Noblesse Oblige: Maria Crawford vs. Emily Nelson

[BlackAkuma]

”Bite me, you pipe-blowing skank!” Maria, on the other hand, had no qualms using all manner of colorful language.

It was really all she could do at the moment, as Emily kept her aloft in the ceiling hold. It was becoming quite clear that she wasn’t about to lose her stamina anytime soon, as she held the hold well and kept Maria suspended, testing her limits further and further, pushing her to the edge. She didn’t want to give up, but her body was on the verge of making the decision for her, as she came closer to her limit. ”I…I…”

The words were forming in her mouth when Zero came rushing into the ring, charging with blinding speed towards the pair. The downside to a move like this was that it left Emily vulnerable to any outside threat, unable to move with her limbs all occupied. Ebay prey for a quick striker.

Zero rushed in, raised her leg, and attempted to go for a field goal, using Emily’s skull as the ball.

[Underdoggo]

Pipe-blowing? Pipe-blowing? Emily reddened at the comment, her attention momentarily brought back to Maria. Alright, admittedly, Emily DID know how to play the bagpipe (not very well, but she at least knew how), but that didn't make Maria's quip any less infuriating. Even though Emily's sore back was protesting as she used her entire body to stretch Maria's she gritted her teeth and poured on the pressure, wanting nothing more right now than to hear Maria tap.

She was suddenly reminded of her concern about Zero, however, when she felt rapid footalls along the mat...rapidly approaching. The only thing Emily had time to do was turn her head in the direction of the approach--

Zero's boot crunched home against Emily's face with conscussive force, hard-edged boot meeting unprotected face in a fairly one-sided collision. The blow span Emily sideways, causing her to release Maria as she was sent rolling several times before collapsing on her front. Facedown, Emily could only clutch her hurting face, her legs kicking fitfully at the mat as her world descended into a dizzy mass of pain and swirling colours.

The audience immediately burst into boos at this interference by Zero, but that didn't change the fact that her attack had been brutally effective.

[BlackAkuma]

The referee called for the bell, giving Emily the win via disqualification - the right thing to do - but then followed it up by turning to Zero and getting in her face. ”What are you doing?” She put her hands on the Silent Killer’s shoulders. ”Get out of here before I call-”

The referee learned why touching Zero Kotobuki was a bad idea. Or rather, she would learn as soon as she woke up from the kick to the head that Zero just gave her, a hellish blow that knocked her out in a flash. Resistance gone, she turned her blank stare to Maria, who was in the process of making her way back up, with some help from the ropes. Zero came over to see if she was okay, but that was the last thing on her mind at the moment.

”Get her up.” She spat down on Emily’s thrashing body. ”Get the bitch up!”

Zero followed her orders, moving over and grabbing the Noble Fighter by her long, lustrous hair and using it as a handhold to force her up to her knees, forcing her hands behind her back to keep her helpless. The moment she was upright, Maria moved in and gave her a vicious slap across the face.

”Top of the morning, Emily. Wake up.” She gripped the Scot’s head and turned it towards the entrance ramp. ”I’ve got some friends I’d like you to meet.

Sure enough, none other than SA-KI and the infamous Freia Kagami were making their way down to the ring, strolling like an executioner on his way to the gallows. The crowd’s boos intensified, knowing that Emily’s dire situation was growing direr by the second.

[Underdoggo]

There was a dull thump on the mat next to Emily as the ref toppled over, knocked out by Zero's brutal kick. Not that Emily was aware of it, one way or another; her skull was still ringing after the way that Zero had so brutally punted it, and she clutched her head, kicking weakly at the mat as she tried in vain to get her bearings. Everything had turned into a chaotic mass of sound and blurring colours, and try as she might, Emily could barely will her body to move, let alone get up.

The next thing Emily knew, her scalp was burning as she was yanked upright by her hair. She gasped, feeling her arms being wrenched painfully behind her back...and then Maria was in front of her, hitting her with a vicious slap that snapped her head to the side. Feeling a red blotch on her cheek. Emily grimaced, and was about to respond to this bad situation as best she could-- namely by calling Maria a cheap slag and spitting in her face-- when she became aware of two more people striding confidently down the ramp. Two people she recognized.

The first was clad in form-fitting pink and yellow latex, her face partially hidden under a hooded mask that left only her sly eyes and leering mouth visible. Emily dimly remembered SA-KI, if only by reputation rather than by personal acquaintance. But the other woman...Emily's eyes widened a little. Even if she hadn't been wearing her trademark black leotard with furs, she would have recognized that lustrous white hair, pale skin and cruel smile anywhere.

"Freia," she hissed, breathing out the heel's name like the curse that it was.

[BlackAkuma]

”I love it when they say my name.”

Freia came marching into the ring as if she owned it, because in a way, she did. The Fallen Angels were already proving themselves to be one of the more effective forces in the LAW hierarchy, and the distinct lack of saviors and wannabe heroes was a good sign that the locker room knew better than to stay out of their way. Even so, examples did have to be made from time to time.

She and SA-KI came in through the ropes, moving along on both sides of Emily’s vision. SA-KI leaned up against the ropes, getting a good look at the Noble Fighter’s backside, while Freia stood at her front.

”Emily Nelson. It’s been a while.” She lifted the Scottish wrestler’s chin with the tip of her finger. ”You’re looking well. All things considered.”

Her ever-present smile grew a wider, curving around her cheeks with a fiendish twist. ”Guess what comes next, Highlander.”

[Highfly]

Ryuko was backstage dressed in her wrestling attire for a match when she decided to watch some fellow former Wrestle Angels mix it up in the ring. She had plenty of time before her match was scheduled and Emily was one of the few foreign women who wrestled well enough to earn the respect of the thunder empress.

However as things went downhill Ryuko was enraged. Of course Freia had a hand in all this.... Ryuko had seen enough. Ryuko began to run for the arena as quickly as she could.

Ryuko burst out into the arena, still running straight for the ring. Ryuko wanted to make a full sprint for Freia, looking to slide into the ring and bolt at Freia to hit her in the back with a lariat before turning to Zero to start swinging away at her with all her fury!

[Underdoggo]

Emily grimaced as Sa-KI and Freia sauntered over towards her, with the Perfection Beyond Death in particular stalking around her like some highborn huntress looking down at tonight's game. Emily thrashed and twisted in Zero's grip, but Zero had her trapped tightly. Emily was trapped, and surrounded on all sides by enemies and heels from the old league. All in all, things were very, very bad right now.

She saw Sa-KI moving around behind her, while Freia leaned in to lift her chin up, those cruel eyes peering down at her as she gave her a mock compliment. If she could have moved forward just a little, she would have bitten that damn finger off. As it stood, Freia was standing just far away that Emily couldn't even spit up at her. As far as defiant gestures went, Emily's options were limited. As far as actual things she could do to free herself went, she her options were zero.

"If you're going t'offer me to join this wee club Maria mentioned," Emily hissed, her anger causing her Scots accent to come to the fore, "then save yer breath. I prefer t' associate with people of quality. Otherwise, if ye're just here to beat me up...go to hell and get it over with, ye badger-haired skank."

And with that, Emily braced herself for what came next...and then, at that moment, all hell broke loose...

[BlackAkuma]

‘Badger-haired skank’. That one got a chuckle out of Freia. ”Have to say, Emily, I’ve missed that little accent of yours.”
She nodded to SA-KI, who proceeded to step forward, always eager to get in on a beating. ”Don’t worry, we’ll make this fast.”

And speaking of fast…

She had heard the crowd rising and getting louder, but she didn't register why until it was too late. She had only started to turn around when a lariat clocked her clean in the face, knocking over and sending her flopping to the ground.
Zero caught hell next, as the blur of a woman laid into her, while SA-KI ducked under the ropes and moved to safety.

Thunder Ryuko was back, it seemed.

[Highfly]

Ryuko was laying into Zero, and that was satisfying. Pummeling a striker was a strange satisfaction like showing her that she wasn't untouchable. Knocking Freya down to the canvas was also priceless. Ryuko clearly had no love lost for most of the women in the ring. "You cowards! Fight like real women you stupid bratty bitches!" Ryuko screamed as she tried to grab Zero and toss her over the ropes to the outside before trying to chase after Freia. Ryuko wanted to pounce on top of her and yank her hair before smashing her head to the mat hoping to go full blown catfight brawl on her! "Freia you always ran from me one on one! I bet you aren't woman enough to face any of us real wrestlers on equal ground! You shame Japanese womens wrestling!"

[Underdoggo]

Emily had braced herself, closing her eyes as she prepared to receive what would no doubt be a hellish beating from Freia and her coterie. She had fought fair and square, she told herself even as she waited for the worst: she had been on the verge of winning when Maria had called on outside help. As outrageous and unfair as it was, and as painful as this was going to be, she was at least going to bear it knowing she had practically won this match, and no one could say otherwise.

At least, that was what a part of her was thinking. The other part of her was absolutely terrified of what was going to come next, and of the vicious to come that might just end her career.

She had been waiting for the incoming barrage of punches and booted kicks to slam into her, with her eyes closed...and was instead surprised to feel Zero suddenly let her go. The crowd was roaring, and something was crashing into the mat. She opened her eyes.

Like a bolt of black lightning, a familiar figure was in the ring now, whirling from one of Emily's assailants to the next, slamming down Freia with a brutal lariat, and then Zero. In an instant, Emily recognized that immaculately-pattered black leotard, that swirling brown ponytail, that fierce expression.

Thunder Ryuko?

Emily watched in stunned disbelief as the Thunder Empress unleashed hell on her assailants, dropping down and pummeling with a series of vicious punches, before jumping up again to go after Freia. Sa-KI had clearly decided that discretion was the better part of valour and had evacuated the ring, while Maria...wait, where the hell was Maria?

Cursing to herself, Emily rolled to her feet, knowing that Ryuko had missed one of the heels she had single-handedly crashed into, and readied herself to rush in and intercept Maria before the British heel could hit her erstwhile saviour...