Post by Aurora Knight on Jul 29, 2016 21:08:02 GMT -5
Quinn Residence
Long Beach, CA
2007
A wrestling ring of incredibly crude design dominated the vast majority of the backyard, with a small cluster of young boys, some of which couldn’t have been older than 15. Inside the ring stood two such young men, one with shoulder-length blond hair and a remarkable physique for someone his age. The other boy in the ring was similarly built, but with a shaved head. The pair stood in the center of the ring, trading rights and lefts back and forth. The bald kid landed a punch that sent the blond kid staggering as the crowd gathered at ringside groaned in sympathy at the impact.
Kid in crowd 1: Wait a minute… look over at the shed.
Kid in crowd 2: Hey, isn’t that Ri’s little sister?
A slender blonde girl scaled a pile of bricks that had been stacked beside an old metal storage shed. As the two boys in the ring continued to go at it, the girl climbed up onto the roof of the shed, staring intently into the ring, as if she were gauging the distance, and her ability to clear it. As the roof of the shed rang out with her footsteps, the blond boy flattened the bald boy with a German suplex. He stood up just in time to see the girl on the roof of the shed.
Blond Boy: Aurora, what the hell are you doing? Get down from there before you break your damn neck!
Aurora: Get down? Sure, I’ll get down from here. But first you have to do something for me, Ri…
Orion: Fine. What?
Aurora: Move out of the way!
As Orion Quinn stood with his eyes wide open in shock, Aurora jumped off of the roof of the shed, nearly decapitating the bald boy in the ring with a flying legdrop. The crowd surrounding the ring fell silent as Aurora rolled to one knee.
Orion: Sis, are you trying to get yourself killed?
She looked down at the bald kid, smiling at her handiwork as she stood up.
Aurora: Do I look dead to you, big brother?
She turned to the gathering of boys at ringside, throwing out her arms and screaming…
Aurora: DO I LOOK FUCKING DEAD!?
She grabbed the top rope, glaring at the crowd as the bald-headed boy slowly began to stir. Orion, still shocked at what he had just witnessed from his barely-teenage baby sister, stared aghast at her, not paying attention to the bald kid as he started to force himself to his feet.
Meanwhile, the crowd started to process what had just transpired, and began cheering the little blonde spitfire in the hot pink spandex shorts. One kid started chanting, then another joined in, and before long, everyone there – all ten of them – were chanting the young girl’s name…
Crowd: Rory! Rory! Rory! Rory! Rory! Rory!
As Aurora soaked in the reaction from the boys at ringside, she smiled, continuing to stare them down. She stepped back, continuing to play to the crowd as her brother looked on, his hands on his hips as he stared in disbelief.
No one saw it coming. They were too busy staring at Aurora to notice that the bald kid had gotten to his feet, and was now staring daggers at the girl that had just upstaged him. His face twisted in rage, his nostrils flaring like a wild bull, he charged at Aurora. Hearing his footsteps coming in hot behind her, Aurora turned around and dropped down to the mat, pulling the top rope down. Baldie spilled to the outside of the ring and onto the grass below, landing on his ass at the feet off the crowd.
Baldie: Well don’t just stand there… someone help me up!
Kid 1: DUDE! You just got your ass kicked by a 7th Grade GIRL!
Much to Baldie’s chagrin, everyone around him was laughing. He stood up, dusting off bits of grass that had clung to his hands and the small of his back and staring into the ring. Aurora and Orion leaned against the ropes, joining in the laughter as Orion patted his baby sister on the back.
Orion: Where the hell did you learn that, sis?
Aurora pointed at one of the windows on the back of the house. It was open, and the breeze caught the end of a sheer, lavender curtain. Meanwhile, one by one, the other kids started to file out of the backyard.
Aurora: Ri… you forget. I can see everything from my bedroom window. So… you finally gonna let me in on this shit, or do I tell DAD who REALLY put the dent in his car?
Orion: You wouldn’t dare!
Aurora: Oh, wouldn’t I? Care to try me?
Orion: Blackmail, sis? Seriously?
Aurora narrowed her eyes at her older brother, then took a deep breath, as if prepping to make good on her threat as loudly as possible. In a panic, Orion quickly caved.
Orion: Ugh… FINE!
Satisfied, Aurora flashed a deceptively sweet smile as she walked back into the house. Once she was out of earshot, Orion sat down on a crate beside the ring.
Orion: That evil little runt….
Knight-Graves Vacation Rental
Memphis, TN
Thursday, July 28, 2016 – 4:30 am
**click, click… click-click-click**
Damon: Gah… no, that’s not right… FUCK!
A shirtless Damon Graves sat on the light brown leather sofa, his laptop open to an image of several clusters of black roses surrounding a pale gray banner. The image is devoid of text, save for a speck where a letter used to be, the rest of it having been deleted. He set the laptop on the coffee table in front of him, letting his head fall into his hands.
Damon: Damn it… why can’t I get the wording right?
He groaned in frustration as he rubbed his hands over his face. He closed the image, then leaned against the backrest.
Aurora’s Voice: Damon?
The sound was barely audible, and wrought with the tone of one that was still in the process of waking up, but still loud enough to catch Damon’s attention. Damon quickly closed his laptop and turned to see Aurora shuffling out of the bedroom, her eyes almost completely shut as she adjusted to the light in the living room.
Damon: Sorry, Harley… I didn’t mean to wake you up.
Aurora shook her head as she continued shuffling her feet across the floor, right into Damon’s waiting arms. Letting out a yawn, she rested her head on his chest, her eyelashes fluttering against his skin as her eyes continued to blink.
Damon: That kinda tickles….
Aurora: Sorry. Everything okay, Puddin’?
Aurora wrapped her arms around Damon’s waist as he embraced her.
Damon: Have you ever had an idea hit you out of nowhere, and you knew you had to jot it down right then and there before you forgot it? That’s what happened to me. Wait… what time IS it, anyway?
Aurora: (yawning) A little after 4:30…
Damon pulled back. His sleep-deprived eyes went wide with shock as he turned to look at the clock on the wall.
Damon: What the fuck? When I came out here, it was only half past midnight!
Aurora: Must have been some project. You gonna let me see it?
He shook his head, frowning a little.
Damon: Aurora… you know how I am about letting people see my work before it’s finished. And this particular project is nowhere near being ready.
Aurora: So… not even a little peek?
Again, he shook his head no as he walked toward the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator, staring at its contents before turning back to Aurora.
Damon: Are you hungry? Because I sure as hell am….
It was Aurora’s turn to frown as she stood with her hands on her hips, scoffing at him.
Aurora: HEY! No fair changing the subject! I…
Her protest was stopped cold by the sensation of her growling stomach. With a defeated look on her face, she let her head drop as Damon chuckled. He shut the refrigerator door and walked toward her, tilting her head up with his finger.
Aurora: Okay, I guess I could eat something….
Damon: Tell you what… we’ll get dressed, and I’ll take you out to eat. I’m sure we’ll find something open this early.
Aurora: You win this round, Puddin’. But you can’t keep ducking me like that….
She tapped him on the nose as she walked back into the bedroom, with Damon following close behind her.
Downtown Memphis
Friday, July 29, 2016 – 1:00 pm
The weather was hot and humid, despite the clouds that blanketed the city. The scent of rain hung in the air, as if the sky could open up at any second.
Despite the heat, Aurora wandered down Beale Street dressed in a pair of black jeans and an A.O.D. t-shirt, her hands stuffed into her pockets as she took in the sights. A handful of bars, a couple of theaters - one of them converted into a banquet hall, and of course, a few shops and museums spread out in between.
Aurora: I used to take walks like this with my father when I was a little girl… you see, I was once my father’s pride and joy; the proverbial jewel in his crown. There wasn’t a thing my father wouldn’t do to make sure I was happy. But he made one fatal mistake when raising me, and that was to expect me to live by a different set of rules than the ones he laid out for my brothers. He let them get away with everything, but kept me on a short leash like you wouldn’t believe. Boys will be boys, but Ian Quinn’s daughter had better be no less than the perfect angel. Any wonder why I gave my brothers hell growing up?
She chuckled as she kept on her path down the street, moving on until she passed the Coyote Ugly Saloon. The exterior did nothing to showcase the venue’s wild reputation. It was closed at the moment anyway; there was no point in lingering here, so she continued onward.
Aurora: They say that the love a father has for his daughter is one of the strongest bonds imaginable, but that so-called love sure as hell didn’t stop my father from pointing a shotgun at me the day I came home from a wedding that never should have happened in the first place. But I didn’t let my father’s rejection stop me from becoming the woman I knew I was destined to be. Despite the hell I went through, one I’ll probably NEVER be comfortable discussing – least of all with the likes of someone like you – I’ve not only survived, I’ve thrived!
Mark Storm, your little speech about how your only priority is to make your daughter see you as someone to look up to means absolutely nothing to me. Yeah, it’s admirable and all that, but to me, it’s nothing but a bunch of empty words. You see, I had always looked up to my father growing up, wanting to learn everything from him that I could, but he couldn’t face the fact that I was exactly like him in almost every way – well, except for the obvious. Granted, I’ve made my share of mistakes in that respect, but I’ve made efforts to correct those mistakes and move forward. Well, I have no kids, so I guess I have even less to care about than you do. Does that mean I don’t have just as much to fight for? Hell fucking no!
A local couple passed by her on the sidewalk, the woman looking a little shocked at Aurora’s choice of words. She didn’t care. She shrugged it off and kept walking, even as they muttered amongst each other as they turned the corner.
Aurora: “I’m not an ordinary man…” Boy, if I had a dime for every time I heard someone utter those words; I’d be a VERY rich woman. Sure, you can yell that tired old phrase out for everyone within the sound of your voice to hear, but the same can be said of every man and woman that laces up their boots and steps through those ropes. For you to stand there and say that you’re any different than anyone else in this business is laughable at best.
Tell me, Mark. What have you done in NGW? You’ve come in here, won a few matches, but has anything ever come of your last stint? Funny… I don’t see your name anywhere on the list of past champions. Sure, outside of NGW, you may very well be a world champion, but here? You’re just another guy that has risen through the ranks, only with nothing to show for it. Hell, I’ve done more in the two months that I’ve been here than you have since you first showed up! And with only five matches under my belt so far, I’ve still got a hell of a long way to go before I’m done.
But you? You come here, groveling to the fans because you feel like you’ve abandoned them to the fate of having to suffer with Gavin Grimes at the top of the mountain. Frankly, I don’t think I’d be able to find one person around here that actually missed you while you were gone. “Mark Storm came back to NGW, you say?” “Maybe he’ll wrestle a couple of times and then disappear again.” Of course, there are the handful that actually want to see you stick around and do something memorable for once.
Aurora shook her head, smirking as she reached the corner of Beale Street and Handy Circle. Turning to her left, she caught sight of the FedExForum, where Vendetta would be taking place the next day. She stared at the large, round building at the end of the short length of brick-paved road, as if visualizing how it would come to life as the fans began to file into the building.
Aurora: I’ve gone back and forth with myself, wondering why Devlin Scott set up this match. He could have stuck you in the ring with some curtain jerker that’s just getting their feet wet, but no… he stuck you up against me. Maybe he wants to see if you still have what it takes to compete with the top champions in NGW, while still casting a line in foreign waters. Either way, you’ll probably get a shot at the Unified Championship before I do. After all, I don’t make the matches, but I’ve been around enough territories to see rookies get title shots when they’re practically fresh out of the gate. I guess you could call it the luck of the draw. However it pans out, I suggest you REALLY step your game up. Because how bad is it going to look for the guy that says his goal is to dethrone Gavin Grimes if he can’t even get past a two-month rookie “tag team wrestler”? Sure as hell doesn’t look all that good for you, does it?
Aurora walked slowly down Handy Circle, waving at a handful of guys unloading supplies from a truck outside of Wet Willie’s. She crossed the street to the concrete courtyard outside of the Forum, where already, fans were starting to gather, even if for nothing more than the hope of catching a glimpse of their favorite superstar.
Aurora: Just one day remains before Vendetta, Stormy. The fans will fill the seats, expecting to see one hell of a fight – an “instant classic,” as you put it. Well, I’ve done my best over the past couple of months to make sure the NGW fans don’t leave the building disappointed; I’ll be damned if I’m going to start now. I may not be gaining anything from this match, but I treat every match like it has the potential to be my last, so if it’s a fight you want, then it’s a fight you will get. But don’t make the mistake of underestimating me. As fun as it may be to stand around and poke at each other, there’s one thing you said that I absolutely agree with. Words don’t mean a damn thing; all they are are sounds meant to serve as some form of communication. However, there’s another means of communication that – at least to me – is a lot more meaningful, and that’s the sort of communication we will be doing not with our words, but with fists, feet, and oh yeah… maybe even some blood; I’m no stranger to that, either.
Come on, Stormy… whatever you’ve got to throw at me, be my guest. I can assure you that I’m a lot tougher than I look, but I guess you’ll find out just how tough I really am tomorrow night. Believe me when I tell you that beating me isn’t anywhere near as easy as it sounds. Ask some of the people that have faced me in the weeks leading up to this match. Granted, there are some you can’t ask, because they aren’t around anymore, but that alone should tell you something. I’m not saying I set out to shame them out of wrestling, but I’m here, and they’re not. I guess they just couldn’t hang. Time will tell which side of the fence you end up on. But first, let’s see how good of a fighter you really are. It’s time we stopped flapping our gums at each other, because tomorrow, we’ll be exchanging something a LOT more tangible.
She held up her fists, nowhere near as colorfully decorated as her tag team partner’s but the wicked grin on her face said more than a full body covered in tattoos ever could. She looked up at the banner hanging from the side of the FedExForum, where the faces of some of the superstars appearing at Vendetta, herself and Storm included. Turning back around, she stood with her hands on her hips and a confident smile on her face.
Aurora: One last thing, Stormy… being in a tag team doesn’t make you weak. You have no idea what a struggle it was for me to put my trust in someone else. Sometimes, you HAVE to step aside and work with someone else. Doesn’t make you any less of a competitor. I don’t NEED to rely on anyone, but I’ll be damned if I’m not glad to have Damon by my side. I already know I have what it takes to stand on my own in singles competition, a fact I plan on proving to you and the rest of the world tomorrow night. You will find out exactly what I’m about in that ring, and you will learn what happens when people take me lightly. Spoiler alert… it doesn’t end well for you.
Aurora raised her hands in a “rock on” gesture, a sneer on her face before she threw her hands down, took a couple of steps back, then turned and headed off toward the FedExForum. As she approached the door, a group of fans came rushing toward her with signs, shirts and markers, and she eventually disappeared among the crowd.
Long Beach, CA
2007
A wrestling ring of incredibly crude design dominated the vast majority of the backyard, with a small cluster of young boys, some of which couldn’t have been older than 15. Inside the ring stood two such young men, one with shoulder-length blond hair and a remarkable physique for someone his age. The other boy in the ring was similarly built, but with a shaved head. The pair stood in the center of the ring, trading rights and lefts back and forth. The bald kid landed a punch that sent the blond kid staggering as the crowd gathered at ringside groaned in sympathy at the impact.
Kid in crowd 1: Wait a minute… look over at the shed.
Kid in crowd 2: Hey, isn’t that Ri’s little sister?
A slender blonde girl scaled a pile of bricks that had been stacked beside an old metal storage shed. As the two boys in the ring continued to go at it, the girl climbed up onto the roof of the shed, staring intently into the ring, as if she were gauging the distance, and her ability to clear it. As the roof of the shed rang out with her footsteps, the blond boy flattened the bald boy with a German suplex. He stood up just in time to see the girl on the roof of the shed.
Blond Boy: Aurora, what the hell are you doing? Get down from there before you break your damn neck!
Aurora: Get down? Sure, I’ll get down from here. But first you have to do something for me, Ri…
Orion: Fine. What?
Aurora: Move out of the way!
As Orion Quinn stood with his eyes wide open in shock, Aurora jumped off of the roof of the shed, nearly decapitating the bald boy in the ring with a flying legdrop. The crowd surrounding the ring fell silent as Aurora rolled to one knee.
Orion: Sis, are you trying to get yourself killed?
She looked down at the bald kid, smiling at her handiwork as she stood up.
Aurora: Do I look dead to you, big brother?
She turned to the gathering of boys at ringside, throwing out her arms and screaming…
Aurora: DO I LOOK FUCKING DEAD!?
She grabbed the top rope, glaring at the crowd as the bald-headed boy slowly began to stir. Orion, still shocked at what he had just witnessed from his barely-teenage baby sister, stared aghast at her, not paying attention to the bald kid as he started to force himself to his feet.
Meanwhile, the crowd started to process what had just transpired, and began cheering the little blonde spitfire in the hot pink spandex shorts. One kid started chanting, then another joined in, and before long, everyone there – all ten of them – were chanting the young girl’s name…
Crowd: Rory! Rory! Rory! Rory! Rory! Rory!
As Aurora soaked in the reaction from the boys at ringside, she smiled, continuing to stare them down. She stepped back, continuing to play to the crowd as her brother looked on, his hands on his hips as he stared in disbelief.
No one saw it coming. They were too busy staring at Aurora to notice that the bald kid had gotten to his feet, and was now staring daggers at the girl that had just upstaged him. His face twisted in rage, his nostrils flaring like a wild bull, he charged at Aurora. Hearing his footsteps coming in hot behind her, Aurora turned around and dropped down to the mat, pulling the top rope down. Baldie spilled to the outside of the ring and onto the grass below, landing on his ass at the feet off the crowd.
Baldie: Well don’t just stand there… someone help me up!
Kid 1: DUDE! You just got your ass kicked by a 7th Grade GIRL!
Much to Baldie’s chagrin, everyone around him was laughing. He stood up, dusting off bits of grass that had clung to his hands and the small of his back and staring into the ring. Aurora and Orion leaned against the ropes, joining in the laughter as Orion patted his baby sister on the back.
Orion: Where the hell did you learn that, sis?
Aurora pointed at one of the windows on the back of the house. It was open, and the breeze caught the end of a sheer, lavender curtain. Meanwhile, one by one, the other kids started to file out of the backyard.
Aurora: Ri… you forget. I can see everything from my bedroom window. So… you finally gonna let me in on this shit, or do I tell DAD who REALLY put the dent in his car?
Orion: You wouldn’t dare!
Aurora: Oh, wouldn’t I? Care to try me?
Orion: Blackmail, sis? Seriously?
Aurora narrowed her eyes at her older brother, then took a deep breath, as if prepping to make good on her threat as loudly as possible. In a panic, Orion quickly caved.
Orion: Ugh… FINE!
Satisfied, Aurora flashed a deceptively sweet smile as she walked back into the house. Once she was out of earshot, Orion sat down on a crate beside the ring.
Orion: That evil little runt….
Knight-Graves Vacation Rental
Memphis, TN
Thursday, July 28, 2016 – 4:30 am
**click, click… click-click-click**
Damon: Gah… no, that’s not right… FUCK!
A shirtless Damon Graves sat on the light brown leather sofa, his laptop open to an image of several clusters of black roses surrounding a pale gray banner. The image is devoid of text, save for a speck where a letter used to be, the rest of it having been deleted. He set the laptop on the coffee table in front of him, letting his head fall into his hands.
Damon: Damn it… why can’t I get the wording right?
He groaned in frustration as he rubbed his hands over his face. He closed the image, then leaned against the backrest.
Aurora’s Voice: Damon?
The sound was barely audible, and wrought with the tone of one that was still in the process of waking up, but still loud enough to catch Damon’s attention. Damon quickly closed his laptop and turned to see Aurora shuffling out of the bedroom, her eyes almost completely shut as she adjusted to the light in the living room.
Damon: Sorry, Harley… I didn’t mean to wake you up.
Aurora shook her head as she continued shuffling her feet across the floor, right into Damon’s waiting arms. Letting out a yawn, she rested her head on his chest, her eyelashes fluttering against his skin as her eyes continued to blink.
Damon: That kinda tickles….
Aurora: Sorry. Everything okay, Puddin’?
Aurora wrapped her arms around Damon’s waist as he embraced her.
Damon: Have you ever had an idea hit you out of nowhere, and you knew you had to jot it down right then and there before you forgot it? That’s what happened to me. Wait… what time IS it, anyway?
Aurora: (yawning) A little after 4:30…
Damon pulled back. His sleep-deprived eyes went wide with shock as he turned to look at the clock on the wall.
Damon: What the fuck? When I came out here, it was only half past midnight!
Aurora: Must have been some project. You gonna let me see it?
He shook his head, frowning a little.
Damon: Aurora… you know how I am about letting people see my work before it’s finished. And this particular project is nowhere near being ready.
Aurora: So… not even a little peek?
Again, he shook his head no as he walked toward the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator, staring at its contents before turning back to Aurora.
Damon: Are you hungry? Because I sure as hell am….
It was Aurora’s turn to frown as she stood with her hands on her hips, scoffing at him.
Aurora: HEY! No fair changing the subject! I…
Her protest was stopped cold by the sensation of her growling stomach. With a defeated look on her face, she let her head drop as Damon chuckled. He shut the refrigerator door and walked toward her, tilting her head up with his finger.
Aurora: Okay, I guess I could eat something….
Damon: Tell you what… we’ll get dressed, and I’ll take you out to eat. I’m sure we’ll find something open this early.
Aurora: You win this round, Puddin’. But you can’t keep ducking me like that….
She tapped him on the nose as she walked back into the bedroom, with Damon following close behind her.
Downtown Memphis
Friday, July 29, 2016 – 1:00 pm
The weather was hot and humid, despite the clouds that blanketed the city. The scent of rain hung in the air, as if the sky could open up at any second.
Despite the heat, Aurora wandered down Beale Street dressed in a pair of black jeans and an A.O.D. t-shirt, her hands stuffed into her pockets as she took in the sights. A handful of bars, a couple of theaters - one of them converted into a banquet hall, and of course, a few shops and museums spread out in between.
Aurora: I used to take walks like this with my father when I was a little girl… you see, I was once my father’s pride and joy; the proverbial jewel in his crown. There wasn’t a thing my father wouldn’t do to make sure I was happy. But he made one fatal mistake when raising me, and that was to expect me to live by a different set of rules than the ones he laid out for my brothers. He let them get away with everything, but kept me on a short leash like you wouldn’t believe. Boys will be boys, but Ian Quinn’s daughter had better be no less than the perfect angel. Any wonder why I gave my brothers hell growing up?
She chuckled as she kept on her path down the street, moving on until she passed the Coyote Ugly Saloon. The exterior did nothing to showcase the venue’s wild reputation. It was closed at the moment anyway; there was no point in lingering here, so she continued onward.
Aurora: They say that the love a father has for his daughter is one of the strongest bonds imaginable, but that so-called love sure as hell didn’t stop my father from pointing a shotgun at me the day I came home from a wedding that never should have happened in the first place. But I didn’t let my father’s rejection stop me from becoming the woman I knew I was destined to be. Despite the hell I went through, one I’ll probably NEVER be comfortable discussing – least of all with the likes of someone like you – I’ve not only survived, I’ve thrived!
Mark Storm, your little speech about how your only priority is to make your daughter see you as someone to look up to means absolutely nothing to me. Yeah, it’s admirable and all that, but to me, it’s nothing but a bunch of empty words. You see, I had always looked up to my father growing up, wanting to learn everything from him that I could, but he couldn’t face the fact that I was exactly like him in almost every way – well, except for the obvious. Granted, I’ve made my share of mistakes in that respect, but I’ve made efforts to correct those mistakes and move forward. Well, I have no kids, so I guess I have even less to care about than you do. Does that mean I don’t have just as much to fight for? Hell fucking no!
A local couple passed by her on the sidewalk, the woman looking a little shocked at Aurora’s choice of words. She didn’t care. She shrugged it off and kept walking, even as they muttered amongst each other as they turned the corner.
Aurora: “I’m not an ordinary man…” Boy, if I had a dime for every time I heard someone utter those words; I’d be a VERY rich woman. Sure, you can yell that tired old phrase out for everyone within the sound of your voice to hear, but the same can be said of every man and woman that laces up their boots and steps through those ropes. For you to stand there and say that you’re any different than anyone else in this business is laughable at best.
Tell me, Mark. What have you done in NGW? You’ve come in here, won a few matches, but has anything ever come of your last stint? Funny… I don’t see your name anywhere on the list of past champions. Sure, outside of NGW, you may very well be a world champion, but here? You’re just another guy that has risen through the ranks, only with nothing to show for it. Hell, I’ve done more in the two months that I’ve been here than you have since you first showed up! And with only five matches under my belt so far, I’ve still got a hell of a long way to go before I’m done.
But you? You come here, groveling to the fans because you feel like you’ve abandoned them to the fate of having to suffer with Gavin Grimes at the top of the mountain. Frankly, I don’t think I’d be able to find one person around here that actually missed you while you were gone. “Mark Storm came back to NGW, you say?” “Maybe he’ll wrestle a couple of times and then disappear again.” Of course, there are the handful that actually want to see you stick around and do something memorable for once.
Aurora shook her head, smirking as she reached the corner of Beale Street and Handy Circle. Turning to her left, she caught sight of the FedExForum, where Vendetta would be taking place the next day. She stared at the large, round building at the end of the short length of brick-paved road, as if visualizing how it would come to life as the fans began to file into the building.
Aurora: I’ve gone back and forth with myself, wondering why Devlin Scott set up this match. He could have stuck you in the ring with some curtain jerker that’s just getting their feet wet, but no… he stuck you up against me. Maybe he wants to see if you still have what it takes to compete with the top champions in NGW, while still casting a line in foreign waters. Either way, you’ll probably get a shot at the Unified Championship before I do. After all, I don’t make the matches, but I’ve been around enough territories to see rookies get title shots when they’re practically fresh out of the gate. I guess you could call it the luck of the draw. However it pans out, I suggest you REALLY step your game up. Because how bad is it going to look for the guy that says his goal is to dethrone Gavin Grimes if he can’t even get past a two-month rookie “tag team wrestler”? Sure as hell doesn’t look all that good for you, does it?
Aurora walked slowly down Handy Circle, waving at a handful of guys unloading supplies from a truck outside of Wet Willie’s. She crossed the street to the concrete courtyard outside of the Forum, where already, fans were starting to gather, even if for nothing more than the hope of catching a glimpse of their favorite superstar.
Aurora: Just one day remains before Vendetta, Stormy. The fans will fill the seats, expecting to see one hell of a fight – an “instant classic,” as you put it. Well, I’ve done my best over the past couple of months to make sure the NGW fans don’t leave the building disappointed; I’ll be damned if I’m going to start now. I may not be gaining anything from this match, but I treat every match like it has the potential to be my last, so if it’s a fight you want, then it’s a fight you will get. But don’t make the mistake of underestimating me. As fun as it may be to stand around and poke at each other, there’s one thing you said that I absolutely agree with. Words don’t mean a damn thing; all they are are sounds meant to serve as some form of communication. However, there’s another means of communication that – at least to me – is a lot more meaningful, and that’s the sort of communication we will be doing not with our words, but with fists, feet, and oh yeah… maybe even some blood; I’m no stranger to that, either.
Come on, Stormy… whatever you’ve got to throw at me, be my guest. I can assure you that I’m a lot tougher than I look, but I guess you’ll find out just how tough I really am tomorrow night. Believe me when I tell you that beating me isn’t anywhere near as easy as it sounds. Ask some of the people that have faced me in the weeks leading up to this match. Granted, there are some you can’t ask, because they aren’t around anymore, but that alone should tell you something. I’m not saying I set out to shame them out of wrestling, but I’m here, and they’re not. I guess they just couldn’t hang. Time will tell which side of the fence you end up on. But first, let’s see how good of a fighter you really are. It’s time we stopped flapping our gums at each other, because tomorrow, we’ll be exchanging something a LOT more tangible.
She held up her fists, nowhere near as colorfully decorated as her tag team partner’s but the wicked grin on her face said more than a full body covered in tattoos ever could. She looked up at the banner hanging from the side of the FedExForum, where the faces of some of the superstars appearing at Vendetta, herself and Storm included. Turning back around, she stood with her hands on her hips and a confident smile on her face.
Aurora: One last thing, Stormy… being in a tag team doesn’t make you weak. You have no idea what a struggle it was for me to put my trust in someone else. Sometimes, you HAVE to step aside and work with someone else. Doesn’t make you any less of a competitor. I don’t NEED to rely on anyone, but I’ll be damned if I’m not glad to have Damon by my side. I already know I have what it takes to stand on my own in singles competition, a fact I plan on proving to you and the rest of the world tomorrow night. You will find out exactly what I’m about in that ring, and you will learn what happens when people take me lightly. Spoiler alert… it doesn’t end well for you.
Aurora raised her hands in a “rock on” gesture, a sneer on her face before she threw her hands down, took a couple of steps back, then turned and headed off toward the FedExForum. As she approached the door, a group of fans came rushing toward her with signs, shirts and markers, and she eventually disappeared among the crowd.