The scene opens to show Iris standing at the stereo system sorting through the CDs while Essence is laying across the bed on her back with her head laying off of it with her hair flowing wildly towards the carpeted floor. Her room is much more kept up since last time.‏

"Lampshades on Fire" by Modest Mouse is playing in the background.



What do you think of this one, cuz?

Iris inhales sharply and crinkles her nose, before sighing and slumping forward. She only stays that way for a few seconds before straightening herself out and clearing her throat.

"It's nice, but it would be kind of awkward to come out to. I don't know, something about the rhythm. A little too abnormal."

She scans through the CDs in her hands for a second, and her eyes widen as one of them catches her attention. Fumbling with the case, she takes out the CD and replaces the one in the stereo with her choice, before pressing a series of buttons.

Suddenly, "Oh Glory" by Panic! at the Disco begins to play.



"Hm?"

Essence begins shaking her head left and right although her head is still upside down. She has a curious look on her face. The beat finally starts and she quickly shows a sign of disgust. She rolls over onto her belly. She reaches out her hands for the stack of CDs. Iris obliges and hands them over. Essence begins scanning through them.

I like it, but I feel like the beat drops too late. The crowd would be waiting for forever. Unless we had someone hack it up. Then I'm not sure it would be the same effect. What if...

Essence pulls one CD out of the list and flips the CD over. She looks down the list and smiles. She throws the CD to Iris.

Play track number 8 on there!

The flying disc cuts through the air and collides with Iris' arm. Which seems to set off a lightbulb in her head as she flails her arms about and catches the CD in the crook of her elbow. She gives a thumbs up to Essence, who rolls her eyes.

"Alrightie then."

She spins around and inserts the CD, before pressing the "Skip Track" button seven times.



"Take Me Out" by Franz Ferdinand begins to play and Iris, waits.

And waits.

And waits.

Until finally the song really starts. She nods her head and smiles.

"Yeah, I like this but jeez, talk about dropping a little too late. Not even a little, really. This is a lot harder than I thought it would be."

True, true... let's see... well anyways let's just let this mix tape play. I want to ask you about Maverick. Have you ever fought him? Or that other guy?

Essence sits up and places her elbows on the top of her knees. She proceeds to bring her cheeks down into her hands.

They've been awfully quiet this week. I figured we'd have heard something from those two.

"The other guy, no. Definitely no. I'm pretty sure he's new, actually. Maybe he's just shy or something."

Iris takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, tapping her fingers against her thigh.

"And Maverick, that's a little more complicated Essy. We were technically opponents during this tag team tournament thing, but our teams didn't meet in the ring. Didn't stop him from saying some less than flattering things about me in the days leading up to it though."

Well that numbskull. What'd he say Iris? Was he just jealous that you actually have hair? Or that people actually want you around? Or did he start trying to fling his own feces at you?

"That's, graphic."

Iris turns her head away with wide eyes before settling into a giggle.

"Pretty funny, but graphic. No, he didn't do any of those things, I don't think. No, mostly he just talked about my attitude, and how I don't like the whole trading insults back and forth thing they call trash talk. According to him, wrestling's all about that. Which is kind of odd, considering that at no point during a wrestling match did I ever get into a debate or an exchange of words with my opponents. Maybe that's why he hasn't found much in the way of success when it comes to the actual wrestling part."

Essence laughs at her cousin's dry sense of humor and slicing insult.

So think we could try some wrestling later on? Maybe you could teach me some stuff that I can use in the match against those two losers. After all, who has Maverick beaten? And I'm not even sure who the other guy is...

"Yeah, that sounds good! Though it's not very cool to call people losers, even if they do lose quite a bit. Because if they're losers, then we're bullies for rubbing that fact in!"

You're right, cousin. I'm sorry Mr. Maverick. If that is your real name. Perhaps I can make it up to you by showing you some cool maneuvers in the ring. Do you think Maverick even knows how to handle a woman properly, Iris?

"If I had to guess... no."

Hmm... well maybe I'm being too harsh on him. We'll see how he does tomorrow against us.

As she sighs, the last song finishes and the CD switches to track 11. "Make a Move" by Icons For Hire begins to play.



Essence's head shoots up. Iris' does the same. They stare at the stereo as the song plays. They finally make eye contact and both simultaneously nod.

This is it!

"Yeah!"

Iris extends her arm for a high five.

Essence reaches up and slaps her hand!

"In retrospect, that was kind of easier than we made it out to be."

Yeah. We really should just let a random CD play next time.‏

The girls laugh as the scene fades away.

---

Hello, once again.

This week is a special week as I'm teamed with my cousin, Essence, to take on Maverick and Cole Jackson and on next week's Warfare, we're set to enter the tag title tournament.

Or, at least we would've had it not been cancelled. Oh well. Nothing we can do about it now. However, when it comes to this week's match up, there's still a lot to be done. For example, the wrestling match. The endgame. Our real encounter. Although if you ask Maverick that might not be the case. Considering how he once told me that, and I am paraphrasing here, professional wrestling is all about destroying your opponent's arguments. Like a debate. Now, it is true that during the week I've been known to engage in discussions about the benefit of talking trash however, never once did I go into the match feeling firm in my debating skills because I thought they were going to ultimately be the difference between me winning and losing a match because, let's just face it; that's really crazy talk right there. No other way to explain it than that. Just crazy.

Though, what is it that the great and powerful debater Maverick has said about me this week?

Nothing. Nothing at all.

He hasn't said a word. So, in reality he isn't playing to what he thinks wrestling is all about at all. He's not here, trying to disprove or discredit everything I believe in, he's just sitting back, doing nothing. Obviously not training for the match because he believes the words are the things that'll win him the match and not saying those words so what else can he be doing?

Some advice, Maverick.

This is wrestling, not debate club.

And to his opponent, Cole Jackson. I hold no ill will. Honestly, I don't hold any ill will against Maverick either, it's just he's gone on record in the past to talk about the very thing he isn't doing now. Cole meanwhile is debuting and has been just as silent as his partner. I think he's just shy, though it's not a very good first impression if no one knows anything at all about you, including what you look like before your debut. Though, maybe that's the way he does things. Time will tell.

So, to both of my opponents, I wish you the best of luck.

Because if Maverick's too busy debating everything, and Cole Jackson gets arrested for impersonating a professional wrestler because no one knows who he is and what he looks like, they're going to need it.