Down The Timeless Gorge Of Changes...
Apr 27, 2022 16:14:02 GMT -5
Mongo the Destroyer, Dave D-Flipz, and 2 more like this
Post by bloodiedfox on Apr 27, 2022 16:14:02 GMT -5
Liz paced the floor of the apartment lounge, clearly anxious. She nearly jumped when the doorbell rang, but rushed over to it. Upon looking through the spyhole, she sags with relief and opens the door.
Thanks for coming over. Please, come in.
She retreats back to the lounge, the new arrival following.
I'm at my wit's end with him! He won't do anything except lay in the dark smoking weed and listening to music. He's barely eating. I've tried getting him to talk to me about it, but he refuses; says I'm already dealing with enough. All I could think to try is... well, he always seems to open up around you. I know that's a work thing, but given I'm sure a lot of this is because of FIRESIDE shutting and Misha...
Liz trails off, taking a breath to calm herself down. She rubs her eyes angrily, then continues.
Anyway, I know I'm asking a lot here, but you're the closest thing he has to a friend. Would you be willing to see if you can get him to talk things out?
She looked over at the visitor, eyes brimming with desperate hope. Ellie Stanford replied with a firm thumbs up.
The room is dark, blinds tacked to the frame to block as much light as possible. Thick coils of smoke roil in the air, looking so pungent you can practically smell them through the screen.
Johnny Five lays on the bed, clad only in shorts. A joint is between his lips, the remains of many more around him on the crumpled sheets. His eyes are red, the bags under them showing how little rest this position gives him.
Neil Young's line strikes Johnny like a fist. He screws his eyes shut to stop the tears.
Rotten indeed, the voice in his head tells him. A joke; a failure who let his friend die.
Maybe rust was what he deserved. A quiet slide into ignominy or obscurity. Misha would be remembered, but if he himself was to be, let it be for his mistakes.
A sharp knock on the bedroom door stirs him from his thoughts. Lethargically he rolls off the bed and to his feet, staggering to the door, speaking even as he opens it.
Liz, I'm really not...
He trails off when he realised it is in fact Ellie who was facing him.
Oh... hi.
Sup?
Johnny blinks.
Erm... nothing?
Ellie looks around him into the smokey mess of the room, then looks back at him with a raised eyebrow. Johnny flushes.
Okay, so I may be in a bit of a funk.
The eyebrow stays up.
Okay, a lot of a funk.
Still up.
Okay, I'm a fucking mess right now.
Ellie nods. Johnny sighs as he troops over to the couch and throws himself down on it.
It's just... Everything's gone to shit. Misha's gone and without him none of it makes any sense. I figured maybe, with some time, I'd figure it all out, but then I find out boss man Caffrey's shutting the company down because he's mad no-one likes him or something! We're going out on some crazy gigantic tag match, and I look at who I'm teamed with and it's all the assholes like Kanyon and Evan and that crazy Donzig guy! That's the legacy I'm leaving, being some schmuck who teams with shitheads he has nothing to do with. All I can keep thinking is that Misha could have found a way to make this work, to style it out or something, but I just can't! The more I try to think of a way to it fucks my head up so much! He's gone and there's this hole in the world where he was and I'm trying to make myself fit into it but I can't! I just...
Ellie sits beside Johnny and pats him on the shoulder, which stops his stream of words. He takes a ragged breath, and reluctantly turns to face her, tears rolling down his cheeks.
I miss him. I know he was a dick and kind of not a good person, but he was my friend and I really really miss him.
I know.
Ellie leans into Johnny and gives him a side-on hug, as he rubs away the tears. They sit in companionable silence for several moments, until Ellie speaks again.
Be you.
Johnny looks at her in confusion. Ellie gives him a nonchalant shrug.
You said you can't be him, so don't be him. Be you.
I don't know if that's good enough.
Ellie shrugs again.
Was good enough to beat Kanyon. Almost beat Caffrey too. Won't know unless you try.
Johnny thinks about it for a minute, then nods.
I guess that makes sense. They always say that stuff about endings being beginnings. Maybe FIRESIDE ending is how I begin. Although I will need to find somewhere new to work. Should probably see about one of those 50 new feds opening...
Fade to an IPW contract offer email.
Thanks for coming over. Please, come in.
She retreats back to the lounge, the new arrival following.
I'm at my wit's end with him! He won't do anything except lay in the dark smoking weed and listening to music. He's barely eating. I've tried getting him to talk to me about it, but he refuses; says I'm already dealing with enough. All I could think to try is... well, he always seems to open up around you. I know that's a work thing, but given I'm sure a lot of this is because of FIRESIDE shutting and Misha...
Liz trails off, taking a breath to calm herself down. She rubs her eyes angrily, then continues.
Anyway, I know I'm asking a lot here, but you're the closest thing he has to a friend. Would you be willing to see if you can get him to talk things out?
She looked over at the visitor, eyes brimming with desperate hope. Ellie Stanford replied with a firm thumbs up.
My my, hey hey.
Rock and roll is here to stay.
It's better to burn out than to fade away.
My my, hey hey.
Rock and roll is here to stay.
It's better to burn out than to fade away.
My my, hey hey.
The room is dark, blinds tacked to the frame to block as much light as possible. Thick coils of smoke roil in the air, looking so pungent you can practically smell them through the screen.
Out of the blue and into the black.
They give you this, but you pay for that.
And once you're gone you can never come back.
When you're out of the blue and into the black.
They give you this, but you pay for that.
And once you're gone you can never come back.
When you're out of the blue and into the black.
Johnny Five lays on the bed, clad only in shorts. A joint is between his lips, the remains of many more around him on the crumpled sheets. His eyes are red, the bags under them showing how little rest this position gives him.
The king is gone but he's not forgotten.
Neil Young's line strikes Johnny like a fist. He screws his eyes shut to stop the tears.
This is the story of a Johnny Rotten.
Rotten indeed, the voice in his head tells him. A joke; a failure who let his friend die.
It's better to burn out than it is to rust.
The king is gone but he's not forgotten.
The king is gone but he's not forgotten.
Maybe rust was what he deserved. A quiet slide into ignominy or obscurity. Misha would be remembered, but if he himself was to be, let it be for his mistakes.
A sharp knock on the bedroom door stirs him from his thoughts. Lethargically he rolls off the bed and to his feet, staggering to the door, speaking even as he opens it.
Liz, I'm really not...
He trails off when he realised it is in fact Ellie who was facing him.
Oh... hi.
Sup?
Johnny blinks.
Erm... nothing?
Ellie looks around him into the smokey mess of the room, then looks back at him with a raised eyebrow. Johnny flushes.
Okay, so I may be in a bit of a funk.
The eyebrow stays up.
Okay, a lot of a funk.
Still up.
Okay, I'm a fucking mess right now.
Ellie nods. Johnny sighs as he troops over to the couch and throws himself down on it.
It's just... Everything's gone to shit. Misha's gone and without him none of it makes any sense. I figured maybe, with some time, I'd figure it all out, but then I find out boss man Caffrey's shutting the company down because he's mad no-one likes him or something! We're going out on some crazy gigantic tag match, and I look at who I'm teamed with and it's all the assholes like Kanyon and Evan and that crazy Donzig guy! That's the legacy I'm leaving, being some schmuck who teams with shitheads he has nothing to do with. All I can keep thinking is that Misha could have found a way to make this work, to style it out or something, but I just can't! The more I try to think of a way to it fucks my head up so much! He's gone and there's this hole in the world where he was and I'm trying to make myself fit into it but I can't! I just...
Ellie sits beside Johnny and pats him on the shoulder, which stops his stream of words. He takes a ragged breath, and reluctantly turns to face her, tears rolling down his cheeks.
I miss him. I know he was a dick and kind of not a good person, but he was my friend and I really really miss him.
I know.
Ellie leans into Johnny and gives him a side-on hug, as he rubs away the tears. They sit in companionable silence for several moments, until Ellie speaks again.
Be you.
Johnny looks at her in confusion. Ellie gives him a nonchalant shrug.
You said you can't be him, so don't be him. Be you.
I don't know if that's good enough.
Ellie shrugs again.
Was good enough to beat Kanyon. Almost beat Caffrey too. Won't know unless you try.
Johnny thinks about it for a minute, then nods.
I guess that makes sense. They always say that stuff about endings being beginnings. Maybe FIRESIDE ending is how I begin. Although I will need to find somewhere new to work. Should probably see about one of those 50 new feds opening...
Fade to an IPW contract offer email.