Mother-Daughter Bonding (for Wanderer)

[CaptainL]

When she heard what Sarabeth had to say, all Astrid could do was nod her head sagely. Sarabeth knew. She understood - her response was all the Norsewoman needed to tell her that she was in good hands. Sarabeth knew she had a challenge ahead of her, one that even all the training in the world could only do so much to prepare herself for. But she was ready for it.

"Your adoptive father knew it well, then," she said. "This isn't an easy life. Take it from me - I should know. Even when you're at the top, you still have to strive to do your best - to uphold your legacy, your reputation, and all the honors you hold. You've got more attention on you than ever before, and the pressure to live up to it is never greater." She thought back through her time as Heavyweight Champion, and how it had led to her facing some of the toughest women in LAW's Heavyweight Division; opponents who had tested all of her physical and mental fortitude, and how all the while she had to shoulder the burden of living up to the name of champion - of making sure that at every moment she was taking her position seriously, and carrying the competition to a level that was worthy of her high standards. When she had won, she felt like everything she'd ever worked toward had been vindicated. And when she lost, she couldn't help but feel that she had let not just herself down, but the whole promotion, too.

"Besides," she continued, "no one goes into the wrestling business unless they're prepared for what it involves. We're putting our bodies on the line every time we step in the ring, and no matter how many bumps you take, they never get any easier. It takes a strong body to take it all, and an even stronger spirit. But, at the end of the day...we're wrestlers. We're here because we strive to prove ourselves the best we can be. And we're not gonna turn down a challenge, are we? You still need to meet my dad, some day...but if you're thinking like that, I think he'd be proud of you."

Getting out of the car, Astrid reached for Sarabeth's hand as she led her toward the door. The topic of conversation turned to something lighter - and to that, Astrid faced the green-haired girl with a smile on her face. "What music do I like? Well, yeah, I do enter to a classical theme, but that's an Ostberg family tradition. And really, a Scandinavian tradition in general," she added with a chuckle. "This is a little embarrassing, but...if I can't trust my daughter with a secret, who can I trust? I...really do enjoy pop music. You ever listen to ABBA? Sure, they're Swedish, but you get the point - we've put out some of the biggest bands in pop, and that's not for no reason."

[Pegasus]

Sarabeth was shocked when Astrid revealed her taste in music. She had heard of ABBA and was an avid listener herself due to her adoptive father sharing some oldies with her. Sarabeth considered her favorite genre being heavy metal and her favorite band being Bring Me The Horizon, but pop and country were her secret pleasures. She loves other bands like Metallica, Motörhead, Red Chili Hot Peppers, and Rob Zombie. Though, she loved Florida Georgia Line and Ariana Grande just as much.

“Never took you for a pop girl, but I’m willing to bet you like the oldies. Ya know, 70s and 80s stuff. That’s what my adoptive father showed me when I lived with him,” Sarabeth stated as a song came to her head from ABBA. “You can dance, you can jive! Having the time of your life! Ooooh, see that girl, watch that scene, digging the dancing queen!”

[CaptainL]

"Oh, yes, how could I forget!" Sarabeth's mention of the oldies was enough to hit Astrid with a wave of affection, as her mind wandered through all the songs she'd grown up listening to. Led Zeppelin, Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen in his prime. A lot of them were from before her time, yes, but she had more nostalgia for them than anything. "My dad has a collection of old records he picked up from all his travels, and when I was young he was happy to share his passion with me. He even had some from his forays into Japan and Mexico. You know, I don't think I could name a song from the era I actually grew up in that sticks with me, but I could probably start belting out some Dokken right now..."

That wasn't the only thing she was capable of belting out, apparently, because when Sarabeth launched into her own rendition of ABBA's biggest hit, Astrid was right there behind her! Flashing the Young Lioness a grin, she clasped her hand a little tighter, and she picked up the tune without skipping a beat! "You are the dancing queen! Young and sweet, only 17! Dancing queen, feel the beat of the tambourine!" Just as quickly, she descended into a giggling fit. "Ahh, sorry. I hope it's not too embarrassing for you. Hey, we are at the Hard Rock Cafe, so that's to be expected, yeah?" she added with a chuckle, elbowing Sarabeth playfully in the side.

[Pegasus]

Sarabeth giggled along with her stepmother and laughed holding her sides as she had to wipe a few tears out of her eyes. She had to admit that she was having the most fun she has ever had in quite a long time. Sarabeth never really get to bond with her actual mother over the songs they liked and the only thing close to it was when Kary sang Sarabeth to sleep with "Patty Cake," Do You Know The Muffin Man?", and "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." Sarabeth may have been a little older now, but she can't dismiss the fact that she missed those simpler times, but not so much with her biological mother being in the picture at the time. 7-year old her didn't know that just three years later would be the last time they would ever see each other and she would be a homeless wreck. But, that was in the past.

Sarabeth found her actual father and she had a guiding hand in Astrid to help set her on the right path as well as fill the role Kary left willingly. She hoped her biological mother leaving for Nevada to live off the fame of her poker star boyfriend was worth it. Sarabeth and Astrid entered the restaurant and they passed by a gift store filled with shirts, accessories, face paint, and even prop guitars that existed in the older years. Sarabeth grinned seeing the fake guitars and it reminded her of the one her adoptive father gave her. Sarabeth was by no means a musician, but she played at the occasional bar or country club on weekend nights back in her previous state.

"I don't know if Dad told you this, but I became a part-time rockstar back in the States," Sarabeth chimed in when her stepmother and her were seated across from each other.

[CaptainL]

As Astrid stepped into the restaurant, she stayed close at Sarabeth's side, never letting her out of her sight. She knew that she was an adult now, and she knew that she hadn't known her for even a year, but somehow, it just felt right. If she was to take Sarabeth into her life, if she was to be the mother this girl had always needed, then she was going to do right by her, and she was going to commit to the role. And even though she had only known her for so short a time, everything seemed like it was coming naturally to her - almost like it was meant to be. Like they really were a family. She smiled a little wider as she reflected on it, and when she saw the tears budding in Sarabeth's eye, she nodded her head just a little to herself. She could tell how moved the girl was by all of this - that she felt just as close to Astrid, too. She was sure that these things were personal to her, and she didn't want to pry about what was on her mind. All she cared about was that she was happy.

...but her attention would just as quickly be drawn away when she passed by one of the windows, seeing a display of memorabilia inside. Stopping in her tracks, Astrid spun around to look over one guitar with wide eyes and a grin on her face. "Is that Gene Simmons's guitar!? It is-! There's his signature and everything-!" Only a moment later, she realized that a few of the patrons had stopped to stare, and she cleared her throat, turning back to face Sarabeth with a blush. After a nervous chuckle, she continued in a softer voice. "Er...sorry. Just got excited. My dad told me all about the effects KISS put into their concerts, and even if I haven't seen one in person, I've always imagined it must be quite an experience..."

Soon, they came to their table, and Astrid picked up a menu to look through at what it had to offer. But she stopped to look back up at Sarabeth when she mentioned her previous exploits. "Is that so? He didn't, actually!" A smile crossed her face as she scooted a little closer. For how close she felt to Sarabeth, this was just a reminder that she had a lot of catching up to do, and she was learning new things about her new stepdaughter every day. "Do you still have your instruments? I'd love to hear you perform some time...erm, if that isn't too embarrassing for you, at least-!"

[Pegasus]

Sarabeth had to chuckle over her mother getting giddy over seeing a piece of rock n roll history. She couldn’t blame her in the slightest as Sarabeth was having her own inner fangirl moment and she even saw other pieces like albums belonging to Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, and the legendary AC/DC. It was like walking through a time machine back to the days where music was better respected, but all of that would be rambling in her own mind. Sarabeth grinned as Astrid told her about how her father explained how much effort KISS put into their concerts.

“KISS is so kickass! I would have loved to experience one of their concerts live if I was born back in that time period. The closest thing we have to KISS today is the Insane Clown Posse and their super lame to be honest,” Sarabeth explained.

Sarabeth then perked up about being asked about her solo music career on the side. The stepdaughter blew some green hair out of her eyes before replying.

“I only have a guitar for now. When I wrestled for my adoptive father’s promotion, I became the women’s champion twice so that brought some recognition to my name. He also paid me $200 for my matches so I got to afford to fine tune my instrument before each performance. I had bars and nightclubs calling me to bring my singing to their establishments and I mainly become an act to perform famous guitar solos. I also eventually wrote my own songs. I call one of them “Misperfection” which is a song that was inspired by the story of how I became homeless. A girl growing up believing herself to be anything, but the perfect daughter,” Sarabeth continued with a rather somber look on that last part.

[CaptainL]

Sarabeth's mention of the Insane Clown Posse brought a laugh to Astrid. "Ah, I suppose that's...one way of putting it. Not really my style." She chuckled again to herself. But what tickled her all the more was seeing the enthusiasm her stepdaughter was barely able to contain. She was glad Sarabeth could find something worth getting excited about, and when she knew how much she'd struggled in her life, she knew she needed it all the more. Astrid was happy Sarabeth could be happy. More importantly, though, if Sarabeth was willing to open this much to her, and the two could bond over common interests, it was a sign they really were coming to see each other as family. The family Astrid would've always wanted Sarabeth to have.

She listened intently to her story of her musical career - when she discussed her time on the indies, Astrid smiled a little, looking off through the haze of nostalgia as she remembered her own humble beginnings. "We've all been there, haven't we? Wow, $200? Was he made of money or something?" She laughed at her own joke - while $200 for one match wasn't even close to a typical payday for her, it would've made Sarabeth the envy of any indie wrestler, and she doubtlessly would have had plenty of stories of next-to-empty bingo halls she could tell, and that they'd surely bond over. But her career sounded like a respectable one. She had to have been doing well for herself if she was asked to perform at such a young age, and Astrid could be happy for that. At least, until she mentioned the struggles she felt over her own thoughts of inferiority, and how she could never live up to her dreams.

Astrid leaned closer, frowning. She knew Sarabeth had experienced no small amount of hardship, and yet, it always pained her to think about it - how this talented, devoted, and passionate girl still had to shoulder such burdens. She deserved so much better when she'd put her heart and soul into everything she did, just how Astrid would've wanted her to. When she was doing everything right, she shouldn't have been punished for it. But at least now, things were looking up. The conversation they'd just had was proof of it.

"...Maybe she was wrong." Astrid moved to take Sarabeth's hands, giving them a gentle squeeze. "Sometimes, these things take more time than we might expect. Or even want, really. But...in the end, anything's possible."

[Pegasus]

Sarabeth smiled at her stepmother and everything just reaffirmed that Astrid was here to stay. She was worried that Astrid may get tired of her and throw her out like Kary did, but Astrid genuinely wanted to be family to Sarabeth. She might not be perfect to the world, but she was perfect, albeit maybe a bit scatterbrained, to Astrid. The Young Lioness could live with that as she relaxed in her seat looking up at the TVs currently playing an Aerosmith music video as she hopped along to the music. The waiter soon came by and asked to take their orders as Sarabeth realized she never actually looked at her menu.

“Um…one second! Uh….Coke….and fresh steak with a side of…..A1 barbecue sauce!” Sarabeth quickly filtered out when she skimmed over her menu.

[CaptainL]

With Astrid's hands settling into place around Sarabeth's own, the Norsewoman gave her stepdaughter a gentle squeeze - just enough to remind her of her presence. She had the strength of the powerhouse she was, and it showed in the firmness of her grip, but Astrid knew enough to hold back when the time was right, and for now, she just needed Sarabeth to know she was there; that she would be there, no matter where the green-haired girl's life took her. She didn't want the girl to feel any pressure, and she didn't want her to be rushed or uncomfortable about anything - she was sure that there were plenty of thoughts, feelings, and emotions going through her when her whole world as she knew it had been thrown upside down, and Astrid would let her go at her own pace. But whenever she needed support, or even just to talk to someone, Astrid was willing to be the person she needed. Sarabeth had needed someone like that for too long; now, things could finally turn around. That wouldn't change for anything.

But Astrid was reminded a moment later that, much like Sarabeth herself, she had gotten carried away with their conversation - and she hadn't even bothered to look through the menu before the waiter was already at the table! Breaking away from the girl, Astrid sat up a little straighter in her seat and cleared her throat loudly. "Ah, yes, of course-! Ah, ahem..." She opened one cover of the menu, but she had barely glanced over its contents before she quickly set it aside, not wanting to stall any more. "I suppose I'll get a burger and a glass of water," she said. "Oh, and the sweet potato fries." When the waiter took their menus and stepped away, Astrid faced Sarabeth with a nervous chuckle, shrugging her shoulders.

"Sorry about that," the Norsewoman explained. "I guess I just...was happy to hear all about what you've been up to..."

[Pegasus]

The waiter took their orders and then their menus before heading to the kitchen to give the paper to the cooks. It seemed like it would take awhile for the food to be prepared and in the meantime, Sarabeth drummed her fingers in the awkward silence. The waiter returned with her Coke and Astrid’s water before disappearing back to the kitchen. Sarabeth looked ahead of her mother seeing a karaoke machine and it seemed like this particular night was going to be the audience singing. Sarabeth saw this as the perfect activity to bond with her new mother.

“Mom! Karaoke! This is perfect! You and me singing! Can we try?! Can we try?! Come on!” Sarabeth begged like she was six years old again and gave her stepmother puppy dog eyes the best she could.