(For Additional Context please read this RP posted for Fight’s Blood Money 2, as written by Ophelia Pain-Pinkston)
Knight In Shining MustacheLewis: FUUUUUUUCK
The echoes of Lewis screaming at the top of his lungs in the backwoods of Tennessee radiates throughout the farm. Standing in the bathroom, looking at himself in the mirror. Tears flowed down his face as he balled his fist. Raising his fist and contemplating punching the mirror but thought against it in the end. Instead he slams his phone on the counter and it shatters into a million little pieces. Clearly upset, Lewis storms down the stairs to the living room where Tilly, Bho and Mo are. Tears welling up in their eyes and Ophelia nowhere to be seen. The four of them look up at Lewis who curls his bottom lip and plops down in the chair once used exclusively by Walt.
Narrator: Over the past few months people haven’t seen the relationship between Walt and Lewis. What it was, was two people trying their best for Ophelia, that slowly turned into a bonding scenario. Walt would walk Lewis through the daily duties of the farm, well after the time of noon of course. Lewis wasn’t about to wake up at the crack of dawn like a psychopath. As always and as expected, Lewis would fail miserably and Walt would comment
Walt V.O.: What should I have expected from a city boy.
Narrator: Lewis never took that to heart, it almost became a running joke between the two of them. And Lewis would always quickly respond when Walt didn’t understand something from Lewis’ world.
Lewis V.O.: What should I expect from a backwoods hillbilly?
Narrator: Two opposite ends of the spectrum, both with the same goals in mind. The well being and caring of Ophelia. Now Lewis was never one for regrets. Just look at all his dumbass tattoos as just one shining example. He did however have one.
Lewis sits uncomfortably in Walt’s chair. Constantly shifting back and forth, never sitting still for more than a few seconds before adjusting again. Eventually he plops his arms down over the edges of the chair and extends his legs fully, and slowly slides out of the chair and sits on the ground near the base. Much like a small child he leans his head back and stares at the ceiling.
Narrator: See Lewis is a lot of things. Good or bad he owns them. He says ‘mistakes that aren’t learned from are the only mistakes made’. The smile on Ophelia’s face when the two of them got married, will forever be etched in Lewis’ memory. There is, however, that one minor regret. Walt.
Lewis sits on the floor wanting someone, anyone to break the silence, yet no one would. The saying ‘No news, is good news’ is one Mo is mumbling to himself. Lewis looks over to Bho sitting next to Tilly, who is resting her head on her shoulder. Bho carefully strokes her hair. Something, anything as a distraction.
Narrator: The one regret that Lewis has is Walt not being there at the wedding to give away Ophelia. A distinction made for family, and who is better than Walt for such a role? He had kept Ophelia safe and made sure she was taken care of. With how quickly everything moved between Lewis and Ophelia, unfortunately some mistakes were bound to be found in hindsight.
Lewis: I’m going back to bed.
A somber Lewis breaks the silence as he stands up from the ground. No one bats an eye or says anything. You could see in Lewis’ face that maybe he wanted someone to say something. He hung his head and walked up stairs. Closing the blinds as soon as he got into the bedroom and fell over onto the bed. Wrapping a blanket over himself and curling into a ball.
Lewis tightly closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep, but you could see the restlessness in his body movements.
Lewis: What the fuck do I do now?
He spoke aloud to no one in particular.
Lewis: Please someone tell me something.
He pleaded, again, to no one in particular.
??: Sit up boy. Sulking around isn’t going to help anyone.
Lewis shot up from the bed, fists up ready to swing on anything that’s near him.
??: Oh, put the pea shooters down, you gangly overgrown man child.
Lewis looks up and sees a visage of Walt standing at the foot of the bed.
Lewis: Wa—-Walt?
Confused, Lewis gets out of the bed and walks towards him.
Lewis: Oh my god! I’ve never been happier to see your dour expression.
Lewis reaches for Walt but falls right through him and lands face first on the floor. Lewis rolls over onto his back and sees the visage staring back down at him.
Walt: Get up boy. Ain’t no one gonna help you but you.
Lewis: What about Pheely?
Lewis pushes himself up to his feet and sits down on the foot of the bed.
Walt: Well of course her, you dummy. That doesn’t mean that you need to always be relying on other people. There are times in your life and career, no matter how pathetic it may be, that you’ll have no one to rely on other than yourself.
Lewis: That seems a bit—
Walt: What? Hurtful? Truthful?
Lewis: Seems like it’s a little on the nose considering what is coming up, dontcha think?
The visage of Walt sighs and hangs his head.
Walt: Are we seriously doing this right now? I’m only here for a limited amount of time ya know?
Lewis pops up from the bed and attempts to slap Walt on the shoulder, but his hand phases through him.
Lewis: No time like the present.
Walt: You would make a joke like that right now wouldn’t you?
Lewis: A joke? Where’s the joke?
Walt: Lew…. I’m dead. There is no present for me.
Lewis: Allegedly, but also mah bad.
Walt: Idjit.
Lewis: The point remains the same. Come on Holo-Walt follow me.
Lewis leaves the room and turns around and sees Walt looking up towards the sky.
Walt: I was a good man. Why do you continue to torture me like this?
Lewis: Come on, you sack of bones. I’ve got things to do in my dream world.
Narrator: This all seems oddly familiar doesn’t it? Like hasn’t Lewis already talked to an apparition once?— He fucking did!?! When the cat was talking to him! This is just a retread!
Lewis walks out into the fields of the farm, with Ghost Walt hovering beside him. Through the fields and eventually coming to an opening. Lewis stands there as Walt settles next to him.
Lewis: See this field Walt?
Walt: Obviously I do and clearly you learned nothing because it isn't prepared for anything.
Lewis: Exactly! It’s fresh, untouched, undisturbed real estate. Like me when it comes to wrestling. I’m like this field, just ready to be plowed.
Walt: Even I know that one.
Lewis: True and points for you however the point stands. Since I’ve walked into the halls of PWE it’s me that everyone is fixated on. It’s me as the one people look towards as a shining beacon of hope in such a dull and drab industry. With so many people waltzing around as monsters or telling fantasies for the masses to consume. What you see with me, is exactly as advertised. The gangly, bumbling and completely aloof, moron. Someone who wandered too far from home and can’t find his way back.
Lewis rocks back on his heels and waves his hand over the field. Row and row of tilled land begins to fill in the opening.
Lewis: What none of you saw was me learning. After all, I am a quick learner. I didn’t take me very long to just talk my way into the Main Title Scene. Hell I fucking skipped that bullshit tournament and landed myself right in prime position to claim the title.
Walt: Buuuuuut
Lewis: Yes, Walt. I was getting there.
Lewis disgustedly shakes his head.
Lewis: And somehow I was unable to procure the Excellence championship. Yet everyone and everyone knows that the Lord of Emo and Cutting himself Ayla was close to losing his title to lil ole me. Each and everyone of you saw it in his face. The desperation as if to say to himself…
Walt: This Fucking Guy!?
Lewis: Nice timing!
Narrator: Lewis goes for a high five but you know…. Ghost and all.
Lewis: Right. Yet we all know that evening wasn’t my time. No. I had told everyone I planned meticulously. I knew it wasn’t quite the time to pull that trigger. Imagine the uproar had I won. I would’ve single handedly ruined the industry. Imagine that. Someone talking shit, backing it up and proving the world wrong, all in the matter of a few weeks. With how many people talk shit and cower behind their keyboards… it’s sad really. I couldn’t show eighty percent of the industry that you can in fact sack up.
Walt: Well that just doesn’t make no damn sense.
Lewis: I wouldn’t expect you to understand my genius. Think Walt about this instead. The Excellence champion walking around in the back and every time they turn around there I am.
Walt: Bone chilling. I couldn’t imagine turning around and seeing your dumbass face all the time.
Lewis: Exactly. That’s why it was imperative that I didn’t win the title before the Rumble. I wouldn’t be able to deal with all the pressure of constantly having someone always right there, yet what I am perfectly adept at….
Walt: Being a creeper to the ultimate degree?
Lewis: Bingo! So it doesn’t matter that my ultimate plan failed.
Walt: Trying to rig a lottery never really works out all that well.
Lewis: Well yeah I know that now.
Lewis waves his hand over the field, as marijuana plants sprout from the ground. Rows upon rows of fully grown and bloomed plants wave as the wind begins to pick up.
Walt: Really? And the wind? Is that really necessary?
Lewis: My dream, my rules. Plus how often do you get to actually have a metaphor and the visual?
Walt: What are you on?
Lewis: Cloud fucking nine. Feel that Walt?
Walt: The wind? Not really. Remember…
Lewis: Right, Right, right…. Ghost. Does that make you Patrick Swayze?
Walt: Please continue with the metaphor.
Lewis: You finna grab me by the waist and help me with my pottery?
Walt: I swear to the lord above.
Lewis: Killjoy.
Lewis slumps his shoulders and sighs.
Lewis: Way to take the fun out of this, but fine I’ll continue. PWE and all the entrants in the Olla-Rumble. Feel that deep down in your bones. To the point of chills form down your spine, and your foot begins to nervously tap for no reason? Yeah, that right there is the winds of change. It’s time for the world to finally see everything that I’ve learned. From every step of my journey has led to this moment. From OCW, and Action. To showing up randomly at Fight, and everywhere in between. Now is where I will show everyone what I’ve been up to. Watching the Champions in all of those places, I’ve picked up methods to get what I want and fight for what I deserve.
Walt: You deserve a slap in the back of the head.
Lewis: True, but check this out. This ain’t my first go round in a Battle Royal. It was literally my first match here in the PWE. Sure I lost but that was so long ago that I’ve grown soooo much since then….
Walt: Yeah you’ve learned four more moves in three months.
Lewis: If that’s what you want to believe I’m not going to stop you.
Walt: Still can’t lock in the Vice correctly…
Lewis: I’M CLOSE!
Walt: Is that what Phee…..
Lewis: NEVER! I’m a gentleman, ladies first always! We are getting off the point.
Walt: Isn’t that like your whole thing?
Lewis: Well…yes. But also No. What no one has seen is all the work I’ve been putting in. How much I’ve trained for just this match. I don’t think I’ve ever pushed myself beyond my breaking point so many times, only to realize that my breaking point is much further away than I had originally thought. So circling back, it doesn’t matter that my attempted cheating to get a better spot in the Rumble was thwarted by ,that Karen who really needs a good dicking.
Walt: Or….
Lewis: Or good scissoring. I don’t want to assume anything about her. I have talked to some of the best in this industry about potential tactics to take for this match. I’m talking the James Raven’s, the Sloane Taylor’s, the John Fucking Blade’s of the industry. They all said the same thing. ‘Why are you calling me?’ Or ‘Who are you again?’ And my personal favorite, ‘Wanna have a match?’ With all their wisdom and kind words I’ve come away with one of the most ingenious plans.
Walt: Wellll.
Lewis: Or I may have been born during the day, but it wasn’t yesterday. I’m not going to give away my strategy for the match right now. Everyone is just going to have to find out when the rest of the world.
Walt: So that’s it then?
Lewis: I guess so.
Walt: Good I can finally get to my point.
Lewis: Oh yeah I forgot all about that.
Walt: I’m aware.
Lewis: So what was your point?
Walt: Honestly…. I forgot.
Lewis: Dope. No after school special moment for me.
The two men stare out over the field as Lewis takes a deep breath. Walt simply nods.
Lewis: I’m gonna miss you old friend.
Walt: I know but everything happens for a reason Lew. Pheely is in good hands with you and I’ll rest easy knowing that she’s protected, cared for and loved.
Lewis: I’ll try not letting you down.
Walt: You won’t Kid. You won’t.
The visage of Walt slowly fades away leaving Lewis standing there by himself. He shoves his hands into his pockets and begins to trek back towards the house.
As he opens the front door, he finds no one. An empty house. Emptier than usual. He walks up the stairs and into the bedroom. He plops down upon the bed and rolls over, covering himself in the process. Forcing his eyes closed and hoping that this was all just a bad dream.
Narrator: Now all of this may seem out of the blue, and to be honest it was. Not a single soul saw that happening, yet here we all are. Stuck with the fallout. Lewis is a good kid, if not sometimes annoying. Who wasn’t at that age. Just look at what he’s done. He has become someone people can rely on, daily, monthly, yearly. He said it himself, no one sees the work that he’s been putting in lately.
As the camera fades to bl——-
Narrator: No you know what? Fuck that. You all want to see what I see daily? How hard this guy works? Do you know why he works everyday? It’s for you! It’s for all of you! He thrives when you’re cheering for him. It’s what drives and motivates him. He doesn’t want to let Pheely down. He doesn’t want to let you down. Here just watch this for a few moments.
**Rewind Tape**
**Sudden Stop**Inside of a dingy gym the sounds of slaps echo. Then a thud. Followed by another loud smack. A few grunts are heard followed by the sounds of a hand slapping the mat. The camera catches a few people watching, as well as several lifting weights and some running on treadmills. Slowly the camera pans over to a ring and Lewis tapping on the mat, as a trainer holds him in an Anaconda Vice pulling back. Eventually the man let’s go as Lewis rolls over and firmly plants his face on the mat. Breathing heavily he turns his head to speak.
Lewis: This is bullshit!
Trainer: It’s okay Lewis. Everything takes time.
Lewis: Not for me.
Trainer: Listen. You’re a smart kid, but the only way to get any better at wrestling is putting in the work and getting those reps in.
Lewis: But when will it all…. Just click?
Trainer: That’s the thing kid. It might not. You’ve just gotta keep working and getting better every day.
Lewis: Alright fine.
He is helped to his feet by the trainer. Lewis takes a deep breath and cocks his neck as the two lock up on a collar and elbow. The trainer quickly transitions to Lewis’ back, he goes for a side headlock but Lewis elbows him in the side and forces him to let go of the hold. Lewis runs the ropes and takes the trainer down with a leaping elbow. Then falls on top of him, hooking a leg. The trainer kicks out immediately.
Trainer: Battle Royal Lewis! No Pins!
Lewis: Battle Royal Trainer, no Submissions!
Trainer: There’s a difference between wearing an opponent down, and not doing anything of value!
Lewis: Sorry. I know. It’s just I’ve got a lot going on today.
Trainer: I know and it’s okay, but when you step into this gym I need your full attention. Without it, someone could get hurt or even worse.
Lewis: I’m aware of that.
Trainer: I know you know. Why don’t we just call it a day. You’ve been here since before the sun rose, and it’s nearly dusk. Why don’t you go home, get some rest and we will get back at it tomorrow.
Lewis: Maybe you’re right.
Trainer: No maybes. I am right. Get out of here and get home to your wife.
Lewis smiles and nods. It doesn’t take Lewis long to shower and walk out of the building normally, but today was slightly different. Something or better yet someone has caused quite a commotion at the front entrance. No one dared walk up towards the person but all eyes were affixed to him. The thing that stood out the most was the pair of pristine White Jordan’s.
Lewis didn’t care about that, no he just wanted to get home. So rather than stand around like a slack jawed idiot he tried to push his way past the man.
Man: Cute camera. Shooting a promo?
Lewis looks at the man and quietly nods.
Man: I’m gonna borrow them for a little bit. Don’t worry kid….
As the camera abruptly cuts to black.
