Post by tactilizingone on Oct 20, 2022 22:57:38 GMT -5
It was a blustery and crisp autumn day, and if you took the temperature of Tact Enterprises today, it could also be described the same way: Blusters of activity breaking out on the floors of different departments, with the crisp efficiency of their work moving the needle for the enterprise. This productivity had been a trademark of TE, however, that spirit was renewed thanks to the annual charity of the cost-of-living adjustment. It was like a warm blanket in a bitter transitional season with a trademark of watching living things die off.
The head of Tact Enterprises, Larry Tact, was in the midst of his own transitional phase. As he stood in his office, observing his view of the Manhattan skyline, he reflected on the relentless combination of grievances that had been afflicted upon him. In the past six weeks, he had lost a vital ally and a vital symbol for his return to the wrestling ring. First, his protégé and longtime friend, Cesar Salvador Ramon, who had been visited by a hidden specter. This specter is everything to Cesar, and in fact tied he and Larry’s origin together. So when Cesar had been shown a memory involving that particular specter, and that it shone on Larry in very poor illumination, it caused a fracture between the two. The specter? None other than Cesar’s father, a man who had fought for a living, and then didn’t know how to stop until he was stopped – permanently and mortally so. The specter wasn’t of the deceased man, himself, but a memory that Larry had laid to rest long ago. Yet, presently, he was still being victimized by the poor decisions of others. It was enough to put anyone in a downtrodden state.
Then there was Level Up Wrestling. A promotion he had been apart of since its inception in 2021, when Larry returned to wrestling to reintroduce himself, as it were. He had made a steady rise and claimed the Power Championship at the end of that year. 2022 had seen him make more defenses and hold the title for a record number of defenses and total days. He was on track to be in a match to determine the number one contender to the Final Boss Champion, the top tier title holder in Level Up. He was on course to make history again.
And then he wasn’t.
Figuratively and literally, Larry went from holding a title he had defended at all costs, and raised to the prestige of the Final Boss Championship… to losing a “Bloodweb” match to Vhodka Black – of all people, the Artisanal Cheez It Hyena! – and be pitched off a peak of the mountain, stripped of that prestige and the opportunity to challenge for the top belt. He had put it all on the line, and lost.
Larry’s dark reverie was broken by the ring tone of his office phone. He strode over to his desk and snatched the receiver to his ear. “Well, what is it?”
“Yeah, Larry, hmm…” his executive assistant, Tiffany began.
“No need to rush with this,” Larry said without mirth.
“Well I thought for a moment, like, ‘Wait, IS this a prank orrr… I dunno, it sounds like they’ve been trying to get ahold of you.”
“Wait, what?”
“But they even have your personal flip, so I’m leaning it’s legit…”
“Tiffany, ‘flip’ in that context doesn’t mean anything. It certainly doesn’t mean cell phone, which is what you’re trying to make it.”
“Yeah, but like, you’re saying it now. You believe it now. I read that, if you live with your intention clear, and stated, then you can transmit it to others. Totally sounds, like, subliminal, right? From there, you can fulfill your wildest dreams. That, is the power of… The Secret!”
Even as this conversation was happening on the phone, Larry couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “I’d love to inform you on all the reasons to dispute astrologically driven life choices, but weren’t you trying to tell me about someone who had my personal cell number??”
“Ohh right, yeah. Wild, right? I figured maybe it’s that weird aunt of yours,” A beat passes, then: “You know the one.”
For a twentysomething year old young lady who was still getting herself attuned to the professional world, she‘s certainly comfortable addressing her boss,’ Larry thought, before saying, “Are they on the phone?”
“Actually, yeah. They’ve been on hold for like–“
“Please. Put them through. Immediately, thank you,” Larry pushed a button to mute. After having suffered these recent brutal setbacks, he was determined not to let it affect his day-to-day. But being a wrestler was his dormant passion, reawakened. Its venom had rekindled the fire Larry had set away to make himself a family man. The time for that had passed, and he was allowed again to unleash his abilities in the ring. It made special premium events like the Tara Fenix Charity Event a great place to make his name known to a newer and wider audience than he had ever before. This was going to be another showcase special attraction match, with one Lexi Gold. Larry was looking forward to facing his friend, and he would do so inside of a Steel Cage. This was to keep any malcontents, or even that deceptive succubus Vhodka away from him.
“Hello?” A woman’s voice came over the phone.
“Yes, this is Mr. Tact speaking,” Larry confirmed.
“Mr. Tact! So great to be able to reconnect. This is Lucy with the rescue shelter.”
“I’m… sorry, who?” Larry said, surprised.
“We spoke several months ago. Don’t worry if you forgot, we’ve been known to have to reintroduce ourselves. Long story short, we have the review of your application completed, and we’re delighted to say that we’ve found you a possible match.”
“A match? Wait, is this for some kind of pet adoption?”
“In fact, it is! You sent us your application from over the summer, and we needed some time to get through our backlog, but sure enough yours came up. We really love the home environment and overall level of care you’ll be able to show your new fur-ever friend.”
Larry spent the next five minutes sputtering through a line of questions and explanations. When all was said and done, he would be the proud new owner of an American Staffordshire Terrier.
If he was still interested.
“I, well… I mean, I may not have the exterior of a man with the softness one may see is needed, but I am a charitable man in the end…”
“We’re so glad to hear that, Mr. Tact. Thank you for your life-saving humbleness to take care of another. Now, let’s get to everyone’s favorite part… adoption fees!”
Larry hit the mute button. “How did this happen? What in the world is going on?” he mused, dumbfounded. “I have Lexi Gold in a Steel Cage match in no time. I… I need to stop at Petco on my way home…”
And thusly, Larry was thrown into the new realm of pet ownership.
The head of Tact Enterprises, Larry Tact, was in the midst of his own transitional phase. As he stood in his office, observing his view of the Manhattan skyline, he reflected on the relentless combination of grievances that had been afflicted upon him. In the past six weeks, he had lost a vital ally and a vital symbol for his return to the wrestling ring. First, his protégé and longtime friend, Cesar Salvador Ramon, who had been visited by a hidden specter. This specter is everything to Cesar, and in fact tied he and Larry’s origin together. So when Cesar had been shown a memory involving that particular specter, and that it shone on Larry in very poor illumination, it caused a fracture between the two. The specter? None other than Cesar’s father, a man who had fought for a living, and then didn’t know how to stop until he was stopped – permanently and mortally so. The specter wasn’t of the deceased man, himself, but a memory that Larry had laid to rest long ago. Yet, presently, he was still being victimized by the poor decisions of others. It was enough to put anyone in a downtrodden state.
Then there was Level Up Wrestling. A promotion he had been apart of since its inception in 2021, when Larry returned to wrestling to reintroduce himself, as it were. He had made a steady rise and claimed the Power Championship at the end of that year. 2022 had seen him make more defenses and hold the title for a record number of defenses and total days. He was on track to be in a match to determine the number one contender to the Final Boss Champion, the top tier title holder in Level Up. He was on course to make history again.
And then he wasn’t.
Figuratively and literally, Larry went from holding a title he had defended at all costs, and raised to the prestige of the Final Boss Championship… to losing a “Bloodweb” match to Vhodka Black – of all people, the Artisanal Cheez It Hyena! – and be pitched off a peak of the mountain, stripped of that prestige and the opportunity to challenge for the top belt. He had put it all on the line, and lost.
Larry’s dark reverie was broken by the ring tone of his office phone. He strode over to his desk and snatched the receiver to his ear. “Well, what is it?”
“Yeah, Larry, hmm…” his executive assistant, Tiffany began.
“No need to rush with this,” Larry said without mirth.
“Well I thought for a moment, like, ‘Wait, IS this a prank orrr… I dunno, it sounds like they’ve been trying to get ahold of you.”
“Wait, what?”
“But they even have your personal flip, so I’m leaning it’s legit…”
“Tiffany, ‘flip’ in that context doesn’t mean anything. It certainly doesn’t mean cell phone, which is what you’re trying to make it.”
“Yeah, but like, you’re saying it now. You believe it now. I read that, if you live with your intention clear, and stated, then you can transmit it to others. Totally sounds, like, subliminal, right? From there, you can fulfill your wildest dreams. That, is the power of… The Secret!”
Even as this conversation was happening on the phone, Larry couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “I’d love to inform you on all the reasons to dispute astrologically driven life choices, but weren’t you trying to tell me about someone who had my personal cell number??”
“Ohh right, yeah. Wild, right? I figured maybe it’s that weird aunt of yours,” A beat passes, then: “You know the one.”
For a twentysomething year old young lady who was still getting herself attuned to the professional world, she‘s certainly comfortable addressing her boss,’ Larry thought, before saying, “Are they on the phone?”
“Actually, yeah. They’ve been on hold for like–“
“Please. Put them through. Immediately, thank you,” Larry pushed a button to mute. After having suffered these recent brutal setbacks, he was determined not to let it affect his day-to-day. But being a wrestler was his dormant passion, reawakened. Its venom had rekindled the fire Larry had set away to make himself a family man. The time for that had passed, and he was allowed again to unleash his abilities in the ring. It made special premium events like the Tara Fenix Charity Event a great place to make his name known to a newer and wider audience than he had ever before. This was going to be another showcase special attraction match, with one Lexi Gold. Larry was looking forward to facing his friend, and he would do so inside of a Steel Cage. This was to keep any malcontents, or even that deceptive succubus Vhodka away from him.
“Hello?” A woman’s voice came over the phone.
“Yes, this is Mr. Tact speaking,” Larry confirmed.
“Mr. Tact! So great to be able to reconnect. This is Lucy with the rescue shelter.”
“I’m… sorry, who?” Larry said, surprised.
“We spoke several months ago. Don’t worry if you forgot, we’ve been known to have to reintroduce ourselves. Long story short, we have the review of your application completed, and we’re delighted to say that we’ve found you a possible match.”
“A match? Wait, is this for some kind of pet adoption?”
“In fact, it is! You sent us your application from over the summer, and we needed some time to get through our backlog, but sure enough yours came up. We really love the home environment and overall level of care you’ll be able to show your new fur-ever friend.”
Larry spent the next five minutes sputtering through a line of questions and explanations. When all was said and done, he would be the proud new owner of an American Staffordshire Terrier.
If he was still interested.
“I, well… I mean, I may not have the exterior of a man with the softness one may see is needed, but I am a charitable man in the end…”
“We’re so glad to hear that, Mr. Tact. Thank you for your life-saving humbleness to take care of another. Now, let’s get to everyone’s favorite part… adoption fees!”
Larry hit the mute button. “How did this happen? What in the world is going on?” he mused, dumbfounded. “I have Lexi Gold in a Steel Cage match in no time. I… I need to stop at Petco on my way home…”
And thusly, Larry was thrown into the new realm of pet ownership.
