Hello, Wisconsin!

[DSX93]

Can't pass up a high five to Girl Power. Can't do it.

"Sounds like my aunt Andrea. Andrea La Bribona. She's the same way. In her day, she was more of a rogue, though. Guerrero trained." Beatriz beamed with pride as she made that revelation. When you've been trained by a woman who in turned was trained by a member of the legendary Guerrero family, how could you not? Esai brought Eddie's antics over the unscripted variant of the sport, enjoying much of the same success as his cousin. Andrea followed in his footsteps, and Beatriz intended to make her own career another great chapter in that book. "By Esai Guerrero. She did a lot of the same lying, cheating, and stealing, but she was one of those loveable rogues. It was always fun to watch her, and it was so cool to have her pass that down to me. Such an honor.

I've got a lot of relatives who were involved in the business, both scripted and unscripted. My mom was involved too, for a time. She, uh, 'lost' most of the time, though, but it was erotic wrestling, so I'm not so sure if it was really losing..."

Green light.

Terrell would keep a watchful eye on the road, but his mind went back to his match with Keira. Specifically the part where she lied there on the bed, naked and twitching from the aftershocks of that first orgasm he gave her, looking up at him with that glowing smile as he comforted her.

"Guess I lost... But somehow... Feels weird to... call this a loss..."

That breathless sentiment was still filling him with pride as a lover. And he couldn't wait to do it again. Or have it be done to him.

"I wouldn't say so."

Beatriz chuckled. Of course he'd say that. What guy wouldn't? "Yeah. While we're on that subject, though..."

In regards to Terrell, it was a matter of curiosity. There was some there in Keira's as well: Softcore -- stuff like bra and panties matches or maybe something like a Romance Novel match -- would be as far as the blonde would ever go, but she still wondered what the draw was, aside from the obvious. But for the most part, the question, when applied to the alternative beauty, would be one posed out of importance. Her answer was something that Terrell ought to know.

It seemed to be a decent time to ask, she thought, but was still hesitant anyway. Should she, really?

"What's up?" Terrell had the feeling that he already knew.

Oh, damn. Can't back out of it now, Beatriz supposed. She got rosy in the cheeks when she finally asked...

"If you guys don't mind me asking...What got you into that? Erotic wrestling, I mean." Yeah, she didn't want to take any chances of them thinking that she was talking about their match in particular. It was plain as day what got them into that. She didn't need to hear about it.

Yep. There it is. Terrell's answer to that question was a simple one, so he didn't mind that in and of itself. It was the question that it would raise that he was worried about; he didn't want to ruin the vibe they had going on.

But he was curious about Keira's answer, so he invited the question in anyway.

"As for me..." He started, chuckling nervously. "I don't really like getting violent with women. I know that Hentai matches can call for it just as much as Standard matches sometimes, but yeah."

He'd already explained what brought him to LAW when the two caught up a couple weeks ago, so Beatriz didn't feel the need to ask why he was in a female-dominant promotion. It made perfect sense.

[ThurmanMermanPlx]

So Beatriz herself had a long background going back a couple generations. That would sure make it easy to get involved, yeah. Keira felt a little bad that she didn't recognize any of those names, because the blonde sure seemed proud to reveal her connections among her roots. She'd make it a point to go looking into them later that evening or something... but better not to press it for now.

And then came the question. Why had she gotten into erotic wrestling?

Keira paused and turned her head to look out the window. They hadn't even left civilization yet. Not that there would have been anything to look at if they had... trees, roads, clouds, all that nature stuff was the same as any city. It was just missing the buildings and the people.

She was avoiding the question. She wasn't entirely sure why; it wasn't an unreasonable one, and it was hardly as if her answer would come as a surprise. But for some reason, she felt as though she had to defend herself. Like she had to mind her wording. The problem was, she wasn't sure how to do that, and the longer she delayed, the more awkward the silence became.

Fuck it.

"Honest answer? Sex. I enjoy wrestling, I enjoy sex. Found out I could get paid for doing both, so it was an obvious choice."

Her eyes remained glued to the window; there was nothing while they were driving that she could fixate on, so she just watched the blur of the buildings as they drove by. "Erotic wrestling is just another form of competition; one based around pleasure rather than pain. Or both, sometimes both. And it's fun! Whether owning an opponent, or they're owning you, it's fun. Who wouldn't want to make a career out of it, especially when you don't mind playing either side?"

Now that she'd started, Keira found she couldn't stop spewing words out. "Or, well, it can be fun. It's still a competition, just in a different form. It's like... you can still enjoy the match while it's happening and not be satisfied with the result if you lose. It's still just a job, you know? Like a one-night-stand that you get paid for instead of paying for it, and there's a scorecard and rankings for how you perform. But you never really feel anything for the people you're hooking up with. I'd know, I've done several of them by now. So I... didn't expect to fall for one of my partners."

She turned away from the window to grin at Terrell instead. Her hand landed on his thigh; light enough to not distract him from the road, but enough for him to notice it was there. "But there was something different that night, a... a connection I'd never experienced before, even in a similar situation. I mean... I don't know, how does one define how attraction feels? It was just different."

Some pep crept back into her voice as she realized just how mellow she'd gotten. "So anyway, it's still in our contracts, but we talked it over and we've come to an understanding, so it's not gonna get between us. At the end of the day, I know who I want to have waiting for me, and I wouldn't want to be waiting for anyone else."

Her voice got soft again, but she refrained from slipping into that same mellow tone, her statement now directed at Terrell specifically. "It still surprises me that you're a wrestler at all. Even non-mixed action. Don't get me wrong, you've got the build and the vibe for it, definitely in a 'don't mess with me' kind of way. But at the same time... Maybe it's just 'cause I saw a softer side of you right away, but it's hard to imagine you even hurting a bug."

[DSX93]

That was one long silence. Terrell was no psychiatrist, but the wider it stretched, the more it felt like that look out the window was Keira's way of escaping the question. Beatriz had the same thought.

Had she wandered too close to a wound? Oh no, what kind of wound was it?

She started feeling guilty. On the inside, Terrell was stumbling about for another subject to turn to, and the maskless luchadora was just about to offer it when Keira finally broke the ice.

Oh. Thank goodness, she thought. It was just getting paid to do some sexy wrestling. Or was it? Either way, Beatriz wasn't going to do any more digging there. Instead, she just listened to the insider details and viewpoints.

"Don't mind playing either side", she says? That perked Terrell up on the inside. Made him curious about her dominant side. He knew he was a submissive since he was a sophomore in high school, but had never been able to explore it.

And here he was with a switch. One who made him feel so at ease with taking charge -- so she'd be able to get what she wants too, when she's in the mood for it.

Thank you, God. If you really do exist.

As if his silent thanks were heard, Keira turned her head his way and spoke of just how special their night together was for her. He felt a hand on his thigh; he couldn't see her movement in his periphery. The touch made him aware of his quickening heartbeat. "But there was something different that night, a... a connection I'd never experienced before, even in a similar situation. I mean... I don't know, how does one define how attraction feels? It was just different."

She...! "Yes!" He took his eyes off the road for just one second. That was what he needed. Just that one second to look into hers, a big smile having formed on his face. "That's exactly how I feel!" He knew this thing was real!

"So anyway, it's still in our contracts, but we talked it over and we've come to an understanding, so it's not gonna get between us." He gave an affirmative nod, taking another second to look up into the mirror so Beatriz could see the truth in his eyes. "At the end of the day, I know who I want to have waiting for me, and I wouldn't want to be waiting for anyone else."

That. That right there. "I..." All Terrell could do for the next several seconds was just smile this big, goofy smile, unable to find the right words to respond to that. He just wished that they were still at that red light.

And as they say, "speak of the Devil and he shall appear." Yellow light, right after she was done talking. Red light. The very moment the car came to a complete stop, he leaned over, cupped those soft cheeks of hers in his hands and let his lips do the talking. Just the lips; he wanted to be at least somewhat mindful of Beatriz. But he had to do it. No choice. Words that sweet demanded one damn good, long kiss.

He didn't have a clue.

Beatriz could feel every crack. Feel every single piece fall into the pit of her stomach as her heart shattered into a million of them. She wanted to get out of the car, take an Uber back to the hotel -- or fucking walk if she had to. Whatever would get her away from this and by her lonesome quicker so she could cry.

She comes back to America after three years gone, and circumstances see him employed by the very same company doing the very same thing she is. And things are just like they used to be between them. She had her best friend back -- the greatest guy she'd ever known. It was like her idiocy hadn't ruined everything.

And two weeks later -- two weeks! -- this apparent act of God comes along and...!

At that moment, she wanted to do nothing more than hate Keira Robinson with every fiber of her being. But she couldn't. There was nothing to hate. Yet.

She didn't want there to be. Hoped there wouldn't be.

It was weird.

She put on the most normal looking smile she could fake and put even more hope on all that was good that they wouldn't notice.

"There's a story behind that," Terrell began, speaking of how he became a wrestler. "and I will definitely tell you all about it. But it's not a very happy one, and I'm liking this energy too much to wanna get into it right now." The talk of energy would be punctuated with a back and forth gesture between himself and Keira.

That got a little bit of faked laughter from Beatriz. "Okay, you two are adorable, but you need to get a room."

[ThurmanMermanPlx]

Keira had been slightly surprised by the kiss, but she leaned fully into it once his lips met hers. There was no passion lost, but it was also clear he was holding back. Probably for Beatriz's sake. Still, she couldn't resist bringing her free hand up to latch onto the back of his head, making sure he wouldn't even try to pull away until that light was green again.

Her word vomit had gone over far better than she expected it to, at least, from Terrell's reaction. But then again, they'd already discussed this, so it wasn't really a surprise from him. So with that in consideration... she didn't actually know what Beatriz thought about her revelation, because she simply kept silent. So maybe it hadn't gone over as well as Keira thought. It was hard to tell. She wasn't sure she wanted to know, anyway; after all, Keira was sleeping with her best friend now. The best she could probably hope for was for Terrell's response-by-kiss to re-assure her that Keira's words had been the truth.

She was interested, then, in Terrell's story. Especially because it seemed that even Beatriz might not be aware of it, which, that was somewhat strange given how close they appeared to be. But he decided it was to save for another time in favor of keeping the upbeat mood. Keira wasn't going to let that one go, but she'd stick a pin in it for now, at least.

"Oh, we've got one," Keira responded to Beatriz' jest, entirely oblivious to the poor girl's inner heartbreak. She shot Terrell a sly grin.

Then she thought better of it. If he was holding back, maybe he - or Beatriz - was one of those people uncomfortable with PDA? Maybe she should hold back, too. She looked into the mirror to catch Beatriz' eyes again. "Sorry. A lot of this is still new to me. It's hard to keep my hands off."

[DSX93]

In the temporary absence of his eyesight, Terrell kept his ears listening out for the other drivers' acceleration. In the meantime, he did what he could not to melt into her. Not to moan when her other hand took that grip of the back of his head.

It wasn't the initiation of the kiss itself that hurt. It was how Keira kissed him back. That stuff Beatriz said about how passion could be faked? Just something said to get him to slow his roll. And cover her tracks. She'd never had sex before, but even she could see that wasn't the case. Keira put way too much of her body into it. Even when they cuddled -- especially when they cuddled -- she was trying to come as close to being one with Terrell as the laws of physics would allow. And she was doing it here too, within as tasteful a range as it could get here, she supposed.

Beatriz couldn't have been more thankful that they didn't just up and start slobbing down right then and there, but she still turned to look at nothing in particular through the window, leaving it up to a car horn to tell them when the light turned green. Terrell was listening closely enough to the nearby traffic to be clued in that way, but the sentiment was there. She didn't do as much as cast a forward glance again until she heard him talking, wearing a mask for the first time since her last evening as Anarquia when she did.

On top of that passion was the raven-haired woman speaking his language with that talk of a connection. And when the blonde looked at her, it felt believable.

It was believable. There was just that part of her that didn't want to trust her.

"Oh, we've got one." Terrell's focus was back on the road in front of them, but he could feel that grin, and it formed one of his own. After that kiss, he was really looking forward to it. Being alone with her, truly, for round three.

Beatriz was grateful for the apology, both from Keira and from Terrell in turn. "Yeah, I'm sorry too. I just...yeah. Couldn't help it there." It wasn't going to unbreak her heart, but it was something. She wasn't invisible here.

"It's okay. I'm glad you were able to find somebody nice. I'm happy for you two." As messy as she was on the inside, she really did mean that, ultimately.

[ThurmanMermanPlx]

Horns honked, and the second Terrell broke away, Keira wanted to stick up a finger through the window at whoever dared interrupt them.

But, well, they were on the road holding up traffic. And that probably wouldn't look good in front of Beatriz... especially if for some reason she misinterpreted it as directed at her. Nope, better play nice with the other drivers.

She reluctantly pulled away, letting Terrell switch his attention back to the road. Even then, she left her palm resting on his leg, and she grinned at his comment; he hadn't been able to resist, she didn't want it to stop... She'd never understood what people meant by 'butterflies in the stomach' until now, but since meeting Severin, she'd recognized and already become quite familiar with the feeling.

"Thanks," Keira replied, somewhat awkwardly. She wasn't entirely sure what to do with compliments like that. She'd gotten plenty about her looks and her body and all that, and had become rather adept at brushing them off... when they came from anyone besides Terrell, anyway. "So, what about you? You got a special guy or gal waiting for you at the end of this road?"

[DSX93]

At first, Terrell thought that maybe the guy behind him was just looking in and honking the horn out of protest, but then he saw the light. It had to be the fastest change in traffic history. That was maybe what, ten seconds?

In reality? Ten times six.

Sorry, guy! He genuinely felt bad about holding people up, but you wouldn't know it, looking at his smile. He took one hand off the wheel, setting it atop of that which had made itself at home on his thigh. His fingers would search the spaces in between hers, taking up residence when they found them.

Alright. No more PDA beyond that for the rest of the ride. A goal that Terrell wasn't entirely certain that he'd be able to achieve. They were miles away from their date, but she was already making him feel high.

Meanwhile, Beatriz's internal struggle has just been made worse by the question she was asked.

"No, I, uh..." Shit. She had no excuse ready for this, which made it so much worse. This wasn't what she'd call outright humiliation, but she knew now, without the shadow of a doubt, that somebody up there was getting some kicks at her expense.

The embarrassment made itself manifest in her reddening cheeks. "I haven't had much luck with guys. When I first got started in Proxima Generacion de Lucha Libre, though, I was super focused on making a good showing there because my aunt put in a good word with the owner for me. So I didn't make any time for dating for a while. And when I felt like I was ready, nothing ever worked out.

I was looking for Mr. Right. Something serious. But a lot of the guys there just wanted to play around, and the Mr. Rights were already taken."

The truth? Beatriz really was focused on making sure that her performance didn't reflect poorly on her tia, but that forcible shaving of her hair had done some serious damage. She felt hideous without it, like she was an incomplete girl. Hence the mask when she wrestled as Anarquia. It was easily the most harrowing time of her life.

She missed the hell out of Terrell then. The attack happened before she moved to Tijuana, so he was there for her. And he always had just the right words to say. To soothe. To affirm and reaffirm. And every time he took her into his arms, she'd breathe easy. It was the safest place in the world. Everything was alright there.

It was so hard to go without that in PGLL. What she would have given to have that comfort in the form of a phone call. A text. An email. Something.

But no, she just had to go and kiss him. Flush eleven years of friendship down the drain.

When her hair grew back, coinciding with the development of the womanly curves that she possessed today, and the sexy Bella Pirata had made her long overdue introduction to the world, she had her pick of boys. All of whom she'd compare to Terrell. All of whom would be found wanting.

God, this sounds sad. Even in her own head. It was high time that she had a serious discussion with herself. But not here. Not now.

"Haven't found anything here in LAW either, but it's only been a couple weeks. And honestly, I'm a little too busy getting acclimated right now. Getting used to how things work in such a big company." Beatriz let out a little chuckle. Her mask cracked and she knew it was visible. She hoped that it wasn't enough to ruin their mood.

Looking at her through the mirror, Terrell could tell that was something missing from her story. Something big. But he let it go for now. Filed it away as something to sit down with her and go over later, when they had some one-on-one time. But for right now, though..."He'll come. You're you, and you're wrestling on the grandest stage of them all. It's inevitable."

Beatriz's smile was genuine and warm, although on the small side. Even now, he's capable of taking the edge off. "Thanks, T."

"Of course! Just make sure you send him my way sometime so I can make sure he knows how things work around these parts."

A real laugh. "Will do."

[ThurmanMermanPlx]

Keira smiled as she felt Terrell's hand close around her own, but her attention was - perhaps surprisingly - elsewhere. Beatriz had sounded noticeably off-guard by her question.

"Really? A pretty little thing like you? I'd have thought you'd have your pick of just about any guy you want." Guys liked cute blondes, didn't they? She hoped she didn't sound spiteful. She didn't care much for the cliché, but it wasn't like she really ever went looking for a partner, and now she had Terrell, after all. She had no reason to be bitter about it. "I guess there are a lot of them that just want to fool around, though. Gotta watch out for them."

As Keira watched Beatriz in the mirror, she noticed... she wasn't exactly sure. There was something in her face, in her tone... something that suggested a nerve had been struck, despite how casually she tried to answer. Like it had been forced.

And then, in a more naturally casual tone than she'd answered the question, Beatriz filled in the blank. Keira almost whipped around at the sound of her nickname for Terrell, but caught herself. That was... why did she...? Slowly, the the gears in her brain turned, and the puzzle piece slid into place.

It was an assumption, nothing more as of yet. Perhaps she'd just heard Keira use it and said it accidentally. Or maybe Keira was just taking it too personally. They... they had been friends for a lot longer than she had. And they were close. It wasn't that large a stretch to assume they just happened upon the same pet name by coincidence. Was it?

Too long. Too silent. Keira pushed her smile back onto her face as she cast a sideways glance at Terrell. "And if he makes a fuss about it, then you can send him my way, and I'll beat his ass sideways until he gets it or gets out."

[DSX93]

"Really? A pretty little thing like you? I'd have thought you'd have your pick of just about any guy you want." The question was innocent enough on paper, and she was right, but there was something in Keira's tone that Beatriz didn't like. It felt like she was being judged. But she wasn't sure.

And that moment of eye contact through the mirror when she explained her single status away...or tried to...She could see it in the alternative woman's face.

Shit. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit! Keira wasn't buying it. Shit! Thank God that Terrell spoke up when he did! It was the distraction she needed. But she wasn't out of the woods yet. The delay there was between that picking at her words and her next smile was way too long.

There was nothing that Beatriz could do here but lie her ass off if she gets pressed. And lie her ass off, she will. Like her life depended on it.

That this chapter of Terrell's love life depended on it was plentiful motivation.

And speaking of Terrell, the man was lost. Out of the loop, and he didn't like it one bit. There was something going on between them. Some of that silent, seemingly psychic communication that women do. That moment Keira spent with a fallen countenance clued him in that whatever it was that was communicated wasn't entirely positive.

But he knew better than to ask. Not right now, at least. Maybe not ever -- maybe he should let them sort it out? But definitely not right now. When Keira got a smile together and put it on, he played along. Seemed like the smart move. "Oh, you don't have to worry about that, Key. I'll have it handled."

The declaration of protection garnered a laugh from Beatriz, who was mindful enough of her own to be able to fake it. If nothing else, him calling her Key again made it necessary. There was no being real with this reaction. "Thank you." Aside from her thanks.

[ThurmanMermanPlx]

Something had just happened here. Keira wasn't sure what it was, but the vibes had shifted. Beatriz had gotten oddly silent, and so had Keira in her attempt to guess why.

But Terrell had moved on. Probably to cut through the sudden tension in the car. Assuming he even picked up on it. Either way, it was probably for the best. She was probably worrying over nothing. Yeah, the two of them been friends for a long time, but Terell had made it pretty clear how he'd felt about Keira already... Surely she was worrying over nothing.

The last thing she needed to do right now was get between them, regardless. She wanted to be welcomed and accepted, and pissing off or upsetting Terrell's best friend wouldn't build any bridges. She was pretty sure it wouldn't be a dealbreaker, but she really didn't want to take the chance. Most importantly, he wouldn't have hooked up with her if there was anything between him and Beatriz, surely.

This was stupid. Worrying about it was stupid. They'd talked about this. They were exclusive, contractual obligations aside. What was she so bothered by?

Terrel was trying to move the conversation along, anyway. No point dwelling on it. Stupid jealousy.

"Good," she said to Terrell, her smile genuine again. "I've been looking forward to seeing more of that side of you. Rather in an official match, though." She couldn't bring herself to say it aloud, but even now, the idea of imagining Beatriz set up with some goon that had to be threatened didn't sit well with her, jokes aside. The blonde didn't deserve it.

"So, uh..." Topic. Any topic. Something to shift the tone back to light and casual. Come on, come on... So they were going to this place from their childhood... oh! "So, what is this 'House of the Dead' you mentioned earlier?"