PROMO: Erase / Rewind

[Vasarian_Brandy 0]

Part 1:

 

"I've changed my mind...

I take it back...

Erase and rewind,

'cause I've been changing my mind.

Erase and rewind,

'cause I've been changing my mind.

I've changed my mind..."

 

The Cardigans, "Erase / Rewind"

 

-----

 

They say there's a time in one's life where something happens... Something seemingly innocuous, but enough to jar the synapes and neurons of your mind. It sets something off in the inner recesses of your brain that starts small, but that cascades and echoes through the halls of memories almost obliterated and forgotten in the sands of time... Until it coalesces into a decision that could very well alter your way of thought... Or life. The "Butterfly Effect" of one's psyche.

 

Mine started in the Tacoma Mall.

 

I know, I know... Not exactly the locale you'd think of having a epiphany of existence.

 

I never said that the time and place of such a revelation were set in stone. However, maybe a little history lesson leading up to this major insight is needed though...

 

-----

 

My life... My life had progressed quite a ways in the span of a year plus. I'd finally made the permanent change of venue to Washington State... A little over a year ago now. A little town called Puyallup, about 8 miles north-ish of Tacoma. I'd finally traded big-city life for a taste of the countryside.

 

Now, don't get me wrong... I still travelled quite a bit... From coast to coast, actually. New York to Los Angeles, and points in between. I'd even been overseas. USO-sponsored trips to Kuwait, and the heart of Iraq. But I finally traded the quiet of the Midwest for the minor hustle-and-bustle of the West Coast. Well, save for a few 'allegiances' that I just couldn't part with.

But a big rut in my life, and a big hole in my heart were filled by Karina.

 

Not a city or any place, mind you. A person.

 

5'10, with flowing auburn hair and a hint of the exotic Far East in her features. I met her on a trip to Cambridge where she was being use as a model for a video game. And had I not been there for a similar purpose, I would've laughed the whole thing off. We quite literally bumped into each other... Me trying to do an end-run around a taxi that I'll swear to this day was being driven by someone sans brain, and her walking out of a local cafe... Unbeknownst to her, she was in the middle of my desperate route avoiding certain auto-induced injury. I swiftly discovered her standing there... And her latte swiftly discovered her blouse. I managed to catch her before she completely went off-kilter and hit the pavement... And it was a moment... One of those moments in time that just falls in your lap. You can't know for sure what happened, but you know for sure that something just went incredibly right. She confirmed my own thoughts with a laugh, smiling brown eyes, and this line:

 

"Well, this is the first time I've seen the knight in shining armor cause the damsel her distress to begin with."

 

Two complete strangers literally running into each other is how it began... And it's progressed from there, most pleasantly. I got my video game gig squared... And though the company she modelled for wound up going in another direction, I continued to refer to her as "Narikochan".

 

And she got her latte after all.

 

But I've digressed pretty far. Back to the mall.

 

-----

 

Karina and I have moved in together, and we've been preparing for a costume ball up in Seattle. While she was at work, I decided to pick up the last pieces of our outfits. And while Captain Jack Sparrow and Elizabeth Swann weren't redheads, we figured we could take the same amount of "creative liberties" that Jerry Bruckheimer took with a good pirate story. I was passing by the GameStop in the mall, and wouldn't have batted an eye... I'm not much of a gamer, though Karina has gotten me 'out of my shell', in that respect. As it was, I was just passing the door when I heard a voice... A teen's voice. It wasn't the voice itself, but the words...

 

"Hah! Here comes the thunder and lightning to put you down for the count!"

 

The butterfly flaps its wings.

 

I stopped... Looked back towards the store... Something in the words caught me just right... Just square enough... I turned around, and into the store I went. Sure enough, the voice belonged to a 14-year old kid that was playing one of the system demos in the store... I think it was the Xbox 360... But the game he was playing was what caught my attention. I don't recognize a lot of games, but I -did- recognize this one, and the two representatives currently in combat on the screen. One was a bit wiry... Tall and lanky in a way... With a decidedly English look about him. I shook my head; the amazing details these game systems bring out in pixels... In this case, two features jumped out at me: a red-hued, sleeveless trench at ringside... But not leather, or pleather, or anything of the sort... And the man's face... It struck me as odd, but then the recollection hit of a man I once knew... One green eye, one yellow. I never got to ask that man how he did it. I'm sure I would've gotten a Hell of an answer. Something about exploding toy stores, likely.

The other combatant... Oh yes, I recognized him too... Especially familiar. Dark red ponytail, tanned skin, goatee... They even went through the trouble of getting the gold ring on the chain right. Same one... My thoughts derailed as I watched the on-screen action, the goatee-d contestant moving fluidly, delivering a kick to the gut of the other, then grappling him in a way to bounce off the mat... Not once, but twice. The teen pumped his fist triumphantly in the air, like he was the one delivering that lethal move.

 

"Thunder and lightning again! F-T-W, baby... F-T-W!" I had to chuckle at that... Though I hadn't a clue what he was saying, I had an idea of the meaning.

 

"Kid," I began slowly, "I don't think your opponent is going to go down for long with that move..."

 

"Yeah, whatever." The kid kept his eyes on the screen... I knew his type... Definintely didn't want to listen to anyone out of his 'circle'. I was like that... Once. Turned out badly.

 

"Trust me... The man you're fighting and his crew got out of an FAO Schwartz that was... Unexpectedly imploded around him. He won't stay down to that."

 

"Pfft, whatev..." The teen had half-turned to me, then noticed that his opponent had indeed gotten back to his feet. Hit swiftly paused the game, turning to glare at me.

 

"What the Hell do you know about this shit, mister...?" His voice trailed off as a look of concentration, then mildly-feared recognition passed on his face. I couldn't help but smile.

 

"I know enough to tell you that it's 'Lightning And Thunder', not the reverse."

 

"Oh my God... I-I-I... You're... I can't believe..." The kid stammered for a few moments, then seemed to halve his age in a moment. "I'm sorry for swearing at you... Uhm... Can I have your autograph?"

 

The flap of a butterfly's wings... Causes a typhoon of memories...

 

All because of a kid that cursed at me in GameStop.

 

Epiphanies aren't fickle, or timely, or confined to moments of contemplation or meditation.

 

They just are.

[Vasarian_Brandy 0]

Part 2:

 

I'm not sure how long I'd been laying there when Karina walked in from her shower. My thoughts were elsewhere, but I could always tell when she was there from the scents of roses and vanilla that seemed to float around her like an aura. It was always a nice, soothing scent. One that always put my mind at ease.

 

But this time, it was just a scent. Nothing to do with her, mind you... Just me and my addled mind. She had crossed from my right to left in my field of 'view', but I didn't notice.

 

"So you were able to find everything at the mall alright, hon?"

 

Probably more than I bargained for.

 

"Mmm-hmm."

 

"Vera and Elle are really excited about the party... Are you looking forward to it?"

 

"Mmm-hmm." A pause.

 

"So the Indians are playing the Moon Men tonight for the Gumby Cup, right?"

 

"Mmm-hmm..." Ahh, shit! Fell for that one. A cascade of auburn hair surrounding a concerned set of eyes filled my sight.

 

"Hon? You alright?" I met her eyes, though I really didn't want to.

 

"Yeah... Just got a lot on my mind." Her eyes, though not totally convinced, eased their worry some.

 

"Well, I know shopping at the mall will do that to me too," she stated with a sarcastic smirk, then she slid onto the bed beside me. Her towelled features nestled against my side, and she eased back into her 'caring' mode. "Want to talk about it?"

 

Not really, no... But I knew better than to answer. I'd been nothing but honest with this woman about everything. I wasn't going to stop now.

 

"Well," I started, rolling slightly to retrieve a bag I had dropped by the bed. "I made a stop, picked up a little something..." Her eyes followed my movements as I retrieved the plastic box from the bag.

 

"Uh-oh," she cooed with a smile as she took the game case from my hands. "I've gotten you addicted, haven't I..." She looked closer, then chuckled as she actually read the title of the game. "Or... Was it one of the people in this game that begged you to pick it up, hmm?" I couldn't help but crack a small grin.

 

"Yeah, I guess you could say that..." I took the case from her hands and set it aside, then took her hands in mine. The gaze of my eyes caught hers, and her expression clouded, drifted back to concern. I sighed. Couldn't delay telling her my thoughts. She'd pry them out of me eventually.

 

"Karina, did you ever do something in your life... Something you enjoyed... Then walked away from it, for what you thought was forever... But then realized that maybe, just maybe, you walked away far too early, or with unfinished business, or for the wrong reasons?"

 

Or all of the above? Karina looked in my eyes... Really looked, searching for something.

 

"You miss it?" I hesitated a moment.

 

"But Chris... I thought with everything that happened... Everything you lost... You didn't want to go back?" I nodded.

 

"I thought so too. I mean, after I got hurt again last year, I just wanted out... It was too much... And I just didn't think about it anymore... I'd found something better to focus on..." I reached up to brush her cheek... She didn't break away, but her concern was radiating off her skin it seemed. "But... I don't know... Something happened... Something changed... I realized that there was something I enjoyed out of it all... Something that kept me coming back."

 

"You miss it." Less question, more statement. I nodded.

 

"Yeah... I guess I do." It was her turn to sigh this time. I tried to read her thoughts, but I was nowhere as skilled as she was with me.

 

Damn her female intuitiveness anyway.

 

"You know," she murmured slowly. "I knew we were going to have this conversation one day. After we spend that time in Cambridge... With your mo-cap shoot and all for the game... You didn't outwardly seem excited about the prospects of doing that game, but... You didn't refuse. You didn't shy away. And you really got into it once you were there, in the middle of it."

 

Damn her female intuitiveness... AGAIN.

 

"You thought that?"

 

"Yeah." I thought about it... And I do remember getting a growing sense of exhiliration while I was doing the motion capture for the game. She was wrong about one thing, though... I'd been resistant to the idea. But... I guess I'd done it after all.

 

Maybe I was thinking about it the whole time. Not conciously maybe, but...

 

"Do you want to go back?" The question, though the logical conclusion to this whole train of thought and conversation, still struck me by surprise. I thought about it... Really thought about it at that moment... It seemed like I'd done a lot... Won some belts... Had some success... But... It seemed like there was unfinished business... Maybe I felt like I needed to redeem myself from... Past transgressions... Maybe it was the business... Or the fans... Or the gold... But... The more I thought about it... The more it seemed like I'd left undone.

 

The more it seemed I walked away too soon.

 

Karina continued to watch me... Waiting patiently.

 

"Yes. Yes I do." She nodded simply. She probably already knew my answer before I did.

 

"I guess we'll have some news to give Vera and Elle, eh?"

 

"I guess so at that." We were quiet for a moment, then she hugged me tightly.

 

"Love you."

 

"Love you too, Narikochan." She giggled, the tension melted.

 

"You're gonna be great, hon... But how are you gonna get back into things?"

 

"Well," I pursed my lips a moment, thinking... Then an idea formed up. "I'm sure the game company has some contact information for the SWF front office. I can call them... Later..." Karina's eyebrow arched up, a bemused expression.

 

"Later?"

 

"Later." She smiled coyly.

 

"Why not now?" I answered by grabbing her tightly, and rolling over, conveniently leaving the towel behind... Her playfully shocked, but devilish expression told me she had the answer she was looking for.

Things were righting in the world once more... And soon enough, things would be completely right. I grinned down at the exotic beauty under me, inhaling her scent.

 

Smelled like heaven on earth.

 

"Well, if I'm going to be wrestling matches at my age, I'd best be sure I've got the stamina to perform..."

[Toxxic 0]

I'm liking this. Although the prospect of Chris Fury being in an SWF game at this stage is laughable sir, laughable. Gotta move with the times!

[Vasarian_Brandy 0]

It's called "unlockable legends".

 

Admittedly he wasn't a legend...

 

But... Of course... Neither is Shane-O-Mac.

 

Or Dude Love, for that matter.

 

So what I'm trying to say overall is...

 

Bite meh?

[Toxxic 0]

Sorry Fury, but you're the Raven of the WWE.

 

(yes, think of what Raven was in WWE before you take that as too much of a compliment )

 

But good-natured mickey-taking aside, I think it's a good promo. The first-person is always an interesting change of pace to what the rest of us do, and it's a nice little idea.

[Vasarian_Brandy 0]

Sorry Fury, but you're the Raven of the WWE.

 

(yes, think of what Raven was in WWE before you take that as too much of a compliment )

 

But good-natured mickey-taking aside, I think it's a good promo. The first-person is always an interesting change of pace to what the rest of us do, and it's a nice little idea.

 

Least you didn't say I was Doink or something like that. ;P

 

And I like the first-person style... I've still got to refine my first-person match-writing... But hey, it's something.

 

And I don't mind people taking the piss out of me (Aussie expression). It's all good.

 

...

 

Fuckers.

[The Ill One 0]

(Y)~!

 

Old school, man. Welcome back and the first person is refreshing.

[Toxxic 0]

Aussie expression?

 

No, no. British expression. The Aussies nicked it from us. Which is after all, why they're Aussies. Damn kleptomaniac convicts, yeah.

 

*adjusts stiff upper lip, drinks tea, loses badly at any and all competitive sports. Often to Australians*