Galaxy Hotel IraklioShe had arrived in the evening at her hotel, and was immediately captivated by her surroundings. Tempest had heard from the grapevine about this wrestler staying at this five star resort or that wrestler boasting about he or she staying at some ocean side hotel that cost an excess of over $300 a night. And Tempest? She would have been comfortable in a Motel 6 but seeing as how they were not exactly available in the historical Greek city of Crete, she was quite happy right there. The Crete night sky only served to better highlight the all-white structure of the five story building.
The pool was the space that had captured her particular interest, surrounded by Greek palm trees native to Crete and draped in soft, white lights that carried a basking glow to the waters of the pool and those that chose to submerge themselves within. Tempest had, admittedly, never been one for the use of a public pool. Given the nature of people, in her own words to Austin James Mercer, “Why not just pee directly on me?” But it was Austin’s own tenacity and insistence to get her to ‘loosen up’ on the 2021 Summer XXXTreme cruise that gave her more of an open mind – somewhat – and she could see herself wading into this pool’s waters for a bit of relaxation. Or at the very least, lounge close by on one of the many offered deck chairs.
When she did relax in a pool, her preferred time to do so was after the sun had already begun to set and the stars were coming out. By then, the sun had warmed the waters but there was more to it than something so simple. There was just something peaceful and calming about swimming at night beneath the stars. It was almost primal by nature, and that was something someone such as she needed.
Of course, the ironic part of this location is that it was not where Tempest was originally scheduled to stay during her foray into Crete at all. She had originally been scheduled to stay at one of the other hotels where the vast majority of both SCW as well as SCU stars had been booked. The Blue Palace, Amirandes Grecotel - among others, were the choice stays for the men and women, staff and wrestler alike, and despite the lap of luxury of all spots being offered on hand, Tempest had contacted Gabriel Stevens to specifically ask him whether or not he could pull a string or two and allow her to stay somewhere else. Of course, Gabriel and Odette both refused to let her stay in some dingy one star hotel in some dangerous back alley. They wanted only the best for their students when they were out and about, traveling while putting their bodies at risk for the entertainment of the fans. But they understood her reasons when they had asked her ‘why,’ and so they did look up other options for her and the Galaxy Hotel Iraklio was just the thing.
They could not guarantee that nobody else from either promotion wouldn’t be staying here. It was, after all, quite comfortable and not without its own luxurious surroundings. They were just fairly certain that a certain someone else was not staying there. Tempest simply wanted to forget what had happened between Mercer and herself and relax. And so that was what she proceeded to do – from within the confines of her room.
Oh please don’t get us wrong! The rooms at the Galaxy Hotel were as swanky (Tempest’s words, not ours) as she had ever seen. A traditional white room with beige carpet and modern furnishings, she felt hard pressed to find any difference between this room and any other that she had stayed at during her tenure as a wrestler. A full bath, queen-sized bed, bedside television – hell! There was even a laptop available for use on the desk opposite the bed!
Old habits tend to die hard, however. You know the saying, and when you are thinking of Tempest, the words are anything but hollow. They rang true as from the moment she checked in, with exceptions to venturing out for her usual intense workouts or some pre-arranged meet up with the fans courtesy of SCW, Tempest spent the vast majority of time in her room. Even when meals were concerned, she had all the options of local restaurants and even dining experiences right in the hotel itself. But, she was what some might see as a creature of habit and she shut herself off from the world around her and practically everyone else. That in itself was a positive influence that Austin James Mercer had over her, and some of those closest to her both acknowledged and wished would return; the fact that he was solely responsible for dragging her out of both her room while on tour, as well as getting her (somewhat) out of her shell.
But once they had their falling out over a misunderstanding, it was back to square one and the walls that Austin had helped tear down from around her went right back up.
Nalani: Dear, I’m just saying that it’s not healthy.
Indeed, the one person aside from the Stevens who might speak their viewpoint toward Tempest without (much) fear of reprisal was her own mother, Nalani. She might have snapped at her father despite the adulation she felt toward the leading man in her life, and her brothers she DEFINITELY would have told them where to stick their opinions, but her own mom? There was something definitely sacred in the relationship between a mother and her only daughter.
Tempest: Mother, I’m perfectly healthy…
Nalani: Mentally, I mean.
Tempest: That too – if you don’t pay attention to the people I train with at the gym.
Nalani: It’s just not good for you, either physically or mentally, to steal yourself up behind closed doors like this. You should get out into the fresh air and sunshine. I hear the weather in Greece is lovely right now.
Tempest shrugged, trying to act indifferent even though she would be hard pressed to deny the truth; that the weather in Greece since the tour had first begun was nigh on perfect with clear, blue skies and nary a cloud. It was something she heard Ben Jordan refer to as ‘beer garden weather’, whatever that meant.
Tempest: It’s alright.
Nalani: Honey, you are in one of the most beautiful countries in the world! There are people dying to visit some of the places you’ve been. Your father and I both said we’d love to see Greece some day and here you are, staying at your hotel rather than venturing out and taking advantage of where you are.
Tempest: Mother, I know how lucky I am. But you know me; I’ve never been the sort to just venture out like a common tourist and play looky loo.
Nalani: Maybe not before, but you have been. Or at least, you started to go out more with Austin.
At the mere mention of his name, Tempest frowned and looked away from her phone but the reaction did not go unnoticed by her mother. True she was a woman in her middle years but Nalani still had the sharp wits of a woman half her age.
Nalani: What happened there? Aren’t you two friends any more?
Tempest: It’s complicated, Mother.
Nalani: Oh ‘complicated’ my butt! This isn’t a Facebook relationship status, it’s real life. It’s…
But whatever else she was going to say, her daughter drowned her out with the simple truth.
Tempest: He thinks I have a thing for him, Mother! He thinks…
She closed her eyes and shook her head before resuming.
Tempest: He thinks I’m in love with him.
Nalani: Oh… and are you?
Tempest turned the phone directly to face her so that her mother could get an even better angled view of her wide-eyed expression as she said with a hint of incredulous heat…
Tempest: NO!
Nalani: Alright, alright!
She teased despite the tense situation, playfully holding her hands up in a display of mock surrender.
Nalani: I had to ask. He ‘is’ a rather handsome young man.
Tempest: He must think so if he thinks a woman only wants to hang out with him because she’s hot for teacher.
She shook her head again and held up a hand, trying to diffuse her own mental state.
Tempest: It’s just that … much as I hate to admit it… he was the friend I think I needed after I lost Malulani. And now because of what he said – what he thinks, all that is gone.
Nalani: Why does it have to be gone?
Tempest: Because it would just be awkward, Mother! He thinks the only reason I’ve been hanging out with him is because I have feelings for him!
Nalani: Where on earth did he get these ideas from if not from you?
Tempest: Apparently from his wife and sister. I guess both of them told him the same thing. I just don’t get it. His wife seemed nice enough. She never seemed to mind when he’d invite me to tag along when his family would do something on tour. In fact, she’d almost insist as much as he did. She never even minded when we’d hang out when she had to stay at home! I don’t know if I could be that open minded if I thought another woman had feelings for my husband…
Nalani: If you thought another woman was in love with your husband, you’d stuff her down the garbage disposal.
Tempest could not help but smile and scoff back a laugh at not just her mom’s quick wit, but also her ability to assess her daughter’s personality so fluidly.
Nalani: Anyway, it doesn’t sound like this was Austin’s fault at all.
Tempest frowned.
Tempest: What do you mean?
Nalani: It all sounds like some big misunderstanding. His wife and sister misunderstood the signs and told him the way it looked from their eyes.
Tempest: Unless they did it to put on face and end our friendship…
Nalani sighed and rolled her eyes.
Nalani: That’s my girl! Always thinking the worst of people!
Tempest smirked.
Tempest: I tend to go with my strengths.
Nalani: Dear, don’t blame Austin for a misunderstanding. Him believing his wife and sister doesn’t make him arrogant. People on the outside tend to see things differently in a given situation than from those on the inside. He probably just thought they saw something that he didn’t. It’s not his fault.
Tempest took in a deep breath through her nose and exhaled the same way, looking to her mother from the screen of her phone.
Nalani: Just think about talking to him?
Tempest: Maybe. I have to go.
Nalani smiled. Stubborn. Her daughter was so stubborn but she had a good feeling this time. A good friendship was precious and rare, and she didn't want to see the one her daughter had formed with Austin to go to waste over something so silly.
Nalani: Of course. Love you!
Tempest: Love you too.
Her mother blew a kiss to the screen from her end and thus the call was ended. Tempest turned her phone off and set it on the surface of the desk she had been seated at, then ran a finger along her chin. Hawaii was thirteen hours behind Greece, she could not believe her mother stayed up that late just to have a chat with her. Well she could believe it, but seriously! It was noon here in Greece, which meant it was after eleven PM back in Hawaii. And her mother usually went to bed around nine.
Oh well, Tempest slowly pushed herself up to her feet and walked over to the bedside stand where she picked up a small menu that was provided for the hotel stay, and then the phone receiver. She gave a look at the menu to see what she might order from room service for her lunch when something gave her a brief pause.
She looked around at her room, and perhaps not for the very first time, she realized just how empty it was. Her clothes had been hung up by the maids and porter. Her casual belongings such as her books and such were carefully laid out on the desk across from the bed, a stack on each side of the laptop. Other than that, there was nothing.
Nobody else.
And here she was, preparing to order room service and find something in English that she could watch on TV to pass the time until she went for her afternoon workout. Her eyes roamed all around the spacious room until she set the menu back down, and hung the phone up.
Tempest: … Shit….
Tour Diktaion (Psychro) CaveDon't ask her why this place out of all others that she could have gone for. There was so much that Crete offered to tourists and locals alike! It was why it was one of the premiere cities in the nation to visit, second only to Athens herself. There was of course the Chanian lighthouse and Venetian harbor. The Palace of Knossos. The Samaria Gorge. The Heraklion Archaeological Museum. The Preveli Monastery. And the beaches. Oh those glorious Crete beaches known from across the world! But no. It was here in one of Crete’s greatest natural wonders that Tempest chose to yield to her mother’s loving pressure and spend a part of her day, outside of her hotel room. Not exactly in the fresh air per se, but beggars can’t be choosers.
Mothers know best and all that!
What drew Tempest to this particular tourist attraction and natural wonder had much to do with the stories of Greek myths she and her brothers had heard as children and studied in school. According to Greek myth, it was right here in the Diktaion Cave where Zeus, king of the Greek Gods, was brought forth into the world to war against the Titans.
But this was more than just Greek myths and tall tales. The Diktaion Cave was known to be one of the very best of the over 4,500 caves and sinkholes found all throughout Crete. Tempest was not alone by any means on this guided tour. There were many tourists along for the proverbial ride, and she believed she even saw an SCW star or two in the crowd, as they were guided on a walk down deep into the earth. She had counted five antechambers that she and the rest had passed through until ultimately they reached the very bottom of the cave, where a glass-calm lake was, surrounded by stalactites and stalagmites.
The tour guide’s voice caught her attention and she looked up at one stalactite in particular, referred to by the guide as the “Mantle of Zeus”. It hung over the lake like a chandelier and which shape resembled that of a cloak. Her amber eyes then gazed at the soft, calm lake itself and across it, to the very back. And therein laid a small chamber, where legend said that the father of the Greek Gods was born.
She could not help but smile in gratitude for her mother’s sage advice. She was right. It did her good to get out of her hotel. It did her good to experience something of the world such as this. But the question in the back of her mind remained…
Was she right about something else?
“An accident?”
Tempest sat on the edge of the ring, her eyes burning straight ahead and into the lens of the camera in front of her.
“That’s what you called it, is that right… Markus, was it? Candy’s husband? The same man who was fool enough to get involved in his wife’s business once before and ended up with Fenris’s foot shoved halfway up his ass as a souvenir? Well, I suppose that this is all well and good, Markus. You had your say. You gave me your opinion on the situation between your little wife and myself, and I have to say…”
She shrugged her shoulders.
“I can’t say that I could care less what your opinion on what went down Sunday is, because that would imply that I cared – at all. Look, Markus. Take a look at this…”
Tempest took a forefinger toward the rim of her Tshirt’s neckline and pulled it down just enough so that the still-visible burn mark could be seen for the camera.
“See that? That coffee your wife spilled on me was over 160 degrees! The paramedics who TRIED to look at it thought it might have been a third degree burn, and could have been worse had the majority of the spill NOT been on my shirt instead of bare skin! But that’s okay because, as you said… It was an ‘accident’.”
She spoke with air quotes.
“Funny thing, I’ve had worse, Markus. A lot worse, Candy. In my former profession alone? I’ve been shot, stabbed, so really. What’s a little bit of a coffee burn? I get it. I actually do. You said that it was an accident and accidents happen, but what I did to her after she caused me to get burned was no accident. It was stress relief. You see, this is where I ignore you Markus and my words are more directed toward your wife. Candy. C’mere girl.”
She beckoned the camera, and in a sense, Candy herself, to come closer.
“C’mere. There’s something I want to explain to you Candy, and I’ll keep it simple so that little childlike mind of yours can process it like the big girl we all know you hope to grow up and become some day. For you, what happened backstage and what is going to happen in just a matter of days? It’s all a simple matter of ‘wrong place, wrong time’! Things have not been so rosy and cheerful for me these past few weeks. Possibly even longer. For reasons both personal and professional, things have slowly just been going downhill for me, and that had put me in…”
She tilted her head to the side ever so slightly and cast a sidelong glance upward.
“... Not so great of a mood. Add on top of that a lack of bookings on an otherwise once-in-a-lifetime tour and… well honey you just really should have been paying closer attention to your surroundings and being more careful because otherwise… none of this really would have happened! So if you think about it… what happened last Sunday? What is going to happen this coming Sunday? Really it’s…”
She pointed a forefinger straight at the camera.
“... Entirely your fault! And it almost - ALMOST - makes me feel for you girl because I look at you, and on one hand, I wonder what the hell is wrong with you! But on the other hand, I wonder what the hell actually happened to you! I’m not exactly what you might call a ‘student of the game,’ but I know some history of SCW and especially that of the people I have to get inside of the ring with. I know that beneath that stereotypical sitcom ditz exterior, there lies a credible competitor somewhere buried underneath – apparently far beneath. You were a former Roulette Champion and you actually held onto that belt for a respectable amount of time. But after that…”
She frowned and shook her head in disbelief.
“Girl, I don’t know what the hell happened to turn you into… whatever it is that you are right now, but life has some harsh lessons. And one of those lessons is going to be taught when you and I end up in the same ring together. Alone, and without that hubby of yours to intervene.”
Tempest slowly stood up and leaned over into the camera, her hand extended forward and her palm unclasped to reveal a hard candy in the palm of her hand.
“It’s time to grow up.”
That being said, she clenched her fist tightly and SQUEEZED… until a moment later she unclenched her hand and there in the palm of her hand, was the very same piece of candy - now broken into three separate pieces.
