Still Swingin'

[Salem Croft]

Salem made his way down the ornate stairs that led to the Damone Family basement, a training dungeon affectionately known as the 'Dragon's Den'. It'd been a while he'd made this place home, almost feeling like he grew up there, himself, as he carried his duffel past the treadmills and weight machines that sat at the bottom of the stairs, spread out across the impressive expanse.

Making his way through the rows of equipment, Salem sat his bag down on the padded mats that outlined the perimeter of the practice ring, set between the showers and workout equipment in the basement floor plan. Bare chested, Salem stretched out a bit, his hands and feet taped as he went barefoot with MMA-styled boxers for this encounter, hopping up onto the apron and testing the ropes before stepping in.

He was due for a big challenge today, a combination of strength and cardio between two of the most dangerous Damones, Jarel and Drako. He'd been getting his snap and spryness back, but the prospect of having his fundamentals worked by two multi-time world champions simultaneously was both an intrigue and excitement for him. Running the ropes a bit, Salem worked the ring and got some wind in before his compatriots arrived, trying to get loosened up in advance before he had his muscles fully tested.

 

[Drako Damone]

several moments later, footsteps can be heard coming down the stairs to the basement training area. Within moments, Jarel and Drako step into view.

"So, you're wanting to get some additional training in on your way to Wrestlemania? Aren't you kind of on a roll?" Jarel asks as they make their way towards the ring.

"Didn't you always teach me not to rest on my laurels and prepare for the worst?" Drako responds. "Salem needs to get back into shape, I just want to make sure I'm ready for a little bit of whatever. So, who's refereeing this?"

Jarel nods towards the back of the basement area where a door opens and out walks Jarel's son, Marcus. "Everyone's going to get some training here. But after we're done here, Marcus has some additional training to do."

Drako grunts, unwilling to question his big brother further. Meanwhile, all three Damones step into the ring to join Salem.

"So, are you ready to get started?" Jarel asks. "I asked Marcus to play the ref here. It's a bit of training for him too to watch some veterans first hand in the ring."  

[Salem Croft]

Salem squared up across from Jarel as the Elder Dragon got in the ring, the two former rivals turned frenemies circling around the canvas like two gunfighters while Marcus stayed at a reasonable distance. Drako watched with amused intrigue from the corner, looking like more of a spectator than a participant as Salem shot in with a quick leg check on Jarel's left shin.

Jarel smirked in response, shaking the kick off casually as the two continued to circle one another. The Dragon knew Salem was going to try and chop him down like a tree, the Elder Damone having a size and strength advantage over the Snske. But Jarel intended to press the issue before Salem had a chance to do so, Drako wasn't even going to get tagged in.

Stutter-stepping forward with jabs, Jarel used his reach advantage to try and back Salem up until he could use his size to cut him off into a corner, starting to stroke his face with firm straights and crosses, forcing 'The Copperhead' to cover up and try to protect himself. Getting Salem defensive a second, Jarel backed up, intending to bull rush the corner and hammer Szlem into the turnbuckles...

...but at the last second, Salem deftly ducked and swiveled around Jarel, lashing arms around the bigger man's waist and using the momentum from his dodge to enhance his sudden lift and bend, hitting Jarel with a sudden snap german suplex! Jarel is momentarily caught off guard, not just by the change in his momentum but the footwork that had facilitated it, recognizing the swivel maneuver as one of his brother's.

"So, I guess you have learned something while you were here." Jarel grumbled as he got back to his feet and faced Salem. "Trying on some of Drako's technique, are we?"

"Worked on your a**." Salem said back with a grin, squaring up again for another go at the giant.

"He's not wrong!" Drako teased from the corner, provoking the elder brother to snap a firm stare in Drako's direction.

"Didn't he beat you, to-" Jarel started, the end of his sentence cut off by a sudden Superkick from Salem, snapping Jarel's head to the side hard enough to pop his neck and stagger him into the corner his brother waited.

Shaking off the brief daze and turning to Drako, Jarel offered a hand to his smart-mouthed brother, eager to watch him get hit for a minute. But Drako backed up across the apron with a look of bemusement on his face, clearly not done watching this exchange. As Jarel's temper started to flare on his face a bit, he was spontaneously slammed into the corner as he'd tried Salem, the 'M.W. Deuce' turning the tables briefly with a running splash to the big man!

The impact, however, seemed to trigger the growing frustration in The Dragon, who swiftly goozled Salem by the neck with one big hand, squeezing air from his lungs and pinching his throat closed as Jarel started walking him back to the center of the ring, rage in his eyes. Just as he was about to chokeslam Croft, however, a feminine voice called out on the estate's intercom, a speaker fashioned above the ring.

"Jarel, Drako, we have...some guests." Janelle said, her tone a tad anxious.

Irritated at the interruption, Jarel released his grip on Salem's neck and threw his hands up toward the speaker, replying on the still open channel.

"Who could be here, now?! We haven't invited anyone else, Janelle."

"They're here to see our current guest, bro." She replied curtly. "I'm sending them down now."

 

[Fox Platinum]

Seconds pass and the sound of approaching steps down the ornate stairs were soon seen.


Queen Oni and her young, purple haired daughter, Kyra. Stepping off the final step, Kyra clung to her mother, fearfully shy of the four men before them.
Speaking up first, in introduction. "Hello, Damones. Salem.. Oni Queen child, here see you." She spoke in a slight tone of disgust..

 

[Salem Croft]

Salem made note of the masked woman and curious child approaching the ring, smiling in that way you do when you meet a stranger and aren't sure their intentions. He'd heard Janelle say they were here to see him, but he had no idea who this woman and kid were, much less how they knew he was here or what they could want.

Glancing over at Drako, Salem shot him a quizzical look, as though asking what he knew, but Drako seemed equally confused, shrugging in response. Leaning up against the top rope nearest the pair, Salem smiled and waved a little at the kid, noticing her nervousness, then nodded politely towards the woman.

"Well, hello there." he started in reply to the woman, trying to put his best tone forward. "Is there something I can help you with?"

 

[Fox Platinum]

Kyra blinked and gave a short wave back to Salem, returning her grasp back to the belt of Queen Oni.

Ignoring the exchange between Salem and her daughter, Queen Oni hardly acknowledged the nicety of Salem Croft's greeting.
"Help? Now help? Leave Oni Queen, with child.. and now want help? No, no choice now. Do you part."
Queen Oni's reply was eerily calm, even with the scorn marking her lips.

 

[Salem Croft]

Salem was doing his best given her fragmented style of speech, but he suddenly flinched with shock as she spoke of leaving her pregnant, the implications literally clinging to Queen Oni's waist as it hit Croft in the chest like a lightning bolt. If not for holding the ropes, his legs might've betrayed him to the mat, he felt so weak in the knees.

A thousand things ran through Salem's brain as he merely stood dumbstruck against the ropes, reaching up to hold his head as though rocked by a heavy blow to the head, taking a half step back.

"You mean...she's..." Salem started, turning to look at the nervous little girl. Staring into her face, he felt something he hadn't noticed before, saw features that told of her parentage, and looking into her eyes suddenly felt like looking into his own.

"I'm your...dad?" Salem said, the words making him smile earnestly a bit, even if he had so much to question.

 

[Drako Damone]

Well this has been a delightful distraction, but there is work to be done. The elder Dragon allowed the exchange for long enough, but he quickly crosses the ring and catches Salem from behind, electing to pay him back for the earlier German Suplex by launching him across the ring with a release Dragon Suplex. As Salem lands on the back of his head, Jarel sits up and looks towards him with a slight smirk on his face. As the Dragon gets to his feet, he turns a look towards his brother on the apron.

"Dude, what was that?" Drako demands.

Jarel shrugs. "I'm sorry, didn't you bring him back here to train? Last I checked, this was a training match and we're working it just like a real one."

"So you wait until the guy hears he's a dad to drop him?"

Jarel glances back at Salem. "I'm sorry, at what point do you not take advantage of a distraction in wrestling? He turned his back so i dropped him on the back of his head. Be glad I didn't pin him."

Drako shakes his head. "Maybe let them have their convo and then we'll get back to training."

"Sure, but it's your turn." Jarel smacks Drako on the chest and Marcus calls it a tag.

"d**k move." Drako mutters as he steps into the ring while Jarel takes to the apron.  

[Fox Platinum]

Oni Queen & Salem Croft & Kyra