Post by Ace Bennett on Nov 11, 2013 18:08:27 GMT -5
It was the day that he had been waiting for for weeks now, yet he still was not prepared. What would he say? How would he dress? He hadn't been around a female in a very long time other than his sister, which obviously isn't the same thing. I mean, I guess you could count Scarlett Quinn or Penny Shannon, but it wasn't like they would have anything to do with Ace anyways, he was pretty sure they were dating. And let's not forget how swimmingly the interactions that he had with Tabitha Owens and Valerie Evans went. Without going any further, Ace's history with the female species was bad to put it nicely. Yet, here he was, walking into a Japanese restaurant. He didn't catch the name of the place, he was too nervous, but he and Christine had made plans to meet in the lobby of the restaurant. Arriving 20 minutes early, Ace took a seat on a bench designated for people waiting for seats, a seat that was completely unnecessary to take if it weren't for the fact that his date hadn't arrived.
The restaurant had about six or seven patrons dining at the time, all enjoying lumps of color that Ace didn't recognize at all. He nervously rubbed his shoes in the thick maroon carpet as he waited. Scanning the scene, the restaurant was very foreign to Ace. Dimly lit, but not as dimly as the restaurant that he met Christine at, with black tables and chairs. The walls were adorned with traditional art from where he assumed was Japan, it being a Japanese restaurant and all. As he appreciated a print of a beautiful tidal wave that was hanging on the wall, the door opened and in walked his date.
Christine was dressed in a short red dress that complemented her in every way. It made her skin look great. It made her body look great. It made her smile look great. It made her eyes look great. It just made her look great.. After picking his jaw up from the floor, he stood from his seated position and greeted the lovely Christine.
Ace Bennett: Wow, you look great.
Christine Martinez: Hello to you too.
The comment causes Ace's shoulders to tense up. He blew it already. She smiles and laughs, clearly joking, giving him great relief. The joke eases his mind a little bit, makes him realize that this isn't a serious thing. And then he realizes that in the time that it took to write out this description, he hadn't said a word to his date as the stood together awkward.
Ace Bennett: It's great to see you again.
Christine Martinez: You too, I've been looking forward to this.
Ace Bennett: Really?
Christine Martinez: Well of course, why wouldn't I have been?
Ace Bennett: I don't know, I thought you might have agreed to this whole thing just because you felt bad for me....
Christine Martinez: Oh, don't be ridiculous. What about all of those text messages? You honestly think I'd take all that time out of my day to text some guy just because I feel sorry for him?
Ace Bennett: Heh, I guess not..... I guess we should probably get a table then, yeah?
Christine Martinez: Definitely I'm starving!
Ace takes Christine's coat and approaches the hostess, asking for a table for two. Offering his arm to his date, he walks her to their table, following closely behind their waiter. As the waiter leaves the two at their table, Ace pushes out Christine's chair for her, real smoothlike.
Christine Martinez: Ooooohhh a gentleman. A dying breed.
Ace Bennett: I try.
Ace seats himself across from Christine and opens the menu. Looking at the menu, he reads a list of a bunch of food that he wants nothing to do with. He really just agreed to this date to see Christine, he didn't care the setting. He looks up and smiles at his date as their waiter for the night arrives.
Waiter: How are you folks this evening? My name is Sam and I will be serving you this evening. May I start you off with something to drink?
Christine Martinez: Just water please.
Sam: Water? Great, and for you?
Ace Bennett: I'll have a Coke.
Sam: Is Pepsi okay?
Is Monopoly money okay?
Ace Bennett: Yeah sure, that's fine.
Sam: Great, I'll be right back with your drinks.
Christine Martinez: Thank you!
The two sat in a brief silence, looking at their surroundings like most people do when they're in a new place. Ace's gaze returned to the beautiful print of the title wave for a moment, before realizing that he should probably say something.
Ace Bennett: So, how does a beautiful girl such as yourself who has so much going for her want anything to do with a midcard professional wrestler like myself?
Christine Martinez: Haha, beautiful? Please. I haven't been on a date since freshman year. Of high school.
Ace Bennett: Well I'm glad that you agreed to change that.
Christine Martinez: Me too.
The waiter arrives with their drinks, placing the cold glasses in front of the patrons.
Sam: Are you guys all ready to order?
Christine Martinez: I am, are you Ace?
Ace Bennett: Uhh, yeah, go ahead.
Christine Martinez: Okay, I'll have a Godzilla Roll.
Sam: That is an excellent choice. And for you sir.
Ace Bennett: I think I'll have the ramen soup with chicken.
Christine Martinez: What? No sushi?
Ace Bennett: Heh, I'm not the most adventurous eater.
Christine Martinez: Oh come on, ya big baby! Bring a piece single piece of salmon sashimi for him Sam.
Ace Bennett: That won't be necessary.
Christine Martinez: Come on! Pleaaase! For me?
And for the first time ever, a girl other than Alicia successfully shot the puppy dog eyes at Ace, and he gave in. Rolling his eyes and smiling at his date, he uncomfortably laughs a bit before agreeing.
Ace Bennett: Fine.
Christine Martinez: Yay!
Sam: Excellent, I'll bring that right out to you when it's ready.
Christine Martinez: Okay! Thank you!
Sam leaves the couple once again to their conversation. Christine has a broad smile across her face as Ace shakes his head, in disbelief in what he was about to do. You see, Ace was always a meat and potatoes type of guy. And when I say a meat and potatoes type of guy, I literally mean that meat and potatoes made up about 95 percent of his diet. The other five percent is pizza and ice cream. So to eat raw fish, the idea just made him squirm. But he saw that he made Christine excited so he was going to have to man up and down it.
Ace Bennett: I can't believe you got me to agree to that.
Christine Martinez: I know right! I'm so excited to watch this!
Ace Bennett: You're a sick little girl.
The two laughed at Ace's misfortune.
Ace Bennett: So, how's school going? I imagine you're pretty busy.
Christine Martinez: Yeah, just finished midterms. Hopefully that went well, gotta keep those grades up you know.
Ace Bennett: I'm sure you did fine.
Christine Martinez: Knock on wood.
Ace Bennett: What are you going for?
Christine Martinez: Advertising, I'll probably wind up in one of the big cities once I graduate. Hopefully at least. How about you? Why did you pass on college?
Ace Bennett: I barely got out of high school, had to settle for a GED. You think any rational college worth a damn would accept a guy like me?
Christine Martinez: So the next logical step was becoming a wrestler of course.
Ace Bennett: Yeah well, it was a passion of mine.
Christine Martinez: Was?
Ace Bennett: Things have changed.
Christine Martinez: How so?
Ace Bennett: It's a long story. It changed me for the worse, I did some bad things.
Christine Martinez: Why still do it then?
Ace Bennett: To prove to myself that I'm a good man. That the things in the past are in the past and are things that I would never do again. To right my wrongs. For redemption.
Christine Martinez: Redemption, huh? I can appreciate that.
Ace Bennett: Thanks.
Christine Martinez: If it's any consolation, you are a good man in my eyes.
Ace Bennett: That makes one of us.
As if on cue to change the somber direction that the date was going on, Sam arrives with their food. He first hands Alicia a green plate donned with circles of color that he assume were food. He then hands Ace a generous sized pot full of broth followed by a small plate with a single piece of bright pink flesh on it.
Sam: Be careful, the soup is hot.
Ace Bennett: Thank you!
Sam leaves the two alone to their food as Christine's smile returns. Ace's face is one of distaste, as he obviously doesn't want to eat what is in front of him.
Christine Martinez: Why did you agree to come here if you didn't like the food? We could've went somewhere else you know.
Ace Bennett: Oh no, I'll eat it. And I didn't say anything because I didn't want you to change your mind on coming with me.
He smiles and picks up the spoon within the broth, he takes a slurp of the soup and smiles at Christine, enjoying the taste of the broth.
Ace Bennett: See? This is actually really good.
Christine Martinez: Don't think you got out of eating that sushi. Come on, eat up!
Ace Bennett: I don't know...
Christine Martinez: Please Ace! You promised!
Without a word, he knew what he had to do. Fumbling around with the chopsticks that he didn't know how to use, he tried to pick up the piece of fish. After dropping it three times, he finally gets a good grip on it. He slowly brings it to his mouth. Placing the flesh in his mouth, he chewed on the strange consistency of fishiness. Using all that he had within him not to spit out the food, he allowed it slide down his throat, faking a smile.
Christine Martinez: Good?
Ace Bennett: Mhmmm.
He cringes and cocks his head as an aftertaste lingers in the back of his throat. Christine begins to laugh as Ace's dislike for the food becomes obvious. He grabs his glass of coke and begins to drink about half of it in an effort to wash out the taste of the food.
Ace Bennett: Well that was interesting.
Christine Martinez: Interesting....riiiight.
The two shared a laugh together as they enjoyed their food. The rest of the night consisted of mostly small talk and laughs, as Ace got more and more comfortable as the night went on. Christine possess something that Ace had not encountered in a person other than his sister in a very long time, genuine kindness. Most people that Ace encountered in his life either wanted to take advantage of him, or to beat the tar out of him, so to see someone who was actually nice to him who was required to because of blood was a breath of fresh air. The two talked about a number of things, from Christine's desire to become an actress, to her love of Leonardo DiCaprio, to Ace's upcoming match with Samael Ahriman, as much as he wanted to ignore the latter. Before long, the night was over and Ace was walking Christine to her car.
Ace Bennett: Thanks for coming out tonight.
Christine Martinez: Don't thank me, you make it sound like I was forced out here with you.
Ace Bennett: I keep forgetting that you weren't
Christine Martinez: Well stop that. We should definitely do this again sometime.
Ace Bennett: Oh, yeah, for sure.
Christine Martinez: Maybe next time, we can go to a place where you can do more than slurp on some chicken broth.
Ace Bennett: Haha, yeah....
The two sit in silence for a while, simply looking at each other. You can tell that something might happen, but both are restraining themselves, fearful of making that first move. Ace scratches his head as Christine opens the door to her car.
Christine Martinez: Well, I hope to hear from you soon.
Ace Bennett: You will, you definitely will.
Christine smiles before entering her car and closing the door behind her. Waving to Ace, she puts the key in the ignition, starts her car and drives off. He stands there, already nostalgic about what had just occurred mere minutes ago.
All in all, it was a great night.
-
Tuesday nights were normally the nights for lively conversation in the Bennett household. It was the night that Alicia would always take off from her job as a blackjack dealer, due to the general lack of activity, and thus lack of tips, in her casino that night. Having extra time at home, she would normally cook up a nice dinner or order out so that she and her brother could spend some quality time together chatting about their exploits of that week. They might even invite a few of Alicia's friends over to tackle a board game. However, this week was much different. The normally spirited Bennett siblings were pictures of disinterest. The two picked at their respective meals, low-quality Chinese takeout fare, in complete silence. Ace's melancholy mood was mostly due to a lack of sleep. He had been preoccupied with texting Christine and researching his upcoming match with Samael Ahriman. However, the cause of Alicia's affliction was mostly unknown. Ace noticed that something was wrong, placed his utensils down and addressed his older sister.
Ace Bennett: How was your weekend? I saw you and Dave made plans.
Breaking the silence for his sister's sake, he brought up something that even the mere thought of made him incredibly uncomfortable. He wasn't aware that introducing his old friend Dave Demento to his sister would result in a budding romance, and if he of been, he probably wouldn't have introduced the two at all. After all, Ace is the closest thing that Alicia has to a father figure anymore. Despite all of that, he knew that his sister was an adult, and he knew that she was single, and apparently so was Demento, but he didn't want his sister to get hurt, nor did he want his friendship with Demento to be hurt. But he wasn't going to get in the way of anything that his sister or his friend wanted to do.
Alicia Bennett: He never showed up. I went to the bowling alley, and he just never showed up.
Ace Bennett: Oh...well I'm sorry. I don't know why he would do that to you.
Truth is, he let out an internal sigh of relief. As good of a friend as Demento had been over the years, he didn't exactly have the best track record with women. He feared that Alicia was going to be chewed up and spit out, much like the girl that Demento introduced him to a few weeks prior, Angelica. Guy couldn't have been with her longer than a few months before he met Alicia. However, he was also finding that his friend was acting strange. It wasn't really like Dave to just ditch someone like that, especially someone he had previously given so much attention to.
Ace Bennett: You know, now that I think about it, he hasn't been returning my calls lately either. Not since I introduced you to him even.
Alicia Bennett: Well, the next time you see him, you can tell him that I don't want to hear from him anymore. In fact, I want absolutely nothing to do with him!
She spoke with passion, as tears formed in her eyes and her voice cracked. Clearly, the two had made a connection and now Dave was just throwing it away. A fire burned within Ace as he watched his sister bring her hands to her eyes, beginning to sob. He knew that this was a terrible idea and he knew that he could do nothing about it, unless the two were booked against one another in the ring in the future. But to keep his own personal sanity, and to continue on his path to redemption, he must forgive Dave for his undoing and move on. Ace stands from his chair and approaches his sister, removing her hands from her face and bringing her to his shoulder. Her body shook as she let out the raw emotions.
Ace Bennett: I will have a conversation with him, you can be sure of that.
This was the first time that he ever saw her like this. He was never there for her when she had rough break ups in the past, or when she was going through hardship. And in that moment, he realized how important he was to his older sister. Much like she was the only family that he had, he was the only family that she had. In this moment of hardship, Ace felt something that he hadn't felt in his entire life, like he was needed. He consoled his sister until she was ready to get to the dark recesses of her bedroom, probably to listen to some My Chemical Romance and eat ice cream or something stereotypical that a girl would do in this situation.
He allowed her to be left alone, he knew that's what she would want. He went into his own bedroom and found shelter under his covers. Closing his eyes, it was a matter of moments before Ace was deep in sleep.
-
“You know I'm sure there are plenty of people out there that are sick of this whole spiel that I'm going on and on about. About how I'm looking for redemption and to right the wrongs I've committed in the past. Blah blah blah. And I'm sure many of you are aware of the past that I've had with Samael Ahriman, my opponent for Revolution. How I ditched my tag team partner at his most dire of times and Samael stepped up and took my place, taking a beating at the hands of The New Epoch in the process. I'm positive that most that are listening to this are thinking that I'm gonna give a long drawn out recent history between Samael and myself and say why what I'm doing is the right thing, but honestly it's pretty obvious.”
“You see, this grudge that Samael has held against me, it dates back much further back than when he took my place as WFWF Tag Team Champion and then subsequently lost the belt to The New Epoch, much further back. When Samael Ahriman was an active competitor in the WFWF, he was a hot commodity. He would come around every once in a while in Shawn Malakai's stead and he would enter the ring with an opponent, and then he would win. Nobody could solve the enigma that was Samael Ahriman. Nobody knew what he wanted. Nobody knew his connection to Malakai. And nobody knew how to beat him. Until he faced me. Until I beat him.”
“When I beat Samael Ahriman, the mystery was gone. He was a cracked case. He was no more superhuman than anyone else. He was beatable. And after I beat him, he kept losing before spiraling into the depths of obscurity. And the next thing you know, he's on the commentary booth, a so-called 'semi-active' competitor. And from that moment on, Samael Ahriman held a grudge against me. I forced him out of the spotlight and revealed him as the magician that he was. Normally I would feel bad about this, but clearly Samael Ahriman was in it simply for the glory, and his sins were just as great as anyone else.”
“You want to know how Sam stayed undefeated for so long? He showed up, got people talking about him and how great he is, and stayed gone just long enough that people were just stopping to talk about him, yet he still had this enigmatic quality about him. He caught his opponents off guard, and got his wins not by skill, but by pure deception. I'd normally feel bad about being personally responsible for regulating a competitor to the commentary booth, but I feel the fate suits Samael. He can sit and reminisce about the good times in the ring and realize that he really isn't good enough to be anything in the WFWF. He can watch as the man who revealed him as a fraud rises to the top of the WFWF knowing full well he just didn't cut it.”
“Yes, Samael is on my list. But it's not for putting him on commentary, not at all. I asked for forgiveness from Samael, and he refused me, still bitter about his own fate. And now I must move on, as I will give him the glory that he so desires, the glory of being in the middle of that ring competing against another being to prove who is the better man. Unfortunately for Samael, I will not be going easy on him. Regardless of the result, Samael will be crossed off my list, along with Dave Demento and Thunder, because I gave him that one last grasp of glory, that one last bit of relevance, before sending him back to the commentary booth with his tail between his legs.”
“So Sam, you can come at me with everything you have, we've already saw who is the better man between the two of us. You're nothing more than a one trick pony whose trick isn't effective anymore. You want to get your hands on me, and I'll be happy to oblige, just don't be surprised when you're the one being carried off, a broken former veteran who simply doesn't have it anymore.”
“I hope the glory is worth it.”
OOC: So as you can probably guess, I kind of half did this because I really want to put my all into Scars and Stripes. Got plans for that, so I think it'll be pretty solid. Hope those that read this enjoy it.
The restaurant had about six or seven patrons dining at the time, all enjoying lumps of color that Ace didn't recognize at all. He nervously rubbed his shoes in the thick maroon carpet as he waited. Scanning the scene, the restaurant was very foreign to Ace. Dimly lit, but not as dimly as the restaurant that he met Christine at, with black tables and chairs. The walls were adorned with traditional art from where he assumed was Japan, it being a Japanese restaurant and all. As he appreciated a print of a beautiful tidal wave that was hanging on the wall, the door opened and in walked his date.
Christine was dressed in a short red dress that complemented her in every way. It made her skin look great. It made her body look great. It made her smile look great. It made her eyes look great. It just made her look great.. After picking his jaw up from the floor, he stood from his seated position and greeted the lovely Christine.
Ace Bennett: Wow, you look great.
Christine Martinez: Hello to you too.
The comment causes Ace's shoulders to tense up. He blew it already. She smiles and laughs, clearly joking, giving him great relief. The joke eases his mind a little bit, makes him realize that this isn't a serious thing. And then he realizes that in the time that it took to write out this description, he hadn't said a word to his date as the stood together awkward.
Ace Bennett: It's great to see you again.
Christine Martinez: You too, I've been looking forward to this.
Ace Bennett: Really?
Christine Martinez: Well of course, why wouldn't I have been?
Ace Bennett: I don't know, I thought you might have agreed to this whole thing just because you felt bad for me....
Christine Martinez: Oh, don't be ridiculous. What about all of those text messages? You honestly think I'd take all that time out of my day to text some guy just because I feel sorry for him?
Ace Bennett: Heh, I guess not..... I guess we should probably get a table then, yeah?
Christine Martinez: Definitely I'm starving!
Ace takes Christine's coat and approaches the hostess, asking for a table for two. Offering his arm to his date, he walks her to their table, following closely behind their waiter. As the waiter leaves the two at their table, Ace pushes out Christine's chair for her, real smoothlike.
Christine Martinez: Ooooohhh a gentleman. A dying breed.
Ace Bennett: I try.
Ace seats himself across from Christine and opens the menu. Looking at the menu, he reads a list of a bunch of food that he wants nothing to do with. He really just agreed to this date to see Christine, he didn't care the setting. He looks up and smiles at his date as their waiter for the night arrives.
Waiter: How are you folks this evening? My name is Sam and I will be serving you this evening. May I start you off with something to drink?
Christine Martinez: Just water please.
Sam: Water? Great, and for you?
Ace Bennett: I'll have a Coke.
Sam: Is Pepsi okay?
Is Monopoly money okay?
Ace Bennett: Yeah sure, that's fine.
Sam: Great, I'll be right back with your drinks.
Christine Martinez: Thank you!
The two sat in a brief silence, looking at their surroundings like most people do when they're in a new place. Ace's gaze returned to the beautiful print of the title wave for a moment, before realizing that he should probably say something.
Ace Bennett: So, how does a beautiful girl such as yourself who has so much going for her want anything to do with a midcard professional wrestler like myself?
Christine Martinez: Haha, beautiful? Please. I haven't been on a date since freshman year. Of high school.
Ace Bennett: Well I'm glad that you agreed to change that.
Christine Martinez: Me too.
The waiter arrives with their drinks, placing the cold glasses in front of the patrons.
Sam: Are you guys all ready to order?
Christine Martinez: I am, are you Ace?
Ace Bennett: Uhh, yeah, go ahead.
Christine Martinez: Okay, I'll have a Godzilla Roll.
Sam: That is an excellent choice. And for you sir.
Ace Bennett: I think I'll have the ramen soup with chicken.
Christine Martinez: What? No sushi?
Ace Bennett: Heh, I'm not the most adventurous eater.
Christine Martinez: Oh come on, ya big baby! Bring a piece single piece of salmon sashimi for him Sam.
Ace Bennett: That won't be necessary.
Christine Martinez: Come on! Pleaaase! For me?
And for the first time ever, a girl other than Alicia successfully shot the puppy dog eyes at Ace, and he gave in. Rolling his eyes and smiling at his date, he uncomfortably laughs a bit before agreeing.
Ace Bennett: Fine.
Christine Martinez: Yay!
Sam: Excellent, I'll bring that right out to you when it's ready.
Christine Martinez: Okay! Thank you!
Sam leaves the couple once again to their conversation. Christine has a broad smile across her face as Ace shakes his head, in disbelief in what he was about to do. You see, Ace was always a meat and potatoes type of guy. And when I say a meat and potatoes type of guy, I literally mean that meat and potatoes made up about 95 percent of his diet. The other five percent is pizza and ice cream. So to eat raw fish, the idea just made him squirm. But he saw that he made Christine excited so he was going to have to man up and down it.
Ace Bennett: I can't believe you got me to agree to that.
Christine Martinez: I know right! I'm so excited to watch this!
Ace Bennett: You're a sick little girl.
The two laughed at Ace's misfortune.
Ace Bennett: So, how's school going? I imagine you're pretty busy.
Christine Martinez: Yeah, just finished midterms. Hopefully that went well, gotta keep those grades up you know.
Ace Bennett: I'm sure you did fine.
Christine Martinez: Knock on wood.
Ace Bennett: What are you going for?
Christine Martinez: Advertising, I'll probably wind up in one of the big cities once I graduate. Hopefully at least. How about you? Why did you pass on college?
Ace Bennett: I barely got out of high school, had to settle for a GED. You think any rational college worth a damn would accept a guy like me?
Christine Martinez: So the next logical step was becoming a wrestler of course.
Ace Bennett: Yeah well, it was a passion of mine.
Christine Martinez: Was?
Ace Bennett: Things have changed.
Christine Martinez: How so?
Ace Bennett: It's a long story. It changed me for the worse, I did some bad things.
Christine Martinez: Why still do it then?
Ace Bennett: To prove to myself that I'm a good man. That the things in the past are in the past and are things that I would never do again. To right my wrongs. For redemption.
Christine Martinez: Redemption, huh? I can appreciate that.
Ace Bennett: Thanks.
Christine Martinez: If it's any consolation, you are a good man in my eyes.
Ace Bennett: That makes one of us.
As if on cue to change the somber direction that the date was going on, Sam arrives with their food. He first hands Alicia a green plate donned with circles of color that he assume were food. He then hands Ace a generous sized pot full of broth followed by a small plate with a single piece of bright pink flesh on it.
Sam: Be careful, the soup is hot.
Ace Bennett: Thank you!
Sam leaves the two alone to their food as Christine's smile returns. Ace's face is one of distaste, as he obviously doesn't want to eat what is in front of him.
Christine Martinez: Why did you agree to come here if you didn't like the food? We could've went somewhere else you know.
Ace Bennett: Oh no, I'll eat it. And I didn't say anything because I didn't want you to change your mind on coming with me.
He smiles and picks up the spoon within the broth, he takes a slurp of the soup and smiles at Christine, enjoying the taste of the broth.
Ace Bennett: See? This is actually really good.
Christine Martinez: Don't think you got out of eating that sushi. Come on, eat up!
Ace Bennett: I don't know...
Christine Martinez: Please Ace! You promised!
Without a word, he knew what he had to do. Fumbling around with the chopsticks that he didn't know how to use, he tried to pick up the piece of fish. After dropping it three times, he finally gets a good grip on it. He slowly brings it to his mouth. Placing the flesh in his mouth, he chewed on the strange consistency of fishiness. Using all that he had within him not to spit out the food, he allowed it slide down his throat, faking a smile.
Christine Martinez: Good?
Ace Bennett: Mhmmm.
He cringes and cocks his head as an aftertaste lingers in the back of his throat. Christine begins to laugh as Ace's dislike for the food becomes obvious. He grabs his glass of coke and begins to drink about half of it in an effort to wash out the taste of the food.
Ace Bennett: Well that was interesting.
Christine Martinez: Interesting....riiiight.
The two shared a laugh together as they enjoyed their food. The rest of the night consisted of mostly small talk and laughs, as Ace got more and more comfortable as the night went on. Christine possess something that Ace had not encountered in a person other than his sister in a very long time, genuine kindness. Most people that Ace encountered in his life either wanted to take advantage of him, or to beat the tar out of him, so to see someone who was actually nice to him who was required to because of blood was a breath of fresh air. The two talked about a number of things, from Christine's desire to become an actress, to her love of Leonardo DiCaprio, to Ace's upcoming match with Samael Ahriman, as much as he wanted to ignore the latter. Before long, the night was over and Ace was walking Christine to her car.
Ace Bennett: Thanks for coming out tonight.
Christine Martinez: Don't thank me, you make it sound like I was forced out here with you.
Ace Bennett: I keep forgetting that you weren't
Christine Martinez: Well stop that. We should definitely do this again sometime.
Ace Bennett: Oh, yeah, for sure.
Christine Martinez: Maybe next time, we can go to a place where you can do more than slurp on some chicken broth.
Ace Bennett: Haha, yeah....
The two sit in silence for a while, simply looking at each other. You can tell that something might happen, but both are restraining themselves, fearful of making that first move. Ace scratches his head as Christine opens the door to her car.
Christine Martinez: Well, I hope to hear from you soon.
Ace Bennett: You will, you definitely will.
Christine smiles before entering her car and closing the door behind her. Waving to Ace, she puts the key in the ignition, starts her car and drives off. He stands there, already nostalgic about what had just occurred mere minutes ago.
All in all, it was a great night.
-
Tuesday nights were normally the nights for lively conversation in the Bennett household. It was the night that Alicia would always take off from her job as a blackjack dealer, due to the general lack of activity, and thus lack of tips, in her casino that night. Having extra time at home, she would normally cook up a nice dinner or order out so that she and her brother could spend some quality time together chatting about their exploits of that week. They might even invite a few of Alicia's friends over to tackle a board game. However, this week was much different. The normally spirited Bennett siblings were pictures of disinterest. The two picked at their respective meals, low-quality Chinese takeout fare, in complete silence. Ace's melancholy mood was mostly due to a lack of sleep. He had been preoccupied with texting Christine and researching his upcoming match with Samael Ahriman. However, the cause of Alicia's affliction was mostly unknown. Ace noticed that something was wrong, placed his utensils down and addressed his older sister.
Ace Bennett: How was your weekend? I saw you and Dave made plans.
Breaking the silence for his sister's sake, he brought up something that even the mere thought of made him incredibly uncomfortable. He wasn't aware that introducing his old friend Dave Demento to his sister would result in a budding romance, and if he of been, he probably wouldn't have introduced the two at all. After all, Ace is the closest thing that Alicia has to a father figure anymore. Despite all of that, he knew that his sister was an adult, and he knew that she was single, and apparently so was Demento, but he didn't want his sister to get hurt, nor did he want his friendship with Demento to be hurt. But he wasn't going to get in the way of anything that his sister or his friend wanted to do.
Alicia Bennett: He never showed up. I went to the bowling alley, and he just never showed up.
Ace Bennett: Oh...well I'm sorry. I don't know why he would do that to you.
Truth is, he let out an internal sigh of relief. As good of a friend as Demento had been over the years, he didn't exactly have the best track record with women. He feared that Alicia was going to be chewed up and spit out, much like the girl that Demento introduced him to a few weeks prior, Angelica. Guy couldn't have been with her longer than a few months before he met Alicia. However, he was also finding that his friend was acting strange. It wasn't really like Dave to just ditch someone like that, especially someone he had previously given so much attention to.
Ace Bennett: You know, now that I think about it, he hasn't been returning my calls lately either. Not since I introduced you to him even.
Alicia Bennett: Well, the next time you see him, you can tell him that I don't want to hear from him anymore. In fact, I want absolutely nothing to do with him!
She spoke with passion, as tears formed in her eyes and her voice cracked. Clearly, the two had made a connection and now Dave was just throwing it away. A fire burned within Ace as he watched his sister bring her hands to her eyes, beginning to sob. He knew that this was a terrible idea and he knew that he could do nothing about it, unless the two were booked against one another in the ring in the future. But to keep his own personal sanity, and to continue on his path to redemption, he must forgive Dave for his undoing and move on. Ace stands from his chair and approaches his sister, removing her hands from her face and bringing her to his shoulder. Her body shook as she let out the raw emotions.
Ace Bennett: I will have a conversation with him, you can be sure of that.
This was the first time that he ever saw her like this. He was never there for her when she had rough break ups in the past, or when she was going through hardship. And in that moment, he realized how important he was to his older sister. Much like she was the only family that he had, he was the only family that she had. In this moment of hardship, Ace felt something that he hadn't felt in his entire life, like he was needed. He consoled his sister until she was ready to get to the dark recesses of her bedroom, probably to listen to some My Chemical Romance and eat ice cream or something stereotypical that a girl would do in this situation.
He allowed her to be left alone, he knew that's what she would want. He went into his own bedroom and found shelter under his covers. Closing his eyes, it was a matter of moments before Ace was deep in sleep.
-
“You know I'm sure there are plenty of people out there that are sick of this whole spiel that I'm going on and on about. About how I'm looking for redemption and to right the wrongs I've committed in the past. Blah blah blah. And I'm sure many of you are aware of the past that I've had with Samael Ahriman, my opponent for Revolution. How I ditched my tag team partner at his most dire of times and Samael stepped up and took my place, taking a beating at the hands of The New Epoch in the process. I'm positive that most that are listening to this are thinking that I'm gonna give a long drawn out recent history between Samael and myself and say why what I'm doing is the right thing, but honestly it's pretty obvious.”
“You see, this grudge that Samael has held against me, it dates back much further back than when he took my place as WFWF Tag Team Champion and then subsequently lost the belt to The New Epoch, much further back. When Samael Ahriman was an active competitor in the WFWF, he was a hot commodity. He would come around every once in a while in Shawn Malakai's stead and he would enter the ring with an opponent, and then he would win. Nobody could solve the enigma that was Samael Ahriman. Nobody knew what he wanted. Nobody knew his connection to Malakai. And nobody knew how to beat him. Until he faced me. Until I beat him.”
“When I beat Samael Ahriman, the mystery was gone. He was a cracked case. He was no more superhuman than anyone else. He was beatable. And after I beat him, he kept losing before spiraling into the depths of obscurity. And the next thing you know, he's on the commentary booth, a so-called 'semi-active' competitor. And from that moment on, Samael Ahriman held a grudge against me. I forced him out of the spotlight and revealed him as the magician that he was. Normally I would feel bad about this, but clearly Samael Ahriman was in it simply for the glory, and his sins were just as great as anyone else.”
“You want to know how Sam stayed undefeated for so long? He showed up, got people talking about him and how great he is, and stayed gone just long enough that people were just stopping to talk about him, yet he still had this enigmatic quality about him. He caught his opponents off guard, and got his wins not by skill, but by pure deception. I'd normally feel bad about being personally responsible for regulating a competitor to the commentary booth, but I feel the fate suits Samael. He can sit and reminisce about the good times in the ring and realize that he really isn't good enough to be anything in the WFWF. He can watch as the man who revealed him as a fraud rises to the top of the WFWF knowing full well he just didn't cut it.”
“Yes, Samael is on my list. But it's not for putting him on commentary, not at all. I asked for forgiveness from Samael, and he refused me, still bitter about his own fate. And now I must move on, as I will give him the glory that he so desires, the glory of being in the middle of that ring competing against another being to prove who is the better man. Unfortunately for Samael, I will not be going easy on him. Regardless of the result, Samael will be crossed off my list, along with Dave Demento and Thunder, because I gave him that one last grasp of glory, that one last bit of relevance, before sending him back to the commentary booth with his tail between his legs.”
“So Sam, you can come at me with everything you have, we've already saw who is the better man between the two of us. You're nothing more than a one trick pony whose trick isn't effective anymore. You want to get your hands on me, and I'll be happy to oblige, just don't be surprised when you're the one being carried off, a broken former veteran who simply doesn't have it anymore.”
“I hope the glory is worth it.”
- Ace
OOC: So as you can probably guess, I kind of half did this because I really want to put my all into Scars and Stripes. Got plans for that, so I think it'll be pretty solid. Hope those that read this enjoy it.
