PROMO: Stick Together

[Guest D. Lucretia]

for referance, you should probably read this before you read this promo

 

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The early morning sun pours into the dank, cheap looking hotel room. It appears to be the start of another bright, hot August day in Salt Lake. The sparsely furnished room is filled with the smell of fresly made tea to go with the sunlight, as one, Dante Crane, goes through a routine that's all too familiar to him. Clad in a plain white shirt and a pair of black trousers, he pours himself a cup of Earl Grey, and stares idly out the window.

 

It's the morning after SWF Storm. The morning after an awful hardcore contest against Nathaniel Kibagami. But still, the morning after his first SWF singles win. It's a match that Crane won't forget for a while--as if the shiner below his eye, interrupting his unusually pretty face, would let him. Damn, did Kibagami kick hard.

 

Absently sipping his tea, Dante's mind drifts elsewhere. This afternoon, Crow will come by with the plane tickets to the next show. They'll rent a car, try to find someplace mildly healthy to eat, and then seek out a hotel considerably cheaper than the kind most SWFers stay at.

 

Dante sighs. How did he get back into this? Not two and a half years ago, he had a wife, he had a home, he had money... he didn't need to kill himself on the road, in front of baying fans, for the sake of their entertainment. For the sake of being a hero; a warrior.

 

And now, here he was. Divorced, nearly broke, and back on a harsh schedule. Almost a complete 360... and he was still only twenty-five. It wasn't a matter of wanting to wrestle right now--it was a matter of having to. It was all he had really ever done.

 

Taking another sip of his mug, Dante briefly wondered what would've happened if Crow and himself hadn't been so forgiving. If Cirillo hadn't agreed to help him...

 

KNOCK! KNOCK!

 

The sound of rapping at the hotel room door breaks Dante's train of thought. Setting down his cup, he speaks. "Ent--!"

 

Crane doesn't even finish before the door swings open, the Antichrist Superstar himself all but inviting himself in. He looks about as presentable as he ever gets, in a leather jacket, acid washed jeans, and a Marilyn Manson t-shirt. "Yo, yo, yo! Dante, what's up?" Crow offers a chipper greeting, as he takes a seat on the hotel room's bed.

 

"Good morning, Markus. I'm alright." Getting the chance to speak out loud, it's noticeable that Dante speaks softly, with a light French accent dusting his words. He pauses. "Well, aside from this..." he indicates to the shiner below his eye.

 

Crow gives Crane a lopsided smile. "Yeah, I caught your match before Jessica... uh... had to borrow me."

 

"Uh-huh..." Dante gives Crow an even look, as he leans against a wall.

 

"Anyway," Crow continues, "NICE fuckin' work taking out Kibagami. With some of the shots he gave you... is that guy a fuckin' bitch, or what?"

 

"Yes... I haven't wrestled someone with that kind of striking ability in a long time. I understand he even tamed your friend... Terrance?"

 

The gothic avian nods. "Yeah, he manhandled Janus at the last PPV. But you beat him, man! Awesome way to finish it off, too," compliments Crow, reaching into his jacket pocket for his Dunhill Reds, and sparking one up.

 

"Thanks," Dante mumbles, seemingly disinterested in Crow's praise. Markus continues, oblivious.

 

"Anyway, did you see the next booking? We're both slotted into this tournament for the world title! Talk about getting a break, eh?" Crow chatters. "Anyway, you're apparently up against Stryke, and..." Crow pauses. "Hey. Hey! Dante, are you even listening?"

 

"...hm?" Dante turns his attention back to Crow, having been idly staring out the window again. Crow gives him a cross look.

 

"Dante, I'm talking about your next booking. It's tournament match for a world title shot. If you win--hell, if either of us can even go deep, it'll be huge! You don't even look interested..."

 

Crane sighs, walking over to the small table at one end off the room, and grabbing one of the chairs for a seat of his own. Dropping in, he gives the Antichristian Phenomenon a half-hearted look. "Mark... I thought you said this would only be for one show. That I'd just have to be your partner in the tag match."

 

"Hey... when you called me, and I agreed to help you out, I said that you'd have to 'pay it off' by watching my back in the SWF. I told you that you might have get into the ring and help me."

 

"Once, Markus," reiterates Dante. "You never said I'd have to become fully active in the SWF. And I would've appreciated you asking me before you went to Kin--"

 

"Bullshit," Crow interrupts, sounding mad. "You know just as well as I do you don't get one 'per appearance' fee in the SWF. Do you have any idea how hard I had to try to get King to give you a verbal agreement? He'd never seen you do shit before, Dante!" Crow snorts, taking a puff on his cigarette. He hushes Crane before he can get a word in. "And BESIDES, Dante. You're always complaining to me about how Shelly ripped you off during the divorce. How you barely have any cash... I had to do something."

 

Dante sighs, and leans over in his chair. "I appreciate what you've done for me, Mark, but..."

 

"But what!?" Bellows Crow. "Dante, this is what you're good at. This is what we're good at. You're a wrestler, Dante, and damn fuckin' good one. You've never had any doubts in your ability before. Why...?"

 

"It's not about my ability, Mark," Dante dismisses. "It's just... what about ICW? What happens if--"

 

"Fuck ICW!" Crow suddenly yells, standing up and taking Dante back. "Fuck the past, Dante! You need to focus on the here. The now!" There's a pause. Crow takes another puff of his cigarette, exhaling a swirling cloud of smoke. "...you need to trust me, man, before anything else."

 

Dante sighs again, but says nothing. The look in his blue eyes easily says that he's thinking, mulling over his past... Crow's past... where they are now... where he could go...

 

 

 

...

 

 

 

Finally, Dante looks Crow in the eyes... and nods. "Alright, Markus. I'm sorry, I have no idea what I was thinking..."

 

"It's alright, man," says Crow, sitting back down. "You've been through a lot. I can understand having second thoughts... but you know what you can do. I know what you can do. We can go places in this fed. If it's through this tournament, or if we tag, or whatever... we can do it. I don't have any doubts that King will give you a permanent, written contract shortly. You can start putting your life back together. Get back at your wife." Crow pauses, and then smirks. "Get your dogs back."

 

Dante chuckles, and watches as Crow extends a hand out. "We can do it together. Friends, Dante?"

 

"Friends, Markus." Dante clasps Crow's hand in a firm showing of unity. Trust. True allies, once more.

 

Crow lets go as he extinguishes the cigarette BUTT on the floor, and heads towards the door. "Alright! I need to go get the plane tickets with Jessica. I'll be back to pick you up in a few hours. Later, Dante."

 

"Later, Mark."

 

Crow shuts the door, and Dante is left alone. Once again, he turns his head to the window... perhaps Crow was right. Perhaps this sky was the limit...

 

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"Burning a candle is all I can handle, we'll save energy if we stick together... taking you over, a shy casanova, we'll save energy if we stick together now." The Superjesus - Stick Together.

[janusd 0]

It's a great big white world...

 

...and it's a Dante Crane promo. *claps* Very nicely done.

 

[Crowe 0]

This is a great promo. It provides people with much needed insight into the Dante Crane character, especially with the minor details concerning his past, his style and his accent. Most importantly, it develops his motivation... why is he here in the SWF? How did he get there? Let's also not forget it plays up how much Crow, the Antichrist Superstar, values his friends--something that's been established in the recent Janus/Crow feud.

 

How do I know all this?

 

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

Yeah, fuck ICW!

 

::looks around::

 

I mean, nice promo. Sorely needed, as to this point Dante had just been "Crow's buddy." With a nice win on Storm, things're looking up for the surprise character.