With his first ever DEFIANCE world title shot just days away you would be forgiven for thinking Alceo Dentari would be a little on edge.

And after being screwed out of the DEFIANCE trios titles by Cancer Jiles you’d certainly be forgiven for thinking he’d be ever so slightly angry.

But that wasn’t the case.

There were no furrowed brows, no pursed lips and no scrunched up noses in sight. They’d instead been replaced by twinkly eyes, a broad smile and the most relaxed nose bridge you ever did see.

Yes, it was so relaxed it was noticeable, and if you ask me, that’s pretty damn relaxed.

Yet at the same time… It was just too unsettling.

“I usually go steamin’ in, all guns blazin’, attackin’ people left, right an’ center.” Alceo said in an overly calm manner. “An’ I was all ready to do that, ‘til I heard this voice in the back a’ my head sayin’ ‘What would Kai Scott do?’ an’ ‘What would our beloved champion Cancer Jiles do?’ You know what I thought? I thought they’d sit back, maybe one would light up... maybe the other would put his feet up…”

Slowly, and with a false grimace, Alceo lifted his legs to rest his feet on the desk in front of him and mockingly rubbed his right knee as he straightened it out.

“An’ they’d watch the world pass by.” Alceo continued with a dismissive wave, “They’d wait, they’d bide their time… they’d let everyone else make fools a’ themselves an’ then, an’ only then, they’d show their hand.”

“So I sat back... I waited... I bided my time.” Alceo said, “I expected Python an’ Edward White to come outta the gates like fuckin’ greyhounds, you know? Eyes on the prize… focused an’ determined.”

The corner of Alceo’s mouth curled slightly, but it wasn’t a smile. No, it looked like a smile, but the rest of his face couldn’t keep up the facade and revealed it to be much more of a snarl.

“I guess I was only half right.”

“Instead a’ Edward White, Kai Scott sticks his head outta the ground first…” Alceo said with a shake of the head in disbelief. “I mean, who the fuck saw that comin’?”

A shrug is all he needed to answer that question by myself.

“Python comes along an’ he throws in his two cents…” Dentari said as he took his feet off the desk and leaned forwards in his chair. He wasn’t looking as laid back, cool, calm and collected anymore. No, now he looked much more like his usual moody self. “An’ I gotta add, he damn well missed the wishin’ well with them.”

“An’ finally yous got Cancer Jiles an’ Edward White…” Alceo said counting off fingers three and four, “Who seem to think they’re the only two in this thing that matter any.”

“Edward, you may not have any beef with me, but I swear, you even suggest my presence in the Ladder War ain’t gonna be a factor again, we’ll have a fuckin’ slaughterhouse between us, capiché?” He asked with very raised eyebrows. “You know I hate to admit it, but anyone can grab an ankle. Even the most infirm amongst us, but that still makes Kai Scott a factor. That still makes Python is a factor…”

“An’ me? … I’m the goddamned X-factor.”

The mask had well and truly slipped now. Slowly but surely Alceo’s face grew redder and redder. He clenched his teeth harder and harder until it looked like they may break and breathed so heavily, so deeply, they’d have heard him in New Orleans.

“There seems to be some reason why each an’ every one a’ yous think I need to prove myself goin’ into this thing.” Dentari said through those gritted teeth, “As if beatin’ Tom Sawyer weren’t enough… That’s the same Tom Sawyer mind that Python’s so quick to get on his knees in front a’.”

“You know what my problem is with you, Python?” Dentari asked, “You ain’t got a fuckin’ clue what’s goin’ on. If you need it spelled out, here goes. Tom Sawyer ain’t in this match ‘cause I beat him. End a’ story. It ain’t got nothin’ to do with no piledrivers, or aggro crags, or stolen bikes, or missed opportunities… I. Fuckin’. Beat. Him.”

“I kicked him in the back a’ his little blonde head an’ I pinned his ass in the middle a’ that ring.” Dentari added, just to make sure everything was crystal clear. “I didn’t need no distractions to beat Tom, just like I ain’t gonna need no distractions to walk outta Ascension with the World title.”

Then things started to get a little uncomfortable.

“Tony an’ Vinny ain’t in this match, Python.” Dentari said slowly, picking his words carefully, “They ain’t gonna be botherin’ you none, so instead a’ wastin’ your time makin’ up ‘jokes’ about them, maybe yous should be focusin’ on just who the real threat is.”

Speaking of jokes? I’m only guessing at the segue here.

“An’ speakin’ a’ jokes…”

HOW DID I KNOW?

“Yous got the world champion, Cancer Jiles. Mr. Funny Man himself.” Dentari said leaning forward and resting his forearms on his knees, “Only comedy ain’t exactly been flowin’ outta our benevolent champ these days, huh? Maybe he’s finally realised the gravity a’ the situation he’s in. Maybe he’s finally realised he’s got four challengers bitin’ at his heels, an’ they’re all fuckin’ starvin’.”

Head tilt.

“Maybe he’s realised jokes an’ a pair a’ sunglasses ain’t gonna get that belt back around his waist after it’s hung from the rafters.”

He’d calmed down slightly after his tirade against Python, but his blood was meerly simmering, because it soon got back to a raging boil.

“You know what, Jiles, I ain’t too happy with the way our ‘match’ went a couple a’ weeks ago.” Alceo admitted with another shake of his head. “An’ I’m less than impressed with your performance as a referee last time out…”

That really wasn’t something Alceo wanted to bring up, but it had to be mentioned. I mean, if Dentari had his way, Cancer’s tombstone would read ‘Here lies Cancer Jiles. He made one mistake too many.’

What am I saying, you can’t put a tombstone in building foundations.

“You cost me my title.” Dentari said bluntly, “I was very fond of my title. See, my title was once held by Heidi Christenson… an’ I took great pleasure in deprivin’ her of said title…”

“Now I can’t change the past. But I can make sure in the oh-so-very-near future that I deprive you of your title.” Alceo added with a finger down the lens, “But it ain’t gonna go to nobody underservin’. No, I’ll be takin’ it for myself.”

Leaving himself a few second to compose himself and finally allow his face to unflush, Alceo sat back in his chair and exhaled a long, long breath.

“Now, seems there’s one man left. One man I ain’t ‘spit no game’ on. One man I ain’t given the proper attention to.” Alceo said holding up a single finger, “See, I know all about payin’ attention to Kai Scott… I know all about keepin’ an eye on Kai Scott.”

“‘Cause Kai Scott… he’s a sneaky motherfucker, you know?”

Could that be it? Was that all Alceo had to say about Kai Scott? The verbal equivalent of a middle finger?

Of course not.

“Kai Scott is a master manipulator, an’ I should know, that guy was under my nose for months an’ I never suspected a damn thing.” Dentari said, and it was hard for him to admit such a thing. Not many people pulled the wool over Alceo Dentari’s eyes, but with the held of a Yoshikazu YAZ mask, Kai certainly managed it. “ Just when you think he’s gonna go left, he goes right; an’ Kai certainly likes to twist the truth if he thinks it’ll make himself look better.”

“See, he wants yous to believe me an’ my boys beat Heidi three on one, but the simple fact is that ain’t true.” Dentari said with yet another shake of his head, “Kai Scott an’ Ronnie Long were out there from the openin’ bell right up until I shut the light out a’ Heidi’s eyes.”

“Kai’s more than able to talk to people that don’t know nothin’ about wrestlin’, tell ‘em stories with varyin’ degrees a’ truth, an’ have ‘em go write it all up as gospel.” Alceo said, “But for those of us that can see through his lies, for those of us that can see through the mystical veil he’s wrapped himself in…”

“He’s just a man.”

“Not the Ace a’ Heels... Not a champion… A man.”

“An’ a broken one at that.”

There was no smile on Alceo’s face. No frown either. He looked more like he was stating a simple fact. One that he knew to be undeniably true. And his expression didn’t change as he continued. “Kai Scott’s lies won’t get him nowhere. Python’s bite, while painful, sure ain’t deadly. Edward White’s money ain’t gonna do him no good. The fact that he’s champion is the only thing funny about Cancer Jiles. An’ none a’ them are gonna be walkin’ outta Ascension with the World title.” He said as he rose to his feet. “That’s comin’ with me.”

“Alceo. Dentari.”
 

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