Post by Virgil Barrick on Jan 2, 2022 7:01:11 GMT -5
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---| Project:Underground III |---
---| The In-Between |---
---| The Smooth Operator |---
Virgil Barrick
Rhythm of the Bad Angels
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---| Sharp Dressed Man |---
VIRGIL BARRICK [V.O.]:"What does it mean to be a professional wrestler? Is there a plucky underdog story of grit and sacrifice. Pulling oneself from the dirt, and moulding the roughest of clay into sculptures of awe. From nothing. Sounds romantic, and would make for a better story than the one you would usually see out there in the real world. This isn't one of those stories either. Well, depending on how you look at it".
"This path wasn't meant for me. I'd be more wary if someone was on the path they'd always envisioned for themselves. That would be concerning....the lack of a curveball. No spanner in the works. No spark to see what they're really made of. It doesn't start from a dream in the real world. It starts with a job...".
"One day, in an office waiting room..."
The scene fades in to a moderately well-furnished office space. A clear open room with sleek black leather couches in the waiting area. A well-built man is sat there regally off to the side of the shot. A well-trimmed moustache on his lip and not a hair on his head out of place. A dark suit, freshly pressed. The man would look perfect in a 1940s noir film, bathed in moody black and white on a tiny box TV. Or even the sleazier world of swilling booze in a 1960s business drama. Depending on how you look at it. The only noise in the room is the clicks and clacks of a keyboard off screen, cutting to see the perspective of the sharp dressed man as he looks to the secretary by the door. She glances up from her screen and the keyboard skittering slows for a moment, sharing a polite, charming smile between them before returning to her work.
A few moments go by before the bell of an elevator rings, and a door sweeps against the thin carpet floor like the brushes of a jazz drummer, with the taps of long strides as the eyes of the moustached man follow someone behind the camera, watching as they approach the secretary, their conversation happening off screen.
?: "I'm here to see him".
SECRETARY: "Your appointment was fifteen minutes ago Mr. Sh...."
?: "We don't do this timing thing, he sees me when he calls me, and he called me. Ring him up".
There's a small pause before the scraps of her nails against the plastic handset of phone as she picks it up, and more when she punches in the extension number. The man then walks into frame and sits on the opposite end of the leather couch. He's very tall, but lacking the build that the moustached man. Dressed in a leather jacket and a much more casual, if not moody attire than the person beside him. Less rigorously maintained facial hair...and a shock of pink over the fringe of his hair. He looks to the moustached man with a perplexed expression in his face, even then in a resting face of somewhat annoyed. The moustached man looks over and both men lock eyes for a moment, one remaining stoically courteous while the other looks away with disinterest, an icy side glance following it.
Soon after, the phone rings out from the secretary's desk, the taller man looking over and standing to his feet and starting to walk his way to the tinted glass door, not paying any mind to the other man.
SECRETARY:"Mr. Raith will see you-oh, I'm sorry....he has an appointment with this other gentleman, Mr. Shelldrake...."
The taller man turns on his heel to face the secretary, one hand still on the door handle about to enter the office, a blank look on his face as his shifting eyes move to see Barrick stand from the waiting area, stopping stand face-to-face with him. Shelldrake was taller, but not that much taller. Barrick was imposing enough against him to make The Kraken look smaller than usual with his calm confidence and understated swagger.
VIRGIL BARRICK: "May I?"
There is a moment where the previous detached and unfazed look Shelldrake shared with him turns to a much colder gaze. Barrick looks him directly in the eyes, calmer than The Kraken and more at ease. Shelldrake quietly snorts a huff of air out of his nose before finally releasing his grip on the door, giving way for Barrick to enter. The Smooth Operator smiles before stepping forward and opening the door himself. The scene ends with Shelldrake watching with gritted teeth as the door closes, the edge of Barrick's smile twitching a little wider as it slides shut.
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---| Champion in Writing |---
The scene opens again, this time to Barrick sat on a chair in the centre of what looks like a training ring in a wide open refurbished warehouse, still dressed impeccably formal. The middle rope is laced with the deep purple of Project: Underground, while the others are a jet black. A Tetran Kai Dojo banner draped over the ring canvas.
VIRGIL BARRICK: "...that meeting can change your life".
"It can mean the difference between calling yourself champion of throwing out drunken deadbeats, and calling yourself the champion. But I am interested in knowing why Project: Honor wishes to get my thoughts on what being a champion means. Would that word carry its weight? One match to my name, and a loss at that, when you can garner a comment from a veteran of a dozen years, if not more. Being cut of the newest cloth doesn't need to mean my word is without worth. Perhaps I want my dose of aggression and violence to be used for something. Or get a little more recognition for it".
"As I was saying. The path of pro wrestling wasn't the dream job. Before it was easy. Trained far and beyond any that would stand in my way on the streets. Those that would do harm to my employers, again, not good enough. Nothing agains their effort, it's simply the truth of the matter. I would work through the boredom of the same lack of challenge day after day. Dutifully. But after a time one needs to stretch their legs a little bit more. I wasn't content with them. But that wasn't pro wrestling".
"It wasn't this".
"Therefore, it stays as a background flavour. My debut outing on Project: Underground proved that my life before, was not a fulfilling one. Whatever successes I found there were not the challenges I could be facing. The potentials I could be exceeding".
"In short, that is why a rookie with a single match under their belt wants to be champion. For an opening into a new medium, when given something more intriguing to engage in. After scouting me, the Tetran Kai Dojo offered me a place, and so, I am here".
"Even in defeat, I don't see the boredom of that work returning any time soon. A prize to strive towards that can also be built upon. I'm humble enough to admit a defeat when it is given to me. Starting from the bottom again, it feels....liberating in a certain way. Knowing that even if I am bested in this ring, that I can improve and come back to face them again. The litmus tests of what I can do".
"That real test is against R.C. Sterling. As nice as it is to be facing a fellow Englishman, and one that has already achieved a victory, that seems to be where his redeeming qualities end. I'm entering into his main event, that much is true. But that stage is shared with me. I wouldn't be taken aback if he would prefer a solo billing over the arena. But we'll see who gets to tell the story in the end. He may defeat me, whether on merit of skill or otherwise. One way or another, the result will be what allows me to learn your ways. And how best to fight them".
"With personal preference, I would say my suit is more dignified than yours, Sterling. Even if I don't have the pedigreed name to fit it. A look is just a look after all. It's what lies beneath that I'm really interested in. Do you want to know who my best fight was with? Not some trained gun, or an expert. It was some nameless vagrant stumbling around the streets that simply knew, deep down in their soul, how to fight. Doesn't matter what you wear, where you're from, or what your parents do for a living, some people just have it in them. An innate knowing. You can have the roughest looking people in life, and they'll surprise you the most".
"I like to call them the Bad Angels".
"They're the ones you really have to watch out for when you're a man on the ground. Not so difficult to see when you've been around them long enough. Perhaps Sterling has that fire in him too, a certain oiliness to him that this Dojo isn't unfamiliar with...."
"Or perhaps he doesn't".
"Could be another rich kid wanting to flex their muscles. I may not have the experience in this ring, but I know people when I see them. What they want people to see, and who they're trying to hide away".
"A suit can hide many things. Let's see if Mr. Sterling is worth the money he's printed on".
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?: "Win or lose, it doesn't really matter to me. All I need you to do is have a presence. Be it in here, or in Project: Honor. He'll obsess over it, and I need that. It's good that you were here early, already set the intended first impression. I know that's probably not what you wanted to hear when i hired you, but long and short of it, that's the reason. What accolades and victories you achieve are a bonus on top for yourself".
VIRGIL BARRICK:"Doesn't matter what I really think of it. The intention was met, even if a bit through luck, but met nonetheless. I'll take what comes to me and play my part, as you request. Out of interest, why do you want him to be focusing on this? Wouldn't it make sense for your prize fighter's eyes to be....on the prize?"
?: "Typically yes, but he's not your cookie cutter prize fighter. The fact of the matter, Mr. Barrick, is that I'm playing with fire here. He was not the original choice, and with good reason. But even now, he is the best shot we have. And I've found that whatever any rulebook says about making your success, needs to be thrown out in this case...."
?: "Mr. Shelldrake is the antithesis of what you or I know about this business. And against my better judgement, it needs to stay that way".
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---| Project:Underground III |---
---| The In-Between |---
---| The Smooth Operator |---
Virgil Barrick
Rhythm of the Bad Angels
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---| Sharp Dressed Man |---
VIRGIL BARRICK [V.O.]:"What does it mean to be a professional wrestler? Is there a plucky underdog story of grit and sacrifice. Pulling oneself from the dirt, and moulding the roughest of clay into sculptures of awe. From nothing. Sounds romantic, and would make for a better story than the one you would usually see out there in the real world. This isn't one of those stories either. Well, depending on how you look at it".
"This path wasn't meant for me. I'd be more wary if someone was on the path they'd always envisioned for themselves. That would be concerning....the lack of a curveball. No spanner in the works. No spark to see what they're really made of. It doesn't start from a dream in the real world. It starts with a job...".
"One day, in an office waiting room..."
The scene fades in to a moderately well-furnished office space. A clear open room with sleek black leather couches in the waiting area. A well-built man is sat there regally off to the side of the shot. A well-trimmed moustache on his lip and not a hair on his head out of place. A dark suit, freshly pressed. The man would look perfect in a 1940s noir film, bathed in moody black and white on a tiny box TV. Or even the sleazier world of swilling booze in a 1960s business drama. Depending on how you look at it. The only noise in the room is the clicks and clacks of a keyboard off screen, cutting to see the perspective of the sharp dressed man as he looks to the secretary by the door. She glances up from her screen and the keyboard skittering slows for a moment, sharing a polite, charming smile between them before returning to her work.
A few moments go by before the bell of an elevator rings, and a door sweeps against the thin carpet floor like the brushes of a jazz drummer, with the taps of long strides as the eyes of the moustached man follow someone behind the camera, watching as they approach the secretary, their conversation happening off screen.
?: "I'm here to see him".
SECRETARY: "Your appointment was fifteen minutes ago Mr. Sh...."
?: "We don't do this timing thing, he sees me when he calls me, and he called me. Ring him up".
There's a small pause before the scraps of her nails against the plastic handset of phone as she picks it up, and more when she punches in the extension number. The man then walks into frame and sits on the opposite end of the leather couch. He's very tall, but lacking the build that the moustached man. Dressed in a leather jacket and a much more casual, if not moody attire than the person beside him. Less rigorously maintained facial hair...and a shock of pink over the fringe of his hair. He looks to the moustached man with a perplexed expression in his face, even then in a resting face of somewhat annoyed. The moustached man looks over and both men lock eyes for a moment, one remaining stoically courteous while the other looks away with disinterest, an icy side glance following it.
Soon after, the phone rings out from the secretary's desk, the taller man looking over and standing to his feet and starting to walk his way to the tinted glass door, not paying any mind to the other man.
SECRETARY:"Mr. Raith will see you-oh, I'm sorry....he has an appointment with this other gentleman, Mr. Shelldrake...."
The taller man turns on his heel to face the secretary, one hand still on the door handle about to enter the office, a blank look on his face as his shifting eyes move to see Barrick stand from the waiting area, stopping stand face-to-face with him. Shelldrake was taller, but not that much taller. Barrick was imposing enough against him to make The Kraken look smaller than usual with his calm confidence and understated swagger.
VIRGIL BARRICK: "May I?"
There is a moment where the previous detached and unfazed look Shelldrake shared with him turns to a much colder gaze. Barrick looks him directly in the eyes, calmer than The Kraken and more at ease. Shelldrake quietly snorts a huff of air out of his nose before finally releasing his grip on the door, giving way for Barrick to enter. The Smooth Operator smiles before stepping forward and opening the door himself. The scene ends with Shelldrake watching with gritted teeth as the door closes, the edge of Barrick's smile twitching a little wider as it slides shut.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---| Champion in Writing |---
The scene opens again, this time to Barrick sat on a chair in the centre of what looks like a training ring in a wide open refurbished warehouse, still dressed impeccably formal. The middle rope is laced with the deep purple of Project: Underground, while the others are a jet black. A Tetran Kai Dojo banner draped over the ring canvas.
VIRGIL BARRICK: "...that meeting can change your life".
"It can mean the difference between calling yourself champion of throwing out drunken deadbeats, and calling yourself the champion. But I am interested in knowing why Project: Honor wishes to get my thoughts on what being a champion means. Would that word carry its weight? One match to my name, and a loss at that, when you can garner a comment from a veteran of a dozen years, if not more. Being cut of the newest cloth doesn't need to mean my word is without worth. Perhaps I want my dose of aggression and violence to be used for something. Or get a little more recognition for it".
"As I was saying. The path of pro wrestling wasn't the dream job. Before it was easy. Trained far and beyond any that would stand in my way on the streets. Those that would do harm to my employers, again, not good enough. Nothing agains their effort, it's simply the truth of the matter. I would work through the boredom of the same lack of challenge day after day. Dutifully. But after a time one needs to stretch their legs a little bit more. I wasn't content with them. But that wasn't pro wrestling".
"It wasn't this".
"Therefore, it stays as a background flavour. My debut outing on Project: Underground proved that my life before, was not a fulfilling one. Whatever successes I found there were not the challenges I could be facing. The potentials I could be exceeding".
"In short, that is why a rookie with a single match under their belt wants to be champion. For an opening into a new medium, when given something more intriguing to engage in. After scouting me, the Tetran Kai Dojo offered me a place, and so, I am here".
"Even in defeat, I don't see the boredom of that work returning any time soon. A prize to strive towards that can also be built upon. I'm humble enough to admit a defeat when it is given to me. Starting from the bottom again, it feels....liberating in a certain way. Knowing that even if I am bested in this ring, that I can improve and come back to face them again. The litmus tests of what I can do".
"That real test is against R.C. Sterling. As nice as it is to be facing a fellow Englishman, and one that has already achieved a victory, that seems to be where his redeeming qualities end. I'm entering into his main event, that much is true. But that stage is shared with me. I wouldn't be taken aback if he would prefer a solo billing over the arena. But we'll see who gets to tell the story in the end. He may defeat me, whether on merit of skill or otherwise. One way or another, the result will be what allows me to learn your ways. And how best to fight them".
"With personal preference, I would say my suit is more dignified than yours, Sterling. Even if I don't have the pedigreed name to fit it. A look is just a look after all. It's what lies beneath that I'm really interested in. Do you want to know who my best fight was with? Not some trained gun, or an expert. It was some nameless vagrant stumbling around the streets that simply knew, deep down in their soul, how to fight. Doesn't matter what you wear, where you're from, or what your parents do for a living, some people just have it in them. An innate knowing. You can have the roughest looking people in life, and they'll surprise you the most".
"I like to call them the Bad Angels".
"They're the ones you really have to watch out for when you're a man on the ground. Not so difficult to see when you've been around them long enough. Perhaps Sterling has that fire in him too, a certain oiliness to him that this Dojo isn't unfamiliar with...."
"Or perhaps he doesn't".
"Could be another rich kid wanting to flex their muscles. I may not have the experience in this ring, but I know people when I see them. What they want people to see, and who they're trying to hide away".
"A suit can hide many things. Let's see if Mr. Sterling is worth the money he's printed on".
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
?: "Win or lose, it doesn't really matter to me. All I need you to do is have a presence. Be it in here, or in Project: Honor. He'll obsess over it, and I need that. It's good that you were here early, already set the intended first impression. I know that's probably not what you wanted to hear when i hired you, but long and short of it, that's the reason. What accolades and victories you achieve are a bonus on top for yourself".
VIRGIL BARRICK:"Doesn't matter what I really think of it. The intention was met, even if a bit through luck, but met nonetheless. I'll take what comes to me and play my part, as you request. Out of interest, why do you want him to be focusing on this? Wouldn't it make sense for your prize fighter's eyes to be....on the prize?"
?: "Typically yes, but he's not your cookie cutter prize fighter. The fact of the matter, Mr. Barrick, is that I'm playing with fire here. He was not the original choice, and with good reason. But even now, he is the best shot we have. And I've found that whatever any rulebook says about making your success, needs to be thrown out in this case...."
?: "Mr. Shelldrake is the antithesis of what you or I know about this business. And against my better judgement, it needs to stay that way".
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------