Post by PerZag on Jan 22, 2022 13:02:42 GMT -5
What am I going to do? Who am I going to be? So many options. So many choices. So many versions of myself that I can be. Shall I be Worthy, shall I be Sexy, or shall I just be ME!
“I don’t know, Pops; what should I be doing?”
PerZag takes a sip from a glass that is filled with beer. PerZag places the glass back onto the bar in front of him. He looks to the stool on his right, where an old man with short dark grey hair and a dark grey moustache sits, nursing his own glass of beer.
“What do you think, my boy?”
PerZag looks to his left as the sound of a break is made, the cue ball sending all the billiard balls spread around the table. PerZag turns back to his beer and stares at it.
“I don’t know. All I know is that this tastes like shit.”
PerZag takes another sip of the beer, forcing it down.
“Why else am I here? I need wisdom. And when I need wisdom, I come to you.”
Pops turns on his stool, facing PerZag.
“Look at me, my boy.”
PerZag turns on his stool to face pops. Pops places a hand on PerZag’s knee.
“I know that someone at my age should have all the answers for you, but I don’t. I can give you advice all I like, but my situations are vastly different from yours. Only you can find the answers you need for your problems; nobody else can. Advice only takes you so far. You need to determine what you need to do for your sake. Nobody is closer to your situation than you.”
PerZag drops his head down, staring at the floor of the pub, his eyes darting back and forth.
“But everything is just so………………………………………………..complicated. I don’t even know where to begin.”
“Look at me, my boy.”
PerZag lifts his head up.
“I know you will find the answer, my boy; I just know you will.”
Pops stands up from the stool.
“Now, I need to take a piss.”
Pops wanders off towards the bathroom as PerZag turns back to his beer, taking another sip.
“You alright there.”
PerZag turns his head to see a woman with long brunette hair and a look of concern on his face. PerZag looks at her briefly and then turns his head back to the beer. He lifts it up and skulls the rest of the glass in one hit. He places the glass back down on the counter and puts his hand up to summon the bartender.
“Hey Joe, that’s it for me. How much is my tab now?”
The bartender, Joe, stares at PerZag before dropping his eyes to the empty glass in front of him.
“Don’t worry about it, Zag; I know you can’t pay it right now. Just do what you need to do to find a job and an income. Find yourself a place. I will take care of the tab until then.”
“No, Joe, I mean, I have a gig at the end of the month where I’ll get some pay. And I will pay it all out with it. I just need to know how much.”
“Zag………”
Joe lifts his eyes up and stares straight into PerZag’s eyes.
“....... you and your pops have been regulars here for a long time, and when times were good, you paid what you owed. I trust that you will pay your tab, but you need to find a place to live first. A shelter is not enough. You do that, and then you pay your tab. In the meantime, both of you are always welcome here.”
“Thanks, Joe. I better get going, though. I need to sort some things out.”
“Take care, Zag.”
PerZag stands up from the stool and walks towards the door. As he does, the woman with the long brunette hair watches him go before turning over to Joe.
“Joe, is he alright?”
Before answering the woman, Joe picks up the glass that PerZag was drinking from.
“You and I both know, sis, of what Covid can take from you. And it has taken from him too.”
“But he………”
Joe puts his hand up to stop her from continuing.
“.........I know. It’s something he needs right now. But, I’ve known him for a long time; he will be alright in the end.”
Joe’s sister looks down at the counter in front of her.
“Are you sure he isn’t dangerous?”
Joe shakes his head.
“He isn’t dangerous. He’s just………… sad.”
The brunette woman takes a deep breath.
“Aren’t we all.”
The scene cuts outside the bar. The sun shines from above, showing that it is the middle of the day. PerZag exits through the door of the bar to the outside. He steps out onto the pavement and begins walking, and as his journey begins, PerZag’s voice is heard as a voiceover.
“It has been nearly a year since I had a match. Since I fought in the middle of the ring. Since I battled against somebody for supremacy. Almost one entire year. 2021 was the year that I was going to make into the year of the PerZag, but I guess I was wrong.
It started off so supremely well. I was undefeated in the middle of the GCWA ring and was working my way into title pictures, but that abruptly ended. GCWA closed its doors, and I lost my job. Another job. I was back to where I was before. Having to find another company to work for or find some fucking job elsewhere. But finding something else didn’t quite go as planned.
The year I thought that would be mine, took a dive. It went from up above the clouds to down in the depths of hell. One thing on top of another and another drained every last speck of life out of me. I couldn’t find a job, couldn’t get a job, no promotion wanted me because I wasn’t mentally stable, their words, not mine. Life crashed.
Then I got THE call. The call I had wanted for years. For so many fucking years. After seeing so many worthless names called before me, I finally got the nod for THE OCW Hall of Fame. And did that fix my year? Well, no, but it improved it so much more than expected.
I believed that this year was going to be mine because I would dominate a company and become the world’s champion. I have not been able to hold a world title since 2017, but it was my year for the OCW Hall of Fame. I was right, but I was wrong too. 2021 kicked my fucking ass. It did something no other year has ever done, but 2021 is gone. It did its thing, and now 2022 is here. And maybe that means that this is my year.
But, to be frank, that’s the big picture. Right now, I am just happy to have a contract and to be getting paid. I need the money more than I ever have. You don’t know what money truly means until you have been kicked out of your apartment and end up with nowhere to live. But sob story aside, I need to focus on one thing, and one thing only………… Ed Houston.
Ed, you are an amazingly talented individual. You have done so many amazing things in this industry, won so many titles, defeated so many legends, but there is one thing I do remember that you have not managed to do. You have never beaten me.
I know, it’s the obvious answer, and it’s not that big of a deal, but that one time we fought back in 2020 in the GCWA, I pinned you in the middle of that ring. Now that was a year and a half ago, and in another company, but I still beat you. I still pinned you. It still matters somehow. Maybe it creates a little voice in your head that makes you think, ‘shit, maybe I can’t beat him, or perhaps it will just make you fight harder, but I will still always know that you are beatable.
But this is OCW, after all. A different atmosphere. And in the streets of Detroit makes things even wilder. Let alone that this match has stripped you of so many moves from your arsenal. A No-Fly Match. Of course, they had to give this type of match to you. Do you even have a move up your sleeve that would even be useful? I’m not talking about a punch, slap, or small package. I’m talking about a move that will finish me off.
No matter where or when I have been, I always make it difficult for somebody to win. Always. It is going to take a lot for you to beat me. Not just because I want your Craze Title, but because I want this win. I want this job. I want this payday. No, wait, I NEED all of this. I NEED this more than I ever have. I NEED this win. I NEED this job. I NEED this payday. I NEED a title and the pay increase it will give me. I NEED it all. So unless you NEED this as much as I do, it’s not going to be easy.
Every heartbeat in my body will tell me to fight, will ask me to punch and kick, will say to me to kick out, will ask me to fight back and win. This Craze title is not the title I want now. There is one thing left that I need now. And it is the big one. I need to make up for one last thing, but I know I don’t deserve it. I need to EARN it. And being WORTHY or being SEXY won’t just do it for me now. I need to prove that I have it all.
I need to prove that I have everything. I know I do, but not everybody in OCW knows that. I am The Worthiest of Them All. I am The Sexiest Man In Wrestling. I am The 70 Minute Man, but I am also the BEST DAMN THING THIS INDUSTRY HAS EVER SEEN!
I don’t just call myself an all-rounder for nothing. No matter what match type it is, no matter who I am fighting or the destination, I always have a way to win. I am the Zag-of-all-styles baby, and not Ed or anybody is going to stop me now. And I…………………
The voiceover stops as PerZag stops in his tracks from his walk as a man calls out to him.
“Hey, you, you look like a man in need of a job.”
A man with short black hair and short black stubble walks up to PerZag with a notebook in hand. PerZag stares at the man, his arms crossed as he looks him up and down.
“Is it that obvious?”
The man smirks.
“Not to the untrained eye, but I have been searching for prospects for years, and after so many rejections, I can pick up on the slightest things that will tell me about a person. And what everything tells me about you is that you need work, and I have work.”
PerZag lifts his hand up, rubs his left eye and then starts rubbing his forehead.
“So, you’re telling me that you need to recruit people, and you find strays on the street to do it. I’m sorry, but that probably means this is either dangerous or disgusting, and I am not fucking doing it. You can go find somebody a bit more gullible.”
PerZag goes to leave, but the man grabs hold of his arm.
“Wait, let me explain. It’s nothing suspicious or anything; it’s just that we need people. We need you.”
“And why me?”
“Because we know who you are. We know what you’ve done. We know what everybody has done. And you…………… Steve……………. have exactly what we need.”
The sudden mention of his original name sends shockwaves through PerZag’s body, and as he is about to respond, everything cuts to black.
OOC: Word Count according to my Google Docs is 2034 words. First RP in nearly a year, so may be a bit rough, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless.
“I don’t know, Pops; what should I be doing?”
PerZag takes a sip from a glass that is filled with beer. PerZag places the glass back onto the bar in front of him. He looks to the stool on his right, where an old man with short dark grey hair and a dark grey moustache sits, nursing his own glass of beer.
“What do you think, my boy?”
PerZag looks to his left as the sound of a break is made, the cue ball sending all the billiard balls spread around the table. PerZag turns back to his beer and stares at it.
“I don’t know. All I know is that this tastes like shit.”
PerZag takes another sip of the beer, forcing it down.
“Why else am I here? I need wisdom. And when I need wisdom, I come to you.”
Pops turns on his stool, facing PerZag.
“Look at me, my boy.”
PerZag turns on his stool to face pops. Pops places a hand on PerZag’s knee.
“I know that someone at my age should have all the answers for you, but I don’t. I can give you advice all I like, but my situations are vastly different from yours. Only you can find the answers you need for your problems; nobody else can. Advice only takes you so far. You need to determine what you need to do for your sake. Nobody is closer to your situation than you.”
PerZag drops his head down, staring at the floor of the pub, his eyes darting back and forth.
“But everything is just so………………………………………………..complicated. I don’t even know where to begin.”
“Look at me, my boy.”
PerZag lifts his head up.
“I know you will find the answer, my boy; I just know you will.”
Pops stands up from the stool.
“Now, I need to take a piss.”
Pops wanders off towards the bathroom as PerZag turns back to his beer, taking another sip.
“You alright there.”
PerZag turns his head to see a woman with long brunette hair and a look of concern on his face. PerZag looks at her briefly and then turns his head back to the beer. He lifts it up and skulls the rest of the glass in one hit. He places the glass back down on the counter and puts his hand up to summon the bartender.
“Hey Joe, that’s it for me. How much is my tab now?”
The bartender, Joe, stares at PerZag before dropping his eyes to the empty glass in front of him.
“Don’t worry about it, Zag; I know you can’t pay it right now. Just do what you need to do to find a job and an income. Find yourself a place. I will take care of the tab until then.”
“No, Joe, I mean, I have a gig at the end of the month where I’ll get some pay. And I will pay it all out with it. I just need to know how much.”
“Zag………”
Joe lifts his eyes up and stares straight into PerZag’s eyes.
“....... you and your pops have been regulars here for a long time, and when times were good, you paid what you owed. I trust that you will pay your tab, but you need to find a place to live first. A shelter is not enough. You do that, and then you pay your tab. In the meantime, both of you are always welcome here.”
“Thanks, Joe. I better get going, though. I need to sort some things out.”
“Take care, Zag.”
PerZag stands up from the stool and walks towards the door. As he does, the woman with the long brunette hair watches him go before turning over to Joe.
“Joe, is he alright?”
Before answering the woman, Joe picks up the glass that PerZag was drinking from.
“You and I both know, sis, of what Covid can take from you. And it has taken from him too.”
“But he………”
Joe puts his hand up to stop her from continuing.
“.........I know. It’s something he needs right now. But, I’ve known him for a long time; he will be alright in the end.”
Joe’s sister looks down at the counter in front of her.
“Are you sure he isn’t dangerous?”
Joe shakes his head.
“He isn’t dangerous. He’s just………… sad.”
The brunette woman takes a deep breath.
“Aren’t we all.”
The scene cuts outside the bar. The sun shines from above, showing that it is the middle of the day. PerZag exits through the door of the bar to the outside. He steps out onto the pavement and begins walking, and as his journey begins, PerZag’s voice is heard as a voiceover.
“It has been nearly a year since I had a match. Since I fought in the middle of the ring. Since I battled against somebody for supremacy. Almost one entire year. 2021 was the year that I was going to make into the year of the PerZag, but I guess I was wrong.
It started off so supremely well. I was undefeated in the middle of the GCWA ring and was working my way into title pictures, but that abruptly ended. GCWA closed its doors, and I lost my job. Another job. I was back to where I was before. Having to find another company to work for or find some fucking job elsewhere. But finding something else didn’t quite go as planned.
The year I thought that would be mine, took a dive. It went from up above the clouds to down in the depths of hell. One thing on top of another and another drained every last speck of life out of me. I couldn’t find a job, couldn’t get a job, no promotion wanted me because I wasn’t mentally stable, their words, not mine. Life crashed.
Then I got THE call. The call I had wanted for years. For so many fucking years. After seeing so many worthless names called before me, I finally got the nod for THE OCW Hall of Fame. And did that fix my year? Well, no, but it improved it so much more than expected.
I believed that this year was going to be mine because I would dominate a company and become the world’s champion. I have not been able to hold a world title since 2017, but it was my year for the OCW Hall of Fame. I was right, but I was wrong too. 2021 kicked my fucking ass. It did something no other year has ever done, but 2021 is gone. It did its thing, and now 2022 is here. And maybe that means that this is my year.
But, to be frank, that’s the big picture. Right now, I am just happy to have a contract and to be getting paid. I need the money more than I ever have. You don’t know what money truly means until you have been kicked out of your apartment and end up with nowhere to live. But sob story aside, I need to focus on one thing, and one thing only………… Ed Houston.
Ed, you are an amazingly talented individual. You have done so many amazing things in this industry, won so many titles, defeated so many legends, but there is one thing I do remember that you have not managed to do. You have never beaten me.
I know, it’s the obvious answer, and it’s not that big of a deal, but that one time we fought back in 2020 in the GCWA, I pinned you in the middle of that ring. Now that was a year and a half ago, and in another company, but I still beat you. I still pinned you. It still matters somehow. Maybe it creates a little voice in your head that makes you think, ‘shit, maybe I can’t beat him, or perhaps it will just make you fight harder, but I will still always know that you are beatable.
But this is OCW, after all. A different atmosphere. And in the streets of Detroit makes things even wilder. Let alone that this match has stripped you of so many moves from your arsenal. A No-Fly Match. Of course, they had to give this type of match to you. Do you even have a move up your sleeve that would even be useful? I’m not talking about a punch, slap, or small package. I’m talking about a move that will finish me off.
No matter where or when I have been, I always make it difficult for somebody to win. Always. It is going to take a lot for you to beat me. Not just because I want your Craze Title, but because I want this win. I want this job. I want this payday. No, wait, I NEED all of this. I NEED this more than I ever have. I NEED this win. I NEED this job. I NEED this payday. I NEED a title and the pay increase it will give me. I NEED it all. So unless you NEED this as much as I do, it’s not going to be easy.
Every heartbeat in my body will tell me to fight, will ask me to punch and kick, will say to me to kick out, will ask me to fight back and win. This Craze title is not the title I want now. There is one thing left that I need now. And it is the big one. I need to make up for one last thing, but I know I don’t deserve it. I need to EARN it. And being WORTHY or being SEXY won’t just do it for me now. I need to prove that I have it all.
I need to prove that I have everything. I know I do, but not everybody in OCW knows that. I am The Worthiest of Them All. I am The Sexiest Man In Wrestling. I am The 70 Minute Man, but I am also the BEST DAMN THING THIS INDUSTRY HAS EVER SEEN!
I don’t just call myself an all-rounder for nothing. No matter what match type it is, no matter who I am fighting or the destination, I always have a way to win. I am the Zag-of-all-styles baby, and not Ed or anybody is going to stop me now. And I…………………
The voiceover stops as PerZag stops in his tracks from his walk as a man calls out to him.
“Hey, you, you look like a man in need of a job.”
A man with short black hair and short black stubble walks up to PerZag with a notebook in hand. PerZag stares at the man, his arms crossed as he looks him up and down.
“Is it that obvious?”
The man smirks.
“Not to the untrained eye, but I have been searching for prospects for years, and after so many rejections, I can pick up on the slightest things that will tell me about a person. And what everything tells me about you is that you need work, and I have work.”
PerZag lifts his hand up, rubs his left eye and then starts rubbing his forehead.
“So, you’re telling me that you need to recruit people, and you find strays on the street to do it. I’m sorry, but that probably means this is either dangerous or disgusting, and I am not fucking doing it. You can go find somebody a bit more gullible.”
PerZag goes to leave, but the man grabs hold of his arm.
“Wait, let me explain. It’s nothing suspicious or anything; it’s just that we need people. We need you.”
“And why me?”
“Because we know who you are. We know what you’ve done. We know what everybody has done. And you…………… Steve……………. have exactly what we need.”
The sudden mention of his original name sends shockwaves through PerZag’s body, and as he is about to respond, everything cuts to black.
OOC: Word Count according to my Google Docs is 2034 words. First RP in nearly a year, so may be a bit rough, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless.