What Went Wrong?

[Fairy Dragon]

Touka found herself smiling as she read up on the recent LAW news, and was pleased to see something about her about wrestling moms from what seemed to be a few years ago. She hadn't been keeping up with the backstage and extra stuff at LAW that wasn't the stuff she did in the ring, and after reading a few magazines decided to change all that. While she wasn't a social media person, magazines and articles were something she could read and she got a laugh about the one that referenced how youthful she looked despite being mid 40's and looked more like her eldest daughters sister than she did her mother. She wondered if she had gotten any more attention since her matches since that article was made and out of curiosity and because she found some of these articles entertaining she decided to pay attention, the first one was given to her and she needed to learn where others came from.

Spoiler

"I should ask where I find these." Touka said placing the magazine down and looking for someone that didn't look too busy to help her. Even though LAW didn't have a show today the hard working people here still had plenty to do with some of them setting things up for interviews or handling paperwork for a number of other events coming up. Touka admired the dedication, and continued to respectfully move around watching them, letting her eyes look around for an employee who looked knowledgeable enough to help her.

[Bare]

Lydia tsked in some annoyance as she walked backstage of LAW. There were no matches scheduled for today but the staff was still out and about setting up for the next show, as well as a myriad of other administrative things. Lydia meanwhile had been summoned for some photos, apparently given the popularity of the various other mothers in LAW, they wanted to put together an 'update' of the new ones that had joined, Lydia included. Naturally this also meant Lydia had come in her ring gear, as per requested.

Spoiler

Unfortunately with how hectic things were she had been given the wrong room number to go to and now had no idea where her shoot was supposed to be happening. "Surely some idiot around here has to know.." Lydia grumbled to herself trying to find someone that actually looked like they were in charge until finally spotting someone... But not the person she wanted. "You!" Lydia said with a hiss, standing not five feet away from one Touka Akan, an old, and not so friendly rival from her past.

[Fairy Dragon]

What was a peaceful outing in LAW might have become less peaceful the moment she walked past some people and soon found herself five feet in front of a face Touka knew. And of any of the faces she wanted to see again this one was not one of them. Lydia Donelle was one of the people she knew before she befriended people like Dana or made acquaintances with the likes of Aella and Thereisa, and she was someone who brought about an emotional response so strong that Touka could suddenly remember their last week together with an uncomfortable level of vivid details, all which came crashing back to reality when Lydia spoke confirming she knew who she was looking at.

"Lyida.." Touka said, shock and a hint of inner anger that she thought she got out of her long ago. The old wound had been deep once, and Touka found that it was still there even now. She heard Lydia was here and wasn't sure what she would think about her if she saw her again, she had no intention of doing so but things have a strange way of working out. Now that she had seen her again she knew that any chance of making what happened between them stay in the past was gone, simply looking at her made Touka feel disgusted. "I hope you're not here for me. Go wherever you were heading and we can keep this civil. I'm not in the mood to talk to you." Touka said, knowing she'd never be in the mood to do so.

[Bare]

Tense was a massive understatement to describe the atmosphere between Touka and Lydia just from seeing each other. Immediately second long flashbacks of their past, and how it ended flashed through Lydia's mind, and for a second she halfway considered turning and walking as if she hadn't said something. But then Touka just had to speak, talking like she was Lydia's superior, like she could give the woman orders. No, never again, NEVER would Lydia allow Touka to speak to her like that... not again.

Gritting her teeth and clenching her fists Lydia would do the exact opposite of what Touka said as she instead stepped forward. "I had heard you were in LAW, but I hadn't come for you." She said, acting as if she hadn't heard Touka's demand before continuing. "But what makes you think I ever want to be civil with you, especially after what you did to me." Lydia snapped at Touka, continuing to take steps towards the other mother with a glare on her face, staring her old former friend down until they were face to face!

[Fairy Dragon]

For a moment, she thought she got through to Lydia and she would leave, something in her eyes made it seem like she would and keep away from Touka before this continued. Lydia must've changed her mind, soon she was stepping towards her, purposefully to tell her she wasn't leaving and was telling her she didn't want to be civil with Touka. Touka could have turned around then and left it alone, she couldn't on Lydia to do it with how angry she still was. What kept her from leaving was Lydia's words, the tone accusing her as if what Touka did was the awful thing.

"What...I did...to you?" Touka repeated eyeing Lydia angrily. Now she was the one stepping in, no trace of her niceness there, just anger and resentment. "You somehow think you were the victim? You, who pretended to be my supportive friend for years, only to try and steal the guy I was dating and tell me I didn't deserve him when you got caught because I was a soft hack? What could I possibly do to you that you didn't have coming after that?" Touka said. She still remembered her bitter betrayal as if it was yesterday...that said betrayal came from trying to steal the guy she ended up marrying only made the fact that Lydia actually wanted to do it worse in hindsight. The happiness she would have lost if she let Lydia pull that off told her she made the right choice standing her ground.

[Bare]

Needless to say, the history between Lydia and Touka was... complicated to say the least. Hell a whole book could be written on their meeting, interactions and ultimate fall out. But that was just it. Nothing had been said of it. Not even a bit. But thats what Lydia hated about it the most. Touka had that on her, sitting on it for years, had she decided to speak up it would have massively damaged her reputation as budding wrestler. Some would say Lydia should be thankful... But Lydia just couldn't understand it, and so she could only rationalize that it was simply so Touka could keep her nice girl act in tact.

Which is precisely why her former friend's words made Lydia practically grind her teeth in anger. "Tch there it is. The reason I hate you so much. Always playing the shy demure princess that could do no wrong. Acting like you're so nice and always the victim. Yes I made a move on you're man, but you BEAT and HUMILIATED me! Far beyond what was justified! Worst yet you didn't even make use of it..." Lydia growled out, utter disgust in her eyes at the thought of showing mercy, even if it was to herself. "Thats what bothers me the most about you. You put on a mask of the sweet, perfect, nice woman, yet we BOTH know what kinda monster lurks under the surface, and we BOTH know you don't have the guts to let it out again." Lydia hissed, now right in front of Touka's face with a glare.

[Fairy Dragon]

Touka knew that Lydia would hold a grudge, she wasn't angry when they parted ways, only scared of her. Honestly Touka's actions almost scared herself, even if she never doubted that Lydia deserved it. The anger was expected after some time to think about it, even when Lydia was her friend she still had pride and arrogance about her that would never take a loss like what Touka did to her lying down, even if it was a private fight that no one but her husband knew about. What surprised Touka wasn't her anger but her accusations, she was seeing the fact that Touka said nothing about the fight as proof that she was trying to keep up her nice girl act, as if Touka was ever worried about what people thought of her or if having an act was of any use to her.

"It was a fight Lydia, you were trying to beat me too, and if you did you would have humiliated me like you did everyone else." Touka said. In truth Lydia didn't take her seriously at all when she challenged her, laughing it off when Touka wanted to fight. She must have assumed she'd slap a few holds on an angry pouting friend until Touka came to her senses and apologized, but all of that stopped the minute she actually saw Touka in her fighting gear and realized she was in trouble. "I didn't tell anyone both ebcause I didn't want my mother figuring it out and dragging me back into that stupid training room and as a final courtesy. What good is people thinking I'm a nice girl if I'm not wrestling Lydia? I can't trick anyone from my own house." Touka spoke even as it was obvious Lydia would not be swayed. She never would have guessed Lydia would be so against the thought of Touka showing her mercy, or thinking she was a monster. "What happened after the fight...was a precaution, I've never done anything like that again and I don't intend to. You didn't see a monster just someone you pissed off." Touka said, despite claiming to have no shame about the incident she couldn't bring herself to mention it in detail either.

[Bare]

Everytime Lydia heard of or even though of Touka her blood boiled. Knowing that the woman had the knowledge of that beatdown constantly hanging over her head.. It was utterly infuriating and humiliating. What made it all worse now though was Touka's insistence that it was a courtesy. "Bullshit." Lydia said almost immediately after Touka finished.

"If what you just said is true than it proves everything I said about you right. You were soft, a coward for not wanting to step into a ring. You keeping what happened between us a secret is only proof you never had the guts to take that next step." Lydia said quickly with no hesitation, this clearly being something that had been on her mind for a while.

"That monster in you, and it is a monster, may have been unleashed cause of my actions, but it is there, always has been, and you're scared to let it out. Thats what makes me so mad about that night. That I got beaten by a total and complete coward." Lydia hissed, her face now only inchest from Touka's own as she glared into the woman's eyes.

[Fairy Dragon]

Lydia didn't get out of her face, only closer and was getting nastier with her as Touka's words did nothing to calm her down. It was infuriating to deal with someone who refused to listen to a word she said. The more she complained the more Touka was finding her own blood boil and her last ounce of kindness was being pushed as Touka was now staring Lydia down. "That's what you want to think." Touka said. She was prepared to get everything out if Lydia was going to be like this.

"The real reason this bothered you is because you made a mistake, and you have too much pride. If anyone else did that to you you'd hate it but you'd eventually get over it. But it was me doing that to you, something you never saw coming that drove you crazy. And now because you were blind, you would rather assume that I'm some evil mastermind than question yourself. I'm not playing that game with you Lydia, now get out of my face now." Touka said, almost wanting to shout. She kept her voice down for now, but it was clear she was close to a meltdown as she remembered how much the thought of Lydia angered her.

[Bare]

Needless to say the unresolved issues and tension between Lydia and Touka had boiled over near immediately upon the two meeting each other again despite years having passed. Within minutes sore spots had been touched and nerves exposed, even the passer bys around them stopping and taking noticed of the steadily escalating situation, wondering what was happening, or more prudently, who would make the first first move?

The answer to that question would soon be made clear with Touka's next statement which caused Lydia's nostrils to flare angrily at the insinuation. "You don't know damn thing you damn disgrace!" Lydia snapped as she swung her hand out, aiming to try and land a open palmed slap right to Touka's face! If if connected Lydia knew that would be the spark to light the powderkeg that was her and Touka, and she readied herself in preparation for the brawl that would no doubt happen the moment Touka reacted!