Eve Taylor was the last one out of the three to arrive at the bar. Selena Anderson and Stacey Madison had already claimed a booth for themselves, bought what appeared to be a couple of drinks and engaging in conversation with each other. However, as soon as Taylor entered the establishment, they both turned around and acknowledged her, pointing at her with a quick laugh. Eve Taylor smirked back, knowing exactly what this signal indicated; every time the three women got together to drink at the bar, the person who was last to arrive had to pay the price for being fashionably late: to buy a round of drinks for the table. Well, that was the major reason why Eve smirked. A part of Eve's smirk came from the suspected knowledge that the other two created this rule intentionally to drain Taylor's funds, on account of Eve being the one most likely to be fashionably late. Not only because of her being the one with the most commitments of the group, but because she was the model. Double whammy and an almost guarantee that Anderson & Madison would get free drinks every time.
As Eve headed over to the bar and hailed over the keeper of alcohol, her smirk slowly transitioned into a small grin. The previously regular meetings between the three women were becoming regular again and, barring any other Tyrone Blades/Stacey Madison deception incidents, these meetings did not seem to be stopping any time soon. Eve very much enjoyed the company of these two; they were not only fun to hang out with and provided memorable moments, yet they were also Eve's only two real friends in the company. For as big and expansive as WZCW was, and for how long Eve has been employed, she found it quite difficult to forge any friendships. Luckily, Stacey & Selena took to Eve like a moth to a flame, except somehow, the relationship between the three withstood the fire. They were still going out, having drinks and making fun despite everything that happened between Vis Imperium and their desire to control the company. Yes, Eve did not pick a side, but others she once cared for such as Flex Mussel and Mikey Stormrage were destroyed by their intent. Seeing Stacey Madison become corrupted by them to screw over another was just another pain in Eve's heart she could not bear. The pain still stings and the wounds still require mending but the healing process was well under way. Thinking positively about this prompted Eve to order a round of expensive cocktails from the barkeep, rather than some beers.
This was not the only healing process that was being undertaken by Eve Taylor; she had her own personal healing process to go through. A recovery process. A remodelling process, if you will. Eve Taylor needed to establish herself as a legitimate threat again to the roster after suffering many major losses in the past year. There weren't many days left in 2017 to bounce back from the plummet she experienced, and for this to work, she needed to refocus her efforts on the ring again. Dreams should not be the priority any more. Dreams are not real and only exist in one's mind. Eve had enough in her own mind; it was getting crowded with all the thoughts that float in her head. Dreams would be taking up too much space. This lead to two potential outcomes for her dreams: forget about them or turn them into a reality. Eve Taylor, of course, wanted the latter. Despite her best efforts, they hadn't happened yet, but by the God's, Eve Taylor has never given up trying to get there. Even with all the major losses she has suffered, every achievement she has managed to accomplish in-between those moments meant more to Eve than the losses. At the very least, Eve Taylor knew she was a consistent wrestler. She just needed some means of creating motivation to get past her bigger challenges. Flex Mussel, John Constantine... these are the names of wrestlers who she can, and has, beaten in the past. Eve just needed something to care about.
Her thoughts were interrupted when the barkeep came over to Eve with the drinks. She smiled, paid the lovely girl behind the bar and took all three to the group. Her smile grew larger when she came close to Selena & Stacey, placing them down on the table. Anderson's expression on her face quickly became one of joy and elation as if she had received the greatest gift; it was like seeing a kid's face in a candy store... but unlike the child in the expression, Anderson took her sweet alcoholic beverage she had previously, drank the rest in a fast fashion and grabbed the gifted drink from Eve, admiring it. Stacey, being the prim and proper lady she attempts to be, rolls her eyes and shakes her head at Selena's actions. Eve could not help but laugh as she sat in the final vacant seat, glad to see both girls were acting as themselves.
"Did you get a pay raise or something?" Anderson queried.
Eve chuckled. "Really? Do you honestly think I only go top shelf because I have some extra spending money?"
"Well, yeah." Anderson replied with seemingly serious intent. "That's what I'd do!"
"It's a good thing they've never given you a pay raise yet." Stacey quipped. "Could you imagine if you got your hands on more money? You'd be paying rent at the hospital for the amount of times you'd be black-out drunk."
"Hey! I do a damned good job announcing. I deserve better!"
"Oh thanks, Stacey. Now we've got her going!"
"Oi! We all know that I am worth more to this company than that bloody Truman Harrys. How does a man with such a terrible name get the opportunity to announce the name of everyone else? It doesn't make sense!"
Eve laughs as Stacey rolls her eyes again, attempting to hold back her own chuckle. A frustrated Selena lets out an audible sigh before she takes a sip of her drink, and almost immediately becomes infatuated with the taste. She puts her eyes right up close to the glass, giving off a funny reflection from the other side.
"But seriously, thanks for the fancy drinks! I owe you one."
"I was late. I had to grab the drinks. Plus, this was on the house."
This time, Anderson is the one who rolls her eyes but returns a smile to Eve, raising her glass. The two clink their glass together as Eve finally takes a sip. Stacey, who has been stirring her drink the whole time and carefully examining it, finally pipes up.
"I owe you my thanks, too... but not for the drinks."
Eve turns to face Stacey, a little confused about what she means.
"Firstly, thank you for allowing me to be the reporter to break the news that you had accepted Logan McAllister's challenge. That was a real big win for me this week, especially since there has not been much of anything reported about the rivalry between Logan and yourself. Fresh news is always good for a reporter to break. So, thank you for that."
Stacey lifted her glass. Eve smiled and lifted her glass, clinking them together.
"No worries, fam. As much as I would love to use my influence to help Anderson get a better position, at least with you, Stacey, I can always request you to be the one to interview me at any time. As long as I'm around, you'll always get some work."
"I appreciate it but you did not have to do it, especially after everything that happened with... well, you know... Tyrone."
Eve went to go for another sip, yet she put her glass down instead. She could tell that Stacey was still not yet over her actions. The conversation was definitely not buried. Even though it was a healing process, some old wounds needed to be tampered with to get through to the end.
"Look, Stacey. We can't change what happened but what we can do is work to improve everything for the future. We've all done things we regret and it will take some time for everything to heal... but tonight, let's not think about Tyrone any more. His name will only bring up bad feelings... even if I did beat him on Ascension! I took the legend to the limits, baby! Another victory for the Fabulous One! HELL YEAH!"
Pumped up by her victory and ecstatic she was able to pull of a victory she had doubts with, Eve threw her drink in the air expecting the others to be as excited as she was. Eve pulled her best silly yet adrenaline-filled expression - one might expect from a glam metal band when they were rocking out - and looked for someone to clink her glass... but the other two shied away from the opportunity. Anderson wanted to indulge Eve but she saw Stacey's expression, still a little upset at herself.
"Oh right," Eve responded, remembering what she just said about not bringing up Tyrone's name.
For a moment, they sat in an awkward silence. Eve felt bad for making Stacey upset. She wanted to put an arm around her and give her big hug, apologising for her words. Eve knew Stacey was not the kind of person who appreciated many hugs, so she left her alone, playing with her drink. Eve hoped she did not open up that wound bigger than what it was.
"So, um..." Anderson began, trying to break the silence, "... why did you accept Logan's challenge, any way?"
Straight to the point, I guess. Eve thought to herself. Might as well talk about it. We were eventually going to get there.
"You can't keep still, can you?"
"I don't like doing nothing. Makes me feel useless."
"That is something that we can both agree on."
Stacey and Selena slightly raised their glass in an accord before taking a drink.
"Well, what else would I have done at Unscripted if I did not accept Logan's challenge? Neither him nor I would be in any match, and we'd be the only two on the roster not to be on the PPV. This would lead us to being forced into a match against each other anyway or be left off the card. And I third your motion about hating the feeling of being useless, so why I wish for myself to take the PPV off by doing nothing? I haven't any nagging injuries, nor do I have any reason to take time off. Not to mention that if I refused the challenge, the faith everyone has in me - or whatever remains of that faith - would plummet. Why would the wrestler who is looking to become a World champion refuse a challenge? That is not the attitude of a champion."
"So, you're doing this for selfish reasons? To raise your own stock? Nothing to do with Logan McAllister himself?"
Eve was a little baffled by the questions.
"I mean, Logan McAllister did attack me randomly one time during a show recently. Aside from this and the challenge he laid out, what else has he done to me? I do not have any personal feeling towards Logan at all; he is someone who I can relate with, honestly. I have been in his position before and I believe we share the same position now. We both wish to rise up the card and become a champion. We are just taking two separate paths to get there. I do it by being impressive in the ring and Logan does it by hiring someone else to talk for him and attack people from behind. You know, doing everything else except proving himself in the ring."
Eve let a chuckle, intending it as a joke, but the other two took it seriously.
"You do have a problem with him."
"Um, no, not really."
"Yes you do, Eve. You just complained to us about him and the interview you had with me about Logan on Ascension was not something you'd do without having some sort of problem with the man. If you did not, this match would not be happening."
Eve was beginning to get annoyed at the pressure both of them were giving her.
"I already explained my positioned: I am wrestling Logan McAllister at Unscripted because I did not have a match and I would like to wrestle on the event. If Logan McAllister is all I can get, then I shall wrestle him. No harm, no foul."
"Do you seriously expect us to believe that, Eve? You aren't in a singles match or an exhibition match. When Logan attacked you - physically and verbally - you attacked back, and the possible matches you have to face him are quite extensive for a bit of friendly competition. You may have to face him inside a Steel Cage. You may have to fight him locked inside a Boiler Room. Hell, the most tame of the three matches is a No Hold Barred match, and that potentially involves a whole lot of weapons, Eve. You knew the risks when the challenged was laid out and you still accepted. This is something more than just wrestling. What is it, Eve?"
Eve, at this point, is looking away from the other two. Anderson is watching intently as Madison appears to be poking Taylor for information.
"If there is something else, you can say it. We are here to listen to each other. Whatever it is, it doesn't leave this table. We're friends, after all."
Whatever anger that washed through Eve over her colleagues poking at her for information became anger towards the issue that bothered Eve, and a relief that her colleagues had just called Eve their friend. If anything else was said by Stacey to prompt Eve, she would have verbally attacked Stacey for not opening up about Tyrone... but this is what Eve had wanted: acceptance. She wanted to be accepted by the other two to be their friend. Now that this was confirmed, she did not want to lose this friendship by remaining silent about Logan McAllister. Eve turned to the others and began to explain.
"Week in and week out, I have been winning my matches consistently. Meltdown, Ascension, even house shows. Every time I step into that ring for the television audience, I am putting on a damned good performance and coming out on top every single time. When I lost the Lethal Lottery, I put my career on the line when I faced off against Celeste Crimson in a dream match. After I beat her and restore some faith in me, do you want to know the tagline that was used against me was?: Eve Taylor could not win the Lottery. After showcasing that I was still worthy of the World title with victories over Celeste and Titus, I was in a match with Flex Mussel for the number one contendership... and I lost. Despite my previous efforts, the "choker" tagline began to manifest. In the Gold Rush tournament, I went through the toughest of the two brackets to get to the finals. Constantine had the easiest ascent to the top whilst I faced off against break-out stars like Callie Clark and Lynx and the Hall of Famer Matt Tastic... yet when I lost the finals, I am labelled a choker and unworthy of my main event status. I understand these were all massive matches but how about all the other matches in-between when I wowed the audiences and showed everyone why there is still support from the fans for my to be successful.
"However, the label remains. I am still a choker. I am still someone who is milking my position of being a main event player, a position in which I did not initially deserve. Do people not remember the championship reigns that I had? Does anyone not remember the fact that I defeated champions whilst they still held the belt clean, including World champions?! What happened to those victories? Do they even matter any more, or is it just the current trends that people care about? And if so, why don't people remember that fact that since the Anniversary show, I am undefeated. I've beaten Vis Imperium, I took Tyrone Blades to the limits and won, and I even beat Logan McAllister already! Yet, Logan has the hide to call me unworthy and that he should be in my position; I do not deserve a spot on this roster and that he wishes to remove me from this company... better yet, he does not even say this himself! He has his manager Goldman be the one to do all the talking because he does not wish to waste his breath uttering my name; because my name does not deserve to be uttered by him.
"What is the worst thing about the entire situation is that Logan has some support behind him. He truly believes everything Goldman is spewing from his mouth. Why? Because he was able to attack me from behind and take me out of the match? 'A main event level superstar such as I, Logan McAllister, wouldn't be distracted by anything; therefore, Eve Taylor is not main event worthy'... says the man who just lost to me the show prior. And let's not forget him taking out Constantine for the 50 000 dollar reward or whatever figure was put up on Constantine's head. Yeah, good on you, buddy, you took someone out when they weren't looking, had an entire stable looking to take him down and you were even given the opportunity to attack him by the boss himself. Yeah, real achievement... and he thinks he can round out all this with a guaranteed victory over the girl who just can't seem to get it done on big matches?"
Eve took a second to take a big drink from her cocktail. For a moment, she was impressed with the fruity taste but then she realised she was supposed to be ranting about Logan McAllister, someone who supposedly matters. She put down her drink - the more important thing in this scenario - to continue.
"What gives Logan McAllister to right to claim that I am nothing? I have proven that I am something. My name is in the record book for being the longest reigning Elite champion in WZCW history. I beat the hardest challenges and faced the toughest opponents to keep that reign alive. What did Logan do when he became the Elite champion? He also made it to the record books... as the shortest reigning Elite champion in WZCW history. Now, I may have lost the Lethal Lottery and that is a stain on my record... but Logan McAllister not only lost the Lethal Lottery but he lost the damned Elite championship whilst he was competing in that very match! How incompetent of a wrestler must one be to lose a title in a battle royale when the title is not even on the line?! I'll tell you how incompetent he is: he managed to resurrect the deadwood match that almost kicked him out of the company and he has yet to win one single match since qualifying for the King for a Day match at the Anniversary show!"
Eve looks over at Stacey and stares at her directly.
"You wish to know what my problem is, Stacey? I am being targeted by a man who does not believe I deserve my spot and believes he deserves that accolade when he has yet to show anyone why he deserves it... and my only option for Unscripted is to face him in a match to prove him that everything he says is invalid. Why do I have to prove his words are false when those words are indeed false? Should the roles not be reversed? Should he be the one to make me eat my words and show me why he deserves such a position? Should I not be the one to tell him he needs to prove his metal? Should I be the one to attack him week in, week out and show him how worthless he is? Should I not be the one remaining silent and allow someone else to talk for me because I do not consider him a threat? Surely, something is clearly wrong here."
Eve straightens herself up.
"But, at the end of the day, I was the one who accepted the challenge and it is I who must meet Logan McAllister at Unscripted to prove myself to him. I promised to the fans that I will take him on in a singles contest and it is up to them to decide which match we shall fight in. Steel Cage, Boiler Room or No Holds Barred: I encourage the fans to pick whichever match tickles their fancy because no matter the match, I will give me all to put on a performance of a lifetime. I will showcase my skills to the world, entertain the crowd and make a believer out of Logan McAllister. In our match, the aggression and the passion I will give him in not only beating him but also putting on a great match will convince him that I deserve to be in this company... and that one day I will be involved in the World championship scene. I will show Logan that it takes something more than a simple blindsided attack, a manager with fancy words and a public challenge to put yourself on the same level as legends like Tyrone Blades, Titus and Matt Tastic. If he wants respect, he needs to do a whole lot more than win one match, something he has some troubles with recently...
"... and even if he beats me, so what? He beat Eve Taylor. Congratulations! Do you want a medal? Newsflash: many people have beaten me and I'm sure I will be beaten by many more. What then? What does Logan McAllister do after me? He has a lot more to do and to prove before he'll even be respected half as much as I am... and the respect most competitors have for me isn't in the greatest position. With his current attitude, I doubt the man will get far. Nobody remembers the silent. How will anybody remember Logan McAllister when he did not speak for himself? As far as my thoughts go, Logan McAllister is a dangerous shadow who hides behind other men and blends into the darkness. When Logan McAllister finally finds the spotlight he so desires, where will he be? He will be nothing more than a shadow faded into the background. If Logan wants the spotlight for himself, he should not blame those who stand in it: Logan should step forward and be a real competitor, a real wrestler. Logan is not a real competitor. Logan is not a real wrestler. All I see is that Logan McAllister is Richard Goldman's bitch."
Eve turns to Selena, then to Stacey.
"So, does that answer your question?"
Impressed by the wall of texts delivered to her, Stacey nods her head and raises her glass. Selena does the same with an excited smile on her face, for she finally gets to drink without feeling awkward. Eve smirks and the three girls toast each other.
"Excellent! Now, down to more important business. I've finished my drink! Let's get another round."
"Already? I am only half-way through this one! I did not even finish my previous drink."
"Catch up, slow poke! The alcoholic rivers are going to stop flowing soon and I want to be the one to make that happen!"
"You have a problem, girl."
"It's not a problem if I don't admit it!"
"Damn straight!"
"Maybe I should've said nothing about Logan, after all!"
The three girls share a laugh and continue on with their conversation.
