Spoiler
“So! How are you adjusting to LAW so far? Is it true your residence has its own helipad? Do you actually commute here by helicopter? Your ring gear has gotten quite a bit of attention, who designed it? What are your ambitions here as a rookie? Oh, and the swimsuit picture you posted on the ’gram was stunning, by the way. And there’s also a rumor that you left the arena with Bandita after your debut match. Any truth to that?” Laxia stared at her for a moment, then glanced down toward the reporter’s notes. “...Was I supposed to remember all of those?” The reporter laughed. “We can go back.”
“No, no...” Laxia drew in a small breath and began working through them. “LAW has been… interesting. I’m still getting used to everything, but people have been welcoming. And no, there is no helipad. I come by car… like everyone else does. Doesn’t everyone?” That was enough of an answer. There was certainly no reason to elaborate on who happened to be sitting in the driver’s seat. “As for my ring attire… LAW arranged it. It is… very different from what I requested.” Her brows drew together as she said it, lips pressing into the faintest pout. It was a restrained little flash of irritation, almost petulant in its own way, making it rather obvious that whatever LAW had done with her original request was still something of a sore point. “And my goals are simple. I want to improve, face stronger wrestlers, and eventually prove that I deserve to be here.” The reporter smiled.
“And the swimsuit photo?” “Oh, yes. Thank y-” Laxia abruptly stopped and turned toward her. “…That account is private.” Her eyes narrowed. “How did you see that?” “Moving on! Bandita.” Whatever suspicion had been building on Laxia’s face vanished immediately. “There’s a rumor that after your debut match, you and Bandita were seen leaving the arena together.” Laxia’s lips parted. “The.. two of us?” “Mhm.” “We merely...” Her gaze drifted away from the camera. “That is...” For someone ordinarily so careful with her words, Laxia suddenly seemed to have misplaced all of them. She cleared her throat. “We left at approximately the same time.” “Together?”
“...Next question.” The reporter’s smile widened, but mercifully she moved on. “There is something else people have been talking about. Your clothes.” “My clothes?” “Outside the ring. When you arrive at the arena, appearances, events. They’re obviously expensive, but there are almost never any obvious logos or giant branding. Very... quiet luxury. Would you ever consider having one of those designers make your ring gear?” “No.” The answer came without hesitation. “I don’t think that would be necessary. What someone wears isn’t especially important, at least not in wrestling. What matters is what someone can do once the bell rings.”
Laxia paused briefly before continuing. “You can dress yourself in expensive clothes, jewelry, bright colors… whatever you like. But making yourself look impressive doesn’t make your ability impressive.” The reporter went quiet for half a second before glancing down at her phone with the faintest trace of amusement. “Well, actually, that does bring me to something else. Someone recently posted a message aimed at the LAW roster. Apparently there are a whole lot of people around here ‘feelin’ themselves lately,’ but she hasn’t seen one that’s impressed her yet.” Laxia’s brow furrowed. “...Feelin’ themselves?” “Thinking very highly of themselves.” “Oh.” “Do you think she could have been talking about you...?”
For a moment, Laxia said nothing. Normally, she might have dismissed the idea without a second thought. There were plenty of women on LAW’s roster, after all. Yet the way the reporter was looking at her made the question linger a little longer than it should have. Her lips pressed together faintly. And perhaps it was simply bad timing. Her most recent loss was still fresh enough to leave a small bruise on her pride, one she had been doing her best not to prod at. Suddenly, words like impressed felt just a little more pointed than they otherwise might have. Laxia’s eyes narrowed by the slightest degree before her expression settled again.
“I wouldn’t know.” She tilted her head, her tone remaining composed. “And if she does have something to say about me, I find it rather strange that I should have to hear about it through somebody else’s telephone.” A faint edge had crept beneath the softness of her voice. “I simply don’t think very highly of people who make grand statements from somewhere safely out of sight. In my experience, people who talk loudly from behind everyone else are rarely quite as impressive when they actually have to stand in front of you.” Something briefly drew the reporter’s attention past Laxia’s shoulder. Laxia caught the glance from the corner of her eye, though she didn’t turn to follow it. Instead, she finished calmly,
“If someone has something to say about me, I’d rather they stop hiding behind a screen and say it to my face.”