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James Raven · (01-26-2018)

JEREMY
I'm sorry, you did what?!

RAVEN
You heard me.

Super-agent Jeremy Silver stands up from his desk, a defeated look on his face as he stumbles across the office to the window and slides it open, sticking his head outside and beginning to mime hurling himself from the twenty-first floor to the concrete below.

RAVEN
OK, ok, relax! It's one match, it's not that serious!

JEREMY
No, it's not one match! It's never just one match with you! What the hell was the point of getting you out of the XWF if you just start going back every chance you get?

RAVEN
It's one match, Jeremy! Chill!

JEREMY
You went back in December for War Games, right? You even offered to fight Robbie Bourbon on the following Warfare, and THANK GOD they didn't take you up on it! You're back now, in January... can you honestly tell me you won't go back next month too? Can you promise the fans cheering your name wont stroke your ego, or that someone backstage won't piss you off enough to drag you into a fight? What if they offer you a spot in the Universal title tournament? What if they bring in someone like Steve Jason or John Madison? You're saying you'd pass that up?

I don't look him in the eyes. I can't. He already knows the answer. He makes his way from the window to his desk and sits back down, grabbing a stress ball off of a stack of papers and squeezing furiously. He stares me down, cold and calculating.

JEREMY
So this is happening? Nothing I can do to talk you out of it?

RAVEN
Nope, sorry. It has to be done.

JEREMY
You're booked solid for the next two months.

RAVEN
Well, move some shit. It's happening on Saturday.

His eyes nearly bug out of his head, the stress ball receiving more punishment than it's designed to take.

JEREMY
SATURDAY?! Why don't we just fucking do it now? Here? In the office? I'll push the desk to the side, and get my secretary to wear a zebra shirt? Jesus CHRIST, James! Could you give me less notice?!

I shrug my shoulders and bite my tongue. My gut instinct was to tell him that yes, actually, I could give him less notice if I wanted to... but it probably wouldn't have helped the situation. He leaps up from his seat again and begins to pace around the office, still squeezing the ball. I can see the wheels turning in his head, how to reschedule my flights and meetings, how to negotiate yet another "by appearance" contract with the XWF brass, how to promote.

JEREMY
OK, maybe we bill it as part of your "Legend vs. Legends" tour? We hadn't planned on doing anything in the XWF but we can make a surprise announcement, and pretend it was planned all along. We printed money at the first three matches on the tour, let's keep it rolling.

RAVEN
That might not be an option.

JEREMY
What do you mean it's not an option? Of course it's an option! Do I need to explain your own tour to you, James? It's a very simple concept, you roll through multiple federations taking on their biggest names and most dominant champions! Done! I don't care if you're rematching Bourbon, or facing Doc, or whatever the fuck... we'll spin it...

I avoid eye contact again, scratching the back of my neck awkwardly.

RAVEN
Yeah... so... about that... it's Scully.

The color drains from his face, and he drops the stress ball to the carpet. He's legitimately stunned. He starts to bend over to pick up his toy, but stops halfway and straightens up to stare at me again.

JEREMY
I'm sorry, repeat that please?

RAVEN
I'm fighting Scully, in the XWF, on Saturday.

Jeremy makes a beeline for the window, once more throwing his head outside and beginning to climb the sill.

JEREMY
Goodbye, cruel world!

I leap to my feet and make my way over to the window, but only because there's a small part of me that isn't sure he's joking. I grab him by the sleeve and pull him back down to the floor, turning him around to face me.

RAVEN
I know it's not ideal, but it is what it is.

JEREMY
Not ideal? James, you're killing me... are you at least the main event?

RAVEN
... no.

JEREMY
FOR FUCKS SAKE RAVEN! Why the shit did you agree to this?

I shrug sheepishly again. It seems to be a habit this meeting.

RAVEN
I dunno. He was talking shit on Twitter? I was feeling charitable?

JEREMY
Your career is business, James, not a way for you to do community service and bring paydays to underprivileged former champions. I don't care if he got on twitter and posted a picture of himself with a chainsaw in your mothers snatch-

RAVEN
My mother is dead.

JEREMY
What the fuck ever!!! Who gives a shit?!?! ... I'm sorry for your loss... That's not the point, though! The point is that you don't get goaded into shit fights with shit wrestlers, get paid shit for it on shit notice, and expect your agent to tap dance and fucking smile about it!!!

I can't help but grin at his outburst, nudging his chin with my knuckle.

RAVEN
You're cute when you're angry.

JEREMY
Blow me. You've really shit the bed on this, Raven. Really. I can't believe you took a match with Scully, the mumbling dumb fuck that even Guppy Parsh eventually had enough of and bailed on. The guy looks like he has downe syndrome, speaks like he's mid-stroke, and wrestles like it's the only physical contact he's ever had... which it very well may be!

RAVEN
Should I just put a camera on you, and let you cut the promo?

JEREMY
Yes. I'll go in and fight him to. It'll save you the time and embarrassment.

That last word hits me like a slap in the face, and I shoot him a disgusted look.

RAVEN
Embarrassment? Do you think he's actually going to beat me? Look, Jeremy... I don't care how many matches I have elsewhere, Scully won't win.

JEREMY
Of course he wont, James. The fact that you're even showing up to Savage to fight him sends a clear message to the rest of the industry that you've fallen, though. You left the company on your own terms, and it may not have been popular but that came with prestige... then you went back to play cavalry for The Apex... now you're mid-carding against guys that lose to Peter Gilmour? You're better than that. BE better than that.

I don't say anything. We stand in silence, steeping in the impact of his statements. That can't be true, can it? Could the industry really see me as "less than" because of something like this?

RAVEN
Fuck you.

JEREMY
James, be reasonab-

RAVEN
Fuck you. I'm following through on this, and I'm going to shit-kick Scully from Hollywood to San Francisco and back again before ending it. Now get to work, or you're next.

I turn around and stride through the office, not looking back again.

JEREMY
I'm an agent, James. You know about my hip!

I push through the office door and into the hallway, letting it swing softly shut behind me.

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Scully, I'd like to take a moment to applaud you; it's clear that you're really trying here, and your most recent promo was a giant leap from the babbling bullshit you were spewing on the airwaves a few months ago. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't good or anything, but it was good for you and sometimes that's good enough.

Don't buy into your own propaganda, though. You're trying to convince people you're some great mastermind that manipulated an unsuspecting lamb to glorious slaughter. Hardly, Scully. You took a tweet out of context, called me old (I'm 27, bitch, I've just been really good for a long ass time) and asked what I've done recently when the last I'd checked I held the Universal title not too long ago and your pathetic run was... when? I'm still more relevant to the XWF than you, Scully, on the roster or off... once a month, once a year, once a decade, once a whenever the fuck I goddamn please... I can walk into the XWF, topple whatever uppity douchebag ya'll have elected in my absence, and roll from the scene of the crime counting my fucking money. I built this place along with men you don't even have the decency to learn the names of. I owned this company. I kept this company alive when nobody else would, and whether I'm here or not none of you would be without me.

What have I done recently, Scully? I've been the greatest of all time, what the fuck have you done?

I remember your loss to Peter Gilmour, I remember Team

and Guppy ditching your ass. I remember a whole bunch of losses, and a lot of backstage jokes about how pathetic this speech impaired former champion was... how dark the times must have been when Vinny Lane had to pass the torch to you and Gilmour. You want to #BlameRaven for Bourbons title reign? #BlameScully for the biggest debacle in all of professional wrestling, and biggest disgrace in the history of an industry leader... Gilmour, sitting atop the heap.

Yeah, I talk down to you on Twitter, because you're just one of dozens of Chihuahuas nipping at me every time I log in. You come chasing after me for a little bit of fame, a little bit of glory, some spare pocket change, some cast off pussy... whatever you manage to get from an altercation with me... BITCH! I run the XWF account that is the only person to retweet your shit, and finally pushed you over 20 followers! What more do you want from me?! Tell me again how I don't do anything for the company anymore. Nobody else is promoting your ass...

I'm not hear because you cunningly trapped me, Scully. I'm hear to teach you that the squeaky wheel gets the oil, and sometimes you get what you ask for as bad as it may be for your health. THAT'S why I mentioned the Universal title tournament. I don't give a shit if you think I deserve it, I don't give a shit if Shane, Vinny, Jefferson Jackson, the fans or anyone else does either... they know I'm interested now. If someone needs to back out at some point, do you think it gets mentioned in a meeting that I can be brought in as a replacement? I think so. If something like this happens in the future, or something else like High Stakes comes up... do you think maybe, just maybe, the XWF likes to know their G.O.A.T. is a phone call away?

Whatever you believe, Scully, my name still holds clout. My presence brings ratings and everyone knows that if I put in a modicum of effort I will run circles around this entire roster.

YOU can sit around and wait for an offer.

I take it into my own hands, and go out and get one.

Is it making sense yet, Scully? You're not the big fish in the small pond, you're the bait being used to draw in my white whale. Someone that's found every reason to avoid getting in the ring with me since the first time we shared a turnbuckle... I asked for something, and along came a loud mouthed

(2.0) that was going to be the perfect pawn to facilitate what I wanted all along. A man that would normally not be worth my time, but as a means to an end could guarantee the match that I wanted for Turning Point...

Hitler thinks you bring a bad name to mustaches.

A speak-n-spell can form a more coherent sentence than you can.

You're a dog shit representative of the Universal Champions club, and I will do everything in my power to ensure you never hold the belt again. I'm kidding, I really don't care about what you do, I just thought that sounded cool. I am going to pound you harder than your mother the night you were conceived, the only difference is there's one of me instead of the four that were on her, and you and I aren't related like they were judging by your speech patterns. Sorry, you took a cheap "your mom" shot, I had to get it back.

You asked for this, Scully. Remember that when you're nursing your wounds and I'm moving on to bigger and better things that you don't think I deserve. Remember that when you become nothing more than win #104, and everything you thought you'd earn off my name slips through your fingers.

Chat soon.

Fear the Raven... Forevermore.

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I make my way quietly into Genevieve Tate's condo, closing the door quietly behind me and slipping off my shoes so as not to wake her. I don't know her well, but she's been traveling with me the past few weeks and I've found myself enjoying her company. She's a sweet girl; a bit of a wild side, a bit chaotic and mischievous... but she's sweet to me. She lives in Los Angeles, and was kind enough to offer me a place with her when business brought be to the west coast. I tiptoe through the kitchen and into the living room, not turning on the lights as I feel around for guidance.

GENEVIEVE
I'm awake, you know...

My eyes, adjusting to the dark, settle on her laying across the couch underneath a thin blanket, her thick red hair coiled around her head on a throw pillow.

RAVEN
Sorry, I was trying to be quiet.

GENEVIEVE
I was waiting up for you. I was just resting my eyes. How was the meeting with Jeremy?

RAVEN
Not good. Not good.

GENEVIEVE
What happened?

RAVEN
He's right. About all of it. I shouldn't be fighting this guy, I shouldn't be going about it the way I am either. He's right, and I can't admit it to him.

GENEVIEVE
Because... of pride? Ego?

RAVEN
Because I have a plan, and Scully is just step one in it. I can't tell him yet, though. I just have to ride this out.

GENEVIEVE
... that's what she said?

I stare at her blankly, and she smirks coyly back. I eventually cave in and smile. There's no point in worrying about any of it anymore, no point in scheming... the wheels are in motion. Now we wait for Saturday, and we go from there.

GENEVIEVE
You look exhausted. Come here. I've been waiting up for a reason.

She lifts the blanket, and I slide myself onto the couch next to her.

I hold her.

She holds me.

FADE TO BLACK

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