Ned Kaye
per cogitabat, per facis
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(gets varying reactions in the arenas, but will be worshiped like a god and defended until the end by internet fans; literally has thousands of online dorks logging on to complain anytime they lose a match or don't get pushed right)
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09-23-2022, 08:58 PM
ooc: Formatting later
The car puttered and whined as Ned accelerated, surrounded by a vast, open sea of grain and hill, swaying softly in the cooling breeze that brought Summer towards Autumn. It was a cheap sedan, the AC barely working, but it did the one thing it needed to do: drive. Kaye took in a deep breath as the wind rushed past his open windows. The last thing he had spoken about with Darce rang through his head, reverberating endlessly as he approached the outskirts where he planned to start heading towards his destination. His hands trembled slightly at the thought, but he had been thinking through it all for a long time and he understood that something had to crack. In short:
He had lugged around so much baggage and history from every little escapade and it had all became too much. Something had to give. Something was going to.
He pulled over to the shoulder, feeling the car vibrate underneath him as it passed over the small speed bump and slowed to a halt, an intersection in view just up ahead. It wasn't lost on him how undesirable this situation was, but he knew he had to buckle down and accept it. He had kicked the can down the road and delayed the inevitable for as long as he could. He was never good at surrendering, to circumstances or anything else. But this was long past the opportunity to decide. He stepped out of the car, his eyes still fixated on the intersection and walked over to one of the stalks of grain, his fingertips dancing against the rough texture as he thought about what was to come next. Which path to choose.
Which tie to sever? What could happen with each?
Avalanche & Steven Cooper
Each step up the stairs of the small apartment building brought a certain level of stress to Ned. It had been a long time since he had even spoken to the man, let alone seen him in person. But it was time to wrap all this up. To close a chapter of his life that existed only as a grand mistake and slap in the face of everything he ever loved and held dear. Bringing his fist upward, Ned knocked on the door, almost desperate not to here a bit of movement on the other side. For a moment, it was eerily silent, Ned's selfish wish to sidestep the affair granted in a dark bit of irony.
But then the door opened.
“Steve,” Ned barely uttered, looking at the worn form of “The Trooper” Steven Cooper, pale and weak looking despite every muscle on his body still being defined. He smiled slightly to see the young man.
“Well ain't that a surprise. Come on in, boss,” Steve replied, clearing his throat slightly as he held the door open wider for Ned to enter.
As Kaye looked around, the place didn't seem to be too different from what he remember Cooper's Avalanche room looking like. He had an odd fondness for the memory, a sort of twisted nostalgia. Regardless of how bad everything was at the time, Steven was one of the few people who was like Ned during that dreadful era. It was hard not to recognize it as a little slice of home to a degree.
“So, what brings you here, kid? Just wanna catch up or finally thank me for dropping you off at that quack's bullshit when things were lookin' rough? Want some coffee?”
“I'll pass.”
“C'mon, I'm not tryin' to give you bourbon or anything. Or are you too good for my kinda coffee after joining Theo's Threesome?”
“I'm... fine, Steve, really. I'm just here to talk,” Ned replied, keeping his voice as professional sounding as possible, to the point of coming off a bit cold. Cooper's eyes narrowed as he put his cup down, walking over to his glass case of wrestling memorabilia.
“So... why is it you're here, then?”
Ned calmed himself with a few steady breaths before looking Cooper in the eyes.
“I'm here to apologize for getting you involved in my personal meltdown.”
“...Excuse me?”
“I was in a bad state of mind and I wasn't myself when I was around you all and I want you to know that I'm deeply sorry for my behavior. You wouldn't have done any of that stuff if I wasn't in a drunken state of chaos.”
“Now wait a sec-”
“And I hope you can forgive me for-”
“I said wait a goddamn sec!” Cooper shouted, interrupting Ned's planned speech. Ned stood there, stunned as Steve coughed somewhat after the outburst.
“Is that what this is? You're gonna go a year without talking to me and decide all of a sudden that everything we went through was just some fake bullshit? You do realize that we were all grown ass men and we didn't just follow your every word like a buncha puppets, right?”
“Steve, that's not what I-”
“Then what is it because it sure as hell isn't, “Thanks for savin' my life Mr. Cooper. I'd be in a ditch if it wasn't for you!?” You just think you get to act like I was some accessory to your life that you can bury when its convenient?”
“Steve, you're taking this the wrong way! Avalanche was a mistake! My mistake! It shouldn't have involved you! I'm just closing a door that didn't need to be opened in the first place!”
Steve laughed, baffled by the situation as he slumped onto his couch, shaking his head.
“Oh, I've heard this shit a thousand times before. You're a big shot now, so you can just ignore everybody who helped get you where you are just 'cause you're a little uncomfortable about it all. Well, you can act like it was just some garbage that you need to forget, but for me and Watts and Eobard, that was our lives and if you're gonna act like they're just some backdrop so you can cry yourself to sleep at night, you can kindly go to hell.”
Steve turned away from Ned, a quiet rage in his glare as he flipped on the TV, making it clear there was nothing left to discuss. Kaye's gaze soured as he raised his voice, only mustering a few words before slamming the door behind him and departing down the stairs.
“After you, old man...”
Ned shuddered, clearing the vision from his mind as he stared out further at the field, leaning against the car as the wind passed once more.
Family
Office buildings were a miserable place to be in for Ned. There was something about the atmosphere that seemed to betray everything he was comfortable with. But this was where Nate, his brother, worked, so he didn't really have much of an option. An intern led him to the floor where Nate's office was, but it was all up to Ned. Making his way through the winding maze of cubicles, Ned finally looked upwards, seeing his brother dressed in a fancy suit, energetically presenting something to the higher ups and it going particularly well. There was something about it all that gave Ned an overwhelming sensation of invisibility. As if being past that sheet of glass made him a little less real to the rest of the world. Still, he wasn't about to interrupt his brother during all this, so he merely patiently waited until it had concluded.
About half an hour later, a dozen or so individuals began to exit the room, all looking to be in good spirits, his brother included. But those spirits vanished once he laid eyes upon Ned, replaced with a controlled discontent as he stared daggers through his own flesh and blood. He motioned Ned over to the now empty conference room, the opening slide of Nate's presentation still projecting behind the man himself.
Improving Methods of Communication.
Nate crossed his arms, displeased by Ned's unexpected and unwanted arrival. His voice was flat and stern.
“Why the hell are you here?”
Gulping, Ned wasted no time in answering, “I just wanted to say a few things and then I'll be gone.”
“Well, now's your time.”
Ned held back tears, sitting down and gripping his legs tightly, perhaps thinking that if he gripped tight enough, he could hold himself together.
“I just... I'm sorry. For everything I put you and Mom through. It was cruel and senseless and selfish. I knew better... I know better. And I'm not going to let it happen again. I'm... gonna stay away from you both. I have to while I'm trying to get better.”
A loud laugh left Nate as tears began to well in his eyes, his demeanor beginning to let slip what was murmuring beneath the surface.
“That is so fucking typical of you, Ned.”
“Wh-what..?”
“You're so upset about all the shit you fuck up at and you're “trying.” God forbid we hold you accountable for all the times we've been worried sick or horrified or hurt because of the bullshit you get involved with! “You're trying” after all! Well, you know what? TRY HARDER! I'm not gonna sit here and hear you act like its so heartbreaking to be you when all you do is run away when things get tough. It was so hard to be “the good guy,” so you ran away! Dad's death, Mom's kidnapping, my disappointment! All of these were just excuses for you to dive deeper into your own little spiral and you want me to feel bad for you? Ned, you didn't have to announce that you were gonna abandon us, you already fucking had.”
“But-”
“Not one more word. Leave. I refuse to be wrapped up in your trash for a second longer. I have a life outside of you, Ned. If you really feel bad about how you treated Mom and I, let me live it.”
Wordlessly, Ned stepped out of the office, waiting until he was out of the building to let the tears flow down his cheeks, screaming into his hands...
Picking up a pebble from the road, Ned tossed it into the sea of grain, watching as it disappeared before wiping some tears he shed at the previous thought before going to the next possibility.
The Trilogy
The Notorious Gym was always a little lonesome since it had closed down, but sitting within it, waiting for his stablemates to arrive was a special kind of hell. Surrounded by memories of his former isolation and about to face two men that had agreed to face the newest struggles alongside him. Time felt slower as the time before their scheduled meeting approached, each second on the clock creeping by as if eternities had to pass for a single motion to conclude. But eventually, after an almost endless wait, the small bell hoisted above the door sounded, signaling the arrival of Cashe and Kido.
“Well, it's good that you found some time to call your buddies, Ned!” Cashe announced as he barged in, finding a place on the wall to lean against as he stretched out.
Kido held himself with a little more dignity and grace than their more rugged companion.
“What's the problem, Ned? You made it seem like a big deal that we get here as fast as possible.”
“Yeah! You caught me while on the can, too, so if I start leaving marks in this pair of boxers, I expect to be personally reimbursed.”
“Well, it's not going to take that much time at all, so you're probably going to make it, Jason,” Ned replied, rolling his eyes a bit before stepping over to be near them both, doing his best to try and make sure to handle the situation as best he could.
“I brought you two here for one simple reason,” Ned began, swallowing his pride, “I'm out.”
“You're WHAT?!”
“Why have you decided something like that without talking to us or Theo first?”
“Look, I've just been thinking through it all and I think you two are better off without me. You've seen what I've done to my “allies.” I let them down. I hurt them. You two deserve better than that.”
“But you're an important part of The Trilogy, Ned. It's all three of us together, after all.”
“Maybe so, but you can find a better third. I know nobody else will say this, so I will: you two... are better than me. People expect greatness out of you. I'm old news. I'm just a name that people like seeing from time to time. They could care less about me. Besides, you two are fast champions and you could easily become tag champs with a little coordination. You don't need me. I'm not sure if anyone does.
“So, you just get real sad one day and decide you're gonna quit because it's hard? God, Ned, that doesn't sound like you.”
“Well, maybe it is?”
Ned hung his head low, tapping a foot against the wheel of the car as his mind pondered over the next move to make, uncertain whether he could actually face his stablemates with such a declaration.
Darcy Ellis
The hospital waiting room was as sterile as it always was and sitting near the center of it all was her. Darcy fidgeted slightly in her chair, uncertain what the urgency of Ned's “talk” was supposed to be. She looked up as he stepped towards her, noticing his somewhat solemn appearance.
“So...” she began, clearly feeling awkward from the get-go, “how did the meeting with Steve go?”
“Haven't gone yet,” Ned replied.
“Why not?”
Ned sat beside her, slumping in his seat a little as the emotions of what he was about to say became more defined.
“Darcy, I think it's time that we went our separate ways. Your sister is getting better. You've got a lot of job prospects. I'm kind of baggage to all that Chameleon junk. I don't think it's entirely wise to keep hanging around me, y'know?”
She gave him a confused stare, somewhere in-between a state of betrayal and understanding.
“But aren't we friends? Doesn't that mean more than some crap we went through? Maybe that makes it mean more because we're the only person for the other to really understand everything that happened through that gar-”
“Darcy.”
She stopped, surprised at Ned's cutting her off, but noticing how his gaze actively avoided hers.
“Look, it's just... it's a bad idea. I am saddled with unnecessary feelings about this whole dynamic. I don't know what the right choice is, but I do know how chaotic my life is. I know when people enter it without knowing what it entails, they get hurt. That's all I need to know.”
She became quiet, turning away from him, doing her best to camouflage how she felt.
“Well, if that's how it is, then you know where the door is. Don't let it get your hair on the way out.”
Ned nodded, almost reaching out to pat her shoulder before hesitating and merely heading towards the door, hearing it shut behind him with a soft, metallic “clank...”
Tapping a small pebble against the metal of the car, Ned broke out of his trance, holding himself somewhat as he stared out further into the pale sea before him.
APEX Prophecy
What ties are left to cut?
The Notorious One
The hallway leading up to the door was long, but straight, barely lit by small light fixtures on the wall. The guard escorting Ned looked over multiple times at Ned pinching his arm, trying to make sure he wasn't in a daydream or stray thought. He had chosen this path. He had decided this... and yet a twinge of fear and regret began to grow. There was still time to turn back.
“Are you sure you want to go through that door?” The guard asked.
Ned thought, finally releasing his arm as he reached for the handle. There was no more pushing this meeting back. No more avoiding it.
“Yeah, I'm ready.”
He stepped in the the room, seeing a figure handcuffed to the table, illuminated by a dangling light above as security cameras monitored them both closely. Ned inhaled deeply as the figure's head tilted.
“Hello, Dante.”
The Custodian sat forward, smirking softly.
“TC-01. I've been eagerly awaiting this moment.”
“Working class sensibilities are something I can get behind. Don't get me wrong, I know for me, it's a little... awkward, to say the least. There's a solidarity in a blue collar and I wouldn't have been able to pursue my dreams of wrestling without putting in the work myself and the support of my father, who spent way too much of his life lifting one thing or another to line the pockets of some billionaire. Your janitor stuff, Vaughn? It might be one of the few aspects about you I actively respect. But like a tattoo of a swear word, it always seems to come with an asterisk.”
“See, you couldn't admire the hustle and bustle of the working man and find a power in that. You couldn't embody the grit and power that comes with doing all the work because you never did it because it was the right thing or out of pride for a job well done. God knows unless you can a Peter Vaughn scented candle, you were never going to be happen. You didn't respect those doing the work with you, you admired the ones cracking the whip. When offered the chance to lift the boot off yourself and do something with a tiny bit of empathy, you just aspired to be a fancy new fuckin' boot. Do you really think that pyramid scheme shit wasn't going to stain your hands, too, or did you just figure not handling the bulk of the money or power would let you weasel your way out of culpability? What happened to you, Peter? Was it just greed that lured you into this lifestyle? Was it's Chris' flawless ability to play up your ego and accommodate you like a Tom Cruise to his David Miscavige? I'm not inquiring facetiously here, I really want to know. Because the sad fact of the matter is with a little self-respect, you could be more like me, Pete.”
“Now, before you chuckle your little dimwitted head off, I'll stop you right now. Because I'm sure you're wondering, “why would I like to be Ned Kaye?” Well, to start off, you'd be a hell of a lot more respected. Think about it, Peter, I can be in a career lull for months and people will always come to watch me perform and they do it because despite you having the edge in championships to me, I happen to be a hell of a lot more liked by my contemporaries. Am I perfect? Absolutely fucking not, but when I fail, I admit it and I wipe the dirt from my hands, the tears from my eyes, and the blood from my brow and I start swinging again. You clean messes for a living and yet you've failed to realize that the biggest heap of trash is the one you voluntarily hopped right into. See, that's the other difference between us. You weren't chosen for your character, you were chosen because you follow orders. You go ask Theo if he says jump and if I leave the ground and you'll find out real quick that there's no dollar amount on my loyalty. I choose my path, Peter, and I had the decency to forge it out for myself instead of tossing it up to some glorified accountant, MLM leader, attempted murderer scam artist.”
“But the debts of your little Enterprise in every sense of the term are about to come due, like all debts are oft to do. Years ago now, Chris Page beat me to get at Robert Main, a man he despises so much, he tried to take his legacy, his trust, and his life on countless occasions. Do you know how hard I tried to petition for that match? To find a time and place to face him again and beat the man who tried to kill my friend? I don't because I lost count, Peter. And now he is gone. And his legacy is you: an emblem of the worst of his behavior. Of the way he views professional wrestling, a side-gig to the most expensive kind of masturbation imaginable. That was my match to have, Peter. My chance to show him that his way doesn't work. And even though I am vindicated slightly by time itself, I was not given my chance to make that statement for now and forever doing what I do best: wrestling.”
“Until now. Until you.”
“You act like you get me or that you understand what makes me tic, but the truth is Vaughn, you wouldn't know what to use to clean my floor despite all your experience in doing so. I'm here to prove a goddamn point. I'm here to get that belt not to feel good, but to remind the world that I belong. That The Trilogy is three chapters, all of them draped in gold. But mostly, it's because I don't like you. I don't like what you stand for. I don't like the way you talk or think and I am more than done with you having a single shred of influence in this company. It has outgrown you and I'm just here to get it re-tailored. You can have your legacy birthed from infamy and wear it like shame around your neck for the rest of your godforsaken career. But I'm not here to infamous.”
“You know goddamn well what I'm here to be.”
"You can't run from yourself."
XWF
Wins | Losses | Draws
59 | 37 | 4
Indie Darling Eternal
#33 on The XWF Top 50(2021)
1x Tag Team Champion[with Isaiah King](Current)
2x ![[Image: CbviDqC.png]](https://i.imgur.com/CbviDqC.png) (Former)
1x X-Treme Champion(Former)
The Final Supercontinental Champion
1x Television Champion(Former)
Star of the Month - April 2019 | March 2021 | December 2022
RP of the Month - March 2021 (Void of the Mind)
Winner - Leap Of Faith Rafter Match 2019
1x 24/7 Briefcase Holder
Winner - War Games 2023(With Mark Flynn, Isaiah King, & Crash Rodriguez as G00D-B01)
All Time Career(Interfed)
Wins | Losses | Draws
61 | 39 | 4
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