A Meetup at the Gym (for ClockwerkSamurai12)

[CaptainL]

If Lacey's inner voice wasn't ragging on her enough, now even Arizona seemed to agree - and with the weight of disappointment piling up on her shoulders, the green-haired girl was crestfallen. As she let out a long, heavy sigh, Lacey bowed her head low to the ground, sniffling a little to herself. Arizona had just wanted to help her; to give her a push in the right direction. But even that didn't work. If Lacey wasn't even going to improve when she tried, what hope did she have for the future? How could she possibly grow from this, when her own weakness got in the way? Not only was it a sore reminder of her own inadequacies, she couldn't help but feel like she'd let Arizona down in the process. The cowgirl had set out to help her out of the kindness in her heart, because she saw potential in her. They could've become friends. And now, Lacey felt like she'd just been a disappointment. Who would ever want to be friends with her?

She didn't even have the courage to look Arizona in the eye; her gaze was pointed down at her knees. "...I'm...I'm sorry," she muttered, her voice soft, as though even she didn't want to hear what she said. "I know I'm...not worth your time..."

[ClockwerkSamurai12]

Arizona: I’m not saying that..

[CaptainL]

To Lacey, it didn't matter if it was what Arizona meant or not. She had already convinced herself of her own hopelessness. Arizona meant well; she knew that. She was trying to help her realize her potential; to pinpoint the areas she was weak in and help her overcome those shortcomings. The problem Lacey had was that she just wasn't getting any better. If she couldn't even handle the task she knew she needed to take on, what chance did she have? Was this all a lost cause?

"No...I mean it." Lacey sniffled a little, but she didn't look back at Arizona - all she did was stare down at her feet, dejected. "It's not your fault, I'm just...not good enough." She let out a sigh, and her shoulders slumped. "I've never been good enough."

Just a moment later, however, Lacey sat up a little straighter, loudly clearing her throat. She was already worried she was making herself a burden; Arizona didn't need to deal with her now. "I'm, uh...I'm sorry, I shouldn't bring you down like this. Just...if you have something better to do, I won't keep you..."

[ClockwerkSamurai12]

Arizona: I ain’t gonna stop until I improve your endurance, why don’t we see how long you’ll endure a Boston crab!

[CaptainL]

When she heard Arizona's offer, Lacey stopped to think it over in her head. Was it smart? She had just been subjected to a brutal back submission that had put no shortage of pressure on her spine, and the aches hadn't quite died down, even now. But she knew she wasn't going to grow or improve if she didn't put herself out there in the face of danger. No matter how much it hurt, she was just going to have to push through! If she refused now, what was that going to say? That she was a quitter? That she herself didn't see any hope of going anywhere? No, Lacey didn't want to believe any of that - and she didn't want Arizona to see how inadequate she was, either. She had come here committed to doing better, and Arizona was just as determined to bring the best out of her. So she had to forge on ahead - she couldn't stop for anything!

With a determined look crossing her face, Lacey pounded her fist against the mat as she lifted her head up. "...Right! Let's do it!" She did have her apprehensions, but she just grit her teeth and pushed them aside. Maybe it'd hurt, but at least it was for her own good. She just had to remember that...

[ClockwerkSamurai12]

Arizona puts her in said submission.

[CaptainL]

With Arizona preparing her next move, Lacey sucked in a long, deep breath, and her fist clenched at her side. Whatever happened next, she'd be ready. That was what she told herself, anyway - it had to be true; she wouldn't let it not be. Arizona was going to put her in the Boston crab, and it was going to hurt. She needed to prepare herself for that. It was the only way she'd get anywhere. Above all, she couldn't be weak. Lacey knew from her training in WOWW that this was a move they used to train would-be wrestlers, and she needed to show she could take it, just to prove she had potential! She'd been through this before, and if she fell short, it was practically a confession she wasn't good enough. She couldn't let that happen!

As soon as she laid down, Lacey felt Arizona climb on top of her. The pressure of her weight bearing down against her already sore spine made her suck in a breath - and when the cowgirl grabbed her by the legs and yanked back, Lacey could feel her spine being bent in half over itself. The pain shot along her vertebrae, a stinging, burning sensation, and one that grew hotter and hotter by the minute. Her fingers clenched tighter, digging into the mat to try and brace herself against the pain. But she threw her head back, and her teeth clenched tightly in a grimace. No matter how much it hurt, or how much her eyes watered and her lip twitched, she couldn't submit. She couldn't even scream. She had to be better than that - that was the mantra playing over and over in her head!

[ClockwerkSamurai12]

Arizona: There ya go..

[CaptainL]

Lacey had been lost in thought - she'd been so determined to prove herself, to do right by Arizona, and to make her proud that it had almost let the real world fall away. But that ended up working in her favor, in the end. As distracted as she was, she was able to forget how much her back hurt when all she needed to focus on was how she needed to stay strong and fight through it, no matter what. Even when Arizona spoke up, Lacey had let herself get so lost in her own head that her words almost slipped by...but then, she realized that Arizona had spoken up. And when she had, it was enough to remind the green-haired girl that she really was doing this. She was fighting through the pain - she was getting better!

"I'm...doing it..!?" she muttered to herself, half-consciously at first, but when it grew more and more apparent that, yes, she hadn't imagined it all, it just made her hold herself a little straighter as a grin broke over her face. "Oh, gosh, yes, I'm actually doing it-!" Her efforts weren't in vain; she had a future! But that grin was short-lived when she remembered that she was still being bent in the Boston crab - and in lifting herself higher, she'd only increased the angle that her back was being stretched to. Hissing through her clenched teeth, she dropped back down onto her face. "Ow, ow..!"

[ClockwerkSamurai12]

Arizona: You want me to stop?