Post by Aurora Graves on Jun 4, 2024 21:11:48 GMT -5
Graves Residence - Garage
Palos Verdes, CA
Our scene faded in with a closeup shot of the black and white leather interior of a black 1958 Ford Thunderbird convertible as “Dragula” by Rob Zombie blares in the background. The camera slowly pulls back to show a wall with pictures of various classic cars, from a black 1974 Chevy Impala to a red 1975 Lamborghini Espada, to an image of her and an older gentleman leaning against the driver’s side fender of a bright red 1965 Ford Mustang.
As for the T-Bird, the hood is up, and the sound of tools being utilized can be heard as a glimpse of blue denim can be seen peeking out from behind the hood.
Aurora: There, that ought to do it.
Aurora stepped out from behind the hood and moved over to the driver’s side, a slight smudge of grease on her right cheek. She reached over the steering wheel and turned the ignition…
**VROOM!**
Aurora: YES!
She squealed as an ear-to-ear smile spread across her face.
Aurora: Would you listen to that baby purr…
She stood with her hands on her hips, admiring her handiwork for a moment before cutting the engine and closing the hood.
Aurora: I’ve already got a buyer lined up for this beauty, too. Anyway, onto the next item on the agenda…
Aurora spun around, pausing to wipe the grease from her face with a rag that had been threaded through one of her belt loops. She tossed it over her shoulder, where it landed in a metal bucket on the metal counter behind her.
Aurora: I’m the type of woman that takes a lot of pride in what I do. It doesn’t matter if I’m piercing someone at the tattoo shop, if I’m restoring classic beauties like this baby right here…
She patted the hood of the car as she leaned against the fender, much like in the image on the wall with the Mustang.
Aurora: Or if it’s in the ring. You see, if you don’t take pride in what you do, then what the hell are you really doing in life?
She walked over to the image of her with the man and the Mustang, smiling as she looked up at it.
Aurora: My dad didn’t want me to have anything to do with wrestling. He felt it wasn’t the place for a “proper young lady, let alone my only daughter.”
Aurora rolled her eyes.
Aurora: But I didn’t let that stop me. I’m not going to get into what I did to get where I am today, because those that need to know, already do. And if you read up on me like you say you have, then you would know exactly what I’m about.
The expression on her face grew more stern as she walked away from the wall.
Aurora: You want to call me the “less impressive Graves” as if that’s supposed to bother me? If nothing else, you sound just like the little bitches that used to mess with me in high school. I guess that makes you a bully, doesn’t it? No one likes a bully, Lizzy.
She scoffed.
Aurora: Here’s the thing. Sure, we both find ourselves in the second round of the Prestige Championship tournament, but that’s the beauty of a tournament. There were several ways that the brackets could have turned out. You could’ve been placed up against someone far more experienced than you in the first round, and you could very well have found yourself on the outside looking in, like some of the others that got eliminated. But you didn’t; you managed to make it through the first round, at the expense of another rookie.
She crossed her arms and chuckled as she shook her head.
Aurora: But therein lies the problem. This time around, you’re not facing a rookie that is merely “dipping her toes” in the business. I’ve spent the last 17 years honing my craft. That’s right… if you do the math, I’ve been at this since I was 13 years old. And even then, I dealt with ignorant little twats like you.
She walked over to another section of the garage, where four Harley Davidson motorcycles stood on their kickstands. She ran a hand over one of them, a brand new custom Heritage Classic with red metallic wings airbrushed onto the tank. Tapping her nails on the speedometer, she narrowed her eyes.
Aurora: But with your pathetic little attempt to get under my skin by highlighting the fact that my husband has a singles championship - several, in fact, if you REALLY did your research - while all I’ve ever held is tag team gold, there’s one little detail you neglected to realize. Sure, I’ve never held a singles championship, but I’ve been in the main event more times than my husband has. Hell, I’ve stood across the ring from SEVERAL world champions, and even beaten some of them. During my time in NGW, while Damon was the Young Lions Champion, I was climbing the ranks of the NGW Championship, all while we still held the Tag Team Championships. Perhaps one day, had NGW not closed its doors, Damon and I both would have been double champions…
Aurora sighed as she looked to the sky, pursing her lips.
Aurora: I guess we’ll never know, will we?
She looked down at the ground, and the stone tiles that fit together asymmetrically to pave the driveway. She kicked away a pebble that had rolled in from the edge of a nearby flower bed, knocking it back into its original position before looking up.
Aurora: Let me tell you what I DO know, Lizzy. You are making a classic rookie mistake. You’re trying to play mind games with someone that’s already been through more than you could even begin to fathom in that bb-in-a-boxcar brain of yours. And that mistake is going to bite you in the ass so hard, you won’t be able to sit for a month. Hell, you might even be walking funny for a while.
She glanced off to the side for a moment before moving back toward the motorcycle. Straddling the seat, she began to sit down, only to be interrupted by the intro to In This Moment’s “Black Wedding” played on her phone. She pulled it out of her pocket and answered.
Aurora: Hey, Alicia, what’s up?
She paused as she listened to the other end of the conversation, nodding her head. The muffled sound of a woman’s voice could be heard, but the words were indiscernible.
Aurora: Give me a sec, will you?
She put a hand over the phone, then got off of the bike and headed for the door that led into the house. Before she went inside, she stopped to look over her shoulder one last time.
Aurora: You’re about to learn that while you grossly underestimate me, I take this shit seriously. Sorry, “Sweets,” but you’re about to crash and burn.
She chuckled as she turned back toward the door and headed inside.
Aurora: No, Alicia… Of course that wasn't directed at you. I was just taking care of some business.
The scene faded out as Aurora hit the button to close the garage door.
