Synn has always been something of a master of mind games. It's a fact that he takes a great deal of pride in. Over the course of the years that he has been involved in the public eye, he has used his wit and resources to coerce and fell a number of opponents and rivals, even if he already held the advantage in size and ring experience. It was done just to prove that he could, and if he was honest, it gave him a bit of a thrill.
There was even one time where he had recorded a sexual encounter between himself and a future opponent without the man's knowledge. Then, when the two were scheduled to compete against one another in a championship match, he effectively blackmailed that man to simply lie down in order to be pinned or else the footage would be aired immediately on the video screen above the stage for all to see. The opponent complied. and Synn walked away from the ring a champion.
It's a side of him that was rarely seen these days, but one that was capable of emerging should he feel the need or desire, or God help them, if someone should earn his ire by threatening either him or one of the rare few he had grown to care about.
So imagine how Synn felt when he had discovered that he himself had been played to a small degree -- and by his own twenty year old son?
This had taken place initially several days prior, in the hometown of the Seven Deadly Sins, Las Vegas, Nevada. The hour of the day was yet in the early morning. Synn himself was currently seated at the bar counter in the kitchen, eating his breakfast while his son Joshua, known to everyone in wrestling circles as Despayre, still slept. Or so he had believed as Despayre always slept in to his heart's content unless there was business to be done for SCW.
Synn heard a melodious whistling come from the hallway, so distracted was he that the footsteps completely escaped him while he read over some contracts of potential match ups for his son.
Gabriel had recently been announced as a participant in the Six Pack Challenge for the SCW Heavyweight Championship, and thus Despayre was left without a match to be booked for the upcoming Supercard -- or so Synn had thought initially.
Despayre had not gone a single Supercard without having been booked in some way, and Synn was determined to make sure this would not be the first. Despayre loved to wrestle, primarily in tag team matches, and thus Synn was determined to see what he could accomplish in order to get his son the exposure he had grown accustomed to. Seeing one contract he thought suited Joshua best, Synn slid it aside from the others and prepared to finish his meal when an energetic voice filled with enthusiasm broke him from his train of thought;
"Gooooood MORNING!" Despayre called out as he leapt into the kitchen through the doorway and landed roughly a foot away from the counter where his father was eating. The ever present teddy bear Angel was placed on the counter and Despayre leaned over at the waist, using his arms to prop himself up with his feet dangling idly off the floor.
Synn glanced at him over the rim of his coffee mug, noting that although he appeared fully awake and alert, his son's hair was disheveled and he was yet clad in his usual sleeping clothes of pajama pants and a simple t shirt.
"Good morning Joshua." Synn said. "You're up early."
Despayre nodded with an eager smile but said nothing, and Synn continued, "To what do I owe the occasion?"
"Oh nothing." Despayre said lightly. "Angel and I have business to conduct this morning! Very important business."
"I see." Synn nodded. "It must be important if it got the two of you up this early."
At Despayre's eager nod of affirmation, Synn asked, "Do I get to know what business this is, or is it one of your special surprises?"
Despayre flopped his upper body completely on the counter, leaving himself prostrate with his arms laid out and his head down on the cool counter, glancing upward toward his father's probing green eyes. It was times like this that often reminded Synn just how much of an innocent and childlike mind his son had due to his mental instability.
"So, surprise?" Synn stated in his won drawn conclusion.
The only answer forthcoming from the young grappler was a soft smile on his pale lips and a twinkle of mischief, inherited from his father, in his cool, gray eyes. Synn just sighed and nodded.
Synn then spotted their housekeeper entering the kitchen, maneuvering her way around Despayre's form dangling precariously on her clean counter.
"If you leave any streaks, you have to clean them." She said with a serious tone but one Synn knew to be in mere good humor.
Never the less, it had the desired effect as Despayre promptly slid back off of the counter and stood upright, watching the fiery, older Latin woman approach the counter.
"Good morning!" Despayre chirped.
"Good morning, Joshua." She replied. "Are you hungry?"
Despayre nodded eagerly.
"I'll get your breakfast then." Theresa said as she turned around to move toward the cupboards, the kitchen being her domain in the household. "Go sit beside your poppa."
Despayre practically ran around the edge of the counter until he arrived at his father's side and dropped down onto the stool at Synn's left. Synn slid Angel across the surface of the counter and Despayre happily took hold of his plush pal with 'grabby hands'. Despayre then looked at the papers on the counter in front of his dad and noted the one separated from the rest.
"What's that?" Despayre asked, leaning in closely to inspect it.
"A contract." Synn answered reasonably.
"For me?"
Synn nodded, finishing his coffee and Theresa was right there with the coffee pot to give him a refill without his having to ask. Such was the expertise in her profession.
Despayre continued to barrage his father with questions, "Is it for me? For Gabriel? Oo! Does Angel have a Universal title defense?"
"No, Joshua." Synn said simply as he dropped a sugar cube into his coffee and gave it a stir. "It's for you, alone. I figured since Gabriel is in the main event of the show..."
"Gabriel's going to win!" Despayre piped in with confidence, assured of his 'big brothers' chances at the SCW Heavyweight title.
"That he is." Synn agreed. "But I wanted you to have a match so I had them send me some contracts over with potential opponents. I thought this one would suit you."
Despayre nodded and asked, "Am I teaming with Bernie?"
"Did I hear my name?"
The voice drew their attention to the door frame of the kitchen where stood their house guest, Nick Jones's cousin and Despayre's buddy, Big B. Clad in snug jeans and a muscle shirt, Big B stepped up to the counter, running his fingers through his hair.
Morning!" Despayre greeted his friend. "We're going to be in a match!"
Big B frowned, glancing from Despayre to Synn and back again, asking in stark confusion, "We are?"
And despite Despayre nodding to confirm this 'fact', Synn's own voice interjected and he stated, "No, Joshua. I' afraid that you're not."
"Oh." Despayre pouted, sticking his bottom lip out. He turned to B and said, "Sorry."
Big B shrugged as he took a seat on a stool on the other side of the kitchen counter, just in time for Theresa to slide a plate with one of her homemade cinnamon rolls on it in front of him, then did the same for Despayre. Synn gave her a smirk and she simply turned away, he having recently come into the habit of enjoying teasing her about this so-called 'imaginary' crush she had on the muscle bound hunk.
"Well, you two enjoy your breakfast." Synn said as he took the contract in hand and started to stand up. "I'm going to fax this before I forget."
"I'll take it!" Despayre said suddenly, snatching the paper from Synn's hand. "You finish your coffee first!" And before Synn could object, Despayre turned away and practically ran from the kitchen for his father's business office.
Synn slowly sat back down and found Big B fidgeting at his seat, looking unabashedly timid for such a large man. Even after all these weeks since they first took him in, the man was still incredibly bashful at acting out as a guest.
Big B slowly said, "So... I won't be wrestling on the ship?"
"Afraid not." Synn said. "It looks like Tony isn't too anxious to fight you again after that thrashing you gave him the last time."
A brief smile lit B's face at the memory and the compliment from this man. he then paused in thought and frowned, "I... I guess I won't be going with you guys then?"
"I didn't say that." Synn said as he stood up and took his again empty coffee mug over to the sink and deposited it in the sink to be cleaned. "You'll be attending the cruise. I managed to snag a few extra tickets from Christian."
"I can't imagine how you did that." Theresa muttered with a smirk.
Synn's eyes flickered over toward her, and even though his hearing was sharp and he did in fact hear her, he asked, "What was that?"
"I said nothing." She replied as she continued to work over the stove, preparing B and Despayre's breakfast. Synn only nodded as Despayre came charging back in and skidded to a halt, but only because the counter got in his way.
"Oof!" Despayre grunted as he came up against the edge of the counter hard.
Theresa turned around and waved a spatula at him and he froze as she stated, "That'll teach you to run in the kitchen in your stocking feet."
"I don't wear stockings!" Despayre protested. "I'm wearing socks!" He then grasped the cuff of his pajama pants and lifted his foot up to show her his socks, wiggling his toes inside for emphasis. "See?"
Theresa shared a look with Synn and then stated, "I stand corrected. Now go sit down. Breakfast will be ready soon."
Despayre happily grabbed a stool and pulled it over to sit beside B as Synn walked around the corner of the counter, patting his son on the shoulder as he made his exit.
Moments later, Synn was in his personal office, seated behind the large desk. The contracts he had in the kitchen were neatly stacked in front of him and with the phone cradled against his ear, he casually switched his desk top on while he waited for the other party to pick up the call.
After three rings, the familiar voice of Christian Underwood picked up...
"Hello?"
"Christian, it's Synn."
"Yeah I have caller ID big guy. It's why I waited three rings. What's up?"
"Very amusing. I wanted to call and discuss Joshua's match."
"Boy! The grass sure as hell doesn't grow beneath your feet, does it?"
"Beg pardon?"
"I only just got the fax a few minutes ago."
"What fax?"
"About Despayre's dream match. I just got it."
Synn frowned, having been completely caught off guard and not understanding anything that the SCW boss was talking about.
"You're going to have to forgive me, Christian." Synn stated. "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about."
"Well, it came from your fax number, Synn." Christian responded. "It's a request for Despayre's dream match, the one he earned as a member of Team SCW."
"I thought he was going to use that for a match with Gabriel..."
"So did we. But it's right here, in front of me. Of course, near as I can tell, it was written in crayon."
"Uh huh. Do tell." Synn glanced over at his fax across the room an noted a piece of paper in it, and he could see the colorful tell-tale signs of a lime green crayola crayon scribbled on it. He then leaned over, on a hunch, and glanced at the waste basket beside his desk and yes, there was the contract that he had picked for Joshua tucked inside. "That sneaky little..."
"Pardon?"
Synn closed his eyes and smiled, breathing out through pursed lips before he spoke again into the phone, "Indulge me, Christian. What exactly did that scheming little son of mine send your way?"
"Well, it's for a tag team match..."
"That I figured. It's all he likes to compete in. So who did he pick for a partner? Angel, or dare I say... Big B?"
"You."
Synn frowned and said, "Say again?"
"He picked you to be his tag team partner for this match."
"You're kidding." Synn said, but he knew in matters of business, Christian did no such thing.
Christian said, "No, I have it right here. It says;
'Hi, it's Joshua Young, you know, Despayre. If there's a spot open on the show, can I pick my Dream Match? I know Gabriel is going to be busy winning the title, so what I would really like is to get to team with my dad. It's something I always wanted too do, so can I please? I don't care against who. Just so long as my dad and I get to be tag team partners."
Synn was speechless. For the first time in memory, he was literally speechless. The phone was pulled slightly away from his ear and he turned his head to look at the wall of his office where there was a framed photograph of Joshua holding Angel in a professionally done portrait. His son... and he wanted to team with him.
"You there big guy?" Christian's voice broke him out of his thought process.
"Yes." Synn whispered into the phone. "Sorry. This just caught me somewhat by surprise."
"Something caught you by surprise? Color me shocked."
"You and me both. And to think it was my own son who did it."
"Can't expect anyone else to pull it off I guess. Apple and tree and all that."
"Indeed. Dare I ask whom we will be matched up against."
"Well, most everyone is busy already. The show is about fully booked, but the Surf Boys are available. They always try hard and give a good show. They should make for a pretty good match for you and Despayre."
"The Surf Boys." Synn replied almost absently. "Yes, that'll be fine. Thank you."
"No problem man." Christian answered. "I'll fax over the new contract as soon as I contact them and finalize the details. Catch ya later."
"Good bye." Synn replied and he hung up the phone ad glanced at the picture again, tapping a forefinger against his pursed lips.
Out of any match he could have possibly asked for, out of anything that he could have come up with, he was asking his father to step out of retirement and be his tag team partner. It was enough to leave a man feeling vulnerable ... choked up.
A smile slowly grew on his lips.
"The Surf Boys. Narly and Radical. It seems almost like a sense of deja vu, seeing as how almost exactly one year ago, you two were in the same ring, on the same event, against almost the same tag team. Yes, a year ago you two stepped inside of the ring against Sinful Obsession in a bid for the Sin City Wrestling Tag Team Championships. Unsuccessfully, I might add, as it was Sinful Obsession that walked away the winners."
"I say this with all due respect, because I must admit you tried your hardest, and you indeed did give the champions a good match. However this time it is not Despayre and Gabriel that you will find yourselves opposite the ring with. No, this time it will be Despayre and his father, me, Synn himself, who will be your apt opponents inside of that six sided ring."
"I have no qualms against this match, even though it caught me most unaware. I find it now to be a pleasant surprise my son wished to team with me, and I will not have him disappointed with a loss on either of our accounts. It has been some time since I set foot inside of the ring as an active competitor, the last time being that charity show for Bo Dreamwolf as I recall. Even then, it was years before, and almost a full year since. Just don't allow that to lead you into a false sense of security gentlemen. It is not as if I have not stayed in shape, or have forgotten anything or am now incapable of doing the things I did so often in times past."
"So I trust you will forgive me from the time the match starts, until long after it is done and over with. Despayre is your friend and vice versa, that I understand. He does enjoy having fun inside of the ring, but as I said; I will not suffer him with a loss. I will not be so lenient, Surf Boys. I will not hesitate to take advantage. I am all business inside of the ring. I always have been. I always will be."
"There is a reason I am Synn."</color>
