Disclaimer: I do not own any WWE superstars or the WWE. Daniel, Ruby, and Clark are mine.
Daniel looked at Matt and burst into laughter. "Matt, your face is so screwed up. You look like a demented owl! What's wrong?"
Matt scowled, deepening the V his brows had made between his eyes, the inspiration for Danny's comment. He flung himself onto the ground decidedly sulky. "Quit it. I don't get any of this."
Dan plopped down onto the grass next to him assuming his usual languid sprawl. Eyeing Matt, he swallowed his laughter. Matt did look just like an owl but he could see that his humor wouldn't find a receptive audience. "Matt, tell me what you don't understand."
Sighing, Matt shook his head. None of this meant anything. He'd wandered the grounds for hours seeing people in trees and people in valleys, people building huge constructions, people painting murals on walls. Inside and outside he'd seen dozens of busy, focused, and very involved groups all completely devoted to whatever they were doing. He'd seen groups sitting and talking and solitary beings writing quietly in journals. He couldn't deny that everyone looked occupied but the point eluded him. Now sitting on the grass, tired, hungry, and frustrated, his numbed mind refused to make any meaning out of the group before him. There were perhaps six individuals of varying shapes and sizes all talking at once. In front of them was a wooden wall, a shallow pit, and various pieces of rope, wood, and iron. Evidently, the goal was to get over the wall without touching the ground or falling in the pit using the various scraps available to them. He watched them struggle for a while marveling at the uselessness of it all.
"I just don't get it, Danny. Why don't they just walk around that hole and jump over?"
"Because the rules say they can't."
"But why? I mean look. That girl." He pointed to a girl who'd fallen off the rope at least half a dozen times. An attempt to ride with someone else had also failed, landing her in the shallow pit of leaves. Laughing, she'd get up each time, brush herself off, and huddle with the others presumably to plan another attempt. "She's trying to swing over that. She's died like six times. If they fall in that hole, they're dead, right? Obviously she can't do it, so why…" he shook his head. "Why waste all this time?"
"Matt."
He stopped, arrested by the exasperated tone in Daniel's voice. Flinching a little, he glanced sideways at the other man. He knew he was missing something.
"The goal is to find a way by cooperation to get everyone across. Even the ones who can't do it on their own. They'll work together until they figure it out." He eyed Matt intently. The dubious look on his face said it all. Ah well, it took time. "You're missing the whole point, aren't you?"
Matt looked away. He was tired and beginning to be bored as well as frustrated. He knew that he was supposed to be noticing something here but all he was seeing was a lot of people working very hard for no discernable reason.
"Well, what's that got to do with me? I mean, why am I here?"
Dan stretched out on his back, arm thrown over his eyes to block the sun. "We just thought you might like to see it. I live here and I think it's a pretty cool place. But if you don't get it, you don't get it. It's no big deal." He stayed quiet for a moment, then reluctant to give up his spot in the sun, climbed to his feet and beckoned to Matt. "Come on. You've seen what there is to see. Let's go find Clark."
As they walked away, a sudden silence sprang up behind them as most of the participants at the obstacle field suddenly went quiet. Matt turned and saw several sets of eyes and various expressions all trained on him. Eyes narrowing, a breath of anger stirring in him, he took a step back toward them. Dan's hand on his arm stopped him.
"It's okay. They're just curious about you. Lets go." His voice was warm and his face held a hint of amusement. "Subtle they are not. Now lets go find Clark. With Clark comes dinner and I'm starving."
Matt followed him shooting the occasional suspicious glance back over his shoulder. The majority of the group had turned their attention back to their task but one girl separated herself from them jogging to catch up to the two guys.
"Danny! Dan, wait up!" He stopped and turned grinning.
"Hey, Ruby. You're not supposed to run out on them. Had enough?"
Ruby, the girl who'd had so much trouble finding her way over the barricade, laughed a laugh that rang throughout the compound and lit up her entire face.
"Baby, they need a break from me. I was wondering about your friend here." Her face open and friendly turned to Matt seemingly undismayed by his look of open suspicion and hostility. Daniel nodded and gave Matt a little shove moving him slightly closer to the girl and her wonderful grin. She smiled wider if possible and stuck out a hand. "Hi, my name's Ruby. You're Matt, aren't you?"
His gaze uneasy flicked to Dan and then quickly around as if searching for help. Seeing no way out, he settled his eyes on her again unsure and very uncomfortable.
"I…yeah. Hi." She took the half offered hand and gripped it warmly.
"Matt, I have to tell you. I love watching you wrestle. I'm real sorry about all the trouble you've been having. Are you going to be staying with us?"
He shook his head more nervous now that he'd gotten a good look at her and realized that she was in fact not a young girl as he'd first thought but a grown woman and one who seemed to know all about him. His nerves began to fire as he attempted to answer her.
"I…it…I dont know why I'm here."
"Well…" she turned to Daniel her hand still enfolding Matt's. "Dan, this poor guy looks about to have a breakdown." She toned down her manner a little looking back into Matt's eyes. "Don't let it scare you. It's a good place here. You'll find a welcome."
He shook his head again. "Why would I be staying?"
Now it was her turn to look puzzled. "Well, if you're not staying, why are you watching?"
His face closed up at that. He didn't know and he didn't know how to answer her. His walls went up as he saw the friendly warmth in her eyes replaced by cold suspicion. Now her eyes narrowed and she took a step back dropping his hand.
"This had better not be some 'famous wrestler mixing with the rabble for publicity' bull shit, because man that's fucked up!" The contempt in her voice burned. She may as well have been holding a flame to him. He shook his head frantically.
"No, no, I don't even know!" He turned to Dan who he was alarmed to see wasn't doing anything about the situation. Ruby advanced on him slowly backing him against the fence.
"Well, Mr. Extreme, if that's what your game is you can forget it! None of here are gonna go for that media heartwarming human interest shit! We all have better things to do! So you can take your lily white ass the hell out of here!" Her finger was relentlessly poking his chest as she shouted, shoving him backward.
He came up against the fence now and having no choice but to defend himself, he stepped into her space grabbing the hand that was shoving him.
"I'm not here for any media shit!" He hadn't meant to shout, somehow it had just come out. He was tired, edgy, and his head ached. Before he'd had any chance to think, his temper broke free. "I don't know why I'm here! I don't even want to be here!" He stepped closer now forcing her to take a step away. "You can just step back outta my face! I don't care about this place and I don't care about any of you! I'm sure as fuck not here with the goddamn newspaper! I don't even want to be here! They brought me here and if I'm looking at you, it's cause they said I had to. Not cause I like looking at you're face!" His hand squeezed hers white knuckled and her face reflected pain. Two sets of eyes blazed into each other, neither willing to back down. Small bones in her hand had begun to grind when a slightly dark and very gentle hand pressed down on theirs and a soft voice broke in.
"That's enough."
The very quietness of Danny's voice brought them up short. Two sets of eyes stared into his. Those same eyes flicked to each other and Matt slowly relaxed his grip on Ruby's hand. Rubbing at it, eyes flashing, she backed away. Dan's calm gaze took in both of them.
"Have some temper, guys, really." He gave Matt a gentle nudge a step or two further from Ruby and reached for her hand. "Is your hand okay?"
She nodded and scowled at Matt. "It's sore though. Pretty boy here is stronger than he looks."
Matt snorted and turned away. "Daniel, lets just go, okay? I've really had enough." Ruby, unable to resist another jibe stepped closer.
"What's the matter? The dregs here more than you take?" Daniel chided her gently.
"Ruby, come on. You know how you felt when you first saw this place. You didn't know what was gong on either. Why are you being so mean now?"
"Mean? You think I'm being mean? He didn't deny being here to stare." Daniel understood her reaction. Feeling on display was never easy and he knew that Matt's professional status probably made it even worse, the horrible feeling of being judged and found inferior by someone you looked up to. His soul ached knowing how hurt she must feel, friendly open Ruby to be saying these things. How wrong she was yet unable to tell her for fear of invading Matt's privacy. He wished Matt would just say something. Glancing at him, he was alarmed to see him shivering violently, face pale. Whether with reaction or cold he didn't know. Shaking his head, knowing it was past time to get Matt out of here, he motioned Ruby back toward her group.
"Why don't you go on back. We'll talk later." She nodded still scowling and turned her attention to Matt. Something in the man's face and Daniel's protective attitude toward him was making her uneasy. She suspected she'd misjudged and lashed out at him unfairly. Swallowing her anger along with her opinions, she tried to smooth it over.
"Matt, if I'm wrong about you, I'm sorry." She started back toward her people, paused, and turned back to the guys. "If you are going to join us here, you'll…"
He broke in rejecting her offer of truce, tone petulant. "I already told you I'm not going to. I don't like it here. I don't like any of this."
She smiled slightly and reached out to touch his arm, a gesture she intended to be comforting. His reaction was completely unexpected. His head flashed up, eyes blazing as he flung her hand off of his arm. He backed up so quickly that for a moment Daniel doubted his own senses questioning whether Ruby's gentle touch had in fact been a blow. Startled, Ruby jumped back, eyes filled with confusion, yet ironically a bitter understanding. Nodding a farewell at Daniel, she started back to her people. He watched her move dejectedly back into the group feeling badly for her. When he looked again toward Matt, the man was already halfway back to the main building.