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X-treme Wrestling Federation » Warfare Boards » Warfare RP Board
The Session: RP 1
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Thaddeus Duke Offline
Lionhearted
Management Lv. 2


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Some of everyone

(cheered; very rarely plays dirty but isn't lame either; many likable qualities)


#1
05-11-2021, 09:12 PM


Office of Dr. Lewis DeVille || Midtown Manhattan – New York City || 10:57AM


It’s difficult to describe exactly what all of this means to me and I don’t really expect anyone to understand it. I still feel guilty, feeling as if I’m keeping Dolly from other things. More important things than sitting in New York City listening to me babble on to my shrink about God knows what. She could be back at Coreytopia running Corey’s commune, but instead she chose to stay with me. To look after me. To help me. To attempt to keep my head on straight and there’s a lot of times that that in and of itself is an arduous task. Some of it maybe, I think is because she’s been where I am and maybe she just doesn’t want to see her best friend free fall to the fucking bottom.

If I said it once, I’ve said it a dozen times, her willingly choosing to press pause and put her life on hold for me is a bit overwhelming. Though her love and continued support of me is a larger debt than even I can repay.

Dolly sits beside me in the waiting room outside Lewis DeVille’s office. She waits patiently while my right leg is bouncing all over the place as my anxiety skyrockets in anticipation. Soon, she forcefully places her hand on my leg.

”STAHP!”

”Stop what?”

”Shaking yer damn leg, it’s making me nervous,” she informs me as she tries hard not to smile.

”Oh, sorry,” I say as she retrieves her hand. ”Come in with me.”

”I don’t think I’m allowed,” she says, shooting a half smile in my direction in the process.

”Thaddeus,” says DeVille’s receptionist. ”The Doctor is in.”

”That’s creepily similar to Dawk,” she observes.

”Isn’t it though?”

”Did you pick this guy because of the similarities?”

I shrug.

Grabbing Dolly by her hand I about drag her into Lewis’s office right along with me. She protests physically, but not very well as we enter DeVille’s office.

”Thaddeus,” he extends his hand to me. ”And who’s this lovely young lady?” he asks.

”Dolly Waters, Dawk,” she answers.

THE Dolly Waters?” he asks as he faces me.

”The one and only,” I answer with a light chuckle.

”My my, Miss Waters,” he greets her with a gaze of wonder. ”I’ve heard so much about you,” he says to her as he shakes her hand.

”REALLY?” she asks politely while turning her head toward me and giving me a “what the fuck Thad?” look.

I get that a lot, honestly.

In response, I shoot her a guilty grin.

”She’s gonna sit in today,” I inform DeVille.

”Now that’s highly irregular,” he says as he ponders in thought.

”It beats having to explain things twice,” I say with a shrug.

”It’s your hour,” he relents with a shrug of his own as he retreats behind his desk. ”Miss Waters, please feel free to take a seat over there,” he says as he sits, pointing to a chair against the wall. Dolly quickly takes a seat and for the moment, she can’t really take her eyes off me as I lie back on the lounger.

”How are we feeling today, Thaddeus?” he asks as he begins the routine questioning portion of our session.

”Kind of content today,” I say with my hands clasped behind my head and almost instinctively I start to count the dots on the ceiling tile like I had so many times previously. ”It’s easier when there’s someone you care about supporting you.”

”Miss Waters?” he asks the obvious.

”Mmmhmm.”

”Did you do your homework?” Dolly’s ears perk up.

”Uhhh no,” I answer shamefully.

”Thaddeus,” he says disapprovingly. ”You were instructed to call your father and discuss with him your issues regarding your mother. If you can’t do that, then I’m afraid these sessions will be rather unproductive.”

”I was going to, but then I talked to Liz and we were taking about the babies, then Dolly showed up and by then it just got too late to call him.”

”I see,” DeVille says as he jots something down in his notebook. ”Your relationship with Elizabeth,” DeVille prefaces. ”Where does that stand?”

Taking an elongated pause to consider his question and give a thoughtful answer, I release a little sigh.

”I guess it doesn’t really stand on anything,” I begin. ”We’re friends, of course.”

”And you still believe that breaking off your romantic relationship with her was the best course of action you could’ve taken?”

THUMP!

”It was necessary,” I answer quickly.

”Why?”

THUMP!

”Because I haven’t been myself for months, Doc. My anger didn’t start when I lost Frankie,” I admit to him and I’m not sure I’ve come to that conclusion previously.

”When do you think it began?”

THUMP!

What the FUCK is that thumping!?

”Around Christmas,” I answer after a short pause. ”A little after perhaps.”

”You’re certain of that?” he asks, causing me to pause a moment.

THUMP!

”Not in the moment,” I try to clarify. ”Only looking back now I see something was different.”

”What was it?” DeVille asks. ”What was different?”

Laying here quietly for a long while, I try to gather my thoughts. I try to recall what happened around Christmas. Elizabeth left me for cheating and I certainly didn’t blame her for that. I found out I was going to be a father. Not to Frankie, but to natural born children- that shouldn’t make a difference, but it does. I love Frankie, and he’ll be home sometime soon, but no matter how much I’d like it to be the case, I’ll never be his actual father.

My father joined us in Scotland over the holiday for the occasion.

THUMP!

”Yes Thaddeus,” comes the voice of my dead grandfather from behind me. ”What was different?”

I sit up quickly in the lounger and look behind me. Asmodeus sits in a chair as he stabs his cane gently into the floor. That was the thumping I heard. Fearing that they’ll think I’ve gone crazy for a second, I turn to Doctor DeVille, then to Dolly, then back to my grandfather. Neither of the two living breathing humans seem to be aware that there’s someone else in the room.

Well…

Kinda.

”My fathers presence,” I answer, both to my shrink and to my grandfather as I sit up on the lounger and look directly at Asmodeus. Dolly and the okay Doctor both lean forward in their chairs.

”Thad?” Dolly calls out quietly and I look toward her. DeVille holds up his hand, calling Dolly off and she shrinks back into her seat.

”Miss Waters,” DeVille says quietly. ”He’s mentioned this several times, yet I’ve never witnessed it. This is intriguing.”

”Mentioned what?” she inquires curiously.

”Conversations with the dead,” DeVille answers.

”And the reason that angers you boy?” Asmodeus asks and I snap my head back to him.

”Because he killed my mother,” I answer quietly. ”On your orders.” Try as I might, my demeanor switches from calm and collected to undeniable anger.

”That he did,” Asmodeus replies as he leans against his cane. ”Do I detect some disdain from you?”

”I wasn’t trying to hide it sir,” I reply to him respectfully.

”I created you and this is the thanks I get?” he asks rhetorically. ”I had that damn woman killed for treason Thaddeus!

“Treason!”
he repeats with the vigor of any horrible German dictator.

”That doesn’t make any sense,” I argue with a look of disgust on my face.

”Enlighten me dear boy,” he insists scornfully as he stands up from the chair. ”What about it makes no sense? What about the woman you never really knew tells you that she would not commit treason?” he asks, staring me down from his standing position.

I stand to meet him. I am not the same fifteen year old boy he used to intimidate simply by his presence. Things have changed since then. I have changed since then. His eyes at my chest, he raises them to my eye level.

”You reminded me of your father just now,” he thinks aloud to himself with a bit of humility evident in his voice. I grit my teeth in response, neglecting to verbalize my vitriol for that particular comment.

”Always, if I pushed too far, he’d stand up, just like you did now,” he begins to explain. ”He’d tower over me, just like you’re doing now,” he says as he takes a step back.

”SIT!” I shout to him. My demeanor catches him a little off guard, Dolly and DeVille too. Asmodeus takes a step back before returning to his seat. ”What I know about my mother,” I begin, adopting a more even tone of voice. ”Is that she was fiercely loyal, and would kill for her son.”

”You have her eyes, you know,” he says quietly.

”Don’t do that,” I say to him before continuing on. ”She knows who I am, Grandfather. She knows I was the heir to every god damn thing you built! Lock, stock and barrel. And you expect me to believe that my mother traded secrets with our enemies in betrayal of you?

“And by rights, betrayal of my father?

“Further still, betrayal of me?”


”You have her smile too,” he says as he leans forward against his cane.

”STOP DOING THAT!” I shout before snatching his cane from his grip.

”If your problem is with me Thaddeus, then why so much anger toward your father?” he asks and for the longest time, I’ve considered this question and I’ve never had an answer.

Until now.

”Because he was weak and stupid and easily manipulated,” I conclude quickly. ”And I’m DONE...” I whip his cane across the room and it rattles against the wall and falls to the floor. Out of the corner of my eye I can see Dolly leap from her chair to retrieve the cane that shouldn’t be there. ”...letting you try and manipulate me from the fucking grave you’re rotting in.”

”Who’s the girl?” he asks as Dolly races back to her seat with his cane in her hand.

”The best thing that’s ever happened to me,” I answer.

”A lover?” he asks with a raise of his eyebrow.

I consider his question a moment before shaking my head.

”Will you take some advice from your poor dead grandfather?” he asks but I say nothing. ”Leave the skeletons in the closet.”

I shoot him a perplexed look.

”Your mother is dead and buried, Thaddeus. Nothing you do from now on will change that.”

”I’m right,” I surmise aloud. Asmodeus says nothing. ”You lied to my father.”

”This is Pandora’s Box, Thaddeus. Once it’s opened, it can never be closed again,” he warns.

”You manipulated him,” I say stoically. ”You lead him to believe my mother was something she wasn’t. And he was never strong enough to resist you.”

”I didn’t, but even if I had done that boy…”

”Tell me Grandfather… where are my mothers remains?”

He sits quietly, shifting uncomfortably in his chair.

”Hmmm?”

”Caitlyn rests beneath the Basilica,” he answers. ”Not far from me. Not far from Jacob.”

I smile briefly.

”I’m naming my daughter Caitlyn,” I inform him and I can see his jaw clench at the revelation. ”And one day when I leave this world… YOUR Illuminatus will be ruled by my children.”

”Naturally,” he says with a bit of condescension in his voice.

”Does that make you angry?” I ask with a cocky smile. ”Does the thought of a Caitlyn Duke ruling your empire make your skin crawl? Does the thought of an orphaned child without a drop of Duke blood running your military make your own blood boil?”

Asmodeus removes his glasses and wipes them with his shirt before replacing them on his face.

”Maybe none of them will get the chance,” I say as I throw out my arms. ”Maybe when I defeat McGovern, I’ll just splinter the Illuminatus into a million pieces and scatter it to the wind.”

”You would never,” he says as he tried and ultimately failed to fight the urge to say it.

”I’m gonna learn the truth Asmodeus,” I say as I plop down on the lounger.

”I’m afraid dear boy, that your perception of reality is flawed,” he says as he leans forward. ”Suppose for a moment that you’re right and I concocted the whole thing. Assume I lied to your father and manipulated him into killing your mother.

“If that were true, anyone that would have known anything has long since passed on.”


”You foolish idiot,” I say as I lean my elbow against the lounger. ”I have friends in very high places.”

”Leave it… alone,” he warns.

”And who’s gonna stop me?”

Asmodeus dissipates before my eyes. Leaning forward, I rest my elbows on my knees and my forehead in my upturned palms as DeVille clears his throat and Dolly runs her fingers over the ornate carvings in the antique hickory cane.

Silence befalls the room for what seems like an eternity when in all reality, it’s likely just a few minutes. Part of me is embarrassed for Dolly having witnessed my conversations with the dead. Another part of me, maybe even a larger part, is relieved that I never have to try and explain it to her again. She’s seen it first hand now so from now on at least, I shouldn’t get the suspect looks.

Further… I pulled that cane from whatever reality Asmodeus exists in and now it rests in actual reality.

”The engravings are very intricate,” Dolly says, cutting through the silence like a knife. DeVille and I both look toward her and at once she withdraws within herself, uncomfortable with the attention on her.

”It supposedly belonged to George Washington,” I say quietly. Perhaps my embarrassment isn’t entirely gone. ”Like a lot of things, I suspect that’s a lie too. My grandfather thought himself a revolutionary so that’s why he acquired that. Really, I think maybe he was just a lunatic old man.”

”It’s interesting,” DeVille interrupts, drawing my attention from Dolly to him. ”You’ve talked for months and months about your father… about your mother… you mention your grandfather from time to time yet you’ve never explicitly mentioned your conversations with the dead being with your grandfather.”

”Sure I have,” I fire back quickly.

”No Thaddeus,” he replies with a shake of his head. ”I would have noted that and wanted to discuss it with you. I’ve asked repeatedly if there were particular people you spoke to when these talks came about and you’ve never once failed to give me the famous Thaddeus dismissive avoidance non-answer: what does it matter?”

”Hmmm,” I mumble aloud, considering his argument for a moment. ”I don’t know, maybe.”

”Can you recall precisely what’s going on in your life when these… let’s call them ‘appearances’… occur?”

Thinking back, I can recall at least a half-dozen ‘appearances’, as he calls them, of my grandfather. I know there’s far more than that, but those that stick out in my memory are the ones that concern my mother, and those that concern the future of the Illuminatus.

”Is it possible they’re stress induced?” I ask of him.

”That’s very likely the case,” he replies as he pulls out his prescription pad and begins scribbling. ”But until you’re ready to talk about those specifically, it’s difficult to say for certain.”

”What are you doing?”

”Writing you a prescription,” he answers as he finishes scribbling.

”Prescription for what?”

”We’re about out of time,” he says, ignoring my inquiry. ”These appearances… they don’t just come about when you’re thinking or talking about your mother, do they?”

Initially I hesitate to answer, then shake my head.

”On the plane when you and Francis were hijacked, did you have another one there?”

I hesitate again, then nod.

”The attack on your house a couple years ago?”

Again I nod.

”I definitely think they’re stress induced,” he begins. ”To expand a little further, they’re also happening when you’re seeking guidance and you’re unsure of what your next move needs to be. To be clear, I don’t think you’re really having conversations with your deceased grandfather, Thaddeus.

“I think you’re imagining in your head what a conversation with him might be like because you said yourself a dozen times that you had him on a pedestal when he was alive.”


Saying nothing for the moment, I roll my eyes and stand up. Walking toward Dolly, she raises her eyes to meet mine as I grab the cane from her hand.

”Imaginary Doc?” I ask with a bit of anger. ”Care to explain how a manifestation in my head produced a physical object?” I ask as I look at him, twirling the cane in my fingers like a baton.

This time, he falls silent. Instead of answering, he comes out from behind his desk as he tears off the prescription. Coming toward me, he waves the page in my face.

”I’ll be doing research on that for… a minute...”

”What’s the prescription for?” I ask of him as I try and fail to make out his handwriting.

”A stress reliever,” he answers.

”Mahjong?” I question, still trying to make it out as Dolly rips the slip from my hand. ”I feel like Mahjong would be a stress enhancer,” I say facetiously. ”Gotta clear all those tiles quickly.”

”Marijuana,” she says before stuffing the slip into my pocket.

I’m reminded suddenly of the edibles Corey and I accidentally ate on our way to Vegas. ”Uhhhh no, I’m good. Thanks.”

”You don’t have to fill that prescription if you’re not comfortable with it,” he says as he retreats behind his desk again. ”But I’d rather not pump you full of pharmaceuticals when so much of your life relies upon you being clear headed.”

”I’ve been stoned off my ass before Doc. Clear headed is exactly the opposite of what I was.”

”Just think about it,” he says as he extends his hand toward me. After a shake, Dolly and I head for the door. ”Miss Waters it was truly a pleasure meeting you, finally.”

”Likewise,” she says a bit uncomfortably.

”And Thaddeus?” he says as we’re stepping into the waiting room. ”Do make time to discuss things with your father. If nothing else, I’m sure he’d welcome your company.”

Saying nothing, Dolly and I head out. She’s seen far more than anyone else in my life about what exactly is going on in my head and I’m not sure how I feel about that. On one hand, it’s a relief that someone I care about has witnessed it. On the other, maybe it’ll send her running as fast as she can back to the “sanity” of Coreytopia.

I mean, I’d totally understand if she chose the latter. Hell, I want to run from it all the damn time myself.



Thaddeus wins.

It’s something I’ve grown accustomed to over the course of my career. Over the last few months I’ve certainly had my fair share of key losses too, but the one constant is that no matter how much I get knocked down... No matter what title is taken from me… No matter what, I just keep being me. I just keep getting back to my feet and I just keep ticking.

My game isn’t perfect and no one’s is. If they claim it, just know they’re lying. One of the things I take pride in, whether I win or lose this match or that match... this title or that title… I know I’m one of the most difficult challenges for any man or woman in this company to overcome. To be honest, that being Thaddeus Duke, being one of the stiffest challengers in the sport today, might give a run for its money to even holding championships. Titles come and go, victories and losses come and go… but being money on a card... being the bankable star that I am and giving everyone the fight of their lives is what legends are made of.

I’m just 22 years old and I’ve nearly done it all in the XWF. Excluding Anarchy of course. No disrespect to that show or those that compete on it, but my star power out-shined Anarchy since the day I was born. It only grew and got brighter once I debuted in the XWF and by the time Anarchy made its debut, I was just far too big for that show. So while I haven’t exactly nearly done it all, I’ve nearly done everything that truly matters. And at Leap of Faith, I’ll put a pin in it for all time. When I take R.L. Edgar’s Hart title from Ned Kaye, I’ll have done everything I set out to do in this company by winning everything that matters.

I know it might sound conceited or narcissistic, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t true.

Why does any of this mean anything?

Because Ned Kaye thought he was being sly. He thought he was getting in my head when he preemptively challenged me to face Stone and Cooper in a handicap match with winning a prerequisite for my ability to challenge Ned Kaye at Leap of Faith.

So on Warfare, I did what I do best and that’s refuse to stay down. The odds were certainly not in my favor and I would have had a clean quick victory if not for a little timely interference from Dean Rose. I’m not one to make excuses, but I also call a spade a spade. Facts matter and the biggest fact that matters to me concerning EXP, Ned Kaye, Avalanche and last Warfare is the fact that they gave me everything they had and they couldn’t get the job done. Kaye doubted their chances for victory so much that he called an audible and decided to orchestrate a four on one assault on me instead. Of course, gifting me the victory and by stipulation, granting me the Hart title opportunity I’ve had my eye on since the moment I stepped back inside the XWF nearly a year ago.

The Hart title has been on my mind so the mask was still on my face.

So Ned himself causes EXP to get disqualified? Talk about signing your own fucking death warrant.

The mistake they made, was allowing me to continue to breathe because I’m still standing. Still fighting. Still winning.

You know who’s not winning?

Demos.

Listen, this guy came in red hot. He was so hot that he racked up victory after victory after victory over a general who’s not of the XWF. One by one, he took down this guy no one remembers and that guy no one cared about. I mean, this horse has been beaten to death so badly that it’s turned to glue about seven times over, but anytime the stakes were really high, anytime Demos or Charlie Nickles or whatever he chooses to call himself this week had a real match against a bonafide legitimate competitor… ole Demos went down for the count.

Why?

Because he was a one trick pony and anyone worth their salt knew it. He was a flash in the pan newcomer that was nothing more than the flavor of the month and we all knew that too. Demos is a one trick pony that spawned into a three trick pony but the fact of the matter is real simple: three isn’t always bigger than one. Sometimes, when you’re real, when you’re just you, one is far bigger than three.

Demos isn’t splitting atoms, he’s splitting hairs.

He’s basically a vocal version of Mickey Kinkade. And you know exactly what I mean. Demos releases promos so at least he cares about it. At least he shows up and y’all know he was gonna drop promos acknowledging the fact he has a damn match that week. I mean, it’s Demos. There’s no paycheck too small for that man. I mean, the guy shows up on just about every Warfare, every Savage, and I don’t know if he shows up on Anarchy much or not but I know he was there recently.

I know who his opponent was.

I know who the victor and the loser was.

I know why he went there.

See, Demos has been on this massive losing streak of late. I mean, if there’s a match with Demos in it, put your money on the other guy because the dude just ain’t getting it done right now and that’s not likely to change next week on Warfare.

Demos knows he’s been on this streak too. I mean, he’d have to be completely oblivious to every god damn thing around him not to notice and I’d venture to gamble that he went to Anarchy in hopes of picking up an easy victory over an easy opponent in something something Oswald, whatever the fuck his name is these days.

What happened?

Demos went and laid the equivalent of himself- a sack of shit- in the middle of the ring and Oswald walked out victorious. It’s quite literally the biggest win of that mans career and definitely Demos’ most embarrassing defeat.

As an aside, XWF brass… how bout a new item in the XWF Shop? Demos’ Most Embarrassing Losses.

Charge a nickle.

Even plays right into his anti-capitalism shtick that quite literally came out of nowhere. Dude pulled that shit out of his ass out of desperation and everyone knows it, no one bought it, no one will buy it, and ole Demos needs to go back to the drawing board because clearly whatever he’s doing just isn’t working.

Ladies, gentlemen, children of a certain age… let’s face it, Demos isn’t approved for all audiences… it’s Demos versus Thaddeus Duke. It’s in the House That Duke Built. Call your bookies and bet the house on your Lionheart.




[Image: yIk6jXf.png]

[Image: wgqr9W2.png]
74-31-1
Semi-Retired


1x  XWF Universal Champion || 3x  XWF Xtreme Champion || 1x  XWF Supercontinental Champion (First)
1x  XWF Hart Champion (Last) || 2x  XWF Television Champion || 1x  XWF Tag Team Champion
1x  OCW Savage Champion || 1x IIW Tag Team Champion  || 2x  SOTM (9/20, 7/21)
2021 Male Wrestler of the Year (shared w/ Alias) || XWF Hall of Legends
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