Freedom ~ Chicago Exploration -o2a-

[Alice]

Mmmmm... finally...
Yeah, it's good to be out....

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Following the L.O.V.E.L.E.S.S. truth~
==================

Still kind of feel a bit weak...
That's normal, we lost a lot of blood having fun with Melwasul.
Yeah... Mellie doesn't pull any punches huh....

Alice strains her neck a bit, her fingers grazing her skin. The sun was out, and it was annoying too as it broke through some of the clouds. Chicago. Hospital freedom. Her body was still banged up, still a little light headed, but she was out... that's what counted. ".... Hmmmmmmmm... I'm kind of hungry....." Alice mumbles under her breath. The hospital wrappings were no longer around her right arm, simply patches of gauze and tape in their place. A breathable shirt, jeans and sneakers. It wasn't comfort it was just better than hospital gowns.

The season still won't start for a little...
I think the bigger concern is us not having a valid contract yet Alice.
... There's that too.. but, there isn't much we can do about that either.... right now anyway.
Thinking about it only leads to more agony.
I'm.... still hungry..
.......... Priorities a - hoy...

Alice rolls her left shoulder a bit, she walks down some down-streets lazily. Life seemed much more complex since coming to Chicago. Mellie, Loveless, life. It was just a lot to take in at once. "....... I think I need some therapy..." She laughs on the inside at that, the amount of houseboats and Olympic sized swimming pools a therapist could put down payments on if they got their hands on her...

You can't sell me off by the way Alice, in case you were thinking it.
... I don't know what you're talking about.....
I thought -I- was the dangerous one out of us.

She rounds a corner, yawning heavily before tripping slightly over a crack in the sidewalk. Alice falls forward, her eyes close....

.............

..........

Alice, open your eyes.
... Huh... ?

Alice slowly opens her eyes... her hand firmly clutched around a stop sign. Her knee buckled down, she slowly stands up, blinking. "......"

... What just.....
If I explained it, I'd seem creepier than I already am. Leave it at that.
.... I.. but..... ... alright.

Alice shakes it off, walks it off. She'd take a salt tablet if she had one on her. She continues her march on... she hadn't really had the chance to explore Chicago much. What with being in the hospital or her hotel room most of the time. This would be a good chance to explore a bit... and hopefully retain a quarter of her blood this time. ".... Seriously..."

Yeah I'm not going back to the hospital again unless it's unavoidable.
H.. hey! IT'S YOUR FAULT WE WERE IN THERE LOVELESS!!!
Ohhhhh no no, don't land this at my door sweet cheeks. -YOU- were the one who jumped Melwasul back in the bar. You started all of this.
YOU'RE THE ONE WHO WANTS TO SLEEP WITH HER!!
AND YOU WANNA BANG THE JAILBAIT FEMALE OTAKU! SO IT'S A WASH NOW AIN'T IT?!
...... !!!

[champ]

There just happened to be a Chicago local in the area where the young woman was walking. That certain someone was none other than "Champ," better known as Jack Douglas. He hadn't really been out and about among the public since his match with Chris Calloway. "Champ" had put himself under a strict "get healthy and in shape" regiment. Checking himself into Alcohol Anonymous meetings in order to beat this addiction he's developed over the many years of depression he's suffered. Trying to clense himself of what's been killing his liver since he's been out on these cold Chicago streets. Then there was hitting the gym every once in awhile. Being 60 years of age and trying to get a second shot at the profession that's broken his body back when he was in his prime isn't exactly the easiest thing to accomplish. Others might have just rolled over and let the cards they've been dealt run their course until they reached the grave. Hell, "Champ" was well on that road until Christina Gruber put the idea into his head of a second coming. Guess old habits die hard. "Champ" will have to see how things turn out once the season starts and he faces off against that Chris Calloway for a second time. "Champ" was relatively cleaner than he once was prior to the rejuvenation process. No longer having to sleep on the streets was a plus. Being able to call a suite in the GCW Tower home was a hell of a lot better than the park benches or some cardboard box in an alley way. He had been eating better. Scraps and what's been thrown away in the garbage was nothing compared to something freshly cooked. That was for sure. He was dressed in some newer clothes. Tossed his old, worn and torn threads away as the payment for his match with Chris Calloway had been enough to grab a few new outfits. A gray hooded sweatshirt with a plain white t-shirt underneath covered his torso. A pair of gray sweatpants hung down to a pair of old black All-Star Converse canvas sneakers. It was nothing special, but it worked for what he needed. Can't be stylin' and profilin' until he starts making the big money. "Champ" was just strolling down the street, hands stuffed in his pocket, and humming a tune. Ahead of him, he could see a woman beginning to fall and grabbing onto a stop sign to catch her balance. A little shocked at this, "Champ" decided to walk up beside the woman. Figured he should probably see if she was okay. That didn't really seem like a normal thing. "Champ" walked up beside the woman and asked...

"You okay there miss...?"

[Alice]

"Ah...." Alice blinks slowly, looking up at the man. She tilts her head to the side somewhat. Sizing him up quickly.

Alice, you want to handle this or..
I should be okay.. he doesn't seem to have murder in his eyes like Mellie usually does.
Alright.. wake me when it's over.
.. You can go to sleep in there.... ?
Mmmm... you do know -in there- is in your brain's central nervous system right.. ?
... I keep forgetting that.....

"... Uh.. yes. I'm... alright. Just some light headedness is all... got out of the hospital recently. Guess I lost my land legs..."

... You don't get sea legs in a hospital Alice.
.... Weren't you going to have a nap or something?
Sorry.

"... Um. Thank you for asking though... to be honest, this city kind of scares me. I haven't.... had the best time here so far.." Memories, flashes of her time in Chicago so far. Very violent, not good. Alice shakes her head softly before clearing her throat again. "... My name's Alice... I'm... hah.. going to become a wrestler.. ? I think... maybe...... kind of..." Her voice trails off, uncertainty ruled over her like an Iron Fist.

Smoooooth...
Go to sleep, Loveless.
... Sorry.

[champ]

"Heh, heh, heh... You need to be more careful when you're in a city like this,Alice. Heh, heh, heh... Never know what crazy kinds of people you'll meet here. Need to take it easy if you've just gotten out of the hospital. You don't want to push yourself too hard and strain an injury. "

..."Champ" said, smiling kindly at Alice. He knew all too well about being injured and in the hospital. A supposed 'career ending' back injury is was drove him to his current state. That was back in the 80's. A little trip down memory lane.

"You look like a tough one though. Heh, heh, heh... This city might seem scary, but you just gotta be tough about it. Heh, heh, heh... Can't let it get the best of you... "

Of course, he's one to talk after hitting rock bottom. But "Champ" was making the most of his situation now.

"Take it from someone who knows from first hand experience what it's like to live in a place like this. Heh, heh, heh... You say you're wanting to become a wrestler...? Ain't that a coincidence? Heh, heh, heh... I'm one myself. Well... Used to be.. Kind of took an extended 'vacation' for a good several years. Heh, heh, heh... Looking to see if I still got it though... The name's Jack Douglas... I'm signed to a little company in the city called Global Championship Wrestling. Maybe that's a place to give some thought. Heh, heh, heh..."

[Alice]

Everyone's here for GCW... interesting.
.. Hm? But it's the promotion here, wouldn't that make sense?...
Not necissarily...

"... Nice to meet you Jack.. as a matter of fact, I'm here for GCW too. I just... haven't been able to sign yet. I don't have any, actual... wrestling experience. Just training and stuff.... and I'm kind of young.." Alice's voice trails off again. It seemed Jack was on the opposite end of the spectrum, Alice herself seemed to be quite the beginner, a rookie... a -noob- Jack on the other hand seemed to speak from a great deal of experience. Something Alice had little to none of

"Injuries seem to be plaguing me recently..." Alice runs her left hand over the medical patches still adorning her right arm. The Red Queen's autograph was still taking time to heal... she wasn't sure how much longer it'd take either, it was a serious annoyance. She smiles sheepishly up at Jack before scratching her cheek. "So... how long have you been in the wrestling business Jack?... My trainer is back at home so... I don't really have anyone I can ask questions too.. without them tearing me in half..." Alice mumbles under her breath softly.

...
Loveless, you alright? I thought you were gonna take a nap or something.
... My minds a bit restless, don't focus on me. I'll be fine.

[champ]

"Well... I'm well before your time. That's for sure, Alice. Heh, heh, heh... At one point in my life... I had started out in this business atleast 42 years ago.... I was young myself once. Heh, heh, heh... Back when I was 18 years old and I was new to this business..."

..."Champ" nodded his head. It had been quite awhile since his very first debut. Back when they used to call him Jacky Boy in the locker room by those who were veterans of the ring in the 60's. That felt like forever ago.

"I used to be quite the performer too. Heh, heh, heh... Not to toot my own horn or nothing like that... But I used to be pretty damn good at my job. Heh, heh, heh... Ten times I held the big strap at the now defunct company I was in. Heh, heh, heh... Not to sound cocky or nothing... Just saying. I've been there and done that in this business..."

Got to keep reliving the 'good ol' days' when he felt like he was ontop of the world. It's all that "Champ" really had left to feel good about. It's his crowning achievements. Why wouldn't he feel good? Too bad it was part of his downfall.

"Unfortunately... A nasty little back injury kind of knocked me off of the top of the pile. It was what the doctor had considered 'career ending.' That was a good 30 years ago. I've been kind of... 'missing in action' since then. Heh, heh, heh... I've had my ups and downs... Mostly downs... Lots and lots of downs... Heh, heh, heh... But I'm looking to make a come back. Someone seems to think I still got it. Guess it's like that old saying goes... You can take the dog out of the fight, but you can't take the fight out of the dog. Heh, heh, heh..."

[Alice]

"... 42 years.."

He's 60 years old. That's impressive.
... He doesn't look that old though..
He must be well conditioned, and lucky as fuck to have survived the modern changes to professional wrestling over that time span. Quite impressive.
Yeah... he's like.... wrestling's version of Modonna.
.... Erm...
.. She's adapted right?....
..... No Alice. Just... no.

"... That's a long long time.... you must have gone through hell.." Alice stared in sheer, authentic amazement at Jack. She'd heard of wrestlers having long careers and taking time off every now and then... but... forty - two.. years? That's... how do you explain that? It's staggering. "... I'm kind of shellshocked... you've been wrestling... over twice as long as I've been alive.... that's... wow. Even when you had your injury... it's still a full decade above my age...."

.........
Alice, Alice are you alright?
... I just.. I guess I was a little naive... coming to Chicago..
What do you mean?
.... Jack probably isn't the only one here who's had a good deal of experience right... ?
Safe to assume that yes.
... So then..... there's probably a female or few who have decades too....
It's normal to have some worries about how you'll do Alice, you're new to this.
Y-... yeah...

[champ]

"Gone through hell...? That's an understatement. Heh, heh, heh..."

"Champ" drew a breath and let out a slow sigh. Here comes the sad story of his life. He nodded his head a bit. It's been his own personal hell. A shrug of his shoulders, "Champ" began to tell his little downward spiral to his present state in this profession.

"I have been at it for quite some time. But it hasn't exactly been a smooth ride to get to where I'm at now. Like I said... I was a champion at one time. That championship lead me to where I'm at now. It was 30 years ago. I was the current reigning champion at the time. I stepped into the steel cage with a man by the name of "Blazing" Scott Edwards. We had ourselves a pretty brutal match. I was on my way out of the cage. Getting ready to get the win, but Edwards managed to get to me first. And before you know it... I'm falling down to the mat in a back suplex and busting my back on impact. Heh, heh, heh... It wasn't pretty."

"Champ" pointed to his lower back, indicating where the source of his injury was. He was lucky that he didn't end up paralyzed from that drop. It's about the only thing that he could feel glad about.

"Docs said I was done for. Said I couldn't wrestle ever again. And well... You can't have a champion who can't wrestle, right...? I had to be dropped from the wrestling industry. Vacated the championship and I packed my bags to go home. Heh, heh, heh... That was only the beginning of my troubles though. I was young and dumb at one point. I made bad decisions with my money. Bad decisions."

"Champ" shook his head slowly. Remembering the pain in the ass it was.

"I had to file for bankruptcy. A gambling man with a gambling problem. Story of my life. Heh, heh, heh... And if that wasn't bad enough... You could say my wife at the time was what some would consider a 'gold digger.' If I didn't have tons of money or wasn't some big superstar... She couldn't be with me. She divorced me, took custody of our son and packed her bags. Things just got worse. Fell into depression and alcoholism... Lost everything... Ended up having to live out here on these Chicago streets for years. And up until like a little over a month ago... I was part of the homeless population. After a little skirmish with some local youngsters, one Christina Gruber caught sight of it all. She's like some kind of assistant to one of the higher ups of Global Championship Wrestling. One thing led to another and well... Here I am. Looking for my second shot. It's been a wild ride, but... Heh, heh, heh... No one ever said life was going to be easy."

..."Champ" nodded his head slowly. Laying out what was probably his life story out on the table. Wasn't the first time he had to tell someone, probably won't be the last.

[Alice]

".... Whoa."

That was the epitome of a man's life. A journey of untold time and detail, and your response... to forty two years of -literal- back breaking effort, blood sweat and tears.... was -whoa-?
.... Yes, yes it was.
............

"That's amazing... your life kind of like.... it's the whole roller coaster thing.... the ups, the downs.... the trials and tribulations.... wow.." Alice gazes admiringly up at Jack. It was just, how do you... I mean... FORTY - TWO YEARS MAN! Alice's eyes had that sparkle effect you see in crappy low budget CGI wannabe animes. She tilts her head to the side again, barely wanting to spend time on blinking. "The crisis of the economic structure was felt everywhere... it's really lucky that the Christina lady found you. You could be in far worse off conditions then you are now...."

You're one to talk Alice.
What does that mean?
We aren't in the best of situations ourselves you know, we still haven't signed with that promotion yet.
Don't... remind me....

"... It must have been really hard to give up a championship... back where I come from, those kinds of belts don't really exist... I'm sure local promotions have them and everything but - ..... most of the wrestling I saw and stuff.. it was usually done in pubs. So... the guys didn't really have belts to signify their... accomplishments. They pretty much just... kept going until people stopped getting up."

Well that didn't make us sound like sociopath FREAKS NOW DID IT?!
... But it's the truth..

[champ]

"Champ" nodded his head. It was hard to step down from his position in the industry. Almost wished he hadn't listened to the doctors and went on. But then maybe "Champ" wouldn't be in too good of a condition as far as his health goes.

"It was hard, but I'm sure it'd be hard for anyone. I couldn't imagine a person who was ontop of their game and at their prime to not take giving up what they love doing so early in their time. Hopefully.... I'll manage to get these old bones in gear come match time. Heh, heh, heh... They ain't what they used to be, but I can still stick and move for my age. Heh, heh, heh..."

"Champ" better be able to still stick and move, if he plans for any kind of come back. Most guys his age in this profession would probably be thinking about retirement right about this time. Not some kind of come back after such a long hiatus. Guess you could call "Champ" one of those 'never give up' types of guys.

"Don't believe I ever heard of the kinds of matches you're talking about. People beating each other until they can't move... They usually reserve that kind of match for something big. Like a pay per view or something of that magnitude. They must've been pretty well built for punishment to go through that each time. Heh, heh, heh..."

"Champ" looked over at Alice and pointed at her. A bit of curiousity had struck him. A question came to mind. It's probably a question Alice has been asked many times.

"What makes you want to get into this business? Any particular reason why you would pick something like wrestling as opposed to anything else? We've all got our reasons for doing this. What's your story?"

[Alice]

Heh... he wants to know our story.
Loveless, silence.

".. I was very fascinated by that kind of.... primal force. It would have been much easier if I had just kept my musical talents as something that could drive me... or writing.. but..." Alice flips her hair back slowly, she smiles a bit, the memory of her -easier- life was somewhat fond, even if in the past now. "... Something about wrestling seemed to take more... passion, emotion. Don't get me wrong music is a beautiful thing... and it took a lot of.. heart. Wrestling though... it kind of looks like it takes... fire. Something deep inside, something you can't... just, learn. Either you have it or you don't... I guess, I'm here in Chicago to.... find out if I do.."

... That was beautiful Alice.
.. R- really?....
Yeah, when you were talking your cleavage kind of bounced a bit in your shirt.
L- LOVELESS!!

"I'm twenty years old.. I was born in Berlin, buuut... after some... complications - I moved to Blackpool. England's quite a beautiful place. That's where I saw that kind of... bar brawling I guess. It wasn't all just wrestling either, it was kiiiind of like a street fight... but with honor.. if, that makes sense..." Her voice trails off, knowing instantly that it did -NOT- make sense whatsoever. She smiles a bit, running her fingers through her golden locks. It was kind of nice to talk... normally, with another human being... who didn't want to cave your face in with a human skull.

You -DO- have to admit that fight -WAS- pretty cool, in a graveyard and every-
NO IT WAS NOT -COOL-! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!

[champ]

"Champ" nodded his head. He understood what she meant about seeing that inner passion in people in the ring. He remembered the times when he was a youngster watching matches with his own father. They were like Gods among men, in his eyes. Atleast, at the time they were anyways. Now that he's older, he knew they were just regular men who had a passion for a sport.

"Heh, heh, heh... You ain't lying about that. Heh, heh, heh... To make it in this business, you've got to have heart for it. You've got to have that little something deep down inside of you that'll make you do things you never thought was possible."

He began to shake his finger at Alice. A smile graced his face again. "Champ" thought it'd be only right to drop a gem of knowledge on the young rookie.

"There will be times you'll feel tired, feel weak. When you feel weak, you'll feel like you want to just give up. But you've got to search within you. You've got to find that inner strength and just pull that out of you. Get that motivation to not give up and not be a quitter... No matter how bad you want to just fall flat on your face and collapse. Heh, heh, heh... That inner fire... That passion for this sport. Heh, heh, heh... It's not something that you can learn out of any book. And that's the truth."

[Alice]

It's cute he thinks he knows what that means.
Hey... what's with you today anyway Loveless?
I... t - chhh... I'm just.. I have a bad feeling. Don't worry about it... yet.

"Yeah.. I need to learn a lot of that first hand. My trainer actually said, well... he contacted my sister and told her I'd be able to get a new one somewhere here in Chicago. I have a meeting for that later on. I'm kind of nervous of how that will go.... I mean, it could just be him himself. Sometimes he likes to mess with me for fun..." Alice scratches her cheek softly. It was true, Anthony tended to play pranks on Alice back home, he said it was to keep her alert at all times. Alice herself thought it was because he was a old man who had nothing better to do

".. Passion and inner fire, they can prove to be really important from what I've seen.... I've watched a lot of videos on people who may be here in Chicago, for GCW. I didn't really notice any of them who looked like they were push overs or anything... I mean, most of my research was on the women's division for obvious reasons.... but still, it looks like this place definitely draws competition to it.." Her voice cracks, scared and stiff. She wasn't sure how well this would go, she -still- had not been able to sign... or even get a try out.

[champ]

"Heh, heh, heh... Fresh meat hazings... Heh, heh, heh... You'll probably be seeing more of that as you go along in this company. A lot of the veterans in this industry like to give the rookies a hard time. Atleast, that's how it was back in my day. Not too sure how things go on in the locker room now. Probably the same ol' stuff that happens. Heh, heh, heh... New kid comes in and someone glues their boots to the locker room floor. Or someone slips some hot sauce into their coffee. Something. Heh, heh, heh. We've all be subjected to it. It happens with any kind of gathering of people. The new kid is always picked on by the veterans."

"Champ" shook his head with a laugh escaping him. Hazing the fresh meat. Good times shared by all. Atleast, for those that are doing the hazing. The fresh meat? Depends on how well they take it.

"Hopefully you'll be able to make a big name for yourself when GCW's season starts. I haven't really had the opportunity to meet any of the Debutantes, so I can't really judge for myself if they're a tough bunch. But I'm sure they'll be a handful to deal with. They seem to make a big deal about the Debutantes in GCW, so I'm sure there must be some truth to all the hype out there. I'm told theres some pretty talented young ladies in their ranks. Keep your eyes open for them."

"Champ" shrugged his shoulders. Couldn't really say much for what he's seen. If you add Alice, "Champ" has only met a total nine people in the company so far. There was Christina Gruber and Kim Masters for his try out match. Had to get a contract signed with Amanda Wallace. Then there was Chris Calloway and his valet, who he can't remember the name of for the life of him. Then he met a Brent Starr in the gym along with some foul mouthed youngster named MG and another Jack McArthur. It was a reasonable amount of people to meet from the company, but can't say he'd have much input on it so far.

[Alice]

"Yeah... I kind of know how it feels to be the new girl..." Alice stares down softly, her eyes kind of listless and dazed. She felt kind of lost, confused and just... out of it. She raises her head slightly. "Hey... Jack. It was really good meeting you, I'm glad to know GCW has some people who know what they're doing... who aren't, you know.... sociopath in nature.."

Isn't that the truth.
You do know you're one of those people right Loveless...
Yes but I just make it fun.
.....

"... Ummm... I should get going for now. I need to go meet up with Anthony.. or whatever he's done anyway. I'm still not sure, but.... it's worth a shot. I'm staying at a local hotel... least it's paid off for my room for now. I'm hoping to meet with the owner of GCW soon... see if I can get signed..." Her voice trails off, she felt so... just, not there. Her mind was cloudy and somewhat deluded, like murky water. She shakes her head from side to side softly. ".. I'll see you around Jack... best of luck in keeping yourself in the game." Alice smiles up at the old timely vet, she was sure his road had already been far harsher than anything she had been through... and yet.. he'd probably have an easier time from here on out... then she would. Alice waves softly before turning abruptly, and walking off down the street....

... Hey, Alice.. you alright?
..... I'm not sure.. something feels..... wrong.