Post by Tempestad on Sept 18, 2010 0:56:09 GMT -6
Open on Tempestad sitting with his semi-girlfriend, Alicia Vasquez, outside a Dairy Queen. Temp grins at Alicia, sipping a chocolate shake. She grins back before taking a big lick of a vanilla ice cream cone. Temp immediately tries to repress some of the thoughts that come to his mind, looking back out to the street. He watches the cars go by with her, mind drifting to his match Sunday. Alicia notices him staring off into space and snaps her fingers in front of his face to catch his attention.
“Oye! Earth to Temepstad! I swear, if you're gonna be like this all the time, I might need to get one of those dog collars they use to train them. Just give you a quick zap any time you go off into fluffy cloud-land. So, like I was saying before we had our little moment of silence...you got a tough match this week, man. Got any ideas on how you're gonna get the drop on those three guys? Personally, I say you gotta focus on getting them to brawl with each other and try to use any opportunity you can to go straight for the belt. The sooner you get it, the sooner you can end the match and keep the Tempestad train a-rollin'. Come on, I can't do all the talking. Your thoughts?”
Temp shrugs at her, looking over. He speaks slowly at first, ideas formulating almost immediately before they're being said. It's clear he's improvising most of what he's saying on the spot, but he grows more confident as the words keep rolling, perhaps just because he figures that he's started and might as well continue the momentum.
“Well, I mean...it's a ladder match. You've got to consider the many ways you can get up to the top. You can climb it, you could springboard onto it and take a shortcut...if one of my opponents was on, I could try to use them as a boost up. I can prop up a ladder and run up it. Lots of options. Plus, I have to use all of the other things they're going to stash under the ring and around it. Tables and ladders and chairs give me almost unlimited possibilities. Still so many new things you can do with them...I might have to do some research.”
Alicia grins, lightly punching Temp on the shoulder. She leans back, nodding with a satisfied grin on her face.
“That's the sort of stuff I'm talking about. Get some good strategizing in so you're not stumbling into the match blind. Now, you've got some generals down. How about opponent by opponent? Let's start with whoever you think is the biggest threat. Come on, out with it. Who's been on your mind the most, big man? Any real standout candidates who've painted a bullseye on their backs?”
Temp chuckles, amused that anyone, much less his girlfriend, who stands only two inches shorter than him, would refer to the cruiserweight as “big man.” He ponders the question for a moment, running the possibilities over in his head once more. He finally manages an answer for her after about ten seconds.
“Joe Ragnal. I know it's somewhat surprising, but under that outer layer of ridiculousness lies the heart of a lion. I firmly believe that if anyone can take the match away from me, he can. That's why I have to pay him extra attention. If I can take him out of the equation, my path to the title gets a whole lot easier. Not that the other two men are pushovers by any standard. I just feel like Joe really thinks he has something to prove, and that means he'll go that extra distance to make that night his own. Grounding him should be high on my priority list.”
Alicia nods thoughtfully, licking her ice cream again. Temp takes a sip of his shake, once more having to suppress the urge to sling her over his shoulder and carry her back to their hotel room. She smirks, noticing his frustration, and pats his back.
“True. Joe's got a lot of energy, so it's gonna be hard to keep him down. What about Evan Andrews? He's the one that thinks he got screwed out of an Xtreme Title shot against you, even though he beat you. Not fairly, mind you, but he did beat you. Maybe some of that anger'll pop back up during the match and he'll try to zone in on you? Take you out so that you can't deny him this opportunity too? I certainly wouldn't put it past a guy with a nickname like the New Age Punisher.”
Temp nods, pondering this idea. It's clear he doesn't want to think about Andrews like that, but he reluctantly nods, forcing himself to come to terms with exactly who the daredevil New Age Punisher really is, mask or no mask. He takes another sip of his shake, smiling as he enjoys this little time he has before he has to go back to work.
“You're right. Evan could try to exact some vengeance on me. I can use that to my advantage, though. If I can redirect his anger, I might be able to distract him and whoever he ends up going after long enough to get up and grab the title belt. That's a lot easier said than done, though. Andrews fights like a man possessed, and I don't want to know what he's willing to do to me or either of our mutual opponents to get his hands on the title. Being able to carve his name into history as the first X Champion is the sort of thing that a man like Andrews strives for. It could make him as far as nCw is concerned. I hear his name getting tossed around a lot in the locker room as a potential favorite to win it all. That does knock him up a bit on the relative threat scale.”
Alicia nods, thinking hard to remember who the other man is in the match. It's now Temp's turn to chuckle at her frustration, as she screws her eyes up and concentrates intently on trying to recall his name. Temp slings an arm around her shoulders, and she looks over, half confused and half annoyed that he disrupted her thinking.
“The last man is James Franklin Karn, the reigning X Division Champion...at least for a few more days, that is. Honestly, that a man like James is the least of my concerns in a match like this speaks volumes about the quality of talent here. He's still a very real and very lethal threat. At any time he could surprise us and steal the win. After all, he did win his title in an Ultimate X match, and those are just as demanding as a No Limits match, if not more so. Plus, he can call out reinforcements if he truly believes he needs them. That also could backfire. I have seen both Evan and Joe react in extremely hostile manners when the Front Office is mentioned. Even if he calls out his Young Gun friends, they might team up to attack the cavalry instead of each other. That could be the opening I need. I suppose in his mere presence James provides the greatest motivator of them all: ensuring that Leonard Fox's grunt does not get to be the one to make history.”
Temp grins at Alicia, moving closer to her. The two watch the sun dipping lower in the sky, beginning to distort its color. Temp kisses her on the cheek, and Alicia flushes bright red at his display of affection. He grins again at this unusual display of outer emotion by her, which earns him another playful slug in the arm. Temp sighs, grin fading into a warm smile.
“I feel very good right now, Alicia. I could be mere days away from making my name historic. I promise you, I will try with all my might to make this a victory. Walking out of Battlegrounds X Champion is my new goal. With competition like this, it will be difficult to say the least. But I feel confident. I know that I can do things my opponents can only dream of. With you watching and lending me your strength in spirit, and with the grace of the Lord, I know that I cannot fail. Those three men had better be praying. They will be in for the fight of their lives come Sunday. I'm going to bring my storm down on all of them, and I won't let up. Now come on, you need to finish your ice cream.”
Alicia giggles, shoving Tempestad halfheartedly. He just smiles back at her, and the two go back to enjoying their ice cream as the video fades out.
“Oye! Earth to Temepstad! I swear, if you're gonna be like this all the time, I might need to get one of those dog collars they use to train them. Just give you a quick zap any time you go off into fluffy cloud-land. So, like I was saying before we had our little moment of silence...you got a tough match this week, man. Got any ideas on how you're gonna get the drop on those three guys? Personally, I say you gotta focus on getting them to brawl with each other and try to use any opportunity you can to go straight for the belt. The sooner you get it, the sooner you can end the match and keep the Tempestad train a-rollin'. Come on, I can't do all the talking. Your thoughts?”
Temp shrugs at her, looking over. He speaks slowly at first, ideas formulating almost immediately before they're being said. It's clear he's improvising most of what he's saying on the spot, but he grows more confident as the words keep rolling, perhaps just because he figures that he's started and might as well continue the momentum.
“Well, I mean...it's a ladder match. You've got to consider the many ways you can get up to the top. You can climb it, you could springboard onto it and take a shortcut...if one of my opponents was on, I could try to use them as a boost up. I can prop up a ladder and run up it. Lots of options. Plus, I have to use all of the other things they're going to stash under the ring and around it. Tables and ladders and chairs give me almost unlimited possibilities. Still so many new things you can do with them...I might have to do some research.”
Alicia grins, lightly punching Temp on the shoulder. She leans back, nodding with a satisfied grin on her face.
“That's the sort of stuff I'm talking about. Get some good strategizing in so you're not stumbling into the match blind. Now, you've got some generals down. How about opponent by opponent? Let's start with whoever you think is the biggest threat. Come on, out with it. Who's been on your mind the most, big man? Any real standout candidates who've painted a bullseye on their backs?”
Temp chuckles, amused that anyone, much less his girlfriend, who stands only two inches shorter than him, would refer to the cruiserweight as “big man.” He ponders the question for a moment, running the possibilities over in his head once more. He finally manages an answer for her after about ten seconds.
“Joe Ragnal. I know it's somewhat surprising, but under that outer layer of ridiculousness lies the heart of a lion. I firmly believe that if anyone can take the match away from me, he can. That's why I have to pay him extra attention. If I can take him out of the equation, my path to the title gets a whole lot easier. Not that the other two men are pushovers by any standard. I just feel like Joe really thinks he has something to prove, and that means he'll go that extra distance to make that night his own. Grounding him should be high on my priority list.”
Alicia nods thoughtfully, licking her ice cream again. Temp takes a sip of his shake, once more having to suppress the urge to sling her over his shoulder and carry her back to their hotel room. She smirks, noticing his frustration, and pats his back.
“True. Joe's got a lot of energy, so it's gonna be hard to keep him down. What about Evan Andrews? He's the one that thinks he got screwed out of an Xtreme Title shot against you, even though he beat you. Not fairly, mind you, but he did beat you. Maybe some of that anger'll pop back up during the match and he'll try to zone in on you? Take you out so that you can't deny him this opportunity too? I certainly wouldn't put it past a guy with a nickname like the New Age Punisher.”
Temp nods, pondering this idea. It's clear he doesn't want to think about Andrews like that, but he reluctantly nods, forcing himself to come to terms with exactly who the daredevil New Age Punisher really is, mask or no mask. He takes another sip of his shake, smiling as he enjoys this little time he has before he has to go back to work.
“You're right. Evan could try to exact some vengeance on me. I can use that to my advantage, though. If I can redirect his anger, I might be able to distract him and whoever he ends up going after long enough to get up and grab the title belt. That's a lot easier said than done, though. Andrews fights like a man possessed, and I don't want to know what he's willing to do to me or either of our mutual opponents to get his hands on the title. Being able to carve his name into history as the first X Champion is the sort of thing that a man like Andrews strives for. It could make him as far as nCw is concerned. I hear his name getting tossed around a lot in the locker room as a potential favorite to win it all. That does knock him up a bit on the relative threat scale.”
Alicia nods, thinking hard to remember who the other man is in the match. It's now Temp's turn to chuckle at her frustration, as she screws her eyes up and concentrates intently on trying to recall his name. Temp slings an arm around her shoulders, and she looks over, half confused and half annoyed that he disrupted her thinking.
“The last man is James Franklin Karn, the reigning X Division Champion...at least for a few more days, that is. Honestly, that a man like James is the least of my concerns in a match like this speaks volumes about the quality of talent here. He's still a very real and very lethal threat. At any time he could surprise us and steal the win. After all, he did win his title in an Ultimate X match, and those are just as demanding as a No Limits match, if not more so. Plus, he can call out reinforcements if he truly believes he needs them. That also could backfire. I have seen both Evan and Joe react in extremely hostile manners when the Front Office is mentioned. Even if he calls out his Young Gun friends, they might team up to attack the cavalry instead of each other. That could be the opening I need. I suppose in his mere presence James provides the greatest motivator of them all: ensuring that Leonard Fox's grunt does not get to be the one to make history.”
Temp grins at Alicia, moving closer to her. The two watch the sun dipping lower in the sky, beginning to distort its color. Temp kisses her on the cheek, and Alicia flushes bright red at his display of affection. He grins again at this unusual display of outer emotion by her, which earns him another playful slug in the arm. Temp sighs, grin fading into a warm smile.
“I feel very good right now, Alicia. I could be mere days away from making my name historic. I promise you, I will try with all my might to make this a victory. Walking out of Battlegrounds X Champion is my new goal. With competition like this, it will be difficult to say the least. But I feel confident. I know that I can do things my opponents can only dream of. With you watching and lending me your strength in spirit, and with the grace of the Lord, I know that I cannot fail. Those three men had better be praying. They will be in for the fight of their lives come Sunday. I'm going to bring my storm down on all of them, and I won't let up. Now come on, you need to finish your ice cream.”
Alicia giggles, shoving Tempestad halfheartedly. He just smiles back at her, and the two go back to enjoying their ice cream as the video fades out.