Breaking the Tension!™ Episode 8: Emilia Hawthorne

Blaise Cameron - that was an interesting subject. He'd gotten into quite a bit of controversy since his match with Emilia, taking on a bunch of bikers that were causing all sorts of trouble in the AFW. It was odd, really - he seemed more confident, more surefooted, more resolute these days. Patty had, initially, shied away from the thought of getting him in the spotlight and doing an interview, but she was seeing more and more potential. Maybe she could even stoke a rematch between the two and draw in a few extra views with the possibility...

Patty was dragged back into reality when Emilia opened the door and lead them both into sheer decadence. Obviously, Patty had rubbed shoulders with the upper echelons of high socieity many times, but she'd rarely seen someone like in such oppulance as this. Everything shined, every glimmered, and it was as if the entire room was designed not just to give convenience, but too display wealth. It was the room of someone who was not only rich, but wanted the world to know it. Patty and Ran certainly received that message.

The two of them sat down while Henry bumbled about, doing his best to meet Emilia's demanding needs and making a good effort of it. Ran's face was still wrought with some worry, but the wonder of the room was helping to put her at ease.

"Impressive trappings, you have here." Patty smiled and crossed her legs, easing into the chair. All part of the setting, getting the scene at ease. In fact, this really should have been on camera. So why was Ran sitting with her?

Patty gave her intrepid camerawoman a quick elbow in the side, reminding her what they were there for. Ran popped up and quickly went over to the coffee table so she could set up, trying to get a view of the interview that would put the city in the background. "Tea is fine for me, with a little lemon, if you have one. Nothing for Ran, she has to focus."

Patty looked over her shoulder, as a curious thought Ran through her head. "Do you have a training room of some kind, around? It might be nice to end the interview by demonstrating one of your moves, if you can."

Emi quirked her head at Patty curiously as she complimented the apartment. The reporter was no doubt astounded by the style and space, but the Silver Scorpion did not take the chance to boast of her wealth. Instead, she almost looked bored. "Hm, do you really think so much of this place? I have to confess, it does very little for me. But when I compare it to the many expensive hotels I've been in, and my bedroom back at home, I think I dislike it least of them all."

She moved around the back of the sofa in a casual saunter, eventually settling herself on the end. Emilia crossed her legs and casually propped an arm up along the top of the elbow. She intended to display a mixture of elegance but also flashed a subtle smile to the camera as Ran set it up. It hinted at her confidence. As Patty inquired as to whether she had a training room in the apartment, Emilia inclined her head to a lone door nestled in the eastern corner of the condo. "I do my training there. Though, I would feel incredibly guilty to subject either of you to one of my traumatizing finishers when you've gone to all this trouble..."

She was interrupted by Henry setting a silver platter down upon the table, filled with an assortment of biscuits, cream cakes, eclairs and more. And on either side, tea for both Patty and Emi in white china cups decorated with blue butterflies. A mischievous thought suddenly danced into her mind and the Silver Scorpion smirked. "Thank you, Henry." The girl removed the large floppy hat from her head and kicked her heels off, before carefully drawing the silver fur from around her neck. One by one, her servant collected the articles of clothing. "When you've put these away, begin Ms. O'Brien's tiramisu if you please."

Henry nodded curtly in response, but his face faltered as he saw the dangerous look on his mistress' face. He chose to say nothing however, and walked away with the items she had given him. Emi turned back to Patty and gestured towards the platter of treats. "Please, help yourself. I'm keeping an eye on my figure so it will all go to waste otherwise." The girl said, lifting up her cup and bringing it to her lips to sip from. "Now, shall we commence the interview...?" She inquired, setting it back down upon the saucer.

Patty glanced at the room that Emilia was motioning towards, curious to see what was inside - and, more importantly, eager to let her viewers see it. This was all about the people, after all, and the people deserved every single detail they could get their hands on for consumption and dissection. No one else in the wrestling business was going this in-depth. Only Patty O' Malley. The people would remember that. Eventually.

Her thoughts were quickly diverted when she was presented with a wide array of succulent sweets. Patty's sweet tooth had gone unsated all day long, and she eagerly began to feed the beast, reaching over and snagging a scrumptious buscuit.

"Oh, of course! Let's not waste anymore of your precious time, madam." Patty nodded, regretably speaking with her mouthful as she did. She looked back to Ran, who'd finished setting up just in the nick of time.

"We're all set." Ran gave them the thumbs up. "Go time in three, two..."

"Good evening, ladies and gentleman," Patty gave the camera a frilly wave, increasing her down-to-earth look that was popular with the tweeners. "And welcome to a very special episode of Breaking the Tension. Tonight, we broadcast to you from the luxurious home of a rising star." She waved her hand overhead, as Ran did a quick establishing shot, before centering right back on Patty's smiling face. "In the ever-changing Tension landscape, new faces are popping up on a weekly basis. But few are so striking, so elegant, so mesmerizing as our guest today. The Silver Scorpion - Emilia Hawthorne."

She snuck a quick eclair as Ran brought the camera over to Emilia, munching it down with she took a moment to soak in Emilia's beauty. "Welcome to Breaking the Tension, Ms. Hawthorne, and thank you for welcoming us into your home. You've been quite the guest - I really feel like I've been given the royal treatment!"

She chuckled, laughing along with her joke to keep the mood jovial. Nailing it.

Patty was a natural interviewer, there was no doubt about that in Emilia's mind. She knew how to set the tone for an interview, how to grip her audience with the right body language and carefully timed camera glances, and how to warmly welcome guests onto her show. Emi couldn't help but feel genuinely flattered with the graceful introduction. And it was the ideal kind; not overly long but nor brisk and frank. She couldn't remember the last time she had experienced such a pleasant opening to an interview.

Emi smiled that adorable, almost innocent look that had captivated and trapped Blaise in her fingers in her debut match. It wasn't directed necessarily at Patty, although her attention and eyes were upon the girl herself, but at the camera in a subtle way. After all, many of the viewers were being introduced to Emi for the first time. Only a few had been so lucky as to witness her dominance in the ring against Blaise. “Oh, I must thank you on the contrary, Ms. O'Malley.” Emilia responded graciously. “I'm rather touched that you invited me onto your prestigious show...and after a single match at that. The least I can repay you with is, as you kindly described it, the royal treatment you deserve.”

She turned her attention finally to the camera proper, and gave another smile. But this one felt a little icier and Emi crossed her legs over as she waved to the audience...in a purposefully slow manner. “And to those of you watching, good evening to you. My sincerest thanks for tuning in.” She maintained the stare at the camera carefully, aware that right now several males watching would be feeling their hearts beating loudly against their chests, as she waited for Patty to continue.

Patty could say this much for Emilia: she was born to work the camera. Her eyes didn't wander around the room, she didn't bother herself with idle movements, there wasn't a hint of nervousness about her. She was comfortable, in control, and focused on the moment, making Ran's job far easier than it usually was. Patty's skilled camerawoman moved around them and kept the Silver Scorpion at center stage, letting her light up the room.

"One match, yes. But I've kept up with the wrestling business for quite a long time." Six months, really, but that qualified as a long time by most standards. "I can tell greatness when I see it."

She eased back, sinking into the ridiculously ornate and comfortable chair, and crossed her legs. Trying to look at ease, but not too at ease, all while keeping her skirt modestly pushed down. "Besides, while it is true that you've had only one match in the AFW,  you're hardly new to the wrestling business, as any one could tell from your skills." She gave Emilia a quick wink, making sure to do it where the camera could see. "You started out in Britain, of course, and my sources say you had quite a bit of success there."

Patty nodded, inwardly patting herself on the back for getting in some research. Google was a journalist's best tool.

"Could you tell us a little about your career, there, and what brought the Silver Scorpion to the Land of the Rising Sun? I'm sure your future fans would are as interested in your past as they are in your future."

Emilia tore her gaze away from the camera with quirked eyebrows, regarding Patty with an impressed look. "My, you're certainly no slouch when it comes to your homework." She found the attention and the compliments rather flattering. And her information gathering skills were akin to that of Henry's. Perhaps Patty would be a valuable source of news when it came to future opponents and developments in the league. Ah, but this wasn't the time to get caught up in such thinking. She was on camera, after all! Right now, displaying herself to the audience was the most important thing.

Emi gave another smile at Patty's question. "I'd be delighted to tell you, and my future fans, how I came to enter the world of professional wrestling. To begin with, I began training to be a wrestler when I was 14. Although, I didn't officially enter any of the British leagues until I was 18, but that didn't stop me from a few sessions with fellow male trainees..." A gradual swish of the hair as she closed her eyes, enjoying the memory of one particular boy she had humiliated and dismantled, and the screams she had caused to erupt from his mouth. A smirk formed upon her lips at the thought, hinting at her taunting and arrogant nature.

"When I entered those leagues, I soon tore through them like a hurricane. I ensnared my prey like a scorpion and stung them in every possible manner, glinting as beautiful as silver. You have to look sublime in the ring through your skills...and appearance~ Some men spent longer in their hospital beds than their entire wrestling careers after facing me in the ring." Emi gave a gradual sigh, a hopeless expression on her beautiful face. "Alas, I shifted from one league to the other, but the result remained the same. I grew tired of easily crushing my opponents and their weak spirits, which led to an overwhelming sensation of boredom. There's nothing I hate more than that." The word 'hate' came out with disgust. "I realised that Britain held no future prospects for one of my talents when it came to wrestling. And so I began to search further afield, for a league that was capable of delivering strong men that actually posed something of a threat to me."

"The result?" She posed the rhetorical question to Patty. "AFW, of course. I've heard numerous details of the men of the Tension League, men that are actually satisfying to break in both body and spirit. Already my debut has ignited within me passion and enthusiasm for the sport I haven't felt in so long. And we musn't forget that AFW hosts only the best, which can't be true if I'm not a member of it, don't you agree?" Emi laughed gently. "Therefore, it's only natural that I'm here. I'm not a big believer of 'fate'...but perhaps this is one such instance of it."

Patty had to admit, she was quite impressed to learn Emilia's storied history. Even her extensive research hadn't been that thorough - she knew the Silver Scorpion had wrestled, but she had no idea that so many men in so many leagues had felt her sting. All the talk about breaking men was a little off-putting, true, but that was what the average Tension fan paid to see, after all. Patty had seen the numbers, she knew the demographics, and the more Emilia talked, the more it felt like she was dealing with a future A-lister. When people eventually came to learn more about the Silver Scorpion, there would be one place to go.

Patty chuckled to herself at the bright future that was beginning to dawn, but she quickly straightened up and regained her composure. Not quite there yet.

"You'll certainly be in good company within the AFW - I know our GM, Melissa Sellers, shares many of your refined tastes, and word is that she was quite impressed by your first victory in the company." Patty didn't know if that was true, but it sounded true. That was the important thing.

"Personally - and this is just one journalist's opinion - I don't believe in fate, per se. I believe fate is what we make, and you strike me as a woman who can steer her destiny wherever she wants."

Patty paused for a moment, letting the gravity of her words sink in for dramatic effect. "You're here now. You're in Tension. You're establishing your ability and turning heads. Popularity will come and come soon, but I'm curious what you'll do with it when it arrives. Are you content to simply show the world your greatness, or do you have something more intricate in mind?" She raised a curious eyebrow. "Perhaps you'll become the 'Gold' Scorpion at some point?"

She'd been waiting to break that one out for weeks!

The GM herself had taken an interest in her? Well, that was only natural, wasn't it? Her wrestling style was as beautiful as it was brutal, and she certainly know how to captivate and excite an audience. Such qualities were essential for an A-lister. Emi said nothing, but her body language, the way her mouth twitched and her hand tensed on her knee revealed that she was quite pleased to have caught the GM's notice. She was definitely going to be right at home in this league.

Emi was further flattered as Patty downplayed the notion of fate, instead insisting destiny was crafted by one's own hand. She gave a small, delighted laugh. "I think I prefer your assessment, actually. Coming from a wealthy background, I've found that things are only worth chasing if the journey demands effort. Otherwise, the destination is meaningless at the end."

She listened to Patty conduct her next question, the interviewer building up so fervently that Emilia was actually rather curious as to what she would ask. Her own eyebrows rose as Patty questioned and made a small joke of her moniker. Emi's mouth curved in amusement. "Hm. What indeed?" She said, brushing a couple of strands of her hair to deliberately take as long as she could to answer. A bit of a tease for the audience, and Patty herself who was genuinely interested in the girl. Another quality to admire; she was earnest about her profession. The same could not be said for many of the 'interviewers' back home in Great Britain...

"Well, let me begin by saying that it isn't simply enough for people to know the Silver Scorpion. The audience have to understand how lucky they are to witness my feats in the ring. My opponents have to understand that once they stand in the ring with me, they forfeit their decisions to my hands regardless of what they may want." Emi was leaning back on the couch almost lazily, but sat herself up as she gave Patty an unnaturally serious expression. "Wrestling is an art, and a very fulfilling one at that. I have no interest in the likes of trophies, but don't mistake this for an admission that I won't pursue any belts or titles. Rather, I will go beyond them." Her tone was low, determined. "The dismantled, savaged bodies of the men who will face me...that's the real proof of my accomplishments, don't you think? That's what I strive for. If I need to advance further to achieve that..."

She laid back against the couch, giving a small, threatening smile to the camera.

"...Then I won't rest until I do."

As Patty and EmilIa talked and prattled on, Ran was stewing and considering a few ideas. Ominous music was called for here, but with a sensual undertone, something to highlight the vibes Emilia was emanating. There was an almost predatory nature to this woman, and it was Ran's job to capture that - she made sure to get her from the best angles, capture every hint that came upon her face, gathering every detail, making mental notes for the future editing process.

While Ran didn't approve of Emilia's intentions, she had to respect the woman's confidence. Unlike Patty, she seemed like the sort of person who would back up what she said. And also unlike Patty, Ran had enough experience with wrestling to actually know real talent when she saw it. Emilia would do well.

"Agressive words." Patty nodded, sagely, appearing to be in deep thought as she considered Emilia's little speech. Of course, she didn't need to think too hard - she was perfectly able to digest what the Silver Scorpion was saying. But she wanted to give the scene some gravitas. If that was the right word.

"But perhaps controversial ones, as well?" She leaned forward, taking on a more serious expression. Being a journalist meant asking the tougher questions as well. "You may or may not be aware, but there is a bit of a stigma in the AFW around Tension, with those who look down on the brand. They dismiss Tension as nothing but a league for fetishes, for people to enjoy seeing men beat up by women, and they'll accuse you of aiding that stigma. Not only that, but many men in Tension have strong ties to female wrestlers here - sisters, friends, girlfriends, even wives. Taking on men might draw some female heat your way - are you prepared to take them on, too? And what do you say to the people who might accuse you of continuing the female domination trend?"

Emi had not been aware of that. She gave a perplexed look at Patty, before a slight frown creased her features. So the Tension League had a kind of stigma to it, did it? Well, in fairness, she could see how such a perception would rise from some of the men Henry had informed her about. Her hand rested under her chin lazily as she considered her response, more carefully than Patty and Ran would perhaps realise.

“The same could be argued about the Friction division.” Emi put forth finally. “I'm sure there are those perfectly eager that pay to see women beat each other up. And even beyond that.” She added inwardly, her eyes narrowing at the prospect. “I have no interest in merely providing a fetish through my wrestling and anyone who suggests otherwise is incompetent. Look at my debut match; Blaise Cameron was not performing in that match for the sole joy of being dismantled by me. He genuinely enjoys wrestling and intends to make a career out of it. He was...simply out-matched.” She smiled, unable to resist the urge.

Emi took a brief moment to sip her cup of tea in a graceful manner before setting it back down on her saucer with a tiny clink. “I have nothing against my own sex, but if they have an issue with me destroying their own men, then I welcome them the chance to step into the ring against me. The Silver Scorpion isn't so meek as to back down from a challenge, regardless of the gender. And the very idea of me continuing a trend is absurd.” She smirked. “Considering I set them to begin with.”