L.A.W. - League of Anime Wrestling

This is starting to become a thing, Blaise has realized. Mr. Handa says to hit the gym, find someone he thinks he can beat in the ring, and then beat them. And it's always with the stipulation of, "Don't come back a loser." He has to wonder how many times he can get away with the excuse that he learned a lot, and therefore is a winner in his heart.

Well, the only alternative is to actually beat someone! Or maybe wear down Handa enough that he stops making that stipulation. It's tough love, either way, he's sure of it! And that's what makes Mr. Handa such a swell fella. Still, he'd like to actually impress him sometime. That'd be a refreshing change of pace! So the intrepid Blaise Cameron is on the hunt!

Today's gym seems nothing special. A few people he's passed in other rooms are doing their own thing in little cliques. It'd be rude to just demand a match from them. Besides that, there's a solid chance they're not wrestlers. He'd look just plain silly if they weren't. So he's having to be cautious and deliberate about his approach! And that approach has, at this point, brought him to the largest room in the facility. It has some punching bags hanging around, but its primary attraction is the wrestling ring commanding the mainstay of real-estate.

The teen exhales a soft sigh and makes his way to the edge of the ring before hopping up onto the apron. He pivots and rolls backwards over the top rope to land on the mat, simply for the sake of feeling the gravitas of the ring itself underfoot again. Plus, he's being a tad sneaky. Maybe someone will see him in the squared circle by himself and get curious enough to challenge him. Take the guesswork right out!

Oh!

To seal the proper visual, he takes ahold of his gray hoodie and tugs it up and over his head to toss out of the ring. This leaves his trim upper-body bare, wearing only a pair of navy blue shorts and white sneakers.

Blaise

He takes a moment to walk the ring's perimeter, winding his arms to loosen the muscle along his shoulders, neck, and back. "Mnh."

Erin entered the gym in a pair of black shorts and a green tank top hoping to get a good workout in. She had been busy the past few days and today she finally had time to get back into the swing of things. Looking around the woman immediately noticed the punching bags. "Perfect!" She said out loud before rushing to them. The Irish brawler was ready to really beat down the bags, throwing a flurry of punches and kicks at one of them. It was a really nice way to let go of some stress and get a bit of training in. After a bit of fun she stopped and stepped back, letting the bag swing back and forth. Now if only she could find an actual wrestler to practice on. Hitting a bag was all good and fun but there was plenty that couldn't be accomplished with an object that didn't move or try to hit back.

Just when Erin thought she'd hit the treadmill she saw Blaise out of the corner of her eye. She was surprised to see someone in the ring alone. Slowly approaching she called out to him. "Your sparring partner taking their time?" She blurted out. She felt for the man. She always loved sparring and if she was in the same boat she'd be more than disappointed. The redhead wasn't looking for a spar but was just curious about the situation. She might have been procrastinating taking a run but she wouldn't ever admit to that fact.

She may have missed him when she entered the room, but the sounds of fists and feet whapping against the hide of a punching bag aren't lost on him. When she spots him, she'll find him perched atop a turnbuckle, feet resting on the top ropes at either side. A lopsided smile is on his face, and a playful wave greets her - nearly a half-flail.

"They sure are. Seems like they forgot to show up! Or exist!"

He hops down from the turnbuckle and paces across the mat to the ropes closest the redhead, and he leans forward over them. "I was actually hoping to find someone to hey you're Erin Quinn, aren't you?" The transition from explanation to question is seamless, just like the transition from a friendly smile to a notably brighter, more enthusiastic version.

Erin raised an eyebrow. "Ya didn't come with a trainin partner? Laaaame." She teased. She would have gotten on his case a bit more if she hadn't come to the gym alone also. She actually felt a little bad that Blaise couldn't find a sparring partner. Still though she quickly stuck her tongue out at the other wrestler.

Still listening to Blaise, Erin was surprised her knew her name. "Y...yeah I am. How'd ya know?" She asked. It would take her a few moments to realize he must have recognized her from one of her matches. The redhead quickly smiled. This was a first. She didn't think anyone had really paid much attention to her matches but she was glad her efforts had gotten at least one person's recognition. "Haha I forgot that people might have seen my matches." She admitted. "I kinda have no idea who you are though."

Her response earns a nose-crinkling from Blaise before he leans back from the ropes again. "T.V.'s a hell of a thing!," he teases right back at her. And, sure enough, his own tongue pokes out at her. Nyeh. The anecdote works for basically everything she said. Of course he's seen her before - on t.v. Of course people have seen her matches - on t.v. And she should've seen him by now - on t.v.!

He hardly seems actually bothered by it, though. In fact, he seems pretty comfortable with the back-and-forth.

"The name's Blaise! Blaise Cameron. Professional wrestler, local fed'?," he explains. "You should check me out sometime!" No, he doesn't realize how that may have sounded; he breezes right past it. "And it looks like you didn't bring a Slam Man with you, either!"

After a beat, he blinks in retrospection. "Is Slam Man a thing in Japan?" It's a dated reference, but he doesn't know what to call the bop-balloons offhand.

"Well Blaise, I'm...oh wait you already know. But yeah I guess I didn't bring a slam man." She responded, unable to help a slight giggle as Blaise suggested she check him out. She'd make sure to. Erin hadn't heard the term slam man before but she could infer what he meant quite easily. "If you're volunteering though I'll gladly throw your ass around the ring." The redhead teased. A sparring partner was nice, but they definitely had to be prepared to be roughed up a bit. Erin wasn't the best at taking it easy.

Erin climbed up into the ring. She didn't wait for an answer as he was looking for a sparring partner after all. With a wide grin the redhead brought her fist and palm together in front of her. "So, what exactly were ya thinkin?" She asked, eager to get something started between the two of them. She really wasn't expecting much out of today and this was a much needed pleasant surprise.

Blaise steps back as she climbs into the ring, obviously pleased with her eagerness to get things going. And he says nothing to protest, so she's getting the green light. Though now that they're much closer, his eyes widen a bit when she speaks.

"Well, first of all, you can't talk like that." Blaise cants his head and gives her a matter-of-fact look. "The accent. It's way too pretty; it ain't fair." A wry smile follows after. It isn't just flattery - Erin has a lovely accent, and it's hard to not want to hear more of it. Even if she's mostly using it to tease and give a little trash-talk. But he then shrugs his shoulders. "And what do you mean? Like a wager or something?"

He tilts back enough to get a better look at her, gaze traveling from her face to her feet, and back up again. She has a pretty accent and he knows she's tough, but she's already really pretty. "Shame ya didn't bring your wrestling gear!," he adds in a playful chirp.

"Anyway, if you wanna just lock up and get the ball rollin', I'm your Huckleberry. If you wanted to put something on the line, that could be interesting, too." His stance widens, hands lifting and fingers splaying at the ready to invite that lock-up with her. "Lady's choice."

Erin glanced away for a second. She didn't always know how to react to compliments and no one had really praised her voice before. "I can't help how I talk ya know." Was all that she could think to respond with. She was brought back to reality with Blaise's question though. "Well that could be interesting but I just meant what did ya want ta do? Like more of an actual match? Or just grapple a bit?" She replied and threw out a few suggestions. She hadn't been thinking of a wager but that might not be a bad way to shake things up.

"I'm your what now?" Erin asked, tilting her head and raising her eyebrow. She didn't quite understand Blaise but she got the point when he invited her for a lock up. The Irish brawler gladly accepted. She was always eager to put her strength on display. The redhead quickly tried to push her new training partner back and towards the ropes. "Well why don't ya choose then?" She teased. Erin was unable to stop from chuckling at her own bad joke. She was however going to wait for Blaise's suggestion.

She locks up with him, and Blaise reciprocates, hands going to her shoulder and collar. "You know.. Huckleberry! Like what Doc Holiday says!" He blinks. "Wait, does Ireland get Tombstone?"

While he pontificates on whether or not his cultural references swing wide, he starts to lose ground. He falls back one step, then another, and a third before he clues in. His shoulders square, and he digs his feet into the mat in an effort to hold his ground! The streamlined muscle of his arms and toned chest visibly tense to counter her force, hoping to start overpowering her in return!

"Wrestle, like a match! Best training is rough training!," he encourages. "And hey! I'm not-.. whatever!" His attempt to meet her force is abandoned in favor of transitioning the grapple! He tries to twist to the side, hoping to drag her into a headlock, mashing her cheek against his chest. "If I pin you, ah..." He doesn't have a lot of opportunity to really think about his options. They're already wrestling! He smiles in a boyishly sheepish way as his mind lands on something. It may seem cliche, but screw it. She's pretty, she seems fun. He expects he'll enjoy this match. "..I get a kiss! And ya have to pretend to enjoy it!"

While Erin was no stranger to conversation, Blaise was talking a bit too much. That was fine with her though as it seemed to give her the advantage. The redhead fairly easily started to push the man back a few steps at first. Even as he tried to hold his ground Erin could tell that it was only a matter of time before he started moving again. Apparently Blaise figured the same thing as he quickly wrapped his arm around Erin's neck and trapped her in a tight headlock.

Now held in place, Erin had no choice but to listen to what her sparring partner had to say. She was a bit surprised at his suggestion but this sort of thing wasn't exactly unexpected. Heck Erin had seen real matches with stipulations much more risque. Still she was slightly annoyed that Blaise thought he could get away with that. "Not happening!" Erin immediately yelled. It was more a statement of fact than her not agreeing to the terms. "When I win...you're buying me a gatorade or something." She said while still struggling in the headlock.

Now that the terms were set, it was time for Erin to get back into the fight. She would grab Blaise around the waist and just try to out muscle him. She would try to push him back and ram him into the turnbuckle.