A Moth To A Green Flame

Back to the mind palace belonging to Ria Lockhart we go. Last time we were here, RIA had found a black door with bright green trim. She now stood in front of it once more. The Psychoberry hesitated to reach out for the handle, as if touching the knob would cause a burn or some other unsightly injury. Perhaps it was the door itself that caused her hesitation? At a casual glance, it was nothing more than a standard wooden door. Unremarkable.

It wasn't quite so simple to the Rainbow Riot. A dark forbidding radiated off the door, as if the color could bleed down at any minute and swallow everything whole. An abyss, an empty vortex. Did she dare see what lay beyond on the other side? Were the potential answers worth what destruction may be in waiting? A monster unwittingly released from its prison? But on the other hand, how much longer could she go without answers? How willing was she to leave this line a tangled mess?

Deep inhale, steady exhale. RIA grabbed the knob, turning the opener cautiously. The door gently, silently glid open. The Rainbow Riot shimmied into the room. A slight pang of disappointment rested on her shoulders, courtesy of the door denying RIA a stereotypical horror based creaking when made ajar. Even when in potential danger, she couldn't remain totally serious. The room was near empty outside of a bed, covered by black linen that the Psychoberry couldn't fully identify. That wasn't all she couldn't identify.

Sitting on the bed, clad in what could be best described as a gothic party dress over fishnet stockings and shiny black stiletto heels was a woman. It didn't take long before the Tetris blocks began falling in place for RIA. The hair. The makeup. Familiar, but of a different… shade. The smirk on her face was similar to her own, yet carrying a wickedness to it. Her eyes, an unnatural hue of green. No, I'm not making the joke cuz you already are in your head.

“Well well… Looks like a little lamb has wandered into the den of a lioness.” The woman purred, her voice like caramel covering a poisoned apple. Though tentative, RIA stepped forward.

“Who are you?” Any apprehension the Psychoberry may have had inside was masked well by her tone. The seated woman cackled. The laugh, RIA could recognize it but it wasn't the same. Conflicting with the earlier smile, the malice of the giggle carried an air of playfulness to it.

“Oh sweetie… You know who I am.” The woman impishly taunted. A moment passed before it was time to end the charade.

“I'm Ria Nightshade!”

You dumb motherfuckers! Really? Really?! Ya thought that would take me out?! I mean, hey, gotta give credit where it's due; been awhile since I got my ass whooped that bad. Rob Williams is probably old enough to be my stepdad, so that was a trip down memory lane we didn't particularly need.

Anyway… I went back and watched the footage, since, ya know, I was barely conscious for half of it. Fred Dickless. Ya told me to thank Anna for intervening. What, ya think I wouldn'ta come back looking like Freddy fuckin' Krueger to make your asses pay?! Keep in mind, dipshit, you slapped me first. Between that, talkin' shit to my girlfriend and friends and PISSIN’ ON CLAY’S FATHER'S GRAVE, a receipt slap is the least ya were owed.

Yet ya decided to escalate this shit. That's fine! Just make sure ya strap your fried chicken stuffed ass in tight. Cuz we ain't goin' to the moon, oh no no no! I'm takin’ your ass straight to Mars! If your boys are smart, they'll stay outta my way. I just want ya to remember one thing at the end of all of this. This was your fault, Fred. This was your doin’.

I don't think ya really get what I'm capable of, Freddy. Shit, PRIME as a whole seems to think I can be pushed around and mistreated without consequence. Suppose it's time for me to prove just how wrong that mentality is. It's time for me to put a bit of fear into the Poor Whoresmen, and I don't mind admittin’ I'm gonna enjoy doin' so.

Oh, and Anna? I'll pick up lunch next time.

Kohime Mori sat in a chair positioned next to a hospital bed where a decimated RIA lay. Wearing a modest, but still cute white dress adorned with sunflowers throughout, she had one leg crossed over the other while reading a book. She would peek up from the book every few moments, as if her constant surveillance might pull her friend out of her slumber.

The Psychoberry had seen better days. A bevy of bandages peeked out from under a hospital gown, clinging to her skin, covering various wounds and lacerations. Numerous spots on her face bore bruising. More gauze wrap was located around her skull. There were probably movie studio costume designers that could make worse mummies than how RIA appeared currently.

The beep… beep… beep… from the machinery monitoring the trans woman's vitals provided the majority of any noise in the room, with the other minor culprit being the rustling of paper when Mori turned the page of her reading material. A table served as a gathering place for a variety of gifts; flowers, cards, a few stuffed animals, a number of trinkets were left in consolation over the attack on RIA.

A loud groan broke up the routine nose, with Kohime nearly fumbling her book onto the floor. She haphazardly closed the tome, setting it aside as she quickly rose out of her seat. Mori rushed over to side of the bed.

“Ugh…” RIA slowly sat up, every muscle in her body screaming and protesting as she did. “I feel like shit.”

Kohime did her best to hold the beginning of tears at bay, placing a gentle hand on the shoulder of her friend.

“I'm sure, Miss Ria.” Mori’s voice softly flowed. “That attack… It was disgusting. Barbaric.”

RIA’s eyes darted over to Kohime before gazing upward.

“I don't remember everythin’.” Her brow furrowed. “Anna tried to warn me. I remember gettin' battered by chairs. I blacked out after I hit that window. How bad it get after that?”

The Moé Monster shifted in place, vision casted downward.

“Um…” She struggled. Whether it was with what wording she wanted to use, or if it was an effort to contain her tears was unclear. She reached her hands up one at a time to wipe the physical sadness away. “They… They were going to try to set you on fire… Miss Anna stopped it.”

The Psychoberry nodded before looking over to the gift table. A bundle caught her eye immediately. It contained a weighted heating pad, a few large candles, a large stuffed unicorn and a… Let's call it a water pipe, in pink and blue. She couldn't help but smile softly, knowing exactly where that particular set came from. Her eyes shifted to Kohime.

“So Angel visited?” RIA asked, a slight blush covering her cheeks. Even if their ‘honeymoon’ phase was over, she still felt her heart rate quicken and knots form in her stomach when she thought about her girlfriend. Mori nodded.

“She stayed the first two nights.” Kohime replied. “They wouldn't let her stay a third. Plus, she had other stuff she had to take care of. So she got you that stuff to make up for it. But yeah, you've been sleeping for three days.”

“I love that woman… Anyway! Three days, huh? Ya know what's funny? Those dumbass Whoresmen made a mistake.” RIA mused. Mori tilted her head. Before she could form a response, the Rainbow Riot continued. “They didn't finish the job.”

With a pained groan, RIA swung her legs over the side of the bed.

“My phone nearby, ‘Hime?”

Kohime walked over and pulled a smart phone out of her purse. She handed the item to her friend. RIA tapped away at the device, hunched over. A moment later, she let out as hearty a laugh as her battered body would allow.

“Man, someone's got a sense of humor.” She stated, still staring down at her phone. “Physically fucked and I end up with Sage Pontiff? I'm gettin' the strangest sense of deja vu.”

Mori reached back for the earlier chair. She drug it close to bedside before taking a seat.

“I know of Mr. Pontiff. Were you two friends in the past?” A confused, curious Kohime asked. RIA chuckled, a smirk crossing her lips.

“I wouldn't say friends. And it was more Lockhart that he interacted with.” She explained. “I'll put it this way; we'll always have a reminder of our time in his orbit, thanks to the plate in our face.”

Mori’s eyes widened. She had heard her friend reference the injury before. She wasn't aware it was Pontiff that had been the perpetrator of the incident. She tilted towards the bed in her chair.

“Please, Miss Ria… Please be careful.” Kohime pleaded. “I really don't think you should even wrestle, but I know how you are. Telling you no isn't going to work. You will just try to find a way out, a way to still end up in that ring. So please just don't push too hard.”

The Psychoberry flopped back against the raised head of the hospital bed. It bugged her, seeing Kohime upset and worried like this. But she knew the truth; the Japanese woman was right. RIA wasn't going to be held back for competition if she could still make it to the ring before the bell sounded.

“C'mon, ‘Hime, ya know how I am.” RIA did her best to temper any sharpness her words might carry. “Max effort. I dunno how to take half measures when it comes to wrestling. Sage is gonna get the best that I'm currently capable of. Thing is, I dunno if he knows just how different that's gonna be than two years ago.”

Man. Two years is a long time. Two years ago, The Anglo Luchador was still ridin’ that epic Intense title reign. Coral Avalon was nowhere near the Universal title picture. Ivan was still a dick, but less of one. Lots of stuff was goin’ on. And one of them things was Sage Pontiff versus Ria Lockhart. Now, obviously I wasn't around for that, but I got the story straight from the horse’s mouth.

Not gonna lie, Sagey, ya kinda had some creeper tendencies back then, my dude. You've changed. We've changed. We both moved on. Lockhart took time off, floundered, fucked around and out popped a baby RIA. You… turned into the wrestling equivalent of the early 90s Bills. Good, but not great. Close, but wide right. Yeah, maybe a bit harsh, but am I wrong? In our year back active, I accomplished more than you have your whole PRIME career!

I ain't tryin' to completely shit on ya, dude. I know what ya can do. My left cheek still aches in cold weather. What I'm sayin’ is this ain't angry, but still nervous Ria Lockhart you're dealin’ with. I ain't the underdog. YOU have to get on MY level now! YOU have to force ME to reach down deep to beat ya! Two years. Crazy how things change, huh? Guess we're gonna see how much of that killer instinct ya still got.

I'm warnin’ ya ahead of time, Pontiff; I'm pretty pissed after almost gettin' set on fire. A fair reaction on my part, I'd say. Fred and his bitch boys are gonna get theirs. You, unfortunately, are gonna catch the residuals of it. Maybe if we ever have a third match, ya won't have to face a version of us that's ready to rip someone's spine out, Sub-Zero style. Good luck, bud. You're gonna need it.

“How?”

RIA stood feet away, her posture a mixture of confusion, disbelief and amazement. The woman claiming to be Nightshade leaned back, crossing her legs.

“Oh that's quite the story. Are you sure you're up to hear the details?” She coyly taunted. The Psychoberry crossed her arms on her chest.

“Listen, I'm familiar with the language of bullshit.” She snarked. “I'm tryin' to find answers here. You bein' a fuckin’ tease ain't gonna help. So ya gonna talk or am I leavin’?”

The lime green accented woman rolled her eyes, shaking her head with an exasperated sigh.

“Damn, you're a dramatic little bitch, ain't ya?” She muttered. “Fine. Take a seat.”

She casually motioned towards the unoccupied space on the bed. RIA stood in place momentarily before taking the room’s owner up on her offer. She plopped down on the furniture recklessly. The two personalities turned to face each other.

“Spill.” The Psychoberry demanded. The woman conjured up a lit cigarette out of nowhere. She raised it to her shiny black lips and took a drag before speaking.

“Lockhart made some choices a while ago. She had decided she wanted to take her life back. I was one of the one's she wanted to take it back from. The other? She ironically had the same name as you.” She informed RIA. Another drag of the cigarette.

“Same name as me?” The Psychoberry wondered aloud. “Was she like me?”

Nightshade(?) giggled and shook her head emphatically.

“No, honey, she wasn't.” The blunt answer came. “In fact, she was a hell of a lot closer to the bitch all of ya are currently calling Nightshade.”

Now that was curious. RIA felt the need to dig deeper at that statement.

“But isn't she Nightshade?”

An eye roll. An annoyed huff. Lips curled into a sneer.

“Look, it's complicated. So all of us, all these personalities? We were formed out of need. Necessity.” Nightshade explained. “I was formed cuz Lockhart got tired of all the abuse she was and had suffered. She didn't wanna be the bad girl. I took that role instead.”

Nightshade sat up straighter. The friskiness, that jovial mischief evaporated.

“Lockhart thought she had gotten rid of me. In reality, I just went into a kind of slumber in our subconscious. The overdose kinda scrambled things. The Nightshade you know took a lot of, but not all of, my edge. Though I guess by the end, I had really softened over the years.”

Another drag leading to smoke billowing out into the air, dancing around before slowly dissipating. RIA glanced at the floor, biting her lip, lost in thought. A solid minute passed before she finally spoke.

“So wait… If this other Nightshade took from you or whatever… Does that mean you were around first?” The Rainbow Riot thought out loud. Nightshade gave a curt nod.

“I been around the longest, outside of Lockhart. I'm sure there were people shocked to hear the Nightshade name recently, only to see those weird purple accents.” Nightshade raised a contemplative eyebrow. “Is it purple? Or is it gray? Either way, I ain't a fucking fan.”

RIA's gaze remained fixed to the ground. That is, until moments later, when her eyelids expanded and her body shot into a rigid upright position. The dramatic, seemingly random spasm had caught Nightshade's attention. RIA turned her head to face her.

“So then, you know all the personalities?” The Psychoberry inquired. “Know who they are, what they are, why they're here and stuff?”

The playful deviousness washed back over the dark clad woman. Her tongue slowly glided across her bottom lip before she bit it seductively.

“Oh I sure do, baby.” Nightshade cooed. “I've been here for thirteen years at this point. I know Lockhart better than anyone. That includes the fractured pieces of her psyche.”

RIA's eyes locked onto her counterpart’s. She could see it; part of the danger of this woman was her alluring nature. She was a green flame, drawing in poor moths that can't control their urges, burning their wings and leaving them to die. Could she see just the tiniest hint of kindness beneath the inferno? Perhaps. But she needed to be careful. Be on guard.

“Lockhart told me one thing; that we're all kind of counters for each other.” RIA began. “I gotta know who I counter and why. Not gonna lie, I'm still confused about this whole Nightshade business too.”

“And why should I tell you any of that?” OG Nightshade countered. There it was. Things had gone too smoothly to this point. RIA had been waiting for some kind of pushback. The other Nightshade was always dour, fairly inflexible, unwilling to cooperate unless there was incentive. It seemed this version wasn't completely forthright herself.

“Dunno what ya expect me to tell ya.” RIA responded. “The one thing I can offer ya is somethin’ I'm not willin’ to give up.”

Nightshade giggled before bouncing to her feet. She slowly paced, more of a stalk really, taking another puff of nicotine.

“Here's the thing, Rainbow,” OG said. “you DO have something I want and it's exactly what you're thinking. But! This is different. I don't want total control. Hell, I don't even really want hours. I just wanna get out. See that I'm still real. Have a bit of fun.”

RIA considered her words. It was certainly a different approach than the purple version, who roughly demanded what she wanted. But her defenses were up. Even if it sounded more like a plea than an order, the end result was the same. Trust was the barrier here and needed to be established.

“So let's say I give ya want ya want. What's in it for me?” The Psychoberry wasn't typically the type to engage in quid pro quo, preferring to let her generous nature dictate her actions. However, too much was at stake in this instance. Misplaced faith could ruin everything. For her. For Lockhart. For their entire being. Another smile from Nightshade. This one seemed less menacing, more truly sweet.

“You get your answers.” She replied. “Also, I know you had a little run in with a group of dickheads recently. I think I can help with that.”

Now that was interesting. This version of Nightshade, despite being in seclusion, was apparently informed. More questions popped into RIA’s section of their shared mind. However, they weren't high on the priority list. She needed to handle important matters first, then maybe she could chip away at that igloo later.

“Answers first.” RIA firmly stated. “I like what I hear, I'll give ya what ya want. I'm a woman of my word.”

Nightshade’s smile morphed into a smirk. Another drag before she crossed her arms on her chest.

“You wanna know who you counter? Your answer is behind the golden door out there. You'll find a… Really Important Person in that room.” The way she said that last part, with such venom… More to explore later, it seemed. The web just continued to grow the further RIA perilously walked along the silk strands. At least she had some sort of direction.

“Ya mentioned the Whoresmen… I'm curious how ya even know about ‘em, but I'm more intrigued by what ya mean when ya say you'll help with ‘em.” RIA said. Nightshade cackled and strode towards the still sitting Psychoberry. She reached a handout, letting her fingers lightly dance along RIA's jawline.

“Trust me, kitten.” OG assured her bright counterpart. “We'll have some fun they'll NEVER forget!”