Bigger and Bigger

September 10, 2023

1:42 AM

Back of an EMS vehicle

BEEEEEEEEEEP

“WE'RE LOSING HER!”

Laying on a strapped down, but nonetheless slightly shifting gurney, is one Ria Lockhart. AMBU bag strapped to her face, nodes hooked up to monitor her vitals, looking a few shades off from death; her eyes are just shy from having rolled into the back of her head. The female EMS worker to her left squeezed the bag to force air into her lungs. A few more cycles, then the male worker on the opposite side began chest compressions.

Sitting on the elongated bench along the side of the ambulance is an absolute mess of a woman that'd normally be addressed as Kohime Mori. She's curled into a ball, rocking back and forth on the seat, cheeks coated with saline sadness.

“Please don't die… Please don't die…” Mori whimpered softly. Trauma? Yeah, just a bit. Speaking of trauma, Ria’s ribs feel a bit less as the one worker finishes with their chest compressions. More coerced breaths from the breathing apparatus. Still flatlined. The workers continued the tiring routine, switching off when needed. Kohime stared downward, her pleading endless. Minutes passed. Hope dwindled. If they can't revive her soon…

BEEP…… BEEP……

It was faint. Lockhart still resembled a corpse. But her heart was going again. The two workers collapsed onto the benches, certainly having earned their pay tonight. Kohime's eyes traveled up to look at the machine recording Ria’s vitals; 92/56 for blood pressure. 44 pulse. 82% blood oxygen level. Poor readings, but better than zeros.

Moments passed by, the beeps and hums of the machines and the moving of the vehicle being the only noise. It was finally broken up by the worker on the right side of the bench, name tag reading Branson House, turning towards Mori.

“Sorry you had to see all that.” Branson lamented. “Your friend is in pretty bad shape. Hopefully, she'll hold out until we get to the emergency room.”

The young Japanese woman couldn't bring herself to speak, the combination of fear and despair squeezing her throat tight. She simply nodded weakly. The other responder, Jessie Becker, shifted her gaze Mori’s way.

“Sorry to ask again, but what exactly happened?” The woman gently inquired. Kohime finally released her legs from the death grip of a hug she had them encased in. Feet now on the floor, she fiddled with her hands while her view cast downward.

“I-I dunno exactly…” Mori croaked out. “I had went to lay down but I woke up because I needed to use the bathroom. I found Miss Ria passed out with a needle next to her… She wouldn't respond to me, so I called you guys.”

Jessie nodded before exchanging a glance with House.

“Guess you were right, probably an overdose.” Becker postulated. House shrugged lightly.

“Won't know for sure until we get the blood work. I'd say it's a safe assumption.” Branson stated. It was his turn to attempt to get some information. “Do you know of any drugs she was taking?”

Kohime closed her eyes and shook her head left and right.

“I never asked about that stuff.” Mori murmured. “Miss Ria has been fairly private about her personal life and I didn't want to pry.”

“What is your relationship, exactly? It sounds like you two aren't close, even though you live together.” Becker pried further. The Moé Monster sighed softly.

“I work for her. It hasn't been long, a few months at most.” Kohime answered, her eyes having trailed over to her unmoving employer. It had been since the end of July. Kohime made various attempts to break the ice between them and bridge the gap. Lockhart blew her off every single time. When it came to friendship though, Mori was a delightful combination of determined and stubborn. This whole incident was doing a good job of smacking her heart around.

More silence. Branson got up and leaned out towards the front of the medical van. A few seconds later, he returned back to the bench, looking over towards Becker.

“Looks like we'll be pulling up soon. We know of any allergies?”

Both paramedics turned their gaze to Kohime. A shrug lacking confidence.

“I don't know of any.” Kohime said. “She mostly just complained about the food I made not being what she wanted. But she was also being very picky. I think I'm a decent cook.”

The ambulance soon pulled into the vehicle bay. The doors flew open and the two EMS workers shot up, moving the gurney with cautious haste. Wheels on the ground, they pushed the stretcher through a set of swinging double doors to enter the facility. For her part, Ria hadn't moved, hadn't spoken, only alive in the loosest sense of the word. Kohime did her best to follow behind the brisk pace of the workers, despite her mental and physical fatigue.

They burst through another set of double doors. Unfortunately for Mori, a woman clad in scrubs stepped in her way, blocking her path.

“I'm sorry, ma'am, but I can't let you back there.” The woman’s tone was polite, but firm. Kohime took a deep breath. She could feel her eyes starting to water again.

“Please…” Mori did her best to keep her voice steady. “I need to make sure my friend is okay!”

The woman shook her head sympathetically.

“I understand, but staff only. I can take you to the waiting room and you can wait there. I'm sorry, but that's the best I can do.” The unidentified employee said. She placed a hand on Kohime's back, gently guiding her to the right. Anxiety, worry, fear… Kohime would have to shoulder all of these. The only thing she could do was hope and wait.

An empty, endless void. A vast darkness, one which only a mind has the capability of creating. There was a source of light, a lone spotlight shining down from above. The source of the light could not be seen, could not be deciphered. Sitting in the light, floor unfathomable but there nonetheless, was Ria Lockhart. Her elbows rested on her knees, eyes heavy, lips sagging downward glumly. If it hasn't become obvious, this is the mind of Ria Lockhart.

“Guess I really screwed up this time…” Her voice echoed through the nothingness.

“You sure did!”

Lockhart’s head whipped left, then right, trying to discern where this mystery voice had come from. A second later, another spotlight flashed on. A woman. As she walked towards Lockhart, the spotlight followed, as if attached to her very being. Any regular follower of PRIME would be able to pick this person out. It was, of course, RIA.

“Who are you?” The seated Ria questioned. RIA furrowed her brow, her mouth curling into a sarcastic frown.

“I'm you, dumdum!” RIA responded, tone holding a touch of incredulousness.

“I know that.” Lockhart responded, rolling her eyes as she spoke. “I mean, who are you? I haven't seen you in here before, never spoken with you.”

“Oh! Right!” RIA nodded, a smile forming on her face. “Yeah, I'm new. I go by just RIA. I guess to make things less complicated, I can be called Rainbow RIA in here.”

The right eyebrow of Lockhart raised up. Her gaze took in the full form of this new identity in front of her.

“New? What do you mean, new?” Lockhart asked. “There was a version of me in here that only went by RIA, but it was an acronym. And frankly, she was a cruel, nasty bitch.”

Rainbow placed her hands on her hips, head shaking, grin still present.

“My name isn't really an acronym, though I can form a fun one with it!” RIA beamed. “Okay, let me see if I can explain this… So you know how, like, games have save slots and shit?”

“Yeah?” Lockhart responded wearily.

“Well when you got rid of that horrid personality, you left a slot open. That make sense?” Rainbow inquired. Lockhart frowned with a huff.

“I'm not sure that does make sense.” She replied. “Like, just because a spot is available doesn't mean a new personality just forms out of nowhere. I think? Christ, I hate my fucking brain…”

RIA sat down in front of Lockhart, cross legged. Her rainbow eyes locked onto Ria’s blue-gray pupils.

“So you know how you've been a huge bitch lately?” Rainbow began. “We both know you have guilt from that. Well, subconsciously, you've been building a nest egg of positivity. That's me! I'm the counter to the other one.”

Lockhart’s eyes narrowed, her expression darkening slightly.

“Other one?” Though it was phrased as a question, Lockhart’s tone came off as knowing the answer but not wanting to hear it.

“Yeah, other one, you worthless cunt.”

Another spotlight, another Ria. Jet black hair. Black lipstick. Black attire. Her eyes burned with malice… Purple in color. Lockhart glared her way, though a hint of confusion covered her person.

“I want to say I know who you are, but Nightshade clung to neon green. So who the hell are you?” Lockhart spat. The new Ria crossed her arms on her chest, scowling at the alpha.

“I'm still Nightshade, you dumb bitch.” She snarled. “That negative energy you thought you destroyed? It wasn't gone. It had to go somewhere. As usual, you fucking pushed that burden onto me.”

Lockhart sighed. Just another mistake in a line of them. She looked back towards Rainbow.

“So what's happening? Are we dead?” Lockhart asked, doing little to hide her exhaustion with everything. Rainbow shook her head.

“Naw, but we damn near did die! Thanks for that, by the way.” Lockhart rolled her eyes at Rainbow’s snark, but the brightly colored personality continued. “You've made it so I can't access some parts of our memory, what with me being new ‘n all.”

“That matters why?” Continued fatigue from Lockhart.

“Cuz it's gonna make things rough if or when we wake up.” Rainbow answered. “You did a lot of damage, ya know? Not just to us, but to our relationships. Especially to sweet, lil Kohime! There's plenty of shit I gotta fix. But I'll take care of it.”

“The fuck you will!” Nightshade growled, finally moving after having stayed stationary. Both Lockhart and Rainbow scrambled to their feet as she drew near. “If anyone's taking control, it's me!”

Rainbow RIA sent an icy stare Nightshade’s way.

“Oh yeah?” She sassed. “You think spreading anger and suffering will make anything better?!”

“That's the point, idiot.” Nightshade shot back. “I don't care about any of that shit! Others need to suffer. They need to be taken out. That is our will.”

Lockhart stared down her malevolent counterpart.

“No. That's your will.” She said defiantly. “I know I lost myself. I know I screwed up. But I don't want my friends hurt. I don't want you making things worse.”

“There's more at play here than you understand.” Nightshade stated. “There's a reason I survived your purge. This is bigger than you, bigger than you can comprehend.”

“Could you shut up for a minute?!” Rainbow yelled at Nightshade before turning to the original. “Look, I'm gonna be real here. We've got checks and balances. If I'm in control, that bitch can push me out. So you'll have to keep her in check. Got it?”

“Wait, what?” Lockhart questioned in earnest.

“Yeah, that's how it works.” Rainbow started to explain. “She can push me out, I can push you out, you can push her out. So if you really wanna fix things, I can do that. But you gotta keep her at bay.”

Lockhart looked down at the ground, contemplating everything. After a few moments, she raised her gaze.

“You'll really fix things?” She asked, voice filled with caution. Rainbow grinned and emphatically nodded.

“Imma do my best!” Her voice was full of confidence. “I'm not gonna lie and say I can definitely repair everything. But you have my word that I'm gonna put my all into doing so.”

Further deep thought. Was it worth giving up her free will to another in the hopes of restoring what once was? Could this Rainbow RIA really be trusted? Was fixing the damage done even possible? Lockhart sighed. She knew what she wanted.

“If we do wake up… You'll be in control.” Lockhart said, leading to a fired up clap from Rainbow.

“Fuck yeah! Don't worry, I got this shit!” She stated firmly.

“You can only delay the inevitable for so long.” Nightshade huffed, beginning to retreat. “You'll know the truth eventually. When you do, you'll see there's no stopping me.”

As the angry persona withdrew, the two remaining shards of Ria looked at each other once more.

“Now what?” Lockhart asked.

“Now we wait and hope we wake up.” RIA answered. It would be a week before that happened. But when it did, Lockhart kept her word. RIA was released out onto the world. Lockhart prayed, for herself and her friends, that she had made the right decision.

RIA and Kohime sat opposite each other at a picnic table in Eckbolsheim, France. Over top of an abbreviated table cloth was a baguette, sliced open, cut into sections and filled with mayo, turkey, ham, bacon, provolone, lettuce and tomato. There was a bowl of freshly sliced fruit; strawberries, pineapple and melon, with whole blueberries and grapes scattered throughout. A few bottles of water and one rather beautiful bottle of wine was also included in this spread.

“Dang, ‘Hime!” RIA remarked, impressed. “You really did a hell of a job setting this up!”

Mori smiled with a light blush.

“I wanted it to be special.” Kohime softly stated. “We haven't really had a chance to spend much time together lately. You've been bouncing back and forth between PRIME and SHOOT Project. I've been spending a lot of time with Nate… I wanted today to be just for us.”

RIA nodded with a subdued smile. Her friend was right. The Psychoberry's life had suddenly gotten very chaotic in very short order. SHOOT and her goals there, PRIME and the upcoming Alias Title match, her relationship with Sid, things with Kohime… Time seemed tight now. That was without even talking travel.

“I could probably use it.” RIA chuckled, energy obviously low. “This back and forth is kicking the shit outta me. Dunno how Nate does it.”

Mori grinned at RIA. It had felt like awhile since the Psychoberry had seen that smile. It always put her at ease, made her feel like everything was going to be okay. That was just what Kohime was capable of, even if the young woman couldn't recognize it herself.

“Oh! I wanted to ask how you feel about your title match!” Mori said. “I really wanted to win the Alias championship, but…”

As Kohime trailed off, RIA placed a hand over top of hers. Much like Kohime provided the woman with unspoken assistance, RIA did the same for her. The former Lockhart made her feel safe, like she could be herself without judgment, that someone would be on her side in all circumstances. Though Nate Colton did much the same, nothing could replace her close friend.

“I mean, I'm pumped!” RIA stated. “Kinda wish my opponent was more of an asshole, though. Would make it a bit easier to get fired up.”

“Yeah, Mr. Dabney seems really nice.” Kohime agreed. “You won't have trouble getting motivated, will you?”

RIA blinked before cackling loudly. She shook her head with a smile.

“Oh no, motivation ain't a problem here.” The Psychoberry assured her. “This is the biggest match in my career. That might sound stupid to some people. I'm sure some would probably laugh at that statement. But they don't get it.”

RIA removed her hand from Mori’s, leaning back. She gazed at her friend.

“Ya know what one of the big differences between Dabs and I is?” RIA asked, not waiting for an answer. “Even if this is the biggest match in his career as well, he might still be in his PRIME prime 10 years from now. I might be retired. I want this. I need this! I've been grinding so long. It'd finally feel like I accomplished something, like all this time and effort hasn't been wasted.”

Kohime grabbed a bottle of water, opening it up.

“But that wouldn't be true, even if you lost.” Mori replied. “You love this, right? So even if things don't go your way, that doesn't make this a waste.”

RIA smirked. She appreciated the optimism her friend could bring to conversations.

“Sure.” RIA said before quickly continuing. “And don't get me wrong, if I do go down, I'm gonna make the kid work for it. Just means he's ready for that kinda responsibility. But he's gonna have to fight. I've been waiting. No free passes. I wanna see young wrestlers succeed, but I'm still climbing myself.”

Kohime nodded before taking a sip from the bottle.

“I think you can beat him!” Mori said confidently. Her friend's smirk grew, transforming into a cheeky grin.

“Uh, yeah. I'm awesome!” RIA beamed, half joking, half serious. “Like, he's great. Really. But I've got the experience edge here. I know his grandpa and brother are gonna do their best to prepare him. But how do you prepare for crazy? Not just that…”

RIA leaned over the table, right elbow down, forearm vertical. She raised her index finger.

“The kid has one big weakness.” She paused briefly. When Kohime stayed silent, RIA continued. “He's lacking a killer instinct. I don't. I might not have liked when Rose got involved in my last match, but that didn't stop me from crushing Arthur's ribs into a fine paste! I won't go overboard, but I'm gonna kick the crap outta Dabney. And if the opportunity is there, I'll absolutely take the kill shot!”

Mori concurred, nodding her head. It was a criticism that had been lobbied towards herself in the past. She knew RIA wasn't like her and Dabney Doubleday. Her friend might be kind, but she had a lust for violence that wrestling helped satiate. Out of the corner of her eye, Kohime noticed a random pigeon strutting along a nearby sidewalk.

“Are you worried about Kerry getting involved?” Mori asked, drawing a scoff from RIA.

“That dude is all ‘wrestling is serious business’ and shit.” The Psychoberry flapped her hand nonchalantly. “I appreciate the sentiment, even if there's an eternal stick up his ass. He won't do that.”

“You have been pushing his buttons lately. What if he decides this is good revenge?” Kohime postulated. RIA shook her head decisively.

“He'd rather beat my ass down in the ring. He's just too arrogant to admit a match between us would be close.” RIA said. “That's part of why I'm fuckin' with him. Kerry needs to either learn to chill or stop being stuck up. I might even be able to help with both!”

“Maybe. Would you like a glass of wine, Miss Ria?” Kohime offered.

“Hell yeah! Matter of fact, let's stop ignoring the badass meal you put together. We'll talk serious shit later. For now, we can eat and catch up!” RIA said. Kohime flashed a gorgeous grin as she reached for the wine, while RIA grabbed a chunk of the baguette sandwich.