01-14-2020, 04:40 AM
02-01-2020, 12:41 AM
She had taken the first step, and already she was seeing the results.
No matter how much anyone claimed they saw the possibility of Melissa aligning herself with The Unforgiven coming, there was far too much evidence to suggest otherwise. After all, she and Sundown had waged not one, but two brutal wars, three even if you wanted to count the Ladder Match they were both involved in that set up their first singles battle. Cindy Todd had seemingly made it clear publicly that Melissa was far too weak to be on her radar in any capacity. Perhaps most important of all, however, was the fact that victory in Emerge’s full-fledged England debut would mean Melissa would be the first person this year to attempt to knock The Unforgiven’s dangerous demon from Emerge’s most prestigious throne. Her attitude also didn’t seem like it would even mesh, considering she was proud and in-your-face compared to the pure destruction that seemed to embody every member of the hostile group that even had the locker room rallying together to oppose them.
Melissa had said once upon a time that she didn’t come to Emerge to be involved in a petty war, she was simply interested in earning her keep at the expense of whoever stood in her way.
2019 had ended in a way that had her questioning not only that statement but everything she thought she knew about herself, to the point where she knew what needed to be done to start 2020 off right.
Tired of her frustrations with how things in Emerge had gone over the past few months and realizing how sick she was of where she stood after coming to terms with how the world truly saw her, she had made the decision to seek out Cindy Todd with the intent of hearing her out and ultimately joining The Unforgiven. She had turned careers and lives around, after all, so maybe there was still hope for not only her but her closest friends as well. Despite being mentally picked apart right in front of not only Claire and Jennifer but also the likes of Willow, Sundown and Seraglio, she knew right then and there that she needed to be made to swallow that bitter pill of reality in order to detach herself from everything she no longer wished to be. Considering she had picked apart Kali and secured her title match with Willow, it was safe to say she’d made the right decision.
And yet, there was that lingering question of whether or not this was truly the case.
Having decided that she needed a moment alone to ponder things, Melissa found herself jogging through the streets of Blackpool, zeroed in on her thoughts as a blank stare was all that was noticed by anyone who passed her by. They didn’t exist as far as she was concerned, nor did their concerns or comments or even the rain pelting her hoodie. All that mattered to her was making sure she knew where she was going and sorting out where she now stood. In and of itself, that was already progress under Cindy’s guidance, even if she was still getting used to the new training she’d been undergoing in order to truly visualize exactly what kind of woman she wanted to be and how she would be able to get there. It hadn’t been easy, but Claire and Jennifer were working just as hard under Cindy’s watchful eye and slowly evolving all their own, so she knew it was within her power to pull this off and make Emerge pay for pushing her to that point, to begin with.
Now she found herself at a pivotal crossroads so early in her time with her newfound family, and the question had to be asked: would she still be Unforgiven regardless of what happened at the next show? Or was the risk of potentially using her new knowledge and position to be the one to usurp Willow worth it if it meant she could call herself the best the company had to offer?
She shook her head, trying to ignore such thoughts. As tempting as it was, she hadn’t gone through all of this just to try and get one over on Cindy and her group. She legitimately wanted guidance on how to become what she knew she should truly be and the one woman who had the answers she was after just so happened to be the same one standing by the side of the Emerge Champion. Did she want to be the one to hold that title? Of course, she would be stupid not to. Was Willow likely going to try and take her to hell and back to keep it? She’d truly be crazy not to. Melissa and Willow would gladly destroy one another, but Cindy was right no matter how much everyone else wanted to try and spin it to seem like there was some inner turmoil now between champion and new recruit: regardless of the outcome, the title stayed within The Unforgiven, and if anyone thought this one match would really impact anything on that front?
Melissa would gladly go from trying to break Willow in half as a show of what The Unforgiven could do for her now to standing by the woman’s side to teach whoever dared to stand against them the true meaning of the word ‘elimination.’
As she pondered what was going through Willow’s head about this, considering she went from joy to showing mixed emotions by the end of the last show at defending her title against her newest cohort, she suddenly found herself being grabbed by the shoulder. Her focus snapped, instinct took over and she immediately spun around looking to decapitate the person who dared to try and stop her, only to find her fist getting caught. It took her a moment, but it was hard for her to forget the burly form of the man who had trained her to begin with standing before her now, his face a mixture of concern and disappointment.
“I’m guessing you’ve been picking something up from whatever deal you’ve made because I’ve never found my attempts to get your attention falling on deaf ears before.”
“Maybe I was simply keeping my focus where it should’ve been this entire time.”
She jerks her hand away and takes a step back, eyeing Matt carefully. While he’d treated Melissa as though she were his own daughter, far more than her own father ever really did, she was well aware he wasn’t too happy about this idea of her willingly deciding that Cindy was who she needed to listen to now. She’d heard him explain before how he’d made that same mistake during his own career and regretted it every step of the way, but after hearing Cindy out she knew the difference in their situations: when Matt did it back in the day, it was simply because he felt it would make it easier to reach the top. Melissa, on the other hand, was seeking genuine change out of her decision, and like her or not Cindy Todd was a woman of her word in that regard.
“What are you doing here? Blackpool’s a long way from home, Matt.”
“Even if I don’t agree with this decision you made, I still trained you and helped you get to where you are now. I think I at least owe it to you to see you compete for your very first top title.”
While there was some sincerity in the claim, Melissa knew that wasn’t the only reason he was here, and the look she gave him made that very clear. It wasn’t in her plans to be talked out of this now, and nothing that would happen between her and Willow would change her mind either. When she made this move, she knew she was going to be in it for the long haul, no matter how much the retired wrestler and veteran hated the thought of losing her.
“I figured you wouldn’t buy that as the only reason. Melissa-”
“If the next words out of your mouth are anything about what you think I’ve walked into, then consider this conversation over.”
She turned to resume her job, ready to sprint if need be to put Matt behind her. She didn’t need her emotional attachments to the past anymore… she had Claire and Jennifer willing to better themselves in order to stand by her side, and between them and the monsters that now surrounded her, she had everything she truly needed.
“I figured you’d want an update on your father, considering you never returned home after the last Invasion.”
The mere mention of that man caused Melissa’s body to freeze, and pure hatred at that was the only thought filling her head now. He shouldn’t have any power over her anymore… she’d beaten him to a bloody pulp in front of his own men as her declaration of freedom, and now she was learning how to permanently sever those bonds that made her so weak in the first place. But to be fair, it had been months since she’d been back in Bridgeport or seen or heard about him, and it pained her that the smallest bit of curiosity was demanding that she keep listening. Still, she knew she needed to get moving, and at least motioned with her head that she’d keep this conversation going if Matt was willing to walk and talk, though she made sure to stay several steps in front of him and keep her back to him as much as possible. Silence reigned supreme for a minute before Matt realized Melissa wasn’t simply going to ask and was expecting him to start telling, which caused him to let out a gruff sigh before he did just that.
“After your father got medical treatment for what you did to him, the first thing he wanted to do was track you down and arrest you for assault, which he was immediately denied because he initiated contact with you under the pretense of unlawful arrest. Needless to say, he’s lost the respect of both his fellow officers and pretty much the community.”
“Good. Serves him right.”
It was blunt and to the point, and while Matt could expect that kind of response from the girl who’d had to put up with that man trying to dictate her life for so long, he was also expecting more elation over the fact that he’d finally been exposed and was paying for his needless obsession. What he got instead was a response mostly devoid of any emotion that at least acknowledged she’d heard him. He was concerned but continued regardless.
“He’s been stripped of his badge and is currently being held in jail. He can post bail if he wants, but no one seems to want to be the one to do it and he’s not giving up the money himself because he feels he deserves it. They’re still figuring out a trial date, but he feels whatever he gets is something he deserves. I’ve never seen it out of that man in all the years I’ve known him, but I think you snapping on him finally opened his eyes to everything he’s done to you and he’s finally showing remorse for all of it.”
Melissa snorted at that thought, which didn’t go unnoticed by her trainer. While it certainly wasn’t anything compared to what other women may have suffered through in their lives that were justification for why someone was in jail, she couldn’t simply ignore the mental and emotional toll that had been taken on her life because her father was hellbent on programming her into being the perfect army machine for so long, to the point where her attempts to break away and make her own life for herself still had his specter looming over her. She didn’t care if he finally did realize the error of his ways or not… the damage was done and now she was gone, and she refused to look back anymore. That’s what a weaker person would do, and that’s not who she wanted to be anymore. Her refusal to actually voice any of this to Matt was proof of her desire to move on and permanently sever all connection she had with her past life and what it had done to her.
“Look, after everything that happened, I know forgiving him is out of the question. But he’s still your father and-”
“Thank you for the update Matt, but I don’t care about him anymore. That life is over, that me is dead, and no enlightenment or display of remorse is going to bring her back. Cindy was right… for as much as I wanted to stand on my own two feet, I let my past chain me down and turn me into something to be toyed with by Emerge. That’s done… my old life holds no power over me anymore, and it never will again. My old man can rot in prison for all I care… he deserves it, and I’ve always deserved better.”
By this point, the pub was not too far away, and once she was inside Melissa could easily keep Matt from bothering her anymore. Whatever twinge of guilt she may have had over how she was acting towards him was swallowed up by the knowledge that if she allowed herself to go back to worrying about her life up to this point, she’d be right back where she started and she couldn’t afford to fall into that trap again. Before she could reach the door of the pub, though, Matt had grabbed her tightly by the wrist, refusing to let her go and forcing her to turn her head and face him as he spoke again.
“Melissa, listen to me, for the love of God. You’re making a mistake if you think this is the answer to all of your problems. You thought what your father did was bad? I’ve seen many like this Cindy Todd woman before, and I can tell you, with absolute certainty, that you’re nothing more than a tool to her. Do you think she’s going to let you get away with beating Willow since you’re so new to her ranks? You’re being used, but it’s not too late. Come to your senses, knock some sense into your friends and come back home. You don’t have to stay in Emerge anymore… we can find something else, something that’s not going to see you left an even worse wreck than anything even your father is capable of. You’re better than this…”
Melissa’s expression softens, and for a moment Matt feels like he’s gotten through to her. It certainly seems like his implications are dawning on her considering what’s in her immediate future, and she turns to face him.
“Thank you Matt… for showing me the way. But consider yourself relieved of your duty, because you truly don’t understand at all.”
Matt almost felt like he heard the world go so quiet he could hear his own heartbeat, and before he knew it she had torn her hand away again and made her way inside the pub, only now realizing that during his plea the door had opened. There, standing in the doorway, stood Cindy Todd herself, nodding to Melissa with a smile as she crossed the threshold before locking eyes with Matt, whose battle-hardened glare was met with a look that simply made it clear that he’d failed and Melissa had a new home now, so his presence was no longer welcome here. After a moment of staring down one another, Cindy turned and headed inside before closing the door, leaving Matt to let out a growl as he had to restrain himself from storming the premises. Even as a legitimately trained soldier with real war experience, he knew walking into a huge numbers disadvantage in a blind fury was a disaster waiting to happen.
Like it or not, Melissa was gone, tempted by the desire to evolve under the belief that she needed to be reborn as someone no longer shackled by her past.
And unfortunately, her past also included him.
No matter how much anyone claimed they saw the possibility of Melissa aligning herself with The Unforgiven coming, there was far too much evidence to suggest otherwise. After all, she and Sundown had waged not one, but two brutal wars, three even if you wanted to count the Ladder Match they were both involved in that set up their first singles battle. Cindy Todd had seemingly made it clear publicly that Melissa was far too weak to be on her radar in any capacity. Perhaps most important of all, however, was the fact that victory in Emerge’s full-fledged England debut would mean Melissa would be the first person this year to attempt to knock The Unforgiven’s dangerous demon from Emerge’s most prestigious throne. Her attitude also didn’t seem like it would even mesh, considering she was proud and in-your-face compared to the pure destruction that seemed to embody every member of the hostile group that even had the locker room rallying together to oppose them.
Melissa had said once upon a time that she didn’t come to Emerge to be involved in a petty war, she was simply interested in earning her keep at the expense of whoever stood in her way.
2019 had ended in a way that had her questioning not only that statement but everything she thought she knew about herself, to the point where she knew what needed to be done to start 2020 off right.
Tired of her frustrations with how things in Emerge had gone over the past few months and realizing how sick she was of where she stood after coming to terms with how the world truly saw her, she had made the decision to seek out Cindy Todd with the intent of hearing her out and ultimately joining The Unforgiven. She had turned careers and lives around, after all, so maybe there was still hope for not only her but her closest friends as well. Despite being mentally picked apart right in front of not only Claire and Jennifer but also the likes of Willow, Sundown and Seraglio, she knew right then and there that she needed to be made to swallow that bitter pill of reality in order to detach herself from everything she no longer wished to be. Considering she had picked apart Kali and secured her title match with Willow, it was safe to say she’d made the right decision.
And yet, there was that lingering question of whether or not this was truly the case.
Having decided that she needed a moment alone to ponder things, Melissa found herself jogging through the streets of Blackpool, zeroed in on her thoughts as a blank stare was all that was noticed by anyone who passed her by. They didn’t exist as far as she was concerned, nor did their concerns or comments or even the rain pelting her hoodie. All that mattered to her was making sure she knew where she was going and sorting out where she now stood. In and of itself, that was already progress under Cindy’s guidance, even if she was still getting used to the new training she’d been undergoing in order to truly visualize exactly what kind of woman she wanted to be and how she would be able to get there. It hadn’t been easy, but Claire and Jennifer were working just as hard under Cindy’s watchful eye and slowly evolving all their own, so she knew it was within her power to pull this off and make Emerge pay for pushing her to that point, to begin with.
Now she found herself at a pivotal crossroads so early in her time with her newfound family, and the question had to be asked: would she still be Unforgiven regardless of what happened at the next show? Or was the risk of potentially using her new knowledge and position to be the one to usurp Willow worth it if it meant she could call herself the best the company had to offer?
She shook her head, trying to ignore such thoughts. As tempting as it was, she hadn’t gone through all of this just to try and get one over on Cindy and her group. She legitimately wanted guidance on how to become what she knew she should truly be and the one woman who had the answers she was after just so happened to be the same one standing by the side of the Emerge Champion. Did she want to be the one to hold that title? Of course, she would be stupid not to. Was Willow likely going to try and take her to hell and back to keep it? She’d truly be crazy not to. Melissa and Willow would gladly destroy one another, but Cindy was right no matter how much everyone else wanted to try and spin it to seem like there was some inner turmoil now between champion and new recruit: regardless of the outcome, the title stayed within The Unforgiven, and if anyone thought this one match would really impact anything on that front?
Melissa would gladly go from trying to break Willow in half as a show of what The Unforgiven could do for her now to standing by the woman’s side to teach whoever dared to stand against them the true meaning of the word ‘elimination.’
As she pondered what was going through Willow’s head about this, considering she went from joy to showing mixed emotions by the end of the last show at defending her title against her newest cohort, she suddenly found herself being grabbed by the shoulder. Her focus snapped, instinct took over and she immediately spun around looking to decapitate the person who dared to try and stop her, only to find her fist getting caught. It took her a moment, but it was hard for her to forget the burly form of the man who had trained her to begin with standing before her now, his face a mixture of concern and disappointment.
“I’m guessing you’ve been picking something up from whatever deal you’ve made because I’ve never found my attempts to get your attention falling on deaf ears before.”
“Maybe I was simply keeping my focus where it should’ve been this entire time.”
She jerks her hand away and takes a step back, eyeing Matt carefully. While he’d treated Melissa as though she were his own daughter, far more than her own father ever really did, she was well aware he wasn’t too happy about this idea of her willingly deciding that Cindy was who she needed to listen to now. She’d heard him explain before how he’d made that same mistake during his own career and regretted it every step of the way, but after hearing Cindy out she knew the difference in their situations: when Matt did it back in the day, it was simply because he felt it would make it easier to reach the top. Melissa, on the other hand, was seeking genuine change out of her decision, and like her or not Cindy Todd was a woman of her word in that regard.
“What are you doing here? Blackpool’s a long way from home, Matt.”
“Even if I don’t agree with this decision you made, I still trained you and helped you get to where you are now. I think I at least owe it to you to see you compete for your very first top title.”
While there was some sincerity in the claim, Melissa knew that wasn’t the only reason he was here, and the look she gave him made that very clear. It wasn’t in her plans to be talked out of this now, and nothing that would happen between her and Willow would change her mind either. When she made this move, she knew she was going to be in it for the long haul, no matter how much the retired wrestler and veteran hated the thought of losing her.
“I figured you wouldn’t buy that as the only reason. Melissa-”
“If the next words out of your mouth are anything about what you think I’ve walked into, then consider this conversation over.”
She turned to resume her job, ready to sprint if need be to put Matt behind her. She didn’t need her emotional attachments to the past anymore… she had Claire and Jennifer willing to better themselves in order to stand by her side, and between them and the monsters that now surrounded her, she had everything she truly needed.
“I figured you’d want an update on your father, considering you never returned home after the last Invasion.”
The mere mention of that man caused Melissa’s body to freeze, and pure hatred at that was the only thought filling her head now. He shouldn’t have any power over her anymore… she’d beaten him to a bloody pulp in front of his own men as her declaration of freedom, and now she was learning how to permanently sever those bonds that made her so weak in the first place. But to be fair, it had been months since she’d been back in Bridgeport or seen or heard about him, and it pained her that the smallest bit of curiosity was demanding that she keep listening. Still, she knew she needed to get moving, and at least motioned with her head that she’d keep this conversation going if Matt was willing to walk and talk, though she made sure to stay several steps in front of him and keep her back to him as much as possible. Silence reigned supreme for a minute before Matt realized Melissa wasn’t simply going to ask and was expecting him to start telling, which caused him to let out a gruff sigh before he did just that.
“After your father got medical treatment for what you did to him, the first thing he wanted to do was track you down and arrest you for assault, which he was immediately denied because he initiated contact with you under the pretense of unlawful arrest. Needless to say, he’s lost the respect of both his fellow officers and pretty much the community.”
“Good. Serves him right.”
It was blunt and to the point, and while Matt could expect that kind of response from the girl who’d had to put up with that man trying to dictate her life for so long, he was also expecting more elation over the fact that he’d finally been exposed and was paying for his needless obsession. What he got instead was a response mostly devoid of any emotion that at least acknowledged she’d heard him. He was concerned but continued regardless.
“He’s been stripped of his badge and is currently being held in jail. He can post bail if he wants, but no one seems to want to be the one to do it and he’s not giving up the money himself because he feels he deserves it. They’re still figuring out a trial date, but he feels whatever he gets is something he deserves. I’ve never seen it out of that man in all the years I’ve known him, but I think you snapping on him finally opened his eyes to everything he’s done to you and he’s finally showing remorse for all of it.”
Melissa snorted at that thought, which didn’t go unnoticed by her trainer. While it certainly wasn’t anything compared to what other women may have suffered through in their lives that were justification for why someone was in jail, she couldn’t simply ignore the mental and emotional toll that had been taken on her life because her father was hellbent on programming her into being the perfect army machine for so long, to the point where her attempts to break away and make her own life for herself still had his specter looming over her. She didn’t care if he finally did realize the error of his ways or not… the damage was done and now she was gone, and she refused to look back anymore. That’s what a weaker person would do, and that’s not who she wanted to be anymore. Her refusal to actually voice any of this to Matt was proof of her desire to move on and permanently sever all connection she had with her past life and what it had done to her.
“Look, after everything that happened, I know forgiving him is out of the question. But he’s still your father and-”
“Thank you for the update Matt, but I don’t care about him anymore. That life is over, that me is dead, and no enlightenment or display of remorse is going to bring her back. Cindy was right… for as much as I wanted to stand on my own two feet, I let my past chain me down and turn me into something to be toyed with by Emerge. That’s done… my old life holds no power over me anymore, and it never will again. My old man can rot in prison for all I care… he deserves it, and I’ve always deserved better.”
By this point, the pub was not too far away, and once she was inside Melissa could easily keep Matt from bothering her anymore. Whatever twinge of guilt she may have had over how she was acting towards him was swallowed up by the knowledge that if she allowed herself to go back to worrying about her life up to this point, she’d be right back where she started and she couldn’t afford to fall into that trap again. Before she could reach the door of the pub, though, Matt had grabbed her tightly by the wrist, refusing to let her go and forcing her to turn her head and face him as he spoke again.
“Melissa, listen to me, for the love of God. You’re making a mistake if you think this is the answer to all of your problems. You thought what your father did was bad? I’ve seen many like this Cindy Todd woman before, and I can tell you, with absolute certainty, that you’re nothing more than a tool to her. Do you think she’s going to let you get away with beating Willow since you’re so new to her ranks? You’re being used, but it’s not too late. Come to your senses, knock some sense into your friends and come back home. You don’t have to stay in Emerge anymore… we can find something else, something that’s not going to see you left an even worse wreck than anything even your father is capable of. You’re better than this…”
Melissa’s expression softens, and for a moment Matt feels like he’s gotten through to her. It certainly seems like his implications are dawning on her considering what’s in her immediate future, and she turns to face him.
“Thank you Matt… for showing me the way. But consider yourself relieved of your duty, because you truly don’t understand at all.”
Matt almost felt like he heard the world go so quiet he could hear his own heartbeat, and before he knew it she had torn her hand away again and made her way inside the pub, only now realizing that during his plea the door had opened. There, standing in the doorway, stood Cindy Todd herself, nodding to Melissa with a smile as she crossed the threshold before locking eyes with Matt, whose battle-hardened glare was met with a look that simply made it clear that he’d failed and Melissa had a new home now, so his presence was no longer welcome here. After a moment of staring down one another, Cindy turned and headed inside before closing the door, leaving Matt to let out a growl as he had to restrain himself from storming the premises. Even as a legitimately trained soldier with real war experience, he knew walking into a huge numbers disadvantage in a blind fury was a disaster waiting to happen.
Like it or not, Melissa was gone, tempted by the desire to evolve under the belief that she needed to be reborn as someone no longer shackled by her past.
And unfortunately, her past also included him.
02-01-2020, 12:46 AM
OOC: A Disturbing RP for a Very Disturbed and Sick Woman, it is the start of her new arc, enjoy.
Anything with the “REC” on it is Viewable to the Public.
The Views Expressed By Willow Wilkes & The Beauty Factory Do Not Reflect Those of the Publisher. VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
Anything with the “REC” on it is Viewable to the Public.
The Views Expressed By Willow Wilkes & The Beauty Factory Do Not Reflect Those of the Publisher. VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
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