Ain't No Sunshine

Valley had finally managed to relax. She wasn't quite sure how she'd pulled it off, but she'd done it.

She drove around a little bit after the match and the verbal sparring she'd had with Ace afterwards. It wasn't the first time they'd had a little fight, sure. Stuff like that was a normal, healthy part of any relationship, or at least that was the internet had to say on the subject. But it had always been over minor things before, just little speedbumps in their relationship. This was a full on explosion.

The drive did her good - it was raining in Atlantic City, a gentle drizzle that helped cool down the summer heat. She'd started out being annoyed by it, but now that she was back in the room and getting her sweaty clothes off, she had more of a Dr. Phil mindset. The rain was the rain. Just like their match with Allison and Jocelyn, it was something that she would have to deal with. Live with it and move on.

The shower helped things, too, hot water cascading all over her skin. She'd started to get cross with Ace before, but she shouldn't have. It was a rough match, one of her biggest, and it was natural for her to be a little emotional. When she got back from wherever she was, they'd talk and cool down. Valley could explain to her where she was coming from better, then. Have a kiss, hug, maybe a little grope, everything she liked. Maybe order up some ice cream for them to share. It was what they both needed.

Valley understood Ace, knew how she worked. The girl was bright, she just needed a little push in the right direction. If Valley could explain where she was messing up in a calm tone, she'd see the sense in it.

She strode out of the bathroom in her robe, damp feet padding along the floor as she made her way to the stereo and started it up. Light jazz. Calming. Soothing. Just what they needed to set the mood for some reconciliation. It was a little scandalous, but she pulled the robe open a bit to show some cleavage, too. Every little bit helped.

She flopped down on the bed and stretched out, her hair flowing out to the sides. Taking a little nap until Ace came back. Wouldn't be too long.

It had not been a good day. Ace's Summer Splash debut had been a nightmare, with Jocelyn and Allison getting the last laugh over her and Valley. Then they got frustrated at each other in the locker room, Ace accusing Valley of not having faith in her abilities, and Valley saying little to change that idea, even mentioning that in their match, Ace's proudest, and so far only, victory in AFW, she hadn't really been trying to win. That was what got too Ace the most, and had stayed with her in the couple hours since leaving the locker room. Sadly, the night had only gotten worse for Ace after that.

After showering off, keeping some gym clothes nearby to change into easily, she headed for the parking lot only to discover that Valley had taken their rent a car back to the hotel. Ace, at 20, was too young to rent a car in America, and didn't have an american drivers license anyway, though she had a Japan license. Plus, she didn't have any american cash on her, Valley having claimed to handle everything, making a cab pointless, and it had started to rain a little, dampening the silver haired girl as she made her way back to the Palestra. ]

It had not been a good day.

Making it to her hotel room, Ace stopped at the door, hearing the muffled sounds of jazz playing. Blinking, a little confused, Ace used her keycard and made her way in, looking around the decent sized room and stopping when she found her girlfriend, laying on the bed, wearing nothing but a robe, open to reveal a bit of her generous cleavage.

"W...What the...Val!?"

Ace said aloud, already irritated and now confused by what she found. After helping to muck up the match, proclaiming Ace's one win wasn't nearly what she thought it was and taking away the much needed confidence boost she got from it, leaving the girl at the arena without so much as cab fare, now she was laying on the bed like...like...some temptress!? Like she could do all that shit, get Ace upset, and then just get some after!?

"What the hell is this!?"

Okay, that wasn't quite the reaction Valley had been going for, but she could work with it.

Valley had just started to doze off when Ace's voice jerked her back to reality, eyes popping open and sitting up fast. She started at Ace for a moment - she looked just about as angry as when they'd parted ways. Maybe even a little moreso, now. Valley was treading through a minefield. She could do it, she had the map, but that didn't mean she shouldn't be careful.

"Hey, hey, relax." She flipped her hair to the side as she turned Ace's way. "It's me. In a bathrobe. Waiting for you. In our plush hotel room." She scooted to the side and patted the space next to her. "Come on, sit down, don't be angry."

Ace started to step forward, but stopped, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, letting it out in a low sigh. She needed to keep herself calm. One thing she had thought on her long walk back to the hotel was how over emotional she had been after the match, and how that might have added to the situation, making her possibly misunderstand what Valley had said. Maybe Ace had it wrong. Either way, while they still needed this talk, and Ace still wasn't happy, her letting her emotions get to her again wouldn't do anything for the situation, and just make it harder for them to talk this out.


Sighing again, keeping herself from getting emotional, Ace sat on the bed next to the blonde, looking down at her damp knees before speaking her latest grievance.

"....You left."

She said softly, checking her nails.

"You left....I walked out the door to take a bit of time...to shower, cool off, calm down and think...get the medical trainer to soothe my back and all, hoping to give us a chance to cool off and talk about this. When you weren't in the locker room, I looked around...noticed the car was gone in the parking lot....you left."

She looked over at Valley and noticed a confused look on the woman's face, the older blonde not fully realizing what Ace's complaint was it seemed. Sighing, Ace elaborated.

"...You took the car Val, and left me at the arena....I'm only 20, I'm not old enough to rent a car in America and I don't have an American Drivers License anyway....Not too mention all my cash is either in Canadian bills or Yen, I don't have any american cash on me, because you said on the flight over that you'd take care of all that, since I've only been in the country once for a few months years ago....you didn't even leave cash for a cab...I had to walk here the last couple hours, in the rain, carrying my gear bag....because you left."

She said, a little emotion in her voice at the end, clearly hurt that her girlfriend had just up and abandoned her at the arena. Granted, Ace had left first, but only to let them calm down, planning on continuing when she got back. Valley however, had taken it a step further.

Oh. Crap. That was right.

Valley gulped as Ace reminded her about...well, everything. She'd completely forgotten about all of that, it hadn't even crossed her mind. It was sort of a combination of little things she'd taken for granted. Ace's age, her nationality, her lack of a license, all of it coming together to make Ace take a walk in the rain.

"Well, I mean, you did leave first, and I-" She sat all the way up and put her hand on Ace's shoulder, giving her a gentle rub. "Look, I'm sorry, but what's done is done, okay? You weren't thinking, I wasn't thinking, we weren't thinking. We can't undo it now, so let's just move on from it."

She took Ace's hand into her own and reached up, trying to bring the girl's face to meet her own, see some sincerity in both their eyes. "I can make it up to you, just let me."

Ace looked her girlfriend in the eyes, and finally sighed and nodded, standing up and heading towards her bag, pulling some dry clothes out of it.

"...For what its worth...I'm sorry too. Just...the match and all...ugh....I just got flustered. Hearing things wrong, you know...It's just been a long day."

She said, before heading to the bathroom and closing the door, coming out a few minutes later in a fresh pair of shorts and a plain t shirt, sitting down in one of the chairs near the bed.

"Ughhhhh.....God what a day...."

Valley slid off the bed and busied herself as Ace took her shower and cool down figuratively and literally. There was a steady trail of wet footprints to clean up, mixed with the occasional drop from Ace's hair dye, and Valley soaked them up as quick as she could. The less reminders of what she'd been doing for the past two hours, the better.

She slipped into the bathroom and took Ace's wet clothes, shoving them into the travel bag, and made her way back to the bed. By the time Ace came back out, she was laying in her Venus pose, legs crossed, staring at Ace for a moment. She was still flustered, obviously, but it looked like they were close enough to the same level where they could have an adult discussion.

"Ace." She sat up slowly and started to slide off the bed, a few of her toes tentatively touching the ground. "You didn't exactly hear wrong back - maybe I was a little harsh in giving it out, but you understand why I said what I said, right?" She put her hand over her heart and bent down, trying her best to look her younger partner in the eyes. "I'm just trying to look out for you best interests, here, really."

Rubbing a towel to dry her now undyed hair, Ace sat and listened as Valley talked, raising her eyebrow, before leaning forward, still speaking calmly after showering off.

"...You basically told me that I'm too young and too inexperienced too be fighting the girls I've been fighting, that I need to be protected and kept safe, and that my biggest...and really only win to this point, over you, was basically just you doing foreplay and not taking it seriously...which considering I almost lost the match, is a great little confidence booster there. Basically, you said that I need to learn my place and let you protect me, because otherwise I'd apparently be helpless."

She leaned back in her chair, tossing her towel away.

"That's what I heard anyway."

Valley put both of her foot down on the floor and folded her arms with a serious look. Her mother's look. She hated to bring that out, but if that's what it took to get Ace back in line, that's what it would take.

She patted her knee for a moment, choosing her words as carefully as she could. Vetting them before they came out. "That's the overall gist of what I said, yes." She spoke slowly. Enunciated. "But. I don't think you're really, accurately portraying the spirit in which I said it. You're making this a 'me vs. you' thing when it really does not have to be and shouldn't be a 'me vs. you' thing. It's an 'us' thing."

She canted her head, letting her hair drop around her eyes. "And, for the record, I don't appreciate that tone. I just don't. You're being needlessly antagonistic, here."

Ace frowned as Valley resembled her mother again, just irking Ace even more as she crossed her arms.

"Your right, we shouldn't make this a "me vs you" thing, we tried that once, and I made you tap out. What I don't appreciate, for the record, is you just deciding that I'm some pathetic kid that needs to be shielded from the big bad wolves of AFW. You forget, I've fought wolves before too, and even when I've lost, I've almost always held my own."

"Hell, did you see the end of Taylor Parkers match? That girl is practically destined to become Friction Champion one day, and I came that damn close to beating her. Maybe you also forgot, I've been doing this for 5 years now, that might not be as long as you have, but I'm not some snot nosed bikini model coming in on her first day..."