Lady Lakota vs White Feather (Aftermath): Recovery

(Layla, I mean)

Layla would put her glass back on the counter as she would sit back and reflect on her past. "Well, I was born in Boulder, Colorado and descended from a long line of Mojaves. I was big on our roots and culture that I wanted to keep some of our traditions alive. I am a very green kind of person and I want to preserve nature in every aspect possible.

But then one night while I was sleeping, our house got broken in and I heard my father trying to back the robbers away. I ran downstairs to try and help him, but suffered some pain in the process. We got the robbers away, but I felt that being the eldest sibling meant that I had to protect at all costs.

With the mindset of my family and friends being important in my life, I decided to take self defense in karate, kickboxing, and even submissions. Soon, my fighting skill was recognized by a representative of AFW and offered me a chance to showcase my skills.

So, I joined in and I kept in mind that any fighter I face is like family to me. No matter how dirty they fight, I refuse to hate them and fight back in their same way."

(Heh, got it)

Janet smiled, nodding along as Layla told the condensed story of her life. “I understand what you mean,” the Lakota girl confirmed, when her former opponent mentioned how she had been interested in her culture, and in preserving nature. “I am the same. Even though Iâ€m technically only one quarter Lakota, Iâ€ve been really interested in our culture for all of my life…I even tried to make a living doing nature-themed art, at one point.”

She continued listening, and gave another smile when Layla mentioned how she felt towards her opponents. “Yeah, I get a little flustered sometimes, but Iâ€ve had a really good experience with pretty much every opponent Iâ€ve faced.”

Layla smiled as she replied, "Glad to hear. I am interested to see what you came up with for your nature-themed art. Maybe we can get a little get together at either of our houses." She would then ask, "Any highlights of your AFW career so far? Me, I enjoy everything about it."

“The art wasnâ€t that great. A lot of nature-themed art, then I tried doing some, uh, ‘traditional†Lakota art…I never was as good as my mother. She made a good deal of money as an artist!”

She paused, letting Layla ask her next question. “Hmm…highlights of my career, huh?” Janet said, rubbing her chin as she gave the question some serious thought. So many things had happened to her over the course of her short time at AFW—where could she begin?

“Well, I guess the best night Iâ€ve had here was the night of my second match. I won—and that was my first victory at AFW—and, afterwards, my opponent and I went out for a nice date, and then we went to a hotel, and…well, Iâ€ll spare you the intimate details, but suffice it to say that my girlfriend and I have had a fantastic time in the month weâ€ve been together!” She laughed a little, fondly remembering the night she had just described.

"Very interesting," said Layla. "I guess after your first few matches, things tend to surprise you." She would then ask, "So what kind of fighting do you most specialize in? Wrestling? Kickboxing? Martial Arts and such?"

“As far as actual fighting is concerned, I guess Iâ€m more of a kickboxer—itâ€s the first sort of fighting I did, after all,” Janet explained. She then added: “Although, as of late, Iâ€ve gotten more adept at submission wrestling. So I just sort of do what works. What about yourself? What sort of fighting is it that you specialize in?”

Layla replied, "Cool, kickboxing and submissions, that's very similar to my styles of fighting. I mix it up a little though; kickboxing, submissions, and martial arts. I believe it is a very versatile combination and it can be quite handy when defending yourself."

That brought something to her mind. "Ooh! Ooh! You want me to tell you about my recent beat down on the streets?"

Janet laughed as Laylaâ€s face suddenly lit up, and she asked the Lakota girl as to whether or not she wanted to hear about something. What else would Janet do, other than speak with her opponent? “Of course!” she said, with a smile. “A beatdown on the street, you say? Whatâ€s that about? Spill it, girl!”

Layla giggled as she said, "Okay, okay, now let me recall...Oh yes, so I was just taking a walk one night in order to clear my head of the stress from my last training session. I had a break from AFW at that time. I passed through an alley that was a shortcut to my favorite salon when suddenly these three guys came up and blocked my way. I can already tell what their reason were...and they were more than cash."

As Layla told the story, Janetâ€s face got a little pale. Though she knew that the story must have a happy ending—the other Native American girl wouldnâ€t be telling it otherwise—it brought to mind that terrible experience which the Lakota girl had had all those years ago at camp. It was why she had a sort of innate distrust of boys. Heck, it was why she was gay.

“I gotcha…” Janet said. “Keep going…”