Post by TactilizingOne on May 23, 2021 22:58:22 GMT -5
****OFF CAMERA****
FADE IN.
Outside of the Numero 28 Pizzeria in the West Village of New York City, there are a few outdoor tables staged outside the restaurant itself. A yellow sign above the place clearly states, in bold black lettering, “The Original Brick Oven Pizza From Naples” staking its claim to fame, which has worked very well for it over the years. An overhead canopy covers patrons from precipitation, but otherwise there is air circulation to allow people to feel comfortable. On this warm springtime evening, we find Larry Tact and his senior associate, Cesar Salvador Ramon, seated at a table in this outdoor area. It appears they are working on a Diavola pizza with mozzarella, red sauce, and soppressatta; a plate of Ciccio Mario, a type of cheesy rustic bread; and pair of beers, one Lagunitas IPA for Tact, and the other a Brooklyn IPA for Cesar Salvador Ramon. While they work on the food, the two have been talking over their plans for upcoming deals.
CSR: “Looking back, in some ways it feels like the past year has been several years compacted into one. There have been so many stressors and complications. On the other hand, it has been one of the busiest we have had in some time for Tact Enterprises, so I guess things have just been all around chaotic.”
LT: “Yeah, you can definitely think of things that way. It’s been nonstop and we have done well being able to keep our hands steady at the controls. In a way, it reminds me of the year I brought you on, Cesar. It had to have been one of our busiest years, although all those years back, every year had to be busy for us to stay afloat. We didn’t have nearly as much capital, and needed to chase all of our leads to find partnerships as a startup marketing firm.”
CSR: “Yes, it’s not the job I expected to find myself in, really ever. Now we’ve expanded our business model to be more of an investor in other companies, and organizations, but back then you were focused on increasing market share and clientele. You definitely jumped on board advanced metrics and emerging technologies at the right time, to understand how to accurately identify where companies would want to focus their efforts to maximize consumer capture.”
Tact takes a drink of his Lagunitas as CSR has a bite of the pizza.
LT: “Yes, it was a time for innovation, and the information and consultations I had at hand helped direct me to the right opportunities to seize. Bringing you on board was a great relief to me, since it helped bring someone to liaise between our business units and focus our strategies. You have become a key thread the fabric of the business. Your father would be proud, should he have seen this day pass, Cesar. Unfortunately, he allowed his lifestyle to get the better of him.”
CSR: “My father, rest his soul, certainly would never have thought I would end up being like, a top business executive, of all things.”
They both sip from their beverages, and Tact takes a bite of his pizza, observing CSR as he also continues to eat. When CSR looks up, Tact shakes his head and slightly tips the beer bottle towards him a couple times.
LT: “Actually, your father knew you could do anything. He didn’t always make it so clear how great and broad an impact you could make on the world, but he definitely believes you were capable of anything. He was struggling quite a lot towards the end, and had enough trouble gathering his own thoughts and sorting his priorities. He really couldn’t find in himself the capability to take your future into account. I understood as much, though, and that’s why I would never have let you go astray once he passed. I knew there would be a place for you in Tact Enterprises, and I was prepared to take you in, if need be.”
Cesar Salvador Ramon nods, takes a drink, and lets out a sigh.
CSR: “I wish I could have known my father better before he returned to fighting, and all the vices that came with it. His friends said he was a truly genuine man, with a big heart and compassion for those in need. I was young and didn’t want to hear about his day job when I could hang around with my friends on the block, and I took that time for granted. By the time I was in junior high, he was fighting again and started down a dark spiral. I feel like I – I mean, if I had – needless to say, I have a greater appreciation for the seemingly mundane moments, these days.”
Tact finished a slice of pizza while CSR was speaking and finishes his beer as the wait staff comes by. He asks for another round while CSR gulps down his Brooklyn.
LT: “Wouldn’t everyone like to have that kind of hindsight? It would be one hell of a superpower, that’s for sure. I don’t think you can hold that against yourself, ever. Your father was on a path he chose, and the humble truth was he was damn great at what he did. He fought and won many times in the cage, and outside of it. I remember meeting him in an underground club, long ago. He signed up for a fucking bare-knuckle fight, with the ‘ring’ a chalk circle in what amounted to a warehouse. Concrete walls, a concert in another room, and Cesar Sr. knocking a bastard silly. It was quite the spectacle. He just took one too many big bets on himself, and eventually that’ll get even the greatest if they don’t know when to stop.
The next round of beers arrives, and Tact swirls his Lagunitas around a couple times, looking down at it.
LT: “He wasn’t dumb in any sense of the word. If anything, he was too good at what he did, and too confident, even when the toll became too great. He always had the utmost confidence in himself, and you, too.”
Tact looks up, nodding and taking a drink.
CSR: “You may have met him when I was there. Apparently Cesar Sr. would sneak me into those underground clubs and events, for whatever reason. I guess he wanted me to see him do well, it gave him an added thrill. I don’t remember as much of it, though. There are some gaps. Who knows, maybe I repressed some of it.”
CSR chuckles wryly.
LT: “Oh, I must have seen you there a handful of times, yeah. I’m sure Cesar Sr. got a little more juice from having you there, not wanting to lose in front of his kid. He would always know how to play up the crowd whenever he could, somehow. Whether it be to get them riled up along with him, or sometimes if he knew the opponent was among his crowd, your old man would talk shit to them. He would get a hold locked in and look right in the eyes of the front row … and start talking shit at them. Dissing their guy or challenging them to try and stop him. All of it came from a reservoir of pure charisma, though, and people ate it up, regardless if he was being negative or positive towards them. In that sense, he was a showman in his own right, every bit as anyone else in wrestling. He would have made a hell of a wrestler.”
CSR: “You were in the wrestling scene a fair number of years at that point, right?”
Tact takes a drink and nods, chuckling at some reminiscence.
LT: “For sure, I had been World Champion in a company around that time. I was looking around everywhere for potential new talent, and maybe even a little inspiration to grow my own arsenal. I was looking for different ways of approaching matches, and started thinking about the swell of mixed martial arts. I had been studying it for some time by then, already, but was hesitant about straying from a pure technical wrestling game when I was in the ring. It worked well for me, like I said I was wearing a World title, and at least one other title in another company. Why rock the boat?”
CSR continues to work on the dwindling slices of pizza, and his beverage, nodding.
CSR: “So what did my father have to with all that?”
LT: “Well, he was one of the hottest comebacks going. I was curious about seeing a couple of the undercard guys, maybe trying to recruit them for wrestling. Cesar Sr. being the main attraction, he was able to draw a stronger undercard back then. What I realized after that night was not what I expected, going in. He was such a master of his craft, he could have beaten anyone on the card, and maybe in succession. Run the gauntlet type of deal, if that had been the format. The way he worked over the opposition in the cage, it started to show me how viable that hybrid of wrestling and martial arts could be, and perhaps not just in a cage. It really got me thinking about the possibilities for what I could do, seeing this veteran fighter go to work. Really impressive stuff.”
CSR: “I guess I never asked, but did we meet that night?”
LT: “Yeah, we did. We met several times, and your dad and I even helped each other out with a few truly dumb morons, once upon a time. But that’s a story for another time. Let’s polish off the pie and beers and call it for tonight.”
FADE OUT.
****ON CAMERA****
FADE IN.
We find Larry Tact sitting in his home, once again, as he was before Combat Evolved. He is in the same living room, with the couches and recliner surrounding the glass table. He wears a brown polo shirt and stonewashed denim jeans, and has a bottle in hand, covering the label. The camera is facing front-and-center, Tact addressing it directly.
LT: “Honestly, Combat Evolved could be considered a failure and a wake-up call. I did not win the match, I had my bell run by Jenny via a Poison-rana that effectively took me out of the match. I will not be on track to get my shot at the Wisdom title at Dead by Daylight. Most relevant of all, I could not put Eli Goode in the rear mirror. I was quite looking forward to that last one, if I’m being honest.”
He shakes his head, chuckling and taking a swig of the bottle.
“Now, Eli, you get exactly what you wanted. Another shot at making things ‘right’ against me. I can tell how much you truly believe you are the one who has every right to a win over me. It’s truly pathetic, and at EXP I am going to make it so every person in attendance will have no doubt what they see. Don’t get it twisted, though, Eli. There will be blood, maybe even mine, in this one. There will certainly be plenty of yours. That arm is going to be given another round of trauma, consider it the price for all of your incessant bitching and moaning. Lastly, there will certainly be disappointment for the crowd, who so wants you to get that big W. There will be great disappointment for you, as you will slowly come to realize that you never did have what it took to beat me, much less with a bum arm that you ignorantly and insultingly refuse to just rest. I guess it may take another check-in on your phone at Indianapolis General, or whatever po-dunk clinic they have out there, to allow the humble reality to set into your brain. Most importantly, this win is what I apparently need to get the Developer to put some distance between us.”
“Not. A Problem. At EXP, I will put in that work, shed the blood from your body, and deliver the Humbling everyone needs, for closure on this little nagging matter of ours. Rest assured, though, it will be …”
“Tactilizing.”
He smirks and takes a drink, standing up and waving off the camera.
FADE OUT.