...everything just falls into place.
Sept 8, 2020 18:56:28 GMT -5
The Madness Menagerie, mystifyingoracle, and 1 more like this
Post by Deleted on Sept 8, 2020 18:56:28 GMT -5
Adrienne eyed the slip of paper, and the address was right. The large brick building looked like one she Googled earlier. Well, at least she hoped it was the right place because her Uber was long gone. Wearing a Carnage Insider t-shirt, black leggings, and her New Balances, she was ready for a workout if all else failed. Her backup was slung over her shoulder, filled with a change of clothes. The reception area of the gym was empty. The little juice bar was unstaffed.
“Okay.” She murmured before continuing into the main area. It was a large room with blue mats. The fluorescent tubes overhead were turned off, so the only light coming into the room was from the large glass windows around the area. Even then, it looked conspicuous at best.
“Anyone here?”
A hand reached high in order to tap Levi on the shoulder. As she did so, she said, "Hello again."
And for the second time this week, Adrienne nearly jumped out of her shoes, omitting a noise not so dissimilar to a mouse squeaking. However, she recognized the voice as her partner and so didn’t make any more rash movements. She turned around slowly, her eyes adjusted to the dark to see the form of The Dragon Lady.
“Oh, good,” she said with a fair amount of relief, “I thought I went to the wrong gym. But you’re The Dragon Lady, so I got it right. Go me, I guess. Oh, I’m sorry, hello to you as well.”
The Dragon Lady had, of course, been aware Adrienne might show up sometime soon, but with no phone call or a tweet to warn her, she is without a mask on. Adrienne would be the first to see The Dragon Lady up close and personal. She would look a lot more normal then per usual. On her face is a natural look. No makeup sat there. Her blue eyes would look a little less troubled than the last time these two had met. She was barefoot and wore black leggings with a plain black tank on.
"Why don't you come this way? Let me introduce you to Mameha." She began leading Adrienne, a whole different side of The Dragon Lady is definitely present.
Adrienne nodded. The idea of stepping into the unknown, to open her eyes to new possibilities made her nervous and excited at the same time. The Dragon Lady represented a strength that Adrienne felt she could never measure to. She did her best to remain calm and collected as not to give away how giddy she was at the prospect of meeting someone new, someone possibly very special in her new partner’s life. She followed The Dragon Lady at a respectful distance, her hands behind her back.
"I'm sorry it's so quiet in here today. The owner of the gym insisted he help Mameha and me with a little project out back." They would walk past a few punching bags hanging from the ceiling as Mameha came into view. She was wearing a kimono. This time it was a shade of light pinks with small flowers here and there as designs.
Adrienne kept her awe in check. It was totally rude to stare. Unsure if to shake her hand or hug, she kept her hands to herself. She could go for a good hug, but she didn’t want to seem weird,
“Hello. I’m Adrienne.”
Mameha would grace Adrienne with a warm smile. Her eyes moved between The Dragon Lady and Levi. "So this is the first tag partner you have gotten. I am Mameha. Pleased to meet you." She bowed her head slightly as a hello.
Her eyes stayed just on Adrienne now. "I must say, you look wonderful, especially after your last win. Would you care to drink some tea? I brewed it myself." A cast iron tea set is sitting on a table low to the ground. A pillow sat on each side of it for comfort.
“Certainly, Mameha.”
Adrienne sat down gingerly on the pillow. Her knee was a little sore from the impact of the backflip she attempted on Eli Goode. Her knee inadvertently impacted his shoulder, and perhaps he was worse for wear. Accepting the tea graciously, she enjoyed the scent and then set it aside briefly to cool a tad bit more. She didn’t want to embarrass her hosts by burning her tongue.
“Thank you.”
The Dragon Lady took a seat next to Adrienne and took a slow sip from her little glass cup. Mameha would have sat down across from Adrienne as to get a feel for her. Her eyes never left Adrienne's, but the stare she gave was not as intense as the Dragon Lady's. She would look wise and almost as if she were in deep thought.
"The tea is a lavender tea. Meant to soothe the spirit. Now, I know Pe-" Mameha almost name dropped The Dragon Lady's true name, "I mean The Dragon Lady isn't always upfront about what needs to be said. So I shall say it straight. What is on your mind today? How do you feel about this match you and The Dragon Lady are to fight in together?"
Adrienne remembered how Matt Knox just outright asked The Dragon Lady about her real name. Her brain twitched a little as the quick correction, but she also remembered the insistence of that exact name to be used. She understood. Her mind moved to Mameha’s inquiry.
“I’m excited.” Adrienne said softly. “This is the first time I’ve had an opportunity like this. I know what that opportunity possibly leads to, but that’s the nature of the sport, right?”
Taking a sip of the lavender tea, she considered something else. She didn’t want to linger on the what-ifs.
“I’m encouraged by The Dragon Lady’s confidence.” Realizing she was being a little rude to the person sitting right next to her, she stated, “I’m sorry, I mean your confidence. You make me believe that we can really do this. Eli Goode and Steve Matthews are great, but you totally make me think we can overcome their experience.”
The Dragon Lady stayed quiet. Taking in what Adrienne has said. Mameha, on the other hand continued to chit chat. "You say a lot about what can be accomplished in the ring. And don't apologize, dear. You have said nothing rude at all. The Dragon Lady deals with a lot more from me than anyone else."
She chuckled and took a sip of her tea. After setting the cup down, she looked Adrienne eye to eye. "What is it you wish to accomplish? No, not accomplish. The better word is, prove? Not to me or your partner. But yourself." Mameha smiled then and reached for one of Adrienne's hands and squeezed. "That is not something you need to answer me on. That is something for you to answer to yourself."
Mameha let go of Adrienne's hand then and said. "Perhaps now would be a good time to think about a strategy? Wouldn't the both of you agree?" The Dragon Lady nodded her head and looked at Adrienne with a more serious look there on her face now. She isn't angry looking. She just looks motivated.
Adrienne had to think about this. She could give her standard answer, and a few months ago, it’d still be correct. But that influence had been removed. Looking inward, she wasn’t sure. Maybe her confused expression gave that away.
“So, uh, my strategy. I’m not sure. You’re right, though. We can’t go into this without a thought as to how to do this. I’m not that strong, so I can maybe tell you how I approach any opponent I face. I know that I’m most likely not going to get the upper hand with a direct approach.” Adrienne said this with a smile. “Instead, I do a lot of research. I watch a lot of videos to see what my opponent likes to do, and I try to think of the best ways to counter.”
She knew she was getting a little in the weeds with this example, but she hoped it helped.
“I know a guy like Steve will want to toss me around, so I try to see if I reverse that with something that turns the tables. Like my tornado DDT. I try to do it like a surprise.” Her voice got a little louder as she finally got what she was trying to say here. “We need to surprise them. Take them out of their element. Disrupt their perfect technical styles.”
Adrienne abruptly stopped. She was somewhat embarrassed that she talked that much about her thought process. Taking a sip of her tea, she hoped she didn’t annoy her company.
"A wise technique you have, Adrienne," Mameha said, nodding her head in approval.
"Well, you have more experience than me in the ring," The Dragon Lady replied. "I guess for myself; I have been trying to find my opponent’s weaknesses. And exploit them. I have also been trying to use my biggest strength to my advantage. I'm quick on my feet."
Mameha sat there, listening for a moment. Then she stood and walked to the center of the closest blue foam mat. "Dragon Lady. Rope. Adrienne stand at one end of the mat if you wouldn't mind." The Dragon Lady did as Mameha said and grabbed a long workout rope and would begin laying it across the mat. No use questioning Mameha's tactics.
Adrienne complied, waiting for instruction. Maybe this would be more productive than the last time Matt trained her and he sat in a lawn chair reading Motor Trend while practicing leapfrogging Bert. Who happened to be for whatever reason.
“Alright. What would you like me to do?”
"The proper question is what would I like the two of you to do together," Mameha said, stepping from the mat’s center towards one side. "Each of you are to pick up an end of the rope with your hands. And move together."
The Dragon Lady picked up her ends of the rope and waited. She had a playful smile on her face as getting someone to train with besides Mameha has not happened yet. Adrienne picked up her end of the rope as well.
The Dragon Lady began doing alternating waves from her side of the mat after Mameha said, "Alternating waves. And feel the strength from each other. Feel it flow back and forth."
The Dragon Lady would start off mild as that playful smile was still there on her face. After a moment she began moving quick and putting more force into the movement, enough to perhaps catch Adrienne off guard. The taller woman’s arms felt like spaghetti as The Dragon Lady controlled the pace. She gritted her teeth with determination to keep hold of her piece. White knuckle tight, Adrienne tried to match the opposite end with all of the strength she could muster, unsure of what effect that had.
The Dragon Lady was sweating at this point. All but perhaps ten minutes have passed, and it would look as if The Dragon Lady almost lost her footing as her feet slowly spread a bit further apart. At some point, the two women would look to be matching each other with a most concise science.
"There it is," Mameha said sounding proud of both women. "This rope is like life. There is always a constant pull and struggle, but at some point, everything just falls into place. You may stop the exercise." She gave them permission. This just ten-minute exercise had The Dragon Lady out of breath, for it seemed more like thirty. She dropped her rope and begins shaking out her arms with a smile beamed at Adrienne.
“That was fun,” Adrienne said while trying to catch her breath. She returned the smile in kind. “I’m thinking you do that a lot, huh?”
"Yes," The Dragon Lady said as she walked over, her arms still feeling the burn. "But it's not always this much fun."
Mameha would walk over to the two women; she did something The Dragon Lady would no way have thought of to do at this moment. Mameha brought both ladies in close for a hug wrapping an arm around each of them. "Now you two are going to be great out in that ring. You show them boys whose boss."
The Dragon Lady would almost appear to struggle away for a moment and then gave in, resting her head on Mameha's shoulder closest to her. Her arm closest to Adrienne would lightly press against Adrienne's back. Mameha was surely better at trying to make friends then The Dragon Lady. Adrienne went all in, almost melting into the embrace. It was one thing to hang out with the guys. Ko, Sil, Mitch, and Matt were all swell. But Carnage was full of strong women. But The Dragon Lady was arguably the fiercest. And yet, she balanced that with a kindness that Adrienne guessed she was hiding for her own reasons.
“I’ll do my best, Mameha,” Adrienne said this clearly with more confidence than she usually allowed.
“Okay.” She murmured before continuing into the main area. It was a large room with blue mats. The fluorescent tubes overhead were turned off, so the only light coming into the room was from the large glass windows around the area. Even then, it looked conspicuous at best.
“Anyone here?”
A hand reached high in order to tap Levi on the shoulder. As she did so, she said, "Hello again."
And for the second time this week, Adrienne nearly jumped out of her shoes, omitting a noise not so dissimilar to a mouse squeaking. However, she recognized the voice as her partner and so didn’t make any more rash movements. She turned around slowly, her eyes adjusted to the dark to see the form of The Dragon Lady.
“Oh, good,” she said with a fair amount of relief, “I thought I went to the wrong gym. But you’re The Dragon Lady, so I got it right. Go me, I guess. Oh, I’m sorry, hello to you as well.”
The Dragon Lady had, of course, been aware Adrienne might show up sometime soon, but with no phone call or a tweet to warn her, she is without a mask on. Adrienne would be the first to see The Dragon Lady up close and personal. She would look a lot more normal then per usual. On her face is a natural look. No makeup sat there. Her blue eyes would look a little less troubled than the last time these two had met. She was barefoot and wore black leggings with a plain black tank on.
"Why don't you come this way? Let me introduce you to Mameha." She began leading Adrienne, a whole different side of The Dragon Lady is definitely present.
Adrienne nodded. The idea of stepping into the unknown, to open her eyes to new possibilities made her nervous and excited at the same time. The Dragon Lady represented a strength that Adrienne felt she could never measure to. She did her best to remain calm and collected as not to give away how giddy she was at the prospect of meeting someone new, someone possibly very special in her new partner’s life. She followed The Dragon Lady at a respectful distance, her hands behind her back.
"I'm sorry it's so quiet in here today. The owner of the gym insisted he help Mameha and me with a little project out back." They would walk past a few punching bags hanging from the ceiling as Mameha came into view. She was wearing a kimono. This time it was a shade of light pinks with small flowers here and there as designs.
Adrienne kept her awe in check. It was totally rude to stare. Unsure if to shake her hand or hug, she kept her hands to herself. She could go for a good hug, but she didn’t want to seem weird,
“Hello. I’m Adrienne.”
Mameha would grace Adrienne with a warm smile. Her eyes moved between The Dragon Lady and Levi. "So this is the first tag partner you have gotten. I am Mameha. Pleased to meet you." She bowed her head slightly as a hello.
Her eyes stayed just on Adrienne now. "I must say, you look wonderful, especially after your last win. Would you care to drink some tea? I brewed it myself." A cast iron tea set is sitting on a table low to the ground. A pillow sat on each side of it for comfort.
“Certainly, Mameha.”
Adrienne sat down gingerly on the pillow. Her knee was a little sore from the impact of the backflip she attempted on Eli Goode. Her knee inadvertently impacted his shoulder, and perhaps he was worse for wear. Accepting the tea graciously, she enjoyed the scent and then set it aside briefly to cool a tad bit more. She didn’t want to embarrass her hosts by burning her tongue.
“Thank you.”
The Dragon Lady took a seat next to Adrienne and took a slow sip from her little glass cup. Mameha would have sat down across from Adrienne as to get a feel for her. Her eyes never left Adrienne's, but the stare she gave was not as intense as the Dragon Lady's. She would look wise and almost as if she were in deep thought.
"The tea is a lavender tea. Meant to soothe the spirit. Now, I know Pe-" Mameha almost name dropped The Dragon Lady's true name, "I mean The Dragon Lady isn't always upfront about what needs to be said. So I shall say it straight. What is on your mind today? How do you feel about this match you and The Dragon Lady are to fight in together?"
Adrienne remembered how Matt Knox just outright asked The Dragon Lady about her real name. Her brain twitched a little as the quick correction, but she also remembered the insistence of that exact name to be used. She understood. Her mind moved to Mameha’s inquiry.
“I’m excited.” Adrienne said softly. “This is the first time I’ve had an opportunity like this. I know what that opportunity possibly leads to, but that’s the nature of the sport, right?”
Taking a sip of the lavender tea, she considered something else. She didn’t want to linger on the what-ifs.
“I’m encouraged by The Dragon Lady’s confidence.” Realizing she was being a little rude to the person sitting right next to her, she stated, “I’m sorry, I mean your confidence. You make me believe that we can really do this. Eli Goode and Steve Matthews are great, but you totally make me think we can overcome their experience.”
The Dragon Lady stayed quiet. Taking in what Adrienne has said. Mameha, on the other hand continued to chit chat. "You say a lot about what can be accomplished in the ring. And don't apologize, dear. You have said nothing rude at all. The Dragon Lady deals with a lot more from me than anyone else."
She chuckled and took a sip of her tea. After setting the cup down, she looked Adrienne eye to eye. "What is it you wish to accomplish? No, not accomplish. The better word is, prove? Not to me or your partner. But yourself." Mameha smiled then and reached for one of Adrienne's hands and squeezed. "That is not something you need to answer me on. That is something for you to answer to yourself."
Mameha let go of Adrienne's hand then and said. "Perhaps now would be a good time to think about a strategy? Wouldn't the both of you agree?" The Dragon Lady nodded her head and looked at Adrienne with a more serious look there on her face now. She isn't angry looking. She just looks motivated.
Adrienne had to think about this. She could give her standard answer, and a few months ago, it’d still be correct. But that influence had been removed. Looking inward, she wasn’t sure. Maybe her confused expression gave that away.
“So, uh, my strategy. I’m not sure. You’re right, though. We can’t go into this without a thought as to how to do this. I’m not that strong, so I can maybe tell you how I approach any opponent I face. I know that I’m most likely not going to get the upper hand with a direct approach.” Adrienne said this with a smile. “Instead, I do a lot of research. I watch a lot of videos to see what my opponent likes to do, and I try to think of the best ways to counter.”
She knew she was getting a little in the weeds with this example, but she hoped it helped.
“I know a guy like Steve will want to toss me around, so I try to see if I reverse that with something that turns the tables. Like my tornado DDT. I try to do it like a surprise.” Her voice got a little louder as she finally got what she was trying to say here. “We need to surprise them. Take them out of their element. Disrupt their perfect technical styles.”
Adrienne abruptly stopped. She was somewhat embarrassed that she talked that much about her thought process. Taking a sip of her tea, she hoped she didn’t annoy her company.
"A wise technique you have, Adrienne," Mameha said, nodding her head in approval.
"Well, you have more experience than me in the ring," The Dragon Lady replied. "I guess for myself; I have been trying to find my opponent’s weaknesses. And exploit them. I have also been trying to use my biggest strength to my advantage. I'm quick on my feet."
Mameha sat there, listening for a moment. Then she stood and walked to the center of the closest blue foam mat. "Dragon Lady. Rope. Adrienne stand at one end of the mat if you wouldn't mind." The Dragon Lady did as Mameha said and grabbed a long workout rope and would begin laying it across the mat. No use questioning Mameha's tactics.
Adrienne complied, waiting for instruction. Maybe this would be more productive than the last time Matt trained her and he sat in a lawn chair reading Motor Trend while practicing leapfrogging Bert. Who happened to be for whatever reason.
“Alright. What would you like me to do?”
"The proper question is what would I like the two of you to do together," Mameha said, stepping from the mat’s center towards one side. "Each of you are to pick up an end of the rope with your hands. And move together."
The Dragon Lady picked up her ends of the rope and waited. She had a playful smile on her face as getting someone to train with besides Mameha has not happened yet. Adrienne picked up her end of the rope as well.
The Dragon Lady began doing alternating waves from her side of the mat after Mameha said, "Alternating waves. And feel the strength from each other. Feel it flow back and forth."
The Dragon Lady would start off mild as that playful smile was still there on her face. After a moment she began moving quick and putting more force into the movement, enough to perhaps catch Adrienne off guard. The taller woman’s arms felt like spaghetti as The Dragon Lady controlled the pace. She gritted her teeth with determination to keep hold of her piece. White knuckle tight, Adrienne tried to match the opposite end with all of the strength she could muster, unsure of what effect that had.
The Dragon Lady was sweating at this point. All but perhaps ten minutes have passed, and it would look as if The Dragon Lady almost lost her footing as her feet slowly spread a bit further apart. At some point, the two women would look to be matching each other with a most concise science.
"There it is," Mameha said sounding proud of both women. "This rope is like life. There is always a constant pull and struggle, but at some point, everything just falls into place. You may stop the exercise." She gave them permission. This just ten-minute exercise had The Dragon Lady out of breath, for it seemed more like thirty. She dropped her rope and begins shaking out her arms with a smile beamed at Adrienne.
“That was fun,” Adrienne said while trying to catch her breath. She returned the smile in kind. “I’m thinking you do that a lot, huh?”
"Yes," The Dragon Lady said as she walked over, her arms still feeling the burn. "But it's not always this much fun."
Mameha would walk over to the two women; she did something The Dragon Lady would no way have thought of to do at this moment. Mameha brought both ladies in close for a hug wrapping an arm around each of them. "Now you two are going to be great out in that ring. You show them boys whose boss."
The Dragon Lady would almost appear to struggle away for a moment and then gave in, resting her head on Mameha's shoulder closest to her. Her arm closest to Adrienne would lightly press against Adrienne's back. Mameha was surely better at trying to make friends then The Dragon Lady. Adrienne went all in, almost melting into the embrace. It was one thing to hang out with the guys. Ko, Sil, Mitch, and Matt were all swell. But Carnage was full of strong women. But The Dragon Lady was arguably the fiercest. And yet, she balanced that with a kindness that Adrienne guessed she was hiding for her own reasons.
“I’ll do my best, Mameha,” Adrienne said this clearly with more confidence than she usually allowed.