Post by Aurora Graves on Jul 16, 2017 19:05:27 GMT -5
Backstage after Glory
Washington, DC
Sunday, July 2, 2017
Aurora walked through the door of the dressing room that she shared with her husband Damon, her hair soaked with sweat as it clung to the sides of her face. Her breath was heavy as she shut the door behind her, but none of that stopped her husband from greeting his bride. Cupping her face in his hands, he pulled her in for a long, passionate kiss on the lips. When he finally pulled back, he simply stared at his wife and smiled.
Damon: You did it, Harley... not that I doubted you, but you did it. You beat Gavin Grimes!
Aurora: Yeah, but the guy put up one hell of a fight.
She flopped down against a steel chair, sending it scraping across the floor. It teetered on its back legs for a moment before finally settling against the floor. Leaning forward, Aurora began to undo the laces on her boots.
Aurora: You know, I don’t think we’ll ever see eye to eye about a lot of things, Gavin Grimes has earned my respect. There was a reason he held the NGW title for as long as he did...
Damon: True enough, but you – you absolutely KILLED it in that ring tonight! That’s twice in one night you’ve left people on their backs, and that right there is something you should be proud of!
Aurora put her boots off to the side, reaching up behind her neck to undo the collar of her ring gear, letting it fall down to show half of her chest.
Aurora: Huh... “proud.” Right now, all I feel is tired, sweaty, sticky and sore as fuck! If it’s all the same to you, Puddin’, I’d just rather shower and go home.
Damon moved to stand behind Aurora’s chair, resting his tattooed hands on her shoulders. She reached up to grab his left hand, planting a gentle kiss on his finger as she stood up.
Damon: Fair enough. You go on ahead and hit the shower; I’ll gather our stuff and then go bring the car around.
Damon gave his wife one final kiss before he began clearing out his locker as Aurora headed off toward the shower.
**KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK**
The light, but firm sound of knuckles rapping on the dressing room door heralded the arrival of Damon and Aurora’s manager, Alicia Perry. He walked over to open the door, where he found her standing in the hallway with an approving smile on her face.
Alicia: Thought I’d come in and congratulate you two on a couple of well-earned victories...
She glanced over and past Damon’s shoulder, only to notice the absence of Aurora. Hearing the sudden rush of water coming from the direction of the bathroom, Alicia gave a knowing smile.
Alicia: But I see that one of you is indisposed at the moment. No matter; I’m sure Aurora won’t mind if I go through you.
Damon: What’s up?
Alicia: I have a business matter to attend to back in California; do you think Aurora would mind if you guys watched the kids while we’re gone?
Damon: Jason’s going with you?
Alicia: Yeah... some of it may or may not require someone with his expertise.
Damon: Oh, is it that thing you were telling us about a while back?
Alicia: It might be. Anyway, speaking of the big guy, I need to call him and let him know I’ve made arrangements for the kids while we’re gone. You sure you don’t mind?
Damon: Not at all! Aurora loves having the kids around! Besides, we’ve got plenty of room.
Alicia: Excellent! As soon as we get back, I’ll pack their things and bring them by. By the way, want me to go ahead and bring the car around?
Damon: Yeah. I don’t think Aurora will be much longer.
Alicia: Alright... I’ll text you in a few.
Alicia flashed a quick smile, then spun around on her heel and walked away, leaving Damon standing there, his eyes turned toward the bathroom.
Fuddruckers
Santa Monica, CA
Monday, July 10, 2017
It was late in the afternoon when Aurora pulled into the parking lot of Fuddruckers in her husband’s 1972 Charger. As she cut the engine, she peeked into the rear view mirror, still not used to seeing a car seat strapped into the back seat. Buckled into that car seat was the raven-haired Jaina Perry, the daughter of her manager Alicia and trainer Jason. Jaina looked every bit like her father, save for a pair of piercing blue eyes that peered out from beneath long, ebony eyelashes. The four-year-old looked into the mirror, smiling at Aurora’s reflection before turning to look at the sign above the entrance to the restaurant.
Jaina: F...udd...
Her attempt at reading off the name of the restaurant was immediately halted by a sudden giggle fit. Aurora looked down at the raven-haired child with an arched eyebrow.
Aurora: What’s so funny?
Jaina: This place has a funny name!
Aurora looked up at the sign, unable to keep from smiling at the little girl’s observation. She could only wonder if the reason for Jaina’s giggle was the same as the thought that danced in her head. And if it wasn’t, she didn’t want to be the one to warp the little girl’s sense of humor.
Aurora: You know, you’re right. It is kinda funny. In fact, when I was a little girl, I accidentally switched two of the letters, and nearly got my mouth washed out with soap for it!
Jaina: So what is this place?
Aurora paused, as if aghast at the words that came out of the little girl’s mouth. Had Jaina never truly heard of Fuddruckers?[/color]
Aurora: Oh, just a place that has some REALLY good burgers. I used to come here a lot when I was a kid.
Jaina furrowed her brow, as if deep in thought. Or about as deep in thought as one could be at just four years old.
Jaina: Oh... Mama and Daddy usually take us to In N Out.
Aurora smiled.
Aurora: Well, your parents have good taste. I promise you, though... the food here is just as good, and you get a LOT more choices as to what kind of burger you want. So what do you say; wanna give it a go?
Jaina: Okay!
Jaina didn’t say a word until they arrived at the entrance to the restaurant. When she opened her mouth to speak, Aurora was a little surprised at the turn their conversation was taking.
Jaina: Aunt Rora?
Aurora: Yeah?
Jaina: When did you know you wanted to be a wrestler?
Okay, so perhaps Aurora wasn’t TOO surprised by the question. After all, Jaina was the daughter of two world champions; professional wrestling was as engrained into her DNA as the long black tresses that spilled down her back. Aurora smiled as she reached for the door.
Aurora: I can’t say for sure... probably since I was even younger than you. I used to watch it with my brothers, and we all grew up wanting to be wrestlers. Why? Is that what you want to be when you grow up?
The little girl smiled so wide, it looked as if it would split her face in half.
Jaina: Yeah! I wanna be just like my Mama, and Daddy, and Tio Mondo, and...
Aurora laughed as Jaina walked through the door, following close behind her as she let the door swing shut behind her.
Aurora: That’s a lot of footsteps to follow. You want to be a world champion like your parents? Or do you want to be part of a tag team?
Jaina: My brother can go win his own titles! I wanna do it myself!
Aurora nodded her head as they reached the end of the line.
Aurora: You know who you sound like? You sound just like me. I didn’t always want to be part of a tag team; I wanted to make a go of things by myself. Of course, fate had other plans. But I’ve still got time.
She looked up at the menu, her eyes heading straight to the panel that listed the restaurant’s more exotic meat offerings.
Aurora: Hey Jaina... you ever tried buffalo before?
Jaina: You mean those big hairy things that look like bulls that got punched in the face? You can make burgers out of those?
Aurora: “Like a bull that got punched in the face...” Not a bad comparison, kiddo! And hey, if your parents can make meatloaf out of venison....
Aurora and Jaina continued pointing out items on the menu as more customers began to file in behind them.
