Taking Hold of the Flame 2025

[Wisteria Waltz]

La Pequeña Luz RP


If the idea had come from anybody else, then maybe the thought of trying to take her mind off of everything that had been going on lately wouldn't have sat well with La Pequeña Luz, even if she knew deep down the advice was sound.

That said, ever since she had met the woman by chance a few years ago, Luz had come to trust Marilyn Clauson, almost seeing her as a second mother of sorts given how much they'd bonded, especially back during a time with Luz's relationship with her actual mom was still strained.

With SCW rolling into New Orleans for Taking Hold of the Flame, Marilyn had done her part to help train both Luz and Amelia for their attempt at the battle royal, but there was only so much one could prepare for a match where you could never be sure who you'd be facing or how many at any given time. Despite knowing the couple had done this particular dance once before, albeit on a night where Amelia also had another match to worry about on top of it, Marilyn had still put all of her own battle royal experience to good use in preparing them the best she could, namely focusing on trying to be aware of your surroundings at all times and teaching them different tricks to keep themselves from going out and hitting the floor.

Marilyn's biggest idea to help them, though, had felt a bit unconventional at first, but that simply spoke to how hard Luz and Amelia kept pushing themselves at all times and the problems that was starting to cause... especially with certain other forces very keen on trying to take advantage of that in one form or another.

It was the last day of May, and the day before Taking Hold of the Flame, and Marilyn's plan was pretty clear: not only should Luz and Amelia spend some time apart, mostly to prepare for the likelihood that they may not be in the battle royal at the same time, but today was to be a rest day for the both of them. As much as they had wanted to argue against this idea, it was difficult against the sound logic Marilyn put forth, especially when it came to needing a day off. Just because the two had maybe a show or two lately where neither one of them were wrestling hadn't meant they weren't busy doing something on SCW television anyway... and that spoke nothing of the fact that they hadn't had a chance to truly, properly relax and clear their heads ever since Caleb had broken out of prison and The Empire had 'resurrected' to pick up where they had left off in harassing the couple until they broke down and allowed Caleb to 'save' them.

Just thinking about the old man's obsession with using her and her wife as a means of trying to guarantee he had a place in Heaven once he passed on, at least in his twisted mind, made Luz want to vomit.

“I see you gagging over there, kid,” Marilyn called over from where she was sorting through some boxes on the counter. “I don't know what's causing it, but if you puke on the floor, you're cleaning it up.”

Luz chuckled nervously before taking some deep breaths to clear her head, which was thankfully helped by the incense Marilyn was currently burning as a means of channeling the proper spiritual energy into this space. It had been quite some time since she'd been in the old magick store that had been in the Clauson family for generations, originally belonging to Marilyn's aunt who had ended up marrying Caleb's brother and seemingly fueled the fire of the deranged zealot that man was today, but Marilyn felt a good way to help keep Luz busy so she could keep her thoughts off of both Amelia and literally everything else was to have the luchadora help her get the place prepared. While Marilyn herself wasn't fully committed to reconnecting with her family's witchy roots just yet as she still felt her old bones had too much fight left in them to fully retire from wrestling, her parents had been talking about wanting to reopen the store to give themselves something to do, given that her mom had long since retired and her dad couldn't do what he used to love doing anymore... no thanks to Caleb.

'That old bastard better hope he's never within arm's reach of me,' Marilyn thought to herself in frustration over the memory. 'He's destroyed my family enough all over his petty sense of self-righteousness, and even if I didn't have a personal reason to put him in the dirt, I'd do it anyway. That kid and her wife don't deserve to be plagued by that walking cancer just because they're trying to exist.'

“Everything alright, mom?” Remy, Marilyn's adopted son, called up to her from where he was stocking a display near the counter with talismans.

“Yeah, kiddo,” she replied, taking a moment deeply breathe in the incense herself. “Just thinking about some things I'd rather not say out loud.”

“Is it about that weird old guy who keeps trying to mess with us?” Remy asked. “Because if he thinks he can hurt my mom or my big sister, I'll-”

“Big sister?” Luz called over with a chuckle. “Who's that?”

“You, of course!” Remy proudly declared as he pointed at Luz. “I'm officially declaring you my big sister! Amelia, too!”

“That's not how it works, you little goofball,” Marilyn laughed as she leaned over the counter and ruffled Remy's hair. “Although... I do already consider you family, Luz, if you're alright with that. Same for Cami and Valentina.”

“I mean, we're already helping you put a piece of Clauson family history back together to open its doors again,” Valentina called from the ladder she stood on as she fixed a hanging display of voodoo dolls to the ceiling. “Not gonna lie, a lot of this stuff looks really interesting.”

“It's not my cup of tea, personally,” Camila admitted, making a face as she pulled a shrunken head out of one of the boxes and gently set it aside. “But I know mi amor would have loved to learn more about all of this stuff to understand it. That man was always so open, accepting, and curious... something I'm so glad you inherited from him, mija.”

“Me too, mom,” Luz smiled. She had definitely been in better spirits since the detour before the last Breakdown to visit her hometown, specifically her father's grave, and it was a breath of fresh air to see her truly back to her old self again. At least, as close as they were probably going to get so long as the looming threat of The Empire continued to hang over their heads.

“I like the idea of us all being one big, happy family,” Remy chuckled. “Now if only we could get mom to stop dancing around their feeling for Avery and-”

“You finish that sentence and you're grounded, Remy,” Marilyn warned the 11-year-old.

“I'd kind of like to hear what else he has to say,” Avery suddenly chimed in as they stepped out of the back room, grinning like the Cheshire cat as Marilyn immediately sputtered and tried to bury her face into the box she'd been unloading, to the amusement of her ex.

Luz just laughed as she finished stocking a shelf full of potion bottles, amused by the sight of Marilyn losing all her composure and becoming almost as bad as she was around Amelia for the longest time until they'd finally stopped dancing around their feelings and talked it out. Granted, she knew that Marilyn and Avery had a history and there was a reason why they had broken up, even if she didn't know what that reason was, but the feelings were clearly still there and she knew, deep in her heart, that they could probably work through whatever had happened if they just talked it out. Perhaps it was a naive way of looking at things, but even if Luz wasn't a romantic at heart, she'd figured out a long time ago that open and honest communication was how a relationship could stay healthy and strong.

She couldn't help but frown as that thought flickered through her head. Part of it was because she missed Amelia, even if she knew they'd be reunited by the end of the day and this time apart had a valid reason behind it for the sake of battle royal preparation, but the other part of it had to do with one couple in particular she wished had potentially heeded that advice before things got to the point they were at now. While she didn't know what number she would have, Luz knew the possibility existed that she'd get to dance with Selena Frost once more if she could survive until Selena came out as the final entrant, and she already accepted that Selena wouldn't hold back if the chance to eliminate her presented itself and she was ready and willing to do the same. She didn't know if Deanna could potentially be one of the myriad of mystery entrants that were also advertised for this match, but she wanted to hope the time for her to return and clear up the United States Title mess at long last wasn't too much farther off. What she did know, however, was that two people she considered friends, even despite Selena's public attitude in regards to SCW, were not in a great place with their relationship despite not having all the details nor wanting to be rude and pry for them, and it hurt to think that something so simple could have possibly saved their relationship like it had weathered so many potential storms between her and Amelia had they tried it early enough. Now, though...

“Hey, Little Light,” Marilyn suddenly called out, snapping Luz out of her thoughts just in time for her reflexes to catch a voodoo doll that Marilyn had tossed at her, earning a grin out of the older woman. “Nice catch, glad to see you're not getting so distracted you could potentially be blindsided and eliminated. But I have a feeling you're thinking about either your wife or something SCW-related, and I'd like you to knock it off. Today's about clearing your head, remember?”

“But... how...?” Luz sputtered.

“I think I've picked up a few tricks on being able to know what's going on in that head of yours, kiddo,” Marilyn replied.

“Marilyn's right, hermana,” Valentina chimed in as she climbed down from the ladder. “If you're going to clear your head, you need to stop thinking about SCW or The Empire for a while. We can worry about them later, especially since we doubt they'll try anything with this city already having gone through enough this year to have law enforcement on high alert.”

“We may not be sure of exactly what's going on within their ranks right now,” Avery noted, “but as long as Caleb still holds authority over his own elites, I doubt they'll take any more unnecessary risks after they already lots a sizable amount of their members the last two times they actually tried to attack. Caleb's a man they should rightfully fear, and he's never one to make a move unless he's planned everything out to ensure absolute control.”

“Absolute control until we keep finding holes in his logic to upend everything,” Luz replied. She punctuated the statement with a grin, but it was clearly a hollow one. For as much as she, Amelia, and the rest of their found family had found ways to beat Caleb time and time again despite his insanely good planning, there had unfortunately been casualties along the way and Luz would personally prefer there be no more if she could help it.

“Alright, enough talk of that bonehead!” Marilyn declared. “Everybody back to work. And Luz? Unless it's about whatever you're putting together, I want your head to stay empty today, got it?”

“Yes, ma'am!” Luz replied with a salute, earning a few chuckles from the others in the shop as everyone returned their focus to what they were doing. Admittedly, Luz was starting to see the value in just shutting her brain off and forgetting about everything that had been stressing her out for far too long now, and while her brain really wanted to worry over The Empire or think about the battle royal or what her road to Rise to Greatness might look like if she doesn't win, she tried to stay firm in ignoring those thoughts until later and just relaxing.

Thankfully, she would get some help in keeping her thoughts distracted when the door to the magick store opened and a woman with a medium-tan complexion and a black pixie cut walked in, only to immediately stop when she got a good look around at the space.

“Sorry!” they called. “I didn't realize you guys weren't open yet. Do you know when you might be?”

“Probably not for at least another week or two,” Marilyn explained.

“I can definitely come back and see what all you've got to offer,” they said as they turned to leave, only to stop once Valentina caught their eye. “Oh, hello there. Love the vibe you've got going on. It screams 'defiant rebel in the face of a destiny someone else chose for me.'”

“Oh, uh, thanks...” Valentina said, suddenly looking a little more nervous than Luz had ever seen her adopted sister, at least since the days when the poor girl had still served The Empire as their copycat Luz. “That's an oddly specific read you're getting on me, though.”

“I can kind of feel it in the aura you're giving off,” the person shrugged. “Plus, my tarot reading this morning said I'd be meeting an interesting new friend today, and I'd definitely say you're interesting. Name's Ash, I go by they/them pronouns.”

“V-Valentina, she/her, though my sister tends to just call me V,” Valentina nervously chuckled as she shook Ash's offered hand.

As the two of them kept talking, Luz couldn't help but grin, knowing the symptoms of a crush all too well and finding amusement in the fact that the woman who had been built up by Caleb to 'become the true La Pequeña Luz' was just as much of a disaster as the real deal.

“Ay, I see the Nevado family curse of becoming an absolute mess around a crush has gotten to Valentina as well,” Camila giggled, which caused Valentina's face to go even redder and Ash to chuckle as they overheard it.

“Cam, I think that's a curse that's been put over everyone that's ultimately been drawn to Luz and her wife, even before any of us met her!” Marilyn laughed.

Luz just grinned and laughed along as she turned her focus back to the box she was unpacking, but not before shooting her sort-of twin a silly look that was met with one in return, which had the benefit of making Ash laugh and helping Valentina's chances. This had truly been something she'd needed: a sense of normalcy she hadn't had in a very long time that allowed her to truly unwind and forget that she was La Pequeña Luz for a little while, with all that entailed both as a wrestler and with the mess that she wanted no part in, to begin with. Despite still wearing her mask as per lucha libre tradition, in this moment, she felt more like Luna Nevado, a normal girl living her best life and enjoying every moment of it, knowing that she'd earned the right to do so.

Unfortunately, all of that was about to be derailed as her phone started to ring, and a quick check of the caller ID revealed a number she didn't recognize... a pattern she knew all too well.

Luz glanced around the shop space, and while Ash certainly looked confused and it was probably for the best if they remained blissfully ignorant to avoid getting wrapped up in this mess too, the rest of them all looked concerned, though none more than Marilyn. Her lips were pursed in a thin line, almost as if she wanted so badly to tell Luz to either ignore it or hand the phone over to her, but she knew better. Like it or not, the full extent of what Vladimir could do given his ability to be able to spy on their found family and keeps tabs on them at all times was not something they truly wanted to test until they were certain nobody would be harmed if Luz and/or Amelia didn't play along.

“You can go into the back room to take that call, Luz,” Marilyn reluctantly said at long last, despite how painfully clear it was that she wanted to say so many other things. Luz nodded and headed towards the back, pausing briefly to exchange looks with Avery who also nodded to her. She nodded back, intending to share whatever came of this call with the now-NCA agent once it was safe to do so, before she disappeared to the dusty and cluttered back room and answered the call.

“¿Hola?” she opened with, playing it safe.

“Hola, La Pequeña Luz,” the raspy, creepy voice of Vladimir answered back from the other end of the call. “How are you doing on this pleasant day?”

“I was doing fine until you called,” Luz replied, refusing to hide the bitter tone in her voice.

Vladimir simply laughed that unsettling laugh of his. “I expected as such. I must admit, it's a rather bold move to set up shop in a place that Caleb considers pagan filth. That Clauson woman probably thinks it's would repel his efforts, but she could just as easily be inviting the cleansing fires to that storefront's doorstep. Caleb's grand plan does ensure that a city fallen so far from the grace of God will have nothing and no one remaining once it begins.”

“Somehow, I'm not surprised,” Luz rolled her eyes, not sure if Vladimir had a means of seeing her right now but not caring either way. “Did you call just to parrot his overly religious rhetoric to me hoping it would somehow convince me to be suckered in like you and everyone else clearly were?”

“No, actually,” Vladimir responded, his voice suddenly taking on a more serious tone. It sounded unnerving with how raspy his voice was, but any hints of intentionally trying to be creepy seemed to be dropped for the moment. “I'm calling to warn you... and seek help, in a sense.”

“What does that mean?” Luz asked, her curiosity piqued, but she was making sure to keep her guard up.

“Let's just say that things are... not too pretty over here right now,” Vladimir admitted, which stunned Luz. “I'm not going into all the details, but on behalf of Caleb, I'm willing to extend an olive branch in the hopes that you can not only help us do some painfully necessary housekeeping among our ranks, but in doing so, be willing to at least give Caleb a chance...”

Luz tuned Vladimir out at that point as he went on praising Caleb with overly religious rhetoric she wasn't interested in hearing, her focus instead turning towards the fact that it seemed like Caleb was actually asking for help to get his own cult in order and he was hopeful that the very individuals at the center of his conflict would be willing to lend him a hand. Truth be told, it sickened Luz, reeking of an obvious attempt to use her kind-hearted nature to potentially take away a crack that could be used to cause The Empire to crumble for good this time, not to mention make it even harder to ultimately take them down if they were all back on the same page.

Still... Vladimir did say he wanted to warn her, and if she'd quickly picked up anything on what she could easily assume was the opposite side of this civil war within The Empire, they weren't interested in following Caleb's plans to 'recruit' Luz and Amelia and believed taking them out altogether would clear the path they needed to kickstart whatever Caleb's promised endgame was supposed to be. If Vladimir could actually warn her about something to be able to prevent people getting hurt, or worse, then she knew she had to play along.

“I can't make any promises about giving Caleb a chance,” Luz bluntly said, interrupting Vladimir's senseless praising of the madman he followed. “Not unless I can get some reassurance that this isn't some sort of trick, nor an obligation to just sell my soul, or Amelia's, to him.”

“I an aware you and your wife are not together at the moment,” Vladimir pointed out. “And I believe I can agree to those terms. Caleb only wishes to speak with you, have a chance for you to hear him out, nothing more.”

Luz huffed, not liking even allowing for that, but she knew she had to tread lightly with this situation.

“I'll consider it,” she finally said. “That's the best I can offer for right now, at least until I talk with Amelia about this, but I get the feeling time's not a luxury in this situation, is it?”

“Unfortunately, you're correct, and as much as I'd like to drag this out, I'll have to take what I can get,” Vladimir hissed, which threw Luz for a loop as she was sure that would've been a deal breaker, or at least bought her enough time to try and figure out what was going on for herself so she wouldn't need to deal with whatever Vladimir was offering at all. “When this call ends, I'm going to need you to pass this information along to Avery, because he-”

“They,” Luz firmly corrected.

“-is the only one with the contacts able to stop this in time,” Vladimir continued on, sounding annoyed at the corrective interruption but not pressing that issue for the moment. “We still do not know who is exactly leading this little splinter cell that's formed, but they're plotting an attack in your hometown as we speak, Luz.”

Luz's breath hitched, her eyes going wide at that revelation. Truth be told, it wouldn't be the first time it's happened, as she clearly recalls hearing about some Empire members that had destroyed her father's ofrenda two years ago and spat in the face of her culture. From the tone of Vladimir's voice, however, whatever this was going to be was so much worse.

“...why would you tell me this?” Luz found herself asking.

“Because while there's a chance this attack being successful will break you enough for Caleb to finally get what he wants,” Vladimir explained, “he knows it's just as likely that it'll make any chance of you ever opening up to the possibility of being saved by him impossible, and he does not want that off the table unless you make it painfully clear you are truly beyond saving.”

Luz didn't hesitate to hang up on Vladimir at that point, not caring how he perceived it because she wasn't going to sit here and humor him any longer, especially if time was of the essence. She wasted no time peeking her head out from the back room and motioning for Avery to join her, where she explained what she'd been told. To say that Avery was shocked would be an understatement, but they decided to unravel Vladimir's motives both stated and implied later, wasting no time in putting in some calls.

It would be about an hour before any news made it back to them, validating Vladimir's claim. Lo and behold, there was a contingent of masked Empire goons, donning red cloaks as opposed to the cult's standard 'pure white' wear, who had attempted to plant bombs around the plaza where a statue of El Espíritu Angélico had been erected years ago to honor the town's fallen lucha libre icon. Unfortunately for them, Vladimir's tip and Avery's quick work had gotten people on the scene to not only arrest these cultists without any injury or casualty, but also before the bombs had been properly armed, making diffusing them a piece of cake. Luz couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief at the good news, but she couldn't shake the bad taste it all left in her mouth.

Knowing that people could've been hurt or killed had she delayed in dealing in any fashion with one of her enemies for the sake of stopping another... none of it sat right with her, and it made Marilyn's plan of trying to clear her head nigh impossible for the rest of the day. Not for a lack of trying, but today's events had unfortunately reinforced a clear problem Luz wished she didn't have to deal with: if she and her loved ones were truly going to know proper peace ever again, then The Empire had to fall, somehow, someway.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Vieux Carre, or the French Quarter, is considered the oldest neighborhood in New Orleans, and is often considered its crown jewel. Built on influences from all over the world and blending the old with the new in seamless harmony, the view we get of everything this part of the city has to offer is just breathtaking, especially as the sun is beginning to set and the city is truly beginning to come alive. Bathed in the warm glow of the setting sun, we find La Pequeña Luz standing on the balcony of her hotel in this part of the city... or at least, it's what we want to assume. As we see her from the side, catching her brilliant smile as she gazes out at the city below, we can also see her wife, Amelia Nevado, on a different balcony further down, seemingly doing the exact same thing. Luz and Amelia do happen to glance in one another's directions, grinning and nodding to one another before the camera pivots around as Luz turns with us, putting her back to the city as she leans against the railing, subtly swaying back and forth as it almost seems like her boundless energy is already waiting to be unleashed come Sunday night.

“So... who's ready for me to to come out and add my name to the growing crowd of those claiming the Taking Hold of the Flame battle royal is theirs to win?

If that's what you were expecting, then I apologize in advance.

Don't get me wrong, it's a dream of mine to one day be able to call myself SCW World Champion, and maybe even fight for that title on the grand stage of Rise to Greatness. There are very few people I can think of who wouldn't want that end goal, but I'm not here to judge them even if I'm allowed to disagree with their methodology. But I know who I am, and I know better than to try and put all my eggs into one basket. A match like what will unfold before your very eyes this Sunday night at the Superdome right here in New Orleans is as unpredictable as it gets, and no matter how good you think you are, there are just some things that nobody can truly be prepared for. You'll hear people claiming otherwise, because they're already convinced that this is their match to win and nothing will prove them wrong, but I'm not one of them. I'm sure as heck going to give it my best shot no matter what number I draw or how long I have to last, but if I don't win this match, it's not the end of the world. It's just another opportunity for me to learn and grow until I earn my chance to potentially be able to have that title around my waist someday.

As a reminder, Amelia and I are both still in our 20s, and we plan on having long careers ahead of us. Plenty of time to prove ourselves and reach the top of the mountain is that time isn't now. But we certainly can't resist the chance to test ourselves and see where we're at and how much farther we still have to go, because if you aren't willing to take a chance and see if it pans out, then how can you ever hope to make your dreams a reality someday?”

Luz closes her eyes and softly hums to herself, perhaps imagining the day where she does rise to the rank of SCW World Champion, before her eyes open again and her smile seems to shine even brighter.

“I consider myself very fortunate for the opportunities I've gotten thus far in my SCW career, even if not all of them have gone exactly as I'd hoped. Former Television Champion, former interim United States Champion, former three-time World Tag Team Champion... that alone is a resume that so many who walk into SCW could only dream of, and I pushed myself to make it all happen with nothing more than my blood, sweat and tears. If I wasn't willing to put in the work and fight with everything, then I wouldn't be who I am today... perhaps I'd even be among that sea of voices, desperately claiming that this match is mine to win, that I have to win because I need it more, fighting with the egos of everyone else who cannot comprehend a world where they aren't good enough to win this one match.

If you truly believe that this match is the only way you'll ever find yourself in the hunt for the World Title, then maybe it's time to take a step back and reflect on what brought you to this dance in the first place, because the failure from going all-in like that can be devastating and leave so many of you spending the next year trying to pick up the pieces until you can try again for next year's battle royal.

Ames and I... two years ago, we both took a shot at this match. Sadly, it didn't pan out for us, not for a lack of trying. We picked ourselves back up and forged ahead, and it wasn't long before we proved we were worthy of calling ourselves world champions in a different sense. Last year, we opted to stand back, putting our focus on the tag team division that we were working on elevating and giving the proper due it deserves. We've had plenty of time to think this over, prepare ourselves, and now we get to step up and see if it pays off. And if not? Well, the road to Rise to Greatness takes many twists and turns, as we know full well from past years, so I have faith that I'll make something happen and make the most out of this year's show regardless.

If I have one goal this year aside from taking my best shot at winning it, it's to make sure that I put on a show that has everyone knowing exactly who La Pequeña Luz is.

I live for the thrill of pushing myself to greater and greater heights, growing and improving with each and every match. With every setback I've faced, I've strived for greater challenges, opportunities to really test my limits and keep pushing beyond them, because when the time comes for me to finally hang up my boots and my mask for good, I want to leave behind a legacy build on hard work, on proving that if you work hard enough, you can achieve anything, no matter how long it takes. That is what I stand for: a brighter future for this business, becoming living proof that if this is your dream, then you shouldn't let anything hold you back from becoming the very best version of yourself that you can be, no matter who thinks they can stand in your way or tear you down.

Maybe that sounds silly to a lot of you, maybe plenty of you want to laugh and think I don't belong... by all means, go ahead and think that, because that'll make it all the sweeter if I eliminate you from this match and leave you struggling to justify how it could've possibly happened. Here's your answer: anyone, on any given night, can win if they want it bad enough, and just because I'm not overconfident enough to stand here and claim that the flame is mine and mine alone for the taking, that doesn't mean I want it any less than any of you do. If anything, that just means I'm willing to push myself farther, even if it's just to prove you wrong, either tomorrow night right here in New Orleans, or when our paths inevitably cross again somewhere down the road. That's the beauty of this business, after all: nothing is impossible, and sooner or later, I'll prove myself worthy. Just you watch.

On one final note... to mi amor, Amelia Nevado... if it somehow comes down to just the two of us, then I wish you the best of luck, but know that I won't hesitate to eliminate you if push comes to shove. We both know how this works, we both respect each other too much to hold back, so to my wife, and to the rest of the field for Taking Hold of the Flame... good luck, and may the best wrestler win.”

Luz glances over and winks at something out of the shot, presumably Amelia, before she pushes herself off the railing and begins to take her leave, having said all that she feels she needs to as we take one last lingering look at the beauty of the French Quarter of New Orleans before we fade out.