[Mark Ward]

 Post all roleplays for this match here.

Limits: 1 RP per week, per character. 10,000 words maximum per week

Good luck!

[Seleana Zdunich]

 The week had been a harrowing one for Seleana Zdunich and her fiancée, Christina Rose. Climax Control 205 had seen Christina told she would be in a title unification match at Into The Void VII, Sin City Wrestling Bombshell World  Championship vs  Sin City Wrestling Bombshell Internet Champion in a submission match and that was crazy enough on its own. No one had seen that unification coming, much less being held under submission only rules, something that clearly favored Mikah and went against Christina’s tendencies but then the next bombshell had landed when Brittany Williams, Christina’s teenage daughter, had let it be known that she had managed a hostile takeover of her mother’s business interests, seemingly just to spite her mother for past transgressions and again, this seemed to stack the deck against Christina in her unification bout as now she would be emotionally compromised before she ever got to the match. Brittany had then compounded things by attacking her mother and rendering her unconscious, attacking injury to the previously stated insult.

That would have been bad enough. Having to face a competitor like Mikah with both championships on the line in a match that clearly favored one champion over the other while being physically and emotionally compromised was going to be a tall order.

But Brittany was not finished for the evening.

Right after executing her attack, Brittany had faced Seleana, her soon-to-be step-mother, in a fatal fourway match to determine the contender to face Sam Marlowe for the Sin City Wrestling Bombshell Roulette Championship under roulette rules. Lucy Seraphina and Nyla Dupre would both seemingly eat pins as Seleana and Brittany had both managed to dominate the match and secure bigs moves on the other SCW Bombshells. Brittany waas rules to have pinned Seraphina mere milliseconds ahead of Seleana pinning Dupre and thus, the nightmare night was now complete. Brittany had taken nearly everything there was to take from her mother and Seleana in one night and gotten herself a championship opportunity in the bargain.

A few days later, Seleana and Christina had found out just how serious brittany had been when they were informed that they were effectively homeless and Christina’s accounts were all in a state of suspended animation for the moment. Seleana has luckily had enough of her own money to be able to afford a hotel room in Las Vegas while they waited both for the financials to sort out and for Christina’s concussion to heal. Christina’s status had allowed them find a place relatively quickly and when Seleana had gambled some the first night, they had comped a suite.

Sitting in what she would consider a nice recliner in the common room, Seleana glances back at the bedroom door and nods, hoping Christian is feeling better in there.  She looks to her phone and sends out a tweet.

“Vad ska jag göra?”        

She nods, knowing she won’t get an answer to a tweet asking what she should do in her native Swedish, especially since most of her family would not be paying attention because they were playing a  concert with their band in Paris, France. Shockingly, a minute later, an answer comes in from her youngest sister’s ex-wife, Eavan Maloney.

“Är du okej, min syster?”

Seleana stares at it in stunned silence. There it was, in black and white on the screen, Eavan asking her back if everything was ok and in Swedish no less! The truth was, of course, no, she was not alright at all but, should she tell Eavan that? Shaking her head, she quickly tweets an answer of her own.

“Jag vet inte.”

And with those three little words, “I don’t know,” Seleana immediately began to second guess herself. Was that an answer she should have made public? Would this now be pounced on by Brittany and Mercedes Vargas in days to come? Almost as quickly as that thought had started, it settled itself. Exploitation of others’ words was part of the game. That had been made abundantly clear even before she was in it. That wasn’t going to change now, especially if the sharks smell blood in the water. As she nods to herself, her phone rings. She sees Eavan’s name and manages a small smile as she answers.

Seleana Zdunich: Hej, det här är Seleana.

Eavan’s voice comes back, tired yet obviously worried about her old sister-in-law.

Eavan Maloney: Hey Sis, what's the matter?

Seleana cringes. How much should she tell Eavan? How much was too much and really, what could Eavan do about it? She shrugs and then sighs sadly.  

Seleana Zdunich: Brittany pulled a power play on her mother last weekend. We're living in a hotel.

Eavan sounds like she could almost jump through the phone in shock at hearing this.

Eavan Maloney: Whoa what?

The reality sets in and Eavan still sounds like she can’t believe it.

Eavan Maloney: Your step-daughter threw you out?

Seleana looks down in shame and nods to the phone.

Seleana Zdunich: She attacked her mother and gave Christina a concussion. She also took over all of Christina's businesses and the house. When she went to Japan the previous week, it was apparently to get her Aunt to give her controlling interest.

Eavan almost growls in anger.

Eavan Maloney: I see. I can break the kid.

Swallowing hard, Seleana glances back at the bedroom door. Would Christina wake up from all the noise out here? She sighs and then looks away again.

Seleana Zdunich: She did it right before our match. That turned into a race between us to see who could pin one of the other first. She won by half a second. So now we wait for pay-per-view here in Las Vegas. Christina has a title unification match. Brittany has a separate title match and I have random match with Mercedes Vargas.

Eavan can’t answer this one fast enough.

Eavan Maloney: If you and Christina need anything, don't hesitate to ask. We're family. Wait, Vegas? I still have my condo there you guys can stay at.

Seleana frowns at the phone. This was a surprising offer given that Eavan had moved back to New Jersey the previous week and left her now ex-girlfriends in the condo here in Las Vegas.

Seleana Zdunich: The others are not still there?

Eavan pauses for a second before an answer comes back over the line.

Eavan Maloney: I honestly don't know, but I doubt there'd be a problem. The place is big enough anyways.
We've not spoken much since I left. I wasn't kind to them.

Seleana nods, dropping the subject of Eavan’s exes as quickly as possible. It usually did not do to have Eavan dwell on mistakes that led to lost love.

Seleana Zdunich: I do not know what is happening. Brittany has not spoken to me since Saturday before the match. Christina is crushed.

She pauses, taking a deep breath as she contemplates Brittany’s actions. None of them made sense given how things had been for the last few months with the family. Seleana swallows hard again and then nods to the phone.

Seleana Zdunich: She acts as if this should be no surprise but, we had all been a family since the incident with Maria Salvatore.

Eavan answers promptly.

Eavan Maloney: I'm sorry the two of you have to go through that.

Seleana looks around the room and sighs aloud again.

Seleana Zdunich: I thought it would not last, but it has so far.

She can almost see the smile of encouragement that had to cbe coming from Eavan.

Eavan Maloney: I have no doubt you and Christina will get through this and it will make you stronger.

Eavan nods slowly.

Seleana Zdunich: I hope so. I wish Brittany would speak with us. What happened with you and yours?

Regretting asking the question almost as quickly as she’d let it slip, Seleana cringes at the response she hopes is not coming but kind of knows has to be. Eavan’s voice comes back, the sound of abject resignation in her voice almost like she’s tired of explaining this fact of life to people.

Eavan Maloney: You know how it is. Eavan falls in loves. Eavan makes a mistake. Eavan has no love anymore. Everybody's read the book by now.

Eavan sighs, sounding almost ashamed of herself.

Eavan Maloney: I took on too much, was working all the time, was on the road alone, when I cut back on my wrestling places, I figured since I was already alone, I'd just stay that way. Found out after the fact they had joined some biker gang and didn't tell me, so told them off and shut them out of my life. Tried getting help from somebody who just seems to want to test me but I either fail all the time or get a look of shock when I think I'm doing the right thing. So I think it's just better I keep to myself, be there for my friends and family, but make some distance for myself so I don't hurt anybody else.

Seleana closes her eyes. As bad as she felt for Christian and herself, she felt just as bad for Eavan in her own situation.

Seleana Zdunich: I'm sorry that did not work out for you. You seemed happy with them.

The tone in Eavan’s voice tells Seleana she probably just nodded and shrugged, both acknowledging the point and not really knowing what to say in response to it at this point.

Eavan Maloney: I was, but it is what it is. I wish them all the happiness they find.

Opening her eyes, Seleana manages a genuine smile and nods to the phone.

Seleana Zdunich: I wish you the same, min syster.

Eavan sighs resignedly.

Eavan Maloney: Happiness doesn't come for people like me, sis. That's why I learned to be a chameleon in the first place. Get to enjoy life for bits at a time before it's time to move on.

Seleana nods again.

Seleana Zdunich: It will, kia kaha, Chickie!

The call ends and Seleana just stares at the phone.  Exhaling forcefully, she nods to herself and starts to listen to her own advice. She’d just told Eavan to stay strong in the Maori language from back in New Zealand. It was a phrase the city she had lived in for years, Christchurch, had adopted as its motto after being devastated by three major earthquakes in the space of a couple of years. Was she really going to tell somebody else to stay strong and maintain hope and not so herself?

Seleana Zdunich: Vad kan jag göra?

Setting her phone down, Seleana leans forward, putting her head in her hands.

Seleana Zdunich: It’s alright, we can do this. Brittany took things from us, but she did not take us.

She picks up her phone, fires up the camera and immediately sets it to record for broadcast.

Seleana Zdunich: I do not understand why you have done what you have done, Brittany. We are a family, no matter what you do. Your mother and I will always be here for you. I am sorry you felt the need to go about getting attention this way and I’m sorry you felt the need to do what you did to your mother last weekend.

She pauses, shrugging in acknowledgment.

Seleana Zdunich: I admit, I do not know the whole story and even if you tell it to me, I will not truly know everything. You warned me before the match that you were going to say some nasty things and you did not lie about that.  I do not know what all these is between you and your mother and i do not know why you have suddenly chosen seemingly out of the clear blue to turn your back on her and favor your father. I know it has hurt her so if that is what you wished to accomplish, you have managed that mischief.

Pausing again, she looks away for a second, seemingly steeling herself. She looks back up into the camera and nods.

Seleana Zdunich: I love you, Brittany. I wish you could see that and that it was enough for you but I understand that sometimes people need to go find their more. Please consider what you are doing and how it will affect everything you are going forward. You do not want to do things that will cause you problems later. To me, there is no such thing as something you could do that is unforgivable, but there are things you could do that would cause pain and regret. Consider before you do.

She switches hands with the phone and nods to the camera.

Seleana Zdunich: That brings me to Into The Void VII. Brittany and I were in a match to gain a championship opportunity on this show and since she won, i will not be receiving said opportunity. I will instead receive a different kind of opportunity in my rather random match with Mercedes Vargas, a  woman I have had very little interaction with and what little I did have, was not an enjoyable experience. You have a reputation for being a great competitor and less than sociable creature and you’ve already proven the latter to me when you came after me on twitter for no reason aside from who I happen to be engaged to.

A slight glare of annoyance comes over Seleana’s face.

Seleana Zdunich: There was no need for that and you know this…

She nods in acknowledgement.

Seleana Zdunich: And you likely do not care at all. To hear others speak of you, you have proven yourself over and over again to be a wonderful competitor. The kind I should feel honored to be in the ring with. You are supposedly the kind of competitor that anyone should aspire to be like and should all aspire to climb into that ring with in a big show like this.

She shrugs.

Seleana Zdunich: Sadly, at present, you seem to be taking me as nothing and knowing your reputation, you will likely look at me as an annoyance that is beneath you. You will probably say that I’m lucky to have this spot while you need to wonder who you’ve angered to be saddled with a nobody like me.

Nodding interrogatively, her eyes seemingly answer the question she’s asking.

Seleana Zdunich: Does that sound correct to you?          

The slight smile fades off, replaced with anger.

Seleana Zdunich: Well, too bad! I am insulted that I am saddled with you! I am insulted that the only way I got onto this card was by being the throw-in with a woman who will look at me and simply shake her head because I’m not worthy of her time and attention no matter what show this is for! I’m insulted that you said what you said long ago to me and now that you have been handed the chance to back it up in spectacular fashion, you choose to act as if the gift has not been presented to you or the gift is not good enough for you because there is supposedly no glory in it for you!

Her free hand comes up and pokes her own chest.

Seleana Zdunich: I am not some speed bump that you will simply roll, over and I am not a stepping stone to allow you to return to former glory as quickly as possible! I was this close to being here in a position you will say you deserve to be in and I will not be throw away by you simply because I’m not what you would consider a big enough name to allow you to gain the attention you crave! This is Into The Void VII and this is my chance to show the world that all that skit you all say about me being the trainee of Crystal Hilton amounts to nothing…

Her hand moves away from her chest and chops the air.

Seleana Zdunich: There is no shame in having been trained by a high level champion like my fiancée! If you or anyone else fails to see that, then it is your loss and I will be pleased to show you that she taught me more than how to gain myself attention. I come from a family of wrestlers and I will not let them down! In will show all of you that I take my rightful place in their line and I take my rightful place as a Hollywood Angel with my soon-to-be wife! Mercedes Vargas…

She nods pointedly into the camera.

Seleana Zdunich: You do not need to like me. You do not even need to respect me now because I will make sure that when Into The Void VII is doen, the Cat has shown you her claws and beaten some into you! This is my chance and I will not waste it!        

[Mercedes Vargas]

 Blog: Almighty Fire
semana del 5 al 13 de mayo de 2 0 1 8

Victory without danger is a triumph without glory.

The more I think about it, the more it seems true.

I've won a lot of matches in Sin City Wrestling, lost a lot too. I know I haven't lost as much as Jessie Salco has though. It's getting beyond embarrassing now the lengths she will go to get noticed. How she has won the third-most championships in the entire company is beyond me. I'm getting ahead of myself.

Since day one when I walked into this company, I sacrificed everything to be one of the best wrestlers this company ever had. I didn't have a legacy like Misty. I wasn't destined for greatness like Vixen. That same heart and desire that Odette and Roxi and Melody were known for, that other girls who came and went through that door lacked, I had. Where are they now? That's right, the unemployment line. Day after day, weekend after weekend, I have proven to be more than just another name on the roster, I have proven to be a lot more than just another face, and you know as well as I do that I have proven to be a dangerous opponent on any given night in that ring. Nobody in this company - past, present or future - can say the same. Nobody. Six years have come and gone and I was told that I wasn't going to last, that I didn't have what it takes to make it here. But look at me now. And look at them.

Notice anything kosher? Oh, my detractors have since left SCW, you say? Who's sorry now? I've gone on to become the most decorated wrestler in history, and there isn't anything anyone can do about it. I've been a marquee star for just as long as anyone has. I'm not surprised there's a few people out there hung up on my records and accomplishments, and I don't know if it's jealousy or being salty or what. Honestly, I couldn't care less what they have to say. If anything, my records should strive people to be better but, you know, I've got thick skin. In this business, you kinda have to or you won't survive very long.

And maybe that's it. Maybe I've survived and thrived more than any person had the right to be. How many Bombshells have breezed through the doors since I signed here? By now it has to be in the hundreds.

Looking back, it made me appreciate what I had to go through to even be where I am. I never would be the #ChampionofChampions.

I would be a statistic.

I was already looking for a new home after the last promotion I was in folded. To say I took a big risk coming here couldn't be further from the truth. Nobody wants to go through learning new names and getting used to the schedule for shows and having one more flight to get to on Sundays.

Time sure flies when you're winning matches. And I haven't been doing that lately.

Read my lips, mark my words, write it down – I’m walking out of Into the Void with my head held high and my hand raised in victory. I’m going to fix this, right the ship and end this losing streak.

~~~

Almighty Fire
Present Day • L A S V E G A S • N E V A D A

[REC•



"So, just to get you up to speed, this match goes back to my little spat with Seleana on Twitter about a month ago, but believe it or not, I'm the instigator in this one."

Mercedes shakes her head quickly while holding her hands up in reservation.

"Oh no, that honor goes to one Crystal Hilton. No, wait, it's Christina Rose now. You know, the one who got the shit beat out of by her own daughter. The one who's about to make history for all the wrong reasons when she lose the Bombshell Internet Championship and be responsible for what happens to it. This match between me and her fiance is solely on Crystal being the bully she is by threatening yours truly, Mercedes Vargas, the #ChampionofChampions, saying that she would hurt me if I laid a hand on her. Being the smart person that I am, I kindly reminded Chrissy that there was nothing she could do if a match was booked between me and her fiance anyway. And, well, here we are, the big showdown is almost here. Into the Void is less than a week away.

"And if you're like me, you're going to be watching the newcomers, you'll be watching the title matches, you'll be watching the finals of the Blast From the Past finals."

Mercedes points to herself.

"I'm not in the main event, I'm not champion. I'm certainly not going to be making history that night so nothing to see here. Or is there? Because I'm almost sure Crystal is going to be watching this match, and I hope she does."

She looks down, smiles to herself, then looks up again at the camera, shaking her head.

"And maybe if I was Crystal - not that I would want to, but stay with me here - I'd want to forget the awful person I used to be too. I'd want to forget being married and divorced three times. I'd want to forget being a godawful actress whose movies most people have to Google and Wikipedia to even find them, much less any Grammy or Oscar she probably claims sits in a trophy room. If I was in her shoes, I'd want to forget nearly running over my own daughter while being drunk behind the wheel. I'd want to forget fooling SCW by masquerading in a mask for two months in my early years in the company or having the reputation of being the most manipulative person on the roster. I'd want to forget that I'm a coattail-riding little worm and I don't care about friendships, but championships.

"I'd want to forget that I was a part of two failed stables in SCW that barely lasted two months, if that. Hell, any stable or tag team in my career, because I have a massive ego and I'm willing to go low to step on as many toes as I can to get to the top."

Mercedes expresses her surprise and disbelief with a shrug while shaking her head. As her arms go limp, she tilts her head a little with furrowed brow, and then one arm is rigid as it supports her chin while the other arm rests on her abdomen.

"But, see, I'm not going to pretend to be someone I'm not. I know who I am. I'm Mercedes Vargas. And anyone who knows me know that I don't forgive, and I don't forget. And with that in mind, Seleana, you can thank Christian for booking this match, and "Christina" for giving me an opportunity to embarrass you in only your third match since you signed here. Sweetie, you don't have to wonder if I was serious by what I said to you. You're just going experience it for yourself.

"I wasn't sold on Crystal having a long title reign, but, hey, at least you'll get to be in your first-ever SCW pay-per-view before dying at the hands of an angry and pissed off Argentine in Vegas. Let's face it, 2018 is starting off to be the toughest year I've had since I came here six years ago and it's certainly something I'm not readily to admit nor am I happy about. These last few months, I've lost focus. At Into the Void, I'm reigniting that fire and focusing all my energy on you."

She points at the camera.

"I told Crystal she needs to fight her own battles that day. You asked who's battle is she fighting. As it turns out, you're both fighting battles you won't win. Crystal threatened me?"

Mercedes throws her head back laughing before cutting herself off and staring at the camera.

"No tengo nada que temer - especialmente ella. Yo hubiera pensado que hubiera sabido."
"I have nothing to be afraid of – especially her. I would have thought she'd have known that by now."

"What you need to know is when I'm threatened, that's when I'm at my best. Seleana, you have one week to live, so I hope you make up for lost time and make the best of it."

Mercedes smiles, then again briefly speaks in Spanish

"Haz lo que quieras, digas lo que digas. Que andelantas con esto? En sitio alguno. No le digo nada que usted ya no sabe."
"Do what you like, say what you like. Where does this get you? Nowhere. I'm not telling you anything you don't already know."

Mercedes now speaks in Spanish, with her translation being highlighted.

"Estar preparado para lo peor, esperar lo mejor."
"Prepare for the worst, hope for the best."

She pauses for effect, lowering her voice just above a whisper.

"Y que la suerte está siempre en su favor.”
"And may the odds be ever in your favor."

***Fade***

[Mercedes Vargas]

 Blog: Almighty Fire
semana del 20 al 27 de mayo de 2 0 1 8

The past can hurt but you can either run from it or learn from it. I guess we know what Crystal decided to do. In fact, she went as far as inventing a new persona and expects everyone to forget her past. As if hiding behind this new persona would wash away the mountain of mean, nasty, and disgusting things she's done in her career. Instead, it just made her out to be as fake as the designer handbags she carries around.

Give you a good example. That Bombshell Internet Championship match we had awhile back? She claimed that I was begging for a title shot, but I guess it doesn't mean as much when she did the same thing when I was World Champion in Honor even going as pulling the punk card by not only forcing me to put my title on the line but to do so in a match of her choosing, a ladder match. Really, who says things, does things, like that?

It's also funny how she reminded everyone that she helped me claim my first SCW Bombshell Championship. By that note, we should also add that she helped closed down Valentine Wrestling Syndicate, Ladies All-Star Wrestling, and temporarily Sin City Wrestling (because the powers that be in these respected promotions decided making her a champion was a good idea). That she talked about my first Bombshell reign is one thing, but then you look back at the archives and remembered that Sam Marlowe pinned her - not me - at Into the Void two years ago. Not to mention, but I'll mention, Crystal making history as only the second Bombshell Blast From the Past winner to fail to win the title following the tournament.

But, you know, in the eyes of some people, Crystal can seemingly do no wrong, has a smile that lights up a room and can probably melt the heart of anyone who have ever heard a promo from her.

Or, maybe she's Method acting again.

Nobody asked me, but this is all going to backfire on her, and I'm not just talking about her eventual loss at Into the Void either, even Ray Charles can see that. Like her illustrious family, Crystal Hilton is, was, and forever will be the most overated wrestler in the sport.

I'm sorry that you're so clueless not to see the kind of person who you will soon be married to, Seleana. That she is the parent of a mean-spirited, unreasonable offspring just makes it worse. If Crystal's parents were godawful to her just as she is to her own daughter, it really makes me wonder what the other Mother's Days were like before what happened at the go-home show. Some people probably felt sympathetic after what Brittany did to Crystal at Climax Control, but should anyone really be surprised? The saying goes that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Crystal has been notorious for stunts like this for most of her career. As a matter of fact, talking about earning title shots, I didn't realize attacking someone for no reason actually counts as earning one (like what she did to Diamond to get that Bombshell Internet title match with her at Full Circle). In short, that kinda makes her an opportunist at best and a hypocrite at worse. If attacking champions to get title matches is the new fad in SCDub, maybe, just maybe, I've been going about this all wrong.

To me, the go-home show was poetic justice and one more example why she never should have kids in the first place. She's so bad at being Mark Ward's assistant. I wouldn't put it past her that she probably got Mark so wasted at the local bar one night to even get the job. She makes Kaylee and Minnie look like angels.

How appropriate that the next supercard is heading to Vegas? If I was a betting person, odds are Crystal will be playing the victim card again because gosh darn it everybody's out to get her and life always deals her a bad hand and nothing's ever her fault. And if it is, she has a heartfelt apology in her back pocket ready to go and everything will be A-OK. She can play the victim all she wants, but she will become a matyr at Into the Void.

While Crystal may be your fiancée, I know her a hell of a lot longer than you have, Seleana. I've heard over and over her sob stories and fake retirements. I'm sure she's told you how hard she has worked. There isn't a day that goes by where she reminds us of her accomplishments. But you know something? I've worked harder, nobody has to question what I've done. And most important, I'm not known as a serial backstabber and snake in the grass.

That why she has no friends, and the ones who say they are laugh behind her back.

But that makes me the bully, right,now Seleana? Aww isn't that sweet? So young. So innocent. So naive  What you call mean, I call being brutally honest, and I make no apologies for it. Here's a bandage though for your feelings. But, hey, I completely understand why you're fiercely loyal to Crystal. She is your wife-to-be, after all. She's a decorated champion. But she is far from being a woman.

Seleana, I want you to take a good hard look at what a woman is, una mujer de verdad, una mujer con clase. I want you to take a look at what a real champion looks like. A #ChampionofChampions. Because while you may be five feet eleven, you'll never measure up to me.

And I want you to know that being trained by Crystal won't give you any sort of edge against me. Considering her track record with people like Allison and Stephanie Sullivan and even taking in Kate Steele as a protege, PT Barnum was right: there's a sucker born every minute.

No matter what Crystal does to help you prepare for Into the Void, you still won't be prepared for what I'll do to you.

You call yourself The Cat. Good, grand, great, fantastic, wonderful. You bring your claws and you'd do well to remember this: There's many ways to kill a cat. Eight lives, nine lives. It won't matter what the count is now.

In the end, all I need is one more than you.

~~~

The Excuse or The Reason: Currents

S A N T A M O N I C A • C A L I F O R N I A
~~~
Vierne por la mañana, 25 de mayo
Horario del Pacífico (Pacific Daylight Time)

It was never going to be an ordinary day. In the end, it didn't matter. It was too late now. The point of no return, as they say. Only two days remained until Into the Void, one week since the go-home show and Mercedes was already in a bad mood. 

The morning after she checked into her hotel, Mercedes woke up in her bed, pulled open the curtains, and immediately shielded her eyes. The sun was too bright. The sky was too blue. Even the news filtering from her iPhone was more bleak and depressing - the usual cocktail of school shootings, natural disasters, corruption and soundbites from the President of the United States. She had planned to get up before sunrise and go for a run, but those have been nixed. Fighting the urge to crawl back to her bed proved difficult. The soft quilted covers seemed so inviting, but she knew she couldn't sleep in, even if she wanted to. There was much to do today, and she was sure every wrestler on the Into the Void card had the same schedule: promotions, sneaking in a few hours for the gym and a bite to eat, and going over a game plan for their matches, sometimes not in that order, or even at the same time for the multi-taskingingly challenged.

Mercedes exhaled slowly, reaching for her phone. She received a text message. Her thumbs flew as she typed out a reply.

|I won't have any problems Sunday...|

It took only a moment or two before she received a reply.

|You said the same thing against Kira and look what happened. You have to take this seriously.|

Mercedes winced at that nugget of truth. The loss to the rookie was equal parts frustrating and stunning.

|Doubting me already? Oh ye of little faith. I thought you knew me better than that. Guess I was wrong.|

Ethan's reply comes almost as quickly as the first, dripping with sarcasm.

|Of course, it's not like you've been right before.|

Mercedes laughs, shaking her head and looks up at the view outside her window. High-level casinoes were nowhere as lively during the day, a complete facelift from the crazy nights Vegas were known for. Mercedes looks up for a second, thinking of her next words and sent another message off.

|My reputation is on the line here. Can't let anyone know. Have to protect it somehow. Send help, the news is making me depressed.|

If only if it were that easy, she would.

|Bullshit when has that ever mattered? This is just you talking crazy. Have you got your caffeine fix yet?|

|I'll live. Being around these people makes me miss going back to New York... Almost.|

|Almost. Of course. Tell you what. Binge night when we get home? You pick the series?|

Mercedes paused, hesitant before adding to her reply.

|Am I going to regret this?|

|Guess we'll have to find out, won't we?|

She hated being left on a cliffhanger but room service was here. And now the calm before the storm was approaching. Today was just the start.

She wasn't going to wait for a current.

She was planning on making her own.

~~~

Almighty Fire
Present Day • L A S V E G A S • N E V A D A

[REC•]

"Some things are better left unsaid, but you can bet I'm going to say it anyway. I can't help being who I am."

Mercedes offers a nonchalant shrug as the scene opens on her walking along the Vegas Strip during the daytime. The camera stays mostly in front of her as she continues.

"Look, Seleana, I think it's time we have a heart-to-heart. You know, a “come to Jesus moment”, an intervention, whatever you want to call it. Maybe you're unaware of just who you're dealing with here. Unaware that you have a long ways to go before even thinking that you pose a threat to me, or anyone else for that matter. You talking about your proud family lineage means this much to me."

Mercedes forms her hand into an "o", and holds it a second more to emphasize this point before she goes back to speaking.

"And it means even less that you have your fiancee training you ahead of our match. You want to know why? Because the two of you doesn't equal me, someone who will go down in history as one of the all-time greats in SCW. It's one thing that you're truly out of touch with reality, it's another that you think you have any kind of chance of beating me. That you even signed a contract with SCW is a miracle in and of itself.

"But there will be no miracles happening Sunday, Seleana. I'm going to make sure of it. You're facing someone who is already at their breaking point and I'm going to do whatever I have to to walk out of Into the Void with my hand raised. Really, I'm not too picky: Pinfall, countout, tapout, or knockout. The match won't end until that second bell and by that time, you're no longer going to matter. You will be out of my hair and we'll never have to interact on Twitter or any social media ever again. Sounds like a deal breaker to me, no?"

Mercedes gives this some thought before stopping in front of one of the water fountains just across one of the casinos on the Strip.

"Into the Void was my first-ever pay-per-view in Sin City Wrestling and I've never missed a single edition yet. Come Sunday, you won't have to worry about three opponents, you just have to worry about one."

Mercedes holds an index finger.

"You want to be a Hollywood Angel with your fiancee, that's perfectly with me. Just remember one thing, sweetie."

Mercedes pauses for dramatic effect.

"It's not the fall that kills you; it's the sudden stop at the end."

Mercedes now speaks in Spanish, with her translation being highlighted.

"Estar preparado para lo peor, esperar lo mejor."
"Prepare for the worst, hope for the best."

She pauses for effect, lowering her voice just above a whisper.

"Y que la suerte está siempre en su favor.”
"And may the odds be ever in your favor."

***Fade***