[Kristopher Ryans]

 19 September 2017
Seattle, WA
12:21 PM
OFF-Camera

Jules Fischer-Halich had about enough of the fighting between her husband Jason and his half brother Kris. It had been weeks since the two had spoken. As much as Jay tried to hide it, Jules knew that it was eating at him and if Kris was anything like him, it was probably eating at him as well. Plus, she had been paying attention one night while Jay and Parker had been talking at the kitchen table. About how although Kris was still retaining his title, he was only getting by with the bare minimum. So, she waited. And waited and finally her opportunity came about. She had given Jay a kiss he wouldn't soon forget before he got in his car to deal with things for Pride, she noticed that Kris was across the street, visiting with his children. Heather’s car was absent meaning that he would likely be alone. If the people he knew and cared about couldn't get through, then maybe she was the perfect solution. They barely knew each other and it might just be what he needed. She starts to walk across the street but her nerves get the best of her and she immediately pulls the silver cigarette case from her pocket, pulls one free, and lights it. It calms her nerves a little as she approaches the stone stairs and takes a deep steadying breath before ringing the bell.

JULES: “Yeah… this is a great idea…”

She listens carefully, trying to gauge what was going on inside from the sounds produced. Just like Jason in their own home, Kris made no effort to silence his movements. He descends back to the main floor, slamming his foot down on each step just from how quickly he was moving. He takes the few feet between the stairs and the front door at a jog and swings it open without even looking to see who was outside. Almost as soon as he lays eyes on the woman standing outside, he shakes his head and moves to close it.

KRIS: “Nope…”

He closes it most of the way, but seemed less than satisfied with his comment. It did not have any of his usual flare. Just before the door can close, and stops, leaving it cracked but keeping his hand on the knob.

KRIS: “If you are here to be the last person in the unanimous ‘let’s all be happy and get along’ front, you’re wasting your time just like they were. I’m not interested."

Jules expected this, but thankfully she was not easily offended or dissuaded from things.

JULES: “Just like you are hardly interested in defending your title every week?”

She takes an exaggerated drag of the half cigarette between her fingers and raises an eyebrow in question. Anybody else would probably have closed the door after the jab, but it was just enough to catch Kris’ interest. He pulls open the door to reveal his scrunched up, confused face.

KRIS: “I’m undefeated for like nine and a half months… like 300 days or some shit. I think I’m doing alright. Things on your side of the street are much shakier than they are over here."

It was his own way of turning attention away from himself and back onto everyone else. He was the only one of the family not really involved in any way, even though he had taken his shots at his brother’s company on social media.

KRIS: “...or are you over here as executive producer trying to lure in some actual talent to your roster? I’m pretty happy where I’m at, thanks."

Jules chuckles before tossing the butt into a planter beside her.

JULES: “I am here as the only person in this crazy ass family that has absolutely no feelings about you but..."

She offers a shrug.

JULES: “But I love your brother and this shit is driving me nuts. So... as the only person you can’t push away, insult or threaten to cut out, it hasl regrettably fallen on my bony shoulders."

She takes a step forward.

JULES: “You got coffee? I really need one."

She pushes past him. He moves to follow her, but stops, stepping out the door and pulling the butt from the planter. If not, Kali or Heather would have found it and blamed him. He pockets it, and follows her through the house. It is pretty obvious to him that she had been there in the time he spent living in San Diego, which only worked to annoy him more. He pushes through the door of the kitchen to find her taking a cup down from the cabinet.

KRIS: “I see it’s just me that has excommunicated your side of the street…."

He grabs his own cup from a rack at the end of the counter, and steals the pot of coffee before she can grab it, filling his own cup first.

KRIS: “Kind of annoying that nobody listens to me…."

She snorts.

JULES: “You think anyone listens to me? Like me even coming here is a crapshoot but I just said, fuck it. I got nothing to lose in this scenario because you hate me regardless."

She doesn't seem at all affected by that revelation, instead she pushes his cup out of the way by sliding her own in its place, getting half full before Kris naturally stops.

KRIS: “I don’t hate you. I don’t know you. How long have you been around?”

It is not until he lays the last question on her that he starts pouring again, filling her cup before turning to finish his own. He slides the pot back onto the stand and leans back against the counters.

KRIS: “You guys get together, and before too long are just gone. No word about it, just off traveling the world. All because I had a kid or something? Really? Then you guys up and get married without anyone knowing? Refuse to even say anything about it publicly?”

He raises his cup up, blowing on the liquid inside. He stops short of taking a drink though, lowing it instead and adding the next thought that strikes him.

KRIS: “Oh, and as if just leaving doesn’t fuck shit up bad enough, you do all that, then decide it’s just cool to let me know the guy that made my life hell isn’t my dad, and leave my actual dad to let me know my mom is dead."

He goes to raise the cup again, but a small smirk crosses his lips before the cup can cover it. His next words are more under his breath than anything.

KRIS: “... not that, that last part was any kind of huge loss."

However, he fails to take a drink yet again, as it would cut off his train of thought. He lowers it, having unpacked most of his frustration and finding it easier to just let the rest of it out as well.

KRIS: “And there’s the whole bringing Kurtis into my life, and then handing him the keys to ruining my marriage. That was fun to go through. Or what about the fact that during the worst week of my life, that guy was the messenger instead of Jason having the decency to drop any of this on my himself? Was that cool?”

He puts his cup down now, not even really interested in it anymore. He takes a few steps away from her, holding his hands up innocently and shaking his head.

KRIS: “I’m sorry. I know it’s not all on you, but just like I’ve told everyone else, there’s not a whole lot I can say about it that I haven’t already said. You guys can run your company, or go back on vacation. I don’t care. Obviously he doesn’t give much of a shit about me, so you have no reason to."

He turns on his heel, shoving at the swinging door from the kitchen and heading back towards the living room. Jules smirks and sets her cup down. She hated coffee but she knew how to get under people’s skin. Even someone as closeted like Kris. She pushes through the swinging doors herself.

JULES: “You could always say it to the person you are really pissed at so he can stop acting like a man-child. At least it's somewhat expected from you. He was pretty upset at you too you know."

She notices that her niece is sleeping in the playpen. She smiles at her, reaching in to brush some dark hair away from her eyes.

JULES: “I know you meant her name to be in tribute but Jay doesn’t think that. I don’t know for sure since the horse's ass won’t talk about it to anyone but Mack."

She shrugs, then collapsing heavily onto the couch beside him.

JULES: “And technically... our marriage isn't legal here in the states. No certificate so it's just ours and some monk’s word."

He stops at the foot of the stairs, and turns back around.

KRIS: “Are you trying to irritate me?”

The question comes out honestly enough. There does not seem to be some game behind what he is getting at. It was not a trick. However, before she can even wrap her head around an answer, he takes a step towards her.

KRIS: “The reason I don’t need to tell Jason any of this, is because I have said all of this to his face already. You know what he did? He left. He tucked his tail between his legs, and took off back to his side of the street. He spent six months ignoring me, then threw a bomb into my life before running away and leaving me to deal with the consequences. I am done being some piece in a game he is playing with everyone."

He turns back towards the stairs again, going up one before turning back around and coming back towards her. She could tell that he was beyond flustered at this point. His body was arguing with him just to walk away and be done, but he could not pass along that message to his mouth and shut up.

KRIS: “...and when you can see him you can tell him to cut out the cute shit with Mikah too. I see what he is doing. He keeps poking at her to get me to stick up for her so that this little spat we are going through gets resolved. You can let him know I see through the shit and I am not playing the game anymore. He wanted me out of his life, so now I am, and he just has to deal with that."

She reaches to a picture on the side table. It's old, the brothers as children. She gives a half smile. Kris had forgotten that Heather had framed it although he had always intended to throw it out after she had forgotten about it.

JULES: “My little sister has… problems… a lot of them. Not all of them her fault either… just..."

She brushes away the thought of trying to explain it all to him. It was not the point of what she was saying. Kris is confused by her words. It had nothing to do with their conversation in the least.

JULES: “I even found out that we don’t even have the same father and for a while, I was so pissed at her. My mother got herself knocked up and dropped off this... thing with me and my gran. She ruined everything. She was annoying. Did things that pissed me off. I always had to take care of her. One day... I told my Gran I would watch her during bingo night but instead I took off and me and Cece got high behind the grocery store. I was determined to not do anything for her anymore."

She sets the picture down on the table.

JULES: “But when I got home, she had gotten into the cleaning closet. Swallowed a quarter bottle of pinesol because she thought it was apple juice."

She shakes her head.

JULES: “I hated her so much because she seemed to make my life harder. After my gran died though... it was like something... I dunno... clicked. Like as much as I thought pushing her away would be good for her... I realized I needed her more than she needed me."

She stands, sticking her hands in her pockets.

JULES: “Now you know a little bit more about me. And you know, after all of that... I wish I had of just been there. Even though she was a pain in the ass little sister that made the wrong decisions... she is the one that helped me when I needed comfort... when my gran died... cuz... death... sucks."

She gives his shoulder a little punch.

JULES: “But hey... I tried. You wanna get hung up on the half thing that’s your business but if people that aren't blood can be siblings, why does it matter if you only share half the same DNA."

She walks by the playpen again, leaning down to kiss her fingertips and place against the infant's soft cheek.

JULES: “Good talk Dude."

He shrugs, understanding how she could see Jason’s side in all of it. It’s not that he did not see it himself. He was just on the other side of the argument.

KRIS: “...and if your sister was pissed that you chose to walk away, and just wanted you to leave her alone could you not understand that? Granted, I’m not entirely sure the two are comparable. One mistake you made against me just being part of some game he is playing against the rest of the world for my entire life."

Underneath all of the anger, that was the part that bothered him the most. Nobody else had stuck it out to dig that deep into it though.

KRIS: “You ever wake up and not know if you got where you are because it is what you wanted? That maybe everything you have, and everything that you have ever done has just been part of something that some fuck is manipulating?”

He looks away from her, shaking his head.

KRIS: “That’s the feeling that bothers me. That’s why he needs to stay across the street and out of my problems."

Jules moves so that she is looking directly into his eyes. Her gaze is unyielding and he can't read her like he can so many other people. She was good at keeping what she was actually thinking or feeling off her face.

JULES: “Kinda hard when your problems are about him. Look, you wanna keep up the emo angst thing, go ahead but get out of a ring until you sort it out. You might not think your actions affect everyone else, but they do. I like Heather so I swear to god if you end up paralysed because you were too busy being hung up on this garbage I will turn off the machines myself. I’m not saying Jay isn't being a moron either. I want to knock your heads together. I am just tired of having to walk on fucking eggshells and deal with a splintered family. I already had that shit because of my crack whore mother. Now grow up."

She has been clenching her fists the entire time, her knuckles turning white and betraying her otherwise calm expression. He shrugs his shoulders again, still not exactly following.

KRIS: “I don’t think I have anything to worry about. I’m beating everyone and doing just fine. They don’t have anyone capable to crippling me, so you don’t have anything to worry about. Maybe you should watch a little more closely."

She chuckles patting him on the shoulder.

JULES: “I’m good bro. You are the only talent that company has now but you’re content beating mediocre assholes. And even then you barely won at Summer XXXtreme and that was by cheating. Then that dude you had no trouble beating a million times before puts you in a hospital bed. I won’t even mention that hot mess of a promoter giving you a BJ."

She rolls her eyes.

JULES: “I have done enough observing to know exactly... ‘What’s up’ Kris. It’s so blatantly obvious to everyone but you. You are hurting bad. Why else are you still holed up in San Di? Heather has her shit together now. Fuck even only being around eleven months I notice the confidence change... so tell me... why are you taking steps backward? And why should Jay help you or show he cares when you obviously don’t care about yourself or anyone else for that matter?  I’ll wait..."

She places her hands on her hips, proud of herself for channelling her sister Kahlan and her no BS policy. He extends his arms out to his sides, becoming even more frustrated by the conversation.

KRIS: “And your pitch is to talk to Jason? How does that help me? How does letting someone back into my life, that just wants to play around with it benefit me? Working out our shit doesn’t change anything else about my life. I don’t need him, and he doesn’t want me around, so I don’t know why everyone is pushing this so hard."

Jules’ eyes go darker, her mouth a thin hard line. She was done playing nice.

JULES: “Jason trained you. Jason got into this because it was your dream. You think he’s the one that walked away?”

She laughs.

JULES: “You know what you’re doing is playing with fire and you are getting entirely too close to burning in it. On top of that... you know how to do this without getting injured. I know for a fact that Parker has helped the two of you fix the things you were doing wrong. Neither of you would have come as far without his help. You need to realize that you haven't just walked away from your brother. You walked away from Jet City. You are pushing this family away and fuck if I know why because anyone would kill to have that kind of loyalty."

She leans in.

JULES: “You are  going to get injured and then what? Is having to listen to me say I told you so going to be any better than just sucking it up and going back?”

She reaches up to his face slowly before firmly smacking her palm against it, just hard enough to make sure she had his full attention. The way his eyes lock on hers tells her that she has it. Her voice comes out much softer than before, almost like a parent both reassuring but scolding a child.

JULES: “Save yourself some agony. Stop acting like a baby and get your ass back to Jet City.”

She then leans back and without stopping walks out the door, slamming it for effect.


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22 September 2017
ON-Camera
"#JustTakeTheL"




The camera starts recording looking at the Roulette Champion. He stands in front of a big bay window, looking almost straight down. It is clear that they are in some hotel along the international tour, but without seeing more of the surroundings, it is hard to tell where. Kris seems to have done it that way on purpose though..

”I’m getting to this tour a little late it seems. I heard everyone was excited to see me back in Christchurch. I had some other business that I had to attend to. People have already been talking about the fact that I seemed a little off going into Violent Conduct. It’s been no secret that it has been an eventful few months for me. I guess I just needed a little more time away than just the dead week we got after Violent Conduct. After all, I am the Roulette Champion. I am the guy that goes into a weird stipulation that he can’t possibly prepare for every time I get in the ring.”

He taps on the glass, still looking down at whatever is happening out on the street in front of the hotel. The smile on his face leads the viewers to believe that it cannot be all that bad. He does not seem annoyed by it. If anything, whatever is going on is splitting his interest away from the camera.

”The most difficult part of this job is something that is unpredictable, and that is what I live every day. Ask any veteran in any company, and they will tell you that the hardest person to prepare for is a rookie. If not a rookie, than someone that is new to the country, or bigger companies. You can’t prepare for an unknown quantity. You just kind of have to go out and give it your best shot. The unknown is the biggest challenge that there is, and I live it every time I go out to the ring. I don’t know what’s going to happen until that wheel spins. I get no chance to gameplan. I have to go out there, throw my best stuff at whoever is standing across the ring, use the environment I’m provided with, and win. That is what it means to be the Roulette Champion. That is why so many people failed to hang onto the championship for longer than a few days. It’s not something that you ever get used to. It’s not something that you can get bored with. It’s new every single night, and you have to be mentally capable of handling that if you want to hang onto this title for very long.”

He taps on the glass again before finally pulling himself away from it. He puts his hands into the front pockets of his jeans and raises his shoulders. For the first time, viewers can read the message across the front of his shirt, and he has followed through on his promise of the #JustTakeTheL shirt.

”Week after week. Month after month. Time just keeps going by, and that wheel says something different every time, but I am still here. My first appearance back was the Halloween show last year. That means I am just a few weeks away from having been back for an entire year without my shoulders being pinned to that mat. It means more than three hundred days under contract with this company, without having tapped out. It means that no matter what unknown obstacle has gotten thrown into my way just minutes before a title defense, I have succeeded. I am currently the longest reigning champion in this entire company, and I am holding the most difficult championship to keep. I don’t have to come in like Calvin Harris and tell you all that I am the best. I might throw it up on social media every now and again to rub other people’s faces in it, but, for the most part, that is something that you guys have been telling me for months. I have been hearing it at signings. I have heard it while doing the Kris and Mikah Show, when Mikah has been available to do it. I got into the middle of the ring a few weeks ago, just to talk, and I heard it then. If you say that you are the greatest talent a company has, in front of a few thousand fans, and don’t get immediately booed out of the ring, what does that say?”

He shrugs again, his lips pressing together into a straight line instead of the smirk he usually wears when making a point. It gave the impression of sincerity even in a person that the fans did not associate with being sincere.

”I set myself up for the biggest challenge that I could think of, and have been looked down on by the roster because of it. Who missed J2H mentioning that it was a big accomplishment to hold a title that he did before people ever took him seriously? Who saw Calvin Harris talk shit about being the best because he held the top championship in this company for thirty seconds? What about James Tuscini suddenly acting like he had moved up in the world when he won the Internet Championship? Let’s not forget that the guy holding the top prize in this company has failed to beat me in three attempts. This is a guy whose team had so little chance of winning that he got counted out instead of just… well..”

He raises his left hand from his pocket, and drags it along the the hashtag printed on his shirt.

”...but that’s not to say that I don’t have my own problems. I took the most difficult job in this company, and turned it into something that I make look effortless. When this whole Roulette thing started, I just wanted to clear out all the hot potato bullshit that was going on. I looked at how the one division that makes this company unique was being dumped on by talentless hacks, and I decided to do something about it. The problem is, the whole allure of the thing fades when you realize that there is just no talent on the horizon. The whole thing loses its flavor when there is nothing new up and coming.”

He reaches out and takes the camera off of the stand, holding it so that it is still facing him.

”For a long time I was getting tossed into matches with Steve Ramone over and over again. Then it was James Tuscini. Then it was Joshua Acquin. Now it seems like Sam Devereux is getting his second opportunity handed to him. This isn’t something he earned. Last I checked he spent half of our last match crying and holding his shoulder. He got taken out of the match for a good chunk of time by a guy that I have proven to be better than every time we have stepped in the ring together. Sure, Sammy didn’t take the fall in that match. Sure, Acquin was a late and pointless addition into the match. It doesn’t make anything that the guy did any less mediocre though, does it? He didn’t beat me. Just because he didn’t get pinned, he deserves another chance? Is that how things work now?”

He backtracks towards the window as he talks, his back hitting the glass as he finishes. The smile that we are all used to starts to form at the corners of his lips.

”This might be a match that Christian wants to see, for whatever reasons he wants to see it, but that whole game is getting boring for me. I don’t want to compete against the people that management wants to see competing against me. I have proven time and time again that I am plenty capable of beating those people. Sam has failed, on two occasions, to even make me feel like I am in danger of losing the Roulette Championship. I haven’t felt that my goal to break the record has been in jeopardy even once since Christian pulled me into his office and introduced me to this near-mute, blood magi fuck. I mean the dude is so entertaining that when Christian gave him the title match, he just kind of silently nodded. I insulted the dude to his face, and got crickets in response. That’s why I’m bored, but I’m here to tell you how to fix it.”

He does not even try to hide it now, and takes a glance back over his shoulder to make sure whatever activity had his attention is still going on. When he looks back at the camera, he looks overjoyed at the sight.

”I will face Sam. I’m going to beat Sam. I think we have all pretty much accepted that as truth. It’s not because he’s a bad guy. It’s not because he’s as worthless as some of the trash that I have taken out. It’s just because he’s not as good as me. He can’t walk into the unknown and thrive like I can. He shouldn’t get too down about it though. If the last year has proven anything, it is that nobody here is operating on the same level as me. He’s in good company catching another loss from me.”

He takes a look over his shoulder again, and this time winks when he looks back at the camera.

”I mean, I just went to the lobby to get towels not that long ago, and ever since I came back up here, this has been happening.”

He turns the camera, and points it out the window, but angled down towards the ground. On the sidewalk in front of the hotel is a group of individuals holding up various signs with Kris’ name. It looks like security is trying to get them to move along, but not having a very easy time of it.

”I’m the guy that has this happen everywhere we go in SCW, even though most of the people that buy tickets boo the hell out of me. If anyone in management wants me to fear coming short of breaking the record, maybe they should try finding someone else that people get this excited about instead of some scrub I already beat once.”

He turns the camera back around so that we can see his face, and the stupid, sarcastic smirk is plastered all over it.

”...but that’s just my opinion. What do I know? I’m just the best thing that SCW has going right now.”

With another wink, he flips the switch on the side of the camera and kills the feed.