L.A.W. - League of Anime Wrestling

The cheers began as Audrey hunched over herself - or perhaps they'd been there all along, and she'd just gotten so used to tuning them out. But in her current state of sheer vulnerability, they were suddenly deafening in her ears, even as she did her best to ignore them and focus instead on Blaise, the only thought going through her mind being Here it comes again...

He appears, at first glance, to be soaking in the crowd's reaction. Audrey notices the way his arms, raised in success of his knockdown, sag slightly as he stands there. And then he turns, immediately taking a step towards her. Audrey flinches, her terrified expression changing to bare her teeth, eyes narrowed through the tears - like a cornered animal preparing to lash out, daring him to come closer, even though he, she, and everyone else know she's all bark and no bite.

And then he stops. One step, confident and ready to take advantage of the opening he'd created by flattening her to the mat, but that was it. His expression changed, too. He stares as her, looking dumbfounded and confused, not for very long but long enough for Audrey to also begin to feel confusion seeping into her terror. The anticipation of being forced to wait for it is almost as unbearable. She opens her mouth to snap at him, hurry up, get it over with already!

And then he does something that causes Audrey to actually stop crying from sheer bewilderment; he turns around. His gaze dropped from her to the mat seconds before, as if contemplating what to do, and the next thing she knew, she was staring at his back.

Audrey remains rooted to the spot, utterly baffled. What's he playing at? Waiting for me to think I have time to fix myself so he can pounce when he thinks I'm not looking...? But for several more seconds, nothing happens. And Audrey took note of something else amidst the confusion - his posture. He was not a man pretending to be relaxed but actually waiting for the right moment to spin around and strike. The way he rubbed the back of his neck and kept his head down made it pretty clear he was doing his best to... what, pretend she wasn't there?

The boos begin, and the jeers suddenly are not for Audrey. That's the fact that hammers it home for her. He's not faking, and the crowd is letting him know what they think of him for it.

In that moment, the entire context of their match changed. Blaise had, to this point, plenty of opportunity to taste her body. And yet, at no point did he do so. Even when she was folded over his knee, his arm nestled between her breasts... that was the closest he'd gotten, and that could be explained away simply by the nature of the hold. And just now, he'd had the perfect opportunity to lift her up and show her of, cop a feel or two. Sure, it wasn't in the rules officially, but history had shown that if Audrey is in a match, those rules are implied. And yet, he quite literally turned his back on them. If ever he was going to make that kind of play, that would have been the time.

Eyes stinging but mostly clear now, Audrey finally shifts her attention to her top, digging the fabric from between her breasts and tugging it back where it belongs, more boos coming her way for it. Yes, the knot had come loose... she hastily pulls it apart entirely and begins the process of re-tying it nice and tight. Every two or three seconds, she casts a concerned glance at Blaise from the corner of her eye, but he gives zero indication that he's even aware she's still there.

When she's finally finished and confident she's ensured it will not come undone again, Audrey gets shakily to her feet, holding the top rope and leaning most of her weight against it for support. What now? Her instincts see an opening, of course. Blaise still has his back to her. She could jump at him and get a good, easy chokehold, and he wouldn't know what hit him. Hell, it might be the only way she still has a shot at tipping the match in her favor.

But there were two flaws in that plan. One: Blaise had, seemingly with every intention, willingly given her time to fix her outfit and restore some of her dignity. Attacking him while his back was turned would all but guarantee in writing that no future opponent ever gave her that mercy again. However slim that chance may be, that chance existing was better than not.

And, perhaps more importantly, two: it was not the right thing to do. Sneak attacks were cowardly and spineless at the best of times, and Audrey would only resort to that when necessary - meaning, when her opponent had done so first. Not only had Blaise not done that at any point so far, he'd done the exact opposite.

Ahem. The sound was small and awkward and mostly muffled by the rowdy audience, and Audrey was still a fair distance away. Unsure if Blaise would hear it, she said awkwardly, "I-I'm good now. Uh, thank you." Yes, for allowing her to fix herself up. But she suspected he'd understand the underlying meaning behind her gratitude, too.

This sucks.

Blaise has weathered bad press before, ridicule from wrestling fans and opponents alike, he can handle it. He used to be able to shrug it off easier. Improving and having genuine fans attached to his performance level rather than just seeing him as an eternal underdog may have dented his armor. Made him get more used to things being different. And now, they're jeering him - not for losing, not for sucking, but for being a disappointment.

To them. The ones who want to see him take advantage of someone. Someone he can't even consider an opponent in that circumstance. She's just a girl caught in a bad situation, not really her fault. It pricks his sensibilities in every conceivable way.

Every second that ticks by, half of his mind is telling him she's setting something up. She's about to do something horrific, she's going to take advantage. It's LAW, most of the people out here don't care if they get nude and ravage each other. It's a ploy. A tactic. The other half of his mind is warring against it; it doesn't matter if she is about to take advantage. He couldn't be square with himself if he acted on her now. That's the line for him. He can't cross it.

The voices get louder. More demanding. Louder. Louder.

A small voice behind him cuts through it like a lance. Blaise's head lifts. A pause, as if just to make sure it's true, and he turns around to face her.

There she is, fully (by professional wrestling standards) clothed and on her feet. His gaze dips to her chest, part instinctual, partly knee-jerk desire to confirm the claim for himself. But, there it is. Validation. He'd done the right thing, and he was rewarded with her not taking a cheap advantage for his trouble. His eyes lift up to her face again.

The audience continues to boo and jeer. But he has a soft, natural smile for her. The distance between them is closed, but not aggressively. The stride is mild, tempered, a gait as natural as the smile she'd been presented. And upon reaching her, he offers his hand.

"Any time."

Hearing her thank him was cathartic in itself. It felt like it fixed something that was damaged, like it soothed a burn. The coldness and chill with which she originally met him contrasted against her voice now; that hit his ear like something significant. And he could imagine why, given their setting. He doesn't like to dwell on the possible reasons she'd look so wounded in that vulnerable state. He'd rather keep this moment in memory; the way she's looking at him now.

Should she take his hand, Blaise will attempt to lead her back to the center of the ring. And along the way, his smile adjusts into something more boyish and humored. "There's plenty to appreciate just the way you are now, y'know. So screw'em. Let'em boo."

"Anyway, you said you're good?" Arms raise at a shoulders' height, clearly inviting her for a standard lock-up. "Up for meetin' me head-on this time?"

Audrey blushes when Blaise turns around and immediately eyes her chest. She knows why, given what just happened; he's checking to verify for himself that she's fixed the wardrobe malfunction and is good to go. Of course. It's perfectly understandable, no deep-seated lustful desire behind the glance. She still can't help it. Outside of the ring, Audrey quite enjoys the attention her body gets... it's inside the ring, where those undressing her with their eyes are allowed to act on their desires, that make her shiver. So it's rather confusing to be in the ring and feel... well, embarrassed in a positive way for a change. Embarrassed in that outside-the-ring kind of way.

Audrey is still, naturally, wary as Blaise closes the distance between them, even though it's clear that his stride is not meant to be threatening; Years of knowing better are not wont to be undone by a single contradiction. But Audrey manages to hold her ground without so much as flinching, despite fighting back trembles and the desire to book it out of the way, instead meeting his smile with a small, but genuine, one of her own.

And then he offers her his hand. Audrey's eyes dart down to it for a moment, then back to his face. Her smile slips into a thin line before she bites her lip, as though considering whether this is a trap. But no, against her better judgment, Audrey reaches out to take it anyway, and is rewarded with a simple handshake. Nothing more, nothing less. She breathes out a sigh of relief that she hadn't realized she'd been holding in.

Those prey instincts kick in again as he begins to lead her forward, her body and brain's submissive nature making her move with him subconsciously before she even has the thought to protest - but the anxiety begins to drain away as quickly as it came as Blaise continues to speak, and the blush on Audrey's cheeks brightens again in response. She mutters out a stuttered and muffled "Th-thank you," caught completely off-guard by his compliment like a deer in headlights, but at least she managed to acknowledge it just the same.

Blaise releases her hand once they approach the center of the ring and raises his arms, flat-out asking her for a tie-up this time. Again, Audrey bites her lip; in any other match, she knew that letting an opponent of Blaise's size get their hands on her was as good as a death sentence for her hopes of a tally in the win column. But after what he just did for her, Audrey simply doesn't have it in her to refuse.

As expected, Blaise begins gaining ground on her almost immediately. Audrey pushes back with everything she's got with a fire in her eyes - her legs surprisingly sturdy after needing to hold on to the ropes to stand just moments ago - but she's still barely holding him off. She has to do something, because kind gesture or not, this is still a competition, and Blaise is still looking to win it. He's not about to roll over and let Audrey win because of an embarrassing accident.

It's a gamble - and Audrey doesn't have a follow-up plan if it succeeds - but anything is better than doing nothing and being ragdolled again without resistance. Her right leg shoots outward, quickly hooking around Blaise's ankle and trying to pull it towards her, hoping beyond hope that she somehow had enough strength - or surprise factor - to make him lose his balance... and if so, send him falling backwards rather than on top of her!