Post by Charlotte Shimizu on May 25, 2024 20:45:05 GMT
Charlie took a deep breath, trying to ignore the twist of anxiety in her guts at the subject she wanted to broach. She reminded herself over and over that this is what she signed up for, but it didn’t help the fact that it felt awkward as fuck to be a leader with her friends.
“Okay… Lemme start by saying that this is just what I’ve been thinking, and if y’all have any other inclinations, lemme know and we can adjust.”
Rini jumped to her feet, her italian soda with some weird side frills raised high. “We trust you, Maasu! You won’t lead us wrong!”
Charlie couldn’t help but smile, even as the knot in her stomach twisted tighter. ‘I hope you’re right Muun,’ she thought anxiously before clearing her throat and Rini sat down again.
“Shea? You and me are gonna stick to Brooklyn and Vivienne. I know you got history with Viv, but we’re the most veteran we got here. If you don’t feel cool goin’ after her, I’ll take Viv.”
“I’m good with whatever we need to get the job done,” Shea smiled. “If that means taking on Viv, I’ll take on Viv.”
Charlie smiled back. “None of this is hard-and-fast, set-in-stone shit. Frankly, I’d love to get my licks in on all of ‘em, but especially April and Mai for their backstage attack.”
Nat rubbed her nose leaning back on the couch, a hood up and over her face as she listened. “I expect we work on the provision we’re gettin’ our licks in, but that puts me and Rini against Mai and April, and I’ll be honest I’m now sure how best to divide that mix up.”
Charlie grimaced. “Based on experience, it’d make sense for Rini to focus on April… But for size, it’d go the other way. Being smaller isn’t really an issue for Rini though… Just like it’s not for Mai…” She paused, frowning thoughtfully. “Shea? You know the tactics of The Murder better than any of us. Would we be better off focusing one-on-one? Or would tag-team tactics work best against the whole group?”
“I’d say the team with the most natural chemistry, and thus worthy of the most concern, would be the Madrox sisters. Vivienne and Mai are more experienced as singles in general, so our approach should vary based on specific individuals.”
“So, a whirlwind of kitchen sink right?”
Charlie pondered this and checked a sheet that Hannah had helpfully provided her. “Brooklyn and Vivienne are the preferred team, but I’m guessing they’re less collaborative than Brooklyn and April.”
“Like, depending on where Hannah got her information, I’m guessing Brooklyn and Viv are only the preferred team due to their strengths and reputations as individuals, but for me, nothing can measure up to a familial connection, hence my caution.”
Charlie nods. “Hannah got her info from booking, I guess. So yeah, it’d make sense that they’d want their biggest stars out front.”
“Maybe that can be our advantage,” Shea offered. “Their ego and belief that they are bigger than the group. It’s not an issue we have in our camp, right?” Shea smiled at Charlie.
Charlie smiled a little sheepishly. “Okay… I’ll admit; winning the Iron Maiden may have gone to my head a lil bit. But frankly, I care less about that than I do about all of you, and I also know how to swallow my pride. Something else they don’t seem to be able to do.”
“You’re allowed to be proud that you won the Iron Maiden, Maasu!” Rini protested then glanced at Nat, looking slightly embarrassed. “Anyone in that ring would’ve had reason to be if they won!”
Nat just gave a slight sigh. “So why not use their tactics and then some? Isolate and picks? Force them into a weakness and don’t give ‘em room to breathe?”
Charlie grimaced in distaste at the idea. “I don’t want to sink to their level. No lie, I would love to… But you know why I don’t wanna go back to that, Nat.” She took another calming breath. “Okay. We play catch as catch can with who we fight, but whoever gets one of the Madrox sisters makes sure to play Keep Away from the other. If we see an opening to help each other out, take it, but I don’t want anyone risking themselves trying to help each other. They’re skilled at taking advantage of that sort of distraction.” She looked to Shea, seeking the veteran’s approval.
“If one of us is in dire straits, are you saying you don’t want us to help?” Shea asked, brow furrowed slightly. “That seems like a high risk move, but you’re the boss.”
Charlie smiled with a confidence she was starting to feel again. “Saving from pinfalls and submissions is good. But just sparing one of us a bad hit? Let the hit happen. After all…” Her smile turned almost beaming as she caught Nat’s eyes.
The youngest of the group nodded, smiling back. “No Risk, No Reward.”
“You crossed a line, and now you're going to serve as a reminder to every other woman in the back about what happens when you touch my family. I'm not just going to put you through a table; I'm going to make damn sure you feel every inch of it.”
The next clip is that of Brooklyn putting Dawn Warren, not Charlotte, through a table. In a flash of a red sunrise, Charlotte appears, sitting on the edge of the iconic Trevi Fountain, idly playing with several coins in her hand.
“I could spend all day talkin’ about you Brooky, but let’s talk about your little bobble-head lackeys now.” Casually, Charlotte flicks one coin off her thumb and over her shoulder into the water.
“Y’all like to say you’re like sisters, but I call bullshit on that. There’s trust with family, but that trust extends to everything. It’s not just trusting them to back you up, but trusting them to tell you to back the fuck off. But we all know that ain’t what you got with The Murder. Ya got a queen bee and her drones. Nothing is for themselves; it’s all for the group, for the hive, for Brooklyn Madrox.”
Charlotte considers the three coins still in her hand, the copper glinting in the Italian sun. “I wish I had time to address you all individually. Like how if April St. Croix wants to be seen as more than Baby Madrox, she needs to cut the fuckin’ umbilical cord… Or how I hope it’s worth it to Vivienne Rodgers to betray her best friend in order to be a glorified attack hound… Or how I think it sucks that Mai Everstone decided to completely Deep-Six her style in favor of bein’ a parrot with their feathers dyed black…”
Charlotte shakes her head sadly. “But really, y’all have decided that bein’ part of a group is more important than bein’ yourselves, so Imma just treat ya like the mob y’all are.”
She stands smoothly, and the three coins are tossed over her shoulder into the fountain, seemingly carelessly. “I said a while ago that I didn’t have a problem with Brooklyn Madrox outside the ring… It was just business. And that was true…” Charlotte pauses for emphasis before adding, “At the time.”
“When she decided to sic her little bobble-heads on my friends, my family, to take whatever bullshit issue she has with me outside the ring, she created more than just a problem. She created enemies where there weren’t any before, and The Murder exists solely for the purpose of making sure no one has the big brass cojones to call the bluff of their Glorious Leader and pierce the illusion that Brooklyn, by-God, Madrox is the top of the heap.”
Charlotte scoffs openly at that. “Guess what sweethearts; too late. Brooky don’t have her shiny piece of gold anymore. And I’m calling the bluff. I’m coming at Brooklyn head on. None of this sneaky, back-stabbing bullshit y’all love so much because it’s the only way you come out on top.”
Charlotte strides towards the camera, an almost gleeful smile on her face. “Let the war rage on, lil birdies.”
Charlotte’s hand comes up to cover the lens of the camera; the feed cuts.
It’s later released in both Cherokee and Japanese languages.
“Okay… Lemme start by saying that this is just what I’ve been thinking, and if y’all have any other inclinations, lemme know and we can adjust.”
Rini jumped to her feet, her italian soda with some weird side frills raised high. “We trust you, Maasu! You won’t lead us wrong!”
Charlie couldn’t help but smile, even as the knot in her stomach twisted tighter. ‘I hope you’re right Muun,’ she thought anxiously before clearing her throat and Rini sat down again.
“Shea? You and me are gonna stick to Brooklyn and Vivienne. I know you got history with Viv, but we’re the most veteran we got here. If you don’t feel cool goin’ after her, I’ll take Viv.”
“I’m good with whatever we need to get the job done,” Shea smiled. “If that means taking on Viv, I’ll take on Viv.”
Charlie smiled back. “None of this is hard-and-fast, set-in-stone shit. Frankly, I’d love to get my licks in on all of ‘em, but especially April and Mai for their backstage attack.”
Nat rubbed her nose leaning back on the couch, a hood up and over her face as she listened. “I expect we work on the provision we’re gettin’ our licks in, but that puts me and Rini against Mai and April, and I’ll be honest I’m now sure how best to divide that mix up.”
Charlie grimaced. “Based on experience, it’d make sense for Rini to focus on April… But for size, it’d go the other way. Being smaller isn’t really an issue for Rini though… Just like it’s not for Mai…” She paused, frowning thoughtfully. “Shea? You know the tactics of The Murder better than any of us. Would we be better off focusing one-on-one? Or would tag-team tactics work best against the whole group?”
“I’d say the team with the most natural chemistry, and thus worthy of the most concern, would be the Madrox sisters. Vivienne and Mai are more experienced as singles in general, so our approach should vary based on specific individuals.”
“So, a whirlwind of kitchen sink right?”
Charlie pondered this and checked a sheet that Hannah had helpfully provided her. “Brooklyn and Vivienne are the preferred team, but I’m guessing they’re less collaborative than Brooklyn and April.”
“Like, depending on where Hannah got her information, I’m guessing Brooklyn and Viv are only the preferred team due to their strengths and reputations as individuals, but for me, nothing can measure up to a familial connection, hence my caution.”
Charlie nods. “Hannah got her info from booking, I guess. So yeah, it’d make sense that they’d want their biggest stars out front.”
“Maybe that can be our advantage,” Shea offered. “Their ego and belief that they are bigger than the group. It’s not an issue we have in our camp, right?” Shea smiled at Charlie.
Charlie smiled a little sheepishly. “Okay… I’ll admit; winning the Iron Maiden may have gone to my head a lil bit. But frankly, I care less about that than I do about all of you, and I also know how to swallow my pride. Something else they don’t seem to be able to do.”
“You’re allowed to be proud that you won the Iron Maiden, Maasu!” Rini protested then glanced at Nat, looking slightly embarrassed. “Anyone in that ring would’ve had reason to be if they won!”
Nat just gave a slight sigh. “So why not use their tactics and then some? Isolate and picks? Force them into a weakness and don’t give ‘em room to breathe?”
Charlie grimaced in distaste at the idea. “I don’t want to sink to their level. No lie, I would love to… But you know why I don’t wanna go back to that, Nat.” She took another calming breath. “Okay. We play catch as catch can with who we fight, but whoever gets one of the Madrox sisters makes sure to play Keep Away from the other. If we see an opening to help each other out, take it, but I don’t want anyone risking themselves trying to help each other. They’re skilled at taking advantage of that sort of distraction.” She looked to Shea, seeking the veteran’s approval.
“If one of us is in dire straits, are you saying you don’t want us to help?” Shea asked, brow furrowed slightly. “That seems like a high risk move, but you’re the boss.”
Charlie smiled with a confidence she was starting to feel again. “Saving from pinfalls and submissions is good. But just sparing one of us a bad hit? Let the hit happen. After all…” Her smile turned almost beaming as she caught Nat’s eyes.
The youngest of the group nodded, smiling back. “No Risk, No Reward.”
“Wrestlers tend to go by one rule: It’s not personal… It’s just business.”
Charlotte’s voice floats out as a clip from Diamonds Are Forever plays, showing Charlotte dropping in a perfect frog splash onto April Madrox from the top of a ladder, sending them both through a ringside table. “We take hits that make people cringe and cheer. It’s what we spend our lives learning to do without canceling our subscription to existence.”
The screen shows a series clips of wrestlers from across years and promotions taking hits that would hospitalize lesser humans. There’s even a flash of Natasha Walker and Rini Ishikawa’s match from the previous summer.“But then you had to go and break that rule, Brooky…”
The feed changes to show cuts of Brooklyn Madrox’s promo prior to the table match a week after Queen’s Gambit: “You crossed a line, and now you're going to serve as a reminder to every other woman in the back about what happens when you touch my family. I'm not just going to put you through a table; I'm going to make damn sure you feel every inch of it.”
The next clip is that of Brooklyn putting Dawn Warren, not Charlotte, through a table. In a flash of a red sunrise, Charlotte appears, sitting on the edge of the iconic Trevi Fountain, idly playing with several coins in her hand.
“I could spend all day talkin’ about you Brooky, but let’s talk about your little bobble-head lackeys now.” Casually, Charlotte flicks one coin off her thumb and over her shoulder into the water.
“Y’all like to say you’re like sisters, but I call bullshit on that. There’s trust with family, but that trust extends to everything. It’s not just trusting them to back you up, but trusting them to tell you to back the fuck off. But we all know that ain’t what you got with The Murder. Ya got a queen bee and her drones. Nothing is for themselves; it’s all for the group, for the hive, for Brooklyn Madrox.”
Charlotte considers the three coins still in her hand, the copper glinting in the Italian sun. “I wish I had time to address you all individually. Like how if April St. Croix wants to be seen as more than Baby Madrox, she needs to cut the fuckin’ umbilical cord… Or how I hope it’s worth it to Vivienne Rodgers to betray her best friend in order to be a glorified attack hound… Or how I think it sucks that Mai Everstone decided to completely Deep-Six her style in favor of bein’ a parrot with their feathers dyed black…”
Charlotte shakes her head sadly. “But really, y’all have decided that bein’ part of a group is more important than bein’ yourselves, so Imma just treat ya like the mob y’all are.”
She stands smoothly, and the three coins are tossed over her shoulder into the fountain, seemingly carelessly. “I said a while ago that I didn’t have a problem with Brooklyn Madrox outside the ring… It was just business. And that was true…” Charlotte pauses for emphasis before adding, “At the time.”
“When she decided to sic her little bobble-heads on my friends, my family, to take whatever bullshit issue she has with me outside the ring, she created more than just a problem. She created enemies where there weren’t any before, and The Murder exists solely for the purpose of making sure no one has the big brass cojones to call the bluff of their Glorious Leader and pierce the illusion that Brooklyn, by-God, Madrox is the top of the heap.”
Charlotte scoffs openly at that. “Guess what sweethearts; too late. Brooky don’t have her shiny piece of gold anymore. And I’m calling the bluff. I’m coming at Brooklyn head on. None of this sneaky, back-stabbing bullshit y’all love so much because it’s the only way you come out on top.”
Charlotte strides towards the camera, an almost gleeful smile on her face. “Let the war rage on, lil birdies.”
Charlotte’s hand comes up to cover the lens of the camera; the feed cuts.
It’s later released in both Cherokee and Japanese languages.
Well howdy there pardner.