Post by Aurora Graves on Apr 1, 2018 2:53:01 GMT -5
Graves Hotel Suite
London, England
Friday, March 30, 2018
Aurora: Ugh...
Aurora let out a disgusted groan as she quickly pulled the sheer white curtains closed, then flopped down in the armchair beside the window. Resting her chin on her hand, she stared straight ahead, a sneer tugging at her upper lip. Her husband Damon leaned against the wall behind her, his arms crossed in front of him as he gazed at the blonde lump of frustration before him.
Damon: What is it, Harley?
The tattooed blonde let her arm fall against the armrest as she looked up at him. With her head tilted back against the back of the chair, Damon looked like he was hanging upside down above her.
Aurora: I was supposed to meet with Hannah Lacey in the park later, but there’s no way in hell I’m going out there in the rain.
Damon chuckled.
Damon: Maybe we should’ve checked the weather forecast ahead of time?
Aurora scoffed as she sat up, pushing herself out of the chair. She stood beside the window, peering through the gossamer fabric. She could hear the sound of rain drops splattering against the glass.
Aurora: As accurate as the weather reports back home are? HA! Oh, sure... let’s trust the internet to tell us what the weather will be like on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean!
Damon: Ha ha, very funny, Harley. So what are you going to do about Lacey? Gonna have her meet you somewhere else?
He cocked his head to the side, arching his eyebrow in curiosity. Aurora just shook her head.
Aurora: I’m sure as hell not going to take Yssie out in this weather. Not the way I had hoped to celebrate her first Easter....
She sighed.
Damon: How DOES an Atheist do Easter, anyway?
The question met with a shrug from Aurora as the hint of a smile could be seen, if only for a brief moment.
Aurora: The same way the Japanese celebrate Christmas. They forgo the religious crap and stick to the commonly-recognized symbolism. You know... little fuzzy duckies, the Easter bunny... all the fun shit.
Damon pursed his lips and nodded his head.
Damon: Makes perfect sense.
Aurora: All of the fun, none of the dogma.
She turned to him and gave him a playful smile.
Aurora: Plus, it gives me an excuse to go out and get some stuff to put together an Easter basket for Yssie. Yeah, I know she won’t be able to eat anything out of it, but it’ll still be fun.
Damon chuckled. He knew the real reason Aurora would be raiding the candy aisle at the local market, and he had no room to complain, because he’d be just as guilty as her.
Damon: Yeah, I’m sure you’re not the first parent to use their kid as an excuse to stock up on candy.
A dreamy look flashed in her eyes as Aurora walked over to the crib where Ysera lay, happily kicking her legs as she squealed at the sight of her mother.
Aurora: Well, look who’s awake from her nap... and just in time, too!
Smiling, Aurora scooped her daughter up into her arms, then walked back to where Damon was standing.
Aurora: Besides, there’s this really cute dress I saw that would look adorable on Yssie. It’s in a shade of blue that looks just one tick shy of purple.
Damon chuckled as he held out his hand in front of his daughter. Ysera grabbed hold of his finger and giggled.
Damon: At least that’s one thing you can do for her that’s really more for her than it is for you...
Aurora playfully punched him in the shoulder.
Aurora: You butthead!
Damon: You say that like it’s a bad thing!
He chuckled, then leaned in to kiss his daughter on the cheek.
Damon: Your Mommy shops too much, doesn’t she, Yssie?
Aurora scoffed.
Aurora: Wave bye-bye to Daddy, Yssie... as soon as I get you changed, we’re going shopping.
She raised up Ysera’s hand, gently waving it up and down before carrying her out of the room, leaving Damon standing there chuckling, his hands resting on his hips as he shook his head.
The Cavendish Hotel
London, England
Later that afternoon...
The ding of the nearby elevator could be heard just out of frame as Aurora sat beneath a large portrait of a woman sitting on a bench. The brown armchair was one of three that were situated around a small round table at the top of a short set of stairs. The chair to her right held NGW interviewer Hannah Lacey, as the two women looked toward the camera, both of them smiling.
Hannah: I’m here with former Tag Team Champion and 2018 Global Cup Finalist Aurora Graves, who – in just a couple days from now – will be competing against Alex Jones for a chance to lay claim to a shot at the NGW Heavyweight Championship. Aurora, what does it mean for you to get this far in the tournament?
Aurora scoffed lightly, leaning against the backrest of her chair as she looked at Hannah with half-closed eyes. Her long blonde hair spilled over her shoulders, framing the colorful tattoos that decorated her arms.
Aurora: To be honest, I’m glad I made it all the way through to the finals. Last year, I didn’t do as well as I had hoped I would, and I’m pretty sure that somewhere, Mr. “Born Better” is still walking around with his nose in the air, and the silver spoon shoved up his ass. Bottom line is I’m still here, and he’s not.
But thinking back to last year, and who ended up winning the tournament... yeah, he eventually ended up winning the Heavyweight Championship, but NOT as a result of the title opportunity he won through the Global Cup. No... it took Yujiro Fujiwara more than a few attempts to finally pry the Heavyweight Championship from Matt Shields’ grimy mitts.
Hannah: So, you’re saying that just winning the Global Cup isn’t enough...
The former Tag Team Champion chuckled a little as she flicked the ends of her hair with her red-painted fingernails.
Aurora: Some might see it as an ending of sorts... almost akin to winning the Heavyweight Championship itself, but I always view every ending as a new beginning. So by making it all the way to the Finals of the Global Cup, I find myself standing at a doorway – a doorway that only one of us can go through. The other... well, that door doesn’t necessarily get slammed in their face. Jeremy Starling? He was a former Young Lions Champion before Coda beat his ass and then he left the company with his tail between his legs. So really, regardless of the outcome of this match, things can only get better for yours truly.
Hannah: With that being said, what is your motivation going into your match against Alex Jones?
Aurora: Simple... like anyone else, the goal is to come out on the winning side. But I’m not about to stop there. No... even if – no, WHEN – I win the Global Cup, I’m not going to let that title opportunity go to waste. I don’t want whoever’s holding the Heavyweight Championship by the time I claim my title shot to be able to have any excuses when I rip the belt from their hands.
She leaned forward, resting her weight on her elbow as it dug into the arm of the chair. Her eyes focused on Hannah in what would have been a harsh glare, had it not been for the slight smile turning up the corners of her mouth.
Aurora: But I’m not stupid, Hannah. It may sound like I’m looking ahead of Alex Jones, but I’m not. He’s fought just as hard as I have to get to the final round. And yeah... I know what he can do in the ring. I’ve seen it going all the way back to our days in #FSociety. People are so quick to call him washed up; that he should retire and spend his days at home with his wife and kid. Hell, you think I give a fuck how old he is? Look at my trainer. He’s nearly 48 years old, and that motherfucker can STILL knock people’s heads off their shoulders! Fuck age! All it is is just the measure of years that you’ve managed to spit in the Grim Reaper’s face and say “GO FUCK YOURSELF!”
Hannah: So, what should the fans expect out of Aurora Graves at Battle for London?
Aurora tilted her head to the side, letting the hair on her left shoulder fall behind her neck as she giggled lightly.
Aurora: The same thing that the fans have come to expect from me every time I step through those ropes. From the moment the bell rings to start the match until the referee slaps the mat for the three count, they should expect me to give it everything I have, and then DOUBLE IT! As for Alex Jones... well, he knows not to expect me to hold back. But no matter what happens at Battle for London, the fans can expect to see one hell of a match, because if I say nothing else about my opponent, it’s that at least with us in the ring, you know no one’s going to half-ass anything.
She straightened up, flashing Hannah a confident look as she rested her arms on the armrests.
Hannah: Small side note, your husband has a match against Scotty Latimer for the Young Lions Championship. Is it safe to say that you’re throwing your support behind Damon?
Aurora shifted her weight, leaning forward so that her arm rested on the table. Her nails hit the table’s surface, clicking against the wood as she chuckled.
Aurora: Let me put it to you this way... does the thought of tattooing a giant dragon across your chest sound incredibly painful?
Hannah: I don’t see what that has to do with...
Aurora cut her off with an annoyed sigh. Leaning back, she rolled her eyes, then shot Hannah a stern look.
Aurora: It’s a simple yes or no question, Hannah....
Hannah cleared her throat as the clarification came through.
Hannah: Oh. Well then, yes. Obviously.
Aurora scoffed, then nodded her head.
Aurora: Well then, you have your answer.
Hannah: Indeed I do.
Hannah turned to the camera, doing her best to smile, all the while trying not to blush from mild embarrassment.
Hannah: Well, that’s gonna wrap this up, folks. Be sure to tune in to Legacy: Battle for London, this Sunday for the Finals of the NGW 2018 Global Cup. It’s the final showdown to see who scores themselves a shot at the NGW Heavyweight Championship. Who will stand tall and come away as the winner? We’ll find out this Sunday!
Aurora looked into the camera as well. As Hannah smiled, Aurora silently mouthed the words “It’s gonna be me!”
With that, the scene slowly faded out.
The cameras had stopped filming, and Aurora and Hannah stood off at the base of the stairs, where Alicia Perry, Aurora’s manager, sat on a small brown stool beside Ysera’s stroller. Ysera sat inside, kicking off her blanket as Alicia looked in at her and smiled.
Aurora peeked in at her daughter, reaching in to hold her tiny hand. Ysera cooed contentedly at the sight of her mother, and Hannah took the moment to sneak her own peek at the little raven-haired infant.
Aurora: She didn’t give you any problems, did she?
Aurora looked almost pleadingly at her manager, who simply smiled and gave a reassuring nod of her head.
Alicia: Ysera was an absolute angel... which is more than I can say for her mother....
Aurora scoffed.
Aurora: Very funny.
Hannah continued to look at Ysera. Puzzled at the blonde stranger, Ysera simply looked up at her with an arched eyebrow.
Hannah: How old is she now?
Aurora: She’s three months old. Probably still so young that she won’t even remember this trip when she’s older....
Alicia shook her head.
Alicia: You’d be surprised at some of the things kids remember. When I told the twins about the upcoming show in New Zealand, they couldn’t help but get a little giddy. Especially Darion.
Aurora slapped the palm of her hand against her forehead, as if she was reminded of a piece of information that she couldn’t believe she had forgotten.
Aurora: That’s right... I keep forgetting they were born there!
Alicia: They sure were... knowing what huge hams they are now, they probably would’ve been born on camera if they had had their way.
Hannah turned her attention to Alicia, whose calm demeanor and fashion sense belied her reputation in the ring. She looked every bit the picture of elegance, and nothing like the wrestling hellion she had heard stories about.
Hannah: So with your twins, Aurora and Damon, and Danielle and Donovan Basch, is it safe to say that you and your husband are tag team experts?
Alicia let out a laugh.
Alicia: That would be a fair assumption, but I’d like to point out that Danielle and Donovan are not a tag team, at least, not in the literal sense. And as for Aurora and Damon, while there’s no denying their success in the tag team division, I’m glad to see them finally branching off as singles wrestlers.
At this point, Hannah turned her attention to Aurora, who had readjusted Ysera’s blanket, even though the squirming infant was quick to thwart her mother’s efforts.
Hannah: So... any thoughts about stepping back into tag team wrestling?
Aurora shrugged her shoulders.
Aurora: As cliché as it may sound, never say never. I certainly wouldn’t rule it out, but for now, Damon and I are fine focusing our energies on singles careers.
Alicia: I thought the interview was over?
Hannah looked back at Alicia, who had a smirk plastered on her face. She shook her head, reminding the two ladies present that now that the camera had stopped filming, she was no longer on the clock.
Hannah: Don’t worry... this stuff is strictly off the record. Anyway, I’d better get going. I know you probably have some other stuff to do between now and Sunday, so I’ll leave you to it.
She waved at the women before taking her leave. Aurora and Alicia watched as Hannah left the hotel, not taking their eyes off of her until she was out of sight.
Alicia: And now that she’s gone, I’ll have the valet bring the car around, so that we can get that shopping out of the way.
Aurora nodded her head.
Aurora: Sounds like a plan, doesn’t it, Yssie?
She bent down, sharing a giggle with her daughter as Alicia left the lobby.
