Post by Pax Stormcrow on Aug 4, 2024 16:22:25 GMT
“Hurry up! I don’t want to be late!”
“Sorry Una, it’ll be just one minute!”
He dug through the dresser drawer with a frown before he found the single copper clip sitting under a pair of socks towards the back. He tried to put his jewlering in it’s box, but often he ended up just tossing it in his stuff. One day he might learn his lesson. He slipped the clip onto his left ear, wincing slightly at the initial pinch.
He had thought about getting his ear pierced, but the threat of it getting pulled out in a match was ever present. Easier to just get a clip on to display. He checked himself in the ear with a smile before he reached down to adjust the hawk bracelet on his wrist. He looked down at the gift with a smile and basked in the warm feeling that filled his chest.
Life was pretty good. He was heir to the throne again. Nate was the Gladiator champion. Jack was kicking ass and taking names. Charlotte was amazing. Just so amazing. He felt his cheeks start to heat, as they always did when he thought about her, and he rubbed at his face. Another glance at the mirror showed the foolish looking grin on his face.
He was happy. Like really happy. It’d been a long time since he felt this happy. Work was good. Life was good. It seemed like nothing could ruin that.
A thought he instantly regretted as his phone started to buzz on top of the dresser. He looked down at the caller ID. He considered ignoring it, but knew that he couldn’t. He reached out an answered the call.
“This is Pax.”
“Mr. Stormcrow! So good to hear from you again. It has been such a long time.”
“Well I have been busy. But I been doing what Ms. Davis has been asking.”
“So you have. The board and myself are quite pleased with your results.”
“Well I hope so. I’m busting my ass over here.”
“We expect great things from you. Of course we know you will not disappoint us like you did the last time. That would be most unfortunate.”
“Ya… no. I don’t intend too.”
“Very good, we will be watching. Every onward, ever forward, Mr. Stormcrow.”
The line went dead in his hand. He looked down at the phone with a deep frown, his good mood suddenly gone.
“Pax!”
“Sorry Una! I’m on my way!”
He shoved the phone in his pocket and shook himself. He checked himself in the mirror and tried another smile. It’d have to do. He ran his fingers through his hair to push it back from his face and quickly moved out of the room.
~_~
Pax was seated at a desk in the house he was renting in Japan, wearing an ‘Iron Heiress’ t-shit and a wide smile.
“What up neechi’s it’s ya boi! I said I was gonna do it, and you can be damn sure that I did it. First two time, back to back, Heir to the throne. Feat done only by Eternity and Rowan, and they sure as hell didn’t go back to back with it, did they? Now we ready to make history again by being the first to go and win the championship after the fact. And we kicking this off early.”
Pax smirks at the camera as he leans back in his seat.
“That’s right, management ain’t sitting around this time. They giving us all a taste. The Invictus and Men’s world champions vs their number one contenders in a tornado tag match this week. Let’s get into it. I’m teaming up with Natasha Walker this week. The Techno Tsuchigumo. She been on a hell of a tear through the Heiress to the Throne and got herself a win over one of the toughest bastards in the game to earn her spot here. Damn exciting to watch in the ring. Been getting to know her a bit, being roommates and all, but this’ll be the first time we share a ring together. But we both are technical experts and we both got a never say die attitude to us. I think it’ll work out well. Got trust in ma gurl. We gonna kick ass. Bet.”
He pushes his hair back from his face with a wide smile.
“Which brings us to her future opponent. Serenity Holmes. Man, Serenity, bein Berto’s dog sure seems to have worked out well for you. Got yourself a shiny new belt out of the deal and you get to get into all sorts of fights where all the advantages are handed to you. Real easy to collect some wins when you got The Legion helping you out, ain’t it? Life’s pretty good when you sell out, huh? Ridin real high for ya. Unfortunately, your ride is about to come to a crashing halt. See I’m real used to fighting uphill battles. I’ve been doing it all my life. Ole Spoon, he taught me real quick that the only fair fight is the one ya lose. Course I think that’s bullshit. You can overcome anything and stick to your guns if you just fight hard enough. You might call me stupid for that, and maybe I am. But every match I win I stand tall knowing that I did it on my own. Can you say the same? Course you can’t. The fucked up thing is you know that. We can all see it. You aren’t happy. You just keep trying to tell yourself that you are. Damn shame really.”
He shakes his head before he lets out a breath of air. He pushes his hair back from his face again before the smile drops from his face.
“Which brings us to Warren. Little Hero that Could. ‘The Better Man’ you like to call yourself. Like it’s some sort of accomplishment to be a better man than Dean Harper. Better wrestler then Dean Harper? Hell ya that’s an accomplishment. But Better Man?”
He snorts with a laugh.
“Hell of a low bar to set there. But it seems like you are starting to realize the truth to that old saying that when ya lay down with dogs you wake up with fleas, aren’t ya Warren? Course the thing is that Dean has always been a psycho. He’s made it a point to hurt, torture, even kill people that strike his fancy. Cyrus has always been an unhinged homophobic racist. But now it’s coming back to bite you in the ass and that’s when you decide it’s a problem? He kicks Vivienne’s head in, who’s been calling for both of your blood by the way, and that’s where you decide the line is?”
He shakes his head in disgust.
“‘Better Man’. At least Dean has never lied about who and what he is. He doesn’t pretend. See Warren, you been saying you are looking forward to this match. That you couldn’t be happier to be facing me. Truth is I feel the same way. I’ve wanted to fight you for a long time. Because the truth is Warren? You fucking sicken me. Walking around out here, acting like you’re a hero. Some sort of underdog out here fighting the odds. But you surround yourself with people like Dean Harper. Like Cyrus Daniels. Like Shea O’Hara. They say you can tell a lot about someone by the people they surround themselves with, and you continue to surround yourself with the worst people imaginable. The sort of people that a hero would decry. The sort of people that a hero would spend their last breath fighting. But you hide behind a shield of love. You say ‘that’s not me!’ you say ‘I can’t control them’. But that’s all bullshit Warren. You aren’t a good man, much less a better one. At best you are to scared to stand up to that kind of evil. It makes me sick.”
He slams his fist on the table, causing the video to jump from the force of the blow.
“To many people in this company are out here, pretending to be good. Pretending to be heroes while they surround themselves with the worst this company has to offer.While they let shit slide because of family or relationships or friendships. I’m tired of it, and I mean to put a stop to it. And it starts with you, Warren. The worst of the lot of them. And it starts this week. I’m bout to show you what a Better Man looks like. Trust.”
He smiles at the camera and leans back in his seat before flashing two fingers.
“Peace Out.”
“Sorry Una, it’ll be just one minute!”
He dug through the dresser drawer with a frown before he found the single copper clip sitting under a pair of socks towards the back. He tried to put his jewlering in it’s box, but often he ended up just tossing it in his stuff. One day he might learn his lesson. He slipped the clip onto his left ear, wincing slightly at the initial pinch.
He had thought about getting his ear pierced, but the threat of it getting pulled out in a match was ever present. Easier to just get a clip on to display. He checked himself in the ear with a smile before he reached down to adjust the hawk bracelet on his wrist. He looked down at the gift with a smile and basked in the warm feeling that filled his chest.
Life was pretty good. He was heir to the throne again. Nate was the Gladiator champion. Jack was kicking ass and taking names. Charlotte was amazing. Just so amazing. He felt his cheeks start to heat, as they always did when he thought about her, and he rubbed at his face. Another glance at the mirror showed the foolish looking grin on his face.
He was happy. Like really happy. It’d been a long time since he felt this happy. Work was good. Life was good. It seemed like nothing could ruin that.
A thought he instantly regretted as his phone started to buzz on top of the dresser. He looked down at the caller ID. He considered ignoring it, but knew that he couldn’t. He reached out an answered the call.
“This is Pax.”
“Mr. Stormcrow! So good to hear from you again. It has been such a long time.”
“Well I have been busy. But I been doing what Ms. Davis has been asking.”
“So you have. The board and myself are quite pleased with your results.”
“Well I hope so. I’m busting my ass over here.”
“We expect great things from you. Of course we know you will not disappoint us like you did the last time. That would be most unfortunate.”
“Ya… no. I don’t intend too.”
“Very good, we will be watching. Every onward, ever forward, Mr. Stormcrow.”
The line went dead in his hand. He looked down at the phone with a deep frown, his good mood suddenly gone.
“Pax!”
“Sorry Una! I’m on my way!”
He shoved the phone in his pocket and shook himself. He checked himself in the mirror and tried another smile. It’d have to do. He ran his fingers through his hair to push it back from his face and quickly moved out of the room.
~_~
Pax was seated at a desk in the house he was renting in Japan, wearing an ‘Iron Heiress’ t-shit and a wide smile.
“What up neechi’s it’s ya boi! I said I was gonna do it, and you can be damn sure that I did it. First two time, back to back, Heir to the throne. Feat done only by Eternity and Rowan, and they sure as hell didn’t go back to back with it, did they? Now we ready to make history again by being the first to go and win the championship after the fact. And we kicking this off early.”
Pax smirks at the camera as he leans back in his seat.
“That’s right, management ain’t sitting around this time. They giving us all a taste. The Invictus and Men’s world champions vs their number one contenders in a tornado tag match this week. Let’s get into it. I’m teaming up with Natasha Walker this week. The Techno Tsuchigumo. She been on a hell of a tear through the Heiress to the Throne and got herself a win over one of the toughest bastards in the game to earn her spot here. Damn exciting to watch in the ring. Been getting to know her a bit, being roommates and all, but this’ll be the first time we share a ring together. But we both are technical experts and we both got a never say die attitude to us. I think it’ll work out well. Got trust in ma gurl. We gonna kick ass. Bet.”
He pushes his hair back from his face with a wide smile.
“Which brings us to her future opponent. Serenity Holmes. Man, Serenity, bein Berto’s dog sure seems to have worked out well for you. Got yourself a shiny new belt out of the deal and you get to get into all sorts of fights where all the advantages are handed to you. Real easy to collect some wins when you got The Legion helping you out, ain’t it? Life’s pretty good when you sell out, huh? Ridin real high for ya. Unfortunately, your ride is about to come to a crashing halt. See I’m real used to fighting uphill battles. I’ve been doing it all my life. Ole Spoon, he taught me real quick that the only fair fight is the one ya lose. Course I think that’s bullshit. You can overcome anything and stick to your guns if you just fight hard enough. You might call me stupid for that, and maybe I am. But every match I win I stand tall knowing that I did it on my own. Can you say the same? Course you can’t. The fucked up thing is you know that. We can all see it. You aren’t happy. You just keep trying to tell yourself that you are. Damn shame really.”
He shakes his head before he lets out a breath of air. He pushes his hair back from his face again before the smile drops from his face.
“Which brings us to Warren. Little Hero that Could. ‘The Better Man’ you like to call yourself. Like it’s some sort of accomplishment to be a better man than Dean Harper. Better wrestler then Dean Harper? Hell ya that’s an accomplishment. But Better Man?”
He snorts with a laugh.
“Hell of a low bar to set there. But it seems like you are starting to realize the truth to that old saying that when ya lay down with dogs you wake up with fleas, aren’t ya Warren? Course the thing is that Dean has always been a psycho. He’s made it a point to hurt, torture, even kill people that strike his fancy. Cyrus has always been an unhinged homophobic racist. But now it’s coming back to bite you in the ass and that’s when you decide it’s a problem? He kicks Vivienne’s head in, who’s been calling for both of your blood by the way, and that’s where you decide the line is?”
He shakes his head in disgust.
“‘Better Man’. At least Dean has never lied about who and what he is. He doesn’t pretend. See Warren, you been saying you are looking forward to this match. That you couldn’t be happier to be facing me. Truth is I feel the same way. I’ve wanted to fight you for a long time. Because the truth is Warren? You fucking sicken me. Walking around out here, acting like you’re a hero. Some sort of underdog out here fighting the odds. But you surround yourself with people like Dean Harper. Like Cyrus Daniels. Like Shea O’Hara. They say you can tell a lot about someone by the people they surround themselves with, and you continue to surround yourself with the worst people imaginable. The sort of people that a hero would decry. The sort of people that a hero would spend their last breath fighting. But you hide behind a shield of love. You say ‘that’s not me!’ you say ‘I can’t control them’. But that’s all bullshit Warren. You aren’t a good man, much less a better one. At best you are to scared to stand up to that kind of evil. It makes me sick.”
He slams his fist on the table, causing the video to jump from the force of the blow.
“To many people in this company are out here, pretending to be good. Pretending to be heroes while they surround themselves with the worst this company has to offer.While they let shit slide because of family or relationships or friendships. I’m tired of it, and I mean to put a stop to it. And it starts with you, Warren. The worst of the lot of them. And it starts this week. I’m bout to show you what a Better Man looks like. Trust.”
He smiles at the camera and leans back in his seat before flashing two fingers.
“Peace Out.”
Well howdy there pardner.