06-19-2020, 05:57 AM
06-23-2020, 11:22 PM
OOC: Considering this is a dark match, I wanted to focus more on trying to advance Aaron's story a bit heading into RtG more than anything else, especially since today's been a hectic and stressful day for me. So, this effort is CD only for that reason.
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Sometimes, when things weren’t going your way, it’s best to take a step back and do something else to clear your head.
It was something Aaron hadn’t been able to do too often lately, but it was something he desperately needed right about now.
The past few weeks had certainly given him every reason to be stressed out, and virtually all of it was SCW’s doing. The failure to defeat Bree and become World Champion had been one thing, and thankfully Owen was able to snap Aaron out of that funk. Shilo’s renewed antics, however, had been grinding on the artist’s last nerve, from nearly costing him and Owen their tag match two weeks ago to their ‘chat’ last week that clearly proved Shilo wasn’t paying attention. For all the times he had truthfully claimed he wasn’t trying to be the next Shilo Valiant but simply the one and only Aaron Blackbourne, Shilo was clinging to the belief that the creative soul was trying to usurp the entertainer’s throne and failing at it. In his mind, all Aaron needed was one more match with Shilo, one with a definitive outcome, to silence him once and for all and make it clear to him exactly what he’s been saying for months now.
All he needed was to be rid of Shilo… then perhaps he could finally go back to trying to paint his own destiny into existence.
Of course, there were other problems lingering on Aaron’s mind as well that didn’t have anything to do with wrestling, even if Shilo was doing his best to be the problem at the forefront of his thoughts. After all, there was still the dormant matter of trying to make sure things went absolutely smoothly when he and Liane finally settled on a date for their wedding. They had been in contact with several entities to start getting plans in motion but didn’t want to set anything in stone until they were absolutely sure things could go off without a hitch. As of now, the only real obstacle that seemed to stand in their way was the fear of Liane’s parents objecting to the union, especially since it didn’t feel right to leave them off the guest list when Aaron’s family and Liane’s siblings were all on good terms with them. All they needed was a free moment for Aaron to meet them and try to talk with them, knowing now how he wanted to tackle this issue and hopefully help Liane repair her own broken bridge with the last part of her family where the ties were still severed.
As Aaron sat, humming to himself while his pencil was at work with his sketchpad, he also couldn’t ignore the sinking feeling in the pit of his gut regarding that woman he’d crossed paths with who had claimed to be working for Dr. Marsh-Asher, something the therapist himself had admitted was an elaborate lie she was trying to use as a cover. He didn’t know what she was ultimately after or why she felt the need to suddenly try to interject herself into his and Liane’s lives, but he just knew there were dark motives coating her intentions and resisting her games leading up to his World Title match likely wasn’t the last he would see of her. He had intended to speak with Dr. Marsh-Asher after the pay-per-view once he learned he was entering the battle royal, resurrecting Thirteen one more time in the process, but had forgotten about it with how just he was beating himself up over his loss that night. That, in and of itself, was on his list of things he wanted to discuss the next time he could have a session with the therapist but considering he hadn’t been able to get a hold of him since the pay-per-view ended he had to be extremely busy with something. He could only hope that he got some answers about this ‘Nancy’ woman in the meantime or, better yet, find a way to no longer have to worry about her trying to poke around in his business.
“Aw, that looks so sweet.”
Aaron snapped out of his creative trance at the sound of the familiar voice and glanced up to see the smiling face of Liane as she gently wrapped her arms around him from behind, looking over his shoulder at what he was working on. While Liane was busy doing something she said her love would appreciate, he’d passed the time in their hotel room by letting himself slip into the focus that allowed him to ignore all the issues of the outside world in favor of what he was aiming to bring to life with nothing more than a pencil and some paper. Since he’d been trying to focus on the future, it felt right to finally get a good look at what he’d been working on and see the sketch of Liane and himself kissing at the alter as their bond to one another was made official, with everyone in attendance giving their blessing, including Liane’s parents courtesy of a few photos he’d been shown of them recently. It was fairly elaborate, but that just helped to reinforce the hope he had that things would get much better and more peaceful soon.
“Thanks hon. I guess… I’ve been thinking a lot about our wedding. I know we both want nothing more than to be able to exchange vows already and belong to each other until death do us part.”
“I know… and I know that it’s pretty much nonstop traveling until Rise to Greatness is over. Hopefully, after that…”
Aaron knew what she was getting at, and nodded in agreement. Since he knew the road to Rise to Greatness would require as much of his focus as possible already, that was what he needed to concern himself with first and foremost. Liane had her comedy shows in the meantime that would keep her busy, and ideally, the plan was that once Aaron was through putting an end to his Shilo issue and clearing the fog surrounding his SCW career, they would pay a visit to Mr. and Mrs. Forte and hopefully be able to set things on the right track. Aaron leaned up and gave Liane a peck on the lips.
“How’ve you been after that night?”
“Doing better. I still have moments where I’m struggling with my other side getting frustrated and trying to lash out, but I think I’m slowly putting that behind me. If I could talk to Dr. Marsh-Asher though…”
“I know what you mean… I’ve been wanting to talk with him too. I had hoped to after Taking Hold of the Flame, but I’d gotten so lost in my own doubt again I lost track of everything around me. But whatever’s keeping him from answering surely has to be very important.”
Liane knew it was a shaky argument Aaron was trying to make, but if it gave him hope then she wasn’t about to say anything against it. Aaron’s distrust of therapists was a longstanding issue she knew he was trying to fight against to get some help he really did need in getting his head straightened out, and the former SCW wrestler had been the only one he’d ever encountered that clearly understood the difference between his imagination and insanity, but the longer he waited to hear anything back the more he could feel himself struggling to sort himself out. Liane gently took her husband-to-be’s hand in hers, reminding him that they were always there for each other no matter what, and they weren’t alone on that front either. As Aaron set his sketchbook aside and stood up from the desk, he turned and found his eyes widening as he finally realized Liane was dressed up like she was about ready to go to a ball or something.
“What’s with the dress? Is there something going on tonight?”
“Perhaps… I know being here in Little Rock doesn’t exactly bring back fond memories, considering that whole dinner date fiasco you had to endure years ago, but I thought we could try to erase that memory with a new one of the two of us. It could help you not feel as negatively about doing anything while we’re here, and I could definitely use a romantic dinner to maybe help keep me from flipping my lid any further.”
Aaron pondered the thought, though Liane was certainly making a strong case as she decided to do a little twirl in the dress he had to admit looked incredible on her. He had to admit that the idea of not cringing and trying to concoct an excuse to avoid being here whenever Little Rock came up on SCW’s touring schedule sounded really nice, especially as he was trying to fight to eliminate the stress that was attempting to consume his life once again.
“Alright, I’m open to giving it a shot, though I don’t think we’ll be going to that same restaurant. Bad memories aside, I doubt they’ll let you in after you busted Scarlet up that night. Let me get cleaned up a bit and we’ll head out.”
Liane giggled at the memory and nodded, knowing she was probably banned for life from that restaurant but not arguing that it was worth it to save Aaron from that harlot’s games. With that, Aaron grabbed some dress clothes and ducked into the bathroom, stripping himself naked before starting up a nice hot shower. Standing under the steaming hot droplets that pelted his skin certainly helped him to relax, and his mind began to focus on that mess that seemed so very long ago now. The way Scarlet Grey had sought to hijack his career all because she was trying to control his destiny and mold it to her liking… who would have guessed that years later, Shilo Valiant would be pulling the exact same stunt? Both had gone on for way too long, both had interrupted his attempts to move forward or put his full focus on other matters, and both had no right trying to tell him what his future was supposed to be. All he wanted to do was marry Liane and spend the rest of his life with her, working hard to put himself out there as an artist and proving that he more than belonged in a wrestling ring and doing it the right way, and he was growing tired of everyone who thought they had the right to try and latch on to his career like parasites and steer it where they wanted it to go.
This is why he stood with Alistaire, Peyton, Owen and Kelcey, and why he was never backing down from those who thought they knew what was best for the business. Just like with the world at large, the ones most obsessed with defining the idea of greatness and success were the same ones willing to destroy everything and corrupt it in their own image because they believed they alone were the only ones who would ever reach that precipice.
“No two humans are created equal… but every human has a fair chance to achieve great heights in their lives and should never be told otherwise.”
It was a thought that was slowly becoming a personal affirmation to the creative soul whenever he needed to redirect his focus should he start slipping in his fight. After all, there were far more this would affect than just him. It was an issue that went beyond his circle of friends as well, and it was a problem that needed to be corrected. Even if he was one of the few willing to stand and fight to fix what was broken, he would do so without hesitation. That was why he was done with Shilo’s games and making it clear to the clown that they were going to end this sooner rather than later, why he was determined to figure out what the deal was with this woman trying to muscle in on Dr. Marsh-Asher’s job of being their therapist for all the wrong reasons… why he wanted Liane and her parents to make peace so they could truly get married. That thought stayed in his head and seemed to fuel him forward as he finished cleaning up and stepped out of the shower, taking a moment to dry off before he got himself looking as fancy as he could. He smiled at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, carefully studying it as he realized it had been a while since he’d actually seen himself wearing an honest smile. Despite all the struggles, he was happy, and he would do anything to keep it that way. That was why it really bothered him when he stepped out of the bathroom and, before he could say a word to get their evening going the way they wanted it to, found his heart plummeting as he saw Liane suddenly looking distressed as she sat on the bed, furiously texting on her phone.
“Liane? Is everything alright?”
“I really want to say it is, but… I just got a text from my brother, Lucas. Apparently, after he finished up a podcast interview about the latest comic he was working on, he was approached by a woman asking him a lot of questions about me and making him feel really uncomfortable, trying to pick away at his own insecurities.”
“Nancy?”
“She didn’t give him a name, but his description of her fits. She told him she was someone looking to get some information on me to prepare for an interview about my comedy career, which means she’s changing her story up. I’ve been trying to help him snap out of whatever she did to him while spreading the word to my other siblings in case she tries this with them.”
“I should probably tip my family off too, just to be safe.”
Aaron leaned down and kissed Liane’s forehead to help keep her from losing it any further while silently confirming that once her brother was in a sound frame of mind again they’d still go out on their date, especially since it sounded like they needed it more than ever now. While she continued her text conversation with him, Aaron grabbed his phone and immediately noticed he had a text message from the man he’d been trying to get a hold of for weeks now. It was short and simple, and yet the words still rattled him to his core and made him nervous about whatever was behind them, especially coming from the man known in the wrestling business as Thirteen.
‘After Breakdown, stop in Chicago to see me at my office. We need to have a very important talk about this parasite that’s been bothering you.’
---------------------------------------------
Sometimes, when things weren’t going your way, it’s best to take a step back and do something else to clear your head.
It was something Aaron hadn’t been able to do too often lately, but it was something he desperately needed right about now.
The past few weeks had certainly given him every reason to be stressed out, and virtually all of it was SCW’s doing. The failure to defeat Bree and become World Champion had been one thing, and thankfully Owen was able to snap Aaron out of that funk. Shilo’s renewed antics, however, had been grinding on the artist’s last nerve, from nearly costing him and Owen their tag match two weeks ago to their ‘chat’ last week that clearly proved Shilo wasn’t paying attention. For all the times he had truthfully claimed he wasn’t trying to be the next Shilo Valiant but simply the one and only Aaron Blackbourne, Shilo was clinging to the belief that the creative soul was trying to usurp the entertainer’s throne and failing at it. In his mind, all Aaron needed was one more match with Shilo, one with a definitive outcome, to silence him once and for all and make it clear to him exactly what he’s been saying for months now.
All he needed was to be rid of Shilo… then perhaps he could finally go back to trying to paint his own destiny into existence.
Of course, there were other problems lingering on Aaron’s mind as well that didn’t have anything to do with wrestling, even if Shilo was doing his best to be the problem at the forefront of his thoughts. After all, there was still the dormant matter of trying to make sure things went absolutely smoothly when he and Liane finally settled on a date for their wedding. They had been in contact with several entities to start getting plans in motion but didn’t want to set anything in stone until they were absolutely sure things could go off without a hitch. As of now, the only real obstacle that seemed to stand in their way was the fear of Liane’s parents objecting to the union, especially since it didn’t feel right to leave them off the guest list when Aaron’s family and Liane’s siblings were all on good terms with them. All they needed was a free moment for Aaron to meet them and try to talk with them, knowing now how he wanted to tackle this issue and hopefully help Liane repair her own broken bridge with the last part of her family where the ties were still severed.
As Aaron sat, humming to himself while his pencil was at work with his sketchpad, he also couldn’t ignore the sinking feeling in the pit of his gut regarding that woman he’d crossed paths with who had claimed to be working for Dr. Marsh-Asher, something the therapist himself had admitted was an elaborate lie she was trying to use as a cover. He didn’t know what she was ultimately after or why she felt the need to suddenly try to interject herself into his and Liane’s lives, but he just knew there were dark motives coating her intentions and resisting her games leading up to his World Title match likely wasn’t the last he would see of her. He had intended to speak with Dr. Marsh-Asher after the pay-per-view once he learned he was entering the battle royal, resurrecting Thirteen one more time in the process, but had forgotten about it with how just he was beating himself up over his loss that night. That, in and of itself, was on his list of things he wanted to discuss the next time he could have a session with the therapist but considering he hadn’t been able to get a hold of him since the pay-per-view ended he had to be extremely busy with something. He could only hope that he got some answers about this ‘Nancy’ woman in the meantime or, better yet, find a way to no longer have to worry about her trying to poke around in his business.
“Aw, that looks so sweet.”
Aaron snapped out of his creative trance at the sound of the familiar voice and glanced up to see the smiling face of Liane as she gently wrapped her arms around him from behind, looking over his shoulder at what he was working on. While Liane was busy doing something she said her love would appreciate, he’d passed the time in their hotel room by letting himself slip into the focus that allowed him to ignore all the issues of the outside world in favor of what he was aiming to bring to life with nothing more than a pencil and some paper. Since he’d been trying to focus on the future, it felt right to finally get a good look at what he’d been working on and see the sketch of Liane and himself kissing at the alter as their bond to one another was made official, with everyone in attendance giving their blessing, including Liane’s parents courtesy of a few photos he’d been shown of them recently. It was fairly elaborate, but that just helped to reinforce the hope he had that things would get much better and more peaceful soon.
“Thanks hon. I guess… I’ve been thinking a lot about our wedding. I know we both want nothing more than to be able to exchange vows already and belong to each other until death do us part.”
“I know… and I know that it’s pretty much nonstop traveling until Rise to Greatness is over. Hopefully, after that…”
Aaron knew what she was getting at, and nodded in agreement. Since he knew the road to Rise to Greatness would require as much of his focus as possible already, that was what he needed to concern himself with first and foremost. Liane had her comedy shows in the meantime that would keep her busy, and ideally, the plan was that once Aaron was through putting an end to his Shilo issue and clearing the fog surrounding his SCW career, they would pay a visit to Mr. and Mrs. Forte and hopefully be able to set things on the right track. Aaron leaned up and gave Liane a peck on the lips.
“How’ve you been after that night?”
“Doing better. I still have moments where I’m struggling with my other side getting frustrated and trying to lash out, but I think I’m slowly putting that behind me. If I could talk to Dr. Marsh-Asher though…”
“I know what you mean… I’ve been wanting to talk with him too. I had hoped to after Taking Hold of the Flame, but I’d gotten so lost in my own doubt again I lost track of everything around me. But whatever’s keeping him from answering surely has to be very important.”
Liane knew it was a shaky argument Aaron was trying to make, but if it gave him hope then she wasn’t about to say anything against it. Aaron’s distrust of therapists was a longstanding issue she knew he was trying to fight against to get some help he really did need in getting his head straightened out, and the former SCW wrestler had been the only one he’d ever encountered that clearly understood the difference between his imagination and insanity, but the longer he waited to hear anything back the more he could feel himself struggling to sort himself out. Liane gently took her husband-to-be’s hand in hers, reminding him that they were always there for each other no matter what, and they weren’t alone on that front either. As Aaron set his sketchbook aside and stood up from the desk, he turned and found his eyes widening as he finally realized Liane was dressed up like she was about ready to go to a ball or something.
“What’s with the dress? Is there something going on tonight?”
“Perhaps… I know being here in Little Rock doesn’t exactly bring back fond memories, considering that whole dinner date fiasco you had to endure years ago, but I thought we could try to erase that memory with a new one of the two of us. It could help you not feel as negatively about doing anything while we’re here, and I could definitely use a romantic dinner to maybe help keep me from flipping my lid any further.”
Aaron pondered the thought, though Liane was certainly making a strong case as she decided to do a little twirl in the dress he had to admit looked incredible on her. He had to admit that the idea of not cringing and trying to concoct an excuse to avoid being here whenever Little Rock came up on SCW’s touring schedule sounded really nice, especially as he was trying to fight to eliminate the stress that was attempting to consume his life once again.
“Alright, I’m open to giving it a shot, though I don’t think we’ll be going to that same restaurant. Bad memories aside, I doubt they’ll let you in after you busted Scarlet up that night. Let me get cleaned up a bit and we’ll head out.”
Liane giggled at the memory and nodded, knowing she was probably banned for life from that restaurant but not arguing that it was worth it to save Aaron from that harlot’s games. With that, Aaron grabbed some dress clothes and ducked into the bathroom, stripping himself naked before starting up a nice hot shower. Standing under the steaming hot droplets that pelted his skin certainly helped him to relax, and his mind began to focus on that mess that seemed so very long ago now. The way Scarlet Grey had sought to hijack his career all because she was trying to control his destiny and mold it to her liking… who would have guessed that years later, Shilo Valiant would be pulling the exact same stunt? Both had gone on for way too long, both had interrupted his attempts to move forward or put his full focus on other matters, and both had no right trying to tell him what his future was supposed to be. All he wanted to do was marry Liane and spend the rest of his life with her, working hard to put himself out there as an artist and proving that he more than belonged in a wrestling ring and doing it the right way, and he was growing tired of everyone who thought they had the right to try and latch on to his career like parasites and steer it where they wanted it to go.
This is why he stood with Alistaire, Peyton, Owen and Kelcey, and why he was never backing down from those who thought they knew what was best for the business. Just like with the world at large, the ones most obsessed with defining the idea of greatness and success were the same ones willing to destroy everything and corrupt it in their own image because they believed they alone were the only ones who would ever reach that precipice.
“No two humans are created equal… but every human has a fair chance to achieve great heights in their lives and should never be told otherwise.”
It was a thought that was slowly becoming a personal affirmation to the creative soul whenever he needed to redirect his focus should he start slipping in his fight. After all, there were far more this would affect than just him. It was an issue that went beyond his circle of friends as well, and it was a problem that needed to be corrected. Even if he was one of the few willing to stand and fight to fix what was broken, he would do so without hesitation. That was why he was done with Shilo’s games and making it clear to the clown that they were going to end this sooner rather than later, why he was determined to figure out what the deal was with this woman trying to muscle in on Dr. Marsh-Asher’s job of being their therapist for all the wrong reasons… why he wanted Liane and her parents to make peace so they could truly get married. That thought stayed in his head and seemed to fuel him forward as he finished cleaning up and stepped out of the shower, taking a moment to dry off before he got himself looking as fancy as he could. He smiled at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, carefully studying it as he realized it had been a while since he’d actually seen himself wearing an honest smile. Despite all the struggles, he was happy, and he would do anything to keep it that way. That was why it really bothered him when he stepped out of the bathroom and, before he could say a word to get their evening going the way they wanted it to, found his heart plummeting as he saw Liane suddenly looking distressed as she sat on the bed, furiously texting on her phone.
“Liane? Is everything alright?”
“I really want to say it is, but… I just got a text from my brother, Lucas. Apparently, after he finished up a podcast interview about the latest comic he was working on, he was approached by a woman asking him a lot of questions about me and making him feel really uncomfortable, trying to pick away at his own insecurities.”
“Nancy?”
“She didn’t give him a name, but his description of her fits. She told him she was someone looking to get some information on me to prepare for an interview about my comedy career, which means she’s changing her story up. I’ve been trying to help him snap out of whatever she did to him while spreading the word to my other siblings in case she tries this with them.”
“I should probably tip my family off too, just to be safe.”
Aaron leaned down and kissed Liane’s forehead to help keep her from losing it any further while silently confirming that once her brother was in a sound frame of mind again they’d still go out on their date, especially since it sounded like they needed it more than ever now. While she continued her text conversation with him, Aaron grabbed his phone and immediately noticed he had a text message from the man he’d been trying to get a hold of for weeks now. It was short and simple, and yet the words still rattled him to his core and made him nervous about whatever was behind them, especially coming from the man known in the wrestling business as Thirteen.
‘After Breakdown, stop in Chicago to see me at my office. We need to have a very important talk about this parasite that’s been bothering you.’
06-23-2020, 11:36 PM
I know it's a dark match and everything, but I started writing this RP and then got sucked into it.
Enjoy.
![[Image: thediary.png]](http://www.ravyntaylor.com/newdiary/images/thediary.png)
Ravyn Taylor's Diary
January 4th, 2019
Enjoy.
Ravyn Taylor's Diary
January 4th, 2019