A Meetup at the Gym (for ClockwerkSamurai12)

[CaptainL]

From practically the moment the words had left her throat, Lacey knew she was going to regret it. Her body was tense, and her teeth locked together in a grimace; her fists were balled tightly at her sides, and her palms were sweating. This was going to hurt. It was, after all, Arizona's strongest move; she knew firsthand just how painful it was! But...Lacey knew she had to do it. It was the only way to prove how much further she'd come from that moment. If she could last through the same move that had cost her the first match, even for just a little while longer, she would know she was at least making progress. That she wasn't stuck in a rut - that she had a future! That was all she had to hold onto, but she would cling to it as though for dear life!

She could feel it as Arizona twisted her legs, locking one over the other. She took in a deep breath as the cowgirl turned and planted one foot in the middle of the loop, bracing herself for what came next. And when Arizona hauled up on her legs, she could feel her back sag lower as her spine was twisted into an arc, practically folding her in half! The load on her spine was amplified tenfold, and she could feel a searing pain shoot through her. But she couldn't scream. She couldn't let anyone know it was hurting her - not even herself! She just had to gnash her teeth and squeeze her fists tigher, holding her body rigid, so as not to let it faze her. Her whole body felt like it could explode from all the pressure welling up inside of her, but she had to swallow the urge to let it out. She just had to be stronger than that. She had to believe she was!

[ClockwerkSamurai12]

Arizona: Lemme know when you had enough! (She starts to increase pressure on the hold.)

[CaptainL]

"R-Right..! I will!" With that, Lacey sucked in a deep breath, and her fists curled into a white-knuckled grip. Did it hurt? Yes, of course it hurt. In fact, Arizona was only putting more and more pressure on Lacey with every bit of torque she cranked at her back with, and the strain was growing greater and greater. For a moment, that thought sent a shiver down the green-haired girl's spine. Already it felt like her back could break at any moment, and if Arizona was still tightening the pressure, she clearly had still more stored up her sleeve! It was an intimidating thought...but there was no room for intimidation now, she reminded herself. She wasn't in the indies any more; these were the big leagues. Arizona was just one example of the sort of competition Lacey could expect to go up against in LAW, and if she couldn't stand up to her, she wouldn't stand a chance. No matter how painful it might've been, she had to stick with it. Failing know would only be more painful!

In fact...she was starting to grow numb to how much her back ached. Sure, it still hurt, as only being folded in half by a professional wrestler could be. But between the time she'd spent in the hold in the match, and how she was managing to withstand it now, Lacey was...starting to get used to it. It didn't seem quite so bad, knowing that she'd been able to last this long! And if Lacey wasn't crumbling under the pressure, that was proof that she was growing strong enough to withstand it. That she was making progress, even since the match! She might've grimaced under the load her spine was forced to bear...but she looked up with a grin regardless, knowing she wasn't so hopeless after all!

[ClockwerkSamurai12]

Arizona keeps increasing pressure of the hold by the minute.

[CaptainL]

Lacey was fighting with everything she could to hold back. Her teeth were clenched into a grimace, and sweat was pouring down her furrowed brow as her face went red under the strain. Her knuckles went white under the pressure as she dug her fingers into the mat, trying to hold herself steady. But that was no easy task when Arizona was all but folding her completely in half! Lacey was fighting as hard as she could to keep focus, but the more this hold went on for, the more her spine was being stretched to its limits - and every moment seemed more painful than the last. She heard a pop and a crack, hissing as her spine buckled under the pressure - and then, she let out a roar as the searing sensation shot through her back, now attenuated into a pain greater than ever!

Lacey had fought it this far. She'd tried her best to hold out. And, if she had to ask herself...she'd done a pretty good job. She had been able to fight through the pain, convincing herself she was stronger than it! If she tapped out now, no one could say she hadn't made strides worth taking pride in. She'd come here to improve her endurance when she'd come to submissions...and by all accounts, she'd done it. Taking in a deep breath, she raised her hand and tapped it against the mat. She'd have to, at least, before her back broke. But now, she could do so without guilt!

"T-That's it..! I give!"

[ClockwerkSamurai12]

Arizona releases her before falling flat on her back, panting in the progress.

[CaptainL]

As soon as Arizona let her go, Lacey fell flat against the mat, her whole body at once going limp. Everywhere she felt, she ached from the pressure her opponent had put her through - she clutched at her side and moaned in pain, only to shudder as her mere touch sent another sting through her system. She too lay there panting; it was going to take her a moment to catch her breath enough to get back up, let alone to dull the soreness in every muscle. She had been all but folded in half for far longer than she had any right to, and that wasn't something anyone could bounce back from so easily.

But...even as Lacey lay there, groaning, she began to realize something. It might have hurt...but she had done it. She had managed to last through Arizona's Texas Cloverleaf. Sure, she had to tap out at some point, just to save her own hide...but she had been bold and stuck through it, refusing to give in so easily even as she was cranking on the pressure. She wasn't keeping track of time, but maybe she'd even lasted longer than she had in their match! That was a sign that she was improving after all - and for Lacey, that was a victory.

"I...did it..." she muttered to herself. A grin started to form across her face as enough strength returned to her for her to be able to roll back up into a seated position - though she did wince as she felt the strain on her muscles in doing so. "Arizona!! I did it!"

[ClockwerkSamurai12]

Arizona: Atta girl, I knew you could do it! (She hugs Lacey to congratulate her) Like I said before, it’s all about perseverance!

[CaptainL]

A moment ago, Lacey's heart had sank under the thought that she might not have it in her to claim the success she always dreamed of. When she didn't measure up, she couldn't shake off all the thoughts and fears of her own inferiority, her own hopelessness, and above all, the notion that she might let all her fans down. But now, she was an entirely different woman. It was as though she had never even considered giving up in the first place - now that she'd proved to Arizona, and to herself, that she was capable of success, she was bursting with a newfound excitement! On a surge of adrenaline she hopped up into the air, throwing up her arms in triumph as she let Arizona pull her into a hug...and immediately winced as she felt the pressure of her embrace coming down around her sore back and ribs. "O-Owww, ow..!! Not so hard..."

Once Arizona let go, Lacey would take a step back and clear her throat. "...I'm okay," she muttered, more to remind herself than to reassure her sparring partner. Then, she looked up at Arizona with a smile. "Perseverance, yeah...thanks, Arizona. I'm just sorry I forgot about that..." She looked down with a sigh. "Boy, that was silly of me, huh..?"

[ClockwerkSamurai12]

Arizona: Ah, don’t sweat it Lace.. say, I just had an idea.. whaddya say you and I become a tag team, goin’ after other gals from southern states?? I already got a name for us.. Southern Hospitality!