ShadowedFlames Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 Well, looks like I've found what I'm going to be doing this week around finishing my project for a few months. I have some catching up to do.... Welcome back, sir. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NordVolf Posted June 8, 2014 Author Share Posted June 8, 2014 [CENTER][U]Days in the Life - Confessions of a Triple 'A' Worker[/U][/CENTER] [QUOTE] [CENTER] [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f212/NordVolf/TEW%202007/AAA_BannerMini.jpg[/IMG] [I][B][SIZE="7"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Angel Athletic Association[/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/I] [B]Week 3; January 2007[/B] [B][I]Saturday Spectacular Main Show[/I][/B] [B]Part 1[/B] [/CENTER] [/QUOTE] [QUOTE] [CENTER] [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f212/NordVolf/TEW%202007/AAA/Characters/100x100s/JimLouFreebush_alt2.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f212/NordVolf/TEW%202007/AAA/Characters/100x100s/FarrahHesketh_alt2.jpg[/IMG] [/CENTER] {[I]Jim Freebush from center-ring[/I]} "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the near-sold-out Portland Center in beautiful downtown Seattle Washington, where Angel Athletic's [B][I]Saturday Spectacular[/I][/B] Main Show is about to kick off. But as we alluded to in the opening of the Pre-show, we have something special going on tonight, do we not, Farrah?" {[I]Farrah Hesketh[/I]} "We sure do, Jim! Because with us tonight is none other than the creator and commentator of Femme-Fatale-dot-com's [I]Women In Sports[/I] podcast. And she's here tonight broadcasting live, via Seattle's own KQOW, Puget Sound Public Radio." {[I]Jim[/I]} "Indeed, Farrah! Ladies and gentlemen, it is my greatest pleasure to introduce to you here tonight, live from the Portland Center, our very own "[I]Woman In Sports[/I]", Jessica Reals! Let's give her a big hand!" ***crowd pops, as much wanting to be heard on live radio as to cheer for Jessica Reals*** {[I]Farrah, shouting over the crowd and beckoning[/I]} "Yeah! Jessica, get on up here! Somebody give her a mike!" {[I]A shocked and excited Jessica Reals is ushered to the ring by waiting attendants, and the ring ropes are held open for her to climb through. Jessica is given a mike by an attendant.[/I]} [CENTER] [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f212/NordVolf/TEW%202007/AAA/Characters/100x100s/JimLouFreebush_alt2.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f212/NordVolf/TEW%202007/AAA/Characters/100x100s/FarrahHesketh_alt2.jpg[/IMG] . [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f212/NordVolf/TEW%202007/AAA/Characters/100x100s/JessicaReals.jpg[/IMG] [/CENTER] {[I]Jessica, thrilled and wiping her cheeks[/I]} "Wow! Just... wow!" {[I]Jim, laughing[/I]} "I would say we're sorry for putting you on the spot like this, Jessica, but we're not. Your efforts to put Angel, as well as all the fans here, live on the air tonight means you deserve all the gratitude we can give you." {[I]Jim continues[/I]} "Now, I've listened to your Podcasts previously, and Farrah and I've also listened in on some of your commentary over the air tonight..." {[I]Farrah[/I]} "Yeah, Jess. That feed goes both ways, you know!" {[I]Jessica, in near embarrassment[/I]} "Oh my gosh...!" {[I]Jim[/I]} "... and I must say, you have an impressive Voice for this kind of thing. When people say you're a talented entertainer, they aren't kidding." {[I]Farrah[/I]} "Hey, Jim. I've got an idea. What say we let Jessica sit in at our table tonight as a guest commentator?" {[I]Jim[/I]} "That sounds like an excellent idea, Farrah!" {[I]Jessica, shocked[/I]} "Oh my gosh! You'd [I]do[/I] that?!" {[I]Farrah, teasingly[/I]} "Well, if you're not up for it..." {[I]Jessica, thrilled[/I]} "I would so [I]TOTALLY[/I] be up for it!!!" {[I]Jim, chuckling[/I]} "Then it's settled. And Jessica, you can start right now by taking us into the main show." {[I]Jessica, stunned[/I]} "..." {[I]Jessica, regaining her composure after a moment and wiping tearful eyes[/I]} "Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm Jessica Reals here with Jim Lou Freebush and Farrah Hesketh, and on behalf of Angel Athletic Association... Welcome to our show for tonight, the [B]Saturday Spectacular[/B]!" {[I]The crowd cheers as Jim and Farrah quickly usher Jessica out of the ring. The Center lights dim, pyrotechnics shoot off from the stage, and music hits to kick off the show...[/I]} [/QUOTE] [QUOTE] ([I]As the lights dim, music starts, the first words heard clearly over haunting background music[/I]} {[I]Nightwish[/I]}"I wish I had an angel for one moment of love. I wish I had your angel toniiiight..." {[I]The hard metal music takes off immediately... Nightwish with Tarja Turunen - "Wish I Had An Angel". [/I]} ([I]The Titantron comes to life to show pictures and short clips of whom the announcers talk about...[/I]} {[I]Jim Freebush voice-over, over the music[/I]} "And Ladies and Gentlemen, you indeed have [I]our[/I] Angels tonight, at the Angel Athletic Association's [B][I]Saturday Spectacular[/I][/B], and what a line-up we have for you tonight..." {[I]Jim, still over the music's first verse, as Farrah whispers something to Jessica Reals while sliding a paper in front of her[/I]} "... starting with our show opener, a match-up where East meets West as a Young Gun takes on our own Oriental High Flier, Kristabel Plum takes on Tsuki Kawamata!" {[I]Jessica Reals, excited yet still reading smoothly[/I]} "Not to be out-done and sure to show us a Wild Time tonight, a veteran tag team looks to put a couple of hot, new talent in their places; Wild Times tackles a Surprise Tag Team!" {[I]The announcing team falls silent as the music kicks into the chorus[/I]} {[I]Nightwish[/I]} "I wish I had an angel for one moment of love. I wish I had your Angel, your Virgin Mary undone. I'm in love with my lust, burning Angel wings to dust! I wish I had your Angel tonight!" {[I]Jim, the music's verse heard muted in the background[/I]} "And in our feature presentation, looking to showcase what is proving to be a theme of sorts tonight, West meets East, where Triple-A's Misfit gives the Devil from Japan her due, Claire Masterson challenging DEVIL Karube!" {[I]Farrah[/I]} "Masterson, of course, follows up her loss in the Name Challenge Match by going with her real name! Of course, it's up in the air what [I]costume[/I] that Little Chameleon will be in tonight..." {[I]As the announcing team again falls silent, music kicking into the chorus, Farrah slides another paper across the table in front of Jessica with a smirk; Jessica reads it and almost comes unglued with excitement[/I]} {[I]Nightwish[/I]} "I wish I had an angel for one moment of love. I wish I had your Angel, your Virgin Mary undone. I'm in love with my lust, burning Angel wings to dust! I wish I had your Angel tonight!" {[I]Jim[/I]} "Hey, wait! Who's that coming through the stage curtains?!" {[I]The music fades into the background as 4 women come out on-stage, beginning to strut and preen...[/I]} {[I]Farrah, over the muted music[/I]} "Oh my god! It's the Heart of Darkness!" {[I]Karen Killer and crew strut and preen on-stage; Devil's Daughter strutting a bit goofily, Vixxen preening evil and beautiful, and Black Widow standing by, tough and gruesome. All the while Karen Killer blows over-exaggerated, theatrical kisses to the crowd around the Center, looking gleeful and maniacal[/I]} {[I]Jim, over the muted music that breaks into its intermediate verse[/I]} "As was seen in the Pre-show, these four have put together an unholy alliance of sorts, creating in one fell swoop Angel Athletic's first actual Stable in quite some time." {[I]Farrah[/I]} "Remains to be seen if they make a nuisance of themselves tonight, Jim." {[I]Jessica, out of no-where[/I]} "I'd bet on it, Farrah!" {[I]The music comes back to the fore, continuing it's intermediate verse, as Killer now prances around, showing off in silent introduction with overly-theatrical gestures first Devil's Daughter, then Vixxen, then Black Widow, finally holding her arms out to show herself off in a grand finale gesture[/I]} {[I]Nightwish[/I]} "Last dance, first kiss, Your touch my bliss. Beauty always comes with dark thoughts." {[I]Killer is suddenly interrupted by a push from behind, almost knocking her flat, as the entire roster of Main Eventers push past her, stealing the Heart of Darkness' limelight as if they were suddenly unimportant[/I]} {[I]Farrah and Jessica howl and cheer with glee as Jim exclaims[/I]} "And Triple-A's Main Event scene just [I]brushes[/I] the Heart of Darkness aside, Ladies and Gentlemen!" {[I]The Main Event ladies line up, blocking view of the Heart of Darkness as Jim introduces them.[/I]} "Wanda Fish, Joanne Rodriguez, Suzue Katayama, Catherine Quine, Raven Nightfall, and last but not least, Black Widow!" {[I]As the intermediate verse ends, just music continuing, Widow pushes through the line from behind, right next to Katayama. The rest of the Main Eventers gives the two wide berth, allowing the rest of the Heart of Darkness to fawn over Black Widow and make rude gestures to Katayama[/I]} {[I]Farrah pats the paper in front of Jessica, which snaps her out of her distraction. Jessica reads, very emotional[/I]} "And in our Main Event tonight, continuing the three-way battle for Triple-A's Femme Fatale Championship Title, Suzue Katayama [I][B]must[/B][/I] face Black Widow!" {[I]As if to prove a point about the Heart of Darkness possibly spoiling the mix, Killer walks over to Katayama who eyes Killer with disgust; Killer kisses Katayama on the cheek, and then leans far back to laugh maniacally, perfectly synchronized to that portion of the music which has a laugh in it as well[/I]} {[I]As the music's main chorus kicks off, the Main Event girls, followed closely by the Heart of Darkness, parade down the ramp. In a show of force, the entire rest of AAA's roster pushes through the curtain and follows the Main Eventers down to the floor; as the Main Eventers reach the floor the rest of the roster remains on the ramp, allowing everyone to see the entire roster.[/I]} {[I]Nightwish[/I]} "I wish I had an angel for one moment of love. I wish I had your Angel, your Virgin Mary undone. I'm in love with my lust, burning Angel wings to dust! I wish I had your Angel tonight!" {[I]As the last, hard-hitting parts of the music rings out, Jim almost shouts above the music[/I]} "Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome to Angel Athletic Association's [I][B]Saturday Spectacular![/B][/I]" {[I]The entire roster stops in various dramatic poses, each suiting their individual personas, pyrotechnics going off beside the length of the ramp and the stage.[/I]} {[I]The music dies at that to the crowd's pop, Killer again mimicking the music with a dramatic, evil sigh at the end[/I]} [/QUOTE] [B][I]Grand Opening[/I][/B] [B]([COLOR="Orange"]D+[/COLOR])[/B] To quote Jessica; "Wow. Just... wow." What a show-starter. Sørely probably went way over budget on that, and not just with the royalties for the music, either. After all, a girl gets paid if she has a spot in the show. And Karen really pulled it all out. The entire roster was in that segment. But beside all that... it sounded great. Crowd seemed to have liked it too. Got to admit. I was impressed. And yeah. Wished I would have been there to actually see it. [CENTER] [SIZE="4"]__________________________________________________[/SIZE] [/CENTER] What followed I pretty much missed. Not that I stopped listening. But I knew I had to finish getting ready for work, despite suddenly not wanting to for some reason. Yeah. Would have been nice to just sit there and listen the whole show out. But a body's got to do what a body's got to do, right? Right. So I finished getting dressed and preening my own self. Of course, that doesn't make for paying close attention to a show on the radio. But it sounded good. Somewhat. The jist of that first match of the main show seemed a repeat, if only in style, to the pre-show match. It sucked. Yeah, I know. I was disappointed too. I'd really hoped that Tsuki, who always gives it her all, would have done well. Turned out that Kawamata and Plum weren't bad. They know what they're doing. But for some reason, they just didn't click at all. No chemistry. Not [I]bad[/I] chemistry, mind. But no spark either. As a result, it fell flat. And I found myself almost mourning Tsuki as I did my makeup, portable radio carried into the dressing room with me. Damn. Poor kid. And of course, the ending wasn't so much in doubt. Not really. For me, anyway. Plum's further up the card than Tsuki, who's practically an opener. Only reason she's not the [I]actual[/I] opener most times is because Masterson's become somewhat of a pro at it. But even despite how bad it went, would have been some interesting wrestling anyway. And Plum throwing a body down and curling someone up into her signature pin never gets old. Not to me, anyway. Not that it's done dramatically or anything. It's just... Well, it's who Krissy is, really, that move. Hard to explain. It's just pure Plum. Of course, Jim, Farrah and even Jessica pulled out all the stops to make things at least bearable, though Jessica didn't plug her two cents in that much. Mostly she either questioned Jim or Farrah on what they'd just said, or agreed with them. But you got to hand it to her. Her questions sometimes were insightful, and her agreements weren't just "Yeah," or "That's true". She really added something to the mix, to my mind anyway. Good girl. Like to meet her some day. [B][I]Kristabel Plum defeats Tsuki Kawamata in 6:13 by pinfall with a Plum Tucker.[/I][/B] [B]([COLOR="Red"]E[/COLOR])[/B] Following that was a spot. Yeah, right. As if you hadn't expected one. Went over surprisingly well with the crowd, too, for a video. There it was. The Main Event Hype over Widow versus Suze, in their coming "Dance for the Femme Fatale Title". And though I only heard it, I could tell it was done up right. By Sue Danes, of course... [QUOTE] [CENTER] [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f212/NordVolf/TEW%202007/AAA/Characters/100x100s/SuzueKatayama.jpg[/IMG] . [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f212/NordVolf/TEW%202007/AAA/Characters/100x100s/BlackWidow.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] {[I]The lights dim and the Titantron comes to life, showing Suzue Katayama, in her wrestling gear and looking menacing. In the background, quiet yet intense rock guitar strains are heard[/I]} {[I]Sue Danes voice-over[/I]} "Suzue Katayama. The names brings reactions of fear to some, respect in others. A wrestler who's worked long and hard, stressing her huge physique endlessly to hone herself into an unstoppable force." {[I]Clips show Katayama wrestling or sparring with various wrestlers both upper and lower card, every time looking dangerous and menacing; the upper carders fight with respect and determination, while the lower carders are hesitant and fearful[/I]} {[I]Sue[/I]} "The other Main Eventers hold Katayama in great respect, for the most part. And the undercard fears that mountain of power, the few times they're allowed to climb into even a practice bout with her." {[I]The image changes to Black Widow, not physically large yet still intimidating; tough and with an evil sneer[/I]} {[I]Sue[/I]} "But to one in particular, there is a certain air of disdain towards Katayama. A certain derision. Not because Katayama brags or shows off. But quite the opposite. Perhaps because Katayama's quiet, overwhelmingly powerful style unnerves even her" {[I]Sue[/I]} "But I doubt it..." {[I]Clips show Widow fighting various of the Main Eventers, throwing, punching or kicking as hard as she can to cause pain, smiling gruesome yet happy after landing every punishing blow[/I]} {[I]Sue[/I]} "A woman who wrestles with flair and a dark intensity. A wily, experienced veteran of the ring who would happily go out of her way to humiliate an opponent, if given even half a chance." {[I]Clips now show Widow fighting various of the under-card. She puts her opponents in submission holds and keeps the pressure on, even as the referee calls on her to stop. Or using the ropes in outright illegal moves to choke or hurt a challenger. And as her opponents scream or otherwise cry out, Widow grins happily as if she'd won a prize of some sort. The last scene shows her wiping blood off the cheek of an unconscious "victim", licking the blood from her finger in hungry delight.[/I]} {[I]Sue[/I]} "Black Widow. The name holds sheer terror over the youngsters at Triple-A due mainly to her reputation. A tough, grizzled and dangerous opponent, she has no qualms about punishing another wrestler most cruelly in the ring, especially the under-card. Not to mention her vampiric, seemingly insatiable taste for blood." {[I]The scene changes to Katayama and Widow, back to back. They occasionally look over their shoulders at one another, alternately sneering and looking menacing, showing there is no love lost here...[/I]} {[I]Sue[/I]} "And now these two giants will soon meet, to decide the fate of the Femme Fatale Championship. Who will win, and who will loose? It's any woman's chance here, but one thing can be said with certainty. Either with brute force or conniving nastiness, someone is going to get crushed tonight." {[I]On the Titantron, Suzue and Widow cease leaning agasint one-another's backs, walking away from each other, half-turned around to sneer and give ugly looks and gestures at each other as the screen fades.[/I]} [/QUOTE] [B][I]"Femme Fatale - Part 3" video[/I][/B] [B]([COLOR="Orange"]D[/COLOR])[/B] I know what you're thinking. I'm an idiot. To miss good stuff like that over some tussle I'm having with my girls. To not be a part of something I'd been part of so long it just about sang in my bones for wanting to be there. But I can be an obstinate nanny-goat when my mood calls for it. Right or wrong, sometimes I'm just that way. So I put the finishing touches on my make-up and looked at my watch. Just enough time to make it to my first day of work. Ok. First 'night' of work. Whatever. Grabbed up my keys and headed out the bedroom. Sure, with a last lingering glance at the radio I'd failed to turn off. But still. I Headed out. And sometimes, I'm [I]proven[/I] wrong. Not often, but life can be just like that. Thing is, takes something major to shake me out of my asininity. Usually something extraordinarily close, or important, to me. [CENTER][SIZE="4"]__________________________________________________[/SIZE] [/CENTER] [QUOTE] Image Credits: Jessica Reals - 3D character art by [B]JPeger[/B]. [/QUOTE] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NordVolf Posted June 8, 2014 Author Share Posted June 8, 2014 [CENTER]((OOC Segment))[/CENTER] [QUOTE=ShadowedFlames;1990214]Well, looks like I've found what I'm going to be doing this week around finishing my project for a few months. I have some catching up to do.... Welcome back, sir. :D[/QUOTE] Excellent, SF! Welcome to you as well! Glad to see you again after so long. And thanks for reading, picking this up again on your radar. I appreciate it.:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NordVolf Posted June 8, 2014 Author Share Posted June 8, 2014 [CENTER][U]Days in the Life - Confessions of a Triple 'A' Worker[/U][/CENTER] [QUOTE] [CENTER] [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f212/NordVolf/TEW%202007/AAA_BannerMini.jpg[/IMG] [I][B][SIZE="7"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Angel Athletic Association[/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/I] [B]Week 3; January 2007[/B] [B][I]Saturday Spectacular Main Show[/I][/B] [B]Part 2[/B] [/CENTER] [/QUOTE] I knew what was coming. They were about to announce the next match. Sure, I could turn on the radio in my car and not miss much. But still. I paused half way across the livingroom, the radio in the bedroom just loud enough for me to hear. Ok, so I was very interested in who this "Surprise Tag Team" would be. Probably Goodlooking Bunny in the hunt for some Tag Team Title revenge. But I wouldn't put it past Sørely to drop someone else in there for Wild Times to "dine on". Wildcats? Some other midcarders tossed together, held that way by a mutual mad-on for Wild Times? Hell, maybe even Quine teamed with someone. Being salary, Cat would get paid whether she had a bout or spot in a show or not, so she usually was in every show. Sure I had some ideas. And fears. But there was no telling what Sørely would do. Not really. So I dawdled for just a moment. Sue me. [QUOTE] [CENTER] [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f212/NordVolf/TEW%202007/AAA/Characters/100x100s/JimLouFreebush_alt1.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f212/NordVolf/TEW%202007/AAA/Characters/100x100s/FarrahHesketh_alt1.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f212/NordVolf/TEW%202007/AAA/Characters/100x100s/JessicaReals.jpg[/IMG] [/CENTER] {[I]Jim Freebush from the announcer's table[/I]} "Ladies and gentlemen, this is really turning out to be a surprising turn of events, as I've just been handed the card with the actual participants for this next match. And I'm not sure I'm reading this right..." {[I]Farrah Hesketh[/I]} "Well who is it, Jim?!" {[I]Jessica Reals[/I]} "Yeah, don't kill us with suspense over here...!" {[I]Jim, chuckling[/I]} "All right, all right..." {[I]Jim pauses for dramatic effect, while Farrah frowns at the delay and Jessica squirms like she suddenly has to go to the bathroom[/I]} "..." {[I]At that moment music hits, interrupting Jim just as he's about to speak - Rob Zombie - "Dragula". [/I]} {[I]Jim, recovering[/I]} "Ladies and Gentlemen, Wild Times!" [CENTER] [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f212/NordVolf/TEW%202007/AAA/Characters/100x100s/KarenKiller_alt.jpg[/IMG] . [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f212/NordVolf/TEW%202007/AAA/Characters/100x100s/DevilsDaughter.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f212/NordVolf/TEW%202007/AAA/Characters/100x100s/Vixxen.jpg[/IMG] [/CENTER] {[I]Devil's Daughter and Vixxen parade onto the stage, followed closely by Karen Killer. Killer fawns over the two of them like a proud yet disturbed mother, as Wild Times makes their way down the ramp to the ring. All three climb into the ring, DD and Vixxen holding the ropes open for Killer. Killer then grabs a mic from a waiting technician, but then prances around without making any speach, cackling gleefully like a mother hen, till the music dies.[/I]} {[I]Killer, quiet and sexy, after a pregnant, silence-filled pause[/I]} "Hello Seattle..." {[I]The crowd boos, making Killer grin like a spoiled child whose mommy just bought her a candy[/I]} {[I]Killer, sexily[/I]} "A Surprise Tag Team? Coming for [I]us[/I]? Ooooo. I just [I]lllluv[/I] tasty surprises." {[I]Killer licks her lips and the tip of a blood-red fingernail[/I]} "Mmmm. Shuh-weet...!" {[I]Killer cackles with glee, then looks expectantly at the announcing table[/I]} "You were about to say something, Jimmy dearest?" {[I]Jim clears his throat[/I]} "Um... yes. According to this, the Surprise Tag Team is none other than..." {[I]At that point, music hits, again interrupting Jim[/I]} [/QUOTE] I was half starting to walk to the door with a smirk on my face. Leave it to Sørely to set up a delay like that, really stretch that annou... And I about swallowed my tongue. About tripped over my own feet as I pivoted mid-stride and sprinted for the bedroom, dropping my briefcase absently to the livingroom floor. Came to a stop in the doorway of the bedroom, clutching the door jams on either side as if I were going to rip them from the wall. About did, too. I'd recognise that entrance music anywhere... [CENTER][SIZE="4"]__________________________________________________[/SIZE] [/CENTER] [QUOTE] Image Credits: Jessica Reals - 3D character art by [B]JPeger[/B]. [/QUOTE] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NordVolf Posted June 8, 2014 Author Share Posted June 8, 2014 [CENTER] [U]Days in the Life - Confessions of a Triple 'A' Worker[/U] [/CENTER] I'd 'caught' her in one of her music moods. She was listening to some 'statement' song, which was just like her. Some girl singing about how she was leaving some guy who treated her poorly, or she was so strong despite life's throw-backs, or something like that. Usually pop-ish, maybe light rock, but always heart-felt lyrics sung in a voice that fairly cried out. Jen called them her "anthems". And this time was no different. It was Anna Nalick, singing her song "Breathe (2am)". Wasn't so strange that Jen had that song on, dancing in twirly motions, free and feeling the music. Wasn't even strange that Jen was singing along, emotions so strong it threatened to make you weep in sympathy. She did that. What [I]was[/I] strange, was that Stephie was there with her, sitting on the couch, not so much watching Jen as admiring her with a sister's loving gaze. And the two of them were singing together. Not loud, but quietly. [I]With[/I] Anna. Now, coming onto something like that, I normally make some sarcastic comment, which doesn't break the mood because I've done that times without count, since Jen was a little kid and she'd do that even back then. But it also makes Jen go, "Moooom...!" in an exasperated voice, and then she'd go right back to singing, never stopping twirl-dancing either. Like she'd never wailed at me at all, not missing a beat. Always makes me smile. Makes Jen smile too, when she thinks I'm not looking. But this time was different. Stephie was right there with her, not just in the room, and not just listening or watching, but [I]right[/I] there, as if the two of them were sharing the same dream. So, since I'd come in from the hall and they hadn't noticed me, I slunk quietly into the kitchen, and when I was sure I was still unnoticed, stood quietly to watch. And yeah. I'm a sappy mom. I'll tell you that right now. It was awesome. The two of them got really caught up in it, together, made more beautiful because Stephie never really did that with Jen. The song finally ended, and it was all I could do to keep myself composed when the girls relaxed, and both looked over to see me there. "Moooom...!" Jen wailed as always. That got a chuckle out of me. "What?!" "Just sitting there watching?" Jen stated more than asked. "It's creapy. Say something sarcastic or something, jeez..." Didn't help that Stephie tried not to smirk at me. She knew the routine as well. "Ok," I said, coming round into the living room. "Can't a mom watch her daughters being beautiful?" Jen looked embarrassed, and Stephie got a grin on that wouldn't stop. "You liked it, Mom?" Stephie asked. "Absolutely," I replied. "Seriously beautiful." Stephie beemed at Jen, who still looked a bit embarrassed. "See?!" Stephie crowed. "Told ya! I knew we'd find one!" That got me blinking. "Wait... what? Find one what?" I looked from Jen to Stephie and back again. "We're... looking for music, mom." That from Jen. "You know. Entrance Music!" That from a still-beaming Stephie. "Entra... WHAT?!" Yeah. That from me. "Moooom!" Jen wailed. "Jeez, Jen. Normally you're the one that bucks up and I'm the one that wails pittifully," Stephie scolded. Before Jen could reply, partly due to surprise, Stephie turned to me. "We're just looking for Entrance Music, Mom. So, you know... we thought we'd pick something we liked." "Now hold the phone just a minute...!" I scolded back. This was going to turn into a real talking-to with them. "What?" Jen asked, as if in innocence. "Still hate us wrestling?" Deadpan, like she can get. Which brought me up short. That right there, Jen asking a legitimate question, but framing it in sarcasm as good and thick as I ever could. Served me right, it did. Me getting ready to dump on them like that. And it calmed me, too. Probably as intended. "Ok, look," I said, quietly. "That has nothing to do with it." "What, then?!" Jen asked. Couldn't believe it, really. So I asked. "Do you seriously want some sappy, weepy music as your entrance?" Jen gaped at me, indignant. "That is [I][B]so[/B][/I] not a sappy weepy song!" "Well, it's not a wrestling song, that's for sure. I can't believe you two would go in for something like that. Unless you want to be the Sappy Weepy Sisterz or something..." And brought myself up short. Because I knew that was cruel, and I instantly regretted it. Glanced at my girls, ready for hurt looks. But my girls had other things in mind. "I knew she'd help!" Stephie exclaimed quietly, almost beside herself. "Excuse me?!" I was aghast... Stephie was grinning, and Jen looking at me with the raised-eyebrow Spock look. But with the corner of Jen's mouth twitching, she was that desperate not to smile. And I knew it right there. I'd been had. They'd set me up, but good. Beautifully, even. "Look, I'm not..." I stammered, then stopped. They were looking at me expectantly, all humor gone, and even Stephie looked unsure suddenly. I sighed. And relented. "Ok," I said, starting over. "All other things aside, ok?" I said, waving my hands to push everything else, all concerns, away. "Nothing else matters, ok?" Jen relaxed, and nodded, saying, "Ok." Stephie's grin came back, and she straightened with a "Yep!", sitting up straight as if I were her favorite teacher at school and was preparing to show her something grand. "Ok, it's like this," I started thoughtfully. And began to pace as I talked, thinking. "Now, whether you like it or not, and I'm not trying to be insulting here... but that [I]is[/I] a sappy, weepy song, because it's beautiful and cries to your heart, and that's NOT what you want for entrance music. Jen sighed in exasperation, drooped her shoulders, rolled her eyes like when I used to tell her it was homework time. Saying nothing, but her actions crying out to me, "Yeah, ok. Fine." Stephie just blinked at me with a serious look, and asked, "So what, then?" I stopped, thinking. A bit exasperated myself. More at thinking how to explain it rather than exasperated at them. And then it hit me. Obvious, really. "It's about how you want to present yourselves." At the girls not getting it as obviously as I did, I continued. "Your music defines you, not the other way around. People hear it, and form an impression about you, whether they've seen you before or not. It's the same as how you dress, or how you carry yourself. It can [I]make[/I] people have a feeling about or for you. And believe me, that song, while great and I love it, isn't it. Just look at Goodlooking Bunny. They're bubbly, happy, bumbling blondes, and [I]they[/I] don't even have sappy music like that." I danced a bit myself, then, waving my hands beside my face with the best "I'm an idiot bleach-blonde, look at meeeee!" act I could muster. Worked, as the girls both giggled, Jen nodding. Then they got quiet. "So..." Jen started. "So?" I asked. "How do you want to present yourself? How do you want people to see you?" "Besides feeling? Like, we want to wrestle, and love being there, and..." Stephie faltered. "Honey, this is Professional Wrestling. It's about... toughness, or rage, or something. This isn't some highschool thing where you have to show you've got heart. That will come out in your wrestling and speaches." "Tough and bad-ass, like you, Mom!" Stephie chirped. "Duh," Jen replied, rolling her eyes at Stephie. "We [I]are[/I] the Midnight Sisterz, you know." My turn to roll my eyes and look at them. "What?" Stephie asked. "Sweeties, I'm one of the [I]Bad Girls[/I]. I'm tough and bad-ass, and hurt people because I enjoy it, because I can." Stephie considered for half a second. "Ok... Tough and bad-ass, like you, but without the 'liking to hurt people' part." "Sweeties, wrestling is all [I]about[/I] hurting people," I countered. They slumped a little, so I sidetracked that train of thought. "Ok. So how else do you want to be seen? What's your gimmick, anyway?" "Like you, Mom," Jen said, almost forlorn. "We're the [I]Midnights[/I]!" "I know, Honey," I said. "But you've got to come up with your own identities. In life, too. You're my daughters, sure. But you're also your own two people. You're unique, so you should come [I]up[/I] with something unique. They considered for a bit. "How about something haunted?" Stephie asked. "Huh?" Yeah. Jen was learning the Leigtner Family whit. Probably hanging around her mom too much. "Well... yeah!" Stephie chirped. "I mean, we got plenty of 'ladies of the night' in Triple-A; undead, vampires, goths, Nightfall even props to be some Night Avenger, like Batgirl or something. But [I]nobody[/I] does the ghost thing!" "Are you serious?!" Jen exclaimed in dismay. "Ghosts? Seriously?! What, we run down to the ring draped in sheets or something?!" "Noooo..." Stephie droned, thinking. "I mean... Well, how about something spiritual or something. Something intagable, like we're the personification of something? Like... I dunno... How about bad luck?" At Jen's level gaze, which everyone in the room could hear the unspoken question 'Bad luck for whom?!', Stephie continued. "No, not us you nitt! Bad luck for those who attack us or something! Like a black cat crossing your path, or a ladder you don't walk under. Like we're a bad omen or something!" "What?" Jen said, thinking, following it through. "Like... superstitions or something?" "That's it!" Stephie crowed. She dove in triumph for the entertainment center's remote. "Mom, this is so bosh! You got to hear this!" I was getting into it, actually, and the girls could tell. What a relief, that at least my daughters weren't going to be the weepy-sappy girls. So I was right there with them... Right up to that point. I then looked at Stephie as she froze with an "Ooops" look on her face, half a grin on. Jen was looking at me too, smirking just like her mom might. That 'Gotcha' look. I sighed, got a 'oh [I]really[/I]...' look on my face, and folded my arms. "What?" Stephie fairly giggled, trying not to laugh. Jen's smirk grew. I sighed. "Ok, ok. You got me. Brilliantly done. You knew all along what you wanted, didn't you?" "Well..." Jen stalled a second. "Look, we know you hate us wrestling. But we also know you don't actually hate [I]us[/I], do you?" "Of course not, honey!" I protested. "Well..." Stephie's turn. "We just wanted you to at least like our [I]music[/I]!" I considered that. Sighed. Nodded. Then smirked. "All right, Sweeties. Let's hear it." "BOSHNESS!" Stephie crowed in triumph. "We were cruising around, looking for stuff. You know, searching words up to see what popped. And we stumbled onto this on YouTube. Now, I know this is, like, [I]old[/I], Mom, but we think it's just [I][B]boshi-funkness[/B][/I]!" Huh. Now [I]there's[/I] a word. And as they played it for me, them looking like they did on bright sunny summer mornings as kids when they realized it was [I]not[/I] a school day, I listened. And got to hand it to them. Everything else aside, because nothing else mattered, remember? I thought it was pretty cool. When the video, Stevie Wonder's "Superstition", finished, the girls looked at me expectantly. And I'll admit it. They found me smiling. It was very cool, and I'll admit, I was impressed. That song had been one of my favorites for a long time, and I could just picture my girls strutting down the ramp from the stage to the ring to that tune. Awesome. But then I sighed whistfully. Thinking. Jen caught it right away. "What, Mom?" "Well..." I faltered. Unsure. Something nagged at me about it. "It's a great song. Love it. And it'd fit well with you two. But like you said. It's old. Would be nice if there was a more modern version of it. More..." I faltered again. Jen only grinned. "More up-beat?" she ventured. "Exactly!" I exclaimed, Jen having caught the nagging thought and articulating it like I couldn't. But maybe not exactly. "Something with a more modern sound to it. Not upbeat, but more..." Stephie's turn to grin. "Something like this, Mom?" she teased, firing up another video. Yeah. They'd set me up but good. And after listening to the 'more upbeat' version, I'd had only one thing to say. Like Stephie'd said earlier. It was boshi-funkness. [CENTER] [SIZE="4"]__________________________________________________[/SIZE] [/CENTER] [QUOTE] [CENTER] [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f212/NordVolf/TEW%202007/AAA_BannerMini.jpg[/IMG] [I][B][SIZE="7"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Angel Athletic Association[/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/I] [B]Week 3; January 2007[/B] [B][I]Saturday Spectacular Main Show[/I][/B] [B]Part 3[/B] [/CENTER] {[I]Karen Killer cackles with glee, then looks expectantly at the announcing table[/I]} "You were about to say something, Jimmy dearest?" {[I]Jim Freebush clears his throat[/I]} "Um... yes. According to this, the Surprise Tag Team is none other than..." {[I]At that point music, Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" (the Funkanomics Remix), hits, once again interrupting Jim. [/I]} {[I]Miss and Missy Midnight appear onstage from behind the curtains and the billowing, brackish smoke of subdued pyrotechnics. They take their accolades from the crowd as they slowly parade down to the ring, looking very excited[/I]} {[I]Jim[/I]} "Ladies and Gentlemen, in a surprising turn of events, it's Wild Times versus... [B]The Midnight Sisterz![/B]" {[I]Jim, dropping the 3x5 card on the table in exasperation[/I]} "Who knew?!" [CENTER] [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f212/NordVolf/TEW%202007/AAA/Characters/100x100s/KarenKiller_alt.jpg[/IMG] [SIZE="1"].[/SIZE] [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f212/NordVolf/TEW%202007/AAA/Characters/100x100s/DevilsDaughter.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f212/NordVolf/TEW%202007/AAA/Characters/100x100s/Vixxen.jpg[/IMG] [SIZE="1"]v/s[/SIZE] [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f212/NordVolf/TEW%202007/AAA/Characters/100x100s/MissMidnight.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f212/NordVolf/TEW%202007/AAA/Characters/100x100s/MissyMidnight.jpg[/IMG] [B][SIZE="3"]Wild Times[/SIZE] v/s [SIZE="3"]The Midnight Sisterz[/SIZE][/B] [/CENTER] {[I]Jessica, before Farrah can say anything[/I]} "What, THEM?! You've GOT to be kidding! They're just [I]KIDS[/I]!" {[I]Jim, surprised and flustered, picking up and waving the 3x5 card[/I]} "No, Jessica, it's right here on the card. Wild Times v/s the Midnight Sisterz." {[I]Farrah tries to say something but gets cut off...[/I]} {[I]Jessica[/I]} "But Jim! Isn't Wild Times a veteran, older team?! Really experienced and nasty too, from their looks. The Sisterz... They're just KIDS! You [I]can't[/I] just throw them into the ring with Wild Times like that!" {[I]Jim[/I]} "Well, Jessica, you'll have to take that up with Karen Sørrenson. She is, after all, the head booker and makes the card well in advance, whether we know about it or not..." {[I]Farrah again tries to say something and is cut off...[/I]} {[I]Jessica, now deep into anxiety[/I]} "But this isn't RIGHT, Jim! You can't DO that! Someone has to do [I]something[/I]!" {[I]Jim[/I]} "Well, Jessica, the Midnight Sisterz certainly look relaxed enough as they approach the ring." {[I]At that moment the Midnight Sisterz reach the bottom of the ramp and start to approach the ring. Wild Times has been jeering and mocking them the entire time, and as the Sisterz head for the ring, DD and Vixxen change tactics, winding up as if to pelt them with things. The Sisterz suddenly duck and hold their hands up in consternation, only to find that the thrown things turn out to be non-existant. Wild Times busts up laughing, Killer eyes the Sisterz and, holding a hand at arms length, gleefully beckons the Sisterz to the ring with 'come hither' finger-curls from that hand.[/I]} {[I]Farrah again starts to say something and is cut off...[/I]} {[I]Jessica[/I]} "Oh, this is SO not right! I have a baaad feeling about this...!" {[I]Jim, ad-libbing and taking a line meant for Farrah[/I]} "Bad feeling indeed, Jessica, and as their entrance music suggests, the Midnight Sisterz are all about omens and superstitions. But just to whom the ill omens and bad luck will fall remains to be seen." {[I]Farrah gives up, leaning back in her chair and looking from Jim to Jessica and back, hand over her mouth, trying not to laugh[/I]} {[I]Jessica[/I]} "But they're just KIDS, Jim! Can't someone [I]do[/I] something!" {[I]Jim[/I]} "Well, it's on the Card, which means it's as good as graven in stone. And the Midnights don't look about to forfeit, so like the rest of the fans here we'll just have to wait and see what transpires. Besides, Jessica, we [I]do[/I] have a referee in the ring who will be overseeing things, keep things under control. How bad could it [I]possibly[/I] be?!" [/QUOTE] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NordVolf Posted June 8, 2014 Author Share Posted June 8, 2014 [CENTER][U]Days in the Life - Confessions of a Triple 'A' Worker[/U][/CENTER] I went numb. Not totally, though. Not the tingling-in-the-extremities kind of numb. And not standing there stupidly kind of numb either. It was the kind of numb where you just start doing something without thinking about it. You go into automatic. You fall back to the familiar. To instinct. To what you know best. It took only a few, quick yet measured steps to get to my gear locker. Closet. The Shrine. Undressed by the time I got there. And I mean quickly undressed. '[I]Buttons ripped from the blouse to fly around the room[/I]', '[I]slacks with the belt still in them discarded in the middle of the floor[/I]' kind of quick. Briefcase didn't even register as I'd probably stepped over it. Still lying where I'd dropped it before. As I started to pull on clothes, my cell warbled. Which I'd put down on the wardrobe's chest-of-drawers. I'd kept it to hand as I'd stripped. I knew Cat would call. Sure enough. Cat's number on the caller ID. I reached over and hit the button that 'picked up' the cell, which also set it to speaker-phone mode. "Yeah," I said dryly, continuing to dress. "Lorna!" Cat said hastily. "I didn't know!". Sounding like she was both anxious and about to stumble over words. "Not a problem," I said. "Lorna, I swear I didn't know. I knew they had a spot, but not in a match with Wild Times! I would've told you about [I]that[/I] one!" "I know, Cat," I stated flatly. "I said no worries. I'm not mad at you." "Ok, look," she continued, taking in what I'd said. "Still no reason to get worked up. I think it'll be fine..." I vaguely noted Cat's Western drawl was completely absent. "I'm not mad at anyone there," I said, buckling on the boots. "I'm mad at myself, for the most part." "Oh kay..." Cat replied slowly. Then, "Hey, you sound huffy or something. You on speaker phone? Sounds like something's going on over there..." I jerked on a glove, grabbed the cell and clicked it to normal mode, then started to pull the other glove on with my teeth as I held the cell to my ear. "I'm getting dressed," I growled, firmly and clearly enunciating around leather pinched in teeth. "Listen, Lorna, no need to get growly. I didn't call to upset you..." I clenched my fist, then. New leather, sure. But there was metal there too. I furrowed my brows. Tapped the toe of a lovingly ordered and gift-given boot on the tile floor of the entryway. Resounding 'clack' of metal-on-tile. I smiled. And to look at that smile, it probably wasn't pretty. "I know," I replied, shrugging on my longcoat a sleeve at a time, moving the cell to first one hand and one ear, then the other. "Retreat. Regroup. Return. I know how that goes. Rick taught me that much. You're doing the 'Regroup' thing. Just hold back the tide long enough for me to get to the 'Return' part." "Lorna, I don't think you need to rush out here. I think it'll be ok. I just wanted to call..." "I know Cat. You're doing your best. But Killer's involved. We both know the crap she pulls. Just hold down the fort till I get there." "Um... Roger that?" Cat was still a bit hesitant, but firming up. Obviously trying for the military reference I'd been getting at. Following my lead. That and it sounded like her drawl was coming back. "Thanks, Cat. I know you got my back. Be there ASAP." "Do mah best!" Cat affirmed, now sounding sure. Good girl. I clapped my cell shut, dropped it in my coat pocket as I scooped up my bag and was out the door. Slammed it shut with a quick pull and down the hall I went, not even worrying about the keys that were still in my slacks on the living room floor. Always did keep a full, extra set of keys in my equipment bag. As I stalked rapidly down the hall I dug my cell out again and auto-dialed. Phone only rang once. "West Coast Seattle Sports. Tamara speaking. How may I direct your call?" I was still on automatic, mind you. Not thinking what I was saying, just saying and doing things by gut reaction and knee-jerk response. And this had to be fast. I needed to be off the phone. "Jason Riley, please." I was afraid I'd get a "Please hold" or something else interminable, and I wasn't in a position to... I just didn't [I]need[/I] that right now. But my momentary worry was for nothing. "Mr. Riley isn't in this evening. May I take a message?" "Sure. I'm due for an appointment at 9:30. I'm supposed to start work this evening. I won't be able to make it. And yeah. I know that means my job." The receptionist was taken aback. "Um... All right. And whom may I ask is calling?" I spoke without thinking. Deadpan. Deadly serious. "Lorna Midnight." "Um... All right Mz... Midnight? I... I'll relay the message. Have a nice evening..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NordVolf Posted June 16, 2014 Author Share Posted June 16, 2014 [CENTER][U]Days in the Life - Confessions of a Triple 'A' Worker[/U][/CENTER] Missed a bit of the show, I did. That run to the car. Didn't bother to bring the radio along. Wasn't what mattered to me just then. Speed in getting going. That's what I was after. Down the stairs, and out the door like the building was burning down. Car at the end of the sidewalk like I left her. Some idiot'd parked insanely close in front of the Judge. No one behind, but the sidewalk ended at the hood of my car, not the trunk. Didn't want to take the long way around the car, so... I hit the hood doing the human equivalent of 90 miles an hour. More specifically, sailed over it. Stepped in a firm plant as I got to the car and jumped, lofted the gear bag high to help carry me over, my other hand skittering across the hood for balance. Yeah. I vaulted the Judge. Round to the door, opened with my left hand and tossed the bag across to the passenger seat with the right. Same right hand then scooped the tails of my coat as I sat down, closing the door with the left hand that had opened it. While my right immediately fished the extra keys out of the bag's outer side pocket. Just where I'd left them. Keys hit the ignition. And the Judge turned over in her grave... [CENTER] [SIZE="4"]__________________________________________________[/SIZE] [/CENTER] When I tweeked full open the under-dash hoodscoop knob while keying the ignition, the dual hood scoops channeled air to the suddenly gulping Rochester QuadraJet four-barrel carburetor. That carb spit fuel and blew air into it, atomizing it to a fine fuel-air vapor mix. The mix was then stuffed through the high-rise aluminum intake manifold, through the high-flow cylinder heads and into the firing chambers. [I][B]BANG[/B][/I]. Fuel and air convert to power and exhaust. The exhaust pumped out the special, high-flow exhaust manifolds, down the pipes through the dual exhaust and out the back. Power transfered through the high-lift/long-duration camshaft and down the line to the Getrag Close Ratio 4-speed manual transmission, where it waited patiently to do my bidding via the Hurst T-handle shifter that sits comfortably to hand on my right. I put her in reverse to back her a bit. Didn't want to run up the backside of that idiot's car who'd parked so close. Wouldn't be good for a fast start. Get me nowhere in a hurry. As I looked in the mirror for traffic, I cranked her wheel over. Got to love the variable-ratio power steering there. Where normally with a fixed ratio of gearing you got to turn the wheel 4 full rotations, lock-to-lock, full right to full left, the "new" system varied the ratio as you went, meaning it got more powerful as you went past center to either side. Which means that The Judge could turn fully around in 'only' 37-and-a-half-feet, all with a lot less hand-throwing doing it. Yeah, she's still a boat to parallel park. But taking off out of a parking space? Piece of cake. After the transmission, where the monster meets the road, sit her American Racing Vintage Torq-Thrust D Rally 2 wheels. Sixteen inches of chromed glory crowned with, this time of year, Kumho Ecsta ASX (All-Season Xtreme) Ultra High Performance, All-Season tires. More than 28 and a half inches height by a little over nine inches width of churning, ground-grabbing, demonically-screaming rubber. Each. Ok. So when I said The Judge rolled over in her grave when I keyed the ignition, that wasn't quite right. After all, she's nowhere near dead yet. No, it was more like she woke up. Yeah. Woke up after having been sent to bed earlier in the cooling Seattle afternoon on a cold, lonely street, without any supper. So when I cranked her awake, she was grumpy about it. Hungry. And the only thing I had to offer her was a normally 20 minutes-worth of suburban road between us and the Portland Center. Come on, old girl. Time to eat. [CENTER] [SIZE="4"]__________________________________________________[/SIZE] [/CENTER] We live on the corner. Two parking spaces past the idiot's car, south down 25th Avenue, and I'm on South Jackson Street running east/west. Mirror and sidewise glance showed all clear behind me and both ways down Jackson. When I jumped the judge, I did it pretty much like I'd done with Masterson at the bar, but with a twist. Or turn, I should say. Because when I launched her and counter steered out of the parking space, I over steered slightly, meaning a left-hand slide. As a result, when I hit the intersection, I was about traveling sideways down 25th Avenue. But sliding out onto South Jackson, I was facing the intended direction of travel. West. And as the Kumhos warmed up rapidly and bit into pavement, I put my foot to the floor. Portland Center. That-a-way. It was a little odd. Not only had the weather been great, meaning the roads were about perfect, the roads were also surprisingly devoid of traffic. I don't mean they were deserted. But they weren't packed, either. This on a Saturday Night. Go figure. Me? I chalked it up to being [I]just[/I] the right time of day. The early crowd had already gotten to where they were going to go, and the late crowd hadn't started out yet. Now, someone more religious might chalk it up to the Man Upstairs looking out for me, but I don't know. Hadn't done him any favors lately, so the jury was still out on that one. Still, the road was light for traffic and long on stretch. Portland Center was 20 minutes away driving normally. That is, if you keep the speed limit, and obey traffic lights. Both of which I felt I couldn't afford to do. So I thanked what-ever-it-was that made things favorable for me and punched it. Hard. As luck would have it, I hit several lights just right, the others being either fairly devoid of traffic going crosswise, or hadn't started moving yet. Weird I tell you. Of course, as I brought The Judge up to break-neck, I only had to dodge traffic like it was standing still. So it was no problem at all to fire up the radio. Yeah. Sure. Thank God for modern technology on that one. Touch-button radio controls meant I could turn it on with one touch, and hit the station with another. Yeah. That's right. We've got National Public Radio in button memory. Listen to it for news or what-not. Like we watch Public Television, the History and Discovery channels, and other strange what-not. So as I drove, I got up-to-speed in every sense of the word... [CENTER] [SIZE="4"]__________________________________________________[/SIZE] [/CENTER] [QUOTE] [CENTER] [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f212/NordVolf/TEW%202007/AAA_BannerMini.jpg[/IMG] [I][B][SIZE="7"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Angel Athletic Association[/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/I] [B]Week 3; January 2007[/B] [B][I]Saturday Spectacular Main Show[/I][/B] [B]Part 4[/B] [/CENTER] {[I]Jim Freebush[/I]} "And as we're [I]just[/I] into this match ladies and gentlemen, Miss Midnight [I]again[/I] is in trouble!" {[I]Farrah Hesketh[/I]} "That she is, Jim, as Devil's Daughter, ever the bruiser of Wild Times, just rocked Miss Midnight's world with a forearm shot again! What's that, four or five, Jim?" {[I]Jessica Reals[/I]} "Not to be nit-picky, but I counted six. You forgot those two quick ones at the bell." {[I]Farrah, smirking[/I]} "Why Jessica! That a sense of morbid fascination I hear you got going there?" {[I]Jessica[/I]} "No, Farrah, it's just... well... It's just this is so [B]wrong[/B]! How can anyone be letting this go like this?!" {[I]Jim[/I]} "OOOH! And DD tagged Vixxen who went to the top rope, leapt in a splash attempt and Miss Midnight rolled away!" {[I]Farrah, wincing[/I]} "Had to hurt, Jim!" {[I]Jessica[/I]} "What's she [I]doing[/I]?!" {[I]Farrah[/I]} "Vixxen's waving DD toward Miss M!" {[I]Jim[/I]} "That she is, just waving DD to continue, and climbing out of the ring through the ropes with the help of Killer, obviously that's hurt Vixxen severely." {[I]Jessica[/I]} "But... but isn't she supposed to tag [I]out[/I] or something?" {[I]Farrah[/I]} "That's 'tag DD in', Jess, and looks like it isn't happening, and DD kicks Miss Midnight when she's down!" {[I]Jessica[/I]} "You don't have to sound so thrilled about it, Farrah!" {[I]Jim[/I]} "And now Hudson is trying to straighten it out, and Karen Killer starts in on Husdon, just screaming at her, and now Devil's Daughter too, while Miss Midnight, now ignored, crawls painfully to her corner!" {[I]Farrah[/I]} "It's like the Midnights almost don't matter! Look at them argue!" {[I]Jim[/I]} "And Hudson starts a Count-out! Vixxen clearly the legal woman, yet she's out of the ring, DD still inside, AND DD SPINS HUDSON AROUND TO YELL AT HER, interrupting the count!" {[I]Farrah[/I]} "Look, Jim! Miss Midnight's made the tag!" {[I]Jim, excited[/I]} "And Missy Midnight goes straight to the top rope, moves for a better shot against Devil's Daughter looks like, and she launches YES a splash AND IT DIDN'T LAND SQUARE, DD JUST SHRUGGING HER OFF! Just shrugs Missy M. aside, who lands hard on her face and DD goes [I]right back to arguing with the ref[/I]!" {[I]Farrah[/I]} "Missy M. looks [I]way[/I] off her game tonight, Jim. That splash [I]should[/I] have landed!" {[I]Jim[/I]} "And while the arguement continues, now a four-way affair between Hudson, Killer, DD and Vixxen, Vixxen still the legal woman yet still out of the ring on the apron catching a breather after her failed attack, Missy Midnight regains her feet now looking to attack DD from behind AND DD JUST TURNS AND BACKHAND CHOP'S MISSY MIDNIGHT!" {[I]Farrah[/I]} "Look at her, DD just goes back to the arguement like nothing happened!" {[I]Jim[/I]} "And Missy is sent to the ropes by that chop, and she [I]trips[/I] and falls against the ropes, nearly going to the mat! And now hiding her face leaning on the ropes, and there's the tag... No, Miss Midnight is just hugging her sister across the ropes! Missy Midnight appears quite hurt by that chop, the older Midnight consoling or comforting her without even entering the ring, alternately yelling angrilly now at Hudson to straighten this mess out." {[I]Jessica, horrified[/I]} "Is Missy Midnight [I]crying[/I]?!" {[I]Jim, throwing his hands up in exasperation[/I]} "Looks like it, Jessica, and that's just too much for the sympathies of this crowd tonight, as the darling Missy Midnight, consoled by her sister who still hasn't entered the ring and still occassionally yells at Hudson. Missy now clearly crying in pain, humiliation or both, and the crowd just doesn't like this at all!" {[I]Jessica[/I]} "[I]I[/I] don't like this at all, Jim! Shouldn't someone do something! Run in for a rescue or something like that, doesn't that happen all the time around here?!" {[I]Jim, looking around[/I]} "Well, it can, Jessica, but the stage is empty, no one I can see in the wings or at the... edges of the crowd..." {[I]Farrah, excited[/I]} "Jim, I see movement at the curtain! I see it!!!" {[I]Jim[/I]} "Right you are Farrah as the arguement in the ring continues, Hudson distracted and only just now making count of four..." {[I]Farrah, still excited[/I]} "Someone's coming through the curtain!" {[I]Jim, excited now too[/I]} "YES! Two people stumble onto the stage from the curtain, grappling and nearly fallen completely down, it's Catherine Quine and Black Widow!" {[I]Jessica, screaming[/I]} "GO CAT! Come on!!!" {[I]Jim[/I]} "And Quine seems to be having a hard time of it for some reason..." {[I]Farrah[/I]} "Someone keeps grabbing her from behind through the curtain! There, see that! Grabbing her arms!" {[I]Jim[/I]} "I see it, Farrah! That's what's keeping Quine from just running down here. And now it's no surprise why no one's run in, Black Widow clearly running interference, even from the back-stage... what..?!" {[I]Farrah[/I]} "Someone's grabbed Quine full from behind, I can't quite see... Who [I]IS[/I] that?!" {[I]Jim[/I]} "And there goes The Cat, just pulled and pushed backstage to disappear from view, and I have no idea who that was that reached through the curtains and pulled Quine back!" {[I]Farrah, thoughtfully[/I]} "That almost looked like..." {[I]Jim, turning to Farrah[/I]} "Well who was it?!" {[I]Farrah, hessitant[/I]} "... I'm not..." {[I]Farrah, more firmly[/I]} "I don't know, Jim. Couldn't get a clear view." {[I]Jim[/I]} "Well it sounded like you saw who it was..." {[I]Farrah leans to whisper something to Jessica[/I]} {[I]Jessica, suddenly exasperated at Farrah[/I]} "How should [I]I[/I] know?! I couldn't see either!" [/QUOTE] Of course I'd been driving the whole time. What'd you expect? Fast and hard, too. Varied a bit, that. I tried to keep it cool. Mostly to my mind was the fact that if I'd gotten into an accident, my girls would have more to worry about than just some bruises or other hurt, and I couldn't put them through that. But then Jen took her sixth shot from DD. My foot hit the floor. The Judge roared, and a car horn blared as I cut someone off, still weaving through traffic. A glance in the mirror showed traffic behind me still somewhat smooth. Least I hadn't side-swiped anyone. But that brought me back to earth, and I eased off. And truth to tell, I wasn't there. At the Center. Yet. Couldn't tell if DD was pulling her shots or not, but I figured she probably was. Wild Times are not [I]really[/I] nasty, they just play that way in the ring. And true, Killer was an unknown, but I figured I knew Wild Times well enough. They wouldn't actually hurt my girls. But with Killer pulling unseen strings, it was an iffy thing at best. An unknown quality. And unknown things could get tricky. Fast. Still, I mused as the Judge smoothed down to a dull roar, Widow wasn't really a bad egg either. Sure, sometimes she got into it overly much, but she mostly kept it down to a dull roar. Was more an image and reputation thing with her. For the fans' sake. Besides, Widow hadn't made much of an appearance yet anyway. Uh oh. Was that flashing lights I saw in my distant rear view? Probably. I had to do something. Fast. Decisions, decisions, decisions... And then Stephie blew her splash. And I went on instinct. Foot drove to the floor and I threw The Judge into a left-hand power slide onto a side street. South. Not hitting anything, thankfully. None of the other cars were even close enough to swerve, probably just continued on their way, in retrospect. At the next corner, adrenaline still up, I slid her in a right turn. Another side street. At the next corner, I again threw her to the right, now headed north toward Jackson. But at an almost comparatively sedate pace. Probably best to just lay low a moment, see if the cops showed and let them breeze by. Exactly what happened. I got to the intersection and saw cars slowing and stopping all around, and heard the wail of the siren. And though there were oncoming in the other lane across that intersection, there was no one directly ahead of me. Crap. I had to roll her to a stop [I]right[/I] at the crosswalk. In full view. Sure as hell, the cops whipped past, threading stopped vehicles, most pulled out of the way. And never slowed down. I sighed in relief. Thought for sure they'd see me, and [I]know[/I]. But they'd been moving. Either the police station was getting robbed, or they'd got a report someone was speeding ahead of them and were trying to catch her. Yeah. Me, I figured. So best to play it cool. I saw the triffic light going my way turn yellow, so I quickly pulled out, though normal-seeming as I could, and rolled north. Because my detour had given me an idea. Took seconds to form, but it was there. Way I had been going previously on Jackson would take me right downtown. Close to the Center, true, but also in probable heavier traffic that would slow me way down. But there was a back way to the Center. If I continued north on what turned out to be this major artery, I'd near the University. Left turn a bit before would take me past the campus, probably deserted this time on a Saturday night. You know kids. They'd be elsewhere, partying or something. That road would lead me south-west and catty-corner across another major thoroughfare, becoming a back street due west and then a bridge that went over the I5, on account of Seattle's hilly terrain making the Interstate actually dive down at that point. That street would land me on a side street, [I]right[/I] at the Service And Facilities Vehicle Entrance of The Center. Once I'd hit that and into the garages/truck ramps, I'd be set. After two blocks, I gunned it. I'd only been stopped at the intersection for seconds at most, but felt I had to make up lost time. I did just that as I shot north up that wide avenue, finalizing my plan. Nothing for it now but just to get there... [CENTER] [SIZE="4"]__________________________________________________[/SIZE] [/CENTER] Crap. Yeah. Train of thought went just about like that too, as I rounded the corner in a power slide onto that street paralleling the campus. Because as I slid around that corner, I saw a crowd ahead; vehicles, people, bright lights, you name it. Looked packed from 4 blocks away, some party going on all over and beside the road. People jumping and carrying on, cars with their light-ropes under and on them... And I knew what it was. Damn. Some people look to have been watching the movie '[I]Too Fast and Too Furious[/I]' a little [I]too much[/I]. Alternately, they could be having their little illegal road racing rally because that's the kind of thing they did. But at the Campus? Then again, last place the cops might look. Unless that cop I'd seen was headed [I]here[/I]...! Probably not, though. No sign of cops. Coast clear on that count for the moment, but my plan seemed shot. I swore. And then Jessica started in, mentioning Stephie crying. I gripped that steering wheel white-knuckled, shifted her down since I'd slowed to think a moment, and romped on it. If these idiot kids were going to try and block my road to my girls, they were going to find out I was unhappy about it. Right now. The Judge's roar climbed into an almost-scream, like a battle-field tank trying it's best to imitate the space shuttle. My headlight beams lofted even higher than they would if I would have tapped the high beams, and that four blocks of road threaded under and behind me almost frighteningly fast. And for a moment, a part of the back of my mind was horrified that I'd run over some people. Needn't have worried. Sound like The Judge's scream carries. And the kinds of people at an 'event' like that know [I]exactly[/I] what it is. People scattered. Hell, [I]vehicles[/I] scattered! Never saw a street clear so fast. All except two cars. Great. You guessed it. Two drivers who had lined up to race. And the poor flag man between them. That flag man took one look at me and ran to the side of the road and dove. I'd half a mind to look in my rear view mirror to see if anyone was behind me shooting at him. Those two cars moved, too. But oooooh no. Not as I'd hoped. In less time than it takes to tell it, the car on the right rolled, banked right a bit, then straightened. Then the car on the left, probably seeing what the right one did, mirrored him to the left. And I saw the driver on the right lean out to look back. Damnit. They were thinking I was some sort of race challenger. Gave me room, even. Wise of them, though. The way I came on, they knew I wasn't about to stop. And something inside me snapped. Or clicked. Turned on. What ever. I could feel myself grin. And murmur... "That the way you boys want it? [I][B]Fine[/B]![/I]" I know. Stupid. Here I was trying to get to my daughters, and a psychotic part of me was glad of an opportunity to race. What can I say? I could rationalize it by saying that gave me the perfect excuse to go faster. Or that I only though of it as the road now being clear. Any of a hundred things to make me come off in a better light. Or I can be honest, and tell you what went on for real. Think I'll do that. Because right or wrong, we all have crap like that which floats through our minds in times of stress or whatever. So I kept her geared low on the approach instead of upshifting. Still, must have been doing 40 when I got to them. Only then did I upshift, dropping the gas to the floor. And the Judge screamed again as I bolted between them, right down the center line. And it was on. Oh sure, they were in hot cars, no doubt. Not to be ethnic about it, but they were in their souped-up little rice-burner cars with their hot little foreign after-market turbo this and wide flow that, their beady, fancy little light ropes and lit accents all generation-gaudy and "bosh" looking. But I was in a large, high-performance, red-blooded American Muscle Car, damnit! Well... That and they were at a standing start while I was doing upwards of 40. They never had a chance. And even at that speed, The Judge didn't disappoint, not only screaming her engine roar but tires as well, leaving rubber and blue smoke in my wake. Ok, fine. No billowing clouds of it, true, and maybe a couple yards of rubber. But what other car you know can chirp tires starting at 40 miles per hour? By the time I'd got to the "winner" flag man and had drifted right, I'd left them more than a block behind. And that flag man was stepping sideways like a snake was charging him. Because in a drag race, most non-professional drivers would top out a bit, preparing to stop right after the flag. But my goal was a long way past that flag man, and I wasn't really drag racing. So I shifted again and kept accellerating. And I couldn't believe it. That flag man [I]waved me through[/I] with that flag! And in my rear view mirrors that crowd erupted, jumping and carrying on. I could see them throwing things into the air, car headlights flicking on-and-off or high-to-low-beams rapidly. People spilling into the street to see better. Just. Went. [I]Crazy[/I]. Like at a Triple-A show or something. Huh. You'd think I'd impressed them or something. And then, as quick as that... I was gone. [QUOTE] {[I]Jim Freebush[/I]} "And Vixxen just [I]punches[/I] Missy Midnight [I][B]again[/B][/I]!" {[I]Farrah Hesketh[/I]} "Good lord, Jim! I always thought Vixxen was best at the technical stuff, not the fisticuffs..." {[I]Jim[/I]} "You're right, Farrah. It just might be, however, that Devil's Daugher has been schooling her in that area." {[I]Farrah, amazed[/I]} "Well Vixxen is sure taking Missy M. to Rumble School One-Oh-One tonight, that's for sure!" {[I]Jim[/I]} "That's the truth, Farrah, as Vixxen lands more blows, but the younger Midnight doesn't seem to be doing so badly, now actually fending off most of the blows with forearms like perhaps her mother might OOOH! Vixxen out of [I]nowhere[/I] throws a kick right to Missy Midnight's gut sending her straight down to the mat on hands and knees, clutching her midriff with one arm!" {[I]Farrah[/I]} "Almost saw that coming, Jim. Missy got complacent fending off punches and got sloppy. Off her game tonight, I'm telling you. Reeeeeally off her game..." {[I]Jim[/I]} "And Vixxen mercifully standing back, pacing now and again... no, she's tipping her head side-to-side slowly, surveying her handiwork... And there's the proof! She glances at Devil's Daughter who gives her a thumbs up! Vixxen HAS been learning brawling!" {[I]Farrah[/I]} "But look, Jim! Vixxen got complacent too, Missy's crawled to her corner to her scowling Sister..." {[I]Jim[/I]} "AND THERE'S THE TAG! And Miss Midnight is through the ropes and into the ring after Vixxen, as her sister rolls out..., Miss M. punches... Woman On [I]Fire[/I] ladies and gentlemen! WOW!!!" {[I]Jessica, beside herself in joy[/I]} "GO MIDNIGHT, GO!!!" {[I]Jim[/I]} "And go she [I]does[/I], Jessica! Blow after blow after blow on Vixxen, forget the cruiserweight stuff, this girl is ANGRY!" {[I]Farrah[/I]} "Holy CRAP! The Midnight Sisterz may be Juniors, but don't [I]mess[/I] with a body's baby [I]Sister[/I]!" {[I]Miss Midnight screams all the while at Vixxen, almost incoherently, occasional words able to be made out over the area mics like "Dare", "Mess" and "Sister"[/I]} {[I]Jim, incredulous[/I]} "And Vixxen looks like she's actually in [I]serious[/I] trouble, as this has gone [I]way[/I] beyond the usual determined wrestling on Miss Midnight's part into an actual, even vicious assault! Wow! And the crowd's gotten quiet, I don't think they know what to make of it. I know [I]I've [B]never[/B][/I] seen Miss Midnight like [I]this[/I]!" {[I]Farrah[/I]} "Far as the Midnights are concerned, it looks like the Apple hasn't fallen far from the Mother Tree here, Jim. This is just [I]brutal[/I] for Miss Midnight! And it looks like she's not even tiring at all!" {[I]Jessica, suddenly fearfully pointing[/I]} "OhmyGod, OHMYGOD!" {[I]Jim, picking up on it[/I]} "And here comes Black Widow! Sprinting down the ramp, probably to make a save for Vixxen, swooping in on the ring like a spider after her prey..." {[I]Jessica, aghast[/I]} "LOOK OUT!!!" {[I]Missy Midnight turns, and shrieks so even the area mics can pick it up clearly[/I]} {[I]Jim[/I]} "AND BLACK WIDOW HAS [I]MISSY[/I] MIDNIGHT! Just grabbed her right off the ring apron!!!" {[I]Farrah, wincing[/I]} "Wow. What a scream!" {[I]Jim[/I]} "Indeed, Farrah, and it... yes! It got Miss Midnight's attention..." {[I]Miss Midnight spins from Vixxen to see her sister's peril[/I]} "NO!!!" {[I]Jim[/I]} "... and Miss M. starts a sprint OH! Vixxen quickly tagged Devil's Daughter and DD just DOVE on Miss Midnight, both going down to the mat, and now Vixxen is [I]not[/I] leaving the ring, rushing to center-ring and PUNCHES A PRONE MISS MIDNIGHT!" {[I]Farrah[/I]} "That's what I call a 'How do you like me [I]now[/I]' moment, Jim!" [/QUOTE] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NordVolf Posted June 16, 2014 Author Share Posted June 16, 2014 [CENTER][U]Days in the Life - Confessions of a Triple 'A' Worker[/U][/CENTER] [QUOTE] [CENTER] [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f212/NordVolf/TEW%202007/AAA_BannerMini.jpg[/IMG] [I][B][SIZE="7"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Angel Athletic Association[/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/I] [B]Week 3; January 2007[/B] [B][I]Saturday Spectacular Main Show[/I][/B] [B]Part 5[/B] [/CENTER] [/QUOTE] Each new 'development' in the show got me churning. Sure, I wasn't there yet. So I couldn't tell what was pulled and what wasn't. But each hit, each incident on one daughter or the other brought my foot to the floor, and less of a cool-down after. So by the time I was closing on that bridge over the Interstate, I'd hit 70. As luck would have it, the back-streets were as deserted as I'd figured they would be. So as I crossed the bridge over the I5 toward the Center, braking hard down from break-neck, that side street had nothing else on it besides the Portland Center's Service And Facilities Entrance. I guess with nothing else to recommend itself to the casual motorist, it was deserted. Worked for me. I let off the brakes and let the slide carry me into the carved out, cave-like Service And Facilities Entrance with its half-round-about style drive. Near the middle of that half-round, a sharp left takes you down a ramp to the underground parking complex, the tunnel gaping its maw from within the earth, a curving spiral of descending pavement. I threw the wheel over, downshifted further, and the Judge dove down that hole. [CENTER] [SIZE="4"]__________________________________________________[/SIZE] [/CENTER] [QUOTE] {[I]Miss Midnight, howling from center ring[/I]} "Leave my sister alone!" {[I]Jim Freebush[/I]} "And Miss Midnight, just frantic for her sister, being held by Devil's Daughter and beaten by Vixxen, just [I]helpless[/I] to do anything about Black Widow holding young Missy Midnight, who plans to do who-knows what to the younger Midnight!" {[I]Farrah Hesketh[/I]} "I know, Jim! Older Miss may be a Midnight, but her mom she's not!" {[I]Jessica Reals[/I]} "Somebody should [I][B]DO[/B][/I] something!" {[I]Farrah[/I]} "Well who [I]can[/I] do anything, Jess? Cat seems to still be held up backstage by we-don't-know-who, and I know [I]I'm[/I] not about to try anything!" {[I]Jim[/I]} "Well, with Devil's Daughter the legal woman, and Vixxen looking to not leave the ring, referee Lois Hudson looks to be trying to break things up..." {[I]Jessica[/I]} "Maybe Miss Midnight can rescue her sister then!" {[I]Farrah[/I]} "Not likely, Jess. DD and Vix are pretty much ignoring Lois, concentrating on punishing Miss Midnight..." {[I]Jim[/I]} "And Lois now moving in to physically break things up AND KAREN KILLER ROLLS INTO THE RING!" {[I]Jessica[/I]} "Can she DO that?!" {[I]Farrah, grinning[/I]} "Oh, she can, Jess. Not [I]supposed[/I] to, but she can." {[I]Jim[/I]} "And as Lois tries to break things up, Killer gets in her face, distracting Lois, as DD and Vixxen continue their [I]relentless[/I] assault on Miss Midnight. And Black Widow continues to hold the younger Midnight just off ringside, Missy struggling vainly to escape, now actually starting to scream..." {[I]Farrah[/I]} "That's gotten a reaction out of Miss M., Jim, but she can't do anything about it" {[I]Miss Midnight, howling desperately[/I]} "Leave my sister alone, you coward!" {[I]Jim[/I]} "And as Killer continues to argue with the ref, Lois just decides to ignore her and returns to breaking the beat-down of Missy Midnight up, ordering Vixxen out of the ring AND VIXXEN BACKHANDS LOIS HUDSON!" {[I]Jessica, shocked[/I]} "That... kind of looked accidental..." {[I]Farrah, suddenly very excited[/I]} "Did Vixxen just punch the ref in the face?! [I][B]Oh, you did NOT just punch the ref in the FACE!!![/B][/I]" {[I]Jim[/I]} "And in a gesture that would make a baseball umpire proud, Lois Hudson calls Vixxen out! Just figuratively throws Vixxen out of the ring..." {[I]Farrah[/I]} "Looks like the match as well, Jim! Lois just tossed Vixxen completely out, and I can't blame her..." {[I]Jim[/I]} "And Killer protesting now, and Hudson umpire-throws Killer out as well!" {[I]Jessica, growing upset again[/I]} "But... but Vixxen isn't leaving! She just punched Miss Midnight again!" {[I]Jim[/I]} "And Hudson now trying to intervene again, trying to break Vixxen off, Vixxen going to brush Hudson o...AND LOIS HUDSON THROWS VIXXEN INTO AN ARMBAR!" {[I]Farrah, in deep-voiced excitement[/I]} "Lois' had enough of Vixxen's sh{[I]Farrah's last word has been bleeped out on NPR[/I]}, drags Vixxen to the ropes, and the [I]Ref Goes[/I] to [I]Work[/I]!" {[I]Jessica, yelling[/I]} "GIVE IT TO HER, LOIS!!!" {[I]Jim[/I]} "Easy to forget that Hudson's been in this promotion a long time, picking up wrestling and having to be tough enough to break up fights, moves like the gut punches she's now putting to Vixxen while maintaining the arm bar OH! And Lois Hudson has taken that arm bar and literally [I]throws[/I] Vixxen over the top rope and out of the ring!" {[I]Jessica, completely amazed[/I]} "Wow...!" {[I]Jim[/I]} "Wow is right, Jessica, and now Hudson turns her anger on Karen Killer!" {[I]Killer, waving to Hudson and yelling loud enough for the area mics to pick up[/I]} "Tah!" {[I]Jim[/I]} "And Karen Killer literally bails from the ring!" {[I]Farrah[/I]} "Looks like Lois ain't done yet, Jim! {[I]Jim[/I]} "Right you are, as Hudson now approaches DD... and does the baseball 'you're out' move again! Lois Hudson just threw DD out as well!" {[I]Farrah[/I]} "Looks like DD doesn't want to test her skills against the ref, as DD just [I]bails[/I] from the ring, leaving a stunned Miss Midnight standing in ring center..." {[I]Jessica[/I]} "Waitwaitwait...! Hudson threw them all out? [I]Can[/I] she throw them [I]all[/I] out?!" {[I]Farrah[/I]} "Looks like it, Jess!" {[I]Jessica, shocked[/I]} "Then... Then doesn't that mean the Midnight Sisterz won by disqualification or something?!" {[I]Jim[/I]} "That it does, Jessica, as Lois Hudson grabs a surprised Miss Midnight's arm and hoists it high, now letting that arm drop and motioning for the bell man to ring this match out!" {[I]A scream is heard over the area mics as Missy Midnight still struggles vainly in Black Widow's grip[/I]} {[I]Farrah, wincing, hand over her ear[/I]} "There's that shriek again..." {[I]Jim[/I]} "And Miss Midnight's heard it too, she sprints for ring's... WOW! Miss Midnight dove [I]right over the top rope[/I] to land on the ringside floor in a forward role and up on her feet now, charging towards Black Widow and her sister!" {[I]Farrah[/I]} "I'm not sure Miss M.'s up to tangling with Widow, Jim." {[I]Jim[/I]} "Looks like we'll find out, Farrah..." {[I]Jessica, beside herself in excitement[/I]} "GET HER, MIDNIGHT!" {[I]Farrah covers her headset mic to hide her laughing at Jessica's enthusiasm[/I]} {[I]Jim[/I]} "And Black Widow sees Miss M. charging in, just let's young Missy go, holding her hands up in surrender and literally backing off..." {[I]Jessica[/I]} "Looks like Widow knows what's what, messing with Miss's little sister like that!" {[I]Farrah, barely keeping from laughing[/I]} "With a sarcastic smirk like Widow's got on right now? I don't think so, Jess." {[I]Jim[/I]} "And with that, Miss Midnight goes to console her sister, glaring angry still at Widow... We have a camera there?!" {[I]The view comes obediently to life on the Titantron, showing Miss Midnight helping a collapsed Missy to her feet[/I]} {[I]Miss Midnight[/I]} "Hey... You ok?" {[I]Missy Midnight, distressed[/I]} "I couldn't help it! I tried to get away and couldn't. The match is over and it's [I]all my fault[/I]...!" {[I]Miss M., grinning[/I]} "Hey, it's ok! Vixxen pissed Hudson off, and Hudson disqualified Wild Times! We won!" {[I]The bellman begins ringing the match bell furiously, right on cue[/I]} {[I]Missy M. looks at her sister, startled, then looks to the ring where Hudson is there at the ropes, beckoning[/I]} "Wh... What?!" {[I]Miss Midnight, holding her sister at arm's length, excited yet enunciating slowly[/I]} "Wild Times got themselves [I][B]disqualified[/B][/I]! [I]WE WON![/I]" [/QUOTE] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadowedFlames Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 So I've spent most of today catching back up on the back story just so I'm somewhat fresh on it. They should never have angered mama bear. Lorna SMASH puny Killer, it sounds like. Just don't leave us hanging for years this time, eh? ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NordVolf Posted June 25, 2014 Author Share Posted June 25, 2014 [CENTER]((OOC Segment))[/CENTER] [QUOTE=ShadowedFlames;1995221]... Just don't leave us hanging for years this time, eh? ;)[/QUOTE] *chuckles* Thanks for reading, SF. And I'll do my best! [CENTER] [SIZE="4"]__________________________________________________[/SIZE] [U]Days in the Life - Confessions of a Triple 'A' Worker[/U][/CENTER] [QUOTE] [CENTER] [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f212/NordVolf/TEW%202007/AAA_BannerMini.jpg[/IMG] [I][B][SIZE="7"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Angel Athletic Association[/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/I] [B]Week 3; January 2007[/B] [B][I]Saturday Spectacular Main Show[/I][/B] [B]Part 6[/B] [/CENTER] [/QUOTE] [QUOTE] {[I]Miss Midnight, holding her sister at arm's length, excited yet enunciating slowly[/I]} "Wild Times got themselves [I][B]disqualified[/B][/I]! WE WON!" {[I]Missy Midnight[/I]} "We won?!" {[I]Missy, at Miss M.'s excited nod[/I]} "[B][I]WE WON![/I][/B]" {[I]Jim Freebush[/I]} "And the Midnight Sisterz celebrate! What a turn of events, ladies and gentlemen, as both girls, literally jumping and screaming for joy, head to the ring to take their accolades and Hudson's [I]official[/I] announcement... AND WIDOW TACKLES THE SISTERZ FROM BEHIND!" {[I]Jessica Reals, jumping to her feet and pointing, angry[/I]} "Killer did it! She gave Widow the high sign! I SAW YOU, YOU F{[I]Jessica's last two words have been bleeped out on NPR[/I]}!!!" {[I]Farrah Hesketh cracks up, nearly helpless, trying gently to get Jessica to sit back down[/I]} {[I]Jim, trying not to laugh[/I]} "Wow! And yes, it looks like Killer may have done just that..." {[I]Jim, composing himself, once again serious and grave[/I]} "And... Wild Times bails from the ring, the Sisterz [I]almost[/I] there, and Wild Times lays hold of the Sisterz! Karen Killer now looking very smarmy about the [I]entire[/I] affair, and Hudson beckoning and yelling for the Sisterz to get into the ring. Miss Midnight's hand is out, almost touches Hudson's outstretched hand... Contact! And now Miss Midnight, pulled in opposite directions by Hudson and Widow, looks back for her sister... And Missy is pulled [I]entirely[/I] away from the ring by the combined efforts of Wild Times... Miss Midnight looks with dismay to Hudson, who is yelling to Miss Midnight to hang on... And now Miss M. sees Karen Killer, grinning evilly off to the side, Miss M. gets a look of determination... AND LETS GO OF HUDSON'S HAND! And Miss Midnight is allowing herself to be dragged from ringside by Black Widow!" {[I]Jessica, shocked[/I]} "But [I]why[/I]?!" {[I]Farrah, composing herself[/I]} "Jess, a body just doesn't abandon her baby sister. And... looks like Killer is yelling for a microphone..." {[I]Jim[/I]} "What could she [I]possibly[/I] have to say now?!" {[I]Farrah, suddenly distracted[/I]} "Wait... What's that noise? Is that a... train?!" {[I]Jessica, bewildered[/I]} "What!?!" {[I]Farrah, shaking her head[/I]} "Forget it. Thought I heard something." {[I]Jim[/I]} "Well, what ever it was, Killer has a microphone now, and approaches Wild Times and Black Widow, who now hold the Midnight Sisterz." {[I]Farrah[/I]} "They've dragged them almost to our table, Jim!" {[I]Jim[/I]} "Well I hope to heaven [I]we[/I] don't get involved, Farrah, as Killer, now up to Miss Midnight who is being held in a double chicken-wing by Black Widow, the younger Missy held by Devil's Daughter as Vixxen looks cooly on. And as luck would have it a cameraman and mic operator are here as well..." {[I]The Titantron now shows Karen Killer, stepping up to Miss Midnight, a coy smile on her face as she nibbles on a blood red fingernail[/I]} "Well hello there, my dearest little morsel." {[I]Miss Midnight, through clenched teeth[/I]} "Let us GO!" {[I]Killer giggles[/I]} "You are such a [I]delight[/I], my dear! Oooo, so full of promise." {[I]Killer, sighing regretfully[/I]} "Now, I know the answer, but I really must ask this. You know. Morbid curiosity..." {[I]Killer leans in, intimately close to Miss Midnight, whispers[/I]} "What do [I]you[/I] think is going to happen next?" {[I]Miss Midnight, calming, with an evil grin of her own[/I]} "Just have your goon let me go, and we'll [I]both[/I] find out." {[I]Killer cackles insanely[/I]} "Just... impossibly delightful! I [I]love[/I] you!!! Oh, my dear, dear Miss. Oh, and Missy of course. Can't forget you...!" {[I]Killer walks over and pinches Missy Midnight on the cheek like an old grandmother might[/I]} "Ooooo! So [I]cute[/I] and [I]sweet[/I] and just oh so [I][B]adorable[/B][/I]!!" {[I]Miss M., struggling against Widow's hold[/I]} "You leave her alone!" {[I]Killer, turning, amused, blinking prettily[/I]} "Or what, dearest?" {[I]Miss M., glancing around[/I]} "Ok, so it's you four. But I'm sure [I]someone's[/I] going to..." {[I]Killer, returning to Miss Midnight and leaning close again[/I]} "Just us four? Listen, sweety... why is it, do you think, that no one's come to your rescue yet? *[I]pause, then whispers[/I]* Because it's not just us four..." {[I]Killer, whistles shrilly, then shouts[/I]} "Oh Dearest! Come out, come out where-ever you are!" {[I]Entrance music hits, VNV Nation's "Darkangel", and the curtain billows, as if someone were trying to find the opening...[/I]} {[I]Jim[/I]} "And someone's coming through the curtains now to the stage... My God!" {[I]Jessica, horrified[/I]} "Raven Nightfall!" {[I]Farrah, blowing it off[/I]} "Relax, Jess. She's one of the [I]good[/I] girls. She'll straighten this out..." {[I]Farrah, turning, distracted[/I]} "What [I]is[/I] that?! Someone driving a tank in the Center!?" {[I]Jim[/I]} "I hear it too, now. Maybe we can get a camera to see about it. Meanwhile, Raven Nightfall strides haughtily down the ramp, and rounds the ring! Yes, she's coming over..." {[I]Jessica[/I]} "Straighten them out, Nightfall!" {[I]Nightfall stops before Killer, arms crossed and glaring.[/I]} {[I]Killer[/I]} "Oh, come [I]on[/I], my brazen lovely! *[I]whispers[/I]* Now's your chance!!!" {[I]Nightfall looks disturbed for a moment, hesitant.[/I]} {[I]Missy Midnight, pleading[/I]} "Come [I]on[/I], Raven! Please! Help us!!!" {[I]Nightfall, suddenly angry, steps around Killer, saying to Missy M.[/I]} "Shut it, you." {[I]Nightfall, leaning back to cross her arms again, looking from Miss M. to Missy M.[/I]} "Well, well, well. What have we here...?" {[I]Missy M., incredulous[/I]} "Oh, you're not even [I]thinking[/I] it...!" {[I]Nightfall, pointing at Missy M.[/I]} "I thought I told you to shut your yap." {[I]Killer, to Missy[/I]} "Aaaaw. But why not? *[I]to Nightfall[/I]* Raven! Darling! After all these years, you [I]finally[/I] have restitution within your grasp. Take it!" {[I]Miss M.[/I]} "What are you talking about?!" {[I]Nightfall, angry again[/I]} "As if you didn't know! All the years of frustration while SHE stole my limelight..." {[I]Killer, stage-whispering[/I]} "FrusTRATION!" {[I]Nightfall[/I]} "... the humiliation I've had to endure...!" {[I]Killer, almost wailing in mock sorrow[/I]} "Such [I]terrible[/I] humiliation!" {[I]Nightfall glares at Killer[/I]} {[I]Killer[/I]} "What?! I'm just trying to [I]help[/I]." {[I]Missy M.[/I]} "Raven, don't you even dare!" {[I]Nightfall, angry, to Missy M.[/I]} "Shut up, or I'll [I]shut[/I] you up!" [/QUOTE] At first, I'd thought I'd raced all the way out here for nothing. The fight was over, my girls had won. For a second, I felt foolish. And relieved. And also, in an odd way, glad I'd come anyway, despite... And then Widow jumped them, at Killer's signal. Set-up. I gunned it. Probably what Farrah had heard, as I threaded The Judge up the Truck Ramp. The switch-back style ramp going from the basement level services parking garage to the various other floors of the Portland Center. Used by everything from vans to tractor-trailers to deliver goods, supplies, and other necessary things for shows in the Center's various venue areas. Of course, I hadn't charged overly quickly up that truck ramp. Besides not wanting to rear-end a semi, the area would probably be crawling with staff. Didn't want to hurt anyone. Well, not any of [I]these[/I] people. So I roared up that ramp, low gear. At the top, there were people as expected, but the loading ramp, that sunken area where the big-rigs can back their trailers in to be unloaded, had a spot cleared. I guess they figured I was going to park there. Wrong. I thrummed up the ramp beside the loading dock, toward the extra-large, double doors there. People scattered. Except for two of AAA's roadies, who rushed those doors, opened them, and while a couple other roadies held them open, began fiddling with the little locking levers that allowed them to remove the divider post between the doors. That's right. Those extra-wide, extra-high doors are made to be opened for cars, and even pick-up trucks and vans to go through. For car shows or what-not. And that way went right down a service corridor that passed the large convention spaces, 4A and 4B. Right to the side of 4C. AAA's show space. Looks like [I]everyone[/I] recognized my car. "Come on!" I howled out the window as they didn't remove that divider fast enough. Had trouble with it briefly. They eventually got it. But I had a couple bad moments. So those few seconds, I did something I'd not done in a long time. I prayed. I knew Nightfall was upset. I prayed Killer wasn't pushing her buttons for real. That would get ugly. And I prayed, as Nightfall began to rave, that Missy would just shut up like Raven had ordered her to. At least till I got there... [QUOTE] {[I]Jim Freebush[/I]} "Looks like we have a camera showing the service corridor..." {[I]Farrah Hesketh[/I]} "I don't think anyone cares, Jim, and Nightfall looks really bent...!" {[I]Miss Midnight[/I]} "Leave my sister alone!" {[I]Raven Nightfall, angry[/I]} "Want some for yourself, then, punk?" {[I]Nightfall hesitates, for a moment.[/I]} {[I]Karen Killer[/I]} "Oh please! Oh please oh please oh please! *[I]whispered squeal[/I]* Do iiiit!" {[I]Nightfall again turning angry, punches Miss M. in the gut[/I]} {[I]Jim[/I]} "OH!!!" {[I]Farrah[/I]} "Um... Jim? Someone's driving a [I]car[/I] down that service corridor! Fast, too!" {[I]Jim[/I]} "So an unknown arrives, while Raven Nightfall appears to be warming to her purpose, now punishing Miss Midnight with gut punches." {[I]The Titantron shows a large black car in the distance down the corridor coming in through the doors. People scatter, pulling racks and things hastily out of the way, as the car rumbles and growls quickly closer. With the glare from hallway lights, it is impossible to see through the windshield into the car. The car then screeches to a halt, right in front of the camera; the camera tumbles chaotically and drops to the floor suddenly, coming to rest on its side.[/I]} {[I]Farrah[/I]} "Whoah! Who is [I]THAT[/I]?!" {[I]Jessica Reals, shocked[/I]} "Did the cameraman just get run over?!" {[I]Farrah[/I]} "No, I think he just dropped the camera and ran! It's still rolling, though!" {[I]As Raven Nightfall continues to alternately pound Miss Midnight and then survey her for the next shot, taking her time, the Titantron shows the sideways view from the service corridor. The underside of the car and the car door's bottom can be seen; the door opens and a metal-clad, strapped and buckled boot hits the floor. The other boot follows, there is hardly a pause, then with two quick steps the boots vanish, the sound of a metal door being violently thrown open, then shutting with a *clack*. The scene becomes almost serene. Silence, showing the underside of the car with its door left open.[/I]} {[I]Jessica[/I]} "Who [I]IS[/I] that?!" {[I]Farrah[/I]} "I'm not sure... You don't think...? Nah. Couldn't be." {[I]Jessica[/I]} "What?!" {[I]Jim[/I]} "Well, while we don't know who this latest arrival is, the crowd seems to, as excitement has erupted here in the Portland Center's C Hall... {[I]Farrah[/I]} "I guess maybe, Jim! Listen to that crowd all of a sudden! They [I]definitely[/I] think they know [I][B]exactly[/B][/I] who it is!" {[I]Jessica, turning to yell at the crowd[/I]} "Who [I]is[/I] it already!?!" {[I]Jim, trying not to chuckle[/I]} "Well for [I]our[/I] part, we'll just have to wait and see, Farrah and Jessica..." {[I]Jim, turning very serious[/I]} "...as Raven Nightfall now [I]continues[/I] to pick Miss Midnight apart with gut punches, while Black Widow still holds her in that [I]excruciating[/I] double-chicken-wing. And Missy Midnight held by Devil's Daughter as well. Meanwhile, Karen Killer and Vixxen look to be discussing the situation!" {[I]Karen Killer[/I]} "My MY! Just so punishing, don't you think?" {[I]Vixxen, smirking[/I]} "Oh yeah. Just the way we like it." {[I]Killer, mock sympathy[/I]} "But don't you [I]feel[/I] something for Miss Midnight? Poor dear, having such a [I]bad[/I] day...!" {[I]Vixxen, contemplative[/I]} "Well. Good days [I]are[/I] highly over-rated." {[I]Killer, giggling[/I]} "Too true!" {[I]The stage curtain suddenly gets yanked open and someone steps through, The movie '[I]Blade[/I]'s "Vampire Dance Club Theme" hitting right on cue [/I]} {[I]Jim, looking at the stage, shocked[/I]} "Good Lord! I never thought in a million years...!" {[I]Farrah, stunned[/I]} "I'm right there with you, Jim." {[I]Jessica, gaping[/I]} "Oh. My. [I]GOD[/I]!" {[I]As Raven Nightfall winds up to hit Miss M. yet again, Missy Midnight, unable to see the stage from her vantage, pipes up[/I]} {[I]Missy Midnight[/I]} "If my Mom was here, you wouldn't be so tough!" {[I]Nightfall, enraged by that, turns and backhands Missy M. across the mouth with a fist[/I]} "I. Said. [I]Shut. [B]UP[/B][/I]!!!" [/QUOTE] As I brought the car to a screeching halt, the back of my mind noted the cameraman filming. And another twisted part of the back of my mind reflected that it was good Angel had invested in Stunt-man-tough cameras for the hand-helds. You never knew when a Cameraman would have to take a bump for dramatic effect or what-not. And while the cameramen were never in any real danger, the cameras suddenly forgotten in that kind of situation took no end of abuse. So Stardust, sick of having to put out cash money for replacement cameras, dug deep for the special ones. Padded, with reinforced cases, even "roll bar" style cages. As a result, as I ground to a halt, that cameraman in no danger of being hit -- I was only doing 20 or so at that point, and I made sure I wasn't about to hit anyone -- he made a snap dramatic decision. Bobbled that camera, then placed it none too gently on the floor, making sure it pointed the way he wanted and even simulating it 'bouncing' before coming to rest. But I wasn't actively thinking about that. I only noted it long after. Right then I was busy. Car door open and step out. Rip the service door to the backstage open as if I were going to throw it at someone. Stride through leaving it to close on its own, already forgotten. And almost ran into Cat. "Lorna!" Cat breathed, falling into step with me. I wasn't stopping. "It's ok, Cat." I offered. "Nothin's happened yet. Not bad anyway," she said, seeming a bit sheepish. "Ah trahd to make a run, but got hung up. You know how Sorely gits sometahms. She's parked now besahd the ramp, lahk she's guardin' the joint, or waitin' or somethin'..." She had her Western on, but seemed hesitant. And sounding a little guilty. "It's ok, Cat," I said, stopping to turn and put a hand on her shoulder. "You're a good friend. Did your best. I'm here now." Cat nodded resolutely back, and at that point I noted Masterson standing beside Cat. Leave it to the little imp to be [I]right[/I] there like that. Grinning at me and giving a thumbs up. I turned back to walking. Fast. The crowd of workers in my way parted like the waters before Moses. Making a path for me to the stage curtains, and the ramp beyond. You'd think I was Wanda Fish, heading to the ring to defend the Femme Fatale or something. No, they weren't exactly lined up waiting. May as well have been, though, as a lot of girls made sure they were on that path toward the stage. Wanda was even there, looking grave, and yet winking with a subtle smile at me as I passed her, saying nothing. Various others greeted me silently or openly. Couple cat-calls here and there. Gorgon and Cherry Bomb, Harper and Brazzle, Goodlooks and Bunny. The list goes on. Just about the whole Brat Pack was there too. You know, the kids. Anderson, York, Tracy Brendon, even Roxy Kitten -- all looking pretty impressed or unsure, as if I might pound one of them. Even Suzue was there, standing straight and tall, with her arms crossed and looking grim. She nodded to me, stoic and subtle. J-Ro was the last to be seen. Right at the curtain. Arms folded and looking smug. She didn't say anything. Just stepped aside, reached out, and yanked the curtain open for me with a flourish. And smiled. That's when the music hit. I recognized it. '[I]Blade[/I]' Theme, from the movie. I think from that Blood Rave scene. Anyway, I'd mentioned to Jomo that I might go with that for my music at some point but then always put it off, thinking Sorely would finally skimp on the music, and defaulting to Ramstein when she didn't. But Jomo must have been right on top of things. Seeing on his monitor my coming in, and cuing it when I hit the curtain. Still. Odd that he'd had it cued up like that... Something niggled at the back of my mind... I stepped out to the stage, to Jim, Farrah and Jessica's surprised exclamations. And heard Stephie, clear over the area mics goad Nightfall. And saw the back-hand. I instinctively looked to the Titantron's huge screen, and sure enough, they had a camera down there. Stephie'd fallen to her knees, let go by DD, Stephie's face large on that screen. At first she wore a shocked expression, but then I saw it. Her hand over her split lip started to tremble, and her expression pinched her eyes shut and opened her mouth, and she soundlessly screamed a cry of shock and pain. I'd seen that look before. When she was little and had fallen off her bike, skinning her knee. The initial surprise that it had actually happened, followed by the realization that it hurt, and more importantly the shock that it was suddenly more real than she could have imagined. And in seeing that look I'd seen before, and knowing it for what it was... I knew that backhand had been real. And I saw red. Only things I was aware of was my rapid sprint to the scene, covering the distance fast as I could, my boots pounding down the ramp and around the ring, sounding as thunderous to me as the blood pounding in my ears. And a second set of boots pounding right behind me. Last thing I saw before I actually got there was Devil's Daughter, looking my way and no longer holding Stephie. And she was mouthing something, looking surprised and maybe a little afraid. [QUOTE] {[I]Jim Freebush[/I]} "I still can't believe it, Farrah! Of all the people to show here tonight...!" {[I]Farrah Hesketh[/I]} "I know, Jim! But it only stands to reason that when the Midnight Sisterz are threatened, here comes..." {[I]Jim[/I]} "AND HERE SHE COMES, just tearing down the ramp, around the ring fast as we can call it, with Catherine Quine in hot pursuit!" {[I]Farrah[/I]} "Oooooh! Right, Jim! She's one of the Bad Girls, makes sense that The Cat would give chase!" {[I]Karen Killer looks right into the camera and waves, saying into the mike[/I]} "Tah!" {[I]Karen Killer bolts around the ring, opposite the direction from the ramp[/I]} {[I]Jim[/I]} "And here's Lorna Midnight, right up to Nightfall..." {[I]Devil's Daughter, stepping away from Missy Midnight in shocked dismay[/I]} "Oh SH{[I]bleeped out by NPR[/I]}!" [/QUOTE] Nightfall never even saw it coming. Had her back to me. I didn't scream in rage. I didn't yell insults or a warning, or give any indication I was there. DD did it for me. Double-D's startled exclamation startled Nightfall in turn, and she pivoted to look. Right into my foot. As I got to her, I'd planted my right foot next to Nightfall's without slowing down. Spun to bring my other foot up and buckled both knees into a squat. Placed my left foot to Nightfalls ribs, let my momentum slam me into her, and pushed both legs straight with all my might into a wide splits. The human body is pretty impressive. Especially the rib cage. Make no mistake. If I would have kicked her outright, I would have broken ribs. But by planting like that, even pushing hard as I could and with my momentum, her ribs bore up nicely. No cracks or breaks. Then again all that energy, that momentum, had to go somewhere. Basic laws of physics. So Nightfall, being at the end of the line, took it all. And went airborne. I remember distinctly seeing Stephie's face. Still with that pained look as I swooped into Raven. Then it went into slow-mo. Her look melted into surprise at seeing me. She even mouthed, "Mom..?!" I could almost hear it. And then her hand fell away from her mouth as she watched in awe. Raven lofted up and sailed clear over Stephie's head. Raven landed [I]into[/I] the concession table next to the announcing table, Stephie watching her with a gape-mouthed expression the entire way. The table dutifully collapsed, folding in the middle, pretty much like it was supposed to do since it'd been built to not withstand someone landing on it. Never know when you need to have a table bump. And with the ends of that table suddenly, violently flung up, Raven disappeared in a cloud of tee shirts, hoodies, jackets, hats, and what-all else. [QUOTE] {[I]Jessica Reals screams in dismay, evacuating her chair to dive behind Farrah Hesketh and Jim Freebush, as Raven Nightfall crash-lands into the Concession Table, right next to the Announcer's Table not a dozen feet from where Jessica was seated.[/I]} {[I]Jim, stunned[/I]} "My GOD!" {[I]Farrah, amazed[/I]} "Whoah... Ravens can [I]fly[/I]..." {[I]Jim, recovering[/I]} "Wow! And Lorna Midnight has charged in and dispatched Nightfall in one fell swoop..." {[I]Farrah[/I]} "And here comes Vixxen, behind Midnight..." {[I]Jim[/I]} "And The Cat just tackles Vixxen, both blowing right past Midnight's back! Midnight focused on where Nightfall went, I don't think she even knew Vixxen was there!" {[I]Farrah, flabbergasted[/I]} "What the hell was THAT?! What did Cat just do!?!" {[I]Black Widow discards Miss M. to the side with a shove, watching Cat and Vixxen fly past into nearby chairs with a crash. Widow then turns to Lorna Midnight, angry[/I]} "Hey!" {[I]Jim[/I]} "... and Midnight's attention turned by Widow..WOW! Faster than I can even call it, Midnight straight-finger jabbed Widow twice, in the throat and shoulder looks like, went into a crouched spin and swept Widow's feet from under her, and then leaped up into a corkscrew 360 elbow drop, straight to Widow's chest!" {[I]Farrah[/I]} "Holy crap! Knocked the wind clear out of Widow, she's really stunned and gasping!" {[I]The Titantron shows the camera view rushing in to see, as Lorna Midnight gets to her feet in a crouch over a downed Widow. Widow looks up at her, shocked and gasping, as Lorna Midnight points a finger to Widow's face[/I]} {[I]Lorna Midnight, with a snarl[/I]} "[I]Stay[/I] down!" {[I]Widow, looking shocked and afraid, gasping, nods enthusiastically.[/I]} {[I]Farrah[/I]} "I know [I]I'd[/I] stay down!" {[I]Jim[/I]} "I would too, Farrah, as Midnight now rises to look around, sees her older daughter..." {[I]Lorna to Miss M.[/I]} "You ok?" {[I]Miss M., suddenly dismayed[/I]} "Mom, look out!" {[I]Devil's Daughter rushes Lorna Midnight from behind, grabs her around the shoulders[/I]} {[I]Jim[/I]} "DD now has Midnight firmly in a bearhug NOOO! Lorna Midnight just grabbed DD's arm and flung her over her shoulder in an arm drag, just blasted her to the floor!" {[I]Farrah[/I]} "Yeah, I'd stay down if I were DD, too..." {[I]Jim, excited[/I]} "And now here comes Suzue Katayama, of all people! She's teamed with Midnight a time or two in the past, but as she strides purposefully in, looks like she wants to restrain Midnight... And Midnight sees Katayama, and fixes her with an ugly glare, Katayama glaring back... And Suzue Katayama raises her hands in surrender and backs off! Wow! I've [I]NEVER[/I] seen Katayama back down from anyone before!!!" {[I]Farrah[/I]} "Looks like Suzue knows a pissed off mamma bear when she sees one, Jim!" {[I]Nightfall, having climbed out of the rubble of the concession table and tossing off a stray hoodie[/I]} "Hey! [I]Midnight[/I]!" {[I]Jim[/I]} "And now Nightfall, having extricated herself approaching Midnight, they stride together OH! Midnight spin-backhanded with her right then punched with the left, almost knocking Nightfall down, Midnight not finished grabbing Raven by the shirt-back, runs and throws NIGHTFALL INTO THE SIDE OF THE RING APRON HEAD FIRST! And Raven Nightfall goes down in a heap, Midnight turning now this way..." {[I]Farrah[/I]} "Oh crap..." {[I]Lorna, to Missy Midnight[/I]} "You ok, Hun?" {[I]Missy M.[/I]} "Y... yeah?" {[I]Jim[/I]} "And Midnight turning back to Raven, now Vixxen once again on the attack AND AGAIN BROUGHT DOWN BY THE CAT! Catherine Quine just leapt in a running splash and Cat and Vixxen again tumble past Midnight who is non-the-wiser! Midnight glances back, sees no one there, looks back after Nightfall who is up now, Nightfall looking panicked and starts to run and Midnight tripped her! Just reached out a foot and tripped Nightfall, who sprawls going [I]nowhere[/I], and Midnight pounces on her! Looks to wrap Nightfall up..." {[I]Farrah, excited[/I]} "It's the Midnight Sleeper!!!" {[I]Jim[/I]} "Nightfall struggling, reaching back but can't get a hold of anything, really struggling now, Midnight just crushing pressure, and Nightfall looks to be struggling a little less..." {[I]Jessica Reals, having regained her seat and composure, now horrified[/I]} "Is she going to [I]kill[/I] her!?!" {[I]The camera rushes over to Midnight and Nightfall, going low to catch the action. Nightfall makes strangling noises, flailing around helplessly[/I]} {[I]Jim[/I]} "And Raven now slapping the floor furiously, tapping out, and Lorna Midnight just doesn't care! Keeping the pressure on as Raven Nightfall flails less energetically now..." {[I]Farrah, amazed[/I]} "Do I see Raven's eyes rolling up in her head?!" {[I]Lorna Midnight, quietly into Raven Nightfall's ear, yet still heard over the camera's mic[/I]} "If you [I]ever[/I] hurt one of my girls again, you'll wish I'd killed you here tonight." {[I]Jim[/I]} "WOW! And Nightfall looking feeble now, succumbing to the just [I]relentless[/I] pressure Midnight's pouring on, Raven now looking limp, Midnight lets go AND BOUNCES NIGHTFALL'S HEAD OFF THE CONCRETE FLOOR!" {[I]Farrah, holding her head suddenly, as if in sympathetic pain[/I]} "OW!!! Jim? Got any aspirin?" {[I]Jim[/I]} "Good lord, someone get a medic over here, right now! No, not [I]here[/I] here, not for Farrah! *[I]pointing[/I]* For Nightfall!" [/QUOTE] No, I didn't strangle Raven. Different hold. What I call my "Midnight Sleeper" is actually a half-nelson choke. MMA thing. Judo [I]Kata-ha-Jime[/I], to be exact. Isn't really a choke. Sure, it's a half nelson. But the other arm wraps around far enough that my "victim's" throat is in the crook of my elbow. So when I bear down, all the pressure is on the sides of the neck. Cuts the blood supply to the brain. So as Nightfall 'fell out', she was merely passing out from lack of blood to the noggin. And no, I didn't slam Raven's head into the concrete floor. Not that I wouldn't have liked to. But there's gymnastics mats on the floor around the ring. So just before Raven passed out completely, I slammed her head off the mat. Still made a hell of a thud, though. As I stood from that and Jim was calling for a medic, I took stock. Cat'd made sure to back me up, Vixxen deciding she'd had enough and retreating around the ring. Oh sure, she's a wrestler. Taking and giving good as she gets, true enough. But she's a more elegant style, personally, so she bows out fast when the action goes garbage on her. Still, it works well for her gimmick. The elegant, seductive, sophisticate goth, always trying to keep herself poised and neat. Makes Devil's Daughter all the better of a partner and foil for her, DD being more the bumbling idiot comic relief. More than one occasion those two've kept the girls in stitches in the locker room, like a good old fashioned Laurel and Hardy routine or something. That night, though, I wasn't laughing. I noted that Widow was still down. My shot to her being in the solar plexus rather than the ribs. She'd gotten her breath back, but I'd given her enough of a bad moment that she realized what was what. Double-D had evaporated. Found out later she'd actually crawled under the announcing table and faded after that. So my gaze followed Vixxen. Other side of the ring stood Killer. Yeah. We should have a chat, she and I. I spared a glance at Jen and Stephie to make sure they were all right, and saw them staring at me in shock. Made sense, their surprise. They'd never seen me fight for real before. Was something I'd decided a long time ago I'd shelter them from. Mainly because I wasn't sure if they'd see me as a hero or monster. I gave Jen a stern look and barked, "Protect your sister!" Jen's surprise abated immediately at my order, and she nodded sternly, hiding the fact she was a little unsure. She wasn't sure if she was ready to fight for-real against anyone this seriously, though I new she would if push came to shove. She'd done that for her little sister in school the few times Stephie had been bullied, though this was different. Still, with having seen the rest of the 'local' workers retreat, and finally noticing Cat there, standing guard, I'd no worries. My intention was to turn the girls' attention on each other, and away from me. Jen dutifully went to a still-seated Stephie and cuddled her close, keeping an eye out. At that, I turned my attention to Killer. But as I started around the ring, my eyes scanning in 'situational awareness' like Rick'd taught me long ago, I noted Sørely beside the ramp, standing on the down-ramp that lead into the orchestra pit. Watching. I scowled, and the niggling at the back of my mind came to the front. My girls in a match with Wild Times. People conveniently out of my way as I roared into the Center in the Judge, even making way for me. And the music cued up for my 'entrance'. Some things started to make sense. Killer was going to have to wait. I stormed to the Ramp, and Sørrenson saw me coming. Waited for me. Got there fast, too. Wasn't full on pissed, though. Not yet. I had to [I]know[/I], first. She didn't disappoint. "Lorna," she said, calm, even sounding like it was good to see me. "This is whot we talked about, akurat? And I am glad you could be here for yo're girls..." I poked her in the shoulder and she stepped back, partly sideways to the wall that was the side of the ramp up to the stage. "You set this up," I snarled quietly. "Yo'r girls are fine, and you are here now. They need you." "You try telling Stephie she's fine!" I howled, poking her hard. Karen then glanced at something to my right, past me. And got a startled look. And then she did the unexpected. Weird, even. She grabbed my coat front by the lapels and started push-wrestling me. Nothing serious, mind. Which made me think even more that she had a screw loose or something. She started tussling, pushing me side-to-side, backing toward the ramp-wall and coincidentally dragging me along. She wasn't pushing and pulling hard, yet made it look real enough with over-exaggerated faces and overcompensating in moves, putting herself off balance. For myself, I grabbed her suit jacket lapels in automatic reaction, if nothing else in an instinctive attempt to keep my own balance. And that pissed me off. First her having set this whole thing up, putting my daughters at risk. Now this screw-loose performance. So I went off the deep end. "That the way you want it? FINE!" I howled and slammed her up against the wall. Hard. Her eyes got huge like saucers, and for a second I thought I'd knocked the wind out of her. But I was too pissed. I was going to... martial-arts something-or-other on her. Which is, of course, the reason why martial arts instructors drill it into your head not to fight angry. You can't think clearly. So in angry exasperation, I simply kept hold of a lapel in my left and drew back my right in a fist. And Karen seemed to panic. "Ok, ok!" she squealed, hands raised in surrender. "You can come back!" That totally threw me. For a second. And then I realized what had just happened. I finally noticed the cameraman to my right, in for one of those close-up shots. And Karen's act, as if I were seriously assaulting her. And her giving me an out. As if I'd demanded from her to come back to AAA, even threatening her. Even though I hadn't even been consciously thinking it. And I know I'd [I]said[/I] nothing of the kind. Yet it'd been in the back behind my thoughts, and it was as if Karen had read my mind. Or having orchestrated this entire chain of events, even crafting this 'scene' on the fly, with consummate skill and great knowledge of people. Knowing me perhaps in some ways even better than I knew myself. And so this turned into part of the show, Karen's yell, "You can come back!" broadcast loud through the Center via the camera's mic. And just like that, I knew what I had to do. From what Karen had said and so subtly yet earnestly implied, in everything she'd set up for that night, including my return. And from what I'd put my girls through. So I 'came on'. As if I'd never left. I relaxed, even straightened Karen's lapels, brushing the shoulders of her jacket smooth. "That wasn't so hard, was it?" Karen trembled all over, looking earnestly like she would cry. And only part of her was acting. "Harder than you know," she breathed. I patted her shoulder. And then 'noticed' the camera. And pulled a classic Midnight move. "What are you looking at?!" I snarled into the camera. And then stiff-armed the camera, right in the lens. Our cameramen are great. Really, they are. Damn near stunt-men in their own right. This particular guy, Steve, knew from the second I'd snarled at him what was up. He'd seen it before, and so got ready. Tipped his head so he wouldn't catch the view-finder in the face, and held the camera off his shoulder. And then? Bang. Down he went. And I mean ass-over-teakettle kind of tumble, the camera view wildly gyrating till Jomo in the back switched to another camera for the Titantron. Another camera that watched as that cameraman and his gear tumbled into nearby chairs, the errant camera cart-wheeling through the air. Like I said. Good thing AAA invested in stunt cameras. Now for loose ends to tie up... [QUOTE] {[I]Jim Freebush[/I]} "Wow! A simply [I]classic[/I] Midnight for sure, ladies and gentlemen!" {[I]Jessica Reals, excited[/I]} "Did you [I]SEE[/I] that?! Lorna Midnight demanded to come back, and the head booker, Karen Sørrenson, agreed!" {[I]Farrah Hesketh[/I]} "Can you blame Sørely, Jess? Looking down the barrel of that Midnight fist, I know what [I]I'd[/I] say!" {[I]Jessica, somewhat disturbed[/I]} "But did Lorna have to knock that cameraman like that?! {[I]Farrah[/I]} "Like Jim said, Jess. Classic Midnight." {[I]Jim[/I]} "Right you are, Farrah, and now it looks like Lorna Midnight is grimly heading toward the ring to take care of some unfinished business!" {[I]Farrah[/I]} "Sucks to be Karen Killer about now, Jim." {[I]Jessica, standing and shouting loud as she can[/I]} "KNOCK HER ONE, MIDNIGHT!" [/QUOTE] Was all I could do to wear that grim, evil sneer. All I could do not to laugh. Despite my girls having been in danger, the rush of the fight, the momentary confusion and anger with Sørely, and now business with Killer. And Jessica Reals just loosing it. Too funny. But getting to Killer and seeing the expectant, even contrite look on her face sorted me out. We stood there for a moment, eyeing one another. I broke the momentary silence. "What do [I]you[/I] think is going to happen now" I asked, almost coy. Mocking. "Hey," Killer replied defensively, holding up her hands, "[I]I[/I] can't help it if Nightfall can't hold her water...!" I scowled. "Doesn't cut it, Killer. You set this up. You should know better. And now, you know what comes next." Killer sighed dramatically. "Oh, all right! I know, I know. I remember our prior conversation." She stood tall before me then, lifting her chin. "Go ahead," she said, resigned. "I deserve it." Girl's got chutzpa, I'll give her that. Still. Had to do what I had to do. So I threw a fist her way. Clipped her neatly across that chin, hooking in from the right... And Karen Killer spun and flew to slam face-first into the padded edge of the side of the ring as if I'd clubbed her with a chair. Nearly collapsed, knees wobbling, barely keeping her feet as she turned back to me, grabbing the ropes to keep from collapsing completely. And I gaped. Luckily, the camera was full on Killer. She had that just-been-knocked, head-ducked look, holding her hand up to her jaw as if wanting to touch her mouth but knowing it would hurt. And her mouth was full of blood. Ran down her chin and dripped to the floor, her lips in a rictus of pain, looking at me as if I'd betrayed her. "Ow?" she said, that half-question sounding as if she were trying not to spit teeth. I [I]know[/I] I hadn't hit her anywhere near that hard. Just a clip. Ok, sure, with a little extra oomph to send a message, but still. Shocked me. I vaguely heard the fans roar their approval, as if I were someone else watching in a dream. Heard Jessica, God bless her, shriek in triumph. But I [I]knew[/I] I hadn't hit Killer that hard. So I reached out to her chin, leaning in to take a closer look despite myself. Killer recoiled like I were about to pound her again, defensively slapping at me ineffectually. "All right, alright already! Ow ow ow [I]OW[/I]! It [I][B]hurt[/B][/I], ok?!" That drew me up short for just a second. Then I brought it home with a snarl. "If you ever pull anything like that again..." "I know, I know!" Killer cried before I could finish, flailing at me feebly again. She then pointed at her mouth. "Love tap...?!" She had a look that fairly shouted, 'Well duh!'. I nodded, then strode around the ring to other business... [QUOTE] {[I]Karen Killer, ringside, with bloody mouth. She reaches up to touch her lips, her expression showing she knows it's going to hurt but doing it anyway.[/I]} "Owwww...!" {[I]Killer, directly to the camera[/I]} "Did you [I]see[/I] that?! No wind-up or anything, just... BANG!" {[I]Killer winces, gingerly pressing her palm to the side of her jaw, as if trying to reset dislocated bone.[/I]} "[I]OW[/I]!" {[I]Killer, gaze turning to follow Midnight who is stalking off, Killer with a look of adoration on her face.[/I]} "I [I][B]LOVE[/B][/I] her!!!" [/QUOTE] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistaken Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 nord you really should have a mod move this up to 2013 so more people would come through and enjoy the best & longest running vision of AAA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NordVolf Posted September 11, 2014 Author Share Posted September 11, 2014 [CENTER] ((OOC Post)) [/CENTER] Hey everyone. With work keeping me far too busy, I've had little time to write. But I [I]have[/I] been writing; next installment soon to come! [QUOTE=mistaken;1996631]nord you really should have a mod move this up to 2013 so more people would come through and enjoy the best & longest running vision of AAA.[/QUOTE] Hey, thanks, Mistaken! I appreciate the compliment, and am glad you're enjoying it so. Interesting idea, that. I thought about it for a bit, but I decided that it wouldn't feel right to move this to an up-to-date forum. This diary, and my game, are very much a 'legacy' story, and as such [B]belongs[/B] here. I feel it would be... well, [I]wrong[/I] to move it. Can't think of any better way to put it than that. But I'm very happy you like it so much. Thanks! And maybe... just maybe... Word of mouth will bring people here who would enjoy it just as much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NordVolf Posted September 14, 2014 Author Share Posted September 14, 2014 [CENTER][U]Days in the Life - Confessions of a Triple 'A' Worker[/U][/CENTER] [QUOTE] [CENTER] [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f212/NordVolf/TEW%202007/AAA_BannerMini.jpg[/IMG] [I][B][SIZE="7"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Angel Athletic Association[/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/I] [B]Week 3; January 2007[/B] [B][I]Saturday Spectacular Main Show[/I][/B] [B]Part 7[/B] [/CENTER] [/QUOTE] As I rounded the ring to check on my girls, first person I encountered was Cat. Or rather, Cat intercepted me. She could see that I was [I]very[/I] focused. My intensity had come back on while dealing with Killer. You know. Method actor sort of thing. And it hadn't abated with my heading for my daughters. Guess Cat'd decided that I needed a little cooling down. As I got to the side of the "squared circle", focused on taking the inside track at the corner, Cat suddenly was there. She'd seen me coming, my focus, my intensity. And did the extremely Cat-like. She got a side-wise smirk on and sidled her way into my path, flanking me very expertly yet with a suggestive sashay. That sashay being in a secret envy she'd been brewing, which she'd confided in me once, of Wanda Fish and her sexy, "Fish-the-Dish" persona. But what's a Girl-Next-Door supposed to do? Cat's answer to that was a somewhat sexy and very strong, down-to-earth, fun-loving style. And she was using it in full tonight. Cat planted herself firmly in my path, bringing me up suddenly short. No, seriously. I almost ran into her. Had her arms crossed and back straight in her tough-as-hayseed manner that she can get, complete with her trademark, "Whatcha gon' do now?" grin on. Her eyes, and that grin, stared me straight in the face, eyes peering through bangs fallen slightly over her eyes from the sides. I was brought up short and very surprised. Here I was all angry and intent, and Cat just... disarmed me. Seriously. It's why I've come to love her so. That fun yet tough look, that confidence that mirrors my own, yet made singular in a sort of happy-go-lucky way. Always disarms me. Right when I need it most. Like now. I was unsure of what to say in my surprise. No... it was more how to say it. Because, wouldn't you know it. A mic'd camera was [I]right[/I] there. So a moment stretched, with Cat's grin growing before my eyes. She was enjoying my stunned silence, the overgrown brat. So a moment stretched, in which I found myself thinking. I don't care how long I've been at Triple-A. I always find myself thinking the same thing in these sorts of situations. About the cameramen, always being in the right place at the right time; "[I]How[/I] do they [B]do[/B] that?!" [QUOTE] {[I]Jim Freebush, at the announcing table with Farrah Hesketh and Jessica Reals[/I]} {[I]Jim[/I]} "And Lorna Midnight now heading this way around the ring, back to her waiting daughters..." {[I]Farrah[/I]} "The Midnight Sisters look both surprised at their mom's appearance here tonight, and amazed at Lorna's actions. I don't think they've [I]ever[/I] seen their mom like [B][I]this[/I][/B] before!" {[I]Jim, smirking[/I]} "I believe you're right, Farrah, as they're gaping almost as much as Jessica here is..." {[I]Farrah, laughing[/I]} "Too right, Jim! Jess, you look like a fish about to jump up and gulp down a fly!" {[I]Jessica, speechless in embarrassment[/I]} "..." {[I]Jim, suddenly excited[/I]} "And now Catherine Quine has interjected herself, right in Lorna's path, taking Lorna Midnight in complete surprise! A surprise that looks as complete as Jessica's here..." {[I]Farrah cracks up, laughing out loud into her headset's mic helplessly[/I]} {[I]Jessica, embarrassed[/I]} "Hey, excuse my... surprise, ok?!" {[I]Jessica sighs in exasperation[/I]} {[I]The announcing table falls quiet as the Titantron comes to life, showing a camera's-eye view of Lorna Midnight and The Cat.[/I]} [/QUOTE] [QUOTE] {[I]Lorna Midnight, looking surprised and a little unsure[/I]} "Cat." {[I]Lorna, becoming more sure of herself[/I]} "Picked a hell of a time to show up." {[I]Catherine "The Cat" Quine[/I]} "Shore, Lorna. Thought it wuz hah tahm Ah showed up tonaht" {[I]Lorna[/I]} "So. You covered my ass." {[I]Cat, chuckling[/I]} "Awe hell, Lorna! Us good girls know thu raht thang t' do when we see it." {[I]Cat, with a wink[/I]} "And y're welcome." {[I]Jim Lou Freebush, surprised[/I]} "And Lorna Midnight actually pulls The Cat into a hug! Wow!" {[I]Farrah Hesketh, in shock as well[/I]} "That's [I]not[/I] typical Midnight, alright." {[I]Lorna, barely heard over the camera's mic, in Cat's ear as Lorna continues to hug her[/I]} "Thanks, Cat." {[I]Cat settles into the hug happily[/I]} "'S mah [I]pleasure[/I], Lorna." [/QUOTE] Ok, so I got a little mushy. Cat helped me save my girls, and smoothed the way for my coming back. So far. Hard to say what Stardust was going to have to say about it. And I'll admit; I kind of dreaded [I]that[/I] conversation. But Cat was always there for me when I needed her most, and that night was no exception. So sure. I hugged and thanked her earnestly, right in front of everyone. On camera too. I couldn't have cared less. And still have no regrets about that. So sue me. Hug didn't last all that long, anyway. Soon's it broke and I gave Cat a knowing, grateful look and Cat grinned at me an understanding and supportive look, I got moving again. My daughters awaited. I took the rest of that walk to them firm and quickly, but with trepidation instead of intensity. I'll admit it. I was quite unsure of myself. How would they react to the fighting side of me they'd never seen before? I needn't have worried. Their reaction to my approach was unexpected. At least not what [I]I[/I] expected. They rush-hugged me. And that drew some corresponding "Awwww"s from the crowd. I could even hear Jess squeak a little over her mic, trying to be quiet. Like I said before. God bless Jessica Reals. I was really starting to like her. [QUOTE] {[I]Jim Lou Freebush[/I]} "And Lorna coming around the ring now, she and her daughters, The Midnight Sisterz, pausing to look at one-another a moment, unsure... And the Sisterz rush Lorna into a hug!" {[I]Farrah Hesketh[/I]} "Wow, Jim! Now [I]that's[/I] something!" {[I]Jessica Reals makes a strangled squeak, wide-eyed and hands over her mouth[/I]} {[I]Farrah, turning to Jessica with smiling concern[/I]} "You ok over there, Jess?" {[I]Jessica sniffles, wiping at her eyes[/I]} "Yeah. I'm fine, Farrah. No, I'm good. I'm ok..." {[I]Farrah, chuckling and rubbing Jessica's back comfortingly[/I]} "Well, all right, then!" {[I]Jim, growing excited[/I]} "And Lorna Midnight, still holding her daughters, is calling for a microphone! Someone get a mic to her!" {[I]Farrah[/I]} "Hoo boy, Jim. Here it comes!" {[I]Jim[/I]} "What, Farrah?" {[I]Farrah, grinning[/I]} "Shush Jim! This is going to be something memorable! I can [I]taste[/I] it...!" [/QUOTE] With my girls' tackle-hugging me, just like that, I suddenly knew what I had to do. It popped into my head as if Buttercup had handed it down, fully and carefully scripted, from Sørely. And with that, despite the cameras and area mics there -- maybe even [I]because[/I] they were there -- I knew I had to do this [B]right[/B]. It's why I'd called for the mic. [QUOTE] {[I]The announcing table falls silent as the Titantron shows the Midnights still in touching, familial embrace.[/I]} {[I]Lorna Midnight, hand coming from around the older Miss Midnight on her right, reaching toward a ring-tech and calling commandingly[/I]} "Somebody get me a microphone!" {[I]Missy Midnight, pulling back slightly in her mom's other arm, looking at Lorna with uncertainty, speaking quietly yet still picked up by the camera's mic[/I]} "What is it, Mom?!" {[I]Lorna, firmly yet just as quietly[/I]} "It's ok, honey. Wait it out." {[I]Lorna is handed a microphone finally[/I]} {[I]Lorna pauses, mic in hand, looking down and appearing to fight back her emotions. After a moment, she turns Midnight-cool and matter-of-fact, head held high. Lorna keeps her left arm around Missy Midnight, pulling her other arm from around her older daughter, Miss Midnight, so she can use the mic.[/I]} {[I]As Miss Midnight cuddles into Lorna's right arm, Lorna speaks calmly[/I]} "Good evening, Seattle." {[I]*** small crowd pop ***[/I]} {[I]Lorna, growing more firm and sure as she goes[/I]} "Thanks. I'm not surprised if a lot of you are less than enthusiastic. I did, after all, walk out on you last week. And that's what I'd like to talk to you about." {[I]Lorna pauses for the briefest moment, crowd expectant[/I]} "I walked out on you, and disappointed you in doing so. I know that now. A body shouldn't just walk out in the middle of a show without so much as a fair-thee-well. After the support many of you have given me over the years, and out of respect for all of you who've come here, month after month, and now week after week, I should have seen that I've been [I][B]blessed[/B][/I] with that support, and the down right [I]welcome[/I], you've extended to me. Despite my being a heel, one of the bad girls, you've been patient with me, and have even gotten behind me in some of my matches. Welcomed me in these shows, given me a chance to show what I was made of, each and every match, and spot, and angle. And yet I just [I]walked out[/I]. I should have handled it differently. In fact, I should have handled [I]myself[/I] differently. I was down right rude to you about it. A [I][B]real[/B] heel[/I]." {[I]Lorna, quietly yet firmly[/I]} "And I'm sorry for that. I truly am. And I hope you can forgive me for it." {[I]*** enthusiastic crowd pop, some clapping, whistling and cat-calling support ***[/I]} {[I]Lorna, sniffling slightly, smiling at the fans' reaction[/I]} "Thank you." {[I]Lorna, more firmly[/I]} "But you're not the only ones I should be apologizing to. You're not the only ones I've let down." {[I]Lorna, looking around to seemingly include others not-there[/I]} "I'm talking about the staff and my fellow wrestlers, on both side of the fence. The good and the bad, who've taken me in so long ago, made me feel welcome, and saw fit to let me into the ring and show what I've got." {[I]Lorna, wryly[/I]} "Impressive to some, disappointment to others I'm sure." {[I]*** quiet, humored crowd reaction ***[/I]} {[I]Lorna continues[/I]} "And still you [I]all[/I] have welcomed me, made me part of the wrestling family. And here I go, biting the hand that's fed me for so long." {[I]Lorna, turning, daughters turning too, to face the ring and the stage beyond, where several wrestlers and staff have been trickling out on-stage to watch[/I]} "To you all as well, I've acted with terrible ingratitude, when instead I've felt just the opposite. Month in and out, week in and week out, I've been very grateful for my opportunity here, and should have shown it. But instead, I walked out. Callously. Disrespectfully." {[I]Lorna, bowing her head and looking abashed[/I]} "Shamefully." {[I]Lorna, head high again[/I]} "To you, Angel Athletic, every one of you. I apologize. And hope you, too, can forgive me." {[I]All on stage, good and bad, workers and staff, ***pop***, as well as all at ring-side. Cat-calls, whistles, and cheers of support echo in the Portland Center.[/I]} {[I]Jim[/I]} "Wow, ladies and gentlemen! The entire crowd of workers and staff here at Angel, cheering their support for Lorna Midnight!" {[I]Farrah[/I]} "You said it, Jim. The fans are getting into it, too! And with an apology like that, how can we [I]not[/I] forgive her?!" {[I]Jessica, overly loudly, as if forgetting her headset has a mic on it[/I]} "WE FORGIVE YOU, LORNA!!!" {[I]Jessica looks around and suddenly sits back down, self conscious and embarrassed, as many staff and fans chuckle or laugh outright at Jessica's exuberance.[/I]} {[I]Farrah, laughing, then turning enthusiastic, clapping[/I]} "Here here, Jess! Here here!" {[I]Jim[/I]} "My sentiments as well, ladies. I think we can all give Lorna a second chance." {[I]Farrah[/I]} "Damn straight, Jim." {[I]Farrah, not as over-the-top as Jessica, but no less earnestly[/I]} "We forgive you, Lorna Midnight." {[I]The crowd pops as Lorna, daughters turning with her again, turns to the announcers' table and bows her head in acknowledgement and respect[/I]} {[I]Lorna, holding her mic casually, says off-mic "Thank you" to the announcers' table, and again turning to the stage and repeating it. It seems all she can do not to turn emotional[/I]} {[I]Lorna, again turning to the fans, and then taking a moment to compose herself[/I]} "Thank you. Thank you all." {[I]Lorna, again head-high and firm[/I]} "But that's not all who I have to apologize to. I save the best, and most important, for last." {[I]Lorna looks at her daughters, one after the other, and they in turn look with growing awe at her[/I]} {[I]Miss Midnight[/I]} "Oh, mom...!" {[I]Lorna, again addressing the crowd[/I]} "Like I embarrassed and humiliated my daughters in public, in front of everyone, I now look to redress that issue. I therefor admit, publicly, that I was wrong in walking out. Not just in the way I did it, but in walking out at all on my daughters. A poignant fact which was pointed out to me recently. So, just like I treated my daughters with callous disregard and shameful behavior in front of everyone, I apologize to them in the same way. Which is the only right thing to do." {[I]Lorna bows her head to her daughters, still speaking into the mic[/I]} "I wronged you. I shouldn't have abandoned you..." {[I]Lorna, turning emotional[/I]} "... and I'm so very sorry. I love you so very much, and I hope you can forgive me..." {[I]Lorna's voice breaks at that last[/I]} {[I]Both Midnight Sisterz hug Lorna tightly, crying. Young Missy Midnight finds her voice first, grabbing the mic in Lorna's hand and saying into it, face full of tears[/I]} "It's ok, Mom. We love you too! An' we forgive you, too!" {[I]Just as uncharacteristicly, the older Miss Midnight buries her face into Lorna's shoulder and weeps, muttering things heard by Lorna yet not picked up by the near-by mics. All signs of her typical "Midnight Stoicism" are gone as she breaks down completely[/I]} {[I]*** crowd pops with emotion ***[/I]} {[I]Lorna hugs her daughters, whispering things to them off-mic, and consoling Miss Midnight, helping her to compose herself[/I]} [/QUOTE] [QUOTE] {[I]When her daughters have calmed a bit, Lorna continues, firmly once again[/I]} "But that's not the last of it." {[I]Lorna, relaxing the hug from her daughters and speaking firm and clear to the crowd[/I]} "I don't just have apologizing to do tonight. Because I so callously and shamefully walked out, I don't have the [B]right[/B] to just waltz in here, assuming I can come back. Our Head-Booker's formal, if forced, 'ok' not withstanding." {[I]Lorna once again hugs her daughters tight, then pulls her arm from around Miss M. to use the mic, head ducked to address them directly[/I]} "So I ask you two, first and foremost, because you're my daughters, and my actions affected you the most..." {[I]Lorna sighs, then...[/I]} "I'm asking [I]you[/I] if I can come back. And back to stay; no running off ever again. It's up to you two, whether it's even a possibility or not. And don't be shy, say no if it's..." {[I]Lorna is cut off by Miss Midnight grabbing the mic and pulling it, still in Lorna's hand, to herself[/I]} "Of course it's ok if you come back, Mom! We'd love to have you back!" {[I]Missy Midnight, hugging her mom tight and barely audible over the mics, with a teary grin on[/I]} "Yeah, Mom. What [I]she[/I] said!" {[I]*** crowd laughs, then pops as both Sisterz hug their mom and Lorna once again has to fight becoming emotional. Many "Awwww"s can be heard from the crowd ***[/I]} {[I]Lorna, composing herself with a sigh and turning back to the stage[/I]} "So then. How about the rest of Triple-A? Would you... [I][B]please[/B][/I]... allow me to come back, despite all I've put you through?" {[I]Stage and ringside erupts, and cheers and calls of support echo again in the Portland Center.[/I]} {[I]Farrah, turning her mic away from her mouth a bit so she's not loud despite her shout[/I]} "Aw, hell yeah! Love to have you back, Midnight!" {[I]Jim[/I]} "Indeed, Farrah. Lorna, I think I can speak for everyone here when I say you are [I]more[/I] than welcome back!" {[I]Lorna[/I]} "Thanks Farrah. And thanks, Jim. But Jim, can you? Speak for everyone here?" {[I]Lorna, turning herself and her daughters once again to the crowd[/I]} "I've yet to ask some of the most important people here tonight. To you fans, I..." {[I]Lorna is again cut off by Miss Midnight's mic-grabbing. She speaks loud and Midnight-firmly[/I]} "What do you say, people? Can our Mom come back?!" {[I]*** crowd pops in enthusiastic agreement ***[/I]} {[I]Lorna is nearly overcome with emotion at the response, clearly not having anticipated the crowd reaction in support[/I]} [/QUOTE] [QUOTE] {[I]Lorna once again regains her composure after a brief, internal struggle[/I]} {[I]Lorna sighs again, firming up, head held high[/I]} "One last thing to see to, then." {[I]Lorna, to the surprised looks of her daughters[/I]} "I've also come to see, and admit, that I've wronged both of you in more ways than just walking out. Before that, I was a real heel. Working to keep you down instead of helping you up. Being an overly protective parent, as if I wanted to produce sheep ripe for the picking for the wolves of the world, instead of strong and capable daughters able to defend themselves. I've been using what influence I have in subtle and overt ways to keep you down, instead of helping you to see the potential you have to even [I]surpass[/I] my own accomplishments. Any mother worth a damn would [B]want[/B] to see her daughters do better than she has." {[I]Lorna, very firmly, to her daughters' surprise[/I]} "That ends tonight. If you'll have me." {[I]Miss Midnight, grabbing the mic in Lorna's hand, warming to the situation and her part in it[/I]} "What do you mean, Mom?" {[I]Lorna, when Miss Midnight quickly relinquishes her grip[/I]} "It's no secret that despite my leaving, you stayed. Not out of spite for me, but because you really do love this, and have the courage, heart, and discipline to defy me in what you believe is [I]right[/I], and see it through. I can't even begin to be able to say how proud that really makes me. I'm so proud of you two. And your [B]father[/B] would be so proud of you as well." {[I]Missy, loud so the mics can hear, very emotional[/I]} "Oh, mom...!" {[I]Both Sisterz break down, tears streaming down their faces[/I]} {[I]Lorna, smiling to Missy[/I]} "It's true, honey. So I'd like to turn my actions around. Instead of hindering you, bringing you down, I'd like to have the privilege of giving you a leg up. To support you. To help you." {[I]Lorna, to her girls' growing awed surprise[/I]} "To actually, really help you. To teach you. To [I]train[/I] you. If you'll have me." {[I]Missy, shocked[/I]} "Mom...! You mean...?!" {[I]Lorna, smiling again to Missy[/I]} "Yes, honey. I really mean it. I'd like to [I]Manage[/I] you two. What do you say?" {[I]Missy, hugging her mom fiercely, bawling her words out loud[/I]} "Oh mom! Yes! Yesyesyesyesyes!!!" {[I]Lorna 'turns' to Miss M., about to speak[/I]} {[I]Lorna doesn't get the chance, as Miss M. grabs-mic again, speaking firmly and clearly, happily[/I]} "Ladies and gentlemen! I'd like to introduce to you our new Manager... Our Mom, Lorna Midnight! Give it up for her, people!!!" {[I]*** crowd pops very enthusiastically ***[/I]} [/QUOTE] That crowd reaction very nearly floored me. I really had no idea... I can't even think of how to express it, even now, without embarrassing myself. But I held my own, emotionally. Managed to keep my tough-girl image intact somehow. At least [I]I[/I] think so. At any rate, in that glow of fan support that was so unexpected, I still noted a few people individually. Couldn't help it. My attention was [I]grabbed[/I] by them. First, as I glanced at the announcers' table, was Jessica Reals. She was weeping openly, just completely overcome. She'd lost herself so thoroughly in the show, and as a result had emotionally invested herself in it. And my showing up to save my girls, my reunion and reconciliation with them, Triple-A, and the fans, just topped it off for her. And I mean completely. Was all Farrah could do to console her, keep checking to be sure Jess really was ok and that those were tears of happiness and 'feels' rather than something bad, even getting out a hankie for Jess. I felt kind of bad for Farrah, actually, because Jess' reaction so complete overtook her that she couldn't even tell Farrah she was all right. So I spared Jess a smile and a quiet, subtle nod that she [I]got[/I] despite her falling apart. And Jess waved at me, then turned aside to bawl all over Farrah, who wrapped her into a hug, Farrah giving me a grinning look that fairly shouted, "There. See what you've done?!". For a moment I thought Jess'd waved me off, blown me off or some such, but then I saw it for what it was. That personal acknowledgement from me had driven the nail in the coffin for her, and what was left of her composure, almost gone as it was, evaporated totally. Hell, just seeing that almost did it for me as well. All I could do to look away and shore myself up. I told myself it was because I had to keep up the Midnight appearances. Stay tough... Yeah. Right. Truth is, I didn't want to break down bawling in front of everyone too. And I knew if I didn't look away, I would. As I composed myself, something I heard helped me. That voice, rising head-and-shoulders over the entire crowd so I could hear, and he wasn't even sitting that close to the front row. The shout came wafting over the crowd like a cool breeze in the heat of my feelings on Jess' reaction. Enunciated clearly, as if he'd wanted me to hear and understand. "Now [I]that[/I]... is whut Ah am [I]talkin'[/I]... [B]ABOUT[/B]!" I sought out the source of that shout, already knowing exactly who it was. And my spotting them confirmed it. Dan and Clem, from that night at Snerdy's Country Bar, standing up and going nuts, though Clem in his understated way also showing he was almost as enthused as Jessica Reals, quiet man though he was. And Dan. Just. Going. Crazy. Waving his hat in the air in a way that made me surprised he didn't actually throw it. Jumping up and down, whooping and hollering in a manner that sort of disturbed the older couple that'd been seated next to them. I found it both heart-warming and funny at the same time. So when Dan looked my way and we made eye contact, I gave him that nod and look of affirmation like I'd done at our table at Snerdy's. Dan saw that look and nod and knew [I]that[/I] for what it was. And he fairly exploded with pride, whooping and '[I]yee haw[/I]'ing like he was at some rodeo or tractor pull or what-ever it is people like him go to for some [I]real[/I] fun. I met Clem's eyes as well, and he gave me a thumbs-up, to which I nodded and smiled in return. He didn't go crazy like Dan, but it made his night all the same. I could tell. Made me genuinely smile, those two. I found myself extremely glad they'd followed up on their promise to Cat that prior night to come to our show. Last on the [B]'[/B][I]grab Lorna's attention[/I][B]'[/B] list was a cooing sort of whooping, young-voice sounding, carrying long and clear over the crowd. At first it caught my attention in a what-the-hell-is-THAT sort of way. So I looked for the source. In the direction the cry had come from. And found Owen. You remember, the kid who'd given me a talking-to in the grocery store, and rightly so? The same short and beefy kid that'd shown up backstage with his skinny, geeky friend at a previous show? Yeah. Him. Looked like he'd come to our show, again, with his dad. Man stood next to him who I was sure was his dad, anyway, as a resemblance that close can only be familial. True, where Owen was shorter and chunky, his dad was taller, ropy and rugged looking, perhaps a construction worker or other such heavy laborer. But mostly it was the concerned looks he was giving Owen, like only a father would to his son. Because Owen was standing on his chair, whooping and yelling and crowing, waving his arms excitedly, carrying on in a manner that jiggled the chair alarmingly, threatening to up-end him. Several times his dad reached out a hand to steady his son, looking disconcerted at his son's antics, and yet his surprise at his son's reactions preventing him from having the presence of mind to do anything about it. I saw that and smiled. Because I knew what was up. I got the feeling that Owen just about worshiped the Midnight Family, more than just as an exuberant fan. As I'd speculated in our previous meeting, Owen had missed out on close family activities with his parents. And while going to wrestling events was something his dad liked, and which Owen had come along for, it wasn't the same. But in the Midnight Family, he saw the potential, and dream, of a family closeness he was missing. [I]Doing[/I] things together. So he lived that vicariously, through us. And while I'd destroyed that life, that dream, for him in quitting, I'd resurrected it like a Phoenix in his soul with my return. And it elated him. Despite the unsteadiness of his perch, he celebrated on that chair like a triumphant ninja on those upright, wiggly logs -- you know the ones, on which ninjas supposedly train for balance and sureness of footing -- and just rocked his world for all he was worth. That made me smile, as well as the realization of what this all meant to him threatening to make me cry. But I didn't look away. I watched him, steadily, and inevitably our eyes met. And I gave him a nod, firm and with camaraderie like I'd give my fellow workers, as well as a small, not quite military salute. He saw it, and the effect was very nearly disastrous. His hands both shot into the air, fists high on straight arms in a victory 'V', he up-ended his head to look at the ceiling, arched his back, and crowed, loud as he could. The unsteady chair tipped, but he was oblivious in that momentary transport one can get at the high of being so utterly thrilled. The result was that he pitched straight back, like a rock star off a stage to crowd-surf... Right into his shocked father's arms. His dad'd been lightning quick. Had to be. Owen had pitched over so fast I'd only been able to gape in horrified shock, thinking he'd pitch head-first onto the floor, not even having time to put my hand to my mouth. But his dad had caught him, and I found myself laughing almost maniacally. Nervous at the near tragedy, and giddy with the fact he was just so elated. And I had given him that. A most precious gift. His father, still in shock with his son in his arms, noted where his son had been looking and found me there, smiling back at him sheepishly. To his stunned face I mouthed the words, clearly as I could, "I'm sorry". His surprise only grew, probably in the growing realization that his son and I had shared a fleeting moment and it had transported his son into bliss. He looked at his son, now lying arch-backed and limp in emotional exhaustion or something in his dad's arms, then looked at me, and back at his son, trying to comprehend just what had happened. My daughters soon enough noted my mixed emotion of contrite giddiness, and both asked almost in unison, in quiet tones loud enough for me to hear over the roar of the crowd, "What, Mom?!" I could only shake my head in relief, disbelief, and an exuberance that welled up from I-knew-not-where. I looked out at The House then. The cheering fans, cries of support and delight, some even yelling and howling to be heard over the din. The bright lights of the area and even brighter, flickering spots on my daughters and I, camera flash bulbs booming their explosions of light, like visual howling over it all. The fellowship of workers at my back, on-stage so far away and whom I could still somehow [I]feel[/I], the announcers' table with Jim and Farrah commenting excitedly, and my daughters in my arms. And I had, inexplicably, a moment of transport myself at the enormity of it all. Feeling like I did so long ago, when I'd just started wrestling, and the crowd had finally gotten behind me in a victory moment post-match. I [I]vividly[/I] remember thinking, in that far distant past and now with my daughters sharing this reunion with me; "This is where it's at. This is where I belong." That moment threatened to make me cry outright. Single tears even escaped the outside corners of my eyes and rolled down my cheeks, which I found myself letting go in joyous unconcern. My daughters noticed. I could only reply to their happily surprised, upturned faces in tones equal to what they'd used, yet still ringing loudly in my ears... "I'll tell you about it later!" [CENTER] [SIZE="4"]__________________________________________________[/SIZE] [/CENTER] [U]OOC Notes:[/U] [QUOTE] In writing this as it streamed out of me, and proofing it now, I realize that for a couple posts or so I entirely forgot to include segment grades! Probably a good thing, as they might have interrupted the flow. So here they are. From the beginning of the tag-team match between Wild Times and the Midnight Sisterz: [/QUOTE] [B][I]The Midnight Sisterz defeated Wild Times in 6:07 when Vixxen was disqualified while fighting Miss Midnight. During the match we also had Black Widow run in and attack Missy M. Missy Midnight was really off her game tonight. The announcing quality lifted the match. The color commentating gave the match a boost. This match brought the crowd's mood down. Vixxen is improving in rumble skills.[/I][/B] [B]([COLOR="Red"]E+[/COLOR])[/B] [B][I]The Midnight Sisterz are celebrating their victory when Raven Nightfall, Devil's Daughter, Vixxen and Black Widow attack, beating them down.[/I][/B] [B]([COLOR="Red"]E[/COLOR])[/B] [B][I]The following workers can be turned: Raven Nightfall (Face to Heel)[/I][/B] [B][I]The turn was a complete success[/I][/B] [B][I]Lorna Midnight is shown arriving backstage, much to the surprise of the announcers[/I][/B] [B]([COLOR="Orange"]D+[/COLOR])[/B] [B][I]The Midnight Sisterz are being attacked, when Lorna Midnight and Catherine Quine come running in and help fight all the attackers off, saving the Sisterz from a serious beating.[/I][/B] [B]([COLOR="Red"]E+[/COLOR])[/B] [B][I]The following workers can be turned: Lorna Midnight (Heel to Face)[/I][/B] [B][I]The turn went pretty well[/I][/B] [B][I]Lorna Midnight apologizes for previously leaving, and now that she's back, she's back for good.[/I][/B] [B]([COLOR="Orange"]D[/COLOR])[/B] [B][I]The Midnight Sisterz come out and announce their new manager... Lorna Midnight![/I][/B] [B]([COLOR="Orange"]D[/COLOR])[/B] [QUOTE] I was actually quite surprised at the ratings here, many of which were quite (relatively) high. In this regional promo, Lorna's no Wanda Fish who can draw C+ consistently. But to my mind, D's are still respectable, esp. since this is early in my history with this small promo in-game. To give myself more perspective, I then went and looked at my records and screen-caps of show results. Much to my surprise, these segments were some of the highest in this show. Including matches! I was also pleasantly surprised the turns did as well as they did. Looks like Raven Nightfall is really getting into her new bad-girl gimmick! It also looks like Lorna enjoyed her new good-girl role too, though she still seems a bit uncomfortable deviating from her traditional role. Hence the turn only going "pretty well". All in all, I'm rather glad Lorna didn't decide to stay gone from Triple-A for good...! ;) [/QUOTE] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TC Dale Posted September 14, 2014 Share Posted September 14, 2014 [quote=NordVolf;2010170]Hey everyone. With work keeping me far too busy, I've had little time to write. But I [I]have[/I] been writing; next installment soon to come! Hey, thanks, Mistaken! I appreciate the compliment, and am glad you're enjoying it so. Interesting idea, that. I thought about it for a bit, but I decided that it wouldn't feel right to move this to an up-to-date forum. This diary, and my game, are very much a 'legacy' story, and as such [B]belongs[/B] here. I feel it would be... well, [I]wrong[/I] to move it. Can't think of any better way to put it than that. But I'm very happy you like it so much. Thanks! And maybe... just maybe... Word of mouth will bring people here who would enjoy it just as much.[/quote] Consider it started. I really enjoyed this segment you crafted, and found that I was hoping this wasn't the end of the Midnight Family, and such a fantastic world and story. I find that each new glimpse you bring , builds upon the past and lays the groundwork for the future. Many many thanks for a wonderful story, and will be waiting until the next one to arrive to make another chapter in the legend of Midnight Family, and AAA. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NordVolf Posted October 14, 2014 Author Share Posted October 14, 2014 [CENTER]((OOC Segment))[/CENTER] [QUOTE=TC Dale;2010776]... I really enjoyed this segment you crafted, and found that I was hoping this wasn't the end of the Midnight Family, and such a fantastic world and story. I find that each new glimpse you bring , builds upon the past and lays the groundwork for the future. Many many thanks for a wonderful story, and will be waiting until the next one to arrive to make another chapter in the legend of Midnight Family, and AAA. :)[/QUOTE] You're very welcome, TC Dale, and thanks for the comments! The pleasure is mine. It's always great to know that people are still enjoying this as it goes. Verbose as I can be... ;) It's one of the reasons I write, after all! Speaking of which... I've done it again. Written another segment. I suppose I should post it now... :D [CENTER] [SIZE="4"]__________________________________________________[/SIZE] [U]Days in the Life - Confessions of a Triple 'A' Worker[/U][/CENTER] [QUOTE] [CENTER] [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f212/NordVolf/TEW%202007/AAA_BannerMini.jpg[/IMG] [I][B][SIZE="7"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Angel Athletic Association[/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/I] [B]Week 3; January 2007[/B] [B][I]Saturday Spectacular Main Show[/I][/B] [B]Part 8[/B] [/CENTER] [/QUOTE] [QUOTE] {[I]Jim Freebush, at the announcing table with Farrah Hesketh and Jessica Reals[/I]} {[I]Jim[/I]} "And we'll have to call it at that Ladies and Gentlemen. The first half of our show here tonight, and [I]what[/I] a show it's been so far!" {[I]Farrah[/I]} "Too right, Jim! With our opener seeing Kristabel Plum defeating Tsuki Kawamata, and then the just [I]epic[/I] match-up of Wild Times versus The Midnight Sisterz, that saw the Sisterz beat Wild Times... What a shocker that was...!" {[I]Jim[/I]} "Indeed, Farrah, and now the return of Lorna Midnight to boot, not only coming back to save her daughters, but also now Managing the Sisterz! {[I]Farrah, excited[/I]} "That's a turn-around for sure, Jim! Raven Nightfall turning heel... well, we could all see that coming. And while it looks like Lorna is also turning, heel-to-face, what's the [I]real[/I] shocker is Lorna Midnight announcing that she's Managing her daughters! Never saw [B]that[/B] one coming, Jim!" {[I]Jim, chuckling[/I]} "Well, as I said, we'll have to leave it at that, as our mid-show intermission is now upon us. Giving us the chance to collect ourselves and process the turn of events that has simply overwhelmed some of the crowd here tonight!" {[I]As Jim glances smilingly at Jessica Reals, Farrah rubs Jessica's back and asks with a smile of her own[/I]} "You ok, Jess?" {[I]Jessica, still fairly overcome with emotion, sniffling[/I]} "...Yes..." {[I]Farrah laughs, and warmly smiles at the embarrassed look Jessica gives her[/I]} {[I]Jim[/I]} "And to you folks at home, don't touch that dial! We'll be right back with our Saturday Spectacular's second half, after this mid-show intermission!" {[I]Jessica suddenly sits bolt upright in surprise, muttering so quietly her mic barely picks it up[/I]} "Oh sh{[I]bleeped out by NPR[/I]}!" {[I]Jessica composes herself enough to speak out of nowhere[/I]} "Ladies and Gentlemen, you're listening to David Souffet's '[I]Souffet's Cabaret[/I]', where we've been broadcasting to you, LIVE from the Portland Center in downtown Seattle, Angel Athletic Association's '[I]Saturday Spectacular[/I]' show. I'm Jessica Reals, and this is KQOW. Puget Sound Public Radio." {[I]Male Announcer Voice-over above the typical NPR theme music[/I]} "This is NPR. National Public Radio." {[I]Female Announcer Voice-over[/I]} "You're listening to KQOW, Puget Sound Public Radio. 92.9 FM, serving communities in the Puget Sound, Western Washington and Southern British Columbia areas..." [/QUOTE] My girls and I were ushered back-stage by staff, as per show usual, when our 'spot' ended. Turns out it was somewhat planned that I'd return, Karen Sørrenson working it out in her head and then turning the staff loose on it. It's the way shows usually work, fast and loose like that. The staff is used to it, and adjusts fluidly to what-ever happens in a rather organic approach. But the fact Karen had figured this out in detail like she did... The match with my girls, probably prompting my return, and even some time for a mic spot should I "have anything to say about it"... That just floors me, even now. Like I said before, it's as if Karen knows me in some ways even better than I know myself. Either that or Karen had gone over several contingencies with the staff, figuring as many angles of what-could-happen as she could, and then they'd gone with the one that fit best when I arrived. You may consider the latter is what actually happened, and it might even have been the case. But something in the back of my mind tells me that, even despite planning out several possible scenarios, what actually happened was exactly what she'd figure would occur. Or maybe I'd just like to think that. Either way, it's what I choose to believe. Well, that and the fact no one ever really said, and I'd never asked. I'd just started in like I'd never left, dropped in as part of the show. And, as they say, the show must go on. Right? Well... After intermission, anyway. The girls had skittered off to who-knows-where to do God-only-knows-what. So that mid-show break found me back-stage. And yet, even though I slipped right back into the show, pretty much the same routine as always, I found myself doing things I'd never done before. Looking around, and even up, at the activity of the stage hands, the lighting and speaker stacks, and the myriad of equipment and hustling people, as if I'd never seen them before. And in a way, I hadn't. Even in my early days with Triple-A, I never really did look around. Checking out just what gear and lights and what-not were there, and what they did. Never really paid [I]attention[/I]. I know, I know. So very [B]not[/B]-Zen of me. And here I am, supposedly schooled in the martial arts lifestyle, where I am supposed to live in the moment. But sometimes... I guess no one's perfect. And I know that sounds like a line. An excuse. But I have to face it. I got really complacent. Even in my early days in Triple-A, I guess I felt, deep down, like I belonged so much that I just lived life without ever really looking at it. Savoring it. Because you never know when it will be gone. But that night, that intermission, I got it. I understood once again, like when that little old fisherman back on Okinawa had [I]shown[/I] me, what living in the moment was really all about. So I got caught up in the moment. The myriad lights, and how they cycled to high-light this or that. The sound system, and how it did a passing impression of surround-sound for the Center's '4C' Hall. The crew dragging in what-not from the ring area, and others dragging out what-not for the next match. The scaffolding and overhead walkways and beams that held up a lot of our lighting and other equipment... Yeah. I could once again say that. [I][B]Our[/B][/I] lighting and equipment. The thought made me smile. An overly-dramatic cough and throat-clearing beside me yanked me out of my revery. "Here I am, barely backstage. Figured you'd be first to butt into me," I said with a smirk, not having to look and see who it was. "I [I][B]knew[/B][/I] you'd be back!" Claire said, matter-of-factly, though saying it low in an almost-stage-whisper. "Yep. Just knew it, all along." "What?" I quipped, "Sørely said something?" "Nope!" Claire exclaimed. "Didn't have to. I [I]knew[/I]. It's where you belong, ya know." She then bumped me with her shoulder. "Admit it. It was that scolding I gave you in the car, wasn't it? Yep. Thought so." She stood there beside me, hands clenched behind her back, rocking slightly forward and back, looking around all innocent confidence. "Yep. I knew it." She stopped rocking and looked at me fully, then. "And. You're. Welcome." She enunciated clearly and slowly, like I'd used to do to the girls when they were little and they'd forgotten to be polite to someone. That got a chuckle out of me, and I put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her to me in a sidewise hug. "Well, you were right. And thanks," I replied. Claire got a very disturbed look and brushed my hand off, shrugging out of the hug. "Hey, cut it out! Don't have to get all huggy and mooshy on me. Geez...!" Her face puckered in a disgusted look. But I could see it in her eyes. They shone. I'd made her night. She just didn't want anyone who might have witnessed it to know. But despite her best efforts, [I][B]I[/B][/I] knew. "Hey!" a voice intruded from my other side. I turned to find Wanda there. She'd put a hand on my shoulder, turning me toward her. "Hey," I replied. "Sorry about all this, Jefe," I added contritely. That made Wanda laugh. "Right back to it, huh? Like you never left!" And it was true. Ever since J-Ro'd called Fish "Jefe", Spanish for 'Boss' or 'Chief' and pronounced 'Heffay', in a derisive moment meant to put Fish down, we'd all started calling Wanda that. And it was sort of true. Wanda was unofficially the head Locker Room Leader, after all. Apparently seeing it her duty to interject herself toward anyone over anything, in order to try and keep everything smooth and even. Don't get me wrong; Wanda isn't a Masterson, butting in when she isn't wanted. But she's always first to try and break up a real fight, comfort someone who needs it, check in when someone comes into the offices, gym or show, etcetera. As if she were head booker. And all without the dubious 'benefits' of having to deal with Stardust like our actual Head Booker did. "Well..." I faltered for a moment. "Yeah. I mean it. Sorry for everything. You were right when you tried to stop me from leaving, and I should have listened..." "Pfft!" Wanda huffed with a grin. "You wouldn't be Midnight if you weren't pig-headed and oh-so-solo tough, right?" She poked me in the ribs. "And I'm glad you're back." Before I could verbalize my dubious look, she continued. "No, seriously! I'm glad you're back. If I didn't want you to go in the first place, how can I [I]not[/I] be glad you're back? Besides," she added with a growing, evil grin, "you being a good girl now gives me some new, fun fodder in-ring, right?!" I chuckled. "Wanda, I'm not so sure about the whole good-girl thing..." "Oh, PFFT!" Wanda nearly spat at me with a grin. "The Table is all a-buzz about 'Lorna Turning Face'! And with your little warm and fuzzy moment with Cat, one of the Good Girls, you pretty much sealed the deal whether you intended to or not. Besides which...!" she continued eagerly, "We'd both been heels before, so we'd not really had the chance to fight in-ring for the fans. This is going to be fun!" "Yeah, right. Fun for you, maybe" I quipped, "You being Main Event and me being Upper-Midcard, you'll beat my ass more often than not." Wanda laughed with that infectious grin of hers, waggling a finger at me over her shoulder as she walked off. "Serves you right! Just be sure to make me look good, ok?!" she added over her shoulder with her bright smile and The Finger-Wag of Admonition. All I could do was shake my head with a smile. I mean, seriously. How can you not like Fish? And right then I said to Claire, "Hey, excuse me a minute," pushing her gently away. Claire can't take a hint sometimes. "Hey, GEEZ!" she quietly wailed. "Yeah, just like old times," she grumped. "Just like you never left..." she muttered as she moved off. I'd spotted Jessica Reals backstage, on the other side of the crew prep area, that space where they assembled things needed next or broke things down no longer in use. She was pacing back and forth, looking like she were muttering worriedly. Poor kid. Probably in a tizzy over the way things had went in the show, or maybe how she'd acted at the announcing table. I figured it was more of the latter. So as I moved towards her, I detoured slightly. I'd seen Sørely nearby. "Hey," I said to Karen as I drew near. "Hah deh!" she replied, smiling brightly at my greeting. Like I said before, I'm not sure what it meant, but it seemed Karen used it interchangeably as hello and goodbye. Go figure. She was dressed in a tan, herringbone tweed suit, the two-button jacket worn open to reveal a very light, coral-colored, ruffled shirt. Conservative dark-brown heels that matched the buttons of her jacket clacked a bit as she turned to me. And she had on both her signature tousled hair and bright smile. The clipboard with yellow-lined-paper-pad held in the crook of her arm somehow became an accessory to her outfit, as did her wire-mic headset. From a fashion point of view, I could see how it would be easy to hate Karen, carrying off the hair, clipboard and headset like that. An envious, admiring hate, mind you. "So," Karen started. "Someone made a real splash here tonight!" She grinned at me, eyes shining meaningfully. "Yeah," I seemed to agree. I then sidestepped her intention by adding, "Reals made quite a show of herself, didn't she?" That made Karen laugh as she glanced Jessica's way. "Jå," Karen affirmed. "Thet she did!" "Looks like she's regretting it a bit, though," I added. "Say, do [I]you[/I] regret her being here?" "Aash!" Karen spat vehemently, though only looking put out for a moment. "She wos fine! I think it wos fantastic, tha way she carried up tha way she did...!" "On," I interrupted her. At her puzzled look, I explained. "She 'carried on', not 'carried up'." "Ah, akkurat," she said, nodding. "Jå, she really added to tha show, I think. Wos great to see her loose hersalf so!" I smiled. "Well, maybe someone should tell her that. Might take the worry out of her." Karen turned it around on me. Looking dead at me through her tousled bangs, she said, "Jå, [I]someone[/I] should." I chuckled. "All right, all right. I'll go say hi." "Akkurat!" Karen said, turning to resume directing the mid-show set-ups and break-downs. [CENTER] [SIZE="4"]__________________________________________________[/SIZE] [/CENTER] "Hey, Jess," I said in greeting. "If I can call you that," I added. "Oh, hey... Lorna!" Jessica replied in genuine surprise, as if she hadn't thought in a million years that she would actually meet me or something. She then turned nervous, adding, "Um... Midnight..." I chuckled. "Lorna's fine. If I can call you Jess." I grinned at her, one of my rare genuine smiles since I wear my deadly serious persona at shows. "Oh, thanks," Jess said, relaxing. I shook her proffered hand. "Sure, Jess is fine!" She smiled at me, then turned a bit pensive. I could tell she was feeling really out of place. "Hey, for the record," I said, to head off what might have been budding anxiety. "I know I made a bit of a splash, my big return and all tonight, but you are a big hit in your own right." Jess snort-chuckled at that. "Yeah, sure. I fell apart like a little kid out there!" she replied in self-derision. "Hey," I said to grab her attention. I continued when I had it. "Seriously. I thought you were amazing. And that is the most fun I'd seen Farrah and Jim have in a long time. Relax. You were great." "Yeah, sure. That's the reason Farrah and Jim 'suggested' I take the second half of the show off for a breather, huh?" Ah. Everything made sense to me then. "Listen," I said to grab her attention again. "They probably think that you need a break. You seemed pretty emotionally spent back there. [I]I[/I] bet they just said that to offer you a way out if you thought things were too much for you tonight, is all. I bet they'd love to have you sit in second half." Jessica brightened. "You think so?!" I smirked at her. "Wouldn't surprise me if Farrah came to make the offer herself here in a bit." "Oh wow..." Jess breathed, face like she was dreaming the possibilities. Then something clicked in her head. "Oh, hey!" she began. "Um, since you're here," and she fiddled in her jacket pocket, pulling out her i-phone, "Um... would you mind an interview? Just a brief one, you know, for my next pod-cast to re-cap this show and all...?!" That made me smile, though I stifled it, trying to maintain my Midnight demeanor. "Sure, Jess. Just don't be put off if I slip into my Midnight tough or anger schtick. You know." "Oh, right!" she said, starting to smile and thinking furiously. And right there on the spot, Jess formulated an interview. And holy crap, was she good... [QUOTE] {[I]Jessica Reals[/I]} "I'm here backstage at Angel Athletic's Saturday Spectacular, and with me is Lorna Midnight, whom we all know by now has made a simply [I]huge[/I] comeback return here to this august wrestling promotion." {[I]Jessica turns to Midnight[/I]} "Thanks for agreeing to this interview, Lorna. If I may call you that..." {[I]Lorna Midnight smirks, then turns deadly serious[/I]} "Sure Jess. And 'Lorna's fine." {[I]Jessica looks relieved, then continues[/I]} "Thanks! Now, I won't ask anything about what transpired in your family life with your daughters or exactly why you came back, even though other media does that sort of thing. It's not really my business. However, what I [I]do[/I] want to talk about is this: Your return here, working with Catherine Quine -- one of the Good Girls of the promotion -- and especially saving your daughters for the reasons you gave in your speech afterward... That's pretty awesomely heroic, and would seem to be a change from your past Bad Girlness prior to tonight. Does this herald a change from Bad Girl to Good Girl for Lorna Midnight?" {[I]Lorna[/I]} "Look, Jess. It's simple, really. I never saw myself as one of the Bad Girl crowd. The Heels. I'm just not a follow-the-crowd type. I simply did what I thought was the thing to do in the moment. Never really thought, nor cared, about the consequences. Those things work themselves out whether you think about or care about them or not. Nor have I cared about the supposed reputation I have for being cruel or brutal. I just give as well as I get, or better, to those who are really asking for it." {[I]Jessica[/I]} "Well, to be honest, it seems to me as if you're thinking about them now. It's obvious you love your daughters dearly, and I can't imagine that after tonight, you'll do anything but become closer to your daughters both in and out of the ring. I [I]definitely[/I] see a lot of good in you, whether anyone calls you a Good Girl or not. Do you plan on showing that more?" {[I]Lorna[/I]} "Jess, I'm not really concerned about what label anyone sticks on me. Like I said, I do what I feel needs to be done at the time." {[I]There is a pregnant pause, and then Lorna continues, her demeanor softening a bit[/I]} "Look, Jess... I'm their mom. So ok, I [I]have[/I] to start considering what's the right thing to do now. For them. Especially since I'm managing them now. Not that I'm going to go out of my way to be some goody-two-shoes or anything. But you're right. I'm going to have to really think about... well, what I'm all about, now. I took for granted that it was something I didn't have to think about before my daughters joined Triple-A. And even since they've joined, I just went with old habits. But all that has to change. So sure, you're right. We'll see just how far my New Direction, if people are insisting on a label for it, will go." {[I]Jessica[/I]} "Since you mentioned it, you've stated that you're going to be managing your daughters, and even training them. I know that this has happened just a little bit ago, but have you given any thought as to how that training will go? How you're going to go about it?" {[I]Lorna, thoughtfully[/I]} "Good question, Jess. You're right, it's happened too recently for me to have given much thought to it. But I suppose, thinking about it now, we're going to have to go to the basics. Wrestling 101, if you will. Make sure they're up to par and know what they're doing, so they can be even better at supporting each other as a team." {[I]Jessica[/I]} "Does that mean the Midnight Sisterz will be going it solo for a while, or will they be combining solo work with tag-teaming?" {[I]Lorna, again thoughtful[/I]} "Now that's something to consider. I know they're hot to work together, and being sisters that's expected. But there's a lot to be said for working solo, too. Getting comfortable with who you are and what you're doing, before accepting the burden of taking care of someone else in a team. {[I]Lorna speaks with growing conviction[/I]} "Yeah, this is going to be a learning and growing process for all involved. Especially me. I've never dealt with my daughters on a level like this before. True, I'm their mom, but training wrestlers is a lot like being a drill sergeant in the military. I know I can be tough and firm..." {[I]Jessica chuckles[/I]} "That you can, Lorna." {[I]Lorna, still very serious[/I]} "... but it remains to be seen... Well, just how I'm going to go about it. And how [I]they[/I] will take it. They've got heart and conviction, that's for sure, so I suppose it'll work out well. I figure I'll have to take it slowly, see how it goes. And back to the very basics for both of them seems like a good start." {[I]Jessica[/I]} "Sounds good to me! In your role as their trainer, you definitely seem to have a handle on how you're going to go about it. In your role as their [I]manager[/I], that means you'll have a lot of say in who they fight, and when. Do you plan on putting them in matches [I]against[/I] each other? As a learning experience, I mean. And how will you motivate them to do their best in such a match-up?" {[I]Lorna sighs thoughtfully[/I]} "You're certainly digging out the zingers tonight, aren't you, Jess?" {[I]Jessica laughs[/I]} "Well, it's certainly something to think about, Lorna. And I know this is happening very quickly, so forgive me if we're treading on un-thought-of ground here. But I'm sure it's something that fans and listeners out there would be keenly interested in. You know, a behind-the-scenes look, if you will." {[I]Lorna, once again thoughtful[/I]} "Well, I suppose that after a certain amount of training, that kind of thing would be inevitable. And probably would come sooner than later. Working against one another would certainly mean they'll be more careful. Which brings up your point about motivation. I suppose I'll have to think of some reward or other for who wins. Certainly not something to divide them, and yet make them truly have their eye on the prize. Something they both would value, to keep one or the other from just giving up to her sister. Not that they would intentionally, but it'll be in the back of their minds, to be sure. Would also be a good object lesson in taking care that you win, while not putting your opponent at undue risk. And yes, even though some I've fought in the past have gotten hurt, it's always in the back of my mind. Working to win, what ever that may mean at the time, without actually trying to hurt someone. Which I guess is something I'm going to have to keep foremost in my mind from here on out." {[I]Jessica[/I]} "Well, it certainly sounds like you'll be taking a more positive direction, even if you're not planning on being a goody-two-shoes. And it also occurs to me; do you see yourself fighting along-side your daughters, as a Stable? Or perhaps in a three-woman Tag Team event or something?" {[I]Lorna sighs thoughtfully[/I]} "Jess, that's a long way off. There's a lot of work ahead of all of us before we're ready for that. And I'm not even sure if anyone should even [I]think[/I] about that yet..." {[I]Jessica[/I]} "Well, down the road a ways, then. With the Heart of Darkness formed, as well as a few informal three-way partnerships that have developed in Angel Athletic, it might even be seen as inevitable." {[I]Lorna sighs again[/I]} "Well, I suppose you're right. And ok, at the risk of getting my daughters overly excited prematurely, sure. I can see that. But that is a [I]long[/I] way down the road, mind you, Jess! We've a lot of work to do before we can even think about that in any serious way." {[I]Jessica, happily[/I]} "Well, for the present, I can say that I'm very pleased you decided to return to Angel Athletic Association, and I'm especially glad to see you're so close to your daughters. In a world of competition and even violence, it's good to see something good develop within such a world." {[I]Lorna[/I]} "Thanks, Jess. Good to be back, actually." {[I]Jessica[/I]} "Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview, Lorna!" {[I]Lorna[/I]} "Thanks for doing it, Jess. It was... nice, actually. And certainly gave me a lot to think about." {[I]Jessica[/I]} "Then maybe we can do this again. I know I certainly would like that!" {[I]Lorna[/I]} "Yeah, thanks Jess. I'd like that too." [/QUOTE] "Good God, Jess!" I said after she'd put her i-phone away. I was rubbing the bridge of my nose. Figurative headache time. Jess blinked, then looked mollified, and apprehensive. "Oh man, Lorna. I'm sorry! What...?!" I smiled. "Where the hell do you come up with questions like that? '[I]Let's put the screws to Lorna Midnight, shall we[/I]?!' You have this planned out or something in advance? Seems like everyone knew I was coming back but me." "Oh..." Jess said, relaxing and even smiling. "No, that was all on-the-spot. I guess I've done so many interviews and what-not on my podcast that I'm... used to it." That got a chuckle out of me. "You making a play for Sue Danes' job here?" I teased. Jess got a shocked look. "Oh, no! I mean... I wouldn't want to take [I]anyone's[/I] job here... You really think...?!" Her look had grown almost hopeful by the end of that. Made me laugh. "You never know, Jess. You're definitely good at what you do, that's for sure." Jess turned a bit shy on me, but also proud. "Thanks." she said. "Hey, listen," I said out of nowhere. "I got some things to do. You mind?" I'd seen someone I'd decided needed to be talked to. Sooner than later. "Oh, sure!" Jess replied happily. "What ever it is; Get 'em, Midnight!" She winked, giving me a thumbs up. [CENTER] [SIZE="4"]__________________________________________________[/SIZE] [/CENTER] "Hey! Farrah!" I called. This after I'd gotten good and away from Jessica. "Oh, hey Lorna!" Farrah beamed back. I knew I'd find her back here. She usually made it back to Jomo to talk with him about something she'd noticed or thought of first-half during the intermission, then made her way back to the Announcers' Table. Right through this area. "So. How about that lunatic, Reals, huh?" I offered as an opener. Farrah's beaming smile grew. "Wasn't that awesome?! She was so into it! You could tell she'd never been to an Event before, much less sat in on the Table! Was all I could do not to just keep cracking up! That girl is [I]amazing[/I]!" "So you going to invite her to the Table for second-half?" I asked, one eyebrow raised meaningfully. "Oh, I don't know," Farrah said, growing thoughtful. Then she smiled again. "She really gave it her all out there, I think she's pretty spent. Jim and I gave her an out, offered to let her sit out second half." "Well," I said, rubbing the back of my neck in mock-thoughtfulness. I sighed, too. At that, Farrah's look turned a little serious. "Jess not being used to being in any kind of show like this, let alone at Table... She might just think you two were hinting to her [I]not[/I] to sit in second-half..." Farrah turned appalled. "Oh, crap! You think so? You talk to her or something?!" Apparently Farrah had been so intent on getting back to The Table that she hadn't noticed me doing just that. "No, no," I lied, waving the thought off. "Just a thought. You know. Callous old nanny-goat like me not taking someone else's feelings into consideration..." I let that trail off with a smirk. "Well, shame on you for that, Lorna Midnight!" Farrah mock-scolded with a grin. "And if [I]you're[/I] not going to, then [I]I[/I] certainly will!" And Farrah hurried off to Jessica Reals to do just that. And yes, I was left there smirking, feeling rather proud of myself. After all, I'm a Good Girl now. Sue me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadowedFlames Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 Well....this certainly made this rainy day much better. Like the direction you're taking Lorna in. Now comes the hard part of waiting for the next segment to come out...;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NordVolf Posted November 30, 2014 Author Share Posted November 30, 2014 [CENTER]((OOC Segment))[/CENTER] [QUOTE=ShadowedFlames;2017557]Well....this certainly made this rainy day much better. Like the direction you're taking Lorna in. Now comes the hard part of waiting for the next segment to come out...;)[/QUOTE] Thanks, SF! Glad you're liking this. But rest assured, Lorna's new direction has some bumps on its road... And success to you! The hard part, the wait, is over. The next segment has arrived... [CENTER] [SIZE="4"]__________________________________________________[/SIZE] [U]Days in the Life - Confessions of a Triple 'A' Worker[/U][/CENTER] [QUOTE] [CENTER] [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f212/NordVolf/TEW%202007/AAA_BannerMini.jpg[/IMG] [I][B][SIZE="7"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Angel Athletic Association[/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/I] [B]Week 3; January 2007[/B] [B][I]Saturday Spectacular Main Show[/I][/B] [B]Part 9[/B] [/CENTER] [/QUOTE] [QUOTE] {[I]Female Announcer Voice-over[/I]} "You're listening to KQOW. Puget Sound Public Radio." {[I]Male Announcer[/I]} "This is David Souffet, and you've been listening to 'Souffet's Cabaret' where we bring you, every Saturday Night, the most progressive and [I]unusual[/I] entertainment available. And tonight has been no exception. If you're just now joining us, I've been following in our tradition of the unusual by turning the show over to Jessica Reals, the face and voice of Femme Fatale-dot-com's Women In Sports podcast. Jessica? Are you back yet?" {[I]Jessica Reals, excited, crowd noise in the background[/I]} "Thanks again for letting me do this, David! And yes, I'm back, where we're broadcasting to you, LIVE, from the Portland Center, and Angel Athletic Association's '[I]Saturday Spectacular[/I]' show! This is post-intermission, and the second half of the show is about to kick off!" {[I]David[/I]} "Excellent, Jessica. Now, I'm not sure how much time we have, but can you tell those listeners who are just joining us about this show?" {[I]Jessica, laughing and excited[/I]} "Sure, Jim! And it looks like we have time, because they've put this up on the Titantron, their positively [I][B]ginormous[/B][/I] TV screen here for the fans, so I guess they're using this as the kick-off to the second half!" {[I]David[/I]} "Jessica, you mean we're live, right now, at the show?!" {[I]Jessica[/I]} "That's right, David! Now as some listeners may not know, Angel Athletic Association is [B][I]the[/I][/B] premier all-women's wrestling federation, based right here out of Seattle! They hold their '[I]Saturday Spectacular[/I]' show every week, usually right here in Down Town Seattle's Portland Center. And tonight in this show's exciting first half, we've seen an [I]amazing[/I] display of what the wrestlers here at Angel have to offer, from some great cultural-exchange matches between wrestlers visiting from Japan against our own American women, to the just [I]stunning[/I] return of Angel's Prodigal Daughter, Lorna Midnight! And the unusualness follows even here, David, because the Announcing Team have invited me to sit in as a guest commentator at their announcer's table!" {[I]David[/I]} "An amazing turn of events, and well deserved I'm sure, Jessica!" {[I]Jessica continues, excited, beginning to shout in announcer fashion[/I]} "Thanks, David! And that will have to be it, as I'm about to turn things over to Center Ring, where our announcer, Jim Lou Freebush, and Color Commentator Farrah Hesketh wait to greet the crowd gathered in the Portland Center to the second half of our show!" {[I]Jim Lou Freebush & Farrah Hesketh, shouting in unison[/I]} "Good evening, Seattle!" {[I]Crowd pops[/I]} {[I]Farrah[/I]} "And good evening as well to our NPR radio listenership!" {[I]Huge crowd pop![/I]} {[I]Jim[/I]} "Indeed, Farrah, and let's not forget to give it up for our guest commentator this evening, who is responsible for our being LIVE on the air tonight, and will be joining us [I]At Table[/I]; Ladies and Gentlemen... Jessica Reals!" {[I]Enthusiastic crowd pop![/I]} {[I]Farrah[/I]} "Wow, Jim! Sounds like this crowd is as raring to go as we are!" {[I]Jim[/I]} "And I think I know why, Farrah, as this show's Second Half promises to be as exciting as the first half..." {[I]Farrah[/I]} "Right you are, Jim! Because in a continuation of our East-Meets-West cultural extravaganza, our next match-up will feature our own Claire Masterson, who has challenged the visiting Emissary of Pain from Japan, DEVIL Karube!" {[I]Jim[/I]} "Our Main Event will also follow on that theme, as the tremendous Asian powerhouse that is our very own Suzue Katayama meets head-on our American Daughter of the Macabre, Black Widow, in their bid for the right to challenge Wanda Fish for Triple-A's coveted Femme Fatale Championship Title!" {[I]Farrah[/I]} "All right, Jim! I can't wait!" {[I]Jim[/I]} "Well then let's join Jessica at the Table, Farrah, and turn the ring over to our Referee Extraordinaire, Lois Hudson!" {[I]Crowd pops as ring ownership changes hands, Jim and Farrah retreating to don headsets and join Jessica 'At Table'[/I]} [/QUOTE] Right about then I was feeling particularly guilty. I'd gotten to thinking about blowing Claire off like I'd done. Well... more the [I]way[/I] I'd blown her off. Just like I always did, as she'd said. But thinking about it; even though Claire sometimes pretends she doesn't get it, that's no reason to be rude about it. See, that's the problem with both operating on instinct and gut reaction, and hind-sight being 20/20. I realized that it was too late to change what I'd done. However, it wasn't too late to address the issue. Maybe even say I was sorry. So I went looking for her. And the little imp was nowhere to be found. Not that I looked every possible place she could be. But with her match against Karube coming up, I looked in the usual places. And still no dice. No sign of my girls, either, but I wasn't looking for them. I'd only recognize the significance of that much later. I found it odd, though, and a little disturbing, that I couldn't find Claire. Or Karube, for that matter. Nor Buttercup. Granted, their match wasn't imminent, but I thought they'd be close to hand near the stage or something. Getting ready for their entrances, last minute instructions from Buttercup... Something. But no. Out of sight. But not out of mind. You see, I'd wanted to actually involve myself in that last-minute preparation. Speaking both Japanese and English, I could have helped Buttercup translate or something. And in an aside, explain to Claire just how important this match really was. Karube's second show with us, and the importance of her looking strong. Perhaps even increasing her popularity for future appearances, which was so important to Sørely. Not to mention Karube being someone I admired so much, and who'd done so much for my daughters! How do you even express that? But I couldn't worry about that. They were nowhere I could find, and the entrances for the next match were about to begin. Jess'd already rung in the show's second half. So I hurried to the curtain's edge stage-side to watch. And hope. Hope Claire and Karube would put on a decent, if not good, showing. And hope beyond hope that Claire wouldn't somehow offend Karube, or make her look bad... I needn't have worried. [QUOTE] [CENTER] [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f212/NordVolf/TEW%202007/AAA/Characters/100x100s/JimLouFreebush_alt1.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f212/NordVolf/TEW%202007/AAA/Characters/100x100s/FarrahHesketh_alt1.jpg[/IMG] . [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f212/NordVolf/TEW%202007/AAA/Characters/100x100s/JessicaReals_alt1.jpg[/IMG] [/CENTER] {[I]Jim Lou Freebush[/I]} "What an excited crowd we have here tonight! Almost as excited as Jess here, don't you think, Farrah?" {[I]Farrah Hesketh can only get in a laugh, as Jessica Reals interjects[/I]} "I'm not so sure about that, Jim! I'm pretty darn excited!!!" {[I]Farrah[/I]} "Well then this next match will be a real treat for you, Jess! It's billed as an '[I]Artistic Extravaganza[/I]'!" {[I]Jim[/I]} "That's right, Farrah, as East once again looks to plow headlong into the West, with DEVIL Karube, visiting from Japan, being challenged by our own Claire Masterson." {[I]Jessica[/I]} "Oh, right! Didn't Masterson have to change her name or something?!" {[I]Jim[/I]} "Indeed she did, Jessica. After the infamous Name Challenge Match, where Miss and Missy Midnight won the rights to the names Miss and Missy, Masterson was forced to drop the name Missy, the former Miss Mexico having to change her name as well." {[I]Farrah[/I]} "Yeah, well... Masterson having to change [I]anything[/I] is old hat for her, Jim. And while she may as well go with her real name of Claire Masterson, it remains to be seen what '[I][B]costume[/B][/I]' she'll be in tonight!" {[I]Music hits. Strains of Oriental flute compete with plucked Oriental strings, heavy drums in the background pounding out their martial cadence to war[/I]} {[I]Jim[/I]} "And here they come, ladies and gentlemen! And DEVIL Karube is first to appear, dressed in her now signature extravagant robes and Noh Devil mask. {[I]DEVIL Karube strides haltingly down the ramp in time to the music, almost flowing in graceful yet powerful, dance-like step[/I]} {[I]Farrah[/I]} "Now THAT amazes me [I]every[/I] time, Jim and Jess. Karube always seems so elegant and poised, despite her dark, demonic reputation." {[I]Jessica[/I]} "Well, her elegance despite being evil just creeps me out, Farrah. And that Devil mask, which in Noh plays is named Daikijin, just gives me the [I]chills[/I]!" {[I]Jim, quite impressed[/I]} "I never knew it had a name, Jessica... And now the DEVIL pauses at ringside, and goes into some sort of dance..." {[I]Farrah, suddenly excited[/I]} "That's no dance, Jim! That's the DEVIL's signature summoning of power she does, to channel her inner Devil or something like that. Looks like she's not leaving anything to chance, and taking Masterson's challenge seriously, despite Masterson being our usual show opener on the undercard..." {[I]The crash of an Oriental gong blasts through the center, interrupting everything, followed by typical Oriental rattles. Everyone looks to the stage expectantly, DEVIL Karube looking that way with jerking head motion while frozen mid-dance in a power-pose[/I]} {[I]The stage curtains are pulled aside to reveal a figure dressed in beautiful, long Oriental robes and white mask[/I]} {[I]Music "hits", Oriental strings plucking out a light, airy tune while drums thrum out a quiet, prancing undercurrent[/I]} {[I]Jim[/I]} "And it seems Masterson is in Oriental style as well! Such beautiful robes, and a mask to boot!" {[I]Jessica, excited, as Masterson starts slow, flowing, dancing down the ramp[/I]} "Oh! I know this, guys! That's a Kabuki mask!" {[I]Jessica, to Jim and Farrah's surprise[/I]} "Kabuki and Noh are both Japanese dance-musical theater; Noh is a [I]lot[/I] older, ancient even, and [I]really[/I] traditional. Kabuki, while still old, is more recent, and is more avant-garde, sometimes even called [I]'bizarre theatre'[/I]." {[I]Farrah, contented[/I]} "Ahhh. So [I]nice[/I] to finally have a knowledgeable connoisseur at Table, eh Jim?!" {[I]Jim, wryly[/I]} "Don't push it, Farrah... And Masterson finally comes to a stop in front of DEVIL Karube, freezing in pose like Karube did! And Karube now relaxes, as does Masterson, and the two of them face off!" [CENTER] [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f212/NordVolf/TEW%202007/DEVILKarubeMask02.jpg[/IMG] . [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f212/NordVolf/TEW%202007/Masterson_Kabuki_Mask_zps367229eb.jpg[/IMG] [/CENTER] {[I]Jim[/I]} "And now DEVIL Karube takes off her mask to reveal herself, and her flowing outer robe which she entrusts to a ring-hand, Masterson also disrobes to what looks like an under-robe, and now also doffs her mask to reveal..." {[I]Jessica, shocked[/I]} "*gasp* Masterson is in Kabuki Makeup!" {[I]Farrah, howling in delight[/I]} "Oh my God! It's [I][B]KABUKI[/B] Masterson[/I]!!!" [CENTER] [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f212/NordVolf/TEW%202007/DEVILKarube.jpg[/IMG] . [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f212/NordVolf/TEW%202007/KabukiMasterson_zps2d607474.jpg[/IMG] [B][SIZE="3"]DEVIL Karube[/SIZE] v/s [SIZE="3"]KABUKI Masterson[/SIZE][/B] [/CENTER] {[I]Jim[/I]} "DEVIL Karube does look irked by this development, and I must say I'm surprised myself. And the two of them now enter the ring... they don't look to be taking off their under-robes, I think they are going to fight in them..." {[I]Farrah[/I]} "Interesting. The robes are short, but Karube's with those long, flowing bottoms of her sleeves, I can see [I]those[/I] getting in the way." {[I]Jessica[/I]} "Farrah, they actually may be intended as stylized martial arts attire. Karube is definitely in a beautiful kimono, while Masterson looks to be in a more traditional martial arts 'gi', made just stunning in bright red, and those flowers...!" {[I]Jim[/I]} "Well, we'll see how things unfold very soon, as referee Lois Hudson takes the ring in-hand, and gives last-minute instructions. The combatants nod, they shake hands... And they even [I]bow[/I] to one another!" {[I]Farrah[/I]} "Very formal, too. There just may be a great deal of respect between the two of them, despite Masterson's normal antics." {[I]Jim[/I]} "And the two combatants face off, The DEVIL looking ready... And Claire Masterson begins some sort of dance or something of her own!" {[I]Farrah, with delight[/I]} "[I][B]KABUKI[/B] Masterson[/I], Jim!" {[I]Jessica[/I]} "That's no dance! I've seen martial arts competitions! That's a martial artist making preparatory moves, to focus herself and ready for combat! Has Clai...!" {[I]Jessica flinches as Farrah pokes her[/I]} "Has [I]KABUKI[/I] trained in martial arts?!" {[I]Farrah[/I]} "Knowing Masterson, that's parody I'm betting." {[I]As KABUKI finishes into a martial arts pose, a quiet howling caw, reminiscent of Bruce Lee taunting an opponent, sounds through The Center[/I]} {[I]Farrah laughs in delight, pointing excited[/I]} "What did I tell you! And KABUKI even makes the universal gesture everyone here is sure to understand -- [I]"Come get some, DEVIL!"[/I] " {[I]Jim[/I]} "OH!!! And faster than I can call it, DEVIL indeed gets some! Grabbing KABUKI by that gesturing hand and throwing her in an arm drag from just [I]nowhere[/I], DEVIL manifesting just [B]inhuman[/B] speed! Just [I]blasting[/I] KABUKI to the mat!!!" {[I]Farrah, wryly smirking[/I]} "Saw that one coming, Jim...!" {[I]Jim[/I]} "And Masterson now on her knees and making an agonized face, crying it seems... and the DEVIL isn't even touching her!" {[I]Masterson, heard over the area mics[/I]} "WAAAAAAHHHHH!" {[I]Farrah, excited as Jessica puts her hands over her mouth[/I]} "Oooo, Jim! KABUKI's pointing to the tear painted on her face!" {[I]Jim, as Farrah cracks up[/I]} "DEVIL appears to be disgusted with KABUKI's antics, and [I]SLAPS[/I] Masterson on the back of the head, stopping KABUKI's howling! KABUKI now frozen in a surprised face... and now rising to face the DEVIL, and with the bell [B]we're off!!![/B]" [/QUOTE] Ok, so when Masterson showed up in Kabuki outfit, I got worried. Was this a slam to Karube's Noh? Having been in Asia, I was familiar with both Noh and Kabuki, and while both are respected and performed by talented 'actors'... Well, in some Noh circles, Kabuki is viewed as a sort of eastern Vaudville. And when Claire removed her mask to show herself in actual, even accurate Kabuki make-up... I was mortified. But like I said; I needn't have worried. From the opening moments, as that match unfolded, two things became readily apparent. Claire had really done her homework, probably having practiced with Karube all week. She was spot on with just about everything, and Karube, though acting alternately professional and irritated, allowed Claire to play things for all she was worth. More, Karube actually worked off of that, playing the consummate professional disgusted with the amateur's antics. Karube would even stand back, haughty in a leaning, arms-folded stance while Claire hammed it up, then step in to slap or punch or kick Masterson out of it, and then it was back to the fight. The second thing that became apparent was that Claire and Karube had great chemistry. And I mean Great. They played off each other like they'd been performing together for years. Even in the obvious ad-lib moments when something unexpected happened, they were both on cue and reacted accordingly. As if they were in each others' heads. Granted, they had probably practiced together a lot this past week. But [I]true[/I] synergy sometimes, inexplicably, just happens. When two people click. And Karube and Claire? They were clicking like a well tuned Swiss watch. Karube played the part of the demonically powered, serious professional, even playing it evil, like hitting Masterson when she was down, or doing an almost dance-like display of summoning power that always found its mark and sent Masterson flying. It played up on Karube's reputed connection with the Oriental Underworld, manifesting other-worldly powers. And when Jim commented again how the long sleeves of The DEVIL's kimono would get in the way, it was as if Karube were [I]waiting[/I] for that. She pulled a move that I saw in a movie once, where Jet Li held his arms out, and with strong yet subtle motions made his sleeves just wrap up instantly around his wrists seemingly by themselves, then throwing his arms behind his back in a ready stance for his opponent. It was an awesome move, and perfectly executed. Just like almost everything Karube does. And Claire? She carried on in that flamboyant, flying style of hers, running the ropes frequently, doing sensational stunts and antics. And she also played the rank amateur, blowing a move here and there, or taking a shot she may otherwise have avoided were she 'better'. And every time, she pulled out a playful, overly exaggerated reaction. She played the real... Well, I can only draw comparison with Jackie Chan. You know, the way he plays a goof-ball, though competent, and yet showing on the outside what every one of us would be feeling inside at being outnumbered, or outclassed, or hurt or what-not. That was Claire. And she was clearly the underdog. The match also went surprisingly back and forth. Claire did pull off some surprisingly successful moves, keeping her looking strong, though only to have Karube counter with a power move of her own. The net result was that Claire looked goofily competent, and yet Karube still looked bad-ass. The crowd, however, wasn't as into it as I was. They weren't familiar with what I was, didn't expect this kind of performance. Or maybe just not appreciating it. It's a testament to their act, however, that the performance didn't fall flat. Went surprisingly well for the crowd, despite the style not being to the crowd's taste, and Karube still being unknown to them. But I thought it was awesome. And the ending? Was never in doubt. But I was still impressed. [QUOTE] {[I]Jim[/I]} "And KABUKI curls up and running-[I]shoulder-rams[/I] The DEVIL in the ribs, actually backing The DEVIL up a few steps!" {[I]Jessica[/I]} "Whoah! I've seen that move! On my daughter's fighting video game!" {[I]Jim[/I]} "And The DEVIL summons power briefly and just power-pushes KABUKI back into the ropes, KABUKI rebounds tries for a clothesline [B]OH![/B] The DEVIL ducked it and faster than I can call it just grabbed KABUKI by the back of her gi-neck in a move I can only call a reverse clothesline, leaving KABUKI on her back and stunned!" {[I]Farrah[/I]} "Looks like The DEVIL is really drawing power in that waving, circle-arms thing she's doing...!" {[I]The sound of thunder rolls through the Portland Center's 'C' hall[/I]} {[I]Jessica, startled[/I]} "WHOAH!!!" {[I]Jim, excited[/I]} "And The DEVIL leaps into the air with a roar! She lands in a spread-legged martial pose and just [B]BLASTS[/B] KABUKI in the chest with a palm strike, driving KABUKI [I]straight[/I] down to the mat!" {[I]Farrah, impressed[/I]} "I haven't heard a martial shout like that in a while, Jim!" {[I]Jessica, amazed[/I]} "DEVIL got some real air, for a standing leap like that!" {[I]Jim[/I]} "And now Masterson begins to flail around, looking like DEVIL is holding her in a body covering pin, even though The DEVIL only has her palm on KABUKI's chest! And now The DEVIL motions for Hudson to start the pin count! There's One... And KABUKI manages to kick-out!" {[I]Farrah[/I]} "DEVIL's summoning power again!" {[I]Thunder again ripples across the Hall[/I]} {[I]Jim[/I]} "And DEVIL leaps again, slamming KABUKI once again in the chest before KABUKI can even get to her feet, same as she'd done before!" {[I]Jessica, amazed[/I]} "WOW...!" {[I]Farrah[/I]} "Isn't that a variation of The DEVIL's signature move, the DEVIL Drop?" {[I]Jim[/I]} "I don't know, and KABUKI looks stunned though struggling, DEVIL again motions for the count... One ... TWO... [I]AND KABUKI MANAGES TO GET A SHOULDER UP[/I], but what a struggle it was! Despite The DEVIL holding KABUKI down with only her palm to KABUKI's chest! And now DEVIL, looking angered, draws power again in moves even more expansive and impressive..." {[I]The sound of thunder again rolls through the Portland Center's 'C' hall, and the lights in the hall even flicker![/I]} {[I]Jessica, stunned[/I]} "Is DEVIL drawing power from the [I]whole [B]PORTLAND CENTER[/B][/I]?!?" {[I]Jim[/I]} "AND AGAIN THE DEVIL DROP! Karube, leaping what looked like six feet off the mat with a tremendous shout!" {[I]Farrah and Jessica wince, Jessica with her hands over her ears[/I]} {[I]Jim[/I]} "And KABUKI barely moving now, just [I][B]blasted[/B][/I] with the strongest DEVIL Drop perhaps [I]ever[/I] performed, and The DEVIL again motions Hudson for the count! One... TWO... AND THERE'S THE THREE, Ladies and Gentlemen! DEVIL Karube wins over KABUKI Masterson by pinfall!" {[I]Farrah[/I]} "I've gotta say, guys... That's the most amazing eight minutes of combat I've [I]ever[/I] seen!" {[I]Jessica, stunned and amazed[/I]} "Wow... Just... AWESOME!!!" [/QUOTE] [B]DEVIL Karube defeated KABUKI Masterson in 7:37 by pinfall with a DEVIL Drop. Claire Masterson & DEVIL Karube have great chemistry, and it showed in their performances. The Color Commentary gave the match a boost. This match brought the crowd's mood down.[/B] [B]([COLOR="Red"]E+[/COLOR])[/B] Following that bout, I found myself standing just about out from behind the curtain at stage-side. I'd gotten so caught up in it all, especially with the thunder and the Hall lights flickering, and DEVIL Karube's subtly amplified 'kiai', that martial arts scream... I was actually stunned. No, really. So I'd let go of the curtain and stepped out, literally [I]drawn[/I] into the action. It was that cool. Of course, my being exposed like that to the view of the crowd was brought home by Jen simply asking me, "Mom. What are you doing?" She'd appeared from no-where to stand next to me, though out of view from the crowd behind the curtain. Of course, I immediately began a retreat to the curtain, to find Stephie there too as both girls pulled me back behind the curtain and out of view. I stammered something inarticulate, but was brought back to the action ringside by Jim, Farrah and Jessica's commentary. Hudson had done the formal "And the winner is...!" thing, after which Masterson had vacated the ring. Karube exited the ring as well, going to retrieve her mask and robes from waiting ring attendants, then donning her robes. And as Sue Danes stood by, about to interview Karube, Masterson reappeared. Now in her full Kabuki get-up, complete with beautiful outer robe. At first, Karube looked haughty and irritated. All for the rolling camera, of course, shown in exquisite detail on the Titantron for all to see. And then Masterson started in. Was simple, really. Claire bowed a bit, sort of formal. DEVIL only frowned, tilting her head up to look down the side of her nose at Claire. So Claire went completely formal, and even correct. Like I said. She'd done her homework. Claire got down on her knees, rotated her heels out till her feet were about flat on the floor, then sat on her feet. She then, with slow and deliberate actions, placed her hands before her knees on the floor, palms down and fingers pointed toward each other. I remember on seeing that... I knew what was coming. My hand involuntarily leapt to my mouth as I gaped. Because Claire was doing it perfectly. With her hands, as well as the rest of her, deliberately and carefully placed, she bent at her hips all the way forward, rocking forward when her lack of that kind of flexibility demanded it, and touched her forehead to the floor between her hands. And stayed that way. Claire "KABUKI" Masterson [I]kowtow[/I]ed to DEVIL Karube! Karube got a formal pose on, still looking down her nose at Claire. But she smiled then, and said quietly, though loud enough for the area mics to pick up: "Anata wa watashi ni meiyo o motarasu." "{[I]You bring Honor to me.[/I]}" Karube then turned on her heel, once again all serious and haughty, before donning her mask and proceeding formally up the ramp, accompanied by her prior Asian music. Claire only got up when Karube walked past her to proceed up the ramp. At first Claire just stood there. Then she looked at Karube's receding back, and got this bright smile. She then made exaggerated "[I]Oh crap, I have to be sneaky[/I]" movements, very kabuki style, and evaporated into the crowd. Of course, the crowd didn't get it, so as a result didn't appreciate it much. Me? I've got to admit. Something about seeing that, and having a feeling Claire had meant it down to the bottom of her soul... I'd found it [I]very[/I] moving. Still do. [B]KABUKI Masterson gives The DEVIL her due.[/B] [B]([COLOR="Red"]F[/COLOR])[/B] [CENTER] [SIZE="4"]__________________________________________________[/SIZE] [/CENTER] I met them both backstage, Claire and Karube. Karube had stalled there until Claire had appeared, Claire having come in from clamoring up on the stage end opposite where I had been. Gave me plenty of time to put myself in a position to head them off. Still, as they approached, I wasn't prepared for what I saw. It looked for all the world like Claire and Karube were [I]talking[/I] to each other. Like fast friends. "Well well," I interjected as they approached, they seeing me as they came to a stop. "What have we here?!" "Oh, hey!" Claire replied. "We're just rehashing the match, is all. Did you see it?" Claire gushed, excited. Karube had remained quiet, though smiling primly with genuine mirth, looking from Claire to me. "Yeah, I saw it," I replied. I translated, and Karube bowed ever-so-slightly in thanks for that, still smiling. She was actually having a good time. "So?! Wha'd you think!?!" Claire blurted. Karube giggled demurely behind her hand, elegance intact despite her great mood. I nodded. "Pretty impressive. You guys must have worked on that for a while." Of course, I translated. "Hai." "Yep!" almost in unison. "Worked on it [I]all week[/I]!" Claire added proudly, exchanging a grinning look with Karube, as if Karube knew exactly what Claire had said. "So how did you pull it off? Who translated?" I asked. I translated the question. Karube apparently deferred to Claire to answer. Karube being naturally quiet and demure, though by no means shy. She just bided her time until it was time for her to say something. Still, she smiled to Claire, even listening, though I doubted she understood a word of what was said... "Suzue did!" Claire exclaimed proudly. At my gape-jawed reaction, which Karube saw and apparently got the jist of things from, Karube elaborated. "{[I]To get Suzue to translate was Claire's idea. She spoke with Suzue before hand, and Claire was very sure to be clear about her intentions on how our performance should go, as well as she listening closely. Claire would make a very good student.[/I]}" "Well?! Wha'd she say!" Claire burst out before I could even think of translating. "She said you got Suzue to do the translating, and you were very good about it with them..." I faltered, knowing Claire would get a big head at the last of it. "Aaaaaand?" Claire prompted slowly and dramatically, including circular hand motions for me to get on with it. Karube smirked at me, somehow knowing exactly what was going on. I sighed, and replied wryly, "She said you listen very well. And you would make... a good student," I finished, just knowing Claire would go the wrong way with it. Claire surprised me yet again, though. She turned to Karube, slapped fist-to-palm in front of her, and bowed. "Arigatō, [I]sensei[/I] Karube." Karube laughed that delicate laugh of hers. "Dōitashimashite," Karube answered with a demure yet genuine smile and slight bow of her own. You're welcome. Claire beamed a smile to me. "So," I breathed. "Where'd you learn to do the kabuki makeup?" I translated again. Karube smiled openly as Claire answered. "Well duh! Jen and Stephie are not only great at makeup, they looked it up on the internet! You know, to make sure it was dead-on accurate. They spent half the intermission, after you shooed me off, getting me ready!" Claire was very proud of that. Which made me smile. It also answered the question of where my girls had disappeared to. "Well, we best get it cleaned up before you make it a mess!" Stephie interjected. When Claire objected, Jen took her by the shoulders and guided her toward the dressing rooms. "You can't stay Kabuki forever, Claire," Jen admonished. "Why [B]not[/B]?!" Claire fairly howled as the three of them faded from sight. "{[I]I think Claire enjoys the makeup very much,[/I]}" Karube said. "{Yeah,}" I chuckled. "{[I]Very much.[/I]}" Then, I realized something with a start. "{[I]Hey, how did Claire get you to understand how the bout was to go, and how she meant it? Without disrespecting you in it?[/I]}" Karube laughed outright, then turned demure, smiling still. "{[I]She began by simply asking if I had seen any Jackie Chan movies...[/I]}" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadowedFlames Posted December 28, 2014 Share Posted December 28, 2014 ... I...uh... That was the LAST thing I expected. Well played, sir. If you'll excuse me, I need to catch my breath from laughing so hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.