L.A.W. - League of Anime Wrestling

Career resurgences were a fickle thing, as it turns out. Some who don't deserve such opportunities get gifted them repeatedly, while those who have earned the right to be brought back into the spotlight may never get so much as a faint glint of that fleeting luminescence once more. Suffice to say that Akino knows exactly where she landed on this bullshit spectrum given it's been several months since her contracted recruitment within LAW and she's yet to even step through the ropes of her first official match. Akino understood that there were other wrestlers within the same languid boat as her who were relegated to untelevised dark matches and training spars for rookie talents, and this was all an established method of ensuring wrestlers were duly prepared for the wrestling spotlight. She just figured that she didn't need to be subjected to any of this due to the undisputed fact that she was the hands down the best fighter in the entire company. That's all. Whatever losses she may have suffered in her previous place of employment were all miraculous flukes which were absolutely impossible of being replicated. And to be quite frank, Akino thoroughly believed she needed a fresh start in a company that didn't remind her of abandoned relationships and thwarted championship title attempts. Nothing but bad memories were awaiting her if she looked over her shoulder, so looking forward was the main objective.


Pleading her case to talent agents and raising justified complaints to the managerial staff only earned Akino petrified withdrawals and repeated excuses about bookers merely waiting for the opportune matchup for a fighter of her specific capabilities. Biding her time was never one of Akino' strongsuits. As a matter of fact, her waning patience was already being thoroughly tested right this very second by this accursed vending machine continuously spitting out the only money she had on hand at the moment. The crinkled up yen she'd earned as her daily wages at the maid cafe she labors within as a second job were the only thing keeping her from obtaining one freaking energy drink, for crying out loud. Akino opting to save time by continuing to wear her stereotypical maid outfit after having finished her shift earlier in the day, eager to once again speak with LAW staff about getting booked into a match against someone she deemed a worthwhile challenge. Someone she could contort into pretzled misery and wrap around her little pinky until...*Reject*...A spiteful swipe of her rejected yen having startled other wrestlers in the LAW training facility with Akino bitterly motioning as if she were about deck the vending machine. But instead, she attempted to feverishly straighten it out along the edge of the machine. A tactic which almost never worked but she had to believe was more fruitful than attempting to kick the plastic window in.

Akino...

Somewhere inside the LAW Arena...

Blonde Blazer

A blonde woman wandered through the halls of the LAW Arena, her wide, curious eyes drifting from one unfamiliar sight to the next. The bright smile on her face and the lively spring in her step made it painfully obvious that she was having considerable difficulty containing her excitement. Tucked beneath one arm was a crumpled bundle of ribbons and wrapping paper, while her other hand carried a plastic bag overflowing with empty bottles, paper cups, snack wrappers, and various other pieces of trash. The wrapping paper could at least be explained by the small welcome gift she had received earlier. As for why she had accumulated enough garbage to fill half a recycling bin... That was anyone’s guess. Whatever the reason, the precarious mound swayed dangerously with every enthusiastic step she took.

Eventually, her aimless exploration led her into one of LAW’s training facilities. Her gaze swept across the room before settling upon a maid standing beside a vending machine, rubbing something vigorously against its edge. The blonde’s eyes immediately lit up as though she had discovered buried treasure. “Oh, perfect..! Are you here to collect these..?” She hurried over with visible relief. “Phew...!” Without waiting for an answer, she bent down and attempted to place the bundle of wrapping paper and the bag of assorted trash neatly in front of the maid.

...*Rustle*... *crinkle*... *clatter*...

“Oops...!” The unstable pile immediately collapsed, scattering bottles and wrappers across the floor in every direction. The blonde froze, then offered an awkward smile that did very little to disguise her clumsiness. Extending one boot, she stopped a rolling bottle before trying to nudge the scattered rubbish back into something resembling an orderly pile. It did not work. If anything, she merely spread it around more evenly. Rising again, she brushed her hands together and turned toward the maid with another sheepish grin. “Haha... They weren’t all mine, promise..! A hero simply can’t walk past a mess when she has two perfectly good hands~~..” Before the maid could offer so much as a word in response, the blonde’s attention shifted toward the vending machine. “That’s an impressive polishing technique, by the way..! Fast, precise, and very... vigorous..” She nodded approvingly.“Every hero needs a good support team, right?” With a hearty laugh, she gave the maid’s upper arm two cheerfully overfamiliar pats.

“Oh! I’m Blonde Blazer, one of LAW’s newest heroes...! Er, wrestlers. A heroic wrestler...? Still working on the wording...” Blazer brought a hand to her chin and stared thoughtfully into the distance. Her gaze soon returned to the petite maid. Noticing that the woman did not appear to have a name tag, and perhaps mistaking the heavy atmosphere surrounding her for simple workplace exhaustion. Blazer rested one reassuring hand upon her shoulder. “People always cheer for the wrestlers, but the people who keep the arena running are heroes too!” She placed her free hand over her heart, delivering the next line with the solemn conviction of someone concluding an inspirational speech. “For what it’s worth, I appreciate everything you do.”

Blazer lingered for a moment, evidently rather pleased with her own words. Then she began to notice the peculiar way she was being looked at. Her confident smile faltered. “Ah... That look isn’t because you think I’m lost, is it...?” Her eyes immediately darted away. “I’m not lost...! I’m conducting a thorough….a patrol.” The statement might have sounded more convincing had she not followed it with a painfully awkward shrug. “Well then... I should probably continue that patrol..!” Blazer raised one hand in farewell and made a hasty retreat before the maid had been given even a single proper opportunity to speak. Her boots squeaked against the polished floor as she departed. She had barely made it a few steps when..

...Screech...

Blazer skidded to an abrupt halt and slowly glanced back over her shoulder.
“By the way... could you tell me where all the wrestlers are...?”