DEMONS WATCHING MY BACK
She lets her eyes wander, her hands worrying her auburn hair, neatly plated into a braid on each side of her head.
The room was very masculine, done in heavy walnut-stained woods and deep colors. Bookshelves overflowing with leather bound volumes lined the walls, the gaps here and there filled with framed documents, which looked very important to her young eyes. A large desk dominated the center of the room, a leather chair occupied by the tall thin doctor behind it, as he slowly skimmed over some pieces of paper, he had been handed by Officer Poophead.
She didn’t know why she had been moved here, but it seemed to be much better than where she had been already. After the long car ride, she had been left in a tiny room, sitting in her blood-and-vomit-stained clothing for what seemed like ages. She had eventually curled on the floor and gone to sleep, awoken by a kind older lady, who sat with her while officers asked her all these questions about why she had killed her parents and sister.
She told them she hadn't.
They didn’t believe her.
But they had to be wrong. They couldn’t be dead. That only happened in the movies.
Right?
But they kept asking her over and over, until she was confused herself about what happened. The lady finally had told them it was enough, and they had escorted her to a small, cold little room and gave her a sandwich, which she hadn't eaten, choosing to sleep instead.
Her stomach rumbles at the memory. She probably should have asked about it when she was woken up, but they had hustled her out and into a car again. She had heard something about ‘money bag bitches’ -such a terrible swear!- and her aunt's name. So maybe this doctor was just making sure she was okay before she could go home. She wondered if they would take her to see her family, if this doctor was the one who fixed them. She was able to take a shower, and was given this clean nightgown, which had been nice. Her stomach rumbles audibly again, causing the doctor to look over the edge of the paper at her. She squirms, wanting to ask but not having the courage to do so, and he doesn’t broach the subject, looking back down for long moments more.
“Well Tavora, it seems we have a lot of work to do with you.” he breaks the silence, tipping his head so his spectacles slide down his nose as he sets the papers down. She nods, not really sure what he meant by that, but not wanting to cause any problems that might delay her going home. He turns his attention to the officer by the door. “We will take it from here with her.”
“This is highly atypical. It doesn’t seem...”
“Miss Lakaois’ relative has seen to it that she gets treatment here, and skips the whole tedious court process.”
“It’s just...”
“I will be I touch if we derive anything of merit from her. Have a nice day.” he dismisses the officer, who shrugs and with one last look at the miniature murderer, exits. The doctor idly taps a finger on his desk. “You will learn here, Tavora, that deception is not the intelligent way to go. You will speak the truth when spoken to, and everything will be fine. Is that clear?”
Lycana nods eagerly. “And when...?” she stops as he holds up a hand. “I didn’t give you leave to speak. Your frequent denials and lies will come to an end here. I would think long and hard tonight about what story you choose to tell us, if it is the absurd one you have insisted on, you will find things to be... unpleasant. But... we will break you of this habit in no time. We start tomorrow. Come along Tavora.” he rises, walking to the door as Lycana, confused as ever, slips from the chair and pads along behind.
SMACK!
Lycana is brought out of her memory by the obnoxious droning of a mosquito by her ear, as another eagerly searched for a vein on her leg.
This was fun. Really great.
She flicks the remains off her thigh, a streak of her own blood left behind. She continues organizing all their gear as she lets her eyes roam the small cleared out area Marf had pointed them into. The man himself was happily putting up the tent that they would share, stooping to push a stake into the ground. He was relaxed, at ease, unaware of the small smile etched onto his face. She still wasn’t sure why she had never noticed just how seeing that look on his face meant to her.
Her face lights on fire again as she pictures the absolutely atrociously awkward scene in the car. Fuck. Neither of them were very good at this... feelings and emotions stuff. Her especially. She turned into a stuttering asinine idiot, on par with how incoherent Tommy Wish sounded when he tried to hunt her down in the 24/7 halls. Admitting to herself, just how she had felt... and learning he was the same... rocked her to the core. What did one DO with such knowledge? Would it make things weird between them now that it had come out into the open? Would their relationship change? In more than name?
Let's be real, they already lived together and shared daily life activities. Worked together. Took on the burden of caring for their crazy family together. Slept together in the same bed.
Oh.
So that was.... a thing.
Perhaps it would be best if she just kept her mouth shut so she didn’t make more of a fool of herself and allow him to take the reins and lead them on this new little adventure they were trying to navigate. Was there even something going on? Were they.... dating? Good lord... she was woefully stupid when it came to... love? Did she love him? He pauses, his bold blue eyes colliding with her steely ones. His smile widens, knowingly, probably able to see the flush on her face from there.
Fuck.
She scrunches up her nose at him and bends her head to her task, hoping it'll take her mind off the insane new twist in her life. Muffled cursing draws her eyes up once more. Contrary to Marf, Damien seemed to be having a bit of.... difficulty with his single person tent they had dug out last minute. He flings one of the rods, shaking the fabric with vigor, like it was magically come together for him. A smile tugs at her lips.
“Having fun?” she calls out to him, grateful for the small diversion from the thoughts in her own mind. He shoots her a thunderous scowl, his own mouth opening probably to deliver some scathing retort when his eyes catch movement to the side. Reika, coloring at a picnic table, staring at him. “This is great. Thank you for inviting me.” he gets out through gritted teeth as he continues his losing battle.
Satisfied, Reika returns to her coloring book, carefully selecting an orange crayon, her tongue poking out as she carefully put it to the paper. It was still a lot to take in, that she was a banshee, and that her scream had done what it did to Rolfe. Lycana wasn’t even sure how that had happened. Had she come back with the powers? Had something happened during the spell to cause it? Was she one beforehand and nobody knew? Whatever it was, it seemed to neutralize her lycan powers, destroying her ability to change into a wolf. The girl didn’t even carry the smell of lycan on her anymore.
She stands, brushing off the seat of her shorts, about to go lend a hand to Damien when she sees Marf trudge over to do the same. After a gruff exchange, their deep laughter rings out over the campsite. She shakes her head. Who would have thought?
“Hey! Damien said he’s going to come to one of our matches!”
“He did?”
“I did?”
“I wanna go too!”
“Well, actually he said he wanted to see the appeal of what we do, but it’s the same fucking thing.” Marf waves off the details as he tugs on one of the poles, the tent almost magically seeming to take form under his big hands. “Can I come?” Lycana goes and sits by an expectant Reika, who offers her a purple crayon. “One day, you can come and watch us Reika. But you have to stay with Finneas and Zara, and not run off, okay?” she accepts the crayon, setting to work coloring the big eyed fox the amethyst hue. Reika giggles. “Foxes aren't purple.” she shakes her head as Lycana smiles softly. “Anything can be anything in your imagination, and you can do anything if you want to.”
And she was evidence of that. She had come a long way from what she was when she first joined the world of professional wrestling. She had been angrier then, unable to hold her control over it, easy to frustrate. Eating loss after loss, defiant. And now?
She grins.
She was still defiant as fuck to anything in her path. But she had learned to control herself, learned what to do in that ring. She was eating up the ones thrown at her and she enjoyed every damn second of it. She still lived for the pain, for the thrill of danger, but it was different now. She had settled, found her place.
Gains and losses over the short span of her career, all shaping her into what she was today.
A champion.
She still couldn’t quite believe it. It hadn't been something she had wanted, the Xtreme title, but she would be damned if she gave it up easy now that she had it. She had merely wanted to bring Alias a world of hurt as he came for her head, but her taunts had come true... and here she was. Why in the hell would she just pass it off to the next person and make people think she was easy? Nah. She still saw the opponents before her as what they were... something to mow down, strap around her waist or not. She would not willingly lay down for anybody.
Not anyone who crept into her hall. Not creepy fucker Wish. Not Corey. Not Lane. Not Dock. Not Estrada.
None of them would find her slipping up. She was always on the alert for any who wanted to try and get the jump on her. None would.
Especially not Robert Main.
She picks up a red crayon, plying it to the paper as a smug smirk curls her lips. He had come twice to see her, skulking about her hallway as if he had business being there. Perhaps it was his way of playing mind games. It was a failure if so. It made her laugh that he would try to get the advantage on her. It simply showed that he was threatened. As he very well should be.
His partner too.
She had enjoyed her little byplay with Jim Caedus. He at least didn’t come in braying like an absolute jackass like Main had. Lycana gave the same energy she was given, and he wasn’t an asshole when he had appeared. Admitting he was impressed too... she could respect him for that. Even if it was at total odds at the words he threw out in front of the camera. She was used to that sort of thing. It was one thing to impress him by merely standing before him... it was far and away another to show him she deserved that while in the squared circle together.
And she would.
Once they finally fucking got there after this god forsaken camping trip. She swats at another mosquito as Reika sets her crayons down. “Wanna see inside my tent?”
Lycana had to hand it to Marf, he had somehow found a small tent that looked like a princess castle, and Reika was obsessed with it. She nods and Reika squeals, jumping up and grabbing the weird doll in the BoB shirt, that Rel Dixon had given Lycana. She had taken all the pins out of course, safety first and all that! The blond scampers towards the tent, slipping inside as Lycana follows slowly behind. It looked like the guys were getting ready to set up the campfire.
What could go wrong?
____________________________________________________________________________________
“It is a funny thing, is it not, how people tend to flip and flop their words to suit whatever fancy is pushing them at the moment? How subtle praise can be so swiftly forgotten and twisted into vulgar insults at the drop of a hat? What does that show about the person whose tongue is wielding remarks on both sides of the coin? One might say they are smart, playing the game...
Others, would say they were nothing but hypocrites....
It seems to run rampant in these hallways. Those with sugared words for your face, disappearing like snakes into the gloom to sharpen the dagger they wish to bury into your back when you least expect it. I have learned never to take anyone here at face value anymore, always listening for the hidden threats dripping like poison behind the ones that wouldn’t melt butter.
A pity, truly.
Oh but Lycana, don’t be such a silly goose. Even if you face a person you like, you need to rip them apart on camera first, don’t you?
Why no, no you don’t and I’m proof of that standing here before you wearing the second ranked belt in the XWF. It is not always just what you say, but how you say it, that can get into your opponent's mind. You need to strategize and figure out just what you can do, to really throw them a little, shake them enough with your promo that when they look you in the eyes in the ring, they recall it and it flusters them all the more.
Look at Alias. I was quite complimentary during my fun little soiree leading up to Leap of Faith. Merely asking questions about what would happen should he fail to put me down and out for good within those cages. It incited his anger even more, causing him to lose focus, put on blinders, and just drill ahead for my demise. He lost all sense of the ring, all sense of strategy, everything but making me hurt... and it cost him. Using the wrong one, can cost you as well. Stepping in all cocky, thinking you have laid out the perfect trap, only to find yourself snared and hung up by someone you did not expect to do it, can really throw your game off in the ring when the brains starts rolling with the doubts.
Right Page?
Yes, the wrong strategy can come back and bite you right in the ass... which is apparently all the two idiots from Apex can think about. Good lord I thought Tommy Wish was a creepy fuck trolling around the back with Corey’s pantyhose... and then came you two.
I’m not really sure where you thought you were going with all that. Of all the things in the world you could have come at us for, you decided that the fact that Marf and I haven’t had sex was the biggest and baddest black mark on our books.
Just like everybody else.
I expected better.
Shit, I expected SOMETHING of value.
At least from Caedus. Wasn’t expecting jack shit from you Main, and you delivered in full there.
So what if we haven’t? What exactly was your big take away from all that? How exactly does that dis us? Congratulations. You spent forever droning on that two partners, who were not together romantically mind you, had not gotten down and dirty in the bedroom. Wowwwwwwwwwwww! How truly ghastly! What a sordid tale of woe! How COULD we be so loyal to each other when we weren’t getting horizontal? Wait... Is... is that why Jim left? Were you paying too much attention to Drew, Mr.Main?
What the hell else could it possibly be? It couldn’t just be that we were steadfast friends, who have each others back through thick and thin. No... definitely not.
Why else? Because I’m a woman? I’m expected to put out? While y’all are over there screaming about sexual assault while in the same breath talking about how you're going to fuck me? Riiiiiiiigght. Is this supposed to be like, a thing when you are a tag team, is it in the rule book somewhere or......?
Drew won't bend over anymore? Won’t join you two? Are you carrying your frustrations over to us?
If you wanted to tell me you were worried about the size of your manhood in a really spectacularly obvious way... congratulations boys. You passed that test with flying colors holy fuck. I feel bad for any female friends in your life if that’s your attitude on it.
Or is it... that’s the only damn thing you had to fall back on?
The shitty nothing waste-of-time team who has suddenly become your ‘archenemies’... for ahh... for what now? Because we talk back and don’t take your shit? Because we step up to a challenge without backing down? Oooohhhh woooooe is Main! Somebody stood up to the big bad legend, number... what the fuck number were you again? You know what... I don’t give a shit... and accepted a match with him. That HE laid down the offer for. Is that really all it takes to get your panties in a wad and declare them archenemies?
What a sensitive soul!
That’s a kind way of calling you nothing but a pussy by the way, in case that flew over your dense as fuck head.
We weren’t on your radar... which was clear as day given the fact you literally have NO FUCKING IDEA WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT when it comes to the Dissentients and why we are coming out with #FuckBoB.
Oh... you two just want the tag team belts...
Fuck yeah. We do. But that’s not the only reason we are going after BoB... and if you had been doing even a quarter of the research you said you were... if you had even been paying one tiny little sliver of attention to what was going on around you... you’d know that Main. I’ll give Caedus the benefit of the doubt, but his ass should have been on it as well.
You see, Marf and I do want that tag team gold, and we don’t care who we have to face to get our hands on them. The fact that its TNGB though? That’s just one hell of a sweet benefit. Any time we can step in the ring with them, and fuck them up, that’s a win for us. So no, we didn’t walk away with the straps at Leap of Faith... but ask Bourbon about that match, ask him what he called it.
Here, I'll spoil it for you since you probably can’t be bothered... us being suuuucccchhhh an easy win for you and all....
Hellacious.
We put them through hell and enjoyed every fucking second of it. Let's dig a little deeper (like you didn’t) and list off all the other little issues we have had with BoB over the past few months. Miss Fury, severed her ties to the Left Hand, proving loyalty in her was a mistake. Yeah, I own that... and I fucking owe her. I mention that shit all the time. But loyalty is everything to me... and she will pay once I finally get my hands on her. Moving right along! We have my own personal little dispute with TK....
What is it about?
Fuck all if I know. I hate him with an absolute passion, and he hates me more. Probably because he’s a little pansy bitch who also ignores getting called out like his fellow BoB member.
You seeing a pattern?
Atara and I go back.... wayyyyy back. My first match actually. The bad blood started and never died... I mean, until I cracked her neck and took her out of the game for awhile. And then she returned, trying to ruin all my fun with Betsy and well... she put her ass right back on my radar once more.
And that’s just the tip of it all for me, not even including Marf’s side... add in all this recently with Page and well...
HOW THE FUCK DID YOU MISS IT ALL?!
I guess I can’t be too surprised, you tend to miss and confuse things pretty often. Hey remember Mayday at Corey’s place, Main? How silly of me... of course you don’t. Let me just pull up a little something something you said about me...
“This isn't a pre-show match for a fucking prop title... I'm not Oswald...”
Ah, are you sure? Were you just trying to convince yourself of that? Because I have never gone after his little pity participation trophy Robert, hell... I’ve never even faced him! That was Solace Tatum. I’d ask if you forgot but good god almighty, you’ve already proven yourself to be an absolute dumbass.
I mean, you seemed to forget the fact that you were facing Page at the PPV. For someone who was all fired up and ready to go to war on him, someone who puts as much stock as promos as that egotistical jackass does, someone who was bellowing a war cry, gonna take down Page and avenge his honor!
Annnnnddd...... pretty much forgot to show up altogether. I hope that doesn’t happen here Main... you’re at what, two now? Ooooh good job! The same number as you did for LoF. You going to fall off again.... or are you going to bring your big boy balls and try to talk a little more smack, hmmmm?
Oh wait...that's right. You’ve got your mouthpiece back, trying to make you look better than the hack you are.
Oh Jimmy! Marf and Lycana are being mean to me! Avenge me with your random rhymes and insults mixed amongst the literal nonsense you spew!
And here Jimmy came with....
Well...he came with....
Umm...
Jack shit. He came along with jack shit.
Dammit Jimmy, what a disappointment you turned out to be this time around. At least among all the slop you leeched out into the world during Leap of Faith you had SOME relevancy. SOME good points. I was actually excited to hear what kinds of things you had dug around and gotten on the Dissentients, and all you did was pick up the same old garbage as everybody else. Repetitive. Dull. Typical. Unoriginality peppered with your own brand of vulgar insults to try and make it fresh... but it still fell flat as fuck.
My makeup? Ooooh. Good one. Slow clap. Only everybody says that. I think Corey did it first, how's it feel to play second fiddle to him... oh wait...
How boring my life is? I mean Page didn’t JUST use that. Not at all. And also... shall I mention Corey again? Seems like you are doomed to just keeping following his trails.
NPCs.... umm, the fuck you talking about dude? Care to explain that one for me? Do it realllll nice and detailed like. C’mon. Act like I’m just as dumb as you seem to think I am.
You fit perfectly into the category I started this promo with, the whole, nice things to say but turns on a dime once they face that person. GASP! But Lycana, he already.... yeah yeah, I know. Jim Caedus played the I know what she’s gonna say let me try and cover my own ass game that everyone else does, in an effort to get their opponent not to mention it. Tough shit Jimmy!
You act like your compliments mattered to me. Like I wouldn’t see right beyond them for the bold faced front they were. You are just another hypocrite Jim. Because deep down, you actually meant them. You’d be slinging facts instead of just insults at me otherwise. Something that actually had some substance to it. Something that might actually cut or prove a point, rather than trying to inflate your own dick. But hey, you keep right on denying it all you want. It tickles me to watch you try.
“From Alias to TNGB to Chris Page to an onslaught in the 24/7 Halls and now...right into the hands 'a the Riders. Christ alfuckin'mighty, the hell was you thots thinkin'?”
I’ll tell you what I was thinking... I was thinking that it was just another day at work. Jumping around from one ‘big name’ to the next, yeah that’s not so unusual for me. Something you’d know if again, you actually paid any attention to what the fuck was going on, or did a little bit of research. From the start I came in and met people like Atara, Corey, Betsy, Doc, Alias.... Those names were how I started my career. I didn’t get to face a whole onslaught of ‘Who?’ first Jimmy to rack up some easy wins.
What I was thinking, is that you were just next in line.
What I was thinking, is that you were just another challenge.
What I was thinking, is... that I just didn’t care who the fuck you were. I didn’t care when I stepped into the ring with Alias, TNGB, or Page... The onslaught in the halls? Fuck it. I am HERE for it. I always have my guard up, ready for anybody who wants to prance on down and give me a little bit of a go.
Like both of you.
You know why I said I’ve faced bigger and better and neither of you make me bat a damn eyelash? It wasn’t just idle talk. It was simply this... all your illustrious achievements have been in the past. I don’t give a flying shit, about the past and what you did in it. Either of you. All that matters is the now, what you have done in recent times. You can have the name, and lost everything it means to back that up. You can have the name legend, and all it will lend you from me is idle curiosity, wondering how you stack up to your stories. And quite frankly, Robert Main has left a lot to be desired.
You’ve been back since... what around March or April or so? Let's take a look at the extensive list of what you have done since you arrived back in to the XWF months ago. It is a long and exciting list, I know... so bear with me here....
Won a battle royal... lost to Page.
Wow.
Gives me chills with much effort you’ve put in since coming back to set BOB ablaze. All these promises... and a half assed result. So, for someone who praises momentum coming into matches, let me tell you BOY... you ain’t got NONE. On the contrary... let's take a little peek at what I’ve been up to, hey?
A win over Betsy Granger. A win in the Tag turmoil. A win over Demos. A win over Alias. A win over Page. Seven matches... FIVE wins.
But they're all flukes right? Couldn’t wrestle out of a paper bag. Less than mediocre. Superficial. Not worth a fraction of the smoke but can ‘get it anyway.’
And yet... look at those names. If they could all fall to a flukey little curtain jerker... so can either of you.
With ease.
Keep that always in the back of your mind boys, you shouldn’t ever look past someone like me. I’m Houdini in chains, and you will never see it coming.”
