Scarlet Grey & Kandis vs. James Evans & Angelica Jones

[Konrad Raab]

Match Determine Balance of Power

SCW World Tag Team Championship

4 RP Limit for tag

Deadline: 11:59 pm ET Saturday, January 19, 2019

[The Matt]

Numero Uno!

https://jamesevansscw.blogspot.com/2019/...i.html?m=1

[James Evans]

OOC: Really enjoyed the shoot in this one, after reading shoots of others, plus other stuff. The first section in the first rp connects to the scene between Angelica and Adrian in this one. All characters that have appeared in these rps, does appear with permission from the handler.

Making Things Right, II

[Da Queen]

ooc: A much different take on Scarlet as a whole than I'm sure people expected, but I've been wanting to try and delve into the mess her mind can be and what it can do to her for some time now and figured a title match might be my best bet to take a stab at it and see where it goes.



Scarlet was conflicted, and that was something that didn't happen as often as you think.

Everything seemed like it should be alright on the surface at least. After all, she and Kandis had won their tag match and Kandis's debut for SCW, and Scarlet picked up some much needed momentum after the train wreck that had been everything she lost out on following months of hopelessly devoting herself to one end goal and not getting it. Not to mention the chaotic end to the last Breakdown where despite being chased off after encountering some resistance the two women had caused a good amount of damage between their assets and some steel to help make their message loud and clear. Despite only one match together as a team, they had a tag title match on the horizon now and there was no doubt in her mind that they were going to not only claim those belts and proudly flaunt them, but also score a hug favor in Katya's favor in the process.

The whole “winning the tag titles with Kandis” thing seemed to be where the problem lied.

It didn't need to seem that way in the slightest, considering they had chemistry and a lot in common besides the obvious. Even if you could throw out the fact that a few eyebrows were raised at the announcement of them being named the challengers for a number of reasons, something like that never bothered Scarlet as long as she got what she wanted in the end, and the tag titles were certainly on her radar for a long time before this.

Is it the titles you want though? Or to hold the titles with Ruby?

That was the million dollar question came from, and no matter how well she hid it, beneath the surface it was tearing her apart inside. One of the goals of the Red Empire was to become tag champions en route to their quest of complete domination of SCW, and Scarlet couldn't deny how many sacrifices Ruby seemed to make in order to try and make that a reality. Up to this point, however, the best they'd ever gotten is contendership matches. Gauntlets, elimination chamber, fatal fortunes... you name it, and Scarlet and Ruby were both involved with a shot at tag team gold on the line, and every single time they'd fallen short. It had been frustrating to say the least, and there was at least one instance when Scarlet had absolutely lost it as a result which not only drove Ruby away from her, but also saw the end of the tandem in SCW until Scarlet resurfaced out of nowhere following Rise to Greatness with her eyes set on a very specific man.

Now, here she was, finally getting her first real crack at those titles that always seemed to elude her time and time again, and instead of standing in the corner ready to tag in if necessary Ruby was on the sidelines, still nursing the ankle injury that was all her fault.

Scarlet had no problem with Kandis filling that void instead, but after she'd vowed to herself before that first Breakdown of 2018 that she was going to make things up to Ruby for the mess that put here out to begin with, she'd started questioning herself and where things truly stood. The announcement didn't make things any easier on her, but she wasn't going to be ungrateful and especially not to a woman who was willing to team with her that wasn't Ruby for a change as well as the woman who was not only giving her this long awaited rightful shot but putting her faith in Scarlet to help shift the balance of power into her favor.

If you're not careful, you're going to be the reason she loses everything. And after she gave you the world you know you deserve to hold in the palm of your hand.

Thoughts like these were the reason why she was where she was now. Within the crimson cyber castle she called home, there was one room in the house that only she knew about, which was impressive considering Ruby was extremely thorough about getting to know her surroundings when she first arrived here and entered Scarlet's life. It was a secret room Scarlet had spared no expense for, especially when it came to hiding it. Tucked away deep in Scarlet's vast wardrobe, where Ruby never had a reason to go, was a secret door that led to this room. Aside from a shelf of books that all had something to do about psychology – books that Ruby would likely salivate over in hopes of getting to read them – and a table to read and study them at, the room was otherwise barren. The fanciest thing about this room would likely be the lanterns that illuminated it, but they stood in stark contrast to the bare and cold concrete that dominated one's vision.

It was kind of like Scarlet's own little place of solitary confinement, in a twisted sort of way.

She hadn't needed to come here too often, considering that she reserved it for only the worst of situations when she was aware enough of where things were headed, but now was one of those times. Old “friends” felt like they were resurfacing and she busied herself reading through a book she'd read through a thousand times before, simply wanting to ride out the storm and move on. Getting over the last few months of effort and coming to realize there might've been more to that situation than she wanted to comfortably admit was one thing... this was a whole different can of worms.

Let me guess: you two lose and you'll flip your shit on Kandis just like you did to Ruby?

Grey: It wasn't like that...

Scarlet let out a low growl at what this latest effort seemed to imply. That's always how it was when she suddenly could hear these voices in her head: they would tear her down and try to lead her towards a certain path. They often came and went and very rarely ever got as bad as they seemed to be now, but as much as she wanted to talk with someone about it... what was there to even say? Kandis would probably be put off by it given how new their pairing was, and even Ruby's concerns just felt like a possible detriment in her eyes. As ill-advised as she knew it was from her own experiences and many of the books within this room, isolation felt like the better option to pursue here.

Because you know deep down that after everything Ruby's sacrificed for you, you can't return the favor without worrying her and adding to your debt.

It was always worse when there was some truth to the voices and what they said. Scarlet couldn't argue that Ruby had seemingly given up a lot and never asked for anything in return, only to often come away like she'd been bitten by a snake as the cycle repeated itself. Ruby had her own problems, yet here she was always putting Scarlet's before them and gaining no traction in sorting her own stuff out. And what did she have to show for it?

Grey: Being chased away because I was too far gone, playing second fiddle to my hopeless sexcapades towards that asshole Aaron, being put out of commission because I was blinded by rage...

And now possibly becoming champion with someone you barely know as opposed to someone who's stood by you for so long.

Grey: I can't look a gift horse in the mouth and I had no control over this match being made. Besides, how's this fair to Kandis?

How's it fair to Ruby?

Scarlet simply hurled the book she had open across the room, not caring for its condition after colliding with the stone wall and clattering to the floor. She tugged tightly at the doctor's coat she'd thrown on before coming in here as though it would help, silently cursing out the fact that she knew full well trying to reason with voices in your head would never get anybody anywhere. Yet here she was, doing it anyway.

Because you're a lunatic who only knows how to destroy everything around her when you don't get your way.

Grey: Hey, I could've tried to do so many things in that invitational! Or even screwed with Aaron's match on top of what else I did at Breakdown this past week! But I've let all that go!

Have you really?

Grey: YES!!!

She could yell at absolutely nothing from the perspective of an outsider, she could slam her palms against the wall and tug at her own hair, but she knew she was relapsing. Months of fooling herself into believing she'd made some progress trying to weather her own psychological storms despite signs pointing towards her clear instability were simply falling apart in the face of the doubt and inner turmoil that always came back, almost like alternate personalities trying to find any way possible to break free even if it meant destroying their host in the process. There was always more than one trying to get to her, but today seemed like the day when they all were hellbent on working together.

You don't deserve anything and you know it.

Even if she does, is it really even what she wants?

She won't get it anyway, let's be honest here.

Grey: Shut up!

Scarlet began slamming her own head into the desk, which put up a sturdy resistance despite its flimsy appearance. All this really served to do was incite a headache, and catching the table's edge did cut her head open and cause blood to start trickling down her face, but if she could somehow brute force the voices to go away then she could care less at this point.

Harming yourself is never the answer and you know it. Just think of how Ruby will react when she sees you like this.

Scarlet pushed away from the desk and stood up so quickly the chair was knocked over, but it was all just a blur to her. She started moving towards the shelf to grab another book, but the mad cacophony of voices was starting to overwhelm her sense of thought, to the point where her self-inflicted headache exploded into a full blown sensation that felt like her brain was literally falling to pieces. Just as her fingers touched one of the books, she felt herself collapsing into a fetal position, the book falling to the floor as well.

You're abandoning Ruby after everything she's done for you?

How will Kandis react when she realizes you not everything she thinks you are?

Katya's prepping the first ambulance to the nuthouse as we speak, calling it now!

If she can't help herself, why should she think she can repay anybody else?

The longer this continued, the more agonizing it became. With her senses effectively disabled and blood slowly leaking down into a pool on the floor beneath her, Scarlet could easily say for the first time in years she'd finally been overwhelmed by it all. The voices were right, and only driving her further and further into the darkness as they continued to pile on top of her, and this time there was no way out. She felt she deserved this for being nothing but a true menace for so long no matter how much she tried to mask it behind her sexual exploits and fantasies and thinking she may have finally found companionship when the truth of the matter was she didn't know where she honestly stood with Kandis or Katya or even Ruby for that matter in the grand scheme of things. It was at this point when she tried to open her eyes that they managed to catch something.

'Every feeling of helplessness has a common thread. By analyzing that thread, one can begin to take steps to reverse the conditioning they may have become influenced by in order to achieve more positive results.'

Grey: Those words...

She remembered those words clearly, almost like a fog was suddenly being lifted and the mental strain was suddenly easing up from finding them after so long. She began to realize the book she had grabbed in her agony was an old journal of hers, packed cover to cover with various notes she'd taken in what almost felt like a past life now. Believe it or not, any claims she'd made in regards to knowing a thing or two psychologically weren't entirely baseless, but it was easy to believe why when she could come off as a psychologist with a host of severe psychological problems weighing her down. She could almost recall a point in her life when she'd made serious efforts to try and pursue this realistic goal, but somewhere along the way the road found itself giving way to an abyss she never seemed able to truly find her way out of. For perhaps the first time she could honestly remember, she finally had some legit clarity.

Grey: Ruby...

Thinking back to her own writing, Scarlet began to realize where exactly this domino effect started. Ruby was the first piece and rightfully so, because for all the efforts of the Red Empire to secure a tag title shot Scarlet now had it with someone else entirely and in such a short amount of time, and all Ruby could do was watch. That caused her to question exactly what value she had to Ruby when one constantly sacrificed for the other to ultimately get nothing in return, even when it seemed clear that despite feeling something for Scarlet it didn't truly feel like friendship at times. Any fears regarding Ruby's take on this situation then gave way to Kandis's part in everything, from how she would react if they fell short as Scarlet had multiple times before this to what it would mean if they did somehow win and reigned as champions when Ruby was finally able to ditch the crutches and resume competing. Naturally, the stakes also then carried this into fearing Katya's reaction if they cost her a valuable point in trying to determine the balance of power, especially if she and Kandis were ultimately the point that could seal the deal. Even that caused her to fear for Ruby's reaction to however that could play out.

Grey: At the end of the day, it all goes back to Ruby... all this time she's given things up just for me, to try and make my ambitions a reality, and now it feels like I'm simply discarding her because I hurt her when that's not the case at all.

Not like there's anything you can do about that though.

Grey: ...actually, maybe there is something I can do for her after all.

With this defiant proclamation and a sudden sense of clarity that even managed to tune out the voices as they continued to squawk like a swarm of demented birds, Scarlet grabbed the journal and slowly made it back to her feet, brushing away the blood from her face as though it no longer fazed her that she'd hurt herself just moments beforehand. With a renewed sense of purpose, she knew exactly what she had to do to start Making Things Right, and not just in regards to the state of SCW.

*

As our shot opens up, it might stun you ton find no sign of anything normal... at least, normal as defined by Scarlet Grey. We see her sitting out on what looks like the front steps of a mansion that more resembles a castle build out of metal and painted crimson just so nobody forgets who it belongs to, But even in the clear presence of the Red Empire stronghold something seems off. Scarlet is not scantily clad or trying to direct our attention anywhere and we know from past experiences it has nothing to do with a sense of modesty in public. With her body covered by a white doctor's coat pulled tightly over her curves and a red miniskirt, Scarlet just gives the camera perhaps the most serious glare she's ever fully given out in one of these, not caring about the bandage on her forehead that is covered by her namesake-colored hair or how much it's obscuring a clear view of her face in the process.

Grey: I bet you're surprised by this, aren't you? Scarlet Grey is not trying to shove her sex appeal down everyone's throats, surely this is a sign of the end times right? Believe me, you'll all get to see everything I have to offer and then some come Sunday, but as much as I know I'm going to enjoy what Kandis and I are going to do together, a point needs to be proven.

Grey: I'm sure Angelica and James are waiting with bated breath for the moment where I just throw this jacket off and laugh as I do a little dance, but if that's the case they're going to suffocate before they get what they think they want. There they stand, the pinnacle of the tag team division and the heroes they think everyone is pining for that's going to restore wrestling to its proper glory or some nonsense like that, and it's no surprise that for as much as they preach to the contrary nothing's truly changed about them. This holier than thou attitude is being forced down our throats just because the idea that two women who have barely been a team are proving that you can be proud of who you are and what you've got while still kicking ass and taking names. Of course, never mind that one point where the pot's calling the kettle black, since the very reason they claim has made them stronger is supposedly why we're destined to fail. At the end of the day, this is all about Redemption and how SCW can be proud of what they stand for: the very hypocrisy their beliefs embody.

The sheer venom with which she speaks those last few words is a system shock all its own. We've seen how cold Scarlet can get before, but this is almost like an entirely different level to that. You can almost feel the sting to her words and the hatred they carry, as though this has been a lot more thought out than you'd ever expect to see from a woman as spontaneous as she's proven herself to be.

Grey: I can't speak for Kandis obviously, but if we're going to discuss the tag titles and what they mean to us, then clearly the two of you are assuming an awful lot in regards to me. You talk about the work you've put in and how desperate you are to keep those titles out of the “wrong hands” while writing me off just because I'm nothing like the two of you, and thank whatever pretend deity you think exists for that. Did you ever consider the possibility that maybe, just maybe, I'm wired a little differently than you two are? Maybe I see the world a little differently, almost like trying to put together the pieces of a puzzle and never getting the full scope, losing my way every now and then because something that seems more entertaining and worth my time comes along and I can't help but change course. Not everything is as black and white as your view of this entire scenario, you know, but as long as Kandis and I represent the “evils” of Katya and are simply proud of who we are otherwise, we have to be stopped at all costs.

Grey: Do you even comprehend what I've gone through when it comes to those titles? Of course not, because all you care about is the chamber match you won when you were just as new a team as the two of us and going on to beat another barely-formed team to gloat about being the best. The way you pass judgment alone can easily be turned back on you as well, considering how badly James wanted his precious place in the history books to hold something over those he antagonized for years before suddenly “turning over a new leaf” while Angelica went and turned her back on her entire family all just to be a champion again only to complain about Marie supposedly doing the exact same thing, never mind whatever hole the other Jones chick got buried in as she became a forgotten relic. But all is well and good because you are Redemption and you are what's important here... not how much Kandis fought to earn her opportunities down in EMERGE only to be screwed over every step of the way and not how much I've scratched and clawed with Ruby by my side to try and get those very titles you hold only to even be denied an actual shot because gauntlets and multi-team chambers and random drawings are somebody's bright idea of “fairness” around here!

Grey: This is my first chance to actually say I can walk away with tag team gold... you can fire back all you want about how Ruby's injured and I “replaced” her because that's all you two know how to do: make assumptions because the “good guys” are never wrong as they preach about their almighty glory to the heavens above. All you've proven in doing so is just how shallow this whole charade really is, and when I can see straight through it and make your bullshit public for the whole world to come ready to show you what truly becomes of liars in this day and age you know you've well and truly fucked up.

Out of the corner of the camera's gaze, one might catch sight of Ruby peeking out the window in curiosity as Scarlet continues on, undeterred.

Grey: Let me make something clear to you both: getting those titles means a lot more to me than either of you clearly realize, and the idea that you think I don't deserve them just because I've shown I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get what I'm after or because you're focused too much on the fact that Kandis and I could use our asses alone to crush your heads like grapes if we really wanted to only proves that. So much for your claims of “resisting” me when that's all you're willing to bring up, huh James? It doesn't matter... I'm not going to let this opportunity slip through my fingers that easily all because your self-righteous crusade just has to continue at the expense of someone far more deserving than either of you hypocritical assholes will ever admit. I don't care how we do it... Scarlet Grey will be a tag team champion by the end of Sunday night, even if Kandis and I have to repaint those plates with your blood or call the EMTs to scrape what's left of you off the mats after we're through with you.

Scarlet abruptly stands up and shoves her hand into the camera, which is where the feed cuts off and finalizes just what this opportunity might have done to her. After trying so hard for so long, she couldn't fall short again in her first actual crack at that gold... not after everything she just went through to realize what needs to be done.

*

Amarant: Who is she and what has she done with Scarlet Grey?

Ruby can't help but think this as she peers out the window to find her partner in the middle of filming her piece in regards to her impending tag title opportunity alongside Kandis. While Ruby was still a bit skeptical, as long as Scarlet was happy she could accept this and even a Red Empire tag title reign that didn't include her. What she saw however was not the woman she figured would be parading around in the skimpiest outfit she could find or maybe even using the one room they had set aside for “special effects promos” to do something with her ass literally conquering or crushing the world or something like that, but instead perhaps the most deathly serious and focused she had ever seen this woman in all the time she'd known her. Perhaps even more surprising was the note she found in the book she grabbed to read after she left the window so Scarlet wouldn't realize she was watching her, which read as follows:

'Thank you for everything you've done Ruby. In return, consider this my gift of not wanting to get in your way so you can focus on your own success. The Red Empire will always stand tall, but I will do my best to stand strong on my own so you no longer have to worry about me. Sincerely, Scarlet”