Laxia stood in the gorilla position, waiting for her cue to head out onto the stage, though unlike usual, she was having a difficult time completely hiding the discomfort written across her features. She straightened her posture more than once and fussed with her gloves, but no matter what she did, the conversation from only a few hours earlier refused to leave her mind.
- A few hours earlier... -
Normally, it would have arrived long before now. A report from her butler, Sebastian, meticulously detailing her opponent’s record, tendencies, strengths, weaknesses, and even potential approaches for exploiting them. He had never once been late with one before, so when the appointed time came and went without a word from him, Laxia eventually found herself making the call first.
“Seb, just why are you taking so long? Do you have any idea what time it—”
“...You cannot take this match. Cancel it.” “....What...?”
Laxia’s words died in her throat. The simple fact that he had interrupted her was strange enough. But more than that, he had not told her to reconsider. He had not advised her to exercise caution. He had told her to cancel it.
“This match should never have been sanctioned. Your opponent-” Laxia closed her eyes, a familiar sting of inadequacy flaring beneath her pride.
“So that’s what you think of me now...? That I no longer belong in the ring?”
Her voice sharpened before she could stop it. Only one thought immediately came to mind. So even he thinks... I’m not good enough anymore...
“That’s not what I mean. But, my lady... you don’t understand. This woman is-” “Enough.” A brief silence followed. “...That’s enough. I don’t want to hear any more.” Beep.
Laxia ended the call and tossed her phone carelessly onto the sofa. She knew Sebastian was only worried about her. That was precisely why she didn’t want to hear it. If she let him finish, it would feel like admitting that Sebastian was right to worry, and perhaps that she really was that weak. And more than anything... no one was more painfully aware than Laxia herself that her recent performances in the ring had not all gone according to plan. ...I haven’t exactly given him much reason to think otherwise, have I...? She knew defeat, pain, and being thrown against the canvas were all part of what she had signed up for. She could endure it. No. She had to.
Laxia could hardly pretend that she was the sort of wrestler who decorated every appearance with another victory. But her supporters were steadily growing in number, and little by little, she was beginning to carve out a place for herself in this unfamiliar world. What she needed now was not concern. It was not rest. She needed someone to believe in her. She could not afford to give up yet. Not while she still carried the burden of her name upon her shoulders. Not while there was still something she had come here to accomplish. There was no time to stop, no time to rest. This was the moment to keep moving forward. Especially if she was ever going to find the thief who might still be somewhere within LAW. I’ve already lost. I’ve been struck, thrown around, and pushed to my limits before.
...How much worse could it possibly get?
- Present... -
“Miss Roswell..?” There was no answer. “Miss Roswell..!” “Ah... yes!” Laxia flinched, pulled from her thoughts at last. She quickly straightened herself, masking the brief crack in her composure with a breath before stepping through the curtain. Her titantron burst to life as pyrotechnics erupted around the stage. Emerging beneath the lights, Laxia stopped at center stage and struck a practiced pose, looking more comfortable in the role of a wrestler than she once had.
Spoiler
Before long, however, her attention returned to the now-darkened entrance. Somewhere beyond that curtain waited Angela Guillot, the woman they called the Nightmare. Laxia curled her fingers into a fist, then slowly relaxed them. Her apprehension remained, but her chin lifted almost instinctively as she waited. She would be lying if she claimed she felt no fear at all. Still, she did not look away. I didn’t run. Her blue eyes remained fixed on the entrance. ...Now I only have to prove I was right. And perhaps more importantly, Let us see for ourselves, then... just what Sebastian was so afraid of.