The camera pans across the Vegas Strip on a busy night. It seems as if a trillion lights fill the night from the neon glow of the casino to the pale light of hundreds of cell phones as crowds move down busy walkways. A symphony of noise rises from the crowds. We hear countless people talking as they walk while folks working the corner try to sell various things. Music flows from the casino and the cars caught in gridlock. The city is always like this. Thousands of people flocking to this wonderland hoping to be winners, but most walk away less so.
Aleksei Koji: They always told me the fates favor the bold.
Now we enter one of the many casinos that draw all those people in. We pan across the casino floor. It is surprisingly similar to the Strip itself. It has just as many lights filling every corner of the screen. The sounds are even louder in here as the whizz back of slot macheins mingle with the cheers of games being played. You can always hear the winners, the looser tend to be a lot quieter.
Aleksei Koji: You walk into your typical casino and only a small amount of people are going to be lucky. Most are going in destined to fail. If the fates have it right the boldest ones are they guys who walk out winners....
The camera stops at a craps table. There is a overweight urban cowboy stealing all the attention. He is loud, annoying and taking big risk. By the giant stack of chips and small crowd of young women around him, so far these risk have been paying off.
Aleksei Koji: Of course anyone who has been at a casino for more than five minutes know that this is not the case.
The fat texan rolls a nine and in that instant half of his chips go away. A few of the ladies walk away as well as the man starts cursing his luck. He throws back another drink and grabs the dice in a desperate attempt to win it back.
Aleksei: We know how this story ends.
Now the camera pans across some bar in a lonely corner of the City of Sin. Most of the lights are gone and the only sounds we hear are muttering. The faces on all of the people here are dejected. Some are nearly crying into their beer.
Aleksei: Here we have looser town. Everyone one of these guys came in with hopes only to see them destroyed by lady luck, that cruel bitch. Many of these people were bold to start but that is all gone. Where are the fates for these poor people? I don’t know but I do know what all these people have in common. None of them are travelers.
We conclude on a very familiar scene. Its a traveler party. Girls wearing nearly nothing dance with young men with questionable fashion taste. Half of them are wearing more bling than a rap star and the booze flows very freely. They all look kind of trashy to an outside observer but none of them look very sad at the moment.
Aleksei: You ever ask a traveler about their money? I bet you didn’t get much of an answer. You might think we are cheap bastards with our clothes and campers but I have never met a poor Romni. Each one of us are self made men who make our own money however we can and we are damn good at it. We live a bold life and the fates do favor us. Maybe we are lucky, maybe we are blessed. All I know is that I have always taken the bold choice and life has been good to me so far. Was it crazy to try for a tag team title without knowing who my partner is, fuck yeah it was. Will it work? Of course. Now let’s go on to the show.
That’s right Koji fans we have a surprise episode of LIVE FROM THE PARTY HORDE!!! with special guest. Aleksei Koji tag team partner!!
For once the camper set is free of party goers. While the poker table is still covered in chips and ladies under garments, it is empty. There are lawn chairs set up. Aleksei sits in one with a bottle of rum and a big smile on his face. Next to him is a life style cut out of Batman from the upcoming movie Dark Knight Rises. A beer has been duct taped to one of his hands. Aleksei is struggling to keep a straight face.
Aleksei: Welcome, welcome members of the Party Horde. That’s right I have here my tag team partner for the big supershow. I told you all you would be impressed. Huh? Huh? What do you have to say partner, you excited about our match?
We hear a voice off camera that sounds a lot like, Aleksei’s biggest fan, Danny trying not to sound Russian.
Batman: Yes of course. I am bad ass kick asser like you and together we are going to rock the house.
Aleksei laughs at how bad this impersonation is and takes a long slightly sloppy sip of his bottle of rum.
Aleksei: I did not know I was both bad ass and a kick asser..thats great. What are you going to do in the ring, seeing that most times you are use to fighting crime and things?
Batman: Ummm I do know...I will hit them hard and throw bats at them...
Aleksei: You will throw bats at them....Danny did you even read that comic book I gave you.
Batman: There ...is um no Danny here, just the Darkness Knight.
Aleksei lets out a big dramatic sigh and gently knocks over the cut out.
Aleksei: Okay...we’re done. thank you Danny, you are just all sorts of done. The jig is up, you are the worse super hero ever...get him out of here so I can finish up the promo.
Danny sulks over to the cutout and starts to take it away.
Aleksei: Leave the beer.
Aleksei watches as Danny untapes the beer from Batman’s grasp and leaves it on the floor. Aleksei’s trademark smile fades for a moment. He stares at his bottle for a long moment before taking a long drink from it.
Aleksei: So as you can tell I still don’t have a partner. Am I getting a little worried? Maybe a little...as hard as that can believe. That stuff Is said before about the fates and travelers...that is a true my lovely fans. But does not mean even the greatest of us are free from doubt. I know I am going to win those titles, but I am just not quite sure how.
Getting up out of his chair, Aleksei sets the bottle down on the counter. He has a little stumble in his step meaning he has been drinking for a while now. But his eyes are still sharp, he still moves like a man ready for a fight at any moment.
Aleksei: But the good news for the horde is that I don’t need a partner this Sunday. I don’t have to go running around backstage looking for a way to come down to that ring and get into a fight. I won’t need back up. I won’t need a partner. This Sunday it is going to be just a good old wrestling match. Two guys getting into the ring to beat the crap out of each other. Oh and I promise you, I promise all fans of wrestling that we are going to put on a show for you.
Aleksei nearly knocks over the beer as he is pacing but for a man who is drunk he moves pretty swiftly. He walks over the the poker table grabbing a chip to roll between his fingers as he talks.
Aleksei: I mean Gabriel is a former champion. Not only that he was the first one to ever win that prize. He beat out twelve other guys in front of the world to win the gold, which is not unlike that time in St. Petersburg beat up 12 other guys to get a night with this stunning prostitute who oddly enough was named Goldie.
But I don’t care that much about belts and gold. I am all about glory and putting on the best shows for the fans. What interest me more about our friend Gabriel is that he is grifter like me. He tricks people for a living, he even tricks men in the ring. So far the guys I have done battle with are hard headed brawlers and trust me I do not complain. But I think it is going to be exciting to face a man who knows how to play with the shadows. Of course I am a traveler so I will not make an easy mark for this magic man, but still I think it will be a damn good match.
Aleksei flops back into his chair and opens up the can of beer.
Aleksei: Of course I am fucking confident that I will win this Sunday. I have watched this man and I know how to beat him. You see Gabriel might still be quite fun to watch in the ring, but he has lost his edge. This whole tag team thing has made him softer. I watched High Stakes and on that night I am not even sure I could have beaten Gabriel.Sure he is still good with his tricks and illusions but what does that matter if you don’t have the follow through. Can shadows really hurt you that much. Will they be able to knock out THIS dire wolf!?
The problem with you, Gabriel, is that your biggest weapon has become your friend Despayre. Oh and I get it. I like that guy. He is funny and kind, a beast in the ring. You can’t ever tell where he is coming from and that makes him dangerous. But I am not facing him.....
He takes a sip from his beer.
Aleksei: Don’t get me wrong Gabriel. You are going to give me a hell of a fight. I am sure at least once you will get airborn and give this big old head quite a beating. I am sure I will even fall for some of your tricks, but my friend I will keep coming. That is how a fight with me is, I don’t stop. If you were at your best then our meeting would be something they would write about for years to come. I hope you come with your best. That is the match I want. Hell I wouldn’t even mind losing a match like that. Maybe I will serve as inspiration, maybe you will shed some of those softer edges. Bring me the man who won the title Gabriel and I will bring you a fight that will steal the spotlight.
Oh and don’t worry about our other match. I will get a partner. I will get the match I want and because my fans seem to want it so damn much, I might even take those pretty titles from you. But either way I will bring you a battle, Gabriel. I hope you are ready.
Aleksei gets up after finishing the beer. He tosses the poker chip back on the table and walks away singing a little song to himself in Romanian. The camera fades.
