Post by Markw on Jan 18, 2014 16:13:01 GMT -5
Revolution – Times Of Trouble
“What’s the point, why should I even try when it always ends the same? Why should I keep reaching out to people when, deep down, I know I’m going to end up alone?”
“You’re not.”
“You sound so confident.”
“I am.” She replied.
“I just… I don’t believe you. How can I when all paths always seem to lead to the same damp, dark, miserable place? I’m really beginning to think that the rare highs don’t make up for the frequent lows.”
“You can’t possibly know how things are going to play out.”
“It’s an educated guess. Guided by years of experience.”
“It’s just Mr. Glass Half Empty feeling sorry for himself again, and it’s getting pretty
ing tiresome.”“Well, what makes you think I’m wrong?”
“I know you’re wrong, because God help me, I’ll always be there for you.”
“Really?”
“Of course!”
She seemed hurt that I dared to ask that question.
“I love you Joe.” She continued.
“I love you too, Jessica.”
She smiled, and so did I, knowing, that she’d always be there for me in my hour of need.
SPLASH!
But she wasn’t.
My body plunged into the cold, dark water, I struggled, my limbs flailing for a few seconds, before I eventually succumbed to the bitter cold. I felt a couple of waves move my otherwise motionless body further out, before finally, darkness.
---
“Jojo was a man who thought he was a loner, but he knew it couldn't last. Jojo left his home in Tucson, Arizona, for some California grass.”
I woke to the sound of Mary singing, badly. She hadn't stayed the night or anything like that, I'd given her a key so that she could check up on me every now and then, make sure I hadn't done anything stupid. She'd taken that as an invitation to stroll in whenever she liked. I can't say I didn't appreciate the company though.
“What time is it?” I asked in my sleep deprived state.
“Six.” She said quickly before continuing “Get back, get back. Get back to where you once belonged.”
“And why are you in my flat, butchering the Beatles, at six in the morning?”
“Hey!” She clearly wasn't amused, but someone had to tell her how awful her singing was. She continued...
“I'm your wake up call.”
“I... don't remember requesting one?”
“You didn't, but you need one.”
“Why?” I didn't get an answer, instead I got my wrestling attire thrown in my face.
“Put those on.”
“That doesn't really answer my question.”
“Just put them on.”
I begrudgingly obliged.
“What's all this about?”
She poked her head round my door, smiling as she did so. “Crow doesn't let any old person into the Nest you know?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’re going to have to prove yourself.”
“I thought you’d convinced him last week?”
“I did, but you’ve still got to prove you meet his standards. I’ve done the hard part for you, I got you the audition, you just need to go out there and prove I was right to put my faith in you.”
“No pressure then?”
“Of course not.” She replied smiling. “Trust me, you’ll be fine.”
---
“What are we doing here?”
I asked as I headed towards an empty wrestling ring.
“Y…”
She was interrupted by the familiar sound of Crow.
“You’re going to need to prove you’re worthy of being part of the Nest.”
“Former National Champion, there’s your proof.”
“By that criteria Carter Contra would qualify.”
I was fairly sure he knew that Contra beat me to win the belt, but I chose to ignore it.
“Three time National Champion. You won’t find any others.”
“Sorry winning the consolation prize isn’t proof, no matter how many times you do it.”
“What do I have to do then?”
“You’re going to need to prove it to me, in that ring.”
“Against you?”
Crow laughs.
“No, no, of course not. Otherwise no one would qualify.” A smug grin stretched out across his face. “No, we’ll start with Randye.”
Randye climbed into the ring, I followed shortly after and prepared myself.
“When do we start?”
I asked looking at Crow, before I could get an answer a pitiful right hand had brushed by the side of my face. I turned my attention to the man I shared the ring with, trying to contain my laughter.
“Right now.”
I quickly positioned myself behind Randye, locking in a full nelson.
“Do you really think that little of me? This is hardly a challenge.”
“I’m being kind, thought I’d let you warm up.”
I let go of the ful nelson and quickly hit a German Suplex, keeping Randye’s shoulders pinned to the mat, Crow slammed his hand against the mat from outside the ring.
1…
2…
3.
“There we go, proof.” I said letting Randye roll out of the ring, clutching his back.
Smash!
A clubbing blow took me from behind before a billion stomps left me down in the middle of the ring.
“Now, all you need to do is beat Matthew and Lucas.”
The stomps kept coming, and coming, and coming. I had been taken by surprise and offered very little defense against the two giants who were beating the crap out of me. Eventually they showed some mercy and gave me a few seconds to recover. Not long though and soon the bigger of the two removed my arms from play and his buddy was throwing his forearm into my face over and over again, my sight eventually being replaced by a wall of crimson.
A powerbomb later and my memory left me.
The rest I’m assuming based on a knowledge of the eventual outcome and the injuries that I seem to have sustained.
1…
2…
No!
Somehow, I assume, I kicked out. Instinct ‘saving’ me. The eventual state of my face would suggest that was the focus of most of their attacks, while the damage that has been done to my back, which didn’t come from one powerbomb, would suggest that they had been working on that as well.
“Please, stop it.”
Mary begged. My memory kicks in at a point that can have only been ten or so minutes later, I was propped up against the turnbuckles as the two men stood at the opposite side of the ring.
“If he can’t cope with this, then he doesn’t belong in the Nest.”
I managed to throw my body out of the way and one of the two men’s arm collided with the ring post. He turned and I took advantage, clotheslining him out of the ring.
His buddy didn’t seem to pleased about that, and he went straight on the attack, looking to take my head off with a clothesline that I, just, managed to avoid. I knew I didn’t have much left, there was no way I could lift either of these guys and I figured the blood loss would take me out if it lasted too much longer. I was desperate, so a quick school boy and one arm on the ropes was my only chance.
1…
2…
3.
“Wow. You got lucky Joe.”
“Luck had nothing to do with it.”
Sounded cool when I said it, the blood loss and the fact that I now think it wasn’t said too coherently might have taken away from it slightly.
“Well, it may not have been too impressive, but you’ve proved that you can come back from adversity. Like every other member of my Nest.”
Crow turned to and smiled at Mary, who tried to avoid saying or doing anything, it was clearly aimed at her.
“Congratulations, you’re one of us.”
I wiped the blood out of my eyes and struggled to get my breath back.
“Great.”
---
It’s pretty demoralizing to watch a dying man succeed, while you, a fit 24-year-old fail. The fact that I believe I’m better than Shawn Malakai is or ever has been, makes it even more of a kick in the teeth.
But in a lot of ways, it helped me; it helped me to see that if I want to succeed, I need to let other people help me.
Shawn Malakai, has never been the greatest wrestler in the WFWF. But he’s just won his second shot at the WFWF World Championship, because throughout his career, he's let Wayne McGurk. David Williams, Ace Bennett, Aaron Ashton, Jon O’Deeves, Thunder, basically any ex-wrestler you can think of, help him get there.
I’ve been stubborn. I’ve isolated myself and I honestly don’t really know why, but it has limited me time and time again. Inside and outside the ring.
It helped me to realize, that for far too long, I’ve been my own worst enemy.
And, it just can’t carry on. Not if I want to keep looking myself in the mirror.
In a lot of ways I envy Shawn Malakai. Because he has somehow managed to be better than me despite being less talented, less intelligent and less hungry than I am.
I don’t know whether he should be applauded for that, or whether I should be mocked for it. But either way, it is, I must admit, impressive.
I don’t have anything against Shawn Malakai myself; I wouldn’t complain if he walked out of SuperBrawl the WFWF World Champion, anything’s better than Trace Demon. But one man who isn’t at all fond of Malakai, is Crow. And if I want to prove my worth to him, if I want to be able to depend on his help, I need to make a statement. I need to prove, that I’m willing to do the same for him.
I need to do anything I can to improve Crow’s odds of winning the belt at SuperBrawl, and right now, the easiest way to do that is to take out the walking corpse.
He needs to know that he can trust me, or he won’t help me get what I want. I need to show him he can. You’re dead already Shawn, you know it, I know it, everyone knows it. You also know, just like I do, that Trace Demon is bad for the WFWF. There’s a reason you backed Xavier Pierce, because you know what he’s like. The only way he can be stopped, is if myself, Crow and all his other recruits are one cohesive unit. So Shawn, please don’t hate me for making your final days, weeks, months, whatever, slightly more painful. At least you can do something worthwhile with your path to nothingness.
---
“You okay?”
“Yeah I’m fine.” I replied, didn’t even try to sound convincing.
She handed me an I ice pack that I reluctantly accepted.
“I’m really sorry, I didn’t realize it’d be that bad.”
“I’m fine. Had to be done.”
“Yeah.”
Neither of us believed that.
“I know you can cope with pain, it will make you stronger, I promise. This will be good for you.”
“I hope it is.”
“Trust me.”
I’ve heard that before.
---
Yukio, I’m guessing you won’t believe you can trust me going into this match. And you shouldn’t, you shouldn’t trust me for a second.
Not because I hate you, not because I see you as some kind of threat to me.
Simply, because I’m on the wrong side of the ring.
It’s nothing personal really, but, I should be teaming with Crow and you should be standing side to side with the other man in this match who’s well past his sell-by date.
I don’t care about you too much Yukio, I enjoy winning, but not if it’s going to make things worse for me. And if it’s going to hinder my chances of making progress, then I’m not even going to try to win this match. It’s not worth it. I don’t feel any responsibility to you and I just don’t respect you enough to risk my own future for you.
So no, you shouldn’t trust me. And I won’t be silly enough to trust you either. There’s absolutely no reason I should.
But don’t think that I’m going to do anything to you personally. I might not pull my weight, but I won’t try to derail you.
I’m still contemplating your challenge, once I’ve decided; I’ll get back to you. Until then, you mean very little to me.
Crow on the other hand, is someone who I’m very interested in. A man who I’m putting my faith in, because there’s a slim chance he might save me, and of course, because we have very similar goals for SuperBrawl, and an almost identical vision for the WFWF. A WFWF that allows people that don’t exactly fit in, like Crow and myself, to prosper.
That’s what I’m willing to put my faith in and I trust Crow when he says that’s what he wants. Not because I have any reason to trust him. But because there’s no reason for him to want anything else.
War is on the horizon and when it commences, I’ll be ready to do whatever it takes to make sure my side is victorious.
But this match is frankly, irrelevant, and I can’t promise that I'll risk my long term future for short term success. I’m not going to waste all my resources on this pointless match, that’s only taking place because Trace Demon wants to weaken everyone who’s not fighting by his side.
That’s just the way it is.
OOC: Ugh. Even though I had some decent plans for this, at no point during the RP period did I feel like working on this RP. Didn’t enjoy a minute of the time I did spend on it and needless to say I’m looking forward to having a break. Formatting change won't be permanent unless it's preferred to the usual. I’m pretty miserable about this RP to be honest.
