The Motivator (Marisol)

[Amber Gianni]

Amber had just arrived at the arena, and there was a whole lot on her plate. Tonight was the season premiere, a big night indeed. Tonight, she'd be confronting the mysterious Hysteria. But first, it looked like she was going to have to see an old friend.

There were some folks watching things unfold from a monitor as she made her way through the backstage area. She took a look for herself and saw that in the ring was Marisol Cardinale with some newcoming redhead. The comments made were not very flattering, and they resulted in a scuffle.

Oh...

That was pretty much all that Amber could come up with as security had broken up the ordeal. She knew all about Marisol's temper...and she also knew deep down about how sensitive she was regarding the topic that had come under discussion.

Amber quickly tugged her bag towards the gorilla position, where surely the security personnel would be coming to soon with Marisol. As they did, she could hear all kinds of Spanish curse words being fired like artillery. All that she could do was speak and hope her firend had enough in her to calm down, if not just a little bit.

Mari...?

[Marisol Cardinale]

Marisol wasn't just mad, she was steaming mad. Raging mad. The security guards were only doing their job of course, trying to keep things somewhat orderly on a night where the tension was at an all-time high in the XWA. But that didn't stop Marisol from having a burning desire to run back out there and cause hurt and harm to this America Weston. She didn't want to wait for later on. She wanted to show that bitch right then and there what she was made of.

All those thoughts though were swiftly put on pause though when she heard the sound of a familiar voice. The guards had gone back to their posts when they decided Marisol was in a safe, neutral location. She could overhear them on their radios saying that Weston had been escorted from the ring in another direction, but the main voice transmitting through her eardrums now was that of Amber Gianni.

She and her fellow Sensationals had all been keeping in contact in the usual way this off-season that most do nowadays...Facebook, Twitter & BBM. But this was the first time since last season she'd seen Amber in the flesh. They both went their separate ways to pretty much prepare themselves for this very season, and now that season had come...

...and Amber had to see her like this. Her skin was blush red now, not from anger anymore...but from a slight case of embarrassment.

Amber? I...

She looks down to the ground. Her arms were limps at the sides of her body.

Please don't tell me you saw that.

[Amber Gianni]

Part of Amber wished she didn't. That was the thing about Marisol. Of all of her friends, she was probably the most free-spirited...aside from Amber's own free-spirited and ample behind. But of all of them, Marisol also had the biggest temper. The insiders and announcers all play it up as being a "Hot Latin Temper" of course, but there was more to it. Marisol loved wrestling, but she hated the egotists in it.

I...I did, Mari. But it's okay. I know how passionate you can get sometimes. You don't have anything to be ashamed of.

Then of course there was...that thing. The thing that Amber and Jamie and even Jenna were careful to talk about. It looked like maybe somebody had to break that silence.

I heard what she said about you. That's not true...you know it's not true. There's no weak links in our chain. You've been in tougher matches than any of us! Don't let some musclebound newbie get to you like that!

[Marisol Cardinale]

That was nice to hear from a good, trusted friend...but the fact still remained. Of all The Sensationals, Marisol still had yet to capture gold. She did her best to deny the fact that it affected her confidence in her abilities, but the truth was that it did.

She trained and studied in Japan for so long because that was where the best wrestling was. If she could survive there, a "gaijin" wrestler, there's no way she could fail in America. But that's what seemed to happen. She'd get a fingertip away from the "brass ring" before it was taken by someone else. Some called it a "curse". Deep down in herself, Marisol believed it just might be.

What if she's right though? What if I am...weak? What if I'm just not good enough? It's like...I know that it's not the only thing to strive for in this business, a championship...but...

She breathed in deep. It was like a weight that sat on her chest. She felt so heavy with it that releasing a deep sigh as she did still did nothing to give her reprieve.

...I...I just want to know how it feels. Just once. I want it so badly that it's all care about. It...it blinds me, Amber. It's taken over so much that if it doesn't happen, I don't know what I'm going to do.

Or...if I'm even cut out for this at all.

[Amber Gianni]

What?

That was probably one of the most shocking things that Amber had heard in the years she was a part of this business. Deep down she knew too well of the desire that Marisol had, but from her words it sounded like it was slowly degrading to desperation...and doubt.

That was not something she was too keen on just letting linger in her. Amber rested her hands on Mari's shoulders.

Mari...look at me sweetie. Don't ever...ever let those words come out of your mouth again! When you start to doubt yourself, that's the beginning of the end. What would Tadako think if she heard you say something like that? She had all the faith in the world for you...and the rest of us do to.

Don't let any of this get to you, okay? You're stronger than that. You're better than that! Those people out there love you for who you are. You don't have to prove anything to anyone. You are a winner, you hear me?