Episode 7.5: Round the pine

[Deleted]

Savage Solutions Headquarters,
New York, New York
Wednesday, 3:39 P.M.

Appreciate you both making the trip to N.Y.

When Tony's grandfather first founded Savage Bail Bonds, in commemoration of the event, he had a furniture maker buddy of his design a table for him and his crew. 20 feet of lacquered, hand crafted Georgia pine; nothing like that wood in the world; a constant reminder of where the Savage clan came from.

Over the years, Tony's father, and his father before him, conducted the most important of business and held discussions crucial to the Savage clan and their way of life almost always 'round the pine, as they called it. Everything from apprehensions, business expansions, even various members of the business's employee's personal events, like their kid's birthday parties; all plotted here. It's been nearly two years since Tony took the head seat, and under his command, a lot of activity's gone down 'round the pine, as Tony affectionately calls it.

Usually, the table is reserved for Savage personnel only, but considering both the nature of what he's about to discuss, and the people sitting at the table, Siobhan Townsend and Carlos Vitoria, he made some big exceptions. As his guest sit, listening attentively, Tony takes a sip of coffee, stops for a moment to sip from his coffee cup, and gathers his thoughts before....

As much as I love the EWC, and what it stands for, it's obvious this place has some serious issue to address, namely, the type of people we have to deal with on a day in, day out basis. Over the course of a year, I've seen men get murdered in that ring, others nearly killed for simply standing up against what is wrong....

Chaos, Anarchy, and a never ending stream of bottom feeders wreaking havoc on social media and in the ring, because they are simply too weak, too stupid, and too cowardly, to handle their business like real fighters, real men and women.

And it is KILLING us! It's killing spirits, it's killing careers, it's killing the bottom line. And if what I've learned from my sources is correct, if certain government agencies and activist groups have their way, it will be the dirt with which they will bury us all under. Worst yet, management has not only adverted their eyes to many of the problems we face, they seem at times all too eager to engage in it as well.

What happened to Griff....total bullshit! Saint overextended his boundaries, as he's done in the past. Mac....

Mac is not only partially to blame for the state of Shadow Man since he betrayed him, everything from the wars of 2015 to Brett Black murdering Terry Jones in cold blood, the constant stream of freaks, social rejects, and wanna-be Arhkam Asylum rejects threatening us on a weekly basis, he's made it very clear he has no interest in changing the culture in areas it needs to change.

Long story short; too many people around here fucking up because they feel there are no consequences to their actions, no repercussions for a constant series of destructive acts that just lead to a cycle of despair. And why should they; for over a year, no one's feared retribution because there's been so little of it....

Why should they have a conscience, when this fed doesn't have one?

But, and this is me just thinking out loud....what if, starting today, it did?

What if a group of not only some of the most talented fighters in the business, but some of it's most ethical, most upright, most honorable fighters, dug their heels in the dirt and said to the status quo...

Fuck this; we've had enough of your shit!? Enough with the Twitter beefs and bitching. Enough with the Batman villain antics. Enough with the billion wanna-be bad guy syndicates that pop up each an every single month wanting to burn down this place just cause they like the pretty fires.

Enough with a management team that punishes good people for doing things the right way, and rewarding scum with all the cash and prizes and shine. Most of all....

Enough with people in this fed either ending up in comas, having to retire due to treasonous acts committed against them, or just flat out dead!!

All of us in this room; we've got a chance to do something amazing. Not just win titles, matches, prestige...

We can win back the soul of this profession.

I can't promise fame and wealth helping me in this. I can't promise this will help your bottom line. hell, I can't even guarantee if we do this, we'll get to the other side of it intact, let alone, victorious. Nothing good in this life comes without a price-tag.

Only thing I can promise are two things...

1: A cause bigger and better than shiny gold belts and a few extra dollars in your wallets, and
2: A man willing to bleed for that cause, and anybody crazy enough to fight for it with me, no questions asked.

If neither of you two can or want to go through, I understand completely. Whatever decision you make, there will be no repercussions, no hard feelings. The mere fact you even showed up here; I appreciate it.

But, neither of you can deny something is wrong with EWC...

Maybe, just maybe, we can do something to help right those wrongs.

Thoughts? Concerns?

[Deleted]

Siobhan certainly has to admit that Tony is one Hell of an orator.

Even though there's no crowded arena or rabid faithful to eagerly await a video release of this conversation, it's clear that this is something that Savage has considered… thought long and hard about, and he likely even had to set aside time to do so in a schedule that she knows is jammed full to the gills. Such is not a sacrifice he would make lightly, and so she came to New York City when it was requested of her since it's obviously a matter of more than a little import. While her husband is absent in a physical sense, the iPhone (wrapped in the most durable case on the market) that is set in front of her is on and on speaker mode so that the Steampunk Prince can hear every word that leaves her ally's lips. Beyond a faint bit of rustling that is likely fox-based in origin, Dommy is silent as Tony speaks… and so is the Requiem, though that's not as much of a surprise. She has long since been known as a woman of few words beyond when more is required of her from a professional standpoint, after all, and this is no different.

Not when Tony's reinforcing her faith in him as someone worth trusting.

The bruises and bumps and scrapes from their match cause a subtle pang of discomfort in her expression as she shifts position, her own mug of coffee untouched-- she insisted that she didn't want it, but Tony's secretary had placed it there all the same. Her gaze is perhaps a hair above reaching permafrost levels when they flicker to Carlos to see how he is reacting, his reputation preceding him in a way that isn't entirely positive… but reputation is a fickle beast, so she decides to withhold immediately condemning him. Besides, Tony surely chose the other man for a reason. It's just a matter of finding out what it is and trusting his judgment until then.

Mercifully, she deigns it unnecessary to partake in any dramatics herself when Tony looks to her for a response. Such has never been her style, after all.

Har du selv trenger å spørre? Du vet jeg har ryggen din.

A pause; realizing that neither man is all that familiar with her native tongue, she chooses to repeat herself in English.

...I mean, you know that I have your back on this. Do you really need to ask?

This is me being surprised over here.

Another period of silence stretches for a few seconds before Dommy continues.

I'm very surprised. Super surprised. So surprised that you can literally build a fort called Camp Surprise, which sounds super pedo-ish in retrospect so please forget I said that, out of my surprise. Guess that means I'm in by proxy, doesn't it?

[Nick Lawrence]

Carlos looks at Siobhan Townsend with a serious expression in his face. He takes off his shades and rubs his chin, before deciding to take an active role in the discussion.

Carlos Vitória: Let’s do this the right way, gentlemen? As you three know, most of all I’m a business man. And every business man has his own beliefs about what’s the best way to conduct business. Personally, I believe in honesty. I believe that there must not be any secrets between business associates. Everything must be perfectly clear so that all who participate in the deal feel that they can trust their respective partners. Now, I understand why Mr. Savage here chose this particular place for us to meet.

Vitória looks directly at Tony now.

It’s because he understands the true nature of this relationship. Mr. Savage didn’t contact me to be his friend. If he wanted me to be his friend we could meet in any coffee house, pub or Taco Bell. No, this is for us to create a business relationship, and that’s why we are here: a place of business. 

That being said, and as I already explained to you what my beliefs are when it comes to business, I’ll be straightforward and address the elephant in the room…Miss Townsend, I understood what you said with both your eyes and your words: you have doubts about me. You have Mr. Savage’s back, that’s what you said. That means that you support him and his idea, not that you trust me. But if what Mr. Savage just proposed is going to actually happen, then you will have to trust me. That’s a necessity.

Siobhan is hearing Carlos’ words with interest, but her face is completely inexpressive. It’s impossible to say how she’s digesting his words.

I compreehend your point of view. You have your code of ethics that, let’s be honest, it’s different than mine. A person like you would never do the kind of mind games that I did with both Xplode’s son and his wife in order to ensure Atlas a more solid advantage in their bouts. From your perspective, actions like the ones that I protagonized in that rivalry are uncalled for. And I know that when I’m saying that you see them as “uncalled for” this is an euphemism for you.

But I’d like to point out that every single time that my cliente stepped foot inside of a ring I didn’t interfere. In all of his matches, after the bell rung, I didn’t try to distract his opponents, I didn’t do a single thing. Atlas’ current winning streak in this Company is clean. That means that I do something that the people to who Mr. Savage is referring don’t do: I create boundaries for myself and my actions. That means that I understand that there have to be limits, so that this sport remains pure. 

My words may be offensive, poisonous, violent, you name it...but that’s it. I never murdered anyone, I never tried to burn one of Atlas’ opponents to death, I never tried to get on the good side of the officials in order to ensure more opportunities for my client. And I don’t support that type of actions in any possibly way. I’ll say more: I condemn them.

Carlos makes a pause. He tries to decode what is in Siobhan’s mind, but it’s still impossible to do it.

I’m a sports fan, Miss Townsend. As a Brazilian, my favorite sport is soccer, naturally. My favorite football coach is José Mourinho, because he understands, better than anyone in the sport, how the psychological part of the game works. You see, he makes sure that all the attention, all the pressure is on him and not on his athletes. He puts himself in the center of all the controversies. That way his players can focus uniquely in what they really have to do: that is to play soccer. That’s what I do with Atlas.

And if at the same time I can affect my client’s opponents focus…well, better yet. Every good coach knows this one truth: the game is played in the field, but the competition starts way before, in the conference rooms and in front of the cameras. Professional Wrestling is not an exception. I’m not going to change my point of view and I’m not going to start to act in a different way. But, at the same time, I won’t ask you to embrace, support or even accept my way of seeing this sport. But if we are going to work together, then you will have to live with it.

What’s in stake here is big. We’re talking about going to War. And believe me, we have the upmost interest in fighting this War. Probably no one felt the injustices of the current management more than me and my client. It’s offensive for a competitor like Atlas to see middle-aged lawyers who can’t even get on the right plane going directly to one of the main shows when he is forced to compete in a development brand thanks to backstage politics. The only reason why the management is finally showing some interesting in having Atlas in one of the main shows is because the situation is getting unsustainable. Because it’s now too obvious that FSW is too small for a talent like him and athletes like Latoya Hixx or John Blade don’t sell tickets.

But, if we are going to enter in this War, we’ll have to trust each other. You’ll need to have not only Tony’s back, you’ll have to Atlas’ back, you’ll need to have my back. Do that and we’ll do our part. Believe it or not, I’m a man of my word and Atlas…well Atlas is the most loyal soldier you will ever find. So, let’s move on to to big question now…Are you really willing to do what you have to do to make this work? Or are our differences greater than what unites us?

[Deleted]

Understand your point of view, Carlos. Trust me; it's one thing to talk a buncha shit; it's another to actually be a poisonous bastard. And Sio...

C'mon, you know me better than that; I trust...but, I gotta verify, too!

I'm glad we could all come to a common agreement that something needs to be done. Mind y'all, once we go through with this, we just painted some big ass targets on our backs.

Management, other crews, hell, even some of the fans, are gonna come at us loaded for bear once we make this party a formal affair and declare jihad on their fucked-up ways of doing business.
So, just to make sure we're not just here blowing smoke up each other's asses, we make it official right here...

Anybody feeling squeamish, having second thoughts, think it's a bad idea; speak now, or forever hold your piece. It's about to get nasty.

Otherwise.....

That's when this bright, beaming, serenity now smile widens across Tony's face....

Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition, soldiers....

WE'RE GOING TO WAR!!