A Very Busy Woman
There is absolutely no rest for the wicked around these parts. As soon as SCW’s Into the Void came and went, over in the world of PWS:Apex they were preparing for their biggest show of the year.
Needless to say Destiny has done nothing but keep Laura “Phoenix” Madison busy. So many things to do, so little time to do it between preparing with the cast and crew of PWS:Apex the whole show plus their Hall of Fame where she would play a rather huge role there as well but in the meantime, the week leading into it, there were a whole lot of hours being spent inside the office or inside an editing studio.
Thankfully, thanks to a support system she has at least been able to eat.
“HOLD THE DOOR!” a man with a full head of brown hair with a full beard, a messenger bag slung off to the side, a beaten up Boston Red Sox cap pulled down tight and his hands full of takeout boxes recently picked up from the DoorDash driver he met out in the front of the building. He catches as someone is leaving and they hold the door open, “Much appreciation!”
“Any time Spinelli! By the way...she’s in the editing room again.” said the good samaritan as he moved with the speed of the wind towards an awaiting elevator.
Ah, the ever faithful Demetrius Spinelli. “The Jackal” to some, only because there were days that when holding a conversation with this individual, he would refer to himself as such and usually in the third person. He’s a bit of an odd duck, if there was ever a way to describe this man, with his very vast vocabulary, his Spinelli-isms (Nicknames) for every person he’s ever gained as a friend and while he’s not the biggest dog in the fight and he may have had his ass kicked on several occasions, he never backed down from anyone that threatened his “family”.
But since he garnered up the courage to introduce himself to Laura and quickly offered his services as her very own personal assistant over 12 years ago, he has never wavered his loyalty to his Valkyrie (Spinelli-ism for Laura), her White Knight (Spinelli-ism for Nick) and the mini-Valkyrie (Bella). In that time he has married a woman that many would call WAY out of his league and they have bloomed his own little family of his own with his Beautiful Breeze.
Spinelli’s job was simple, be Laura’s third and fourth arm, another pair of eyes and a voice of reason when she was neck deep in something major. Whether it’d be professional or personal.
So when she would stretch herself thin, as she’s been known to do especially this time of year with her duties and obligations, The Jackal was there.
Even with Chinese Takeout.
Meanwhile, in the editing suites, in her full on general manager role Laura sat by their lead editor with a look of uncertainty on both of their faces.
“I don’t know, Dave. It just feels...”
The editor, Dave, looks back at her and just shakes his head, “Flat? Yeah, I know. We’ve been staring at this for almost 4 hours, maybe we need to...”
“No breaks, Dave. Not when we are this close to having it absolutely perfect.” Laura said with a sigh of frustration, “I know it’s painful, my eyes are killing me, too.”
“Then it’s all the more reason to step away for a moment, get some air and refuel. How about it? I’ll even pay for your coffee.”
A knock comes to the door and before either can answer it opens and Spinelli comes barreling in, “The Jackal comes with salvation for the starvation to assist in your preparational abilities.”
“Dammit, Spinelli.” Laura let’s out but Spinelli continues as he moves over to a desk to lay the bags out, “Dave, I have your egg foo yung in here somewhere.”
“You are a fuckin’ hero, Spinelli. What about coffee?”
“It’s running a bit behind, I’m afraid. Last I heard from the app, there had to be an order change...to my refreshment, not to any of yours.” Spinelli said with a smile, “Give it about 5-10 minutes, I’m sure we’ll hear they’re here.”
“Bless you, bro.” Dave said as he picked up his meal, “I’m going to take this back to the office, call my other and let them know that there may be a small chance of being home tonight.” Before Dave leaves the office, “For the love of whatever God you may believe in, get her to go home and get some sleep.”
“On it, Hawkeye.”
“Ooo, I like that. Appreciate the grub, Jackal.”
“DAVE!” Laura called out to now thin air as Dave was already out of the room and halfway down the hall, and well out of earshot...well mostly. “Dammit...Thanks Spinelli, I really needed this delay.”
“No, what the Valkyrie needed was a dinner break and a friend to talk her into going home to the youngest Madison, who I know is missing his mother because he stole the White Knight’s phone to call and beg his Uncle Jackal to tell mommy to ‘come home’.” Spinelli picks up a rather large container, “Sweet and sour chicken, with rice...and extra sauce. Not as good as driving you home, but I rather my boss eat and stay alive right now.”
Laura grabs the box and sits it down on her lap, followed by him handing her a silverware, “Thanks.”
A simple smile between friends and colleagues “So, tell me what is the the conundrum that is keeping you from joining your family and preparing yourself to head to Reno after we get through Destiny.”
“Well, it’s this video package we’ve been working on for one. It’s important and I feel like it’s just lacking that extra...punch. It’s bad enough that I’ve been shoved into the background for a bit so I feel like I need to get this part right.” Laura says turning to the computer and glaring at it, “I just can’t ignore my duties.”
“You also have a duty to yourself and your family. Valkyrie, you have been here every single day for the last 2 weeks...”
“Well it’s better than feeling absolutely fucking useless otherwise.”
“Valkyrie...”
“No, Spinelli, you don’t get it. I chose this whole life and I feel like I’ve been doing nothing but pissing it all away.” Laura hits a button on the keyboard and the video begins to play as she sees the face of her friend who passed away recently, “What the hell would he tell me if he saw me like this? Letting some bitch tell me that I’ve grown too damn old to be the absolute best like I was? Letting her get to me and letting her catch me off guard? I used to beat people up like that on a daily basis.”
Spinelli takes a seat and opens up his chicken chow mein and digs in, taking a few bites and taking in what his boss is telling him, “So, in your terms, the Valkyrie is putting herself into her tasks, letting her creative judgment block her from preparing herself to bounce back from her loss to Kayla at Into the Void.”
“Well, I’m still going to the gym and whatnot, that’s never stopped...but I don’t know..this whole thing with Destiny has me tied up. I feel like I’m partially responsible now for things he was but at the same time, I’ve been away for far too long.” Laura laughs hitting the button again to pause it, “When I pulled myself out of competing professionally the first time, it was when I lost my mom. I came back because...at the time it felt like the right thing to do. I had that tingle again.”
“Well, you always did your best work when you were motivated.”
Her eyebrows lifted, “Don’t we all?”
Spinelli sets his box up onto the desk and picks hers up off her lap and opens it up, sitting it in front of her before handing her back her fork, motioning her to eat, “Well, yes...but yours is exceptionally true. The loss to Kayla stung though, we all saw it though you put on your brave face.”
“How does one bounce back from that?”
“The same way you always do,” he says sitting back with his food once again, “You just do. Laura Phoenix may be a very strong willed woman, but Laura Madison is someone that up until a few years ago, before Aaron and before her mother passing away, had always taken certain things for granted. Now here you are, the mother of a young child, about to be a grandmother...having no choice but to accept the losses you have been given from almost all corners of your life. You don’t have to fight but you still do because it’s what you do.”
“It’s the only thing I know how to do,” Laura smirked back, “It was what fueled us.”
Laura suddenly sits up, “Valkyrie?”
“I know what’s missing...” Laura smirks and stands up, taking a couple of quick bites, “I need to go find Dave. You are brilliant as always Spinelli.”
She gives him a kiss on the cheek as she picks up the office phone and dials some numbers, “Well the Jackal doesn’t know what he has done but I’ll take that accomplishment if that means getting you out of the shame spiral”
You’ve Been At It For Too Long
So here we are, and once again a lot of people have had to find themselves hitting that ever elusive reset button following Into the Void.
Look, I’m not about to make excuses about what happened in that match with Kayla, she got me on that night but if she thinks for one fucking second that she showed me that my age has caught up with me? She has a whole other thing coming.
I’m going to work my way back up to her before you know it but first, we need to show up and show out against a young lady by the name of Georgie Robertson. A young up and comer that has in her own right turned some heads and has only begun her journey.
Georgie, if I were to give you ANY kind of wisdom leading into this match, it’s simple. Never underestimate your opponent. That seems to be a running theme and it was one that I have fallen victim to, a few different times in my career. I got too brash, too arrogant. And I paid for it, sometimes in more ways than one. It has cost me time, it has cost me the chances that I could have had. I don’t want those that follow the path that I laid out to make those same damn mistakes.
Enjoy the ride, but don’t get too cocky to the point where you turn into a hollowed shell like our Internet Champion that can’t enjoy anything, at all.
Georgie, I have nothing against you except that you are simply on the path that I need to get myself back on. You have something you can afford right now, and that is time.
I’m not going to let myself fall victim again.
