Post by Loki on Jul 2, 2014 13:58:28 GMT -5
Flames licked the walls, their erratic swaying causing shadows to dance over the walls like demons in the night. In the middle of the hellish inferno sat Barbara “Whisper” Noble and cradled in her arms was her daughter, Angelica. Whisper’s laughter, bordering on insanity, began to drown out even the roar of the flames. As Brandon reached for his wife and daughter the ceiling collapsed, rendering everything to darkness. Except for the sounds of Whisper’s laughter.
Brandon rolled over in bed, his arm searching for the warmth and comfort of his wife. Instead he found her side of the bed cold and neatly made, at least as neatly as can be when half of the bed is still occupied. The nightmares were becoming more and more frequent and at this very moment Brandon would have given anything for the comfort of his wife. Instead she was gone. Brandon had no idea where she went when she wasn’t with him.
She hadn’t had gainful employment since being released from PCW. Not that she’d needed it, coming from “old money” had its perks. Not that Brandon had done too badly for himself. Through a series of smart investments and hedge funds he’d actually made more than enough money to live off and live comfortably for the rest of his life. He’d come a long way from the twenty three year old kid without enough money to pay for dinner on a date.
As Brandon prepared for his day he thought about what lay ahead. He was supposed to meet with Melissa’s parents today about the opportunity to train her.
“Hi, you don’t know me but I’d like your permission to train your underage daughter to enter a world inhabited by psychopaths, monsters, and other young women who look like a cross between Rainbow Bright, Strawberry Shortcake, and an acid trip. Most of which will seek to do her bodily harm. Or play with her hair. Or both.”
Yeah, this was going to go great. Looking past even that Brandon had Living a Legacy to contend with tonight. Fighting and winning a single match was often hard enough. Doing all that only to have to face a second match later in the night was next to impossible. Brandon sighed, fighting a second match wouldn’t matter if he couldn’t find a way to beat Majors. He was a relative unknown, as the two men had never faced each other before.
He wasn’t going to be a push-over, not that any of the men and women on the roster were. Majors had made good a good showing of himself in several title matches, nearly winning both the Genesis Title and the North American title within a short amount of time. Then there was his performance in last year’s tournament, while not stellar it had been enough to earn him consideration for entry into this years
Majors always seemed to be just on the cusp of breaking out in PCW but never quite realizing it. If Brandon had anything to say about it he wouldn’t realize it this time either. If he made it past his first match, and it was looking like a big if, there was still the winner of Murdoc and Stormm to consider. Speaking of “not pushovers”, Brandon and Murdoc has a storied past, probably one of the most intense rivalries in PCW history that never seemed to come to any resolution. It just kept building and building. It was a forever escalating arms race that would probably see one of them dead one day.
Stormm was another long standing rival. The two men would never be friends but that didn’t mean they didn’t acknowledge each other as rivals and equals. Stormm had been responsible for tarnishing Brandon’s first run with the PCW Championship and as much as he tried to put it behind him he was never quite able too.
Whichever of those two men he ended up facing second, if he even made it that far, would not simply roll over and die. It was going to be a fight. As Brandon mused over his options in the tournament, none exactly to his liking, he finished dressing. He’d opted for a mix of professional and casual. All the better to put to ease the mind of worried parents or so he hoped.
Moving with a purpose, he hopped into his car, recently cleaned of the grit and grime thanks to the previous night’s storm. He followed the GPS to the address that had been provided to him, it proved to be a fairly large house in one of the more affluent sections of town. It filled Brandon with doubt. People with even a modest amount of money were fairly used to getting their way, he was no exception.
Brandon parked on the street and walked to the door. Even with apprehension coiling like a serpent in his gut, this walk was much easier than the one he’d taken last night. Putting on his best nice guy smile, Brandon rang the doorbell.
And was nearly tackled off the front step.
“Oh thank gawd you’re here, I was afraid you weren’t going to come,” Melissa cried into his shirt.
Brandon peeled the younger girl off of him and smiled down at her, “We made a deal, kiddo. I wouldn’t be much of a prospective teacher if I couldn’t even keep a simple appointment.”
She squealed with delight, the dogs next door howled back in response.
“You know it never crossed my mind but I don’t even know your last name. I suppose I should have that before I face the firing squad,” Brandon said only half teasing.
“Dahlgren, my last name is Dahlgren.”
“Well, Miss Dahlgren,” Brandon said in a southerly drawl, “let’s go meet your folks, shall we?”
Melissa led the way into a well-lit study where her mother and father sat waiting. They rose from their seats as Brandon entered. Neither of them looked pleased.
Brandon extended his hand towards her father, “Mr. Dahlgren, pleasure to meet you, sir. Mrs. Dahlgren,” Brandon politely nodded to her, “I’m Brandon Noble.”
The older man let out a gruff grunt as he shook Brandon’s hand, “We know who you are Mr. Noble. Your posters have adorned my daughter’s walls for quite some time. We also know why you’re here.”
The three of them sat down. Brandon suddenly understood how a gazelle felt when it was being watched by lions. Her father looked like they wanted to rip him limb from limb and eat what was left.
“Well if you know why I’m here then I guess I’ll just go ahead,” Brandon started, “a couple of months ago your daughter approached me after a show and asked to be trained. I told her I’d train her pending your approval. I’m sure you have plenty of questions so if I can answer any of them and put your mind at ease, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
Brandon had barely finished what he was saying before her father interjected with a question, “What experience do you have with training, where did you attain your certificate to be a licensed trainer?”
Brandon was caught off guard, “Honestly, none, sir. I’ve never trained anyone before, your daughter would be the first. As for certifications, there isn’t really a certificate to do what we do.”
“So you’re not subject to any kind of licensing for insurance and liability purposes,” her father demanded to know.
This was going great so far.
“No, I don’t suppose we are, sir.” Brandon said honestly.
“So no training, no certification, and no insurance and you expect us just to fork over what I’m sure will be a substantial amount of money for training for this stupid notion of wrestling,” he thundered.
“I don’t expect you to pay a dime,” Brandon countered, frustrated, “and I don’t think her dream of being a wrestler is stupid either. A little unconventional maybe, but not all of us were cut out to be conventional.”
Clearly her father wasn’t used to people standing up to him as he just seemed to get angrier, “And you think it’s appropriate for a grown man to go cavorting about with an underage girl. I’ve seen some of your so called “wrestling” and it just looks like a bunch of perverts to me.”
Now Brandon was angry, but before he could say anything the third voice in the room finally spoke, “That’s enough, Parker.”
“No. This man is dangerous and I won’t have him corrupting our daughter with his perversions and weird fetishes,” Parker Dahlgren shouted with enough force to rattle the windows.
Melissa’s mother turned her attention towards he husband, he eyes flashing with fire. Suddenly Brandon understood where Melissa got her passion from, “I said that’s enough, Parker. Go out back and compose yourself before you embarrass yourself further.”
The senior Dahlgren left the room muttering and cursing, but not before shooting a look of pure venom at Brandon.
When he was gone Mrs. Dahlgren cleared her throat, “You’ll have to forgive my husband. Our son, Melissa’s older brother was killed in Iraq several years ago. He’s been overprotective to the point of smothering Melissa ever since.”
Brandon nodded solemnly, “I understand, Mrs. Dahlgren. I – I know what it’s like to lose a child as well. My daughter was killed two years ago; they never caught the man responsible.”
“Then you understand the pain of losing a child, so surely you can understand where my husband’s fears are coming from,” she asked politely.
“I do, Ma’am. But that’s still no reason to insult me or my chosen profession,” Brandon replied defensively.
“I will admit that Parker can be,” she paused, searching for the words, “a little overzealous. I apologize if he offended you.”
“I appreciate that, Ma’am.”
She waved a hand dismissively, “Please, call me Lucy. I’ve never been much for Ma’ams and Madams.”
Brandon felt a small smile tug at the corner of his lips, he could definitely tell who Melissa took after, “Very well, Lucy it is. Are there any particular questions you have, Lucy? Anything I can do to put your mind at ease?”
She stared at him, sizing him up, “I just have two questions. Whether or not you hear the second one is incumbent upon your answer to the first. Are you an honorable man, Mr. Noble? Would you ever do anything untoward my daughter?”
Brandon’s first reaction was to get angry. Instead logic prevailed and he answered her calmly, “Never in any way, shape, or form, Lucy. I had a daughter, I know exactly how I would react if someone did something like that to her. So to answer your question, yes, I like to think I’m an honorable man.”
“I see,” she said, “thank you for speaking candidly. My next question is this, is it dangerous?”
“Yes, Ma’a-Lucy, it is. I wish I could lie to you and tell you that if she goes through with this that she’ll never get hurt and that her life and career will never be jeopardized. But raising two children I can tell you’d spot that lie right away. That’s why I want to train her. I can’t prevent her from getting hurt, but I can do everything I can to prepare her for what life in the ring is like. The best I can offer you is lessening the odds that she’ll get hurt.”
“I see,” she said again, this time more solemn.
“I’m sorry,” Brandon apologized, “I wish I could offer more.”
She smiled sadly at him, “Mr. Noble, my daughter has the same look in her eyes that my son once had before he joined the Military. I doubt I could stop her any more than I could stop him. You have no need to apologize; you’ve been honest and forthright with me, that’s all I can ask.”
Brandon nodded, “Would you like me to step out while you and your husband discuss it? I can leave as well and give you guys a couple of days too if that helps.”
She laughed softly, “That won’t be necessary, Mr. Noble. I’ve already decided and Parker will just have to accept it. She won’t be a little girl forever, he needs to learn to let he make her own choices and if need be her own mistakes.”
“So –“ Brandon said, seeking clarification, “does that mean you would like me to train her?”
Lucy Dahlgren nodded, “Our daughter’s future is in your hands, Mr. Noble. Please do not give me cause to regret it.”
Brandon rolled over in bed, his arm searching for the warmth and comfort of his wife. Instead he found her side of the bed cold and neatly made, at least as neatly as can be when half of the bed is still occupied. The nightmares were becoming more and more frequent and at this very moment Brandon would have given anything for the comfort of his wife. Instead she was gone. Brandon had no idea where she went when she wasn’t with him.
She hadn’t had gainful employment since being released from PCW. Not that she’d needed it, coming from “old money” had its perks. Not that Brandon had done too badly for himself. Through a series of smart investments and hedge funds he’d actually made more than enough money to live off and live comfortably for the rest of his life. He’d come a long way from the twenty three year old kid without enough money to pay for dinner on a date.
As Brandon prepared for his day he thought about what lay ahead. He was supposed to meet with Melissa’s parents today about the opportunity to train her.
“Hi, you don’t know me but I’d like your permission to train your underage daughter to enter a world inhabited by psychopaths, monsters, and other young women who look like a cross between Rainbow Bright, Strawberry Shortcake, and an acid trip. Most of which will seek to do her bodily harm. Or play with her hair. Or both.”
Yeah, this was going to go great. Looking past even that Brandon had Living a Legacy to contend with tonight. Fighting and winning a single match was often hard enough. Doing all that only to have to face a second match later in the night was next to impossible. Brandon sighed, fighting a second match wouldn’t matter if he couldn’t find a way to beat Majors. He was a relative unknown, as the two men had never faced each other before.
He wasn’t going to be a push-over, not that any of the men and women on the roster were. Majors had made good a good showing of himself in several title matches, nearly winning both the Genesis Title and the North American title within a short amount of time. Then there was his performance in last year’s tournament, while not stellar it had been enough to earn him consideration for entry into this years
Majors always seemed to be just on the cusp of breaking out in PCW but never quite realizing it. If Brandon had anything to say about it he wouldn’t realize it this time either. If he made it past his first match, and it was looking like a big if, there was still the winner of Murdoc and Stormm to consider. Speaking of “not pushovers”, Brandon and Murdoc has a storied past, probably one of the most intense rivalries in PCW history that never seemed to come to any resolution. It just kept building and building. It was a forever escalating arms race that would probably see one of them dead one day.
Stormm was another long standing rival. The two men would never be friends but that didn’t mean they didn’t acknowledge each other as rivals and equals. Stormm had been responsible for tarnishing Brandon’s first run with the PCW Championship and as much as he tried to put it behind him he was never quite able too.
Whichever of those two men he ended up facing second, if he even made it that far, would not simply roll over and die. It was going to be a fight. As Brandon mused over his options in the tournament, none exactly to his liking, he finished dressing. He’d opted for a mix of professional and casual. All the better to put to ease the mind of worried parents or so he hoped.
Moving with a purpose, he hopped into his car, recently cleaned of the grit and grime thanks to the previous night’s storm. He followed the GPS to the address that had been provided to him, it proved to be a fairly large house in one of the more affluent sections of town. It filled Brandon with doubt. People with even a modest amount of money were fairly used to getting their way, he was no exception.
Brandon parked on the street and walked to the door. Even with apprehension coiling like a serpent in his gut, this walk was much easier than the one he’d taken last night. Putting on his best nice guy smile, Brandon rang the doorbell.
And was nearly tackled off the front step.
“Oh thank gawd you’re here, I was afraid you weren’t going to come,” Melissa cried into his shirt.
Brandon peeled the younger girl off of him and smiled down at her, “We made a deal, kiddo. I wouldn’t be much of a prospective teacher if I couldn’t even keep a simple appointment.”
She squealed with delight, the dogs next door howled back in response.
“You know it never crossed my mind but I don’t even know your last name. I suppose I should have that before I face the firing squad,” Brandon said only half teasing.
“Dahlgren, my last name is Dahlgren.”
“Well, Miss Dahlgren,” Brandon said in a southerly drawl, “let’s go meet your folks, shall we?”
Melissa led the way into a well-lit study where her mother and father sat waiting. They rose from their seats as Brandon entered. Neither of them looked pleased.
Brandon extended his hand towards her father, “Mr. Dahlgren, pleasure to meet you, sir. Mrs. Dahlgren,” Brandon politely nodded to her, “I’m Brandon Noble.”
The older man let out a gruff grunt as he shook Brandon’s hand, “We know who you are Mr. Noble. Your posters have adorned my daughter’s walls for quite some time. We also know why you’re here.”
The three of them sat down. Brandon suddenly understood how a gazelle felt when it was being watched by lions. Her father looked like they wanted to rip him limb from limb and eat what was left.
“Well if you know why I’m here then I guess I’ll just go ahead,” Brandon started, “a couple of months ago your daughter approached me after a show and asked to be trained. I told her I’d train her pending your approval. I’m sure you have plenty of questions so if I can answer any of them and put your mind at ease, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
Brandon had barely finished what he was saying before her father interjected with a question, “What experience do you have with training, where did you attain your certificate to be a licensed trainer?”
Brandon was caught off guard, “Honestly, none, sir. I’ve never trained anyone before, your daughter would be the first. As for certifications, there isn’t really a certificate to do what we do.”
“So you’re not subject to any kind of licensing for insurance and liability purposes,” her father demanded to know.
This was going great so far.
“No, I don’t suppose we are, sir.” Brandon said honestly.
“So no training, no certification, and no insurance and you expect us just to fork over what I’m sure will be a substantial amount of money for training for this stupid notion of wrestling,” he thundered.
“I don’t expect you to pay a dime,” Brandon countered, frustrated, “and I don’t think her dream of being a wrestler is stupid either. A little unconventional maybe, but not all of us were cut out to be conventional.”
Clearly her father wasn’t used to people standing up to him as he just seemed to get angrier, “And you think it’s appropriate for a grown man to go cavorting about with an underage girl. I’ve seen some of your so called “wrestling” and it just looks like a bunch of perverts to me.”
Now Brandon was angry, but before he could say anything the third voice in the room finally spoke, “That’s enough, Parker.”
“No. This man is dangerous and I won’t have him corrupting our daughter with his perversions and weird fetishes,” Parker Dahlgren shouted with enough force to rattle the windows.
Melissa’s mother turned her attention towards he husband, he eyes flashing with fire. Suddenly Brandon understood where Melissa got her passion from, “I said that’s enough, Parker. Go out back and compose yourself before you embarrass yourself further.”
The senior Dahlgren left the room muttering and cursing, but not before shooting a look of pure venom at Brandon.
When he was gone Mrs. Dahlgren cleared her throat, “You’ll have to forgive my husband. Our son, Melissa’s older brother was killed in Iraq several years ago. He’s been overprotective to the point of smothering Melissa ever since.”
Brandon nodded solemnly, “I understand, Mrs. Dahlgren. I – I know what it’s like to lose a child as well. My daughter was killed two years ago; they never caught the man responsible.”
“Then you understand the pain of losing a child, so surely you can understand where my husband’s fears are coming from,” she asked politely.
“I do, Ma’am. But that’s still no reason to insult me or my chosen profession,” Brandon replied defensively.
“I will admit that Parker can be,” she paused, searching for the words, “a little overzealous. I apologize if he offended you.”
“I appreciate that, Ma’am.”
She waved a hand dismissively, “Please, call me Lucy. I’ve never been much for Ma’ams and Madams.”
Brandon felt a small smile tug at the corner of his lips, he could definitely tell who Melissa took after, “Very well, Lucy it is. Are there any particular questions you have, Lucy? Anything I can do to put your mind at ease?”
She stared at him, sizing him up, “I just have two questions. Whether or not you hear the second one is incumbent upon your answer to the first. Are you an honorable man, Mr. Noble? Would you ever do anything untoward my daughter?”
Brandon’s first reaction was to get angry. Instead logic prevailed and he answered her calmly, “Never in any way, shape, or form, Lucy. I had a daughter, I know exactly how I would react if someone did something like that to her. So to answer your question, yes, I like to think I’m an honorable man.”
“I see,” she said, “thank you for speaking candidly. My next question is this, is it dangerous?”
“Yes, Ma’a-Lucy, it is. I wish I could lie to you and tell you that if she goes through with this that she’ll never get hurt and that her life and career will never be jeopardized. But raising two children I can tell you’d spot that lie right away. That’s why I want to train her. I can’t prevent her from getting hurt, but I can do everything I can to prepare her for what life in the ring is like. The best I can offer you is lessening the odds that she’ll get hurt.”
“I see,” she said again, this time more solemn.
“I’m sorry,” Brandon apologized, “I wish I could offer more.”
She smiled sadly at him, “Mr. Noble, my daughter has the same look in her eyes that my son once had before he joined the Military. I doubt I could stop her any more than I could stop him. You have no need to apologize; you’ve been honest and forthright with me, that’s all I can ask.”
Brandon nodded, “Would you like me to step out while you and your husband discuss it? I can leave as well and give you guys a couple of days too if that helps.”
She laughed softly, “That won’t be necessary, Mr. Noble. I’ve already decided and Parker will just have to accept it. She won’t be a little girl forever, he needs to learn to let he make her own choices and if need be her own mistakes.”
“So –“ Brandon said, seeking clarification, “does that mean you would like me to train her?”
Lucy Dahlgren nodded, “Our daughter’s future is in your hands, Mr. Noble. Please do not give me cause to regret it.”
