New Faces (for acuya)

Julia nodded along as Kozue spoke, though she kept her eyes glued to the screen. She got the idea...or at least, she thought she did. In any case, she watched the fight on the ice closely, until the Devils’ player took a big shot right to the jaw that dropped him straight to the ice. “Ooohh..” Julia said, wincing in reaction.

The conversation then swiftly took a turn as Kozue asked about her. “Aww, really? Well thanks.” Julia replied with a light laugh, before initiating story time. “Well, my folks back home started up their own wrestling promotion a few decades ago. Me, my brother and sister were all pretty much born into the business. Started trainin’ when we were young, and right outta high school I went to Mexico for a couple years. Then I went back to the states, had about four good years wrestlin’ mostly for my family’s promotion.”

That already felt like forever ago. Hard to believe it had really only been about a month or two. “Talent scouts for Friction eventually saw me and offered me a contract, and here I am.” she continued, while the bartender finally tore his attention away from the game and started making his way over to them.

It seemed like Julia was having a bit of a pleasant flashback to her childhood. Kozue was a tad envious, she had to admit.

"So, it's like a legacy thing, for you? Nice. Good that you came in with some history. This place is not kind to girls who try to start green." She turned her head to the bartender. "Hey, Brett. I am in a distinct whiskey mood. So. I'm thinking..." She bit her lip and scanned over the selection right above Brett's head. The good stuff, but it wouldn't break Julia's bank. "Evan Williams. Light on the rocks."

She gave Julia a little tap on the shin with the tip of her tongue. "Share the bottle with me? It's pretty damn good, worth the time."

Talking about home and her family always brought back a rush of nostalgia and memories. Memory Lane was for the most part a nice place for her to visit, but sometimes she had to remind herself not to stay too long so she wouldn’t forget about where she was at the moment.

“Yeah, pretty much.” she replied. Julia hadn’t every really considered the potential differences between people here with that kind of history as opposed to people completely starting out there. But the thought was quickly derailed as Brett took Kozue’s order. She then blinked in response to the tap, then smiled to her friend. “Sounds great!” she said as Brett came back over with the bottle a moment later and set it down in front of Kozue.

“So, what about you? How’d ya get from Jersey to Kyoto?” Julia asked, curious about that story Kozue had mentioned back in the locker room.

Many people thought that Kozue was an alcoholic because she liked to drink. These people were idiots. She liked a good sip, yeah, but it was a matter of taste. It was a matter of moderation, and it was hard to get more moderate than abstaining for almost half a year.

She poured her a half-full glass and took a quick whiff. "Hm?" She looked at Julia over the glass, hiding a smirk. "Oh, I took a plane flight."

Couldn't resist. Kozue took a few gulps from the glass and tried to look innocent, as she stared up at the screen. Probably failed.

For a solid second or two, Julia grinned while shooting Kozue an “Oh really??” look, clearly having seen right past the attempt. But then she laughed a bit and gave the girl’s shoulder a playful little punch. “You goddamn smartass. You’re just like my sister.” she said.

She took the bottle and poured a small amount into the glass in front of her and took a drink. “Come on, really though. I told you my story, so it’s only fair, ya know.” The blonde sipped from the small amount of the drink in her glass, then waited for Kozue to take her turn at story time.

Kozue chuckled. "Somehow, I doubt I'm just like your sister. Different accents, I'd think." She took a nice, long drag of the whiskey and finish off the glass. She'd need every drop.

"I know, I know, I'm just fucking with you." She set the drink down and drummed her chin for a moment. "Okay, short story? I had a disagreement with my Dad, ran away from home, wound up here after a while." She had a long, long sigh. "Long of it is that my Dad was in with certain illegal elements, and I had a boyfriend he strongly, strongly disapproved of because his father was in with rival illegal elements, and it got...messy." She stared at the cup for a moment, before moving on with softer words. "Lethally messy."

She reached over and grabbed the bottle, filling her glass all the way this time. "I came here because my Dad can't come here. Off limits. And I needed money, and I was pretty good with parkour and stuff, so...I gave this a shot."

Julia wasn’t sure what kind of story it was exactly she was expecting to hear from Kozue, though now she was really starting to get why she’d wanted some alcohol in her before she told it. And the more she spoke, the more Julia’s smile began to disappear.

“Oh...wow... Had no idea things were so rough for ya. I’m...sorry to hear that...” Julia then poured a bit more of the whisky into her glass and took a drink. “And how’s it been goin’ for you since ya came here?” If nothing else, she figured it couldn’t possibly be any worse than life back home with her father and boyfriend had been, anyway...

Kozue shrugged. "No need for sorries, but thanks. It is what it is, and I've had a few years to get over it. I try to deal with reality as it comes."

Kozue ran her fingers around the rim of the glass, giving Julia's question some serious thought. It had just been a year since she came to Japan, hadn't it? It didn't feel like a year. So much had happened, so much had changed...

"It's been a mixed bag. Met a few good people, met more than a few assholes, spent far too much time hanging around the assholes." Kozue propped her elbow on the table. Little morose, now, but keeping her smile up. "Want to change that, this year. Less drama queens, more good people in my life. Off to a great start, so far." She gave Julia a quick wink.

Julia continued to listen intently as Kozue talked. She figured there were probably plenty of “assholes,” as Kozue called them. That’s just the way it always is. Although, she was glad to hear the girl had also managed to meet some good people and make some friends as well.

After the wink, Julia’s smile came back, and she immediately reached an arm out to pull Kozue into a friendly, but brief side hug. “Aww! And here you said I’m the sweet one.” she said with a giggle before letting go of her.

Kozue briefly jumped when Julia went in for the hug - not that she minded an embrace, but it had been ages since she'd gotten one. It was nice.

"Sssh, don't tell anybody." She returned the hug as best she could as someone who hadn't even done it in at least a decade's time, then settled back into her seat. "But, speaking of sweet." A sly grin came over her face. Her favorite kind to wear. "Was really cool how you came to help out Drake like that. And we don't see too many Friction girls over here in Kyoto." She bit her lip and ran a finger over the rim of her glass. "Are you guys friends, or..."