School of Hard Knox - Maddie Knox vs Muriel Spencer [Standard]

[Parker]

They parted with a curt nod, retreating a few steps before dipping into their stances. Arms raised, fingers flexing, Maddie casually tossed a lock of blonde hair back over her shoulder with a languid roll of her neck. When Muriel shifted, she mirrored, the two circling in a slow, deliberate dance of crescent steps as the tension wound tighter with each beat.

When Muriel made her move, Maddie struck.

Her nostrils flared as she drew in a sharp breath, surging forward with a sudden burst, arm cocked to take Muriel’s head off with a crisp clothesline. She exhaled hard as she swung, only to find nothing. Muriel hadn’t advanced at all.

"The Golden Girl" pitched forward, off-balance, stumbling as her own momentum betrayed her with no solid body there to stop her aggressive attack. By the time she dug her heel in to halt the charge, Muriel was already on her. She had made it so easy for the other woman to close the gap, which she would with ruthless timing. They tied up, tight grips, wrestling for control. Maddie fought to match her footing, but the advantage was gone; Muriel’s leverage dragged her down to a knee, her arms straining desperately to even the exchange.

A rookie’s mistake. Maddie’s first match under LAW’s bright lights, and already she had overextended. But though her pride seethed, she ground her teeth and pushed back, trying to claw back even footing. If nothing else, Maddie Knox refused to look weak.

[BlackAkuma]

Interesting.

Muriel hadn't sought to take Ms. Knox off guard with her tie-up, merely starting her matches in the way she usually did. She was a traditionalist in many ways, wrestling being chief among them - or, as Ms. Welsh was wont to call her, a ‘stuffy old bag’. She had wagered that her foe would be much the same, judging from her refined pedigree.

But no, instead she came at Muriel with a clothesline, jumping the gun just a touch, and that aggressiveness wound up biting her. Not only in the obvious way of a poor position, which was a minor hiccup that could be easily rectified. It also gave Muriel the impression of a woman who could be baited, misled, and distracted. Not solid evidence, but it was an avenue for her to explore, one she hadn't previously considered—a small victory, a foundation to build on.

Ms. Knox would not be humbled for long, and she began to push back with no small amount of force. In terms of strength, the two of them seemed evenly matched, though Muriel’s foe had the fires of youth on her side. It was enough for her to bully her way into a better position, one that had to be respected, but the former teacher had no intention of staying in this deadlock for long.

A transition, then. She broke out of the tie-up, gripped Ms. Knox’s wrist, ducked under her, and came to her side with the limb still ensnared, attempting to move into an arm wringer.

[Parker]

Maddie hissed sharply as Muriel broke the tie-up clean, her wrist snatched before she could slip away. The transition was seamless. One moment resistance, the next her arm twisted and wrenched, pain shooting down through her shoulder as Muriel cranked it into an arm wringer. She held up her other hand, fingers twitching as if trying to ward away the pain.

“Ah!” Maddie bent low under the pressure, blonde hair falling into her face as her body followed the strain of her trapped limb. Her boots shuffled restlessly against the mat as she tried to straighten, but the hold had her bowed, emerald eyes narrowed in frustration. The referee hovered nearby, checking, as Madison gritted her teeth against the tug.

The Golden Girl, however, was no novice. She dipped low, rolling her shoulder and backing herself up in a long step. The cinched limb unwound with a pivot on her heel, leaving them face to face again. The blonde carried her momentum into an impressive high kick, which shot past Muriel’s face just shy of its supposed mark. When her powerful leg came down though, the true intention was revealed. The crook of her knee sliced down across Muriel’s grip, jarring her hold loose in a stylish flourish of grace.

From having twisted to one side, Maddie slingshotted back the other way, her body coiling like a spring. She cocked her arm and swung through with reckless abandon, unleashing a brutal European uppercut.

[BlackAkuma]

So, Madison Knox, what sort of wrestler are you?

That was the central question Valerie had been wondering about going into this match, and as it began and she squared off against Ms. Spencer, she leaned in with eager, anxious eyes, wanting to see her friend in action. She had seen some clips of her online, mostly stuff from highlight reels, but she hadn't dug too deep, wanting to see Madison in action from ringside, unvarnished from a cellphone screen.

At first, she was a little worried, with her opening salvo against Ms.Spencer not working out so well. It might not have seemed like such a big deal to many; an arm wringer was hardly the end of the world, but bad starts could snowball into bad ends, especially with a competent, experienced opponent. Ms. Spencer had a good amount of both. ”Get out of there, Maddie!” She gave the apron a good slap. ”Come on!”

The worry was for nothing. Valerie would’ve either brute forced her way out or just tried a simple reversal, but Madison rolled through, popped up, and used her limber legs to break the hold, earning more than a few impressed whistles from the crowd. Muriel was given a stiff European Uppercut for her troubles and sent the woman stumbling away.

Muriel looked over, a bit perturbed for a moment, but only a moment before she moved back in. She ducked low, looking like she was about to return fire with a European Uppercut of her own. Instead, she slipped around to Madison’s side at the last second and tried to come behind her, attempting to snag her with a tight waist lock to get her under control.

[Parker]

While she needed no reminder to slip her chains and avoid being captured so foolishly again, Valerie’s advice and cheers were a welcome addition to the highs and lows from the audience.

The moment Muriel dipped in low, Maddie felt those arms snake for her midsection. Instinct flared, if those hands managed to be clasped together, this woman was about to embarrass her again. In a flash, Maddie’s own hands shot down, latching onto Muriel’s wrists with all the urgency of someone clutching a lifeline.

Her fingers dug in, twisting one wrist hard and shoving the other just far enough apart to keep the circle at bay. Her whole body was alive with tension, shoulders pulled forward, chest rising and falling in sharp bursts as she fought to keep Muriel from linking up. The crowd could see the desperation in her form, her legs bracing wide, heels grinding against the mat.

“Not a chance,” she spat, voice sharp with strain.

Maddie was fighting a losing struggle, she had to do something quick. She pushed her hips forward, careful to keep her balance, then suddenly thrust out her backside, driving it into Muriel’s lap, trying to shove her back. If this didn’t work, Muriel would finally be able to join up her hands and lock the hold in.

[BlackAkuma]

Even as she moved in for the waist lock, Muriel’s head was still buzzing from the European Uppercut, her bell appropriately rung. Ms. Knox was strong, stronger than she would’ve surmised from a simple glance. The wonders of youth at work once again, her eternal enemy. It was of little concern. She had made a career of handling young ‘whippersnappers’, both in the wrestling and the classroom, and had dealt with far rowdier than her current opponent.

She swooped in, moved low, and found purchase with her hold, clamping on tight. Ms. Knox put up a passable struggle, as she attempted to keep from fully securing the hold. It was tempting to persist and fight her struggles, with a less wily opponent she might’ve done just that. But with her opponent proving so feisty, a more productive idea occurred. She needed to slow this woman down.

Something more effective, then. When Ms. Knox thrust backwards, Muriel granted her the freedom she so craved, but sought to make it fleeting. She abruptly dropped to knees, reached out, and went for the woman’s ankles, looking to wrap her arm around the nearest one and pull it tight.

If she could accomplish that much, the next move would be perfunctory - she would stand, pull that ankle along with her, and attempt to twist her foe’s leg with a classic Ankle Lock. She doubted it would earn her a submission so early into the match, but it would do damage that could pay dividends, an investment with pain.

[Parker]

Maddie’s lips curled into a grin when she felt Muriel’s grip give way, a smug little tch slipping out as she thrust her hips back to shake the older woman off. For a heartbeat she thought she’d won the tug-of-war,until she felt a hand snake low, clamping around her ankle.

Her emerald eyes went wide as her leg was yanked out from under her. “Wha-?!” She stumbled, bouncing on her free foot, arms windmilling as her long blonde hair whipped across her flushed face. For all her stubborn balancing, the Golden Girl couldn’t hold herself upright forever; with a sharp tug, her knee buckled and she pitched forward, palms smacking the canvas.

The sudden twist of her ankle sent a jolt of pain streaking up her calf as Muriel torqued the hold. “Ghh!” Maddie hissed, fingers clawing into the mat, her toned frame writhing under the veteran’s vice. Her back arched, thighs trembling as she fought against the pressure.

Snarling, she rolled onto her side, blonde hair spilling the mat, and snapped her free leg up in defiance. With sharp, desperate kicks, her heel hammered toward the inside of Muriel’s knee, each strike meant to jar the torturous teacher’s base and pry some space from the suffocating lock.

[BlackAkuma]

Valerie winced at the sight as Madison was snatched up in the Ankle Lock, knowing from personal experience how much that one could hurt. She’d both employed the move often and found herself in its clutches, and suffering it tended to leave her walking funny for a couple of days. Muriel was playing a shrewd strategy here, already thinking of the long game and trying to bridge the stamina gap that came from older age.

Smart, too smart. Valerie had asked management to put her friend up against someone with real skill, and that’s what they got.

To Madison’s credit, if it was bothering her, she wasn’t showing it. She didn’t wither in the hold, instead choosing to fight her way out with real fire, twisting about and striking at her captor. Ms. Spencer only took a few shots on her knee before she decided that was much too much, and backed off to give her battered leg a good rub, freeing Madison in the process.

The reprieve would be a short one - as soon as her opponent was up against, Ms. Spencer would come rushing, only slightly slowed by her aching leg. At first, it seemed like she might be going for another grapple, but instead she spun about on her good leg and lashed out with her bent arm, attempting to strike Madison with a wild Roaring Elbow to the face.

[Parker]

The sudden release of pressure felt less like mercy and more like a reprieve granted on Muriel’s terms. Madison hissed sharply through her teeth as her leg was freed, her ankle still throbbing with every pulse of her heartbeat. She half-crawled away on her side, dragging her body across the canvas with her palms pressing hard into the mat. The blonde winced with every shift, her long leg trailing stiffly behind her like dead weight, the joint still burning from the torque of the hold, however brief it had been.

Her fingers clutched at the ropes as she pulled herself upright, each tug drawing another pained twitch across her face. Sweat slicked strands of golden hair clung to her cheeks and jaw, the faintest limp shaking her otherwise proud frame. She rose slow, one hand instinctively bracing her ankle as she forced her weight onto it. Pain, but it wasn't sharp, a throb, something she would feel more tomorrow than in five minutes from now.

Even so, Madison straightened her back, squaring her shoulders as if daring the world to see her stagger. And the world responded in its infinite humor with Muriel bearing down on her. Her breath came in a hot frustrated exhale as she half hopped on one good leg to position herself to brace. Her emerald eyes glaring with a stubborn refusal to let the uppity librarian And then - smash!

The crack of Muriel’s elbow echoed like a gunshot, and Madison’s head snapped violently to the side. The Golden Girl had hastily put up her arms to intercept but momentum shattered it like a pane of glass. Her whole frame jolted from the impact, legs giving way as though the strength had been stolen out of her in an instant. She staggered back, her body folding toward the ropes with no grace left to her stride.

Both arms flung wide and hooked over the top rope out of instinct more than intention, leaving her slung there, swaying in place like a ragdoll caught in a net. Her knees buckled beneath her, boots scraping against the canvas as they struggled to find footing, but the ropes were the only thing holding her upright.

Madison’s head lolled forward, golden hair spilling like a curtain over her flushed features, her chest heaving as she clung to the taut strands that dug into the soft line of her arms. Every breath was ragged, her ribs lifting and falling against the ropes’ resistance. The once-proud heir to the Knox name, humbled and hurting, a picture of dazed vulnerability framed by the ring ropes.

[BlackAkuma]

Now, that was a good impact.

While Muriel didn’t fancy herself as much of a brawler, spending time with the likes of Aisha had broadened her horizons on that front. The popstar was an accomplished pugilist, and had shown her a good deal of effective strikes, brutal and devastating ones, which she had learned to employ judiciously. She would not be gracing any boxing rings in her future, for certain, but they were an excellent way to catch the unwary off guard. Case in point: Ms. Knox.

The blow found its mark and left her rattled, stumbling away in grand fashion. The blow left Muriel’s arm feeling numbed, sending a shock through her humorous bone, and she could only imagine what it felt like for her younger foe. It certainly put her in a poor spot, up against the corner, on the ropes, vulnerable.

Muriel rolled her elbow, forcing the feeling back as she moved in to capitalize, but she was temporarily distracted by Valley Doll as she slapped the apron, trying to rouse Ms. Knox out of her stupor. An admirable effort, and she had to admire such sincere dedication. One of her greatest regrets as a wrestler was not making such firm friends in her time with Rumble Roses, even when such opportunities presented themselves.

Such melancholy thoughts. She sat them aside as she moved in and seized Ms. Knox by the chin, lifting her head up and exposing her chest. With her target exposed, she reeled back and let fly with a knife edge chop to her opponent’s chest, hitting with a cacophonous impact.

”At attention, Ms. Knox.” She seized her opponent by the wrist. ”We are far from finished.”

With her hold secure, Muriel pulled back, yanked Ms. Knox out of the corner, and sent her dashing towards the opposite end of the ring with an Irish Whip, looking to create some distance between then before she executed her next move.