Apologies (for Wanderer)

[CaptainL]

It had been a while since Chelsea had been in the ring. Part of that wasn't her fault - she had spent a fair amount of time in the hospital following her match with her long-time rival Finella Edelstein at We Are LAW, a match that - though she had won - had left her with just as many injuries as her opponent. So too, she was experiencing a lot of change in her personal life. Since she and her up to this point on-and-off boyfriend George Fortunato had finally decided to go steady, Chelsea had become a full-time co-owner of his pub, the Wolf and the Bunny, and that added more responsibilities to her life in attending to its day-to-day upkeep, maintainence, and every so often needing to throw some idiot who had gotten too drunk for their own good out onto the streets. She'd kept the dream of returning to the ring alive - she had kept up with her training, and she and George had made the odd appearance at shows overseas - but as far as LAW was concerned, she had been on sabbatical.

Still, as she sat at the bar with a pint of beer in her hand, Chelsea thought back on her wrestling career, and how far it had come. How it was just now taking off, and how she would only see things grow bigger and better from here on out. The call to get back in the ring, to take down everyone who stood in her way and to feel powerful and unstoppable, and to hear everyone calling her name, was hard to ignore - it gave her some sense of control in a world where she didn't feel like she had any. She missed it.

But until that day came...even if she was the owner of the Wolf and the Bunny, she was still happy to be its patron. It wouldn't cut into the bottom line if she sampled what was on tap from her own establishment. And it brought back all those same memories - of those days she'd be sitting at that same bar, looking forward to her next match. When she took in a deep breath and let it out, she smiled just a little.

Spoiler

[Pegasus]

Ryan would be around the bar area tending to the trash as he took out the bag filled with empty glass beer bottles, plates of discarded food, and cigarettes as he supplied a fresh new bag to the can. Ever since the hospital visit where Chelsea and Finella stayed for a few weeks, Ryan was hired to do some pre-opening cleaning and help George and Chelsea with chores. It was modest work and George paid him well in Japanese currency. He sometimes took out trash, cleaned the toilets, fill up the pool with jello, oil, or mud for special nights, scrubbed the sink and ovens, and restock bottles on the racks. Plus, it allowed to get comfortable around Chelsea and they seemed to have a good friendship going so far.

First off, they bonded over their love of football and talked up their respective teams. They then would talk about their high-flying arsenal and how they love taking themselves to their limits in the ring. Ryan recounted his many indie ventures in America, Canada, Mexico, Europe, and Japan which seemed to impress Chelsea enough. She even thought about maybe doing some matches in Mexico if her career took off enough. Ryan even trained her boyfriend and taught George the Five-Star Frog Splash, a move he adopted after he scored five-star match ratings at various times in his career. He looked over at Chelsea and chuckled seeing her drinking another beer.

“It must be nice being a patron and a owner. You get free refills no matter what,” Ryan teased the British brute.

[CaptainL]

The Wolf and the Bunny had grown quite a bit since Chelsea had taken control. Even when her circumstances had forced her to take a step back from the ring, the attention that her match had brought her had only drawn more eyes to the pub, and with more eyes came more patrons. With the steady inflow of cash, not to mention the closer ties to LAW when both co-owners were officially employed with the company, they were able to hire more help from LAW's pool of talent, and that only gave them more room to grow further. Of course, Chelsea was always happy to put a word in for a friend - and though she and Ryan hadn't spoken in quite some time due to her tenure in Japan, since they had reunited at the hospital, they were happy to make up for lost time. Though his stories of success on the indies and beyond made Chelsea feel just the slightest hint of jealousy when her own career had been off to a rocky start, she knew she had better times to look forward to - and when she had someone she could talk to at work, who she knew and trusted, she couldn't stay bitter for long. She'd been too lonely too long to turn that down.

Looking up at her glass, Chelsea looked to Ryan with a smile. "Defo doesn't 'urt, I'll tell ye dat," she said, leaning back in her seat as she set the pint on the counter. "Ye want anythin'? Juss dun try and cheat us wi' de free refills this time, like. We might be friends, but I still need ter feel this place runnin', ye 'ear?" Chelsea flexed her bicep as she set her elbow against the table, making it clear she meant business. She wasn't going to go easy on anyone just because they went back.

[Pegasus]

“No fue culpa mía! George is the one that said all the rounds of tequila was on him so I just took him up on his friendly offer. Blame your boyfriend for being so giving!” Ryan teased as he patted Chelsea on the back.

Meanwhile, while the two bantered inside the pub, a grey rental car parked in one of the many empty spots as William got out of the driver’s seat wearing a dark green t-shirt, denim jacket, blue jeans, and black combat boots. Sarabeth got out of the back seat wearing her black hoodie, backwards hat, black shorts, and red sneakers. Jonathan got out of the passenger’s seat slowly as he wore a long-sleeved white t-shirt, black sweatpants, black sneakers, and sunglasses. He sighed looking at the pub not seeing this place ever since the hospital visit where they reunited with Molly and Chelsea. Now, it is where he has to apologize to Chelsea for talking her down at that shared training class. Not one of his finer moments as a teacher.

“You didn’t say we were going to a pub?!” Sarabeth cheered as she had a giddy smile on her face.

“Don’t get too carried away. I promised your mother we weren’t going to be drunk getting home,” William chided.

“Where’s your ambition at? Three drinks won’t hurt us. Just enough to get the buzz going, but not going over the deeper end,” Sarabeth retorted.

“You get one drink and that’s it,” William instructed as Sarabeth crossed her arms and pouted as William seemed to adjust naturally being her father.

Jonathan just lagged behind as he wasn’t mentally prepared to face Chelsea. It had been a month since the training class where he kicked out Chelsea and Natalie for being disruptive. Sure, he had to scold Chelsea for talking down everyone, but he could’ve been a bit more gentle about it. He knows Chelsea doesn’t have the best self-esteem and he wasn’t going to coddle her or hold her hand, but she needs to adapt to being a better person on her own terms. Lecturing her wasn’t going to solve anything. Jonathan just wants her to be a good babyface, but Chelsea could be stubborn as usual. Maybe this time could be different….if she even lets him inside the doors to begin with.

[CaptainL]

As Ryan reminded Chelsea of George's perhaps excessive generosity, the Englishwoman grumbled under her breath, burying her face in her hand as she shook her head. "Oi. Figes it'd be 'im, like. I dun kun 'ow this place functioned before I showed up..." Although George's cheerful and personable demeanor had drawn the eyes of many patrons, Chelsea sometimes found herself having to remind him that, at the end of the day, they were running a business, and he had to at least make some effort to watch the bottom line. But it was in that way that the two of them balanced each other out. When George could get too carried away in his flights of fancy, Chelsea was there to bring him back down to earth - kicking and screaming if she had to. But in the end, he trusted her, and he listened to her. He had all the bright ideas, and she was blunt enough and confident enough to tell him to his face when any of his plans didn't work. It was just another way they made such a perfect pair.

While she rubbed at her temples, though, Chelsea heard the door open behind her, and she spun around to face it - where she saw a few familiar faces, and one less familiar one, step into the pub. William she knew well. Sarabeth she was new to; she had only heard about William having a daughter from Molly, but she had never met her in the flesh, nor did she have any idea of what she'd be like. If this was how she felt about going to a pub, though...maybe the two of them could hit it off well. A smile came to her face, and she sat up a little straighter as she waved William over. "'ey thuz, Wul! Come over 'ere. Oo's de bird? This ye daughti?"

She had extended a hand to the two of them, eager to greet them with a shake. But when she looked further, beyond William and Sarabeth, she could also see one other familiar face - Jonathan's. The smile that was on Chelsea's face vanished just as quickly as it had appeared. The last time she and Jonathan had spoken, it wasn't exactly under positive terms. During a training session, he had talked down to her when an altercation broke out between her and fellow trainee Natalie McCathy, and Chelsea didn't appreciate having his nose stuck in her business. If she had her issues, she was going to solve them herself, and it didn't matter what anyone else thought. To have her own trainer, and one of her oldest friends, interject in her business felt like a personal betrayal, and it wasn't one she could forgive easily. Since then, things had been cold and silent between the two of them, neither of them wanting even to approach the elephant in the room - but Jonathan's presence here was almost certain to lead to something of it coming back up. Chelsea grit her teeth, sinking back a little further in her seat as she clutched the pint in her hand tighter. This really wasn't what she had in mind to deal with right now. For now, at least, she would just try to push it out of her thoughts, but it seemed inevitable that she'd have to confront it at some point.

[Pegasus]

William shook Chelsea’s hand and gave her a big hug as it seemed she was being more open to them ever since they reconnected. Chelsea could be a stubborn mule when she wanted to be, but all she needed was some company and good beer and she was yapping her mouth about England or football or anything that came to her mind. Will and Jonathan were people she felt comfortable around and soon, George and Karl took their places temporarily. Then once she settled her feud with Finella, Moni and Fin became her best friends as well as her new family. Not to mention, Chelsea became co-owner of The Wolf and The Bunny and got to live with her boyfriend in their upstairs apartment. Jonathan smiled and waved at Chelsea not wanting to cause a scene outright. Ryan looked at him solemnly and pulled him to the side whispering.

“You and Chelsea still not taking?” Ryan asked.

“After what I did, I’m surprised my face is not on a ban poster,” Jonathan replied.

“She doesn’t mention it much, but she’s just mad at you and feels hurt by what you did. I’m sure if you two just aired this out privately, it’d be a little better,” Ryan ensured his fellow wrestler.

“I just don’t want her to think that insulting people when she’s suppose to be a good guy now is gonna gain her any fans,” Jonathan retorted.

“Chelsea is Chelsea, amigo. She’s basically take her or leave her,” Ryan stated. “A little guidance doesn’t hurt, but she’s gotta grow into it on her own terms. She just doesn’t need back talk from someone she looks up to. She looks up to you for what you did for her and Molly. You got to remember this stuff.”

“What does George think? I’m already on thin ice with him after the hospital visit,” Jonathan lamented.

“More or less, pissed at you, but he’s more concerned with moving Mad Tea Party along. Chelsea told him to stay out of it,” Ryan replied.

Sarabeth, meanwhile, pursed her lips and looked slightly confused by Chelsea calling her a bird as they shook hands finally meeting after all this time.

“Bird? No offense, but why you calling me a bird?” Sarabeth asked as she scratched the back of her head.

“Chelsea is from England and bird is their buzz word for woman. You’ll get use to her slang after awhile and she’s pretty chill once you get to know her,” William explained.

“Just show me the drinks menu and I’ll be chilled once I get alcohol in me,” Sarabeth joked as she sat by Chelsea and smiled at her.

“As for your question, yeah, this is my biological daughter. I’ve adapted to being a father quite quickly. I lay down the law when I need to and have this overwhelming fear of her dating. I’ve always wondered where that came from and now, I find out it just comes naturally,” William explained as he sat next to his daughter.

[CaptainL]

Chelsea glanced over to see that Ryan and Jonathan were heading off to talk things over amongst themselves, and it caused her to let out a long, low groan - she let loose the kind of sigh that emptied out her lungs and caused her to sink back into her seat. With a pout, she propped her chin up in the palm of her hand. Somehow, even though the two men were whispering to one another out of earshot, Chelsea could tell they were talking about her behind her back. It just seemed obvious, when she looked at the timing and the context - the last time they'd met, it had soured relations between the two, and now, Jonathan had surely noticed the unease that Chelsea showed in his presence, which must have lingered on his mind. But the thought that he was too afraid to speak up around her only made the sting worse. Now she had a reminder of how Jonathan, who had once been one of the few people who believed in her, might as well have just turned his back on her.

Still, at least Chelsea had Sarabeth to introduce herself to - and that eased the pain. Before her match with Finella, Chelsea would probably have told any strangers to piss off, and pushed away anyone who so much as tried to get to know her - she was too afraid of that softer side of herself coming to light, and of anyone seeing her so vulnerable. But George had helped her warm up to those around her, and since she had worked so closely with him, becoming the March Hare and growing into her role as co-owner of the pub, Chelsea had learned to accept the people in her life. Besides, if Sarabeth was William's daughter, she was practically family already. She sat up a little straighter in her seat, smirking to the newcomer - and when Sarabeth showed confusion about her dialect, she could only chuckle.

"Wha', ne'er 'eard right Tay Town speak before, is it? You've gorra lot ter learn..." Nevertheless, Chelsea smiled, leaning in closer. The old Chelsea would have mocked Sarabeth for not being able to understand her - but the new Chelsea saw that she was a friend worth making, and she extended a hand for Sarabeth to shake. "Chelsea Foster. Yer da' and I go back a long time. Laughin' ter meet ye, like. One thin' ye do need ter kun, dough - if yer da' does let ye start datin', like, 'ands off de pretty-boy in charge o' de place, okay? Eez mine."

Now, when Chelsea turned back in her seat to face the bar, she shone with a newfound surge of life and energy - and she sprung to her feet, moving toward the counter. Any worries she might have had would burden her no longer. "Now! Anythin' we can get yous ter drink?"

[Pegasus]

Sarabeth was growing even more confused as Chelsea spoke in her native tongue. She had to admit that her Spanish courses in high school were easier to decipher than whatever Chelsea came up with and those were giving her hard times as well. Chelsea even told Sarabeth to keep her hands off her boyfriend, George, as Sarabeth raised an eyebrow.

“Trust me, you can keep him. I’m only into girls…..so if you have a sister….,” Sarabeth tried making her case, but William held her shoulders.

“She does and she’s takin’ as well,”
William interjected.

“God damn it!” Sarabeth groaned as she slumped her shoulders.

Jonathan and Ryan soon joined the father-daughter duo at the counter as they all looked at the drinks menu. Ryan would point out the Tequila Special and Jonathan just kept his face behind the menu. He really didn’t want to face Chelsea this up close and personal considering what he did. He had a hard time not beating himself up about it and truly wanted to apologize, but he remembers how vengeful Chelsea can be. Would she accept his apology? Would she have him thrown out on his ass by her own hands? Would she even allow him to speak?

“Hook me up with some whiskey!” Sarabeth cheered.

“Hard stuff for your first drink?” William asked.

“Come on, dad. I might as well have my fun if I only get one drink. It’ll get me buzzed before I know left from right. Put one down on my old man as well!” Sarabeth stated.

“I’ll just go for wine,” Jonathan finally spoke towards Chelsea as he set the menu down on the counter.

[CaptainL]

Even Chelsea had to chuckle at Sarabeth's outburst. She might not have been in the best of moods a moment ago, but the more she and Sarabeth shared each others' company, the more she felt like they could hit it off well. With a smirk, she leaned a little further over the counter, propping her elbow against its surface as she turned her attention to the newcomer. "Not juss takun, takun by a minted supermodel from Eope! And she could probably break yer arm in tree different places if ye tried ter get in de way, like. Not ter brag er anythin'..." Chelsea fixed a smug look on Sarabeth...but a moment later, as she realized what she had said, she took a pause. She had been jealous of all the success Molly had enjoyed, when she herself had been left struggling to find a foothold on her own. She had especially felt burned by Molly moving into the Eagles' Nest, the very domain of the woman who had been her greatest rival. But now, she was accepting it. She was happy for Molly, and she was willing to look at Harmonia as family. Had settling the feud with Finella been what finally allowed her to move on? Or - as she took a moment to look around, noting George and the bar and the pictures on the wall - did she not feel quite as hopeless by comparison any more?

Nevertheless, Chelsea couldn't get lost in her thoughts forever. They had put in a drink order, and without skipping a beat she hopped up from her stool, slamming her hand down confidently on the counter. George wasn't around, so she was in charge of things, and she couldn't keep them all waiting. She might've been here for a drink, but she was just as willing to roll up her sleeves if it came to that. "Say nah more! If de lady knows wha' she wants, she'll get wha' she wants!" Chelsea stepped behind the counter to attend to their drinks, pouring two whiskeys.

But then, when Jonathan spoke up, her attention turned his way, and she froze. Once again, she was reminded that things weren't quite as perfect as they might have seemed. As long as Jonathan was here, there would still be unfinished business, and questons that still needed to be answered. Some time or another, Chelsea would need to confront him. But she didn't know when she'd be ready - and now, it seemed increasingly likely that she wouldn't get to wait.

She passed Sarabeth and William their whiskey glasses with a smile, and Ryan his tequila. But when it came time to attend to Jonathan, even as she poured him a glass of water, her gaze lingered. She didn't say anything - but her head was overrun with more thoughts and emotions than she knew how to begin with. It was only at the last minute that Chelsea realized she was still pouring the wine and she was going to let his glass overflow if she kept getting distracted, and she cleared her throat and pulled away - but still her gaze lingered. She didn't say anything for a few seconds more, staring in Jonathan's direction and waiting for him to start the conversation just so she wouldn't have to.

"...Ahem," she finally spoke. "Will dat be all?"

[Pegasus]

A solemn air of sadness and intensity came over the Wolf and the Bunny as Chelsea held Jonathan’s wine glass hostage. It seems she was ready to talk and Jonathan held his head down trying to even think of what to say. He didn’t want to set her off more then he already had and he doesn’t want to say anything that might get him kicked out of the bar, especially by Chelsea herself which she was fully capable of doing. Jonathan sighed as everyone held onto their glasses in a little hesitation as things could go south quickly. Ryan looked over at Will and Sarabeth.

“Take your hija to the parking lot while they sort this through. I want to try and keep peace between them,” Ryan whispered to his friends.

“Duly noted. Come on, Sara,” William stated as he grabbed the whiskey drinks and pushed his daughter to the doors urging her out.

“No, that won’t be all. Look, I’m just gonna get it out in the open. I’m sorry, Chelsea. It was a mistake and an impulsive lapse in judgement to kick you out of my class. Chaos and tempers were flaring and I wasn’t sure what to do in the moment. I didn’t want you and Natalie to break things down or cause property damage. But if there is one thing I shouldn’t have done, it was to basically talk down to you. I understand you aren’t the most rational person when you get provoked over and over and Natalie wasn’t helping matters. Especially how she conducts herself nowadays, I should’ve just let you punched her lights out and call it a day. I should’ve kicked her out the moment she decided to be late. I know you feel betrayed and I’m totally sorry about that. I betrayed your trust and I understand if you want me to get out of your life. To never see you again. I may be overthinking things, but even I wouldn’t want to be around someone who loses their cool and just proceeds to talking down to others. Who wants that person to be their friend? Let alone a trainer?” Jonathan explained as he placed his hands firmly on the counter.

“I know it’s not much my place to say things, but if I can interject on something, it seems all this has stemmed from this Natalie person. I have heard a name like that going around recently,” Ryan interjected.

“Going around by roller skating and competing in them in the ring. Chelsea nearly had her in her clutches, but then I had to get involved to stop them from potentially injuring each other. Then, Natalie called my wife really old and I had enough of that shit,” Jonathan replied.

“I see. So, she’s nothing more than a troublemaker,” Ryan stated.

“Chelsea was talking bad about Sanae, Yuki, and Brianna. I didn’t know what to do. If I didn’t get her kicked out, I was afraid they thought I was approving of her behavior,” Jonathan added.