The Next Step

"Oh, man, yeah. You're from Manhattan, right? You can't find a good apartment there, I tried. Of course, I didn't make any money, so fuck me, right?" Taylor said, immediately slipping into her native accent. It was a little weird how she could turn it on and off, she didn't think about it it just happened sometimes whether she meant to or not. She thought of it like she spoke two languages, English and bad English. Like Bruce Willis. Corbin Dallas!

"I'm from Staten Island, more or less. We were pretty broke, my mom and me, so it wasn't nice or anything, but yeah, no cow shit anywhere. That's a plus. Why'd you move here, though, if you don't mind me asking? Not for nothin', but Japan's got fuck all on Manhattan if you're making money and stuff. I woulda just been stuck getting fired from waitress jobs if I stayed there, so, ya know, Toyko's good too, know what I mean?"

Taylor realized that she was smiling, and not for show. What a funny little surprise this girl was. Too bad she worked for AFW, but at least she wasn't a wrestler. Not much of one, anyway. She reached down for her bag of almonds and fruit offered it to Mercy before eating a handful herself.

Probably what put her at ease was just feeling a little closer to home for a while. She'd been gone for almost two years, without even visiting. It'd be weird to be back in the States, let alone the city. Even if Mercy wasn't a real New Yorker, it didn't matter. They knew the same place, and to Taylor that place would always be home.

Mercy smiled back at Taylor. Having someone who wasn't an incompetent fool, or worse, trying to mug or kill her, around was quite relaxing. She fetl... at ease. Her shoulders dropped and her body language slowly melted into something less defensive. Less like the scared rabbit who lived in a world of hungry foxes. "Oh yeah, it can really be a pain in the butt trying to find one." Mercy nodded. "Knowing the right people and having working knowledge of the law can really help find you good deals though." That was something she liked about her position. Even if you were bullshitting, if you brought up the fact that you knew ANYTHING about the law or knew people who knew about it, a lot more doors opened up. People didn't like being harassed by people who could do things to them legally and most coalesced at the very thought of action against them.

Mercy listened to Taylor's words, nodding as she spoke, ready to filling the gaps where Taylor asked her questions. She saw the offered food and took a few pieces, nibbling on one almond carefully like a squirrel before stopping and sitting down. "I didn't actually have a choice, really." Mercy said. "I had ended up getting this sweet gig as this fancy famous lawyer's paralegal. Everything was payed for. High class, the whole nine yards!" Mercy was practically salivating at the thought of her old job.

"Anyway, she was a real jet setter and took on clients from all over the world. She ended up being Lukretia Von Creuzfeldt's personal attorney. I got to stay in Germany for a while and then Lukretia decided to spend most of her time in Japan. Margaret moved here as well and I came with. I thought it was just going to be a fun little vacation but Lukretia ended up firing her. I ... don't really know why..."

Mercy frowned and ate the last few almonds and fruit. She huffed and then turned her head. "And then... Margaret fired me." Mercy tugged on her hair and looked back at Taylor. "All I could do was beg Lukretia to give me a job but she wouldn't have me! She just said I could wrestle like everyone else! I don't know how to wrestle! I'm a girly girl! I like... not getting sweaty!" Mercy seemed to be pleading with Taylor. "Margaret too! She was going to have me wrestle in her place! I don't understand what is wrong with these psycho... bitches!" Mercy blushed. "Excuse me." She muttered and pressed her fingers to her lips. "I don't mind doing grunt work but I swear everyone in this place is nuttier than that bag you're holding!" She said and pointed at Taylor's nuts. "Fruitier too..." She added. "Sheesh! Hilde... that sweetheart, she hired me as her personal assistant but then there was this crazy chick that I met before that I had to beat over the head with a wine bottle when I was kidnapped...." She grabbed Taylor's arm. "I was KIDNAPPED!" She said and slumped against Taylor.

"Just... I really hate this place... It makes pouring over pages of copyright law sound like a good way to spend a Saturday evening." Mercy muttered before pulling herself up and giving a weak smile to Taylor. "Well... Rally doesn't seem too bad, yet... I just... I just know she's going to come unhinged like everyone else at some point! I know..." She knew. Accepting Rally's offer was something that she had done as much out of fear of Rally herself as she had done out of necessity or fear of Lukretia. Those two women she had known quite well because of her dealings and she was not fond of either outside of her respect for their own desires and abilities to obtain them. She wanted to do the things that they did. She just didn't want to be a crazy bitch. Maybe she already was in some way. She let out a sigh.

"Ahh... I'm sorry to pour all that on you." She added sheepishly. "I'm sure you care as much about it as I do about all that wrestling stuff you went on about." That was still kind of bitchy wasn't it? Mercy lowered her eyes a bit. "um... Thanks?" She said raising them back up quickly, hopefully.

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Taylor said sympathetically. At least she wasn't the only one that saw that everyone associated with AFW was totally insane. "But... Aurelia's cool, right? She seemed alright. At least... she wasn't a total dick to me like Lukretia. She didn't set me up to get my ass kicked just for the hell of it."

Taylor leaned back and grinned. "It's okay, I don't like wrestling either sometimes. When you spend all day surrounded by crazy wrestler chicks who just want to eat you alive and stuff it's good to get away and see some normal people. That's why I like it here, man, I know the AFW gym is way better, but it's full of wrestlers. Who wants that? Wrestlers are a total drag, man, they're all bitches whether they act nice or not, and they all just want to beat the shit out of you in front of everyone just to look good. And they're all fucking gay, too."

She sighed. She pushed a lock of blue hair back off her forehead and stretched her toned, muscular legs. It was a little interesting, she thought, that she was less self conscious in her little spandex workout shorts than she was in jeans or something fancier. She didn't need to worry about how they fit, and she wasn't worried about looking bad in them. And they let her move, which made her more comfortable. She didn't like being restrained.

"So anyway, speaking of getting canned, am I gonna get fired? Is that why she sent you after me?" She asked candidly.

Mercy backed away from Taylor's personal space as she asked her question. "Yeah, I mean. I don't think she's going to snap your head off or anything. To your face she'll be nice. I mean... I don't think she'd talk about you when you're back's turned either. It's just..." Mercy shook her head. Taylor didn't need to know anything else. "Yeah, you'll be fine. Don't worry." Mercy offered Taylor a small smile.

Mercy nodded thoroughly when Taylor spoke. They were also smelly and intimidating and beastly. Taylor forgot to mention those tings too. Mercy took a second to look around the gym. Maybe this place wouldn't be so bad? "I've just been doing some workouts at home..." She muttered. But her eyes widened at Taylor's last words. "But..." Mercy stuttered. What was wrong with her lifestyle choice? Was it a choice? She wasn't even sure anymore. She just decided to play it cool. Even if she was gay, it's not like she liked Taylor or anything. Her mouth opened but she shut it quick again. It was best not to open that can of worms. Taylor would probably beat her up if she thought she was getting looks. Instead, she just let out a sigh.

Mercy shook her head again. "They can't fire you." Mercy said as she smiled at Taylor. "I don't really understand how you could think that." Mercy pulled out a little notebook and flipped through it. "I've been doing some research and you have a lot of "pop." She flipped another page. "You're very marketable and your "Q-rating" is actually pretty high. It doesn't matter that you have lost matches. If I had to speculate, then I would say that only increases your popularity." Mercy stood up and turned to face Taylor. "Look at you! People want to root for you! You're brash and confident and sexy! But you're not a slut and you're not ... uh...." Mercy paused. "Well... the kind of bitch that turns people off..." Mercy frowned. "Well, whatever. Rally isn't going to fire you. She's scouting out the up and coming talent. She's seeing what she can do to help make AFW the best it can be and you were at the top of her list."

Mercy put her notebook away and crossed her arms under her chest. "Isn't that all you really need to know? You have an appointment with her tomorrow afternoon. She's... not really a morning person."

Taylor scowled and fidgeted uncomfortably while Mercy ran through her list of praise. None of it was true, of course. Well... Taylor had come to terms with the fact that she had her share of fans. She'd convinced herself that they were only temporary, that she was flavor of the month when she won the Entropy belt and that it would all blow over soon. At the moment, she couldn't imagine that anyone would actually like her like that, not if they knew her, which not many people did.

"It seems like I've been on the 'up and coming' list for an awfully long time. If I really was, you think I'd be there by now." Taylor said matter-of-factly, if a little glum. Words like "brash" and "confident" were people's way of saying that Taylor was a shit-talking little bitch. She knew how it worked.

She shook her head. The ocean of self pity she'd been drowning in was too much, even if she was depressed. She had to snap the fuck out of it.

It was about time for round two with the gym, though, as she was beginning to get restless. One knee began bounced up and down and her hands wandered aimlessly, playing with the bag in one hand and tugging at her bangs. She needed to get up and move and wear herself out some more. She was physically recovered well enough, and she was emotionally unsettled. She needed her drug to turn her brain off.

"Tomorrow afternoon? Like, what time? I'm not a morning person either, but I get up early these days. Um... I guess just text me or whatever or something, ya know, any time is cool." She had to admit, something stirred in her with the thought of meeting Aurelia. She was a little excited, though she tried to tuck the feeling away to kill the risk of being let down by the whole thing. She remembered Aurelia as being on her side, maybe the only person in AFW management who was, but... Taylor was naturally very skeptical of it.

Mercy frowned at Taylor's reluctance to accept praise. The pink haired girl fidgeted a bit. "I-I'm trying to help you out here! Seesh! If someone had come up to me and said, "Hey you're doing alright. You're on your way to the top!" I probably wouldn't have fucked a slack-jawed cowboy because I was desperate!"

Mercy was surprisingly energetic when it came to trying to lift up Taylor's spirits and she wasn't sure why. If Taylor could be this out of it, then what hope did a mere mortal like Mercy have? It would be like seeing Lukretia or Margaret depressed. Not that Mercy worshiped Taylor or anything, but having done some research and meeting the girl in person she found herself definitely liking the girl. As far as wrestler's went, Mercy thought she could definitely get behind the girl as a fan.

Mercy let out a final sigh and nodded towards Taylor. She then blushed again. "Is... would that be weird?" She said. "To text you? I mean? That..." Mercy turned her head and twirled a bit of hair in her hand. "That feels like fraternizing a bit. Um.. I guess. Yes, well. I'll do that then!" She finally said and turned before stopping. "Um... I think this went a lot better than I expected it to." She said and smiled. "I hope the other meetings go just as good but ... " Mercy straightened up. "Oh, nevermind. I'll let you know." She said nodding at Taylor.

Taylor shrugged like Mercy was suddenly being weird. "Whatever, man, I have a phone. You probably have my number already."

Taylor couldn't help but crack a smile looking up at the awkwardly stiff pink-haired girl. The effort that she seemed to put into being serious was equaled only by her insecurity. Taylor could relate, and she couldn't bring herself to be annoyed by it, or to rebel against it. She didn't like dogs, but how could you not like puppies? Mercy was like a puppy. Too harmless to hate.

She stood up. "Yeah, okay." She said, stretching her arms over her head and bending her body to the left and right. "Hope your other meetings are cool. Um... who else are you talking to? Who are the other up and comers?" The more she asked, the more questions started to creep into her head. "And what does Aurelia want? And when do I get to fight these other bitches?"

Without thinking, she was bouncing ever so slightly on the balls of her feet. She looked not tense but tightly wound, as if she were a coiled spring waiting to be released. Her taut, slim, muscular body gave the impression that release could be a dangerous thing. Regardless of her size, she was a physical specimen entirely unlike the average person, and up close she exuded a raw, volatile energy that seemed even a bit animalistic.

"Yes... I called it and... you didn't... answer..." Mercy muttered, her words failing. She blushed at Taylor and turned her head. Why couldn't she just ask if they could grab lunch some time? Mercy felt like she shouldn't even be talking to Taylor but she had talked to people who had international stature. Could it be because she was trying to cross the line between business and personal?

Mercy shook it off when Taylor responded. She nodded and smiled. "Me too. Honestly I thought I was going to get beat up or something. This really shouldn't be so bad then, I think." Mercy pulled out a notebook once more and flipped through it. "Looks like I most of the girls on the rankings." She said. "And Brittany Luvve." She scratched her head. "And Akashi Tanikaze as well. Huh... I thought she was just looking at the up and comoers." Mercy shrugged. "Oh well. I guess everyone needs to have a chat with the boss once in a while." She said as she closed her list.

"I guess you will get to fight 'those other bitches' whenever Aurelia gives you the say so."

Mercy suddenly noticed Taylor bouncing on her heels. "I'm.. you look like you are going to fight someone right now so... I'll be going now..." Mercy said as she tried to slink away. "Hey... You want to.. um... have some lunch some time, maybe?" She asked. "I don't really have any girlfriends," Mercy waved her hands as her eyes widened. "I mean... friends who are girls!" She panted and then inhaled and looked back at Taylor. "And it would be nice to just have something... normal going on for a change and well... You're that, I think." She said as her eyes ran up and down the energetic girl's body, nervous at the girl's sudden excitement. Mercy smiled hopefully at Taylor.

Taylor's face tightened and her fists clenched at the mention of Brittany and Akashi. Each of them were responsible for massive amounts of her recent suffering, between Brittany breaking her bones and Akashi breaking her heart and betraying her. The mention of their names darkened Taylor's face, but she snorted and looked away.

"I can't wait." She mumbled. She looked back at Mercy, who was slowly backing away from her. She gave her an apologetic smile. What Mercy said next caused Taylor to raise her eyebrows. She was surprised, sort of, not that she thought that the little lawyer didn't like her, she actually hadn't thought once about whether to consider her an enemy or not, but it was not a common thing for someone to extend a friendly invitation to Taylor. She didn't exactly invite that sort of thing, she knew it.

She furrowed her brow for a moment while she pondered it, but then she realized she'd almost left Mercy hanging. She shrugged. "Yeah, sure. That'd be cool. Give a ring sometime. All I do is train and stuff, so my schedule is really easy." Mercy would actually be a nice change of pace, Taylor thought. She seemed pretty uptight, but she didn't seem all that crazy or vengeful or any of the other things that Friction girls unfailingly turned out to be.

She laughed. "But... You think I'm normal? Who have you been hanging out with?"

Mercy acknowledged Taylor's darkened scoffing when she snorted but tried not to show it. People in AFW had issues. When your living is to beat the crap out of people for money then inevitably bad blood happened. She was used to i and probably actually pretty sympathetic. Lawyers were the same as wrestlers but instead of beating each other up with head locks, leg drops and the occasional chair, their smack downs were done with big volumes of legalese, court-speak and ingenuity. Allt he same, scars were left and enemies were made. Regardless of profession, you had to look behind you always to see when the next knife was coming for your back. Plus, if Mercy could befriend Taylor, she would actually have someone who was tough to have her back.

That thought segued perfectly into Taylor's question and Mercy rolled her eyes and shared a laugh with Taylor. "Psycho bitches. Crazy, psycho bitches. And horny cowboys. Whatever you have going on, you don't seem much worse than any other New Yorker I've met, for what it's worth." Mercy smiled a little brighter. "And that's good enough for me!" Mercy's phone buzzed suddenly and she pulled it out.

"Oh! It's the boss! Heh! Well I'll be sure and get back to her after I have a lunch. Just being in this place is really working up an appetite!" Mercy shook her head. "Just kidding, I'm not THAT weak! Maybe sometime I'll join you for a workout." Mercy then paused and raised her finger. "Half a work out. No sparring or any of that wrestling stuff." She wasn't finished. "You know, maybe sometime I'll come run treadmill with you. Yes. That sounds wonderful!"

Mercy turned and began typing on her phone with one hand as her other pulled out an mp3 player and began searching through her playlist. "See ya, Taylor!" She said as she nudged her way out the door.