Lasciel/Hudson/Kyuubi Vs. Knox/Levi/Leon

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Webmistress Barbie
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Posts: 221

Lasciel/Hudson/Kyuubi Vs. Knox/Levi/Leon Aug 6, 2020 2:51:15 GMT -5

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Post by Webmistress Barbie on Aug 6, 2020 2:51:15 GMT -5

Six-Person Tag Team Match!
Standard Rules!

3 RP Limit (Per Team. ONE PER MEMBER. BEST TWO RPS From Each Team Will Be Used for Judging!)
4000 Word Limit

Please check your word count
Via: www.wordcountertool.com/

Deadline: Sunday, August 16th, 2020 at 11:59pm Eastern

Good Luck!

Matt Knox "The Raven"
Inactive

Posts: 88

Lasciel/Hudson/Kyuubi Vs. Knox/Levi/Leon Aug 7, 2020 3:36:25 GMT -5 mystifyingoracle, Jon Willis, and 3 more like this

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Post by Matt Knox "The Raven" on Aug 7, 2020 3:36:25 GMT -5

Content Warning
-Hints at attempted suicide

Long after Levi left, Knox remained at the pier. He had moved from the lighthouse to the railing, it being all that separates him from the waves. Waves angered by the storm raging around them. He closed his eyes, leaning his head back. They say that the body was mostly water. Perhaps, that’s why storms bring such a feeling of unease? Maybe, the body itself is upset by the violence.

The cause didn’t matter. Not one bit. What did matter, what always mattered. Was how one faced the chaos. Do they shy away from the storm? Seek shelter, a dry place to wait it out? Maybe hide under the blankets and talk to God until the sun shone through the madness?

Or Do you walk out into the biting cold, into the flash of lightning? The roar of thunder. The way it shakes the earth. Does it call out? Does the chaos, the unnatural violence of mother nature awaken an inexplicable yearning? Maybe a sense of belonging?

It did for Matthew Knox. He stretched his arms outward, face still turned upward to the sky, to the storm. Slowly, he turned his back to the railing. The wind blew his hair asunder, he removed his leather jacket hurriedly. The rain dampened his shirt in no time, causing it to cling to his form. He opened his eyes slowly, and let out a slow exhale.

Into the chaos.

He leaned back, and went over the railing into the raging waves..

“Do you love me?”

That voice. It was so far away. The room was dark, and everything felt muffled.

“Open your eyes, Matthew”

Matthew opened his eyes then, as he was told to. He drew in a deep breath. The room was brightly lit. His eyes struggled to adjust to it. Everything was white. The walls, the curtains, the carpet, the sheets. Sheets? He started to sit up, examining the lavish canopy bed he was in. Suddenly, a hand reached out and placed itself on his chest. His eyes locked onto it, then followed the arm to her face. He felt a swell of emotion, as he struggled to find his voice.

“Char...Charlotte” It came, barely above a whisper as he drank her face in. Pale like him, eyes a bright emerald with pupils of the darkest abyss. He reached a hand out, tense until it found her face and all at once he felt his body relax

“This...this is real” He gets out as she reaches up to grasp his hand, lean into it. He rolls onto his side to face her. Why was his shirt wet? It didn’t matter. Nothing else did, not now

“It never wasn’t, Matthew” she whispered, a smile spreads across her face “I’ve been with you since we first met” she reached out and pushed a damp lock of hair from Matthew’s face. Her touch makes him shudder. Or was he shaking? “You’re where you’ve always tried to get, Matthew”

“What…?”

She removes her hand, rolling him onto his back and climbing on top of him, straddling his hips she leaned down and spoke inches from his face. Why couldn’t he feel her breath? “You can be here with me, forever Matthew. You can stop now, if you want.” She brings both her hands up to hold his face within them, staring deep into his eyes

“Or you can leave me again, and go out that door” he went to speak, but could only cough. The taste and smell of salt water flooded his senses “If you can find your legs, you can save yourself. Or you can let go, stay here. I promise, it gets warmer”

The white room suddenly began to run crimson as blood seeped from the ceiling, dripping onto them, onto the walls, the carpet, and the big luxurious white bed. He clenched his eyes shut, but she grabbed his face and forced them open.

She was gone again, Charlotte Knight was gone and Charlie James, the woman who threw herself out the window and wouldn’t let them be together stared back down at him. Her face covered in blood as it usually was, head twisted at an unnatural angle and raven black hair now matted with blood where her skull had split open.

He struggled to push up, push her off but suddenly she seemed to double, if not triple in weight. His limbs felt as if they had done the same. She laughed, voice echoing hellishly in his ears

“You don’t get to come so close to exposing me to that artist, he’d only tear us apart if you let him”

He struggled more, coughing violently as salt water poured from his mouth, soaking the bed with the blood. He sat up, and had he had the lungs for it would have screamed as her hands wrapped around his throat

“You don’t get to leave me, Matthew. Ever. I am as much a part of you, if not more than those children you’re fighting for. And unlike them, I love you. For who you really are.”

He grasped at the hands, and began to kick violently. The corners of his vision began to dim, the blood had gone from a trickle to a hard, heavy flow. The level had risen to the edge of the mattress. His heart thumped in his chest, fully aware of this fresh hell

“It’s perfect, the ending we never got. The conquering hero returned to reclaim his throne and his good name. Falls off the pier and drowns, probably after falling off a wagon HE WAS NEVER ON”

A gasp, and he began to wrench her hands away. He veered back, and headbutt the monster with all the force he could muster. The smaller frame fell off him, and he fell off the bed and into the blood. He pushed himself vertical and headed to the door, grasping onto the wall for support. His limbs felt heavy, his eyes and nose burned. The back of his head cried out in a white, hot pain. He reached out to grab the door knob, when suddenly he felt her grasp his wrist and dig her nails in.

“Matthew! You fool! You can’t leave here, isn’t this all you ever wanted? Aren’t I all you’ve ever wanted?!”

He turned his head to look over his shoulder, seeing Charlotte there again. The blood was still flooding in, but she was perfect. Untouched in a white gown, pale skin crying out for him and eyes begging him. Begging him to stay. He clenched his eyes shut, snatching the doorknob and choking out, salt water spraying with his words

“I….I don’t... Want you anymore...”

And he threw the door open, falling through doorway

Matthew breached the waves, taking in a deep breath. He kicked furiously as the waves tossed him around. He heard distant shouts from the pier near him. He began to swim toward the shore then, struggling against the waves. As he got to the shore, he crawled across the sand, coughing violently and breathing in the air before rolling onto his back.

He stared up at the night sky, catching his breath as he did so. He closed his eyes, a moment and suddenly her scream filled his ears. His eyes snapped open and he shot up, with a start. Exhaling, he pushed himself to his feet and began a long, shameful stroll back to the Marriott. Back to the real world.

He stopped for a moment, feeling the faintest of icy prickles on the back of his neck. He shook his head, deciding not to turn and look at the woman standing waist deep in the raging waves, staring daggers at him. He wouldn’t see her disappear within the flash of lightning.

But at least he’d see tomorrow.

Bert was in Matt’s room, waiting anxiously. He had tried his phone a few times, but got no response. It had shut off about an hour ago. He wanted to believe Matt had just lost track of time with that Levi chick, but it didn’t feel right. He knew Matt wasn’t looking for that kind of entanglement, for one. And even when he was tying on a good one, Knox always answered the phone at least after the third try.

Part of him wanted to head to the pier, but then there was that voice of doubt. The one that said “What if he comes back while you’re out?” that voice was in a shouting contest with the one proclaiming “He’s probably dead in an alley. Or worse, shooting up” Bert shook his head, clearing the voices

He wasn’t an idiot. He knew Matt still fucked around with some things. Hell, they split most of the weed and liquor. The pain pills made him uncomfortable, but he knew Matt had slowed down at least. He hadn’t had those heroin nods since before they flew out to Baltimore ahead of Chaos 93.

“Baby Steps” he murmured to the room, eyes averting to the flat screen streaming Breaking Bad via Netflix. He never got why Matt called him Pinkman.

Suddenly, he heard the latch and then the door open. He stood to face his friend, who’s sizable frame filled the small hallway leading into the suite.

“Jesus Man, where the hell have you been?!” Bert said, walking over at a brisk pace but stopping just short and looking his friend over. He was soaked to the bone, visibly shivering. He looked unharmed otherwise, but his eyes were staring off a million miles away. Getting no response, Bert tried again “Matt! Matt! You okay?”

Matthew seemed to snap out of it, turning his gaze down to his friend. For so long, his only friend. He smiled, reaching a hand out and resting it on Bert’s shoulder

“Never better, Bert. I’m gonna..hop in the shower and turn in. Wake me up when you do. Lets go train, film a promo. All that garbage.” His tone was dreamy, far away. Briefly, Bert thought maybe he had shot up but a quick glance at his arms showed no sign of track marks. And on this pale motherfucker, they would stand out

“Yeah...Yeah, of course Matt. I’m just a door away if you need me, man.” He responded, with a noticeable tinge of hesitation. He felt Matt’s hand squeeze the shoulder

“You always have been” his friend responded, before walking past Bert and heading for the restroom. Bert looked after him until the door was closed. He stood in the room alone once again, but breathed a sigh of relief. He was happy to see his friend make it home alive. It brought back a few unpleasant memories, but he pushed them back into their cellar just as quickly as they threatened to escape.

He turned the TV off then, and walked out of the room into the hallway. He hesitated a moment, before shaking his head and striding up the hallway to his room. He wondered if room service was still open?

In the bathroom, Matthew peeled the wet shirt from his skin revealing the toned, slender form beneath. He winced as the fresh, abused piece on his back screamed in protest of the night’s proceedings. He dropped trou after kicking his shoes, leaning against the sink to support himself as he did so. He kicked the jeans and boxers, both soaked, across the room.

He stepped out of the socks as he trudged toward the shower, turning the hot water on full blast. He stands, leaning against the wall a moment. He peers at the glass shower door, narrowing his eyes as he finds her staring back at him. The steam fills the room in short order, and he pushes the door, and her eyes to the side before stepping into the shower

The water nearly sears him, clashing with the icy cold skin. Once more, the tattoo cried out. He knew he should work to preserve such a beautiful piece, but why should anything on him be perfect when so much else was damaged?

Gradually, he was able to stand and even enjoy the caress of the hot water. He leaned against the wall of the shower, taking in a deep breath of the steam before sliding down. He felt his muscles slowly relax, having been wound up tight from the ocean, and the devil he found in those waters he had spent the past month and a half staring out at. He knew they were calling to him. He just never knew who, not until tonight.

“Bitch..” he uttered

He felt the water run down his back as he leaned forward, bringing his knees to his chest. Making himself as small as possible. Adrienne’s words hovered around in his head. That searing question, one he hadn’t considered. Couldn’t consider.

Does beating them change anything? And what about the after?

His purpose may well be his undoing. He bit back at the bitterness that rose with the bile in his stomach. He couldn’t tell her, not the whole truth. His world, his world was this. Because it had to be this. He needed a mission, a structure, a goal. All the other noise, the outside world. Relationships, Family...He had killed that part of him.

Matthew Knox died in 2008. He was The Raven now, and that’s all he could ever let himself be. Matthew Knox abandoned his family, and went to live in solitude. Bert found The Raven among the bones left behind. Hope, Ivy..they were the last light of that life left. The only thing that tugged at the deepest part of him. The only thing that made him want to try.

But he knew, he knew now he was too late. Too late to be a father. A father like Hugh was to him. That ship sailed, he saw the empty dock in Hope’s eyes when she invited him to watch her wrestle. He saw it in the way Ivy would never look him in the eye. He was a stranger to his only blood daughter, and a failure to the daughter he chose.

This war with Thor? It was his last swing. Maybe, if they saw how cruel he was. The extremes he’d go to to crush those who slighted him...maybe it would shatter their image of their Grandfather. Maybe it would make them question everything about Insidious, about Astryd, Sujir, and the whole set up.

He felt a lump in his throat as he thought of Hope and Ivy. Sisters who looked so different. Ivy was all her mother, except for little things. Her jawline, the wave in her hair. The intensity of her stare was all him. He missed her birth, and every birthday. Every time he saw her, she was at another stage of life. An infant, then a toddler, then a child, now a young teenager. Reserved, quiet, calculating. Her voice was….

Her voice was…

With a choked sob, he realized in that moment he didn’t know what her voice sounded like. His own flesh and blood. His only child.

He looked up toward the ceiling, mouth agape as a wailing sob escaped him

Matthew Knox was a failure of a father, no doubt. Vegas, Thor, all of them were right about Matthew Knox.

But The Raven? The Raven had to be better. He was better. He could right this, the best it could be..

He took in a shaky breath, turning to face the shower door only to see her staring at him still. Suddenly, the pain and the sorrow started to boil with rage. “You aren’t there..” he breathed, then bellowed “You aren’t there!!” and drawing his elbow back, he drove it as hard as he could into the shower door, knocking it from it’s hinges and causing it to fall, and shatter across the tile.

He sat there silently, as the water continued to pour down on him. He stared up at the shower head, before reaching forth and cutting the water off. He pushed himself to his feet, leaning out to grab a towel and drop it over the glass. He stepped as lightly as he could onto it. Heel, to toe. Heel, to toe. He stood staring around the room, snatching a second towel and slinging it over his shoulder

Alone, again. Not even with the ghosts. He caught his reflection, and turned away. His face twisting as another sob clawed at his throat to be released

“Insidious”

The camera cut on, revealing a rested Matt Knox seated in a stool, staring down the camera. He was dressed in a plain black shirt, a pair of old levis and his ring boots. One side of his face bore his face paint. A long, black glasgow scar reaching up to his ear and a line over the eye.

“Proceeding in a gradual, subtle way but with Harmful Intent. Treacherous, or Crafty” He chuckles, averting his gaze a moment “Not even your god damn name makes sense.” He spits

“Beating a group of people half to death, and constantly interfering or jumping people you got issue with isn’t gradual. Or subtle.” he shook his head, letting out a sigh “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised at the fuck up. Considering how much of a habit you people make of it”

He shifted in the stool, bringing his knees together and resting his forearms on them “Fuck ups like your leader underestimating Adrienne Levi, getting pinned. Fuck ups like losing to a tag team lead by a woman who sells gimmick lessons on twitter. Fuck ups…” He leaned in closer to the camera, his voice dropping an octave “Fuck ups like turning what’s between us into the war it’s become”

He leaned back, a smile cracking his features as he lifts a hand to point at the camera “Because, you see...fucking with me. Making the noise you did, destroying The Family and sticking your nose in everyone’s business as publicly as possible. It’s going to be your undoing. Because I know, I KNOW...you don’t have what it takes to come out on top” His smile broadens as he laughs, turning away from the camera, leaving the unpainted half of his face in the shot

“See, years ago I was aligned with you people. Hell, I was you people. Married to Astryd...you know the damn story by now. And then I disappeared, and what was an odd group of in laws...it evolved into this horseshit, world ruining cancer that I face now at We Are Relentless” He smiled again, half his face still in the shot

“Matthew Knox, Matthew Knox could not defeat Insidious. I tried this past Chaos to strike out and end it before it began. And I was overwhelmed, with ease. Thor took it to me, beat me to a pulp. I still feel those punches, right now as we speak. I would have been a scratch for this match, had Adrienne and Mac not saved my skin..”

He sneers, and slowly turns his head as he speaks “So, I must overcome. And become more. More than Matthew Knox. More than I have ever been.” He turns his head fully in the opposite direction, so now only the painted side is visible “I am The Raven. Upon your door, in the sky stealing fire from the gods, watching the world for the allfather. I am all that it ever was. I am Horror, I am wrath. I am the reckoning you have been BEGGING FOR”

He spat the last words violently, clenching his jaw and shutting his eyes he bowed his head a moment, facing away from the camera before looking up, and staring at it head on. “Aaron, you pissant. You snake wrapped in velvet, you are nothing but a puppet. A goon. I don’t care how highly touted you are, how talented they proclaim you to be. You are nothing. NOTHING to me. You are nowhere near my level. You, nor your wife. Lu Chen, is it?” He laughs out loud then, doubling over

“You are my sister in law, the aunt to my daughters. And here you stand, arm in arm with the people gaslighting them into buying all this horseshit. No doubt, like Aaron and even the third one, you are talented. Hell, outside of a foot in height and a hundred pounds give or take we’re pretty similar. Educated feet and all that.” He rocks back and forth in the stool, looking down at his hands, clasping them together “But it won’t be enough. Nothing can stop me. Not this time..And now, last..and frankly, least. Poppy” He looks up, his smile gone. He stops rocking in the stool

“You are in waters you were never meant to swim in, Mel. You haven’t won anything without the two of them beside you. And now, you won’t even win with them standing shoulder to shoulder with you. Because, not only am I not going to let you beat me...my partners are just BETTER than yours.” He stood then, exhaling and wiping at the air in front of him, as if cleaning away the slate

“Let’s take a moment to talk about implications. See, you three. I know that you’re going to come harder than you ever have thus far in Carnage. Because you know, deep down I know you know that if you fail…” He trailed off, mouth hanging open a moment before twisting into a smile “If you fail, I get my hands on your leader. And there won’t be a damn thing left for him to do to stop me. There’ll be nowhere to run. And when I do get my hands on him, and end his career a decade after it should have ended..”

His face goes sullen, as if he pities them. He speaks in a softer, sympathetic tone “You will be no more”

With that, the camera feed cut to black

“You okay, man?” Bert asked as he set to uploading the promo to Carnage’s website. Matthew stood a few feet away, wiping the makeup from his face. He glanced over to Bert, and paid him a brief nod “Yeah. Just...feeling the intensity, I guess”

“You know, they’ll come around Matt.” Bert suddenly blurt, causing Matthew to tense up and freeze in his motions “You’re a changed guy, clearer than I’ve ever seen you. Hope and Ivy..they’ll come around man. You only get one father, after all.” Matthew glanced at Bert, the sincerity in the younger man’s voice softening his demeanor

“We’ll have to wait and see.”

“Nah man. I know they will. Me and Levi can’t be the only ones who see how good you are, bud”

Bert focused then on tweeting the promo out,attaching hashtags. He didn’t notice his friend walk past him, and out of the warehouse. The opening door was the only thing that snapped him out of it “Matt?” He called, only to be answered by the door closing with a dull, metallic thud. Bert let out a sigh then “Well. That’s not new” He muttered as he got back to work

Outside, the wind caressed his face. He stood under the overhang of the warehouse’s roof and stared out at the falling rain, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. He kept his eyes cast upon the ground as he worked to bury what Bert had said. He couldn’t believe it. Couldn’t allow himself to..

CAW!

He looked up then and across from him, perched upon the fence that surrounded the warehouse was a single Raven. It called once more, it’s head twisting as if listening for something. He stared at it, until it’s head twisted and the Raven’s eyes met.

He smirked, and exhaled the noxious smoke

“Okay.”

Last Edit: Aug 8, 2020 0:00:21 GMT -5 by Matt Knox "The Raven"

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Lasciel/Hudson/Kyuubi Vs. Knox/Levi/Leon Aug 10, 2020 22:50:54 GMT -5 mystifyingoracle, Jon Willis, and 2 more like this

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Post by Deleted on Aug 10, 2020 22:50:54 GMT -5

The rusted blade overhead was just an illusion. However, in the category of things that could not be explained, Adrienne had touched it. She had most definitely felt some surge of energy course through her body as her fingertips grazed against the battered and dented hilt.

It called to her.

Sang her name.

And so it was imperative to seek it out. She had been doing this for years whether she knew it or not. Pushed everyone away with her stubborn insistence that what she had gone through was acceptable.

Out in this fridge wasteland by herself.

Her boots and nearly half of her legs sunk deep into the snow as Adrienne willed herself across a barren plain. With visibility shot, she was far from sure of her whereabouts. Just that she still heard the call. Despite being bundled in heavy parka, insulated pants, wool scarf and hat - she could feel the chill in her bones. The aforementioned boots weren’t any help. Her feet were in immense pain as they seemed to be breaking apart with each step. The pack over her back got heavier with every step.

Already has been through so much but all of that strife seemed to serve no purpose. She had been an object to be used - and eventually discarded. Defying that destiny hadn’t made things any easier.

Adrienne knew she could have stayed. He would have stopped. He would have.

Stumbling forward, she stopped just short from face planting in the expansive tundra. She rolled onto her back, just realizing how out of breath she was. Through the flurries, she could see the sun’s light poking through.

And Adrienne knew the truth of the matter, muttering into the biting cold, “Would have you stopped?”

Getting onto her knees, she looked forward with her hand over her brow to get a better view. In the static, she saw some type of mass in the near distance. Blinking, she wasn’t sure if it was real but whatever it was did not vanish. Feeling a renewed sense of energy, she scrambled to her feet and barrelled through the snow. Larger and larger the object became until she realized it was some sort of outpost. Steel steps wrapped around the corners of a raised platform. The bottom two stair steps were submerged by the snow and she would have missed them if they hadn't made a loud clunk when she stepped on them.

Using the handrail, she turned a sharp right corner that led up to that platform. Right smack down in the building was some type of prefabricated steel paneled room. The wide windows looking out over the land were obscured by a thick layer of ice. Bristling off the accumulated snow with her gloved hands of her parka and pants, she walked around the room slowly. Adrienne noticed the antennas and satellite dishes poking out from a layer of snow on the room. However, they looked to be in a state of disrepair.

Around the final corner, she spotted a metal door with a protruding wheel - not unlike the one someone would see inside a ship. Tentatively placing her hands around the wheel, Adrienne grunted as there was no give. Locked or frozen but probably abandoned anyway …

A little panicked, she peered over the rail back towards where she came from. It wasn’t different in any direction now except the storm was now blowing that way as if it were a sign to just give up.

“No,” she said defiantly. Going back to the door, she shook and rattled the wheel. Put her shoulder into it. Shook it violently, making a huge echoing racket in the meantime.

Nothing.

Except the lock released, the door just going ajar. Adrienne pushed it the rest of the way open, the rusted hinges creaking loudly. Retrieving a flashlight from her pack, she illuminated the interior.

“Yo. Earth to Adrienne.”

Startling, she yelped a little from the sudden appearance of Matt’s friend. She shouldn’t have been. She asked for Matt to join her at the MECU Pavilion to actually talk about some strategy this time. Preferably on a less morase day. However, Matt had become aloof since his latest declaration to end his rival. Opting to answer one of her texts for some help with, “I’ll send Bert.”

And so here he was. Bert had a beanie on despite it being nearly eighty degrees and his hands were thrust deeply into his baggy blue jean pockets. She didn’t know if he was messing with her, but she had one of her shirts on. The one with the flying crossbody. Adrienne wore a We Are Relentless t-shirt two sizes too big for her, leggings, and her New Balances. Those sneakers were starting to get broken in with all of the walking around the piers she’d done in the last three days. She sat back in one of the pavilion’s chairs near the top of the seating chart.

Bert’s arrival had nearly sent her backwards out of the chair. He snickered a little as she sat back upright, shooting a glare at him.

“Birdman said you needed something.”

She continued to glare at him, perhaps a little bothered by an earlier exchange. It was also perhaps a culmination of these sorts of events happening recently. She directly addressed this, “You aren’t Matt’s trainer.”

“Shit, I said that?”

“You did.”

He shrugged his shoulders, remarking to himself more so than her, “Kinda sounded cool. But no, I’m like his…”

Adrienne waved it off, cutting in, “No need to explain. You’re like a confidant. Whether he sees it or not.”

He raised an eyebrow quizzically.

“I just need someone to film,” she moved the conversation on, reaching over the row with her business cell, “and here’s as good a place as any.”

Bert didn’t seem exactly enthused about filming even if he didn’t verbalize.

“There’s a fancy steakhouse near here. I’m going to gorge myself on a meal that you wouldn’t believe. Do me this solid and you’re free to join me.” She paused, considering where the source was from. Fanning out a small stack of twenties, she chuckled lightly, “Right from the deep pockets of Mister Grant.”

Bert McAlroy wasn’t one to pass up a free meal.

“What can I say that hasn’t already been said?”

Bert had framed Adrienne in front of the under construction set of the company’s next supershow. She stood on the steps, balancing herself carefully on the handrail.

“You know about Insidious. I’ll be honest, this isn’t my fight. I mean, the fact that they ruined my first official victory looks real small potatoes compared to what they’re really about. But I am here to support my friend. Nate asked me to look at it from both sides and believe me, I did. I’m sure Matt isn’t very proud of his past,” she trailed off, wanting to be very careful with her words here, “but we all have things we have to atone for. But I can assure you that after much consideration, I don’t believe a word that Natheniel Grant says..”

She moved off the steps and sat down on the end of the nearest row. Bert knelt and filmed over her shoulder.

“Matt was willing to take on three accomplished wrestlers, all by himself, until he was convinced that the infestation of Insidious has unfortunately spread past his personal affairs. Lasciel. Hudson. Kyuubi. None of them say much. And when they do, I’m sorry, they’re not saying much.”

The camera operator could be heard stifling a laugh.

“I’m not trying to make jokes at their expenses. It’s just … why? Why are they even here? Apparently Carnage Wrestling is just one of the many companies Insidious has infected. Nate and his ilk are so convinced that everything they’ve done here has turned this company upside down. I’m just not sure anybody cares. Nobody in charge has really taken notice except to be sort of … annoyed? They’ve all been in this company in some form or another since March. Nathaniel came out and made this bold proclamation about who he is and what he is capable of. Rattled off a long list of goofy nicknames. In the next months, they all preyed on those that fell in between the cracks. Nearly everyone Insidious has dispatched is no longer employed here.”

Shrugging her shoulders, she briefly played devil’s advocate by posing a question, “Is that an indictment on just how dangerous Insidious is? Maybe. Take The Family for example. I didn’t know those people very well. But from the looks of it, they seemed like Insidious’ competition. Offering the same sense of belonging under a different name. And as heartless as this may seem, I’m not sure many people cared that people who seemed just like Insidious were shown the door.”

Bert moved over to the row she was sitting in, filming her profile now as she stared forward.

“If the destruction of The Family was Insidious’ coming out party - then what happened with Matt, Mac, and myself was their reality check.”

And then like a clock, right back around to facing her.

“Forgive me, but I’d like to talk a little about myself. You know, I came here nearly three months ago. I could barely afford my hotel room. Nobody knew who I was. Nobody cared. My first match should have been a message. You don’t belong,” she sniffled a little before continuing, she promised herself to not tear up on camera anymore, “I didn’t accept that. I wanted to stay. To compete. To win. And gosh, getting those victories were super special to me. But then I had a realization. I would trade every victory I’ve had and ever will have to keep this community, this family happy and thriving. Insidious represents a sickness that would tear this company apart. It attracts the wrong sort of people. I feel like I’ve been looking for this place my whole life. Wandering for so long, I’d almost lost hope. But here I am …and I think I’m happier than I’ve ever been even at my worst moments here.”

Unfortunately failing in that, she wiped away at her eyes, before speaking with confidence, “Insidious is the antithesis of what this company represents. They’re so literal about chaos and carnage that they fail to see what we’ve all created. If Insidious just wants to be all about destruction, then well, they don’t belong here.”

The fact this room was a tomb didn’t really surprise Adrienne. The musty odor hit her like a ton of bricks as she stepped over the threshold. Carefully, she wedged her pack in between the door and its frame to prevent it from closing her in. Shining the light around, there wasn’t much to see. An observation post, maybe. In one corner, there was a table with a coffee maker covered in cobwebs. One porcelain mug with a bright red heart on it stood in stalwart contrast to her surroundings.

Along the walls were tall metal filing cabinets. And then facing out to where she came from was a control panel. And probably the source of the smell. Reclining in an office chair was the skeletal remains of someone. Decaying remains of a green jacket hung off the bones in tatters.

The heel of her boot rolled over something cylindrical in nature. On the floor, just below the skeleton’s hand, was a black iron revolver.

“Gosh, I’m sorry.”

Whoever this was, she didn’t want to really explore the reasoning behind this. It was already so lonely out here that any justification seemed tempting as morbid as that seemed.

In the center of this console, there was some type of radio. A big red transmit button with a microphone jutting out as if it were a podium. But all of this stuff was caked in dust and perhaps, this was her sign. Turning towards the door, she resolved to leave this place quickly. Put aside these flights of fantasy and just be happy for what she has.

“Hello?”

Adrienne was hearing things. She swore the speakers on the control panel crackled to like and someone with a mousy voice called out into the room.

“...hello? Is someone there?”

Instead, what she was hearing was very real. The red light flickered.

“...anyone?”

Rushing towards the console, she felt a tinge of guilt as she had to shove the office chair and its occupant out of the way. She pressed the button harder than she probably needed to and replied finally, “Hello!”

Quite a bit time passed as Adrienne hovered over the microphone. Maybe the person on the other side had already left.

“Hi, Adrienne.”

mystifyingoracle
Chaos Wrestlers

Fortune Favors the Bold

Posts: 75

Lasciel/Hudson/Kyuubi Vs. Knox/Levi/Leon Aug 13, 2020 17:35:25 GMT -5 mac and Mitch 'The Broken' Heart like this

Quote

Post by mystifyingoracle on Aug 13, 2020 17:35:25 GMT -5

OOC: Thanks to my partners for all the collaboration! I've been having a lot of fun with this story. Tarot readings done with numbers selected by my opponents. If you would prefer a Wordpress reading format without the colored text, the title for this RP will link you to my account. Good luck, everyone!

The Empress

    “Here’s your cash for the day, Sil. Don’t go spending it all in one place.”

    “Thanks, Leslie. Be in tomorrow!”

    Apprenticeship at the Electric Rose came with certain perks. On top of the pay – which was admittedly sporadic at times – his mentor’s homegrown was absolutely choice. Accompanying the rumpled stack of bills pressed into his palm was a baggie with a few joints of Grandaddy Purple. Giving Leslie, a smiling woman in her mid-fifties with pleasantly craggy features and twinkling blue eyes, a little grin and a wink, he pocketed his spoils and made his way out the door into the mid-April sunlight.

    Olympia was nice this time of year. The cherry blossoms still lingered in the trees, their sweetness mingling with the salt tang coming from the piers where fat, whiskery harbor seals congregated, the sound of buskers on corners playing their guitars or mandolins or even the occasional accordion, and window boxes bursting to life with nasturtiums and marigolds. Grey, dreary Winter melting to reveal the Spring slumbering beneath it. He plucked a cluster of vivid magenta rhododendron blossoms from a bush as he passed by, the sticky sap from it immediately clinging to his hand. Their brightness was worth it – a miniature bouquet of joy.

    Part of his earnings for the day went into a sandwich from the local Subway, (‘Footlong sweet onion chicken teriyaki, toasted, no veggies, cheese, extra mayo please – hey, don’t judge me. And one of those sugar cookies. Thank you.’), before he began the trek home. The hike up 4th Avenue’s hill didn’t feel as arduous in the clement weather – no reason to waste money on bus fare. He made his way past the little mom and pop shops, the Ralph’s and the storage facility to the little RV park across from the lighting company. He’d considered saving up money for a bike, but he wasn’t sure how he’d fit it comfortably in the trailer. Leaving things out at night – even secured, chained up, and partially disassembled – was a dicey prospect. The park advertised itself as drug free, but that didn’t deter non-resident tweakers and their bolt cutters. The weed in his pocket? Honestly, did weed even count as a drug anymore in this state? Snagging the latest packet for his high school correspondence courses from the mailbox, Silvio unlocked the door to the travel trailer, entering as quietly as he could on the off chance she was asleep.

    “Sil..?”

    The voice, soft and reedy, came from the fragile shape curled up in the sleeping space situated at the head of the trailer amid blankets and body pillows.

    Smiling and setting down the food on the kitchenette counter, the tattoo artist crept up toward the bed, settling on its edge and reaching out to take the hand of the frail woman resting there.

    “Hey, mom.”

    “‘Everything happens for a reason’. You ever heard that old adage?”

    Silvio sits on the counter of his tattoo shop, dressed in a black button down, black jeans, and black converse. With his lanky build, he’s almost arachnid in appearance; a bit of, ‘will you walk into my tattoo parlour?’ said the spider to the fly. Behind him where there are usually samples of tattoo flash art hanging on the wall are only framed canvases in solid, unbroken black – a scattered mosaic of midnight promises and lightless thoughts.

    “I fuckin’ hate it. It’s one of the cruelest things you can tell somebody when something bad happens in their lives. That there’s a lesson to be taken from trauma or damage; that you’re stronger after you’ve suffered.”

    He spreads his hands and shakes his head.

    “Bullshit. I hate that idea for a couple of reasons. First off, it lets people who have inflicted suffering off the hook. Y’know, the old, ‘If it wasn’t for me hurting you, you wouldn’t be where you are today.’ No. That’s not how that works.

    “No one is stronger because they suffered. They are stronger in spite of it. Whatever was inside of you that got you through your darkest times has always been there, and whose revelation did not necessitate some horror to be visited upon you. It could have come about even more easily in an environment of love and support.”

    Silvio hops down off of the counter and circles around it into the work area of his parlor, approaching his usual chair and table, his cards already stacked atop it.

    “Another reason that, ‘everything happens for a reason,’ attitude is bullshit is that it not-so-subtly implies that the person going through something terrible somehow deserved it, nothing could have been done, or that there’s a purpose behind their suffering. But y’know what?”

    He takes a seat, black canvases arrayed behind him.

    “Sometimes suffering is just suffering. There’s no purpose, there’s no divine plan, no conspiracy. It’s just bad stuff that happens to you. And I know a lot of people have a problem with that idea. How could something disastrous just happen? There has to be a reason, because then at least there’d be some kind of control.

    “There’s not.”

    Hands settled on the chair’s arm rests, he drums his fingers thoughtfully, taking a deep breath.

    “A phrase I prefer that I think better reflects reality comes from Michelle McNamara. ‘It’s chaos. Be kind.’ There is no great, unknowable machine that you’re a cog in. There’s no big plan. There is no meaning save what we create. And if that’s the case, why not try and be kind to those around us?”

    Sighing, Silvio pauses for a long moment, leaning in to rest his forearms on the table, fingers folded together.

    “I don’t know if the stories about Thor’s illness are true or not. But assuming they are, my heart goes out to the members of Insidious. Losing a parent to a terminal illness isn’t something I’d wish on anyone. I know Thor is a literal father to some of his group’s members and a father figure to others in it. I got my own feelings on the latter, but those can wait.

    “You never get over the loss of a loved one in your life. That’s not how it works. Instead, you learn how to live with their loss; how to integrate that death into your life. It isn’t easy, and it’s not just the passage of time that will make it happen. You have to work at it; have to acknowledge it and find a way to live with it. And some days…someone will smile at you in a certain way or there will be a scent or a song, and the reality of your loved one’s absence will hit you like a slap. But if you put in the work, the sting of it fades, and the next time it comes, you’re better equipped to deal with it.”

    He sits back, eyes briefly distant as if he’s miles away.

    “It’s chaos. Be kind. Now, here’s the thing about that.”

    Looking back to the camera, Silvio’s gaze has hardened, dark eyes bright, brow furrowed.

    “Sometimes to be kind to one person or group is to be inherently unkind to another. For your father figure’s illness and everything that may come along with it, I extend my kindness. For everything else you have done to Carnage?”

    Picking up his deck of cards, Silvio shuffles, ending with a loud snap of them against the wooden tabletop.

    “I’m going to tear you a structurally superfluous new behind.”

    “I brought a little Spring back for you.”

    Perla Leon shifted beneath her blankets, looking to her son with a small smile as he revealed the rhododendron cluster with a little flourish, the brilliant blossoms cheerful in the dim.

    “Tada!”

    “Thank you, baby; they’re beautiful,” she murmured, dark eyes twinkling.

    Her eyebrows and lashes had just started to grow back along with a stubbly shadow of dark hair that now clung to her scalp. Silvio had become an expert at applying eye-liner and brow pencil; something to help her reclaim a little normalcy and feel more confident about going outside where others could see her. The chemotherapy and radiation had stolen years from her; brown skin stretched against the jutting bones of her skull and clavicle.

    “I’ll get them in some water. Got you a sandwich, too. Is the chemo still messing with your taste buds?”

    She nodded, laying back into her bed as Silvio went about taking care of the flowers. “The doctors said it could take a month or two for it to wear off.”

    “Nothing a bit of indica can’t help,” he assured her, plucking one of the joints out of the bag and retrieving his lighter. Crawling back into the bed, he helped her sit up, and placed the joint between his lips. Perla had had a hard time inhaling the smoke directly, and edibles could be too strong or take too long to kick in, so Silvio found another way to help her. Lighting up, he took a long drag, waited for a nod from her, then gently blew the smoke out for her to inhale. He could already feel the dreamy languor moving through his body; skin prickling, thoughts hazy, vibrant colors waiting for him just behind his eyelids. It wasn’t until he saw his mother begin to relax, though, that he ground out the smoldering end of the joint into a nearby ashtray and settled in beside her, taking one of her hands in both of his.

    It was so strange seeing her like this. She’d always been thin, but now the flesh had wasted from her body as a result of the aggressive treatment she’d undergone. He remembered her dark eyebrows, thick lashes, and long, raven’s wing hair; the way her cheeks plumped and her eyes glittered when she smiled. It had all been stolen. For a while he just watched her, the woman she’d been before all of this beaming out at him from behind the withered features she’d been reduced to.

    “…You’re sure,” he said through the fog of calm cast over his mind, “that you don’t want any more treatments? I can take you to the doctor any time. I just have to ask for the day or a few hours off at work – Leslie understands.”

    “I’m sure,” she replied, reaching up to stroke his hair. “They’re not working anymore and I’d rather spend my time with you than sitting in a hospital.”

    “What if they’re wrong? What if they’re just giving up on you?”

    He knew that wasn’t true. Silvio had been to every appointment, seen all the images, read all the literature the doctor gave them. In spite of the mastectomy, the cancer had moved to Perla’s lymph nodes and spread throughout her body. Whatever time they might have had to stop this had long since passed, and the unfairness of it all made his eyes sting. It seemed too cruel – dying of something made of yourself. Some selfish cluster of cells that screamed, ‘me,’ to the detriment of the body that sustained them.

    Why did this have to happen now and not later? Later, when he was older; stronger. When he had more knowledge and more resources; after he’d had a chance to go to college and gotten a good job? Why now when he as a stupid high schooler without power or money? Why couldn’t this have happened later, when he might have been able to save her?

    “Silvio,” she sighed, squeezing the hands holding hers.

    “Please don’t…don’t go. I’m sorry – it’s stupid and selfish, but,” he pleaded, voice faltering, “it’s not fair. I don’t want to be alone.”

    “Is that what you’re afraid of, baby?” Perla said with a small smile, reaching up to run her fingers through his hair.

    “You’re all I’ve got left.”

    “And I’m not going to leave you,” she reassured him, running her thumbs lightly down the crests of his cheekbones. “I’m right here. Even when this body fails me,” she murmured, “my love for you won’t. You see it every time you look in the mirror.” His mother traced a fingertip along the tiny dimple in his chin and the seashell curve of his ear; so like hers. “This is my love for you.” Taking his hand, she pressed her own against his palm; fingers much smaller against his long, slender ones. “Even before we met, I dreamed of you. You are the greatest gift I have ever given myself, and I made you with all the love in my heart. I cannot believe that when I go, that love will go with me.” She cradled his face in both of her hands, one thumb brushing away an errant tear. “Not when it’s right here in front of me with a strong, beating heart and eyes like stars.”

    “Mom…”

    “Let me be selfish for a little while, Silvio. I know I have been and I’m sorry for that, but let me be selfish a while longer. Please.”

    Scrubbing at his face with one hand, he let out a helpless little laugh, heart stinging. “Anything for you.”

    “Anything? Well, I believe Leslie’s gift is doing its job. How about that sandwich?”

    Snorting and laughing again in spite of himself, Silvio sat up and shook his head.

    “Your wish is my command.”

    “What is it about this company that keeps attracting cults?”

    Silvio spreads the cards out before him in an arc on the table, deftly drawing six toward him.

    “I can’t stand them. They prey on vulnerable people and give them the facade of family, exploiting them all the while. Buddy of mine and I dealt with one a few weeks back. Apparently y’all got pissed off about them stepping in on the little Jonestown-y niche you’ve carved out in this company, so after half of their members were already beaten, you decided to jump them and show off your collection of bondage paraphernalia.”

    He gives an exaggerated shrug.

    “Could work on the whole, ‘safe, sane, and consensual,’ bit, but that’s neither here nor there. Thankfully, you didn’t do it while Kohaku and I were still in the ring and saved yourselves from a solid-gold ass whoopin’. That was a smart move. Interfering with Adrienne’s match? Her first victory here at Carnage?”

    Drawing in a hissing breath through his teeth and looking up at the camera, he shakes his head with a smirk and a raised brow, pity in his dark eyes.

    “To paraphrase a too-clever Sicilian: You fell for one of the classic blunders! The most famous of which is, ‘never get involved in a hot dog eating competition with Zane King,’ but only slightly less well-known is this: Never mess with Silvio Leon’s friends.

    “When I caught wind of what the WAR card was going to be, I wasn’t too keen on the two-to-three ratio. Granted, you folks don’t look like much of a threat. You’ve got AFH, a guy who could be the poster boy for bum-chugging, and Poppy, a lady who looks like what would happen if a washed-up YouTuber got possessed by a Spirit Halloween store. And then there’s Kyuubi, a woman with a ring entrance and persona so breathtakingly culturally appropriative and stereotypical, I’m shocked she doesn’t demand that they use a gong instead of a ring bell for her matches. If you wanted to be taken seriously, maybe instead of throwing a temper tantrum, you could have hired a competent stylist and Japanese language and culture consultant.

    “Regardless, you’ve got years of experience working in your favor, and shown time and again you’re not above fighting dirty. You are undeniably dangerous, so I offered my services. Since Knox and Adrienne have agreed to let me join them, I imagine there’s some consternation back at the Insidious camp. I mean, now you’re opposite a woman who just beat your patriarch and took his lunch money, a former world champ you’ve got bad blood with who is madder than a bastard on Father’s Day, and me – a high-flying upstart who has successfully adapted to every type of match, partner, and opponent thrown at him so far. Gotta wonder,” he muses, plucking the first card from the spread, “how that makes you feel.”

    Flipping over the card reveals a woman dressed in blue, a diadem on her head, seated between black and white pillars.

    “The High Priestess. You feel like you have some deep, inner wisdom to share.” Rolling his eyes, he snorts derisively before looking at the camera again. “The whole, ‘we’re going to bring out everyone’s inner villain so they can understand themselves better,’ schtick, right?”

    The next card he turns over shows a skeletal knight astride a white horse, holding aloft a black banner emblazoned with a white rose.

    “Right,” he laughs, tapping the card. “Because it looks like what you want is change. That’s what the Death card means in this place. You claim you want to change all the wrestlers here into dark, twisted versions of themselves for their own good. You know why I think you want that so much? I think you want to try and prove that everyone is just as rotten on the inside as you all are so you don’t have to feel guilty about the heinous stuff you do. Give them a hard time here at Carnage, and hope somehow they’ll be looking at themselves through a mirror darkly. Well, I got news for you guys. If a few bad days at work cause you to completely abandon your principles and plunge irrevocably into mustache-twirling villainy, you probably weren’t a great person to begin with. So, what do people who supposedly revel in the dark side fear?”

    The illustration on the third card Silvio turns over is of a crowned man in red and green robes seated on a stone chair. In one hand, he holds a scale, and in the other a sword.

  “Justice.” Smirking, he looks at the camera, shaking his head. Leaning forward, his voice drops into a soft, velvety tone as if confiding with the viewer. “I think you all know what you’ve started and how you started it wasn’t right; wasn’t just. And maybe, you thought, there’s going to be some retribution for it.” Leaning back and spreading his arms, he says, “You’re definitely not wrong. You challenged the entire roster to, ‘bring it,’ and I gotta wonder if you really considered what the consequences would entail when, ‘it,’ was finally, ‘brought.’”

    Turning over the fourth card shows a young man dressed in a blue tunic and red leggings hung by one ankle from a tree branch.

    “This is what you have going for you – the Hanged Man. This is interesting, because this card represents limbo and indecision; a transitional period. You know what I think this is?” He looks at the camera again, holding the card up with one hand and gesturing to it with the other. “I think this is your out. All this Insidious stuff at Carnage is just starting, but you don’t have to keep going with it. Leave. Get out now. Maybe you’ll still take your knocks at WAR, and Hell – you might even win. But that could be the last of it. None of this has really genuinely taken root here yet. Take advantage of that before the sunk cost fallacy really begins getting to you. So, if the nebulous nature of this point in time is what’s working in your favor, what do you have going against you?”

    The penultimate card to be turned over shows a child crowned in flowers riding a white horse, a sun shining above with a serene expression.

    “Owch. The Sun. Joy, fulfillment, good fortune. Now,” he muses, tapping the card, “there’s a couple ways we can interpret this. This could mean that any success for you is going to be delayed. Not a great portent for you at WAR. Both my partners and I have had a string of victories in our past few matches. Winning isn’t everything, but it does boost morale. Maybe the confidence that comes with our recent successes will be the thing to put us over the top. In my past couple of readings, this card keeps coming up for me – kinda becoming a personal totem. If that’s the case,” Silvio chuckles, looking to the camera, “maybe I’m going to be an especially nasty thorn in your side. Let’s see how this ends for Insidious.”

    Flipping the last card over shows its illustration to be of an old man in grey robes, a snowy beard trailing from his face. In one hand he holds a staff, and in the other, he holds aloft a shining lantern.

    “The Hermit. This is going to end with you three needing to do a little introspection and reflection on your actions. I’d say after your match with Adrienne, Knox, and me at WAR, you’d do well to think about aligning yourself with a guy who, as far as I can see, is training up some kind of child wrestler army.”

    The last words are spoken with a note of steel typically absent from Silvio’s voice, his eyes hard and bright, posture rigid.

    “Came across some real interesting items in my research. Before you go telling people how they’re secretly evil and need to embrace it, how’s about you have a long, difficult conversation with yourself about how okay you seem to be with indoctrinating children? What the fuck is wrong with you? It’s one thing to convince an adult wrestler to do a few more chair shots or low blows or some other nasty shit in the ring; embrace their evil side, or whatever stupid, edgy, grim-dark bullshit you’re peddling. It’s another entirely to take a bunch of kids – two of whom are Knox’s – and indoctrinate them into your weird ass cult. I don’t care if Thor’s your blood-related, lawful, or surrogate father. How was, ‘brainwashing kids,’ not a deal-breaker for you three? If Matt, Adrienne, and I can show your congregation just how fallible and fragile you all really are, and maybe convince some of them to leave, I see that as a lot more important than adding to our, ‘win,’ column. You do not mess with kids.”

    Taking a deep breath, his frame relaxes, and he sweeps the cards back up into his hands, shuffling them as he attempts to calm himself.

    “So, all this said, how are my partners and I going to do in this match up?”

    Spreading the cards out again in one smooth motion, he considers briefly before drawing a card toward himself and flipping it over. The illustration is of a crowned man with a stern expression seated on a stone throne adorned with carved ram’s heads. He is dressed in red robes and holds a scepter in one hand, a golden orb in the other. Silvio grins, picking up the card between his fore and middle fingers.

    “The Emperor. Stability, power, realization. I’d say this bodes pretty well for our trio.”

    Kissing the card and flicking it at the camera, Silvio’s voice continues as the scene fades to black.

    “See you at WAR, folks.”

Last Edit: Aug 13, 2020 17:48:59 GMT -5 by mystifyingoracle

Jakobi Cervantes/Poppy
Inactive

Posts: 3

Lasciel/Hudson/Kyuubi Vs. Knox/Levi/Leon Aug 16, 2020 22:17:38 GMT -5

Quote

Post by Jakobi Cervantes/Poppy on Aug 16, 2020 22:17:38 GMT -5

Mel opened the front door of her house and let her visitor in, with a characteristic level of high energy she hugged them and laughed as the old friend made small talk, once the front door was closed she locked it behind them and sighed.

” I swear Sapphire high end living is overrated with the amount of practice you get refining your acting talents just pretending to keep up with their silliness. The wrestling world is only slightly better...I’m sure you remember what I’m talking about, right?” Mel said in exasperation as she turned to face Sapphire while the two continued into the stark white and black contrast of Mel’s living room. Once they’d made it to the living room Sapphire took a seat on one of the large arm chairs and laughed as she replied.

”Mel, I go by Serenity now, I’m not in the old line of work these days. Haven’t wrestled in almost a decade either.Not since we did that whole mask bit, which I still have to wonder about agreeing to that…So what did you call me over for so randomly, and why at the ranch?” Sapphire explained briefly, before closing with the very sarcastic question.

Mel sighed heavily yet again and gave a brief laugh as she walked straight through the living room and into her open forum kitchen.As she passed through the arch that separated the two rooms she paused her laughing and answered her old friend.

”Okay, Serenity, egh that feels weird to say, So I did call you kind of randomly without any real explanation, sorry. Call it an over reaction. Just feel kind of overwhelmed with Lyle appearing out of nowhere and taking more fresh beatings in the ring since I got back into wrestling with Uncle Thor. I’m assuming it was a craving for something familiar, if it was an inconvenience…” Mel cut herself off, opening her freezer she removed a large bottle of rum and a small container of ice. Closing the freezer she chuckled.

” It’s nothing but catching up alright? You still like Rum right?” Mel Told Serenity, quietly removing two glasses from a cabinet opposite the fridge as she facetiously asked about her friend’s drinking preferences.

Serenity laughed and turned away from her phone to regard Mel as she reentered the living room. Serenity quickly stood up and moved to help Mel carry the bottle, ice bucket and glasses less hazardously, taking one of the thick squat drinking glasses in each hand she finally replied to Mel’s question.

”Just like you used to say, I must have a pirate for a past life, cause you know I love good rum. So How long ago did short shit get a hold of you, how long has he been making himself a hassle?” Serenity replied, following up curtly with her own questions. Mel laughed again though much more naturally, as she took a seat opposite her old friend. Giving herself a moment to think it over she smiled and replied at last.

”I’d say it’s been about ten months now, give or take a month, He sent me one of those creep tastic text messages, joking around trying to see if I could guess it was him, then when I got him to give and tell me it was him, he goes feral on me and brings up Malcolm, no lead in no build up, just hammers it home. He has my son and he has my number… Somehow.” Mel elaborated briefly, her body language becoming extremely emphatic as she spoke, when she had finished explaining she sighed heavily once again and fell back into her arm chair exasperatedly. With the iced rum bottle resting on the dark glass coffee table Serenity leaned forward and picked it up, scooping ice from the small bucket with one of the glasses she quietly poured the rum in the ice filled glass and handed it to Mel before repeating the process with the second glass and smiling at Mel.

Taking a light drink from the glass Serenity gave her own light sigh, and a chuckle before replying.

”So it isn’t even really king short shit then, It’s that he’s got Malcolm? That’s what’s really got you so wound up? Well I know how that feels I’ve got my girls, and I’d be pretty stressed out if their father was in charge of them…” Serenity surmised before questioning. Her own train of thought closing on her own children. Before she could start to ramble her comparison’s of her daughters to Mel’s son Malcolm, Mel cut her off.

”It’s not even that, it’s more about how much I worry about Malcolm seeing me like I used to see my own Mother. Mistakes of the past in a different light, you might call it. As much time as Lyle has no doubt spent showing Malcolm why the way I used to live is crazy and turning him against me, that's just Lyle being petty little Lyle. Kind of like… If you have a Self Righteous Heel, you can’t expect them not to try and sneak attack you, and probably do it while singing your praises the whole time. It’s kind of in the nature of the thing.” Mel explained as she’d cut her friends' thoughts short, correcting Serenity’s mistakes and doing a fair share of respectful insulting Lyle in the process. As she took a long quiet drink from her glass she smiled and continued.

”Hahaha, sorry if all the wrestling talk is a bit out of place, I’m just taking notice of some odd similarities between my private life and professional life I guess. Or it’s a nice refuge from the regular variety of crazy I deal with. Like, my paranoia about losing touch with Malcolm, got me thinking. I put up with some crazy shit at work. Perfect example. I lost my last match because I didn’t snap up the newbie first. When it comes down to it, It was supposed to be a straight forward simple match against that beat up “returning veteran” Knox… Then top brass decides, no no that’s not gonna get the views, let’s throw in the mystery roulette winner we just signed on this week. And of course, the newcomer got wrapped up in no time flat, while I was still recovering… Thinking back for the life of me, I cannot remember the third guys gimmick… Not even a vague theme is coming to mind. But look at me, rambling like those girls we used to crack so many jokes on.” Mel rambled to Serenity, drawing brief or simple comparisons and judgements before she cut herself short with a chuckle sipping from her rum glass and covering her broadly smiling face with her free hand.

Serenity listened to Mel and took several brief sips from her rum before setting it down on the large glass coffee table and started laughing back at her friend before replying between slightly pitchy chuckles.

”Another Old horse new tricks gimmick huh? That is a classic at this point isn’t it, actually… Well would it be antique at this point maybe? It doesn’t matter, it really doesn’t… Uh, as far as not remembering that newbie’s gimmick, it happens alot, like your dad says. “You’re all New and Fresh at some point in this line of work”.its simple clean understanding when it comes to dealing with people fresh on your scene when you work in wrestling. Decade out of experience or not, I hold on to the practice and training.Advice from your uncle and your dad is a fair part of that training what with the practice for that whole mask thing… Oh, oh that does remind me, Lisa back at The Nest said they put you up against the failing veteran guy Knox again?”

Mel left her hand covering the smile spread across her pale face, chuckling at several points as she patiently listened, as if on cue, when Serenity had finished speaking,Mel took a long drink from her rum and let out a heavy breath, with a tight breath in she replied at length.

”I’d rather not talk about the upcoming match, these mook’s don’t even really know what’s going on, they’re all taking what we give them at face value just like Boss man said they would. I mean Even Knox, who actually has a fair understanding of how my uncle thinks, hasn’t seen past the surface level of this Insidious thing.He showed that when he and Thor let loose after my match I lost thanks to the new guy… Yeah they just let loose, I can’t say who won either. It's just what Uncle Thor said it would be. It’s almost chilling how right he’s turning out to be with this whole pet project. But what have you been up to since you still went by Sapphire, I want to know everything!” Mel explained to Serenity, speaking very animatedly as she briefly touched on the beatdown that had followed her unfortunate three way match only a few days prior, and its connection to the unspoken ulterior motives of her fed stable since her return to wrestling.

By the time she had come to her energetic but conclusive exclamation Serenity had sat back in her chair and taken a much more relaxed posture, looking at Mel with a slightly tilted head and modest smile, ”No no, not just yet Mel, we still got something to cover, I can feel it… There’s something you’re not saying. I know how you act when you’re hiding something. So spill it. Just get that shit out there.No worries.

Serenity denied the questioning exclamation and redirected the conversation back on her old friend, Serenity’s Sharp blue eyes staring Mel down the whole time. When Mel took notice of Serenity’s piercing stare she sigh with a dramatic flailing of her arms, before patting her knees and muttering ”Fine. But give me a minute okay,,,”

Mel quickly retorted after her dramatic gesture before setting her glass down and fiddling with the denim of her jeans. After several seconds of awkward silence she coughed to clear her throat and finally explained.

”So I managed to get Lyle to agree to let me keep Malcolm for a three day weekend, I don’t really know how, I just know Thor called Lyle after his last message and then Lyle is leaving me multiple messages about how I can take my son for holidays and weekends. Starting this weekend… Anyway I’ve got him downstairs in the training room in a call with Thor’s daughter I think, Isabella… Remember what I said about being compared to my nutter of a mother, well would you care to guess how my father claims he met my mother?” Mel vented to her blue eyed friend Serenity, as Mel sat back in her chair again she rubbed her thumbs against each other nervously.Serenity leaned forward and grasped Mel’s hands in hers,

”You keep worrying about what was and you are just bound to ruin what is. Sure as anything in life Mel.Seriously Girly, don’t worry about being your crazy mother okay… You and I both know what that damn test back in 2015 said. It was worth every damn penny if you ask me...Especially the legal stuff.” Serenity cut herself short with a sharp pitched laugh and equally sharp giggle.

Mel let out yet another heavy sigh and smiled. She shifted herself in her seat and looked at Serenity with a sideways somewhat sheepish glance as she quietly spoke.

”You sure I couldn’t convince you to come back to wrestling maybe? Maybe if I could set it up for you to just show up when we do a tag team match maybe? Hahahaha, lots of maybes?” As she spoke Mel had turn her head just slightly and shifted in her seat as she comically repeated saying maybe as she pleaded with Serenity.

Finally tired of Mel’s childishly erratic behavior, Serenity reached behind herself and removed the pillow and prepared to throw it at Mel.

”That's enough of that pink, pinky, uh, um, Poppy!” Mel turned her head after hearing her in- ring name just in time for the small round white pillow struck her in the face.

~`~`~Scene End~`~`~

Sah'ta Thor/Insidious
Inactive

Posts: 51

Lasciel/Hudson/Kyuubi Vs. Knox/Levi/Leon Aug 16, 2020 22:58:19 GMT -5

Quote

Post by Sah'ta Thor/Insidious on Aug 16, 2020 22:58:19 GMT -5

Plans within Plans

Imperial Enterprises Baltimore House

Baltimore, MD, USA
August 11, 2020
4:00 PM EDT

It had been several hours since Aaron had watched his father-in-law burn the pair of tables. Aaron had held the phone as Nathaniel had delivered his message for We Are Relentless. Yet, the whole time Aaron couldn't help but wonder if what was happening was the right thing. Sure he understood what was happening to his mentor but Aaron wondered how long it would before mistakes started to occur. However, that wasn't the only thing that was on his mind. In fact, We Are Relentless was taking up a major part of current thoughts. There were some many unknowns going into the event that Aaron slightly concerned.

It wasn't to the point of breaking his resolve but Aaron had to admit that maybe the plans that had been originally made would need to be adjusted. Which meant he had a conversation to have. With that in mind he was walking through the crowd of family and friends looking for his wife. After a few minutes he finds her talking to a couple of women who worked for the local Imperial Enterprises chapter.

"Excuse me ladies, might I borrow my wife for a quick word?"

The request was made politely as Aaron stands far enough away to not overhear any that had been spoken between the women. Kyuubi excuses herself from the group with assurances that she would be back quickly. Kyuubi walks over to Aaron with a slight frown on her lips before stopping next to him. In a quiet voice she speaks.

"What is it Aaron? You look concerned."

In an equally quiet voice Aaron replies with a thoughtful frown on his face.

"Lu I am worried about Pops. I don't know what is on his mind but he seemed rather upset about something. I have to wonder if we will need to speed up our plans or not."

Aaron falls silent as he lets his wife contemplate the implications of what was being said.

"I know it is a possibility but let's make sure everything is fully prepared before we do what we both know is going to happen. I want to enjoy the rest of this party before we get to work. After all, once we do this there will be no turning back. We both know that the fallout will be staggering."

"You are right Love but you know the longer we wait the tougher it will be to do what we have to do."

Lu Chen nods in agreement before pulling Aaron in for a kiss. When the kiss ends she heads back to her conversation as Aaron goes to mingle with the gathered crowd.

Business Dealings

Unknown Warehouse
Baltimore, MD, USA
August 11, 2020
11 PM EDT

It was dark and quiet when a dark car came to a stop in front of what looks to be a warehouse near the docks. The back door opens and a man in a suit exits the car. After a moment the man is revealed to be none other than Aaron Frederick Hudson. Once he was on his feet and the door to the car was closed he walked towards the warehouse with a purposeful stride. Meanwhile, the car pulls away to create the sense that no one was there.

Aaron gets to the warehouse down and reaches into his pocket to pull out a key ring. Finding the right key has him soon inside the warehouse. Once inside he relocks the door and turns to look over the stacks of crates and barrels that filled most of the space. Yet, it was the table in the center of the large space that drew his attention. Or rather the men and women who were waiting for him there.

This was after all, a meeting that had been pre-arranged and as such had certain obligations. It appeared as if Aaron was the last to arrive, which could send mixed messages to his associates. Aaron walks from the door to the table taking his place with an air of self confidence.

"I hope my late arrival doesn't come as an insult. I had to wait until I could get away undetected. I am sure you can understand the need to keep this meeting quiet.

There is a nod of acknowledgement as each of the others offer varying degrees of acceptance to Aaron's words. They all knew that to get upset over such a minor issue wouldn't serve any of them. Besides, the group had a long history of working together over the years. Once Aaron was settled the meeting opened up and eight men and women around the table got down to business.

~*~*~*~*~

An hour or so later finds the meeting over and most of the attendees gone. Yet, Aaron and one other man remained behind. The man was none other than his brother-in-law Miles Yamato. Miles was Lu Chen's twin brother.

"You seem distracted Aaron. Maybe I can offer some brotherly advice.

Aaron looks at his brother-in-law and takes a deep breath.

"Miles you know that your father is dying and there is nothing that will stop that from happening. I know aren't as angry as your sister still is with him, but things about to happen that have to for everyone's sake. I am not ready to lose him Miles. You know what Lu Chen and I have always intended but now I am don't know if it is the right path."

"I know that my sister still has a great deal of anger but I know it is misplaced. I just caution that you don't do anything you will regret. I know you have to look to the future but don't let that ruin what you have now."

Miles finishes speaking as he looks over at Aaron thoughtfully. He knew that the plan his sister had formulated would require is his help. In fact, his aid for the plan would only take only a word to be brought into play.

"I know Miles but this isn't easy for me. I need to let you sister get out her rage before it consumes her. You know how she can get and she needs what is to come if only so she doesn't carry it to her grave. In fact, do you think you can have some of you agents ready this weekend?"

"Don't worry little brother everything will be ready. All you need to do is be ready. Tell my sister that I love her and will be in town until next week."

With that Miles gets up from his seat and gives Aaron a respectful nod. Aaron returns it and watches as Miles walks off. As he sits there Aaron can't help but feel a bit trapped as he reflects on what ramifications of the plan he had set in motion would be. After a few minutes he gets up and walks towards the door having finished his business for the night.

Ashes Remain

Imperial Enterprises Baltimore House

Baltimore, MD, USA
August 14, 2020
2:00 PM EDT

It had been several days since the impromptu bar-be-que and subsequent destruction of a pair of barbed wire wrapped tables. Aaron and Lu Chen were at the moment standing near the ashes and debris that remained behind. Aaron had watched the tables burn and heard the words that his father-in-law had spoken then. He wondered what he could say to address his own match at the upcoming We Are Relentless event. With a nod to Lu Chen Aaron kneels by the pile of ashes as she brings up her phone to start recording what was about to be done and said.

"Greetings Legion faithful. I know I am probably one the people that you are the least likely to want to see. After all, I am part of the "evil" Insidious. Yet, I have to wonder at your hatred. I have to marvel at the disdain and contempt that is shown by the roster and fan base alike. I have seen who you cheer for on a week to week basis and I am left confused. I am left wondering if your hatred towards Insidious is based on anything even remotely resembling logic. Or have you all fallen under the sway of the words of Matthew Knox? A man who from the moment he stepped in foot into this company has been on a warpath against my father-in-law."

Aaron reaches into the pile of ash and debris and pulls out a length of charred barbed wire.

"I am confused on how Insidious has become public enemy number one around Carnage Wrestling. Oh I get the fact that war declared after my father-in-law got fed up with how we were being treated like a joke. Don't get me wrong, I understand that setting people off against us. However, I have to wonder why our actions afterwards have turned Insidious into being labeled as the company evil. Yet, I wonder Legion, do you actually understand how this all started? Do you really understand that Insidious didn't fire the first shot in what has quickly become a polarizing war in Carnage?

I wonder if you even care about such things. After all, it is much easier to have others tell you what to think and feel. But I am going to pull back the curtain and tell you when this started. Atleast where it started for me. It was Underground Redemption when the Kit-Kat Connection stole the victory. Sure Kyuubi and I may have instigated that whole match with our sneak attack but let's face it who else would the champs have faced. However, it wasn't just the loss that set my blood boiling, it was the way the beloved commentary team treated us like we were jokes. From Tera's constant bias against us to Johnny's constant disregard to getting Kyuubi's name right. Each one a small thing that I was able to put said since it didn't matter in the long run."

There is a pause as Aaron tosses the barbed wire in his hand down to one side. As he does this he licks his lips and starts to grin in amusement.

"I know that many people consider what Insidious did to The Family was overkill. To be honest it probably was but let me explain a few things to you. The Family came in hyping themselves up as a cult under the leadership of Brandon "The Father" Marshall. Let that sink in for a moment, these guys were a self proclaimed cult and they got better initial treatment that Insidious did. With that being said let's look at what happened at the end of Chaos 94. It was the Insidious vs The Family in a three on three matchup. Insidious got the win but the Family jumped us in a four on three brawl. A brawl that saw the involvement of my father and the unlikely assistance of Matt Knox to end. You see, Insidious didn't start the issue with The Family, they lost and couldn't handle it.

However, that wasn't the end of the tale was it? Now we move forward to Chaos 95 where Insidious came out to watch the tag team match between the team of Knox and Levi versus Winters and Matthews. Poppy, Kyuubi and I had no intention of sparking off anything in the moment. Yet, it was clear that Knox wanted a fight. After all, it was Knox who spit on me for no reason. I ask you all what would you have done if you had been the one spit on? I lost my temper at the show of outright contempt towards me. What happened after the match was the result of Knox's actions catching up to him. Though we all know that Insidious is at fault here. That point has been made plenty evident by those who are supporting Knox."

Aaron reaches out a hand and grabs a handful of ashes which he then lets trickle out of his hand.

"Of course, what Insidious did to the Family following their loss to Team Starfox has been used to highlight our inherent evil. What happened to them was a useful lesson in cause and effect. They jumped us and we took them out. Now the intention was never to sideline them but what is done is done. Yet, here we have Knox coming out running his mouth which is why we are having a team match at We Are War. I will let go back and watch the details of that but the long and short of it is that Knox thinks Insidious is nothing more than a cult under the leadership of my father-in-law. A sentiment that I know has spread far and wide in the Carnage locker room as well as among Legion at home. I could stand here and try and explain the multiple reasons why that assumption is wrong but I know it wouldn't matter or change anything.

No, the thing is that as we saw on Chaos 96 Matt Knox has issues with the man who is my father-in-law. Issues that have spread to encompass everyone around them. I get why Levi is against Insidious as she is Matt's project. I get the loyalty there and respect it for what it is. We are different people who run in different circles. No what gets me is that Leon has become embroiled in this conflagration. I guess Matt or maybe Levi went and asked for help and Leon agreed to the plan. Or who knows maybe Leon who made the offer. In the end it doesn't matter how it came about but in a few short days Insidious will go to war against the team of Knox, Levi and Leon. It is a match that in my opinion is strictly business.

To be completely honest, I have nothing against any or my opponents. However, that doesn't mean Insidious will take it lightly on any of you in the ring. Oh, quite the contrary as each of us knows that you are coming in to We Are Relentless to destroy us. I know you probably don't understand this as to the Legion these three are your heroes while Insidious is the enemy but open your eyes. Learn to see beyond what they want you to see. Remember this dear Legion, Insidious has openly declared its intention to unlock the darkness inside over others. Unlike those who suppress that side of themselves we all embrace it and openly acknowledge that it exists. In the end you will all see that even if we lose the match at We Are Relentless that even in defeat We Are Insidious."

With those words Aaron stands back up and flashes a malivant smile as Lu Chen ends the recording.

Last Edit: Aug 16, 2020 23:00:33 GMT -5 by Sah'ta Thor/Insidious

Act of Defiance 2021

Lasciel/Hudson/Kyuubi Vs. Knox/Levi/Leon

Post by Webmistress Barbie on Aug 6, 2020 2:51:15 GMT -5

Post by Matt Knox "The Raven" on Aug 7, 2020 3:36:25 GMT -5

Post by Deleted on Aug 10, 2020 22:50:54 GMT -5

Post by mystifyingoracle on Aug 13, 2020 17:35:25 GMT -5

Post by Jakobi Cervantes/Poppy on Aug 16, 2020 22:17:38 GMT -5

Post by Sah'ta Thor/Insidious on Aug 16, 2020 22:58:19 GMT -5