Tangled Serenity [for Teenwrestler]

[HotWheels]

Aroha pushed open the heavy wooden door to the assigned spa room, and a rush of warm, humid air wrapped around her like a hug from home - thick with the scent of coconut oil and fresh greenery. Her bare feet padded softly over the heated tile floor, the faint slickness already teasing at her soles. It all reminded her widening eyes of the hot pools back in Rotorua, but fancy. And inside. And oily.

She stepped fully inside, letting the door click shut behind her, and took it all in. The room was bigger than she’d expected: low lighting from lanterns strung along the walls, steam curling lazily from a small bubbling fountain in one corner, and off to one side, thick, glossy mats spread between what looked like small trenches of warm oil, shimmering under the soft glow. All around the edges, potted ferns and trailing vines spilled over walls and hung from the ceiling, turning the space into a little indoor jungle. Through the floor-to-ceiling window on the far side, the winter city sparkled below - lights twinkling like stars against the cold night, a stark contrast to the attempted outdoorsy nature of the room.

Aroha’s lips parted in a delighted grin. She reached up to adjust the ties of her familiar beige bikini - the same one that had survived mud pits, village brawls, and more than a few accidental rips. The top hugged her chest snugly, damp already from the humidity, while the bottoms sat low on her hips, the thin strings resting against tanned skin still carrying faint tan lines from endless island sun. Perfect for this.

She bounced lightly on the balls of her feet, feeling that familiar buzz of excitement bubbling up in her chest. LAW had been… a lot. Beautiful people everywhere - some sweet like honey, others sharp-edged and thrilling in ways that left her breathless and flustered. Wins that made her heart soar, losses that stung but taught her new tricks. Nights of laughter and new friends, days of feeling a little lost in the big city lights. She missed the village sometimes, the way everyone knew her name and her stories, but here? Here everything was new, wild, waiting to be grabbed with both hands.

And this - private oil wrestling in a heated room - felt exactly like the kind of adventure she needed right now. Divine would love this, she thought, with a private little smile.

She padded closer to the mats, dipping one toe experimentally into the shallow oil. It was warm, silky, clinging instantly to her skin as she swirled it around. A soft, happy laugh escaped her. LAW had pitched this as a spa day totally unique to wrestlers who liked some intense grappling with their relaxation - random opponent, no crowd or stakes, just skin on slick skin until someone tapped or got folded up nice and tight. It sounded like the village mud pits but warmer, more intimate, a little bit naughty in that way LAW was known for. This felt honest - fun, challenging, maybe even a quiet way to feel close to someone new without all the noise. A good way to chase away the winter chill and that lingering homesick ache at the same time.

Speaking of, where was the other person?

“Kia ora!” she called out brightly to the empty room, voice echoing slightly off the plants and glass. “I’m here! Aroha from Aotearoa - ready to slip and slide!” She planted her hands on her hips, striking a playful pose. “Come out, come out, wherever you are… I promise I’m nice. Mostly.”

[Teenwrestler]

Ryu Hiroshi had been going through a rather rough time here at LAW. Many times he had considered calling it quits, it was clear that he was unable to hang with the newer blood, with them being faster and more durable than someone like him who was on the tail end of his career. A string of losses had left the man broken, a shell of his former self. A man who used to be full of confidence, a former champion, one of the greatest to have ever stepped in the ring or mats, now a punching bag or stepping stone for those who wanted to make a name for themselves. Some part of him wanted to cling on, hoped that it was just a string of bad luck or a bad patch that would pass and he would return to his former glory. However, loss after loss made him now second guess himself.

LAW had certainly not been kind to him. The wrestling business was brutal and LAW was not any better, with match stipulations being far more humiliating and losses feeling even worse than in his former promotion. Perhaps he had to step away from it all, think long and hard on what he wanted to or had to do. LAW management had offered him that R&R, a way to clear his mind. A fully paid spa weekend on the condition that he would have one wrestling match there against an opponent. He had agreed but he never had any intention of wrestling this mystery opponent. He only agreed to get them off his back. Ryu figured he could probably just avoid his opponent or simply make them pretend that they wrestled. It would have been easy, with no referee or crowd to watch them, so who would even know they wrestled?

The Dragon had been in the spa room much before his mystery opponent for tonight, who had no idea of Ryu's intentions. He was meditating, deep in thought on what he had to do, where his career would go from this point onwards. Ryu's bronze body was already glistening in a little bit of sweat from the steam in the room, some of that could have been light splashes of the artificial waterfall nearby too. He was deep in thought, his chest rising up and down while he was focused.



An unfamiliar voice made him flinch, just a bit and he opened one of his eyes to find someone not too far away from where he was, on the oiled mats. He sighed, this must the opponent that they wanted him to face. He had hoped to avoid her altogether but it seemed now he would have to tell her of his plans, that he would refuse to wrestle. Breathing deeply, he would close his eyes once more and regain his focus.

"Leave this place." he would simply say. "I refuse to wrestle you" he added.

[HotWheels]

There!

Aroha’s whole face brightened the instant she spotted him - tall, bronze, thick with muscle, arms like tree trunks folded across his chest. A proper warrior! Her heart did a happy little flip at the prospect of trying to latch onto someone of his physique and bring him down, especially with the added challenge of the oil. She believed the oil helped her more than him, though - she was the smaller, squirmier one. She started thinking about how she could wrestle down someone with his frame-

Then his words hit. She froze mid-step, one foot still half-raised, oil dripping from her toes. “Eh?”

Leave? Refuse to wrestle?

Aroha blinked twice, head tilting like a confused puppy. She padded closer, bare feet padding softly across the floor until she was within reaching distance. Her fingers aided her questioning as she pointed one finger at him and then the floor. “But… you’re here,” she said, voice soft with genuine puzzlement. “In the spa wrestling room. With the oil and everything.” She gestured at the glistening mats, the shallow trenches, the whole steamy setup. “Did you not sign up for this? I thought everyone who came tonight wanted to wrestle.”

Aroha started pacing in a slow half-circle in front of him. “I mean, you look strong, really strong. Like you could throw me clear across the room if you wanted. That’s perfect for oil from what I have seen! Everything slides, but you still have to work for every hold.” She stopped directly in front of him again, hands on her hips. “Don’t you think it’s fun?”

Frustration flickered the more she questioned him, but it remained stuck behind curiosity. She stepped in closer, close enough that the heat radiating off his skin mingled with the steam. Without thinking, she planted one slick foot lightly on his knee, toes curling just a little for balance, leaning forward so her face was level with his.

“Are- are you scared to do it or something?”

She left her foot there, blue eyes searching his face with genuine curiosity for any crack in the stone.

[Teenwrestler]

Deep in thought, deep in his meditation, wondering what he could do to get his career back on track and how he could do it- he was also secretly hoping his opponent would never show up. Maybe they would get sick? Maybe they would have the same idea as his, use this as a moment of rest and relaxation instead of wrestling. It certainly would be tempting to duck a match like this because who would in their right mind think about wrestling an opponent in this paradise of a spa area when they just enjoy and take in the healing effects.

But no, it was wishful thinking. His opponent did arrive in the spa area, not only that- she did seem quite eager and was looking forward to wrestling in here. To him, this was a major dent in his plans. Plus, he didn't want to ruin the sanctity of this beautiful spa room either. Maybe there was still a chance to convince her otherwise. Stoic and rugged as he was though, his poor choice of words would certainly ruin any chance of that. Him telling her to leave was probably not the best way to ask her to reconsider wrestling and just enjoy the peace.

His eyes were closed this entire time, but he could tell that she was getting closer to him. Her voice was getting louder, the sound of her footsteps getting closer. It was clear she wasn't going to leave just because he said so. The poor woman seemed innocent enough though, plus she made a very good point. "Hrrmmm" he growled, trying to stay calm while she continued to talk. He could sense her movements around him until she stopped right in front of him. He felt her foot against his knee before she brought her head down, getting level to his face. Then she said it.

Ryu's eyes opened, and he didn't even flinch despite the two almost being face to face. "No. I am not scared. Plus, you said it yourself. I am strong. Really strong. So, you don't really stand a chance against me. Why don't we both just stay here in silence, enjoy the spa and treat this as some well deserved rest. We can tell LAW management we wrestled and....well, it was a draw. So it'll be a win-win situation for you" he said, making it sound like a draw for her would be the greatest result that she could ever hope to achieve.

[HotWheels]

Aroha pulled her face back, her nose scrunching as if she had just smelled sulfur. A wrestler who didn't want to wrestle? The concept refused to land in her brain. She scanned him again, looking for signs of damage or illness. He didn't have a snotty nose, his eyes looked clear (if annoyed), and his breathing sounded deep and even. He didn't look broken, and he didn't sound confused.

But he wanted to... lie? “A draw?” she repeated, straightening up and sliding her foot off his knee to plant it firmly on the mat. “But if we tell them we wrestled and we didn’t, that is just telling... stories.” Lies sounded accusatory, but she made a habit of avoiding telling lies, as the elders in her village had always taught her.

She shook her head, her black hair whipping against her shoulders. The idea that she would trade the thrill of trying to topple a giant for a quiet sit-down in the steam baffled her. She didn't come here for a rest; she rested when she slept. She came here to see if she could wrap her limbs around someone three times her size and make them tip over.

“I don't care about-,” she began to explain, stepping back to give herself room to think. Would he care if she explained? He seemed set in his ways. She could see he was strong, and his strength amounted to the whole reason she wanted to wrestle with him or wrestle with anyone. She could wrestle sheep back home if she wanted someone easy to wrestle. The whole fun of competition, especially here at LAW, centered on whether she could overcome her disadvantages or fight hard and still lose, knowing she had done her best and needed to become better.

But clearly, logic held no sway here. He sat there like a stubborn boulder in the middle of a river, convinced that his stillness would force the water to stop flowing. But Aroha wasn't the stopping type.

In fact... A mischievous glint sparked in her blue eyes. If he wouldn't start the match, she would simply have to help him along.

She padded quietly around him, the oil spreading from her steps silencing them against the tile. He remained seated, that stoic back of his offering a perfect, broad surface. She measured the distance, flexed the springy muscles in her legs, and made her move.

With a sudden burst of energy, Aroha launched herself upward. She didn't aim for a tackle, but a perch. Her thighs swung over his massive shoulders as she hopped up behind him, crossing her ankles in front of his chest to lock him in. She squeezed her thighs against his ears, securing her position atop the seated giant like a very slippery hat.

She grabbed his forehead with both hands to stabilize herself, peering down over his nose from her upside-down vantage point.

“I signed up for a scrap!” she chirped, tightening her adductors against the sides of his head to prove she meant business. “And since I am currently attached to your head, you have to defend yourself now, ey? Unless you want to wear me as a helmet all night!”