Post by Cassius on Apr 3, 2017 0:37:29 GMT
California. April 4th, 2017
The sun warms his ebony skin as he leans on the railing of the balcony, the sharp tang of the Pacific air mixing with the heady aroma of his morning coffee. He never used to drink coffee. To that mind, he never thought he’d come back to California after the… unpleasantness in San Diego, either. But here Cassius Reed stands, dressed in a bathrobe, fluffy slippers on his feet, basking in the morning sun of Huntington Beach, with a cup of coffee in his hands. “Strong and black; just like you.” They’d been her words as she’d handed him the cup, and he’d watched her sashay her way into the shower.
Her. She was, of course, the reason for those earlier points. You can’t be around someone who drinks that much coffee without getting addicted yourself by some kind of osmosis. And as for California… He takes a sip of the coffee, grimacing slightly at the taste. Still not quite him… but like he’d refuse it. Not from her. Not from Melody Lennox.
He smiles a little as he remembers the first time he’d ever seen her… the “Shy Skywriter”, as she was known at the time. He’d been working Portland about a month at the point, just shooting the breeze backstage with some of the techs… and then she skipped into his life. It was if… well, the stereotype would be to say she brought color to the world, right? Melody didn’t bring color so much as she brought glitter and sparkles. The shy wave… the awkward smile… he knew then, and there, that he was in trouble. He can’t even remember what they said to each other on that first meeting… but he can remember the gleam in her eyes… the smell of her perfume…
He smiles. Those days… they feel a million years away from today. The Cassius of then would never dream that he could be stood here… on Melody Lennox’s balcony… the Vice-President of one of the biggest wrestling companies on the planet… a top level champion… only one of those things truly mattered though.
Only one had ever mattered.
MELODY LENNOX: “Hey, you.”
The shock of being dragged out of his reverie almost made him drop his coffee. As it was, a reasonable amount of it went flying over the edge of the balcony to below. He quickly spun around… and there she was. Towelling down her hair, silk robe clinging tightly to her still slightly damp body… he quickly forced his attention up, to the slightly tired smile on his face.
MELODY LENNOX: “What you doing?”
Still recovering, he leans back into the balcony, perching his elbows up on the wooden balustrade, forcing the famous cocky grin onto his face.
CASSIUS REED: “Oh, you know me. Just admiring the view.”
With a laugh, she throws the damp towel at him, catching him square in the chest. He feigns injury, provoking her to continue in her laughter.
MELODY LENNOX: “Oh you… come on. If we’re going to drive up to Daly City for your show tonight, we really need to hit the road soon.”
He nods, with a slight sigh.
CASSIUS REED: “Alright… just give me a minute or two. Let me enjoy the calm before the storm, as it were.”
MELODY LENNOX: “Well, don’t be too long. I might just have something else for you to enjoy.”
She turns, and heads back inside, letting the silk robe slip off of her shoulders and to the hardwood floor as she passes through the open door, his jaw hitting the floor about the same time. He takes just a moment to bask in the gloriousness of her unclothed body, before shaking his head clear, and talking to himself under his breath.
CASSIUS REED: “No promises on soon.”
Placing the mug down on the edge of the balcony, he chases after her, slipping his own robe off as he passes the threshold, the laughter erupting from her as he catches her, fluffy slippers and all, echoing out the doorway into the California morning.
CASSIUS REED: “Why do you do it?”
The camera fades up, revealing Cassius Reed leaning back on the hood of a Candy Apple Red BMW X1. He’s wearing a “Villainess” Melody Lennox shirt and mirrored aviators, the intensity of the sun clearly making the statement that he’s in California. He takes a long gulp from the water bottle in his hand, before continuing his train of thought.
CASSIUS REED: “Whatever it is you people do… why do you do it? What gets you out of bed each day… what motivates you? Is it just… survival? You get up, do whatever you need to do to keep a roof over your head? Keep your family clothed? Keep your bellies full?”
Cassius gives a nod of respect to that.
CASSIUS REED: “Ain’t nothing wrong with that. Cassius can respect that. Shit, it’s more than Cassius’ daddy did. But is there something more? Are you doing what you’re doing for a greater cause, because you want to benefit others? Are you doing it because you’re good at it, because that’s what you know? Or is it all you can get?”
Another gulp of water.
CASSIUS REED: “What about you, Veronica? Why do you do it? Cassius means, we’ve already got plenty of “Smartest Men/Women/Dragons in Wrestling”, it ain’t as if you’re filling a particular niche, and you ain’t no Chuck Matthews. Cassius means on the scale from chess mastermind to evil supervillain, you strike Cassius as the kind of sucka who’s likely to go on video and just tell everyone your evil plans, assuming that the authorities ain’t the kind of people to kill time on Youtube when they bored. Cassius is presuming it ain’t the money; former Fortune 500 CEO’s pull in those fat stacks. It can’t be because of how good you are at it, because Cassius is sure we’d have had a coronation ceremony for Queen Veronica last month in that case…”
A shrug.
CASSIUS REED: “Cassius would keep guessing, but there ain’t no point, is there? You ain’t here. You can’t reply. And even if you did, it wouldn’t really matter. It ain’t like Cassius is actually going to care what you’d say. Cassius was always more of a Betty guy. What about you, Cassius hears you ask. Why do you do it, Cassius? Why do you push yourself so hard, put yourself through such great challenges? Why is it you constantly go out a mix of both the industries best wrestlers, and biggest suckas? Well why don’t you sit your inquisitive ass down in a comfy chair, grab yo’self a bag of Oreos and a glass of milk, and listen straight. It’s simple really. Cassius just wants everyone to know he’s great. That’s all.”
That trademark grin comes straight into play.
CASSIUS REED: “But Cassius don’t just want to be know as great by his fans now, or by his peers. Funk no. Cassius wanna be “that guy.” When some old man sitting down with his grandkids 50 or 60 years from now to watch wrestling with him, and he sees those future suckas try and perform, he’ll be all “DAMN KIDS! These fools suck. You wanna know about a real wrestler? Let me tell you all about this bad ass mammajamma names Cassius Reed…” And those kids are gunna be all “oh Grandpa, but... “ and then that old man gunna pimp slap those kids’ mouths shut, boot up the Youtube in their brains or whatever the funk is going on by then, and show them. He’s gunna show them the matches that Cassius is showing you now. He’s going to show them the Iron King, as he takes the rulebook, tears it up, writes a new one, tears it up, sleeps with his woman, tears it up, forgets what he was doing, makes a sandwich, and then wraps it all up by KICKING A SUCKA’S ASS!”
Cassius hopes down off the hood, and takes a drink, pacing about as he does, the adrenaline clearly flowing.
CASSIUS REED: “So Veronica, you better get your excuses ready, because King Cassius is in his funking prime, and you’re about to become a 2 second clip on his highlight reel. Just makes sure it’s a good one because there ain’t a single sucka out there who’s going to believe you, but they’ll at least give you partial credit if you make it creative. Because we all know what this match actually means for you. It’s a chance to prove you can stand with the top champion in the company. It’s a chance to prove you dropping out the Iron King tourney was some kinda fluke. It’s a chance for you to prove that you ain’t old and passed it. And you know what? NOBODY CARES. Least of all Cassius.”
The grin turns wicked, and he closes in on the camera, entering close up.
CASSIUS REED: “Because you know what this match means to Cassius? For Cassius, this match is actually important. Unlike your bullshit motivations, Cassius has got real shit to prove. This his first match in Phoenix as champion, the first match as your Iron King. This match sets the tone for the entire reign. See? Actually important. So here’s what you’re going to do. You’re going to lace up your boots. You’re going to come out to your James Bond theme song… totally called it on the level of evil genius by the way… and then you’re going to get seven shades of Funk knocked out of you by Cassius Reed. Cassius going to beat you worse than the Globetrotters beat the Generals. And you know what? That’s a good thing. Because then you’ll be able to turn around and say you lost to the greatest funking Iron King the world has ever seen.”
Another shrug.
CASSIUS REED: “You’re welcome.”
And swig from the water bottle. He drains it dry, holding it up to get the last few drops out.
CASSIUS REED: “See you in a couple of hours, Daly City. You ain’t gonna wanna miss this. Long live the King.”
Cassius flashes the camera one more smile, before it cuts out.
As the BMW tears it’s way up I-5, Melody behind the wheel, her seat cranked up to maximum height to let the petite blonde see clearly over the dashboard. Cassius sits beside her, arm hanging out the window, pensive look on his face.
MELODY LENNOX: “What’s wrong?”
A sudden burst of panic coats his face, but he quickly regains composure, looking out the window as he talks.
CASSIUS REED: “Wrong? Nothing’s wrong.”
MELODY LENNOX: “Don’t lie to me Cassius. You know I don’t appreciate that.”
Silence a moment, as he arranges his thoughts.
CASSIUS REED: “It’s just… do you ever think… you know? About us… about before? How we got here?”
She frowns behind the wheel.
MELODY LENNOX: “I… I guess? I don’t really get what you’re getting at.”
CASSIUS REED: “... Don’t worry about it. It’s not important.”
MELODY LENNOX: “I wasn’t worried, until you started with all this. I am now worried.”
CASSIUS REED: “Look, now is really not the time…”
MELODY LENNOX: “...Cassius…”
CASSIUS REED: “I… uh…”
MELODY LENNOX: “Cassius Reed you talk to me about whatever this is right now or I swe-”
CASSIUS REED: “I love you.”
The sun warms his ebony skin as he leans on the railing of the balcony, the sharp tang of the Pacific air mixing with the heady aroma of his morning coffee. He never used to drink coffee. To that mind, he never thought he’d come back to California after the… unpleasantness in San Diego, either. But here Cassius Reed stands, dressed in a bathrobe, fluffy slippers on his feet, basking in the morning sun of Huntington Beach, with a cup of coffee in his hands. “Strong and black; just like you.” They’d been her words as she’d handed him the cup, and he’d watched her sashay her way into the shower.
Her. She was, of course, the reason for those earlier points. You can’t be around someone who drinks that much coffee without getting addicted yourself by some kind of osmosis. And as for California… He takes a sip of the coffee, grimacing slightly at the taste. Still not quite him… but like he’d refuse it. Not from her. Not from Melody Lennox.
He smiles a little as he remembers the first time he’d ever seen her… the “Shy Skywriter”, as she was known at the time. He’d been working Portland about a month at the point, just shooting the breeze backstage with some of the techs… and then she skipped into his life. It was if… well, the stereotype would be to say she brought color to the world, right? Melody didn’t bring color so much as she brought glitter and sparkles. The shy wave… the awkward smile… he knew then, and there, that he was in trouble. He can’t even remember what they said to each other on that first meeting… but he can remember the gleam in her eyes… the smell of her perfume…
He smiles. Those days… they feel a million years away from today. The Cassius of then would never dream that he could be stood here… on Melody Lennox’s balcony… the Vice-President of one of the biggest wrestling companies on the planet… a top level champion… only one of those things truly mattered though.
Only one had ever mattered.
MELODY LENNOX: “Hey, you.”
The shock of being dragged out of his reverie almost made him drop his coffee. As it was, a reasonable amount of it went flying over the edge of the balcony to below. He quickly spun around… and there she was. Towelling down her hair, silk robe clinging tightly to her still slightly damp body… he quickly forced his attention up, to the slightly tired smile on his face.
MELODY LENNOX: “What you doing?”
Still recovering, he leans back into the balcony, perching his elbows up on the wooden balustrade, forcing the famous cocky grin onto his face.
CASSIUS REED: “Oh, you know me. Just admiring the view.”
With a laugh, she throws the damp towel at him, catching him square in the chest. He feigns injury, provoking her to continue in her laughter.
MELODY LENNOX: “Oh you… come on. If we’re going to drive up to Daly City for your show tonight, we really need to hit the road soon.”
He nods, with a slight sigh.
CASSIUS REED: “Alright… just give me a minute or two. Let me enjoy the calm before the storm, as it were.”
MELODY LENNOX: “Well, don’t be too long. I might just have something else for you to enjoy.”
She turns, and heads back inside, letting the silk robe slip off of her shoulders and to the hardwood floor as she passes through the open door, his jaw hitting the floor about the same time. He takes just a moment to bask in the gloriousness of her unclothed body, before shaking his head clear, and talking to himself under his breath.
CASSIUS REED: “No promises on soon.”
Placing the mug down on the edge of the balcony, he chases after her, slipping his own robe off as he passes the threshold, the laughter erupting from her as he catches her, fluffy slippers and all, echoing out the doorway into the California morning.
-----
CASSIUS REED: “Why do you do it?”
The camera fades up, revealing Cassius Reed leaning back on the hood of a Candy Apple Red BMW X1. He’s wearing a “Villainess” Melody Lennox shirt and mirrored aviators, the intensity of the sun clearly making the statement that he’s in California. He takes a long gulp from the water bottle in his hand, before continuing his train of thought.
CASSIUS REED: “Whatever it is you people do… why do you do it? What gets you out of bed each day… what motivates you? Is it just… survival? You get up, do whatever you need to do to keep a roof over your head? Keep your family clothed? Keep your bellies full?”
Cassius gives a nod of respect to that.
CASSIUS REED: “Ain’t nothing wrong with that. Cassius can respect that. Shit, it’s more than Cassius’ daddy did. But is there something more? Are you doing what you’re doing for a greater cause, because you want to benefit others? Are you doing it because you’re good at it, because that’s what you know? Or is it all you can get?”
Another gulp of water.
CASSIUS REED: “What about you, Veronica? Why do you do it? Cassius means, we’ve already got plenty of “Smartest Men/Women/Dragons in Wrestling”, it ain’t as if you’re filling a particular niche, and you ain’t no Chuck Matthews. Cassius means on the scale from chess mastermind to evil supervillain, you strike Cassius as the kind of sucka who’s likely to go on video and just tell everyone your evil plans, assuming that the authorities ain’t the kind of people to kill time on Youtube when they bored. Cassius is presuming it ain’t the money; former Fortune 500 CEO’s pull in those fat stacks. It can’t be because of how good you are at it, because Cassius is sure we’d have had a coronation ceremony for Queen Veronica last month in that case…”
A shrug.
CASSIUS REED: “Cassius would keep guessing, but there ain’t no point, is there? You ain’t here. You can’t reply. And even if you did, it wouldn’t really matter. It ain’t like Cassius is actually going to care what you’d say. Cassius was always more of a Betty guy. What about you, Cassius hears you ask. Why do you do it, Cassius? Why do you push yourself so hard, put yourself through such great challenges? Why is it you constantly go out a mix of both the industries best wrestlers, and biggest suckas? Well why don’t you sit your inquisitive ass down in a comfy chair, grab yo’self a bag of Oreos and a glass of milk, and listen straight. It’s simple really. Cassius just wants everyone to know he’s great. That’s all.”
That trademark grin comes straight into play.
CASSIUS REED: “But Cassius don’t just want to be know as great by his fans now, or by his peers. Funk no. Cassius wanna be “that guy.” When some old man sitting down with his grandkids 50 or 60 years from now to watch wrestling with him, and he sees those future suckas try and perform, he’ll be all “DAMN KIDS! These fools suck. You wanna know about a real wrestler? Let me tell you all about this bad ass mammajamma names Cassius Reed…” And those kids are gunna be all “oh Grandpa, but... “ and then that old man gunna pimp slap those kids’ mouths shut, boot up the Youtube in their brains or whatever the funk is going on by then, and show them. He’s gunna show them the matches that Cassius is showing you now. He’s going to show them the Iron King, as he takes the rulebook, tears it up, writes a new one, tears it up, sleeps with his woman, tears it up, forgets what he was doing, makes a sandwich, and then wraps it all up by KICKING A SUCKA’S ASS!”
Cassius hopes down off the hood, and takes a drink, pacing about as he does, the adrenaline clearly flowing.
CASSIUS REED: “So Veronica, you better get your excuses ready, because King Cassius is in his funking prime, and you’re about to become a 2 second clip on his highlight reel. Just makes sure it’s a good one because there ain’t a single sucka out there who’s going to believe you, but they’ll at least give you partial credit if you make it creative. Because we all know what this match actually means for you. It’s a chance to prove you can stand with the top champion in the company. It’s a chance to prove you dropping out the Iron King tourney was some kinda fluke. It’s a chance for you to prove that you ain’t old and passed it. And you know what? NOBODY CARES. Least of all Cassius.”
The grin turns wicked, and he closes in on the camera, entering close up.
CASSIUS REED: “Because you know what this match means to Cassius? For Cassius, this match is actually important. Unlike your bullshit motivations, Cassius has got real shit to prove. This his first match in Phoenix as champion, the first match as your Iron King. This match sets the tone for the entire reign. See? Actually important. So here’s what you’re going to do. You’re going to lace up your boots. You’re going to come out to your James Bond theme song… totally called it on the level of evil genius by the way… and then you’re going to get seven shades of Funk knocked out of you by Cassius Reed. Cassius going to beat you worse than the Globetrotters beat the Generals. And you know what? That’s a good thing. Because then you’ll be able to turn around and say you lost to the greatest funking Iron King the world has ever seen.”
Another shrug.
CASSIUS REED: “You’re welcome.”
And swig from the water bottle. He drains it dry, holding it up to get the last few drops out.
CASSIUS REED: “See you in a couple of hours, Daly City. You ain’t gonna wanna miss this. Long live the King.”
Cassius flashes the camera one more smile, before it cuts out.
-----
As the BMW tears it’s way up I-5, Melody behind the wheel, her seat cranked up to maximum height to let the petite blonde see clearly over the dashboard. Cassius sits beside her, arm hanging out the window, pensive look on his face.
MELODY LENNOX: “What’s wrong?”
A sudden burst of panic coats his face, but he quickly regains composure, looking out the window as he talks.
CASSIUS REED: “Wrong? Nothing’s wrong.”
MELODY LENNOX: “Don’t lie to me Cassius. You know I don’t appreciate that.”
Silence a moment, as he arranges his thoughts.
CASSIUS REED: “It’s just… do you ever think… you know? About us… about before? How we got here?”
She frowns behind the wheel.
MELODY LENNOX: “I… I guess? I don’t really get what you’re getting at.”
CASSIUS REED: “... Don’t worry about it. It’s not important.”
MELODY LENNOX: “I wasn’t worried, until you started with all this. I am now worried.”
CASSIUS REED: “Look, now is really not the time…”
MELODY LENNOX: “...Cassius…”
CASSIUS REED: “I… uh…”
MELODY LENNOX: “Cassius Reed you talk to me about whatever this is right now or I swe-”
CASSIUS REED: “I love you.”