Post by War / Slate on Aug 16, 2021 0:50:35 GMT -5
June 1st, 2018; 3:24PM
Beep.
You have (1) message.
"Dr. Kholman? This is Joseph... Joseph A'sau. From Carnage Wrestling?"
"It's been a few weeks since I heard back from you. I know it takes awhile for test results but, y'know..."
"...getting a little antsy over here. Get back to me when you can, alright?"
November 28th, 2018; 5:53PM
Beep.
You have (1) new message.
"Hi, this is Joseph A'sau calling for a Dr. Brooks? I'm a competitor signed to Carnage Wrestling, and uh..."
"...I'm looking for a second opinion. I guess your office is probably closed because of the holiday."
"My bad. I'm faxing some papers over for when you're in next. I really need to get this sorted out."
"Last guy I contacted about this didn't know what the fuck he was talking about."
"Get back to me when you can, alright? Not to sound pushy but... my livelihood is sort of at stake."
"Talk to you soon."
January 13th, 2019; 1:43PM
Beep.
You have (1) new message.
"Hey, I'm calling for Dr. Anderson?"
"Listen, I know the spiel you're gonna try to give me already, okay?"
"I know that's why you're avoiding my calls. You think telling me in person will be easier."
"Look I know that you think this is inevitable, but it fucking isn't okay?"
"I am fine.. or I will be fine rather. I just need to to sign off on me so I can go back to work."
"It's just a piece of paper, alright? I'll be in tomorrow like we agreed."
May 23rd, 2019; 4:51PM
Beep.
You have (1) new message.
"Okay, I've about had it with you people not picking up the goddamn phone."
"Dr. Weiss? You're the fourth doctor I've seen about this, as you probably already fuckin' realize."
"Save your speeches. Save your recommendations."
"Just. Sign. The. Paper."
"I don't have time for you to wax poetic about this. I don't care what any of you coats think anymore."
"Just let me go back to wrestling, alright? Then I'll be out of your hair."
October 9th, 2019; 5:43AM
Beep.
You have (1) new message.
"Not you too."
"Weeks of unreturned calls. I guess I should have known."
"Well, guess what? I don't give a shit."
"I'm gonna keep trying until one of you pulls your head out of your goddamn ass."
"You hear me?! I am NOT gonna let this be the end!"
"..."
"I can't. I promised. I..."
"..."
February 12th, 2020; 7:13PM
Beep.
You have (1) new message.
"Just let me go home."
"What do you fucking want, huh? You want me to beg?"
"You want money? I can get you money."
"I..."
"I need this. DON'T YOU PEOPLE GET IT?!"
"I'm nothing without this. I have nothing without this."
"This is all I am, you fucking assholes!"
"PICK UP THE FUCKING PHONE!"
April 1st, 2021; 7:00PM
Beep.
You have (1) new message.
"..."
"..."
"It's gone."
"..."
"..."
"Thanks for nothing."
Beep.
You have (1) message.
"Dr. Kholman? This is Joseph... Joseph A'sau. From Carnage Wrestling?"
"It's been a few weeks since I heard back from you. I know it takes awhile for test results but, y'know..."
"...getting a little antsy over here. Get back to me when you can, alright?"
November 28th, 2018; 5:53PM
Beep.
You have (1) new message.
"Hi, this is Joseph A'sau calling for a Dr. Brooks? I'm a competitor signed to Carnage Wrestling, and uh..."
"...I'm looking for a second opinion. I guess your office is probably closed because of the holiday."
"My bad. I'm faxing some papers over for when you're in next. I really need to get this sorted out."
"Last guy I contacted about this didn't know what the fuck he was talking about."
"Get back to me when you can, alright? Not to sound pushy but... my livelihood is sort of at stake."
"Talk to you soon."
January 13th, 2019; 1:43PM
Beep.
You have (1) new message.
"Hey, I'm calling for Dr. Anderson?"
"Listen, I know the spiel you're gonna try to give me already, okay?"
"I know that's why you're avoiding my calls. You think telling me in person will be easier."
"Look I know that you think this is inevitable, but it fucking isn't okay?"
"I am fine.. or I will be fine rather. I just need to to sign off on me so I can go back to work."
"It's just a piece of paper, alright? I'll be in tomorrow like we agreed."
May 23rd, 2019; 4:51PM
Beep.
You have (1) new message.
"Okay, I've about had it with you people not picking up the goddamn phone."
"Dr. Weiss? You're the fourth doctor I've seen about this, as you probably already fuckin' realize."
"Save your speeches. Save your recommendations."
"Just. Sign. The. Paper."
"I don't have time for you to wax poetic about this. I don't care what any of you coats think anymore."
"Just let me go back to wrestling, alright? Then I'll be out of your hair."
October 9th, 2019; 5:43AM
Beep.
You have (1) new message.
"Not you too."
"Weeks of unreturned calls. I guess I should have known."
"Well, guess what? I don't give a shit."
"I'm gonna keep trying until one of you pulls your head out of your goddamn ass."
"You hear me?! I am NOT gonna let this be the end!"
"..."
"I can't. I promised. I..."
"..."
February 12th, 2020; 7:13PM
Beep.
You have (1) new message.
"Just let me go home."
"What do you fucking want, huh? You want me to beg?"
"You want money? I can get you money."
"I..."
"I need this. DON'T YOU PEOPLE GET IT?!"
"I'm nothing without this. I have nothing without this."
"This is all I am, you fucking assholes!"
"PICK UP THE FUCKING PHONE!"
April 1st, 2021; 7:00PM
Beep.
You have (1) new message.
"..."
"..."
"It's gone."
"..."
"..."
"Thanks for nothing."
NOW PLAYING: A LIAR'S FUNERAL - SLIPKNOT // SOMEWHERE IN BALTIMORE, MARYLAND. 10PM.
Going to the park was supposed to be nice. Tonight it was just painful.
But Joseph knew it was going to be bad. He'd intentionally taken the long way, done everything he could to irritate the knee. Neglected to take painkillers. 'Forgotten' to put the brace on. The route he'd chosen added an extra hour to his walk before he reached his destination. By then, his leg was throbbing and he'd done it to himself.
He just wanted to feel something other than numb. That was his only real justification.
For the night, he had no responsibilities. Sloan, or Jean now he supposed as she'd finally decided to tell him her real name, was off at a friends for the night. She didn't like staying around the house much anymore, looking for almost any excuse to be somewhere else. Joseph didn't blame her, he knew he was... not great to be around right now. To put it mildly.
He leaned over, palming his knee through his jeans. it was starting to swell a little again... but not as bad as last time. Such a thought might have stuck him with some hope a year or so ago, but now? It was just a fact noted dully in the back of his skull. The idea of 'getting better' didn't really exist anymore. It would require a surgery, and that surgery would end his career. Artificial knee, one that was jsut straight up incapable of doing what he needed this one very real knee to do.
He buried his face in his hands again. What a fucking mess this had become.
He was fucking joke, and not even a funny one. A sad, worthless pile of trash. The world was, effectively, over for him. All gone. What was left was just... shit on the shit pile. What was he, without the fight? Without wrestling? Joseph A'sau, the kid that his own mother never wanted? Joseph A'sau, the guy with the dead daughter? The guy with mostly dead friends? Joseph A'sau, the man who's entire family hated him? Joseph A'sau, the guy that couldn't keep it together to stay consistent to the only company he'd ever really loved? A'sau the idiot. A'sau the liar.
He stood there and told the Legion that he WAS Carnage. He'd told them he was never going away.
Guess that just made them the latest in a long line of people he'd disappointed in his life.
The moment he felt something moist trickle down his cheek, he brushed it away with his thumb. Some toxic part of him refusing, even in this moment, to look weak. Even with nobody around. God, he was a real piece of work.
...
So, this was it huh?
He was just another sad sack that got chewed up by the business. Tore himself apart off and on throughout the years for other people's enjoyment, and now he was just a husk of who he used to be. He'd looked at himself in the morning the other day and... he didn't know who he was looking at. But it wasn't him, not how he remembered himself.
That's right. Keep bitching.
He winced, and tried to push the thoughts away; to no avail.
You've got nothing else to do, after all. It's over. Your world is ending. You remember our solution to this problem from last time, don't you?
There's a flash in his mind. He sees the river, and his jaw tightens.
It almost worked too. But little brother still cared about us back then, pulled us out of the water. But he's not a factor anymore. Now, we could REALLY get it done --
No. None of that. He could be a worthless piece of trash, a sad-sack sulking and rotting away because of what his reality was. But he'd never be that again.
He inhaled, then exhaled. The latter was shaky.
...
Maybe he did have one more card in his hand.
He... he had to do it, didn't he? There really was nothing else for him if he didn't, was there?
Joseph withdrew his phone from his pocket, and slowly dialed the number.
"..."
"Hey, It's Joseph."
"..."
"Yeah. I need a favor."
But Joseph knew it was going to be bad. He'd intentionally taken the long way, done everything he could to irritate the knee. Neglected to take painkillers. 'Forgotten' to put the brace on. The route he'd chosen added an extra hour to his walk before he reached his destination. By then, his leg was throbbing and he'd done it to himself.
He just wanted to feel something other than numb. That was his only real justification.
For the night, he had no responsibilities. Sloan, or Jean now he supposed as she'd finally decided to tell him her real name, was off at a friends for the night. She didn't like staying around the house much anymore, looking for almost any excuse to be somewhere else. Joseph didn't blame her, he knew he was... not great to be around right now. To put it mildly.
He leaned over, palming his knee through his jeans. it was starting to swell a little again... but not as bad as last time. Such a thought might have stuck him with some hope a year or so ago, but now? It was just a fact noted dully in the back of his skull. The idea of 'getting better' didn't really exist anymore. It would require a surgery, and that surgery would end his career. Artificial knee, one that was jsut straight up incapable of doing what he needed this one very real knee to do.
He buried his face in his hands again. What a fucking mess this had become.
He was fucking joke, and not even a funny one. A sad, worthless pile of trash. The world was, effectively, over for him. All gone. What was left was just... shit on the shit pile. What was he, without the fight? Without wrestling? Joseph A'sau, the kid that his own mother never wanted? Joseph A'sau, the guy with the dead daughter? The guy with mostly dead friends? Joseph A'sau, the man who's entire family hated him? Joseph A'sau, the guy that couldn't keep it together to stay consistent to the only company he'd ever really loved? A'sau the idiot. A'sau the liar.
He stood there and told the Legion that he WAS Carnage. He'd told them he was never going away.
Guess that just made them the latest in a long line of people he'd disappointed in his life.
The moment he felt something moist trickle down his cheek, he brushed it away with his thumb. Some toxic part of him refusing, even in this moment, to look weak. Even with nobody around. God, he was a real piece of work.
...
So, this was it huh?
He was just another sad sack that got chewed up by the business. Tore himself apart off and on throughout the years for other people's enjoyment, and now he was just a husk of who he used to be. He'd looked at himself in the morning the other day and... he didn't know who he was looking at. But it wasn't him, not how he remembered himself.
That's right. Keep bitching.
He winced, and tried to push the thoughts away; to no avail.
You've got nothing else to do, after all. It's over. Your world is ending. You remember our solution to this problem from last time, don't you?
There's a flash in his mind. He sees the river, and his jaw tightens.
It almost worked too. But little brother still cared about us back then, pulled us out of the water. But he's not a factor anymore. Now, we could REALLY get it done --
No. None of that. He could be a worthless piece of trash, a sad-sack sulking and rotting away because of what his reality was. But he'd never be that again.
He inhaled, then exhaled. The latter was shaky.
...
Maybe he did have one more card in his hand.
He... he had to do it, didn't he? There really was nothing else for him if he didn't, was there?
Joseph withdrew his phone from his pocket, and slowly dialed the number.
"..."
"Hey, It's Joseph."
"..."
"Yeah. I need a favor."
