Our scene opens up, on a scene likely captured by cameras before Flashpoint even went off the air. We’re in a corridor, maybe a hundred feet from gorilla position. The crowd can be heard roaring beyond the walls but there’s an eerie silence in the hallway backstage. Wires and equipment are thrown about, courtesy of one of several brawls of the night involving the Dogs of War.
Ashlyn De Luca is the first Grappler visible on the scene, both Tag Team Championships clutched against her chest before she groans, placing them down on top of an equipment crate, leaning on it with her palms as she groans aloud.
Ashlyn De Luca: God…
damnit.
She sounds almost defeated as she says it, shaking her head, though her face is red and her hands are trembling.
Ashlyn De Luca: Again, and again, and again. It never… ever stops, dude…
She groans aloud again, slamming a fist against the crate, though it lacks any real force or enthusiasm. From behind Ashlyn, a reassuring hand comes to rest on her shoulder, as Logan Alexander steps in behind her, but keeps his distance all the same.
Logan Alexander: It won’t stop cause every time it happens, they get
rewarded. The Dogs are doing what Smart Style did. Hadley doesn’t reprimand them. She doesn’t even say a word to them. She’d rather give out title matches to them instead. And we get all the abuse for it. We keep getting pushed.
Ashlyn shakes her head, responding in a barely-audible voice, just barely above a whisper as she pulls the title belts off the crate.
Ashlyn De Luca: ...you’re right...
He leans in a bit closer to Ashlyn.
Logan Alexander: We either give way… or push back. Like we just did.
Ashlyn closes her eyes, a bitter laugh escaping her mouth as her grip in both hands tighten around the leather of the World Tag Team Championships, turning her knuckles ghost-white.
Ashlyn De Luca: Gahhh, yo.. well-- I promise you, I am so…
so ready to push back…
Logan nods.
Logan Alexander: Just need to decide on when, where and how.
He lifts his hand, patting her shoulder a couple of times.
Logan Alexander: For now… we should conserve our strength and get out of here.
Ashlyn begins to pull away a bit, shooting a look down the hall where the officials had ushered Dogs of War away several moments ago. She looks ready to resist, to make her way down the hall-- but another deep breath and a few seconds later, and De Luca nods slowly.
Ashlyn De Luca: Yeah. Let’s go.
She doesn’t wait long, propping both titles around her shoulders before making her way down the hall, opposite of the direction the Dogs of War had gone. Logan Alexander lingers behind, shooting a long, hard look over his shoulder. His eyes narrow and his jaw tightens a bit before he slowly follows behind his partner, out of the camera’s view.
