Promo: 4:30 AM

[Guest Ash Ketchum]

4:30 AM.

 

 

 

A time when many are still sleeping. However, the lights of one room in the Craven household are on, as something is amiss. Zooming in through the window, we see Michael Craven packing slowly in another room, making sure he’s got everything he’ll need for the next show and making sure not to wake up the other two members of his family. But it’s soon all for nothing. Coming into the room in a half-awaken state is the misses of the household, quite perplexed as to where her husband is heading off to.

 

“Where are you heading, Michael?”

 

The King of Nightmares doesn’t turn his head around as he answers his wife.

 

“St. Louis. I have some things to take care of before Ground Zero.”

 

“I wish you had told me sooner so I could pack for Holly and myself,” Amy responds with a slight frown at her husband’s neglect. Craven doesn’t bother to look at his wife as he continues to pack, grabbing his gym bag from the closet. He remains silent for some time, knowing he’ll have to break the news eventually. He knows what it’ll do to her... and he doesn’t give a fuck. He only cares about himself.

 

“Amy; the two of you aren’t going with me.”

 

“...What?”

 

Craven drops his gym bag onto the floor, turning around to face Amy, his voice cold and emotionless as he continues.

 

“I said you and the baby are staying home. For good.”

 

Amy Craven goes silent. This is not what she wanted to hear. She knew that perhaps she might have to stay home for a while, but for good? To have to sit and watch on TV, be forced to be just another spectator... it wasn’t something she liked doing. It was times like this she wished the old Michael, the one everyone knew as Ash Ketchum, the Michael Craven she married, was back, not this pompous jackass who was her husband. And so, she replies with the only thing that comes to her mind.

 

“But why?”

 

Craven turns his head back around, grabbing the gym bag off the floor, placing it next to his other bags, then making sure he’s got everything he needs before he turns to the attention of his wife and answers here with a half-assed reply.

 

“Because you don’t need to be back there, Amy. You or the baby. It’s not a place for little kids.”

 

“We’ve been back there before,” Amy contends, hoping to sway Michael’s opinion, but the King of Nightmares stands firm.

 

“But not with so many bad influences,” Mike retorts, managing to slam his wife’s argument into the ground. However, as he smiles in victory, Amy Craven catches him off-guard with a sharp comment.

 

“What? Like you?”

 

Michael Craven turns around, his head cocking back. He walks across the room, looking his wife right in the eyes. His lips curl down into a frown, disapproving of the comment Amy made towards him, but he doesn’t retaliate with physical violence. Something, perhaps the little soul, the little conscience he has left, holds him back. Or perhaps he knows better than most other wrestlers and knows that hitting his wife will come back to haunt him in the courts. Either way, he keeps his arms down, addressing Amy.

 

“You want our daughter to grow up running around and beating the senseless shit out of people like Nathan Kibagami? Or be some steroid addict like Strangler? Is that the future you want for Hollyanna?”

 

Mike stares Amy down, delaying any possible counter from the misses for a few seconds, but she gets it out.

 

“Mike, Nathan’s only a fighter like you, Albert’s finished rehab, and Holly’s not gonna do anything like that-”

 

“So, you can see the fuckin’ future now, can you?” Mike sarcastically responds. “Then I guess you can see that I’m not changing my mind.”

 

“But-”

 

Mike brings his face in closer for Amy to see, staring her down as she looks into the eyes of a man who has changed since their happy marriage in October.

 

“This is my decision, Amy,” Craven answers back, “not yours. You are NOT going to St. Louis with me, Amy. My job is to wrestle. Your job now is to stay home and take care of our daughter, not follow me around like some lost little puppy every place I go. If you don’t like it... then too bad. End of discussion.”

 

Mike turns back around, tending to his luggage as he zips up his suitcase full of close. Meanwhile, Amy’s eyes begn to well up with tears, wiping them away as the anger inside her body begins to rise, anger she’s had for so long, but been unable to release. Her emotions are fueled by the rage, overriding her normal cool composure.

 

“You’re right, Michael. I’m not going travel around with our daughter and follow you everywhere backstage. But not because it’s my damn job to take care of our daughter, but because that’s how you were raised, Michael...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

...and I don’t want our daughter growing up to be a self-centered, egotistical asshole like you.”

 

Amy turns abruptly, leaving the room back to their bedroom as Craven looks back over his shoulder. He watches her storm off, then turns back around, uttering the only word that runs through his mind...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Bitch...”

[Guest Edwin MacPhisto]

CUT THE CHAFF, CUT THE CHAFF

 

I like it, Ash. Ever since you've done the transformation into Craven, you've been less dependent on the valet, but I think reducing her presence further could be a very good thing for your character. Craven has too many frills--trying to do too much at once--but you're slowly trimming them down and focusing on the good stuff.

[Guest 5_moves_of_doom]

...Misty was still around?

 

Hrmph, well, either way -- good job you asshole!

[Guest Powerplay]

*Applauds*

 

A very nice promo there. As Edwin said, cutting the frills is good for ya, and you got rid of one of the big ones very well. Great promo, I have to say.