2/0/0

QUEEN OF THE ASHES

Two Down. One to go. Solace was feeling a bit more savage than usual today. She wasn't sure if it was the winning streak, or the momentum of reaching the finals of the Queen of the Ring tournament, but for whatever reason, she was breathing smoke.

She wondered how she could possibly banter with Junko, when all Junko sounded like was a Japanese Sex Robot that just became autonomous and wants to comprehend the emotional connection of human interaction. Solace felt like Robin Vengeance bionic leg had more personality than her soon-to-be opponent, and although she knew better than to underestimate Junko, she also knew that she's never underestimated anyone, ever.

She wondered if Junko might underestimate her, however, but the red flag hanging off Solace's neck was brighter than Koto City; a large and flashing neon yellow sign reading: "WARNING." It was a complimentary 'Heads up' but her adversaries, time and time again, failed to heed the caution... and as if they possessed a lack of cognitive function, they all unwisely ignored those that opposed Solace before. Play stupid games... win stupid prizes. A phrase she had heard from her mother as a child, and despite resenting that woman, some things seemed to carry on.

In contrast to the usual suspects, Junko actually had Solace's respect... but Solace had a spacious back pocket that she could slide those sentiments in until her work in that ring was finished. The truth was, being another victimized woman was enough for Solace to ally herself with Junko on a personal level. It wasn't being victimized alone, if that were the case, Anya Sharapova would already be thought highly of, but to Solace... it was how a victim would adapt, evolve, and excel beyond the cards they were dealt... something Junko managed to accomplish in spades. Despite this breath of fresh air, Solace understood that the work must come first. It's just how Solace is, and how she's always been... but she hoped Junko knew this wasn't payback for defeating her girl friends, truthfully, Solace thought that was funny.

Junko is cute as a button, Solace could admit... but even in Japan there's a market for cute things being sat on and smothered to the appeal of world wide audiences. She knew this wouldn't be a 'squash' so to speak, but as far as cute things being made ugly, this would be no different... especially if it meant Solace accomplished her goal of becoming Queen of the ring for 2021. It wasn't the fame... it was the competition that burns inside of her... conquering, coming out on top, prevailing against all odds, especially with a busted leg.

And with the "Russian Queen Bee" Anya Sharapova dissolved as the Soviet Union, and "Glinda" A.K.A. Mercedes out of production, Solace turns her focus to the final opponent before her Coronation day, Junko. Her joyful, smiling face lighting up Solace's computer screen as she studies her subtle microexpressions with narrow eyes, wondering just what the hell she is smiling about. She can't help but assume the photographer is holding a gun behind the camera, forcing this young pop star to smile like her life depended on it.

Junko seemed, to Solace, like a good girl... there were aspects that, to Solace, would suggest she was looking into a twisted mirror reflection of herself to some degree, but she mustn't let that stop her from doing her work. After all, this isn't personal, it's just the nature of the game they are playing.

"Don't take it personally." Solace utters out with a staggered breath to avoid agitating her sore and bruised leg, "It's just the game." She hopes saying it out loud will somehow help Junko remember not to take her loss too harshly, after all, someone had to win... but in every fight Solace has ever seen or been in, the deciding factor was always who had one greater attribute: Aggression. She would assume Junko would bring all she had, but Solace knew she'd always have just a bit more to seal the deal.

Solace was aggressive, sometimes, to a fault. Her friends would sometimes call her "Apex" because when it came to competition, Solace was a, somewhat, complicated creature with a method to the madness, but to her, it was the only way her nature would allow her to have her cake and eat it too. The cake being... winning, and as for the 'eating it too'?, well, that was keeping control of what some might call 'perfectionism'. She, however, would call it... "Doing it right." Truthfully, perfectionism was just the nice way of saying: obsession.

It didn't help that she was right, most of the time, a sort of 'intuition' that was so uncanny to some, they would swear it was a superpower. Growing up, her father would often freeze in the midst of conversation in an attempt to make sense of that familiar feeling that she had been here once before, long before Solace was Solace, like... a reincarnation of someone much wiser than she should be at her age. He quietly would assume she was actually an alien to come to terms with her strange gifts.

Like any gift, a curse is sure to accompany its blessing. With the radiance she was named for, came the scorch of her fiery moods. Alongside her quick wit, a sharp tongue was all but quicker. And as she grew into a competitive woman that could move mountains... she could just as easily pulverize them into dust. It wasn't ego. It wasn't arrogance. It was a desperate drive that would overtake her, and instead of just giving enough, sometimes Solace could go beyond because what she has feared her entire life... not being the best, optimal version of herself..

What Solace didn't want to accept was that, sometimes, even her best would not be enough. This very misguided way of thinking has led her down some dark roads in the past, but it is also what propelled Solace Tatum to success... that relentlessness, the merciless drive to be whoever she chose to be, to hell with the critics, and to hell with naysayers; She was destined to choose her destiny, and her fear of failure only pushed her passed those limitations, and to Solace, sky wasn't just limit... it was the starting point.

RING. RING. RING.

"Damnit." Solace's concentration is disturbed by the buzzing and annoying ringing of an uninvited cellphone call. It vibrates as it twists on the table top and Solace tries to ignore it, but loud sounds have always seemed magnified to her. She huffs in frustration as she grabs the phone, spinning it to see her Daddy's face, and suddenly, she feels guilty for feeling irked. She sighs as she lifts it.

"But I was just getting started." Solace justifies her anger as if she needs to explain it out loud, and answers the phone.

"Hey Daddy!" Solace is happy to hear his voice, in spite of the interruption.

"Hey baby girl!" He says, she can see his smile just from his voice.

"Before you ask, yes. I got your text..." Solace beats him to the punch, "I've just been crazy busy."

"Oh, is it a bad time now?" her Daddy gets the feeling it might be. Solace considers it, gazing at a picture of Junko singing from her Taylor Swift days, but she made a vow to never make her Daddy feel neglected by her again. As the computer screen dims, she moves the mouse to brighten it again.

"No, Daddy..." Solace says, "It can wait."

"How's the leg makin' out? Any better yet?" He asks.

"Yeah, I'm already able to stand on it." She lies, leaning back in her chair to see her wrapped leg below the table.

"Oh, okay. Well, I won't keep you too long." Her father begins, "I just wanted to see where your head is at with everything going on. I know it's a lot."

"Yeah, I mean..." Solace knows she's feeling it, but doesn't want to let her father know, "Nah, I'm good... everything is good."

"Okay, Solace..." her father's voice reads to Solace as coy, "I just want to make sure you got your head right... you know what I mean?"

Solace knows exactly what he means.

"What do you mean?" Solace plays coy.

"You know exactly what I mean, Baby," Her father says, "We don't want a repeat of-"

"Daddy, I'm fine!" Solace loses her patience, "...I'm sorry."

"It's fine, but clearly you ain't bein' straight with me, Sol." Daddy says, "You think I don't know you goin' through it? Queen of the ring, new fed, new country. It's not easy, I understand... but when I turn on TV to check out my baby girl and some of the stuff you be sayin' about these girls is pretty rough..."

"Daddy, It's Wrestling. It's what I am supposed to be doing." Solace defends her aggressive banter against Anya and The Coven.

"I get that, Solace, but once upon a time that harmless banter got to be a bit over the line." Her father reminds her, "you know what I'm sayin'."

"I know, Daddy..." Solace admits, "But this ain't that."

"My girl, this sounds a lot like how THAT started out." He says, "You don't forget anything, so I know didn't forget that your mother let it go unchecked for 8 years, wouldn't let me do a damned thing to help you slow things down."

"I remember, Daddy."

"No matter what it was, be it puzzles, or board games, even ABC work books where all you had to do was trace the lines... one little mistake, one little wrong curve and you'd lose your mind." He reminds her, "Now, I know you don't remember this, but you remember me tellin' you about em'."

"I know, Daddy."

"Your whole life Solace, you've been hard on yourself. Your harshest critic has always been you, girl." He says, "I think that's why you expect everyone else around you to be like that too, but that's not how people are, Sol. You know that."

"I know, Daddy." Solace agrees, "You're right... it's just..."

"Now, hold on. You got your Daddy goin' now." He laughs, before returning to his lecture, "You know yourself better than anyone, except me, baby. I thought maybe you bein' a Virgo might be the culprit and that's fine, that's who you are, but when I started gettin' calls from your school about you lashin' out and hurtin' people-"

"Daddy, C'mon. How long ago was this..." Solace palms her face, "I'm not a little girl anymore."

"You'll always be my princess, now you listen to me, Solace." His voice switches to a stern tone, "You say that was then and things are different now, but that only feels like the past because we worked together every damned day and every damned night to teach you how to breathe when you felt yourself about to blow... I put you right into Karate so you could focus, and of course, you hated it, but I should be kicking myself because you know where that put you."

"Yeah, I know all of this, Daddy." Solace is getting frustrated.

"I can hear it in your voice, Sol." Daddy says, "That's why I'm tellin' you in the first place. You gotta remember to take a step back and breath before you start pushin' and pushin' until you back to lashin' again."

"Daddy, it's just the game... I don't mean anything really. I'm supposed to hype up the events and it's all friendly, I mean... yeah, we end up fighting an all that, but for me, It's just part of the psychology of it..." Solace says.

"I understand that baby, but do..." Her father stumbles over his words, contemplating in the moment whether or not he wants to continue, but does anyway, "Solace, do you remember Warriors of the Orient Wrestling?"

"Daddy, can we not?" Solace pleads.

"I'm sorry baby, but that was a very dark period of your recent life and you need to remember that, whether you want to or not." Her father deals out tough love on his daughter.

"It's kinda fuzzy." Solace dismisses.

"Solace..."

She sighs.

"Remember..." Her father says, "You must."

Solace closes her eyes, and an entire sequence of events rushes through her recollections like the moments before one's demise, and like it was yesterday, she could remember exactly how where her most intense rivalry thus far had begun.

One Year Ago

She panted as her stamina was tested. Her body sore, still unconditioned to the falls and hits that accompany professional wrestling. Her mind sharp, but still learning with each and every competition as she battles her way through her fifth match with four wins and zero losses. Her opponent, Russian native Annika "Prizrak" Lazarev was known for her slick motions that allowed her cheap shots that seemingly by-passed the referee's attention. Solace knew this going into the fight, studied her opponent and her known tactics, and would bet her entire 'Warriors of the Orient Wrestling' paycheck of 650 Yuan that her technique would outsmart this particular opponent.

The match was only minutes in before Solace felt "The Russian Ghost's" teeth snip at the skin of her chest causing her to release her headlock on the other woman. With total shock in her gaze, Solace paused to process whether or not that actually just happened, and the distraction cost her, as a sudden drop-kick recoiled against her upper body.

Solace fell to the mat, sensing her opponent rising to their feet and moving to her quickly. Solace twists herself around and jumps up to meet her Russian opponent, ducking a high spinning kick to run for the ropes. With amazing agility, Solace recalibrated her focus and bounced off, returning to her opponent with a crossbody block and made a quick cover.

The three-count stops to Solace's surprise, gandering up at the Chinese referee to understand why. He points behind and when she turns her head, she sees Annika's foot over the bottom rope. Solace was frustrated and as she climbed to her feet, Annika grabbed a fistful of her dark hair and yanked it down so hard Solace fell back down to the mat.

She held her head at the roots that were yanked, wincing in pain as she searched for her opponent who had arisen once again. As Solace recovered to stand, she turned to find Annika rushing at her with full momentum from the opposite side of the ring hoping to catch Tatum with a flying fist, but Solace dodged, running to the ropes herself and back to attempt a similar variation of that very move.

As Annika dodged, she reached back and once again grabbed hold of Solace's hair, pulling her back with a violent whip that would've given any normal person whiplash, and forced Solace hard to the mat against her own momentum. Solace had tears in her eyes after the back of her head slammed against the unforgiving surface of the WOW mat. She heard ringing in her ears, and before she could roll out of her current state, she heard the sounds of spring and then the impact of a falling body crushing her stomach. She felt Annika making the cover and wanted to kick-out, but suddenly, to the referee's back, Annika's leg stretched out and she planted a knee on Solace's hair- making it impossible for Tatum to lift her upper body and thus her shoulders.

The count makes it all the way to three and the match is over. Solace Tatum suffered her first loss at the WOW, but, it was done cheaply and without honor. This didn't change the outcome, but it would change how Solace Tatum would evolve going forward.

After her first loss to Annika The Ghost, Solace had beaten herself up over her failure. She had great momentum and, in her mind, this loss put the brakes on it. She blamed Annika first, then blamed the referee, but ultimately, she blamed herself more than anything. How could she not have seen it coming? How could she let herself fall victim to something she knew was a possibility? She felt stupid and during her analytical troubleshooting, her blame shifted to the length of her hair.

Her father, being her manager, found Solace in her room after she failed to show up for training. He knocked, and after hearing the sound of metal chirping, he entered uninvited to find Solace with scissors attempting to shorten her hair.

"Solace, what are you thinking?" Her father is alarmed. He walks up to her as she continues cutting off strand after strand.

"Cutting this stupid hair off. I'm so stupid for keeping it this long." Solace holds back her emotions but they can't be contained.

"Baby, this isn't the way..." Her Daddy pleads with her.

"I don't see another way, Daddy! If my hair wasn't this long, she couldn't have used it against me." Solace begins to cry in frustration.

"Sol, people are going to use anything they can against you. If you don't have long hair, they'll just find something else. It's what those kinds of people do. You gotta use this." He says, knocking on his own head with two fingers.

"How? What am I not getting!" Solace asks angrily.

"Take a breath... open your mind..." He states calmly, and slowly.

It wouldn't be a long time before Solace and Annika would meet again, and even leading up to the event, Solace had trained harder than before and studied her opponent more than she had the first time, and yet... these things didn't help her against an opponent willing to break the rules. She did, however, take her father's advice.

As she awaits her match to be up, she reaches into her duffle bag and retrieves a small bottle of hair grease. She pours some into her palm and applies it to her hair, but it's not enough. She couldn't afford the misstep, so she poured the rest of the bottle on top of her head and used her fingers to mix the grease in her hair.

The match started, and knowing how their last encounter went, Annika kept a grin on her face. During tie-ups, she'd try to get a quick stomp on Solace's toes or try to hold Solace's tights when making quick covers, but Solace was able to avoid the tricks. Finally, when Annika knew she had to resort to her cheating ways, she waited for the opportunity and with both hands grabbed Solace's hair just as before, but this time, Solace's hair slipped right from Annika's grasp, causing her to stumble back and lose balance. As she regained it, to her surprise, Solace delivers the nastiest, truest super-kick she had done so far in her career. The sound of her boot connecting against Annika's jaw made the audience halt in horror. Solace makes the cover and wins the match, fair and square.

What should have been a just end to their conflict would soon escalate to a greater degree when a spiteful Annika Lazarev couldn't accept that Solace had outsmarted her. She felt as if the entire world was laughing, as if everyone knew she had been played a fool, and this would drive her to a dark place that conjured vindictive thoughts and even more malevolent intentions.

What was left then and there for Solace had become a seed inside of The Russian Ghost's mind until finally, after a WoW event, Annika would be waiting with friends from 'home' by Solace's car. She didn't see them at first, and when she caught the reflection of a black mask on another's vehicle's side door, it was too late even as she tried to escape.

That night, she was left bleeding out in the front of her car, Lien and Katia already gone, and she was all alone. When she scraped herself up she did some soul searching of her own, realizing that it wasn't a robbery, she was simply jumped and she had a suspicion she knew who did it.

A week later, Solace approached Annika outside of her locker room, but she seemed defensive right from the getgo. Solace asked if they could go into her locker room and talk but Annika said No. It didn't take longer than a single moment of intuition for Solace to decide in her head that Annika was guilty, and even shy of evidence, like an impulse, became confrontational right there in the hallway.

"You better get the fuck out of my face, Solace." Annika commands sternly, but her eyes were making different kinds of threats.

"You couldn't beat me yourself, right?" Solace smiles, her lip still scabbed from where one of the masked men had kicked her. "You had to get your friends to do it for you? Because you're a weak little bitch-"

The most subtle microexpression begins to grow on Annika's face, and as the tension rises to fever pitch, what Solace interprets as a smirk is enough to boil everything over.

Solace stops talking, and grabs Annika'a head with both hands, clawing her fingers through the Russian's hair as she throws the back of it against the wall.

Annika grunts, trying to reach out for Solace, but like a wild animal, Solace whips her to the ground, straddling her stomach and raining right after left until Annika's defenses begin to falter. The arms that were protecting her head begin to abandon their duty, leaving her now bleeding face open to Solace's unstoppable wrath.

Solace sees red, unable to realize that Annika had stopped defending herself, continuing to batter her so badly that by the time she came to her senses, Annika was bloodier than her group had left Solace in that parking lot, and unconscious on the floor. Solace stands up, still enraged, but aware of the damage she had inflicted upon her rival.

"You could have killed me..." Solace starts to cry, realizing what she had done, and realizing what she had become, but it was too late to take it back now. Lien and Katia find Solace just as she comes to her senses, rushing up to see her standing over a woman that they can't recognize.

"What happened?" Katia asks, her hand on Solace's back.

"I don't know..." Solace sobs, "I just blacked out."

She doesn't answer, but she doesn't need to.

"W? de shàngdì" Lien remarks, "She needs hospital. Now."

"I'm so sorry..." Solace's face is soaked in tears as she gnaws her bloody knuckles, anxiously watching as Katia dials 120 for an ambulance. Lien removes her tee shirt and attempts to keep the blood from escaping Annika's open scalp, allowing the crimson leakage to spread a navy shade in her baby blue T-shirt.

NOW

"Unpaid suspension, almost 5-years imprisonment, and a stain on your reputation... not to mention, you could have killed that girl." Daddy says.

"I remember, Daddy..." Solace says, haunted by the memory.

"It was just wrestling then too..." He says.

"That was different!" She says.

"Are you truly defending your actions, Solace Marie?" Her Father is aggravated.

"No." Solace cowers.

"Good... because despite what lead to it, it started in a match... it started with professional wrestling. Correct?"

"Yes, Daddy." Solace conforms, "That is correct."

He lets out an audible sigh. He hates to argue with his daughter, so he relents.

"Look, I just don't want you to undo all your hard work, baby girl." He says in a softer tone, "You worked extraordinarily hard as you always have, and despite the obstacles, you made it and I'm proud of you..."

"I know, Daddy."

"But sometimes, you just gotta remember to keep yourself centered..."

"Yeah, but Daddy, I have to do these promos... it's in my contract. I have to say things to get under the skin of my opponent, that's what this is all about! I can't get into their heads if I'm complimenting them."

"Solace, I understand that..." Her father admits, "It's just, some of the things you say edge a bit towards... well, they are pretty rough, and If someone comes along and wants to kick it up a notch, let's be honest, baby... you aren't going to stop. It's not in you to back down, and it's just going to make you push the envelope further... I just want you to know your limits."

"Okay, Daddy." Solace says, but on her side of the phone, she feels he just doesn't understand.

"You know what, how about we give it a go?" Her father says.

"What?" Solace is confused.

"You know, hit me with your 'promo' stuff and I'll tell you if you go too far."

"That's so stupid, I'm not doing that!" Solace laughs at the concept.

"For real, let's go. What's the girl's name? Janka?"

"Junko." Solace corrects him, "Junko Souma."

"All right, go ahead. I'm listening. I'm the audience, shoot."

"Uhh..." Solace feels the combination and pressure and cringe as she lays her forehead in her palm and hopes the connection goes out.

"C'mon now, this is your chance to 'get in her head' let's do it."

I don't know! Uhh, it's weird when like... I gotta do it." Solace makes another excuse.

"I'm not getting off this phone until you drop some bars on this girl."

"Fine." Solace laughs again, her father's corny antics always puts a smile on her face, "All right... uhh.. Junko thinks because she could have been on top of Japan's Got Talent that she can get on top of IIW as Queen of the Ring, but she's better off getting on top of a Hibachi Grill, and plunging to the street like the bird shit she is..."

"No, nope. That's not nice, Solace."

"Daddy, it's not supposed to be nice!" Solace gets frustrated, "Fine! Sorry! uhh..."

"Just be professional but don't try to be a bully. Nobody likes a bully."

"Okay, so uh... Junko might have a voice for singing, but from what I heard, she sounded like a stray cat screeching it's final bre-..." Solace stops midsentence, "No, uh, Okay, how about Junko jumped from a singing career to a wrestling career, but the true high note of her life... was realizing she sucks at both!"

"Solace, these kind of things are just mean."

"That wasn't even that bad! It wasn't even good! It's not enough..."

Enough? What are you trying to do?" Her father asks.

"I'm trying to win, Daddy!" Solace loses her temper, "I don't expect you to understand, how could you? You're all the way there, and I'm all the way here... and I'm doing this for a living, and you don't know anything about it."

"Calm down, Solace." Her father slows his speech, "Breath with me."

"I'm good..." Solace dismisses him, out of character, "I think I should just go."

"Sol, you know the breathing exercises help immensely when you get like this..."

"Get like what, Daddy? Motivated? Prepared? Competitive?" Solace knows she doesn't mean to lash out at her father, but her instincts compel her, "Right, it's always been a bad word to say "Competitive" or "Motivated"

"Now, I never said that, Solace... let's just... take a breather here. I know it's been a while, but maybe meditation would be a wise idea given the level of stress you are enduring."

"I'm not stressed!" Solace lashes again, "Gr. I'm getting annoyed, can I please let you go now?"

"...Okay." He finally agrees, albeit, begrudgingly.

Solace hangs up without speaking another word. She immediately regrets ending the conversation with the man she loves the most, but she was still too angry to call him back. She needed to calm down. She needed to find her center once again. He was right, after all, Solace would be the first to admit this to herself, although, stubbornly would resist admitting it to anyone else, including her Daddy.

How could she be IIW's robust Queen when she was still her Daddy's unstable Princess? She aspired to be Elizabeth the second, after all, not Danyrus Targaryn, but was it at all possible with this side to her? On the surface, Solace knew her smile was contagious and beautiful enough to pull off the royalty role, but on the inside, despite her strong moral character, an edge that was sharp as a scaling knife- sure to slice an unlucky foe into filmy slivers of lunch meat; Solace would often get worked up enough to consider making a sandwich out of it; one of the Wow promoters called her "Humming Bird" in reference to her insatiable hunger, but she never adopted the moniker.

"It's just banter." She says outloud so she can hear it, "It doesn't go beyond that! It's not personal. This is the game." Instead of meditating with a calming mantra, she instead breathes in and out with the soothing sounds of justification to ail her uncertainty.

Looking down to her lap top screen, which has automatically slipped into sleep-mode, she decides to swivel away from the table's edge, and bring her raw, agonizing leg injury around to a new position. As she twists, the dead weight of her leg trails along, she grits her teeth as each inch of motion incites a throbbing from below her knee and up. She is almost brought to tears, but the pain stops just in time as she settles it back down to a new location.

"Just great." She pants.

The in-house medical team wrapped it well, gave her pain killers, and preemptively labeled her healing process "COMPLETE" with a date for the day before the next First Class. On the off-white wrap was Lien and Katia's artwork with black and red sharpies reminding Solace that one, she had great friends, and two, they were both juveniles what with the PEN15 and what looked like Russian explicative penned in.

With a distracted smile on her face, she truly felt loved and supported by her girlfriends. As for the pain killers, well, they found themselves collecting dust in her medicine cabinet; she wanted to remember each moment of pain she endured for the next time she saw The Coven girls in front of her, then, she'd have the bottle to give them as a well deserved gift.

"No..." Solace grunts, "I know who I am... I know what THAT was..." Solace acknowledges her actions regarding Annika in Wow, what led to a dark path, and an almost end to her career before it really got started. "I know words are words... and actions are actions... this is not the same thing as that."

Ducky, who has been mostly sleeping through the sequence of events, finally pops his head up as if to ask "Who the hell is she talking to?"

She smiles at Ducky and he lowers his head back down to the arm of the couch with a grumble, catching a whiff of spilled wine and aiming his snout to try licking at it.

"Words are weapons..." Solace has an epiphany. She reaches for her call phone once more, dialing her father this time, and as it begins to ring, she begins to prepare her speech in defense of her choice to do as she pleases.

"Hey baby... didn't expect to hea-" he begins, but she rushes out her first words.

"Daddy, please just let me say what I have to say to you." Solace blurts out, her eyes forced closed as she hears the silence following her final word, then continues. "I know what happened in the past. I know that as a teenager my mouth got me into fist fights. I know I've been causing you these kind of headaches from day one, and then on, and believe me, Daddy... I know in the past my temper has caused both you and I huge problems and in the case of Annika, the consequences of my actions were drastic and severe. I also know that without you being you, I might not have had a second chance after the Wow suspension, and the lawyer fees, and those criminal charges. I know I've always struggled to be patient, and I know my words can be dangerous as weapons, but I know now, most of all, that words are just words... and words are not actions..."

Solace catches her breath, feeling her emotions running high as she explains herself to her Father, desperate for his approval, his allegiance a bind to her resolve, she attempts to control her tears as they gather in her eyelids.

"What happened with Annika was not words..." Solace wipes her eyes dry, "She didn't like losing so she and a few of her friends put on masks and attacked me in the parking lot after a show. I knew it was her and when I confronted her, she denied it, and I lost control... it wasn't because of banter, it wasn't because of words, it was because of her actions."

"You never told me that..." Her father admits.

"Because I wanted to prove I could solve it myself." Solace admits, unable to contend with her tears now openly flowing, "I wanted you to see I was strong enough to handle things on my own."

"Baby, I know you are strong enough but that's..." Her father is disappointed, but holds his tongue, "Well, that changes things, doesn't it?"

"I didn't want her having the satisfaction of people knowing what she did to me..." Solace says, "It was stupid. It was dumb, I know."

"No, I get it, Sol." Her father says, "I understand where you're comin' from. I do."

"Daddy, I know who I am..." Solace reiterates, "These girls in The Coven attacked me in a similar way, but they did it within the confines of the platform of pro wrestling... so, within those same confines, I'll get back at them- but I'll do it the right way. Not in the heat of the moment, not like back then... but that's gonna happen doin' things the way they need to be done... as far as Junko, as far as I can tell, she's a sweet girl and what we will have is a traditional wrestling contest, but before that... I am going to play the game. I am going to banter, I am going to use words as weapons because that's how I get in her head, you need to trust me, Daddy."

"I do, Solace." Her father says, "Look, I'll be honest with you."

Solace perks up in curiosity as he hears her father's deep voice sigh in what sounds like regret.

"Part of what I was sayin' was legitimate concern about your well-being," he begins, "but more selfishly, there's another part of this- a bigger part of this that is more about me... than it is about you."

"How?" Solace asks, taken aback.

"Now, don't take this the wrong way, baby..." Her father warns.

"Well, now..." Solace jokes back.

"I'm serious, Sol..." he says, "It's just, when I hear my baby girl talkin' so... aggressively, I mean, really gettin' at these girls in a way that one might say is cruel, or harsh, part of me starts to hear a bit of her in that demeanor of yours."

"Her?" Solace asks.

"Your mother." He says, but almost in a pitch he hoped she wouldn't hear.

"Oh..." She is unsure how to feel about that revelation.

"And I'm sorry to say that to you," he says, "But, it's the truth."

"Okay, then." Solace says, her voice noticeably hurt.

"Now, I don't mean you are bein' like her, or actin' like her," He clarifies, "I just mean, some of the things you say, or, maybe the way you are saying things reminds me a bit of how she used to talk to me... at her worst. It's no shame to have sides of both me and your Mother, but, I know you are just doin' your job, but in a way, so was your mother."

"Mom is a business woman, not a pro wrestler." Solace says.

"No, Solace..." He says, "What I mean is... Your mother was successful at business because of her merciless nature. She was vicious in those board meetings... absolutely terrorized business rivals into submission, and that suited her very well... but eventually, she began bringing that side of herself home... she began taking her frustrations out on you and me until one day, her world of business and it's subordinates blended with her world at home, and us alike. She started to treat us like an extension of those subordinates until finally, I had to leave her... she didn't it like, so she made my life hell legally, using you against me for a long time before I found a way out. You know the rest."

"I know, Daddy..." She says, "but I'm not her..."

"I know you aren't, Solace..." He says, "I just know that if there's anything your mother passed down to you, it was the fierce ferocity to accomplish your goals. Not a bad thing in theory, but when coupled with a temper... unfettered by good will, it's enough to bring anyone to their knees. So, be careful with it... That's all I've ever said."

"Okay, Daddy." She says, "I will..."

"Promise me, Solace." Her father says, "Promise me you'll be your best self."

"I promise, Daddy..." Solace agrees, wiping the last tears from her eyes.

"Good... I don't want to have to have Minky kick your butt." Her father laughs.

"She can try.." Solace laughs back.

"All right, now." He says, "I won't keep badgering you. I'm sorry for that. You're a big girl, but you will always be my princess."

"Princess." Solace repeats, "Maybe, but I'm thinking about a promotion."

"That's right." He says, "My mistake. You Daddy's QUEEN."

"I like the sound of that." Solace smiles.

"Me too, baby." He says, "Me too."

"Okay, Daddy, I really gotta go. We'll talk soon, okay?" Solace asks.

"Of course, baby." He says, "I'm only a phone call a way. I love you."

"Love you too."

When Solace hangs up, she feels as if a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. She feels at least one stress had been relieved, and that she now had her most avid supporter back on her side, and once again removed from her back.

"Okay, Ducky." Solace smiles at her best friend, "Time to put Junko in the Trunko."

Ducky grumbles as Solace brings her computer screen back to life; the smiling face of Junko, the fear that she might wink before crawling out of the screen onto her kitchen table like Samara.

 

"Jesus." Solace quickly imagines something, anything else.

She shouldn't have watched The Ring last night, and although Samara was Queen of the Ring in her own right, Junko wasn't a vengeful ghost... she was just another sweet girl about to have a bad taste in her mouth at the hands of Solace Tatum.

Solace had researched, and researched, and studied, and crammed everything Junko. She knew her stats, she knew her moves, and she brought herself to ground level so she could experience, relatively, how Junko sees this world and what drives her ambitions.

She was less talk, and more work- Solace respects this, but wondered if the less talk was mostly because she just didn't know enough English to thrive as a conversationalist, an unfortunate barrier to the crucial game of pre-match banter. She almost expected her manager slash father figure to do the talking for her... "SHE NUMBER ONE WRESTLER IN WORLD" But judging from the subtitles provided from their interactions, he clearly didn't see her that way either. It appeared, at least to Solace, being the number one wrestler in the world was Junko's pipe dream, especially after a failed career at singing was realized, Solace wondered why she didn't just quit with pipes altogether.

Thoughts are just thoughts, however, and Solace was now ready to transmit those thoughts through verbage, directly to IIW for the world, the fans, but most importantly, to Google translate for Junko to grow flustered as she struggles to understand.

Solace props her phone against the almost vertical position of her laptop screen so she can see herself in the camera's view... and begins to record.

"Hi everybody! Solace is in the house!"

Solace smiles brightly, hiding the pain she feels in her lower extremity, hoping there is no subtle indication of the actual anguish she is enduring.

"Before I get to Miss JunkoPOP, I just have a quick question for Steph, Cassie, and Mercedes? What's a MOB to a QUEEN?" Her smile drops and her glare intensifies, "Coven can't handle bein' trashed? Awww... somehow, it seems your feelings are hurt worse than anything you could cause my leg. Mercedes, the wreck, Steph, AKA the boring one, and Cassie Second Classy want to come out and attack me like the sissies they are, that's fine with me... as soon as this leg is completely healed, I'm going to put it through each of your faces, and then, Netflix viewers don't have to hear your gossip girl bullshit, and the only thing you witches will cast... is your jaws. Then, you can watch my TV show: FIRST CLASS while you have your own slumber party, slurping goat meat through straws."

Solace smiles.

"Are you bitter because you were eliminated from a tournament to crown a superior athlete? As if you had any right to be included in the first place? It's really saying something that you just barely beat a one legged woman in an ass-kicking contest, but as far as contests are concerned... Mercedes, you might be the closest thing to actual swine on the IIW Female roster, but in this realm, it's a bad thing to be the prized pig. Now, all of your curses and hexes didn't make a difference against me, maybe because you are about as great at being a witch as you are at being a professional wrestler... or maybe you can't focus on anything long enough to cast a spell correctly, or hey, maybe you're just... a lunatic? Either way, I think maybe you should lay off the Necronomicon and read my lips instead... Next time we meet, don't bring your broomstick... because I'm gonna shove it so far up your ass, you'll be walking around with a rigid, wooden tail."

Solace winces at the thought.

"Anyway, now that the garbage is taken out for the second time this week, let's talk about some junk. After all, one person's trash might be someone else's treasure... unfortunately, the idea of a Queen Junko is like the trash people burn, and the kind of treasure that Captain Kidd would pass off as valuable.." Solace stretches her neck to each side, "Now, I want to start this off by saying... don't take it personal, because Junko, it's not personal... My Daddy basically begged me to play nice with you, essentially begged me not to reset your Tomagachi, or bend your Pokemon cards... and I'll be the first to say that you are truly a sweet little thing that is very, very skilled in the sport of wrestling... your judgment, however, is severely flawed. Let me explain."

Solace clears her throat.

"If you cared as much about being famous as you do about making friends, your dreams might actually come true... but so far, the kind of friends you have gravitated towards is going to make you the kind of famous that gets you on the I.D. channel. So, word of advice... I know you don't know English too good... but when it comes to Anya Sharapova, take Chiba's advice... NO FRIENDS. That girl is not thinking about your best interests, and even if she was, she hasn't won any matches since I got here, so she probably isn't going to help you out too much in that regard either. Junko, two words: Rosetta Stone. You don't want these scoundrels to take advantage of you, who knows what Chiba is holding back from you as far as compensation. Maybe he doesn't want you to have friends so they won't tell you how badly you're getting screwed out here."

Solace shrugs.

"So, singing wasn't your thing... so what? Here you are doin' what you love! Not only that, but you have five wins! That's awesome! Even when you get this first loss come First Class, five wins is still sooo awesome. You should be proud of yourself, I know I'm proud of you. You had a shitty child hood... parents were whack as fuck, make you sing long time, but now, you got Master Splinter here and racking up some big... Combat wins, which I guess you might as well count, oh, and two wins against my besties... so that's definitely something. Third time will be the charm, but still, awesome job so far! Well, kinda."

Solace considers it.

"I mean, I can't help but put you and I next to each other and compare a little... I have a big mouth, you are reserved. You like to sing, I like to make my opponents sing. You are successful, yes... but everything you know has been forcibly instilled by Chiba... I built myself from the ground up. You depend on a manager to walk you around from event to event... I got my girls here, but for the most part, I'm a solo act, baby. Oh, and your entire love for professional wrestling was based on an unhealthy infatuation with Angel Kandori... I do it because to me it's a science, an art, a skillset. You're a fan, Junko... a groupie, just like all those groupies that idolize pop stars... fame isn't success... fame is superficial as the fake smile on your profile picture. You just want to be famous... that's not a Queen. Queen's are powerful and supreme... you're a sad little girl with big dreams of stardom... that's not royalty, that's royalties... it's not prestige... it's playing dress up. After this is over, you'll see the stark difference in roles when I am the Queen... and you are just my groupie... it's what you know, it's where you're comfortable. So, I'll prepare for a reign, you prepare to bend the knee."

"You might get comfortable on a stage, you might enjoy belting out loooooong notes to hide that timid, tiny self, thinking it'll protect you... but it's quality, not quantity. Looming large doesn't fill you with substance, it only takes a sharp pin to deflate that massive blow fish of a persona you use to appear stronger than you actually are. And look, all of a sudden, everyone knows despite the vast space you took up as a pop star... it was just filled with nothingness."

Solace bows, "At least you're the cutest though, right? You think looks matter here? Maybe to Brandon, but that can end real quick with one Soul Searcher. If you want to be the Cutest of the Ring, that makes more sense... or maybe you should just be a ring girl, who doesn't need to bother knowing English because you wouldn't be expected to talk. Just smile and look cute.."

"You see, Junko... you have a story to tell, as do I... but unfortunately, you don't have your own voice to tell it. That's not how a Queen behaves. Look at Queen Vic... or "The Russian Queen Bee" paper royalty... false goddesses, and here you are, another sweet girl who can't even manage to speak for herself, let alone, stand toe to toe against someone who was built for this Coronation match... The Quiet Storm. Hope you have an umbrella."

Solace shakes her head.

"You really are out of your element, Junko. Even your own manager would rather do anything other than celebrate your matches; maybe too drunk but, honestly, I'd probably be on the bottle too if I had to travel around with Junko as much as Chiba, let alone have to listen to the music of her more successful days, which isn't saying much. I'd ask you for an autograph, but I don't think it'd be worth too much. Plus, who, outside of Koto City, even gives a damn about your music? You don't even use JNK songs for your own entrance! I guess you have at least a little self awareness. C'mon now, be true to yourself! It's the past, and it's a past you want to escape maybe, but it's made you who you are, right? Embrace it... stop hiding behind your smiley face mask and wake up! No wonder your manager doesn't respect you."

Solace rolls her eyes.

"But what's truly the saddest part of it... your own teacher only showed up for Victoria... of all people, that only illustrates just how insignificant you are in the minds of people who know you intimately, so just imagine how little everyone else thinks of you."

Solace makes a pouty face.

"But you know what, actually, I don't know if I agree with his dismissal to have friends, someone like you who doesn't speak English too good, someone who has no self awareness, someone who doesn't know how to act right in the midst of competitive banter needs all the friends she can get! Who else is going to warn her about pandering to opponents with friendship right before they kick her ass? Of course, it's not personal, and I think you'd be cool to hang out with... but that doesn't mean I'm not going to wash over you like a tsunami, because I am."

Solace cringes at the, perhaps, too soon reference.

"On second thought, I guess it's better than nothing if Anya will be your friend. She could use someone to fight her battles, so at least you'll have something to do, because when it comes to conversations, you're better off having the excuse you don't know any other language than Japanese if it means you can avoid having to converse with that Russian bimbo. This is what they mean by stranger danger, by the way... if you were going to make any friends, Anya is seriously the last friend you'd want in your corner... she's one of those, not so cunning, obvious bond villains but lacks both the effectiveness or memorability."

Solace bites her bottom lip as she smiles.

"So, let's delve a bit... your teacher berates you, probably because you have a fire inside that burns to prove him wrong, the same fire that burnt inside of you as a child when your parents dismissed your dreams. You, like me, thrive on naysayer's and their resistance to your ambitions... so, forget what I said before... instead, take it personal... take it personal because I want you at your absolute best, so neither of us question the inevitable outcome of our match to crown the queen of IIW... Spoiler alert, you probably won't achieve your dreams of becoming the number one wrestler, but you will learn something new about yourself... you'll learn your limitations... and for anyone serious about personal growth, that is important to understand... so, if you understand anything I've said here, understand that your limit is Solace Tatum."

Solace sticks a thumb right into her own chest.

"I'll say it again, You're a sweet girl, Junko, and you are very skilled and talented, but best of all, you are genuinely a great person... and that's going to get you far with someone like me, and I'll gladly be your friend... but when we step into the ring, don't bring that sweet shit in there and think it's going to soften my blows, I didn't have a trainer to guide me since a child, I built all of this by myself... where I am now is because of hard work and relentless pursuit of self betterment. It's work. There's work to be done."

Solace takes a deep, bated breath.

"You hoped Lien would teach you to breath fire, but that was the wrong Triumvirate girl to ask. I'm the one with the acidic tongue... the one my Daddy has to beg not to scorch the Earth when I get mad. I'm the one that lights up my opponents the likes they've never seen, and like a dragon, I am merciless as I fly overhead, raining fire over my enemies like Chiba rains blood over his. You never combated someone like me, Junko... someone who could ignite the world around you and leave you last to burn just so I can savor the synging corners of your outermost tips of flesh. Just to observe you watching your surroundings melt before you, growing more and more hopeless as you come to the stark realization that all your dreams are disintegrating like your chances of overcoming the flames of inevitability. Your new dream is to extinguish it... to snuff out the raging inferno consuming your existence... but with each attempt to thwart the blaze, there I am, engulfing you once again. You can't weather this storm, Junko... and as far as your legacy, I'm going to burn it to the ground... and as my third royal subject, you'll know I am Queen of the ashes... Queen of the IIW... and Queen of the ring."

Solace seems to have entered a state of trance during her rant, but quickly snaps out of it.

"It's Solace that breathes fire, little girl... and believe me, I want ALLLLLLLLL the smoke."

Solace grins with a hint of sadistic malice.

"Your 'Dad' says a warrior's purpose is to win, but you don't really come off as a warrior, just a worrier. Worried about having friends, worried about being the best... what you need to worry about is First Class... worry about Solace Tatum... then worry about your excuse after you go back to that locker room and Chiba says "I knew you would lose... but why?" My advice is... don't say anything. Just go get a cold shower... self reflect... and search your soul because the answer speaks for itself: "The Quiet Storm" Solace Tatum is the true Queen of the Ring, and once I'm crowned... all those who oppose will be fast against the wall, and my throne will be surrounded by the spiked heads of those I've fallen. Anya Sharapova, with a confused gaze... the head of Mercedes tongue hanging out the side... and Junko, still with a pop star smile on her face."

Solace smiles for the final time.

"See you soon, Junky." Solace winks, "Then, it's off with your head. Queen's orders."

Smoke plumes from Solace's mouth, albeit, figuratively as the fire in her eyes sustain. Her competitive flame remains at a high temperature, to touch her now would simply melt the hand, and to enter her crosshairs would be like falling into a laser beam.

It takes more than just WANT to be the Queen. Some Queen's are simply destined to be on the throne, and some are just destined to be the jesters that entertain, like pop stars.

Solace stops recording once her touch is cool enough to press the red square. Even then, a finger print of ash is left behind on her phone screen; figuratively, of course.

Solace could have listened to her daddy, but then, Junko's face wouldn't be Perspired with nervous sweat. Junko wouldn't be peeling off layers to cool herself from the intense wave of heat relentlessly rolling over her like a nuclear blast. Junko wouldn't be standing in place while her traditional Japanese garb and flesh evaporated leaving only a charred skeleton... her dreams futile, her ambition meaningless, and her cuteness all but a distance memory... but what Solace learned from this ruthless expansion of violent incineration... even after Junko's lips have burned away, her skull will keep smiling.