One thing to the Next - Drifter/Clara

[thesteedman]

Some days had passed since Kay first met up with Clara in the hospital. The two had kept in touch via texts a fair amount, often messaging late on in the day. It was all largely trivial things, "how was your day?" "You still training?" "How about that awful weather?!" , but it was good to stay in touch and just have someone to talk to. Eventually, Drifter thought to actually phone Clara, thinking it would be better to talk to her and perhaps arrange another meeting. They had gabbed for a good hour, giggling over stories and encounters, before Drifter popped the question about a potential meet up, or even a spar. After a little consideration, Clara seemed up for a spar... which led to now.

Kay had arrived a little early on schedule, such was her nature, to a local LAW gym. It was late in the evening, and dark clouds were beginning to form in the sky above. It probably explained why it was pretty empty today. A few wrestlers had been present when Drifter arrived, but they had since vacated in the hour Kay had been in the gym, looking to get ahead of the downpour.
"Really should have checked the weather shouldn't I?" Drifter whispered under her breath, but at least she was safe from the potential downpour within the confines of the gym. Hopefully the session would take no more than an hour and both Kay and Clara could escape and be home before it hit. That was... if Clara was going to turn up. She had heard no word from the Brit and the signal wasn't exactly fantastic in the gym. She was running behind a good half an hour, though Kay was quietly confident she was probably just held up.

She had warmed up and done a little training herself during the time, climbing into the ring and doing a few work outs to pass the time. There was a nervousness developing in her core, and she couldn't explain why. The more time that passed, a little more would this knot develop and spread. Drifter would no doubt appear quite different to Clara when she came... for one, there had been a significant change in Kay's hair colour since their last meeting. Something she did not share and wanted Clara to see first hand. Instead of the fiery red highlights that dominated over her black hair, they had been replaced with a brilliant and deep blue, something Drifter had treated herself too after receiving her first paycheck. Really... she should have got new shoes instead with her limited budget. Her sneakers had seen much better days... In truth she needed a whole new wardrobe, and perhaps even a wrestling attire.

Right now, she was dressed in a white sports bra, revealing much of her stunning and athletic build with shoulders and midriff left bare having tied her checked shirt loosely around her hips. Dark combats coated most of her legs, cutting off just below her knees to leave her shins exposed. She stood barefoot in the ring, her attire completed only by a black glove and a red wrap she had secured around her left wrist. A matching red shade anklet also was secured upon her right leg. Her coat, her sneakers and her rucksack were resting at ringside, holding what little other belongings she called her own.

Having warmed up enough, Kay soon retreated to the turnbuckle of the sparring ring. It was an impressive size, a replica of the real thing in the LAW arena so that the wrestlers could train and practise on the actual size. The ropes were sturdy and secure, and when Kay leaned against the multicoloured bands, she felt like they were going to catapult her to the other side with ease. She tested the turnbuckle itself, slowly climbing up and testing the height. Drifter was always in awe of the high flyers, of how fast they could dart up and scale the corner, before flipping off at an opponent who might not even be there when they land. She felt a tad unsteady on the top, given there was not a lot of room for footing.

A door opened suddenly on the other side of the gym, and Drifter yelped, losing her balance before ungracefully slipping and collapsing like an unsteady stack of Jenga. She hit the mat with an awkward thud, grimacing... however, knowing that someone was entering the gym she quickly shifted her posture, making herself lean with her elbow against the ring and her hand holding her head. She crossed her legs and turned towards the familiar figure that entered, playing it cool and making it look like she had just been chilling the whole time.
"Sup?" Kay whispered, knowing very well she had probably been spotted falling off.

[Vc0m]

A couple of weeks after she met Katherine Scarlett for the first time, the 2 girls were close in touch, especially during Clara's hospital check ups as Kathy offered to come with her on occasion. The Brit's recovery after her deadly match went smoothly, and soon enough, she was allowed back in the ring, well rested and ready for her first round match, where she defeated...and, was subsequently was attacked backstage by, Adriana Scarlett (no relation to her new friend).

Thankfully, her sister saved her that time, leaving her simply incredibly sore after her match, avoiding another injury. Clara easily treated her younger sister to a meal for saving her, still bearing in mind that she owed her one for this.

Despite feeling sore, this wouldn't stop her from coming to the appointed sparring session she had scheduled with Kay, having not seen her friend in a while, her mind fully focused on training for the Lightweight tourney.

And while her injury wouldn't stop the spar...it seemed like a traffic in a bad weather would:

"Oh no no no no no...I am going to be late!", Clara exclaimed, looking at the clock in her car, reading 6:55, scheduling their training at 7.

With the traffic moving at snails pace, and Clara still having a street to drive through to get to the LAW licensed gym, she decided to leave her car on a nearby street, grab her umbrella and clothes, and simply run down the street in the starting rain.

Clara managed to arrive soon enough, late by 20 minutes...but at least, in the place. She would spare no time heading to the dressing room, quickly changing into her yellow sports bra and shorts (and, upon deliberation, leaving her mask) as she ran inside the wrestling room of the gym, the one containing all the rings meant for sparring.

As she bolted in...

...she saw Kay, sitting on the canvas of one of the rings, completely missing the moment of her friend falling down:

"Hello, Kathy!...oh!", Clara would exclaim, as she quickly entered the ring:

"New hair?"

[thesteedman]

Kay couldn't stop the warm smile from forming upon her lips when Clara finally arrived. A small part of her had been expecting her to half the mask on and enter as GASTER, though quietly Kay was glad that Clara chose not to, able to see her beautiful features not contained by a mask. It was a little unreal seeing Clara in such a way however, seeing the young woman clad in a yellow sports bra and dark shorts. It was an attire GASTER had worn in the ring at times, yet... this wasn't GASTER but the woman behind the Monika. Kay couldn't help but take a quick glance upon how much skin was exposed upon Clara, seeing as the sports bra covered only her chest, whilst shorts completed the attire. She had to fight a blush, as Kay quite enjoyed the sight of Clara's figure on display.

Kay bit on her lower lip, using the turnbuckle and ropes to pull herself up. Judging from Clara's reaction, it seemed she might have got away with her humiliating fall. That or Clara was being nice enough to pretend she did not notice.
"New hair? Nah it's the same hair, just a different colour." Kay mentioned, approaching Clara as she entered the ring. She realised how silly she sounded and how bad her attempt at a joke was, rubbing the back of her own head in an awkward manner before she faced Clara again.
"Thought it was time for a lil change, I've had red highlights slapped on my head since forever, thought blue might be cool. Do... you like it?" Kay queried, having actually forgotten her look had changed since last the two met.

"I'm glad you came, I've actually been kind of looking forwards to doing this. It's good to see you back in the ring again especially. Saw your match against Adrianna, you did fantastic... Don't worry, she's not related to me or anything, so you can kick her ass any day." Drifter added, keeping a warm smile before she stretched her back and arms a little to loosen up.
"Right then! How does this work? You're the expert between us!" Drifter mentioned with a pleasant tone, taking a few steps back to put a little distance between the two.

[Vc0m]

Clara hardly noticed how Kathy blushed at her appearance (as well as completely missing her accidental fall off of the top turnbuckle (though slightly confused over her pose as she entered). As she approached the Drifter, however, her cheeks would also redden, Kay looking quite cute in her simple attire that still revealed quite a lot of her body, including her midriff.

Once she rolled inside the ring the blush would've all but faded as she rolled inside, Kay answering about her new hair colour, the Brit giggling in response as her friend stood up.

"I-I do! Very much so! It suits you, Kathy!", the Brit nodded positively at Kay.

The talk then went, naturally, to the two women's job, Katherine congratulating Clara on advancing in the Lightweight tourney...and clearing something up for her that she's been wondering for a little bit after she met Adriana - the question of were her and the Drifter related. She nodded at Kay praising her during the match: "Hahaha...thanks...but I think I'll put Adriana on list of people I don't wanna face like Baroness..."

As Kay was ready to start training, Clara would ask her: "You alright if we start with a simple spar? A normal match, till one of us gets pinned, submitted, or requests a break?"

[thesteedman]

"Sounds like a plan. I should give you warning though, I don't know what submit even means." Kay joked with a smile, hopping up and down a little as she readied herself and raised her guard. "Don't hold back too much, but... don't like, annihilate me either. You know... find a nice balance kind of deal."[/color] Kay further spoke, rather awkwardly as she pulled a comical yet adorable expression. She clashed her knuckles together with a few firm bumps, her brawler roots showing from the get go. The Canadian imitated a bell ringing, before she cautiously began to approach Clara, wearing a pleasant smile. She had been looking forwards to this, It was Kay's intent not to go full on against Clara, but if the Brit let her guard down too much or underestimated her she probably would give her a firm body blow to keep the girl on her toes.

When the two finally closed the distance, Clara's experience in the ring was revealed instantly. Before Drifter could even attempt any form of strike or takedown like approach, Clara was upon her, getting in close and personal to bring the spar to her own level. Drifter near yelped as Clara's hands grasped at her shoulders, forcing Drifter's feet to slide against the ring as she locked up. Naturally, Drifter found she had to struggle back, and met Clara's grasp with one of her own, initiating a classic wrestlers lock up. This was not where Kay wanted to be, as she had little to no experience in such a stance. She felt Clara wrestle for control, and so Kay put force into her own struggles, battling for control in the grapple. It felt like this was what Clara wanted, and Kay tried to keep herself ready for anything. Though she couldn't help but blush a little as Clara's beautiful features were close to her own.

"I know this one... this is a lockup isn't it?" Kay yelped out with excitement. "You know how I fight don't you? You sneaky thing. You're trying to stop me from booping you with a strike. I swear I won't boop you too hard." Kay further spoke with a giggle, assuming Clara was not just looking to gain position, but to avoid Drifter's strongpoint, her striking game.

[Vc0m]

"Oh? Well...we'll have a problem finishing this then...", Clara stuck her tongue out at Kay's comment, obviously joking, and ready to end the spar at a moments notice. She nodded at the Drifter's request to not take her too lightly, but also not to go too overboard, she wouldn't want to make her friend end up in a hospital. She smiled honestly at her friend's adorable expression, before both girls took battle stances, as the battle was on!

Carefully, Clara approached Kathy, before quickly locking up with the blunette, engaging her in a Collar and Elbow tie up! Kat would let out a cute yelp as she slid towards the ropes behind her, before trying to plant her feet into the canvas to fight back. Clara wore a determined look on her face, trying to wrestle Kay towards the ropes, while hoping to encourage her friendly rival to beat her!

"Mggghh...I...did take a look at your profile...grapplers do have a bit of advantage against strikers...", Clara explained: "So if you want to boop me...you'll have to work for it!", Clara finished, keeping the pressure up on Kay as she exerted her strength on her cute friend!

[thesteedman]

"Oh wow! I have a profile? That's pretty cool!" Kay exclaimed. Given her circumstances, The Drifter did not exactly have a lot of access to things like the Internet. That and her experience with computers was basic at best. Though Irelia did have a top of the range PC in her home, Drifter didn't dare go near it as it was not her own. Given all the interviews from the staff, it made sense that there would be a profile of her for the LAW for all to see. Drifter was curious to know what it looked like and would have to check it out when she had the chance.

"Hope it says nice things about me. Maybe I should check out your profile too. I bet you have a really cool picture." Drifter whispered between a few grunts of exertion as she struggled for control in the grapple against the fellow lightweight. Clara's experience shown, with Kay feeling herself being pressed back towards the ropes. Though lacking technique, Kay was gifted with a raw amount of determination, and slowly but surely enough, she began to press back against Clara, looking to retake position in the centre of the ring. There was a lot of wasted movement from Kay as she struggled to control the grapple, though there was certainly method and experience in what would otherwise look like inexperience.

She wrestled more with instinct than anything else, but Clara could feel Kay putting up quite the struggle. An indication that Kay had a lot of experience with grapples even if she lacked technique.
"You're stronger than you look. Not.. that you don't look strong... It's just... well... it feels like you can handle yourself." Kay couldn't help but compliment despite the awkward start to it. Being up close and personal with Clara, Kay was able to get a better look upon her stunning features, doing her best to fight a blush from materialising upon her cheeks given her angelic face was nearing her own. She could tell the British wrestler was holding back, and in truth Kay was not exactly exerting her full strength either given it was a spar... but there was enough power there to force some grunts from the brawler as she tried to wrestle control of the grapple, looking to press forwards in an attempt to drive Clara towards one of the nearby turnbuckles.

[Vc0m]

As Clara and Kathy pushed against one another, they also managed to have a little conversation on the LAW Profiles: "Huff...yep! The profile improves the more matches you have, including details on your match record and even your finishing moves and styles...huff...", she would tell her.

Right as the Brit drove Kay into the ropes, she blushed at the mention of her profile: "I-I haven't checked it out in a while...". She really hoped that the LAW site editors didn't put some sort of revealing or suggestive pic of her onto the site...

With a bit of determination, the Blunette would power out of the ropes, forcing the two of them back into the middle of the ring as both girls struggled for initial control of the match!

"Heh...you are also quite strong...but...", Clara blushed at the compliment, and noticing that Kay was managing to overpower her towards her own turnbuckle, knowing it was time to step up her game.

Clara would attempt to steer her body to spin around Katherine, to get behind the blunette and wrap her arms around her waist for a waistlock:

"Both strength and skill matter!"

With that, Clara would attempt to sweep Kay off her feet, attempting to bring the blunette down onto the canvas onto her stomach with a Waistlock Takedown!

[thesteedman]

"Ooof! Ouch, you got me good!" Kay felt the wind leave her lungs as Clara forced her down to the ground with a precise and well executed takedown. She had walked right into such a move, showing lack of experience against a real wrestler like Clara/GASTER who was able to use her own strength and momentum against her. Still, Clara could have been a lot harsher with an large choice of moves from her position, and it was certainly a lesson learned. Clara was showing a good balance for the spar... Kay had sparred with a few other wrestlers, and they had barely held back against the rookie. From Clara, she felt like she was actually learning something instead of just being tossed around.

As such, Kay giggled, slowly shifting up to her knees. Clara was being very forgiving as she could have easily continued an assault whilst Kay was down on her stomach. However, Kay figured it was time for her to show Clara a little something that she knew. Having been in plenty of brawls and brutal punch ups, Kay had picked up a few tricks, one or two that were suitable for wrestling that matched her style. It was a cheap move, but Kay performed it quite playfully and safely, quickly taking Clara's legs to perform a takedown of her own instead of rising up to start again. Kay got close to her, wrapping her arms around her thighs just above her knees, pulling back and lifting to take her off her feet.

Again there was a lot of wasted movement, but this time more purposeful to prevent Clara from slamming down, but rather almost being placed. Given the positioning there was little Clara could do to prevent herself being forced down to the ground, especially with Kay being as cunning as she was. With Clara being placed on her back, Kay was quick to close the distance, getting on top of Clara in a potential guard position, as then playfully pretended to give a few jabs towards her head. None of the strikes even connected as Kay managed a giggle.
"I'm not too bad at takedowns myself. It's probably one of the only things I'll be good at. Though I like what you did, I'm definitely gonna' use that one against someone. Takedowns is one thing, grappling seems like a whole other level of exploration." Kay whispered, managing a pleasant smile.

She looked to get back onto her feet, offering Clara a hand.
"I'm sorry about that little sneak attack. I just wanted to get a move in before you start dominating the ring. Maybe there's a lesson there though, never ever let your guard down." Kay added. She found she was quickly starting to enjoy this, something she could not say about previous spars she had endured with several heavyweights.

[Vc0m]

Clara made sure to go slightly easier on Kay, knowing that, while the girl had a bit of skill, she still had a bit of issue competing in matches. As such, while she started things off against her like she usually would in a match, her moves would be slightly softer, like tossing Kay on the canvas with less momentum than she usually would.

The Brit would release her Canadian friend from captivity, waiting for her to get back on her feet: "We are starting off easy...but I'll ramp things up in no time. Stay on your toes", she would advise the blunette.

The moment the spar started anew however, was when Kat actually managed to surprise Clara, rushing forward and sweeping her feet from under her with a Double Leg Takedown!

With Kay having the height advantage on Clara, the Blunette Canadian easily succeeded in her surprise attack with her reach on the Shadow Lord. Still, much like Clara, Kay started things off easier than she would've in a real match, Clara softly landing on her back with the help of her sparring partner as Kay mounted her.

She instinctively covered her head...but the punches reaching her arm barely felt like a thing, Kay intentionally whiffing punches, Kay giggling to make it clear to Clara she didn't have an ill intent with her actions.

"Heh...Takedowns are indeed one thing...but inflicting hurt while on the ground is quite another.", Clara would tell Kay as she helped her up: "If you are not careful, you can be rolled on to the ground in an instant, pin or otherwise..."

Once up on her feet, Clara giggled at Kat's apology: "It's not an issue, Kathy. And no worries. If you can catch me by surprise, I imagine you could do so again...though I will try to make it as hard for you as possible", she warned her sparring partner, before standing up into a stance once more, looking to grapple with Katherine in a Collar-and-Elbow Tie Up!

And, if successful in grappling with the blunette she would quickly try to follow it up by transitioning into a Wristlock, twisting at Kay's right arm! Still, once more, Clara went easy on the move, although a few, slightly painful twists would let Kat know that she was trapped, and needed to find a way out to escape the Brit's clutches...