Boxing Day

[Vc0m]

December 26th

Clara quietly walked towards the large, luxurious mansion in the middle of nowhere, at the foot of the mountain. She was cold...and very very sleepy.

She was celebrating Christmas with Alice. Chika and Chika's daughter - Kairi, while Kay wasn't returning her calls. At 3 PM, she found out why. Kay was arrested for her attack on Baroness, trying to help her save Alice after the match was done. Except LAW, while it offered money to Baroness to quickly settle the matter, would do something incredibly appalling. LAW practically sold Kay to legal slavery on the most technical of technicalities, one which no one ever exploited, as most wrestlers left things between themselves, trying to settle things in the ring. Baroness was different. She was obsessed at destroying Clara. And since she couldn't get her in the ring, she was going to break her mentally.

Kay was to serve Baroness's every whim and command for the coming year. She would still be compensated her LAW salary for her troubles...but the moment she "misbehaved", the contract was to be terminated, and Kay was to be deported back to Canada, where her legal troubles would be up to her...

At 4 PM of the Christmas Day, Clara got instructions as to how to get to the Renaud Mansion in Japan, located at a fair distance from Tokyo, told to come alone, or else no deal would be made. She drove here on a bus from the Christmas evening...all the way into the late morning of the Boxing Day. The bus stopped a good distance away from the mansion as well...adding an extra hour to Clara's walk. The British girl was exhausted by the time she made it. If this was Baroness's plan to just take full control of her...this might've just been the final straw that she needed.

As she arrived at the gates, they opened in front of her the moment she appeared on camera. The mansion was a beautiful, pearly white, clean place as the large entrance doors begged her into the "den of evil"...

Clara knocked on the door, an exhausted and sad look on her face.

[thesteedman]

Slowly the great mansion door opened up after what felt like several long and gruelling minutes in the cold, and for a moment all that terrible and draining journey felt suddenly worth it. There was a ray of light from the vast hallway beyond, heat poured out, bringing a tingling sensation to Clara's cheeks. It was not the warmth of light of the mansion that Clara welcomed however... it was the sight of a familiar blue haired beauty that she fell in love with. Kay's own weary eyes shifted suddenly when she opened the door, widening with joy and excitement.
"Ohmygod! Clara! Clara it's you!" Kay gasped out, grasping her by the collar before pulling her in. Her arms wrapped tightly around her neck, pulling her in for a longing embrace.
"I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry Clara. I wanted to come for Christmas but... but I couldn't..." Kay gasped out, her eyes near tearing up, keeping hold of Clara tightly as she pressed her forehead against hers. She cared not that her coat was freezing cold against her skin... she was just glad to see her lover after missing her on Christmas day.

It was only now that Clara realised what ridiculous attire Kay had been forced to wear. She was dressed as a Maid... one of Baroness' Maid's, wearing a two piece black top and matching boyshorts with a white frill design. A black wrap of sorts was around her hips, but it did little to conceal her legs, with much of her form left exposed. The only salvation was that at least it was warm in the Mansion despite its vast size. Drifter remained clutched to Clara, enjoying the contact with her lover, having missed her so much... but it would become short lived as an imposing and tall woman began to approach from behind. She was clad in a black dress, but it did little to conceal the broad frame and muscle of her body. Her hair was as black as pitch, her features beautiful and familiar. Her makeup was gothic, her skin tone unusually pale. Her blue eyes matched someone Clara knew all too well... there was no denying this woman was some relation to the Baroness.

"That is enough Katherine, that is all you get. You are requested elsewhere. Report to the Baroness." The woman spoke, her expression stoic and her glare uncaring. Her accent was French, her tone a little deeper and imposing when compared to that of the infamous Baroness herself. Kay squeezed Clara tightly, but regrettably had to pull away from her, sneaking in a brief kiss upon her lips. Fearing what would happen if she did not comply, Kay promptly moved away before leaving the hallway... not before glancing back one more time at Clara and mouthing 'I love you...'/

"The Baroness will be with you in time. For now... follow me." The woman would demand, before leading Clara into the opposite direction, out of the hallway and through various corridors.

[Vc0m]

Clara could tell each and every example of Baroness playing mind games with her. The delay of several minutes (and several repeated knocks) was definitely part of the demotivation...to the point where Clara wondered whether she had arrived to the wrong location...

However, soon the doors would open, as heat poured out...emotional one, as Clara saw a familiar wisp of blue hair.

"Oh my god..."

Clara practically fell into Kay's arms, tightly hugging her, and quickly responding: "Shhhhh...it's ok...it's ok...it's not your fault...".

Kay felt incredibly warm...and Clara realized just how cold she must've been: "S-sorry for being so cold...I didn't expect the trip to take this long..."

Clara saw that Kay was forced to wear the maid's signature outfit...that is to say, she was forced to dress up as a sexy maid.

The Brit didn't let her Canadian love go, tears flowing down her eyes, tired over several days of not seeing her girlfriend...

...but right now, she was in Baroness's territory...and her will was absolute. A woman Clara didn't recognize entered her eye shot, with her heart immediately pumping with fear and anger at seeing anyone else in the house. This wasn't Stephanie Renaud...but the resemblance was uncanny...

But more importantly for her, she ordered Kay to leave.

"P-please, no---"

Clara's pleads were interrupted by Kay herself, giving her a quick tight hug and a kiss before being released, quickly silently telling her that she loved her:

"L-love you too..."

Clara was wrong. Baroness still knew how to get into her mind. If Clara was exausted when she came here, she just wanted to fall on the floor and hide from the world for a while.

The woman ordered Clara to follow her, and she did. The maids, some of which Clara was beating up just a few weeks ago while fighting their head of staff - Kayla, would take off her coat, leaving her in a sports jacket, white shirt and jeans as she was walked down the corridors to meet with her archnemesis...

[thesteedman]

"This way..." The woman would address when Clara continued to follow the tall and muscular woman before her. Passing through a few corridors, Clara would witness Maid's going to work. Deeper within the Mansion, the more revealing their outfits seemed to become, no doubt a requirement of the perverse Baroness who had a twisted fascination with the female form. At one point, Clara could have sworn she witnessed Kayla passing by one of the archways, but it hard to tell as she was there one moment, and vanished the next, no doubt on some errand.

Everything in the mansion was lavish to the extreme, the decor on the walls, the rugs and carpets. Having been so cold upon her approach to the Mansion, it was actually now becoming a little too hot, such was the heat in the vast expanse of the mansion. Clara passed by a dining room that was extravagant, witnessing paintings of Nobles upon the walls, all similar in appearance, all bearing resemblance to the Baroness and the woman leading her deeper into the den of the beast. Eventually, a portrait of the Baroness was visible, her stance regal, clad in what looked like military clothing of nobility with one of her sister besides it. It was a little frightening to see, as like in real life, there was something about the eyes in the painting... devoid of humanity.

Eventually Clara would be led to a large room, one of many countless living rooms with a door just beyond.
"The Baroness will be with you in due time." The woman spoke, her expression always stoic and never changing, looking passive and uncaring. She walked out without giving Clara a chance to talk, leaving her alone in an ornate room that looked like it could pass for an interview room. Time would pass... only the sound of a grandfather clock ticking away... before more time would pass.

Very little happened, except for some movement beyond the room as Maids passed by too and fro. Some would stop briefly, saying the same thing as the last...
'The Baroness will be here shortly...'
But their version of shortly took a good hour, leaving Clara to strew within her own despair and doubts. Much to Clara's alarm, she thought she saw Sumiko Dreamer pass by, being quickly reminded that the poor girl had been defeated by Baroness not so long ago and was serving a Prisoner of War sentence of a month. It was a quick reminder that the Baroness was a twisted tyrant whose terror spread further then Clara imagined... it was not just herself who was plagued by her ambitions... that said... it felt like her attacks against Clara were more severe given all that was going on... and much more personal.

"Hello Clara..." A familiar voice would soon ring out, as the door quietly closed behind Clara Gaster. There, the Baroness stood, wearing a black sports bra and form fitting boyshorts. There was a sheen of sweat upon her mostly exposed form, her dangerous legs bare as always, a towel in her hand wiping over her forehead. Despite the lack of clothing, she was actually more covered up than usual. The sports bra coated her entire chest, leaving her midriff bare but bearing no cleavage as her wrestling bikini did. Likewise, her bottoms were almost form fitting shorts, but it still left virtually all her midriff and legs exposed to the elements. It was clear to Clara now that the Baroness had not really been busy at all... she had been working out somewhere.

"I shall get a Maid to fetch you a drink and a snack, you must be exhausted after your trip here. I would have arranged a pick up for you if you had asked." The Baroness lied. Her attitude seemed different, she seemed a little more friendly, her smile more pleasant to gaze upon... however Clara could see the real truth... it was always in her eyes... those eyes of the Baroness could not lie, and she could see the satisfaction and amusement within them. She came and took a seat before Clara, a little distance between the two of them as she crossed her legs and leaned back in the lavish leather chair.

"I am glad you could finally visit me. What can I do for you Clara?..." The Baroness would question. It might have been okay... but Clara knew the Baroness... she knew the twisted villain would not just be as casual as this.
"How was your Christmas?...".... ... And there it was...

[Vc0m]

Clara went down the hallways of the large mansion of the Baroness...shivering with dread despite it being fairly warm inside. She saw a lot of women inside...inlcuding some of the maids she beat up in her encounters with the Baroness, in various stages of undress, to the point where some of the women probably have legitimate claims to file sexual harassment lawsuit towards their employer...she legitimately wondered why these women served Stephanie...before her brain was simply too tired to even think about that.

She even thought she saw the head maid of the mansion - Kayla, inside...but so quickly was she walking past that Clara couldn't get a look at her face. Clara would instead try to look at the mansion to keep positive...but even there she couldn't see a single feature that would bring even the smallest drop of happiness to her. As they passed the dining room, featuring several framed pictures of the Baroness's relatives, the Brit felt more uneasy...and that uneasiness hit unbearable levels when the maid lead her past a large picture of the Baroness in militaristic clothing alongside another relative of her's...it was bizzare how someone could feel so hot and cold at the same time...and yet within the house, Clara legitimately didn't know whether she should take off her sports jacket...

Finally, right as Clara was about to raise some sort of complaint to the maid, they arrived to what was meant to be an interview room, stopping right before more rooms that seemed to be the living rooms for the residents of the house...

The maid left Clara alone, telling her to wait for the Baroness as the Brit was left alone...with ticking of the grandfather clock.

Clara waited for a minute until she realized the words: "...in due time" meant whenever Stephanie wanted. She could be here hours...

The British woman checked her smartphone...no signal. More than likely Baroness had wi-fi in the mansion...but there was no chance any of the maids would tell Clara the name of the connection nor the password. She sighed, her sole constant companion in the room being the grandfather clock...

Surprisingly there were maids who passed in and out of the room, occasionally paying attention to Clara and telling her that Baroness will be here at some point...

...but time was passing and Baroness was nowhere to be seen. Clara paid little attention to passing and going people in the room...besides one Sumiko Dreamer. She was another woman who invoked the Frenchwoman's..."interest", and lost a POW match to her for a month, becoming the same "legal slave" as Kay has been...Baroness had too much power to use, and instead of investing it some way productive or unproductive...she did what she liked, and the icy Frenchwoman liked to crush women beneath her heel.

Just when Clara would almost gone to sleep from boredom, she heard her. The repulsive voice that made her shudder every time she heard it. Stephanie Renaud arrived into the room, entering Clara's eyeshot from behind her...dressed in gym wear, and with beads of sweat running down her body...as Clara expected, she forced her to wait for no other reason, other than either because she could...or just to further mentally weaken the Brit.

She tried to act like the lady of the house, greeting a guest inside...when every single word from her mouth felt like it was laced with poison. Clara wore a serious expression on her face, almost a poker face, trying not to show just how exausted she was as the Baroness sat opposing her...

The knife of a question was stabbed into Clara.

She had finally had enough.

"Before we begin discussing everything...I want to say something. I was born in a loving, but fairly strict family. My sister, as you could've noticed from the match where you tried to humiliate and harass her, is a bit of a rebel...but I tried to abide by my family's rules...language ones especially. "It wouldn't do for a lady to swear", my mom would say, but as I've discovered in the 7 years I've been living on my own, rules are meant to be broken..."

Baroness might've been confused where Clara was going with this...but the moment the first word had left Clara's mouth, she would fully understand everything:

"Fuck you. I fucking despise you. I fucking despise everything you stand for. I despise the fact I have ever laid my eyes on you...I despise LAW and whatever cruel God exists that made our paths cross. You, you hideous snake with your shit eating smiles, your "superior because I am rich" attitude, your perverted view of human beings, are the absolute worst person I have the displeasure of knowing. If you died tomorrow, asshole? I would personally dig you out and cut off your head and shoot you to make sure you STAYED. FUCKING. DEAD."

Clara breathed in...and smiled. It felt good to let it all out...she even felt reinvigorated...before she took her eyes back onto the Baroness:

"Now...I assume you forced LAW to give you my girlfriend because you wanted a match with me."

[thesteedman]

Baroness had to work hard to keep her expression as statuesque as she did when Clara began her outburst. She remained in her cross legged posed, her eyes gazing beyond her unkempt fringe with that small smile upon her lips like a freeze frame as Clara nearly turned red at the cheeks from the passionate outcry against her. The Baroness in truth found the sight quite intoxicating, seeing just how deep her mind games were running. Clara always looked so innocent despite how calculating the Baroness knew her to be, an adorable black haired woman who always looked so in control of her emotions... yet here she was, losing control right before the eyes of the Baroness.

She waited patiently for Clara to say her piece, before her adversary finally managed to settle down somewhat. The rant had rallied her moral, finally getting all of that tension and rage from her chest... understandable given she just spent Christmas without the woman she loved, but it was time to take control once again, and the Baroness was keen to remind her guest just who was holding all the cards at this point.
"A match?... Oh... no I have no desire to have a match with you. We already fought at the Pay Per View Clara, I got my revenge against you back then." The Baroness would whisper in a dark and purposeful manner. It was all a lie, but Clara did not have to know of her intent. She would rather see that panic once again; keep driving home to Clara that she had no control over what was happening here.

"LAW had nothing to do with what happened in the ring. You were there yourself... Alice had given up as we all expected her too, and then your 'girlfriend' viciously attacked me with a strike that has been known to cause serious harm as I was untangling my grip from your sister. The rules of engagement had come to an end... your little criminal could not accept that and so she struck me. What occurred was not wrestling... it was an outright attack, and a dangerous one at that! Katherine Scarlett is very fortunate that I am not pressing charges against her, given that she is still on probation here in Japan for her past actions, I could have easily had her deported as an alternative... but I feel there is a chance of redemption within our little bluenette. This is a lesson of humility for her... she will serve her time with me and hopefully by the end of it... she will become a stronger woman for it, and think twice before attempting such brutality on any other wrestler." The Baroness would speak clearly and slowly. What she spoke was all true, but it was the hypocrisy of it all, given the Baroness was known to crush her foes long after the bell had rang. No doubt she had pulled strings and bribed authorities.

"I do not know where this notion of a match comes from. If you are here to visit Katherine, I fear it is not her day off today. She has a day off on Wednesday and another Sunday if you wish to visit then? Until she has worked off our arrangement, I fear she cannot leave the premises." Baroness began to speak in a nonchalant manner, waving her hand as an arrogant look befell her beautiful but darkened features.
"It is a shame you despise me Clara. I actually quite like you, despite being so weak and fragile, you fight well beyond your capabilities and limitations. I have respect for that. If that is all though, I can have one of my Maid's show you the way out?" The Baroness would whisper in a darker tone, standing up slowly, wanting to see what Clara did next... how she would react... what she was willing to do... and what she was willing to sacrifice..

[Vc0m]

Baroness would deflect any and all of Clara's thoughts on her wanting a match...though Clara knew it wasn't true. Once more, it was more mind games from the Frenchwoman. But even if Clara knew it...she couldn't force Baroness to cut through the chase. She held the main card in this this situation - Kay. One wrong word, and she might not see her girlfriend, for a year at best...and forever for absolute worst.

Everyone of her words at describing the situation with Alice and Kay during the Apex match sounded so false to Clara, especially considering the Baroness crushed Clara's spine way...WAY past the point where the Brit gave up in their original match...but that likely wouldn't hold up in court. With good money and lawyer, it was easy to dismiss that point as ancient history...

The Baroness headed towards ending the conversation, Clara figured out why Stephanie was playing coy.

"So you'd just have me on Wednesdays and Sundays...or would you potentially have me for a year alongside Kay?"

"Because I know that if I offered my service instead of Kay, you'd take it without a single thought. I know you'd probably break me, to the point where when 2023 is done, I'd leave Japan to make sure i never have to interact with you again..."

"So I won't go down without a fight. And i know that me just giving up my service would be too boring for you. But if I were to wager my freedom against Kay's in a match...I know you would say yes.", Clara would finish.

[thesteedman]

The Baroness paused as Clara began to speak, turning to face her side on with a look within her eyes that spoke a thousand words. Clara proved to be maturing fast, a few months ago she probably would have been a scared and confused mess by now had this happened during the first PPV encounter. Changes were changing, Clara was growing as a young woman, and anger always trumped fear. After such a long time of putting up with Baroness' theatrical antics, it was clear Clara just wanted an end to things, and she was done being manipulated by the mind games of the French Tyrant. There was still a respect for how dangerous the Baroness was though, Stephanie could hear it within Clara's voice and how carefully she navigated around the subject at hand. The girl was not just maturing, she was growing wise too... Clara was very aware Stephanie was holding all the cards right now, and it seemed she had no choice but to respect that.

"Heh... You still do not know me very well if you think the concept of trading you for your little girlfriend is boring." The Baroness would respond, slowly approaching Clara, looking down upon her as her eyes began to drink in her appearance.
"That offer is very real. In trade for you, I will give Kay her freedom, but you would have to take her place. Six months, you would have to be my Maid, listen to my command and also accompany me to the ring... even work with me from time to time. I think that is a most charitable offer... as I am growing very fond of Kay's service... and a year is long." The Baroness would whisper, slowly walking around Clara in a slow and methodical manner, tracing a hand over her shoulder in a soft manner. No doubt she looked to get a rise out of Clara by doing so, but she was all too aware of her control right now. If Clara did anything, she could pull the offer from under her in a instant.

"Or... you can gamble it all. I would be willing to face you in a one on one match.... if you win, Kay goes free, and I will leave you both be, at least for a time. However... when you lose, you both belong to me. You both serve the full year in my service... You do as I say... you satisfy my needs." The Baroness would whisper, smiling in a dark manner.
"You can play it safe... or you can lose it all on a false hope of victory. I care not... I win either way." The Baroness whispers, biting on her lower lip, imaginging Clara and Kay both being in her service, knowing all the things she could do with the duo under her thumb.

[Vc0m]

It's been a long 5 years in and out of LAW for Clara Gaster. She has seen a lot of good and bad in her time as a wrestler...even though this likely hit the rock bottom in how bad things got for her. The old her, the scared young adult who just shut her problems behind her mask, one who tried to back down in the face of severe adversity was still there, inside of her...

...but she understood why she had to stay put now. If Clara let everyone get their way over her, this situation would've happened long before...and even worse, perhaps Baroness would've hurt her even worse long before.

Part of her believed that she was guilty of Kay's current predicament, guilty of not following up on her fights with the Baroness further, when the Frenchwoman was so determined to annihilate her and everything she held dear...but at the end of the day, she knew that enough was enough. Baroness Stephanie Renaud was a rotten creature that she feared...and had to slay to get her happiness.

Even 6 months was too long for her in Baroness's control as her maid. Clara Gaster was going to fight.

"No. You will not win. I will end your rotten control over mine and my friend's lives. We are going to fight. I am going to defeat you. And I am going to bring Kay home with me...", Clara would declare.

[thesteedman]

"Very well..." The Baroness would reply in a quiet and almost sinister manner. Knowing that the meeting was far from done, the twisted marvel of a woman would return to her seat, moving in a slow and almost alluring manner, her mostly exposed skin glistening in the low light of the room. She once more crossed those dangerous legs of hers that the Baroness no doubt had the intent of crushing Clara's form between when the two would next meet. That grinding smile remained upon the lips of the dangerous French Tyrant, her eyes near glaring deep into Clara's, as if staring into her very soul.

"Perhaps not the wisest of decisions, but there is an old saying that you English lot have is there not... 'Fortune favours the bold' I believe it was. That may be true... but what you are declaring does not pass for boldness... rather, it is stupidity on your part." The Baroness would whisper in a dark manner, with that warped smile beginning to grow whilst the look within her eyes seemingly darkened.

"I accept your challenge... As declared, victory for myself will result in a full year of servitude from both yourself and your blue haired lover. In the unlikely event that you somehow do attain that fortune and luck you are clearly heavily relying upon to gain victory, Katherine Scarlett will be pardoned of her current conditions of arrest and be freed, and I will leave the two of you alone. Seeming as I am putting so much on the line in this match, clearly more than you as I stand to lose a good servant... I will dictate the victory conditions of this match, and they will be Submission only. No knock out, no pass out, no pinfall... it ends only with a verbal submission." The Baroness would declare, her eyes never leaving that of Clara's... not even blinking at this point much to Clara's concern.