Lydia Donelle vs. Blair Dame - One More Dance

[BlackAkuma]

Match Type: Pure Rules
Victory Conditions: Each wrestler is allotted three ropes. After they use the third, pins and submissions on or under the ropes are legal. Closed fist strikes are illegal. 20-count. Interference is strictly prohibited. If no winner is decided after a fifteen minute time limit, then the winner is decided by a panel of three judges.

***

leaned in her corner, bouncing on her, keeping her blood flowing as her

began to fade on the speakers. The crowd was suitably hyped, even more than they usually were on a Saturday night. She wished that she could take all the credit for that, and it would even be true to some extent - she had been on a bit of a tear recently, and was gaining good popularity in LAW, something she was genuinely proud of. But no, it was a touch more complicated than that.

‘The Battle of the MILFs’. That was the tagline they were dubbing it on Twitter, apparently, not that Blair Dame paid much attention to that cesspool unless she had to. While she wasn’t exactly ‘internet savvy’, even she was aware of what that particular acronym meant - Lord knew she had been called one enough; she ought to. She found it mildly amusing, and if put her in matches like this, she supposed she couldn't complain too much about the moniker. Let them have their little jokes. She had more intriguing things with which to occupy her mind.

Like Lydia Donelle, for instance. A name she hadn't thought about in a while.

The two of them had met in another age. She, the popular traveling wrestler with a touch of too much confidence, while Lydia was a newcomer trying to find her way. She would concede she had been a tad harsh with the woman when they first met, and went, perhaps, overboard in their first match against each other, feeling the need to put the newcomer in her place, make her pay the dues.

It came back to bite her when, months later, an invigorated Lydia returned to challenge her and take her Lutte De Reines title in a hotly contested Pure Rules matchup. Losing her title was one thing, but losing it outside of the company was a big deal, and her promotion had no small task getting it back under their banner, with her taking a considerable amount of flak for it. It was a fair match, and she didn’t hold an open grudge against Lydia, but even so…

But that was years and years ago. She was a changed woman, and from what she’d gathered through her reading, so was Lydia. With them both reaching the twilight of their careers, she was of a mind to settle old accounts, and since they were both in the same company again, it seemed like as good a time as any to have their rubber match.

She paced in the ring, stepping this way and that as she tried to do something with the excess energy welling up inside her. Call it jitters, call it nostalgia, but she couldn't help but feel as if she’d stepped through a time warp. She was younger, fresher, hungrier. A queer feeling, but not an unwelcome one, and she suspected it would persist when Lydia entered the ring, and the two of them shared in it.

Let her come. Let them finish this.

[Bare]

Lydia hummed softly as she stood backstage at the guerilla position, already more than ready for her match tonight, even knowing who it was against. Blair Dame. A name Lydia hadn't heard in ages. It seemed many ghosts from her past had cropped up for her as of late, but tis the season she supposed... but at least this one was a name she didn't hold much resentment for... Much.

After all Blair had been one of Lydia's first professional hurdles as she came up the indies. A monster of an opponent in size and strength and skill, even with Lydia being no slouch in any such departments and having met early on Lydia was thoroughly humbled, especially after getting face sat on by her after the loss... But it was part of what led Lydia to seek tutoring as it were, becoming a disciple of Ayane Akan and furthering her skills and in time, taking Blair Dame on and beating her in the purest expression of wrestling ability.

A pure rules match, taking her championship with her in the process... and sitting on Blair's face back. Of course eventually Lydia would lose said title but it wasn't to Blair. In fact the two hadn't had a match since and then and rarely saw each other before Lydia was all but banished from Japan and allowed her career to wind down for a bit before returning to LAW.

Now here she and Blair were, not just in a match, but a pure rules, evidently Blair wanted to avenge what had originally transpired but Lydia didn't mind, in fact she welcomed the attempt and had a desire of her own to prove her technical skill, not just to Blair or LAW... But to a certain other rival of hers. Shaking her head at that memory Lydia would focus solely on what was ahead of her as her entrance music began to play over the loud speakers and she began to step forward through the curtain.

Spoiler

Standing out before the audience Lydia would hold her arms aloft welcoming the chorus of boos and jeers directed at her direction, only smirking as they did so. All before she bean to make her way down the ramp, a confident swagger to her steps and sway to her hips as she approached the ring, climbing onto the ring apron before turning and posing once more for the crowd, showing her curvaceous body in her two piece attire for all, quite proud of how she looked even at her age and noticeably thicker then when she was in her prime but as far as Lydia was concerned it was a marked improvement.

Spoiler

Turning around to face Blair once more Lydia would allow a coy smile to dance across her face as she stepped to the center of the ring with eyes focused on her opponent and long time rival. It was odd, seeing her again, like butterflies dancing in her stomach or really more like wasps would be more of an accurate description as Lydia smirked and stepped forward, holding her arm out for a hand shake to Blair. "Long time no see...." Lydia said softly, waiting to see how Blair would respond.

[BlackAkuma]

Blair Dame prided herself on keeping her cool in these matches. So much of wrestling was about perception, about how you carried yourself in the ring and the image you projected. She had beaten many opponents without throwing a kick, simply by breaking their will. Getting in their heads. Controlling them.

But even she couldn't help but smile as she caught sight of Lydia. Nostalgia, as they say, was one hell of a drug.

Arms folded, she watched the woman make her way down to the ring. A little thicker than Blair remembered - more muscle, more fat, more weight to throw around. She was still the heavier woman between them, but that was nothing new. She wasn’t aware of what tricks the Vipress had learned since they’d last cross paths.

Lydia made her way into the ring with her usual confident swagger, the sight of which pleased Blair Dame greatly. The extended hand took her aback, however, and she stared at it for a moment, unsure what to make of it. A friendly gesture? A trick?

She would roll that dice, she decided.

Blair Dame stepped forward, took Lydia’s hand, and shook it, though she put more than the needed amount of steel into her hand for it. She pulled her close, close enough to smell, close enough to touch, close enough to kiss…before she let go and backed away.

”Bien sûr, bien sûrm, mon chere. Too long.” She stepped and gave her an approving look from head to toe. ”Looking well, I see. I trust your brood can say the same?”

[Bare]

Under most circumstances if someone was foolish enough to accept a pre match handshake with Lydia she would be sure to punish them with a sucker punch to start the match off with an advantage....

But Blair was not someone that Lydia wanted to use such a tactic on. The Frenchwoman was one of the few that Lydia truly respected from their previous bouts and history together, she was deserving of this rare instance of trust and sportsmanship from her and she wouldn't punish Blair for accepting it.

Even as Lydia was pulled in suddenly right into close proximity of her opponent she would just smirk at the woman while looking cooly and confidently into her eyes, not backing down in the slightest until she pulled away and began speaking which just made Lydia smirk.

"Indeed it has love and yes myself and my kids are doing just fine. In fact if you'd like to meet them I'd be happy to introduce you.... after beating you of course." Lydia said with a competitive gleam in her eye as her grin turned just at touch more wicked at the woman as she shook her arms out, just waiting for the bell to ring so their clash could begin.

[BlackAkuma]

Ah, Blair Dame had missed this. Not only crossing swords with Lydia, but the thrill of engaging with a woman ‘on her level’, so to speak. As much as she enjoyed taking apart the JOB Squad and as great as it had been to lock horns with Damien Williams once again and reignite that old flame, her favorite opponents were the women who gave as good as they got, who matched her ‘vibe’. Despite being ten years the woman’s senior, she saw a lot of herself in Lydia. That same tone. That same domineering style.

Yes. Yes, this would be a treat. ”We’ll do lunch. Though I hope they don’t take my beating you and sitting on your face as too great a slight. Traditions must be observed, of course.”

The bell rang, and Blair Dame began circling the ring, not committing to a charge at first. She raised her hands in a light guard and bounced on her heels, trying to size her foe up. Lydia had been a cunning foe back in the day, always ready with a trick up her sleeve and a plan to execute. Caution was advised; nay, required.

A kick. She dashed in, closed the distance in a single swift stride, and swung her leg low, trying to strike Lydia’s shin with the tip of her boot, before she backed out of range, silently daring Lydia to follow.

[Bare]

Lydia would smirk slightly as she heard Blair's response to her words. It was just like her, a master of word craft as well as wrestling craft, it was one of the reasons Lydia appreciated the woman so much. In fact while Lydia learned a majority of how to wrestle and act as a heel from Ayane Yamamoto, she wouldn't deny that if she had a second biggest influence it would Blair, only it was less of a direct mentor role, and more of a rival who Lydia couldn't help but emulate at various points, especially when she got to the same point in her career that Blair herself had been when they had first met.

Although all those niceties being said Lydia would now allow it to distract from what she was here to do, and that was to settle the score between them once and for all. "Sounds lovely dear and not to worry, they know not to hold anything against my rivals, especially once I've beaten them." Lydia said with a smirk as she then stepped away from Blair, hands coming up in preparation as they circled one another with Blair coming in with a quick kick aimed at her leg.

Raising her own leg up to block the blow and deflect the force a bit Lydia would then throw her arm forward for a quick but strong knife edge chop aimed for Blair's chest. As she did so however Lydia would be smart enough to not put all her eggs into the one basket as she'd be quick to pull her arm back if Blair tried to catch or hold onto her arm, as Lydia would then throw her other arm forward for a follow up forearm strike aimed at Blair's jaw to try and catch her off guard!

[BlackAkuma]

Blair came in low, swept quick, aimed at her foe’s legs, and…

Ah.

Impressive. Blair Dame felt confident in saying that the old Lydia would’ve fallen prey to that kick. In fact, if memory serves, she succumbed to that very opening the last time they fought, letting her take an early advantage. Time might not have made her foe faster, but it had taught her to use her speed better.

Blair was thrown off balance for a second, and that second was all Lydia needed to land her next shot, as she lashed out with a chop aimed at the White Widow’s white chest. She blocked the blow, turning her body as it came in so her shoulder would absorb it instead, but that move put her in a prime position for the real shot. The forearm, stiff and strong, collided with her jaw and knocked her back a step.

Good moves, both. But Blair Dame was the bigger woman, here, and she was confident in her striking abilities. She would not be pushed about.

She came instead of retreating. She reached out and tried to pull Lydia in for a clinch, hoping to keep her tight and close so she could deliver two stiff knee strikes from both legs, hammering her midsection in quick succession.