Road Trip! or, "The Leviathan and the Ring Rat"
Apr 1, 2018 22:58:55 GMT -5
T.F.K. and Wade Moor like this
Post by Roy Speede on Apr 1, 2018 22:58:55 GMT -5
27 March 2018
A knock at the front door prompts a response, and Roy Speede rolls out of bed in his hotel room after yet another win, this time finally having pinned his longtime rival Doc Henry in a tag team match. He looks at the clock; 7:53am. Lovely, yet another day with the stress of the responsibility of a World Champion hanging over his head.
"I'll be ready in just a minute!"
The door swings open; why so many people had keys to his hotel rooms, he couldn't quite put a finger on it, but it wasn't like he could exactly do anything about it at this point. He looks up to see Nolan Walker standing there before him, and beside him, Alex Haden, both dressed casually, but fully prepared for the day ahead.
"Guys, I said I'll be ready in a minute."
"A good champion should always be ready."
"Yeah, but it's not like this is a match; I was sleeping. What's so important about this visit today?"
"Oh, no, we managed to talk the guys planning your World Title tour down; today isn't about the autographs and the big tour. Your next big photo op and autograph signing isn't until we cross the New Mexico border tomorrow. Today, we're going to go do someting a hell of a lot more fun. Pack your bags, because we're making a pitstop on the way down there."
"Guys, what are you-"
Alex cuts him off.
"We're going down the road a ways, stopping for a bite in Carson City on Lake Tahoe, and then following the road down to Las Vegas. We're going gambling!"
"Oh no. Hell to the no. You and I both know my wallet is never to fat to refuse to gamble it away. I don't want to deal with those damned slot machines or dice."
"Then play some poker, Roy. They've got tons of blackjack tables. And most of those casinos will hand out free booze to try to keep you there longer, but there's nothing saying you have to!"
"I'm not a drinker, Nolan. I've gotta keep my focus."
"Yeah, keep your focus, and then what, champ? Are you really okay with letting these autograph signings and photo ops and tv appearances keep you from having fun with this? You got back into wrestling to enjoy it, not because of the responsibility."
"Exactly, but I got back into this job knowing the world missed The Silver Lining, and now that I'm not only a competitor full-time again, but on top of the world as the World Champion, I've got to handle that responsibility; I can't just run around getting drunk and playing cards the entirety of my day. What kind of a role model would I be to the young fans?"
"Still a better one than a lot of the guys you've wrestled with. Remember Corey Black? Prostitutes and hookers. Jonny Fly? I'm pretty sure he wound up in jail, didn't he? And how many times did you witness guys literally getting murdered in that ring back in the WCF? You think worrying about being a positive role model actually crossed the minds of any of those guys? NO! They worried about being the best damned champion they could be, and living their lives the way they wanted. And between Black and Fly they had what, ten World Title reigns? You're gonna be a lot better in this business if you're happy and not letting stress and responsibility control your life."
"Yup, sure Alex. Where's your World Title belt?"
"Resting on your shoulder until I can work my way up the card."
Roy gives Alex a look of frustration. Alex and Nolan share a laugh.
"But in all seriousness, I just found out I'm going to be fighting for the 201 and Fun Championship this week, so soon we'll both have gold. And it'll be a reminder to you that having fun can still result in success."
"Alright, yeah Alex, whatever. I'll go with you to Vegas. But I've gotta get my stuff packed; you two wanna go grab some breakfast, maybe hit a drive thru while I get everything loaded up, and then we can hit the road?"
"Sounds like a plan. By the way, are you still driving that crappy Honda rental around?"
"Well, I'm renting a Civic, if that's what you mean."
"Cool, so we can have fun with the drive too."
"What?"
"I got myself a rental to use for touring purposes. I borrowed a BMW M3, so I figure that constitutes as good enough that we can have a race from Carson City on down to Vegas."
"That's exactly what I want to do, end up in a Nevada State Prison for reckless driving, or worse, crash and burn and die."
"Hey, at least if you do, you'll die a champ, right?"
"Just shut up, Nolan..."
Roy sighs, shaking his head in disapproval, and grabs his suitcase, opening the drawers of the hotel dresser to start packing his things as Alex and Nolan turn to leave.
"Oh yeah, and before I forget, I wasn't joking about the World Title. I'm going to win that thing too one day."
"Maybe. Maybe you won't even be good enough to take home the 201 Title."
---
The clock in Roy's Honda Civic rental rolls over to 6:00pm as he pulls into the parking lot of a hotel in Las Vegas, the sign reading 'The Venetian'. He finds a parking place outside the front door for check-in purposes, and another car, a black BMW, pulls in beside him. He gets out of the car, and as he does so, Alex and Nolan climb out of their rental.
"Does that mean I win?"
"No, it means you drove safely and we followed you rather than flying ahead and embarassing you."
"You're right, I would be embarrassed to have to make a detour to bail your ass out of jail, Alex."
"I thought Action Wrestling had a policy on what they would and wouldn't pay bail for?"
"Yeah, and I'm pretty sure it's 'fund your own prison break'. In other words, you'd be owing me, not Gravedigger."
"I don't want to be owing anyone. And after tonight, I don't think I'll have any trouble with money in case I do."
"Don't go overboard, dude."
"Don't tell me, tell Nolan."
"Yeah, like I'm going to be the problem. This whole trip was your idea, Alex. I think the biggest thing you might have to worry about for my case is if I find a nice lady to spend the night with."
"Great, so now I'm gonna have to keep an eye on you to stop you from buying a hooker?"
"Yeah, because you did so great at that when it came to helping your father."
"Hey, Logan may have been a drug addict, a drunk, and a partier, but there's one thing that he was that you'll never be; Logan was a bonafide legend in the wrestling ring."
"Was? Are you saying he's dead?"
"Actually, I dunno. Maybe. I haven't heard from him in a long time, actually."
Nolan practically face-palms at the news, shaking his head. Alex laughs, and Roy has to restrain himself from throwing a punch, though his fist does initially raise. Alex stops himself and holds his hands up defensively.
"Hey, don't look at me, I didn't do anything wrong."
"Yeah, uh huh, just don't sass me, got it?"
Roy paces ahead of his friends; Nolan leans over and whispers to Alex.
"Damn, he needs this night to relax; this return to wrestling has definitely been stressing him out too much."
"Yeah, no kidding. I just hope this one stop is enough. I dunno if I can swing another day off with the boss."
The two speed up to catch up with Roy just as they're walking in the front of the casino; Roy stops and turns to the two of them.
"Alright, so I figure if we're gonna split up, or in case we do get split up, we meet back here at the entrance at ten o'clock, deal?"
Alex and Nolan nod their heads in unison to Roy's plan.
"Sounds good to me. And I like the splitting up idea; I'll catch up with you guys later."
Nolan walks off towards one of the counters to get some chips to gamble with; meanwhile, Roy grabs Alex by the shoulder before he can run off.
"You, wait a moment. I need to talk to you."
"Oh, great, what is it this time?"
"Look, I just wanted to talk to you about your return to wrestling. First, congrats on the win. I know you were looking for that one for a few weeks now, and getting the pinfall was especially significant. But this week is a whole lot different. The entire division will be keeping their eyes on you."
"Oh, I know. Nothing to worry about."
Alex turns and tries to walk away, but Roy's hand on his shoulder keeps him from getting very far. He turns back toward Roy, who locks eyes with him to speak.
"No, not 'nothing to worry about'. This is serious. You're basically positioning yourself to become the Roy Speede of the 201 and Fun division with a win. You saw what happened the night I won this title. You saw what happened the following week even, and I wasn't even in a match. People will be going after you from every angle, and you're going to be placed in a spot where a lot more is expected from you every week. 201 and Fun may just be a smaller division dedicated to the acrobatics of wrestling, but it still has its own title and you're still very much a target if you win that match. You've seen Zombie McMorris on the warpath before; you got to see it from the sidelines when he went on a tear with the Internet Title in the WCF. He slimmed down explicitly to go after that belt, and he's probably the best competition you'll face anywhere. He would be a threat to me if he decided to leave 201 and Fun; I don't want to see you get hurt."
"Roy, will you please quit your worrying? Yeah, I'm going to be a target, but at the end of the day, I'm going to be making it to that point based on my own skills, and I can handle myself. And even if not, I've got Nolan right there at my side. I don't get why you won't let us help you."
"It's a long story, but it's not the time for that. I just wanted to make sure you understood the gravity of the situation and that you're going to need to watch your back big time if you win this title."
"I will. I've got that covered though, dude. You don't have to keep stressing about it for my sake."
"Alright; just don't come crying to me if you get your ass beat because of that belt. I know what it's like to have the entire world eyeing me, and on a smaller scale, that's going to be you. You know; you've been eyeing Frost for weeks now, right?"
"Yeah, I guess."
"There you go. Alright, now, ten o'clock, okay?"
"Gotcha."
Alex turns to walk away, this time unimpeded by Roy, who lets him. Roy turns and takes a long look at the casino floor, starting out toward one of the poker chip booths to get some tokens to play with, when a stunning blonde waitress in a red dress stops him.
"Excuse me, would you like a drink?"
"Not right now, thanks!"
"Okay, Mr. Speede, enjoy your stay!"
"What the..."
Too late to ask; she was gone, onto the next customer.
---
10:17pm. Nolan and Alex are standing by the front door, arms crossed and growing increasingly impatient with the fact that Roy hasn't returned as he had said.
"Let's go find him."
"Nah, give it two more minutes."
"Look, I get what you're saying; this place is huge, and those slot machines are configured in a maze so he might be lost. But no, Roy just got lured into a poker game or a slot machine somewhere and lost track of the time. That's what they do to you here, is they set it up so you don't want to leave, and you never realize how long you've been here. Ain't gonna see any clocks or many windows inside a casino for that reason."
"Alright, I give, let's go find him."
The two push off of the wall and start through the casino, Alex following closely behind Nolan. The two have to repeatedly refuse drinks from the cocktail waitresses as they make their way all the way back to the poker tables, where they see Roy sitting. As they approach they realize that he's more than likely a bit closer to drunk than sober, three empty martini glasses sitting beside his stack of poker chips. Alex leans over and speaks to Nolan out of earshot before they approach.
"You know, I never did like martinis."
"Nah, and I didn't think Roy did either. Always pegged him as more of a margarita type."
"Yup."
The two approach to see that Roy is playing not blackjack, but Texas Hold'em. His stack of chips is surprisingly high for someone who didn't want to get involved in the gambling aspect of Las Vegas, and the two can only watch for a moment as he pulls in another pile of chips following the reveal of a five-card flush of clubs. He looks over his shoulder as if sensing the presence of someone else, and smirks.
"Hey guys, enjoying the casino?"
"Yeah, and apparently so are you. Maybe a little too much actually. I thought we were supposed to be meeting at the entrance at ten o'clock?"
"We are! It can't be ten already; I just sat down!"
"Actually, it's..."
Alex pulls out his cell phone to check the time. 10:32.
"After ten thirty."
"Bullshit!"
Alex shows Roy the phone. His eyes widen, and he turns back to the table to see he has been skipped for the hand for failure to ante.
"Alright, where do I go to cash out?"
The dealer wordlessly raises one hand and points to the group's left, his right. Roy grabs his chips and nods, thanking the dealer without a verbal response.
"So what happened to 'I'm not going to get involved in the gambling tonight?"
"Shut up, will you. I won over seven hundred dollars at that table, and I woulda made more if you hadn't showed up."
"Doubtful. The newbies always win the first couple times to get them drawn in, but then you start losing, and they know you're not leaving until you win back at least what you started with."
"I guess. Hey, you guys wanna go grab something to eat? It's on me!"
"I guess so. I mean, I'm not starving, but they've gotta at least have a Waffle House in this city somewhere, right?"
"Damn straight. I'm pretty sure we passed one on the way in."
"Even better. We don't have to go searching too far!"
"Cool, let's cash out and get going."
The scene fades to black as Roy makes his way over to the chip exchange counter to receive his earnings.
---
01 April 2018
The scene opens to The Pit in Albuquerque, the arena scheduled to play host to Clash the following evening. Roy Speede pushes his way out of the locker room in his wrestling gear, preparing to make his way down to the main corridor of the arena to rehearse his entrance and get his bearings for the setup of the arena when Shia LaBeouf walks up wearing a dress and wedge-style heels, looking quite a bit thinner than normal, with camera crew in tow. A puzzled look grows on Roy's face.
"Shia LaBeouf, have you lost your freaking mind? What the hell are you wearing?"
Shia reaches up to just below his chin and slowly his skin starts to peel away; as the mask comes off, it becomes clear that standing before him is actually Jenna Bauer.
"April Fools! Sorry, Mister Speede. I figured I'd go ahead and prank you, since you wouldn't kill me for it."
"Oh my gosh... What the heck is going on here? Are we set to do an interview or something?"
"Actually, if you have the time, that would be ideal! I want to shoot something for the website talking about your reign so far and your recent and upcoming matches. Are you up for it?"
"Of course, of course, I'd be glad to!"
"Awesome, so we'll start in three, two..."
She takes a breath.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, Action Wrestling fans of all genders and ages, Jenna Bauer here with the World Champion, Roy Speede! Now, Roy, how does it feel to finally be holding championship gold after seven long years of building up to this point?"
"Honestly? It feels amazing. I mean, I've already discussed it quite a bit, I even got to express that to the fans some during the first episode of Clash after my win, but it's probably the greatest feeling in the world, really. I wanted this my whole life, and to think I'm finally here on top of the world is just... it's surreal, really."
"I'm sure! And beating one of your best friends in Donald Deruty to win that title, you guys are still coexisting pretty well, it seems?"
"Absolutely. We've got mutual respect for each other, and we've worked together enough to not let one match make us hate each other. In fact, Deruty versus Speede two is set for Battlefield in two weeks, and I'm sure we're going to tear the house down even moreso than last time. Our mutual competitive attitude and the fact that we know each other so well always makes for a great match between us, and as we saw last week, it makes it so easy for us to coexist as tag team partners."
"Speaking of which, you two are a tag team again this week going up against Alexander Pasternak and Wade Moor, two names I'm sure you've heard a lot over the years."
"For sure, for sure, or at least, recently I have. Alexander Pasternak has been bouncing around this place like a spring-loaded Russian bunny rabbit for the last two months now, and I think this is finally an opportunity for him to show us whether these last few weeks, losing to me, losing to Deruty in the contendership match was a fluke, or whether he actually might be the real deal in this business. I think it's especially interesting to see him align himself with a former World Champ who's also going to be coming after me pretty aggressively in upcoming months in Wade Moor, the Leviathan. See, he obviously hasn't thought this one through a whole lot, because aligning himself with Wade Moor is going to strengthen Wade that much more, and the last thing Alexander wants is to put yet another name in front of himself in the pecking order for a shot at me.
I like that, though. It shows that he's trying anything and everything to be successful in this business, and if he can't win the World Championship, the tag team titles are in reach for him with Wade Moor on his side. Not to mention, if he's got allies, he's got someone to watch his back when he needs it. Wade Moor, though, I expected a bit more from. I may not have been around in the WCF during the reign of #BeachKrew, but I heard all about it, and how could I not have based on the sheer amount of talent they had in that little group? Now he's here, and he chooses to align himself with such an up-and-down guy that there's no guarantee where on the card, or even if he'll be on the card from week to week. See, I like what Wade Moor brings to the table. He's a great competitor, but he's showing us that he lacks the smarts to really put forth his best week in and week out. His past is one thing, but Action Wrestling is about now, and about building the future of professional wrestling. And what he's shown us is that he's afraid to take this place on by himself, that he wants help, and that he's willing to align with anyone or anything to get it.
See, Alexander Pasternak is the weak link in any match regardless of where he's at on the card, and if Wade Moor wants to carry a team, he's found the right guy. But in the end, Wade is better than that, or at least, I would have thought he was. Now, he's showing everyone, himself included, that he's content to be on the side of medocrity. He's going up against two of the biggest names this company will ever see, and he's got Alexander Pasternak on his side? Very good, very good, that's exactly what I was hoping for. Wade Moor, the former World Champ, the former #BeachKrew aggressor, teaming with someone whose hopes for success in this company have tumbled further and faster than those of another gentleman whose background defines him, Doc Henry. The Leviathan and the Ring Rat; what a pair... Two men with so much to prove, so much to lose, and no chance of actually making the necessary gain. This week is going to be fun."
"Alright, well, I think we're about out of time, but thank you very much for your time, Mister Speede, and thank you for tuning in, folks. For Action Wrestling, I'm Jenna Bauer, signing off."
Roy smirks and offers a handshake, which Jenna accepts.
"And thank you, ma'am."
Roy turns on his heels and heads toward the main arena of the building as the scene fades to black.
A knock at the front door prompts a response, and Roy Speede rolls out of bed in his hotel room after yet another win, this time finally having pinned his longtime rival Doc Henry in a tag team match. He looks at the clock; 7:53am. Lovely, yet another day with the stress of the responsibility of a World Champion hanging over his head.
"I'll be ready in just a minute!"
The door swings open; why so many people had keys to his hotel rooms, he couldn't quite put a finger on it, but it wasn't like he could exactly do anything about it at this point. He looks up to see Nolan Walker standing there before him, and beside him, Alex Haden, both dressed casually, but fully prepared for the day ahead.
"Guys, I said I'll be ready in a minute."
"A good champion should always be ready."
"Yeah, but it's not like this is a match; I was sleeping. What's so important about this visit today?"
"Oh, no, we managed to talk the guys planning your World Title tour down; today isn't about the autographs and the big tour. Your next big photo op and autograph signing isn't until we cross the New Mexico border tomorrow. Today, we're going to go do someting a hell of a lot more fun. Pack your bags, because we're making a pitstop on the way down there."
"Guys, what are you-"
Alex cuts him off.
"We're going down the road a ways, stopping for a bite in Carson City on Lake Tahoe, and then following the road down to Las Vegas. We're going gambling!"
"Oh no. Hell to the no. You and I both know my wallet is never to fat to refuse to gamble it away. I don't want to deal with those damned slot machines or dice."
"Then play some poker, Roy. They've got tons of blackjack tables. And most of those casinos will hand out free booze to try to keep you there longer, but there's nothing saying you have to!"
"I'm not a drinker, Nolan. I've gotta keep my focus."
"Yeah, keep your focus, and then what, champ? Are you really okay with letting these autograph signings and photo ops and tv appearances keep you from having fun with this? You got back into wrestling to enjoy it, not because of the responsibility."
"Exactly, but I got back into this job knowing the world missed The Silver Lining, and now that I'm not only a competitor full-time again, but on top of the world as the World Champion, I've got to handle that responsibility; I can't just run around getting drunk and playing cards the entirety of my day. What kind of a role model would I be to the young fans?"
"Still a better one than a lot of the guys you've wrestled with. Remember Corey Black? Prostitutes and hookers. Jonny Fly? I'm pretty sure he wound up in jail, didn't he? And how many times did you witness guys literally getting murdered in that ring back in the WCF? You think worrying about being a positive role model actually crossed the minds of any of those guys? NO! They worried about being the best damned champion they could be, and living their lives the way they wanted. And between Black and Fly they had what, ten World Title reigns? You're gonna be a lot better in this business if you're happy and not letting stress and responsibility control your life."
"Yup, sure Alex. Where's your World Title belt?"
"Resting on your shoulder until I can work my way up the card."
Roy gives Alex a look of frustration. Alex and Nolan share a laugh.
"But in all seriousness, I just found out I'm going to be fighting for the 201 and Fun Championship this week, so soon we'll both have gold. And it'll be a reminder to you that having fun can still result in success."
"Alright, yeah Alex, whatever. I'll go with you to Vegas. But I've gotta get my stuff packed; you two wanna go grab some breakfast, maybe hit a drive thru while I get everything loaded up, and then we can hit the road?"
"Sounds like a plan. By the way, are you still driving that crappy Honda rental around?"
"Well, I'm renting a Civic, if that's what you mean."
"Cool, so we can have fun with the drive too."
"What?"
"I got myself a rental to use for touring purposes. I borrowed a BMW M3, so I figure that constitutes as good enough that we can have a race from Carson City on down to Vegas."
"That's exactly what I want to do, end up in a Nevada State Prison for reckless driving, or worse, crash and burn and die."
"Hey, at least if you do, you'll die a champ, right?"
"Just shut up, Nolan..."
Roy sighs, shaking his head in disapproval, and grabs his suitcase, opening the drawers of the hotel dresser to start packing his things as Alex and Nolan turn to leave.
"Oh yeah, and before I forget, I wasn't joking about the World Title. I'm going to win that thing too one day."
"Maybe. Maybe you won't even be good enough to take home the 201 Title."
---
The clock in Roy's Honda Civic rental rolls over to 6:00pm as he pulls into the parking lot of a hotel in Las Vegas, the sign reading 'The Venetian'. He finds a parking place outside the front door for check-in purposes, and another car, a black BMW, pulls in beside him. He gets out of the car, and as he does so, Alex and Nolan climb out of their rental.
"Does that mean I win?"
"No, it means you drove safely and we followed you rather than flying ahead and embarassing you."
"You're right, I would be embarrassed to have to make a detour to bail your ass out of jail, Alex."
"I thought Action Wrestling had a policy on what they would and wouldn't pay bail for?"
"Yeah, and I'm pretty sure it's 'fund your own prison break'. In other words, you'd be owing me, not Gravedigger."
"I don't want to be owing anyone. And after tonight, I don't think I'll have any trouble with money in case I do."
"Don't go overboard, dude."
"Don't tell me, tell Nolan."
"Yeah, like I'm going to be the problem. This whole trip was your idea, Alex. I think the biggest thing you might have to worry about for my case is if I find a nice lady to spend the night with."
"Great, so now I'm gonna have to keep an eye on you to stop you from buying a hooker?"
"Yeah, because you did so great at that when it came to helping your father."
"Hey, Logan may have been a drug addict, a drunk, and a partier, but there's one thing that he was that you'll never be; Logan was a bonafide legend in the wrestling ring."
"Was? Are you saying he's dead?"
"Actually, I dunno. Maybe. I haven't heard from him in a long time, actually."
Nolan practically face-palms at the news, shaking his head. Alex laughs, and Roy has to restrain himself from throwing a punch, though his fist does initially raise. Alex stops himself and holds his hands up defensively.
"Hey, don't look at me, I didn't do anything wrong."
"Yeah, uh huh, just don't sass me, got it?"
Roy paces ahead of his friends; Nolan leans over and whispers to Alex.
"Damn, he needs this night to relax; this return to wrestling has definitely been stressing him out too much."
"Yeah, no kidding. I just hope this one stop is enough. I dunno if I can swing another day off with the boss."
The two speed up to catch up with Roy just as they're walking in the front of the casino; Roy stops and turns to the two of them.
"Alright, so I figure if we're gonna split up, or in case we do get split up, we meet back here at the entrance at ten o'clock, deal?"
Alex and Nolan nod their heads in unison to Roy's plan.
"Sounds good to me. And I like the splitting up idea; I'll catch up with you guys later."
Nolan walks off towards one of the counters to get some chips to gamble with; meanwhile, Roy grabs Alex by the shoulder before he can run off.
"You, wait a moment. I need to talk to you."
"Oh, great, what is it this time?"
"Look, I just wanted to talk to you about your return to wrestling. First, congrats on the win. I know you were looking for that one for a few weeks now, and getting the pinfall was especially significant. But this week is a whole lot different. The entire division will be keeping their eyes on you."
"Oh, I know. Nothing to worry about."
Alex turns and tries to walk away, but Roy's hand on his shoulder keeps him from getting very far. He turns back toward Roy, who locks eyes with him to speak.
"No, not 'nothing to worry about'. This is serious. You're basically positioning yourself to become the Roy Speede of the 201 and Fun division with a win. You saw what happened the night I won this title. You saw what happened the following week even, and I wasn't even in a match. People will be going after you from every angle, and you're going to be placed in a spot where a lot more is expected from you every week. 201 and Fun may just be a smaller division dedicated to the acrobatics of wrestling, but it still has its own title and you're still very much a target if you win that match. You've seen Zombie McMorris on the warpath before; you got to see it from the sidelines when he went on a tear with the Internet Title in the WCF. He slimmed down explicitly to go after that belt, and he's probably the best competition you'll face anywhere. He would be a threat to me if he decided to leave 201 and Fun; I don't want to see you get hurt."
"Roy, will you please quit your worrying? Yeah, I'm going to be a target, but at the end of the day, I'm going to be making it to that point based on my own skills, and I can handle myself. And even if not, I've got Nolan right there at my side. I don't get why you won't let us help you."
"It's a long story, but it's not the time for that. I just wanted to make sure you understood the gravity of the situation and that you're going to need to watch your back big time if you win this title."
"I will. I've got that covered though, dude. You don't have to keep stressing about it for my sake."
"Alright; just don't come crying to me if you get your ass beat because of that belt. I know what it's like to have the entire world eyeing me, and on a smaller scale, that's going to be you. You know; you've been eyeing Frost for weeks now, right?"
"Yeah, I guess."
"There you go. Alright, now, ten o'clock, okay?"
"Gotcha."
Alex turns to walk away, this time unimpeded by Roy, who lets him. Roy turns and takes a long look at the casino floor, starting out toward one of the poker chip booths to get some tokens to play with, when a stunning blonde waitress in a red dress stops him.
"Excuse me, would you like a drink?"
"Not right now, thanks!"
"Okay, Mr. Speede, enjoy your stay!"
"What the..."
Too late to ask; she was gone, onto the next customer.
---
10:17pm. Nolan and Alex are standing by the front door, arms crossed and growing increasingly impatient with the fact that Roy hasn't returned as he had said.
"Let's go find him."
"Nah, give it two more minutes."
"Look, I get what you're saying; this place is huge, and those slot machines are configured in a maze so he might be lost. But no, Roy just got lured into a poker game or a slot machine somewhere and lost track of the time. That's what they do to you here, is they set it up so you don't want to leave, and you never realize how long you've been here. Ain't gonna see any clocks or many windows inside a casino for that reason."
"Alright, I give, let's go find him."
The two push off of the wall and start through the casino, Alex following closely behind Nolan. The two have to repeatedly refuse drinks from the cocktail waitresses as they make their way all the way back to the poker tables, where they see Roy sitting. As they approach they realize that he's more than likely a bit closer to drunk than sober, three empty martini glasses sitting beside his stack of poker chips. Alex leans over and speaks to Nolan out of earshot before they approach.
"You know, I never did like martinis."
"Nah, and I didn't think Roy did either. Always pegged him as more of a margarita type."
"Yup."
The two approach to see that Roy is playing not blackjack, but Texas Hold'em. His stack of chips is surprisingly high for someone who didn't want to get involved in the gambling aspect of Las Vegas, and the two can only watch for a moment as he pulls in another pile of chips following the reveal of a five-card flush of clubs. He looks over his shoulder as if sensing the presence of someone else, and smirks.
"Hey guys, enjoying the casino?"
"Yeah, and apparently so are you. Maybe a little too much actually. I thought we were supposed to be meeting at the entrance at ten o'clock?"
"We are! It can't be ten already; I just sat down!"
"Actually, it's..."
Alex pulls out his cell phone to check the time. 10:32.
"After ten thirty."
"Bullshit!"
Alex shows Roy the phone. His eyes widen, and he turns back to the table to see he has been skipped for the hand for failure to ante.
"Alright, where do I go to cash out?"
The dealer wordlessly raises one hand and points to the group's left, his right. Roy grabs his chips and nods, thanking the dealer without a verbal response.
"So what happened to 'I'm not going to get involved in the gambling tonight?"
"Shut up, will you. I won over seven hundred dollars at that table, and I woulda made more if you hadn't showed up."
"Doubtful. The newbies always win the first couple times to get them drawn in, but then you start losing, and they know you're not leaving until you win back at least what you started with."
"I guess. Hey, you guys wanna go grab something to eat? It's on me!"
"I guess so. I mean, I'm not starving, but they've gotta at least have a Waffle House in this city somewhere, right?"
"Damn straight. I'm pretty sure we passed one on the way in."
"Even better. We don't have to go searching too far!"
"Cool, let's cash out and get going."
The scene fades to black as Roy makes his way over to the chip exchange counter to receive his earnings.
---
01 April 2018
The scene opens to The Pit in Albuquerque, the arena scheduled to play host to Clash the following evening. Roy Speede pushes his way out of the locker room in his wrestling gear, preparing to make his way down to the main corridor of the arena to rehearse his entrance and get his bearings for the setup of the arena when Shia LaBeouf walks up wearing a dress and wedge-style heels, looking quite a bit thinner than normal, with camera crew in tow. A puzzled look grows on Roy's face.
"Shia LaBeouf, have you lost your freaking mind? What the hell are you wearing?"
Shia reaches up to just below his chin and slowly his skin starts to peel away; as the mask comes off, it becomes clear that standing before him is actually Jenna Bauer.
"April Fools! Sorry, Mister Speede. I figured I'd go ahead and prank you, since you wouldn't kill me for it."
"Oh my gosh... What the heck is going on here? Are we set to do an interview or something?"
"Actually, if you have the time, that would be ideal! I want to shoot something for the website talking about your reign so far and your recent and upcoming matches. Are you up for it?"
"Of course, of course, I'd be glad to!"
"Awesome, so we'll start in three, two..."
She takes a breath.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, Action Wrestling fans of all genders and ages, Jenna Bauer here with the World Champion, Roy Speede! Now, Roy, how does it feel to finally be holding championship gold after seven long years of building up to this point?"
"Honestly? It feels amazing. I mean, I've already discussed it quite a bit, I even got to express that to the fans some during the first episode of Clash after my win, but it's probably the greatest feeling in the world, really. I wanted this my whole life, and to think I'm finally here on top of the world is just... it's surreal, really."
"I'm sure! And beating one of your best friends in Donald Deruty to win that title, you guys are still coexisting pretty well, it seems?"
"Absolutely. We've got mutual respect for each other, and we've worked together enough to not let one match make us hate each other. In fact, Deruty versus Speede two is set for Battlefield in two weeks, and I'm sure we're going to tear the house down even moreso than last time. Our mutual competitive attitude and the fact that we know each other so well always makes for a great match between us, and as we saw last week, it makes it so easy for us to coexist as tag team partners."
"Speaking of which, you two are a tag team again this week going up against Alexander Pasternak and Wade Moor, two names I'm sure you've heard a lot over the years."
"For sure, for sure, or at least, recently I have. Alexander Pasternak has been bouncing around this place like a spring-loaded Russian bunny rabbit for the last two months now, and I think this is finally an opportunity for him to show us whether these last few weeks, losing to me, losing to Deruty in the contendership match was a fluke, or whether he actually might be the real deal in this business. I think it's especially interesting to see him align himself with a former World Champ who's also going to be coming after me pretty aggressively in upcoming months in Wade Moor, the Leviathan. See, he obviously hasn't thought this one through a whole lot, because aligning himself with Wade Moor is going to strengthen Wade that much more, and the last thing Alexander wants is to put yet another name in front of himself in the pecking order for a shot at me.
I like that, though. It shows that he's trying anything and everything to be successful in this business, and if he can't win the World Championship, the tag team titles are in reach for him with Wade Moor on his side. Not to mention, if he's got allies, he's got someone to watch his back when he needs it. Wade Moor, though, I expected a bit more from. I may not have been around in the WCF during the reign of #BeachKrew, but I heard all about it, and how could I not have based on the sheer amount of talent they had in that little group? Now he's here, and he chooses to align himself with such an up-and-down guy that there's no guarantee where on the card, or even if he'll be on the card from week to week. See, I like what Wade Moor brings to the table. He's a great competitor, but he's showing us that he lacks the smarts to really put forth his best week in and week out. His past is one thing, but Action Wrestling is about now, and about building the future of professional wrestling. And what he's shown us is that he's afraid to take this place on by himself, that he wants help, and that he's willing to align with anyone or anything to get it.
See, Alexander Pasternak is the weak link in any match regardless of where he's at on the card, and if Wade Moor wants to carry a team, he's found the right guy. But in the end, Wade is better than that, or at least, I would have thought he was. Now, he's showing everyone, himself included, that he's content to be on the side of medocrity. He's going up against two of the biggest names this company will ever see, and he's got Alexander Pasternak on his side? Very good, very good, that's exactly what I was hoping for. Wade Moor, the former World Champ, the former #BeachKrew aggressor, teaming with someone whose hopes for success in this company have tumbled further and faster than those of another gentleman whose background defines him, Doc Henry. The Leviathan and the Ring Rat; what a pair... Two men with so much to prove, so much to lose, and no chance of actually making the necessary gain. This week is going to be fun."
"Alright, well, I think we're about out of time, but thank you very much for your time, Mister Speede, and thank you for tuning in, folks. For Action Wrestling, I'm Jenna Bauer, signing off."
Roy smirks and offers a handshake, which Jenna accepts.
"And thank you, ma'am."
Roy turns on his heels and heads toward the main arena of the building as the scene fades to black.