A King Should Never Sit Easy On A Throne
Constantine sits a his study, his eyes fixed on the silver briefcase that signals his arrival amongst the main event in WZCW, amongst other things. He raises a hand and runs his right index finger down the length of it. Still stunned by it's magnificence and, more accurately, what it means, Constantine allows a look of worry to cross his face. At that moment, the door behind him is flung open to reveal an inebriated Tom Forbes, a glass of wine in one hand and his tie loose around his neck.
Forbes: Well, John-boy, we did it!
Constantine does not turn around or break his gaze from the briefcase that sits upright on his desk. Not even the smell of strong alcohol can stir him from his thoughts.
Forbes: They all said that we couldn't do it! They all said that you would choke when it counted.
Constantine finally breaks his stare and turns around sharply, interested in what Forbes has just uttered in his drunken stupor.
Forbes: And now look at us. We're kings!
Forbes raises both of his arms to the sky, causing some of his wine to drip from his glass and onto his shoulder. Unperturbed by the mistake, he slumps down onto a nearby chair and closes his eyes. Constantine's gaze is now fixed upon the drunken mess that sits in the corner, unaware of the effect that his words have had on the King For A Day.
Constantine: Who said that?
Forbes stirs from his slumber to look Constantine in the eye.
Forbes: Hmm?
Constantine rolls his eyes, learning rapidly that getting any information from Forbes is going to be hard work tonight. Constantine sits bolt upright in his chair, maintaining eye contact with Forbes all of the time.
Constantine: I'm asking you who said that I would choke? Who said that I didn't have what it takes?
Forbes' eye roll this time but not voluntarily, his brain cells are deteriorating by the minute as they stew in a bath of alcohol. The night's celebrations have taken their toll on the publicist and as he, again, drifts off to sleep, his final words of the night slip out of his mouth.
Forbes: Oh! Don't mind me, John-boy. I'm just drunk... And you showed them all.
With that, Forbes is sleeping, his soft-spoken words still ringing in the ears of the Power Trip. Constantine remains fixed on the drunkard sitting in his study as a soft snoring sound begins to escalate within the room. Constantine gives a light shake of his head in sheer disbelief and swivels back around in his chair.
* * *
A tremendously long line of people queue up to meet their idol as John Constantine sits as a flimsy wooden table at the head of the mass of people. With Forbes sat to his immediate right and a stack of pictures laid out on the table, Constantine takes time to meet with the fans, extending a hand to embrace the people who cheered for him at King For A Day. Constantine beams at the level of support he is receiving from his followers as, one by one, they heap praise upon him.
Constantine: Hey, it's nice to meet you. Whats your name?
The easily-excitable girl clutches her hands to her chest and begins jumping up and down at the dulcet tones of The Power Trip's voice.
Girl: Becky...
The soft words of the fan in front of Constantine brings a smile to his face.
Constantine: Just like the WZCW interviewer, huh?
The girl, again, hops up and down as Constantine begins conversation with her.
Becky: Yeah! It's my dream to be an interviewer for WZCW. To get to speak to people like you and Austin Reynolds every day is, like, my dream come true.
Constantine writes Becky's name down on the photo of himself and writes a short message to her before finishing his elaborate signature and handing it off to Becky.
Constantine: Well, I hope you make it there one day.
Becky says nothing but doe sallow a high-pitched squeaking noise to escape from her mouth in sheer excitement. She immediately clutches the picture to her chest and walks away in excitement. Constantine lets out a laugh and watches her show the picture to her friends, who didn't queue and all seem perplexed by her excitement in such things. Constantine turns back to Forbes and signals for a break in the excitement. Forbes gives a signal to a security guard at the rope as Constantine grabs a bottle of water and unscrews the cap. He sips away at the liquid as Forbes pulls out his phone, a smile of self-satisfaction crossing his face. Constantine notices this and his face immediately turns sour.
Constantine: What?
Forbes lets out a small laugh as he continues playing with his phone, perhaps looking for something.
Constantine: What?
Forbes averts his gaze from his phone and looks at Constantine for a second. He lets out a sigh of resistance and then puts his phone on the table.
Forbes: I'm just thinking, that when I came into the picture, you had nothing to show for your work. You were languishing in locker rooms with Johnny Scumm and Darren Bull. And now you're sitting here with a King For A Day briefcase in your possession and an army of screaming fans calling your name every week.
Constantine: And your point is?
Forbes: My point is that since I turned up, everything has come up roses for you. You're the first name of everyone's lips and you've got a guaranteed Championship shot in the bag. The world is your oyster.
A small smile begins to appear on the face of Constantine, who is finally aware of what Forbes is hinting at with his words.
Constantine: You want a 'thank you' don't you?
Forbes doesn't say anything but his relaxed demeanour, couple with a slight raise of his arms and a look of smug satisfaction on his face tells Constantine that he is right in his assumption.
Constantine: You do! You want me to thank you for what you have done for me. Well, Tom, let me thank you. Let me thank you for watching on as I gave everything getting myself into the King For A Day match. Let me next thank you for sitting idly by as I sacrificed my body and my health in an elimination chamber match, the likes of which have never and will never be seen again. But lastly, let me thank you for acting like a smug jackass about all of it.
Forbes' smile disappears from his face now as he and Constantine share a look of disgust. But with that, both men begin laughing, the atmosphere immediately brightening up.
Forbes: You're an asshole, Trip!
Constantine continues to laugh as Forbes' look turns to one of excitement. A bleeping noise emanates from his phone that rests on the table. Forbes picks up his device and flicks his fingers across the screen and keyboard.
Forbes: It's an email from WZCW HQ. It's your match for this week.
Constantine gives a snort of derision in Forbes' direction as he takes another sip from his bottle.
Forbes: Heaven forbid that they give you a night off for once. You would think that they would give the King a night to lap up his victory and plot out his future.
Constantine: I heard a saying once that a King should never sit easy on a throne and that's how I like it, Forbes. As much as I love having the opportunity to face Kurtesy or Showtime it Ty... Or whoever might be World Champion at one point, this briefcase is a target. People want me to make a mess of this. They want me to rest on my laurels and forget that all the hard work is to come. Look at Corey Payne and Big Dave. They both won the event, thinking that the hard part was over and they didn't even get the chance to cash it in.
Forbes nods along in agreement.
Constantine: Trust me, Forbes, as much as I would love a night off. As much as I would love another week to nurse my broken body back to health, I would love to be World Champion a lot more. And the only way that I can make that happen is to continually show people why I deserve to be World Champion. Why I deserve to be their king and why they should continue to line up to just catch a glimpse of me.
Forbes: I know, Trip. And it seems as though the WZCW power-brokers know that too. They're putting you in the ring against Mr. Baller this week at Ascension.
Constantine: King Baller, you mean?
Again, Forbes and Constantine share a laugh.
Forbes: You know that he'll be looking to show you up as a fraud, Trip?
Constantine nods in understanding, his face is now a picture of concentration. He looks to be deep within his own thoughts, perhaps plotting how best to go up against Baller in a matter of days.
Constantine: Yeah, I know that. But so will everyone else. It's like I said, Forbes, this case comes with a world of expectations attached to it, something that I didn't really understand or expect when I inherited it. Now I know that everyone who manages to put me down for the 3 count will be doing so because they can claim to be the true heir to the KFAD contract. Mr. Baller will be the first man to try and prove that point. And whilst I went a lot longer in the elimination chamber match and put myself through Hell to win this thing, he will still feel as though a win over me will prove to be his justification in prematurely calling himself a king.
Forbes: So how do you go about beating him?
Constantine ponders that question for a moment, not quite sure how to answer it seemingly.
Constantine: I don't beat him, Forbes. He beats himself. Think about this for a second, if you had been going around WZCW proclaiming yourself to the a king to millions and millions of people every day, claiming that you would come home with the KFAD contract, claiming that you were much better than everyone and anyone who was stepping into that chamber at Kingdom Come...
Constantine pauses for a second.
Constantine: And then you couldn't do what you said you were going to do? Well, that would just show you to be an absolute fraud now, wouldn't it? Make no mistake, Forbes, Baller will be stewing. Right now he'll be thinking what he could have did better, how he could have wrestled the match differently, and most importantly, where he goes from here. He'll be second guessing whether this company is really right for him and whether he has what it takes to become a legend here, like he says he will. And that insecurity, that tiny little question in his mind is how I will beat him at Ascension.
Forbes begrudgingly accepts Constantine's words as fact and signals to the the security guard to let some more baying fans through once again.
Forbes: I hear Steven Holmes wont be at Meltdown or Ascension this week too.
Constantine seems shocked by this revelation.
Constantine: Really?
Forbes: Yeah, word on the street is that he is finished with WZCW. Of course that's just the rumour that is going around. God knows what it actually going on with him these days.
Constantine: Retired? Jesus! I didn't expect that. But maybe it's for the best overall. This business had just did something to him over the last few months. Maybe some time away is for the best.
Forbes: But enough of that. Let's get this done and out of here.
Constantine gives a slight nod and greets another of his fans.
