Post by Dean Harper on Jun 14, 2024 15:28:16 GMT
Dean is carrying the camera as he gives the audience a clear look of where he is. The shrine stood isolated on a hill, surrounded by a dense forest that seemed to whisper secrets to those who dared to listen. The path leading to it was overgrown with weeds and brambles, a clear sign that few had recently visited and the golden hour bathed the landscape in an ethereal glow, casting long shadows that seemed to move and dance as he made his way up the hill. As he approached the shrine, the temperature seemed to drop, and an unnatural silence fell over the area, broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves in the breeze.
“It’s always nice to remind people exactly who the fuck I am. There’s a reason I am one of the best this company has ever seen. I put the work in week after week. I am dedicated. I am inspired. Admittedly that inspiration is mostly to unleash a level of violence and blood that makes people uncomfortable but fuck em. I have fun. And that’s the key, kids. Fun. I have fun being me. That’s what separates me from others. I have fun regardless of what happens. I never hold back and always walk away knowing I did what I had to do. We’ll likely get another chance to dance, Nick, hopefully without the deadweight.”
The shrine itself was a decaying structure, its wooden beams warped and its stone foundation cracked. Vines had claimed most of the building, wrapping around pillars and snaking their way inside through broken windows.
"I’m not exactly thrilled about working with April. We’ve got a lot of history, and not all of it’s good. But the fact is, we’re teammates now. I can't just leave her out to dry, no matter how I feel. We saw how things went for Nick trying to handle this by himself. Do Brooklyn and I have unresolved issues? Yes. Am I naïve enough to assume April isn’t holding a grudge the same way Terrella did when he was teaming up with Brooklyn? No.” Dean laughed. “It's not about Brooklyn, or even about me. It's about doing what’s right for the team to get to the end of the tournament. We’ve got to stick together if we’re going to get through this. I may not be okay with everything, but I’m not going to let her fail. We're in this together, whether we like it or not.”
Dean had gotten the test message offering to meet up with Brooklyn and April at Ikeda Zoo with an invitation for Damien and Warren as well. Dean looked across the small table they were eating breakfast at in the hotel room while Damien was getting dressed, "So Brooklyn and April invited us to the zoo with them."
“Strange that she’s all of a sudden so interested in hanging out with you, guess she wants to keep you on a leash like a good boy, huh?” Warren smirked.
“I don’t know." Dean shrugged, “Do you want to come?”
“You wanted to hang out with more friends, right?” Warren looked at his own phone, typing out a message to someone “Well I’m not stopping you, Sweetness.”
Dean felt like it was a trap but ignored it, “Just gonna vibe in the hotel room all day?”
“May go to the arcade and chill with Shea,” Warren smiled, “what with Viv’s wedding coming up too, we’re kinda swamped.”
Dean pushed down the jealousy, breathed through his nose. They were just friends. He had no reason to be jealous, “Sure. Have fun.”
Getting to Ikeda Zoo from the hotel wasn’t hard, it seemed to be a charming and modestly-sized zoo located in Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture, Japan. Dean was excited to spend the day at the zoo with his son, Damien. April and Brooklyn could be something close to fun.Trying to foster something akin to at least a level of trust that would be useful in the tournament was important. Even if it meant dealing with the unresolved issues he and Brooklyn had.
The weather was perfect, sunny with a light breeze, ideal for exploring the animal exhibits. As they walked through the entrance, Damien's eyes widened with excitement at the sight of the colorful banners and animal statues. Dean spotted Brooklyn and her sister April waiting near the entrance.
"Brooklyn! April! Over here!" Dean called out, waving.
Brooklyn turned around and smiled, waving back. "Dean! Damien! It's so great to see you!" she said as they walked over.
"Hi, Damien! Are you excited to see the zoo?" April asked with a friendly smile. “I see you’re not wearing headphones today.”
"I’m wearing my hat though. That helps noise," Damien said quietly, still holding onto Dean.
“Yeah, sometimes things get too loud, huh?” April nodded understandingly.
“No Warren again, huh?” Brooklyn crossed her arms.
“He’s with Shea.” Dean explained, “Last minute wedding planning bachelor party or something I guess.”
“I remember a time he had trouble being more than five feet from you.”
“Don’t fucking start with me-”
"Look, Dad! Can we see the tigers first?" Damien asked, tugging at Dean's hand as if sensing tension was about to erupt.
"Of course, buddy. Let's go find them," Dean replied with a smile.
"Let's go see the tigers!" April agreed.
Damien was fascinated by every animal they saw, asking questions and pointing out interesting facts he knew to April and Brooklyn. At the tiger enclosure, they watched in awe as the majestic animals lounged in the sun and occasionally roared, much to Damien's delight.
"Wow! They're so big and strong!" Damien exclaimed.
"Just like you, little man," April said with a wink, making Damien giggle.
“You did okay last match. Trying to get April involved despite everything. I appreciate that.” Brooklyn said quietly as April and Damien excitedly talked about the tigers. “I haven’t forgiven you. This is about ensuring you see April as a person so you don’t fuck her over like you ruined our family.”
“I had Damien’s future to think about. I made the correct choice.” Dean shook his head, “Rowan may still want my head so I’m not going to apologize for anything I’ve done since to defend myself.”
“...Is that why you haven’t visited her in the hospital?” Brooklyn asked quietly.
“Among other reasons,” Dean muttered quietly.
“Oh look! They have ice cream! Can we get ice cream?” April asked.
“Ice cream!” Damien cheered.
Inside, the shrine was even more eerie. Moonlight filtered through gaps in the roof, casting ghostly beams across the floor. Cobwebs hung in thick curtains, and the air was heavy with the scent of mildew and decay. Dean's footsteps echoed as he walked, each step stirring up dust that danced in the light.
“So I’ll admit, I’ve watched Sailor Moon. I was a young queer kid, of course, I watched Sailor Moon. Hell, early in my career I made a joke that Warren was basically Mamoru with the amount of times he’d been kidnapped and brainwashed. Love you, sweetie, trust me it’s a compliment.” Dean grinned and winked at the camera, “Like I’m not the level of deep fan that people like Rini or even Vivienne are. But I get the references. And that’s why I am lowkey sad I don’t get to play with Rini. I would love to know who I am in the canon. God, I hope it’s not Saphir. That dude sucks. Rini is a bouncing little shit, and so is April. I think Rini and April can handle each other. And if April can’t handle it? I’m sure I can handle Masao.”
the main hall, where an ancient altar stood covered in a thick layer of dust. The altar was adorned with remnants of offerings – old coins, dried flowers, and pieces of cloth – long since forgotten by time.
“I got a weakness for a man who is taller than me. You hit like a fucking truck. I’ve watched the tapes. Gets a boy excited.” Dean licked his teeth, “I’m just fucking with you. Everyone knows you’re a good dog. You make a big show about what a good man and fighter you are. All the honorable cliff notes and shit. But to be honest? I wanna see what else you can do. I wanna see how far I can push you. I want to see if there’s a monster under all the strength and skill. Been a while since I could. Wanna see if I still can. Old habits.”
Dean laughed as it seemed to echo off the wall.
"Because you are something to be feared, big boy. I know that. You know that. Only idiots don’t. Because the thing about men with codes and ethics is usually they had to do something so bad they never wanted to cross that line again. Show me. I’m asking nicely. Trust me, It’ll feel good. Throw everything you got at me and I won’t back down. That’s a fucking promise.”
“It’s always nice to remind people exactly who the fuck I am. There’s a reason I am one of the best this company has ever seen. I put the work in week after week. I am dedicated. I am inspired. Admittedly that inspiration is mostly to unleash a level of violence and blood that makes people uncomfortable but fuck em. I have fun. And that’s the key, kids. Fun. I have fun being me. That’s what separates me from others. I have fun regardless of what happens. I never hold back and always walk away knowing I did what I had to do. We’ll likely get another chance to dance, Nick, hopefully without the deadweight.”
The shrine itself was a decaying structure, its wooden beams warped and its stone foundation cracked. Vines had claimed most of the building, wrapping around pillars and snaking their way inside through broken windows.
"I’m not exactly thrilled about working with April. We’ve got a lot of history, and not all of it’s good. But the fact is, we’re teammates now. I can't just leave her out to dry, no matter how I feel. We saw how things went for Nick trying to handle this by himself. Do Brooklyn and I have unresolved issues? Yes. Am I naïve enough to assume April isn’t holding a grudge the same way Terrella did when he was teaming up with Brooklyn? No.” Dean laughed. “It's not about Brooklyn, or even about me. It's about doing what’s right for the team to get to the end of the tournament. We’ve got to stick together if we’re going to get through this. I may not be okay with everything, but I’m not going to let her fail. We're in this together, whether we like it or not.”
Dean had gotten the test message offering to meet up with Brooklyn and April at Ikeda Zoo with an invitation for Damien and Warren as well. Dean looked across the small table they were eating breakfast at in the hotel room while Damien was getting dressed, "So Brooklyn and April invited us to the zoo with them."
“Strange that she’s all of a sudden so interested in hanging out with you, guess she wants to keep you on a leash like a good boy, huh?” Warren smirked.
“I don’t know." Dean shrugged, “Do you want to come?”
“You wanted to hang out with more friends, right?” Warren looked at his own phone, typing out a message to someone “Well I’m not stopping you, Sweetness.”
Dean felt like it was a trap but ignored it, “Just gonna vibe in the hotel room all day?”
“May go to the arcade and chill with Shea,” Warren smiled, “what with Viv’s wedding coming up too, we’re kinda swamped.”
Dean pushed down the jealousy, breathed through his nose. They were just friends. He had no reason to be jealous, “Sure. Have fun.”
Getting to Ikeda Zoo from the hotel wasn’t hard, it seemed to be a charming and modestly-sized zoo located in Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture, Japan. Dean was excited to spend the day at the zoo with his son, Damien. April and Brooklyn could be something close to fun.Trying to foster something akin to at least a level of trust that would be useful in the tournament was important. Even if it meant dealing with the unresolved issues he and Brooklyn had.
The weather was perfect, sunny with a light breeze, ideal for exploring the animal exhibits. As they walked through the entrance, Damien's eyes widened with excitement at the sight of the colorful banners and animal statues. Dean spotted Brooklyn and her sister April waiting near the entrance.
"Brooklyn! April! Over here!" Dean called out, waving.
Brooklyn turned around and smiled, waving back. "Dean! Damien! It's so great to see you!" she said as they walked over.
"Hi, Damien! Are you excited to see the zoo?" April asked with a friendly smile. “I see you’re not wearing headphones today.”
"I’m wearing my hat though. That helps noise," Damien said quietly, still holding onto Dean.
“Yeah, sometimes things get too loud, huh?” April nodded understandingly.
“No Warren again, huh?” Brooklyn crossed her arms.
“He’s with Shea.” Dean explained, “Last minute wedding planning bachelor party or something I guess.”
“I remember a time he had trouble being more than five feet from you.”
“Don’t fucking start with me-”
"Look, Dad! Can we see the tigers first?" Damien asked, tugging at Dean's hand as if sensing tension was about to erupt.
"Of course, buddy. Let's go find them," Dean replied with a smile.
"Let's go see the tigers!" April agreed.
Damien was fascinated by every animal they saw, asking questions and pointing out interesting facts he knew to April and Brooklyn. At the tiger enclosure, they watched in awe as the majestic animals lounged in the sun and occasionally roared, much to Damien's delight.
"Wow! They're so big and strong!" Damien exclaimed.
"Just like you, little man," April said with a wink, making Damien giggle.
“You did okay last match. Trying to get April involved despite everything. I appreciate that.” Brooklyn said quietly as April and Damien excitedly talked about the tigers. “I haven’t forgiven you. This is about ensuring you see April as a person so you don’t fuck her over like you ruined our family.”
“I had Damien’s future to think about. I made the correct choice.” Dean shook his head, “Rowan may still want my head so I’m not going to apologize for anything I’ve done since to defend myself.”
“...Is that why you haven’t visited her in the hospital?” Brooklyn asked quietly.
“Among other reasons,” Dean muttered quietly.
“Oh look! They have ice cream! Can we get ice cream?” April asked.
“Ice cream!” Damien cheered.
Inside, the shrine was even more eerie. Moonlight filtered through gaps in the roof, casting ghostly beams across the floor. Cobwebs hung in thick curtains, and the air was heavy with the scent of mildew and decay. Dean's footsteps echoed as he walked, each step stirring up dust that danced in the light.
“So I’ll admit, I’ve watched Sailor Moon. I was a young queer kid, of course, I watched Sailor Moon. Hell, early in my career I made a joke that Warren was basically Mamoru with the amount of times he’d been kidnapped and brainwashed. Love you, sweetie, trust me it’s a compliment.” Dean grinned and winked at the camera, “Like I’m not the level of deep fan that people like Rini or even Vivienne are. But I get the references. And that’s why I am lowkey sad I don’t get to play with Rini. I would love to know who I am in the canon. God, I hope it’s not Saphir. That dude sucks. Rini is a bouncing little shit, and so is April. I think Rini and April can handle each other. And if April can’t handle it? I’m sure I can handle Masao.”
the main hall, where an ancient altar stood covered in a thick layer of dust. The altar was adorned with remnants of offerings – old coins, dried flowers, and pieces of cloth – long since forgotten by time.
“I got a weakness for a man who is taller than me. You hit like a fucking truck. I’ve watched the tapes. Gets a boy excited.” Dean licked his teeth, “I’m just fucking with you. Everyone knows you’re a good dog. You make a big show about what a good man and fighter you are. All the honorable cliff notes and shit. But to be honest? I wanna see what else you can do. I wanna see how far I can push you. I want to see if there’s a monster under all the strength and skill. Been a while since I could. Wanna see if I still can. Old habits.”
Dean laughed as it seemed to echo off the wall.
"Because you are something to be feared, big boy. I know that. You know that. Only idiots don’t. Because the thing about men with codes and ethics is usually they had to do something so bad they never wanted to cross that line again. Show me. I’m asking nicely. Trust me, It’ll feel good. Throw everything you got at me and I won’t back down. That’s a fucking promise.”
Well howdy there pardner.