04-14-2020, 11:53 PM
Grey: What is happening to me?
That is a question Scarlet has been asking herself for weeks now, and the more she asks it the more concerned she's beginning to get. It's hard to blame her though... in SCW her luck has been horrendous since coming back and she's suffered loss after loss after loss no matter what she does, and it's left her infuriated, especially with any talk she's heard where her name's come up in conversation because she's being perceived as a joke and a waste of space on the roster by many, a thought that's actually caused her to vomit with how repulsed she is by the mere idea that she doesn't have what it takes considering she's actually here to begin with. The SCW roster is supposed to be the cream of the crop in the wrestling world, right? And despite how she may carry herself, she's not the only one in SCW that does this and she's certainly got a better record than quite a few other names she could pull up.
Her next opponent, Konrad Raab, easily fell into that list near the top somewhere.
As angered as she was about her current status in SCW, she was more concerned about what else was going on. She still had no explanation to the mysterious blackouts she was suffering, and at times there were fairly lengthy stretches where she couldn't remember anything at all. Entire days felt like they were now missing entirely from her memory, and it was becoming a greater problem than she thought considering this wasn't just a one-off isolated incident now. She'd actually surrendered herself to doctors to try and identify the problem, but all of them were unable to give her an answer as they found no signs of any damage that would cause such a thing. Even stranger was that some of these blackouts had resulted in her agreeing to stay with a hospital overnight for observation only to wake up the next morning learning she'd been checked out overnight and returned home with no explanation as to what exactly happened. Any attempts to follow up with those places to fill in the gaps simply resulted in them being terrified of her and refusing to give her the time of day out of fear for their own lives, which just left her confused and lost even moreso than she already was.
There had to be something going on, and she needed to get to the bottom of it.
At the moment, she was simply laying in her bed and pondering her options, trying to grasp anything that felt like it was going to give her answers. After all, if this was something truly serious the last thing she needed was to have a mysterious blackout mid-match. If she wasn't killed in the process because of something going wrong due to it, she was liable to finally give Sasha a reason to fire her for assuming she was probably sleeping on the job.
Grey: Last thing I need is to give that bitch a stupid reason to fire me.
The more she thought about that possibility, the more it burned her up. With that came a nasty headache. That was another frequent thing she'd been trying to ignore that seemed to come with the blackouts. These random migraines came and went and varied in severity, but more often than not they tended to be debilitating when she got them and she hated how much it effectively shut her down no matter what she was doing. It was something else she didn't need happening while she was trying to take care of business, especially since this one might be hard to tell apart from any sort of head trauma she could sustain in the ring. That very thought sent a shiver down her spine. She slowly looked over at her reflection in the nearby mirror, almost picturing herself in some sort of full body cast because of something severe that happened and she didn't think it was because of other issues. At this, she let out a groan.
Grey: I wish I had any sort of idea as to what the hell's going on with me.
???: You're right that something is wrong, but the answer's a little more obvious than you think.
Scarlet suddenly sat up, looking around in shock that someone responded to her, but looking around the room made it clear she was the only one here. Even still, there was something familiar about the voice she heard. It wasn't the voice of Ruby, the only other person she still allowed to have regular access here in her fortress of solitude. It almost sounded more like...
???: Over here.
Scarlet followed the sound of the voice, but only found herself staring at her own reflection in the mirror again. She sighed in frustration and started to lie down again, but shot back up when she noticed the reflection wasn't following along with her. In fact, it actually stood up off the bed and crossed its arms across its chest, something she wasn't doing at this particular moment in time.
Reflection: Nice to finally have your attention.
Scarlet threw herself back onto her bed and pressed her palms against her eyes.
Grey: Ugh... my reflection's talking to me now? Something really is wrong with me...
Reflection: This isn't out of the ordinary for you Scarlet. You've had episodes far worse than this. How many times have you collapsed to the floor because you heard voices overwhelming you.
Scarlet shot the reflection a dirty glare, but mirror Scarlet looked unfazed about the comment she made.
Grey: Alright, I guess I'll humor this dream or delusional episode or whatever this is. If you know what's wrong then tell me.
Reflection: I think it's obvious where your problem lies. Have you noticed anything consistent about the behavior of what's going on with you?
Grey: Yeah, I've gotten bad headaches and I've been blacking out for who knows how long.
Scarlet was going to continue, but stopped herself when she realized those two things tended to follow one another. When her inexplicable headaches got truly unbearable, a blackout was almost always guaranteed to follow. And many times she would even wake up from one of these episodes with the headache as a lingering reminder that something had, in fact, happened.
Grey: The two are connected.
Reflection: Correct, but there's something else they're linked to as well. Think... what's usually going on when these things happen?
Scarlet looked at her reflection again, raising an eyebrow when the underwear she was actually clad in was replaced for her mirror counterpart by a doctor's coat and a black miniskirt, but she still stared back expectantly as Scarlet thought this over.
Grey: I know it's been flaring up more and more lately with SCW stuff... I don't know why. I know I'm sick and tired of all these repeated setbacks.
Reflection: And how do they make you feel?
Grey: What kind of stupid question is that? No one likes to lose, especially not over and over and over again! IT PISSES ME OFF!
Scarlet leaps out of bed and storms over to the mirror, but halts herself when she feels the headache worsen. She growls and curses under her breath, but this gives her a moment of clarity. This has been happening more frequently within SCW, and it lines up with how frustrated she's been at all her recent setbacks The angrier she's let SCW affairs make her, the more frequent these episodes have become.
Grey: Wait... you're telling me my anger is causing this? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!
Reflection: Regardless of what you think about it, there is some truth to the matter. In a way, you're slowly becoming a slave to your anger. It's preying on damage you don't even realize you have, slowly taking on a life of its own almost.
Scarlet ponders this, and to some degree she sees where her reflection is coming from. It's been easier and easier to feel angry lately considering the downward spiral she's been on for way too long now and the lack of respect she's gotten in general. Her anger is usually followed by the headaches, and severe cases tend to bring the blackouts with them as well. She really wished she had some idea of what actually happens from there, but at least she thought she had a starting point.
Grey: So if my anger is somehow causing all of this... then if I get control of my anger and find a better way to use it to my advantage, this will stop! Thanks, mirror me!
Reflection: Scarlet, it's not that simple!
It was too late, however. Scarlet bounded out of the room to start working on a plan to get control of her anger so it could stop controlling her. Her reflection remained for a moment, dumbfounded at this before shaking her head as she faded away, leaving final words behind that would echo to nobody.
Reflection: I tried to tell her what was happening, but I feel like the other parties in play are doing their best to keep her from realizing the truth. I only hope she figures it all out sooner rather than later. Otherwise... things could get really ugly.
Our shot opens on a rather bizarre sight, especially considering who we're here to see. At first glance, it looks like we're in some kind of walk-in freezer, and some of the ice you can visibly see forming on the empty metal shelves confirms the fact that it's ridiculously cold in here. The only reason there's no shaky camerawork is because there's no camera person, just the device set up on a tripod and outfitted to withstand the frigid cold to do its job. The only thing it's here to do is film Scarlet Grey, who stands before us bundled up like she's ready to go on an arctic expedition. Naturally, this means no T and A like we may have been hoping for after not exactly seeing her doing something like this for so long, but the setting at least feels appropriate in regards to her opponent all the same. Scarlet doesn't look like she's in the best of moods, but at least she's protected from the cold as she begins.
Grey: I bet you're all quite happy with yourselves, aren't you? Scarlet Grey is back and she's unable to pick up any momentum. All this big talk and nothing to back it up. Don't think I haven't heard you all laughing about it. I bet you're just laughing even harder because I'm actually talking about it. That's fine... even if what I'm about to say falls on deaf ears, you'll start realizing the weight it holds soon enough.
Grey: Yeah, I may have been on a losing streak for quite some time. Go ahead and chalk it up to who I've been facing because they're all “out of my league” if you want. I'll admit that something hasn't been right since I was on the shelf, but you shouldn't be concerned for me... you should be concerned BECAUSE of me. Every setback I end up facing just makes me more and more angry, and I can't say for sure how, but I can promise you that payback is coming, and it won't be pretty when I finally unleash it. Consider it a hollow threat from somebody not worth your time if you want, but this week will simply be a preview of the crimson storm that's on the horizon. Mark my words... this week, I will not be losing again, and I don't plan on leaving until I've left my opponent laying on the mat, unconscious and rethinking why he thought this was a smart idea to try and warm up for the match he's looking ahead to on Sunday while I'm sitting here with nothing to look forward to.
Scarlet's voice carries a ton of resentment at the fact that as far as she's currently aware, she has no place on the Cold Blooded card. True, she hasn't exactly been picking a fight with anyone lately, but the fact that SCW can't find something to give her after coming back just infuriates her. She can feel a familiar migraine coming on and closes her eyes, her breath visible in the freezing cold around her as she tries to shake it off. After a moment, her eyes open again and she continues.
Grey: I guess throwing myself in a freezer to try and cool off a bit from the frustration I've been feeling sounds quite ironic to someone like Konrad Raab. How much to you wanna bet this is his favorite pasttime, trying to prove he's all these different “ice” related things. I wouldn't be surprised if he lives in an igloo and his wife he keeps bringing up for people to use against him is actually a giant penguin or something.
Grey: Oh, I bet that pissed him off, didn't it? I made fun of his wife, a subject he's apparently so sensitive about he challenged someone to a cage match over it. Look snowman, I could care less about your wife simply because she isn't me, proving you made the wrong choice with your life already. I'm not so desperate I would go for someone like you though... Sasha, as usual, is putting me in a situation where I'm at least getting screen time so she can keep me out of her hair. Unfortunately, as much as I know deep down that you're beneath me, this time I'm actually willing to simply face you without too much complaining. You want to know why?
Grey: I'll be blunt... I need this win. And nothing you do is going to stop me from claiming it.
Scarlet shakes her head, her eyes closing again as the headache returns, but she's thankful it's hard to really feel it because of the cold. That was at least one benefit to doing this. But she knew something else was still there that was beyond her ability to fully grasp right now, but she didn't care. When she spoke again, her voice carried a far more dangerous tone to it that almost sounded like someone trying to restrain themselves from going over the edge.
Grey: Konrad, you have something else to worry about. You have this desire to get angry and tear Katie Steward apart limb from limb inside of a steel cage. What's running through your mind right now is all the different ways you are going to maim her and hope you'll be forgiven for trying to commit a massacre with your own two hands in front of a crowd that thinks you're one of the good guys. Your mind is on Sunday... all I have to worry about is Wednesday night, where I won't even let you make it to the cage you want to be locked up in like the animal you think you are. I don't care if the Stewards even want to get involved in our match to get to you because I'll just mow them down as well. Your mind isn't on me, and I promise that's going to be your downfall come Breakdown.
Grey: I'm sure anything you do have to say to me will revolve around how I'm a disgrace to this business and should feel ashamed of myself for not being a goody two-shoes like you. Save it, I've heard it before and if I haven't taken it to heart yet, what makes you think you'll be the one to change it? The fact of the matter is that the SCW roster thinks the both of us are jokes, and while you may be fine with that label as you prance around every week with whatever mask you want to wear and generally being a waste of space, I KNOW I can do better and I'm furious that I'm not in this position right now. I'm not walking into this match to be your sacrificial lamb Konrad, as a warning of what you're going to do to Katie on Sunday... oh no, YOU are MY sacrificial lamb so I can remind EVERYONE of who I am and why I'm here. And if none of them want to follow along with the order of my Red Empire, then they'll simply become victims of my ascension.
Grey: Consider it hollow words if you want... actions speak louder anyways, and everything that needs to be heard will come Wednesday night.
Scarlet proceeds to storm past the camera, angrily trying to pull off the parka she's wearing as she does so. After a moment, we see the parka get flung over the camera and to the floor below us, and after a few moments of lingering on this sight the feed just comes to ab abrupt end.
That is a question Scarlet has been asking herself for weeks now, and the more she asks it the more concerned she's beginning to get. It's hard to blame her though... in SCW her luck has been horrendous since coming back and she's suffered loss after loss after loss no matter what she does, and it's left her infuriated, especially with any talk she's heard where her name's come up in conversation because she's being perceived as a joke and a waste of space on the roster by many, a thought that's actually caused her to vomit with how repulsed she is by the mere idea that she doesn't have what it takes considering she's actually here to begin with. The SCW roster is supposed to be the cream of the crop in the wrestling world, right? And despite how she may carry herself, she's not the only one in SCW that does this and she's certainly got a better record than quite a few other names she could pull up.
Her next opponent, Konrad Raab, easily fell into that list near the top somewhere.
As angered as she was about her current status in SCW, she was more concerned about what else was going on. She still had no explanation to the mysterious blackouts she was suffering, and at times there were fairly lengthy stretches where she couldn't remember anything at all. Entire days felt like they were now missing entirely from her memory, and it was becoming a greater problem than she thought considering this wasn't just a one-off isolated incident now. She'd actually surrendered herself to doctors to try and identify the problem, but all of them were unable to give her an answer as they found no signs of any damage that would cause such a thing. Even stranger was that some of these blackouts had resulted in her agreeing to stay with a hospital overnight for observation only to wake up the next morning learning she'd been checked out overnight and returned home with no explanation as to what exactly happened. Any attempts to follow up with those places to fill in the gaps simply resulted in them being terrified of her and refusing to give her the time of day out of fear for their own lives, which just left her confused and lost even moreso than she already was.
There had to be something going on, and she needed to get to the bottom of it.
At the moment, she was simply laying in her bed and pondering her options, trying to grasp anything that felt like it was going to give her answers. After all, if this was something truly serious the last thing she needed was to have a mysterious blackout mid-match. If she wasn't killed in the process because of something going wrong due to it, she was liable to finally give Sasha a reason to fire her for assuming she was probably sleeping on the job.
Grey: Last thing I need is to give that bitch a stupid reason to fire me.
The more she thought about that possibility, the more it burned her up. With that came a nasty headache. That was another frequent thing she'd been trying to ignore that seemed to come with the blackouts. These random migraines came and went and varied in severity, but more often than not they tended to be debilitating when she got them and she hated how much it effectively shut her down no matter what she was doing. It was something else she didn't need happening while she was trying to take care of business, especially since this one might be hard to tell apart from any sort of head trauma she could sustain in the ring. That very thought sent a shiver down her spine. She slowly looked over at her reflection in the nearby mirror, almost picturing herself in some sort of full body cast because of something severe that happened and she didn't think it was because of other issues. At this, she let out a groan.
Grey: I wish I had any sort of idea as to what the hell's going on with me.
???: You're right that something is wrong, but the answer's a little more obvious than you think.
Scarlet suddenly sat up, looking around in shock that someone responded to her, but looking around the room made it clear she was the only one here. Even still, there was something familiar about the voice she heard. It wasn't the voice of Ruby, the only other person she still allowed to have regular access here in her fortress of solitude. It almost sounded more like...
???: Over here.
Scarlet followed the sound of the voice, but only found herself staring at her own reflection in the mirror again. She sighed in frustration and started to lie down again, but shot back up when she noticed the reflection wasn't following along with her. In fact, it actually stood up off the bed and crossed its arms across its chest, something she wasn't doing at this particular moment in time.
Reflection: Nice to finally have your attention.
Scarlet threw herself back onto her bed and pressed her palms against her eyes.
Grey: Ugh... my reflection's talking to me now? Something really is wrong with me...
Reflection: This isn't out of the ordinary for you Scarlet. You've had episodes far worse than this. How many times have you collapsed to the floor because you heard voices overwhelming you.
Scarlet shot the reflection a dirty glare, but mirror Scarlet looked unfazed about the comment she made.
Grey: Alright, I guess I'll humor this dream or delusional episode or whatever this is. If you know what's wrong then tell me.
Reflection: I think it's obvious where your problem lies. Have you noticed anything consistent about the behavior of what's going on with you?
Grey: Yeah, I've gotten bad headaches and I've been blacking out for who knows how long.
Scarlet was going to continue, but stopped herself when she realized those two things tended to follow one another. When her inexplicable headaches got truly unbearable, a blackout was almost always guaranteed to follow. And many times she would even wake up from one of these episodes with the headache as a lingering reminder that something had, in fact, happened.
Grey: The two are connected.
Reflection: Correct, but there's something else they're linked to as well. Think... what's usually going on when these things happen?
Scarlet looked at her reflection again, raising an eyebrow when the underwear she was actually clad in was replaced for her mirror counterpart by a doctor's coat and a black miniskirt, but she still stared back expectantly as Scarlet thought this over.
Grey: I know it's been flaring up more and more lately with SCW stuff... I don't know why. I know I'm sick and tired of all these repeated setbacks.
Reflection: And how do they make you feel?
Grey: What kind of stupid question is that? No one likes to lose, especially not over and over and over again! IT PISSES ME OFF!
Scarlet leaps out of bed and storms over to the mirror, but halts herself when she feels the headache worsen. She growls and curses under her breath, but this gives her a moment of clarity. This has been happening more frequently within SCW, and it lines up with how frustrated she's been at all her recent setbacks The angrier she's let SCW affairs make her, the more frequent these episodes have become.
Grey: Wait... you're telling me my anger is causing this? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!
Reflection: Regardless of what you think about it, there is some truth to the matter. In a way, you're slowly becoming a slave to your anger. It's preying on damage you don't even realize you have, slowly taking on a life of its own almost.
Scarlet ponders this, and to some degree she sees where her reflection is coming from. It's been easier and easier to feel angry lately considering the downward spiral she's been on for way too long now and the lack of respect she's gotten in general. Her anger is usually followed by the headaches, and severe cases tend to bring the blackouts with them as well. She really wished she had some idea of what actually happens from there, but at least she thought she had a starting point.
Grey: So if my anger is somehow causing all of this... then if I get control of my anger and find a better way to use it to my advantage, this will stop! Thanks, mirror me!
Reflection: Scarlet, it's not that simple!
It was too late, however. Scarlet bounded out of the room to start working on a plan to get control of her anger so it could stop controlling her. Her reflection remained for a moment, dumbfounded at this before shaking her head as she faded away, leaving final words behind that would echo to nobody.
Reflection: I tried to tell her what was happening, but I feel like the other parties in play are doing their best to keep her from realizing the truth. I only hope she figures it all out sooner rather than later. Otherwise... things could get really ugly.
*****
Our shot opens on a rather bizarre sight, especially considering who we're here to see. At first glance, it looks like we're in some kind of walk-in freezer, and some of the ice you can visibly see forming on the empty metal shelves confirms the fact that it's ridiculously cold in here. The only reason there's no shaky camerawork is because there's no camera person, just the device set up on a tripod and outfitted to withstand the frigid cold to do its job. The only thing it's here to do is film Scarlet Grey, who stands before us bundled up like she's ready to go on an arctic expedition. Naturally, this means no T and A like we may have been hoping for after not exactly seeing her doing something like this for so long, but the setting at least feels appropriate in regards to her opponent all the same. Scarlet doesn't look like she's in the best of moods, but at least she's protected from the cold as she begins.
Grey: I bet you're all quite happy with yourselves, aren't you? Scarlet Grey is back and she's unable to pick up any momentum. All this big talk and nothing to back it up. Don't think I haven't heard you all laughing about it. I bet you're just laughing even harder because I'm actually talking about it. That's fine... even if what I'm about to say falls on deaf ears, you'll start realizing the weight it holds soon enough.
Grey: Yeah, I may have been on a losing streak for quite some time. Go ahead and chalk it up to who I've been facing because they're all “out of my league” if you want. I'll admit that something hasn't been right since I was on the shelf, but you shouldn't be concerned for me... you should be concerned BECAUSE of me. Every setback I end up facing just makes me more and more angry, and I can't say for sure how, but I can promise you that payback is coming, and it won't be pretty when I finally unleash it. Consider it a hollow threat from somebody not worth your time if you want, but this week will simply be a preview of the crimson storm that's on the horizon. Mark my words... this week, I will not be losing again, and I don't plan on leaving until I've left my opponent laying on the mat, unconscious and rethinking why he thought this was a smart idea to try and warm up for the match he's looking ahead to on Sunday while I'm sitting here with nothing to look forward to.
Scarlet's voice carries a ton of resentment at the fact that as far as she's currently aware, she has no place on the Cold Blooded card. True, she hasn't exactly been picking a fight with anyone lately, but the fact that SCW can't find something to give her after coming back just infuriates her. She can feel a familiar migraine coming on and closes her eyes, her breath visible in the freezing cold around her as she tries to shake it off. After a moment, her eyes open again and she continues.
Grey: I guess throwing myself in a freezer to try and cool off a bit from the frustration I've been feeling sounds quite ironic to someone like Konrad Raab. How much to you wanna bet this is his favorite pasttime, trying to prove he's all these different “ice” related things. I wouldn't be surprised if he lives in an igloo and his wife he keeps bringing up for people to use against him is actually a giant penguin or something.
Grey: Oh, I bet that pissed him off, didn't it? I made fun of his wife, a subject he's apparently so sensitive about he challenged someone to a cage match over it. Look snowman, I could care less about your wife simply because she isn't me, proving you made the wrong choice with your life already. I'm not so desperate I would go for someone like you though... Sasha, as usual, is putting me in a situation where I'm at least getting screen time so she can keep me out of her hair. Unfortunately, as much as I know deep down that you're beneath me, this time I'm actually willing to simply face you without too much complaining. You want to know why?
Grey: I'll be blunt... I need this win. And nothing you do is going to stop me from claiming it.
Scarlet shakes her head, her eyes closing again as the headache returns, but she's thankful it's hard to really feel it because of the cold. That was at least one benefit to doing this. But she knew something else was still there that was beyond her ability to fully grasp right now, but she didn't care. When she spoke again, her voice carried a far more dangerous tone to it that almost sounded like someone trying to restrain themselves from going over the edge.
Grey: Konrad, you have something else to worry about. You have this desire to get angry and tear Katie Steward apart limb from limb inside of a steel cage. What's running through your mind right now is all the different ways you are going to maim her and hope you'll be forgiven for trying to commit a massacre with your own two hands in front of a crowd that thinks you're one of the good guys. Your mind is on Sunday... all I have to worry about is Wednesday night, where I won't even let you make it to the cage you want to be locked up in like the animal you think you are. I don't care if the Stewards even want to get involved in our match to get to you because I'll just mow them down as well. Your mind isn't on me, and I promise that's going to be your downfall come Breakdown.
Grey: I'm sure anything you do have to say to me will revolve around how I'm a disgrace to this business and should feel ashamed of myself for not being a goody two-shoes like you. Save it, I've heard it before and if I haven't taken it to heart yet, what makes you think you'll be the one to change it? The fact of the matter is that the SCW roster thinks the both of us are jokes, and while you may be fine with that label as you prance around every week with whatever mask you want to wear and generally being a waste of space, I KNOW I can do better and I'm furious that I'm not in this position right now. I'm not walking into this match to be your sacrificial lamb Konrad, as a warning of what you're going to do to Katie on Sunday... oh no, YOU are MY sacrificial lamb so I can remind EVERYONE of who I am and why I'm here. And if none of them want to follow along with the order of my Red Empire, then they'll simply become victims of my ascension.
Grey: Consider it hollow words if you want... actions speak louder anyways, and everything that needs to be heard will come Wednesday night.
Scarlet proceeds to storm past the camera, angrily trying to pull off the parka she's wearing as she does so. After a moment, we see the parka get flung over the camera and to the floor below us, and after a few moments of lingering on this sight the feed just comes to ab abrupt end.