12-28-2023, 12:09 PM
OOC: One of two I plan to do for Ivy Plume, a character some might be familiar with if they've been keeping up with my LITD CDs. I'll be putting her bio up shortly.
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Supreme Championship Wrestling...
To Ivy Plume, it felt as though such a level of competition was just beyond her reach. Despite how hard she'd pushed herself, it had only been about two years since she'd finally set foot in the ring and began her wrestling journey, seeking to prove herself by becoming a force of nature with one specific goal in mind... a goal she would obtain, in a way, through completely different means than she believed would ever be possible again. She wanted to argue against the old adage of “never say never” but considering that she, herself, had ultimately given wrestling another shot after she swore it off for good, she had no ground to stand on.
In hindsight, she doesn't regret how things have played out over the course of 2023, especially since her entire world has been turned upside-down in the best possible way.
That chance encounter in the Bay Area with Amelia Blythe and La Pequeña Luz would open several doors she previously thought were forever locked, and the more she dug into what her former friend had been doing while Ivy had adhered to her admittedly self-destructive mantra of “out of sight, out of mind,” the more surprised she was at what she later realized was Luz's handiwork in just how much Amelia had changed for the better, seemingly returning to the girl that Ivy had befriended and known growing up before that fateful day where she completely cut her out of her life. The fact that Amelia was also so willing to open up about herself and her life in front of a camera for all to see made it nearly impossible to keep hating her, even if she was well within her right to do so. Knowing what she knows now, she should've guessed that Amelia's parents were behind what had happened because it had all come from seemingly nowhere, but she was still justified in disliking how Amelia ultimately went about it.
With 2023 coming to a close, however, that bridge had been repaired, and while they would never go back to the way things were, Ivy couldn't argue that the friendship she and Amelia had now was a breath of fresh air as she'd embraced the mindset that constantly drove her and Luz to greater and greater heights. The things that couple had achieved in their first full year back under SCW contract had been nothing short of inspiring, and Ivy had let that motivation drive her to a few championships of her own to help build herself up. Even then, SCW had still felt beyond her, knowing full well that Luz and Amelia had gotten on their radar after several more years of experience and pushing themselves through a rigorous multi-country schedule where they'd accomplished just about everything, all to pull themselves out of the shadows of their respective parents for different reasons. That goal still drove them even today, and it was hard to argue they'd proven themselves in terms of the second-generation talents that SCW had heavily emphasized back when they first signed years ago.
Ivy had none of that going for her... just a new take on her drive to prove that she was no longer 'weak' or 'worthless' to those who still had it out for her, especially as Amelia and Luz had helped her to expand her horizons beyond the power game she'd been working with since she took another shot at this.
Honestly, she owed Luz thanks for the idea she'd pitched, even if she'd been a bit apprehensive about it at first. The open invitational match at the End of the Year Special, on paper, did seem like the perfect opportunity to take a shot and show what she could do on a stage she wasn't sure she'd honestly get to compete on for a very long time, if ever. She didn't need an SCW contract, and while there was no guarantee she'd face anyone on the current roster, there was still a good chance of facing some stiff competition who likely had the same thoughts she did. A prize of $250,000 and a 2024 Aston Martin DB12 weren't too shabby, either... nothing she felt she honestly needed, but the car especially could be a nice trophy of sorts. Being able to prove herself and maybe make a case to ultimately join her friends in wrestling for one of the biggest companies in the entire world was the ultimate end goal, and winning with all those eyes on her would be the greatest message she could send to people like Amelia's parents about how 'worthless' she was with that kind of accolade under her belt.
Perhaps that was why she'd seemed extra motivated with the match she had won last night in emphatic fashion, the final match she would have for the decent little indy fed she currently called home before taking this shot.
Still feeling the rush the following morning, Ivy had wasted no time in throwing herself into her morning workout, being one of the first ones to show up at one of the local gyms in Detroit where her recent booking had taken place and definitely catching some attention from anyone who came in after her with the admittedly absurd amount of weight she was doing reps with. Something about building up her body like this, even when she'd put a pause on her powerlifting aspirations to take another crack at wrestling, always put her mind at ease as she could just shut off her thoughts and focus only on proper technique and the burn that coursed through her muscles after a good workout. It had been a surprisingly great coping mechanism from high school onward in dealing with that painful memory of her best friend's betrayal, and it was still helpful even to this day despite all the positives that she had going for her now.
Things weren't perfect, after all... Caleb White and his Empire were to blame for that.
The memory of their group's last encounter with the religious cult was still fresh in her mind despite being well over a week ago at this point. The desperation that had led Aleister Blythe and some Empire goons to actually hold them at gunpoint in the hope of forcing Amelia, and Luz to a lesser extent, to comply with their twisted demands. It wasn't lost on her how close she had come on that night to potentially dying had two of their members not turned out to be NCA agents in disguise that apprehended them, but she had stood defiant against them and had been willing to risk her life to make it clear that The Empire was not going to have their way no matter what they tried or who they sent. In a way, Ivy was making amends for that moment in her childhood where she'd allowed her and Amelia to be forced apart because Amelia's parents were elitist snobs who only saw her as an extension of themselves and their family legacy, and she'd be damned if she lost her a second time or even lost Luz because some deranged lunatic believed it was all part of some 'grand plan' to save humanity from itself somehow.
After finishing her current clean and jerk set, Ivy found her thoughts turning towards the other victim in this whole mess, that being Caleb's nephew Henry White... assuming White was even his actual last name and not something Caleb basically grafted onto him when he was still too young to comprehend everything. Maybe it was having gone through a similar experience of having her entire life seemingly ripped away from her because of what happened between her and Amelia, maybe it was the fury she still harbored knowing what happened to her old friend at the hands of her parents once Ivy was out of the picture... maybe it was something else she couldn't quite comprehend just yet, but something about knowing the truth behind Henry's life infuriated her to no end and sparked a desire to get the poor guy away from his uncle by any means necessary.
She remembers back to their encounter after Under Attack, how she had shown him kindness that seemed foreign in his eyes, reassuring him that he could trust her regarding the documents Ryan Lumis had put together about his uncle because she had no reason to deceive him, even if he saw her as his enemy. She also remembers the brief conversation she'd had with Darius and Evie after they had arrested Aleister, how Darius had filled her in from their undercover work posing as members of The Empire that Henry had been secretly doing some digging into his own past and they had subtly encouraged it, believing that Henry breaking free of Caleb's grasp on his own would be a more fatal blow to the cult than if they intervened and gave Caleb a reason to hunt him down and bring him back. Luz and Amelia had been lucky so far through their own counter-planning and having friends like her to watch their backs, but Henry had no one.
“That needs to change,” she quietly told herself as she set up some battle ropes for her next routine. “Somehow, someway, we're going to get Henry away from that bastard so he can choose his own path, just like we all did.”
“If only my uncle made it that simple...”
Ivy had just started her rope whip reps when she heard it, and the moment she did she dropped the ropes and assumed a fighting stance. To her surprise, she found the familiar scarred face of Henry sitting on a bench nearby, doing some light curls with a pair of dumbbells. Seeing him in something other than his wrestling gear or Empire attire was not only surreal, but it painted a disturbing picture in her mind at how scrawny he truly looked, in no way resembling a wrestler at first glance. It was eerily reminiscent of how she remembered Amelia looking the first few times she saw her competing after she'd debuted, and it only stoked the flames of her desire to help this poor guy.
“I'm not here to fight...” he said in an almost solemn tone as he finished his reps and set the dumbbells on the floor. “We may need to just so I can go back to my uncle with a believable story, but I know I can't outmatch you.”
“...what are you doing here?” Ivy asked cautiously, her eyes darting around under her glasses for any other potential Empire members hiding in plain sight. Since she'd gone out to do this workout bright and early, she'd forgotten until now about the fact that she was all alone in case anything happened.
“I'm alone,” he reassured her as he rose to a stand, putting his hands up to try and make it clear he wasn't a threat. “And, as weird as this might sound... I was hoping to talk with you.”
“OK? You know you could just approach us and-” Ivy started, a bit confused.
“With my uncle watching you all like a hawk?” Henry cut in, shaking his head. “Too risky, especially if he perceives it as you guys kidnapping me. The only reason we're in the clear now is because he's busy trying to weed out any more moles in The Empire... and... I convinced him that I could do this on my own.”
“Do what on your own?” Ivy asked, a dangerous edge to her voice as Henry looked a bit panicked at giving off the wrong idea.
“I... I told him I'd try to catch you off guard and bring you back,” Henry carefully said, watching his tone. “The idea was to make him think I could make you join us to try and force Luz and Amelia into following suit, but I swear on my life I have no intention of actually going through with it. I just... I needed to deceive Caleb into believing I could do this on my own so he'd focus elsewhere, especially since he and the Blythes didn't get their 'holy wedding' between me and Amelia on Christmas Day.”
Ivy was still suspicious, but she could tell Henry was at least trying and a lot of his awkwardness was likely due to a lack of social interaction that Caleb was no doubt responsible for. She took one more look around and realized that no one else in the gym was even paying attention to them, even subtly, which felt like a good sign Henry was the only Empire member here. That said, she needed to completely put her mind at ease about him truly being here just to talk, and that's when an idea formed that would guarantee she could trust him.
“Spot me?” she suddenly said, catching Henry off guard. He raised an eyebrow at this until Ivy nodded her head toward the squat rack, something she'd been ignoring without someone she could trust to spot her, just in case.
“O-Oh... oh! Y-Yeah, sure!” Henry answered, his eyes widening as he seemed to pick up on her plan, though she wasn't expecting his face to go red in the process. A few confusing ideas ran through her mind, but she quickly banished them before focusing on getting her bar set up, Henry's jaw dropping once he realized just how many plates she'd stacked on each side.
“That's... that's at least 300 pounds!” he exclaimed.
“Well, yeah,” Ivy giggled. “That's just a light starting set.”
Henry's face clearly resembled someone who's brain had just crashed trying to process this, knowing from The Empire's tracking that Ivy was powerful, but not this powerful. He audibly gulped as Ivy made sure the weights were set before easily stepping back with the bar over her neck and shoulders, waiting for Henry to get into position before she began her reps. She could tell that Henry was struggling to comprehend what he was witnessing, which she admittedly found cute in a way and-
Wait... cute? Where had that thought come from?
“So...” Ivy began, trying to clear her head as she went through her first set of reps and give Henry the conversation he'd been wanting. “What was that earlier about needing to fight for a believable story?”
“I, uh...” Henry seemed taken aback by the engagement of conversation, but he managed to refocus while still doing the task she'd asked of him. “If... if I come back without any signs of a struggle, my uncle will never believe that I came out here to catch you off guard and bring you back with me. If I'm going to supposedly fail in that task, I need roughed up a bit so he'll believe you overpowered me even with the element of surprise.”
“I don't want to hurt you though,” Ivy admitted as she finished her last rep and walked the bar back before turning to face him once it was off her shoulders. “If you'd actually done something by now or given any hint that this was a trap, that'd be a different story, but if you honestly just want to talk then I don't feel right-”
“It's OK!” Henry tried to claim, though whether he was trying to convince her or himself at this point was hard to figure out. “I'm already jumping through so many ridiculous hoops to keep him from getting suspicious about what I know now, so what's one more?”
“So... the documents...?” Ivy carefully asked.
“I looked them over thoroughly in secret,”Henry quietly admitted. “I did some more digging on top of that too, looking through some archives my uncle had locked away so that only he could see them... you all were right. He killed my father—his own brother—and my mother just because he felt betrayed over something that's... that's... just stupid! He's tried to mold me into his 'perfect successor,' acting like I'm supposed to be the reincarnation of Jesus or something so he can play God and 'fix' the world. Sure, it's not perfect, but I don't even think it needs fixed, to be honest! But... I have to at least pretend... if I step out of line, he...”
Ivy watched as he reached up and shakily traced along the jagged scar that cut from the bridge of his nose all the way down to the right side of his jaw, her fists clenched tightly as she struggled to keep her anger in check at the implication.
“It's why I've been going along with this whole thing with Amelia and Luz,” he continued. “I've been... questioning a lot of things my uncle's told me, but even if I'm still trying to figure out this whole sexuality thing for myself and why some people make such a big deal out of it... I'm just not interested in someone like Amelia and can't see a marriage with her actually working even if she was straight. And Luz... I've seen how happy Valentina is being her stepsister now... maybe it sounds weird given how my uncle wants to perceive it, but I kind of want something like that too... preferably without all the Empire stuff tied to it.”
“You don't have to go back to him Henry,” Ivy firmly told him as she reached out and took his hand into her own, locking eyes with him. “You have a way out, right here, right now. I can cut my workout short, we can go back to the others and explain-”
“I'm sorry Ivy.” He suddenly pulled away, looking remorseful. “My uncle... despite all the setbacks, he's got big plans for next year, plans that he guarantees will get him everything he's ever wanted, plans that will 'right' all the 'wrongs' of the world and fix everybody's way of thinking. I don't know what exactly he's up to... but I do know things are going to get a lot worse for you all, and I refuse to add to it. If he knows I'm with you guys, especially willingly... I shudder to think about the warpath he'll go on and who will get hurt in the process.”
“Henry...” Ivy pleaded, hoping that she could somehow prevent him from having to go back to that monster, especially now that it's become clear he's started to see through the lies and form his own opinions.
Before anything else can be done, however, they both hear a buzzing sound and Henry pulls out his phone, scowling at the message he just received.
“I'm being summoned,” he stated. “Uncle wants me to abandon my mission because he's apparently setting up for something and needs me. If I don't come back, all hell will break loose.” He then gives her a small smile. “Thank you, though... for this talk, and for helping me see the truth and believing in me. I don't know how well I can do it, but I'll find a way to help you all out from the inside and keep you one step ahead of him.”
“I'd rather you not even have to take that risk given what kind of monster he is,” Ivy lamented.
“I know...” Hunter solemnly replied. “But right now, playing along is my best bet to avoid things getting worse for all of us. Just... keep trusting in me, please.”
“...it's going to be hard, knowing what he does to you, but I'll try.” Ivy said, concern clear in her voice as she slowly extended her hand, only to be surprised as Henry threw himself at her in a hug that she returned after a moment once she recovered from the surprise of it.
“S-Sorry...” he finally said after pulling away, his face burning red. “I should've asked first... I- I promise I'll pay you back somehow for all of this. Good luck in SCW's open invitational!”
Ivy wanted to say something more, especially knowing now that Henry—and likely The Empire by extension—knew she was going to be competing for SCW in this invitational match, but he quickly rushed off and she was hesitant to stop him lest his tardiness incur the wrath of Caleb. It may not have seemed like much, but it did spark some hope in her heart that Henry could find the strength to escape and reach out if he needed to, and once she shared this development with the others she knew they would be all on board with helping Henry just as they'd helped Valentina.
For now, though, Ivy refocused on her workout, thinking that perhaps she now had another reason to make a powerful statement on an SCW stage as she sought to make the most of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
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Supreme Championship Wrestling...
To Ivy Plume, it felt as though such a level of competition was just beyond her reach. Despite how hard she'd pushed herself, it had only been about two years since she'd finally set foot in the ring and began her wrestling journey, seeking to prove herself by becoming a force of nature with one specific goal in mind... a goal she would obtain, in a way, through completely different means than she believed would ever be possible again. She wanted to argue against the old adage of “never say never” but considering that she, herself, had ultimately given wrestling another shot after she swore it off for good, she had no ground to stand on.
In hindsight, she doesn't regret how things have played out over the course of 2023, especially since her entire world has been turned upside-down in the best possible way.
That chance encounter in the Bay Area with Amelia Blythe and La Pequeña Luz would open several doors she previously thought were forever locked, and the more she dug into what her former friend had been doing while Ivy had adhered to her admittedly self-destructive mantra of “out of sight, out of mind,” the more surprised she was at what she later realized was Luz's handiwork in just how much Amelia had changed for the better, seemingly returning to the girl that Ivy had befriended and known growing up before that fateful day where she completely cut her out of her life. The fact that Amelia was also so willing to open up about herself and her life in front of a camera for all to see made it nearly impossible to keep hating her, even if she was well within her right to do so. Knowing what she knows now, she should've guessed that Amelia's parents were behind what had happened because it had all come from seemingly nowhere, but she was still justified in disliking how Amelia ultimately went about it.
With 2023 coming to a close, however, that bridge had been repaired, and while they would never go back to the way things were, Ivy couldn't argue that the friendship she and Amelia had now was a breath of fresh air as she'd embraced the mindset that constantly drove her and Luz to greater and greater heights. The things that couple had achieved in their first full year back under SCW contract had been nothing short of inspiring, and Ivy had let that motivation drive her to a few championships of her own to help build herself up. Even then, SCW had still felt beyond her, knowing full well that Luz and Amelia had gotten on their radar after several more years of experience and pushing themselves through a rigorous multi-country schedule where they'd accomplished just about everything, all to pull themselves out of the shadows of their respective parents for different reasons. That goal still drove them even today, and it was hard to argue they'd proven themselves in terms of the second-generation talents that SCW had heavily emphasized back when they first signed years ago.
Ivy had none of that going for her... just a new take on her drive to prove that she was no longer 'weak' or 'worthless' to those who still had it out for her, especially as Amelia and Luz had helped her to expand her horizons beyond the power game she'd been working with since she took another shot at this.
Honestly, she owed Luz thanks for the idea she'd pitched, even if she'd been a bit apprehensive about it at first. The open invitational match at the End of the Year Special, on paper, did seem like the perfect opportunity to take a shot and show what she could do on a stage she wasn't sure she'd honestly get to compete on for a very long time, if ever. She didn't need an SCW contract, and while there was no guarantee she'd face anyone on the current roster, there was still a good chance of facing some stiff competition who likely had the same thoughts she did. A prize of $250,000 and a 2024 Aston Martin DB12 weren't too shabby, either... nothing she felt she honestly needed, but the car especially could be a nice trophy of sorts. Being able to prove herself and maybe make a case to ultimately join her friends in wrestling for one of the biggest companies in the entire world was the ultimate end goal, and winning with all those eyes on her would be the greatest message she could send to people like Amelia's parents about how 'worthless' she was with that kind of accolade under her belt.
Perhaps that was why she'd seemed extra motivated with the match she had won last night in emphatic fashion, the final match she would have for the decent little indy fed she currently called home before taking this shot.
Still feeling the rush the following morning, Ivy had wasted no time in throwing herself into her morning workout, being one of the first ones to show up at one of the local gyms in Detroit where her recent booking had taken place and definitely catching some attention from anyone who came in after her with the admittedly absurd amount of weight she was doing reps with. Something about building up her body like this, even when she'd put a pause on her powerlifting aspirations to take another crack at wrestling, always put her mind at ease as she could just shut off her thoughts and focus only on proper technique and the burn that coursed through her muscles after a good workout. It had been a surprisingly great coping mechanism from high school onward in dealing with that painful memory of her best friend's betrayal, and it was still helpful even to this day despite all the positives that she had going for her now.
Things weren't perfect, after all... Caleb White and his Empire were to blame for that.
The memory of their group's last encounter with the religious cult was still fresh in her mind despite being well over a week ago at this point. The desperation that had led Aleister Blythe and some Empire goons to actually hold them at gunpoint in the hope of forcing Amelia, and Luz to a lesser extent, to comply with their twisted demands. It wasn't lost on her how close she had come on that night to potentially dying had two of their members not turned out to be NCA agents in disguise that apprehended them, but she had stood defiant against them and had been willing to risk her life to make it clear that The Empire was not going to have their way no matter what they tried or who they sent. In a way, Ivy was making amends for that moment in her childhood where she'd allowed her and Amelia to be forced apart because Amelia's parents were elitist snobs who only saw her as an extension of themselves and their family legacy, and she'd be damned if she lost her a second time or even lost Luz because some deranged lunatic believed it was all part of some 'grand plan' to save humanity from itself somehow.
After finishing her current clean and jerk set, Ivy found her thoughts turning towards the other victim in this whole mess, that being Caleb's nephew Henry White... assuming White was even his actual last name and not something Caleb basically grafted onto him when he was still too young to comprehend everything. Maybe it was having gone through a similar experience of having her entire life seemingly ripped away from her because of what happened between her and Amelia, maybe it was the fury she still harbored knowing what happened to her old friend at the hands of her parents once Ivy was out of the picture... maybe it was something else she couldn't quite comprehend just yet, but something about knowing the truth behind Henry's life infuriated her to no end and sparked a desire to get the poor guy away from his uncle by any means necessary.
She remembers back to their encounter after Under Attack, how she had shown him kindness that seemed foreign in his eyes, reassuring him that he could trust her regarding the documents Ryan Lumis had put together about his uncle because she had no reason to deceive him, even if he saw her as his enemy. She also remembers the brief conversation she'd had with Darius and Evie after they had arrested Aleister, how Darius had filled her in from their undercover work posing as members of The Empire that Henry had been secretly doing some digging into his own past and they had subtly encouraged it, believing that Henry breaking free of Caleb's grasp on his own would be a more fatal blow to the cult than if they intervened and gave Caleb a reason to hunt him down and bring him back. Luz and Amelia had been lucky so far through their own counter-planning and having friends like her to watch their backs, but Henry had no one.
“That needs to change,” she quietly told herself as she set up some battle ropes for her next routine. “Somehow, someway, we're going to get Henry away from that bastard so he can choose his own path, just like we all did.”
“If only my uncle made it that simple...”
Ivy had just started her rope whip reps when she heard it, and the moment she did she dropped the ropes and assumed a fighting stance. To her surprise, she found the familiar scarred face of Henry sitting on a bench nearby, doing some light curls with a pair of dumbbells. Seeing him in something other than his wrestling gear or Empire attire was not only surreal, but it painted a disturbing picture in her mind at how scrawny he truly looked, in no way resembling a wrestler at first glance. It was eerily reminiscent of how she remembered Amelia looking the first few times she saw her competing after she'd debuted, and it only stoked the flames of her desire to help this poor guy.
“I'm not here to fight...” he said in an almost solemn tone as he finished his reps and set the dumbbells on the floor. “We may need to just so I can go back to my uncle with a believable story, but I know I can't outmatch you.”
“...what are you doing here?” Ivy asked cautiously, her eyes darting around under her glasses for any other potential Empire members hiding in plain sight. Since she'd gone out to do this workout bright and early, she'd forgotten until now about the fact that she was all alone in case anything happened.
“I'm alone,” he reassured her as he rose to a stand, putting his hands up to try and make it clear he wasn't a threat. “And, as weird as this might sound... I was hoping to talk with you.”
“OK? You know you could just approach us and-” Ivy started, a bit confused.
“With my uncle watching you all like a hawk?” Henry cut in, shaking his head. “Too risky, especially if he perceives it as you guys kidnapping me. The only reason we're in the clear now is because he's busy trying to weed out any more moles in The Empire... and... I convinced him that I could do this on my own.”
“Do what on your own?” Ivy asked, a dangerous edge to her voice as Henry looked a bit panicked at giving off the wrong idea.
“I... I told him I'd try to catch you off guard and bring you back,” Henry carefully said, watching his tone. “The idea was to make him think I could make you join us to try and force Luz and Amelia into following suit, but I swear on my life I have no intention of actually going through with it. I just... I needed to deceive Caleb into believing I could do this on my own so he'd focus elsewhere, especially since he and the Blythes didn't get their 'holy wedding' between me and Amelia on Christmas Day.”
Ivy was still suspicious, but she could tell Henry was at least trying and a lot of his awkwardness was likely due to a lack of social interaction that Caleb was no doubt responsible for. She took one more look around and realized that no one else in the gym was even paying attention to them, even subtly, which felt like a good sign Henry was the only Empire member here. That said, she needed to completely put her mind at ease about him truly being here just to talk, and that's when an idea formed that would guarantee she could trust him.
“Spot me?” she suddenly said, catching Henry off guard. He raised an eyebrow at this until Ivy nodded her head toward the squat rack, something she'd been ignoring without someone she could trust to spot her, just in case.
“O-Oh... oh! Y-Yeah, sure!” Henry answered, his eyes widening as he seemed to pick up on her plan, though she wasn't expecting his face to go red in the process. A few confusing ideas ran through her mind, but she quickly banished them before focusing on getting her bar set up, Henry's jaw dropping once he realized just how many plates she'd stacked on each side.
“That's... that's at least 300 pounds!” he exclaimed.
“Well, yeah,” Ivy giggled. “That's just a light starting set.”
Henry's face clearly resembled someone who's brain had just crashed trying to process this, knowing from The Empire's tracking that Ivy was powerful, but not this powerful. He audibly gulped as Ivy made sure the weights were set before easily stepping back with the bar over her neck and shoulders, waiting for Henry to get into position before she began her reps. She could tell that Henry was struggling to comprehend what he was witnessing, which she admittedly found cute in a way and-
Wait... cute? Where had that thought come from?
“So...” Ivy began, trying to clear her head as she went through her first set of reps and give Henry the conversation he'd been wanting. “What was that earlier about needing to fight for a believable story?”
“I, uh...” Henry seemed taken aback by the engagement of conversation, but he managed to refocus while still doing the task she'd asked of him. “If... if I come back without any signs of a struggle, my uncle will never believe that I came out here to catch you off guard and bring you back with me. If I'm going to supposedly fail in that task, I need roughed up a bit so he'll believe you overpowered me even with the element of surprise.”
“I don't want to hurt you though,” Ivy admitted as she finished her last rep and walked the bar back before turning to face him once it was off her shoulders. “If you'd actually done something by now or given any hint that this was a trap, that'd be a different story, but if you honestly just want to talk then I don't feel right-”
“It's OK!” Henry tried to claim, though whether he was trying to convince her or himself at this point was hard to figure out. “I'm already jumping through so many ridiculous hoops to keep him from getting suspicious about what I know now, so what's one more?”
“So... the documents...?” Ivy carefully asked.
“I looked them over thoroughly in secret,”Henry quietly admitted. “I did some more digging on top of that too, looking through some archives my uncle had locked away so that only he could see them... you all were right. He killed my father—his own brother—and my mother just because he felt betrayed over something that's... that's... just stupid! He's tried to mold me into his 'perfect successor,' acting like I'm supposed to be the reincarnation of Jesus or something so he can play God and 'fix' the world. Sure, it's not perfect, but I don't even think it needs fixed, to be honest! But... I have to at least pretend... if I step out of line, he...”
Ivy watched as he reached up and shakily traced along the jagged scar that cut from the bridge of his nose all the way down to the right side of his jaw, her fists clenched tightly as she struggled to keep her anger in check at the implication.
“It's why I've been going along with this whole thing with Amelia and Luz,” he continued. “I've been... questioning a lot of things my uncle's told me, but even if I'm still trying to figure out this whole sexuality thing for myself and why some people make such a big deal out of it... I'm just not interested in someone like Amelia and can't see a marriage with her actually working even if she was straight. And Luz... I've seen how happy Valentina is being her stepsister now... maybe it sounds weird given how my uncle wants to perceive it, but I kind of want something like that too... preferably without all the Empire stuff tied to it.”
“You don't have to go back to him Henry,” Ivy firmly told him as she reached out and took his hand into her own, locking eyes with him. “You have a way out, right here, right now. I can cut my workout short, we can go back to the others and explain-”
“I'm sorry Ivy.” He suddenly pulled away, looking remorseful. “My uncle... despite all the setbacks, he's got big plans for next year, plans that he guarantees will get him everything he's ever wanted, plans that will 'right' all the 'wrongs' of the world and fix everybody's way of thinking. I don't know what exactly he's up to... but I do know things are going to get a lot worse for you all, and I refuse to add to it. If he knows I'm with you guys, especially willingly... I shudder to think about the warpath he'll go on and who will get hurt in the process.”
“Henry...” Ivy pleaded, hoping that she could somehow prevent him from having to go back to that monster, especially now that it's become clear he's started to see through the lies and form his own opinions.
Before anything else can be done, however, they both hear a buzzing sound and Henry pulls out his phone, scowling at the message he just received.
“I'm being summoned,” he stated. “Uncle wants me to abandon my mission because he's apparently setting up for something and needs me. If I don't come back, all hell will break loose.” He then gives her a small smile. “Thank you, though... for this talk, and for helping me see the truth and believing in me. I don't know how well I can do it, but I'll find a way to help you all out from the inside and keep you one step ahead of him.”
“I'd rather you not even have to take that risk given what kind of monster he is,” Ivy lamented.
“I know...” Hunter solemnly replied. “But right now, playing along is my best bet to avoid things getting worse for all of us. Just... keep trusting in me, please.”
“...it's going to be hard, knowing what he does to you, but I'll try.” Ivy said, concern clear in her voice as she slowly extended her hand, only to be surprised as Henry threw himself at her in a hug that she returned after a moment once she recovered from the surprise of it.
“S-Sorry...” he finally said after pulling away, his face burning red. “I should've asked first... I- I promise I'll pay you back somehow for all of this. Good luck in SCW's open invitational!”
Ivy wanted to say something more, especially knowing now that Henry—and likely The Empire by extension—knew she was going to be competing for SCW in this invitational match, but he quickly rushed off and she was hesitant to stop him lest his tardiness incur the wrath of Caleb. It may not have seemed like much, but it did spark some hope in her heart that Henry could find the strength to escape and reach out if he needed to, and once she shared this development with the others she knew they would be all on board with helping Henry just as they'd helped Valentina.
For now, though, Ivy refocused on her workout, thinking that perhaps she now had another reason to make a powerful statement on an SCW stage as she sought to make the most of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
![[Image: uKMzpho.png]](https://i.imgur.com/uKMzpho.png)
Tag Team Record: 28-11-1*
La Pequeña Luz Solo Record: 19-10
Amelia Blythe Nevado Solo Record: 14-9-1
*The tag team turmoil on the 9/14/2023 Breakdown is counted in this record as the three separate matches LITD had in the gauntlet up until their elimination.
Breakdown 3/30/2023 - Kim Williams' Trios Cash-In
La Pequeña Luz: 3 Falls
Amelia Blythe Nevado: 2 Falls
*Neither one finished high enough to win any championships in this match
*Result listed separately and not counted in records due to lack of clarity on how to count falls
SCW Accomplishments
SCW Television Championship (Amelia Blythe Nevado - 29 Days)
SCW Television Championship (La Pequeña Luz - 98 Days)
SCW World Tag Team Championship [3] (1 - 81 Days) (2 - 109 Days) (3 - 231 Days)
SCW United States Championship (La Pequeña Luz) [2] (1/Interim Reign - 94 Days) (2 - Current)
2024 Trios Tournament Winner (Amelia Blythe Nevado, w/ Xander Valentine and Billy Heaven Jr.)
2023 Tag Team of the Year
2023 Match of the Year (Kim Williams' Trios Cash-In)
2024 Tag Team of the Year