Nervous Breakthrough: A Daughters of Kaos Scars & Stripes RP
Aug 25, 2022 0:49:28 GMT -5
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Post by veronicanrana on Aug 25, 2022 0:49:28 GMT -5
“I can’t keep doing this, Penny. Not anymore.”
Penny remained where she was; eyes closed with her jaw half-opened as her mind raced hard for something - anything- she could say to put her wife at ease.
“I guess I thought everything was okay.”
“It clearly isn’t,” Mary shrugged, pushing herself off the sofa as the once-white stucco walls seemingly aged in a blink of an eye. The paint gave way to what seemed like a dull, almost skin-like color that pushed and pulled like coagulated blood pressed under a microscope. “You keep telling me that things are going to change. And I’ll give you credit: things do change.”
Watching Mary light a cigarette, Penny couldn’t help but feel like she knew exactly what she was going to say next. Like, if there was another person in the room with them right now, she’d bet them a hundred bucks that Mary would say something about how things just kept getting worse.
“They just keep getting worse and worse!” Mary scoffed, pulling the cigarette away from her lips now she sheepishly exhaled a cloud of yellow smoke.
Knew it.
“What do you expect me to say, baby?” Penny asked, looking at her from the couch as she felt the cushion beneath her sink her bottom deeper into the foam.
“Don’t,” Mary said, pulling the finger away from her lips. “Do not ‘baby’ right now. Nothing you tell me is going to make me feel better.”
“What do you expect me to say?” Penny shot back, trying to push herself from the couch, yet feeling completely unable to do so. “... The hell?”
“Real mature,” Mary said, bringing the finger back to her lips as she took a drag so hard that the ember pulled the skin and bones back to nothing more than a trail of floating ash.
“Everything I have done since we’ve been back together was for you,” Penny said, softly turning her head as she felt the saline well beneath her eyes. “And I am sorry if that’s not good enough for you.”
“And where did that lead us?” Mary asked, flicking the finger away as the ember still glowed.
Totally disregarding Mary’s rant about how they were probably better off back in Atlanta, Penny couldn’t help but watch the finger as it spun through the air. Somehow, she just knew that the moment it landed it was going to set this whole apartment on fire. They had tried so hard to fix it up; to make their home beautiful enough to enjoy among the company of close friends. But no matter what they did, there was always something wrong that prevented their home from becoming what it was meant to be.
“Are you even listening to me?” Mary shot out as the finger hit the ground behind her and ignited a wicked inferno that spread all across the carpet. “How… No. Why? Why do I keep letting you do this to me?!”
“Baby, I’m sorry,” Penny sighed, her lips trembling, wanting so hard to push herself even an inch off the sofa. “I did my best.”
“Well, I guess it wasn’t good enough,” Mary said; the flames beneath her creeping up the walls.
Penny couldn’t place what it was, but it was almost like she knew what was coming next. And if she didn’t do anything to stop it, something terrible was going to happen to Mary and there was nothing she could do to stop it.
“Baby!”
“What did I say about calling me ‘Baby’?”
“You don’t understand-”
“I don’t want to hear it, Penny. I’m not in the mood.”
“Leave,” Penny yelled.
“You bet your ass I’m leaving.”
“Just fucking go!” Penny yelled.
“Don’t raise your voice at me!” Mary yelled back. “After everything I’ve been through, you do not deserve to be mad.”
“I don’t give a shit,” Penny hissed back. “Please leave. Right now!”
Penny couldn’t tell what it was. Was there something in the air? Did the world move totally out of orbit? Penny didn’t know. Penny felt like she didn’t have time to even figure it out as she watched the horde of faceless men storm the room and force her wife to the ground. Mary screamed and cried; pushing off hands that invaded every inch of her body.
Silent cries escaped Penny’s lips as she tried to push her body from the sofa. She was forced to endure the sight of the one single human being she cared about most in this world getting savagely taken apart. Penny kept trying and fighting, but no matter how much she pushed there was no leaving the sofa.
“Baby…” Mary gasped. “Help me… Please!”
Using every ounce of strength in her body, Penny let out a mighty cry- one she could hear for the first time since this entire ordeal began… But even that seemed to be taken away from her, as she watched one of the faceless men force himself above Mary. With a wooden stake raised in the air, the faceless man drove a stake right into her eye.
Completely unable to grasp the sheer horror of what she unfolded before her, Penny’s body broke into a shrug as she cried into the air…
Crying.
Screaming.
Unable to speak.
And crying.
And screaming.
Unable to move.
And crying.
And screaming.
“Baby!”
“Baby!”
“Baby!”
“Baby!”
“Baby!”... Mary cried. “Wake up!”
Opening her eyes to the sight of Mary leaning over her, Penny’s body let out a horrifying cry. Quickly, Mary pulled Penny into her arms and held her.
“Shhh,” Mary hushed, kissing her forehead. “It’s okay. You’re safe now.”
Penny quickly reached out and held Mary’s hand, trembling in her arms.
“You were having a bad dream again.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Mary said with a soft smile. “We all have bad dreams.”
“Not like this,” Penny said, still trembling. “It’s the third night in a row.”
“Come here,” Mary hushed, wrapping her legs around Penny now as she gave her another kiss on the forehead.
Penny looked up at the most beautiful soul to ever grace creation and softly smiled. “I’m never going to let you down.”
“Baby…,” Mary smiled, looking right back at Penny. “I’m never going to run around and desert you.”
Penny chuckled. “Never gonna make you cry.”
“Never going to say goodbye,” Mary sang.
“Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you,” Penny sang back, giggling as she caught the grace of Mary’s smile.
“Never gonna give you up,” Mary and Penny sang, softly and slowly. “Never going to let you down…”
Penny buried her face into Mary’s breasts and held her as tight as she could, both women still singing. “Never going to run around and desert you.”
Mary ran her fingers over Penny’s hair and kissed her forehead again, both women still singing, “Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.”
<***>
<***>
Vanessa woke up to the scent of freshly-made Arroz con Chocolate- a particular favorite of hers. A rich rice porridge stewed with fresh chocolate tablets, Arroz con Chocolate was an old family recipe, passed down from Mama Angela Sandoval herself; who had inherited the recipe from her mother and the many women who preceded her.
Taking her robe from the ottoman, Vanessa opened the door of their bedroom and found herself taken by the sound of Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide” playing from the living room. Vanessa slipped on her robe as she descended the stairs, finding Wayne rolling a spliff from his seat on the couch as music played from a compact Bluetooth speaker on the coffee table.
“Hey,” Vanessa said.
“Hey,” Wayne said back, turning his sights on her with a soft smile as he held up the spliff. “Care to join me?”
“Isn’t it a little early for that?”
“Flight’s not for another few hours,” Wayne replied, taking the spliff to his lips. “I’ve got time.”
“Si tu le dis,” Vanessa grinned. “Alors.”
Wayne lit the spliff and pulled it away from his lips, coughing as he replied in broken French, “Jay… Du tempe.”
Vanessa couldn’t help but laugh as she took her spot on the sofa beside him.
“What?” Wayne chuckled, holding up the spliff. “I’m trying.”
Vanessa took the spliff from his hand and dropped her head on his shoulder. “Je sais…”
Wayne wrapped his arm around her and kissed her forehead. In turn, Vanessa took a deep pull from the spliff.
“What is it?”
“It’s nothin’,” Wayne replied, turning his head.
Vanessa cast her gaze to the side and watched her husband, as she took another deep pull from the spliff.
“What is it?”
“It’s nothing,” Vanessa replied, turning her head; smirking almost.
Wayne took the spliff back from his wife’s fingers and chuckled, “Nothin’, huh?”
“Not a damn thing,” Vanessa replied, snuggling now as she locked her eyes with his.
Wayne, in turn, softened to a somewhat contemplative smile as he looked back at her. “Supposed I told you that I didn’t want to go?”
“Well,” Vanessa began. “I suppose that I’d tell you that I didn’t think there’s anything wrong with that.”
Wayne took another hit and passed the spliff. “What if I thought there was something wrong with that?”
Vanessa took the spliff. “And why would there be anything wrong with that?”
“Reckon it’d be on account of me not supposed to be feelin’ this way.”
Vanessa exhaled a small trail of smoke from her lips. “And why not?”
“No particular reason,” Wayne replied, looking away from her. “I guess I just don’t want to go.”
“Then don’t go.”
“It’s not that easy,” Wayne replied. “Besides, I promised Josh.”
“I’m sure he’ll understand,” Vanessa replied, passing back the spliff. “Why don’t you want to go?”
“I just don’t want to leave home,” Wayne replied, taking the spliff from her fingers.
“That's fine.”
“That's fine.”
“... Guess I don’t have it in me anymore, you know?” Wayne took a drag. “I think I’d rather stay in one place where things more or less stay the same.”
“It’s crazy to think about it, no?” Vanessa began. “How we lived our lives for all those years? Moving from one place to another with almost no stop.”
Wayne flicked the ash off the split over the ashtray. “It was a good life.”
“It was,” Vanessa chuckled. “Thousand bad times aside.”
Taking the spliff back to his lips, Wayne asked, “You miss it, don’t you?”
“What if I thought there was something wrong with that?”
Wayne passed the joint back to Vanessa. “Nothin’ wrong about it.”
Vanessa took a long drag and sighed.
“I saw how you were during that last tour with Penny,” Wayne began. “You used to have this look in your eyes whenever you’d step into a ring. I hadn’t seen that look in years until Penny brought it out of you.”
Vanessa took another deep drag.
“It’s not wrong to feel this way,” Wayne said. “You gotta do what you need to do.”
“But what about you?” Vanessa asked.
Wayne leaned close and pressed a soft kiss on Vanessa’s lips. “I’ll be there when you need me.”.
<***>
If there was ever one single lesson from the road that Scarlett Quinn hated the most, it was having been forced into growing up. Still lying in her bed, Scarlett reached for her pen and took a deep drag. It may have taken her almost a decade to figure it out, but Scarlett couldn’t help but find herself understanding why her dad was such an ass when she was starting out.
Being a brat could only get her so far, apparently. She had to be a bitch. But she couldn’t be just any bitch, or else people - particularly men- would have problems. So, she learned how to be a professional. A professional bitch.
“Scarlett Quinn, Professional Bitch,” she murmured, relaxing into her bed. “Huh, I kinda like the sound of that.”
Scarlett chuckled, her senses savoring the moment.
Despite the money it made her, Scarlett hated that she even had to be that person on the road. Sure, it got her places… And maybe she liked how it made her feel… On occasion. But still, it was starting to be so exhausting that she started to miss being home!
“I can be myself at home,” Scarlett sighed, taking another deep pull from the pen.
And because she could be herself, she wasn’t beholden to anyone or anything. She could do whatever she wanted- free of complication and consequence. It was great. So great, in fact, that Scarlett was going to stay in bed and spend the entire day playing Breath of the Wild.
She was going to grab her Switch from her backpack, when God damn it, her phone rang.
“Heh, Penny…” Scarlett grumbled, swiping the call.
“Yo, where ya’ at?”
“Uhm… At home? What’s up?”
“Gurl!” Penny shot out.
“What’s the big dea-”
“You were supposed to be at the school a half hour ago?”
“-Wait…”
“Scar,” Penny cut in. “What day is it?”
“What day is it?” Scarlett snarked. “It’s… Uhm… Uh, Tuesday.”
“It’s Thursday.”
It’s Thursday?!
“... I’m still on Japan time,” Scarlett said.
“You’ve been back home for a month!”
“I’m still on Japan time,” Scarlett replied, rolling her eyes as she turned her head. “Besides, isn’t training this afternoon? What’s the rush?”
“Still on Japan time, huh?”
“Japan time,” Scarlett groaned as she rolled to her side and buried her head in her pillow. “Start class without me. I’ll be there in a bit.”
“Thanks!”
Scarlett closed the call and tossed her phone back over her shoulder.
“Ugh, I hate wrestling training!” Scarlett groaned. “So fucking much!”
Scarlett grabbed her blankets and snuggled herself tightly.
“Drills are so boring,” Scarlett mouthed. “Back bump, face bump, back bump, face bump- side roll!”
… There was something she had to do to make it at least fun!
<***>
It wasn’t so much that Penny knew Scarlett wasn’t going to show up to training. Deep down inside, even before she made that call over two hours ago, Penny just knew it was a lost cause. But still, regardless of how much she hated the situation, Scarlett was a pro. She was gonna show up. Or at least Penny thought she was. This is exactly why she delayed the start of today’s class by a good forty-five minutes.
And so, as Mary took command of Wayne’s office (which, he did say she could do while he was away in Atlanta), Penny conducted today’s wrestling class at the McGurk Wrestling Academy in hotter-than-fuck Tempe, Arizona.
Today’s class was a particularly special case that Penny didn’t want any part of. But because Wayne asked her, she couldn’t say no.
For the last four years, Championship Connections’ ‘Be a Champion’ initiative has become one of the agency’s most successful Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs. Every year, the company personally selected a handful of prospects, mostly from rural and urban community colleges, and provided them with the training and networking they needed to excel at a national, even professional level. Part of that training included a two-week crash course in Tempe- just to safeguard Be a Champion’s beneficiaries with a career in wrestling, if they needed it.
It was all Josh and Mary’s idea, funnily enough… Back when they could still stand each other. Josh wanted a way to give back to the community. Mary needed a way to cut corners on the company’s taxes. In the end, the program worked out for the best. They managed to get a few pros out of it. But most importantly, it established Championship Connections as the agency that cultivated talent.
Even as Penny had the students running the bumps, she couldn’t shake off just how disappointed she was in Scarlett. She never asked for much- especially after they started getting close again. But sometimes, Scarlett just made it so difficult for her to appreciate her friendship because of shit like this.
“That’s not how you do it,” Penny shot out, pushing herself from the turnbuckle. “We’ve been doing this for a week!”
“Dragon rolls,” Penny began, taking a side stance to get herself in position. “Now, I know it doesn’t feel as natural as taking a back bump or falling on your face. But seriously, if you get this right, this move can save your life when you least expect it. Now watch!”
Penny was just on the verge of pushing herself off her feet, when the doors to the McGurk Wrestling Academy swung open.
“Listen up, jabros!” Scarlett shot out, sauntering into the school now with tinted shades covering her eyes; an iced coffee in one hand, with what appeared to be a wrestling dummy in the other. “Class is finally in session! Stop everything you’re doing!”
“Dude!” Penny shot out, marching over to the ropes. “We’re in the middle of class.”
“Even better!” Scarlett sipped her iced coffee. “They’re warmed up.”
Penny kept herself where she was as Scarlett got closer and closer to the ring.
“Scar,” Penny murmured. “What are you doing?”
“Teaching these kids how to wrestle?” Scarlett replied, setting her iced coffee down on the apron as she propped up the wrestling dummy on her shoulder. It was close enough for Penny to notice that it was wearing an Anna Ahriman t-shirt.
“Where’d you even get that?”
“It was lying around?” Scarlett replied, carelessly tossing the dummy into the ring.
Penny looked down at the wrestling dummy at her feet and found herself somewhat startled by the sight of Anna Ahriman’s smile looking right at her… She was literally looking into Penny’s soul and it made her so uncomfortable.
“... And the Anna Ahriman t-shirt?”
“It was lying around.”
“Of course it was.”
Scarlett shimmied her way up the steps and wiped her shoes on the apron.
“You know, we’re kinda in the middle of something right now?”
“Oh yeah?” Scarlett replied, slipping in between the top and middle ropes. “What are they doing?”
“Well, I was showing them a side-roll before you interrupted.”
“Thank God I interrupted then!” Scarlett shot back, picking up the wrestling dummy with an Anna Ahriman t-shirt. “They must be so bored.”
“It’s a necessary skill!”
“I’m not arguing that,” Scarlett said, holding up the wrestling dummy with an Anna Ahriman t-shirt. “I’m just saying, your students are probably bored. I mean, they look bored.”
Scarlett and Penny looked over at the rogue band of Championship Connections’ trainees; breathing heavily, some trying to catch their breath, with one or two slowly inching their way to their water bottles.
Scarlett tossed the wrestling dummy with an Anna Ahriman t-shirt at Penny. “Come on, let them have some fun. This is wrestling!”
Penny caught the wrestling dummy with an Anna Ahriman t-shirt in her arms and found herself jerking back just a bit, totally taken off guard by the weight of it.
“Exactly!” Penny shot back, shoving the dummy back at Scarlett. “This is why they need to learn how to fall properly.”
Scarlett caught the wrestling dummy with an Anna Ahriman t-shirt in her arms. “Yeah, but what good is any of this gonna do ‘em if they can’t even do something about it?”
Scarlett shoved the dummy back at Penny.
Penny caught the wrestling dummy with an Anna Ahriman t-shirt in her arms and shot back, “They will. But not now!”
Penny shoved the dummy back at Scarlett.
Scarlett caught the wrestling dummy with an Anna Ahriman t-shirt in her arms. “Then when?”
Scarlett shoved the dummy back at Penny.
Penny caught the wrestling dummy with an Anna Ahriman t-shirt in her arms. “When I tell them they’re ready!”
Penny shoved the dummy back at Scarlett.
Scarlett caught the wrestling dummy with an Anna Ahriman t-shirt in her arms. “You totally suck!”
Scarlett shoved the dummy back at Penny.
Penny caught the wrestling dummy with an Anna Ahriman t-shirt in her arms. “You suck! You’re over two hours late to class.”
Penny shoved the dummy back at Scarlett.
Scarlett caught the wrestling dummy with an Anna Ahriman t-shirt in her arms. “Yeah, because I thought I was gonna get bored. Turns out I was right!” Scarlett positioned the wrestling dummy with an Anna Ahriman t-shirt in front of her. “What happened to you?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve gone all fucking corporate, dude! Your classes used to be so fucking fun,” Scarlett replied, holding the dummy now by the wrists. “You used to be fun. You even trained me! Now you’re just as old and boring as dad!”
“I am not boring!” Penny hissed, looking at the students now. “Tell her I’m not boring!”
Scarlett slapped Penny in the face with the hand of the wrestling doll with an Anna Ahriman t-shirt.
“Dude!” Penny shot out, holding her jaw.
Scarlett slapped Penny again with the hand of the wrestling doll with an Anna Ahriman t-shirt.
“What the fu-”
Scarlett slapped Penny again with the hand of the wrestling doll with an Anna Ahriman t-shirt.
“Scarle-”
Scarlett slapped Penny again with the hand of the wrestling doll with an Anna Ahriman t-shirt.
“Will you just sto-”
Scarlett slapped Penny again with the hand of the wrestling doll with an Anna Ahriman t-shirt.
Having lost all her patience, Penny charged forward and threw herself at the wrestling doll with an Anna Ahriman t-shirt. Scarlett, in turn, quickly stepped away and watched as Penny and the doll crashed into the turnbuckle. Where, in her newfound sense of rage, Penny began pummeling forearm after forearm into the dummy’s face.
“Fuuuuuuuck!” Penny screamed aloud, still firing forearms.
Watching this, Scarlett couldn't help but grin. It was a naughty, little grin. Almost akin to that of Palpatine when he saw Darth Vader lose his shit for the first time at the end of ‘Sith.
Penny pushed herself off the wrestling dummy. Grabbing the top rope for dear life, Penny began to stomp a mudhole into the chest of the wrestling dummy wearing an Anna Ahriman t-shirt.
“Hey,” Scarlett said, strolling over. “Think I can get in on that?”
Penny grabbed the dummy and shoved it over to Scarlett. “Be my guest!”
Scarlett, in turn, caught the dummy into a reverse headlock. Suddenly aware of her position, Scarlett looked at Penny with a grin. “Think you’ve got a Liberty Cap on ya’?”
“Why?”
“I kinda have an idea,” Scarlett said, looking down at the dummy. “Do a Liberty Cap! Like, right now!”
Looking at the way the wrestling dummy with the Anna Ahriman t-shirt clung limply on Scarlett’s arms, Penny nodded as she stepped back towards the ropes. A moment later, Penny spun on her heel, bounced off the ropes at full force, and shoved her foot right into the neck of the dummy as Scarlett dropped it with a DDT a moment after impact.
“Holy shit!” Scarlett grinned, looking up at Penny.
“... Yeah,” Penny shrugged. “That was pretty cool!”
“Wanna do it again?”
<***>
Mary was in Wayne’s office, catching up on work. Since she and Penny left Atlanta, and in the process, Championship Connections, Mary’s been trying to build up a strong resume of potential businesses that could sponsor Penny. Sure, they had money but they knew it could only get them so far. So the decision was made that they would actively chase sponsors.
So far, the only company that showed any interest in her was Monster- and that largely had to do with the fact that the energy drink was surprisingly popular with young trans women in their early twenties!
Mary reached out for her water bottle, but to her surprise, it was empty. She probably filled it up at least seven times since they got to the school earlier that morning. Mary couldn’t get used to the Arizona heat. It was like nothing she was used to. It was one of those days that was literally so hot, that not even Wayne’s old air-conditioner could cool the room enough to protect her from the heat.
Mary folded her computer and allowed herself to take a short break. She closed her eyes and tried to take in the moment, when a notification buzzed from Wayne’s closed desktop computer. The buzz startled her momentarily, as Wayne’s monitor opened with an e-mail notification that read: “CONFIDENTIAL. Lab Results. 12/06/2022. Dr. DeSilva.”
Mary took a moment to absorb the email in front of her before closing the monitor completely. Whatever was going there was between Wayne and Vanesa, and she knew that it was for the best to pay it as little mind as possible.
Reaching for her empty bottle of water, Mary heard something rumbling from the gym. Stepping away from the desk, Mary approached the window and watched as Penny and Scarlett took turns abusing a crash test dummy inside the ring. Knowing full well she needed a break, Mary stepped outside of Wayne’s office and began making her way towards the ring.
As much as Mary didn’t want to admit it, especially after all the stress it caused on their marriage, there was something so fiercely attractive about the way Penny handled herself in the ring. She was just so fearless. Which was the complete opposite of what she was like when they first started dating- all giddy and nervous. It was one of the qualities that made her fall in love with Penny in the first place.
“Look at them go…”
Mary was so taken at the sight of Penny, that it took her a moment to notice Vanessa standing right next to her.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Mary gasped. “I almost didn’t see you there for a second.”
“That’s alright,” Vanessa smiled. “You were watching Penny, weren’t you?”
“Yeah,” Mary replied, smiling back as she faced Vanessa for a moment. “I don’t think I’ve seen her have that much fun in a long time.”
“Scarlett too,” Vanessa nodded, crossing her arms together.
“Have they ever done it before?” Mary asked. “You know, try to actually make it as a tag team?”
“It isn’t like they haven’t teamed up before,” Vanessa replied. “They just never had the chance to make a serious go at it because of their own careers.”
“It’s a shame,” Mary said, looking back at the ring. “They’d be a pretty big draw if they made an actual go at it.”
A grin crept across Vanessa’s lips. “It’s funny you say that.”
“How come?”
“Come with me,” Vanessa replied, taking Mary’s hand. “There’s something I want to show you.”.
<***>
“Well, we’re here,” Penny said.
“We’re queer?” Scarlett shrugged.
“And this is kinda weird?”
“Not gonna argue that.”
Standing outside of Wayne and Vanessa’s home, Scarlett and Penny huddled close as they looked at the strange-as-fuck note Mary left for them. For some reason, she disappeared in the middle of today’s class, with nothing more than a note instructing both girls to meet her at the McGurk home at exactly 9:00 PM. And it was so weird because all the lights were off except for this creepy glow coming from the living room.
“This has mom written all over it,” Scarlett said, looking down at the note.
“Right?” Penny said, looking back at her. “I can almost picture her telling Mary to write this.”
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what happened,” Scarlett said, pulling her pen from her hoodie.
“So, what now?” Penny asked. “Do we just go in?”
Scarlett took a drag off her pen and shrugged.
“You don’t want to go in, don’t you?”
“I just want to play Breath of the Wild.”
Penny rolled her eyes and grabbed Scarlett’s hand and marched them both up to the porch, when Mary came out of the front door holding her phone.
“Oh good, you’re both here!” Mary said. “I was just about to call.”
“What’s going on in there?”
“You’ll see,” Mary said, slipping her phone back into her pocket. “Come on, Vanessa’s waiting for you in the basement.”
“The basement?!” Scarlett coughed out, mid-pull.
“Baby,” Penny began, leaning close to Mary. “What’s going on?”
“I promised I wouldn’t say.”
Veering over Mary’s shoulder, Penny looked at the trail of candles on the floor.
“What’s with the candles?”
“You’ll see,” Mary said, pulling both women into the house. “I’m sorry.”
“Sorry?” Penny asked.
“Just follow the candles,” Mary said.
“To the basement?” Scarlett asked.
“... Yeah,” Mary shrugged.
“Fuck it,” Scarlett groaned, pushing her way toward the basement. “Let’s do it.”
“Scar?!” Penny hissed, grabbing her hand.
“Sis,” Scarlett groaned again. “It’s been a long day.”
“A long day?!”
“Yeah, and I just wanna get this over with so I can get as high as a kite in my room, and play video games!” Scarlett shrugged. “God.”
Scarlett started to follow the candlelit path to the basement.
“Wait!” Mary shot out, rushing over. “I almost forgot. You can’t go down dressed like that.”
“What?” Scarlett shrugged, turning back to face Mary. “Are we gonna have to get naked or something?”
A grimace crept across Mary’s face as she shrugged. “Well…”
“What the fuck is my mom doing down there?!” Scarlett shot out.
Mary took a moment to press her fingers on her temple. “Fuck, I almost forgot…” she trailed, turning away to pick up two brown paper bags from the coffee table. “There’s one for each of you. Put them on, but you can’t let each other see. Once it’s all on, go downstairs.”
“Baby…” Penny sighed.
“Baby,” Mary sighed back, handing her wife the brown paper bag with her name on it.
“My mom didn’t give you one of Abuelita’s magic teas, did she?” Scarlett asked.
“I know it seems really weird, right now,” Mary replied, handing Scarlett her own bag. “But trust me on this, okay?”
Penny and Scarlett turned to look at each other.
“You married her, dude,” Scarlett said, taking a pull from her vape.
“Yeah,” Penny sighed, closing her eyes as she nodded her head. “We’ll put it on.”
“Great,” Mary said, walking towards the basement door. “It’s kinda kitsch, but I think you’re gonna love it.”
Penny and Scarlett turned to look at each other again.
“Alright,” Mary said, opening the door as a large cloud of smoke emerged from the basement. “I’ll see you both downstairs.”.
<***>
The basement was shrouded in a candle-lit fog of lavender, frankincense, among other herbs and essential oils. Vanessa sat quietly in the center of the room as a circle of candles surrounded her.
Lost in her thoughts, Vanessa couldn’t help but find herself taken back by the very nature of this very day. There was just something in the air that struck her the moment she woke up that morning. It wasn’t easy to fully articulate, but it felt like the world as she knew it finally plunged into a period of chaos that was a long time coming.
In the darkness of her mind’s eye, Vanessa imagined herself standing skyclad on the very edge of a precipice. Looking down at the near-bottomless fall that faced her, Vanessa felt that fluttering pinch swell in the very core of her womb. The feeling grew, coursing through her veins at top speed that Vanessa’s head sparked with a sudden euphoric rush unlike anything else she had ever experienced.
The feeling pushed… And pushed, and pushed, until Vanessa felt the cool force of the wind; sweeping her off her, thrusting her past the brink.
“They’re here,” Mary said. “They’ll be down in a moment.”
In the darkness of her mind’s eye, Vanessa watched herself falling… Experiencing the moment as both the subject and the viewer… Feeling the fluttering itch swelling as it consumed her entire being… Making her stronger. Making her powerful.
“Good,” Vanessa murmured, still falling.
Her daughters are here.
The moment arrived.
Vanessa opened her eyes to a sheepish gaze. She remained where was and used the sheer force of her will alone to ground the power that coursed through her being.
“I finally get it,” Vanessa murmured.
“Get what?”, Mary asked, standing in the corner of the room.
“Today,” Vanessa replied, motionless. “We are standing on the eve of the first day of the rest of our lives. The world- our world- the whole world as we know it- is changing. And it is upon us to take the reins of what we can and command the pace of our destiny once and for all.”
“... Okay…”
“This change is rather unpredictable,” Vanessa continued. “Unpredictable because it carries order, as if it was all preordained by the fates themselves. Everything that will happen from this evening forward has already been written. This is why something must be done. Only Kaos can reverse what has already been written. Only Kaos can lead us to salvation and harmony. Only Kaos can change the future.”
Vanessa closed her eyes.
“I am Kaos,” Vanessa murmured. “And tonight, Kaos calls upon her Daughters.”
Placing both her hands firmly on carpeted ground beneath her, Vanessa felt the power surge through her as it began to spread across the candle-lit circle that surrounded her. The flames of each candle drifted north of Vanessa, collecting itself into a momentary spark of wings that spread across her back.
<***>
This whole thing was low-key freaking Mary out. What started off as a simple discussion on the possibility of Penny and Scarlett becoming a tag team somehow gave way to the ritual that was taking place right before her eyes.
And while she did love the occasional high on weekends, Mary Tobin-Shannon prided herself on the fact that she was a very pragmatic person. In a world with so many larger-than-life characters, some of whom had the egos to fill out the arenas and stadiums they commanded, Mary loved that she could inject a much-needed dose of reality with every sentence she uttered.
But even then, nothing could prepare her for the sight of seeing Vanessa command the flame of three dozen candles to make it look like she had fiery wings on her back.
Mary couldn’t help but stand there, frozen in place, with her jaw hanging out as she held her inhaler. And even though she couldn’t place it, and maybe it was all the herbs and essential oils filling the basement with smoke, Mary couldn’t help but find herself taken by everything in front of her. She was so lost in the moment that her heart skipped a beat when she heard the door close at the top of the staircase.
Footsteps descended the staircase in an almost rhythmic, drum-like pattern. Mary turned her head, and in her glaze, watched as Penny and Scarlett made their way down to the basement. Their bodies shrouded in hooded satin cloaks, the sisters moved like they were being guided by the sound of music. Mary could have sworn she heard the sound of Spanish guitars somewhere. Maybe their grandmother was playing music on her porch?
Mary didn’t know.
<***>
“Pst,” Scarlett whispered, leaning close to Penny as they descended the staircase.
“Yeah?” Penny whispered back, leaning close to Scarlett.
“You’re not weirded out by all this, are you?”
“Well,” Penny whispered back, giving it a moment. “I’m not as weirded out as I should be.”
“In terms of weird shit, we’ve been through a lot worse.”
“Oh, this is considerably chill!”
“Totally.”
“But it’s still pretty weird,” Penny giggled.
“Ugh,” Scarlett groaned.
“What’s up?”
“What?”
“That groan,” Penny whispered.
“Forget it,” Scarlett sighed. “It’s nothing.”
“Come on,” Penny replied, nudging Scarlett’s shoulder a little.
“Fine,” Scarlett shrugged. “It’s just that I miss this.”
“Mom’s rituals?”
“No,” Scarlett replied. “This. You and me getting into stupid shit.”
“But we always get into stupid shit.”
“Not like we used to,” Scarlett sighed. “You grew up, and got married, and went all corporate. Like, yeah I’m happy for you. But… You know, I miss you.”
“I get it,” Penny smiled. “I’ve missed you too.”
“Are you just saying that?”
“I really do miss you,” Penny replied, still whispering as both girls motioned down the final step. “I guess I just got trapped by wanting to be better that I started to lose sight of who I am and what matters to me.”
“You sound like such a grown-up.”
“I know, right?!” Penny groaned. “Look, let jus-”
“- COME MY DAUGHTERS!”
Both girls turned their heads toward the direction of their mother’s call in the center of the room. Scarlett and Penny held each other as they watched, in sheer fucking terror, as their mother sat before a candle-lit circle with flaming wings spread across her fucking back.
“COME BEFORE THE CIRCLE!”
“What the fu-” Scarlett murmured, but it was too late.
A gust of smoke tangled itself around the legs of both girls and pulled them towards the circle.
“Dude!” Penny hushed, grabbing Scarlett’s arm.
“I know,” Scarlett hushed back, holding Penny close. “This is really fucking weird.”
“It is so fucking weird!”
Opening her eyes, Vanessa watched as her daughters drifted towards her. Their bodies suspended in flight; just enough for both their feet to barely drift above the candle-lit flames that surrounded the circle. Sweeping her hand into the air, Vanessa commanded the elements again to safely guide her daughters to the ground before her.
“Mom,” Scarlett snapped. “What the fu-”
“Hush,” Vanessa hissed, as her body took the air and levitated before them.
“Oh, my God!” Penny said, throwing her face into her hands. “I can’t tell if I’m high right now or if this is all real!”
“Oh Penny,” Vanessa sighed, drifting towards her daughter to greet her with a warm embrace. “My sweet, sweet Penny. So full of heart. Your soul has carried enough burdens to last well over several lifetimes. But the fact that you never once let it change the person you truly are shows just how much heart you have. You carry that heart into every single thing you do, that naturally, you just want to be the best that you can be. And yes, you are growing up. And yes, you are failing. And you will fail again. And that’s alright. What matters is what you take from your failure, for it will lead you to success. I promise you this.”
Vanessa kissed her daughter’s hair and held her for a moment.
Letting go, Vanessa turned to Scarlett.
“And Scarlett…”
Scarlett crossed her arms and pouted. “Do not come any closer.”
“Why?”
“This is weird?”
“Scarlett...”
“You’re high?”
Vanessa raised her eyebrow. “Honey Bunny!”
“Mom,” Scarlett hissed. “... Not in front of Mary!”
“Uhm,” Mary coughed from the side of the room. “I’ve heard her call you ‘Honey Bunny’... And I’m pretty sure I’ve heard your dad call you that too.”
“Well isn’t that just the coolest?” Scarlett shrugged, rolling her eyes.
“Oh my Honey Bunny,” Vanessa began. “Always the proud one. You’ve been this way ever since you were a little girl. This is actually what I love the most about you. You’ve always been guided by your own convictions. But I swear, sometimes, you can be so unreasonably stubborn that your own pride becomes the catalyst of your undoing.”
“Why does Penny get the sweet talk?!”
“You’re doing it right now,” Vanessa continued, her eyes glowing red. “You have to stop that. You have to learn to let things be, no matter how uncomfortable it makes you. This too will lead you to the lasting success you crave most, my daughter.”
“Okay, mom.” Scarlett nodded, looking down.
Vanessa cast a warm smile upon her daughters, throwing her body back into the air as the flaming wings fluttered behind her.
“Okay,” Penny said, opening her eyes as she breathed heavily. “This is real.”
“Do you feel it, my daughters?” Vanessa asked, her eyes rolling so far back that the flames of the candles reflected against the white. “The change is already here. But thankfully, this very moment has been prepared for many, many moons ago.”
In the darkness of her mind’s eye, Vanessa saw nothing but the flames. The same flames that surrounded her and her daughters at this very moment; the heat of which slowly began to puncture her skin.
“In my deepest visions, I saw order sweeping through the world and leaving nothing but illness and death in its wake. In my vision, I prayed for a miracle. And when my prayers were left unanswered, I prayed again. This time for an answer. I spent so much time waiting, that before long, I compelled myself into the darkness and spent an eon scouring the universe for an answer myself.”
Sweat slowly dripped from Vanessa’s brow. Lost in her mind’s eye, she watched as sheer void and darkness pressed itself into the flames… Stubbing it out until all that was left was nothing more of an imprint tattooed into the dark fabric of reality.
“I danced with Gods. I sipped their wine. I surrendered myself to their waters and bathed upon their sands. And through that, in the darkest moment of my search, I came to find that we are the answer all along. It is I, Kaos. Only Kaos can disrupt the order. Only Kaos can turn the hands of fate. Only Kaos can set things right.”
Vanessa waved her hand and commanded the smoke beneath her and her daughters. The smoke snaked beneath the daughters - reaching upwards to tug and pull at their satin cloaks.
“For Kaos cannot act alone. Kaos needs her daughters.”
The smoke tugged and pulled until eventually, it stripped the daughters of their cloaks to reveal matching flame-lined wrestling outfits.
For the proud and ever-modest Scarlett Quinn, it was only fitting that her wrestling tights extended just slightly below her knees. Her matching halter top, still quite modest, adorned with flames.
“Okay, that’s actually pretty sick!” Penny smiled, looking at Scarlett.
“Dude, you should see you!” Scarlett gasped.
And for sweet and once careless Penny Shannon, a flame-adorned one piece that complemented the shape of her body.
“Not gonna lie,” Penny said, grinning as she looked down upon her body. “I feel pretty fucking hot right now!”
“Autogynephile,” Scarlett smirked.
“You’re an autogynephile!” Penny hissed.
“My girls,” Vanessa smiled, warmly.
The flame in Vanessa’s eyes began to subside, slowly giving way to olive-green pupils. With that, the flaming wings that crept on her back began to guide Vanessa’s back barefoot on the ground. The flaming wings collected themselves behind her and not a moment later, vanished into smoke.
She tried her best to hide it, but Vanessa couldn’t help it. She was happy that her girls were happy. The late nights she spent sewing those tights have now become completely worth it. Her dream for her daughters was finally coming true.
Vanessa reached out and held both her daughters’ hands in hers.
“I’m afraid something bad is going to happen to us if we keep going on this way,” Vanessa began. “We’re all running on fumes and no one’s happy. I don’t know when or how, but this could kill us if we don’t start being happy.”
“How do you even start to be happy?” Scarlett scoffed.
“It starts with one decision to do whatever you want,” Vanessa replied. “And I know for a fact that you’re both miserable right now, at least when it comes to your careers. It’s already starting to affect both your lives. I can see it. And right now, we can’t afford to have this cancer spread any more than it already has.”
Vanessa brought their hands close to her chest and held them there.
“Now, I’m going to ask you both a question,” Vanessa began. “And please, be honest with your answers.”
“Yeah, mom,” Penny nodded.
“Okay,” Scarlett murmured.
“Good,” Vanessa said, shifting her eyes between her daughters. “Now, what do you want?”
“To be happy,” Penny replied.
Vanessa turned to Scarlett.
“... What Penny said,” Scarlett coughed.
“Honey Bun-”
“Alright, already!” Scarlett groaned. “... I want to be happy too! God!”
“Good,” Vanessa said. “Now, when was the last time you were both happy? Scarlett, I'm starting with you.”
“... Crap,” Scarlett began, looking down. “I think the last time I was genuinely happy was like ten years ago when I first started my career.”
“Before you became World Champion or after?”
“Before,” Scarlett smiled, shyly as she kept her gaze down. “When it was just me and Penny doing stupid crap all over the indies. Just being there for the ride with my best friend. My sister.” Scarlett nearly broke. “Pissing off fans and workers because we could get away with it. It was the best!”
“God, it really was, wasn’t it?”
“Thank you,” Vanessa kissed her daughter’s hand and turned to Penny. “Your turn, Penpen.”
“Christmas 2020,” Penny said, looking at her mother. “The first time I brought Mary here for Christmas.”
“The night we got wrecked on horchata and girl scout cookies?”
“That’s the one,” Penny grinned. “Like, after my mom died, it was just me and my brother and we both kinda drifted apart from each other. Then, you took me in and made me your own. So to share that family with the family I made with Mary was just everything to me. It made me feel whole again, in a way that I never thought I could.”
Vanessa kissed her daughter’s hand. “I have one final question. And Penny, we’re going to start back at you. Okay?”
Penny nodded.
“What would make you happy right now?”
Penny’s mouth hung from her jaw as she turned around to face her wife in the corner of the basement.
“I want to wrestle again,” Penny replied. “I’m a wrestler at heart. Nothing else I do can ever change that. And it isn’t like I didn't try. But being in the ring, kicking ass, and entertaining all those people while I’m doing it, makes me happy.”
Penny kept her eyes on Mary. “I gave into the myth that in order to be the best, you had to be the World Champion or you had to beat all the big names to prove yourself. I did all of that and it nearly ruined me.”
“You felt like you weren’t good enough, didn’t you?” Vanessa asked.
“I did,” Penny replied, still looking at Mary. “It’s probably why Josh and I got as close as we did. No one ever took us seriously and we had to kill ourselves to get the respect we thought we deserved. I see now that it wasn’t worth it. What good is all that respect if it leaves you feeling broken and miserable.”
“But you’re already so good,” Mary said. “You don’t have to kill yourself each time you wrestle.”
“I don’t want to kill myself in the ring anymore,” Penny said, still looking at Mary. “I just want to have fun doing what I love.”
“Beating up cisgender men?” Scarlett asked.
“Exactly.” Penny smiled.
“Scarlett,” Vanessa spoke. “It’s your turn.”
“I mean, we’re already here right?” Scarlett rolled her eyes. “This is what this whole thing has been leading to, right?”
“Was it that obvious?”
“Matching gear?” Scarlett smirked. “What are you, high? It’s as obvious as Freddie Mercury in a bathhouse on a summer day!”
“You can say it,” Vanessa giggled.
“Okay,” Scarlett shrugged, looking right at Penny. “I want to be tag team partners with Penny. For real this time. You know, if she’s up for it?”
Mary smiled at Penny and nodded.
“Nothing would make me happier!” Penny smiled, turning back to Scarlett.
“Then it’s settled,” Vanessa spoke, as the flaming wings spread themselves across her back once more.
“Jesus Christ!”, Scarlett gasped, covering her eyes.
“From this moment forth,” Vanessa began as her pupils dilated the flames of a thousand stars. “Under my decree, with gods and my ancestors as my witness. Scarlett Quinn. Penny Shannon. I dub thee the Daughters of Kaos.”
The power coursed through Vanessa’s body again, sending a ball of brilliant firelight rushing through her body, buckling as she transferred her power to her daughters’ hands.
“Your mission is to disrupt the order that has begun to plague our world by being happy,” Vanessa spoke. “No longer will you deny yourselves the right to personal growth by conforming to the unrealistic standards of weak men. Your paths are now your own.”
The brilliant ball of firelight began to pulsate and grow within the hands of Vanessa and her daughters.
“Now go, my daughters,” Vanessa spoke, as the firelight spoon engulfed the entire room with its brilliance. “And set the world on fire with Kaos.”
*
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*
Mary couldn’t tell if it was the mind-blowing sex, or the if was the sheer strangeness of the last twenty-four hours, or even a combination of all those things, but Penny was plenty tuckered out. And judging by the way she slept with a baby in her arms, Mary knew that Penny was probably having the best night’s sleep she’s had since they moved to Tempe.
And so, unable to sleep, Mary spent the wee hours of the morning peacefully watching her wife sleep as a fit of inspiration overcame her. She took her time and thought about the ritual earlier that evening.
“Vanessa didn’t just form any tag team,” Mary whispered. “She inspired them with something to fight for.”
Mary smiled as she kissed Penny’s forehead, feeling her wife sink even deeper into her arms.
“Even me,” Mary whispered, gently tucking Penny’s hair behind her ear. “I’m going to fight for you, baby. I’m going to be your biggest cheerleader, just watch me.”
“Even me,” Mary whispered, gently tucking Penny’s hair behind her ear. “I’m going to fight for you, baby. I’m going to be your biggest cheerleader, just watch me.”
Slowly, Mary slipped herself away from Penny’s arms and gently rolled her to her side. Holding her there for a moment, Mary reached out for the blankets and tucked her wife in.
“I’ll do you right this time,” Mary whispered, kissing Penny’s cheek. “Just as long as you promise me you’ll take care of yourself.”
Leaving their bedroom, Mary spent the rest of the morning working from her desk. The sun slowly crept as Mary toiled before her computer, switching back and forth between a Powerpoint and an Excel sheet, along with formal letters of inquiry sent to her most-trusted hands in Atlanta.
She didn’t know what it was. But she knew she was on to something because all she needed was an agreement to set everything in motion once and for all.
And later that morning, at exactly nine o’clock, Mary made it happen with a simple phone call.
“Bobby Abadi,” Mary spoke, smiling as she leaned back on her seat. “I’m Mary Tobin-Shannon, I don’t believe we’ve… Yes, that’s correct. Penny’s wife… Well, it’s funny you should ask because I now represent Scarlett Quinn as well… Oh, you didn’t know? … They’re a tag team… What are they called?”
Mary grinned as she spun on her seat and watched Penny sleep through the open door to their room.
“Oh right, their name,” Mary smiled. “Daughters of Kaos… Oh, I see...”
Mary rolled her eyes as she listened to the new owner’s bullcrap.
“... Well, I’ll tell you what,” Mary spoke, holding her phone as she rose from her seat. “The Daughters of Kaos will be at Scars and Stripes. And along with them is the support of several major sponsors. And I’m not talking about those small ones, like the chewable viagra every wrestling influencer with a podcast is peddling. I’m talking about globally-recognized products you can pick up at any 7/11 in the world, whether it’s in a small town in Iowa or a major city like Tokyo!”
Mary grinned now as she listened to Bobby Abadi frantically take back everything he just said. “... Well, is that so? In that case, how about we schedule a Zoom for sometime later this week so we can further explore the future of the Daughters of Kaos in WFWF? … Wonderful, I’ll course this through your office and we can take it from there. Thank you. Goodbye.”
Mary pulled off her earbuds and returned to bed next to Penny. Wrapping her arm and leg around her, Mary closed her eyes and breathed in the warmth of her wife’s scent.
“I’m never going to give you up,” Mary sang softly, closing her eyes now. “Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you...”.
