¥Tempus Fugit¥ {End of Days Tournament #2}
Sept 29, 2017 12:13:10 GMT -5
ForeverKuroi and Hyperion like this
Post by ¥Ezriel¥ on Sept 29, 2017 12:13:10 GMT -5
“Low Light” by Pearl Jam plays softly in the background as we look around Rose’s bar, the “7th Heaven”. The usual suspects decorate the furniture as Rose skirts around the room, picking up empty glasses and tidying the old reupholstered tables. The camera climbs the stairs as we hear water running from one of the nearby rooms. Rose has decorated the hall with reprints of all types of famous paintings from the masters of art; “Melting Clocks” by Dali, “The Scream” by Munch just to name a few. The water comes to a stop and we hear some movement from the nearby bathroom. The door creaks open and Ezriel appears, freshly washed and wearing a black polo shirt and a pair of brown slacks. His face tells the very apparent story that it’s a get up he would usually never be seen dead in. He shoves on his riding boots and clunks down the stairs. He gets to the bottom and enters into the main room of the bar. The camera looks over to see Rose who is back behind the counter. She smiles approvingly and gives Ezriel a hearty thumbs up. He squints his eyes with broad scepticism and pulls the band around his pants, trying desperately to do something miraculous to make them more comfortable. He awkwardly struts over to the bar trying desperately not to look like a big nerd but failing. He sits down at one of the stools as Rose plants a beer in front of him. One of the old geezers who regularly inhabit one of the stools looks over to Ezriel and scrunches his face up mockingly. Ezriel stares back, seething. Rose catches the old dude’s eyes and makes a face as if to say “stop staring you prehistoric buffoon”. The wrinkled fuddy duddy notices and quickly gives a thumbs up to Ezriel smiling a broad smile. Suddenly, a set of false teeth fly from his mouth as he does so and land in the beer in front of him. The aged patron looks down into his glass and his eyes begin to well up a little. Ezriel rolls his eyes and slides his beer across the bar to the O.A.P, who claps his hands in glee. He pulls the false teeth out of the glass and pours the residual beer that has gathered in a little pool inside them down his throat.
¥“Gross.”¥
Rose pats Ezriel on the hand.
“No need to be so hard on yourself Ez, I think the outfit rather suits you.”
¥“… I was talking about him…”¥
Ezriel points blankly at the old man. Realisation sets in for Rose and she stifles a laugh, making her way to the bottles behind the bar to hide her face.
“Oh right… sorry about that. You do look good though!”
¥“Right, if you say so.”¥
Rose winks at Ezriel and takes a few empty glasses from the bar. She clinks them together as she walks over to a bell behind her. She tugs on the rope and rings it loudly as the late night drinkers all begin to groan in protest. The old man with the falseys hears the bell and gets to his feet sharply taking up a mock wrestling stance. He circles around Ezriel’s stool sizing him up as he cackles maniacally to himself.
“Come on gents, finish up, you know the drill! You don’t have to go home but you can’t stay here!”
The gang of elderly patrons start to stumble their way moaning and mumbling towards the door in a zombie hoard like fashion. We hear a lot of grunting and murmuring about wives and dinner and good for nothing kids as they vacate the area. Ezriel stands up from his stool and stands directly in front of the toothless man who now stands in a ye olde boxing stance. The old dude tips the small flat cap he has on, turns on his heels and jauntily leaves the bar, whistling a spritely tune. Ezriel smirks and sits back down as Rose plants a whisky in front of him.
“So you’re coming on a drive with me, I need a strong well dressed man to accompany me while I run a quick errand. I’m guessing that’s ok with you, Mr. “I’m so lucky to have a hostess that happened to have some spare clothes for me to wear”?”
¥“Actually I was planning to prepare for my match on Sunday a little. Michael Storm’s put out an interview with a few more choice words for yours truly. So yeah, I was thinking an early night, some training tomorrow and then…”¥
Rose turns around with a pickle she has taken from a nearby jar in her hand. She takes the phalic shaped object and places it between her teeth. Staring Ezriel right in his eyes she crunches down on it as hard as she can.
“No excuses! Now get your coat, it’s cold out there.”
A car engine rattles and splutters as the camera cuts to the inside of the vehicle. Looking from the back we can see Rose in the drivers seat and Ezriel on the passenger side. The headlamps light up the night, revealing the road in front of us as we trundle along at a less than average speed. Ezriel sits with his head back, uninterested and upset that he has to be there in the first place. Rose gazes out her window trying to gain her bearings as she seems to be driving aimlessly around the neighbourhood. She spins the wheel as we turn a corner. It locks up a little as she does so and she has to muscle it clockwise to release it from its stuck position. She curses under her breath as the car finally obliges and we turn down the dim lit street.
“Ughhh… this car. It’s the scrap heap for you soon old girl. You ok there grumpy pants?”
¥“Hmmm…? Mmmmm. What’s this errand then?”¥
“It’s nearby, just relax a bit, it must be absolutely exhausting being you. Speaking of which, l wanna know a little more about my mysterious tennant.”
Ezriel glances over at Rose almost burning a hole in the side of her head. Rose feels his eyes resting on her.
“Nothing earth shattering. I’m just curious about the little things. Where about’s in Scotland are you from then?”
Ezriel releases his gaze from Rose and turns to the passenger side window.
¥“Glasgow, a place called Townhead.”¥
“Ohhhh… Glasgow! I’ve heard it’s a lovely place.”
Ezriel scoffs both at her typical American pronunciation of the City and at the idea of it being a “lovely place”. He goes back to his silence and the window. After a second Rose decides to keep probing.
“What about family. Do your parents still live across the pond?”
¥“My Dad is still somewhere over there, haven’t heard from him in years.”
Ezriel doesn’t bat an eyelid as he speaks his next statement, his voice flat and emotionless.
¥“My Mother’s dead.”¥
“Oh… I didn’t mean to… I’m so sorry.”
¥“I’m not.”¥
That definitely kills the conversation. A more frosty , tense silence fills the car as Rose bites her lip slightly and fidgets nervously with her rear view mirror. Graciously we arrive at our destination within a few seconds, Rose parks and cranks the handbrake down. Both of them get out and begin walking side by side down an all to familiar looking back alley. Rose stops and stands directly in front of Ezriel. She raises both hands in surrender.
“Ok, I gotta come clean with you Ez. There is no errand, BUT I have a little surprise for you. Something I think that you’ll be rather pleased with.”
She slowly lowers her hands to her sides and then proceeds to pull a jingling set of keys from her pocket. She hurls them underhand to Ezriel who snatches them quickly with one hand. He opens his close fist and looks at the keys, noticing that there is a Scottish flag keychain attached. He looks up questioningly at Rose.
“Listen, don’t say anything right now. Just follow me over here. You trust me?”
Ezriel takes a second to consider the proposal and then pockets the keys as he walks pastRose who smiles and jumps a little in the air, scurrying after him. They come to a stop and Rose makes a presenting motion and bows a little. Ezriel shakes his head but proceeds to use the key on the shutter in front of him. The camera pans to the inside of the lock up as the shutter flys open revealing Rose’s surprise. Ezriel blinks a few times and then takes a few steps into the open space. He walks by a punchbag that has been installed to a bracket on the ceiling and runs his hand over an ancient looking bench with a set of weights hovering over it. He stops and turns to Rose.
¥“What did you do?”¥
Rose chuckles.
“After you mentioned the place I contacted the company that owns these lock ups. The owner didn’t lock it, they did. Seems they were desperate to sell and so it’s been under padlock for a while. The price is right, you can have unlimited access to it day or night and it’s somewhere that you feel comfortable.”
Rose notices Ezriel admiring the hanging punchbag that he swings lightly back and forth.
“The bag and the bench are a couple of things I’ve had in storage for a while now, they’re wasted on me. One of my exes tried to get me into fitness a while back but I just don’t have the time between the bar and…
As Rose continues to harp on Ezriel has completely zoned out and is eyeing the bag menacingly. He starts to bob and sway his head around, his immaculate footwork carrying him gracefully around the swinging obstacle. As he does so he starts swinging at the bag with vicious looking rights and lefts.
WHACK
“You…”
CRACK
“… have made…”
SMACK
“… a grave mistake.”
Ezriel grits his teeth as his ears start to ring and his temples begin to throb.
CRUNCH
“Now…”
THWACK
“…I must break you.”
Ezriel eyes close over as he stumbles forward and grabs the bag, his limp body almost slumping to the floor. He claws in his grip as his legs wobble beneath him. He looks up and his eyes shoot open.
¥“SHUT UP!”¥
Rose stops mid sentence and riles back with fright as Ezriel’s voice booms around the room. It echoes for a few moments and Ezriel darts a look of anguish and anger over to Rose. Her face goes from surprise to annoyance as she turns around and begins to storm off.
“You really are a god damn asshole. Don’t bother coming back tonight.”
Ezriel goes to speak but words fail him as Rose exits and brings the shutters crashing down behind her. Ezriel shakes his legs as the feeling returns to them. He pushes his head against the bag and smashes it with the palm of his hand a few times. He begins to walk around, his hands on he top of his freshly shaven head.
¥“I’m glad that you’re enjoying our little back and forth Storm, I would be lying if I wasn’t finding a certain amount of enjoyment in our rapport. It’s a very rare situation that I find myself in where the person I find myself pit against has the mental aptitude to respect logic, eloquence in speech and clarity in expressing thought. It seems like this match will be as much a battle of wits in the ring as a simple test of strength or technical prowess. I like to pride myself on that being one of my most prominent tools, there’s not a match that goes by that I don’t hone that side of my craft and I must admit I even surprise myself with my creative spontaneity. I too have done my fair share of research on you Storm, on your previous matches and performance. The loss you speak of I have to admit did intrigue me. I noticed you suffered it in another tournament, merely coincidence I hope. Although it appears that the loss was through no real fault of your own, M.G.K interfering and undoubtedly playing a big part in your defeat. So in my eyes, I don’t think either of us has truly been bested so far in the rebirth of AWF. I think you’re absolutely right when you say that this is the two most talented men on the roster going head to head, and that there is a strong case to say that the winner of this match is the favourite to win the whole thing. I guess that’s one of the things that makes this match so serious. One of the reasons that I absolutely must, and will, defeat you.”¥
¥“See I realise how lucky I am to even be here competing in this match. Ziko obviously has something close to resembling a brain since he chose to keep me as well as Alex Jones in the tournament. I can’t speak directly for Mr. Jones, but I will say that having me in this competition and in the biggest event the company has seen thus far is good… neigh, essential for business at this point. I think that we can create something special here Storm, one for the ages. The only downfall that I see in this whole magnificent set up, is that whoever wins will have been through hell and back in order to get the result. Now whoever draws them next in tournament has got to be feeling like they’ve won a watch. However, I digress, guess I’ll just cross that bridge when I come to it.”¥
Ezriel stops and looks around the large warehouse structure, cogs turning in his head as he starts to think about future possibilities of what to do with the space. He strokes his cheeks and chin as he looks back to the camera.
¥“Now, on to your most interesting proposition so far, the suggested prize money for winning this thing and out of your own pocket no less! The very modest amount of a cool million dollars. There is no end to your generosity Mike, there really isn’t. First you bestow upon me ringing endorsements and high praise the likes of which I would never expect from an opponent and now you want to present me with a wealth beyond my wildest imagination? You see, and you’re going to have a hard time believing this I’m sure, I’m not a very materialistic person. I have never experienced wealth and in all honesty I’ve never really seen the appeal in it. I’ve always been a more resourceful man, finding means and ways that circumnavigate the trappings of a man made economy. Recently though, things have changed slightly. It seems like I have acquired property which needs a sufficient amount of investment and I have a few more ideas when it comes to financial venture. Yes, the world can change your views pretty damn fast when opportunity knocks. So in answer to your proposal, I most graciously and humbly accept. It will be an absolute pleasure to lighten your bank account a little and put the takings to a more virtuous and productive use I’m sure.”¥
¥“That however is simply a sweetener to the whole deal, an interesting side to the juicy entrée. As the clock ticks and we grow closer to this momentous occasion I must admit that I am bristling with excitement. I won’t lie to you Storm, the revelation that there is no possible way for me to awaken the monster in you fills me with a certain amount of disappointment. It may indeed even be a mistake on your part. When I cross those ropes, I become a beast every single time. I let go and give in to the horror that lies within, something that I can not possibly control and let me just clarify, it has never let me down so far. Time will truly tell though. We will see in a couple of days time wether you still refuse to tap into that forgotten side. We’ll see what happens when you have your back against the wall and you come face to face with one of the most insurmountable tasks you have and will ever face in your life. Cause believe you me my esteemed combatant that is what I am. The Ezriel factor is no fairytale Mike. There is no illusion here. You’re making the same mistake that Alex Jones made. You think that I am believing things and convincing myself of things that just aren’t true. I thought we had established this already? I work on facts alone. There is no belief here, there is simply the truth. It just so happens that this particular truth is that I am the real deal, the whole f’n show or whatever other cliché you want to come up with. The thing about statistics you see Storm is that out of the thousands, even millions of people who know they are different, know that they’re special, know that they’re the best… is that one of these people, statistically, will be absolutely one hundred percent correct. See you on Sunday Mikey, tick tock… tick tock… tick tock.”¥
As Ezriel repeats this phrase he crosses over to the nearby weight lifting bench. He lays down and begins to raise the bar up and down, “ticking and tocking” with every lift. The camera slowly fades to black, and then…
STATIC.
¥“Gross.”¥
Rose pats Ezriel on the hand.
“No need to be so hard on yourself Ez, I think the outfit rather suits you.”
¥“… I was talking about him…”¥
Ezriel points blankly at the old man. Realisation sets in for Rose and she stifles a laugh, making her way to the bottles behind the bar to hide her face.
“Oh right… sorry about that. You do look good though!”
¥“Right, if you say so.”¥
Rose winks at Ezriel and takes a few empty glasses from the bar. She clinks them together as she walks over to a bell behind her. She tugs on the rope and rings it loudly as the late night drinkers all begin to groan in protest. The old man with the falseys hears the bell and gets to his feet sharply taking up a mock wrestling stance. He circles around Ezriel’s stool sizing him up as he cackles maniacally to himself.
“Come on gents, finish up, you know the drill! You don’t have to go home but you can’t stay here!”
The gang of elderly patrons start to stumble their way moaning and mumbling towards the door in a zombie hoard like fashion. We hear a lot of grunting and murmuring about wives and dinner and good for nothing kids as they vacate the area. Ezriel stands up from his stool and stands directly in front of the toothless man who now stands in a ye olde boxing stance. The old dude tips the small flat cap he has on, turns on his heels and jauntily leaves the bar, whistling a spritely tune. Ezriel smirks and sits back down as Rose plants a whisky in front of him.
“So you’re coming on a drive with me, I need a strong well dressed man to accompany me while I run a quick errand. I’m guessing that’s ok with you, Mr. “I’m so lucky to have a hostess that happened to have some spare clothes for me to wear”?”
¥“Actually I was planning to prepare for my match on Sunday a little. Michael Storm’s put out an interview with a few more choice words for yours truly. So yeah, I was thinking an early night, some training tomorrow and then…”¥
Rose turns around with a pickle she has taken from a nearby jar in her hand. She takes the phalic shaped object and places it between her teeth. Staring Ezriel right in his eyes she crunches down on it as hard as she can.
“No excuses! Now get your coat, it’s cold out there.”
A car engine rattles and splutters as the camera cuts to the inside of the vehicle. Looking from the back we can see Rose in the drivers seat and Ezriel on the passenger side. The headlamps light up the night, revealing the road in front of us as we trundle along at a less than average speed. Ezriel sits with his head back, uninterested and upset that he has to be there in the first place. Rose gazes out her window trying to gain her bearings as she seems to be driving aimlessly around the neighbourhood. She spins the wheel as we turn a corner. It locks up a little as she does so and she has to muscle it clockwise to release it from its stuck position. She curses under her breath as the car finally obliges and we turn down the dim lit street.
“Ughhh… this car. It’s the scrap heap for you soon old girl. You ok there grumpy pants?”
¥“Hmmm…? Mmmmm. What’s this errand then?”¥
“It’s nearby, just relax a bit, it must be absolutely exhausting being you. Speaking of which, l wanna know a little more about my mysterious tennant.”
Ezriel glances over at Rose almost burning a hole in the side of her head. Rose feels his eyes resting on her.
“Nothing earth shattering. I’m just curious about the little things. Where about’s in Scotland are you from then?”
Ezriel releases his gaze from Rose and turns to the passenger side window.
¥“Glasgow, a place called Townhead.”¥
“Ohhhh… Glasgow! I’ve heard it’s a lovely place.”
Ezriel scoffs both at her typical American pronunciation of the City and at the idea of it being a “lovely place”. He goes back to his silence and the window. After a second Rose decides to keep probing.
“What about family. Do your parents still live across the pond?”
¥“My Dad is still somewhere over there, haven’t heard from him in years.”
Ezriel doesn’t bat an eyelid as he speaks his next statement, his voice flat and emotionless.
¥“My Mother’s dead.”¥
“Oh… I didn’t mean to… I’m so sorry.”
¥“I’m not.”¥
That definitely kills the conversation. A more frosty , tense silence fills the car as Rose bites her lip slightly and fidgets nervously with her rear view mirror. Graciously we arrive at our destination within a few seconds, Rose parks and cranks the handbrake down. Both of them get out and begin walking side by side down an all to familiar looking back alley. Rose stops and stands directly in front of Ezriel. She raises both hands in surrender.
“Ok, I gotta come clean with you Ez. There is no errand, BUT I have a little surprise for you. Something I think that you’ll be rather pleased with.”
She slowly lowers her hands to her sides and then proceeds to pull a jingling set of keys from her pocket. She hurls them underhand to Ezriel who snatches them quickly with one hand. He opens his close fist and looks at the keys, noticing that there is a Scottish flag keychain attached. He looks up questioningly at Rose.
“Listen, don’t say anything right now. Just follow me over here. You trust me?”
Ezriel takes a second to consider the proposal and then pockets the keys as he walks pastRose who smiles and jumps a little in the air, scurrying after him. They come to a stop and Rose makes a presenting motion and bows a little. Ezriel shakes his head but proceeds to use the key on the shutter in front of him. The camera pans to the inside of the lock up as the shutter flys open revealing Rose’s surprise. Ezriel blinks a few times and then takes a few steps into the open space. He walks by a punchbag that has been installed to a bracket on the ceiling and runs his hand over an ancient looking bench with a set of weights hovering over it. He stops and turns to Rose.
¥“What did you do?”¥
Rose chuckles.
“After you mentioned the place I contacted the company that owns these lock ups. The owner didn’t lock it, they did. Seems they were desperate to sell and so it’s been under padlock for a while. The price is right, you can have unlimited access to it day or night and it’s somewhere that you feel comfortable.”
Rose notices Ezriel admiring the hanging punchbag that he swings lightly back and forth.
“The bag and the bench are a couple of things I’ve had in storage for a while now, they’re wasted on me. One of my exes tried to get me into fitness a while back but I just don’t have the time between the bar and…
As Rose continues to harp on Ezriel has completely zoned out and is eyeing the bag menacingly. He starts to bob and sway his head around, his immaculate footwork carrying him gracefully around the swinging obstacle. As he does so he starts swinging at the bag with vicious looking rights and lefts.
WHACK
“You…”
CRACK
“… have made…”
SMACK
“… a grave mistake.”
Ezriel grits his teeth as his ears start to ring and his temples begin to throb.
CRUNCH
“Now…”
THWACK
“…I must break you.”
Ezriel eyes close over as he stumbles forward and grabs the bag, his limp body almost slumping to the floor. He claws in his grip as his legs wobble beneath him. He looks up and his eyes shoot open.
¥“SHUT UP!”¥
Rose stops mid sentence and riles back with fright as Ezriel’s voice booms around the room. It echoes for a few moments and Ezriel darts a look of anguish and anger over to Rose. Her face goes from surprise to annoyance as she turns around and begins to storm off.
“You really are a god damn asshole. Don’t bother coming back tonight.”
Ezriel goes to speak but words fail him as Rose exits and brings the shutters crashing down behind her. Ezriel shakes his legs as the feeling returns to them. He pushes his head against the bag and smashes it with the palm of his hand a few times. He begins to walk around, his hands on he top of his freshly shaven head.
¥“I’m glad that you’re enjoying our little back and forth Storm, I would be lying if I wasn’t finding a certain amount of enjoyment in our rapport. It’s a very rare situation that I find myself in where the person I find myself pit against has the mental aptitude to respect logic, eloquence in speech and clarity in expressing thought. It seems like this match will be as much a battle of wits in the ring as a simple test of strength or technical prowess. I like to pride myself on that being one of my most prominent tools, there’s not a match that goes by that I don’t hone that side of my craft and I must admit I even surprise myself with my creative spontaneity. I too have done my fair share of research on you Storm, on your previous matches and performance. The loss you speak of I have to admit did intrigue me. I noticed you suffered it in another tournament, merely coincidence I hope. Although it appears that the loss was through no real fault of your own, M.G.K interfering and undoubtedly playing a big part in your defeat. So in my eyes, I don’t think either of us has truly been bested so far in the rebirth of AWF. I think you’re absolutely right when you say that this is the two most talented men on the roster going head to head, and that there is a strong case to say that the winner of this match is the favourite to win the whole thing. I guess that’s one of the things that makes this match so serious. One of the reasons that I absolutely must, and will, defeat you.”¥
¥“See I realise how lucky I am to even be here competing in this match. Ziko obviously has something close to resembling a brain since he chose to keep me as well as Alex Jones in the tournament. I can’t speak directly for Mr. Jones, but I will say that having me in this competition and in the biggest event the company has seen thus far is good… neigh, essential for business at this point. I think that we can create something special here Storm, one for the ages. The only downfall that I see in this whole magnificent set up, is that whoever wins will have been through hell and back in order to get the result. Now whoever draws them next in tournament has got to be feeling like they’ve won a watch. However, I digress, guess I’ll just cross that bridge when I come to it.”¥
Ezriel stops and looks around the large warehouse structure, cogs turning in his head as he starts to think about future possibilities of what to do with the space. He strokes his cheeks and chin as he looks back to the camera.
¥“Now, on to your most interesting proposition so far, the suggested prize money for winning this thing and out of your own pocket no less! The very modest amount of a cool million dollars. There is no end to your generosity Mike, there really isn’t. First you bestow upon me ringing endorsements and high praise the likes of which I would never expect from an opponent and now you want to present me with a wealth beyond my wildest imagination? You see, and you’re going to have a hard time believing this I’m sure, I’m not a very materialistic person. I have never experienced wealth and in all honesty I’ve never really seen the appeal in it. I’ve always been a more resourceful man, finding means and ways that circumnavigate the trappings of a man made economy. Recently though, things have changed slightly. It seems like I have acquired property which needs a sufficient amount of investment and I have a few more ideas when it comes to financial venture. Yes, the world can change your views pretty damn fast when opportunity knocks. So in answer to your proposal, I most graciously and humbly accept. It will be an absolute pleasure to lighten your bank account a little and put the takings to a more virtuous and productive use I’m sure.”¥
¥“That however is simply a sweetener to the whole deal, an interesting side to the juicy entrée. As the clock ticks and we grow closer to this momentous occasion I must admit that I am bristling with excitement. I won’t lie to you Storm, the revelation that there is no possible way for me to awaken the monster in you fills me with a certain amount of disappointment. It may indeed even be a mistake on your part. When I cross those ropes, I become a beast every single time. I let go and give in to the horror that lies within, something that I can not possibly control and let me just clarify, it has never let me down so far. Time will truly tell though. We will see in a couple of days time wether you still refuse to tap into that forgotten side. We’ll see what happens when you have your back against the wall and you come face to face with one of the most insurmountable tasks you have and will ever face in your life. Cause believe you me my esteemed combatant that is what I am. The Ezriel factor is no fairytale Mike. There is no illusion here. You’re making the same mistake that Alex Jones made. You think that I am believing things and convincing myself of things that just aren’t true. I thought we had established this already? I work on facts alone. There is no belief here, there is simply the truth. It just so happens that this particular truth is that I am the real deal, the whole f’n show or whatever other cliché you want to come up with. The thing about statistics you see Storm is that out of the thousands, even millions of people who know they are different, know that they’re special, know that they’re the best… is that one of these people, statistically, will be absolutely one hundred percent correct. See you on Sunday Mikey, tick tock… tick tock… tick tock.”¥
As Ezriel repeats this phrase he crosses over to the nearby weight lifting bench. He lays down and begins to raise the bar up and down, “ticking and tocking” with every lift. The camera slowly fades to black, and then…
STATIC.
