[Roux]

 Saturday 7 October, 2017
San Diego, CA
Coby Quik and Chelsa Payne’s Reception

The wedding had been a bigger event than Aaron had planned for. For the most part, the entire roster for Pride, all of the students of Jet City, and the entire network of family friends had made it down to the event, and that did not even start in on the family. Two hundred people crowded onto the private beach, and madness ensued from there. On one hand, he was glad he came. He had a beautiful date to accompany him. In all, eight of his friends either renewed vows or officially got married. Things should have been amazing. However, Aaron found himself more anxious and irritated than he was enjoying the evening. That was what led him away from reception, and back towards the beach house. He did not hear the voices until he was nearly on top of the two individuals that they belonged to. Not wanting to interrupt, he stops, and listens. The voices were easy to recognize. One belonged to the SCW Roulette Champion, Kristopher Ryans. The other was the former SCW Tag Champion, Jason Halich. The second he realizes what he walked into, Aaron wishes that he would not have left the party. Luckily, seconds into his shaming himself, the conversation between the two breaks up. Unfortunately for him, Kris made his exit directly into Aaron’s path. The champion stops in his tracks, staring up at his former student. His eyes narrow, and he goes to throw an accusation at the rookie, but Aaron beats him to the punch.

AARON: ”I was just leaving. I wasn’t trying to..”

Kris holds up his hand, and shakes his head to tell Aaron that it was not necessary to apologize. He nods off in the direction that his brother had departed in.

KRIS: ”How much of that did you hear?”

Aaron immediately shakes his head, not even having to lie about his innocence.

AARON: ”Nothing at all. I just walked up. I had only gotten as far as figuring out who it was talking before you… well..”

He gestures towards Kris standing in front of him. The champion sighs heavily, dropping his hands into the front pockets of his pants. For someone that reconnected with his wife only a couple hours ago, he did not look happy.

KRIS: ”There wasn’t much of anything to overhear anyways. Don’t worry about it. You have more important things to be focused on anyways.”

Kris walks out towards the railing of the back deck, looking down at the beach where the reception was going on. Aaron did not want to press the subject that Kris and his brother were talking about, but was curious as to what Kris meant.

AARON: ”What should I be focused on? I came up short in that last match. I don’t even have one to prepare for yet. I’m kind of just in a holding pattern.”

Aaron joins Kris by the railing, putting his hands on it. He grips it, and pushes down, lifting his feet off of the wood flooring. Kris watches, and rolls his eyes at how childish the big man looked.

KRIS: ”I wasn’t talking about SCW. I was talking about that girl down there.”

Kris extends a finger in the direction of the reception, easily finding Kitty in the crowd. Even if it was not for her purple hair, the occasional camera flashes against the night sky made it easy to locate her.

AARON: ”There’s not much to that story either. I guess we have that in common.”

Kris does not even seem phased by the comment. He does not pull his eyes away from Aaron’s date even while he responds.

KRIS: ”We both know that me saying there wasn’t anything to say just meant that I didn’t want to talk about it. There’s plenty to say. Just like between the two of you. I saw you guys earlier. I see the little flirty back and forth on Twitter. What are you waiting for?”

Aaron almost wished that he had stayed down at the party because the anxiety of being down there was nothing compared to Kris cutting right through the bullshit and pressing him about Kitty.

AARON: ”Look, I just started a new job. We are on tour across the world, she is just getting settled into a new job in Seattle. Even when we are off the tour, it’s not like I’m going to be back in Seattle everyday. I just don’t see the point in making something of it, if it is just going to fall apart. I can’t do both. I want to see where this SCW thing goes.”

It makes the champion laugh. It was not very often that he got to be the older, wiser, advice giving member of a conversation. Normally he was the fuck up that someone had to set straight. The role reversal made him feel like he was finally growing up. The fact that he was enjoying it reflected in his voice, making him seem more lively.

KRIS: ”Well, trust me, you’re wrong. You can do both. In fact, you need to do both. This business is going to be listening to people talk all kinds of shit about you, walking through a backstage area where everyone thinks they are better than you, and then stepping in a ring where people want to hurt you. That’s a lot of negativity. You’re gonna drown in it if you don’t have someone to balance all that weight on your shoulders.”

It made a lot of sense to Aaron that Kris would feel that way these days. He was never much of a teacher inside the ring, but he had taught him more about actually competing than anyone else at Jet City. To Aaron, that made him the most valuable person that was ever there. It was part of the reason that he joined Sin City.

AARON: ”Kind of like all those early SCW matches you had, right? Being antisocial, not doing interviews, coming in all messed up and leaving early?”

Kris nods. He was not going to go into detail about it, but was not going to deny it once Aaron threw it out.

KRIS: ”It is easy to just wander into that darkness, and never come out. My life had to basically fall apart before I learned my lesson. I wouldn’t be much of a teacher if I kicked back and watch you do the same thing to yourself.”

The statement made sense without context. However, once you add in the fact that the words of wisdom were coming from someone occasionally called The Patron Saint of Discord, Aaron found himself not buying it.

AARON: ”People would normally associate you with kicking back and watching the world burn. You’ve not really built a reputation of being helpful. You know that, right?”

Kris raises a hand and claps it down on Aaron’s shoulder. He gives it a light squeeze before walking away.

KRIS: ”Just trust me on this one.”

Kris makes his way down the stairs back towards the party, but Aaron’s words stop him in his tracks.

AARON: ”Wait up!”

The champion stopped, turning on his heel to look back over his shoulder.

KRIS: ”You gonna come back down to the reception?”

Aaron froze. That was not exactly what he had in mind. It takes him a second to shake off the question and collect himself to ask what he wanted to.

AARON: ”Maybe… but what should I do about SCW?”

Kris shrugs, and starts to backpedal away from him.

KRIS: ”I guess you’ll have to come back down to the party and dance with that girl if you want any more advice. Only the first one is free, kid.”

Aaron laughs, and makes his way down the steps towards the beach. The Roulette Champion waits on him, but was not at all surprised by Aaron’s comeback.

AARON: ”You know someone so small calling me kid is kind of funny.”

Kris shrugs again, and spins back around towards the beach. As nonchalant as he can, he sends back his own jab.

KRIS: ”At least I have won a match before...”

Aaron reaches out, taking a swipe at the back of Kris’ head, but the champion moves quickly down the stairs to safety.

AARON: ”That was cold-blooded!”

The two make their way back into the party to find their significant others, Kris having successfully dodged any question about his conversation with his brother.


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•REC

The scene opens from the same laptop camera that Aaron recorded from last time. However, this time he is on the beach, not in some hotel room with his hoodie pulled up over his head. Many fans will recognize the beach from the pictures posted from Coby and Chelsea Quik’s wedding. It appears as though Aaron has stayed behind.

”Jeremiah Hardin is one of these guys that rubs me the wrong way.”

The light blue button up shirt that Aaron is wearing is blinding with the sun beating down on him. Although, its reflectiveness was probably the reason that he is wearing it. Besides, the dark black sunglasses on his face shield his eyes from any glare.

”It is so painfully easy to come back, point at a title, and say something along the lines of ‘I want that one because I have never had that one before’. Yet, that is exactly what Hardin is doing. He has made it a point to work around all the other titles, even though he might not have had great success as a champion. He held onto the SCW Heavyweight Championship for just a couple weeks. ROAR was less than convincing of their dominance only holding onto the tag team championships for like a month. I would say that his Roulette run a few years back was impressive, but we are currently in the middle of a run that is breaking records. It is hard to get excited about anything less than that.”

He shakes his head, making a clicking noise with his tongue against his cheek. As calm as he is, he seems more disappointed than anything.

”...but Hardin comes back, and just like everyone else, immediately sets his sights on a title. Why? Because he has never been the Internet Champion before. That’s it. There is no greater logic, or drive behind it. He does not care about the championship, or the people that come to these shows every week. If he did, maybe he would pop in more often and put some actual work in before just calling something out. I get that SCW likes to reward people for their history with the company, but where does that stop? Where is the line? When do you look at someone who has three disappointing championship reigns, all with different titles, and just tell him no?”

He sighs, and rolls his shoulders lightly.

”I don’t mean to single out Jeremiah Hardin for it. I mean the guy just sees everyone else doing it, and is doing the smart thing by cashing in. And I know I am just a rookie, so maybe my opinion doesn’t count for much, but people have to see that there is something wrong with the system here. Letting the inmates run the asylum is not working. Handing out opportunities based on how long people have been around is not helping to create a better show. You know what it is giving us instead? Steve Ramone challenging for titles every week before he quit. Jessie Salco doing the same thing on the Bombshell’s roster. Dmitri and Calvin Harris fighting over and over again with Kristopher Ryans beating the same handful of people for the last five months. There is no variety. These people with storied careers in Sin City are the ones that are dragging it down now. It’s not even like it is some big secret. I have been signed for three weeks, and I have seen the same argument on Twitter each week. Everyone hates the system, yet the system never changes.”

There is another sigh, this one a little heavier than the last. He averts his gaze away from the camera, and out towards the water.

”Everyone needs to take a good, long look at this roster and see what is working, and what’s not working. It’s pretty simple to see that there are only a handful of the old guard that are putting in work. Mikah seems spotty at best. Crystal Hilton doesn’t know who she is or what she wants. Jessie is constantly demanding opportunities and squandering them. Even The Mean Girls finally fell apart and got put to rest. Meanwhile, you have people like Crimson, Griffin Hawkins, Crusader, Newmann, Caleb Storms and myself just begging for a shot to prove ourselves. We don’t have history here, so we don’t jump to the front of any lines. The only thing that any of us has asked for is just a chance to show everyone what we can do. Now I don’t really know any of those guys, and there is actually one of them that I already don’t care much for personally, but the point is the same. I don’t have to like them to see that they could be doing a better job that some of these SCW veterans. I don’t have to be a veteran myself to see that there’s a problem. However, the fact that I am not one will probably be used to discredit everything that I say.”

He reaches up to his face and pulls the sunglasses from them. He folds the arms in, and tucks them into the chest pocket of his shirt before turning to face the camera again.

”Everyone has to start somewhere. Every veteran, every comeback, every Cinderella story has a beginning. Most of the time that beginning doesn’t go so well. People try to break you down, or tell you that you aren’t good enough. I can pretty much guarantee from now, until the time I leave this business, I will have to listen to someone tell me that I am not good enough on a weekly basis. Depending on how often I lose, it could end up being a lot more often than weekly, and from a sizable crowd of people. I guess that’s why I’m trying to put this as nice as possible. I don’t want this to get lumped in as some rookie telling an experienced competitor to step aside and make way for the new group. That is not what this is. This is me telling the old guard that if they want something, maybe they should try earning it for the first time in their careers, instead of just coming in and demanding it.”

Aaron raises up both hands towards the camera, with his palms facing out. His next words backtrack the statement before he catches backlash from it.

”I know it is a hard sell. Nobody wants to wait in line while others are just going to keep skipping to the front. Me telling Jeremiah Hardin to win a few matches before throwing out the challenge to the Internet Champion is probably going to fall on deaf ears. There is always going to be the ‘if not me then someone else will’ argument to be had. I guess it is just a question about whether you want to get to your Grand Slam the right way, or the easy way.”

He sits back, dropping his hands back down to his lap.

”I want to believe that the ‘Big Tiger’ will do the right thing. I mean, even if he manages to beat me, is that really enough to make a claim for a title. Does he want to be part of a group that contains names like Steve Ramone, Travis Andrews and James Tuscini? They are all guys that have made challenges for titles based on how long they have been around and the things they have done. They are all also synonymous with short and disappointing title reigns that leave the championships of this company looking like participation trophies at best. There is nothing prestigious about a title that gets passed around to thirty different people a year. There is nothing to be proud of when you can’t hold onto a championship for more than few weeks. I say we try something different. I saw we focus on this one match, where no titles are on the line, and make a statement with what we do, instead of asking things be handed to us.”

He makes the same clicking sound against his cheek as he did earlier, thinking over his next words in order to clarify what he means.

”You’re not going to hear me trading insults, or talking about being the greatest competitor the world has ever seen. I’m not going to come out spouting nonsense like Crimson does, but I’m also not going to come out demanding things that I have not earned. Instead, you’re going to see me come out to the ring, and see what Jeremiah Hardin has left in the tank. You’re going to see me, a guy used to being the biggest one in the ring, have to look up at a guy that has won matches and championships in this company. He may not be very successful when it comes to holding onto them, but he has come up victorious in situations that I have not even proven myself worthy of being a part of. He has walked out of arenas as champions, and I haven’t even walked into one as a challenger yet. So again, if he wants to blow off everything I say as being some naive, bright-eyed rookie, then so be it. There’s definitely an argument to be made. I’m sure it will come up before the end of the week no matter what.”

He laughs, his whole body relaxing a little now that he has gotten most of what he wanted to say off of his chest. Already fans can tell that he looks more confident than he did going into his first match with Sin City.

”I am just a normal guy from Portland, who was told that as a kid that he could go anywhere as long as he always stayed focused on getting there. The journey might be really long, and there might be dozens of times along the way where I have to take a step back and try again, but i will get there eventually. Just a few years into training, and I have gone from Portland, Maine, to competing in Australia in front of what will be sold out, wild crowd. I didn’t do that by taking shortcuts or demanding things. When I wanted into Jet City, I didn’t go into the manager’s office and tell him to let me join the program. I didn’t demand that the trainers pay more attention to me than other students. I didn’t even kick down the doors to this company when I wanted a contract. Instead, I kept my head down, and worked at it until I made these things happen. I busted my ass until someone took notice. Look how far i have come already just as a result of that. You can point at everyone that is taking the easy route and try to prove that it works if you want. However, all I see is those people eventually failing when their shortcuts catch up to them. That’s not a group that I want to be in. I’d rather put in the work without wasting anyone’s time.”

He finally sits up in the chair, spinning so that his whole body faces the camera.

”So that’s the only thing I’m going to ask of you Hardin. How about, just for a night, we both just show up wanting to put on a solid show for the people that are there? How about we stop looking forward to whatever it is that we want next, and just give this one match our best shot? Why does it have to be more than that? Why does it have to be a stepping stone to something else? Let’s step into that ring and beat the hell out of each other, just to see which one of us is better that night. I can promise you, that if you do that, we are going to tear the house down, and be remembered for having the best match of the night. If not, and you keep focusing on what is going to happen weeks or months from now instead of keeping your head in this match, you’re going to lose. You’re going to come up short, and even worse, you’re going to have nobody to blame but yourself.”

He shakes his head, offering his opponent one last shred of advice.

”I’ll be seeing you out there in that ring, and I’m going to be ready for everything that you have to throw at me. I hope that some of what I had to say sinks in and you put some effort into this. Don’t make the same mistakes that we have all had to see you make three times already. That would just be disappointing.”

He reaches forward and taps a button on the keyboard of the laptop, killing the video.