Post by SammieSinclair on Mar 8, 2015 20:17:51 GMT
A last minute check of his notes told the Announcer that he didn’t need to be in the middle of the ring to deliver this particular introduction. “Ladies and gentlemen, the following contest is a Handicap Tag Team Match scheduled for one fall! Introducing first, weighing in at a combined total of--” The lights went out all at once, plunging the FAWN Arena into darkness and confusion, neither of which improved when the sound system offered up the melancholy piano and opening lines of Hozier’s ‘Take Me To Church’
TAKE ME TO CHURCH
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xp4WKejt12Y
My lover's got humour
She's the giggle at a funeral
Knows everybody's disapproval
I should've worshiped her sooner
TIFFANY MAYES
A spotlight tore down from the heavens, illuminating a point perhaps halfway up the ramp. At its center stood Tiffany Mayes, the little blonde hardbody immediately recognizable thanks to the black leather bandeau bikini and matching pads and boots, if not for her face, which was currently covered by the creepy plastic Queen of Hearts mask she’d favored before revealing herself to the world.
If the Heavens ever did speak
She is the last true mouthpiece
Every Sunday's getting more bleak
A fresh poison each week
ADELAIDE BREWSTER
A second spotlight blazed to life, this one three quarters of the way up the ramp. Like her sister in arms, Adelaide Brewster wore her Evil Queen mask, but where the blonde favored black leather, the Weeping Angel wore a blood red one piece made of a mesh just fine enough to allow the discerning eye a glimpse of matching white bra and briefs lurking beneath. She finished the look with a clunky black belt complete with a buckle done up as a snarling wolf’s head and white pads at elbow and knee.
We were born sick,' you heard them say it
My church offers no absolution
She tells me, 'Worship in the bedroom'
The only heaven I'll be sent to
Is when I'm alone with you
MIRANDA WAINRIGHT
A light at the top of the stage ripped forth and there stood Miranda Wainright, the Minister of Misery decked out in a wore the night black vinyl one-piece. Scooped low in the back and high over the hips, it was accompanied by clunky knee-high gray boots and black elbow-length mesh gloves. As for her hair, it was still a lustrous, gleaming gold, a marked contrast to darkness in her words.
I was born sick
But I love it
Command me to be well
Amen, Amen, Amen
Revealed in all their glory, the Church of Eternal Midnight raised their hands to the rafters, Tiffany on the first ‘amen’, Adelaide on the second and Miranda on the thi-- All four turnbuckles erupted in dazzling white pyro so bright the heathens were forced to shield their eyes. By the time it faded the lights had returned and the wicked trio was more than halfway to the squared circle. Quickening her step to get beside Mayes, Brewster gave the blonde a nod to send them both into a sprint that ended with stereo dives under the bottom rope. A bit more reserved in her approach, Wainright chose the steps and ascended as if she had all the time in the world. Joining her sisters in the center of the ring, Miranda clasped her hands at chest level as Tiffany and Adelaide fell to their knees. This show of devotion sent another volley of sparks from each corner and kept the heathens properly dazzled while the true believers took up residence in a corner on the far side of the ring.
Silence held sway for all of five seconds before the Announcer resumed his duties. “And introducing their opponents, hailing from Arkham Massachusetts and Greentown Illinois respectively and weighing in at a combined total of two hundred and fifty-five pounds, Eve Choldstone and Calliope, they are THE FRIGHTENERS!”
HERE COME THE FRIGHTENERS:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqIN4YJS5WU
The freaks and geeks dissolved into maniacal laughter as static and the distinctive warble of a Theremin filled the arena. This was joined after several seconds by slow, distorted chuckles from a single throat, though the pitch and volume changed to frequently it could’ve been a whole chorus of lunatics. The house lights went next, dimming to almost nothing before a bank of spotlights on the stage roared back in an insane panoply of colors. Reveling in the chromatic chaos, the Heartbroken crowd sprang to their feet when hundreds of balloons dropped from the rafters. As the balloons drifted down, a bluish-white mist rose from the stage’s steel grating, the contrasting bits of weirdness fusing into something that delighted and chilled in the same breath. Whatever you called it, the effect was compounded by the background noise, which was slowly coalescing into something more and more like mus--the howl of an electric guitar ripped through the speakers and everyone who wasn’t entirely in their right mind lent their voices to the classic carnival riff.
EVE CHOLDSTONE
CALLIOPE
From that shimmering dark came a pair of figures which revealed themselves to be Eve Choldstone and Calliope. Tonight the former wore a black leather bikini emblazoned with the wispy cobweb design, along with matching black pads and boots and of course the pair of battered, fingerless leather gloves. The latter chose zappy green sequined bikini bottoms and orange and blue tie-die halter top. The accessories showed a similar lack of coordination with fire engine red boots, plaid pads and a shiny white smiley face on the seat of her trunks.
While clearly primed for battle, the pair of Groovy Ghoulies made no move toward the ring. Indeed Eve produced a microphone from behind her back and drew it across her neck to ‘cut’ the music. “Don’t worry Church-o’s, we’ll get down there soon enough, I just thought now would be an appropriate time to correct a mistake from the Announcer. See, this isn’t a Handicap match. Oh, I know it was supposed to be. if only because everyone in the back was supposed to be too afraid to tangle with you assholes. For a while that was that was true, me and Cali asked a whole bunch of chicks to stand with us and no one would take us up on--”
“That’s because they’re not tired of living, Evelyn.” Miranda had procured a microphone to better answer the heathen.
Choldstone rolled her eyes. “Weren’t you listening? I said that was true… for a while. Because we found our third. Actually, she found us. I repeat, she found us and asked to join us when we walked down this aisle to kick your pompous, miserable asses.”
Now it was Miranda’s turn to roll her eyes. “And just who, pray tell, is this mentally challenged, emotionally stunted malcontent who’s chosen to throw her life away?”
Eve looked to Calliope, who seemed about to burst. Plucking the mic from Eve’s proffered hand, the Queen of Outré Space waved to the Church, then said, “Boy, oh boy, oh, boy, she is so great! She’s a great wrestler! She’s a snappy dresser! And! And! And! And! She’s just like us! Because who better to team with the Fallen Angel of Arkham and the Monster of the Midway…” Calliope trailed off as her lips curled up in a smile more suited to Candice Akeley. “…than the Woodsboro Mangler?”
WHEREVER I MAY ROAM
www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5TnPjOd_To
SYDNEY DESCHAIN
A moment of surprised silence was followed by a raucous ovation as ‘Wherever I May Roam’ brought Sydney Deschain out to stand alongside the Frighteners. Dark eyes trained on the furiously stunned trio in the ring, the Technical Marvel raised a hand, brushed a thumb against the tip of her nose, then raised an index finger overhead. Deschain nodded when the sigil went up a thousand times over, then turned to Calliope and Eve, offering them each a quick handshake. “I don’t think they’re too happy with us.” she told Choldstone.
“That’s how we know we’re doing it right.” Eve chuckled. “Ready to do this thing?”
Deschain extended an arm. “Lead the way.”
Calliope squealed and took point, the Eclectic Eel breaking into a frenetic series of handsprings, cartwheels and back flips. Eve and Sydney followed close behind, albeit at a far more traditional pace. For the second stop on her retirement tour, the Mangler was decked out in a black tankini with thin white trim and matte gray boots and pads.
They were almost to the squared circle when the Announcer remembered his lines. The Announcer raised his mic once Sleighbells faded into the background. “And introducing her opponent, hailing from Woodsboro California, she stands at five feet six inches tall and weighs in at one hundred and twenty seven pounds. She is the Technical Marvel, the Woodsboro Mangler, the brunette buzz saw… SYDNEY DESCHAIN!”
Too close to bother with another salute, Syd slid under the bottom rope and popped up alongside Eve and Cali, who’d claimed the center of the ring on general principle. Adelaide and Tiffany were champing at the bit to go after their meddlesome rivals, but held their ground mostly because Miranda had an arm held tight across their chests. Deschain didn’t help the situation when she raised her hands and beckoned the Churchgoers forward. Wainright’s bonds held for the moment so the Frighteners and their new friend backed into the other corner to decide just who’d get the honors of first crack at FAWN’s most dangerous cult of personality.
More perturbed by the heathen’s trick than she’d ever let on, Miranda strolled to the middle of the ring and noted, “You think you have bettered your odds of survival with this bit of prestidigitation, Evelyn, but you have not. Instead you’ve ensured yet another career goes down in the fiery ruin my sisters and I shall make of yours.”
Eve pulled away from her conversation with Cali and Syd to zero in on the woman who’d beaten her bloody at All Hallows Evil. “I’ve got an idea, Miranda. Why don’t you look me in the eye and say that? Then we’ll see who’s made the mistake. No, don’t move. I’ll come to you.” The Fallen Angel of Arkham came on at a fast stalk, quickly closing the distance between herself and the Prophet of Pain.
Wainright held her ground until Eve was a few yards out, then she put it in reverse and didn’t stop until she was in the shadows of the Church’s corner. Never letting her eyes leave the brunette’s, Miranda raised her right hand and smiled beatifically when Tiffany smacked her palm. “Be seeing you soon, Evelyn.”
Eve didn’t reply, she’d backed off the instant Mayes brought herself into the fray. Not that she was afraid of Miranda’s freshest convert, but she did have a healthy respect for what the nimble battler could do in close quarters, especially when backed up by Brewster and Wainright.
Vaulting over the top rope with what looked to be no effort whatsoever, Tiffany went straight at Choldstone, lunged in low and would’ve picked an ankle if the Monster hadn’t twisted aside at the last moment. “Too slow, schoolgirl.” Eve taunted the Churchgoer. “Gonna have to up your game if you--”
Mayes feigned a lunge and when Choldstone raised her hands the blonde snapped a sharp little kick against her left thigh. Eve raised her leg to defend against another kick and instead caught a Knife-Edge Chop flush across the chest. She reeled for an instant but that was all Mayes needed to spring onto her shoulders. Tiff’s ankles were almost locked when Eve put both hands against opposing butt and shoved up and out. The torque Mayes intended to power the Frankensteiner sent her spiraling off her perch in a tidy back flip that landed her a short distance in front of the other woman.
Ready and waiting the moment her target touched down, Eve hopped forward on her right foot and shot the left straight at Mayes’s chin in a Super Kick that-- stopped an inch shy of it’s target because Tiff snatched hold of her ankle. A smirk started to form on the blonde’s lips but died a quick death when Choldstone sprang off her plant foot and launched an Enzugiri aimed at the side of her attacker’s skull. The former Plaid Powerhouse dropped into a deep crouch, leaving Eve to land on her hands and one remaining knee.
“Seems you’ve lost a step, heathen.” Tiffany taunted her awkwardly positioned foe. “Perhaps it would be better for you and your friends if you’d just accept Midnight into your hearts right NNNNGGGHH!”
Eve pushed up on her remaining foot, then launched off it and spun back the way she’d came to THUMP her heel into Mayes’s chest with a modified Mule Kick. The True Believer went down flat, somersaulted backward and popped to her feet without realizing she was practically within tagging distance of Calliope and Deschain.
A shouted warning from Adelaide actually worked against her, as it drew the blonde’s attention just long enough for Eve to hit her with a Leaping Forearm Smash to the jaw. Getting an arm around the back of Mayes’s head to make sure she stayed upright, Eve barreled the leather-clad lovely into the buckles, then dipped forward and proceeded to THWHUMP half a dozen Shoulderblocks into that taut tummy. Choldstone sensed rather than heard Castle closing in, so she straightened up and slapped Calliope’s shoulder.
“Ready for a little Crazy Cannonball, Cali?”
The Clown Princess of Carnage hopped over the top rope to land beside her partner. “Oh yeah, let’s blow this little blue robot outta the barrel!” then to Sydney. “Can you keep her lined up in our sights, Miss Marvel?”
“I think I can help.” Syd slipped an arm around Tiffany’s neck and cranked back, an impromptu Sleeper that earned protests from all three members of the Church.
Free to get to work, Calliope grabbed Eve by the wrist, stepped back and launched her toward the opposite corner with an Irish Whip. Rather than release, she dug in her heels and slung Choldstone toward home, giving the smaller brunette a whole lotta momentum when she took to the skies, raised her knees to chest level and THWHUMPED them into Tiffany’s tits. Far from done, she grabbed a double handful of hair and dropped onto her back, bringing Mayes down with her in what amounted to an Inverted Lungblower.
Bounced onto her heels and then back into the corner by the pair of maneuvers, Tiffany didn’t notice when Eve tumbled onto her shoulders and kicked both legs up over her head. Miranda and Adelaide certainly did and they tried to warn their sister in arms when Calliope raced at her oddly positioned partner. Voluntarily offering her abs to Eve’s boots, the One Woman Freak Show pushed up and launched herself into a gorgeous somersault made all the more emphatic by Choldstone’s Monkey Flip assist. Thus she was moving remarkably fast when she TWHUMPED back-first into Tiffany’s chest via a high flying Cannonball Senton.
CRAZY CANNONBALL @ 00:17
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNdOir2iGlU
Tiffany shuddered violently but managed to keep her feet as she stumbled out of the buckles. Unfortunately it also made her a far easier target for Calliope, who snatched hold of the blonde’s wrists and wedged her arms under her biceps. Locking her own hands to keep the pair locked in a belly to belly embrace, the Monster of the Midway leaned in close and whispered, “This isn’t for you, Tiff. I want the phony.” That was little consolation to Mayes as Calliope promptly worsened her day with a series of short, stiff Headbutts that THUMPED against her sternum. After half a dozen, Cali dropped into a deep crouch, then popped her hips and arched back to fling the smaller battler halfway across the ring with the Larson Fireball.
LARSON FIREBALL @ 00:25
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ4u5DJTwz0
Tiffany hit with a resounding THWHUD, sat up and reached for her partners even though they were still a few feet removed. Hardly concerned by what Sydney considered a close call, Calliope stomped over, plunged her hands into Mayes’s hair and draaaaaaagged her back to the middle of the squared circle.
“Sorry, didn’t toss you hard enough the first time. That’s on me and I apologize.” the Queen of Outré Space sounded quite clearheaded as she hauled Mayes upright and moved one hand to her waistband. “Don’t worry though,” Cali tugged up on that scant leather, earning a grimace from the lightweight as it cut between her glutes, “I’ve got a really good feeling about this time.” Tiffany reached for her hair, so Calliope swung around in a wide, smooth circle, took three big steps toward the Church’s corner and hurled her foe between the top and middle ropes to BWUNK shoulder-first against the steel post.
“HELP YOUR FRIEND, PHONY!” Cali roared at Adelaide. “OR ARE YOU ONLY PRETENDING THERE, TOO?”
Infuriated by the lunatic’s gall, Adelaide Brewster reached down to tag Tiffany’s back only to have Miranda grab her wrist. “Never go into battle angry, sister.” the Malevolent Moralizer advised. “Take a few moments to reflect on what’s brought us to this point while I attend to Candice.”
It took a righteous effort for the Weeping Angel to pull her eyes away from the freak, but when she did it was without a word of complaint. “You don’t know it yet,” Brewster said to the fuming Frightener, “but my sister just saved your miserable life.”
Calliope certainly didn’t see it that way and would’ve expounded on the topic of the faux vampire’s very real cowardice if Miranda hadn’t slipped through the ropes and thus claimed the lion’s share of her attention. Backing away to ensure the blonde couldn’t drag her into the nave of that canvas and steel church, Cali hunched forward and extended her hands, just daring Wainright to come for her. “You shouldn’t have done that, Church Lady.” she muttered. “My beef’s with Count Suckula, but I’ll bloody anyone else who gets in the way.”
Confronted with the jittery nitro glycerin bottle of Calliope’s mind, most women would’ve turned tail without so much as a nod. So it spoke volumes to the condition of Miranda’s own headspace when she put her hands behind her back and began angling to the right. “I must admit, your anger with Adelaide puzzles me, sister. You seem to hold her in contempt for claiming to be something she is not and yet hasn’t the vast majority of FAWN done the same to you ever since you stepped through its doors?”
Calliope didn’t answer but she inched her way forward in an attempt to cut Wainright off from her friends before she could complete her circuit.
Miranda noted this but didn’t acknowledge it otherwise. “Freak. Monster. Idiot. Lunatic. These are all words they’ve used to describe yourself, Calliope. But when I look at you I don’t see any of those things. I see a fiercely independent spirit yearning to be recognized for all she contribute to the proper cause. Truth be told, if I were to make a list of your sins, it would number only one.” The Pious Punisher stopped in her tracks and looked from Calliope to Eve and back again. “You choose your friends poorly, sister. You call yourself the Frighteners, but Evelyn’s the only monster. She’s the lost soul, the deviant, the FREAK. The weight of those burdens finally caught up with her and so she’s trying to drag you down into the mire with her, not because she has any real love for you, but simply because like all freaks, she is terribly afraid of the dark. But as one who walks in the ebon shadows, I am here to tell you there’s nothing to fear when the clock strikes midnight. And if you join us…” she extended a hand, which earned a thunderous cannonade of boos from the crowd, “… you will be welcomed with open arms. As Calliope AND Candice Akeley.”
Something stirred at the sound of her given name and Cali had to take a deep breath to keep the other in the passenger seat. “You’d take both of us? Not one or the other?”
“All our welcome at our services dear. Even poor, misguided Evelyn.”
The Queen of Outré Space chewed on her lower lip. “Well…. I DO like pot lucks and bean socials. Ok, you’re on!” She grabbed Miranda’s proffered hand and gave it a hearty shake, much to the disbelief and disgust of all those involved.
Having grown their ranks by a full twenty-five percent in a single stroke, Wainright chanced a look at Eve and smirked, “Looks like it’s a handicap match after all, EvelNNNGGGHHH!”
Still holding the blonde’s hand, Calliope jerked her forward, stepped into the breach and THWHUMPED a Kneelift into the pit of Miranda’s stomach. “LIKE I TOLD YOU BEFORE,” Calliope shouted at the doubled over zealot, “I’M A QUANTUM PRESBYTERIAN, YOU JENNNNNGGRRHHH!”
Incensed by the attack on their leader, Brewster and Mayes swarmed through the ropes and brought Calliope to her knees with a pair of Double Axehandles driven between the shoulders. This brazen attack brought Eve and Sydney onto the field but they didn’t get more than a few steps before Nick Castle pointed a finger at each invading duo and barked, “THE FOUR OF YOU OUT, NOW! PULL THAT SHYT AGAIN AND I’LL SEND WHOEVER DOES IT TO THE BACK! DON’T TEST ME.”
None of them looked happy about it but they did as the ref commanded. Calliope got to her feet as the illegal foursome were leaving and plunged her hands into Miranda’s hair, or at least tried to. Soon as she started to tug, Wainright tore loose and jabbed a thumb into the brunette’s left eye. Cali cried out and staggered back, one hand flying to the socket to knuckle away the unexpected tears. Miranda didn’t try to stop her foe’s ministrations, as she already had other targets lined up. Hands flattened into paddles, she reached waaaaaaaaay back, then brought ‘em together to THWHAP Calliope’s ears with a chiming Bell Ringer. The pain shooting through her head did nothing for the Frightener’s already compromised equilibrium and it only got worse when Wainright reared back and drilled her fingertips in beneath her foe’s chin with a perfectly placed Throat Thrust.
Temporarily relieved of her senses by the combination known as See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil, a gagging Calliope raised no defense against the Toe Kick Miranda buried in the pit of her stomach. Backing away from the vulnerable grappler, Wainright abruptly charged and brought up her right knee to THWHUNK against Cali’s forehead. Calliope rocked up on her heels but didn’t lose her balance so the blonde swiveled around fast, reached over her right shoulder with both hands and took hold of her foe’s chin. Then she hopped up and laid out on her back to THWHAM Cali down on the back of her head and shoulders via a Reverse Neckbreaker.
RUNNING KNEELIFT TO REVERSE NECKBREAKER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0T01YUIBXpo
The limber battler hit hard, bounced to a seat and swaddled both arms around her stricken noggin, not that this proved much in the way of deterrent to Miranda, who was quick to snuggle in from behind. “Don’t think of this as tough love, sister.” Wainright explained as she slipped her left arm under Calliope’s right bicep. “Think of it as your baptism. Because I know that you’re one of us.”
The Eclectic Eel’s protests to the contrary devolved into a liquid gurgling when Miranda reached across with her right hand, snagged Cali’s left wrist and drew it tight to the brunette’s own throat in a Cobra Clutch. Seeking compliance rather than confession, Miranda kept the hold just tight enough to ensure Calliope followed along when she stood up, but not nearly tight enough to render her anything more than groggy. With the would be convert well under her control, Miranda pointed her back toward the Church’s corner and started closing the distance.
“Say your goodbyes now, Evelyn!” she called to Eve. “We both know she’ll want nothing to do with you when this match is over!”
“HOLD ON, CALI!” Choldstone ignored the cult leader in favor of addressing her friend. “JUST MAKE IT BACK TO US AND WE’LL--” she cut herself off mid-sentence because Miranda popped her hips and slung Calliope up, over and down onto the back of her head with a hellaciously beautiful Cobra Clutch Suplex. Cali flopped over onto her back and given the proximity to Adelaide and Tiffany it would’ve been a perfect opportunity to go for a pin, yet the Straight-Edge Siren made no attempt to do so.
COBRA CLUTCH SUPLEX:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEkPQQ9OauA
Instead she got to her feet, walked over to the corner and tagged in Mayes. “Your time will come soon, sister.” Wainright said to Brewster. “The honor escorting this poor creature into the darkness is yours and yours alone.”
That seemed to satisfy Adelaide, who nodded and licked her lips as the pair of blondes went to work. Scraping Calliope off the mat, Tiffany and Miranda reeled the taller woman off the deck and reeled her into a tandem Front Facelock. From there they slung an arm over each shoulder and grabbed a handful of sequined tights. A Double Suplex seemed likely, but when the Churchgoers lifted their target she only got to shoulder level before Mayes and Wainright dropped to one knee to spike Cali’s midsection atop the bony joints. THEN they straightened back up, dipped their knees and hoisted Calliope to high noon and beyond for a Vertical Suplex that rattled the ring.
DOUBLE GUTBUSTER & DOUBLE SUPLEX @ 1:59
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZgPm_7lIF8
On one knee before the canvas finished thrumming, Tiffany twined a hand into the flattened fighter’s hair and forced her to stand with a series of impatient tugs. Careful to keep the action close to the Church’s corner, Mayes slapped on another Front Facelock and quickly followed through with the other preparations for a Vertical Suplex. Turning so her left shoulder was pointed toward home, the leather-clad blonde gathered her strength then let out a grunt and hoisted Calliope all the way to high noon. Now, Tiffany Mayes was nobody’s idea of a powerhouse, yet it was clear she’d been putting in some serious time with strength training because the seconds ticked by and the overturned Frightener didn’t go anywhere. Forced into action despite their desire to do otherwise, the FAWNatics started to count.
‘ONE… TWO… THREE… FOUR… FIVE… SIX… SEVEN… EIGHT… NINE… TEN… ELEVEN… TWELVE…’
Tiffany stomped forward when the clock struck ‘Midnight’ to sling Calliope forward and down onto the top rope. Her upper thighs hit with a dull ‘twang’ and she bounced right back up, the rubber-coated steel providing more than enough to send Cali crashing to the canvas for the second time in less than a minute.
Grimacing noticeably as her back stiffened up, Calliope struggled to a seat and might’ve made it much farther if Mayes hadn’t snagged some hair and BWUNKED the back of her skull against the mat. “Nowhere to go, my poor little lamb,” Tiffany wedged her heels against Cali’s shoulders, leaned forward and claimed both wrists as well, “so please, sit still and drink in my sister’s wisdom.” Calliope grunted a curse of Byzantine construction, alas her words weren’t enough to stop the blonde from bundling her wrists well above her head. Keeping them contained with one hand, Mayes reached out with the other and tagged an ominously silent Miranda. Limited to five too short seconds, the Church’s Cheshire Cat doubled down on those Wristlocks again and leaned all the way back while pushing forward with her feet, the result a modified Surfboard that threatened to dislocate Calliope’s shoulders.
“C’MON CASTLE!” Deschain called from the other side of town. “GET THAT CRAP UNDER CONTROL!”
Eve was in the midst of adding her own colorful suggestions when Wainright sauntered partway down the apron and took the top rope in both hands. Immediately thereafter she vaulted into the squared circle to THWHUMP both heels into Calliope’s exposed tummy. The completion of the Double Stomp cued Mayes to release her hold and roll under the bottom rope, which she did quickly enough to avoid a warning from the official.
Smug in the knowledge that their dismantling of the freak was perfectly legal, Miranda strolled dangerously deep into the opposition’s territory. “Hold your tongue, Sydney Deschain.” the Prophet of Pain warned. “Lest I tear it out and feed it to you.”
Deschain was too smart to take the bait, but she didn’t let the threat go unanswered. “Your faith seems remarkably strong, Miranda. I wonder if it’ll desert you when there aren’t three ropes between us.”
Wainright only smiled. “You’ll never know.”
Dismissing them both with a contemptuous nod, Miranda spun on one heel and stalked back to Calliope, who’d fought to her knees in the interim. “Do not look to them for salvation, Candice.” Wainright pleaded when her claws found the penitent’s hair. “They cannot save you. Only the blissful depths of Midnight can OOOFH!”
Forced to fight one handed because her left arm was pressed tight to her roiling abdomen, Calliope still put a considerable hitch in Miranda’s giddy-up when she punched her square in the navel. The second, third and fourth shots hit their target as well and gave the breathless brunette just enough room to push to her, “NNNNNGGGHH!” Miranda used the tether of Cali’s hair to jerk her into a Kneelift that gouged deep into her solar plexus.
Calliope practically fell into her arms and Wainright actually staggered back a couple steps to keep the crippled heathen from taking them both down. “It seems your heart still harbors doubt.” Miranda murmured sadly, “And as long as it lingers, your suffering must continue.” Straightening the taller woman up as best she could, Miranda tagged in Tiffany but offered her words to Adelaide. “Fight those pangs a little longer, sister. This one’s blood is almost ready to sing for you.”
Brewster licked her lips. “I know. I can hear it racing through her veins.” Pleased with Adelaide’s show of devotion, Wainright spun them both around so she was between Calliope and the Church’s corner, then twisted around behind the heathen and hooked her right arm under Cali’s left bicep. With her right leg already threaded over the brunette’s right thigh, Miranda craaaaaaaaaaaaaanked back on the Abdominal Stretch to earn a loud yowl of pain from her prey.
“Tag’s been made Miranda, let her go and get out of the ring!” Nick Castle demanded of the Pious Punisher. She showed no inclination to listen, so the zebra started his count. “ONE! TWO! THREE!”
There was a loud THWHAP followed by a much louder ‘OOOOOOOOHHHHH!’ from those assembled when Tiffany slipped through the ropes, broke into a short, explosive charge and slammed her left thigh across those exposed abdominals. Miranda released without a word and raised her hands to shoulder level until she was safely ensconced on the apron again.
Confident in her ability to finish the crippled battler, Tiffany cupped her hands under Calliope’s chin and forced her to stand rather than try for a cover. With Cali in no position to stop her, Mayes raised a hand high overhead and shouted, “THIS IS NOT PAIN, BROTHERS AND SISTERS! WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO WITNESS IS WEAKNESS LEAVING THIS SINNER’S PITIABLE BODY!” No one in their right mind thought that sounded even remotely pleasant and they were proved correct when Tiffany pressed her upraised palm to Calliope’s forehead and bore down with a white-knuckle Iron Claw. Cali groaned and sagged forward into her attacker’s vise to stay upright.
Unable to watch anymore, Eve slipped a leg through the ropes only to stop when Syd grabbed her shoulder. “What are you doing? She’s can’t take anymore of that!”
“They’ve been working over her ribs, not her head.” Deschain replied. “Five to one it’s a con.”
Eve didn’t like those odds, but she pulled herself back mostly because Castle had an excellent view of any unauthorized rescue attempt. “If she’s not out in ten seconds I’m going in there, no arguments.”
“I’ll be right there with you.”
Meanwhile, Tiffany pushed up on her toes and forced Calliope down on one knee. “Can you feel it? Can you feel the power of Midnight coursing through my hand and into your soul, sinner? Tell the world you feel it!”
Cali’s hands had been groping at the blonde’s wrists, now they went to her mouth, presumably to mask a sob of pain or worse. After a moment she nodded her head and, much to Tiffany’s surprise, started to rise. “YOU’RE RIGHT, SIS!” she called as loudly as she could. “I FEEL IT! I FEEL IT COURSING THROUGH MY SOUL! MIDNIGHT HAS GGGGRRRGGGHHH…. A SPECIAL MESSAGE AND AAAAAAAHHHH…. IT’S TELLING ME… IT’S TELLING ME…”
Wide-eyed with credulity, Tiffany panted, “What? What’s it saying?”
Calliope took a deep breath, then shouted, “WET WILLY!” She jammed her index fingers into Mayes ears and twiddled them back n’ forth, much to the amusement of everyone who didn’t subscribe to Wainright’s ominous doctrine.
Sputtering with disgust, Tiffany released the claw and slammed both hands into Calliope’s chest. Half a heartbeat later she charged the deceitful bytch, readied a jaw-cracking Forearm Smash and-- the Queen of Outre Space twisted aside, got a hand against the back of Tiffany’s noggin and sent her charging into the ropes. Mayes twisted around in time to hit the strands back-first, bounced out and THAWHACK! Calliope left her feet in a corkscrewing leap, flicked out her right leg and damned near kicked Tiffany’s face into the upper deck with a gorgeously vile Ghost Train.
GHOST TRAIN:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9h_tFZ0DZQ8
Both teams exploded into activity as their respective partner hit the deck. Over in the Church’s corner Miranda and Adelaide mounted the bottom rope and leeaaaaaaaaned almost to the tipping point, each promising the stricken blonde the most delicious vengeance if she could just make it to hallowed ground. Eve and Sydney offered no such incentive to Calliope, they merely suggested (as loudly and emphatically as they could) that she beat feet to their corner posthaste. Drawn from the scene of the accident by those dueling voices, Tiffany and Calliope rolled to all fours and crawled away without even bothering to check on the other’s progress.
Sydney however was keeping a close eye on everyone and she was almost certain Mayes was going to reach home before Cali did the same. Thinking fast, she elbowed Choldstone in the arm and muttered, “Play along.” Eve didn’t have time to ask ‘at what?’ before Sydney shouted, “HEY! SHUT YOUR MOUTH, RICHARD DEAN ANDERSON! CALLIOPE’S A GREAT WRESTLER!”
The black-hearted brunette caught on at once. “YEAH, THAT’S RIGHT, BUDDY! ALL THE PAPER CLIPS AND THUMB TACKS IN THE WORLD WOULDN’T MEAN SHYT IF CALI CAME FOR YOUR ASS!”
Still a few feet from sanctuary, Calliope looked up just as Tiffany ‘clapped’ Adelaide into the match. Completely unaware of the impending danger, she hissed, “Your ass is mine, Anderson.” She popped up and launched herself at the corner, meaning to Suicide Dive into the first few rows, thankfully Deschain intercepted her with a perfectly placed tag to one shoulder.
Clearing the strands as Brewster bore down on their corner, Syd went straight for the other brunette and was mildly disappointed when she backed out into the center of the ring. “What’s the matter, Adelaide?” Deschain asked as they started to circle. “Eyes bigger than your stomach?”
The Queen of Nightmares replied with a smirk that showed entirely too much tooth. “On the contrary, I’m famished. But one does simply guzzle down a…. classic…. vintage such as yourself. I want my first taste of you to be perfect.”
“I’m capable of a great deal, but I’ve never been to let someone starve. If you’ve got a thirst to slake…” Syd pulled her hair back in a loose ponytail and tilted her head at an angle, clearly offering her throat to the Weeping Angel. “Come drink your fill. If you--”
Brewster lunged, buried one hand in Deschain’s hair and cupped another across her chin. Holding the Marvel’s head like someone inspecting a particularly delicious piece of fruit, Adelaide purred, “I thought an old woman like you would remember the stories. Never, EVER, offer me an invitaNNNGGGHHH!”
Syd brought her hands together like she was praying, threaded them between Adelaide’s arms and whipped them apart to break the other brunette’s control over her noggin. She followed with a huge, openhanded Haymaker that snapped Adelaide’s head to the side. “That’s a pretty impressive welt, sweetie.” Deschain said of the mark rising on her foe’s cheek. “Seems you’ve got pretty good circulation for a creature of the NNNNNGGGGHHHHHH!”
Brewster retaliated with a Bytch Slap of her own, then stepped into the breach when Deschain went back on her heels. Putting those dangerous teeth less than an inch from the veteran’s ear, she whispered, “You’re useless as a convert, but you’ll make an excellent throNGHHHH!”
The Mangler shoved her away with a short Shoulderblock and tacked on another one of those Haymaker Bytch Slaps for good measure. Adelaide took it with a grunt of displeasure, set her feet and responded in kind. For the next ten seconds every FAWNatic in attendance drew breath through clenched teeth, it was simply impossible to stop wincing when they could almost feel the burn of those cheek-blistering shots. The stalemate eventually broke when Adelaide reeled away from her attacker’s last Slap and returned with her right arm outstretched for a Clothesline. Syd dipped low to avoid it, spun behind and had her arms locked around Brewster’s waist in the blink of an eye. That turned out to be about how much time Adelaide got to contemplate the situation before Deschain dropped into a deep crouch and popped her hips like it was nobody’s business. Ripped from her moorings, the Churchgoer THWHAMMED down flat on the back of her head and shoulders courtesy a huge German Suplex.
RELEASE GERMAN SUPLEX:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzHF8hat_Tk
While Syd was known for holding an excellent bridge, this time she let loose of Adelaide’s waist in mid-air, meaning the other brunette somersaulted through the landing to end up on one knee. Anyone expecting Brewster to collapse to the mat in a beaten sprawl received a nasty shock when the Weeping Angel powered to her feet and charged right back at her opposition. Sydney Deschain however was not surprised, in fact she’d chosen the Release German in the hopes that the battle-hungry Brewster would do what she’d just done.
Stepping back at the precise moment Adelaide brought her left foot whipping up for a viper-fast Yakuza Kick. The Technical Marvel didn’t have time to duck so she tilted her head the left. Adelaide’s heel scraped her shoulder something fierce, yet she considered it a small price to pay for hooking her left arm under Brewster’s knee in an awkward standing cradle. Coiling her other arm around the back of Adelaide’s neck, Deschain locked her hands and slung the younger battler overhead like she was nothing more than a bag of leaves. Adelaide THWHAMMED down flat on her back and this time there was no instantaneous recovery, though she still rolled to all fours fast enough to get a little nod of appreciation from Sydney.
CAPTURE SUPLEX:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKPhufZGzpU
Appreciation didn’t yield mercy however, far from it. Brewster was still fighting through the Suplex shock when Deschain stormed up, grabbed a double handful of hair and wedged the penitent battler’s head between her thighs. Butterflying Adelaide’s arms with the Double Underhook came next, a development that earned cheers from the crowd and Eve, who was overjoyed at the sight of Brewster getting her doors blown off. “YEAH SYD, YOU GOT HER! HOIST THE BYTCH UP AND THEN SPIKE HEROOOHHH SHYT WATCH OUT!”
Too late. Miranda’s illegal entrance had gone unnoticed by almost everyone so she announced her arrival in grand fashion by THWHACKING the heel of one palm against the base of Deschain’s skull with the murderous Running Palm Strike she called the Red Right Hand. Knees unhinged by the cheap shot, Sydney’s grip went loose and then disintegrated all together when Brewster straightened up, throwing her up, over and down with a weary Backdrop.
“Do you feel that, Sydney Deschain?” Miranda sneered down at the Mangler even as Castle was trying to herd her back to the appropriate corner. “Such is the power of those who embrace the beautiful darkness of Eternal MidniGGHHHHHHH!” Far too kind to let the ref deal with such a dangerous competitor himself, Eve Choldstone leapt onto the top rope, then hurled herself into a headlong dive that ended with her right arm THWAPPING across Wainright’s chest.
SPRINGBOARD CLOTHESLINE:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKycYvLZgl4
Genuinely amazed by how fast it’d all broken down, Nick shook it off and barked, “ALL RIGHT, BACK TO YOUR CORNERS, BOTH OF YOU! NO! HEY! DAMMIT, DON’T MAKE ME--” Vaguely noting that he might need some stitches after this, the senior official waded into the snarling tangle of blonde and brunette who’d abandoned every bit of technique and skill in favor of clawing, squeezing, shredding or yanking anything they could lay hands on.
Still smarting from Wainright’s rough hand, Sydney stood up, saw the Minister of Misery was otherwise occupied and so returned her attention to the legal Churchgoer. “C’mon, Adelaide,” she worked her hands into Brewster’s hair and started to tug., “you’ve got a date with the sunriSSSEEERRGGH!”
The Weeping Angel rose up in a fury, swatting Deschain’s hands aside in the process. Balanced on her left foot, she swung the right up n’ around in a glorious arc that TWHACKED off the side of Syd’s head. The Roundhouse had enough momentum to swing Adelaide around but it didn’t take the Marvel off her feet, so she spun all the way through and came out the other side with a stiff Rolling Elbow to the side of her attacker’s head.
Syd reeled and probably would’ve gone down if Brewster hadn’t taken possession of her left wrist and shoved her back a few feet. A quick spin put some unpleasant pressure on the veteran’s shoulder and also left her wide open when Adelaide unleashed her right leg at a near perfect forty-five degree angle. Heel met jaw with a solid PWAK that sent Deschain reeling away in a drunken line that *barely* avoided the barely separated fracas that was Choldstone and Wainright.
ARM WRENCH HOOK KICK:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rzn05CsNqQ
Almost salivating at the sight of the Marvel’s retreating back, Brewster walked her down, grabbed a handful of waistband and reeled her into a hard Forearm Smash across the lower back. This she transformed into a Waistlock easily enough, but she didn’t do anything with it just yet. Rather she turned to the ref and barked, “Pay some goddamned attention, Castle! I’m about to finish this bytch.”
Hands braced against the sternums of the now vertical Eve and Miranda, Nick spared her a weary look and replied, “Someone will be right with you.”
Silently promising to take it out of his hide if that wasn’t the case, Brewster sank into a deep crouch, then snapped Sydney up, over and back with a German Suplex as gorgeous as any in the Mangler’s arsenal. Adelaide bridged onto her toes following the landing and sure enough Castle swooped in to count…
GERMAN SUPLEX HOLD:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnpuLSRuIBE
ONE…
TWO…
Deschain twisted loose and landed on her stomach with a full second to spare. Though she was irritated with what had to be a slow count, Adelaide saved the official her ire in favor of training it on the other brunette. Cupping Sydney under the chin, she raised the both of ‘em to boot leather, then snuggled in close and wrapped her arms around Deschain’s upper torso. Now, Adelaide Brewster wasn’t known as a powerhouse, but she’d clearly been hitting the gym, as her biceps and shoulders shredded into sharp relief as she squeezed air from the Marvel.
“Miranda might not appreciate your intrusion, I however, certainly do.” she cooed to the panting grappler. “See, I’ve been wanting a taste of you from the moment I strolled into FAWN. And with your impending retirement…” Adelaide nuzzled her face into the side of Deschain’s neck and gently nipped a bit of flesh. “This might be my only opportunity.”
Far more irritated than unnerved by the show of control (though she had to admit, Brewster played the supernatural weirdo better than most) Sydney wedged her elbows in against the younger woman’s forearms and pushed down, trying to work her arms under the Hug. “Still plenty of spots left on the tour, Adelaide.” she grunted. “You’re more than welcome to go it alone, assuming you don’t get your fill tonightTUUUGGHH!”
Adelaide dug her knotted hands into the small of Deschain’s back and drew her prey that much closer, their tummies and chests grinding hard. “Oh, I intend to drink my fill of you, Sydney Deschain. But I’ll leave just enough so you’ll be adequately recovered for my next visNNNNNGGHHH!”
Syd finally got beneath the coil of Brewster’s arms and made the Queen of Nightmares pay with a brutal squeeze of her own. “I’ll be waiting, Addy. I’d love to have your mesh for my trophy room.”
Adelaide’s eyes had been clenched shut in surprise and pain, now they sprang open. Did that antique bytch really just threaten to strip HER? Enduring the squeeze so she could run her fingers through Syd’s hair, Brewster clamped down and wrenched the other brunette’s head back at a sharp angle. “If you even think about taking what’s mine I’ll strip you down to your boots. Don’t test me you old bytchCHHRGGH!”
Sydney bore down on the Hug again and actually lifted Adelaide’s feet of the mat by a few inches. Resting her cheek against the struggling woman’s chest, Syd caught Nick Castle from the corner of one eye and said, “Ask her, Nick. I think she’s ready to NNNGGHH!”
Adelaide raised her right arm, crooked it into a ‘V’ and brought it down on the crown of Deschain’s skull. Three more blows proved enough to break the Bear Hug and send Syd staggering back a little ways. Angered by the way Deschain had turned the tables on her, Brewster pointed her right shoulder toward the reeling wrestler, hopped forward and unleashed a Super Kick aimed at the tip of Sydney’s chi-- cheers from the FAWNatics as the Technical Marvel intercepted the Churchgoer’s ankle and promptly stuffed it under her left armpit.
Balanced on one foot, Adelaide sneered, “Is that the best defense you can muster? You might as well offer your throat to me right--”
CRAAACK! Sydney swiveled Adelaide’s head with a Bytch Slap that drew loud reactions from both sides of the ring. “If you want my throat, you’ll have to take it.” Syd taunted. “Me? I want your face, so I’m going to take that.”
Brewster’s head snapped back around, her eyes full of malice. “Threats like that are a good way to get an old woman killHEEYYYY!”
Deschain swung around behind her adversary which wouldn’t have been very noteworthy except for the fact that she still had hold of Adelaide’s foot. This shift in position wrenched Brewster’s gam up and across her left thigh in a sort of Standing Figure Four that the brunette didn’t care for at all. Quick to throw elbows over each shoulder even though she knew her balance was tenuous, Adelaide hissed her displeasure when Deschain reached around with her free hand and grabbed hold of her folded shin for extra support. “Let me go, Deschain!” Brewster growled. “I mean it! You don’t want AAAAGGGHHHHH!”
Apparently she did want it because the Mangler peeled off a flawless bridge that THWHUMPED the Weeping Angel squarely on the back of her head. With Adelaide folded in half after the cleverly modified German, Sydney pushed up, keeping her bridge nice and tight through…
FIGURE FOUR GERMAN SUPLEX @ 4:30
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Csd91ZAWsLc
ONE…
TWO…
THRNOOOO!
Tiffany Mayes slipped through the ropes, raced across the canvas and drilled both feet into Deschain’s exposed tummy with a Double Stomp.
“Oh hell no,” Eve spat. “C’mon Cali, it’s time for a rumble.”
The Frighteners vaulted over the strands and went straight for Tiffany, who was joined shortly thereafter by Miranda Wainright.
Scrambling to his feet amidst this burgeoning Pier Six brawl, Nick Castle was about to demand a return to order when a voice from the back spoke into his earpiece. He gave the curtain an incredulous look but the order stayed the same, so he stepped back and tried to keep out of trouble as the battle played out.
Quick to pair off, Calliope tackled Tiffany and marched her to an empty corner for some roughhousing of the unfriendly variety. Eve and Miranda only had eyes for each other and while this skirmish was slightly more controlled than the last, there certainly wasn’t much decorum in the way they clouted one another about the head and shoulders with saloon quality Haymakers.
Only vaguely aware that they’d been joined by their partners, Adelaide and Sydney got up with their eyes locked. “Better be careful with those Suplexes, miss.” Adelaide spoke in a tone one expected to hear from a nurse in a senior’s center. “You wouldn’t want to throw out a hip now, would you?”
Syd rolled her shoulders and hunched forward in a springy grappler’s crouch. “If I throw anything, it’ll be your pampered ass. Right over the top rope, sweetheart.”
The Weeping Angel stepped back and spread her arms wide. “Then what are you waiting for, old woman? Come! There’s nothing to fear but fear herself.”
Deschain lunged and Brewster did the same, but whereas the veteran sought a Collar & Elbow, the Churchgoer greeted her with a heartless punt to the crotch. The Marvel shrieked silently, yet her legs still proved strong enough to hold Adelaide’s weight when the younger brunette hopped up and planted both feet on her thighs. Already leaning forward when she touched down, Adelaide wrapped her right arm around Deschain’s head and laid out on her back to THUNK the crown of her skull into the mat with the Wolfsbane DDT.
WOLFSBANE DDT:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzK-kx8ztEU
Sydney somersaulted onto her back, then rolled onto one side and curled into a ball and cradled her head in both hands. Perfectly aware that they were the legal members of their respective teams, Brewster slid over and would’ve gone for a cover if she hadn’t caught sight of Calliope muscling Tiffany onto her shoulders for what looked like a Torture Rack. “PUT HER DOWN FREAK!” Adelaide roared as she got to her feet. “IT’S ME YOU WANT!”
While Adelaide and Sydney had been exchanging barbs, Tiffany and Calliope had engaged in a lively trade of knuckles. A bit fresher if only because she realized that ass bag Anderson wasn’t in fact trolling her from ringside, Cali blocked Mayes’s latest attempt and ‘clacked’ the little blonde’s teeth together with a European Uppercut. Tiff reeled into the ropes, bounced out and almost walked into a Super Kick compliments of the One Woman Freak Show. ‘Almost being the operative word because Mayes tumbled under the strike with a heartbeat to spare and popped up coiled and ready to strike when the limber brunette whirled around.
Tiffany CRAAACKED her cheek with a Bytch Slap on general principle, then went low and snaked her right arm between Cali’s legs. ‘Hupping’ her up onto her shoulders with remarkable ease, Mayes hooked her other arm over the back of Calliope’s neck and sneered, “I may not be a schoolgirl anymore, but this shyt is still Academic.” Knees bent, she twisted her hips to the left, swung right and flung Cali off her shoulders to-- the Clown Princess of Carnage adjusted in mid-air to swing around and land in front of her rival before Mayes could smash her face into the canvas.
“OH I LOVE THAT RIDE!” Cali exclaimed the instant before she drilled a Kneelift into Tiffany’s tummy. “C’MON, NOW YOU GO!”
Leaning over, she forced her shoulders against the Churchgoer’s left side and hooked an arm around that leg. Cali caught her left wrist for extra leverage, then straightened up and quickly traded the Wristlock for a Chinlock to complete the Torture Rack. Even someone as…. unique… as Calliope knew this chaos was no place to try for a submission, so she whipped Tiffany out off her shoulders and laid out on her back to THWHAM the base of Mayes’s head and shoulders into the mat. Rode hard by the Flying Coaster, Tiff wrapped her head in her hands and barrel rolled under the bottom rope to seek a little peace and quiet on the floor.
FLYING COASTER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlqpdzzE2b8
On one knee after disposing of the mean little pipsqueak, Calliope saw the Church Lady throttling Eve with both hands while Nick Castle tried to prize her loose. “Don’t worry talking zebra!” Cali shouted. “I’m com--”
A hand grabbed her shoulder and spun her around. She had just enough time to register Adelaide’s sneering visage before someone grabbed HER shoulder and gave her a dose of the same. Primed and ready to blow the Red Mist into Calliope’s stupid face, Brewster was caught off guard when she was diverted from her prey. Curling her right hand into the fist she’d drive into Deschain’s stupid, meddling heart, Adelaide’s plans went off the rails when she found herself nose to nose with the Mangler.
Syd capitalized on this proximity by catching Brewster’s face in her hands and-- the FAWN Arena lost its mind as Sydney claimed Adelaide’s lips with an aggressive kiss. Too stunned to do anything for a few seconds, the Queen of Nightmares finally got her hands on the veteran’s shoulders, but Deschain beat her to it with a hard two-handed shove. “Wha?” Brewster wiped her mouth. Something was wrong. Glaring death at the Marvel, she growled, “Give me back my mist you NNNNNGGGGHHH!”
Calliope tagged her across the neck with a Forearm Smash, then bent over and reached through Adelaide’s stems to grab hold of the startled brunette’s left wrist. Cali pulled it through and slipped her left arm around Brewster’s neck to complete the Pumphandle, then dropped into a squat and torqued her hips to fling the Weeping Angel up, over and down with a BOOMING Pumphandle Suplex.
PUMPHANDLE SUPLEX:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=614dPDW-qFk
Too focused on ruining this particular heathen to notice the trials of her sisters, Miranda Wainright kept right on squeezing Evelyn’s throat until the Arbiter grabbed her by the wrists and wrenched her hands away. “KNOCK OFF THE CHOKE MIRANDA! OR I’LL THROW IT OUT, UNDERSTAND!”
“All too well. Your religious bias is galling, sir.”
Brushing him aside with an annoyed little wave of one hand, the Malevolent Moralizer got up and reeled her victim into a Standing Headscissors right about the time Adelaide realized the Mist was no longer hers. Hands clasped at chest level, Wainright lowered her head, said a little prayer and leaned forward to wrap her arms around Choldstone’s wai-- “RRRGGHHH HOW DARE YOU!” she barked when Deschain stomped over and CRAAACKED a nasty open-handed Slap between her shoulders. Bowing up with the Headscissors still in place, Miranda pointed a judging finger at the brunette and promised, “You will rue the day you took up arms with these freaks, Sydney Deschain. That is a promiSSSEEAAARHH!”
Sydney stepped in, pursed her lips and ‘Pppffffhhwoooooohed’ a cloud of stolen Red Mist all over Wainright’s disbelieving face.
Miranda’s position was already, in a word, unenviable, and it got that much worse when Eve looped her arms around the blonde’s upper thighs and locked her hands. Standing up with a ragged grunt, Choldstone didn’t dump Wainright to the mat with a Backdrop, rather she held her in place against her back, the zealot’s face hanging just about level with her rear. Not entirely sure what’d happened elsewhere in the last couple of minutes, Eve didn’t stop to look this gift horse in the mouth, She did however put one hand on the inside of her rival’s knee and another on the outside of the opposite knee. Then she pushed up and shoved left to swing Miranda around from front to back. The Fallen Angel of Arkham slapped on a loose half Waistlock and caught one righteous gam in a snug cradle just as she sat out and PLANTED Miranda’s head in the center of the ring with the stiffest Mindbender she’d delivered in quite some time.
MINDBENDER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oflc5zb9Mi8
Still holding the Cradle, Eve pushed up and scooted forward enough to sit down on Wainright’s chest, thus ensuring she didn’t go anywhere through the…
ONE…
TWO…
THREE!
Eve tossed Miranda’s gam aside with a muttered, “Eat it, bytch!” then scrambled to verticality and damned near tackled Calliope with a big hug.
They’d only begun to congratulate one another when the Announcer called, “Ladies and gentlemen, your winner via pin-fall, CALLIOPE, EVE CHOLDSTONE AND SYDNEY DESCHAIN!”
Eve pulled back from Calliope and cocked her head. “Wait a sec, I wasn’t legal.” she said. “Why’d he make the count?”
“Because brass told me to let you all settle it however you wanted.” Nick answered for her. “Things weren’t working as a tag match, might as well make it Tornado rules on the fly.”
Choldstone grinned all the wider as the official raised their hands. That sort of impulsive officiating would drive Miranda nuts and she absolutely loved it.
“Hey, Miss Marvel!” Calliope called to Syd, who was focused on something just outside the ring. “C’mon over and celebrate! We got enough hats for everyone!”
“Just a second, Calliope.” Syd said without turning around. A moment later she dropped to one knee, all the better to look Adelaide Brewster in the eye. “You want in, Adelaide?” the veteran asked quietly. “Consider yourself invited.”
Adelaide curled a hand around the middle rope, but she made no move to enter. The sight of HER mist streaked on Deschain’s chin was almost too much to bear. Finally she replied, “Invitation accepted. But I’ll use it at my leisure. Keep winning, old woman. I want to feed on you when you’re in high spirits.” She bared her teeth to Deschain, then whirled around and hurried over to Tiffany, who was easing Miranda under the bottom rope.
“Looks like we got you in trouble.” Eve noted once Sydney wandered over. “Sorry about that. You need anything, just let us know.”
The Marvel nodded. “Nothing to apologize for. I would’ve felt incomplete if I’d left this place without knocking their heads together a few times.”
“And we’re gonna keep on knocking ‘em!” Cali chortled. “Those bad belles are gonna be chiming LOSER, LOSER, LOSER morning, noon and night!”
“Amen to that.” Syd said with a smile.
TAKE ME TO CHURCH
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xp4WKejt12Y
My lover's got humour
She's the giggle at a funeral
Knows everybody's disapproval
I should've worshiped her sooner
TIFFANY MAYES
A spotlight tore down from the heavens, illuminating a point perhaps halfway up the ramp. At its center stood Tiffany Mayes, the little blonde hardbody immediately recognizable thanks to the black leather bandeau bikini and matching pads and boots, if not for her face, which was currently covered by the creepy plastic Queen of Hearts mask she’d favored before revealing herself to the world.
If the Heavens ever did speak
She is the last true mouthpiece
Every Sunday's getting more bleak
A fresh poison each week
ADELAIDE BREWSTER
A second spotlight blazed to life, this one three quarters of the way up the ramp. Like her sister in arms, Adelaide Brewster wore her Evil Queen mask, but where the blonde favored black leather, the Weeping Angel wore a blood red one piece made of a mesh just fine enough to allow the discerning eye a glimpse of matching white bra and briefs lurking beneath. She finished the look with a clunky black belt complete with a buckle done up as a snarling wolf’s head and white pads at elbow and knee.
We were born sick,' you heard them say it
My church offers no absolution
She tells me, 'Worship in the bedroom'
The only heaven I'll be sent to
Is when I'm alone with you
MIRANDA WAINRIGHT
A light at the top of the stage ripped forth and there stood Miranda Wainright, the Minister of Misery decked out in a wore the night black vinyl one-piece. Scooped low in the back and high over the hips, it was accompanied by clunky knee-high gray boots and black elbow-length mesh gloves. As for her hair, it was still a lustrous, gleaming gold, a marked contrast to darkness in her words.
I was born sick
But I love it
Command me to be well
Amen, Amen, Amen
Revealed in all their glory, the Church of Eternal Midnight raised their hands to the rafters, Tiffany on the first ‘amen’, Adelaide on the second and Miranda on the thi-- All four turnbuckles erupted in dazzling white pyro so bright the heathens were forced to shield their eyes. By the time it faded the lights had returned and the wicked trio was more than halfway to the squared circle. Quickening her step to get beside Mayes, Brewster gave the blonde a nod to send them both into a sprint that ended with stereo dives under the bottom rope. A bit more reserved in her approach, Wainright chose the steps and ascended as if she had all the time in the world. Joining her sisters in the center of the ring, Miranda clasped her hands at chest level as Tiffany and Adelaide fell to their knees. This show of devotion sent another volley of sparks from each corner and kept the heathens properly dazzled while the true believers took up residence in a corner on the far side of the ring.
Silence held sway for all of five seconds before the Announcer resumed his duties. “And introducing their opponents, hailing from Arkham Massachusetts and Greentown Illinois respectively and weighing in at a combined total of two hundred and fifty-five pounds, Eve Choldstone and Calliope, they are THE FRIGHTENERS!”
HERE COME THE FRIGHTENERS:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqIN4YJS5WU
The freaks and geeks dissolved into maniacal laughter as static and the distinctive warble of a Theremin filled the arena. This was joined after several seconds by slow, distorted chuckles from a single throat, though the pitch and volume changed to frequently it could’ve been a whole chorus of lunatics. The house lights went next, dimming to almost nothing before a bank of spotlights on the stage roared back in an insane panoply of colors. Reveling in the chromatic chaos, the Heartbroken crowd sprang to their feet when hundreds of balloons dropped from the rafters. As the balloons drifted down, a bluish-white mist rose from the stage’s steel grating, the contrasting bits of weirdness fusing into something that delighted and chilled in the same breath. Whatever you called it, the effect was compounded by the background noise, which was slowly coalescing into something more and more like mus--the howl of an electric guitar ripped through the speakers and everyone who wasn’t entirely in their right mind lent their voices to the classic carnival riff.
EVE CHOLDSTONE
CALLIOPE
From that shimmering dark came a pair of figures which revealed themselves to be Eve Choldstone and Calliope. Tonight the former wore a black leather bikini emblazoned with the wispy cobweb design, along with matching black pads and boots and of course the pair of battered, fingerless leather gloves. The latter chose zappy green sequined bikini bottoms and orange and blue tie-die halter top. The accessories showed a similar lack of coordination with fire engine red boots, plaid pads and a shiny white smiley face on the seat of her trunks.
While clearly primed for battle, the pair of Groovy Ghoulies made no move toward the ring. Indeed Eve produced a microphone from behind her back and drew it across her neck to ‘cut’ the music. “Don’t worry Church-o’s, we’ll get down there soon enough, I just thought now would be an appropriate time to correct a mistake from the Announcer. See, this isn’t a Handicap match. Oh, I know it was supposed to be. if only because everyone in the back was supposed to be too afraid to tangle with you assholes. For a while that was that was true, me and Cali asked a whole bunch of chicks to stand with us and no one would take us up on--”
“That’s because they’re not tired of living, Evelyn.” Miranda had procured a microphone to better answer the heathen.
Choldstone rolled her eyes. “Weren’t you listening? I said that was true… for a while. Because we found our third. Actually, she found us. I repeat, she found us and asked to join us when we walked down this aisle to kick your pompous, miserable asses.”
Now it was Miranda’s turn to roll her eyes. “And just who, pray tell, is this mentally challenged, emotionally stunted malcontent who’s chosen to throw her life away?”
Eve looked to Calliope, who seemed about to burst. Plucking the mic from Eve’s proffered hand, the Queen of Outré Space waved to the Church, then said, “Boy, oh boy, oh, boy, she is so great! She’s a great wrestler! She’s a snappy dresser! And! And! And! And! She’s just like us! Because who better to team with the Fallen Angel of Arkham and the Monster of the Midway…” Calliope trailed off as her lips curled up in a smile more suited to Candice Akeley. “…than the Woodsboro Mangler?”
WHEREVER I MAY ROAM
www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5TnPjOd_To
SYDNEY DESCHAIN
A moment of surprised silence was followed by a raucous ovation as ‘Wherever I May Roam’ brought Sydney Deschain out to stand alongside the Frighteners. Dark eyes trained on the furiously stunned trio in the ring, the Technical Marvel raised a hand, brushed a thumb against the tip of her nose, then raised an index finger overhead. Deschain nodded when the sigil went up a thousand times over, then turned to Calliope and Eve, offering them each a quick handshake. “I don’t think they’re too happy with us.” she told Choldstone.
“That’s how we know we’re doing it right.” Eve chuckled. “Ready to do this thing?”
Deschain extended an arm. “Lead the way.”
Calliope squealed and took point, the Eclectic Eel breaking into a frenetic series of handsprings, cartwheels and back flips. Eve and Sydney followed close behind, albeit at a far more traditional pace. For the second stop on her retirement tour, the Mangler was decked out in a black tankini with thin white trim and matte gray boots and pads.
They were almost to the squared circle when the Announcer remembered his lines. The Announcer raised his mic once Sleighbells faded into the background. “And introducing her opponent, hailing from Woodsboro California, she stands at five feet six inches tall and weighs in at one hundred and twenty seven pounds. She is the Technical Marvel, the Woodsboro Mangler, the brunette buzz saw… SYDNEY DESCHAIN!”
Too close to bother with another salute, Syd slid under the bottom rope and popped up alongside Eve and Cali, who’d claimed the center of the ring on general principle. Adelaide and Tiffany were champing at the bit to go after their meddlesome rivals, but held their ground mostly because Miranda had an arm held tight across their chests. Deschain didn’t help the situation when she raised her hands and beckoned the Churchgoers forward. Wainright’s bonds held for the moment so the Frighteners and their new friend backed into the other corner to decide just who’d get the honors of first crack at FAWN’s most dangerous cult of personality.
More perturbed by the heathen’s trick than she’d ever let on, Miranda strolled to the middle of the ring and noted, “You think you have bettered your odds of survival with this bit of prestidigitation, Evelyn, but you have not. Instead you’ve ensured yet another career goes down in the fiery ruin my sisters and I shall make of yours.”
Eve pulled away from her conversation with Cali and Syd to zero in on the woman who’d beaten her bloody at All Hallows Evil. “I’ve got an idea, Miranda. Why don’t you look me in the eye and say that? Then we’ll see who’s made the mistake. No, don’t move. I’ll come to you.” The Fallen Angel of Arkham came on at a fast stalk, quickly closing the distance between herself and the Prophet of Pain.
Wainright held her ground until Eve was a few yards out, then she put it in reverse and didn’t stop until she was in the shadows of the Church’s corner. Never letting her eyes leave the brunette’s, Miranda raised her right hand and smiled beatifically when Tiffany smacked her palm. “Be seeing you soon, Evelyn.”
Eve didn’t reply, she’d backed off the instant Mayes brought herself into the fray. Not that she was afraid of Miranda’s freshest convert, but she did have a healthy respect for what the nimble battler could do in close quarters, especially when backed up by Brewster and Wainright.
Vaulting over the top rope with what looked to be no effort whatsoever, Tiffany went straight at Choldstone, lunged in low and would’ve picked an ankle if the Monster hadn’t twisted aside at the last moment. “Too slow, schoolgirl.” Eve taunted the Churchgoer. “Gonna have to up your game if you--”
Mayes feigned a lunge and when Choldstone raised her hands the blonde snapped a sharp little kick against her left thigh. Eve raised her leg to defend against another kick and instead caught a Knife-Edge Chop flush across the chest. She reeled for an instant but that was all Mayes needed to spring onto her shoulders. Tiff’s ankles were almost locked when Eve put both hands against opposing butt and shoved up and out. The torque Mayes intended to power the Frankensteiner sent her spiraling off her perch in a tidy back flip that landed her a short distance in front of the other woman.
Ready and waiting the moment her target touched down, Eve hopped forward on her right foot and shot the left straight at Mayes’s chin in a Super Kick that-- stopped an inch shy of it’s target because Tiff snatched hold of her ankle. A smirk started to form on the blonde’s lips but died a quick death when Choldstone sprang off her plant foot and launched an Enzugiri aimed at the side of her attacker’s skull. The former Plaid Powerhouse dropped into a deep crouch, leaving Eve to land on her hands and one remaining knee.
“Seems you’ve lost a step, heathen.” Tiffany taunted her awkwardly positioned foe. “Perhaps it would be better for you and your friends if you’d just accept Midnight into your hearts right NNNNGGGHH!”
Eve pushed up on her remaining foot, then launched off it and spun back the way she’d came to THUMP her heel into Mayes’s chest with a modified Mule Kick. The True Believer went down flat, somersaulted backward and popped to her feet without realizing she was practically within tagging distance of Calliope and Deschain.
A shouted warning from Adelaide actually worked against her, as it drew the blonde’s attention just long enough for Eve to hit her with a Leaping Forearm Smash to the jaw. Getting an arm around the back of Mayes’s head to make sure she stayed upright, Eve barreled the leather-clad lovely into the buckles, then dipped forward and proceeded to THWHUMP half a dozen Shoulderblocks into that taut tummy. Choldstone sensed rather than heard Castle closing in, so she straightened up and slapped Calliope’s shoulder.
“Ready for a little Crazy Cannonball, Cali?”
The Clown Princess of Carnage hopped over the top rope to land beside her partner. “Oh yeah, let’s blow this little blue robot outta the barrel!” then to Sydney. “Can you keep her lined up in our sights, Miss Marvel?”
“I think I can help.” Syd slipped an arm around Tiffany’s neck and cranked back, an impromptu Sleeper that earned protests from all three members of the Church.
Free to get to work, Calliope grabbed Eve by the wrist, stepped back and launched her toward the opposite corner with an Irish Whip. Rather than release, she dug in her heels and slung Choldstone toward home, giving the smaller brunette a whole lotta momentum when she took to the skies, raised her knees to chest level and THWHUMPED them into Tiffany’s tits. Far from done, she grabbed a double handful of hair and dropped onto her back, bringing Mayes down with her in what amounted to an Inverted Lungblower.
Bounced onto her heels and then back into the corner by the pair of maneuvers, Tiffany didn’t notice when Eve tumbled onto her shoulders and kicked both legs up over her head. Miranda and Adelaide certainly did and they tried to warn their sister in arms when Calliope raced at her oddly positioned partner. Voluntarily offering her abs to Eve’s boots, the One Woman Freak Show pushed up and launched herself into a gorgeous somersault made all the more emphatic by Choldstone’s Monkey Flip assist. Thus she was moving remarkably fast when she TWHUMPED back-first into Tiffany’s chest via a high flying Cannonball Senton.
CRAZY CANNONBALL @ 00:17
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNdOir2iGlU
Tiffany shuddered violently but managed to keep her feet as she stumbled out of the buckles. Unfortunately it also made her a far easier target for Calliope, who snatched hold of the blonde’s wrists and wedged her arms under her biceps. Locking her own hands to keep the pair locked in a belly to belly embrace, the Monster of the Midway leaned in close and whispered, “This isn’t for you, Tiff. I want the phony.” That was little consolation to Mayes as Calliope promptly worsened her day with a series of short, stiff Headbutts that THUMPED against her sternum. After half a dozen, Cali dropped into a deep crouch, then popped her hips and arched back to fling the smaller battler halfway across the ring with the Larson Fireball.
LARSON FIREBALL @ 00:25
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ4u5DJTwz0
Tiffany hit with a resounding THWHUD, sat up and reached for her partners even though they were still a few feet removed. Hardly concerned by what Sydney considered a close call, Calliope stomped over, plunged her hands into Mayes’s hair and draaaaaaagged her back to the middle of the squared circle.
“Sorry, didn’t toss you hard enough the first time. That’s on me and I apologize.” the Queen of Outré Space sounded quite clearheaded as she hauled Mayes upright and moved one hand to her waistband. “Don’t worry though,” Cali tugged up on that scant leather, earning a grimace from the lightweight as it cut between her glutes, “I’ve got a really good feeling about this time.” Tiffany reached for her hair, so Calliope swung around in a wide, smooth circle, took three big steps toward the Church’s corner and hurled her foe between the top and middle ropes to BWUNK shoulder-first against the steel post.
“HELP YOUR FRIEND, PHONY!” Cali roared at Adelaide. “OR ARE YOU ONLY PRETENDING THERE, TOO?”
Infuriated by the lunatic’s gall, Adelaide Brewster reached down to tag Tiffany’s back only to have Miranda grab her wrist. “Never go into battle angry, sister.” the Malevolent Moralizer advised. “Take a few moments to reflect on what’s brought us to this point while I attend to Candice.”
It took a righteous effort for the Weeping Angel to pull her eyes away from the freak, but when she did it was without a word of complaint. “You don’t know it yet,” Brewster said to the fuming Frightener, “but my sister just saved your miserable life.”
Calliope certainly didn’t see it that way and would’ve expounded on the topic of the faux vampire’s very real cowardice if Miranda hadn’t slipped through the ropes and thus claimed the lion’s share of her attention. Backing away to ensure the blonde couldn’t drag her into the nave of that canvas and steel church, Cali hunched forward and extended her hands, just daring Wainright to come for her. “You shouldn’t have done that, Church Lady.” she muttered. “My beef’s with Count Suckula, but I’ll bloody anyone else who gets in the way.”
Confronted with the jittery nitro glycerin bottle of Calliope’s mind, most women would’ve turned tail without so much as a nod. So it spoke volumes to the condition of Miranda’s own headspace when she put her hands behind her back and began angling to the right. “I must admit, your anger with Adelaide puzzles me, sister. You seem to hold her in contempt for claiming to be something she is not and yet hasn’t the vast majority of FAWN done the same to you ever since you stepped through its doors?”
Calliope didn’t answer but she inched her way forward in an attempt to cut Wainright off from her friends before she could complete her circuit.
Miranda noted this but didn’t acknowledge it otherwise. “Freak. Monster. Idiot. Lunatic. These are all words they’ve used to describe yourself, Calliope. But when I look at you I don’t see any of those things. I see a fiercely independent spirit yearning to be recognized for all she contribute to the proper cause. Truth be told, if I were to make a list of your sins, it would number only one.” The Pious Punisher stopped in her tracks and looked from Calliope to Eve and back again. “You choose your friends poorly, sister. You call yourself the Frighteners, but Evelyn’s the only monster. She’s the lost soul, the deviant, the FREAK. The weight of those burdens finally caught up with her and so she’s trying to drag you down into the mire with her, not because she has any real love for you, but simply because like all freaks, she is terribly afraid of the dark. But as one who walks in the ebon shadows, I am here to tell you there’s nothing to fear when the clock strikes midnight. And if you join us…” she extended a hand, which earned a thunderous cannonade of boos from the crowd, “… you will be welcomed with open arms. As Calliope AND Candice Akeley.”
Something stirred at the sound of her given name and Cali had to take a deep breath to keep the other in the passenger seat. “You’d take both of us? Not one or the other?”
“All our welcome at our services dear. Even poor, misguided Evelyn.”
The Queen of Outré Space chewed on her lower lip. “Well…. I DO like pot lucks and bean socials. Ok, you’re on!” She grabbed Miranda’s proffered hand and gave it a hearty shake, much to the disbelief and disgust of all those involved.
Having grown their ranks by a full twenty-five percent in a single stroke, Wainright chanced a look at Eve and smirked, “Looks like it’s a handicap match after all, EvelNNNGGGHHH!”
Still holding the blonde’s hand, Calliope jerked her forward, stepped into the breach and THWHUMPED a Kneelift into the pit of Miranda’s stomach. “LIKE I TOLD YOU BEFORE,” Calliope shouted at the doubled over zealot, “I’M A QUANTUM PRESBYTERIAN, YOU JENNNNNGGRRHHH!”
Incensed by the attack on their leader, Brewster and Mayes swarmed through the ropes and brought Calliope to her knees with a pair of Double Axehandles driven between the shoulders. This brazen attack brought Eve and Sydney onto the field but they didn’t get more than a few steps before Nick Castle pointed a finger at each invading duo and barked, “THE FOUR OF YOU OUT, NOW! PULL THAT SHYT AGAIN AND I’LL SEND WHOEVER DOES IT TO THE BACK! DON’T TEST ME.”
None of them looked happy about it but they did as the ref commanded. Calliope got to her feet as the illegal foursome were leaving and plunged her hands into Miranda’s hair, or at least tried to. Soon as she started to tug, Wainright tore loose and jabbed a thumb into the brunette’s left eye. Cali cried out and staggered back, one hand flying to the socket to knuckle away the unexpected tears. Miranda didn’t try to stop her foe’s ministrations, as she already had other targets lined up. Hands flattened into paddles, she reached waaaaaaaaay back, then brought ‘em together to THWHAP Calliope’s ears with a chiming Bell Ringer. The pain shooting through her head did nothing for the Frightener’s already compromised equilibrium and it only got worse when Wainright reared back and drilled her fingertips in beneath her foe’s chin with a perfectly placed Throat Thrust.
Temporarily relieved of her senses by the combination known as See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil, a gagging Calliope raised no defense against the Toe Kick Miranda buried in the pit of her stomach. Backing away from the vulnerable grappler, Wainright abruptly charged and brought up her right knee to THWHUNK against Cali’s forehead. Calliope rocked up on her heels but didn’t lose her balance so the blonde swiveled around fast, reached over her right shoulder with both hands and took hold of her foe’s chin. Then she hopped up and laid out on her back to THWHAM Cali down on the back of her head and shoulders via a Reverse Neckbreaker.
RUNNING KNEELIFT TO REVERSE NECKBREAKER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0T01YUIBXpo
The limber battler hit hard, bounced to a seat and swaddled both arms around her stricken noggin, not that this proved much in the way of deterrent to Miranda, who was quick to snuggle in from behind. “Don’t think of this as tough love, sister.” Wainright explained as she slipped her left arm under Calliope’s right bicep. “Think of it as your baptism. Because I know that you’re one of us.”
The Eclectic Eel’s protests to the contrary devolved into a liquid gurgling when Miranda reached across with her right hand, snagged Cali’s left wrist and drew it tight to the brunette’s own throat in a Cobra Clutch. Seeking compliance rather than confession, Miranda kept the hold just tight enough to ensure Calliope followed along when she stood up, but not nearly tight enough to render her anything more than groggy. With the would be convert well under her control, Miranda pointed her back toward the Church’s corner and started closing the distance.
“Say your goodbyes now, Evelyn!” she called to Eve. “We both know she’ll want nothing to do with you when this match is over!”
“HOLD ON, CALI!” Choldstone ignored the cult leader in favor of addressing her friend. “JUST MAKE IT BACK TO US AND WE’LL--” she cut herself off mid-sentence because Miranda popped her hips and slung Calliope up, over and down onto the back of her head with a hellaciously beautiful Cobra Clutch Suplex. Cali flopped over onto her back and given the proximity to Adelaide and Tiffany it would’ve been a perfect opportunity to go for a pin, yet the Straight-Edge Siren made no attempt to do so.
COBRA CLUTCH SUPLEX:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEkPQQ9OauA
Instead she got to her feet, walked over to the corner and tagged in Mayes. “Your time will come soon, sister.” Wainright said to Brewster. “The honor escorting this poor creature into the darkness is yours and yours alone.”
That seemed to satisfy Adelaide, who nodded and licked her lips as the pair of blondes went to work. Scraping Calliope off the mat, Tiffany and Miranda reeled the taller woman off the deck and reeled her into a tandem Front Facelock. From there they slung an arm over each shoulder and grabbed a handful of sequined tights. A Double Suplex seemed likely, but when the Churchgoers lifted their target she only got to shoulder level before Mayes and Wainright dropped to one knee to spike Cali’s midsection atop the bony joints. THEN they straightened back up, dipped their knees and hoisted Calliope to high noon and beyond for a Vertical Suplex that rattled the ring.
DOUBLE GUTBUSTER & DOUBLE SUPLEX @ 1:59
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZgPm_7lIF8
On one knee before the canvas finished thrumming, Tiffany twined a hand into the flattened fighter’s hair and forced her to stand with a series of impatient tugs. Careful to keep the action close to the Church’s corner, Mayes slapped on another Front Facelock and quickly followed through with the other preparations for a Vertical Suplex. Turning so her left shoulder was pointed toward home, the leather-clad blonde gathered her strength then let out a grunt and hoisted Calliope all the way to high noon. Now, Tiffany Mayes was nobody’s idea of a powerhouse, yet it was clear she’d been putting in some serious time with strength training because the seconds ticked by and the overturned Frightener didn’t go anywhere. Forced into action despite their desire to do otherwise, the FAWNatics started to count.
‘ONE… TWO… THREE… FOUR… FIVE… SIX… SEVEN… EIGHT… NINE… TEN… ELEVEN… TWELVE…’
Tiffany stomped forward when the clock struck ‘Midnight’ to sling Calliope forward and down onto the top rope. Her upper thighs hit with a dull ‘twang’ and she bounced right back up, the rubber-coated steel providing more than enough to send Cali crashing to the canvas for the second time in less than a minute.
Grimacing noticeably as her back stiffened up, Calliope struggled to a seat and might’ve made it much farther if Mayes hadn’t snagged some hair and BWUNKED the back of her skull against the mat. “Nowhere to go, my poor little lamb,” Tiffany wedged her heels against Cali’s shoulders, leaned forward and claimed both wrists as well, “so please, sit still and drink in my sister’s wisdom.” Calliope grunted a curse of Byzantine construction, alas her words weren’t enough to stop the blonde from bundling her wrists well above her head. Keeping them contained with one hand, Mayes reached out with the other and tagged an ominously silent Miranda. Limited to five too short seconds, the Church’s Cheshire Cat doubled down on those Wristlocks again and leaned all the way back while pushing forward with her feet, the result a modified Surfboard that threatened to dislocate Calliope’s shoulders.
“C’MON CASTLE!” Deschain called from the other side of town. “GET THAT CRAP UNDER CONTROL!”
Eve was in the midst of adding her own colorful suggestions when Wainright sauntered partway down the apron and took the top rope in both hands. Immediately thereafter she vaulted into the squared circle to THWHUMP both heels into Calliope’s exposed tummy. The completion of the Double Stomp cued Mayes to release her hold and roll under the bottom rope, which she did quickly enough to avoid a warning from the official.
Smug in the knowledge that their dismantling of the freak was perfectly legal, Miranda strolled dangerously deep into the opposition’s territory. “Hold your tongue, Sydney Deschain.” the Prophet of Pain warned. “Lest I tear it out and feed it to you.”
Deschain was too smart to take the bait, but she didn’t let the threat go unanswered. “Your faith seems remarkably strong, Miranda. I wonder if it’ll desert you when there aren’t three ropes between us.”
Wainright only smiled. “You’ll never know.”
Dismissing them both with a contemptuous nod, Miranda spun on one heel and stalked back to Calliope, who’d fought to her knees in the interim. “Do not look to them for salvation, Candice.” Wainright pleaded when her claws found the penitent’s hair. “They cannot save you. Only the blissful depths of Midnight can OOOFH!”
Forced to fight one handed because her left arm was pressed tight to her roiling abdomen, Calliope still put a considerable hitch in Miranda’s giddy-up when she punched her square in the navel. The second, third and fourth shots hit their target as well and gave the breathless brunette just enough room to push to her, “NNNNNGGGHH!” Miranda used the tether of Cali’s hair to jerk her into a Kneelift that gouged deep into her solar plexus.
Calliope practically fell into her arms and Wainright actually staggered back a couple steps to keep the crippled heathen from taking them both down. “It seems your heart still harbors doubt.” Miranda murmured sadly, “And as long as it lingers, your suffering must continue.” Straightening the taller woman up as best she could, Miranda tagged in Tiffany but offered her words to Adelaide. “Fight those pangs a little longer, sister. This one’s blood is almost ready to sing for you.”
Brewster licked her lips. “I know. I can hear it racing through her veins.” Pleased with Adelaide’s show of devotion, Wainright spun them both around so she was between Calliope and the Church’s corner, then twisted around behind the heathen and hooked her right arm under Cali’s left bicep. With her right leg already threaded over the brunette’s right thigh, Miranda craaaaaaaaaaaaaanked back on the Abdominal Stretch to earn a loud yowl of pain from her prey.
“Tag’s been made Miranda, let her go and get out of the ring!” Nick Castle demanded of the Pious Punisher. She showed no inclination to listen, so the zebra started his count. “ONE! TWO! THREE!”
There was a loud THWHAP followed by a much louder ‘OOOOOOOOHHHHH!’ from those assembled when Tiffany slipped through the ropes, broke into a short, explosive charge and slammed her left thigh across those exposed abdominals. Miranda released without a word and raised her hands to shoulder level until she was safely ensconced on the apron again.
Confident in her ability to finish the crippled battler, Tiffany cupped her hands under Calliope’s chin and forced her to stand rather than try for a cover. With Cali in no position to stop her, Mayes raised a hand high overhead and shouted, “THIS IS NOT PAIN, BROTHERS AND SISTERS! WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO WITNESS IS WEAKNESS LEAVING THIS SINNER’S PITIABLE BODY!” No one in their right mind thought that sounded even remotely pleasant and they were proved correct when Tiffany pressed her upraised palm to Calliope’s forehead and bore down with a white-knuckle Iron Claw. Cali groaned and sagged forward into her attacker’s vise to stay upright.
Unable to watch anymore, Eve slipped a leg through the ropes only to stop when Syd grabbed her shoulder. “What are you doing? She’s can’t take anymore of that!”
“They’ve been working over her ribs, not her head.” Deschain replied. “Five to one it’s a con.”
Eve didn’t like those odds, but she pulled herself back mostly because Castle had an excellent view of any unauthorized rescue attempt. “If she’s not out in ten seconds I’m going in there, no arguments.”
“I’ll be right there with you.”
Meanwhile, Tiffany pushed up on her toes and forced Calliope down on one knee. “Can you feel it? Can you feel the power of Midnight coursing through my hand and into your soul, sinner? Tell the world you feel it!”
Cali’s hands had been groping at the blonde’s wrists, now they went to her mouth, presumably to mask a sob of pain or worse. After a moment she nodded her head and, much to Tiffany’s surprise, started to rise. “YOU’RE RIGHT, SIS!” she called as loudly as she could. “I FEEL IT! I FEEL IT COURSING THROUGH MY SOUL! MIDNIGHT HAS GGGGRRRGGGHHH…. A SPECIAL MESSAGE AND AAAAAAAHHHH…. IT’S TELLING ME… IT’S TELLING ME…”
Wide-eyed with credulity, Tiffany panted, “What? What’s it saying?”
Calliope took a deep breath, then shouted, “WET WILLY!” She jammed her index fingers into Mayes ears and twiddled them back n’ forth, much to the amusement of everyone who didn’t subscribe to Wainright’s ominous doctrine.
Sputtering with disgust, Tiffany released the claw and slammed both hands into Calliope’s chest. Half a heartbeat later she charged the deceitful bytch, readied a jaw-cracking Forearm Smash and-- the Queen of Outre Space twisted aside, got a hand against the back of Tiffany’s noggin and sent her charging into the ropes. Mayes twisted around in time to hit the strands back-first, bounced out and THAWHACK! Calliope left her feet in a corkscrewing leap, flicked out her right leg and damned near kicked Tiffany’s face into the upper deck with a gorgeously vile Ghost Train.
GHOST TRAIN:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9h_tFZ0DZQ8
Both teams exploded into activity as their respective partner hit the deck. Over in the Church’s corner Miranda and Adelaide mounted the bottom rope and leeaaaaaaaaned almost to the tipping point, each promising the stricken blonde the most delicious vengeance if she could just make it to hallowed ground. Eve and Sydney offered no such incentive to Calliope, they merely suggested (as loudly and emphatically as they could) that she beat feet to their corner posthaste. Drawn from the scene of the accident by those dueling voices, Tiffany and Calliope rolled to all fours and crawled away without even bothering to check on the other’s progress.
Sydney however was keeping a close eye on everyone and she was almost certain Mayes was going to reach home before Cali did the same. Thinking fast, she elbowed Choldstone in the arm and muttered, “Play along.” Eve didn’t have time to ask ‘at what?’ before Sydney shouted, “HEY! SHUT YOUR MOUTH, RICHARD DEAN ANDERSON! CALLIOPE’S A GREAT WRESTLER!”
The black-hearted brunette caught on at once. “YEAH, THAT’S RIGHT, BUDDY! ALL THE PAPER CLIPS AND THUMB TACKS IN THE WORLD WOULDN’T MEAN SHYT IF CALI CAME FOR YOUR ASS!”
Still a few feet from sanctuary, Calliope looked up just as Tiffany ‘clapped’ Adelaide into the match. Completely unaware of the impending danger, she hissed, “Your ass is mine, Anderson.” She popped up and launched herself at the corner, meaning to Suicide Dive into the first few rows, thankfully Deschain intercepted her with a perfectly placed tag to one shoulder.
Clearing the strands as Brewster bore down on their corner, Syd went straight for the other brunette and was mildly disappointed when she backed out into the center of the ring. “What’s the matter, Adelaide?” Deschain asked as they started to circle. “Eyes bigger than your stomach?”
The Queen of Nightmares replied with a smirk that showed entirely too much tooth. “On the contrary, I’m famished. But one does simply guzzle down a…. classic…. vintage such as yourself. I want my first taste of you to be perfect.”
“I’m capable of a great deal, but I’ve never been to let someone starve. If you’ve got a thirst to slake…” Syd pulled her hair back in a loose ponytail and tilted her head at an angle, clearly offering her throat to the Weeping Angel. “Come drink your fill. If you--”
Brewster lunged, buried one hand in Deschain’s hair and cupped another across her chin. Holding the Marvel’s head like someone inspecting a particularly delicious piece of fruit, Adelaide purred, “I thought an old woman like you would remember the stories. Never, EVER, offer me an invitaNNNGGGHHH!”
Syd brought her hands together like she was praying, threaded them between Adelaide’s arms and whipped them apart to break the other brunette’s control over her noggin. She followed with a huge, openhanded Haymaker that snapped Adelaide’s head to the side. “That’s a pretty impressive welt, sweetie.” Deschain said of the mark rising on her foe’s cheek. “Seems you’ve got pretty good circulation for a creature of the NNNNNGGGGHHHHHH!”
Brewster retaliated with a Bytch Slap of her own, then stepped into the breach when Deschain went back on her heels. Putting those dangerous teeth less than an inch from the veteran’s ear, she whispered, “You’re useless as a convert, but you’ll make an excellent throNGHHHH!”
The Mangler shoved her away with a short Shoulderblock and tacked on another one of those Haymaker Bytch Slaps for good measure. Adelaide took it with a grunt of displeasure, set her feet and responded in kind. For the next ten seconds every FAWNatic in attendance drew breath through clenched teeth, it was simply impossible to stop wincing when they could almost feel the burn of those cheek-blistering shots. The stalemate eventually broke when Adelaide reeled away from her attacker’s last Slap and returned with her right arm outstretched for a Clothesline. Syd dipped low to avoid it, spun behind and had her arms locked around Brewster’s waist in the blink of an eye. That turned out to be about how much time Adelaide got to contemplate the situation before Deschain dropped into a deep crouch and popped her hips like it was nobody’s business. Ripped from her moorings, the Churchgoer THWHAMMED down flat on the back of her head and shoulders courtesy a huge German Suplex.
RELEASE GERMAN SUPLEX:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzHF8hat_Tk
While Syd was known for holding an excellent bridge, this time she let loose of Adelaide’s waist in mid-air, meaning the other brunette somersaulted through the landing to end up on one knee. Anyone expecting Brewster to collapse to the mat in a beaten sprawl received a nasty shock when the Weeping Angel powered to her feet and charged right back at her opposition. Sydney Deschain however was not surprised, in fact she’d chosen the Release German in the hopes that the battle-hungry Brewster would do what she’d just done.
Stepping back at the precise moment Adelaide brought her left foot whipping up for a viper-fast Yakuza Kick. The Technical Marvel didn’t have time to duck so she tilted her head the left. Adelaide’s heel scraped her shoulder something fierce, yet she considered it a small price to pay for hooking her left arm under Brewster’s knee in an awkward standing cradle. Coiling her other arm around the back of Adelaide’s neck, Deschain locked her hands and slung the younger battler overhead like she was nothing more than a bag of leaves. Adelaide THWHAMMED down flat on her back and this time there was no instantaneous recovery, though she still rolled to all fours fast enough to get a little nod of appreciation from Sydney.
CAPTURE SUPLEX:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKPhufZGzpU
Appreciation didn’t yield mercy however, far from it. Brewster was still fighting through the Suplex shock when Deschain stormed up, grabbed a double handful of hair and wedged the penitent battler’s head between her thighs. Butterflying Adelaide’s arms with the Double Underhook came next, a development that earned cheers from the crowd and Eve, who was overjoyed at the sight of Brewster getting her doors blown off. “YEAH SYD, YOU GOT HER! HOIST THE BYTCH UP AND THEN SPIKE HEROOOHHH SHYT WATCH OUT!”
Too late. Miranda’s illegal entrance had gone unnoticed by almost everyone so she announced her arrival in grand fashion by THWHACKING the heel of one palm against the base of Deschain’s skull with the murderous Running Palm Strike she called the Red Right Hand. Knees unhinged by the cheap shot, Sydney’s grip went loose and then disintegrated all together when Brewster straightened up, throwing her up, over and down with a weary Backdrop.
“Do you feel that, Sydney Deschain?” Miranda sneered down at the Mangler even as Castle was trying to herd her back to the appropriate corner. “Such is the power of those who embrace the beautiful darkness of Eternal MidniGGHHHHHHH!” Far too kind to let the ref deal with such a dangerous competitor himself, Eve Choldstone leapt onto the top rope, then hurled herself into a headlong dive that ended with her right arm THWAPPING across Wainright’s chest.
SPRINGBOARD CLOTHESLINE:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKycYvLZgl4
Genuinely amazed by how fast it’d all broken down, Nick shook it off and barked, “ALL RIGHT, BACK TO YOUR CORNERS, BOTH OF YOU! NO! HEY! DAMMIT, DON’T MAKE ME--” Vaguely noting that he might need some stitches after this, the senior official waded into the snarling tangle of blonde and brunette who’d abandoned every bit of technique and skill in favor of clawing, squeezing, shredding or yanking anything they could lay hands on.
Still smarting from Wainright’s rough hand, Sydney stood up, saw the Minister of Misery was otherwise occupied and so returned her attention to the legal Churchgoer. “C’mon, Adelaide,” she worked her hands into Brewster’s hair and started to tug., “you’ve got a date with the sunriSSSEEERRGGH!”
The Weeping Angel rose up in a fury, swatting Deschain’s hands aside in the process. Balanced on her left foot, she swung the right up n’ around in a glorious arc that TWHACKED off the side of Syd’s head. The Roundhouse had enough momentum to swing Adelaide around but it didn’t take the Marvel off her feet, so she spun all the way through and came out the other side with a stiff Rolling Elbow to the side of her attacker’s head.
Syd reeled and probably would’ve gone down if Brewster hadn’t taken possession of her left wrist and shoved her back a few feet. A quick spin put some unpleasant pressure on the veteran’s shoulder and also left her wide open when Adelaide unleashed her right leg at a near perfect forty-five degree angle. Heel met jaw with a solid PWAK that sent Deschain reeling away in a drunken line that *barely* avoided the barely separated fracas that was Choldstone and Wainright.
ARM WRENCH HOOK KICK:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rzn05CsNqQ
Almost salivating at the sight of the Marvel’s retreating back, Brewster walked her down, grabbed a handful of waistband and reeled her into a hard Forearm Smash across the lower back. This she transformed into a Waistlock easily enough, but she didn’t do anything with it just yet. Rather she turned to the ref and barked, “Pay some goddamned attention, Castle! I’m about to finish this bytch.”
Hands braced against the sternums of the now vertical Eve and Miranda, Nick spared her a weary look and replied, “Someone will be right with you.”
Silently promising to take it out of his hide if that wasn’t the case, Brewster sank into a deep crouch, then snapped Sydney up, over and back with a German Suplex as gorgeous as any in the Mangler’s arsenal. Adelaide bridged onto her toes following the landing and sure enough Castle swooped in to count…
GERMAN SUPLEX HOLD:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnpuLSRuIBE
ONE…
TWO…
Deschain twisted loose and landed on her stomach with a full second to spare. Though she was irritated with what had to be a slow count, Adelaide saved the official her ire in favor of training it on the other brunette. Cupping Sydney under the chin, she raised the both of ‘em to boot leather, then snuggled in close and wrapped her arms around Deschain’s upper torso. Now, Adelaide Brewster wasn’t known as a powerhouse, but she’d clearly been hitting the gym, as her biceps and shoulders shredded into sharp relief as she squeezed air from the Marvel.
“Miranda might not appreciate your intrusion, I however, certainly do.” she cooed to the panting grappler. “See, I’ve been wanting a taste of you from the moment I strolled into FAWN. And with your impending retirement…” Adelaide nuzzled her face into the side of Deschain’s neck and gently nipped a bit of flesh. “This might be my only opportunity.”
Far more irritated than unnerved by the show of control (though she had to admit, Brewster played the supernatural weirdo better than most) Sydney wedged her elbows in against the younger woman’s forearms and pushed down, trying to work her arms under the Hug. “Still plenty of spots left on the tour, Adelaide.” she grunted. “You’re more than welcome to go it alone, assuming you don’t get your fill tonightTUUUGGHH!”
Adelaide dug her knotted hands into the small of Deschain’s back and drew her prey that much closer, their tummies and chests grinding hard. “Oh, I intend to drink my fill of you, Sydney Deschain. But I’ll leave just enough so you’ll be adequately recovered for my next visNNNNNGGHHH!”
Syd finally got beneath the coil of Brewster’s arms and made the Queen of Nightmares pay with a brutal squeeze of her own. “I’ll be waiting, Addy. I’d love to have your mesh for my trophy room.”
Adelaide’s eyes had been clenched shut in surprise and pain, now they sprang open. Did that antique bytch really just threaten to strip HER? Enduring the squeeze so she could run her fingers through Syd’s hair, Brewster clamped down and wrenched the other brunette’s head back at a sharp angle. “If you even think about taking what’s mine I’ll strip you down to your boots. Don’t test me you old bytchCHHRGGH!”
Sydney bore down on the Hug again and actually lifted Adelaide’s feet of the mat by a few inches. Resting her cheek against the struggling woman’s chest, Syd caught Nick Castle from the corner of one eye and said, “Ask her, Nick. I think she’s ready to NNNGGHH!”
Adelaide raised her right arm, crooked it into a ‘V’ and brought it down on the crown of Deschain’s skull. Three more blows proved enough to break the Bear Hug and send Syd staggering back a little ways. Angered by the way Deschain had turned the tables on her, Brewster pointed her right shoulder toward the reeling wrestler, hopped forward and unleashed a Super Kick aimed at the tip of Sydney’s chi-- cheers from the FAWNatics as the Technical Marvel intercepted the Churchgoer’s ankle and promptly stuffed it under her left armpit.
Balanced on one foot, Adelaide sneered, “Is that the best defense you can muster? You might as well offer your throat to me right--”
CRAAACK! Sydney swiveled Adelaide’s head with a Bytch Slap that drew loud reactions from both sides of the ring. “If you want my throat, you’ll have to take it.” Syd taunted. “Me? I want your face, so I’m going to take that.”
Brewster’s head snapped back around, her eyes full of malice. “Threats like that are a good way to get an old woman killHEEYYYY!”
Deschain swung around behind her adversary which wouldn’t have been very noteworthy except for the fact that she still had hold of Adelaide’s foot. This shift in position wrenched Brewster’s gam up and across her left thigh in a sort of Standing Figure Four that the brunette didn’t care for at all. Quick to throw elbows over each shoulder even though she knew her balance was tenuous, Adelaide hissed her displeasure when Deschain reached around with her free hand and grabbed hold of her folded shin for extra support. “Let me go, Deschain!” Brewster growled. “I mean it! You don’t want AAAAGGGHHHHH!”
Apparently she did want it because the Mangler peeled off a flawless bridge that THWHUMPED the Weeping Angel squarely on the back of her head. With Adelaide folded in half after the cleverly modified German, Sydney pushed up, keeping her bridge nice and tight through…
FIGURE FOUR GERMAN SUPLEX @ 4:30
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Csd91ZAWsLc
ONE…
TWO…
THRNOOOO!
Tiffany Mayes slipped through the ropes, raced across the canvas and drilled both feet into Deschain’s exposed tummy with a Double Stomp.
“Oh hell no,” Eve spat. “C’mon Cali, it’s time for a rumble.”
The Frighteners vaulted over the strands and went straight for Tiffany, who was joined shortly thereafter by Miranda Wainright.
Scrambling to his feet amidst this burgeoning Pier Six brawl, Nick Castle was about to demand a return to order when a voice from the back spoke into his earpiece. He gave the curtain an incredulous look but the order stayed the same, so he stepped back and tried to keep out of trouble as the battle played out.
Quick to pair off, Calliope tackled Tiffany and marched her to an empty corner for some roughhousing of the unfriendly variety. Eve and Miranda only had eyes for each other and while this skirmish was slightly more controlled than the last, there certainly wasn’t much decorum in the way they clouted one another about the head and shoulders with saloon quality Haymakers.
Only vaguely aware that they’d been joined by their partners, Adelaide and Sydney got up with their eyes locked. “Better be careful with those Suplexes, miss.” Adelaide spoke in a tone one expected to hear from a nurse in a senior’s center. “You wouldn’t want to throw out a hip now, would you?”
Syd rolled her shoulders and hunched forward in a springy grappler’s crouch. “If I throw anything, it’ll be your pampered ass. Right over the top rope, sweetheart.”
The Weeping Angel stepped back and spread her arms wide. “Then what are you waiting for, old woman? Come! There’s nothing to fear but fear herself.”
Deschain lunged and Brewster did the same, but whereas the veteran sought a Collar & Elbow, the Churchgoer greeted her with a heartless punt to the crotch. The Marvel shrieked silently, yet her legs still proved strong enough to hold Adelaide’s weight when the younger brunette hopped up and planted both feet on her thighs. Already leaning forward when she touched down, Adelaide wrapped her right arm around Deschain’s head and laid out on her back to THUNK the crown of her skull into the mat with the Wolfsbane DDT.
WOLFSBANE DDT:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzK-kx8ztEU
Sydney somersaulted onto her back, then rolled onto one side and curled into a ball and cradled her head in both hands. Perfectly aware that they were the legal members of their respective teams, Brewster slid over and would’ve gone for a cover if she hadn’t caught sight of Calliope muscling Tiffany onto her shoulders for what looked like a Torture Rack. “PUT HER DOWN FREAK!” Adelaide roared as she got to her feet. “IT’S ME YOU WANT!”
While Adelaide and Sydney had been exchanging barbs, Tiffany and Calliope had engaged in a lively trade of knuckles. A bit fresher if only because she realized that ass bag Anderson wasn’t in fact trolling her from ringside, Cali blocked Mayes’s latest attempt and ‘clacked’ the little blonde’s teeth together with a European Uppercut. Tiff reeled into the ropes, bounced out and almost walked into a Super Kick compliments of the One Woman Freak Show. ‘Almost being the operative word because Mayes tumbled under the strike with a heartbeat to spare and popped up coiled and ready to strike when the limber brunette whirled around.
Tiffany CRAAACKED her cheek with a Bytch Slap on general principle, then went low and snaked her right arm between Cali’s legs. ‘Hupping’ her up onto her shoulders with remarkable ease, Mayes hooked her other arm over the back of Calliope’s neck and sneered, “I may not be a schoolgirl anymore, but this shyt is still Academic.” Knees bent, she twisted her hips to the left, swung right and flung Cali off her shoulders to-- the Clown Princess of Carnage adjusted in mid-air to swing around and land in front of her rival before Mayes could smash her face into the canvas.
“OH I LOVE THAT RIDE!” Cali exclaimed the instant before she drilled a Kneelift into Tiffany’s tummy. “C’MON, NOW YOU GO!”
Leaning over, she forced her shoulders against the Churchgoer’s left side and hooked an arm around that leg. Cali caught her left wrist for extra leverage, then straightened up and quickly traded the Wristlock for a Chinlock to complete the Torture Rack. Even someone as…. unique… as Calliope knew this chaos was no place to try for a submission, so she whipped Tiffany out off her shoulders and laid out on her back to THWHAM the base of Mayes’s head and shoulders into the mat. Rode hard by the Flying Coaster, Tiff wrapped her head in her hands and barrel rolled under the bottom rope to seek a little peace and quiet on the floor.
FLYING COASTER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlqpdzzE2b8
On one knee after disposing of the mean little pipsqueak, Calliope saw the Church Lady throttling Eve with both hands while Nick Castle tried to prize her loose. “Don’t worry talking zebra!” Cali shouted. “I’m com--”
A hand grabbed her shoulder and spun her around. She had just enough time to register Adelaide’s sneering visage before someone grabbed HER shoulder and gave her a dose of the same. Primed and ready to blow the Red Mist into Calliope’s stupid face, Brewster was caught off guard when she was diverted from her prey. Curling her right hand into the fist she’d drive into Deschain’s stupid, meddling heart, Adelaide’s plans went off the rails when she found herself nose to nose with the Mangler.
Syd capitalized on this proximity by catching Brewster’s face in her hands and-- the FAWN Arena lost its mind as Sydney claimed Adelaide’s lips with an aggressive kiss. Too stunned to do anything for a few seconds, the Queen of Nightmares finally got her hands on the veteran’s shoulders, but Deschain beat her to it with a hard two-handed shove. “Wha?” Brewster wiped her mouth. Something was wrong. Glaring death at the Marvel, she growled, “Give me back my mist you NNNNNGGGGHHH!”
Calliope tagged her across the neck with a Forearm Smash, then bent over and reached through Adelaide’s stems to grab hold of the startled brunette’s left wrist. Cali pulled it through and slipped her left arm around Brewster’s neck to complete the Pumphandle, then dropped into a squat and torqued her hips to fling the Weeping Angel up, over and down with a BOOMING Pumphandle Suplex.
PUMPHANDLE SUPLEX:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=614dPDW-qFk
Too focused on ruining this particular heathen to notice the trials of her sisters, Miranda Wainright kept right on squeezing Evelyn’s throat until the Arbiter grabbed her by the wrists and wrenched her hands away. “KNOCK OFF THE CHOKE MIRANDA! OR I’LL THROW IT OUT, UNDERSTAND!”
“All too well. Your religious bias is galling, sir.”
Brushing him aside with an annoyed little wave of one hand, the Malevolent Moralizer got up and reeled her victim into a Standing Headscissors right about the time Adelaide realized the Mist was no longer hers. Hands clasped at chest level, Wainright lowered her head, said a little prayer and leaned forward to wrap her arms around Choldstone’s wai-- “RRRGGHHH HOW DARE YOU!” she barked when Deschain stomped over and CRAAACKED a nasty open-handed Slap between her shoulders. Bowing up with the Headscissors still in place, Miranda pointed a judging finger at the brunette and promised, “You will rue the day you took up arms with these freaks, Sydney Deschain. That is a promiSSSEEAAARHH!”
Sydney stepped in, pursed her lips and ‘Pppffffhhwoooooohed’ a cloud of stolen Red Mist all over Wainright’s disbelieving face.
Miranda’s position was already, in a word, unenviable, and it got that much worse when Eve looped her arms around the blonde’s upper thighs and locked her hands. Standing up with a ragged grunt, Choldstone didn’t dump Wainright to the mat with a Backdrop, rather she held her in place against her back, the zealot’s face hanging just about level with her rear. Not entirely sure what’d happened elsewhere in the last couple of minutes, Eve didn’t stop to look this gift horse in the mouth, She did however put one hand on the inside of her rival’s knee and another on the outside of the opposite knee. Then she pushed up and shoved left to swing Miranda around from front to back. The Fallen Angel of Arkham slapped on a loose half Waistlock and caught one righteous gam in a snug cradle just as she sat out and PLANTED Miranda’s head in the center of the ring with the stiffest Mindbender she’d delivered in quite some time.
MINDBENDER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oflc5zb9Mi8
Still holding the Cradle, Eve pushed up and scooted forward enough to sit down on Wainright’s chest, thus ensuring she didn’t go anywhere through the…
ONE…
TWO…
THREE!
Eve tossed Miranda’s gam aside with a muttered, “Eat it, bytch!” then scrambled to verticality and damned near tackled Calliope with a big hug.
They’d only begun to congratulate one another when the Announcer called, “Ladies and gentlemen, your winner via pin-fall, CALLIOPE, EVE CHOLDSTONE AND SYDNEY DESCHAIN!”
Eve pulled back from Calliope and cocked her head. “Wait a sec, I wasn’t legal.” she said. “Why’d he make the count?”
“Because brass told me to let you all settle it however you wanted.” Nick answered for her. “Things weren’t working as a tag match, might as well make it Tornado rules on the fly.”
Choldstone grinned all the wider as the official raised their hands. That sort of impulsive officiating would drive Miranda nuts and she absolutely loved it.
“Hey, Miss Marvel!” Calliope called to Syd, who was focused on something just outside the ring. “C’mon over and celebrate! We got enough hats for everyone!”
“Just a second, Calliope.” Syd said without turning around. A moment later she dropped to one knee, all the better to look Adelaide Brewster in the eye. “You want in, Adelaide?” the veteran asked quietly. “Consider yourself invited.”
Adelaide curled a hand around the middle rope, but she made no move to enter. The sight of HER mist streaked on Deschain’s chin was almost too much to bear. Finally she replied, “Invitation accepted. But I’ll use it at my leisure. Keep winning, old woman. I want to feed on you when you’re in high spirits.” She bared her teeth to Deschain, then whirled around and hurried over to Tiffany, who was easing Miranda under the bottom rope.
“Looks like we got you in trouble.” Eve noted once Sydney wandered over. “Sorry about that. You need anything, just let us know.”
The Marvel nodded. “Nothing to apologize for. I would’ve felt incomplete if I’d left this place without knocking their heads together a few times.”
“And we’re gonna keep on knocking ‘em!” Cali chortled. “Those bad belles are gonna be chiming LOSER, LOSER, LOSER morning, noon and night!”
“Amen to that.” Syd said with a smile.