Kandis vs. “The One” Kirsten Scott

[Konrad Raab]

2 RP Limit for singles

3500 word max per RP

Deadline: 11:59:59 pm ET FRIDAY, November 24, 2023**

**NOTE DEADLINE. With it being American Thanksgiving, I figured it would be too short to make deadline Wednesday and mean to make it on Thursday.** The show will act as if on Thanksgiving Thursday.

[TheOne]

{PROMO}

They say when life hands you lemons, make lemonade, correct?  It's a cliche that is used for when you fall short of your goals, you still do your best to make the most of it, and I am one who firmly believes, you never make the "most" of it, you simply accept it as a failure, and learn from it.  You throw the lemons back.  You tell them, "fuck you, I asked for oranges," and expect a new result because you were more direct, more honest, and more aware of what was being tossed your way.  You didn't grab the first thing.  You accepted what was there, and punished those who didn't listen, and praised those who did...

And after Under Attack, I echo both of those sentiments, fairly equally...

Let's begin with the obvious.  I'm not happy with the outcome.  I'm, frankly, pissed, that everyone would stoop to a level of ganging up on me, to make sure I couldn't do to them what I had done many times beforehand, and that's take their chance at greatness and remind them that Darwin said, it's survival of the fittest.  And then backstage, what was I greeted with, but a slew of people helping to "drive that same boat" and message, like Dillusion, a relic of the past, now trying to act like he's not some nutjob, and be a suit?  Yeah, I believe that.  But the anger was raging in that moment, and I feel, rightfully so.  I never had a chance.  I never got the opportunity to get my moment inside the Chamber because of everyone else and their greed, their collusion, and honestly, their jealousy.

They wanted me out...

They took me out...

But I got a few more shots in to remind them who was still truly in charge, even though it took EVERYONE to remove me from that match...

And yeah, I went and stewed for a bit.  I honestly stewed for a long bit before I left the arena, but I didn't leave until I finally realized something, that was far more important than what they had done to me... But rather, what they had done FOR me... And what they did for me was prove my point.  They did what I have been wanting people like them to do from the get-go.  They took their shot, they took their moment, they did what they had to do to show those pieces of garbage from the "dead" period of SCW, that there was new blood, ready to breathe life into it, and bring it back to greatness.

And I always said, if it was at my expense, I was OK with that...

So while there was anger, I realized that I had finally achieved a goal.  I had empowered the new blood.  I had brought them and their desires to the surface so they wouldn't live in the fear of the past, but instead attack the desires of the present.  They realized what I had done and knew if they wanted an opportunity, they would have to be like me, and grab "opportunity" by the throat.  So to that, I actually look at each of them and say, thank you, and it's about damn time...

You all have had that inside you and it took someone like to finally bring the killer instinct out.  It doesn't mean I like any of you, but I respect what you did, no matter how much anger it may have brought me.  You did what I did from the get-go, and you went for the jugular, and I commend you all.  You finally seized your chance, and knew as long as I was there, I was what was holding you back and you combined forces to remove me.  I like the gumption...

But know I don't forget... And I will remedy the situation, on my time...

Kirsten takes a hit off of her vape, holding the smoke in for maximum relaxation, before expelling the smoke slowly, and then continuing.

... And while we are on the subject of elephants in the room, let's address Luz and the Television Championship...

Luz... I was wrong about you.  I can admit it.  You came in there with a gameplan I wasn't prepared for, and you executed it to perfection.  I couldn't respond, and you won, fair and square.  I won't make excuses.  I won't bury the fact you won.  You EARNED the right to call yourself a champion, and I will not take that away from you.

But I want you to listen to me very, VERY, closely...

Respect is earned, championships are earned... And you did both of those, and like I said, I commend you.  But that doesn't mean that those results, that championship, and the same level of respect will be leveied upon you the next time our paths cross.  Because WHEN they cross, WHEN there is a title on the line between us again, the results are going to be vastly different.  You see with a victory, with respect, it's a double-edged sword.  On one side, it's appreciate, but on the other, you've now exposed yourself, meaning you;re ripe for the picking, and that will happen when our paths converge.  And it's all becuse now that you've bested me once, I know what your best shot is.  And I'll have a better idea of what will be necessary to win, when that approaches.  Because that will be a fight that you are not as prepared for this time, but I am...

Amazing how role reversal works...

She sniffs and looks to her side, pausing for a few moments, before facing the camera again.

... And you know, speaking of fights, SCW has lined one up for me that really will mark a turning point, or a true stagnant point in my career, in SCW.  I finally am wondering if management is beginning to want to challenge me and see what I can really bring to the proverbial table, and I will get that opportunity at Breakdown.  I mean, I could also be wrong, and this match is a way of them showing that they want to chop me down a few notches, because I am truly driving a sense of change they aren't ready for, or even wanting to happen, for that matter.  No matter how many members of the "old guard" they dress in suits, and parade around the back with "authority..."

But let's face one fact that they do see, and do want to exploit, whether or not it's to stop my momentum, or challenge to see if I am really capable of turning the page...

I drive business...

I sell merchandise...

I draw eyes...

People care when I am out there, and of course, they'd be smart to do the earlier, and challenge me to prove that my abilities to achieve my goals aren't just words.  But being a newbie, let's be real, they don't have that faith yet... But come Breakdown, they will, without a doubt, have more faith in me than ever before.

Now why is that?  Why is Breakdown something more special than any other Breakdown?  I don't have a title around my waist.  I don't have a title match of any kind.  But what I have is someone who is now in the same boat as me, on the highest of levels, and it will create a situation where the newbie many still call "The One," faces off against the woman that they now have to call the "FORMER WORLD CHAMPION..."

... And therein lies the opportunity to define the future...

Kandis, you and I, likw I said, are in a bit of a similar predicament at the moment.  You and I are both coming off of losses of titles we had shown ourselves to be quite worthy of holding, and now our paths cross at Breakdown.  Our paths will cross with both of us having that taste of a loss so fresh in our mouths, we gag, we want to vomit, we want to do whatever it takes to eliminate it, and one of us will get that opportunity because there can only be one winner, once the smoke clears.

I'm not dumb or naive either...

I know where the betting odds lie...

See, with Luz, I was naive.  I didn't know what she possessed in singles competition and thought of her as merely a one-dimensional, tag team wrestler, and look where it got me.  I ended up failing miserably, and I ended up losing the Television Championship.  So with you, Kandis, I'm not making that same mistake.  I'm not forgetting what you did to attain your status.  You've made this year about you, and you've earned the right to claim it as yours.  You have done everything one wishes to do in an SCW calendar year.  You won Taking Hold of the Flame.  You bested a shit-load of other superstars, including me, to earn your right to Rise to Greatness's main event...

And then you capitalized... And you won...

Kandis, I don't look at you like I looked at Luz because I realize I am probably going to be in over my head.  But the difference is, when I know I'm in the deep end, I learn to fucking swim, fast, and that is my plan with you.  Plain and simple, I'm going to assess and adapt, and when I do, when I become like an AI bot you're facing inside that ring and learn what you're doing, then turn it against you, you'll be the one who was as confused as you were at Under Attack when you TRULY realized your title was gone...

Because I know who you are... You've made this your year... You've earned the right to be someone who is considered the top cock of the wok, but yet, you're not invincible.  Let's be honest, you and I both know that none of us are, no matter how much shit talking we do, or how much preparation we may have.  But yet, we can be... Inevitable...

And Kandis, for you, that is what I am about to become...

You see, while this has been the "Year of Kandis," it also means there will come a point where the sun will set, and everything will come to an end.  You've had your moment in the spotlight.  You've had your chance to carry the torch.  You did so with pride, and did so well.  I won't negate that, or shit on it one bit.  But what I will say is now, since you handed the torch back to the "old guard," you have defied your purpose in SCW.  You have insulted me and my mission... OUR mission... To show the world that we are the new faces of the franchise.  YOU, alone, opted to give it back to the elders, and honestly, that shows weakness to me.

So when you walk into that arena against me, I hope you feel the weight you will be burdening.  I hope you feel the fact that you have failed those of us who saw you as the first shining light of the new guard to bring SCW to its next incarnation, but played into the hands of the past, and gifted them a modicum of hope that they're still relevant.  I hope that eats you inside from this moment, where I call it out, until you make the conscious decision to fight back and PROVE yourself against them.  Because against me, you don't have that "burden of proof."  I'm not one who failed.  I'm not the one who you succumbed to.  I'm not the one who gets to look you in the eye and laugh...

Yet...

Because Kandis, when I saw you hand that GIFT over to Asher Hayes, something NOBODY in SCW had ever been willing to do, it told me you didn't get the memo.  It told me you didn't understand the assignment.  And that's when I jump in and I make you understand what you don't already.  I respect what you've done, yes, but I don't respect you not holding yourself to the right standards afterward.  And now it's my opportunity to do something I have never gotten to do before, and that is assert myself as a player in this game.  I can rest my laurels on the fact it took an onslaught of other superstars just to ELIMINATE me from a battle royal that I had been a lot of faith in.

It took the world to stop me, and it took some geezer to stop you.

So when the dust settles, when the sky clears, when the fans waiting for lines to die down look bck in that ring, they won't see a former chmpion, in Kanis, but instead a broken woman.  They will see a woman who gets to admit she wasn't ready to hold the torch for but a small period a time, and another woman standing tall, possibly mangled from a major fight, but still ahead of the woman who effectively used her World Championship as a bathmat because she couldn't keep her friends close and enemies closer.  And you will ultimately accept the factual basis that your time has come and gone, and it is time to hand the hard job over to the one who has been pulling the strings and dictating the product.

Welome to truth that is DEATH... TAXES... "THE ONE" KIRSTEN SCOTT!

[TheOne]

OOC Note: Edited board code that didn't format properly.

{NEHMIAH: Chapter 6}

Meir Ezra once said, “Courage is not seeing the bad and ignoring it. Courage is the result of seeing the good and jumping in despite the danger," and as I have grown older in life, the more and more I realize how true those words of his are.  And I'm beginning to realize, more and more, that I can't just simply hide from the past, hide from fear, and hide from the things I don't wish to face, head-on.

This is especially true with recent events...

Between Emma and Hailey both seeing through my front, both seeing the vulnerabilities and anger I have seeded deep within my soul, I face the innate human response of fight or flight.  I don't know whether to fight back and try and convince them of otherwise, knowing their right, or succumb to the urge to run away and simply forget the pain ever existed.  My track record would suggest the latter, but that was the past, and this is the present and I'm faced with a conundrum I don't personally like...

I have to decide if the old me, is still the new me, and if it isn't, what do I do now?

I'm not used to being the vulnerable one.  From school age, to The Compound, to the days as "The One," I never got to show that I had a weakness.  I always had to just suck it up and deal with things as they came as the hard-nosed.  I always had to act like it didn't hit me where it counted, but when I have the two girls who, one is like my older sister, my mentor, and my best friend, and the other is my little sister, and the one I have sworn my life to protect, tell me I am weak and they are right, I don't know what to do.  I can't abandon them.  I can't fight back with them.  Sure, I can argue, but in the end, it reinforces their notion and they see further past what I want anyone to see...

I face the double-edged sword of life, and I don't like it...

But regardless of my liking, or not liking, it's the reality I am facing and I'm being forced to decide if, as he put, I'm courageous or if I will live in fear.  On one hand, it's an easy road.  It's everything I've come to embrace, accept, and endure.  On the other hand is potential pain, not just for me but others, because I don't know how my actions will result, and they're not something I can sit back and predict.

So I'm left to question every move I make...

I'm forced to wonder if any situation will create the firestorm I fear...

I worry if I do show that vulnerability will it diminish who I am to the world, but more importantly, those I care about?  Would weakness make me look, more... Well... Weak?

Again... The sword continues to pierce through the agony I face...

But the reality, and not the thought, is that one way or another, I wlll have to burden that question with an answer.  Am I ready to be courageous, not just in my eyes, but in the eyes of others, and facing, what I would call, danger, head on, and making myself the center of the world's attention, or would I simply reject the opportunity, and run for the hills?  One creates an opportunity of strength, and the other creates an opportunity of safety for myself, and myself alone.

I guess the question isn't about courage... It's how selfish am I?

Sometimes in life, you have to "adult," and today is one of those days for Hailey and Kirsten, as they have had the moment where they have to head to the store to begin restocking supplies and groceries for the group at their abode.  With the holiday week, some stores closer to them have closed earlier than others, forcing them to go to town for their needs, pushing them back into the territory once controlled by The Compound and ultimately, The Prophets.

As it stands, The Prophets, both, still sit in jail awaiting their trial date, being kept apart.  But their reach is still broad, having members of law enforcement still within their purview.  They still have ways of controlling the town and those they may have influence over, even when completely behind bars.  And this is this known to Kirsten and Hailey as they realize the local justice system will eventually see an overhaul once the federal investigation and prosecution is done, but until then, there is still a risk for the "mob family-like" individuals to act on the behalf of those they turned against.

This is why shopping inside the county is risky.

Hailey and Kirsten know this, but they also realize that sometimes your options dictate what you are capable and incapable of doing...

As they browse through the store they can feel the eyes on them.  They can feel the sideeye from patrons who they, too, recognize, but at the same time try to ignore in a sign of respect.  Unfortunately the respect isn't gifted both ways as they are always profiled and treated as the "bad people" currently.  To expedite the shopping spree they decide to split up.  Hailey grabs a second cart and begins on the opposite end of the store, working her way toward the "front" or "produce" end of the place, where she had left Kirsten.  Kirsten, continues to grab what they need on each aisle.

As the two shop, Kirsten turns down the next aisle to get spices, and immediately comes to a frozen stop.  She is staring down the most intimidating presence she has felt in a long time, as her mother and father look up and see her opposite them.  Both freeze not knowing how to react.  Kirsten's dad, especially, is caught off guard, while her mother cannot help but feel the motherly love come over her.  She is the first to utter any words...

Kirsten's Mom: K... kir... Kirsten...?

Kirsten is immediately reminded of how her parents sided with The Prophets, over her.

Kirsten Scott: Mother... Father...

It's a memory that her mother shuns and immediately charges at Kirsten, embracing her, as Kirsten stands there.  She musters the emotion to put one hand on her mother's lower back.

Kirsten's Mom: Oh my god!  I've missed you!!

Kirsten's dad, however, feigns the same glee.

Kirsten's Dad: It's good to see your, Kid... I've been wondering what happened to you after that... Oh you know, that incident everyone made a big deal of, and, I wondered what they did with you...

Kirsten's mom let's go and stands to the side.

Kirsten Scott: What they "did" with me?  I was a catalyst... I was who brought that shit down... They didn't do ANYTHING to me... I can't imagine what they did to the two of you...

It's at this point Kirsten's father doesn't hold back, and let's his rage through.

Kirsten's Dad: ... And you will NEVER have any idea what they did to us, you BITCH!  You turned on US!  You turned on THE PROPHETS!  You turned on YOUR FAMILY!  You made this about you and some Holy War you wanted to fight when it was NONE OF YOUR FUCKING BUSINESS!  We gave you everything so you could mind your own business.  All we asked was you MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS DAMMIT, and you couldn't even abide by ONE RULE FROM US?!  Instead you decide you protect some twat who was making us live a more lavish lifestyle than you will EVER fucking see again?!  That's on you... THAT... IS... ON... YOU!

Kirsten's Dad lunches forward and slaps his daughter across the cheek, iliciting a response from his wife.

Kirsten's Mom: Shut up!  Just shut up now!  AND HOW DARE YOU?!

You do NOT insult our daughter that way, or lay hands on her, I don't care how much that damn place meant to you.  She did what she did because she was led by HER morals.  WE TAUGHT HER THAT!  So don't act like we taught her to ignore what was right, even if we weren't perfect!

Kirsten's father begins to have mixed emotions about the situation.

Kirsten's Dad: So you want me to believe she did everything for GOOD?!  She RUINED us!  She RUINED my business, RUINED my financial status, and RUINED everything I invested in!

Kirsten's Mom: OR MAYBE IT WAS US WHO RUINED IT?!  Haven't you ever considered that?!  You're the bastard who just hit your own fucking child!

Kirsten's father begins to have some mixed emotions about what he just did, while Kirsten slowly turns her head back in his direction, holding her cheek, and rubbing it.  Her tongue can be seen pushing against the inside of her cheek ensuring nothing is bleeding or dislodged.

Kirsten's Dad: Yeah I shouldn't have done that, but she's the reason we are having to fend for our lives, and have to live the life of a normal person.  I worked my ASS off to get where I was... And this little bitch, she ruined it all.  We had EVERYTHING.  We had financial support.  We had the lifestyle we DESERVED.  We had THAT BITCH to protect us, and what did she do?  She turned on us.  She didn't believe in blood is thicker than water.  She believed in herself was ABOVE us.  SHE is the reason we have to shop for fucking boxed foods now, not me, not you, not us, but HER!  She took away everything we had!  And... Fuck it...

He tries to lunge at her again but this time is stopped by Kirsten's mother.  Kirsten doesn't flinch.  She stands there staring her father down, knowing he completely doesn't understand how he was the one being used in the whole matter.

Kirsten's Mom: STOP IT!  STOP IT NOW!

The rage is still permeating his body as he pushes his wife, and that of Kirsten's mom, away.

Kirsten's Dad: OH...  So now you're on her side, huh?  Now you're not going to admit you weren't partaking in what The Prophets gave us, huh?

Kirsten's Mom: Fuck you!  I'm not admitting I didn't, but I'm admitting she's our daughter FIRST!  And if you can't admit that, you're the one who has the problem... Not me!

As he tries to make another push toward Kirsten, out of nowhere he is grabbed, spun around, and met with a right fist across his chin, in the middle of the aisle, sending him straight down, and unconscious.  Kirsten watches him fall, as does her Mom, and the two of them look up to see Hailey with a snarl on her face, slowly retracting her fist back.  She looks down at her fist, moving each finger, and smirking as if she "still has it."  She then slowly looks up at Kirsten.

Hailey Brooks: Yeah I was done listening to him run his mouth, I don't know about you...

It turns out Hailey had heard the commotion from the other side of the store and  recognized the voices.  She opted to not continue shopping but make her way toward the problem area, knowing she could, and would, offer assistance.  Upon seeing the back of Kirsten's Dad, and not seeing Kirsten, she knew she was shielded by her mother and father, and approached slowly, giving her the opportunity to do what she did.

It's at this point security finally begins to arrive and immediately spots Kirsten and Hailey as the antagonists of the situation.  The quickly begin to order them both out of the store, and this quickly makes Kirsten turn toward her mother.

Kirsten Scott: Mom, care to clarify for these dickheads?

Kirsten's mom tries to open her mouth, and then looks down at her fallen husband, who is still unconscious.  She can't muster the words to say that he was the instigator of violence, and the guards didn't bother checking any tapes before engaging.

When her mother says nothing, Kirsten looks up at Hailey...

Kirsten Scott: Let's go somewhere else... Somewhere with a little more...

Kirsten looks at her mother.

Kirsten Scott: ... Integrity...

This final word is a detriment to her mother, as she realizes that, now, Kirsten doesn't look at her anymore faborably than her father because she hadn't spoken up.

As Kirsten walks down the aisle she can feel her mother's eyes on her.  She can feel the gaze of the woman who gave birth to her staring her down, even if not in a menacing manner.  She pauses and slowly looks back over her shoulder, in the direction of her mother.  Her mother sees this and her head sinks as a sign of failue toward her daughter.  She then negins to pick up the pieces of jewelry that had fallen off her father, and in seeing this, Kirsten re-engages with the security guard in walking toward the exit.

When Kirsten gets outside, she immediately sits down on a bench and begins to look up.  She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, feeling a hand on her shoulder, as Hailey tells her the words that she neess to hear, and needs to believe...

Hailey Brooks: Just remember, in the end, "Hell hath no fury, like a woman's scorn..."

These words make Kirsten take a deep breath and simply stand up and usher Hailey toward the vehicle they came in, so they can then leave, and subsequently buy groceries wlsewhere, while on the inside, Kirsten's father begins to regain consciousness, seein his daughter's cart still there, and ultimately his wife staring him down from above his body.