Post by gvb on Apr 27, 2022 1:14:19 GMT -6
2x24 KINGDOME COME
Lady Magdalena Office
April 19th, 2022
7:39 PM
Static filled the screen, hitting hard and loud before a viewpoint came from one of the security cameras within the Academy training facility, one pinpointed at the door of Lady Magdalena’s office. There was a sudden blurt of white noise, before the view came into her very family office. The desk, the books, the mahogany furnishings, the decanter filled with dark fluid that may have been something along the lines of cognac. The time on the clock said that it was the end of the day’s session, and Lady was seen by one of her cabinets, searching through files and attired still in her navy blue tracksuit, far removed from her public glamor, yet still looking as elegant as one could ever be. There wasn’t even a knock on the door as the person she was awaiting entered, though she didn’t bat an eyelid as they came in.
Lady Magdalena:
I was expecting you to be late, but not this untimely, Addison.
Addi rolled her eyes, skipping her way to her seat with her ever present nonchalant attitude. Freshly showered from the end of her training session, her hair was still dripping on the office floor, and more so over her chair, but it mattered little.
Addison McKinley:
Yeah, well, you’re pretty lucky I came at all considering you’ve been trying to screw me for weeks, soo….
Lady Magdalena:
Oh, oui. The screwjob, or so you say.
Lady slapped down a folder of paperwork on the table, binded together collectively with a plain brown covering with the label ‘Addison McKinley’ upon it. Lady gazed up at her with those piercing eyes as she flicked open the folder.
Lady Magdalena:
These are my notes, by the way. Some, including Gian, say these are rather excessive, but I do like to go into detail… Oh, sorry… was there something you wanted to add?
Lady muttered, her eyes flicking up at Addison as she glared at her.
With a shrug, Addi kicked her feet up on the table, returning the glare in kind.
Addison McKinley:
Let’s just get this over with so I can go eat and play Elden Ring.
She glanced at the folder.
Addison McKinley:
Let me guess, we’re here to discuss how much of a problem I am and how if you could do it all again, you’d pick someone else despite the fact that nobody here can hold a candle to me right now. Oh, and how disappointed you are that trying to teach me a lesson has just come up short time after time.
Lady had been shifting through the paperwork, listening intently to what Addison had to say, but still having her eyes at her own written words.
Lady Magdalena:
I want you to take a very brief glance at this, Addison. These are your weekly reports since you signed up with the Academy. You don’t need to go into full detail, but please check the final scorings below.
Lady began flipping the pages, the main scores written out and circled in large red text.
Lady Magdalena:
Early weeks, C’s and D’s. Nothing to be disappointed in given how early the days were. The scores start increasing, showing how you are learning and developing. These build and build over the weeks, right up until you won the Gold Star…
Lady paused, staring over at Addison, moving the papers to the side as she locked eyes with her rebellious student.
Lady Magdalena:
And then… You went from an A, the highest score in your group… to an E. How did that happen?
Addison McKinley:
Because I’m not just taking on the other students, I’m taking YOU on. Y’know, since I’m not kissing your ass, or the collective asses of your family.
Addi was smiling even if her eyes maintained their intense stare.
Addison McKinley:
But that’s fine with me, since you wearing me down and forcing me onto every show in the hope that I falter keeps blowing up in your face.
The Fair Lady let her speak, still turning her documents over and not locking eyes with her young student.
Lady Magdalena:
And then you lost in under a minute to the new boy… Tut tut.
Lady glanced up at this point, keeping an eye on Addison’s smug grin as she spoke in that rich Parisian accent of hers.
Lady Magdalena:
Would you like to see your training scores after I made the stipulation that you should defend your title every match?
Addison McKinley:
The new boy is on steroids or something, he doesn’t count first off. Second off, your biased scores probably have me at the bottom of the list even though nobody in here works harder than me, so it’s kinda no point.
Addi rocked her feet back and forth, still staring a hole through her head trainer.
Addison McKinley:
But go ahead, let’s put it all out there so the next class knows what they’re getting into. If you’re even invited back.
Lady didn’t bat an eyelid, letting Addison speak her venom as she took a sip of the chilled beverage in front of her. She flopped some papers in front of her, her index finger hitting every final grading for the week that she had.
Lady Magdalena:
Grade A, Grade A, Grade A Plus… That was the only week any of my own students had hit that mark. The plus week I had you noted as staying behind after closing and causing considerable damage to one of the test dummies with strikes and takedowns. It was an extremely sudden difference in performance. Do you have anything to say about that?
Addison sprung forward, snatching away the papers with her grading, staring at them instead of Lady for a change. Satisfied, she sat back in her seat, her grin reappearing.
Addison McKinley:
All this tells me is you want to keep coaching here and fudging these numbers would have looked HORRIBLE for you, so congrats, you did something right.
Lady simply folded her arms, her head lolling to the side ever so slightly as she looked over at the rebellious student.
Lady Magdalena:
The sudden increase in your scores was dated after I had announced that you had to defend the Gold Star against every opponent in the future. Around the same time that Bey Addams was driven from this gym. Your decrease in scores was in between you winning the Gold Star and said announcement.
Lady snatched the papers back, her eyes glaring at Addison as she re-organized them and arranged them into order. The French Woman's eyes remained locked on her, awaiting her response.
Addison kicked her feet back up and shook her head.
Addison McKinley:
Listen, if you have a point, can you just, I dunno… GET TO IT? God, get tired of waiting for me to get my ass kicked and decide to bore me to death? That’d be a great way to have a more agreeable Gold Star.
Lady rolled her eyes, looking over at Addison after her anti authority comment, finally arranging the paperwork as she looked over at her student.
Lady Magdalena:
The fact is, Addison… The moment you won the Gold Star and Bey Addams left the Academy, you simply stopped working. Your attendance was horrific, you skipped lessons which you had never done before, You were skipping lessons, especially the ones when my brother came in to run them, which was a purposeful insult against a thirteen time World Champion who had come here to aid you free of charge.
Lady took another sip of her drink, her eyes still on the young woman.
Lady Magdalena:
Your scores dipped, your in ring performance suffered, and then as soon as I demanded that you start defending the Gold Star title every match, you suddenly started performing in the gym.
Lady glared directly at Addison, and if a death glare could ever be described, it would be that which she gave.
Lady Magdalena:
Almost as if you began making an effort again once we gave you this ‘punishment’.
Addison was ever unwavering, staring down Lady in kind.
Addison McKinley:
Don’t get it twisted here. Punishment or not, nobody was going to take away the Gold Star. But you add in trying to SCREW ME? Because FUCK YOU, and your brother, and the rest of your family? Of course I turned it up because embarrassing you makes it all so much better. You can sit there with your pretty little grades and talk in circles all you want, I don’t care. What I care about is how you set out to make me miserable because I dare not kiss your brothers ass like everyone else did.
There was no more arrogant little grin, just a look of anger.
Addison McKinley:
At that point this wasn’t about being a school an academy, it was about war and bringing you all back down to earth. You’re not wrestling royalty, you can tell him to take his thirteen world titles and wipe his ass with each of them, you’re not important to me. WINNING is important to me, and that’s what I’m going to keep doing no matter who or what is thrown in front of me.
Because fuck you. Fuck you, and fuck you.
Lady Magdalena:
There you go, darling.
Lady slipped into her draw, pulling out a pack of Marlboro Red cigarettes, bringing one to her mouth as she lit it.
Lady Magdalena:
I’ll admit, I am the most terrible role model for this, so please don’t follow my footsteps.
She took another soft inhale before resting the cig in an ashtray. Her fluttering eyes gazed over at her student after her rant, but the smile never faded.
Lady Magdalena:
Rebellion can be such a tool. It’s a weapon that can be wielded to great effect, and you did so admirably. But the fact of the matter is, would you have used it if I didn’t say a word about your disrespect? Would you have done anything if I had not challenged you to defend this title every show? Would have you put so much effort into the gym as you did?
Lady smiled, looking over at her.
Addison McKinley:
…Fuck you.
Addi lowered her feet to the floor, staring a hole through Lady.
Addison McKinley:
It’s not enough that you treated me unfairly compared to everyone else but to top it off you question what my hypothetical work ethic would have been. You don’t know me, you don’t know a damn thing about me. You see me as some easy to manipulate, disrespectful little bitch, huh?
She rose from her seat and braced herself against the table, leaning forward toward Lady.
Addison McKinley:
Do us all a favor and fuck off. You’re not a leader. You’re a bitch. And you know what? You don’t need to dismiss me, I’ll let myself out.
Addison had made her way to the door, turning the handle, but it wouldn’t budge. She tried two more times, but the handle was rigid in its place, causing her to turn sharply and glare at the Black Swan.
Lady Magdalena:
I am here to do everything in power to ensure that my charges perform at their very best ability, that they use everything in their arsenal to not only improve but to be victorious. And you… you… You perform and prepare when the stakes are at their very highest. Anything else, you do not reach those levels, and you slack off.
Lady put away her folder, before reaching for her drink.
Lady Magdalena:
I could have suspended you for a breach of contract. You couldn’t have done anything about it. Instead, I made moves for you to work, to perform and to better yourself. Hold that against me as you will, but I get the very BEST out of my students. And that is what you have given me.
Addi marched back toward Lady, red faced from her anger.
Addison McKinley:
If you don’t let me out of this room, I’ll give you a black eye to go with it. And don’t give me that “you can try” bullshit, because I learned from Yoda. I’ll just fucking do it. You’ve said enough and if I have to hear much more from you, the black eye is just the beginning. Clear? Clear. Open the door.
Lady Magdalena:
Yoda?
The French Woman openly laughed at the comment she made. Not quietly, not subtly, but very openly and loudly. There was a button on the desk, marked in red, and she pointed towards it as if encouraging Addison to press it herself.
Lady Magdalena:
Before you go though, you do have mail. Most important, I suspect.
She slid a number of letters over to her before turning her back.
Lady Magdalena:
You wouldn’t want to ignore these either… Keep up the good work.
Addison scoffed as she took the letters, her face still red.
Addison McKinley:
One last thing…
She slammed the button and started toward the door.
Addison McKinley:
I’m going to slap the shit out of you at graduation. Bank on it.
With a huff, the Gold Star left the office, slamming the door behind her.
Diary Room
April 22nd, 2022
12:01 pm
Gabriel Landry is sitting on a chair alone in the diary room of The Academy. He is wearing his trademark hoodie, his hands are tucked in the pouch.
Gabriel Landry:
It was heartbreaking missing out on a chance to become Gold Star Champion. Technically I won the match. There are those who are saying Addi intentionally got herself counted out. Don’t know if she admitted to it or not. If she did, it doesn’t matter, I accept responsibility. All I had to do was exit the ring, break the count, the match would have continued. I don’t blame Addi, championship advantage and all. If she intentionally got counted out she did what she needed to do. Nothing more. I didn’t do what was required. If I am fortunate enough to get another chance I will do whatever it takes, within reason. I’m not like a certain former champion...
Gabriel smiles at the dig he took at Rainer.
Gabriel Landry:
In order to get my one final shot I have to beat my best friend in the whole wide world. Jasper. He deserves this as much as anyone. He was the first champion. He was screwed over by our common enemy. And he has done everything the right way. I am proud of the guy. Most people here took the low road in trying to fat shame him. Jasper has never once lost his smile, unlike me, there was a stretch of time where I allowed myself to be engulfed in my own problems, he is the guy who made me realize the man I need to be. It’s going to suck denying him of an opportunity, for one match we are competitors. Not friends.
Gabriel takes a deep breath.
Gabriel Landry:
Speaking of friendships... I don’t understand why Jasper is friends with Walker. Bit of a jerk if we’re being completely honest. Not to me personally. To others. Notice the way he talks to other people. Not a fan. I am not looking to make an enemy. The main thing I want right now is to finish Season 2 as the Gold Star Champion. That’s it. This is my last chance. This is my only path, I don’t want to think about what happens if I fail...
Gabriel lowers his head in quiet contemplation as the video feed cuts.
Last Chance Triple Threat Match
Walker VS Jasper King VS Gabriel Landry
WINNER: Gabriel Landry BY: Pinfall (Standing Moonsault), 11:33 |
Gold Star Match
Addison McKinley © VS Devin Levandrier
WINNER: Addison McKinley (STILL GOLD STAR) BY: Pinfall (Superkick), 12:17 |