Blood in the Water

Taylor watched Jessica back up, and then her eyes fell on River. She hopped up onto the apron and stayed there until the behemoth woman jumped off the turnbuckle and sent a tremor through the ring that bobbed Taylor up and down. Finally, She grabbed the top rope and vaulted over into the ring.

"Sure, Jessica," she said, her voice so thick with sarcasm it could support a beach umbrella. "Muhammad Ali had no personality. Nobody ever quotes him in their wrestling promos."

She strode to the middle of the ring and stood close enough to the two women to make the crowd tense up. She stood tall, shoulders back, hips cocked, dauntlessly staring back into Jessica's purple eyes, almost daring her to blink.

"So you're too scared to face me by yourself..." She said. "So you brought your buddy along. And now... You won't even face me one-on-one? Wow, dude. Where's ya bawls."

She turned her attention for a moment to River. She was big. Bigger than Akashi. And ugly, too. "I know who you are. Folding chairs and shit aren't gonna help you here, cupcake."

And then she looked back at Jessica, intensely, like a predator watching prey. "Now, as much as we're all enjoying listening to you go on and on and on and on about your idiotic thoughts on wrestling, let's get it straight. I am your worst nightmare. You want to be dominant, and powerful, and unstoppable. I am dominant. I am powerful. And you can't stop me.

"You're strong. But I am a phenomenon. I'm a freak of nature. I move faster, hit harder, and look better than you ever will. You think you're ready for me, pork chop? You've never fought anyone like me, because there's never been anyone like me. I'm gonna do whatever I want to you, and you can't stop me. You're gonna be helpless and scared, and when you can't see, and you can't breathe, when there's blood dripping down the back of your throat and your legs are weak, how dominant are you gonna be?"

She let her unwavering gaze linger on the violent violet for a moment longer, and then her smile returned, big and radiant.

"But you're in luck! I wouldn't want to hog all the fun, and it so happens I've got the perfect girl for the job!" She moved back toward the ropes and gestured up the ramp with a flourish, while still keeping an eye on the two in the ring.

"MEET JULIA! RODGERS!"

Right on cue, Julia's music began to play over the speakers in the arena. And the blonde cowgirl burst right through the curtain and onto the stage, already clad in her usual ring gear and wearing a bright smile on her pretty face, and holding a microphone in her hand. “WHAT’S UP, TOKYO?!” she shouted out to the cheering crowd, before running right down the aisle to the ring.

Once close enough, she leapt onto the apron and climbed up the nearest corner, then threw both hands up with her index fingers pointed straight up to the ceiling. She only held the pose for a brief moment before hopping down into the ring. She may not’ve known either of the women Taylor was talking to, but she’d heard enough about them to know not to keep her eyes off them for too long.

Julia moved to stand right next to Taylor, the young starlet brimming with confidence as she looked at Jessica and River, then lifted the mic to her lips.

“Thanks for invitin’ me to the party, Taylor. Looks like it’s gonna be a fun one.” he said, before gesturing an arm out to the audience. “And I don’t know how you guys feel, but I’m ready to get this show on the road here! Y’all ready to see a fight?!”

She held the mic up into the air, smiling and nodding as thousands of fans roared in approval. “That’s what I thought! So,” she turned her attention back to Jessica and River. “If you guys are done, how ‘bout we get started?” Julia tossed her mic down and started to lightly bounce on the balls of her feet, eagerly awaiting the start of a brawl that seemed all but inevitable.

Jessica held the mic up to her mouth, ready to respond. Then some stupid bouncing posing bimbo took the time to prove herself a complete idiot in five seconds flat. The clothes, the pose, the bouncing. Wow, Jessica had known this girl for a grand total of like half a minute and she already completely hated this girl. She looked at Julia, then at River, then back at Julia. Was this girl serious?

She looked down at her own clothes. Nope, not appropriate for a wrestling ring at all. Then at Taylor. Who was also not in her wrestling outfit. What on earth was going through this girl's mind? "Uhh..." She began, "do you really think that's a good idea right now? For anyone involved?" Jessica made eye contact with Julia then looked at Taylor's little get up then back to Taylor.

"Are these really the girls you're training at your stupid fucking dojo? This is the best that the Taylor Parker dojo can offer? Useless sluts who do nothing but kiss-ass? No wonder you like them. You couldn't handle a real wrestler at all..."

Styx paused for a moment after Taylor addressed her directly for the first time, and she stared back from over Jessica's shoulder. "You don't know who I am." Styx said, plain as day. No malice. Not a threat. Just a cold, hard fact. "But you will."

As much as she was looking forward to showing what she meant, it would have to wait - the final member in the match finally arrived. Styx didn't think too much of Julia when she made her way to the ring, only seeing another one of the pretty little blonde dolls that Lukretia loved to hire and the crowd loved to worship. But when she got to talking interest began to pique. It wasn't what Julia said that caught Styx's attention, but the way she said it. That accent was one she'd grown up with, and if you took away the smoking that messed up her own voice and forced her to use the twang she'd been hiding for years, the two of them would come off similar. The cute little blonde was a Texan, maybe. Nevada, New Mexico, somewhere around there. Definitely close to the border.

Julia reminded Styx of home, which was just one more reason to pick her apart.

"Jessica's right." Styx stepped forward and stood over Julia, looking down on her and letting the shadow cast. It was a curious gaze. Analytical. Thinking and considering and planning. "Just a few minutes to suit up. Won't take long. No rush, right?"

Taylor put and arm around Julia and pulled her in shoulder-to-shoulder, grinning up at River. "They're scared, Julia. It's okay, I wouldn't mind changing, and they could probably use a shower first. We can give them all the time they need."

She stuck out her tongue and slowly reached out to River, and lightly tapped her on the end of the nose with her finger. "Bing!" She laughed, and backed up with Julia toward the ropes.

"See ya soon!" With a big, sassy wave and a swish of her hips, she slid out of the ring and began the climb up the ramp and out of the arena.

Jessica eyed them all of the way out of the ring. She wanted to make sure they were good and gone before they did anything. An ambush didn't seem right; not because Jessica had acquired morals but more because she had something to prove. She had an Everest now, a stupid little blonde Everest that had a punky brewster haircut and jabbered too much. And just like the mountain Jessica would conquer her Everest.

She lowered the mic. There was no doubt as to whether or not River would get acquainted with Taylor. She knew that her bald friend always gave it her all. Honestly, she wanted to see what Julia looked like scraped off the mat. "I told you tonight was going to be interesting." She tossed the mic out of the ring. The awful sound it made caused the audience to cover their ears. By the time the night was over they were going to be covering their eyes from all the carnage their would be in the ring.

"Come on. We have work to do." Jessica began walking out of the ring. She felt good. She felt ready.