Let's forgive and forget. Yes? No?

"Sigh..."

It's the day after BattleGrounds. Blyss is sitting in a cafe somewhere in Pittsburgh while drinking her coffee. She has just told Aries to meet her here. The two of them have been exchanging unpleasantries nonstop on Twitter since that Heroes Also Die match was first announced. They were never friends to begin with but they weren't enemies either. The funny thing is she did want to make peace sooner. However, she's stubbornly sticking to the 'he tricked me once' reason. But then again, it does seem like something about the guy has changed and as pointed out to her, she should probably take a chance and give him the benefit of the doubt.

"Sigh..."

That's the problem with Twitter. It's so easy to lie with type-written words. And that's why she's made the decision to meet up with him instead of settling it there. Hopefully, it works out alright.

She sips on her coffee again and waits.

Aries made his way through the streets of Pittsburgh with a spring in his step. Probably a bit more cheery than he should probably be, given the situation he was heading toward. At the same time, it was hard for a man with such a child like attitude not to be someone giddy at this point. What's felt like nothing but work over the past few weeks is finally bearing some fruit. He even whistled a tune as his eyes darted from his phone to the various buildings he was passing. All he was given was a street name and the name of the cafe she was at, and Aries wasn't the best at directions. He even began to stroll right past the location until Blyss herself caught his eye, immediately throwing himself in reverse as he took a few steps backward before bolting inside.

The two shared a look for a moment, Blyss more eyeing him cautiously as he took the opposite approach, not being able to stop himself from grinning ear to ear, standing there as if he expected a warm greeting.

Aries Armadaist
Aww, common Blyzzard of Oz, this is a big day! Gimme somethin'. A smile, a nod, anything.

She didn't even humor him enough to speak out to him, Aries shoulders slumping a slightly as he let out a sigh. Instead he pulled up a chair as well, still sporting that wide grin as he took a seat at her table, sitting across from her as he immediately drummed his hands against the table in anticipation.

Aries Armadaist
So what's on your mind, pal.

The whole time, Blyss merely stares back at him with a raised eyebrow. What did he just call her? She half rolls her eyes and leans back in her seat.

"Alright, Aries. The reason why I asked you to be here is for us to stop this nonsense. Truth be told, I was only trying to mess with you following our match at the last PPV but it's obviously backfired and now it's gone unnecessarily too far. But because it's mainly stemmed from the fact that I find it really hard to trust you since that little stunt you pulled, I thought it's best that we actually meet and talk it out in person."

She leans forward.

"The thing is, Aries, I am willing to forgive you but I will not forget it. That's how I am. However I also understand that things have changed with you recently and perhaps I should give you this chance to make amends. Everyone deserves that so..."

She extends her right hand with a tiny smile.

"I apologize for what I've said including tricking you with the malware thing. That wasn't right."

She watches for his reaction, trying to determine if he'd be sincere or not.

Aries leaned forward as Blyss began, resting his cheek against his fist as he listened intently, periodically nodding as she ran down her laundry list of bullet points. He couldn't help but snicker however when she brought up the malware incident though.

Aries Armadaist
Oh, Blyss, common... I didn't seriously click on that, I was kidding, you gotta gimme more credit than that.

He sat back up as he looked down at her outstretched hand, arching an eyebrow himself as he seemed to hesitate, his gaze returning to her.

Aries Armadaist
I appreciate all this, Blyss, honestly. I figured if Jaci can warm up to me, anyone can, right? For what it's worth I've done much worse to people I was much closer to than what I did to you. I was just being an asshole trying to get a laugh when I pulled the rug out from under you. That being said, I want you to understand exactly who I am...

Aries leaned forward once again, resting both his elbows on the table as he clasped his hands together.

Aries Armadaist
Inside that ring, I am a crook. I am a con-man. I am cheat, I am a liar, I am a thief, I am the dirtiest bastard you will ever step into the ring with. I will pull your tights, I will poke your eyes, I will feign injury, I will continue to low blow. Any opportunity to cut a corner and steal a win, I will take it. But, that's inside the ring. Outside, like we are here now, I'm not that guy. I'm good to those who are good to me. So, you can keep all that I just told you in the back of your mind. I'm not going to ask you to forget what I've done to you within the confines of our chosen profession. But, if you're willing to be ok with all that and judge me for me outside the ring, then me and you are gonna be just fine.

Aries unclasped his hands and finally grasped Blyss' outstretched one, giving it a firm squeeze as his moment of seriousness seemed to melt away, that odd little grin of his rearing back up.

Aries Armadaist
You gotta admit though, this whole moment is super surreal.

When he said about the malware incident, she can't help but roll her eyes again. This is why she hates Twitter sometimes. You just never know if someone's kidding or not especially someone like him. But she continues to listen to what he has to say and by the end of it, he seems sincere about it enough and so she decides to truly give him a chance.

"Makes sense. Normally, people like how you are in the ring won't care at all if they have friends outside of it. Good for you then. Anyways as long as we're both clear on where we stand now, I think we're good. And what do you mean by this being 'super surreal'? Is it because I should be kicking your ass for taking my title instead of making peace with you?"

She chuckles before taking a sip of her coffee and then she realizes something.

"Oh hey, do you need something to drink too?"

Aries simply waved his hand off and shook his head when offered a drink.

Aries Armadaist
No, surreal because honestly I just started giving up on trying to bury the hatchet. Figured we'd just have to sit around for as long as either our careers or IWF lasted, snarling at each other whenever we even heard each others names. Glad to see things went a different route.

There was a bit of an awkward silence between them for a moment. Neither really seeming sure what to say to each other at this point. The thought of being civil with one another may have been just as foreign to her as it was to him.

Aries Armadaist
You know, I'm actually quite the accomplished amateur wrestler. When I first started, I even had me a regular finisher and everything... Then decided to do... What I do... Use to have a lot of friends in wrestling too. But, ya now how the business is, sometimes...

There was definitely a hint of bitterness in his voice as his gaze fell wayside for a moment, having taken a stroll down a certain part of memory lane he was none too fond of.

Aries Armadaist
Which reminds me. Ya know... I dunno who you're gonna end up facing, or whatever... But, I do still have.. "Plans" for that Rising Phoenix belt, whether I lose it back to you or anyone else for that matter... Just know that when I do what I do, it's not a slight against you..

He was beginning to grimace as he spoke. Perhaps trying to discuss some of his dirty dealings at a time like this wasn't the most appropriate of actions, especially when they were still in the process of trying to iron things out.

Hearing him talk that bit about his past makes it more awkward for her. It sounds all too familiar. Making friends, losing friends, having family, losing family... It's a vicious cycle she herself is trapped in for most of her life. Then he says the words "Rising Phoenix" and she snaps out of her own thoughts.

"Oh? Yeah, um, don't worry about it, Aries. You're the champion now and it's your choice and decision on what to do with it."

Obviously, she's very curious as to what kind of 'plans' he has with the belt. Part of the reason why she's still deciding whether or not to reclaim it. She sighs. She might regret it but what the hell.

"Okay, I have to ask. Juuuust out of curiosity... What are these 'plans'?"

Aries clenched his teeth together as he inhaled loudly, clicking his tongue as he exhaled, shaking his head slightly as he mulled over Blyss' question.

Aries Armadaist
Blyss, I'm a guy who likes to play it close to the chest. Usually I manage to pull off what I do by keeping it to myself. Even in a situation like this, you never know who's listening. So the less information I give out, the better off I tend to be. No offense.

Aries was visibly becoming antsy. Anxious even as he started to mutter under his breath, even beginning to nervously drum his fingers against the table. This was all something that stemmed from an old wound. One that constantly had salt being rubbed in it every night he wrestled. Suddenly, Aries shot a finger in Blyss' direction.

Aries Armadaist
But, I will tell you this. Alex Dillinger stood me in his office in front of a group of my peers, looked me in the eye, and told me my Tag Titles were worthless, and proceeded to make them defunct. He stole my belts from me, Blyss. I'm not a man who lets something like that go unpunished. So if IWF can take away my titles that easily, let's see how they like it the other way around.

[color=grey]Aries simply shook his head as he looked away, any sense of happiness in him having been completely stripped away as he frowned deeply.

She nods her head then shrugs.

"Well, it was worth a shot. No worries. I understand."

She takes another sip of her coffee.

"Also, I'm sorry about your tag titles situation. If it had happened to me, I'd be real pissed too. But shit like that happens. He's the boss. So I hope whatever it is that you're planning on doing with the Rising Phoenix title won't be a decision you'll regret later, Aries. There's a lot of history and value there..."

She looks at him with a very serious expression on her face.

Aries simply scoffed in response.

Aries Armadaist
There's not going to be anything to regret because they're not going to do anything. What are they gonna do, strip me of the title? They can't strip me of a title that doesn't exist. Besides, what does that belt really mean to anybody. The only other Champion besides me is y--

Aries' eyes widened as his brain had the unfortunate luck of running slower than his mouth, now not wanting to make eye contact with Blyss as he desperately attempt to formulate some sort of damage control.

Aries Armadaist
Well, ya know, I mean... Sentimental value, at least... I can understand having a sense of closeness to a championship. That's why I hold my tag titles so near and dear. Literally.

Aries proceeds to rap his knuckles against his own abdomen, more of "klunk" sound ringing out, indicating that he was actually wearing his belts under his shirt.

Aries Armadaist
Don't go no where without them sum bitches.

Her heart starts to race as she stares at him. She knew it's bound to happen. Aries is Jaci's friend and they were tag partners. He also did mention once to her about giving Jaci a call. She's thought about it of course, already had countless times since the last time she saw her. But every time she picks up the phone, she puts it back down for some reason she's not quite sure of. Masking her nervousness, she speaks calmly.

"You don't have to avoid talking about her, you know. It's okay."

Then it slowly dawns on her why he still keeps the tag titles.

"You miss her. Carrying them around with you is like she never retired..."

A soft smile appears on her face.

"I can respect that."

Aries Armadaist
well, ya know, I know things didn't exactly have the happiest ending between you two. I'll try my damndest to not reopen old wounds.

Aries' head suddenly jerks back when Blyss theorizes of his obsession over the Tag Titles. It was probably a sound theory if she was dealing with any of the other emotionally dysfunctional cry babies on the roster, but not for Aries Armadaist. Instead, he simply gave her something of a half annoyed look.

Aries Armadaist
You're mistaken. Like, horribly. I don't carry these belts around because I miss Jaci. I cary them around because I never lost them. Just because IWF declares them dead and gone doesn't mean I do. Those belts represented all the hard work I had put into my career up to that point. That was my first real title. So to just rip it away was to rip away apart of me. That's why I carried them. That's why I even promised to defend them, with or without Jazz.

Aries pursed his lips together as he grunted to himself. Perhaps he was being a little too cold about all this, especially with him and Blyss still being on some what shaky waters. He didn't need to come off like a complete dill hole.

Aries Armadaist
But, if I had my way she would still be around, yes. I miss Jazz being the foil to all my hijinks. Literally slapping me in line when I got too nuts. Man, she hated that whole Inter Species run...

Aries can't help but laugh to himself at that one, shaking his head slightly as his mind took a stroll down memory lane.

Of course that wouldn't be the reason why he's carrying those titles around. Seeing his annoyed look, she can't help but laugh and quickly covers her mouth with her hand. She clears her throat.

"Yeah the fact that you never lost them in the first place... I get it."

Then as he continues, she listens then frowns slightly. Ugh, the Inter Species run...

"Riiight... Yeah that..."

Trying not to roll her eyes, she clears her throat again instead and starts to tap her foot nervously. She bites her lower lip for a second before looking back up at him.

"I miss her too, you know. I wish things hadn't happened the way they did. But I'm never the really the type to... go back... to people when something like that happens. As far as I know, when people leave, they never come back. Well, maybe not all but most never want to come back. Truth be told, I'm just ashamed and quite possibly what I did was unforgivable. So maybe that's why I haven't done more than picking up the phone and scrolling through the contacts list for her number. I don't know..."

She shrugs, placing her hands around the coffee cup and staring into it for a bit.