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| Made with Perchance |
He sits in front of his desktop, typing away, and checks his watch. 8:50 am. He types in some commands on his keyboard, which shut off the lights and closed the curtains.
He then taps a button on his desk, which then shoots up a bright blue projection light. The projection resembles a large flat-screen, dominated by the wide, toothy grin of Sara Williams, President of Talent Relations & Head of Creative.
"Hi, hubby!" she says, leaning back, "So, liking the new holoscreen?"
"It's a memory saver," He replies.
She points, "Exactly! Told you they'd be worth it."
He closes his eyes and nods, "Yes..." he opens them again, "They're certainly worth all that instant ramen you'll be living off the next 3 months."
Her smile disappears, "I... I thought you were joking about that."
His brows knit together, and his eyes bore into her soul.
"Oh, come on! I said I was sorry."
His expression softens, "And I said I forgive you."
She frowns and then sighs, "I didn't want to have to do this, but you've left me no choice."
Her almond-shaped eyes grow in size as her plump lips shrink to a pout. A high-pitched puppy dog whine escapes from somewhere within her 48-year-old body.
Sanka stares at her, unblinkingingly, unflinchingly.
"Aargh!" She groans, "Why isn't it working?"
"23 years is a long time to build up a tolerance," He says.
This time, a low growl escapes her, only to be interrupted by loud beeping and red flashes from the holoscreen.
"Meeting time," Sanka states.
"Yeah, yeah," Sara says, pointing again and narrowing her eyes, "But I'm not finished with you."
She presses her own holoscreen, and more faces appear: Nalah Shabani, GM of the Madhouse; Jeffrey Campbell, GM of the Fight Pit; Tony Garcia, Head of Marketing; Bethany Jones, Social Media Manager; Dr Anya Sharma, Chief Medical Officer; Brendan Steele, Chief of Security; and Joe Wilson, Head Referee.
"Morning, everyone," Sanka greets.
"Good morning, good people!" Sara adds, "How we all doin'?"
"Doing well, thank you," Says Shabani.
"Good day to be alive!" Garcia declares.
"Here, here," adds a tired Jones.
"Peachy," Campbell croaks.
Wilson shrugs, "Eh..."
Steele just grumbles.
Sharma audibly snores before snapping awake, "Huh? Wha? Who am I?"
It takes her a minute to recollect and return to deadpan, "Oh..."
"Okay, straight to brass tacks then," Sara says, "Beth!"
The young Welshwoman sits up, "Aye, ma'am!"
The older Canadian gives a thumbs up, "Good job on socials and GREAT job with O.R.D.R.L.Is! The fans have been eating those videos up."
Jones smiles, "Thank you, Ma'am."
"Gotta warn you, though. The temperature's bound to rise, especially with the pay-per-view coming up. You're gonna have to be on point. The moment you need help, speak up. Got it?"
"Got you."
Sara nods and smiles, "Great. Btw, I heard BonBon23 reached a million followers on bLast this week."
Jones' eyes bulge, and her face becomes as red as her hair, "R-Really...?"
"I really think we should collab with them at some point," Sara suggests, once again showing teeth, "That shower scene with Zázrak in Chapter 28. Woof! How does somebody come up with that?"
Jones just lets out a squeal in response.
"Sara," Sanka warns.
"Okay, I'm done. Beth, get outta here," Sara waves, "Get some rest, but don't drop the ball."
"Yes, ma'am... Thank you." Jones whispers before logging out.
"Next up, Tony," Sara says.
"All ears," Garcia replies.
"I've already said this, but I'll say it again. I LOVE that Valentine's Brawl poster. Even now it's pulling numbers."
"Of course."
"And the match graphic for Heladas vs Vités? And that video you guys did with him for Friday?" She kisses the tips of her fingers, "Well done."
"That was a tough one, I'll admit, but we had fun," Garcia says.
Sara gets serious, "What I said to Beth applies to you, too, though. Even moreso."
Garcia nods along with his own serious expression as she continues,
"We're looking at an 8-match card here, so I'm gonna need you and your team to really keep your eyes on both shows and start sending me potential graphics in anticipation of the other 7. Understood?"
Garcia smirks, "Way ahead of you, boss lady. Check the inbox."
"Will do, but we're a month out, so keep 'em comin', adios."
Garcia salutes and logs out as well.
"Anya, Joe, Brendan. You guys have your deputy recs?" Sara asks.
"Aye," says Steele.
"Yep," says Wilson.
"Khhrrrrrrrr–pfffssshhhh..." says Dr Sharma.
"Anya?" Sara calls again, "ANYA!"
Sharma snaps awake, "AH! NOT GUILTY, YOUR HONOUR! I-I mean, present- I mean-"
"Do you have your deputy recommendation?" Sara repeats.
"Ah... yes, I do."
"Then you go first."
"Right, may I share my screen?"
"Go ahead."
The face cams all shrink to make space for the image of a middle-aged Japanese man.
The face cams all shrink to make space for the image of a middle-aged Japanese man.
"This is Dr Kenji Tanaka, an old colleague of mine," Sharma explains, "Very experienced in the combat sports and military spaces."
"How is his bedside manner?" Sanka suddenly asks.
Sharma narrows her eyes while looking off to the side, "... Better than mine."
"He's hired," the CEO states without further thought.
Sharma hums.
"It's nothing personal, Anya." Sara interjects, "I've just been getting a lot of complaints. People asking for a little more warmth, you know."
"I'll be sure to start handing out lollipops," Sharma mutters, but not really.
"You're free to go, Anya," Sanka says.
"Thank you," Sharma logs out.
Sara carries on, "Joe, go."
"I think Georgia Holliday has been pretty on point with her work in the Madhouse," Wilson says, "Especially in the 6-woman match back in Episode 1."
"I'd like to second that," Shabani adds.
Sara nods, "Okay, cool. Off you go, Joe."
"Since your jaw's fixed, make sure to enjoy that Manila street food," Sanka chimes in, earning a glare from Sara.
Wilson chuckles and slaps his stomach, "Oh, don't worry. I plan to."
He logs out.
Sara continues glaring at Sanka while calling for "Brendan?"
Steele shares his screen, showing off the image of an absolutely massive African-American man with a buzz cut and tuft beer.
Campbell croaks out, "Crikey," with wide eyes, and Shabani adjusts her glasses. Sanka's eyebrows raise, and Sara leans forward, "Who. Is. That?!"
"This big baws is Cyrus Reed," Steele explains, "Met 'im in Chicago when I wis polis."
"Ya nick 'im for bench-pressin' a bloody bank, mate?" Campbell queries.
"He micht've, mind ye, but he wis ma partner for a wee bit," Steele relays, "'til they sacked him fur bein' a bit too heavy-handed wi' the street scum."
"How 'heavy-handed' exactly?" Sanka asks.
Steele narrows his eyes and growls, "The kin' that'll mak' the laddies and lassies in here think twice."
"Mr Steele. Current imperial measurements, now," Sara commands, studying Reed's pictures.
Steele strokes his beard in thought, "I'd say he's about 6'10", 390. Used to be 2."
Sara looks at Sanka. Sanka looks at Sara and speaks for both of them, "We'll talk later, Brendan. Bye-bye for now."
Steele nods and logs out, leaving Shabani and Campbell.
Sara claps her hands, "Alright! Time for the main event. 3 episodes in. How are we finding it?"
There's a moment of hesitation before Shabani speaks first, "I will admit, it was certainly more than I anticipated. I had dealt with large personalities previously, but not to this extent. Still, I find myself growing into the role quite quickly."
Sara shows her teeth again, "Really? And how much have you grown since letting the Jewell's Champion get envenomed and vomit on your lead commentator last week? Or our lead road agent get dropped on her head on Monday?"
"... I..."
Sara puts a finger on her lips to shush her, "Jeffers, what about you?"
Campbell clears his sore throat, "It's like, yeah nah, gettin' back on the pushie after ages, ya know? Just like ridin' a bloody bike, mate. Muscle memory 'n' all that jazz."
Sara's lips create a circle, "Oh... And which of those muscles opened the door for Vito Montani to snipe the World Dominion Champion on live tv last week? Or 4 main eventers getting flattened last night?"
"Uh... well-"
Sara puts a finger on her lips to shush him. She then allows for complete silence.
"... I need you both to understand. You've both done a very good job, all things considered," She shows her teeth again, longer, pointier, "Just don't bullshit me," then points at her screen, "And definitely don't bullshit him."
Sanka just sits back in his chair, his fingers interlocked.
"Yes, Ma'am," Shabani concedes.
"Too right," Campbell adds.
Sara then shrugs, "Frankly, Ngozi and Grizzly both had it coming. Ngozi decided to keep tempting fate, and fate had fangs. Grizzly threw his weight around and walked out of his responsibilities. It bit him in the ass. It's actually kind of funny that the Women's and Men's World Champions fell victim to chemical warfare in the same week. With that said, it's time you both started cooling the flames just a little."
The GMs both nod.
"Nalah, until further notice, the Madness are Madhouse-bound," Sara orders, "I'd rather not see them into oncoming traffic again."
"The feeling is mutual," Shabani replies.
"Where are they by the way?" Sanka asks.
"They're here in Samoa," Shabani confirms, "I've confined them to their hotel rooms. They were oddly... docile."
"Yeah, happens every time they get taken down a peg, love," Campbell chimes in, "They'll be right as rain in no time, though. So don't go chuckin' a sickie just yet, ay?"
"... I don't know what you just said."
"Don't relax."
"I see," Shabani says, adjusting her specs again, "I never do, Jeffrey."
"They've already proven themselves to be a top act," Sanka states, "So do whatever you can to protect them, especially from themselves."
Sara jumps back in, "They're not the only ones! That Luisa Festa girl, she's got a lot of potential. I'm not sure about 'main event' potential, but I'm always happy to be wrong. Either way, she's hilarious, she's multi-talented, and she's winning the fans over."
"I agree," Shabani says, "The ruse she pulled on Talon and Dubois definitely elevated her in my eyes. I'll be sure to feature her more."
"Good, now, then-"
Shabani cuts her off, "Before we move on. There is someone else on my roster I'd like to discuss. Shay Maharaj. She decided to call me out on camera after her 'victory' of Sarah Esposito. What would you recommend?"
Sara looks bored now, "What's there to recommend? She's good on the mic and sucks in the ring. Do whatever you want. Now, Je-"
Now, Campbell cuts her off, "Yeah, I'm keen to chuck in a similar question meself, about Sara Blood Jr?"
Before Sara Sr can respond, Sanka speaks flatly, "We've been over this, Jeff. Do whatever you see fit."
"Righto, sorry."
"As I was saying," Sara continues through gritted teeth, "Jeff, this whole Open Season thing between Montani and Grizzly? It's made for some great TV, but-"
"End it," Sanka commands, "By any means necessary. This does not find its way to New Zealand."
"What he said," Sara adds with a head tilt.
Campbell sighs, "I'll suss somethin' out, no worries."
"Top man!" Sara exclaims with a thumbs up, which gives way to a raised index finger, "And one more thing. I know I was teasing Beth earlier, but Dennis Zázrak is really popular with a certain... segment of fans. Whatever you have week on week, better include that boy. Tectonic Champion or not."
Campbell smirks, "Roger that."
"Goodie. Now git!" Sara orders.
"Enjoy the rest of your weekend, Mr and Mrs Williams," Shabani says before logging out.
Campbell tips his hat, "Catch ya later, Big Cheeses," and then he logs out.
"That went well," Sara says.
"Yes, it did," Sanka replies.
"Now, where were we?"
Sanka motions his finger towards his holoscreen button, "Bye, Sara."
"Sanka Germaine Williams, don't you dare hang up on me! I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE-"
He pushes the button, and the projection dies.
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