We settle in on a rather tight shot of Lux and Centurion looking at each other across from a dinner table. The shot threatens to be romantic save for the fact that Centurion is a (roughly) middle aged heterosexual and Lux is housed in the body of a 17 year old boy. There's one other thing killing the flavor of the moment but I'm not sure I can put my finger on it....



Hey ya'all and welcome to Applebees! The waitress, her vest weighed down with like 50 pieces of flair, announces her greeting with customary Texas savoir faire. Can I start ya with some drinks?

The shot pulls back to reveal that, yes, we are currently in an Applebees. Centurion is perusing the drink list casually, whereas Lux looks somewhat befuddled by it.

Is your Absolut Vodka Lemonade still your drink of the month?

It sure is!

I'll take one of those. You?

Lux still looks a bit befuddled. Uhhhh....I don't know, a water with lemon, please?

Sure thing, hon! And then, with a wink at Centurion. Father son bonding time, eh?

Ummm, sure. Centurion nods and hands the waitress the drink menu. She skips off, leaving them alone again. You don't have to be such a cheap date, I said I'm paying.

The drinks in here aren't natural colors. And then, looking up, And none of these dishes are under 1000 calories.

Welcome to Trump's America. Centurion smirks a bit. I never would have thought you to be such an elitist.

Sorry, I'm just really careful about what I put in my body. I have to be to compensate for Corey's diet of Hot Pockets and Ranch Doritos.

Ahhh, so you ARE Lux right now. He drums his finger tips on the table top. I'm sorry, that's still just so....so....

Weird? Strange? Discomfiting?

Yeah. Yeah, like all of those and a few more. He shakes his head. Look, I'm not trying to be a jerk. It's just tough to wrap my head around it.

And you're still not sure if I'm just crazy? Lux leans in a bit, a hint of a smile tugging at her lips.

Honestly?

Please.

Yeah. Cent chuckles a bit to absolve some of the tension. There's no doubt you can get it done in the ring. But I haven't decided if you're delusional or if you just really, really missed your calling at the Sci-Fi channel.

Lux allows herself a chuckle now. You have no idea how much I would want it to be EITHER of those options. Which leads me to my first question....

Uh oh....

It's not that bad. But, if you had all these doubts, why did you agree to be my partner?

Cent nods his head in a conciliatory fashion. Like I said, they're not doubts. You're talented. No doubt about it.

But I make you uncomfortable?

Sure, but then again so does seeing people wear socks with sandals. Life goes on. Cent is about to continue when the waitress returns with their drinks.

There ya go guys. Ya'all ready to order?

Actually, could you give us a bit? We're kind of having a team building “moment” here.

The waitress can't help but scrunch her nose up in confusion, but she doesn't press. Uh, sure hon! She departs once more. Cent opens up a straw and pops it down into his ice blue concoction, taking a sip before continuing.

But, to answer your question....I agreed because you asked.

Lux cants her head. “Because I asked”? That's it?

Pretty much. Nobody else asked, and you seemed like a solid hand I could rely on. He takes another sip, but mid sip he holds his finger up pointedly. Of course, that's BEFORE you threw down the challenge to Bobby. Thanks a bunch for making our weekly Apex Pow-wow's a smidge awkward, by the by. He speaks the words, but they seem to be devoid of any real malice.

Lux winces. Yeah....okay, point. So I guess my question then is, why didn't you just back out?

Because I'm one of those “my word is my bond” idiots.

Lux leans back in her seat, a satisfied expression plastered on her face. Cent takes note of it and prods her with a question. ….what?

That's why.

Ya lost me.

The answer to YOUR “why me?” question. Go ahead and ask it.

He pauses for another sip of his Applebees special before playing the game. Okay, I'll admit I was interested too. “Why did you pick me, then?”

Because you're one of those “my word is my bond idiots.” That right there, precisely. Lux takes a sip of her water now, nudging the lemon in with her tongue before drinking. You remember Michael and Destiny Graves?

Unfortunately.

That's when I first noticed you. I mean, REALLY noticed you. That righteous indignation at their mere existence. That fury. And it wasn't just talk either. Hell, you buried that kiddy fondling bastard and his walking Real Doll enabler of a sister alive. Lux points at Centurion. You are a more unique quantity in the XWF than you realize.

Well, I don't know, I've always thought I was pretty special.

You are, sure. But WHY are you special? Lux leans forward again, placing more emphasis on her words and speaking directly to Centurion, eyes locked on his from across the table. You are one of the few men in this entire company whose compass points true North.

Centurion looks taken aback. Well, flattery WILL get you SOMEWHERE with me, but....

No, no, no. You're about to be self deprecating, but I'm serious. You are a GOOD man. You had NO stake in Michael and Destiny Graves aside from doing what was right, and you finished that job even better than I did. You had NOTHING to prove against either of them, and you put them away because you could. Look, the XWF is a pretty sordid place, you know that. And yes, I HAVE made friends here, like the Blackwaters. But let's be real, Donovan Blackwater, for as staunch of an ally as he is to me, isn't squeaky clean.....

Lux, hold up. Cent puts his hands out in front of him. Before you go christening me the final coming of Yahweh, I think you may be overestimating me a bit. I'm NOT perfect. I've got a history, and I've been pretty public about that.

I didn't say you were perfect. But you are a GOOD man NOW, in a time when that is more and more of a rarity. And you may not have special abilities, or some crazy story to tell like I do, but in all honesty, you have something better than that. Integrity. The ability to just be a damn good human being, a loyal friend, and a man of your word. Lux pauses. I know you've made mistakes. So have I. It comes with being human. But you show a rare capacity to learn and grow from those mistakes. I wish I could have had you fighting alongside me when the shit hit the fan 10 years from now. And that.... Lux takes a deep breath....is why I picked you.

Centurion takes a moment to drink in what she's saying. I appreciate that. I'm still not sure you're correct, but I appreciate it.

I'll take it. With a smile, Lux looks around at their surroundings and then back at Centurion. So how do we want to decide who has to cut a promo in an Applebees?

Centurion shrugs. Ro sham bo?

Sure. She holds her hands aloft, one fist coiled in the palm of the opposite hand. Cent responds in kind. On three?

Them's the rules.

One....


…..two.....


three!

Centurion drops scissors, and Lux drops paper. Damn.

Again!

Ro....



…..sham.....


BO!

And once again.....Lux drops paper, and Centurion drops scissors.



Cent laughs heartily. How are you so bad at this?! Don't they teach you how to predict your opponent's behavior at post-apocalyptic killer assassin school?!

I always do paper twice! It throws most people off! Lux grouses.

Cent gestures grandiosely at the camera. I do hope you have some material prepared.

Of course I do. Lux snipes her partner with one final faux dirty look before retraining her attention on the task ahead. Not exactly the background I wanted, but the message is the same. Lux proffers up a very genuine looking smile. I've been waiting for this for so long. Months ago I invited four people to dance with me. Chris Page, Louis D'Ville, Sarah Lacklan (again)....and James Raven.

I finally got James goddamn Raven.

And quite honestly, you were the one I wanted the most. Sarah's been content on her own side of the planet, D'Ville came and went and doesn't quite seem to have the fire, and Page? Time and pay per view results have shown me I could handle him quite easily.

But James goddamn Raven. White Whale. Lux smacks her lips. And no, it's not exactly one on one. But by the Gods, how I will take it. Hell, even my friend The Engineer called you out and never got his shot. But here we are.....

Are you gonna fan girl the WHOLE time or.....?

Lux holds up a hand to quell his criticism without diverting her attention from the camera. I'm getting there. But yeah, I'm gonna fan girl a bit. And I'll tell you precisely why this excites me at this exact moment in time.

James....are you familiar with the concept of Jungian archetypes? Centurion scrunches his face up in confusion, and Lux allows the sheer oddity of the question to hang in the air for a moment. Maybe you are and maybe you aren't. But for the benefit of those at home that aren't, strap in, because we're about to get philosophical.

You see, Carl Jung was a famous psychiatrist and philosopher. A bit less famous than Freud, but quite honestly he danced to a beat that I preferred. All that psychosexual-this, and phallic-that always struck me as a bit gross. But Jung? His philosophy revolved around the notion of the archetype. Archetypes, to him, where primordial images of sorts. Broad, epic concepts that are etched into the collective unconscious of all of humanity. Like....”cosmic motifs”. Think of them as corporate brands writ large....the biggest of big ideas. And these archetypes...these “big ideas”....form the basic themes from which life itself emerges.

Lux whatever you got I want! Cent chimes in again.

I'm stone cold sober, my friend. But as I was saying, there are a massive number of these archetypes, and they dictate everything from our personality, our identities, to the very legends and tales that we tell. Ages of oral and finally written tradition carry on the epics of these archetypes. It's why we see such common concepts repeat themselves over and over again. The Hero. The Savior. Resurrection. Shadow. The Deluge. The Creation. She pauses. The Apocalypse. Over and over again, these ideas recycled throughout time. Rearing up in various different religions and cultures. A common thread that binds us.

Like the Force.

Sort of. But here's the point I'm trying to make. James, I think you are one of the purest representations of two of those archetypes. The Hero and The Sage . The Hero? Well, that's obvious. The valiant warrior for good. Hell, you have the impossible jawline to boot. And much like Cent, I'm not trying to say you're perfection. Most heroes aren't. Hercules was notoriously quick tempered. Enkidu lost to Gilgamesh before he could become civilized.

But you're also The Sage. The Wise One. The Soothsayer. And never has that been more obvious than in this past month. Because after all, who has brought together these disparate warriors to do battle one last time? And you know, you could have easily made this about YOU. James Raven could have been the focus of this XWF XX initiative. You could have put yourself in that main event, top of the marquee. But you didn't do that. No, you let your compatriots dance under the glow of those lights because you knew that's what people wanted to see. That's the show they wanted. The legends of old. The forgotten made new, to play out their epics once again on the grandest stage of them all. Retelling those great stories for new eyes and new ears. You had the wisdom to set aside your ego and bring that to fruition. I respect that. I respect that a lot.

Lux sighs and sits back a bit, relaxing the animated posture she had been taking up until now.

So I suppose this is the part where I'm supposed to flip those tables, stop washing your genitals and carrying your bags and set in for the kill.

She shakes her head “no”.

In case you haven't figured it out by now, I'm a whole different animal. She laughs and smacks her palm down on the table. Because that's what a lesser competitor does. A lesser competitor would go all Dunning Kruger on your ass, bleat their ignorance of your history and your import, and castigate you as being weak, or old, or past your prime. But you're none of those things. Because you're the archetype. She points at the camera, a wry smile on her face. Full circle.

Yeah, you're none of those things. Fools fail to recognize archetypes for what they are, fail to understand that they're rolling an immense stone up that hill until it crushes them. But the experienced warrior? They know. They get it. They SEE it. She points to her eye for emphasis. And the point of all this?

I want you to know that I know.

I'm not just preparing to go to war with a man, but I'm prepping for a war with everything that man represents. A man who is a standard bearer for that primordial hero concept. That's how seriously I'm taking James Raven. And honestly, I don't even know that we're going to win. She shrugs flippantly. I don't! And that's forbidden, right? We're supposed to bluster and bank on our own superiority. But once again, only fools do that when they're not sure. And I'm not 100% sure. I haven't felt like this in months and to be honest, that's what really lifts me up and invigorates me. The uncertainty, the not knowing. I said I wanted to test myself against the very best from here on out. But am I ready for that? My guts are roiling. I feel like I'm going to throw up. That cool confidence. Corey's smirking jabs and playful banter, it just doesn't fit here. And people will say I'm showing my belly or proving myself to be weak. But me? I think that's just what it's supposed to feel like when you're in the big leagues and the fight really means something. Now, I know nobody's gonna die here. But this is still pretty make or break. Because now I really get to see just how far my training has taken me.

Lux stops to take a breath.

Thanks for the opportunity James. Truly.

Centurion leans in towards the camera, a splash of awkwardness on his face. Uhhhhh.....aren't you forgetting someone?

Lux nods. Robert Main? Not in the slightest. Centurion looks on expectantly, like he's waiting for her to say more. But she doesn't. No, instead there's just a small smile, with....what's there? Confidence? A hint of malice? Her final words speak to a cutting, but ambiguous finality. But also with a certainty of purpose and an unspoken promise: there's more to come.

Cent shifts awkwardly in his seat and looks down at his drink. Oh, booze! My good friend! He takes another swig as the waitress returns to the table.

Ya'all done doin' your....thing?

Ah! Yes! So Lux, how about we make our own sampler platter, huh?

Lux looks at the waitress. Do you have anything that doesn't just taste like grease?

She's kidding, total kidder.... Cent intones, but then he blanches. The waitress looks confused. I mean....HE! Slip of the tongue. We'll just do a platter of tenders, nachos, and wonton tacos please. Cent gathers up the menu's hands them back to the waitress.

She casts one last strange look at both of them before resuming her professional mien. We'll have those out in a jiffy.

I'm a boy. Lux stutters, before immediately wishing she hadn't.

The waitress' expression looks strained as she turns away from the table. Cent shakes his head.

….what?

Nothing. Just...nothing. He says with a smirk, grabbing an extra drink menu and burying his face back in it, already plotting a course towards making this evening remotely tolerable.