Old Foes, Old Flames (For Hitman)

[Underdoggo]

Damn, that had been a good match.

Erika strode into the locker room, with the slow and steady pace of someone who has just been through a ringer. Her breath still felt a little hoarse, her body was sore from numerous slams and direct hits, and she was covered in a sheen of sweat...but despite everything, she was smiling. Not because she had won, oh no: she had lost that match. But it had been a fun, hard fought match against an opponent who refused to give up. That, in her book, was almost as good as a win. The fact that Aizen Yuzuriha had been a stand-up guy instead of some sexist heel had made the match that much better.

Plus, the fans had loved it. That was an important factor in and of itself.

Sitting down on the bench, she reached into a locker and pulled out her towel and water bottle. Taped to the back of her locker were numerous photos, both of her friends and family back home, and also of herself in all the leagues she'd been in prior to this one. Fellow wrestlers, one and all, friends and foes alike, all posing with her for the camera in backstage photos or official promo picks.

She looked back at those old indy photos. She missed some of those wrestlers more than others, admittedly, but a part of her still missed them, all the same.

She took a swig of her water bottle. Where were some of her friends from the old leagues right now, she wondered? Had they moved on, as she had? Damn, she wish she had bothered to write to some of them, or at least add them on social media...though admittedly she had not touched her Facebook or Instagram profiles in forever....

[Hitman45]

Tonight, LAW’s weekly show was going on in full swing, and the hallways inside the main arena were ripe with an entropy of staff, wrestlers and officials to ensure the smooth conduct of the spectacle. Thus, one had to dodge and weave past people rushing in their direction, straight as a bullet, while making sure that they didn’t trip and fall.

“Nope … Not a chance in hell. You just fucking made it up on the spot. I don’t believe a word of it …”Elena dismissively waved her hands, annoyance clearly painted over her face.

Elena's casual fit

“I am telling you right now. There ABSOLUTELY IS a motor-oil flavoured soft drink in the vending machine. I saw it with my own eyes!” Allison claimed, pointing in the direction where both the ladies were heading.

Allison's casual fit

“After my…excuse me….first fight with Christina, I came across that abomination in the vending machine. I couldn’t….coming through!....believe what I read. But it was absolutely REAL. I swear….”Allison managed to stay on topic despite bumping into more than a few people, determined to prove that her eyes hadn’t deceived her before.

“You know what, I am 99% sure now that this is just an elaborate ploy to get a drink from the machine without spending a penny. Better pray that it isn’t a fugazi. Or—”Elena’s words and feet both came to an abrupt halt. Her ocean blue eyes dilated.

“You know what, that’s it. If it exists, I’ll buy you drinks for the whole of next….” Allison, having skipped ahead a couple of steps, pivoted around to see her friend’s gaze locked at something, or someone, in the locker room beside the spot where she stood.

“I don’t think that soda is in there. We gotta go straight. Who you looking at….?” The ravenhead too peeked in to see what had caught the blonde’s attention so much. And there she was.

“Ah, that’s who….” Allison mused, eyes blinking more than usual to see if it was indeed true.

Erika Lavoy. LaDestroyer.

The raven-haired woman gently elbowed Elena’s shoulder to snap her out of her trance and took the first step into the lockers, keen to greet her old friend. For Elena, meanwhile, it was a different story. After all, it’s not every day that one meets their old flame out of the blue like so.

A cocktail of emotions swirled around her mind. Heartbeat picked up with every step, and a light shade of red flushed the blonde’s cheeks as she followed closely behind Allison, trying to get herself into being natural again.

“I remember that one like it’s yesterday…” Allison would look down at the photo in Erika’s hand, leaning against the locker. “Ya gave me that can to drink, and I was too late to realise that it had been shaken VERY violently before. So there I was, sputtering and coughing around from the liquid going into my nostrils and eye sockets. And you found it fitting to capture a selfie AND get a physical copy of it….? You’re evil, you know that?” The raven-haired woman chuckled, a wave of nostalgia washing over her as she looked at that photo.

“How have you been, Erika?” Allison would go in for a hug after a pause, clearly pleased to be reunited with an old buddy.

On the other hand, Elena was a bundle of nerves, trying her level best not to let it be seen. Once Allison was done, the blonde, rubbing the back of her neck, was going to step forward…

Only to be betrayed by her mind

Instead of going for an embrace, which the bigger woman might have been expecting, Elena’s arm extended in autopilot for a handshake! This would cause her to curse herself internally, and to try to smooth it out, Elena would transition it into a side hug, before pulling back.

“So….ummm…long time, huh?”

[Underdoggo]

Erika straightened up the moment she heard the familiar voice. For a brief moment, she thought her imagination was being overly active-- imagining what some of the people in that photo might have said, at this moment, if they were here in the locker room with her.

Except that voice kept talking. Erika craned her head to the side and saw that two of the people in the photo were indeed here in the locker room with her.

Allison Ford, looking a lot taller and fitter than she had all those years ago. And beside her...Elena. Elena Walker. Same deep blue eyes. Same golden blonde hair. Same bashful, tentative blush to her cheeks.

Erika was up and moving before she even realized she was doing it.

"Holy FUCK! ALISON! ELENA!" Without hesitation, Erika leapt up and grabbed both of the women in a massive, crushing bear hug, one that lifted both of them off their feet. And for a few seconds, Erika would squeeze both of them tightly...of course, before remembering that unrestrainedly hugging someone like this could and would cause people to pass out or suffer spinal damage. She had unintentionally done both plenty of times in the ring after all.

"Oh shit...sorry, sorry," the Canadian woman said, slowly letting both of her old friends down. Her face, however, was nothing but smiles as she did so. "Oh my fucking god, I haven't seen you two in forever! How've you both been? Are you...wait a minute, are you both registered with LAW too?"

This day had just gotten immeasurably better.

[Hitman45]

"Nice...to...meet you too..."

"Some things...never...change...."

Both of them found themselves pressed against the mountain of a woman, who seemed to be practically radiating the kind of delight that eclipsed any discomfort either of them might have been experiencing in the warm, joyful 'embrace' of the taller blonde woman.

It was clear that the three of them had undergone physical changes, the result of working out and competing at a high-level consistently. Erika, ever the tall powerhouse, seemed to have only grown in that department, looking fantastic in shape.

"Eh, it's alright. At this point, I always expect my back to undergo a chiropractic session whenever you're looking for a hug....Owww" Allison winced, following it up with a grin before planting her hands against her lower back to arch backwards to relieve the tension.

Meanwhile, Elena was dealing with a swarm of butterflies inside her stomach, thanks to being suddenly pressed so close to her Ex. She felt relieved that Erika couldn't see her face turning red in that embrace. Having parted ways mutually, for the sake of their careers, there wasn't any bad blood in between. The spark, the attraction meanwhile, hadn't been extinguished.

"Oh yeah, we've fantastic. LAW's been treating us just fine. Meanwhile, you...." Allison pointed her index finger onto Erika's hair "You've got that whole Dragon Ball, Super Saiyan thing going on. It looks good on you. Right, 'Lena?" The ravenhead with a sly smile poked at her friend's side, gesturing her to answer with a knowing glance.

"*Ahem*...Yeah...you're...you're looking very nice, the hair...and we ummm...it's been a while since we've been competing here" Elena cleared her throat before beginning to explain, keen to appear and behave naturally. "Ally jumped first, and I followed shortly..."

"Looks like you're fresh off an intense throwdown in the ring..." She noted subtly while giving a once-over, taking in Erika's physique coated in sheen, and the patchy shades of red here and there on the arms and torso. Hopefully it wasn't too obvious....

[Underdoggo]

Erika laughed off both comments. Alison still had that same wry sense of humor she had. And Lena...Elena Walker still came across as the same shy, bashful girl she'd been all those years ago. She looked taller and broader, and hell, looked a lot more capable of lifting an opponent clear off her feet...but that trademark blush was still there. The same one she had always had when she had been quietly checking Erika out.

God, she hadn't realized how much she'd missed Elena until now. She still had fond memories of starry nights near the food trucks at camp or at wrestling venues. Hands intertwined, promises made...

She broughr herself back to reality and grinned at Alison. "Is it THAT obvious? I mean I did kinda always say Goku was my spirit animal, and I guess I took it to heart." She ran a hand through her spiky blonde mane. "You dig it? It took the stylist several hours to get it done but it was worth it in my opinion."

Her gaze drifted back to Elena. "Yeah, just had a throw down. Mixed match. The guy was actually pretty good." She edged a bit closer to Elena, got a little into her space. Let her get a good close up of her glistening physique. "But I'm glad to see you're here too. So you were here ahead of me? I wish I'd known. I would have made a point to say hi sooner..."

[Hitman45]

It might have been a while since the two of them had seen Erika, but she was still the bubbly, cheerful, energetic Tank as before. The more she talked, with the same enthusiasm, the more they relaxed, particularly Elena, her shoulders loosening as the familiarity slowly returned.

Memories flooded back. The hangouts, mundane conversations, training, and sometimes travelling together had generated a spark that brought them closer and closer...

And Elena could feel the same when Erika nudged closer to her than expected, heat practically radiating out of her toned, bruised and slick physique, which probably had more to do with her recently concluded bout. But it didn't matter. Erika's not-so-subtle proactive approach was having the intended effect.

Allison, meanwhile, sensing the flames being rekindled, stepped aside, suppressing a giggle at seeing her best friend being toyed with. "Goku's your spirit animal alright. You train like him and probably still eat like him. But, pushing those comparisons aside, you both have a lot to catch up on. I'll leave you two be. Meanwhile, I'll go see what's available to drink in the vending machine." She snapped her fingers to point her index finger at both the ladies while walking out.

"Also, Erika..." the ravenhead partialy turned-around at the locker-room entrance. "Gimme your stylist's contact later. I might have a few ideas to spruce up my own hair." and ran a quick hand through her locks for emphasis. "Maybe I can go for Mei-Mei's hair...? Black-Cat's another option...." She mused to herself the potential options while strolling away, leaving Elena and Erika alone.

"I still don't believe that drink exists!" Elena shouted behind the raven-haired woman, who was out of earshot by that time.

"*Ahem*...Sooo...." Erika might be taking the reins here, but Elena couldn't just melt into a puddle in front of her. She was a strong woman and had to look the part. So, telling herself to stay composed, the blonde would look to lean against the locker using her extended hand, all the while meeting the taller woman's piercing gaze.

But she misjudged the distance between herself and the locker.

Elena slipped. And tripped. Managed to stay standing, but her skull ate the locker door.

*BANG*

The resultant noise was quite loud in the quiet room. But it wouldn't stay that way for long. Elena quickly snapped straight up, like nothing happened and fumbled before finally leaning against the locker, trying to look as cool as possible.

"Well, don't dwell on the past too much. We finally met. And you've done way more than saying 'hi'..." Elena would feign a wince from the hug earlier and chuckle, before going quiet again, her ocean-blues glued to Erika's, taking in her fantastic figure.

"You're looking good. Pretty. Not that you weren't pretty before. Or that you aren't as pretty now. You're exactly as pretty as before. Optimal level. Maybe even more pretty..." and Elena would continue to ramble on, digging a deeper hole with every sentence spoken out...