Reluctant Reunion: Elaine Auclair Vs Van Arkride

[Cosmos]

While fate may have played a part in this peculiar stage set for their reunion, Van would surely have agreed that Kinclaid was the ultimate mastermind pulling the strings, had he been wise to the intelligence member's involvement in helping Elaine to track him down. With his fingers in many pies, there was little that he didn't know about. Whether he shared it with you was another matter entirely. It was no doubt seeing the tear stricken face of Beauty's Blade, who had built her hopes up only for them to be continually dashed, that had encouraged him to nudge her in the right direction in her search for the Spriggan. And now that she had him here, Elaine was determined that Van wasn't going to weasel away without giving her an explanation which was sorely needed. Even if she had to slam him all over this ring in order to get it. That sideway glance he made reluctantly confirming her suspicions that, given half the chance, he'd have invented a completely false story.

"Ngh...Of course...I'm serious. I could have left a deviant like you alone, if even half the rumours that have made their way to me about your activities are to be believed. But you know how stubborn I get." Her eyes peered up at him with a judgemental, almost offended look as he began to draw her up from the canvas after suplexing her down. Her face blushed red, though not so much from irritation as it was from the close proximity of his breath tickling her neck, or abs that certainly hadn't been as sleek or shredded compared to when they last met. "And are you implying that you weren't taking this seriously...? How rude. I thought you weren't the type to hold back just because you were facing a woman, Van. Have you truly so little respect for me?" Her head brought between those broad, muscular thighs of her opponent while she tried to ignore how dry her mouth had become, from being brought into such an intimate position by him. And one that was not albeit unfamiliar. "Perhaps you need a reminder of just how capable I am...instead of waxing about your looks?"

It wouldn't come at that moment, however. Not with Van's iron-clad grip on her thighs as he brought the platinum haired girl onto his shoulders. Balancing her with her crotch nestled against his face, causing Elaine's face to turn redder as she squirmed for freedom. Freedom that wouldn't come however, as the blue-haired stud would slam her down with authority for a sit out powerbomb! "Urgh!!!" Her spine took the impact in full, her breasts jostling as the force shook through her. Elaine's expression twisted into one of pain as she laid on her back, with clenched teeth and closed eyes. The power that Van had delivered with that move supported his statement that the Spriggan was going to treat this contest twice as seriously from here onwards...

[killcarrion]

*A situation where Elaine and I would meet centerstage, have no option other than to physically work through our emotions, and with negative implications if I tried to vamoose...Goddamit, Rene...* Van pondered as clues continued to be gathered which, once combined, incriminated Kincaid as the main suspect behind all of this. The more Van considered this serendipitous reunion to be nothing more than Kincaid's manipulative handiwork, the more tempted he was to exact sweet vengeance against his childhood friend in some mischievous manner. Noble intentions were undoubtedly his main motivations, or perhaps this was all justified comeuppance being levied against the Spriggan for leaving Beauty's Blade with nothing more than scribbled words on a piece of paper and a broken heart. Memories of that day and the teared wails he may have caused were precisely what Van aimed to suppress with copious nights languishing within whatever squalid bars he could frequent. Still, regardless of whatever cosmic entity or manipulative childhood friend that may have been the root cause behind all of this...Van could truthfully say it was nice seeing Elaine again after all these years. Even if it did come alongside the caveat that he needed to best her in this wrestling throwdown at the risk of divulging confidential information about his motivations that he'd rather keep close to his chest.

Van was aware that being sunken between his flexed thighs was a familiar experience for Elaine that she'd absolutely never confess to in a million years, and the same could be said of Van's familiarity with Elaine's sweetspot now snuggled into his visage in the precursor to the meteoric plummet. In the Spriggan's case however, it was the quaking fear of certain sword swinging ramifications that silenced him on the matter, indefinitely. The earth quaking powerbomb working as intended with Elaine's legs draped over Van's broad shoulders, a jiggled sway to her fulsome chest, and overloaded pain receptors. Van's backside stung somewhat but it was safe to say that Lainey was the only one with any right to complain. Instead, he recognized an opportunity when he witnessed one and shuffling himself atop his old flame, six pack abs swathed over her abdomen, hips bucked against her own, and a breast bloomed squish against his granite pecs. A blanketed pin eclipsed over the stalwart beauty by the charismatic mercenary with his back arched into the attempted match ender, officially making good on his promise to double down on his victorious efforts. "Heh, you say that as if I could ever forget just what makes you...you, Elaine. But you have to admit, my question is going to be a lot more fun to answer~..." Van whispered as the referee started performing their due diligence right beside them.

"One"!

[Cosmos]

Teared wails were perhaps a bit of an understatement considering Van had done his disappearing act with little more than a scribbled apology that significantly lacked context behind it. Many of her fellow school friends had told her to move or had volunteered to hit the spriggan on sight if they saw him in the street. Such comments mattered little to her. What closure could she gain from a simple note? When her father had gotten wind of the news, his responses amounted to little more than "Good riddance" and "I told you so.". It had taken every amount of restraint the platinum haired girl had to not bite back at such remarks. Was she pleased to see Van safe and sound again? Well, yes. But it came with a hefty amount of baggage that left Elaine feeling conflicted. The wounds had never healed, but they hurt a lot more right now than they had in recent years.

...Almost as much as Elaine's aching spine after Van had dropped her down with that vicious powerbomb. The ring shuddered from the tremors underneath her as her legs remained over the blue haired man's shoulders. Her former....acquaintance saw fit to take advantage of the scene, stretching himself over the girl. Beauty's Blade flushed red as she felt Van's rock hard abs rest over her own belly, their hips bucked against each other for the first time in years. Her breast swelling as her opponent's chest pressed down upon her. It was a compromising pin, one filled with intimacy that certainly didn't go unnoticed by Elaine. Whispering down to the girl as he admitted his memories of her hadn't been forgotten. "Hmph...I should hope you didn't forget me...though I'm rather curious, Van." She admitted, trying to hide the red hue lingering across her face. "What possible thing could you ask me that would take priority over the countless burning questions I have for you, after all these years apart? And that doesn't count as my question, for the record." She added with a scowl up at the man pinning her.

"One!"

Of course, if she was going to get to ask anything at all, she would have to win this match. And that meant breaking out from under Van. She would thrust her hips up to take advantage of her legs lying either side of Van's neck. At the same time, her chest rose up to shift her own shoulders off the floor, so as to interrupt the pin. The referee, upon seeing Elaine kick out, signalled with a raised finger to the crowd that it was only a single count. "I trust that you have no intention to insult me, thinking your little 'victory' was surely going to be as easy as that...?"

[killcarrion]

Sharpened though his sleuthing skills had become over a lifetime of work as an underground problem solver, Van still didn't exactly need to be an ace detective to ascertain just what Elaine's father thought of the lackadaisical street urchin befriending the sole heiress and precious princess of their aristocratic household. Obvious attempts being made to curtail their burgeoning friendships as children and even going into their preteens, and Van didn't wanna even know just what their reaction was upon learning of them dating once they entered their flirtatious high-school years. He reckoned Elaine must have gone to bat for him more than a few times in his defense, but he'd have honestly advised Elaine against raising any shields on his behalf considering he knew how much of an unscrupulous scoundrel he was anyway. Not worth all the fuss, in his opinion. Although the carefree mercenary did hope that for all the tears shed and hearts broken on his behalf because of his unforgivable departure all those years ago, Elaine acknowledged that there were still the good times to offset some of the bad. Valentine's Day gifts exchanged underneath swaying trees in a secluded section of the schoolyard, delicious pastries shared between them at the neighborhood patisserie, and perhaps more intimate memories coming to mind once Van was swathed atop the regal beauty in a compressed pin attempt...

...even though what preceded this moment was Elaine being powerbombed square in the middle of the ring, but he hoped that irksome fact could be omitted for the sake of not ruining the moment. The duo exchanging shared breaths with their midsections melded together as Elaine's svelte softness yielded against his hardened pectorals, but even in situations as amorous as these, the oddball pairing nevertheless found time to banter and bicker. "Well...I mean, seasoned and hard-boiled mercenary that I am, I reckon only the most essential of topics would be broached. Such as...just what is that pastry-scented perfume you're wearing? It harkens back to the rich aroma of those quintessential Quincy parfaits~..." Van's obsession with sweets and obvious attempt at lightening the mood between them preceded Elaine usurping the pin attempt, the merc situated on his knees and ascended at his own pace. "Come on. Lainey. I knew that wasn't going to be enough to put you down for the count. I'm just softening up Beauty's Blade in the meantime. Half the fun is making a show out of laying the smackdown on your adversary, ya know?" Van remarked as he hefted Elaine back to her own feet by tugging on her arm, but soon afterward had her head slotted into an abrasive front headlock. The mercenary grasping the side of her trunks and attempting to hoist Elaine into a rigid upside-down predicament in a stalled vertical suplex~...

[Cosmos]

Truth be told, Elaine had done her best to hide from her family any notion that she was dating the troublesome miscreant she had known since her childhood days. Yes, part of it was to avoid the inevitable shock that such a revelation would bring upon her relatives, but to also guard Van from the ire of her father. He had heavily disapproved of Elaine's affiliation with that 'orphaned peasant child' even when they were growing up. Alas, she could not hide the truth forever. When rumors and gossip began to fly about among those who knew her, she sharply addressed the truth. And when word got back to her father...well, it was the most tense phone call she had ever taken in her whole life. But she held no regrets about her decision. She was true to herself, her heart and most importantly, to Van. And he would doubtless do the same for her. In hindsight, it was a naïve thought. Yet what was so wrong with trusting someone you held romantic feelings for? That was the minimum for any relationship between lovers, surely?

She gave Van a flat look in response to his quip about which perfume she had chosen to wear before entering the ring. "Pastry? I see sweets continue to be the number two love in your life. No, how silly of me. They are number one, aren't they." Yes, there was a bit of a sting intended behind her words. He didn't get to be let off the hook that easily. Breaking out of the pin, she rolled onto her side as the spriggan got onto his knees, before rising up. She felt his hand seize her arm, bringing her back up on her own legs. "You really ought to hone your scent of smell, Van. There's not a hint of pastry in my perfume tonight." Her head was brought under Van's arm, the blue haired male's bicep constricting around her skull to keep her locked in place as he seized her trunks at the hip. Suddenly drawing Beauty's Blade up into the air. "Aah!" Both vision and body were inverted as she was balanced on Van's shoulders, pointing to the skylights above like a sleek arrow. He kept her held there, letting the moment sink in as her hair flopped behind his back. "Because...had I known...I'd be facing you tonight...I'd have made sure...there was..." It wasn't easy to keep speaking from this position, but Van was giving her enough time to talk before he went through with his follow up.