Breaking You In

[CaptainL]

Kristin had had enough - she might have still been sore from what she'd just endured, but she certainly wasn't about to just stand around and watch as Bean Nighe tormented her girlfriend, even after she had submitted. Her eyes narrowed into a glare, and soon she had jumped back up to her feet, charging the lightweight. A moment ago, the thought of her throwing herself into the fray against a smaller and more slender woman who seemed to shy away from the mere thought of conflict would've seemed ridiculous - but Kaoru wasn't fighting Pom any more. Whatever it was she was up against, Kristin needed to put it in its place!

But Kristin's headstrong nature could just as easily come back around to bite her. When she rushed toward Bean Nighe, she was only putting herself in the crossfire - and Bean Nighe quickly reached out and grabbed her even faster than Kristin could track. In seconds, her hand had latched onto the blonde's face, with her nails digging into her cheeks! Kristin started to double back, letting out a scream from the pain; her arms came up to try and grab for Bean Nighe's wrists and pull them away. But it was no use - Bean Nighe just as quickly tackled her to the mat, where she threw her arm around her back and pushed up from below to compress her airways! Kristin's eyes rolled back in her head, and she began to gasp and gag, frantically shoving at her opponent from below as her legs kicked wildly in the air. All she could focus on was getting this...thing off of her!

Now released from Bean Nighe's clutches, Kaoru began to push herself back up, gasping for air. She winced as a stinging pain ran through her - but when she saw Kristin's struggles slowly dwindling as Bean Nighe crushed her windpipe, she let out a gasp. Frantic, her eyes flit between Kristin and Shanty. She knew she was in no position to fight back, but she knew that something needed to be done!

"T-There has to be some way to stop her-! Right!?"

[ClockwerkSamurai12]

Shanty then notices Pom’s bell and quickly grabs it before ringing it a few times, causing the Skittish Shepherd’s eyes to turn back to normal.

Pom: Huh? What have I been.. (She then notices Kristin caught in her hold, releasing her) Oh my, I-I’m so sorry… I didn’t mean to..

(Pom then hyperventilates, her eyes darting the room before making a hasty retreat)

[CaptainL]

As a matter of fact, it seemed there was a way to snap Pom out of her berserker rage. At Kaoru's exclamation, Shanty caught sight of the bell Pom had placed nearby - and as soon as she rang it, Pom was back to her usual soft-spoken self, practically deflating then and there. Kristin was still caught in her arms, groaning and sore, but she noticed her soon enough and let her go, causing the Canadian girl to fall backward onto the mat. She hugged her arm a little closer to herself, still feeling a stinging pain going through her, and her teeth were locked in a grimace.

Kaoru had breathed a short sigh of relief when she saw that Pom had calmed down, but just as quickly, she noticed that her girlfriend was still in trouble. "K-Kris-!" she called out, crawling forward to take her side. She was still weary from the beatings and foldings she had endured at Pom's hands, and she stopped and panted for breath partway through, but she still needed to make sure that Kristin was okay.

"N-Nngh...I'm fine..." Kristin groaned. She held a hand to her head as she began to sit back up, wincing as a dull pain pounded through her skull.

"Shh, hey...it'll be all right...it's over now..." Kaoru hugged Kristin closer around her side. But as reality began to come back to the two members of Double K, Kristin looked around and saw that Pom was beginning to shrink away. She might have just dealt them a beatdown neither of them were prepared for, but even still, seeing the disheartened look on her face, Kristin couldn't help but feel a little bad. It seemed that Pom genuinely didn't know what she was capable of.

"H-Hey, uh...are you all right?"

[ClockwerkSamurai12]

Pom: I.. I lost control again didn’t I?

[CaptainL]

Kaoru rubbed her head as she caught her breath. She was still getting her bearings on just what had happened - and it had all happened so quickly, it still felt like a blur. The fact that she was still feeling sore didn't help matters. But at least she could see that Pom was back to her normal self, and she seemed to have some level of remorse for what she'd just done. The brunette let out a short sigh, looking down. "I'm sorry if I pushed you too hard...I didn't realize, er, that this would happen..."

Kristin, on the other hand, could only raise an eyebrow to that comment, sitting up straighter as her body tensed. "Again..? You mean she does this often?" She looked at Shanty, the color draining from her face. If this was typical for Pom, she was clearly dealing with a lot more than she had bargained for.

[ClockwerkSamurai12]

Pom: It only happens whenever I get overwhelmed during a match, I become so aggressive I just.. give into my dark side. The bell Shanty used is the only thing that can snap be back to normal, before I end up hurting those around me.

[CaptainL]

As they listened to Pom's story, Kristin and Kaoru seated themselves on their knees, leaning in closer. A frown came to Kaoru's face as she heard about Pom's darker impulses. She would never have expected that anyone who seemed so meek and gentle could be capable of such acts of violence - but whatever this dark side was, it seemed as though it was a powerful one, if it was this strong and this difficult to control. And it seemed that Pom was just as afraid of it as anyone else.

"...I'm sorry," Kaoru said, looking down with a sigh. "I had no idea you had that in you...if I did, I wouldn't have pushed you so hard. I didn't mean to set you off like that."

Kristin took a moment to stretch, lifting up her arm and wringing a kink out of her neck, though she still winced as she felt a stinging pain in her back. "I mean, at least there's the bell, so you guys have some way to reign it in. But have you ever considered, like...anger management, or something?"

"Yeah, that's a good point," Kaoru added. "Do you know why this happens? How long has it been with you? Er, if you're comfortable answering, anyway... She could tell this was a sensitive subject for Pom, and she didn't want to overstep any boundaries. "But that might help us figure out how to control it better."

[ClockwerkSamurai12]

Pom: All I know is that it happened during a wrestling meet before I became apart of LAW, I became stressed due to the overwhelming competitive tension..

[CaptainL]

Kaoru listened closely to Pom's words, crossing her arms and nodding her head as a concerned look crossed her face. But Kristin was the one who stared off into space, her face going pale. She had had plenty of heated moments at wrestling meets before - a few times, those might have led to her getting too carried away and causing injuries to her opponents. She winced a little, thinking about it - could she have given in to that same bloodlust that consumed Pom? Nothing she had done had ever come close to what she'd seen out of Pom here and now - but it still made the hairs rise on the back of her neck to think that she just might understand how that side of her could have come to be.

Soon enough, though, Kaoru cleared the silence by clearing her throat. She saw the absent-minded look on Kristin's face, and she realized it was in both of their best interests to bring her back to reality. "Maybe it's just a matter of...anger management, I guess? Maybe you might want to talk to a therapist about it. Or..." Just then, Kaoru paused - it was like a lightbulb went off in her head.

Standing taller, she extended an arm to Pom. "Maybe you guys could come along with Kris and I if we go out to dinner? Just to get to know each other. Maybe if you start to get used to seeing us as friends, you won't take the competition so seriously! Have some fun with it!"

"...Eh?" Kristin looked over, raising an eyebrow. If anything, she was the one who thought Kaoru could take things more seriously, and she didn't know what to think about the two newcomers butting in on a meal between her and her girlfriend. But she knew that trying to dissuade her at this point would be pointless. If Kaoru got an idea, she was going to follow it through.

[ClockwerkSamurai12]

Pom: Oh.. s-sure! I wouldn’t mind, what about you Shanty?

Shanty: Eh, I could go for a bite to eat! Dat match between me and Kristin got me workin' up an appetite!