Description: It's time for the big showdown! Princess Arika against Domino! In his home federation; Atlantic Islands Wrestling! Can the new face defeat the old pro, or will the tables turn in time so that he can reign triumphant?
A few matches have already taken place. Arika and Domino are queued up to go up very soon, though. The current match is just about to finish, in fact. The setup of the Atlantic Islands Wrestling arena is pretty typical for this sport, having rows of seating arrangements spreading outwards from a central area. The seats are bordered off from this area by a waist-high metal gate, and along one side rests the commentator's booth. And indeed, there are two commentators on standby - one clean-cut man, and another in an oversized cowboy hat. In the dead center of the arena rests a tall four-cornered wrestling ring, complete with steel steps leading up into two opposite corners. The main entrance to the arena is a broad, curtained affair, leading down to an equally broad ramp walkway that leads to the ringside. This is likewise cut off from the audience by metallic railing. As for the crowd in attendance? It's completely packed, and they sound extremely rowdy. A good night, in other words.
Domino is loitering around the curtained entrance, keeping clear of the opening itself so as not to be seen. His robe is still bound tightly about his body, though the hood is now drawn up to shroud his visage. He's really just waiting to be joined by Arika so the two of them can be ready for when they're called out. But where in the world -is- the girl?
Having been turned around in the labyrinth of hallways, Arika had to be redirected to the proper location. Bad enough that this embarrasses her to no end, but she's still very nervous atop everything else. Hands settle to her stomach as she walks, trying to shoo the butterflies away. Finally, she spies the robed model wrestler, and gracefully strides toward him.
"They haven't started without me, have they?" This whispered softly so that only he can hear her. 'Princess Arika' is just a bundle of nerves and a cursory glance out at the crowd through the edge of the curtains isn't really helping the issue. This is Drake's turf. His fans. It's not even grounds, and so she's going to be automatically hated.
But this can't be dwelt on. Instead, the 'rules' are gone over again and again in her mind as she waits to be called out.
Domino turns when Arika speaks up.. but he can only barely hear her. "C'mon, you can talk normally. No way anyone's gonna hear you," he points out. "And seeing as I'm standin' here, nuh-uh. They've not started without you. Not like they really -could-, anyway."
Right fist is lifted, and he gently nudges her cheek with it. It's a playful nudge, really. "Still nervous?"
"I'm nervous," Arika says without wasting a breath between his question and her response. Dropping the curtain she steps back and begins to stretch. Movements slow and purposeful. "Minute I raise my voice, a dead silence will fall and then everyone will hear me. I would much rather stay quiet for the moment."
"So, you're very sure that this is what you want? Have you thought of a wager yet?"
Domino laughs softly again and sets his hands to his hips. "C'mon, try to relax. You'll be great. When the match starts, it's all you're gonna think about. Maybe." But with her second question, he shakes his head. "Do you even have one, yourself? You don't -have- to make one, yanno."
*ding* *ding* *ding*
Go time is coming soon.
'Princess' Arika glances at him and shakes her head. "No, I don't. Not beyond my usual wager." Which she keeps losing miserably on. "I would feel too silly making a wager like that in front of so many people..." Blushing, she shakes her head again and then starts trying to loosen up her body by jumping in place a few times. "I'll be fine... if you make a wager, I'll come up with something on the fly for mine. Sound good?"
Domino just snickers a little more and shakes his head. "Relax! We won't make any wagers this time." This time! As if he plans on bringing her back to his fed more in the future.
And then, two burly men quickly dash past them and down into the hallway. A moment later, and Domino is being called from the ring. The model turns away from Arika, and he makes his grand entrance. For a few moments, he simply stands there at the top of the ramp, fists lifted into the air. The crowd greets him with a wave of praise and cheer. A familiar face to the ring, and one that's only increased his popularity in the fighting world! He's managed to amass -more- fans here from his televised and exhibition matches.
But then Domino's arms lower and he begins striding down the ramp, drifting from one edge to the other to slap a few hands on the way to the ring. For those watching via television, the name 'DOMINO' is displayed in black and white characters, fading back out only when the model reaches the ring. He slips under the bottom rope and raises quickly to his full height again, and he hops onto the middle ropes connected to the closest turnbuckle. The slim white sash tying his black robe together is pulled loose, and he quickly whips the garment off and to the floor outside the ring. And there, Domino's right fist thrusts into the air again, smiling brightly out at the audience, posing in his wrestling trunks and boots. He hops down to rush to the other corner of the ring to do the same over again, leaning on the turnbuckle a little more.
Finally, Domino hops down and strolls to the center of the ring to meet with the announcer. Hand is held out expectantly, and the announcer turns the mic over to him. "Laaadiiiees aaaand gentlemeeen!," he starts, still presenting the crowd with that winning, charismatic smile. "Is it -ever- good to be back home!"
The crowd responds with more cheering.
"It's true, I've been keeping myself busy! But there's no way I could go and leave you guys - my real fans - in the dust! No way!"
More cheering.
"So here I am, here to rock some face and remind you people that Atlantic Islands Wrestling is just not the same without me! So if you've missed me, lemme hear you shout!"
And more cheering. Domino lets this linger for a long time, letting the mic lower while his other arm lifts, beckoning more praise. Mmmhm. Truth is, he's missed this something fierce. But then the arm lowers, and he lifts the mic up again.
"But lemme introduce you guys to someone pretty special. She's been with me through matches... she's trained with me... she even stormed Thailand with me! I adore the girl, and I know you all will, too," Domino pauses, head turning aside and hand coming up to look conspiratorial, "-as long as you don't mind me beating her here tonight." Hand lowers, and he flashes a bright smile. "I present to you: Princess Arika!"
A man moseys up to Arika and gives her a cue to start walking.
"Hot little number, isn't she? Just remember who your favorite wrestler is, people," Domino adds jokingly. He then lowers the mic, free hand setting to his hip as he waits for her to get to the ring.
The crowd is all cheers, shouts, and whistles for this anticipated newcomer.
The hype of the model wrestler is watched with interest. Much interest, truth be told. It's great to see him here in all of his glory, and in its own way, it's causing the diva to relax. Caught up in everything herself, she's taken aback when he openly admits that he adores her. Cue heart swooniness. Arika can't help it! It's touching, even if it's just hype to get the crowd going and cheering for him.
Thus, she almost misses the man that gives her the cue. She's a little late on the uptake, but when she realizes that it's time she tries to affect the right attitude. Confident, yet nervous. Sweet, but hidden haughtiness beneath. Not that hard for her to do, considering her upbringing.
Bursting forth from the curtains, she begins a slow and graceful walk down the ramp. A royal wave is offered at first, playing up the 'British Princess' ploy. Halfway down the ramp she stops and turns toward the crowd, blowing a double-handed kiss at them before twirling about in a playful manner. Doubtful that she'll be able to get the amplitude of cheers that Drake 'Domino' Vyril is receiving, but she's hoping to appeal to the men in the crowd at least a little. It would maybe work more in her favor is if she'd had time to actually design a 'ring' costume before hand to play up her 'part'. Before she can make it to the ring, the name 'PRINCESS ARIKA' appears to those watching the match via television. To her chagrin, the name shows up in a flowing and sparkling cursive done up in pink characters.
A groan is hidden with a forced cheerful smile and another timid wave before she clambers up into the ring. Slipping up under the middle rope, she heads to the closest turnbuckle and settles her feet upon the lower rope as it sproings back into place. Leaning over the turnbuckle, she sends another double-handed kiss to the crowd and then turns to face Domino. Three careful steps carry her toward the model and she 'pretends' to be checking him out before winking at the crowd and fanning herself. Just to rile them up a little more.
The antics are met with a great many cat-calls and cheers, primarily from the male audience. The females accompanying these males mostly elbow or shove them. But Arika -is- getting a good reaction from the crowd. Domino actually helped her out in this way - talking her up and drawing attention to her. Not that she needed it, particularly... but having a history with him certainly helps.
Domino offers the microphone back to the announcer, who takes it. Arika's in-ring antics get some laughter and more cheering, and Domino simply extends his right hand out to her, palm upwards. Amethyst eyes are set to her blues as he awaits the princess' hand. In the meantime, a referee climbs into the ring and the announcer starts to back away.
For a very brief moment, the diva is uncertain whether she should trust her 'opponent' or not. Chewing on her lower lip, she shoots a 'help me' look to the audience, and while waiting for their response she very timidly offers her hand to her 'foe'. Winking at him, away from the invasive lens of the camera, she waits to see what it is he's intending.
All the while, Arika's hoping that the crowd is just going to eat up her antics. Singing she can handle fine, but this whole play-acting thing is still causing her to feel nervous.
They -are- enjoying the antics. It's quite obvious, what with their wild cheering for her. She seems so timid, so innocent! Yet look at that saucy leather outfit! She's already a sensation!
Domino takes the hand gently, thumb settling over her fingers, while his fingers tuck under her palm. The wrestler then bends forward and lifts her hand ever-so-gently to place a ghost of a kiss upon its back. Silly girl, being leery of him. He wouldn't start the match off dirty! It should be pretty obvious by now that he's a face!
But after this kiss is delivered, the ref ushers Domino to the corner opposite from Arika and ensures his boots, kneepads, and elbowpads are secure and not going anywhere. Once satisfied, he steps away from Domino and heads to Arika, ushering her to the other corner to check her for any loose items or what have you.
Confidence is truly bolstered a little by the wild cheers, and the charmingly gentle kiss from her opponent. Arika fans herself again while she watches Domino ushered into his corner and then winks at him. She's got to try and play this up enough so that she's actually got an opportunity to look good -and- the potential to win. Wager or no.
Once she's ushered to her own corner, the only thing that the ref will notice is 'loose' are the fringes on the armbands. She holds them up for him so that he can inspect them and ensure she can't pull them off to use as weapons or what not.
And the ref does just that. He looks over the sleeves, notes the frill, and leaves it at that. She looks harmless enough! The ref then moves to the center of the ring, and he motions to each of them to close in, then points forward to signal the bell.
*DING*
Domino leaves his turnbuckle and moves to the center of the ring, hunkering down alittle. Feet square, arms lift to shoulder level, fingers splay out.. if Arika should move in to join him, he instantly goes to just grapple up with her shoulders and neck.
COMBATSYS: Drake has started a fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Drake 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Arika has joined the fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Drake 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Arika
A soft, flirty smile is offered to the ref as he checks the fringe. Good thing she looks harmless, because she is. Honest! She's not going to use the fringe to choke Domino; it's against the rules here and well, she's not a heel. She hopes.
As the bell sounds, Princess Arika waits for Drake to move to the center, giving everyone a confused look before gasping and making a quiet exclamation of, "Oh!". Hurrying to the center of the ring, she takes up the same stance as his, though she does so a little more gracefully. Once they're grappled up though, she tries to take it one step further. Slipping her right hand from his shoulder, she tries to yank herself free from the grapple and work her way behind him so that she can catch him around the throat and apply a small chokehold.
COMBATSYS: Drake counters Diva Attaca from Arika with Solar Eclipse.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Drake 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Arika
Domino locks with the girl, and his expression turns notably more serious. Not cold, per se... but extremely determined. Amethyst eyes lock with her blues again, and he tries to overpower her... but she twists halfway out of the grapple. As she starts to weave behind him, her right arm freeing itself, the model turns with her. His right arm keeps her left arm locked up, and he twists over to duck her grab, left arm hooking between her legs. He simply pulls her up off her boots and twists over to the opposite direction, driving her down hard upon her back and dropping his stomach across hers.
Just after the moment of impact, his right arm takes ahold of her right shoulder and arm, left arm hooking her right leg to hoist it into the air, stomach pressing into hers.
The ref immediately drops to the mat beside them to start pounding out the pinfall counts...
One!
Two!
Th-
Before she knows what's happening, Princess Arika finds her action being stopped and her body driven hard down onto the mat. Having fought with Drake before, she's aware that a pin attempt is coming next, but the diva is unable to actually stop him before he lands; mostly because she's a little shocked by the fall and how poorly she's showing already.
Just before the ref can complete the three count, her shoulders lift up from the mat and she's attempting to push him off of her body. None too nicely either, though it seems like she's 'struggling' under the male. The poor, poor innocent little princess, getting all beat up!
The crowd loves this, of course. Can't be a wrestling fan without enjoying brutality. They cheer for her making an attempt at grabbing at him, and they cheer for the slam that she got for it.. and they cheer in anticipation of the third count. But the ref's hand doesn't make contact with the mat a third time. Very close! Just a fraction of an inch away! He raises to his knees and signifies only a two-count. No pin.
Domino gives Arika a look, and he raises off of her. He grabs ahold of her shoulders and raises to his feet, attempting to drag her back up to her full height as well. He then slips around behind her back, going to slip his arms around her stomach from behind.
Gasp! A look! Oh no! Princess Arika isn't attempting to upset the pro wrestler in him, she's just trying to play things up. Just like it was suggested to her. As such, she allows him to have the upperhand. To allow him to drag her to her feet and only makes a small showing of flailing and looking pained that this big, brutal male is going to manhandle her so!
Feeling his arms around her stomach, she fans herself to hide the fact that she's -not- blushing from all of this attention. As his arms lock around her, she slams her head backward attempting to crack the back of her skull against his forehead and push him away from her in the process.
COMBATSYS: Drake dodges Arika's Quick Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Drake 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Arika
Domino begins to constrict the girl in a bearhug.. but her head swings. In an instant, the girl is released and he weaves his body aside to let her fling her head against thin air. Hoping that this leaves the girl unbalanced, he moves in again behind her back. Left hand makes a grab for her left elbow to pull it back, and his right arm hooks over her neck in a reverse headlock.. which quickly turns into a standing submission hold, applying pressure to her throat to choke her and forcing her back into a tight, painful backwards angle.
The ref moves in quickly to keep watch on the submission hold, watching Princess Arika for any tapouts.
COMBATSYS: Arika dodges Drake's Quick Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Drake 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Arika
Hitting thin air is much better than hitting a turnbuckle; that's for sure! Princess Arika does get sent off balance a little though as she was expecting to hit -something- substantial. Er... that's not to say that Domino has a thick head or anything, just that his head is a little weighter than the nothingness of air. As such, his hand grabbing her elbow and drawing it backward manages to keep her on her feet instead of seeing the new 'face' topple over backward. Difficulty with this is, that while it snags her in the reverse headlock she manages to break free of it before any extreme amounts of pressure can be added.
Not to disappoint the ref, but there's not going to be any tapout just yet!
Free of the submission hold, she twirls about as quickly as she can manage so that she's facing the same direction as Domino. She then starts the attempt to hook her right arm under his left armpit. Should she be able to lock him up in this manner, the next action sees her quickly lifting him up with that arm and then throwing him forward over her hip in order to flip him onto his back on the mat.
COMBATSYS: Drake dodges Arika's Quick Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Drake 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Arika
Domino is thrown slightly off balance when the princess twists free of the submission hold, and he finds her suddenly facing him again. Wow. Impressive. She -is- a good wrestler! Her arm hooks under his armpit, but it doesn't quite work out the way she intended. His arm clenches and his body stiffens, refusing to flip over. Instead, he makes a grab for that arm with his right hand, gripping it at the wrist as he attempts to slip around behind her back. His left arm makes to hook around her stomach, keeping her right arm restrained. He then bridges backwards harshly, aiming to drive her head and shoulders backwards into a modified German suplex. And if she should hit the mat, she'll find him bridging back to attempt pinning her there.
COMBATSYS: Arika counters Strong Throw from Drake with Diva Allegro.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Drake 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Arika
Okay, so Arika recalls her announcement that she was going to withhold her energy attacks. He manages to grab tightly to her wrist, but she slams it toward his chin as he tries to slip around her. Though she can't focus here energy to match that pretty sparkly pink that the video editors thought would be super-spiffy-spectacular for her name, she does try and make it appear as bright a violet as she can muster. Then her left hand slams toward Domino's shoulder in a palmheel strike before she twists away from him again.
No chance for a pinning at this time.
Domino is struck squarely from the palm hit, and he staggers away from her, turning away. Left hand lifts to set to his shoulder, rubbing over it. The crowd cheers for Arika and her pretty little display! More importantly, she hit him! And she hit him hard, from the looks of things!
But the dark-haired model is coming back at her again! He's simply rushing at her, aiming to spear the girl down against her back. And if hit, he simply drops forward to cover her for the pin.
COMBATSYS: Drake successfully hits Arika with Quick Throw.
Glancing Blow
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Drake 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Arika
Man, when Drake wants to move fast? He can -really- move fast. With him rushing at her in such a manner, Princess Arika tries to slip to the side and avoid the downward shove. She's nearly out of the way but he manages to catch her shoulder and she goes flailing backward in a dramatic motion, hitting the mat with a small, "Ungh..." As he drops forward she swiftly rolls out of the way and kips herself up to her feet, staying arched a second or two longer than necessary; she's showing off.
On her feet once more, she attempts to do a showy little backflip and then land in a light stomp with both of her feet aimed at the middle of his back.
COMBATSYS: Drake dodges Arika's Light Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Drake 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Arika
Domino fails to get the pin on the girl, and the poor referee is just moving here, there, and everywhere trying to keep up with them. His life is made a little harder when Arika flips over and aims to pound her feet into his back.
Domino proves his legacy as an agile wrestler to be true as he catches only a glimpse of leather-clad female in the air before thrusting himself into a sideways roll. He raises back to his boots and begins to circle around her again, prepared to lock with her... but taking a moment to analyze the girl. The roar of the crowd for more action is deafening, though.
COMBATSYS: Drake focuses on his next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Drake 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Arika
He's scoping her out, is he? Princess Arika plays this up as much as she can. Striking a pose, she winks at him and blows a kiss. Meanwhile, she's simply biding her time until she can spot an opening. After a moment, she does and she rushes in with a quick hook punch to the side of his head. Her hope is that even if she misses the head, she'll knock his shoulder and get him to stagger back toward the turnbuckle so she can attempt a few more punches and then prepare to leap on him from above.
COMBATSYS: Drake counters Strong Punch from Arika with Blackout.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Drake 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Arika
The audience has completely gotten into this match. Their returning celebrity, wrestling brand spanking new eyecandy. And It seems to be pretty evenly matched so far!
The Princess goes to make a strong-armed swing, very non-dainty and uncivilized... but the spectators seem to enjoy that rough side of the girl. Except Domino stops the attack short, hand lifting to snatch her by the wrist before the hand makes contact. Middle finger and thumb pinch in on the soft spots of the wrist to twist the offending arm behind her back, and his other arm hooks around her waist.
That's when the bearhug sets in. Free hand locks with the wrist of his other arm, which restrains her previously-flung fist behind her back. She's jerked in tightly against him, lifting her an inch off her boots to begin crushing her six-packed abs against his ferociously. The pressure begins, then subsides for a moment, only for the pressure to crank more severely around her waist. This continues, each time growing tighter and more severe... but her one arm is left free to tap out at any time.
The ref moves in quickly to watch Princess Arika's face and free hand for any signs of giving in...
"Ahhhh!" Princess Arika has no shame in regards to crying out. The delicate skin on her wrist is pinched and her arm twisted, and while she normally -wouldn't- cry out, it's all for show at this point, right?
Wrong. It actually -did- hurt. She's just allowing herself to cry out for once instead of being stubborn and keeping the pain behind the mask.
Pouting out her lower lip and forcing it to tremble as Domino pulls her in tightly, she sniffs loudly. As the pressure begins, she leans her face in toward his, lips puckering as though she's about to plant an overzealous kiss upon his lips.
As her lips brush against his, she draws her head back as she yanks herself free of the grasp. Then she swings her head in a large circle and then slams it forward as hard as she possibly can. No, it's not a timid or delicate movement but maybe, just maybe the innocent little princess has a slightly darker side after all.
COMBATSYS: Drake dodges Arika's Harmonic Headbang.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Drake 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Arika
Domino just crushes the poor girl in this hold, working her body over while the ref just hovers around like Death. And Domino has every intention to keep squeezing and crushing the girl until she submits or passes out, despite looking like she's about to kiss...
...Except she suddenly wrenches herself free! The head-swing is something Domino is very much familiar with. His eyes widen, and he ducks back from the head in time to evade it. He then raises up again and makes an attempt to lock on a forward headlock with his right arm. With his left arm, he attempts to hook her right arm behind his neck. Then his left hand grabs ahold of the waistband of her bikini-like-shorts-deal. Given a moment of effort, Domino hoists her body upwards into the air, suspending her upside-down to let the blood rush to her head. He turns slowly to show the Princess off to the audience, then promptly drops, slamming her back harshly against the mat in a suplex.
COMBATSYS: Arika dodges Drake's Strong Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Drake 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Arika
Princess Arika deftly evades the headlock! She can't even hear if the crowd erupts into cheers because of the swift drop and roll she does to avoid being hoisted up and dropped. This leaves her in a crouched position, and the punk rock princess sets herself up for another grapple hold. Instead of going through with anything simple though, she swings her foot so that it gets situated behind his and then attempts to simply push forward and slam him back against the mat. A tackle body slam at best and something that likely isn't in the 'Professional Wrestlers Handbook of Moves'.
COMBATSYS: Drake fails to counter Strong Throw from Arika with Blackout.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Drake 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Arika
Domino snarls when his grab fails to lock onto her... and he welcomes her moving in. His arms loop around her waist to simply grab her into yet another bearhug and hopefully finish her off, but it fails. He's landed squarely on his back and lets out a yelp when she lands atop him. But there he lays, eyes shut, crowd cheering on the brutality. The ref drops down to check for a pin...
Oh... oh wow! She actually knocked him back onto the mat! For a moment, Arika doesn't even think about the pin. All she can think about is that she's got a solid hit on him, and he's not exactly moving out of the way. Peripheral vision catches the ref and 'Princess Arika' slips her body over Drake's. Laying there across his body, she tries to draw his left leg up with one arm while the other slips toward his shoulders in order to press them down to the mat.
A.. a pin!? On Domino!? By this newcomer!?
The audience is amazed. Shocked, even.
The ref doesn't care. He just does his job. He drops down beside the pair and raises his right hand. It strikes the mat squarely.
One!
Hand lifts again.
Domino kicks his leg out of her arm and twists over, popping his right shoulder off the mat.
The ref raises to his knees and signals a one-count. No pin.
A pin! She managed it! Princess Arika takes hold of Domino's shoulders and tries to draw him up to his feet as she herself stands up. An ecstatic and cheerful demeanor falls over the punk rock princess as she gets up. Pinning a 'hero' in his own federation is an amazing thing in and of itself! The fact that the crowd eats it up, even though they're shocked, just exhilarates her.
Waiting for him to get his footing, the diva swings away from him and spins around in a small circle, hands raised for the crowd. Before allowing him a chance to come at her though she twists back toward him and sends a quick chop that angles in toward the area where his neck meets his shoulder.
COMBATSYS: Drake dodges Arika's Quick Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Drake 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Arika
Domino is drawn back up to his boots, and he wobbles a little after being stood up. Like a good wrestler is supposed to. Sure, his body is now effectively in pain, but not to -this- great ane xtent, maybe. Professional wrestling must have some embellishment! S'what makes it entertaining!
But while Princess Arika turns to flaunt to the audience, he regains his composure, completed with a quick shake of his head. Next thing he knows, the girl is throwing a chop at him. He shrugs his body aside, shifting -just- out of reach of her chop. He delivers one in return, a reverse chop aimed to strike across her chest.
COMBATSYS: Arika dodges Drake's Quick Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Drake 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Arika
Being as that she's facing him, Princess Arika easily sees the chop aimed in her direction. A broad step is taken to the side and she just narrowly avoids being clipped by his chop. Fringes on the armbands flutter as she makes the swift movement and for a moment, it looks like she's not going to retaliate at all.
But retaliate she does, and to prove it she reaches out toward him and tries to take him by the shoulders. Should she manage the grasp, she'll draw him down toward her knee so that she can catch him in the stomach and cause him to double over.
COMBATSYS: Drake dodges Arika's Femme Fatale.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Drake 1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Arika
Domino's hand swipes through the air, and he's thrown a little prone. Bad thing about those wrestling chops. They can fly all errant-like. But the next thing he knows is that his shoulders get grabbed. The moment her knees lifts, his hands shoot down to stop it before it strikes him. He then just shoves her boot back down to the mat.
Believing he has the opportunity now, Domino slips in close to her and goes to hook his right arm around her stomach backwards. Using only this one arm to hoist her body up into a cradle, he drops to a knelt position to smash her back upon his upturned knee. A quick, but hard backbreaker, which will end with him simply shifting forward to let her lay on the mat and lay him across her stomach for a pin.
COMBATSYS: Arika dodges Drake's Strong Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Drake 1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Arika
Opportunity only knocks once, and while he believes he's got it, he doesn't. Princess Arika has the opportunity when her boot is shoved back down to the mat, and as soon as she sees it, she backs away quicker than he can make his grab. Thankfully, this saves her poor back a whole lot of pain and she avoids yet another pin; at least she's figuring she's avoided the pin.
Trying something that she's only -seen-, the diva rushes toward the nearest turnbuckle. Climbing up the ropes she leaps toward him. Executing a backflip in the mid-air she's hoping to slam into him and knock him to the mat so that her body splash over his and press him down to the mat in another potential pin.
COMBATSYS: Drake fails to counter Strong Throw from Arika with Blackout.
-* CRITICAL FAIL! *-
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Drake 1/---====/=======|=======\-------\0 Arika
Well, this is getting a bit frustrating. She's making him look bad! In front of his peeps! She's... ugh. She's moving just as quickly as he is! She's never done that before! This has Domino in some dire straits, it does.
When he sees her scamper for the ropes, he's only too ready for what she intends. Not only should it be quick, but it should be totally easy to counter. He knows it well!
Except problems happen.
She goes flipping the wrong way. Okay, so she didn't do exactly what he was expecting. Domino is slammed into and brought down flat on his back, landing underneath the girl in a sprawl. Eyes are shut, breathing is extremely labored... holy crap, she may have him pinned here.
The crowd doesn't know whether to cheer or to boo. She's making a mess of their favorite! But.. she -does- look good doing it. So she's getting a pretty mixed reaction.
The referee drops down to the mat beside them.
Hand lifts, then strikes the mat.
One!
Hand lifts again, then strikes the mat. No change in Domino's condition.
Two!
Hand lifts.
Domino twists aside with a wince, thrusting his right arm into the air and pulling his shoulder off the mat. No pin.
Fans are fickle things, really. Arika is used to getting mixed reactions from crowds, and so the few 'boos' she can here don't really phase her. There's a critic in every crowd.
More to the point though, is that she's pulled off this move. One she was going to show to Drake later on anyhow, since the name of it kind of works with the team. She's pulled it off. He's down. He's pinned. He's... twisting away and getting his shoulder off of the mat.
Awwww! Arika was sure she had him there!
Nonetheless, she's pulling back up to her feet; only not quite. On her knees, she tries to twist him the rest of the way onto his stomach and then wrap her arm around his chin in order to yank him backward and lock him into a camel clutch while she tries to get comfortable on his back.
COMBATSYS: Drake parries Arika's Quick Throw!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Drake 1/--=====/=======|=======\-------\0 Arika
Domino does, indeed, look pretty vulnerable. Apart from pushing his arm up, his eyes are still shut, his breathing is still labored... he's hurting! There's a real chance she might embarrass him in front of his peeps!
But the moment she goes to roll him over, he suddenly shoves his bodyweight in her direction, forcing her down against the mat on her back. He's not going for a pin, though. Domino has bigger plans. He quickly grabs for her arm to drag her out to the center of the ring, and once there, he simply lays her outspread.
Then the model wrestler rushes to a turnbuckle and climbs it quickly. He perches upon the top ropes, facing the audience. Despite glistening with sweat and looking weakened, Domino flashes them a bright, confident smile, and thrusts his right fist into the air.
And the audience bursts into cheer, showering him with anticipated praise. They know full well what's coming.
Domino springs high from the top ropes, body twisting into a slow backflip aimed to smash his abs across hers in a moonsault. Unless of course she gets to her feet... in which case the moonsault splash should still be quite damaging.
COMBATSYS: Drake successfully hits Arika with Darkside Slam EX.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Drake 1/-======/=======|=======\==-----\1 Arika
Forcibly grabbed, the poor Princess Arika attempts to pull away from the brute and get to the safety of her corner. Alas! This is not to be the case as the model wrestler shows off for his fans. It must be the confident smile, and all the hype he is creating. Once she's left in the center of the ring, she attempts to roll out of the way but the fact that she's been trying to keep her speed up with his finally wears on her and she lays there in a dazed manner. Hence, the moonsault hits her dead on and her body arches upward and then falls back to the mat while she groans quietly and squeezes her eyes shut while she tries to get a handle on the pain.
The crowd explodes in cheers when the well-known Darkside Slam connects with Princess Arika's prone body, abs smashing over abs squarely. Ah, such memories the fans have. Domino's quite pleased at being able to give them this nostalgia.
Domino lets Princess Arika arch upwards for a couple seconds, then adjusts his position over her. Right leg sets between her legs, right arm hooks under her left leg to haul it into the air, left arm settles over her left arm and bicep, chest and stomach settled atop hers at a slight slant.
The referee quickly drops down beside the pair, ready to count the complete pin.
Nice try, Domino, but while Princess Arika is feeling the pain from the hit and the weariness from moving so swiftly, it doesn't seem as though she's out quite yet. So, when the referee drops down beside her her right shoulder pops up off of the mat. Though she's avoided yet -another- pin attempt, the diva needs to take a moment to catch her breath after that hit. Eyes close and she takes several deep breaths as she tries to pull her focus back into the match.
COMBATSYS: Arika gains composure.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Drake 1/-======/=======|=======\-------\1 Arika
Domino blinks. He.. he didn't even get a single count on her? The whole of the audience blinks as well. She must be.. -a robot-. Yes, that must be it. She's a war machine.
But seeing as Princess Arika can't really do much as tuckered out and beaten up as she is, Domino feels it's necessary to rough her up a little more. He raises to his full height and grabs her shoulders, dragging the blonde up to her boots as well. He then leans over, arms looking to hook around her waist...
COMBATSYS: Arika counters Total Eclipse from Drake with Dominant Diva.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-
[ \\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Drake 0/-------/-======|-------\-------\0 Arika
Robotic war machine? Psh. If that were the case, then she would have fared better against Douyoubi and Sakura in Thailand. Boots tap against the mat as her feet plant there, but when he hooks her around her waist she leans toward him and then twists her body so that she can slip her leg between his and slide behind him.
Settled behind him, and having ensured he can't break away, Princess Arika wraps her right arm about his head and draws it backward a little to add a little pain to the hold. As she does that, her left hand slides down and forms a claw shape. Pressing the 'claw' into his side she adds a great deal of pressure and forces him onto his opposite side on the mat.
This is going horribly! Domino was supposed to piledriver her with his patented finisher! He was supposed to beat her, make his fans enamoured, and sip on a martini with his folks afterwards! But instead, he's found himself tangled up.. choking.. and letting out a raspy cry of pain. Eyes squeeze shut, left hand claws at her arm, trying to get free... right hand lifts, ready to tap out. His body really can't take much more of this. It's getting to be too much.
Steadily, Domino is forced down onto his side... and once there, he goes limp. Hand hovers just a few inches above the mat, trembling.
Princess Arika keeps pressing him down until she feels his body go limp. A hint of conscience hits her then and she recalls that this is his home federation and she's making him look bad! To force him to tap out would be wrong, in her mind, and hardly a fair fight just because she managed to avoid the awful drop on the head he was offering to her. Releasing the claw hold, she goes to give him a fake little kick and then throws her hands up into the air. Dancing around his body she winks at the camera and blows it a little kiss hoping to give him enough time to get back up.
Released from the hold, Domino is then.. kicked. He at least has the presence of mind to roll with it, back arching and rolling over onto his front. He lays there for a couple seconds... then slowly drags himself back up to his feet. He swaggers a little... then slips in at her right side. Left arm hooks between her legs, right hand grabs ahold of her neck, and he goes to lay her back across his shoulders. He then straightens his body, and he pulls down on her legs and neck, arching her back sharply for a punishing torture rack submission hold.
COMBATSYS: Arika endures Drake's Strong Throw.
[ \\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
Drake 0/-------/-======|===----\-------\0 Arika
Realizing that he's going to grab her up in a fireman's carry, Princess Arika just stands there and waits for him to lay her across his shoulders. But, she's not being dropped and OHGODTORTURERACK! Deep blue eyes go extremely wide and she cries out before wincing. Pain is something she's used to from fighting, but she wasn't expect this to hurt so unbearably much! Try as she might to get away from the hold she can't twist free without putting her body through more pain or accidentally hurting him in the process... so for the moment she simply endures the pain while biting her lip to keep from crying out again.
Domino wrenches harder on her opposite ends, pulling her as taut as he can... but decides that forcing her to tap out in this position wouldn't quite be fair. Besides, she let him out of her hold. It was a favor! Something he should return! So Domino tilts forward, pushing her off his shoulders to tumble her down onto the mat.
You know what's great about a wrestling ring? Bodies that hit the mats make a very loud and pronounced thumping sound. Oh, it doesn't necessarily -always- hurt, but when she's being dropped from nearly six feet above the ground it does. Knocks the wind right out of her. Domino is returning the favor and she'll thank him for that later, but she lays dazed for a long moment.
The referee is still just hovering around, observing the goings on intently.
Domino, panting by this point, lifts his fists to the roaring audience. By this point, they're baffled that he's not finished the girl off by now. Either she's a heck of a lot better than she's making it seem, or...
Domino drops to his knees beside the fallen girl and rolls her over onto her back. He drops down overtop her, hooking his left leg between her legs. Left arm hooks under her right leg to hoist it into the air, and his right arm settles over her right shoulder and bicep. Body rests atop hers at an angle. A complete pin again.
The hovering ref drops down by Princess Arika's head to begin the count.
One!
Two!
...
THREE!
The majority of the audience jump to their feet to give an uproarious ovation, cheering wildly. The submission hold and drop apparently did enough damage to her.
Princess Arika? Heck, yeah! She's a lot better than she was making it seem, but then again that's part of the fun of creating this wrestling persona. That, and well, she's got a lot of stamina. Only this time she stays down. For whatever reason, be it that her body can't handle it any more, or that final hit just did a bit more damage than was intended she's not got the ability to get out of the way when he comes in for the pin. Before she knows it, she's being counted out and the crowd goes wild.
At least Drake will be happy, winning his returning match to the federation.
He most certainly is happy. Domino is ecstatic when the third count is made. He remains on her a moment longer... just long enough to hear those beautiful tolls...
*DING* *DING* *DING*
Domino releases the battered princess and raises up to his feet. He steps over the girl and moves to the center of the ring. The referee steps up to his side and takes ahold of his right wrist to pull it into the air victoriously. Domino lifts his other fist into the air, beaming at the roaring audience. When the ref releases his wrist, Domino simply trots to the closest turnbuckle to thrust his fists into the air to garner more praise and adoration from his fans.
The referee meanwhile crouches beside Arika, touching a couple fingers to her throat to check her pulse.
COMBATSYS: Arika has left the fight here.
[ \\\\\\ <
Drake 0/-------/-======|
Poor referee. He's not going to make -that- mistake twice, being as the diva isn't in the mood to be touched. Even if it is done with the best intentions. The fingers don't make it to her throat as her hand snaps up and shoves them away from her with a forcibly soft, "I'm fine."
May have been too tired to move, but Princess Arika wasn't knocked out, and she's not got anything broken. She'll survive. She feels bad for treating the ref so poorly though and she sighs. "Mind helping a lady out here, luv?" Her hand is then offered up to him, so that he can at least help her to her feet before she attempts to exit the ring unnoticed. Better to stand than to crawl, after all.
The ref gets put through a whole lot of crap. If a little shove is the worst she's got, she's like a fluffy freaking easter bunny to him. He just nods at her and takes her arm and sets his other hand to her shoulder to begin helping her up.
Domino, meanwhile, has left the turnbuckle he was perched on earlier to perch on the one across from it, fists thrusting into the air again. But from that perch, he points out a couple in the front row and winks at them. The two in question? An older couple. Not too clear what's what about them, what with an almost moshing crowd around them, though.
Domino then hops down again and strides over to Arika's side. An arm goes to loop around her shoulders to effectively steal her away from the ref for a cheerfully friendly half-hug, other fist still in the air.
Considering that Arika is facing the opposite direction, she nearly misses him pointing to people in the crowd. Catching it at the last possible second all she can see are two young girls in that area and she just blinks. Whatever though. They're his fans, right? This is all for him, and she's just along for the ride. The only thing she can hope for is that she made a good showing today and didn't break the rules of the federation -too- badly.
Hard to confine yourself to a certain set of attacks when you're used to doing whatever the heck you darned well please.
Feeling an arm around her, she's about to fuss at the ref for getting fresh, but realizes it's Drake. Letting him continue with his 'victory' showing, she's got no opportunity to sneak away back to the room she's been leant for the day.
"Winner by pinfall! DOMINO!," declares the announcer when he re-enters the ring. This receives yet more cheering.
Domino pumps his fist once more, then goes to place it gently upon Princess Arika's cheek, trying to turn her head to look her in the eye. "You were spectacular. Amazing, even. Don't be surprised if AIW doesn't try to get a contract with you." An amethyst eye is winked, and the arm around her shoulders squeezes.
When Domino releases her shoulders, he makes his way to the edge of the ring to straddle the middle rope, pushing up the top rope and pushing the middle rope down. He then beckons to Princess Arika with his head, obviously holding the ropes apart for her.
Sadly, all of the cheering is for him. Rather, it's sadly for her but it's great news for him. He's in his element, and though she lost she's proud to have been able to have been a part of it. Not that she'll tell -him- that though! She's got to at least be a little miffed at herself for losing!
"I'm British," Arika points out quietly as he looks her in the eye. "What on -Earth- would they want me for?" But the compliment isn't lost on her. He thinks she could make it as a professional wrestler, so it's something she can look into at least.
Watching him exit the ring, she turns and offers a friendly wave to the crowd. She may have lost but she wants them to know she's not a sore loser. At least not today. But when she turns back and spies the ropes being held for her, she 'awws' quietly and then carefully climbs out between them. She stops only to whisper, "Thank you."
Domino just smiles at her as she passes by, then slips down after her. He lets her go on ahead of him though, as he heads over to collect his robe and drape it over his right shoulder. With a quick wave to the people he pointed out earlier, Domino starts back up the ramp, high-fiving people along the way, pausing to shake some hands or, in some female cases, get hugged. It should be pretty obvious that he's loved in his home federation. But ultimately, Domino wanders back up to the entrance and past the curtains... where he then turns to wait on the British girl.
COMBATSYS: Drake has ended the fight here.
Log created on 15:59:43 07/09/2007 by Arika, and last modified on 14:46:37 07/10/2007.