Out And About

Felina walked through the streets of Tokyo as a confused woman, fingers folded behind her head, staring straight ahead with a glazed look in her eyes. She must’ve seemed odd to the average passerby, even moreso than she did on most days. The tanned skin, the long brown hair, her jean skirt and her sneakers, it all came together for a look that wasn’t too common in this city. Or country. Or hemisphere, for that matter.

She was a unique woman who liked unique things. When she understood them, at least.

But she did not understand the movie she’d just walked out of. Not one bit.

It had been a horror movie, Project #666. A found footage ghost film , which was a strike against it from the start, but she had been willing to give it a chance. It was set in space. Space was fun.

So was making sense, though, and, well…

”Okay, so,” She held out her hands and started ticking things off, as if that would help her keep track of things mentally. It didn’t. ”So, the scientists opened up a wormhole...blackhole...thing. I got that. That much I got. But was it like, supposed to be a gateway to hell or something? Because I don’t see how you can travel to...and, okay, that one dude’s daughter came out, and I guess she’d died or something, but then she turned into a demon and possessed the captain...and when the ghosts showed up and attacked people, why did the energy weapons hurt them? How do you kill a ghost? It’s a ghost, you can’t...and who funded the project, anyway? Like, you open a doorway to an alternate dimension and then what? What for?”

She had many questions, and those questions just raised more questions. Thankfully, she had someone’s brain to pick on this. The benefits of bringing a friend along.

She shrugged and gave Leah a little nudge as they walked along. ”What do you think? Make any sense to you?”

Leah had a quick stride she found early on outpaced Felina in a casual stroll. As a result, she walked in an exaggerated March, kicking her legs high with each step, getting more than her fair share of odd looks from the locals. She cradled a super sized cup in her hands packed full of happened movie advertisements plastered all over it. She hadn't needed to make good on the free refill but had made sure to get it on their way out. She suckled her cherry soda through the straw, peering curiously over at her corner as she verbalized her confusion.

Despite her brother’s infatuation with scary movies, they were never Leah’s preference. She felt pressured to make a good impression and seem like she was as fearless and tough as Felina. The movie had been her suggestion, based on a recommendation from Edgar. It had been… something else. She wasn't sure it had worked in her favor for the image she was trying to present to her new friend though.

More than once she had slumped in her seat with covered eyes and ears or jumped in her seat and grabbed Felina’s arm as she would have done to her brother. For the most part, she had been able to follow along, but the nature of found footage movies, in general, was inherently frightening to her. The atmospheric start to the movie had her on the defensive early, but by the end when it became more of an action thriller the nature of the level of spooks went down significantly.

“It wasn't really his daughter, it was just one of the demon things messing with his mind to like… make him crazy. I think they had to make people scared cause it made them strong enough to take over other people's bodies. So they weren't really ghosts, they were just sorta like… whispy weird aliens or demons who looked ghostlike.” Leah took a long loud sip from her straw. “That's also why those energy things could touch them but the captain guy's normal gun couldn't cause of like… the whole bending dimension thing and the frequency stuff. They didn't exist the same way physically as bullets and that one guy who tried to fistfight the big ghost thing. But those other weapons could.”

“They said in the beginning what it was supposed to be for.” Leah leaned in to give Felina a small bump in the side with her hip. “Fourth-dimensional travel. That's what the wormhole thing was supposed to be for. Like… think of it like Monsters Inc. they have all those doors and they open them and step into somebody's room instantly. That's what they were trying to do, but go from like… Earth to other planets just that fast.” It was telling she had to relate it all to a children's movie. While it seemed like a stretch, that was more or less the idea of the wormhole gateway from the movie funny enough.

“I don't know why it was all hecked up in there though. Maybe it's just another dimension, or maybe they saw it like that because that's what they would be across of? I dunno. It's pretty vague… and graphic.” She made a bleh face. Leah knew exactly why Edgar had liked it. Supposedly deep themes, practical effects, gore… for as odd as her brother was sometimes his tastes were pretty easy to define, for her at least.

“I dunno why they funded it, but it would be cool if it worked well… like have a bag full of everything like Mary Poppins. Wormhole bag. Just reach into another dimension where you can keep all your stuff. Sorta neat, right?” Leah furrowed her brow as her stomach grumbled. It wasn't exactly pleased to have been filled with a tub of popcorn and a giant serving of soda. She gave the half filled cup a slosh about to check how filled it was before sheepishly lifting it out to Felina, seeing if she wanted to finish it. "Imagine if you ordered take out and they could just wormhole deliver it to you. That would be cool."

The two of them garnered more than a few stares as they walked through the street. Not long, rude glares, but furtive glances, quick looks and double takes, people looking just long enough to confirm they were seeing what they were seeing. Felina liked to think they were just looking at the two pretty ladies weaving through the crowd - and, sure, they got more than few appreciative eyeballs from cute and not-so-cute men.
But the two of them were an odd pair, even on sight.

Leah was the cute, bubbly blonde, who seemed to attract sunbeams where she went, lighting up any room she stood in. Felina had done modeling in the past and looked like, not afraid to show off her curves and put a bit of shake into her step. Two women cut from different clothes, and they might not have ever crossed paths if not for the AFW.

Which would’ve been a shame, because Leah was a trip.

Felina tried - and failed - to keep her giggling to a minimum as the shimmering blonde laid out her explanations, rationalizing it in her own way. It made sense when she explained it. As about as much sense as it was ever going to make. To be fair, Felina might not have been paying 100% attention, because watching Leah react to the movie was far more entertaining than the movie itself.

”Never seen Monsters Inc. Or Mary Poppins. But I think I get the gist.” She quirked an eyebrow at the offered cup, then leaned over and put her lips to the straw, giving it a nice, hard suck to slurp up what little remained. Probably not hygienic.

”You have a pretty good way of breaking things down, thanks. The sci-fi stuff isn’t my wheelhouse, you know.” She snapped her fingers. ”REC. We should totally watch REC, you and me. It’s found footage, but before the whole thing got played out. Zombie demons and heads exploding and limbs flying everywhere. Super gory.” Felina gave Leah a revenge bump, along with a knowing grin. ”You’d love it.”

Leah hadn't really grown out of her old casual clothing, peaking her growth at a young age much of her normal walk around clothes were comprised of worn pieces of clothing that were well loved, or borrowed garments from Edgar he likely never even knew went missing but would still catch the girl hell if he saw her using it. Today was no different, especially with the warming weather.

She sported a faded tan top with a peace symbol on the front made up of various rusted weapons ranging from knives to guns. The entire symbol was overgrown by lush vines in which various stages of flowers blossomed along it. The image itself was slightly crackled and in some places chipped away from washing throughout the years. The shirt itself was sleeveless and of a short cut, barely hanging down enough to hide her midriff outside of any real movement that hiked the garment up.

Around her waist was a flannel bullet up shirt, far to big for her, but tied for at her hip and left to hang. Were it not an accessory currently, she could have easily worn it as an added layer of a jacket. Baggy blue jeans, faded with creases where the color had faded from use around the knees both front and back, the bottoms of the nailed torn and frayed from earlier days of dragging along the ground. The materially gathered a bit around her ankles, threatening to pour down over her plain black sneakers. Clasped onto the front where the laces crossed over one another was a small cartoonish clip shaped like a rabbit headed character from some form of Japanese children's show.

“Whaaaaaa? How have you not seen either of those?” Leah pursed her lips, giving Felina a squinty eyed look of nonbelief, though the longer it was kept on the other woman the easier it was to believe. Felina didn't exactly strike her as a huge fan of cartoons and kids movies… YET. As the other woman’s sucking at the straw drew the bottom of the big gulp marking it empty, Leah gave it a light sassy tug to pop it from her lips. Any follow-up of the same nature was dashed at the compliment which immediately brightened her back up.

“I am pretty great at explaining complicated stuff, yeah.” She gave a firm nod, pulling the cup close to her chest. She glanced around, looking out for a trash can as they walked. The two had already gotten a dirty look from a passerby for drinking on the move for some reason, though she didn't seem to notice. “I like fantasy stuff a bit more than sci fi… unless it's like, superheroes or something. Magic is cool…” Leah quieted down to let Felina continue her thought.

“Yeah… Sounds like something I would love.” The blond was glancing at Felina sidelong with a small grimace at the other woman description of the movie. She was trying really hard to not look as weary of it as she was, not wanting to put a rift between the two of them. At the bump, she stumbled slightly having been focused elsewhere with her mind and being caught off guard. She salvaged her bumping by taking a small job ahead to regain her footing, spinning around to walk backwards in front of Felina.

“I will watch that, if you watch a movie of my choice.” She flashed a wide grin. “Anything I want.” She was already compiling a list of animated musicals to draw from… or perhaps… a small glimmer hit her eyes as she thought for possibly the perfect movie to blend their differing tastes. She would keep that one tucked away for now. Out of the corner of her eye she spied a waste can, finally, dashing over to toss the cup away to momentarily leave Felina in the dust before scampering her way back. “Hey, do you have any other plans for the day? If you didn't I was thinking maybe we could like... watch another movie or something back at my place. Maybe order a pizza or something.”

Leah’s reaction made Felina chuckle, but it wasn’t one that she was unused to. In fact, it was pretty much just a remix of the same thing she’d heard throughout school - ‘You haven’t seen that?’, ‘You’ve never watched that show?’, ‘Come on, tell you’ve heard that song!’. Stuff like that over and over. It was cute, and ten times cuter when it came from someone like Leah, who seemed like she still had so much of her childhood left in her.

”You’re judging me. Don’t judge me.” She reached over and gave Leah a few pokes in the chest, looking serious for a second, before she lightened up on a dime. Acting, ta-da. ”My childhood is kind of fragmented, you know? I was working the heavy bag when most girls were doing the hula hoop.”

She rolled her hips around, as if that needed a demonstration. Truth told, she never did learn how to work those stupid things. Could never make the rhythm work.

”So I missed out on a lot. Most movies I saw were stuff I borrowed-” She held up a finger. ”Well, my brother would say I stole them, but that’s not how I remember it. Anyway, yeah, I never got into the kiddy-kiddy stuff. So I guess I’ll need your guiding hand.” She had to admit, she was kind of curious to dig into Leah’s tastes, see what all the fuss was about.

When Leah scampered off to the trashcan, Felina hurried her pace, not wanting to lose her in this crowd, even for a second. She’d been in Japan for two years now, and she still wasn’t used to moving through a sea of people like this, being part of this moving mass of urban life.

She was smiling at the idea of swapping movie, and was just about to open her mouth to negotiate on who’d watch what first, when she brought up going to Leah’s place. Her smile dropped right away - not quite a frown, but something close. She loved the idea of going over to Leah’s, of spending a night at someplace that wasn’t her own, as she hadn’t done for so long, but…

”Pizza sounds great, awesome, really. But.” She ran her hand through her hair, fidgeted, then decided to just spit it out. ”Your brother. Ed. Would he be around? Because, you might’ve noticed, we didn’t exactly hit it off last time.” She threw out a punch, just to emphasize the situation, and startled an old lady who wandered to close. ”Oh, sorry. Sorry!” She threw a sheepish wave as the poor woman scampered off.

“I’m not judging.” Leah sucked in her lips, pausing a bit before admitting softly. “Okay maybe just a little bit, but not because I am trying to intentionally.” She giggled softly at Felina’s display, very much in the same boat as her. She was more of a jump rope girl when it came to what people associated with simple children's toys. She did use to have fun tossing a hula hoop with a reverse spin to make it come.back to her. That was about it.

“Borrowed huh?” Her eyes drifted innocently off to the side, hands smoothing themselves over the tied sleeves of Edgar’s shirt. She puffed up a bit defensively, in her cute way, at her personal preference of children's entertainment being “kiddy”, despite the fact it was. She lightened up at Felina’s openness let her bring some of her love of the medium to her. She was excited to get started, possibly immediately but...

Leah knew that look and that tone very well. Both her and Edgar got it quite a lot growing up from their father. Often times a sorrowful excuse of how he was unable to make it to a school event or had to leave early on a family vacation. As best Felina may have tried to hide it, there was a hint of heartbreak in Leah’s eyes… at first anyway. Part of her worried she had done or said something wrong but when the real culprit reared its head she tilted her head to give Felina a squinty eyed smile.

“I dunno, you both sure did a lot of hitting…” She chirped lightheartedly. It was hard to tell if she was trying to be clever or just a bit dense when it came to the meaning of what her friend was saying. “I’m not sure though? Maybe? I don-” she jumped at the startled woman who was reacting to Felina, stopping in her tracks to watch her hurry off with blinking eyes. Her head slowly turned to peer up at the darker haired woman trying her hardest to keep it in until the stranger was out of earshot before bursting into laughter.

Leah reached out, trying to take hold of Felina’s hands in hers giving her arms a small wave of motion from her own before trying to lead Felina along. “It will be… okay pizza? You pick the toppings, I pay… we can have fun and talk about girl stuff and watch movies… Ed won't be a problem, I swear. He’s really not that bad. Fun! Come on... I promise it will be fine.”

Now things got awkward. It was that crossroads that everyone came to in their life at some point, when a person you liked just so happen to like a person you really didn’t like, and the inevitable situation occurred where you would have to intersect. Felina had been blessed to avoid something like this for the bulk of her life - from the fact that she had such a small social circle, yes, but still. It was a luxury she found herself missing.

She had to avert her eyes when Leah gave her that sweet, innocent look, those puppy dog eyes, those glowing sapphires in the middle of her face. It was legitimately easy to forget there was six years difference in their age, not sixteen - the woman had this sweetness to her that seemed impossible for anyone old enough to drive.

”I don’t know, I just-” Felina had been busy trying to rationalize her way out of this, when Leah came over and yanked her a few steps forward, tugging on her arm. It was then that she was forced to look at her friend’s face, and she could already feel the spell taking her over.

She still had little aches from that match, and she was reminded of it every time she checked her Twitter.

But Leah.

The last thing she wanted to do tonight was mix it up with Leah’s brother. She wasn’t ready for that.

But Leah...and pizza. Free pizza, the best kind of pizza.

She groaned, resisting inside and out, as the gears churned in her head. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. Edgar would be there, there was no way Felina was lucky enough to avoid him, but she could play nice. Just don’t say anything to the guy. The match was over and done, it didn’t have to be a thing, right?

”Gah,okayokayokayokay.” She resented and let Leah drag her along, following like she was being pulled on a leash. She rubbed her head as they moved along, with a laugh that faded out into a soft sigh. ”Jeeeeez. How do people ever say ‘no’ to you? You must’ve got, like, all the Christmas presents.”

Leah was a strange phenomenon. The sex, the violence, and some of the vitrole of AFW didn't really reach her the same way it did others. She didn't seem hard or bitter, just in a perpetual state of near childlike wonder. It wasn't that she was above it all, she had just never really had to face her problems for long. They were either whisked away with her latest family move or Edgar pounded them into the dirt. She didn't manage her money or bills, she rarely did the shopping. She never really felt the burden of adulthood because she was never given the chance to really assume responsibility for herself. It only reinforced her habits when she more or less was given the ability to do whatever she wanted… like a kid in a candy shop.

It may have surprised Felina to know someone like Leah didn't have very many friends. It wasn't that she ever found it difficult to make them, it was .more about keeping them when they constantly moved. After she finished school? Finding new ones became a difficult task. Like most things she took interest in, she poured on her attention into the newest shiny thing in her life, which was Felina. Catering to her tastes, going out of her way to badger the woman into making good on their offer to hang out, even scouring the internet for information about her beforehand for interviews to better understand this awesome woman she wanted so desperately to like her.

She had shifted, dipping down slightly and to the side to purposely catch Felina’s eye with her own. Big, bright, beautiful blue eyes, sparkling up at the other woman. A soft pout with one quivering lip. She seemed so innocent, so pure, so difficult to regret as she stared so expectantly… this look rarely worked on her brother. He knew better than to let her get this close and lay it on so thick.

Felina caved, brighting Leah up immediately as if there hadn't even been a pause in their please tell conversation. With a hard tug, she threw her weight backwards, twirling off her heel to pull Felina along merrily. The odd looked continued as the two passed strangers on either side of them, casting judgemental looks at the two women trotting along hand in hand, likely insinuating something the two were not.

“We both use to get a lot of presents at Christmas” She recalled fondly, thinking back on the lighter note of that. The other side to that coin was why. As adorable as she could be, it had nothing to do with influencing additional dolls and bikes from her parents but rather a heartfelt apology for time lost. The Twin’s father was oftentimes away, be it called to a function or pulled from home for weeks at a time. Birthdays, Christmas, Easter, even Valentine's day we're all big for her family when it came to gifts as a result. She never really made the connection, not consciously anyway.

“What sort of toppings are you feeling? I normally just go for pepperoni… I have to dab off the top a bit though, it can be a bit too greasy otherwise.” She hummed thoughtfully, eyes flitte in skyward in thought as she navigated them along. Crossing streets, turning corners… things just seemed to line up naturally which was good since she seemed rather oblivious to things like traffic and other pedestrians. “Ed normally gets special stuff… like buffalo chicken pizza and stuff. I don't know if that is really pizza. It doesn't feel like it.” She cast a glance back to Felina, beaming as bright as ever. “What do you think?”

Felina just shrugged off a few of the passerbys that were giving them those strange looks, not thinking too much of it. It was her look, yes, sticking out like the sorest of sore thumbs in a city where she three or fours shades darker than 99% of the population. But there was also the stigma that the AFW tended to perpetuate, making people assume certain things whenever they saw two lovely ladies strutting along together. It probably didn’t help matters that she was the semi-recognizable cousin of a former champion, one who’d made no secret of her sexual preferences.

Not that Felina had any problems with that on Carmen’s end, but it did lead people to making some rather curious assumptions about her. Assumptions she’d learned about when she’d dared to scour the AFW forum’s darker corners and found some fanart with curious depictions.

Yeah. That was a weird day.

But they could think what they wanted about the woman currently yanking her through the streets. She and Carmen had a lot of things in common, but orientation wasn’t one of them. Though she could do a lot worse than Leah, she was comfortable enough to admit.

”I bet you did.” She hummed along, joining in Leah’s little bit of nostalgia, thinking back to her own Christmases.”Dad used to give me lots of Barbies and dolls and stuff at first, never did much with them. Really, really wanted to play it old-school with me at first and keep me out of the ring, but when my cousin started training, I think he just gave in, accepted that ladyboxers were gonna be a thing in the family.” She threw out a quick jab, one that her father made her practice close to a billion times. “Gloves, boots, stuff like that from then on.”

When the subject switched to pizza toppings, Felina was about to give her bubbly friend a pretty straightforward answer - until she went and said that Ed’s answer would’ve been about the same one. He liked chicken on his pizza. She liked chicken on her pizza. She wasn't why that sent a flare through her system, but it did. Damn it.

”How about...pineapple?” She snapped her fingers. ”Diced pineapple. Make sure they space it out, don’t let the flavor dominate.” Ah, the benefits of living with a cooking obsessed cousin.

Leah practically skipped along as they spoke, taking in what her new friend had to say while maneuvering them rather impressively around other people walking the sidewalks. Her apartment was a decent walk from the theater, but nothing they couldn't make it to in good time if she kept them going. She had learned at a young age that hesitance tended to lead towards rejection. If they stopped moving, Felina might reconsider the invitation and leave. So what if it was a little bit of peer pressure. No time to slow down, they had fun and pizza to get!

“I use to like my Barbies, but they weren't as cool as some of the stuff Ed use to get. His action figures and stuff weren't their size either so I would up playing with his stuff a lot when he let me… or he was out at a friend's house. Eventually I just started asking for stuff like that for myself too.” Her pace slowed a bit as she recalled the bounty of toys that the two had between them. Some of which remained in their apartment currently in a a few unpacked boxes in the closet. She hadn't played with them in ages… but considered doing it again even though by all accounts she was too old to do such things.

“I even have one of those toy wrestling rings, with a cage you can put on it and everything. Though, I didn't use the cage much. It made it really hard to play with… I use to use my allowance to buy bulk boxes of Crunch bars from a surplus store, and use them as tables to powerbomb people through them. It was pretty neat, and I got to eat the chocolate after.” She giggled lightly, throwing her arm up and back with Felina still in tow.

The blond girl, still all smiles, gave a curious tilt of her head the the other woman's request of pizza. She had never tried pineapple on hers before, but was fully aware of the stigma surrounding the topping regardless of how popular it was in some circles. Free spirited as she was, the choice didn't seem off-putting to her in the least, she might even try a slice. Why not?

“That is pretty cool, knowing what you wanted to do so young. I couldn't ever do that… I just wanted to do everything. If you asked me a few years ago if I would ever be wrestling professionally, I would have laughed at the idea. Not because it wasn't awesome or anything, I just use to see all the people on the TV and think how impossible it must be to take one of they places… now here I am!” Leah abruptly stopped as a car came zooming by, nearly having walked the both of them into a very early end to their festivities. Whoops!

She shot a look back to Felina, a wide grin as she chuckled nervously. CLEARLY she was in complete control and hadn't almost made a fatal mistake. Please ignore the faint speckle of sweat on her brow. “We’re almost home.” Her wording was unintentionally endearing. It carried with it a warm welcome. Home. It wasn't just Leah’s home, it was open to anyone.