Madam Cas | 01.02

[Izzy Anders]

Jan usually barks at me to continue training until the day of, but she doesn’t the meaning of the word “relaxation”. I do; I love the word. I put my work in at the LDFC gym, taking advice from Riley Owens. He teaches me new moves that I didn’t know existed. He even goes the exact yard to make sure that I have them nearly perfected. The extensive training makes me fatigued. Weariness isn’t something you want going into important matches. Especially not against the Crimson Baroness.  

The more exotic, the better. I paid a pretty coin to take a trip to Cinque Terre, a marvelous spectacle to behold. The camera must love the cascades of pastel colors that lingered behind me. Italy’s fine atmosphere fused together with my elegant clothing. A dark blue dress, some golden jewelry with diamond embedded in them, and Greek-styled high heels I wore, drawing the eye of the other humans around me.  

In my hand, I swirled a Fragoncello about, taking whiffs of the honeyed drink. I took a sip of the brew, enjoying its sweet taste. I placed it down on the table. I’d return to it when I’m done. The camera operator had to abandon her meal for a while. I had to get her out here; I might as well pay her the whole way. 

“You can get back that in a moment, I’ll be quick,” I told her. 

I cleared my throat. 

“The Baroness and the Madame,” I began, imagining the glamorous posters lining the arena. “Quite a combo we could be if you weren’t so conceited. If you were more like moi, we’d be in good standing. No, you’re one of the nasty, despondent creatures that infest this place, I hear.” 

I threw a hand into the air. “Alas, I treasure the ideology of first impressions. You get one, Baroness. Use it wisely. You just might become my left hand if you try hard enough.” 

“I question,” I placed said hand underneath my chin and used it as a crutch on the table, “Do you enjoy the romanticism of your current glory? You’ve made a big stride on your path to immortality. People will marvel upon remembering your illustrious success. You have etched your name into history. You can settle down now. You have done it; no one can take that away from you.”  

“However, my dear, I can take away more. In my first solo match up, I can take away your dignity, if only for a moment,” I beamed, cupping my hands together. 

“If I remove every countermeasure you have, what remains in your arsenal? If you see me as that important, though. Which you don’t. I did wonder if you’ll bring the passion and desire to win that you did at Final Frontier. You take Emily Carter seriously. You see me as a pebble, a speck existing temporarily in your imagination,” I pretended to wipe away a tear, “I see you as the majestic door to the great kingdom. Your inevitable defeat marks me as the first conqueror of the shrewd Crimson Baroness, the first holder of the Carolina Cup. That is nearly as historic as you winning it.”  

“When you listen to this video, will you equip yourself with all your tricks? The better question is, will they work on me? Your adolescents will meet my Associates who are much larger and dutiful than them. I know the dirty methods just as well as you do. We’re not the same, but I do enjoy the way you do things. It takes a certain amount of skill. Yet, you require stability, dear. You are the desperate schemer, succeeding because no one can rival your mental prowess. Until I, the organized tactician, stands on the opposite end.” 

“I’m new to LDFC to you, but your games are act of repetitions to me. I’ve been around them for so long. The environment I came from taught me all of ‘your’ tricks. You bear only a finite amount of tricks. I’m not any better. It’s just that,” I leaned in to the camera, grinning like the Cheshire Cat, “How many other tricks do I know, Baroness? How many are you not prepared for?” 

“You might not think much about me, seeing as you have your precious Cup to attend to. With the encroaching threat of Emily Carter upon the horizon, I am merely a whetstone in your eyes. I will not take kindly to that sort of sentiment in the ring, however. Please, bring your whole arsenal against me. Show me what a legend can do.” 

I took a sip from the wine glass, unable to resist its marvelous allure any longer. 

“Either way you come, the end result will be embarrassing. So, try your damnedest, Crimson Baroness.” 

Blackout.