[center][sup]Collab with: [@lovely complex][/sup]

[img]http://txt-dynamic.static.1001fonts.net/txt/b3RmLjgwLjk2NmFkYy5TR1VnWkdWelpYSjJaV1FnYVhRdS4w/gipsiero.regular.png[/img][/center]
[indent]Her soft, blue eyes were glued to the monitor as the main match proceeded between Zachary Wake and Caiden Winters. Zoned in and her attention completely tunnel visioned toward the match, Joy Ryder was not aware of anyone but the individuals on the ring preparing to fight. The sound of people chewing food at the nearby catering table, the film crew breaking down equipment and preparing for After Hours, the light breaths of those around her, wrestler and road crew alike, watching the match in equal amount of anticipation, was all background noise to her.  Rubbing her hands together in nervous anxiety, she took in the entrance of Zachary Wake, a wrestler she had come to respect, due to his experience and apparent efforts at the AWE. She smiled at herself, adoring his calm, yet prevalent stage presence. A man who thrived off the heat.

Then came the pause. 

It felt like her heart stopped along with the long silence. Bringing her hands to her lips, she rested them on her face, cupping her lips, waiting. Waiting for the next wrestler to come in and make the crowd go wild. The one they all were waiting for. 

The one she was waiting for. 

[center][i]CAI-DEN WIN-TERS 
CAI-DEN WIN-TERS[/i][/center]

And then his music hit and Caiden Winters, with the utmost pride and confidence, made himself public. Resolution could be read all over his face. There was no way in hell he’d lose. He made everyone believe that everyday was his day. The day that the AWE would realize he was undeniably the best damned wrestler that has ever walked on that ring. The inner fan girl in Joy jumped and squealed, but Joy, herself, in front of everyone else backstage, was frozen still. With intent and agonizing excitement, the on-air personality internally prayed for the results to end in her favor.   

The fight began. 

Caiden opened the match with an impeccable drop kick! It was so good. Joy could feel the energy emitting out of the screen and to her. And, well, everyone else in the room, but right now she wasn’t really paying attention to them. All that mattered was this fight. Caiden was going to win. [i][color=9966cc]He’s more than ready, Zack. Go get him Caiden![/color][/i] Joy cheered in her head. 

The boys fought for power and the anxiety moved from her chest to her stomach, twisting and turning. Zachary Wake was a strong opponent, there was no doubt about that. Her body responded instinctively when Caiden got welted in the jaw. Subtly flinching at the sight, the brunette pouted at the screen. AND THEN THE KNEE TO HIS ABDOMEN. Hugging her body, as if she could feel the pain Caiden was going through, Joy earnestly watched the screen, hoping for a turnover. 

Joy eagerly observed Caiden’s reverse neckbreaker, as he retaliated to Zack’s claim to being the best. She couldn’t help but gleam at the pose Caiden made. This match was too much for her. She would surely pass out from the suspense. 

And then... the match took a turn for the worse. First the liontamer, squeezing the life out of her favorite wrestler, Joy was losing her breath from the intense hold. [i][color=9966cc]Come on! Fight, Caiden! You can do it! Get out of this! Fight![/color][/i] Then the referee having the audacity to ask Caiden if he wanted to QUIT, and then… oh god, this was awful. Too many highs, too many lows.

[center][i]Caiden’s gonna kill you!
Caiden’s gonna kill you![/i][/center]

Not even Caiden’s remarkable Solstice could have prepared her for this. Why was Zachary Wake’s such a CHEATER?! Before she knew it, Wake gave the lowest of low blows, so low, that the referee DID NOT see, and Caiden… lost. He lost. This wasn’t fair! Joy’s right hand was balled into a fist and resting on her chest. She had gotten so immersed into the match and then Caiden Winters, angry as ever, which was to be expected, killed the ref. 

Joy’s heart stopped again.

[center][img]http://txt-dynamic.static.1001fonts.net/txt/dHRmLjE0Mi4wODM3NzguUVdaMFpYSWdTRzkxY25NLC4wAAAA/mentha-rapture.regular.png[/img][/center]

And as she stood there, lost in the show that she helped put on, a hand tapped on her shoulder. Wade Palmer, who naturally rushed backstage just seconds after the cameras shut off to host the After Hours talk show, appeared behind her and tapped her on the shoulder. [color=1f71dd][b]“Hey, we’re on in two minutes. You ready, or what?”[/b][/color]

Snapping back to present time, Joy turned toward her friend and mentor. Oh, right. [b][color=9966cc]“I’m ready as I’ll ever be!”[/color][/b] After giving a genuine smile, she started heading toward the AWE talkroom. [b][color=9966cc]“That was... a lot to handle.”[/color][/b] Joy honestly voiced. Her heart was still racing. 

Wade nodded as he took his seat behind the desk, [color=1f71dd][b]“Yeah, how do you think I feel? That was nuts. This tournament is gonna be giving away pay-per-view quality matches for free… how are we gonna make any money? The party bus doesn’t run on smiles and sunshine, y’know.”[/b][/color] Wade winked at Joy and turned toward the camera for his countdown.

[b][color=9966cc]“Trinity believes it does.”[/color][/b] Joy teasingly joked, while taking her seat on the other side of the glass table. The two talk show hosts got themselves situated before the signal went off and it was go time. With the queue that the camera was indeed speeding, Joy’s on-air persona flooded over and she shook her head, smiling at Wade, [b][color=9966cc]“The referee might [i]actually[/i] be dead.”[/color][/b] 

[color=1f71dd][b]“Which raises the question of: did he deserve it? No, absolutely not. You never put your hands on the official when you’re out there, no matter what happens. If they make a miscall, then so be it. They’re out there doing their jobs, and their job isn’t to fight the competitors.”[/b][/color] Wade reached under the table, where he kept his snacks, and withdrew a can of Pringles — original of course — and popped a couple into his mouth, crunching them thoughtfully. [color=1f71dd][b]“Caiden Winters is going to be fired, you know. And he deserves it. Or, at least suspended.”[/b][/color]

Joy visibly grimace in front of the camera. Yeah, no. She was going going to argue her point. The referee deserved ‘dying’ because he failed to do his JOB. [b][color=9966cc]“Y’know, Wade, you don’t notice the referee unless he makes a bad call. And here tonight, he made a call that could ruin an exceptionally talented wrestler’s career. I’d like to think we’re all referees at heart. We like to call the throws and errors. Caiden Winters is indispensable. He’s far too loved and far too talented. Losing him would cause unwarranted backlash for the AWE.”[/color][/b]   

Wade shrugged his shoulders. [color=1f71dd][b]“Don’t get me wrong, I love him as much as the next person, maybe more than anyone else, but I don’t think it’d be that huge of a dent. The shadow is always filled in the end. Nobody here is fully indispensable.”[/b][/color] Wade explained as he crunched on some Pringles, nodding to accentuate his point. [color=1f71dd][b]“Putting your hands on an innocent official is just as reprehensible as cheating to win.”[/b][/color]

Narrowing her eyes at her mentor, Joy didn’t respond for a brief second. He was doing this on purpose. She was already heated and this was doubling that. [b][color=9966cc]“Oh? So you’re saying that not even Drayden is fully indispensable?”[/color][/b] she challenged Wade. This. Was. War. [b][color=9966cc]“If a referee can’t do his job he shouldn’t be out there calling the shots and determining the AWE history.”[/color][/b]

 [color=1f71dd][b]“Yeah, I would happily argue that Drayden isn’t indispensable. I believe fully that everyone in the AWE could be in that spot — and maybe before tonight, I thought it was a certainty that Caiden would be stepping up to the plate to take that spot, but I don’t know anymore. Maybe he’s not what I thought he was, maybe he’s not what any of us thought he was. These things happen, and I know it sucks that the referee didn’t see it, but… you have to look at it from his perspective. The ref calls it as he [i]sees[/i] it; he doesn’t have eyes in the back of his head. He had to cover up the turnbuckle that was exposed when the low blow happened, he was thoroughly distracted. He [i]was[/i] doing his job.”[/b][/color] A couple more moments of getting her riled up, then he’d call Caiden on.

 [color=1f71dd][b]“And now he’s [i]dead[/i].”[/b][/color] Joy looked away from Wade and to the camera, grabbing her glass of water and lifting it up to the audience,  [color=1f71dd][b]“Ain’t that right, fans? He was warned, wasn’t he? Caiden [i]does[/i] kill.”[/b][/color] she aggressively sipped at her water, fire in her eyes. 

Wade shrugged his shoulders,  [color=1f71dd][b]“Well, I guess you can ask him about the situation yourself, because as I’ve just been informed: Caiden Winters is not, as of this moment, either suspended, nor has he been given well wishes for all his future endeavors. In fact, quite the opposite. He’s going to be our guest tonight.”[/b][/color] Wade said, and the man himself walked onto the stage, a clear air of frustration and anger around him as he headed onto the set and took a seat next to Joy.

[color=0f4891][b]“Now, I don’t really feel like talking, but it turns out Roddy is too scared to let me anywhere near him, so I guess I will. Hi, I’m Caiden Winters, and if you’re wondering, if you should believe what Joy just said, yeah. You should. I’m a killer.”[/b][/color]

Wade looked over at Joy, and stuffed a few more Pringles into his mouth, waiting for the inevitable explosion of words.

Joy caught her gaze with Caiden, as her mind instinctively thought about her next course of actions. With a mischievous smirk, she turned her head toward Wade’s direction and tilted her head, still not agreeing with him, [b][color=9966cc]“Caiden, I’m so glad you could be here with us tonight, but what I can’t fathom is why Mr. Palmer here thinks the referee was completely innocent, do you agree?”[/color][/b]

[color=0f4891][b]“No, I don’t. But, I finished my issues with him out there, don’t ya think? I beat his damn ass, and it’ll be a miracle if he makes it to another show. The person that I have a problem with… is the man upstairs. Roddy Quinn. Roderick Quinn. The man who damn near didn’t sign me because he didn’t think I was good enough to wrestle in his stupid company. That title shouldn’t even be decided in a fu— tournament.”[/b][/color] Caiden bit his tongue and Wade held back a smile as he took the chance to speak.

 [color=1f71dd][b]“And what do you think should be done for it? The champion won his last title defense —”[/b][/color]

[color=0f4891][b]“That title should be around [i]my[/i] waist! I don’t care if he won the match, I don’t care if Drayden beat me—”[/b][/color] Caiden paused for a moment, before spitting out in his best Wade impression, [color=0f4891][b]“-- fair and square in the middle of that ring. I kept my promise. I said that Drayden wouldn’t make it out of the arena on his own two feet. And he didn’t. I did say that, you remember, Joy?”[/b][/color]

Taking another sip of water, she nodded in agreement, [b][color=9966cc]“I sure do. You were the first wrestler on Do or Die. Caiden Winters never breaks his promises. Not then, not today, not ever. And what did you say specifically tonight?”[/color][/b] Once again, Joy looked at Wade, enjoying this After Show thoroughly.  [b][color=9966cc]“You’re dead.”[/color][/b] 

[color=0f4891][b]“That’s right. And you know what else I said? That I am [i]better than the best[/i]. I am actually as good as everyone else out there pretends to be, it’s [i]scary[/i]. The fact that Roddy thinks he can hold me back, by putting together a tournament, and then putting me against someone who CONSISTENTLY cheats to win. So he cheats. He wins the match on a technicality, and now what? I’m out of it? I don’t get a chance at the world title now? Nobody else in this tournament [i]earned[/i] their spot, I [i]earned[/i] my right to be the number one contender before I broke his damn knee.”[/b][/color] Caiden leaned forward toward the camera, shaking his head. [color=0f4891][b]“I’m going to take this show over. One step at a time, and if Roderick Quinn thinks that he can hold me back by screwing me out of what should be [i]my[/i] title, then he’d better walk his ass out to the ring and hold me back himself. I’m done playing games.”[/b][/color]

Joy’s gaze was fully locked on Caiden now.  [b][color=9966cc]“And what are you going to do, Caiden Winters? How are you going to get Roddy’s attention? FULL attention?”[/color][/b]

[color=0f4891][b]“Wouldn’t you like to know.”[/b][/color] And with that, Caiden dropped the mic he’d been holding on the floor, pushed himself away from the glass desk, and walked off screen.

 [color=1f71dd][b]“Well, he’s certainly got a chip on his shoulder…”[/b][/color]

[b][color=9966cc]“I do… want to know.”[/color][/b] Joy softly responded, holding her glass of water with both hands. She’d be waiting to see what he had in store for the AWE. She couldn’t wait. [/indent]