Same Page (Kemp/Trey/Dandy)
Mar 14, 2021 22:41:52 GMT -5
Lissie Hope, Azurine Vebbins, and 3 more like this
Post by Dandy DiVito on Mar 14, 2021 22:41:52 GMT -5
Kemp and Dandy are shown sitting in one of the common areas in the compound. A TV sits on in the corner but neither are really paying attention. Kemp is scanning through things on his phone and Dandy is enjoying a beer when Kemp finally tosses his phone down and blurts out.
“What do you think?”
“About what?”
“The wrinkle we were thrown this week.”
Dandy takes a second to think before smiling.
“Who fuckin’ cares? I get to finish this bullshit with Carter Shaw.”
“That may be true but that means we have to trust someone that neither of us has any experience with. How do we know we can trust Bouchet?”
“We don’t need to trust him. He fuckin’ hates Philidor as much as we do. What’s his other choices?”
“To walk out on us and let us get softened up by Philidor.”
“He ain’t that stupid.”
“How do you know?”
“Because walkin’ out on us is career suicide.”
Kemp takes a second to think and then smirks.
“I guess you are right. Walking out on us would show us his true colors. Colors that definitely don’t represent a better man.”
“And if you ain’t with us you are fuckin’ against us and we’ve shown what happens when you against us.”
“I guess we have that clout. I mean we are the longest reigning Tag Team Champions.”
Dandy laughs.
“I been waitin’ to see how long till you would slip that in.”
“It just feels good to say! This is what happens when you are dedicated to being better and working as a team.”
“And that’s why Trey Bouchet is gonna have to fall in line.”
Kemps phone goes off and when he sees the message that comes through he can’t help but smile.
“I think we just got our answer. He wants to meet early down in Meridian. A feeling out meeting to see what each of us is thinking for Sunday. I guess he really wants to take this seriously then.”
“That’s good. Him having our backs will give me plenty of time to focus on ending Carter Shaw.”
“And give me plenty of time to scout him.”
“Trey?”
“Yep. I need to start working on the weaknesses of my opponents for the Elimination Chamber. I need to be ready for everything.”
“You wan’ my advice?”
“Hit me.”
“Don’t let Ash Blake get you off your fuckin’ game. Neither a’ us been able to get to her recently. Hell we ain’t been able to get her in the ring since she gave the orders to hurt Wesley and I know that kills you. You been fuckin’ waiting for this for two months but you have also been waitin’ for a shot at the World Title for 7 fuckin’ years. Don’t ruin it lookin’ for revenge.”
“But that’s exactly what I want Dandy. I want revenge. I want to take what she deems precious to her and it just so happens that I would be taking exactly what I’ve always dreamed of having: The World Title.”
“And as I was fuckin’ sayin’ if you just focus on her you are going to get beat. There’s plenty of other capable people in this match that can beat you. Keep your guard up.”
Kemp takes a second, closes his eyes and takes a deep breath before opening them back up.
“You’re right Dandy. You’re right.”
“Damn right, I am!”
“And I appreciate that but I need you to do me one favor.”
“What’s that?”
“Take Carter Shaw out. We both know that if Ash Blake loses that title, they are going to use his briefcase to get it right back. We need to make sure he can’t do that. We need to make sure he is send the fuck home.”
A gleam and a sly smile crosses Dandy’s face.
“Oh don’t worry about that. I got that shit locked up.”
“Then we have nothing to worry about.”
Both men smile as we fade away.
I told you Carter. I told you that mental warfare had begun before Battlefield and what I say came true. From the second you left The Following’s compound you haven’t been yourself. All I had to do was give you a small offer to join us and make you second think your sponsorship with Philidor and you have crumbled. The descent that was slow since you became Mr. All-In suddenly has become a free fall.
And that free fall ends with only one result. A catastrophic crash. That is the future of your career. A destiny that once was thought to be a stellar career filled with championships and glory will instead end with a whimper. I am going to see that you are chewed up and spit out for the decisions that you have made.
I gave Howard Black shit about the choices that he has made but you aren’t very far behind.
The difference between the two of you is that he makes terrible decisions that shatter his psyche outside of the ring. You make decisions that ruin your in ring performance and I prey on that. I prey on that you are a mental midget Carter.
One simple comment can get in your head and the next thing we all know, you are out of the game. I knew what I was saying when I said “what if you just aren’t smart enough to tell the difference?” before Battlefield. I knew you would suddenly be wondering if I was trying to fit in some ulterior meanings. You sat before the match for hours, wondering what I meant. You dissected every conversation. Every movement from when we were a team. Every step I took and that put you all out of sorts that it made it simple to throw you over the top rope at Battlefield.
I eliminated you Carter. I did what I said I was going to do.
I made sure Philidor didn’t get the last spot in the Havoc Rumble.
Sure I didn’t win and at the time I thought that was going to make it so much harder to get to the World Title but the truth is that my showing and everything that I have done over the past few months was finally recognized. I was placed into one of the Win and You’re In matches for the Elimination Chamber. Were you?
No you weren’t.
Why?
Because you simply aren’t good enough.
Don’t believe me? That’s fine because as much as you want to hide behind Ash Blake, The HR Department and now Lissie Hope and Howard Black, you will always get exposed for being the fraud you are. The best is that Philidor keeps adding these people to their ranks so they can create buzz and make people believe that they are succeeding but the truth is that they have to keep bringing people in because you can’t do your job.
Besides when I carried you to the finals of the OG Bishop BattleBowl Memorial tell me the last time you won something meaningful. Tell me when the last time you did something memorable besides holding me down and making me watch Wesley get injured. Tell me the last time you did something where someone else didn’t have to do 95% of the work for you. I bet you can’t and therein lies the problem for Philidor Holdings. You can’t be trusted to get the job done.
That is why they bring in more and more people like Lissie Hope. They need to make sure the investors see something worthwhile. They need to con them in order to believe that everything is going great for the LLC. Unfortunately you and I both know it’s not. Why? Because behind the success of Ash Blake lies a wasteland of blown potential and major mistakes.
Norris Cranley? I almost forgot who he was. He has been so irrelevant that many don’t remember any of his past accomplishments.
Derrick Vayden? He completely fell off after joining Philidor.
I guess that’s why they got dropped without a word. You all didn’t want us to remember how big of a failure you have been. And guess what Carter. You’re next. Hell you already would be on the curb if you didn’t have that briefcase but believe me, the second you don’t have it is the second you get thrown out as well.
The fact of the matter is that your time as a relevant player in this company is coming to an end and The Following is going to end it for you. The mental warfare that began last month will finally blow up in your face and you will have no one left to blame but yourself. The Following has come to collect and Mr. All-In is about to become Mr. All-Out.
Trey Bouchet and Kyle Kemp met up at a Cracker Barrel right off of US-80. They were a study in contrasts: the AW Tag Champ, long-limbed and regal, sipping his coffee and saying little. Meanwhile the stubby Suplexpert was all energy. Bouchet fidgeted with and tossed about the pieces of the restaurant's ubiquitous pegboard puzzle game at the table, talking a mile a minute while Kyle smiled sphinx-like and took it all in.
“So, yeah, I do think you Following guys are legit, and not in just the sense you can go in the ring. You’re sincere. I’m not like some of the others in the fed waiting for the other shoe to drop with y’all; plexpecting Dandy to stab you in the back or you to go all Kevin Bishop and start demanding ‘sacrifices’ from your Followers. I buy your ‘all for one, one for all’ Three Musketeerism; not to the point that I’m interested in signing up, mind you, but I believe you believe it.”
“Thanks.”
“But what I do got issue with, and what needs to be addressed, is how The Following conducts itself between the ropes. There’s a line between having each other’s back and blatant cheating, and sometimes you cross it.”
Kemp’s poker face was implacable despite being dressed down by the (relative) newcomer to the sport.
“When Chase Jackson interfered last week; that was not helpful to the bigger picture,” Trey said gravely.
“Stopping Philidor,” Kyle noted.
“Yeah, it gave Lissie and Ash just cause to get in Howie’s ear. Dude’s looking for a plexcuse to take what they’re offering, and that came gift-wrapped courtesy of Chase’s shenanigans.”
“And you want to prevent that.”
“Don’t you? If the goal is to drive those Philidorks out from Action the last thing we need is them picking up more valuable assets. They’re tough enough already; if they can get Howard Black into the fold, they’ll become even harder to beat.”
“But I just beat Howard.”
“Yeah, by cheating.”
Kemp didn’t rise to the bait. Instead he calmly locked stares with Trey, until eventually the smaller man blinked.
“Look, I just think it’s friggin’ counter-productive giving Ash ammo to gaslight everyone into thinking Philidor is just a new way of doing business. It’s not and we both know it. If we want to break them, we do that by beating them fair and square. Carter and Lissie signed up with Philidor because it promised them security and opportunity, and that’s what Ash’s dangling in front of Howard. Whupping their asses clean helps prove those promises are false.”
Kyle nodded, “You’re right. It’s smart strategy. I will talk with the others.”
“Thanks,” Trey paused before confessing something to the veteran, “You know what really sucks about this? I liked all these guys a lot. Carter was doing great finding his own way. He could have been the feel-good story of 2020 if he stayed the course. Lissie, well, you got to root for her, right? Warts and all? And Howard? He’s someone I modelled myself after when I was coming up. Three amazing talents who either sold their souls to the company store or are seriously thinking about it. That’s what makes Philidor so dangerous. They can take the best of us and turn them rotten.”
“It is a shame,” Kyle agreed. He took another sip from his coffee, “Hopefully we can teach them the error of their ways. Of course, this isn’t the only opportunity afforded us to hurt Philidor. There’s the Elimination Chamber and the chance to take the title off of Ash. And there, while we will be fighting for the same thing, it will be against one another.”
Trey caught what Kemp was implying and dismissed it, “Yeah, but that’s not on my radar right now. This tag match at Clash is my focus. I want to win that the right way, which means to me looking out for my partners. Even if in a couple weeks I’m going to be suplexing one of them all over that Chamber to become champion. I hope you feel the same way.”
“Of course.”
“Cool,” Trey reached across the table to offer Kyle his hand, which he accepted.
“You and Dandy up to getting some in-ring time between now and the match? Formulate a battle plan?”
Kemp unfolded his tall, lean frame from the booth and rose, “I’ll let you know. Dandy has been somewhat reclusive lately. He has a lot on his mind. He’ll be good to go, Monday, though. Don’t you worry.”
Trey got up from his seat. The two shook hands again, and went their separate ways
“You’re who I want to beat in this match, Howard; more than the official Philidorks.”
“Now, I plan to get my licks in on the others as well. Carter deserves it because he’s the acquisition that really made Philidor credible when they first debuted. He sacrificed integrity for security, but I understand why. He earned his ticket to the main event with the All-In briefcase, realized he’d have to beat either WALTER or Corey Black by himself to succeed, and got cold feet.”
“Lissie needs a reality check. She’s been running her mouth on social media, equating my opposition of Philidor to ‘clout chasing’ when she should recognize it as what it was: punching up at assholes who deserve it, which now includes her. And while Lissie can offer any plexcuse she wants for why she joined, the real reasons are the three addictions she has not beat: drama, the spotlight, and making bad decisions. But again, that’s always been her.”
“You, Howard, should know better because you are The Natural.”
“We share some superficial similarities. We’re both little guys from little towns and, if that crucifix you wear to the ring is any indication, we were both raised Catholic.”
“More on that in a bit.”
“Otherwise we’re not the same. It's cliche, but you suffer from that ‘Little Man ComSuplex’ that I managed to dodge. I said it before, Howie: you aren’t comfortable in your own skin. It comes from being a little guy from a little town and while I guess you look at it as a positive-more fuel for the fire, right? - I never took to it. I mean, I went through a phase. When Teo Blaze proved my ‘untouchable’ suplexpert bonafides fraudulent by beating me in that Suplex Match I went to a dark place, but it hurt more than helped me. Carrying a chip on your shoulder constantly is just more unnecessary weight to bear. It borders on masochism, a trait your buddy Sam Kidsgrove tried to accuse me of being just ‘cause I ‘respect the ‘plex’. Which was both weird and wrong”
“You do have that masochistic streak, Howie, and it’s plexhibited when you feel something that’s strongly part of our shared faith that, again, never held much sway with me.”
“Guilt.”
“Guilt’s making you look at possibly aligning with Philidor. It’s got to be. I can’t think of any reason why you’d consider accepting their offer unless it’s to suffer.”
“I mean, it’s either that or you’re willing to turn your back on your whole populist ethos to represent the brand of the shadiest of vulture capitalists, which I doubt.”
“So, yeah, you’re the masochist Howie, not me. Some it is for the obvious reason- you feel bad Lissie is mixed up with those snakes. But the other one, the main one, has to do with your commitment to retiring.”
“You want to break your promise, and it’s tearing you up inside.”
“You joined Action with a plexplicit contract: twelve dates, from Evolution 3 to Evolution 4. But as time went on and the deal was plextended. The company did so happily, I’m sure, when you’re on your game Howie you’re one of the best wrestlers in the world.”
“But you weren’t happy, because despite all that your plextra accomplishments you hadn’t crossed everything off your bucket list, the big one being becoming World Champion. If you abide by your original agreement you’ve got one shot left of taking that title- at Evo 4: and to do that you have to win the Havoc Rumble which, as good as you are, Howie, is a long shot.”
“Unless you decide to renege on your commitment, which, honestly, I wouldn’t judge you for.”
“There’s no good reason for a thirty two year old man in the prime of his career to walk away plexcept for the fact he made a vow to the people most important to him.”
“And that’s your dilemma, Howard. Because that’s plexactly what you did, and now you understandably have second thoughts. You don’t want to let them down. You don’t want to be known as the guy who didn’t honor his word.”
“But that urge to wrestle is still too strong. You’re smart enough and confident enough to know you could do this for another ten to fifteen years. Is keeping that original commitment really worth over a decade of potential triumphs. Is it worth a lifetime of regret afterward?”
“You’re not sure, so even as you dip your toe into breaking your agreement you want to punish yourself.”
“That’s what this flirtation with Philidor really is about. It’s making a grey flannel suit into sackcloth and ashes.”
“Which is unhealthy for you on multiple levels, foremost of which is the fact by even teasing an alliance with Ash Blake puts you in my crosshairs.”
“I want those guys gone, Howie. Philidor is bad for this company. They are bad for the world in general. I can’t do much to them out there but I can damn well hurt them here in Action. I’m going to fight them as long as it takes until they say ‘ouch’ and cut their losses..”
“Whipping the asses of two of Philidor’s key commodities will help do that.”
“Making you realize there are other, better options available to remaining a wrestler past the pre-arranged plexpirtation date will too.”
So Lissie, we ‘bout ta run this shit back, huh? Been a while, gurl. It ain’t been long ‘nuff if I’m bein’ honest.
An’ I know you gon’ hear that an’ think ‘Dandy’s afraid of me!’ But that ain’t it, girly. Nope, nope, nope. The fuckin’ reality of it all is pretty simple: you represent the biggest blemish on my fuckin’ career, and losin’ the strap to you is the single greatest shame I’ve eva experienced. I mean, shit, what fuckin’ cham-peen wants to be beat by some mo’fucka who can’t hold on to the fuckin’ belt fo’ mo’ than a week, let alone get beat by a one-week champ that loses that shit to a one-week champ?! Lezzie, I honestly don’t know if you out here on yo’ back mo’ ‘cause you eatin’ any dick swingin’ off a mo’fucka wit’ a pulse - Hi, Howie! - or ‘cause you eatin’ pins whenever the pressure’s on. All I know fo’ sho’ is that you sure seem to be comfy when them shoulders are down. And even wit’ them facts established, you SOMEHOW managed to take the fuckin’ strap off me. So when I see you standin’ across the ring from me, I feel somethin’... it’s one a’ them feelin’s I don’t feel often at all… it’s fuckin’ embarassment.
You a two time champ. Sure. But let’s be real: one a’ them came when I lost the fuckin’ killer instinct that took me to the top. Marc Maron talked shit and I fuckin’ defended you like a fuckin’ sucker. I shoulda just piled on - wouldn’t be the first time several fellas did somethin’ to ya that could be reasonably described as ‘pilin’ on’, would it? - and hammered home the fuckin reality of it all: Lissie Hope is an undesputed fuckin’ legend… in her own mind. Is Lissie a future hall of famer? No. How the fuck you think anybody gon’ justify a hall spot goin’ to somebody who’s fuckin’ crownin’ Evolution moment is buddyin’ up an’ playin’ second fuckin’ fiddle to Kennedy fuckin’ Matthews?!
Look, Lissie, you desperate to mean somethin’, I get it. You’ll always be able to full throated say you was a two time world champ, but you’ll always haveta whisper that ‘but only for like 7 minutes’ shit right after. You’ll always be able to puff yo chest out an’ say you was a tag team champion, but the whole time you was doin’ that shit, you was comin’ apart at the fuckin’ seams, girl. You’ll always be able to tell the world that you carried that All In case for months on end, but you’ll always have to pretend that you didn’t piss that thing away by shootin’ yo’ shot on the SAME FUCKIN’ MAN who made you a one-week champ the first time just so he could fuck you raw AGAIN. You want the whole ass world to believe you some fuckin’ stand out veteran who’s a first ballot, sure-fuckin’-thing hall of famer, but shit, when we look at the career you built, what I see is a dumb li’l girl who couldn’t fuckin’ stop trippin’ over her feet.
I can hear you screamin’ at yo’ TV righ’ now, Lissie… ‘But I beat you, Dandy!’ Yup. Sure did. Even a broken clock is right twice a day, Lissie. What can I say? Looks like your broken clock of a fuckin’ career already showed up right twice already, huh?
But I think you know what I’m sayin’ is true already, Lezzie. Why the fuck else you gon’ go sign yo’ name on the dotted line and prostitute yo soul to Philidor? If you REALLY thought you could go it alone, you would. If you really thought you was a hall of fame talent on yo own, you’d be solo. But you can’t help but circlin’ the fuckin’ wagons, can you? The Royal Family. The Swallowin’. Philidor. You ain’t got the fuckin’ lady balls to stand on yo’ own, do you? And it ain’t about gettin’ better or learnin’ somethin’ you thinkin’ you missin’, nah. If that was the case, youda knocked on the Followin’s door. No, you want to buy the fuckin’ easy route, Lezzie. I ain’t got no respect fo’ that shit, girl. Nobody oughta. That’s why you never been able to manage more than one big win in a row, right? You ain’t got no fuckin’ resilience. No fuckin’ fortitude. No fuckin’ strength. You a weak li’l girl who’s jus’ hopin’ the storm don’t blow too hard an’ the thunder don’t roll too loud, ‘cause you know you jus’ one good fuckin’ clap from pissin’ the bed again.
So I know you gon’ just try to scream to anyone who’ll hear it: I BEAT DANDY DIVITO! I’M BETTER THAN HIM! And the whole ass time you’ll be screamin’, I’ma just be continuin’ to do what I do: break records, be a fuckin’ legend in the makin’, an’ punch my ticket to the hall that you ain’t never gon’ be fit to buy a fuckin’ day pass to see let alone be fuckin’ inshrined in.
Lezzie, I just want you to know, I have had you pegged from day one - definitely not the way yo’ ass pegs people fo sure, but still - as the li’l engine that fuckin’ couldn’t. You spend yo’ whole fuckin’ promo repeatin’ I think I can, I think I can, I think I can, an’ all the fuckin’ while, you ain’t got sense enough to notice the top of the fuckin’ hill’s only gettin’ farther away from you. It don’t matter what you tell yo’self you can do, girly. I matters what you can do. An’ Lissie… you ain’t got enough in the fuckin’ tank to make a real run that means anything unless somebody’s there holdin’ yo’ hand. Couldn’t defend your straps, couldn’t defend yo’ brother, couldn’t defend you from yo’ fuckin’ self. Any fuckin’ hopes you got about goin’ down in the history books as one of the fuckin’ goats is empty, an’ unlike you wit’ yo’ one-week title runs, when I make a mistake like losin’ to yo’ ass, Lissie, I don’t make that shit twice.
Before I wrap this shit up, I just wanna say thank you though. Thank you fo’ joinin’ Philidor, Lissie. ‘Cause now, they even less fuckin’ likable than they was before. Thank you for joinin’ Philidor, Lissie. ‘Cause now, they even more vulnerable to inconsistency an’ fragility. Thank you for joinin’ Philidor, Lissie. ‘Cause the best way to put an end to some cancerous shit like that is a fuckin’ chemically tailored poison, and I can’t think of a better fuckin’ analogy for your whole ass career when you attach yo’self to somebody else. Addy? MIA. Kennedy? Estrella? L-Oh-Fuckin’-L. Robbie? RIP. You are goddamn poison, Lissie. I can’t think of a better fuckin’ group a’ mo’fuckas to take a dose of your bullshit than Philidor. They want you? Then they dumber than I thought, and mo’ fuckin’ power to they dumb asses.
Dandy sits in the same common area as before as Kemp reenters.
“So what’s the word? We good?”
“We are. He doesn’t necessarily like 100 percent of our methods, but we’re on the same page this week.”
“Good.”
Dandy pauses a beat before continuing.
“Did you get what you needed for the chamber?”
“Absolutely.”
A smile spreads across Dandy’s face.
“Good. You gon’ be the first mo’fucka to the Grand Slam.”
A subtle smile graces Kemp’s face but he wipes it away quickly.
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Dandy. We’ve got this week to focus on first.”