Post by Aurora Graves on Jan 15, 2017 19:43:36 GMT -5
~From the Online Blog of Aurora Graves~
Sometimes, the best places to visit are often far away from the trappings of big city life. Yeah, I’ve always been more of a city girl, but even I need to get away from the noise of downtown, with its crowds of people constantly bumping into each other. Sometimes, I too need a change of scenery. Thankfully, I have the best of both worlds here. I get to relax in a quiet, tree-filled sanctuary with the man of my dreams, and should the need arise, getting down to the city isn’t that much of a hassle.
Our host has been gracious enough to grant us the use of his home not only as a place to rest our heads at night, but as a way to experience some of the things that we wouldn’t get to do otherwise...
Which brings me to the one downside of this tour of Japan that we’ve been on since the start of the year – being tattooed while visiting Japan. It makes finding a decent gym almost impossible. And those amazing hot springs that people are always raving about:
“You gotta hit one of their hot springs at least once!”
“Don’t forget about the hot springs!”
Yeah... you try walking into a public hot spring with a full color sleeve. Not that I’m not used to people judging me for the fact that I’m tattooed; it’s just that this is the first time I’ve been told I can’t even enter a gym without coming face to face with a sign that says – in what little Japanese I can barely understand – “No Tattoos”.
I know... not all of the places in Japan will turn people away – especially in the case of foreigners. I hear the Japan Tourism Agency is working to change things so that those of us with ink will be able to experience the same joys of Japanese tourism as everyone else who comes to this otherwise beautiful country. On the other hand, the thought of being naked while surrounded by strangers who are also naked does kinda give me the creeps.
For the record, I’m not the type that creeps out easily. That which would scare the shit out of the typical person would get little more than a chuckle out of me. Something my opponent at Glory will soon find out. The so-called “Monster” of Redemption Wrestling will soon find out that a monster’s power lies in the amount of fear it invokes in its chosen target. I intend to show him he needs to aim elsewhere....
Private Mountain Retreat – outdoor private hot spring
Osaka Prefecture, Japan
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
♪These are the ears that ring with hate
This is the face that'll never change
This is the fist that grinds you down
This is the voice of silence no more♪
Steam rose from the surface of the water, a sharp contrast to the heavy layer of snow that blanketed the rest of the space. There, relaxing in the water, his tattooed arms draped over the stone-lined edge of the spring, Damon Graves leaned back with his eyes closed as the water lapped around his bare chest. His hair fell in loose waves from the crown of his head – one of the rare times he didn’t have his hair sculpted into his trademark pompadour. He tapped his fingers, as if keeping rhythm with the barely audible sound of "Some Kind of Monster" by Metallica playing from a Bluetooth speaker a few yards away.
As if like a scratching record, Damon turned his head toward the sound of a shoji screen rustling, catching sight of Aurora stepping barefoot onto the stone-paved ground. Her long legs parted the front of her robe, a simple white garment that fell just past her knees. Her long blonde hair was pulled up into a tight bun, held in place with a single black kanzashi. As she walked toward the edge of the hot spring, she looked down at her husband and smiled.
Aurora: So, how’s the water?
Damon: Nice and hot. But I’m afraid that once you step in, it’s gonna start boiling!
Aurora giggled as she dipped her toe into the water.
Aurora: And here I thought YOU were the reason the water was so hot...
Damon: And you call ME the shameless flatterer...
Damon fell silent as Aurora undid her robe, hanging it on a nearby hook as she stepped into the water. He watched, his eyebrow arched as she sat down on the seat beside him, the water enveloping her body as a layer of steam floated over the surface.
Damon: Wow...
Aurora: Wow, what?
Damon: It’s just that every time I look at you, I’m reminded of what it felt like that first night back in Portland.
Aurora: Looking to reclaim your Shameless Flatterer title, I see....
Damon chuckled as Aurora rested her head along the edge of the spring, a blissful sigh escaping her lips as her toes floated up to the surface.
Aurora: Mmmmm... this IS nice. I don’t know why, but this actually beats the hot tub at home.
Damon: Well, look around. Sure, we’re sitting in steaming hot water, but all around us, the ground is covered in snow. You don’t get that in Vegas. Plus, this water is pumped in from a legit hot spring... not some water treatment plant, like back home.
Aurora: Good point. Still, this was a great way to relax after the long day we had.
Damon: No kidding... I lost track of how many laps we did up and down those stairs that ran up to the dojo.
Aurora: Well don’t look at me! I didn’t even bother counting; I just remember running up and down until my legs turned to ramen noodles...
Damon: And then we did one more lap just for good measure.
They shared a laugh, as Aurora leaned her head against Damon’s arm. She scooted in closer, wrapping her arm around his waist and giggled as she pressed her face against the damp skin of his chest.
Private Mountain Retreat – Living Room
Friday, January 13, 2017
The screen of a large 55” LED TV flickered with the image of Boris Karloff as Frankenstein’s Monster as the creature set his eyes upon the being created to be his bride. He reached for her, only to have her be as frightened by his presence as everyone else – an emotion punctuated by her ear-shredding scream. For a moment, this was the only visible light in the room, until the image of the screaming woman went still, then disappeared completely, leaving the room in darkness.
Aurora’s Voice: Monsters...
From ancient times, mankind has formed the physical images of the fears that dwell in the deepest, darkest corners of imagination. Twisted visions that manifest themselves in our minds as that which torments us in the worst ways possible. They are – at their core – the easiest way to describe that which we don’t understand.... and that which we often don’t want to understand.
The click of a light switch flicked on, and a single floor lamp illuminated the space in the corner of the room. Sitting in the soft white glow was Aurora Graves, clad in a pair of loose pale gray cotton pants under a black shirt that hung off her otherwise bare shoulders. She sat with her arm propped up against the back of an armless sofa, her hand resting against her temple. Her face bore a casual smile.
Aurora: But not all monsters are scary, supernatural beings with green skin, fangs, or excessive amounts of body hair coupled with a taste for human flesh. No... some monsters look just like everyone else walking the street. For all you know, that normal-looking white collar worker you pass on the street could be a sado-masochistic sexual deviant that gets off on pulling toenails off of his victims while having his scrotum connected to a car battery. We all have our kinks, our quirks. Without them, this world would be one hell of a boring place.
She shrugged, pushing herself up to her feet as she walked across the floor. She stopped at a table, where a single candle sat in the center, barely visible in the dim light cast by the lamp. The tell-tale sound of a match being struck broke the silence as the flame touched the wick of the candle. It shrank down to a faint glimmer before swelling to twice its size, its light dancing as it reflected in Aurora’s eyes.
Aurora: Now, the powers that be in Redemption Wrestling have seen fit to put me up against the man that calls himself a monster – our very own New Generation Champion, Martin Karloff. Now, apart from the fact that you share a name with one of the most legendary figures in classical monster movie history, it begs the question. What is it that makes you a monster? What is it that makes you so scary? We’ve all got issues – you’d be hard-pressed to find someone that doesn’t have some sort of secret buried deep within the darkest recesses of their minds – some of which they’d just as soon forget about. But the fact that you choose to not only embrace that inner darkness, but to paint a physical manifestation of that darkness on your body shows that your inner demons have been tamed. Just like the movie monsters attached to the name that you chose for yourself, it’s just another role for you to play.
She carried the candle with her back to the sofa, careful not to spill the wax that trailed down the side and into a well at the candle’s base. She passed her hand – one finger at a time – through the flame of the candle, as easily as one would pass their hand through a trickle of water from a faucet. Not an uncommon feat, but the gleam in her eyes suggested that the sensation was one of more than just that brief rush of adrenaline from the pain of the fire.
Aurora: In my eyes, Martin, you won’t see the slightest speck of fear. No, I’ve stared my own personal demon in the face, knocked it the fuck out and left it to rot away into oblivion. I’ve used the abuse that I’ve endured over the course of my adult life to mold myself into the champion that I am, and into the champion I have yet to become. You see, my husband and I have already shown what we can do in the ring as a tag team. Every company we’ve wrestled in, we’ve quickly risen to the top of the rankings, snagging championship gold wherever we went. And now, it’s time we stepped out of the tag team world and into singles competition, to show that we are just as capable of dominating the squared circle on our own as we are as a unit. You may be a champion now, and you will still be a champion after this is over, but you will not be walking out of that ring with another victory to add to your list of accomplishments. Not if I have anything to say about it, anyway.
She smiled as she once again rose from the sofa, turning off the lamp so that the only remaining light in the room was the candle held in her hand. Another trickle of wax spilled down the side of the candle, but it trickled over the hardened wax at the base and down onto Aurora’s bare skin. Her eyes closed as she let out a trance-like sigh, as if the sensation of the tiny drop of hot melted wax against her skin brought a mild spark of pleasure. She paused to watch the wax harden on her hand almost as quickly as it had landed.
Aurora: Out of the respect I have for your wife, I’m not going to completely shit on your accomplishments in the ring. After all, you didn’t become the New Generation Champion just by standing in the middle of the ring in all of your scary, body-painted glory. But for every champion in this sport, there is someone – somewhere – that seeks to prove themselves to be that much better. And this Sunday at Glory, as you stare across the ring from me, you will be staring into the eyes of the one that seeks to show not just you – but the world – that I have what it takes to take that championship away from you.
See you in the ring, Martin....
Aurora surrounded the flame of the candle with her thumb and forefinger, giggling softly before pinching the wick, snuffing out the flame.
