08-28-2018, 07:52 AM
Joint CD effort from the Red Empire. Still kind of shaking off the rust from not writing for this kind of thing for a while on my end, or anything at all on my partner's end, so we're kind of drawing blanks on the promo aspect and just going back to what we're at least more familiar with: trying to tell a story and seeing where we go with it.
---
If one were to look at the next Breakdown card, they would no doubt be surprised by the sight of the Red Empire's names surfacing upon it. True, Scarlet had made a reappearance over the past few weeks for reasons that only seemed to make sense to her, but there had been no sign of Ruby to indicate a full scale reunion. The last time either of them had been seen was months ago when, following a failed bid to take their rightful place as tag team champions, the two crimson-haired bombshells seemingly vanished into thin air. Sure, many can take credit for doing the deed, but the reality of the situation was that the Red Empire took themselves out. Of course, no one would ever accept that when they don't have a clue as to what goes on within Scarlet's little castle...
*FLASHBACK*
Grey: GOD DAMMIT!!!
It was no real surprise that Scarlet's meltdown seemed to be a storm all its own, though the extremely small number of people that truly knew her (aka Ruby) would be the ones used to the sight before them right now. Furniture was overturned, mirrors and various other glass objects were shattered, and in general the whole place looked like a hurricane had just passed through. Still, Scarlet continued to try and figure out how to further wreck the place, having now resorted to pounding her fists against the wall in a vain effort to break it down. Her hands had become bloodied from what had clearly been a considerable amount of time spent on this task, but she was too far lost in her episode to really care.
Grey: We should be champions! Those belts should be ours!
Amarant: And they will be, but hurting yourself isn't going to help in that endeavor. Like it or not, it's back to the drawing board for us, but I promise you it will not stay that way for long.
The sound logic fell on deaf ears as Ruby tried to restrain her partner, but when Scarlet went into a full scale psychotic episode it was almost like trying to stop a train just by standing in front of it with your arms stretched forward. This wasn't the first time Ruby had put up with this... hell, this was the biggest reason why she continued to stick around the unstable succubus. Even she couldn't make sense of why seeing Scarlet in such a state bothered her when anyone else in this exact same position would result in her pulling up a chair and grabbing a bucket of popcorn as she fanned the flames, but she had always managed to find a way to talk her down before she did irreparable damage to herself. This go-around, however, was proving to be a challenge even for her, and the more Scarlet drove her torn-up knuckles into the wall the more she cringed.
Grey: I don't want to wait Ruby! I'm sick of not being a champion, I'm sick of the lack of respect, I'm sick of not getting noticed despite the fact any sane human being on this godforsaken planet knows I'm THE goddess among women and they would all commit mass murder for a chance to spend one night with me, whatever's between their legs be damned!
Amarant: Scarlet, do you think I'm just accepting this turn of events? The fact that we haven't had the level of success we're both capable of has done nothing but destroy me. Need I remind you that you had to stop me from essentially drowning myself in the pool because self-inflicted torture is how I choose to cope with a concept that's as foreign to me as common sense is to everyone beyond these walls you keep attacking?
Grey: Then maybe you should've put more effort into planning out how we worked our way through that match to stand tall instead of going out almost immediately!
Scarlet managed to shrug Ruby off of her before resuming her self-destructive task, and Ruby lightly ground her top teeth along her inner lip. The remark was easily shrugged off when you've played this game enough to know Scarlet never thought straight when she was like this, even by her own standards.
Amarant: Alright Scarlet, answer me this: what will it take for you to calm down so we can fix this immediately?
That question seemed to finally pierce her armor, and Scarlet stopped and just stared blankly down at her blood-soaked hands and the shards scattered around her boots as she contemplated her answer. The fact that she was willing to think it over was a good sign to Ruby, as bringing her back into a world where a civil and intelligent conversation would win the day gave her the opening to completely diffuse this time bomb for the immediate future, allowing them to get back to business.
Grey: I want you to leave.
THAT, however, brought about a rare dumbfounded look to the normally unshakable genius. Scarlet had suggested the last option Ruby wanted to even consider while she was in this state of mind, and that simply was going to fall on deaf ears. Ruby opened her mouth to protest, but Scarlet violently whipped around, stumbling a bit in the process from the blood loss, before giving the kind of death glare she only reserved for people she legitimately wanted to murder, a look Ruby figured she would never be on the receiving end of.
Grey: Don't even try to convince me that it's not even an option just because you're afraid of what I'll do to myself without you. I'll survive Rubes... I've done fine without you before and this time will be no different. Hell, maybe my little rampage will just continue if you keep trying to stop me! Right now, I can't even bring myself to look at you in any light, and I just want you to get the fuck away from me before I do something you know I'll truly regret. I need space, and if you won't give it to me then maybe we should see just how much more blood I can stand to lose before you have to start planning my funeral. Do you really want that, regardless of how much you actually do or don't care about me?
*END FLASHBACK*
In the wake of that, Ruby had managed to steady her nerves enough to grant Scarlet's wish, being allowed time to at least pack her things before she left. She'd also informed SCW that due to “personal reasons” the two of them would be withdrawing from active competition, effective immediately, and it hardly surprised her that the company granted the request without a second thought. She was hardly bothered by it, though. To her, wrestling was simply a game, not a passion like so many others claim runs through their bloodstream, and being without it wasn't like someone just ripped her child away from her. What she ended up doing afterwards, however, is not something she feels comfortable discussing, both for personal reasons and the fact that it's none of your damn business anyway to know anything that could be used against her. What can be said, though, is that getting a text message from Scarlet out of the blue asking her to finally come back after months of separation, a definite first for the tandem, was quite surprising and at least proof that Scarlet had kept to her word about putting an end to the self-destructive carnage if they split.
As Ruby walked through the door of Scarlet's little castle, she let out a sigh of relief at the sight of everything inside looking as though the entire incident had never happened, which was already a positive sign. This was offset, though, by the fact that there was no sign of her partner waiting for her return, which was odd considering she was certain Scarlet would be waiting to tackle her to the floor hoping to dive straight into a makeout session at the very least. Trying to keep herself focused, Ruby tossed her bag into a nearby chair and quietly made her way through the place, keeping her eyes peeled. It wasn't long before she finally did find the person she was looking for, though to say she was expecting the exact sight she saw would simply be akin to trying to put up a facade hoping people would buy that.
Scarlet was seated on the edge of her bed, wearing only a thong as far as clothing was concerned anyway. The more important thing to note, however, was that her otherwise naked form was painted head to toe, with a paintbrush in hand trying to cover whatever part of her thighs wasn't yet slathered in the stuff. Now, despite the truth that Ruby could care less about wrestling and SCW only meant something to her as long as Scarlet held an interest in it, she had checked in on the business every now and then on the off chance Scarlet brushed off her word to management in regards to “needing some time away” to go it alone, and while for the most part that wasn't the case, she had noticed that over the past few weeks the crimson-haired temptress had quietly returned of her own accord and seemingly taken interest in somebody else, though Ruby knew all too well what the true intent here was. Still, she couldn't help but clear her throat, and once Scarlet located the source of the sudden interruption to... whatever she was doing, her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.
Grey: Rubes!
Scarlet stood up and dashed towards Ruby as though she were shot out of a cannon, but put on the breaks when Ruby took a step back and held her hands up, clearly not wanting to be covered in wet paint herself right now.
Amarant: It's good to see you again Scarlet, and doing much better by the look of things. If you don't mind me asking though, why are you trying to turn yourself into some kind of surreal painting?
Grey: Oh, this? I kind of just got lost in painting on my body for the past few hours. I was trying to unleash my inner demons, but I don't think I'm doing it quite like he does. It's a damn shame too, because I was hoping to surprise him come Breakdown.
Amarant: Him?
Grey: My new love interest. His name's Aaron Blackbourne, and he's quite the creative little hunk. He even paints his body every now and then before competing to be some sort of demon, but he's got to have some secret to his methods because I look nothing like him... I still look pretty damn hot all covered in paint like this though, don't you agree?
Scarlet turned her back to Ruby and gave her ass a little wiggle, which Ruby couldn't help but smirk at for no other reason than the relief that she truly was back to normal, always willing to flirt with her partner even when she'd found a new catch of the day to focus on luring into bed. While she only worried about the members of the SCW roster when she had to deal with them in the ring, Ruby had taken note of the self-professed “creative soul” and was very much aware he was currently in the middle of his second run as television champion, and people were talking about how much potential he had as one of the many perceived “futures” of the company, an idea that simply made her gag at how much stock people put in such nonsense.
Amarant: So I take it you've gotten his attention then?
Grey: You could say that, though he's playing hard to get, hence why I thought showing him how creative and artsy I could be as well would get him to stop hiding behind what has to be this excuse of “being taken.” Seriously, what person, man or woman, in their right mind would ever refuse true perfection even if they did have someone already comforting them every night? He doesn't have to be nervous if he's telling the truth, all he has to do is catch a little bit of “Scarlet Fever” and he'll forget all about whatever little bitch thinks she could possibly compare with this work of art.
Scarlet had tried to stay on track as she talked, but it was hard to keep her voice from trembling every time she made mention of the object of her affections not wanting her in favor of someone else. Being rejected was not something she was used to, and the more Aaron tried to push her away the harder she was going to try to capture him in her web, no matter what it took. This was not lost on the ever-vigilant Ruby, but truth be told Scarlet was hoping she could still gain a small victory in their typical war of wits by getting the reserved genius on board with her plan. After all, if Aaron was telling the truth then this person who had “taken” him needed to be removed from the equation by any means necessary, and on the likely chance said person was not part of the SCW roster then Ruby would be the rational strategist that would keep her from doing anything rash that would see her deported from the company for reasons beyond her partner's intervention to help her put herself back together.
Grey: So, what have you been up to while you were obeying my orders to give me some space?
Amarant: I wouldn't exactly go that far, unless you want to think that if it helps. But that's none of your business I'm afraid.
Scarlet could only mentally snap her fingers (mostly due to the wet paint coating her body making the actual task impossible right now) as she thought the small distraction would allow her the chance to finally get some insight on the secret vault that was composed of everything she wanted to know about her partner, but Ruby still had her wits about her despite looking distracted. Clearly, she was deep in thought about what she'd heard, if for no other reason than the fact that while Ruby may not be as interested in helping Scarlet add the artistic competitor to her lists of “conquests” she was definitely interested in the idea of putting down a two time champion and “bright future” of SCW if this was to mark the return of the Red Empire to the fold, schemes already beginning to hatch in her twisted little mind. If anyone had the intellect and the means of verifying this claim of Aaron Blackbourne having a significant other already, and therefore a weakness as far as she was concerned, it was Ruby Amarant.
Amarant: What I can tell you, dear Scarlet, is that while I was away I managed to reestablish a few old connections... for better or worse... and I think I can lend you a hand if you so desire. Consider it a gift for giving me the only thing I could want right now, and that's seeing you back to your old self again. I prefer that Scarlet over the self-destructive psychopath any day, with all due respect.
There was a deeper meaning to Ruby's words and Scarlet knew it, but for the time being she let it pass. After all, this marked the official reunion of the Red Empire and the beginning of a new era for the tandem when it came to their plans. SCW wasn't going to know what hit them, and neither would Aaron Blackbourne when all was set and done, but if Ruby was going to dive back into this world she was going to make sure she left an impression this time, and Scarlet would not accept anything less than everything she had her eyes on by any means necessary. After all, how could anyone hope to truly stop her? After all, in her own mind she was a true goddess and the world was her plaything, and even if it wasn't meant to last she would soon have an emperor to stand by her side, and Ruby would have quite the example as to why she was the last person on the planet you ever wanted to engage in a battle of wits against.
---
If one were to look at the next Breakdown card, they would no doubt be surprised by the sight of the Red Empire's names surfacing upon it. True, Scarlet had made a reappearance over the past few weeks for reasons that only seemed to make sense to her, but there had been no sign of Ruby to indicate a full scale reunion. The last time either of them had been seen was months ago when, following a failed bid to take their rightful place as tag team champions, the two crimson-haired bombshells seemingly vanished into thin air. Sure, many can take credit for doing the deed, but the reality of the situation was that the Red Empire took themselves out. Of course, no one would ever accept that when they don't have a clue as to what goes on within Scarlet's little castle...
*FLASHBACK*
Grey: GOD DAMMIT!!!
It was no real surprise that Scarlet's meltdown seemed to be a storm all its own, though the extremely small number of people that truly knew her (aka Ruby) would be the ones used to the sight before them right now. Furniture was overturned, mirrors and various other glass objects were shattered, and in general the whole place looked like a hurricane had just passed through. Still, Scarlet continued to try and figure out how to further wreck the place, having now resorted to pounding her fists against the wall in a vain effort to break it down. Her hands had become bloodied from what had clearly been a considerable amount of time spent on this task, but she was too far lost in her episode to really care.
Grey: We should be champions! Those belts should be ours!
Amarant: And they will be, but hurting yourself isn't going to help in that endeavor. Like it or not, it's back to the drawing board for us, but I promise you it will not stay that way for long.
The sound logic fell on deaf ears as Ruby tried to restrain her partner, but when Scarlet went into a full scale psychotic episode it was almost like trying to stop a train just by standing in front of it with your arms stretched forward. This wasn't the first time Ruby had put up with this... hell, this was the biggest reason why she continued to stick around the unstable succubus. Even she couldn't make sense of why seeing Scarlet in such a state bothered her when anyone else in this exact same position would result in her pulling up a chair and grabbing a bucket of popcorn as she fanned the flames, but she had always managed to find a way to talk her down before she did irreparable damage to herself. This go-around, however, was proving to be a challenge even for her, and the more Scarlet drove her torn-up knuckles into the wall the more she cringed.
Grey: I don't want to wait Ruby! I'm sick of not being a champion, I'm sick of the lack of respect, I'm sick of not getting noticed despite the fact any sane human being on this godforsaken planet knows I'm THE goddess among women and they would all commit mass murder for a chance to spend one night with me, whatever's between their legs be damned!
Amarant: Scarlet, do you think I'm just accepting this turn of events? The fact that we haven't had the level of success we're both capable of has done nothing but destroy me. Need I remind you that you had to stop me from essentially drowning myself in the pool because self-inflicted torture is how I choose to cope with a concept that's as foreign to me as common sense is to everyone beyond these walls you keep attacking?
Grey: Then maybe you should've put more effort into planning out how we worked our way through that match to stand tall instead of going out almost immediately!
Scarlet managed to shrug Ruby off of her before resuming her self-destructive task, and Ruby lightly ground her top teeth along her inner lip. The remark was easily shrugged off when you've played this game enough to know Scarlet never thought straight when she was like this, even by her own standards.
Amarant: Alright Scarlet, answer me this: what will it take for you to calm down so we can fix this immediately?
That question seemed to finally pierce her armor, and Scarlet stopped and just stared blankly down at her blood-soaked hands and the shards scattered around her boots as she contemplated her answer. The fact that she was willing to think it over was a good sign to Ruby, as bringing her back into a world where a civil and intelligent conversation would win the day gave her the opening to completely diffuse this time bomb for the immediate future, allowing them to get back to business.
Grey: I want you to leave.
THAT, however, brought about a rare dumbfounded look to the normally unshakable genius. Scarlet had suggested the last option Ruby wanted to even consider while she was in this state of mind, and that simply was going to fall on deaf ears. Ruby opened her mouth to protest, but Scarlet violently whipped around, stumbling a bit in the process from the blood loss, before giving the kind of death glare she only reserved for people she legitimately wanted to murder, a look Ruby figured she would never be on the receiving end of.
Grey: Don't even try to convince me that it's not even an option just because you're afraid of what I'll do to myself without you. I'll survive Rubes... I've done fine without you before and this time will be no different. Hell, maybe my little rampage will just continue if you keep trying to stop me! Right now, I can't even bring myself to look at you in any light, and I just want you to get the fuck away from me before I do something you know I'll truly regret. I need space, and if you won't give it to me then maybe we should see just how much more blood I can stand to lose before you have to start planning my funeral. Do you really want that, regardless of how much you actually do or don't care about me?
*END FLASHBACK*
In the wake of that, Ruby had managed to steady her nerves enough to grant Scarlet's wish, being allowed time to at least pack her things before she left. She'd also informed SCW that due to “personal reasons” the two of them would be withdrawing from active competition, effective immediately, and it hardly surprised her that the company granted the request without a second thought. She was hardly bothered by it, though. To her, wrestling was simply a game, not a passion like so many others claim runs through their bloodstream, and being without it wasn't like someone just ripped her child away from her. What she ended up doing afterwards, however, is not something she feels comfortable discussing, both for personal reasons and the fact that it's none of your damn business anyway to know anything that could be used against her. What can be said, though, is that getting a text message from Scarlet out of the blue asking her to finally come back after months of separation, a definite first for the tandem, was quite surprising and at least proof that Scarlet had kept to her word about putting an end to the self-destructive carnage if they split.
As Ruby walked through the door of Scarlet's little castle, she let out a sigh of relief at the sight of everything inside looking as though the entire incident had never happened, which was already a positive sign. This was offset, though, by the fact that there was no sign of her partner waiting for her return, which was odd considering she was certain Scarlet would be waiting to tackle her to the floor hoping to dive straight into a makeout session at the very least. Trying to keep herself focused, Ruby tossed her bag into a nearby chair and quietly made her way through the place, keeping her eyes peeled. It wasn't long before she finally did find the person she was looking for, though to say she was expecting the exact sight she saw would simply be akin to trying to put up a facade hoping people would buy that.
Scarlet was seated on the edge of her bed, wearing only a thong as far as clothing was concerned anyway. The more important thing to note, however, was that her otherwise naked form was painted head to toe, with a paintbrush in hand trying to cover whatever part of her thighs wasn't yet slathered in the stuff. Now, despite the truth that Ruby could care less about wrestling and SCW only meant something to her as long as Scarlet held an interest in it, she had checked in on the business every now and then on the off chance Scarlet brushed off her word to management in regards to “needing some time away” to go it alone, and while for the most part that wasn't the case, she had noticed that over the past few weeks the crimson-haired temptress had quietly returned of her own accord and seemingly taken interest in somebody else, though Ruby knew all too well what the true intent here was. Still, she couldn't help but clear her throat, and once Scarlet located the source of the sudden interruption to... whatever she was doing, her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.
Grey: Rubes!
Scarlet stood up and dashed towards Ruby as though she were shot out of a cannon, but put on the breaks when Ruby took a step back and held her hands up, clearly not wanting to be covered in wet paint herself right now.
Amarant: It's good to see you again Scarlet, and doing much better by the look of things. If you don't mind me asking though, why are you trying to turn yourself into some kind of surreal painting?
Grey: Oh, this? I kind of just got lost in painting on my body for the past few hours. I was trying to unleash my inner demons, but I don't think I'm doing it quite like he does. It's a damn shame too, because I was hoping to surprise him come Breakdown.
Amarant: Him?
Grey: My new love interest. His name's Aaron Blackbourne, and he's quite the creative little hunk. He even paints his body every now and then before competing to be some sort of demon, but he's got to have some secret to his methods because I look nothing like him... I still look pretty damn hot all covered in paint like this though, don't you agree?
Scarlet turned her back to Ruby and gave her ass a little wiggle, which Ruby couldn't help but smirk at for no other reason than the relief that she truly was back to normal, always willing to flirt with her partner even when she'd found a new catch of the day to focus on luring into bed. While she only worried about the members of the SCW roster when she had to deal with them in the ring, Ruby had taken note of the self-professed “creative soul” and was very much aware he was currently in the middle of his second run as television champion, and people were talking about how much potential he had as one of the many perceived “futures” of the company, an idea that simply made her gag at how much stock people put in such nonsense.
Amarant: So I take it you've gotten his attention then?
Grey: You could say that, though he's playing hard to get, hence why I thought showing him how creative and artsy I could be as well would get him to stop hiding behind what has to be this excuse of “being taken.” Seriously, what person, man or woman, in their right mind would ever refuse true perfection even if they did have someone already comforting them every night? He doesn't have to be nervous if he's telling the truth, all he has to do is catch a little bit of “Scarlet Fever” and he'll forget all about whatever little bitch thinks she could possibly compare with this work of art.
Scarlet had tried to stay on track as she talked, but it was hard to keep her voice from trembling every time she made mention of the object of her affections not wanting her in favor of someone else. Being rejected was not something she was used to, and the more Aaron tried to push her away the harder she was going to try to capture him in her web, no matter what it took. This was not lost on the ever-vigilant Ruby, but truth be told Scarlet was hoping she could still gain a small victory in their typical war of wits by getting the reserved genius on board with her plan. After all, if Aaron was telling the truth then this person who had “taken” him needed to be removed from the equation by any means necessary, and on the likely chance said person was not part of the SCW roster then Ruby would be the rational strategist that would keep her from doing anything rash that would see her deported from the company for reasons beyond her partner's intervention to help her put herself back together.
Grey: So, what have you been up to while you were obeying my orders to give me some space?
Amarant: I wouldn't exactly go that far, unless you want to think that if it helps. But that's none of your business I'm afraid.
Scarlet could only mentally snap her fingers (mostly due to the wet paint coating her body making the actual task impossible right now) as she thought the small distraction would allow her the chance to finally get some insight on the secret vault that was composed of everything she wanted to know about her partner, but Ruby still had her wits about her despite looking distracted. Clearly, she was deep in thought about what she'd heard, if for no other reason than the fact that while Ruby may not be as interested in helping Scarlet add the artistic competitor to her lists of “conquests” she was definitely interested in the idea of putting down a two time champion and “bright future” of SCW if this was to mark the return of the Red Empire to the fold, schemes already beginning to hatch in her twisted little mind. If anyone had the intellect and the means of verifying this claim of Aaron Blackbourne having a significant other already, and therefore a weakness as far as she was concerned, it was Ruby Amarant.
Amarant: What I can tell you, dear Scarlet, is that while I was away I managed to reestablish a few old connections... for better or worse... and I think I can lend you a hand if you so desire. Consider it a gift for giving me the only thing I could want right now, and that's seeing you back to your old self again. I prefer that Scarlet over the self-destructive psychopath any day, with all due respect.
There was a deeper meaning to Ruby's words and Scarlet knew it, but for the time being she let it pass. After all, this marked the official reunion of the Red Empire and the beginning of a new era for the tandem when it came to their plans. SCW wasn't going to know what hit them, and neither would Aaron Blackbourne when all was set and done, but if Ruby was going to dive back into this world she was going to make sure she left an impression this time, and Scarlet would not accept anything less than everything she had her eyes on by any means necessary. After all, how could anyone hope to truly stop her? After all, in her own mind she was a true goddess and the world was her plaything, and even if it wasn't meant to last she would soon have an emperor to stand by her side, and Ruby would have quite the example as to why she was the last person on the planet you ever wanted to engage in a battle of wits against.