Post by Aurora Graves on Aug 6, 2017 14:51:27 GMT -5
Beale Street
Memphis, TN
Saturday Afternoon, August 5, 2017
Aurora Graves sat at a table by herself, the remnants of an order of chicken wings sitting in front of her. She polished off the last dregs of a pint of beer before laying down a cash tip on the table and getting up. She took a couple of steps away before looking into the camera and smiling.
Aurora: You know, I’ve been to a lot of sports-themed restaurants. Hell, I’ve been to more than my fair share of music-themed restaurants. But this place...
She paused, standing with her arms outstretched as she did a slow 360° turn. Along the wallwas a veritable museum of professional wrestling memorabilia from every corner of the world, but with most of the items placed at eye level being from local regional promotions. Nevertheless, it was an impressive collection.
Aurora: I don’t know how I missed this place the last time my husband and I came through here. But here I am, in – of all places – a wrestling-themed bar and grill! Granted, most of the stuff hanging on the walls is regional – promotions I’m admittedly not all that familiar with, but there’s a few names that I recognize.
She wandered amongst the various display cases, pausing in front of a poster advertising a viewing party for West Coast Genesis’s next Pay Per View, Crossroads: Rise. Beside it was another poster promoting Redemption Wrestling’s upcoming show, Convergence. She chuckled at the image of her trainer, “Devastator” Jason Perry, situated across the graphic from Gray Malone.
Aurora: Now THAT right there is the very definition of “One Night Only!” Now THERE’S a match that should’ve been on this card, but I digress....
You see, I’m not here to take the grand tour of wrestling memorabilia that probably goes back farther than my parents have been alive; nah... I’m here because the locals told me this place had some of the best chicken wings this side of the Mississippi River. And since I can’t think of a better way to wash down some wings than with a little trash talk, I might as well kill two birds with one stone.
She leaned forward slightly, winking into the camera.
Aurora: By the way, the wings here are that damn good!
She flashed a quick smile before she continued her walk.
Aurora: Now, we all know that my husband is impetuous as fuck. It’s one of the things I love about him. He’s an unabashed asshole when it comes to defending his turf, and in this case, that turf includes the Redemption Tag Team Championships. For the last four months, we’ve been carrying these belts with us; frankly, they’ve become as much a part of us as the ink in our skin, so you can’t blame us for hitting you with everything we have... verbally for now, but once that bell rings....
Aurora chuckled, a sly smile spreading across her face as she resumed her walk through the restaurant, heading toward the exit.
Aurora: Well, you’ve seen what we can do in that ring. We’ve been back and forth enough times – both in tag team matches and in singles matches. You’ve won some, and so have we. Still, you’ve said yourselves that you’re still figuring things out as a tag team. The Young Cubs need to realize that a championship match is NO place for experimentation. If you want to stand toe to toe with Rebel Ink, you need to have a game plan. Damon and I weren’t still finding our groove when we won our first championship; we had already showed the world what we could do as a tag team, and we’ve kept it going ever since. Can you honestly look at yourselves and think you’re ready to take on the mantle of being the faces of the tag team division? Are you ready to bear the burden of knowing that every tag team on the roster will soon come gunning for you? I’m not all that sure that you are. But by all means, feel free to prove me wrong.
When you think about it, Alechs and Damon are more alike than they probably realize. Hell, you could even throw me into that mix, even though my upbringing was a little bit different.
She paused, glancing up at the ceiling for a moment before shrugging her shoulders.
Aurora: Okay... so maybe that was a gross understatement. The point is, you both know what it’s like to grow up on the streets; to have to fight on a daily basis just to survive from one day to the next. We all can’t go around like Honey does with perpetual smiles plastered on our faces. And if I’m being honest with myself, I’m not sure I would want to live like that. It’s those brushes with danger – the inevitable low points that come after every high spot in our lives – that give us a sense of purpose. Face it... if every day was full of nothing but wine and roses – or whatever the hell you get the most enjoyment out of – life would be pretty fucking boring, don’t you think?
For Alechs, it was the gangs. For Damon, it was simply finding a place to lay his head at night. Me? I fought just to assert my right to be who I wanted to be, and not be forced into someone’s mold of who THEY wanted me to be. If I wasn’t dealing with the kids at school giving me shit on a daily basis, I was fighting with my own parents just for some semblance of autonomy. It made those brief moments of peace worth every second of hell. Yeah, it may not have been that rough, but the point is to take the good as well as the bad.
Finished with her tour, she stepped out of the restaurant’s front door, and out onto the sidewalk. A few steps away, she spotted the familiar figure of her husband Damon, leaning against a black Chevy Camaro. She gave him an acknowledging wave, but didn’t head over to him.
Aurora: My husband and I have gone through hell to get to where we are. There’s a reason we’ve been holding these belts as long as we have, and it’s not because we’ve taken anyone we’ve stepped into the ring with lightly. It’s because we step through those ropes with the mindset that the longer we hold these belts, the harder we have to fight to keep them. Every time we successfully defend our titles, we know that somewhere, lurking around the corner, is another team looking to push us to the next level.
Anyone can pin someone’s shoulders to the mat and claim a championship, but it’s what you do after the fact that shows what kind of champion you really are. Damon and I have faced every team that has come at us head on, and as long as these belts are around our waists, that’s exactly what we’re going to do. It doesn’t matter to us if it’s the Young Cubs, if it’s anyone else in Redemption looking to team up to try and take us out, or if it’s some team from West Coast Genesis looking to leave their small pond to come and swim with the big fish. As far as I’m concerned, if you come after us, we will fight with everything we have to keep what’s ours.
With that in mind, I know you won’t be foolish enough to come into this match expecting to fight the same Rebel Ink you did at WrestleForce. Sure, the names will be the same, and the stakes are just as high as before, but this time, don’t count on us underestimating you. If anything, get ready for us to come at you even harder than before....
Before Aurora could say another word, the muffled chorus of “Poison” by Alice Cooper began to play from her back pocket. Looking at the display, Aurora could see the name of her manager, Alicia Perry on the screen.
Aurora: What’s up, boss-lady?
Alicia’s Voice: Where are you, Aurora? I wanted to meet up with you and the others before the meet-&-greet.
Aurora paused to look at her watch, cringing when she noticed that it was nearing 3 pm. She began to head over to where Damon was parked, her pace quickening with each step.
Aurora: I’m heading to the car right now. Damon and I will be there soon.
Alicia’s Voice: Alright... I’ll see you in a little bit. Bye.
Aurora: Bye.
Aurora hung up the phone just as she reached the car, greeting her husband with a quick kiss.
Damon: Who was that on the phone?
Aurora: That was Alicia, checking up on us. We need to get over to the bookstore... ASAP!
Damon: Too bad... I was hoping we’d have time to check this place out....
He pointed over at the storefront of Tater Red’s Lucky Mojos, a souvenir shop with a sign painted like a sugar skull clad in a top hat. The words “Tater Red’s” appeared on the hat in red neon. Aurora looked up at the sign and frowned before turning to Damon.
Aurora: Well, we’ll just have to hit it up before we leave.
Damon nodded his head, then opened the passenger side door to let his wife get in. Aurora smiled at the chivalric gesture as she slipped into the seat. Once he shut the door, he slid across the hood to the driver’s side and got behind the wheel. Through the open passenger window, she looked over at Damon and shook her head.
Aurora: Show off...
Damon smirked at her, then pointed at the corner of his mouth.
Damon: Harley, you got a little...
Aurora pulled down the visor to look in the mirror. Sure enough, there was a tiny blob of sauce from the chicken wings sitting at the corner of her mouth.
Aurora: Son of a bitch!
As Aurora licked the sauce from her lips, Damon pulled out into traffic, the Camaro’s engine roaring as he headed down Beale Street.
