04-24-2020, 09:45 PM
Invasion South Africa
Following the conclusion of the EMERGE RUSH Championship ladder match, Madeline Masters found herself back in the locker-rooms licking her wounds. While the match against her fellow Revolution member, Tommy Wasley, did not go as planned for the woman who had become “The Light”, Madeline ultimately had nothing to be ashamed of. With her drive and skill under the microscope, she was determined to show not only that she DID belong in EMERGE, but that she was a threat to anyone on any given night. Early reports were saying that she did exactly that.
Still…
As she sat back in the locker-rooms, she rested her head back against the wall. As Madeline closed her eyes, she became aware of a presence inside the locker-room.
Madeline: “Can I help you?”
She opened her eyes and turned her head to the side, observing as Lilee Snow, EMERGE’s head interviewer, approached. There were no cameras following her, no microphone in her hands.
Lilee: “Madeline, that was…”
Madeline: “A loss.”
Still, she smiled, sliding her armbands down from her elbows to her wrists before popping them off.
Madeline: “That’s okay though, right? This was about more than the RUSH Championship. Hell, you heard the words… my entire career, my livelihood were on the line and while I may not be Champion, I would dare anyone to step to my face and tell me I didn’t earn at LEAST some respite from having my head pressed into the gallows.”
Lilee: ”I just wanted to say that you were amazing out there. I would think even Aiden Frost or Silas Mason would be against letting you get away now.”
Madeline smiles warmly again.
Lilee: “And if they did, you’d probably be able to find work in any other company in the world based off of that alone.”
Madeline: “Well, I appreciate the sentiment. I’m not looking to find a new job though. I want to see this through.”
Lilee: “For what it’s worth, if it was MY vote, I would want to keep you here.”
Madeline nods her head, accepting of the praise, although it was something she didn’t quite feel entitled to.
Lilee: “Hey, so a bunch of us are going to head somewhere to celebrate the night. You want in?”
Madeline hesitated. She hadn’t exactly been social with anyone since joining EMERGE. She hadn’t been social within the industry after her relationship exploded within it. Still…
She nods her head.
Madeline: “Yeah, sure… just let me clean up a bit first.”
Lilee: “Of course. I’ll make sure we don’t leave without you.”
Madeline: “Thanks.”
Lilee Snow exited, and Madeline thought she must have been out of her mind. Consorting with staff? Unheard of… was she just setting herself up for another betrayal?
Figuring she had better not leave everyone waiting… and not even knowing who “everyone” would entail… Madeline continues to undress as we shift...
---
“The story of Madeline Masters intrigues me. Here’s a woman from New York, brought into the wrestling industry by a boyfriend to enhance his act. She does her job and, in the process, she gets attention. Historians call it the “Sable Effect” for some baffling reason. The valet gets more over than the main act. Then she drops off the face of the planet for “some reason”... we know what “some reason” ultimately ended up being. There’s no need to regale the history. But after recovery, she ends up training under Amy Chastaine at the Black Out Academy, a great place for someone to learn the ropes, but even better for someone like Madeline. You see, Amy understands people better than most. She knows the triggers and how to effectively treat someone who had that kind of emotional trauma. She would have had a great career as a psychologist had she decided to go that route. The empathy was what Madeline needed. And now she’s in EMERGE, ready to thrive. And whether it’s the Wild Child or The Light, I believe Madeline Masters will ultimately be a success.
And it begins with the DUOS Championships.” - Shawn Mason, PsyD, JD.
---
Madeline: “We need to talk.”
The scene rises up backstage again. Earlier in the night, Madeline Masters and Desiree Devna had defeated Thamuz and Annabelle Burchard. The victory came as a result of disqualification - Madeline had taken a steel chair from the twisted Thamuz, prompting the decision. Not the ideal way to earn a Championship match, but it wasn’t something that she was going to complain about. But at the moment, that was the farthest thing from her mind. She stormed through the backstage area looking for her partner and her partner’s manager, finally finding Desiree’s locker-room. Desiree was nowhere to be seen, and Madeline heard the shower running, so her whereabouts were easy to ascertain. Shawn Mason, on the other hand, had been sitting on the bench with his phone out, likely engaged in some Twitter build-up for the upcoming Championship match. As she walked in, Mason looked up from his phone briefly before turning his gaze to it’s glowing screen.
Madeline: “Did you hear me? I said…”
Mason shoots his hand up, holding out his index finger and simultaneously stopping Madeline from repeating anything she said previously.
Mason: “You know how much of a talker this Sierra Swann is?”
Madeline: “You’re brushing me off for a Twitter war?”
Mason shakes his head, closing the app as he sets his phone aside. With one foot propped upon his knee, he sits back and observes The Light.
Mason: “And how can I help you?”
Madeline: “You really stood there and eavesdropped on my conversation with Desiree earlier?”
Shawn raises an eyebrow, smirking slightly.
Mason: “I’m impressed, Madeline. Most people wouldn’t have thought to watch the show back at all, let alone pay attention to moments they figured they had seen the entirety of.”
Madeline: “Can the “smart guy” routine. Why were you eavesdropping?”
Mason: “You have me wrong, Madeline. I wasn’t eavesdropping on your conversation. I was simply in the room as it was going on and didn’t feel it appropriate to announce my presence.”
Madeline: “Same thing.”
Shawn stands up, beginning to approach Madeline, who takes a step back.
Mason: “Look, I understand your trepidation. You haven’t had the best history in support from people around you. Your ex-boyfriend was a real piece of work, wasn’t he?”
Madeline: “He was a piece of shit… big deal. That’s common knowledge.”
Mason: “Fair point. And more to the point, you’re correct not to trust me.”
Mason sits back again, grinning. Madeline takes another step back, whipping her head around as she prepares for a behind-the-back attack. Shawn observes her motions, and begins to mimic them.
Mason: “What is this? What are you doing?”
Madeline: “Where are they? Who’s coming after me?”
Mason: “Please… did you think I would be so crass as to have hired goons to attack you for not trusting me? That’s the type of activity that my brother would partake in.”
He stands up, motioning for Madeline to stand down.
Mason: “No, I’m saying that you are right to not trust me. In all seriousness, who am I to you besides a sudden interloper in a tandem that has been thrown together to chase those DUOS Championships, what is it now? Twice?”
Madeline: “What’s your point?”
Mason: “My point is simple: You don’t know me, and with your history, trust is something that would have to be earned. Would it help you if I said I had to earn Desiree’s trust as well? Or do you not trust her either?”
Madeline looks off to the showers, noting that the water had stopped running.
Madeline: “I don’t know…”
Mason: “Well you had best decide soon, because I would prefer we not waste each other’s time in this pursuit if you cannot even trust your partner.”
Shawn moves towards the door, reaching for the handle as Madeline speaks up again.
Madeline: “Wait.”
Shawn stops, turning to face her.
Madeline: “Where are you going?”
Mason: “Well, as I’m sure you noticed, Desiree’s shower had stopped approximately a minute and a half ago. While I’m unsure about your feelings at this point in time, I had promised Desiree that I would be out of her locker-room when she exited the shower, and I would prefer to keep my word. You, of course, are welcome to remain if you don’t mind explaining why you are hanging out in her locker-room when she emerges, but given your victory tonight was by disqualification, it might be best to give her a day to cool off.”
Madeline: “She’s that hot by it?”
Mason: “Desiree is a proud competitor, regardless of her motivations to start. I sense you two are similar in that regard. Must by why you two get on so well.”
With that and a smile, Shawn pushes the door open and exits the locker-room, leaving Madeline alone with her thoughts…
---
“Trust is a funny thing, isn’t it? Especially in the world of Professional Wrestling, where we’re told so often “Don’t Trust Anybody”, you often find yourself in a position where all you have is trust. You trust your opponents with your wellbeing… that they are only going to try and incapacitate you long enough to defeat you rather than outright murder you. You trust your employer to put you in position to succeed - or at the very least NOT to put you in a position to fail. You trust your partners to hold up their end. You trust your training to carry you through. You trust your boyfriend not to drug you and, effectively, get you fired from the company you work for due to working intoxicated.
Sometimes that trust is misplaced.
When it comes to EMERGE, and specifically the DUOS Championships, you are expected to trust in a partner you don’t know. This is far from a typical tag team scenario, where people who have spent years working on their chemistry get to compete to rise the rankings and figure out who the best is. This is supposed to be random… and even though this is the third DUOS match where I’ve had the same partner, I do believe that. Maybe I’m naive, but I think that Desiree Devna and I were brought together because we could excel together. I believe we were brought together because we were complements to each other. And here we are, having earned a shot at the DUOS Championships for a second time.
Of course, I have to use that word… “earned”... loosely. I mean, that’s not what happened, right? Thamuz unilaterally decided he didn’t want a shot, didn’t want to team with Burchard, and got their tandem disqualified. We got a shot by default. A lot to be proud of there, right? There’s no reason for anyone to think that Desiree and I have a chance at defeating Danny Darko and Sierra Swann for the DUOS Championships. We’re in by a fluke.
And if you believe that, please come out and say it, because as we learned in South Africa I THRIVE off of that kind of DOUBT. When I’m told that I’m hanging in the balance, or that I don’t deserve to be where I am, that’s when I turn it up. That’s when I show the world exactly who I am and what I’m capable of.
So go ahead… let Darko and Swann think they have another W in the bag. Let them THINK that I’m going to roll over and die because I “don’t deserve” to be there… because Desiree and I are there through a disqualification. I would love nothing more than to slap the assuming taste out of someone’s mouth.
Trust is a big thing in wrestling. Can I trust Desiree to work with me and do what we can to become DUOS Champions?
You’re God-damn right!”
Following the conclusion of the EMERGE RUSH Championship ladder match, Madeline Masters found herself back in the locker-rooms licking her wounds. While the match against her fellow Revolution member, Tommy Wasley, did not go as planned for the woman who had become “The Light”, Madeline ultimately had nothing to be ashamed of. With her drive and skill under the microscope, she was determined to show not only that she DID belong in EMERGE, but that she was a threat to anyone on any given night. Early reports were saying that she did exactly that.
Still…
As she sat back in the locker-rooms, she rested her head back against the wall. As Madeline closed her eyes, she became aware of a presence inside the locker-room.
Madeline: “Can I help you?”
She opened her eyes and turned her head to the side, observing as Lilee Snow, EMERGE’s head interviewer, approached. There were no cameras following her, no microphone in her hands.
Lilee: “Madeline, that was…”
Madeline: “A loss.”
Still, she smiled, sliding her armbands down from her elbows to her wrists before popping them off.
Madeline: “That’s okay though, right? This was about more than the RUSH Championship. Hell, you heard the words… my entire career, my livelihood were on the line and while I may not be Champion, I would dare anyone to step to my face and tell me I didn’t earn at LEAST some respite from having my head pressed into the gallows.”
Lilee: ”I just wanted to say that you were amazing out there. I would think even Aiden Frost or Silas Mason would be against letting you get away now.”
Madeline smiles warmly again.
Lilee: “And if they did, you’d probably be able to find work in any other company in the world based off of that alone.”
Madeline: “Well, I appreciate the sentiment. I’m not looking to find a new job though. I want to see this through.”
Lilee: “For what it’s worth, if it was MY vote, I would want to keep you here.”
Madeline nods her head, accepting of the praise, although it was something she didn’t quite feel entitled to.
Lilee: “Hey, so a bunch of us are going to head somewhere to celebrate the night. You want in?”
Madeline hesitated. She hadn’t exactly been social with anyone since joining EMERGE. She hadn’t been social within the industry after her relationship exploded within it. Still…
She nods her head.
Madeline: “Yeah, sure… just let me clean up a bit first.”
Lilee: “Of course. I’ll make sure we don’t leave without you.”
Madeline: “Thanks.”
Lilee Snow exited, and Madeline thought she must have been out of her mind. Consorting with staff? Unheard of… was she just setting herself up for another betrayal?
Figuring she had better not leave everyone waiting… and not even knowing who “everyone” would entail… Madeline continues to undress as we shift...
---
“The story of Madeline Masters intrigues me. Here’s a woman from New York, brought into the wrestling industry by a boyfriend to enhance his act. She does her job and, in the process, she gets attention. Historians call it the “Sable Effect” for some baffling reason. The valet gets more over than the main act. Then she drops off the face of the planet for “some reason”... we know what “some reason” ultimately ended up being. There’s no need to regale the history. But after recovery, she ends up training under Amy Chastaine at the Black Out Academy, a great place for someone to learn the ropes, but even better for someone like Madeline. You see, Amy understands people better than most. She knows the triggers and how to effectively treat someone who had that kind of emotional trauma. She would have had a great career as a psychologist had she decided to go that route. The empathy was what Madeline needed. And now she’s in EMERGE, ready to thrive. And whether it’s the Wild Child or The Light, I believe Madeline Masters will ultimately be a success.
And it begins with the DUOS Championships.” - Shawn Mason, PsyD, JD.
---
Madeline: “We need to talk.”
The scene rises up backstage again. Earlier in the night, Madeline Masters and Desiree Devna had defeated Thamuz and Annabelle Burchard. The victory came as a result of disqualification - Madeline had taken a steel chair from the twisted Thamuz, prompting the decision. Not the ideal way to earn a Championship match, but it wasn’t something that she was going to complain about. But at the moment, that was the farthest thing from her mind. She stormed through the backstage area looking for her partner and her partner’s manager, finally finding Desiree’s locker-room. Desiree was nowhere to be seen, and Madeline heard the shower running, so her whereabouts were easy to ascertain. Shawn Mason, on the other hand, had been sitting on the bench with his phone out, likely engaged in some Twitter build-up for the upcoming Championship match. As she walked in, Mason looked up from his phone briefly before turning his gaze to it’s glowing screen.
Madeline: “Did you hear me? I said…”
Mason shoots his hand up, holding out his index finger and simultaneously stopping Madeline from repeating anything she said previously.
Mason: “You know how much of a talker this Sierra Swann is?”
Madeline: “You’re brushing me off for a Twitter war?”
Mason shakes his head, closing the app as he sets his phone aside. With one foot propped upon his knee, he sits back and observes The Light.
Mason: “And how can I help you?”
Madeline: “You really stood there and eavesdropped on my conversation with Desiree earlier?”
Shawn raises an eyebrow, smirking slightly.
Mason: “I’m impressed, Madeline. Most people wouldn’t have thought to watch the show back at all, let alone pay attention to moments they figured they had seen the entirety of.”
Madeline: “Can the “smart guy” routine. Why were you eavesdropping?”
Mason: “You have me wrong, Madeline. I wasn’t eavesdropping on your conversation. I was simply in the room as it was going on and didn’t feel it appropriate to announce my presence.”
Madeline: “Same thing.”
Shawn stands up, beginning to approach Madeline, who takes a step back.
Mason: “Look, I understand your trepidation. You haven’t had the best history in support from people around you. Your ex-boyfriend was a real piece of work, wasn’t he?”
Madeline: “He was a piece of shit… big deal. That’s common knowledge.”
Mason: “Fair point. And more to the point, you’re correct not to trust me.”
Mason sits back again, grinning. Madeline takes another step back, whipping her head around as she prepares for a behind-the-back attack. Shawn observes her motions, and begins to mimic them.
Mason: “What is this? What are you doing?”
Madeline: “Where are they? Who’s coming after me?”
Mason: “Please… did you think I would be so crass as to have hired goons to attack you for not trusting me? That’s the type of activity that my brother would partake in.”
He stands up, motioning for Madeline to stand down.
Mason: “No, I’m saying that you are right to not trust me. In all seriousness, who am I to you besides a sudden interloper in a tandem that has been thrown together to chase those DUOS Championships, what is it now? Twice?”
Madeline: “What’s your point?”
Mason: “My point is simple: You don’t know me, and with your history, trust is something that would have to be earned. Would it help you if I said I had to earn Desiree’s trust as well? Or do you not trust her either?”
Madeline looks off to the showers, noting that the water had stopped running.
Madeline: “I don’t know…”
Mason: “Well you had best decide soon, because I would prefer we not waste each other’s time in this pursuit if you cannot even trust your partner.”
Shawn moves towards the door, reaching for the handle as Madeline speaks up again.
Madeline: “Wait.”
Shawn stops, turning to face her.
Madeline: “Where are you going?”
Mason: “Well, as I’m sure you noticed, Desiree’s shower had stopped approximately a minute and a half ago. While I’m unsure about your feelings at this point in time, I had promised Desiree that I would be out of her locker-room when she exited the shower, and I would prefer to keep my word. You, of course, are welcome to remain if you don’t mind explaining why you are hanging out in her locker-room when she emerges, but given your victory tonight was by disqualification, it might be best to give her a day to cool off.”
Madeline: “She’s that hot by it?”
Mason: “Desiree is a proud competitor, regardless of her motivations to start. I sense you two are similar in that regard. Must by why you two get on so well.”
With that and a smile, Shawn pushes the door open and exits the locker-room, leaving Madeline alone with her thoughts…
---
“Trust is a funny thing, isn’t it? Especially in the world of Professional Wrestling, where we’re told so often “Don’t Trust Anybody”, you often find yourself in a position where all you have is trust. You trust your opponents with your wellbeing… that they are only going to try and incapacitate you long enough to defeat you rather than outright murder you. You trust your employer to put you in position to succeed - or at the very least NOT to put you in a position to fail. You trust your partners to hold up their end. You trust your training to carry you through. You trust your boyfriend not to drug you and, effectively, get you fired from the company you work for due to working intoxicated.
Sometimes that trust is misplaced.
When it comes to EMERGE, and specifically the DUOS Championships, you are expected to trust in a partner you don’t know. This is far from a typical tag team scenario, where people who have spent years working on their chemistry get to compete to rise the rankings and figure out who the best is. This is supposed to be random… and even though this is the third DUOS match where I’ve had the same partner, I do believe that. Maybe I’m naive, but I think that Desiree Devna and I were brought together because we could excel together. I believe we were brought together because we were complements to each other. And here we are, having earned a shot at the DUOS Championships for a second time.
Of course, I have to use that word… “earned”... loosely. I mean, that’s not what happened, right? Thamuz unilaterally decided he didn’t want a shot, didn’t want to team with Burchard, and got their tandem disqualified. We got a shot by default. A lot to be proud of there, right? There’s no reason for anyone to think that Desiree and I have a chance at defeating Danny Darko and Sierra Swann for the DUOS Championships. We’re in by a fluke.
And if you believe that, please come out and say it, because as we learned in South Africa I THRIVE off of that kind of DOUBT. When I’m told that I’m hanging in the balance, or that I don’t deserve to be where I am, that’s when I turn it up. That’s when I show the world exactly who I am and what I’m capable of.
So go ahead… let Darko and Swann think they have another W in the bag. Let them THINK that I’m going to roll over and die because I “don’t deserve” to be there… because Desiree and I are there through a disqualification. I would love nothing more than to slap the assuming taste out of someone’s mouth.
Trust is a big thing in wrestling. Can I trust Desiree to work with me and do what we can to become DUOS Champions?
You’re God-damn right!”