Preparing for Ragnarok

[El Dragón]

Studio 1060
Madrid, Spain

The capital of one of the greatest empires the world has ever known has never feared the dark. In fact, it relished in the embrace of the night, and it basked in the the obsidian blanket of pure nothingness. Tonight was just like any other night, except for the fact that tonight was an exhibit opening at the acclaimed Studio 1060, the very same gallery that The Spanish Sweetheart, El Guapo, Julian Tijerina, co-owned with his former flame and partner-in-artsy-crime Kaye Yu.

Everyone was dressed in their best clothes. Men in tuxedos and women in gowns pranced around the spacious room, lit by bright lights and decorated by some of the best art the Madrid community could boast. Only the best for the best, as Julian and Kaye would both recite through nights like these, both fluttering from one company to the next, making sure their guests were feeling jovial enough to maybe purchase a painting or two. To cover more crowd, they usually did this separately, allowing both of them to engage as much new patrons as old ones. It wouldn't be good for business to ignore even just one of their potential clients.

From his crowd of three giggling single ladies, Julian saw Kaye discussing a painting of two lovers to two lovers, a young couple he has seen only twice in the past six months. There have only been three exhibits during that time, and this was the third. From what he knew, the couple were not from around there. Their accents were a dead giveaway, both sounded from the far East, from two distinct places. Of course, they could be from the same country, only with different origins for their accents. That didn't matter really. What mattered was that they seemed to be enjoying themselves—you don't keep coming back to the same thing if you never like it—and that would mean a quick sell. Hopefully, that would be the case. The creator of that painting needed a confidence boost.

Julian smirked and looked away from Kaye. He shifted his attention back to the girls, all of them still giggling, all of them still flirting with him. He brushed his hair back with his hand, a tactic he has far too often employed in whatever goal he has that required him to charm unsuspecting females (on rare occasions, even males). He was just about to compliment their fine taste in the fine arts when he accidentally saw a familiar face at the doorway of the gallery's entrance, a scowling young man with short hair, staring back straight at him.

"Excuse me, ladies," Julian smiled at the girls, eyes never leaving the angry visitor. "Looks like I'm needed elsewhere."

———

Señor Pollo
West of Studio 1060
Madrid, Spain

The quiant and cozy restaurant, one of Kaye's favorites in the immediate area, was well-lit, though moderately full, with the large chalkboard menu, big and wide, chock-full of appetizers, booze, and chicken, the kind of ABC the Italian Instigator would intentionally tolerate, immediately stealing the attention of Enzo Mazzaro, turning his scowl into a more neutral expression. Smiling wasn't Enzo's thing, so it would have to do.

Julian couldn't help but smirk at the sight of his old friend being drawn in by the colorful walls, one side of which was purely assorted planks, on which a cartoon mural in bright colors depicted a variety of animals from owls to hippos to tentacles belonging to nothing in particular. The two long-time friends and allies, brothers, were able to quickly find a table, the very same spot Kaye never forgot to joke her own, and in a matter of seconds, they had already ordered. Well, Julian did. Enzo let him order for the two of them, probably because it was his first time at the restaurant.

"I saw your debut match at FGA," Enzo didn't hesitate to start the conversation.

The waitress had barely left the table before he opened his mouth and went straight for the jugular. For her part, the waitress, a blonde young girl with puffy cheeks and an attractive ponytail, looked back at the two of them, seemingly trying to recall where she had seen them before. Maybe she was a fan. Maybe she was just curious what FGA meant. Julian winked at her when she made eye contact, which made her blush and grin before scurrying away to the back.

"Yeah?" Julian replied, only half of his mind on the conversation, the other with his eyes, still staring at where the waitress had been.

Enzo glared at him, unfazed. He didn't move. He just stayed like that, sitting still, eyes on his former stablemate. It had been years since they had occupied the same ring, the same battleground, all three of them. Well, four, but Enzo took to their threesome—himself, Julian, and the German Genius Karsten Greiser—as their original three. Although, it wouldn't be fair to leave Aurelie Tremaux out of the picture, he battled his own thoughts. She had arrived only later but she was pivotal in paving the road for their stable's success in Japan and Europe, for their empire's rise throughout the known world.

"You lost," the words came out of Enzo's mouth with neither hate nor pity.

They were just words to him, things that slithered out of his lips to get his point across, and his point was not bathed in anything else but fact. The only thing that separated him from Karsten is his bridged eyebrows, the otherwise intimidating glare that dominated his eyes. It would have been intimidating for anyone else, but Julian knew this man like the back of his hand. They knew each other all too well to fall for their tricks.

"I did," Julian finally turned to him. The Spanish Sweetheart wore a smile, however, seemingly to balance Enzo's scowl. "It was a close match. Erin Gordon was really good that night. My only regret was being unable to shake her hand while we were still in that very ring."

Enzo scoffed loudly. The Italian Instigator was not one to dismiss a show of sportsmanship but he only ever shook someone's hand before a match, rarely after and only if he won. Otherwise, he was going to beat himself up for losing until he won another match. Enzo was as competitive as they went, and more so the hardest on himself.

"My next match will be against LJ Summers," Julian didn't let Enzo's scoff undermine his positivity.

Enzo raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms, "The Australian?"

"Yes," Julian grinned at the way Enzo identified his opponent.

It was ironic, considering their opponents once identified him merely as The Italian. Same went for Julian who was once referred to simply as The Spaniard and even Karsten who was called The German. Julian thought Enzo would be better than that, but Enzo wasn't really the kind of person who would be better than anything unless he could do so in the middle of the ring.

"Have you been preparing for your first victory?"

Julian nodded, eyes narrowed as he reminisced an earlier encounter just for that same purpose.

———

Some hipster cafe
Sydney, Australia

A few days ago, Julian Tijerina flew 15, 744 kilometers from Spain to sit in a cafe in Australia. In front of him was an old friend, a former student, a protege of sorts, and an ally in one of the promotions he calls home. Skyler Rose was usually with another person, her tag team partner and long-time lover, Avery Thorne, and they have always been inseparable. This time, however, it was just Julian and her, sitting at a table, staring at each other warily.

"Thanks for taking me here," Julian raised an eyebrow, his arms crossed.

Skyler returned the favor, narrowing her eyes instead, "We should've brought Avery."

"I tried," Julian leaned forward, resting her arms on the table. "She said she couldn't travel right now. Didn't you, like, call her before you hopped on the plane?"

Skyler sighed, "I did. Still, we should've brought Avery."

Julian chuckled, leaning back in his seat. He took his cup of latte with hazelnut, took a quick sip of it, all while staring at one-half of B.A.E. Club Worldwide and smiling, "You guys are cute."

Skyler raised an eyebrow and leaned forward, smirking at one of her closest friends, "Not as cute as you and Maria, sunshine."

It was Julian's turn to narrow his eyes. The pair spent around three minutes just staring at each other like that. Not one of them, neither of them, wanted to break the eye contact first. It would have been an acknowledgment of defeat, and neither of them wanted to wave the white flag. Out of nowhere, Julian winked at Skyler, prompting the Angelic One to start laughing her heart out. Still, she would not look away. Julian in turn began laughing as well.

"So," Julian began as soon as his laughter started to die down. "How should we begin?"

———

The Outback
Australia

Julian Tijerina and Skyler Rose carefully made their way through a small patch of overgrowth. Both of them seem accustomed to all the green, despite the fact that both of them wouldn't look like it. As the very personification of the Spanish elite, you'd think Julian would be less focused on whatever the task at hand was and more whiny about where they are and what's touching his porcelain skin. The same could be said about Skyler Rose's blonde California girl looks, unless of course you knew she was actually Australian, in which case, you'd probably rescind that initial impression of her and realize that she's pretty much tougher than the average girl. Because, you know, Australia, where everything outside of your house will try to kill you.

Seconds later, they found themselves in a clearing, escaping the overgrowth that had trapped them momentarily. What greeted them afterwards was the actual Outback, a wide open space doused in mostly orange and sparse greenery. Julian had been waiting to see this infamous stretch of land. It was not his first time in the so-called Land Down Under but he never got around to visiting such an iconic place. Every time he was in Australia, he was usually somewhere crowded, trapped in a maze of steel and asphalt. This was a welcomed respite from all the familiar.

Finally, they come across what they have been looking for. The beast was synonymous with the country. Just merely mentioning its name would immediately make one think of Australia. It stood upright, long tail aiding to its sense of balance, large clown-like feet more dangerous than hilarious. Julian had seen one of these creatures before, but never this close, never this defiant. Skyler guided him towards it. They were careful, patient. The animal didn't take long to notice them, strangers to its world, potential danger at their fingertips.

Out of nowhere, the creature jumped forward, towards them. Skyler barely escaped, not without the helpful push of The Spanish Sweetheart. Julian himself only had a split second to roll out of the animal's way. With two preys divided, the animal just stood there for a few seconds, wondering which one it would go for first. Julian took the opportunity, wasting no more time, raising his foot and taking the animal's head off with a superkick from out of nowhere.

———

Señor Pollo
West of Studio 1060
Madrid, Spain

"Wait," Enzo raised an eyebrow, a scowl still on his face. "You superkicked a kangaroo?"

Julian swallowed air, slowly putting his fried chicken thigh back on his plate, "Yeaaah?"

Unexpectedly, Enzo's scowl was replaced with a smile. The Italian Instigator nodded his head playfully as he kept the smile on his face. Julian flashed his old friend a smile of his own, a bit wary and with a touch of innocence. The Venomous Virtuoso wasn't sure whether he'd be as proud of what he did to the kangaroo as Enzo was. Violence was still violence, even if it was in self-defense.

"Really? Self-defense?" Enzo raised an eyebrow, the smile once again replaced by his trademark scowl. "Didn't you and Skyler actually went out looking for a kangaroo to superkick?"

Julian almost choked on his drink. He used an arm to wipe the excess liquid off of his lips. Before he could defend himself verbally, however, Enzo was quick to raise another point, "Also, wasn't your entire trip to Australia to prepare yourself against LJ Summers? And you did that by taking another Australian with you who helped you find a kangaroo to superkick?"

The Spanish Sweetheart grimaced at Enzo's accusations. True or not, they didn't sound good to his ears. Of course, there was more to his Australian trip, though he understood why superkicking a kangaroo was the one thing that stood out to Enzo, a man whose career highlights include barbwire cage matches and a myriad of hardcore matches that resemble deadly brawls more than in-ring competition. Enzo would have probably loved to have fought a kangaroo. In fact, Enzo would have loved to fight anything that was outside the realm of human competition. He was that competitive, not to mention terrible.

As the hours passed by, midnight came and went. Enzo and Julian walked out of the restaurant together, pouring out into the streets of Madrid, with Enzo sharing tips on fighting tall Australians while Julian walked him back to the Studio 1060's parking lot where his motorcycle was waiting for him. Enzo got on his motorcycle and started to put on his helmet.

"You should come visit the South," Enzo told Julian as he strapped on his motorcycle helmet, all maroon with blood red eyes drawn on the forehead. "I could introduce you to my team."

Julian smiled, patting his friend on the shoulder, "Maybe after I beat Summers, amigo. I'd rather you introduce a victor than a loser."

To that, Enzo shrugged. He slapped on his helmet's visor and turned to Julian one last time, "I guess this is goodbye then."

"For now," Julian took a few steps backwards, careful not to get in the way of Enzo's motorcycle. "It is."

Enzo nodded his head, revved up his motorcycle, and drove off into the night, leaving Julian Tijerina to stare out into the horizon as shadows of the coming sun was beginning to make themselves known. It wasn't completely bright, dawn had yet to arrive, but tendrils of the next day were already reaching out to the center of the sky. Everything looked beautiful in that moment, and Julian couldn't help but smile.

"I am going to battle with a god," Julian thought to himself. "Glad I brought back some vegemite and Nutella."