Post by J on Mar 31, 2021 11:33:52 GMT -5
//Off Camera//
Reno, Nevada
March 31st 2021
Megan Leavenworth aka Ignis, the scion of the Welsh wrestling royals known as Leavenworths. Luther knew next to nothing about the youngest of the trio, a little bit less than what he knew of Jestine aka “Lightning” ..and more than he’d care to admit about Meredith aka Undine, the oldest of the three. Less they talked of her and his past since he got married, the better for Merry and Luthie both, and especially for their spouses. Not that Luther believed someone as useless as Justice Deville could ever nab a keeper like his darling Esme, maybe out of spite just to piss him off or after losing a bet but not for love, especially the one kind of love he shared with her..or anyone else.
“She’s in way too deep against me, they threw her to the deep end without a warning but I don’t want to bust her floaties just to watch her sink..after the war I had with Tirri and the..incident with JC. I need to show the people, fans and peers alike that I am not just some volatile pretentious smug son of a bitch. We gotta play this one smart my little flower, we have to help build her up to be something of worth, before I take her down. Beating someone who everyone beats up before you is like riding the town bicycle or as my previous challenger would have said.. Crystal Hilton”
He chuckles, that joke was so bad that he didn’t even need a toothpick to mimic Don Tirri’s mannerisms. Esmeralda shook her head, choosing to ignore her husband’s astonishing lack of wit.
“You do realize you’re in a pickle here then. For all the roster make fun of your challenger, you know as well as I do that however others perceive her, she is in actuality a serious threat to you, more so than Tirri was for damn sure. People make fun of her record, but she’s never been pinned in UPRISING and has tapped out just the once. Dunn put her through a table, sure, but the rest of her non-wins were all dusty finishes, and since she won the battle royal, she’s on a win streak. Aside from that, if there’s one thing I know about the Leavenworths, all three of them, is they will take any shortcut, any advantage they are given. And let’s just say, my dear, you getting duped out of championship gold is not unheard of in recent history, now is it?”
Luther went to glare at his wife, but her stern expression warded him off a touch.
“I’m not saying I don’t believe in you. I know you can beat her, convincingly too. But when you say it’s in your interests to build her up, I very much agree. Because she’s good enough to beat you if you aren’t careful. But her most powerful weapon is that underdog fighting spirit. She plays that role extremely well. If we can build her up to the point where people don’t view her as such... where SHE doesn’t view herself as such... that could be a very real advantage in our corner. Much like they do in her native Britain... you build them up just to tear them down again.”
He smiles and nods at her notions.
“We’ll we have an advantage to her in comparison to her past opponens, we know her family.and how they treat her. She’s lonely Esme, unappreciated, treated like shit at the bottom of the collective shoe of the roster. So we take a different approach, we give her the praise she craves, build up her self worth and acknowledge her as a honest and true competitor, not just an opponent but a true worthy contender. Someone superior to a leather clad midlife crisis or some big freak obsessed about booting others to the head.. Showcase that people’s assumptions of me are not only slanderous but also false.”
She arches a brow and nods.
“Just remember to watch your tongue and keep your eyes leveled. I’ve seen how the fans oggle at her and given how tiny she is it could be easy for a simple man’s eyes to wander on..”
He seems flustered in response.
“Esmeralda, darling! I only have eyes for you and even if I did look at her it would strictly be in the professional sense.”
She snorts.
“Can it Casanova, I’ve seen the size of her floaties, you know those tits are fake right?”
He shakes his head.
“Why would I care, you got the genuine deal in spades my love. You are a whole lot more woman than anyone would need and I am a lucky man to have you as a wife..”
She curls her lips a bit and we see a sight of those white sharp teeth.
“You are lucky alright, lucky that I love you and keep you in check because you know how men are, if you don’t keep them on a leash they run down the street fucking everything in sight.”
He seemed genuinely offended.
“You did not just compare me to a dog?! I’m Married, to YOU of all people”
She scoffs.
“Like a ring ever stopped a horndog before, some floozies actually hunt for men off the market..but as I said, luckily for you. I’m out here to keep my eyes on you.”
He gulps.
“..lucky me indeed.”
“Now I suggest we maybe invite her out for dinner, break the ice so to speak. She’s a nice girl, very impressionable, very naive, So it’s important we make her feel comfortable and relaxed. Last thing we need is her getting spooked and thinking we’re out to manipulate her.”
“But I thought that was...”
“LUTHER THUNDER, we would never dream of such a thing, you as a man of faith would never take advantage of some poor lost lonely soul. Such an idea is completely unthinkable, is it not?!”
He gasps.
“Well I never!~”
She smirks and winks.
“Exactly. Now fish or meat?”
“Huh? Why choose?”
“Not you, her. What do you think she enjoys?”
“Chicken.”
“Really Luther, why?”
“Everybody likes Chicken Esme.”
She sighs.
“Sometimes I wonder how people get these wacky notions that you are somehow such a machiavellian mind..if I didn’t know better, I’d say you are putting on an act.”
“Well I nev--”
“Enough, get dressed up. We’ll send a cordial invite..”
//On Camera//
“Even an inferno starts from a spark.”
The scene opens in what appears to be a training gym, one that has perhaps seen better days. We see UPRISING Champion, Luther Thunder sparring in the ring with some green as gooseshit kid. Esme watches him for a moment, before addressing the camera.
ESME THUNDER
Well here we are, a few days out from Inferno, UPRISING’s second major event. And once again, the name on the marquee, your UPRISING Champion Luther Thunder. A man who has slain all before him in Reno. A champion each and every one of you can be proud of.
Luther slams the kid hard in the ring, and Esme lets out a little clap before continuing.
ESME THUNDER
As you can see, my husband is working hard, striving day and night to be at the top of his game. He is going to have to be. Because with all due respect to a certain Mr. Tirri, my husband’s upcoming title defense will be by far his toughest challenge to date. A dance in the fire with the Firebird, arguably the pick of the hallowed Leavenworth dynasty, and a woman who in the past couple of months has soared, leaving a trail blazed in her wake, the ashes of freshly torched opponents beneath her fiery wings. All while still being the most friendly and open member of the roster. It’s quite remarkable, really. But there is a lot to be said for the path less-travelled; Ignis does not resort to the mindless posturing and name-calling of most others in this industry, and as my husband himself is not a man for these derogatory antics either, I must say this is a breath of fresh air. Such people are usually hiding weaknesses, insecurities, but with both Ignis & Luther, what you see is what you get... genuine class and respect.
The kid goes flying over the top rope, and Luther lets out a cackle, before dropping from the ring to his wife.
LUTHER THUNDER
A good session. If I may?
Esme nods and a glistening Luther addresses the camera.
LUTHER THUNDER
Megan, you don’t mind me calling you that do you? We’ve known each other for years and if not than then we’ve known of each other for years and years. So I feel that it would be pretentious and frankly rude to address you as Miss Leavenworth or Ignis Or Iggy or IgglyWiggily or whatever the comedians of their own private stage like dropping on their opponents. So I do hope you won’t mind too much when I say that I feel that you and me are kinda kindred spirits to a degree bird of the feather I suppose would fit better. Even if UPRISING has it’s share of the winged fellowship as is. We both come from a trio of wrestling siblings. I’m the oldest, you the youngest but we both have two siblings and depending on which one you look at, both of them have vocal fans who think they should be seen as number one. You and me Megan, we disagree. The fans can add up all the championship reigns, defeated opponents, legendary matches even add the two siblings accomplishments to one pile to show how insignificant, insecure and outright idiotic we are to think we are worth a damn in the first place. You and me Megan, we disagree.
He smiles as Esme hands him a towel and bottle of water before she glances as the poor kid stumbling to his feet like a baby deer, this poor sucker would have made Bambi look like million bucks.
LUTHER THUNDER
So going into this match, I am sure a lesser person someone insecure of their own abilities and lacking belief in themselves would come down on you with a blaze of insults a barrage of disparaging remarks and a bombarding amount buffoonery trying to through you off your game, but if you were to face yourself. You would not do anything like that, because you are different Megan, you are better than them and to anyone who thinks you lucked your way into this title match at Inferno, to anyone out there assuming this is an open and shut case, a cakewalk and proverbial walk in the park for me..you and me Megan, we disagree.
We watch them in silence before Luther puts up his hands and claps, not a mocking slow clap but an actual applauding one. He smiles brightly, beaming with a smirk so wide it looks like it could split his face in half at any given moment.
LUTHER THUNDER
You deserve it Megan, this one is your chance and whatever the end result on our match is, you can be sure of this. I am proud of you. I am proud of what you achieved to make it this far, for the sacrifices you made for the better of your family at the expense of your own life, it shows you not only have a mind for this business but also a big heart full of love to those closest to you and being the compassionate family man that I am, I can’t overlook that. So even if your siblings may have their doubts if Jestine and Meredith won’t fully accept that little Megan could overshadow them, I do. I see a champion in you firebird. If not this week at Inferno or in UPRISING then at some other time, in another company. Time and place don’t really matter in this industry, since I’ve been told dozens of times how my career will end and I’ll never win another championship again..only for me to prevail, again. People thought you were out of the business Megan, they thought you had lost your touch and would never be worth a heck in the squared circle ever again. You and me Megan, we disagreed. See what I mean? We are alike, you and me.
Esme nods.
ESME THUNDER
Such is the way of these things. It makes a nice change, in an industry where so many people only care about themselves and how many zingers they can fit in a tweet to find a like-minded individual, Megan. You see, all these so-called tough guy wrestlers, they hide behind their one-liners and their snarky remarks, and that’s fine. But people like us, we let our moves in the ring do the talking, and time and time again, both yourself and Luther have proven the hot-heads’ talk to be just that... talk, We look forward to the match, Ignis... and whomever wins, you will both no doubt give these fans something they can treasure for the rest of their lives. I’d wish you good luck, but... the truly elite have no need for such things.
She smiles widely, before clicking off the camera.