Post by bigfan on Feb 5, 2017 18:04:53 GMT
The lights dipped to create a murky twilight in the arena, the stillness punctured by four thundering bass heartbeats and four simultaneous strobes of cold white light on the entranceway. Then, as a more steady bass roared out from the speakers, a giant pair of eyes opened on the ‘tron, lifelike to the point of blinking in the light and dilating as they moved slowly around to take in the arena.
SIGUR ROS – BRENNISTEINN:
By now most of those present knew that these theatrics heralded the rookie Astrid White, and this was confirmed when a figure, tall and slender to the point that it could only have been the Stranger, stepped into a spotlight at the top of the ramp and began walking slowly and deliberately towards the ring. White’s face was pooled in shadow by the hood of her dark jacket, with a glimpse of pale washboard abs and a white sports bra just visible through the opening at the front. But she had left the longest pair of legs in FAWN on show, midnight blue boy shorts leaving a curve of derriere beneath and then creamy and perfectly toned thighs ending in a pair of dark over-the-knee Muay Thai boots.
ASTRID WHITE:
Ignoring any distractions from the fans or the sonic chaos around her, the Icelander continued around one side and to the back of the ring, grasping the middle rope and raising one leg for a graceful step up onto the apron. Making her way fluidly through the ropes and to the nearest corner, Astrid stepped onto the first buckle and waited as the music reduced to another four thundering bass heartbeats.
Then, perfectly synchronized, White reared her head back so that her hood fell away, the lights sparking back to full glare to highlight this. Artful straw-blonde hair framed a fierce almond shaped face, while her grey-green eyes seemed fixed on a point somewhere in the distance rather than taking in her audience. She did make one concession to the crowd however, tilting her long neck and spreading two fingers across one eye so that the iris formed the bar in the tilted over ‘A’ she used for a sigil. A few FAWNatics, clearly those who had done their homework, responded by raising three fingers into a ‘W’ shape, the gesture her fans in Japan had used to honor her. But most either cheered or jeered happily, knowing that someone they knew far better would be out shortly.
Astrid clearly knew this too. She lingered for barely two seconds on her perch before hopping lightly off and placing her back into the corner. Her eyes locked onto the entranceway immediately and remained there, her body erect with obvious tension as she kept watch for an opponent she had been waiting for a long time to meet again.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the following contest is scheduled for one fall with a twenty minute time limit. Introducing first, already in the ring, she stands at six feet and two inches of height and weighing in tonight at one hundred and thirty nine pounds…she hails from Reykjavik, Iceland… she is the Stranger…ASTRID WHITE!” White didn’t bother to salute the crowd again, rather she moved to the far corner and settled in to wait on a woman who’d once taught her an extremely painful lesson.
SHINE DOWN:
A few seconds ticked by before the speakers offered up the sounds of heavy equipment at a construction site. Then a wailing harmonica cut through the din and the FAWNatics sprang to their feet to welcome the Queen of Razorback Holler. “And introducing her opponent, hailing from Jackson, Tennessee she stands at five feet ten inches tall and weighs in tonight at one hundred and forty-eight pounds, she is the Tennessee Terror, the Vicious Volunteer, I give to you HARLEY JO COLLINS!”
HARLEY JO COLLINS:
Accompanied by the mournful howl of Godsmack‘s ‘Shine Down‘, the backwoods brawler stepped through the curtain and looked out across the crowd with an inscrutable little half smile. As was her custom, Collins was sheathed from view in a pair of shapeless denim overalls that would‘ve been sacrilege if the regulars didn’t know what came next. Even more circumspect than normal this evening, Harley Jo dug into overalls, removed a small bottle of white lightning and helped herself to a long swig. Quite fortified by this libation, the Ace of Spades pocketed her poison and headed for the squared circle.
Collins’s long stride made short work of the aisle and would’ve done the same to the steps if she hadn’t paused at the base thereof. A hand went to her shoulders and undid the clasps on the overalls, leaving them in a puddle at her feat. Their absence revealed a black fightin’ rumble-kini, white pads and ‘Stars and Bars’ patterned boots. Once clear of the shed denim she slid under the bottom rope and pushed to her feet and strode to the middle of the ring. Arms spread wide, she turned in a slow circle that ended with a wink to Astrid. The Stranger’s face barely twitched, but it was just enough reaction to satisfy the American. Smiling a little wider, she backed into the opposite corner and offered up her pads and boots for the ref’s final inspection.
There were only a handful of women in all of FAWN that could look Harley Jo Collins in the eye without having to crane their head and even fewer of that number chose to do so from a distance of less than six inches. Astrid White added her name to this elite group seconds after the opening bell. Striding into the brunette’s space with a speed that was either confidence or insanity depending on your viewpoint, the lithe newcomer stopped just shy of her adversary even as the crowd urged both women to tear into her opposition. Neither did so, instead they looked one another up and down, each clearly searching for some sign of weakness or hesitation in the other.
After several seconds, Harley murmured, “Well, you’ve certainly moved up in the world since last I saw you, darlin’. As I recall our first meeting involved nothing more than a spotlight and an empty dojo.” She paused, letting her eyes flick to either side of the Stranger. “Spotlight’s still here, though I’d wager this one burns much brighter than the one in Kyoto. But this place sure as hell isn’t empty. Think you can handle that sort of pressure?”
White didn’t respond at once. If she had, Collins would’ve heard the small tremor of rage and that wouldn’t do at all. As it was her voice sounded calm, even disinterested when she said, “If you’re referring to the outcome our of previous… I believe you called it a sparring session, in relation to my current level of readiness, rest assured the presence of an audience changes nothing, at least not as far as my strategy is concerned. I came here to study fear in the greatest wrestlers on the planet, Ms. Collins. I mean to continue my learning with you, whether you fall among the ranks of the greats or otherwise.”
Harley Jo offered her a wide smile. “Never claimed to be one of the greats, darlin’. But considering what I did to you back in Japan, I’m more than good enough to give you another beating. If it’s fear you’re interested in, I do believe I can show you many new avenues of study.” Still smiling, she stepped back and raised her left hand into the rafters.
Astrid studied her calmly “I am happy to learn all I can from a creature such as yourself, Harley Jo Collins. To do so while teaching you a similar lesson is a rare pleasure.” With that she placed her right palm against the American’s and let their fingers intertwine.
Collins squeezed enough to let the blonde know what lay ahead, but not hard enough to draw a grimace, after all, the Test was only half done and she had a question on her mind. “Tell me honey, with all that bold talk of studying fear… are you still afraid of me?”
Astrid squeezed Harley Jo’s fingers in return, then said, “I was never afraid of you, Collins. No matter what you may have told yourself to the contra--”
Instead of lifting her right hand, the Vicious Volunteer placed her fingertips against White’s washboard tummy and trailed up to just south of her breasts. Offering that hand even as the crowd ‘ooooohh’ed’ in surprise, Collins asked, “Not as scared as you were that night, then. It’s still there though, not too far from the surface. Bringing it out is gonna be so much--”
White thrust her free hand against the brunette’s, clamped down and pushed up on tiptoe to apply even more pressure. Surprised by the quickness if not the tactic, HJC set her feet and pushed back against Astrid’s pressure. “Gonna have to push harder than that if you want to win this test, darlin’. I can already feel those delicate little wrists starting to roll--”
Astrid shifted weight to her left foot and TWHAPPED a quick Kneelift into her opponent’s ribs. Collins grimaced, caught her balance and answered back with a Kneelift of her own, this effort hitting just above the point of her opponent’s hip. Astrid dropped her heels for a heartbeat but was up and pushing again before the Tennessee Terror could take advantage. “You will bend the knee, Collins.” Astrid noted after another ten seconds of seeming stalemate. “My leverage and technique are both superior to youNNNGGGGGGHHH!”
Harley went ahead in the Kneelift race with a shot that hit just above the Norwegian’s navel. “Lesson one: Leverage and technique don’t mean a goddamned thing when you can’t draw a OOOFFFFFHHH!”
White reclaimed her lead with not one, not two, but three Kneelifts, the Stranger striking in a left-right-left pattern that dropped Collins’s elbows by a good six inches or more. “Care to repeat yourself, Ms. Collins?” Astrid said with cool disdain. “It sounded like you were having trouble catching your breath.” She didn’t actually wait for an answer, rather she put one more Kneelift into the brunette’s belly, then rose up and slooooooowly forced her opponent to one knee. Shifting their locked hands from midnight to six now that she had a clear advantage, Astrid rolled Harley’s hands back on her wrists like she was trying for an emphatic win in that old schoolyard staple, Mercy.
“It seems you have come to an important choice, Harley Jo Collins.” White noted with a faint smile. “Do you brave the pain an effort to regain your footing or does the fear of shattered wrists force you to an early surrendOOOFFFFFFHHH!”
Astrid had seized the advantage with Kneelifts, Harley claimed it for herself with a Headbutt that THWHUMPED deep into the blonde’s belly. Surging to boot-leather as the ingénue almost doubled over, Collins reversed the pressure on the Knucklelock and was rewarded with a sharp gasp of pain from Astrid.
“I have spilled blood on six continents, honey. I have battled the best and worst specimens of humanity that this industry can put in my path and even if I didn’t win, they always left with fresh scars and new nightmares. Point is…” she bent White’s wrists again, then jerked her forward and THWHUNKED a Headbutt between her eyes. “It’s gonna take more than a fencepost writin’ a dissertation on the Heebie-Jeebies to make me submit. The question you should really be askin’ is just how much data are you looking to collect?”
White was too busy clearing her eyes to bother with a reply, so Collins rocked her with a third Headbutt for good measure, then tossed the blonde’s left hand away and doubled down on her right wrist. A pair of quick Arm Wringers followed, Harley’s application of the simple maneuver distracting Astrid from the ache in her head with a sharp sting in her shoulder. With that arm properly torqued, the Vicious Volunteer dropped to one knee, pulled her left hand free and ‘smecked’ it against the plank of Astrid’s stomach. The feel of those hated fingers opened the Stranger’s eyes real fast, unfortunately she was a tad too slow to prevent Collins from digging in deep.
Silencing a cry behind clenched teeth, White shook off an incursion from the referee, then curled her left hand into a claw of her own and applied it directly to the space between her attacker’s neck and right shoulder. “My grip might not have the same aura as yours, Collins,” Astrid grunted as she poured power into the grip, “but I suspect that will change as soon as these people see the tears rolling down your cheekSWOOOAAAAHHHHERRRGGGHHH!”
Far from displeased by the Norwegian’s counter grip, Harley looked quite pleased with herself as she abruptly surged to verticality and muscled White off her feet via nothing more than the Wristlock and Belly Claw! Gasping for breath as the new position meant she was effectively impaled on the American’s talon, White kicked her feet and kept bearing down on the Shoulder Claw in hopes of forcing her opponent to let-- “OOOFFFFFFHHH!”
HJC released the Wristlock, put that hand on the small of Astrid’s back and used it to guide her down into a swift, unpleasant landing across the Countrycidal Maniac’s knee. Folded in half by the improvised Gutbuster, Astrid toppled over onto her back, then moaned in disgust as Harley stretched out across her chest and hooked the far leg for…
ONE
TWNO!
With the referee’s hand descending for the second time, White powered a knee up into the side of HJC’s taut ribcage and thrust up with both arms, pushing the brunette’s bulk off her. Harley rolled with the push and was back on her haunches in a trice, one hand rubbing idly at her ribs, but paused when she saw the Icelander sitting up with an inexplicably huge smile plastered across her face.
“Did you bang your head darlin’, or are you really so soft that this is all you’ve got? If memory serves you’re meant to be some kind of cold, calculatin’ type. Met a few o’them in my time, and it’s tricky to pull off if you start grinnin’ like a shot fox every time you manage to escape a pin.”
Astrid let out the coughing noise which was about as close as she ever came in public to a laugh. “I don’t know who you’ve met, Ms Collins, but I am reacting to having two hypotheses confirmed. The first is that you really are feeling worried about this encounter, enough to be willing to sneak a win by any means.”
By this time both fighters were back on their feet, the taller girl closing to juuuust outside of grabbing range and ignoring Harley’s snort of derision. “My second piece of new information is far sweeter though. Because it confirms what I told you when we had that unfortunate meeting three years ago. Those famous talons do not carry the sting they used to. You’re not as good as you once were, Ms Collins.”
Harley cocked her head a little in mock surprise. “Lord knows I don’t go in for all that science you do sweetie, but it strikes me that your thinkin’s a touch addled. See, if you really want to know what my little claw has left to give, you’ve got plenty more ‘data’ coming your wWHOAA"
Uninterested in a science lecture from someone who clearly hated the subject, Astrid moved her feet in a shuffle for an instant to get in position and then whipped one leg out and round to bury in Collins’ side. The brunette took this full in the abdomen and swayed a little with the impact but was still quick enough to get her arms up into a guard as White pivoted with the rebound and lifted higher, ending with her boot THWAPPING into HJC’s forearm less than an inch from her head.
Now up on her toes, White oriented her body the opposite way and then spun in a tight circle, launching a big back heel kick which again THUMPED into the meat of Harley’s shoulder. Collins had seen this coming and was millimetres away from reaching across to snatch the taller girl’s ankle. But the Stranger’s reach advantage and the jarring impact form the last kick were enough to make her miss, and she paid the price as Astrid’s boot pulled back and then fired out again in a pinpoint side kick which split her suddenly messy guard and landed clean on the point of her jaw.
FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN:
The shot was far from a knockout blow, but it did rattle Harley’s clenched teeth and rock her head back, her legs stumbling to keep balance. And this fraction of an opening was exactly what Astrid had been looking for, barreling in and wrapping a low Waistlock before the big American could rediscover her bearings. Collins’s hands came down quickly to form the beginnings of a Headlock, but not quickly enough as Astrid braced her feet and bridged up and backwards to drop the brunette onto the back of her neck and shoulders courtesy of a textbook Northern Lights Suplex. And she held the bridge as the ref slid in for a quick…
ONE…
Harley placed both hands on pale back and gave a big shove, toppling the bridging blonde onto her side and breaking the pin attempt neatly. But once again the lanky girl’s reach was a problem, one long arm swinging out and snatching her right wrist. Collins grunted and wound the limb back in, only to find Astrid using this anchor to pivot and lock her legs before pulling back into a simple but nastily effective grounded Armbar. “Ms Collins does not wish to submit yet,” Astrid told the official matter-of-factly as he slid in to check.
He didn’t seem quite willing to accept this but was more reassured when Harley waggled her other finger alongside an almost jovial wink in his direction. “Don’t worry stripes, I reckon Princess Elsa here’s got something to get off her chest. Let her speak a spell before she goes back to hurtin.” White gave her a sharp look, but realized that not talking just to spite her would be both petty and counterproductive.
“You are right of course, Ms Collins, I would be foolish to write off such a vaunted weapon after one trial. Indeed, I was in this building six months ago watching you use that claw to deliberately cause lasting injury to Alexis Suguitan even though you knew that you were helping someone you hate by doing so. Alexis is better than you, Ms Collins, but unlike me she can’t see through that fog of fear you rely on.”
Harley had been concentrating on using her free arm to grasp the trapped one, but the Stranger’s cocky tone gave her a better idea. Her hand slid down the expanse of creamy Scandinavian thigh, her fingers curling so that they pressed lightly into Astrid’s hamstring.
“You’ve got a funny way of deciding who’s better girl. I seem to recall Alexis spending some time in the hospital after that fight. I was at the Slaughtered Lamb before closing. And if all that happened because of her fear…” Harley chose this exact moment to drive her fingers deep into the meat of White’s hammy, drawing a hiss of pain and an immediate reduction in pressure on her shoulder.
“Well then I must be powerful scary…”
Biting down the urge to yowl as she felt those hateful fingers again digging into her body, Astrid raised her claw-free leg and brought it down as hard as she could, making a damp THWUMP as her thigh smacked into the Harley’s chest. “Let go!” she demanded, but this only inspired Collins to dig in further, her claw rotating slightly to take in even more of that vulnerable flesh. The angle meant that Astrid couldn’t bring quite as much force as she’d like with her improvised leg drops, so instead she crooked her knee and launched a much more effective stomp into Tennessee tits. Two more of these were enough to convince Harley to give up her vicious grip, and White finally felt safe to open her mouth again.
“As I was explaining earlier, Ms Collins, you have cultivated quite the aura. That claw, your famous head-games, your reputation for viciousness. Most people are so scared of what you might do that they don’t pay attention to what you can do. Or, rather, what you can’t do any more. Unfortunately, Ms Collins, I know exactly what you’re capable of, and so I know that GAHHHH NOT SO FAST!...”
The blonde could probably have continued all night but Harley decided that she’d heard quite enough, lunging over with her other hand to form a link and then using her strength advantage to pull back and roll out of the Icelander’s grip. Astrid sat up quickly and reached over in an attempt to snatch another limb, instead catching a hard kick to her face which rocked her backwards onto the matt. HJC was back on her feet and over the stunned girl in a trice.
“I think you’ve gone soft in the head, girl.” Harley raised a boot and DROVE it into the pit of White’s stomach, deciding she liked the wheezing noise the Stranger made in response a lot better than the sound of her voice. “Seems to me that if you’ve willingly gotten into this ring with a woman whom you say only lives to hurt and scare people.” another stomp, a much louder wheeze “then any hurtin’ and scarin’ you get is by your own choosin’.” Another stomp. “And someone with your smarts has to wonder why they’d have chosen this…”
Harley illustrated this last point by lifting on her toes and then dropping, bending her legs so that both knees landed with crushing force across Astrid’s gulping tummy. This was enough to sit the tall girl up and Collins kindly helped her the rest of the way to vertical courtesy of a rough one-handed grip around her throat. The demonstration of power was enough to bring a loud roar from the rapt audience, but Harley had something planned that would get them even more excited
White began frantically pulling at the paw constricting her windpipe and breathed an audible sigh of relief when she was released, only to realize that she’d been premature as she felt the grip shift to around her waist. Her hands had barely dropped to fight this new threat when Harley dipped her torso and powered the blonde up onto her shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
“You might remember this one from our last little get together,” Harley purred. The Stranger was far too busy kicking her legs and reaching out her hands to respond, and this only became more desperate as the big brunette went up on her toes and dropped again to her knees. This time the effect was even more dramatic, White’s tummy being driven into the posted shoulder with a force that ragdolled her limbs and left her no option but to slip bonelessly off to the floor.
The fans called for a pin but Collins ignored them entirely. For one, she was quite certain the lithesome newcomer had plenty left in her tank and for two, Harley wasn’t done having fun just yet. To that end she crawled over to White, shoveled her onto her belly and planted one hand between her shoulders while the other grabbed hold of the Icelander’s waistband. “Let’s put a little sag in that washboard, hhmmmhhh?” the brunette cooed to no one in particular. Stretching out full length like a woman who intended to do a push-up atop her prone opposition, Collins suddenly rose the tiniest bit farther and then brought her right knee down and in, just THWHUMPING the bony joint into Astrid’s ribs!
The Stranger cried out, shuddered and started to pull away, which was why Harley Jo treated her waistband to a savage yank! The wedgie provided more than enough distraction for the Vicious Volunteer to land two more Knee strikes and any resistance from the blonde earned her a sawing, back n’ forth jerk on those traitorous togs. Tiring of the game after perhaps nine or ten shots, Collins abruptly shot a Half Nelson and rolled White to her back. She started to raise her knees in defense of those aching abs, unfortunately HJC pushed ‘em down flat, then joined both hands high overhead and POUNDED a Double Axehandle into opposing navel! Eyes wide, cheeks puffed, Astrid hauled herself to a weary seat and took that same Double Axehandle across the chin for her troubles.
Collins finally went for the cover, dropping her lanky frame across Astrid’s belly hard enough to qualify as a miniature Splash. In the same breath she hooked a leg and drew it up high and tight for the…
ONE…
TWO…
White kicked out simultaneous with ‘TWO’, a strong reminder that this match was far from over. Happy to have this suspicion confirmed, Harley Jo worked a hand into her prey’s hair and forced her to stand. “Short of breath yet, darlin’? Collins’s tone was remarkably nonchalant as she wrenched the other wrestler’s head backward and tucked it beneath her left armpit to secure the Inverted Facelock. It wasn’t quite a Dragon Sleeper because Harley hadn’t trapped White’s right bicep in the loop of her arms, but it still had Astrid grunting and shifting as she tried to engineer an escape.
Harley didn’t seem to mind this resistance, in fact the smile on her face got that much wider as she carefully backed them both closer to the ropes on the southerner’s six. “Tummy still looks taut, Astrid. Does this hurt?” No time to brace, let alone respond, Harley just raised her right hand high overhead and CRAAACKED a slap onto that vulnerable expanse.
Swatting and pushing at Collins’s shoulders in the hopes of finding a way out (or maybe just some hair to pull) Astrid remarked, “It was far from pleasant, Collins. I’ll be delighted to show you the proper technique when I OW! OW OW! OWWWEEEERRRRRGGGGGGHHHH!”
The Tennessee Terror left an ugly impression on her foe’s abs in the form of three more slaps, each successive blow contributing more and more to the blonde’s new hand-shaped brand. Alas, things can always get worse and Astrid’s situation did just that when Collins crooked her index finger and gouged it into White’s tummy like it was an ice pick!
Quick to recognize the short, sharp wail of a wrestler enduring her first Navel Spike, the ref moved close enough to follow the action while remaining far enough to avoid any sudden flailing. “What do you say, Astrid? Do you need to give up? Tell me something quick!”
“Aaaawwww, Ms. White doesn’t wanna give up yet, does she?” Harley smiled a little wider as she duuuuuuuuug her index finger into Astrid’s belly button. “She still needs more research for her areerrrrgggggghhhh. One warning, sugar. Let go or I’ll make you scream loud enough to crack the glass in the popcorn machines.”
Collins’s change in tone was thanks to Astrid’s questing hands, which had finally found her rival’s hair. Pulling with as much strength as she could muster from this compromised position (the strain in Harley’s neck said it was still quite a lot) the Stranger grunted, “The official will force me to break my grip before reaching a count of five, Collins. If you can’t endure such menial discomfort for so brief a stretch, well, that’s almost an unspoken submission, is it noAAAAARRRGGGGHHHH AAAAAHHHH YOU BYTCH!”
Harley Jo very well could have waited for the ref to enforce the break, but that wasn’t the point. The point involved reminding Astrid White that her word was to be obeyed at all times and what would happen when it wasn’t. Yet the Icelander chose defiance, so the Backwoods Brawler moved her clawin’ hand south and affixed it to the center of her opponent’s briefs! White wailed and stamped her feet in anguish, the usually icy showing ugly cracks as Collins introduced her to one of the FAWN staples.
“Belly ain’t the only part of you I can maul, darlin’.” Harley said softly. “Let go of my hair before it gets any worse.”
Painfully aware of her position but unwilling to cede any sort of ground to the American, Astrid redoubled her efforts to remove great hanks of southern scalp. “Eeerrrggghhh… do your worst, Collins. Perhaps it will teach me something worthwhilAAAAAAWWWW STAAAAAAAHHHHP!”
Harley had already introduced her opponent to the torments of the traditional wedgie, now she showed her the inverted variation, a hateful little tactic that sawed White’s togs deep into her undercarriage. That finally got the hands out of her hair, so Harley Jo traded in her current grip for one at the blonde’s right hip. With Astrid distracted by the blessed relief in her nethers, the Tennessee Terror met no resistance when she crouched down and hoisted her burden up, over and back, a simple Inverted Suplex that proved much more damaging when it deposited Astrid gut-first across the top rope!
INVERTED SUPLEX ONTO TOP ROPE:
Nearly folded in half by the intrusion of the rubber-coated steel, White still had the wherewithal to put a hand on the mat to steady herself. A good idea to be sure, not to mention a show of ring awareness that belied her relative inexperience, alas it did nothing to prevent Collins from stepping in and wrapping both arms around the gasping woman’s midsection. “Sounds like you’re findin’ some real useful reference material, honey. Hope you’re not tired of takin’ notes yet, because there’s a whole lot more to learn.”
Hands locked, she dug ‘em into Astrid’s abused abs, then voiced a grunt as she swung the Icelander up onto the point of her right shoulder in a Canadian Backbreaker. Shaking her head ‘no’ well before the ref could get the query out of his mouth, White squirmed and kicked to no noticeable effect. Knowing that she couldn’t allow this drawling sadist to dictate the pace any longer, Astrid crooked her right hand into a claw, reached up and swiped Harley’s eyes. Or she would have, if the brunette hadn’t tucked her head at the first sign of trouble. “Nothin’ wrong about goin’ for the eyes in the middle of a war, darlin’.” Collins noted without animosity. “You’re just gonna have to be a little quicker about it. Otherwise bad things can happen.”
‘Happen’ was still on her lips when she rose up on tiptoes and swung Astrid down and forward while dropping to one knee. “UUUUNNNNNGGGGGHHHH!” White hit Collins’s left thigh full force and bounced off like it was electrified, the Stranger folding in half even before she hit the canvas.
GUTWRENCH GUTBUSTER:
Beside her, Harley raked a hand through her hair and thought about what came next. After a moment’s deliberation, she pulled the gagging blonde to a seat, snuggled in behind her and wrapped both arms around her waist.
Kneeling Reverse Bear Hug, Harley Jo Collins to Astrid White in the dead center of the ring.
Astrid’s eyes bulged open as she felt the impossibly strong embrace constricting her core. The referee was quickly buzzing around, and it might have taken a fraction of a second longer for White to summon the will to deny him than it had a few minutes ago. But deny him she did, with a shake of the head and glare withering enough to tell him to stop asking without having to use up any of the oxygen which was suddenly at a premium in her body.
Having established that there was no chance of salvation from the ropes without a long and humiliating crawl, White set about testing her bonds by working both hands down into the side of Harley’s arm loop and exerting what little pressure she could. This brought about very little reaction except the feeling of hot breath on her ear as the Vicious Volunteer purred “no chance of that, darlin’, what else you goAGGGGG”
The knowledge that Collins’s head was just behind hers was enough of an opening, Astrid again displaying a ring savvy beyond her years by first swinging up an elbow which the brunette had to crane away from and then driving her own head back hard to catch her on the rebound. The unorthodox but surprisingly effective blow ended with the back of her skull thumping into Tennessee cheekbone. This in turn caused a noticeable lessening in pressure on her aching gut, but more importantly for Astrid she now knew exactly where her opponent’s face was.
Harley had little choice but to tuck her head down into her chest to avoid another Headbutt, meaning that she then couldn’t get out of the way when White bent her arm and reached up, her long, questing fingers quickly finding an eyesocket. Collins’s eyes had reflexively closed, but Astrid was still able to get a thumb over her eyeball and exert enough pressure to cause the brunette to start seeing spots behind her closed lid.
“You will release me or you will lose the power of depth perception forever.” Astrid wheezed, used up a little of her precious air to deliver the threat, and then more to let out an exasperated groan when the referee leaned over and said “You have to get off her eyes, Astrid! Right now!” The man was just about to launch into a count when White’s hand disengaged, but this was more because she needed all her resources to avoid screaming as the bear hug ramped back up to full power.
“Still too slow babYEARRRRGH YOU NASTY BYTCH!” Astrid might have been denied an attack on one pressure point but she moved quickly onto another, her fingers pinching the lobe of Collins’ ear, tugging and twisting sharply through 180°. This had the twin advantage of giving her control over HJC’s head and surprising the referee, who didn’t know whether he could allow this or not. The extra seconds of uncertainty were enough for White to push the brunette’s head to one side and fling up her other elbow for an awkward smash. The angle meant that the blow wasn’t exactly carrying knockout power, but this combination of hurts was enough to convince Harley to abandon the bear hug so she could break the grip on her ear.
As soon as the pressure around her was released Astrid flopped forward, abandoning her claw to massage some life back into her aching abs. Behind her Collins was more concerned with ensuring that her left earlobe was still attached, although she had to give some grudging admiration at the girl managing to find a trick she hadn’t come across in quite a few years. Once satisfied that she was still in one piece Harley rose up on her knees and shuffled forward, arms raised high to deliver another Double Axehandle that would send the blonde right back into the world of hurt which she’d been stuck in for the majority of the match.
Unfortunately for her, Astrid’s brief period of relief had allowed her to recover a few of her faculties and anticipate what might happen next. As soon as she heard movement behind she whirled around, whipping a hand out with fingernails raised to raaaaaake across Harley’s right eye. The big brunette let out a hiss of pain, music to White's ears given that she'd been trying that for the last two minutes. To capitalize she rolled onto her side and flicked out a grounded kick which caught Collins in the temple.
Most people would have gone down from an unprotected kick to the head, but Astrid’s position had meant that she couldn’t really get all of her usual power behind the strike, and Harley Jo Collins was definitely not ‘most people’. As such she swayed back but stayed kneeling, an outcome which pleased White no end as she pushed to her feet and fired out a low kick square into Tennessee tits.
The top of White’s boot smashed into Collins’ décolletage with a loud enough THWAPPP to raise a sympathetic groan from those in the floor seats, the force driving the Countricidal Maniac down onto her haunches but no further. Astrid had too much adrenaline in her system to pay attention to this hubbub, sprinting to the ropes and returning with even more speed. When she was a few feet out from her target the Stranger launched off one foot and bent that same leg up to deliver a BRUTAL running knee square into Harley’s face.
FEAR OF FLYING:
Finally loosed from vertical by the impact, Harley’s body flew backward and ended up splayed prone on the mat. Astrid skidded to a stop in the ropes a short distance away and got slightly gingerly to her feet, finally having time to adjust her waistband back to a comfortable position after the vicious wedgie treatment they had received earlier on. Then, with a snarl, she rounded on the referee.
“Do you believe that an honest official could really allow this monster to force herself into any orifice on my body, and then threaten me with disqualification for grasping at hair and touching an eye? I felt fingers inside me, and if it wasn’t for the fact that I’m currently taming a feral beast we would have an extensive discussion about your understanding of responsibility.”
“That isn’t illegal in FAWN miss, and I know you’ve talked to Castle about this on several occas…”
“Quiet. If you fail to protect your charges one more time I will be forced take matters into my own hands.” Astrid was conscious of the need to capitalize on the short window while Harley was still dazed, and she had wasted most of this time correcting the referee. Annoyed by her own uncharacteristic lapse in focus the Stranger stalked over to the recovering brunette and drove a punt into the meat of her shoulder. Another one followed, causing Collins to roll onto her front and begin pushing up to all fours.
Her opponent being one step closer to vertical was just another item to add to the list of things White was currently annoyed about. But, unlike the referee, her aching stomach and the general barbarity of FAWN, this particular problem was one she could do something about. Using Harley’s raised back as a stepping stone, Astrid leaped surprisingly high into the air, tucking both knees up and then driving down again in a Double Stomp with all of her weight behind it.
Collins was driven back to the matt face first, with the Stranger managing to land on both feet like a gymnast’s dismount and stepping almost daintily off her landing pad. “Not bad, girl” Harley croaked, “but I gotta say I’m a bit disappointed that after all this talk of new eras, you’re still just nothing but fancy kicks and a hurtin’ tummy.”
The Icelander chose to respond with deeds instead of words, displaying that balance once again as she raised one leg back and reached down to grab her ankle. White then used this grip to pull her foot higher and higher until she was in a position which ballet aficionados would recognize as a ‘stretch arabesque’. Then she released, the toe of her boot describing a beautiful gravity-augmented arc behind her and SMACKING into Harley’s shoulder as she tried to rise again. The Backwoods Brawler let out an involuntary yelp from the vicious impact and rolled onto her back, sitting up and grasping at the joint.
Adrenaline still burning strong, Astrid reached down and grabbed two handfuls of brunette locks, using this grip to haul the bigger girl back upright. “We are both stuck in a rut, Ms Collins, you clawing like an animal and me kicking you in the face. But I know how to break out of that.” Harley was on her feet but with one hand still massaging the sting out of her shoulder, White snatching the other wrist down between her legs.
Harley started trying to pull away the second she realized what was happening, but it came a fraction too late as the Stranger looped one hand around her leg and transferred control of the wrist, snaking the other arm up and around Collins’ head. Not wanting to give the slightest chance of a counter, Astrid braced both legs and hauled up and backward, snapping down to her back to complete the Exploder Suplex she called Fear of Heights.
FEAR OF HEIGHTS:
The impact on her head bounced Collins out of the Icelander’s grip and dropped to the mat facedown. Astrid’s landing should have been much easier, but the strain of the lift proved almost too much for her abused core, her abs feeling like they were about to pop out from under her skin. Desperately pushing this pain to one side, Astrid reached over to hook a Half Nelson and then stretched over the prone Tennessee Terror as the ref slid in to count:
ONE…
TWO…
THRNOOOO!
Collins kicked out with a half second to spare, the task made slightly easier by the fact that Astrid hadn’t hooked either leg. Lips pursed in a thin line that was the closest she came to expressing real anger, White glanced to the official, held up three fingers and got two in return. “Very well.” Sliding her fingers into the brunette’s long locks, the Stranger helped herself to as much as she could grab en route to hauling Collins to boot leather. “What is that quaint expression you rural types seem to love so much?” Astrid mused to a doubled over HJC. “Ah yes, it’s time you had a taste of your own medicine.”
Balanced on her left foot, Astrid pulled her right leg back and pumped a quick, hard Kneelift into the American’s tummy. Harley shuddered and ‘oofffhed’ but otherwise maintained her position so White switched off for each successive Kneelift, the Icelander’s taut buttocks churning busily as she thum-thum-thum-THUMPED Collins’s midsection. A baker’s dozen had Harley Jo ready to collapse to all fours, but Astrid didn’t feel like wasting the energy to pick her up again, so she stopped throwing knees and straightened her prey with that nasty hair-hold. “I can’t say that I see any medicinal qualities to the punishment imparted.” White noted to the shiny-eyed battler. “It was however, quite satisfying to feel you panting on my--”
CRAAACK! Harley struck quick as a snake, swatting away White’s intruding hands to get a better wind-up on the Bytch Slap that caught Astrid on the cheek. Acting on instinct rather than conscious thought, White reared back and snapped her opponent’s head to the side with a Bytch Slap of her own. “Your respect and your fear, Ms. Collins.” she said coldly. “I mean to have both, the ratio in which I acquire them is entirely up to UNNNNGGGHH!”
Harley Jo slapped her again, the blow hard enough to send Astrid stumbling back on her heels. “You may be good with knees and elbows, honey, but you slap like a stripper throwing a hissy--”
The Stranger drew her hand back to answer the slight and in doing so opened up her tummy, exactly the reaction Collins wanted. Striking low, the brunette ‘smecked’ a hand against the Icelander’s welted midsection and squeeez--
“EERRRRRRRGGGGGGHH!” Credit the reflexes and awareness of one Astrid White. The leggy ingénue sprang the instant before the gut churning anguish of the claw could freeze her circuits and thus end the match. Lacing both hands behind Collins’s head, Astrid brought her right leg up high enough to brace her shin against the side of her foe’s face. Then she let gravity bring them both to the canvas, only Harley Jo’s landing was far less pleasant as the Single-Knee Facebuster forced her up on tiptoes, then toppled her backward like a felled tree. The FAWNatics didn’t even get a chance to cry ‘TIIIIIIMBER!’ before White crawled over, shoved her biceps into the pits of Harley’s knees and put the brunette’s ankles over her ears in a modified Matchbook. Perched on tiptoes and fingertips, Astrid nodded along with the crowd and the ref for…
SINGLE KNEE FACEBUSTER @ 00:10{/b]
ONE…
TWO…
THRENOOOOOOOO!
The Tennessee Terror forced her way free at the last possible second with a show of core strength that earned a sick twinge of jealousy from the gut-shot Icelander. Momentarily at a loss for how to deal with the resilient savage, White clambered to her feet and looked around the squared circle, hands on her hips. Eventually her eyes fell on the corner lurking in her adversary’s blind spot. Astrid weighed the risks and decide they were in her favor. Never mind the highlight reel-worthy nature of what she had in mind, even someone as tough as Collins would need smelling salts afterward, that’s what got her headed for the corner.
Closing on the buckles without incident, Astrid grabbed the top rope in both hands, put a foot on the second turnbuckle and hissed through clenched teeth as a wave of nausea threatened to half her progress. “Yuuuhhhh… you’ll have to do better than that, Ms. Collins.” White huffed once she’d taken a deep breath. The second attempt was far more successful than the first, but her stomach still roiled unpleasantly as she took that last step into the high rent district. Settled into a deep crouch facing the audience, White took another steadying breath before she stood up and ‘OOOOOHHHHHHH!’
Surprise and sympathy from the sold out crowd as a tottering but very much vertical Harley Jo Collins rushed in and shoved White’s long legs out from underneath. The ensuing fall was as short as it was unpleasant, Astrid almost sobbing as her tailbone landed directly on the roughly-padded steel ring. “This is not the place you wanna be right now, darlin’,” Harley rasped as she ran her hands over White’s shoulders. “But it’s not nearly as bad as the place you’re about to be.” She clamped down on the Icelander’s shoulders and pulled back so that Astrid ended hanging upside down in the most aptly named Tree of Woe.
Well and truly stunned by the abrupt reversal of fortunes, Astrid could only paw at the canvas and shake her head ‘no’ as the black-clad brawler crooked both hands into talons and sank them DEEP into the exposed meat of her midsection!
“AAAAAAAWWWWWWWW FAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHK!”
White wailed long and loud as Collins kneaded and worked her opponent’s agonized abdominals like exceptionally stiff dough. Already close by, the official let Harley Jo work uninterrupted for a quick internal five count just to see if she’d stop on her own. Of course she didn’t, so he stepped up and tapped her on the shoulder. “Get her out of the corner, Harley, you know the rules.
Collins raised her hands and stepped back without so much as bit of sass. “So do you, good sir. That’s why you’re gonna keep your distance for a little while longer.” The zebra opened his mouth to reply, but Harley was already gone, the Countricidal Maniac rushing to the far side of the ring where she made an immediate about-face and headed down her own back-trail. Astrid saw her coming, tried to ‘crunch’ her way back to a seat, but the strain on her abs was just too much and she was only about halfway up when Collins took to the skies and THWHUMPED both feet into her tummy with a brutal Shotgun Dropkick!
White’ OOOOFFFFFHHED!’ and dropped out of the corner, the Stranger landing hard on the back of her head and shoulders. The canvas was still thrumming with the aftershocks when Harley grabbed her by the ankles and draaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagged her out into the middle of the squared circle. Shoveling Astrid onto her back with a tired grunt, Harley Jo hurried around to her foe’s head, grabbed both wrists and pulled her arms high overhead. The crowd cheered and Collins smiled right along with them, her expression growing all the more satisfied when she dropped to her knees and buried the Icelander in buttocks. Justine Freeborne had almost spoiled Astrid’s debut with a similar maneuver, but whereas the Aussie was content to smother and control, the Vicious Volunteer went right back to work on the Double Belly Claw, just squeezing, twisting, pulling, jostling and groping all while the white-clad warrior squealed and beat her heels against the canvas.
Gripped by an uncharacteristic burst of shame as she snuffled and wailed against the American’s trunks, White tried to launch kicks at her attacker’s head, alas she was effectively blind and her efforts never got more than six or eight inches off the ground. After no more than ten seconds of the helpless wriggling, she began wrapping her knuckles against the mat.
The official noted her capitulation and immediately threw a signal to the Timekeeper, who CLANGED the match to a close. “Ladies and gentlemen,” the Announcer called over the roaring crowd, “your winner via submission… HARLEY JO COLLINS!”
Harley released her claw and patted Astrid’s gulping tummy but made no move to relinquish her perch. “Don’t think she got the whole message last time I did this.” HJC told anyone within the sound of her voice. “So I’m gonna stay right here until--”
A figure raced by on Collins’s right, drawing the brunette’s attention. She’d just honed in on the newcomer when they hopped up and THWHACKED both heels into her forehead! Popping up fresh as a daisy after her Dropkick sent Collins sprawling, Justine Freeborne raised an acknowledging finger to the crowd’s cheers, but otherwise kept her attention honed in on the stunned brunette.
“Should’ve kept your nose out of my match, Harley.” the blonde growled as she filled her hands with the other woman’s hair. “I don’t care what sort of history you two have, it could’ve waited until after the match was over. But you didn’t, so now you’re both on my list.”
JUSTINE FREEBORNE:
Collins offered no answer, so Justine tugged her into a Front Facelock and slung the near arm over her shoulders. Then she grabbed hold of Harley Jo’s waistband, dipped her knees and hoisted her all the way to high noon! It might’ve looked like a Vertical Suplex but the FAWNatics knew what was coming and they cheered accordingly as Freeborne released the Facelock and put that hand between her opponent’s shoulders. Pushing the brunette’s chest snug against her own, Justine kicked both legs forward and dropped to her tush to THAWHUNK the back of Harley’s head and neck against the mat! Her switch well and truly flicked by the hellacious head drop, Collins rolled away and somehow managed to slide under the bottom rope to the floor.
FLICK OF THE SWITCH:
Justine let her go, she was already focused on Astrid, who’d managed to sit up as of a few seconds prior. Dangerously unaware of the blonde’s presence, White came around fast when Freeborne knelt behind her, reached around with both hands and took hold of the other blonde’s wrists! “WhuuhHHERRRGHHH MMMMPPPPPHHHH!” Another galling development for the tyro as Justine pulled her down onto her back, then slid forward and sealed off her air with the KMA! Buried under a Reverse Face Sit for the second time in as many minutes, Astrid fought with everything she had left, it just wasn’t enough to dislodge Justine, especially with her arms locked up. Eventually her flailing feet started to slow, her trembling hands fell still and her breathing steadied out to a slow, steady pull against her tormentor’s undercarriage.
Justine held her mount for a full ten seconds anyway, the blonde clearly relishing the victory stolen from her during her first encounter with the Stranger. Now standing tall over the wreckage of Astrid and Harley, the big blonde powerhouse made a ‘snappy’ adjustment to her teal togs and swatted those impressive glutes. “You tramps made a mistake drawing me into your little pissing match.” she muttered to the oblivious battlers. “Because now that you’ve got my attention, I’m going to make examples of BOTH of you. See you soon, ladies.”
Her statement delivered in the most emphatic fashion imaginable, Justine pumped a fist for the fans, then slipped out of the ring, leaving the ref’s and the techs to deal with the lovely ruins left in her passing.