Just Gonna Watch It Burn

[Niobe 'Nightmare' Martin]

Skin against skin

Blood and bone

You're all by yourself but you're not alone

You wanted in now you're here

Driven by hate

Consumed by fear

Let the bodies hit the floorE

# Drowning Pool - Bodies

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Niobe sat down at the blackjack table at one of the smaller casinos in Roanoke, garnering a few looks from the males that were sitting there trying to make a buck or two at the table. A few of them grinned, nodding their heads a little in greeting to which Autumn nodded back, not smiling but grinning this strange grin that basically said, 'I'm going to take you to the cleaners and win everything here. You can go back home to your wives or your girlfriends or whatever and explain to them why you lost it all.' It didn't get her any strange looks back, only the same set of smiles and nods as if they knew she was there to play the game and win.

And she generally did when it came to this stuff. Card games came naturally to her, but the only one she couldn't pick up was fucking poker. How in the hell anyone could play that and make gobs of money off of it was beyond her. The closest she'd gotten to it was watching it on TV and that was about it. One of the guys sitting at the table leaned over to her, as Autumn non-chalantly slid her eyes to him, quirking an eyebrow, shifting in her seat a little, giving him a look that said 'What do you want, skeezeball.'

He asked her if he could buy her a drink, to which Niobe shrugged her shoulders and agreed, silently saying that she wasn't gonna follow him back to his hotel room like a whore, just get a free drink out of him and that was that. He nodded and told the passing waitress to bring a beer by the table, putting it on his tab. A few minutes later she returned and the beer was handed to her, Niobe toasted her new found buddy and went back to playing the game in front of her. The sounds of Frank Sinatra quietly filtered in through the speakers in the building, and she smiled, remembering her grandparents playing those when she was younger. It was a fond memory of hers, and one that she missed dearly. Her grandparents had passed away when she was just a teenager, if you were wondering.

She kept sipping from her beer and playing hand after hand of blackjack, winning a bunch and then losing a bunch in return. It seemed that Lady Luck was having fun tipping the scales on her today. She let out a sigh, blowing a piece of loose hair out of her eyes and kept on going, her stack of chips keeping her company. The guy who bought her the beer was still at the table, along with a few other people as well. 'I Came To Play' suddenly played over the speakers, and Niobe had to smile at that, finding it rather fitting. She came to play indeed and win at this game of Blackjack and the chance to finish an old standing feud between herself, Chris, Jace, and Brian. The Black Hand didn't like leaving loose ends out there, so this night would be the perfect night to tie those damn loose ends together and finish this.

The one thing I've learned in my career here, and ever since the formation of The Black Hand is to never leave loose ends out there for the world to see. If you've got business out there that you need to finish, then by all means necessary, finish it. Otherwise you'll look like a fool in front of the others. I don't plan on looking like a fool in front of a bunch of people this night. Chris and I plan on tying up the loose ends that our dominant little group has left out there for the world to see. And it starts with you two jerks. This night belongs to us, this is for all of the stupid shit that has gone on between us over the past month or so. You thought what happened then was bad? Baby you ain't seen nothing yet.

That guy ordered her another beer, which she took gratefully and took a long swig of it as she glanced down at her hand, frowning as she saw the cards were not in her favor. Good god, Lady Luck, get your shit together, I want to win and go home, she thought to herself throwing the cards back onto the table and watched the other people continue on, waiting for the house to reveal his cards. Some won, some lost, and those who lost got up from the table and left, only being replaced by other people wanting to try their luck. Niobe could understand that all too well.

I've seen people come and go in this business, all the time. Lots of people thought I would be the one to go and leave after my downs here in APW. I've made a bunch of mistakes that people have capitalized on just to pull off a win. Those were matches I should of won but I was stupid and didn't do whatever it took to make sure I had a win. Tonight will be different. I plan on strutting in there, in all of my deadly glory and visiting a terrible nightmare on them both. I will be the one to show them the door. The Black Hand will reign supreme and the stars will be going out for an unlucky duo.[/color]

Music continued to play and the chip pile was getting a little low, Niobe noticed. Either she was gonna go all in on this next hand or lose everything and be forced to go home. She would be dammed if she was sent back to her hotel a loser, that wasn't going to happen. She pushed her chips to the center of the table and called to the dealer that she was all in. He nodded to her, asking the other guy if he was still playing. He was and threw a few chips down. The dealer set cards down in front of the other guy, then turned to Niobe and set cards down.

7End a...4

She bit her lip, glancing at the other guy who had gotten a 10 and a 9. Lucky, all he needed was a 2 or he’d bust. He called to stand on that hand, and the dealer glanced at Niobe. Throwing caution to the wind, she called for one more card. Heart pounding she watched the card pulled from the deck and set in front of her face down. Taking a deep breath, she turned it over and her eyes widened.

It was a Queen. She'd won.

"Blackjack, baby. I win." She grinned at the dealer who handed her a pile of chips and congratulated her, as did her loosing buddy. Niobe got up from the table with her chips in a large cup and walked away, smiling.[/color]

"See, even the smallest person can pull off a win. I put all of my faith and my chips in that last hand, and pulled off a win in grand style. I could see it in the eyes of the people that were sitting there, they looked at those cards and thought nah, she's not gonna win on that crappy hand, no way. She'd better hope for a really good card or she can kiss her chips goodbye. But I shocked everyone, just like I've continued to shock people in the APW by drawing the winning card of a Queen. Yes a Queen, because the Queen wins over the Kings and all the rest always. I'll be standing tall at the top of the mountain now, not as a pawn in someone's ridiculous game but as a Queen. A proud, tough, and vicious Queen. I don't play games anymore, like I used to, except when it comes to winning. Then I can play the game all day long and come out a winner. Because I am that damn good, and the rest of you aren't and can't even match up to my level. I wouldn't even let you lick my boots.

Over the past couple of months or so, the members of The Black Hand have had their run ins with a lot of people on this roster. Some more so than others. Two people come to mind when I think of that. Jace Savage and Brian Hollywood. Those two fucking punks have been a thorn in our side for far too long. They've cost us wins that should of been ours. They took things from us because they're nothing but greedy fucking dirty thieves. And you know what? I hate thieves. Petty, insignificant little piss ants that can't take what they want the right way. We've done everything the right way, our way, because it's the only way we know how and it's the only way we want to function. Bet it felt real good to cost us matches, to come running in there like a couple of god damn white knights in shining armor to save the day from the evil Black Hand. It all ends tonight, all of the bullshit, all of the sneaky petty bullshit ends tonight.

Because this time I'm not coming alone, oh no.

I'm bringing Chris with me this time. Him and I are going to finish the job that started last month and put you two punks out where you should be.

Hollywood, I'm not worried about what Chris can do to me. If he knew better, he wouldn't even try it because I'd shove my boot so far down his throat, he'd be coughing up my shoelaces. But I trust him enough in this match because he's my partner and my stablemate. I have to. The only other person in our stable that I have to trust is my man, and he's...well...preoccupied with something other than myself. Chris is a good man, a reliable man and I know he's going to bring the pain and the fury right along with me. Can you say the same thing about your partner? Can you say that you really trust your partner 100 percent? What's to say that he wouldn't turn on a dime and kick you in the junk, and leave you in that ring for the buzzards.


I'm going to step, kick, and punch my way over you pawns. It’s time for the Queen to step up and reign. Winning this will cement me as the real and true force to be reckoned with, the Queen of the APW.”[/font]