Post by pacificrim on Apr 28, 2024 22:17:10 GMT -5
~~ Behind the Scenes ~~
~~ Ketchikan, Revillagigedo Island, Alaska ~~
~~ Ketchikan, Revillagigedo Island, Alaska ~~
4 of the Upstarts had one on a little trip due to finally being close to one of the two cities the Twins called home. This was where their father lived… where he was from.
They had arrived via plane an hour or so ago. The town wasn’t huge, and they’d not bothered renting a car. They’d only be spending a few days here… it had been a while. The twins didn’t make Bastard’s money, and travel to and from Alaska or Hawaii… and anywhere in the Mexican states was damned expensive.
In this case, it was a 3 hour drive from Portland to Seattle, and then a 90 minute flight to go visit their father. And when they head back, just go in reverse.
And things had changed since they had come here the last time.
Professionally they’d won and then lost the CWF Tag Team Titles. Kelea had also suffered some sort of PTSD episode, which she didn’t want to talk about. The twins just looked at each other and nodded when it was brought up.
Personally, both were not in relationships. Ahklut had dating Akame McClancy, the daughter of one of his bosses.
Kelea had also recently taking a leap of faith and is now attached to the son of one of her childhood wrestling heroes, in Miguel Lanza, Jr.
They had also professionally decided to join their friend Abby, and their paramours to going to a new fed… well a couple of feds on the side due to the CWF’s working’ relationship’ with them.
They’d watched as some asshat had tried to stab MIguel with a screwdriver… and then as the three 2nd generation stars had defied the odds and secured the Ik0n Trios titles. Akame, as her wrestling persona, had claimed the AWS C4 Title, and Abby was also a double champion now as well.
Now it was time for some days off.
They’d secured their hotel rooms downtown, and had already done a dinner with Edensaw “Ed” Thlunaught. He now worked for the local power company. It rained here a lot so he had a lot of work, and he’d not taken time off.
The introductions of both Akame and Miguel had gone well, but right now it was during his shift time, so the twins were getting ready to take the others out for some sight seeing today, as well as good Alaskan food, and maybe some fishing off the pier… one of the few piers in Alaska where you could even catch small Halibut.
Miguel… was of course complaining about the cold. He’d grown up on a tropical island in the Caribbean and since then had spent years in the area around Dallas Texas at the school. He was currently bundled up like it was freezing outside, although it was a comfortable mid 40’s with a light rain for the natives of the land here.
Kelea was dressed like one of the locals… jeans, t-shirt, light slicker jacket due to the rain, but nothing heavy.
And finding a heavy coat for someone the size of Miguel Lanza around here wasn’t easy.
“So you think he likes me?” Miguel asked as he was finishing getting ready, “I mean, I didn’t expect him to have been such a fan of my dad… “
“What? His daughter is dating one of his wrestling idols and following in their footsteps. And you were a perfect gentleman.”
Miguel sighed in relief. He wanted to ask ‘are you sure?’ but it was like their fourth time going over that since dinner last night.
A knock came to the door, and Miguel reached over and opened it. Akame McClancy was standing there, dressed similarly to Kelea.
Kelea greeted he friend, “Hey, the big lug ready yet? Or has he even crawled out of bed yet?”
Akame didn’t look happy, “I got an email from my dad… “
“Yeah? What’s up?” Miguel asked, now looking concerned.
“Something happened… figured I’d head over to get the shock out of the way… Ikon has closed up shop.”
Two voices both in unison ask “What?”
“I don’t have full details. But I already got notice on my Oni email… My Ik0n, AWS and KORE contracts are all cancelled. They’ve direct deposited my buy out fee… with the bonus for holding three titles. They’ve asked for the trios belts to be mailed back to the boss man’s office, as well as the C4 belt, and the third payment is due to being in the finals for the vixens title with Abby.”
Kelea slips out her phone and also opens her email box….
“Well FUCK!.”
Miguel shakes his head, “Yup, email with notice attached, and I have a text from my bank on a large lump sum deposit. What the fuck happened?”
“Well Dad knows, so he called me for two reasons. One, to expect it. They let him go as well… but apparently something happened with CWF’s court case. It’s close to being finalized. One of the other parties asked for a look-see at the contracts for the relationship with Ik0n to make sure Von Krauss wasn’t pulling any shit… “
Miguel frowned, “And he was?”
Akame shook her head, as Ahlkut appeared behind her, “No… they were. Every fed was supposed to be funneling money into Ik0n to help out. Dad said there was, to quote him ‘massive financial fuckery’ going on. The non-Von Krauss parites have thrown a shit fit, but because it was via a legal court order, and it's now out… they decided to cut us all and run. Since we’re CWF adjacent… “
Kelea looked at her beau, “But you guys just won the Trios titles?”
Akame shrugs, “I also tightrope walked to win the C4 title.. But, moot point now. Think they might know I’m a legal intern who does contract reviews… since I kinda reviewed my own and your contracts. So, not seeing any fuckery yet. Dad said the legal eagles they’ve got are looking into more on it.”
Akame moves into the room, allowing the larger of the twins to also come in, ducking down quite a bit to do so, “Reminds me of the one fed in California that tried to book us once. When we arrived in San Meteo, no hotel no nothing for any of the wrestlers, and the booker had run out of town with all the ticket sales money. We put on a show for them anyway, and the local charities helped us in getting home to the island, was a time we were staying with mom… but that fed folded overnight.”
Kelea, “Yeah but that fucker got found in Vegas with a bunch of hookers and blow, and since he’d left state, got picked up for a federal offense.”
Ahklut shrugged, “My contract buy out, since we hadn’t debuted, wasn't much… no title bonus. But, guess it’s back to square one. And we have a match coming up against the CWF’s” He airquotes with his fingers, “top stars.”
Kelea suddenly sits down, hard, onto the bed, “Really not looking forward to this… why are we booked against the people that are pissed off at everyone else in our team?”
Miguel frowns for her, and answers, “Because Abby’s got a shot at the Valor belt, and neither Akame or I are CWF talent… Then again, right now. We’re no one’s talent… which kinda sucks.”
Akame patted Miguel on his shoulder, “It’s alright, Cuz. We’ll land on our feet. I’m sure there are others out there. We are now still former Ikon Trios champions. We’ll get on somewhere new.”
Kelea looks up at her brother, “Can we ask Akame’s dad to sign Miguel and maybe…”
Ahklut suddenly looks a bit angry, “I’m not agreeing to that, so just stop right there.”
He turns around and walks out the door. Akame looks concerned, and thinks about following him, but instead looks at Kelea.
Kelea is staring at the floor, but she knows Akame’s eyes are on her, “I’ve… I had been questioning if I wanted to keep going on this, you know. This payout from the other feds… it’s about what I made last month with my website. I’m the albatross around his neck in this team. I’ve suggested that maybe he team with Miguel, two huge guys who can just maul their opponents.”
Akame moved to sit down next to her, “Look.. I don’t know what shit happened before. I know the losses affected you.”
Kelea shakes her head, “No, losses are losses. The choking, that affected me. But, I'm not sure I’m ready to talk about it, and it affects him as well. It’s something we both deal with. But… yeah. I’m just still not sure. I mean… we’re up shits creek without a paddle here. At least when it came to that fucker attacking Miguel, we had all of us. But you two aren’t even CWF talent.”
Akame, “Doesn’t mean you’re not good enough. It’s Riot and Windsor…”
Kelea sounds exasperated as she says, “Yeah, two guys who were just in the Star Chamber match for the Conquest Title. They are still technically, what, 20 time tag team champions, currently or something? They’re considered the best.”
“You are a former CWF Tag Team Champion, you were the FIRST champions…” Akame adds.
“WE WEREN’T supposed to win them. The other teams were horrible. I think your dad brought in patsies to help us look good. The only other team we fought for them was Tuck and the Not Yeti who were a comedy act…”
Akame sighs, “Dad wouldn’t have done that. But he brought in who we could get to Mexico or who could get there. You won those titles by being the best in the CWF. You can’t listen to people like Windsor, or hell even Riot. There is a reason why the Academy teaches that people can lose as well.
Do you know how many people go to an academy like that thinking that they’re going to learn to kick ass and take names. But they never think they’re every going to lose, then they run into someone who just has that right night, and gets a huge win over them and they break… “
Kelea shakes her head, “And now people are saying I’m a coward, and I can’t handle losing. Now, we’ve got to face the Bastards, because Von Krauss wants them to maybe get a win over some of the Upstarts.”
Miguel sits down next to her on the other side, “And? You know how to wrestle. They both lost in the Star Chamber. They’re not the big end all be all. We beat them… you can too.”
“And if we don’t?”
“You get up, dust yourself off, and try it again when you’re ready. That’s how we do things…”
Kelea’s face drops, “Is he still out there?”
Akame leaned over and looked out the window, she could see Ahklut standing on the hotel balcony. He was using one of those natural wood inhalers that didn’t have a vape cartridge or real tobacco. Both girls knew that’s what he did when he was thinking.
“Yeah, he’s using that fume thing. So he’s off in thought,” Akame answers.
Kelea takes Miguel’s hand, “I think maybe… maybe it’s time I told you something. You got a moment?”
Miguel nodded, “Of course.”
“You can tell me anything, as long as you remember the rules for doing so. I’m not exactly free willed immortal like my cuz over there. If you need it held as a secret, make me swear on it.”
Kelea chuckled at that, nervously, “I’d need you to only ever speak of it with those who are our friends.”
“I swear to it.”
~~ An hour or so later ~~
Akame stepped out of Kelea and Miguels’ hotel room, and slid up next to Akhlut.
“She still being a sad sack?”
“Not as much. But… she told us a tale..”
His head snapped to the side, shock on his face, maybe fear.
“Yes, that one. Finally. I think she was relieved a bit. Finally getting it out there. Load off her chest. And if you think hearing your part of it from her side. I have questions, but before you answer anything…” She leans into him, using a nearby planter to step up to get closer to his ear since he’s more than a foot taller than her, “So… you're actually a bad boy, and have a record huh? That’s hot.”
The big native man blushes hard enough it’s visible even with his skin tone, “Nothing I’m proud of. Some howlie tried to take advantage of my sister, me and a couple others taught him a lesson the only way he’d learn.
It was only a month, and it was worth it.”
She hooks her arm around his, “She’s going to get sorted. I promise. She asked me to look into doing something for her, but she wanted your consultation.”
“What’s that?”
“She wants me to see if there is a way to enchant her. To not have the fear… it’s not something I know how to do, but I can ask my uncle Kenji if he knows anyone in the Order who can. She has to be a willing person, but… she’d want you to agree to it as well. Especially after I spoke about how you two are twins and have connections other mortals don’t.”
Ahklut nods, “We’ll talk about it again, later. In the meantime, we’ve got to deal with the fallout of this Ikon bullshit, and wrestle two of the best wrestlers in the company who have been a tag team for as long as we’ve been watching wrestling?”
Akame nods, “Yeah, they’re a long-time team. Know each other like siblings. They’ve held titles, accolades. They’re business partners. But they’re also just your next step.”
“Yeah… they are.”
{{The End For Now… No Promo This Time}}