Nice Digs | Nathan Cage NLW Character Development
Aug 30, 2021 17:23:22 GMT -5
Mongo the Destroyer, Jimbo, and 1 more like this
Post by Drag on Aug 30, 2021 17:23:22 GMT -5
Well, hello there.
My, it's been a long,
Long time.
How am I doing?
Oh, I guess that I'm
Doing fine
It's been so long now
But it seems now, that it was only yesterday.
Gee, ain't it funny…
How time…
Slips, away.
The song droned softly out of the radio on the Guard’s desk. He paid it no mind as his head remained down and focused on the forms before him. It was only when the mechanized door to the left of him blared and began to stiltedly open did he look up. A small smirk formed as he watched the man come out of the door and towards him, standing behind the inch thick bulletproof glass that separated them to be judged. In all honesty he hadn’t changed all that muched, perhaps a little larger but that happened to most men. No, the most striking thing was the absence of his dark blue jumpsuit the guard had been so accustomed to seeing him in. Instead he now wore a plain black T-shirt under a plaid shirt with a pair of dark blue jeans. His messy hair, slightly scarred face and general “fuck off” stare marked him as not a regular bystander however. And it would mark him for the rest of his life.
“Hello there, Nathan” The guard said, his tone dripping with insincere welcoming as though they were old friends. “My, has it already been five years?”
Cage said nothing save for a quiet clearing of the throat. He placed his hands on the desk expectantly.
“Come on now, it’s a happy day ain’t it?” The guard said with a chuckle, reaching underneath the desk for something. “A lotta the guys figured your sentence would jump up and up. You looked the type who’d keep pickin’ fights like an idiot!”
He placed a little brown box on the desk and slid it through the hatch in the glass. The printing read “N.C” With a string of letters underneath it.
“Turns out you’re just the regular old idiot that gets himself sent to prison in the first place.” He concluded with a toothy grin.
“You don’t know me.” Cage muttered to himself as he opened the box. Removing its contents and placing them in his pockets. Not much had been in his possession at the time of his arrest. Made it easier to transport at the least.
“You don’t know me.” The Guard replied, mocking Cage with a slight rasp to his voice before returning to his normal cadence with a snort. “You’re still just as corny big guy. It’s endearing though, I love it.”
“That all?” Cage asked, hands in his pockets. The objects of his life rattling against his fingers.
“I guess it is.” The Guard replied, shrugging. His amusement settled back to the apathy he displayed prior. “See you in a few months, Nathan.”
Cage was halfway to the door but the guard’s last comment made his head whip around to face him.
“Like hell you will.” He growled, legitimate anger in his features.
“C’mon, Nate.” The Guard chuckled again as though explaining the world to a toddler. “Guys like you are a dime a dozen. You do some stupid shit, you get sent away. Maybe you try and hack it out legitimately for a few weeks, but then you’re back to your old shit. And then you’re back here.”
“I’ll level with ya a little bit. These places aren’t built with rehabilitation in mind. They’re just to keep scumbags like you out of the minds of the general population.” The Guard’s tone was matter-of-fact. “This place is a revolving door for the dregs of society like yourself. Sooner or later you’re not gonna be able to help yourself from doing something stupid…”
“And when that happens, we’ll keep your cell made up for you.”
The Guard did not even bother to gloat or smile or make any other additional smug motion to end his point. Most insultingly of all, he merely went back to his work.
“Well, here she is: Lot thirteen. Which doesn’t meet… Well, any of your specifications.”
The two of them looked at the abode before them. A trailer that could charitably be described as ‘rustic’, though ‘rusty’ may have been more appropriate. The pearl white paint had long since stripped and peeled off and many areas of the trailer now hosted dull brown spots. Almost all of the windows had at least one spiderweb like crack on them and the garden area had been torn to shreds by the lot kids and the power of time. Not helped by the wrecked Voyager car which appeared to still be lightly dripping gas into the soil. The balding heavyset man in the yellow Hawaiian shirt turned to Cage.
“Look I’m gonna be blunt with ya Mr. Cage.” He pushed his shades up to the bridge of his nose and pulled his cargo shorts further up his gut, presumably to emphasize authority. “This is really all I’m confident you can afford for the next few months. And no one else in town is all that thrilled to let out a place to a former convict. Now, y’done your time and I respect that. But this is about all I can offer ya for the time being.”
Nathan looked at him dull eyed for a moment before turning his gaze back to the palace before him. His expression was unreadable as he took a few steps forward toward the trailer steps.
“I’ll take it.” Cage answered without turning to face the man. If he did he would have seen the man’s face light up like a Christmas tree at having finally sold off the worst trailer in the park.
“Hot dog!” The man exclaimed as he slapped his palms together. “Now then, you uh have the cheque with you right? Down payment’s already been taken care of so this’ll be for your first month.”
Cage reached into his pocket and fished around before pulling out a slightly crumpled envelope. The creases did nothing to diminish the large green ‘NLW’ logo on the centre.
Cage peeled open the envelope and pulled out the cheque. He raised an eyebrow as a note slid out along with it. Handwritten by someone who clearly seemed to have not enough time to do so.
Cage stared at the words on the page for a time lot longer than it would take to read it. In front of him the man rolled back and forth on his feet as he waited for Nathan to hand him the cheque.
“So ca- HEY!” The man’s voice raised several pitches as Cage wordlessly crumpled the cheque up in his hand. Cage roughly shoved the paper back into his pocket and turned to enter the lot.
“I’ll give you this month’s with next month’s payment.” He said, shutting the door on the still dumbfounded man before he could even respond.
Unsurprisingly, the inside of the trailer was little better than the outside. It seemed as though someone had been forcibly dragged from it before they could claim their belongings. Clothes and trash were strewn about everywhere, several appliances clearly seemed to be in disrepair. God only knew the state the closet sized bathroom would be in.
If Cage was bothered by his surroundings he didn’t show it. Merely letting his bag drop to the floor with a thud that kicked up a slight burst of dust from the carpet. He walked towards the kitchen and opened the fridge door, his face cast in a sickly orange glow from the inner light. His expression didn’t change but his eyes softened as he pulled out a cork green bottle filled with beer. He shut the door and darkness returned to the trailer.
After hitting the top of the bottle on the worktop to nudge off the cap, Cage parked himself in the easy chair in the living room. Barely three steps from the kitchen.
He sat in silence, sipping from his bottle. His eyes drifted towards his bag which he leaned over to unzip the top compartment and pulled out a tape marked ‘DEBUT’. After staring at it in quiet contemplation, he leaned forward and inserted it into the VHS player under the brick thick CRTV.
It took a few seconds of fiddling with the remote control before the TV suddenly hummed to life, then a further few seconds finding the right channel. Cage stumbled across it just in time to catch his entrance. His face reflected off the screen, younger, thinner and somewhat less abrasive looking. His hair was shorter and neater and his attire was more bright and traditional than the standard black tights or street clothes he wore to the ring now. He watched as he slapped the hands of a few of the fans on his way to the ring, though none of them reacted much than the polite applause they would have given any of the good guys.
“And here is Nathan Cage, a young man from right here in Michigan looking to make his mark on this proud industry!” The announcer’s voice declared, crackling from the quality of the tape.
Cage sat, motionless and quiet, illuminated by the grainy screen as he brought the beer back to his lips.
I gotta go now.
I guess I'll, see you around.
Don't know when though.
Never know, when I'll be back, in town.
But remember, what I tell you.
In time you're
Gonna pay.
And it's surprising…
How time...
Slips.
Away.
My, it's been a long,
Long time.
How am I doing?
Oh, I guess that I'm
Doing fine
It's been so long now
But it seems now, that it was only yesterday.
Gee, ain't it funny…
How time…
Slips, away.
The song droned softly out of the radio on the Guard’s desk. He paid it no mind as his head remained down and focused on the forms before him. It was only when the mechanized door to the left of him blared and began to stiltedly open did he look up. A small smirk formed as he watched the man come out of the door and towards him, standing behind the inch thick bulletproof glass that separated them to be judged. In all honesty he hadn’t changed all that muched, perhaps a little larger but that happened to most men. No, the most striking thing was the absence of his dark blue jumpsuit the guard had been so accustomed to seeing him in. Instead he now wore a plain black T-shirt under a plaid shirt with a pair of dark blue jeans. His messy hair, slightly scarred face and general “fuck off” stare marked him as not a regular bystander however. And it would mark him for the rest of his life.
“Hello there, Nathan” The guard said, his tone dripping with insincere welcoming as though they were old friends. “My, has it already been five years?”
Cage said nothing save for a quiet clearing of the throat. He placed his hands on the desk expectantly.
“Come on now, it’s a happy day ain’t it?” The guard said with a chuckle, reaching underneath the desk for something. “A lotta the guys figured your sentence would jump up and up. You looked the type who’d keep pickin’ fights like an idiot!”
He placed a little brown box on the desk and slid it through the hatch in the glass. The printing read “N.C” With a string of letters underneath it.
“Turns out you’re just the regular old idiot that gets himself sent to prison in the first place.” He concluded with a toothy grin.
“You don’t know me.” Cage muttered to himself as he opened the box. Removing its contents and placing them in his pockets. Not much had been in his possession at the time of his arrest. Made it easier to transport at the least.
“You don’t know me.” The Guard replied, mocking Cage with a slight rasp to his voice before returning to his normal cadence with a snort. “You’re still just as corny big guy. It’s endearing though, I love it.”
“That all?” Cage asked, hands in his pockets. The objects of his life rattling against his fingers.
“I guess it is.” The Guard replied, shrugging. His amusement settled back to the apathy he displayed prior. “See you in a few months, Nathan.”
Cage was halfway to the door but the guard’s last comment made his head whip around to face him.
“Like hell you will.” He growled, legitimate anger in his features.
“C’mon, Nate.” The Guard chuckled again as though explaining the world to a toddler. “Guys like you are a dime a dozen. You do some stupid shit, you get sent away. Maybe you try and hack it out legitimately for a few weeks, but then you’re back to your old shit. And then you’re back here.”
“I’ll level with ya a little bit. These places aren’t built with rehabilitation in mind. They’re just to keep scumbags like you out of the minds of the general population.” The Guard’s tone was matter-of-fact. “This place is a revolving door for the dregs of society like yourself. Sooner or later you’re not gonna be able to help yourself from doing something stupid…”
“And when that happens, we’ll keep your cell made up for you.”
The Guard did not even bother to gloat or smile or make any other additional smug motion to end his point. Most insultingly of all, he merely went back to his work.
“Well, here she is: Lot thirteen. Which doesn’t meet… Well, any of your specifications.”
The two of them looked at the abode before them. A trailer that could charitably be described as ‘rustic’, though ‘rusty’ may have been more appropriate. The pearl white paint had long since stripped and peeled off and many areas of the trailer now hosted dull brown spots. Almost all of the windows had at least one spiderweb like crack on them and the garden area had been torn to shreds by the lot kids and the power of time. Not helped by the wrecked Voyager car which appeared to still be lightly dripping gas into the soil. The balding heavyset man in the yellow Hawaiian shirt turned to Cage.
“Look I’m gonna be blunt with ya Mr. Cage.” He pushed his shades up to the bridge of his nose and pulled his cargo shorts further up his gut, presumably to emphasize authority. “This is really all I’m confident you can afford for the next few months. And no one else in town is all that thrilled to let out a place to a former convict. Now, y’done your time and I respect that. But this is about all I can offer ya for the time being.”
Nathan looked at him dull eyed for a moment before turning his gaze back to the palace before him. His expression was unreadable as he took a few steps forward toward the trailer steps.
“I’ll take it.” Cage answered without turning to face the man. If he did he would have seen the man’s face light up like a Christmas tree at having finally sold off the worst trailer in the park.
“Hot dog!” The man exclaimed as he slapped his palms together. “Now then, you uh have the cheque with you right? Down payment’s already been taken care of so this’ll be for your first month.”
Cage reached into his pocket and fished around before pulling out a slightly crumpled envelope. The creases did nothing to diminish the large green ‘NLW’ logo on the centre.
Cage peeled open the envelope and pulled out the cheque. He raised an eyebrow as a note slid out along with it. Handwritten by someone who clearly seemed to have not enough time to do so.
“Hey Champ!
Gonna have to reprimand you for what you did to Gates. Do whatever in the confines of a match, after that it’s back to business. Consider this your first warning buddy!
BTW, threw in a winner’s bonus to your earnings. Dont get any wrong ideas! I figured if anyone on NLW could use the cash rn it’d be you!
See ya at Ascendancy, stay masculine! 
-BB Gunn”
Cage stared at the words on the page for a time lot longer than it would take to read it. In front of him the man rolled back and forth on his feet as he waited for Nathan to hand him the cheque.
“So ca- HEY!” The man’s voice raised several pitches as Cage wordlessly crumpled the cheque up in his hand. Cage roughly shoved the paper back into his pocket and turned to enter the lot.
“I’ll give you this month’s with next month’s payment.” He said, shutting the door on the still dumbfounded man before he could even respond.
Unsurprisingly, the inside of the trailer was little better than the outside. It seemed as though someone had been forcibly dragged from it before they could claim their belongings. Clothes and trash were strewn about everywhere, several appliances clearly seemed to be in disrepair. God only knew the state the closet sized bathroom would be in.
If Cage was bothered by his surroundings he didn’t show it. Merely letting his bag drop to the floor with a thud that kicked up a slight burst of dust from the carpet. He walked towards the kitchen and opened the fridge door, his face cast in a sickly orange glow from the inner light. His expression didn’t change but his eyes softened as he pulled out a cork green bottle filled with beer. He shut the door and darkness returned to the trailer.
After hitting the top of the bottle on the worktop to nudge off the cap, Cage parked himself in the easy chair in the living room. Barely three steps from the kitchen.
He sat in silence, sipping from his bottle. His eyes drifted towards his bag which he leaned over to unzip the top compartment and pulled out a tape marked ‘DEBUT’. After staring at it in quiet contemplation, he leaned forward and inserted it into the VHS player under the brick thick CRTV.
It took a few seconds of fiddling with the remote control before the TV suddenly hummed to life, then a further few seconds finding the right channel. Cage stumbled across it just in time to catch his entrance. His face reflected off the screen, younger, thinner and somewhat less abrasive looking. His hair was shorter and neater and his attire was more bright and traditional than the standard black tights or street clothes he wore to the ring now. He watched as he slapped the hands of a few of the fans on his way to the ring, though none of them reacted much than the polite applause they would have given any of the good guys.
“And here is Nathan Cage, a young man from right here in Michigan looking to make his mark on this proud industry!” The announcer’s voice declared, crackling from the quality of the tape.
Cage sat, motionless and quiet, illuminated by the grainy screen as he brought the beer back to his lips.
I gotta go now.
I guess I'll, see you around.
Don't know when though.
Never know, when I'll be back, in town.
But remember, what I tell you.
In time you're
Gonna pay.
And it's surprising…
How time...
Slips.
Away.
