Post by samiamnot on Jan 7, 2016 0:33:27 GMT
The arena goes dark. FAWNatics, eager to see the next match, jostle and chatter about who they hope to see tonight. Old favorites, new faces, and a lot of action.
But most don't want to see who comes out next.
The announcer pipes up. “Ladies and gentlemen, before we continue, coming to the ring now to make a very important announcement – she is the Panther… EVA MAY!”
EVA MAY:
The crowd does not hold back their jeers as the familiar troublemaker appears. Her usual haughty persona is quieted, however, and instead Eva walks to the ring like a child who just learned her pet is dying. Her eyes downcast, she sighs sadly as fans pelt her with cups and insults. She looks ready to burst into tears. Instead, she climbs into the ring and picks up the mic.
She listens for a few minutes to the hate from FAWN's diehard fans and, when it finally dies down, speaks in a quiet, humble voice. “I get it, FAWN,” she begins. “I really do. When I first came here last year, I had big plans. I thought I would be the baddest thing this league ever saw.”
The fans erupt again, heckling her. She pulls the mic from her lips and lets them work out their verbal aggression. Finally, she speaks again. “I won my first match here. I fought Katsumi Akiyama. I thought I was tough. I thought I was a bad ass. Then, I started fighting other wrestlers. I fought Moxie Savage twice and lost – once by disqualification, once because she just fought harder. Then, I fought Crimson Dawn last Halloween and lost.”
The fans cheer at the memories of Eva's losses. She stands and drinks it in. “Yeah, I thought you'd like that. And after that, I decided to harass Crimson Dawn. I became a bit of a thorn in her side a time or two. But the truth is, you haven't seen a lot of me since then. FAWN's had no use for me – because all I offered FAWN was another rule-breaking bully. Well, FAWN doesn't need that, does it?”
There's an uncomfortable shift in the audience, none really knowing what to make of this. Gentle tears begin to roll down Eva's cheeks. “In the time FAWN hasn't used me – sitting on my contract – I felt like a little kid in time out. At first, I was angry. I wanted to lash out. But then I began to think. I asked myself, 'What have I done to make FAWN want me?'” Eva bites her lip and pulls the mic from her mouth. She squeezes her eyes shut and hesitates, then continues. “The truth is, not a lot.”
“I came here to be a fighter. And I've fought – but I've also cheated. I've been underhanded. And I've lashed out at people I've been jealous of, people I thought were taking attention away from me. But they weren't. I didn't deserve that attention. I was trying to win fame the easy way – the CHEAP way.” Eva casts her watering eyes up to the arena lights, as if looking for an answer. “Once upon a time, I thought I was better than that – no, I KNEW I was better than that. But then I got here and...”
Eva tugs on the Panther clasp on her two piece's top. “I don't want to be the Panther. I'm not that. I'm not some dumb gimmick. I'm a person who worked damn hard to get here. I had a fine fighting career before FAWN and I was proud of it. I was more than someone who acted as a lackey. I was more than a cartoonish villain. And, honestly, I want to be more than that again.”
Eva begins to sob openly. Some attempt to cry out comfort but most sit and watch in silence. Finally, May regains control. “I'm sorry, everyone. I'm sorry. I know this isn't… this isn't the kind of stuff you like to see. It's not me coming out here and telling someone I'm going to kick their butt and you know what. But, really, I owe the people I've faced more than that. I owe apologies.”
Eva studies the mic, weighing her words. “So, I'm sorry. I'm sorry to FAWN. I was brought in to be more than this and I let those who took a chance on me down. I'm sorry to the fighters here who've had to put up with me. Moxie, Crimson – especially Crimson. Oh my god,” Eva starts to bawl but catches herself. “You're just trying to make things better and I--” She closes her eyes and draws in a deep breath.
“But most of all, I'm sorry to the FAWNatics. I know some of you were rooting for me early on. I know I wasted that good will. I know I bored you at best, annoyed you at worst. I hope you'll give me another chance.” At this, some begin to boo but loud shushes from fellow attendees follow. Eva practically whispers into the mic, “But if not, I understand.” She quietly puts the mic down on the mat, wipes her tears, and lumbers towards the ropes.
CRIMSON DAWN:
The lights in the arena suddenly dim as dark, familiar music swells through the arena breaking the silence. A spotlight hits the rafters, but as the crowd begins to murmur, some cheering, there is no hero in the rafters tonight. Instead the lights come up on the arena, and Crimson Dawn herself is walking down the ramp. The fans reaching out for her, she begins to slap some high fives on her way down, using her red, leather gloves. Her domino masked eyes locked on the ring as she makes her way down with purpose. The crowd cheering her as she slides her spandex covered body into the ring, before standing up on her red boots and shaking out her strawberry blonde hair. She motions to the announcer, and takes a microphone bringing it to her lips...
"Eva..." the crowd pops at Crimson's voice as she looks at the ashamed wrestler standing before her. She takes a deep breath. "Like all here, I've been a witness to your past crimes. I've seen you break the rules of the ring. I've seen you humiliate your opponents." the crowd pops into boos, but Crimson raises her hand, silencing the crowd as she stands tall in front of Eva.
"And you've come out here tonight. You've let tears flow before the crowd, you've told them you're sorry for what you've done." The superheroine stares down the purple clad woman standing across from her. "Well I'm here to tell you..."
She lowers the microphone for a moment, her eyes locked with Eva's with stern emotion. "that if you are truly willing to change your ways, I welcome you in this ring as a sister in the battle against evil" the crowd popping louder than they have all night as Crimson lifts her chin and lowers the microphone. She reaches out her right, red gloved hand towards Eva, offering a hand shake.
Eva looks at the hand extending towards her. Some cheer, others boo and warn Crimson. The bikini clad wrestler wipes tears from her eyes. She begins to reach for Crimson's hand, then pulls back.
"Thank you," she mutters, "it's kind of you. But I don't deserve your friendship. Also," she gestures to swatches of fans booing, "I'd be an albatross around your neck. I'm sorry. You've got a mission and I can't be the reason you lose the fans' support. Thank you, though." Eva turns and plods towards the ropes. "It means a lot."
The superheroine stands, confused, opposite the bikini clad wrestler. She lifts the microphone again. "Everyone deserves a second chance. " she turns to the crowd. "There's not one amongst us who hasn't made mistakes... mistakes we now regret. I implore you for sympathy for the woman you see before you. She came here tonight... she laid her soul bare for all of you." the crowd is becoming softly quiet once more. "If it was her goal, she could have attacked me the second I climbed into the ring. But she's shown me enough to put my faith in her." She turns back to Eva, "Please, there are some of us who are trying to make a difference.. become one of us..." she reaches out again, the crowd cheering now as Crimson, again, lowers the microphone.
Eva offers a weak smile. "I'm from a huge family. We didn't have a lot. Poor is a kind way of putting it. But we loved each other and, well, we loved wrestling." She doesn't take the mic from Crimson, just quietly addresses her, as if sharing a secret in a room of thousands. "It was something to bond with my brothers over. When I grew up, I worked so hard to get the money together to train. I wanted it so bad. But I forgot the one thing that made me love wrestling so much when I was little." May looks into the hero's eyes. "Family. I shared it with my family. Here, I've had no family. But... I'd like to." She holds a nervous hand out.
Crimson's stern look melts slightly. A smile on her face she grasps Eva's hand and shakes. The crowd cant help but cheer the sight. After a moment of shaking, Crimson turns to the crowd and lifts Eva's arm as though she'd just won a long match. Pointing at Eva with the microphone, getting the crowd to cheer bigger and louder.
Eva, unused to being on this side of cheers, tears up even more. "I wish I could repay you. You're being so kind and I have nothing to give to you."
"An ally in the fight," Crimson replies, looking towards the cheering throngs, "is the best gift I could hope for."
"Still," Eva hems and haws, "I want to do more. I guess there's one thing I could give you for your kindness." Crimson turns to ask what but, before she can open her mouth, Eva reached into her bikini cups, grabs a small plastic bag, and flings its contents into Crimson's face. The hero stumbles back, grabbing at her eyes. Mask or not, Eva is an impeccable shot and most of it cakes into Crimson's eyes and up her nose.
The strawberry blonde stumbles back and coughs. Everything blurs. And then, the burning starts.
"It's a family recipe," Eva cackles. "But since we're BFFs now, I guess I can let you in on the secret. Equal parts sand, jalapeno juice, and ground ghost peppers. A little bit of food coloring for that extra something." Crimson tries to focus on the shape she assumes is Eva but, on cue, the intense, uncontrollable burning overtakes her nasal passages and eyes. It's overwhelming, almost crippling. The form laughs.
"Second time I've blinded you tonight," Eva chortles before driving a fist towards Crimson's throat.
Crimson is gasping for air, her hands going to her face as Her knees start to buckle when "UNGH!" the punch hits her throat as the crowd erupts into boos, screaming at the vicious, dirty trick. Crimson falls hard to her back, bucking on the canvas, trying to suck air in, almost impossible between the punch and the spicy ingredients filling her nose, eyes and throat.
As Crimson flails on the mat, Eva does a fast victory lap around the ring. She makes mocking "boo hoo" gestures at the fans before returning to Crimson. "Oh, my goodness! Sister-in-arms, it seems you've got something in your eyes. Let me get it for you." Eva plants her bare left foot on Crimson's throat and drops to her right knee, using it to pin one of the masked fan favorite's arms to the mat. Using the plastic bag, still dripping with pepper juices, as a glove Eva drives fingers into Crimson's eyes and begins clawing. "Almost got it - OOPS! My mistake! Those are your eyes!" She stuffs the rest of the baggie into Dawn's mouth, spreading the burn around. She rises, stomping the ball of foot onto her prey's face and grinding it before moving on.
"Must feel like a nightmare," Eva says, walking towards the center of the ring, "to know you were so easily fooled." She picks up the mic. "I actually know what that's like. You think, any second now, I'll wake up and this won't be happening." Eva walks back towards the writhing pile of blonde and catsuit and kicks the downed woman onto her belly. "Let's see if that's how it works."
Eva raises the mic, aims for the small of Crimson's neck, and brings the weapon down.
Crimson gags and coughs, tears streaming beneath her mask as she's unable to see. Groaning on the canvas. Her boots kicking hard, she weakly tries to push up with her gloved hands, when "UNGH!" the mic slams hard against the back of her neck. She falls hard to the canvas. Groaning, writhing in pain beneath her tricky foe. She coughs, unable to speak.
While the heroine struggles, Eva slides under the bottom rope and ducks under the apron. When she returns, she holds a burlap bag with what appears two holes in the side. Returning to the ring, she empties the bag's contents onto Crimson's head. Two pair of heavy-duty handcuffs slam into the back of Dawn's skull. Eva bends down and takes the belt from Crimson's waist and tosses it from the ring. She does the same with Crimson Dawn's gloves.
"Sorry, but I didn't want any Batman escapes," Eva explains as she opens the first pair of handcuffs. "And I have no idea if you have lockpicks in that belt. You seem crazy enough to." She slams the cuffs down on Crimson's wrists, ratcheting them as tightly as possible. She does the same with the second paid but makes sure one cuff is behind the first pair while the other is in front, criss-crossing the chains. "Oh, and so we're clear, I have no keys for these," Eva says as she rises.
Eva pulls Crimson up by her hair and drags her mid-ring. She leaves the do-gooder in a sitting position., her eyes watering and involuntary gags spurting out. Eva picks the mic up where it lay. "Now, where were we? OH YES!" She sneers at the screaming, enraged fans. "This is the part in the comic book where the villain monologues, isn't it?" She looks back towards Crimson. "Well, I'd hate to let you down."
More boos, but Eva doesn't care. "I wasn't being dishonest, you know. Not completely. I did have a lot of time to think and I definitely wasn't being true to myself in FAWN. I was, at best, being a low-level lackey waiting for someone better to aim me. I'm better than that. I am more than a panther. Yes, I am graceful, powerful... beautiful like such a beast." Eva pauses for the fans to boo, smiling even wider. "But I'm no mere animal. I am a force.
"And you," Eva turns to the exhausted captive. "You're a step stool." She pauses. "No, that's unfair. You're more than that. I wouldn't spend so much time on a mere thing. And, don't doubt, I planned this, Crimson, my lovely." She flashed a toothy, Cheshire smile towards the blonde. "I had to make sure I did this at a time when none of your li'l buddy squad were present to run to your side like you all did when Belle was taking about the Jungle trash."
She squats and looks Crimson in the face. "I wasn't sure at first. Part of me thought putting you in a situation where they had to bail you out would be humbling but then I realized you'd feed off it. You want to not be alone so bad," May hisses. "You want to be a pack animal. You crave it. But look around. No one's running to help you, dear. No one cares for the hero."
Eva sends a kick across Crimson's jaw and sends her flat on her back. The Texan straddles her knees on either side of Dawn's head and sits on her throat. "That's how I knew you'd come to me. That's how I knew I'd catch you. You're a fly who willingly flew into the web. How does that feel?" May gently rakes her nails along Crimson's cheek and lips. "How's it feel to know your want of justice and companionship betrayed you?" She lowers the mic to Crimson's lips. "C'mon. The people want to know."
Crimson groans on the canvas, the weight of her enemy on her chest. Coughing still from the spicy juices that had been sprayed in her face. Her back arching slightly as the nails drag down her cheeks. The mic pressed to her lips as she lays beneath the sneaky Panther. "You may have fooled me... but you'll never win...." the crowd popping at the heroine's defiance.
Eva bites her lower lip and grinds into Crimson's throat. "Oooh, denial. So sexy." She laughs as she raise the mic to her lips. "I love that you never break character. I love that you have wrapped yourself in so much denial that you can't see how easily you are played, how this will happen to you again and again." Eva leans down. "You're not the first woman to play superhero in FAWN, but you are easily the dumbest. But enough about failure. Let's talk about perfection, about winning. About," Eva flips her hair and winks to the cameras. "the new me."
As the fans erupt, Eva waits patiently and drums her fingers on Crimson's head. Finally, she speaks again. "I chose you, Crimson Dawn. You should feel special because it could have been anyone, but I chose you - your humiliation, to be my chrysalis. My cocoon. I shall emerge from this a new woman, a stronger woman. But I'll need to make changes. Perhaps a new guise. A new outfit." Cruelty burns behind Eva's eyes. "Now, what would really make my new attire?"
Eva's fingers rub the corners of Crimson's domino mask, dipping slightly behind them and separating it from the skin. "Something that will bring out my eyes, I think."
Suddenly Crimson shrieks, turning her head side to side to keep Eva's hands away. The crowd booing. Crimson bucking underneath Eva trying to escape. The crowd goes nuts when Crimson's legs leave the canvas and wrap around Eva's neck, pulling the Panther from her throne atop Crimson's chest and neck and getting her to the canvas. Breathing heavily, Crimson rolls to her belly and struggles up to her knees, her hands still cuffed behind her back as she struggles, trying to get a boot out from under her and onto the canvas.
"Isn't that cute, everyone?" Eva laughs. "She's trying!" May runs towards the ropes in front of Crimson, bounds off the, and rushes back - slamming the heel of her foot across the strawberry blonde's chin for some Sweet Chin Music. Crimson's head snaps to the side. The heroine stumbles, then collapses.
So, too, collapse the hopes of the fans.
"As I was saying," Eva continues nonchalantly, "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I am so glad you're here for such a momentous occasion. I give to you something long overdue - the unmasking of Crimson Dawn!"
The air leaves the arena. Fans wait for something to happen - allies to rush in, the lights to dim and Crimson vanish - anything. Instead, Eva hauls Dawn up to her knees by her tresses, smiles, grabs the edge of Crimson's mask and starts to slowly pull.
Then stops.
Eva grins. She releases her toy's hair and retrieve the burlap bag. May places it over Crimson's head and reaches her own hand inside. From its depths, the mic catches the sound of fabric coated in spirit gum ripping from skin. Eva withdraws her hand and holds her prize aloft.
Crimson's mask. The fans cry out. Some curse, some mourn.
Eva pulls on drawstrings within the back and cinches it closed around Crimson's face. Adjusting it, the fans see the two holes have a specific purpose. They're eye holes.
Eva moves to the front of her foe and holds the domino mask up, making sure Crimson sees it. "Honestly, the new mask suits you better. Trash belongs in a bag." She sneers. "You think you can protect innocents but you can't even protect your mask. Lucky for you, I don't care what's behind the guise. I know it doesn't matter. It's not you. This is you." She straightens up. "A failure, on her knees before greatness."
Crimson says nothing, just stares forward - almost past Eva - breathing heavily. Eva leans down, lifts Crimson's chin and makes the hero watch as she places the mask on her own face. "Like I said, family recipe." Eva winks. "It still stings, but I had a childhood to get used to it. Just like you have the rest of your time to get used to being the joke you are." She gently kisses Crimson's bag-covered brow.
"Don't take this personally," Eva coos, "but I kind of want to see other people for a bit. We can still hang out when I'm bored but, well, I think it's time I saw people more on my level. It's not you, it's me." The sneer returns. "I'm better than you." Eva steps back, blows ones last kiss to Crimson, thing kicks her across the face. Crimson offers no resistance, just falls to the side, and watches as Eva struts away. As she lifts the ropes, she looks back towards her rube.
"Enjoy the view," Eva purrs as she shakes her butt. "You'll be seeing it a lot from down there." She slides through the ropes and prances up the aisle.
But most don't want to see who comes out next.
The announcer pipes up. “Ladies and gentlemen, before we continue, coming to the ring now to make a very important announcement – she is the Panther… EVA MAY!”
EVA MAY:
The crowd does not hold back their jeers as the familiar troublemaker appears. Her usual haughty persona is quieted, however, and instead Eva walks to the ring like a child who just learned her pet is dying. Her eyes downcast, she sighs sadly as fans pelt her with cups and insults. She looks ready to burst into tears. Instead, she climbs into the ring and picks up the mic.
She listens for a few minutes to the hate from FAWN's diehard fans and, when it finally dies down, speaks in a quiet, humble voice. “I get it, FAWN,” she begins. “I really do. When I first came here last year, I had big plans. I thought I would be the baddest thing this league ever saw.”
The fans erupt again, heckling her. She pulls the mic from her lips and lets them work out their verbal aggression. Finally, she speaks again. “I won my first match here. I fought Katsumi Akiyama. I thought I was tough. I thought I was a bad ass. Then, I started fighting other wrestlers. I fought Moxie Savage twice and lost – once by disqualification, once because she just fought harder. Then, I fought Crimson Dawn last Halloween and lost.”
The fans cheer at the memories of Eva's losses. She stands and drinks it in. “Yeah, I thought you'd like that. And after that, I decided to harass Crimson Dawn. I became a bit of a thorn in her side a time or two. But the truth is, you haven't seen a lot of me since then. FAWN's had no use for me – because all I offered FAWN was another rule-breaking bully. Well, FAWN doesn't need that, does it?”
There's an uncomfortable shift in the audience, none really knowing what to make of this. Gentle tears begin to roll down Eva's cheeks. “In the time FAWN hasn't used me – sitting on my contract – I felt like a little kid in time out. At first, I was angry. I wanted to lash out. But then I began to think. I asked myself, 'What have I done to make FAWN want me?'” Eva bites her lip and pulls the mic from her mouth. She squeezes her eyes shut and hesitates, then continues. “The truth is, not a lot.”
“I came here to be a fighter. And I've fought – but I've also cheated. I've been underhanded. And I've lashed out at people I've been jealous of, people I thought were taking attention away from me. But they weren't. I didn't deserve that attention. I was trying to win fame the easy way – the CHEAP way.” Eva casts her watering eyes up to the arena lights, as if looking for an answer. “Once upon a time, I thought I was better than that – no, I KNEW I was better than that. But then I got here and...”
Eva tugs on the Panther clasp on her two piece's top. “I don't want to be the Panther. I'm not that. I'm not some dumb gimmick. I'm a person who worked damn hard to get here. I had a fine fighting career before FAWN and I was proud of it. I was more than someone who acted as a lackey. I was more than a cartoonish villain. And, honestly, I want to be more than that again.”
Eva begins to sob openly. Some attempt to cry out comfort but most sit and watch in silence. Finally, May regains control. “I'm sorry, everyone. I'm sorry. I know this isn't… this isn't the kind of stuff you like to see. It's not me coming out here and telling someone I'm going to kick their butt and you know what. But, really, I owe the people I've faced more than that. I owe apologies.”
Eva studies the mic, weighing her words. “So, I'm sorry. I'm sorry to FAWN. I was brought in to be more than this and I let those who took a chance on me down. I'm sorry to the fighters here who've had to put up with me. Moxie, Crimson – especially Crimson. Oh my god,” Eva starts to bawl but catches herself. “You're just trying to make things better and I--” She closes her eyes and draws in a deep breath.
“But most of all, I'm sorry to the FAWNatics. I know some of you were rooting for me early on. I know I wasted that good will. I know I bored you at best, annoyed you at worst. I hope you'll give me another chance.” At this, some begin to boo but loud shushes from fellow attendees follow. Eva practically whispers into the mic, “But if not, I understand.” She quietly puts the mic down on the mat, wipes her tears, and lumbers towards the ropes.
CRIMSON DAWN:
The lights in the arena suddenly dim as dark, familiar music swells through the arena breaking the silence. A spotlight hits the rafters, but as the crowd begins to murmur, some cheering, there is no hero in the rafters tonight. Instead the lights come up on the arena, and Crimson Dawn herself is walking down the ramp. The fans reaching out for her, she begins to slap some high fives on her way down, using her red, leather gloves. Her domino masked eyes locked on the ring as she makes her way down with purpose. The crowd cheering her as she slides her spandex covered body into the ring, before standing up on her red boots and shaking out her strawberry blonde hair. She motions to the announcer, and takes a microphone bringing it to her lips...
"Eva..." the crowd pops at Crimson's voice as she looks at the ashamed wrestler standing before her. She takes a deep breath. "Like all here, I've been a witness to your past crimes. I've seen you break the rules of the ring. I've seen you humiliate your opponents." the crowd pops into boos, but Crimson raises her hand, silencing the crowd as she stands tall in front of Eva.
"And you've come out here tonight. You've let tears flow before the crowd, you've told them you're sorry for what you've done." The superheroine stares down the purple clad woman standing across from her. "Well I'm here to tell you..."
She lowers the microphone for a moment, her eyes locked with Eva's with stern emotion. "that if you are truly willing to change your ways, I welcome you in this ring as a sister in the battle against evil" the crowd popping louder than they have all night as Crimson lifts her chin and lowers the microphone. She reaches out her right, red gloved hand towards Eva, offering a hand shake.
Eva looks at the hand extending towards her. Some cheer, others boo and warn Crimson. The bikini clad wrestler wipes tears from her eyes. She begins to reach for Crimson's hand, then pulls back.
"Thank you," she mutters, "it's kind of you. But I don't deserve your friendship. Also," she gestures to swatches of fans booing, "I'd be an albatross around your neck. I'm sorry. You've got a mission and I can't be the reason you lose the fans' support. Thank you, though." Eva turns and plods towards the ropes. "It means a lot."
The superheroine stands, confused, opposite the bikini clad wrestler. She lifts the microphone again. "Everyone deserves a second chance. " she turns to the crowd. "There's not one amongst us who hasn't made mistakes... mistakes we now regret. I implore you for sympathy for the woman you see before you. She came here tonight... she laid her soul bare for all of you." the crowd is becoming softly quiet once more. "If it was her goal, she could have attacked me the second I climbed into the ring. But she's shown me enough to put my faith in her." She turns back to Eva, "Please, there are some of us who are trying to make a difference.. become one of us..." she reaches out again, the crowd cheering now as Crimson, again, lowers the microphone.
Eva offers a weak smile. "I'm from a huge family. We didn't have a lot. Poor is a kind way of putting it. But we loved each other and, well, we loved wrestling." She doesn't take the mic from Crimson, just quietly addresses her, as if sharing a secret in a room of thousands. "It was something to bond with my brothers over. When I grew up, I worked so hard to get the money together to train. I wanted it so bad. But I forgot the one thing that made me love wrestling so much when I was little." May looks into the hero's eyes. "Family. I shared it with my family. Here, I've had no family. But... I'd like to." She holds a nervous hand out.
Crimson's stern look melts slightly. A smile on her face she grasps Eva's hand and shakes. The crowd cant help but cheer the sight. After a moment of shaking, Crimson turns to the crowd and lifts Eva's arm as though she'd just won a long match. Pointing at Eva with the microphone, getting the crowd to cheer bigger and louder.
Eva, unused to being on this side of cheers, tears up even more. "I wish I could repay you. You're being so kind and I have nothing to give to you."
"An ally in the fight," Crimson replies, looking towards the cheering throngs, "is the best gift I could hope for."
"Still," Eva hems and haws, "I want to do more. I guess there's one thing I could give you for your kindness." Crimson turns to ask what but, before she can open her mouth, Eva reached into her bikini cups, grabs a small plastic bag, and flings its contents into Crimson's face. The hero stumbles back, grabbing at her eyes. Mask or not, Eva is an impeccable shot and most of it cakes into Crimson's eyes and up her nose.
The strawberry blonde stumbles back and coughs. Everything blurs. And then, the burning starts.
"It's a family recipe," Eva cackles. "But since we're BFFs now, I guess I can let you in on the secret. Equal parts sand, jalapeno juice, and ground ghost peppers. A little bit of food coloring for that extra something." Crimson tries to focus on the shape she assumes is Eva but, on cue, the intense, uncontrollable burning overtakes her nasal passages and eyes. It's overwhelming, almost crippling. The form laughs.
"Second time I've blinded you tonight," Eva chortles before driving a fist towards Crimson's throat.
Crimson is gasping for air, her hands going to her face as Her knees start to buckle when "UNGH!" the punch hits her throat as the crowd erupts into boos, screaming at the vicious, dirty trick. Crimson falls hard to her back, bucking on the canvas, trying to suck air in, almost impossible between the punch and the spicy ingredients filling her nose, eyes and throat.
As Crimson flails on the mat, Eva does a fast victory lap around the ring. She makes mocking "boo hoo" gestures at the fans before returning to Crimson. "Oh, my goodness! Sister-in-arms, it seems you've got something in your eyes. Let me get it for you." Eva plants her bare left foot on Crimson's throat and drops to her right knee, using it to pin one of the masked fan favorite's arms to the mat. Using the plastic bag, still dripping with pepper juices, as a glove Eva drives fingers into Crimson's eyes and begins clawing. "Almost got it - OOPS! My mistake! Those are your eyes!" She stuffs the rest of the baggie into Dawn's mouth, spreading the burn around. She rises, stomping the ball of foot onto her prey's face and grinding it before moving on.
"Must feel like a nightmare," Eva says, walking towards the center of the ring, "to know you were so easily fooled." She picks up the mic. "I actually know what that's like. You think, any second now, I'll wake up and this won't be happening." Eva walks back towards the writhing pile of blonde and catsuit and kicks the downed woman onto her belly. "Let's see if that's how it works."
Eva raises the mic, aims for the small of Crimson's neck, and brings the weapon down.
Crimson gags and coughs, tears streaming beneath her mask as she's unable to see. Groaning on the canvas. Her boots kicking hard, she weakly tries to push up with her gloved hands, when "UNGH!" the mic slams hard against the back of her neck. She falls hard to the canvas. Groaning, writhing in pain beneath her tricky foe. She coughs, unable to speak.
While the heroine struggles, Eva slides under the bottom rope and ducks under the apron. When she returns, she holds a burlap bag with what appears two holes in the side. Returning to the ring, she empties the bag's contents onto Crimson's head. Two pair of heavy-duty handcuffs slam into the back of Dawn's skull. Eva bends down and takes the belt from Crimson's waist and tosses it from the ring. She does the same with Crimson Dawn's gloves.
"Sorry, but I didn't want any Batman escapes," Eva explains as she opens the first pair of handcuffs. "And I have no idea if you have lockpicks in that belt. You seem crazy enough to." She slams the cuffs down on Crimson's wrists, ratcheting them as tightly as possible. She does the same with the second paid but makes sure one cuff is behind the first pair while the other is in front, criss-crossing the chains. "Oh, and so we're clear, I have no keys for these," Eva says as she rises.
Eva pulls Crimson up by her hair and drags her mid-ring. She leaves the do-gooder in a sitting position., her eyes watering and involuntary gags spurting out. Eva picks the mic up where it lay. "Now, where were we? OH YES!" She sneers at the screaming, enraged fans. "This is the part in the comic book where the villain monologues, isn't it?" She looks back towards Crimson. "Well, I'd hate to let you down."
More boos, but Eva doesn't care. "I wasn't being dishonest, you know. Not completely. I did have a lot of time to think and I definitely wasn't being true to myself in FAWN. I was, at best, being a low-level lackey waiting for someone better to aim me. I'm better than that. I am more than a panther. Yes, I am graceful, powerful... beautiful like such a beast." Eva pauses for the fans to boo, smiling even wider. "But I'm no mere animal. I am a force.
"And you," Eva turns to the exhausted captive. "You're a step stool." She pauses. "No, that's unfair. You're more than that. I wouldn't spend so much time on a mere thing. And, don't doubt, I planned this, Crimson, my lovely." She flashed a toothy, Cheshire smile towards the blonde. "I had to make sure I did this at a time when none of your li'l buddy squad were present to run to your side like you all did when Belle was taking about the Jungle trash."
She squats and looks Crimson in the face. "I wasn't sure at first. Part of me thought putting you in a situation where they had to bail you out would be humbling but then I realized you'd feed off it. You want to not be alone so bad," May hisses. "You want to be a pack animal. You crave it. But look around. No one's running to help you, dear. No one cares for the hero."
Eva sends a kick across Crimson's jaw and sends her flat on her back. The Texan straddles her knees on either side of Dawn's head and sits on her throat. "That's how I knew you'd come to me. That's how I knew I'd catch you. You're a fly who willingly flew into the web. How does that feel?" May gently rakes her nails along Crimson's cheek and lips. "How's it feel to know your want of justice and companionship betrayed you?" She lowers the mic to Crimson's lips. "C'mon. The people want to know."
Crimson groans on the canvas, the weight of her enemy on her chest. Coughing still from the spicy juices that had been sprayed in her face. Her back arching slightly as the nails drag down her cheeks. The mic pressed to her lips as she lays beneath the sneaky Panther. "You may have fooled me... but you'll never win...." the crowd popping at the heroine's defiance.
Eva bites her lower lip and grinds into Crimson's throat. "Oooh, denial. So sexy." She laughs as she raise the mic to her lips. "I love that you never break character. I love that you have wrapped yourself in so much denial that you can't see how easily you are played, how this will happen to you again and again." Eva leans down. "You're not the first woman to play superhero in FAWN, but you are easily the dumbest. But enough about failure. Let's talk about perfection, about winning. About," Eva flips her hair and winks to the cameras. "the new me."
As the fans erupt, Eva waits patiently and drums her fingers on Crimson's head. Finally, she speaks again. "I chose you, Crimson Dawn. You should feel special because it could have been anyone, but I chose you - your humiliation, to be my chrysalis. My cocoon. I shall emerge from this a new woman, a stronger woman. But I'll need to make changes. Perhaps a new guise. A new outfit." Cruelty burns behind Eva's eyes. "Now, what would really make my new attire?"
Eva's fingers rub the corners of Crimson's domino mask, dipping slightly behind them and separating it from the skin. "Something that will bring out my eyes, I think."
Suddenly Crimson shrieks, turning her head side to side to keep Eva's hands away. The crowd booing. Crimson bucking underneath Eva trying to escape. The crowd goes nuts when Crimson's legs leave the canvas and wrap around Eva's neck, pulling the Panther from her throne atop Crimson's chest and neck and getting her to the canvas. Breathing heavily, Crimson rolls to her belly and struggles up to her knees, her hands still cuffed behind her back as she struggles, trying to get a boot out from under her and onto the canvas.
"Isn't that cute, everyone?" Eva laughs. "She's trying!" May runs towards the ropes in front of Crimson, bounds off the, and rushes back - slamming the heel of her foot across the strawberry blonde's chin for some Sweet Chin Music. Crimson's head snaps to the side. The heroine stumbles, then collapses.
So, too, collapse the hopes of the fans.
"As I was saying," Eva continues nonchalantly, "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I am so glad you're here for such a momentous occasion. I give to you something long overdue - the unmasking of Crimson Dawn!"
The air leaves the arena. Fans wait for something to happen - allies to rush in, the lights to dim and Crimson vanish - anything. Instead, Eva hauls Dawn up to her knees by her tresses, smiles, grabs the edge of Crimson's mask and starts to slowly pull.
Then stops.
Eva grins. She releases her toy's hair and retrieve the burlap bag. May places it over Crimson's head and reaches her own hand inside. From its depths, the mic catches the sound of fabric coated in spirit gum ripping from skin. Eva withdraws her hand and holds her prize aloft.
Crimson's mask. The fans cry out. Some curse, some mourn.
Eva pulls on drawstrings within the back and cinches it closed around Crimson's face. Adjusting it, the fans see the two holes have a specific purpose. They're eye holes.
Eva moves to the front of her foe and holds the domino mask up, making sure Crimson sees it. "Honestly, the new mask suits you better. Trash belongs in a bag." She sneers. "You think you can protect innocents but you can't even protect your mask. Lucky for you, I don't care what's behind the guise. I know it doesn't matter. It's not you. This is you." She straightens up. "A failure, on her knees before greatness."
Crimson says nothing, just stares forward - almost past Eva - breathing heavily. Eva leans down, lifts Crimson's chin and makes the hero watch as she places the mask on her own face. "Like I said, family recipe." Eva winks. "It still stings, but I had a childhood to get used to it. Just like you have the rest of your time to get used to being the joke you are." She gently kisses Crimson's bag-covered brow.
"Don't take this personally," Eva coos, "but I kind of want to see other people for a bit. We can still hang out when I'm bored but, well, I think it's time I saw people more on my level. It's not you, it's me." The sneer returns. "I'm better than you." Eva steps back, blows ones last kiss to Crimson, thing kicks her across the face. Crimson offers no resistance, just falls to the side, and watches as Eva struts away. As she lifts the ropes, she looks back towards her rube.
"Enjoy the view," Eva purrs as she shakes her butt. "You'll be seeing it a lot from down there." She slides through the ropes and prances up the aisle.