Perspective

[chris]

Somewhere in the sky
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A thousand...

Mandi Morrison was snuggling against him, purring with her eyes closed. Chris would move his arm, wrapping it around her shoulder, allowing her to rest the head on his chest. His head never turned to her, he kept staring at the ocean. It looked so calm, plan, immense. And suddenly, his estimate sounded so wrong.

A thousand... It might as well be a million!

For some odd reason, this was everything he could think about right now, as he was flying over the ocean, coming back from a relaxing and fun filled holiday with his lovely girlfriend. He really needed to get away from the stressful life of a wrestler, and Australia sounded like the best option. Nice weather, delightful beach and the chance to catch up with his friend Ophelia. Or Cheesecake as she was known in the wrestling scene.

It’s like… there’s nothing out there… How many dead bodies you think are out there?

Three weeks. She didn't text, or called for three fucking weeks, over two months since they actually spent some time together and that was the first thing she could come up with?

A thousand...

Well his answer was even dumber than the question. Their friendship has always been awkward. A one-way kind of thing at times, with Ophelia putting her best effort to push him away, and Chris never giving up. Such was his nature, trying to bring happiness even if that would mean sacrifice his own- And it happened many times with Cheesecake, sometimes just for standing by her side on her personal war against the world. Even if that would mean go into an argument with the love of his life, that thing of beauty that was now snoozing against him. The caring side of Chris always reached his peak when it comes down to that green haired girl with a bad attitude. Trying to help her became almost an obsession for the young wrestler, to the point that more then someone started guessing if there wasn't more than just a friendship.
They were right.
To a certain degree.
Chris Andrew moved a lock of hair away from Mandi's face, kissing her forehead, careful not to wake her up. This young girl has always been his first thought in the morning, and the last one before getting to sleep. His heart completely belongs to her, with no love left for anyone else.
But still, it was undeniable that his feelings for Cheesecake were deeper than you should expect from a ten thousand miles long-distance friendship. It was something people couldn't understand. It was something even Chris had some hard times understanding. But he knew it was right.
What she needed, and what he needed.
And if someone wanted to keep looking at this under a different light, reading into it something that wasn't there, he would let them. They didn't get all the right info.
They were lacking perspective.

A thousand...

It seemed quite accurate at the time. From where they were standing, at that time of the night, the ocean seemed quite big... Just not this big! As he was flying over it now, as he was getting a better idea of his immensity, even though still far from its entirety, a thousand dead bodies seemed a ridiculously small number.

That's how perspective works.

He thought to himself. No matter how many people would advise him against, no matter how hard they would try to make him desist, to change his mind. He would never give up to a friend. Even though nine times out of ten it would feel like knocking his head against a damn brick wall, there will always be that ONE TIME where all the struggles he went through, all the pain he withstood would have been worthy.
Like last night.
The unchanging sight, a somehow poetic meeting between the sky and the ocean, was still panning before his eyes. A wide smile started growing on his face. He was always right about her, he just got one more proof. Not that he actually needed.
And, one day, other people would start seeing things his way.
It was just a matter of perspective.

Honolulu Hawaii
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Chris Andrew was walking down the wonderful Kaimana Beach in Honololu. The sight was breathtaking, a strip of golden sand standing between the luxurious hotel and the water, so clear you can easily see the ocean floor. He stopped on his tracks, turning back and looking at his footprints, before looking straight into the camera.

How many dead bodies you think are out there Mason? Now I figure you saying something along the lines At least as many as I left behind in my career. And that might be kinda on point you know. You have quite the reputation of being a badass, an extremist, a career killer even. For sure, one of the most dangerous men in Phoenix Wrestling, as everyone saw at The Awakening. You lost, but holy shit man! That match was really something! You took a lot of punishment, you delivered at least the same amount...
And yet you failed.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not mocking you or trying to piss you off. I'm not that fool. I'm just stating a fact, you and Masaru nearly killed each other and that speaks volumes about who I am facing tonight.
And who i will face some day in the future for the tag titles.
The question everyone is asking is: What chances does a rookie like Chris Andrew stand inside the ring with a beast like Mason Daniels? Does he even belong there?

Kneeling down, Chris picked up a seashell.

Does this seashell belong here on the sand? Or maybe its place is somewhere else?

He tossed it into the water.

It depends on who you ask the question Mason. It's all a matter of perspective. According to yourself and a large part of the audience, this match is going to be a massacre. The poor rookie walks into the lion's den, like a lamb to the slaughterhouse, while the big bad dog waits for him with a wide sadistic grin on his face, thanking the gods for this chance to avenge his recent loss.
But i want to give you, and everyone else, a new point of view.
From where I stand, I have a clear advantage walking into this match. And  that's simple enough. You will never see me coming Daniels. You don't know me, you barely give a fuck about anything that doesn't involve you, am I right?
You don't know who Chris Andrew is, you don't care about what he can do. Maybe, just maybe, you remember something from when we recently crossed our paths, but I'm not holding my breath on it. You were probably too focused on your personal beef with Rowyn Starr to really learn something.
And honestly, that's something I plan to exploit.
The way I see things, this is MY opportunity, not yours. My main focus, here in Phoenix Wrestling is the PW Duos Championship. And I should actually thank you for that. Anyway, I have the chance tonight to show Maz that I am more than just a rookie, that I can swim with sharks like you and, eventually, him.
I am ready for this fight, I am ready to take a beating too. But I'm not walking out the Blaisedell Arena with a loss.
I will shock you and all those who believe this will be slightly more than a sparring session for you Mason.
I am going to take you out from your comfort zone man, I'm not letting you control the pace of the match. I will dictate it. Let's see if you can still kick into high gear and hang on when things speed up.
So bring your bag of tricks, your weapons, a freaking army even.
It's just not going to be enough.
The reason why I am here, is because I belong. I am no longer the kid who was scared of Ron Swat. I am no longer the insecure rookie who lacks determination. I lost in the second round of the IK tournament, but I learned a lot more about myself in my short time here.
Tonight, I will change everyone's perspective on who Chris Andrew is. Next step, putting some gold around my waist.