Post by The Following on Nov 15, 2020 22:15:11 GMT -5
Kyle Kemp is looking at his computer in his office at The Followings compound with a smile. Open on the screen is an excel sheet with the roster of current followers and the list grows by the week.
Helping people is a passion for him so the expansion of the roster has been huge for him and the rest of the leaders The Following. Nope they need to continue the momentum.
Kemp takes one last glance at his computer before turning the screen off. It’s time for his morning rounds and he wants to catch Wesley teaching his class this morning.
He starts to stand up when his office door is thrown open and Chase Jackson storms in.
“What the hell is this!?”
Kemp slowly sits back in his chair but keeps a calm demeanor.
“Good morning to you too Chase. What can I help you with?”
“Fuck you. Don’t be condescending.”
Kemp smiles.
“Ok. Well, how about you tell me why you’re so upset.”
“You know why!”
Chase holds up his phone which has the next card for Clash on it, and Kemp can see his name along with Dandy’s.
“I don’t understand.”
“The hell you don’t! You’re teaming with Dandy!? What about me? I was supposed to be your next partner!”
“When did we have that discussion?”
Chase stares at Kemp with fire in his eyes for a second before continuing.
“It was implied!”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because I walked out of that ring with you when you kicked Odin out. I could’ve stayed with him or gone my own way but I stayed with you!”
“But what about that implies you would be my partner?”
“Because at that time there was only one man at your side. Me! Everyone else bailed! Not me, I stayed and I’m still here which is why I should be your partner. Not Dandy!”
“I understand you stayed Chase but it’s not your time. You aren’t meant to be my partner right now.”
“Not meant to be! Are you kidding me?!”
Kemp looks at Chase and sees him breathing heavy and losing control of his anger and shakes his head.
“I’m not kidding you. This right here is why you aren’t ready. If you were then you would be approaching this completely differently.”
“Oh yeah? How would you like me to approach this?”
“I’d like you to come talk to me like an adult.”
The word adult triggers Chases, who turns and punches a hole through the drywall next to the door. Kemp rolls his eyes.
“Do you feel better now?”
“I won’t feel better till I get my chance to be your partner.”
“Well you won’t get to be my partner till you chill out and grow up.”
Chase takes a step back, seething.
“I can’t believe you’re doing this to me.”
“The only thing I’m doing is protecting you from yourself and protecting the rest of The Following.”
“By skipping me over for that spy!?”
“Do you hear yourself? You sound like a conspiracy theorist. What’s next?”
Chase takes a step forward and puts his hands on the desk, leaving right into Kemp's face.
“What’s next is you need to tell Dandy I’m going to be your…”
Before Chase can finish Kemp grabs him and slams his head on the desk. Chase’s head pops back up, but he’s obviously dazed when Kemp grabs him and flips him onto the desk. Chase is now starting back up at Kemp who snarls.
“You listen to me you ungrateful piece of shit. I took care of you when no one else would. You were blubbering on the floor in the back of the arena when I found you. You would have nothing if it wasn’t for me and I’ve allowed you to ride my coattails since day one! You’re supposed to be a good ambassador for this group! Act like it!”
Chase slowly nods and tries to get up, but Kemp pushes him back down.
“Now you are going to do one thing for me. You’re gonna go find Dandy. Apparently Noris Cranley isn’t medically cleared for Clash. Carter Shaw is taking his spot. I need you to tell Dandy and while you’re doing that I want you to work this out. Do you hear me? Work this out. Because listen good Chase. I’m over this vendetta you have against Dandy. Fix it or I’m going to fix you. You saw what happened to Odin. Don’t let that happen to you. Understand?”
Chase nods again with fear in his eyes. Kemp lets him go and sits back in his chair, regaining his stoic demeanor. Chase gets up and starts to walk to the door quickly. He opens the door as Kemp looks on.
“Thanks Chase. Let everyone know I’ll be starting my rounds soon.”
“Yes, sir.”
Chase rushes out of the room.
Anyone that invests their money expects a proper return. That's why you invest because there is no point otherwise which begs the question…. what’s the point of Philidor Holdings?
It was October 12th when this supposed supergroup burst onto the scene at the end of Clash 100. The buzz afterwards was immense. People talked about how Philidor Holdings was going to take over Action Wrestling. We sat back and laughed. We knew that Philidor was nothing more than a few greedy underachievers thrown together. They’ve done nothing to change that.
Just look at the results. Did they win Trios? No. Did they have any success in the Wrestler of the Year tournament? No. Carter Shaw lost in the first round. Did they win at XIII? Nope. So that brings me back to the same question. What’s the point of Philidor Holdings?
Does anyone have an answer? Because I sure as hell don’t. I haven’t seen one of their investments create a return and the most glaring unprofitable investment is Derrick Vayden.
That’s right Vayden. You’re the weak link and when I look at your eyes when you walk down to the ring, deliver a promo, hang out backstage I see that you know it too. Do you know what gives it away? The sheer confusion.
This is normally when I would tell you that I can help with that confusion. Where I can save you but there’s a problem Vayden. You aren’t worth saving.
Does that hurt to hear Vayden? Does it hurt to hear that you just aren’t worth it? For someone with a fragile ego as you I can imagine what that does. The problem for you is that I don’t give a damn.
The Following is about making people better but in order to do that they need to have an open mind. They need to be able to commit. There are specific qualities that make people worthy of The Following and I know you don’t carry any of them.
Are you resilient like Wesley? No. Are you loyal like Chase Jackson? No. Are you confident like Dandy? No. You are nothing more than a confused boy who can’t decide if he wants to be a good guy or a bad guy. If he wants to fight because he loves it or because he wants to be rich. If he fights to honor fallen friends or if he doesn’t care. I could keep going with these Vayden but it would just keep getting sadder and sadder. The fact of the matter is that you are the poster boy in Action Wrestling for middling mental issues.
I don’t need you here right now to know that you know what I say is true. Just like I don’t need you here to remind you that you may have the least momentum of any wrestler in Action Wrestling! Losses keep piling up and your name continues to get drug through the mud by these idiots in Philidor. XIII was the perfect example of that.
I remember when you had a speck of honor. That washed away for me when you decided to jump Graham Baker before the match even began. You were all fresh. Obviously Man Made Gods were not. Baker was hurting but you needed to have the advantage. You had to take that last little bit of rope you had left with the general public and you threw it away. Not before you got pinned tho. Tell me this….. was it all worth it?
I’ll take it one step farther. Is it worth being a shit partner to Geri and an even worse father? You can hide under the guise that this is all about keeping your family safe but this move to Philidor is about your ego. If you were so concerned about Frank Lowe then why hasn’t Philidor helped you take care of him. You’ve got those two behemoths that you call the HR department. Why haven’t they helped you with your problem?
I’ll tell you why. It’s because you joined Philidor for you! Not your family! That right there is the overwhelming factor of why I can’t save you. The Following is a family and the fact you can spit in the face of your family with such ease makes me sick. You would do the same to me if I took the time to save you which is why I won’t.
What’s even more laughable is that right before the semifinals of the Trios Tournament you had the audacity to make comments about my accomplishments. You spoke like you were a big man on campus…but you’ve accomplished nothing. Lasting a few extra minutes at Havoc is a nice story that only carries you so far Vayden and I believe getting pinned at XIII is where that little claim to fame runs out for you.
So that brings us to this upcoming Clash. Another chance for you to step up and prove that you are worthy of any hype you have left and prove that you can hang with established guys like myself. A chance to prove that you belong. Hell a chance for you to show Geri and Makayla that the sacrifices in time at home are worth it! All that stands in your way is Dandy and myself. Are you going to be able to handle the pressure? Or are you going to wilt like usual?
My personal opinion is that you are going to crumble and I’m not going to give you the chance to prove me wrong. You won’t. You’re going to be just another dead best husband and father that talks about past opportunities and hopes that if one thing broke your way things would be different. It will be cliché and I couldn’t be any more excited to watch it.
Normally I would tell you to follow the Following here but that’s only for the most privileged. You need to just get ready for another bout of disappointment and complaining. It’s finally time for Ash Blake and the rest of Philidor to realize that’s going to be their only return on their investment. Your life is about to crash Vayden.
The scene shifts to a parlor room where Dandy is getting ready to record a promo for the number one contenders’ match. He stands confidently before the camera and a nameless member of The Following runs the camera for him.
“Aw, man. We get to destroy the bottom of the fuckin’ Philador ladder, huh? Derrick Vayden and Cranley fuckin’ Noris! I mean shit, look at that Philador roster an’ tell me that either a’ them names don’t make yo’ brain scream that ol’ Sesame Street tune, One a’ these things just ain’t like them others, one a’ these things just don’t belong. Only difference is it’s both y’all.”
The nameless man’s eyebrows furrow in confusion off camera. Dandy’s eyes catch their confusion, and he pauses to acknowledge it.
“What? What’s wrong?”
The voice off screen explains.
“Well, uh, you’re not facing Norris anymore.”
“WHAT?!”
“Uh, Chase was, uh… Chase was supposed to tell you. Shaw is swapping in.”
Dandy scoffs in frustration.
“He is, huh?”
‘Yeah. Sorry you weren’t informed of the change, sir.”
Dandy looks at the faceless member with a raised eyebrow.
“It ain’t yo’ fault, man. An’ please don’t call me, sir. I ain’t yo’ superior. I’m yo’ equal.”
“Oka...okay. Thank you!”
“Can you do me a favor?”
“Sure!”
“Go get me Chase Jackson.”
“Uh…”
“Jus’ go get ‘im. Please.”
We hear footsteps as the nameless man trods off to track down Chase. Dandy’s focus returns to the camera that has continued running throughout the interaction.
“Where the fuck was I? I guess it don’t matter no more, huh? So it’s Shaw an’ not Cranley… That’s fine. No. It’s better than fine. That’s good news to me. You see, I me an’ Kemp beat Norris’s ass like a mule, the whole world could look at that an’ dismiss it. That’s what’s s’pposed ta happen when you facin’ off ‘gainst inferior fuckin’ competition. But when we step in against the man of the year in Carter fuckin’ Shaw? That shit goes out the window. I ain’t forgot what happened last time I stood ‘cross from Shaw. Nope. Not by a long shot. Hell, I kinda owe that mo’fucka for givin’ me one a’ them final pushes to get right, don’t I? I lost ta Shaw. I lost ta Howie. I lost ta Ash. And now I’m standin’ tall as the part of somethin’ that makes me fuckin’ whole. Somethin’ that allows me to use all a’ my talents an’ find the man I was voted future star of AW in 2018, when I beat Sam Kidsgrove’s ass for 6 fuckin’ months, when I set the fuckin’ Iron Man record for Havoc, when I won the World fuckin’ Title, when I was voted the Man of the fuckin’ Year in 2019, when I pinned the Hall of Famer, Roy Speede at Evolution... Losin’ like I never lost before, Shaw - to you an’ them other fucks - that shook me to the fuckin’ core. So Shaw, you steppin’ up in this bitch in Norris’s place? Oh, shit, son. That puts me right in place to make shit right an’ let things go full fuckin’ circle. Since you an’ me las’ met, e’ry damn thing goin’ in my life is lookin’ up. But you? Nah, man. You been in full on free fall.”
“Look, man, when Philador finally showed itself to the world, it was butt ass obvious y’all was shootin’ to be king shit ‘round here. Y’all was gonna be the future of the fuckin’ comp’ny. Y’all was built to be the Trios champs, to change the game. But what does Philador have today that y’all didn’t have when y’all came out swingin’ the big dick? Ya had the Pure Champion in yo’ ranks, do ya now? NOPE! Y’all was the hands down favorites fo’ that Trips title, but did ya even get to tha fuckin’ finals? NOPE! Y’all was s’pposed ta smack tha shit outta Man Made Gods an’ Walter at XIII, but did ya? NOPE! Shaw, you was DIRECTLY involved in most a’ them failures, man. At some point, the curtain’s gonna get pulled back an’ the world is gonna come ta know what The Followin’ already knows: y’all jus’ smoke an’ mirrors. E’ry damn thing you Philador fucks been aimin’ fo’ has been a swing an’ a miss. Y’all are the kings of all-fuckin’-an’-no-cummin’. Ain’t you sick of that shit yet? I mean, you didn’t even have a sniff of failure before you signed on wit’ them deep pockets an’ let that corporate machine get in yo’ dome to fuck yo’ world up wit’ some sweet, sweet hallucinogens.”
“Shaw, you trendin’ in the wrong fuckin’ direction here, son. You pissin’ away all the fuckin’ career makin’ energy you was buildin’ when you won All In an’ when you stole a win off me. You had two big fuckin’ check marks in that ‘Future’ collumn. But now? Shit, man. Baseball rules would be good fo’ yo’ ass here, man. E’rytime you eat shit in a Philador match, we give you a strike. After three fuckin’ strikes, yo’ ass should be outta Philador. You sittin’ on two. The Followin’s gon’ merc you fo’ number 3. It’s fo’ yo’ own good honestly. I ain’t lookin’ fo’ nothin’ but bein’ better nowadays, an’ when I look at Carter Shaw, all I see is a man who needs nothin’ more than he needs to be fuckin’ better again. Stop fuckin’ yo’self with this anchor of Philador hangin’ ‘round yo’ neck. You gotta realize you the mo’fucka someone like Ash Blake or that HR Department treat as a replaceable li’l grunt that’s sent out to slaughter to keep the officers’ nicely pressed dress blues all crisp an’ clean. You the fuckin’ lemmin’ them mo’fuckas run off a cliff, Shaw. But you ain’t gotta be, man. You could - if you pulled yo’ head out yo’ ass anyway - be better. If you wanna run wit’ some mo’fuckas, fine. I get it. Action’s headed down the path where they’s strength in numbers. I understan’ that all well an’ good. But you fallin’ into the wrong ranks. Why get used, abused, and thrown away by Philador when you could be better wit’ The Followin’? Why get saddled down wit’ a deadweight partner like Derrick Vayden or Cranley Norris when yo’ ass could stand shoulder to shoulder wit’ mo’fuckas like the two-time Trios champion Kyle Kemp, the future Turmoil champion Wesley, or me, the next man who gonna join the elite club of Action Wrestlin’ Triple Crown Champions? Ain’t it crystal fuckin’ clear to you what you gotta do if you wanna be better, Shaw? I mean, unless you perfectly happy to take a fuckin’ paycheck an’ go through that clock in, clock out cycle like a good li’l worker bee who pisses his life away fo’ the benefit of the queen… If that’s who you is, forgive me, man. The Followin’ ain’t fo’ you anyway.”
The voice of the unseen man from before interrupts the silence at the end of Dandy’s promo.
“In here, Chase. He’s waiting for you.”
Chase steps into the room and walks up to be face to face with Dandy. DD’s wearing a pissed off smirk while Chase’s face communicates clear anger.
“Well…”
“Well, what?”
“Was there somethin’ you forgot to tell me?”
“No.”
“You a bad fuckin’ liar, Chase.”
Chase feigns being taken aback by the accusation.
“Liar?!”
Dandy laughs again.
“Not even denyin’ that shit.”
“So?”
Dandy deadpans Chase while shaking his head.
“What’s it gonna take to make you understand shit?”
“Oh, I understand perfectly fine! You’re working some kind of fucking con on Kemp, on all of us! Kemp might not see through it, but I do!”
Dandy sighs.
“Chase, this shit again, man? What the fuck I gotta do to make you understand I’m all about the fuckin’ team, dude?”
“There isn’t a damn thing you can do to convince me you’re anything but a thug. A dishonest piece of shit who has done nothing but use and abuse the people closest to him!”
Dandy runs his hands through his hair as the frustration within him grows.
“Chase, look, man.”
Chase smiles seeing he’s gotten Dandy’s attention with the accusation.
“I sacrificed my body for the good of this team to put a couple a’ mo’fuckas through the wall in that Trios final. Kemp saw it, Wes saw it, the fuckin’ world saw it. Didn’t you?”
Chase averts eye contact and it frustrates Dandy even more.
“Chase. Did you see it?”
Chase mutters a quiet answer.
“Yeah.”
Dandy nods.
“Ok. Now we gettin’ somewhere. If you saw that shit, why you ain’t trust me?”
Chase lets out a deep sigh and he deflates, defeated.
“That was supposed to be…”
Chase trails off.
“S’pposed ta be what? Finish yo’ thought.”
Chase’s hands run up to his head and he interlaces them behind his neck anxiously.
“You’re...you’re in my spot. Those matches were supposed to be mine, Dandy. I’ve been here the whole time, and...”
Chase’s hands drop to his side. Dandy reaches a gentle hand out and places it comfortingly on Chase’s shoulder. Chase recoils initially, but Dandy leaves his hand in place. Chase receives the gesture as a silent show of support and eventually relaxes to it.
“Chase...man…”
Chase’s eyes rise up to make contact with Dandy’s and he finds Dandy wearing a huge mischievous grin. Dandy’s voice goes from soft and comforting to harsh and direct.
“How long it gonna be before yo’ balls drop, son? Jesssssssssus! Man up! I’m better than you. Shit happens. Get on board or get gone. Ya got me, son?”
Chase’s body language immediately hardens, he swiftly brushes Dandy’s hand off of his shoulder, and he turns to storm out of the room.
“What, Chase? Gotta go change your tampon? Jesus, man. All them mo’fuckas I’m s’pposed ta be spyin’ fo’ is sure gonna get a kick outta you bein’ a li’l bitch, Chasey.”
Dandy laughs and shakes his head as he looks back toward the camera and sees it’s still recording. He smirks as he reaches out and turns it off.
A knock on the door stirs Kemp from some focused work in his study.
“Yes?”
“Yo, it’s Dandy. Can we talk?”
“By all means, come in.”
Dandy opens the door and walks into the study.
“Take a seat. Please. What can I do for you?”
“I ain’t gon’ beat aroun’ the bush, man. I know you got some worries about the beef wit’ me an’ Chase, and I…”
“Dandy, I don’t mean to interrupt, but you should know that I do not hold you responsible for how Chase feels.”
“No, no. I get that. I just wan’ ta say I heard them whispers ‘bout you given him the Odin treatment, an’ I jus’ wanted to face you man-ta-man to say I don’t want that shit, ok?”
Kemp leans forward in his seat, intrigued.
“Hmm. You’ve certainly got my attention. Tell me more. If his behavior continues to threaten our mission as a unit, why would we not remove him as one removes a cancerous tumor?”
“Kemp, I ain’t here to second guess yo’ ass or nothin’, but I don’t think it’s the right move. He’s just torn up over it. He expected somethin’ for a long time an’ he ain’t gettin’ it. I think I understan’ what he’s feelin’. That’s the whole reason I’m here in the firs’ place, right?”
Kemp leans back in thought. Silence hangs in the room as Kemp contemplates Dandy’s words.
“So you think Chase deserves time to… do what, exactly?”
“The mans has jus’ gotta be retaught what he doin’, what his role in this whole thing is. The whole world shifted on the mans, Kemp. I ain’t justifyin’ what he doin’, but he still useful to the group an’ I ain’t gonna let his sandy li’l pussy get in the way a’ our fuckin’ people runnin’ this place. Make sense, man?”
Kemp smiles.
“So you’ve come to request leniency for a man who is attempting to undercut you at every turn? Hmm. You wear compassion well, Dandy, and you might be onto something.”
“That all said, man. If Chase keeps tryin’ to fuck me aroun’, I’ma bust his ass, ok?”
Kemp’s smile grows just a little wider.
“Consider it your duty, Dandy.”
Dandy smiles in return as he rises and heads for the door. Just as he opens it, he stops and turns back toward Kemp.
“Clash is gonna be a huge night for us, Kemp. Wes is gonna knock off Walter. You an’ me are gonna be number one contenders. I just wanna make sure I tell you that I see the results from what you preachin’. I’m here fo’ all of it. We gonna show ‘em all: The Followin’ is always gon’ be better.”
Kemp nods with another smile and Dandy exits, closing the door behind him.