Post by Aurora Graves on Feb 12, 2017 18:14:31 GMT -5
Quinn Residence
Las Vegas, NV
February 8, 2017
In the kitchen, Lorena Quinn hummed a seemingly random tune as she rifled through the items in the refrigerator. The Quinn matriarch stood up, a rather disappointed look on her face as she shut the door and stepped into the living room.
Lorena: Iaaaaaaaan!
She stood with her hands on her hips, waiting for her husband to answer. After a few seconds, she heard no response.
Lorena: That cabrón probably has his headphones on again... I’ll have to go fish him out of the bedroom.
She took a couple steps toward the hallway that led to the master bedroom, only to be halted in her tracks by a knock at the door.
Lorena: Odd... I wasn’t expecting company.
**KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK**
This time, the knocking was louder, more urgent-sounding. Lorena furrowed her brow as she cautiously approached the front door.
Lorena: Hello?
A familiar sounding voice answered, muffled by the heavy wooden door that led out into the main hallway.
Aurora’s Voice: Mom? It’s Aurora... can I come in?
Aurora was a grown woman now, but when it came to her children, it didn’t matter to Lorena. Once her baby, always her baby. Lorena hurriedly opened the door to let her daughter inside, greeting her youngest child with an oxygen-depriving hug.
Lorena: MIJA! What a surprise! Of course you can come in. I wasn’t expecting you, but you know you can come by any time, especially now that we live so close. Please... sit down.
Lorena gestured to a large, red sofa, and Aurora sat down on the end of the sofa, beneath the soft white glow of the lamp that stood on the glass end table. As Aurora looked around, she couldn’t help but notice that most of the furniture was as red as the sofa she was sitting on, from the chairs at the dining table to the odd, abstract sculpture that sat on the glass coffee table.
Aurora: I see Dad let you handle most of the decorating... you didn’t bring ANY of the furniture from the old place out here?
Lorena emerged from the kitchen with a couple of bottles of Smirnoff Ice Pineapple, handing one of the bottles to her daughter as she sat down beside her. Mother and daughter popped the caps, each taking a sip.
Lorena: Did I pick the right flavor?
Aurora: Yeah. This is one of my favorites.
Lorena: A mother knows.... Which brings me to why you’re here. Everything alright with Damon?
Aurora: He can be so damn clueless, sometimes! I’ll spare you some of the more – let’s just say, intimate details, but the gist of it is that I came out wearing something I THOUGHT would grab his attention.
Lorena: And?
Aurora: And that asshole blew me off for Fallout 4! Can you believe that? I’m taking a backseat to a fucking VIDEO GAME!
Lorena: Now, mija... don’t you think you’re overreacting, just a little?
Aurora: Overreacting? Mom... I stood RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM...in LINGERIE... AND HE TOLD ME TO MOVE!
Lorena: Oh. Well then, I take back what I said. ¡Qué idiota! (What an idiot!) We may need something stronger than these little things. Shall I make some margaritas?
Aurora: Strawberry?
Lorena: Of course!
Lorena rifled through their liquor cabinet, frowning at the empty spot where the tequila was supposed to be.
Lorena: Damn it... we’re out of tequila.
Aurora: No problem. I’ll hit the liquor store on the corner. Be back in a few....
Aurora flashed her mother a quick smile before dropping off her bag and walking out.
[/center]Thursday, February 9, 2017
Aurora woke up swathed in purple and white sheets in her parents’ spare bedroom. The bed itself was smaller than she was used to – a full-size mattress – but still, she found herself clinging to one side of the bed. She let out a deep sigh, mouthing the words “force of habit” as she slipped out of bed, clad in one of her mother’s old cotton night shirts. As she opened the door into the living room, she was immediately hit with the scent of French toast, bacon, and freshly brewed coffee. As she padded barefoot across the soft white carpet, she spotted her mother, a skillet in her hand and a spatula in the other. Lorena shot a quick glance over her shoulder, offering her daughter a smile before resuming her work.
Lorena: Good morning, mija! Did you sleep well?
Aurora let out a sigh.
Aurora: All things considered, yeah, I did. By any chance, did you see where I left my cell phone?
Lorena: Oh, you mean that little thing that was screaming “dirty angel” at 4 in the morning? You left it on the end table. I shut it off because I got sick of hearing it ring every five seconds.
Aurora tilted her head, silently repeating her mother’s last three words.
Lorena: What even IS a “dirty angel,” anyway?
Aurora: That’s the name of the song I have it set to play when Damon calls. How many times did he call?
Lorena: How should I know? I didn’t even know it was him calling.
Aurora walked over to the aforementioned end table, powering the device back on and swiping through her missed calls.
12 of them...
From Damon.
A single icon remained after clearing all of the missed calls; that of her voicemail, signaling that she had one single message sitting in her inbox. In spite of herself, a small smile played across her lips.
Aurora: Looks like he did miss me, after all....
Lorena: Aurora Diamond Quinn!
Aurora: Graves, Mom. My last name is Graves, now.
Lorena: I don’t care what your name is now... That’s the name I gave you the day you were born, and that’s the name I will call you until one of us is in the ground.
Aurora: Way to take this down a morbid path, Mom....
Lorena: Well, you certainly don’t need to jump on the phone and call him just because he kept lighting up your phone at an ungodly hour.
Aurora: Mom, all I wanted to do was make him sweat for a few hours. Took a bit longer than I expected to notice I was gone, but mission accomplished, I’d say.
Lorena handed her daughter a plate filled with French toast and bacon, then gestured toward the dining room.
Lorena: Ay, mija... I don’t know what I’m going to do with you. For now, let’s eat some breakfast.
Aurora: Dad gonna join us?
Lorena: No... he’s off looking at a place to set up shop. So it’ll be just us....
Aurora: Fine by me...
She carried her breakfast over to the dining room table, followed shortly by her mother.
Aurora sat on the end of the bed in her parents’ spare bedroom, dressed in a pair of black denim jeans and a black Iron Maiden tank top. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a braided ponytail that draped over her right shoulder. She had one foot propped up on the bed, tying the laces of a pair of red Chuck Taylors. As she finished, she looked up and smiled.
Aurora: You know, sometimes, it takes a night away from home to step back and just... breathe. But if you think that means that Rebel Ink is going to be stumbling into this match with kinks in the armor; that we’re not as solid as it seems...
But that’s where you’d be wrong. I’m not so petty that I would let something so trivial as a marital disagreement get in the way of the business of being the Redemption Tag Team Champions, no matter how badly our opponents may want to think we’ll be too busy being at each other’s throats to function as a team. Yeah, I got mad at him and walked out, but what we do in the ring and what we do behind closed doors are two completely different things.
She hopped off of the bed, pacing back and forth at the foot of the bed with her hands behind her back. Her steps were slow, like a teacher pacing in front of her students’ desks.
Aurora: Meanwhile, it seems as though Rebel Ink’s request to actually defend our Tag Team Championships more often has finally been heard, because not only will Damon and I be defending against Radicalliance at Glory, but we’ll also be defending our titles at Ultimate Resolve.
Now, I know what you’re saying...
She cleared her throat, then pouted out her lower lip.
Aurora: “But Aurora, what if you lose the championships at Glory? Then you won’t be defending.”
There was a shift in her voice at the last sentence, as if she was speaking as the average reporter, spouting the obvious inane question. She cleared her throat again, resuming in her normal voice.
Aurora: Yeah, yeah... that’s a REMOTE possibility. But then again, so is getting hit by lightning. That’s not to say that Jew Blazer and Ronnie North aren’t talented wrestlers....
Before Aurora could continue, she suddenly burst into laughter, doubling over as she clutched at her sides.
Aurora: Sorry... I just can’t finish that sentence with a straight face! No, seriously... I need a moment to regain my composure.
She paused, taking a few seconds to catch her breath. Once she did, she straightened herself up, taking a deep breath as a more serious expression took over her face.
Aurora: In all seriousness, I actually have a modicum of respect for Jew Blazer. Ronnie North, not so much. After all, why should I respect anyone that thinks every woman within the sound of his voice is just going to drop their panties the second they catch sight of him. No... just no. That, and as far as wrestling goes, well, it’s clear which member of the team has the talent and which one is nothing more than greasy, hairy, dead weight. And with JB in the middle of planning a wedding with his bride to be, Ronnie seems more like a third wheel these days. At least JB is mildly amusing. Ronnie North? Hell, for a while, I actually forgot he still had an active Redemption contract.
How is it that two people can have such outlandish gimmicks, but only one of them stands out as something people recognize, while the other is just... there? With Ronnie North, it’s like someone just took that Mason Moore jackass and shrunk him in the wash. Or is it the other way around, and Mason Moore is just an over-inflated, shaved Ronnie North? Either way, I could do without either one of them fouling up my timeline, not to mention the catering area at a Redemption show.
But I’m getting off topic here.
She shook her head.
Aurora: The fact of the matter is that while Radicalliance may have scored the odd win over us at a couple of road shows, when it comes to matches where everything is on the line, they’ve always failed to get the job done. It happened at Zero Hour, it happened when they were up against us for the number one contendership, and if I have anything to say about it, it’ll happen again this Sunday. So I hope that for your sake, you didn’t bother to leave extra room in your bags for the trip back home, because if you did, then that sad, empty space is just going to continue to look sad and empty. On the other hand, you can always fill it with some extra souvenirs. And this way, you won’t have to be charged extra for the added weight. Simply put, the titles will be arriving with Rebel Ink, and they will be leaving the arena the same way... and once and for all, the wrestling world will take notice that even when things are rocky, Rebel Ink is STILL one of the best tag teams in the business!
Oh, and Damon, if you’re watching this – and I know you are – I’ll see you at the arena. We’ll handle our business AFTER this match is over. Until then, think of this as a little wake up call, for the next time you get so wrapped up in yourself you take everything else around you for granted....
Aurora’s foot accidentally collided with the bag she had brought with her, which sat at the foot of the bed. Hearing a strange rustling sound, she picked it up to investigate, unzipping the side compartment. She looked inside, then immediately started to chuckle.
Aurora: Oh, this is fucking rich....
