Post by Cause and Effect on Jun 2, 2017 17:53:53 GMT
It was shortly after the ending of the last Proving Grounds show. The Antagonist Gabriel Laroux had a vested interest in quite a few of the events that had occurred during the course of that show. The one of most importance involved his younger sister Alaina taking, what the three of them had referred to as The Lennox Issue, into her own hands.
He was proud of her, happy to see someone who was willing to attack a problem head on instead of letting it fester and grow into something uncontrollable. The full weight of his body was propped up against the trunk of one of the several parked cars. His feeling of pride was soon distracted, eventually pushed away by thoughts of Xavier.
In an attempt to quell such thoughts, he thought about the one who was supposed to meet him here: Rayven Hardy. Those dark eyes scanned the area, in all honesty wondering if Rayven was even going to show. His curiosity was soon satisfied as he heard her voice nearly echo in the garage.
”Hey..”[/b]
Gabriel’s head turned to face the source of that voice. A bit of a pleased look grew across his features as he watched Rayven walk up to approach him. Remaining silent, Gabriel locked his focus upon her, his guard clearly down.
"Hey..."[/b]
That single word slipped free from behind her lips as she stopped just short of him. He noticed her hands hidden in the pockets of her jean shorts. As she began to speak, he listened intently.
"So I guess we have a lot to talk about, including the way you've been treating your brother, the same brother who could have been killed the other night. Look, I get it...you aren't the one who forced him to drink and drive, but your actions are directly part of the reason he did."
Rayven at first kept her eyes away from Gabe, but now she was staring directly at him. She wanted him to know that she DID partially blame him.
"You need to fix things. You guys share the same blood and he loves you, trust me, I know."[/b]
Pushing off of that car as soon as he heard her voice, Gabriel turned his full undivided attention towards Rayven as she spoke. A few steps taken forward towards her, he kept his gaze fixed onto her, never once looking away.
"After I left him in the ring, I tried contacting him numerous times to explain myself. Rejected every single time."
Reaching up, he ran his hand through the hair atop his head before laughing softly.
"Unless it's a physical problem, Xavier won't confront it. He'll drink it away and run from it as fast as he possibly can."
Letting his eyes close for a moment, he opened them back up to look at her.
"He needs to handle Lennox. He needs to stop holding back and just solve the issue. I don't know if it's because of you or what but he has let her get away with her actions for far too long..if I have to push Xavier to become what I know he's capable of being..then I'm going to..for my family's sake."
"I'm not going to let you push him, at all. Lennox has done that enough, and I've tried to stay out of it...but I'm done. I care about him and I'm not going to let you or anyone hurt him."
The 19 year old crosses her arms, digging her fingers into her caramel skin with a look of defiance on her face.
"If this is all our talk is going to be, then it was probably a waste of my time to come out here. As his brother, you should be looking after him, helping him, letting him know you care...not pushing him to become a monster to take out Lennox. This isn't about her at this point.
What she did was wrong, EVERYTHING she's done has been wrong, trust me...I know. She kidnapped me, remember?"[/b]
Rayven lets her hands fall to her side, sighing a bit.
"But X is a good person, he's a father, and I care about him too much to stand by and let you push him towards a dark side that he might not be able to escape from."[/b]
Gabriel stood there, unmoving as he saw the determination behind her words. Laughing softly, he shook his head slowly.
"It's too late to stop this, Rayven. I wish you could understand that this is for the better. I am -trying- to help him. I am trying to ensure that he's capable of defending you, Terra, Alaina. This is his fight.
He knows what he has to do to end this thing with Lennox. Look at Alaina, not a word to Lennox, she saw her chance and she took it and in ONE moment, Alaina did more for the fight against her than Xavier has."
His eyes continued to be locked upon Rayven, his expression growing emotionless, nearly blank.
"Do you have faith in your bond with Xavier?"
"Why would you even ask that? Of course I do."[/b]
Rayven squinted her eyes a bit, narrowing them as to try and study the face of the Laroux brother who had made quite the splash in the last week among the wrestling world.
"I care for him...he cares for me, we enjoy being around each other. Unlike everyone else lately, I actually just want to see him happy, I don't want to force him to become this beast that everyone thinks he is."[/b]
It's hard for Rayven to stay focused on Gabe since his expression is so cold. Her eyes falter and move towards the ground, but she won't give him the satisfaction of at least seeing that he's into her head as she quickly looks back up.
"So why question my bond with him? Obviously I wouldn't be dating him if we didn't connect on some level, but look...I want to go see my family while I'm in town, if you're trying to talk me into accepting the fact that you're going to try to push X to a new level of darkness, I DON'T accept it."[/b]
Rayven steps a little closer this time, showing Gabe that she isn't afraid.
"And just so you know...if I have to, I will physically intervene. He loves you, and for htat reason alone I don't want anything to happen to you either, but if you threaten X...I've got his back, I've got Terra's back, and I'm not going anywhere."[/b]
Rayven places her hands on her exposed waistline as her shirt is cut off to show a sliver of her skin.
"We can work together and actually stop Lennox, or you can step on the other side and think forcing him is the way to handle it, but it isn't. Do you think Terra enjoyed seeing that video of Xavier torturing someone because Lennox pushed him to that level? She was terrified...if I can avoid X going there again, I will. But right now I think his recovery is the concern of those that TRULY care about him most."[/b]
The blankness was washed away as Rayven was finished talking. His jaw clenching, a near snarl slipping free as he stepped up in front of her.
"Say what you will about me, little girl, but if you -ever- question my caring for my family, Xavier most of all, I will pick you up where you stand and throw you through one of these several windshields out here."
Closing his eyes slowly, he took in a deep breath, trying to regain his composure. His eyes opening back up as that blank expression returned.
"I questioned your bond because I wanted to know if you felt it was strong enough to bring him back from that place."
The threatening was something Rayven had grown used to since becoming a wrestler, but something about it seemed a little more real with a Laroux brother standing right in front of her, it was afterall, a threat from Xavier about a brick to the back of her head that initially brought them together.
"I know I can pull him out of this...Phe is helping too, he has people that care about him, and...sorry...I believe you care about him too, but if you care like WE DO, you wouldn't want him doing whatever it takes to end Lennox, you would want him doing whatever it takes to feel better."[/b]
Rayven now places her index finger on Gabe's chest, where his heart beats behind the skin.
"You hurt him right...here...when you chose to leave him behind, in front of the world. How do you think that made him feel? You know X is emotional, and he drinks to cope with certain things, and you chose to leave him in front of the world, and for what? Why? Don't you think maybe you should personally visit him and apologize? If you do care...and I think you do...make it right. We only get one life, and your brother's almost ended the other day. Don't wait until it's too late."[/b]
Reaching up, Gabriel grabbed that hand by her wrist, pulling it away before letting go of it.
"You're so naive, Rayven. Be realistic about this. Lennox didn't bat an eye when she found out Xavier went after her mother. Hell, she used it against him. Compare that with how she reacted when Alaina jumped her. She was livid."
Another deep breath of air taken in, sighing out shortly after.
"She doesn't care about what happens to those around her. I could mow Jacob over with a truck and she wouldn't stop pursuing. Take the fight to her, where the world can see, that's what's going to hurt her.
Why do you think she's gone after him emotionally? She knows that's how to get him. She knows that she can't stop him when he's focused on fighting her, physically fighting her. I'm going to continue pushing him. I fully expect to have to fight him. But if that's what it takes to get him to just let go and go for her head..then I'm going to."
"I guess we have nothing else to talk about then...I'm just saying, if it comes to a point where I have to get involved, I will. And little girl or not, you won't like me when I'm fighting for someone I care about."[/b]
She massages her wrist, clearly upset with Gabe.
"I...I'm glad this talk accomplished nothing. At least I can tell Xavier what you're planning on doing. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have family to visit."[/b]
--------------------------------------------------------
“Despite the actions of The Hellfire Club, I am still as strong as ever. I am still the Face of Spirit and Pride and the Showcase of FAW. They will get theirs in due time, I assure you. But this is not about them. This is about something more. This is about retaining my Showcase Championship. This is about..Jade Night.”
The voice of The Antagonist Gabriel Laroux was followed by the scene coming to life, revealing Gabriel as he was locked within the confines of a chain link cage, noticeably smaller than the one he was soon to step into against the aforementioned Jade Night. His fingers through the gaps in the cage wall, gripping tightly as he rested his forehead upon it.
Moving his head back and forth, the cold metal scraping against his flesh, he closed his eyes, the same blank expression plastered to his face as those eyes snapped open.
”I've spent most of my adult life confined within cages not too far unlike the one I am in right now. There is a difference between this one..a massive glaring difference.”
Slowly, he tilted his head backwards, looking up at the absent cage ceiling, a soft smile creeping across his features.
”My cages..you couldn't climb out of. My cages..you had to fight to survive. I'm not doubting Jade’s ability to do just that, after all she is coming off of a huge victory over FAW Heavyweight Champion Julian Savell..but I am saying mine far supersedes hers. I assure you Jade, nobody is more at home within a cage than I am. That is something that's going to be a deciding factor in our bout.”
“But that is not the only thing working against you. I only just obtained the Showcase Championship and it would reflect rather badly upon me if I lose it here to you. As hard as I fought Cecily to rip this away from defenseless bloodied state I left her laying in..I'm going to fight that much harder to keep this away from you.”
“I'm not going to stand here and claim that I know every single aspect of your career in that ring but by time that bell rings and the cage lowers around us..I will be perfectly aware of everything you are capable of in that ring.”
Bringing his head back down level, he gazed towards the one holding the camera. His arms held outwards, he leaned forward to allow that cage wall to support his weight as he almost nuzzled his face against that cold, rough metal. Turning his head straight, his forehead resting against those links, he began grinding his head back and forth across them.
”Albeit not inherently sharp..with enough force..”
Continuing to move his head back and forth, the force in which he did so increasing rather visibly. Even more so when a spot of skin on his forehead was cut, a slow drip of blood began to trickle down his flesh and along the bridge of his nose.
”The cage itself can still prove to be an invaluable asset in this match. Jade..I hope you're walking into this battle as prepared and motivated as I am. If you are not..if you come into this match and approach me as Cecily did, I will leave you lying exactly as I left her, Jade. I'll see you soon..”
A laugh began to rumble free from behind his lips as blood dripped from the tip of his nose down onto his lips. And with that image, the scene slowly faded away to darkness.
He was proud of her, happy to see someone who was willing to attack a problem head on instead of letting it fester and grow into something uncontrollable. The full weight of his body was propped up against the trunk of one of the several parked cars. His feeling of pride was soon distracted, eventually pushed away by thoughts of Xavier.
In an attempt to quell such thoughts, he thought about the one who was supposed to meet him here: Rayven Hardy. Those dark eyes scanned the area, in all honesty wondering if Rayven was even going to show. His curiosity was soon satisfied as he heard her voice nearly echo in the garage.
”Hey..”[/b]
Gabriel’s head turned to face the source of that voice. A bit of a pleased look grew across his features as he watched Rayven walk up to approach him. Remaining silent, Gabriel locked his focus upon her, his guard clearly down.
"Hey..."[/b]
That single word slipped free from behind her lips as she stopped just short of him. He noticed her hands hidden in the pockets of her jean shorts. As she began to speak, he listened intently.
"So I guess we have a lot to talk about, including the way you've been treating your brother, the same brother who could have been killed the other night. Look, I get it...you aren't the one who forced him to drink and drive, but your actions are directly part of the reason he did."
Rayven at first kept her eyes away from Gabe, but now she was staring directly at him. She wanted him to know that she DID partially blame him.
"You need to fix things. You guys share the same blood and he loves you, trust me, I know."[/b]
Pushing off of that car as soon as he heard her voice, Gabriel turned his full undivided attention towards Rayven as she spoke. A few steps taken forward towards her, he kept his gaze fixed onto her, never once looking away.
"After I left him in the ring, I tried contacting him numerous times to explain myself. Rejected every single time."
Reaching up, he ran his hand through the hair atop his head before laughing softly.
"Unless it's a physical problem, Xavier won't confront it. He'll drink it away and run from it as fast as he possibly can."
Letting his eyes close for a moment, he opened them back up to look at her.
"He needs to handle Lennox. He needs to stop holding back and just solve the issue. I don't know if it's because of you or what but he has let her get away with her actions for far too long..if I have to push Xavier to become what I know he's capable of being..then I'm going to..for my family's sake."
"I'm not going to let you push him, at all. Lennox has done that enough, and I've tried to stay out of it...but I'm done. I care about him and I'm not going to let you or anyone hurt him."
The 19 year old crosses her arms, digging her fingers into her caramel skin with a look of defiance on her face.
"If this is all our talk is going to be, then it was probably a waste of my time to come out here. As his brother, you should be looking after him, helping him, letting him know you care...not pushing him to become a monster to take out Lennox. This isn't about her at this point.
What she did was wrong, EVERYTHING she's done has been wrong, trust me...I know. She kidnapped me, remember?"[/b]
Rayven lets her hands fall to her side, sighing a bit.
"But X is a good person, he's a father, and I care about him too much to stand by and let you push him towards a dark side that he might not be able to escape from."[/b]
Gabriel stood there, unmoving as he saw the determination behind her words. Laughing softly, he shook his head slowly.
"It's too late to stop this, Rayven. I wish you could understand that this is for the better. I am -trying- to help him. I am trying to ensure that he's capable of defending you, Terra, Alaina. This is his fight.
He knows what he has to do to end this thing with Lennox. Look at Alaina, not a word to Lennox, she saw her chance and she took it and in ONE moment, Alaina did more for the fight against her than Xavier has."
His eyes continued to be locked upon Rayven, his expression growing emotionless, nearly blank.
"Do you have faith in your bond with Xavier?"
"Why would you even ask that? Of course I do."[/b]
Rayven squinted her eyes a bit, narrowing them as to try and study the face of the Laroux brother who had made quite the splash in the last week among the wrestling world.
"I care for him...he cares for me, we enjoy being around each other. Unlike everyone else lately, I actually just want to see him happy, I don't want to force him to become this beast that everyone thinks he is."[/b]
It's hard for Rayven to stay focused on Gabe since his expression is so cold. Her eyes falter and move towards the ground, but she won't give him the satisfaction of at least seeing that he's into her head as she quickly looks back up.
"So why question my bond with him? Obviously I wouldn't be dating him if we didn't connect on some level, but look...I want to go see my family while I'm in town, if you're trying to talk me into accepting the fact that you're going to try to push X to a new level of darkness, I DON'T accept it."[/b]
Rayven steps a little closer this time, showing Gabe that she isn't afraid.
"And just so you know...if I have to, I will physically intervene. He loves you, and for htat reason alone I don't want anything to happen to you either, but if you threaten X...I've got his back, I've got Terra's back, and I'm not going anywhere."[/b]
Rayven places her hands on her exposed waistline as her shirt is cut off to show a sliver of her skin.
"We can work together and actually stop Lennox, or you can step on the other side and think forcing him is the way to handle it, but it isn't. Do you think Terra enjoyed seeing that video of Xavier torturing someone because Lennox pushed him to that level? She was terrified...if I can avoid X going there again, I will. But right now I think his recovery is the concern of those that TRULY care about him most."[/b]
The blankness was washed away as Rayven was finished talking. His jaw clenching, a near snarl slipping free as he stepped up in front of her.
"Say what you will about me, little girl, but if you -ever- question my caring for my family, Xavier most of all, I will pick you up where you stand and throw you through one of these several windshields out here."
Closing his eyes slowly, he took in a deep breath, trying to regain his composure. His eyes opening back up as that blank expression returned.
"I questioned your bond because I wanted to know if you felt it was strong enough to bring him back from that place."
The threatening was something Rayven had grown used to since becoming a wrestler, but something about it seemed a little more real with a Laroux brother standing right in front of her, it was afterall, a threat from Xavier about a brick to the back of her head that initially brought them together.
"I know I can pull him out of this...Phe is helping too, he has people that care about him, and...sorry...I believe you care about him too, but if you care like WE DO, you wouldn't want him doing whatever it takes to end Lennox, you would want him doing whatever it takes to feel better."[/b]
Rayven now places her index finger on Gabe's chest, where his heart beats behind the skin.
"You hurt him right...here...when you chose to leave him behind, in front of the world. How do you think that made him feel? You know X is emotional, and he drinks to cope with certain things, and you chose to leave him in front of the world, and for what? Why? Don't you think maybe you should personally visit him and apologize? If you do care...and I think you do...make it right. We only get one life, and your brother's almost ended the other day. Don't wait until it's too late."[/b]
Reaching up, Gabriel grabbed that hand by her wrist, pulling it away before letting go of it.
"You're so naive, Rayven. Be realistic about this. Lennox didn't bat an eye when she found out Xavier went after her mother. Hell, she used it against him. Compare that with how she reacted when Alaina jumped her. She was livid."
Another deep breath of air taken in, sighing out shortly after.
"She doesn't care about what happens to those around her. I could mow Jacob over with a truck and she wouldn't stop pursuing. Take the fight to her, where the world can see, that's what's going to hurt her.
Why do you think she's gone after him emotionally? She knows that's how to get him. She knows that she can't stop him when he's focused on fighting her, physically fighting her. I'm going to continue pushing him. I fully expect to have to fight him. But if that's what it takes to get him to just let go and go for her head..then I'm going to."
"I guess we have nothing else to talk about then...I'm just saying, if it comes to a point where I have to get involved, I will. And little girl or not, you won't like me when I'm fighting for someone I care about."[/b]
She massages her wrist, clearly upset with Gabe.
"I...I'm glad this talk accomplished nothing. At least I can tell Xavier what you're planning on doing. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have family to visit."[/b]
--------------------------------------------------------
“Despite the actions of The Hellfire Club, I am still as strong as ever. I am still the Face of Spirit and Pride and the Showcase of FAW. They will get theirs in due time, I assure you. But this is not about them. This is about something more. This is about retaining my Showcase Championship. This is about..Jade Night.”
The voice of The Antagonist Gabriel Laroux was followed by the scene coming to life, revealing Gabriel as he was locked within the confines of a chain link cage, noticeably smaller than the one he was soon to step into against the aforementioned Jade Night. His fingers through the gaps in the cage wall, gripping tightly as he rested his forehead upon it.
Moving his head back and forth, the cold metal scraping against his flesh, he closed his eyes, the same blank expression plastered to his face as those eyes snapped open.
”I've spent most of my adult life confined within cages not too far unlike the one I am in right now. There is a difference between this one..a massive glaring difference.”
Slowly, he tilted his head backwards, looking up at the absent cage ceiling, a soft smile creeping across his features.
”My cages..you couldn't climb out of. My cages..you had to fight to survive. I'm not doubting Jade’s ability to do just that, after all she is coming off of a huge victory over FAW Heavyweight Champion Julian Savell..but I am saying mine far supersedes hers. I assure you Jade, nobody is more at home within a cage than I am. That is something that's going to be a deciding factor in our bout.”
“But that is not the only thing working against you. I only just obtained the Showcase Championship and it would reflect rather badly upon me if I lose it here to you. As hard as I fought Cecily to rip this away from defenseless bloodied state I left her laying in..I'm going to fight that much harder to keep this away from you.”
“I'm not going to stand here and claim that I know every single aspect of your career in that ring but by time that bell rings and the cage lowers around us..I will be perfectly aware of everything you are capable of in that ring.”
Bringing his head back down level, he gazed towards the one holding the camera. His arms held outwards, he leaned forward to allow that cage wall to support his weight as he almost nuzzled his face against that cold, rough metal. Turning his head straight, his forehead resting against those links, he began grinding his head back and forth across them.
”Albeit not inherently sharp..with enough force..”
Continuing to move his head back and forth, the force in which he did so increasing rather visibly. Even more so when a spot of skin on his forehead was cut, a slow drip of blood began to trickle down his flesh and along the bridge of his nose.
”The cage itself can still prove to be an invaluable asset in this match. Jade..I hope you're walking into this battle as prepared and motivated as I am. If you are not..if you come into this match and approach me as Cecily did, I will leave you lying exactly as I left her, Jade. I'll see you soon..”
A laugh began to rumble free from behind his lips as blood dripped from the tip of his nose down onto his lips. And with that image, the scene slowly faded away to darkness.