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Post by hadopelagic on Nov 30, 2023 1:37:08 GMT -6
Dressed in a white jumpsuit with tastefully padded shoulders, Vegas stepped into the bar and surveyed its assortment of customers. Regulars, she suspected. People who needed a moment to self-medicate or unwind. She'd given Shah enough time to settle down and have a drink or two; Vegas didn't want to seem like an overeager stalker.
The first phase of her plan had been a fantastic success, but the hardest part was yet to come. Shah had to trust her. And trust could be well-guarded. It was a precious gift, after all. It left a person vulnerable.
Vegas saw Shah sitting at a booth, alone. That could be a good thing, since there'd be no competition for the woman's attention. On the other hand, if Shah was in the mood for solitude, Vegas's charming company might not be appreciated.
There was only one way to find out.
She moseyed up to the booth, pretended to do a double-take, and then tapped the tabletop with her hand. "Barkeep! The lady's tab is on me!"
Smoothly, Vegas slid into the seat across from Shah and propped her chin on her hand.
"Maneater Amazonia. I owe you at least three drinks."
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Post by jarahamee on Nov 30, 2023 2:50:48 GMT -6
Shah smiled as the wily coyote scooted herself into the seat across from her. While she usually was looking for male company, sometimes it was nice to spend an evening with the girls. And she had made that promise, even half-joking and in the arena.
She snorted, shaking her head, and waved her hand in the air, as if to wave away the notion, pantomiming making room by moving all her cups, and the basket full of gnawed bones back to her side of the small table.
“Nonsense. You don’t owe me anything. Now, what’s your name, and why did you want to meet up? I assume you don’t just want an autograph.”
The large woman winked, flexing playfully as she settled into her seat and pushed her still-full water cup towards Vegas.
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Post by hadopelagic on Dec 15, 2023 0:36:18 GMT -6
The smell of meat lingered; Vegas licked her upper lip hungrily. Would Shah mind if she sucked on a bone? No, no. Better not. That'd be wildly inappropriate for human company. Instead, Vegas took the cup of water and had a drink.
"Is Wathais your home, Maneater?" she asked. "Do you envision a life here, in the city?"
“I guess I do. I’ve always wanted my own place, a nice one! Decorated like my room at the ring.” Then, Shah asked, “What about you?”
At that, Vegas smiled. Her teeth were white, her canines sharp. Shah's life was incomplete; the woman had unfulfilled dreams. Luckily Vegas could help her attain them.
"Oh, yes." Vegas clasped her hands on the table and leaned forward. "It will be home very soon. I'm new to Wathais, but the city is perfecto, don't you agree? The right place to build a life. I have a cozy little place near the river."
Thanks to Sita, Vegas's camper van was decked out in all the latest van-life luxuries. It even had a micro kitchen.
"What does your room look like at the ring?" Vegas asked. She wanted to get a sense of Shah's real self, the woman behind the persona. "And why doesn't Maneater Amazonia have the house of her dreams?"
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Post by jarahamee on Dec 15, 2023 2:43:43 GMT -6
“Yeah! I mean I grew up here, but I like it. I don’t think I want to move, I just want to get a nice big apartment in Glowho, and a really cute scooter with a little garage to keep her in, so she doesn’t get stolen, at least… you know, until I have a family and all that.”
The way that the wrestler’s expression became wistful told Vegas that the ‘family’ business was probably important to her. Probably part of the whole ‘dream’ thing. She swirled her drink around, and stared into it, as if some of the answers might be found there.
“You… have a home on the river?”
Her eyes widened. She imagined a little cottage, perched on the riverbank. Maybe it had a little boat dock attached to it, or maybe it just had a long, much more weather-safe way to reach the shore. While it was probably a little too far from work for her, it was still wonderful.
Shah shook her head, as if shaking the thought away, then glanced upward at the ceiling.
“Well, I live with my mom. This sort of job doesn’t really pay enough to get a nice apartment around here, but I’m saving up a little nest-egg so that I can hopefully move out someday, while also setting up mom and getting her taken care of.”
She drummed her bright red nails on the table.
“My room… well, it’s got a pink neon sign, and I have a big fuzzy chair and lots of pillows, and a fancy make-up drawer set, and a big walk in closet where all my costumes are hanging. It’s kind of.. loud, like me, and pink and cute.”
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Post by hadopelagic on Mar 14, 2024 0:11:54 GMT -6
When Shah mentioned family, Vegas propped her chin on her hands and bit her lower lip. Go on, she thought, hoping that her bright eyes conveyed her interest.
"My home is everywhere and nowhere," she said mysteriously. "But lately, I've been parked on the riverbank. It's easy to catch supper from the water. You just need a worm and a hook. Speaking of meals ... may I?" She gestured to the plate of ribs, most stripped to the bone.
Shah raised a brow at Vegas.
"There isn't much left, but you're welcome to them. Are you sure you don't want..." She gestures to the menu, "Wings or something?"
Chicken wings were tempting ...
"Oh, sure. I'll order those, too." Vegas took a mostly-clean rib and bit it like a dog with a stick. "I'll cut to the chase, Maneater. You're wiser than I am. For decades, I fumbled around the country, searching for the meaning of life. Well, turns out, it's simple. Family."
For emphasis, she jabbed the air with the bone.
"That's where you come in."
Vegas dropped the rib, stood, circled the table, and knelt beside Shah's chair, imitating a proposal without a ring.
"You're right. I became a LUCHADOR to meet you. 'Cause you're perfect. Join my pack of girlies, Shah. And your dreams will be within reach."
She might need convincing. Fortunately, that's where Vegas shone. She glanced around the bar, searching for a piano ...
"What do you say?"
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Post by jarahamee on Mar 14, 2024 0:54:22 GMT -6
“Family, yeah.”
Shah nodded in agreement, watching Vegas pick up one of her already-gnawed rack of ribs without gawking. Why she wanted something that the wrestler had discarded was beyond her, but it wouldn’t be the first or the last time something like that had happened.
She then raised a carefully plucked brow as Vegas dropped to her knees. Even for a fan, that was a little extreme, but then came the proposal. A business-offer? Some kind of collaboration?
“… Pack of girlies? Who else is in it? Are they all um…”
Shah looked upwards at the ceiling, trying to recount. Hyenas weren’t dogs, not even really close, but she didn’t know enough about them to point out the differences, besides something about being more like cats. That didn’t seem like a particularly fun fact to pull out right now.
She started to open her mouth, waving her index finger around in the air, when Vegas shifted away from her, walking towards… a piano in the corner?
The wrestler tilted her head as she watched the woman retreat, her next question dying in her throat.
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