The Cathedral of San Juan Bautista was a place to be revered, from when it was first erected in the year 1521. After many years it went through periods of reconstruction from natural disasters, the last time being in 1917. Its history is rich in length and storied, making this Catholic cathedral one of the oldest buildings in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and the second oldest church in the Americas itself. A perfect tourist attraction for the followers of God.
From the outside, it looked as one might expect an older church to look; soft, plain -- charismatic. Yet once you stepped inside, once you found yourself in the interior of this house of worship, you were witnessing a true place of majestic beauty. Among the various attractions and artifacts within its hallowed walls would be the Tomb of Juan Ponce de Leon, relics of Carlos Manuel RodrÃguez Santiago, and finally there was the Virgen de la Providencia. Yet it was the church's decor itself that was what truly brought a marvel to the eye. With the ivory white architecture, the cathedral was capped off by a domed ceiling above the very head of the church, and arched frames lined the left and right of the pews from where one first set foot inside of the place of worship, to the very pinnacle of the altar itself. With golden yellow ornate carvings lined the dome and arches, there was not a place on the walls, ceiling -- anywhere, that did not draw the eyes. And at the very pinnacle of the church itself, behind the podium where services were held each week, the Lord Jesus lay back upon the cross above the pulpit where the usual morning services would be held on the coming Sabbath.
All this would bring a sense of righteous purpose to the men and women who filled these very seats, who brought their children to literally drill into them to do as they do, and think as they think. It also would make one scoff, if you were the same as the man who sat in the very front pew to the left, dead center, with his emerald green eyes emblazoned upon the altar where in just mere days, the Holy Water would be touched, the altar wine would be tasted, and the communion wafer tasted.
"For the longest of times, I had wondered why I would tend to find myself in places like this when I opted to have something to say to one who has drawn my attention." Synn himself pondered. "And then it hit me: So often the people who have angered me, the men or women who have called me out or done wrong by themselves have proven themselves to be a simple hypocrite. And nowhere else on the earth will you find bigger hypocrites than within the walls of the so-called 'House of God.'"
"Take for example, one of the most reviled women in the world currently, Kim Davis. She professes to be an upright Christian who refuses to do her job because it disagrees with her moral values. She believes that gay marriage will harm the sanctity of what she sees as 'traditional' marriage, ignoring the fact that she herself has been married a total of four times. Also we see and hear Bible thumpers who are attempting to place prayer in the pubic school system, when it fact this would go directly against the teachings of Jesus Christ, who stated that prayer should be a private affair devoid of public display. Christians are not supposed to take their complaints before non-Christian judges nor non-Christian courts, but they certainly waste our tax dollars doing exactly that by tying up the proceedings of the Supreme Court with their law suits concerning school prayer, gay marriage equality and abortions. And Jesus Himself stated that the old law was to remain until Heaven and earth passed on. Well, Heaven and earth are still here, and yet when you throw the Old Testament into the faces of so-called Christians, they will inform you that the Old Testament was abolished by Jesus the lamb of God? Just a small example on my part of what I like to refer to as 'selective morality', something of which the so-called 'Mental Rapist' is quite guilty of. And right now, at this point in time, I see no bigger individual hypocrite than that of Sean Jackson."
"Now don't get me wrong, Sean. I'm not actually comparing you to a Christian nor even a Christian wannabe. That would be over selling even on such as you. I have my doubts as to the existence of this God everyone goes on about, but if He were to exist, I'm not entirely certain that He would be willing to even acknowledge an insect such as yourself. And that is exactly what you are: an insect. You buzz around people, practically begging for acknowledgment, when in reality you are about to be swatted off of the face of the planet like a common bug."
"Am I really taking this time out of where my son, Despayre, should be the focal point, to address and compare Sean to religious zealots?" He shrugged and gave a curt nod. "I am. Despayre will have his time, as is right, but just this once, I feel the rare chance to step in and speak for myself one difficult to resist. After all, in this entire debacle, Despayre is the one innocent. Not Pamela, Despayre. Because had Sean Jackson decided for himself to try and use Despayre's love for Angel against him, to torment him body and soul, then none of this would have happened. Oh certainly that is not the way that Mister Jackson weaves his own tale. All too often hypocrites will do the same. They will pick and choose which facts to distort to benefit themselves, while all but ignoring the entirety of what actually took place. Sound familiar Sean? Hm?"
"Despayre had just succeeded in a hard fought championship defense against Connor Murphy, when Sean chose to play his hand. He ran out, attacked me from behind, and stole the teddy bear, Angel, my son's most cherished possession. Now, if that were not bad enough, he then entered the ring and used the fact to torment Despayre psychologically, threatening to do harm to the bear if he were not given his way. That being handed a match for the SCW Internet Championship. I suppose in his own defense, blackmail would be the simplest way to gain a title opportunity. It's not as if Sean actually deserved a shot at the title. Is he a former two-time World Champion? Indeed. Meaning, he has lost that very same championship twice in a row, and as I recall, also lost rematch against the then reigning champion time and again. How many times did it even take Sean to regain that title after he had lost it to, of all people -- Gabriel."
Synn smirked at the recollection of the memory returned to him.
"Oh I remember it well, the look on your face Sean, when you lost that title you coveted so very much, to one of my own. Gabriel waited long and hard, biding his time, and when he saw fit, he struck. Almost four years between his inaugural reign at the top of SCW, to the night he defeated you. And how hard did you fight to win that title back? How many lows did you stoop to, before you finally walked away with that belt secured around your waist a second time?"
Synn held back a chuckle, but only just barely.
"And to think it took a surprise ambush, and the use of a steel chair, to finally manage it! Admittedly, I continued to watch you as you put that title on the line, defending it mainly when you were given little to no choice, against a variety of challengers, the main one though being Kain himself. I watched as you stooped to the most creative of lows to hold onto that title, until finally it was yours no more. And what has happened since then? Your chance to work your way back into the world title picture has fallen, time and again. The reigning champion, Lord Raab, has personally declared that you will never again get a title shot so long as he's the champion, and you took offense. When when you were handed a non-title match against that very same man, things did not quite go your way, did they? Oh I'll admit that perhaps the match was yours and the win should have been your own, but the fact remains: when you issued your steel cage challenge, it was not Lord Raab who was signed to compete against you, but another. It was Despayre."
"It brings up an interesting point, as to why Mark Ward himself did not step in and intervene on your behalf, doesn't it? Why did he not hand you yet another world championship match against Raab like you truly wanted? Why did he not do as he has done before, and circumvent whatever little tripe Christian Underwood was responsible for, and insert you into the bigger title picture? Could it be that Mark Ward's eye for success is no longer focused on you alone? Perhaps his eye is now on another talent? One who came from out of nowhere to take what you were unable, that being Lord Raab. Or perhaps, just perhaps, he himself wanted to see you answer for the crimes you committed, yet hold yourself blameless for."
Synn shrugged.
"In the end, it doesn't matter. You see, you feel that because you might have the owner of Sin City Wrestling in your back pocket, that it gives you free reign to do whatever you choose, to whomever and wherever you decide to do it. Unfortunately, such is not the case for you Sean, because I couldn't care less about you being Mark Ward's little pet, or him being yours. In the end, it was you who started this whole debacle. It was you who was even stupid enough to bring your own wife out to ringside. It was she who was even stupid enough to climb up on the ring apron, thus placing herself in the spotlight and directly in harm's way. In my own eyes, Pamela is indeed a lovely woman, but ultimately she was simply a means to an end. A way to show to you, that perhaps you have stepped into the wrong waters, and chosen to play your feeble mind games with a man that has been doing the same for so much longer than you yourself!"
A frown crossed his handsome features, and he shook his head.
"Therein lies the mistake that will haunt you for weeks to come. You believed when you started this that the only one you would be dealing with would be Despayre himself. You thought breaking him mentally with your deceptions and threats would be the proverbial icing on the cake, with the championship around his waist but a mere consolation prize. You didn't bother to take into account that you would also be dealing with his father. Perhaps you look at my interactions with those select few I care for an thought me weak, and if so, I truly pity you your foolishness. I am by no means weak, and anyone who thought me a meek man has found out the hard way that I can and will be anything but when it comes to protecting my own!"
"I am older than you, Sean. I have been in this business a hell of a lot longer than you, and I am proud to say that I have stooped to depths beyond your comprehension! You pride yourself on being a master of mind games?"
Synn smiled genuinely and chuckled, the sound of his merriment reverberating off of the empty church walls.
"Compared to what I have seen and done, your mind games are but a game of checkers. You play a simple game of Chance against a master of Chess where you are but a pawn, ready to be sacrificed! You took a chance indeed when you chose to target Despayre and play your games at his expense! And in your case, this will indeed be a time when taking such a chance does not pan out in your favor! It's why people ask me why I myself did not intervene when you challenged Despayre also to a steel cage match, and allowed it to happen. It's because I know what you've done, and I know how Despayre will act! I know what he's capable of, and you, like so many others before you, do not. You look ahead at simply what stands before your eyes, and refuse to think outside of the proverbial box."
"When you look at the Internet Champion, you see a young lad who is smaller than you in stature, and perhaps with certain troubles of the mind. You do not notice the talent that lies in that small body. The heart that beats stronger than your own! You think you see a mentally unstable youth of whom you can take full advantage of, and not the man who will simply be released from his shackles and set loose on the poor sod who was stupid enough to threaten what he loved above near all else. You don't see the mistake you made when you locked yourself inside of a steel cage, all alone against a wild animal that has been set loose, and told one simple command: Attack."
"That, Sean, that was indeed the biggest mistake you made, the one you glaring chose to overlook! You think the advantage is yours because Gabriel and myself can not set foot inside of that cage, and Despayre can not escape it. But no. The mistake on your own behalf is overlooking that simple fact that it's you that will receive no aid. It is you who will have nowhere to run, and nowhere to hide. Don't believe me? Ask Goth."
Synn turned his head to look directly into the camera.
"Ask the man who is the first ever Triple Crown winner in SCW, a lofty distinction when compared to your own reputation. Ask him what it felt like when Despayre busted a glass water pitcher over his head and forcibly ground the shattered pieces into his skull. Ask him what it was like when Despayre wrapped those small hands of his around his throat and choked the life out of him, or when he sank his teeth into his face. Ask him to describe to you the experience of having barbed wire wrapped around his head and hung out over the top rope, that jagged wire digging into his already mangled flesh and Despayre simply not caring."
Synn slowly stood up from the pew where he had been sitting and dusted off the arms of his leather trench coat and started to walk back down the aisle.
"That is the animal that you have set loose, Sean. It is the force that you have unleashed and unwittingly sealed your fate against once that door to the steel cage is shut and locked. Please do give your charming wife my most insincere of sympathies."
He paused at the doors of the church and again gazed into the camera.
"Because I would dare say that her honor is in the same boat as your own chances of success against Despayre: non-existent."
Synn pulled the door open and started to set foot outside, but turned just enough to address Sean Jackson one final time.
"And like her, you will have only yourself to blame."
"Do you really that this will help his chances?" Gabriel asked from the confines of the gym where he stood side-by-side with his friend and mentor, Synn. The two men wore stoic expressions where their true feelings were almost unperceivable, as their eyes were fastened ahead of them at what was happening inside of the training ring, utilized by professional boxers as well as wrestlers both.
Inside of the squared circle, the currently retired "Sin of Wrath" aka Rage fended off the advances of his much smaller co-hort in the Seven Sins, the reigning Internet Champion, Despayre, as the firecracker of a competitor continued to return to his feet and assault Rage, or at least he attempted to. Despayre ran right up toward the 6'8" behemoth and pounced on him, literally scaling the mountain of a man and he proceeded to waylay on him with his small fists -- only to have Rage shrug off the blows and throw Despayre off of him, sending him tumbling back and down to the canvas, rolling head over heels. Despayre then popped back up to his feet and ran in for another attempt.
"I have been confident of his chances since before this sham of a title match was ever signed." Synn stated simply. "Sean Jackson has ben doing everything he can think of, I'm sure, to unnerve Joshua. Making idle threats, spreading lies, but in the end he simply is running in circles, trying to shield himself from the harm he's pretty much brought upon himself."
Synn uncrossed his arms from over his chest and set his hands on his waistline, his focus intent on the happenings inside of the training ring while Rage's own brother, Phillip, acted the part of referee. Judging by the smile on Phil's face, he was having more fun at his big brother's expense than he was intent to 'officiating' this training match.
"Don't get me wrong, Gabriel." Synn said, shifting his attention for a brief moment to the magician, who glanced back just in time to miss Despayre connect with a dropkick to Rage, one of which the behemoth simply swatted aside. Synn continued, "I am well aware of the fact Joshua will not come away from this match against Sean unscathed. I'd be a fool and a liar myself to think such a thing possible. In an environment like a steel cage, it's simply impossible. It'd be like going into something akin to a barbed wire match thinking you won't get so much as a scratch."
"Despy could get hurt." Gabriel observed. "He could get busted open, or god forbid, get a broken bone. Or both." He shook his head. "With his mind frame I'd be almost frightened to imagine how he'd react if he were to see his own blood."
"I know." Synn yielded. "It's not a possibility that I'm endeared toward."
Gabriel frowned, "Then why...?"
But before Gabriel could bring up the question Synn knew he was dying to ask, Synn interrupted him and answered, "Because I didn't approve the match, Gabriel. I didn't sign it. As soon as Sean Jackson issued that challenge of his, Joshua managed to contact Mark and Christian, and before I knew what was happening, the match had been signed and approved."
"But you're his guardian." Gabriel pointed out. "You have power of attorney over his legal proceedings. You could have stopped it."
"I could have, yes." Synn agreed. "But Joshua practically begged me not to. He wants this match. he wants it more so than practically any other that's been offered to him. Which says a lot considering how he feels about one on one matches and singles championships in general. He wants to fight Sean, and not just to defend his title."
"This is about what Jackson did to Angel, isn't it?" Gabriel hen corrected himself. "Or what he tried to do, rather."
Synn answered, "Yes, but it's also about his 'big brother'." Synn caught Gabriel's curios eye and smiled. "Don't act surprised. He saw all too easily how Sean stalked you and stole your championship. He sees this match as his chance to right a wrong that was inflicted on you." They turned back to the ring and Synn smiled. "I would also dare say he wants to soften Sean up on the off chance you should ever decide to make a return to the ring and get a pound of flesh on your own."
Back inside of the ring, Despayre has ducked behind Rage and leapt up onto the larger man's wide back! Rage spun around, trying to dislodge the little scrapper, but Despayre literally found himself scaling Rage's back until he was perched on his shoulders and he started pounding the top of Rage's scalp with fists, much to Phillip's amusement.
"And you're not worried that Rage might accidentally hurt Despy?" Gabriel asked, while shielding his own smile behind his hand but without much success.
To answer that question, inside of the ring Rage reached up over his head and ensnared Despayre around the back of the head with one arm and snapmared him off of his shoulders. But before Despayre could land with a harsh thud, Rage managed to quickly catch him in his arms and set him gently on the mat on stable footing.
"You give Rage far less credit than what he deserves." Synn said, although what had just happened in the training session was evidence enough to the contrary. "He is well aware of what Joshua is in store for Sunday, and he's taking extra care to make sure he's ready without risking him harm."
But no sooner did Rage set Despayre down onto his feet, than the little guy swung around and nailed Rage right in the nose with a spinning back fist, sending stinging tears to the large man's eyes as he stumbled back in surprise.
Gabriel barked in laughter and turned to Synn, "Pity for Rage that Despy isn't taking that same precaution!"
"Jesus fucking Christ Despy!" Rage roared as he felt his nose with his fingertips and came back with just the faintest traces of crimson.
"Swear jar!" Despayre called aloud hotly while pointing straight at Rage in accusation. He then ran forward and pounced again on Rage, grabbing him in a front face lock while wrapping his legs around Rage's waistline in a guillotine choke hold. Rage fell back against the ropes as Despayre sank the hold in even tighter, refusing to let the big man go as he tried to pry his grip loose, but without the proper leveRage, was unable to do so -- and clearly the bemused Phillip was enjoying himself too much to insert himself.
Gabriel looked over to Synn with a smile and asked, "What do you think? Should we go rescue Rage?"
Synn sighed and cast a glance at his watch and said, "I imagine we should. It is almost dinner time." And at that, both men climbed into the ring and Phillip stepped away, wisely deciding discretion would be the better part of valor as opposed to attempting to get Despayre off of his brother on his own.
"Okay Despy," Gabriel called, walking up to the intertwined pair and tapping his 'little brother' on his shoulder. "It's time to call it quits."
Despayre tilted his head as far back as he could to get a better wide-eyed look at Gabriel as he asked, "Did he say 'uncle' yet?"
"No." Gabriel shook his head in the negative. "Not yet."
"Then I can't let go." Despayre said simply. "Them's the rules!"
Synn said, "Well the rules have been changed." And he wrapped his own arms around Despayre's waist while Gabriel helped hold onto Rage and with a hard tug, Synn pried his boy loose from Rage.
"Awww!" Despayre cried out in disappointment, his legs stretched out stiffly and arms held down tightly at his side. "No fair saving him!"
While Synn held Despayre at bay, and Phil had the good sense to return Angel from where the bear was perched in the corner back to Despy's waiting arms, Gabriel checked on Rage, careful not to let the big man see the merriment on his face.
Gabriel asked, "So... you think he's ready for Sean?"
Rage, rubbing the back of his now sore neck, answered, "I have a feeling that little guy is going to tear the bastard a new asshole!"
A fuzzy and familiar (and might we add utterly adorkable) face filled the screen, full center, with a pair of thick eye glasses perched on its nose, the lenses magnifying its dark eyes many times over their normal size.
"Hewwo! Will you be my fwiend?"
**Annnnnnd CUE the corn ball theme music and even cornier lyrics to one of those jingles that just seemed to burn its way into your mind...**
"He's the bear that's cute and smart!
His knowing wisdom comes from the heart!
And if the question is dumb, made by a schlep,
He'll toss out the facts and make it ep, er -- up!
Announcer: "Well hel-LO ladies, gentlemen, and undecided! Are you ready for the wisdom that comes with inexperience? Are you prepared to listen as he delves into the pools of know-it-all-ism to tell you things that you should know in answer to problems you never knew you had until he told you? He will gift you with insight and for those problems he has no answer to, he'll take you out for a drink and play wingman! Er, bear! Here he is, the bear who needs no introduction .... who was this for again?"
*THUD!*
Announcer: "Alright, it was just a joke! Sheesh!"
And another face, not that of Mister Self-Help, but of his loyal assistant, once again filled the screen in place of his boss and employer. Of course, he also just so happened to be facing the completely wrong way.
"Hello, and welcome again to another edition of Mister Self-Help! Unfortunately the teddy bear we all know and love is once again unable to make your acquaintance..." Despayre, er, Mister Self-Help's assistant rather, shouted off-camera, "...As the little chicken is still suffering from stage fright!"
He turned back and gave a goofy smile.
"So in his place, I would like to take this moment to talk to you about history. Or rather, the dangers of ignoring history. Years ago, a very wise and disturbed man once said, 'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.' And I am terribly sorry to tell all of you that one of our own here in Sin City Wrestling falls under that very category."
"You see, a fellow by the name of Sean Jackson recently did a terrible, terrible thing, when he chose to come between a man and his teddy bear." He clucked his tongue in reprimand, then continued. "A foolish choice by an even more foolish man, as he either was not aware of a past transgression, very much like this one, or he simply chose to ignore it. Were it the first, one could almost lean towards forgiveness. However, and I strongly suspect it was the latter, then we must face the facts that this poor soul condemned himself to face the history that others have suffered. What is that Mister Jackson? You don't think such rules apply to yourself? Well then! Please allow me to demonstrate!"
"Winston Churchill attempted to warn Great Britain and the Western Nations about a real nutjob named Hitler and his rise to power, prior to World War II. he learned his lessons from World War I, and attempted to warn others of what was to come, but was ignored! Aghast! While Germany rearmed themselves, other nations under Parliament wanted to disarm! And we all know what happened next!"
He looked off camera, riling through his notes and blinking blindly behind those thick glasses.
"Well I'm sorry but history wasn't my best subject! ... Huh? ... No I don't see the humor or irony in that!"
He looked back and cleared his throat to continue, "We see this happen all the time with criminals. Men and women who commit one crime or another, and are punished as a result. Whether it be serving jail time or being put on strict probation, many times they are released from their punishment, only to commit another crime, or the same one! Then what happens? They get punished again, but how do they react? is it their fault? Noooo! Of course not! They blame the police who caught them! They blame the judge and jury who sentence them! They blame everybody -- except for the very ones who did the illegal deed in the first place: themselves!"
"And that, unfortunately, is the very same situation that Sean Jackson has found himself in this very day. Mister Jackson knows the unwritten rule: Angel does not get touched! he has seen past examples of what has happened to those dumb enough to try and make an example of that brave fighter Despayre, at the expense of his teddy bear! Goth was put in the hospital for weeks! Chris Shipman did it once and Synn... well I can't say what Synn did but Shipman must have enjoyed it because he joined the Sins the week after!"
He cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses, his cheeks turning a faint shade of pink.
"Moving on! In closing I just want to tell Mister Sean Jackson that the time for remorse has long since passed. You can beg for forgiveness and pray to Ben & Jerry for all I care, but the end is nigh for your well being, as well as your dreams to once again have some semblance of being important once again in this wacky world of professional wrestling!"
Slowly and deliberately, he reached up and removed his glasses, and we were no longer looking at the fun loving assistant to Mister Self-help, but rather at a very disgruntled Despayre who held little to no humor in his gray eyes as he stared down into the camera.
"You told lies about my mom and dad, and shame on you! I know the truth better than you do Sean! I know everything you tried to do, and hope to do! My dad never laid a hand to my mom! If you think saying all of these things was going to make me so upset that I'd lose myself and allow you to get one up on me?"
He shook his head.
"Not this time! Not after you tried hurting Angel! Not after everything you did to Gabriel! And not after saying such mean things about my parents! That wife of yours is going to be sooo disappointed in her husband because he was unable to salvage any honor she had, which if you think about it, wasn't much to begin with. She's not a very nice person, you know. Imagine taking that walk of shame backstage after I win, and having to face her and apologize for losing so badly, she herself is humiliated! After everything you said, after everything you've done to those I love, I am going to take my boot inside of that cage and put it straight up your..."
"Joshua?" Synn called out as he opened up the door that led into the gym's dressing room. "Aren't you ready yet?"
Despayre just stood there, like a deer caught in headlights, as his father looked around the room and saw Angel in front of his son, perched on a steel folding chair. In the teddy bear's lap was a vide camera, recording the latest in the Mister Self-Help promotional videos. Synn then glanced back up and arched an eyebrow.
"Hurry up and get changed." Synn instructed him. We're going out to dinner."
"Panda Express?" Despayre chirped hopefully.
"Yes." Synn sighed, with an eye roll thrown in for good measure. "Panda Express."
"Oh boy!" Synn shut the door behind him and Despayre leaned back into the camera.
"Much like your career dreams Sean, that's a wrap!"</color>
