DEADLINE 1 - 1X 3,250 word limit RP, in whatever format you choose
FRIDAY 12TH JULY 2019 2359 EST
DEADLINE 2 - 1x 750 word limit SHOOT / SEGMENT rp, to be used in the show. This rp must be sent to the EMERGE PM box before the deadline of SUNDAY 14th JULY 2019 2359 EST
My offering for this week. We've moved forward in time from last time out, just to try and keep up with Matt's storylines etc. Good luck gents and enjoy!
Her right hand was broken. She needed stitches in her head to close an open wound. Her body was bruised from top to bottom and she couldn’t even begin to describe the agonizing pain that pulsed through every fiber of her being.
Despite all of this, Melissa was marching off the cruise ship as the new RUSH Champion, just like she said she would.
Despite the excitement in her interview later in the show before she was laid out by that sore loser Sundown, the title win didn’t fully sink in until quite a while later, after she was tended to by the Emerge doctors aboard the ship. It was then she fully began to realize the absolute hell she’d put herself through, from the painful Ladder Match the day before to the utter war she’d waged with Tombstone’s monster, but when she saw that piece of gold and leather clutched tightly in her good hand she knew it was all worth it. She finally had a major accomplishment to her name that was truly all her, not because of what her father tried to build her into, and after everything she’d endured there was no longer any doubt about what she was capable of.
And yet, all the physical pain brought with it a small bit of mental turmoil as well.
Despite trying to soothe her aches by taking it easy while the ship was still out on the water, she couldn’t help but look back on the grueling battle she’d endured with Sundown. True, she knew he and so many others, especially her old man, would have something to say about the ending, but the more she replayed the beating she endured in her memories, the more she began to question if that truly was the end she was seeking. She had been busting her ass in training ever since she was led to Matt to help her break into the business, and while he’d certainly pushed her above and beyond she couldn’t deny the several moments in that battle where she felt like a hidden ‘survival mode’ simply kicked in as she acted on pure instinct and adrenaline to regain the upper hand. That wasn’t a product of Matt’s training… it was another aspect of her father’s intense training regiment that had become ingrained into her very being, making sure that if she were to find herself in the heat of combat she could keep going in the face of pain and injury so long as she was still alive, no matter what it took to bring down the enemy.
Even if he didn’t point that out himself if they were face-to-face again, it was impossible to shake the thought that she truly hadn’t proven she was a champion in her own right just yet.
It was a thought that both rattled and infuriated her simultaneously. Naturally, the idea that she was still trying to fight her way out of her father’s shadow and military programming even when she thought she’d finally earned her golden ticket filled her with a desire to knock out the first person she saw with no regard to the consequences if only to try and have something to suppress the idea. Clashing against the anger, though, was the realization that if her toughness could always be attributed to what he’d done every single time she defended that title going forward, no matter how difficult the challenge, then could she truly ever be her own person?
“Earth to Melissa, you need any help with your stuff?”
Melissa snapped out of her latest cerebral conflict when she heard Claire’s voice, bringing her back to the reality at hand. The ship had returned to port and all the passengers were now disembarking, and between the internal struggle and broken hand Melissa hadn’t realized until now how much she was actually struggling to carry her bag through the crowd of people. She did have to admit it was odd to hear Claire offering to lend a hand, considering that for most of her life she just kicked back and let others do all of that for her, but something about the offer still brought a smile to her face at the progress her friend was making.
“Nah, I think I’ve got it. Just needed to kind of be pulled out of my head for five minutes until we’re actually off this thing.”
Claire didn’t look fully convinced but nodded anyway, knowing full well that she was already struggling to drag her admittedly overstuffed suitcase along. Adding the heavy bag containing all of Melissa’s gear and other cruise enjoying essentials would’ve likely caused her arms to fall off, not that she was willing to admit that even when she knew she didn’t have to pretend to be stronger than she was all because her friend was injured. It didn’t take too long for the pair to make their way off the boat, and once they were back on land Claire led Melissa towards a secluded spot she found nearby so they could converse in private for a moment.
“I appreciate the offer Claire, but you know you don’t have to try and baby me just because that Halloween reject broke my hand.”
“I know Melissa. Believe me… it was hard watching that match and everything that he did to you…”
“I warned you this sport wasn’t always going to be easy to watch, even if I’m really starting to learn firsthand it’s just as hard to do.”
“No, I know I needed to do this. Even if it wasn’t the most… pleasant… viewing experience, I got to watch my best friend become a champion and prove just how tough she was in the process. Forget that massive guy that got involved, nobody can ignore how hard you fought until the end or the fact that you did just what you said you would.”
Claire couldn’t help but sheepishly grin as she motioned to the title belt wrapped around her friend’s waist, which got Melissa briefly grinning too. She’d almost forgotten she was actually wearing it, but the idea of literally following her word was too tempting a thought to pass up. It wasn’t long before the smirk faded, though, and Melissa began walking with her head hung a bit. Claire followed once she got a handle on her luggage, clearly worried as the forced soldier began to finally vent a bit.
“I wish it were that simple Claire, I really do. Even I’m having a hard time really agreeing with that, though.”
“Is that because you know your dad’s going to try and put some silly asterisk beside the whole thing just because of that?”
“No, actually. I know that’s exactly what the bastard’s going to do, just like everyone else hoping they can undermine my win to make themselves feel better. Like I said on the show, though… shit happens, and it’s hardly my fault Sundown picked a fight with too many people thinking they weren’t eventually going to fight back.”
When Melissa hesitated to continue, Claire’s lips started to form the words to ask what was actually wrong then. She never got the chance to put her voice behind them, however, as she got her answer rather quickly in the form of the still undefeated warrior hurling her bag against the concrete and grabbing at her hair with her good hand, gritting her teeth in pure exasperation as she finally unloaded it all for the first time in something besides a thought plaguing her mind.
“I hate thinking about it, but the more I play those matches back in my head, the more I start to realize I may never be able to prove my father wrong! Every desperate counter, every kick out, every single thing I did up until those final moments was because of him! He trained me to be a goddamn soldier Claire, including how to survive no matter what! If I have to walk through hell every time I defend this thing, can I actually shove this title reign down his throat and truly tell him I’m free at last!?”
Melissa was practically hyperventilating at this point, slowly driving herself more and more into a frenzy. They say it’s good to get things off your chest as opposed to keeping them bottled up, but somehow that just seemed to make things worse in her mind. The new champion slowly slipped into a haze that made it difficult to really focus on anything than what was consuming her every waking thought, but thankfully she snapped out of it before things got any worse. Granted, it required latching onto hearing Claire profusely apologize with a desperate tone of voice that just sounded heartbreaking, but she fully comprehended why when the pain shot through her as she realized the blonde had used every ounce of her strength desperately trying to stop Melissa from instinctively throwing her dominant hand into a nearby shipping container. Feeling her friend trying to grip her arm and wrist tight caused her injured hand to ache horribly, but it definitely trumped doing any further damage all because she’d lost control again. Melissa spat out a frustrated sigh as she took a moment to regain her composure and let the pain ebb away before meeting her friend’s puppy dog eyes.
“I’m… sorry, you had to see that…”
“I’m just glad you didn’t hurt yourself any worse. Oh, Melissa… I know you told me things were bad between you and your father, and I know I saw some of it myself when you were training for these shows, but this… I’ve never seen you like this before…”
“And I hope you never will again…”
Melissa reached down to grab her bag, but to her surprise she instead found her fingers interlocked with Claire’s as the rich girl interrupted the motion, giving her longtime friend the most serious and determined glare she’s ever mustered in her entire previously sheltered life. Melissa could barely process what was happening as the next move was the blonde’s hand gently resting on her shoulder, trying to make sure she wasn’t irritating any of the bruising before she finally spoke again.
“Listen to me, Melissa Killgraves… the more you let that man sit inside your head, the more you’re simply letting him win. That’s not the woman who took shit from nobody when we were in school, and that’s not the woman who told off the chief of police and our town’s greatest war hero because you were standing up for your right to be who you want to be. He may have trained you to survive, but how you used that when you faced that masked freak and what you do with it and anything else he taught you going forward is all you. He’s not barking orders at you or sitting there in your brain treating you like some silly human tank, you’re honestly building your own legacy even if you have to use a few scraps he happened to leave behind. You think I’m ever going to get out of the shadow of my father and what our last name means no matter what I do with my life? No, but that doesn’t mean I can’t still do what I want and decide my own destiny despite that. You gave me the courage to start trying… please don’t ever forget that I would’ve never started trying to shed this stupid image I’ve carried for so long if it wasn’t for you to inspire me.”
Melissa opened her mouth to speak, but her mouth simply lacked the ability to produce any sound right now no matter how hard she tried to form words. Never, in all the time she’d known her, had she ever heard Claire say anything like she just did. The odd emotional speech here and there was one thing, but this? This was a stern message straight from the heart meant for the sole purpose of getting her ass back in gear before she tore herself apart over the issues in her head. Claire was right… odds were she could never truly escape the black hole of her father’s ‘legend’ and all the training he’d put her through for a purpose she never wanted to fulfill, but that was no reason she could let the PTSD-like trauma he’d left ingrained into her as well dictate how she moved forward.
“You know what? You’re right Claire, and I feel stupid for letting that son of a bitch get to me even now. This started as me using what he tried to make me into and using it my way, and this Invasion was the epitome of exactly that! He may have taught me, but I’m the one who fought literally tooth and nail to get this title around my waist, and when we get back home I’m going to make it clear to him that this?” She motions to the center plate of the RUSH Title around her waist with her cast-bearing hand. “This truly means I’m my own woman now, and no amount of physical or psychological scarring is going to change that!”
“Sounds like that man truly didn’t know what he had until it was gone.”
Both women whipped their heads around at the third voice joining their conversation, and Claire almost felt like vomiting at what she saw standing before her. Perhaps it should be no surprise that with evening beginning to set in Miami, the various aspects of the ‘night life’ would begin to awaken in the streets, including women on the prowl that were simply looking for a good time in exchange for some cash. Claire’s sheltered upper-class upbringing meant the sight of this African-American woman proudly standing in front of her in perhaps the sluttiest outfit she’d ever laid eyes on was a true shock to the system, but Melissa looked more annoyed than anything else. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but something about this woman just grated on her every nerve.
The woman slowly sauntered closer, her body language making it very clear she was interested in something, and Melissa quickly pushed Claire back to shield her as the old instincts from similar scenarios when they were still in school came roaring back. This act made the woman stop with a fair amount of distance between them, but it didn’t stop her from bending over with the kind of practice that made it clear what she was trying to show off as she carefully eyed the gold around the waist of the military-bred combatant. She tried to reach out to touch it, but backed away when Melissa made a grab for her wrist, eliciting a chuckle from her.
“Maybe I should learn that lesson myself. Look at you… strong, commanding, calling yourself a champion and probably raking in the money now if I were to wager a guess. I know from my own ‘field research’ that these wrestling suits pay pretty handsomely to their gold-bearers.”
“Look, I don’t know what you want, but just because I survived being beaten almost half to death by a deranged horror movie knockoff and look worse for wear because of it doesn’t mean I can’t still lay you out.”
“You really do sound just like him too… I always did wonder what happened when he was left to raise you, and somehow I knew he’d screw it up worse than I ever could.”
Something about that line made Melissa’s gut start doing somersaults, and she knew this had nothing to do with any of the injuries she’d need to recover from during Emerge’s impending downtime. The way she said it, trying to sound like she cared in the slightest despite looking at her like a lion that just found a feast, hit a nerve on a deeply personal level she thought was reserved only for her father. The more she stared this woman down, the more pieces of the puzzle started coming together that just made her feel more and more uncomfortable as the picture became clearer. A lot of the features seemed hauntingly familiar to her, but it almost felt like her brain was trying to purposely block off access to the answer no matter how badly she wanted it.
Melissa went to ask the burning question she knew just had to be said, that she felt this hooker was waiting for, but before any sound escaped her lips she was cut off by the sound of a fairly obnoxious ringtone. The woman held up a hand as she plucked her phone out of her bra and skimmed through a text message she’d just received before slipping the device back into its ‘compartment’ with a smirk. A little more digging that had the reluctant soldier about ready to risk her place on the Emerge roster to pop her between the eyes saw a business card get produced before the woman had the audacity to tuck it between her waist and the championship gold.
“Sorry, I have to get to work. Time is money, after all. But keep my number, in case you want to talk or need someone to take care of your pay so you can focus on proving soldier boy wrong or whatever. Have a good night, sweetie.”
The woman turned and sauntered away in the kind of fashion that would have any perverted man hypnotized, which broke Melissa’s last straw. She plucked the card from where it’d been put before going to chase after her but stopped when Claire snatched the card for herself and examined it, not seeing anything to get worked up over. When she gave the card back, something about the name that greeted her felt like a key had finally unlocked everything that she now realized she might not have wanted to know at this moment.
“Krystal… I heard my dad mentioned that name before… but it can’t be…”
Even as the weeks passed from that night and heading into the next Emerge show, that encounter burned into her mind as she prepared for her next match, hand healing up in the process so she could defiantly flip Sundown the bird next chance she got for what he did to it. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind, especially with how convenient the situation was, about what had happened.
She puts herself in a position where money should no longer be an issue and she can finally get some leverage on her old man, and the whore that brought her into this world decided it was time she tried coming back into her life to get a slice of that pie.
With any luck, teaming with Tommy Cook to break a couple of delusional new toys to the Emerge roster would help her forget about now having to deal with both of the people she hated with every last trace of her very existence.
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