Post by Charlotte Shimizu on Jun 23, 2024 17:28:17 GMT
“It feels a little silly that I’ve never actually been here before,” Charlie admitted ruefully. She and Pax were strolling along the second floor of “Foot Town” at the Tokyo Tower. The retro 50s-60s feel of the place was more amusing than she’d expected it to be.
“Well, you spent your time up north, right? Guess it would make sense that you wouldn’t.” His head turned this way and that as he took in the shop displays.
“I was in Tokyo,” she admitted, grimacing as she remembered how all her ideas of proving her father and brother wrong had gone up in smoke. “For the first month anyways… Then I went to Sapporo…”
His eyes studied her for a moment before he nodded his head. “Well it’s a really big town. Lots of stuff to see. So I don’t think it’s all that silly that you didn’t before.” His gaze shifted from hers to focus on a shop displaying a substantial amount of swords as they walked by. “It’s pretty cool though.”
She smiled at him, trying to forget - at least for today - why she’d left the huge metropolitan area. “It’s a common field trip for students… It’s why we can’t go up to the observation deck until later,” she commented in what she hoped was a casual fashion. Next door to the Ninja Pro Shop was a storefront of t-shirts and other small souvenirs. The Godzilla products caught her eye and she laughed, pointing them out to Pax. “Chichi’s a huge fan… I should see about grabbing something for him while I’m here,” she explained and tugged him with her into the store.
It took him a moment but he pulled his attention away from all the cool swords to look at the shop she was tugging him towards. He laughed softly and squeezed her hand. “Oh totally. Godzilla is dope. I might get something for myself too.” His eyes drifted back towards her again to study her face with a small frown before he shook his head. “Like maybe a statue or something.”
Charlie merely laughed. “Somehow I don’t think they have statues here, unless it’s a replica of the tower… Maybe you should get one and then, when you get your statue of Godzilla, make sure it’s the right relative size and you can have him poised to destroy it.” She turned her attention then to the various mugs, shirts and trinkets that all had the branding of the favorite kaiju.
He tilted his head to one side as he considered her idea and then nodded. “That’s actually spectacular. I’m gonna do it.” He looked over the various offerings the shop had, sticking close by her so that he could keep her hand in his. Though after a moment he looked over at her again. “You doing ok, Una?”
She jerked slightly at the question, looking up at him. She wanted to tell him that she was fine, never better; but that wasn’t true. “I just… I feel like the worst sort of hypocrite. They’re cheering us on now but not even a year ago, I was one of the most reviled joshi in the country. Add in all the interview requests and just -” She stopped herself with a gusty sigh, hugging his arm. “I don’t know how much longer I can take it before I unload seven years of trauma on all of them.” She kept her voice low, only loud enough to reach his ears and no further. English was too common a language, even in the heart of Tokyo, for her to risk being overheard.
A frown crossed his face and he looked around for a moment before he gently led her towards the back of the store. He turned to face her, resting a hand on her arm. “I get it. It’s a totally different reaction and the press are being a giant pain in the ass. But ya aren’t a hypocrite, Una. You finally had a chance to show them what you can do and they have finally started to realize who the fuck you are.” He laughed as he leaned down to rest his forehead against hers. “Honestly, you’re living every bullied person's dream. You get to come back and show them all how wrong they were. Doesn’t make it not scary or aggravating, but might be a silver lining. And ya got people who care about you.” He grimaced then before straightening. “Ya are gonna need to do a press thing though, and soon. Not doing anything about it is only gonna make it keep getting worse. And not to be selfish, but I’d like for my girlfriend to be able to show me places that are important to her without getting mobbed.” He smiled down at her.
Charlie sighed, acknowledging the truth of it even as she resisted it. “It’s Rini they really want… It’s not really my story. The only reason they care about me is because of how well I’m doing now. What will they do if I crash and burn at any point in this tournament? Or once we leave, will they still give a shit? Why do I have to appease them now when they’ll probably just forget about me when the next scandal breaks?”
He looked down at her for a long moment. “Honey, Rini wrote the article about you. Within eight months of joining THE pro wrestling company, you headlined their biggest event. You are the top ranked woman in your bracket in their premiere tournament. You’ve passed the point of crashing and burning. Ya might not win, but it ain’t gonna be like that and you’d have to fuck up real bad to make them forget about you. You’re a certified wrestling rock star, babe.”
Charlie hid against his shoulder to conceal the burning blush on her face. She knew she couldn’t stay like that for too long, since PDAs were frowned upon in Japan. It was still a difficult thing to believe. She always played it up in the ring, in promos, but there was always a part of her that was waiting for the other shoe to drop, for the rug to get pulled out from under her. It was the same part of her that always went into the ring that had already accepted the outcome, no matter what it was. It wasn’t a brake on her performance, but was it a block under her proverbial gas pedal that kept her from truly putting her foot to the floor?
She sighed. “Alright… I’ll talk to Hannah about dealing with it, but first, I need to find something for my dad.”
She’d settled on a poster for one of the newer American movies done in the old Japanese style. That purchase settled and in a protective tube, they left the store only to be confronted by a swarm of reporters.
Pax was not generally the most perceptive person in the world. It was something that he was aware of, and that he was trying to get better at, but it didn’t exactly take a detective to figure out that she was angry and frustrated over the interruption to their date. So by the time they had gotten back to the home they were staying at, he led her into the room they shared, pulled her down to sit on the bed in front of him, and started to work on unwinding her dark hair from the braids she wore.
He had just finished with one of her smaller braids and was combing her hair out when his phone started to buzz on the bed next to him. When he looked and saw Kate’s name on his caller ID, he reached a finger out to ignore the call.
“Nope, that can totally wait.” He ran his fingers through her loose hair before moving to start pulling out the pins that held the next braid into place as he scooted closer to her back.
Charlie made a querying noise, turning slightly in an effort to locate the source for his comment. It didn’t seem to matter too much to her as she quickly turned back and leaned into his deft touch. He chuckled and leaned down to kiss her shoulder, but then his phone started to buzz again. He scowled down at the device before he let out a breath and picked up an earpiece and slid it in to take the call.
“I’m kind of busy right now.” He set the pins into a dish on the bed before picking up the braid to start unwinding it.
“Please Pax. I am begging you. I am praying to the primordial goddess above that you were not dumb enough to be caught sucking face in a gift shop in one of the most popular destinations in Tokyo. Please tell me you are not this stupid.”
“Wha…?” He could feel the heat already rising to his cheeks as he stammered. “I.. what? No! Of course not!”
“No. Of course not. Look who I’m talking to. I would have seen the glow on the horizon. Rohan would be riding to Tokyo’s aid.”
“Hey… what the fuck!”
“So tell me you didn’t assault a journalist then.”
“I mean… A camera guy got into Charlie’s face and I got in his way. To keep him from getting assaulted, I’ll have you know.”
“Not ideal, but we can work with that. Now listen…”
“I’m busy Kate. I’ll call you tonight.”
“No, now listen here-” He ended the call before picking up his phone and powering it down. For good measure, he tossed it off the bed and onto the floor. Then he picked up the braid he was working on and carefully started to untwist it. “Sorry about that Una.”
“S’okay…” Her tone was soft, like she were dreaming. “Imma yell at Hannah later…” She twisted her head to almost butt at his hands. “Don’ stop.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Yo tsunalii!”
“What up neechies! It’s ya boi -”
“And ya girl! Comin’ at’cha live from the top of Group B!”
The vlog opens up inside of a kitchen with Pax in profile, standing in front of the stove and working over some pots and pans. Charlotte is seated on the counter next to him and facing the camera.
“So… Black Widow… Wha’cha gonna tell me? That I ran away when things got too hard? Well listen up. What happened was I finally used my shiny spine and refused to lay down. Of course, you’re more comfortable layin’ down, ain'tcha? So ya wouldn’t understand that…”
Pax walks over to a bowl next to Charlotte, taking out a piece of dough and starts to work it by tossing it back and forth between his hands. Charlotte leans forward, resting an arm on his shoulder as she continues to stare intently into the camera.
“Maybe you wanna say that the only reason I’m in the business is because I had people that cared about me who helped me get my foot in the door. Maybe you need to look in the mirror that’s hangin’ over your bed before you start throwin’ stones in that pretty glass house a’yours.”
Pax smirks slightly as he lays the dough into a pan as the sound of frying oil fills the room. Charlotte rolls her eyes and continues to address the camera.
“Or maybe you gonna poke at my two-worlds deal? White bread, you got no idea what you talkin’ ‘bout. I spent seven years in a country where I was reviled for just existing, for daring to want to connect with that half of myself. You happy bein’ Princess’ exotic fucktoy and good for you. I ain’t gonna judge. But you don’t get to judge me by your standard. Ain’t no one in this biz like me ‘cept Nat Walker, and we have enough differences to keep things spicy in the ring.
“How about that I’m nothin’ but Pax’s girlfriend?” Charlotte laughs for a solid ten seconds. “Sweetheart… Pay attention. I got in the ring with fuckin’ Champions before he came back for the Roulette. I was here for months and rockin’ Imperial’s world before Pax and I even met. What were you doin’ that whole time? Wait… Don’t tell me… I don’t wanna know details, but I can make enough of a guess. The only wrestlin’ you were doin’ was between the sheets, while I was out here on the streets, making my name.”
Charlotte boosts herself off the counter and steps around Pax to move closer to the camera as he continues to work over the stove, getting a sauce reducing in a pan.
“Ya wanna come at me, sayin’ that I got a dark side I need to unleash? Oh yeah, sis… That ain’t news to me. I know it, but you seem to be ignoring the critical problem with the idea that letting it loose is the only way to go… It kills everything else inside you until all you’re left with is that hate and you see it everywhere. It makes you start hating everything, even the things you used to love. It corrupts everything in your life like some fucked-up Midas Touch… Sound familiar at all?” Charlotte smiles, her brown eyes crinkled with the cheshire-like expression.
“There’s some real truth in the saying ‘haters gonna hate’. You hate so much, Brandy… You hate your parents, you hate what you do, and you hate yourself… So you want to bring everyone else down to your level of self-loathing. Tough luck, honey. You can’t say anything to beat me, and you certainly can’t do anything to beat me either. You and ya boi-toy are just shit-outta-luck.”
Pax coats a spoon with some of the sauce, before scooping up a bit of wild rice from a pot and offers it to Charlotte to try as he turns to address the camera.
“Speakin’ of ya boi-toy. What up Madjinn?” Pax opens his mouth but then he closes it before he reaches up and pinches the bridge of his nose. “What do ya want me to do here? Retread the same tire that I’ve already done the past couple of weeks? Say the same things as everyone else? I’m sure ya think it’s just that no one’s got the material, but ya wanna know the truth about it, Madjinn?”
At Charlotte’s approving nod, he turns back to the stove, flipping the fry bread in the oil to keep frying it as he continues to speak to the camera.
“Truth is that you’re still the same spoiled brat that ya’ve always been. The least you could do is give us some new material, but nah. You’re still just an entitled child acting like you are the hottest shit that ever walked through this company's doors. Don’t get me wrong. You are good, Madjinn. I ain’t takin’ that away from you at all. We’ve all seen what you can do. We all know that you got skill. But what happened to it? You got no drive anymore, no purpose; fully content to sit back and declare accolades you didn’t earn while you cosplay as a teenager from the ‘00s who watched Donnie Darko too much. Actin’ like the long lost Skaarsgard brother, making mediocre merch and cutting cringe promos in ya bedroom.
“Ya go around callin’ yourself ‘The Most Hated’, acting like it’s some big badge of honor. I can’t speak for anyone else backstage, Madjinn, but I don’t hate you. Not even a little bit. Ya frustrate me. Ya piss me off. But I don’t hate you.” He runs his fingers through his hair and shakes his head. “What I really feel for you Madjinn, is pity. You’ve fallen off. You’re spinning your wheels in the mud and not getting anywhere. You don’t even realize that’s what happened. Why would I hate someone like that? That’s just low hanging fruit.”
He pulls the fry bread from the skillet, laying it on some paper towels to dry and slowly shakes his head. He grabs down some plates and starts serving up the food as he continues.
“I ain’t got time for that. I’m trying to build a legacy. I don’t got a famous family I can fall back on. Every single thing I’ve gotten? Every single thing we’ve gotten? We had to earn. We had to scratch and claw to get where we are today, and we ain’t done. I’m staring down the opportunity to not just be the first two-time Heir to the Throne, but to do it back to back. The opportunity to get a shot at the title I lost just a month after winning it and prove that I belong at the top of this company. So no, I don’t got time to hate you, Madjinn. I’m still gonna whoop your ass. Doesn’t matter that Una and I already locked up first place. It ain’t even just for the spirit of competition. It’s for you. Ya, Sabin, it’s for you. I’m holding out hope that getting your shit kicked in will drag your head outta your ass. I want better for you. Not just for this company, but for me. I wanna compete against you at your best. I fuckin need it. So if I gotta dump you on your skull and break your limbs to give you the wake up call you need, I’ll do it.”
Pax steps behind Charlotte and wraps his arms around her waist, holding her close as the two of them look into the camera. Charlotte lifts her fist and pounds it against her chest before the two of them flash the reversed peace sign and speak in unison.
“Peace Out.”
The two of them turn their heads, looking at each other fondly before sharing a quick kiss. Pax moves to grab the plates of food for their celebratory dinner as Charlotte steps forward to close the laptop, cutting the feed.
“Well, you spent your time up north, right? Guess it would make sense that you wouldn’t.” His head turned this way and that as he took in the shop displays.
“I was in Tokyo,” she admitted, grimacing as she remembered how all her ideas of proving her father and brother wrong had gone up in smoke. “For the first month anyways… Then I went to Sapporo…”
His eyes studied her for a moment before he nodded his head. “Well it’s a really big town. Lots of stuff to see. So I don’t think it’s all that silly that you didn’t before.” His gaze shifted from hers to focus on a shop displaying a substantial amount of swords as they walked by. “It’s pretty cool though.”
She smiled at him, trying to forget - at least for today - why she’d left the huge metropolitan area. “It’s a common field trip for students… It’s why we can’t go up to the observation deck until later,” she commented in what she hoped was a casual fashion. Next door to the Ninja Pro Shop was a storefront of t-shirts and other small souvenirs. The Godzilla products caught her eye and she laughed, pointing them out to Pax. “Chichi’s a huge fan… I should see about grabbing something for him while I’m here,” she explained and tugged him with her into the store.
It took him a moment but he pulled his attention away from all the cool swords to look at the shop she was tugging him towards. He laughed softly and squeezed her hand. “Oh totally. Godzilla is dope. I might get something for myself too.” His eyes drifted back towards her again to study her face with a small frown before he shook his head. “Like maybe a statue or something.”
Charlie merely laughed. “Somehow I don’t think they have statues here, unless it’s a replica of the tower… Maybe you should get one and then, when you get your statue of Godzilla, make sure it’s the right relative size and you can have him poised to destroy it.” She turned her attention then to the various mugs, shirts and trinkets that all had the branding of the favorite kaiju.
He tilted his head to one side as he considered her idea and then nodded. “That’s actually spectacular. I’m gonna do it.” He looked over the various offerings the shop had, sticking close by her so that he could keep her hand in his. Though after a moment he looked over at her again. “You doing ok, Una?”
She jerked slightly at the question, looking up at him. She wanted to tell him that she was fine, never better; but that wasn’t true. “I just… I feel like the worst sort of hypocrite. They’re cheering us on now but not even a year ago, I was one of the most reviled joshi in the country. Add in all the interview requests and just -” She stopped herself with a gusty sigh, hugging his arm. “I don’t know how much longer I can take it before I unload seven years of trauma on all of them.” She kept her voice low, only loud enough to reach his ears and no further. English was too common a language, even in the heart of Tokyo, for her to risk being overheard.
A frown crossed his face and he looked around for a moment before he gently led her towards the back of the store. He turned to face her, resting a hand on her arm. “I get it. It’s a totally different reaction and the press are being a giant pain in the ass. But ya aren’t a hypocrite, Una. You finally had a chance to show them what you can do and they have finally started to realize who the fuck you are.” He laughed as he leaned down to rest his forehead against hers. “Honestly, you’re living every bullied person's dream. You get to come back and show them all how wrong they were. Doesn’t make it not scary or aggravating, but might be a silver lining. And ya got people who care about you.” He grimaced then before straightening. “Ya are gonna need to do a press thing though, and soon. Not doing anything about it is only gonna make it keep getting worse. And not to be selfish, but I’d like for my girlfriend to be able to show me places that are important to her without getting mobbed.” He smiled down at her.
Charlie sighed, acknowledging the truth of it even as she resisted it. “It’s Rini they really want… It’s not really my story. The only reason they care about me is because of how well I’m doing now. What will they do if I crash and burn at any point in this tournament? Or once we leave, will they still give a shit? Why do I have to appease them now when they’ll probably just forget about me when the next scandal breaks?”
He looked down at her for a long moment. “Honey, Rini wrote the article about you. Within eight months of joining THE pro wrestling company, you headlined their biggest event. You are the top ranked woman in your bracket in their premiere tournament. You’ve passed the point of crashing and burning. Ya might not win, but it ain’t gonna be like that and you’d have to fuck up real bad to make them forget about you. You’re a certified wrestling rock star, babe.”
Charlie hid against his shoulder to conceal the burning blush on her face. She knew she couldn’t stay like that for too long, since PDAs were frowned upon in Japan. It was still a difficult thing to believe. She always played it up in the ring, in promos, but there was always a part of her that was waiting for the other shoe to drop, for the rug to get pulled out from under her. It was the same part of her that always went into the ring that had already accepted the outcome, no matter what it was. It wasn’t a brake on her performance, but was it a block under her proverbial gas pedal that kept her from truly putting her foot to the floor?
She sighed. “Alright… I’ll talk to Hannah about dealing with it, but first, I need to find something for my dad.”
She’d settled on a poster for one of the newer American movies done in the old Japanese style. That purchase settled and in a protective tube, they left the store only to be confronted by a swarm of reporters.
Pax was not generally the most perceptive person in the world. It was something that he was aware of, and that he was trying to get better at, but it didn’t exactly take a detective to figure out that she was angry and frustrated over the interruption to their date. So by the time they had gotten back to the home they were staying at, he led her into the room they shared, pulled her down to sit on the bed in front of him, and started to work on unwinding her dark hair from the braids she wore.
He had just finished with one of her smaller braids and was combing her hair out when his phone started to buzz on the bed next to him. When he looked and saw Kate’s name on his caller ID, he reached a finger out to ignore the call.
“Nope, that can totally wait.” He ran his fingers through her loose hair before moving to start pulling out the pins that held the next braid into place as he scooted closer to her back.
Charlie made a querying noise, turning slightly in an effort to locate the source for his comment. It didn’t seem to matter too much to her as she quickly turned back and leaned into his deft touch. He chuckled and leaned down to kiss her shoulder, but then his phone started to buzz again. He scowled down at the device before he let out a breath and picked up an earpiece and slid it in to take the call.
“I’m kind of busy right now.” He set the pins into a dish on the bed before picking up the braid to start unwinding it.
“Please Pax. I am begging you. I am praying to the primordial goddess above that you were not dumb enough to be caught sucking face in a gift shop in one of the most popular destinations in Tokyo. Please tell me you are not this stupid.”
“Wha…?” He could feel the heat already rising to his cheeks as he stammered. “I.. what? No! Of course not!”
“No. Of course not. Look who I’m talking to. I would have seen the glow on the horizon. Rohan would be riding to Tokyo’s aid.”
“Hey… what the fuck!”
“So tell me you didn’t assault a journalist then.”
“I mean… A camera guy got into Charlie’s face and I got in his way. To keep him from getting assaulted, I’ll have you know.”
“Not ideal, but we can work with that. Now listen…”
“I’m busy Kate. I’ll call you tonight.”
“No, now listen here-” He ended the call before picking up his phone and powering it down. For good measure, he tossed it off the bed and onto the floor. Then he picked up the braid he was working on and carefully started to untwist it. “Sorry about that Una.”
“S’okay…” Her tone was soft, like she were dreaming. “Imma yell at Hannah later…” She twisted her head to almost butt at his hands. “Don’ stop.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Yo tsunalii!”
“What up neechies! It’s ya boi -”
“And ya girl! Comin’ at’cha live from the top of Group B!”
The vlog opens up inside of a kitchen with Pax in profile, standing in front of the stove and working over some pots and pans. Charlotte is seated on the counter next to him and facing the camera.
“So… Black Widow… Wha’cha gonna tell me? That I ran away when things got too hard? Well listen up. What happened was I finally used my shiny spine and refused to lay down. Of course, you’re more comfortable layin’ down, ain'tcha? So ya wouldn’t understand that…”
Pax walks over to a bowl next to Charlotte, taking out a piece of dough and starts to work it by tossing it back and forth between his hands. Charlotte leans forward, resting an arm on his shoulder as she continues to stare intently into the camera.
“Maybe you wanna say that the only reason I’m in the business is because I had people that cared about me who helped me get my foot in the door. Maybe you need to look in the mirror that’s hangin’ over your bed before you start throwin’ stones in that pretty glass house a’yours.”
Pax smirks slightly as he lays the dough into a pan as the sound of frying oil fills the room. Charlotte rolls her eyes and continues to address the camera.
“Or maybe you gonna poke at my two-worlds deal? White bread, you got no idea what you talkin’ ‘bout. I spent seven years in a country where I was reviled for just existing, for daring to want to connect with that half of myself. You happy bein’ Princess’ exotic fucktoy and good for you. I ain’t gonna judge. But you don’t get to judge me by your standard. Ain’t no one in this biz like me ‘cept Nat Walker, and we have enough differences to keep things spicy in the ring.
“How about that I’m nothin’ but Pax’s girlfriend?” Charlotte laughs for a solid ten seconds. “Sweetheart… Pay attention. I got in the ring with fuckin’ Champions before he came back for the Roulette. I was here for months and rockin’ Imperial’s world before Pax and I even met. What were you doin’ that whole time? Wait… Don’t tell me… I don’t wanna know details, but I can make enough of a guess. The only wrestlin’ you were doin’ was between the sheets, while I was out here on the streets, making my name.”
Charlotte boosts herself off the counter and steps around Pax to move closer to the camera as he continues to work over the stove, getting a sauce reducing in a pan.
“Ya wanna come at me, sayin’ that I got a dark side I need to unleash? Oh yeah, sis… That ain’t news to me. I know it, but you seem to be ignoring the critical problem with the idea that letting it loose is the only way to go… It kills everything else inside you until all you’re left with is that hate and you see it everywhere. It makes you start hating everything, even the things you used to love. It corrupts everything in your life like some fucked-up Midas Touch… Sound familiar at all?” Charlotte smiles, her brown eyes crinkled with the cheshire-like expression.
“There’s some real truth in the saying ‘haters gonna hate’. You hate so much, Brandy… You hate your parents, you hate what you do, and you hate yourself… So you want to bring everyone else down to your level of self-loathing. Tough luck, honey. You can’t say anything to beat me, and you certainly can’t do anything to beat me either. You and ya boi-toy are just shit-outta-luck.”
Pax coats a spoon with some of the sauce, before scooping up a bit of wild rice from a pot and offers it to Charlotte to try as he turns to address the camera.
“Speakin’ of ya boi-toy. What up Madjinn?” Pax opens his mouth but then he closes it before he reaches up and pinches the bridge of his nose. “What do ya want me to do here? Retread the same tire that I’ve already done the past couple of weeks? Say the same things as everyone else? I’m sure ya think it’s just that no one’s got the material, but ya wanna know the truth about it, Madjinn?”
At Charlotte’s approving nod, he turns back to the stove, flipping the fry bread in the oil to keep frying it as he continues to speak to the camera.
“Truth is that you’re still the same spoiled brat that ya’ve always been. The least you could do is give us some new material, but nah. You’re still just an entitled child acting like you are the hottest shit that ever walked through this company's doors. Don’t get me wrong. You are good, Madjinn. I ain’t takin’ that away from you at all. We’ve all seen what you can do. We all know that you got skill. But what happened to it? You got no drive anymore, no purpose; fully content to sit back and declare accolades you didn’t earn while you cosplay as a teenager from the ‘00s who watched Donnie Darko too much. Actin’ like the long lost Skaarsgard brother, making mediocre merch and cutting cringe promos in ya bedroom.
“Ya go around callin’ yourself ‘The Most Hated’, acting like it’s some big badge of honor. I can’t speak for anyone else backstage, Madjinn, but I don’t hate you. Not even a little bit. Ya frustrate me. Ya piss me off. But I don’t hate you.” He runs his fingers through his hair and shakes his head. “What I really feel for you Madjinn, is pity. You’ve fallen off. You’re spinning your wheels in the mud and not getting anywhere. You don’t even realize that’s what happened. Why would I hate someone like that? That’s just low hanging fruit.”
He pulls the fry bread from the skillet, laying it on some paper towels to dry and slowly shakes his head. He grabs down some plates and starts serving up the food as he continues.
“I ain’t got time for that. I’m trying to build a legacy. I don’t got a famous family I can fall back on. Every single thing I’ve gotten? Every single thing we’ve gotten? We had to earn. We had to scratch and claw to get where we are today, and we ain’t done. I’m staring down the opportunity to not just be the first two-time Heir to the Throne, but to do it back to back. The opportunity to get a shot at the title I lost just a month after winning it and prove that I belong at the top of this company. So no, I don’t got time to hate you, Madjinn. I’m still gonna whoop your ass. Doesn’t matter that Una and I already locked up first place. It ain’t even just for the spirit of competition. It’s for you. Ya, Sabin, it’s for you. I’m holding out hope that getting your shit kicked in will drag your head outta your ass. I want better for you. Not just for this company, but for me. I wanna compete against you at your best. I fuckin need it. So if I gotta dump you on your skull and break your limbs to give you the wake up call you need, I’ll do it.”
Pax steps behind Charlotte and wraps his arms around her waist, holding her close as the two of them look into the camera. Charlotte lifts her fist and pounds it against her chest before the two of them flash the reversed peace sign and speak in unison.
“Peace Out.”
The two of them turn their heads, looking at each other fondly before sharing a quick kiss. Pax moves to grab the plates of food for their celebratory dinner as Charlotte steps forward to close the laptop, cutting the feed.
Well howdy there pardner.