Post by distortia on Mar 13, 2014 17:33:43 GMT -5
(For the record guys and gals- I am aware I have gone about 1k over the limit lol)
=/= In the dead of night, stars drowned out by the everlasting neon putting even the brightest rainbow to shame, the insomniacs wander the streets searching as though the elusive slumber they seek is simply hiding around the next corner while the filth exchange goods and services for currency that no longer has any real meaning.
All of them just going through the motions as the city around them falls further into the loving hands of debt and desperation.
Concrete and steel rises up to claim the sky, windows tinted as though whatever lies within is not for public prying eyes as dirty secrets are made and kept within. A city like any other, its name the only identifying feature from the millions just like it- constantly rebuilt in the image of whoever has the most dollars to burn on that given day however never changing despite the claims of advancement and originality.
Soft footsteps tapping on sidewalk, Amber steps into the pool of light cast by the street lamps dotting the pavement, just as quickly she disappears back into the dusk that lies between. Head slightly bowed, she moves quickly as to avoid attracting attention- a moment’s eye contact acting like a signal for trouble seekers.
Another pool of light, her crimson locks ablaze under the harsh illumination. Ahead, a male figure casually leans against a street light, a cigarette hanging from the side of his mouth as the cherry on the end glows brashly. A tiny beacon in the night.
Perhaps it was the sound of her footsteps that had reached him as his head slowly swivels in her direction as though she was interrupting something of importance. A mischievous smile creeps across his face as intense eyes follow her every motion before returning to the dark alleyway that lay in front of him. Removing the burning cigarette from his mouth, he calmly blows a plume of smoke into the air. =/=
“You look ravishing as ever my dear, I trust you are well?”
=/= Danny flashes Amber a cheap smile as he pushes himself off the street lamp, his crude sarcasm a seemingly vain attempt at humour. Amber says nothing, refusing to take his bait, instead disappearing down the alleyway without waiting for Danny to catch up.
Graffiti lines the sheer concrete walls, once vivid messages of undying love and eccentric artworks are now stained by dirty city rain and the sticky remains of discarded alcoholic beverages. Danny’s footsteps catch up quickly, a discarded can kicked ahead, tumbling across other debris left behind by individuals too intoxicated to realize.
Glass shards mingle with used and broken needles, tossed away once their purpose had been served. Beer cans lay crushed in piles as a burnt out car smoulders down the far end, wisps of smoke still dancing in the air as orange embers and ash flicker with life.
Amber slows, the stench of burnt rubber drifting around them, as she turns towards the painted wall, initials scrawled by unsteady hands as a statement of having been here once. Near her boots, a surprisingly decorative wrought iron grate guards a metal spiral staircase descending beneath the alleyway.Danny looks at Amber, his face an expression of confusion which she returns with a knowing smile as she kneels to open the grate, acting like a trapdoor. =/=
“You certainly are full of surprises”
“You think this is a surprise? You haven’t seen anything yet”
=/= Fingers clasped firmly around metal, Amber carefully lifts the grate until it can rest steadily on its hinge before motioning for Danny to enter. He gives her a mixed look before slowly making his way down the metal spiral staircase, footsteps clanging off cold metal before Amber herself descends, closing the grate behind her as to preserve the privacy of the hidden entrance.
Dim light guides the pair down the short stair case, as they step off the stair way it takes only a couple of steps across polished concrete to reach the heavy wooden door, black with ornate painted roses with the words “THE GROTTO” painted in a flowing white script across the top, beneath it a simple bronze plaque reads “Between Two Evils, I Generally Like To Pick The One I’ve Never Tried Before”…
Danny looks around to Amber, his face that of an almost excited disbelief, she gives him a slight nod as indication to push the door open.
In contrast to the dank alleyway outside, the interior was elegantly decorated- rich wooden walls carved with elaborate symbols and scenes, floors polished to the translucency of glass. To each side stands a door, identical to the one across from it except for a carved symbol above- to the left, a triskellion (celtic symbol) and to the right, a depiction of a pair of brass knuckles.
Ahead, a magnificent bar stands like a shrine of polished obsidian. Every conceivable liquor readily available, from the mundane and commonplace to the exotic and illegal, to one side stands a smaller station, dispensing all manner of intoxicants beyond name and description in every form possible.
Everything to get you high, to bring you back down again, to help you see God, to make you feel a though you are God, to make you feel something and to vanquish every feeling you’ve ever had.
Behind the bar, men and women clad in vinyl move about with a stern expertise, distributing beverage and narcotic alike to those who seek it. Few others occupy the space tonight, scattered through the area across seating in various states of inebriation- their subdued focus on the depravity being played out on the other side of the many mirrored walls.
Along the left hand side, the walls serve as one way windows to the rooms’ sexual perversion taking place, each room an uninhibited spectacle of eroticism totally lacking in any form of affection or compassion.
To the right, the same except instead acts of unadulterated violence replace carnal fury. Bodily fluid splatters walls, chips of tooth and bone scattered across floors between broken bodies. Each room an exhibition of sanctioned loathing towards human nature.
Patrons gaze emptily towards the rooms, shrouds of acrid smoke lingering in the air above them as they laze in their self-induced stupors, those within the confines unaware of whether at any moment, they are being watched. Amber makes her way towards the bar, paying little heed to the scenes playing out around her- Danny on the other hand remains sickly enthralled. =/=
“How do you even know about this place-“
=/= Danny cuts himself off, realizing he already knows the answer to his own question. Amber slides onto one of the bar stools, ordering drinks for them both while Danny continues to take in his surroundings. =/=
“Of course, he brought you here, didn’t he”
“Not quite to this particular one, I found this one by myself but yes, he introduced me to the concept.”
“Have you seen him since-“
=/= This time Amber cuts him off, handing Danny a delicate looking short glass, crystal like ice cubes blending with a clear amber liquid. In her own hand, she swirls a glass of red wine idly, watching it kiss the edges of the glass before taking a sip. =/=
“Putting it simply, no. Who knows, maybe our paths will cross again in a place like this.”
=/= Her mind wandered, thoughts and memories of a fallen comrade distracting as she takes another small sip, her lips stained by the liquid. =/=
“Regarding our tournament match this week, I felt as though there seemed to be no better place to explore sin and depravity.”
“Are you trying to tell me you want to-“
=/= Danny tries to cosy up to Amber- his speech suddenly taking on a tasteless seductive quality, topping it off with a suggestive wink. =/=
“Get over yourself Danny, I’d rather spend a night with ‘The Family’ while they figure out whose turn it is to bend over and take it.”
=/= Danny shrugs, down the liquid and leaving the glass on the bar before wandering off to investigate more of the debauchery up close. Amber continues to swirl the wine, paying little attention to the disappearance of her tag team partner. =/=
“Sin is a funny thing, not the ‘hahaha lol’ kind of funny, but the practical joke where you end up shitting your pants because you really really don’t like spiders. A term that gets such a bad rap because it insinuates that only the bad people do it and therefore get sent to hell while the rest of us virtuous folk are up off to the pearly gates once the vessel stops kicking.
Truth is, we all have it in us… Some more than others but even the so called ‘do-gooders’ are guilty of at least one of seven.”
=/= Temporarily glued to a window where two men are engaged in a particularly brutal fight, Danny pipes up as though it’s an automatic reaction rather than interest in what his partner is saying. =/=
“Not me, clean as a fucking whistle I am”
“Shut up Danny”
=/= Amber sighs, rubbing her temple with her free hand as Danny drifts to the next window. =/=
“Greed. Gluttony. Sloth. Envy. Pride. Lust. Wrath. Phrases synonymous with-“
“They forgot cock-blocking- thou art shoult not cock-block thy neighbour…”
=/= Danny chuckles to himself, finding the humour in his own exalted choice of words. =/=
“You’re thinking of commandments… Retard.”
“I stand by view.”
“How about you go stand by your view somewhere else then…”
=/= Danny turns, poking his tongue out in a deliberately juvenile effort. Amber heaves a sigh, taking a longer sip of wine as she tries to maintain her composure. =/=
“Gluttony. The sin of over indulgence, of excess and over consumption. Unfortunately neither Marauko nor Pryde are 500lbs and eating all you can eat buffets out of business on a consistent basis so let us expand our view for a moment. See, gluttony can be directly linked to selfishness… Now there, there we have a link…
Pryde- the masked man with everything to prove. If I recall, it’s even been admitted from the man himself that he only cares that he is recognized and respected as such.
A man on a mission for redemption- regardless of the cost.
How long does it take for a man to see beyond himself?
To think about what consequences come from their tunnel vision?
To realize that maybe they’ve gone too far to achieve something that was never really worth outcome…
The answer is actually quite simple- the same time it takes for a man to admit they are at fault, that they are purely self-seeking, that it finally does matter who they have to hurt in order to fulfil an unfillable void within themselves.
Do you wear the mask for the sake of those you care about, to protect them from something they can’t understand or do you wear it for yourself, to protect your reputation from the shameful things you’ve done to reach this point.
Tell me, oh masked man… What happens once you’ve finally found your ‘redemption’? After you’ve sold your soul and everything that you claim you stand for to receive the respect you make clear that you deserve- only then do I hope you understand.
Always remember, my dear, the glutton is never satisfied. Even once the craving is fulfilled, two more, like the head of the hydra will take its place”
=/= Amber sips the wine as it grows warm in the glass, contemplating for a moment. =/=
“Envy. The sin of covet and a desire to deprive others of what is theirs. Characterised as the green eyed monster. It is said that man desires all that he cannot have, especially when it’s owned by another- perhaps this is true… Especially when the man guilty of the sin once did have what he now covets in his grasp.
Mario Marauko- some say a legend, others would call a parasite.
I agree with both sides of the equation- there was a time when he was on top of the industry, draped in gold and prestige that had been rightfully earned. However sometimes life has a way of moving on without you and the fall from grace never has a soft landing.
How did it feel Mario, when the OCW, a place you could make the argument that you had pioneered, reopened and you weren’t planned to be a star attraction. Failing to be even considered relevant in a place you had put on the map- I bet it still stings now, an itch you just can’t seem to scratch.
Of course, instead of simply moving on and allowing the world to keep turning- the green eyed monster took hold and if you couldn’t have what you thought was rightfully yours… Then no one could.
I can see your motivation- if you can’t have the top spot then the company should cease to exist. An extreme view but understandable, if you were still considered by anyone to be worthy for that place.
For the record, the ‘family’ doesn’t count as considering you worthy- you are a means to an end, people too blinded by your ego to realize that being associated with you simply isn’t going to get them up the totem pole any faster than they would without you.
Your bitterness and resentment towards the growing success of the company while you continue to stagnate shines through every spiteful word you preach- as if those words are more than just the ramblings of a man too far gone to know when he’s just not up to scratch.
We are not here to stop you in the name of the company, we are not doing this so you can’t get your greasy hands on gold, hell we aren’t even doing this because we don’t like you…
You had your time in the sun, your 15 minutes of fame. You had your chance to stake your claim in the company and the company still didn’t want you… Move on Mario, your princess is in another castle...”
=/= Danny saunters up to the bar, eyeing her glass out of the corner of his eye before ordering more drinks. Another suggestive wink earns him a scathing glance from Amber as pushes another glass of wine across the glossy black surface towards her. =/=
“… Last chance”
=/= Amber feints a vomiting motion, Danny gets her message before returning to his observations- enjoying the deprivation occurring around him. =/=
“Sloth. The sin of failure to do what one should. Not restricted to just laziness but can be better defined by ‘evil exists when good men fail to act’.
What does that mean? It means that by failing to act in the face of the immoral for whatever reason, the good man becomes just as bad as those perpetrating evil.
Do you still feel disrespected Pryde? The fact you got teamed with public enemy numero uno- you assert yourself as the good guy just trying to do the right thing, doing what he’s told but the fact remains- you had a choice.
We have all been in companies where we have disagreed with a decision made by a paper pusher regarding our careers and we have all acted in manners that may be frowned upon.
Despite your unhappiness with being lumped with the marvellous lump himself- you made the conscious choice to continue to work with him. You could have very easily walked away and returned to doing whatever it was you had originally planned to do…
You didn’t like the decision, you didn’t like the man and yet you chose to do nothing… If that isn’t the definition of a good man not acting in the face of evil than frankly I don’t know what it.
For a man intent on earning respect, you have a strange way of going about it. Complaining about being put with the possibly most hated man in the company will not earn you respect, standing up and doing something about it will.
Perhaps this will be your first step towards the redemption you so crave, it really doesn’t take much to do either… Say no. Walk away. Do whatever it is you have to do to assert the fact that you want nothing to do with this.
Yes it really is that simple.
Do I expect you to act? That is the nature of the sloth- despite the fact you have so little to gain from this, it’s much easier to simply play along with the game rather than speak up and risk rustling some jimmies.
Show up at Massacre, prove me wrong. Maybe then, you’ll earn the respect you claim you deserve.”
=/= Amber watches as Danny sidles up to the bar, his eyes moving from her to the still full wine glass beside her and back warily. =/=
“Do you not trust me”
“We both know the answer to that”
“We have an agreement-“
“Not our first and do I need to recall the way the last turned out”
“This is different”
“It always is”
=/= Not allowing the wine to go to waste, Danny leaves his second empty short glass upon the obsidian surface and taking up the wine glass, sipping deeply. Sarcastically he feigns choking on the wine before giving her a criticizing look and wandering back to the windows. =/=
“Greed. The sin of excessive need for material possession or wealth.
Material possession is said to be ‘9/10s of the law’ even if it is by the use of hoarding, stealing, violence and manipulation of authority and the generally gullible.
For a man who seemingly has everything, Mario, you certainly are a greedy bastard.
Nothing is ever enough, is that why you claim the fools you surround yourself with as ‘family’, knowing that their success, whether they realize or not, can be linked directly back to you in which case everything they ever do, everything they achieve whilst in your budding little enterprise- you will have a stake in.
This ‘family’ has nothing to do with mutual respect as you would claim but simply the fact that you can’t help but surround yourself with people vastly more talented than yourself in order to satisfy your thirsts for material gain- you attach yourself like a tick on a mutt, taking until they have nothing left to give you and tossing them aside once they have served your purpose.
Maybe you realize you have little future except to create a revolving door of the next successful upstarts, clinging to memories of glory and living vicariously through their achievements knowing that you cannot attain that level of excellence alone.
I can only hope for the sake of their careers that your ‘family’ realize that you will be the one to drag them all down in the end, that you are the dead weight clinging to the promise of glory, that you are in fact the weakest link of them all.
Instead of building upon your legacy, you desecrate it because you are possessed by your need for possession. People will not remember you for being a legend in the ring, but a worn out has-been who didn’t know when to quit.
Your name carries very little power anymore Mario, keep on tarnishing your reputation cause soon that’ll be worthless too.”
=/= Amber finishes her glass of warm wine, leaving a thick after taste on her tongue. Knowing she’ll probably regret this decision in the morning, she signals the nearest bartender before beckoning Danny over. As he arrives at the bar, two shot glasses are placed before the pair filled with clear green fluid. =/=
“Is this-“
“Absinthe? Yes…”
“Are you trying to get me drunk to take advantage of me?”
“You wish”
=/= Raising their glasses, they touch them with a faint clink before knocking them down, slamming the shot glasses down on the bar as the liquid immediately begins to course through the body.
Danny appears lost for words for a couple moments before mouthing ‘god, I hate you’ as Amber licks the last of the absinthe off her lips. =/=
“Pride. The sin of excessive admiration of one’s self, the belief that one’s self is essentially better than everyone else.
Pride by name, pride by nature.
Two men blinded by their own ambition, unwilling to stand aside when the situation calls upon them to do so, instead they stand and fight as if there is anything they do can affect the outcome, simply to bolster their flailing reputations.
Some say pride is the original, the most deadly of the sins as it shields them from the harsh reality, instead giving them a false sense of achievement and a need for gratuitous respect.
Those who say pride is the original sin?
Those people are mistaken- sin existed long before prideful was even a word used to describe those with an unjustified sense of arrogance, the word is merely an excuse for people the try to validate themselves further.
You came together as men with something to prove to the world but now, you only stand here as men trying to validate their own inflated self-worth.”
=/= An almost euphoric tingle races through Ambers system as the absinthe takes hold, a smile creeping across her features. Danny takes time out in one of the lounges provided, sinking into the soft red material as his head flops backwards lazily. =/=
“Now, let’s change the view shall we? Two more sins and two more people that embody them both…
Lust. The sin of intense desire. Many interpret is as just sexual desire, however the sin runs much deeper. Desire in all its forms- that craving for power, money, fame… It all counts.
Which brings me to us.
What is it we long for? I’m sure you’re asking… Respect? Fame? Sex? All those are fine and wonderful alone but our bond, what brings us together and why you will not go over us…
Our desire lies in the end of each other.
Throughout our careers we have fought tooth and nail to be the one to finish the other, to be the one to rid the Earth of their presence… So why does this bring us together?
Because I will be damned to the furthest fucking parts of hell, if I am not the one to finish of the walking scum that is Danny B!
I have worked my career to finally earn that right and I will not let anyone take that away from me…”
=/= Ambers outburst catches Danny’s attention, instead of outrage he simply smiles, concurring with her statement. =/=
“Wrath. The sin of uncontrollable rage. A sin that in its most unadulterated form bring about a change in people, a self-destructiveness that can only end once the fire has been quenched, a need for violence to bring about suffering and torment.
Let it be known- we tolerate each other, our loathing seethes under the surface until the time comes for it to rise to the forefront. Through our careers, we have participated in matches that should never be witnessed, blood feuds that became blood baths because people thought they could simply stoke the fire and not be burned.
Those who have poked the beasts have fallen… Except for us- we are the purest elements of hate left in our lives and we will not stop until the other takes their final breath.
Mario. Pryde. You stand in the way of two people on a collision course, a game of chicken with neither willing to swerve and you stand right in the middle.
This goes far beyond gold, this is 6 years of animosity looking to be settled on a stage that will permit it.
You do not want to win this battle, there is going to be a train crash… You will just be collateral damage.”
“Couldn’t agree more”
“Wasn’t asking you”
=/= Danny slowly rises form the couch, wandering back over to the bar where Amber sits, she eyes him warily as he smirks. Slinking up next to her, he drapes an arm across her shoulder. She tries to hide her revulsion but it’s fairly plain to see. =/=
“I wasn’t answering a question. Am I not allowed to agree with tag team partner?”
“You agreeing with me- gives me the creeps in the worst way”
=/= Danny chuckles, before beckoning the bartender for more drinks, his arm still draped across her shoulder as the scene fades out. =/=
=/= In the dead of night, stars drowned out by the everlasting neon putting even the brightest rainbow to shame, the insomniacs wander the streets searching as though the elusive slumber they seek is simply hiding around the next corner while the filth exchange goods and services for currency that no longer has any real meaning.
All of them just going through the motions as the city around them falls further into the loving hands of debt and desperation.
Concrete and steel rises up to claim the sky, windows tinted as though whatever lies within is not for public prying eyes as dirty secrets are made and kept within. A city like any other, its name the only identifying feature from the millions just like it- constantly rebuilt in the image of whoever has the most dollars to burn on that given day however never changing despite the claims of advancement and originality.
Soft footsteps tapping on sidewalk, Amber steps into the pool of light cast by the street lamps dotting the pavement, just as quickly she disappears back into the dusk that lies between. Head slightly bowed, she moves quickly as to avoid attracting attention- a moment’s eye contact acting like a signal for trouble seekers.
Another pool of light, her crimson locks ablaze under the harsh illumination. Ahead, a male figure casually leans against a street light, a cigarette hanging from the side of his mouth as the cherry on the end glows brashly. A tiny beacon in the night.
Perhaps it was the sound of her footsteps that had reached him as his head slowly swivels in her direction as though she was interrupting something of importance. A mischievous smile creeps across his face as intense eyes follow her every motion before returning to the dark alleyway that lay in front of him. Removing the burning cigarette from his mouth, he calmly blows a plume of smoke into the air. =/=
“You look ravishing as ever my dear, I trust you are well?”
=/= Danny flashes Amber a cheap smile as he pushes himself off the street lamp, his crude sarcasm a seemingly vain attempt at humour. Amber says nothing, refusing to take his bait, instead disappearing down the alleyway without waiting for Danny to catch up.
Graffiti lines the sheer concrete walls, once vivid messages of undying love and eccentric artworks are now stained by dirty city rain and the sticky remains of discarded alcoholic beverages. Danny’s footsteps catch up quickly, a discarded can kicked ahead, tumbling across other debris left behind by individuals too intoxicated to realize.
Glass shards mingle with used and broken needles, tossed away once their purpose had been served. Beer cans lay crushed in piles as a burnt out car smoulders down the far end, wisps of smoke still dancing in the air as orange embers and ash flicker with life.
Amber slows, the stench of burnt rubber drifting around them, as she turns towards the painted wall, initials scrawled by unsteady hands as a statement of having been here once. Near her boots, a surprisingly decorative wrought iron grate guards a metal spiral staircase descending beneath the alleyway.Danny looks at Amber, his face an expression of confusion which she returns with a knowing smile as she kneels to open the grate, acting like a trapdoor. =/=
“You certainly are full of surprises”
“You think this is a surprise? You haven’t seen anything yet”
=/= Fingers clasped firmly around metal, Amber carefully lifts the grate until it can rest steadily on its hinge before motioning for Danny to enter. He gives her a mixed look before slowly making his way down the metal spiral staircase, footsteps clanging off cold metal before Amber herself descends, closing the grate behind her as to preserve the privacy of the hidden entrance.
Dim light guides the pair down the short stair case, as they step off the stair way it takes only a couple of steps across polished concrete to reach the heavy wooden door, black with ornate painted roses with the words “THE GROTTO” painted in a flowing white script across the top, beneath it a simple bronze plaque reads “Between Two Evils, I Generally Like To Pick The One I’ve Never Tried Before”…
Danny looks around to Amber, his face that of an almost excited disbelief, she gives him a slight nod as indication to push the door open.
In contrast to the dank alleyway outside, the interior was elegantly decorated- rich wooden walls carved with elaborate symbols and scenes, floors polished to the translucency of glass. To each side stands a door, identical to the one across from it except for a carved symbol above- to the left, a triskellion (celtic symbol) and to the right, a depiction of a pair of brass knuckles.
Ahead, a magnificent bar stands like a shrine of polished obsidian. Every conceivable liquor readily available, from the mundane and commonplace to the exotic and illegal, to one side stands a smaller station, dispensing all manner of intoxicants beyond name and description in every form possible.
Everything to get you high, to bring you back down again, to help you see God, to make you feel a though you are God, to make you feel something and to vanquish every feeling you’ve ever had.
Behind the bar, men and women clad in vinyl move about with a stern expertise, distributing beverage and narcotic alike to those who seek it. Few others occupy the space tonight, scattered through the area across seating in various states of inebriation- their subdued focus on the depravity being played out on the other side of the many mirrored walls.
Along the left hand side, the walls serve as one way windows to the rooms’ sexual perversion taking place, each room an uninhibited spectacle of eroticism totally lacking in any form of affection or compassion.
To the right, the same except instead acts of unadulterated violence replace carnal fury. Bodily fluid splatters walls, chips of tooth and bone scattered across floors between broken bodies. Each room an exhibition of sanctioned loathing towards human nature.
Patrons gaze emptily towards the rooms, shrouds of acrid smoke lingering in the air above them as they laze in their self-induced stupors, those within the confines unaware of whether at any moment, they are being watched. Amber makes her way towards the bar, paying little heed to the scenes playing out around her- Danny on the other hand remains sickly enthralled. =/=
“How do you even know about this place-“
=/= Danny cuts himself off, realizing he already knows the answer to his own question. Amber slides onto one of the bar stools, ordering drinks for them both while Danny continues to take in his surroundings. =/=
“Of course, he brought you here, didn’t he”
“Not quite to this particular one, I found this one by myself but yes, he introduced me to the concept.”
“Have you seen him since-“
=/= This time Amber cuts him off, handing Danny a delicate looking short glass, crystal like ice cubes blending with a clear amber liquid. In her own hand, she swirls a glass of red wine idly, watching it kiss the edges of the glass before taking a sip. =/=
“Putting it simply, no. Who knows, maybe our paths will cross again in a place like this.”
=/= Her mind wandered, thoughts and memories of a fallen comrade distracting as she takes another small sip, her lips stained by the liquid. =/=
“Regarding our tournament match this week, I felt as though there seemed to be no better place to explore sin and depravity.”
“Are you trying to tell me you want to-“
=/= Danny tries to cosy up to Amber- his speech suddenly taking on a tasteless seductive quality, topping it off with a suggestive wink. =/=
“Get over yourself Danny, I’d rather spend a night with ‘The Family’ while they figure out whose turn it is to bend over and take it.”
=/= Danny shrugs, down the liquid and leaving the glass on the bar before wandering off to investigate more of the debauchery up close. Amber continues to swirl the wine, paying little attention to the disappearance of her tag team partner. =/=
“Sin is a funny thing, not the ‘hahaha lol’ kind of funny, but the practical joke where you end up shitting your pants because you really really don’t like spiders. A term that gets such a bad rap because it insinuates that only the bad people do it and therefore get sent to hell while the rest of us virtuous folk are up off to the pearly gates once the vessel stops kicking.
Truth is, we all have it in us… Some more than others but even the so called ‘do-gooders’ are guilty of at least one of seven.”
=/= Temporarily glued to a window where two men are engaged in a particularly brutal fight, Danny pipes up as though it’s an automatic reaction rather than interest in what his partner is saying. =/=
“Not me, clean as a fucking whistle I am”
“Shut up Danny”
=/= Amber sighs, rubbing her temple with her free hand as Danny drifts to the next window. =/=
“Greed. Gluttony. Sloth. Envy. Pride. Lust. Wrath. Phrases synonymous with-“
“They forgot cock-blocking- thou art shoult not cock-block thy neighbour…”
=/= Danny chuckles to himself, finding the humour in his own exalted choice of words. =/=
“You’re thinking of commandments… Retard.”
“I stand by view.”
“How about you go stand by your view somewhere else then…”
=/= Danny turns, poking his tongue out in a deliberately juvenile effort. Amber heaves a sigh, taking a longer sip of wine as she tries to maintain her composure. =/=
“Gluttony. The sin of over indulgence, of excess and over consumption. Unfortunately neither Marauko nor Pryde are 500lbs and eating all you can eat buffets out of business on a consistent basis so let us expand our view for a moment. See, gluttony can be directly linked to selfishness… Now there, there we have a link…
Pryde- the masked man with everything to prove. If I recall, it’s even been admitted from the man himself that he only cares that he is recognized and respected as such.
A man on a mission for redemption- regardless of the cost.
How long does it take for a man to see beyond himself?
To think about what consequences come from their tunnel vision?
To realize that maybe they’ve gone too far to achieve something that was never really worth outcome…
The answer is actually quite simple- the same time it takes for a man to admit they are at fault, that they are purely self-seeking, that it finally does matter who they have to hurt in order to fulfil an unfillable void within themselves.
Do you wear the mask for the sake of those you care about, to protect them from something they can’t understand or do you wear it for yourself, to protect your reputation from the shameful things you’ve done to reach this point.
Tell me, oh masked man… What happens once you’ve finally found your ‘redemption’? After you’ve sold your soul and everything that you claim you stand for to receive the respect you make clear that you deserve- only then do I hope you understand.
Always remember, my dear, the glutton is never satisfied. Even once the craving is fulfilled, two more, like the head of the hydra will take its place”
=/= Amber sips the wine as it grows warm in the glass, contemplating for a moment. =/=
“Envy. The sin of covet and a desire to deprive others of what is theirs. Characterised as the green eyed monster. It is said that man desires all that he cannot have, especially when it’s owned by another- perhaps this is true… Especially when the man guilty of the sin once did have what he now covets in his grasp.
Mario Marauko- some say a legend, others would call a parasite.
I agree with both sides of the equation- there was a time when he was on top of the industry, draped in gold and prestige that had been rightfully earned. However sometimes life has a way of moving on without you and the fall from grace never has a soft landing.
How did it feel Mario, when the OCW, a place you could make the argument that you had pioneered, reopened and you weren’t planned to be a star attraction. Failing to be even considered relevant in a place you had put on the map- I bet it still stings now, an itch you just can’t seem to scratch.
Of course, instead of simply moving on and allowing the world to keep turning- the green eyed monster took hold and if you couldn’t have what you thought was rightfully yours… Then no one could.
I can see your motivation- if you can’t have the top spot then the company should cease to exist. An extreme view but understandable, if you were still considered by anyone to be worthy for that place.
For the record, the ‘family’ doesn’t count as considering you worthy- you are a means to an end, people too blinded by your ego to realize that being associated with you simply isn’t going to get them up the totem pole any faster than they would without you.
Your bitterness and resentment towards the growing success of the company while you continue to stagnate shines through every spiteful word you preach- as if those words are more than just the ramblings of a man too far gone to know when he’s just not up to scratch.
We are not here to stop you in the name of the company, we are not doing this so you can’t get your greasy hands on gold, hell we aren’t even doing this because we don’t like you…
You had your time in the sun, your 15 minutes of fame. You had your chance to stake your claim in the company and the company still didn’t want you… Move on Mario, your princess is in another castle...”
=/= Danny saunters up to the bar, eyeing her glass out of the corner of his eye before ordering more drinks. Another suggestive wink earns him a scathing glance from Amber as pushes another glass of wine across the glossy black surface towards her. =/=
“… Last chance”
=/= Amber feints a vomiting motion, Danny gets her message before returning to his observations- enjoying the deprivation occurring around him. =/=
“Sloth. The sin of failure to do what one should. Not restricted to just laziness but can be better defined by ‘evil exists when good men fail to act’.
What does that mean? It means that by failing to act in the face of the immoral for whatever reason, the good man becomes just as bad as those perpetrating evil.
Do you still feel disrespected Pryde? The fact you got teamed with public enemy numero uno- you assert yourself as the good guy just trying to do the right thing, doing what he’s told but the fact remains- you had a choice.
We have all been in companies where we have disagreed with a decision made by a paper pusher regarding our careers and we have all acted in manners that may be frowned upon.
Despite your unhappiness with being lumped with the marvellous lump himself- you made the conscious choice to continue to work with him. You could have very easily walked away and returned to doing whatever it was you had originally planned to do…
You didn’t like the decision, you didn’t like the man and yet you chose to do nothing… If that isn’t the definition of a good man not acting in the face of evil than frankly I don’t know what it.
For a man intent on earning respect, you have a strange way of going about it. Complaining about being put with the possibly most hated man in the company will not earn you respect, standing up and doing something about it will.
Perhaps this will be your first step towards the redemption you so crave, it really doesn’t take much to do either… Say no. Walk away. Do whatever it is you have to do to assert the fact that you want nothing to do with this.
Yes it really is that simple.
Do I expect you to act? That is the nature of the sloth- despite the fact you have so little to gain from this, it’s much easier to simply play along with the game rather than speak up and risk rustling some jimmies.
Show up at Massacre, prove me wrong. Maybe then, you’ll earn the respect you claim you deserve.”
=/= Amber watches as Danny sidles up to the bar, his eyes moving from her to the still full wine glass beside her and back warily. =/=
“Do you not trust me”
“We both know the answer to that”
“We have an agreement-“
“Not our first and do I need to recall the way the last turned out”
“This is different”
“It always is”
=/= Not allowing the wine to go to waste, Danny leaves his second empty short glass upon the obsidian surface and taking up the wine glass, sipping deeply. Sarcastically he feigns choking on the wine before giving her a criticizing look and wandering back to the windows. =/=
“Greed. The sin of excessive need for material possession or wealth.
Material possession is said to be ‘9/10s of the law’ even if it is by the use of hoarding, stealing, violence and manipulation of authority and the generally gullible.
For a man who seemingly has everything, Mario, you certainly are a greedy bastard.
Nothing is ever enough, is that why you claim the fools you surround yourself with as ‘family’, knowing that their success, whether they realize or not, can be linked directly back to you in which case everything they ever do, everything they achieve whilst in your budding little enterprise- you will have a stake in.
This ‘family’ has nothing to do with mutual respect as you would claim but simply the fact that you can’t help but surround yourself with people vastly more talented than yourself in order to satisfy your thirsts for material gain- you attach yourself like a tick on a mutt, taking until they have nothing left to give you and tossing them aside once they have served your purpose.
Maybe you realize you have little future except to create a revolving door of the next successful upstarts, clinging to memories of glory and living vicariously through their achievements knowing that you cannot attain that level of excellence alone.
I can only hope for the sake of their careers that your ‘family’ realize that you will be the one to drag them all down in the end, that you are the dead weight clinging to the promise of glory, that you are in fact the weakest link of them all.
Instead of building upon your legacy, you desecrate it because you are possessed by your need for possession. People will not remember you for being a legend in the ring, but a worn out has-been who didn’t know when to quit.
Your name carries very little power anymore Mario, keep on tarnishing your reputation cause soon that’ll be worthless too.”
=/= Amber finishes her glass of warm wine, leaving a thick after taste on her tongue. Knowing she’ll probably regret this decision in the morning, she signals the nearest bartender before beckoning Danny over. As he arrives at the bar, two shot glasses are placed before the pair filled with clear green fluid. =/=
“Is this-“
“Absinthe? Yes…”
“Are you trying to get me drunk to take advantage of me?”
“You wish”
=/= Raising their glasses, they touch them with a faint clink before knocking them down, slamming the shot glasses down on the bar as the liquid immediately begins to course through the body.
Danny appears lost for words for a couple moments before mouthing ‘god, I hate you’ as Amber licks the last of the absinthe off her lips. =/=
“Pride. The sin of excessive admiration of one’s self, the belief that one’s self is essentially better than everyone else.
Pride by name, pride by nature.
Two men blinded by their own ambition, unwilling to stand aside when the situation calls upon them to do so, instead they stand and fight as if there is anything they do can affect the outcome, simply to bolster their flailing reputations.
Some say pride is the original, the most deadly of the sins as it shields them from the harsh reality, instead giving them a false sense of achievement and a need for gratuitous respect.
Those who say pride is the original sin?
Those people are mistaken- sin existed long before prideful was even a word used to describe those with an unjustified sense of arrogance, the word is merely an excuse for people the try to validate themselves further.
You came together as men with something to prove to the world but now, you only stand here as men trying to validate their own inflated self-worth.”
=/= An almost euphoric tingle races through Ambers system as the absinthe takes hold, a smile creeping across her features. Danny takes time out in one of the lounges provided, sinking into the soft red material as his head flops backwards lazily. =/=
“Now, let’s change the view shall we? Two more sins and two more people that embody them both…
Lust. The sin of intense desire. Many interpret is as just sexual desire, however the sin runs much deeper. Desire in all its forms- that craving for power, money, fame… It all counts.
Which brings me to us.
What is it we long for? I’m sure you’re asking… Respect? Fame? Sex? All those are fine and wonderful alone but our bond, what brings us together and why you will not go over us…
Our desire lies in the end of each other.
Throughout our careers we have fought tooth and nail to be the one to finish the other, to be the one to rid the Earth of their presence… So why does this bring us together?
Because I will be damned to the furthest fucking parts of hell, if I am not the one to finish of the walking scum that is Danny B!
I have worked my career to finally earn that right and I will not let anyone take that away from me…”
=/= Ambers outburst catches Danny’s attention, instead of outrage he simply smiles, concurring with her statement. =/=
“Wrath. The sin of uncontrollable rage. A sin that in its most unadulterated form bring about a change in people, a self-destructiveness that can only end once the fire has been quenched, a need for violence to bring about suffering and torment.
Let it be known- we tolerate each other, our loathing seethes under the surface until the time comes for it to rise to the forefront. Through our careers, we have participated in matches that should never be witnessed, blood feuds that became blood baths because people thought they could simply stoke the fire and not be burned.
Those who have poked the beasts have fallen… Except for us- we are the purest elements of hate left in our lives and we will not stop until the other takes their final breath.
Mario. Pryde. You stand in the way of two people on a collision course, a game of chicken with neither willing to swerve and you stand right in the middle.
This goes far beyond gold, this is 6 years of animosity looking to be settled on a stage that will permit it.
You do not want to win this battle, there is going to be a train crash… You will just be collateral damage.”
“Couldn’t agree more”
“Wasn’t asking you”
=/= Danny slowly rises form the couch, wandering back over to the bar where Amber sits, she eyes him warily as he smirks. Slinking up next to her, he drapes an arm across her shoulder. She tries to hide her revulsion but it’s fairly plain to see. =/=
“I wasn’t answering a question. Am I not allowed to agree with tag team partner?”
“You agreeing with me- gives me the creeps in the worst way”
=/= Danny chuckles, before beckoning the bartender for more drinks, his arm still draped across her shoulder as the scene fades out. =/=
