Post by Rowan MacDonnough on Apr 11, 2017 22:27:16 GMT
Rowan storms through the backstage of Monday Night Sacrifice, only minutes after the Triple-Threat final match of the Diamonds in the Rough Tournament. Her eyes are lit with wild fury, and backstage crew makes a point to take steps back from her as she stalks threateningly through the halls.
One media assistant is a little bolder than the others. He notices Rowan's path of anger through the halls, gets his cameraman's attention and quickly engages in pursuit. "Miss MacDonnough!" he calls out, trying to stop her long enough to get a comment. "Dan, turn on that camera... Miss MacDonnough, do you have a moment? Can you comment on your thoughts following your defeat in the Diamonds in the Rough Tournament? What do you think the future holds for you?"
His words catch Rowan's attention. Slowly, deliberately, she turns on the man, looming a few inches over him with her golden eyes gleaming with villainous intent. "What did you say to me?"
The man holds his microphone up to Rowan's mask, hoping that it is enough to catch the woman's harsh voice as his cameraman put the camera into focus. "I asked you what you thought the future held for you? In your last address to the IWF Universe you said that you were looking forward to being unleashed upon the Diamonds Division. Now that you were beaten in the final round of the Tournament, where are your thoughts on that matter?"
Rowan ignores the camera, instead taking another step closer to the media assistant. "What is your name?"
He blinks. "Uh. Dean. Dean Harper. Could you answer the question, Miss MacDonnough?"
With blinding speed, Rowan's hand snaps to Dean's throat, pinning him firmly against the wall. Dan the cameraman doesn't dare cut the recording, and Dean is grateful for that knowing that one way or the other someone would want to see this video... be it the fans of the IWF or the police in an assault deposition. Hopefully only assault? He can see in Dan's eyes that he briefly considers trying to get Rowan's hand off of him, but fear prevents him from doing so.
Dean had only ever seen Rowan on video or from a distance. Here... so close and so visceral... he had never fully grasped how frightening the woman could be when she was up close. How the other Diamonds managed it was beyond him.
Rowan leans close to Dean, close enough that he can feel the heat of her breath fluttering through the mask as she transfixes him with a murderous glare. Their faces mere centimeters apart, she coldly intones "And when precisely did you see me beaten, Dean Harper?"
Her grip is just loose enough for him to speak. "You... lost the match... just now..." he gasps. "Charity Crowne won... won the match, won the Tournament..."
He had said the wrong thing, clearly reflected in Rowan's tightening grip. "I did not win the match," she hisses maliciously. "But I was not beaten. When have you seen me pinned?"
"N... Never...!"
Rowan nods. "When have you seen me submit?"
Dean gulps desperately for air. "Never!"
Rowan nods again. "So you acknowledge that when you say that I was beaten... you insult me with your petty deceptions. It would be very dangerous to spread such falsehood again. Do I make myself clear, Dean Harper?"
Dean nods through the vice that is her fingers. "Yes.... yes ma'am. Perfectly clear, ma'am!"
"Good," Rowan snaps as she releases him from her grip, causing Dean to fall to the floor gasping desperately for breath. Rowan paces around him, seeming almost predatory. "As for my future..." she snarls darkly, "I will be punishing anyone foolish enough to get into the ring with me until after the Iron Maiden... when Charity Crowne," she spits the name with palpable hatred, leaving the words hanging as menace seems to almost palpably roil around her like shadow.
"Pride climbs high before the fall," she whispers.
Dean rises to his feet, frightened but curious. "What do you mean?" he asks cautiously. "Do you intend to continue targeting Charity Crowne?"
Rowan had almost seemed to forget about him until he said Charity's name again, after which her head snapped to him sharply to once again transfix him with her intense glare. "Twice she has lauded a victory over me by pinning another, lesser creature," she hisses. "A reckoning is demanded."
At her words, as though on cue, another woman approaches the small group of them with a sheet of paper in her hand. Dean recognizes her as one of the booking agents' assistants, tasked to hand out information to those who would be booked the next week, detailing their matches.
"Miss MacDonnough, I've been asked to hand this to you," she declares quickly before making her exit, handing Rowan a sheet of paper before turning on her heel. Dean is grateful for the opportunity to distract Rowan's attention away from him, even if only for a few moments. He watches Rowan in silence as she peruses the sheet...
... And begins to laugh.
He'd never heard Rowan laugh. He'd seen every video package the woman ever released, had seen her matches... he knew the sort of violence that the woman was capable of, had seen the threats she would levy with eyes burning with hatred. He had seen her make various staff members run with little more than a look... but this laughter? It was worse. Worse by far. When something is intented to be frightening, then it being frightening isn't a surprise. When something usually intended for joy and mirth was twisted into something of such horror, it had a way of twisting Dean's guts. Rowan's laugh made Dean hope he never heard any laughter again for fear of remembering this sound.
The laughter stops, and her eyes are once again on Dean. "Providence," she declares with twisted satisfaction. "You want to film something, Dean Harper. I have something for you to film. And perhaps... a permanent duty."
"Imperial Wrestling Federation...
The powers that be have decided, in their infinite delusion, to give the Abyss a second chance to annihilate their champions. When one stops the onslaught of shadow, one would think it would be foolish to call it once more... but it seems that a lesson must be taught not just to the Diamonds, but to those who decide whom will fight against whom.
A fourteen woman battle royale has just been announced. A battle between myself and thirteen others, thirteen other woman who for one reason or another have failed to claim their positions in the Iron Maiden. They will stand with me in the ring - many for the second, or even third time - to compete for the chance to enter the Iron Maiden, and the chance to take a victory there to yet higher accolades.
They will, all of them, be destroyed.
To those of you who have also been chosen to stand in the ring in the coming battle, those who would fight and bleed for a chance to enter the crucible of agony that is the Iron Maiden... turn back. You will not be given another warning. If you pursue that dream and enter that pit, then you will be between me and the object of my desire, and I will inflict pain and violation upon you the likes of which you have not yet known. Even Patricia Powers, who is thus far the only woman to stand against me in singles competition, has felt only a fraction of what I plan to do to those women who dare to position themselves between the Abyss and that which it hungers for. I will tear you apart and bleed you dry if that is what it takes, and if you step into that arena you will have none to blame but yourselves. I give you this warning one last time - run, while you have legs to carry you.
To the powers that be in the Imperial Wrestling Federation - you have made a mistake. You have given me another chance to enter the Iron Maiden, to enter a match named for a device meant to torture when I myself am a being meant to exact similar agony from my own victims. What is worse, in so doing you have given me the opportunity to drive my vengeance through the heart of your... lauded... Diamond in the Rough. I give you this warning - I will not stop. I will go through every Diamond you put in my way, tear through their flesh and reveal their common and bloody cores. If you send your Diamonds to stop me, then your Diamonds will fall. If you send your security to keep me from the ring, then your security will be crushed. If you go so far as to call your lawbringers, then they too will be ground to ash. No force can stop The Wolf of the Abyss when she is on the hunt... and penance of blood is demanded now.
I will not rest, I will not show mercy, and I will not stop hurting you and all who stand for you until Charity Crowne's throat is in my hands. You will give her to me. I will go through your gauntlet on Sacrifice, I will enter the crucible of the Iron Maiden, I will break the Diamond in the Rough for all to see... and the only thing that you will regret more than giving me this opportunity to do so will be trying to stop me should you dare.
And Charity Crowne?
For you, there is no escape. No last chance. No opportunity to run and escape your fate. When I enter the Iron Maiden, I will not be distracted from my one... true... prey. The Iron Maiden will slam shut, and you will be trapped inside with nothing but pain and blood to embrace you. I'm coming for you, Charity. I have tasted your blood... and I will not stop hunting until there is nothing left to thirst for.
Woe betide those among the thirteen who dare to stand in my way. You have - all of you - been warned."
One media assistant is a little bolder than the others. He notices Rowan's path of anger through the halls, gets his cameraman's attention and quickly engages in pursuit. "Miss MacDonnough!" he calls out, trying to stop her long enough to get a comment. "Dan, turn on that camera... Miss MacDonnough, do you have a moment? Can you comment on your thoughts following your defeat in the Diamonds in the Rough Tournament? What do you think the future holds for you?"
His words catch Rowan's attention. Slowly, deliberately, she turns on the man, looming a few inches over him with her golden eyes gleaming with villainous intent. "What did you say to me?"
The man holds his microphone up to Rowan's mask, hoping that it is enough to catch the woman's harsh voice as his cameraman put the camera into focus. "I asked you what you thought the future held for you? In your last address to the IWF Universe you said that you were looking forward to being unleashed upon the Diamonds Division. Now that you were beaten in the final round of the Tournament, where are your thoughts on that matter?"
Rowan ignores the camera, instead taking another step closer to the media assistant. "What is your name?"
He blinks. "Uh. Dean. Dean Harper. Could you answer the question, Miss MacDonnough?"
With blinding speed, Rowan's hand snaps to Dean's throat, pinning him firmly against the wall. Dan the cameraman doesn't dare cut the recording, and Dean is grateful for that knowing that one way or the other someone would want to see this video... be it the fans of the IWF or the police in an assault deposition. Hopefully only assault? He can see in Dan's eyes that he briefly considers trying to get Rowan's hand off of him, but fear prevents him from doing so.
Dean had only ever seen Rowan on video or from a distance. Here... so close and so visceral... he had never fully grasped how frightening the woman could be when she was up close. How the other Diamonds managed it was beyond him.
Rowan leans close to Dean, close enough that he can feel the heat of her breath fluttering through the mask as she transfixes him with a murderous glare. Their faces mere centimeters apart, she coldly intones "And when precisely did you see me beaten, Dean Harper?"
Her grip is just loose enough for him to speak. "You... lost the match... just now..." he gasps. "Charity Crowne won... won the match, won the Tournament..."
He had said the wrong thing, clearly reflected in Rowan's tightening grip. "I did not win the match," she hisses maliciously. "But I was not beaten. When have you seen me pinned?"
"N... Never...!"
Rowan nods. "When have you seen me submit?"
Dean gulps desperately for air. "Never!"
Rowan nods again. "So you acknowledge that when you say that I was beaten... you insult me with your petty deceptions. It would be very dangerous to spread such falsehood again. Do I make myself clear, Dean Harper?"
Dean nods through the vice that is her fingers. "Yes.... yes ma'am. Perfectly clear, ma'am!"
"Good," Rowan snaps as she releases him from her grip, causing Dean to fall to the floor gasping desperately for breath. Rowan paces around him, seeming almost predatory. "As for my future..." she snarls darkly, "I will be punishing anyone foolish enough to get into the ring with me until after the Iron Maiden... when Charity Crowne," she spits the name with palpable hatred, leaving the words hanging as menace seems to almost palpably roil around her like shadow.
"Pride climbs high before the fall," she whispers.
Dean rises to his feet, frightened but curious. "What do you mean?" he asks cautiously. "Do you intend to continue targeting Charity Crowne?"
Rowan had almost seemed to forget about him until he said Charity's name again, after which her head snapped to him sharply to once again transfix him with her intense glare. "Twice she has lauded a victory over me by pinning another, lesser creature," she hisses. "A reckoning is demanded."
At her words, as though on cue, another woman approaches the small group of them with a sheet of paper in her hand. Dean recognizes her as one of the booking agents' assistants, tasked to hand out information to those who would be booked the next week, detailing their matches.
"Miss MacDonnough, I've been asked to hand this to you," she declares quickly before making her exit, handing Rowan a sheet of paper before turning on her heel. Dean is grateful for the opportunity to distract Rowan's attention away from him, even if only for a few moments. He watches Rowan in silence as she peruses the sheet...
... And begins to laugh.
He'd never heard Rowan laugh. He'd seen every video package the woman ever released, had seen her matches... he knew the sort of violence that the woman was capable of, had seen the threats she would levy with eyes burning with hatred. He had seen her make various staff members run with little more than a look... but this laughter? It was worse. Worse by far. When something is intented to be frightening, then it being frightening isn't a surprise. When something usually intended for joy and mirth was twisted into something of such horror, it had a way of twisting Dean's guts. Rowan's laugh made Dean hope he never heard any laughter again for fear of remembering this sound.
The laughter stops, and her eyes are once again on Dean. "Providence," she declares with twisted satisfaction. "You want to film something, Dean Harper. I have something for you to film. And perhaps... a permanent duty."
"Imperial Wrestling Federation...
The powers that be have decided, in their infinite delusion, to give the Abyss a second chance to annihilate their champions. When one stops the onslaught of shadow, one would think it would be foolish to call it once more... but it seems that a lesson must be taught not just to the Diamonds, but to those who decide whom will fight against whom.
A fourteen woman battle royale has just been announced. A battle between myself and thirteen others, thirteen other woman who for one reason or another have failed to claim their positions in the Iron Maiden. They will stand with me in the ring - many for the second, or even third time - to compete for the chance to enter the Iron Maiden, and the chance to take a victory there to yet higher accolades.
They will, all of them, be destroyed.
To those of you who have also been chosen to stand in the ring in the coming battle, those who would fight and bleed for a chance to enter the crucible of agony that is the Iron Maiden... turn back. You will not be given another warning. If you pursue that dream and enter that pit, then you will be between me and the object of my desire, and I will inflict pain and violation upon you the likes of which you have not yet known. Even Patricia Powers, who is thus far the only woman to stand against me in singles competition, has felt only a fraction of what I plan to do to those women who dare to position themselves between the Abyss and that which it hungers for. I will tear you apart and bleed you dry if that is what it takes, and if you step into that arena you will have none to blame but yourselves. I give you this warning one last time - run, while you have legs to carry you.
To the powers that be in the Imperial Wrestling Federation - you have made a mistake. You have given me another chance to enter the Iron Maiden, to enter a match named for a device meant to torture when I myself am a being meant to exact similar agony from my own victims. What is worse, in so doing you have given me the opportunity to drive my vengeance through the heart of your... lauded... Diamond in the Rough. I give you this warning - I will not stop. I will go through every Diamond you put in my way, tear through their flesh and reveal their common and bloody cores. If you send your Diamonds to stop me, then your Diamonds will fall. If you send your security to keep me from the ring, then your security will be crushed. If you go so far as to call your lawbringers, then they too will be ground to ash. No force can stop The Wolf of the Abyss when she is on the hunt... and penance of blood is demanded now.
I will not rest, I will not show mercy, and I will not stop hurting you and all who stand for you until Charity Crowne's throat is in my hands. You will give her to me. I will go through your gauntlet on Sacrifice, I will enter the crucible of the Iron Maiden, I will break the Diamond in the Rough for all to see... and the only thing that you will regret more than giving me this opportunity to do so will be trying to stop me should you dare.
And Charity Crowne?
For you, there is no escape. No last chance. No opportunity to run and escape your fate. When I enter the Iron Maiden, I will not be distracted from my one... true... prey. The Iron Maiden will slam shut, and you will be trapped inside with nothing but pain and blood to embrace you. I'm coming for you, Charity. I have tasted your blood... and I will not stop hunting until there is nothing left to thirst for.
Woe betide those among the thirteen who dare to stand in my way. You have - all of you - been warned."
Well howdy there pardner.