Howdy Stranger?

"Thank you, I will do what I can as quickly as I can." Danika replied. "You are also not what I expected from the punky wrestler you are made out to be. Especially with your dojo. You are less punk, more den-mother than I anticipated."

Danika grinned like a little devil as she spoke. the dojo had a lot of talent in it to be sure, but Danika also saw more than her fair share of sex appeal. "Do you know when your next match is going to be? I do not know when mine will be, or if I will even have another match." Danika said, her voice trialing off softly as she finished her thought.

Taylor's cheeks turned a faint shade of red while she laughed, noticeably embarrassed, if only a little. "Well, man... Things change. You grow up a lot when you go through this stuff..."

She shook it off and moved on with the conversation. "Yeah, I do, and it actually kinda sucks. It's kinda really cool, though, too. I'm fighting Nikolette Tesla. She's a part timer with the dojo. We've been training together for a while. She's a tough girl, man, and she's way smarter than fifty of me. It'll be alright though, we'll go in there, fight hard, I'll win, and then it's onto Kelly Conway."

She paused, and looked at the purple haired girl, with her weird accent from whatever part of Europe. She knew the feeling. "Don't worry, just work hard and fight hard and put on a show. You'll always have another match to improve on. The second you start going into matches thinking you've already lost, though, that's when you know it might be time to move on, ya know? People can get really hurt here, and if you're not in it all the way it's just not worth it."

"I know, I just wish I had your optimism. The fact that I do not is unsettling." Danika said with a sigh. "I wouldn't discount this Nikolette. From the sounds of it she could be a move or two ahead even if she doesn't have the pure athleticism you do."

Danika knew that the well built, statuesque woman in front of her was the total package. However, she did have a soft spot for the more cerebral fighters. Danika walked a bit closer to Taylor and gave a little nod. "Not believing in oneself is a fatal flaw, but is overconfidence not one as well?"

"She can THINK a move or two ahead, sure," Taylor said with complete confidence. "She's a genius and I'm not, but while she's thinking about what I'm doing, I'll be doing it, and she won't be able to stop me."

Taylor shrugged and nodded at the same time. She took on her Dojo-tested instructional tone, self-assure but without trying to sound smart.

"Overconfidence is tricky. You can't just be stupidly confident, like, for no reason. You have to know what you can do, and know that you can win, and the other girl might be dangerous but if what you've got is better then the only person that can beat you is yourself, like if you don't execute well."

She tilted her head thoughtfully at the purple-haired girl. "Maybe... You spend too much time up here?" She said, pointing to her temple.

Danika was silent as Taylor spoke. Perhaps there was merit to her words, and clearly she was successful in Friction. "Jessica Wright i so powerful that she doesn't need to think." Danika said flatly, voicing a very apparent observation more than taking a verbal shot at her last opponent. "I just envy women who can change the flow of a match with a single move. It takes someone my size many, chipping away at a stone wall."

Danika smiled weakly and shook her head looking down at the ground. "If my opponents are walls, then it is fair to say I was crushed by them. I was not ready for Jessica's raw power, River Styx raw violence, and Misaki Toyoda's well roundedness."

AFW and Friction had a way of changing people it seemed. Danika used to be cocky, thinking that every opponent she faced was below her. Not as good as her. She wasn't any nicer and she didn't hold any of these other women in higher regard: She just wasn't where she thought she would be. Or should be. "I have much work to do. When I return to the ring things will be different. The little woman in black boots will be the one on top." Danika said looking up. "Even women like you will not want to face me."

Taylor pursed her lips and studied Danika with an expression of thoughtful concern. As a trainer, she saw that the girl's attitude raised several red flags, things that would work against her in the future. She knew, though, that she couldn't hope to tackle all of them in a casual conversation backstage.

"You got one thing right, man, and it's that you weren't prepared. You can only do what you practice. Jessica and River are both very beatable, and I dunno the other girl... But if you haven't learned to deal with a stronger opponent, learn it. Same with a super aggressive opponent.

"Man, let me tell you something. One of the biggest reasons why I love fighting as much as I do is that there's always an answer for everything. Know what I mean? Like... I've always been on the small side, so strong opponents always scared me, but I learned how to handle them and not let them use their strength. It's not easy, but there is no unsolvable puzzle in the ring. You've got technique and strategy and hard work to make up for being smaller, and you can beat anyone if you really work hard and use your head."

She put her hands on her hips and looked down at the floor for a moment while she considered her words. "And like... You seem pretty smart. You're about my size when I was a rookie. The thing you're missing is confidence. I hear you when you say that you'll come back and things will be different, but that's the future. You've got to know that you can handle the next thing, whatever you're doing right now. That way you can start doing the right things, and then maybe I really will be across the ring from you one of these days. Know what I mean?"

She shrugged and cracked a smile. She gave Danika a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Sorry, I get to talking about this stuff, and... Give it everything you've got, man. I'm gonna get going on part two of my workout. Good meeting you, though."

"My confidence will return once I have something to be confident about. I will be victorious in Friction no matter what. You will see that I will win no matter the cost." Danika said as she bowed politely to Taylor. "Meeting you was also very nice."

Danika turned to walk away tugging her skirt down a bit, although in reality Danika did like showing her body off. But now was not that time. Taylor was cute enough, but she was also married to some muscle-head in Tension. Danika did turn to give Taylor a wave and gave a determined smile.