DEADLINE 1 - 1X 2,500 word limit RP, in whatever format you choose
FRIDAY 26TH OCTOBER 2018 2359 GMT
DEADLINE 2 - 1x 750 word limit SHOOT rp, to be used in the show. This rp must be sent to the EMERGE PM box before the deadline of SUNDAY 28TH OCTOBER 2018 2359 EST
Loretta and Drake Hemingway stand in front of the double auburn door outside the medium sized mansion known on the Mason Estate in Boston, Massachusetts. The newlyweds are holding hands. Loretta has never visited the childhood home of the main Mason clan (Cassie, Blake, Victor). Drake on the other hand hasn’t been up here often. So when he got the call from Blake to come to the estate, naturally, he was curious as to why. Loretta looks at Drake who continues to stare at the double door. “Any idea why Blake would ask us here?”
“Blake doesn’t ask... he orders.” Drake says matter of factly.
“He’s a changed man.” Loretta confidently vouches.
His wifes confidence in Blake’s change in attitude is what pulls Drake’s attention away from the door to her glinting auburn eyes. “Of course.”
Loretta squeezes Drake's hand. “He did agree to marry us. Relax. Lets not keep him waiting.” she says with a smirk.
He nods. He uses his free hand to ring the doorbell. Moments later one of the double doors open. A Mason opens the door, not the one they were expecting. The Mason standing to greet both of them is none other then Victor Mason. He greets The Hemingways with a smile.
“Greetings Loretta.” Victor extends his hand to shake hers. She happily oligies. “Brother...” Victor issues his hand to Drake. He hesitates for a brief second, then shakes the hand of a brother he had limited interaction with.
Victor steps to the side to allow Loretta and Drake in. They follow Victor into the living room, into the kitchen. Blake is seated at the head of the very long kitchen table. Victor sits down to the right of Blake. Loretta and Drake opt to sit on the left side of the table next to each other with Loretta sitting closer to Blake then Drake is comfortable with.
“Thanks for coming...” Blake says with a cool monotone. “Drake, Loretta, I appreciate you two taking time out of your mission to join us. We’re all family. It is important for family to come together in the midst of a crisis.”
Drake looks around the table. It dawns on him a certain people is missing from the proceedings. “Where is Cassie?” he inquires.
“She disagreed with me and Victor about the purpose of this family meeting.” Blake says.
“Ashamed of me, still?”
“No, quite the contrary. She isn’t a fan of the message... chaos. To be expected from Cindy Todd’s girlfriend. However, she is a fan of what you’ve been doing. Can’t say me and Victor are.”
Blake turns to Victor who adjust the red tie he is wearing. Victor chimes in, “It is no secret we don’t quite understand what you and the newest addition to our family promote as purity. I would like too. One day I wish to be afforded the opportunity to get to know your cause more in depth. However, the anger you have chosen to display against Gavin Taylor since Invasion: Texas has us very much concerned. It’s unhealthy. We are concerned the depths of your anger will cost you in ways that you are blind too.”
Drake softly stares at Victor as he levies his concern over his recent conduct.
He then shifts his attention to Blake. He can’t read the stoic expression his brother doesn’t budge from. “No one knows better than me what anger can cost you. I lost numerous friendships due to my temper. Your following may be devoted to you until the end of time, great, but, you need to look at this from a big picture perspective. There is something wrong. I can sense it. That’s why we asked you to come. Before it's too late. Find another way to end your conflict with Gavin. Don’t cross any lines you can’t come back from.”
Drake takes a deep breath to process what both of his half siblings had to say. He looks at Blake who in turn looks at Victor. He had no clue what the look they exchanged meant, in an instant he lost interest in what the stare meant. He crosses his arms. Looking at Loretta, she nods, then he looks directly at Blake.
“Lines? You want to talk about lines, William?” He pauses to let the fact he used Blake’s first name settle in. Blake, to his credit, didn’t flinch. “Our family’s foundation was built off line crossing. If our mother didn’t commit adultery we wouldn’t be here right now.”
Blake goes to respond. Before he can, Victor grabs his arm. “He gave us a chance to speak. Lets listen.”
“He can’t talk about our mother--”
Victor cuts Blake off. “He’s not lying. She did cheat on dad. I hate it too. Doesn’t make it any less true.”
Blake sighs. He turns to Drake. “Go ahead.”
“The day my adoptive mother told me the truth about who I came from, I studied up on how you two and Cassie lived. When I found out about the man you three called dad, the same one who forced our mother to give me up, I was grateful. This superficial world you were brought up in, corrupted you all. God saved me from all of this. Loretta came into my life. Together, we forged a movement... or so I thought.”
Drake sighs. He doesn’t notice Loretta’s face morph into one of concern. “I joined Loretta in her movement to feel complete. To feel whole. To rise above the impurity of the world. Purity afforded me a safe haven. A family. A stable concept to believe in I knew wouldn’t abandon me. Like mother abandoned me. Like you two and Cassie shunned me all those years. I... wanted to believe that pain had gone away. The truth is, it hasn’t.”
Loretta squeezes Drake's hand as he takes a moment to compose himself. “Gavin Taylor took something from me. I’m ashamed to admit, I allowed myself to become attached to the worldy. My carnal side lusted the RUSH Championship. Losing it should not have mattered. It did. I am ashamed. Gavin showed me I’m human. I’m not supposed to be. I am God! I am above human lust.”
Drake pounds the table in frustration. This causes Blake and Victor to flinch as they bare witness to Drake’s rising anger. There is an eerie silence that fills the air. Just then Blake breaks the tension by saying.
“See, we’re brothers after all.” Blake smiles. “I get it. When I lost the SCW Adrenaline Championship years ago, I was over the moon. It wasn’t my first, grant it. I struggled four years to become champion again. I was on a high. Then Thomas Watson stole that from me.” Blake rolls his eyes. “Boy, I was pissed. I didn’t know what I was going to do with myself. Same with the World Tag Team Championships. Being champion with Bree was special. Losing them in the manner we did? All because it was my fault. Heart breaking. I couldn’t let Bree see how disappointed I was in. I needed to be strong, for her. Yes, realizing we are human can suck sometime. You don’t need to become a rage monster. All these assaults? Not exactly pure, right?”
Drake tilts his head to the side, “Have you healed yet, William?”
Victor cuts in. “We can talk about our brother another time. We are trying to ensure you get the help you--”
Blake waves Victor off. “Vic, its fine. I’ll answer.” Blake turns his attention to Drake. “No, I haven’t. I don’t know if I ever will. My father didn’t exactly teach me how to cope with the hole left from the damage I’ve caused. Why do you think I am trying to make you see that we are more alike than we are different. I have a hole that needs filling. So do you. The difference between us, brother. I am quite certain this cult you have going won’t heal that wound no more than sleeping with half the women on this planet will fix me.”
Drake does take a moment to process what his brother had to say. Then he stands up. Loretta follows his lead. He grabs her hand. With no more left to say in his mind, he is prepared to leave. But he doesn’t get far before Blake instantly cuts him off. “You’re not leaving until we finish!”
Drake places his hand on Blake’s shoulder. “I appreciate the concern, brother. Trust me, I’m fine. The winds of purity stop for no one. I fell victim to mortal desires. That’s all. Once Gavin understands the price he paid for forcing me to confront my mortality, no more excessive violence. The I Quit match allows me to purge the filth from my body. All will be right once Gavin is sacrificed to cure me of the rage I fell.”
Blake shakes his head. “No, it doesn’t work that way.”
“It does now.” Drake smirks. “Goodbye William.” Drake looks over at Victor. “You too, Victor.” Victor nods back. He then turns to face Blake one last time. “Tell Cassie I said hello.”
With that Drake turns around. He walks away from Blake’s staged inventiation convincing himself he feels at peace. Once him and Loretta exit outside, he turns to her.
Loretta breaks her silence. “He means well. Don’t be so hard on him. Neither of them understand the work that needs to be done.” She reaches up to stroke his cheek with the back of her hand. “I didn’t know your mother’s abandonment still causes you pain.”
Drake is comforted by Loretta’s tough. “We have a mission--”
Looking at him sternly, Loretta says, “No. Don’t change the subject. We need to work through this.”
Drake sighs. “What’s done is done, Loretta.”
She leans up to kiss him on the cheek. “We need to be honest with each other. No holding back.”
“Ok... not here. We can talk when we get back to the cabin.”
With a smile Loretta says. “Thank you.”
Just then they leave The Mason property with a lot to look forward to.
