As Miss Ysé settled into her ring corner, the lights dimmed, and Madeleine stepped onto the ramp in the dark. While she was still a dim silhouette, she scanned the audience.
Would her eyes settle, on any of the sweet darlings from her prior matches?
Then the trumpet fanfare that marked the beginning of her entrance burst to life, and with each quarter-second beat, a new spotlight flashed, highlighting her body from a new angle. Her legs! her face! Her back! Flashes of her golden hair and glittering gear, and of course her
smile, all illuminated with a lightning-storm of jazz and light.
She trotted down the ramp, waving, catching eye contact, blowing a kiss there, neither rushing nor dragging, going at exactly the pace where she felt alive and comfortable. As she approached the apron, then rolled under the bottom ropes and hopped to the center ring, she let her eyes roll over all the lovely people. Some were young and beautiful, blonde and well-dressed; here and there was an older man, wrinkled or gray-haired. She drank them all up until she thought she might burst with happiness, and then she threw two hands in the air,presenting them all with today's stuffed companion—
A cow. A
Jersey cow. A big stupid brown cow with a big stupid, huggable body and two big stupid loving eyes on its big stupid horned head. She loved this cow, in the way she could only love things that were stupid, brick stupid, but could love her anyway.
"You are all—so. Wonderful!!" she called through a mic to the big stupid audience.
"And I want to thank you, from deep in my heart, for being here."
By now the jazz fanfare had faded and the lights had returned to a neutral burn. Madeleine turned to her opponent, acknowledging her last of everyone in the room.
"And I want to thank you, too, Cléophée. Which is why—as much as I adore my friend Ferdinanda here—" She extended the cow towards Cléo, holding it in both hands while just a pinch of sadness entered her expression.
"As much as I have a bond with this one-of-a-kind companion from Jouets D'Ors. And even though he's worth over €1000 on the open market. I want to give him to you, Cléophée...If you win."
And she pulled her old friend back to her chest. She still smiled, and that smile still pleasantly warmed her eyes—but there was an edge, now to their gleam.
"That's only fun, right? And if you don't..." She pursed her lips, then shrugged, as if to say
as much of a shame as that would be. "Thennnn. He'll go to an audience member of my choice. My special favorite for tonight."
It went without saying, of course, that her special favorite would be someone who brought a true love of the sport into their participation.
Her eyes slid from the audience back to the silver-haired woman across from her.
"I know it's a bit silly, but. Won't you indulge me in this little bet?"
