Post by Aurora Graves on May 20, 2017 14:43:08 GMT -5
Dog House Fitness
Long Beach, CA
Thursday, May 18, 2017
A full-sized wrestling ring dominated the east wall of the gym, in the shadow of a massive painting of the gym’s logo – a salivating pit bull, after the nickname of the gym’s owner, Sergio Cueva. Sergio himself stood down on the floor at ringside, a gargantuan figure in his own right, with 290 pounds of muscle packed onto his 6’5” frame. He was the younger brother of Aurora’s trainer Alicia Perry, who stood in one corner of the ring, looking every bit like the wrestler she was before she retired just over a year ago, her incredible physique belying the fact that she was just shy of five months removed from childbirth.
Aurora: You sure you’re up for this, boss?
Sergio: Are you serious? Just a month after Alleria was born, she was in here beating the hell out of the bags. I think she even popped a seam on one of them!
Alicia: I thought you had the sense to buy equipment that could handle some of your more... enthusiastic clientele, hermanito. Next time, buy better bags.
She smirked at her brother, then turned her attention back to Aurora, who was getting in a couple of last-minute stretches.
Alicia: Aurora, I told you back when this tournament was announced, I’d be taking a more hands-on approach to your training. I can’t have Jason have all the fun, can I?
Aurora: I suppose not.
Alicia: Good. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s do this. Before that tournament even starts, you’ve got another couple of matches that are just a tad more important to think about.
Aurora nodded her head, and the two women circled the ring. Aurora licked her lips as she moved in, locking up with her manager in the center of the ring. To the untrained eye, the goings on in the ring resembled more of an actual fight than simply a sparring match. But such was Alicia’s preferred method of training – treat every second in the ring as if it’s the last time you’ll ever step through the ropes.
The more experienced Alicia pulled Aurora into a side headlock, but Aurora pushed out of it, following up with a kick to the back of Alicia’s leg, sending the veteran dropping to a knee. Alicia looked over her shoulder, giving an approving nod of her head.
Alicia: Good... targeting the legs right off the bat.
Alicia was quick to get to her feet, turning around to surprise Aurora with a European uppercut that sent her reeling. Down at ringside, Sergio watched the action in the ring, smiling in approval of the ladies’ efforts. As the women continued to spar, Sergio caught the reflection of Damon Graves, Aurora’s husband and tag team partner, from the mirror behind the north side of the ring. Damon’s eyes were fixed on the ring as well; he smiled as he watched his wife test her skills against one of the fiercest female competitors to ever grace a wrestling ring.
Damon: Not a bad sight, is it, Sergio? Two beautiful women tearing it up in the ring...
Sergio: Dude... one of those women is my SISTER!
Damon: I know... she’s also my boss. Just think of it as a credit to your family’s genetics.
Sergio: Point taken. I’m just used to blocking it out when I hear people talk about my sister like that. ESPECIALLY when Jason does it.
Damon: Yeah... I suppose if I had a sister, I’d be the same way. I haven’t talked much with Harley’s brothers, so I’m still not sure what their opinion of me is; I just hope they see I’m being as good to their baby sister as I can.
Sergio: Speaking as a brother myself, I can tell you this much. If they’re anywhere near as protective of her as I am of Alicia, if they didn’t like you, you’d DEFINITELY hear about it.
Back in the ring, Alicia whips Aurora into the ropes. As the champion springs back, she ducks a clothesline, then bounces off the ropes on the other side. Alicia goes for a spear, but Aurora leapfrogs over her, and the veteran-turned-manager sprawls across the canvas. Aurora reaches down to help Alicia to her feet. Once Alicia is standing, she smiles at her protégé, then surprises her with a leg sweep that sends her down hard.
Alicia: Never let your guard down... not even for a second. Otherwise, you end up on your back. You don’t want that to happen at Glory, do you?
Sergio: Yeah... especially to that... wait, what did you say her name was again?
Damon: Honey. Part of a team called “The Young Cubs.”
Sergio stands there with a look of bewilderment on his face. With his hands on his hips, he opens his mouth as if to speak, but he just can’t put his thoughts into words. Finally, he just throws up his hands and turns away, shaking his head.
Sergio: Fuck it... I’m not even gonna bother speculating what her parents were thinking. And people give Alicia flak for the names she gave the kids. Hijole...
Sergio’s words trail off as he picks up a water bottle from a nearby cooler and walks toward the ring steps, handing the water bottle to his waiting sister. Meanwhile, on the other side of the ring, Damon is doing the same for Aurora. As the ladies each crack open their bottles, Alicia leans against the turnbuckle, draping her free arm along the top rope.
Alicia: All the same, she’s still one half of the team that’s going to be coming after your titles at WrestleForce. Now is definitely NOT a good time to underestimate her.
Aurora: Since when have you ever known me to underestimate ANYONE?
Alicia paused, nodding her head as she processed Aurora’s words. From across the ring, she smiled at her protégé.
Alicia: Good point. As long as I’ve known you, you’ve never done anything but take each match seriously. Even the ones everyone said you had in the bag. That’s what makes you the champion that you are.
She turned her gaze between Aurora and Damon.
Alicia: That goes for both of you. Now, enough of this jaw jacking; time to get back to work!
Damon placed his hands on his wife’s shoulders, giving her a couple of encouraging pats as he took the water bottle from her.
Damon: Alright, Harley... remember – when you get in the ring with Honey this Sunday, treat it just like you would if you were facing her....
Damon pointed to Alicia, who stared across the ring like a hungry lioness ready to pounce. Aurora nodded her head, narrowing her eyes as she stared back at her mentor, flashing a wicked grin.
Aurora: Right. No mercy....
The two ladies growled as they charged toward each other at full force, while their respective corner men quickly moved away from the ring....
Graves Summer Residence
Inglewood, CA
Friday, May 19, 2017
On the foot of a king-sized bed sat a set of black suitcases, both opened, but empty. Empty, that is, until the jingling bell of a cat collar broke the room’s silence. Bruce, Aurora and Damon Graves’ silver tabby, was investigating the scene, sticking his tiny grey nose into one of the suitcases, sniffing for a moment before jumping into the empty space within. He purred as he found his way into a corner of the suitcase, curling himself up into a furry silver ball, only to be scooped out of his chosen sleeping spot by the slender arms of Aurora Graves, who held him against her shoulder, scratching under his chin.
Aurora: Brucie... you know better than to crawl into our suitcases when Mommy and Daddy are trying to pack. Silly boy....
Bruce rubbed his head against Aurora’s chin before being set on top of the dresser, which stood a few feet away from the bed. He sat there, curling his tail around his body as he stared at his human. Meanwhile, Aurora adjusted the GoPro camera she had mounted on the other end of the dresser, making sure it was pointed at the right spot before moving toward the foot of the bed and taking a seat. With her hands resting on her knees, she looked into the camera and smiled.
Aurora: Cats... you gotta love how they always like to stick themselves right in the middle of your business, eh? And as much as I would love to bring my furkids with me – all three of them – the fact is that this is no pleasure cruise that my husband and I are about to embark on, so the family outing – if you will – will have to wait.
I’ve come to love traveling to Canada. Most of the people I’ve met while traveling are pretty decent folk. Sure, there are a few bad apples, but that’s to be expected pretty much anywhere around the world, am I right?
She pulled open one of the top drawers, silently moving her lips as she gathered up a few choice items before pulling said items out, revealing a stack of t-shirts in various colors. She carefully placed the bundle of garments into the suitcase, then went back to the dresser.
Aurora: Anyway, this next trip on the road to WrestleForce brings Rebel Ink to the beautiful city of Montreal, Quebec, where I will be taking on one half of the team dubbed the “Young Cubs,” Honey. Yes, the same Young Cubs that will be stepping into the ring against my husband and myself at Redemption’s biggest show of the year, for a shot at our Tag Team Championships. Now, don’t get me wrong... I’m not saying that these two young upstarts don’t deserve a title shot. I just think it’s funny how they found their way into the title picture so suddenly. Originally, it was supposed to be Burlesque Duplicity facing us for the titles, but they all of a sudden... just ceased to exist as a team. Pretty much every other credible tag team in Redemption is down by one member for whatever reason, so what does this mean?
It means that the Young Cubs get the title shot by default. But before that match can take place, the Redemption fans will be treated to a little preview of what’s going to go down at WrestleForce.
Now, I’m not going to stand here and harp on about how no one in their right mind thinks you’re even close to being ready for this match. Honestly, I’m sure there are enough people that have tried to drill this into your head. But, it is what it is, Honey. The match has been made, so all we can do is go out there and do our thing. But I think it only fair to warn you... I took the time to watch your last match, and I must say I’m rather disappointed. The group from which you take your tag team’s name - or rather, the team you spun off from – likened themselves to lions. What I saw was as far from leonine as it gets. I saw not a lion, but a frightened little gazelle running for her life; hardly behavior befitting one half of the number one contenders for OUR championship. And while I’m not exactly known for being a nice girl in the ring, I seriously hope you intend on bringing your “A” game come this Sunday, because the last thing you need heading into the biggest show of the year – the Granddaddy of them all, if you will – is a loss on your record.
She went back into the drawer, reaching inside, but upon turning her head to look at the camera, she paused, her face turning noticeably red.
Aurora: On second thought, I can pack those AFTER I’m done with this....
She flashed a sheepish smile as she carefully closed the drawer.
Aurora: I don’t pretend to know what the future holds, Honey. But the one thing I do know is that no matter if I get the Honey that likes to bounce around and eat candy or someone that will actually prove to be a legitimate competitor in the ring, you will get nothing but the best out of me from the moment that bell rings until the match is over. And IF by chance you manage to come out ahead, then good for you. But don’t think for one second that it means you’ll have shaken my resolve come WrestleForce. No... regardless of how things go down at Glory this Sunday, Damon and I will come at you even harder come the night of the big dance in Toronto.
For now, the fans will just have to settle for the little appetizer they’re going to get this Sunday when I give one half of the Young Cubs a hard lesson in how to hunt....
Aurora winked into the camera as she moved out of frame. For a moment, the camera itself is turned on Bruce, who seemed entranced by some unseen object. He crouched into pouncing position, and with the all-too-familiar wiggle of his hindquarters, he charged at the camera. The camera – as well as Bruce – falls down to the floor, prompting Aurora to stand over the lens, shaking her head.
Aurora: Silly cat...
~FIN~
