Ah the sweet smell of the open sea. It's not a smell that Micheal Graves is used to. As a matter of fact this trip to the Antarctic will mark the first time in Micheal's life that he has sailed on a boat of any size. Well that's not entirely true. When he was a child Micheal's father did take him on a fishing trip, and they took a small boat up and down the lake. That was fresh water though, this is a completely different experience. Micheal walks up to the door to his cabin. S124 is printed above the door. Micheal drops his bags and pulls a plastic key card out of his jacket pocket. Micheal swipes the card down the magnetic card reader to unlock the door, but instead of opening, it flashes red and beeps at him. Micheal tries to swipe the card again, but again red flash and beep. ”What the fuck?” Micheal, now looking quite annoyed, tries once more to unlock his door. He swipes the card, and yet again red flash and BEEP! ”You've gotta be fucking kidding me!” Micheal exclaims in a fit of anger. Just then a member of the staff just so happens to open the door at the far end of the hall.
Micheal Graves “Excuse me!”
The staff member is a man in his early 20's. He has short blond hair, obviously dyed and combed back with entirely too much product. He smiles politely as he quickly makes his way to Micheal.
Staff Member “Yes sir, may I be of assistance?”
Micheal Swipes the card again, and again it flashes red and beeps.
Micheal Graves “This damn cards not working!”
The staff member reaches his hand out to ask for the card.
Staff Member “May I see your key sir?”
Micheal Graves “Of course. I think they gave me a dud card. The damn thing just keeps beeping at me.”
Micheal hands over the card, and the staff member gives it a quick look over.
Staff Member “mmmm hmmm... I see the problem. This isn't the correct room sir. This is S124, you need room SL24”
Micheal snatches the card back and takes a closer look at it. I'll be damned if he isn't right, Micheal thinks to himself. It may be time to get some glasses Mikey. He's honestly needed them for year, but he refuses to see an eye doctor because he's not a nerd, ya know?
Micheal Graves “Well then...”
Staff Member “It's not a problem sir, you'd be surprised how often this happens.”
Micheal nods, that piece of information goes a long way towards making him feel like less of a twat.
Micheal Graves “Ok, so can you tell me how to find room SL24?”
Staff Member “Not a problem sir, just head down the hall, go through the big red door. At the end of that corridor, you will see a stair case. Just go down to the sub level and you will find room 24.”
Micheal looks a little unimpressed as he picks his bags back up off of the ground.
Micheal Graves “Thanks for the help buddy.”
Staff Member “Not at all sir, that's what we're here for. Enjoy your stay!”
Micheal heads down the hallway towards the big red door, all the while grumbling to himself.
Micheal Graves “Enjoy my stay? Sure thing pal, I'll get right on that. I'm sure I'm going to have a blast with my sub level room. Does the XWF really value me so little that they are going to throw me in the cheapest crap room this ship can offer?”
About 5 minutes pass before Micheal locates his sub level dwelling. Micheal drops his bags and lets out a depressed sigh. He reaches into his pocket and pulls his key card out again, this time hoping that it doesn't work. Maybe it was a mistake, maybe he had the right room the first time, and they just printed the wrong room number on the card, a man can only hope... GOD DAMMIT! It worked! The light on the card reader flashed green and the door cracked open. Micheal grabs his bags and pushes the door open with his foot.
Micheal walks into the room and looks around for a moment.
Micheal Graves “Well, maybe this isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.”
Micheal drops his bags at the foot of the bed and takes a seat on the edge of the bed.
Micheal Graves “Mattress seems nice and soft.”
Micheal looks over to the pillows at the top of the bed.
Micheal Graves “Heh, they've got the color scheme right.”
Micheal looks over to the mini bar hidden slightly in the wall.
Micheal Graves “Fuck it, I can live with this. At least I have my own room. I've heard that some of the lower card guys are being forced to share bunks.”
Micheal reaches into his pocket and pulls out his cell phone, dialing his wife's number. It rings a few times before she answers with a slightly sarcastic tone.
Stephanie Graves "So how are we enjoying our cruise?"
Micheal Graves “Its a little cramped in my cabin, but all in all I can't complain.”
Stephanie Graves "I still don't understand why you couldn't bring me with you. You were allowed a plus one."
Micheal shakes his head back and forth, annoyed that this topic is coming up again. The two of them argued for days over Micheal's decision to leave Stephanie at home. She knows full well why he wasn't comfortable with her coming along, and he feels justified in his decision. Stephanie on the other hand can't seem to get past not getting to take a free cruise, or perhaps she thinks that her husband doesn't want her there so that he can act out and flirt with other women. That couldn't possibly be further from the truth though. Micheal has never had eyes for anyone but his wife ever since the day they first met.
Micheal Graves “Steph, you know full well why I didn't want you to come along.”
Stephanie Graves “I know the reason that you told me, but I'm having trouble believing that you don't want me there for my own safety.”
Micheal Graves "If you were here, I would be worried about your safety. I'm on a ship full of potential enemies..."
That's about enough of that she thinks before cutting him off.
Stephanie Graves "What enemies Micheal? The other Graves seemly quit, and you haven't had a chance to piss off anyone else. So who exactly do you think would try to hurt me if I were there with you?"
Micheal Graves “That's the thing, I don't know! Any number of these guys could decide for any reason that they want to start some shit with me. Some dude could decide that he doesn't like something that I said, or wear, or did. Somebody could get it in their head that since I'm a returning star, they might be able to make a name for themselves by picking a fight with me. Hell my opponent on this ship could even reason that causing you harm, or kidnapping you, or whatever he would decide to do, might improve his chances of beating me.”
Stephanie Graves "If you really believe that, then you're just being paranoid."
Micheal Graves “Maybe I am, but paranoid with keep you safe! Listen babe, the fact of the matter is, I don't know any of these guys. I have no idea what their intentions may be. I'm on a ship sailing to the Antarctic, but I'm also sailing into unknown territory. I've been around this business for too long to not try and stay a step ahead of everyone else. When someone wants to make a statement, they make it. They target your weakest point, and they bring you to your knees. If you were here, you would be my weakest point, and on top of that I would not be able to focus on my match with Thaddeus Duke, because I would be spending all of my time worrying if you were ok.”
Stephanie seems a little calmer now. Perhaps she needed to hear Micheal's reasoning again to truly understand why he didn't want her to come along. Or maybe she just decided that she doesn't want to fight anymore. Either way she replies in a softer tone.
Stephanie Graves "Well, you need to promise to take me on a cruise when you return."
Micheal Graves “Honey, if getting on one of these big tin cans is really what you want, then I'll take you on a hundred of them. Just you and me. We can leave the kids with your sister, and call it a second honeymoon.”
Stephanie laughs to herself at that last comment. To have a second honeymoon you have to have a first honeymoon. She decides not to make that comment out loud though. She knows Micheal would get upset. He has always worked hard to provide for his family, but after he left the XWF, and the little money he had saved ran dry, They couldn't always afford the nicest of things.
Stephanie Graves "I'm going to hold you too that mister."
Micheal Graves “You have my word. As soon as the weather warms up, we'll head out to the Bahamas or something.”
Stephanie Graves "So, do you miss me yet?"
Micheal smiles to himself. Of course he misses her. For the last ten years she has been both his motivation to move forward. She has been his rock whenever times were troubled. A friend when no others could be found. Micheal's entire life has revolved around this woman for so long, that now when seperated he can't help but feel lost and alone.
Micheal Graves “I miss you every time that I have to leave the house.”
Stephanie Graves "mmm hmmm, sure you do. I bet you're happy to get away from me."
Micheal realizes that she's just playing around with him, and he decides he's going to mess with her a little too.
Micheal Graves “Ooh, you caught me. I'd take a boat full of sweaty men over you any day.”
Stephanie Graves "I'm sure Cadryn's around somewhere."
Oh! She won. Bringing up that guy is a low blow. There isn't anyone in the XWF that makes Micheal feel more uncomfortable than that guy. The ass grabbing, sexual cereal puns, and general creepiness that oozes from him is bad enough, but Micheal senses something far darker in that cat.
Micheal Graves “Thankfully I'm pretty sure he's not out here with us. Could you imagine being stuck in the middle of the ocean with that guy around?”
Stephanie Graves "Considering how he seems to be obsessed with you, I imagine it would be pretty awful. I'd be worried about him trying to grope your ass while drowning you in a tub full of Life cereal."
Obsessed may be an extreme word to describe Cadryn's interactions with Micheal. Truth be told, Micheal kind of likes Cadryn. He thinks that he's a funny guy, but like I said earlier, there's just something about him. The ass grabbing doesn't help either though.
Micheal Graves “I just don't know about that guy. He seems friendly enough, but I can't help but get the feeling that he's hiding something.”
Stephanie Graves "Well babe, I should let you go. You have your wife free vacation to enjoy, and I need to finish diner."
Micheal Graves “Ok honey, tell the kids that daddy loves them.”
Stephanie Graves "Of course."
Micheal Graves “I love you, and I'll call you when we get to the next port.”
Stephanie Graves "You'd better, and I love you too!"
Stephanie is acting like she understands, and hopefully she really does. I would have loved nothing more than to bring her out here with me, but my line of work just isn't a safe environment to bring your loved ones into. I've watched Thaddeus Duke wrestle, and I've listened to a few of his promos. Doing so, I have gained a respect for him. Well perhaps not the man himself, but I do respect his talent. That respect doesn't translate into trust though. I can't trust that Thaddeus wouldn't try to get to me by harming Stephanie. I'm not saying that he would, but it's not a risk I am willing to take. Even if he didn't try anything, there are other guys on this boat, and who knows how many of them may have already painted a target on my back. Around here, stuff like that needs to be expected. It's basically in the job description that people are going to try and fuck with you and get under your skin anyway that they can. I'd prefer to keep it all in the ring, or at least keep any hostility that may come this way focused on me.
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