Post by Boardwalk Angels on Feb 24, 2017 19:27:29 GMT -5
”No one ever thinks about the consequences of their words and actions anymore, and while that should come as no surprise to me, the fact that it reaches a point where self-preservation is forgotten is disconcerting. In some cases, anyway. In others, it’s plain sad. Ever since the Boardwalk Angels joined LAW, I’ve felt a cloud over my head, dark and lurking. Past experiences of those close to me come again to the fore, putting an unwarranted stigma upon me that I’ve yet to shake. Not that we were welcome before that, of course; Guilty Pleasures made that clear. This has led to two different sets of consequences: firstly, it has put someone dear to me in danger of very unhealthy reactions that could cost her dearly. Secondly, it has put the aforementioned Guilty Pleasures in our crosshairs. While the first situation is being tended to by those who know best, the latter… well, let’s just say that Farrah and I are far from done with Grey and Steele.
But they don’t rate right now. The Naughty Girls do. They have what we want, what we covet… what we crave. And we’re not leaving D.C. without them!”
* Wednesday afternoon, a few hours before sunset *
* Zoey’s Home Office *
* Malibu, CA *
The door opens and shuts softly, a pair of gentle clicks the only evidence that the passage moved at all. Zoey walks into the room and right off the bat we can see just how ginger her step is. Fierce training sessions with both Farrah Martell and Courtney Steele, it would seem, have taken their toll. The magician leans back on the door for a moment after shutting it behind her, and winces a bit before settling. Perhaps the coolness of the surface is soothing in a way, if her expression is accurate. Dressed in purple workout pants that cling tight to her striking legs, black stars and moons up and down the side of each leg, Zoey finally pushes from the door and ambles further into the room, pulling off her black Under Armour hoodie with the logo in purple camo. She tosses it on the small sofa, a black Boardwalk Angels tank top hanging slightly loose on her torso, beneath which is a purple sports top to match her lower half.
She looks about the office and for the first time a faint smile manifests. Being in her little sanctum brings her peace. On the side of the room where the sofa rests is an end table with a lamp and a small coffee table with an aloe plant resting in the center. Both walls have bookshelves filled with tomes though one keeps a shelf or two free for trinkets, framed photos and a modest flat-screen television. Across from the basic furniture is a padded massage table and on the far wall beneath a pair of simple, high-placed windows rests a large desk and filing cabinet. Her laptop sits closed on the former, a phone next to it. The blank white pad indicates no calls were received. Zoey relaxes a bit more at this, lowering herself into a chair that is… peculiar. The form of it doesn’t really jibe with the classical motif that the rest of the room has. It looks like it should be in the den of some hoity-toity modern artist and spoken of in hushed tones… as though it were an indecent sculpture from the darkest of minds. Even the sheen is a bit off; shiny to the point of looking as if it were made of a substance most unnatural.
Zoey lowers herself upon it with a groan, followed by a sigh. To her? It’s mighty comfortable. She reaches for her cell next to the laptop, activating it and scrolling a bit. What she sees makes her frown and it’s barely moments later that she tosses it back on the desk with a huff.
”They’re like children who lost their toys. They yell and scream, they hurl threats and insults, and to what end? Because misery loves company.”
She’s obviously talking to herself, one arm lowering to the chair itself, tapping lightly on the polished black surface. The one-sided conversation continues.
”And of course I allow myself to be drawn in, to have my hackles raised, which only makes things worse. Those that care retreat further within and those that get a rise out of my irritation redouble their efforts. I should know better by now… so why do I let it get to me? Especially now of all times when we’re facing down a shot at a championship? It’s as if this were all a formulated plot by a higher being.
Come to think of it, that wouldn’t shock me at all. It sounds like something Farrah would write for Sorrel Springs.”
Without much in the way of clues, we can only ponder what exactly ‘Sorrel Springs’ is. Regardless, Zoey falls silent for a moment or two, both hands resting upon the chair, palms flat as if she’s about to rise again. And she moves to do just that but relents a moment later, never taking herself fully from the furniture.
”It’s a fine mess is what it is. Almost makes me miss Emma and Joanna. They’d have taken one look at Guilty Pleasures before crippling them. At least with those two in the mix we’d know right from the start what we were in for…”
A knock comes to her door and the magician huffs silently, laying her head back against the top of the chair.
”Yes?”
”It’s me, ma’am. It can wait until later if you’ve got company...”
Emelie. The sound of her voice brings another faint smile to Zoey’s face.
”It’s all right, dear. Come in.”
Zoey’s purple-haired assistant steps into the room with tentativity etched all over every step, from head to toe. The magician watches as Emelie closes the door, fidgeting with her hands in front of her. Parting her lips to ask what’s wrong, Zoey is stopped by Emelie blurting out suddenly...
”A-Are you still mad at me?”
”Mad…? Why would-... oh. Right.”
Exhaling and shaking her head, Zoey closes her eyes a moment, taking a centering breath.
”No, honey, I’m not mad anymore. We talked about the situation, didn’t we?”
”Yes, ma’am.”
”And you understand why I was mad?”
”Y-Yes, ma’am.”
Emelie fidgets a little more until Zoey, rising from her chair, walks over and closes her hands around those of her assistant. Tiny, Em has to look up at her friend and employer with the magician so close.
”Then I consider the matter done. Your heart was in the right place, Em, but it was bad timing. You’ve learned from that, I believe, and won’t make the same mistake again.”
Quick nodding from the young Scandanavian.
”I did! I promise!”
The Indigo Sorceress puts on her smile at full mast, which finally brings a smile to Emelie’s face as well.
”That’s my girl. Have a seat.”
Taking one herself, Zoey watches Em lower herself onto the sofa, staring oddly at the chair on which the enchantress sits.
”Is that… new?”
”Hm? Oh! Yeah, it is. Found it in one of the back rooms earlier. Thought it’d give it a try. Adds a little strangeness to the room, doesn’t it?”
Zoey pats the chair firmly with a laugh.
”But what you heard earlier was just me thinking out loud.”
”Yeah, I think I know what it was about. All the stuff going on over Twitter. It’s a real big mess. I hate to see everyone so angry and fighting each other like that. I thought we were all friends.”
”And we are. People are just… dealing with bad situations in the only ways they know how. I don’t like it any more than you do, but there’s nothing either of us can do about it. Other than be there for them, of course. It makes it hard to find peace anywhere, though. And that’s what I could really use right now with this match coming up.”
”The title match, right? I can’t believe you gotta fight Katalina.”
”Believe it. And it isn’t going to be easy. In more ways than one.”
”I can’t even imagine. I mean, what happens if you lose? What happens if you win?! My gosh… it feels like it’d be a mess either way!”
The young woman was saying everything Zoey was thinking at that point. The magician, lost in thought, turned to a picture on the nearby shelf, staring at it intently. There were several women in the shot: Zoey herself, Farrah, Stacy, Jen, Katalina, Jami… even a few more that couldn’t quite be made out in the background. The sight of it made her lips smile but her eyes darken, a war of emotion and mental stability shown in one off-putting expression. Em, meanwhile, kept going…
”It’s so crazy! And who knew that Katie woman was so mean?! The couple times I saw her she was kinda quiet but at least polite, you know?! And-”
”Emelie.”
Softness of tone did little to hide the hint of authority in Zoey’s voice.
”Mm? Oh… OH! I’m sorry! Was I rambling again?!”
”It’s fine. Let’s… go get some lunch somewhere.”
”THAT’S what I meant to ask you! If you wanted to go get lunch! I’ll pay for it!”
”All right. I’ll meet you at the truck.”
Practically bouncing to her feet, Em is off in moments. It takes several more of those before Zoey rises herself, once more moving with great care given her tired joints and bruised flesh. Her bracing herself to rise causes the chair to shift a little as though on unsteady footing. Zoey looks to it with a blink, then a small smile.
”Whoops. I’d best be more careful, huh?”
Going into her desk drawer for her keys, she picks up her phone as well. Finding the remote on her key ring, one of two, she presses a couple buttons while leaning on the chair, again causing it to shift slightly.
”There we go. That should last a couple hours at least. More than enough time for lunch, a little nap and a start toward dinner.”
Running her fingertips along the curves of the chair’s design, the magician then turns on her heel with a smile, heading out of the office. Moments after the door closes, the truck starts up outside and pulls out of the lot, beneath the roar of the engine being a soft buzzing noise…
”Talking to Emelie about things over lunch seemed to help a bit. Granted, there were still plenty of concerns weighing on me and my mood wasn’t the greatest, but venting and discussion did help. If nothing else, knowledge of that made her happy and seeing her happy always makes me feel good. With Farrah handling family business and Courtney taking a little time with her new husband before the pay-per-view, I decided to set up an appointment with Miss Jordan which Jimmy was kind enough to assist with. Even over the phone the woman was intimidating, whether she tried to be or not, but I needed her input and her attention. Eliminating distractions was key right now and having her watching the situations in LAW like a hawk would give Farrah and I a little peace of mind. Jimmy, twice as thankfully, was there for the meeting himself...”
* Thursday afternoon, an hour till the end of the workday *
* Law Offices of Jordan, Mason and Devitt *
* Trenton, NJ *
Seated in the left-hand chair in front of the large mahogany desk, Zoey crossed one silk-sheathed leg over the other, straightening her skirt and jacket just a bit. No matter the look, the young beauty could pull it off… and according to several friends? The professional apperance was something the sorceress rocked, so to speak. The deep purple suited her, pun intended, and when one added in the upward twist of her dark hair and added poise that came with being in a tense situation, Zoey looked as though she’d be quite at home behind the desk herself. She scanned the papers put forth, eyes darting back and forth as James Mikowski likewise looked over a similar piece while sitting to the magician’s right.
And across from them, on the other side of the desk, sat a woman in the later stages of middle age. Make no mistake: she wore her years well and was still easy on the eyes. But her gaze was sharp and intimidating, either on purpose or by design. More likely the latter chiefly with a dash of the former. The plaque on her desk read Jessamine Jordan and the multiple degrees and certificates on the wall behind her, all very neatly placed, detailed her experience. Her attention flicked toward her left as Jimmy looked up first, tossing the papers back on the desk in front of him.
”I knew you’d find somethin’, Jess, but that much this fast? I’m half-tempted to tell the ladies to cancel their contract here and now.”
”You know good and well that we wouldn’t, Jimmy. Especially Farrah.”
”’Cause the woman’s stubborn as hell. And you know good and well that I wouldn’t go that road unless it were life-and-death anyway. This is your dream, Zee, and Farrah has your back. Same as that Courtney girl. But my point stands.”
”And I appreciate your concern, Jimmy. Truly.”
Zoey offers up a bright smile to her agent of several years, finally getting the man to show one of his own. The arm he had draped over the back of his chair he reached out with to give the magician’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. Zoey came very close to flinching but all that came of it was a slightly tensing of her expression. Jimmy drew back almost immediately.
”Ah, hell… sorry, Zee. I forgot about how hard you’ve been working lately. You better make sure and rest some before the shows, huh? I don’t want to see you getting hurt and having to take time off.”
Before Zoey can respond, the lawyer speaks up. Her voice is surprisingly smooth considering her aura, and as strong as steel.
”He’s correct in his assessment, Miss Madigan. If there are other options open to you in the near future, I suggest that you take them.”
”Even if there are, that would not be prudent if we win the tag team championship at Rising Stars. Walking out on a place while champion… that’s bad business.”
”So is submitting yourself to the sorts of actions and attitudes that are so prevalent in this company. I am not going to tell you that you cannot succeed here, only that the hill will be steeper than you expect… or should be. I will do my part but I suggest that you keep both eyes wide open. You AND your partners.”
”Goes for me, too. All bookings and special events will go through me before they come to you, Zoey. The more eyes, the better.”
”I want you both to know how much all three of us appreciate this.”
”I might have written off the idea if James did not speak so highly of you. His instincts and feelings are some of the few that I trust without second thoughts or looking for fine print under fine print.”
Jimmy smirks a little at that, inclining his chin in Jessamine’s direction.
”Told ya, Zee. The young lady knows her stuff.”
”I’m eight years older than you, James. Don’t start patronizing me because I pay you a compliment.”
Immediately the agent holds up his hands in a gesture of peace… though his chuckling kind of downplays that. Jessamine rolls her eyes while Zoey softly giggles behind her hand at their interaction. However, when the lawyer’s eyes are upon her again, she’s quick to straighten up.
”If it is all the same to you, Miss Madigan, I would come see this show in person. Being in close proximity to everything will give me a better feel for what’s going on. Of course, if that will constitute a distraction…”
”Oh, not at all. I’ll talk to the office. Certainly they should have no issue sending tickets your way.”
”Glad to hear it. That being said, Jimmy, there’s some paperwork I need from you so that we can get things moving along.”
”Sure thing.”
He turns to Zoey, nodding reassuringly.
”I’ll handle the rest here, Zoey, and call you once we’re done.”
The magician rises from her seat, as does Jessamine and Jimmy both. She shakes the lawyer’s hand, then embraces her agent tightly, which he returns a bit more gently considering her physical state.
”Thank you again for looking into all this for me. I’ll talk to you both soon.”
She turns to walk out of the office, the door closing behind her while both lawyer and agent look after her. In her absence, they sit again with Jessamine being the first to speak.
”Sharp girl. The world hasn’t gotten its claws into her just yet. It’ll be a sad day when that happens, though.”
”You’d be surprised. She lost her brother in Afghanistan, so she knows pain pretty well.”
”Yes, but pain doesn’t rule her yet. She still has hope. Desires. Dreams. One day…”
Jimmy shakes his head sharply, surprisingly quieting the older woman.
”I don’t even want to think about it. When it happens, it will happen and she’ll have people around her who will see her through it. Right now, though, I just want her to be happy.”
”Business before personal, James.”
”Her happiness and positive attitude is best for her business and mine. There’s nothing wrong with caring.”
”Tell that to all my ex-boyfriends.”
Jessamine chuckles quietly and Jimmy looks rather surprised that the woman made a joke at all. Switching to outside the mansion-like office, Zoey is standing in the sun with her eyes closed. She looks far more relaxed than she had only a day ago, which is pleasant to see. Her phone suddenly goes off with the grating, throbbing guitars of Kittie’s “Run Like Hell”, which keeps her smile going as she picks up.
”Hey, Farrah. Good timing. I just left Jessamine’s office.”
”And?”
”What she found was scary, but it just makes me that much happier to have her on the team, so to speak. She’s coming to Rising Stars as a matter of fact… wants an up-close look at the way of things.”
”Good. I wanna meet her myself. Look, I only got a minute here…”
Walking down the steps of the building, Zoey makes her way to the sidewalk and looks left, then right. Her ride, it seems, isn’t there just yet.
”Busy girl already?”
”When ain’t I? But yeah… I’m about to fly out to D.C. Courtney wanted to know if you’d like to hit a club tomorrow night? Just the three of us. Might be a good way to let off some steam and get you loosened up for the show.”
”Sounds good to me. I’m having a quick dinner with my parents then catching a plane down myself. Where are we staying this time?”
”Embassy Suites. It’s a pay-per-view, so why not splurge a little?”
Smiling to herself, Zoey seems agreed on this idea.
”And the club?”
”DC9. Courtney says it’s the best spot in town and I believe her on that.”
”That’s good enough for me. I’ll see you at the hotel.”
”Travel safe, Zee. Give your folks a hug in my name.”
The call ends at that point, the scene going to black. It returns, however, in less time than expected. Standing outside Club DC9 at a late hour the following night, all three of the Boardwalk Angels are wearing expressions that range between irritation, flat-out anger and borderline bloody fury. Courtney is silently seething, looking over her shoulder more than once while she cracks her knuckles loudly. Farrah, on the other side of the line, has a foreboding smile on her face, shaking her head a little in disbelief.
And Zoey? From the magician’s narrowed golden eyes to the thin line of her darkly-painted lips, she looks positively chilly. Farrah mutters something under her breath and Courtney nods, the former setting a hand on her friend’s shoulder.
”This ain’t over. They’ll pay for this crap, Zee. Won’t they, Courtney?”
Courtney nods silently, finally settling herself enough that she doesn’t have steam from burning rage wafting off her person. She likewise turns to Zoey who calmly steps forward, putting a few paces between herself and her partners. She stares straight ahead, the slapping sound when her fist colliding with her palm oddly loud in the relative quiet of evening.
”Sooner than anyone thinks, they will.”
She strides across the street to a black Escalade, getting into the driver’s seat and turning it on, awaiting her partners’ arrival. The two women exchange looks before smirking and following after Zoey, Farrah commenting in passing as the scene fades again.
”Push a good girl too far and you get something a lot scarier than I could ever be. Way to go, Greybeard.”
Cut to black.
* Saturday morning, in the middle of sunrise *
* Washington Monument/Reflecting Pool *
* Washington, DC *
At the top of the sky the colors run dark; navy and indigo for the most part, allowing a partial view of the stars that once filled the entire horizon. The closer one gets to ground level, the lighter the hues become. There’s some of the soft blue that may fill the day pending darker weather, and of course the flaming tones that herald the sun’s arrival. It’s too early an hour for most to be awake, leaving the world a quiet place. Even here, at the center of the United States government the streets are almost devoid of cars and the streetlights are not long blinked out in preparation for the start of the day.
Not a person who indulges in a lot of sleep, Zoey Anne Madigan kneels at the side of the Reflective Pool, the body of water sitting before the obelisk known as the Washington Monument. A breeze catches her skirt even as she stays low, fingertips sweeping through the once-still waters thoughtfully. Dark hair streaked with a few shades of purple hangs loose and soft about her shoulders, otherwise clad in a cropped leather jacket, beneath which is a top of pure black silk. Soon the magician folds her arms, resting back on the heels of the knee-high black leather boots she’s affected her legs partially-coated in fishnets. It’s a slightly different look for the young woman; darker, more intimidating. Her makeup is faint, accenting rather than encompassing.
And those eyes… just as intense as they had been mere hours before after some manner of altercation with Guilty Pleasures at Club DC9. From what little has been learned, the Angels ran afoul of Steele and Grey at the establishment, and tensions rose to a point that physicality seemed inevitable. Instead, all parties were ejected from the club, the groups kept separated to spare the place an altercation on the streets outside. The specifics… they were enough to have stuck in the craw of the enchantress.
”All right, Zee… mind on business, got it? Those two gutterwhores in Guilty Pleasures, they don’t matter. Not right now. What matters is the gold. You ready?”
”Always.”
Soft and full of meaning, Zoey’s voice drifts in the cool morning air. Fluidly, she rises to her feet, tossing her head so that her hair arranges itself out of her face and behind her shoulder. Glancing over said shoulder, she gazes upon the camera, head tilted back just a bit. The smile is a bit off, teasing in a way in fact, as she addresses the fans and her opponents.
”We’d be lying if we said we never thought this day would come. Good things, you see, come to those who work for them. Not to those who wait. Don’t let that line fool you for a second, folks, because while patience is a virtue, one that should be practiced and perfected, action is sometimes the surer route. True enough, the Boardwalk Angels weren’t expecting this match so soon, but let the fact of it all be a lesson to all of you:
Never let opportunity pass you by and never let anyone tell you that you don’t deserve what you have earned. Despite what many may tell you, Farrah and I earned this. The Dynasty, they were ready for us and they fought like harpies to put us down. But their best wasn’t enough. Just like the best Guilty Pleasures could muster wasn’t enough. I’m sure they hate hearing that, both teams in fact, but here’s the thing, ladies: as long as you keep slinging that dirt and talking that jive? We’re going to sit back and counter with the truth... in words AND action.
People like those who rail on us will always be afraid of the truth. There’s not a story they can concoct that will change facts, so when their efforts fall flat they try to sway opinions against us. By now, half the locker room probably doesn’t like any of us for believing the tales of woe spewed all over social media by Kenzi and Kate. The way we look at that is simple: if people want to believe lies and rumors about us and let those color their opinions rather than seeking and accepting the truth? Then it’s no loss to us. The people in the crowd and backstage who support us, the true fans who see through the smokescreens and shenanigans… those are who we fight for aside from ourselves.”
”Haters gonna hate, talkers gonna talk... and the Boardwalk Angels are gonna win and get them some gold. For every ounce of hate leveled at us, we’re gonna go out there and piss them off even more by proving them wrong. It’s the only time in their lives that people like Greybeard will have a purpose as something other than professional joke-butts.”
Despite herself, Zoey chuckles at Farrah’s interjection from behind the camera. Tucking a few loose strands behind her ear, the magician sobers a bit before speaking further. Her gaze turns to the monument nearby… all 500-plus feet of it.
”Motivation, dedication, focus… all very important to us in this moment and more so at Rising Stars. And yet, I would be remiss if I did not consider the other end of the coin. For Farrah, this is her first title opportunity. There’s no stigma upon her, no weight pressing down on her beautiful shoulders. I, on the other hand? Well, my title history is not only non-existent. It is practically in the negatives.”
Her smile perseveres, but it’s on the sad side.
”Professionally, I’ve fought for championships two or three times already. And I’ve lost every time. Funny how that sort of thing works out. Put me in the ring with a champion in a non-title encounter and chances are I’ll put them down for the count. Put the championship on the line and… the opposite occurs. These aren’t tomato cans on either side of that line. People like Tyler Storm and Ace Watson… they’re talented and skilled. And as a rookie I put both of them down while they had prominent gold strapped around their waist. Even former champions with multiple accolades to their name, people always on the edge of another golden accomplishment, have fallen to me. Matt Slater and Stacy Jones come to mind in that field.
But put me against a champion with their gold hanging in the balance, chiefly referring to one of the toughest women on the planet in the form of a former World Champion, Constance Chapin… and I fall flat and hard. That was hard to take both times but the woman made me better in the ring. And if you can learn something from those who defeat you, then it isn’t a complete loss.
That brings Katalina Star to mind… as well as a certain date. April 10th of last year, my love. Do you recall?”
Turning so that she fully faces the camera, Zoey’s arms no longer stay folded beneath her chest. They fall loose to her sides as the woman sucks in a deep, cleansing breath.
”Breakthrough #43, a match pitting yourself and Talon versus myself and Katie Daniels. Moicelle back then, actually, but… details.”
She gestures slightly, negligently, with a hand.
”Yourself and Katie weren’t yet LAW World Tag Team Champions at that point, but dear Miss Klein was still quite adamant about being at your side. Our partners took their leave early in the contest after a dive from my partner took out her AND Talon. Just you and I, kitten, and how did that turn out? I mean, other than Klein shoving me off the top rope while the referee’s back was turned. Allow me to refresh your memory:”
She claps once, twice, three times… and proceeds to raise one arm in a gesture of victory before lowering both hands again.
”Again, you weren’t champions here yet. That came a little more than six weeks later at Validation. I’ve done my research, as you can see. And do you know what else I discovered? That since then, you’ve had but one title defense. Quite a drought, that. Some will blame it on a diminished tag team roster, some will fling other silly ideas. None of the reasons or answers will matter in the end, though. You’re champions. Someone could have stepped up if they wanted. The powers-that-be could have thrown together a couple ladies to take you on if they wished. Or you could have gone out and hand-picked some opponents. None of the above happened. It took us forcing the hands of those above to put you in this position and very soon we’ll see just how rusty you are.
My question, however, is this: did you learn anything from that match? Did Katie? From the sound of her I would say ‘no’. What she considered an on-all-cylinders call-out to myself and Farrah fell rather flat last week. Her goal might have been to demoralize us, perhaps to hurt our feelings. Who can say? But they didn’t do that, Katie. Instead, you made me shake my head a little and wonder what crawled up your rear end. And you made Farrah want to stick her boot up there to keep whatever it is company. We’re going to file that under ‘bad ideas’. It’s going to be very, VERY hard, Katie, to talk about win streaks and making examples when Farrah is done showing you a new world of pain.”
”World’s horniest hand puppet. I’m still laughing.”
And so she does, with Zoey managing to keep her mirth down to a sweet smile.
”The world is laughing with you.”
Farrah gets her laughter under control as Zoey gets back on point.
”I know all that I need to know about the both of you, Naughty Girls. Enough that I don’t have to make this personal, nor does Farrah. That’s what the two of you will expect but you will be disappointed. The pressure, you see, is all on you. We’re coming to that ring to take your championships, titles that have gone a full seven months without being defended. What you’ve built for nearly a year? A pair of new girls with two LAW matches under their belts are going to tear down to the foundation.
I’ve beaten you before, my love, and I will do it again. You, Katie? I haven’t forgotten our little altercation at the event where your Mistress was laid low by my hand. Forgiven, yes. Forgotten, no. You really should mind who you lay hands on. Back then, you didn’t know better. You didn’t know who I was or what I would become. Now? I wonder just how far you’ll try to go to prove a point before the eyes of your Mistress. Will the thought of consequences make you hesitate? Will you cast a glance her way before you act? Will the attentions others have toward Katalina of late have you looking over your shoulder more than you should be?”
Zoey brings up a hand, fingers coming together. She snaps them once, the sound sharp in the still morning air.
”One second, Klein. One moment of distraction or inattention. That’s all it will take for me to snatch your arm and make you scream in my Spellbound cross armbreaker. That’s all the time I need to hook that same arm and drive you skull-first to the canvas with my Seeing Stars DDT. Don’t think for a moment that I’m not a threat. And don’t forget that your every move is watched from the apron on both sides of the match. You’re in the worst situation possible come Rising Stars and I want you utterly cognizant of that fact.
No excuses, no escape. It doesn’t matter to me who Farrah and I send to dreamland with the Over You. Pinning either of you will earn us our first championships. But I’d rather see you eating your words seasoned with a couple dashes of karma on top to the tune of three slaps on that mat because, well… when it comes to my fiancee?”
She smirks… just a little bit.
”Been there, done that.”
”And I thought *I* burned them.”
Shrugging beautifully, Zoey smiles and seems in the same second to remember something. She gestures for Farrah to bring the focus in closer as she tugs back the sleeves of her jacket, following by unbuttoning the cuffs of her shirt and rolling those up. Something in black is scribbled on the inside of each forearm. One the left arm, ‘Katalina’ is seen. On the right, ‘Katie’. She lets Farrah get a good long look at them before lowering her arms. The camera lifts to see a serious look on the face of the sorceress.
”There’s no mistaking it now. Love has no place here. Burgeoning friendship is similarly unwelcome. This is business. And our business is achieving our goals no matter which vocation is in question. For over a year I have given the best of myself to wrestling and have come up woefully short in EVERY attempt to put my name in the record books! I will NOT suffer failure from myself any longer!”
If we could see behind the camera, we would see how the force of those words, in meaning and delivery, take Farrah aback just a bit. Zoey’s, shall we say… darkness? It has been seeping out bit by bit lately. Too much going on all around her, making her increase her focus and dedication toward the one thing she can control: the tag title match at Rising Stars. Right now, Zoey looks relentless. Either she can’t hold on any longer…
...or she doesn’t want to.
”As much as I love you, Katalina, I call you on your comments toward us! We, above all others, have shown respect toward yourself and even Katie for your reign! Those that hate on you for lack of defenses or meaningful matches… we do not buy into such tripe! We point it out, yes, but to emphasize how well we know what we’re walking into! But that’s disrespectful in your eyes, isn’t it?!”
”...okay, take a breath, Zee…”
Stopped in her monologue, Zoey’s eyes shift perceptibly from the camera to her partner.
”I am fine.”
Back to the camera. She does take that suggested breath, though. She lets it fill her lungs before being expelled again. And moments later, Zoey is crouched before the water again, watching her reflection ripple upon the slightly-shifting surface.
”History is not on your side, Katalina. Yes, you’ve beaten all comers. Yes, a record is within reach. But none of those women know you like I do. None of them know what makes you tick. I said before that I would not have this turn personal from our end and I hold to those words. That’s because I don’t need to. I’m in your head, my love, and your heart and soul… I have a hand for each. I am your destiny in light and darkness. On the one side, I shall soon make you as happy as a woman could ever hope to be. So very soon. A mere six weeks, in fact.”
Faintly, she smiles. It does nothing to downplay her burning stare which is now back on the camera.
”But light owes its existence to darkness, beauty to ugliness, order to chaos. The one hand will make your dreams come true. The other… shall bring your queendom crashing down around your ears. No matter how hard you train or how intensely you plot, I am still the woman that beat you clean despite Katie’s presence. And that wide-eyed, white-souled girl from back then, while talented, has become something far more in the months since.
I do not meekly stumble into that ring, wishing my opponents well and preparing myself for what I inevitably feel will be defeat. No longer do I walk around with the chipper, sparkly, happy-to-be-here mentality of yesteryear. And I do not bow to anyone or anything between those ropes.”
Holding her hands before her eyes, Zoey stares into them quietly for a couple seconds.
”The little girl missing her lost brother is a memory. The lost soul looking for meaning in her existence has woken from her nightmare. This business, this world for that matter, has changed me for the better.”
She returns to her feet.
”We will become the LAW World Tag Team Champions at Rising Stars. Respect given, accepted or otherwise, for what you’ve done as champions, Katalina and Katie, but the sun is setting on your era. It will be a cold night in DC for you as you shiver and struggle against inevitable change, wishing with all your might for one more day, one more moment, as the standard-bearers of tag team dominance.
And then? You will look up as the sun rises anew, watching the new day begin. And we will rise with it, gold around our waist and the world standing before us, waiting for its chance to test the mettle of the Boardwalk Angels. You don’t have to like it. You don’t even have to accept it. But you WILL experience it and, as has been done for us so many times in our own lives, the two of you will be made better for it. Your reign will be given the explosive send-off that it deserves... a violent spectacle worthy of champions of your caliber.
Naughty Girls… prepare for the show of a lifetime.”
Smiling just a bit, laying out that old catchphrase of hers from another phase of her career, Zoey turns her back to the camera, watching as the sun finally starts to peek up in the distance, heralding the first moments of a brand new day.
Fade to black.
But they don’t rate right now. The Naughty Girls do. They have what we want, what we covet… what we crave. And we’re not leaving D.C. without them!”
* Wednesday afternoon, a few hours before sunset *
* Zoey’s Home Office *
* Malibu, CA *
The door opens and shuts softly, a pair of gentle clicks the only evidence that the passage moved at all. Zoey walks into the room and right off the bat we can see just how ginger her step is. Fierce training sessions with both Farrah Martell and Courtney Steele, it would seem, have taken their toll. The magician leans back on the door for a moment after shutting it behind her, and winces a bit before settling. Perhaps the coolness of the surface is soothing in a way, if her expression is accurate. Dressed in purple workout pants that cling tight to her striking legs, black stars and moons up and down the side of each leg, Zoey finally pushes from the door and ambles further into the room, pulling off her black Under Armour hoodie with the logo in purple camo. She tosses it on the small sofa, a black Boardwalk Angels tank top hanging slightly loose on her torso, beneath which is a purple sports top to match her lower half.
She looks about the office and for the first time a faint smile manifests. Being in her little sanctum brings her peace. On the side of the room where the sofa rests is an end table with a lamp and a small coffee table with an aloe plant resting in the center. Both walls have bookshelves filled with tomes though one keeps a shelf or two free for trinkets, framed photos and a modest flat-screen television. Across from the basic furniture is a padded massage table and on the far wall beneath a pair of simple, high-placed windows rests a large desk and filing cabinet. Her laptop sits closed on the former, a phone next to it. The blank white pad indicates no calls were received. Zoey relaxes a bit more at this, lowering herself into a chair that is… peculiar. The form of it doesn’t really jibe with the classical motif that the rest of the room has. It looks like it should be in the den of some hoity-toity modern artist and spoken of in hushed tones… as though it were an indecent sculpture from the darkest of minds. Even the sheen is a bit off; shiny to the point of looking as if it were made of a substance most unnatural.
Zoey lowers herself upon it with a groan, followed by a sigh. To her? It’s mighty comfortable. She reaches for her cell next to the laptop, activating it and scrolling a bit. What she sees makes her frown and it’s barely moments later that she tosses it back on the desk with a huff.
”They’re like children who lost their toys. They yell and scream, they hurl threats and insults, and to what end? Because misery loves company.”
She’s obviously talking to herself, one arm lowering to the chair itself, tapping lightly on the polished black surface. The one-sided conversation continues.
”And of course I allow myself to be drawn in, to have my hackles raised, which only makes things worse. Those that care retreat further within and those that get a rise out of my irritation redouble their efforts. I should know better by now… so why do I let it get to me? Especially now of all times when we’re facing down a shot at a championship? It’s as if this were all a formulated plot by a higher being.
Come to think of it, that wouldn’t shock me at all. It sounds like something Farrah would write for Sorrel Springs.”
Without much in the way of clues, we can only ponder what exactly ‘Sorrel Springs’ is. Regardless, Zoey falls silent for a moment or two, both hands resting upon the chair, palms flat as if she’s about to rise again. And she moves to do just that but relents a moment later, never taking herself fully from the furniture.
”It’s a fine mess is what it is. Almost makes me miss Emma and Joanna. They’d have taken one look at Guilty Pleasures before crippling them. At least with those two in the mix we’d know right from the start what we were in for…”
A knock comes to her door and the magician huffs silently, laying her head back against the top of the chair.
”Yes?”
”It’s me, ma’am. It can wait until later if you’ve got company...”
Emelie. The sound of her voice brings another faint smile to Zoey’s face.
”It’s all right, dear. Come in.”
Zoey’s purple-haired assistant steps into the room with tentativity etched all over every step, from head to toe. The magician watches as Emelie closes the door, fidgeting with her hands in front of her. Parting her lips to ask what’s wrong, Zoey is stopped by Emelie blurting out suddenly...
”A-Are you still mad at me?”
”Mad…? Why would-... oh. Right.”
Exhaling and shaking her head, Zoey closes her eyes a moment, taking a centering breath.
”No, honey, I’m not mad anymore. We talked about the situation, didn’t we?”
”Yes, ma’am.”
”And you understand why I was mad?”
”Y-Yes, ma’am.”
Emelie fidgets a little more until Zoey, rising from her chair, walks over and closes her hands around those of her assistant. Tiny, Em has to look up at her friend and employer with the magician so close.
”Then I consider the matter done. Your heart was in the right place, Em, but it was bad timing. You’ve learned from that, I believe, and won’t make the same mistake again.”
Quick nodding from the young Scandanavian.
”I did! I promise!”
The Indigo Sorceress puts on her smile at full mast, which finally brings a smile to Emelie’s face as well.
”That’s my girl. Have a seat.”
Taking one herself, Zoey watches Em lower herself onto the sofa, staring oddly at the chair on which the enchantress sits.
”Is that… new?”
”Hm? Oh! Yeah, it is. Found it in one of the back rooms earlier. Thought it’d give it a try. Adds a little strangeness to the room, doesn’t it?”
Zoey pats the chair firmly with a laugh.
”But what you heard earlier was just me thinking out loud.”
”Yeah, I think I know what it was about. All the stuff going on over Twitter. It’s a real big mess. I hate to see everyone so angry and fighting each other like that. I thought we were all friends.”
”And we are. People are just… dealing with bad situations in the only ways they know how. I don’t like it any more than you do, but there’s nothing either of us can do about it. Other than be there for them, of course. It makes it hard to find peace anywhere, though. And that’s what I could really use right now with this match coming up.”
”The title match, right? I can’t believe you gotta fight Katalina.”
”Believe it. And it isn’t going to be easy. In more ways than one.”
”I can’t even imagine. I mean, what happens if you lose? What happens if you win?! My gosh… it feels like it’d be a mess either way!”
The young woman was saying everything Zoey was thinking at that point. The magician, lost in thought, turned to a picture on the nearby shelf, staring at it intently. There were several women in the shot: Zoey herself, Farrah, Stacy, Jen, Katalina, Jami… even a few more that couldn’t quite be made out in the background. The sight of it made her lips smile but her eyes darken, a war of emotion and mental stability shown in one off-putting expression. Em, meanwhile, kept going…
”It’s so crazy! And who knew that Katie woman was so mean?! The couple times I saw her she was kinda quiet but at least polite, you know?! And-”
”Emelie.”
Softness of tone did little to hide the hint of authority in Zoey’s voice.
”Mm? Oh… OH! I’m sorry! Was I rambling again?!”
”It’s fine. Let’s… go get some lunch somewhere.”
”THAT’S what I meant to ask you! If you wanted to go get lunch! I’ll pay for it!”
”All right. I’ll meet you at the truck.”
Practically bouncing to her feet, Em is off in moments. It takes several more of those before Zoey rises herself, once more moving with great care given her tired joints and bruised flesh. Her bracing herself to rise causes the chair to shift a little as though on unsteady footing. Zoey looks to it with a blink, then a small smile.
”Whoops. I’d best be more careful, huh?”
Going into her desk drawer for her keys, she picks up her phone as well. Finding the remote on her key ring, one of two, she presses a couple buttons while leaning on the chair, again causing it to shift slightly.
”There we go. That should last a couple hours at least. More than enough time for lunch, a little nap and a start toward dinner.”
Running her fingertips along the curves of the chair’s design, the magician then turns on her heel with a smile, heading out of the office. Moments after the door closes, the truck starts up outside and pulls out of the lot, beneath the roar of the engine being a soft buzzing noise…
”Talking to Emelie about things over lunch seemed to help a bit. Granted, there were still plenty of concerns weighing on me and my mood wasn’t the greatest, but venting and discussion did help. If nothing else, knowledge of that made her happy and seeing her happy always makes me feel good. With Farrah handling family business and Courtney taking a little time with her new husband before the pay-per-view, I decided to set up an appointment with Miss Jordan which Jimmy was kind enough to assist with. Even over the phone the woman was intimidating, whether she tried to be or not, but I needed her input and her attention. Eliminating distractions was key right now and having her watching the situations in LAW like a hawk would give Farrah and I a little peace of mind. Jimmy, twice as thankfully, was there for the meeting himself...”
* Thursday afternoon, an hour till the end of the workday *
* Law Offices of Jordan, Mason and Devitt *
* Trenton, NJ *
Seated in the left-hand chair in front of the large mahogany desk, Zoey crossed one silk-sheathed leg over the other, straightening her skirt and jacket just a bit. No matter the look, the young beauty could pull it off… and according to several friends? The professional apperance was something the sorceress rocked, so to speak. The deep purple suited her, pun intended, and when one added in the upward twist of her dark hair and added poise that came with being in a tense situation, Zoey looked as though she’d be quite at home behind the desk herself. She scanned the papers put forth, eyes darting back and forth as James Mikowski likewise looked over a similar piece while sitting to the magician’s right.
And across from them, on the other side of the desk, sat a woman in the later stages of middle age. Make no mistake: she wore her years well and was still easy on the eyes. But her gaze was sharp and intimidating, either on purpose or by design. More likely the latter chiefly with a dash of the former. The plaque on her desk read Jessamine Jordan and the multiple degrees and certificates on the wall behind her, all very neatly placed, detailed her experience. Her attention flicked toward her left as Jimmy looked up first, tossing the papers back on the desk in front of him.
”I knew you’d find somethin’, Jess, but that much this fast? I’m half-tempted to tell the ladies to cancel their contract here and now.”
”You know good and well that we wouldn’t, Jimmy. Especially Farrah.”
”’Cause the woman’s stubborn as hell. And you know good and well that I wouldn’t go that road unless it were life-and-death anyway. This is your dream, Zee, and Farrah has your back. Same as that Courtney girl. But my point stands.”
”And I appreciate your concern, Jimmy. Truly.”
Zoey offers up a bright smile to her agent of several years, finally getting the man to show one of his own. The arm he had draped over the back of his chair he reached out with to give the magician’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. Zoey came very close to flinching but all that came of it was a slightly tensing of her expression. Jimmy drew back almost immediately.
”Ah, hell… sorry, Zee. I forgot about how hard you’ve been working lately. You better make sure and rest some before the shows, huh? I don’t want to see you getting hurt and having to take time off.”
Before Zoey can respond, the lawyer speaks up. Her voice is surprisingly smooth considering her aura, and as strong as steel.
”He’s correct in his assessment, Miss Madigan. If there are other options open to you in the near future, I suggest that you take them.”
”Even if there are, that would not be prudent if we win the tag team championship at Rising Stars. Walking out on a place while champion… that’s bad business.”
”So is submitting yourself to the sorts of actions and attitudes that are so prevalent in this company. I am not going to tell you that you cannot succeed here, only that the hill will be steeper than you expect… or should be. I will do my part but I suggest that you keep both eyes wide open. You AND your partners.”
”Goes for me, too. All bookings and special events will go through me before they come to you, Zoey. The more eyes, the better.”
”I want you both to know how much all three of us appreciate this.”
”I might have written off the idea if James did not speak so highly of you. His instincts and feelings are some of the few that I trust without second thoughts or looking for fine print under fine print.”
Jimmy smirks a little at that, inclining his chin in Jessamine’s direction.
”Told ya, Zee. The young lady knows her stuff.”
”I’m eight years older than you, James. Don’t start patronizing me because I pay you a compliment.”
Immediately the agent holds up his hands in a gesture of peace… though his chuckling kind of downplays that. Jessamine rolls her eyes while Zoey softly giggles behind her hand at their interaction. However, when the lawyer’s eyes are upon her again, she’s quick to straighten up.
”If it is all the same to you, Miss Madigan, I would come see this show in person. Being in close proximity to everything will give me a better feel for what’s going on. Of course, if that will constitute a distraction…”
”Oh, not at all. I’ll talk to the office. Certainly they should have no issue sending tickets your way.”
”Glad to hear it. That being said, Jimmy, there’s some paperwork I need from you so that we can get things moving along.”
”Sure thing.”
He turns to Zoey, nodding reassuringly.
”I’ll handle the rest here, Zoey, and call you once we’re done.”
The magician rises from her seat, as does Jessamine and Jimmy both. She shakes the lawyer’s hand, then embraces her agent tightly, which he returns a bit more gently considering her physical state.
”Thank you again for looking into all this for me. I’ll talk to you both soon.”
She turns to walk out of the office, the door closing behind her while both lawyer and agent look after her. In her absence, they sit again with Jessamine being the first to speak.
”Sharp girl. The world hasn’t gotten its claws into her just yet. It’ll be a sad day when that happens, though.”
”You’d be surprised. She lost her brother in Afghanistan, so she knows pain pretty well.”
”Yes, but pain doesn’t rule her yet. She still has hope. Desires. Dreams. One day…”
Jimmy shakes his head sharply, surprisingly quieting the older woman.
”I don’t even want to think about it. When it happens, it will happen and she’ll have people around her who will see her through it. Right now, though, I just want her to be happy.”
”Business before personal, James.”
”Her happiness and positive attitude is best for her business and mine. There’s nothing wrong with caring.”
”Tell that to all my ex-boyfriends.”
Jessamine chuckles quietly and Jimmy looks rather surprised that the woman made a joke at all. Switching to outside the mansion-like office, Zoey is standing in the sun with her eyes closed. She looks far more relaxed than she had only a day ago, which is pleasant to see. Her phone suddenly goes off with the grating, throbbing guitars of Kittie’s “Run Like Hell”, which keeps her smile going as she picks up.
”Hey, Farrah. Good timing. I just left Jessamine’s office.”
”And?”
”What she found was scary, but it just makes me that much happier to have her on the team, so to speak. She’s coming to Rising Stars as a matter of fact… wants an up-close look at the way of things.”
”Good. I wanna meet her myself. Look, I only got a minute here…”
Walking down the steps of the building, Zoey makes her way to the sidewalk and looks left, then right. Her ride, it seems, isn’t there just yet.
”Busy girl already?”
”When ain’t I? But yeah… I’m about to fly out to D.C. Courtney wanted to know if you’d like to hit a club tomorrow night? Just the three of us. Might be a good way to let off some steam and get you loosened up for the show.”
”Sounds good to me. I’m having a quick dinner with my parents then catching a plane down myself. Where are we staying this time?”
”Embassy Suites. It’s a pay-per-view, so why not splurge a little?”
Smiling to herself, Zoey seems agreed on this idea.
”And the club?”
”DC9. Courtney says it’s the best spot in town and I believe her on that.”
”That’s good enough for me. I’ll see you at the hotel.”
”Travel safe, Zee. Give your folks a hug in my name.”
The call ends at that point, the scene going to black. It returns, however, in less time than expected. Standing outside Club DC9 at a late hour the following night, all three of the Boardwalk Angels are wearing expressions that range between irritation, flat-out anger and borderline bloody fury. Courtney is silently seething, looking over her shoulder more than once while she cracks her knuckles loudly. Farrah, on the other side of the line, has a foreboding smile on her face, shaking her head a little in disbelief.
And Zoey? From the magician’s narrowed golden eyes to the thin line of her darkly-painted lips, she looks positively chilly. Farrah mutters something under her breath and Courtney nods, the former setting a hand on her friend’s shoulder.
”This ain’t over. They’ll pay for this crap, Zee. Won’t they, Courtney?”
Courtney nods silently, finally settling herself enough that she doesn’t have steam from burning rage wafting off her person. She likewise turns to Zoey who calmly steps forward, putting a few paces between herself and her partners. She stares straight ahead, the slapping sound when her fist colliding with her palm oddly loud in the relative quiet of evening.
”Sooner than anyone thinks, they will.”
She strides across the street to a black Escalade, getting into the driver’s seat and turning it on, awaiting her partners’ arrival. The two women exchange looks before smirking and following after Zoey, Farrah commenting in passing as the scene fades again.
”Push a good girl too far and you get something a lot scarier than I could ever be. Way to go, Greybeard.”
Cut to black.
* Saturday morning, in the middle of sunrise *
* Washington Monument/Reflecting Pool *
* Washington, DC *
At the top of the sky the colors run dark; navy and indigo for the most part, allowing a partial view of the stars that once filled the entire horizon. The closer one gets to ground level, the lighter the hues become. There’s some of the soft blue that may fill the day pending darker weather, and of course the flaming tones that herald the sun’s arrival. It’s too early an hour for most to be awake, leaving the world a quiet place. Even here, at the center of the United States government the streets are almost devoid of cars and the streetlights are not long blinked out in preparation for the start of the day.
Not a person who indulges in a lot of sleep, Zoey Anne Madigan kneels at the side of the Reflective Pool, the body of water sitting before the obelisk known as the Washington Monument. A breeze catches her skirt even as she stays low, fingertips sweeping through the once-still waters thoughtfully. Dark hair streaked with a few shades of purple hangs loose and soft about her shoulders, otherwise clad in a cropped leather jacket, beneath which is a top of pure black silk. Soon the magician folds her arms, resting back on the heels of the knee-high black leather boots she’s affected her legs partially-coated in fishnets. It’s a slightly different look for the young woman; darker, more intimidating. Her makeup is faint, accenting rather than encompassing.
And those eyes… just as intense as they had been mere hours before after some manner of altercation with Guilty Pleasures at Club DC9. From what little has been learned, the Angels ran afoul of Steele and Grey at the establishment, and tensions rose to a point that physicality seemed inevitable. Instead, all parties were ejected from the club, the groups kept separated to spare the place an altercation on the streets outside. The specifics… they were enough to have stuck in the craw of the enchantress.
”All right, Zee… mind on business, got it? Those two gutterwhores in Guilty Pleasures, they don’t matter. Not right now. What matters is the gold. You ready?”
”Always.”
Soft and full of meaning, Zoey’s voice drifts in the cool morning air. Fluidly, she rises to her feet, tossing her head so that her hair arranges itself out of her face and behind her shoulder. Glancing over said shoulder, she gazes upon the camera, head tilted back just a bit. The smile is a bit off, teasing in a way in fact, as she addresses the fans and her opponents.
”We’d be lying if we said we never thought this day would come. Good things, you see, come to those who work for them. Not to those who wait. Don’t let that line fool you for a second, folks, because while patience is a virtue, one that should be practiced and perfected, action is sometimes the surer route. True enough, the Boardwalk Angels weren’t expecting this match so soon, but let the fact of it all be a lesson to all of you:
Never let opportunity pass you by and never let anyone tell you that you don’t deserve what you have earned. Despite what many may tell you, Farrah and I earned this. The Dynasty, they were ready for us and they fought like harpies to put us down. But their best wasn’t enough. Just like the best Guilty Pleasures could muster wasn’t enough. I’m sure they hate hearing that, both teams in fact, but here’s the thing, ladies: as long as you keep slinging that dirt and talking that jive? We’re going to sit back and counter with the truth... in words AND action.
People like those who rail on us will always be afraid of the truth. There’s not a story they can concoct that will change facts, so when their efforts fall flat they try to sway opinions against us. By now, half the locker room probably doesn’t like any of us for believing the tales of woe spewed all over social media by Kenzi and Kate. The way we look at that is simple: if people want to believe lies and rumors about us and let those color their opinions rather than seeking and accepting the truth? Then it’s no loss to us. The people in the crowd and backstage who support us, the true fans who see through the smokescreens and shenanigans… those are who we fight for aside from ourselves.”
”Haters gonna hate, talkers gonna talk... and the Boardwalk Angels are gonna win and get them some gold. For every ounce of hate leveled at us, we’re gonna go out there and piss them off even more by proving them wrong. It’s the only time in their lives that people like Greybeard will have a purpose as something other than professional joke-butts.”
Despite herself, Zoey chuckles at Farrah’s interjection from behind the camera. Tucking a few loose strands behind her ear, the magician sobers a bit before speaking further. Her gaze turns to the monument nearby… all 500-plus feet of it.
”Motivation, dedication, focus… all very important to us in this moment and more so at Rising Stars. And yet, I would be remiss if I did not consider the other end of the coin. For Farrah, this is her first title opportunity. There’s no stigma upon her, no weight pressing down on her beautiful shoulders. I, on the other hand? Well, my title history is not only non-existent. It is practically in the negatives.”
Her smile perseveres, but it’s on the sad side.
”Professionally, I’ve fought for championships two or three times already. And I’ve lost every time. Funny how that sort of thing works out. Put me in the ring with a champion in a non-title encounter and chances are I’ll put them down for the count. Put the championship on the line and… the opposite occurs. These aren’t tomato cans on either side of that line. People like Tyler Storm and Ace Watson… they’re talented and skilled. And as a rookie I put both of them down while they had prominent gold strapped around their waist. Even former champions with multiple accolades to their name, people always on the edge of another golden accomplishment, have fallen to me. Matt Slater and Stacy Jones come to mind in that field.
But put me against a champion with their gold hanging in the balance, chiefly referring to one of the toughest women on the planet in the form of a former World Champion, Constance Chapin… and I fall flat and hard. That was hard to take both times but the woman made me better in the ring. And if you can learn something from those who defeat you, then it isn’t a complete loss.
That brings Katalina Star to mind… as well as a certain date. April 10th of last year, my love. Do you recall?”
Turning so that she fully faces the camera, Zoey’s arms no longer stay folded beneath her chest. They fall loose to her sides as the woman sucks in a deep, cleansing breath.
”Breakthrough #43, a match pitting yourself and Talon versus myself and Katie Daniels. Moicelle back then, actually, but… details.”
She gestures slightly, negligently, with a hand.
”Yourself and Katie weren’t yet LAW World Tag Team Champions at that point, but dear Miss Klein was still quite adamant about being at your side. Our partners took their leave early in the contest after a dive from my partner took out her AND Talon. Just you and I, kitten, and how did that turn out? I mean, other than Klein shoving me off the top rope while the referee’s back was turned. Allow me to refresh your memory:”
She claps once, twice, three times… and proceeds to raise one arm in a gesture of victory before lowering both hands again.
”Again, you weren’t champions here yet. That came a little more than six weeks later at Validation. I’ve done my research, as you can see. And do you know what else I discovered? That since then, you’ve had but one title defense. Quite a drought, that. Some will blame it on a diminished tag team roster, some will fling other silly ideas. None of the reasons or answers will matter in the end, though. You’re champions. Someone could have stepped up if they wanted. The powers-that-be could have thrown together a couple ladies to take you on if they wished. Or you could have gone out and hand-picked some opponents. None of the above happened. It took us forcing the hands of those above to put you in this position and very soon we’ll see just how rusty you are.
My question, however, is this: did you learn anything from that match? Did Katie? From the sound of her I would say ‘no’. What she considered an on-all-cylinders call-out to myself and Farrah fell rather flat last week. Her goal might have been to demoralize us, perhaps to hurt our feelings. Who can say? But they didn’t do that, Katie. Instead, you made me shake my head a little and wonder what crawled up your rear end. And you made Farrah want to stick her boot up there to keep whatever it is company. We’re going to file that under ‘bad ideas’. It’s going to be very, VERY hard, Katie, to talk about win streaks and making examples when Farrah is done showing you a new world of pain.”
”World’s horniest hand puppet. I’m still laughing.”
And so she does, with Zoey managing to keep her mirth down to a sweet smile.
”The world is laughing with you.”
Farrah gets her laughter under control as Zoey gets back on point.
”I know all that I need to know about the both of you, Naughty Girls. Enough that I don’t have to make this personal, nor does Farrah. That’s what the two of you will expect but you will be disappointed. The pressure, you see, is all on you. We’re coming to that ring to take your championships, titles that have gone a full seven months without being defended. What you’ve built for nearly a year? A pair of new girls with two LAW matches under their belts are going to tear down to the foundation.
I’ve beaten you before, my love, and I will do it again. You, Katie? I haven’t forgotten our little altercation at the event where your Mistress was laid low by my hand. Forgiven, yes. Forgotten, no. You really should mind who you lay hands on. Back then, you didn’t know better. You didn’t know who I was or what I would become. Now? I wonder just how far you’ll try to go to prove a point before the eyes of your Mistress. Will the thought of consequences make you hesitate? Will you cast a glance her way before you act? Will the attentions others have toward Katalina of late have you looking over your shoulder more than you should be?”
Zoey brings up a hand, fingers coming together. She snaps them once, the sound sharp in the still morning air.
”One second, Klein. One moment of distraction or inattention. That’s all it will take for me to snatch your arm and make you scream in my Spellbound cross armbreaker. That’s all the time I need to hook that same arm and drive you skull-first to the canvas with my Seeing Stars DDT. Don’t think for a moment that I’m not a threat. And don’t forget that your every move is watched from the apron on both sides of the match. You’re in the worst situation possible come Rising Stars and I want you utterly cognizant of that fact.
No excuses, no escape. It doesn’t matter to me who Farrah and I send to dreamland with the Over You. Pinning either of you will earn us our first championships. But I’d rather see you eating your words seasoned with a couple dashes of karma on top to the tune of three slaps on that mat because, well… when it comes to my fiancee?”
She smirks… just a little bit.
”Been there, done that.”
”And I thought *I* burned them.”
Shrugging beautifully, Zoey smiles and seems in the same second to remember something. She gestures for Farrah to bring the focus in closer as she tugs back the sleeves of her jacket, following by unbuttoning the cuffs of her shirt and rolling those up. Something in black is scribbled on the inside of each forearm. One the left arm, ‘Katalina’ is seen. On the right, ‘Katie’. She lets Farrah get a good long look at them before lowering her arms. The camera lifts to see a serious look on the face of the sorceress.
”There’s no mistaking it now. Love has no place here. Burgeoning friendship is similarly unwelcome. This is business. And our business is achieving our goals no matter which vocation is in question. For over a year I have given the best of myself to wrestling and have come up woefully short in EVERY attempt to put my name in the record books! I will NOT suffer failure from myself any longer!”
If we could see behind the camera, we would see how the force of those words, in meaning and delivery, take Farrah aback just a bit. Zoey’s, shall we say… darkness? It has been seeping out bit by bit lately. Too much going on all around her, making her increase her focus and dedication toward the one thing she can control: the tag title match at Rising Stars. Right now, Zoey looks relentless. Either she can’t hold on any longer…
...or she doesn’t want to.
”As much as I love you, Katalina, I call you on your comments toward us! We, above all others, have shown respect toward yourself and even Katie for your reign! Those that hate on you for lack of defenses or meaningful matches… we do not buy into such tripe! We point it out, yes, but to emphasize how well we know what we’re walking into! But that’s disrespectful in your eyes, isn’t it?!”
”...okay, take a breath, Zee…”
Stopped in her monologue, Zoey’s eyes shift perceptibly from the camera to her partner.
”I am fine.”
Back to the camera. She does take that suggested breath, though. She lets it fill her lungs before being expelled again. And moments later, Zoey is crouched before the water again, watching her reflection ripple upon the slightly-shifting surface.
”History is not on your side, Katalina. Yes, you’ve beaten all comers. Yes, a record is within reach. But none of those women know you like I do. None of them know what makes you tick. I said before that I would not have this turn personal from our end and I hold to those words. That’s because I don’t need to. I’m in your head, my love, and your heart and soul… I have a hand for each. I am your destiny in light and darkness. On the one side, I shall soon make you as happy as a woman could ever hope to be. So very soon. A mere six weeks, in fact.”
Faintly, she smiles. It does nothing to downplay her burning stare which is now back on the camera.
”But light owes its existence to darkness, beauty to ugliness, order to chaos. The one hand will make your dreams come true. The other… shall bring your queendom crashing down around your ears. No matter how hard you train or how intensely you plot, I am still the woman that beat you clean despite Katie’s presence. And that wide-eyed, white-souled girl from back then, while talented, has become something far more in the months since.
I do not meekly stumble into that ring, wishing my opponents well and preparing myself for what I inevitably feel will be defeat. No longer do I walk around with the chipper, sparkly, happy-to-be-here mentality of yesteryear. And I do not bow to anyone or anything between those ropes.”
Holding her hands before her eyes, Zoey stares into them quietly for a couple seconds.
”The little girl missing her lost brother is a memory. The lost soul looking for meaning in her existence has woken from her nightmare. This business, this world for that matter, has changed me for the better.”
She returns to her feet.
”We will become the LAW World Tag Team Champions at Rising Stars. Respect given, accepted or otherwise, for what you’ve done as champions, Katalina and Katie, but the sun is setting on your era. It will be a cold night in DC for you as you shiver and struggle against inevitable change, wishing with all your might for one more day, one more moment, as the standard-bearers of tag team dominance.
And then? You will look up as the sun rises anew, watching the new day begin. And we will rise with it, gold around our waist and the world standing before us, waiting for its chance to test the mettle of the Boardwalk Angels. You don’t have to like it. You don’t even have to accept it. But you WILL experience it and, as has been done for us so many times in our own lives, the two of you will be made better for it. Your reign will be given the explosive send-off that it deserves... a violent spectacle worthy of champions of your caliber.
Naughty Girls… prepare for the show of a lifetime.”
Smiling just a bit, laying out that old catchphrase of hers from another phase of her career, Zoey turns her back to the camera, watching as the sun finally starts to peek up in the distance, heralding the first moments of a brand new day.
Fade to black.