Don't Hesitate to Let it All Out

Following her into the arena, the two felt uneasy yet excited for the chance to become stronger. They walked up to the nearest registration desk, and she introduced the two to the clerk working the desk like she was their mom.

"Who is here to sign up to be a participant for the arena today?"

"Oh, me?" Cara asked. "I'm already signed up."

"I know." The clerk said, tired.

"These two are here to sign up. Uhhh... what are your names again? I forgot."

The two gave Cara disappointed looks.

"We just told you them not that long ago."

"Just tell me. I'll try my best to reremember them and not forget."

Luca sighed.

"Luca Pasteur."

"Date of birth?"

"April 16th, 1989."

"Thanks."

Rambone and then promptly answered.

"Rambone Lewis."

"Date of birth?"

"June 5th, 1988."

"Thank you."

The clerk entered the two's details into a computer database and then stood up and walked over to a filing cabinet behind them, opening it and grabbing two folders and two pairs of keys. They handed one of each to them respectively.

"Here are your details for how to get started, where to find your room, the key to said room, and who you'll be facing for your first match in about two weeks. Welcome to the arena." The clerk stated. "Any questions?"

"Yeah, are we not allowed to stay in a room together?" Luca asked.

"No, you are not allowed to stay in a room together."

"Why not?"

"Our health and safety regulations forbid it. You may interact with them as long as it is done in a benevolent and friendly manner."

"Damn it," Luca mumbled to herself under her breath.

"Please keep in mind that we do not separate you by your gender or your sex. We believe that every person in the arena has the equal potential to become the strongest they can be."

They left and Cara pointed them to the left and down a set of stairs.

"Over there are all the rooms here," She instructed. She turned around to the left where there was another set of stairs going down. "And over there is the gym!"

"Thank you again, Ms. Rochelle!" Luca said.

"You're welcome! I think you'll love it here, Luca!" She replied, smiling from ear to ear. "I'll be waiting for you two at the gym.

The pair ran off and headed towards the rooms. They looked at their folders. Luca would be staying in room 178. Or to put it more simply, floor 1 and room 39. Rambone luckily wouldn't be too far off from her. In due to part to them signing up together, he was staying in room 188 (floor 1 and room 44).

The two walked down the hall and found their rooms. their rooms were a room apart but also across the aisle.

"Who the fuck organizes hotel rooms like this?" Rambone asked, having never stayed in a hotel in his life before.

"They do. And a fair bit of actual hotels do." Luca answered.

"Well, that's dumb."

"I know."

"I'm going to check out my room, wanna join me or you wanna check out yours at the same time?"

"I'll pass. I doubt it's some 5-star hotel room with a penthouse view and a fuckin' fancy jacuzzi or some shit." Luca said, sarcastically.

While Luca was comfortable being here on the surface, internally she was anxious at the thought of being alone with her thoughts at night. As she twisted the key on the door's lock and opened it, she found a typical room that felt all but typical to her. A mostly white room. A carpeted floor, white-colored walls. A small polished oak wood desk with some writing utensils in a cup and a lamp. A dark red bed with a nigh-- a red bed. A dark red bed. Dark red. The color of blood. Blood sheets. Blood pillows.

She fell to her knees and dropped her room key instantly upon seeing the sight, bursting into tears. She screamed.

Rambone, upon hearing it, fumbled the door handle to get out of his room and ran over to her door, pounding on it to get her attention.

"Luca! Luca!" He repeated, yelling. "Let me in!"

He kept pounding on the door and fumbling and twisting the doorknob in some desperate to. Pound. Pound. Pound. Pound. Ktchkk. After some struggling, she managed to open the door for him.

Rambone instantly got on his knees and tightly hugged her.

"It's okay," He began to try and comfort her. He frowned too, trying to not let her emotions get to him too bad.

"W-why? Why did it have to be red? Wh-?" She kept repeating as if she were a broken record. "I can't get the sight of it out of my head.

Her flood of tears was quickly beginning to drip onto both of their clothes and the floor. Rambone patted her back.

"Let it all out," He said in an unusually calm demeanor. She had never seen this side of him before.

The two silently exchanged their thoughts, not needing to tell each other what was going through their heads.

Rambone pulled away from the hug after about a few minutes of comforting her.

"I-I-I-I I just... why?" She stuttered. "Who does that?"

"They didn't anticipate people reactivating people's trauma with the coloring of their rooms, Luca." He replied.

"Was your room like that, too? Those pieces of shit," She clenched the back of Rambone's shirt with a fist.

"Don't go blaming anybody. It's just an accident."

Luca misunderstood what he said. "H-how could go through all of this with me and say that his death was an accident?! It wasn't an accident! It was m-murder!"

"I'm talking about the bed. Not about Pat. Pat was murdered. We'll find him peace eventually."

"Eventually? When you put it like that, it might never happen!"

"It'll happen eventually, just be patient. He's being patient with us, too."

"He's not going to wait forever! We're going to make him wait forever! We'll never be able to live it down!" She said and screamed in her ever-so-drowning sadness.

Rambone pulled back into the hug with her. "He's with us right now, watching over us every step of the way."

Luca then saw him silently standing right in front of the door with his arms crossed and a gentle smile on his face.

Her tears began to slow as she slightly tilted her head up to make eye contact with him.

"I won't ever be mad at you for any mistakes you make," Pat said. "It doesn't matter how many mistakes you make along the way as long as you're happy by the end."

She looked down and all of the remaining tears she had left to cry flowed down like a gentle cascade.