Taking Time for the Hart

RIA wandered back to the hotel room, pulling out the electronic key card from her purse. Somehow, she managed to miss tapping the lock the first time. The second try proved more successful. Door opened, she stumbled inside and sat down on the closest bed. Kohime Mori wasn't present, most likely either out with Nate or grabbing souvenirs for her parents. She sat and waited.

Sid was gone. Though she could sense his discontent over the last few weeks, she really didn't know how deep it ran. That was the worst part; feeling like it came out of nowhere. She felt like she didn't read the signs well enough. RIA also didn't blame him for doing what he felt he had to do. She just wished her heart would stop aching. A knock on the door broke her thoughts. Still slightly inebriated, she wobbled over, opening the door.

Anna Daniels still didn't want to be in Spain. Fuck Spain. Barcelona can suck a big hairy dick…but this was little sis and this was a big damn deal and the Muse can swallow her pride enough to be where she's needed. At this moment, it happened to be here and now. Her curls were unfurling as she perched the sunglasses atop her head, sipping on a glass bottle of whatever passes for a caffeinated beverage. There wasn't a single second wasted in the vessel’s movements, giving RIA a small hug before sliding into the room and closing the door behind her.

“Okay, sis. Let's start this at the beginning. What happened, in your own words.”

RIA plodded back into the main area of the room, sitting back down on the bed. A heavy sigh.

“I dunno…” RIA mumbled. “He just… wasn't happy. He didn't wanna be here anymore. And he didn't think things would work between us… I offered to see him in between shows, but he just seems like he wants nothing to do with the wrestling world…”

Her elbows propped up on her knees. She rested her chin in her palms. RIA lightly sniffled.

“I wanted to make it work… I almost begged him not to end it… He said I was the best part of his time here… So why did he let me go?”

Anna leaned against a nearby wall and looked across the room to another equally empty wall. The Multitudes were lost in thought as her hands slipped into her pockets. “We wish it was as easy as saying that men are just fucking stupid. Good chunk of the time, it’s true. But it's a lot more complicated than that. It always is.”

She blinked once before bouncing off the wall and strolling her way towards the bed. Once there, the Time Lord flopped onto the mattress without much care.

“Dating a wrestler when you’re also a wrestler is one thing, right? You share the same language to a degree, the same culture. Even if you were wrestling in different promotions, when you come together, you can talk about everything the both of you are going through and get it. But we're pretty certain that dating a wrestler as a non-wrestler or maybe even as a retired wrestler is a different beast entirely. Your partner is gone more often than not, living a whole life you either can't or don't want to be involved in, you constantly have to worry about what if they get hurt or worse. And when they come home, they're excited to be home. After they rest, they want to tell you everything about what happened and at a certain point, you just want them to shut up and be–”

Air quotes.

“--’normal’. Maybe you'll get that bit of normalcy for a while, but it's not long enough. Because before you can fully get comfy, they gotta go again. It's a vicious cycle that few people can actually endure. And Sid, in his own way, is telling you that he can't do that. We think if he wanted to be in a relationship with you, he would want all of you. Not just the fragments he gets in between dates. Doesn't really seem like the type to make you quit all of this to be with him either.”

A glance to RIA. “So as much as it hurts, Sid Phillips did the right thing. It's better to let you go now than to suffer for months, maybe years then let you go.”

The Psychoberry knew her appointed sister was right. Was it worth being together when both sides wanted different things out of life? Would they be happy with different things interrupting, pulling their attention away constantly? Could they make it work? Sure. Was it fair to either of them? No.

“I know you're right. I know he did it cuz it would be best for both of us.” RIA could feel her chest tightening. She let her arms wrap around herself in a tight hug. “But it still hurts… I just want the pain to go away…”

Tears began to stream down her face. Her eyes had been red and puffy. Part of her was surprised she even had anything left in her tear ducts. But there she was, softly sobbing, like she had been all night.

Anna exhaled and started to rub RIA's back. “She’ll be right, sis. It will pass because all things do. But that takes time. No pun intended.” In spite of herself, the vessel smirked at said not intended pun. “In the meantime, all you can do is cry yourself to sleep, wake up tomorrow, and start over again. Hey, if you two are actually meant to be together in the end, fate'll find a way. And if you aren't, this pain was the sign.”

The thought floated in. We know from experience. But it was shot down before being verbalized. RIA reached up to wipe the tears away with her forearm. A few unsteady breaths that soon begin to stabilize.

“This is embarrassing…” The former Lockhart grumbled while still wiping her cheeks dry. “You shouldn't be here, watching me cry…”

RIA cocked her head slightly after the statement, as if the words unlocked the door to realization.

“Why are you here, anyway? I thought we had kinda went our separate ways? You have all these different people, wanting your attention and such. You're pretty popular nowadays… Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful you're here. I'm just surprised.”

At least part of that comment resulted in an eyebrow raise. Whatever RIA was seeing, Anna clearly could not. “Popular? Since when? We're too loud and outspoken in this ‘verse for that shit. The word you're looking for is busy. That is a thing we are.”

And to Anna's credit, she actually was busy. It would be easy to see her as that person that does nothing but bitch about PRIME. But she was still low key running the PRIMEporium, wrestling, juggling the precious few relationships in the roster, trying not to go even more insane with frustration, wrestling in SHOOT Project, wrestling elsewhere, not to mention having a whole ass life in Australia. It would be a lot for anybody. But…

“We told your goofy ass. Just because we're not on the same side, doesn't mean we're the enemy. We may not always be able to be around, but fuck did you think that meant? Think we'd stop giving some type of shit about you?”

RIA shrugged. There was more there that wasn't being said. Maybe it needed to be?

“Why wouldn't you?” She asked. “Sid left. Kohime's spending more and more time with Nate. Jared’s retiring. Ayumi would rather spit venom at me instead of having a conversation. Couldn't tell you the last time I visited with the Trash.”

RIA laid back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. She had already started unpacking. Might as well get everything out of the suitcase.

“I just feel like everything is going back to how it was before. I'll be alone and people won't care unless I lose my shit or end up in the hospital. I'm probably being dramatic, but I'm not in a great mental place right now. I guess… I dunno, I figured you had more important stuff going on.”

Anna shrugged.

“We were able to carve out some time. You do realize that just because people can't be around 24/7 doesn't necessarily mean they don't care, right? Kohime acts like your mother half the time and even biiiiiiiiiitch boy Nate’s a little concerned about you.”

She couldn't help but laugh a bit finishing that sentence. The Time Lord didn't even hate Colton, but him being called a bitch was going to linger for a while.

“Everybody has their own lives to live and their own plates to clear. The Trash are like most people. You gotta reach out to them every now and then to make sure they're alive, but you can't smother the bitches either. Ayumi…we can't blame them for being an irritated asshole because fuck knows every time we come to this ‘verse, we’re becoming an irritated asshole. All you can really do is wait on the other side and hope they make it through okay which can be heartbreaking and maddening.”

There's a short break in this ramble as Anna proceeds to stretch out like a cat.

“Sid? Jared? Sad fact is the majority of people you care about and care about you have a shelf life. Few come back into rotation, even fewer stick around for the long haul. They are at the end of theirs, detaching from your orbit to do what's best for them because that's all anybody can do. It's like when you left all nine hundred times, we were sad about it but we had to let you go. Little did we know…”

The vessel motioned in a way to RIA that suggested a “TA-DAH!” sort of sound effect.

“Welcome to life, sis. Where fragments of your heart are given away, some get stolen, three-fourths get shit on, and jesus wept! Even we’re getting tired of bitching about this today. Please stop us!”

And in equally dramatic fashion, Muse and Multitudes leaned into the nearest wall, head bumping into it for the second time in 48 hours. Thus endth the rant. By now, RIA's tears were dry. Anna's words stung, partially because there was some truth to them. Last time something like this came up? There was a pretty uncomfortable disagreement.

RIA pushed herself up off the bed. There were two options here; one, rehash the rant from a few weeks ago and potentially damage things worse. Or option two… She walked up behind Anna, wrapping her arms around the Muse’s waist while resting her head on her back. A hug. She didn't know what else to do and this was one of RIA’s best skills.

“I still don't wanna believe that, but I know you're right.” The Psychoberry spoke softly. “I just don't wanna lose anyone. That's unrealistic, I know that. I know I need to be better about reaching out. I'm probably destined to drive myself to insanity with my mental whiplashes. I guess I kinda suck at love, huh?”

Anna tensed up at first. She isn't used to being the receiver of Hugs-Not-From-Her-Husband and it shows. After a few seconds, she eased into it. “Girl, we're gonna let you in on a little secret. The vast majority of us are dogshit at love. Might be why we drop each other on our heads for a living as opposed to curing cancer or whatever. But this one isn't on you. He left for him and sometimes, the best way to show your love is to set them free.”

A hand reached up and rustled through RIA's hair.

“You're gonna be fine.”

RIA nodded, face still covered with glum.

“I know… I guess I'm kinda weird. I'll let someone hit me with a barbwire bat without much of a thought. Tell me how horrible I am, how I'm a failure? The emotional stuff still hurts the most.” RIA admitted with a sigh. She meandered over towards the large window the room had. She gazed out at the traffic, the people… Life wasn't going to stop for her. Not much of anything would. She turned and leaned her curvy frame against the adjacent wall.

“I'm not sure I actually said it, but thank you.” RIA began. “Thank you for being here right now… For being there most times we needed you. For giving me a kick in the ass when it was needed, or a pat on the back instead. I've been worried that we weren't gonna be the same anymore… Shows how much I know. You're still my big sister, here when I need you most.”

“We do what we can.”

With that acknowledgement came the buzz from the Muse's pocket. She glanced at the phone as she hopped to her feet. “Speaking of which. Duty calls. Or texts, whichever you prefer.” Yet despite the stress it could give her at times, some parts of it were more than worth it. A smile formed on her face as she began to walk towards the door. “Besides we gotta get out of this place before the PRIMEness of it begins to sandpaper our nerves again.”

RIA nodded, following her to the door.

“Take care, sis. Remember… You don't have to shoulder everything alone either. If you're on the verge of losing your shit or whatever else, give me a call. As long as I'm conscious, you know I'll answer.” RIA remarked.

Anna laughed. “You must be a glutton for punishment. Think you guys have heard our complaining enough. And quite honestly, we're sick of talking.”

With that, she opened the door and left with a wave. RIA watched them walk away. Though there was still pain in her heart, it at least felt lighter than it was previous. With the slightest smile, she closed the door.