Only You to Come Back to

After her match, Jocelyn refused medical attention. She had hobbled through the crowd, not even wanting to go past Cassie and down the ramp. When she sat at her locker, she leaned against it and contemplated what she was doing. She should have won that match. She had thoroughly trounced Cassie in every way possible and yet...she wasn't even sure if she could walk on her own two feet. She was forced to tap while she cried out in pain and her only consolation was that barely anyone saw it.

There was one person in particular that definitely could have watched it and who was no where to be seen. She put all of the things she needed into her purse and put on some sandals. She wasn't even going to bother to change. She was basically wearing location appropriate attire anyway.

Before her match she had a short conversation about where Allison might be when all was said and done. She was, of course, looking to celebrate her assumed victory. To rub it in Allison's face. Now that she'd lost? Well... She made her way to the beach where Allison was no doubt lounging in the heavenly beaches that Hawaii had to offer.

Jocelyn took a tram to the beach and looked around. There was one thing that she snagged on the way out of the arena and that was a crutch. It eased the pain in her leg and made walking not completely excruciating. She thought she could walk without it, but even she knew better than to be that stubborn and grabbed the crutch.

As she limped along the beach, dressed in her skimpy bikini with her purse over her shoulder, she spotted the woman. The one that she both hated and desired more than anything. Slowly she moved towards her until she was finally next to Allison, casting a shadow over the British woman.

Allison lounged on a towel, propped up on a cushion, on the serene beach reserved by the AFW. She'd already soaked up enough of the sun, and so was shaded by an umbrella and covered up with a light, fluttery periwinkle beach dress. In the sunshine, her dress and her blonde hair shone brightly, and her perfectly tanned skin glistened with tanning lotion and a fine sheen of sweat. She was content to sit and read her book all day if possible.

It wasn't often that she got away. Truthfully, she hadn't completely got away, even in Hawaii. It was still AFW, and she was still surrounded by potential competition. She paid them so little mind that she might as well have been by herself, and as she lost herself in her book all of her professional tensions melted away...

Until a shadow fell over her. She didn't need to look up to know who it was. Anyway else would've addressed her first, by name or otherwise. The only person eager enough to approach her but too timid to speak first was of course her little thug. Her pet bad girl. Her dog.

She let her linger for a while before she said anything. "Come for a swim?" She said casually, without looking up from her book.

Jocelyn turned and looked at the ocean when Allison spoke. She then turned back and looked at the woman she hated. She furrowed her brow. Of course she didn't come for a swim! She hated how casual the woman was but... when she opened her mouth the only thing that came out was a soft. "Actually... that doesn't sound too bad."

Jocelyn blinked at her own words. A dip in the ocean felt refreshing and soothing. It'd be a difficult go with her leg, but maybe she could even just relax in the water. She was already sweat soaked. She hadn't even had a cool down shower.

Jocelyn turned and hopped on one foot until she was in a position to ease into a sitting spot next to Allison. As she tried to bend, she felt a sharp pain in her leg, let out a cry and then fell down next to Allison. She kicked up a little sand and pulled her leg up. She arched her back into the umbrella cooled sand and pulled her leg up to try and rub at it. Her face contorted into pain as she writhed cautiously next to Allison.

After a moment of easing her leg down with soft, controlled exhales. When she was finished, she sighed deeply.

"I... I lost my match." She said in the most even tone she could muster. "I should have won. She looks... " Jocelyn grinned. "I beat her ugly." She added with a streak of pride in her tone.

"Mm." Allison nodded, only half listening. She turned a page.

She absent mindedly adjusted the drape of the hem of her dress where it fell across her thigh. She ocean gentle breeze and the Pacific sunshine had lulled her into a state she never seemed to achieve in Japan. She thought of herself as a flower just blooming for a day, or maybe as a hibernating bear.

She marked her page and set her book down next to her. "I suppose this place will be more crowded later," she mused.

Jocelyn heard Allison's words and turned her head. She dug her fingers into the sand and with pained effort, she pushed herself to a sitting position. "The event is just starting. No one's going to be here for a while. Do you want to leave?" Her voice was calm, normal like she wasn't usually screaming her head off at this woman and trying to kill her. Like they didn't keep a facade of civility around one another. Like they were friends? More than that?

"You've probably been here a while. This must be nice for you." She said seriously. Jocelyn then slid her hand and pressed it against Allison's leg. "Don't... go." She said and lowered her head. "Her fingers curled into Allison's leg but not very hard. "Why? Why do I keep losing? I didn't come to this place to be a loser. I fought... really hard today and it wasn't good enough. What am I doing wrong?" She asked seriously, staring at Allison's lap.

"Not yet," Allison replied. She was content to lounge under her umbrella until either her book ran out or her privacy did. She glanced down at Jocelyn's hand on her leg, and breathed a sigh, not quite annoyed, but not exactly whimsical either.

"Your problem is that you're a dog. You rely on other people like a dog relies on its master for food. Talent and work ethic make up a skilled person. I've built my career on beating skilled people. There's a third component, and even if you do have the other two, the third one you do not."

She wasn't interested in giving her any more thorough an explanation, so she didn't. She looked out over the ocean, her thoughts drifting back to her early career, before it was a career, certainly before it was remotely reputable. She remember with bittersweet fondness when her name began to grow, when she established her reputation as a frightening, unnerving predator, a hunting cat who prowled the ring. She sighed again, looked at her book, and opted to move her cushion and lay back on the towel.

"I'm not... a dog." Jocelyn said the words. They came out calm but stilted. A mild protest. She didn't realize how hard it was not to just scream at everything. To throw every word everyone said back in everyone's face. Was that how she was for real? Jocelyn let her hand relax and slid her fingers a few inches along Allison's leg, just to maintain contact.

"I don't know about talent. Maybe it's there, I've never thought about it. But I work very hard. Believe me, work ethic is something that has been beaten into my skull pretty thoroughly." Jocelyn smiled. "Even I wasn't able to defy that part of my upbringing."

Jocelyn closed her eyes and let the salty breeze tickle her nose. Jocelyn then tried to stand up with some difficulty and a few groans of pain. After she was done, she turned and looked down at Allison. "You're a miserable bitch. You deserve me as much as I deserve you." She said in a calm manner. "I should have just beaten you with the crutch."

Jocelyn turned her head. "I'm going to try and attempt to swim with a gimped leg. If you get tired of basting in your own self-satisfaction, you can come over and laugh at me."Jocelyn paused and shook her head. "But you'd never acknowledge anyone else except yourself, even if it was to toss a brick to a drowning man."

Jocelyn sighed and pivoted on her crutch. "Though, this was actually pretty nice. We should do it again some time." Jocelyn smiled. "Except with all the ... me being horrible stuff. I know you can't help but be self involved. I guess it's part of the charm I've come to love. I just need to figure out a way to work around it. Later, mate." Jocelyn quipped finally and hobbled off towards the rolling waves.

She actually felt kind of good. Maybe she should always get her ass kicked before meeting up with Allison?

Allison glanced at Jocelyn as she hobbled away. "You're learning," she said under her breath, and went back to her book.