Settling In

[BlackAkuma]

The quiet moments after a match were always some of the best for Angela. Even now, with her aging body, she could still feel the rush of it.

It wasn’t like wrestling was a switch you could just turn off once the bell had rang, after all. She had just finished putting her all into a bout with Alaina Sanders, one of the top stars in LAW, and her heart was still beating at a breakneck pace. As she sat on a storage crate in the gorilla position, she put a hand to her chest and felt the steady drum beat, the racing the blood, the powerful in and out of every breath, and she loved that sensation. It was raw. Real. Earned.

She was coming down from the high, bit by bit, and with that came the pain as all the hits she took from Alaina made themselves known. There would be an ice pack in her future, before and after a hot bath, and maybe a couple of days to rest and recoup. But after that? Back to it.

”So, Desdemona,” She wiped the sweat out of her eye and hung the towel on her shoulder, as she looked over to her daughter. ”Did you learn anything from that?”

Dizzy had taken up position on a nearby wall, leaning against while her mother recovered, taking some time to really digest what she’d just seen. It had been a crazy match to watch, seeing her mother take all those hits and keep dishing it out. She’d always known she was a beast, but seeing her in action was a different thing altogether. ”I learned you fight like a crazy person.” She had a quick chuckle and shrugged. ”I mean, you hit like a tank. You both did. I’m not sure what I can get out of that, though. I’m not even close to your weight class.”

Angela had a long, drawn out sigh, as she looked at her daughter through one eye. This was a talk the two of them had engaged in more than a few times since Dizzy expressed interest in becoming a wrestler, and she was certain they’d have the conversation a few more times. ”Size isn’t everything, Desdemona.”

She’d learn. One day.

[Highfly]

Alaina was walking back from the arena standing tall as best she could despite her aching body screaming at her. Alaina had a bit of hobble even though she tried to hide it.

As she reached the hallways she saw Angela as well as the fan who jumped out when the two fought outside the ring. Said woman was Angelas daughter. Alaina nodded and approached calling out. "Hey there! That was impressive work Angela." She said waving to the younger woman. "Nice to meet you too I am Alaina by the way." The amazon said feeling more at ease to see Angela than she had been in the ring. "You said you wrestled before, you must be close to my age then." Alaina added.

[BlackAkuma]

Angela was just about to push off the crate and head to the locker room, eager to get out of these hot, sticky clothes that didn’t fit nearly as well as she remembered, when she heard Alaina’s voice and saw her approaching, coming their way with a wave and a smile. The woman was incredibly pleasant, and she had to say, she found it refreshing - so many female wrestlers her age went around with a chip on their shoulder, talking down to the younger talents. It was good to meet someone with a genuine love of the business and everything within it.

”Uh, hi.” Dizzy stepped to the side to give the Amazon more room, with no small amount of blush as she looked her over from head to heel. ”Yeah, I’m Dizzy. I mean, my name is Dizzy. Well, it’s Desdemona, but everyone calls me Dizzy so you can call me that, and-”

”Honey. Relax.” Angela eased her daughter with a small smile, then turned to Alaina. ”I’m 42, so I’m not too far off, no. Not getting any younger, afraid to say. Though, if you can still move at this high level, maybe there’s hope for me yet.”

[Highfly]

"Well its nice to meet ya Dizzy." Alaina said with a smile and nod before turning to Angela. "For 42 you look amazing and I can tell you have plenty left in the tank. I was 42 when I came back to wrestling here in LAW back in 2017 so I am 47 now with two 9-year olds back home because someone got into the mom game way too late in life." Alaina said. Angela was more muscular, powerful and fit than just about any woman on the roster save for a very select few. Hell, Alaina was losing out on her by about 35 or so pounds of muscle. However Alaina did manage to come out on top just now so she must have been doing something right.

"I imagine the powers that be will be scrambling to put you back in the ring soon. Are there any sort of wish list opponents ya have here in LAW? There are a ton of ladies to choose from and lots of high end competition to boot." Alaina said curious to see if Angela was really gunning for anyone in particular.

[BlackAkuma]

”Two nine-year olds? Twins?” Angela had a long, drawn out sigh at that notion. She loved her daughter to death, but the thought of having to raise two of her was chilling. Just one gave her more problems than she could handle, and without a father to shoulder the burden, it would be inconceivable. ”You are a braver woman than I.”

Angela stood up and stretched, working her back a bit after that Sharpshooter. Nothing was broken back there as far as she could tell, but there was going to be some swelling. Nothing some muscle relaxer couldn't fix. She hoped.

”Opponents?” She ran a hand under her chin. ”I’d definitely like a shot at the current heavyweight champion, that’s something to look for down the line. Kat Hart, Reina Jaeger, Christina Perez, Diana Accera…” She let her voice trail off, going through a list of heavyweights and general wrestlers she’d heard good things about.”[/color]

”I could go on for hours, I’m sure.” She gave it up with a sudden shrug. ”But I’m open to whatever management has for me. I just hope they don’t get too comfy with sending me out. I do need a little recoup time.”

[Highfly]

"Yeah, Carl and Anna. If it weren't for Charlie being at home and always taking care of them there is now way I could have come back. The clock is ticking though. Between doing a heavy match load at my age to get that title shot and them doing more as they get older this triple threat at the PPV is my last chance really. If I fail here then it will be too long until another shot at gold. I really need to get it done against Astrid and Kat." Alaina said. She knew her career was more dictated by her kids and what they did than her own age. That was a big reason despite her longer recovery time at 47 that she had now wrestled over 80 matches in LAW.

"If you keep wrestling the way you did tonight they will put a spotlight on you in no time." Alaina said with a nod. "What was it that made you want to come back?"

[BlackAkuma]

Angela couldn't keep a touch of sadness out of her eyes as Alaina described her life with Charlie, talking about how she had him to depend on back home. She was proud of being a single-parent, thought she did a good job, but there were always the lingering doubts. Could she have done better by Desdemona if she’d had a partner? Were there key moments in her daughter’s life when she needed a parent, but couldn't find one around?

Annoying thoughts. She pushed them down and kept a straight face, as her daughter raised her hand and waved at Alaina. ”Me.”

”Her.” Angela thumbed back her way. ”She expressed some interest in giving wrestling a try, so I figured this would be a good way to do it. Have one more run, work in Japan, and help her get established. Passing the torch. Famiglia.”

”Yup, us Italians, always about the family.”

[Highfly]

Alaina saw the face. She had a feeling she could read between the lines as she often felt like a guilty career-worst, family-second parent when she didn't want to come across that way.

"Well it is nice having someone level headed around. If I can help you acclimate or anything don't hesitate to reach out." Alaina said as she wrote down her number and email for the duo. She dreaded ever being in the situation of her kids wanting to wrestle. Anna at 18 starting to train would leave Alaina at 56 years old. A 56 year old Alaina cramming into her wrestling attire was not a pleasant thought to the amazon.

[BlackAkuma]

”Oh, wow, thanks!” Desdemona knew enough to put on a good face in front of the veteran as she accepted the phone and email, but inside, she was…conflicted. She respected the gesture, sure, but she didn’t have the first intention of calling on the Amazon for help. Not that there was anything wrong with her, she was great, but despite what her mother said, she just didn’t see what she had to teach her. 80% of Alaina’s moves would break her back if she even attempted them on someone her own size. What was she going to teach her? How to do chops?

Still, she kept her smile up as Angela stood and nodded her way, thanking the elder wrestler for her time. ”You’ve already done wonders. Here,” She slipped her business card out of her wallet. Always kept a few on her person, quite handy for bookings. ”If there’s ever anything I can do to repay you for the match, let me know. And good luck to you on your title opportunity - when you win, don’t hesitate to call if your challenger pool dries up. I’m always for a rematch.”

[Highfly]

Alaina smiled and nodded. "Oh we will meet again in the ring at some point I think! I have to go change though, I actually need to start making my way back home." Alaina said. "See you around!"

With that the amazon walked away down the hall ready to freshen up before getting home.