There was something about the south coast that Chio Reto could never keep away from, not just because it was his home, but because there is always so much beauty to be found. He found this as an appropriate thought today as he travelled on the local train from Torquay heading to his destination, Dawlish.
This was an old destination for him, one that he hadn’t done for close to seven years. He used to frequent this town so often back then, because it used to be a casual base of operations for him and his friend.
Hah, ‘friend’. He hadn’t used that term to describe him for so long. It was true though: he is his friend. Granted, there had been a rough few years, however in the last few they were on the same page. They didn’t talk so much anymore. In fact, they hadn’t really spoken in around eighteen months before Chio received the call last week. It was like a complete case of déjà vu; the tone of the call, the plans, the timing. This meeting could be set in 2004 or 2011, for all Chio knew he could have fallen back in time.
He checked his watch, just coming up to ten in the morning, he was well on time. Staring out of the window he observed the stunning views as the train passes through Dawlish Warren, where most holidaymakers head for weeks in caravans. It wasn’t his scene at all, but he could see the appeal for anybody who couldn’t afford to go abroad. Past the Warren was an amazing stretch of beach, with a sea wall that paralleled the train line; on a warm day it would be a fantastic thirty-minute walk between the Warren and the Town.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, your next stop is Dawlish; Dawlish is your next station."
He got to his feet and heads off the train. The small station sits at the front of the town, and was just a minute away from where he was headed. He stepped off the fairly quiet train and observed his surroundings a bit, just taking a moment to regain his bearings after being away for such a large portion of time.
He looked to his right and spotted the café he was after, and made for it. The small café oozed the smell of coffee and fry-ups, just how it should be at this time of the morning. He stepped inside and looked both left and right, and to the latter - sat in the corner - was the one who he’d been instructed to meet. He approached him slightly cautiously; after all it has been a while.
"Prompt as ever. Good to see you Chris, sit down! I’ve ordered us both the usual, I assume your appetite hasn't changed?"
"You know, considering the matches we’re about to jump into, I’m not entirely sure it’s a wise idea. The second I caught a whiff of this place though, it was inevitable that I’d have the usual, wasn’t I Rob?" he grins, and grinning back is Rob Arnold.
It came as only a small shock that Rob called him a few days back; after all they were both going to run into each other at one point with the CXA Reunion show coming up. However, he still wasn’t sure if he’d actually hear from him at all as they’d had little contact in the past two years. Still, when the call did come, he had no hesitation in saying yes. The location was one of Rob’s favourites, he also has a property in the Warren, and it was also highly convenient for both men to access.
Rob sat back in his chair, still wearing his grin. For the pair of them there was clearly a lot less tension as some would have predicted there would be.
"So, the cheesy question would be... do you know why I asked you to come here? Let’s be honest though Chris, it’s not my style, and I never thought it to be your style either. The reality is that I just wanted to catch up with you. I’ve been meaning to for a while now, but it’s been a little hectic for me as of late; I don’t know if you’ve heard various things."
"Oh, loads. Nature of the business, really; you so much as wipe your arse and the dirt sheets report it. No doubt you’ve heard plenty of things about me as well," Chio joined Rob in sitting back as he said this. Meanwhile a waitress came up and brought them both a cup of tea, which received a thank you nod from each of them.
"Well since I last saw you, I’ve done everything I should have done before. I dunno if amongst what you’d heard was the fact that I’m now a husband and a dad," Rob smugly replies.
"Yeah, I happened upon that little nugget. Congratulations on all that!" said Chio, and his tone was genuine, "How old is your kid now?"
Rob pulled his wallet out and slid a picture of his son, Michael, across the table.
"He’ll be a year old in May."
"Good lord, kids eh?" Chio commented, seeming a bit overwhelmed at the very idea, "Don’t think I could manage that. It’s hard enough looking after myself."
"It’s a life-changing experience, mate," Rob told him, "That much is for sure."
"I sincerely hope you’re not leaving the responsibility of parenthood to Sharon," mused Chio with a smile.
"Of course not," Rob was quick to point out, "Though she could handle it on her own, I think. She’s something special."
Chio seemed genuinely pleased by the contentment in Rob’s words, though was sure to call him on it, "I also sincerely hope you’re not going soft on me."
"God no, I’m not quite at the stage where I’m discussing my feelings, trust me," Rob laughed, before letting out a sigh, "Marriage and a kid, though. It’s amazing to think that time has moved on so quickly." He paused, as if reflecting on said time, before asking, "What about you though? Word has got around. Seems you’ve been on the road, but generally keeping under the radar."
Another pause, somewhat more awkwardly this time, "I also heard about the shit that went down with you and Sou," he continued, "I don’t know the details but I know the end product hasn’t been particularly pleasant, so I’m sorry about that."
"Ah, that," Chio responded tentatively, "It’s a tricky situation, to say the least. I’m still looking for closure, but uh, I can’t say I took the best approach to getting it."
There was an awkward silence, which prompted both men to take a sip from their teas. In order to move the conversation on, Chio decided to ask about Rob’s life again.
"So how’s Alex Reid? You still see him much?"
"Oh yeah; we sorted ourselves out, but I’m not back at Vortex. He decided that my position was weakened as I wasn’t in the public eye anymore," he scoffed.
"So is this all a platform to go back to Vortex?" probed Chio.
"Oh no, I wouldn’t say so, not at all," Rob waved off the idea, "Truth be told I don’t even know what this is, this Reunion Show."
"I’m fairly certain it’s a wrestling show where all of us ex-CWA and TXA guys get to-"
"Nobody likes a smartass, Chris," smirked Rob, and the pair laughed. "What I mean is I don’t know exactly what this show is going to do for me yet. I’ve been training again just to keep me active, almost got myself into a lot of trouble before," Rob leaned in to lower his voice. "May have... laid out a colleague."
Chio laughed at this, "Wow, wouldn’t have taken you for a Corporate Slugger!"
Rob shushed him slightly, "Yeah I know, it’s complicated."
"Well, we’ve both made a similar mistake there," Chio added, looking somewhat guilty, "Except in my case it wasn’t a co-worker."
"If it makes you feel any better, from what I’ve heard of the situation, I don’t blame you," Rob told him, although Chio didn’t look all that convinced, "She needed somebody to put her in her place. I might not have gone your route, but something needed to be done, that’s for sure."
"You don’t exactly feel great about what you did either, eh?"
"Nope. I thought I was above all that. But the fact that it happened showed me that I needed to still train, just to give me that release. Surely you relate to that; once it’s with you - in your blood - it’s hard to let go."
"’Hard’ is an understatement," Chio sighed.
"Still, I have to treat this as a one-off. I have a family to provide for right now; I couldn’t go off and globetrot any more. I have to provide."
Rob paused and shook his head.
"Man, this ‘growing up’ shit sucks, doesn’t it?"
They both laughed and took a further sip of their drinks.
"So let’s talk about the show. You’ve got the big one; you got DS."
"Not jealous, are you?" Chio joked.
"Funnily enough... I’m not," Rob said with a shrug, "I don’t blame anybody on making the joke either. Given the history between me and Shand, the almosts and the should-have-beens, you’d think I’d be pretty pissed that you got the gig. The reality is I’m really not. I stopped fussing over Shand a few years back, before I even finished wrestling. End of the day, he and I will never fight, and in some ways it’s better that way. Some of the best discussions in this business are the ‘what ifs’ and this is a massive what if. People will always ask and debate on if me and Shand faced off. Frankly I love that part of the business."
"Wouldn’t even think about trading places with me then?" Chio probes further.
"No, not for a second. You know what’s weird? I’ve done so much since Shand gave up the business, and even during, and I’ve been happy with that. So I’ll quite happily get on and let other people get their chance to do something big."
Rob smiles and folds his arms.
"What about you though Chris? How are you feeling about all this? Trinity of Iron. I couldn’t do it, no way."
"I’m surprised I’m doing it," Chio admitted with a chuckle, though it didn’t last long, "I go from being the guy who didn’t get the main events, to being in THE main event. I never saw myself on the level of Lone Wolf, or Steve Awesome, but here we are. I’ll take that leap, and I’ll survive it."
"What made you agree to it anyway?" Rob asked, still evidently puzzled as to the decision, "It’s not exactly going to be a bundle of fun!"
"Oh, well that goes without saying. At first, I don’t remember to saying yes myself! There’s a deeper part of me that wants this, though, and made the call without necessarily consulting with me first. It’s the condition David wants after all, and if this one final chance is going to happen, I had to agree to it. It might sound crazy, but I think that when I’m in there, I’ll be able to dig deep to a level normally untapped, and I’ll be able to handle it. Hell, I might even be able to win!"
Chio was clearly nursing some recent injuries ever since he entered the café, despite his attempts at subtlety, "I feel surer of myself now. It just took a little suffering to get to that point. I’ll be ready for it, trust me."
Rob nodded with impressed approval.
"So how’re you feeling about the show? You landed Tweedle-Dum!" They both laughed.
"Yeah I did land him. To be honest there is no way I could have turned this down. Myron Fox…"
"You mean My-Ron Novarr." Chio quipped sarcastically.
"No, because he’s Myron Fox, Chris, and always will be. Myron is the perfect opponent, he’ll give me a challenge, and plus it gives me such opportunity for air time. The guy just screams ‘insult me’ and well, I may just be happy to oblige."
Chio gave him a look after that comment, and it suggested that he had something to say. Rob picked up on it.
"Go on, Reto. Hit me with it. What’s on your mind?"
"If you don’t mind me being frank, Rob, you seem like you could do with some more motivation," Chio began, taking him up on it, "Just motivation at all, actually. When it comes to you and this match, it’s as though there’s no fire. No passion."
Rob simply gave him a look that seemed to urge him to go on.
"I mean, you never held back with your feelings back in the day. You always put your all, your soul into every competition. With My-Ron though, it doesn’t feel there. As far as I can see, it’s just a match to you. Where’s the issue? Where’s the burning need to prove yourself against him? He’s been quite content to talk down to you, quite literally, from his throne, but to no response from you. It doesn’t seem right, man."
Rob sat back in his chair again, blank expression - he was right to an extent.
"I did have work commitments. That was well documented to all who were organising, but oddly enough the outside world didn’t get the memo, funny that!" Rob leant forward as he quipped back. He pauses to think for a moment, and gives a reluctant nod.
"Perhaps you are right though. I think critics would say I’m compromising for not facing Shand. I don’t think I am; I’d like to think I’ve done more than Shand. Besides, that’s your match, and you need that a lot more than I do," he motioned to Chio, "So it would seem I’m just phoning this one in. Fair enough, since I haven’t been open about my feelings about this; I mean outside of that one vignette, which was pretty vague to be honest. Maybe it’s about time I let the infamous Arnold mouth on the loose again."
"Well let’s get started right here and now: What inspired you to take on the prince?" Chio questioned, wanting to get to the heart of the matter, "Obviously there’s a reason for my battle against David. What’s the purpose of fighting My-Ron?"
Rob thought for a moment, "I stepped out of all the shadows of the CWA and went on to do so much more than so many would have expected. So I guess now it’s time for me to go back and show that I am all of these things. I’m still Rob Arnold; I’m still a hell of a lot better than guys like Myron Fox."
"And me?" joked Chio.
"Oh of course!" laughed Rob, but it soon gave way to seriousness, "Really though, Myron’s a talented guy, but I’ve seen the stuff he’s said. Not just in the wake of this show, but back as far as CWA. Now, I’ve pinned the guy before, and I don’t remember anything to write home about from his performance. He’s all style over substance, and he may talk the talk, but when I faced off against him, that talking didn’t do him a whole lot of good, did it?"
Rob enthusiastically produced a phone from his pocket, and after a moment of tapping on the keys, presented the image on screen to Chio, "Take a look at this; I saved it earlier just to show you. I think it was when I saw that image, must’ve been late last year, that I decided to do this match. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say I was looking at the lead singer of some Manson-knock off band. What is with this…this thing? He’s tarted himself up like a prostitute, promotes himself to the moon, and for what? To show everyone how mediocre a wrestler he is? That IS what the marquee says, after all: wrestling! Not putting on face paint and talking in riddles!"
"Now that’s the Rob Arnold I want to see," Chio chuckled, approving of Rob’s newfound vigour.
Rob indeed looked revitalised upon unleashing the vocal beast within, and ran his hand through his beard with ponderous excitement.
"You know what, Chris? We’ve all got to do a press conference, right? Well, watching Shand and Cyberboy do theirs together gave me the idea…"
"You’re thinking of copying them," Reto stated in amusement.
"Copy is such a bland word, I prefer… improve." Rob smirks. "Do you not want to? Thought it would be fun; you know, bring back some of that Arnold-Reto magic, not seen since the Nightmare days. But if you’re not interested…"
Arnold smirked and raised his eyebrows. Reto responded by folding his arms and sighing.
"As much as I try not to follow in other’s footsteps, why not. Let’s give it a shot. Don’t think this was just your idea, though! Something similar had crossed my mind too, as a matter of fact," Reto’s face was deadpan as he said this.
"Of course it did mate, of course it did," Rob smirked again, as he said this, the waitress returned with a Full English Breakfast each and places it on the table. "Now this, this is a reunion I’ve REALLY been looking forward to."
Subject: A Slightly Different Reunion (Arnold/Chio RP) 
Wed Mar 02, 2011 2:44 pm
