Post by Kincaid on Jul 16, 2016 22:45:42 GMT -6
After one of the more challenging episodes of Breakthrough he had ever been a part of, Darius Yates wanted to be absolutely anywhere but the Huntington Center. He walked through the production area, with the cameraman who'd been working with him that night close in tow. Neil, he believed he'd told him his name was? It was difficult to keep track of. He was a student, fresh out of college and grossly unprepared for an environment as insane as Visionaries of Wrestling. He'd done his best to keep up through the night, but now he looked like a total mess. His hair was a sweaty mop under a yankees cap, the white t-shirt he wore had dirty spots all over it from all their running around. Not that Darius could say he felt much better. He pulled his tie loose and leaned against an equipment case, taking a deep breath.
Later, he would swear that he felt Kincaid coming before he ever saw him. In the months he had been on the roster, Darius had been one of the few people he regularly interacted with. At first, Darius had appreciated the access. Tonight had changed that. The wrestler walked into the production room and Neil sucked in a breath, giving him a quick elbow to the ribs. It was unnecessary. Darius knew he was there. He turned and Kincaid locked his eyes on his. He'd changed out of his ring gear, throwing on a t-shirt and some jeans. But he still looked pumped up from his early confrontation with Valquist. His muscles seemed to bulge, wire trigger and tense under the shirt. His eyes were wide with manic energy. Neil muttered something he couldn't make out, but Darius' eyes wandered down to notice the most worrying detail of all: He'd left one fist taped.
“Fix your tie.” Kincaid growled, accidentally shouldering one of the ring techs aside as he walked over to them “You're about to do an interview.”
“After earlier, I don't think I owe you any favors Alex.” Darius said “It's been a long night. Anything you need to say in an interview, it can wait until next week.”
“It can't. It won't.”
Darius ignored him and turned help Neil pack up the camera. Kincaid put a hand on his shoulder. Darius tensed up, turning with it and shaking his head “What? Are you going to beat me up if I don't help you with this thing?”
“I...” Kincaid took a step back, the anger in his eyes fading for a moment “No. I just have some things to say. That's all.”
Darius considered for a moment, and then looked over at his cameraman. Neil shook his head . Darius began adjusting his tie and the cameraman sighed, setting up again. Kincaid stood there quietly, watching the interview but not speaking. Once the camera was back on its tripod and Darius gave him another nod Alex fidgeted in place, pacing a little bit to get himself ready to speak. Darius wondered if he'd ever get used to it; seeing the shift.
“Ladies and gentlemen, at the end of one of the...wilder editions of Breakthrough of my career I find myself astonished with what I've seen. Earlier tonight, we saw the return of a former world champion in Valquist. But that return didn't just come by itself, that return came when he confronted the man standing next to me right now. Kincaid, what do you have to say about the return of The Valiant One?”
Kincaid was staring down at the ground. Darius stared at him for a moment, waiting for a response. Nothing came. He looked at his cameraman, puzzled, and then at Kincaid. He was about to prod him for a response and remind him he had demanded this interview when Kincaid looked up again with that same fury burning in his eyes.
“Color me as surprised as anyone, Yates.” He said “I didn't come here tonight to get into it with Valquist. I have no issues with him, I don't think his name has even come out of my mouth since I've been here in VoW even when I was beating the man who buried him. I came here because I had an issue that needed settling. I came here because someone crossed a line, and there had to be consequences for that. And there will be. Because this...I didn't want any of this. It's something that happened to me, not something I did.”
“You don't see anything in this that maybe you shouldn't have done?”
Kincaid raised an eyebrow at him “Are you expecting an apology Darius? Is that why you agreed to talk to me? I know what I did out there, and I know why I did it. You think this was personal? What...you think I dislike you is that it? No. And you know what? The people who make the decisions around here thought the same think. They thought that because I've helped you out before, because I've protected you that you could be used to try and manipulate me. But no one pulls my strings. No one controls me. You think I'm the bad guy here? Why isn't it the people who sent you into the ring with a man famous for his volatility?”
He stepped away from the camera for a second and turned his back to the camera, sighing heavily “I get coyotes around my house, you know? And when there's animals at the gate I don't complain I have to unlock the damn thing every morning. That's one thing I'll gave Valquist. He understands. He understands the old ways are best.”
“The old ways?”
“Wrestling is best when it's simple. This is a life built on one simple thing. If you have a problem, you tell the other guy and you fight it out. Someone makes a few bucks off it, and in exchange you get a place to make it happen. Easy. Simple. So Valquist didn't skulk around in the dark. He showed up, he told me what his issue was and now at some point I know he's going to pick the fight he can't win. I can respect that. It's the only way to do this right.”
“You've given that speech before.”
“It's no speech.” Kincaid looked at him over his shoulder, that snarl back in his voice “It's the truth. Maybe people have gotten tired of me saying it, but the only reason I keep hammering this drum is because people keep trying so very hard to shut me up”
“What do you-”
He twisted around and took a step past Darius, toward the camera “Next week? Fatal Four Way. Me. Heath. Massey and Pine. A wolf, though...not the wolf at my door. I wonder, Valquist, will you be watching? I wonder what you think of this? What you think of me having an obstacle like this put up against me? You want to fly down to the ring and preach to me? You dare – you dare – condescend to me like that? Incredible. I'm going to make you see. I'm going to make you...understand.”
He walked past the camera as quickly as he'd come, headed away from everyone as fast as he could. Darius watched him leave and sighed.
Later, he would swear that he felt Kincaid coming before he ever saw him. In the months he had been on the roster, Darius had been one of the few people he regularly interacted with. At first, Darius had appreciated the access. Tonight had changed that. The wrestler walked into the production room and Neil sucked in a breath, giving him a quick elbow to the ribs. It was unnecessary. Darius knew he was there. He turned and Kincaid locked his eyes on his. He'd changed out of his ring gear, throwing on a t-shirt and some jeans. But he still looked pumped up from his early confrontation with Valquist. His muscles seemed to bulge, wire trigger and tense under the shirt. His eyes were wide with manic energy. Neil muttered something he couldn't make out, but Darius' eyes wandered down to notice the most worrying detail of all: He'd left one fist taped.
“Fix your tie.” Kincaid growled, accidentally shouldering one of the ring techs aside as he walked over to them “You're about to do an interview.”
“After earlier, I don't think I owe you any favors Alex.” Darius said “It's been a long night. Anything you need to say in an interview, it can wait until next week.”
“It can't. It won't.”
Darius ignored him and turned help Neil pack up the camera. Kincaid put a hand on his shoulder. Darius tensed up, turning with it and shaking his head “What? Are you going to beat me up if I don't help you with this thing?”
“I...” Kincaid took a step back, the anger in his eyes fading for a moment “No. I just have some things to say. That's all.”
Darius considered for a moment, and then looked over at his cameraman. Neil shook his head . Darius began adjusting his tie and the cameraman sighed, setting up again. Kincaid stood there quietly, watching the interview but not speaking. Once the camera was back on its tripod and Darius gave him another nod Alex fidgeted in place, pacing a little bit to get himself ready to speak. Darius wondered if he'd ever get used to it; seeing the shift.
“Ladies and gentlemen, at the end of one of the...wilder editions of Breakthrough of my career I find myself astonished with what I've seen. Earlier tonight, we saw the return of a former world champion in Valquist. But that return didn't just come by itself, that return came when he confronted the man standing next to me right now. Kincaid, what do you have to say about the return of The Valiant One?”
Kincaid was staring down at the ground. Darius stared at him for a moment, waiting for a response. Nothing came. He looked at his cameraman, puzzled, and then at Kincaid. He was about to prod him for a response and remind him he had demanded this interview when Kincaid looked up again with that same fury burning in his eyes.
“Color me as surprised as anyone, Yates.” He said “I didn't come here tonight to get into it with Valquist. I have no issues with him, I don't think his name has even come out of my mouth since I've been here in VoW even when I was beating the man who buried him. I came here because I had an issue that needed settling. I came here because someone crossed a line, and there had to be consequences for that. And there will be. Because this...I didn't want any of this. It's something that happened to me, not something I did.”
“You don't see anything in this that maybe you shouldn't have done?”
Kincaid raised an eyebrow at him “Are you expecting an apology Darius? Is that why you agreed to talk to me? I know what I did out there, and I know why I did it. You think this was personal? What...you think I dislike you is that it? No. And you know what? The people who make the decisions around here thought the same think. They thought that because I've helped you out before, because I've protected you that you could be used to try and manipulate me. But no one pulls my strings. No one controls me. You think I'm the bad guy here? Why isn't it the people who sent you into the ring with a man famous for his volatility?”
He stepped away from the camera for a second and turned his back to the camera, sighing heavily “I get coyotes around my house, you know? And when there's animals at the gate I don't complain I have to unlock the damn thing every morning. That's one thing I'll gave Valquist. He understands. He understands the old ways are best.”
“The old ways?”
“Wrestling is best when it's simple. This is a life built on one simple thing. If you have a problem, you tell the other guy and you fight it out. Someone makes a few bucks off it, and in exchange you get a place to make it happen. Easy. Simple. So Valquist didn't skulk around in the dark. He showed up, he told me what his issue was and now at some point I know he's going to pick the fight he can't win. I can respect that. It's the only way to do this right.”
“You've given that speech before.”
“It's no speech.” Kincaid looked at him over his shoulder, that snarl back in his voice “It's the truth. Maybe people have gotten tired of me saying it, but the only reason I keep hammering this drum is because people keep trying so very hard to shut me up”
“What do you-”
He twisted around and took a step past Darius, toward the camera “Next week? Fatal Four Way. Me. Heath. Massey and Pine. A wolf, though...not the wolf at my door. I wonder, Valquist, will you be watching? I wonder what you think of this? What you think of me having an obstacle like this put up against me? You want to fly down to the ring and preach to me? You dare – you dare – condescend to me like that? Incredible. I'm going to make you see. I'm going to make you...understand.”
He walked past the camera as quickly as he'd come, headed away from everyone as fast as he could. Darius watched him leave and sighed.