The Mondo Ruction Infinity Minus One - ROUND 1 - The Crystal Rose Hotel & Resort

Grey found herself in a fancy hotel suite, though as she glanced around it had more of the feel of a particularly upmarket apartment. It was untidy to an extent that hotel suites never really reached due to the temporariness of their inhabitation; it felt lived in in the way only a home really can be. Dirty clothes were tossed haphazardly over neutral beige sofas and unwashed plates and cups were nestled in out of the way spots between books left open and spine up in place of a bookmark. Numerous photographs hung on the walls of a woman with red hair standing in front of various rock formations and pink mist. The far wall held a balcony behind heavy plastic doors and a view that was very similar to ones found in the photographs; thin pink mist partially obscuring rolling plains.

Grey could do little more than take in her surroundings when a door opened and in walked a woman with long red hair and a very familiar face. She was wearing a loose white t-shirt and sweatpants and her hair was still damp as though she’d not been long out of the shower.

“Grey?” She asked incredulously.

Grey stared at the stranger for a moment and then something clicked. “Lily?” She asked with equal incredulity. Without any further words said Grey and Lily were in each other arms, clinging to one another for all they were worth. “Lily I never thought I would see you again.”

Grey hadn’t ever really had a childhood, but in the early days when she was haunting motorcycle factories and inspiring engineers to push their machines just a little bit further, a little bit sleeker, a little bit faster. That’s when she’d known Lily. They were quickly inseparable. Smoking, drinking, riding by the ocean, experimenting beneath the moonlight. Grey had been heartbroken when Lily left, though there was a haziness to that event.

They pulled back, their gazes locked for a moment, the years apart apparent in their eyes, and then Grey leaned back in, her lips to Lily’s. Lily pulled back.

“Hold on a second. How are you here?” she asked, her arms still tight around Grey’s cold metal frame.

“That’s a strange and complicated story.” Grey replied.

“Well, you were always a strange and complicated woman.” Lily half-smiled, “I can handle it.”

“Okay so there’s this big orange billiard ball that has the powers of a God.” Grey explained. "It sounds ridiculous saying it out loud, I've had probably less than five minutes to acclimatise to this myself."

“The Oddball.” Lily sighed.

“Yeah - that’s - wait - how do you know about The Oddball?” Grey pulled back out of the embrace, her eyes wide.

“You’re not the first batch of combatants that it has sent here.”