Hot springs for the heavyweights

[skip-stop]

Time to rest.

That's exactly the decision Astrid made today. Due to the fact that recent events have been extremely intense for her, she even forgot about the last time she spent time not on matches, training and so on, but only on herself. Just a few days ago, she had a meeting with fans where she wanted to announce the next contender for her championship title, but she was unceremoniously interrupted by Clara Gaster, who demanded a title match at the upcoming Halloween PPV. After that, red tape began, which took away too much emotional energy from the Norwegian woman. So today the Golden Dragon decided to put all worries aside and just relax.

And her choice fell on the hot springs. Not so long ago, she accidentally met with Lunara in Victoria's office, it was the hentai lover who told her about this place on the outskirts of Tokyo. This place had two important features. Foreigners were warmly welcomed here, bypassing the traditional rules of Japan. And there were always very few people. The Norwegian woman no longer considered herself a lone wolf, because not so long ago she had friends in the person of Charlotte and Nerissa, but now she hoped to spend some time in peace and quiet.

"Konbanwa!" She greeted the receptionist.

After paying for two hours at the hot springs, the blonde received two towels and a locker key, after which she headed to the locker room. When Astrid heard from the receptionist that there were no other visitors here right now, she broke into a big smile. The last time she wanted to be alone, she was caught off guard by the white-haired guy who, as if in a cheap novel, decided to challenge her for the heart of the woman with whom Astrid went on a date. As it easily to guess, Astrid really didn't want something like this to happen today.

Entering the locker room, she went to her locker and put the bag on the bench. Slowly, the blonde began to take off her clothes. Being completely naked, she involuntarily looked at her arms and legs. Bruises could still be seen here and there. It would be a lie on her part to say that she has never thought about whether her aspirations are worth the trials she puts her body through. However, each time Astrid remained confident that her path was absolutely right.

Astrid Arvidsson

With her back to the locker room door, Astrid put on her bikini bottom, then proceeded to tie her bikini top. Despite the desire to plunge into hot water as soon as possible, she was not in a hurry, after all, she has a whole two hours to give her body a well-deserved rest and think about everything that awaits her in the future.

[Bearhug Goddess]

Ambre had been at LAW for several months and she had experienced things as a beginner wrestler, both good and bad. She performed very well, attracted the attention of several people and provoked Astrid Ostberg, the former Heavyweight champion, to prove to people that she was capable of aiming for the title. But Astrid accepted the match under certain conditions and it was advantageous conditions for Ambre, she was still a rookie a few months before and had to train even more and gain experience before facing her. The Black Pearl knew her biggest shortcomings, her endurance and her lack of technique and she worked on them for days without relaxing her bodybuilding training, her strength remained her greatest quality.

After spending her day at the gym training, Ambre decided to train her cardio by doing a little running, this would also help her get to know the city better in which she had been living since she joined LAW. Thinking about it, Ambre didn't have time to enjoy Japan, except for this evening she spent in a bar with friends which ended in a fight against Cecilia Northman. She would have liked to visit certain neighborhoods, certain places or even meet people, her passion for wrestling was sincere but perhaps took up a little too much space in her life.

After a few hours of jogging, the French girl starts to slow down and stops near a building that she only saw in films or certain anime, hot springs. It was a completely new place for Ambre, there was no such place in France. The remorse of knowing nothing about this country and being able to experience some unique things made Ambre hesitate, who really liked her little hot bath in the evening before going to bed... But she quickly made a decision, she had nothing to wasted trying the hot springs and from what she had heard, it was more relaxing than a bath.

“H-Hello !..”

Despite her size, Ambre always seemed hesitant when she had to talk to a new person she didn't know. She was welcomed by the receptionist and after a little discussion where the French woman asked a lot of questions about how the hot springs worked, she paid for a one-hour session and two towels. She then put her things in the locker and luckily she always had a bikini in her bag, you never know what could happen.

"Thank you Madam !"

Ambre Brault

Ambre wrapped one towel around herself while the other held onto her shoulder. She walks towards the water before barely having set foot outside she meets the look of a person she didn't like at all who was starting to dive into the water. Even though Ambre was drunk last, she remembered very well the name of the muscular blonde who had beaten her by using her back to destroy tables in a restaurant, Cecilia Northman. She didn't notice the tattoo, her anger was starting to take over and her tone rose to call the one she believed to be her enemy.

“What are you doing here, bitch ?!”

[skip-stop]

After finishing with her bikini, Astrid took both towels and calmly walked towards the large sliding doors. Being in a very good mood, she was determined to have a good and quiet time. Besides, even though she had heard a lot about hot springs, this was her first visit, so she wanted to fully enjoy it. When the blonde pushed the door aside, she caught herself thinking that goosebumps ran down her back.

"Oh..." she said softly to herself, once outside.

Yes, compared to Norway, Japan is a completely different world. Every time she discovered something new, she felt real admiration. Hot springs are no exception. Closing the door behind her, Astrid took a few steps forward on the wooden floor and looked around. Up to this point, she had only seen similar places in pictures and anime. The descendant of the great Vikings caught herself thinking that she definitely should thank Lunara for suggesting such an unusual and beautiful place to her.

Placing a large towel on the bench, Astrid took a wooden bucket and filled it with cold water, then dipped her small towel into it. Taking her time, the blonde carried the bucket closer to the water. Once she was next to the stone pool, she felt how hot the water was. But before entering the water, she allowed herself to close her eyes and take a few deep breaths. This place had an incredibly peaceful atmosphere and she wanted to enjoy it. Yes, that was exactly what she needed. Sometimes it's useful to be alone, because it's a good way to put your thoughts in order.

Unfortunately, the idyll that Astrid was experiencing ended much earlier than she expected, the reason for this was that she heard someone push the door aside behind her. Due to the fact that she was standing with her back to the one who had just entered the hot springs, it was impossible to see her face, but the fact was that the smile slipped from Astrid's face. She barely had the strength not to start groaning in annoyance.

Again. This is the second time she has been prevented from being alone. It was really annoying. Only after the blonde took a deep breath she tried to calm down. You have to look for something good in everything. At least this time there was no chance that this was another white-haired guy who had come to challenge her for Belinda's heart. Thinking about it, Astrid convinced herself that the new visitor would not spoil her evening.

But then she heard the words that first made her eyes widen and then her fists clench.

Yes, of course, she was not a holy person. During the time she spent in LAW, she managed to make several enemies, not to mention that she crossed the path of influential figures from the top of the federation countless times. It hadn't been that serious for her before, but after she became a champion... circumstances had changed and now some considered her a tidbit. In one motion, the Norwegian woman turned around, still holding her fists clenched.

"It's customary to say such bold words to the face, huh..." she said.

She ran her eyes over the stranger from head to toe. She didn't know this woman personally. But it just so happened that she knew exactly who it was. Not so long ago, Astrid didn't care who she could meet in the ring except those who occupied the highest positions in LAW. However, her manager, Victoria, insisted that Astrid looked at the profiles of those who could potentially claim her title from time to time. That's why Astrid knew who was standing in front of her. Ambre Brault, also known as the Black Pearl. The only question was, why did this woman decide that throwing such words at the champion's back was a good idea?

"Did I break a bottle over your sister's head when I was drunk or something?" Still clenching her fists, Astrid asked, trying to find the reason why a woman she didn't know called her a bitch.

[Bearhug Goddess]

Barely a few seconds after opening the large sliding door to the hot springs and taking a few steps, Ambre noticed a silhouette from behind that was unfortunately familiar to her. Long blond hair, shoulders, arms and a muscular back, it had to be Cecilia Northman! It really wasn't the right time to meet one of her enemies again outside the ring, in fact, the situation was very similar to when they first met in a restaurant except that this time, it was It was Ambre who opened the hostilities.

The French woman was greatly humiliated during their brawl and her back was still suffering because of all the tables she had broken. It wasn't often that Ambre had enemies and Cecilia was surely the first of many. Even though fighting in the hot springs was forbidden, Ambre was not going to miss this chance to get revenge and she walked towards her opponent with clenched fists, tapping her feet against the slightly wet ground to show her anger.

But when the famous blonde turned around with her fists clenched to face the Frenchwoman, the face was no longer the same. Whether this evening the eyes, the nose, the cheeks, the eyebrows, the bangs or even that tattoo on her arm, the blonde in front of her was not Cecilia at all and Ambre had just insulted another person. She stopped walking and unclenched her fists, she could recognize her purple eyes among all, the woman in front of her was none other than the Golden Dragon, the current champion of the Openweight belt, Astrid Arvidsson.

"Oh ?! Oooh !..."

It was... Awkward. The French woman's anger had suddenly disappeared but Astrid's anger would not go away without a good explanation after this insult. Ambre was lost in her thoughts for a few seconds before sighing heavily and owning up to what she had done as an honest person and apologizing to the woman in front of her by lowering her head and lowering her shoulders to show that she didn't want to be hostile.

"I apologize for the insult... I mistook you for someone else... You look a lot like Cecilia Northman from behind, I am sincerely sorry..."

Apologizing was normal in this kind of situation and Ambre was prepared for the worst. Maybe her apologies wouldn't be enough and Astrid would at least like to give her a blow to release her anger, Ambre was totally wrong and deserved it one way or another. All she hoped was to not make Astrid her enemy, she didn't want to be the enemy of one of the many wrestlers she admired at LAW.

[skip-stop]

After Astrid turned to face Ambre, the brown-haired woman immediately stopped. Moreover, there was an expression of utter bewilderment on her face. She started babbling something under her breath. And although Astrid raised her left eyebrow, being slightly surprised by this reaction, her own expression remained frowning. Having heard the insult in her back, she counted on either an explanation of the reasons for this act, or a fight. Despite her fiery temperament, in this case she would have preferred the first option since she did not intend to use her fists today. However, if fighting was the only option, then she wasn't going to avoid it.

Ambre's face was noticeably flushed even though she hadn't gotten into the hot water yet. She finally started talking and by the time she finished, Astrid's second eyebrow had joined the first one and was also raised. She had to blink a few times to make sure she heard everything correctly. But as soon as the absurdity of this situation dawned on her, she laughed good-naturedly.

"Phah!"

The frown on her face was replaced by a smile. She might not be a skilled mentalist, but she had no doubts about Ambre's sincerity. Besides, as funny as it was, it wasn't the first time she had been mistaken for Cecilia. The blonde unclenched her fists and took a step towards the Frenchwoman.

"Ceci has a talent for making enemies, doesn't she?" She asked a rhetorical question.

Although Ambre did not mention out loud that the Swedish woman was her enemy, it became more than obvious from the first words she threw at Astrid's back. The descendant of the great Vikings was well aware of who Cecilia was. Albeit indirectly, it was Cecilia who contributed to Astrid's debut match.

"You know, when I just arrived at LAW, I wanted to make a loud statement, something like kicking down the door so that the whole federation would understand who they would have to deal with," Astrid decided to smooth out the corners of their awkward situation with this little story. "I heard about Cecilia's conflict with Alison Seong and decided that this was a great opportunity, so when Alison challenged Cecilia to a match during her promo, I came out from behind the scenes first and thereby stole the match from Ceci, since then I have heard many times that I should watch my back, huh."

The blonde decided to keep silent about the fact that she also went on a date with Cecilia's younger sister, Belinda. Unlike the story she had just told, this was more sensitive information that Ambre absolutely did not need to know. At least for now. Instead, Astrid held out her right hand.

"Astrid Arvidsson, huh!" She introduced herself, offering Ambre a handshake.

[Bearhug Goddess]

As Ambre prepared to receive a blow for this affront, she was slightly surprised to see that Astrid huffed with laughter before approaching her. She obviously noticed the blonde's fists unclench and understood that the misunderstanding had just been resolved without violence and the Frenchwoman sighed reassuredly.

"Hmm.."

As she was about to answer Astrid's rhetorical question, she didn't give her time to respond and continued speaking, revealing the beginning of her career as a wrestler. As a fan, Ambre could only stay silent and look at Astrid with stars in her eyes to listen to her and learn more about her. It hadn't even been a year since Ambre had joined LAW, she didn't know the debut of the most famous wrestlers in her league but she had been able to see some of their matches.

While Ambre was lost in thought, remembering Astrid's matches that she had seen, notably her match against Astrid Ostberg for the defense of her Openweight title which was her most recent match, Astrid introduced herself and offered her hand for a handshake.

"Oh ! Ambre Brault! Nice to meet you miss Ardvisson!"

As with Astrid Ostberg or Alaina Sander-Haines, Ambre spoke to them by their last name and not by their first name. She may have been fighting in the same league and weight division, Ambre was still new to LAW and didn't have the popularity and experience that those wrestlers had. She squeezed Astrid's hand while looking into her eyes, still a little embarrassed by the misunderstanding that happened a few seconds ago, her fault.

"I didn't expect to meet the openweight belt here... I was able to see your match against miss Ostberg, you both were incredible and congratulations on your victory !.."

She shyly released Astrid's hand before wiping her forehead with her arm and playing with her hair.

"Can I sit in the water with you? It's my first time in the Hot Springs..."

[skip-stop]

When their hands joined in a handshake, Astrid immediately felt a strong and confident grip. This emphasized not only the impressive physical form of the Frenchwoman, but also her temperament. Astrid could only smile and respond to Ambre with the same firm grip. Yes, the blonde definitely liked strong women with a strong temperament. Now, despite the fact that she originally wanted to spend time alone, she was clearly happy with the fact that she would have company for the evening.

"The pleasure is all mine, Ambre," she nodded after Ambre formally introduced herself. "And, please, just Astrid, okay?"

Whether it was simple politeness or the brown-haired woman said it because of Astrid's champion status, such addressing was unusual for her. She did not think that because of her status everyone around her should address her by her last name. Therefore, she hoped that her small request would not cause Ambre any discomfort. After all, they are here for recreation, not for top-level negotiations.

"Yeah, life sometimes brings surprises, huh!" Astrid chuckled slightly when Ambre mentioned that she did not expect to meet a champion here. "Ah, so you watched it!" The blonde was flattered by Ambre's next words. "Thank you, Ostberg is an outstanding woman, perhaps I can even say that at this moment the match against her is the hardest not only in my career, but also in my life."

Releasing Ambre's hand, Astrid took a smooth step back. She couldn't resist taking another quick look at the Frenchwoman from head to toe. Despite her outstanding muscles, Astrid was not a really big woman for a heavyweight. Ambre, in her turn, possessed both muscles and mass. It is not surprising that this woman was moving forward on the career ladder with long strides.

"Of course!" The blonde nodded with a slight smile. "This is my first visit too, so it turns out we'll be each other's guests, huh!" Astrid turned around and headed for the stone pool. "By the way, you should dip your small towel in cold water."

Stopping at the edge, the Norwegian woman took out her own small towel from the wooden bucket of cold water, which she had placed there in advance. After that, she finally did what she was going to do before Ambre appeared. The blonde dipped her foot into the hot water and exhaled with pleasure.

"Oooohhhh..."

Soon her other foot was in the water too. Even now, she felt her body filling with warmth. It burned her skin, but at the same time it was incredibly pleasant. Astrid took a few steps forward, and then turned to face Ambre.

"Join!"

With this simple word, Astrid pressed her back against the stone wall of the pool and sank down on her butt, thereby almost completely submerging her body in the water. It was an incredible feeling. There was only one thing that could make it better. Carefully folding her cold towel, the blonde put it on her forehead. Now her body was enjoying the hot water, and her head was reliably protected from overheating.

[Bearhug Goddess]

Despite the small confrontation and the tension at the beginning, the French woman completely forgot all the bad things that had happened a few seconds before and displayed a small smile on her face. She felt good, probably thanks to Astrid's natural charisma which was even more impressive face to face than from the stage, but perhaps also a little thanks to where she was. It was relaxing, Astrid managed to give confidence to the little French girl who was not used to meeting any other wrestler outside of LAW.

She remained silent, nodding her head at the end of each sentence Astrid spoke, preferring to listen to her idol with big starry eyes while remembering the famous match she was talking about and Astrid Ostberg, the The former heavyweight champion that Ambre challenged a few months ago for Fight the LAW. The match was fast approaching and Ambre continued to train for this match, she was still sorely lacking in experience compared to the great LAW wrestlers.

“Hm hm…”

She was slightly lost in thought for a few seconds until Astrid's words came to mind, the towel. Ambre had actually forgotten to wet her small towel with cold water as the lady at reception had told her.

"Oh yes! I completely forgot, thank you!"

She rushed to dip her small towel in the cold water and returned to the large hot spring where Astrid was, dropping her towel to reveal the rest of her bodybuilder body and her bikini before walking into the water and sit with your back against the edge. Unlike the rest of the heavyweights, Ambre was rather small. She was only 177 centimeters tall and still decided to have a powerhouse style thanks to her power and raw strength.

"Ahhhhh... Hmmm..."

She sighed long, finally enjoying her famous hot bath which was indeed more pleasant than a simple hot one. She looked towards Astrid, noticing that the small cold towel was on her forehead and did the same, smiling a little embarrassed after all her little blunders.

"Hmm... What's taking you to the hot springs today ? Do you want to relax after a long and exhausting workout ?.."

[skip-stop]

Ambre looked impressive even with most of her body wrapped in a towel, but when her large towel fell to the wooden floor, Astrid had to make some effort not to whistle. The Norwegian woman has always had a weakness for strong women and although they have not yet met in the ring, she was clearly impressed by Ambre's physical form. Besides, she had no reason to doubt this woman's skills, Victoria would never have added her to the list of those with whom Astrid could to meet in a fight if Ambre had not claimed a place in the top league.

Enjoying the hot water, the blonde first smiled when Ambre also plunged into the water, and then closed her eyes for a moment. The cold towel on his forehead created an incredible contrast of sensations. Hot from below, cold from above. Even if Astrid tried to recall, she would hardly be able to tell when the last time she felt so relaxed.

"Oh?" Ambre's question seemed to bring her back to reality. "Huh, no no, I didn't have a workout today."

As Astrid herself often said, if she is not in the ring, then most likely she can be found either in the gym or in a bar. Today's visit to the hot springs was an exception to her schedule because she desperately needed to rest. Hardly anyone would call her too disciplined, but the fact was that Astrid rarely broke her usual daily routine.

"You see, today I decided to give myself a day off from everything," the blonde honestly admitted. "Don't take this as a complaint on my part, but after I was entrusted with the golden belt, there was a lot more stress in my life." Astrid lifted her head slightly, looking up at the open dark sky above them. "And although I'm not used to giving myself indulgences, I don't want to break down ahead of time, so I thought one day of rest would be very useful for me."

Astrid did not mention that she was going to spend the evening alone. She didn't want Ambre to feel awkward, besides, after their tensed but funny situation, the Norwegian woman was only glad that she now had company to spend the evening with. A few years ago, she would hardly have confided in a stranger, but that Astrid was in the past. Thanks to her new friends, she has become a much more social person. However, the status of the champion also played a role in this, she would be lying if she denied it.

"What about you, Ambre?" Astrid smiled again and winked at the Frenchwoman. "Since you asked me about a workout, I suppose this is exactly your case, did you decide to give your amazing muscles a good rest after training?"

[Bearhug Goddess]

Ambre had never been able to speak to a champion face to face to better understand what life was like and what it felt like to be a champion, so she had a somewhat childish opinion on it. She didn't expect Astrid to say that kind of thing to her and it worried her slightly, she even wondered if she was bothering her and understood that being champion was not something easy and it was not enough just to be strong. She remained slightly lost in thought while listening to Astrid until the question was returned to her.

"Yes.. I've been training hard for the last six months because I have an important match in a few weeks..."

She raised both hands to remove the water from them and shook them lightly in front of her, a little in panic.

"Wait, I'm not saying that my opponents before weren't important! They are all powerful and incredible! But.."

She relaxed a little and placed one of her hands in the hot water again, using her second hand to wrap her hair around her finger. She was preparing to confide in Astrid and her smile was rather embarrassed.

"But I challenged Astrid Ostberg for Fight The LAW. She is one of my idols, just like you, and I hope to be up to the task against her. I want to show that I am capable of being a champion in beating a former champion! That way, everyone will take my ambitions seriously and I will also be considered a real wrestler!"

Even though Ambre was a monster of muscle and power, she was generally shy and didn't dare say much. But this time, her eyes were serious and sincere, and for the first time that evening, the French woman spoke without pause and without thinking about her next words. She meant everything she said, just like that day when she provoked Astrid by speaking in front of everyone.

But something seemed to torment Ambre , who let herself fall into the water, decomposing in the water leaving her body bathed in it up to her chin.

"But I shouldn't have provoked all the former heavyweight champions and all those seeking the title... Fortunately this part didn't make too much noise..!"

Ambre had to admit, she was very confident that day thanks to Astrid's words and she spoke a little without thinking. Not many people had noticed her but she had challenged a good number of heavyweights, it wasn't something ordinary but since she had been at LAW for almost a year now, no one had really taken notice of her words seriously. This was one of the reasons why this match against Ostberg was important for her, she was going to prove to everyone that she was serious in her words and her ambitions.

But Ambre was intrigued, she knew that she did not yet have the makings of a champion. She was strong and determined but she lacked this maturity and wisdom which differentiated an ordinary champion from an incredible champion admired by all. She fully expected to be more gracious to Astrid, sitting up by arranging the towel on her forehead and looking at Astrid with a slightly more confident air and a little peaceful smile after having confided.

In addition, Ambre was not used to talking with other wrestlers, she was able to have some interactions but nothing concrete except with two people. The Frenchwoman spent the majority of her time training, which explains why she had so little relationship with the other wrestlers. So she didn't really know how to react to other wrestlers, she was both admired by some but was also their rivals because of her ambitions.

"I hope that this break will do you a lot of good and I hope that it will not impact your future matches... I will always be there to see you defend your title and maybe one day I will even be there challenger ! I hope to see you at your best !.. Besides, if I bother you or if you don't want to talk about LAW I can leave or change the discussion... I really won't bother you during your break..."