The sound of a slamming door echoes through a long hallway as a woman appears walking along the painting filled gallery with a wintery sun shining weakly in the windows. Dressed in a rather tight pair of jeans and a white cashmere cowl neck, Apple Coren strides confidently to the top of the stairs where she leans over the railing to call down to Ivy who has appeared from the kitchen with a small gingerbread man in one hand and her ever present ipad in the other.
Apple Coren: Ivy, where have you been? I have been wanting to talk to you for hours and I need you to prepare something for me.
Looking up at the younger woman, Ivy quickly swallows the bite of gingerbread bfore dusting the crumbs from her shirt and moving to climb the stairs under the watchful eye of Apple who turns just as Ivy reaches her and heads towards the recently slammed door. Pushing it open, Apple moves inside then turns to Ivy.
Ivy the Assistant: I am sorry ma’am for being in the kitchen. Cook was baking today and I have this thing for gingerbread you know…
Apple Coren: That is well and good Ivy, most people have a thing for gingerbread. But I am more interested in the fact that I have to listen to the little people of SCW talk about how I lost the match at the supercard. I have been home for the last two weeks and what has been happening? Let me tell you…
Apple begins to pace as she starts to fume at her own thoughts. Ivy watches her warily as she opens the ipad and swipes her finger across it. Apple pays no heed as she continues to speak.
Apple Coren: They are talking about how I am throwing a tantrum like a child. I am not throwing a tantrum…I am making a statement that I have been discriminated against. Have you not seen it Ivy? I am the one that answered the open challenge of Danielle Weston and what happens? Amy Marshall firmly plants her lips on the ass of the general manager who feels sorry for her and puts her in MY match and then when I have the nerve to actually call out the favouritism, I am the one that is punished by losing my one on one match with Dani for the title that I said that I would be challenging for. But of course, I was forced to compete in that fiasco and worse yet, had to suffer the pinfall.
Ivy tsks softly as she reads the tweets and news stories. Apple stops and looks over the shoulder of her assistant and then growls with the comments she reads.
Apple Coren: Bullocks, will you look at this, Amy Marshall firmly planting her lips on the ass of Christian Underwood and asking for another title match only this time one on one against Dani without me. If she is expecting me to go whine to management like she has, I will be damned if I am going to be one of those beggars that needs to ask for a title shot. I am not one of those namby pamby gimme what I don’t deserve people like Amy and Jessie Salco and even that Ben Jordan fellow.
Ivy the Assistant: They did end up getting title shots out of it though.
Apple scoffs as she moves to the window seat overlooking the manor gardens. Sitting back, she rolls her eyes at her assistant.
Apple Coren: Yeah, and either ran with the title or lost constantly until going to win a title in another company because she couldn’t win a title in this one. I am so damned tired of people who make this all about titles.
Ivy the Assistant: But didn’t you try to make it abo…
Apple Coren: Ivy, before you let your mouth make an ass of yourself, stop. I answered an open challenge and I made it known I was taking the title. And we saw what happened with that and now everyone is making fun of me…ME Ivy. All because I was protesting having my title opportunity TAKEN from me because others couldn’t stand the chance that I would take the title and had to interfere in any way to keep the title on Dani.
Ivy is reading and swiping on the ipad when a gasp escapes her and she quickly looks at Apple who was interrupted by the gasp and shoots her assistant a raised eyebrow glance.
Ivy the Assistant: Ummm…I hate to tell you this ma’am however, Amy Marshall has gotten her wish and is in a title match against Dani Weston this week on Climax Control.
Apple Coren: One could have seen that coming from a distance. She couldn’t get the job done at the supercard so demands a title shot once more. It is bullocks that once more the favourite gets what they want and I probably have no match and nothing for the fact that I was forced to suffer to have someone else get the opportunity that I was given then had taken away.
Ivy the Assistant: Actually, you do have a match at the next Climax Control…against Jessie Salco.
Apple Coren can’t believe her ears and rises violently from the window seat to approach the assistant and yanks the ipad from her hands to read the SCW card before tossing the ipad into the lap of Ivy and commences to begin to pace once more angrily.
Ivy the Assistant: I think that you have this match in hand.
Apple Coren: Of course, I would have this match in hand. Jessie Salco is the definition of an also ran in Sin City Wrestling.
Ivy the Assistant: But Apple, she is a champion and you…
Holding up a hand, Apple shakes her head as she replies to Ivy.
Apple Coren: She is a champion…really Ivy? She is an Honor champion, nothing of note in SCW other than a punchline. How many times have I heard that she is nothing but a constant thorn in the sides of management with her demands of ‘Give me a title match’ then losing the match only to demand another shot because she is Jessie Salco. Who in the hell does she think she is…obviously delusions of grandeur shine in the eyes of Ms Salco. Either that or she has taken one too many shots to the head.
Ivy the Assistant: Needless to say ma’am, it bears repeating that you are facing Jessie Salco. Which means that you should be giving her a thrashing verbally before you do it physically. Now if you prefer, I can make arrangements for you to talk to Pussy Willow, do an interview and the like.
Apple shakes her head and moves to lean on the window seat once more, her anger in control and a smile on her face that doesn’t reach her eyes.
Apple Coren: No Ivy, I am done talking to the interview staff of SCW. I am going to give the world the benefit of what I want to say to my opponent and I will do it via a live stream. I want you to set up a feed for me to cut a promo on that waste of talent that is Jessie Salco.
Ivy the Assistant moves to stand and heads to the door with a nod to Apple and a murmured ‘give me ten minutes’. Apple smiles in anticipation as she looks out the window, her mind turning over what she could be thinking to say.
Moments later, Ivy returns to the room with a camera and sets it up to point at Apple who is relaxing in the window. With the pale sunlight framing her, she looks to the camera as Ivy counts her down to begin to speak. Finally, at one, Ivy points at Apple who begins to speak.
Apple Coren: Bravo Jessie, you have just been given something that you probably never thought to have and that is a match with myself where you don’t have to worry about me taking your title. I am sure that you made quite sure of that when you probably went to management and begged them to keep your title safe. I note that you could not be arsed to offer me a title shot but that is okay, I wouldn’t want to deprive you of the one shining light in your life right now. Must make you feel really good that you wear that title like some talisman that is protecting you from obscurity. And that is all that it is doing. If you din’t have that title, what you would be is the do nothing of SCW. The sorry excuse for a wrestler that is the ‘maid’ of Amy Marshall because you couldn’t beat her.
Ivy nods as she films, the look of surprise at the vitriol of Apple making the young lady’s smile widen.
Apple Coren: This week Jessie, you face a woman that you have offered nothing but scorn to. You seem to talk a lot about how you are a champion and how badly I threw a tantrum about being forced into a multi person match. Fine, I protested but I also am making no excuses. I lost that match but this match at Climax Control between you and me, without your title on the line by the way, is going to prove that I can take the loss and come back stronger and better than before. And if that means I have to beat you bloody, all the better.
Apple warms to the speech and leans towards the camera slightly.
Apple Coren: Now if I was a betting woman I would probably give odds that you are talking like you are going to be winning and how I will lose my composure and protest like I did at the supercard. Well, I have realized that I am someone that is naturally better than you and in reality I wasted that opportunity at the supercard but I won’t waste any more opportunities. I am going to beat you and should Dani Weston or Sam Marlowe or even you offer an open challenge, I will be there to claim it once more and should management be able to dislodge the lips of the less worthy from their asses, they will see that I deserve to have a one on one match with any champion in this company and should I get that shot, I won’t be wasting it.
Apple stops for a moment then gets a crafty look in her eyes.
Apple Coren: Hmmm what an interesting idea. Might I suggest a slight wager between us Jessie. Should I beat you at Climax Control, I want to see you give me an opportunity for your belt. After all, this match is non-title because I suspect they know I would take the title from you. So, what say you CHAMP…
Apple sneers that last word as Ivy begins to zoom in on her.
Apple Coren: Are you afraid to put that title on the line should I beat you in this non-title match? I suspect you are so I will let you wiggle out of that this time but should I beat you on Sunday, I deserve a title shot against the champion I beat this week. See you Sunday champ…then maybe will see you again in a title match in the very near future.
With that, Apple motions to end the video. Ivy stops it and then begins to play with the camera in preparation of uploading the video. Apple looks away as Ivy moves closer.
Ivy the Assistant: That was good ma’am. I will post this right away.
Apple Coren: Thank you Ivy, one needs to make sure their opponents hear from them, mustn’t one? And I think that Jessie will receive my message loud and clear. I wonder if she has enough strength to actually accept my challenge for the title should I beat her.
Ivy the Assistant: It will be interesting indeed. Will that be all ma’am?
Apple Coren: Yes Ivy, I think I have said enough. Leave me…
Ivy the Assistant leaves Apple in the room to look outside as she disappears down the hallway to post the video.
