Post by tactilizingone on Apr 10, 2024 22:59:39 GMT -5
“You decide,” Larry nods, laying the menu down at the intimate table for two.
“Alright, let’s have the Oyster Trio with Maui Salsa… two orders, plus…” Cindy points out a few other items to the waiter, who takes the order and manus before walking off. She looks at Larry and sees a familiar expression that she knows too well. “You’ve been thinking nonstop about what happened at last Fury.”
“It’s not something that I expected out of Maxwell,” Larry gestures with a hand. “He laid it out that he wants a real challenge. He wants to give himself a test. That was what I did think this American Championship match would be at RetroMania. But what he’s gone and done, escalating this with personal attacks and unprovoked aggression towards me? It doesn’t sit right… something’s changed with Stone,” he looks at his glass of water, the ice cubes shifting positions slowly and subtly. He wants to scrutinize the events of both Thunder in Paradise 3 and Friday Night Fury, to try and rationalize the American Champion’s actions, leading into Stone’s defense against Larry at the aforementioned next Pay-Per-View.
Then the warmth of her hand radiates just above his as she rests her palm on top of his nicked and battleworn knuckles. “You’re thinking about this match as if this MMS wants to test you in a textbook match, but Larry…” she gives him a pointed look. “Isn’t it you who spent years doing whatever it took to make your mark? I’m seeing more and more that the people you’re facing now are more interested in testing themselves against a version of you that are trying to leave in cold storage.”
“I guess they didn’t get the memo that I’m more than merely a brutalizer. I’m capable of tapping into the part of myself who doesn’t heed the limits of those opponents who want me to be primitive and basic. That would be all too convenient for them, and that’s why I’m showing that I’m more than a one trick pony, or one dimensional wrestler.”
The water brings two dishes with three oysters on them. Larry and Cindy take a minute to indulge themselves with the accompanying salsa.
Larry picks up his napkin, dabbing a corner of his mouth with a grunt. “They’re good, don’t get me wrong… but for some reason, my palette can’t pick up the complete flavor profile. Maybe the salsa hits my tongue a little too strongly.”
“Did you drink water after each one, or just wolf them down?” Cindy takes a sip of her water, already knowing the answer as she smiles coyly behind the cup.
He starts to say something, then folds his napkin and neatly places it back on his lap. “I do better recognizing the nuances of my opponents, I suppose.”
“Amber Ryan should be considered right alongside Maxwell. Before you face him, you need to take her on at the next Fury. It’s going to be enough of a challenge to take her down without having a champion lurking around even when he claims not to be there. You have to assume he’s going to make a move of some sort.”
“Of course, I can’t take him at his word,” Larry shakes his head. “He’s revealed as much already, along with his exhaustive efforts to find an edge. Amber isn’t going to give me any grace with Stone, I can assure you that.”
The waiter brings another couple of plates, one with pieces of black cod with miso on them, and a second pair with shishito peppers and seat salt.
“If she sees him trying to drag you out of the ring, she would probably start talking to the referee and try to buy Max time,” Cindy cuts herself a piece of the pepper and pops it into her mouth. “This is why you need a second. You have to have someone there to let you know if MMS shows up for an ambush. You need someone who isn’t afraid of stopping Amber Ryan from taking advantage of that, and dragging you around the arena – around Minneapolis – using an effective two-on-one advantage.”
Larry stabs a piece of the tender cod fish with his fork, moving it around his plate to gather some drips of sauce. “That piece of the match could be muddied even further, and be even more complicated than you think. Matthew is going to be in Amber’s corner, too.”
“You two have been on decent enough terms. There’s a respect there by now, wouldn’t you say?” she splits her own delicate piece of cod and takes a bite.
Larry swallows his, a satisfied savory blend of flavors sating him from the lack of such with the oysters earlier. “If it were anyone else in Thunder Pro Wrestling standing across from me in the ring, I’d have no doubt.”
“What’s the situation with those two, anyway?” she asks, looking a little eagerly as she leans in. “Do you think they’re…?”
“Lords no, Cindy,” he looks like he’s about to lose his appetite, even in this extravagant, gourmet venue. “There’s no way they despise each other that much, is there?” he pauses, a small shuddering running up his spine. “That they would somehow have it channel that way would be… no, not a chance. But they’re Never//morE. Two time S.E.X. Cup winners, and due for a shot at the Duos Championships. However they choose to reconcile their severe differences, they make it work successfully. I doubted it early on, but the results speak for themselves. Their wanting to dance on the line between success and implosion is a choice they can deal with themselves. It doesn’t really affect our issue.”
“I don’t trust Amber as far as I can throw you,” Cindy warns. “And forget about Knox, what about me?”
“Wait, you? What about you?” he looks a bit caught of guard.
“For your second,” she insists, “I’m the one I meant, not him. You need someone in your corner who you won’t doubt. You don’t need any of that heading into a match with Amber Ryan. Regardless if it’s in the ring or outside the arena, you should have a second who you know won’t hesitate to bring the fight by your side.”
Larry feels a combination of fierce love for his wife, and fierce consternation. “You think I want you to be anywhere near that powder keg? I’m going to have enough to consider with Amber, Stone, and maybe even Knox.”
“You’re making my point for me, hun,” Cindy says sweetly, batting her eyes. “You need a reliable partner. The tactful choice who knows about nuance,” she holds up an oyster shell, “And isn’t afraid to hit back if needed. Remember when we first discussed this, months ago? My going on the road with you? It’ll be good for us both.”
Larry looks a little taken aback at the idea, still, but he sighs and takes a bit of a spicy tuna roll, chewing a little longer than needed before swallowing it, and maybe something else along with it. “Okay, let’s play this out a bit more. If you want to do this, you need to know the full breadth of what could happen. It isn’t going to be anything like a regular match.”
“I’m listening, my future American Champion,” Cindy winks, and Larry is happy to feel a surge that he knows is pushing them in the right direction.
“There’s a lot of layers to our brief history, isn’t there, Amber?”
We find Larry Tact standing outside of a parking lot in New York City. He’s got a black leather coat on, with a RetroMania t-shirt showing himself, ‘Chronic’ Chris Page, and Marcus Ka’Derrion on it.
“I’ve got to say, Amber Ryan… you really do come into every match, every encounter, thinking you’ve got it figured out. You like to fancy yourself someone who proclaims they have the upper hand, even when you’re probably on the brink of falling apart each and every sleep. You stepped away for a time from wrestling, maybe you sensed as much, too. But now you’ve returned in grand fashion, beside Matthew Knox, who was short-sighted and glory hungry enough to take you on as a Duos partner. We’ve already gone over my discontent over that, but I want to tell you about a different sentiment…”
A man comes by dressed in a hat and button down uniform. Larry hands him a few bills, thanking him for the night’s service.
“Alright, let’s have the Oyster Trio with Maui Salsa… two orders, plus…” Cindy points out a few other items to the waiter, who takes the order and manus before walking off. She looks at Larry and sees a familiar expression that she knows too well. “You’ve been thinking nonstop about what happened at last Fury.”
“It’s not something that I expected out of Maxwell,” Larry gestures with a hand. “He laid it out that he wants a real challenge. He wants to give himself a test. That was what I did think this American Championship match would be at RetroMania. But what he’s gone and done, escalating this with personal attacks and unprovoked aggression towards me? It doesn’t sit right… something’s changed with Stone,” he looks at his glass of water, the ice cubes shifting positions slowly and subtly. He wants to scrutinize the events of both Thunder in Paradise 3 and Friday Night Fury, to try and rationalize the American Champion’s actions, leading into Stone’s defense against Larry at the aforementioned next Pay-Per-View.
Then the warmth of her hand radiates just above his as she rests her palm on top of his nicked and battleworn knuckles. “You’re thinking about this match as if this MMS wants to test you in a textbook match, but Larry…” she gives him a pointed look. “Isn’t it you who spent years doing whatever it took to make your mark? I’m seeing more and more that the people you’re facing now are more interested in testing themselves against a version of you that are trying to leave in cold storage.”
“I guess they didn’t get the memo that I’m more than merely a brutalizer. I’m capable of tapping into the part of myself who doesn’t heed the limits of those opponents who want me to be primitive and basic. That would be all too convenient for them, and that’s why I’m showing that I’m more than a one trick pony, or one dimensional wrestler.”
The water brings two dishes with three oysters on them. Larry and Cindy take a minute to indulge themselves with the accompanying salsa.
Larry picks up his napkin, dabbing a corner of his mouth with a grunt. “They’re good, don’t get me wrong… but for some reason, my palette can’t pick up the complete flavor profile. Maybe the salsa hits my tongue a little too strongly.”
“Did you drink water after each one, or just wolf them down?” Cindy takes a sip of her water, already knowing the answer as she smiles coyly behind the cup.
He starts to say something, then folds his napkin and neatly places it back on his lap. “I do better recognizing the nuances of my opponents, I suppose.”
“Amber Ryan should be considered right alongside Maxwell. Before you face him, you need to take her on at the next Fury. It’s going to be enough of a challenge to take her down without having a champion lurking around even when he claims not to be there. You have to assume he’s going to make a move of some sort.”
“Of course, I can’t take him at his word,” Larry shakes his head. “He’s revealed as much already, along with his exhaustive efforts to find an edge. Amber isn’t going to give me any grace with Stone, I can assure you that.”
The waiter brings another couple of plates, one with pieces of black cod with miso on them, and a second pair with shishito peppers and seat salt.
“If she sees him trying to drag you out of the ring, she would probably start talking to the referee and try to buy Max time,” Cindy cuts herself a piece of the pepper and pops it into her mouth. “This is why you need a second. You have to have someone there to let you know if MMS shows up for an ambush. You need someone who isn’t afraid of stopping Amber Ryan from taking advantage of that, and dragging you around the arena – around Minneapolis – using an effective two-on-one advantage.”
Larry stabs a piece of the tender cod fish with his fork, moving it around his plate to gather some drips of sauce. “That piece of the match could be muddied even further, and be even more complicated than you think. Matthew is going to be in Amber’s corner, too.”
“You two have been on decent enough terms. There’s a respect there by now, wouldn’t you say?” she splits her own delicate piece of cod and takes a bite.
Larry swallows his, a satisfied savory blend of flavors sating him from the lack of such with the oysters earlier. “If it were anyone else in Thunder Pro Wrestling standing across from me in the ring, I’d have no doubt.”
“What’s the situation with those two, anyway?” she asks, looking a little eagerly as she leans in. “Do you think they’re…?”
“Lords no, Cindy,” he looks like he’s about to lose his appetite, even in this extravagant, gourmet venue. “There’s no way they despise each other that much, is there?” he pauses, a small shuddering running up his spine. “That they would somehow have it channel that way would be… no, not a chance. But they’re Never//morE. Two time S.E.X. Cup winners, and due for a shot at the Duos Championships. However they choose to reconcile their severe differences, they make it work successfully. I doubted it early on, but the results speak for themselves. Their wanting to dance on the line between success and implosion is a choice they can deal with themselves. It doesn’t really affect our issue.”
“I don’t trust Amber as far as I can throw you,” Cindy warns. “And forget about Knox, what about me?”
“Wait, you? What about you?” he looks a bit caught of guard.
“For your second,” she insists, “I’m the one I meant, not him. You need someone in your corner who you won’t doubt. You don’t need any of that heading into a match with Amber Ryan. Regardless if it’s in the ring or outside the arena, you should have a second who you know won’t hesitate to bring the fight by your side.”
Larry feels a combination of fierce love for his wife, and fierce consternation. “You think I want you to be anywhere near that powder keg? I’m going to have enough to consider with Amber, Stone, and maybe even Knox.”
“You’re making my point for me, hun,” Cindy says sweetly, batting her eyes. “You need a reliable partner. The tactful choice who knows about nuance,” she holds up an oyster shell, “And isn’t afraid to hit back if needed. Remember when we first discussed this, months ago? My going on the road with you? It’ll be good for us both.”
Larry looks a little taken aback at the idea, still, but he sighs and takes a bit of a spicy tuna roll, chewing a little longer than needed before swallowing it, and maybe something else along with it. “Okay, let’s play this out a bit more. If you want to do this, you need to know the full breadth of what could happen. It isn’t going to be anything like a regular match.”
“I’m listening, my future American Champion,” Cindy winks, and Larry is happy to feel a surge that he knows is pushing them in the right direction.
💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲
#TACTFACTS
▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲
#TACTFACTS
▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲
We find Larry Tact standing outside of a parking lot in New York City. He’s got a black leather coat on, with a RetroMania t-shirt showing himself, ‘Chronic’ Chris Page, and Marcus Ka’Derrion on it.
“I’ve got to say, Amber Ryan… you really do come into every match, every encounter, thinking you’ve got it figured out. You like to fancy yourself someone who proclaims they have the upper hand, even when you’re probably on the brink of falling apart each and every sleep. You stepped away for a time from wrestling, maybe you sensed as much, too. But now you’ve returned in grand fashion, beside Matthew Knox, who was short-sighted and glory hungry enough to take you on as a Duos partner. We’ve already gone over my discontent over that, but I want to tell you about a different sentiment…”
A man comes by dressed in a hat and button down uniform. Larry hands him a few bills, thanking him for the night’s service.
“It’s about when we first met in the ring. I had a certain set of values that I represented, and since that time there have been quite a bit of changes happening with my core values. Today, I stand ready to face you by coming from a completely different angle. A fresh point of view, you may say, and one that has helped me become number one contender to the American Championship. I’m going to test that system against you, Amber, because I believe that I’m now the one with the upper hand. You meanwhile, haven’t changed much. You still believe you can squeak by on the talent you have, while holding off the negativity and whatever demons are eroding you from within. I'll be here to slip by you and move onto the challenge at RetroMania, where I continue to prove my doubters wrong.”
FADE OUT
