Claire Hawkins
(So sorry - had a lot going on recently and blanked on the fact this was going on. I figured Claire would post first so I was gonna be the gentleman and wait, but I guess it's time I discard the chivalry and get to brass tacks!)
THUD!
THUD!
A couple of taps on a microphone was audible before the source of the transmission could be heard.
"Is this thing on?!"
WIth the sound of Salem's voice, the Evolution crowd came to life - thousands around the arena throwing their hands up in elation, proudly cheering for the man many had come to see. Though he'd fallen on hard times in recent months, Croft was someone who still captured the attention of a crowd when he came out, as was no different once "The Most Wanted Man in Wrestling" parted the curtain and stepped onto the stage for his adoring public to see. Bare-chested, the bronze-skinned warrior slapped his chest, his opposite hand curled around a microphone that he howled into once the set lights and camera flashes bathed him in a silvery glow.
"Hell yeah! WHOO! Haha! Alright! Yes, sir!" he hooted, descending the ramp eagerly and slapping hands with folks along the aisle. For the first time in quite a while, Salem didn't just look like he was in attack mode - rather, he seemed excited, enthused, even. Motivated, as though he had a favorite song blasting in his head to pump him up as he mingled with the audience along the barricade. His jovial attitude only made the crowd grow louder, stoking the fans flames to a deafening decibel by the time Salem started up the ringside steps, running across the edge of the apron before bouncing off the ropes and over them with a tuck-in cartwheel. Landing on his feet, a faint layer of powder whipped up on the canvas from his impact, Salem straightened up and looked around, smiling earnestly at all the bright faces and flashes that were surrounding him.
"Man...I gotta tell you guys, it feels damn good to be out here, tonight!" He commented candidly to a brief pop, pacing the ropes briskly in a circle. "You know, it wasn't too long ago that I was down in the dumps, trying to make ends meet because I'd been laid up for so long with that injury Cartwright gave me, and I gotta say, the salary benefits of being the Asylum Champion really helped keep me on my feet in a lot of ways. But now, I'm having the best time of my life...and you wanna know why?" he paused, halting his feet while allowing the hushed audience to process the rhetorical question. "...It's because I've never had the chance to be hungry here, before - when I debuted, I was thrust into a title match against The Number Three for his Asylum Title...a title he'd held for nearly a year before I showed up. And when I took it from him, I gave up something in return...I gave up that hunger, that feeling of the hunt, and this alpha wolf's teeth got dull."
Shaking his head, a soft chuckle bounced past Salem's lips as he looked down, almost as though he were looking back into the past at the many challenges he'd faced as the defending Asylum Champion.
"I mean, it wasn't like I didn't have passion for that belt. I did - I'd like to think my brief run with the Asylum Championship was a memorable one, if only because I overcame so many obstacles to hold it as long as I did...but, I was the champion. It was my duty to overcome. It was all I knew, since I came here...so, when I fell short against Cart...got hurt...came back, only to fall short once again...I felt pretty lost. It was a dark time for me, and I didn't know how I'd cope with that emptiness...but as time passed, that emptiness only served to make me hungrier - hungrier to succeed, hungrier to prove people wrong about me, prove that those who've doubted my talent or questioned my ability were dead wrong and remind you all that you never bet against "The Deuce" with your two cents!"
Despite the rather depressing tone he'd started on, the enthusiasm in Salem's voice made the crowd rouse back into a roar as he finished speaking, many clapping and chanting for the former champion. Smiling, feeling the energy himself, he bounced from one foot to the other, nodding to the masses as he brought the mic back up to his lips.
"...And now, I'm ready to dust off my jeans and brush this chip off my shoulder, so how 'bout we quit all this jibber-jabber and bring out the baddest belle I've ever stepped into the ring with - MISS! CLAIRE! HAWKINS!" Salem shouted, gesturing over to the stage while the stands shook with cheers.
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