March 3, 2014

The click-clack of the stiletto heels of her favourite pair of Louboutins echoed off the walls as the petite Canadian blonde made her way through the Thomas & Mack Center. With a Starbucks coffee in one hand and the bag containing her ring gear in the other, she was the very portrait of both exhaustion and determination. Finally arriving at her destination, she took a moment to gather herself, throwing her shoulders back as she stared at the nameplate. Letting the bag fall from her hand, she lifted her fist and knocked on the door.

"Come in!" That would be the very excited tone of one Killer Blonde on the other side. And before Nessa even had a chance to put her hand on the door handle to open it, Amy jerked the door open herself with a bright smile on her face. Judging by the reception, you'd have thought that they had been long lost friends just reunited when the former CEO embraced Nessa in the doorframe like she had just come home for shore leave. "Nessa, I'm SO glad to see you!"

Recovering from the surprise at the warm reception, Nessa returned that blinding smile with one of her own, giving Amy a one-handed hug back. "You look wonderful, Amy— it's so good to see you!" Pulling back slightly, Nessa lifted the Starbucks cup, holding it out towards the Killer Blonde. "I brought you a latte, sweetie. I actually got one for myself as well but I finished it on the ride over. Jet-lag sucks."

"Why thank you!" Amy responded, taking the cup from her and setting it aside before pulling a chair out for her across from the desk. "I want you to know that I have been fully supporting you all this season in Future Shock. I've not cast a single vote, and none of them were in your favor." She added before popping the lid off the cup to give a taste of the latte. "Have a seat."

Still beaming, Nessa nudged her bag with the toe of her shoe, making sure it was inside the office before taking the chair Amy had pulled out for her. "I really appreciate the support, Amy. You have no idea how badly I want— how badly I need to win this. I just can't tolerate that single blight on my otherwise flawless record in the business." Settling back, Nessa crossed her legs and folded her hands in her lap, staring at Amy expectantly. "I must confess: I've been driving myself crazy since you asked for this meeting on Twitter, trying to find out what you could possibly need to talk about with me."

"Oh, well it's nothing bad, I promise." Amy held up two fingers as though she were giving some sort of scout oath to her fellow Canadian citizen. "It's actually to make you a little offer. Frankly, you've been very impressive since you arrived. And as I said, I'm a huge supporter of yours in Future Shock as well. I wanted to see how you'd feel about being including in a little something I am putting together, that being the Killer Elite." Amy enjoyed a sip of the latte Nessa had brought before she continued. "The fact is...rumor has it that you are impressing more than just me." She said that last sentence as though it were some secret and one of the invisible people in the room might tell it if they heard.

It took all of her professionalism to keep the surprise off her face as she nodded, although that smirk of hers made an appearance as she mulled over the words. "Being part of the Killer Elite," she mused aloud, "that would go a long way towards silencing those critics who still seem to think that I'm going to wash out and go back to," she made a disgusted face, "reporting. The other part of what you said though... impressing others... you do realize that's always been my primary motivation. I would love to hold them in my thrall the way you do, Amy."

That brought a bit of a grin from the Killer Blonde as she nodded in agreement, as though it were something of a foregone conclusion that that had been happening. "I can understand that totally. When I look at you, I think to myself that you're like another me!" She exclaimed, patting her hands on the desk as apparently the idea was quite exciting to her. "But yes, the others to whom I am referring would be Kyle. Because I have every faith that with your being Mika's best friend and her being in his little group, an invitation is not long from arriving from him to you. And frankly, I think that would be the worst decision possible. Because as much as you want to prove them all wrong, you also want to prove to them that Mika's star doesn't shine brighter than yours."

Even though she wanted to defend Mika and say that it wasn't a competition, she couldn't help but see the wisdom in what Amy was saying. "I'd like to make a name for myself here that doesn't involve being lumped into anything Mika's done— not that I think I'd be overshadowed, but well, you know how it is. I want to be known for the things I've done. Not for whom I've befriended... or even... God-forbid dated."

"Exactly! Which is why if the offer is made by Kyle, I think I'd reject it. I mean people are already starting to see it that way, because they see you all together with her. I've heard them call it things like 'Mika's team". You aren't on Mika's team, you are Nessa Wall. You don't need Mika to be successful. I'm not saying you shouldn't be her friend, that's absurd! But this is business. And being known for being on someone else's team is not exactly the path to ultimate success. You want them to know you as Nessa Wall, high flying wrestler slash brilliant reporter with a cute fiancé. Not Mika's understudy in a group where she is clearly the focal point." Amy added.

"I really appreciate your advice, Amy. If I can be honest for a moment, despite what I told Mika about choosing to come to SVW because I wanted to work with her, there was far more to it than that. You were one of the women I watched in action when I was scouting FFW, preparing to make the leap from writing about the wrestling to actually doing it. You and Kaitlynn were two of the biggest influences on my career."

"I can understand that. I am a major influence in many careers." Amy replied with a sigh of resignation, almost as though it were something she had learned to accept over the years. "And with the right choices, I am more than happy to guide it here in SVW. After all, look what I did for Stacey last year. For Anders! I have a proven track record of guiding to success. Kyle's track record includes infighting with his group, and being clocked by them with chairs at various times. And if you want proof of the understudy part.." She leaned forward. "Look at your tag match with Leona tonight. If you two win the match, Mika and Leona still get the tag title shot. So what does it do for you?" The Killer Blonde shakes her head. "I just hope that Leona knows you are the team leader tonight, and that as long as she listens to you, you both shall leave with the victory."

Nessa frowned, clearly having never even considered the facts. "Carrying two teams to victory in one weekend— I suppose I can handle that and hope that Leona doesn't take credit." Sighing, Nessa rolled her eyes, "you're right. I don't know how I managed to miss that before. Winning this tonight doesn't get me anywhere and the last thing I want to do here in SVW is start spinning my wheels."

"Well that's why I am offering my own personal guidance in the Killer Elite, sweetie. I'm not saying you have to decide now, but I wanted you to give it some thought. Of course, the most important thing is to be ready for your match. Just make sure you make it clear who is leading this tag team. After all, Leona is used to taking orders. She's been doing it for Mika for months now! I want to see your name on the marquee." Amy's eyes widened as though she was in the midst of an epiphany. "Nessa Wall on t-shirts and posters and programs....Nessa Wall headlining shows..... I believe we can make that happen together."

The smile that spread over Nessa's lips was cold and calculating as she nodded. "I'll certainly give it some thought, Amy. Thank you so much for thinking of me." She moved to her feet, clearly focused on the images of her name on the marquee and everyone wearing her t-shirt as she made her way towards the door, stopping only to gather her bag. Before she knew it, she was in the hall, and that smile had turned into a very wicked grin. For the first time since she'd stepped into the ring, she felt like her biggest dreams had the potential to come true— especially if she had someone as knowledgeable and skilled as Amy to guide her in the right direction.