Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2014 5:06:50 GMT -5
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Unspecified Hotel
Two-Man Suite
The scene opens in the main living area of a well-furnished hotel suite - all soft lines and inoffensive earthen tones, with a landscape painting or two on the walls. Two men sit side-by-side before an office desk, staring intently at the open laptop computer that sits atop it, the only light coming from the laptop's monitor and a nearby desk lamp.
One of the men is recognized easily enough by the average wrestling fan: although his blonde hair is cut significantly shorter than it once was, the lines in his face have grown both deeper and more numerous, and his eyes are now the gray of well-worn stone instead of the shining blue of polished steel, the visage of David GS is something that the true wrestling enthusiast does not easily forget. Seated next to him is Kyle Mathic, a former veteran of the squared circle in his own right, and now the former EHWF World Champion's manager; whereas his charge is leaned back and slouched down in his seat, Mathic leans intently forward, fingers steepled beneath his chin, nodding intermittently in response to the voice emanating from the laptop in front of them.
???: ... and all the paperwork's been finalized. Mister Smith's status as an EHWF Hall-of-Famer has been verified, he has been reinstated as a member of the active roster, and all promotional materials for the promotion's upcoming Hall of Fame show have been edited to include his name and likeness. Is there anything else I can clarify for you?
Kyle shoots a sidelong glance at his childhood friend; David returns it, his face impassive, and gives an almost-imperceptible shake of the head, prompting Kyle to turn back to the laptop.
Mathic: No, I think we have everything we need. Thank you very much for your time, sir.
???: Of course. Enjoy your stay in Fort Wayne, both of you. And Mister Smith, please - allow me to be the first to officially welcome you back to the EHWF.
David nods his thanks, and Kyle clicks something with the laptop's trackpad before closing and powering down the device. He then leans back in his own chair, mimicking the former World Champion sitting beside him, and the two sit in silence. Several minutes pass before either man speaks, and unsurprisingly, Kyle is the one to break the silence.
Mathic: You sure about this?
The Phenom's eyes flicker over to him, waiting for clarification.
Mathic: About going back, I mean. The fact that this is your first match back in the states, your first time even setting foot back in the states, since... well, y'know... that's one thing. But to do it like this... to come back after a year and a half and jump right back in...
He meets David's eyes, and seems a little put-off by the fact that his friend's expression has yet to change in the slightest.
Mathic: I know why you're doing this. I know why you agreed to do this Hall of Fame show, why you decided to go back at all, so I'm going to be blunt: will you be able to handle it?
David just looks at Kyle, long and hard, and as he does so it becomes apparent that the changes he has undergone since he was last seen in the EHWF go beyond the superficial. There's a hardness to his eyes and his face; his mouth is set in a grim line, as it has been since the scene first opened, and his hands - folded in his lap - gnarl around one another so tight that their knuckles are a bloodless, spectral white. When he finally answers his voice is flat, completely and utterly purged of emotion or inflection in a way that can only be achieved through frequent and dedicated practice.
DGS: Yes.
Without another word, David rises from his seat and heads for the suite's adjacent bedroom. The camera follows him, panning slowly towards the open doorway, and catches a glimpse of several pill bottles on the nightstand before the door is abruptly closed. The camera pans back to Kyle, still seated, massaging the bridge of his nose with one hand and drumming the fingers of the other on the arm of the chair.
Mathic: ... great. What a shitshow this'll be...
The scene fades to black a few moments later.