A Matter of Belief

“A MATTER OF BELIEF”

Pro Wrestling Excellence, Victory IV (Prelude)
Tag Team Match: w/Kid Perfect vs. Chelsea Skye & Klayton Kross

Cameraperson: Farrah Cornett
On-Camera: Zoey Madigan-Star, Amber Gibbons
Off-Camera: Katalina Star, Farrah Cornett, Jimmy Mikowski, Jessamine Jordan

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Tuesday, October 5th, 2021
The Kat’s MeWow Club, The Dungeon, Malibu, California
9:18pm, Pacific Time

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ZOEY!

That’s what the sign hanging over the bar says, anyway. Today, Zoey turns 29 today and the club is packed with friends, family and well-wishers. Katalina has taken a little extra care to ensure that the latter two groups have a more, shall we say, sanitized experience at her establishment? After all, the Dungeon is known for catering to a certain type, the club being no different, and it is probably best if we leave it at that. For this event, though, things are contained and quite enjoyable. A long table is loaded with good food, including a rather impressive cake that folks have clearly taken a liking to.

Kat herself is seated at the bar, one long leg crossed over the other, with a glass of champagne in hand. She’s watching the room as she tends to do sometimes, affecting a little black dress with heels and stockings to match. The lady is a vision, both of beauty and of strength. Zoey is making time to see and chat with everyone who came to celebrate, from family to friends and even co-workers. Of course, she's all smiles. After making the rounds, Zoey makes her way to the bar and her wife. Offered a glass of tea by the tender, she accepts it with a smile, twisting the wedge of lemon to add some tart to the beverage. Dressed in a silky purple dress and tall black boots, she was right up there with Katalina as far as drawing stares.

”Enjoying yourself, love? It took quite the effort to make sure that some of our guests didn’t see anything that would bother them. The lengths I go to for you sometimes, I swear…”

Katalina being Katalina. Zoey just rolls her eyes and smiles, sipping her tea as Kat sips her champagne. She always put on that front, but Zoey saw it for what it was. She reaches out and pats Katalina’s leg, giving the silk-sheathed thigh a little squeeze that makes Kat tense pleasurably.

”I promise to make it up to you later, sweetling.”

”That had best include granola.”

Oh, that woman and her favorite treat.

”Would you believe I came up with a birthday cake flavor?”

”Mmmm… when it comes to you in the kitchen? I believe in anything.”

Determined that the party should not be entirely about her, despite it being the sort of party that should be just that, Zoey relaxes in her seat as she sees that everyone is having a good time. The hour is still early for some of them; while folks like her parents might leave soon, there were those who would be there a while longer. And chances are, things would get pleasantly wild. For now, though, it is peaceful. Perhaps that is why Zoey brings up her next thoughts to Katalina.

”I wanted to thank you, though.”

”Of course you did-”

Katalina starts to go on with a smirk, sipping her drink, then pauses with the glass halfway between.

”-wait. I know that tone. This isn’t about the party.”

”It’s about the intervention.”

”Zoey…”

”Shush and listen.”

Tone quiet, Zoey still commands and receives the quiet that she demands. Katalina suddenly looks ill-at-ease, but Zoey’s hand finds hers.

”It made me angry at first, I admit. But after reading the letters again and listening to the messages and all that, I started to see sense. Claire, too, helped put some sense in my head in her own way. Minus Holly’s interruption.”

That had been quite the visit to Claire’s shop. It made Zoey chuckle to think about it.

”The point is, I’m going to take it to heart. And I’m going to try really, really hard to be better. For you, for Makayla, for Claire… for everyone. I promise.”

”You realize that it is supposed to be for you, not everyone else, right?”

”You're all my world. You especially, sweetling. When the acting dries up, when my magic fails me, when no one needs healing and wrestling has finished with me… you all will still be here. You all are what’s important. So I’m doing this for you. For me, too, of course, but for you most of all.”

Not usually a woman given to emotion, especially with others around, Kat has a few tears sneak out around a subdued yet sweet smile. Zoey leans in to dab them away, lest someone else see.

”I’m going to hold you to that.”

”I expect no less. Now come on.”

Zoey firmly takes Katalina’s arm, surprising the woman as she quickly polishes off the rest of her drink.

”Where are we going? It’s early!”

”We’re going to dance.”

”Oh, fine! If I must! So demanding!”

”You love me and you love dancing! You’ll do it and you’ll do it with a smile, by God! Honestly, the very cheek!”

Giving a nod to the bartender, who passes the unspoken message to the booth off at the other side of the room, some tunes start up… an upbeat number that’s hard to place. Putting on their little show of getting saucy with one another but being unable to make it believable for the smiles they both wear, Zoey and Kat start moving to the music… soon to be joined by most of the other guests.

Wednesday, October 6th, 2021
KCBS Studios, Malibu, California
9:55am, Pacific Time

The title montage for Rise & Shine Malibu with Amber Gibbons is played out, the cameras cutting right to the lovely, leggy blonde sitting in an armchair, wearing a smart white business jacket and skirt, bare-legged and affecting matching heels. As the soundtrack fades out, she starts speaking to the viewers with plenty of proper enthusiasm.

"Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen, and thank you for rising and shining with us this lovely Wednesday morning! Here at the top of our second hour, we have our first guest of the show! Please give a warm welcome to the lovely and talented Zoey Madigan-Star!”

The camera pans over a bit, revealing the Sorceress Supreme in all her beautiful glory, the PWE Impulse Championship over her shoulder, standing out against her plum silk blouse, long black skirt and stiletto-heeled boots. A languid Zoey is smiling as only she can, the title belt gleaming over her shoulder. She shakes Amber’s hand when it is offered before sitting back.

"Thank you for having me, Amber. It’s a pleasure to be here.”

"You have been a very busy woman lately, not only making your return to the ring with the new Pro Wrestling Excellence promotion, but also with the Splat Network’s new Madison Tower series, where you play Zoey Kline. It must be a challenge balancing these and your other endeavors. How do you manage?”

"My wife slipped a curfew into my contract!”

Her infectious laughter gets hold of Amber, who daintily covers her lips with her hand.

"Ah, if only that were entirely a joke! She’s very much a worrier and she isn’t the only one. Admittedly, it is hard to balance so much at a time day to day, week to week, but life is too short; we should all strive to live it to the fullest.”

"This including your Sin City Sorcery troupe and Drake’s Landing, not to mention MSS Productions’ Afterlife, of course?”

"Of course. All are labors of love.”

"It’s a wonder you find time to sleep!”

Somehow, Zoey manages to stave off the urge to retort with ‘you mean blink?’ and instead smiles and shrugs.

"I would say that I’ll sleep when I’m dead, but if you’ve seen Afterlife, then you could call me on that pretty easily!”

"You play quite an imposing figure on that show, I must say! Gives me the creeps, and I mean that in a good way!”

"Then goal achieved!”

More shared laughter… which is a good thing, because Zoey as an undead warrior IS pretty creepy!

"Afterlife is just getting its second season fired up, but I want to talk specifically about Madison Tower even though my first question is going to apply broadly to both parts. Now, just about everyone who knows you speaks of how sweet of a person you are, so I’m pretty sure this query won’t come as a surprise to you: how do you manage to draw out personae that are in such stark contrast to the lady behind them? More so considering that you are relatively new to acting?”

Zoey considers for a few moments.

"It is a lot easier than you might think. We all have times in our lives that are less than bright, and where it concerns my acting work, I just tap into those moments. It might be surprising to hear, but I wasn't all that popular in high school!"

"You?! That IS hard to believe!”

"People like to pick on the nerds, Amber, and the quiet ones, too! That's just the sort of angst, though, that fits with someone like Zoey Kline. The kinds of people who gave me a hard time back in the day, they're actually serving a purpose as an example of how a woman like that might be!”

"Fellow wrestlers too, you said?”

"Most definitely. No shortage of unpleasant people there. And I don't mind telling you that it isn't all an act with some. I won't name names, but..."

"Oh, I can imagine! Show business is no different! But it has certainly led to you portraying a compelling character! On the subject of difficult people, though, it seems that there are those in Pro Wrestling Excellence who, for lack of a better term, are taking umbrage with your championship win at Victory III…”

Only the sharpest of observational skills will see the tightening of Zoey’s smile at this mention.

”...one of them being Allen Cheney. The Comedian, as he terms himself, has been quite outspoken about you being the sort of champion the company wanted, going so far as to claim favoritism on the part of management as well as interference as the reason for your being the first-ever Impulse Champion. On top of that, he called you out on not immediately defending that title. Your thoughts?”

”My thoughts?”

She asks this rhetorically, considering the question for a few moments before answering. She sniffs slightly, her smile taking on a slightly sad tilt. Zoey looks to the championship gleaming on her shoulder and shakes her head once.

”Cheney’s rants on Twitter are nothing more than gaslighting. He believes if he talks long and loud enough people might start to come around to his way of thinking. His failing is that he is not the first person to try this with me and he won't be the last. I see through him and every other hater in wrestling who produce excuses, not results."

Amber is not so much taken aback as she is enthralled. Back in the booth, her boss is wearing a similar expression, the Maalox set aside for once. Zoey continues.

”Allen's issues with Lewis and Ophelia Pinkston came to a head during the Ladder Match and she hoofed him in the beads. Fact. But claiming that cost him the match? Sorry, but no one buys that. He still had the wherewithal to take out Mason AND Rhodes before setting up and climbing that ladder."

”Moments before you sent him flying yourself.”

”After being suplexed from near the top of the ladder to the outside by Holly. But don’t dare bring that up to Cheney; he’ll just find another excuse. The bottom line, Amber, is that until Allen Cheney gets out of his own head? 'Almost' will be the story of his career in Pro Wrestling Excellence. You get out of wrestling what you put into it. This-”

Zoey takes the title and holds it up with pride.

”-is what I get out of wrestling.”

Some applause sounds from the studio audience, and a little from Amber, too. There’s a brief fade and, after a commercial break, the cameras are back on and Zoey is still sitting with Amber Gibbons on the set of Rise & Shine Malibu. Despite the seriousness of the Impulse Champion pre-break, she’s back to the smiles again, as is Amber.

”Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen. If you’re just joining us, we have wrestler, actress and magician Zoey Madigan-Star on the show today. Now, I wanted to touch on that a little more while also reminding fans of your Madison Tower exploits, able to be seen on the Splat! Network every Monday night. You told us before that you have plenty of inspiration to draw from where it comes to playing Zoey Kline on the show, which links us again to wrestling. One Xaria Linette seemed to imply that you have a hidden dark side…”

”In her own eloquent way.”

That conversation seems to be a bit of a sore spot with Zoey still. She more than maintains her composure but there is a tightness to her voice, almost imperceptible.

”...so is there any truth to that? It is one thing to be inspired, but Zoey Kline seems to come to you so easily. I might even say flawlessly depending on what comes about next Monday night!”

”Well, believe you me: you won’t want to miss an episode of this show!”

”I don’t plan on it! It's just hard to fathom how someone so sweet can pull off such a raging… you know.”

Zoey smiles and shrugs.

”Xaria can think what she wants. We have an amazing crew on Madison Tower, top to bottom. They have a vision and know how to get the best out of us actors. My character is, as you said, far removed from me as a person. If people want to read into me based on her, I can't stop that. In fact, I take it as a compliment... proof that I can make people believers on stage, in the ring AND on camera as well."

”An excellent way to look at it. Getting back to wrestling, you’re teaming with a young man who calls himself Kid Perfect at Victory IV, taking on Chelsea Skye and Klayton Kross. Before we step into the kitchen for our next segment-”

”Definitely looking forward to that!”

”-what can you tell us about what to expect at Victory IV?”

Considering for a few moments, Zoey knowing looks at her championship, brushing the side of her hand against the polished medallion.

”It will be a challenge. Chelsea Skye, after her recent matches, should be highly motivated to get out of her little slump. Now, that’s not me being harsh, Amber… that’s just telling it like it is. The poor thing is on a bit of a losing streak. There’s talent in her, no question, but she hasn’t found a way to channel it yet. Klayton Kross is doing a little better for himself, but I question his focus. There’s nothing wrong with having fun, and he does make a fine Pikachu…”

Amber laughs at that, having seen that moment on a previous Victory.

”...but even someone like me, who loves a good time and putting on a show knows when to tone it down and get to work. The proof is in this title. If Klayton has his head on right, this match will definitely be a fight. Ditto for Chelsea Skye. I started my PWE tenure with two losses and now I'm the first-ever Impulse Champion. Not unlike winning World Tag Team gold in LAW in my third match. The more things change, as they say. I'll give these two all the credit for being some of the first to step up and join PWE, but it's time for them to turn the potential into kinetic, if you get my meaning. This might be their last chance.”

”And do you have any words on your partner for the night, Kid Perfect?”

”Absolutely.”

Zoey turns to the camera, staring right at it with a twinkle in her eye and a grin on her lips.

”Follow my lead, kid.”

You can practically hear the ‘oooohhh’ from the PWE fans. You can actually hear it from the studio audience. Amber can’t resist a smile of her own as the two rise to head over to the kitchen area for the next segment. However, the scene fades out rather than allowing us to see what goodies are concocted.

Sunday, October 10th, 2021
Zoey’s Office, the Madigan-Star Residence, Malibu, California
4:02pm, Pacific Time

Seated at her desk with a Zoom call in progress, Zoey is caught in a natural moment with little in the way of makeup to enhance her appearance. Her black hair is up in a messy bun, a white Sin City Sorcery shirt worn over a pair of black track pants, and bare feet show off purple toenails. Despite all this, the call is very much of the business variety.

”So, talk to me, Goose.”

The view pans around, showing the faces of Jimmy Mikowski and Jessamine Jordan, Zoey’s agent/manager and lawyer respectively, on the screen. Farrah Cornett is also there, though while she’s paying attention to the goings-on, she is content to remain silent for now.

”First things first: as it stands right now, the contract with the Entertainment Commission is still valid, but it is currently on hold until your current situation is more favorable for all concerned.”

”We’ve gone around with them several times, but they are currently adamant. The time frame we were given was three months, also the length remaining on the current contract, but even if you were to meet their new standards by the end of the three-month period, it would be at least another three before they reviewed and reinstated things. So… there you go.”

Jimmy speaks first, followed by Jessamine. The two are very much in contrast: Jimmy is doing his best to be positive and try to keep the mood bright. Jessamine, however, is being straight to the point; the situation is a poor one and she does not like it. Zoey listens to this, remaining silent for several moments. One can imagine Jessamine and Jimmy looking at each other, concerned, while Farrah keeps her full attention on Zoey.

”Um, Zee?”

”Are there any options for taking our show elsewhere?”

”Wait, what?”

The agent sounds a little shocked. Jessamine, on the other hand…

”Atlantic City would love to have the hometown girl back, though you would have to finish out the contract.”

”Not to mention that you’d be making enemies of the commission if you left like this! I hope you’re not serious-”

”Just considering options. Relax.”

”Entertainers would give an arm and a leg just to be considered for a regular spot in Vegas, Zee! You earned your way into that and have a successful group! Just because they want you to chill for a bit is no reason to think about changing things up on this big a level!”

”I’m as concerned about this as you are, James, but this feels like they’re trying to manipulate her to an extent. And that’s not good business. They need to know that if they are going to treat one of their stars poorly, she has options. You might even consider a tour, Zoey. Hit a few international hotspots, at least where allowed given COVID restrictions and all…”

”The whole crew, myself included, is vaccinated if that helps the idea.”

”Um, Farrah, any time you wanna poke in and try and talk some sense into these two, that’d be great!”

The agent is worried that his best client is considering a mistake by breaking away from the Las Vegas commission, while her lawyer is already considering options to help get Zoey the most out of her time. Farrah, up to this point, has been silent on the matter. She is paying attention, yes, but also not sticking her nose in. Zoey, noting the peculiar expression on Farrah’s face, addresses her for the first time.

”F.J., what’s up?”

”Checking out the recording of Victory III. Not sure if I’m trusting my eyes right now.”

The others quiet as Zoey sits forward, putting both feet on the carpet of her office.

”Is this like what you saw a few weeks back-”

”I’m gonna send you the screenshot. I enhanced it as best I can given the material.”

”Anyone wanna fill me in?”

”I’m showing all of you.”

Farrah’s face disappears and a blurry shot of someone in the crowd at Victory III is shown. They’re up in the balcony, though, so it is hard to get a clear view of them given the distance. It looks like a man, well-built, with tattoos and a close-cut hairdo. He is clearly enjoying what he sees, applauding as the shot is taken. Jimmy peers at it closely, then sits back and rubs his chin.

”Looks… a little familiar, I guess?”

”Unlikely.”

”Zoey?”

Zoey is staring at the screen, at the picture. Everything else around her is white noise, from the people speaking to the waves crashing against the shore in the distance. The faint singing of Makayla elsewhere in the house, even, has faded to near nothing.

Zoey just… stares. Then...

”Is this someone’s idea of a joke?”

”It was sent to me last night, sometime after midnight. I wanted to put it through the filtering systems and try to put it together before I bothered showing you. Didn’t want to get you worked up over nothing. But after looking at it… I just don’t know, Zee.”

”Come on, we all know that-”

”James. Bad time.”

Jessamine chastises Jimmy as gently as she can, spotting Zoey’s mood change drastically.

”Zoey, we’ll speak again tomorrow. Take the rest of the day to think things over.”

Then, one at a time, the agent and lawyer break away from the call. It is just Farrah and Zoey now, staring at the picture. Both seem troubled. Zoey is the one to break the silence.

”Does your husband still have contacts he can call on?”

”Look, Zee, I know what you’re thinking here. Yes, he does. And yes, if I asked him he would put them to work on this. But you gotta be sure, because once this gets put in motion, there’s no turning back. You might not like what happens.”

”What would YOU do?”

”Let it be. For now. Until you know something for sure.”

Zoey shakes her head a little.

”Don’t show it to anyone else. I need some time to think.”

The young woman is clearly upset. Farrah does not reply, but nods and takes the picture down, cutting off the call. She can read Zoey better than anyone and knows not to push the matter. Zoey, rising from her seat, walks silently to the window looking out over the beach and sighing deeply. She wraps her arms around herself and just… stares. From the back, her shoulders can be seen to shake a little bit.

Fade to black.