"No, it's okay."

It had been a little embarrassing for Fiona to get rejected by Diana Deguara, but as far as she knew, only Kendra, Gordon, and Diana were even aware that Fiona made the request at all. Granted, none of the three of them seemed like they would be particularly tight-lipped about it, and Fiona wasn't fond of anyone trying to spread the idea around that she was attempting to cheat and influence the outcome of other matches.

It wasn't like there was a clear choice that she'd rather face between Tanya and Abby. Tanya had defeated her twice already and was like trying to fight a brick wall, while Abby had an unmatched ability to get in her head and rattle her, which was probably the surest path to a painful loss in pro wrestling. Either way, Fiona was in for a brutal battle in one week's time.

"If anything, I should be thankful I didn't have to be in the same building as them for a night. Don't know what I was thinking, honestly." [i]A lot[/i] could've gone wrong being ringside with Aubrey Beatific, who was sure to be there for her sister's match.

As for Ash and Elina, Fiona had been absorbed by the fight, though she found she wasn't really pulling for either of them. Elina's win wasn't surprising, and she remained one of the top contenders for the title, though Ash put up an impressive fight before taking her first loss in NMW. Fiona couldn't help but compare, and it sure seemed like Ash came closer to beating Elina than she had. Their inevitable first fight in NMW was going to be one hell of a challenge, with both trying to prove they were ahead in their mirroring careers.

"You up for some hard training this week?" she asked. "I'm gonna have to get used to all the chairs, tables, and kendo sticks on offer, or I'm gonna get destroyed." After the dubious way she advanced through the first round, it was important to Fiona that she had a great showing for round two. Her performance would either silence the doubters... or give them ammunition.