Breaking the Tension! Episode 2: "Gnarly" Charlie Haines

Dig, if you will, this picture.

A young wrestler, just hitting his stride, his career picking up steam, cut down by a tragic accident. He persevered. Survived. Recovered. His drive to wrestle sustained him. And now, many months later, he was finally ready to take the stage against, coming to Tension, making his debut, and pitting his skills against some of the best fighters in the world.

That was the story of Charlie Haines. Solid. Gold. There'd be a made-for-TV movie about him in twenty years - probably called Gnarly - and when they did, this moment, when he stepped back into the ring, would be a climax for the film. And she'd be part of, likely played by a hot, up-and-coming actress looking to get her career started on a breakthrough role.

Patty and her intrepid intern, Ran, moved through the halls of AFW, tracking Charlie down - according to her inside sources, he was busy training in the Gym, getting ready for his big return to the ring. It was the perfect setup - the Tension fans were about to get exposed to a brand new star, a rising talent, and she was going to get the exclusive. Whether Charlie realized it or not. The gym would be mostly empty, a great place for a a journalistic ambush.

"Ma'am." Ran chimed in, trepidation running rampant in her voice as she made the final checks. "Are you sure this is the best way to go about this? Maybe we should send him an email or-"

"Don't be silly."  Patty shook her head, wishing her intern would learn to defer to her superior experience in the field. After their first episode had been a rousing success - 70,000 hits in the first week - she could tell that people were hungry for the sort of shocktroppoer reporting she brought to the table. "We're getting him raw. Just like last time."

She moved over to the door leading into the gym and peeked, looking to see if her intel was correct and Charlie was around. With any luck, he was in the middle of a hot workout, sweaty and tired. A little something to help her start drawing in the female market as well.

Charlie felt good... really good. He finally had the greenlight to do full contact training and a match once he felt comfortable enough. He was even able to jump from the mat, spin and make it to the top of the turnbuckle just like he used to when he was fully healthy about 9 months ago. Right now tired felt good. It beat sitting around and resting his knee, and it was a ton better than the early rehab exercises they had him doing. In Charlie's mind the only drawback was more time training meant less time with Talia. She used to wrestle though, so he was very thankful that she understood the how and why of him spending so much time in one gym or another. Today's workout was tough, but almost over. Charlie was a sweaty mess as he leaned up against the ropes and drank some water.

As he hydrated, he saw the door open. He figured it would be Alaina and his dog Little Charlie picking him up. However he noticed a woman with darker hair and.... a microphone? Charlie didn't know what to make of this but he figured she must be lost. "Uhh, hey there! Can I help you? Or something?" He called out, not really knowing what sort of response he would get.

Patty was like a lioness. A sly, fact-seeking lioness, sifting through the long grass of an intellectual Serengeti. Drawing closer and closer to her prey. Waiting patiently, ever so patiently for the right time to strike.

She made her way into the gym, staying low, not wanting to startle Charlie - after all, he might be a little shutter shy, and her best chance to get him natural was to give him as little time to compose himself as possible. Timing was the key - it wasn't just about knowing the right questions to ask, it was about knowing when to ask the right questions.

But Lady Luck was a bit of a floozy, it seemed - Charlie spotted her before she could get all the way to him. But she was ready for it - she pounced, claws drawn and teeth bared.

She ran over to Charlie and stood next to him as Ran got into position, starting the shot with both of them in the center. "Ladies and gentleman and assorted others, welcome to the second episode of Breaking the Tension! Last time we got you VIP access with the Takeuchi Siblings at their private estate, and this time the hits keep on coming - I'm here, live, with 'Gnarly' Charlie Haines, as he gears up for his debut in the AFW arena!" She leaned in towards the camera, taking a serious tone with a serious face to match it. "But who, exactly, is Charlie Haines? What's his story? What's kept him from the Tension ring for so long? Well, tonight we answer those questions, and many more."

She turned to Charlie and gave him a slap o, n the back, also taking the opportunity to cop a feel on those sweat muscles of his. Rowr. "Charlie, what do you say? Are you ready to..." Pause. Pause. Wait for it. "...break the tension?"

The hell was this? charlie didn't know quite what to think as Patty and Ran moved in and had themselves set up. He felt the hearty slap on the back by Patty, who seemed to be able to put a lot of heave-ho into it for such a small woman. As she began rattling off questions to Charlie he looked up at the camera and smiled. He hadn't been in this situation before, so he figured the best way to handle it was how he handled everything else.... have a bit of fun.

"Lets do it, I was ready to break the Tension yesterday. The real question is are you ready miss.... what's your name anyhow? I'd be a royal dickbag if I sat here the whole time and just kept saying things like 'lady' and 'hey you' ya know?" Charlie said as he stuck his hand out for Patty to shake. "Also I think that name you mentioned... Takeuchi? It sounds familiar."

Drat! She'd forgotten to introduce herself. An easy enough thing to edit in, of course, but embarrassing all the same. She had to focus, keep from thinking about those rock hard abs, that lovely hard, that winning smile.

Easy, Patty. Easy. You can always woo him when the camera stops rolling. Business time.

"Patty O' Malley. Charmed." She gave him a curtsy and spun on her heel, doing her signature move. There were already a few Youtube videos of girls trying to mimic her spin, filling Patty with pride. "And yes, I did mention Takeuchi - the Takeuchi Siblings, to be exact. Daisuke had quite a few things to say about your friend and up-and-coming Friction star Alaina. None of them were pleasant. Would you like to take this time to respond, in kind?"

"It's nice to meet you Patty, I'm Charlie but you already seemed to have that part figured out huh?" Charlie said with a small chuckle.

"I dunno if there is much to say about Daisuke." Charlie began with a shrug. "He had a few things to say about me, and my friend had a match with him. I'm pretty sure he forgot to mention in his interview that it was a hardcore match that started when he attacked her from behind in her locker room, and she still kicked his ass. I'd love to have a match with him sometime. Hell maybe Alaina and I could tag against him and his bipolar sister?"

Charlie decided to let that sink in, even though he really didn't say a whole lot that people probably couldn't figure out on their own. "I mean did either of them come across as the stand-up kind of people? They just act like spoiled rich kids if you ask me."

Oh, more open rivalry, continuing on from the the last episode. Continuity, perfect, almost like she was building up a future match. The fans would eat that up, wanting to see the drama unfold on her screen instead of behind closed doors. This was the way it should have been done.

"While I have my own opinions, I have to maintain journalistic neutrality." She gave him a solemn nod. "The facts, Charlie. Only the facts." She gave him a pat on his chest...and held her hand there for a moment. Give him a little squeeze, wouldn't hurt.

"But enough about them, let's talk about you!" She stepped away suddenly, wanting to maintain the professional air. Ignore those hormones. "You're heading back in the ring, soon, at a time when Tension is starting to seriously heat up. Do you feel like you're up to the task?"

"Of course, if I didn't feel confident I might as well just head home and wander around like a stoner looking for cheetos." Charlie said before feeling Patty's little squeeze. It was bad enough that his best friend was a female, so he decided to nip some of the flirting in the bud.

"Heh easy there Patty, I have a girlfriend who also happens to be the prettiest, most awesome lady on the planet. Its a real award I swear!" Charlie stated with a grin. "I really like where Tension is at. I think of it as an upswing. I hear good shit about the champ, and the actual matches are better quality now."

Patty's eyes lit up like a ten-year-old on Christmas morning who just noticed that one of her presents was conspicuously shaped like a pony. A girlfriend? He had a girlfriend? That was perfect - she had legitimate scoop! The insider track! First on the scene! Hot off the grill!

She brought the microphone to his face as Ran zoomed in, making sure to catch every bead of sweat. "A girlfriend? Not even your first match and you're already breaking hearts, you silver-tongued devil!" She blushed and gave him a push. "Who's the lucky lady? Don't skimp on details here, Charlie."

"I am the furthest thing from a heartbreaker there is." Charlie said honestly. He was a little nervous that the line of questioning was probing into his personal life. Sure he was a goofball who was open, but he'd never been popular before. Did he have a fanbase or something already even though no one over here saw him fight? Japan was a strange place.

"Well.... her name is Talia. She's even shorter than I am if you can believe that, has gorgeous purple eyes you can get lost in, a cute smile that lights up the room, and radiant red hair. I'm the luckiest guy in Japan to be with someone like her. Its really a case of the beauty and the nerd."