Pirate Vs. Ninja: Halloween Spooktacular!

Johnny led Talia to the back stage area where they could rest for a moment. He set her down on a couch and looked her over. "Man, I dunno what the gig you've got going is. Maybe you reallya re some ninja chick, or you're a wrestler who signed up for that match or maybe you're a rookie or somethin but you gotta know that there are some pretty heinous dudes in this league. If they think they can get away with beating some chick past the bell or ... worse... then they might."

Johnny ran his fingers through his hair and looked at her. There was something about her that seemed familiar but he wasn't even thinking about the small tug at the back of his head. "Like, I ain't tryin ta scare ya off and junk, but I'm just sayin, ya gotta be careful and junk."

The ninja nodded along as Johnny spoke. She knew every word of it, possibly more than even he did. She once thought he contributed to that fact too, but now here he was, saving women in need and warning them of what they were getting themselves into. Why couldn't he have done that sooner? Why couldn't he have saved her during her first match? Things could have been so different.

It was then she did something she probably knew she shouldn't have. She reached up, grabbed Johnny, and tried to hug him with one arm. "Thank you..." she whispered quietly. It was remarkable just how much Cassie had rubbed off on her. She might not have fully embraced Cassiology, but something about the way she acted always made her feel like she was doing the right thing. Maybe this side of Johnny had always been here, she was just too blinded by rage to see it. "Johnny..." she continued in a whisper, suddenly wanting to say something she knew she shouldn't.

Johnny would have been surprised when the Ninja babe suddenly hugged him. He was shocked at first as her supple form pressed against his bare chest. He gave an awkward pat and then let his hand press against her back.

"Uhh... No problem dude.." He said and turned his head, about to push away from her when he heard his name whispered. He blushed deeply and pulled his neck back but turned his head to look at her, wondering if she was just saying his name. It sounded pretty familiar too.

Talia took a breath, staring at the man she use to have a thing for. That felt like a lifetime ago now. So much had happened, had been said, had been done that she felt like it was pointless to try and mend it. But at that moment she didn't care about all that was. All she knew was that Johnny had gone out of his way to save her from what would have been a horrible experience.

"Thank you so much!" she said louder and reaching to grab him with both arms. "No ones ever done that for me before..." she whispered to him, her eyes watering for an entirely new reason. "You're a good man...a great one..." she let go of him, suddenly aware of the personal space she was probably violating. She quickly wiped her eyes dry, not wanting to make things more awkward than they already were.

But she did want to see one more thing. It had to be a bad idea, but she was overwhelmed by Johnny's actions that night. She looked up at him bright-eyed, wondering if he still remembered what she looked like up close.

"It's no trouble man, really." Johnny said, rubbing the back of his neck. He frowned when she started crying. She didn't need to! She was going to be fine!

He slapped her arm as she looked at him. He found himself looking into her eyes. "Oh..." He said. "You look kinda familiar dude. There's not a lot of chicks with purple eyes man. Talia retired though..." He muttered. Johnny sighed. That was a complicated subject.

"Anyway, if you stay in the business, I'll take ya on someday, dude. I ain't like that dude you fought but I fight hard so if you don't train, I'll kick you're ass for sure!" He said, grinning.

Somehow, Johnny didn't seem to recognize her. He even mentioned her name... Talia looked down. He was daft most of the time, but even he couldn't have not made the connection that time. Maybe he was just being nice to her in his own, blind kind of way. She nodded, forcing a smile through her mask. "Well...I suppose...I will," she replied back. She wasn't sure how, but one Higurashi had managed to crush her aspirations while another brought them back up. "Thank you," she added one more time, before taking a deep breath and climbing to her feet on her own. "I...I can make it the rest of the way," she whispered through clenched teeth. It still hurt, but she wanted to brave the pain. She had to be strong, like Johnny said, if she was going to make it now that she was back.