L.A.W. - League of Anime Wrestling

Ryan Knight wasn't what one would call social, not since losing his eye at least. He was the sort where if he was in a fantasy setting he'd be the sort to house in a big fancy castle full of spiked walls with the heads of his enemies on display. But looks could be decieving and so was his, well the big fancy castle thing was true minus the spikes back home at least. But the social stuff was true. It was about 5pm from a quick glance at his watch. He'd been sat at the bar for an hour or so nursing a drink. Non alcholic because of what tonight would entail, a double date as it were. It was a modest enough place with a resturant built into it and Ryan easily got a table reserved for those he'd be with tonight.

To make any sense of it one would have to go back a bit, to when Ryan fought Keira Robinson in a match and won. Which made the law crowd go apeshit and decide to attack him post match and Ryan had come to expect it. What he hadn't expected was Keira to go to bat for him post match and let the audience know exactly what she thought of that, it still played back in his mind from time to time and since then the crowd tolerated him. He no longer needed to dodge thrown beer bottles post match or come back to his right hand man's limo to find it vandalised. Now instead they merely let the Paragon wrestle which was all he wished.

The Knight was dressed in smart/casual as they called it, simple white shirt and black suit. Which somehow looked imposing even then with him, needless to say those at the bar were giving him a wide berth. He simply stood there and waited for this double date thing to begin. Better to be an hour early than two minutes late as they said.

needed this break. Some time to better decompress. Breathe. It hadn't been horrible, hadn't been a complete loss, but things haven't been going his way on the big stage, and the LAW Universe wasn't afraid to remind him of it.

"Choke artist", was what one particularly prominent detractor had called him. And she wasn't wrong. It's been three times now that he's stepped up to that plate. Two of them after throwing the gauntlet at anyone in LAW who would bother to pick it up. And it's been three times that he's failed.

He knows he's not incapable. Aside from those three occasions, he'd been emerging on his feet when the smoke cleared. He might have been wiped out and aching, but he'd be standing tall. But when it's time to bring home a belt? One that isn't even being officially recognized as a top prize, at that? To put an exclamation point to the activism he'd taken to in the promotion, lifting up the men's division? Telling the world that they're worthy, that they deserve the same respect and consideration that the women receive?

What an example he's made of that: He's been something to keep an eye on on the week-to-week, but when shit gets real? He chokes.

And he's spent so much time on the grind, pushing himself to Hell and back. Only to flop every single time it truly mattered.

It's been making him feel...lesser, sometimes. Like it was a series of miracles that's gotten him what he has today. Most of all, with the woman who continued to stand at his side. Or to be particular right now, riding beside him in the 1968

he'd recently upgraded to.

It had been a dream car of his ever since he saw Blade as a kid. One of many things that he'd once believed would only ever be dreams, and that initial drive the day he bought it, out of the lot and around the city, was already helping. There was no specific destination; he just drove, with the sharper sound system making his chill-out soundtrack all the easier on the ears.

Yeah, this was what he needed. Take a step back, shut the door on social media for a while. Not the easiest thing to do nowadays; he wasn't active every day, but it was often enough to develop a following. Establish a brand. Or start to, anyway. But it was the right thing to do. And really, shit like this is why he didn't make much use of it before he became a wrestler.

Keira was right. He needed to remember, he earned all of this. Those fans that still stayed loyal, the money, the car, the suits, the love. It was already as good a time as any to take a week off and enjoy it. But the next day, they learned that Ryan Knight was in the same town. And with Melony Peaches being here with him, it was an obvious course of action when the four of them got in touch.

A lot's happened in the year he's been in LAW, but he'd never forgotten how the Knight had looked out for his Lady after their match. As weeks turned into months, with everyone's lives and schedules preventing this gathering from coming to pass, that debt would become another thing to bother him. But it was working right the hell out now, with him sitting on what was on the way to becoming millions. Yeah, plural.

The four would agree on a place, and Severin insisted on covering the meals. It was the least he could do, he felt.

Aaaand...there it is. J's Bar and Grill. A choice that was all kinds of funny: First off, Ryan was the one who suggested the place. Secondly, Melony agreed. And they're both literal nobility. Before LAW, Terrell Hughes would've been expecting to have to Put On The Ritz for an outing with them. Full business suits. Champagne from brands that he'd never heard of and couldn't pronounce. Maybe some bite-sized, five thousand dollar snails or something...

Then he met Alix and Emilia, and started hanging out with them. The old Terrell would've figured that he was being set up for something. Just one would've been crazy. Two wealthy people -- one being a world-renowned porn star and championship-caliber erotic wrestler, and the other being a Mensa-certified independent horror film producer who was born and raised halfway across the world -- watching old monster movies, and having barbecues and smoke sessions with some dude from Milwaukee? Sounds like something one would think up after one of those aforementioned smoke sessions. But now they're just cool people he met at work.

And when Ryan said he wanted to try J's, he simply thought, "Hey, cool." They make a good fruit punch margarita, the chicken tenders are the bomb, and the seasoning on their fries reminds him of Wingstop. All at reasonable prices. Let's go, brother!

He parked the car, circled around to the passenger's side, and with his gentle smile, extended a hand after the door was open.

"My Lady."

This meeting had been a long time coming, but

couldn't be happier that it was finally here. A day out with her man was always a good day, and Terrell's mood had been in flux a lot recently. She knew he had a lot on his mind, not the least of which the work he'd done as one of the representatives for the men in the mixed division - he wasn't the official face of the movement, but he may as well be at this point. And that was to say nothing of the results of his recent matches; he'd been training like a man possessed, but still had yet to reach that next level to his game that they both knew he had within him.

To her relief, though, it didn't take much convincing to coax Terrell out for a break. Training until he was too sore to move would do him no favors in the ring, and obsessing over his defeats would only lead to a depressive spiral if left unchecked. He needed to get out and decompress, and what better way to do that than to socialize?

Ryan Knight was no champion of men's rights, but he was a damn fine gentleman in his own right - Keira would hear no comments to the contrary. He'd proven himself a respectable man both during their match and in the aftermath, and Keira had made sure there were no spectators in that crowd doubting her stance. She hadn't heard much from him in his time since, though as far as she could tell, he wasn't being heckled nearly as much after his more recent matches anymore. It wasn't the resounding turnaround Keira would have liked, but realistically, she knew she alone wouldn't change people's opinions entirely overnight. At least he wasn't being harassed anyore; it was a low bar, but one she was glad to have a part in clearing.

Terrell had also wanted to meet him since that night; Ryan's literal defense of Keira, shielding her from the debris meant for him, had earned Terrell's respect, too. She didn't know too much about Ryan's partner Melony other than she was a very lucky woman, but there was no better chance to learn, so Keira was looking forward to meeting her. And after Terrell's recent monetary winnings, he'd offered to cover any expenses for this evening. Keira suspected he would have offered even had he not won big at that casino - and if he didn't, she would have - but it was nice to not have to worry about money management.

Keira herself could hardly tell a sedan from a jeep from a van, but Terrell was quite fond of his new old car. He'd wanted one forever, and they finally had the money to get it, fix it up, make it look good as new. Even Keira had to admit, it was impressive. They drove in relative silence; Terrell's music and just being out on the road itself seemed to be helping clear his mind, and she didn't want to interrupt that, even if she knew he'd answer.

When they finally arrived, Keira intentionally took her time preparing to get out of the car - she knew Terrell liked to open the door for her (and she certainly wouldn't be asking it of him if he didn't already want to do it), and it was just too cute to watch him cater to her.

"That's a good boy," she said with a coy grin as she took his hand, and he helped her step out of the car. Then, with a softer tone, "Thank you."

She kept his hand clutched in hers as they headed inside, her eyes scanning for Ryan. "I know this is a big ask, but try not to talk about work too much, alright?" Keira said, voice quiet but loud enough to be heard over the dim buzz of the patrons. She knew it wasn't likely, but she said it anyway. "Remember, this is supposed to be night to help you unwind, among other things."

Melony's Causal Theme

Ryan's Knight's reputation had indeed been improving considerably. It started off shaky due to the blonde man's bitter turn to darkness. But meeting and wrestling Melony had granted the kind-hearted empress the opportunity to bring Ryan back into the light. Since the two started dating, harassing him had become a lot less popular. This was due to a number of things.

On Melony's end her status as not just a fan-favorite wrestler, but a bonafide empress, meant it was worth thinking twice about getting on her seldom-seen "bad" side. Her tag partners and loyal friends Honie and Jasmine had offered to beat up/smother down anyone who gave Melony's boyfriend any trouble. And while the Booty Bullet appreciated the offer, she liked to keep things diplomatic if possible. That being said, Empress Peaches was more than willing to swoop in and punish Ryan's detractors herself, when things went too far. Her lower body strength in particular was as praised as it was feared...

Not that Ryan couldn't take care of himself of course. In fact, he had improved his own reputation time and again. And the most recent example was the blonde man protecting Keira from debris. Melony was quite proud of Ryan for this noble act. And it peaked an interest to meet Keira herself, along with her boyfriend Black Severin. And so, this double date was arranged!

Melony entered the restaurant in her wrestling attire, just in case she felt the urge to smother her man silly in it later... She quickly noticed Ryan, who had already arrived a bit earlier than she had. She approached with a warm smile, giving her man a big kiss on the cheek, as she sat down right next to him. "Mwah...! Greetings love. We're quite the punctual duo, aren't we?"~ Melony purred. "You look lovely... Oh! Is that Keira and Black Severin over there?" The monarch would notice the other couple walking into the bar/restaurant together, which meant this double date was officially on!

Melony

Truth be told Ryan was thinking that maybe he'd have been better off not showing up, he'd clocked a few wary glances at him in the place and knew that there were some mutterings under their breath. One time a streamer who was huge into LAW's lore attempted to ragebait him into attacking but quickly backed away once Ryan called up his litteral army of lawyers to it. Still he gave his word that he'd be here for this event and thus he was here, thankfully Melony arrived and he instantly leaned into her touch with a rare smile.

"Hello love. Yes I guess we are, one of the few things none can ever deny about me for sure is that I'll be here. Ryan said with a light chuckle, he thought it odd Melony came in her wrestling attire but considering her beauty he'd never complain. The Paragon would wave to Keira and Severin and say "Hi there, your Severin right? Great to finally meet you I've heard good things about you." as he walked forth boldly to give a handshake.