Post by Aurora Graves on Feb 26, 2017 13:56:08 GMT -5
Kyoya Ryokan
Nagoya, Japan
Thursday, February 23, 2017
Damon and Aurora Graves stood in the living room of a well-appointed hotel suite, a large assortment of luggage arranged carefully against the wall. With them was the young man who served as the shop boy at Rebel Ink Tattoo, Vincent Aranson, who looked around, puzzled at the suite’s layout.
Vincent: So... where are all the beds?
Aurora pointed off to the side, along the back wall of the living room.
Aurora: I think the bedroom is this way....
The three followed a narrow hallway into a room where four Japanese style futons lay out on the floor. Vincent scanned the room, then turned to Aurora and Damon, trying hard not to blush as he shook his head.
Vincent: Well, this is awkward... and I can’t help but notice that there’s no door. No offense, you guys, but if it’s all the same to you, you two can have this room. I’ll sleep on the sofa in the living room.
Aurora: Fair enough.
Aurora shrugged.
Damon: I guess I can’t really blame you. I mean... the last thing you’d want to do is share a room with a couple of newlyweds.
Vincent: Uh... you can say that again!
The trio shared a laugh, until Vincent suddenly got a curious look in his eyes.
Vincent: Say... what’s the legal drinking age out here, again?
Damon: 20...
Vincent’s shoulders slumped in mild disappointment.
Aurora:Technically, it’s 20. But I have it on good authority that they never really card anyone. Why... did you want to check out one of the bars?
Vincent: Well... yeah. Even though my Mom would probably throw a shit fit if I did.
A mischievous smile crossed the face of Aurora, who placed a hand on Vincent’s shoulder.
Aurora: I’ll bet you anything that one of the first things she did when she turned 18 was grab a bunch of friends, headed down to Mexico, and got completely shit-faced.
Vincent: How’d you know?
Damon: Because pretty much everyone I knew in high school did the same thing.
Vincent: What about you guys? Did you do that, too?
Aurora and Damon both shook their heads.
Damon: Nope. Considering that what happened to my own mother was still a bit of a sore spot, I opted to be the designated driver.
Vincent: What about you, Aurora?
Aurora: I didn’t either. No... instead, I did something infinitely more stupid and regrettable. I ran off and got married to a guy that was too indifferent to bother saying no.
Vincent: You mean you weren’t with Damon? Wow... and here I thought you two had been together for years.
Damon: Nope... just seems like that because... well...
Aurora: Sometimes, you meet someone, and all the pieces fit together. Doesn’t always happen...
Damon: Nor does it always happen right away. But sometimes, you just know.
Vincent: Huh... hope I get that lucky some day.
A pensive look washed over the young man’s face as he scratched the dark brown Brillo-pad-like tuft of facial hair growing on his chin.
Aurora: Yeah, well, you’re young. You’ve got plenty of time to worry about that sort of thing. Right now, you need to focus on figuring out just where YOU want to go in life. THEN, you can worry about finding someone that wants to take that journey with you.
Damon: Now... about that bar...
Damon pulled out his cell phone, tapping on the map app. After a few seconds of swiping and zooming, his eyebrow arched. He looked up from his phone, smiling at his travel companions.
Damon: Well I’ll be damned!
Aurora: Too late; you already married me.
As Aurora and Vincent laughed, Damon rolled his eyes, but not without fighting off a smirk.
Damon: Ha-ha... very funny. But as I was saying, there’s a place not that far from here; it’s a British pub. Wanna go check it out?
Vincent: They got food?
Damon: Yeah.
Vincent: Good, because I’m hungry as hell!
Aurora: It figures...
Damon bared his teeth, a disappointed sigh hissing through them as he lowered his phone.
Damon: Unfortunately, we’re gonna have to do something else about breakfast. That place doesn’t open until 11:30.
Damon turned away from the others, continuing the search for breakfast through his phone.
Vincent: Well, I guess I know where we’re going for lunch, then.
Aurora tilted her head in Vincent’s direction, crossing her arms as she flashed a half smile.
Aurora: Presumptuous little fucker, aren’t you?
Vincent: But I thought...
She playfully smacked Vincent on the shoulder, letting out a laugh as Vincent gave her an odd look.
Aurora: Relax, Vin! I’m just messing with you!
Vincent: Right... like I don’t get enough of that from my little brother.
It was Vincent’s turn to cross his arms, rolling his eyes and grumbling under his breath.
Aurora: Speaking as the youngest of three, it’s a younger sibling’s job to bust their big brother’s balls.
Damon rejoined the group, a defeated look on his face as he shoved his phone back into his pocket.
Damon: Fuck it... let’s just go to McDonalds. At least we know most of what’s on the menu there....
Aurora: Works for me.
Vincent: Ditto.
Damon: Then it’s settled. Grab your room keys, folks... we’re heading out.
Aurora: Can you at least give me a minute to freshen up? I don’t want to go out looking like I just survived a zombie apocalypse...
Before Damon could say a word, Aurora turned around and headed for the bathroom. As soon as she left the room, Damon casually elbowed Vincent in the side, a hushed tone in his voice as he spoke.
Damon: Looks like we may not be leaving until that pub opens up, after all...
Aurora’s Voice: I heard that!
Damon: Damn it!
As Vincent snickered into his hand, Damon leaned against the wall, staring at his watch as he counted the seconds.
Damon: One... two... three... four...
Grand Kiosk Nagoya Station
Nagoya, Japan
Standing with her back to the camera and a handbasket slung over her arm, Aurora Graves gazed at a collection of Japanese fans in various colors and designs. Awestruck at both their beauty and the variety of materials, her eyes remained so fixated on the display that she didn’t even notice the camera crew until one of the directors cleared his throat.
Director: *ahem* Mrs. Graves...
Aurora: Huh?
She turned around, looking mildly embarrassed as she caught sight of the Redemption camera crew.
Director: Uh... you asked us to meet you here, but you were so engrossed in the merchandise...
Aurora: Oh; my bad.
She cleared her throat, steeled herself, and looked into the camera with a confident smile.
Aurora: You know, I’ve always had a fondness for Japanese fans. In fact, I may just add some of these to my collection back at home.
Speaking of collections, I had hoped to be standing in front of this camera with another championship belt draped over my shoulder, but well, shit happens. Nothing I can do about it except dust myself off and move on to the next stop on this crazy road trip we call life. And you know what? That’s fine. I’m not above working my way back up to the top and earning another shot. And whether it’s in Redemption, or in FSociety, whether it’s as a tag team or on my own, I’m letting everyone know right now...
Her eyes narrowed as she glared into the camera with fiery determination in her eyes, a faint growl in her voice as she bared her teeth.
Aurora: You WILL see championship gold around my waist again! And if I have anything to say about it, that will happen sooner rather than later.
But before I can get there, I need to deal with that next stop, and this particular leg of the journey brings me to Nagoya, and the final episode of Glory before Ultimate Resolve. My opponent? None other than the winner of the Global Cup, Yujiro Fujiwara.
Her expression softened, but only a little. Gone was the snarl, replaced with a more stoic expression as she stood with her arms crossed.
Aurora: First off, Yujiro, you don’t really need to introduce yourself, because I know damn well who you are... you’re the guy that knocked that pompous jackass, Jeremy Starling off of his pedestal and onto his ass in the Global Cup finals. Congrats on that achievement, by the way. I only wish you’d knocked a little more sense into that boy, because he clearly hasn’t learned a damn thing from that loss.
A sly smile spread across her lips as she turned back toward the fans. The ones available for sale hung in clear, plastic-covered boxes on the bottom row of a pegboard. She reached down, picking up a black fan, the image printed on the packaging depicting a green dragon. She turned the package over in her hands, silently making a note of the price with a nod of her head as she placed it into the basket, along with several other souvenirs.
Aurora: But of course, that’s neither here, nor there, because now, I have a chance to regain some lost momentum. You’ve been on a roll, lately, and while I’m not going to take a complete shit on what you’ve accomplished, you should know by now that I’m not the type of girl to make it easy for ANYONE to get a win over me.
For once, nothing’s on the line – no titles, no number one contendership. No, you’ve already earned your shot at the Redemption Champion. But at the same time, I’ll be damned if I’m going to be heading into Ultimate Resolve with another loss on my record. Besides, perhaps a win over you would push me that much closer to a title shot of my own....
She slowly made her way toward the cash register, pausing briefly at a display featuring various miniature samurai helmets. She marveled at the detail for a moment, then continued walking.
Aurora: But I’m not stupid. Like you, I know I’ve got my work cut out for me. But I’ve always been the type to give it everything I have, no matter what obstacle is put in front of me. I never take anyone lightly, because in the blink of an eye, the course of ANY match could change. Every time I step through those ropes, I do so with one thing in mind – whoever is standing across from me is standing between me and victory. So I hope you come into this match looking to have the fight of your life, because I can guarantee you that that’s what you’ll be getting from me. The rest? Well, we’ll just see what happens once the smoke clears.
You simply need to understand that I’m certainly not planning on losing.
Aurora reached the cashier, carefully placing her purchase on the counter. As the cashier rang up her selection of keychains, magnets, the fan, and a commemorative spoon with an image of Nagoya Castle on the handle, Aurora rested an arm against the counter, her sapphire eyes piercing the camera lens.
Aurora: By the way, Radicalliance? I know you’re going to see this, so I want you two to listen up. Do NOT get too comfortable with the Redemption Tag Team Championships. Rebel Ink WILL be coming after you to take back what is OURS!
After Aurora paid for the souvenirs, the cashier placed Aurora’s items into a bag before handing it to Aurora. With a smile, the cashier bowed, with Aurora bowing in response as she headed toward the exit.
Aurora: One last thing, Fujiwara-san... if you’re going to insist on formalities, then I’d appreciate it if you addressed me by the proper title. It’s MRS. Graves. That won’t really matter once Glory rolls around, because the only thing I want to be called after this is over is the winner of this match.
See you at Glory.
Aurora gave a final smirk into the camera before walking into the main corridor, with the camera following her until she disappeared into the crowd.
