slowly tear into one another.

"Anything I desire, poppet." A term of endearment if one chose. A ghastly insult if one let it be. "But as it stands, the only thing I am currently interested in knowing about you is how well you run a spa. From my experiences thus far, you've exceeded my expectations. I'm certain that otherwise, in other situations, you'd do just as well."

Addyson decided to continue with the small talk as well. It was a pleasant sort of conversation the two were having. "How have you been getting on in your matches? Is the organization everything you'd hoped for or do you find your opponents bothersome and hardly worth your efforts?"

Allison smiled grimly as her mind began to manufacture plans for this woman out of her growing distaste for her.

"Of course." This woman didn't need Allison around to assess the quality of her spa. Allison would not have been quite as irritated with her if she were in any other line of work. The government, and intelligence at that, were all a bunch of talentless vampires who made it their business to stick their noses where they didn't belong, much like Addyson was no doubt working to do.

"My matches have gone well enough, though it is hardly the matches themselves that concern me most right now. I am building for myself a business on the back of the AFW, and my in ring appearances are in support of that. Do you understand?" She asked, as though she genuinely thought that the idea would elude Addyson, though her tone conveyed no condescension. "Obscurity doesn't suit me. Privacy does. I am working to ensure that I never have to worry about either in my career with AFW.

"I'm terribly sorry to hear that you've been unsuccessful so far, Miss Queensbury. Better luck in the future. I'd be willing to show you a thing or two, and impart some of my many long years of experience to a fellow Brit, if you so desire."

"Intriguing." Addyson in a mild tone of voice, not committing an answer to Allison. She was certain she knew well enough what Allison meant. She liked this woman but probably for the same reasons that Allison hated her. They fit well together, it was thrilling to be around someone who probably wanted nothing more than to tear out your throat in a way that was completely undignified. Addyson let out a content sigh. She hoped that Allison got her first wish. As long as she was a good girl, she'd get her second. Something told Addyson, however, that maybe she'd have to work a bit for it though.

"Nose to the grindstone and all that, then. The burden of an English woman can be terrible but I am certain you'd have it no other way. The rewards are quite worth it." She added.

Miss Queensbury. Back to formalities, it seemed. Addyson let her tongue slide out of her mouth ever so gently to wetten her lips before letting it slide back into her mouth. "I don't recall saying that I was unsuccessful, Miss Watson." She returned the favor. "I didn't come to Japan to be undefeated in some silly wrestling organization. I came to bring the owner to her knees. She's merely greeted me warmly. Things are going swimmingly, I'd say."

Addyson. "You're quite coy when you desire to be, aren't you, Allison?" Addyson began. "I think I'd like very much to see if your years of experience could teach me a thing or two."

Allison's delicate laugh lilted from her lips, out of spite as well as pleasure. Once she'd stopped, she said "If this woman is a criminal, then lock her away and be done with it. I don't see the use in all this underhandedness, the sneaking around, it seems... dishonest. A proper Englishwoman shouldn't dirty her hands with such things." If Addyson was going to talk down to her, Allison thought she might as well play dumb. "Leave it to the men." She laughed.

"The girls will return in a moment. Perhaps after this session is done, while we are relaxed and warm, I can show you the basement. It's not strictly speaking part of the spa, but I assure you, it's therapeutic value is endless."

It was Addyson's turn to laugh now as she let out a soft chuckle of her own. "Oh, darling," She began. "Leaving anything at all to an English man is wishing for the job to not get done. You and I both know that the best trait of any English man is the company of the English woman he keeps." She smiled, a little genuine before letting out a soft huff. "Ahh, but... Ms. Sellers hasn't done anything illegal and there are ways to be improper without technically breaking the law." There was a reason Allison was not a spy and Addyson knew this woman of all people should be the last one to talk about dirtying her hands.

She left it at that and listened to Allison's words. They were intriguing and she felt a flutter in her chest. "I wouldn't miss it for the world." She added simply.

"I see. I wasn't aware that our government was in the business of policing good taste." Allison remarked dryly. She wore something like a smirk, thinking about their next stop.

Sukiyo and Amy returned right on time. They commenced with gently peeling off the masks that had hardened on the two women's faces, allowing the fresh skin underneath to breathe cleanly again. "Please, turn over and lie face down." Sukiyo requested in her calm, almost sedate voice. "During the massage, please close your eyes, be silent, and relax."

The part about silence wasn't typically part of it, but Allison knew that Sukiyo knew that Allison would appreciate it, which she certainly did. She'd had her fill of this woman, and she took the duration of the massage to quiet down her mind and reflect on the possibilities that the rest of the day held.

Sukiyo's strong, expert hands very quickly put her at ease, while Amy went to work on Addyson. They were both very skilled, but in slightly different ways that were evidenced in their personalities. Sukiyo was slow, deliberate, heavy, while Amy was more delicate with her hands, more concerned with the sensation and comfort. Anyone would be more than satisfied with either one of them, though, and Allison was again convinced of her impeccable eye for talent.

Addyson let Allison's words pass quietly as she heard the two attendants return. She dutifully complied with them as they removed the mask, feeling the wonderful sensation on her skin. She slipped onto her stomach and closed her eyes, taking the opportunity to reflect on what Allison had in store for the two of them.

The touch was wonderful and if not for her sense of good taste, Addyson may have let out an unladylike moan of pleasure from the hands. But she was composed and remained silent. Allison had been a wonderful discovery and would provide quite the distraction while she was holed up in the AFW. A side project of sorts, she'd have to be more thorough with the woman's background check when she got home. She just hoped she wouldn't find anything too damning, she'd hate to have her arrested and ruin their fun together. The thrill of playing chess with a fellow Englishwoman of Allison's caliber almost made her forget about Cassandra and Lukretia. Or maybe it was the massage?

Allison let all thoughts of the English spy next to her slip from her mind and she eased herself into a state of peaceful, indulgent relaxation. The massage lasted for around forty minutes, but the time slipped past like it was nothing, and she emerged on the other side centered and relaxed and renewed. The attendants each placed an ornate glass of artesian water on the small table at their clients' right hands and silently left the room. Allison remained still for several more minutes.

"Scarcely more than an hour in, darling. A full day here would last around nine hours. We have other plans next, I think, equally edifying." She slowly sat up, wrapping the blanket around her chest so as to stay covered, and took a long drink from the glass, and then slid off the table. Her walk was even more fluid than usual as she moved to Addyson's table and placed a hand on hers. "Come, let me show you where I work." She said with a smile.

In her more relaxed state, she found it more difficult, or rather felt less compelled to keep up her pleasant, mildly naive front. For better or worse, her true colors showed through in the dreamy but focused look in her eyes, the slight smirk on her lips, in her unflinchingly self-assured face. She placed a hand on her hip as she helped Addyson to her feet, and then turned and walked easily out of the room, closing the door behind Addyson.

She led her to a door adjacent the rear exit, perpendicular to her office door, and paused. "I must attend to one business matter before we continue, excuse me." She swiped a key card to unlock her office door, entered, and closed the door behind her. She picked up her phone from the desk and quickly sent a text to Jamie Valentine. It read "Please come to the spa and show the English girl around the city." Even Jamie would understand the innuendos there.

She emerged from her office, closing the door behind her, and swiped her card to unlock the door to the basement stairs. Even the stairs and the walls in the stairway down were finely appointed, the railing hand carved from what appeared to be a single piece of rosewood. The tail of a long, wispy design trailed up the stairway, painted on the side wall in black, and it continued on to fill the entire broad wall of a large, open room. The next wall was occupied entirely by a massive mirror, in front of mats that covered most of the floor. There were neat, artfully placed rows of various sorts of exercise equipment, and on the edge of the mats were three turnbuckles and two sets of ropes making up half a wrestling ring, the side parallel to the mirror stood two feet away from it. Past the mats was another screened off changing area and past that were shelves and cabinets for storage of various sorts.

Allison strode through the room to the shelves in the back and emerged a moment later with a small pile of folded, black exercise clothing, a sports bra and stretchy shorts. She handed them to Addyson, and gave her only a look and a smile, saying nothing.