Raya sat on a bench backstage, her hands behind her head as she relaxed. She wasn’t sure who her next opponent should be, but had recently started putting more effort into her training regimen after a series of humiliating losses. Surely today would be the perfect time to redeem herself in the eyes of law, although she had told herself that plenty of times and they all ended up the same, with her defeated and begging her opponents to spare her. This time, she vowed most importantly of all to have her dignity remain intact, even if she lost she would not degrade herself as she had done time and time again. Spoiler
More importantly though, her time at law had quickly come to a screeching halt. The times of her believing she would rocket up through the ranks had long since passed, she was no longer under any illusions, Raya knew her rise would not be meteoric, but slow and methodic. Her newfound discipline in training had been part of her new plan, and it would start with her crushing whoever tonight’s opponent was.
Of course, she did not feel the pressure she did during her first few matches, a loss here would be no big deal as she would be in the same place she was right now: Rock bottom. A part of her thought that this lack of healthy fear might lead to an apathetic state of mind which might backfire on her, but she quickly brushed it away.
When the time came, Raya made her way into the arena and walked to the ring with an air of composure. She had once before broken her refusal to interact with the fans by taunting them and celebrating cockily in the middle of a match, but it had cost her greatly and so in the aftermath she’d vowed to never again make such an embarassing mistake, and so she made sure to ignore everything around her and remain laser focused on the ring, and when she finally entered, she’d lay back lazily on the ropes, waiting for whoever her opponent was to show up so they could get things started.
Raya Ashberry. Canadian. About thirty pounds heavier, two inches taller. Nothing approaching insurmountable. But then, even if she were a heavyweight, the Egyptian wouldn't consider her too steep a challenge. Nothing would be. Absolutely nothing. Because nothing would be allowed to stand between her and her ultimate ambition.
There is nothing less than the smoldering drive to push forward and dismantle opposition. Everything else is just... details.
Nefret passed the intel aside to Aneksi, and the mousy assistant politely dipped her head before excusing herself from the dressing room. Nefret always preferred the silence before a match; it was her time to focus. Her time to ensure everything was in its proper place. The time to make sure she's looking exactly as she should in the mirror, with her scant golden wrestling gear revealing her athletic physique perfectly.
And just as it had before, a knock on the door heralds her match. It's time to make new believers in the audience...
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The arena lights dim out into darkness, leaving only a series of flickering phone camera lights. The massive screens then come alive with with
, flooding the arena with ominous vocals and a heavy drumbeat to begin. Vivid yellow laserlights dance along the walkway connecting the stage to the ring.
When the music starts properly, the curtains are drawn back by a pair of stagehands to create a wide opening. Four shendyt-wearing men, their faces obscured with wraps, emerge from the shadows carrying a gilded lectica in procession. Lofted upon the plush purple cushions reclined the sorceress, herself; languid and regal, a confident smirk tugging the corner of her lips with her gaze trained steadily upon Raya up ahead. A tall, muscular dark-skinned man in a suit and tie brings up the rear, his expression firmly set in frown.
"And her opponent!"
"Standing at a height of 5'8", and weighing in at 136 lbs.!"
"From the umbral realm of the Duat!"
"The sorceress! The Great Shadow!"
"NEEEFREEEETIRIIII!"
She never gets tired of hearing that. And now that she's hearing it in a new setup, with a different language, it's all the more thrilling. Not that this is shown no her face, no. She's dedicated to the image of aloof superiority, pleased only by the anticipation of subjugating a new rival. Of proving her superiority.
As the lectica is brought alongside the ring, Nefretiri reaches up to grasp the middle rope. Her bare feet transfer to the edge of the ring, and with a single pull, she smoothly draws herself up to her full height. One long, toned leg weaves between the ropes, then the other joins on the mat, bringing herself delicately across the barrier to stand in the ring proper.
She steps to the center of the ring and suddenly throws her arms wide, a wicked smile playing on her otherwise pretty face. Almond eyes finally sweep over the audience as she turns a slow circle, presenting herself to them and welcoming in their enthusiastic cheer. And that cheer is enthusiastic. Raya and Nefretiri are a pair of physical specimens, visually arresting when occupying the same ring - both sleek-bodied and toned, both wearing what essentially comes down to wrestling bikinis without shame or shyness.
The difference is the level of apparent confidence. Raya has taken a more relaxed, maybe even subdued posture. Nefretiri radiates with it, practically shining in the center ring.
At last, her arms lower to her sides and she turns to face the other girl. Her gaze dips to her boots, and slowly sweeps up to her face again, taking in every details, every ridge of muscletone, every curve of her figure, before finally landing at her face again.
"I'm going to enjoy breaking you," she says finally in English, her voice rich with Middle Eastern accent. "How long will you survive tonight?"
As Raya waited, completely relaxed on the ropes, the lights suddenly dimmed out, the music started playing, things she had gotten used to, but then her eyes fixated on her opponent's entrance as the woman was carried in like royalty.
"What the hell..?" Raya muttered, she couldn't help but let out a wide grin as she fixated on the show before her. She had seen a few self-indulgent entrances, but nothing quite on the level as this woman, and she had to give her props for that at the very least. She waited and watched as her opponent got in the ring at last, stepping to the center with her arms wide, clearly putting on a show, before turning to speak to Raya.
"I gotta admit, that entrance was superb. 10/10, no notes." She says in response with a slow clap as she finally gets off the ropes and steps towards her foe, facing off against her in the middle of the ring. "Unfortunately, your words, uh, leave a bit to be desired in comparison, to be honest. I mean seriously, do you know how many wrestlers ever have claimed they're gonna "break someone"? It's pretty lame at this point."
After cracking her knuckles threateningly, she'd continue in an unusually rambling manner, perhaps a way to unconsciously cover up the slightest bit of intimidation put into her by that whole spectacle.
"I don't know you and I honestly don't care, just some nobody with an ego thinking you're gonna take over. Well here's a newsflash: everyone thinks that, and what happens is that someone's gonna bring you down a peg here at law, and sadly for you its turned out to be me, so expect no mercy even though you got a pretty face."
Afterwards, Raya would walk towards her corner waiting for the match to start, and when it did she'd immediately offer up her arms in a lock up for the usual test of strength she'd gotten used to, confident she would put this woman in her place.
The words are met with a graceful, almost feline tilt of the head. Nk offense seems to register on her face as Raya deconstructs her threat and calls her lame. But it's not that she's isn't understanding what's being said. There's something else behind the wheel, something studying her opponent with a calculating silence.
Raya concludes by assuring her that someone in LAW - her, specifically - is going to take her down. And ends with a compliment, a recognition of her beauty.
The bell sounds off in the midst of it all, signaling the match to begin. Nefretiri hasn't so much as budged yet.
*DING!*
A single step is taken at first, and Nefretiri's neck straightens. "It's unfortunate that so many have made hollow promises to you," she says.
Another step draws her closer.
"I will take care of it for you. Show you the difference between cheap words and prophecy."
Another step. She's calculating how she wants this match to open. Seeing Raya's arms raised and at the ready immediately entices her to take advantage of her and get a cheap opening, to drive her foot into the unprotected stomach. But Raya earned something else. Raya made her desire to lock up with her, to defeat her in a direct contest and prove herself. She's been goaded into it... but the praise peppered in can't be overlooked. Acknowledging her pretty face earned at least a little sincerity in the opening moments of their match.
So it is with measured steps that the sorceress closes the gap with her, not rushing, but rather making the audience and her opponent wait to build anticipation. Her hands start to raise, reaching chest-height before suddenly lashing forward and meeting Raya with a slap of palms meeting palms. A test of strength, and Nefretiri's fully engaged. Her fingers lace between Ray's, holding tight to her hands. The rippled muscle tone in her arms flex, her toned core muscles tightened, one foot shifted back to dig into the mat while the other presses forward. The pressure is first directed forward against Raya, but gradually downward, hoping tk overwhelm her and force her to a knee.
Raya rolls her eyes at the mention of "prophecy" but quickly smirks as Nefretiri engages with her, their palms interlocking, and then she wastes no time by putting all her strength into it from the get go, hoping to catch her opponent off guard.
"Wh-what the-" to Raya's surprise, Nefretiri doesn't even budge, and after a moment Raya is quickly forced onto her knees by her opponent's powerful pressure.
She struggles and grunts, trying to gain the advantage, but it's no use, the gap in power between the two is enormous, and she quickly realizes she's up against a wall if she keeps forcing the lock up. But even still, she's already on her knees and her options are limited, so she has no choice but to keep holding on as much as she can, waiting for an opening to reveal itself, hoping that her opponent is wearing herself out just as much as Raya is, if not even more.
The exotic almond eyes narrow a little in strained effort as she struggles to overpower Raya, her full figure tensed like a gladiatorial Amazon. And soon, it pays off - Raya is on her knees, struggling to find her off. The position between the two of them is dramatic and visually arresting, a showcase of strength and force oppressively bearing down against the Canadian.
Lips part, but her jaw remains clenched as Nefretiri leans in further to reap the harvest of her advantageous position. She continues bearing down on the arms, attempting to fold Raya the rest of the way back - all the way until her shoulders are lying back against the mat, and her knees are folded beneath her. The hands are guided painstakingly above her head, outstretched as Nefretiri positions herself over her methodically.
Soon, the Egyptian's hips lower to meet Raya's, docking tight against her. She lies herself forward, stretching her body along the span of the arched opponent, her sleek stomach resting along Raya's chiseled abdominals, her breasts meeting the inviting cushion of Raya's curves. In the end, her face comes to hover just inches above her, her own body resting on her knees and lying against Raya.
It's a pin. A fairly unique one borne of the test of strength, a show of dominance.
"Have you.. come to see your place beneath me?," she asks between breaths.
The referee hurries in close beside the pair, doiuble-checking to ensure Raya's shoulders are on the mat.
"Ah...agh..." Raya let out a sharp cry as she felt herself being folded backwards, all her attemps to struggle against her opponent were useless. Although she had taken plenty of losses, being so thoroughly dominated by an opponent was incredibly rare, having happened only two or three times so far during her stint at law. Her current opponent might not have been the absolute strongest person she'd ever faced, but Raya could still tell that she would at the very least count among the strongest, and this lock up might have been the worst way to start this match off.
She could feel the pain as her body folded backwards with her opponent right on top of her, she couldnt look away even if she wanted to, and so her shoulders were pressed to the mat in a pin, and the referee slides in next to them, and as soon as her shoulders are properly pinned, Raya can hear the count start.
"ONE!"
Although she'd expended a fair amount of energy during that initial lock up, the fact was that the match had only just started, and she still had plenty to go on before having to get desperate.
"F-fuck you!" Raya shouted angrily in response to her opponent's question before putting all her force in an attempt to throw Nefretiri off her to the side, hoping it would be enough to do so, otherwise she would face a quick defeat.
