L.A.W. - League of Anime Wrestling

Marzia weaved through the crowd as they headed through the hall. A few of them called to her, but she blocked it out, the attention she was receiving only causing her to blush harder. She didn't want to acknowledge she had gotten such a rave reception herself, to hear it from someone else would practically be mind-shattering.

Ellie proceeded to slip inside the locker room, and there Marzia would freeze out in the hallway, blushing harder. She was afraid to go in at the thought of what she might see - that would make things even worse. But even the thought of it was enough to make Marzia's cheeks flush a deeper red, as she stood waiting with her eyes darting back and forth, trying to avoid much attention. Even as the participants for the next scheduled match were making their way out, all Marzia wished she could do was to blend into the background.

Soon the Spanish girl came out again, and Marzia would resume her path out. Finally, she would be able to get in closer to Ellie as she stopped by the vending machine. But when Ellie turned back around to make eye contact, Marzia froze, falling silent. She was just hoping to set the matter straight, and to make sure there were no hard feelings. But now she began to wonder if she had attracted Ellie's ire and shot herself in the foot. Going tense, Marzia turned her gaze upwards to make eye contact with Ellie, though it was a shaky eye contact that betrayed the anxiety in the Italian.

"Um...er..." she stammered, biting her lip, "I just...wanted to say that you did really good out there, so...um, why did you..?" It was clear that Marzia was avoiding the subject - just the thought of the events that had unfolded embarrassed her.

Marzia blinked, rubbing her head. Seeing how shy Ellie was behind the scenes, it was practically unrecognizable compared to the confidence she showed in the ring. Marzia could hardly believe she was talking to the same person.

"I...I don't think I would say that..." Marzia said. "I'm not...I'm not that good...and you put up a really good fight..."

Hearing how impressed Ellie was that Marzia had made her tap, that she'd even describe it as dominating her...the Italian girl felt something funny in the pit of her stomach. She would never have imagined she would be in the spot she was now. Maybe she'd do a decent job in a big indie, make the midcard even. Even if this might have been an average match against a newcomer, Marzia was floored at the admiration it got her, from her opponent and her spectators alike. Was she dreaming? Did someone make a mistake? She could hardly process this. Nevertheless, she had to concede to Ellie's points. The Spaniard had a sense of humility that Marzia didn't often see, especially not among wrestlers. Compared to the boister and swagger she had come to expect from the locker rooms, Ellie had the virtue of a saint. It brought a smile to Marzia's face, knowing she had the pleasure of facing such an opponent.

"Y-Yeah...okay..." Marzia said, still watching into the distance as Ellie made her exit. "Good luck to you, too." Even after Ellie left, Marzia would still stand there for a few moments, not leaving until she had fully grasped the situation.

Maybe she had a chance, after all.