S7NS - Revised Version

Season 5 Episode 9 : Violence

Three!!

Omari and Wrath both collapsed onto their sides as the crowd erupted in cheers. "Omari did it!! Omari did it!! He's beaten the unbeatable!! Can you believe it!!" Phil screamed, as he began to clap.

Jack followed. "We just watched the best of the best go at it. We might never see something as good as that again. Appreciate greatness while it's here." It was a standing ovation from everyone around, as Omari slowly rose to his feet, tears beginning to fall down his face.

Sloth could only imagine the rush of emotion that Omari had. He got his vengeance, he proved to himself and everyone else that he could not only hang with someone that people thought he wasn't better than, but to beat him in a  battle for the ages.

Then he looked at Wrath.

Wrath was in the corner of the ring, his dreads over his face so that you couldn't see him. He looked defeated, and Sloth knew he was hurt. It hurt Sloth to see him like that. Sloth took his headphones off, jogging over to the corner that Wrath was sitting in.

"You okay?" Sloth asked, and he heard no response for a few seconds.

"Bring me the title." Wrath said.

"What? I asked if you were okay. That's not important right n-"

"Bring me the goddamn title or I'll snap your neck in two." Wrath spat.

"You right, You right. My fault. My fault." Sloth said as he scrambled over to the commentary table, grabbing the title from Phil and rushing back into the ring, handing it to him. "Help me up." Wrath said, and Sloth offered a hand.

Wrath took it, and Sloth pulled as he could to pull Wrath up. "Damn. Heavy ass nigga..." Sloth said to himself, before handing him the title. "I don't know what your about to do but don't do anything ra-"

"Shut up."

Omari was having his hand raised by the referee when Wrath and Omari made eye contact. Omari put his hand down, walking over to Wrath. Sloth just stood there awkwardly, his eyes darting between the two of them.

Slowly, Wrath dropped the title on the ground between the two, before falling down to one knee.

"You're ready, Omari. And I'm sorry." Wrath said, his eyes never looking up from the ground. Omari looked at Sloth, who shrugged, and then back at Wrath with a small smirk.

"You have nothing to apologize for." Omar said, kneeling to meet Wrath. "I wasn't ready yet brother. I was acting out of anger. Thank you for letting me prove myself to...you and myself." Omari placed a hand on his heart, and closed his eyes, and Wrath followed.

Sloth watched for a few seconds, then sat criss-cross applesauce on the ground beside them as they prayed silently, before Omari leaned forward, hugging Wrath tightly. "Thank you." Omari said.

"Get off me, prince. Go celebrate. I'll see you soon."

Omari rose, holding the title over his head as Wrath sat down in the center of the ring beside Sloth. Sloth didn't know what to say, especially after all of what had just transpired in front of him.

"You did good, Wrath." Sloth said, and Wrath looked over. "I still lost." Wrath spat back, looking up at Omari, who was checking on Lust, who was sitting at the commentary table. "How are you feeling? I assume that giving your boyfriend severe concussions can't be fun."

Wrath just stared at Omari, pushing his hair back with a smile on his face. "I'm content, Sloth."

"I'm content."

Ivy watched Wrath and Omari just like everyone else, but from a very far away place. Lilith didn't want to be seen by anyone, as she wasn't welcomed in hell (for obvious reasons) but this was her first time being here.

Though she was here for the match, it felt more like she was here for the spectacle. A collection of scattered souls and people who were coming together to watch two grown men batter each other. Ivy didn't get it. Contact sports were never her thing, and especially not combat sports.

"Has it ended, my love?" Lilith asked. Ivy felt her presence behind her, and her soft hand rested upon her shoulder. Her touch still made Ivy blush.

"Yeah. Omari won. I was really caught off guard actually. It seemed like Wrath was just surviving anything that would happen to him. Seemed like eventually th-"

"There was nothing left to give." Lilith interrupted, and Ivy nodded. "What else have you noticed, Ivy?" Lilith asked, and Ivy began to think, looking around the building. "This was a big deal to everyone. They were screaming the entire time. It was too loud."

Ivy heard a little giggle from Lilith, and then felt a soft kiss on her neck. Ivy tried not to make a noise, but it came out anyway. "Good. You're starting to see things my way." Ivy blushed even harder, grabbing the edge of her dress as tightly as she could to keep herself from speaking again.

"Even in hell, all of these people just clamor for violence. One of those men was a warrior in one of the most prestigious armies of all time, and the other has a kingdom of people. And what are they doing? Fighting for others amusement and petty arguments." Lilith sat down beside Ivy, her arm slipping into the perfect spot to hold her closer. Ivy leaned into it.

"Men. So lost within their own battles for dominance over us and others that they can't even decipher themselves. Every issue we've ever had, perpetuated by the fragile ego of a man who didn't know how to take no for an answer." Lilith said, before snapping at her servant.

"Bring us wine." Lilith directed, and the same servant that helped Ivy to Lilith's house walked out of the room.

"I don't like being mad." Ivy said, burying her face into Lilith's neck. "I know that they do things wrong, and I don't give them a pass for it. But..."

"I know, Ivy. You don't want to be like them. You don't want to hurt people..." Ivy nodded. Even while she was in jail, she did her best not to rub anyone the wrong way, or do anything that she felt wrong for. She didn't like the feeling of envy, or jealousy, or anger. It felt poisonous to her day to day life, but it was hard not to feel envious of all the people who had an opportunity to have a life Ivy never had.

"that's just like you, sweetheart. My precious, precious Ivy." Lilith said, and Ivy smiled softly. Ivy leaned forward, placing a soft kiss on her lips. "Your like a flower, Ivy. Do you have a favorite flower?"

"Dahlias. When I was a kid, Mom used to bring flowers to every one of my gym meets. When I one my first championship, she gave me a vase full of these beautiful pink dahlias. That's when I started wanting a garden. Gardens are really nice to, because you can really pick and choose everything you want to d-" Ivy stopped, looking at Lilith before sighing. "I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?"

"I didn't mean to just keep rambling on." Ivy replied. "You had something to s-"

"I want to hear you talk, Ivy. you know I love your voice."

Ivy stared at her for a few seconds, before smiling. "Thank you. But I still want to know what you were going to say."

Lilith nodded, playing with Ivy's hair as she spoke. "I think of you as this beautiful flower. You grew so fast, and so bright and full of life. And then suddenly, people came to pluck at you. They stepped on you, spoke down upon your beauty. They doomed you to wilt away and die before you ever had a chance to show everyone what you had."

Ivy closed her eyes, adoring the way her fingers played in her hair. It was this soft affection that Ivy loved when spending time with Lilith. It made her feel taken care of, something that she hadn't felt since she was a child.

"There are so many souls just like you that need to be freed the way I freed you. With abilities and stories and lives that are so special. And those people out there, are only ever on your side if you give them what they want. And what is that, my love?"

Ivy sat silent for a second.

"Violence." Lilith said. "Those two men have spent their whole lives fighting...proving to others their own faults with violence. And look at how everyone comes running. So, how do we save them? How do we get them out of their pain? The same way I got you out of yours. And how was that?"

"Violence." Ivy repeated softly.

"Good girl."