The Spider and the Falcon
Aug 27, 2023 1:19:33 GMT
Post by Peregrina Loca on Aug 27, 2023 1:19:33 GMT
The crash and rattle of boards fills the Bobby Shitake Arena as Araña Oscura walks into a dropkick, rebounds off the ropes, and eats an armdrag. Peregrina Loca kips-up and grins at her recovering trainee. Sophie Whimm looks on from ringside, applauding excitedly - then glancing at her watch in panic.
"Oh, coconuts! I'm late for my meeting!"
Pera raises an eyebrow, motioning for her to hurry.
"Whatever are we going to do with you, Sophie?"
Sophie awkwardly laughs, and pats herself down, checking she has everything as she scampers toward the door.
"Put on a great show for me, I hope! Okay, have fun! Please try not to kill each other... or anyone else..."
Araña watches her go, wearing a deep frown.
"That was a suspiciously specific request."
"And that was quite a mouthful, Araña. Sophie's a sweetheart - and she's had a hard time lately. Be nice."
"Funny to hear you say that."
Pera feigns offense as they circle one another.
"¿Espere, qué?"
"Craneo, the way she talks about you... you're not what I imagined..."
"Araña, Craneo and I, it's complicated - but, she's a bad person."
They lock up, and the rookie violently seizes the upper hand.
"She's not a bad person," Oscura insists, spinning into an arm wrench. Pera slaps her shoulder, shifting to counter.
"She's a terrible person, and she'd be the first to admit it."
Abruptly, she somersaults, and drops low, sweeping Oscura onto her back.
"You trained together, right?"
Pera goes for a leg drop, and misses, nodding as she rolls to her feet.
"Sí."
"So you know there's another side to her..."
"Sí. Like anyone, she was a scared little girl once. She grew up. She changed."
Araña shakes her head, and moves to lock up again.
"She's not all bad. She does kind things."
"Name one."
Pera takes the offensive, whipping Oscura toward the ropes - where she catches herself, flipping backwards onto the apron.
"I gave her a friendship bracelet once, and she--"
She's already faltering. Peregrina quirks an eyebrow expectantly.
"--didn't throw it in the trash until after I'd left the room? ¡Ah, coño!"
A nod from the older woman, and a kind-enough smile.
"But you're right, not everything about her is awful. She trained you."
"And I've done nothing but lose."
"She did a fine job; the problem isn't skill, it's attitude. It's up here."
Pera darts forward, tapping at her skull, and then rips a hard chop across Oscura's chest.
"And in there."
Araña blocks the next shot, captures the arm, and springs over the ropes. She may have control, but her shoulders slump on reaching the canvas.
"You're going to tell me I don't have heart--!!"
Her breath explodes from her lungs as Pera twists free and kicks her across the ring.
"No. The opposite. You have too much! All that blood pumping away, making you sensitive and brave, and not enough running through your brain to compensate. You're fast, but you act when you should think."
"Give me an example?"
Standing over her, Pera shakes her head.
"You're going to set yourself one, Araña. In a couple of days, we're facing Hijo de la Muerte and Shinja Masaru--"
"Zilpah."
"¿Qué?"
"He's injured. I wish it was Masaru. He... he beat Craneo. The first time I believed anybody could."
Pera processes this, shaking her head again.
"Everybody can be beaten, Araña. You want this win, sí?"
"More than anything."
A hand is offered, and Oscura's pulled upright.
"Then start planning how to get it. At Superunknown, Hijo was blindsided by a better opponent. Like you, he's young; a lion cub, all spirit, no focus. How do you think you beat him?"
"Experience? Size? Be a bigger, smarter lion."
"Sí, size helps. But it's being older, more experienced and cunning. Enjoy yourself with Hijo, but remember who's in your corner - I may not be taller, or heavier, but for twenty years, I've been running rings around men twice as good as the man who trained him."
Araña laughs.
"That was a mouthful."
"And Zilpah will have a mouthful or three for you, Araña."
"What do you mean?"
"You live in your heart; she lives in your head. She'll wriggle in there like a worm in tequila, and wait for you to swallow her insults and lies. In the moment, you'll want to hear them - because they'll taste so good. You'll swallow them, absorb them, and they'll cloud your judgement."
"I won't--"
Pera cuts her off firmly.
"You will, because she's good at what does. She'll hit you where you're weakest."
"So I need to just, be aware of that? Yo presto atención... Stay mindful?"
Pera nods.
"When you look her in the eye, look at her with all of your being. Remember who you are."
"Araña Oscura."
Confidence floods the rookie's tone, and Peregrina flashes a grin.
"A girl with the skills and the drive to be a champion, trained by the great Craneo."
"And by you."
Pera shakes her head, and grabs the girl's shoulder.
"By yourself. As a teacher, I am giving you advice - it's you that applies it, learns from it. When we win..."
"When?"
There's a spark of hope, that the older woman kindles with a firm squeeze of her hand.
"When we win, the credit is yours. Not mine."
Araña bites her lip, looking down at the space between them. When she speaks again, it's quiet - sincere.
"Gracias, señora."
"For what?"
"For believing in me."
"It doesn't matter if I believe in you. You need to believe in yourself."
Araña looks up, and meets Peregrina's gaze. She nods firmly.
"Lo entiendo."
"Bueno."
Her reply is curt, and she turns to leave - stopping a pace away.
"Araña?"
The girl expectantly shifts her gaze, and meets an enigmatic smile.
"If you mess this up, I'm going to kill you."
Oscura's eyes widen in alarm - but she's cut off by Pera leaning in reassuringly--
"Joke."
--to boop her on the nose.
"Smile. You're about to win your first match."
"Oh, coconuts! I'm late for my meeting!"
Pera raises an eyebrow, motioning for her to hurry.
"Whatever are we going to do with you, Sophie?"
Sophie awkwardly laughs, and pats herself down, checking she has everything as she scampers toward the door.
"Put on a great show for me, I hope! Okay, have fun! Please try not to kill each other... or anyone else..."
Araña watches her go, wearing a deep frown.
"That was a suspiciously specific request."
"And that was quite a mouthful, Araña. Sophie's a sweetheart - and she's had a hard time lately. Be nice."
"Funny to hear you say that."
Pera feigns offense as they circle one another.
"¿Espere, qué?"
"Craneo, the way she talks about you... you're not what I imagined..."
"Araña, Craneo and I, it's complicated - but, she's a bad person."
They lock up, and the rookie violently seizes the upper hand.
"She's not a bad person," Oscura insists, spinning into an arm wrench. Pera slaps her shoulder, shifting to counter.
"She's a terrible person, and she'd be the first to admit it."
Abruptly, she somersaults, and drops low, sweeping Oscura onto her back.
"You trained together, right?"
Pera goes for a leg drop, and misses, nodding as she rolls to her feet.
"Sí."
"So you know there's another side to her..."
"Sí. Like anyone, she was a scared little girl once. She grew up. She changed."
Araña shakes her head, and moves to lock up again.
"She's not all bad. She does kind things."
"Name one."
Pera takes the offensive, whipping Oscura toward the ropes - where she catches herself, flipping backwards onto the apron.
"I gave her a friendship bracelet once, and she--"
She's already faltering. Peregrina quirks an eyebrow expectantly.
"--didn't throw it in the trash until after I'd left the room? ¡Ah, coño!"
A nod from the older woman, and a kind-enough smile.
"But you're right, not everything about her is awful. She trained you."
"And I've done nothing but lose."
"She did a fine job; the problem isn't skill, it's attitude. It's up here."
Pera darts forward, tapping at her skull, and then rips a hard chop across Oscura's chest.
"And in there."
Araña blocks the next shot, captures the arm, and springs over the ropes. She may have control, but her shoulders slump on reaching the canvas.
"You're going to tell me I don't have heart--!!"
Her breath explodes from her lungs as Pera twists free and kicks her across the ring.
"No. The opposite. You have too much! All that blood pumping away, making you sensitive and brave, and not enough running through your brain to compensate. You're fast, but you act when you should think."
"Give me an example?"
Standing over her, Pera shakes her head.
"You're going to set yourself one, Araña. In a couple of days, we're facing Hijo de la Muerte and Shinja Masaru--"
"Zilpah."
"¿Qué?"
"He's injured. I wish it was Masaru. He... he beat Craneo. The first time I believed anybody could."
Pera processes this, shaking her head again.
"Everybody can be beaten, Araña. You want this win, sí?"
"More than anything."
A hand is offered, and Oscura's pulled upright.
"Then start planning how to get it. At Superunknown, Hijo was blindsided by a better opponent. Like you, he's young; a lion cub, all spirit, no focus. How do you think you beat him?"
"Experience? Size? Be a bigger, smarter lion."
"Sí, size helps. But it's being older, more experienced and cunning. Enjoy yourself with Hijo, but remember who's in your corner - I may not be taller, or heavier, but for twenty years, I've been running rings around men twice as good as the man who trained him."
Araña laughs.
"That was a mouthful."
"And Zilpah will have a mouthful or three for you, Araña."
"What do you mean?"
"You live in your heart; she lives in your head. She'll wriggle in there like a worm in tequila, and wait for you to swallow her insults and lies. In the moment, you'll want to hear them - because they'll taste so good. You'll swallow them, absorb them, and they'll cloud your judgement."
"I won't--"
Pera cuts her off firmly.
"You will, because she's good at what does. She'll hit you where you're weakest."
"So I need to just, be aware of that? Yo presto atención... Stay mindful?"
Pera nods.
"When you look her in the eye, look at her with all of your being. Remember who you are."
"Araña Oscura."
Confidence floods the rookie's tone, and Peregrina flashes a grin.
"A girl with the skills and the drive to be a champion, trained by the great Craneo."
"And by you."
Pera shakes her head, and grabs the girl's shoulder.
"By yourself. As a teacher, I am giving you advice - it's you that applies it, learns from it. When we win..."
"When?"
There's a spark of hope, that the older woman kindles with a firm squeeze of her hand.
"When we win, the credit is yours. Not mine."
Araña bites her lip, looking down at the space between them. When she speaks again, it's quiet - sincere.
"Gracias, señora."
"For what?"
"For believing in me."
"It doesn't matter if I believe in you. You need to believe in yourself."
Araña looks up, and meets Peregrina's gaze. She nods firmly.
"Lo entiendo."
"Bueno."
Her reply is curt, and she turns to leave - stopping a pace away.
"Araña?"
The girl expectantly shifts her gaze, and meets an enigmatic smile.
"If you mess this up, I'm going to kill you."
Oscura's eyes widen in alarm - but she's cut off by Pera leaning in reassuringly--
"Joke."
--to boop her on the nose.
"Smile. You're about to win your first match."