((((PHRQ)))) Life Lessons
Jun 12, 2021 20:13:31 GMT -5
Miss Michelle, Vhodka Marie, and 2 more like this
Post by somethingwicked on Jun 12, 2021 20:13:31 GMT -5
And then one day, it changed. One day he had kids, which he’d never wanted. And a family, which he’d thought was impossible, and something in him changed. Holding his girls for the first time Vincent Black no longer felt like an outsider. Someone who could phase in and out of existence at will with little to no ramifications. He was tethered to something other than his own experiences. The world was no longer just his cone of vision but something he wished to affect in order to make it better for the ones he’d send forth. God forbid his kids should have to live in a world full of mouthy half asses who complain that others aren’t taking them seriously when the fact remains that they themselves aren’t doing the same. Attempting to be a secret addition to the roster can go one of two ways. Either you’re such an amazing talent that people are literally blown out of their socks, or the other way. But more about that later.
Tied to this world via the lives he’d brought into it. And suddenly, things changed. Music was a refuge for a soul he had just unwrapped, and something he could run to when needed. He began to write music, and learned to play as many instruments as possible. Now, he wasn’t Tom Waits, but he was up there. He had a very loyal following of people despite his last album being nothing more than covers, an idea he had thanks to his son, who had also changed his world just by being in it. Because his son had a love for softly spoken poetry, and it was the only way he’d be able to fall asleep. And the next thing he knew, Vincent Black was an accomplished poet, with more than 3 books(4 books) on the bestseller list. From not understanding it at all to being hailed as one of the best modern versions of it, was a huge gap to cross. And he’d crossed it all because of his children.
Because he had made a connection with other beings of the human species and his heart had grown, so had his interests. And now, sitting on this beach with grains of sand for every passive aggressive, ‘poor me’ comment a certain ‘you’ll see’ kind of star has made, waiting for one of the hardest days of his life, Vincent Black listened to the sound of the waves crashing on the beach, and felt calm. He listened to the sounds of his children splashing in the water, and felt joy. He watched as his daughters tried to take selfies, only to have their brother throw buckets of water at them, yelling ‘YEET’ each and every time. Miles away from a self promoting mid-carder with dreams of being good enough to be at the top of the midcard, Vincent Black was as calm as he could get. But Vincent Black was also sad. Sad at the end of his relationship, sad at the end of a love he’d held forever and would most likely continue to grasp despite it slipping through his fingers like sweaty seafood jello.
The sound of a helicopter interrupts the sound of the children playing and begins to get closer and closer. Standing up and brushing himself off, Vincent yells out to the children to take a break from the water to get some food. The kids all rush to the table, wrapping themselves in brightly colored towels while stuffing fresh strawberries and other fruit into their faces. Walking over a small dune, Vincent nods to his man Hassafassa Hassafassa, and he nods back, going to watch over the children. A small golf cart is his means to travel, and it is decked out as an old Cadillac DeVille. Charging off, he cuts through a section of the woods and comes out in another clearing. A small Sakorsky helicopter touches down, and as the blades come to a stop, Vincent walks toward, and opens the passenger slide door, coming face to face with a very nervous looking 11 year old. Next to her, Her mother, recognizable as Alexis Austin, looks at Vin with concern. He helps them both out, and as the pilot begins the refueling, they take a slow walk back to the golf cart.
Vincent, his eyes locked on the small girl who is clutching her backpack as if there was an escape plan inside, avoids looking up at the man she has just recently found out is his father. Alexis places her arm on Vincent’s chest to stop him, and looks at him with a level of concern that only a mother could have.
Alexis Austin
“ Butthead, go check out that cool car for a second. I have to talk to your father. “
Ripley doesn’t look back and doesn’t say anything other than ‘k’. Vincent turns to Alexis, prepared for his least favorite thing in the entire world. Well, third. The first is people who talk to you at the supermarket, followed closely by talking to anyone anywhere, and then at third we have the moment that is about to happen, talking to people you know on a personal level about things that are personal. He tried to delegate these things to email but no one went for it.
Alexis Austin
“ Are you sure this is a good idea? “
Vincent Black
“ For all of my children to know each other? Yes. I think it’s a good idea. “
Alexis Austin
“ Vin, she isn’t...She’s a good kid, smart. But she’s so scared of all this. It’s such a huge change. I’m not sure that it’s going to go as well as you might think. “
Vincent Black
“ I don’t think it’s going to go well at all. I think this is going to be the hardest thing these kids have ever gone through. It’s going to be a nightmare for a very long time. Does that mean we shouldn’t do it? That she should be some secret? Is that really protecting her, Alexis? Or is that protecting us from having to help them through it? “
Alexis Austin
“ Vin... “
Vincent Black
“ Alexis, my adopted parents moved me across a state, and told me my best friend was dead because they didn’t want me to have to deal with the fact that he was crippled. I am not going to lie to any of these kids to protect our peace of mind. “
Alexis Austin
“ That’s not what I want either, Vin. But I need to know that we aren’t going to be dealing with this alone. We’ve done a damn good job raising that girl, as fucked up as we are. And you are not known for being reliable in the way of emotional responsibility. “
Vincent Black
“ You’re right. Or you would’ve been. When it comes to my kids, I am there. I may not live there, but I am there. I will be there for Ripley. Even if no one wants me to be. “
Alexis Austin
“ You better be, Vin. I won’t let you hurt her. She’s so..good. “
Vincent Black
“ Let’s get this started. The sooner they all meet, the sooner they’ll stop nervously wondering. “
Alexis Austin
“ Vin. I’m nervous. Give me a second. “
Vincent Black
“ My children are not wild animals that attack on sight of an unknown. They’re not going to rip her teeth out. Though, she should limit the amount of teeth she shows Rose. At least at first. “
Alexis Austin
“ ..is that a joke? “
Vincent Black
“ I am capable of those. “
Alexis Austin
“ Ok. Ok. Let's do this. “
Driving back over the dune and down to the beach, Alexis immediately asks why Vin calls this the Lakehouse when they are in fact on a beach. Explaining, he points to a wooded area to the left and clarifies that there is a lake inside those woods where the main house sits. While they built a house on the beach later, the house by the lake was there first, hence, this is the lake house, and that the beach house is a different place. Alexis asks how many houses he has, and Vin just shrugs and says ‘a lot.’ In the back of the cart, Ripley looks out that beach, and the white sand, and the birds in the distance, and for a day wrought with things that can make any child nervous, she takes comfort in the things that are calm. Stopping at a distance away from the kids who are still eating under the watchful eye of Hassafassah, Vincent steps out and turns to Ripley, who looks at him for the first time since landing.
Vincent Black
“ I know you’re nervous. I would be, too. But this is your family. And one day, you won’t even remember this nervousness. You’ll only remember the day. Your mother and I will be here to help if you need anything. “
Ripley Black
“ ...is that guy over there your brother or something? “
Vincent Black
“ That? No. That’s my...it’s a long story. Actually, it’s not. So that guys boss hired me to take care of an issue for her. In exchange she gave me him as a bodyguard and made me a delegate and gave me diplomatic immunity which means I can do almost anything I want. “
Ripley Black
“ Anything? Like blowing up a building for fun? “
Vincent Black
“ My business manager suggests not doing that again. But yes. “
Ripley Black
“ Cool. “
Vincent Black
“ Very cool. Come on, let’s introduce you. “
Ripley Black
“ I’m scared. What if they don’t like me? “
Vincent Black
“ They’re going to love you. Come. “
Vincent leads Ripley to the table, and makes the introductions. Ripley waves to Rose and Ciara, who each just leer at her as if they’re sizing her up. While the technology to hear what kids are thinking is not yet invented, if it were, it would sound something like this;
She’s older. Not by much. I like her shoes. Not sensible for a beach.
Because dad said lake house. Ugh. so extra. She seems scared. She should be.
Call is so goofy. He got her a present. Of course he did.
She has that phone charm I wanted. She has that phone charm you wanted.
Vincent sits down and waves Alexis over, and dishes out a bowl of fruit for her. Seconds after her back touches the chair, the sound of a motorboat fills the air, escalating in tone as it gets closer by the second. The twins and Call stand up, knowing before they even see the boat that it’s their Uncle Xavier. Call takes the moment to slide two small balls toward Ripley. Her eyes light up as she sees that they are Mini Brands Series 2. She asks how he got them, and he says Ebay. She is both shocked by the fact that he would buy her anything, but also that he’s allowed to use Ebay. He then looks at Vincent, who winks, letting you know that in no way does an 8 year old get to use Ebay unsupervised. It’s the internet and there are weird people everywhere. There are also weird people in OPW, like Graham Clauson who has a whole ass manager to fight for him because he can’t talk to people himself, not in any way that isn’t disrespectful and entitled.
The boat sound shuts off as Xavier pulls up into the depths just beyond the beach and drops anchor. Jumping into the water, he swims to the shore and is greeted by the girls who embrace him despite the fact that he’s wet. Xavier walks up to the table, slaps Call on the back of the head, and grabs a strawberry from his plate. He looks down at Ripley, and introduces himself as ‘Funcle X’ and shakes her hand. Alexis tells her to sanitize her hand before she eats. Xavier gives her a ‘really?’ look, to which she responds ‘ocean water. Relax.’ Xavier compliments the kids shoes, and sits down, grabbing the pitcher of orange juice and looking for a bottle of Vodka, daring not to say her name. X gives up on the booze and takes a drink of the juice, trying to stop himself from blurting out the wrong thing.
Xavier Wolf
“ So how’s the break up going? “
Alexis, Ciara, Rose, and Call all look to Vincent. Ripley is too busy opening her toys and showing them to Call who is not yet over the shock of what he just heard. The first thing she puls out is a mini package of toilet paper, which is what Graham should use to wipe his mouth since all he does is talk shit.
Alexis Austin
“ You guys broke up? “ She says, her voice weak like Graham’s list of accolades that people actually care about.
Vincent Black
“ Yes. I made a decision. I thought I was doing the right thing. And when I tried to explain to her, she told me to get out, and that she never wanted to see me again. “
The entire table looks at Vincent and while most of them are understanding, Xavier is practically bursting at the seams. His eyes fill with tears the way Graham’s do when he realizes he’s not being overlooked but looked directly at and found wanting.
Xavier Wolf
“ ..you moron. That’s not a break up. That’s a fight. “
Alexis Austin
“ Did she make you turn in your key? “
Vincent Black
“ What key? “
Alexis Austin
“ The key to her apartment? “
Vincent Black
“ There isn’t a door, why would I need a key? “
Xavier Wolf
“ Ok. So you guys had a fight, she told you she never wanted to see you again. Did she walk away? “
Vincent Black
“ Yes. She went back inside. “
Xavier Wolf
“ ...did she shut the door all the way? “
Vincent Black
“ No, she left it open. “
The children, Alexis, and Xavier all practically groan at the same time. Call even shakes his head in disapproval. Vincent sits back and looks over at Haffassah who is also shocked into disbelief. Almost as if he had seen Graham Clauson cut a promo on something that mattered in OPW and not whatever the fuck he was usually talking about.
Xavier Wolf
“ Vin...you love her. You may have to beg. “
Vincent Black
“ There’s no way she’s going to forgive me. “
Xavier Wolf
“ Is it worth finding out for sure? “
Vincent mulled this over as the day went on, but tried his best to keep it out of his mind like how Graham thinks he’s being kept out of the spotlight. Only in the case of the former, it was impossible because of how much Vincent cared about Vhodka, where as the second part was impossible due to how little everyone cared about Graham. And when the sun set and the kids went to sleep, and Vincent headed out to the helicopter, promising to be back by morning. Alexis and Xavier took bets on how well this might go, with both sure he was coming back with extra colors under his eyes or less teeth in his mouth.
3 Hours later and Vincent was driving toward Vhodka’s apartment, Rehearsing all the things he’d say to her, all the things he’d hoped she’d hear. And as these things tend to, a phone call came in that brought him out of the rehearsing and into a live situation.
JJ Starfire
“ Vin? “
Vincent Black
“ JJ. “
JJ Starfire
“ ..are you like, around at all? “
Vincent Black
“ I’m actually on my way to the apartment. What’s going on? “
JJ Starfire
“ Well..Asher is kinda being arrested. “
Vincent Black
“ ...of course he is. Are the cops there? “
JJ Starfire
“ Yeah, they’re putting him in the backseat of the car now. “
Vincent Black
“ Can you tell me what precinct the car is from? “
JJ Starfire
“ Says NYPD.. “
Vincent Black
“ JJ...nevermind, I’ll...just...fuck. “
Vin accelerates and whips around a corner, darting down a side road at an intense speed. Coming around another corner, he comes straight in the path of the cop car, and pulls the e-break, stopping it in it’s tracks. Stepping out, he smacks the hood of the car and challenges the cop to get out. The officer stands up, and looks exhausted before he even speaks. Greeting Vincent by name, he walks to the front of the car, and the two begin to argue. The cop informs Vincent that someone called the cops due to a noise complaint. Vincent informs the cop that it’s not an arrestable offense. The cop says Asher was confrontational. Vincent says everyone is because cops are bastards. It goes back and forth like this for 15 minutes before Vincent makes it clear that the only thing that’s going to change is the amount of paperwork they’re going to do for a case that is going to be dropped by morning. The cops finally give up, and let Asher out of the car. Vincent points to his car and Asher gets in, Sitting in the back with his head in his hands. Pulling away, Vincent waits until the cops are out of sight before he slams on the breaks, puts the car in park, and looks back at Asher.
Asher
“ Dunwanna hear it, yeah? I fucked up, I lost me cool. Old lady across the lane had no right callin the bobbies like she did. Half a mind t- “
Vincent Black
“ Asher. “
Asher
“ ..yeh? “
Vincent Black
“ What happened? “
Asher
“ ...I fucked up, Vin. I... “
Asher looked up to see Vin was no longer in the drivers seat, but was now sitting next to him in the back. Lighting two cigarettes, he handed one to Asher and took a deep pull from his own, cranking down the window while he exhaled.
Vincent Black
“ Explain. “
Asher
“ When I got your card, I put it in me pocket and said whatevs. I had no need for whatever it was you were offering. But then I was at me plugs house. And he was watching us, OPW, and what not. And I saw her. I saw Demi. “
Vincent Black
“ And you fell in love? “
Asher
“ Not quite. See...When I was a kid, my father got in some trouble. I’m not sure the kind or the person it was with, but I do know that one night, my sister and I got woken up by our mum. Say we gots to go, there’s a problem with the house. ‘Cept she doesn’t take us to a motel or a friend's house, she takes us to an airport. We get on a plane to the US, and soon as we land, she tells us an aunt is coming to get us. She gets back on a plane and flies away. My sister and I watched the plane leave, and then suddenly my sister tried to run after it. I tried to keep up, but she was gone. Security guard grabbed me and asked where my parents were...Ended up in a group home on account of... “ Asher references himself with his hand. “ Me whole entire life I’ve been looking for me sister, and when I saw Demi, I thought, it’s her. I found her. And then I remembered your card. And I figured for once in my life, the fates, they aligned for Asher. Flood waters be damned, I had on me short pants, right? ‘Cept I plucked a hair from her head, and sent it for a DNA test. Spent the rest of me Kal money on it. Now I know she’s not me sister. And I’m as alone as I’ve been, and no closer to finding her. And I wasted all me time, and money, and your money, on a bitch that isn’t even related to me. And what’s even funnier, not the first time it’s happened. Something about me, I just see her face in certain women, even when it don’t make no sense. She is...the third Lily I’ve met. “
Vincent Black
“ That...that is hilarious. Jesus christ. “
Asher
“ Real funny. “
Vincent Black
“ Could be worse. You could’ve told her what you assumed she wanted to hear and ended up destroying her because you were a fucking shut-in emotionally. At least you were brave enough for your shit. I was a fucking coward. “
Asher
“ You were a cunt. “
Vincent Black
“ I was a cunt. I am still a cunt. “
Asher
“ Dizzy miss, what’d you do? She’s right pissed. “
Vincent Black
“ She came to me, we were both kids. We were messing around. She was dating someone, I was dating someone. We both hated the idea of kids. We had discussed it. But then she got pregnant. And what I wanted to say was ‘we aren’t ready for this. We have only just begun. We need time. We need space. We have other people. But the words fell out before I could say them and what I actually said was ‘kill i- “
Asher
“ Fucking hell, are you mental?? Like that mental? You said this to someone? Someone you cared about? Fuck me. “
Vincent Black
“ Asher. I have been with two women in my life. And I have hurt both of them more than I can stand. But there is nothing I can do for either of them. I made my choice. I wanted to try to apologize, but I don’t even know how. “
Asher
“ ...I can help you. “
Vincent Black
“ You can help me? Since when do you help me? “
Asher
“ You plucked me from the gutter, you saved me from a mugging, you’ve gotten me help to be successful and you have, for whatever reason, faith in my ability. You’ve done a lot for me. It’s time I did something back. “
Vincent Black
“ Ok. How? “
Asher
“ You’re going to apologize. You’re gonna confess you were wrong, and that you’ll spend the rest of your life making up for it. That you know you’re not perfect but for you, she is, and you’ll do anything to keep her. I say shit like that to people all the time and it works, but it’ll be easy for you because you’ll mean it. “
Vincent Black
“ I can try. But..How do I get her here. “
Asher
“ Heh. “ Asher pulls out his phone, and swipes through his contacts. Vincent sees that ‘Dizzy Mama’ is Vhodka’s contact info. He almost wants to know what his is, but he quickly decides against that. “ Miss, I need you right off. Got a big issue only you can help. Noelle is being very mea-...she’s on the way. She didn’t even hang up, I fink she just dropped the phone. “
Vincent and Asher step out of the car, and walk around the corner to the apartment. Vin sits on the steps, and waits for Vhodka to show up, as Asher heads up stairs to pick up his room, and see what he’s broken. Vincent takes a deep breath and lets out a confession without even noticing.
Vincent Black
“ ..I’ve no idea what I’m going to say. “
Asher
“ Start with ‘ello, end with' I'm sorry. Figure out the middle as you go. And Vin. Thanks for tonight. Could’ve went sideways. But you were there. Again. I may just end up liking you. “
Vincent Black
“ Don’t ruin it. “ As Asher is about to enter the building, Vin snaps his head back and looks at him. “ We’re going to find your sister. I give you my word. You concentrate on your training, I’ll handle the hunt. “
Asher
“ Thought you said hunt; was already to fetch Noelle. “
Asher hustled up the stairs, and Vincent Black sat on the steps, waiting for the car to pull up, and for this crazy, sexy, maniac to climb out and tell him where to go, how to get there, and what props he should sit on before, during, and after. And as these things usually go, his mind wanders to someone else. To Graham Clauson, the human equivalent of an air horn. A man who is subpar, not by talent, but by his actions. Real elite, those that belong at the top, don’t have to boast about how good they are, or were, in some previous promotion. The ones who are worth the attention, and the status, they don’t talk about it. They are about it. Graham Clauson is a sporadic performer who is only popular at certain moments. He’s not a hersey’s chocolate bar, he’s peppermint bark. Seasonal, and worth half as much as he was once the moment ends. Vincent had thought by throwing the children in his path, he would get them some much needed experience, and give him some people at his level to fight with. But the more he watched Graham put his hands on the future of this business, the more he wanted to pull the leech of this business off by it’s face.
And now the time had come to do just that. The days of ducking the loudest of mouths and the most worthless of asses had finally come. And if Graham did not play his end right, this wouldn’t be the first battle that they shared, But it could be his last.