Now What? Satsuki & Yuki POW Aftermath

[FreestylePoet]

Even before she rose from her bow, Satsuki peered up past her eyelids and let out a low whistle. A strapless red dress, silken stockings, and a host of accoutrements to match. Yuki had turned herself into a pretty little number, and even if it wouldn't totally stand out, it was still nice to know that the younger girl had gotten gussied up for little ol' her.

Satsuki hopped in and closed the door, sliding into the seat across from Yuki. A knuckle wrapped twice on the wall between driver and cabin, and the engine crescendoed to life. Once they were off, Satsuki took a moment to turn Yuki's question over in her head. Then she threw it right out with a snicker, reaching instead for the minifridge. She pulled out two small champagne flutes and a larger bottle.

She held the bottle up by its base and neck and read the label. "Nicolas Feuillatte, Blanc de Blanc... I think that means it's made from only white grapes." She turned to Yuki with her tongue sticking playfully out of the corner of her mouth before looking back towards the bottle. Its label was blue and white, with a design clearly meant to emulate Hokusai's Great Wave Off Kanagawa. "Some kind of limited edition, I think. Released in Japan only. Fitting way to celebrate my return to the country, don't you think? Even if it is about half a year too late."

"Not much alcohol in it, either." Even so, she only poured Yuki's glass to the 40% mark, handing it to her with a wink. "Thought you wouldn't mind."

The champagne was sweet and crisp. Slight hints of yuzu and grapefruit wafted into her nose as she sipped it. Satsuki took her time with this one, eyeing her companion to see if she'd drink it. Once Yuki's decision was clear, she let her glass down.

"...A nightclub."

[CaptainL]

At first, Yuki was worried that she would stand out too much in formalwear, next to her considerably more casually dressed companion. But when she saw the inside of the limo, suddenly she didn't feel so out of place. Her eyes widened in shock as she looked around, finding herself surrounded by luxury - rich leather seats, a mini-fridge, champagne even! Her jaw dropped open when Satsuki went on describing the vintage of the wine, though she bit her lip and tried to suck back the blush coming to her cheeks, afraid of looking too obvious that she wasn't used to living so richly. Clearing her throat, she glanced for a moment out the windows, but still took her glass.

"This is, er...all very nice of you, but...you really think it's necessary? I can't be worth...all of this." She looked down at the glass, swirling its contents a few times more to keep her hands occupied than anything else. Should she? She had never had alcohol before - even if she had been old enough for it, she probably still wouldn't drink, for fear of losing her focus and falling behind in her work. But Satsuki was being so nice about this, it made Yuki feel guilty to even consider turning the offer down. Besides, she was looking out for her in how she had chosen a lower alcohol content, and poured her a smller amount. Maybe she wouldn't have to be so worried, she told herself.

Yuki raised the glass to her lips and took a drink, letting out a sigh as she did. The flavors and aromas that filled her senses caused her body to ease, and she smiled just a little wider. The ice, it seemed, had been broken, or at least it had cracked a little. "Mmf, that's...very good..." she said. "Thank you..."

Then, Satsuki brought up where she was taking Yuki - and at this, the dark-haired girl glanced back out the window, as though she was anxious about making eye contact. "That's, uh...very specific," she muttered to herself. Satsuki's generic answer hadn't really answered her questions. If anything, she just felt more nervous; her feet fidgeted anxiously. Yuki had never been the most social person. This would be the first time she'd been in a nightclub, and the thought of being surrounded by lights, music, drinks, and people dancing made her feel woefully out of place before she'd even set foot inside the building. But she knew Satsuki had planned all of this carefully. This meant too much to her for her to not know what she was doing. One way or another, she was sure it would be a good experience for her. Satsuki surely had the means to ensure that.

"But...I trust you, I guess." Yuki took another sip of the champagne - only to feel a tickly sensation as the bubbles ran up her nose, causing her to let out a loud sneeze. "Whoah-! Er, excuse me..." She brought her hand up to steady the glass in her hand; fortunately, nothing had been spilled, but its contents were still shaking. She blushed harder and bit her lip nervously. Now, she knew it was all too painfully obvious she didn't know what she was doing.

[FreestylePoet]

Satsuki turned her head towards her gussied-up companion, turning Yuki's words over in her head. Right when she was about to respond, the younger girl let out a loud but puffy sneeze. A cute little noise, if not for for how big it really was. Kinda like Yuki, really. The pinkette brought her fingertips to her lips and giggled in response. For a moment, Satsuki wondered if she was making a mistake. Yuki wasn't exactly the epitome of worldliness, after all, and the neons of a nightclub were nothing like the stage lights of Korakuen Hall. As Satsuki reached down into the door's interior shelf to grab a tissue for the other girl, she eventually landed on her answer.

She handed the tissue to Yuki. "Of course you deserve it. You won. A Prisoner of War Match. On LAW's biggest stage!" Her arms stretched out to accentuate the point. "Bullshit cosmic senses of the word 'deserve' aside, I'm your prize. You've been pretty clear about what that does and doesn't mean for you, but nothing less than matching the stakes and stage will do."

"Part of taking me as your prize is... well, taking me as your prize." Satsuki leaned forward in her plush seat, not quite approaching Yuki's face but closing the gap nonetheless. "I'm the Queen of Clubs. So why not make you my royal consort or whatever? Wait, no, no." She snapped twice. "Even better. You, Yuki Kazikura, are gonna be the shogun to my daimyo. The warrior above warriors, coming down from on high to inspect the spoils of war... And to remind everyone who the real ruler is around here."

Satsuki leaned back and relaxed. "Remember, you're in charge here. What you say goes. So if you don't wanna hit the town, I can let this guy know, and we'll just go to a restaurant or a play or something, my treat. Who knows, maybe you'll even change your mind and let me rock your world."

Before Yuki could get too flustered over that, she continued. "Ooorrrr… You try this out. It's like I said last night: I wanna make you feel like a winner. If you do this, I promise you'll find stuff you never would've thought about otherwise. And I don't just mean booze and EDM, either."

"So." Satsuki raised her glass. "What's it gonna be?"

[CaptainL]

Yuki nodded her head to Satsuki's explanation, but she couldn't help but blush. She knew that this was what was supposed to happen - she'd won a POW match, and that came with everything such a stipulation entailed. But she wasn't used to living the high life, and she definitely wasn't used to being lavished with all this attention and praise. It felt like she was somewhere she wasn't supposed to be - all her life, whenever she won a match, no matter how big, she usually smiled to herself and carried that smile home, content with leaving it as a personal feeling of gratification. The most she had ever shared in the excitement was high-fiving her classmates when she ran into them in the halls following a big match, and hearing their congratulations. Certainly she had never ridden in a limo drinking champagne with anyone. And they certainly hadn't been so...suggestive about it.

"R-Royal consort..!?" Yuki practically gasped at Satsuki's choice of words; she had to remind herself a moment later to steady the wine glass in her hand before anything spilled. She blushed even harder when she described it as "rocking her world," and she glanced out the window biting at her lip, hoping that focusing on the outside world could help the burning sensation in her cheeks die down a little. But then...Yuki thought a little more about what Satsuki had to say. That she wanted her to feel like a winner - like a warrior receiving tribute from a conquered subject. She couldn't deny, the thought made her feel something. She felt powerful. She felt in control. That was a feeling she had been chasing for a while now - when she pushed herself through all the grueling matches she'd suffered, and all the injuries they entailed, it was all in the pursuit of being able to feel successful again. And now, Satsuki had offered her just that. If it was coming from someone like her - someone so confident, someone who had no doubt seen plenty of success in her own time - Yuki could surely trust Satsuki to know a thing or two about feeling like a winner...

Yuki sat back up straight, nodding her head. "No...I've made up my mind," she said. "I want to...to see what you have to offer me. I want you to take me to the club, and let me see the sights. Maybe it's time I loosened up a little..." She thought back to what she'd done differently as of late - taking on more elaborate and more dangerous match types, experimenting with her moveset; the very match she had won this privilege in was one she had won with a new finishing move, and that had clearly worked out for her fine. Yuki could take this risk.

"And besides...I guess I might as well feel like a winner." As soon as those words left her mouth, Yuki's smile turned up at the corners. It was an awkward smile, a smile she wasn't sure she should be smiling, but it was a smile nonetheless.

[FreestylePoet]

Truth be told, Satsuki didn't think Yuki was going to accept in the end. She was already coming up with alternatives – what did you get a woman who had everything and yet, Satsuki thought, so very little? Perhaps a quaint dinner at a late-night diner, or a night cuddling with stuffies and watching Disney movies. Come to think of it, Satsuki had never seen one of those, but somehow it felt like the kind thing that Yuki would like…

Ah, but she did accept. Lucky for them both, and lucky for their driver. Satsuki quirked the corner of her lip. She tilted her glass to meet Yuki's.

"Long may she reign."

From there, it was only a matter of distance between them and their destination. As cul-de-sacs turned to winding roads turned to city grids, Satsuki filled the space with as benign and boring small talk as she could muster. No tricks, no games, and certainly no flirtatious approaches. Nothing too personal either; Satsuki avoided hot-button topics like home, family, and their respective career choices – shared and otherwise. Those were for later.

Just a "do you think they have good umeboshi onigiri?" here and a "even salarymen can afford Teslas nowadays" there, each spaced out to allow for a comfortable silence without letting their dynamic lay fallow.

Sooner or later, they arrived at their destination: Tokyo's first casino and hotel resort, glimmering with lights and glass. It was palatial in scale, exactly the sort of bacchanalia that could only exist in a world that broadcasted LAW.

Two valets approached the limousine, clad in white shirts and red vests with handsome haircuts. Before one could reach the door, Satsuki opened it herself, stepping out decisively. Immediately, they backed away, eyes wide in the millisecond before they bowed and let them be. Satsuki shrugged to Yuki with a smirk before offering a palm to her "shogun."

"Hope the ride wasn't too long, Yuki-sama."

[CaptainL]

Long may she reign.

Yuki raised her glass to meet Satsuki in a toast, but those words still lingered in her head long afterward. The very thought of them made her heart beat a little faster, and a tingle ran down her spine. That, she knew, was about her. Satsuki had styled herself as the Queen of Clubs, with all the glamor and power that such a position entailed. The promo she had cut before her match with Yuki said as much - she had some of the most powerful people in the country, if not the world, at her command. And in that match...Yuki had defeated her. She had brought the Queen low. And now, that title was hers to take, should she so choose. Yuki hadn't just won a match - she hadn't even just come back from a long and arduous losing streak. She had proven herself capable of taking down some of the most fearsome foes in all of LAW.

And even if Satsuki didn't say as much, Yuki was all too aware of the other implications. Satsuki, after all, was far from the only woman in LAW who called herself a queen. And one of the many others was someone Yuki had unfinished business with. If she had just proven she could beat Satsuki...did that also mean she could beat Rose Gold?

Satsuki made small talk during the trip, and Yuki did her best to respond and keep up out of the sake of politeness. But really, her thoughts were far from here and now. She spent most of the ride staring off into the distance through the window, reflecting on how far she'd come - and where she would go next. She had almost lost track of the world around her by the time Satsuki alerted her to how they had arrived at their destination. But when Yuki shook herself back to the real world, any half-muttered apologies that were now falling from her mouth were swiftly cut off as soon as she saw what was before her.

"Whoah..!" Her eyes wandered up over the whole presentation - the elaborate facade of the building, the lavish gardens that surrounded it, the fact she had people waiting on her now. On Satsuki, technically, but...wasn't Satsuki the reason she was here? Her jaw dropped as she took a moment just to stand and marvel at it all. Yuki had never been anywhere quite this extravagant. Certainly she never expected she'd ever be worthy to. To someone who had always thought of herself as an unassuming hometown girl with modest aspirations...this was far beyond her wildest dreams.

"It's...it's amazing..." she said, halfway to herself in a muttered whisper. When she felt Satsuki take her hand, Yuki blushed at being addressed as her superior, but cleared her throat as she looked back at her. For a moment, she felt so out of place she was worried that the people behind the resort would be insulted by her presence. She was about to say that Satsuki didn't need to try this hard, and that she'd be content with anything, but then she thought back on what she'd told her earlier. She deserved this. After all, she had won.

"No, no, it's quite alright...ahem-! You know this place better than I do...want to show me around?"

[FreestylePoet]

Satsuki flashed her victor a wolfish grin. "I thought you'd never ask." She helped Yuki out of the limousine, taking care to give her a few steps before kicking the door closed and signaling the driver with a knock. With a nudge of her head, she set them off towards the entrance: a bay of glass double doors arranged in a semicircle, gold-framed and tinted. Recess lights sparkled above, while fine velvet cushioned their footfalls below.

"I'm surprised you haven't at least seen pictures of this place. The Japanese government says, 'We already corrupted pro wrestling into porn and turned it into a global empire. Why not finally open up a casino?' Then they bring in a bazillion dollars from a bazillion investors, and suddenly they've got a project way too big to fail. They've been doing a whole full-court press when it comes to publicity, y'know." The last bit might've sounded scolding if it wasn't delivered with a giggle.

More ushers swiped the a pair of doors open to them, and as the aircon puffed them with cool, the world changed once more. Clusters of lit-up machines, branded with all manner of flashy mascots and familiar franchises, dotted the landscape like a spreading fungus. A fifty-foot ceiling held hanging chandeliers, geometric and warmly lit. A lush carpet of floral patterns provided a gaudy backdrop to the vast expanse of money loss.

Suddenly, Satsuki pulled Yuki right. A wide line of deep blue provided a path, splitting a forest of green-felted tables. Each had a crowd of well-dressed guests, cheering and aww'ing every few seconds. Immediately, Satsuki wrapped her arm around Yuki's. It took a moment to adjust to the odd position -- being the arm candy instead of the BMOC -- but eventually she got there. Yuki stood in the center of the carpeted row, her beautiful red dress almost lighting the path. Satsuki stood to the side, an eighth of a step behind, with her arm looped around Yuki's elbow.

Just as Satsuki had planned it, eyes started to turn towards them. At first, the standard recognition sparked through the crowd. "The Queen of Clubs!" and "Daikokunyo!" and even some "Isn't that Satsuki Hayano?" Then, a second later...

"Oh, but who is that with her?"

"Not with her, you fool. No, the other woman is the one who brought Hayano here. Look at them!"

"Goodness, you're right... Now I really want to know: Who is she?"

And with a self-satisfied smirk, she ignored every last one of them. "Lesson one," she murmured, "of being a winner. It's not just that you're good. Not anymore. It's that you're better -- or at least, that you did better than everyone you beat. I've been infamous in places like this for a decade, but all their eyes are on you, girl. Soak it in."

[CaptainL]

"L-Listen...I don't follow that sort of thing, I'm just out for myself..." Yuki blurted out whatever excuses she could think of to Satsuki's lesson, but her attention was only halfway there. As Satsuki led her inside the casino, Yuki's eyes wandered back and forth, running over every bit of the scene in front of her. It was all so lavish, so exquisite, it was far beyond anything she could ever have imagined - let alone anything she thought she'd ever set foot in. Every inch of the hallway seemed bursting with details and embellishments that it was almost overwhelming to her senses; she couldn't focus on one for barely more than a second before her eyes flitted in ten other directions. Suddenly, she didn't feel so out of place getting dressed up; if anything, when she looked back at Satsuki, she couldn't help but feel she was the one who seemed underdressed for such an occasion. But then again, Satsuki seemed to be a pretty big deal here. She was the kind of person where it didn't matter how she looked, because no one would dare to stand up to her for it. After all, everyone was looking at her, and everyone was cheering for her. She had this entire resort wrapped around her little finger.

And Yuki had beaten her.

Her mind was awash with thoughts of what this meant. She wanted to make excuses - to tell herself it was all a fluke; that she wasn't really this good. She just got lucky. But on the inside, she knew she was lying to herself. She had worked hard to push past her limitations, to surpass everything that had held her back before - since losing to Rose Gold, she had made it her life's goal to never let such a thing happen again. It had taken her some time, but at last, she had done it. And when she had beaten someone whose reputation clearly rivaled that of the Lightweight Champion herself...suddenly, Rose didn't feel so daunting of a threat. Just thinking about that made Yuki tingle a little inside.

So too was hearing everyone talking about her. Noticing her. For as famed and esteemed as Satsuki clearly was here, she wasn't the main event. She wasn't who everyone's attention was on. Yuki was.

She wasn't used to this sort of attention. Even when she had made such momentous announcements as her intentions to challenge the then-Lightweight Champion, she had been taken aback by the reception she received. Yuki was doing this for herself. She was chasing after her own personal fulfillment, in the one thing that gave her a sense of belonging. She wasn't in this job for money or fame - the thought that people were actually recognizing her, that she was being noticed, was still a thought that seemed completely alien to her. At first, hearing everyone whisper about her and muse on who she was caused Yuki to blush - she sank in a little closer against Satsuki's side, deferring to someone who was clearly more experienced to handle this. "Um...Satsuki...they're looking at me," she whispered. "What do I do..?"

But when Satsuki responded, Yuki took a pause. She blinked a few times, still trying to convince herself of what she was hearing. But the more she turned it over in her head, the more it all seemed to connect. Whether she liked it or not, Yuki was getting attention - she had beaten the Queen of Clubs, the Goddess Daikokunyo herself. That was an accomplishment. Even for her, in finally putting an end to a losing streak that had dogged her for too long, it was an accomplishment. She really had cemented herself as being on top again - as being a worthy contender for the title; a big name in the Lightweight Division. Wasn't that what she was after all along?

And there was one other thought going through Yuki's mind that she couldn't shake. The lavish surroundings, the fame, the attention, the praise. Was this how Rose felt?

Rose was who seemed to have everything - the money, the fame, the legions of fans; even when she had soured her reputation through a number of ill deeds, she always seemed on top of the world. She was so far above Yuki's more modest lifestyle that she might as well have seemed like a queen or a goddess. And now, Yuki had gotten a taste of that. Perhaps...it was time she started taking that for herself.

Yuki nodded her head to Satsuki, clearing her throat. She might have been unused to this, but...she needed to step up to it, all the same. If she was going to be a winner, it was about time she started acting like one. She broke away from Satsuki and stepped forward; now, she stood ahead of the pink-haired woman, in the center of everyone's line of sight, with the whole world watching. Her stomach quivered at the thought of it; a shiver went down her spine. But she knew what she had to do.

"Erm..." Her voice wavered, but she kept going, looking back over her shoulder at Satsuki. "My name...is Yuki Kazikura. I'm 19 years old, from Yokohama, I'm a professional wrestler in LAW...and I just beat Satsuki Hayano."

[FreestylePoet]

It was always amazing to watch someone come into her own. Yuki had given that show in just one sentence! She finished her declaration to a pop from the crowd, half made of cheers for Yuki and half of jeers for Satsuki. The Queen of Clubs waved the latter half off with a scoff. It was rare that they'd get an opportunity to shoot at Satsuki, so why not let them take it?

Shaking her head, Satsuki clapped her former opponent's shoulder with a laugh. "Hell of an introduction, Yuki! Here's Lesson 1.5, though: Gambling age is 20. Don't tell people more than you have to. Thankfully," she continued, eyeing a well-dressed employee as they approached, "that shouldn't be a problem. Right?"

The man shook his head without a moment's hesitation. "Of course not." He rose a silver briefcase, opening it to reveal rows and rows of plastic chips. "I assume you'll be using the same tab as always?"

"Same tab as always," Satsuki confirmed. "For me and for her." She reached into the case and pulled out a handful of chips, palming thousands of yen into the younger girl's hand. Satsuki's grip slid down between Yuki's shoulderblades, picking the least intimate way to urge her forward. "C'mon. With any luck, we'll be able to get a few more wins for you before the night is up. Ever played roulette?"

The POW guided her companion to the aforementioned table. A handful of dressy folks stood around it. Only a few stacks of chips had been placed onto their bets, and not a man or woman at the roulette table was looking anywhere but Yuki. Their anticipation was palpable for this woman -- this champion who'd laid low the Queen of Clubs -- to play a few rounds with them. And, perhaps sensing her inexperience with the realm, they were fine to wait for their honored guest to settle in.

Satsuki leaned into Yuki's ear. "If all goes well, this'll be Lesson 2 in a sec. Take these chips and put 'em somewhere on the table. Red, black, odds, evens, ranges, even a number if you're feeling game. If the wheel lands on your bet, you win! Simple enough, right?"

[CaptainL]

They were cheering for her. They were actually cheering. When Yuki heard that, she bit at her lip, her face going red as she hugged her arms closer to herself. It was odd - she should have been used to being cheered. She was a wrestler, after all - a professional athlete in a very public line of work, where hundreds came to watch her live in the arena and thousands tuned in to watch her on TV. She had accrued a dedicated fanbase ever since her high school years, and even now when she was barely out of school, they were just as eager as ever to cheer for her. But that always seemed different - there was always a level of separation between her and the fans. It was just part of the job, it was to be expected, and when she was focused so intently on the match, she could let everything else fall away; the cheers were little more than background noise when all her mental energy was committed to overcoming her opponent. Here, though? She was in front of a smaller, more intimate crowd, one that she could stand face to face with, speaking to them directly. They were all looking at her - all curious, all wanting to know more. And now, they were cheering for her.

Yuki hoped she didn't look too obvious when she shrunk away. She was nervous for sure, yes, but she didn't want to look so out of her element that it was embarrassing - either for herself, or for Satsuki to let herself be seen with. However, Satsuki didn't seem to mind - she clapped her on the shoulder and led her off, as though they were joking around just as naturally as Yuki would with any of her classmates. Except they were surrounded by opulence, in a luxurious casino, and one where Satsuki was the star of the show. Emphasis on was.

When she heard the next words out of Satsuki's mouth, it was enough to make Yuki's eyes go wide in shock. "H-Hold on, hold on...I'm going to be gambling?!" Immediately, she blushed - not only for how unprepared she must have looked, but for how stupid she must have seemed if she was this shocked that she would be gambling at a casino. She knew that was what Satsuki did, but she hadn't expected to get dragged into it as well! Immediately, Yuki was stricken by the realization she knew painfully little about the games she was going to play - she barely even knew the rules, let alone how to be good at them. She was surely going to look like a fool. And yet, she couldn't say no. She couldn't let anyone know she was afraid, not when it was supposed to be her night to shine. She had agreed to let Satsuki show her whatever she wanted to experience. Who was she to say no?

Even then, though, Yuki couldn't help but feel woefully out of place. As Satsuki had reminded her, she wasn't even supposed to be here. But even aside from her age, she looked around at all the well-dressed guests sitting at the roulette table, some of them speaking in accents from far-away countries, and her face grew pale. She didn't belong here. She was sitting at a virtual who's-who of the rich and famous in the gambling world - at least she assumed as much - and here she was, an upper-middle-class high school graduate who had never gambled in her life. She didn't even know what the chips were for. Was there any strategy to this? Was there any way she could stand a chance without giving herself away? "I, uh...I can't say I have," Yuki whispered back to Satsuki, trying to keep her voice low, lest anyone actually pick up how intimidated she was.

But Satsuki, too, whispered to her - and she whispered a few words of advice. When Yuki heard what she had to say, she blinked a few times. Was it really...that simple? Placing chips down and hoping the wheel hit them? "Wait, that's...that's it?" Her eyes ran between the chips in her hand and the table before her. She'd seen this in movies and on TV, but she would never have thought it was so easy to understand. But then...she began to smile. If it was this easy to understand, then even she had a chance of playing it. Maybe even succeeding.

"Then...here goes-!" For her first bet, Yuki dropped a few chips down on red. A total that would come out to around fifty thousand yen...mostly because she didn't know how much each chip was worth. Hopefully, that wouldn't come back to bite her.