The Cowboy and the Celt

"Could you please change the channel?" Shauna yelled across the bar at the distracted bartender. The place was packed and the bartender was far too busy with drink orders to notice her. Another story about that kiss of hers was on the television and had been for a solid five minutes. She hated every moment of it. The patron next to her actually stared like an idiot in her direction trying to see if it really was her. She just turned her shoulder and looked away in frustration. This pub use to be a salvation to her. Sure half the occupants weren't even of Irish origin but at least the decor wasn't half-bad. The bartender sorta had an Irish accent too so he at least lived some of his life in Ireland. The stouts were strong and the food greasy and fatty. It was great.

But ever since that publicity blunder made the mainstream media, Shauna had become a celebrity for the wrong reason. Everyone always stared and pointed in her direction when all she wanted was a nice drink. At least the bartender always lied to the other customers in an attempt to save his best customer from harassment. But Shauna's fiery red hair was a dead giveaway and people always approached her. There was one benefit of all this of course. "Can I buy you a drink?" a random Japanese man asked her suddenly. She looked at him for a second and nodded with a fake smile.

"Sure!" she exclaimed enthusiastically. "Another Guinness!" Shauna shouted. The man said a few more things, none of which Shauna actually listened to. When her drink came, she grabbed it and proceeded to chug. When the man noticed this, he stared slightly taken aback. When the pint vanished and only a bit of foam remained, Shauna placed the glass onto the bar upside down with a loud sigh of satisfaction. "There, you bought me a drink. Now scram." The man pouted and walked away. The redhead tilted her head and sighed again. She looked at her watch. "Where is he?" she asked herself. Sure it was still fifteen minutes before 10 pm which was when Shauna had asked Clyde to meet her. But that was fifteen minutes more that someone else could stare or bother her.

A couple nights ago Clyde lost to Cheerleader Lilly in the worst way possible. Maybe other men would argue that getting raped by a smoking hot cheerleader would not be bad at all, Clyde had to disagree. He was humiliated in front of thousands of people and may have lost his chances with a girl he liked a lot. He didn't know for sure if Mercy was done with him he couldn't reach her that night or the next and by now she was probably in Hawaii for Summer Splash. Why was this even a big deal anyway? They weren't dating... But they were kind of involved...

"So goddamn complicated."

It seemed like every week life got a little more complicated thanks to AFW. Clyde didn't know where to start but from just trying to understand the stuff between him and Mercy to getting publicly humiliated by his Ex-Fiance in their first reunion since their breakup, to accidentally groping a girl and getting blasted in the head with a chair by her brother, to being molested again in public by some Cat-Girl for saving Shauna from Killer King and then getting assaulted by Dark Angel five minutes later. And last but certainty not least, getting put in a ridiculous hentai match with a possessive, sadistic Cheerleader who wanted not only to enslave him but to also sabotage whatever complicated thing he had going on with Mercy.

In short, Clyde was fed up with a lot of things AFW and didn't know what he wanted to do anymore. He wanted a break for a little while and when he heard Ms. Shuana O'Connor wanted to meet up at a local pub, Clyde was happy to go. Maybe a friend could take his mind off the troubles.

He was a little late but not too much. Wearing a black suit with matching tie and slacks, a white button up shirt and black cowboy boots, Clyde strolled in the pub in and looked around. It didn't take him long to spot that long flowing red hair.

He quickly walked up behind her and put his hand on her shoulder before leaning forward. "Howdy!" He'd tell her with a friendly smile before scooting up next to her at the bar.

I guess he's not coming... Shauna looked at the television. He was a solid 1 minute late. Okay maybe that wasn't such a depressing thing like she thought. It did, however, mean an additional minute in this place. At any second now, someone could walk up to her and ask her about that picture every AFW fan had seen by now. The redhead quickly learned one of the biggest cons of being a celebrity. Sure this would pass, but in the future if she became a successful wrestler then this would become a regular thing. And that just made her want to drink even more. After downing another half pint, though, someone put their hand on her shoulder. Not again. Thankfully, she wasn't belligerent or anything. With a glare, Shauna slowly turned around to look at the person who sat down.

Her scowl seemed to miraculously shift into a smile when she recognized Clyde. Before even saying hello back, the redhead jumped into him with a great big hug. "Hey!" she said in his ear while still holding him. Then, as quickly as she grabbed him, Shauna released him and shifted back into her seat. "Thanks for coming out," she said with a warm smile. It was the first time she had ever gone out with anyone, friend or otherwise, since she had come to Japan. It was hard to make friends here when she didn't know the language. At least she didn't have to think too hard to understand Clyde with his American accent.

"You look...nice," she couldn't help but smile at saying that last word. His outfit was certainly sharp and it greatly contrasted her outfit of...what was she wearing anyhow? She looked down and remembered putting on the stereotypical green tanktop and long orange skirt. How original. At least the combination of things meant Clyde could never have missed her. Not that her hair wasn't already a clear indication of her identity. "I never did get to thank you for saving me. Lemme buy you all the drinks you could ever want tonight." For a split second, Shauna regretted such a generous proposal. For all she knew, he was a raging alcoholic that could bankrupt her. But when the image in her head of her first match returned, she realized money was nothing compared to the peace of mind he gave her when he ran down that ramp. "What do you like?" she asked before suddenly stopping herself. "You do drink right?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. He had this whole cowboy thing going on so she assumed he did. Then again, she really didn't know what being a cowboy meant.

"Woah now! Heh, Missed ya too!" Clyde let out pleasantly with a light chuckle, pleasantly surprised by Shauna's warm greeting, her tight hug making him blush a tad a bit as he returned the embrace before the two sat down.

"Happy to join ya' and thank you... Sorry if I overdressed, kind of a habit now I guess. Heh. You're lookin' great though." He'd respond to her with a nervous chuckle, subtely checking out the ruby haired beauty with the nicely fitting green tank top and orange skirt. He was all business-y because that was what dealing with Mercy changed him into. And he sort of didn't mind, he looked looking like a success, hell even Shauna didn't seem to mind.

His face got a little serious though when she brought up how he saved her and wanted to return the favor by buying him all the drinks he wanted. Clyde licked his lips at the offer like he was offered a great big juicy steak, but couldn't help but frown slightly at her question. Did he drink?

"Uh..." He didn't even know anymore. He hadn't had a beer in SIX MONTHS. Did he really want to start back up again and possibly sink? But how low could he sink now? What did he have to lose by having 1 drink with a nice girl who was buying him a round? Maybe all he needed was a guilty pleasure to get his spirits back up?

"Hell yeah I do! Shot of whiskey, friend!" He'd beam happily with a bright smile.

Shauna smiled and said "Thank you," for the compliment on her look. It was flattering for sure, but she wasn't about to look any further into it. At least not so soon after that incident with Johnny. She needed to be a little more responsible with those kind of things. Especially if she was to keep wrestling for AFW. She didn't want to be that girl. She probably should have been careful and cut back her drinking as well. Inhibitions were good. "Hah! Great choice!" she beamed right back at Clyde. Well that didn't last long. She gestured the bartender over to the two. "Give me two shots of Irish whiskey, Jameson if you have it."

As they waited, Shauna grinned at Clyde. "Not many people prefer whiskey. If they do drink pure stuff it's usually vodka...or rum." The girl shuddered. "I don't like that stuff...not enough burn." The bartender didn't take much time to bring two shot glasses to the two filled with an amber liquid. Happily, Shauna picked up on and held it up towards Clyde. She suddenly felt extremely nostalgic by it all. It had been forever since she'd taken shots with a friend before. All of her problems felt miles away. "Here's to my savior," she stated with a suppressed grin. It sounded so corny but she did feel like it was the truth. There had to be a better way of saying it. She waited for Clyde to pick up his shot. Then in one motion, Shauna leaned back and downed the whiskey. She flipped the shot glass upside down and smacked it against the bar in victory. As always, the taste was masked by the intense burn.

And it was good, warming her all the way down. "Ah..." she sighed in relief. "What else do you like?" she suddenly asked as if she was an alcoholic. Alas, drinking was the only thing she knew she had in common with Clyde by this point. A couple more drinks and any potential awkwardness would be vanquished! "What else do cowboys drink other than whiskey? I assume it's not this," she said as she picked up her pint glass of dark stout. "Not that this is bad of course...I just doubt they're tough enough to enjoy a strong drink casually," she added the last bit with a grin.

Clyde couldn't help but sigh and admire the sight of amber filling that nice clear glass. It was a nice, beautiful sight if he did say so himself, watching the glass fill up as Shuana talked about her drinks, she clearly knew her drinks and that was something Clyde could admire quite a bit.

He blushed slightly though when she held up her glass towards him and thanked her 'savoir'. Such a title made him a bit bashful. "Aww man, It wasn't nuthin'." He'd mutter, about to pick up the glass before Shauna suddenly downed the whiskey like nothing. Clyde's eyes shot open wide and his jaw dropped. "...Gah dang girl!" He started to laugh. "Wooow. Hahaha!" That was quite impressive! So much that Clyde had trouble answering her questions for a bit.

"Uh... I.... Don't know. Heh." He'd stumble over his words before downing his shot, making a face and shaking his head slightly. "Ah." He'd clear his throat. "Whew!" He'd let out before licking his lips, he loved that familiar taste.

He later raise an eyebrow through following Shauna's later statement before giving her a confident smirk. She was challenging him! He'd show her!

"Ha! Girl please! You talkin' to the man who punched a cheetah man in the face! This cowboy's plenty tough!" He'd boast with a cocky grin before reaching over for the pint, his fingers slipping over Shauna's as he went to try and give this baby a whirl.

"You gon' let me have it?" He'd ask, looking her in the eyes with a confident gaze, knowing his fingers were pressed tightly on top of Shauna's, ignoring that awkward feeling. It wasn't anything that big of a deal, but it felt nice, especially right now.

"Punched a cheetah in the face?" Shauna asked with a half-laugh. That was a fun thing to picture. A cowboy running up and- "Hey...cheetahs aren't in America..." she muttered but was interrupted by Clyde as he reached over to take her drink. She raised an eyebrow as he fingers overlapped hers. With a grin, she reached up with her free hand and gently pulled his fingers off hers. "No," she stated simply as she freed herself and took a sip from her pint while gazing right back at him. It was hard to keep a straight face after that, however, and she laughed.

Then Shauna smiled and winked, "I'll get you your own, boy." She waved the bartender down again and requested another pint. "It's not like that water you drink out West boy. This is real stuff." Maybe it was the alcohol but at least for the moment Shauna felt very relaxed and happy with things. This wasn't where she thought she'd be at this part of her life. But it didn't matter. As long as simple pleasures like these were around, everything else didn't matter. There was nothing weird at all about drinking with a cowboy who was wearing a suit in an Irish bar in Tokyo. Nothing at all.

When the bartender returned, Shauna quickly handed Clyde the full glass and lifted up her own to clink his. "Cheers," she said with a rather bad southern accent and proceeded to take a few gulps of her drink expecting Clyde to join her. She didn't drink too much of it, though, and was more interested in looking across the top of her glass to see Clyde's reaction to the stout.

"Yeah!" He punched a cheetah. "...It was King! Ain't he a cheetah?" Of course he knew that! America has bobcats! He didn't get a chance to tell her the latter as he went for the stout and touched fingers with Shauna who was quick to remove his fingers from the glass with a clear 'No'. Clyde blinked as he watched her take her sip before laughing about it, following by a wink and a smile. The latter Clyde returned.

"Hey now, I don't drink water back home, girl." He'd tell her as she was getting him his drink, which he'd grab as it was filled and handed to him, tapping it against Shauna's glass once he got it.

"Ha... Cheers." He'd say with small laugh, finding the southern impersonation rather amusing. He then lifted his glass and paused for a moment though.

"I really shouldn't drink so much." He thought. Making a mental note that he should call it quits early. He then went to take a strong swing, taking in a good gulp before his eyes would widen. He set it down and with his face all scrunched up like he had some sour candy. "---Agghh! Daang! That's strong, man!" Clyde let out still making a few funny faces after having tried the stout. It didn't taste bad, it was just new to him. He looked back at Shauna with a half-grin towards the way he reacted.

Shauna inadvertently coughed when Clyde clarified what he meant by cheetah. She didn't realize it was suppose to be a cheetah. Maybe a jaguar or tiger or something. But that didn't depreciate his accomplishment one bit. Shauna smiled and nodded to the statement. "Yea you did." She took another sip of her stout and laughed at the face he made when he drank it. "It builds character just by drinking it," she added with a wink. "And it's soooo much better than all the clear stuff they drink here." She drank a little bit more. It really seemed like a slippery slope to getting drunk. All it took was a little buzz to make everything taste better. And once it tasted better, you just wanted more.

Shauna finished up her pint and let out a satisfied sigh. "But what do you like to drink?" She asked him with yet another smile on her face. "Not the hard stuff I mean...ya know like beer." She was genuinely interesting at this by then as she turned to the bar and inspected the shelves of liquor. "Hmm..." She craved a mixed drink but after all that talk of real drinks she didn't think she could get one and not lose face. Her old waitress job had introduced her to a crazy variety of alcoholic drinks but she never really veered away from her favorites. It seemed natural to do just that this far from home.

"Do you ever miss your home?" Shauna asked suddenly. Ireland seemed so far away but she assumed all the international wrestlers had to deal with being away for long periods and even indefinitely. She wasn't sure how they managed to do that for so long.

"At least I think he a Cheetah. He might be a Puma..." Clyde would add with uncertainty. Not knowing that Killer King's mask was actually that of a Jaguar. He didn't think on it too long when the stout's taste was more on his mind, laughing a bit beside Shauna at his facial expression after tasting the strong tart drink that he could not finish as fast as Shauna. He still enjoyed it though.

Clyde sighed after another drink and set his glass down to respond to Shauna. "Budweiser and this Japanese beer called Yebisu. Bud smells like piss and Yebisu is reeeaaal malty like Colt 45!" He already picturing Lando with a can of the stuff that worked every time.

He was about to take another drink when Shauna asked another question suddenly. The question struck Clyde hard and made him sigh before setting the glass. "Yes." He chuckled briefly. "A lot. I wanna go back to Liberty. To Texas. It's where I belong I guess." He'd mutter before picking up the glass and taking another swing, making a less sour face this time as he thought of the green plains and green trees, the fish biting at Raymond Creek, the rusty train tracks that baked in the summer sun, the roosters crowing at the break of down. Home.

"You miss your home too? Ireland right?"He'd ask. Not entirely sure if maybe she moved to the U.S. or something. Didn't alot of Irish folk like to hit up N.Y?