Adrienne Levi/The Dragon Lady Vs. Eli Goode/Steve Matthews

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Webmistress Barbie
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Posts: 221

Adrienne Levi/The Dragon Lady Vs. Eli Goode/Steve Matthews Sept 4, 2020 18:00:12 GMT -5

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Post by Webmistress Barbie on Sept 4, 2020 18:00:12 GMT -5

Tag Team Match!
Standard Rules!
Winning Team moves on to face each other at Chaos 100 for the Vacated Baltimore City Championship!
Losing Team moves on to face each other at Chaos 99 for a chance at the Chaos Championship at Chaos 100!

2 RP Limit (Per Team. 1 Per member. BEST RP from each team will be used for Judging!)
4000 Word Limit

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

Deadline: Sunday, September 13th, 2020 at 11:59pm Eastern

Good Luck!

thedragonlady
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Posts: 20

Adrienne Levi/The Dragon Lady Vs. Eli Goode/Steve Matthews Sept 5, 2020 19:29:44 GMT -5 mystifyingoracle, Steve Matthews, and 2 more like this

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Post by thedragonlady on Sept 5, 2020 19:29:44 GMT -5

Insecurities

Some time ago...

After mom died. After the funeral, while I still tried to process mom was gone, I remember sitting there under a table in a little black dress with a white bow wrapped just under my chest bone. The house was silent for the most part. Besides the little noises Frank made walking from his chair to the fridge to grab another beer every so often.

I could barely speak English at the time. It's not like mom or I planned for this… separation. This permanent separation. My heart began to hurt. I began to feel alone...

I didn't know who or what to blame, but mom was gone. And too often I spent under that table. Sometimes with my hands over my ears and my eyes closed for I didn't want to see or hear the things that happened in Frank's house. They were things I would rather not know of.

The house is simple enough. A one story home. I had ventured only to the living space and the kitchen. The living space had a love seat and another couch there that could seat at least three. An old fashioned television sat there on a little table with antennas on the back.

The kitchen held the table I hid under as well as four chairs. A couple did not match the makings of the table. The counters were clear, but the sink held dishes that piled high, beyond the eye could see.

Frank had lasted the day being sober. A world record for his kind. The kind that went to sleep drunk and woke up drunk too. But once the sun went down a different sort of story happened. I remember sitting there under the kitchen table. Empty bottles of beer sat atop the old chipped wood. And Frank sat in one of the old chairs that didn't even match the wood table I hid under. The tie around his neck is pulled loosely. The top button of his white dress shirt is unbuttoned.

He kept bending his head down, peeking under the table at me, unsure of what to say as he held a bottle of beer in his hand. He didn't even know how he should say it. He knew I didn't speak much English yet and now I was his problem. And the booze let the true feelings and words that came to mind come out of his drunk mouth. I firmly believe to this day, booze let's the secrets come out of people's mouths. It's why I rarely drink. To be that vulnerable? It's unfathomable,

He peeked under the table, an eyebrow raised as he looked at me like a puzzle. I gave him an equally puzzling look. "Th- there were plenshy of people that showed up tosay." A short pause happened then. "To your mom's funeralsss." He slurred. "But not one… not one of them's your mom trusted more than me?" he scoffed pointing an accusing finger at me. As if it were my fault. He is unable to see mom gave him a chance to have me in his life. And I am unable to see mom gave me a chance to know my real father.

His head left from under the table and I heard the sound of a long gulp as he downed and finished his beer. "I don'ts know whats she sssaw in me… What she thought I could giiive you. And why no one else she cared abouts, could take you."

He laughed then. "We can't even speak each other's languagesses! Ha! What a joke." Frank began drumming his fingers atop the old table I hid under.

"I mean. What am I supposed to do? Collect free money's off of you?" His head bent back under the table. He hiccups as our eyes met. I just stared at him for a long while and he stared back at me. Our eye's are the same color. The color of water.

After a moment he said, "Wells… that's probably what I'm goin to do anyways. Good for you kiddooo." he drawled the o out. "You're gonna earn some money's." He stood then, hiccuping again, and hobbled to bed drunk. Not even caring to show me to my room or where to sleep. Not even where to pee.

I ended up falling asleep under that hideous table I hid under. For so many years it was like that. Perhaps I didn't always have a thumb stuck in my mouth, but this night I had.

And the sound of a whirring fan was in my ears as I tried to fall asleep in a most unfamiliar place. My knees curled up to my chest as I pulled the little black dress with a white bow that tied under my chest bone, as far down my legs as possible for warmth.

What am I going to do with you?! I asked myself. What?!

I sat in my bedroom on my knees in front of a mirror slowly dressing for bed. I kept staring at myself angry and frustrated. Small bruises are seen across my bare chest, as I put a couple fingers in an herbal mixture Mameha made up to rub on the little black spots. I winced then, as I rubbed the mixture on top of each bruise.

The window in my room is pulled open letting in a cool breeze, that made goosebumps form across my skin. Despite the cool air that already drifted into my room, a box fan sits off to one side of the room, helping that cool air flow even better. I can't help it. Never really did well with silence. I needed some sort of back noise to fill my ears. The sound comforted me. Even when I lived with Frank. Sometimes the hum of the fan was the only thing I wanted to focus my hearing on.

A standing lamp is lit in one corner of the room. I have a pretty wooden dresser pushed against the wall. Atop it is a brush and a single old fashioned musical box that's broken. A gift from mom. The folding fans Mameha gave me are spread out to reveal the pretty greenery and are hung on the back of my door as a reminder. That I am still growing.

If someone walked into my room what would stand out amongst everything is what can be seen on my bare back. A very colorful tattoo is there of a Dragon. At the time, when I got it, it had been something that merely stuck out to me and is why I got it. I had no idea at the time, one day I would become this Dragon.

After rubbing the cream into my bruises softly, I stared back at myself like Frank had stared at me so long ago. I had this questioning look there as my face scrunched in and I stared at me.

You barely got to Carnage, and look at the mess you have made. You've been threatened, that much is clear.

I let out a sigh as I reached over to a shirt that hung off the side of my bed, wondering what I am to do about this problem. I pulled my shirt on. Alex Winter and C$J are terrible. At least Alex came right out and said it. But C$J? I did not expect the behavior I saw from him tonight.

It seems the message he sent to me in his office was not enough. And to show that power he had, he flexed on me. What an asshole. The ref counted just fine, when I had Alex pinned the first time. And after all that training Mameha has given me not just since Carnage, but before too, seemed to have left my head as all I could see was red tonight.

Alex Winter and C$J made me lose that control I prided myself on having. And I need that control. Most of my life has been out of my control. And just when I started to think I might have this, poof. Gone.

I got to my feet slowly and turned my lamp off. Then went to my bed seeing that pile of pillows I loved so much in the darkness. I climbed on top of them and closed my eyes. Then I let myself sink. My mind on what I am supposed to do next and how I need to go about handling C$J.

I need a strategy. One that will get me a belt match whether C$J likes it or not. He had said fight for the Legion. But how can I if he is standing in my way? I took a deep breath hoping and praying Adrienne is ready for the fight of her life against our next competition. With that final thought, I gave myself over to sleep.

The Dragon Lady stood not in the ring this time for her promo. She stood in the center of a large foam blue mat in the gym Mameha brings her to when it's time to train. This is the place she felt most comfortable since coming to Carnage Wrestling as she got used to an unfamiliar home in Baltimore.

Large Windows stand behind The Dragon Lady as a backdrop. Some are pulled open letting cool Baltimore air flow freely into the gym. The walls are made of brick which has faded from bright red to a shade that was almost calming now. At least to The Dragon Lady.

The gym has been cleared of all guests for The Dragon Lady as she asked the gym owner for this favor. He had been eager to get his gym into her promo. He thinks the promo will help promote his gym, and hope's more traffic will come through for training.

Things have been especially hard for this gym owner Ted, since COVID hit. And with proper guidelines put in place, he plans to accommodate anybody willing to train at his gym 'World Fitness'. The Dragon Lady has brought him happiness for the first time in a long time. He has a hope he can cling onto. His hope being that his gym might bounce back from heavy financial losses.

The Dragon Lady stared into the camera in front of her. Mameha sat off to the side sipping a tea she brewed herself as The Dragon Lady began to speak "I… have had one interesting, and tough 2 weeks since Alex Winter beat me at Chaos 97."

"He may have beat me at the end with help from his daddy C$J. But let me tell you. I saw that fear in his eyes before C$J had come out. He took advantage of my momentary weakness as I tried to figure out what C$J was up to. And let me say this. I see the both of you now. And both of you need that beat down still."

"Alex Winter. Christopher Saint James. Know. I am not through with either one of you yet as I walk into my next fight at Chaos 98. It looks like I will be standing with someone this time. A wrestler I have heard plenty of good things about so far. Adrienne Levi. She has shown me much kindness already. More than anyone else in the legion."

The Dragon Lady begins pacing across the mat as she continues speaking, "For Chaos 98 it seems Adrienne and myself will face up against Eli Goode and Steve Matthews. Eli, after doing a bit of research into your history, I do know that you are a strong competitor."

"A wrestler who has held those gold belts and titles that many others wanted to take from you. But you see, as someone who can look in with an unbiased opinion at what you have gone through. And I say unbiased because let's face it. We are strangers still to each other."

The Dragon Lady stops pacing, "I see your weakness Eli Goode. It's the fact that you have mentioned on numerous occasions now, that you don't fight for yourself. You fight for the people you call friends. Friends that in my opinion, take your too goode attitude and demeanor for granted."

"People like Kyra and Amber. It seems to me especially with Kyra, that you have been trying to reach out again and again even when she refuses that help you so willingly and graciously offer. This is why you're going to lose against me. Not to mention Adrienne already handled you a couple weeks ago, which puts you at a disadvantage."

"The day you choose to fight for yourself. The day you choose to fight for what you want and what you want alone, is the day you will find your footing again. And I do not think you are going to have your footing by time our match comes around, Eli Goode. And right now I need this win. I need this win to prove something to myself."

"Steve Matthews. You might be very surprised to hear what I have to say. We also do not know each other. But the one thing I liked about you when I first saw a promo of yours is that I could see exactly where you stood. To me you felt like an easy person to read. You are a person I knew straight away was angry."

"You're that person that knows how to boldly fight for what you want. Even if you come off like a real prick you own it and do what you think is best for you."

"And then you surprised me. I felt like another side of you was being revealed during your last couple of matches. You weren't just that angry guy who came off like a prick anymore. You became that big tough guy holding up a front. A front to hide that potential to be someone better and stronger."

"I think me and you are similar in this way. And I think we now have a common enemy. I can only hope one day you and I will be fighting the same fight. One day we won't be going at each other for a possible belt match. But this day is not ours for the taking yet."

"If you can believe it, I thought me and you would be partners before I got partnered with Adrienne. I can only say again, it is not our time yet to show the Legion what we are capable of together. But I can tell you, I see a lot of justice being served up to many people that deserve it, when the time comes. You might not see it yet. But I see this very clearly in my mind right now."

"Sadly boys, I have had enough of this losing. And whether you two have anything nice to say about me or to me is besides the point. I need something that will make Alex get off his ass and not to run from me. I need him to want to come for me because I have something he wants. I want that belt."

"You two are currently in my way from taking a grab at that Baltimore City Championship match. I want it. And no matter how 'Goode' or how much I see this 'potential' in a friendship, I must wipe the floor with both of you. There is no way Adrienne or myself are letting this belt go to a man again. Not for a long time. Whoever wants that belt is going to need to pry it from Adrienne's or my hands. It's time for someone new to hold that belt. Guess we will see you at CHAOS 98 boys. It's too bad it has to be this way."

The Dragon Lady closes a hand into a fist resting it in front of her with a palm to the side. She bowed and then looked back up at the camera one last time before the camera went dark.

Courage

I sat with Mameha on the rooftop of our apartment. The sun is beginning to set. And the sounds of the bustling life that filled the day around our little place we called home for now, began to grow quieter.

We both sit cross legged facing one another. I had followed Mameha up the steps to the roof after she said "There is something I must speak to you about. Come."

I sat there looking around taking in my surroundings. This is my first time to the rooftop. The tops of large trees are all around, letting the setting sun bounce between the leaves and branches. The effect would cause little shadows to dance around us.

When my eyes went back to Mameha's face, she said, "Pearl. You have had many obstacles put in front of you. In your past match and plenty of things long before Carnage, you have had to overcome. Much more than anything a young spirit like yours should need to endure."

She took a deep breath. Then exhaled. "I see the threats around you now. I see the bumps in your path that you are going to need to overcome to get that most precious thing you have wanted. Yearned for."

I focused on her words feeling honestly overwhelmed.

"I need you to know. You will overcome. You must be brave. You must be courageous with what you must do now. You haven't tried to run yet from this fight in front of you. And that," Mameha's eyes began to water as I looked at her, "is something I would have been proud to see in my own daughter."

I am a bit stunned as Mameha says this to me. Mameha rarely spoke about her daughter. I just knew she had passed away. I can only guess it hurts Mameha too much to talk about. And I feel honored as she sees her daughter through me.

Mameha continued, "You. You must transform now. Not into the scared little girl I know you used to be. Or the frightened, hurt, angry young woman you were when I met you. You are to transform into that fierce courageous Dragon on your back."

"People like Alex Winter who call themselves Dragon slayers, will not be the last to try to slay you. For you guard something most precious."

She smiled then as she took my hands, squeezing them gently within her own. "You don't guard shiny fancy trinkets or gold and jewels. You guard hope. Hope for a better future. Hope for overcoming and vanquishing evil. Hope that some are too afraid to fight for. That is why new threats have come for you. The Dragon Lady."

Mameha squeezed my hands tighter within hers, "You do not need C$J to like you. What you need is everyone else too. And I'm not just talking allies within the roster. I'm talking about the people who will chant and scream your name when you get into a ring. The people who see you as their hope. It is time for you to win the crowd over, and I have just the idea to help you."

I squeezed Mameha's hands back as she leaned in to give me her advice. As I listened to her words, I can't help, but be thankful Mameha is on my side. I think perhaps God sent her to me. He sent her to me when darkness had been closing in. She helped me find my way. And is still helping me.

I would like to imagine, my mom would have been just like Mameha. My light keeper.

Last Edit: Sept 7, 2020 22:37:09 GMT -5 by thedragonlady

Steve Matthews
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Posts: 38

Adrienne Levi/The Dragon Lady Vs. Eli Goode/Steve Matthews Sept 6, 2020 8:23:44 GMT -5 thedragonlady likes this

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Post by Steve Matthews on Sept 6, 2020 8:23:44 GMT -5

NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE

All the adversity I've had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me... You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you. - Walt Disney

    Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, or so the theme song goes. Other times, nothing less than the exact opposite will suffice. And coming off the loss against JC, Steve Matthews is leaning more toward the latter of times.

    The Hare and Hounds Tavern is a small dive of a bar not far from the carnage arena in Baltimore, down a dark alley and only surrounded by dank rubbish of all kinds. There's only two ways to The Hare and Hounds: by accident, or because you own it. Like the rest of the Carnage roster, Matthews had to check in with the office and inform them of where he would be at certain times in case they wanted him. He told them exactly where he'd be heading after the show for a drink or seven, because he knew full-well that they couldn't find the place.

    The Hare and Hounds was a great bar for Matthews to hide in. No one knew who he was, and even if they did: they didn't care. There is nothing on the walls. No pictures of sports stars or any of the other big-timers that made their ways through this pub. There's only a couple of old television sets with a few years of dust over the screen.

    Matthews sits at the far end of the bar, nursing a pint glass of some local microbrew with a deep amber color. He's dressed in his normal street attire: a black hooded sweatshirt, jeans and a pair of sneakers. He rotates the glass around on its coaster while staring off in the general direction of the nearest television screen. If you asked him what was on, he probably couldn't tell you. It's just a series of flashing colors that aren't even registering. He's off in his own little world. Thinking about life; about the future... and about the past...

    “Excuse me...,” a barely audible soprano voice cuts through the fog of Steve’s consciousness. The voice might have startled him if it hadn't been so quiet, so faint and so timid.

    “Excuse me,” she repeats, a bit louder. Matthews turns his head away from the screen to glance over his left shoulder. Behind him stands a small woman, no more than five-foot-three in height, with dark brown – almost black – hair. She's clearly in her twenties and appears more than a little out of place as the only one wearing make-up in the entire establishment. Her tight blue jeans disappear into pink Ugg boots as she clutches a pink cashmere hoodie closer to her chest after noticing the wandering eyes of the male patrons.

    “Are you Steve Matthews?”

    Steve almost lets out an audible groan. Wasn't this the reason he came here; not to be recognized?

    “My name's Kylie. Kylie Ford,” she says after an extended moment of awkward silence. Matthews just looks at her, probably again just staring off into space, barely hearing and registering what she has to say. 'She wants an autograph,' he thinks.

    “The, uh, Carnage office said that I could find you here. You are Steve Matthews, right?”

    He decides to stop torturing the poor girl, “In the flesh.”

    “Oh great!” She extends a slender, well manicured hand complete with dark pink nail polish meticulously applied to every fingernail. “I'm Kylie Ford.”

    “So you said,” Matthews replies, gently shaking the hand extended to him with a forced grin, “What can I do for you, Kylie? Is there something you want me to sign?”

    “Sign?” her bewildered response seems odd to Steve. 'She's probably just a ditz,' he thinks.

    “Yes, you know... autograph?”

    “Autograph? Oh no! Sorry, no. I'm here because I'm your new partner!”

    “My new what?”

    “Partner. I'm your new partner,”

    “Come again?”

    The girl's brow furrows as she tries to figure out why she's not getting through to Steve. She makes a bit of a pouting face before trying again, “Um, you know, like walk with you to the ring occasionally and stuff. Valet! That's what they told me to call it. I'm your new valet! They didn't tell you?”

    “My new valet, huh? Cute. Who put you up to this, sweetheart?”

    “Put me up to this? I don't know what you mean, exactly. The office said...”

    “This is a rib, right?”

    “A what?”

    “A rib. A joke. A gag. Tom-foolery. What have you. It's a joke, right?”

    Her look of confusion is replaced more with a look of hurt.

    “No, it's not a joke. I applied for an admin job with Mr St. James but he gave me this job instead and said that I'd be working with you, he said I should come find you and introduce myself. He said I was a gift from him and Winter to you… does that make sense?”

    “You're serious?”

    She sheepishly nods her head.

    “They want me to have a valet as punishment?”

    “They said, uh, that you needed like, more sex appeal. You know, to get the fans to like you more.”

    “To like me more?! I'm already getting some of the biggest pops every night for Christ's sake!”

    “I'm sorry.”

    Matthews looks down at her with a bit of surprise. 'I'm sorry?' He realizes that he'd essentially just shouted at this poor woman.

    “Nah, it's not your fault. Come here, have a seat... you're old enough to drink, right?”

    A small smile appears on her face at the invitation, but fades quickly at the question. She hoists herself up onto the high barstool and glares a bit at him.

    “Of course I am! I'm twenty-fucking-seven. I get that crap all the time because I'm short. I hate it.”

    “Easy, tiger. So who have you worked with before?”

    “You mean, like, been a valet for?”

    “Or managed, yeah.”

    “Um, no one.”

    “Excuse me?”

    “No one. You're my first. Be gentle,” she says with a light-hearted smile before summoning the bartender, “Can I have a cosmo, please?”

    “You're a rookie?”

    “Yeah I guess so.”

    “Have you been trained?”

    “Trained to walk to the ring? I don't think I need training for that, do I?”

    There are no words as Matthews sits speechless. The world's worst Cosmopolitan is placed in front of Kylie by the gruff bartender, and she sips it with a wrinkled nose that borders on a scowl.

    “Eww, gross.”

    “So, what you're telling me is that the office has decided that I need a valet... because I'm not over enough...”

    “Over?”

    “Popular enough... so they're sticking me with a valet... a rookie valet that's never managed anyone before.”

    “You make me sound like I'm unwanted garbage or something.”

    “It's not that... it's just... How did you even get this job anyways?”

    “Like I said I applied for an admin job, but Mr St. James said I was perfect for you.”

    “Oh what a joy.”

    “Yep. Maybe someone up there doesn't like you very much,” she ventures.

    “You think?”

    “Hey! That wasn't nice!”

    “Sorry. It's just... I'm kind of a lone wolf... And you're right, someone up there does hate me. Actually probably all of them do.”

    “Why?”

    “Have you ever watched carnage?”

    “Once or twice.”

    “Long story short, I keep pissing in their corn flakes.”

    “Eww, gross!”

    “It's an expression.”

    “It's a gross expression!”

    “Fair enough. The point is, this is their payback. I've pissed them off and now they want to get back at me – no offense – by trying to cramp my style.”

    “What style?” Kylie motions at Matthews ragged jeans.

    “My style. I tend to travel alone and do my own thing.”

    “Well they told me that you worked really well with some other girl before. Someone named Toni or something?”

    “Tori. And that was different.”

    “How?”

    'How?' There isn't enough time in perpetuity to answer that question.

    “I'll get you wrestling tapes. You’re not accompanying me to any ring until you do at least some serious homework.”

    “I don't particularly like to watch wrestling, though.”

    Matthews runs his hands over his face and through his hair in exasperation before drinking what's left of his beer and ordering two more.

    “No thanks, I'm still working on my yucky Cosmo.”

    “They're for me, Ms...”

    Uh-oh.

    “You forgot my name, didn't you?”

    “Kayla?”

    “Kylie. Kylie Ford.”

    “Right, right... my new partner.”

    “Yep! Cheers!” She holds up the dainty glassware of the martini glass as the bartender places two more beers in front of Matthews. He grabs one and clings it delicately off the side of Kylie's glass.

    “Cheers.”

    Kylie's face again contorts at the awful taste of her poorly mixed cocktail.

    “Drink up, kid. We've got a long road ahead of us... And by the way, valet is pronounced like "buffet"... not like "wallet..”

    “Oh.”

    “You will also know eventually, so I’ll be straight with you, Tori isn’t just my former valet and manager, she’s my ex wife.”

    Kylie almost cringes. “Double Oh.”

    The scene opens with the bird’s eye view of a dark green canvas filled with towering oak. The sturdy green leaves sit upon the branches as they are prepping for the changing season to come. The camera slowly descends down the blue sky towards the dark green wooden canvas of the tree line. A small opening can be seen through the tree line and a dark brown cabin is seen shining through the opening of the leaves and branches.

    As the camera slowly descends down upon the cabin a rustling can be heard from the woods beside the cabin. As it makes its way through the green tree brush a small coupe vehicle can be seen parked out front of the cabin. The black coupe is sitting upon a dirt driveway with the settling dirt setting upon the roof and mirrors of the motor vehicle. The camera continues to pan around the vehicle and back towards the woods where the sound was heard, but the camera only leads itself to a drop in the mountain top.

    From the right side of the audio boom the sound of a closing door can be heard as the camera reacts to the sound to find something rustling from inside the cabin. After a few moments the camera slowly decides to approach the door that was shut upon the porch of the cabin. Once it reaches the handle of the door it slowly leans to the right of the wooden door and attempts to peak into the home and investigate the source of the sounds. It then slowly zooms into the window focusing on the living room. The camera view continues and focuses on the living room and more specifically a wooden door in the corner of the cabin.

    As the camera slowly continues to zoom into the cabin it seems to manifest itself through the window and into the living room as the glare from the glass seems to dissipate. At this point the handle upon the door turn as a man approaches out from behind it. The man is wearing a rolled up dress shirt and a dark pair of pants. His shoes are covered from the furniture that has been placed within the living room. The man turns and faces the camera but ignores it like there is nothing there. The identity of the man is then discovered to be Steve Matthews.

    Matthews turns the corner and sits on the couch. He sits down one cheek at a time before leaning back and reaching for the television remote that sits on the arm rest beside him. He then extends his arm out forwards and turns on the television that sits upon a shelf in front of him. Steve leans back on the couch and buries himself even deeper into the brown leather. Once comfortable he focuses his attention upon the television and continues to ignore the camera sitting only a few feet from his presence. Although everything is silent other than a commercial now being picked up from the audio of the television, a male narrative voice slowly arises from the silence.

    “When people wake up in the morning they put more work into improving themselves for other people and impressing others rather than themselves. Everything seems so backwards, people should be more interested in their own personal interests than the interests and beliefs of people they don’t know. Society has taught us to always forge our own opinions but only as long as they fill the needs and are perfect with the majority’s agenda. Everyone wakes up in the morning and deals with a personal iron curtain regarding who they are and who people think they should be.”

    “That curtain can lead to professional success in some cases and in others it can lead to emotional distress. If we wake up in the morning and put on a costume everyday then how do we know who we can really trust, who can we really believe, and more importantly who do we really know? Smiles, laughs, grins, scowls, frowns and anger can be manufactured from fake emotions. Issues and problems are hidden in the shadows of a person’s life whether it is luxurious or strenuous. There is always something more to someone’s life than we know, whether it be personal issues or personal successes.”

    “We all love to sit on our own front porch like our life is perfectly in order and stare off at our neighbors, nit picking at their issues and imperfections when we never truly reflect on our own. Today it is not how to fix our problems to better our lives, instead it is just justifying to ourselves that our life is good solely because someone else has it worse than us. The world is not full of problem solvers but instead it is filled with people that dwell and in some cases focus on the bad rather than the good. Sometimes it is best to just take a step back, look into a mirror, reflect upon yourself and the issues that fill your own life, instead of always dwelling on the issues of others.”

    As the narration starts to end the camera shot of Steve turns towards the wall near him and zooms in on the top of the wall. Towards the top is a towering clock that fills the cabin walls. The minute hand begins to spin as if time is fast-forwarding into the night. As the sun begins to fall through the windows and the moon begins to take its place, the ambiance of the cabin begins to change. The overall feeling begins to change as the camera then zooms off of the clock and slowly turns back towards Matthews.

    Steve is seen still sitting on his couch but this time he is not relaxed, this time his head is found heavy in his hands. The entire cabin is silent as the television is no longer on setting an eerie mood through the wooden structure. Steve starts to slowly lift his head from his hands and look toward the coffee table. Placed on that coffee table is a large bottle of dark liquid.

    The liquid almost seems to be placed there like it was put there for a reason, Steve is seen staring at the bottle with an intense gaze in his eyes. He’s clearly reacting negatively to the bottle and seems to start filling with anger. His hands begin to grip his knees as the veins in his arms can be seen from his skin. The narrative voice begins again.

    “Inner struggles plague all of us. We all have issues within ourselves that we could call our own personal wars. Everyday seems like another battle, thousands lose that battle. Each loss can be a step back and can lead to an even bigger loss, the loss of the entire war. People never want to admit their issues but instead choose to continue running into battle rather than take a step back and call for reinforcements.”

    “People and other soldiers behind you are key to winning the war because one man never won an entire war. One man can call out to millions of soldiers and tell them to charge or hold, but it is those millions of soldiers that are the real reason for victory. Those unknown heroes that throw themselves into the fire every time a new gun shot is fired, they are the real deciding factors. They are the real heroes. They’re the ones that have their names erased from the history books as the so called superiors are the ones that get credited for their hard work, battle and determination.”

    “Life is a never ending war and for you to be victorious you always have to have soldiers by your side. You always have to have others supporting you, not only when you’re down but also to help bring you back to Earth if you start flying too close to the sun. Support will not only allow you to have more leeway towards your faults but they will also allow you more opportunities for victory. No one man can win a war alone, you must have support by your side at all times…”

    The narration begins to fade away and the camera begins to fade black for a moment before reopening to a shot of the living room window. Outside of the window is a shot of the rising sunlight pushing itself through the forest trees. The camera then slowly turns back towards the living room to find the living room perfectly how it was left. Minus some of the liquid on the coffee table.

    Steve Matthews is nowhere to be seen however. At that point the camera focuses back toward the clock to show a time of 12:35. The camera continues to zoom in closer to the clock and focuses on the hour hand in front of the face. Slowly the only thing that is seen is the white hour hand as the rest of the scene fades into darkness leaving only the white hour hand facing upwards towards the sky and upon the twelfth hour of the day.

    Slowly the scene around the hour hand begins to fill back in from the darkness. This time the wooden face of the clock isn’t seen but instead a dark black face is seen appearing in the shot. The camera begins to zoom out from the hour hand revealing more of the face and a different style font to the new clock. Also surrounding the clock is no longer a brown wooden interior but instead a dark green wall suggesting a change in location.

    A television and a dresser begin to appear in the picture. Eventually the camera turns around towards the rest of the new location as a couple of full-size beds can be seen on the other end of the apparent hotel room. There’s a man sitting on the bed dressed in a maroon leather jacket and a pair of dark stained jeans. Yet again we hear the narrator.

    “Everyone has hidden sins. Everyone has dark secrets that they lock away. No one is perfect and no one is really a non sinner, we are all sinners in our own right. We all have thoughts of jealousy, whether it be a new car, renovations, or even maybe a promotion. Sometimes we’re jealous of other peoples accomplishments and maybe even accolades. There is always someone that we look up to and there is always someone above us that we look to mimic ourselves after. If there is no one for us to overcome then we truly have nothing else to live for…”

    “...Everyone has someone or something that they are chasing whether that be a title, a record, or even a legacy…”

    The narrator’s voice fades away as Steve Matthews slowly turns towards the camera.

    “The die is cast and I'm marching straight ahead because there's nowhere else for me to go now. I'm not much of a trash-talker; hell, I'm not even much of a talker if we're being honest, but I'll tell you what I do have to lose: nothing. I've got absolutely nothing left in my life of value.”

    “However I’ve got a damned-good partner at Chaos and I've got a match that can change that, that's all I need right now. That's all I WANT right now."

    "The guy that got bloodied up by Alex Winter and lost to JC? Don't expect him against Levi and Dragon Lady. Hell, don't ever expect to see him again."

    "Now I'm not going to sit here and declare victory. I know what is standing across the ring from myself and Goode this week. I know Adrienne Levi and The Dragon Lady are special talents, I even respect them both greatly, actually to be honest, I even like them both. But what I KNOW and what IS aren't always the same. What everyone THINKS isn't always what HAPPENS. It is going to take everything – absolutely everything – that Goode and myself have to win this match."

    “Adrienne, we’ve been here before and based not only on that experience of being in the ring with you, but also on what you’ve achieved since. I’m firmly of the opinion, you have no damn idea how good you are. I mean what I’m about to say Adrienne, as special as the titles are we are fighting towards, you are going to be so much bigger than this, you are a World Champion in the making, I just hope you believe it, as the only person I see stopping you, is you!”

    “As for Dragon Lady, I’m not about to say I know a lot about you because I’m not a liar. I know what I’ve seen over the last couple of weeks though. I think it’s clear we are set to fight the same fights very soon and I look forward to it, you’ve got a fire in you that no prick like Alex Winter will ever extinguish. We both know Alex will not fight fair, we both know he will use numbers in his favour when he can, therefore we’ll have to work together in that fight from time to time.”

    Steve Matthews smiles.

    "But as for right now, I've got nothing left to lose. You want it all? You want everything I got? Well, you're going to get it. I gave up a hell of a lot to become a professional wrestler, I then gave up everything to stay a professional wrestler. You need not ask if I'm all in, because I'm all fucking in. The die is cast, the army's crossed, and Eli is coming with me. It's time for me to finally burn the past to the ground..."

    "...it's time for me to start the future. It’s time to make the future golden."

    On that note, the scene comes to an end.

Deleted
Deleted Member

Posts: 0

Adrienne Levi/The Dragon Lady Vs. Eli Goode/Steve Matthews Sept 6, 2020 18:12:37 GMT -5 Steve Matthews and thedragonlady like this

Quote

Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2020 18:12:37 GMT -5

VIII

    Seven hundred eighty-five dollars. Win or lose, that was the amount Adrienne Levi was guaranteed after every appearance with Carnage Wrestling.

    And then the bonus during her four-match winning streak was four hundred eighteen dollars per.

    Maybe two hundred dollars worth of sold merchandise each show, but then she had to subtract how much it cost even to get made--

    Adrienne buried her face into the crook of her elbow. Her Clearwater apartment had become a little sparse as a result of a recent liquidation. Maybe that was done in haste. Someone would have paid something for that ridiculous belt even just to melt it down.

    Spread across her kitchen counter, she stared at the pile of papers her mom usually helped with.

    This was pathetic, she knew.

    If she added this up all right, her pay and her expenses put her in the red: the plane trips, the Ubers, accommodations, bills, and a lease that was expiring very soon. Nathaniel Grant’s fun money had long dried up, and Levi had no one to blame except herself on that. She was a pretender. She was living it up in luxury hotels, wasting money on fancy dinners with her friends, and just really dumb purchases. Like the billboard ad near the Carnage Arena that had that doodle of Insidious with the caption Empire of Dorks.

    Not to mention the exposed clandestine meeting between Christopher St. James and Stan Summers, where they discussed their intentions and measured her value as expendable.

    With all of this mounting, it was becoming more apparent what she had to do. It was the logical choice. The realistic choice. The only choice.

    Scrolling through her business cellphone’s contact list, she hovered over Carnage Wrestling Front Office. Hesitating and delaying the inevitable, Adrienne looked through all of the new friends she had made. All of the people who believed in her. This past summer had been one of the happiest ones of her life. Adrienne considered calling Silvio Leon, but he seemed to have his hands full with a new arrival: Axton Gunn. Oh, she was a huge fan. So huge that she almost cried when he followed her on Twitter. She had all three of his albums, including a signed copy of SKULLFRACTURES that she had sniped an eBay auction for. And yet, things seem complicated and pretty much none of her business. She didn’t want to pile on.

    And Matt Knox was so buried in his hatred for Zane King that he was sort of scary these days. His propensity towards committing acts of violence wouldn’t solve this issue. Christopher St. James being in a body cast didn’t diminish his ownership of Carnage Wrestling. Not only that, but he’d also already done too much for her.

    Mitch Heart seemed distant. Rumor had it that he was dealing with his own plethora of difficulties.

    That left Kohaku Fujihara. They had conversed sparingly. Last month, he’d been dealing with these peculiar family issues, but he’d come out of it okay. Behind this charming exterior, he seemed to have this abundance of wisdom that was beyond his years.

    She pressed Call.

    “Hello?”

    Adrienne almost considered hanging up. Her finger hovered over End Call.

    “Moshi-moshi? Ade, that you? I see your name, so it’s either you or some creep who swiped her phone.”

    Instead, she touched the Speaker icon, finally piping up. “Yeah, it’s me. Sorry. Is this a bad time?”

    “No, not at all, I’m literally doing nothing but flipping through Netflix and wondering why nothing in thousands of options looks good. What’s up?”

    Her eyes welled up at the thought of confessing to Kohaku. He didn’t seem his chipper self, but she had to tell someone. Trying her best to keep her tone neutral, she still wavered. “I have to leave Carnage.”

    Silence on the other end.

    “I have to leave because I can’t afford it anymore. And I don’t think the new person in charge likes me very much. I saw something with him and some other guy that scared me. I’m on some sort of list.”

    Her words became disjointed and seemingly a million miles per hour as she choked back the tears.

    “I tried. I really tried, but I guess it’s over. All of the offers I ever get are gross. And Carnage is the only place that gave me a chance but now that guy isn’t owner anymore. And all of my money is gone. And I wanted to move, but I can’t. I can’t just keep mooching off others. That’s all I’ve been doing. But my mom said I could probably be a receptionist at the clinic she works at. Just have to pass a drug test. I just have to move on from this--”

    “Ade.”

    The voice on the other end is gentle, understanding, and steady.

    “First off, I want you to breathe, okay? Just take a few deep breaths.”

    Kohaku paused, giving her time to do so before continuing.

    “Alright. This is the part where a lot of people would freak out and start begging you not to go. I’m not going to do that. I’m not because, while of course, I want you to stay, this is something you have to decide for yourself.”

    She reached for a tissue, wiping away the sobbing mess she had become.

    “I don’t know what to do. These people depend on me or look up to me, but I’m not the person they think I am. You guys have been so nice to me, but maybe I’m the problem. I finally have a match that is actually for something and I don’t even have the means to make it.” Standing up, she hefted the cellphone in her hand. She spoke a little calmer now. “I promised my partner to meet her. If I lie to her, she’ll hate me forever and--”

    “Okay. Tell you what. I know you don’t want to depend too much on charity, but is it alright if I spot you a plane ticket out here? I think we oughta be talking about this face to face. You can crash at my apartment. The place is practically a giant fancy cave. Is that okay?”

    There she was, depending on another handout. But Silvio had said much the same thing. Knox, too. And here was another friend saying that she had to stand up for herself. There was a long pause from her as she stared at her wallet on the counter. The Queen of Swords card peeked out from the bifold.

    “You still there?”

    “Yeah.”

    Adrienne considered his offer. It was the only way she’d make the next Chaos. She had already told her mom that she’d drop by the clinic later. Angie wasn’t a dream killer here. She promised her daughter that she could try again in a few years. Maybe find a closer company to work in.

    That was the responsible thing to do.

    Surveying her apartment, everything that was hers could fit in her backpack.

    “Tonight?”

    “Yeah, I can do that, should be able to find something. I’ve got you.”

    “Okay.”

    At 5:28 PM, Adrienne boarded a Southwest flight to Baltimore.

    She’d never see Clearwater again.

    Standing in front of a ginormous glass panel window, Adrienne admired the view of the Inner Harbor. She’d been all over this place the last few months but seeing it on such a grand scale put it into perspective. Everywhere Adrienne had been meant so much. Whether it was the spectacular victory at the MECU Pavilion or how Silvio Leon gave her that little glimmer of hope with a simple card, she would never forget. With her hands in her jeans pockets, she rocked gently back and forth on the heels of her bare feet.

    “This is my first big chance.” Pausing, she considered the arrogance that could be attached to such a statement. Her back was to the camera, so her determined yet still soft voice was the only indicator of her tone. She continued much the same. “Not to say the others weren’t.”

    Turning around, Adrienne leveled her gaze at the camera. Her normal cheery disposition was replaced by one that seemed to be more morose. The Starfox t-shirt she had on was a size too big, but she preferred it that way.

    “A lot of folks here, they get their foot in the door and they’ve already staked claim to what they perceive is theirs. Almost like they’re entitled to it. Just because of who they are or what they’ve managed to achieve in the past.”

    She crossed her arms over her chest, her expression lilting to contemplation.

    “I could declare that I want to be the greatest champion this company has ever seen. I could say my name would ring through this vaunted hall of fame once I decide to hang up the boots.” Shaking her head, she followed up with a slight smile. “That just isn’t me. I don’t know what I’m going to accomplish here. Maybe all of the potential I have is just that. So I approach these opportunities a little differently. I see what is on the horizon. I see the allure of the gold.”

    For a moment, Adrienne’s dark brown eyes seemed dazzled at the possibilities. Or perhaps it was just imagined.

    “But right now, there is only the chance. One cobbled together with fragile partnerships with all intentions towards implosion if it meant that something more substantial was on the line. Seems common with this sport. My opponents are both well versed in being champions. They are consummate athletes. Perennial contenders. Always striving towards their next achievement.” She conceded to this with a slight shrug before continuing. “This is a competition, right?”

    Her thoughts moved onto Steve Matthews. Carnage’s Ace. The Technical Master. He had come into this company with the same fire and fury every long time veteran managed to conjure until they learned a little humility or just evaporated when they realized that not many cared about that championship they won twelve years ago.

    However, something irked Adrienne just a little, and so her voice became a little less friendly.

    “Steve, maybe I should be happy that you finally saw the error of your ways. I had mentioned prior to our previous encounter that I found you lacking of any real convictions. I found you to be opportunistic. You stood by as your partner threatened to choke me with the caveat that I may like it. You quibbled and cringed at his tactics and put up a good argument after the victory slipped from your grasp, but it seemed to be a minor agitation. It was only until Alex Winter put you in a precarious situation that you truly realized what type of person he is. Alex is a little boy, angry at the world for his inadequacies, and he will always point the finger at those who are in his way. His toxic masculinity created this illusion of persecution, where he couldn’t just apologize and move on. His fragile ego blamed others for his athletic shortcomings. And at WAR, he concluded that through your suffering, he could embrace that he possessed no redeemable qualities and get ahead in this world,” She paused and then quipped. “Behold, the age-old tale of man.”

    Her hands gestured vaguely into the air as if she were showing off a new wondrous invention. She wasn’t sure. She googled public speaking, and it said that hand gestures were cool to do. Or something like that.

    “And so here you are. Good guy Steve. Flashing your pearly whites, bringing cookies for everyone. That was real sweet, so I want to believe you. I want to believe that maybe your personal struggles have made you turn a new leaf. However, it seemed rather easy for JC to get on your bad side because he didn’t, well, talk about you enough. He didn’t appeal to your mastery of this sport because he was too tied up in his own to care. He got into your head and nearly took it off with that huge boot of his.”

    She held up two fingers.

    “That should have been your second lesson in humility. I don’t have the track record of JC. And I’m sure not willing to do the things Alex did to secure a victory. However, judging by your partner’s words lately, maybe he would be if it meant … just one more shot.”

    Pacing back and forth in front of the grand window, Adrienne now pondered about Eli Goode. An opponent she had just become familiar with, she knew that he hungered to recapture championship glory.

    “Hey, Eli.” She said as she waved at him just like last time. “Other than some somber musings, you haven’t been on the radar much. Seems like you don’t have much going for you lately. You didn’t help Kyra by becoming Ultraviolent Champion. I didn’t become a small sacrifice for your latest ascension to champion’s row. And worst of all, your idol Jack Michaels stole your thunder by taking your World’s title shot and your chance to punish Ken Davison.”

    She found Jack Michaels to be self-righteous and arrogant. The age-old tale of man and all. Eli was a terrific mimic.

    “Punish him by becoming the world’s champion and then devaluing the title because he doesn’t care about silly things like that anymore. You’d never do that, would you, Eli?”

    Adrienne let that question settle in just for a moment.

    “And now you have to suffer the embarrassment of possibly competing for championships below your reproach. Maybe your attitude has changed, but if you look over your career at Carnage Wrestling, you have always been consistent. So what’s going on through your mind? May I venture a guess?”

    Slightly exaggerating, she tapped a finger on her chin.

    “All you gotta do is beat us. Then Steve. Then you’re champion again. After all of that, only three title defenses, and you can take that Highroad to a better championship. One that only you deserve.”

    Putting a hand up towards the camera, she invited Eli to stop.

    “I’ll be honest, getting the duke over you last show was really cool. We all question our abilities sometimes. I do it constantly. I probably annoy my friends and enemies alike. But for you, its like a vicious cycle. You can’t seemingly understand that everyone here is just as deserved of these opportunities as you are. But you’re still a world-class wrestler, so I know that you’re gonna make it hard for me to do it again. That goes the same for Steve. But I’m not alone.”

    The Dragon Lady. Adrienne didn’t even know her real name, and she looked like she could have split Matt in two when he had even inquired about it. But well, she had her secrets, too.

    “My partner is none other than The Dragon Lady. Have you two seen her in the ring? She’s tough as nails. She’s determined as ever because through some dubious circumstances, she has yet to taste victory. I’ve talked to her recently, and she’s ready as ever to make her mark. And how about me?”

    She stared down at her feet. Adrienne wasn’t one to talk about herself. It wasn’t being humble or anything like, she just wasn’t sure what to say. She wasn’t any of the things that made a professional wrestler great.

    “I don’t know. I should be happy. I’m starting to be recognized by my peers. I even had a feature in that newsletter thing. That was cool.”

    Sighing, she wanted to level with the folks watching. She wanted to let them know not to place her so high.

    “This was the biggest risk I’ve ever taken. Coming to a new city, for a profession I’ve never actually done, and most terrifyingly meeting new people I wasn’t sure would like me. And I know right now there is someone out there just like me. I’m guessing that you’ve been through the same conflicts. That you’ve hidden the same bruises I’ve had to. And maybe you’re at the cusp of making that very same decision. I … can’t tell you what to do. I’m no role model. I’m just me. But I can tell you that you do have a voice just like me. For so long, like even now, I’ve been afraid to use it.”

    Adrienne stepped towards the camera.

    “I don’t want to be afraid anymore. And you shouldn’t be either. Whatever is paralyzing you, it can’t hold you forever. I’ve been struggling my whole life just to get to his very moment. To have nothing. And it's the greatest feeling I’ve ever had in my life.”

    And she left that one person, whoever they may be, one last question.

    “What would it take for you to get there?”

    Angie Straussler bundled up her daughter’s apartment steps with groceries in hand. There were more plastic bags in the trunk of the Oldsmobile. Setting one of the bundles of bags down at her feet, she knocked at the apartment door. After a minute, there was no answer. She knocked again. Ever since she was a little girl, Adrienne would almost run to the door to greet whoever was there. No such luck. Maybe she was out on a walk. It was a lovely warm evening after all, and she knew Adrienne was having a hard time leaving this place up in Baltimore behind.

    Digging into her purse, she retrieved the spare key to Ade’s apartment. Letting herself in, she was immediately impressed. Every trace of that bastard was long gone.

    However, something was strange. There was this air of finality about this she couldn’t put her finger on. She set aside the bags on the kitchen counter next to the stack of bills. Now it was time to figure this whole ordeal out.

    Adrienne’s personal cellphone was on the coffee table. Sitting down on the dusty old couch that her one and only child saved from the curb nearly a decade ago, she picked up the phone with a yellow sticky note attached to it—1988, presumably her PIN. Ade had two now. One for work that she could probably just set aside … and this one. The personal one. The one that Angie paid for under her plan.

    Entering the code, the screen immediately went to the recorder. Pressing play, Angie heard her daughter’s voice.

Hi, mom. I’m gone, as you probably figured out by now. You know where I’m going.

There was a long pause in the recording. Angie could hear shuffling in the background, presumably her daughter hastily packing.

You asked me to move on. But, I can’t if I’m still here.

You know, I had this plan. I was going to do it the right way. I’d ask my friends to make a trip down here so you could finally meet them. Silvio, Ko, Matt, and maybe Mitch. Probably not him. Anyway, we would have all driven off into the sunset living happily ever after.

That day would have never come.

My whole life, I’ve been let around by the wishes of others, and whether the intentions were right or not, the choice was never mine.

There is nothing here for me. I don’t want to check-in people for their appointments. I don’t want to follow in your footsteps. I know you were doing what you thought was best for me.

We’ve always been a team ever since the divorce. You’ve always been there for me even when I probably haven’t been the best daughter. But I can tell you that this is the first choice I’m making with a clear head. I’m afraid, sure. I could fail, but it will be my failure to own.

I want to be with my friends. I want to pursue the career that everyone, including you, thought I would never succeed in. I want to be me.

There’s just stuff I’m not sure about, things I’ve always wondered about that I need to know about myself.

So goodbye. Please just let me go.

I love you, mom.

    The recording stopped.

    Angie listened to it a few more times. Her mind ran through a gambit of emotions and plans and conclusions.

    Finally, she set the phone aside. Sighing, Angie resigned to the fact that her daughter would need to sink or swim.

    “Love you, too, Adrienne.”

Eli Goode
Chaos Wrestlers

Posts: 15

Adrienne Levi/The Dragon Lady Vs. Eli Goode/Steve Matthews Sept 13, 2020 2:07:31 GMT -5

Quote

Post by Eli Goode on Sept 13, 2020 2:07:31 GMT -5

“We live in a world of duality. Times of pain are what lead to times of growth. There’s always a gain to pain if you master your mind to seek benefit.”
- Karen Salmansohn
“Imagination builds the image of self and thought then functions within its shadows. From this self-concept grows the conflict between what is and what should be, the conflict in duality.”
- Jiddu Krishnamurti
“Duality is always secretly unity.”
- Alan Watts

Eli’s Apartment
Baltimore, MD
September 5, 2020
6:40pm

Eli Goode sits in his chair reading through “Rage: A Step-by-Step Guide to Overcoming Explosive Anger.” After a few of the comments made by Adrienne on Twitter and a few comments made by people in general, his anger has started to boil up to the top. He decided it was time to actually read a book about controlling his anger. He never tried something like this before; so, he knew that today was the perfect time to start. He comes across a section in the book that seems to resemble a part of his constant life. It is a section discussing seething rage. Eli leans forward to read the book a bit easier. As he reads, he notices a quote that seems to best describe his rage.

“The result is a seething rage, which can be defined as a long-term buildup of fury toward a specific individual or cluster of individuals that includes a sense of having been victimized, obsessive thoughts about the situation, moral outrage and hatred toward the offenders, personality changes, vengeful fantasies, and (sometimes) deliberately planned assaults upon targeted offenders.”

He sits back in his chair and looks at the book. He closes the book and stares at the cover. He thinks back to many of his thoughts. He remembers thinking about attacking Kyra after what she did at WAR. He remembers multiple times wanting to attack Ken after what he did to his shoulder. He imagines the attacks he wished he could do against JC, but he never took the opportunity to actually follow through. Those thoughts stay present in his head and he throws the book across the room. The book slams against the wall causing a loud thud.

His face is red. A vein across his forehead becomes apparent because of his anger. He rubs his hands against his face as he tries to keep himself calm. However, the calm side of his mind does not know what to do. All he can think about is getting revenge. That is all he can ever think about now. He stands up from the chair and looks out the window. The city is almost quiet, but he still sees cars driving through the city. He takes a few deep breaths hoping to see the city will calm him, but the anger still rests inside of him.

“It’s ok Eli. You’re fine. You’re fine. Nothing’s wrong.”

He backs away from the window and turns to walk into the kitchen. As he walks across the room, he sees a picture of Paragon together. He sees Jack Michaels in the center with the Carnage Wrestling World Championship. To his immediate right, Amber Ryan stands with her hands up in a boxing pose. To his immediate left, Kyra Johnson stands with a Carnage Wrestling Tag Team Championship over her shoulder. To her right, T.J. Adams stands with the other Carnage Wrestling Tag Team Championship. To Amber’s left, Eli stands holding onto the zipper part of his leather jacket. Eli gently rubs the tips of his fingers against the photo. He remembers the good times with this team; however, he knows that those times are truly gone. He throws the picture across the room, and the photo shatters against a wall.

Jude, Eli’s dog, walks into the room slowly. He looks up at Eli with as much of a concerned look as a dog could give. Eli looks down at Jude and shrugs.

“What’s wrong Jude? Am I not allowed to get mad? Everyone else can vent, but I can’t? Wha-wha-what am I allowed to do? Stand around and look happy at all times. Kyra doesn’t seem to care about that anymore. She’s willing to side with Ken. She’s willing to turn her back on all of her friends because fuck us. We don’t matter anymore. We’re nothing to her. And, where’s T.J.? I can’t remember what happened to him. It’s like he just disappeared off the face of the earth.

And, don’t get me started with Amber. She moved on the most. She was able to succeed without me. She very much doesn’t need me anymore. If anything, I bet she thinks I’d weigh her down. That’s why she sticks with Mac now. He can apparently hold his own. He’s a big, strong man who doesn’t need help. But me? Oh, I’m damaged goods.

WELL, I’M SORRY IF I’M NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU ALL!! I’M SORRY IF I CAN’T STAY AT YOUR LEVEL!! I’M SORRY THAT YOU ALL THINK THAT BEING SPECIAL IS BY BEING THE BEST AT ALL FUCKING TIMES!! SOME PEOPLE DON’T CARE ABOUT BEING THE BEST!! SOME PEOPLE JUST CARE ABOUT BEING FRIENDS!!”

Eli slumps to the floor. He sits down with tears running down his face. The tears were caused by him finally vocalizing his anger. For months, he has kept that inside of him. For months, he has wanted to tell them all of this, but he has been unable to. He will still be unable to, but at this moment, finally saying what he feels has lifted a burden off of his shoulders. The sounds of sadness slowly turn into sounds of laughter. He looks up to the ceiling and starts laughing. He clears his throat.

“You know, a lot of people keep wondering when I’m finally going to step up. When I’m finally going to take a stand against the people that have done me wrong. Well, that’s not going to happen yet. In fact, it may never happen. I just know that I need to start thinking about other things. Once I get those things figured out, I’ll finally be able to move on.”

He wipes away the tears and continues to laugh. He stands up and walks over to the broken picture frame. He picks up the photo and stares at it for a second. He finally scoffs and tears the photo straight down the middle. He drops the photo. The two pieces fall to the ground with the image of Jack Michaels split into two.

-----

“I have anger management issues.

There I said it. People know it now.

However, I’ve been able to keep that anger buried inside of myself for a while now. I’ve been able to make sure no one sees the angry side of me, and I’m going to keep it that way. That side of me isn’t going to help me at Chaos 98. No, that only thing helping me at Chaos is my tenacity to not give up.

At Chaos 98, I’m going to be in a tag team match where the winning team will face off against each other at Chaos 100 for the Baltimore City Championship. That is a title I know very well. You know, before Mac Bane had his run with the title, I was the one that put that title on the map. I made it the most prestigious version of itself when I held it. That’s why people wanted to be BC Champion. It was because of what I did to it.

Now, the losing team will still have a chance to fight for a championship; however, they’ll have to face each other first. The winner of that singles match will face off against the Chaos Champion for the Chaos Championship. Before I say that Harry Hampton is going to be the champion at Chaos 100, I have to keep in mind that the championship is defended at each show.

When I look at both titles, the one that intrigues me the most is the Chaos Championship. Don’t get me wrong, I’m going to fight to win. I’m not going to give up this match just so I can have a shot at the Chaos Championship; however, winning that belt would get me one step closer to being the first Grand Slam Champion.

That’s beside the point. The main point is I’m going to make sure my team wins our match. Now, let’s talk about my partner: Steve Matthews. Recently, he hasn’t had a string of good luck, but he’s a great competitor. His matches against JC, Alex Winter, and his fatal four-way match have shown that he can stand in the ring with anybody. He’s proven that he is someone that I want by my side to win this match, and I know that we can win this match. We’ve met up a few times already to talk about a game plan, and we’re going to show our opponents that we’re more in-sync than people might think.

Speaking of our opponents, we have a very interesting combination of talents. First off, we have the Dragon Lady. Before I even get started on her ability in the ring, I just wanted to say that I love her name so much. She sounds like a comic book character and a Mortal Kombat character. I need to know if she has a fatality ready for me. Now, in all seriousness, she is a strong competitor that I do not take lightly. I know that she can beat just about anybody. Another person that hasn’t had the best string of luck, but I know that someday she’ll be able to turn it around.

That day won’t be a Chaos 98. Look this is a match that I’m confident that Steve and I will be able to win. You’re going to do great things Dragon Lady, but they’re going to have to wait until after this match. You see, I’ve been in this business for a long time, and I know when it is my time to shine. That time is now. You can continue wearing your mask and being a cool ninja lady, but you’re not ready yet. In time, you’ll be ready to be fighting for a championship, but it’s not now. You need to take one more loss before you can fight for a title. I know that when you lose this match you’ll fight your partner for a chance at the Chaos Championship. That is when you’ll get your time to shine.

Speaking of your partner, hello Adrienne. How are you doing today? I know that a lot of things were said last time, and I may have come off as a bit rude to you. Just know that I never meant to offend. I meant to inform. I meant to inform you that you’re a great competitor, and you gave me one hell of a match. A match that I’ll always remember. A match that will stick in my brain as something I should’ve taken more seriously. Well, I’m taking you seriously now. I thought giving ninety percent would’ve been enough, but now I know it isn’t.

Adrienne, Steve and I are going to fight to our fullest which is going to lead to your defeat. You and Dragon Lady don’t seem to be on the same page right now. In fact, I think that you two may actually need to have conversations about what you’re going to be doing in the match. Otherwise, you’re not going to win. Like I said to Dragon Lady, this isn’t your time. Maybe Chaos 99 will be the time, but not this week. This week, Steve and I are going to make sure that you don’t get what you want. We’re going to make sure you stay out of the ring or away from Dragon Lady. I’ve played dirty before, and though I don’t want to, I will if need be.

Ladies, this is a match that I’ve been training for since they announced it. This is a chance for me to be a two time BC Champion, and I’m going to make that happen. Sure, I’ll need to fight my partner at Chaos 100, but until then, we’re going to work together and beat you two. I hope you’re both ready to lose.

Because we’re both simply… That Damn Goode.”

Act of Defiance 2021

Adrienne Levi/The Dragon Lady Vs. Eli Goode/Steve Matthews

Post by Webmistress Barbie on Sept 4, 2020 18:00:12 GMT -5

Post by thedragonlady on Sept 5, 2020 19:29:44 GMT -5

Post by Steve Matthews on Sept 6, 2020 8:23:44 GMT -5

Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2020 18:12:37 GMT -5

Post by Eli Goode on Sept 13, 2020 2:07:31 GMT -5