Post by Caleb Lockwood on Dec 14, 2012 20:52:21 GMT -6
”Well, I got me a vivid lesson in what not to do. Turns out regardless of whether someone is really formerly the greatest wrestler to ever walk the planet or a vagrant with a potential disease or six, antagonizing a 330-pound man is a bad way to go about your life. Who knew, eh?”
“So I got to pay for that by getting bounced off the mat with a powerbomb the size of his gut and pinned to the mat. Meanwhile, the man I’d just come off of a grueling month-long exchange with was defeated by a guy with whom he apparently had some history. I dunno, when I saw a guy named ‘Captain Howdy’ had signed up and got a look at him, I was getting some seriously not-good vibes. But anyone that puts on a performance like that against a man like Nighthawk, a man that’s earned my respect, deserves to be taken with some seriousness. So I’m going into this with an open mind. If he can make it up for me, then so be it.”
“Cap, even though you look like the twisted lovechild of Alice Cooper and Pee-Wee Herman, that doesn’t mean a damn thing about your in-ring ability. Hell, I got a vivid lesson in how appearances can be deceiving just last week. But by that same token, you’ve got quite the burden on your shoulders. You’ve got an opportunity this week. Main event of Trauma against the National Champion and the best high-flyer in NCW today. This is the big leagues. Time to step up or shut up.”
“And as for your partner and our OTHER opponent…Ladainain Harper, the Right Hand of God. Ain’t you just ostentatious, big man? Swaggering all “oh, I speak for the Lord, and ye shall be judged”, all this pompous self-aggrandizing hot air. You honestly think God’s speaking to you? You think there’s divine inspiration driving your piddly ass? I know that’s certainly what you HOPE it is, because if you are just a nutbag with a Bible, then you’re in serious trouble.”
“You’re a piss-poor imitation of a priest. You want to talk about being on a righteous mission? I know what real righteousness is. I know what it’s like to benefit from the charity and sacrifice of others, and I thank God every day that there are people in the world like the ones at the mission. They took me in, they gave me a place to sleep, and I started saving up, bit by bit. They encouraged me in my dreams, seeing me succeeding and transcending the street. But I never forgot where I came from. And I’ll never forget what they did for me. I had nothing, and they, because they believed it was the right thing to do, SACRIFICED for me. Quite Christian of them, if you ask me.”
“Last time I checked, confession isn’t a place for the priest to pass judgment on the confessing one. He hears their words, their sins, and advises them how to be penitent and how to live a better, more Christian life. I wasn’t raised Catholic, so maybe I have it horribly wrong. But that’s how I understood it. Seeing you use your position like this…mangling the trust and the…faith…that your title brings with it, it’s disgusting. And you know what? I want you to open up on me. Tell me how I’m a selfish, slothful, prideful sinner. Tell me what I’ve done wrong in your eyes, Harper. I want to know what’s wrong with me in your mind. I already know what’s wrong with you in mine.”
“It’s weird. The man my partner and mentor was more dismissive of, I respect. The man he was more cautious and understanding of, I don’t have any respect for. Maybe it’s reflective of our separate backgrounds. Because, as I was vividly reminded earlier this week, no matter how hard Alex Jones wants to pigeonhole me as Mini-Ace, I’m not him. I learn from him, I study under him…but my name is Caleb Lockwood. I’m not the Apex of Evolution, I’m the Apex of Flight. I am the Master of Gravity. So a piece of advice, competitor to competitor…don’t blink. You just might miss something.”[/i]
Open on Caleb flipping a coin across his knuckles as he sits on the front steps of the Conway family home. Inside, the muffled voice of Andrew Jacobsen can be heard shouting at The Ace, who presumably is trying to placate or reason with the hot-blooded Minnesotan. He sighs, flipping the coin up and into his hand, and as he glances back, the front door opens. Caleb pops up to his feet, looking at it expectantly, but the one to emerge is surprising: Callie Jacobsen, Andrew’s younger sister and the new Secretary for the Starlets Division. Caleb blinks, assuming his normal polite demeanor that he uses when expected to act “official.”
”Hey there, Ms. Jacobsen. Everything, uh…everything alright in there?”
Callie shakes her head, sighing through her teeth and practically stomping a few steps away from the house. She turns and looks at the window of Ace’s office, clearly pissed, and starts speaking with the voice of a woman who’s very frustrated.
”No, everything’s not alright. I finally have a job, I’m making my own money—and it’s good money, too—and Andy has to be all ‘blerdy blerr, I’m a big brother and I’m freaking out because of who hired you!’ You’ve worked for Mr. Conway for a while now, right? He wouldn’t lie to me when he said he hired me for my experience and capability. Would he?”
Caleb looks at her, biting his tongue for a moment. After a few seconds pass, he replies in the most tactful and technically truthful way he can.
”Mr. Conway’s been a good boss. When he says something to me, I know he means it. I’m with you, Andrew is definitely overreacting. But, uh…apart from that, how are you liking your first few days with NCW?”
She perks up, clearly glad to be off the subject of her familial troubles. Callie begins counting off on her fingers, looking up as she tries to pull information from her mind.
”It’s been really great, actually. I’ve been familiarizing myself with the corporate handbook: rules, regulations, employee code of conduct—did you know we can’t insult the Dallas Cowboys on company time? I know, weird—and Mr. Conway’s trying to set up a meeting with the Starlets so we can go over the rules and make sure I’m a recognized authority figure.”
Caleb nods, wincing as he hears a particularly loud shout from inside. He manages a smile again, remembering the months of training he’d had beaten into him. Callie blinks, a question crossing her mind.
”Hey, you’re dating that Tiffany girl, right? And she’s Mrs. Conway’s sister?”
It’s Caleb’s turn to grin happily as the subject of his sweetheart is brought up. He nods, leaning against one of the pillars near the entranceway.
”Yeah, I am. And I still wake up and thank everything I can that we finally said something to each other. I mean, imagine how long that could have dragged on if neither of us had pulled together the courage to tell the other how we felt?”
Callie nods, eyes flicking briefly to the office again before smiling.
”Yeah, I can imagine. Uh, the reason I brought it up is…you’re still doing a lot of the grunt work around the house. I saw you cleaning the freakin’ litterbox. It’s like you’re still a servant and not…well…family.”
Lockwood opens his mouth to protest the characterization, but he shuts it just as quickly, the idea beginning to bounce around in his head. Before he can go any further, the front door opens and Andrew Jacobsen stalks outside, eyes flicking over first Caleb and then his sister. He nods curtly to Caleb before looking to Callie.
”Look, I’m sorry. I…I got a little paranoid. I’m just worried about you. I care about your well-being. Isn't that what family's supposed to do?”
She rolls her eyes, shaking her head as she walks back inside and calls to her brother, stopping in the doorway.
”Yeah, they show concern. They don’t turn into some sort of spaz psycho stalker! I’m twenty, Andy. I can make my own decisions, and part of that is finding MY job, for MYself. I’m sorry if you get all antsy because I got hired by NCW, but you’re just gonna have to deal. Got it?”
Before Andrew can respond, Callie pulls the door shut behind her. The sound of footsteps receding upstairs echoes from inside, and Caleb turns to Jacobsen, shrugging.
”Tough break, man.”
Andrew shakes his head darkly, muttering to himself and walking towards his rental car.
”Stuff it, Lockwood…”
Caleb watches Andrew stalk away and sighs to himself, turning back around and heading inside as we fade to black.
“So I got to pay for that by getting bounced off the mat with a powerbomb the size of his gut and pinned to the mat. Meanwhile, the man I’d just come off of a grueling month-long exchange with was defeated by a guy with whom he apparently had some history. I dunno, when I saw a guy named ‘Captain Howdy’ had signed up and got a look at him, I was getting some seriously not-good vibes. But anyone that puts on a performance like that against a man like Nighthawk, a man that’s earned my respect, deserves to be taken with some seriousness. So I’m going into this with an open mind. If he can make it up for me, then so be it.”
“Cap, even though you look like the twisted lovechild of Alice Cooper and Pee-Wee Herman, that doesn’t mean a damn thing about your in-ring ability. Hell, I got a vivid lesson in how appearances can be deceiving just last week. But by that same token, you’ve got quite the burden on your shoulders. You’ve got an opportunity this week. Main event of Trauma against the National Champion and the best high-flyer in NCW today. This is the big leagues. Time to step up or shut up.”
“And as for your partner and our OTHER opponent…Ladainain Harper, the Right Hand of God. Ain’t you just ostentatious, big man? Swaggering all “oh, I speak for the Lord, and ye shall be judged”, all this pompous self-aggrandizing hot air. You honestly think God’s speaking to you? You think there’s divine inspiration driving your piddly ass? I know that’s certainly what you HOPE it is, because if you are just a nutbag with a Bible, then you’re in serious trouble.”
“You’re a piss-poor imitation of a priest. You want to talk about being on a righteous mission? I know what real righteousness is. I know what it’s like to benefit from the charity and sacrifice of others, and I thank God every day that there are people in the world like the ones at the mission. They took me in, they gave me a place to sleep, and I started saving up, bit by bit. They encouraged me in my dreams, seeing me succeeding and transcending the street. But I never forgot where I came from. And I’ll never forget what they did for me. I had nothing, and they, because they believed it was the right thing to do, SACRIFICED for me. Quite Christian of them, if you ask me.”
“Last time I checked, confession isn’t a place for the priest to pass judgment on the confessing one. He hears their words, their sins, and advises them how to be penitent and how to live a better, more Christian life. I wasn’t raised Catholic, so maybe I have it horribly wrong. But that’s how I understood it. Seeing you use your position like this…mangling the trust and the…faith…that your title brings with it, it’s disgusting. And you know what? I want you to open up on me. Tell me how I’m a selfish, slothful, prideful sinner. Tell me what I’ve done wrong in your eyes, Harper. I want to know what’s wrong with me in your mind. I already know what’s wrong with you in mine.”
“It’s weird. The man my partner and mentor was more dismissive of, I respect. The man he was more cautious and understanding of, I don’t have any respect for. Maybe it’s reflective of our separate backgrounds. Because, as I was vividly reminded earlier this week, no matter how hard Alex Jones wants to pigeonhole me as Mini-Ace, I’m not him. I learn from him, I study under him…but my name is Caleb Lockwood. I’m not the Apex of Evolution, I’m the Apex of Flight. I am the Master of Gravity. So a piece of advice, competitor to competitor…don’t blink. You just might miss something.”[/i]
Open on Caleb flipping a coin across his knuckles as he sits on the front steps of the Conway family home. Inside, the muffled voice of Andrew Jacobsen can be heard shouting at The Ace, who presumably is trying to placate or reason with the hot-blooded Minnesotan. He sighs, flipping the coin up and into his hand, and as he glances back, the front door opens. Caleb pops up to his feet, looking at it expectantly, but the one to emerge is surprising: Callie Jacobsen, Andrew’s younger sister and the new Secretary for the Starlets Division. Caleb blinks, assuming his normal polite demeanor that he uses when expected to act “official.”
”Hey there, Ms. Jacobsen. Everything, uh…everything alright in there?”
Callie shakes her head, sighing through her teeth and practically stomping a few steps away from the house. She turns and looks at the window of Ace’s office, clearly pissed, and starts speaking with the voice of a woman who’s very frustrated.
”No, everything’s not alright. I finally have a job, I’m making my own money—and it’s good money, too—and Andy has to be all ‘blerdy blerr, I’m a big brother and I’m freaking out because of who hired you!’ You’ve worked for Mr. Conway for a while now, right? He wouldn’t lie to me when he said he hired me for my experience and capability. Would he?”
Caleb looks at her, biting his tongue for a moment. After a few seconds pass, he replies in the most tactful and technically truthful way he can.
”Mr. Conway’s been a good boss. When he says something to me, I know he means it. I’m with you, Andrew is definitely overreacting. But, uh…apart from that, how are you liking your first few days with NCW?”
She perks up, clearly glad to be off the subject of her familial troubles. Callie begins counting off on her fingers, looking up as she tries to pull information from her mind.
”It’s been really great, actually. I’ve been familiarizing myself with the corporate handbook: rules, regulations, employee code of conduct—did you know we can’t insult the Dallas Cowboys on company time? I know, weird—and Mr. Conway’s trying to set up a meeting with the Starlets so we can go over the rules and make sure I’m a recognized authority figure.”
Caleb nods, wincing as he hears a particularly loud shout from inside. He manages a smile again, remembering the months of training he’d had beaten into him. Callie blinks, a question crossing her mind.
”Hey, you’re dating that Tiffany girl, right? And she’s Mrs. Conway’s sister?”
It’s Caleb’s turn to grin happily as the subject of his sweetheart is brought up. He nods, leaning against one of the pillars near the entranceway.
”Yeah, I am. And I still wake up and thank everything I can that we finally said something to each other. I mean, imagine how long that could have dragged on if neither of us had pulled together the courage to tell the other how we felt?”
Callie nods, eyes flicking briefly to the office again before smiling.
”Yeah, I can imagine. Uh, the reason I brought it up is…you’re still doing a lot of the grunt work around the house. I saw you cleaning the freakin’ litterbox. It’s like you’re still a servant and not…well…family.”
Lockwood opens his mouth to protest the characterization, but he shuts it just as quickly, the idea beginning to bounce around in his head. Before he can go any further, the front door opens and Andrew Jacobsen stalks outside, eyes flicking over first Caleb and then his sister. He nods curtly to Caleb before looking to Callie.
”Look, I’m sorry. I…I got a little paranoid. I’m just worried about you. I care about your well-being. Isn't that what family's supposed to do?”
She rolls her eyes, shaking her head as she walks back inside and calls to her brother, stopping in the doorway.
”Yeah, they show concern. They don’t turn into some sort of spaz psycho stalker! I’m twenty, Andy. I can make my own decisions, and part of that is finding MY job, for MYself. I’m sorry if you get all antsy because I got hired by NCW, but you’re just gonna have to deal. Got it?”
Before Andrew can respond, Callie pulls the door shut behind her. The sound of footsteps receding upstairs echoes from inside, and Caleb turns to Jacobsen, shrugging.
”Tough break, man.”
Andrew shakes his head darkly, muttering to himself and walking towards his rental car.
”Stuff it, Lockwood…”
Caleb watches Andrew stalk away and sighs to himself, turning back around and heading inside as we fade to black.