Not Just Another Hero (for Devastated)

[Letta]

Somewhere in the LAW’s training facilities...

“Uuughhh...”

“Oh, no, no. Go on, say it again. You had plenty to say from the other side of the ropes...”

A quiet chuckle answered the groan, which had almost dissolved into a sob. The trainee draped across Sable’s shoulders was the same woman who had stepped into the ring so confidently to stop her only minutes earlier. Her legs, kicking desperately just moments ago, now barely moved. Rather than put her down, Sable tilted her head and waited for an answer. Below the ring, her original sparring partner sat slumped against the apron. Too exhausted to stand, the rookie could only watch, her body trembling, as the woman who had come to save her suffered the same treatment.

A little earlier.

All Sable had done was pick up her sparring partner and throw her onto the mat. Of course, she hadn’t done it just once. For the first few throws, the other woman got back up. She reset her stance and tried to pry Sable’s arms away or knock her off balance. Sable let her try. And every time, she sent the rookie back to the mat. She looked perfectly at ease. Before long, her partner was telling her she couldn’t continue. The taps against Sable’s arm grew increasingly frantic.

“Stop... I give. Please, that’s enough...”

But they had barely started. How could she possibly know she had reached her limit already? Quitting the moment things became difficult was a terrible habit for a wrestler. Surely it would be irresponsible to let her give up without finding out whether she had anything left. At least, that was how Sable chose to see it. The gap between their abilities did not particularly concern her. They were both new to LAW. As far as Sable was concerned, that was enough. And surely the rookie deserved some of the blame for seeing a pretty face, hearing that Sable was new, and asking her to spar. She should have taken a better look at her size first. Even after Sable’s recent match against a veteran, word apparently hadn’t spread far enough to make people wary of her. Then this one would have to learn the hard way.

Sable lifted her again. The mat shook beneath the impact. This time, the rookie didn’t immediately try to get up. Someone outside the ring drew a sharp breath. Uneasy glances passed between the trainees gathered nearby. Sable noticed. Any moment now. Sooner or later, someone would find the sight unbearable. Someone would decide that she could do more than stand around watching. A self-appointed hero, coming to the rescue.

“Stop it. Didn’t you hear her say she’s had enough?”

Right on cue, a firm voice cut across the ring. Sable’s lips slowly curved as another trainee parted the ropes and stepped inside. That look on her face as she walked straight toward Sable to protect someone else. That absolute certainty that she was doing the right thing. Sable knew that look. Far better than she cared to remember. She tossed the rookie aside toward the ropes and turned to face the newcomer. The first woman managed to drag herself beneath the bottom rope, but Sable was no longer watching her. She had someone else to teach.

Present...

It was convenient, really. There was no need to go looking for them when they came to her so willingly. So eager to save someone. So certain things would turn out differently for them. Watching that certainty fade was always a pleasure. Sable shifted the trainee across her shoulders, drawing a sharp flinch and a thin groan. The hands that had struggled to pry her grip apart now merely trembled against her arms. She had been so talkative on the other side of the ropes. Now, all that righteous conviction couldn’t loosen Sable’s grip.

Sable glanced down. Her first opponent tried to push herself upright, only to slump against the apron again. A little farther away, someone took a hesitant step forward, then stopped to look at the woman beside her. No one reached for the ropes. To Sable, that silence was an answer. Perhaps they were finally beginning to understand. Saying the right thing meant very little without the strength to back it up.

“Do you understand now...?”

Her voice was soft, meant for the woman lying helpless across her shoulders. Sable tightened the torture rack, slowly pulling down on the trainee’s neck and thigh. The woman’s back bowed further. Between shallow, labored breaths, she managed another plea for Sable to stop. Sable tilted her head, just enough to show she had heard. She didn’t let go.

“No one’s coming to save you.”

[Devastated]

It had for the most part been a quiet day for the Crusader. It was filled with nothing but a blissful morning and as it reached mid-day it seemed as if very little could put a damper on today. She had chosen to go to the LAW gym facility in order to get some training in, perhaps she could even help out some of the trainees. Though if not her plans were probably to simply workout for a couple of hours and then head home and read a good book. While she hadn't been her in LAW for very long, Jeanne de Latimer Hastings had managed to build up quite a bit of a reputation. She was so far known as a fair and honourable face wrestler. A shining beacon of virtue, much like a knight should be. It also helped that Jeanne's looks, friendly demeanor and not to mention skill had won over the hearts of the fans.

As she was finishing getting dressed in her workout attire, she was starting to hear a fair bit of commotion going on. Though it wasn't anything wild, it did seem fairly unusual. Jeanne would look towards the door as she finished tying her shoe laces, with her leg elevated and foot resting on the edge of a bench to give better reach to her shoe. She decided to go and see what all the fuzz was, she was going out to train anyway so she might as well go and have a look.

When she entered the training hall, her eyes scanned the machines in the distance to see if perhaps it had been some sort of accident but that wasn't the case. Instead she saw the gathering of a handful of women outside one of the training rings. Within it, her gaze caught sight of a powerful looking woman that held a small girl in a torture rack hold! Jeanne had to admit that the technique was quite beautifully executed. As someone who favoured Torture Rack's, she could appreciate the skill of the bigger woman. As she approached though, she could hear the pleading, see the victim tapping out but no release coming. Her eyes trailed towards the women outside of the ring, who also pleaded for a release of the current victim. Slumped over against the apron, or exhausted on the floor panting were others.

It appeared that this was the cause of the ruckus. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was a clear cut sign of bullying, or perhaps hazing, which was just the same. Jeanne continued to watch for a few more seconds to make sure she got the right idea. Approaching the squared circle until she stood at the apron, her purple eyes firmly looking up at the assumedly heavyweight wrestler in the ring.

Raising her arms, Jeanne would perform a loud single clap of slapping her palms together.

"Well isn't this impressive?!" She loudly proclaimed.

"Picking fights with people who haven't learned to properly fight back yet? I imagine you must be terribly proud of yourself." The knight would climb up onto the apron before slipping in between the ropes. Jeanne would approach Sable with a determined yet almost casual stride, getting closer to the dark haired woman.

"I think it would be in your best interest to, Let them go." Jeanne's tone didn't carry any anger, at least not readily apparent. Her words were almost a demand, but one with determination behind her word. Her typical smile had been lessened slightly while still present the intensity of it had certainly dropped quite a bit as she stared Sable down.

Spoiler

[Letta]

Ragged breaths, a trembling body, and pleas for mercy. This was the part Sable enjoyed most. The moment all those noble convictions became utterly useless against her strength. When the same mouth that had been so eager to lecture her about right and wrong could do nothing but beg her to stop. There was no need to dwell on the fact that she had once been in that very position herself. What mattered now was who was holding whom across her shoulders. And Sable was teaching this woman just how badly she had misjudged the situation, in a way words never could.

How much longer could she last? Feeling the trembling body and hearing the strained breaths beside her head, Sable doubted it would be long. A glance around the ring revealed no eager volunteers. They had all seen what had happened to the first two. She had quietly hoped someone else might step forward, but perhaps she would have to settle for this much today. If she kept going, the hero draped across her shoulders might... lose control of herself altogether. Sable had no intention of letting her ruin a brand-new workout outfit. She was just considering putting the woman down when -

Clap.

A single, sharp clap cut through the commotion. Sable turned toward the sound. Around the ring, the others did the same, their attention settling on one woman. Her expression remained composed, but inwardly, Sable was delighted. Like moths to a flame. Catch one, and another came fluttering along. Only this time, something rather different had come her way. Sable slowly looked the approaching woman over. Slightly taller than herself. A strong, well-conditioned body with generous curves. And hair that, like her own, fell well past her waist.

Long hair gave an opponent something to grab. Sable knew that perfectly well, and had no intention of cutting hers. She took pride in knowing she could afford that disadvantage and still overpower whoever faced her. The woman approaching her seemed equally unconcerned about her own. Of course, hair alone told her little about someone’s ability. But the way this woman stepped through the ropes, the way she walked toward her, and the look in those eyes all gave Sable reason to anticipate something better. She could already tell that treating her like the woman currently draped across her shoulders would be a mistake.

Now this was a proper catch.

Only then did the corner of her mouth begin to lift. Picking on people who hadn’t learned to fight back? The woman with the purple eyes seemed to have misunderstood a few things. No one had dragged this one into the ring. She had climbed in willingly and decided it was her place to stop Sable. As the newcomer drew close and told her to let the woman go, Sable met her gaze with an unhurried smile.

“Really? You want me to let her go?”

A sly glint crept into that smile. Then Sable carelessly tossed the would-be savior from her shoulders. The woman hit the mat with a heavy thud. She curled in on herself, her breath catching before a pained groan finally escaped to fill the space between the two heavyweights. Sable never took her eyes off the woman in front of her.

“I could have set her down gently, you know... How cruel of you~”

She spoke as though she had merely done what she was told. But the release was brief. Sable bent down and caught a fistful of the groaning woman’s hair. She hauled her onto her knees, then tilted her head up to face the purple-haired woman. Trembling hands fumbled at Sable’s wrist, but there was no strength left to pry her fingers loose.

“Still, we have a little problem. I can’t just let her walk away.”

She continued as casually as ever, keeping her grip on the woman’s hair.

“She stepped into this ring of her own free will, just like you. That means accepting the consequences, doesn’t it? Though they seem to have been a little more than she could handle.”

Sable glanced down at the kneeling woman.

“Isn’t that right?”

A sob was her only answer.

“Come on. This lady seems to have gotten entirely the wrong idea. You’ll have to explain it to her yourself.”

Her hand shifted slightly. The head that had begun to droop was pulled upright again.

“Tell her you stuck your nose where it didn’t belong, and that’s why you ended up like this. Go on.”

Her lips trembled, but no coherent words emerged between her broken breaths and sobs. Sable waited a moment, as though she were genuinely giving her a chance to answer. Then she looked up, meeting the other woman’s eyes once more.

“That sounds like agreement to me...”

Her smile deepened a little.

“What do you think?”

Spoiler

[Devastated]

Jenna's smile faded when Sable tossed the trembling woman and she hit with a heavy thud. Jeanne's eyes would shift to the would-be savoir now lying on the canvas in a curled up ball, pained groans escaping her as she was no doubt trying to recover from that undoubtedly masterful Torture Rack Sable had locked in. Just the sight of it had made Jeanne realise that she wasn't dealing with your average evil-doer.

"Something tells me that no matter what choice of words I used, you would have found an excuse to punish her further." Jeanne returned her gaze to Sable and would show a faint smile to the woman. She understood all too well the desire to flaunt such skills, the satisfaction of mastering a difficult hold and showing off what one was capable of, overcoming an opponent who refused to yield. But there was little satisfaction to be found in what Sable was doing. This wasn't a contest anymore...it was a woman taking pleasure in the suffering of someone who couldn't fight back.

As Sable knelt down and grabbed a handful of the woman's hair, tilting her head up to look at Jeanne. The Crusader would continue to stare intently at Sable for the moment. Her gaze not wavering yet.

"Now now, I do believe you've already made your point." Jeanne's voice was fairly light, almost cheerful as she took a step closer. She continued to encroach on Sable's personal space until they were but an inch away from their generous breasts from meeting head on. Jeanne's steps weren't hurried nor were they methodically careful. She carried herself with an easy confidence as she approached. As if she had never considered another person's threats a reason to abandon her principles.

Now though, Jeanne's attention turned to the trapped woman who's hair was still firmly in Sable's grip. She would smile at her, more cheerful and kind. She moved down to meet the trapped girl on her level, squatting down a bit as she would bring her hand to her chin and push it up slightly.

"Your courage is admirable. You have my gratitude for stepping in where I couldn't." Jeanne had gathered enough by their surroundings that this was certainly a second or third woman who had stepped in to put a stop to Sable's actions.

"Would you allow me to take it from here?" Jeanne asked the sobbing woman. She didn't acknowledge Sable for the moment. She waited a couple seconds as the trembling victim finally managed to croak out a.

"Y-yes..."

The Crusader would nod, and stand up straight, her attention fully turning back to Sable. "Now I believe I asked you to let her go." Her head titled slightly as she would look on at Sable, a cheeky tilt and smile to her as she gave her demand to the raven haired beauty.

"You clearly won, is there really a need to continue this? Besides, She has passed the baton to me as it were." The purple haired woman would take a step forward now. Pressing her large chest firmly against Sable's in a challenging manner.

"So come along then, let her go and allow her to leave with some dignity. You needn't make this any uglier than it already is." She would lean in a little closer with her face.

"And if it's a proper fight you're after, well.." Jeanne's grin would widen, as her tone turned more cheerful. "Why, you'd need only ask! I'm always happy to oblige a lady who's eager to test her mettle!"

[Letta]

“Punish her…? That hurts. Do you really think I’m just some petty bully?”

Sable raised an eyebrow. Her wounded expression was quite convincing, though it didn’t entirely conceal the smile lingering on her lips.

“I was only giving her a chance to put all that righteous talk into practice. She had plenty to say from the other side of the ropes, just like you. But for someone with so much to say, she seems awfully quick to give up... Is it really so wrong to encourage her to try a little harder...?”

As the purple-haired woman stepped closer, Sable’s smile deepened slightly. Unlike the mediocre wrestlers who had eyed Sable with such wariness and hostility, this woman neither raised her voice to threaten her nor seemed to tense at her every move. There was no hesitation in her approach. Where did that composure come from? If it came from confidence in her own ability, Sable found herself wondering just how well that confidence would hold up.

Jeanne addressed the woman still caught in Sable’s grip. Sable gave a quiet scoff. Courage. Jeanne's praise sounded like an attempt to attach some value to the pitiful result of all that precious courage: a woman left battered and helpless, held by the hair. Like carefully wrapping a ruined gift in pretty paper. Yet the woman managed an answer for Miss Purple. Faint and hoarse, but unmistakably an answer. Sable looked down, widening her eyes in exaggerated surprise.

“Oh... So you can talk?”

Her grip on the woman’s hair remained unchanged.

“Have you just been ignoring me this whole time..? That’s not very nice.”

When she looked up again, Grapehead had taken another step closer. Their ample breasts pressed hard against each other, as though each were trying to force the other back without yielding an inch, a reflection of the standoff between the women themselves. Sable stood her ground, shoulders back, looking with amusement into the purple eyes slightly above her own.

“So now you’re protecting her dignity, too?” She briefly glanced down at the woman she was holding, then back at Purps. “I was helping her stay true to those convictions she was so proud of. This could have been her chance to overcome adversity and become a real hero.” A hint of laughter crept into her voice.

“You have to break out of your own chrysalis to become a beautiful butterfly. Do you really think breaking it open for her out of pity is helping? She’s lost her chance now. She’ll never become a butterfly.” Sable watched Jeanne’s face as she continued.

“Have you considered that you might have interrupted her just as she was about to push past her limits? All that effort, all that fighting spirit, and you call it ugly… How heartless.” The woman in her grasp barely had enough strength to hold herself upright, let alone keep fighting. Sable was perfectly aware of that.

“And as you can see, she still has enough energy to answer. I’m perfectly capable of deciding when it’s time to stop.” She paused. Then the corner of her mouth lifted again. “And now you’re going to steal my sparring partner, too?” She gave a light sigh, as though she were the one being treated unfairly. “Calling a newcomer a bully, barging into her practice, criticizing her training methods… I had no idea the welcome committee here was so demanding.” The friendly smile of the wrestler who had first asked her to spar was conveniently absent from that account. But none of that mattered much to Sable anymore.

She had gotten far more than she’d hoped for.

There was no need to keep looking around for the next person willing to interfere. The woman in front of her had volunteered to face her personally. And she was a far more interesting prospect than Sable had expected. She had no further use for the woman in her grasp. Sable shoved her aside and released her hair, not sparing her a glance as she crumpled to the mat. Jeanne had met her with a smile and a cheerful tone, rather than a stern look and a lecture. Sable liked her all the more for it. Her attention was already focused entirely on this latest hero.

“You’ve got it all wrong... except for one thing.” Sable straightened, pressing her full chest back against Jeanne’s as she spoke softly. “I was starting to get a little bored with the competition here.” All trace of her wounded expression had vanished. The smile that replaced it held undisguised anticipation. “A proper fight… All right. You'll last little longer than those girls who break so easily, won’t you?”

She held the gallant knight's gaze.

“Then, would you care to take me on…? If you can keep me entertained, I might just overlook all those rude remarks.”

[Devastated]

Jeanne had moved in close and now stood facing off against the dark haired woman, their generous assets were already doing battle as much as their will was at this very moment. Jeanne's stood with her shoulders back, unyielding much like the raven haired woman before her. She had her own smile on her face as she saw the smirk of Sable. Her purple eyes stared into those amber eyes of her perhaps soon to be foe.

" That is what you have to say for yourself? You were simply trying to show her tough love?" The knight would let out a soft chuckle, she found it a rather amusing excuse. "If that's the case, I do apologize for butting in. However, that is too late to change now isn't it. Like I mentioned, the baton has been passed. The tag has been made as it were." Jeanne didn't really see a need to argue with this woman's twisted ideas too much, though she must admit that trading barbs on philosophy of actions was pretty entertaining to her.

"By your own words, shouldn't that mean that I have every right now to intervene since you yourself did say so much. Took such actions as to put yourself in a place where I am now stepping in? I must say I don't see why you seem hesitant to simply relinquish a foe you're already bested in favor for a new one." The purple knight would offer a smile to the raven haired woman as she tilted her head slightly in a exaggerated quizzical manner to Sable's actions.

"Oh my. I hadn't thought of that. Though I am afraid your metaphor is a bit off. You see, a butterfly must break out of its own chrysalis. Quite right. But there's a rather important distinction between struggling to free oneself and having someone crush the shell around them just to see what happens. I do hope you can appreciate the difference, my dear." Her gaze would shift down to the woman who's hair was still held, and gave her a quick wink. " She has all the potential to still become a great hero, just because she stood up to you a few minutes ago, and even now after your action have left her in such a state, she still was willing to tag me in. That shows that her spirit is not yet broken, though it's clear her body needs time to recover. And, by all means if you wish to make me out to be the bully, then by all means go right ahead. But there's a difference between someone who seeks out a fight and someone who needs to keep hurting an opponent long after the contest is over. I think you know that already."

When the hair of the young girl had finally been released and she was shoved aside, crumbling to the mat. Jeanne decided to press into Sable even more firmly. Practically taking a whole step in to deny any further action to be taken against the woman. Her generous rack pressing even more firmly against the raven haired beauty's chest, as she just barely pressed her forehead against the amber eyed one. Though it was clearly not just to protect the girl, but Jeanne was getting more fired up by the minute.

"Boredom, you say? Well, we can't have that now, can we?" She clicked her tongue in mock disapproval. "Boredom, you say? Well, we can't have that now, can we?" her eyes flicked toward the women scattered around the ring before returning to the raven haired woman. Though it did seem the woman was very eager to square off against her now. She had been able to tell along to some degree what sorta game this was for the woman. Even through all the acting and remarks, that slight smile had never fully disappeared since she stepped into the ring.

The girl had begun to crawl and drag herself away from the two, trying to make it to the edge of the ring. She had gotten a few steps away from them by now but still she was having a hard time at it. It seemed like Sable had really done a number on her. Now that a bit of space had been created, the Crusader's smile took on a thoughtful edge.

"Now, while the prospect of a proper fight is certainly tempting, I do have one small concern. You've apparently been through several opponents already, and I'm standing here fresh as a daisy. It hardly seems fair to demand that you give me your best when you've already spent so much of yourself." Jeanne raised an index finger, as though she'd just arrived at a particularly brilliant solution. "So, how about we start with a little test of strength? We seem fairly evenly matched in build, after all. Let's see whether you can meet me on equal terms before we decide how best to settle our differences."

She leaned closer still, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper as she pressed forward, challenging Sable to give ground.

"And if you can? Then you and I can have the proper match you seem so eager for. No more lessons, no more butterflies, and no more excuses. We can put our differences aside for a little while and let our bodies and skills do all the talking."

Jeanne's grin widened.

"What do you say, my dear? Care to see how well all that talk of overcoming adversity holds up when someone finally gives you a challenge of your own?"