She immediately put her hand on her right collarbone. It wasn't until she was sure everything was okay that she finally realized it was just a dream. Still breathing heavily, she leaned back, lying on the bed again. Damn. It wasn't even a dream, it was a real nightmare. The Frenchwoman had seen this nightmare before, but recently, or rather after her title shot, she began to see it almost every day.
"Putain..."
This nightmare was not something as detailed as possible, just some abstract things.
Ring. Another title match. Ladders. Defeat. Broken collarbone. Shattered dreams.
No matter how many times Charlotte tried to focus and recall who her opponent was in this dream, she couldn't do it. One thing was for sure, it wasn't Kyoko. However, it didn't change much, because the scariest thing was that every time this nightmare made her feel the taste of decay in her mouth.
The taste of her burned-out aspirations.
Having lost all desire to sleep, Charlotte got out of bed. After washing her face and having a light breakfast, she put some things in her bag and left her apartment.
It might have seemed like she was going somewhere far away, but she wasn't. Charlotte went down just one floor below, left the building and walked exactly ten steps forward, after which she stopped in front of the entrance to her martial arts school. Yes, both her apartment and her school were in the same building.
Previously, she always had a smile on her face when she entered this place, because she devoted an incredible amount of time to arranging everything here in the highest class. But now there were practically no emotions on the Frenchwoman's face. The reason for this was the “closed" sign. After the string of failures that still continues to haunt her, she no longer felt worthy of teaching martial arts.
Taking a deep breath, Charlotte opened the door and went inside. It was dim there, no wonder, it was early morning after all. The giant space was completely empty and the only visitors were exercise machines and the other equipment. Charlotte could have left this place open as a common gym, but she decided against it. Lately, she preferred to train alone, and this ringing silence was a kind of pacification for her.
Forgetting to lock the door, Charlotte went to the locker room, where she quickly changed into her workout clothes. She only took a towel and a bottle of water with her, she didn't need her phone because she wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone.Workout outfit
Returning to the main room, she took a look at the rings, mats, and exercise equipment. Perhaps she should have opened the curtains to let in more light, but she didn't find it necessary enough. Instead, Charlotte warmed up first, and then took some time for cardio. Only when she felt that her blood was running through her veins fast enough she headed to a punching bag in the far end. After taking a deep breath, she began to work with it, trying with every punch to release at least some of the negativity that was in her heart.
Hana Ito woke up in a much better mood, with her day starting at the crack of dawn after a night full of rest in a comfortable bed tailored directly to her needs. A woman such as her didn't dare go about solving her problems with half-measures or empty platitudes. She desired the best, and that's what she got...and she was a firm believer that an early start to one's day would lead to the most fruitful outcomes.
On a day like this, however, Hana couldn't possibly have predicted how things would go for her.
Barely a week into her long-term stay in Japan with her new signing to LAW, she had a thorough tour of the city, enjoyed a myriad of sights, got into contact with family, acquired all her personal belongings from overseas shipping, and got herself accustomed to her new living arrangements. A weekend of deep cleaning, reorganizing, and getting to know a new set of neighbors would typically leave most people drained. However, Hana was NOT most people, and was barely inconvenienced by such tasks. In fact, she found them reinvigorating. For she met every roadblock with maximum effort and dignity...as a 'royal' should.
Of course, with all these matters settled, Hana still had to attend to her affairs regarding LAW. She was still being processed in their systems, so accessing their facilities at the gym was out of the question. Hana detested missing out on an opportunity to work out, but rather than pester her younger cousin Akari for assistance, she'd look for a workaround. Speaking of her cousin-...Hana thought back to a conversation they had regarding that pink-haired Frenchwoman Akari crossed paths with in the ring. Charlotte Ravel, the Sand Lizard...to think that her cousin encountered someone out of the blue at their own gym. What a fascinating experience that must've been. Hana could easily picture Akari getting all worked up and lost in thought, a slight chuckle left her lips.
Oh, cousin dearest, whatever shall they ever do with you?
Still, that memory brought up a good solution, as Akari described Charlotte's school as welcoming, challenging, and inspiring. Perhaps a place like this would prove suitable for Hana's needs. In any case, it would do her some good to visit that 'interesting' Frenchwoman whom Akari couldn't stop raving about. Akari said that they were open fairly early, and if this Charlotte woman truly was worth her salt as a martial artist, the crack of dawn practically meant opening time. The gym was a fair distance away from Hana's apartment, so the walk over would provide a decent start to Hana's warm-up.
But first, she needed to commence her morning routine.
Following a short session of stretching after getting out of bed, Hana showered and washed her hair, freshening up with an assortment of products to keep her hair and skin as radiant as ever, followed by a healthy but light breakfast to give her all the energy she needed without making her feel bloated or risking being queasy in the middle of her workout. After that, Hana tidied up her living space, packed her gym bag with the essentials, and left her apartment complex.
The walk over was brisk, with the cool morning air filling her lungs with a sense of freshness and vitality. It was a good feeling, and it felt as if there was promise in the air. Today was going to be a good day. Hana decided that for herself as she turned the corner and reached the address of Miss Ravel's gym. She stood in front of the doors, glancing at the building from top to bottom. True, it was early in the morning, but even with the closed sign out front, Hana felt as if something were wrong. She would've come back later, but through the windows, she caught a glimpse of someone training in the back, a dark silhouette, but a person nonetheless. Maybe the first staff member forgot to change the sign around, or perhaps they were getting reps in early...who knew. Hana never even considered that the place was actually closed for good, and considering the door was unlocked, she didn't hesitate to step through with authority and purpose.
It was dark, quiet, cold, and uninviting. You could hear a pin drop on the floor. Empty didn't even begin to describe the place. It was a ghost town, and as Hana glanced around, her gaze was met only by the unmoving walls and equipment. That was until she walked further in and caught the attention of the lone gymgoer in the corner working on the heavy bag.
"Heaven's sake-...I nearly thought this place was haunted." She said, her tone firm yet casual. She glanced around before looking back at the woman...the woman with pink hair. Interesting. "Pardon the intrusion, I hope I wasn't disturbing anything. I figured you had just forgotten to turn over the open-and-closed sign. After all, the door was unlocked, so I just let myself in." Hana said, still directing the nonexistent conversation like this was all normal for her. "I must say, Akari had given this place a rather glowing review...But I see my rambunctious cousin has left out a few details." She said. "...Or perhaps, she was merely unaware-...correct me if I'm wrong, but-...you ARE Charlotte Ravel, correct?" She said. Her tone had this sense of familiarity to it, like she was addressing an old friend in Charlotte. This casual tone was paired with a natural European accent and a posh attitude. Unlike Akari, she had no trouble in pointing out the obvious or directly stating how she felt.
For the Frenchwoman, it'd be a rather hectic span of three minutes for her to wrap her head around...a sudden visitor...one who seemed to easily make herself at home here and assume such a casual attitude with her despite the cold atmosphere of the closed gym...then suddenly, a bombshell reveal that she just so happened to be related to someone Charlotte had personal ties with, and on top of that, she KNEW who Charlotte was. If Charlotte wasn't fully awake now, she would have no choice but to be as she had to process all this information rather quickly...
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This was about the rhythm Charlotte had spent the last half hour in. And funny or not, that time period literally didn't exist for her. Although she kept sending punches and kicks into the punching bag over and over again, her thoughts were somewhere so far away that time passed completely unnoticed for her. She might as well have started watching the series and only on the seventh episode realized that she had missed the entire plot.
What had she been thinking about all this time? It wasn't anything specific. It was a string of completely different thoughts. Starting from her mistakes of the past, ending with her mistakes of the present. She wanted to go from a monster to the greatest fighter of present time, but instead she went from a monster to a loser. And now the pink-haired woman is trapped in her own thoughts, decisions, and consequences.
Charlotte was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't even notice that someone had entered her school. She didn't even hear the sounds of her own strikes, so she also didn't hear the footsteps approaching her. If the person who entered her school was her enemy, that person would certainly have managed to catch her off guard. However, even in spite of all this, when a woman's voice was heard a few steps away from Charlotte, the Frenchwoman did not flinch. Instead, she sent another kick into the punching bag, and then turned to the unexpected visitor.
Glancing at this black-haired woman, Charlotte slightly raised her left eyebrow. How did she even get inside? The answer to this question was not long in coming. The door was open. Ah, right. Due to the sheer number of thoughts in her head, Charlotte forgot to close the door behind her. Okay, this question can be considered closed. But there was a much more important question. Who is this woman who is now standing in front of Charlotte and talking to her as if they have known each other for a hundred years?
“Cousin?” Unable to stop herself, the pink-haired woman muttered faintly after hearing the familiar name.
After learning that this woman was Akari Ito's cousin, Charlotte ran her eyes over this woman once more. Yes, if you pay attention to the details, they are indeed a little similar in terms of appearance, but in terms of temperament... no, in terms of temperament, these two women were definitely completely different. Although they both seemed to have a habit of talking too much, their speech patterns were literally diametrically opposed. Anyway, this woman, thanks to Akari or not, apparently knew who Charlotte was.
“Yes, that's right, it's me,” the Frenchwoman replied in a much more even voice than usual. “You're a perceptive one." After saying that, she looked behind the black-haired woman. “Which makes it slightly perplexing that you managed to miss that the sign at the entrance doesn't have a reverse side.” Charlotte folded her hands behind her back and decided to make the situation clear. “The school is closed.” Although she tried to make these words sound as natural as possible, there was still a subtle note of pain and sadness in them. “What's your name and why are you here?”
