Two Stubborn Nails

[Deskfan45]

The setting sun reflected onto the vast, blue ocean, creating a view that any painter would want to recreate. Floating across the waves was the Maritime Cruiseship, which currently hosted week one of LAW's latest pay-per-view event, Fight the LAW 2.

Skylar Jones looked out at those beautiful waves, watching the sun slowly set. It was only a night ago that Sakura Tanahashi, the girl she had spent the past month training, made her debut. Sure, Saku was still more green than the summer leaves, but the things she did in that ring just made Skylar's heart melt. She was just a troubled kid now, but one day... one day she'd be a fucking champion! Finishing her whiskey, she took the bottle, and chucked it overboard, the glass container flying dozens of feet before hitting the water with a splash.

Speaking of champions...

Seeing movement in her peripheral vision, Sky looked to her left, and there she was. LAW's Lightweight Champion, Rose fucking Gold. On any other day, Sky would've started a fight with her on the spot. She had no respect for Rose or anything she'd done in this business, and she'd made that much clear on social media, where the two had been feuding on and off since Sky arrived at LAW. But recently, something had changed the way she viewed the Venomous Vixen. A few days ago, she'd cut a promo that struck a chord with Sky. Hearing Rose open up about her past, it... it reminded her of her own humble beginnings. She was the daughter of a prostitute, ostracized by just about everyone around her. Just like Skylar, Rose had been ostracized, bullied, told she'd never be good enough. You could call Sky soft, you could call her naive, but... she couldn't help but empathize. She turned her head to face Rose, eyes narrowing as she bit her lip. "That stuff you said in that promo... was... was that all true?"

Spoiler

[SuckerPunch]

Rose Gold had been laying out upon one of the many beach chairs on the pool deck. The Lightweight Champion had no interest in damaging her perfect porcelain skin with a tan, so dusk was the perfect time to relax under the ocean air. The breeze that swept across the boat reminded her of her younger years growing up in Okinawa.

A pair of dark glasses were perched over her eyes, hiding that they were in fact closed beneath. She wore a black bikini made up mostly of useless straps. However, they wove lines around her hips and supported her full, perky breasts. Indulgent and sexy, it was still somehow less revealing than her regular wrestling attire.

Spoiler

She was lost in thought. In a week's time, she'd be defending her belt against Aurora Estrella. She'd taken on an injury from her bout with the Heavyweight Champion Astrid Ostberg that had left her unable to train... She'd needed to prepare herself in other ways. Wrestling was more mental than physical, by her estimation... But there was no doubt being unable to train would affect her weight cut. Her performance...

"Mnn?" She made a soft mewling sound as if she were a babe being woken from the crib. A hand moved to her dark frames to pull them away from her eyes. They were different from on TV. In-person they were somehow more vibrant. Brilliant and bright. Their golden hue was luminous, practically shining over the frames of her glasses. They shouldn't belong to a woman this dark. And yet.

"What exactly do you think I would gain from lying?" She asked before truly being able to see who was standing over her.

[Deskfan45]

If it weren't for her solemn mood, Skylar would've snickered at Rose's question. To think Rose Gold didn't know what could be gained through a lie like that. "Mind games, duh. 'Rora hears your little sob story, and she's so caught up in feeling sorry for you, she forgets who she's dealing with, and bam!" The brunette explained, assuming Rose wasn't fucking with her even now, with just the two of them. "But..." Sky was at a loss for words. She knew she wanted to say something, ask something, but she didn't know what, and even once she did figure out what she wanted to say, how would she word it? "If that is real, I-... That stuff hits me close to home. People told me a lotta that same shit." She sighed,knowing how dumb she must've looked."Can I... buy you a drink?" She asked. She'd never cared for Rose, but she hardly knew her. Maybe there was more to this woman than just that egomaniac she saw on TV.

[SuckerPunch]

Rose couldn't help but scoff at Skylar's choice to name-drop Aurora. What a perfect way to ruin a beautiful dusk. Even though she could see her brilliant eyes over the tops of her sunglasses, Rose Gold let out an exasperated sigh so the hardcore legend knew exactly where she stood on the matter.

"You can't play mind games with someone who doesn't have a mind." She quipped dismissively before drawing in a deep breath as if bracing for something she expected to be unpleasant. Most of the people she'd come across on this god-forsaken cruise were either thirsty (and unworthy) simps trying to get a taste. Or naive marks who figured that this was their time to tell her all the things she could read about herself on Reddit.

'But...' The words sounded solemn. And the pause was unmissable. Rose Gold reached up and pressed her fingertips upon the bridge of her sunglasses and removed them so Skylar could see her eyes completely unobscured. Because she wanted to see the other woman as well. "Is that so." It was a rhetorical question. But it lacked any snark or sarcasm.

She licked her lips and looked over Skylar as if it was the first time she'd seen her. It was certainly the first time she'd offered her any recognition. "Very well." She nodded. Without all of the pomp and circumstance that usually came with Rose Gold, she looked practically dainty. And before Skylar could call over a waiter or leave herself she quickly inserted "Virgin.". Then, as if feeling a need to justify herself she added "I'd like to indulge. And that is the only way I'm going to get one of those on anything sponsored by LAW." And punctuated the awkward exchange with a wry smirk. A joke? And not at Skylar's expense? So she did have it in her.

[Deskfan45]

"Tss-." Sky snickered at Rose's remark about Aurora. Truthfully, Sky didn't have the highest opinion of the galaxy cat either. The woman had seen fit to talk down to her. There were many ways to piss Skylar off, and talking to her like she was stupid was among the easiest. Even though she wasn't a huge fan of either of the two women competing for the Lightweight title this week, she was really rooting for Rose. She knew a vile woman like her would make sure Aurora suffered.

When she offered Rose her invitation, she didn't know what to expect. In all likelihood, Sky was not gonna get her ideal scenario here. It was much more likely Rose would tell her to go fuck off. Her head perked up as Rose uttered the word 'virgin'. It... would normally be a pretty decent insult, but saying it to a woman who was known for promiscuity, as well as frequently took part in sex fights, was really lame. She expected better, honestly. And then, as Rose went on, Sky realized... She was asking for the drink. "PFAHAHAHAHAHAH-!" She burst out laughing at the joke, maybe a little too loud. She'd never exactly had the most mature sense of humor. "Ehem, sure! Follow me, there's a great bar just this way." She smiled. Maybe this would go well after all...

Walking into the bar, Sky took a seat at a small table, near a window, inviting Rose to the seat across from her. She signaled a waiter. "Heya! I'll have a whiskey, she'd like a virgin." She ordered.

[SuckerPunch]

For what it was worth, Skylar seemed amiable. She had been bold enough to approach her, and she hadn't done so just to give a TED talk on the immorality of low blows and how she's responsible for global warming. Further, she seemed to have let her defenses down enough to laugh at a joke without assuming it was meant to hurt her. Her laugh was loud and obnoxious, but it also drew attention to them. And Rose Gold had never been one to refuse free attention.

"Mmn. Very well." She nodded allowing the other woman to lead the way.

Skylar led them into one of the many rooms aboard the cruise ship that had been refashioned to be something of a club/bar combination. She even picked a table. The blonde's lips curled up in a begrudging and appreciative smile, thankful for the other woman taking the initiative in selecting the seating. Rose Gold took a seat and allowed herself to look out the window beside them. A view of the horizon as the sun was setting. A lovely twilight.

"Ummm?" The Waiter responded to Skylar's order. His hesitance caused one of Rose Gold's beautiful golden eyes to twitch as her head snapped back toward the waiter. With a growl and a flash of canines, she barked "Did she stutter?" The waiter scurried off and Rose turned her attention away from the waiter and the window both to look across the table at Skylar. And as if she hadn't just intimidated a service worker, she gave her a sweet, angelic smile.

Her demeanor on the way to the bar, and even as they sat wasn't very different from the one that she'd kept when Skylar had approached. While Skylar might have relaxed her walls, it was clear that Rose Gold hadn't. She nearly never did.