Post by Lord Hastings on Apr 25, 2014 22:09:50 GMT -5
”They waste their lives uselessly; they die and are reincarnated over and over again.” - Sri Guru Granth Sahib
Eden Morgan stares at the picture frame in her hand, the image of Ryan Hanneman within staring back at her. The eyes said everything and more, and it was an accusation she could not bear to hear.
“Edie?”
Were she more conscientious of her own state of being, she might have wondered how it was that all it took was her name being spoken once by him, and the ghost’s stare was, for at least the moment, broken.
“Just came by to wish you a good show, you know.”
She appreciated Travis coming by. It was good to see him, perhaps surprisingly so. Still, it was all she could do to manage a single word to acknowledge him.
“Thanks.”
“And to be careful, you know, I mean, it will be a rating smash having Calypso on the week before you face Hastings, but these are dangerous people. There’s a reason we didn’t bring them on TPT this week.”
I’m dangerous too.
“I’ll be okay.”
“Because I just don’t want to see anything bad happen to you.”
“Travis, I’m fine.”
“Right, right, of course.”
There is something different in his voice, something that she hasn’t noticed before, yet isn’t able to place or identity. She realizes that the picture frame is still in her hand, and she puts it down and looks up at Travis for the first time. He stands facing the door, motionless with his head hung.
“Was there something else?”
It surprises her how quickly he turns around.
“Um, yes. I...uh…”
It is something she has never seen before, the Icon of Entertainment stumbling through his words. Her hardened expression softens, a look of concern on her face.
“Trav...what’s wrong?”
He looks up at her.
“Edie...I...I…”
There is a knock at the door, and they both look to see Rob Cartwright, producer of many PMN shows, leaning through the doorframe.
“Five minutes, Miss Morgan.”
Rob leaves, and she turns her attention back to Travis, who appears to have composed himself.
“Have a good show.”
Travis is quick to scamper out of the room, and he leaves Eden to her own thoughts.
The opening of “Eden the Odds” plays, set to “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark”, the logo finally disappearing to reveal a large desk, Eden Morgan seated behind it, her smile bright.
Eden: Hello there and welcome to a special edition of "Eden the Odds", live here on the Piercing Media Network! We're coming up on No Holds Barred, and there's excitement buzzing in the air tonight that only happens just before an event like this one. This is an event that holds a special place in my heart, last year I won the World Title in the main event, and this year I’ll be looking to do the same. Joining me tonight is someone who knows my opponent probably better than anyone. Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to welcome to the show, Calypso Desmona!
Eden gets to her feet and strides purposefully around the desk. She runs her hands over her skirt, ensuring the material lies straight and falling just short of mid-thigh. The outfit that Chastity had picked out for her was a complete ensemble that would be certain to outshine anything that Calypso could have come up with to wear, or at least that is what Patience had assured her. Eden knew that, as always, appearances were everything, and given the taste for the theatrical that Donovan Hastings had, Eden could not afford to look second-best to Lady Hastings on her own show. Eden extends a hand to the woman who approaches from off-screen, welcoming her enthusiastically. She indicates a long, comfy-looking couch, obviously asking her to take a seat before making her way back around the desk to her own chair.
Eden: Ms. Desmona, I’m sorry, Mistress, is it Mistress?
Calypso: Just Calypso is fine.
Eden nods.
Eden: Of course. So, Calypso, thank you for agreeing to come on the show and join me here tonight. I know you’re busy, but our viewers are extremely excited to hear from you, what with everything that has been going on. How are the twins?
Calypso: They’re good, thanks. Crawling around. They like to go in opposite directions.
Eden reaches up and clasps her hands over her heart.
Eden: Aww. They must be so precious. Every day must be such a gift.
Calypso: It is.
Eden: It must be hard, though, doing it on your own, I mean what with Donovan travelling all the time and all.
Calypso glares at Eden, but she just smiles innocently.
Calypso: Donovan is a good man and a good father. There isn’t a person in this world I’d rather have raising these children with me other than him.
As Calypso has been talking, Eden has begun thumbing through a pile of cards. She pulls one from the pile.
Eden: So you say, but the fans are extremely interested to know what you think of the sham wedding perpetrated by Vain and the Puppet Masters that Donovan was involved in.
Calypso: I think it’s awful what was done to that poor girl, it would be terrible for that to happen to anybody. It’s also not my problem.
Eden: It doesn’t bother you that the father of your children clearly approved of what happened to Candi? You have fans out there that are concerned for your safety, Cal.
Calypso: MY safety?
Eden: If Donovan thinks the sort of behavior is acceptable, what is to stop him from doing it to you?
Calypso laughs, and a puzzled expression crosses Eden’s face.
Eden: I’m not sure what about this is funny?
Calypso: Let me tell you about me and Donovan Hastings, little girl. I left him once, did you know that? It’s not a secret. I took issue with some of his priorities and his inattentiveness and I had to walk away. It hurt him, and I wanted it to. You know what happened?
Eden: I’m sure we’d all love for you to tell us.
Calypso: He pulled himself together. Me? I wanted to keep hurting him. An opportunity came up to reinsert myself in his life, to throw him back into chaos at the worst possible time, to set him up for another fall. I couldn’t go through with it. We were back together, and he was different. I fell for him all over again. I later found out my co-conspirator had somebody behind him who had been pulling the strings and engineered the entire thing. Donovan. Everything that happened, it was all him.
Eden: That’s terrible.
Calypso: We love each other. We have a beautiful family. But yes, we’ve done awful things to each other, and again, we couldn’t possibly love each other more. So if he did that to me…
Calypso leans towards Eden.
Calypso: What do you think he’s going to do to you?
Eden: Well. This has been educational. Thank you again so much for appearing here tonight and taking the time to answer our questions in such detail.
Calypso rises from their seats, as Eden coming around for a tense handshake before Calypso smiles and departs, leaving Eden standing before the camera.
Eden: That's all the time we have for tonight on "Eden the Odds", but we look forward to seeing you at No Holds Barred!
Offscreen: And cut!
Upon hearing the cameras are no longer rolling, the smile slides from Eden's face, revealing a scowl as she stares at where Calypso exited the set. Colin comes and stands next to her.
“Are you sure you’re up for this?”
“You know I don’t have a choice,” she says in a solemn tone.
“You always have a choice. I’ve told you before, you can walk away from this. It’s okay for it not to be the right time. You’re burning the candle at both ends, and something has to give. If you’re not ready to go in the cell, don’t. There will be other matches.”
She just stares at the ground for a few moment, and Colin’s heart begins to pound in his chest as he realizes he has no idea what to expect.
“I needed to do what I did to Vain two weeks ago, just like I need to go inside the Hell in a Cell. I can see it, you know? I can see him screaming. I can see the look of pain. But I can’t hear it yet. I need to hear it.”
She stares to walk off the set, but pauses to look back over her shoulder for a final comment.
“And right now, Donovan Hastings is the perfect person to hear it from.”
Eden Morgan stares at the picture frame in her hand, the image of Ryan Hanneman within staring back at her. The eyes said everything and more, and it was an accusation she could not bear to hear.
“Edie?”
Were she more conscientious of her own state of being, she might have wondered how it was that all it took was her name being spoken once by him, and the ghost’s stare was, for at least the moment, broken.
“Just came by to wish you a good show, you know.”
She appreciated Travis coming by. It was good to see him, perhaps surprisingly so. Still, it was all she could do to manage a single word to acknowledge him.
“Thanks.”
“And to be careful, you know, I mean, it will be a rating smash having Calypso on the week before you face Hastings, but these are dangerous people. There’s a reason we didn’t bring them on TPT this week.”
I’m dangerous too.
“I’ll be okay.”
“Because I just don’t want to see anything bad happen to you.”
“Travis, I’m fine.”
“Right, right, of course.”
There is something different in his voice, something that she hasn’t noticed before, yet isn’t able to place or identity. She realizes that the picture frame is still in her hand, and she puts it down and looks up at Travis for the first time. He stands facing the door, motionless with his head hung.
“Was there something else?”
It surprises her how quickly he turns around.
“Um, yes. I...uh…”
It is something she has never seen before, the Icon of Entertainment stumbling through his words. Her hardened expression softens, a look of concern on her face.
“Trav...what’s wrong?”
He looks up at her.
“Edie...I...I…”
There is a knock at the door, and they both look to see Rob Cartwright, producer of many PMN shows, leaning through the doorframe.
“Five minutes, Miss Morgan.”
Rob leaves, and she turns her attention back to Travis, who appears to have composed himself.
“Have a good show.”
Travis is quick to scamper out of the room, and he leaves Eden to her own thoughts.
The opening of “Eden the Odds” plays, set to “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark”, the logo finally disappearing to reveal a large desk, Eden Morgan seated behind it, her smile bright.
Eden: Hello there and welcome to a special edition of "Eden the Odds", live here on the Piercing Media Network! We're coming up on No Holds Barred, and there's excitement buzzing in the air tonight that only happens just before an event like this one. This is an event that holds a special place in my heart, last year I won the World Title in the main event, and this year I’ll be looking to do the same. Joining me tonight is someone who knows my opponent probably better than anyone. Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to welcome to the show, Calypso Desmona!
Eden gets to her feet and strides purposefully around the desk. She runs her hands over her skirt, ensuring the material lies straight and falling just short of mid-thigh. The outfit that Chastity had picked out for her was a complete ensemble that would be certain to outshine anything that Calypso could have come up with to wear, or at least that is what Patience had assured her. Eden knew that, as always, appearances were everything, and given the taste for the theatrical that Donovan Hastings had, Eden could not afford to look second-best to Lady Hastings on her own show. Eden extends a hand to the woman who approaches from off-screen, welcoming her enthusiastically. She indicates a long, comfy-looking couch, obviously asking her to take a seat before making her way back around the desk to her own chair.
Eden: Ms. Desmona, I’m sorry, Mistress, is it Mistress?
Calypso: Just Calypso is fine.
Eden nods.
Eden: Of course. So, Calypso, thank you for agreeing to come on the show and join me here tonight. I know you’re busy, but our viewers are extremely excited to hear from you, what with everything that has been going on. How are the twins?
Calypso: They’re good, thanks. Crawling around. They like to go in opposite directions.
Eden reaches up and clasps her hands over her heart.
Eden: Aww. They must be so precious. Every day must be such a gift.
Calypso: It is.
Eden: It must be hard, though, doing it on your own, I mean what with Donovan travelling all the time and all.
Calypso glares at Eden, but she just smiles innocently.
Calypso: Donovan is a good man and a good father. There isn’t a person in this world I’d rather have raising these children with me other than him.
As Calypso has been talking, Eden has begun thumbing through a pile of cards. She pulls one from the pile.
Eden: So you say, but the fans are extremely interested to know what you think of the sham wedding perpetrated by Vain and the Puppet Masters that Donovan was involved in.
Calypso: I think it’s awful what was done to that poor girl, it would be terrible for that to happen to anybody. It’s also not my problem.
Eden: It doesn’t bother you that the father of your children clearly approved of what happened to Candi? You have fans out there that are concerned for your safety, Cal.
Calypso: MY safety?
Eden: If Donovan thinks the sort of behavior is acceptable, what is to stop him from doing it to you?
Calypso laughs, and a puzzled expression crosses Eden’s face.
Eden: I’m not sure what about this is funny?
Calypso: Let me tell you about me and Donovan Hastings, little girl. I left him once, did you know that? It’s not a secret. I took issue with some of his priorities and his inattentiveness and I had to walk away. It hurt him, and I wanted it to. You know what happened?
Eden: I’m sure we’d all love for you to tell us.
Calypso: He pulled himself together. Me? I wanted to keep hurting him. An opportunity came up to reinsert myself in his life, to throw him back into chaos at the worst possible time, to set him up for another fall. I couldn’t go through with it. We were back together, and he was different. I fell for him all over again. I later found out my co-conspirator had somebody behind him who had been pulling the strings and engineered the entire thing. Donovan. Everything that happened, it was all him.
Eden: That’s terrible.
Calypso: We love each other. We have a beautiful family. But yes, we’ve done awful things to each other, and again, we couldn’t possibly love each other more. So if he did that to me…
Calypso leans towards Eden.
Calypso: What do you think he’s going to do to you?
Eden: Well. This has been educational. Thank you again so much for appearing here tonight and taking the time to answer our questions in such detail.
Calypso rises from their seats, as Eden coming around for a tense handshake before Calypso smiles and departs, leaving Eden standing before the camera.
Eden: That's all the time we have for tonight on "Eden the Odds", but we look forward to seeing you at No Holds Barred!
Offscreen: And cut!
Upon hearing the cameras are no longer rolling, the smile slides from Eden's face, revealing a scowl as she stares at where Calypso exited the set. Colin comes and stands next to her.
“Are you sure you’re up for this?”
“You know I don’t have a choice,” she says in a solemn tone.
“You always have a choice. I’ve told you before, you can walk away from this. It’s okay for it not to be the right time. You’re burning the candle at both ends, and something has to give. If you’re not ready to go in the cell, don’t. There will be other matches.”
She just stares at the ground for a few moment, and Colin’s heart begins to pound in his chest as he realizes he has no idea what to expect.
“I needed to do what I did to Vain two weeks ago, just like I need to go inside the Hell in a Cell. I can see it, you know? I can see him screaming. I can see the look of pain. But I can’t hear it yet. I need to hear it.”
She stares to walk off the set, but pauses to look back over her shoulder for a final comment.
“And right now, Donovan Hastings is the perfect person to hear it from.”