Post by Natasha Walker on Feb 29, 2024 12:08:51 GMT
Natasha stared at her phone, at the announcement that was buried into her retinas,
No, not an announcement.
The Order, a dictate, the voice of the legion was being heard.
'Knock it off or else.'
The message was clear, the catch-22 was laid and the stipulation was written clear as day, so were the opponents.
The winning team will secure two spots in the Iron Maiden.
Nat laid her head on the seat of the plane she was on, half way to Oklahoma in the middle of the air and she wanted to scream, to shout, to call Charlie and have a good stress about the whole thing, no it wasn't fair.
But fair was not the point of this was it?
All she could do was unleash a single solitary word that got dark looks and a few mutters of disapproval.
"Fuuuuuuuck."
She closed her eyes and breathed, letting it sin into her again, her eyes reopened and she read the words, not they were not magically changing, this is what was going to happen, this needed to happen, a click of her tongue as she looked to the ceiling, word ringing from Charlie’s little spiel. The officials keeping them all separated made all the sense in the world now, she hadn't even gotten close to Rini to talk about anything.
All she could do was react it’s all she had to do, all there was to do.
Responsibility...
There's that word again, ok Walker, be the bigger person. Say your piece and go out there and make your way to the Maiden.
Not too hard, right?
________________________________________
No, not an announcement.
The Order, a dictate, the voice of the legion was being heard.
'Knock it off or else.'
The message was clear, the catch-22 was laid and the stipulation was written clear as day, so were the opponents.
The winning team will secure two spots in the Iron Maiden.
Nat laid her head on the seat of the plane she was on, half way to Oklahoma in the middle of the air and she wanted to scream, to shout, to call Charlie and have a good stress about the whole thing, no it wasn't fair.
But fair was not the point of this was it?
All she could do was unleash a single solitary word that got dark looks and a few mutters of disapproval.
"Fuuuuuuuck."
She closed her eyes and breathed, letting it sin into her again, her eyes reopened and she read the words, not they were not magically changing, this is what was going to happen, this needed to happen, a click of her tongue as she looked to the ceiling, word ringing from Charlie’s little spiel. The officials keeping them all separated made all the sense in the world now, she hadn't even gotten close to Rini to talk about anything.
All she could do was react it’s all she had to do, all there was to do.
Responsibility...
There's that word again, ok Walker, be the bigger person. Say your piece and go out there and make your way to the Maiden.
Not too hard, right?
________________________________________
The footage is grainy, poorly lit and in the back of a motel, the night outside makes-it hard to place where she is, but given the hour this seems to be set at, Natasha's reaction is more raw than usual, far less prepared, her hair is tucked under a Brooklyn Mets baseball cap and her form of dress is a little more utilitarian sports wear as it becomes clear this is being shot on her phone.
"So I just got the announcement, about the upcoming Odyssey and wow, you certainly gave us all a big ol' Pickle didn' ya Guys?"
She has to chuckle and bit her lip as she stop herself from saying the absolute first thing that comes to mind.
"The old can they Co-exist with people who would love nothing more than to wrap their hands about each other necks and squeeze. Ask where do I bury the hatchet? In the ground or in square in the middle of my partners shoulder blades?"
Her free hand rubber her eyes as she nodded to herself.
"I told myself I'd give myself time to stew this over, think about a proper response, but Y'all don’t want that. You wanna hear my thoughts here and now ya'll wanna know if I'm gonna play Hero or Villain, and a lotta this comes down to my own sense of responsibility."
She smirked a bit, eyes closing as she gathered herself before her tone turns a little more impassioned.
"What matters more, my integrity, or my Career? I've been asked that question before and last time, I chose my integrity and it benefited my career, This time if I choose my Career does it damage my integrity? Or does it show I'm the bigger person, that I'm willing to play nice in the name of business? Or do I turn feral and just worry about this budding little feud me and you have brewing Holmes? You promised to -hurt- me and you didn't manage it yet. Losing this match does that, but hurt you too, you that petty?"
There is a pause and a little snort as she shakes her head. Once more allowing a click of her tongue against the roof of her mouth as she tries not to let the huff of air escape.
"I hope not 'cause I'm about to make what might be the dumbest choice of my life and put a little faith in your ego. In that quiet whispering voice that does not want you to lose, that wants to go to the Iron Maiden and make sure you can really hurt me"
She let loose a small laugh.
“How’s that for a devil’s bargain?”
The laugh dies down some as she looks at a watch and rubs her eyes with that free hand before she nodded a little.
"A small comfort comes in knowing that in some small, infinitesimal way? Rest of my teams understand this I'm not gonna spend all o' my time runnin' over mine and Serenity's potential to mess each other up I said my bit, I'm gonna try, she at least has earned that much outta me."
A shake of her eyes ads she looks out the window of wherever she is.
"Lets start with the Howntown homie Charlie! gawd we gotta stop meetin' like this huh? I already described how you're a world class talent, and you wear your heart on your sleeve, I feel like i kinda owe you an apology, maybe myself too I was so damned hot at Holmes last week I didn't really stop to think about matches or anythin' it was just you know...Tit for tat at that point, you dig?"
A simple nod as she licked her lips fidgeting in her spot.
"So I just got the announcement, about the upcoming Odyssey and wow, you certainly gave us all a big ol' Pickle didn' ya Guys?"
She has to chuckle and bit her lip as she stop herself from saying the absolute first thing that comes to mind.
"The old can they Co-exist with people who would love nothing more than to wrap their hands about each other necks and squeeze. Ask where do I bury the hatchet? In the ground or in square in the middle of my partners shoulder blades?"
Her free hand rubber her eyes as she nodded to herself.
"I told myself I'd give myself time to stew this over, think about a proper response, but Y'all don’t want that. You wanna hear my thoughts here and now ya'll wanna know if I'm gonna play Hero or Villain, and a lotta this comes down to my own sense of responsibility."
She smirked a bit, eyes closing as she gathered herself before her tone turns a little more impassioned.
"What matters more, my integrity, or my Career? I've been asked that question before and last time, I chose my integrity and it benefited my career, This time if I choose my Career does it damage my integrity? Or does it show I'm the bigger person, that I'm willing to play nice in the name of business? Or do I turn feral and just worry about this budding little feud me and you have brewing Holmes? You promised to -hurt- me and you didn't manage it yet. Losing this match does that, but hurt you too, you that petty?"
There is a pause and a little snort as she shakes her head. Once more allowing a click of her tongue against the roof of her mouth as she tries not to let the huff of air escape.
"I hope not 'cause I'm about to make what might be the dumbest choice of my life and put a little faith in your ego. In that quiet whispering voice that does not want you to lose, that wants to go to the Iron Maiden and make sure you can really hurt me"
She let loose a small laugh.
“How’s that for a devil’s bargain?”
The laugh dies down some as she looks at a watch and rubs her eyes with that free hand before she nodded a little.
"A small comfort comes in knowing that in some small, infinitesimal way? Rest of my teams understand this I'm not gonna spend all o' my time runnin' over mine and Serenity's potential to mess each other up I said my bit, I'm gonna try, she at least has earned that much outta me."
A shake of her eyes ads she looks out the window of wherever she is.
"Lets start with the Howntown homie Charlie! gawd we gotta stop meetin' like this huh? I already described how you're a world class talent, and you wear your heart on your sleeve, I feel like i kinda owe you an apology, maybe myself too I was so damned hot at Holmes last week I didn't really stop to think about matches or anythin' it was just you know...Tit for tat at that point, you dig?"
A simple nod as she licked her lips fidgeting in her spot.
“Yeah, you did, Your partner only has to contend with the fact you have a problem with her sister being her sister, April’s a nice girl and I hope she can look past that some, She’s go spunk, fire, and I’m interested in seein’ what she can do, how you two go and mesh up.”
She looks about again and then back to the phone as she uses her free hand to pick up a water bottle that had been out of shot to open it and sip.
“Machado and Itami, who I’m sure have history, hell their flip flop opposite demeanours screams This team can’t get on but I’ve seen enough movies and comics to know you can’t discount anythin’ History, personalities.. Whatever to say a team ain’t gonna work, another mish mash of styles though Gonna be hard to keep all the defense and offense sorted.”
She steadies herself for the last pair readjusting the phone to keep herself in shot a little more properly, lessons about promo delivery ringing through her head as she rolls her shoulders.
“Which leads me to Abigail and Mai who on the face of it should be like bees in the bonnet if it wasn’t for the whole Murder thing, Abaigil’s a woman born again, whilst never really changin’ out to prove she can go, to claim her I guess rightful place in the sun. Whilst Mai, I dunno she’s a cookie ain’t she? Lil’ crow lost to the wind looking for that place to belong and fightin’ and fightin’ and fightin’....”
She drifts off for a second caught in that observation; how it might apply to people she knows or even to herself as she looked back at the camera.
“I dunno, what matters is she can go. Hell everyone in this match can go and on any given night any one of the other women could snatch victory out. I can’t rely on the notion that they might not co-exist to carry me. No assumptions the only assumption I can make is that people want into the Maiden and I’m willing to bet if I’m willing to bend in the wind to accomplish that?”
She chuckles a bit at herself.
“Then so is everyone else whose problem with each other to me is way less apparent. So let’s lay it out there to all the others listening to this, ‘cause I know you will be , part of your due diligence.”
She smiled a bit not the camera the light catching her face properly now as she seems to steady.
She chuckles a bit at herself.
“Then so is everyone else whose problem with each other to me is way less apparent. So let’s lay it out there to all the others listening to this, ‘cause I know you will be , part of your due diligence.”
She smiled a bit not the camera the light catching her face properly now as she seems to steady.
“The Future is comin’. How that future might appear is under debate but I can put by beef with Serenity to one side I can work with her I will work with her to help show that I am the future, question is can the rest of ya’ll keep up with us?”
She nodded a bit as she started to stand gathering her carry case and a bottle as she moves out and the sound of a car horn can be heard in the distance.
“See you in OKC..”
She nodded a bit as she started to stand gathering her carry case and a bottle as she moves out and the sound of a car horn can be heard in the distance.
“See you in OKC..”
As the phone is moving down to start stopping recording we catch one familiar voice that of Charlie Shimizu.
“You comin’ or what Nat?“
“You comin’ or what Nat?“
A bit of rustling as Nat is trying to turn the phone off.
“Yeah, sorry Charlie I was just...doing a thing..”
Smash cut to black.
Well howdy there pardner.