06-09-2020, 04:13 PM
07-10-2020, 09:16 PM
Sittin' With Sallie...A Conversation With Danny Darko
Sallie Graham is sitting beside the one and only (most are thankful for that) "Devious" Danny Darko. The chairs appear to be quite comfortable, no doubt. A very nice dark brown leather, yes. No expenses spared around Emerge. Danny's sporting a pair of well-worn black denim pants and a vintage "Metallica" T-Shirt. This time around it's the Master Of Puppets album cover.
Sallie: Alright, here we go. The only logical place where I can start this interview off is with the question of whether or not you feel any remorse for what you and Vanilla Skyy did to Jason King and Willow Wilkes at Invasion: Europe?
Darko: I have had a lot of people asking me, Sallie, about that very question. Of course the world wants to know if we feel sorry for what we did to those two miserable pieces of shit. The answer of course is fucking no goddamn way! The world is aware of what they did to my wife, right?! Also, the fact that they broke into our home and fucked in our bed!? I mean, the whole goddamn thing is unfortunate to begin with, but what are Vee and I supposed to do?
Sallie: You certainly make some valid, if not callous points. But you ARE aware of Jason King's--
Darko: You mean Samael, right? Whatever the fuck that thing is, it's not Jason King.
Sallie: Whatever you want to call him, you ARE aware that he has some serious history with--
Darko: I'm gonna have to cut you off right there. Samael, Willow Wilkes, and Cindy Todd? The whole lot of them? They had me believing for far too long that I had actually KILLED Samael when I hit with a Last Rites. Have you ever had anybody trick you into believing you had murdered someone, Sallie? I mean, I've been wrestling off and on since 2001 and for as many awful, despicable, horrifying, dangerous, and yes, devious things I did to those around me? I never once had the intention of killing a single one of them. The thought has naturally occured to me in the past when I was dealing with someone like Simon Lyman trying to steal my wife at the time, Chloe Barnes, away from me. It's only natural to have those thoughts, but I never went through with any of it.
Sallie: Fair enough, I suppose. But what about Willow Wilkes? Outside of...fornicating in your bed, what did--
Darko: What the fuck is wrong with you? I get that you're a journalist and that it's your job to get answers from people like me and Vee, but if that's the best you've got, then I'm not going to waste any more time listening to your questions. If you can even classify what you're asking me are questions, that is. It seems that the only thing you're trying to do is stir up sympathy for Samael and Willow Wilkes. Here's the catch, though, Sallie...they are not worthy of anybody's sympathy. Hell, you even saw that Cindy Todd just let the whole thing happen! Sundown was about to get his big ass down there to save them, but Cindy knew that this was something that just HAD to happen. Vee and I both know that all of these cronies that Cindy has mean nothing to her. You can start with the Seraglio sluts, to Derpy Dexter Schmidt, to the piece of shit formerly known as Jason Dillinger, to Sundown, to Willow Wilkes, to Samael, and even to the one member of The Unforgiven who is not currently either an utter failure or a cripple, Melissa Killgraves. The one thing all those fuckheads have in common is that they are nothing but tools, puppets, expendable soldiers in Cindy Todd's war.
Sallie: You mentioned Melissa Killgraves. You of course have a match with her at Emerge 41 and I'm going to go out on a limb and say that she's none too pleased that you interfered her match at Invasion: Europe. What are your thoughts on her?
Darko: I wouldn't be happy if I were here, either. She was trying to cheat her way to another victory, this time against Annabelle Burchard. And I ruined that. Boo fucking hoo! And you know what? She's going to try and do the same thing in my match against her. She'll likely come out and say that she doesn't need any help from The Unforgiven but that won't stop the whole lot of those shitheads from making sure I don't win. It might even just be Sundown trying to get a piece of me before I permanently remove him from Emerge! The thing she needs to realize is I don't give a shit about winning this match. I've gone one-on-one with TRUE talents like Jennifer Helms, and yes, Sierra Swann, and I've proven to each of them and to anybody watching that I am still an elite talent.
Sallie: Wait, did you just say something nice about Sierra Swann?
Darko: I did. And I've said nice things about her before. All I ever wanted from her was to put her money where her mouth is and she did so by defeating me cleanly at Invasion: Europe. I was able to get all of my frustrations and issue with her out of my system. While I will never get along with her or call her friend, at least not with the attitude she has now, I can at least say that I have a lot more respect for her and I'll be staying out of her business for the foreseeable future. And while she may not ever admit it, I could see in her eyes after that match was over that she had a newfound respect for me as well.
Sallie: After the things you two said about each other, I'm surprised to hear that.
Darko: I'm an asshole, Sallie. I'm not a monster. Also, I've learned over the years to not let every single sleight against me drive me to a devious revenge scheme. Every issue I had with Sierra Swann was based entirely around professional wrestling matters. The shit with The Unforgiven? It no doubt goes much deeper than that.
Sallie: Back to Killgraves, then.
Darko: Oh, I don't respect her. I think she took the cheap road to success and it only gave her a brief moment in the sun. And now? She's truly nothing more than someone who truly serves The Unforgiven as nothing more than fodder for their continuation in this company. She is nothing more than one of their puppets. Just watch and see. Sooner or later, they will do as Cindy Todd did to Jason King and Willow Wilkes. I know better than most that nothing good comes from selling your soul. I have no sympathy for anybody who pledges allegiance to Cindy Todd. She chose to support the cancer that is The Unforgiven and she deserves nothing but to have her Last Rites read to her.
Sallie: Thank you for your time?
FIN
07-10-2020, 11:44 PM
Of the many emotions running through the mind of Melissa Killgraves, anger was certainly at the forefront of what she felt.
Beyond that, there was certainly a dark cloud of confusion hanging over her head from everything that had happened, and Melissa was never a fan of when she couldn’t put together a clear picture of what was going on.
Invasion: Europe had been a major source of a lot of her confusion, there was no doubt about that. She had left that night with no resolution in her war with Annabelle Burchard, something she didn’t even think would be possible when they were bound together by a rope and given no rules to keep them from destroying each other. And yet, somehow that’s exactly what happened. She had been assisted by both Seraglio and Sundown in her endeavors, something she knew people would take issue with but she could care less so long as Annabelle knew her place. That being countered both by Benjamin Flynn and then Danny Darko wouldn’t have bothered her too much since, at the end of it all, she still had victory within reach. But when the match was thrown out because she was then attacked by some unknown assailant who bolted the moment they were about to be surrounded by Seraglio, that left her feeling infuriated for the remainder of the night. She had no idea who this person was or why they were after her, and she would like to think Annabelle was just as pissed for being denied her chance to try and end this as well because of it, but part of her hoped that she would get those answers at the next show so she could seek and destroy.
The ending to the show had been something that left her trying to piece together a different puzzle. She had stood on the stage with the rest of The Unforgiven, being told by Cindy not to help Willow when she and Samael found themselves at the mercy of Darko and Vanilla Skye. As much as she wanted to cave Darko’s face in at least for his interference in her own match that night if nothing else, she’d stayed put and watched as Willow was destroyed before her very eyes. After the show went off the air, Cindy had pulled her aside and made it clear to her what that symbolized: the end of Willow for her failures and defiance and the dawn of Melissa’s time as the group’s ‘chosen one,’ which was exactly what Willow had feared when the military maiden was first brought on board. While Melissa was flattered by the idea and had no issue with becoming the new centerpiece of the group, there was a small part of her that felt bad for Willow. It was easy to suppress considering the hostility Willow had repeatedly shown towards her, but she knew it was only because she was afraid of the exact scenario that played out to close Invasion.
‘When people have power, they will do anything to protect it.’
As she pondered that old line her father had told her once before back when he was trying to get her much younger self to understand why the world needed to resort to military might at times, she couldn’t help but think about the trial prior to Invasion she’d had to deal with. While she felt a sense of catharsis from watching her old man effectively drive the last of the nails into his own coffin himself, a lot of how it had actually played out significantly bothered her. For all the hostility he showed and for how much he tried to wear a mask of pride and defiance in staring her down, she was still able to see beneath that to a man who was falling apart without her in his life. It was almost as though her walking out after having had enough of him trying to make her follow the exact same path he paved in life had driven him off the deep end, something she had previously thought to be impossible considering she was talking about Sgt. Brett Killgraves, a man who literally had a will made of iron and had never let anything stop him before. And yet, a lot of his actions didn’t line up with the man who had raised her like the drill sergeant he truly was.
Was he actually remorseful for everything he’d done and simply trying to hide it beneath his rage?
With the next show set to take place in Cardiff, Melissa had taken the opportunity to go for a walk to try and sort everything out. Considering she was being challenged by Darko once more come July 13th, she wanted to make sure her head was exactly where she needed it to be so she could dispatch of him just as she did the last time they faced. After all, what better way to celebrate her ‘promotion’ in The Unforgiven by ‘succeeding where Willow had failed’ right? But that required her to seize control of that familiar anger that fueled her and made her into the walking weapon that put her on Cindy’s radar in the first place, and right now getting back to that state of mind was easier said than done.
“Why did that son of a bitch have to try and ruin everything for me at the worst possible time, just like he always does!?”
She couldn’t help but vocally vent her frustrations to nobody in particular, which worked out considering she was seemingly alone right now as she stared out into the waters of Cardiff Bay. She didn’t want to risk any trouble right now by having to snap on some innocent soul just passing by that would question her words. She just gazed out across the field of blue that stretched out before her, oddly finding it easier to think when she had the sea to focus on. It had always been that way since she’d been a little girl, growing up and getting the chance to sit along the Massachusetts shoreline and gaze out into the ocean whenever she needed to reflect on something.
She had always wondered in the back of her mind if her father truly loved her. On one hand, he had always acted like your typical proud parent when she was younger, and even when she accomplished something after growing up while they were slowly becoming more and more at odds with each other over his parenting style, he would still show a great sense of pride in what she’d done. On the other, however, a lot of how he raised her almost seemed to paint the picture that she was nothing more than an extension of himself in the veteran’s eyes, put on this earth for the sole purpose of being molded in his image and continuing the legacy he left behind when he could no longer protect and serve himself. What she wanted to do with her life never seemed to register to him, and even if she didn’t actually know WHAT she wanted to do, she knew for sure that basically being ‘Sgt. Killgraves Jr.’ wasn’t on the list of possibilities.
Considering her mother was basically a whore he had a one night stand with who just so happened to get pregnant and shoved her into his arms the moment he wasn’t serving his country anymore, she had very little else to try and look up to for answers as she grew up, and she couldn’t entirely blame him for that. ‘Sowing his seeds’ one last time before he went off to fight and potentially die for his country was all on him, but nobody would’ve ever expected the end result to be a baby girl that would ultimately become a ticking time bomb that sought the destruction of any wrestler that dared to stand in her way.
“Melissa?”
The military maiden slowly turned her head at being addressed and was a little surprised to find Jennifer carefully approaching her. The sight of a few new cuts and bruises that could likely be chalked up to being ‘toughened up’ to continue standing by her side when going into battle were noticeable, but Melissa wasn’t going to question that right now. As much as the idea of seeing her girls get hurt bothered her, they were indeed getting tougher and better at handling themselves, to the point where there had been some discussion about teaching them so they could also compete if necessary, bolstering the active roster of The Unforgiven a little more and especially with a tag division being re-created. This wasn’t the time to think about something that might not even happen, though. As Jennifer went to stand beside Melissa in leaning on the railing and staring out into the sea, she knew exactly what question needed to be asked.
“What are you doing out here? And how did you even find me?”
“Cindy asked me to find you so you could discuss a few things in regards to your next match. Claire had a feeling you’d probably be by the water somewhere. I can’t say I blame you… the waves were always great to look at when I needed to clear my head and find the inspiration to write something.”
Melissa scoffed a bit, but she knew Jennifer wasn’t going to be fazed by it. Maybe in the past when she still had a one-sided hatred for the redheaded author, but they had grown too close these days to fall back into those old habits.
“I can’t help it. Considering I never really had a parent to talk to when I couldn’t figure something out, and I wasn’t exactly going to open up to someone else back when I was younger, it kind of seems like the only thing that works.”
“It’s about your dad, isn’t it? The court case?”
“They finally made a ruling a few days ago from what I was told. He still has to serve jail time for abusing his power, especially given the mess going on right now back in America with police officers on a power trip and all of that, but they also ordered that he get mental help as well after his outburst while I was testifying. Apparently anything to do with me seems to set him off in a way that no one’s ever seen before, and part of me actually feels concerned about it… even after everything he did…”
Melissa gripped the railing tighter, growing more frustrated over the idea that her dad was messing with her head once again even when she should’ve been absolutely finished with him by now following the court’s ruling. The man’s life was never going to be the same again and he certainly wasn’t going to be the ‘perfect upstanding citizen’ everyone would look up to anymore once all was set and done, but something about that was keeping her from taking delight in the fact that her old man had been exposed at long last to the entire world that had refused to believe her whenever she had something to say about him.
“What… happened, exactly?”
“It should be no surprise that he actually tried to get his hands on me several times when I was finally called to the stand. He basically showed zero regard for proper court proceedings and only cared about trying to start something with me. And yet… I swear that, for the briefest of moments when we first locked eyes, I could see some regret for everything he’d done, hidden beneath that stubbornness that I guess runs in our family whether I like it or not. And… when he finally gave his proverbial middle finger to everything and managed to almost actually get to me before he was dragged out… I swear that instead of trying to actually attack me, he was almost trying to hug me. He hasn’t done that since I was a little girl…”
Melissa spat out a frustrated sigh, getting sick of trying to unravel this mystery and what her father’s intentions actually were. All she wanted to do was walk into the next Emerge show and lay waste to Darko again to make it clear he’d been given charity at Invasion for what he and Vanilla had been allowed to do to Willow, and it was time for him to begin paying back his long-overdue debt to Cindy Todd. Yet, here she was, contemplating the machinations of a man she no longer wanted any part of in her life going forward.
“You know… when I ultimately agreed to all of this, I’ll admit that I had some regrets at first. Even though I’d do anything to be with Claire and it seemed like I was the only one who did this without having actually lost everything… I still had family that cared about me, even after I came out. Even if I had my issues with them at times, especially my mom and brother, deep down they always truly cared for me and just wanted me to be the best person I could be. I still think about that, even when they were basically forced into a corner by everyone else that didn’t care for my newly declared sexual orientation.”
Melissa raised an eyebrow at this as Jennifer threw this out so casually. Her eyes held a hint of sadness for what she left behind, but there was no trace of regret for the choices she’d made and the life she was living now. Even if it wasn’t exactly what those who still loved her would’ve wanted to see from her, she didn’t doubt that they still loved her all the same, even when they couldn’t show it.
“You think my dad actually cares for me somewhere deep down inside?”
“From the few times I’ve met the man, your father definitely seems like he has some trouble forgetting that he’s not in the military 24/7. I think he got so used to commanding soldiers and fighting battles that he couldn’t let it go once it was over. Sure, he was overbearing and a little psychotic in how he raised you, but even if he couldn’t figure out how to properly show it I’d like to think he only had the best of intentions in mind. Maybe he finally let his guilt for how he’d raised you drive him over the edge? Only he would probably know that for sure… but if he had the chance to hurt you and didn’t actually act on it before he was stopped, then maybe it’s worth considering trying to talk to him and seeing what happens.”
“You realize that’s the kind of suggestion that’s only going to piss me off thinking about it, right?”
“I still think you should consider it. But hey, at least I think I got your head back to where you want it for your next match.”
Even if it wasn’t fully intentional, Melissa couldn’t deny that the tactic had worked. While she would need more time to ponder exactly what was going on with her father and whether or not it was worth it to try and see if Jennifer was right, at least for the moment the idea had angered her enough that she had something to latch onto and weaponize for when she met Darko in the ring again. As the two ladies started to make their way back to where they were staying in Cardiff, Melissa couldn’t help but ponder about the sacrifices everybody makes in life to try and figure out what they really want to do.
Considering she had effectively thrown away what was left of her entire life in order to join The Unforgiven and found the acceptance and sense of family she had been looking for, even despite their actions towards others, she liked to believe she had ultimately made the right decision, even if nobody else fully understood that.
Beyond that, there was certainly a dark cloud of confusion hanging over her head from everything that had happened, and Melissa was never a fan of when she couldn’t put together a clear picture of what was going on.
Invasion: Europe had been a major source of a lot of her confusion, there was no doubt about that. She had left that night with no resolution in her war with Annabelle Burchard, something she didn’t even think would be possible when they were bound together by a rope and given no rules to keep them from destroying each other. And yet, somehow that’s exactly what happened. She had been assisted by both Seraglio and Sundown in her endeavors, something she knew people would take issue with but she could care less so long as Annabelle knew her place. That being countered both by Benjamin Flynn and then Danny Darko wouldn’t have bothered her too much since, at the end of it all, she still had victory within reach. But when the match was thrown out because she was then attacked by some unknown assailant who bolted the moment they were about to be surrounded by Seraglio, that left her feeling infuriated for the remainder of the night. She had no idea who this person was or why they were after her, and she would like to think Annabelle was just as pissed for being denied her chance to try and end this as well because of it, but part of her hoped that she would get those answers at the next show so she could seek and destroy.
The ending to the show had been something that left her trying to piece together a different puzzle. She had stood on the stage with the rest of The Unforgiven, being told by Cindy not to help Willow when she and Samael found themselves at the mercy of Darko and Vanilla Skye. As much as she wanted to cave Darko’s face in at least for his interference in her own match that night if nothing else, she’d stayed put and watched as Willow was destroyed before her very eyes. After the show went off the air, Cindy had pulled her aside and made it clear to her what that symbolized: the end of Willow for her failures and defiance and the dawn of Melissa’s time as the group’s ‘chosen one,’ which was exactly what Willow had feared when the military maiden was first brought on board. While Melissa was flattered by the idea and had no issue with becoming the new centerpiece of the group, there was a small part of her that felt bad for Willow. It was easy to suppress considering the hostility Willow had repeatedly shown towards her, but she knew it was only because she was afraid of the exact scenario that played out to close Invasion.
‘When people have power, they will do anything to protect it.’
As she pondered that old line her father had told her once before back when he was trying to get her much younger self to understand why the world needed to resort to military might at times, she couldn’t help but think about the trial prior to Invasion she’d had to deal with. While she felt a sense of catharsis from watching her old man effectively drive the last of the nails into his own coffin himself, a lot of how it had actually played out significantly bothered her. For all the hostility he showed and for how much he tried to wear a mask of pride and defiance in staring her down, she was still able to see beneath that to a man who was falling apart without her in his life. It was almost as though her walking out after having had enough of him trying to make her follow the exact same path he paved in life had driven him off the deep end, something she had previously thought to be impossible considering she was talking about Sgt. Brett Killgraves, a man who literally had a will made of iron and had never let anything stop him before. And yet, a lot of his actions didn’t line up with the man who had raised her like the drill sergeant he truly was.
Was he actually remorseful for everything he’d done and simply trying to hide it beneath his rage?
With the next show set to take place in Cardiff, Melissa had taken the opportunity to go for a walk to try and sort everything out. Considering she was being challenged by Darko once more come July 13th, she wanted to make sure her head was exactly where she needed it to be so she could dispatch of him just as she did the last time they faced. After all, what better way to celebrate her ‘promotion’ in The Unforgiven by ‘succeeding where Willow had failed’ right? But that required her to seize control of that familiar anger that fueled her and made her into the walking weapon that put her on Cindy’s radar in the first place, and right now getting back to that state of mind was easier said than done.
“Why did that son of a bitch have to try and ruin everything for me at the worst possible time, just like he always does!?”
She couldn’t help but vocally vent her frustrations to nobody in particular, which worked out considering she was seemingly alone right now as she stared out into the waters of Cardiff Bay. She didn’t want to risk any trouble right now by having to snap on some innocent soul just passing by that would question her words. She just gazed out across the field of blue that stretched out before her, oddly finding it easier to think when she had the sea to focus on. It had always been that way since she’d been a little girl, growing up and getting the chance to sit along the Massachusetts shoreline and gaze out into the ocean whenever she needed to reflect on something.
She had always wondered in the back of her mind if her father truly loved her. On one hand, he had always acted like your typical proud parent when she was younger, and even when she accomplished something after growing up while they were slowly becoming more and more at odds with each other over his parenting style, he would still show a great sense of pride in what she’d done. On the other, however, a lot of how he raised her almost seemed to paint the picture that she was nothing more than an extension of himself in the veteran’s eyes, put on this earth for the sole purpose of being molded in his image and continuing the legacy he left behind when he could no longer protect and serve himself. What she wanted to do with her life never seemed to register to him, and even if she didn’t actually know WHAT she wanted to do, she knew for sure that basically being ‘Sgt. Killgraves Jr.’ wasn’t on the list of possibilities.
Considering her mother was basically a whore he had a one night stand with who just so happened to get pregnant and shoved her into his arms the moment he wasn’t serving his country anymore, she had very little else to try and look up to for answers as she grew up, and she couldn’t entirely blame him for that. ‘Sowing his seeds’ one last time before he went off to fight and potentially die for his country was all on him, but nobody would’ve ever expected the end result to be a baby girl that would ultimately become a ticking time bomb that sought the destruction of any wrestler that dared to stand in her way.
“Melissa?”
The military maiden slowly turned her head at being addressed and was a little surprised to find Jennifer carefully approaching her. The sight of a few new cuts and bruises that could likely be chalked up to being ‘toughened up’ to continue standing by her side when going into battle were noticeable, but Melissa wasn’t going to question that right now. As much as the idea of seeing her girls get hurt bothered her, they were indeed getting tougher and better at handling themselves, to the point where there had been some discussion about teaching them so they could also compete if necessary, bolstering the active roster of The Unforgiven a little more and especially with a tag division being re-created. This wasn’t the time to think about something that might not even happen, though. As Jennifer went to stand beside Melissa in leaning on the railing and staring out into the sea, she knew exactly what question needed to be asked.
“What are you doing out here? And how did you even find me?”
“Cindy asked me to find you so you could discuss a few things in regards to your next match. Claire had a feeling you’d probably be by the water somewhere. I can’t say I blame you… the waves were always great to look at when I needed to clear my head and find the inspiration to write something.”
Melissa scoffed a bit, but she knew Jennifer wasn’t going to be fazed by it. Maybe in the past when she still had a one-sided hatred for the redheaded author, but they had grown too close these days to fall back into those old habits.
“I can’t help it. Considering I never really had a parent to talk to when I couldn’t figure something out, and I wasn’t exactly going to open up to someone else back when I was younger, it kind of seems like the only thing that works.”
“It’s about your dad, isn’t it? The court case?”
“They finally made a ruling a few days ago from what I was told. He still has to serve jail time for abusing his power, especially given the mess going on right now back in America with police officers on a power trip and all of that, but they also ordered that he get mental help as well after his outburst while I was testifying. Apparently anything to do with me seems to set him off in a way that no one’s ever seen before, and part of me actually feels concerned about it… even after everything he did…”
Melissa gripped the railing tighter, growing more frustrated over the idea that her dad was messing with her head once again even when she should’ve been absolutely finished with him by now following the court’s ruling. The man’s life was never going to be the same again and he certainly wasn’t going to be the ‘perfect upstanding citizen’ everyone would look up to anymore once all was set and done, but something about that was keeping her from taking delight in the fact that her old man had been exposed at long last to the entire world that had refused to believe her whenever she had something to say about him.
“What… happened, exactly?”
“It should be no surprise that he actually tried to get his hands on me several times when I was finally called to the stand. He basically showed zero regard for proper court proceedings and only cared about trying to start something with me. And yet… I swear that, for the briefest of moments when we first locked eyes, I could see some regret for everything he’d done, hidden beneath that stubbornness that I guess runs in our family whether I like it or not. And… when he finally gave his proverbial middle finger to everything and managed to almost actually get to me before he was dragged out… I swear that instead of trying to actually attack me, he was almost trying to hug me. He hasn’t done that since I was a little girl…”
Melissa spat out a frustrated sigh, getting sick of trying to unravel this mystery and what her father’s intentions actually were. All she wanted to do was walk into the next Emerge show and lay waste to Darko again to make it clear he’d been given charity at Invasion for what he and Vanilla had been allowed to do to Willow, and it was time for him to begin paying back his long-overdue debt to Cindy Todd. Yet, here she was, contemplating the machinations of a man she no longer wanted any part of in her life going forward.
“You know… when I ultimately agreed to all of this, I’ll admit that I had some regrets at first. Even though I’d do anything to be with Claire and it seemed like I was the only one who did this without having actually lost everything… I still had family that cared about me, even after I came out. Even if I had my issues with them at times, especially my mom and brother, deep down they always truly cared for me and just wanted me to be the best person I could be. I still think about that, even when they were basically forced into a corner by everyone else that didn’t care for my newly declared sexual orientation.”
Melissa raised an eyebrow at this as Jennifer threw this out so casually. Her eyes held a hint of sadness for what she left behind, but there was no trace of regret for the choices she’d made and the life she was living now. Even if it wasn’t exactly what those who still loved her would’ve wanted to see from her, she didn’t doubt that they still loved her all the same, even when they couldn’t show it.
“You think my dad actually cares for me somewhere deep down inside?”
“From the few times I’ve met the man, your father definitely seems like he has some trouble forgetting that he’s not in the military 24/7. I think he got so used to commanding soldiers and fighting battles that he couldn’t let it go once it was over. Sure, he was overbearing and a little psychotic in how he raised you, but even if he couldn’t figure out how to properly show it I’d like to think he only had the best of intentions in mind. Maybe he finally let his guilt for how he’d raised you drive him over the edge? Only he would probably know that for sure… but if he had the chance to hurt you and didn’t actually act on it before he was stopped, then maybe it’s worth considering trying to talk to him and seeing what happens.”
“You realize that’s the kind of suggestion that’s only going to piss me off thinking about it, right?”
“I still think you should consider it. But hey, at least I think I got your head back to where you want it for your next match.”
Even if it wasn’t fully intentional, Melissa couldn’t deny that the tactic had worked. While she would need more time to ponder exactly what was going on with her father and whether or not it was worth it to try and see if Jennifer was right, at least for the moment the idea had angered her enough that she had something to latch onto and weaponize for when she met Darko in the ring again. As the two ladies started to make their way back to where they were staying in Cardiff, Melissa couldn’t help but ponder about the sacrifices everybody makes in life to try and figure out what they really want to do.
Considering she had effectively thrown away what was left of her entire life in order to join The Unforgiven and found the acceptance and sense of family she had been looking for, even despite their actions towards others, she liked to believe she had ultimately made the right decision, even if nobody else fully understood that.