The Price of Rejection

[BlackAkuma]

And here they were. Maria supposed they would’ve come to this point sooner or later, and there was little sense in delaying the inevitable at this point. Only forestalling things.

She had known, they all had, that Freia’s involvement would be bone of contention with many potential prospects. It would be an outright impossible sell to some of the more morally focused wrestlers, but she had hoped that the Venus of Submissions would be a bit more open-minded. While she was no thug, she was hardly a Girl Scout, either.

Zero was already raised her arms, preparing to strike, but Maria stopped her with a slight shake of the head, before she focused back on their host. She could salvage this, she still had a glimmer of hope. It was notable that Minami hadn't rejected the overall premise, just the finer detail.

”Minami. Darling.. I’d hoped you would be a little more pragmatic than all that.” She pushed her glasses up a centimeter. ”Freia’s grown from the woman you knew. More mature. More focused. It’s been years, time changes things. Even at her worst, she was perfectly capable of working with others when goals aligned, and our goals are aligned. We don’t have to like each other, we’re not looking to start a Wrestle Angels Book Club. As long as we stay in our lanes, I believe we can all get where we want to be.”

[Bare]

To say that Minami's danger senses were going off overtime would be an understatement. She already didn't trust or like either Maria or Zero's presence in her locker room, and most of their behavior since entering only worsened it. The final nail in the coffin however was the revelation of who else was in their group, with the fact it was headed by Freia Kagami being what ultimately made Minami decide against both the women in her presence.

Maria's following response, filled with sinister undertones and barely contained aggression only made it far worse for Minami who stood up from her place leaning on her dressing room table. "That's the difference between me and you Maria. You need a snake like Freia pulling your strings to see success and are happy to stick to you lane as you call it." As she said this Minami would step closer with a dangerous glare at the woman.

"I don't stick to lanes, I make them, I don't need your group or Kagami thinking she could ever command me to make something of myself" Here Minami would gain a small smirk. "If you're boss still wants me, tell her to ask for me herself, I don't consider offers from pawns." Minami said, making her thoughts about the two women before her very clear.

[BlackAkuma]

Ah, rejection. Maria was never good at taking it.

She would be lying if she said that she wasn‘t more than a little disappointed at the outcome, especially after pushing so hard for the others to accept Minami in the first place. She could have filled such a crucial role, too. They were in desperate need of a technician, someone to fill that role in their group and give them an air of class.

Ah, well. They were many, many other fish in this particular sea, and while they might’ve been losing out on the best one, there would be others to swim their way.

”’I don’t stick to lanes, I make them.’” She repeated Minami’s line with a light nod and a knowing smile. ”That’s a good line. I’m going to remember that one.” She looked over to Zero, eying the woman from across the room - calm, steady, waiting, like a spring about to release. No sense in dragging this out any longer.

”Now.”

Zero was in motion before she could even get that single syllable out of her mouth, leaping forward her leg raised high to clock Minami in the side of her face with a rising knee.

[Bare]

Minami's whole body was tensed and coiled. Ready to strike at a moments notice. She knew Maria and that the woman didn't take rejection well and would likely do something stupid against her, but Minami was confident she could take her.

However, during the conversation Minami had grown so focused on Maria and the topic of Freia in charge of a group that... Minami had forgotten that the woman hadn't come here alone. There was one other person here that was so silent, so blended in that Minami had nearly completely grown ignorant of their presence.

Something that Zero was quick to remind Minami of with a brutal knee to the face. "GAH!" Minami yelled out in pain, caught off guard and sent tumbling onto the floor, holding her jaw and discombobulated by the strike, trying to scramble to her feet and turn to her new foe with a glare before trying to charge Zero!

[BlackAkuma]

Maria knew from experience how devastating a full power hit like that from Zero could be, having tasted no small amount of the woman’s destructive capability when the two sparred. But that was different. That was when she was prepared for it, expecting it. To take a shot like that, full on in the face, landing flush against her skull with all that power behind it, nothing held back and nothing restrained…

No. No, it wasn’t an easy thing to watch. Maria couldn't help but wince just a little at it.

To Minami’s credit, however, she was quick to get back up, and her defensive reflexes kicked in with no delay, going for the source of her pain. It was hard to say how that might’ve turned out. Even injured and caught off guard, this was the Venus of Submissions, and in such close quarters, who knew what she could’ve pulled off on Zero.

A shame they wouldn’t find out. Not today, anyway.

Maria came at Minami from behind, wrapped her arms around the woman’s throat, and pulled her back with a tight, wrenching sleeperhold, swinging her about as she crushed the air out of her windpipe. ”It could’ve all been so easy, Toshi-chan.” Low, husky whispers slid into her victim’s ear. ”So. Easy.”

[Bare]

Minami knew from the moment she had let the two women in here that this was a possibility, hell a likely one at that. Yet she accepted that risk willingly to hear them out as a courtesy. No blaming herself for that, but she had allowed herself to forget about Zero thanks to the depth at which she was talking to Maria, that would be on Minami.

Despite Zero's ruthlessness and brute force however Minami was able to get the woman off and was about to follow up.. Had it not been for the intervention of Maria from behind that is. "Ngh!" Gagging from the sudden constriction over her throat Minami would immediately start grasping at and clawing at Maria's arm, trying to make the woman let go, but even for a submission master such as herself there was little she could do with how tight Maria had the hold synched in right out of the gate.

Worse yet, loathe as she was to admit it, aside from herself, Maria was arguably one of the better submission users in Wrestle Angels, good enough to keep up with her, and certainly good enough to keep a simple but effective choke like this in. 'Damn it!' Minami thought, trying to send some elbows behind her as a desperate means of forcing the fellow veteran to let go!

[BlackAkuma]

”It all could’ve been so simple, you know?” Maria whispered in Minami’s ear as she clamped down. ”A little bit of trust was all I asked for, nothing too much, but you had to go, and-”

Maria had just started on her lovely little rant, full of taunts, teasing, and maybe a little licking, when Minami had to go and ruin it all by struggling and being an unwilling victim. Elbows shot into her side, stiff and steely, each one knocking more wind out of her. In the ring, she would’ve transferred this hold into a suplex, but the limited space in the dressing room wasn’t ideal.

Zero’s strikes, however, were another matter. With Minami swinging in a frenzy, her face was left wide open, and the Silent Killer did what she did best: hurting others in the most brutal way possible. Maria saw her compatriot moving forward, and released their victim from the hold, only so the tiny fighter could more easily leap up and send a knee hurtling towards her face at ramming speed.

[Bare]

Minami had never been one for pillow talk. In the bedroom or in the wrestling ring. She never understood the idea of using a hold just to talk trash to someone, and Maria was a prime example of why that was a bad idea as Minami fired off elbows into the woman's side just to shut her up from whatever rant she was about to go on.

Only doing so had invited the third woman in the room to get involved once more. Darting forward just as Maria let go Minami would look up just in time to see Zero leaping up, driving her knee directly into her face!

"NGHHH!" Yelling in pain and immediately getting sent flying Minami would land against her dressing room table, gasping and with a wide eyed look, the shock of the sudden and powerful strike taking hold as blood began to trickle down a surely broken nose, leaving the Venus of Submissions totally and utterly vulnerable before her two former wrestle angel compatriots!

[BlackAkuma]

Precise, painful, powerful as always, Zero’s strike landed right where Maria needed to, with the predictable results. She needed the fight taken out of Minami, and sure enough, she went down in a crumpled wreck, easy prey. More than a little unfair, yes, since the Venus of Submissions would’ve been a fair match for either of them in the ring. But here, outnumbered and with no room to maneuver, the result was never in doubt.

Now, to reap the benefits.

As Minami reeled from the blow, Maria came back at her from behind, grabbed her by the hair, and slammed her face up against her deck, leaning on her to apply pressure, keeping her well pinned under the weight. Zero came in from the side and seized her while she pushed the shoulder down, ensuring their victim was 100% under control. No sense in taking chances.

”A real shame we couldn't come to an accord, dear. But if you’re not going to be an ally, you can always serve as an example.” Maria leaned in and ran her tongue along Minami’s earlobe, getting a quick taste. ”How about a little match, hm? I'm willing to bet you’ve got a little aggression to get out of your system.”

[Bare]

Ganged up on and blindsided by her fellow veterans Minami was all but helpless before the two heels and was left crumpled and weak on the mat, unable to do anything as she was grabbed and forced against the table, a elbow against her back forcing her down, helpless. Even despite this however Minami was gritting her teeth, glaring fiercely at Maria as best she could as the woman approached.

The lick against her earlobe though did send a shiver down her spine, and Minami wished she could say it was of disgust, but it wasn't enough to douse the unadulterated fury she felt towards both women, but especially maria and, oddly enough Freia.

As soon as Maria offered the option to face her in a match though Minami knew she had to seize the chance, even if it hurt to talk. "You're.. on... Bitch." Minami hissed out between groans of pain, her glare never once wavering as she tried to maintain eye contact with the woman, refusing to show weakness towards her.