In A Mirror, Darkly - Clara Gaster v. Brooke Betancourt

[FreestylePoet]

Standard Match
Victory by pinfall, submission, count-out, or DQ.

It had been a while since Brooke Betancourt had stepped into the LAW ring. She'd spent more time dealing with the aftermath of her disastrous match against Rose Gold than she had keeping herself in tip-top wrestling shape. Setting up email filters for herself and her teammates. Blocking certain phrases, hashtags, and (many, many) accounts on her socials. Steering far away from Team Stanza's office mailbox. It seemed like the whole world was sharing photos and videos of that match, spreading jokes and memes at her expense, and overall just laughing at her for what had been an ill-fated attempt at sending a message.

With any luck, though, that wouldn't happen tonight. "She's a good person," Brooke's manager had assured her of her opponent. "Face of the franchise, will wrestle cleanly, will make it fun for you but won't baby you by giving less than her all." But the whole time, it seemed more like Dr. Morgenstern was walking on eggshells. Trying to assuage Brooke's doubts without outright saying "this Clara girl won't fuck you silly in the middle of the ring."

Because that's what had happened to Brooke. There were no two ways about it. She would know; it was something she'd replayed in her head over and over since that day. Both the bad and the unfortunately, forcibly good. Out of morose reflection and unfriendly reminders alike.

But again. That wouldn't happen tonight. This was the mantra that Brooke kept repeating to herself internally. From the locker room to the gorilla position to the mouth of the entrance ramp. It drowned out the PAs announcing her, it drowned out her entrance theme, it drowned out every other thought she could have had. Because if it didn't, Brooke honestly didn't know if she'd be able to take the stage tonight.

Brooke Betancourt, the Downrange Diva

She'd chosen a less revealing outfit than her typical bikini or her lingerie from that fateful night. Something that would let her move around throughout the entire match without exposing more of herself. More than that, something that would separate her visually from the events of her Midas Touch match.

But what she couldn't be separated from was the crowd. While she couldn't know how many of them had been there that night, all of them surely knew what had happened. Their jeers and jokes told her that much. All Brooke could do was... wait. Lean at her assigned corner with a pensive, unfocused look on her face and pray for her opponent to come soon so that she could have something to focus on.

[Vc0m]

Clara would be facing a woman who recently was challenged for the Lightweight Belt by the champion…and, around the locker room, she got the idea that Brooke wasn’t taking the loss well…especially as the internet was ever so keen to remind her of her disastrous loss…

Clara has let her feelings on Rose Gold known during her interview in October, and wanted to dethrone her for the belt before she humiliated the entire division beneath her. She was going to fight her…soon, she hoped…

But for now, she had to focus on Brooke. Unlike Rose, she aimed to get her rivals to her level, rather than belittle them, and after tonight’s match, she wished that Brooke would think of her title battle as a bad dream.

Spoiler

The Brit entered in her relatively new attire, looking like a heroine in her black and gold get up. She would strike poses, but decided not to over do on sex appeal. She noticed that Brooke’s attire was a lot more reserved than when she fought Rose. She didn’t want to show her up, so she focused on looking cute, rather than sex appeal.

Soon, she would enter the ring, and strike a cute heroic pose, with her hand in a v over her eye. As her music quieted down, Clara stepped in the middle of the ring, outstretching her hand to Brooke for sportsmanship’s sake…

[FreestylePoet]

Almost as soon as Clara stepped onto the ramp, Brooke couldn't help but notice the immediate volume of the crowd. Their appreciative cheers for Clara's entrance sparked a pang of sad jealousy in Brooke's heart. While she'd come to LAW to find herself and reinvent her career, part of her remembered being paraded around gun shows and fashion shows. In hindsight, those memories weren't truly happy, but they were tinged with something akin to Stockholm syndrome that forced her into appreciation. That same part of her secretly yearned for the same kind of pops that Clara had just earned.

But she'd never get those, at least not if her own entrance treatment was anything to go by. It was like her face was still marked with the aftermath of Rose's wrath.

So instead of cheers, she heard jeers and jokes. Instead of the bashful attraction that she'd normally display when faced with a cute girl like Clara, Brooke simply watched her with a stony stare... Until Clara stepped to the center of the ring, that is. She swiftly swung her arm out towards Brooke, and in response she --

She flinched.

A few weeks ago, she would have gladly accepted the show of goodwill with a determined grin on her face. But she didn't. Once again, the crowd mocked her for nearly running out of the arena at a simple handshake. Brooke sighed, pressing her lips tightly before finally accepting the shake with a curt nod. "Sorry," she muttered. "I'm Brooke."

After her introduction, she walked back and awaited the start of the match. When the bell rang, Brooke didn't step forward for a test of strength like she had in her debut against Alizeh Midori. She didn't surge forward for a double-legged takedown as she did against Akari Fujiyami. And she was nowhere close to going for a low blow like she had against Rose Gold.

Instead, she just dropped into a defensive posture. Watched her opponent with nervously flitting eyes. And waited. Not out of a desire to analyze her opponent's start, but out of fear. Her feet were... They were frozen.

[Vc0m]

For a moment, it almost seemed to Clara as if Brooke was scared of Clara and shaking her hand. Just how hurt was Brooke after her fight with Rose?

Soon enough, however, she accepted the handshake, telling her kindly: ”It’s ok. I’m Clara. You have nothing to worry about. Let’s just wrestle tonight!”

A few moments later, Brooke and Clara separated, the bell would ring, and the match would be on!

Clara slowly closed the distance between herself and the brunette, but it seemed like Brooke couldn’t move an inch. Decided to give her rival a bit of leeway, she would push her own hand into the air, wordlessly challenging Brook to a test of strength at her own pace!

[FreestylePoet]

Brooke continued to warily eye her opponent, looking more like a cornered animal than a professional wrestler. Soon enough, Clara raised her hand without another word -- an offer for a test of strength!

She took a deep breath, nodding to herself. "Just... wrestle. Yeah." She'd enjoyed wrestling, when she first started! It was fun with her stablemates like Julie and Louise, it was fun with Alizeh, and, despite how much of a bitch she was to Brooke, it was fun with Akari. If it was going to be fun with Clara too, then she didn't want to let that get taken away from her.

So Brooke forced herself to smile. It was shaky and fake, just like how Brooke felt right now. But maybe, she could just fake it 'til she made it.

Brooke took up Clara's raised hand in hers, offering her other in kind. And she pushed, though she felt that too much exertion so early on would send hot tears of frustration down her face. Still, she fought as best she knew how against the stronger junior powerhouse, shimmying back and forth like she'd been trained, hoping to unbalance Clara so she could eventually take control herself!

[Vc0m]

Brooke agreed with Clara…but the Brit knew that she wasn’t 100% sure of the match tonight. That said, she didn’t want to babysit or take it easy on the brunette - to do so would be disrespecting her and her abilities as a wrestler.

The two women finally engaged in the power contest. Rather than try and overpower Clara, Brooke tried to take her by surprise, putting different amount of strength to each of her hands to unbalance the Shadow Lord!

”Mgh…not bad…but how about this!”

Clara would kick at her’s and Brooke’s right arm, transitioning into a wristlock, trapping the brunette by twisting her arm!

[FreestylePoet]

Brooke pushed and pulled, trying to gain some half-second advantage to press. But Clara had the upper hand in both strength and skill, making it difficult for her efforts to bear fruit!

A swift kick up and a twist later, and she was twisted into a wristlock! The hold was simple, she knew, but her tightening shoulder didn't care. Still, as it had many times before, her hard-earned flexibility had offered her more freedom of movement than other wrestlers might have. A model's flexibility was largely in her legs and core, but Brooke's arms were no slouch.

Despite her doubts coming into this match, once she got into the thick of things, her training reflexively kicked in. Acting on impulse alone, the Downrange Diva slid one foot back, her rubber sole squeaking across the canvas. Then she tugged, hoping to ripcord Clara or otherwise untwist her arm and free herself from the more restrictive components of this wristlock. It was a classic counter that could easily be followed up with any number of swift moves!

"Hnnngh!" At least, until it wasn't. Even with her backwards momentum as an aid, the dainty model just couldn't generate enough power to tug Clara right back! Her eyes went wide with disheartened surprise. As that moment passed, her one chance at escape fell short. Whatever follow-up Clara prepared in that time, Brooke was surely vulnerable!

[Vc0m]

Slowly, Brooke would find a way to try and counter the hold, untwisting her arm before pulling Clara towards herself!

…only to then have nothing planned as Clara and Brooke came together. Clara figured out a quick follow up as she hugged Brooke and lifted her into the air, nailing her with a Belly-to-Belly Suplex!

[FreestylePoet]

Brooke's poor choice of counter resulted in a nasty downfall -- literally! Clara wrapped her arms around Brooke's waist and swung her overhead! The Downrange Diva's world turned upside down, and she soon found herself hurtling right towards the ring floor!

"GYAH!" Brooke yelped in pain as she was flipped bodily onto the canvas! The impact reverberated through her form like an earthquake, briefly unsettling the foundations of her consciousness. Though only fully stunned for a moment, her breath and wits alike were stolen from her in that swift instant. "Uuugh..." The inexperienced rookie was left to catch her bearings, giving Clara ample time to follow up however she wished!

[Vc0m]

Clara wouldn’t overthink her next actions after viciously planting her rival into the floor with a Belly-to-Belly suplex. Instead, she sat down next to her rival, trying to grab onto her arm to hyperextend it for a Cross Armbar!