Adonis, Xander Valentine & Yilmaz vs. Cannon, Ryan LeCavalier & La Pequena Luz

[Wisteria Waltz]

OOC: Between the two characters I have in Trios, this RP chronologically comes second as it takes place right after the most recent Breakdown. If you're reading the full story, read Amelia's first for her match before reading this one.
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Normally, whenever the concept of the Trios Tournament comes into play, La Pequeña Luz is excited at the possibilities and the challenge of trying to work with partners that aren't her beloved Amelia.

The prospect of a contract that allows you to book any one match of your choosing can be a very tempting one and is usually more than enough to hold a team together just long enough to make some magic happen.

This year, though, Luz didn't feel as sure about that.

Truth be told, Luz would love to be able to prove she was capable of winning Trios regardless of whoever her partners were. She'd been lucky enough to have a shot the past two years and even ended up with partners who she got along fairly well with. Unfortunately, her team had been eliminated both times as well, two years ago because of an inadvertent disqualification, and then last year her team had simply been bested by a team with a determined Selena Frost arguably at the helm.

Trios was at least one thing Amelia could hold over Luz, having been part of the winning team last year even if it was by circumstances she wasn't entirely happy with.

Heading into Vancouver for Breakdown tonight, Luz knew that Amelia had been beating herself up over failing to beat Cid Turner for the World Title in the main event of Apocalypse. Given how hard Amelia's parents had always been on her, it truly hurt Luz to see her wife struggling with the fact that, at least as of right now, it seemed like Luz had found more singles success. Luz had plenty to argue on that front, but Amelia's intrusive negative thoughts were a hard thing to overcome and always came equipped with a counter-argument.

Amelia had been the first between them to win singles gold with the Television Title, Luz had a reign that may as well have blown hers out of the water.

Amelia made the finals of a tournament for the then-vacant U.S. Title, Luz had actually succeeded in winning the belt... technically twice now.

Amelia had won Trios on her first try where Luz had failed twice before and was honestly doubting her odds a bit this year, Amelia barely made an argument that it didn't really count because she still had partners.

Amelia had two pay-per-view main events to her name where Luz had yet to be given that honor even once... that one was usually enough to get through to her wife, at least.

It genuinely hurt Luz to see just how little Amelia thought of herself whenever faced with such a setback, but she knew it wasn't her wife's fault. Even though she'd witnessed some of it firsthand, Luz still struggled to comprehend just how little Amelia was valued by her parents when she wasn't living up to their unreasonably high expectations, to the point where it was still affecting her even after she had bested her parents... honestly, Luz had lost count by this point. Even when she was at odds with her own mother over pursuing the very career path that had resulted in her father's death from an in-ring accident (at least as far as they knew at the time), Luz at least knew why her mom had been so staunchly opposed to her taking up her own mask and mantle to follow in her papá's footsteps, and knew that despite the rift between them, she was loved.

How people as self-centered and egotistical as Aleister and Ophelia Blythe brought three children into the world who were truly nothing like them at their cores was a mystery Luz doubted she would ever solve.

Same with the mystery of what god of luck and randomness she had somehow angered to end up in her current predicament for this year's Trios Tournament.

If she had a say in the matter, Chris Cannon and Ryan LeCavalier wouldn't have been her first choices. Nothing against them because she knew from firsthand experience sharing the ring with both of them they they were incredibly talented, but part of the problem was the experience of having faced them in the past. Before tonight, she would have doubted Chris would've been happy with this draw considering she was the wife of the woman who had managed to beat Chris at Rise to Greatness despite his best efforts to use Amelia as his own personal stepping stone. Ryan would've been in the same boat, considering she had been bested in singles action by both members of The Light In The Darkness and Luz had seen how deeply the woman could hold grudges regarding her losses, something she doubted would improve now that she'd apparently aligned herself with the Fall of Man for whatever reason.

Now that Breakdown was in the books, however... Luz had a feeling she was going to need to keep her head on a swivel next week in Sacramento, something that bothered her considering her only crime right now seemed to be existing.

It should've surprised no one when Luz came out to back up Amelia when Waylon decided to cut in on her attempt to speak to the fans about Apocalypse in a desperate ploy to better his Trios team's odds next week, seeing as how the rivalry between The Light In The Darkness and the Fall of Man would finally renew itself with Amelia and Waylon on opposite sides of that match. Honestly, Luz wouldn't have been surprised to see James try to get involved as well, which hadn't happened until the couple had removed themselves from the chaos, or Ryan when she did run down. Instead of trying to pick up where Waylon left off for any sort of advantage over Amelia, however, Luz had been caught off guard by Ryan attacking her, considering they were supposed to be Trios partners next week.

The commentary she swore she heard from Adam Sharper while she was trying to fight Ryan off implied Ryan might've been looking to take Luz out to get an alternate for her team... which made no sense to Luz because what alternate would make more sense as a partner over the reigning United States Champion, especially since it couldn't be another member of the Fall of Man as Waylon and James were already on other teams and, assuming he was even still around, she seriously doubted Ryan would actually prefer Billy Heaven Jr. as a better option than her.

If nothing else, Luz was at least grateful that she could count on Deanna to put long term friendship first and prefer a fair fight for next week, as well as Meghan and her Cowgirls after the respect she and Amelia had forged with Veronica and Cara through battling them a few times last year.

She also found it painfully convenient that Chris didn't seem to care about Ryan trying to take her out to get a different partner, but the moment Ryan was at risk of falling into that same boat when the numbers turned against the Fall of Man, he finally showed up to protect her despite her protests.

As Breakdown had gone off the air, Luz and Amelia had returned to their locker room and Luz was currently watching her wife get checked on by her mamá. Nothing against SCW's own Dr. Curt Okafor, but Camila always insisted on providing a second opinion as a precaution. Luz couldn't help but wonder if some of that was still lingering unresolved trauma of her own surrounding the death of her husband and Luz's father, or if it was just her mom wanting to put her medical license to use given that she hadn't actually gone back to work at the hospital she usually did back in Tulancingo for some time now as a precaution from when The Empire's splinter cell had become an even greater concern.

'Maybe it's not just Ames and I who need to speak with the NCA's therapist,' she couldn't help but ponder as Camila had Amelia open her mouth and gently prodded along her jawline. Darius had arranged for the therapist to be flown out to talk with the couple and hear from them exactly what she'd be working with, knowing that hearing it directly from the patient's mouth would paint the clearest picture, but the soonest she could leave England wouldn't be until at least after next week's Breakdown. They could have been able to meet with her a few days ago if flying out to London was possible, but given that both tonight's show and Apocalypse had both taken place in Canada, it just made more sense to stay put and not have to deal with airport customs if they didn't have to.

“Well, you can still open and close your mouth perfectly fine, and I don't see any bruising, so I don't think that cabrón's hold did any significant damage,” Camila finally said as Amelia closed her mouth, though the doctor couldn't resist gently rubbing her daughter-in-law's jaw all the same. “Though, as much as I know you two might not like hearing this, I'm going to suggest a ban on kissing or making out for the next two days at least, just to make sure it heals up.”

“Mom!” Luz's face burned beneath her mask as her mom chuckled, and even Amelia's face was starting to resemble a tomato at this point. It was honestly hard for Luz to tell which impacted her more: her mom not holding back in terms of cussing about Waylon, or the fun she was having at the expense of her daughter's relationship just because there were medical limitations she could honestly put into play right now.

Amelia eventually shook off her own shock and went to thank Camila, but her mother-in-law held up a hand to stop her.

“Up-bup-bup! I would also recommend keeping talking to a minimum, at least for the next little while,” she stated in that tone that didn't quite leave room for arguing, but at least had enough warmth to make it clear she was doing so out of concern for you.

“Guess that means I can't ask about what Ames thinks of what Glory had to say,” Luz muttered. “Seriously, she keeps wanting to think respect still exists between us and yet she has the nerve to confuse 'killer instinct' with 'blatant rule-bending' because she's that desperate to be World Champion again?”

“Lulu,” Amelia mumbled, earning a look from Camila considering what she'd just suggested about not talking, but she doesn't make any attempt to stop her from calming Luz down after her heated outburst. Amelia does wince as she keeps talking, but she tries to shake it off quickly. “Let Glory think however she wants. If she thinks she has the killer instinct to succeed where I failed and Cid still wins in the end, that'll be her burden to bear. Besides... you don't want to undo all your hard work of trying to fight against my brain all week to help pick me back up after Apocalypse, do you?”

“No, I really don't...” Luz huffs as she leans against the door, looking at both her mom and her wife. “It's just... is it wrong for me to be getting so sick and tired of people trying to put you down or claim I'm the 'superior' member of our team and all that junk all the time? Even if I wasn't literally married to you, Amelia, I've known you for like half a decade at this point. I've seen you already endure this at the hands of your own parents for God knows how long, and I've also faced you in the ring countless times, and we could add one more to the list if we can somehow make a Trios final against one another a reality this year. I'm being totally unbiased when I say you're one of the best wrestlers I've ever known, and it's really starting to bug me that all anybody wants to do is hold your setbacks against you.”

“Mija, I get it, and I know Amelia does as well,” Camila stepped in, glancing over at her daughter-in-law who nodded before her focus turned back to her daughter. “The fact that you care so much for your wife and want to defend her is a good thing, and the fact that you wear your heart on your sleeve so proudly is something I know your father and I are so proud of you for. People are going to keep having their own opinions, that's the unfortunate reality, but I think you both know how to address them.”

“I know I'm going to be paying Waylon back next week,” Amelia declared, wincing still because of her jaw but not letting that stop her. “I'm going to pick myself back up and do what you said to do Lulu: either try to win Trios again this year or push myself to prove that I'm worthy of taking another shot at the top. If that's not enough 'killer instinct' for some people, then that's their problem.”

“Heh... you're right Ames, mamá,” Luz sheepishly glanced down at the floor for a moment, trying to collect herself. “And I need to keep pushing myself as well if I want to try and win Trios myself or take my own shot at the World Title eventually. At the very least, I need to keep pushing myself as U.S. Champion no matter who comes for me next.”

Amelia nods, looking relieved that Luz seems to have calmed down a bit and collected herself.

“Well, if you still need to clear your thoughts mija, you can run my medical bag out to my car,” Camila asked, holding said bag out for Luz to take. “I'm going to double-check with Dr. Okafor before Amelia and I will be out, and you ladies can get some rest before we head out tomorrow.”

“You got it, mom,” Luz eagerly said, taking her mom's medical bag along with grabbing hers and Amelia's bags before making her way out to the parking lot.

Admittedly, her mom was right about the walk helping to clear her head, because Luz had enough wild thoughts conflicting with one another that were driving her crazy. She was already frustrated enough with everyone putting her wife down or trying to push this narrative that Luz was the superior half of the team and should probably just split off on her own entirely, and seeing Amelia put herself down hurt her enough. Then there was the fleeting hope that this might be the year she and Amelia met in the Trios finals or that she would even make it this year when her own team seemed content with trying to literally remove her from the equation thinking it would somehow better their chances.

At least these were all concerns that she would've preferred to have to deal with, because they allowed her to embrace the mindset she and Amelia thrived under of resolving wrestling problems in a wrestling ring. It was still a far cry from the mess with The Empire, where the wait to see what their next move would be was killing her. The fact that Caleb really thought her and Amelia might be 'grateful' that he was leaving them alone for now really burned beneath her skin. If he really wanted her gratitude, he'd do them the courtesy of leaving them alone for good, maybe even do the truly good thing and turn himself in if he was that desperate to try and 'redeem himself' in the eyes of the Lord.

“Oh, ¿a quién engaño?” she exhaled as she made her way to her mom's car to drop off her medical bag before depositing her and Amelia's bags in their car right next to it. “That man will always find some twisted logic to justify his insane path being the right one. I'm just tired of seeing people get hurt that really don't deserve it.”

“That sounds like quite the noble sentiment, Miss Luz.”

Luz yelped and nearly jumped out of her mask, quickly pivoting and preparing to defend herself if she needed to. Thankfully, it wasn't anybody from The Empire who had snuck up on her, nor was it anyone from the Fall of Man trying to finish what they started in the ring a little while ago even without any cameras to catch it. Luz breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed when she saw that it was Paul, who must've followed SCW from Toronto to Vancouver to attend Breakdown tonight.

“My apologies, I didn't mean to startle you,” he claimed.

“No, no, you're good,” Luz quickly reassured him. “It's just hard not to be jumpy after how tonight's gone. And you don't have to keep calling me 'miss' or even the technically correct 'mrs.'”

Paul chuckled and nodded. “Fair enough on both counts. I saw what happened out there... I don't believe I recall this tournament making people so desperate in past years.”

“No, it really hasn't,” Luz sighed. “I don't know what's so special about this year... all I know is that I'm not looking forward to having to put up with partners who apparently think they can do better without me next week.”

“If I may?” Paul asked, and Luz raised an eyebrow before nodding to hear what he had to say. “I know you and Amelia have made it clear it's... not exactly in your nature to show what some would deem 'killer instinct.'”

Luz groaned at the sound of those two words, to which Paul just put on an apologetic face.

“But... I've gotten the impression that people seem to think they can take advantage of that and bully you because of it,” he finished.

“Amelia and I have proven we're capable of fighting back if people really want to pick a fight with us,” Luz pointed out. “And it doesn't change the fact that we can shut them up in the ring-”

“The right way, of course,” Paul nodded, and Luz looked a little taken aback by him finishing her thought for her. “But it doesn't seem to have stopped people from thinking so little of you and Amelia, believing they can pull stunts like what happened tonight. I believe Selena Frost was the same way, and look at what eventually happened to her?”

“Watch it,” Luz warned, an edge to her voice present that sounded wrong coming from her, and she hated it. “You don't know Selena like we do.”

“She still ended up breaking under the pressure of trying to do everything the right way, though,” Paul noted. “I'd hate to see that same fate befall you and Amelia, but a fan like me has the right to ask this question, Luz: how much longer can you two last before you break like she did?”

Luz opened her mouth to answer, but found no words leaving her mouth. Paul just gave her one last apologetic look before he walked off, feeling like he'd said enough to Luz tonight. While it had been dancing on the edges of her mind before, tonight made it perfectly clear that something was definitely up with this Paul guy, and regardless of whether or not he might be safer sticking around them in the long run with The Empire seemingly targeting him for some reason (which seemed like what he might be doing considering he'd followed them out to Vancouver now for another SCW show), Luz found it hard to argue that he may sadly have a point.

How much longer could she and Amelia hold up with people claiming they lack that 'killer instinct' and trying to prove it by preying upon them when they saw the chance to do so? How much more could they endure of incidents like tonight, especially if the option to just resolve it in the ring didn't seem available for whatever reason?

What would happen to The Light In The Darkness if someone finally managed to break them?

Luz wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer to that question, but she may not have a choice in the matter if something didn't change, and she hated everything about it.