Mixed Emotions: Ravenna vs. Rhonin.

[Darin Zion]

Mixed Emotions Match
Ravenna vs Rhonin

Deadline: Tuesday Night @ Midnight CST
RP Limit: Determine with your opponent

[Joey Harris]

= April 12, 2014 =

The rain beat against the windowsill, heavier with each drop. It was a bass drum, pounding in my head.

BOOM!

Time was slow, and thoughts were still in my head.

BOOM!

I couldn't shake the image from me. I couldn't erase her words.

BOOM!

I have to get out of here.

Suddenly, I had no clue. I thought I did. I don't. Who am I? Joey Harris? Never heard of him.

It is a strange feeling, and frustrating, and terrifying. I'm so used to not having any idea who I am. No name, no face, no memories; nothing but an empty shell, shoes that I filled all on my own, building up from that foundation until I became the person I am, until I became Rhonin. Everything I did, everything I do, has been by my own hands. I am self-made. I am a warrior. I am Rhonin. But, now...

BOOM!

Now, I'm not sure what that even means.

Everything will come in time.

When, though? When will the storm pass?

You are the storm.

"What the fuck does it mean?"

I punch the wall, denting it with two knuckles.

"Who am I?"

Another punch, sending cracks throughout.

"Who the fuck is Joey?!"

One more punch, followed by another, and another, and yet another, as flakes and chunks of shattered drywall litter the floor, covered already by broken glass from my lamp that had seen better days. Just another deep hole in my wall, another chapter in this depressing story. Taking in a deep breath, I lean into the door frame, gripping tightly, as thought I may suddenly be lifted and carried away by some unseen force. Symbolic, it is, as it seems like I have holding on for dear life, all along. I sigh, and my head drops, and I notice something glisten on the floor at my feet. Breathing heavily, I take a moment to regain my composure, rolling my shoulders back, attempting to relax myself, even in the slightest. I turn slightly to my right, reaching down to pick up what now can be identified clearly as a picture frame, the photograph inside in good enough condition, although a bit worn around the edges. In the photo is a young girl, likely nineteen or twenty years old- a young Ravenna, or Roxxie- and standing next to her was a man, several years older than she; a man with short blond hair, and unshaven face, holding what appears to be a championship belt of some sort. The man in the photograph is me- was me, rather. Examining the nameplate carefully, I am able to vaguely make out the name on the golden plate.

"Joey Harris..."

I fling the picture frame violently across the room, hearing the glass shatter loudly as it spirals straight through the window. The wind whistles through the now-permanently opened window, piercing my ears with its cold, wet touch. Breathing heavily, I race through my front door, leaving the house behind me. I need time to think. I need time to remember.

I just need time.

= April 21, 2014 =

I never thought I would be able to have such a great time with a woman, knowing well that the two of us would be fighting each other in just two days. Visiting the carnival was my idea, of course. After several stressful weeks, I felt it was necessary to get out and have a good time with a woman I cared about.

"You've got something on your cheek," I point out to her, smiling. "Let me get it for you." I move in slowly, stealthily, and conspicuously- the corniest move in dating history- as I plant a soft kiss on her cheek, saving her from a rogue drop of ice cream escaping down her face. She loves it, giggling and blushing.

"Maybe I was saving that for later," she insists, squeezing my hand playfully in her left, with a vanilla ice cream cone tucked comfortably in her right.

"Well in that case," I begin, a sly smirk spreading thin across my face, "let me fix it for you." In one swift motion, I scoop some of her ice cream onto my finger, and quickly dab it on her nose, as it crinkles under my fingertip. "Better?"

"Not yet."

Before I know what is going on, I end up with a scoop of ice cream planted on my face. She laughs, and so do I. She is just too adorable, so much so that I don't even find myself embarrassed.

Everything else that day went about as smooth as the ice cream gesture. We had a lot of fun, catching many rides and winning even more prizes. Finally, we made our way back to my car; laying on the hood, telling stories, laughing, smiling. I had never been blessed with a day as wonderful as this; as great as the day had been, however, the feeling I had in my chest felt even more incredible, and it only got better when she pulled me in for a kiss. It was over quickly, almost as fast as it happened, but it was such a beautiful kiss. It was bells ringing, angels singing, hearts fluttering- all that cheesy shit you see in the movies.

And I loved it.

"Rhonin," she started softly, her gaze shying away from mine just a bit. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Ravenna." For the first time that I could remember, I had never been more sure of something in my life. But Ravenna didn't seem to be comforted by the words.

"You don't love me," she rebutted. "How can you love me? You don't even know who I am. You don't even know who you are!"

She gets up, sighing quietly under her breath, as she turns to walk away. Confused, I reach out after her.

"Wait, Ravenna! What's going on?"

I chase after her, but she drifts further away, walking faster and faster with each breath I take, until she is nearly a mile away. She turns around to me, and suddenly she is not he Ravenna I know. She is younger, sweeter- she is Roxxie Roberts. She looks toward- not at me, but past me, almost right through me- and she smiles.

"He's here, but you're not him. You're not Joey Harris."

"But I am him!" I shout out, confused, sad, and angry, all at once. "I've been him all along! Can't you see that? Roxxie, it's me!"

Her smile fades. "Not yet, Joey. It's not time." At that, she turns, and walks away, as I slam my fist hard into the hood of my car, as a single tear slips down my cheek.

And then I wake up.

[Roxxie Roberts]

April 16th, 2014.

"Next week, I am making it my goal to remove myself from a volatile situation. My only focus from here on is to become the Next Generation Champion, and I will do just that. But first.... I need to defeat her. I need to beat Ravenna."

A small smile creeps out the corner of my lips, things were coming along smoothly with the efforts I have been placing out before him, before.... Joey! Smoothing out the bottom of my shirt, flattening it over top of my jeans, I look away to the door half expecting him to walk in... And nothing. The television flickers to the Pro Wrestling X logo and shoots off to commercials. A small feeling pits at my stomach, a feeling I was not used to, a feeling I had no choice to welcome. Guilt! It had been inevitable eventually, although a part of me has enjoyed the cruelty of my actions, I had no intentions of hurting him.

I know I have.

In the depths of my heart, this felt wrong, low, something of course my mother would only do! I consoled in her full heartedly to teach me how she can push off her emotions and welcome the sadistic monster that I knew flowed through my veins. What other choice did I have? Let the soft warm hearted Roxxie Roberts that he once knew and loved with his whole being beg him for his memories, grovel at his feet, and plead for the man she needed to return? As much I had wanted to do that from the beginning, an inner demon had squashed the delicate flower with the flame of determination. And from the ashes of pain, I begin to rise!

Through my determination, the last card I placed caused his animosity towards me to spike. The one emotion I knew did not belong to Rhonin. A feeling that belonged to the man who used it to fuel his fierce heart, the feeling he needed to become whole. The fuel that engulfed the ring and blew his opponents away! It made him who he was, who he will be again, Joey Harris, a ruthless force. This was the only way, not to plead with him, but to push him. To push him beyond his limits to make him see that frustration brings out his inner demons. The demons that force Rhonin out the back door without as much as a goodbye! You will see Rhonin, soon you will see, why I did what I have done!

For the better...

Fingers brushing the thick cover of my duffel bag, I reach beside the bench and grab my elbow and knee guards from the chair and stuff them in carelessly. I had never expected any of this to be easy, I couldn't assume that his memories would come back overnight with one heartfelt swoop of romance. Joey Harris is a more complicated being, he required intricate work, and patience... the kind of patience you needed to complete a perfect painting... a work of art. The end result being a canvas engulfed in chaos. That chaos would begin to re-surface tonight... breaking free of his prison that he calls Rhonin!

Slinging the bag over my shoulder, I walk slowly towards the door. Taking a glancing look over the locker room before biding a farewell to the arena and on to my next journey... facing Joey Harris, once again!

__________________________________________________________________

My back turned to him, confusion setting in; there was no way I could feel these things, even remotely. My heart, my soul, every fibre of my being belonged to Joey... I am dedicated to him, and it must stay that way. Clenching my fists, I try to muster up every ounce of courage to run away and never turn back.

"Rox...?" his soft voice pleaded to me, reaching out to my heart.

Stepping forward, he reached out and took my hand gently in to his, and interlocked our fingers, brushing my palm with his fingers.

"I love you Rox.... she could never fill the void that you left behind when you moved..."

"This isn't right..."

I heard his feet shuffle on the floor, his warmth surrounding me as he got closer to my back, slipping his fingers out of mine his hand trailed up my sleeve gripping my shoulder lightly as his other hand meets the small of my waist.

"Doesn't it feel right though...?" he asked me, whispering softly in my ear, lips brushing the edge.

Shaking my head slowly, I didn't want to admit it, I didn't want to feel it.. any of it.

"I love you..." he breathed, his breath trickling down my neck sending goose bumps down my left side. He gripped tights on my waist and spun me around, pressing the front of his body against mine. My stomach flutters as I look up in to his head, heart pounding and my mind racing as he leans forward slipping his hand from my shoulder to caress my cheek and our lips meet.

The kiss lacked a sense of reason but all the while had been filled with an immense amount of passion. I let it draw me in unable to resist the urge to feel him against me as our tongues slipped together like silk. My hands slipped around his neck and my body language set out a sign for him to lift me up around his waist and wrap his arms tightly, passionately around my midsection.

Backing me up in to the wall, he drew away slowly, carefully and kissed down my jaw line and across my neck... gripping his hair between my fingers he grabbed the collar of my shirt and ripped it open, kissing across my collar bone to the other side. My head swung back, as he kissed up my neck again and then meeting my lips again with a fierce spark as I close my eyes... an image of Joey flashes through my mind and I inhale sharply... pushing his head away with fear..

"What's wrong..?" he asks looking at me with concern on his face.

"I can't do this... I love Joey... It will always be Joey, Adam!" I blurt out with frustration against my weakened heart trailing back to my better judgement... he pulls away, dropping me to my feet and stands a foot and half away. Looking towards the ground his arms and neck begin to redden before he groans fiercely and slams both fists in to the wall on either side of me.

My back is pressed firmly against the wall, palms clammy, body shaking... fear overwhelmed me. I looked to my right, away from him... his hands on either side of me pressing his palms and fingers against the wall, chipping paint under his nails. He drew in closer, his warm breath brushing my cheek as I close my eyes in a squint and hold my breath.

"She was just a pawn in my plot Rox... I needed her to show you the life you could have had with me... the happiness that we gimmicked symbolized the passion between us... you and I..."

His soft lips brushed against my cheek.. causing me to inhale sharply, heart beat rising and thumping hard in my chest.

"Signing over my privileges, my parental rights were a mistake... he's my son, not his..." he mouths kissing my neck again. I couldn't help but feel the tingle in my skin, the urge to rip off his clothes. My body wanted it... even a small sliver of my heart wanted this as well... but the bigger part of it screamed out mercy for Joey... crying out his name within my chest. A small lapse of emotional and passionate neglect would not go away with an act of disloyalty... this moment of feeling would soon dissipate... I needed to return back to him... and away from the poison of this situation.

"You know I have connection in high places... I swimming in my own riches... and although I am not one to brag about my success... I will channel what I have to get what I want and that is you and Cameron... either be with me... or lose our son forever..."

I rasped a harsh inhale and turned my head hard to look him in the eyes... I couldn't believe he would stoop so low... as low to do something so treacherous... looking in his eyes I could see the fire of determination and knowing him well enough... there was no way I could refuse or I would lose it all... but I had to try...
_____________________________________________________________________________

Sweat encased my blankets and my clothes, my forehead drenched and my hair soaked... I panted, out of breath and scared... I turned away from the door as the light shown through from the hallway and panicked... grabbing my phone on my bedside table... I dial a number and await an answer...

Ring....

Ring.....

Ring......

"Yeah..?" the voice asks on the other end with a hint of aggression... I pause, hesitant... why did I do this... "Hello...," he calls out again waiting for me to answer... "Ravenna... I know it's you... I have caller ID."

Letting out a squeal I threw my phone across the room, it hit the corner of my dresser and flew out the window and crashed in to the pool below the veranda.

"...Joey... I need you... I need you to come back to me.." I let out a sob between every word and place my face in to my hands before pulling my knees up to my chest.

"It's me Roxxie, come back to me love. I need you now more than ever. I feel the regret, the torture. I know the mistakes we have both mad... the sorrow that followed us over the years... especially the first few. We need to find our way back to each other before all hope is lost.."

I swing my head back hitting the head board of my bed and I look up at the ceiling.

"I'm scared Joey..."