OOC note: Time crunch got me good this time round. Life definitely getting its way with me this week. Always happens when you least expect it.
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King and Queen
Scene One | Off-Camera | 11th April 2023
Alex had told her the first defense was the most important. That no matter the success you had afterwards, people would always remember the first loss. That the world got off on the failure, rather than understanding the pressure of the encounter. So it was no great pleasure to see her first opponent was Jessie Salco.
“She will underestimate you, Lu. No matter what she says, no matter how she pretends. She will underestimate you, because she, like all those with time under their belts, underestimate the youth. The new, the fresh. They underestimate, because their experience tells them they cannot be stopped by someone who knows nothing. So we will show her, Lu. We will show everyone.”
They raised their glasses, and cheers to each other. Sitting in their hotel room, the Bombshell Roulette Championship sitting in the middle of the table. They were in a somewhat nice hotel room, Scotland was a nice little get away. The weather was finally beginning to warm up, just slightly. And for that, Alex had decided to take them way up into the highlands and go deep into Grey Man country.
Alex’s free hand had been sitting on the face plate for a while. He would never fully admit it, but he was a man who held far too much to the idea of what a championship meant in this industry. His worth was inherently connected to the gold, in his mind. And it broke her heart that he couldn’t see what he was truly doing for everyone. He couldn’t see that behind the hollow words, a victory over Alexander Raven meant something. That there was a reason that nobody took his open challenge, and it wasn’t for the fear of it being meaningless. It’s the fear that Alexander Raven would make them next.
She would make him see the truth.
“Nobody expected me to beat Crystal. A throw away defense for her, and she fell. I did feel at home in that bar though. So, maybe it was a little bit of comfort factor there too.”
He smiled, his hand sliding off the belt and taking hers into his. Fingers interlaced, as she lifted her glass to her mouth, and drank deeply. Eyes locked on his face, as he stared off into the distance.
“And Calaway?”
Luna scoffed, audibly scoffed. Which got a slight laugh out him.
“She is an ignorant fucking cunt. If she cannot see that her ineptitude is the fault at play, and your necessity in working double time is what caused the fall-away. Then she will be made to see it.”
Alex nodded, his smile slowly slipping from his face. He squeezed her hand, as he placed the glass down on the table, turning to face her. His eyes locked with hers, a heavy seriousness in them.
“Good. We’ll deal with her, but right now. Jessie Salco is your focus. If you take your eye off that ball, you will fall. And the failure is what they will mock us for. King and Queen, failure both. You give her fuel by losing, and that is unacceptable. You cannot give Calaway any fuel. You cannot give the naysayers any fuel. We cannot let them doubt us.”
She nodded, standing up slowly. She slowly pulled her hand free from his, as she moved to drape her arms over his shoulders, holding her left forearm with her right hand. Holding him closely, as she leaned down to rest her chin on the top of his head.
“So, Lexi baby. What do you suggest for this cocky veteran?”
“Let her beat herself. Like I said. She’ll underestimate you. Inherently, she will try not to, but she will. Because she is trapped in this idea of superiority. The idea that her experience gives her anything. Her ten years, gives her nothing. What it does, is make her vulnerable to the unexpected. You are the unexpected. You are the thorn that she does not see coming, for you are the unpredictable.”
“And if I lose?”
Raven put a hand over hers on his chest, and squeezed. The reassuring squeeze of warmth, of understanding.
“Then we will use their arrogance in success against them.”
Experience Means Nothing
Scene Two | On-Camera | 14th January 2023
“Jessie Salco. My sweet, sweet angel. A silver platter has been handed to you, hasn’t it? The powers that be, in punishment of us, have deigned that you should be the one to be my first test as the Matron of Fate. Isn’t that just lovely? Isn’t that just perfect? Isn’t that just fucking fantastic? The grizzled veteran of ten years herself. Oh, Jessie. Please hold my hand for I may need the guidance of one who knows far better than I.”
Far less elaborate than normal, a simple hotel room. Luna is sitting at a table, a mug of coffee in front of her, her eyes fixated at something out of view. Something making her brow furrow in frustration. On the table that she is seated at, the Bombshell Roulette Championship lays across it, face plate to the roof. Empty wine glasses, sit on the far edge of the table. Lip-stick stained rims.
“Let us take a moment to evaluate our situation, shall we? Luna Vanity, was thrown into a rough shod, makeshift match against Crystal Caldwell. The woman who won that championship, the same night that I signed with Sin City. An interesting synchronicity, but not particularly serendipitous. At least, not for Crystal. For me, it was full of serendipity. For it was in her success that night, that it guaranteed my eventual success in that barroom brawl. A place I feel incredibly comfortable in, the place I had spent my years of learning working in. Serving beers, bourbons, cocktails and everything in between. Do you know what I learnt in my years working late nights, dingy dives and having to smile and pretend that every person was my best friend? That people with any level of experience, any level of expertise. Jessie baby, just like you. They are fucking snobs.”
“You give people an inch and they will take it a god damn mile, Jessie. Whiskey snobs, wine snobs, fucking craft beer drinking wanker snobs. Everyone thinks they know better, because they have some level of expertise. Some level of understanding. And it sickens me. For there is nothing in their knowledge that makes them any better at my job. There is nothing in their experience that will ever validate the way that they spoke to me, sugar. Smile, bat the eyelashes and move on. That is all they want. Listen to their arrogance, smile and nod. Tell them how great they are, how interesting that they know the subtle tones of difference in a twelve year Bushmill compared to the more acceptable standard one. And it is you, Jessie. It is you who reminds me of these slovenly, dripping miscreants of the night. The sleazy filth that push their luck, because the sweet little bell behind the bar, with the queer brother and the manager who didn’t want a bar of her. She was young, easy and inexperienced. And every time, they learnt the truth. You don’t fuck with Luna.”
She inhaled deeply, and turned her eyes away, looking out a large window into the mountain side. The world beyond seemed drab and dreary, devoid of the warmth of the morning sun. She drank deeply from the mug, inhaling the smell of it deeply. A sweep of serenity crossing her features.
“You, Jessie. You spout constantly about your status. About your experience. About how people should bend and bow, because lord forbid anyone forget that you have been doing this for ten years! I worked in bars for ten years, but I’d never pretend that my expertise is any greater or lesser than the sweet young girl who is just trying to learn. Teach, and guide. Not belittle and mock. Do not speak down on the youth, on the inexperienced. For they will make mock of you when they succeed you. And I will succeed you. Nobody expected me to get the win over Crystal. Sweet Luna Vanity, another failure from the kingdom of broken miscreants. Those crazy nuts who spout about self-love, vanity and bullies. Arrogance and disconnection from reality, and the Stained Glass Lies. Who would put their faith in that? But I had something to prove. I had the desire to prove. Nobody can deny when success is in their face. Losing streak broken, championship gold back in The Conspiracy, and a fire lit under the both of us. Experience has taught me something, Jessie. And that is no matter how good you are, it only takes one mistake to be on your back, face up, and being held down for three. But I digress, Jessie, sweetheart. What can we expect from the veteran who throws her status around and then fails to come to terms with it.”
“Devona gave you an opportunity, and you squandered it. Screamed and threw a fit about not being on the card, and then you failed. But nobody will question Jessie Salco. Nobody will question the ten year veteran. No, it was simply a mistake. A mistake that put her down and out. You see, Jessie. I do not appreciate the arrogance of you. I’m all about self-love. About the vanity of ourselves. Acknowledgement of our success is what makes us greater. Acknowledgement of yourself is the path to success, and in that, validation. Yet you make mock of your own vanity. Taking what should be your self-love, and use it as a way of invalidating others. Invalidating the achievements of others. Making everything about you, and denying others their moment. You’ve had ten years to make your stake, and what a stake you’ve made. Yet now, now you stand to deny the youth their opportunity. You stand to deny those who are busting their ass to prove themselves, and throw your status around to get opportunity that you are undeserving of. I know what this match is, lover. I know very well. This is more than just a test for Luna Vanity. This is to see if Luna can hang with the big names in the business. To see if it was a fluke of fate that I became the Matron of it. The warden of destiny, the queen of the wheel. But more than that. This is to silence us. Alex in a dog collar match, a far too literal metaphor for how they see him. A mutt who needs to be silenced. The inexperienced, youthful and untested Luna Vanity. Let us throw her against the grizzled leader in Jessie Salco. She can’t get lucky twice, can she?”
A sly cocky smile crosses her face, as she shrugs her shoulders in faux consideration. Mocking. She stands slowly, placing the mug on the table. The fingertips of her left hand lightly tracing the face plate of the Bombshell Roulette Championship. A wash of calm seemingly flowing over her as she touches it. A connection to the world. The world outside seemed even more grey and devoid of life. A separation of worlds. The warm and full of life colourful world that Luna occupied, and the drab one that existed just beyond the window.
“So I’m going to show them, baby. That they cannot, and will not suppress us. That we will not be silenced, we will not be mocked or belittled. We will not be brought down, by the arrogance of the fake superiors. Do not underestimate me, Jessie. For I will give you no leeway. No quarter, no forgiveness. The wheel of fate was in my favour once, and I can only see it remaining so. I am the Mother of Destiny, the Warden of Fate. The Matron. The Queen of the Wheel. And you will be made to see that. You will be made to understand that. You will be made to see what I say is true. That what we say is the truth. That if you just listen, you would understand. But you are not the only veteran that seems blinded by their sheer arrogance. Their bluster. But their nonsensical approach to failure. No, Jessie my sweet. There is another, who I know will be wanting to play their hand. Alexandra Calaway.”
A flicker of disgust in her eyes, the twitch of anger at the edge of her eyes. The furrowing of the brow, the crease of the mouth pulled tight. Anger, frustration and disgust. Her free hand balling up tightly, nails digging into her flesh deeply, her hand going red from the pressure of the squeeze. The hand on the championship splaying flat against it.
“The delusional failed queen. Unable to see the failure she made that cost her and Lexi the win. That cost him the championship. That cost him everything. Failure to acknowledge that she had one task, and she failed to do it. And in doing so, made him work overtime. Made him have to wrestle for both her and himself. Bobbie fucking Dahl was the easy gateway to victory, and she failed to move on it. The arrogance of the veterans in refusing to acknowledge their failures. Jessie refusing to acknowledge that her time is passing, and that others deserve the space she is unwittingly taking up. Calaway refusing to take ownership of her own short-comings, and now attempting to claim innocence in her ineptitude. Alexandra, my sweet false Queen. I want you to listen well. I want you to understand that you are firmly in my sights. That you are firmly in my mindset. That you are firmly in the grasp of the decaying mentality. The freedom we are bringing, can either hold you in its embrace. Or it will use your bones as the foundations of the destruction. Alexandra, my sweet. Please, think deeply on this. I want you to think long and hard about this. I want you to think about what you risk in being in our bad books. Acknowledge your failures, and freedom is yours. Deny your faults and you will remain a victim of your own failures. Love the way that we want to love you, and you can be far better than you ever have.”
She unclenches her fist, rivulets of blood dribbling down from where her nails had punctured the skin, sliding down to the floor. She raises it, holding the hand in front of her, placing it against the glass. Against the window. Creating a red streak over the sad world beyond. A filter of blood, that adds just enough colour to the world beyond.
“The Conspiracy is here, Jessie. I hope you prove me wrong.”
And then.
Darkness.
Silence.
Nothing.
