“Every time Gabriel was going for the pin, I was sure it was the end. I was sure any moment the flames would come and you would be gone.”
“but I am still here.”
“Then it happened. His own partner pinned him down and I closed my eyes waiting to feel the heat. But it never came. I was so sure it was over, all the good things.”
“but I am still here.”
“Then when I opened my eyes I saw Despayre and he looked so...stunned. I went over to him...to comfort him and I did it without thinking. Then I wanted to beat the crap out of his partner and I wanted to scream, but I didn’t do that either. So much is changing.”
“Yes, but not everything.”
“What if I change to much.”
“You won’t. Not with me here.”
“I think I want to go for a title again soon. Raise the stakes, but only if you promise to stay with me no matter what.”
“I promise”
“But first I am going to help Despayre. We are going to win this match coming up so that everyone knows how bad ass he can be...and....maybe after that we can still be...”
“partners?”
“Or something....don’t want to go back to be nothing.”
************************************************
Days later Karina finds herself in an interesting place. In truth, the location is not that odd. It is a high end cafe on the Vegas strip. In one of her past lives she had a penthouse at this resort and she had grown fond of this location. It was private and expensive enough that annoying tourist tended to avoid it. Karina still had a great deal of money from that past lives but she is not sure where it came from....maybe mobsters but her hope was mobsters that lived far away from here.
What was odd about this situation was that she was about to be interviewed, something that most times she did not allow. Many wrestling publications and guys pretending to be wrestling publications to get into her pants had tried to court Karina for one on one time, but she had always refused. But this guy was different. His name was Grant Alex and he ran a webzine called Badass Spectrum. It was for folks on the Autism spectrum that didn’t think it was a disorder but a blessing. Loki told her to give this guy a chance.
She knows it is Grant right away. He sticks out in a place like this. He is wearing jeans and a black t-shirt with a jungle frog on it. One of the many things he said he was interested in was frogs. He smiles at her, and the smile is honest.
Grant: This is crazy meeting you. Thanks for this.
Karina: Da, your welcome.
Grant: I don’t know if you know this but a lot of folks on the spectrum love pro wrestling and you are the first wrestler to present as being on the spectrum. Its kind of a big deal.
Karina: I did not know. I told you in email that I was never diagnosed as having the Autism.
Grant shrugs and asked if they had orange soda. When the waitress says no he shrugs it off and orders a cherry coke.
Grant: You know what? That doesn’t really matter. All that diagnosis crap is messed up anyways. Have you read the requirements, not very logical and not written by someone on the spectrum. Lots of adults come to me and confess they think they are on the spectrum. I bet if you were born now they would have put you on the spectrum before you turned two.
Karina: So you think I am on this spectrum?
Grant: Hell yeah. You learned submission moves very fast and from what I am told know almost every hold. But the savant behavior is not enough, you have trouble relating to people right?
Karina: Well yes but that is because they are annoying.
Grant: Right but you have trouble even understanding them I bet. Facial expressions might be hard to read and forget about making sense of social stuff...you know like small talk?
Karina: I hate the small talk...
Grant: You also expressed that one of the reasons you like wrestling is the rules involved. You like that structure. I have also noticed sometimes when you win a match your hands flapped...and your perception skills seem to be off the charts. Oh and you don’t like to touch people...
Karina: Da...because it feels wierd.
Grant smiles and shows that he is wearing gloves even though the temperature in the diner is very nice. His soda comes and the two of them order. Karina orders her favorite and watches as Grants struggles to put together a meal that only features white food. She waits and often times looks over to her right at Loki, who only she can see at the moment.
Karina: Okay so say that I have this thing. Does that explain the visions I have....seeing things.
Grant: It might. I mean I believe that folks on the spectrum are tapped into a level of perception that other people can’t understand. Who is to say you are seeing things that are really there but only on a level that badasses can see.
Karina: Okay...I like you. You can do your interview. But first you mind if we cut that promo.
Grant: Hell no. I am excited to watch you work. I will try not to hoot and hollar.
***************************
Moments later the camera is focused only on Karina. She is sitting there sipping a glass of wine.
Karina: I will keep this to the short and sweet. Blaze of Glory is coming and almost all the bombshells are getting a break. Vixen does not have to defend her title against me. Alexis does not have to fight to keep MY title on her scrawny waste. Instead there is only one girl on the roster who has to worry. Her name is Tiami.
Now Tiami, I have no problem with you. You are a talented young fighter like myself. You have family in this business and so do I. You use a submission hold as your finisher, and even if it is a weak hold I respect that because submission is what I do. This match coming up has little to do with you and everything to do with unfinished business. See Despayre and I would have been the top mixed tag team if not for a patch of bad luck. We are still the best team and I plan to prove that for the world.
We hear a muffled hoot nearby and Karina can not help but smile a little bit.
Karina: Now for this to work the way I want to. We are going to have to beat you soundly. That means Despayre is going to destroy your brother and I am going to have to teach you a thing or two about pain and control.
As you know a proper placed submission hold can be all it takes to end a match. You might have your “Ice Pick” but I have hundreds of ways I can cause you pain. As I was told recently, I am kind of a savant when it comes to things like this. You have joints and pressure points and I have all new ways to cause them to bend and break. I am going to use you as a reminder to the rest of the ladies on this roster.
There were times before where madness and chaos kept me from being the top talent on this roster, but that all ends now. I have faced my own demons and survived. By the end of Blaze of Glory I will have another victory and by the time the next Supercard comes around I will be champion again, one way or another.
We hear another hoot from off camera as we fade out.
