Honor and Honour

"I don't think there's anything wrong with being both a dangerous fighter and the sort of woman who cares about her appearance," Odessa would reply. She would put one of her hands on a hip, keeping up a strong posture as she and Styx spoke. "To each her own, of course. But if fighters like Isabella and I are able to hold our own perfectly well against the likes of you and Kaede—and if a woman like Cecilia was able to hold onto the title for, well, years—then I see no reason that the hardcore division can't be glamorous and beautiful."

Odessa didn't flinch when Styx stepped towards her, but she would keep her eyes locked onto the more mannish woman, keeping her guard up, since she seemed to be getting more and more aggressive as the conversation continued. Styx asked her about the weapons thing. Odessa pressed her lips together and thought for a second.

"I don't like using weapons. They're overly brutal and their use detracts from the fairness of the sport. When it's just body against body, it's a game of muscle, and even, sometimes, of intelligence. I feel like the caveman mentality of lugging around weapons to hit each other with cheapens it. Whoever picks out the heaviest stick and is able to bash her opponent when she least expects it can win, even if she doesn't deserve it," Odessa would explain. "However...I did not intend to let our team lose through my own stubbornness. If I have to use a weapon, I will. I don't like it, but I think that, if I hadn't, we might be having a very different conversation right now. I can't really explain exactly why I chose to pick it up just then."

"I can't agree with you on that. When it comes to fairness, and honor, and respect, those are all things that are very important to me. You probably realize that I do not lose often, my dear River. I have never once thought of betraying my ideals. I am not the sort of woman to do anything illegal. I will always play within the agreed-upon bounds of the game," Odessa would explain. Had it been a standard match, she would have never attacked Kaede the way she did. The rules were different in a hardcore match, though Odessa still didn't have the easiest time accepting just how brutal she had to get with her opponents. She certainly wasn't going to forego any semblance of human decency, as Styx seemed to be advocating.

When the brutish woman leaned in close to her, Odessa would smirk. "It felt exhilarating. Winning a match is always exhilarating, especially when it is decisive." She would pause, then place a finger on Styx's forehead and push against it. "But had she been permanently injured, that would not have been, in my eyes, a good thing. If she were of a mind to make my acquaintance, I would gladly, graciously accept. I am more than happy to beat a woman silly in the ring, but what you're advocating would inevitably bring every interpersonal relationship in my life spiraling down in flames."

She shook her head. "No, I can be gracious and brutal at once. And I shall be just that."

“I can’t agree with you. Every fight has rules; if they aren’t official rules laid out by the sponsoring company or federation, than they are simple, fundamental rules of combat sports that are ingrained into each and every athlete in the world,” Odessa would reply coolly. “Even someone such as you wouldn’t try to kill your opponent. That is what separates us from the animals. Hardcore fighting—even wrestling in general—is a bloodsport, but we are still human beings. No matter how hard you fight, there is, at the very least, that one rule you will always follow. We do not kill because it would cause society to break down. Killing in such a meaningless context has no purpose, no value. I take my beliefs a step further. Allowing yourself to feel hatred for those who have never done you wrong is pointless. We’re all here for the same thing. We have bonds that tie us together as wrestlers and as fighters, and I feel that rules, manmade or natural, must always be in place to remind us of them.”

Odessa wasn’t too surprised when Styx grabbed her hand. She had expected the barbaric woman to get violent at some point. Odessa was ready, though she wasn’t quite sure she could best Styx right here and right now. “I fully expect you to make good on those promises, or, at least, you’ll try. And the hardcore division is a bloody business. I prefer to spill as little of it as possible, myself…but, to each her own.” She smiled.

Odessa waited. Styx seemed to really be chewing on something in her mind. She remained still, and actually seemed to calm down. Odessa wouldn't relax, though, before her erstwhile ally began to speak again. She spoke one simple phrase, and then, just like that, the kill switch was flipped on.

Odessa tried to move her free hand up to protect her face as Styx threw her head forward, but it was too late. The brute's thick skull slammed into the beautiful features of the glamorous, goddess-like ebony woman, knocking Odessa's head back, and forcing her back a step. She blinked once, twice, trying to clear her vision.

She would retaliate. She wasn't about to let Styx walk all over her. Odessa would ball her free hand into a fist and then launch a hard uppercut right for Styx's chin, hoping to knock the woman back so that she might have some room to breathe.

Odessa managed to catch Styx just as the brute was moving in for a follow-up attack. The ebony beauty’s fist slammed into her opponent’s chin, snapping Styx’s head upwards for a second, knocking her back and giving Odessa room to breathe. Room to think and strategize. That, she felt, was one major advantage she had over the impulsive, overly violent River Styx.

Styx did not watch where she stumbled, because the very first thing she did was smack right into a chair. Her legs became entangled, and she lost her balance. With quite the undignified fall, Styx was suddenly flat on her back, just a few feet in front of a now particularly advantaged Odessa.

Styx was not going to stay still for long. She kicked the chair hard, and Odessa would have to step to the side quickly to avoid it. As she did, her foe began to get onto her feet. “Oh, no, you don’t,” Odessa would say, rushing forward, trying to throw her body into Styx’s, using her gorgeous, yet strong figure to try to slam the other woman back into the wall, sandwiching her between Odessa and the plaster, with Odessa aiming an additional punch to Styx’s cheek for good measure.