Heart-to-heart

[skip-stop]

"Oh..." Astrid joined her fingers together, resting her chin on them. “I didn't know about it.”

Everyone has skeletons in their closet that we don't want to show to anyone. That Astrid did not know that the scar on Alice's face was left by Clara was not surprising. But the surprising thing was that the brunette decided to tell her about it. Perhaps it was the alcohol, but apparently Clara really felt that she could trust the Norwegian woman.

“Hey,” Astrid said, noticing that Clara was lost in unpleasant thoughts after telling about her sister. “She went to a bloody match against Nerissa for you.” She reminded. “Not everyone is ready for this, even if it's about a relative.” The blonde smiled at Clara, not wanting her to take on too much. “So if I were you, I'd be thinking about how cool your sister is, not that she might not have forgiven you for the past.”

Clara didn't react too strongly to the delicious brisket, but Astrid's words definitely made an impression on her. It was easy to see that the British woman was embarrassed once again, but after a sip of mojito, she decided to clarify what exactly Astrid's help was. Before answering, the blonde motioned to the waitress that she needed another glass of beer and two shots of whiskey.

“Why do you think we're here?” It was a rhetorical question that Astrid was going to answer herself. “You'd probably prefer to talk to me at Victoria's office or during a private sparring session, wouldn't you?” It was obvious, because when Clara came here, everything was written on her face. “But look at you now, here we are sitting and talking, while the crowd around almost doesn't bother you anymore!”

The waitress put a glass of beer and two shots in front of Astrid, one of which the blonde pushed towards her interlocutor, after which she took a few sips of beer. Surely Clara has already begun to guess where the wind is blowing from and why Astrid chose this place. Even if not, the Norwegian woman wasn't going to keep it a secret, not after Clara plucked up the courage and openly asked about it.

“I've seen your promos, you're always confident in the ring,” she smiled. “I think this is another quality of a real fighter, I, like Charlotte and Nerissa, also feel most confident in the ring." Astrid paused briefly to take a bite of the juicy brisket. “But if you want to get to the top, you have to be confident in yourself both in the ring and outside it.” Astrid has become a little more serious. “We are all human beings and life somehow makes us doubt, but for a fighter any doubts are an unacceptable luxury.” She explained. “Doubts inevitably lead to defeat, so you should not doubt yourself, because one day you may find yourself in front of a woman who will need help even if she does not know about it herself.”

Yes, she knew for a fact that Clara would have preferred to meet in a more private setting. But if you're a fighter, you have to be able to get out of your comfort zone. Astrid learned this well after becoming a champion. She preferred to speak in the language of her fists, but it doesn't work with the audience and fans. Therefore, she had to learn to open her soul to them. Initially, she felt like a schoolgirl when she had a microphone in her hands. So she wanted Clara to step out of her comfort zone today. And, apparently, the British woman did not let her down.

“So,” Astrid said, wiping her hands on a napkin. “My question is very simple, but I want you to think about it well and give me an answer not today, but when you are ready." The blonde took a sip of beer and set the glass aside, focusing on Clara. “You've been through a lot, you've had both grandiose ups and equally grandiose downs.” She reminded. “You were honest with me today and I appreciate it, but when you give me an answer, I want you to be honest with yourself first." She glanced briefly at Nerissa and Charlotte behind Clara's back. “As I told you, it seems to me that their reasons for striving for the top are wrong, but I believe when they understand why they are actually striving so high, they will both become stronger than ever." Astrid's gaze returned to Clara. “And once you understand that too, you will also become much stronger than before, so my question, Clara, is...” Astrid tilted her head slightly forward. “Why do you want to become a champion?”

Perhaps this simple question was the only one that really mattered. Every girl and woman in the federation has their reasons to fight to get to the top one day. But today it wasn't about them. Today it was only about Clara. Fighting with her, Astrid felt the flames in her soul, but even that wasn't enough to get the golden belt. A true champion is more than just a good fighter. And a true champion is fighting for more than just money and fame.

As their conversation was coming to an end, Astrid raised her hand and waved to Charlotte, Nerissa and Alice, inviting them back to the table. Also, to defuse the situation, Astrid pushed a shot towards the brunette, inviting her to drink together, after which she raised her own shot. They still had a few moments left before their privacy was violated, and Astrid had one more thing she wanted to say only to Clara.

“In our match I realized one thing, GASTER could never win and become a champion,” she said with a soft smile, tilting the shot slightly forward, inviting the brunette to clink glasses. “But who knows, maybe one day Clara could…” after clinking glasses with the British woman, she drank a shot of whiskey, after which her best friends and Alice came to their table.

[Vc0m]

Clara got...a bit honest with herself out loud whenever it came to alcohol. She was more free to say things out when some of them, she preferred to keep to themselves. Though the fact that she injured her sister wasn't some big secret. The match was online, people saw it, talked about it. It was easy to find information per how Alice Gaster got her famous scar.

Clara still didn't know how to approach her sister on the subject of said scar. On the one side, she definitely had no hard feelings, and in fact, believed the scar made her look cooler...on the other...she was the one who put that scar on her face. Not a big scary opponent, not some archnemesis in the ring. Her own sister gave her that scar. Even though there were no hard feelings, sometimes Clara got too overprotective of her, like 2 years ago, practically barring Alice from a feud with her rival. And that was the actual thing that made the two grow in animosity, even if it was water under the bridge now. But in the end, Astrid was right. Alice would fight a war for her. Clara couldn't have asked for a better, more loving sibling.

With the attention switching to the subject of Astrid's help, Clara couldn't help but nod in agreement. There she was, more relaxed, more comfortable around the LAW Openweight champion, and chill in the crowd when just a few minutes ago, she was half-way to a panicked state of mind. In the end, it helped her be more confident with Astrid…and that was likely the blonde’s point.

And as Astrid continued explaining. That was it. To be confident in the ring like she was already, but also outside of it. Clara was still a mess when confronted backstage, unless push came to shove. Clara needed to be more decisive and sure of herself when it came to offscreen interactions.

This naturally lead into Astrid’s very simple question, one that Clara suspected was going to be asked…right as she did she felt the answer was obvious! To be the best!

Clara’s mouth opened…

…but no words came out.

The heat of the moment for asking the question dying down, but even in her drunken mind, she knew that that was not it. Sure, it was part of the reason…but that’s not what drove her. A few short years ago, she didn’t even dream of winning any title, content with being the opening act down the card…so what drove her to be here, talking with the LAW Openweight Champion about life and the potential title shot?

She quickly realized that Astrid was correct. This was not an answer she would come up with within a few seconds. As Astrid called over the rest of the women at the bar, Clara listened to the final private words meant for her, as Alice's voice would quickly drown out the British woman's thoughts:

"So wwwhat did you two asholes talk about while we were gone?", the the redfaced, completely drunk Alice to her sister, hugging her with one arm around her:

"Aah...you-you know...stuff..." Clara would say as she looked over at Nerissa: "And you?"

"Aw, you know...how we are gonna beat the fffyuk out of each orher...thatsorta shit..."

[skip-stop]

After she asked the brunette the main question, Clara quickly opened her mouth, which caused Astrid to shake her head slightly, thereby hinting that Clara should not answer so hastily. However, the British woman realized this on her own because Astrid's question remained unanswered. Clara accepted the fact that she would need time to think about the answer to this question, perhaps first looking back at all the way she had come and the way she still had to go. It was the right decision and this earned Astrid's approval.

Astrid couldn't have known in advance how well her conversation with Clara would go. She just hoped that everything would go smoothly and that Clara would accept everything she wanted to say to her. As a result, everything turned out even better than in the wildest fantasies. Surely if someone had looked at them from the side during their conversation, they could have said that the brunette and the blonde were good friends. Of course, they were far from that in reality, but today they certainly had a strong bond that gave them the opportunity to understand each other. Astrid felt it.

It was difficult to say how much Clara was influenced by the last words of the Norwegian woman, she simply did not have enough time to show any emotions because of Alice. The short-haired brunette was definitely drunk. Her tongue was already beginning to slur, which caused a slight chuckle from Astrid. Of course, the blonde also felt the influence of alcohol, but so far she felt pretty good.

“Yeah, I asked her not to get upset because as soon as she gets the lightweight belt, she'll have to pass it to me right away.” Nerissa said, after which she noticed that Clara was looking right at her.

“Don't count your chickens before they are hatched...” Charlotte warned her.

Astrid looked at her friends.

Charlotte was twirling a half-empty glass of red wine in her hand. The Frenchwoman didn't look drunk, but there was a slight blush on her cheeks, which was a sure sign that things could change soon. She has a very difficult relationship with alcohol, so she drinks extremely rarely and only good wines. Well, except for that Las Vegas situation. However, Astrid liked it when her best friend was drunk, Charlotte's temperament changes a lot and because of this she seems to be a completely different person compared to the laconic and reasonable woman she is.

Nerissa, in turn, made a much greater impression on Astrid. The Native American woman looked completely sober, although Astrid thought that Nerissa would not miss the opportunity to get drunk as fuck in Alice's company. Not so long ago, this woman would have been very happy to drag Astrid and Charlotte around bars until the morning, while probably taking part in several fights. She really seemed to be starting to change, although Astrid wasn't sure if it was all for the best.

“Did everyone get what they wanted?" Charlotte asked, looking at Astrid.

“Yes, I suppose so,” Astrid replied, glancing briefly at Clara. “Well, what do you think about spending the rest of the evening together?” She asked, looking at everyone present in turn, first of all at Clara and Alice.

[Vc0m]

Already fairly tipsy, Clara would need tomorrow to fully process Astrid's words to her. For now, she knew that she wouldn't be able to focus on the question in her current state...and especially in Alice's. The sisters were very lightweight when it came to drinking, and Alice seemed to be even more so.

"Oi! Don't speak asssif you alleady won, you piece of shiit..." the younger Gaster sister slurred, Clara giggling at Alice's response to Nerissa, as the Brit looked at the Native American woman with slight doubt in her mind. She didn't know Nerissa was going to be here...and as Charlotte asked her question, a thought would cross Clara's mind, right as Astrid asked her question:

"W-well, I wouldn't be opposed to that...although...before we fully leave work talk behind us..."

Clara took a deep breath:

"Nerissa, I want to challenge you to a match, at the next Pay-per-view. We are one a piece at the moment, and Victoria probably told you that I wanted to challenge you, so while we are together like this, I wanted to make this official..."

Though blushing from the alcohol, Clara had a serious look in her eyes, while Alice had a relaxed one, looking at both women with curiosity...

[skip-stop]

“That would be nice." Charlotte replied shortly to Astrid's proposal.

The pink-haired woman was far from the most social person and she felt comfortable only in the company of her best friends. However, even though she found Alice's temperament to be very rude, it turned out pretty simple for her to spend time with this brunette. In a way, it was a small step forward for Charlotte, so she didn't mind spending the rest of the evening with Alice and Clara at all.

Nerissa, in her turn, was in no hurry to answer. There was one thing she wanted to do. She wanted to talk to Clara alone, and perhaps the circumstances today were the best for that. Before responding to Astrid's proposal, the Native American woman turned to Clara and even opened her mouth to ask the brunette to step aside with her.

But Clara started talking first.

And what she said was diametrically opposed to what Nerissa wanted to talk to her about. Yes, Victoria told her about Clara's visit and her desire to meet Nerissa in the ring again. Even the manager herself was one hundred percent sure that Nerissa would not turn down such an opportunity. It turns out that lately she's really been able to surprise everyone around her, because Nerissa didn't really want this match. At least not right now. That's what she wanted to talk to Clara about.

“I...” Nerissa blinked several times, trying to find the words.

She hadn't expected this turn of events, and now she was kicking herself for not speaking first. Perhaps it would be wrong to say that Nerissa didn't want another match at all. But after their previous match, she was overwhelmed with the most contradictory feelings, and therefore she wanted at least some time to sort it all out. Yes, that's exactly what she should tell Clara now.

The Native American woman even took a breath to start talking, but then her gaze met the gaze of the brunette. Even though Clara was slightly drunk, there was determination in those beautiful eyes. And although Nerissa couldn't have known exactly what Clara was talking about with Astrid, she was smart enough to make a very logical assumption about it. Clara had always aspired as high as Nerissa herself, and now the British woman needed another springboard to get close to what she wanted.

“Perhaps...” Charlotte began, but with a smooth movement Astrid took her by the wrist, preventing her from getting involved in this conversation.

“Yes,” Nerissa said, after which her lips stretched into her classic wide smile. “Accepted, and you better get ready for me to kick your butt!”

It was probably the first time in her life that Nerissa's smile was insincere. She didn't have time to sort out her feelings, but she knew for sure that she didn't want to hurt her rival now. But... looking into those eyes, exuding unshakeable confidence... she just couldn't refuse her. Besides, there is still time before the next PPV, and perhaps this time will be enough for Nerissa to deal with the storm in her soul.

[Vc0m]

Alice was the one to notice the lack of answer from Nerissa. For someone who went through hell to fight a deathmatch with her, the Native American woman was struggling to come up with an answer. Clara had her usual look of determination about her, wanting this match no matter what...but the Echidna looked like she would rather disappear than answer the question.

Clara, for her part, didn't realize the awkward pause, until Charlotte spoke, before being stopped by Astrid. Alice was about to open her mouth, to change the subject, to potentially get the two of them to speak about this later...

...but Nerissa would give her affirmation to the match.

"Mwahaha...keep talking like that and I will make sure it will end like the first time!!!" Clara would loudly say, using her GASTER laugh as a joke, but being serious in her later words...

...and in comparison, Alice would quickly take a look at Nerissa. She was drunk to the point of slurring her words, but weirdly enough, she could tell the Echidna's smile was unnaturally too wide for what she had said...her eyes being a bit too sad for a wrestler who had just accepted a challenge from a rival...

Alice shook her head...or rather, in her drunken state, moved it to the side, and accidentally caused the room to spin in her vision. This wasn't her deal. Nerissa was nice, and she'd happily keep drinking with the woman who bloodied and beat her in their match...but a modicum of sense within the British woman's mind realized that this was Clara's and Nerissa's matter to settle...

"SO ANYWAY!!!", Alice would say, louder than even she expected: "More drinks!"

[skip-stop]

Charlotte pursed her lips and turned to Astrid so that only the blonde could see the displeasure on her face. Yes, not so long ago they both made fun of their friend because of the changes in her character, but now was not the time for jokes. Charlotte believed that Astrid should not have stopped her, because she wanted to suggest Nerissa and Clara to continue this conversation at another time.

Nevertheless, the Frenchwoman met the blonde's rather sharp gaze. Astrid perfectly understood Charlotte's feelings about Nerissa's situation. However, in her opinion, this was a situation that the Native American woman had to deal with on her own. For the first time in her life, she was confronted with feelings that were not familiar to her, which went against what she was used to. And that's why she has to go through it on her own, because otherwise she won't be able to figure out how to deal with something like this.

Their staredown was interrupted by Alice's loud voice, which in a way defused the situation. Astrid smiled broadly, and then, though not very hard, she slammed her palm on the table.

“That's right!" She said, and then waved at the waitress. “Enough about current affairs, let's just relax, for sure we can exchange interesting stories!”

Waving her hand to attract the waitress, the Norwegian woman shifted to the left, allowing Charlotte and Nerissa to sit on her sofa so that they faced Alice and Clara. Charlotte shook her head slightly, pushing away the last thoughts that she and Astrid had made a mistake, then drained her glass of wine and only then sat down next to her friend.

Nerissa tried to imperceptibly take a deep breath to calm the storm that was currently in her soul. She couldn't resist stealing another glance into Clara's eyes. Damn... this woman... okay, not today. They had come here to have fun today, which meant everything else could wait, she still had time before their match. Therefore, Nerissa tried to relax and sat down next to her friends.

“Do you want to order something else?” The waitress asked.

“Five shots of honey whiskey for everyone and another glass of beer for me personally!” Astrid said it right away.

“I don't...” Charlotte began, intending to remind her that she shouldn't drink strong alcohol.

“No objections!”

“Astrid...” Charlotte tried to remain composed, but she shook her head. “Okay... and another glass of wine for me, please.”

“Cuba libre for me.” Nerissa said, I chose not the lightest, but also not the heaviest cocktail.

“Feel free to order,” Astrid said to Clara and Alice, then pointed at herself with her thumb. “Today the bill is on me!”

[Vc0m]

Clara sat down, tipsy and satisfied, with little idea of how unwilling her rival was to agree to the match. Clara was already very awkward as a person, but adding alcohol to the mix made her a little bit selfish, having 0 idea of how other people felt about her ideas...even when the atmosphere at the situation made it clear that her ideas weren't the best, even as Nerissa took one last, curious look into Clara's eyes.

Alice, however, was already far away from the situation, instead focusing on the waitress about to serve them more drinks! Right as Astrid, Charlotte and Nerissa put in their orders, Alice would swiftly chime in:

"NICE! Free drinks! Give me a Daiquiri!!!"

"Well...make that 2!", Clara would say with a smile.