"If You Wanna Play Boy, Get In The Game."
May 4, 2021 5:37:33 GMT -5
CallMeRobert and Tyrant Warstein like this
Post by Kasey Winterborn on May 4, 2021 5:37:33 GMT -5
April 30
Tampa, Florida
“I still can’t believe you’re going back this week.” With an incredulous shake of his head, Nolan Rowe stared at Kasey Winterborn, arms folded across his chest with a slight frown etched onto his face. “After all the shit you’ve been through in the past month…”
“It’s not like I have a choice, Nolan,” Kasey huffed, stuffing the last of her gear into a duffel bag and zipping it closed. “I’m the Ascension Champion. This title is defended at every single show. Just because some whack job is trying to live out his creepy Misery-esque wet dream doesn’t mean I’m going to stop living my life and doing what I love.”
“Damn straight!”
The voice from the doorway of Kasey’s bedroom drew both of their attention, and there they saw Kasey’s roommate Darrell Devine wheeling a suitcase behind him. “You can’t hide your fabulous self away like Rapunzel just because the creepy-crawlies wanna climb up your luxurious mane. You gotta get out there and show them that you ain’t the bitch they wanna try. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever! Now, when’s our flight?”
Both Kasey and Nolan blinked speechlessly for a moment, before Kasey was the first to find her voice. “Sorry, what? Our flight?”
“That’s what I said, isn’t it? I know you are more than capable of handling yourself out there, but it never hurts to have a little backup waiting in the wings just in case things go tits-up.”
“Look Darrell, I appreciate it, but everything is handled. Christian’s on the case -”
Darrell pursed his lips and sucked his teeth, looking thoroughly unimpressed. “Oh, is he now? You mean, the general manager that just so generously gave himself a title match this week?”
Kasey twisted a lock of her hair around a finger while chewing on her bottom lip. “It’s really not that deep. He’s just trying to lure out this psychopath.”
“Uh-huh. And I’m the freakin’ Pope. All I know is something is rotten in the state of Fallout and I’ll be damned if I sit here another week and watch helplessly. So, like I said, when’s our flight?” Darrell gave Nolan a pointed look. “And don’t you even say anything to me, skinny jeans. I know for a fact that you’ve got your own flight booked after hers leaves.”
Kasey whirled around to face Nolan, her eyes wide. “You did what?”
Nolan sputtered and stammered, his face flushing red. “Well...I mean, yeah...but I just…” His eyes flashed up to Darrell, and he narrowed them in a glare. “Snitch!”
Darrell just gave a smug smirk while Kasey let out a long sigh, running a hand through her hair. “I guess there’s no point in trying to convince either of you to just let me go by myself, is there?”
“You got about a straight man’s chance in a lesbian bar, girl.” Darrell looped an arm through Kasey’s and began pulling her towards the door. “Now, let’s take to the skies! The Brazilian beaches are practically screaming my name!”
Kasey glanced back over her shoulder as she was pulled from the room, silently mouthing ‘help me!’ to Nolan, who only replied with a smile and a wiggle of his fingers while he mouthed back ‘see you in a few days’. She gave him one last glare before she disappeared around the corner.
----------------
May 3
Undisclosed Location
Somewhere in Brazil
In any other circumstance, Kasey Winterborn would have chosen a picturesque locale for the backdrop to her promotional piece, as was her usual modus operandi. She was a visual creature, and liked to have her background to be of some significance to the words she would speak.
This time, however, she wanted the attention to be entirely on the words she spoke. Hence, why this particular scene opened up in a fairly nondescript room, dark grey brick walls the only backdrop to be seen. No windows, no décor. The floor was simple poured concrete, rough and uneven underfoot. A soft white light illuminated the room from off camera, but it didn’t quite reach the back of the room which was cloaked in darkness. But suddenly, out of that darkness there came a flash of bright red lighting…
An illuminated purge mask, not unlike the one seen on Kasey’s recent stalker. It almost seemed to be hovering in midair as it drew closer and closer to the camera lens, until it was revealed that it was being held up in the hands of the current Fallout Ascension Champion herself. Dressed head to toe in black, with her bright crimson hair tucked underneath the hood of her oversized sweater, Kasey stopped a few feet away from the camera, the mask dangling from her fingertips as she studied it with a curious look.
“Been a while since we’ve seen one of these around. Interesting that this is the visage my stalker has taken...considering the man that has taken it as a sort of symbol for the Fallout brand is the one that’s oh so invested in discovering your identity.” Kasey smirked a bit deviously as her dark eyes flicked up towards the camera lens. “Either you have some twisted sense of humour...or this rabbit hole goes a little deeper than we thought.”
“Now, I don’t want people to think I’m straight up accusing Christian DeMarco of having some level of involvement with this whole...debacle. I have nothing to go on besides this, after all.” She swung the mask from one hand to the other, the lights leaving trails in the dimly lit room. “And that’s a pretty flimsy connection. After all, this isn’t exactly something unique or groundbreaking. Anyone with a credit card and an Internet connection can pick one of these up on the cheap. Hell, that’s how I got this one here. But then again...out of all the disguises in the world you could have chosen, this was the one you picked. You picked it for a reason. You’re trying to send a message. The only question that remains is...what is it?”
She let out a short laugh, one that reverberated through the empty space which made it sound somewhat sinister in tone. “You think all these little mind games, all these gifts and messages and whatnot are doing...what, exactly? You think they’re endearing yourself to me? That I’m somehow grateful to you for your completely unnecessary interference in my match at the last Fallout?” Her smile faded away to an almost feral snarl, her usual cheery and upbeat demeanor gone in a flash and replaced with something darker. “All you’ve done is piss me off.”
The mask dropped from her fingers with a clatter to the concrete floor, and in a swift motion the left foot of Kasey rose up from the floor and immediately came down onto the mask, crushing it underneath the sole of her heavy Doc Marten boot. Shards of plastic splintered and skittered across the floor as she ground her foot into it, never taking her eyes off the camera. “Now, I don’t want you to misconstrue the message that I’m trying to send, so let me spell it out for you in plain and simple terms. If you so much as think about interfering in my business again, I’ll do the same thing to your mask...only your head will be in it. Got it?”
The fierce expression faded away from her face, though there was still a hard edge to it as she unclenched her fists and brought her hands up in front of her face, pressing her palms together and resting the tips of her fingers against her mouth. “Now, you’ve gotten me away from the real reason for this promotional…my upcoming title defense against none other than my boss, the general manager of Fallout. A man who seems to have a vested interest in ferreting out my stalker. Now Christian, like I said before, I am in no way accusing you of anything shady, by any means. But you have to look at this from the outside. It does look a little hinky, right? I mean, the general manager stepping up to investigate a stalker on his brand, and the only way they can draw him out of the shadows is by granting you a title shot?” A slender eyebrow raised above Kasey’s eye, giving her a quizzical expression. “It’s a little bit shady, you gotta admit. But I would hate to think that you would set all this up, play the long con, just to get into my head and give you what you hope is some kind of easy title win. I would like to think that you have a bit more integrity than that. I mean, if you wanted a title match against me, you only have to ask. I’m more than happy to defend this baby anytime, anywhere against anyone. I’ve already broken the record for most successful defenses of this belt, and I’m gonna keep racking them up no matter who gets placed in front of me for whatever reason. Be they former champions, current champions, newcomers, old-timers...or, in this case, the general manager himself. The only thing I ask of you this week is that you bring the fight. As much as I appreciate Arik for trying to help out, I’m not looking for a farce of a match. I won this belt in a grueling TLC match. I successfully defended it in piles of broken glass. I have literally spilled blood, sweat and tears for this championship belt, and I won’t hesitate to do it over and over again to keep it in my possession. So bring me everything you’ve got, DeMarco...because I’m holding nothing back this time.”
With a final heated stare down the camera lens, Kasey turned on her booted heel and stalked back off into the darkness, as the camera tilted down towards the floor to end on a shot of the shattered purge mask as the LED lights flickered and finally died out to leave the scene in darkness.
Tampa, Florida
“I still can’t believe you’re going back this week.” With an incredulous shake of his head, Nolan Rowe stared at Kasey Winterborn, arms folded across his chest with a slight frown etched onto his face. “After all the shit you’ve been through in the past month…”
“It’s not like I have a choice, Nolan,” Kasey huffed, stuffing the last of her gear into a duffel bag and zipping it closed. “I’m the Ascension Champion. This title is defended at every single show. Just because some whack job is trying to live out his creepy Misery-esque wet dream doesn’t mean I’m going to stop living my life and doing what I love.”
“Damn straight!”
The voice from the doorway of Kasey’s bedroom drew both of their attention, and there they saw Kasey’s roommate Darrell Devine wheeling a suitcase behind him. “You can’t hide your fabulous self away like Rapunzel just because the creepy-crawlies wanna climb up your luxurious mane. You gotta get out there and show them that you ain’t the bitch they wanna try. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever! Now, when’s our flight?”
Both Kasey and Nolan blinked speechlessly for a moment, before Kasey was the first to find her voice. “Sorry, what? Our flight?”
“That’s what I said, isn’t it? I know you are more than capable of handling yourself out there, but it never hurts to have a little backup waiting in the wings just in case things go tits-up.”
“Look Darrell, I appreciate it, but everything is handled. Christian’s on the case -”
Darrell pursed his lips and sucked his teeth, looking thoroughly unimpressed. “Oh, is he now? You mean, the general manager that just so generously gave himself a title match this week?”
Kasey twisted a lock of her hair around a finger while chewing on her bottom lip. “It’s really not that deep. He’s just trying to lure out this psychopath.”
“Uh-huh. And I’m the freakin’ Pope. All I know is something is rotten in the state of Fallout and I’ll be damned if I sit here another week and watch helplessly. So, like I said, when’s our flight?” Darrell gave Nolan a pointed look. “And don’t you even say anything to me, skinny jeans. I know for a fact that you’ve got your own flight booked after hers leaves.”
Kasey whirled around to face Nolan, her eyes wide. “You did what?”
Nolan sputtered and stammered, his face flushing red. “Well...I mean, yeah...but I just…” His eyes flashed up to Darrell, and he narrowed them in a glare. “Snitch!”
Darrell just gave a smug smirk while Kasey let out a long sigh, running a hand through her hair. “I guess there’s no point in trying to convince either of you to just let me go by myself, is there?”
“You got about a straight man’s chance in a lesbian bar, girl.” Darrell looped an arm through Kasey’s and began pulling her towards the door. “Now, let’s take to the skies! The Brazilian beaches are practically screaming my name!”
Kasey glanced back over her shoulder as she was pulled from the room, silently mouthing ‘help me!’ to Nolan, who only replied with a smile and a wiggle of his fingers while he mouthed back ‘see you in a few days’. She gave him one last glare before she disappeared around the corner.
----------------
May 3
Undisclosed Location
Somewhere in Brazil
In any other circumstance, Kasey Winterborn would have chosen a picturesque locale for the backdrop to her promotional piece, as was her usual modus operandi. She was a visual creature, and liked to have her background to be of some significance to the words she would speak.
This time, however, she wanted the attention to be entirely on the words she spoke. Hence, why this particular scene opened up in a fairly nondescript room, dark grey brick walls the only backdrop to be seen. No windows, no décor. The floor was simple poured concrete, rough and uneven underfoot. A soft white light illuminated the room from off camera, but it didn’t quite reach the back of the room which was cloaked in darkness. But suddenly, out of that darkness there came a flash of bright red lighting…
An illuminated purge mask, not unlike the one seen on Kasey’s recent stalker. It almost seemed to be hovering in midair as it drew closer and closer to the camera lens, until it was revealed that it was being held up in the hands of the current Fallout Ascension Champion herself. Dressed head to toe in black, with her bright crimson hair tucked underneath the hood of her oversized sweater, Kasey stopped a few feet away from the camera, the mask dangling from her fingertips as she studied it with a curious look.
“Been a while since we’ve seen one of these around. Interesting that this is the visage my stalker has taken...considering the man that has taken it as a sort of symbol for the Fallout brand is the one that’s oh so invested in discovering your identity.” Kasey smirked a bit deviously as her dark eyes flicked up towards the camera lens. “Either you have some twisted sense of humour...or this rabbit hole goes a little deeper than we thought.”
“Now, I don’t want people to think I’m straight up accusing Christian DeMarco of having some level of involvement with this whole...debacle. I have nothing to go on besides this, after all.” She swung the mask from one hand to the other, the lights leaving trails in the dimly lit room. “And that’s a pretty flimsy connection. After all, this isn’t exactly something unique or groundbreaking. Anyone with a credit card and an Internet connection can pick one of these up on the cheap. Hell, that’s how I got this one here. But then again...out of all the disguises in the world you could have chosen, this was the one you picked. You picked it for a reason. You’re trying to send a message. The only question that remains is...what is it?”
She let out a short laugh, one that reverberated through the empty space which made it sound somewhat sinister in tone. “You think all these little mind games, all these gifts and messages and whatnot are doing...what, exactly? You think they’re endearing yourself to me? That I’m somehow grateful to you for your completely unnecessary interference in my match at the last Fallout?” Her smile faded away to an almost feral snarl, her usual cheery and upbeat demeanor gone in a flash and replaced with something darker. “All you’ve done is piss me off.”
The mask dropped from her fingers with a clatter to the concrete floor, and in a swift motion the left foot of Kasey rose up from the floor and immediately came down onto the mask, crushing it underneath the sole of her heavy Doc Marten boot. Shards of plastic splintered and skittered across the floor as she ground her foot into it, never taking her eyes off the camera. “Now, I don’t want you to misconstrue the message that I’m trying to send, so let me spell it out for you in plain and simple terms. If you so much as think about interfering in my business again, I’ll do the same thing to your mask...only your head will be in it. Got it?”
The fierce expression faded away from her face, though there was still a hard edge to it as she unclenched her fists and brought her hands up in front of her face, pressing her palms together and resting the tips of her fingers against her mouth. “Now, you’ve gotten me away from the real reason for this promotional…my upcoming title defense against none other than my boss, the general manager of Fallout. A man who seems to have a vested interest in ferreting out my stalker. Now Christian, like I said before, I am in no way accusing you of anything shady, by any means. But you have to look at this from the outside. It does look a little hinky, right? I mean, the general manager stepping up to investigate a stalker on his brand, and the only way they can draw him out of the shadows is by granting you a title shot?” A slender eyebrow raised above Kasey’s eye, giving her a quizzical expression. “It’s a little bit shady, you gotta admit. But I would hate to think that you would set all this up, play the long con, just to get into my head and give you what you hope is some kind of easy title win. I would like to think that you have a bit more integrity than that. I mean, if you wanted a title match against me, you only have to ask. I’m more than happy to defend this baby anytime, anywhere against anyone. I’ve already broken the record for most successful defenses of this belt, and I’m gonna keep racking them up no matter who gets placed in front of me for whatever reason. Be they former champions, current champions, newcomers, old-timers...or, in this case, the general manager himself. The only thing I ask of you this week is that you bring the fight. As much as I appreciate Arik for trying to help out, I’m not looking for a farce of a match. I won this belt in a grueling TLC match. I successfully defended it in piles of broken glass. I have literally spilled blood, sweat and tears for this championship belt, and I won’t hesitate to do it over and over again to keep it in my possession. So bring me everything you’ve got, DeMarco...because I’m holding nothing back this time.”
With a final heated stare down the camera lens, Kasey turned on her booted heel and stalked back off into the darkness, as the camera tilted down towards the floor to end on a shot of the shattered purge mask as the LED lights flickered and finally died out to leave the scene in darkness.
