New Friends in Low Places!

by Jason Spade Sun Apr 23, 2023 2:45 pm

Astrid Stjerne is sitting in her hospital bed as a doctor takes her blood pressure.

"Everything looks great, Astrid. Once we're finished with this last checkout we can get you discharged."

Astrid smiles, but before she can say anything, a nurse enters the room.

"Miss Stjerne? You have some visitors."

Astrid glances over and her smiles fades; Ashley Riot, followed by her new partner in crime Zara Reid, the former Nova, step into the room. Ashley stalks around the room, looking it up and down, apparently impressed.

"This is a lot nicer than the hospital room I had after my first concussion! Air conditioning, lots of doctors, a working TV? Wow! Mine only had a box fan and a TV that only played a Barney DVD. Watching that big, pink dinosaur walk around while you're half delirious from a knock to the head sure was a trip."

Astrid notices that Zara Reid has closed and locked the door to the hospital room. The doctor who was taking Astrid's blood pressure speaks up.

"Ladies, I'm sorry, but I don't think you should be here right now. You should--"

"Don't worry, doc! We'll be in and out. Why don't you wait over there? I insist."

The venom in Ashley's voice strikes a chord with the doctor, and he makes his way over to the chair in the corner that Ashley pointed out. Once he's out of the way, Ashley makes her way over to Astrid's bedside.

"Y'know, Astrid... It wasn't too long ago that I was the new kid on the block."

The Women's Tag Team Champion grabs another chair and brings it over to the bed, sitting down and kicking her feet up onto the nightstand next to the bed.

"Being the new girl in CMV is like a dream come true! Everyone talks about you, you're paraded around like you're made of solid gold, Dashing is practically giddy with excitement on commentary! But then... Everyone kind of gets over it."

Ashley pauses, mulling over her thoughts.

"Someone new comes along... Someone prettier, someone quirkier. And suddenly, you're lower than dirt! They all forget about you! You're yesterday's news, and suddenly all that praise is being heaped onto someone who shakes their ass for Twitter likes while you're busting your body up and spending nights in the hospital. And that's just not fair, is it, Zara?"

"Nope."

Ashley sighs dramatically. Astrid looks confused, but just as she opens her mouth to say something, Ashley cuts her off.

"You see, Astrid, we don't want that for you. Zara and me, we're the Queen bees around here. So, why don't you hook up with us? We can back you up, make sure you win your matches, keep you relevant... Or..."

Ashley brings her feet down, sits up straight, and stares right into Astrid's eyes.

"We can break your legs, leave you to rot in this hospital, and make sure nobody ever remembers your name."

Ashley smiles sweetly, the contrast from her previous malice creating a sickly dichotomy. She stands up and motions at Zara, who unlocks and opens the door. Ashley turns her back on Astrid and they start to leave.

"Think about it, honey... Do the right thing for all of us."

And with that, they're gone, leaving a concerned-looking Astrid Stjerne alone with her thoughts.