Of Friendship and Truth

[t r e]

FADEIN: A dusty storage room of the dusty Vin Zachary School of Wrestling; San Diego, California. Sleeves rolled up, sans jacket and tie, Cassidy Stewart was probably the most disheveled he'd ever been "on the job" (excusing, of course, the firebombing of his Manhattan offices some years ago). Wiping his filthy hands woefully on his dress pants, Cass suddenly found himself smiling.

CASSIDY: Not bad.

Did a one-eighty, in place.

CASSIDY: Cleaner ... less cluttered, anyway.

Mostly. This storage room seemingly hadn't been entered in well over a decade, judging by it's contents and the thickness of the dusty overcoat everything wore. Old folding chairs, older tables, boxes overflowing with tattered ring aprons, worn ring ropes and the like. Stewart had managed to neatly stack and place EVERYTHING in the good sized room up against one wall, leaving more than half the room empty. Lighting it was three simple overhead lamps, the middle one blown out -- the illumination would need to be addressed. The muted, ancient green paint on the old walls was dull ... but it would have to do. He quickly attached the video camera to it's tripod and removed the lens cap.

M.XAVIER: You do realize that Vin is going to strangle you when he gets a look at this, don't you?

The look on Mason's face clearly telegraphed his confusion and amusement. He stood half in the room, half in the corridor - stopping on his way from the Office to the Gym.

M.XAVIER: What are you DOING, exactly?

Cass turned with dismay. One might be able to quickly sum up the working relationship the two had; awkwardly sharing power in running the school following Vin's retirement. May be a bit simpler to give a synopsis of their personal relationship; Cass being married to Mason's ex-wife, the daughter of Vin Zachary. The melding of the two separate dynamics added complexity to it all.

In another world, under other circumstances ... they might've been friends. Maybe.

CASSIDY: Setting something up. For work.

Mason frowned.

M.XAVIER: For the school? ... or for your Agency?

Now Cassidy was getting hot under the collar.

CASSIDY: We playing 20 Questions now? I'm just setting up a room where Tre can come in and cut a promo every once in a while. He just extended his EPW deal *AND* signed on to appear at the next TEAM Event. I need to stay on him to keep production up. So...

Xavier chuckled, stepping further into the room and examining Stewart's handiwork.

M.XAVIER: Not bad. Less cluttered, anyway.

CASSIDY: That's what *I* thought!

M.XAVIER: You really think EPW's going to push this Kid?

Cass flinched, off guard.

CASSIDY: Who? Tre?

The man who, up until 4 years ago, answered to the name 'Havoc' just nodded.

CASSIDY: Who knows?!? The fans are responding, that's for sure! His blog just started up and he's had a TON of hits after the first weekend. I ... dunno. Anything can happen in this business.

M.XAVIER: But ... the Kid can't wrestle, Stewart. His mouth and his "look" will only take him so far for so long. I don't care HOW he's packaged.

Cass shrugged, not willing to give an inch.

CASSIDY: While I will agree he's not the most POLISHED performer ever, he ... has a lot of potential.

M.XAVIER: That's just the thing, Cass. He Doesn't. You and I both know that that Kid is not long for this business. He's going to say the wrong thing to the wrong person, cross the wrong promoter, and ... that'll be that. The promoters will steal his gimmick, put it on somebody else and the boys will snap his neck. He just ... doesn't have It, Cass. Not in the ring.

CASSIDY: I Disagree.

Mason scoffed.

M.XAVIER: Ask Vin, Cass.

CASSIDY: "Ask Vin" what?

Pointing down the hallway for emphasis, Mason met eyes with Stewart -- stern.

M.XAVIER: You saw those pictures, framed on the wall out there. The school's graduating classes over the years. And you saw "Tre" in half a dozen of those pictures, didn't you?

Stewart looked away, annoyed.

M.XAVIER: And I bet you STILL haven't asked "Tre" about them, right? Haven't asked Vin? And why IS that, Cass?

CASSIDY: I learned a few years back not to delve into a client's ... a FRIEND's past. Only leads to hurt.

Xavier smiled, just slightly.

M.XAVIER: Oh. You're his FRIEND? Knowing he lacks the in-ring know-how to SURVIVE between the ropes but sending him out there into harms way ... way to be a FRIEND. Good friend. Set up his promo room so he can run his mouth and sign as many death warrants as possible. Christ, Stewart ... look at what he did at that pay-per-view the other night!

Cassidy leaned against the wall, confidently.

CASSIDY: ... I actually LIKED his move during the Main Event

M.XAVIER: You're going to get your FRIEND killed!

Finally, Cass stepped forward, GLARING up at Xavier defiantly.

CASSIDY: Who the f_ck are YOU?

Enter Ice Tre.

ICE TRE: S'appnin', Peoplez? What It IS?

He stepped between and past them, eyes catching the camera and tripod.

ICE TRE: Awwwww, snap!

Wearing a navy blue set of windpants and matching zip-up jacket, Tre's chains clanged around loudly around his tiny neck. Clearly oblivious to the heat in the room, Tre began to fumble with the camera.

ICE TRE: Y'all know I gotst MAD GAME to spit on some fools after Roulette! Y'all just KNOW!

CASSIDY: Wait, Tre. We need to talk first--

Tre waved him off, anxious.

ICE TRE: Nah, son. I'm in and I'm out. Let me cut this sh_t and I be on my way. This place ... it got me buggin', yo!

Cass frowned, feeling Mason shift his weight behind him.

CASSIDY: Why?

We hear a *PING*!

ICE TRE: There ... We filmin'! Let's DO THIS!

Tre strutted before the camera, taking a moment to strike his most menacing pose. Cassidy Stewart glanced over his shoulder in time to catch Xavier exiting the room, a smirk on his face. Cass approached the camera with a sigh.

CASSIDY: Ok ... ACTION!

FADEOUT just as Tre begins to drop his knowledge on the masses, film of which is forthcoming.