Well, this is awkward to be honest. I proper hate feeling restricted and this is what we are this week. Me, Os, Charley and Kenz are pretty restricted here, because we're on a cruise ship drifting around an ocean. Now you might think it's luxury and one almighty piss up because a lot of it is very much on SCW and fair play to 'em for forking out an arm and a leg to bring this show together, but there's a major flaw in this show. The flaw that you force wrestlers, who some at time wanna go home and forget the wrestling world for a bit, to be on every minute of the day. Well, mostly on and what I mean by that is for twenty four hours a day till Sunday night, or Monday morning, whenever this ship thing gets back in to port, we have gotta be our characters, while still being friendly to strangers were surrounded by. I don't mean we're like fully on all the time, I mean I don't expect to see Jake Raab running around with his bow and arrow telling people they have failed this cruise ship or anything, but people haven't paid thousands and trust me, it is thousands, to be around people they watch on television, for them to just be real people. They paid thousands for two wrestling shows and a week long cruise to hopefully see the people they see on the box.
Makes it difficult for wrestlers to really know when to be who they are on the screen to who they are off the screen. Frankly, we're pretty much the same on the screen as we are off the screen, just being around the public so much in a situation like this is not what we're keen on. People ain't stupid, they know we're here to put a smile on their faces. It's not like being in Vegas and having a tourist ask for a picture and you can tell them no. We know it, they know it, this cruise, we're basically here to make the fans feel welcome, no matter what the situation.... What a load of old bollocks at times but some of us handle things better than others...
Late morning, almost afternoon on a Tuesday was a nice time to be on the Sun Princess cruise ship, the sun breaking over the pale blue water, filling the busy cruise liner with glorious rays. Members of the usual general public lap up the sun around a busy swimming pool, people who would usually be on the outside looking in, surrounding themselves with television stars, essentially what wrestlers who make it really are. The splashing of water can be heard as people jump in to the clear blue pool, but the camera moves around to a table where three people can be seen sitting. Charlotte Elliot, Mackenzie Page and Osbourne are seen around a table, two bright red drinks in front of the ladies, while a beer sits in front of the larger Osbourne. Strange to see them outside smart dress, Charlotte wears white cut off denim shorts, and a black bikini top, Mackenzie wearing a pair of loose fitting light blue shorts and a white sleeveless T-shirt, while the usual suited Osbourne wraps his hand around a beer wearing red shorts to above his knee, the sun beating off his tattooed exposed upper body. Mackenzie takes a sip of her red drink.
"I prefer Dani's red drink." She says in comparison. "This ain't all that."
"Well it's a cruise ship." Mackenzie replies. "They water their drinks down here. They don't want a bunch of drunks who pay for all inclusive to end up putting them out of business. Cheap spirits and watered down beer."
The two look towards Osbourne who has his glass to his lips, raising it up and stopping as he looks back at the two. He takes a gulp of the beer and puts it down on the table, shrugging towards the women. Before they can continue, a mother and her daughter stand close by, watching the three. Mackenzie catches them staring out of the corner of her eye. A look of resentment crosses her face as she sights.
"Excuse me." The woman says, trying to catch the groups attention.
"There it is." Mackenzie mutters under her breath.
Charlotte turns to the women with a smile.
"Can we help you?" Charlotte asks her with her warm smile.
"My daughter is a huge fan of you guys." The mother explains. "It would be amazing if she could get a picture with you all."
"Sure." Charlotte says. "Just stand here."
Charlotte points in between her and Mackenzie and Mackenzie spins her head, putting on her best fake smile, and she and Charlotte move in close to the young girl. Osbourne leans forward across the table and the woman lines up a photo, to give her daughter a memory to last a life time. The woman quickly takes the picture of the four and nods.
"Thank you so much." The mother says to the group.
"You're welcome." Charlotte says with a warm smile.
The little girl returns to her mother, a wide smile on her face as Charlotte waves at her and the two disappear in to the crowd. Mackenzie stares at Charlotte with a hard look on her face. Charlotte frowns back towards her friend, confused by the look on her face.
"What?" Charlotte asks in a slow tone.
"How do you do that?" Mackenzie asks. "I mean put on the big smile for fans instead of telling them to piss off?"
"It's cause it something we have to do." Charlotte tells her. "Especially on this thing. I mean no matter where you go on this ship, someone is gonna want to get a photo with you, or an autograph, or talk for a minute or two. You can't throw everyone overboard who asks you for that, they'll be no one at the show. You know the rules of this show."
Mackenzie sighs.
"This show should be optional." she tells Charlotte and Osbourne. "Cause I dunno how long it will be before I throw someone overboard."
"Could always hide in your cabin all day." Charlotte jokes "But would be a waste of time. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth."
Mackenzie sighs as she looks around.
"Where is Daniel?" Mackenzie asks.
Osbourne points behind Charlotte and Mackenzie and the two women turn around look, to see Daniel in bright yellow shorts, with three women in bikini's around him. Daniel smiles at the women, raising a beer to his lips as he walks towards the group.
"So anyway ladies." Daniel says smoothly. "I need to speak to my people, but you make sure you look for me a little later and we'll pick this up right where we left off."
Daniel points to his cheek and the three bikini clad women take turns to kiss him on the cheek. The turn to walk away and Daniel turns his head, looking at their rears as they walk away from him. Daniel turns back to Charlotte, Mackenzie and Osbourne, raising his eyebrows up and down.
"Alright?" He asks as he takes a seat.
"Someone's having fun." Charlotte says with a nod towards Daniel.
"That's why we're here." Daniel says with a smile. "Let's be honest, if we was on dry land, we wouldn't take a holiday, a few days off and we always end up back working. This way, we're not running back to the casino every hour to check up on things."
"Sorry, can't hear you over those short." Mackenzie says with a smirk towards Daniel.
Daniel looks down at his bright yellow shorts and looks up at Mackenzie.
"Conversation starters." Daniel tells her with a wink "And with all these brasses knocking around in bikinis hoping to bag themselves a wrestler like tarts do back home in Faces trying to snag a footballer, might as well make hay while the sun shines."
Daniel winks at Mackenzie again before looking at Osbourne, his head moving up and down in agreement.
"Besides." Daniel starts. "They ain't as weird as who served me a beer a minute ago."
Daniel jolts his head towards the bar area, causing the group to look. Jack Asher stands behind the bar, his eyes on London Underground, but quickly turns away as he sees the group looking at him.
"What the fuck?" Mackenzie says with surprise. "Why the fuck would you come on a cruise ship and end up working behind a bar when you're a wrestler."
"And a man who was involved in property or something for his old man." Charlotte adds. "Must be an SCW thing with the company to attract more people to the area, get sales up. I know most stuff is all inclusive for the stupid money people paid to be here, but maybe they're doing the guest bartender thing. They are using all their wrestlers to the max. I mean us as casino hosts later this week, Alex Rush playing tomorrow night here, Fenris teaching a self defence class to all those old biddies later this week, signings and talks, and all that stuff. Maybe this is just another of those SCW things."
Daniel looks across at Jack from the corner of his eye.
"I dunno." Daniel says cautiously. "Something feels odd with him. He went from being a bit of a prick, to being forced to team with a bosses relative, to now hanging with a comedy person. Seems a bit confused to me."
Daniel looks at a group of women walking past him and gives them a nod before turning back to the group.
"Anyway, you lot should relax some more." Daniel tells them. "Blow off some steam, boink some random's, drink a few, forget about work, enjoy the holiday."
"I would." Mackenzie says through gritted teeth. "But you forget I have a dislike for a lot of people, especially strangers."
"Everyone's strangers at some point Kenz." Daniel tells her. "Then they stop being strangers and you like them."
"No I don't." Mackenzie replies. "I don't like people and I don't like smiling."
"Could be worse, could be at home working." Daniel says. "Rather than sitting in the sunshine getting tanked up."
"Speaking of home." Charlotte says raising a finger. "Our new business ventures are going well. The clubhouse is being rebuilt quickly inside. Three crews, eight hours a pop, the outside structure isn't bad, so it's mostly inside works. At that rate, it should be done by the time we get back."
"Yeah, if that geezer on Restaurant Impossible can do a place up in two days with ten grand, we can have that place done in no time with more money and proper crews." Mackenzie adds.
"Great to hear." Daniel says with a nod.
"Yeah." Charlotte starts. "And the distribution network will be off and running early next week."
Daniel turns his head to see Jack Asher nearby, just feet away from the group.
"Help you pal?" Daniel says looking at him.
Jack moves towards the table and picks up the empty glasses, just throwing a smile in Daniel's direction. He walks away from the group as Daniel looks around them.
"Think it's time we took a wander elsewhere." Daniel says standing up. "Dodgy feeling about that bloke."
The group stand up and move away from the table as we go elsewhere.
An interesting day was had by us after that, headed to the beer and wine festival, tried wine from all over the place, wasn't that bad.... What, you think I don't know me tipple? Put a glass of alcohol in me and I'm alright. Well the girls had gone and got some seats for a crooner night. Something about a Cockney and a bit of Sinatra seems to work wonders at times.... That's life...
Standing out on deck in the moonlight, Daniel Morgan stares down the camera, with Osbourne standing behind him. Daniel looks directly down the camera.
"Well, the girls had their little chat about Emmie last week, so it's my turn to have a little chat about Jack Asher this week." Daniel says with a smile. "Talk about a short stacked evolution of a bloke in such a quick time."
Daniel places a cigarette in his mouth, quickly pulling a lighter to the front and flips it, the flame bouncing up and igniting the tobacco.
"It was only about April time when you put your mush in SCW Jack." Daniel starts. "You showed up with some tart you've now started to dig out and not in a good way, personally, I couldn't give a monkeys where you were dipping ya wick, but she was a bit of alright, but can see why it didn't work, because you was punching above your weight and then some mate, but frankly, you was a bit of a dick. Bit of a J2H-lite in a way with that arrogance with that money, but with half the talent. I know wrestling changes a man, but takes the piss with you don't it? The plastic blonde went and next thing ya know, you're being hounded by some little bird because the boss swung his dick and made it happen and instantly, you've become ice cream mate."
Daniel takes a puff of the cigarette.
"Soft scoop." Daniel says with a grin. "Emmie Ward has come in to your life Jack and you've become soft as a minute old dog turd. Seriously pal, I mean the gobbiness hid the fact that you wasn't really good at this professional wrestling thing, now, all your flaws are out there to see and the fact that I've seen you a couple of times around that Bobbie bird, and that I found out there was no SCW reasons on why you decided to be a barman on what is essentially a paid holiday, you're losing it mate. You're clearly not taking us seriously at all, frankly not taking wrestling seriously at all. Anyone who hangs around with that Bobbie bird ain't taking wrestling seriously. Not knowing who you are means you're not focused on what you want and there's a problem when that happens."
Daniel flicks the ash from the end of the cigarette, tilting his head slightly.
"I can not stand unfocused people." Daniel says with a slight nod of his head. "Unfocused people make mistakes, unfocused people are all over the place, unfocused people never succeed. That's you Jack. You're too busy pissing around to noticed what's in front of you, and what's stopping you winning, from being a success at Summer XXXTreme VII."
Daniel raises the cigarette to his lips again, taking a puff as his thumb moves between him and Osbourne.
"This is what's facing ya mate and ya shenanigans..." Daniel smiles at the use of that word "Shenanigans is a very underrated word, but it's the best way to describe what I've seen from you on the boat so far, ya shenanigans ain't gonna help ya get past us and get those Mixed Tag Team championships, it's gonna hinder the fact that you're going for them massively. You should know we ain't no fly by night merchants that are here today, gone tomorrow, we ain't fly pitchers, we've been here for a long time with a ton of success and you're treating this match like it's meaningless. That's taking a leak on the titles as much as Gamer Inc did and also from that great height. I'm a big fan of respect but when ya dicking around and not taking anything seriously, I refuse to take you seriously."
Daniel takes another drag on the cigarette.
"Need to see things in the proper light mate." Daniel tells Jack as if Jack was listening. "and the proper light is that you're not on our level, you haven't been impressive and now ya letting people who don't matter, distract you from the task at hand. This ain't just any task, this is the biggest match of your entire life. This is actually one of the biggest things you've ever had a chance to win, the most golden opportunity of your life and you're pissing around slinging drinks to people with sunburn. Mate, that's simply not good enough."
Daniel flicks the ash away.
"You get given something that can change your life, and all you've done is taken it too lightly." Daniel says slowly shaking his head. "Disappointing for me and the fans cause everyone can see that we're all about business and you're not. The fans already know now, no matter what combo goes against ya, you've blown it already. Inexperienced Emmie and an unfocused Jack pretty much screams out that this one has already been ruined for the fans, because that little tiny hope some had that you might cause an upset, disappeared when they saw you pull a pint and spend ya time with a bouncy castle. Their hope disappeared faster than a shot around Fenris and my disappointment grew that the challenge just wouldn't be there now. It's simply not there now at all."
Daniel turns to stub the cigarette out on a nearby cigarette bin and places it in the bin before turning back to the camera.
"But don't worry." Daniel says calmly "I will make sure that we don't let the fans down like Culture Shock are about to. I'll make sure we'll give you your money's worth and you can all sit there and witness a little bit of history, you can sit there and tell the world that you was on that cruise ship that you spent top dollar for, that you saw London Underground regain control of the division they helped to build, become two time Mixed Tag Team champions."
Daniel smiles and nods.
"You know me, I don't deal in bullshit." Daniel says smirking. "Just facts."
Daniel nods firmly and turns to walk away as the camera fades.
