Post by Donovan Basch on Aug 12, 2017 12:46:51 GMT -5
Rebel Ink III
Inglewood, CA
Scene fades in on the front entrance of Rebel Ink’s Inglewood location, where WCG wrestlers Danni LeBlanc and Donovan Basch are browsing through the various portfolios of artwork. Not that they really needed to... if they wanted examples of Damon Graves’ work as a tattoo artist, all they needed to do was take a look at his wife Aurora, who is sitting behind the front counter, processing Danni and Donovan’s paperwork. The blonde bombshell that co-owns the shop is a walking tapestry; a living canvas covered in her husband’s work. Once finished, she looks up at the couple and smiles.
Aurora: Alright... if you’ll just have a seat, Damon will be right with you once he finishes the sketches. It’ll be...
She bobs her head from one side to the other, pursing her lips.
Aurora: Just another minute or so.
Voice: Actually, I’m ready right now.
From a room in the back of the shop, Damon Graves emerged, a sketch pad in his hand. He walks up to the counter, laying out an image of a single word, scrawled in heavy black calligraphy.
Damon: Here you go...
Danni and Donovan scrutinize Damon’s work on the sketch pad. There, nestled amongst a nest of intricate scrollwork, is the word “ANGEL”. Danni looks up at Damon and smiles her approval of the image.
Damon: And, if we flip it around like so...
Damon rotates the image 180°, and the word goes from reading “ANGEL” to “DEVIL.” As Donovan goes over the artwork, Damon clears his throat, shifting his gaze between both of his customers.
Damon: Now normally, if a couple were to come in looking to get some sort of couples tattoo, we’d try to talk them out of it. But this piece here...
He taps the end of a pencil against the sketch pad.
Damon: This is one of those things that can stand as its own, in absence of any companion piece.
Donovan: So, you’re making an exception?
Damon: Meh...
He smirks at Donovan.
Aurora: In this case, it’s more of a case of “Tattooed men aren’t afraid of commitment.”
Danni: That’s an interesting way of putting it.
Damon chuckles as Aurora points at his heavily-tattooed arm, mouthing the words “definitely not afraid of commitment”. Danni covers her mouth to stifle a giggle.
Donovan: So, would it be possible to book concurrent appointments?
Damon: That shouldn’t be a problem….
Danni: Wonderful!
Aurora: It’s just a matter of fitting it into our schedules….
Danni: I can take care of this, Spidey.
Donovan: Alright, sweetheart. I’ll be outside when you’re done...
He leans down so that his fiancee can plant a kiss on his cheek. Donovan turns to the exit while Danni stays behind to finalize details.
Once Donovan has exited the tattoo studio, he leans up against his black Maserati Levante.
Donovan: This Saturday at Crossroad: Rise, I find myself in a rather enviable position: A 3-way contest between myself, Jack Santore, and Gabe Griffin. While the match itself makes go guarantees, there’s little doubt that the decision makers behind the scenes will be watching the event closely. A win at this event goes a long way towards determining who’s in line for future championship opportunities, and I don’t intend to disappoint.
On the other hand, one of us seems to be somewhat more lackadaisical about things.
Mr Griffin, do you honestly believe that such an amateurish ploy as intentionally mispronouncing your opponents’ names is going to be effective? Are you expecting me to explode in some sort of blind rage and throw whatever match strategy I’ve prepared out the window? If this is seriously how you do things, then you really are calling your fitness as a businessman and a teacher into question. Would you do this to one of your students? More importantly, is this what you TEACH your students? But still, this tactic is more annoying than infuriating, Griffin. After all, what would you do if a gnat kept buzzing around your ear? Would you go after it with an atomic bomb, or would you simply crush it?
Do you see where I’m heading with this, Gabriel?
To me, all of your childishness is nothing than the drone of a bug, and at Rise, I’ll deal with you like I would deal with any other annoying insect….
As soon as the words leave his mouth, a fly buzzes past him, flying downward until it lands in front of his feet. Before it can fly away, Donovan smashes it with his foot.
Donovan: Is this simple enough for you to understand? You’re not worth getting angry over, and you’re certainly not worth giving any undue attention to, because there is someone else in the match much more deserving of my time and effort….
He pauses.
Donovan: And that would bring me to you, Mr Santore…
Out of all the blather coming out of the mouth of our “opponent” at Rise, one thing he said did ring true… he said that this was a two person match. Problem is, he isn’t one of them. I’ll give you your due, as you were the only one of the three of us to score a victory at the last episode of Hype. While that’s all well and good, the fact that I didn’t leave Hype as the South Bay Champion leaves a bad taste in my mouth. And I can’t think of a better way to cleanse the palate than with a victory, especially at a Pay-Per-View.
He closes his eyes a second to savor that thought, before he continues.
Donovan: But I doubt that you’re going to make that easy for me, are you? In a way, I can appreciate that. Although I’ve had a privileged upbringing, my father made sure to stress the concept that hard work reaps the greatest rewards. So, despite the wealth I’ve amassed over the years, I’ve never expected ANYTHING to be handed to me, and a win this weekend is no exception. I want your best, and I’ll settle for nothing less. And rest assured, you’ll get my best in return.
That being said, I feel that I should give you fair warning, Jack. Other people have made the mistake of assuming that because of my size I would rely simply on brute strength to get the job done…. It would be a grave error for you to count yourself amongst that number. Predictability is the kiss of death in this business, and I plan on having a long and healthy career. I realize that you're an intelligent person, so barring the intrusion of that insignificant pest Griffin, I look forward to matching wits with you inside the ring. We both are looking to get ahead in West Coast Genesis, and there's plenty of potential for this match to steal the show.
Donovan chuckles.
Donovan: Who knows? Perhaps the sight of you and I captivating the audience might spur Griffin to step up his game. But regardless of all that, I'm looking forward to standing in the middle of the ring with my arm raised in triumph.
So, gentlemen, mere hours separate us from Destiny… it's just a matter of which one of us will step up and grasp it.
And if nothing else, I have a VERY strong grip...
A voice chimes up from behind.
Danni: You may want to rephrase that….
Donovan: Hmmm, true. Knowing how juvenile Griffin can get, he’ll find a way to make that sound unsavory.
Danni: On second thought, let him. He's a jackass anyway, so nobody is going to take his schoolyard bullshit seriously….
Donovan: Or anything ELSE seriously…
Donovan opens the passenger side door of the high-performance vehicle for Danni. Closing it behind her, he saunters over to the driver’s side, opens the door, gets in, and closes the door. Scene ends as the engine roars to life and the imported luxury car pulls out of the parking lot.