Happy Farmstead Friends vs. Light in the Darkness

[Wisteria Waltz]

Amelia and Luz hadn't expected much as far as the end of 2022 was concerned. They had only just returned to SCW, after all, and they had no problem starting back at the bottom and earning their way back up.

And yet, the way that 2022 did end had left a bit of a sour taste in their mouths.

Perhaps Luz had gotten her hopes a bit too high regarding the Trios Tournament, but she thought she had connected pretty well with Calvan and Penguin, all things considered. Heading into that Breakdown, there was no denying that the latter had improved significantly while training with her and Amelia, something that not only showed during the match itself but would also manifest in Penguin's world title bid at the End of the Year Special. Something that was just as important to the couple was the fact that Penguin seemed more than willing to be their friend, having connected with them over the struggle to earn their own way in the business and achieve what they wanted and how they wanted to go about it. They had realized he truly was an upstanding guy who wanted to not just be a champion to prove his doubters wrong but to reach that illustrious peak on nothing more than his own merits. That said, he deeply valued the friendship he had with his partner Dancing Bear that went beyond the confines of a wrestling ring and while they couldn't fault him for that since they didn't know what Bear was like outside of the business, it had become painfully clear that as long as Penguin had both Bear and Lexy Chapel involved in his business between the ropes, the odds of him getting to accomplish things his way seemed slim to none.

That alone erased any doubts Amelia had about the guy as he was stuck in a situation she was unfortunately painfully familiar with.

That said, the couple couldn't ignore when that situation had ultimately cost not only Penguin, but also Calvan and Luz.

Bear attacking Nicole out of some misguided attempt to defend a woman who clearly had no interest in even acknowledging his advances had seen Luz's Trios team eliminated by disqualification, and Luz's desperate pleading to simply eject all outside parties (something Amelia was fine with as she'd only accompanied Luz to attempt to prevent this) and restart the match had unfortunately fallen on deaf ears. Once again, circumstances beyond their control had ultimately cost them the chance to make a huge statement, but all this had done was cause them to go back to the drawing board and figure out how to move past this and make that statement in 2023.

It seemed like SCW was at least willing to give the girls a break as they prepared for the coming year. While they had been backstage at the End of the Year Special on the admittedly unlikely chance they won any awards, as well as to root for Penguin in his world title endeavors, they weren't booked to compete and had no plans to even throw themselves into the invitational. Then they hadn't been booked on the first Breakdown of the year and had opted to stay home in order to make sure they were at their best so that when their first match in this new year came, they could come out of the gate strong.

That said, being in each other's lives for as long as they had at this point had made it clear that they both sucked at taking care of themselves in terms of their mental health, and while they'd slowly gotten better at fixing that with each other's help it was still one of those things that had slowly backpedaled while they were out on injury. Given that they had a feeling things were going to get particularly stressful with SCW drama added back into the mix on top of all the family issues that still haunted them, they had decided that taking time out of their schedule for mental health breaks would be on their list of new year's resolutions. For that reason, they had decided that this Saturday was going to be spent making the roughly 6½ hour drive from their home in Anaheim up to San Francisco to attend the First Voyage event that fellow SCW wrestler Alexis Quinne was presenting. It had been a while since they'd been to an event like this just to be regular attendees and not special guests in some capacity, but the restriction that only wrestlers and artists from the Bay Area were allowed to actually take part on that end opened the door for a much-needed stress-free day out together.

That hadn't stopped several people from recognizing them and wanting autographs and pictures that they were more than happy to provide, but for the most part, they were left to just enjoy the event, having bought several beautiful pieces of art to put up somewhere in their home they could find wall space for and getting to enjoy being wrestling fans instead of actual wrestlers for a change.

As the wrestling paused for the time being and artist alley closed for the evening so things could transition to the documentary that was going to be shown, Luz and Amelia opted to take a break to get something to eat, having headed to a nearby Thai restaurant. As they ate, Luz found herself glancing at her phone every few minutes only to find no notifications waiting for her. The sigh she let out after the fourth time or so of checking would have barely been caught by just about anybody else, but Amelia knew her girlfriend all too well by this point.

“Everything alright, Luz?” she asked after swallowing her most recent bite of food. “You've been checking your phone pretty frequently not just here, but while we were over at the auditorium too. Are you expecting something?”

“I think 'hoping' is the more accurate word,” Luz lamented before taking a sip of water. Amelia didn't push, letting Luz take a moment before she finally got it off her chest. “I've been trying to text HP and Calvan since that dumb mess that knocked us out of Trios. I guess... I don’t know... I was hopeful that we'd bonded enough that in spite of the B.S. that happened we could still be friends outside of the ring. But... it's been radio silence since then.”

“Luz...” Amelia softly said as she reached across the table and gently took her girlfriend's hand.

“I was willing to overlook it with Penguin at first since I know he had that world title match on his plate,” she continued, “but he hasn't even responded to the text I sent to maybe cheer him up and keep him thinking positive after that whole mess that he went through with that match as well. And Calvan... I know he seemed like a bit much at times but it's like he's disappeared off the face of the earth altogether. Yeah, we only really came together in the first place because of Trios, but... I don't know...”

“It's not your fault Luz,” Amelia firmly told her, knowing exactly where Luz's head was bound to go if she didn't shut that door immediately. “I can't speak on Calvan because let's be honest, I don't think anyone really knows where his head's at half the time, but as far as Penguin's concerned I wouldn't be surprised if him not reaching out has less to do with anything against us and more to do with Lexy. You saw how much trouble he had trying to basically tiptoe around both her and Bear to get in any training time at all with us, especially since Lexy is so far gone that she probably would believe you guys trying to bond for Trios would somehow be detrimental for whatever inane plans she's got cooking. I know it sucks, especially since I might have been hoping for a friendship with the guy as well, but I've been where he is and can speak from experience on the friendships it cost me that I still regret to this day, all because I thought my options were limited. But... maybe someday he'll find a reason to try breaking free, just like I did.”

Luz nodded at this as she took a moment to try and just clear her head. She knew it was silly to be stressing this much over a situation that she understood full well wasn't her fault, especially after spending so long helping Amelia out of similar waters, but considering the lack of friends and bullying she'd endured growing up it was hard to ignore the desperate hope to be able to eventually have more genuine friends in her life aside from just her girlfriend.

As the storm began to clear in her mind, something Amelia said seemed to jump out at her as she raised an eyebrow.

“Am I getting more Amelia backstory today?” she asked with a hint of amusement. For as much as the couple knew about their respective pasts, there were still some sections even after all this time that they'd been hesitant to share with one another until they felt more comfortable doing so. It was dumb to think that their entire relationship could be changed by any of it at this point, but they couldn't be faulted for sharing that irrational fear considering the scars they each bared from the harsh roads they had traveled before fate had allowed them to cross paths.

“Maybe on the drive home tomorrow,” Amelia replied, her tone struggling to resist letting some of her own amusement leak in. Luz simply nodded in acknowledgment, not wanting to make her uncomfortable if she truly wasn't ready to open up yet. This led to her trying to feed her girlfriend as a way to change the subject, lightening the mood as they indulged in being an overly sappy couple doing dumb couple things together to lift their spirits.

Once they had finished eating, they headed back to the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, intending to check out some of the non-SCW matches that had been playing in the hallways before checking into a hotel to rest for the night before they headed back to Anaheim in the morning to prepare to fly out to New Orleans for Breakdown. As the building came into sight and they were preparing to cross the street to head back inside, they heard a voice that caught their attention with how enthusiastic it was.

“A beautiful flip dive, with more grace than a swan and enough hang time to make his opponent rethink taking this match!”

The two ladies exchanged curious looks before peaking around the nearby treeline. The voice was coming from a man who looked maybe a year or two younger than them. He was tall and lanky, but he had the kind of voice that immediately made you think he'd be a perfect fit for radio or TV in some capacity. He was watching something on his phone, and from what little they could glimpse from where he was sitting they could tell it was a recording of one of the matches that had been put on earlier.

“Is he doing commentary for that match he's rewatching?” Amelia quietly questioned.

“I think he's pretty good,” Luz admitted. “If he's not on a commentary team for some wrestling promotion, then he really should be.”

“This could be it folks!” the man kept going. “He's got him all lined up-”

“Do you ever shut up?”

The couple watched as another man walked over with the kind of confidence that made it clear how highly he thought of himself, and the smug grin he wore made them want nothing more than to wipe it off his face now. Still, they wanted to wait and see what happened before jumping in as they saw the potential commentator stand up, towering over the man who interrupted him by quite a bit.

“What are you doing here?” the taller man asked.

“I'm here for the event, duh,” the other man said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. “I think the better question is what you're doing out here talking to yourself, Gage.”

“I can't practice my commentary skills while waiting for a friend to return from an errand she had to run quick?” the man now identified as Gage fired back.

“And you wonder why no wrestling company this side of Cali would even think of hiring you,” the other man scoffed. “Seriously, who would even think to look at the guy sitting out here talking to himself as he pretends like he can do commentary? Especially when someone who already is a commentator is standing right here.”

“You mean the job you stole from me by lying about the connections you have?” Gage growled, clearly getting agitated with this guy who was bothering him.

“For the record, we think you've got a heck of a delivery and any commentary team would be honored to have you,” Luz suddenly chimed in as she and Amelia approached the two, the former clearly having had enough of what she knew from firsthand experience was blatant bullying.

“Holy shit!” Gage jumped back a bit in surprise. “You're... you're Amelia Blythe and La Pequeña Luz from SCW! And you're complimenting me!?”

“I'm pretty sure they were referring to me,” the other man claimed as he pushed his way past Gage and stuck out a hand. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance ladies, one star to another. I'm-”

“I was referring to the guy you just rudely tried to shove aside,” Luz clarified, putting a bit more bite into her voice.

“We're not exactly interested in getting to know someone who clearly acts like a jerk,” Amelia added. “We have to put up with enough of those in the ring as it is.”

The man looked taken aback at how easily he was rebuffed, but he quickly scraped together some semblance of composure. “Fine then. Just don't come crying to me when SCW comes calling for a real commentator and I get to happily call the two of you getting your asses beat live.”

With a huff, the man stormed off towards the auditorium, the other three people present watching him go before the couple turned their focus back to Gage.

“What was that all about?” Luz asked. “Who was that?”

“Just a jerk I grew up with,” he replied with a shrug as he tried to play it off. “He's always been trying to outdo me and resorts to insulting me when he doesn't get his way. Sadly, this is nothing new for him. Never mind that, though... were you serious about my commentary?”

“You betcha!” Luz happily told him.

“You've got the kind of honest excitement that reminds us of some of the best in the business,” Amelia confirmed.

“Wow... I came here mostly to get some live footage to practice with, and now here I am being praised for my skills by two big time wrestlers! And here I thought Alexis would be the only SCW name I'd see here since she helped put this whole thing together and all.” He paused for a moment to reel in his excitement once he realized something, which got him scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. “Sorry, I didn't mean to kind of gush there. I'm Gage Parker, and it's an honor to actually meet you two!”

“Well, you seem to already know who we are, and I'd say the pleasure is all ours!” Luz grinned as she and Amelia shook hands with him.

“If you don't mind me asking Gage, and feel free to tell me if I'm stepping out of line here,” Amelia began, “but there isn't any truth to what that guy was saying, is there? Someone with a voice like yours surely has to be at least an interviewer if nothing else for some promotion out there.”

“Heh... I wish...” Gage told them as his voice deflated. “I keep putting myself out there, but most wrestling companies these days are kind of already locked in on who they've got doing commentary and interviews and all that. The few chances I've had when an opening's popped up, people like that guy who was getting under my skin a moment ago find ways to weasel their way into the spot before I've even had a chance to open my mouth. I know there's other things I could put my voice to use for like commercials or maybe commentating on another sport, but it's so hard when you're so determined to live a dream, you know?”

“Oh trust me, I know that road all too well,” Luz admitted. “Try wanting to be a wrestler when your papá just died from a tragic in-ring accident and your mamá really doesn't want you trying to follow in his footsteps anymore.”

Gage nodded in understanding, being one of the many die-hard wrestling fans all too familiar with the story of El Espíritu Angélico and his final match.

“You know, you actually seem like a pretty nice guy Gage,” Amelia admitted, “and I think Luz can agree with me that you are more than deserving of a chance to actually sit behind an announce table and call the action for someone out there.”

“We'd be more than happy to help you out however we can, amigo!” Luz concluded with a smile.

“You two already consider me an amigo?” Gage grinned. “Oh my gosh, this has to be the best day of my whole life! Wait until I tell my friend Ivy about this, she won't believe it! I told her coming out to this was a good idea!”

At that, Gage and Luz happily swapped contact information, and while Amelia did the same, her brain became fixated on the name of his friend. She thought there was no way he could be talking about her, could he? It had to be a coincidence since there were plenty of women named Ivy out in the world... right?

“Hey Gage, who are your new friends?”

All eyes turned to the newcomer, and the moment Amelia locked eyes with the familiar face, a tidal wave of guilt began to drown her mind.

“Ah, Ivy, just in time!” Gage happily grinned at the woman. “Check it out! I just got to befriend two big-time wrestlers who agreed to help me find a place somewhere as the commentator I was born to be! I'd like you to meet La Pequeña Luz and-”

“Amelia,” the woman known as Ivy cut her friend off, not even bothering to hide the venom in her voice at having to speak that name as the two stared at one another.

“You two know each other?” Luz questioned.

“Wait...” Gage slowly said as a light bulb seemed to go off in his head. “Ivy... is this...?”

“I'm heading back in Gage, the Q & A is about to start,” Ivy firmly stated before she marched away. Gage simply glanced between her and the couple he'd just befriended, biting his bottom lip nervously before he ran after her back into the auditorium. Luz just stepped up beside Amelia, looking baffled while Amelia looked like someone had just run over her cat.

“Ooooooookay...” Luz nervously spoke. “So, um... you want to head back in, or...?”

“I... I think I just want to check into a hotel now...” Amelia replied, her voice cracking as she seemed to be fighting to hold back tears. Luz nodded and took her hand before they headed toward where they'd parked, Amelia's eyes never leaving the front doors of the building.

“You want to talk about it, or are you not ready yet?” Luz softly asked as they walked.

“...you remember earlier how I mentioned the mess with my parents growing up cost me some friendships?” Amelia finally said after a moment. Luz nodded in acknowledgment before she continued. “That was Ivy Plume... the one friend that hurt me the most to lose...”