Swing on me- Kieda vs Astrid!

[SubtleRoar]

*While casually scrolling through the avalanche of messages she received on a daily, if not hourly basis Kieda managed to stop on one that caught her interest- She was scheduled for a match this evening, and against none other than the tenacious titaness Astrid Ostenberg. That name rang a bell for some peculiar reason, and after giving it a moment of thought, it finally struck her as to why.* "Oh! That's right...she fell to Jess not too long ago, then managed to embarrass Gambit at her own game. Perhaps she could provide me with a scrap of entertainment tonight~" *The Azure Assassin ruminated for a bit before quickly changing into her ring attire. The possibilities were almost endless when going up against someone as versatile as Astrid- While not only boasting a high amount of offense and defense, she could seemingly outlast anybody she fought without expelling too much energy in the process. The winner would almost certainly be determined by who could outlast whom, and Kieda had no intentions on showing any quarter tonight.*

*After putting the finishing touches on her trademark ensemble, Kieda strolled down the hallways while making eye contact with the nameless jobbers that crowded her aura. It wasn't their fault that fate had been kind towards her while constantly keeping them in its crosshairs, but she wasn't about to sacrifice even a vestige of her spotlight for them- Tonight was going to be her night, as it always was, and nobody could pry it from her perfectly manicured nails!*

Spoiler

*As her anthem filled the arena, the crowd instantaneously reacted with a tsunami of applause. Kieda had amassed a humungous following over the course of her career on LAW, and while it personally caused tingles to travel up and down her spine, she knew that she couldn't break character. The Mauve Maelstrom blithely flipped her ponytail backwards while marching towards the ring, before promptly hopping up onto the apron and slipping through the center gap.*

"Yes, yes, I'm phenomenal. Thank you for pointing out the obvious." *Kieda remarked, and even with her scathing apathy, her beloved fans continued to shower her with praise. Before long, she was swimming in the attention they bestowed upon her.* "Ass-assin! Ass-assin!" *She could hear them chanting while cavalierly resting her backside against an adjacent turnbuckle. Astrid had a rough night ahead of her, and Kieda wasn't planning on making it easy by any stretch of the imagination1*

[CaptainL]

When Kieda came to the ring, she barely showed any enthusiasm or excitement about it, as though her being there was of no importance at all. But when Astrid next took her place on the entrance ramp, things were a different story. As soon as the bars of her theme music started playing, and the lights shone down on the ramp, the crowd was already cheering and chanting her name. Astrid had begun to amass a following worthy of her stature in her time in LAW, and nowhere would that be more apparent than now.

Appearance

The cheers only got louder when the Norsewoman stepped out from the curtains, flexing her biceps in a show of strength as she turned to display her physique to either side of the stands. Once she was done showing off, she placed her hands on her hips, staring down her opponent already in the ring. Then, Astrid advanced, striding to the ring with determination and purpose before she stepped over the ropes to take her place.

"Bold of you to shower yourself with such praise before the match has even begun," Astrid said. "You must be very sure of yourself if you speak of your greatness without proving it. But can you best my strength?"

[SubtleRoar]

*Even though her 'Entourage' as she called it nearly drowned her in their unfiltered love and adoration, it appeared as though Astrid wasn't lacking in that particular department, either. Suffice it to say, she had accumulated a sizable fanbase of her own, so much so that Kieda began to grit her teeth due to the latent jealously that was beginning to overwhelm her.* "Pfft...so what? She's some cookie cutter blonde! Are these people that desperate for a goldielocks cosplayer now?" *She muttered to herself, still unable to comprehend just why Astrid was receiving the unabashed worshipping the audience praised her with.*

*Soon enough however, the towering titaness had made her presence known within the ring, even going so far as to call Kieda out for her severe lack of empathy and compassion regarding their bout. Taking umbrage to such a remark, The Fashion Assassin flipped her ponytail backwards and snickered as a result of such ignorance on Astrid's behalf.* "Hmhm, of course I am. Who else can claim to be as ravishing as I am, yet possess the skills to hang with the best of the best?"

*Strutting towards the middle of the ring, Kieda beckoned Astrid to join her while shooting the buxom blonde a sharp glare.* "I can, and I most certainly will. However, if you do manage to best me in our little contest tonight, I'll reveal a secret about my ginger cohort. You know the one~" *Kieda chuckled, having personally witnessed Astrid's demise at the hand of her southern companion, Jess.*

Sharp Glare

*The surly assassin tucked her expensive shades into her jacket pocket, before proceeding to gently drape her ornate coat overtop of an adjacent rope, displaying her taut figure for the word to ogle.* "So, how does that sound to you? You get a little incentive to try and topple me, and I get to watch you grovel at my feet once I clobber you silly."

[CaptainL]

Astrid huffed under her breath, hearing Kieda's self-congratulatory words. Standing in the ring with a tall and firm stance, the Norwegian simply cracked her knuckles as she kept her eyes trained on her opponent. Astrid had little need for flashiness or showmanship, but she didn't feel she needed it when she could back herself up with her skills in the ring. And she knew she hadn't seen any of those from Kieda quite yet, despite her claims towards them. She just shook her head in response. "Ravishing, okay, maybe. But I'll believe that you have those skills when I see them from you myself."

However, the topic soon shifted as Kieda's words brought to mind Astrid's prior confrontation with Jess. In that moment, Astrid fell silent. She wasn't aware that Kieda had known about that match, let alone how the defeat had stuck with her - of how she had given it her all to try and overcome Jess, but it wasn't enough. If she was, perhaps, to face the Texan again...perhaps, Astrid could use this to her advantage and even the score, proving herself once and for all. A finger started to rise to her chin, in thought.

But there was no time for that, as the challenge was on. Astrid nodded to Kieda, stepping in towards her in the center of the ring. "Very well," she said. "Offer what you may - but I will not need any encouragement to do my best! I can only hope you are prepared for it!"

*DING DING DING*

With the bell ringing, Astrid got into a stance, stepping towards Kieda and offering her traditional gesture of a test of strength to start the match. This way, she thought, she might be able to get a sense for what Kieda was capable of.

[SubtleRoar]

*With a taciturn nod as a response to Astrid's decision, Kieda menacingly chuckled as a way to try and shake the bombshell's confidence.* "Prepared? Oh darling, I came out of the womb prepared for what life has to offer me. I can only pray that you're capable of capturing my attention for our little altercation." *Assuming a bladed stance for maximum speed optimization, the cobalt kunoichi charged forward with the uncanny tempo she was venerated for, almost creating a blurred motion before slamming herself directly into Astrid's grip!*

"Ggrrrhh!" *Kieda's pearly whites began to gnash as she tried to force the unflinching valkyrie backwards!* "G..gorgeous and powerful? Seems like...y..you have everything going for you, Mrs. Ostenberg~" *Kieda was beginning to feel slightly frustrated at her predicament- She hadn't anticipated her competition to resist her rush down assault, let alone barely flinch from it. This proved to be quite the insurmountable wall that Kieda couldn't scale, but as quick as a wink, she had already conjured up an ulterior strategy for this impressive foe!*

"T..too bad I'm the one with the brains!" *Without a vestige of hesitation, Kieda fully disengaged before launching her knees upwards in tandem to try and rattle Astrid's mandible and confidence, weaponizing her svelte body and terrifying speed.* "And this, my dear girl, is precisely why I'm the zenith of the LAW circuit~" *She cackled to herself, silently praying her attack would go unabated.*

Spoiler

[CaptainL]

Kieda's arrogance wasn't doing her many favors with Astrid, who simply rolled her eyes at her self-important way of introducing herself. Still, she couldn't help but acknowledge the speed with which her opponent met up with her in the center of the ring, throwing herself into her offer of a test of strength. Astrid reckoned that this was sure to be an interesting contest, as both competitors were at the pinnacle of their respective fields - Astrid's strength and endurance versus Kieda's speed. This would be a true test of power and agility. And Astrid was excited for it.

She met Kieda's charge with her hands extended, ready to shove back and throw her full weight behind her. Sure enough, Astrid wasn't moved much by the charge, as she dug her heels into the mat, resisting Kieda's best efforts to bowl her over. With Astrid's superior size and weight, it was no wonder that Kieda couldn't move her by force alone. A smirk crossed the Norwegian's face, as she was sure that she had the upper hand. "Your words are kind ones indeed," she said. "But flattery will get you nowhere!"

But flattery wasn't what Kieda was going for when there were other tools in her arsenal. She flung herself towards the blonde with her knees outstretched to collide with her jaw, and with a loud crack, Astrid's head rolled backward as she staggered away from Kieda. Her back fell against the ropes as she stood rubbing the pain out of her jaw. While it wouldn't be enough to bring Astrid off her feet, she would still be staggered.

[SubtleRoar]

*While it appeared as though both women had established a mutual respect for one another, Kieda certainly wasn't the type to indulge in verbal foppery- Unless it was about her, of course. Once her spontaneous idea had managed to bear fruit, The Mauve Maelstrom instantaneously rolled herself sideways before springing off the ropes, gaining an impressive amount of momentum before lifting herself completely off the ground in a bold attempt to crack Astrid across the face with a dropkick!*

"Oh, my words are derived from a nugget of truth, but don't let them get to your head~" *She giggled, her ornate boots pointed towards her target's mug, slicing through the sky almost effortlessly.* "Better yet, how about my feet do so instead?" *Within seconds of having tried to tackle the massive bombshell to the floor, Kieda had taken back control of this encounter by relying on her sharp wit and genius strategy.*

Spoiler

*While still rather undivided on whom they should be cheering for, with the exception of the hardcore zealots that each combatant could boast of, the audience in attendance was rather impressed at the quick pace and dazzling performance both women were putting on.* "Keep it up! Keep it up!" *They chanted in unison, which of course, Kieda immediately thought they were alluding to her and her alone as a pompous smirk shot across her countenance.*

[CaptainL]

Having been blindsided by the knee strike, Astrid was still coming off the shock in those few moments after Kieda had hit her. Lying back against the ropes, it seemed as though she had fallen victim to her opponent's ploy, leaving her wide open for Kieda's next strike, as she went in to land a dropkick.

However, among Astrid's greatest assets, her stamina and resilience was always high on the list. She soon found herself coming back to her senses in time to see Kieda going off the ropes to build her speed. She'd stay where she was for a moment, just to lull Kieda into a false sense of security and bait her into finishing what she started. However, when Kieda was airborne, Astrid swerved out of the way, leaving her to go flying into the ropes!

"Or maybe you don't jump to conclusions before they land, yeah?" Astrid said, turning around to stand behind Kieda's back. She smiled, gloating with pride, but she wouldn't stay this way for long, as she had an opportunity to claim on the downed woman. Sure she would be in no shape to retaliate, Astrid hoisted Kieda up before she slipped her arm onto her own shoulders, going to throw her backwards with a back suplex. If that worked, Astrid would then bridge her back to try and get in a quick pin, on the chance she would be able to humble Kieda for her arrogance.

[SubtleRoar]

*With her previous attack rendering the titanic valkyrie immobilized, Kieda felt on top of the world- She had quite easily and effortlessly dispatched of her confident foe, proving that once again she brought both elegance and style to the forefront of the law circuit! As these thoughts began to cloud her vision, it was becoming brutally apparent that Astrid disagreed with her, choosing to dip away from the subsequent dropkick and leaving Kieda to collide against the ropes with a sonorous* "UUGGGH!" *Rattling out from her mouth!*

"Uuuhh..I...impossible..s..simply impossible..." *She muttered through clinched teeth, struggling to gather her bearings after that embarrassing blemish on her otherwise immaculate performance. However, Astrid decided to roll with her momentum, hoisting Kieda skyward before subsequently introducing her to the canvas with a devastating back suplex into the ground!* "GGGGHHH!" *The tremor of unfathomable anguish shocked her body into a stunned, sedentary position while the referee began his count!*

Spoiler

"ONE!" *The instant Kieda heard the dreaded countdown to her demise initiate, she knew she needed to act fast. The ropes certainly weren't an option in this case, so she needed to muster up the strength necessary to break the unwavering grasp Astrid had firmly established on her. With one, singular thrust of her body, she shot upwards and managed to break herself free after the count of "TWO!" before rolling onto her stomach to give the burly bombshell a baleful glare.*

Spoiler

"A..alright, you're talented, that much I'll concede..." *Kieda squinted her eyes, slowly beginning to rise to her feet while climbing up the ropes, her body quivering from the amount of misery she was in.* "But we're not done here, not by a longshot."

[CaptainL]

Astrid knew that someone as big as she was would hit hard, but she could already tell from the impact of Kieda's body striking the mat that she had made a rough landing indeed. From there, Astrid was sure she'd be winded, and she was quick to transition into a pin attempt, arching her back to bring her opponent's shoulders down to the mat.

She knew that it was early in the match still, of course. But Astrid wasn't trying to win just yet. It would be good if she did, of course, but that wasn't the purpose of this move. She wanted to see how good Kieda was at getting out of situations like this one, and if she had any strength or skill to back up her words. If she really was all talk, then she would have to eat her words, having been proven with humiliating ease how wrong she was.

For a moment, as the count went to two, Astrid thought that might even happen. She raised an eyebrow towards Kieda, wondering if she really would win here. Or maybe she was just strong enough to make such strikes count, even this early in the match. But regardless, Kieda managed to break free, bucking out of the pin. Astrid in turn released her, coming back to her feet herself at a noticeably quicker pace and dusting her off.

She looked across at Kieda and nodded, smiling as she heard her say that she was only getting started. Now that was what Astrid wanted to hear. "I would hope as much. Show me what you've got then!" she called out, as she lowered herself into a stance.