And now, the end is near... [PE EOD4 RP1]
Oct 15, 2020 8:15:10 GMT -5
Mongo the Destroyer, Dave D-Flipz, and 4 more like this
Post by radu on Oct 15, 2020 8:15:10 GMT -5
(Red Maya Fitness.)
(A modest facility, but for the leaking ceiling, creaking floorboards, and blood stained canvas, it has everything necessary to finely tune a wrestling machine. Purple Emperor will spend the rest of their week living out of the damp gym in an effort to come out on top of the class. In the centre of a ring, Anthony Caffrey tests the give on the ropes. This will do. Nothing fancy. No distractions. The duo can put all their energy into preparing for the biggest challenge in the entire tournament. Plus, his partner should even be pleased with the location’s insect population. Caffrey starts to plot out the most efficient way to run drills, when rusty hinges announce a presence at the front door.)
Radu Matei: Place looks great, Caff.
Anthony Caffrey: As long as we don’t catch COVID or a staph infection, it’ll do for our training.
Radu Matei: Not sure how much training we’ll be getting in before the finals anyway, but it beats the motel. In any case, I’ve got a cab waiting outside. Figured we could hit a bar, check out the local colour. Support small businesses while cutting a promo that actually promotes tourism. I’d hate for the XHF viewers to see Fright Night and think that all this beautiful country had to offer was cock fighting.
Anthony Caffrey: Not gonna happen. We’re in a submission match against one of XHF’s best technical wrestlers and an upcoming star and I have a week to teach you a devastating hold. I’ve settled on what I’m calling the “Radu Clutch”.
(The camera pulls back to reveal a whiteboard on wheels. There is a diagram of Radu locking a camel clutch on Mistress.)
Anthony Caffrey: You see, with Mistress’ back being sore from carrying her team in terms of entertainment, and your ability to hold on no matter the circumstances---
Radu Matei: No offense Caffrey. Death Trap has a pretty strong threshold to pain, and I’m no slouch myself. Mistress is one of the most impressive submission artists on the Network, and NO ONE can match your ankle lock. This match only has a few finishes, and me learning a new hold isn’t one of them. Having never had a fight where we weren’t the heavy favourites, we are definitely the underdogs going into the finals. It’s a new experience, but I know we can rise to the occasion.
(The Sacrificial Idol’s tired eyes look from Caffrey over to the diagram of Mistress. Radu really hopes he doesn’t get blamed for that sketch. He can’t help but shake his head and smile.)
Radu Matei: Now, are we going to stress about it and psych ourselves out? Or hit the town like we have more in common than wrestling.
Anthony Caffrey: Dude, we’re not skipping out on training--
Radu Matei: Did I mention I found a bar that was playing the Eagles game?
(Long pause. Caffrey looks deeply conflicted. Radu is already erasing the board, while drawing something inappropriate on it, or is that a bug? MesuKing.)
Anthony Caffrey: ...fine.
(BUTTERFLY WIPE. In the back of a dive bar, Anthony Caffrey gives Radu Matei a murderous look – as they sit under the glow of a large television set displaying Australian Rules Football.)
Radu Matei: Philadelphia Eagles... Philippines Eagles, it was an honest mistake.
Anthony Caffrey: Damnit Radu. One of those is a world champion. The other is… whatever that is. In your terms, that’s like mistaking a roly-poly for a centipede.
Radu Matei (handing his partner a shot): Well suck back some Lambanog...
(Deathless doesn’t have to ask twice. Caffrey is more disappointed in missing the Birds than he will be when he sees the results.)
Radu Matei: ...There is enough methadone in this coconut whiskey that THESE Eagles will look like YOUR Eagles in no time.
(The Wrestling Emperor swallows hard before processing what Deathless has said. It’s going to be a long night.)
Radu Matei (raising a fist to cheer on wait staff): Keep ‘em coming.
Anthony Caffrey: You’re Romanian. You don’t even like football.
Radu Matei: I’m European. Our football is soccer. And as foreign as your version is, I think we can both agree (pointing thumb at the big screen) our respective footballs beat the fuck out of that.
(A waitress puts down two more shots of lambanog. Deathless immediately picks up his glass of liquid blindness, raising it to his colleague. Has an understanding been reached?)
Radu Matei (offering a toast): TAGAY!
(Long pause. Caffrey eyes the liquid in his glass. The two men don’t share glasses like usual Tagay tradition for sanitary purposes, but the booze in the glass would certainly kill off most infections. The 90 proof drink is definitely not one of the fruity margaritas he’s used to, and Caffrey would later find out through that the drink can go as high as 166 proof. Still, after the incredibly stressful year he’s had because of Death Trap among others...)
Anthony Caffrey: TAGAY!
#CLINK#
(SMASH CUT! The Purple Emperors pound back shot after shot in an effort to make the sport on the flat-screen seem more inviting. Rapid cuts eventually find Caffrey wearing a necktie as a headband; while Matei sports a man bun assembled using drink umbrellas. They seem to be rocking a karaoke unit, when Caffrey finally reaches blind football singularity.)
Anthony Caffrey (pointing at a short Asian on tv): CARSON I STILL BELIEVE!!! DON’T LET THE HATERS GET YOU DOWN!!!
Radu Matei: The Philippine Eagles are the... best. I really like Death Trap and Mistress. They are fucking fantastic. They should have a wedding special at Supremacy. FANTASTIC. But could they – could they beat the Philippine Eagles in a fight? Honestly?
Anthony Caffrey (taking in everything Radu has said before waddling up to and raising a hand to the screen): CARSON. WENTZ.
Radu Matei: Exactly!
(TAGAY! The game is so much better! Rapid cuts continue, as our protagonists toast literally everything. The waitress’s birthday is in five months? TAGAY! A dish breaks? TAGAY! Knife fight? TAGAY! Death Trap’s stupid hat? TAGAY! One minute The Purple Emperors are dancing with some gorgeous models, and in the next Caffrey is leading the bar in a Carson Wentz chant. The edits finally arrive at Deathless rocking the karaoke machine.)
Radu Matei: THE RECORD SHOOOOOOWS, I TOOK THE BLOOOOOOOOWS - BUT... I DID IT MYYYYYYYYYYYY-
(Frank Sinatra’s My Way. You don’t sing it in the Philippines, because if you hit the wrong note, you could get stabbed. The Sacrificial Idol is pitchy enough to have a death wish.)
(SMASH CUT! The streets of Manila have gotten a little busier, as The Purple Emperors race away from an angry mob of Sinatra enthusiasts. Unable to walk in a straight line, this proves difficult. Falling down a dirt path on a decently-sized hill helps them escape. And Caffrey’s dinner escapes too.)
(SMASH CUT! The duo use a food cart to stand upright.)
Radu Matei: Balut? Sounds delicious.
(SMASH CUT! More vomiting.)
(SMASH CUT! Almost dying seems to have sobered up our stars, who probably aren’t napping against a wall.)
Radu Matei <speaking really carefully>: The Annihilator has been a blast, but all of the animal cruelty has really been getting to me. It hurts my– you know that thing – my soul. Bears. Sharks. The next show is actually in a cockfighting arena. Where does it end, Caffrey? I feel like it sends the wrong message.
Anthony Caffrey: 100%. Senseless violence has no place!
(The two men then turn back to the action, as they are betting on horse boxing.)
(SMASH CUT! A different karaoke bar, this time its Caffrey crooning away while his partner tries to get the audience to clap along.)
Anthony Caffrey: MMMMMMMMMMMMY waaaaAAAaaaAAAAAaaaaaAy-
(SMASH CUT! The streets of Manila have gotten a little busier, as The Purple Emperors race away from an angrier mob. Feeling as though they are going to escape their pursuers, the drunken Emperors take time to celebrate with a toast. TAGAY!)
(Our happy duo ride atop a jeepney. While reasonably safe, The Purple Emperors don’t exactly have depth perception at the moment – and they haven’t even reache the first pot hole before Caffrey almost falls under the wheels. Grabbing his partner, Matei somehow manages to pull him back.)
Anthony Caffrey: That's how firm the Clutch has to be!
Radu Matei: I have no idea what I just did!
Anthony Caffrey: Then it's instinct. I'm a genius. You're a genius.
(TAGAY!)
(SMASH CUT! Caffrey enjoys a boa constrictor massage, while Matei and the attendant compare scar tissue as it relates to snake bites. It’s a riveting conversation, so neither realizes that the constrictor has wrapped around The Emperor’s throat and is starting to choke him. Caffrey isn’t going to tap. He might have a short nap though.)
(SMASH CUT! Ignoring warnings from their handlers, Radu Matei enters the horse-boxing ring. Holding back help, Anthony Caffrey stands between his partner and visibly concerned security.)
Anthony Caffrey: I already blew two hundred! I thought they’d have gloves! KNOCK ‘EM OUT BUDDY!
Radu Matei (shhh like he isn’t drawing attention to himself): i’m gonna free ‘em.
Anthony Caffrey: You go Glen Coco! WOOOOOOO!
(No sooner has Deathless approached one of the horse boxers to free it, then the beast is up on its hind legs, kicking Matei a good fifteen feet through the air.)
Anthony Caffrey: FATALITY!
(SMASH THROUGH YOUR CHEST CUT!)
(The night sky is pitch black.)
(...This tranquility is soon cut short by blazing fireworks. In a large field, The Purple Emperors have reached a self-destructive crescendo as they playfully shoot roman candles at each other. More harmless fun, except they have both consumed so much alcohol that they are definitely flammable. Fortunately they are so blind drunk that most of the shots miss.)
Radu Matei: i think mine’s brOken.
Anthony Caffrey: Stand still!
Radu Matei: Noooooooooooooooooooooooo.
Anthony Caffrey: Stand still!
Radu Matei: NooooooooooOOOOooooooooo!
Anthony Caffrey: Stop fucking moving.
Radu Matei: I’m sitting here, but not cause I listened. Only cause... I’m fucking hammered...
(Then the roman candles get upgraded.)
(The kind of pyro that might be deemed illegal in the States, with a blast radius makes every shot count. Despite the burning sensation, both men enthusiastically fire away with all the competitive spirit that has decorated each in so much gold.)
(Explosions are followed by laughter, as two of the most serious competitors on the XHF roster, play like kids. After multiple fireworks to the groin, both men collapse to the ground. Even barely moving, they continue to fire. Most shots hitting groins.)
(SMASH CUT! Boiled alive.)
(So inebriated they are barely keeping their heads above water, Caffrey and Matei are sitting in two giant woks. Covered in herbs and flowers, the two have been set to simmer. Has their wild night led to a tribe of cannibals?)
(No. The Kawa hot baths.)
Radu Matei (staring intensely at the camera): DEATH TRAP! When I saved you from Sainovic’s LEGO scheme, the resulting damage essentially finished my singles career. When you prematurely ended my boy’s X-Crown run, you forced him into a different career focus. The Purple Emperors exist because of YOU.
So beg your girlfriend for forgiveness ‘cause at Fright Night, you REAP what you SOW.
(Beat.)
(Caffrey is still very trashed. He has skipped way past the “slurring speech like Zoran” stage and is on the “someone should make sure he‘s okay” stage.)
Anthony Caffrey: Yeah. Good shit.
Radu Matei (snort): But... (shaking head) what’s the point?
Anthony Caffrey: To win.
Radu Matei (speech is still slurred): I like Death Trap. Death Trap is good people, er, traps. I don’t know Mistress, but she seems cool. I know my company hasn’t shown her the proper respect, and if I have to tap to show where I stand on equality, then so be it. I’m still going to give it my all, out of respect for them, and because I don’t want to let you down – but trash talk? Nah.
Anthony Caffrey: Trashtalk’s my whole shit man. Don’t knock trashtalk!
Radu Matei: I just find it all kind of ………………depressing.
Anthony Caffrey: Depressing is the empty space in my houuuuuse.
(The warm water has begun to bring out the heavy bruising on Deathless’ chest from the horse kick. He could have a collapsed lung.)
Radu Matei: We’re in a death match tournament where the finals aren’t even the finals. Going right after the – hang on...
(Radu accidently turns over. He almost drowns. They don’t call him Deathless for nothing. When Rau figures out how to spin back over, he spits up some rose petals before continuing to pontificate.)
Radu Matei: Going right after the belts! Never mind the fact that the LOSERS of the finals will have so many damn points they’ll probably be the top contenders at Supremacy, which will be an easier shot. Less bear hug bruising, horse shoe imprints and nurse shark ankle rolls. But who wants to wait that long?
Anthony Caffrey: Not it!
Radu Matei: ...Best teams on the network.
(The Sacrificial Idol looks down, focusing on a white flower swirling around on the water’s surface.)
Radu Matei: MCCW isn’t coming back any time soon. I’m as much SWAT, as you are FIRESIDE. So, we have two great teams... but unless one of our teams wins those straps, you’re not going to be seeing a lot of... well... any of us tagging.
(A silence sets it, leaving only the boil of the water.)
Radu Matei: And we all want to. And we’re good. So the situation sucks.
(Beat.)
Radu Matei: I’m not looking to tear them down. We'll all do a great job in the ring. I just find it very sad that at least one of our teams won’t be getting as many chances to show it.
Anthony Caffrey: Yeah.
Radu Matei: So I guess what I’m saying is...
(Although his words seem sharper, it takes Radu Matei a few efforts to pass Caffrey another shot.)
Radu Matei: Top of the Class-
(Both men raise their glasses.)
The Purple Emperors: Tagay!
(Knocking back another one, there is a very good chance that The Purple Emperors accidentally cook themselves to death. The threat of methadone poisoning is also very real. Glasses clink against the ground, as the two men contemplate what the Annihilation finals mean for them.)
(A modest facility, but for the leaking ceiling, creaking floorboards, and blood stained canvas, it has everything necessary to finely tune a wrestling machine. Purple Emperor will spend the rest of their week living out of the damp gym in an effort to come out on top of the class. In the centre of a ring, Anthony Caffrey tests the give on the ropes. This will do. Nothing fancy. No distractions. The duo can put all their energy into preparing for the biggest challenge in the entire tournament. Plus, his partner should even be pleased with the location’s insect population. Caffrey starts to plot out the most efficient way to run drills, when rusty hinges announce a presence at the front door.)
Radu Matei: Place looks great, Caff.
Anthony Caffrey: As long as we don’t catch COVID or a staph infection, it’ll do for our training.
Radu Matei: Not sure how much training we’ll be getting in before the finals anyway, but it beats the motel. In any case, I’ve got a cab waiting outside. Figured we could hit a bar, check out the local colour. Support small businesses while cutting a promo that actually promotes tourism. I’d hate for the XHF viewers to see Fright Night and think that all this beautiful country had to offer was cock fighting.
Anthony Caffrey: Not gonna happen. We’re in a submission match against one of XHF’s best technical wrestlers and an upcoming star and I have a week to teach you a devastating hold. I’ve settled on what I’m calling the “Radu Clutch”.
(The camera pulls back to reveal a whiteboard on wheels. There is a diagram of Radu locking a camel clutch on Mistress.)
Anthony Caffrey: You see, with Mistress’ back being sore from carrying her team in terms of entertainment, and your ability to hold on no matter the circumstances---
Radu Matei: No offense Caffrey. Death Trap has a pretty strong threshold to pain, and I’m no slouch myself. Mistress is one of the most impressive submission artists on the Network, and NO ONE can match your ankle lock. This match only has a few finishes, and me learning a new hold isn’t one of them. Having never had a fight where we weren’t the heavy favourites, we are definitely the underdogs going into the finals. It’s a new experience, but I know we can rise to the occasion.
(The Sacrificial Idol’s tired eyes look from Caffrey over to the diagram of Mistress. Radu really hopes he doesn’t get blamed for that sketch. He can’t help but shake his head and smile.)
Radu Matei: Now, are we going to stress about it and psych ourselves out? Or hit the town like we have more in common than wrestling.
Anthony Caffrey: Dude, we’re not skipping out on training--
Radu Matei: Did I mention I found a bar that was playing the Eagles game?
(Long pause. Caffrey looks deeply conflicted. Radu is already erasing the board, while drawing something inappropriate on it, or is that a bug? MesuKing.)
Anthony Caffrey: ...fine.
(BUTTERFLY WIPE. In the back of a dive bar, Anthony Caffrey gives Radu Matei a murderous look – as they sit under the glow of a large television set displaying Australian Rules Football.)
Radu Matei: Philadelphia Eagles... Philippines Eagles, it was an honest mistake.
Anthony Caffrey: Damnit Radu. One of those is a world champion. The other is… whatever that is. In your terms, that’s like mistaking a roly-poly for a centipede.
Radu Matei (handing his partner a shot): Well suck back some Lambanog...
(Deathless doesn’t have to ask twice. Caffrey is more disappointed in missing the Birds than he will be when he sees the results.)
Radu Matei: ...There is enough methadone in this coconut whiskey that THESE Eagles will look like YOUR Eagles in no time.
(The Wrestling Emperor swallows hard before processing what Deathless has said. It’s going to be a long night.)
Radu Matei (raising a fist to cheer on wait staff): Keep ‘em coming.
Anthony Caffrey: You’re Romanian. You don’t even like football.
Radu Matei: I’m European. Our football is soccer. And as foreign as your version is, I think we can both agree (pointing thumb at the big screen) our respective footballs beat the fuck out of that.
(A waitress puts down two more shots of lambanog. Deathless immediately picks up his glass of liquid blindness, raising it to his colleague. Has an understanding been reached?)
Radu Matei (offering a toast): TAGAY!
(Long pause. Caffrey eyes the liquid in his glass. The two men don’t share glasses like usual Tagay tradition for sanitary purposes, but the booze in the glass would certainly kill off most infections. The 90 proof drink is definitely not one of the fruity margaritas he’s used to, and Caffrey would later find out through that the drink can go as high as 166 proof. Still, after the incredibly stressful year he’s had because of Death Trap among others...)
Anthony Caffrey: TAGAY!
#CLINK#
(SMASH CUT! The Purple Emperors pound back shot after shot in an effort to make the sport on the flat-screen seem more inviting. Rapid cuts eventually find Caffrey wearing a necktie as a headband; while Matei sports a man bun assembled using drink umbrellas. They seem to be rocking a karaoke unit, when Caffrey finally reaches blind football singularity.)
Anthony Caffrey (pointing at a short Asian on tv): CARSON I STILL BELIEVE!!! DON’T LET THE HATERS GET YOU DOWN!!!
Radu Matei: The Philippine Eagles are the... best. I really like Death Trap and Mistress. They are fucking fantastic. They should have a wedding special at Supremacy. FANTASTIC. But could they – could they beat the Philippine Eagles in a fight? Honestly?
Anthony Caffrey (taking in everything Radu has said before waddling up to and raising a hand to the screen): CARSON. WENTZ.
Radu Matei: Exactly!
(TAGAY! The game is so much better! Rapid cuts continue, as our protagonists toast literally everything. The waitress’s birthday is in five months? TAGAY! A dish breaks? TAGAY! Knife fight? TAGAY! Death Trap’s stupid hat? TAGAY! One minute The Purple Emperors are dancing with some gorgeous models, and in the next Caffrey is leading the bar in a Carson Wentz chant. The edits finally arrive at Deathless rocking the karaoke machine.)
Radu Matei: THE RECORD SHOOOOOOWS, I TOOK THE BLOOOOOOOOWS - BUT... I DID IT MYYYYYYYYYYYY-
(Frank Sinatra’s My Way. You don’t sing it in the Philippines, because if you hit the wrong note, you could get stabbed. The Sacrificial Idol is pitchy enough to have a death wish.)
(SMASH CUT! The streets of Manila have gotten a little busier, as The Purple Emperors race away from an angry mob of Sinatra enthusiasts. Unable to walk in a straight line, this proves difficult. Falling down a dirt path on a decently-sized hill helps them escape. And Caffrey’s dinner escapes too.)
(SMASH CUT! The duo use a food cart to stand upright.)
Radu Matei: Balut? Sounds delicious.
(SMASH CUT! More vomiting.)
(SMASH CUT! Almost dying seems to have sobered up our stars, who probably aren’t napping against a wall.)
Radu Matei <speaking really carefully>: The Annihilator has been a blast, but all of the animal cruelty has really been getting to me. It hurts my– you know that thing – my soul. Bears. Sharks. The next show is actually in a cockfighting arena. Where does it end, Caffrey? I feel like it sends the wrong message.
Anthony Caffrey: 100%. Senseless violence has no place!
(The two men then turn back to the action, as they are betting on horse boxing.)
(SMASH CUT! A different karaoke bar, this time its Caffrey crooning away while his partner tries to get the audience to clap along.)
Anthony Caffrey: MMMMMMMMMMMMY waaaaAAAaaaAAAAAaaaaaAy-
(SMASH CUT! The streets of Manila have gotten a little busier, as The Purple Emperors race away from an angrier mob. Feeling as though they are going to escape their pursuers, the drunken Emperors take time to celebrate with a toast. TAGAY!)
(Our happy duo ride atop a jeepney. While reasonably safe, The Purple Emperors don’t exactly have depth perception at the moment – and they haven’t even reache the first pot hole before Caffrey almost falls under the wheels. Grabbing his partner, Matei somehow manages to pull him back.)
Anthony Caffrey: That's how firm the Clutch has to be!
Radu Matei: I have no idea what I just did!
Anthony Caffrey: Then it's instinct. I'm a genius. You're a genius.
(TAGAY!)
(SMASH CUT! Caffrey enjoys a boa constrictor massage, while Matei and the attendant compare scar tissue as it relates to snake bites. It’s a riveting conversation, so neither realizes that the constrictor has wrapped around The Emperor’s throat and is starting to choke him. Caffrey isn’t going to tap. He might have a short nap though.)
(SMASH CUT! Ignoring warnings from their handlers, Radu Matei enters the horse-boxing ring. Holding back help, Anthony Caffrey stands between his partner and visibly concerned security.)
Anthony Caffrey: I already blew two hundred! I thought they’d have gloves! KNOCK ‘EM OUT BUDDY!
Radu Matei (shhh like he isn’t drawing attention to himself): i’m gonna free ‘em.
Anthony Caffrey: You go Glen Coco! WOOOOOOO!
(No sooner has Deathless approached one of the horse boxers to free it, then the beast is up on its hind legs, kicking Matei a good fifteen feet through the air.)
Anthony Caffrey: FATALITY!
(SMASH THROUGH YOUR CHEST CUT!)
(The night sky is pitch black.)
(...This tranquility is soon cut short by blazing fireworks. In a large field, The Purple Emperors have reached a self-destructive crescendo as they playfully shoot roman candles at each other. More harmless fun, except they have both consumed so much alcohol that they are definitely flammable. Fortunately they are so blind drunk that most of the shots miss.)
Radu Matei: i think mine’s brOken.
Anthony Caffrey: Stand still!
Radu Matei: Noooooooooooooooooooooooo.
Anthony Caffrey: Stand still!
Radu Matei: NooooooooooOOOOooooooooo!
Anthony Caffrey: Stop fucking moving.
Radu Matei: I’m sitting here, but not cause I listened. Only cause... I’m fucking hammered...
(Then the roman candles get upgraded.)
(The kind of pyro that might be deemed illegal in the States, with a blast radius makes every shot count. Despite the burning sensation, both men enthusiastically fire away with all the competitive spirit that has decorated each in so much gold.)
(Explosions are followed by laughter, as two of the most serious competitors on the XHF roster, play like kids. After multiple fireworks to the groin, both men collapse to the ground. Even barely moving, they continue to fire. Most shots hitting groins.)
(SMASH CUT! Boiled alive.)
(So inebriated they are barely keeping their heads above water, Caffrey and Matei are sitting in two giant woks. Covered in herbs and flowers, the two have been set to simmer. Has their wild night led to a tribe of cannibals?)
(No. The Kawa hot baths.)
Radu Matei (staring intensely at the camera): DEATH TRAP! When I saved you from Sainovic’s LEGO scheme, the resulting damage essentially finished my singles career. When you prematurely ended my boy’s X-Crown run, you forced him into a different career focus. The Purple Emperors exist because of YOU.
So beg your girlfriend for forgiveness ‘cause at Fright Night, you REAP what you SOW.
(Beat.)
(Caffrey is still very trashed. He has skipped way past the “slurring speech like Zoran” stage and is on the “someone should make sure he‘s okay” stage.)
Anthony Caffrey: Yeah. Good shit.
Radu Matei (snort): But... (shaking head) what’s the point?
Anthony Caffrey: To win.
Radu Matei (speech is still slurred): I like Death Trap. Death Trap is good people, er, traps. I don’t know Mistress, but she seems cool. I know my company hasn’t shown her the proper respect, and if I have to tap to show where I stand on equality, then so be it. I’m still going to give it my all, out of respect for them, and because I don’t want to let you down – but trash talk? Nah.
Anthony Caffrey: Trashtalk’s my whole shit man. Don’t knock trashtalk!
Radu Matei: I just find it all kind of ………………depressing.
Anthony Caffrey: Depressing is the empty space in my houuuuuse.
(The warm water has begun to bring out the heavy bruising on Deathless’ chest from the horse kick. He could have a collapsed lung.)
Radu Matei: We’re in a death match tournament where the finals aren’t even the finals. Going right after the – hang on...
(Radu accidently turns over. He almost drowns. They don’t call him Deathless for nothing. When Rau figures out how to spin back over, he spits up some rose petals before continuing to pontificate.)
Radu Matei: Going right after the belts! Never mind the fact that the LOSERS of the finals will have so many damn points they’ll probably be the top contenders at Supremacy, which will be an easier shot. Less bear hug bruising, horse shoe imprints and nurse shark ankle rolls. But who wants to wait that long?
Anthony Caffrey: Not it!
Radu Matei: ...Best teams on the network.
(The Sacrificial Idol looks down, focusing on a white flower swirling around on the water’s surface.)
Radu Matei: MCCW isn’t coming back any time soon. I’m as much SWAT, as you are FIRESIDE. So, we have two great teams... but unless one of our teams wins those straps, you’re not going to be seeing a lot of... well... any of us tagging.
(A silence sets it, leaving only the boil of the water.)
Radu Matei: And we all want to. And we’re good. So the situation sucks.
(Beat.)
Radu Matei: I’m not looking to tear them down. We'll all do a great job in the ring. I just find it very sad that at least one of our teams won’t be getting as many chances to show it.
Anthony Caffrey: Yeah.
Radu Matei: So I guess what I’m saying is...
(Although his words seem sharper, it takes Radu Matei a few efforts to pass Caffrey another shot.)
Radu Matei: Top of the Class-
(Both men raise their glasses.)
The Purple Emperors: Tagay!
(Knocking back another one, there is a very good chance that The Purple Emperors accidentally cook themselves to death. The threat of methadone poisoning is also very real. Glasses clink against the ground, as the two men contemplate what the Annihilation finals mean for them.)
