Flames

Walk the Walk, part 2

As Seth and Becky had entered the arena, a crew member had whispered about a 'walking on eggshells' feeling. Becky had replied it was more like walking on broken glass. Seth didn't think it was either. To him, it felt more like walking around things: trying to avoid the creaky stair, trying to tipetoe around the landmine, trying to ignore the obvious absences. Releases were always hard to deal with and the large-scale ones, like the one that had just happened before SmackDown, felt like a punch to the gut. He figured he and Becky were relatively safe, but then again, he would have said the same for Kairi Sane. She had just been involved in a key storyline for the RAW women's roster, one that was generating a lot of buzz among fans, and now she was gone before she could have any sort of resolution.

Becky gripped his hand a little tighter. "It feels so weird. I know most of the people who are gone were from SmackDown, but...." She shivered a bit and Seth knew it wasn't from the temperature backstage. Less than a decade ago, she could have very easily been a victim of one of these sweeping cuts.

"It still resonates here." Seth brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it. "We'll have to find Asuka and Iyo and see how they're doing."

"You don't have to. I know you want to talk over details with Bron before the show...." Her insistence didn't stop her from holding his hand, though, or staying close to his side.

"Plenty of time for that," he assured her. "Let's go find Asuka and Iyo. Did you get a chance to talk to Kairi over the weekend?"

Becky shook her head. "I left her a message, of course, but... I get it. She was probably overwhelmed with messages. I'll text her later, after we—Iyo!" She finally let go of Seth's hand to wave at her friend to stop. "Wait!"

Seth wasn't sure he had ever seen Iyo truly sad, but she was definitely sombre now, holding a water bottle between both hands like she wanted to keep them occupied. "Hi, Becky. Hi, Seth. Kairi...." Her chin dipped as she trailed off.

Becky nodded before closing the distance between her and Iyo and giving her a hug. "I'm so sorry. She was such a bright spot in the locker room."

"She said to thank you for your message," Iyo replied as she returned the hug. "She didn't want you to think she was ignoring you."

"Oh, never, no worries. I imagine she's going through a lot right now. Of course she needs some time for herself." Becky stepped back and squeezed Iyo's hand. "How are you?"

This is what the locker room will miss the most when she's gone, Seth thought as he quietly stepped back. Becky was always among the first to check in on people who had been injured or released, and it was never just a single phone call. There were always follow-up messages, little gifts, whatever she could think of so they knew they weren't forgotten. By the time Iyo was on her way, she was smiling again, even if it was tinged with sadness, and her eyes were sparkling again. "Kairi's okay?" he asked once Iyo had left.

Becky looked a bit lost herself for a moment, but then she nodded. "Yeah. So is Asuka. And Iyo. That's the main thing. We all know how quickly things change around here...." She hugged him and rested her head on his chest. "I was really looking forward to all three of them getting to shine, you know? They're all so good and they deserve it, but they get overlooked. But Iyo said Creative wanted to have her fight me tonight and then have Asuka come out, so hopefully at least those two will get a chance to do something with everything they've been building up."

"Asuka and Iyo are both amazing," he agreed. "They deserve all the time in the world, but whatever they get, they'll make the most of it." Seth knew it was a small consolation, especially given how little time the women were given compared to the men, but he didn't want Becky to dwell on it. It was out of her control and she couldn't save the women's division all on her own. Asuka and Iyo were key players, though, so he had hope.