Pandora's Box : All will be Well

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Background music: Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden

The tune thumped into the eardrums, a passing slide to follow every step as she found herself inside an old warehouse, IWF Developmental center or not a lot of folk had proved themselves here, had earned their stripes and gone through tests, she’d even run the ropes herself just before initial selection.

But right now this hallowed hall, this training area, a place she had been many times, was now how to a new teacher taking the invite given with some measure of excitement, a little nervousness and as the drums build and as the music flows she felt her eyes meet on him, sat on the apron gesturing to take her earphones out.

Spike Kane, she looked up to him even as he squared up to her and the beats died, looking her over, her training attire nothing like her chosen ring attire, there was no flash, just a desire to work hard as Spike started up.

“I’m not going to baby sit you whilst we do this, You want to work? You work my way, you’ll do what I say when I say it, and you –will- puke, you will curse me ..So you get once chance to Walk away.”

Pan couldn’t help herself quirking a brow as she moved to drop her bag to one side and tied her hair back.

“Your mercy knows no bounds Mister Kane.”

A short pause as her smile half drops and she spoke firmly.

“Do your worst.”

5 hours later, She was on her knees, cleaning the dojo cleaning every inch of the floor after being run ragged, he was making her pay her ‘dues’ again and again, interspacing each chore with a lesson, and she didn’t stop until he said it was over, she lost time in the moments between pain, each work out was signaled to Spike Kane’s beat, which she had to follow , without fail or she would do another chore, another punishment.

She bent over the bowl of the toilet, revisiting an ill-advised breakfast as he watched almost dispassionately for this day’s session, he had pushed her as far as she could go, and she laid on the floor breathing, but still trying to get up to finish that last rep, when he offered his hand.

“We’re done for the day, get up.”

Pan took a minute and with some effort gave him her hand, and she felt herself pull up and gather her feet, she’d push just a bit and stay stood despite how wobbly she was , Spike nodded and said it firmly.

“Time to eat.”

A half hour later Pan and Spike were sat in a local diner eating, and Pan was packing it away a little more than usual, because well, she’d been worked harder than she’d ever worked before, and Spike had tacitly added he’d be working her harder still before he broke the silence.

“Why’d you come?”

Pan stopped eating and looked up her baby blues locking on him even as she quirked a little smile and spoke gently.

“I want to get better, and Everyone was looking at me weird when I asked where your locker room was so we could talk, I thought this would be easier, you teach me I talk to you, isn’t that how this works Mister Kane?”

He managed a smirk and raised a brow.

“You came looking for me?”

Pan nodded a bit as she ate her tone still light, happy.

“How else am I gonna talk to you? Through Twitter? I was looking for you when you ran into me, I took it as a sign I was doin’ the right thing Mister Kane.”

There was a long pause as Spike tiled his hand and tossed a napkin atop his food with a huff of frustration and Pan Paused with a silent, quiet ‘what did I do?’ sort of look.

“Goddamn it Pandora, My name is Spike, call me by it already.”

Pan managed a small laugh even as she spoke with a nod.

“Alright Spike, you got it…Mister Kane.”

Spike shot Pan a dark Daze Even as Pan was giving him an almost smug look and a wry smile with wriggle of her brows.

And for the first time, in a long time Spikes smiled and gave a little laugh.

“You’re gonna be trouble ain’t ya?”

Pan shrugged just a bit and smiles

“Gotta live up to my Namesake somehow, right?”

And thus began the start of Pan’s training.

We fade in to the Rainbow Ravess sat in her hotel room, dressed in a t-shirt, hair tied up and listening to music , head bopping whilst she’s almost sat on her own legs.

“So, High Stakes draws close, insert a cheesy gambling anecdote here, spending more than fifteen minutes In Devlin Raine’s Company I can assure you, I’ve heard ‘m all.”

She shook her head and grins softly eyes looking about as she tapped her lips.

“So here we are Fi, High stakes and the rubber match as it were for the Iron Maiden Entry place, a chance to step between the ropes and claim a pace in history, to zoom ahead and try for that shot at That Belt , or A belt ‘cause I know what I want… And I know that right now my shot lies by going through you sweety, so…We’re gonna dance you and me and right now? We’re dancing to –my- tune right now.”

She shook her head with a wry smile.

“So, you made a point about my ‘obsession’ over you, and I think we should talk about it, don’t you? I mean your self-righteousness won’t let it die, so I figure we’ll cover what you use as obsession and I call Mild derision.”

Pan sighs a bit and smirks before dusting herself off, imaginary lint off the shoulder before she continues quietly.

“You see Fi, you have the tools to do anythin’ you want, to be the very height of this company, your win in the last Iron Maiden says it all, you are somebody to bewitched, problem is, you fall into loops worse than a Bad dance track, you keep letting you self-down, and you say some of the most –inane- stuff I’ve ever heard. I Mean take last week, a perfect example of the –joke- you’ve become . A joke you aren’t listening to a Joke that you seem to have convinced everyone isn’t your doing when it is.”

She shakes her head, eyes burning into the camera.

“But you keep diggin’ Fi. Determined to show everyone that you can do it, that you can push, strive, succeed in the face of the adversity placed in your path by your worst enemy…Yourself You put roadblocks in your way at every turn and when they try to help or when they point out just what the problem is, they’re the issue, the bosses of the IWF are the Issue, Lemme tell you somethin’ Fi if you truly had the courage of your convictions …You’d stop…"

Pan huff a breath and gives a moemnts reflection  to let that sink in a single three count before her words keep on.

"You would walk to the middle of that ring sit in the middle and –refuse- to move, Like those Jobber guys no instead let me tell you what you are Fiona Mcfly… You’re an empty Vessel.. .a Hypocrite who serves only to capture gold and be one of the best you lean on your history, you lean on your heritage, you lean on skill which you do have, plenty of…But in the end …you’re just an empty vessel looking to fill yourself with the glory of your own name. You need Help Fiona, and I’m the woman to give it.”

Pan starts to smile even as she plays fingers through her own hair.

“But I don’t expect you to listen, You see I you’re at your best in a fight, nowhere else, I’ve seen it , in conversation you’re dull in personality you annoy everyone but in a match? That’s where the glimpses of brilliance shines through and if dancin’ with me brings out –any- truth in you that I say it’s worth it, or maybe just maybe… I can’t stand you, I can’t’ stand your contrarian points of view..I can’t stand that you actively sit up on high and judge –me- for what? The people I choose to associate with, let me tell you Fi I’m big enough and bad enough I can walk my own way, you know what my biggest problem with you is Fi?”

Pan starts to stand and flexes her hands with a wry smirk.

“It’s that you demand respect, whilst spitting in the face of the people who’d give to you, you demand attention whilst not working for it, you want to make the world great again, but you have no idea how any of this shit actually works, you want to tread on me and everyone else and you just won’t admit it, pretending that somehow , you’re above it all and you won’t ‘lose your smile’ .”

Pan sniffs a bit with a smirk.

“You’re an ego maniac and you make me sick, and I’m going to sincerely –enjoy- cutting you down to size, inch by inch and it starts …three weeks ago But you never saw it…It starts with me fixing –my- place in the Iron maiden and it will end in defeat after defat after defeat or fro you…You Fiona have opened Pandora’s box…and everything that comes out after it? Is on –your- head.”

She grins a bit and curtsies to the camera.

“So c’mon sweety, let’s dance… Lets see who’s going to the Iron Maiden… I promise right now…it’s not you, and when all this is over? All you’ll have left to cling onto is Hope. Because High Stakes? Isn’t the end it’s just another verse. ”

She starts to walk away from the camera and give it a casual wave.

“Later bye!”

Fade out