WRITER'S NOTE: I meant to have this done a long time ago. Apologies for dragging my feet on this!
Kanako Akiyama sets her phone down as she gets up to answer the door of her locker room. Immediately following her match with Elizabeth Thorn, she had gotten a text message from her girlfriend, Trixie Decker, asking to chat with her on Facetime. She didn’t want to keep Trixie waiting, but she also didn’t want to be rude. She was sure this would only take a moment, after all. She opens the door and begins to offer a greeting to whomever it is, but she is immediately cut off by a crushing bearhug.
“Kankan!!” Cassava Onika cries out as she squeezes the exhausted Japanese girl close to her, “Are you alright?!”
“Ack!!” Kanako gasps in surprise as she again is confronted by Cassava’s aggressive friendliness. “Cassava! Hiiiiiii!! Uhm...I mean...I took a bunch of nasty back bumps, but it’s not something a massage and an hour in the hot tob won’t fix.”
Cassava shakes her head, still hugging Kanako who has begun squirming in her arms to try and get free. “Not just that, you were crying.” she notes, concerned for her friend.
“Cassava,” Kanako says, giving up on trying to get herself free through force, “not that I mind the hugging, but could you please let me go?”
Cassava thinks about it for a moment, “....Okay.” She gives her friend one more squeeze before releasing her. “Are you good, though?”
Kanako smiles warmly and answers with a nod and reaches a hand to Cassava’s cheek, “That’s really sweet of you, Cassava. I’m okay now, I think. I was just upset, in the moment, at having to hurt Elizabeth more than I thought I should need to.”
Cassava pouts a little at that, “Aww, I’m sorry. That’s always a hard thing to get past, fighting a friend. Maybe I could teach you some smothering techniques...You definitely got the goods for it!” she then reaches a hand behind Kanako to fondle her butt.
“H-hey now!” Kanako squeaks in red-faced protest, “No fair taking advantage of me being all hot and bothered!” She shows that her protest is in good humor by flashing a grin and grabbing herself a handful of cake, bringing a smirk to Cassava’s face.
“I like your new gear,” she notes, flicking a finger at the skirt,”A little joshi, a little western. That skirt reminds me of your sentai cheerleader days.”
Kanako nods, rubbing the back of her head, “Yeah, well, you know...With all the changes to my look that I’ve been doing...the hair, the tattoos, the piercings, all that…” Cassava nods as she kind of looks Kanako up and down to truly take in those changes, “and, with all that in mind, I though I might as well embrace my sexuality with my ring gear, you know?”
"That's great!” Cassava answers with a clap of her hands, “Expand your mind, tear down those needless walls. You should speak to my former therapist, she got me to stop buying produce from the Sanders farm under a false identity."
She chuckles and closes the distance between them, putting her hands on Cassava's hips, "It's really sweet of you to be so worried about me, Cassava. Thank you." She then leans in to give her friend a peck on the cheek.
Cassava smiles warmly, but then wrinkles her nose, remembering that she just got through with her grueling match with the Lightweight Champion. “Mmm, sorry. I probably taste like Estrina’s armpit right now.” she says sheepishly.
“Oh, that’s okay,” Kanako answers, “Honestly, I’m still pretty damp myself…” she then adds under her breath, “in more ways than one.” She thinks she says it low enough to escape Cassava’s notice. She would be wrong, although Cassava is too polite to let her know that.
“So…” she begins, deciding to address the elephant in the room, “you and Thorn, huh? What’s going on there?”
Kanako shrugs her shoulders, “I dunno, I never even met her before tonight. Sometimes people just really hit it off straightaway, I guess.”
Cassava nods thoughtfully, “That’s true, like Chloe Fields and the Trivago guy. Who knew he was an Upstart fan?” she then gets a faraway look, seemingly lost in thought. It’s only for a few moments, though, as she shakes off her reverie and puts a hand on her friend’s shoulder, “Alright, I just wanted to make sure you're a hundred percent. If you're not later, be sure to call me."
Kanako smiles and nods, “Sure thing, Cassava, thanks again. You’re a really good friend. Give Cassandra my love.”
“I will.” She gives Kanako one final hug before heading out. As the door is closing, Kanako sees an intern handing Cassava a towel, with her slipping him some cash. Kanako chuckles and shakes her head, assuming the towel belongs (or belonged, anyway) to Kylie Sanders. She then turns her attention back to her phone. She’s kept her beloved waiting long enough.
“Hey, Trixie.” Kanako says with a satisfied sigh, glad to be laying her eyes on her girlfriend.
"Hey, sweetie," Trixie says, trying to sound soothing. "I wanna congratulate you on making Count Boobula submit but I get the feeling you're not too thrilled." Trixie adjusts her phone to remove the glare of her hotel room lamp. "Wanna talk about it?"
Kanako nods as she sits on the bench across from where she had set her phone, "Yeah...I, uh....that really came out of nowhere..."
Trixie bites her lower lip, considering her words carefully. "Y'know you did nothing wrong, yes? You did what you had to do to win. Thorn went into that match willing to do the exact same and would have because we both know there's no way you would have given in. You should be proud of how hard you fought."
She nods, "Yeah. Cassava said basically the same thing. I just...I don't know...her kicking out of a Run Her Through seemed to flip a switch in me. Made me feel guilty for having to do more. But, in my head, I know what you're saying is right."
Decker tilts her head. "K, I can't pretend to know what you're going through. I'm not going to blow sunshine up your ass. I know that you're worried about going back, letting violence take over. And honestly only you really know your limits. But I know this - Elizabeth stepped into the ring ready to give her all and take all you would throw back. Every woman you face at our level knows that's a requirement - and a risk. It's okay to hate having to go past where you're comfortable. It's okay to hate hurting someone you see as good. It's okay to confront all these feelings." Trixie leaned closer to the screen. "It's not okay to punish yourself when you did nothing wrong. If you build up all this guilt, all this self doubt, it'll crust together and grow bigger and bigger. It'll make
that coming back just easier because all the shame and self-hate will prop the door open. Sweetheart, it's okay to respect and forgive yourself for doing the things you have to do."
Kanako smiles warmly and leans in to kiss the screen. "Thank you, babe. Hey, how was your match?"
Trixie shrugs. "It was. I'm okay. Coulda gone better but it's all part of Christian's 'fun.'" The goth's eyes softened as she took her beautiful girlfriend in. "I miss you."
Kanako reaches a finger out to touch Trixie's face. "I miss you too..." she clears her throat to mask her choking up a little before adding, "When are you coming home?"
Trixie shrugs. "Unless Bethany finds another indie that needs someone to borrow, next week. But she's gotten good at finding places to send me last minute. I wouldn't be surprised if she finds a way to keep me doing shows until the night before I have to fight Estrina."
She frowns "This isn't right. It's not fair."
"Doesn't have to be fair," Trixie reminds Kanako. "It's just how it goes. But it's not forever and that's all that matters. If nothing else, I've gotten a lot of workouts, gotten exposure to some new talent and moves, and learned the most important lesson of all." Trixie pulls the phone closer so all Kanako can see are her wild eyes. "FUCK. ARIZONA."
She blinks "Arizona? You mean LAW? Isn't that the promotion Cassava and Cassandra Beckett came from?"
"Yeah, but it's also just a fucking headache to drive through," Trixie counters. "And every tiny fed Bethany's sent me to there has been a test in patience if I'm lucky." Decker pulls the phone back and settles into the pillow. "Tell you what, next time I get in trouble with Bethany, let's hit the road together so we can both see how awful America is together."
"I would be there with you right now, if I could, so you got a deal."
"It's a deal. Next time, we both get in trouble." Trixie winks. "So, you're going to face Vampirella in a penthouse match? Make sure you have a say in which penthouse. Like one on holy ground and with stakes hand."
"Uhm...Yeah..." she blushes a little bit, kind of embarassed, "I mean, you heard what was said. If we're gonna...you know...I guess maybe do it in a setting where it's expected. Yoona may be my best friend, but I definitely do not agree with her about what's appropriate in the ring."
"Well, if you're really going to fight Thorn in a penthouse fight, I have only one request. Put a little of this on your neck." Kanako hears clicking of fingers on Trixie's end and suddenly a message notification pops up with an image of a bottle of garlic scented perfume, which gets a giggle from the Japanese girl. "Seriously, though, do you want me to put you in touch with Kelli?" Trixie asks. "Before FAWN she carried a belt in some apartment fight leagues. Kelli was feared, which is a really weird sentence to say about the woman who has strong opinion on the character My Melody."
"I, uh...Well, sure, I'd love to meet all of your friends, of course. Cassava Onika actually was just here, offered to show me some tricks, too."
Trixie nodded. "Between the two of 'em, you should have enough training to ... shit, I'm running out of vampire jokes. I've already used stakes. Either way, you should have a new toy when you're done with her."
She chuckles at that, "I guess you noticed the sparks too, huh? Cassava said something similar...after she made sure I was okay with going into the penthouse again. You know...after the last time..."
"This won't be like last time," Trixie reminds Kanako. "Matches like that, when you don't absolutely hate the person your facing, are considerably more fun. It's a lot less like hate fucking." Trixie pauses. "Unless that's what Thorn is into. In which case, go ballistic."
Kanako laughs a bit at that, "Well, as long as I have your blessing. I think she takes me lightly because of how much smaller I am than she is. But she found out tonight what a mistake it is to underestimate me."
"True, but that means she'll spend all her time preparing," Trixie counters. "And you know you don't need my blessing. You're an adult. You do what you want. I know, in the end, you're coming back to me." The goth then blows her a kiss.
She giggles shyly at the kiss and catches it to put it on her cheek. "Always, until the day I die."
"Which is going to be a LONG TIME FROM NOW," Trixie reminds with a smile. "Okay, sweetie. I've gotta drive eight hours in the morning for a card tomorrow night. I love you. If you need to talk, call me, okay? But remember, you have nothing to feel shame or guilt over."
She nods, "Okay, hon. Sleep well, and good luck tomorrow. I love you too, and thank you. If I'm lucky, I'll see you in my dreams."
"Excellent. I'll be the one stealing your pants before you go in to take the big high school exam." And with a final kiss, Trixie's image vanishes.
She smiles, staying there, looking at the screen for a minute or two, still looking at her beloved in her mind's eye before finally turning her phone off. After letting out a deep sigh, she hides her head in her hands for a few moments before taking her ring gear off and heading to the shower.
