The Dark That Follows [Burrows (C) RP vs. Brookes]
Feb 11, 2022 22:35:40 GMT -5
anthonycaffrey likes this
Post by Kris on Feb 11, 2022 22:35:40 GMT -5
OOC Note: MAJESTY, Vodka Fizz, and E"ddie Walker are all used with permission. Thank you so much, yinz! ♥
When the darkness took her, Natalie Burrows was powerless to stop it.
The pain where the rabbit's fangs sank home burned, the sensation spreading like wildfire until her entire arm was engulfed in agony. If it wasn't for how she was familiar with the caustic tarry substance she encountered in MAJESTY's Realm, she would've thought it was acid. She knew better, though. If anything, she could only wish it was something as simple as that for one simple reason.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA~!"
Acid wouldn't be laughing in delight at her pain.
"Bastard," she ground out in response to that all-consuming cacophony that seemingly went on forever without any pause or need for breath, eyes narrowing even if she couldn't see what she was glaring at. The laughter trailed off, amusement making the air seemingly vibrate around her as MAJESTY's darker aspect spoke.
"You can curse me all you want, you weak little girl! You're in my world, and there's no way out for you this time!"
"Oh go to He--" Natalie couldn't even finish her sentence before that raucous laughter resumed, every syllable somehow making the pain spike with every syllable. It was impossible to know how long the agony lasted--or how high it crested, the memory of childbirth's night-incomparable highs on that front rivaled. Without end--without a moment to breathe!--the formidable will of the Southern Belle began to crack, the faults spider webbing throughout her body, her mind, her soul.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA~!"
It was just when she reached the point where she was going to crack and scream out her agony that another voice, soft and warm, soothed its way into her ears.
"You didn't... have... to do... that..."
"...MAJESTY?" The Southern Belle rasped out as the laughter faded, leaving her in the relief of silence. For a moment, she swore she felt gentle hands cradling her cheeks, the brush of something sweet against her lips--like the ladyfinger cookies she had once gifted to her friend when she was the contender and they were the champion.
"Go... now... while you... can."
"I..." Try as she might, the lioness couldn't say more than that--not as that soothing presence left her, not as the pain returned but with less strength than before, and not as the darkness around her pulsed one final time in protest with enough force that her ears rang.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO~!"
The voice of someone she hated faded out... as the voice of someone she loved faded in.
"Natalie? Natalie!" The sound of Vodka Fizz's voice filtered into Natalie's awareness as the world bled back into existence around her. She was dimly aware of how he ran to her, gathered her up in his arms in spite of how the Chanel pantsuit she had worn to the awards was now tattered and smeared in that black goo. As exhaustion took her as surely as the darkness had, her head rested against Vodka's chest, the rhythm of what many considered to be FIRESIDE's heart penetrated his shout--no, his roar for a medic. She wanted to tell him that she was okay, that a nap was all she needed, but the words just wouldn't come.
All she could manage as consciousness slipped away was a faint groan, the battle-tested knight having survived the dragon's clutches... but at a cost she wasn't quite aware of.
Not yet.
"So Adrien's refusing to take it easy?"
"You know how he is just as well as I do, if not better." Natalie swore that Eddie Walker sighed more often than he simply drew breath these days. Considering the actions of Adrien Cochrane's former friend--and Natalie's current employer--such wasn't something that could be helped, she supposed. "Until that son of a bitch has gotten his, Adrien's not gonna rest... and I don't think one match is gonna do it."
"Not unless it's something extreme." The Southern Belle shakes her head even if Eddie couldn't see it. "I mean, you saw how far he was willing to go when it was just a good-natured bet. With a grudge..."
"Yeah, you don't need to remind me. I know." Another sigh. "Do I need to talk you out of beating Caffrey's ass, or are you going to continue being my only reasonable client?"
"I'm sure Miss Dresden is perfectly reasonable."
"Seriously. You know how out-of-touch Caff is from reality right now. He's in a position of power, and you provoking him isn't gonna end well for you. You've got enough on your plate with your defense against Brookes and whatever MAJESTY pulled--"
"You don't need to worry about MAJESTY. I've freed myself from their realm twice now. I can do it again."
"But do you wanna put Vodka through you disappearing again? I saw the man searching for you at the Year End Awards show. He was frantic, Nat. I thought he was gonna keel over from a heart attack." The silence that reigned for a long, uncomfortable moment made it clear that Eddie struck a nerve. Even if he was new to working with her, the Manager Extraordinaire knew just how long to hold his tongue before he continued. "I know you would never hurt him, but it's not just you that you have to worry about here. And I'm not even mentioning your ki--"
"You don't need to finish that sentence, alright?" And that came out sharper than she intended. The reigning FIRESIDE World Champion took a deep breath, forcing her tone back toward being friendly instead of letting her temper flare up all the more. "I get your point, Eddie. I do. But at the same time, I can't just sit here and do nothing. It's bad enough that Adrien doesn't want me to get involved with the mess he's in with Mister Caffrey. For me to not at least try to help my friend..."
"I know, and I'm not asking you to do nothing. Just--think before you leap, okay?" If Eddie was bothered at the lioness flashing some proverbial fang, he didn't show it. "Now go and do what you do best in focusing on Rebecca Brookes--and tell Voddy I said hi while you're at it, okay?"
"Alright. I'll be in touch, Eddie." The partings that followed were by rote on her end, at the very least--and after the call was ended with a tap on the screen? Natalie sat back into the comfort of her overstuffed couch, a hand rising to rest on her face.
Where had that spike in her temper come from?
It wasn't like her to lash out like that when someone was simply expressing their concerns, much less when that someone's entire job was doing exactly that. Natalie sighed as she reached for the remote, turning on the smartTV in front of her. She needed to get her mind back to where it needed to be--on the underdog that reminded her so much of herself back when she was younger.
Somewhere, in the deepest and darkest corner of her subconscious, something smiled.
Before I say anything else, Miss Brookes... allow me to reiterate how grateful I am for your grace.
I'm sure there are those out there who will harp on how Voddy beat me after one Heck of a match, putting my winning streak--brief as it was--to an end. Anyone that harps on and on about that point have no understanding that, to me, who won that match doesn't matter nearly as much as what I learned about him during it. At Caveat Emptor, he proved that he was willing to fight for what and who he wanted... even if it meant fighting said person with everything he had. And while I have full faith that he'll best Mister Zepp, that's only part of what needs to happen for our rematch to happen and for me to get my win back. The other half of that falls on me, and I want to make one thing absolutely clear. The gratitude I feel... does not mean that you're walking out of our match with the FIRESIDE World Championship.
Quite the opposite, in fact.
I know that me pulling any kicks would do you no favors, Miss Brookes--that it'd be an insult to everything you stand for. Your entire journey in FIRESIDE up until now has been about taking every blow on the chin, following the tried-and-true path of weathering the punishment in order to become stronger, treating every setback as a lesson rather than as a reason to quit. It's a longer road to take, one that takes a lot of discipline and guts... but the end result is well worth it, let me assure you. Even if Mist--no, Anthony Caffrey deludes himself into thinking otherwise, he didn't make me who I am today. That honor belongs to my steadfast refusal to give up when the going got hard, which it did from my very first match--Heck, if I'm being honest? The road never gets easier.
I've just gotten stronger to keep going--and even if time seeks to rob me of my ability to keep improving, I've persevered.
Mm, I remember how it feels to be where you are, though. How can I not? I see it every time I help Mister Morgan with a training exercise, when I sign an autograph for a fan that proclaims that they want to wrestle because I do--and that's saying nothing about watching my sons play-wrestle with each other and, now, with Voddy. I am reminded of the struggles of my earlier days on a regular basis, keeping it fresh in my mind... and that first-hand knowledge is why I'm prepared to endure whatever you throw at me before giving it right back to you tenfold.
...there's also the small matter of how there is one difference between the paths we've chosen that could cost you dearly.
I know you never held gold in NLW--you had opportunities to contend for it, but you were never able to seize the opportunity no matter how hard you fought for it. You did, however, hold the Goddess Championship in another company... and when I watched the match where you laid claim to that gold?
The referee may have missed the knucks you threw into the crowd to cover your tracks, but I didn't.
For all of your grace and perseverance here, for all you've grown before our very eyes since you came to FIRESIDE... there's only so far that any of that can go to ease my concerns that you're going to dip into those darker waters when you can't put me away otherwise, when you're staring down the knight that has slain dragons and bested veterans who thought their overflowing trophy cases weren't enough to give them the win.
And rest assured, Miss Brookes--you will reach that point in our match whether you win or lose.
You'll look me in the eyes and wonder just what you need to do in order to make me stay down or submit--and that's not ego talking in spite of how Miss Apathy mistook my refusal to yield as arrogance. It's a simple statement of fact, as undeniable as needing air to breathe. That's how deep you'll need to dig if you want to take my place at the top of the mountain. You'll need to find that limit within, that intermingling of exhaustion and pain... and push past it as I have time and time again to be the victor. If you do, who knows? You may be the one to dethrone me. If you go for those knucks, though...
Well.
Let's just say that I won't hesitate for a single, solitary second to kick your behind as an object reminder that there are no shortcuts that lead to the top.
The opportunity is in your hands, Miss Brookes. Will you rise to the occasion, or will you fall?
I personally hope you do find success the right way someday... but that day won't be at this Inferno or any other.
Not so long as I am the FIRESIDE World Champion.