Post by Finn Kühn on Dec 31, 2022 21:48:38 GMT -5
30 December 2022
The Velvet Rabbit
Las Vegas, Nevada
The Las Vegas skyline had an enchanting beauty to it. For a city built upon sin, it took that sin and made it into an enchanting wonderland where everywhere you turn could lead to a new rabbit hole being ventured down... and in some cases for this, it would be very literal. Such would be the case for anyone inside the infamous Velvet Rabbit, home of the CCPE Arena where the WGWF had made its home.
Such was, ultimately, the case for Finn Kühn, who was not enamored in the slightest about having to call the suite near the literal strip club his home out West for the time being until he could find more permanent lodgings. He found himself standing against the windows in his new suite, looking out over the countless lights and letting his mind wander in an attempt to not ruminate on the aforementioned fact of where he was at currently. To be frank, while matters of sex and romance weren't something he felt disgusted at usually, as someone who never paid either of them much of any mind, now being in an environment so close to them felt almost... alien for Finn.
Well, there was more important things to worry about. With the XWF retiring its Wednesday show and bringing him a gutwrenching loss to Chris Page in a Chamber match featuring other stars within the company, the next stage set for the King in Rags was none other than the West Coast Rumble. With Zara Ivory awaiting him and potentially giving him a strong first match, to say a victory would be important here would be an understatement. A victory over a competitor as formidable as Miss Ivory would be sure to turn some eyes, catch some ears, and more importantly, give a strong first impression-
"Think fast!"
BONK!
"Son of a-!" Finn cursed, subconsciously knowing what had been coming as soon as he heard the voice ringing through the air, but not fast enough to try and protect himself at time. A large bump on his head was his reward, and he gave a loud sigh in response as he turned around to face the culprit.
Brown hair and dark eyes are what stared back at them, bearing a mischievous grin beside them as Skyla Hawkins twirled what was her favorite instrument when it came to the art of sneaking up on people - a long, crimson-red spear. As Finn's trainer, Skyla often took it upon herself to try getting the drop on her student by any means necessary, and that didn't get into the variety of different training sessions she had in store for the would-be King...
"Well, looks like you finally made it to the Velvet Rabbit after all!" Skyla gave a wry grin as she saw fit to try and metaphorically poke the bear with Finn, who still seemed somewhat out of things. "Honestly, after all the pushback you gave to even entering within there during Halloween, I'm surprised you're stepping foot in here now."
"Not by choice, I assure you," Finn responded back with a furrowing of his brow. His head felt like it was killing him after that shot, but he did his best to not show it - the last thing he needed to do was to give Skyla more ammunition on trying to needle him and try getting inside his head. Honestly, dealing with her half the time was like trying to decipher an enigma... "This is just temporary until I can get an actual, proper house around here."
"Uh-huh," Skyla said, clearly not fully convinced as she crossed her arms. "How's Vegas treating you anyways, Finn?"
"Feels too soft here," Finn said as he diverted his eyes to the floor. "Like anything I've ever wanted is just within an arm's reach. Lots of people may like it like that, but not me. I feel like I need to get out of this house sooner or later, or else I'm just gonna end up popping at the seams..."
"You don't say," Skyla sighed. Well, figuring that the two of them need to get down to business, she walked her way over to the kitchen. Popping open the fridge, she quickly got to work getting out a bag of grapes for the two to share before turning back to face him. "It could be worse. At least it's better living quarters than your cramped apartment in New York."
"It's not cramped, it's snug!" Finn shot back, before shaking his head. What the Hell was he even doing at this point? Trying to recollect himself and focus on the task at hand, he plopped down into the nearby couch as Skyla walked over. She brought down the grapes onto the coffee table that sat itself right in front of the couch, with a closed laptop right on top of that. "So... West Coast Rumble."
Skyla popped open the bag of grapes, bringing three into her mouth and devouring them in an instant before opening her mouth. "Indeed. Have you been studying up on Zara Ivory?"
"'Course I have," Finn sighed, before opening his laptop. "Here and there, at least. I think I've got the basics of a strategy down, at least."
Skyla instantly latched onto Finn's words in realization, and her eyes hardened in response. Her squint could set almost anyone on edge, and Finn was no exception with goosebumps rising all over his skin. "You don't sound particularly confident. And here I thought you would have been wanting to tackle this match with a full head of steam. You only get one opportunity to make a first impression in that ring, after all."
Giving a glare of his own back to Skyla, Finn silently responded by opening the laptop and turning it back on. The screen and keyboard flared to life, giving a soft glow as he signed back in. As soon as he did so, multiple different video feeds made themselves known on the screen. Skyla only had to look at it for a moment before coming to the realization as to what it was - it was multiple different matches Zara Ivory was in throughout this past year, putting her body on the line in thrilling match after thrilling match. The two most prominent feeds were, in fact, her recent but hard-fought losses to both Cholo and Atara Themis.
"Fair enough," Skyla nodded, acknowledging that for once, her first assumption on Finn's mental state was incorrect. "But, really. Do you think you're ready for this? WGWF is an entirely different atmosphere than the XWF."
Finn shrugged, popping a few of the grapes on the table into his mouth as he raised an eyebrow at Skyla. "About as confident as I can be, really. All things considered, I handled a 'different atmosphere' just fine when I went to Tara Fenix's charity show back in October. As for Zara... she's a tough nut to crack in there, but she's also nothing I haven't faced before in there. Honestly, her mindset feels like it hasn't even fully matured yet, and it shows with how she fights. She throws caution to the wind, and when her opponent adapts to her fighting style, she has trouble trying to switch gears to account for that."
"About as calm and analytical an answer as I can expect from Finn Kühn at this point," Skyla nodded in acknowledgment. "That being said... I think I like her. There's something about her energy there that's infectious. Not for nothing Finn, you're fast, but I'm not sure if you're that fast..."
"I'd say it's less about speed here, and more so just having good enough reflexes to handle that speed," Finn countered. As if to illustrate his point, he played the latest Zara match against Atara Themis on the laptop, letting the footage speak for itself.
"See what I mean?" Finn nodded as the video feed faded to black with a triumphant Atara posing. Skyla nodded, acknowledging Finn's point as he looked to continue. "And quite honestly, she feels rather... Hm. Bland isn't the right word, but she comes off as rather... cliche. As if to say she's the type of girl who'll flash you a smile and a wave and just say they're... happy to be there. Do you get what I'm saying, Skyla?"
"So, you mean to say she comes off more like some innocent schoolgirl who isn't particularly aware of the world she's really stepping into?" Skyla asked while raising an eyebrow.
"Good way to put it," Finn sat back as he stared at the ceiling. "Don't get me wrong, Zara's not completely incompetent. Former champion, been around the block a couple times even with only a year of proper professional experience... but there's a difference between 'good' and 'great.' Zara is good. She's talented, knows what she needs to do, goes in there and gives it her best shot night in and night out. But she doesn't have the desire to improve. The desire to reach new heights. Honestly, just watch one of her promos and you'll see she treats this like a game. A silly game that she'll end up struggling her way through, trying to scratch and claw bit by bit just to get a slight bit of progress."
"She's good. But I'm going through here, through XWF and through whatever competition is placed into my path to prove that I'm great. I don't want to back down, not even for a second. Because I know that day in, day out, there's always room for improvement. Always room to try and better yourself. Always room to try out different strategies. I don't want to allow myself to grow complacent for even a second - not when I'm in the WGWF. Not when I want to try purifying it of the... the corruption that pervades this entire company. Considering the CCPE have a heavy role here, it's hard not to see this place like that."
"And on that," Skyla said after taking in another small handful of grapes again, "We can agree. Speaking of strategies..."
"Mmmh?" Finn asked, craning his head over to look at Skyla as she brought herself off from the couch and over to the bag she brought with her. "What's wrong?"
A small moment persisted and hung through the air as Skyla dug and dug and dug through her purse. Finn bit back the urge to say something, as Skyla didn't usually take too kindly to others asking her if she needed help. Finally though, she popped right back out with a small black notebook in her hand.
"Here you are!" Skyla said with a mischievous smile on her face as she handed the book off to Finn. "Consider it a special gift from me now that you're really stretching your wings and going into a second promotion."
"This is..." Finn hesitated for a moment, looking at his new prize with a careful expression, trying to figure out what the meaning of this could be. "Skyla, why'd you just get me a regular old noteboo-"
BONK!
"Ow - FUCK!" Finn shouted as he rubbed his sore head. "Okay! Okay! I didn't mean to sound ungrateful! Th-Thank you for the gift..."
"That's better," Skyla said, bringing the spear to rest as she smiled again. "As I was about to say... it may be just an ordinary notebook, but it's what you're going to be doing with it that counts. More so specifically... it's not like you'll be having those information dossiers you're getting in the XWF, no?"
Finn bit his lip, nodding slowly in realization. Unfortunately, that was a very good point. In the XWF, most talent have a company liaison meant to help keep them coordinated with management, as well as be informed of matches and other dates. Most of them stood back on the sidelines, but Finn's own liaison, Christine, was different. They spent most of their time together while Finn got ready for XWF matches as she tried her best to annoy him. Christine grew to be quite successful at doing so... but she also frequently handed him company-compiled informational dossiers on most public information regarding his opponents. Their roster sheet, achievements, big moves...
Of course, with no Christine, it's not like that was a luxury Finn could have here.
"See my point now, don't you?" Skyla nodded with a victorious look in her eyes, noticing the spike in irritation in Finn's eyes from knowing this. "Well... that's where this notebook comes in. If you intend to know your enemy and know how to defeat them, I figure it'll be for the best if you start writing your strategies down. Think of them like... compiling your plans."
Finn was silent, staring at the notebook with renewed interest. Leave it to Skyla to even have her gifts serve some complicated role with making sure you'd be getting better at fighting. Still, that was why Finn had an appreciation for her - even if he still had much to improve and get better at... she did know her stuff.
"Alright..." Finn nodded in realization, knowing this was probably going to become his new best friend soon.
A new year was coming.
New horizons were going to be set.
A new course will be charted.
It's time for 2023 to serve as the King's Ascension.
The Velvet Rabbit
Las Vegas, Nevada
The Las Vegas skyline had an enchanting beauty to it. For a city built upon sin, it took that sin and made it into an enchanting wonderland where everywhere you turn could lead to a new rabbit hole being ventured down... and in some cases for this, it would be very literal. Such would be the case for anyone inside the infamous Velvet Rabbit, home of the CCPE Arena where the WGWF had made its home.
Such was, ultimately, the case for Finn Kühn, who was not enamored in the slightest about having to call the suite near the literal strip club his home out West for the time being until he could find more permanent lodgings. He found himself standing against the windows in his new suite, looking out over the countless lights and letting his mind wander in an attempt to not ruminate on the aforementioned fact of where he was at currently. To be frank, while matters of sex and romance weren't something he felt disgusted at usually, as someone who never paid either of them much of any mind, now being in an environment so close to them felt almost... alien for Finn.
Well, there was more important things to worry about. With the XWF retiring its Wednesday show and bringing him a gutwrenching loss to Chris Page in a Chamber match featuring other stars within the company, the next stage set for the King in Rags was none other than the West Coast Rumble. With Zara Ivory awaiting him and potentially giving him a strong first match, to say a victory would be important here would be an understatement. A victory over a competitor as formidable as Miss Ivory would be sure to turn some eyes, catch some ears, and more importantly, give a strong first impression-
"Think fast!"
BONK!
"Son of a-!" Finn cursed, subconsciously knowing what had been coming as soon as he heard the voice ringing through the air, but not fast enough to try and protect himself at time. A large bump on his head was his reward, and he gave a loud sigh in response as he turned around to face the culprit.
Brown hair and dark eyes are what stared back at them, bearing a mischievous grin beside them as Skyla Hawkins twirled what was her favorite instrument when it came to the art of sneaking up on people - a long, crimson-red spear. As Finn's trainer, Skyla often took it upon herself to try getting the drop on her student by any means necessary, and that didn't get into the variety of different training sessions she had in store for the would-be King...
"Well, looks like you finally made it to the Velvet Rabbit after all!" Skyla gave a wry grin as she saw fit to try and metaphorically poke the bear with Finn, who still seemed somewhat out of things. "Honestly, after all the pushback you gave to even entering within there during Halloween, I'm surprised you're stepping foot in here now."
"Not by choice, I assure you," Finn responded back with a furrowing of his brow. His head felt like it was killing him after that shot, but he did his best to not show it - the last thing he needed to do was to give Skyla more ammunition on trying to needle him and try getting inside his head. Honestly, dealing with her half the time was like trying to decipher an enigma... "This is just temporary until I can get an actual, proper house around here."
"Uh-huh," Skyla said, clearly not fully convinced as she crossed her arms. "How's Vegas treating you anyways, Finn?"
"Feels too soft here," Finn said as he diverted his eyes to the floor. "Like anything I've ever wanted is just within an arm's reach. Lots of people may like it like that, but not me. I feel like I need to get out of this house sooner or later, or else I'm just gonna end up popping at the seams..."
"You don't say," Skyla sighed. Well, figuring that the two of them need to get down to business, she walked her way over to the kitchen. Popping open the fridge, she quickly got to work getting out a bag of grapes for the two to share before turning back to face him. "It could be worse. At least it's better living quarters than your cramped apartment in New York."
"It's not cramped, it's snug!" Finn shot back, before shaking his head. What the Hell was he even doing at this point? Trying to recollect himself and focus on the task at hand, he plopped down into the nearby couch as Skyla walked over. She brought down the grapes onto the coffee table that sat itself right in front of the couch, with a closed laptop right on top of that. "So... West Coast Rumble."
Skyla popped open the bag of grapes, bringing three into her mouth and devouring them in an instant before opening her mouth. "Indeed. Have you been studying up on Zara Ivory?"
"'Course I have," Finn sighed, before opening his laptop. "Here and there, at least. I think I've got the basics of a strategy down, at least."
Skyla instantly latched onto Finn's words in realization, and her eyes hardened in response. Her squint could set almost anyone on edge, and Finn was no exception with goosebumps rising all over his skin. "You don't sound particularly confident. And here I thought you would have been wanting to tackle this match with a full head of steam. You only get one opportunity to make a first impression in that ring, after all."
Giving a glare of his own back to Skyla, Finn silently responded by opening the laptop and turning it back on. The screen and keyboard flared to life, giving a soft glow as he signed back in. As soon as he did so, multiple different video feeds made themselves known on the screen. Skyla only had to look at it for a moment before coming to the realization as to what it was - it was multiple different matches Zara Ivory was in throughout this past year, putting her body on the line in thrilling match after thrilling match. The two most prominent feeds were, in fact, her recent but hard-fought losses to both Cholo and Atara Themis.
"Fair enough," Skyla nodded, acknowledging that for once, her first assumption on Finn's mental state was incorrect. "But, really. Do you think you're ready for this? WGWF is an entirely different atmosphere than the XWF."
Finn shrugged, popping a few of the grapes on the table into his mouth as he raised an eyebrow at Skyla. "About as confident as I can be, really. All things considered, I handled a 'different atmosphere' just fine when I went to Tara Fenix's charity show back in October. As for Zara... she's a tough nut to crack in there, but she's also nothing I haven't faced before in there. Honestly, her mindset feels like it hasn't even fully matured yet, and it shows with how she fights. She throws caution to the wind, and when her opponent adapts to her fighting style, she has trouble trying to switch gears to account for that."
"About as calm and analytical an answer as I can expect from Finn Kühn at this point," Skyla nodded in acknowledgment. "That being said... I think I like her. There's something about her energy there that's infectious. Not for nothing Finn, you're fast, but I'm not sure if you're that fast..."
"I'd say it's less about speed here, and more so just having good enough reflexes to handle that speed," Finn countered. As if to illustrate his point, he played the latest Zara match against Atara Themis on the laptop, letting the footage speak for itself.
CENTURION: She caught Atara off guard there! Atty hit the back of her head hard when she fell!
TYLER CAGE: Zara is scrambling for the corner, pulling herself up on the ropes and climbing to the top of the turnbuckle!
CENTURION: This might be ill-advised.
TYLER CAGE: Violence Causes Silence!
Zara leaps off the top ropes with a frog splash, but once more Atara is ready for her and rolls out of the way and up to her feet, falling off the ropes. Zara crashes off the mat, bouncing up to all fours and howling in pain as Atara Raven slingshots back towards her and leaps with her patented flying knee.
The Judgement of Paris!
The knee lands clean on the side of Zara’s skull and topples her to the canvas. Atara pounces on top of her for the cover.
ONE!
TWO!
THREE!
TYLER CAGE: Zara is scrambling for the corner, pulling herself up on the ropes and climbing to the top of the turnbuckle!
CENTURION: This might be ill-advised.
TYLER CAGE: Violence Causes Silence!
Zara leaps off the top ropes with a frog splash, but once more Atara is ready for her and rolls out of the way and up to her feet, falling off the ropes. Zara crashes off the mat, bouncing up to all fours and howling in pain as Atara Raven slingshots back towards her and leaps with her patented flying knee.
The Judgement of Paris!
The knee lands clean on the side of Zara’s skull and topples her to the canvas. Atara pounces on top of her for the cover.
ONE!
TWO!
THREE!
"See what I mean?" Finn nodded as the video feed faded to black with a triumphant Atara posing. Skyla nodded, acknowledging Finn's point as he looked to continue. "And quite honestly, she feels rather... Hm. Bland isn't the right word, but she comes off as rather... cliche. As if to say she's the type of girl who'll flash you a smile and a wave and just say they're... happy to be there. Do you get what I'm saying, Skyla?"
"So, you mean to say she comes off more like some innocent schoolgirl who isn't particularly aware of the world she's really stepping into?" Skyla asked while raising an eyebrow.
"Good way to put it," Finn sat back as he stared at the ceiling. "Don't get me wrong, Zara's not completely incompetent. Former champion, been around the block a couple times even with only a year of proper professional experience... but there's a difference between 'good' and 'great.' Zara is good. She's talented, knows what she needs to do, goes in there and gives it her best shot night in and night out. But she doesn't have the desire to improve. The desire to reach new heights. Honestly, just watch one of her promos and you'll see she treats this like a game. A silly game that she'll end up struggling her way through, trying to scratch and claw bit by bit just to get a slight bit of progress."
"She's good. But I'm going through here, through XWF and through whatever competition is placed into my path to prove that I'm great. I don't want to back down, not even for a second. Because I know that day in, day out, there's always room for improvement. Always room to try and better yourself. Always room to try out different strategies. I don't want to allow myself to grow complacent for even a second - not when I'm in the WGWF. Not when I want to try purifying it of the... the corruption that pervades this entire company. Considering the CCPE have a heavy role here, it's hard not to see this place like that."
"And on that," Skyla said after taking in another small handful of grapes again, "We can agree. Speaking of strategies..."
"Mmmh?" Finn asked, craning his head over to look at Skyla as she brought herself off from the couch and over to the bag she brought with her. "What's wrong?"
A small moment persisted and hung through the air as Skyla dug and dug and dug through her purse. Finn bit back the urge to say something, as Skyla didn't usually take too kindly to others asking her if she needed help. Finally though, she popped right back out with a small black notebook in her hand.
"Here you are!" Skyla said with a mischievous smile on her face as she handed the book off to Finn. "Consider it a special gift from me now that you're really stretching your wings and going into a second promotion."
"This is..." Finn hesitated for a moment, looking at his new prize with a careful expression, trying to figure out what the meaning of this could be. "Skyla, why'd you just get me a regular old noteboo-"
BONK!
"Ow - FUCK!" Finn shouted as he rubbed his sore head. "Okay! Okay! I didn't mean to sound ungrateful! Th-Thank you for the gift..."
"That's better," Skyla said, bringing the spear to rest as she smiled again. "As I was about to say... it may be just an ordinary notebook, but it's what you're going to be doing with it that counts. More so specifically... it's not like you'll be having those information dossiers you're getting in the XWF, no?"
Finn bit his lip, nodding slowly in realization. Unfortunately, that was a very good point. In the XWF, most talent have a company liaison meant to help keep them coordinated with management, as well as be informed of matches and other dates. Most of them stood back on the sidelines, but Finn's own liaison, Christine, was different. They spent most of their time together while Finn got ready for XWF matches as she tried her best to annoy him. Christine grew to be quite successful at doing so... but she also frequently handed him company-compiled informational dossiers on most public information regarding his opponents. Their roster sheet, achievements, big moves...
Of course, with no Christine, it's not like that was a luxury Finn could have here.
"See my point now, don't you?" Skyla nodded with a victorious look in her eyes, noticing the spike in irritation in Finn's eyes from knowing this. "Well... that's where this notebook comes in. If you intend to know your enemy and know how to defeat them, I figure it'll be for the best if you start writing your strategies down. Think of them like... compiling your plans."
Finn was silent, staring at the notebook with renewed interest. Leave it to Skyla to even have her gifts serve some complicated role with making sure you'd be getting better at fighting. Still, that was why Finn had an appreciation for her - even if he still had much to improve and get better at... she did know her stuff.
"Alright..." Finn nodded in realization, knowing this was probably going to become his new best friend soon.
A new year was coming.
New horizons were going to be set.
A new course will be charted.
It's time for 2023 to serve as the King's Ascension.