The Butterfly Effect

[BlackAkuma]

”Rough match, dear. How are you feeling?”

”Like I got kicked in the head, Mom.”

Ask a silly question, get a silly answer.

Dizzy had found a nice little corner of the gorilla position to hang out in after the match, lounging on some equipment while she Facetimed her mom. She’d gone there after taking a quick check with the doctor, who informed her that no, she didn’t have a concussion, despite the ever-present aching in her skull. It was forming a lump up there, one she was currently trying to soothe with a bed of ice, but it was nothing that wouldn’t go away in time, though.

What wouldn’t go away, though, was her announcement at not coming out on top in that match. While she was already more than accustomed to losing in LAW - that was the outcome she wanted, half of the time - most of the time that was against women who were substantially bigger than her, who could ragdoll her across the ring.

Losing to someone her size, though, felt a little different. Like she should’ve been able to win this one, or at least come pretty close, 50/50. Instead, she got kicked, sumo slapped, sat on - which she kind of liked, being fair - and yes, kicked in the head.

Dizzy was in dire need of a pick-me-up, and thankfully, that was what loving, if sometimes overbearing, mothers were for.

”I’d tell you I know how you feel, but that’s not exactly true.” Her mother side-eyed her from the opposite side of the screen, as she split her attention between her and the new book she was currently working on. ”I mostly got kicked in the chest, most people couldn't get their legs up high enough to hit my head. You, though…”

”The joys of being short, don’t remind me.” She sighed and flopped back, a motion she immediately regretted since it made her head swim even worse. ”Any advice?”

”For starters? Don’t let a loss go to your head. Martial arts types are tricky to wrestle with; they always come from weird angles. We’ll work on it training; I’ll show you a few things.” She leaned in and looked straight at the camera, peering down over her glasses. ”Until then, decompress. Relax. The best thing you can do right after a match is not think about the match; it’ll drive you up a wall.”

”Easy for you to say, you-” Dizzy paused as something caught her eye off to the side - a familiar figure walking through the crowd of busy crewmembers. ”Call you back in a second, Mom. Need to check something.”

Her mother waved her off as Dizzy ended the call and rolled off. She winced the instant her feet hit the ground, moving too fast, but she ignored the discomfort and soldiered on, quickly shuffling through the crowd to the woman she’d locked onto.

”Dojo!” She slid into her former foe’s view, standing right in front of her with her hands behind her back, innocent as can be. ”Good match back there, great debut. You’ve got a pretty unique…style, there. You put me down really well.”

Starting things off with a compliment never hurt.

[FatCat]

Touko was on her way to the locker rooms from the press area, having just been interviewed in honour of her debut match. She had made some rather confusing comments there, such as about promoting her upcoming DVD courses on butterfly-style without giving any directions, marketing her fitness instruction services, and then giving some really confusing proverbs, until ending it with regards to her family (and especially her brother). But of course, in her mind, she had absolutely aced it. So, as she walked towards the locker room, she was thinking about taking a much deserved shower, going to a sushi-ya, and then falling to sleep while rewatching Karate Ki....

"Hyak!", Touko jumped slightly, when Dizzy slid into her view like a ghost, "Phew... You really shouldn't surprise people like that, girl."

Touko leaned against the wall, waiting for her heart to stop beating from the jumpscare. The girl didn't seem like she was here for a fight, though to be honest, Dojo wouldn't have been scared about it, even if she was. However, hearing the girl's praise, made Dojo straighten her back with pride, as her smug face was able to tell.

"Oh, it's good to see you admit it as well! Thank you, thank you. In fact, you put up a great effort yourself!", Touko smiled at the defeated petite wrestler, before her face turned a little bothered,
"Even though some of it was...."

"But no matter! It was fun to paint your chest red and purge you of your qi after that, wasn't it?", her smug face returned as she waved her finger in front of Dizzy, "As the proverb says, even a fox will pay attention in class after being disciplined by a bear. Speaking of, I think I know why you came here."

Touko pulled out a leaflet about her DVD instruction set and handed it to Dizzy, "Here you go! This is what you wanted, right?"

[BlackAkuma]

When Dojo yelled Dizzy, leaped back, unsure of what to make of that. For a second, she thought they might actually start fighting again, which was she was totally unprepared for, especially since she’d thought their match had ended with them on relatively good terms. As good terms as you could be with someone who’d nearly caved your chest in, at least.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she realized the woman was just jumpy. She blinked, shrugged it off, and stepped back to give her some space. She watched as Dojo spoke, giving herself a pat on the back and a small compliment her way. Screw it, she’d take what she could get.

That last part, though…that interested her. Dizzy was about to press her on exactly which moves Dojo was talking about, but her former foe quickly changed the subject.

Dizzy’s face scrunched up as another proverb came her way. ”We’re still doing that, huh? Okay.” Somehow, she’d thought that was only something Dojo did in the ring, trying to throw off her opponents. Apparently, it was just how she rolled.

She looked on, a tad surprised, as Dojo pulled out a leaflet and handed it over. She couldn't guess where she'd been hiding it. She couldn't see any pockets on the outfit.

”Right.” She quickly scanned the leaflet, trying to make sense of it for a moment, before tucking it under her shoulder. ”That’s not exactly why I wanted to talk with you, no, but…you know, there aren’t any cameras around or anything. This whole gimmick thing you do, it’s cute, but you can turn it off for a second. It’s just you and me.”

[FatCat]

For a very long moment, Touko looked at the girl, smiling without reaction. Then, she tilted her head and raised her eyebrow, smiling a bit apologetically like one does when they didn't understand the question.

"Sorry to ask, Desdemona, but... what do you mean by gimmick?", Touko asked with an honestly apologetic and puzzled tone. Her tone was as honest as could be gathered.

"Well, no matter, if my DVD sets are not what you wanted to discuss, take the leaflet anyway and consider it! You might find it useful for qi cultivation!", Touko nodded her head and put her hands on her hips.