RP: ZHS [S2:E2] Wanna Be The Ultimate Muscle W: Love And Wrestling

Meanwhile, backstage...

As Hoshiko snagged her prize, a strange sound was heard. Or at least an unexpected one. Someone was...sniffing? The SAINT Operative retreated before the sensitive nosed someone arrived, although she could hear them moving around the dressing room she'd vacated. They seemed rather confused and grumpy, if all the grumbling and snorting was any hint.


Our Main Event

After her narrow escape, Hoshiko floated above and behind the three students, looming over them like some sort of invisible specter of death. The music that began to play as they returned to their seats would've fit the mood well, if any of them knew they were being followed. The three (four) caught a glimpse of Keiko reading and Jackson enjoying his adult beverage for a split second before the lights cut out. It was suddenly quite difficult to read, and almost as hard to find their seats.

The crowd began to rumble in anticipation during the darkness, brief flashes of light from electronic devices not quite powerful enough to ruin the spooky mood. After drawing out the anticipation for several long moments, one red spotlight suddenly snapped on, illuminating a sturdily built female. Her hair was wild and disheveled, black streaked with white, and she appeared to be wearing dark, brown leather adorned with strips of thick fur. The crowd erupted when she became visible, before their excitement for her entrance shifted to boos. She sneered as she stalked her way to the ring, red spotlight following her inside, before the house lights began to slowly rise again.

In the light it was easier to make out her grey, almost black skin and pointed ears. She didn't quite have the build or unnatural grace of a Neko, though. An elf, perhaps?

"Now entering the ring, the challenger...from deep within the haunted forests of Trisylvania...Calling Raven!"

The boos increased in volume as the woman sent a few final sneers and snarls their way, before slipping out of a bulky, furry overcoat that she tossed outside the ring. Raven began to limber up as her music faded...the quiet filled by anxious murmurs, then expectant cheers. As soon as the next theme song began to play, the place went wild. The singers were easy enough to identify - the two had been handling the announcing and commentary all night, after all! "Mega Power Explode" by KOgama blasted from every speaker in the stadium, with much of the crowd loudly singing along.

"And, making her way to the ring...the LAW Yama-Titanweight Champion!
From Kyoto, Yamatai...the Mega-Neko Meganekko herself...Shayla!"

And, there was the reason they were all here tonight. The free tickets, the field trip. There was their beloved principal, wearing the same outfit she'd had on when they'd all first met. Her night job suddenly made a lot more sense, seeing her in action.

The giantess held a shiny title belt above her head as she stomped to the ring, an impressive feet in the heels she was wearing. None of the outfit lasted very long, though. Championship tossed to the ref, glasses flung into the audience. Suit jacket ripped apart almost casually, skirt following a moment later, heels kicked off. Back to a much more appropriate outfit for wrestling, black with white stripes, almost matching Raven's hair.

The champ was all smiles as she played to the crowd, turning towards all four sides of the ring to address her fans while Raven sulked in the background. She paused a few extra moments on the final side, as she spotted the students and teacher. Grinning extra wide at them, giving a wave of one absolutely massive paw. Then, after a moment, her nostril's flared. Her gaze shifted up to the air above the kids, as the grin turned to a toothy smirk.

"Ya better hand that back over after the show and ask the princess real nice to autograph it for the kids or I'm gonna tear ya up faster than free sushi at a Neko family reunion. N'then I'll tell your momma I had to fire ya."

Shayla guffawed to herself after sending that private message to what seemed to be entirely empty space, turning to tend to her opponent as the bell rang to begin the main event.

Gunny turned back around from the cashier with the replacements she promised, sitting the nachos and drinks down on a nearby table before she finally looked back over at the stage - strawberry blonde eyebrows raising up from behind the tigress' amber glasses before she took them off and stowed the eyewear on the neckline on her tank top, ocean-blue eyes wide open in surprise.

"... yo holy shit, miss is fucking ripped!" Gunnhild yelled out, it was cool - she knew the head of their school was big and assumed some of that was muscle but not that much, she had to blink a few times and almost missed the glasses soaring past her head. In the words of a wise raven-haired sage she pushed off the ground and then a chair to call out "Yeet," before clawing at the pair of reading glasses that had been thrown, barely managing to grab them before landing and offering a stuck-out tongue to the Iroma she'd denied them from.

The yellow girl inspected the glasses for a second before putting them on, offering Addi and Tenshi a grin and then yelling out a loud and encouraging, "FUCK THEM UP, MISS!" to their titan of a principal.

As the others returned to their seats, Hoshiko followed suit but not before she dropped off a souvenir. Into Keiko's lap dropped the red stylized elbow pad of the Red Leo Ranger. It would miss anything in her lap just then and land with a soft "pop" before Hoshiko reappeared in an open seat, arms crossed over her chest and one leg over another as she stared down at the ring.

So that's the principal huh? Hadn't had a chance to meet her yet but she's a big one huh?

Hoshiko thought to herself as she kept eyes ahead yet the entire time her skin vision watched the others for any movement. If she was to be the shepherd for this group as Jax seemed to think her duty was, she would play the part for now.

Keiko had simply been sitting quietly watching the introduction to the next show when the item appeared in her lap. The red neko turned to face the now revealed Hoshiko with a strange look before she turned back to inspect the item. lifting it up for a better look she had to stop herself from overreacting the same as earlier, how did the teacher even get this? The secret second year decided to discreetly pocket the item to inspect further in private when they returned to the dorms, provided no one interrupted her.

"How... why did you get this for me?" The girl telepathically sent to the teacher with a quizzical tone.

"Get what? Though if someone were to sneak backstage, avoid detection, extract an item, and get out without being caught, that may or may not show the importance and possible draw of some sort of stealth skills yes? You would be surprised at what you could do with these skills. If someone were to do that..."

Hoshiko encrypted the message to the younger Neko with enough power to protect the message, yet not enough to cause a lot of static in the air with the ambient noise from the cheers and excitement of the environment around them. She kept her eyes ahead, arms crossed and an icy cool look across her face the entire time to not give away just what she was doing. She was a consummate spy after all.

<Gunny! Come on now! Mind your manners! There is no need for that language, either!> Jax admonished from his seat, turning to utter a quick apology to said Iroma. He sighed.

<But yeah, thirty KS on the principal.> he added quietly. Addaiel had meanwhile changed into his new, clean shirt and focused intently on the fight from his seat next to Jax and Hoshiko.

"Her opponent favors their left leg. They're hesitant to throw a kick with the right out of fear of injuring it again. Miss Shayla's taller, so their opponent will tire out their shoulders faster from having to punch upwards. That will make it easier for the principal to grapple, as her opponent won't be able to defend themselves as easily." He muttered quietly, his blue eyes darting to and fro, picking out every little detail.

"I see."

The simple reply was sent back to her teacher as Keiko stared down at her lap, weaving and unweaving her fingers as she thought on the words she'd been given. Obviously miss Hoshiko thought she wasn't performing well enough in her classes otherwise she wouldn't be singling her out for such a lesson, but on the other hand she did get her a memento in the process. The second year neko thought long and hard on if she was meant to take the sign as doing a good job or falling behind, her face squashing up a little as she struggled to interpret what she'd been told.

Keiko risked a glance in the teachers direction only to see her as stoic as ever and acting like nothing had even happened, of course she would be that's how she always was. The red neko thought back to when she met the teacher for the first time, how she'd seemingly frowned upon her earned title of Divine Queen, not that Keiko was one who liked showing off, just very devoted to her work.

It was obvious at a glance that their beloved principal would have the upper hand in any contest of strength. And, much like Ryu had predicted, Raven obviously didn't want to fight 'uphill' against the giantess. The dark skinned elf almost immediately slid out of the ring, scowling at boos from the crowd, trying to adjust the pace of the match to her liking. All she had to do was bait Shayla in and utilize her speed.

Darting in and out of the ring, back and forth against the ropes. A kick here, a strike there. Calling Raven was trying her hardest to fight a 'hit and run' style match that played to her relative strengths. Although the students and teachers knew that Shayla, even with her impressive size, should theoretically still have the speed and reaction time advantage. But, this was just a show, and that obviously wasn't the narrative being sold to the crowd.

But, eventually the heel slipped up, remaining within the immense Neko's impressive range just a bit too long. One massive arm clotheslined Raven right across the face, sending her spinning through the air before flopping onto her back. Stunned, the giantess was easily able to scoop her up and toss the elf across her shoulders. The villain suddenly began to stir, flailing her arms and legs, but the fan favorite had her firmly in place.

Spinning in the center of the ring, rotating rapidly, with the wailing Raven stretched out across her arms in something of a T-pose, the champion built up speed as the crowd got to their feet. They roared as she hefted the challenger up and sent her flying, body still spinning rapidly through the air, before crashing to the mat. The oversized Neko pounced with surprising speed, hundreds of pounds squashed on top of the poor elf.

1...2......3!


Later that night, backstage...

"...and I said, joker? I hardly know 'er!" The giantess guffawed as she slapped Jackson on the back, nearly toppling him over. He was currently a captive audience for one of Shayla's war stories, while Ryu seemed to be trying his best to will himself invisible in the relative safe zone on Howard's far side. Surprisingly to some, Raven was smiling and laughing along, not seeming any worse for wear after her defeat, except for a large ice pack secured to one shoulder with athletic wrap. She seemed quite amused by the two boys her opponent had captured during this after-show party.

"Oh, of course! Do you want that in Trade or Yamataigo?" The masked Neko was holding that elbow pad in one hand and a black marker in the other, smiling politely while she waited for Keiko and Gunny to respond. "...?" This might take a while.

"So, who does your hair? Somebody local, or...?" "It looks like it takes a long time!" The Maiden was sipping a drink, happy to admire Tenshi's complicated coif from afar. While Yukai was taking a more hands on approach. She'd be unbraiding and restyling that hair within a few minutes, if the Neko student wasn't careful. Hoshiko was watching (/brooding(/sulking)) nearby, keeping an eye on her charges. Perhaps just the slightest bit miffed that her boss had somehow sniffed her out, when she thought she'd made a clean escape from the backstage area earlier.

"Mebbeh uhh~" the yellow girl almost drooled in the presence of one of her idols, partially due to the fact that yes Gunny was a little buzzed but mostly because she was face to face with someone the gunslinger thought so highly of. Gunnhild shook her strawberry-blonde head to get a better grip on the situation, managing to peel her attention away from the masked Neko and focus the lazy-looking ocean-blue oculars towards Keiko with a tipsy smile, "Trade? that way more people will be jealous when we boast to them about it, aheheh," Gunny gave her answer, slumping a little into the tomato-hued girl's side with the faintest of purs as she relished the feeling of warmth.

Keiko was still trying to figure out how’d they’d all managed to get backstage access so easily let alone thinking about the superstar before her. “Please excuse us a moment, Gunnhild I don’t think you’re in a good condition to be standing up and moving around. We can get the autograph later but we need to get you a seat somewhere.”

The red neko put her arm around her friend who’d partially crashed in her side and looked around for a seat. Keiko hoped Gunny would forgive her for dragging her away from her idol as she shot a telepathic message back to the ranger. “We’ll go for trade if it’s no trouble, I’ll collect it soon.” Hopefully the autograph would be enough to keep her yellow friend from exploding when she finally scrubbed her system.

Hoshiko was indeed sulking in the corner. She was out of practice if she had been found out, and to the effect of her disappointment in herself, she let out a small huff. Most of this seemed pointless to the smaller Neko, and frankly, she disliked being around those taller and better... Built than her, but she sucked it up as she figured a teacher should.

To much time behind a desk... I've gotten rusty. Thanks for that mom.

She thought to herself as she simply waited for this little meet and greet to be over.

ESCAPE! ESCAPE! ESCAPE!

God, Jax remembered why he'd gone and started his own business. He'd come here because he wanted to educate young minds on a topic he was passionate about. He'd completely forgotten about the whole "having a boss" part. Laughing sincerely, despite his tail twitching uncomfortably behind him, the older catboy expertly slid a little further away from Shayla, at least to the point where he was out of slapping distance. If Shayla's aim was off, she could probably knock him out-cold.

"Good show, Shayla!" he laughed. "Wish Akemi would've called me about this, though! How long has this show been running?"

ESCAPE! ESCAPE! ESCAPE!

The other, younger catboy kept shifting his eyes, remaining unseen so far. He was waiting, watching...

Shayla's attention was on Mr. Howard. Good. Addaiel felt bad about having to leave his idol behind, but sometimes pawns needed to be sacrificed to save the king.

Addaiel watched Raven out of the corner of his eye and held his breath. Soon enough, his golden opportunity came. A loud clang made the other woman turn her head ever... so... slightly...

...and he was gone. Moving like silk, keeping close to the shadows. He appeared again by Hoshiko. He saw his classmates babysitting Gunny, and decided to avoid that mess altogether. He wasn't antisocial by any means, but he didn't like being inside. If he spent long enough in the stale, air-conditioned environment of a building for too long, it began to chafe. Much like an introvert felt drained by too much social activity, Addaiel felt drained by too much indoor activity. Unfortunately, it usually gave off the impression of being introverted and antisocial.

While Keiko was homing in on a seat she caught a brief glimpse of Addaiel fleeing the scene with her skin vision, since the earlier mini lecture about awareness and stealth when Miss Hoshiko had gotten backstage the red neko had tried to keep hers going as long as possible without frying her brain. If she'd been asked to explain it Keiko wouldn't have a clue, only that she'd managed to keep the visuals to a sort of fuzz around her peripherals but quick movements or objects approaching her seemed to activate it in a way and bring it into focus for her.

She turned her head slightly to look at where she'd caught sight of him, seemed he couldn't stand being inside around everyone anymore, something she was more than familiar with. The quiet girl wondered if Hoshiko had caught sight of him too, she seemed quite sulky for a teacher at the moment which was also odd but Keiko already had her hands full literally. She looked to her side where Guunnhild's head was still propped against her shoulder to see how her friend was doing.

"Pfft, I'm fine, Toma - really... okay whatever, I'll sit so that you stop dilly dallying around and get us that signature~" Gunny frowned before breaking from the nerdy tomato's side reluctantly because she was so nice and warm... but Gunnhild's want for that sweaty kneepad to be scribbled on currently outweighed her want to fight, so the yellow girl lazily floated away to go sit her bottom-heavy frame over on a nearby bench.

"Now go! you fricken fruity nerd~" Gunny finished before laying down on said bench, she was liking the warm before but now this cold material against her naturally hot skin was oh so alluring~

Tenshi, who had gone slightly tingly herself due to alcohol, took on her more collected and silent guise as she went along for the evening. Never a woman of many words, the small ravenette just went through the motions. Though making sure a particularly drunk, yellow-skinned Nekovalkyrja wouldn't cause too much of a ruckus. Looking out for her cabin mate, even though she herself was slightly ditzed.

Though as the event came to a close, they were invited backstage. A measure that brought a certain sparkle to both Keiko and Gunnhild's eyes. Something she couldn't help but smirk at. There was a slight hint of nerves, meeting both their principal and someone famous. Though her idols were elsewhere. Yet, she was happy to see those she considered friends to be as excited and elated as they were.

However, when one of the wrestling queens spoke up about her hair, the otherwise composed Neko felt a blush creeping up her cheeks. One hand moved up to idly play with a strand of her complimented hair. "Ehrm-... A local hairdresser once a month to keep it trimmed and healthy, the rest is just good care," she stated, offering a gentle smile. "Thanks," she added, before glancing over at Gunny, rolling her eyes with a faint chuckle as her friend decided to splay herself across one of the locker room benches.

"I'm glad to have seen you in action," she picked up her train of thought again, before scraping her throat. "It was amazing to behold, your forms, the entire choreography."

After all, as someone well-versed in martial arts, this was what had pulled her attention during the show the most.

"Oh, a couple of years now. It's really pickin' up steam, I think. You should grab 'im before you leave, if you can find 'im. He's been busy with his little empire, but I'm sure he could find a scheme or two to wrap you up in!" Shayla began to reach out for another friendly smack, but realized Jackson would be slightly out of range, so just took a large swig of her drink instead. Raven refocused her attention on the conversation after that noise distracted her...probably just someone working to disassemble the ring. Realizing the boy had disappeared, she frowned for a moment, before shaking her head. "Oh, yes, I'm sure we could use someone like you around here..." The elf gave Howard quite a smile.

"Alright, 'to my biggest fans'..." Leo Diamond mumbled to herself as she wrote in Trade, signing her name and writing in the character for 'Diamond' to the side. She gave Keiko a big smile as she handed the previously purloined pad back to her, giving a little bow of her head. "I hope you two keep supporting me! I'll be fighting for you!" With her hands free, she was able to strike a little half-pose, before a trainer handed her two large, bottled drinks to refill those hands. "Ah, here, I thought your friend might need one of these too." She offered one bottle to Keiko, before starting to chug from the other one herself. The bright and attention grabbing label promised the drink was 'full of electrolytes' and had 'what Neko crave' as well!

"Really? I'd love to get her contact information." "Yeah, if she's that good, we can add her to the list! Always good to know where to go for last minute repairs to an outfit, get your makeup done-" "Or your hair, yes." The Maiden tried to calm her rather excitable friend, brushing Yukai's hand away from Tenshi's hair. "Tsk, really, behave..." Although the compliment did make her smile, and had Yukai bouncing in place. "Thank you darling. It's hard work, but quite fun." "Yeah, it's like being in an action vid, but with the audience right there in front of you! No wonder Dia-chan is so good at it!" "There's a few gyms on Yamatai on our list as well, perhaps you'd like their contact information in return, darling?" The Maiden just smiled quietly, while Yukai nodded rapidly. Another potential new recruit, although this one would have to finish school first, of course...

Keiko, satisfied that Gunny wasn't going to wander off from the bench turned back to receive the now signed pad with a smile and small bow of her own. "I know Gunnhild will be cheering you on with every waking breath, and I wouldn't mind seeing another show sometime." The red neko said politely as she accepted the bottle, giving the label a quick read she decided it definitely wasn't her kind of drink but Gunny would probably like it. The girl gave a curt wave and headed off in the direction of her friend, bottle in hand as she continued reading the label. 'What neko crave' had her intrigued but also a little concerned, if it was addictive should she really be feeding a drunk person with it?

"I got it Gunnhild, and she gave me this bottle for you as well though I'm not sure what's in it." Keiko said, sitting down beside her yellow friend and placing each item near her head so that she could see them for herself.