Post by kris on Oct 21, 2011 23:25:56 GMT -5
This RP is meant to have occurred after Brandon Young's, just as an F.Y.I. Keep that in mind, please!
Alright then, alright then… I could keep your number for a rainy day.
That's where this ends-- no mistakes, no misbehaving.
I was doing so well… can we just be friends?
I feel a weakness coming on.
That's where this ends-- no mistakes, no misbehaving.
I was doing so well… can we just be friends?
I feel a weakness coming on.
'The Walk' by Imogen Heap blares from the speakers of a familiar-looking little stereo…. the one that a certain Southern Belle brings out when the time comes for her to work out. At the moment, this means pushing back the chair and table in the hotel room she's taken up residence in for the week and dropping to the floor for some good old fashioned push-ups. It seems that this is an impromptu session of physical conditioning, seeing as how she's wearing jeans and a simple heather gray t-shirt rather than her usual exercise spandex-- and if the also unusual background music is any indicator? Natalie is working her body in an attempt to clear her mind, to empty it of a mental image that she never thought she'd be trying to chase off; that of a certain Young Gun's smile. She had ruined a good friendship, a mighty sound friendship, by merely mentioning the idea of it becoming something more in the past. Blond hair pulled up into a ponytail, the bruises and bumps from her most recent bout of sparring don't slow her down a lick as her arms piston the rest of her toned physique up and down. Her breath is measured, precise as the movements she performs... a shame, that her heart cannot say the same.
It's not meant to be like this, not what I planned at all…
I don't want to feel like this, so that makes it all your fault
I don't want to feel like this, so that makes it all your fault
Her pretty little mind is actually in some level of disarray, at the moment, as she tries to make heads or tails of just why she hears his voice, sees his face and feels his skin in her dreams, that surprisingly-soft-and-warm… wait, what was she doing?! Stopping at the peak of her most recent push-up, the Southern Belle shakes her head before she begins to lower herself down-- and in the back of her mind? He's laying there waiting with open arms, his skin still gleaming from the shower beneath that white button-down shirt with that cocky little half-smirk that she can't help but want to-- and a frustrated groan leaves her lips as she flops, without much ado or dignity, to the floor. One of her hands rolls up into a fist before she lightly pounds the carpet beneath her as she tries to figure out just what's happening. The last time that she felt this way, she… she…
I lost my best friend.
Christian had drifted away from her after that ill-fated kiss in the parking lot of Big Mama's Barbecue, spending more and more time working until… well, until his career was brought to an abrupt end by a man that the Southern Belle had never been given the chance to get her hands on, no matter how much she begged and pleaded management. It wasn't safe for her, they said, no matter how long and hard that she had trained... because she was a girl.
The blond's eyes narrow as she returns to those push-ups with a vengeance.
Big trouble, losing control, primary resistance at a critical low...
on the double, gotta get a hold-- point of no return one second to go...
No response on any level. Red alert-- this vessels under siege.
Total overload, systems down-- they've got control.
on the double, gotta get a hold-- point of no return one second to go...
No response on any level. Red alert-- this vessels under siege.
Total overload, systems down-- they've got control.
As Natalie's arms piston the rest of her up and down in a rapid-fire, smooth rhythm, that fog of frustration, of feeling helpless lifts… and that fear of being hurt again, of being in that exact situation goes right along with it to give her a moment of mental clarity. Would she be devastated if Brandon turns her down? Absolutely-- but at least now, she's strong enough to protect him if it comes down to brass tacks. The wall between her and the rest of the roster has been demolished through her blood, sweat, and tears… and anyone that dares to try to put it back up would find themselves on the receiving of one Hell of a beating, especially if they messed with the man that she is falling fo--
And I'll be strong, and I will sing,
and I will take your pain away.
Can you feel… can you feel?
and I will take your pain away.
Can you feel… can you feel?
ACK!
This time, the Southern Belle flops onto the floor in a rather undignified sprawl thanks to the sudden interjection of 'Sad Happy' blaring from her pocket, Cold easily drowning out Imogen's voice. Scrambling for the pause button on that CD player, Natalie pulls her iPhone out of her pocket and answers it.
Hello--
Heya! How's it goin?
The moment that Brandon's voice reaches her ears, Natalie's eyes go wide. Coming as close to cursing that… that jerk Murphy as she ever has, she forces a carefree smile onto her lips before she responds.
Oh, ah, h-hi, Mister Young. I, ahm--
The Young Gun chuckles slightly, interrupting her.
Hey hey heeeeeey! How much time have we spent together lately, missy? I told ya, none a' this "Mister Young" stuff. It's just Brandon, mmkay?
S-Sorry… Brandon. You know how it is-- old habits die hard, and whatnot.
Fair enough, eheh.
An awkward silence-- not the first, but the first that Natalie actually notices-- settles on the line between the two… friends? Yes, friends is an apt descriptor for now… much to her chagrin. After grasping about mentally for a moment, the Southern Belle finds a topic of conversation that is certainly neutral enough to keep things from becoming too awkward… or so she hopes.
So, ah... are you all ready to go for your match against Mister Bane?
I am, thanks to you... ah but, how bout you? You ready for the "Cobra" and his Platinum-wannabe self?
Natalie lets out a soft scoff of a laugh.
N-Now sugah, that's hardly a kind comparison--
But it's true! Mister "Look at me, I'm a main eventer! I beat all the competitors... except for all those ones I didn't, which include pretty much everyone from the last however long it's been."
Brandon!
The blond giggles, an infectious sound that makes Brandon laugh right along with her.
Aw c'mon, you know it's the truth!
Well… maybe, eheh.
Hah! She admits it! Er, well, almost... but still! Score one for me! I'll have you standin' beside me, tearin' down opponents left and right in no time!
He goes quiet for a moment, pondering what he just said. The mental image of her standing beside him one that brings up those feelings he still cant bring himself to admit to her... but he quickly recovers. The blond quirks a brow in the silence that she's left in, but she doesn't get the change to speak up before he resumes.
Actually nah, I wouldn't want that. You do what you do so pretty damn well already, wouldn't wanna mess that up, eheh.
Now now, sugah, we can't have you sewing yourself short… we both know you and I'd make one Heck of a team. I mean, we even did it before, remember?
Damn skippy we would, and we did! I just meant I wouldn't wanna change ya too much, eheh. But uh... anyways! You never answered my question.
The blond blinks.
…I didn't?
I asked how you were feelin' about your big match comin' up...?
Oh, yeah, eheh… I'm a little nervous, but the good kind, y'know?
Yeah, yeah I do...
Another awkward silence settles in between them as Natalie finds herself flopping onto her back in the middle of the bed, staring up at the ceiling.
But… yeah, I don't think that Mister Viper is going to get the easy win he's clearly expecting. Rather, I think the opposite is what he's going to find himself dealing with. I'm so close to being Lionheart Champion that I can taste it-- and I'm not going to lose momentum now, not when I need it the most.
Word. I kinda worry about his little buddies, though... y'know, all six of 'em. If you need any backup out there, I'm here for ya.
Aw, why thank you, sugah. It's good to know I've got, ahm... Ultimate Boss'd protection if I need it.
He snickers at the Ultimate Boss line.
Indeed. Gotta watch out for my... ah, friends, y'know?
Yeah, I know…
The scene fades to black as the conversation continues away from work and toward other things, from cabbages and kings to just how in the world either of them are ever going to be ready for the holidays.
-------------------------♥-------------------------
I try to be a good person, an understanding one… but to be perfectly honest, Mister Viper? Your antics are greatly trying my patience.
Considering the intimidation tactics and the profuse insults that her opponent has been flinging around wholesale ever since she stepped up to the plate and proved that she deserves a shot at the Lionheart Title? No one can really blame the Southern Belle's tone going positively frigid in its politeness as the scene opens. Just exactly where she is addressing the leader of the Seven Sins of Ireland from is not all that clear, honestly; there is a white wall behind Natalie and matching white marble tile beneath her black high heels, and that's about it. It's austere, simple… and it allows the blond to take prevalence. Dressed in a charcoal-colored pants suit that has been tailored to settle close to her body without being provocative with a brilliant sky blue, high-collared blouse beneath that thrice-buttoned jacket, the overall image that she presents is that of a professional-- which, at the end of the day? She's earned the right to be considered one, with as hard she has worked to be quite the success… and that, amidst a plethora of other things, is something that her opponent will never be able to take from her. Blond curls pulled up into a high ponytail which emphasizes the catlike contours of her face, Natalie's blue eyes are blazing with a combination of competitive spirit and the beginnings of… of anger, quite clearly taking exception to the comments her opponent made at her. Not bothering to nod in greeting, she continues to speak.
You're not giving yourself an edge by surrounding me with your… your lackeys, nor are you giving yourself the advantage by calling yourself a man while suggesting that I've only ever faced little boys. Rather, you're making it abundantly clear that you're in your worst nightmare; in the middle of a losing streak, unable to even stand on your own two feet when you've got twelve others, in total, trying to hold you up. It's painfully obvious to me that you're so very desperate to find some way, any way to cling to that hope of victory when you're… well, you're just plain outclassed. You see, Mister Viper, over the span of my career here in the Asylum-- and elsewhere, as well-- I've climbed into the ring with many talented competitors... and out of them all, I can't think of a single, blessed one that was less of a man than you are. The opposite is true, actually, especially in the case of one Mister Tenfold… you know, one of the competitors that you claim to have pushed to the limit after running him into the ground with your words only for him to be the one to walk out of the ring victorious, just like all of the others that you've faced recently. Thinking about it, you're rather fond of the word 'limit' when, to quote one Inigo Montoya… 'You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.'
A slight smile at the movie reference-- and the fifty bucks that she just won from a certain Young Gun for finding a way to reference The Princess Bride-- and the blond continues.
For someone to be pushed to their utter and absolute limit means that they, literally, cannot go any further… and to be blunt with you, Mister Viper? You've not reached that point with anything but the patience of anyone that is within earshot of you. Not only that, but pushing me to my limit isn't going to be of much help when we climb into the ring together for two simple reasons. For one, so long as my heart still beats, my limits do not exist. I flat-out refuse to quit, to give up on a dream that I've worked my fingers to the bone to even have the chance to pursue-- and not only that, but if I fail? Then that makes it all the harder for those that will come after me… and I cannot-- no, I will not allow that. If you doubt me, then you'll find that out firsthand come Sunday that I will not be broken. As for that other reason, well, it's all well and good that you like to at least try to push someone to their limit, but do you know what I do?
I push people past theirs, leaving them no choice but to be pinned to the mat for that all-important three count.
It's what I've done each and every time that I've climbed into the ring ever since I came here with but one exception-- and even then, my performance in the Rumble is what truly began my ascent toward credibility in this company… and that climb isn't anywhere near done yet. Beating Mister Tenfold cleanly-- something that I doubt you to be capable of doing, much less winning anything on your own merit!-- was a huge step in the right direction, but it won't be until I have gold around my waist that I will undeniably be a threat in the grand scheme of things around here. Until I reach that goal, Mister Viper, I'm not going to allow anyone to stand in my way. Not men that have worked their tail ends off just the same as I have, not fearsome monsters that seem to be invincible… and not forked-tongued cowards that try to hide their inadequacies behind curse words and henchmen.
Natalie actually glares, good and proper, at the camera's lens, letting those last words sink in through her opponent's scaly, reptilian skin. The blond crosses her arms across her chest before she continues to speak, her presence well and truly transforming her attire into that ever-so-vital power suit.
And that is exactly what you are-- a coward, terrified of being exposed as having no spine left after you so callously turned your back on the EUW as a whole. I wonder how much Mister Rivera offered you for that backbone of yours… mm, it doesn't really matter, considering how no matter what that price was? It wasn't enough to compensate you for everything that you've obviously lost. When you gave up your allegiance to the fans, you also gave up what actually drives you to be the fearsome competitor that you can now only claim to be-- and you also sacrificed any chance you had of overcoming me. So please, Mister Viper-- bring your worst, your venom, your coils, your Sins, and all the king's horses and all the king's men if that's what you need to bolster your confidence because at the end of the day? None of them are going to do you so much as a lick of good since what matters is strength of will… and you had best believe that mine is, and always will be, stronger than yours.
Everything fades to black as the Southern Belle remains steadfast, refusing to budge in the face of her opponent's all-consuming ego. At this point, it would take wild, wild horses to try to drag her away… but even then?
There's no guarantee that it'd actually work.