L.A.W. - League of Anime Wrestling

Lilly sipped her wine, watching her date with interest. And as Vera spoke, Becker could find her own smile slipping with the Russian's. As much as Sapphire seemed to not hold any grudges against Lilly for winning in their match, it seemed like she had taken it to heart more than anything that she fell short. The psychiatrist would reach out to take Vera's glass of wine and set it down before taking Sapphire's hand. She held onto it, letting her thumb brush over the top of it. And she gave her a comforting, sincere look. "Vera, you are not a loser. Not by any stretch. You are so incredibly talented and everything you do in that ring makes you a winner," offered Lilly, cracking a small smile.

"And you can get the Heavyweight title. I have no shred of doubt in my mind," continued Becker. She used her free hand to adjust her glasses. "...What difficult match did you want to do though?" asked the blonde with curiosity. She gave a squeeze to Vera's hand, not quite ready to release it just yet. She wanted her words, eyes, and tone to get her words through the Vera. Her profession made that very important for her to want Vera to be in a better headspace, at least for as long as she was reflecting on everything.

The losses during both the qualifiers and the APEX match itself did get to Vera quite a bit. She never tried to held grudges unless people really deserved them, and in failure in singular matches like this one, she held herself as the one at fault, no one else.

Vera's smile turned a lot more positive as Lilly praised her and reassuringly grabbed her hand. It was nice to hear a good word towards herself, even if she still criticized herself in her mind.

"Thank you. It really means a lot coming from you, genuinely..."

"And as per the match...thats just it. I'll throw my hat in the ring and fight the champion as soon as possible. I want to fight Alaina Sanders...", Vera would explain: "And even if she's not in her prime...she is still one if the strongest, toughest women in the company. If...when I beat her, I’ll know myself to be the best..."

Lilly Becker continued to listen to Vera as she held her hand, nodding with an even bigger smile when she mentioned the match she wanted. "I think that idea is tremendous," answered the psychiatrist, her thumb brushing over Sapphire's knuckles. She gives a reassuring nod and adds, "You can do anything, Vera. Even if you're not successful, at the moment. And you might be down on yourself... you just need to remember that if you keep working hard, you can make anything happen."

Taking a deep breath, Becker adjusted her glasses with another smile and took a sip of her wine. "I'll be there cheering as loud as I can for you too," concluded Lilly. Then, they would be interrupted with their meals. Lilly thanked the waitress and then looked down at it.

"...So, this is about as close as I can get to Russian cuisine before heading there, is it not?" asked the blonde before preparing to dig into her beef stroganoff, taking a healthy whiff of it and looking impressed by the scent.

As much as Vera was excited describing her idea to Lilly...inside her mind, she was doubting herself a fair bit. APEX instilled a good bit of doubt into the Russian about her abilities. She doubted she'd manage to take Alaina down...but she was going to get really close to it. And with Lilly's fabulous words, a sliver of hope appeared in Vera's mind about potentially winning...

The meals finally being ready perked Vera right up as well.

The smell of well cooked meat and mushrooms, all mixed in (surprisingly to Vera, imported) sour cream brought a smile to the blunette's face. She nodded positively towards the blonde to her question:

"Yes! Even though I'd not recommend going there at the minute...", Vera awkwardly laughed...

Lilly Becker offered a brief, apologetic look to her date, deciding to move on from that one as she ate. The pair focused on their meals, eating it with delight at the delicious meal before them. As they ate, they continued to make small talk, amusing each other with their good-natured back and forth. The psychiatrist couldn't help but think about how much she was enjoying her time tonight. It was normally easy for her, but there was something a little bit more special about this Vera Sapphire, and not just her drop dead gorgeous looks and her impressive physique. But moreover, she just enjoyed talking to Vera, seeing her passion, and enjoying her heart and honesty. It meant a lot.

Eating more than enough of her meal, she let out a sigh and then smiled. "That... was outstanding," the blonde said simply, dabbing her lips with her napkin. "I don't know what was better: the meal or the company," remarked Lilly, teasing Vera. "But... there's plenty of time for the company to pull ahead. Because I think I'd like to continue this, if you're not tired of me yet," offered Becker, smiling warmly at her date.

The evening continued. Vera tremendously enjoyed the company of Lilly Becker, feeling comfortable enough to tell her about the legitimate issues she's had, and to share some of the recent successes that she experienced. In addition to this, it was always nice to be in the company of someone as cute as her, with good food served to them to boot! Needless to say, this was one of the best evenings the Russian had in a while...

"Huhuhu... not quite yet, Lilly. Any particular wishes of where you want to go next? Or could we potentially go to my humble abode?" Vera would ask, calling one of the waiters to get them the bill...

Lilly Becker smiled warmly at Vera when the Russian offered her home as the next landing spot for them. Shrugging a shoulder, the psychiatrist would say, "I think that would be fine with me." She would then adjust her glasses before watching her date fondly for a few moments. "Thank you for getting the check, too. I won't feel guilty because I know you're wealthy," jests Becker.

Sucking in a deep breath, she stands and then puts on her jacket over her dress. "You live close, right? I don't want to walk too far in these heels. And I'd hate to have to ask you to carry me," she adds, placing the back of her hand over her forehead, feigning distress. Her prominent smile would show how much she's joking about such an idea though.

As Vera listened to Lilly, the waiter would come back with the bill, Vera quickly fishing her credit card to to pay the large, but still satisfying, bill.

Vera offered the blonde her hand to help her from the chair, as they walked to the exit:

”I could, you know…And pictures will be snapped off the two of us to remember that night for good.”, the blunette giggled: ”My apartment building is just a 10 minute walk from here.”, the blunette would smile at her date as they exit the restaurant…

Lilly Becker giggled softly in response, collecting Vera's arm as she began leaving the restaurant with her. "A commemoration of a beautiful date...? Now how can I resist?" jokes the blonde, glancing up at her date and biting her lip slightly. "I might be able to handle ten minutes... I just need you to be ready if I fall," Lilly added, giving Sapphire a wink as they left the building. She allowed for Vera to lead after that, humming contently.

"I honestly can't remember the last time I just... unwound and had a date like this. Probably since coming to Japan, if I'm being honest. I always kept so busy," explained Lilly with a soft sigh, glancing up at the lit sky above them with a smile.

Vera giggled at Lilly's comment. In truth, however, snapping a picture of the two of them next to the restaurant...or at Vera's flat, might not have been a bad idea.

"Hold up.", Vera would say, grabbing her phone to, indeed, snap a picture of the two of them in front of the restaurant.

"A night like this definitely deserves a picture to remember it by..."

The two started their way to Vera's home, Lilly mentioning that this was the first time in a while she just got to...relax.

"Tokyo is the place for relaxation, my dearest Doctor...we are absolutely hitting karaoke bars on our next date!", Vera would proclaim with a wide smile!