The more things change... For those more in the know, the familiarity of Tempest's old one bedroom apartment here in the famed "City of Sin" was now a thing of the past. And for this amazon of a woman, that was a rather difficult thing to grow accustomed to. You see, in her own words, Tempest would freely tell people that there are two things she hates above all else; change -- and things that remain the same. Yes indeed, she was quite the difficult person to truly get to know and more importantly, to understand. Although, let's be honest. She was not alone in at least a part of this small piece of personal philosophy. A lot of people find themselves growing comfortable with their respective lots in life, be it their job or relationships, or in this particular case - a home. Of course, like many of these unseen specters that just so happened to share her mindset and circumstances, they too might find fate itself intervening in one way or another, forcing that most dreaded of circumstances; change.
And what bigger change could one experience than by having a child enter your life that you were now solely responsible for?
Las Vegas, Nevada -
Country Club Towers
With a spectacular view of the Strip and the dazzling lights of the entertainment capitol of the world, this estate was a startling change from Tempest's former place of residence in a more suburb one bedroom apartment. It was close to the Turnberry Towers where current SCW stars Miles Kasey and HBCarter, as well as "former" Superstars Fenris and his brother Aron called home. Perhaps this was done by design on the part of Gabriel Stevens who had assisted his volatile charge in getting this set up. Just in case there was any emergency, there would be someone nearby that could lend her a helping hand in the event that he or Odette would be unable to, or unable to get there in due time. Gabriel knew her well enough to know that Tempest's tastes were simple where a home was concerned, in both set up as well as simple decor. She hated clutter and was not one of those women who bought silly decor that said "Eat, Pray, Love" to hang on their wall as some strange personal mantra. She lived life simply and felt favor in just the basics. But once again -- change.
Tempest: I still think all of this was completely unnecessary.
She said as she stood in the center of the spacious living room, the hardwood floors shining bright and new as she surveyed her surroundings. Gabriel sighed as he stepped out of the kitchen, having taken the initiative to get a cold drink for himself as well as for his "charming hostess." He let everything she said in regards to her home situation roll right off of his back, having heard it all over the past several weeks. If anything, the proprietor of the famed GO Gym was all too happy to help her get set up under these new circumstances. It meant that after these past few years, she was finally opening up to others around her and he was seeing a new side to her. A side he might not have come to expect.
As a mother.
Gabriel: I believe the words you're looking for are 'thank you'.
Gabriel passed the bottled raspberry tea over to her waiting hand while popping the cap off of his own beverage to have a drink. One thing he had come to learn about this woman was the fact that she rarely ran the air conditioning in her home, being all too used to the climates of her native Hawaii. Whereas Gabriel tended to run the AC in his home to the point he'd be freezing his ass off.
Tempest: I never said that I wasn't grateful. You helped me out a lot in getting this place so quickly.
Gabriel feigned indifference with a good natured smile at the appreciation his and Odette's student showed him in this instance. True, the main gist of their trainer/student relationship was always about the wrestling. But outside of that, neither he nor his wife were able to keep things one hundred percent professional between themselves and their students. They always showed concern for their lives outside of the Gym and their overall general well being.
Tempest: It's just that... well I guess over the last few weeks you've come to realize I have this habit of second guessing myself.
Gabriel: Which surprised me a lot because I always thought of you as the confident sort to the point of being more stubborn than Fenris. And THAT is saying something!
Tempest smirked, despite herself.
Tempest: Under normal circumstances, I'd tend to agree. But this...
tempest sighed, looking up and around at absolutely nothing at first. At a loss for words, not knowing how to even begin. But that is where Gabriel's words of reassurance from several weeks past would ring most true in the fact that she was not alone.
Gabriel: Hey...
He laid a reassuring hand on his student's shoulder, drawing her attention back toward him and away from whatever dark cloud that might have been forming in her own personal thoughts. The fact that she did not shrug his hand away or draw back from her preferences at not being touched, spoke highly on the given situation. Gabriel held her gaze for a mere moment before he smiled his best.
Gabriel: It's going to be alright, Alleyene. Kids have a habit of making even the most confident of us second guess ourselves.
Tempest: Yeah?
Gabriel nodded, all-too knowingly.
Gabriel: I speak from personal experience. As a wrestler, I thought I was the shit. Actually... I knew I was.
He smiled, despite himself and she just scrunched her nose with a sly smirk at his cocky display.
Gabriel: But when Lucas was born? Everything I thought I was, got thrown right out the window. And just when I started to think I had this whole Dad thing down, along came our little girl and once again...
He let loose a shrill whistle from between his teeth while jetting a thumb back over his shoulder.
Tempest: You had to go and start all over.
To which he nodded.
Gabriel: To put it mildly. But every adult who becomes a parent goes through this change in their sense of self. Some can handle it and come out smelling like a rose. Others you read about on Reddit for raising holy little terrors that tear up restaurants or run amok in movie theaters. Of course, your circumstances are a little different.
Tempest: I have so much time to make up for.
Gabriel: And you will. You are going to spoil that little girl of yours rotten, but still keep her level headed so she grows up to be as strong willed and independent as her mom.
Tempest scoffed, not knowing quite how to take such high words of praise. So rather than say anything that might make her look foolish or cast doubt upon herself, she simply chose to remain silent and took a drink from the glass bottle in her hand. She then took a step forward and before Gabriel realized it, she was walking away from the living room as well as him personally. It was unlike her nature so he proceeded to follow her as she walked down the hall of the modest apartment to a door that was half-closed.
Tempest used the back of her hand to wedge the door open a little wider so that both she could see inside. Gabriel also peered inside and looked upon the very reason why this whole situation had arisen. The nine year old daughter of her husband who had been killed in action several years ago; Anela Kahale. Unlike the more modest upkeep of the rest of the apartment, this bedroom had been suited to the little girl's specific tastes as a bold surprise for her from the moment she set foot inside. Her favorite color was purple - and from the drapes over the windows to the bedspread and lacy pillows, there was purple abound. There was even a big, purple plush rug on the center of the hardwood floor. Anela loved unicorns and mermaids. Tempest had went through painstaking measures to find the largest and most colorful plush unicorn for Anela to sleep with in her bed and there were framed pictures of mermaids and mermen all along her bedroom walls. As a bit of a welcoming present, Gabriel and Odette had even gifted the little girl with a very rare Ken merman doll. The way that child's face lit up with such a gift... But most of all, she loved to read. And that was why Tempest had the biggest bookcase she could find to fit comfortably in the bedroom. She then took Anela to the closest bookstore and just let the little girl run wild.
In fact, that was what had the child so pre occupied that she didn't even realize she was being watched briefly. She was curled up on her bed, the stuffed unicorn under her head as a makeshift pillow and her nose buried in a fresh copy of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. That was when she found Gabriel's hand on her arm once more. He spoke in a quiet, reserved whisper so as not to disturb Anela.
Gabriel: And can I tell you one more little secret? Just between us?
Tempest: What's that?
Gabriel: I think you are going to make one hell of a mom to that little girl.
Las Vegas, Nevada
John S. Park Elementary School
It remained early enough in the morning where the crisp air had not yet heated up in the usual Las Vegas fashion, and a crowd of children were gathered outside of the school amidst a number of brightly colored yellow school buses. Wearing their favorite clothes and carrying bags over their shoulders, the children giggled and chatted between themselves before the start of the school day would commence.
The forest green Chevrolet Traverse pulled up outside of the school, located a short distance from the Las Vegas Strip and slowed to a stop where the kids were able to be let off. Once stopped, it was revealed Tempest in the driver's seat and a somewhat nervous looking Anela seated beside her. And really, who could blame the little girl for being nervous in the first place? A new life at a new school... all of these kids probably knew each other from previous school years and who wanted to be the new kid trying to make friends? Tempest looked to her and could easily see the hesitation in the little girl's eyes.
Tempest: Do you want me to go with you?
Anela shook her head in a quiet refusal, preferring to do her mom proud and handle this on her own. Just like she was sure Tempest would have. She turned from staring at all of the kids to her mom.
Anela: No... no. I'll be fine.
Tempest: Are you sure?
Anela nodded, then leaned over to wrap her arm around Tempest's neck for a quick hug. She gave Tempest a quick peck on the cheek before undoing her seatbelt and exiting the Transverse. Grabbing her Little Mermaid book bag from the foot rest, she shut the door and gave Tempest a quick wave goodbye. Tempest returned the gesture with a smile, despite the subdued nerves of watching her stepdaughter turn and make her way toward the school and the children. For perhaps the very first time, feeling the very same nerves in the pit of her stomach at wondering if she would be alright.
There arena was dark overall, save for a single spotlight that shown down from the rafters and onto the stool that was set up in the center of the six-sided ring. The sound of footsteps were heard reverberating across the bare walls of the empty arena, footsteps that seemingly stopped as if someone were entering the ring itself. And it was then that Tempest, one-half of the former World Mixed Tag Team Champions and challenging for those very same titles stepped into the shot.
Never one for dressing in anything but what she found comfort in, she wore her street clothes consisting of a black t-shirt with her favorite denim jacket worn over it, tight blue jeans and tanned, heel boots. Taking hold of the stool's seat, Tempest pulled it a touch closer to where she wanted it before taking a seat, facing the camera directly.
"I hate this. I admit it. I was never the type of person who was big on letting my words influence people when I always believed that actions accomplished the same and much better. But, I also understand that this is the nature of the business so let's commence the traditional bout of trash talking, shall we?"
She got comfortable and clasped her hands together on her bended knees.
"Okay, here's the thing. I don't use social media. Not Twitter or Facebook or Instagram or whatever the hell is taking over and rotting the minds of the average Neanderthal. I have no reason to. I have no use for it. I know too many people who have allowed their chosen form of social media to, for lack of a better term, take over their lives. I've seen people converse with friends and family over some chat messenger - while sitting in the same room at the same table! If I have to be perfectly honest - and I usually am - I find social media to be a colossal waste of time and the people who rely on it so heavily need to get a damn life!"
"But -- just because I don't take part in this mind numbing phenomenon doesn't mean that I am not aware of some of the things that go on with it. For example -- Eiley. The moment this match for the Mixed Tag Team titles was announced, I understand she made some sort of crack about how now she'd have to listen to me run my mouth about Mikah's baby or whatever she was going on about. And in a sense, I can see where she's coming from. Mikah's time at the top is a thing of the past and her memory in this day and age is totally and completely irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. So I'm speaking up right now for one-half of the champions, and hope she can pop out those ear buds and stop listening to her KPop or whatever else she addles her mind with and hear me out. Let's forget the past -- IE Mikah, and move on toward the future. As in, what's going to happen in a matter of days when Austin and I challenge for those titles that remain around your waists. Let's forget about what is irrelevant and keep your mind on what matters most -- survival. Because retaining those pretty titles are the least of your concerns, Eiley. It's not about being able to walk away from the ring with the gold still in your possession, it's about being able to walk away -- period."
Tempest then raised a hand to bring things to emphasize a point.
"But... and this is a big one, I am capable of admitting when I might have been wrong about someone. And whether or not I was wrong about you in general...?"
She gritted her teeth, swaying her shoulders from side to side as if in a personal bout of indecision.
"I suppose the jury is still out on that one. There are still SO MANY things that I don't like about you, Eiley. Being such a carbon copy of Mikah that you make me think I'm watching her rather than a promising new Bombshell. How you run off at the mouth from behind the safety of your keyboard, probably thinking I'd never find out that you at least made the attempt to throw shade in my general direction. I could probably go on, and I would, but we are on a bit of a tight schedule so let's just skip ahead a bit, hm?"
"Aside from these beliefs and others, I can't find fault in what you've managed to accomplish inside of the ring. I still think you're the quintessential poster child for Barbie Doll Bombshells, but I'm woman enough to admit that your in-ring accomplishments have been pretty damn impressive. Your win-loss record is almost completely spotless, whereas your tag team with Oliver is undefeated so far. You told the world that you were going to walk away from Summer XXXTreme as the champions and damned if you didn't take full advantage and do just that!"
She clapped her hands together.
"Bravo, Eiley. Bra-vo!"
The clapping then slowed down until it came to a complete stop.
"Of course, as impressive as your win was, you've managed to do the one thing that even your respective mentors of Mikah and Kris Ryans were unable to; make the championships relevant again. You see, when Kris and Mikah won the titles, people grew bored. Nobody gave a damn! They literally did jack to make those titles rise above the rest and actually mean something - anything! And THAT is why most teams gave up even wanting to get tied down to such a dim reputation, championship or not. That is why the roster for those titles dwindled to being virtually non-existent, and why they wound up on some shelf in SCW's office storage space and practically forgotten. Until now, that is. Until..."
She pointed a finger forward and swept it from side to side.
"Until, you two. You see some people think that the renewed interest in the tag team division stems mainly from how much people want to see you lose the titles and granted, it will be happening sooner than you think. But to anyone with a mind in their skulls, one can see that you simply took the titles, ran with them, and did the absolute best with what you were given. It was a daunting task to be sure, especially when you take into account how just over a year ago, nobody wanted a thing to do with the titles or the division overall! Now - you have teams ranging from the Saviors to Sam Marlowe and Ben Jordan and..."
She nodded, her eyes boring into the camera.
"Yeah. Austin and myself. There are, of course, other teams in contention, but you're looking at the ones that matter most. The two challengers who physically, have it over you in every way that matters. Now I know when there is a size difference as considerable as what we have Eiley, the smaller woman has two basic strategies..."
She counted off of two fingers as she went on to explain.
"One, hit and run. Which can be pretty effective except every wrestler who talks about employing this stratagem forgets that sooner or later, the bigger wrestler will eventually get hold of you and then what? The damage commences and I can assure you, it is a far easier thing for a big wrestler to whittle away physically a smaller wrestler than the other way around! Or... getting the larger wrestler off of their feet. Of course, in order to do this you have to pretty much forget about employing that first strategy because you have to get up close and uncomfortable with your opponent in order to bring them down to the mat. And in every strategy there is a red flag, no matter how much thought you put into it. And the red flag from stratagem number two is even if you get the bigger wrestler down on the mat, how exactly do you plan on keeping them there? Because honey, sooner or later I would get back to my feet and that is when I would bounce that bony butt of yours back to wherever it is that you came from! Or... if you were able to get me on the mat and you tried to keep me there physically... well, that would pretty much bring you within arms reach and sister? If you were dumb enough to actually get close enough to let me get hold of you, then you'd deserve whatever fate I dropped at your doorstep!"
She then clapped her hands together.
"So, what do you say Eiley? You can keep running your mouth about me, which I fully expect and I would probably even lose a token of respect for you if you didn't. I mean, nature of the beast and all that, am I right? I like to think of women who make that mistake as adding fuel onto an already raging inferno. You're just going to get burned. And let's just hope that when it's just you and I, woman to woman, that things turn out better for you than what it did for your partner when he got to face Austin. Granted, he holds a win over Mercer but that was in equal parts dumb luck and Austin simply losing his temper and hurting him so bad the referee was afraid for Ollie's safety. We can only hope things go better for you when it's just us girls."
Tempest stood up and leaned closer toward the camera.
"It won't, but hope springs eternal."
That said, Tempest walked off camera and the spotlight that shone above the ring winked out, basking the scene in darkness.
Las Vegas, Nevada
John S. Park Elementary School
Despite whatever she might try and tell those closest to her - Gabriel or especially Austin, Tempest had waited with jangled nerves, her eyes constantly watching the clock in her home from the moment she dropped Anela off for her first day of school, to when it was now time to pick her up. And while she admitted to nerves on whether or not her stepdaughter would have an easy time in making friends, she was reminded by Gabriel of one saving grace; the fact that his own son Lucas went to this very same school and was in Anela's grade. If they were in the same class (which Tempest hoped for), then Anela would have the comfort of starting her school year off with one friendly face in her corner. Odette had told Tempest once that the chance to enroll their kids in a more prestigious private school had once arisen but she and Gabriel wanted their kids to grow up in a more wholesome learning environment.
Gabriel had been right in that regard. From the moment Lucas was introduced to Anela at the Gym, the two kids became fast friends, playing together as often as was allowed. And yes, just as promised, Lucas poured on that Stevens charm Gabriel had warned Tempest about.
Her vehicle parked as close as she was able to get to the front entrance without blocking the buses, Tempest stood at the front of the car and watched as the school had let out and a swarm of children of all ages emerged from inside, heading for either the buses that would take them home or for the familiar car of their moms or dads that would do the same. Finally, she saw the colorful purple book bag that she had purchased for Anela, and the little girl was walking quickly out the door, seemingly avoiding the other children, as if huddling her arms against herself. This brought a frown to Tempest's face, as she watched Anela look for her and once she saw her mom raise a hand to attract her attention, Anela hurried over toward her as quickly as her legs could carry her.
Tempest: What's wrong? What hap-?
But Anela, clearly having been crying, hurried past her mom's waiting arms and she practically jumped in the open door to the Transverse and all but slammed it closed behind her. Caught completely off guard by this sudden behavioral shift, Tempest found herself frozen temporarily before she finally shook herself back awake. She walked around the vehicle to climb into the driver's side. before closing the door, she looked on with a mother's concern toward her daughter.
Tempest: Anela -- what happened?
But the little girl did not answer. She practically buried herself in her car seat, hugging her book bag tightly against her body. Only when Tempest realized an answer was not coming immediately, did she shut the door. The engine turned on and the Transverse slowly pulled out so that she might take her daughter home.
To Be Continued
