Synergy #382

It felt like I stood there in the ring, watching Ken leave for a hell of a long time.

One down.

I almost couldn’t believe it. Ken wanted it. I didn’t doubt it before, and I sure as hell don’t doubt it now. I’m tired. No, scratch that.. I’m exhausted. As hard as it was, I managed to drag myself backstage fully ready to find Rogan and head back home to sleep it off.

At least he’ll be proud.. I think to myself as I try to make my way down the hall without falling over.

”He’s always proud of you.”

The voice chimes in again, but I just shake my head and keep moving. Maybe if I ignore it, it’ll go away.

”There’s very little chance of that happening.”

I sigh and roll my eyes as I slide past a few people, but just as I take a few more steps down the hall – with the locker room in my sights… I feel a tug on the back of my top and I turn around, fully expecting to find someone looking for a fight – But instead, I have to look down because it’s not another wrestler trying to get my attention…

“Auntie Lucy?”

…It’s my niece. I take a moment to look around for this little girl’s parents. They’ve gotta be around here somewhere… But upon a first glance, I don’t see either Ken or Kyra, and admittedly I’m a little relieved to not be seeing the former so soon after our match.

“Heya Kiddo…”

I manage to say, awkwardly at best as I kneel down in front of her. I’ve never been the best around kids.. And I gotta say, this might be the first time I’m talking to one right after I beat her step-father in a match and a part of me is wondering what she’s going to say.

“What are you doing here?”

I immediately shake my head, wondering why in the hell I asked that question – and judging by the look on her face, she’s wondering the same thing.

“Mommy and Daddy brought me, duh.”

“I.. I meant what are you doing right here… all by yourself? Where’s your mommy?”

Bless her heart, Adina simply shrugged her shoulders as if it were no big deal that a six year old was just hanging out backstage all on her own. I may not have kids, but even I know something ain’t right.

“Well, after you beat Daddy, they went to get our stuff.”

“And they just left you here?”

Adina looked around.

“Not really…”

I close my eyes and nearly lose my balance in the process, letting the conquest title accidentally slip off of my shoulder. It makes a loud clunk when it hits the floor between us. She glances down at it, and then back up at me and shrugs her shoulders again.

I swear, if I weren’t so tired… I’d be amused right now.

“What does that mean?”

I ask, hoping a more direct question will clue me into her parent’s whereabouts so that I don’t have a lost child on my conscience tonight. God knows I’ve got enough shit on my mind without that added to it.

“Well..”

Her voice trails off and an ornery smile crosses her little lips.

“Well…?”

“I was following them back to the room but I saw you come back and I wanted to talk to you.”

It takes me a minute to put two and two together but when I do, my eyes widen.

“So you just disappeared on them? Don’t you think they’re going to be worried about you?”

I stand up and pull the title belt back up into my arms before I reach out to take her hand.

“Come on, we gotta get you back to them before they freak out.”

But instead of doing what a normal, well adjusted child would do… She instead pulls away and stomps her foot in defiance.

“I said I wanted to talk to you!”

“You are talking to me!”

She stomps again for good measure.

“No! Not like this!”

I throw my arms up in the air and shake my head. How in the hell do they deal with this? Maybe it’s a good thing I don’t have any kids because I don’t know if I could deal with this day in and day out.

“Then how? What do you wanna talk to me about?”

Adina crosses her arms over her chest.

“You beat my Daddy.”

And there it is.

I nod my head, bringing myself back down to her level, slowly.

“Yeah.. I did. I know you understand that either of us could have won, and your Daddy almost had me a few times out there. You’re Daddy is a really good wrestler, you know?”

“I know he is! He wanted to bring that belt home since Mommy and him lost their other ones.”

I feel a bit of heat rising to my cheeks.

“I.. Yeah, I know he did. But I wouldn’t be doing my job if I just let him have it. I lost a belt I was really proud of too, not too long ago so I understand how him and your mommy must feel.”

Much to my surprise, she doesn’t respond right away. Instead a thoughtful expression crosses her face. I still can’t assume she’ll understand my logic, but I can hope. Finally she looks back up into my eyes and that furrow that was cemented in her brows has vanished.

“Mommy said you were really sad..”

Once again, I’m surprised and I can feel my cheeks growing hotter by the second. But I nod my head and look down at the floor.

“Yeah.. Yeah I was. I guess I kinda still am. But that’s why I got this.”

I motion at the belt on my shoulder.

“I’m trying to work my way back to the belt I want. Not that this one isn’t great, but it’s hopefully gonna help me get back to the world title. I wish I didn’t have to fight your daddy for it, because he’d make a great champ.. But sometimes we have to fight people we like and sometimes–”

I don’t get to finish my thought even as I hear a familiar yelling echo through the corridor.

“ADINA!”

An ‘Oh shit’ look crosses Adina’s face as she turns around to see her mother stop and look around, and when she spots Adina standing in front of me, she stomps over to us, her hands on her hips.

“What in the hell do you think you’re doing just disappearing like that?! You had us worried sick!”

“Mommy, I just wanted to–”

Kyra puts her hand up and shakes her head, shooting me a look as she responds to her daughter.

“Save it you little shit. Ken is waiting for you at the locker room. Do you think you can make your way there without pulling another disappearing act?”

Adina sighs and nods her head.

“Then go.”

Adina looks at me one more time, before she turns and scampers off in the direction of Kyra and Ken’s locker room. Kyra watches her leave and then turns her attention towards me as I bring myself back up to my feet.

“So what did she want?”

I shrug my shoulders.

“I beat her Daddy and she wanted to talk to me about it. That’s about as far as we got before… Yeah.”

I motion towards her and sigh.

“Is Ken okay?”

“He’ll be fine.”

Her answer was short and sweet, and judging by the tone of her voice I don’t think pushing it anymore would be good for anyone involved. Besides, I didn’t expect to be still standing here well after the show ended.. I’m sure Rogan is probably wondering where I am at this point.

“Good.. That’s good. But hey, Rogan is waiting for me so I should probably…”

I motion down the hallway and Kyra nods her head.

“Yeah, yeah. We gotta get going too.”

I can tell something is off.. But I don’t know if it’s because of me, or if something is going on in the Kyra/Ken camp that I’m not entirely sure about. But either way, an awkward silence settles between the two of us before Kyra sighs and look back over at me.

“You good?”

“Yeah. I’m alright.”

“Okay, good. Rogan alright?”

I nod my head.

“I think so.”

“Good. Listen, I don’t really know why you told me what you told me the other day.. And maybe I shouldn’t be questioning it because I guess I should just be grateful that you entrusted me with that…”

Hell I don’t even know why I blurted that out the other day when she called.

I don’t want him to regret.. me.

What a stupid thing to say. Makes me sound like an insecure little kid.

”Well, if the shoe fits…”

I shake my head and look back up at Kyra, who’s still talking.

“…Rogan’s a good man and just don’t let whatever this is fuck that up, okay?”

I’m taken back a bit by that statement, but I just nod my head. I don’t want to fuck anything up, that’s why I’m trying so damn hard to right this ship. But I’m not going to tell her that, it seems like she’s got enough on her mind as it is… I mean, Kyra of all people.. Giving me relationship advice? Something just doesn’t seem right in this scenario.

But before I can say anything, she looks me over one more time and nods her head to herself as she turns and leaves, and I’m left just standing there like an idiot – feeling that knotted up feeling in the pit of my stomach.

”Another person agrees with me… What do you know.. I might be right after all.”

I roll my eyes.

I don’t want to fuck this up.

”Sure you don’t.”

 

Chapter Two: Redundancy

The click-clack of boots against the worn asphalt of a long since abandoned road – the only thing that can be heard as the sun sets across the Sonoran desert. How long they’ve been walking, hand in hand, no one knows – and where they’re going is an even bigger mystery.

“The conquest continues…”

The Dark Man finally says, glancing over at her – witnessing the last few rays of sunshine dance across her face as the sun slowly dips below the horizon.

“The conquest continues.”

She says, reaffirming his words with a dark smile etched across her lips. Her smile only grew as the Dark Man pulled her hand up to his lips, placing a soft kiss upon her silky skin.

“The Godly one has been sent to Purgatory, where he belongs…”

He whispers against her skin before letting their hands drop back down between them – their trek continuing down this endless road, now draped in darkness.

“He should be grateful… Imitating a deity is something that should have sent him straight to Lucifer himself…”

“If there is such a thing.”

The Dark Lady nods.

“If there is such a thing. But I sense something in him. He fought with honor, even if he fell in the end.”

The Dark Man smirks.

“No one knows what his future holds, but there is no fate but what we make for ourselves.”

A faint howl echoes through the desolate landscape, followed by the muffled sounds of a struggle as the travelers continue onward – eventually coming across the source. It was a scene not unfamiliar to them, a mangy coyote stands over the dying form of a jackrabbit as it breathes its final breaths – blood staining its fur as its eyes dart wildly around – finally making eye contact with the Dark Lady before life leaves its body and its eyes turn as hollow as the darkness that surrounds them on all sides.

The Coyote momentarily stares at the travelers before lowering itself before it’s meal and begins ripping at the flesh of its prey. The Dark Lady sighs.

“How many times has this creature done the same thing.. Day after day. Night after night.. Forever caught in this cycle of desperation, and need. It’s… Fascinating. Does he never tire of it?”

The Dark Man’s eyes dance with lust – completely mesmerized as he watches the Coyote, tearing apart the jackrabbit, blood lining its mouth and teeth.

“He knows nothing but need, therefore he’ll never tire of the redundant nature of his life, but you.. My love, you are like the Coyote in many ways. You’re cunning, you’re quick on your feet… But unlike this beast, you prefer different prey…”

She glances over at the Dark Man, those ice blue eyes reading him like a book, but before she can utter a word – he turns his eyes to meet hers, that lustful grin changing into something much more primal.

“But that’s not what awaits you in the next leg of your conquest. The Red Eyed Warrior has stepped forward to take back what you’ve taken from him.”

A look of amusement crosses the Dark Lady’s face, but only for a moment.

“The Jackrabbit wishes to try his luck once more. Unfortunately for him, however, the Coyote will not become prey… Not now.”

“Not ever.”

The Dark Man chimes in, pulling his Dark Lady closer to him – the two of them entangled in the most passionate of kisses as the hungry coyote satiates his hunger before them, further spilling the blood of the doomed jackrabbit across the ground between them.

 

October 18th 2022

“Lucy, can we talk for a minute?”

Rogan throws his towel down and stares at me from across the ring. I roped him into training with me early this morning, even though he thought that I needed to rest for a day after the match with Ken last night.

And while I won’t admit that maybe he was right, and my body is screaming at me to slow the fuck down for just a little while.. I know that my next opponent isn’t going to take it easy on me just because I might be a little tired.

“Yeah, sure..”

I reply, leaning myself against the turnbuckles – putting my arms up on the ropes to take a bit of pressure off of my shoulder. It feels mostly healed, but every now and again I feel a tinge of pain and I worry that it could pop out of socket again and I’d be in a world of trouble. It goes away fairly quickly, the pain I mean – even if it aches for a while after.

“What’s up?”

I’ve been avoiding any real long, deep conversations with Rogan since… Well, Run of the Mill. I don’t know why.

”Because you don’t want to give him the opportunity to do what you think you want him to do.”

As I’m watching Rogan, I see a dark wisp dart out from behind him and before I realize it – it’s gone. I shake my head and pull my hair out of my face and turn my attention back to him, noticing too late that he’s already started talking.

“…and I just don’t know what I’m doing wrong here.”

“I.. I’m sorry I didn’t get that first part.”

I say, embarrassingly so as I watch Rogan’s face contort from concern to straight up disbelief in literal seconds. I can’t blame him for it though. He sighs and shakes his head.

“This is exactly what I’m talking about, Lass. Even when you’re here, it’s like you’re not here. You can’t keep pushing yourself the way you are.. And.. it feels like you’re pushing me away and I don’t know what I’m doing wrong here, Lucy.”

I sigh and let my arms fall down to my sides, feeling another shooting pain down my arm. Out of instinct, I wince and immediately Rogan picks up on it.

“See? Your shoulder is still not one hundred percent.”

“It’s fine. I got through that match with Ken, didn’t I?”

I spit back, not trying to sound as vitriolic as it came out. I mean since Run of the Mill, I’ve won the Conquest title, I’ve beaten Ken Davison… What more do I have to prove here?

Rogan sighs.

“This is still about Run of the Mill, isn’t it?”

I scoff.

“This is about feeling like you let me down when I’ve told you hundreds if not thousands of times that you could NEVER let me down!”

“People lie, Rogan.”

The moment those words leave my lips, and I see the look on his face – I know immediately that I shouldn’t have said that. But I don’t open my mouth again, instead I just watch him silently running my words through his head, his demeanor getting more and more stiff as the seconds tick by. Eventually he just throws his arms up in the air and leans into the ropes, gripping them hard enough that his knuckles turn white.

“This negativity.. You’re so full of negativity anymore, Lucy. Look at you, you’re the Conquest Champion and you’ve got every tool you need to make it all the way. Why you’re still focusing on the bad things that happened is beyond me. I lost to Tempest too, you know.. But you don’t see me wallowing in it. I’m trying to move on, not just for my sake but for US!”

I’ve never seen him this animated, and quite frankly if it weren’t directed at me.. I’d like it. But right now, I’m just embarrassed and angry.

“But.. why?”

I ask, not trying to stir the pot anymore than I already have. Once again he looks at me in disbelief.

“Why?! Because I love you Lucy Wylde. I hate seeing you like this and I hate what this is doing to us.”

I can’t look at him, but as I turn away I feel a cool breeze move past me, settling beside my ear…

”See?”

 

“Ezra Wolf… We meet again.”

Lucy’s voice comes through softly, before we can even see her face. Slowly, the scene fades in to see her, seated on the ground in a nondescript room – the room around her just dark enough to not give away it’s location. The only light shines directly on her, and it’s just dim enough to shroud the majority of her body, aside from her face.

She looks up, a soft smirk on her lips.

“I’m not surprised, to be completely honest. I knew you’d be back eventually, and it’s only right considering I took this from you…”

She brings the Conquest title up into view.

“…in your second defense. And here we are, on the cusp of my own second defense. I’m sure our peers, or even the fans would love to watch me sit here and tell you that you’ve not beaten me twice before now.. So why should I be worried about our third engagement? But having been around here as long as I have, and having faced the people I’ve faced in that time…I know better. I know better than to assume anything when it comes to anything or anyone around here.”

Lucy sighs softly and lowers the belt back down into her lap.

“You may have lost to me twice now, but you’ve taken those experiences and you’ve chalked them up to being learning experiences. Good on you. And in that time, I’m sure you’ve figured out some shit about me that you’re gonna test out here in a few days to see if you can find the key to finally coming out on top. But here’s the thing, Ezra.. I’ve done the same thing. I’ve taken our last two encounters and I remembered how close you came to beating me… And you did come close a few times. All credit goes to you on that.”

“But no matter how long you’ve been in this game, you can never stop learning and growing. Every match is an opportunity to not only look at your opponent and make some mental notes on what you’d do differently the next time you face – because it’s almost a guarantee that sometime down the road, you’ll face everyone twice… if not more than that.”

She shrugs her shoulders.

“But you also gotta continue looking inwards, towards yourself… taking notes on the things you can do better… the things that could have cost you… the things that you did right. And obviously I did a lot right, I mean I came out victorious both times – and claimed the Conquest title on top of it. But I can’t be complacent. I can’t just settle for winning and pretend like there’s absolutely no way that you could make it two and one instead of three and oh. I’m nothing if not a realist, Ezra.”

Lucy looks away from the lens for a moment, thinking about what she wants to say next. After a few minutes of silence, she exhales deeply and continues.

“This belt is the gateway to bigger and better things. I’m grateful for the opportunity to hold it, but I’m humbled by the work that I.. and everyone who’s held it before me has to do in order to truly use it as the gateway that it’s meant to be. Last time we faced, I told you that I wasn’t sure you were ready for the pressure that comes along with this belt and what it could lead to. And in that time, you proved me right. You couldn’t win the Cooperative titles, and while you did win the conquest title – well.. We know how that one ended up.”

“You’re a talented kid, Ezra. And there’s nothing wrong with not being ready to shoulder the burden of this title and what it could possibly do for your career. I suppose in some ways, you could say the same thing about me. Sure I’ve won a great deal in my career, but I’ve lost just as much. You could easily say I folded under that very same burden that I’m telling you you’re not ready for. A great example is none other than our current world champion.”

The expression on her face turns to one of disgust.

“How many times have Tempest and I gone at it? Too many to count at this point, and more often than not – I’ve come out victorious. I even took his coveted Chaos Championship away from him and sent him spiraling into some dark, dark times – even by his standards. But as much as I didn’t want to admit it, I knew it wouldn’t last forever. I knew Tempest would have his day.. And unfortunately that day was at Run of the Mill. He’ll say differently, and quite frankly.. I will too because we both know that Travis Pierce interrupted the match that everyone wanted to see… We both know that even though it says on paper that he beat each and everyone of us in that match and became the world champion… That he never got the satisfaction of taking that world title FROM me… But that injustice will be rectified in time…”

“And that’s where you come in, Ezra. Are you going to be the foil… are you going to be the one to stop me from getting back to Tempest and that world title? Are you going to step up and show me, and everyone else that what we all see in you is the truth.. Or do you need more time to really prepare yourself for what you’re going to be signing up for?”

The smile on her face grows.

“I suppose we’ll find out on Monday… But don’t hold it against me when I show you that you still just aren’t ready… Because I am, and I have been for a very long time and I can’t.. No, I won’t let you get in my way. Tempest knows his time is limited… He just won’t admit it. And it won’t be you that knocks him off his throne…”

“That pleasure is all mine… The Omen that haunts him at night.. The only person he’s yet to truly figure out… the only person who can get into his head better than he can get into anyone else’s… Use Monday as yet another lesson, Ezra.. And don’t forget, I’m not going to put you down because of any malicious intent on my part… I’m going to put you down because I have to. Because there’s no fate but what I make for myself, and your will doesn’t even come close to mine. See you soon.”

She finishes at a whisper, her blue eyes flickering up into the lens as the scene slowly fades back to black.