Archie Rude, Billy Fowler, and the Jesse Jamester Question
Aug 16, 2021 5:35:42 GMT -5
vastrix, Oh-Oh, and 1 more like this
Post by robriot on Aug 16, 2021 5:35:42 GMT -5
Rob Riot sighs and internally asks himself why he agrees to do things like what he's about to do. He's sat inside a car with blacked-out windows, parked around the corner from a bookshop. When he gets out of the car and walks around the corner, there will be a crowd of screaming fans waiting for him. They'll want to touch him. They'll want to talk to him. He'll have to smile and pose and answer questions, all because he took money from a book publisher.
He looks down at the book in his hands. “The Death of RSW,” by Rob Riot. His account. The definitive truth. Well - the definitive truth plus a few embellishments. You have to amp things up a bit when you have a book to sell.
To be honest, he only agreed to write the book to annoy Armand von Krauss.
The book signing isn't going to go away, so the only logical thing to do is push through it. He steps out of the car and is immediately hit by a wave of cheers from the intrepid fans who'd already worked out that he was in the big car with the tinted windows parked around the corner. It wasn't the most inconspicuous way to arrive. Through gritted teeth and a rictus grin, Riot waves at the fans. It's baby-kissing time.
As he bustles his way through the crowd in an attempt to reach the door, an NPW-branded microphone is shoved under his nose. To Riot’s surprise and annoyance, Archie Rude is here in search of a story.
“Archie. How lovely to see you. I’d be happy to sign you a personalised copy, but you’ll have to join the queue. I can’t be seen to be giving preferential treatment to NPW employees now, can I?”
Archie is undeterred. Unlike the more deferential Blake Samuels, he can see through Riot’s bluster. The soft soap approach won’t work. Instead, he hits the Riot Star with a straight question.
“Hey, Rob Riot, do you wanna tell the world why you and your boys left Billy Fowler out to dry at Honor?”
Riot stops in his tracks. The crowd that’s assembled for the book signing goes quiet. Archie smiles. This is exactly what he was looking for. Riot is yet to turn around, so Archie pushes it a little further.
“The Revenants were putting the boots into your boy, and Jesse Jamester had to come and clean up for you. Is that how the GSP rolls? One too many losses and you’re done?”
It's against Riot's nature to respond to questions like these, but there are things he wants to say. He takes a moment or two more to weigh up his response and then turns around, taking a step towards Rude. Rude, to his credit, gives no ground.
"You want the story, Archie? Here's the story. It's not as scandalous as you might expect. Billy Fowler was the only member of the Galactic Sex Pirates on the card for Honor, and he travelled there alone. As stupid as that sounds in hindsight, that's the long and short of it. We've sent the Revenants packing so many times that we thought they were done with the games. Like rats always do, though, they formed a pack and got the jump on Billy when he had Carner beaten. Trust me when I say that the GSP won't make the same mistake twice. From now on, when you book one of us, you invite us all. Whether you want us there or not."
Riot turns on his heel, done with the question. Rude, though, isn’t satisfied.
"What about Jesse? Are you gonna thank him? Send him a check? Give him a reacharound?"
Riot whips back around and goes eyeball to eyeball with Archie Rude. Rude meets his gaze, almost daring him to do something physical. Riot looks him up and down, weighing the former hockey player up. Ultimately, he decides that a fight with a reporter at a signing probably isn’t going to play well with his publisher or, for that matter, NPW HQ.
“I’d love to tell you something about Jesse Jamester, Archie, but I know next to nothing about Jesse Jamester. I know he’s a great wrestler. I know he’s a top guy. My path and his path haven’t crossed yet. Maybe they will one day. In fact, you want to know if I have a message for Jesse Jamester? Sure I do. Hold that mic steady, kid.”
The "kid" comment irks Rude, but Riot's already staring down the camera lens, and so Rude goes with the flow in the hope of getting a scoop.
“Jesse. We’re not friends, but we’re also not enemies. One day we might end up being road buddies or hating each other’s guts, but that hasn’t happened yet. Until then, we seem to have a problem in common. You have a problem with the Revenants. So do we. You want to drive the Revenants out of NPW. So do we. When you came through for Billy Fowler, you showed me you’re a guy who’s not afraid of a fight even when the numbers might be against you. Maybe you’d like to find out how much easier life could be if the numbers are on your side. Next time you go toe to toe with the Revenants, all you’ve got to do is bang on the side of the GSP tour bus. I promise you that you’ll find a gang of allies that’ll stick with you until the job’s done. Now, WHO WANTS TO GET A BOOK SIGNED?”
There’s a big cheer from the waiting crowd, and Riot nods in satisfaction before turning back to the camera.
"It's high time there was an anti-Revenant renovation in NPW, and whether it's the Bastards, the GSP, Jesse Jamester, or the whole gang together, that work is going to get done. Start packing, Revenants, because this old house ain't built for you anymore. See you real soon."
Riot heads off into the bookstore, and Rude ushers his cameraman away. He's got everything he came to get.
He looks down at the book in his hands. “The Death of RSW,” by Rob Riot. His account. The definitive truth. Well - the definitive truth plus a few embellishments. You have to amp things up a bit when you have a book to sell.
To be honest, he only agreed to write the book to annoy Armand von Krauss.
The book signing isn't going to go away, so the only logical thing to do is push through it. He steps out of the car and is immediately hit by a wave of cheers from the intrepid fans who'd already worked out that he was in the big car with the tinted windows parked around the corner. It wasn't the most inconspicuous way to arrive. Through gritted teeth and a rictus grin, Riot waves at the fans. It's baby-kissing time.
As he bustles his way through the crowd in an attempt to reach the door, an NPW-branded microphone is shoved under his nose. To Riot’s surprise and annoyance, Archie Rude is here in search of a story.
“Archie. How lovely to see you. I’d be happy to sign you a personalised copy, but you’ll have to join the queue. I can’t be seen to be giving preferential treatment to NPW employees now, can I?”
Archie is undeterred. Unlike the more deferential Blake Samuels, he can see through Riot’s bluster. The soft soap approach won’t work. Instead, he hits the Riot Star with a straight question.
“Hey, Rob Riot, do you wanna tell the world why you and your boys left Billy Fowler out to dry at Honor?”
Riot stops in his tracks. The crowd that’s assembled for the book signing goes quiet. Archie smiles. This is exactly what he was looking for. Riot is yet to turn around, so Archie pushes it a little further.
“The Revenants were putting the boots into your boy, and Jesse Jamester had to come and clean up for you. Is that how the GSP rolls? One too many losses and you’re done?”
It's against Riot's nature to respond to questions like these, but there are things he wants to say. He takes a moment or two more to weigh up his response and then turns around, taking a step towards Rude. Rude, to his credit, gives no ground.
"You want the story, Archie? Here's the story. It's not as scandalous as you might expect. Billy Fowler was the only member of the Galactic Sex Pirates on the card for Honor, and he travelled there alone. As stupid as that sounds in hindsight, that's the long and short of it. We've sent the Revenants packing so many times that we thought they were done with the games. Like rats always do, though, they formed a pack and got the jump on Billy when he had Carner beaten. Trust me when I say that the GSP won't make the same mistake twice. From now on, when you book one of us, you invite us all. Whether you want us there or not."
Riot turns on his heel, done with the question. Rude, though, isn’t satisfied.
"What about Jesse? Are you gonna thank him? Send him a check? Give him a reacharound?"
Riot whips back around and goes eyeball to eyeball with Archie Rude. Rude meets his gaze, almost daring him to do something physical. Riot looks him up and down, weighing the former hockey player up. Ultimately, he decides that a fight with a reporter at a signing probably isn’t going to play well with his publisher or, for that matter, NPW HQ.
“I’d love to tell you something about Jesse Jamester, Archie, but I know next to nothing about Jesse Jamester. I know he’s a great wrestler. I know he’s a top guy. My path and his path haven’t crossed yet. Maybe they will one day. In fact, you want to know if I have a message for Jesse Jamester? Sure I do. Hold that mic steady, kid.”
The "kid" comment irks Rude, but Riot's already staring down the camera lens, and so Rude goes with the flow in the hope of getting a scoop.
“Jesse. We’re not friends, but we’re also not enemies. One day we might end up being road buddies or hating each other’s guts, but that hasn’t happened yet. Until then, we seem to have a problem in common. You have a problem with the Revenants. So do we. You want to drive the Revenants out of NPW. So do we. When you came through for Billy Fowler, you showed me you’re a guy who’s not afraid of a fight even when the numbers might be against you. Maybe you’d like to find out how much easier life could be if the numbers are on your side. Next time you go toe to toe with the Revenants, all you’ve got to do is bang on the side of the GSP tour bus. I promise you that you’ll find a gang of allies that’ll stick with you until the job’s done. Now, WHO WANTS TO GET A BOOK SIGNED?”
There’s a big cheer from the waiting crowd, and Riot nods in satisfaction before turning back to the camera.
"It's high time there was an anti-Revenant renovation in NPW, and whether it's the Bastards, the GSP, Jesse Jamester, or the whole gang together, that work is going to get done. Start packing, Revenants, because this old house ain't built for you anymore. See you real soon."
Riot heads off into the bookstore, and Rude ushers his cameraman away. He's got everything he came to get.