A Rose By Any Other Name (For Suckerpunch)

[Bare]

Alizeh sighed softly in contentment before taking a sip of a margarita in her hand. Clad in a all white bikini and her hair done up in a high ponytail, Alizeh was sitting at the pool bar of the Maritime LAW. Her match wasn't until two days from now, so she had plenty of time to enjoy a mini vacation before putting her body on the line against her mentor on LAW's dime. So here she was, sipping alcohol, enjoying the sun and scenery and chance to just relax without any crazy rivals ambushing her or psychos looking to start shit. "Ahhh... Peace." Alizeh said happily, as she turned around and leaned back on the edge of the bar, coincidently causing her chest and stomach to become much more... prominent, and definitely getting a few stares from her fellow competitors and fans, which only caused Alizeh to giggle as she sat back and enjoyed the day, unaware of anything, or anyone that may disturb her well deserved me time.

[SuckerPunch]

It was a strange thing for Rose Gold, this cruise. It was rare for her to ever take on leisure. However, her match was to be on land once the cruise was over and the trip was being paid for entirely by DeFranco and his pencil pushers in Admin. So why not take advantage of it? Perhaps that would have been enough for a normal person... But Rose Gold didn't know how to relax. It was only thanks to the additional reinforcement of her doctors that she boarded the god-forsaken boat.

They couldn't promise her that her arm would be better in time for her title match. But they advised that restful activity would hasten the process... Who would have thought that relaxing would be so much work?

"Don't you serve anything without alcohol?" She asked with exhaustion from her seat on one of the poolside bar's stools.

Spoiler

Rose Gold wore a tiny black bikini made up mostly of a series of useless but eye-catching straps. She had abandoned the sling. Choosing instead to tuck her arm across her midsection. The damn thing made her arm look like a target. And she'd not give any of these conniving cat fighters any ideas.

[Bare]

Alizeh was smiling pretty contently as she sat at the bar, sipping her drink with pure satisfaction written across her face. Really the only thing that would make this better is if there was someone else at the bar to talk or interact with. She had tried to get some of her friends that were also on the cruise to come with but they were being stubborn or preparing for matches so it was just her.

Soon someone else came and surprisingly ordered a NA drink. Weird given it was a cruise that was all expenses paid but Alizeh wasn't going to complain. "They actually have some pretty interesting mock-tails on the back of the menu if you look ms-" Answering before the bar tender could in order to be nice it actually took Alizeh the time it took to answer to realize who it was that was sitting next to her. Lightweight Champion Rose Gold.

"Oh.. you." Alizeh said flatly, her look of excitement at having someone else at the bar to interact with suddenly gone as quick as it had come and her facial expression morphing into an almost dead pan of disinterest. "Never mind. I'll get her a tap water on me though." Alizeh told the bar tender sarcastically, especially given that glasses of water were free regardless if it was all expenses paid or not-

[SuckerPunch]

Rose Gold's attention turned towards the woman brave enough to engage her. Golden eyes locked on the interloper and she couldn't help but smirk as she mused that it was no woman at all, but a girl.

"You poor dear. And here I would have thought LAW paid its opening acts at least enough to afford a drink." She delivered the barb with all the grace of a southern church wife. Pity accompanying the venom dripping from the words.

"You must be thirsty." It was an unsubtle double entandre. And it's disengenuous concern was emphasized even greater by her serpent's grin. "Do you need me to spot you for a chocolate milk?"

[Bare]

Alizeh was seriously cursing her luck right now, of all the people to take a seat at the same bar as her on this cruise it just had to be one of the few she utterly despised? Ugh and of course Alizeh being herself just had to throw a barb the blonde's way so now that a return one had been thrown she just couldn't let it slide.

"Thanks but I have a drink already." Alizeh shot back holding up her cocktail before continuing. "Besides knowing you I'd assume it was spiked or something. Even if we aren't having a match." Alizeh said, that You being laced with so much venom Rose may very well have been poisoned on the spot if it was literal.

"Seriously you're match is at Amway isn't it? You couldn't have done us all a favor and take a plane there instead of stinking up the ship with that toxicness of yours?" Alizeh asked, the alcohol in her system definitely keeping her from pulling her punches against Rose, not that she would have anyways, but even still.

[SuckerPunch]

Rose Gold rolled her eyes at the pedantic insult."How presumptuous of you, to think that you could possibly have anything that I want."

She diverted her attention to the bartender. "A water then."It was a brief aside. But as soon as she was done she looked pointedly at her uninvited partner in conversation.

"And how arrogant of you to think that I'd need a drug to take it from you." Her smirk returned.

The water was set down in front of her with a clink. She took a sip, allowing a very little break in the tension.

"Trust me. I would rather be doing anything other than sitting here getting disrespected by a kid who is greener than her hair." She swirled her glass, the ice clinked against the sides.

"I'm here because I have to be. Mandatory Vacation."She scoffed. "Being the Ace is more than just being Champion and winning matches. It's media obligations and fan greets and being an ambassador for the entire League." She set the glass down. "You should be grateful."

"You'll understand when you're older" She said dismissively as she looked across the bar, anywhere else.

"And it isn't me that stinks. Its that garbage you're polluting your body with." She gave a wave towards Alizeh's drink.

[Bare]

Well she had engaged in conversation with Rose Gold, there was no going back now. All Alizeh could do was bite the bullet and try to keep this from devolving into a bar fight or worse. After all this was meant to be a relaxing experience, and there was nothing more relaxing than being able to vent your frustrations out about someone to their face right?

Audibly sighing at what Rose said following her sip Alizeh couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Wow a green hair joke. How original." Alizeh said dryly, not even pretending to be affected by the dig before having to actively suppress her urge to roll her eyes even more as Rose boasted about being the 'ace of law' and condescending her.

"Oh are you done?" Alizeh asked rhetorically already knowing that if she gave Rose the chance the blonde would likely drone on and on until they reached Florida. "Cause really? The only thing thats 'Ace' about you, is how much you can sing your own praises." Alizeh before getting a slightly snide smirk on her face.

"Especially your undeserved ones." Alizeh said with a slight grin, it being no secret at all what she was referring to being Rose's match against Astrid, and the rather... underhanded way the woman across from Alizeh had won it.

Taking another sip of her drink, obnoxiously at that just to make it clear that what Rose had said didn't bother her Alizeh would then continue. "Honestly the only thing I'd be grateful for from you is the chance to kick your ass." Alizeh said, sounding as if she would do what many before her had and challenge Rose, right here and now...

"Though honestly it wouldn't be worth it. Not when I have bigger things to aim for then knocking a bully down a peg or two." Alizeh said changing course and turning on the disinterest towards Rose all together while siting back in her seat. "So I'll be content to watch someone else beat that ass of yours, hag." Alizeh said, emphasizing that last word since Rose had made it a point to mention Alizeh being younger at every turn.

Only seemed fair after all.

[SuckerPunch]

Rose Gold's eyes slowly closed as she brought her functional hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose. Impudence.

She drew in a deep breath and then let it out, her eyes opening lazily as the exhale reached its conclusion. "Yes yes, I get it. I am a very, very bad woman who is also bad at the profession she has dedicated her life to. I also understand how important it is for you to tell me these things, to diminish my accomplishments; in order to make yourself feel less eclipsed." She lethargically tapped her index finger on the bar top three times. "Don't worry. I'm sure you're very special and quite capable. Whoever you are."

"And I'll thank you kindly for not leaping to action and striking me down where I sit. It's very gracious of you to pardon me." The words came out in an acidic drone. "If you want to pick a fight, do it somewhere else. I'm sure plenty of other nobodies would be more than happy to engage in a catfight on the deck with you. Then the lot of you can greet the Coast Guard at the next port."

[Bare]

Alizeh knew her words likely weren't going to phase Rose Gold too much. Thats just how it was with pompous and arrogant people as Alizeh had come to learn in her time as a professional wrestler. So naturally it came as no surprise when the lightweight champion deflected most of what Alizeh had said by lumping it in with the usual criticisms and complaints lobbied against the blonde champion.

But Alizeh wasn't interested in recycling the same criticisms of the woman. No she had her own and would use this chance to air them out. "First of all, I'm not the type to settle issues outside the ring if I can help it, so you can save your breath there." Alizeh said first and fore most before continuing. "Secondly I never said you were a bad wrestler." Alizeh said in what must have been a surprising statement for the champion.

"In fact I'd say you're actually quite skilled..." Alizeh said but despite the seeming compliment a frown marred her face as she turned to stare right at Rose. "Thats just why its so disappointing that you feel like you have to cheat. No one has to even try and diminish your accomplishments. You do it to yourself when you can win it all on your own merit." Alizeh said before turning away again and taking another sip. "Honestly? I kinda feel bad for you." Alizeh added after her sip.

[SuckerPunch]

Oh? So she wasn't all claws. Rose Gold couldn't help but smirk as the uppity youth finally relented. Some of her aggression tapered off, at least for a moment. For a moment, the tension diffused and the defensive blonde took a sip of her water for the sake of refreshment rather than to punctuate a sentence. Though more venom followed shortly after.

"To think that you would lecture me on merit." She scoffed. "What matters is that I win. I play within the rules, or I would be disqualified. Perhaps you would like that I be just a bit less vicious so that my opponent has the opportunity to break my neck, hm?" She took the straw out of her drink and snapped the brittle plastic in half.

"I risk my life every time I get in the ring. It isn't a game to me. It's a war. And I will do everything I need to do to win. In; and out of the ring. I would advise that instead of feeling bad for me, you hone your killer instinct. This sport isn't about handshakes. It's about hurting your opponent until they can't take it anymore. Until either their will or their body breaks. You keep your honor, kitten. And I'll keep my wins." She casually flicked the broken straw behind her.

"I do whatever it takes. And one day, when you meet the woman who pushes you far enough, you will too." She readjusted her posture and pulled up her top, her pert, perky breasts. "That is, if they don't break your neck in doing it."

"Now stop being such a downer. What's the point of wearing that cute little outfit with such a dark cloud over your head?"