The sun barely broke past the horizon, the wind gentle and the air was crisp as Armando Soares went on his daily run along the mountain roads. He was of average build, not overly athletic and yet not overweight. Hair as dark as the night sky and eyes as golden as fossilized amber. Some would call him a pretty boy, but those that knew him would simply call him hopeless.
Since birth Armando has had to put in more effort than anyone in order to accomplish anything. It was now his senior year in college and throughout all his schooling he had never gotten above a C+, yet he had never gotten below a C- either. He was… average. The only exceptional quality he had was that he would never give up, even when all hope was gone.
Armando continued running down the mountain on his was home as per usual for his morning exercise routine. He had already ran 5 miles up the mountain road, and was finally only half a mile away from his run-down apartment at the bottom of the mountain.
He enjoyed running this path because at the top of the small mountain was a dojo by a lake that was owned by a reclusive hermit. Living with him was his 21-year-old grand daughter who would practice tai chi every morning just before the sun began to rise. He had learned her name when he first found her halfway through the mountain late one night while drunk.
She was called Alexis Rosenberg, having shoulder length red hair and dark brown eyes. Yet her skin was perfectly bronzed without the slightest imperfection to speak of. She was about 5' 5" and had the perfect figure, truly she belonged in a league far above Armando.
That night they had met Armando was too drunk and became violently ill just seconds after they locked eyes. Petrified by his actions Armando froze like a deer in the headlights and collapsed losing consciousness.