Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?

[BlackAkuma]

God, it had been too long since Angela had cooked. Life on the road afforded her so few chances to do it - she and Desdemona had learned to make do with whatever was in the area they were staying out, ordering out or dining at friends’ houses. It was hard to procure the ingredients she needed to make all the fine dishes she’d grown up with when they moved around. The times when she could go back home to Italy, gather up what she needed, and make them an authentic meal were few and far between. But, perhaps that was a good thing - the scarcity made her cherish them even more than she otherwise would’ve.

Japan, however, was different. Though she would one day leave the country, she’d already decided to stay there until her career ended, so they were rooted for two or three years instead of two or three weeks. That meant Angela could order what she needed, take her time making plans, and have a good stock ready to cook for a special occasion. All she needed was a good excuse.

The universe delivered.

After five hours of solid cooking, she wiped her hands and looked at the modest spread before her, a meal fit for wrestlers. The Pasta Alla Gricia, spiced up with black pepper and a little oregano, old family twist. She’d been tempted to go for spaghetti but figured she would treat her guests to something they might not see on any random menu. She did have meatballs, though, thick and meaty, smothered in sauce, with all the proper garnishes. The bread was still in the oven but would be done soon, along with some white bean soup, and the salad…

Ah, how was the salad coming along? ”Dizzy, are you almost finished over there? They’ll be here soon.”

”I know, I know, I know, I know.” She looked over her shoulder to see Dizzy hurriedly mixing up the pasta salad at the kitchen table, taking care not to get any on her dress. With good reason, too, since it was a new one, they’d bought just for this little get-together. She’d naturally wanted to go for the sexiest thing on the rack. In contrast, Angela wanted her to wear something dignified, so they compromised - a flowering white dress that came up just above her knees, with thin straps over the shoulders, cut just low enough to show off some of her chest. She seemed happy with it - enough that she wanted it to be pristine when their company arrived. ”Just trying to get this right, is all.”

”If you hadn't spent so long with the makeup…” Angela let that sentence finish itself, though she supposed she couldn't chastise her too much. She’d been unusually industrious today, taking a lot of time to get their modest apartment up to snuff. They didn’t live in a palace, renting out a two-bedroom near the arena, but they’d spent much time trying to make it feel like home. The big-screen TV, the leather couch, the thick red rug between them. What few family photos they had ran across a small piana they were using as a shelf, an old family heirloom that Angela brought over. And then, of course, there was her pride and joy: The bookshelf, filled with some of her favorite novels. The Old Man and the Sea, the Three Musketeers, the Baron in the Tree…

She was getting a little wistful when she was taken off guard by the sound of approaching footsteps in the hall - they were on the second floor, and the place was usually quiet enough that you could hear someone coming if you were near the door, especially if they were a heavyweight wrestler. Angela started pulling off her apron, revealing her red blouse and black slacks. ”Dizzy, I think-”

”Got it!”

Dizzy came rushing out of the kitchen and stood at the door, waiting in front of it like a dog expecting its master. The sight almost made Angela laugh, but she held back, by some miracle, even when their guests made themselves known and she opened the door in a hurried rush, beaming all the way. ”Hey!”

[HotWheels]

"I still think you're leading me into some weird intervention."

Gabby stared at her own feet while she commented, but she could feel Alicia's sigh before she could see it. Of course, the younger Latina didn't believe her own "doubts," but she was still nervous to meet two people she didn't know and hadn't even known about until about three days ago when her sister demanded that she come along for dinner with them. Alicia had explained the situation in her "Alicia" way, much less eloquently than Gabby even explained how one should unclog the toilet. The mother was a big legend and they had mutually beaten the hell out of each other. Alicia and the woman's daughter had befriended each other. She thought there was more to the story, and she wanted to know it. Alicia hadn't offered, and she still didn't offer even with them at the precipice of the meeting. Wonderful.

"You still bringin' that up tells me you know how dumb it is for you to show up here like you did." Even better, deflection. Gabby rolled her eyes.

Yes, it had been dumb. She should have been more clear with their mother, she should have told Alicia so she could get up to speed more quickly, yadda yadda. She would be hearing about it for a while, but they could also go back to being sisters again with her here. Mama was fine. She had a boyfriend, in fact, and they had started working her business together. But Gabby had felt stuck there, just like she knew her sister had. She should at least understand that.

"Well, at least I like Italian food." Was it stereotypical to think Italians only served Italian food? Maybe. She hoped they did.

"This one," Alicia said, thumping the wall by a number Gabby couldn't see past her. Alicia had dressed up about as much as she ever did, which told Gabby she took the dinner seriously. The denim sundress didn't exactly come across as modest as Gabby's yellow-white pleated skirt and scoop top ensemble, but nothing did when one carried two airbags on her chest. Alicia straightened it and smoothed it out before she went to knock on the door, but she paused before she did, glaring down at Gabby.

"And 'ey. Don't do your embarrassing shit, 'kay?"

Gabby just blinked at her. She was supposed to be telling that to Alicia.

The door opened as soon as Alicia had knocked, and where Gabby had been looking up, expecting a giant to go with the legend of Angela Belti... she had to lower her expectations. The young woman before them was somehow smaller than Gabby herself. Tiny, one might call her. Here Gabby had started to suspect she had a tryst with this Dizzy Belti, but did she go for the tiny ones?

"Chica, you cook whatever smells so good all by yourself?", she asked. And... wow. Yeah. Italian food. Gabby tried not to sniff it in like coke addict, simply smiling her small smile to not look like the whole situation still had her confused.

[BlackAkuma]

Dizzy wanted to be more Desdemona than usual today—a bit more mature, more controlled, less of her usual, giddy self. She’d told herself she’d do her best to match Alicia’s energy, not come off like the super-horny schoolgirl she typically was. While that was her natural state, even she realized she couldn't keep it at 100% all the time. Maybe she could show the Latin beauty that she had other sides, that she was a well-rounded person.

But the moment the door opened and she saw Alicia for the first time in too long, all that went out of the window. ”Bella!” She squeaked, then snickered at the first words from her friend’s mouth. ”Pfft, you know I didn’t. C’mere, c’mere.”

She moved in quickly, eager to wrap her arms around Alicia’s bountiful, bouncing body and get enveloped by those curves. She gave her a few good squeezes, then moved back and finally registered her plus one - Gabby, the fabled other Soto sibling. It was brief, but she couldn't help but stare at her for a hot second - not what she’d pictured. Smaller than her big sis, by a fair measure. Cute, but lacking that Hollywood flair, that magazine cover look, more of a Girl-Next-Door than anything. She’d figured killer genetics just ran in the family.

Then again, she was possibly the last person on the planet who could really talk about that, so…

She shrugged it off and put on her best polite smile, shaking Gabby’s hand. ”Hey, Gabby! Desdemona, call me Dizzy, nice to meet another Soto.” She moved around and closed the door behind them as they entered. ”Come on in, step inside, shoes off if you don’t mind.”

Angela had slipped into the kitchen for a moment, but she came back soon enough to greet her guests, regarding them with a warm pleasant smile. ”Welcome, both. It’s great to have you.” That smile took on a little edge when she looked back to Alicia, scanning her from head to toe. ”Bambina, looking good. Healed up all the way, yet?”

[HotWheels]

Yeah, Alicia could have pegged the hug as Dizzy's first choice. Alicia herself didn't amount to much of a hugger, but she obliged anyway, Dizzy's squeezes only countered by a quick one of the big Latina's own. When she pulled back, she gave the smaller Italian a little thump on the top of the head. Much more her style. The more she smacked or hit someone, the more she felt comfortable with them, short of Gabby, anyway. Still made her wonder why her sister had chosen to come here to get thrown around. She had never liked being hit.

But this was... shit, refreshing already. Going back to the States had been a chore, and getting to see someone who had gotten so quickly past the "Siren shell" without being too bothered by it had her relaxing for the first time in weeks. She peered down between Dizzy and Gabby, watching her sister take the hand extended to her, being an uncertain little waif, like always. "It's good to meet you, too," Gabby returned after a beat. She had always been good at the demure social thing. Got that from their mom. "I feel like I've heard a good bit about you and yet nothing at all."

Alicia hid the dirty look she gave her when Gabby looked back up at her, all grins.

Heeding Dizzy's request, Alicia sloppily peeled herself out of her sandals, one foot unhinging the other one by standing on each sandal, while Gabby much more delicately pulled off her heels and sat them aside. After a few seconds of scrutinizing Dizzy's dress and deciding it suited her, she took a look at the apartment. The place... Alicia liked it. Looked like an upscale version of what Gabby had settled on for an apartment. She had half-expected Angela Belti to live in a Roman coliseum or some shit. At the very least, it would look like a barracks. Nah, looked homey.

So did mama Belti, for that matter. More than Alicia could have imagined, anyway. Alicia hadn't spent too much time thinking about the woman or the match in the time since she had stopped hurting from the mutual beatdown- a good two or three weeks after it had ended- and she looked as if someone had flipped a switch on her back when she tilted her head in the veteran's direction, the pleasantness transforming into cunning.

Looking good? That was an improvement to being regarded like an old bag of a whore down the street. Alicia pooched her lips, shrugged. Couldn't give the old lady too much. "Standin' as straight as you are," she told her, a compliment hidden somewhere in there. "And thanks for havin' us. Where you want us?"

[BlackAkuma]

Though there was definitely some competitive edge to it, Angela was genuinely curious to know if Alicia was doing well after their bout. She herself had been feeling it for weeks, and even a little now. While the X-Rays hadn't shown anything serious enough to warrant surgery, the doctor had suggested a month out of the ring, and she was heading her advice. The Hollywood Siren was a younger woman with a body that didn’t have near her wear and tear, but still, there was no telling what toll had been taken.

”That’s good to hear. I’m looking forward to seeing you in the ring, again.” She meant that, too - she had every intention of watching Alicia’s career from this point on, curious to see what path she’d go down. ”And you can sit at the kitchen table, but feel free to mill about, our home is yours.” She swung her arm out in a flourish and stepped back, opening the way. ”The food is prepared, more or less. Everything short of the pasta salad.”

There was a bit of awkward pause at those words, as if Angela was expecting some kind of response. She looked down at Dizzy when she didn't get, throwing a bemused stare towards her daughter. She’d made her way over to Alicia’s side in the past few moments and was happily bouncing next to her, just happy to be in her aura, but the gaze drew her out of it.

”What?” She blinked. ”Oh, right.”

She sighed as Dizzy hurriedly scampered into the kitchen and resumed her task at the table, mixing in the last ingredient. While she busied herself, Angela turned to the newer Soto sister, getting a full scan of her. The more modestly dressed of the two. Smaller, as well, by a decent amount and carrying herself more like a proper young lady. ”And you,” She pointed her way with a lazy finger. ”Must be Gabriella, the younger Soto. A pleasure meeting you, dear, thank you for coming. I take it you wrestle as well?”

[HotWheels]

Uh...huh. That was, indeed, a big woman. Gabby understood that her sister didn't amount to the biggest woman on the roster, but geez, Angela Belti might be described by the adjective "titanous."

She seemed nice, though, in a strangely stern way. And she and Alicia had plainly gone to war with each other. She remembered asking her sister a few weeks ago, before their trip back home, something along the lines of "why the heck does your chest look like someone tried to cook it!?" when she had her shirt off, and Ms. Belti here had been the excuse after Gabby had prodded her enough. Alicia had probably sassed her a few too many times, too, since she had already started vaguely sassing her the moment they made eye contact. What else was new?

Alicia making closer relationships like these again, she supposed. Alicia had gotten a little too focused and aloof the last few years of high school. Gabby could at least appreciate that her sister had made some connections here, even if this one seemed at least marginally tense. But Alicia did look appreciative, even if she didn't say anything as warm as Ms. Belti's assurance that she would watch for her in the ring and that their home was open to the two Latina visitors. The dip of her big sister's head said enough to Gabby about Alicia's appreciation of it, but Gabby was the one to verbalize it. "Thanks so much."

Alicia playfully and authoritatively thumbed at Dizzy, instructed to finish the pasta salad, and Gabby almost lost herself watching the younger girl poof back into what must have been the kitchen, where the smells were threatening to make her mouth water. It nearly distracted her enough to make her miss Ms. Belti's greeting, but she perked up once she realized the attention was on her.

She nodded, though a pause and a glance at Alicia did interrupt her forming an answer to the question Angela asked. She and her sister probably had differing opinions of just how much of a wrestler Gabby truly was. "Thank you for having us! And yes, ma'am. Much newer to it than anyone here, but I've learned enough that they tell me I'm ready for TV." She could almost feel Alicia wanting to make a counterpoint to that statement, but she relented, taking Ms. Belti's offer for good as she eased her way into a seat at the table to listen and rested her elbows on it. Ugh, Gabby wanted to drag them right back off.

Gabby also knew much better how to keep the conversation going. "Where did you learn to cook? Whatever's back there smells delicious."

[BlackAkuma]

Of course, Alicia was one of those people who, when you told them to make themselves at home, took it quite literally. Angela watched her walk into the kitchen with a chuckle and a smile, accustomed to the boldness at this point. Dizzy was happy to have her nearby while she mixed at the table and was making more of an effort with the salad, probably trying to impress her, so it all worked out.

As Gabriella spoke, Angela felt a strange sensation come over her —a calming vibe, almost a euphoria, something she hadn't experienced in many years. It took her a moment to realize what it was, but when she did, her smile grew softer and sweeter, and she let out a light, pleasing sigh.

Ah. A younger woman talking to her in a respectful tone. How refreshing.

She had known Gabriella for less than a minute, but already, the young lady was impressing her. She was so gentle, so genteel, so…not like Alicia. While she had reached a point where she could respect and even admire the Hollywood Siren’s braggadocio, she had to say the younger Soto’s softness was making her an instant hit. A little on the thin side, though. Angela would be fixing that, soon enough.

”’Ready for TV’.” She rubbed her hands and repeated the words with a knowing smirk. ”I’m not sure that means quite what it did when I was your age, but I won’t bore you with a rant.” She moved into the kitchen and motioned for Gabriella to follow. ”I wish you all the best, though, and I’m certain you’ll do well. My door is open if you’re ever in need.”

With that offer thrown out, she made her way to the counter and began to bring down the plates. ”I learned from my mother, who learned from her mother, who learned from hers, so forth and so on, et cetera. I know Italians and cooking are a bit of a cliche, but that didn’t come from nowhere. We do love our food.” She nodded back to Dizzy. ”Now, if only I could pass it on to one more generation…”

Dizzy, for her part, kept her eyes focused on the work. ”If we’d ever stayed in one spot for more than a month, maybe it would’ve by now.”

”Fair enough.” She did have something of a point, there. Angela just hummed and went back to making the plates. "So, Alicia, I take it you've been busy since we bumped heads. How was it back home?"

[HotWheels]

Alicia listened passively to the conversation going on at the entryway while she settled into the seat and eyed Dizzy, finishing up the dinner studiously.

"That would be amazing. Alicia trains, but she's got so much going on with her own career blossoming that I wouldn't feel right asking her to take too much time with me. Not... not that you don't have a career keeping you busy, but you're so established already."

Weirdly enough, she had kind of imagined this sort of life for the Beltis a time or two, probably because it wasn't too far from the life she and her sister had with their mama for most of their teen years. Alicia had switched from helping with the indoor shit to helping with the business shit once she got old enough, but she had helped with many an empanada, plenty a mofongo. A distant smile disappeared as soon as it had appeared. Some of that stuff she would miss.

"I'd love to learn about it sometime." Gabby was beside her now, standing by the table, and Alicia pulled herself from her reverie to peer between her and Angela. Of course, these two were getting along. They each shared a stick between their cheeks, to varying degrees. Good thing Alicia didn't often mind her sister's, and Angela's she had come to respect a bit more. "And, of course, it's not as if Latinos aren't always depicted covered in taco grease..."

The clapback from Dizzy revealed a difference in their families' lives. The Sotos had never moved off their one little spit of dingy land outside Hollywood. Sounded like mama Belti and Dizzy had been every-the-hell-where. Alicia couldn't decide which way of living was better.

She had started absent-mindedly poking a fingernail against the table when Angela posed a question to her, and her hazel eyes lifted. She wasn't much of a storyteller, and she stalled, almost turning to Gabby to do all the demure rattling-off like she always did. Gabby had already abandoned her, though, slipping over to peer at the food. Alicia silently sighed and leaned back in her chair, wishing her dress would stop riding up into who-knew-where as she pulled on it and scooted.

"Nothin' had burned up," she said, staring daggers into the back of Gabby's head. "An' it doesn't look like it will anytime soon. Gave my ass some time to heal too." At that, Gabby did turn to her, looking partly mortified that the bigger Latina had spouted "ass" in front of other people. Alicia almost wanted to double down, say something about mama's visit to a nursing home, but she had told herself she would try to be cordial today. "You? I break anything important?"

[BlackAkuma]

Alicia wasn’t the only one looking between the two - as Dizzy put the finishing touches on the pasta salad, whatever spare glances weren’t going towards the Siren went towards the fledgling duo. Their guests had no way of knowing, but seeing her mother make that kind of offer to a woman she just met was a rare thing. She’d offered to help younger talent before, but usually only after seeing them work in the ring.

Unexpected, but not unwelcome.

”It would be no trouble at all. I still have a few suitable matches in me, I think your sister would agree…” She took a moment to flash a wild smile Alicia’s way, then turned back to Gabriella with her motherly mode. ”...but I’m in the twilight. I’ve been talking with management about taking a backstage role. Training. Seeing if I can pass something more on.”

That little announcement made Dizzy pause, as she canted her head towards her mother. Definitely the first she’d heard of any of that, and a strange time to drop it. ”You’re trying to become a trainer? Since when?”

”Since a while now. I can have little secrets, too, Dizzy.” She waved her over. ”If you’re done over there, help me with the plates, please.”

Dizzy put a pin on that topic, and she made a little mental note to talk with her later. It was not the best subject when company was over, even though she knew that. She picked up the bowl and hurriedly scampered over to her mother's side, squeezing in between her and Gabby to set it down and start making plates for all of them. ”I’m guessing you guys want to try a little bit of everything?” The question was more for Alicia than Gabriella - judging by the way she was hovering over the food, she’d be asking for seconds and a To-Go plate.

Dizzy had a quick laugh when Alicia spoke—God, she’d missed that voice, that audacity. She couldn't help but smile for a second after dropping the A-Bomb. She also couldn't help but throw a hungry glance down at the body part in question. She’d missed that, too.

Angela, for her part, just shook her head and let it go. Progress, progress. ”Minor things. Cracks, fractures. Bent, but unbroken. The doctor told me to play it safe, take a month, and I’m doing so. Time off to clean, organize, catch up on my writing, clear my head. Good for the soul.”

”Honestly surprised either of you can still stand after that carwreck. Your sister’s a wrecking ball, Gabby.” She finished up on Alicia’s plate and came over to serve her, strutting like a world-class waitress. ”What was that crazy move you beat Mom with, anyway?”

[HotWheels]

Gabby started to eye Alicia as she and the veteran exchanged glances somewhere between respectful and "giant middle finger in the middle of my face" (maybe that was just Alicia), but she watched one curious eyebrow lift on her sister's face when Angela mentioned she planned to start training officially. Surprisingly, it didn't strike Gabby as Alicia's taking offense to Angela "infringing on her territory" or anything, just genuine curiosity. She did perk up when Ms. Belti admitted to having secrets of her own. Yeah, there was something more to all this, wasn't there? She was going to press her sister hardcore later for some clarity.

But the presence of food shook her out of that line of thought, and her eyes grew big. "Yes. Everything," Gabby agreed, echoing Dizzy. She had her manners, but she let them drop sometimes when tasty food was involved: she had learned from her own culture that people appreciated a little mania when it came to food. It was a compliment.

"Smells reaaaal good. I'll eat whatever mama didn't poison," Alicia added, and Gabby gave her the flattest look. Naturally, her sister looked smug, teasing, arms crossed over her chest. While Gabby knew how to handle social matters, she always had to build herself up to say what she wanted to say and not merely what needed to be heard because she liked people. Alicia said "fuck" most people and kept to herself, yet this was how she ended up acting.

Apparently, this family had grown accustomed to her. Good, meant Gabby had to endure less embarrassment. She watched Alicia nod along to Ms. Belti's list of injuries. God, they really had destroyed each other, hadn't they? Alicia wouldn't have told her the whole list of her own injuries, but she had never seen her sister go for so many days trying to avoid reasons to get off the couch, and her back had spent a few days looking like it had a new set of bones in it.

Seeing the table closer to being set, Gabby gracefully eased into a seat, slicking her skirt down. It took... everything in her power not to eat what was in front of her, but she didn't want to infringe on any traditions. Alicia probably would have, fork already in her hand, if not for Dizzy's posing her a question directly.

"Oh, she's a wrecking ball alright," the smaller sister slipped in before Alicia could answer. The "Siren" pooched her lips at her to will her to silence.

"Somethin' I saw some punk do in the indies. Didn't seem like a good enough wrestler for such a good move, so I stole it. Some kinda sidewalk slam. Dunno if it has a fancier name, but they made me give one. I called it 'Hollywood Overdose.'" She challenged Ms. Belti with another look. Sometimes, Gabby wanted her confidence.