FEUD: Aya Ali Vaziri v. Selena

It's almost as if she knew.

Groups of people clumped together parted like the sea as Selena made her way down the hallway, the tail of her black dress billowed behind her with every purposeful stride she took.

Selena stopped.

She found Aya?

No.

A momentary reprieve as she paused to watch a monitor -- her expression slightly obscured by her painted face. Selena ran her fingers through her hair while watching Jasmine Crossings celebrate her victory over Aerora. Selena chuckled -- that was tomorrow's problem.

Today was about avenging yesterday's transgressions.

Selena turned her head away from the screen the continued moving. Today was about putting into motion the next step of her plan. She's let Aya get the upper hand. Let her look strong, dominant, the confidence and sense of self worth exponentially rising with every encounter that she emerges out of unscathed.

Selena turned a corner.

It's almost as if she knew.

But she didn't see the whole picture

She couldn't have known the sheer magnitude of the trouble that awaited.

Aya saw her then, her target, her next victim. She wanted to make a statement and boy would she ever. Selena didn't see her was passed by, Aya was lurking in a janator's closet only partially closed. There was metal trash can nearby and with Selena's back to her, she'd be able to get on the jump on her. Aya sneaks out of the closet and grabbed the trash can, lifting it over her head and throws it with little effort. The toss was almost prefect, safe for some rubbish falling out during the trip. It came down crashing on top of Selena's head. The blow would probably just stun her, since the trash can wasn't that heavy, but it probably hurt like a motherfucker and it gave plenty of time for Aya to load her pointed boot.

TAP TAP TAP.

The hidden lead weight was now slid down into the toe of her boot and Aya stalks her prey like a cat hunting a tasty mouse. Now she'd have her revenge just as Selena would crawl on the floor and turn to face her attacker...

The next thing Selena saw was a blur.

The next thing Selena felt was the crushing impact of Aya's boot striking her skull, nearly splitting it and sending shards of skull flying into her brain. It was an unsettling sound, metal striking bone, and a sound that rang in Selena's ears while her vision began to blur.

The next thing Selena saw was darkness.

She was knocked out after that cold, calculating striking from a slimy foe, so there was no way to feel what came next -- Aya's weight on Selena's lower body, then Aya placing her hands under Selena's chin, applying pressure until Selena's neck and back were bent at an angle that hurt to even look at.

That camel clutch was unnecessary. It was the rotting cherry on top of a senseless, cowardly attack. But this was how Aya operated, sinking to any level until she got an inch that she effectively stretched into a mile. In her state, Selena couldn't even shout in pain. Luckily, Aya, screaming in her native tongue was more than enough noise.

In between those screams, she heard a sound. Originally she thought it was Selena, but when she looked down she saw that there was no way Selena could be...singing?

Was that singing?

The noise go louder until Skarzemis was right behind Aya, still with the Camel Clutch locked in. "You shouldn't be doing that," the masked woman said in a voice that was way to upbeat.

Aya snarls like a wild animal and released the painful submission hold and turned to face Skarzemis. The former amazonian bodyguard wouldn't easily be intimadated this time. She was consumed by hatred because for a brief moment she feared Skarzemis before. But not now! Aya sought to avenge herself and would cripple her foes if she could so they'd know what a mistake it was to mess with her in the first place. Aya crossed her arms and stood her ground.

"Oh yeah? What are going to do about it bitch?"

Then much like she did to Selena before, Aya spat in the face of Skarzemis, almost daring her to try something. All Aya needed was an excuse to throttle this woman too.

Skarzemis didn't do much initially.

Her immediate response was to tilt her head quizzically as though Aya spitting on her was some grand metaphor that needed time to be dissected.

To everyone else, Aya wasn't exactly being subtle.

Skarzemis walked around Aya in an arc. Aya turned her body so that Skarzemis never left her line of sight.

Finally Skarzemis spoke, "It's okay to admit you're afraid," she said in a voice with undertones of humor, of joy, i.e. not acting in a way you'd expect from someone who has spit sliding down her mask. A tone and demeanor that were the polar opposite Aya's. "It won't get any easier from here."

Before Aya could respond, a sound emanated from behind her. She turned to where Selena once lay on the ground, but the Vixen in the Black Dress was nowhere to be seen. A laugh, from the opposite direction now. Aya whipped her head back to where Skarzemis stood a few seconds ago, but the masked woman has disappeared as well.

The laughter continued, seemingly coming from all directions, until it finally subsided moments later.

Somehow the silence was worse.

After Aya's victory during the last Ferocity, she got a mic and decided to heckle her foes in the center of the ring.

"You see!? Another victim! Another filthy kafir put down! You westerners are no match for a former libyan amazonian guard! I have broken Hazel and I just cracked Selena's skull last week! So Skarzemis!?"

A big pop from the crowd here as the fans liked Skar as helluva lot more than Aya Ali Vazari at the moment. Everyone knew where this was headed.

"I'd like to issue a challenge! You and me in a match! One on one! Then I'll break you like I broke your friend! Come on! Avenge Selena if you dare but I think you're far too cowardly to accept my challenge. Skarzemis likes to hide behind her powers to spook her foes. I'm not so easily spooked...not anymore!"

Aya Ali then waited for a few moments. A very sly smile crossed her lips. She'd get her answer soon enough one way or another...

(Open to Red Chocolate)

Skarzemis' music hit to great fanfare, the mood in the arena shifted in a heartbeat as the boos quickly turned to cheers. While her antics have made her a menace to the roster, they're endearing to the fans who got on their feet as Skarzemis danced her way onto the stage. She waved hello to Aya's opponent (or was it goodbye?) then skipped down the ramp before seeing if the woman acknowledged her.

"That's a shame about the match. I really liked her."

She delivered that in a way that made it sound genuine, but it couldn't be, right? Skarzemis doesn't even know the woman. Still, Skarzemis sighed and turned her head to look at Aya.

"Aya! I'm so glad you called. You're right on schedule too. I was worried I was wrong about you, but you proved me right. I guess it's true what they say: I'm never wrong!

Expect for that one time.

And the other...

And the other...

And the other...

Aya cleared her throat loudly. Skarzemis snapped her head in Aya's direction and laughed sheepishly.

Whoops! Got carried away there, didn't I? The point is I know you always try to act your toughest when you have the upperhand--at least, when you think you do--so I knew it was only a matter of time before you tried to pick a fight with me.

Rory's hurt. Selena's hurt.

I guess widdle ol' Skar is ripe for the picking, huh?

She shrugged.

But you won't get to find out for a while. I'm booked solid! You see, over the next few weeks, I'll be running here and there tending to this and that, I just don't have the time.

I'm so sorry.

Aya Ali was getting angrier, but she'd have some last words with Skarzemis this night nonetheless. She shook her head, paced around the ring, and smirked again.

"Ok, you don't have time for me Skarzemis? Very well then. I suggest to make the time or I'll keep slaying the kafir on the Ferocity roster. You're a busy woman, too busy to be a hero though. You lack the courage to stand up to me. That just tells me that you're afraid me, afraid that I'll not only beat you but end your prowrestling career! Go back to whatever pressing matters you have to attend to then. I've already won! Your hero ladies and gentlemen! Skarzemis is just a scared little kafir that knows deep down that I'll stretch her in the camel clutch and kick her skull open! Consider yourself lucky I don't come over there right now and make you acquainted with my boot!"

Aya awaited whatever comeback that was coming next. Honestly, she felt disappointed deep down. She really wanted to test her skill against Skarzemis. But she'd never openly admit to such things. Not to Skarzemis and much less to the filthy westerners that filled this arena. Aya Ali was here to make an impression with the roster, the fans, and the management. Safe to say she certainly was doing just that. Surprisingly, no one as of yet had managed to putting a stop to her brutal backstage assaults. This was something that was likely to continue until somebody succeeded in humbling her.

The crowd buzzed as Aya’s threat lingered in the air, imposing. Intimidating. Damn near oppressive. Vicious words that stoked the fire. As she always has a habit of doing, Skarzemis paused. Taking some time to genuinely reflect over what Aya has said as though mentally calculating the odds of whether or not Aya would follow through to the extent she has promised.

Finally, wordlessly, Skarzemis sighed. She sat in the same spot where she stood on the ramp. Legs crossed, hands in her lap. Not exactly a submissive pose, but not a defensive one either were Aya to come charging, boot loaded and aimed right at the masked woman’s head.

Skarzemis had decided to acquiesce, to allow Aya to have the power and leverage in this confrontation.

Skarzemis has decided to keep her distance.

Odd.

Smart, perhaps, to not pick this fight. But odd she so easily and willingly made that choice.

She craned her neck up at Aya, the amazonian guard effectively looking down at her now.

“Why are you so angry, Aya?” She delivered the question in that soft, melodic voice of hers. The one that’s both soothing and unsettling as the mask slightly distorts her words.

”I just...don’t understand. You’re angry when you win. Angry when you lose. Angry in the day time. Angry when the moon pokes its funny little head out…”

“It’s so sad…”

The crowd was hooked onto her words, watching and listening in a silent awe.

“I’m not afraid you’ll beat me or hurt me.”

Aya went to respond, but Skarzemis pressed on.

“I’m afraid that when you lose, your anger will take over, and you’ll do something silly.

Then the fun would really have to...

end...”

Aya got very close to her, scowling and clenching her jaw muscles. The former Libyan really wanted to hurt Skar as she sat there and rambled on. But she did bring up a very good point. Why was Aya so angry? The notion that Skar wouldn't even guess vexed Aya even further.

"Why? I don't think you'd care to know much less all these Kafir out here! But I'll tell you the short version of my story. I was a member of the Amazonian Guard to protect Muammar Gaddafi himself! Then Arabian Spring came about and everything was taken away from me! My family! My country! My leader! It was you westerners that allowed it all to happen! Now I will take everything from you! I'm here to make an example out of you Skarzemis! You and everyone else on Ferocity! You'll all pay and I shall have my revenge through your tears and blood!"

Aya's cheeks were wet with tears streaming down her face. The terrible memories of the Libyan Civil War flooding back to her. It was too much for the young woman to endure. She ran off, past Skar and into a private spot somewhere backstage and cried for first time since being a child. The despair would pass and soon enough a more familiar emotion would return. Anger.

Skarzemis rolls out of the ring, thrilling the crowd in this opening match with a decisive victory. You can't see her face underneath the mask, but it's so easy to picture her smiling and laughing as she dances in cadence with her music. She pirouettes over to the time keeper's area where she politely asks for a microphone.

Back over to the ring now, she bends down a little so that she can see underneath the rope and into the ring. There Olivia lies on the mat, not moving an inch since the match ended. The referee kneels down beside her doing what he can to see if she's okay to exit the arena on her own. Finally, Olivia starts stirring, slowly sitting up with some aid from the official.

When Skarzemis sees that Olivia is okay, she perks up and excitedly exhales. The masked woman slides into the ring and crawls over to where Olivia is trying to recover from the effects of the forearm that put her down for the three count. Against perhaps his better judgment, the referee scrambles away when he sees Skarzemis approaching. However, Skarzemis doesn't go on the attack. She kneels to the side of Olivia, cradles Olivia's face with one hand and runs her fingers through Olivia's hair like a mother might with her child.

Maybe that takes Olivia back to those days, at least for a blissful moment, but a series of rapid blinks and a quick shake of the head are like a splash of cold water to the face that help her remember where she is...and whose arms she's in. Olivia shrieks and puts as much distance between herself and Skarzemis as possible until the turnbuckles impede any further progress.

Skarzemis tilts her head to the side slightly, remaining there on her knees, her body language giving off an aura that comes oddly close to betrayal.

tick

tick

tick

tick

tick

tick

tick

The seconds go on and on and on as this tense standoff appears to have to end in sight. The vibe in the building switched so quickly the moment Olivia broke away from Skarzemis that the crowd is on the verge of a dead silence as they wait to see how this plays out. It comes to the point where Olivia must be worried that any movement will set Skarzemis off, so she remains there, trapped in the corner, with no other option but to watch as the masked woman picks the microphone of the mat.


It's okay...

You're okay...

It's all going to get better.


Skarzemis' voice is soft yet firm, somehow her words of encouragement are also threats.


You don't have to keep fighting anymore. It's in there I saw it. You have the same anger, that same black fire burning inside of you. Just like her. Just like Aya. That's why I wanted you. I want to show that there's another way.

You don't have to be angry anymore. No one else but me understands. You shouldn't have to be alone. I can fix that for you. I can give you a family! There's already Rory, and Selena! Oh! And who knows how many more are on the way? Isn't this exciting?


Skarzemis is indeed getting excited, her words spilling out of her mouth at a breakneck speed to the point where she's almost speaking gibberish. She's on her feet now, pacing back and forth, unable to remain still. Skarzemis skips over to Olivia, grabs her by the hand and tries to pull her out of the ring with her, but Olivia is resisting. The harder Skarzemis tugs, the more Olivia pulls back until Olivia finally jerks her arm away sharply. Olivia yells, "Stay away from me, you freak!" then spits on Skarzemis' mask.

Without a microphone in her hands, it's hard to pick up Skarzemis' voice over the restless crowd, but the fact that it comes out in a tone that barely registers above a whisper makes it all the more haunting.


I wish you didn't do that...


Olivia's eyes fly open wide. She tries to escape through the ropes only to get pulled back into the ring by a predator she was foolish to anger. It's not until Olivia is pulled back into the ring that she's able to kick herself free. Olivia makes a beeline for the ropes again, but Skarzemis is ready this time. The masked woman charges and mailed Olivia in the back of the head with that patented spinning forearm. Olivia's momentum carries her forward into the ropes which knock her back to the mat.

Skarzemis moves quickly, dragging Olivia over to the ropes and tying her arms up in the top and middle ropes. Completely helpless. All she can do is flail her legs wildly as Skarzemis crawls onto the apron and over to where her prey is trapped in this web. Skarzemis puts Olivia in a dragon sleeper, legs wrapped tight in a body scissor. With her arms stuck in the ropes, there's nothing Olivia can do here but listen.

Listen as Skarzemis whispers into her ears.

Words she can barely make out as she loses her grip on consciousness.

Aya Ali Vazari made her way down to the ring in a slow methodical walk, cracking her knuckles and making the time to heckle some of the fans of whom she despised. Skarzemis still had Olivia in her grasp, perhaps wondering what Aya was planning. There was a tense stand off between the two as their eyes met. Plenty of time had past since Aya's break down last week and now she was focused not feeling the anguish or blinding hatred she did before.

No, Aya was calm now and ready for action, her training as a bodyguard in Libya had ultimately won out. She often displayed a cool discipline so long as Aya wasn't too frazzled. She had enough of the psychological warfare and wanted it to escalate into a physcial war. Aya was trained for that kind of thing and trained well.

Now was Aya's turn to have some fun with her foe. She taps the toe of her boot against the floor. TAP TAP TAP! Skarzemis would be aware of Aya's loaded boot and the damage she had done to Selena before. Now Skar had a choice. Release Olivia or risk taking a skull cracking kick! Skar didn't have much time to decide on her next move when Aya suddenly sprinted and dove under the third rope. The former Amazonian Guard had every intent on punting her and ending their rivalry right then and there. Aya screamed at Skarzemis, her voice a pained shriek of pure hatred.

"Deny me a match will you! I'll deny you your future!"