'I'm more.'

'The hype is serious as hell, holy shit. They sayin that this match, Ricky Rodriguez versus Emmanuelle, could steal the whole damn show. Do you know what kinda pressure that puts on someone? How much more weight is now on them shoulders? Of course you do. That's exactly why you said what you said..ain't it, Tara? You wanna add that extra pressure cause you know that we'll thrive in it..you know that I'll fuckin thrive in it.

You throw all the pressure you wanna throw on me. I'll come out..shinin like a fuckin diamond. Pile on those expectations and all that hype and I'll exceed every bit of it. See, cause of that one simple statement? We are gonna steal the show. We are gonna be the match everyone talks bout when it's all said and done and my hand is raised hiiiigh in the air~

Cause that's what I do. When the hype is at its highest. When the expectations are through the roof. When the pressure is just weighin you down more than it ever has. I come through. I live up to that hype. I shatter those expectations. And I power through that pressure. That hasn't changed..at all. Every single time I step between those ropes and that's exactly what I'm gonna do.

It's no disrespect towards Emmanuelle. I've done my homework, I'm very well knowledgeable on just what olegirl is capable of. But I know I can beat you. I know I can pull up everythin I got in me and do whatever I gotta do to put you on your ass for those lilass three seconds. I'm on one hell of a roll and this is my match to win. See, it's that wave of momentum and it's bouta come crashin down hard on you. Don't drown.'[/i]

Little did Ricky know, the entire time he talked, a hand was waving back and forth in his face. As he sometimes does, Ricky drifted off from reality and had slipped into his own thoughts. That waving hand began snapping its fingers in his face, shaking him from his thoughts and bringing him back into reality.

He blinked a few times before shaking his head a couple times in an attempt to recollect himself. That waving and snapping hand belonged to Ashlynn Cassidy. The two of them previously made plans to hit up a few haunted attractions. While Ricky was super stoked for it, Ashlynn wasn't anywhere near the same level of excitement Ricky was showing.

Which is exactly why they 'pregamed.' The two of them met up beforehand and smoked a bit, a way to calm the nerves a bit. Even still, Ashlynn was a bit apprehensive about the whole thing.

'I swear to god, Ricky, the first thing that grabs me is getting punched. And then I'm gonna punch you too for even dragging me along to this.'

'Calm downn, Ash. They're not even allowed to touch you..I don't think? Maybe? But hey, I mean, come on..it's not gonna be that bad at all, y'know? Gonna be sucha great time, I know it.'

Ashlynn narrowed her eyes, her lips pursing together as she developed a rather menacing glare. This only lasted for a moment or two until the two of them started laughing. Ricky was the first to open his door, Ash following suit as a cloud of smoke billowed out from the interior of that car. They closed their doors behind them before looking at the building before them.

It was a pretty run down looking warehouse. It was remodeled, on the inside, with all the bells and whistles you'd expect in a haunted house kinda. There was a decently sized line of people outside of it, waiting to be able to go in. Ricky and Ash got in line behind everyone else and patiently waited. Well, Ricky was patient while Ashlynn was visibly anxious at the thought of what was in store for them inside of that ominous building.

As the two of them stood in that line, bouncing back and forth with conversation of varying topics, they continued on until Ricky felt himself drifting off a bit. Not even noticing it at first, he didn't until those thoughts started to run rampant once more.

'See, I don't even really know olegirl like that. But that's not what this is bout. I don't need to know her like that. I know exactly what I need to know. She fights like a goddamn demon. To say she knows her way around that ring is an understatement. Like I said..I know what she's capable of and I know exactly what I needa do to power through that..to come out on top.

That's one of the things I like most bout these little side events. I get to face people like Emmanuelle with no strings attached. Ain't no blood feuds. Ain't no chasin one another to the ends of the Earth. It's a match, plain and simple. We're gonna go out there, put on one hell of a match, and Ima go bout my way. Ima go on and continue defendin my Fightin Spirit Championship.

But see, I'm lookin for more than just the best match of the whole ass show..I'm lookin for that win. A win over you, someone as talked about as you, someone as skilled as you. That's what I want and that's exactly what Ima get. See, nobody's gonna come at you harder than I'm gonna come at you, Emmanuelle. Nobody's gonna give you more of a fight than I will.

And when it's all said and done, I'm gonna stand tall with my head raised high..victorious. Not cause you aren't talented..not cause you didn't fight for it..not cause you didn't want it..but cause I'm more than you could ever imagine. As talented as you are? I'm more. As hard as you're gonna fight for it? Ima fight harder. As much as you want this? I want it more.'

Slipping off into his own thoughts was something Ricky had done a lot over the years. So much, to the point where he could still hold a pretty okay conversation even while doing so. It wasn't super obvious when it was happening but for someone who has been around him as much as she has, she could tell when he was doing it.

'What are you thinking about?'

Her question stirred Ricky from his thoughts. A slight laugh rolled free as he brought a single hand up, rubbing the back of his head. The feeling of the hair against the palm of his was always good for centering him and bringing him back to the now. This time was no different.

'Just got that match for Tara's show comin up. Been thinkin bout that a bit. The Breakthrough stuff too. And for once, it's actually nothin bad. Everythin's been goin really good actually..for the most part.'

Ashlynn gave off a knowing nod of her head when he mentioned the last part. She knew exactly what he was talking about but decided not to push it further. Tonight was about a good time and that's exactly what was going to happen. They continued to talk about the most random of topics as the line ahead of them grew smaller and smaller until they were the front of it.

Shaking her head slowly, Ashlynn looked at Ricky with those narrowed eyes of hers. He knew right away what she was going to say so he put on a look of reassurance, speaking up before she had the chance to.

'It's gonna be okay. I checked out some reviews beforehand and this one really isn't that bad. It's more of a mind fuck kinda thing and not so much a jump scare, y'know? It's not like I'd throw you in the deep end right off the bat.'

Ricky nodded his head in agreement with his own words. She retained that near scowl for a couple moments as she thought about what Ricky was saying before finally nodding her head as well. The door leading inside swung open as they looked at one another before walking inside.

It was just as Ricky said. Nobody jumping out of the shadows or rushing you with a roaring chainsaw, just a rather unnerving feeling about the whole thing. Never really sure if anything was going to jump out at you or not. Combine that with the subject matter and it definitely proved to be more of a psychological event. There were a series of different rooms, each one containing artifacts and documents relating to cult related activity. As they progressed through those rooms, more and more of the cult's history and actions were revealed.

Ashlynn seemed deeply into the whole experience, finding herself immersed in it. Meanwhile, going through all of this brought memories of what Alessa used to talk to him about. Being apart from traditional society. Living under their own law, just as their grandparents had so long ago. A chill ran down his spine at the familiarity of it all.

It was never entirely explained why but, in the end of it all, the cult vanished without a trace. With no rhyme or reason as to exactly why, it was up to Ricky and Ashlynn to fill in the blanks for themselves. They stepped out of that building into the night, their minds still weighing heavy with all of the information they just received. The air was thick with a noticeable chill to it and the whole feeling of it all was just off.

'I think I would have rathered people jumping out at me.'

A half laugh rolled free from Ashlynn as the two of them made their way around from the back of the building towards the parking area. It definitely felt like it was a longer than usual walk. Add that with the lingering feeling of eyes on them and it just made things that much worse.

'That was soo fucked. I can't believe I let you drag me to somethin like this.'

As soon as those words left his lips, Ashlynn smacked Ricky in the chest with the back of her hand, looking at him with narrowed eyes.

'You owe me..huge.'

All Ricky could do was nod his head. Finally, the two of them made it to the parking lot. Ricky walked along with Ash until they got to the car she arrived there in.

'Seriously tho, it was kind've cool. I didn't hate it.'

Laughing out at what she said, Ricky nodded his head in agreement. He brought his hand up and gave her a wave before turning to head to his own car. Before he could, Ashlynn called out to him, causing Ricky to turn back around to face her.

'And hey..it'll get easier..seeing those two like that.'

Those words hit him like a ton of bricks, feeling as if his heart fell into his stomach. Ricky parted his words to speak but no words came out. Closing his mouth, he nodded his head to what she said, a slight smirk growing across his face.

'Night.'

'Night Ash.'

Ricky watched on as Ashlynn got into her car and drove off into the night. A couple moments passed before Ricky would get into his own vehicle. Putting on some music and turning it on to a fairly high level, Ricky drove off as well. Even with the loud, upbeat music blaring from those speakers, Ricky still couldn't drown out his thoughts.

Ashlynn knew exactly what Ricky was going through, even if he wasn't exactly open with it. But in the end, Ricky made the choice he made and he had to live with it. He knew he couldn't expect her not to move on with her life..not that he'd even want that to begin with. It's like Ash said, things would get easier.

Surprisingly enough, louder than that was the thoughts of the events they read about back at that warehouse. It really did hit close to home. It was a subject that had caused Ricky and Alessa to break up. It was one that Ricky still occasionally thought about.

And then his phone rang, totally scaring the hell out of him. He glanced to the screen to see that it was, of course, Alessa calling him. Returning his focus to the road in front of him, he answered that call, hearing the voice of one of his oldest friends.

'Ricky, hey.'

'Hey 'less, what's goin on?'

'I was just reminding you that me and Bobby are coming by tomorrow to help you get ready for your match. Got footage from a bunch of Emmanuelle's matches. We're going to hit the gym. We'll make a whole day of it.'

A bit of confusion grew across the features of Ricky. His mind went back to before meeting up with Ash and having nearly the exact same conversation with Alessa. He wasn't sure if it was because of the attraction he had just gone through or what but the whole thing felt off to him.

'Hey..didn't we just talk bout this a couple hours ago? What's really goin on, Alessa?'

There was a pause on Alessa's end. Ricky took his eyes off of the road and looked down at that phone, seemingly waiting for her to answer.

'..I don't know. I just had the strangest feeling..you know? Something felt really off..like I had to see if you were okay.'

'I'm okay..really. I just hung out with Ash a bit, now prolly gonna go grab some food and just head back to my apartment. Maybe get high as hell and watch a movie.'

'Such an exciting life.'

The two of them laughed out at Alessa's joke, a soft smile lingering across the face of Ricky. Looking up from that phone, Ricky saw there was a shadowed individual standing in the road in front of him. His eyes shot wide and he was quick to swerve to the side, to avoid hitting it. Ricky struggled to regain control of the vehicle before finally coming to a stop on the side of the road.

Unbuckling his belt, he ignored the near panicked voice of Alessa on the other end and got out of the car. Right away, he looked to where he thought that figure was. However, he didn't see anything. He looked around a bit, thinking maybe the figure dove out of the way. But there was nothing. Not even evidence of anyone being there at all.

That sense of foreboding was heavy in the air. Trying to look out in all directions, Ricky headed back to his car, needing to get the hell out of there as quickly as possible. Getting back into the car, he still heard Alessa calling for him, only this time, Bobby's voice doing the same.

'Ricky, what the fuck?! Answer us!'

'I..I don't know. I almost hit someone then there wasn't anyone there. I don't know. I gotta get out here.'

Turning his car back on, Ricky drove off once again. His eyes entirely focused on the road before him, Ricky was trembling at this point.

'Just calm down. Take a deep breath and try to calm down. It's probably just your mind playing tricks on you after the warehouse thing.'

'You're right..yeah..you gotta be right.'

Those words were spoken in a manner more to convince himself and relax himself. He took in a deep, rather shaky breath and sighed out softly.

'Just think about something else. Like your match. Me and Alessa are going to be right there with you, cheering you on, helping you however we can. You got this, right?'

'I got this.'

'Do you know how big of a stage this is going to be? Do you know how many people are going to see this? You're going to need a lot more than I got this.'

'Emmanuelle ain't got shit on me. Anythin she can do, I can do twice better. I'm better lookin. Better in that ring. Just better.'

It seemed as if the words from Bobby were enough to distract Ricky from his thoughts, calming him down by hyping him up, if that makes sense.

'You goddamn right you are. And tomorrow, we're going to watch these matches and we're going to find every weakness, every hole in her offense and defense. By the time we're done, she's not going to know what hit her. You're going to show her up in every way imaginable.'

'Hell..yes.'

The two continued to talk to one another and in no time, it seemed, Ricky found himself pulling into The Tower Black's parking area. Pulling into an open spot, he turned the vehicle off and relaxed back in his seat. Despite that, he stayed on the phone with Bobby and Alessa as he made his way up to his apartment.

Getting inside, he closed and locked the door behind him. As soon as he did, he felt a wave of safety rushing over him. He nearly drug himself over to that black and red couch before plopping down onto it. A soft laugh slipped from his lips as he shook his head.

'Thanks you two, I'm really glad I had y'all to help. Prolly woulda lost my fuckin mind and wound up in a ditch somewhere.'

Reaching to the side, Ricky grabbed up his pen, taking a long drag off of it. Letting his head fall back, he exhaled upwards, his eyes closing slowly.

'Don't even worry about it man. We're family..we take care of each other. I just want to make sure you're good.'

Ricky took another hit off of that pen, nodding his head in response to Bobby.

'I'm great man..I got everythin a guy could ever want.'

'Good, now get some sleep and we'll see you tomorrow. Early too, no being a bum.'

'Ahah, never bummin it. Goodnight you two.'

'Goodnight.'

'Night!'

Ricky ended the call before setting his phone off to the side. One more hit took off that pen and Ricky was right where he needed to be. Setting the pen down with his phone, Ricky relaxed back against that couch, getting as comfortable as he could.

'It might not be the best situation right now..but it'll get better. I'm happy for them, they really do deserve one another. Allen def seems like a good guy and she seems happy with him..that's really what matters. It'll get easier, for sure. I just gotta focus on what I needa focus on. This Fightin Spirit title defense against Konstantine. This match against Emmanuelle.

Not just professionally either. I mean, professionally everythin's great. I'm gettin better and better every time I step out there. And sure, there's always gonna be things I needa approve on..but I can honestly say I'm happy with how things are there.

And while that whole situation is still kinda raw and feels really fuckin shitty at times..I gotta lottabit of things I got goin on that are worth bein stoked bout. Been talkin a lot with Lexi. She's still goin through a bit after her break so dunno what's goin on there. And I mean, Cat always tryinta come through too.

I've got too much good goin on in my life to get all hung up on somethin like that. I'm not just gonna wait for things to get better..Ima make them better.'[/i]