A martial artist vs a firece grappler (For Iffy)

Courtney smiled at Arika's comment, holding back a laugh and trying to stay serious."Damn right I'm a bitch!", she yelled to the guy as he turned, then looked back down at Arika."Now about them chips..."

"Uhh....yeah, okay!"

Sure, she was a little overwhelmed at first. Courtney looked a little bigger and was definatly alot braver infront of a crowd than she. This bigger girl was definatly something else. Bigger attitude, bigger hips, and a much bigger bark. Something soon began to stir deep within little Arika's chest. Funny how she couldn't make out what it was, but it was potent enough to amp up her heartbeat.

"Do you mind....if I take some?"

Arika will ask with a smile; a gesture she could never picture herself doing in the presence of a new face such as Courtney. If it was possible, Arika will reach for the bag of Lays, grab a chip and place it on her bottom lip.

"Want some too?"

Keeping an eye on Courtney, Arika will finsh with her offer before steadily pushing the entire chip into her mouth. Something about being with Courtney made her feel at ease. Honestly, at this point, Arika doesnt care if the Gym was still full of people watching or not.

Courtney smiled."Have the whole thing, I have more at the crib", she said, handing her the bag. Arkia was a cool girl, no doubt she would have a good time hanging out with her."So", she said, going over to the ring and sitting on the edge of it,"what got you into wrestlin?", she asked, patting the space beside her and offering Arika to sit by her.

Arika wasted no time chowing down on the bag of potatoe chips. Oooh, they were, like, sooooo good! Two days without a bite to eat save for a few left over scraps from her starving fridge. Geez, do you know what lack of food can do to a girl?
She hops over the ropes and hurries over to sit next to Courtney. She even made a little extra effort to nuzzle her little body next to hers, as to get a better feel of her woman's body close to hers.

The little girl seemed happy to be acquainted and being offered a seat...

"What got me into fighting? Well...."

...until Courtney revealed the topic of discussion. Arika thenlooked down and her voice died into a more sullen tone.

"I...I don't remember..."

That much wasn't a true at all. Yes, Arika lied. Infact, she knew exactly why she ran from home to live a new life indulging herself into combat. But...she wasn't sure if she could trust the bigger woman. Not sure if she could open up to her as yet. Regardless, she will swallow her pride and give it her best answer....

"Well, my father was a....um"

Arika paused to choose her words carefully.

"He was always away....fighting some war overseas. You know, its....just wierd....it was just me and my mom, you know? Yeah, I missed him sometimes, but I learned to deal with it. Hadn't seen him in a while, though...."

The, she stops to put another chip in her mouth.

"Til one day, my uncle, who owns this dojo, took me in. At first I thought 'hey, this would be, like, a GREAT after school job'. You know, cleaning the dojo and stuff? Turns out that I learned a few things from him...and...well.....I couldn't help but keep fighting. It's like this fire inside of me. Every time I land a blow..."

Fainlly, she clenches her fist a little.

"...everytime I take a blow...it just feels...like.....fire.....fire inside of me...."

That was the best she could do. Arika can only take in a deep breath and wait for the ridicule.

Courtney smiled and put her arm on Arika's shoulder. People sometimes came to Courtney for comfort, and Courtney knew why. She could understand and listen."My daddy fought overseas too, ya know. Ever since I could remember, it was always me and ma. I always had the tomboy inside me, ya know, wanting to play football instead of cheerleading, wanting to wrestle instead of shopping, or even hangin out with guys instead of girls. Friends are important to me, cause they're all I got. My friends taught me how to fight and throw a football, like a dad would teach a son, right?", Courtney stopped for a second to smile down at Arika."In a way, we're both fire. We both got so much fire inside'a us, and when it comes out, there aint no stoppin it", she said.

"Yeah...yeah, that's right!"

Not only that Courtney seemed brave and bold, she was also warm, wise and understanding. This only made the smaller girl like her even more. Arika just had to fight her. Maybe the two of them meeting like this could be fate? Even if it wasn't, it was the perfect way to lift her spirits after having such a terrible day so far.

Arika rises and throws up her fists with a friendly smile.

"By the way, I never got your name, did I?"

Courtney thought before standing up."Naw, guess ya didnt. They call me Courtney", she said with a smile."Don't think just because we friends now, aint gonna mean your getting your way out a rough fight, girlfriend", she said, winking.

"Gotcha!"

This fight could potentially be the perfect bonding moment for her and her new acquaintance. Arika wanted to fully enjoy herself, but most importantly of all, she wanted Courtney to take her seriously and not underestimate her because of her smaller stature.

"Okay, Courtney....my friend...."

"Friend". Somehow that word struck a soothing cord in her nerves. Arika always wanted someone to call a friend. Shaking these sentiments aside, first, Arika will go through a series of pre-rehearsed poses and forms, then finally finish with a loud stomp on the canvas. The force from the impact was strong--strong enough to cause a trebble that was enough to cause the bell, lying in the corner of the ring, to loudly sound off on its own, thus signaling that it was time to start thier match.

"En Garde!"

Arika will shout. If Courtney refused to move first, the smaller girl quickly close distance by stepping foward and delivering an elbow thrust to the woman's solar plexus, a sensitive area in the abdomen.

Courtney smiled brightly when the girl shook the mat with her foot and made the bell ring."Oh yeah, I'm gonna enjoy this", she said, her eyes flashing. She got down into a grappler's stance, but as she stepped back, Arika sent her elbow out like a rocket, slamming into her abdomen. She doubled over immediately, her eyes widening."Ack-!", she gasped, clutching her solar plexes with a growl."Obviously, you aint nothing to not take seriously", she growled, suddenly throwing out her other fist and trying to hit Arika's stomach with full-force."By the way", she hissed,"first one to submit or pass out loses".

Arika light up when her elbow had made contact with it's mark, however that feeling was short lived, as the smaller girl was then struck with an equally powerful blow.

"Gahh!"

One eye winced shut and her teeth clenched tightly. Then, for that moment, while remaining doubled over, once she felt that she was able to breathe again, Arika stood back up and tried to regain distance. Courtney was strong. But Arika was not afraid. She only nodded in approval to the bigger woman's terms, before raising both of her fists again.

Since they both arleady so close to one another, Arika found it practical to go for a clinch, wrapping her slender arms around the back of Courtney's head--if the woman gave her a chance.