The Great and Wonderful Escape

[3ho]

Morgan giggled at the theatrically huffy lamenting as she took the last chicken from a skewer and tossed the stick into the trash. There was an irony and that irony was Morgan so obviously foreign with her blonde hair and white skin that she'd be included in the poor foreign girls. Thankfully unlike the other poor foreign girl in this conversation, Morgan had been here in Japan longer to know differently!

"Hi Camille." Morgan waved unnecessarily at the introduction. She pointed at herself with the depleted skewer. "Morgan and yes, it is chicken. Yakitori, specifically." At least Morgan was fairly sure it was called that. She was still figuring things out here as well but was further along in that than Camille so she was the expert and would argue she was the most correct out of the two.

"The food here will absolutely be to die for. Very good food. Here." Morgan offered another skewer seeing as Camille was making quick work of the one she had. "It'll be the last night to try anything you see otherwise it might be awhile before you can find that certain dish elsewhere."

Morgan motioned Camille to follow, leading her through the many food stalls, continuing to eat away on the already dwindling yakitori skewers. Morgan pointed at a display of an octopus. "Takoyaki. Octopus. You want to try?"

[CyanDimitrik]

"Yakitori," Camille repeats, by way of trying to learn a new word. And more specifically, how to properly pronounce it. "Chickens. Got it." A dutiful nod, stiff and resolved enough to bounce her ponytail.

As Morgan talks and motions about with her skewer, Camille does indeed continue nibbling on it. She doesn't necessarily realize she's even doing it; it's just so tempting. What occupies her mind is how delighted she is to've found another English-speaker! And in a cultural setting like this! That changes this scenario from awkward and clunky to magical and fun, getting to experience it with another outsider! Well, kind of an outsider! It still counts!

"O-oh, right! Yes, of course!," she nods again, a little less resolutely this time. Best not to mention she doesn't have enough money to really indulge. That would be embarrassing. But when invited to traipse along, the Latina does just that!

"Takoyaki," she syllabicates. Another new word! And what does it mean? Octopus. Camille physically recoils at the revelation, giving Morgan a concerned look. "Is not still alive, right? Do people eat a lot of octopus around here? I, ah, I heard- you know- sometimes, ah, 'dey eat some.. odd things in this country."

Perk! Speaking of! "What brought you to Japan, anyway? Are you a musician? Or do you do coffin disappearing acts for a living?," she probes. The question has a giggle laced in there.

[3ho]

"No, they aren't alive!" Morgan quickly interjects, motioning at the deep-fried balls containing octopus and Takoyaki sauce. "They are really dead in there when they get fried. See?" As if to emphasize her point, she buys two from the stall they are at and offers one to Camille and keeps one for herself. Taking the first plunge, Morgan bites it in half and shows the insides. It lingers for a moment before Morgan pops the rest of it into her mouth.

The question came up about what Morgan did for a living. Well, what brought her to Japan specifically but for Morgan and the reputation that her last name brought her, she had a tendency to focus on the "what she did" part. "You can say I do disappearing acts for a living and not be wrong." Morgan mused at her own cleverness and finished off her another bite before further clarifying. "But I am here in Japan to wrestle." Morgan raised a hand because that always brought questions. "It is a long story but I'm finding my own way in the entertainment industry. I could do one thing that I'm really good at or try something else so here I am. Trying something else."

Why not come out and say it, Morgan found her mind poking at the suggestion, but she honestly wanted to try on the role where she isn't instantly recognized by her last name for her Parents' act. It'd be nice if she had something of her own. Something that she thought she had back in Las Vegas but that had an asterisk by it. Always Morgan Pendragon of the famous Pendragon Illusionists. Never just Morgan. Sure, the Pendragon brand meant something but for tonight, Morgan would have it be a foreign concept while ignorance was bliss.

"It is off to a start but still learning. What about you?" Morgan asked, scarfing down the rest of the chicken she had as she listened through the answer.

[CyanDimitrik]

Camille looks... apprehensively... at the takoyaki ball.

Very slowly does she accept it. She's blaming herself, here. Another misfire in her attempts to communicate. She didn't mean that the octopus strictly had to be alive for it to be distasteful. It's that it's an octopus at all. They have those... wriggly, slimy tentacles. She stares at it hard, then quickly looks to the ball Morgan had bitten in half.

"Eehh!," she frets, her eyes uplidding a little.

There's another concerned look at the takoyaki in her possession before she decides this is something she has to try. Not for her own sake, but because this girl, this very cool person she just met, got it for her and might be judging her! She wants to make a good impression! She really, really wants to make a friend! And that means a little suffering! So with a hard, dry swallow, Camille takes a cringing bite of the octoball.

Does it taste like octopus? How does octopus taste, anyway? It's not squirming or anything, but rest assured, in the teenager's mind, it is definitely squirming on the way down. Her color pales slightly as she suppresses a shudder. She can't even taste it for the fact that it's a tentacle creature she just half-ate.

"I- I might stick to 'de chicken," she says ashamedly.

Thankfully, Morgan provides with a substantial distraction. Camille's gaze lifts again to focus on the slightly shorter girl's face. She doesn't quite understand what she means by doing disappearing acts for a living, because that sounds like.. either thief work? Or magicians. And just as she's starting to piece the coffin stunt together with that statement, Morgan drops a bombshell on her.

She's here to wrestle.

Camille's eyes light up like the stars above.

"Really!? Like- like Olympic? College stuff?," asks the Latina, unable and frankly unwilling to dim back her sudden peak in interest and excitement. "Wait, 'de entertainment industry?" Suddenly, a gasp! "Are you a professional wrestler!?"

The Latina is bobbing on the toes of her shoes now, and she's looking her over from head to foot. Damn the yukata she's wearing! It's hard to visualize or imagine (or, if she's being honest with herself, size up) the other girl as an in-ring talent while wearing the boxy robes of the far east! "You have to tell me your name so I can look you up! Have you done matches yet!? Are you on 'de Youtube?!"

[3ho]

Morgan gave Camille a curious look as the teen seemed to be psyching herself out over the fact that it was an octopus. Where was the fun in food if you didn't like to try new things? That's what Morgan always thought but there was a bigger issue. Japan featured these kinds of seafood dishes heavily. Camille had bigger issues if she was a picky eater but then again, they had just met. Maybe she just didn't like octopus.

She was about to circle back and ask but the other woman lit up when it came to wrestling. She picked up pretty quickly on it being professional wrestling which was a little surprising considering Morgan didn't really have the physique for it. She had muscles but in the lean sense so people would never guess that she was a professional wrestler if she asked them to try. Some even still don't believe her.

"Yeah, that's right." Morgan nodded as the Latina bobbed about, looking at her frantically. Was she trying to see if this was her wrestling costume because it wasn't. Maybe Camille believed that wrestling was like that? Who knows.

"OOoh, you want to see my matches, huh~" Morgan gleamed, suppressing the urge to frown. Let's be honest, she wasn't very good at it. Yet! She has all of, one win to her name and that was because Callie bailed her bum out. Eager to suppress more of that grief, Morgan straightened and put her hands to her hips, raising her chin as if smugly proud. "Well! Well! I only have one match so look up Morgan Pendragon and Callie Ryker. We were the TBDs because we hadn't picked a name yet!"

Morgan raised a finger as if lecturing. "In fact we won which served as our debut!"

Oh. Did she just give herself up as the non-veteran she was? Well... better to come clean.

Morgan's stance deflated a little. "But I mean, I'm still pretty new to the scene so I haven't done much." She blinked, quickly added. "In fact! I really don't have much to look up on past matches yet so maybe give it a bit."

Smooth. Although it was probably fair to give the Latina something to look forward to. "You know if you've heard of LAW, I have a match coming up against some other newbie, I think. I think she'll be more my speed and I might end up crushing her~"

Morgan was joking. She didn't crush people, but it was fun to play pretend as a big shot.

[CyanDimitrik]

If Morgan doesn't make the cut of professional wrestler, then Camille is in just as much hot water! Granted, of the two of them, Camille's certainly more on display. Smooth, subtle muscletone along her arms and legs, the clear definition of skinny, feminine abdominals on her midsection. It probably hints at strength or athleticism as a calling of some kind!

She has no idea she might be getting judged on how much she does or doesn't know. All she has right now is a wellspring of burbling, enthusiastic newfound admiration for this escape artist! And Camille seems to be a girl who wears her heart on her sleeve. The bobbing blossoms into an excited hop when Morgan confirms that she is, indeed, a professional wrestler. A ponytail-shaking nod follows in answer to her desire to see her matches. It would be so fascinating to see this drummer-casket-girl in the ring! To see her fight, to see her in front of the crowd, to watch her in stark physical competition with an opponent, to see what kind of gear she chooses to wear~! The pageantry of it all, the spectacle, the mystique! And Morgan's big blue eyes and pretty face on top of it all, she's sure she looks incredible!

Nothing but radiant positivity from the Latina. Not a hint of any cynicism here.

"Ayy, muy genial~!"

She won her first match! And it's a tag team affair! Wow!

Her head shakes next in refusal. "No, no, I definitely want to see it!," she protests. "Can I look you up now? Can we watch it? You can give me 'de play-by-play!"

She's already fishing her phone out; warm hazel-green eyes sparkling. There's not even a doubt in her mind that Morgan is the awesome force of nature she's making herself out to be. "You'll beat 'dat newbie for sure! And LAW, you said?"

She's not missing a beat. But of course it would be the very same federation she works for, the one she just signed up with. And the thought has just crossed her mind that this girl, Morgan, with her pretty hair, those big pools of cerulean, that confidence... she may be an upcoming opponent. The only knows things a little bit in advance at this juncture. Wouldn't that be wild?

"Maybe I'll get tickets to watch you live, ah?," she suggests.

[3ho]

Oh. Oh no.

She wanted to actually sit and watch these matches?

That would blow the whole lid on exactly how noob-ish she was to the industry and well, sometimes watching a struggling act was rough. She wasn't there yet but maybe soon she'd be able to actually feel good about her matches that she'd want to watch them again. But that's this other stuff? Commentary and the play-by-play? Oh goodness...

The prospect of explaining how she got into the ring and immediately got clowned on by both of her opponents, only managing to trick her opponent into making a mistake seemed like a rough commentary track. Morgan raises her free hand and waves it in modest refusal. "Oh no, no let's just enjoy the festival!" Morgan quickly offered, her mind already going for the first thing she can think of to pull them away.

It hadn't hit her yet as she briefly considered being watched live. That was never a problem as a magician. Funny now that she was rather mortified that someone might see her wrestling. "Mmhm~" Morgan sounds through closed lips and nods, placatingly. "Maaaaybe."

The blonde blinked a few times in silence until she caught the perfect distraction. She suddenly pointed over Camille's shoulder."Oooh! Mochi~ You ever try?"

Morgan seemed quite excited, namely because she had the perfect distraction. Sweets. She grabbed Camille's hand and lead her through the crowd, navigating it until they were positioned in front of a cute stand posterized with colorful round balls on the signage. Yet those paled in comparison to the cooled treats on display featuring colorful balls of various flavors.

"It is like ice cream but different. Just pick three three colors." Morgan polished off her skewers and tossed them. "Okay just point to the colors you want and say Soar-eh for each one. That is how you say 'that'. Okay?"

[CyanDimitrik]

It likely wouldn't take a fortune teller to predict that nothing on this planet would stop Camille from looking Morgan up on the vidja screens. Whether it happened now or later when she returned to the apartment, Morgan's proverbial jig would be up. Whatever pro wrestling treachery, whatever embarrassment, whatever utter defeat she'd suffer, Camille would witness it.

That sweetly smiling, excited budding fan of hers would see it. And there's nothing in the world Miss Pendragon could do to stop it.

"Oh, but you're a wrestler! It's so amazing!," Camille protests, her voice approaching a kiddish whine. "You can't be shy now! You do something like 'dat in front of a huge audience! You have to be bold, yes? You and your partner, you must be amazing together! And it's such a cool name! Morgan Pendra-"

She cuts off promptly with a blink. "Pendragon?" That look that's crossing those almond eyes is recognition. She's heard that name before.

The distraction comes perhaps just in the nick of time, and Camille turns around to spot the mochi. "N-no, I've never had mochi," she says, trying to catch up - or rather, pinpoint exactly what the mochi might be. Her heart suddenly hops into her throat upon the feel of Morgan's hand taking hers, but she finds herself fumbling along after her!

Her own skewer is quickly (read: ravenously) devoured before neatly flicking it away into a trash receptacle along the way. Now she has all free hands and isn't awkwardly juggling a phone! And once they're standing before the colorful display, the teenager gives a quiet, breathy little 'ooh' in interest.

It looks so fancy. So cultural! So cute! ..and so expensive. But she can't let this new friend think she's broke, right? That would be pretty lame. So she makes peace with the idea that she may be blowing her money here tonight, and she turns to face the blonde beside her.

"Soar-eh," she practices. "Like 'dat? 'Soar-eh'?"

Turning again to the colors, her eyes dance between each sphere. How could someone pick? What would they even taste like!? What even are they?

"Soar-eh," she says, pointing to a pink one first. "Soar-eh," she repeats awkwardly, pointing to a green one. And, "Soar-eh!," pointing to a blue one.