Concussions, Reunions, and Ice Cream

[The_Soul_of_Kia]

Continued From Here:

The Law arena was a vast place, built to be able to handle as many situations and circumstances as required in the often chaotic world of pro wrestling. This included medical rooms, rooms meant for wrestlers who didn't need emergency medical services, but were too beat up to be able to immediately leave under their own power.

It was in one of these rooms that Gold Ace's unconscious body, after his defeat at the power and might of Angela Belti, had been laid to rest and recover, an act of mercy, or possibly pity, from his victorious and dominant opponent, not that Ace was awake to even know it. His outfit had been removed and he'd already been checked by a medical team just to be certain of injury. Nothing broken, concussion tests would have to wait for him to wake up, and there were bruises forming over his body from the hard slams he had taken, with the nastiest being a purple bruise in the shape of a handprint from Angela's chop.

It didn't take very long, but eventually, Ace's golden eyes slowly began to open and blink, his vision blurry, head swimming as he groggily came back to life, slowly taking in his surroundings and wardrobe in confusion, noting the small size and emptiness of the room...hadn't he been in the ring How did he end up here? Was this a hospital?

"...H-hello?" He called out towards the open door leading out into what he could only assume was a hallway, hoping there was someone nearby who could shed some light on the situation for him.

[BlackAkuma]

Valerie’s head hurt. Usually, she wasn’t prone to migraines, but they tended to happen whenever her parents gave her a good yelling. Funny how that worked.

The general gist of the conversation - if you could call something where two people spoke 95% and the other responded with the occasional confirmation a ‘conversation’ - was that Valerie should have been ringside to help her brother out, that she should’ve kept him from doing stuff like taking on a woman literally twice his size, and that she should’ve been there to help him to the back after he’d been nearly power bombed through the ring. She would’ve liked to inform her mothers that Rail was a grown(ish) man, that he could make his own decisions, and that, if he were to get anywhere in the company, he couldn't rely on his ‘big sister’ to hold his hand all the time, but she could tell that wouldn’t have gone over to well. There was a time to argue and shut up, and this was the latter.

That brought her to the present moment, where she stood outside Rail’s room in the infirmary, still clad in the white sweatpants and pink hoodie she’d had on from her workout. According to the doctor, she’d arrived as soon as possible, only to find that he was still knocked out cold and would be for a little while. Mr. Yaguichi had given him a scan and said he would be all right, just needing a little relaxation.

She was here, in part, to make sure he got that. Knowing him, it would be easier said than done.

Angela and Desdemona had just left for the night when she finally heard him calling out. She sighed, tucked the phone back into her pocket, and slipped into the room, throwing him a quick wave as she entered. ”Hey.” She came over to his side, hands shoved in her pockets. ”Don’t move too much. The doctor said you should take it slow for a while.”

[The_Soul_of_Kia]

Rail's head hurt. Not because of a migraine like his sister, more due to being smashed repeatedly into the mat from a great height. Not that he really remembered that right now. No, all he knew for certain was that...he was in a match, he was going for an attack...and now he was here, and his head hurt. Not a lot to go off of. He tried to sit up, to call out again, but sitting up made his head ache again, causing him to lay back down.

Luckily, someone had heard his first call, and Rail's eye's widened as his sister, Valerie, VD3, came into the room.

"Sis! Hey, I didn't see you before my match..."

A small smile spread on his face, the sight of his dear big sister filling him with relief. He didn't want to be left alone if he was in a strange place without knowing what was going on, and seeing Valley was with him helped him relax a little...if only a little. Also, what did she say about a doctor?

"Doctors?" Rail asked curiously, looking himself over. Given he wasn't wearing his gear, and was in a bed wearing a gown...ok...doctors was tracking...

"...Huh...Well...that explains what I'm wearing. I uh...I remember being in the ring with..." Rail shivered as he spoke the name. "Angela Belti... but...last I recalled, I was going for Momma Ace's finisher. What uh...what happened? I'm guessing from...all of this, that I probably didn't win, did I?"

[BlackAkuma]

”You didn’t see me because I wasn’t there.” Valerie shrugged and went in, shutting the door behind her with a soft click. She didn’t mean to burst his bubble quite so hard, but she didn’t feel any need to sugarcoat things, either. Right from the start, she’d thought it best to keep their careers relatively separate, not wanting to draw themselves into each other’s drama - it was a decision she was sticking by, despite her parents’ protests.

She came over and gave him a look over, checking to see if there was anything serious she should worry about. He looked fine for the most part, but there was one thing she needed to check on.

Valerie reached up on the top of his gown and pulled it down just enough to reveal the handprint on his chest. Yeah, that wasn’t going anywhere for a while.

”No, you didn’t win, Garf.” She stepped back and folded her arms with a long, sagging sigh. ”Honestly, what made you think taking on a woman twice your size and ten times your experience was a good idea? What, you couldn't find any bears to maul you, so this was the next best thing?”

[The_Soul_of_Kia]

Rails smile faded as Valerie bluntly stated that she wasn't around for his match, fading into a small pout. She had explained her reasonings to him, of course, that she didn't want either of them drawn into any drama they got into, didn't want to be stereotyped as tag team siblings, that their own mothers had, in fact, done the same thing, sharing pride in each others accomplishments, but often, with rare exceptions, maintaining two separate careers that at times even put them at odds against each other.

Rail had told her he understood, and to a certain extent, he DID understand what she meant...goodness knows even taken advantage of it. He had been in all of what...1 match before he took on his first hentai match and made an erotic display of himself? None of his family had watched of course, but...word spread of his match with Yvette and both his mothers had been CROSS at finding out just how MUCH of a display of himself he had made.

But at the same time...he would admit to himself that he kind of resented his sisters stance on the matter. Would it have been THAT hard to watch his match? Cheer him at ringside? Advise him beforehand?

He was distracted from this thought, as she pulled aside his gown to reveal the still-purple handprint on his chest, making Ace grimace at the sight, which made him wince as his head hurt. More than that though, the sight of the handprint brought back memories. The failed Ace Crusher, the Electric Chair...that elevated powerbomb...Valerie was right...he had been...stupid to accept Angela's challenge, and paid for it. Then again, maybe if someone had been there with him, he wouldn't have been blindsided by himself in the moment.

As if to prove his point to himself, Valerie then asked what he was thinking accepting Angela's challenge, knowing full well the differences between them, a question she could have asked BEFORE he got mauled, if she had wanted to.

He stayed quiet, golden eyes downcast for a few moments before he spoke. "I...I don't know...She just...asked for one, completely out of the blue after my match with her daughter. I was coming off the high of a win, I was excited that someone had noticed me out there, and I...just got excited I guess..." he said softly, at least part of his comment a shot at Valerie for not even attending or watching his debut match.

He looked down at the bruise again and shivered before continuing. "If it helps at all...it's a mistake I don't plan on making twice. I think I'll be avoiding the Belti's for a long long time. I think...the powerbomb knocked me out cold. Do you know what they did after the match?" He asked with concern. "They weren't like, having a laugh together over a knocked out me, were they?" he asked curiously. Losing he could, in time, handle, even losing this badly. But being mocked for it after would be...a bit cruel in his opinion.

[BlackAkuma]

Was Valerie a bitch?

She’d had that accusation leveled at her before, and while she didn’t like to ponder such things too much or focus on the negative, she would be lying if she said it never bothered her. She’d always hated it when people sugarcoated things when they spent so much time trying to dilute a message that it didn’t come close to delivering the punch that it was supposed to, so she favored the blunt approach with people, giving them the hard truths and letting them deal with it.

It was easy for her to do most of the time, not caring too much about what people thought. But with Garfield, things were…different. Complicated. She’d seen that look in his eyes a hundred times and never liked it.

”Mom’s worried sick. Both of them. They send love, by the way.” She gave him a little space, stepping back and sitting on the sink. ”When they weren’t yelling my ears off, anyway.”

She winced at the memory, knowing she’d be hearing about this for months. That wasn’t Garfield’s fault, they needed to ease off and not coddle them in their careers, but it was irritating, still.

”No, they didn’t laugh at you. From what I understand, Angela carried you back herself. They’re good people.” That seemed to be the case, anyway. While she and Angela had only spoken briefly, she got a good vibe from the woman, reminding her of the first woman to bear the Valley Doll name, her grandmother. There was a matronly quality to her, caring but strong. Not something you saw too much in the few older wrestlers who were still going at it.

She could’ve sworn her daughter spent most of the time checking out her butt, though. A little creepy, that one.

”Next time, you might not be so lucky, though. Not everyone around here has good intentions in mind. A lot of women here would love nothing more than to beat you up, strip you down, and then…” She stopped herself, not wanting to follow that mental image through to the logical conclusion. ”Just…be smarter about things. That’s what I’m trying to say.”

[The_Soul_of_Kia]

Ah..angry Moms...crapbaskets. That meant a long lecture for him tonight. Just what he needed with his head throbbing like this...maybe he could stay in the dorms tonight...no, no...that would just irritate them. Were they going to do this EVERY time he lost a match?


He hoped not. He really hoped not.

The news about Angela carrying him to the back was interesting, and he gave a small nod of acknowledgement at the gesture. He didn't think the Beltis were bad people of anything like that...but after getting a taste of Angela's power, seeing first hand how outmatched he was against the veteran...he'd be afraid to get on her bad side ever again. Best to avoid her.



Then Valley spoke again, lecturing him, and Rail bristled a little, just a brief flash of irritation as his body tensed up.

Sometimes he hated the way his sister spoke to him. He understood her stance, being blunt, no sugar coating, and all that...but she never seemed to understand tact at all, never seemed to get when her bluntness did nothing but kill a good mood, ruin a good buzz, never seemed to realize when she came off as cold and unfeeling or as a hindsight know-it-all, didn't understand that there was a distinction between offering good, blunt, advice...and just kicking someone when they were down.

Given the circumstances...this felt like the latter. He still loved his sister, of course...but this had been an issue between the two siblings for years now, and had caused Rail, who used to cling to and rely on his big sister, to distance herself from her over time.

The brief moment ended though, as tensing caused his head to ache and throb, making him wince and recline in his bed again, letting out a tired sigh before replying in a dull and defeated tone, not wanting to argue.

"...Your right...I know, your right...I'm sorry...I just...didn't think..."

He shouldn't say it. He knew he shouldn't, arguing with his sister accomplished nothing...just let it go, don't poke the bear...

"You know sis...we booked that match a week ago. LAW ran advertisements..."

Damn it.

Rail avoided eye contact after that, knowing he probably went too far there.

[BlackAkuma]

Ugh, there was the tone again. Valerie knew that tone. It was the tone that always worked on their parents - when he’d mess up or do wrong, it would come out, and they would just melt every time. It wouldn’t matter how lame the excuse was. It never seemed to go that way for her, though. She was the big sister, she was supposed to know better, and she was the responsible one.

Needless to say, it wouldn’t be as effective on her. ”Exactly, you weren’t thinking, and you need to do more of that, Garf.” She pushed off from the sink and paced the room, wagging her finger his way as she passed. ”This isn’t all about hentai matches and playing around with little girls. We’re swimming in the ocean now, you have to watch out for the sharks.”

Valerie stopped before the window and looked out, watching as a storm started to roll in. Rumbling thunder, lightning flashes in the distance. Ominous but not the sort of weather she had a problem with. She was in the mood for a good rain. She’d just closed her eyes to take it in when Garfield piped up again.

”Okay?” She canted her head to the side as she turned around to face him. ”Garfield, I’m not running around to stop you whenever you make a bad decision. I have my career, you have yours.” She leaned forward. ”And be honest - if I’d tried to warn you, would you have actually listened? Would you have called the match off?”

[The_Soul_of_Kia]

Damnit...she got him there. He had to admit, she had a point. Rail really didn't have a counter to that. This was his first taste that LAW had more than just pretty hentai girls or people his size here. She may have been a good person, but Angela Belti was dangerous, and she had hurt him, even if it wasn't her intention. Had she been more cruel, been angrier, or even just careless, it could have been worse.

Still...he felt this was a little unfair. Their momma Ace had told them how she had fought a former world champion in her THIRD major match of her big league career, a size mismatch that Ace had lost, and she wasn't much older, or bigger, at the time than he was now.


He sighed again, pouting a little. "...I prefer Rail...and...I don't know...maybe...maybe not...It's not like I didn't realize she was bigger and more experienced than me. I just...it seemed like a good opportunity. A good...test, I guess. Mom literally did the same thing in her old league...I just...made a bad call in the moment. I was put on the spot and I was alone...and I fucked up."

He shrugged, not having any better response, a blush appearing on his face. He was embarrassed, feeling more and more stupid for ever agreeing to get in the ring with Angela, or even for taking on her daughter in the first place.

This is why he sometimes hated talking to his sister. Ot was always like this between them. There was little comfort, little understanding of his side of things. Just blunt confrontation that usually just ended up with him feeling dumb and embarrassed and upset as a result.

He stayed quiet for a few moments, listening to the sounds of the oncoming storm, the increasing wind, before speaking again.

"I know you're right...I know I fucked up and shouldn't have done that match...but...still, it was a whole week..."

He paused again, trying to find the right words, lightning flashing in the distance.

"...I just...I would've appreciated any advice, is all...or at least some interest. Moms didn't know about the match, I knew they'd freak out, but you did know. It feels...unfair...that you knew about this match for a week, made no attempt to talk to me, or offer support...just like my debut match, you weren't even there to watch. ...but then when its over, here you are to lecture me and tell me I'm being dumb."

He was getting emotional, as he usually did when he and Valerie argued, his voice starting to rise a bit, . He breathed through his nose, using some of the meditation breathing techniques Mom had taught him, trying to calm himself.

[BlackAkuma]

And now he was bringing up their Mom. Saw that one coming from a mile away.

Valerie didn’t hate her heritage, but there were so many times she wished it could just be turned off like a switch. It was great to have mothers with such rich experiences, to be born into this lifestyle, but it also brought so much pressure. Pressure to follow in their footsteps, do things the way they did them and surpass their parents in some form. She’d only had one match in LAW so far, a dark match, and it wound up coloring even that, as her opponent couldn't go two minutes without accusing her of riding on her legacy or trying to skip ahead in some invisible line. With a dark match.

She expected this sort of thing to happen. That didn’t make it any less frustrating. But she tried to push that aside, not wanting to add to her problems. Garfield had more than enough on his mind.

She stood there, still, as he laid out his feelings on the matter, knowing better than to interrupt him. He…wasn’t wrong. She could’ve been there. She could’ve spoken to him before. She could’ve done a lot of things that she didn’t do. But she was here now, and while she could’ve gone over the reasoning, she didn’t see much of the point. At best, it would start an argument, and that was the last thing he needed in this state.

After her was done, she waited for a few seconds, before she sighed and rubbed the back of her head. ”I’m sorry, okay?” She leaned forward enough to make eye contact. ”I’m sorry. Let’s just…table it for now. I don’t think going at it will do us any good. Not for either of us.”

She pushed away from the window and stepped around to the other side of the bed, where his wearing gear and clothes were waiting. The staff had done him the favor of bringing his stuff out from the dressing room, it seemed - a good thing, because she didn’t relish the thought of hauling his dirty clothes around. There’d been more than enough of that growing up.

”Can you stand and walk, or do I need to piggyback you again?” A little something she used to do when they were kids, back when she was training in wrestling - an excellent way to work on her lower back and have some fun at the same time. She’d meant it as a joke, though she delivered it a little flat, never being that good regarding comedy.