As Rayven’s signature black Tesla Model S (yes, even when in Japan, she rents the exact same car) pulls up to the Tokyo Dome, a crowd is already gathered outside of the iconic arena. She parks her car and exits to a mixture of cheers and boos, pretty par for the course from what she’s come to expect lately. She was dressed in her usual attire: knee-high black Converse shoes, short jean shorts, and a black Jace Gryphon “Make WAR Not Love” t-shirt with the sides cut up and tied back together. She does her best to ignore the crowd at first as she walked around the car and opened the passenger’s side door. She reached in and pulled out her gym bag, tossing it over one shoulder, and then followed suit with the Carnage championship belt over the other shoulder. She closed the door and locked the car with the remote before heading towards the arena entrance.
Fans were gathered around on either side, separated by a security barrier with rent-a-cops posted every few feet to keep them from jumping the barrier and getting too close to the talent. She had gotten pretty good at blocking out most of the shouts from the crowd over the years. Most of the comments were derogatorily sexual, or the random “I LOVE YOU!” being shouted by some idiot who didn’t come close to standing a chance with her. Those were easy enough to ignore. But this night, one shouting fan caught her attention and she walked over to where he was, stopping a foot or so away from the barrier.
The man that had been yelling for her was middle aged and had a young girl of about five years old on his shoulders. In truth, it was the girl that caught her eye. She was wearing the first Rayven shirt that had been available to purchase in the WWG Shop upon her arrival - a black and purple design that said “Rayven - The Coming Storm”. Obviously, the kid had been a fan from the start.
Fan #1::
“Rayven! I’m so glad you took a moment to talk with us. My daughter has been a fan of yours since you first came to WWG and has wanted to meet you ever since.”
Rayven::
“Well that’s very sweet of her. Does she have anything she wants me to sign?”
Fan #1::
“No, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to get the time off from work to bring her until last minute, so we didn’t have time to make a sign or anything. But she really wanted to see you, especially after your last appearance on TV.”
Rayven::
“Oh really? Why’s that?”
Fan #1::
“Well, you see, she’s trans too. You were already her favorite wrestler, but after you came out publicly, she just became even more obsessed. She’s so star-struck right now she can’t even talk. But all she’s talked about since I got the tickets has been meeting you. You’re her hero.”
Rayven smiled and reached out to muss the girl’s hair a bit.
Rayven::
“Hold on just a second, darling.”
She glanced around and spotted another fan nearby holding a Derrick Trotter sign. She walked over to this fan, ripped the sign out of his hands and tore it up. She tucked one of the pieces under her arm before she tossed the rest in the air like confetti raining down over this Trotter fan. She walked back over to the fan she had been talking to and snuck a pen out of the back pocket of the nearest security guard. She signed the scrap of the sign she’d taken and handed it to the girl.
Rayven::
“Thanks for being a fan. Keep your head up, I’ve got your back. But I’ve gotta get inside now or my boss will be mad at me.”
She gave the kid a smile, which the kid returned, hugging the signed piece of sign tightly. Rayven then turned and continued on towards the arena, once again ignoring the majority of the shouts from the gathered crowd. But just before she made it to the door, another fan caught her attention.
Fan #2::
“Look at you, you disgusting tranny! You should be fired and sent back to live under whatever rock you crawled out from under!”
Rayven stopped dead in her tracks and slowly turned to look at this fan with narrowed slits of eyes.
Fan #2::
“Yeah, you heard me you **** tranny! I hope Barney kills you in your match!”
Rayven walked up and stood about a foot away from the barrier, right in front of this fan.
Rayven::
“Go ahead, say it to my face.”
Fan #2::
“You’re disgusting!”
Rayven just smirked and stared this fan down.
Rayven::
“Well I can tell by your accent that you’re not a local. So not only did you buy a ticket to come here, but you bought a plane ticket to fly all the way here. And for what, to yell at me? Because you know what’s really fun? I could have security haul your sorry ass out of here for harassing me, and that’s all you’ll have gotten for all the money you spent, was you got to yell at me, and then you got arrested. Or….OR, I could have a little extra fun. I can walk away right now, do nothing to you, but I’ll dedicate my match against Barney to you, and every time I punch his fat face, I’ll be thinking of you, pretending that it’s you I’m hitting. And when I’m done and he’s laying motionless in the ring, I’m going to find you in the crowd and make eye contact with you, and you’ll know. You’ll know that I’m the superior species, and you’re the primordial slime that needs to return to underneath their rock. Don’t worry, I’m going to give you your money’s worth…”
Before he could say anything else, Rayven turned on her heel and made her way into the arena. Walking through the halls, a production assistant approached her and did their best to give her an itinerary, but Rayven seemed to be in her own world. She didn’t seem to hear the assistant and waved them off before she ducked into her locker room and slammed the door behind her. She tossed her bag into a corner, then gently sat her title belt down on a chair. She paced the floor for a moment before falling roughly into a chair herself. She ran her hands over her face and through her hair before letting out a huge sigh.
Rayven::
“Where…..where do I even begin with this one? The whole idea of this match is **** on so many different levels. Like, don’t get me wrong, I understand the idea of the Orion Special is to honor those that came before and bring back a few legends to help make the event feel that much more special. But seriously, look at the long, long list of former WWG stars, and the name you’re going to pick off of that list is Barney Green? This is a guy, that every time he goes to the ring, I find myself amazed he even makes it through the ropes. In fact, this entire match against him is probably going to have to be fought on the floor because his knees are so shot that he won’t be able to get into the ring. I’d almost feel bad for the guy, except…”
Rayven balled a hand into a fist in front of her face. As she stared at her fist, her arm began to shake a bit as a look of pure vitriol washed over her face. Her arm shot out to the side and punched a locker door before she stood from her chair and began to pace about the room.
Rayven::
“Barney Green, everything about your career has been a joke. From day one, you were a joke character, there for the people to laugh at as everyone and their mother kicked your carcass around the ring. You got fired from companies that hired you on, thinking you’d clean up your act and act professional, only to be surprised that you showed up and were still just the same old clown. And somehow, your circus sideshow of a joke career snowballed around until finally somewhere, somehow, you managed to win a World title? Like, that’s serious the biggest joke of all. Someone like you, becoming a World champion anywhere in the wrestling world. Before I got into this business, I remember watching you try time and time again to best my trainer and mentor, Jace Gryphon. And much like Derrick Trotter’s win-loss record against me, you never managed a single win against him, even when he was getting old and slowing down. But then again, so were you.”
Rayven was still pacing back and forth in her locker room, but she paused a moment as she seemed to be chewing over a thought.
Rayven::
“I just realized I said something a moment ago that I didn’t really mean. I said that the biggest joke of all is that you became World champion somewhere. But that’s not true at all. All you had to do was wander around until you found the shittiest of **** leagues, and then you became the king of the **** lords. Anyone could pull that off eventually, so I guess it’s really not all that surprising after all. What’s really the biggest joke in this whole thing is the fact that this match between you and me was ever booked in the first place. Like I said before, there’s a long list of former WWG superstars that I would’ve picked to call out of retirement before I ever got to your name, but somehow, your name is the one that came up. And then, not only did the office decide that you should be called up out of retirement, they then thought the best move for business would be to book you against me.”
Rayven paused and looked at the locker again as though she were debating punching it again. She shook her head and turned back to the camera.
Rayven::
“I could have turned this match down. I could have demanded they find me a more worthy opponent for an occasion such as the Orion Special. But I didn’t. I accepted this match for one simple reason. You spent a large part of your career making a joke out of my very existence and millions of others like me. And not once did you ever get your comeuppance. Sure, you got your ass kicked left and right, you were left in a bloody heap in the middle of the ring or the parking lot time and time again. But not once was your opponent taking up the fight on behalf of the transgender community and showing you that your behavior was completely unacceptable. You called yourself the ‘All Night Tranny Thriller’, but that moniker alone tells me that you’ve never spent a single night with a transgender person. Because there’s not a single self-respecting trans person that would put up with you calling them that slur. You are a vile, disgusting, pitiful excuse for a human being, and I’m not just saying that because you’re fat and ugly. You could be fit as Adonis and have a face like Brad Pitt, but I’d still say the same thing about you if your mindset was the same.”
That balled-up fist came back up in front of Rayven’s face as she stared at it, the fire in her eyes almost visible as a violet flame.
Rayven::
“By lacing up your boots and stepping into that ring against me, you’ve already signed your death certificate. You might think you’re in for a special treat or something, finally getting your hands on a trans woman, but there’s not a single thing that’s going to happen to you during our match that will be in any way pleasurable to you. And don’t you even think about about using that disgusting word towards me during our match, or I’ll kill you twice. Your sick behavior has been allowed to go on unchecked long enough, and I’m here to put an end to it not just for myself, but for all of us marginalized people.”
Suddenly, Rayven’s cell phone began to ring in the pocket of her jean shorts. She pulled it out and looked at the screen before swiping to answer. The camera tried to get a look at who it was, but couldn’t get a good angle fast enough. Luckily, the voice from the other side was loud enough to be heard.
Rayven::
“Hey Sparkles, long time no talk.”
Trine::
"Hey! And yeah, no kidding. Sorry, it's just been hectic over here. How's it going?"
Rayven::
"Mostly good over here. Just getting ready for my match for the Orion special."
Trine::
"Oh, yeah? Who are you up against?"
Rayven sighed as she sat down on a chair in her locker room
Rayven::
"Barney Green... They called him up out of retirement to fight me....for whatever reason."
Trine::
"B-...Barney? Wow, its...it's been a while. Uh...I'm guessing you feel pretty confident then?"
Rayven scoffed and slumped back on her chair
Rayven::
"Are you kidding me? He can barely walk on those knees of his. Honestly, I'm expecting PETA to protest this match as an act of animal cruelty for what I'm going to do to him."
She paused and ran a hand through her hair.
Rayven::
"Really, I think I know the whole reason for the match. The last time I was seen on TV, I came out to the world as trans. And well, his gimmick was the 'All Night Tranny Thriller'. So I'm sure Fred or whoever thought it'd be a surefire draw to book 'The Tranny Thriller vs. The Tranny'. It's **** disgusting...."
Trine::
"Yeah...I'm honestly surprised they cleared him. He was pretty beat up whe- ....wait...was this after I left? I- congrats! That's really great that you- but also /what/? What kind of booking is that!?"
Rayven gave an exhausted laugh.
Rayven::
"Yea, I know....if you missed it, I started my transition at 10, so I never had the fun of testosterone poisoning, so I pass pretty flawlessly. I don't blame you for not having a clue. But yea, it's pretty awful... Anyways, I don't really want to talk about it any more, I just got done filming my promo. How's things with you? How's.....how's Tony?"
Trine::
"....he's....not any better. I moved out here for...a...job. And it's closer to Tony and Ken. Obviously. So, that feels a little better. I get to see him more and it's nice to be with Ken. So...I...sorry wish I had better news..."
Rayven nodded, even though Trine couldn't see.
Rayven::
"Next time I'm in the area I'll be sure to stop by and say hi. I miss you. And strangely enough, I miss them too. Kid less than Tony, but, you know..."
She gave a teasing laugh.
Trine::
"Sure! Yeah...miss you too. It's weird just moving and not knowing anybody. In the entire state of Minnesota. I know...three people and one of them is my boss- and /Damien Rite/ of all people. So, picture that mess. And yeah, you both were never on each others good sides."
A small laugh carried over the receiver.
Rayven::
"You're working for Damien Rite? Oh, how the mighty have fallen! Like, that's almost as bad if you called me up and I told you I was working for Jason King now!"
Rayven couldn't contain her laughter for a moment, but finally got it under control.
Rayven::
"It's good to hear your voice again. I'm sorry I'm a total **** and an awful friend for not calling you sooner...."
Trine::
"Oh my god!"
It came out as half spoken word and half mildly controlled laughter.
Trine::
"You need to lay off my career, dude! It's his company. I'm a trainer- Kid does promo work. So, in my /humble/ opinion, I did pretty damn good for myself thank you very much. You dork. Has anyone heard anything? About King? Last time was...what? Vegas? No one could figure out where he was after the recall for that explosion. Did he ever turn up?"
There was a pause in the other side of the line for a moment.
Trine::
"And No, don't worry. I get how things get crazy over there."
Rayven laughed softly.
Rayven::
"If you wanted a job working at a training gym so bad, you could've just asked Jace. His star pupil, shining brighter than me? Of course he'd take you on."
She shook her head and sighed.
Rayven::
"Not a trace. No one seems to know what happened to King after that. He's either dead, hiding deep underground, or in witness protection."
Trine::
"Well...the location...kinda was the selling point with this one. Jace's place is a little further away. And please, you were his favourite. I was just the girl that folded towels for like.../months/." A sigh, "That is so crazy...how's /your/ career been going?"
Rayven::
"Maybe folding towels was the secret, you're the one that's a two-time world champ...."
Rayven laughed softly.
Rayven::
"It's going pretty well, I'm the Carnage champ again, and after two more wins, I get to challenge for the World Title again. But I'm going up against Wretch, and he's not alone, he's got this group called The Syndicate at his back. I almost feel like I need an army of my own to take them on..."
Trine::
"...oh, right...I remember The Syndicate...."
Her voice sounded quiet, uneasy in a small way as Marcus Collins had been there for the beginning of The Syndicate- and the attacks on Trine's sanity hadn't gone without scars,
Trine::
"Maybe...you can make one? Gather up some people over there- y'know?"
Rayven::
"Don't worry, you know I owe The Syndicate one for you. And I'm not gonna stop by just taking the title away from Wretch. As far as an army though? I've got something in the works, but I don't want to show my hand just yet. I'll just say you should keep watching..."