Hello, Wisconsin!

[DSX93]

Beatriz noticed it too. That reminded him of something. From what he's said of her, Beatriz was certain that Lisa was the focus of the unpleasant memory that spilled into his voice. The blonde had never met the girl, which was fortunate. For her. If she wasn't in Mexico, she would've torn the bitch apart, ruined friendship or no.

She looked up and saw Keira looking back at her through the mirror. Oh, that question was for her? Okay. When in doubt..."Is Mina still around?"

"Yeah." For Keira, he clarified, "That's the Italian spot."

"It's a good place if you want a wider selection of gluten or dairy free stuff. I'm good, by the way, T." Beatriz was hungry too, but she was being dropped off at her parents' house, where she knew her mom and her other aunts were cooking up enough food to last for weeks. She'd be full within an hour of walking inside.

Terrell nodded and was about to offer a few more words when his nature told him that it was time to get a move on. Too much Gatorade. "I'll be right back." And off he went, leaving the two women to sit in awkward silence.

Alright.

What can be asked of her without making things weird again?

Beatriz used the mirror to observe Keira while she deliberated that. Keira started out uncomfortable, so it wasn't the silence itself. And the longer this went on, the more that discomfort built. After what felt like minutes, the older woman had to relieve some of it through a deep exhale, and then she asked her about Terrell's reaction.

What does she say to these questions? The answers ran so deep. Went to such a personal place. A potentially dangerous place, depending on what's done with them. "T, he's..." Beatriz began. Despite that -- or perhaps, because of it -- there was no glossing over this.

How does she answer this?

"He's just being his sweet self." She was hesitant to share what she was about to share next. But...it would make an excellent test of character. "When he falls for a girl, he's always trying to see the best of her. It's gotten him hurt in the past, though. Really badly. And that, I can't really get into because it's not my place.

But he's never let it stop him from trying again, though. That's just the kind of man he is."

Despite her worries, Beatriz couldn't help but smile. There was no glossing over that either, so she kept it real. "That's one of his most admirable qualities, if not the most -- that optimism. And one of the scariest, you know?"

And speaking of knowing, now that Keira does, it's cemented: If T gets hurt, Beatriz has an ass to kick. With insider information like that, there's no excuse for fuck ups.

[ThurmanMermanPlx]

Mina, huh? Not plural. Keira wondered if that was the name of the restaurant, or the name of the owner. Either way, Italian would be fine with her. At this point, she'd have probably even taken sushi. She sat in silence while Beatriz answered.

When Beatriz finally answered her own question, Keira couldn't hold back the frown. So he'd had troubles stemming from past relationships... perhaps her attacking his car had triggered some memory? That would explain his shift in tone. It was subtle, but she'd already picked up enough of his normal inflections to notice the difference.

"He's definitely an optimist, yeah," Keira agreed. "I could see that getting him into trouble. He looks like a bad boy, but he's a sweetheart. Too many girls willing to take advantage of someone like him. Guys like that... they're easy targets."

She let that hang in the air for a moment before realizing how it might sound. "I'm not perfect by any definition of the word, but at least I recognize what I've got, y'know? He's done nothing but care for me since we met, on the night of our first match. During it, even. You just don't see that, it just... doesn't happen. When was the last time you had an opponent making sure you were comfortable during the match? Hell, it didn't even feel like a match, it was like we'd done it before, just making lo-"

She cut herself off there; she didn't need to get into the details of their intimacy. Beatriz had probably seen it herself anyway; it had been livestreamed. Keira felt her face heat up at the thought, only just now occurring to her. Beatriz may well have seen her naked, in bed with her also naked best friend, doing their business, and now they were sitting here in a car together like they were all old friends.

Keira coughed to cover up her sudden silence and cleared her throat. "Well, anyway... point is, I never expected a romance to just fall into my lap like that. I'd never felt something so intense from a sexfight before. I know I'm lucky to have been handed someone like that. And I wanna..." Not make it up to him, that wasn't right. "...He deserves that same care, y'know? Especially if he's been torn apart by exes in the past."

She looked down at her fist. The bit of her palm that struck the door barely tingled anymore. "They'd never hit him, did they? Like, outside of a fight?" Beatriz had said it wasn't her place to get into, and she was probably right assuming that was something Terrell would have even told her, but Keira felt she had to ask that, anyway. Because maybe it hadn't been about the car; maybe it had been about the fist.

[DSX93]

"Exactly." Beatriz didn't let it show, but her brow was raised on the inside. Guys like Terrell being easy targets...all Keira did was state a fact. But still. She made a good save, though.

"He's done nothing but care for me since we met, on the night of our first match. During it, even. You just don't see that, it just... doesn't happen. When was the last time you had an opponent making sure you were comfortable during the match? Hell, it didn't even feel like a match, it was like we'd done it before, just making lo-"

That made her think. Beatriz knew that it was just something her more irrational side cooked up as a desperate means of protecting herself emotionally; get over one guy by getting underneath another. Those were dangerous waters, and she's read and heard countless stories of them turning out to be a trap for girls who tried it. She's even seen a couple play out in person.

The likeliness of that being more trouble than it's worth was almost one hundred percent. But the chances of a romance sparking into being from one night of what was supposed to be just a sexual competition, between a romantic who'd previously only had sex within his relationships and a professional who wasn't looking for love...That sat comfortably all the way on the other side of that spectrum, and look what happened.

"I've never done that kind of wrestling before, but I think I get you."

Maybe, just maybe...Maybe it was worth trying. Not to get herself a boyfriend, though. She knew better than to get her hopes up too high for that. But maybe experiencing other guys -- actually getting some real experience -- would be a good first step towards moving on. Her gut was telling her not to try it, but she couldn't help but wonder now. After all, if there was ever a place for her to dip her toes into erotic wrestling, LAW was it.

"Well, anyway... point is, I never expected a romance to just fall into my lap like that. I'd never felt something so intense from a sexfight before. I know I'm lucky to have been handed someone like that. And I wanna...He deserves that same care, y'know? Especially if he's been torn apart by exes in the past."

Beatriz was asking herself now, "Am I being a bitch?" How much of what was going on inside of her now just her trying to look out for Terrell in comparison to it being her wanting him for herself? There was absolutely nothing wrong with what Keira just said objectively, but there was that part of her that was suspecting that she was just saying what she wanted to hear. Granted, it had happened before, but still.

Maybe she should give sexfighting a try. It could help her take a step back. Something was telling her that she needed to take a step back.

"They'd never hit him, did they? Like, outside of a fight?"

"The first one didn't, but the second did. And on top of that, she was a cheater too. Both girls were, but Lisa..." Beatriz took a deep breath through her nose. Just thinking about what she put him through was making her angry. It was still fresh to her; a story that Terrell had told her a few days after LAW reunited them. "Yeah, she was violent. And damn lucky that I was in Mexico. She put him through...just so much."

[ThurmanMermanPlx]

While Keira cleared her throat, Beatriz slipped in a sentence. She almost argued; it didn't have to refer to an intimate fight, she'd never had any opponent care for her comfort mid-match. But, she reasoned, it mattered more when it came to the intimate side of the sport. Which Beatriz had never done before. She was trying to understand.

"...but the second did. And on top of that, she was a cheater too."

Keira's fist clenched. Her other hand, previously rubbing mindlessly, clasped around it. She didn't need to know the details. That was enough.

"Unacceptable." She muttered the word under her breath, but Beatriz may have heard it in the otherwise silent car if she'd been listening. Hitting him was bad enough. That alone set her blood boiling. But that wasn't all... She was louder when she continued, but there was an edge to her voice. "There is no excuse for cheating. None."

And louder still, this time rather shaky. "Where is she now? This... Lisa."

Keira wasn't sure why she asked that. It didn't matter. It was in the past, and... hopefully, she was out of his life now. Beatriz probably would have made sure of that, if nothing else by now. And it wasn't like she was going to go looking. But something compelled her to ask, anyway.

[DSX93]

"Unacceptable."

"Damn right."

"There is no excuse for cheating. None."

"You're damn right." That energy was infectious. Beatriz was syncing into it without even thinking. "The last I heard, she's still in Milwaukee. She was working the indies in the scripted wrestling scene up until a little over a year ago. Little Betty Badass didn't like the role the bookers gave her, so she went into business for herself and hurt one of the top stars. Tore her ACL and forced her to retire."

Beatriz shook her head in disgust. "Got herself blackballed. I don't know for sure what she's doing these days, but if she knows what's good for her, it'll include staying far the hell away from him. Como Dios es mi testigo..."

Spanish to English Translation

"Como Dios es mi testigo..." -- "As God is my witness..."

[ThurmanMermanPlx]

All things considered, this probably wasn't something Terrell would have told her about on his own, at least not tis early into their relationship. Keira could understand why. But it also made her feel all the more guilty; there was no doubt she'd brought up an unpleasant memory for him by accident. She wondered if she should say something when he got back, or if she should just let it blow over...

Beatriz being angry on his behalf wasn't much of a surprise; her willingness to answer Keira's question, however, was.

Keira let out a sharp laugh. "What a dumbass. She got herself fired over that? Going off the script? Hah. She'd never make it in a real ring. And she ended the other fighter's career because of her dumbassery! Can't say I'm always thrilled by the matches I'm given either, but damn, what a little piece of shit! Serves her right. What's the phrase? Play stupid games, win stupid prizes."

She nodded in agreement. "She lucky she's blacklisted, for sure. God damn, what I wouldn't give to kick her sorry ass. She wouldn't know what hit her! Because no one would have written it down for her."

[DSX93]

Another real smile. A laugh, even! But this time, Keira was the one to get it out of her.

LAW had been pulling all manner of unlikely occurrences into being from her very first show onwards, and Beatriz was seeing no signs of it stopping now. What was going to happen next, she wondered? Would Simon show her face here, opening the door for the two of them to bond over kicking her detestable ass?

"LAW takes in some crazy characters, so you never know. T told me she trained for wrestling as a combat sport. So if they do bring her in, and they decide to put her up against me first, I'll be sure to save some for you. Just as long as you do the same for me."

[ThurmanMermanPlx]

Crazy characters, huh? Keira hadn't yet seen many of them, having only her match with Severin so far... but on the other hand, any league that welcomes the kind of matches like the one they'd shared, plus more... it probably shouldn't come as a surprise that not all the participants were the most savory individuals.

She briefly wondered what her own future held for her, and if she'd ever encounter some of those types.

"You think they'd take her in even knowing she's banned from other leagues?" That was interesting. Assuming she was still wrestling, even. Still, Keira laughed. "You got a deal. Can't promise how much of her will be left, though, if I get to her first. But I'll make sure you get your shots."

She wasn't thrilled with the thought. If she'd had her way... Keira might consider ending Lisa's career. Terrell probably wouldn't approve of her throwing her own career away over this, though... but that didn't mean she couldn't hurt her. In fact, why rely on chance?

"I wonder... you've been around longer than I have. Is there any way to check who's on the roster?"

[DSX93]

"You got a deal. Can't promise how much of her will be left, though, if I get to her first. But I'll make sure you get your shots."

"I'm fine with that. As long as I get to give her at least a couple receipts, I'm good."

But getting back to the question Keira asked: Beatriz had only been in LAW for two, going on three weeks now, but even that amount of time left her able to say, "I can't say I'd put it past them." The blonde reached into her pocket for her phone, taking a minute to get her reasoning on the screen. An article on a wrestling news website titled, "Yolanda Ruiz Caballero: Former Gangster. Current Deathmatch Icon. Drug Addict. Attempted Murderer. Future LAW Superstar?"

Yolanda Ruiz Caballero: Former Gangster. Current Deathmatch Icon. Drug Addict. Attempted Murderer. Future LAW Superstar?

There was a picture of Yolanda sitting down to lunch with a raven-haired middle-aged man in an all white suit. Manolo Sosa, a known recruiter for the company. The article was dated just a few weeks after the infamous scaffold match she had against Ramon Ortega, whose life she'd intended to take when she threw him from the top. As she admitted on record in an interview. Why she wasn't arrested and charged, Beatriz did not know.

"The guy in the suit?" She pointed to him. "That's the same man who met with me and my aunt to discuss my contract."

Yolanda was stuck in the indies prior to this meeting, as a direct result of her issues with drugs and violence outside of the ring. But now? "Management confirmed signing her a few days ago." Off to LAW's website, enter a quick search for her name in the official roster...They hadn't worked out a match for her just yet, but they were "excited to see what she brings to our shows."

There were a few others, like Las Coleccionistas de Huesos, who were known for subjecting opponents to their sexual sadism even after the conclusion of vanilla matches.

Las Coleccionistas de Huesos

La Gato Infernal

La Ogresa

Let's check today's news. See if there's any more examples.

...

No way. No fucking way.

The Bitch Herself

Simon Lisa Baxter. Beatriz couldn't believe what she was seeing at first, but after those first few seconds...Just looking at that bitch's picture made her free hand ball up tight into a fist. "Speak of the fucking devil. That's her. They just confirmed her signing today."

[ThurmanMermanPlx]

Keira turned around in her seat to inspect whatever Keira had pulled up on her phone. Some news article about a woman she'd never heard of... but the title alone was enough to catch her attention.

"Attempted murderer?" she noted with a bit of horrified edge to her voice. Gangster, drug addicts, yeah yeah. The fact that she's into deathmatches made sense. Those were nothing by comparison. "They'd let her sign? Damn, I knew LAW was more open than most when it came to shady characters, but this goes behind even what I would have guessed."

She caught note of the two sexual sadists, too. As Beatriz scrolled, Keira wondered, what would happen if she ran into any of these people in a match? Could they be trusted to play even by LAW's rulesets, most of which were extremely lax in comparison to nearly any other company? PoW matches were a common thing, she knew, so she wondered what made Las Coleccionistas de Huesos so notable in that regard, but they still weren't anyone Keira was interested in meeting to find out. And what about this Yolanda? Again, she knew deathmatches and hardcore matches could get pretty damn brutal and bloody, but... Freely admitting to attempted murder in the ring, and that was exciting to the recruitment team??

"Speak of the fucking devil. That's her. They just confirmed her signing today."

Beatriz's exclamation brought Keira's focus back to the article. The black-and-white image they used for the punk girl stared back up at her. So, Lisa was... a middle name, then? Well, that didn't really matter... Beatriz confirmed this as the girl responsible for tormenting Terrell. She took note of the blonde's fist clenching and resisted the urge to do the same.

"Today, huh? Good. Great, even," Keira jeered. "Don't know about you, but she wouldn't recognize me. So she'd better hope I don't meet her backstage anywhere. I'd probably steal that top after I beat her senseless."