Post by Tornado Desencadenado on Aug 1, 2017 7:50:44 GMT -5
Tornado Desencadenado dressed up for his scheduled video conference with his West Coast Genesis boss; at least from the waist up. Wearing a white Oxford shirt and blue corduroy necktie over a pair of gym shorts, he sat at the table in his kitchenette and logged into his laptop’s Skype account. With a few keystrokes he was face to face with the general manager of WCG: Kaylee Kassie.
“Tornado, good morning,” the striking brunette greeted the Fundamental Elemental before getting right to the point, “How may I help you?”
“Good morning. I wanted to speak with you about my upcoming match at Crossroads: Rise; to see if you would reconsider having Ruby serve as guest referee.”
The query did not surprise Kaylee, “I’m guessing this has something to do with the incident between you two at the Performance Center last week?”
“Yes,” TD replied, wincing in recollection of the argument he had with his friend, “I want to make it clear that what was reported was wrong; things got totally blown out of proportion.”
“I’m aware of that. Security cameras monitor most of the public areas of the facility,” the former Spotlight Champion revealed.
“Oh. Well, okay; so you know our disagreement wasn’t all that, um, severe.”
She nodded, “And yet it is serious enough to warrant you requesting I change the PPV card. Why?”
“I don’t think she wants to do it,” Tornado admitted.
“Did she tell you that?”
“Well, not really,” he rubbed the back of his head anxiously, “But when we were talking, one of the things she said was that the time we were spending getting ready to ref my match with Scott Latimer could have been spent training to fight Austen Blackwell for the South Bay Title.”
“Hm. Scotty himself implied something along those lines recently as well,” Kaylee noted with some smugness, “That if Ruby did lose her belt at Rise, it would be your fault, for making her pull double duty that night.”
Tornado’s features darkened at the mention of his locker room rival, “I’m aware.”
“So you agree with him?”
“Of course not,” he scoffed, “I know Ruby can handle it. I’m just worried she doesn’t think she can.”
“You have a lot of confidence in her,” Kaylee said after taking a sip of her morning tea, “Maybe more than she has in herself?”
The Whirlwind Wunderkind was flummoxed by the question, “Maybe. I don’t know. Does it matter?”
The WCG general manager responded to the question with one of her own, “If I were to call Ruby, and ask her if she wanted to referee your match with Scotty, would she tell me yes or no?”
“She’d say yes; but that’s her nature. Ruby is too nice for her own good sometimes,” Tornado opined, “Even if she does have her doubts, she’ll deny them, to help me.”
“Well, then; if that’s the case, I don’t see any reason to change the match stipulation.”
In truth, Tornado expected this. Having Ruby umpire his fight with Latimer was the condition Kaylie demanded for the match in the first place. She felt the drama would add to the match’s cachet. And while the woman may have been right from a booking standpoint, he could no longer allow the spectacle to continue any longer. Tornado Desencadenado was responsible for the mess; it was up to him to find the resolution.
“Then… I forfeit,” he announced grudgingly.
This was something Kaylee had not anticipated, “I beg your pardon?” she said, one of her well-groomed eyebrow arching inquisitively.
“If West Coast Genesis doesn’t see fit to find an appropriate referee for my match with Scotty Latimer, then I won’t fight. I forfeit.”
“Appropriate? What exactly about Ruby Rose Lance as referee is inappropriate, Mister Mazara?”
“Nothing. But the circumstances-“
Kaylee cut him off, “Do you think Miss Lance is qualified to judge your match?”
“Yes,” Tornado said firmly, “But-“
“Do you think she can be impartial?”
“Yes,” he repeated, “However-“
“Then there is no justification for you refusing to take part in the match,” Kaylee correctly asserted, “Furthermore, if you choose not to compete, you will be in breach of your West Coast Genesis contract.”
“I’m not under contract,” Tornado countered, “I get paid per appearance.”
“Then you won’t be appearing in WCG anymore. And if I have my way, in Redemption Fed or any of its affiliates,” Kaylie vowed. She smirked slightly, “I did you a favor when I booked this little grudge match for Rise, Tornado; I’m not going to change plans because of your whims.”
Surprised at how quickly things escalated, the Spin Doctor reiterated his employer’s position, “If I forfeit the match, you won’t let me work for WCG anymore.”
“At the bare minimum.”
The assurance made Tornado’s blood run cold. He was still establishing himself, in West Coast Genesis and the sport in general. To be run out of the promotion now, especially when he was attempting to build stronger bonds with others on the Redemption Fed roster, would have been crushing. Still, he wasn’t a fan of ultimatums.
“When do you need my answer by?” he asked.
“I’ve wasted enough time on this. You need-“
Now it was Tornado’s turn to interrupt, “You’ll get it Friday. Goodbye.”
He closed his laptop, ending the call.