La Pequena Luz vs. James Evans

[Wisteria Waltz]

OOC: The CD at the start of this picks up directly where my first post for this match left off. I felt that would work the best to give myself enough to work out what I hope worked out in terms of my story plans. Best of luck to you too, Josh!
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As the group stood in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, there was a feeling of uneasiness that had overtaken all of them. Luz especially felt her blood run cold just at the mere sight of the first frame of the video on Amelia's phone. They knew Theresa Saintsbury had no qualms about 'pulling weeds from her garden' as she would refer to it, considering she had thrown several prominent members of The Empire under the bus without hesitation in exchange for Jacob's initial freedom, but to see the poor man who no doubt idolized her like the wrestling legend she was bound and gagged before her, terrified out of his mind...

Luz didn't know how she kept her stomach from emptying its contents at the sickening thought of whatever awaited them.

“We haven't seen it yet,” Amelia admitted.

“We thought it'd be preferable to inform the two of you first,” Lily added, trying to somehow maintain her composure even though it was clearly a losing battle.

“Alright then, let's see what that old bag of bones thinks she's pulling this time,” Marilyn nodded. Amelia, however, hesitated in playing the video, turning to glance at her wife instead.

“Lulu?” she carefully asked, making it clear she wanted Luz's permission before continuing. It briefly brought Luz's thoughts on a rollercoaster ride through everything they'd been through together, all the concern they showed for one another. In particular, Luz's thoughts paused on how much she'd given Amelia a shoulder to lean on when she was rattled by the accident that had injured James, despite some of the simmering issues she'd had over Amelia's run in that U.S. Title tournament while she was struggling to find her own footing outside of their tag team exploits.

In that moment, she found her clarity, realizing how stupid she was for worrying that Amelia would be resentful of her recent success. True, she had every reason to worry given Amelia's frame of mind, but there was nothing they couldn't solve by just talking things through, just as they always have... just as they often forgot when their thoughts tended to spiral.

That would be something to work out later, however.

“Play it, Ames,” Luz confirmed, her hand moving to gently rest over Amelia's holding her phone.

The couple took deep breaths in stereo to prepare themselves, and then Amelia hit play.

“Greetings, sprouts,” Theresa's sickeningly sweet voice cooed over Jacob's frantic attempts to speak through the cloth he was gagged with. “I hope this video reaches you alright. Technology isn't quite something I particularly care for, which is why I usually seek help in that regard. Something that our little pest here knows all too well, don't you Jacob?”

The four of them could see tears forming beneath Jacob's glasses as he attempted to perhaps beg for mercy, but the gag made it hard to understand him. Not that Theresa seemed to care, which only sickened them more. Sure, they had their justified reasons for still not liking the wannabe wrestling journalist, but not even he deserved this.

“I heard through the grapevine that our dear little journalist here,” Theresa continued, her finger stroking the side of Jacob's cheek in a fashion that made Marilyn audibly gag, “seemed to develop a guilty conscience and had a little chat with the two of you recently. Truth be told, it matters not if you know I was his little source all along. He outlived his usefulness the moment he started questioning what I told him... I suppose you, Amelia and Luz, truly are full of surprises, aren't you? It's no wonder why Caleb is so fascinated by the two of you, why he has such high hopes for you in the paradise he has promised us all.”

“And why we're going to stop him from having any of it, no matter what it takes,” Luz fiercely replied, even though she knew Theresa couldn't hear it.

“Just like we'll survive the Fall of Man and turn them back as well,” Amelia grinned, giving Luz a peck on the cheek of her mask.

“Personally, I think the two of you are too soft to be of any real use to us,” Theresa continued as the video kept playing. “But I suppose there is potential buried beneath the surface if you're pushed far enough. I'm sure Jacob filled you in on how invested we've become in your little wrestling company of SCW... perhaps those little wildflowers calling themselves the Fall of Man could be of use to us before they find themselves purged along with the rest of the unworthy. After all, every tool eventually outlives its usefulness...”

The disturbing smile on Theresa's face as she trailed a finger across Jacob's throat had Amelia about ready to throw her phone, unless Luz beat her to it. Marilyn and Lily, however, placed hands on their respective shoulders to help try to calm them down, despite the clear anger they were trying to restrain in their own rights. After all, there was nothing they could do about a pre-recorded video.

“While I would love to show Jacob here what happens to weeds that have no place in my garden,” Theresa cackled as she looked straight into the camera filming this. “I feel that spilling blood senselessly wouldn't really get the message across, now would it? So, consider my hesitation a peace offering from Caleb. Jacob here can live... for now. If you, Luz, show us something in your match with that James Evans fellow on Breakdown, then perhaps he'll stay that way. If he simply runs roughshod over you like the ill-mannered ruffian that he is... well, I think you and Amelia can figure it out.”

The video ended with Theresa pulling back from Jacob, that sick smile never leaving her face. Luz, for her part, was trembling. From fear, from anger, from some combination of the two, she didn't fully know.

“She... how can she...?” she managed to shakily say.

“Deep breaths, Lulu...” Amelia said, although it was clear she wasn't holding up much better. Still, the two of them did their deep breathing routine, slowly pulling their thoughts away from what they'd just seen.

“As Amelia said, this has already been passed along to Avery,” Lily chimed in with enough of an edge to her voice to confirm she was just barely maintaining her own composure. “The FBI is already working to find where Jacob's being held.”

“He...” Luz choked out. “He was a creep, but...”

“Not even he deserves this,” Amelia managed to finish her wife's thought.

“And The Empire is not going to get their way,” Marilyn firmly said as she knelt down in front of both ladies. “Nor is the Fall of Man. No matter how they spin this, no matter what either of them tries, in or out of the ring, none of it is your fault. Never forget that.”

“Right...” Luz breathed deeply one more time. “Because if we let them inside our heads, that's how they win. And we won't let either one get the better of us no matter what they try.”

“That's the Luz I know and love,” Amelia said before pulling her wife into a deep kiss, which only fueled Luz's resolve.

It was far from an ideal situation, and Luz certainly couldn't fault James for being the catalyst to an incident that he was unknowingly a tool for, but she and Amelia were no strangers to these kinds of tactics. In a way, they've been fighting wars like these for most of their lives, and as long as they had each other and stayed true to themselves, they would find a way to overcome.

No matter what Caleb or Theresa or anyone else in The Empire tried.

No matter what James or the Fall of Man threatened them with.

No matter how deep the darkness surrounding them, they would be the light that would guide the way out of it, come hell or high water.

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Arguably one of the most surreal sites you can find in the city of Philadelphia is known as Philadelphia's Magic Gardens. As far as the eye can see spanning at least three city lots is a massive and immersive mixed media art environment, filled with mosaics created with everything from kitchen tiles to bike wheels to bottles and mirrors and countless other assorted objects. Created by mosaic artist Isaiah Zager starting in the late 1960s, the area now stands as a surreal experience promoting community and championing concepts like originality, creativity and open-mindedness.

The perfect place where someone like La Pequeña Luz can feel right at home.

The luchadora almost blends in seamlessly with the mosaic artwork surrounding her, given her rather colorful mask along with her hoodie and sweatpants to combat the chilly weather. Thankfully, the two title belts currently resting over her shoulders serve as a beacon to help her stand out amidst the beautiful chaos all around her, and judging by the bright smile on her face, she's enjoying her time here. As she notices us, she turns and slowly walks down some mosaic steps towards us, her smile slowly fading just a bit as she knows it's time to get down to business.

“Do you know what I love about places like Philadelphia's Magic Gardens? They're monuments to the power of creativity, living proof that it doesn't matter if people see you as 'weird' or question why you are the way you are, because those kinds of people are just as capable, if not more, of leaving a lasting impression on the world around them. Everything around me is the living legacy of a man named  Isaiah Zager, who started creating all of this beautiful work as a form of therapy before dedicating himself to beautifying the South Street neighborhood of this great city, igniting the spark that revitalized this whole area and giving its residents a reason to not only live here, but fight to preserve everything that he had done so its beauty can be shared to everyone, inspiring future generations.

I've made it no secret that I had a hard time growing up. I was always seen as the 'weird kid' at school, bullied and pushed around all because I enjoyed losing myself in the things I loved and expressing myself... maybe a little too much, in hindsight. That was just who I was: a girl who loved things like fantasy stories and magic and wrestling and refused to hide any of it, because I wanted people to know the real me and like me for who I truly was... who I truly am. Not even the legacy of my father and his status as a lucha libre icon and hero stopped the bullying... if anything, it only fueled it because how dare someone like me be in a position that so many others dreamed they could be in? How dare I be the daughter of such an incredible man whose name was known all across Mexico?

The point is... I'm no stranger to bullies and fighting against adversity. I've heard it all growing up, I remember all the bruises that used to cover my skin... heck, if it wasn't for the person I was, then it was because of the fact that I am proudly LGBTQ+ and I could care less if anybody thinks who I love is wrong because, again, I am who I am, and I'm not going to back down and bend to someone else's will just because they say so or think they can threaten me. These gardens around me exist because one man wasn't afraid to share his vision with the world and didn't back down when some people out there had a problem and threatened to tear it all down, and I'm not afraid to fight to protect everything that I have sought to build in SCW, not just for myself or for the woman I love with all my heart, but for every person out there waiting to be inspired so that they can chase their dreams, perhaps, earn their own place on this roster and make their own marks someday.

Unfortunately, that's not the kind of SCW that the Fall of Man want any of you to have.”

Luz reaches up and slowly pushes her hood off, letting the breeze catch her hair a bit as her smile is completely gone now. Behind that mask, there's a very clear fire burning in her eyes as she stands firm before us.

“You know, I could be standing here talking about any number of positives I got to come into this new year with: the fact that Amelia and I are still your World Tag Team Champions after a great fight from Aisling and Belmont to close out 2024, the fact that I can still call myself a double champion, even the fact that Ames and I were voted by all of you as SCW's Tag Team of the Year for the second year in a row. Thank you all so very much for that, by the way, it means the world that each and every one of you respects and appreciates the hard work my wife and I put into each and every match that we wrestle and are dedicated to elevating not just SCW's tag team division but also everybody we are honored to share that ring with week after week. It is because of you that we keep pushing ourselves farther and stepping it up every time we go out there to compete.

For all of those incredible things, however, there's been this huge shadow looming over our heads ever since Under Attack, trying to eclipse everything we fight for just because it doesn't align with 'their vision' for SCW. Week after week, the Fall of Man have sought nothing but destruction for everything around them. They have put wrestlers on the shelf and attacked whoever they thought would be a worthwhile target. Why? If you ask James Evans specifically, it's because they're 'fixing' this company, thinning the herd and leaving behind a roster worthy of carrying the letters 'SCW' into the future. They see problems left behind by Mr. D, problems that CHBK is refusing to fix, and by burning it all to the ground he and his friends can rebuild it into something truly worthy of being called the greatest wrestling company in the world.

What none of them are being upfront about, however, is how much this vision of what SCW should be revolves around them and no one else.

James, you've been claiming for weeks that what you guys are doing is necessary, but for as open-minded as I'm trying to be towards the method to your madness, I'm just not seeing it. Honestly, trying to purge this company of everyone you feel isn't 'worthy' is far from original... I'm pretty sure Amelia and I called out the Shinigami Foundation for wanting to pull that same stunt to gatekeep the tag team division heading into Under Attack. We've said it before, and I'll say it again: if you earned an SCW contract, then you being on this roster is no accident because you've earned your right to be here. According to you, that's what is supposedly at the core of all of this, isn't it? People earning the things they bust their behinds for. That was your excuse as to why you and Waylon attacked us in the first place, why you're so hellbent on eliminating us from SCW, despite the fact that we have fought with everything we have to earn each and every single accolade we have to our names since we first came to this company.

By the way, on the subject of wrestlers earning their place in SCW... isn't it funny how Billy, by his own admission that's never been disputed by his father, got his contract because William talked CHBK into it, and yet he's seemingly immune to your ideals because he helps pad the numbers you've started relying on whenever you decide to strike?”

Luz sighs and shakes her head. Her thoughts immediately turn to The Empire, how Caleb all but confirmed that the vast majority of his followers were never 'worthy' of the world he wanted to create but he strung them along anyway because the numbers made them into the threat they became. It truly made her want to vomit thinking about how disturbingly similar the Fall of Man and that cult were starting to become.

“You want to know the saddest part about this, James? For as long as I've had you pegged as a hypocrite to everything you constantly preached, all the way back to when you first took an interest in Amelia and I back during your whole 'anti-violence' phase shortly after we came back to SCW to try again, I still respected what you could do in that ring. I still do, actually. You're a former World Champion, you've earned the right to call yourself a Supreme Champion, something I know full well isn't an easy honor to gain. That alone is all the reason for me to know I need to bring my A-game and beyond to Breakdown this week right here in Philadelphia. To some degree, maybe you've even got a point about certain people, like Waylon, who've earned the right to more opportunities than they've been given.

Maybe the Fall of Man would be more likely to get what you all want if you stopped trying to force people to just give it to you and have a destructive meltdown every time someone calls you out on your bullshit.

Case in point: last week's Breakdown. You were all certain that Waylon would win Star of Tomorrow and thought you could just bully CHBK into handing it over, but when it was revealed the fans thought otherwise, you backed down from the woman who did earn it because she's 'not worth it.' Heck, if you follow the timeline of every single attack you've launched as of late, it's clear that you're trying to bully your way into a Tag Title match against Amelia and I despite having never wrestled a single match as a team. You claim it's because we've 'had it easy' and believe you can provide the challenge that will prove we don't deserve every last drop of blood, sweat and tears we have given to this division for the past two years. Answer me this, James: who's the team that has gladly stepped up to the plate against anyone who challenged us, titles or not? Who's the team that asked to start a tag team turmoil to try and run the gauntlet, or the team that embraced the challenge of going bell-to-bell inside the Chamber? Who's the team that has always been honest and upfront about the future we want for this company and delivered upon that vision every... single... match?

The Light In The Darkness, that's who.

This Thursday night right here in Philly will be no different, James. I know full well that to you, a win over me validates every disgusting tactic you claim is 'necessary' to get your way, that you're in the right about how SCW can only succeed if it bends over backwards and revolves entirely around you and Waylon and nobody else, not because you're willing to earn it the right way but because you just want people to fear you. 'Rules for thee, but not for me,' right? Hate to break it to a matón like you, but despite everything you, Waylon, Billy and now Giovanni Aries have thrown at us, The Light In The Darkness has kept fighting onward, and that's not going to change this week. By all means, bring your army if it makes you feel comfortable, because I know Amelia will always have my back and no matter how much you put value in having a numbers advantage, it means nothing when it's just you and me, one-on-one, competing to see which one of us will be leaving the Wells Fargo Center as the better wrestler on that night.

Every bully that has ever tried to break me, beat me down, make me feel worthless just because of who I am has ultimately failed.

What makes you think you'll be any different, James?”

With that, Luz turns and heads back up the steps, almost fading into the mosaics around her like a chameleon before she rounds a corner and disappears into the colorful and creative labyrinth. We linger for a moment longer on this incredible sight all around us, taking in the message it has to share with us that drew Luz here in the first place, before we take our leave.