Post by Aurora Graves on Feb 18, 2018 20:48:53 GMT -5
Fraport Arena
Frankfurt, Germany
Sunday Morning, February 18, 2018
Aurora leaned against the railing of one of the bridges that passed over a walkway that led toward one of the entrances of the arena. She wore a thick black coat to ward off the cold, early morning air as she stared off into the blackness of the pre-dawn sky. Apart from her voice, the venue for Dissension was eerily silent, a far cry from the raucous noise that would fill the venue in a matter of hours.
Aurora: January 1, 2017...
She didn’t turn around. She just continued to stare off into the distance as the wind lightly tossed her hair around the edge of her hood. There was a bit of a hiss in her voice, as if the date left a foul taste in her mouth, one she would just as soon wash out with whatever she could get her hands on.
Aurora: It was on that day, in Osaka, Japan, that Devlin Scott launched the first Global Cup Tournament. It pitted 16 people, representing several different countries, all competing for a chance at a future Heavyweight Championship title opportunity. Back then, even if the participants were American, a handful of them – myself included – climbed through the branches of our family trees and selected a country that reflected our heritage. Lucky for me, I only had to go back a couple of generations, at the most.
In my case, I chose to represent my heritage from my mother’s side of the family – Spain. My opponent, the pompous, pretentious asshole known as Jeremy Starling. Remember him? Mr. “Born Better because I was born with a silver shovel shoved up my ass”?
She finally turned to look at the camera, the bitterness giving way to a sly smirk as she leaned her back against the railing, tilting her head from one side to the other, as if she was waiting for a response to her question.
Aurora: No? Anyone?
It didn’t matter if anyone was there to answer the question or not. She had all but forgotten about the egotistical aforementioned former champion, and didn’t seem the least bit bothered by it. In fact, the look in her eyes seemed to read “good riddance.”
Aurora: I guess I shouldn’t be surprised... apart from holding the Young Lions Championship, he didn’t really do much before he left the company to go do... whatever; it really doesn’t matter. What DOES still piss me off to this day is the fact that this waste of oxygen managed to get past me, and I didn’t even make it past the first round of the tournament.
She scoffed, rolling her eyes a little as she pushed off from the railing.
Aurora: You know, I never did get a chance to avenge that loss, but at least you won’t see me losing my shit over it... like a certain someone else who shall remain nameless....
She winked into the camera, not wanting to name names. Truth to tell, she could have been talking about anyone, but the look in her eyes suggested that those in the know would catch on to who the comment was truly aimed at.
Aurora: No... I probably never will, because that silver spoon motherfucker will more than likely never have the balls to show his face in this company again, so I’ll just have to settle for doing better in this year’s tournament. This time, it’s going to be a little bit different. For starters, while I pulled from my mother’s branches of the family tree and represented Spain, this year, I’ll be representing my heritage from my father’s side and representing Ireland. And my opponent?
Maria Valadez... AKA Mason Moore’s girlfriend.
Aurora’s trademark smirk danced across her face as she walked the length of the bridge toward a patch of dirt that stood between the arena proper and the parking lot, with its rows marked not by the lampposts she was more accustomed to, but with trees.
Aurora: Truth to tell, Maria, I really don’t have a problem with you, apart from the fact that you happen to be dating one of the biggest jackasses to ever walk the face of the planet. I suppose you think that by training with that overinflated human sausage, that gives you an edge over me. While I can understand why you would make that assumption, I would hope that you would realize that your perceived advantage doesn’t mean shit to me. After all, for all of your training, your boyfriend clearly held back when the time came for the two of you to face off. Sure, you say he did it because “he didn’t want you to get hurt,” but no one’s buying that drivel. He did you dirty when he did that, Maria... plain and simple. If you can’t give your all against your opponent – no matter WHO it is – if you hold back even a little bit, then you’re doing your opponent a HUGE disservice. I know if it were my husband standing across from me, he’d never hold back, and he’d expect the same from me.
But as it just so happens, you’re not Damon Graves, so that thought won’t even enter my mind when I stand across the ring from you at Dissension. You see, I’ll be focused on one thing, and one thing only, and that’s doing what I have to do to make sure I make it to the next round of the Global Cup Tournament, and that means going through you. But I do have a little bit of good news for you, Maria... with this being only your sixth match, you’ll still have plenty of time to make a name for yourself. You know, so you don't end up being known strictly because of who you’re dating.
She shook her head as she crossed the wide patch of dirt, eventually stepping out onto the black pavement of the parking lot. Not that far from where she now stood, beneath a nearby tree at the end of one of the rows, sat a blue Mazda CX-5, with her manager, Alicia Perry standing by the driver’s side door. She glanced in Alicia’s direction, giving her a quick nod before turning her attention back to the camera.
Aurora: But as far as this tournament is concerned, if I have anything to say about it, this is as far as you go.
As they say here in Deutschland... Auf Wiedersehen!
As Alicia started the engine of the car, Aurora gave a quick final wink into the camera. The car quickly swung around, allowing Aurora to climb into the passenger’s side before driving away.
