RUSH CHAMPIONSHIP

[DeviousDanny]

Sabrina Bello’s Apartment



It is the night after Sabrina Bello defeated Ryan Singer at Emerge 23, and she has rewarded herself by spending extra time in the shower. She steps out into the steamy bathroom and wipes a spot on the mirror quickly with her hand so she can see herself in it. The look on her face is not quite as you’d expect it to be after earning another win. No, she just looks tired. She lowers her head and lets out a heavy sigh before looking back up, nearly jumping right out of her skin when she sees Lindsay Morrison has somehow materialized virtually out of thin air directly behind her.



Lindsay smiles warmly,  even as she tucks a set of pins in her loose hair.  "You really need better locks, my dear," she says cheerfully.



“And why would I ever want to keep you out, Lindsay? Of course, the fact that you chose not to wait until I left the bathroom makes me wonder why?” Sabrina pauses for a moment as a thought crosses her mind, causing her to turn herself towards Lindsay, giving her a full view of what is normally covered in fabric.



“I suppose I should be happy you weren’t waiting for me the second I hopped right out of the shower. I very well might have had a heart attack had you been standing right there. I guess I should also start expecting you show up when I least expect it,” she smirks playfully. “Would you mind handing me that towel over there? Or if you’d like, I can just stand here having this conversation with you dripping wet.” Sabrina motions towards the towel.



Lindsay's eyes flick over Sabrina’s form in a calculated look,  before she grabs the towel, unfolding it with a sharp flick,  and holding it out to wrap around Sabrina.



"Carpe diem,  darling.  Seize the day.  Don't hesitate," Lindsay partially explains her presence. "But holding a conversation as you are now,  well,  it may end up rather distracted."



“Very, very true,” Sabrina lets a light chuckle escape her mouth. “So what do I owe the honor or your presence this evening, then? Did you come to congratulate me for seizing back-to-back victories? I suppose it will all be for not since I’m facing highly insurmountable odds in a couple weeks. It’s one thing to beat Jackson and Singer, but Sundown is a whole other level. He gets his hands on me, I might be luckily to leave that ship with the ability to walk,” Sabrina confesses with more than a tinge of fear.



Lindsay nods.  "Congratulations are indeed in order," she says warmly.  "Your demons seem to be firmly in the past now.  I have to say,  I'm proud of you,  Sabrina."



There is a blink-and-you'd-miss-it flash of something very much like maliciousness that passes over Lindsay’s face.



"Well if you wanted practice at facing a monster,  you could try and sit in the same room as Mordecai," she suggests.



A look of curiosity washes over Sabrina as she tilts her head in Lindsay’s direction. “What do you suppose I could learn by simply being in the same room as Mordecai? Is it just a matter of spending time around a monster to alleviate the fear of being in the ring with one?” Sabrina pauses and before Lindsay can respond she says, “I guess you have done nothing but give me great advice so far, so why start doubting you now?”



"Oh Sabrina,  I'm not some all seeing and all knowing oracle,  a font of wisdom.  Doubt me all you wish," Lindsay says lightly.  "But fear... fear is a curious thing. There is always a method to my madness.  Is this something you want to learn?"



“I want to learn everything and anything I can. I’ve spent much of my life in the dark and I need someone to help me fill in the gaps. If you’re willing to share your knowledge with me, I’m more than willing to listen to what you say,” Sabrina replies happily. “You have helped me a lot so far just by spending time in your presence.”



“I’ve always loved mentoring,” Lindsay admits, something open and vulnerable about her expression for a moment, before her usual mask drops back into place. “If you truly want this, tell me, and we can begin. The first step starts with you.”



With full confidence, Sabrina answers, “I want you...er, I want this. I want you to be my friend, my mentor and anything else you are willing to be for me. I was utterly lost before you came to me that night. I will admit to you alone that I was just about at the end of my rope as far as my career was concerned.” Sabrina does not appear to be lying or seeking sympathy with her tone, inching her way closer to Lindsay as she gets real serious. “You may never know how much it means to me that you entered my life when you did. And if I can be frank with you, I was always hoping that somehow connecting with your sister as I did would also bring you into my life. I’ve watched you from afar with great fascination and wonder for so long, and now here you are. You stand here before me in my very own bathroom and I’m here with you wearing nothing but a towel.”



Sabrina smiles a playful little smile and places her right hand on Lindsay’s left shoulder. She looks into Lindsay’s eyes, but finds that Lindsay is showing not much emotion at all. “I’ve had a dream very similar to this many times over the years. Only, most of the time it has been you wearing nothing but your birthday suit. I’ve wondered many times what it is you look like beneath all of those pesky clothes.” Sabrina brings her hand up to Lindsay’s cheek and very gently strokes it.



Lindsay accepts the touch to her cheek. "Here I am, indeed," she agrees,  but then dips her shoulder and steps back the smallest fraction.  "And as tempting a treat as you are, dearest Sabrina,  a mentor must have some restraint towards her student. This is not a no,  but a maybe."



With a quick movement,  Lindsay brushes a kiss as light as a feather across Sabrina's lips,  before turning and walking from the bathroom,  a distinct sway in her step.



Sabrina mutters under her breath, “I think I need to take another shower after all of that. Much colder this time…” Sabrina drops her towel to the floor and indeed turns the cold knob on the shower and hops back in. Within moments of stepping in, the sounds of her moaning in ecstasy can be heard above the water.



INNER MONOLOGUE



Can I really do this? It is such a tremendous opportunity, to be sure. Seemingly it would not be too much of a stretch to retrieve one of those briefcases. With any luck it would be Yvonne Knight who would grab the other one. I sure would love to get my hands all over her again. She is indeed one hell of an athlete but I feel if I get another crack at her I could emerge victorious.



I would probably have a better chance of leaving that ship with the RUSH Championship Title around my waist if I could get Lindsay to help me out a little. She and her family of minions could be quite instrumental in helping her...no, that is not what I want Lindsay for. I don’t need anybody out there with me to help me win. If I win, it will be all on my own and be something to be proud of. It will be a moment to look back on and say that I finally accomplished something.



I can’t stop thinking about Lindsay, though. I actually do feel like, as strange as this seems, that I don’t want to disappoint her. Could that be? No, that’s silly, isn’t it? Do I really think that if I keep winning she will want to fuck me? Oh, that is such a harsh, nasty word for how I feel about her. No, I want, no, I need to make love to her. That sounds better. And everybody loves a winner, right? I could be a champion and get myself a girlfriend all at once. Ahhhh, not sure if that’s how it will play out, but it couldn’t hurt. It’s been a long time since I felt these butterflies in my tummy, though.



Again, though, how the fuck am I going to get through all of this? I’ve never been in a Ladder Match, but I’ve seen enough of them as a fan to know that they are extraordinarily dangerous. I certainly put myself through pure torture and treacherous conditions throughout all that time in Japan. It’s all just about mind over matter, right? I’ve heard that before many times. Just gotta find a way to ignore all the pain and just keep climbing and climbing and climbing. Just gotta prove that I am as unbreakable as I like to claim I am.  

“SPECIAL” Interview

Sabrina Bello is feeling really good about herself right now. She has consecutive wins and looks to be a true threat to win a championship sooner than later. That could certainly not be said only a few months ago. She has even been showing an interest in the art of submission wrestling. So while she might have momentum, you might guess that she left disappointed to not earn a submission victory in either match. Luckily, you don’t have to speculate as she is sitting down for a special, exclusive interview with Emerge Reporter Lilee Snow.



Sabrina: I would like to thank you for taking time of your day to do this. I know I have been a complete and utter cunt towards you in the past. I won’t apologize for that as I had my reasons for my behavior. However, as you can likely tell just by looking me in the eyes right now that I am 100% sober and I will show much better restraint to show you how appreciative I am that you were willing to be here.



Lilee indeed stares at Sabrina’s half-smiling face for a few pregnant moments, smiling herself when she can sense that Sabrina is being genuine.



Lilee: Alright, then. You know, there are other people here who can do my job if you’d like. You don’t have to rely on me.



Sabrina nods slowly and smirks.



Sabrina: You are the best that Emerge has to offer. You are not afraid to ask hard questions and you rarely ask stupid questions. So heading into the huge Symphony of the Sea event, I wanted nobody but you to interview me.



Lilee: Um, okay. So, first question is, why are you suddenly so interested in making your opponents tap out? You’ve stated prior to both your match against Tyler Jackson and then against Ryan Singer, that you wanted to make them submit to the Gran Finale. You even doubled down by saying that you would refuse to let Singer leave without submitting. You never showed an interest in submissions before, right? So why now?



Sabrina: Simply put, I’m no longer concerned with only winning, but also on making a statement. I was confident that I would defeat Jackson, so why not try and put a little pressure on myself to go that extra step? Lindsay Morrison has told me that there are few greater feelings in this world than making someone submit to your will.



Lilee: So why, then, after failing to submit Tyler Jackson, would you double down when it came time to talking about Ryan Singer? Singer is whole higher caliber of wrestler than Jackson, few would argue. Failing to tap him out kind of makes it look like you’re maybe incapable of tapping anybody out.



Sabrina: Again, I am trying to go out there and make a statement. Set the bar high, right? Shoot for the stars and all that shit. Was I disappointed that I failed on both counts to submit them? Of course, but at the end of the day a win is a win and I have consecutive victories.



Lilee: I also find it peculiar that you would lean so heavily on submitting your opponents when you’re competing in a Ladder Match on night one of Symphony of the Sea. There are no submissions in that match.



Sabrina rolls her eyes and takes a deep breath.



Sabrina: You fail to realize that if I can lock in the Gran Finale for a substantial amount of time on even one of the competitors in the match that their ability to walk will be severely compromised. You don’t think that possibly taking Sundown’s knees out won’t help me get one of those briefcases? It seems to me that as long as that beast of a man is vertical and walking without pain, he is a particularly dangerous threat. Between Melissa Killgraves, Ryan Singer, Yvonne Knight and I, we should be able to possibly form enough of a temporary alliance in the case that one of us alone is not enough to keep Sundown from grabbing one of those briefcases. You think any of the four of us would want to go one-on-one with Sundown, especially given the hell we are sure to put ourselves through on Saturday?



Lilee: I suppose you raise some valid points there. It sounds as though you’re scared of Sundown. What role does that fear play in your strategy heading into that match?



Sabrina: If I were to tell you I was unafraid of Sundown, that would be one whopper of a lie. That guy is a scary motherfucker who is seemingly a horror movie monster brought to life. If I was not afraid of Sundown, I would be about as dumb as Donald Trump looks. The thing one needs to keep in mind when preparing for facing such a beast is that nobody in this world is unstoppable. When it boils down to it, he is just a mortal human being who feels pain. He is undoubtedly one hell of a force to be reckoned with, but he is only a man. Of course, what I mentioned before about taking his legs out and working with others to help take him out. There is always a way to defeat these so-called monsters.



Lilee: I know you’ve faced Ryan Singer a couple of times and you’ve fought Yvonne Knight very recently as well. You have never met Melissa Killgraves as far as I know, so what do you think of her?



Sabrina: Oh, she is a fiery and nasty competitor as far as I can tell. She got a lot of issues mentally that are working in her favor when it comes to putting a hurting on her opponents. Seeing what she did to Goddrick was quite impressive, so I’d be a damn fool to overlook what she brings to the show. She fought Yvonne Knight at Emerge 23 and escaped victorious, which I personally can not say. Of course, I know The Moustache Ride interfered in the match to give Killgraves the DQ victory, but as we all know, a win is a win.



Lilee: What do you make of that whole situation? Do you believe Yvonne Knight when she claims that she is not asking for The Moustache Ride’s help at all?



Sabrina shakes her head.



Sabrina: As far as I’m concerned, Ivy has given me no reason to doubt her. She is the picture of class and skill. What does she gain by those two knuckleheads interfering? They make her look bad by being out there supposedly trying to help her. I mean, we’ve all seen Ivy right? She does not need anybody’s help. I believe her 100%. I guess I should maybe make that 99% because there is ALWAYS the chance that I’m dead wrong and she is breaking bad. But no, I have a world of respect for Ivy, Lilee.



Lilee: Back to Killgraves, then, shall we?



Sabrina shakes her head again, this time more vigorously.



Sabrina: Nope. With all due respect, I’ve already spent as much time talking about her as I would like.



Lilee: Fair enough. So, would you mind telling us a bit more about your...I’m not sure if it’s a business arrangement or what it is, that you have with Shadowcat? This kinda feels like déja vú to be honest. It wasn’t long ago that I was asking you about your alliance with Mika Kozlov.



Sabrina: I certainly do not blame you for feeling that way. The thought has crossed my mind that maybe Lindsay is not so different than Mika, or should I say it HAD crossed my mind initially. That was until I really had the chance to spend some time with her. Having just experienced someone who was manipulating me and using me, you better believe I was wary of Lindsay when I first met her. Whatever it is she is to me at this point, her influence upon me has helped me put it all together. And I certainly don’t want to let her down. No, I definitely want to continue to make a good impression on her.



Lilee narrows her eyes and cocks her head sideways at Sabrina.



Lilee: Why is that?



Sabrina: Well, perhaps I have said too much as it is. I can’t go around telling the world everything now, can I? If you’d like, I could whisper it into your ear. You have to promise not to tell anybody, though. It’s more of an off the record kinda thing.



Lilee: Sure. Why not? Color me curious.



Sabrina motions for her to come closer to receive the whisper. Lilee gets out of her cheer and leans over in Sabrina’s direction. Sabrina starts whispering something that make Lilee’s eyes open very, very wide and then Sabrina sticks her tongue right in Lilee’s ear. That is enough to make Lilee fall right back into her chair. Lilee takes a deep breath and looks rather, perhaps exhilarated as she tries to compose herself.



Lilee: Um, that certainly is an, um, understandable reason. Thanks for uh, sharing that with me.



Sabrina puts her index finger to her lips to remind Lilee to keep her mouth shut about it.



Sabrina: If I hear that you said a word about that to anybody, then I will find you and I will break both of your damn legs. Capisce? Don’t make me regret sharing that with you



Lilee: I hear you loud and clear, Sabrina. Do you have anything else you’d like to talk about?



Sabrina: I would like to extend a wishing of good luck to Vanilla Skyy, actually, now that you mention it. It might sound strange to hear me say this, given my relationship with Shadowcat at the moment, but I hope that Vanilla get what she seeks, what she desires. Imagine what must be going through that beautiful head of hers right now? She loses her job as Emerge GM, them very soon thereafter is like, “fuck it, I’m coming out of retirement to gain my revenge against Mordecai,” like she didn’t skip a beat. Maybe I should be hoping that Mordecai forces her to retire for good so that there is no threat of her coming after me. Right? Who is to say that she doesn’t just absolutely go through Mordecai like a hot knife through butter and then decides it’s time to check off another name on her shitlist. I know the level of violence she is capable of.



Sabrina lets that sink in for a moment.



Lilee: You were quite instrumental in her—



Sabrina: You don’t need to remind me, darling. I regret many things that I did while under the spell of Mika and all that alcohol I was downing. Nothing more than what I did to Vanilla Skyy. She didn’t deserve what I did one bit. And while it pales in comparison to the torture that Mordecai our her through, I believe in her eyes I’m just as worthy of revenge as he is. So yes, Vanilla, good luck to you.



Lilee: Is that it? Just good luck to someone who hates your guts?



Sabrina: What do you want me to say? Ryan Singer’s a loser, Melissa Kilgraves is boring, Yvonne Knight is past her prime, that Sundown probably can’t even climb a ladder? Something along those lines? Some bulletin board material? Nah, I think I’ve said enough. I go into this show an underdog but leave a...CHAMPION.



Lilee: There you have it folks. “Unbreakable” Sabrina Bello.