Toys

[Isabella Maldini]

{ Light creeps through the cracks in the blinds of a dinghy motel room as The Watchman sits alone in a small arm chair in the corner, the features of his face draped in darkness as usual save for his eyes and lips. A small orange glow emanates from his lips intermittently, followed by a plume of smoke, as he clings to a cigar with his fingers, quietly pondering. However, his peace is short lived as the motel room door opens and Isabella emerges, carefully closing the door behind her. Contrary to her usual exuberance she shifts slowly towards The Watchman and sits down quietly beside him on her single bed before slowly muttering something. } 

Isabella Maldini: Well that was… different. 

The Watchman: So, how’d it go? 

{ Isabella closes her eyes and shudders. } 

Isabella Maldini: Eternity made my play with dolls and have a “Tea Party with Ana Valentine”. It felt like the setup to an episode of CSI. 

The Watchman: I never took you for the doll type? 

Isabella Maldini: I prefer to play with plastic toys that are a little more… “adult” than Eternity’s. 

The Watchman: Ok, ok, little bit too much information… 

{ Isabella smiles devilishly. } 

Isabella Maldini: Well, you did ask. 

{ The Watchman rolls his eyes before taking another drag of his cigar. } 

The Watchman: So, I take it you got our jobs back? 

Isabella Maldini: About that… 

{ The Watchman cocks his head as he looks at Isabella. } 

The Watchman: What do you mean? 

Isabella Maldini: Technically, I said that Eternity offered to get my job back. 

The Watchman: What about me? 

{ Isabella sits down beside The Watchman and clings to his arm lovingly, resting her head on it. } 

Isabella Maldini: I tried my best, big guy. Verona was hardly too keen on having the girl who nearly ruined his relationship back, I aren’t sure his pride can handle the guy who chokeslammed him through a stage back too. Not all at once, anyway. 

The Watchman: So what am I supposed to do? 

Isabella Maldini: Well, I could do with a bag boy. 

{ Isabella looks up at The Watchman and smiles affectionately. } 

The Watchman: Very funny. 

Isabella Maldini: We’ll think of something, Berto will soften up eventually, he just likes to play games to prove a point. 

The Watchman: And what point is that exactly? 

Isabella Maldini: That maybe I can’t just do whatever I like and get away with it all the time… 

{ The Watchman pulls away slowly, looking down at Isabella stunned. } 

The Watchman: Did I just hear you correctly? Has Isabella Maldini just admitted that she was at fault for something? What have they put in these things… 

{ The Watchman looks quizzically at his cigar mocking as Isabella pouts playfully and slaps him on the arm. } 

Isabella Maldini: Hey! I’m trying to console you here! The least you could do is play along you asshole. 

{ The Watchman cracks a smile. } 

The Watchman: I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist. 

Isabella Maldini: I’ll do everything I can big guy, I promise. 

The Watchman: I know you will kiddo, you always do. Is there anything you’d like me to do in the mean time? 

Isabella Maldini: Actually… there is. 

The Watchman: Oh? 

Isabella Maldini: Eternity gave me a… shopping list. 

{ Isabella reaches into her pocket and passes The Watchman a little sheet of paper covered in glitter. He pauses for a moment as his eyes skim across the page’s contents before look down at Isabella. } 

The Watchman: Did a two year old write this? 

Isabella Maldini: The mind of one perhaps… 

The Watchman: A baseball bat, a hoodie, two bags of candy and a… wait, did I read this correctly? 

{ Isabella nods. } 

Isabella Maldini: A body bag… yes. And before you inquire, no I didn’t ask, that just leads to more questions. 

The Watchman: I’m starting to think this isn’t going to end very well. 

Isabella Maldini: It won’t. For Mercedes Vargas at least. 

Mercedes Vargas.

What the hell is this, Groundhog Day? You never learn.

Talk about not knowing when you’re beat girl, you’d think that you’d have learnt by now that I’ve got your number. Then again, we did hit you in the skull pretty hard, maybe something finally went in that dense head of yours.

Perhaps the third time will be the charm?

After all, for somebody who is so “clearly” my superior in the ring you’d imagine that you’d be able to prove that at least once in a blue moon.

I guess I should praise your persistence, no matter how many times we flush you, you just keep on floating back to the surface, stinking out of the bathroom. You’re either determinedly stupid or stupidly determined, neither of which are anything to be proud of.

I’d have thought the sixtieth baseball bat cracking against you head would have persuaded you of the total pointlessness of continuing to resist the lesson we have gone to great lengths to teach you but it appears that your resistance to showing any humility whatsoever outweighs your concern for your personal health.

Although perhaps we should thank old Bertie, not only have we taken your brightest moment away from you at Diamond’s are Forever, not only have we taken your dignity week after week leading to Metamorphosis, but now we can even take away that title shot you worked ever so hard for.

If a girl ever needed a motivation, besides the ire of Eternity, completely breaking a vacuous bitch like you and leaving you with nothing is a pretty big one.

Watching the roster consume you after you’ve arrogantly strutted back into the title picture would be rather poetic. You always thought that you were better than everybody else when you were here the first time, and your little hiatus has done little to humble you. Your high and mighty attitude has justified everything that you’ve had coming to you since me and my friends returned.

No doubt you will be at pains to explain to all of us how you’ve been screwed over by faulty wiring, incompetent partners and probably global warming too but once we’re done with you this week, all you’ve have left is excuses and inside that cage, there’ll be nowhere to hide from them.

If you were making holiday plans to fit around your match with Ana next month, you ought to start planning a rain check.

I have a feeling you won’t be making your appointment.

Moving on…

Talk about getting caught in the crossfire, huh Alexis?

Beating you until you were black of blue this week wasn’t anything personal, your pretty face was just in the wrong place, at the wrong time, just like Verona’s favourite pet Jessica. Granted, I understand that may not be much of a comfort considering the state we left you in, but it’s the truth.

If you wanted to really blame anybody, perhaps you should look no further than your partner in crime this week, the ever lovable Miss Vargas.

She was the one who decided to shove her nose into Eternity’s business, we just made sure that she was made to pay for it. In your brightest hour, your chance to prove to the world that you could hang with two of the biggest stars in the Diamond’s division, Vargas let her fragile ego get in the way and deprive you of everything you have worked so hard to attain.

And let’s not pull punches, Alexis, you’ve busted your ass week after week here to earn this opportunity.

You’ve not thrown a tantrum and lashed out at interviewers like Vargas, you’ve gone to the ring and let your actions speak for you. Instead of sinking into the shadow of your “beau” when he won the Imperial title, you’ve pushed even harder to make sure management notice you and you don’t just become “that girl dating the champ”, but a real contender in your own right.

Yet, your partner let her vengeance get ahead of your progress.

We both know she looks down her nose at you, we both know that in her eyes you’re nothing more than a convenient scapegoat for her to blame for her downfall when we inevitably knock what’s left of her shit eating grin down her throat. Which leaves us one simple question.

Are you really willing to sell you dignity down the river for a pound of silver?

Sure, if you win this week you’ll be in a title match, but let’s not forget that it’ll be one where once again Vargas gets to dictate your future. Do you really want to let that jumped up bitch treat you like something she swallowed, nothing more than a sour inconvenience to get what she wants for the sake of a title shot?

Let me be blunt with Caffrey, you’re better than that.

You don’t need charity from Mercedes Vargas, you’re better than being some sideshow in the “Mercy and Ana” show in a month’s time. If you truly believe in your own ability, you’ll leave Vargas to her fate this week and earn yourself a shot through your own merits, Lord knows Mercedes has earned what is coming to her.

Unless, of course, you’re not really as invested in your own convictions as you claim?

I guess we’ll find out about your true quality this weekend Alexis, are you content with feeding on the scraps of a woman like Vargas just to get an opportunity or are you noble enough to allow her chickens to come home to roost, confident that your time will come?

You went to great pains to remind us that you’re worthy to stand on the same stage as the best.

It’s time to prove you’re not going to take shortcuts to get there.