Viper's Pit with the "Real World Champion"

Adrian was still recovering from her hellacious ladder match at Avalanche, even though she had walked out of the arena on the night with very little problems the morning after was the worst kind of hangover, the aches from all the stupid things she did coming back in full force as her muscles threatened to tear off the bone, even the painkillers weren't helping at all. The next few days were a slow recovery cycle until she felt good enough to show her face in public, not hunched over in pain.

Now the mid-section pain was nerves as she tried to sit as still as possible eyeing a long line outside a storefront window. "<They're not all for me are they?>" She asked in Japanese to the security guard standing nearby. Somehow she had been selected to do the first major autograph signing, and stranger still, there was a lot of people wanting to see the woman who pretty much represented all of the disrespectful gaijin-ness that most people went along to hope she got seriously hurt, and now she had fans? "Fuck my life..." she groaned, faceplanting on the stack of pictures.

Trying to regain as much composure she faced the first few fans with a forced smile. "<Nice to meet you, yeah.>" She said, scribbling her name onto various pieces of merch, getting more into it with each magazine, poster and T-shirt, starting to find a few patterns in who was here for her and who wasn't. A large proportion (by AFW standards) were women, like she'd heard about the Joshi's of old not just being for otaku's to perv over, even if she was very un-japanese compared to them. Well, that was something to take a bit of pride in, she had said she was a role model when the former cosplayer claimed to be World Champ, maybe some of that had actually stuck in a good way. "<So does that mean when I become champ I have to go around asking you to sign it>" She joked, scribbling on a replica AFW title belt, the merch variation. Not the actual effort attempt Adrian had made. "<Actually that might be pretty cool, don't think it'll have room for everyone's name though.>"

Amongst the hectic-ness of the line building at Adrian's booth of the AFW dome convention hall, Reika was leaned back with one foot placed back against the wall, watching the 'champ' joke with her many fans, of course given the day it was, Reika was on a 10-minute break from her picture shoots, and fan signings herself, observing at just what this long serving fighter had in terms of personality, looks, and above all a snarky form of confidence. But to see her after the Avalanche PPV, worn out, and looking like hell overall...it was quite amusing for Reika to see someone so, well sort out, look like nothing but a recovering alcoholic. "Hmmm, how people change~" Reika would smirk, flipping down her cell phone from enough of texting, to break the ice with the familiar face, she encountered once before.

Dressed herself in her usual, smart attire, consisting of a grey buttoned up jacket and grid-patterned skirt, complete with her own insignia of the 'Viper' symbol she represented her ring image with, as she slowly started clapping, approaching from the side of Adrian's booth with a smile on her face. "Cheer up Adrian, at least your not drowning away your sorrows like poor Akashi and Taylor, were doing a few nights ago~" she said slyly, gaining some giggles from a few fans lining up to see Adrian, who instantly recognized the rising hardcore fighter, the Viper, who was now leaned on the table Adrian was grumbling at, with one hand pressed down firmly on the edge as some of Reika's fans, began taking pictures of the pair...

Adrian could tell that this wasn't going that well, with one of the official whispering in her ear about how she should be more cute or smile more. "<If I try to smile more I'll look like the Joker.>" She whispered back before finally getting a break in the long line. If only it wasn't Reika sidling alongside her and someone more... well less Machiavellian? was that the right term? Either way, The Viper wasn't exactly known for being a friendly face to people, not even away from the ring. "Oh hey..." the former cosplayer said, trying to hold back a reflexive groan. "Nope, no booze for me for... however long it takes for my blood tests to get back. Doctors orders." She replied, "Best to take it easy for a while before my next match. Whenever that is." It was weird to think that Adrian had been around for over two and a half years now, and had been in professional wrestling for 5 years total, making her one of the more veteran members of the roster compared to Reika. Not like she acted like one. "So how did yours go? Manage to avoid the infirmary?"

"Hm? oh fine...nothing special this time, but still, an experience of kinds..." she said lying through her teeth, since her time in her Avalanche match with Cally, made her feel a little bored and lust for more, compared to Adrian's fight against the one known as Angel. Unbeknownst to Adrian's boastful aura, Reika had the experience of fighting her opponents violently, beating every last mug until she won a title of her own success there, for it felt different compared to the corrupt AFW system, ".....but, I did manage to catch your particular match, Adrian..." Reika would say intently, turning herself around so that she would be perched, sitting on Adrian's autograph table, as the fans flowed back in for a mass produced picture of they're 'former' ring hero...

"Since all I see before me, is a sad, depressed little girl..." Reika paused, taking the view of surprise of Adrian was more depressed, than the ridiculously confident person she normally was, "tell me, did Angel really take your tongue out this time?~ she grinned, gazing her blue eyed glasses stare at the girl, while speaking her words in a relaxed whisper to Adrian's ears, friendly by all means, since her kindness was always fake within her personality.

Even to Reika, Adrian was one experienced piece of Heel work, almost admirable for her successes, but not unbeatable from what she had seen recently...

"Oh really..." Adrian growled at Reika's whispers. She had personally set out to be more modest after Avalanche, there wasn't really much more she could feasibly do while being one of the most notorious jackasses in Japan, and maybe it was time to be more respectful and build a reputation as more than the cheatingest cheater who ever cheated a cheat. It was something that she didn't think Reika would understand but having the crowd constantly react in a volitile fashion got tiring. The redhead had enough boob and willingness to show it off that she cold deflect most jeer attempts with ease. Adrian did not really have that luxury, being one of the flatest chests in the federation and a fairly conservative attire that she couldn't sex appeal her way out of reactions, and actually had to try to get a crowd invested so she could get matched

"Well maybe when they stop throwing you softballs and you get the asskicking you've had coming to you, maybe you wouldn't be exactly perky when trying to recover you get called out to do something that hadn't been asked of you to do for the past 2 years." The former cosplayer hissed through a fake smile as she continued to work on her line, no real subtlety towards her contempt for the woman sitting on her signing desk. "Although in your case that thing would probably involve not dressing like a 500 yen hooker." She added, getting a few 'oohs' from the crowd who caught that last bit "<Here you go, and if you get something nasty off it, sorry for not spraying four-eyes over there with disinfectant.>" She said with a smug smile to the next in line. No, Angel hadn't fully taken away her tongue, and despite her initial displeasure at seeing Reika, maybe she could take the opportunity to think of new insults. Be productive with her time.

Upon hearing Adrian's witty, but interesting choice of words to use against Reika's own, smartass remark on the beaten girl, Rei just giggled with amusement, she could take an insult...but it did sound almost too true that the girl behind the desk, serving her 'fans', was just barking her mouth aside from being in a weakened condition. "How amusing, but yet you yourself don't have much on the looks...OR any taste for sarcasm, no? pretty predictable, especially in front of a fan like me~" Reika would smile brightly leaning forward a little on the desk, as she would shift down her hand close to Adrian's mouth, and lightly slot a small postcard sized image of one of Reika's AFW promo images, into the cosplayer's blabbering mouth, while a few fans would pass flashing they're phones camera's...

Just to show Adrian that she was having a little giggle, trying to loosen Adrian's stress, and slight depression of her bad day so far...

"Mind getting this one a tall cup of fresh coffee and paracetamol? I think she's gonna need it~" Reika would say to one of the passing AFW crew members, fully aware that Adrian was acting like her normal, 'big ego' self Reika had heard so much about, even from her friend Natasha to top it off. And in a way, Reika was speaking some truth on her 'fan' side of Adrian, she always admired someone who could speak they're mind, regardless of who she fought, along with showing quite the vicious reputation in the ring...hinting that the Viper was quite thankful of people like poor Adrian here. Big in words, but even bigger in preforming her skills in the squared circle...

"Mmmph!" Adrian let out when Reika shoved the picture in her mouth to shut her up. Spitting it out soon before the Viper sent someone to get her a cup of coffee and painkiller. "No Paracetamol please!" She called out "On a cycle, can't have any for 2 hours. Some aspirin would be nice though." She informed the staff. Paracetamol overdoses were nasty ways to die, and no matter how miserable she felt, it wasn't suicide level of miserable.

"So..." she began, trying to start up a more casual conversation, she finally had a 10 minute break in the signings, and with very few people she could actually hold a conversation with around, she settled on Reika. "You've probably done more of these than me, how much more do I have to suffer through before I can hit the gym?" the former cosplayer asked, sipping on her coffee. "You wouldn't think so, but turns out girl with no boobs isn't exactly someone people come to see."

Cracking a smirk at the sight of Adrian spluttering from the picture in her mouth, and the fact she was a little nervous on taking basic cures, Reika then heard the cosplayer speak up, something involving fans...and what Reika had many of already.

"Autographs? well, only a few to special fans...but giving them a show in the ring is a gift to them enough I like to think~" she said with a smile, leaning forwards to sign a over ecstatic fan's poster of Reika herself, a more suggestive image of her, but she didn't really mind but lightly blush at the good 'photographers' eye for her. Scribbling down her initials, in a thick red pen ink, before giving the fans a cheek rub before he left in joy.

For Reika, fans were always important to her, longtime fans, whose faces she could remember even coming to her first fights in the pits long ago, even when she was a newbie with no true name. "But why look so glum with your own fans, Adrian?~ Reika said before turning slightly to Adrian, sipping on her herbal tea, while trying her best not to bring up Angel so much, since Reika was in the mood for a chat now...

Adrian just sighed as Reika did her thing with the fans, some of whom looked disapointed that they weren't getting just Adrian, more seemed to be happy with the Viper's addition to the autographing team. "I dunno... it just feels weird..." she said "I made a name for myself out of being hated. Even back in the states, wasn't good enough to get people to pay to see me win, thought I might try getting people to see me lose instead. And it kinda worked... I mean, I wouldn't have gotten into Japan if I didn't have some reputation, even if it was one of a dorky cheater." She explained. "So yeah, it's kind of weird to have non-ironic fans. Takes some getting used to actually having to put on a non-smug smile when still recovering, didn't think people had such a high opinion of me."

As Adrian talked away about her woes, and a little history about herself, Reika pulled up a chair and seated herself next to the cosplayer, hearing her out, but gaining a little curiosity each time of being 'hated', something Reika was a mix of, as one having two halves of that world...on one half, adoring fans yearning for her personality and fight prowess, and on the other hand, the countless wrestlers backstage who spoke of her...negatively, while feeling the need to hate on her being in the AFW itself. Of course, her actions were cold, or branded as a 'jerk' to many, but Reika endured for the conflict now and to come soon.

"How interesting, most of my fans love watching me talk dirt and deal hurt in, and out of the ring...something I'm quite very known for~" Reika said before taking a long stretch of her back, to place her left arm leaning on the back of the chair, looking Adrian over, while reaching for the AFW stars annual on the desk...

Browsing the pages of such familiar stars of the rosters, before coming to two images of particular wrestlers, she yearned to take on for a long time. "But someday...just by breaking one of these two will be my kind of true pleasure Adrian, even you sometime when your in better...form? hm?~" Reika said flicking down her glasses, teasing the cosplayer while even thinking of poking the girls nose would just resort into something...un-civil, placing the page containing pictures of both Angel...and Taylor herself...digging in one of her nailed fingers into the image alone.