(Jade T)

The day before the Sacred Entry event, Jade and a few of the girls decided to eat out at the café down the road from the convention center. The place had a nostalgic Route 66 diner theme, with bright colors on the walls and black-and-white checkered tile floors. Red booths lined the edges of the space, each one glowing with vintage charm.

“Jade! Koko ni!” called Kazumi, waving from the far end of a booth. Mia Fox sat across from Kazumi, barely visible from a distance thanks to her height.

“We were wondering when you’d show up,” Mia said, not looking up from the café’s menu.

“We were waiting for you so we could order,” Kazumi added, sipping on her tea with a calm smile.

“Where’s Tessa? Wasn’t she supposed to be the first one here to save us a seat?” Jade asked, glancing around the diner.

“She stepped outside to take a call. You didn’t see her?” Mia replied, her eyes focused only on the menu.

A waiter stopped by, and everyone placed their drink orders. Mia ordered for Tessa too, she already knew what she’d want.

Tessa came walking up to them, still on the phone. “Got it, I will let the girls know, Kaya,” Tessa said, hanging up as she reached the table and got everyone's attention.

A drawstring bag hung off her shoulder. “I’m ready for our first show,” Tessa announced, placing her phone back in her pocket.  “Kaya, just finalized the match schedule.”

 She sat down and started picking at a salad.

“I’m facing that new girl. Hope she’s got some experience,” Tessa said casually.

“The Viking woman?” Mia asked, raising an eyebrow.

“She should be solid. I heard she came from a local promotion,” Jade said, struggling to cut her steak into smaller bites.

“What about Jade? Who’s she facing?” Mia asked, trying to scoop up green beans that kept slipping off her spoon.

A strong voice came from behind Mia.

“Who else but me, her best friend!”

Nakia strode up to the table with Ursa beside her, fixing Jade with a smirk.

“What do you want?” Jade muttered, her eyes locked on  her plate.

“Jay’s setting us up as Thunderbird’s big rivalry. I just want to make sure you hold up your end of the deal,” Nakia said with a smirk, then turned to the others at the table.

“That’s why I’m eating right, so I can be at my best. You should try it too,” Jade snapped back, wiping her mouth with a napkin as Nakia walked away.

“Nakia’s not that bad. Why does she get under your skin so much?” Kazumi asked, watching Nakia and Ursa sit at a table directly across from them. Nakia wrinkled her nose and gave Jade a sharp look. Jade responded by sticking her tongue out and widening one eye dramatically.

“What was all that about? You two always seem to want to start a brawl, did she steal your snag or something?” Mia asked.

“I’d be mad if someone stole my favorite snacks,” Kazumi muttered under her breath.

“Ayyy, Mia,” Tessa said with a chuckle. “Nakia just has trouble opening up to people. But she’s got a good heart. I’ve talked to her a few times. Her attitude just... pushes people away.”

Nakia, had been scraping her plate loudly across the table, glaring over at Jade and the others.

“Worry about your own match tomorrow, buffalo women,” Nakia snapped from across the table.

Tessa smiles back, her eyes narrowing back at Nakia.

“Let’s change the subject,” Kazumi suggested, being the composed one at the table.

“Tell us about Desert Wrestling. How’d you get into that promotion?” she asked, turning to Tessa.

While Kazumi and Tessa got into their conversation, Jade locked eyes with Nakia, exchanging a serious glare.

Mia tried to follow both conversations at once, listening to Tessa’s story while secretly fascinated by Jade and Nakia’s evolving face language.

“What’s Star Gold Promotion like?” Tessa asked Kazumi. “I’ve always wanted to go there,”

“Star Gold is . . .competitive. My first match against Umi Tsubuki, known for her technical skills, was fast paced, and high flying.”

The other half of the table listened between bites. 

The conversation lasted an hour, everyone sharing stories of Star Gold and other Promotions. As the plates emptied, a long silence  settled over the table. Tessa picked up her glass, chewing on the ice cubes, before she took a breath and looked up.

“I was into sports in high school, softball and basketball mostly. Then I tried wrestling, and it just clicked. I kept training and one day, Desert Wrestling came knocking,” she said, pausing to wipe ranch dressing from the corner of her mouth.

“Is that where Ravina Hawk came from?” Jade asked. 

Kazumi leaned forward. “How long did you stay with them?”

“I stayed for about two years,” Tessa sighed, shaking her head. “Ravina Hawk was their only real star. Until Indigenous Wrestling picked her up. I was rumored to be their next big talent, but I went to a Canadian promotion before they could make it happen,”

“She got her big break because the system catered to her name. Some of us had to fight twice as hard just to get noticed here,” Tessa said, her voice tight with upset.

“I remember that,” Mia added. “They told us we were gonna be a tag team. They were trying to start up a women’s tag division... but it never happened.”

“Mia came from Desert Wrestling, too. She was a total rookie back then, but we hit it off quickly. We were always the last ones at the warehouse. Eventually, I started training her,” Tessa said, smiling. Mia slid down in her seat, embarrassed. “I still think it’s hilarious that Jay found you at an art show,” she said, laughing.

Tessa and Kazumi exchanged a look. Jade didn’t even flinch, she was used to hearing that.

“Should we get going?” Jade asked, finishing the last bite of her meal and wiping her plate clean. “Jay will lose his mind if we’re late. He wants everyone at training so we’re ready for tomorrow.”