Post by Emma Danielson on Feb 9, 2013 23:21:20 GMT -6
We open on Emma Danielson being inspected by Nicole Kingsley, wincing as she’s examined by the Australian. Off to one side stands The Ace, looking somewhat annoyed at the proceedings. Emma winces again, swatting away Kingsley’s hand as she checks an area on her lower back. Ace gently prods the young woman verbally, taking a step closer.
”Well? What’s the prognosis? I need to know if my talent will be able to compete. I’m sure if we had been able to see Wesker, he would have cleared things right up…what’s taking you so long?”
Nicole shoots him an annoyed glare, turning to face the head of the Starlets’ Division and sternly addressing him.
”I know you think you can make miracles happen, Mr. Conway, but I can’t work miracles at the drop of a hat! You’ll be happy to know we’re almost done here. Once I finish checking these last few things, you two can be on your way. Seems a fair thought, ay?”
She stares at him intently. The Ace backs up, hands raised placatingly, and Nicole resumes inspecting Emma.
”Alright then, Ms. Danielson. You don’t appear to have broken anything, your bruising’s moderate, and the major muscle strains are in your right ankle. Combined with the cranial trauma you suffered, I would RECOMMEND taking a week off of active competition. However, from what I’ve seen from you wrestling lot, you don’t like listening to doctors. Still, I’m trying. You’re not in good shape, but you’re not crippled. Judgment call, Ms. Danielson. I want you to make the right one. Now, go on. Out of here. I’ve got a backlog to deal with.”
She ushers the two out of the office, and Emma hops off of the exam table, walking out with the still-irritated Ace. Jake looks to her the moment the door’s closed, irritation melting into concern.
”I heard her diagnosis, but I want to hear it from you. Do you think you’ll be up to competing this week? I can give you time to recover if you think you’ll need it.”
Emma shakes her head, glancing over to him as they begin to slowly walk along the hall.
”No, I’ll be fine. I took less of a beating than you, and you’re competing this week. If you can have a match, I damn sure can. Give me an opponent.”
Jake nods, smiling a bit before going into ‘business mode.’ He folds his hands together, looking to Emma as they round a corner. Midway through the sentence, Jake seems to morph back into The Ace.
”Right. Well, I anticipated this, and so I took the liberty of setting up a match for you. If you’re dedicated to this new direction in your life, you need to cut all ties you had to your old ways. That means getting rid of the last bits of flotsam and jetsam that might otherwise pollute your thought processes, perpetuate those destructive habits. Your opponent this week has been one we’ve overlooked…until now. She’s also been somewhat of a thorn in our side, so it serves that purpose as well.”
Emma nods, getting a bit annoyed by the run-around that she seems to be getting put through.
”Got it. So who am I up against?”
Ace chuckles, shaking his head as they walk along.
”I thought process of elimination might have whittled it down for you, Emma. Your opponent this week is Crystal Hilton. She and Zelda think they can stand against us, refuse to compete if we continue to force them into matches…I want you to prove her wrong. Show her your independence, your might…and what happens to those who speak out against the will of NCW management.”
Danielson ponders the idea, a grin spreading across her face as she mulls over all the angles it covers. She stops in the middle of the hall, taking Ace’s hand and smiling up at him.
”Well, when you put it like that…anything for you, Jake. I’ll show Crystal the error of her ways. For me…and for you.”
Jake blinks, snapped out of his normal demeanor, and he sheepishly rubs the back of his neck, glancing down the halls.
”Erm, yes…well, that last bit was actually Kathy’s idea, you see.”
Danielson’s smile fades into a frown, and she sounds disappointed as she glances away.
”Oh.”
Jake blinks, noticing the immediate demeanor shift, and tries to address it.
”What’s the matter, Em?”
She shakes her head, forcing a smile as she looks back at him and pulls her hand from his.
”Nothing at all, Jake. Now, let’s talk strategy…”
We fade on the two walking down the hall, scheming with each other.
”Crystal…it’s been a while, hasn’t it? So much has changed for me since then. I’ve really cleaned up my act. Become a proper wrestler…well, as proper as you can make someone like me. I’ve made better of myself, Crystal. I’m more than I was last time we wrestled. You? What have you done for yourself? You’re still the same old Crystal Hilton, full of promise but never meeting it. It’s depressing, really. You’ve got so much potential…and you’re throwing it away by trying to fight a war you won’t ever win.”
“Look at what you’re up against. The most powerful woman in the Women’s Division. One of the craftiest. And your own sister-in-law, the woman who did what you have FAILED to do after all these years, and could do it again this very weekend. On top of that, we have the power of the administration to bring to bear. You’re ants standing before a tidal wave, Crystal. I wish you could see that. This is a symbolic last stand. You’re trying to be the defiant underdog, up against the odds and fighting the good fight. But this isn’t a sports movie. This isn’t fiction, where the good guys win because we want the audience to be happy. This is reality.”
”And there are some odds no amount of heart can overcome.”
“This isn’t a wake-up call. That would imply that you still have time to do something. Crystal, this is a reprisal. This is a receipt for the headache you’ve given so many people…and this is for me. This is for all the times that I wanted to work with you and you decided it was shopping time. This is for the flights of fancy, leading me on in the habits that were sapping my soul. This is for letting me do the things that tore me apart. Crystal, you were my friend once. I trusted you. And you abused that trust. You let me hurt myself. You helped me hurt myself. And for that, I have to hurt you. It won’t be easy. It won’t be quick. I want to wring that vengeance out of you, bit by bloody bit.”
“And as you’re laying on your back, broken and defeated, I want you to carry a message. Not with your words, though. I want everyone watching to see what happens when you try to defy the will of those in power. I want them to know what true failure is…what NOT to do. You will be a guide for all that is undesirable in this new world, Crystal. And who knows? Maybe this will be your moment of clarity. Maybe you’ll open your eyes and see your flaws for what they are. Maybe, just maybe, I can help you down the road to self-purification that I walked. And if I could do that…well, not much in the world that could make me happier. After all, at my core I’m all about helping people. I just specialize in a little different therapy than most. Doctor’s in. Let’s get started.”
”Well? What’s the prognosis? I need to know if my talent will be able to compete. I’m sure if we had been able to see Wesker, he would have cleared things right up…what’s taking you so long?”
Nicole shoots him an annoyed glare, turning to face the head of the Starlets’ Division and sternly addressing him.
”I know you think you can make miracles happen, Mr. Conway, but I can’t work miracles at the drop of a hat! You’ll be happy to know we’re almost done here. Once I finish checking these last few things, you two can be on your way. Seems a fair thought, ay?”
She stares at him intently. The Ace backs up, hands raised placatingly, and Nicole resumes inspecting Emma.
”Alright then, Ms. Danielson. You don’t appear to have broken anything, your bruising’s moderate, and the major muscle strains are in your right ankle. Combined with the cranial trauma you suffered, I would RECOMMEND taking a week off of active competition. However, from what I’ve seen from you wrestling lot, you don’t like listening to doctors. Still, I’m trying. You’re not in good shape, but you’re not crippled. Judgment call, Ms. Danielson. I want you to make the right one. Now, go on. Out of here. I’ve got a backlog to deal with.”
She ushers the two out of the office, and Emma hops off of the exam table, walking out with the still-irritated Ace. Jake looks to her the moment the door’s closed, irritation melting into concern.
”I heard her diagnosis, but I want to hear it from you. Do you think you’ll be up to competing this week? I can give you time to recover if you think you’ll need it.”
Emma shakes her head, glancing over to him as they begin to slowly walk along the hall.
”No, I’ll be fine. I took less of a beating than you, and you’re competing this week. If you can have a match, I damn sure can. Give me an opponent.”
Jake nods, smiling a bit before going into ‘business mode.’ He folds his hands together, looking to Emma as they round a corner. Midway through the sentence, Jake seems to morph back into The Ace.
”Right. Well, I anticipated this, and so I took the liberty of setting up a match for you. If you’re dedicated to this new direction in your life, you need to cut all ties you had to your old ways. That means getting rid of the last bits of flotsam and jetsam that might otherwise pollute your thought processes, perpetuate those destructive habits. Your opponent this week has been one we’ve overlooked…until now. She’s also been somewhat of a thorn in our side, so it serves that purpose as well.”
Emma nods, getting a bit annoyed by the run-around that she seems to be getting put through.
”Got it. So who am I up against?”
Ace chuckles, shaking his head as they walk along.
”I thought process of elimination might have whittled it down for you, Emma. Your opponent this week is Crystal Hilton. She and Zelda think they can stand against us, refuse to compete if we continue to force them into matches…I want you to prove her wrong. Show her your independence, your might…and what happens to those who speak out against the will of NCW management.”
Danielson ponders the idea, a grin spreading across her face as she mulls over all the angles it covers. She stops in the middle of the hall, taking Ace’s hand and smiling up at him.
”Well, when you put it like that…anything for you, Jake. I’ll show Crystal the error of her ways. For me…and for you.”
Jake blinks, snapped out of his normal demeanor, and he sheepishly rubs the back of his neck, glancing down the halls.
”Erm, yes…well, that last bit was actually Kathy’s idea, you see.”
Danielson’s smile fades into a frown, and she sounds disappointed as she glances away.
”Oh.”
Jake blinks, noticing the immediate demeanor shift, and tries to address it.
”What’s the matter, Em?”
She shakes her head, forcing a smile as she looks back at him and pulls her hand from his.
”Nothing at all, Jake. Now, let’s talk strategy…”
We fade on the two walking down the hall, scheming with each other.
”Crystal…it’s been a while, hasn’t it? So much has changed for me since then. I’ve really cleaned up my act. Become a proper wrestler…well, as proper as you can make someone like me. I’ve made better of myself, Crystal. I’m more than I was last time we wrestled. You? What have you done for yourself? You’re still the same old Crystal Hilton, full of promise but never meeting it. It’s depressing, really. You’ve got so much potential…and you’re throwing it away by trying to fight a war you won’t ever win.”
“Look at what you’re up against. The most powerful woman in the Women’s Division. One of the craftiest. And your own sister-in-law, the woman who did what you have FAILED to do after all these years, and could do it again this very weekend. On top of that, we have the power of the administration to bring to bear. You’re ants standing before a tidal wave, Crystal. I wish you could see that. This is a symbolic last stand. You’re trying to be the defiant underdog, up against the odds and fighting the good fight. But this isn’t a sports movie. This isn’t fiction, where the good guys win because we want the audience to be happy. This is reality.”
”And there are some odds no amount of heart can overcome.”
“This isn’t a wake-up call. That would imply that you still have time to do something. Crystal, this is a reprisal. This is a receipt for the headache you’ve given so many people…and this is for me. This is for all the times that I wanted to work with you and you decided it was shopping time. This is for the flights of fancy, leading me on in the habits that were sapping my soul. This is for letting me do the things that tore me apart. Crystal, you were my friend once. I trusted you. And you abused that trust. You let me hurt myself. You helped me hurt myself. And for that, I have to hurt you. It won’t be easy. It won’t be quick. I want to wring that vengeance out of you, bit by bloody bit.”
“And as you’re laying on your back, broken and defeated, I want you to carry a message. Not with your words, though. I want everyone watching to see what happens when you try to defy the will of those in power. I want them to know what true failure is…what NOT to do. You will be a guide for all that is undesirable in this new world, Crystal. And who knows? Maybe this will be your moment of clarity. Maybe you’ll open your eyes and see your flaws for what they are. Maybe, just maybe, I can help you down the road to self-purification that I walked. And if I could do that…well, not much in the world that could make me happier. After all, at my core I’m all about helping people. I just specialize in a little different therapy than most. Doctor’s in. Let’s get started.”