“Birth of a queen is the death of a cynic.”
Apr 6, 2021 5:14:09 GMT -5
CallMeRobert and Tyrant Warstein like this
Post by Kasey Winterborn on Apr 6, 2021 5:14:09 GMT -5
March 28
Athens, Greece
OACA Olympic Indoor Hall - site of Project Honor’s Wired Consequences
“The winner of this match through Submission… AND NEW ASCENSION CHAMPION...”
She didn’t even hear her name being announced. Between the absolute roar of the crowd in attendance, as well as the blood rushing in her ears as she was handed the championship by the referee, the whole world faded away. She stared down at the black and silver belt draped across her lap, chest heaving and sweat drying on her forehead and down the back of her neck. For one moment, time stood perfectly still. Just like the exhilarating rush she felt from cliff diving only a few days ago, her heart was pounding and the breath felt like it was rushed out of her lungs. With a gentleness that had been absent in the last thirty minutes, she brushed her hands along the title, almost afraid that it would dissolve into nothing if she applied any more pressure. But when she felt the cold texture of the engravings under her fingertips, she knew.
It wasn’t a dream.
Ten years of chasing.
Ten years of sacrifice.
Ten years of struggle.
Finally, finally.
This was real.
A gentle hand on her shoulder had the world rushing back, in full technicolour and surround sound. She looked up at the referee, who was giving her a little smile. “Let’s show that beauty off, shall we?” he said, gesturing to the middle of the ring. She nodded slightly, climbing to her legs (and praying to every deity in existence that they didn’t give out from under her) as the referee gently led her to the middle of the ring, taking her wrist lightly in his hand and raising her arm high above her head, while her other hand held the Ascension title aloft.
She gazed around at the sea of faces around the arena, every one of them on their feet and cheering wildly. It was a blur of colour and noise, but it vibrated in her chest and made her heart pump that much harder (which was a feat, given what she had just endured moments ago). She wasn’t sure if the wetness running down her cheeks was sweat or tears, but either way she let it freefall as a smile broke out across her face that was so wide, she knew her cheeks were going to be sore, along with the rest of her body.
Worth it. Totally worth it.
------------------
March 31
Somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean
“So, has it finally sunk in yet?”
Sliding one earbud out of her ear, Kasey turned to her left, where Nolan was sitting beside her and giving her a boyish grin. The pair were flying back to Tampa for a little bit before she was due in Tunisia for the next edition of Fallout. She shot an equally sunny grin back at him, shaking her head slightly. “I don’t think it ever will, honestly. That whole night just felt so surreal.”
“Well, I’m sure the bumps and bruises felt real enough afterwards,” he chuckled.
Kasey laughed along with him. “That they did.” She looked down at her hands, nervously twisted together in her lap. “And now comes the real test. Sure, I went out and I beat four others for this title...but now I have to keep it.”
A large hand reached over to engulf both of Kasey’s, and she looked up into Nolan’s kind brown eyes as he gave her a soft smile. “Hey, we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. Let’s just get back home, decompress for a few days, and take the time to celebrate your incredible achievement. You’ve earned this.”
She smiled at him again, nodding her head. “Yeah, that sounds good. I’m sure that Darrell’s got some kind of wild party lined up, if his endless all-caps texts are anything to go by.”
Nolan laughed heartily, throwing his head back on the seat. “Well, so much for decompressing.”
A beep sounded from Kasey’s phone, and she picked it up to see a notification from Twitter. She looked at it curiously, swiping on her phone to open up the app. When she saw what had been posted, her cheeks turned faintly red and a little giggle escaped her mouth.
Nolan quirked an eyebrow towards her, curiosity written across his face. “What’s all that about?”
“Just...one of my coworkers,” she said, flipping her phone around to show him the tweet in question.
He shook his head in amusement. “Well, well, well, aren’t you the popular one around Project Honor? First Petey, then Jason Long, now a massive upgrade to the Tyrant himself? Starting to feel like I’m not worthy enough to be in your presence, Miss Thing.”
She gave a roll of her eyes and playfully shoved his shoulder. “Oh, grow up.”
-----------------
April 5
Palais Bayram Hotel
Tunis, Tunisia
Standing in her lavishly decorated suite at the Palais Bayram hotel in Tunisia’s capital city, it was easy for Kasey to lose herself in the fantasy that she was some sort of ancient princess. The room was one of the hotel’s restored historical suites, it looked much like it had back in the 18th century when the building was first constructed, right down to the furniture in the room. Wearing a long, flowing white sundress with her crimson hair loose around her shoulders, Kasey twirled around in the centre of the room, her Ascension title gleaming proudly on her shoulder. She practically floated out onto the patio, leaning against the wrought-iron balustrade that surrounded her room and gazed out into the immaculately landscaped courtyard with her chin cradled in the palm of her hand. A happy little sigh fell from her lips as her dreamy gaze lifted up to the twilight sky above her, the stars beginning to dot the steadily darkening sky.
“I know that this is probably one of the most overused clichés in the book at this point, but my life really has felt like some kind of dream this past week. Hell, this whole past month. I’ve traveled all across Europe, seen the most breathtaking sights the world has to offer, got to do what I love in front of thousands of screaming fans night after night, and then - just to put a cherry on top of this totally decadent cake - I finally won my first title.” A little giggle bubbled up from her throat as she turned her gaze down to her shoulder, staring at the title with quiet reverence, almost as if she still couldn’t believe it was in her possession. But then, her face fell into a more serious and determined look as she turned her big brown eyes to the camera.
“Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not so naïve to think that it’s all rainbows and lemonade from here on out. Do you know how many people think that this title is ‘beneath’ me? ‘Oh Kasey, you had a shot at the Grand Championship once, and now look how far you’ve fallen’. So many people see Fallout as the inferior brand, to which I say...that’s just, like, your opinion, man. I’m not interested in any brand supremacy war. At the end of the day, we’re all part of the same company. All I’m doing is playing the hand I was dealt. Making the best of my situation. So, if I’m going to be on an ‘inferior’ brand...well, I might as well be a champion while I’m here.”
A little smirk turned up the side of her mouth, as she turned around and leaned up against the railing, one hand with a firm grip on her title. “And believe me when I say that I’m going to make this a championship that people take notice of. I may not be the first person that people think of when they think of a hardcore brand like Fallout, but I’ve always been about subverting everyone’s expectations. I’m more than ready to prove that I belong here. Not only that...but that I deserve this.” She tapped the title with a purple-polished fingernail. “And it starts this week on Fallout, when I defend this beauty against two former champions in their own right. Daniel Horror and Eli Atlas.”
She pushed herself off of the railing, slowly pacing barefoot across the tiled patio floor. “Now Daniel, I hope that I’ve proved to you that I’m more than just ‘a little girl’. I stepped into that ring at Wired Consequences and I stepped up to the challenge. I stared each one of you four men straight in the eye and I didn’t waver for one single second. I took everything you all could dish out and I served it straight back, with a side of fries. And I’m ready to do it all again this Thursday night, and every other night after that. Because I plan on keeping this baby for a long, long time.” She patted the title lovingly, running her hand over the engraved nameplate across the front of it. “And if I have to keep proving myself over and over and over again...then I’m more than happy to do it.”
“And of course, there’s my very worthy predecessor, Eli Atlas, getting a second chance at glory. I told you going into Wired Consequences that I had all the respect in the world for you, and that still holds true. You, along with everyone else, made me earn this title. You took me to my limit, you battered and bruised me. You showed me that you were ready to do whatever it took to keep your title. The problem was, it just wasn’t quite enough that night. I’ve been chasing titles for ten years now. Every time I come close, it all gets snatched away. So I was fighting not only four physical opponents, but I was fighting all the disappointment, all the heartbreak that I suffered over the last ten years. And I was finally able to overcome it all, and call myself a champion.”
“Now, I know that you’re going to be absolutely relentless coming for this title, and that’s good. I want you to be. I want you to bring all that fire, all that thunder. I want this to be epic. Because a champion’s only as good as her opponents, and I want to know that I defended against the very best. I know that the two of you are going to give me one hell of a first defense, and I am completely ready for it.”
She turned to a small table set up off to the side of the patio, where a few bottles of beer were set up. She lifted one up and inspected it for a moment or two. “And who knows? Maybe afterwards the three of us could go for a round at the local bar, in honour of International Beer Day. And the drinks will be on me, cause no one can ever say that Kasey Winterborn isn’t a woman of the people.” She gave a cheeky wink as she raised the bottle up in a toast. “Cheers, boys. Let’s have some fun this week.”
Raising the bottle to her lips, she downed its contents in an impressively short amount of time, before bringing the bottle down sharply against the edge of the table and shattering it. She held up the neck that she had been holding, brandishing the jagged edge like a dagger before smirking and carefully walking back into her hotel room twirling her weapon, as the camera slowly zoomed in on the glittering glass shards strewn across the table before slowly fading out to black.
Athens, Greece
OACA Olympic Indoor Hall - site of Project Honor’s Wired Consequences
“The winner of this match through Submission… AND NEW ASCENSION CHAMPION...”
She didn’t even hear her name being announced. Between the absolute roar of the crowd in attendance, as well as the blood rushing in her ears as she was handed the championship by the referee, the whole world faded away. She stared down at the black and silver belt draped across her lap, chest heaving and sweat drying on her forehead and down the back of her neck. For one moment, time stood perfectly still. Just like the exhilarating rush she felt from cliff diving only a few days ago, her heart was pounding and the breath felt like it was rushed out of her lungs. With a gentleness that had been absent in the last thirty minutes, she brushed her hands along the title, almost afraid that it would dissolve into nothing if she applied any more pressure. But when she felt the cold texture of the engravings under her fingertips, she knew.
It wasn’t a dream.
Ten years of chasing.
Ten years of sacrifice.
Ten years of struggle.
Finally, finally.
This was real.
A gentle hand on her shoulder had the world rushing back, in full technicolour and surround sound. She looked up at the referee, who was giving her a little smile. “Let’s show that beauty off, shall we?” he said, gesturing to the middle of the ring. She nodded slightly, climbing to her legs (and praying to every deity in existence that they didn’t give out from under her) as the referee gently led her to the middle of the ring, taking her wrist lightly in his hand and raising her arm high above her head, while her other hand held the Ascension title aloft.
She gazed around at the sea of faces around the arena, every one of them on their feet and cheering wildly. It was a blur of colour and noise, but it vibrated in her chest and made her heart pump that much harder (which was a feat, given what she had just endured moments ago). She wasn’t sure if the wetness running down her cheeks was sweat or tears, but either way she let it freefall as a smile broke out across her face that was so wide, she knew her cheeks were going to be sore, along with the rest of her body.
Worth it. Totally worth it.
------------------
March 31
Somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean
“So, has it finally sunk in yet?”
Sliding one earbud out of her ear, Kasey turned to her left, where Nolan was sitting beside her and giving her a boyish grin. The pair were flying back to Tampa for a little bit before she was due in Tunisia for the next edition of Fallout. She shot an equally sunny grin back at him, shaking her head slightly. “I don’t think it ever will, honestly. That whole night just felt so surreal.”
“Well, I’m sure the bumps and bruises felt real enough afterwards,” he chuckled.
Kasey laughed along with him. “That they did.” She looked down at her hands, nervously twisted together in her lap. “And now comes the real test. Sure, I went out and I beat four others for this title...but now I have to keep it.”
A large hand reached over to engulf both of Kasey’s, and she looked up into Nolan’s kind brown eyes as he gave her a soft smile. “Hey, we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. Let’s just get back home, decompress for a few days, and take the time to celebrate your incredible achievement. You’ve earned this.”
She smiled at him again, nodding her head. “Yeah, that sounds good. I’m sure that Darrell’s got some kind of wild party lined up, if his endless all-caps texts are anything to go by.”
Nolan laughed heartily, throwing his head back on the seat. “Well, so much for decompressing.”
A beep sounded from Kasey’s phone, and she picked it up to see a notification from Twitter. She looked at it curiously, swiping on her phone to open up the app. When she saw what had been posted, her cheeks turned faintly red and a little giggle escaped her mouth.
Nolan quirked an eyebrow towards her, curiosity written across his face. “What’s all that about?”
“Just...one of my coworkers,” she said, flipping her phone around to show him the tweet in question.
He shook his head in amusement. “Well, well, well, aren’t you the popular one around Project Honor? First Petey, then Jason Long, now a massive upgrade to the Tyrant himself? Starting to feel like I’m not worthy enough to be in your presence, Miss Thing.”
She gave a roll of her eyes and playfully shoved his shoulder. “Oh, grow up.”
-----------------
April 5
Palais Bayram Hotel
Tunis, Tunisia
Standing in her lavishly decorated suite at the Palais Bayram hotel in Tunisia’s capital city, it was easy for Kasey to lose herself in the fantasy that she was some sort of ancient princess. The room was one of the hotel’s restored historical suites, it looked much like it had back in the 18th century when the building was first constructed, right down to the furniture in the room. Wearing a long, flowing white sundress with her crimson hair loose around her shoulders, Kasey twirled around in the centre of the room, her Ascension title gleaming proudly on her shoulder. She practically floated out onto the patio, leaning against the wrought-iron balustrade that surrounded her room and gazed out into the immaculately landscaped courtyard with her chin cradled in the palm of her hand. A happy little sigh fell from her lips as her dreamy gaze lifted up to the twilight sky above her, the stars beginning to dot the steadily darkening sky.
“I know that this is probably one of the most overused clichés in the book at this point, but my life really has felt like some kind of dream this past week. Hell, this whole past month. I’ve traveled all across Europe, seen the most breathtaking sights the world has to offer, got to do what I love in front of thousands of screaming fans night after night, and then - just to put a cherry on top of this totally decadent cake - I finally won my first title.” A little giggle bubbled up from her throat as she turned her gaze down to her shoulder, staring at the title with quiet reverence, almost as if she still couldn’t believe it was in her possession. But then, her face fell into a more serious and determined look as she turned her big brown eyes to the camera.
“Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not so naïve to think that it’s all rainbows and lemonade from here on out. Do you know how many people think that this title is ‘beneath’ me? ‘Oh Kasey, you had a shot at the Grand Championship once, and now look how far you’ve fallen’. So many people see Fallout as the inferior brand, to which I say...that’s just, like, your opinion, man. I’m not interested in any brand supremacy war. At the end of the day, we’re all part of the same company. All I’m doing is playing the hand I was dealt. Making the best of my situation. So, if I’m going to be on an ‘inferior’ brand...well, I might as well be a champion while I’m here.”
A little smirk turned up the side of her mouth, as she turned around and leaned up against the railing, one hand with a firm grip on her title. “And believe me when I say that I’m going to make this a championship that people take notice of. I may not be the first person that people think of when they think of a hardcore brand like Fallout, but I’ve always been about subverting everyone’s expectations. I’m more than ready to prove that I belong here. Not only that...but that I deserve this.” She tapped the title with a purple-polished fingernail. “And it starts this week on Fallout, when I defend this beauty against two former champions in their own right. Daniel Horror and Eli Atlas.”
She pushed herself off of the railing, slowly pacing barefoot across the tiled patio floor. “Now Daniel, I hope that I’ve proved to you that I’m more than just ‘a little girl’. I stepped into that ring at Wired Consequences and I stepped up to the challenge. I stared each one of you four men straight in the eye and I didn’t waver for one single second. I took everything you all could dish out and I served it straight back, with a side of fries. And I’m ready to do it all again this Thursday night, and every other night after that. Because I plan on keeping this baby for a long, long time.” She patted the title lovingly, running her hand over the engraved nameplate across the front of it. “And if I have to keep proving myself over and over and over again...then I’m more than happy to do it.”
“And of course, there’s my very worthy predecessor, Eli Atlas, getting a second chance at glory. I told you going into Wired Consequences that I had all the respect in the world for you, and that still holds true. You, along with everyone else, made me earn this title. You took me to my limit, you battered and bruised me. You showed me that you were ready to do whatever it took to keep your title. The problem was, it just wasn’t quite enough that night. I’ve been chasing titles for ten years now. Every time I come close, it all gets snatched away. So I was fighting not only four physical opponents, but I was fighting all the disappointment, all the heartbreak that I suffered over the last ten years. And I was finally able to overcome it all, and call myself a champion.”
“Now, I know that you’re going to be absolutely relentless coming for this title, and that’s good. I want you to be. I want you to bring all that fire, all that thunder. I want this to be epic. Because a champion’s only as good as her opponents, and I want to know that I defended against the very best. I know that the two of you are going to give me one hell of a first defense, and I am completely ready for it.”
She turned to a small table set up off to the side of the patio, where a few bottles of beer were set up. She lifted one up and inspected it for a moment or two. “And who knows? Maybe afterwards the three of us could go for a round at the local bar, in honour of International Beer Day. And the drinks will be on me, cause no one can ever say that Kasey Winterborn isn’t a woman of the people.” She gave a cheeky wink as she raised the bottle up in a toast. “Cheers, boys. Let’s have some fun this week.”
Raising the bottle to her lips, she downed its contents in an impressively short amount of time, before bringing the bottle down sharply against the edge of the table and shattering it. She held up the neck that she had been holding, brandishing the jagged edge like a dagger before smirking and carefully walking back into her hotel room twirling her weapon, as the camera slowly zoomed in on the glittering glass shards strewn across the table before slowly fading out to black.
