OOC: Formatting shall begin shortly.

January 28th, 2020

"Let me get this straight..."

Still inside of his secret Australian hotel room with a phone pressed to his ear, Ned Kaye leans against the headboard of his temporary bed as he sits on the mattress. On the other end of the line is the voice of an exasperated James Raven.

"You need to get clearance back in the states by Thursday?"

"Yup."

"And this is after you successfully "defended yourself" against SWAT agents and escaped federal custody?"

"That is correct."

"And this is after you compared me to Fuzz?"

"That... wasn't my intention."

"Uh-huh. I'll see what I can do, but no promises."

Ned relaxes a bit, allowing the back of his head to carefully fall against the wooden headboard behind him. After pumping his fist up silently, he responds enthusiastically.

"You're the best, James!"

"What did I tell you about kissing his ass, Ned?"

The familiar voice of Centurion cuts in, taking Kaye off guard initially.

"Hey, Andy! I didn't expect us to have the talk with the whole team so early."

"I didn't expect you to get pinned, Ned, and you weren't even wearing a dress."

Ned rolls his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. I know... I'm not too pleased about it either."

The Notorious One runs a hand through his hair, grabbing a handful before letting go.

"I'm just giving you crap, Ned. It's really not that big of a deal."

"I guess not. I definitely gave Fuzz a run for his money, though I clearly could've done a better job at it. I suppose now I just have to give Noah some hell. He still has my cat, Deepthroat, y'know?"

"That name is so nasty."

"Cap'n Arrrrrrchyle says: If ye be fighting with a cunt, you should expect problems with a pussy!"

A hint of excitement is heard in Ned's voice as he recognizes the new speaker immediately.

"Drew! God, it's been a while! What have you been up to?"

"Just the usual, Neddy. Sailing across the seas, selling contraband, sharing mp3 files for free with other people, not gambling my feline friends. All the normal pirate stuff, lad!"

"I didn't gamble DP! I didn't want to put my cat on the line in the first place, but Noah Jackson apparently has the tightest contract in the whole company."

"You'd be surprised, kid. Despite how tough some of these guys like to look, they practically get management benefits."

Raven groans.

"Don't remind me."

"Rob! It's good to talk to you again! I've been running about with Dewey and Ethan recently, but they get together about as well as Shane and dignity."

"That sounds like him. Did he tell you the microwave story yet?"

Ned responds flatly.

"Yes. Multiple times."

Robert laughs, knowing full well Ned's pain.

"On that note, Ned, do you have the money to get you three to Florida by Thursday?"

"Yeah, I should be set financially. I managed to get quite a bit handled before my assets were frozen."

"Why waste the money on plane tickets when I could smuggle 'em back under Uncle Sam's nose?"

"Because Ned has to be here by Thursday at the latest and I definitely don't need to argue for two federal criminals right now."

"Why does Ned need to get back so quickly?"

"He's got a match at Anarchy against Noah Jackson and Calvary."

"Yeah, I'd definitely like to knock Noah down a peg."

"Have you considered a dress?"

"Please, Ned. Noah's not the kind of worker whose going to care about substance. I wouldn't be surprised if he was making his two belts kiss back at home."

Ned chuckles, shaking his head.

"See, I'm starting to catch on when y'all say stuff to mess with me!"

"I was being completely serious."

With a confused glare, Ned attempts to change the subject.

"So... March Madness is fast approaching. I was kind of hoping to be on a higher level then I am right now. I'm still going through with the public vow I made months back, so I just want to say that if I do end up leaving the company and this group that-"

"Don't think like that, Ned. When you're APEX Prophecy, it's a lifetime gig."

"Unless you're Drew."

"Yarrrr! I resent that, matey!"

"What about Calvary? He seems like he'll be a pleasant enough opponent for you, Ned."

"...I dunno."

"What's wrong with Calvary?"

"He just... rubs me the wrong way, that's all. Like, I'm fine with superheroes in comics, but as soon as they get in the ring, it just feels very odd to me."

"That better not be a jab at Ruby, Ned."

"Ruby's cool, but she does get on my nerves sometimes. And I'm certain Calvary is fine and all and a stand-up guy, I just don't necessarily feel like he and I would get along, though."

"So, what were we gonna discuss primarily? I only ask because I do have some plans later today."

"We've all got plans, Ned. We still have to make time for business."

"Oh, I totally understand. I'm not trying to devalue y'all's time or anything, I'm just going to have lunch with somebody."

"Big D?"

"No."

"An FBI agent?"

"No."





"...Are you meeting that Australian woman, Ned?"

Ned pauses, not answering immediately.

"Ah, he is."

"Our little guy is growing up so fast..."

"You could've just said something, Ned."

Ned defensively responds, somewhat flustered.

"It's not like that, okay? Could we just please talk about why we're having this call?"

The others pause for a moment.

"We were just going to discuss some plans moving forward so we're on the same page. That's it."

"...So, you're not wanting to kick me out for losing?"

"What? Of course not!"

"That would be Vita Valenteen degrees of lame."

"We stick together, kid."

"I'm just here for Robert's sister."

"Shut up, Drew."

Ned sits up, relieved by finally hearing it from his stablemates.

"So, what are you thinking about doing, Ned?"

"I have one idea..."

"You can't run from yourself."