METROCITY
Superh eroine Battle Arena, Infirmary
Countessa sat in the infirmary while a MedicBot scanned her. She had a lot of soft-tissue trauma but nothing was broken except for her nose. She didn’t need the scan to know that. She was well-trained in medicine and healing, particularly when it came to her own body. But the medics insisted on giving her the full work up.
“That was good fight, yes?” came the coarse Russian voice from the doorway. Ursa Mega strode through the doorway, casually mopping the blood from her forehead with a hand towel. Countessa was confused. This woman was a horrid witch to her just a few days ago and now she was chatting as if they were old friends. Countessa was genuinely shocked when the huge Russian woman shook her hand after their fight.
“A good fight? We’re both bruised and bloody messes. Is that your criteria for a good fight?”
Ursa shrugged, “I think most of this is your blood anyway…” and dropped the towel on the floor. “You get it on me when I head butt your nose. Ha! Good fun!”
Countessa winced at the big woman’s laugh at having broken the bridge of her nose early in the fight. And at the the thought of all the later blows to the face making her that much bloodier. “You have a demented idea of fun, Ursa.”
“Call me Natalya. You earn right. You take many punches from me and I from you. Now, we have respect, yes?” The big woman leaned in close to Countessa’s face. “We need to straighten nose back. Or else you heal with face like this…” Natalya screwed up her own face and stuck her tongue out sideways. Countessa half-smiled uncertainly at her antics.
“The MedicBot wanted to complete the entire scan before resetting my nose.”
“Bah. Doctor-robot has clunky hands. I do it for you.” Countessa flinched slightly as the woman brought her large hands up to her face. She wondered if this was an elaborate set-up for another head butt. Or some other payback for winning the fight. “Trust me. I know is difficult for you to trust people. After all, Romanians are all liars and thieves.” Countessa was about to open her mouth and spew out a few choice words when Ursa Mega quickly, with surprisingly little pain, nudged her nose back into place. “Ta-dah! Now you be pretty again when done healing!”
Countessa stretched her jaw and scrunched her nose a few times. “Thanks.”
“I have plenty practice fixing noses. Take time to learn to head butt proper. Many times as young fighter, I smash my nose into top of opponent’s head. This is only way you can headbutt yourself, yes?” Ursa Mega leaned her head back and laughed from the belly.
“I don’t understand you, Natalya.” said Countessa as she waved off the MedicBot hovering over her and stood up. “We were trying to kill each other a few minutes ago and now you’re being friendly and… gentle. The first time I ever saw you, you were a…”
“A bog hag?” Ursa offered, then shrugged “I recognize you from old KGB file Countessa Portia Alixandria. I know you are skilled fighter and I wanted to fight you. You make it easy to start fight. I did not even get to best insults yet…”
Countessa gave her a tired look back, “I don’t suppose you could have extended an invitation to fight in an exhibition match?”
Ursa Mega looked back at her sternly and lowered her voice, “That fight would not be real then. I wanted you to have a fire in your heart every time you strike a blow at me. I wanted you to punch with all of your emotion and all of the hatred you could muster up, from here.” Ursa Mega punctuated the last word by poking her in the breast. Then her stern face dissolved into a friendly one again, “That is the fight we had! Like I say, ‘Good fight!'”
Countessa sighed, “Yes, good fight.”
Natalya smiled and shoved the MedicBot away from the exam table, it staggered and fell onto its back. “Now, we celebrate. You must try Chernobyl Vodka. It help you to erase pain of beating.” Ursa Mega put a heavy arm around Countessa’s shoulders and led her towards the door. “And now that your face is all pretty again, I kiss you hard for rest of night.”
Countessa froze, “Wait, what?”
Ursa Mega roared with laughter at her reaction. “I kid, I kid! You are too easy, Countessa. Easy like a Romanian whore!”
Countessa gritted her teeth as they walked out of the infirmary. “You… you are a difficult person to like, Natalya.”