Lacey Whitman vs. Arizona [D]

[CaptainL]

"Hmm..?" As she heard Arizona's voice, Lacey's head began to rise from the ground, though the frown on it didn't go anywhere. Then, as she met her opponent's eyes, she let out a long sigh, one that left her shoulders slumped as her muscles went slack. If she didn't feel bad enough about losing, now she was going to have to confront the elephant in the room - that she was letting it weigh on her this much. She was hoping she might be able to get away with not saying anything if everyone's attention was on Arizona, but no such luck. Lacey valued her image as a bright, positive ray of sunshine. She was afraid to let anyone think she really did struggle with her concerns and self-doubts; that was just going to put a dampener on their excitement, and they were certainly excited after the newcomer's victory. Even if it hadn't been hers. Even if that called things into question as to if she'd still even be relevant...

Nevertheless, Lacey wasn't going to let on about that any longer. She quickly pushed herself back to her feet, flashing Arizona the best smile she could. "Huh..? Me? Fine! I'm fine!" She blurted out the words, and her eyelid twitched anxiously - she might have been trying to stay upbeat, but it wasn't hard for anyone to tell her inner thoughts said otherwise. Still, she started to back up toward the ropes, her hands held up in front of her to dissuade attention. "W-We should get backstage anyway, the next match is gonna start soon-! Heh..."

[ClockwerkSamurai12]

Arizona: Okay.. (She heads backstage with Lacey, mostly to see what was wrong with her) You sure you’re feelin’ okay?

[CaptainL]

Lacey couldn't help but be disappointed. It was only her second match in LAW, but it was her second loss, and if anything, this was one that hit her even harder than the last. She'd gone into this match hoping to make a change - hoping that she'd be able to bounce back from her previous defeat, and to show the world that she wasn't going to let things keep her down that easily. She wanted to come back to the League with a new attitude and with newfound energy, but she just hadn't been able to pull it off. And that nagging doubt couldn't help but sit there in the back of her mind - what if this wasn't the end? What if her career was only going to run downhill? What if she just wasn't cut out for this? When she'd put all her effort into wrestling and never looked back, when she'd already committed to going overseas and finding a new home and setting a course for the rest of her life...where else could she go if it all went south?

She didn't want to admit it to anyone. She didn't want anyone to have to see her frown. She did her best to keep herself calm and composed as she followed Arizona out of the ring. But the moment they were out of the corner and away from any prying eyes, Lacey let out a long sigh, and her shoulders slumped as though the air had been let out of her body. There was no use in hiding it any more, she knew - Arizona, whether she liked it or not, was on to her. But at least she didn't seem to judge. At least she seemed like she wanted to help. Maybe, as long as this just stayed between the two of them, it'd be okay...

"...No. I'm not," Lacey muttered with a sigh. She kept her head bowed low, too afraid to look Arizona in the eye. "I'm sorry. You did your best, and you deserve to feel happy about that. Don't let me take that away from you. I just...feel like a letdown..."

[ClockwerkSamurai12]

Arizona: Oh c’mon, don’t say that.. you actually caught me off guard with some of yer attacks!

[CaptainL]

When Lacey had been so disappointed by her performance, she couldn't even find it in her to look Arizona in the eye; her gaze was directed down at her feet for the whole conversation, even as she shuffled them nervously. She might have gotten some good moves in, she might have even gotten a few cheers, but she couldn't look past the elephant in the room - that, in the end, she had lost. In her mind, that was enough to taint everything else by association. Even if she did some things right, what good was it when she just wasn't enough to succeed?

But it seemed Arizona didn't think that way. At first, Lacey blinked to herself a few times in confusion, as though what Arizona had just said was all but unbelievable. "Huh..?" Then, though, she looked her in the eye, only to blush and glance aside a moment later when she was reminded of her own failures. There, she let out a long sigh. "Look, you don't need to make me feel better about myself. It's just...you make it look so easy, and I..." Her words were cut off by another sigh. Lacey didn't even want to finish that thought if it meant admitting defeat, but it was already quite clear what she meant.

[ClockwerkSamurai12]

Arizona: Hm.. I got it! What if me and my pa were to toughen you up, that way ya don’t end up losin’ future scuffles??

[CaptainL]

Lacey didn't really know what to expect. She felt more vulnerable now than ever, admitting her concerns - conceding that she wasn't perfect - and as she did, she bit nervously at her lip and hugged her arm a little closer to herself. She had wanted everyone to think that she was perfect. That everything was okay, and that she would bounce back from everything in her way with a smile on her face and a can-do attitude all the while...whether or not that was really true, at the end of the day. Yet here, she was letting herself open up to Arizona, and that meant letting her true feelings show through. Letting her know how hard she was taking the loss. In her mind, she had already demonstrated she wasn't as good as she wanted to be while she was in the ring; this would only be a further admission of defeat if she couldn't even walk away from it gracefully when the dust cleared. She half-expected Arizona to call her out on it; to turn her back on her and admit she wasn't ever worthy of her time. Lacey knew it would hurt, but maybe she could at least get the bandaid torn off now, and not have to worry about it for the future...

So, needless to say, she was taken by surprise when Arizona not only declined to judge her, she also offered to help her train! The green-haired girl's eyes went wide as she looked back up toward Arizona with a gasp. "I...you...really!? You would do that for me?" A grin flashed across her face. That had to mean Arizona saw the potential in her, and that she was willing to help her bring it out! It meant she wouldn't think any less of her for her feelings! Maybe there was a chance for her after all! Lacey had to hold back the urge to run up to Arizona and hug her then and there...

...but, a second later, she stopped herself, as she looked back down and sighed. The dark thoughts were creeping into her head again, and they told her that even if she did take the cowgirl up on her offer, it wouldn't do her any good. Her training evidently didn't work for her before; why would this? How long would it be before she just showed how big of a disappointment she was? How long would Arizona even put up with her while she constantly struggled to succeed? She shook her head, her gaze fixed on the ground. No, she told herself - this wouldn't work. She only wished it could be that simple.

"I...don't know if it'll work," she said. "I trained back home as part of WOWW, and that didn't get me anywhere. Is this going to be any different? How do I know I won't just...let you down? I couldn't do that to you..." She sniffled to herself. This was one of the most generous things anyone had done for her in a while - which made it all the more bittersweet when she knew she wouldn't be able to measure up.

[ClockwerkSamurai12]

Arizona: I’ll.. let you think about it fer now. Lemme know when you wanna start trainin’!

[CaptainL]

"...Right..." Once again, Lacey looked down with a sigh. She bit the inside of her cheek, thinking about what Arizona had said to her. A part of her had been hoping the cowgirl would talk herself out of her self-blame. She'd seemed kind and supportive enough already; surely she'd think better of Lacey than Lacey thought of herself. But she offered to let Lacey think things through, instead. A part of Lacey thought that meant Arizona wasn't going to argue with her assessment of her own abilities - and if she had a point, maybe she really was hopeless. But, at the same time...Arizona hadn't turned her down. She was still willing to help. Maybe, then, there was some hope for Lacey yet...

Clearing her throat, the green-haired girl looked back up, and a smile came to her face as her eyes met Arizona's. "I...really do want to thank you," she said. "For even offering this in the first place. It...means a lot that you'd be willing to do something like that for me...even if I don't really think I deserve it. That means a lot; I hope you know that..."

[ClockwerkSamurai12]

Arizona: No prob, just be sure to tell me if ya wanna go thru with it.