Breaking the Tension!™ Episode 8: Emilia Hawthorne

Patty liked to think she was a servant of the people, but, truth be told, there were moments when she felt like a slave, instead. She'd thought that, after the debacle of her last episode, where the fans had voted for her to have a 'match' against Domino, that she was done with voter participation. But no - her fans were incessant. They demanded more on Twitter. They sent her pictures on tumblr with cats asking for another poll and poorly-made motivational posters. More importantly, her video with Domino had reached an unprecedented 50,000 views in a little under a week - it was easily her most popular production, even more so than the Battle Royale special. Apparently, a large section of the Tension audience liked to see pretty little women getting beat up by big, strapping young males. Who knew?

But, due to the success, it meant that viewer polls were here to stay. She had to let her fans have some control over the show, and she decided the best way to do that was to give them some possible candidates for the next interviews and let them decide. The results?

Ryan Knight:13%

Abbey Abraxas: 15%

Emilia Hawthorne: 27%

King: 45%

The people had spoken, but the people hadn't taken into account that Patty valued her personal health, which meant she had to stay as far away from King as physically possible at all times. So the people were going to need a little proper steering, this time. A few added values, a few switches here and there, Ran used a handful of bot accounts to help pad the numbers, and...

Emilia Hawthorne: 45%

King: 27%

Fixed. The fans would never know of her superfluous subterfuge.

Patty practiced her vocal warmups as Patty took them along the winding back roads of Japan, making sure her strongest asset - her heavenly voice - was primed and ready to be employed. The sun was almost done setting and the road was bathed in shadows, making for a later interview than she typically preferred, but this was by design. This had to be professional, and a later meeting made for a better experience on both sides. She wanted to make a strong impression with this interview, even more than her typically strong showings, and the reason was simple: this EmilIa showed some true potential.

Patty had a keen eye for talent, and she liked what she saw in Emilia's first match. The woman had a calm poise about her, a gentle grace and beauty that seemed to transcend the screen. The crowd took well to her and seemed to have some glimpse of it as well, even though they lacked her razor sharp acuity. She was what Tension needed, and, more importantly, she was what Breaking the Tension!™ needed: a fresh face with a good style, not afraid to bring a fierce fight to the men in the league. She was eager to meet Emilia and give her the attention she rightly deserved.

Ran, however? Not so much. ”Patty, I know I ask this almost every time, but it feel it’s a pertinent question, so-”

”Am I sure about this?” Patty looked over from the visor mirror, where she was busily plucking her eyebrow to get just the right amount of curve.

”Are you?” She kept her eyes on the road, watching for speed bumps as they moved in the residential area.

"Ran, I am always sure." She put a comforting hand on her ward's shoulder "This business is about confidence. If you can't be sure of yourself and your capabilities, no one will. Look at me - when I'm on the screen, I'm a lioness, ready to pounce. My people feel that. They expect it. They believe it. But it has to start within yourself."

Ran took a long pause and stared forward, as if she were processing a few things. "Patty," She looked back with a steadily rising eyebrow. "Did you memorize that speech?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because you told me those exact words four times before."

"Those exact words?"

"Those exact words."

It just occurred to Patty that she was echoing a speech her father gave her in a similar position. Unoriginal? Perhaps. But her father's wisdom stuck with her, and there was no harm in sharing it with the world. "I'm simply trying to make sure the lesson sticks, Ran. Repetition helps solidify things in your mind. Or so I'm told." Patty closed the mirror and leaning back, enjoying what little ride they had left. "Besides, what are you worried about here?"

"Well, it's just..." Ran sighed and took a moment to gather her thoughts. "Emilia seemed to be quite aggressive in her match with Blaise. And the last time we tried interviewing an 'aggressive' woman..."


The two of them had a brief shiver, remember the Jackie debacle.

"This..." Patty broke through the tension with a little laugh, trying to hide a small bout of nervousness."This won't be like that, Ran. Emilia is a cultured woman. Refined and respectful."

Ran gave her eyebrow a slight raise as they turned the final corner and began to pull in front of Emilia's condo, rolling down by the sidewalk. "You gleaned that much from just one match?"

"It's a tool of the trade, Ran. You'll see. Professionals recognize professionals." Patty tossed her hair back with a quick flourish, lighting up and throwing on her million yen smile. "Now come on, let's not keep our subject waiting."

She popped out of the van and started to make her way down the side of the driveway, heading towards the front door with Ran close behind. Her stylish heels clicked along the pavement as she approached the door and gave the doorbell a ring.

Despite the harmonious yet striking sound of the doorbell, the sleek door would not open to Patty and Ran. But they wouldn't have to wait long for acknowledgement. Literally moments after their arrival, the clicking of heels rapping along the pavement would reach their ears. The sound was soft, but distinctive enough to draw one's attention to it.

Walking towards the front door was a young woman, clad in a rather formal and extravagant dress. The top part covering the torso and stomach was a silk pink, with matching gloves that covered the figure's fingers to the upper part of her arms, past the elbows. Clutched in her left glove was a glittering silver purse, sparkling under the light of the sun. Silver fur, made of impeccable quality, was wrapped around her neck and shoulders, with bands of silver fur also circling her wrists. The dress only fell to just below the thighs, and grey tights stretched out across her legs, both feet in silvery heels with pointed tips. Behind her legs were silvery transparent trails of a large ribbon, which was tied at the girl's back. They flowed elegantly behind her as she walked.

There was no question that the outfit was very outlandish, but there were two particular features that would cause people to stare. One was the large and flashy white hat the girl wore. It looked more like the type someone would wear to a wedding, with a black ribbon on the front of it for decoration. The second was a silvery and red broach placed on the chest of her dress, the design of the broach was a scorpion, impeccably crafted. Just like her purse, it glinted under the sun's rays.

And that wasn't even getting into her blonde hair, positively radiant due to the beams from above.

The top half of her face was covered by the hat, which was tilting downwards to obscure her eyes and nose. But Patty and Ran would easily spot the smile upon the wearer's face as she approached them. The gloved hand that was free would lift itself to the rim of the hat and lift it up ever so slightly, exposing them to the eyes of the Silver Scorpion. Her smile was warm, but her eyes glinted with a sort of playfulness, as if these two were present purely to amuse her.

"What have we here? A couple of fans hoping to catch a glimpse of Tension's newest and most radiant star?" Emilia gave a sigh that didn't seem quite genuine. "There really has been no end to your kind since my debut match. Not that I can blame either of you~"

"E-E-Er, miss!" Emilia glanced over her shoulder to see a rather large tower of brightly coloured wrapped boxes, which seemed to have sprouted legs in smart black trousers and was waddling towards the three. A young man with white hair poked his head out from behind the boxes, looking clearly distressed and unsafe in carrying so many. "B-Beg pardon, but I-I believe these are the interviewers we heard.." He stumbled, the skyscraper of
presents jolting slightly. "...w-w-would be visiting today from the Tension League..."

"Oh...?" Intrigue rose on Emi's face as she turned her attention back to the two. "Ah, yes! I was told to expect a knock on the door. I hope you don't mind, but there is a lovely department store around the corner that I've grown rather fond of..." The girl frowned. "I was certain I'd beat you back here, but it seems my shopping trip took slightly longer than we anticipated..."

She slowly cast her head back to the man carrying her load of shopping. "No doubt my servant's inability to carry an adequate amount of products delayed me." Her voice was sweet, but carried a deadly sting to it that cracked through the air. The man even winced at her words violently, causing him to become even more unstable under the weight of the boxes. Emi huffed. "You would be hopeless in a ring, Henry."

She looked back at the two girls and reverted her expression back to her smile. "Please accept my apologies for my lateness. My name is Emilia Hawthorne, the Silver Scorpion." She tilted her head at the pair. "Who do I have the pleasure of being interviewed by today...?"

Patty was a woman who was rarely impressed. After all, thanks to her extensive experience in the news industry, she'd seen all kinds of things. Royalty and riots, intrigue and drama, wars and peace talks, the grissliest crime scenes and the most glamorous gala events.

All the same, Emilia's impressive entrance took her by surprise. The woman was positively stunning, and Patty's keen reporting senses kicked in, right then and there. "Ran!" She elbowed her assistant in the side, getting a little yelp out of her. "Record! Record!"

Ran snapped to attention and brought her camera up, catching Emilia as she neared for what would be a perfect introduction shot. This would be how the video would start, with the Silver Scorpion nearing  them while triumphant fanfare played in the background. Public domain fanfare, of course, but she'd find something appropriately epic. And they'd have to edit out her butler, but that was a small trifle.

She stepped forward after Emilia inquired about their names, feeling it would be best to hold this little meeting on camera. It might be a little messy, but nothing they couldn't fix with the right amount of clipping. "Patty O' Malley, daugher of Brian O' Malley, famous reporter from the States, sure you've heard of him." She didn't wait to see if Emilia actually had before moving on.""And this is Ran Hibiki, my trusted assistant. And camerawoman. And intern. And editor. She's sort of a jack-of-all trades."

Patty stepped back and swung her arm overhead. "And this..." She did a quick twirl. "Is Breaking the Tensionm!"

Hold. Hold. Pause for the theme music. Smile.

Patty quickly shuffled back Emilia side, accidentally bumping into Henry on the way. Ran was going to have a crazy time editing him out. "Thank you for having us, Ms. Hawthorne. It's a pleasure to be here."

Emi could tell she had made quite a first impression on the pair, causing a sly smile to rise on her lips. The first girl, the one presenting the show, had a spontaneous air about her. She jumped upon Emi's entrance with electric enthusiasm, which almost felt contagious. Or to those of a less patient nature, perhaps more annoying. But Emi didn't mind.

She had to admit, she hadn't heard of Patty's father, but then again Emi didn't necessarily keep herself in the know, at least when it came to things that didn't concern her. And since she was mainly interested in wrestling, things like famous singers and other celebrities tended to escape her notice. She didn't pride herself on having relationships with those kinds of people either. She tended to find them irritable.

Henry staggered back as Patty smacked into him, the tower of boxes wavering unstably. Emi paid him no mind, instead focusing on Patty and the camerawoman (well, more like the camera itself), who she had introduced as Ran. "It's no trouble. I was a bit surprised, in all honesty, when I heard you wanted to interview me. I have been in just one match, after all." The girl smiled. "But you also seem to have a canny eye for spotting talent, Ms. O'Brien. That I can appreciate."

The girl began to step towards the front door, unbuckling her purse and fishing out a key. "I'm correct in assuming you want to hold the interview inside? If you'll kindly step in, my servant will prepare a fine assortment of treats for you. If there's one positive thing I can say about him, he makes a divine tiramisu." With a jingle and a twist, the front door creaked open as Emi pushed it with her palm, ushering Patty and Ran inside. "Please, after you. But be advised that my room is on the sixth floor. We fortunately have lifts here, of course."

Patty stepped forward a bit after running into Henry, giving him a little space in case she needed to avoid a sudden avalanche of packages. To the man's credit, he was doing an impressive job of holding it up. Good balance. Impressive posture. And that had to require some real upper body strength. She could tell that this was something Henry did frequently. A good manservant, one that was well-used to the rigors of his job. When Patty struck it big, she'd have to ask Emilia for advice on where to get such a loyal butler.

"I do at that, yes." Patty nodded, agreeing with Emilia's keen assessment of her talent. "It comes from working in the industry as long as I have. Some people just have the 'glow' about them. You can see the marks of a champion in them, the way they carry themselves, their athleticism and talent. It's part of the reason I came to Tension - Friction doesn't really have any serious champions since Angel lost the title, but Tension is full of promise, and I see that shining in you. I like to work with women, not girls."

She made sure to say all of that in full view of the camera, getting them both in the spotlight. Two beautiful, talented ladies, really making the camera shine.

""It's been a while since I had a good tiramisu, that would be lovely." By which she meant 'never in her entire life'. "And the sixth floor is fine, we'll get a great view from there, perfect for a backdrop. This is an awful lot of space, though - you live here alone?"

Emi smiled at Patty's words. This woman knew how to assess people, how to deduce their finest qualities that made them shine above the rest. "Your words honour me." The Silver Scorpion said with a dismissive wave of her hand, but it was easy to tell she enjoyed the praise. "I confess I have little idea as to the 'failings' of Friction, but I promise this...Tension will never be boring with me around~"

She tilted her head back behind her shoulder with a wink at the camera to emphasise her point. And win over any males watching, of course.

The group was ushered into a lobby, where a fountain was situated to the side. Next to it was a statue of a man. The statue was bronze and he wore a smart suit. Emi lazily pointed it out as they walked. "My father. I don't live here alone; this building is owned by him and used by clients. Rich fellow businessman who visit Japan for exactly that, business. Or pleasure. He allowed me to have one of the rooms here. Many of those men try to invite me to dinner, even this ancient fossil in his seventies, but those kind of men bore me to tears." There was slight disdain in her voice as she reached the elevator, pressing a button to open the steel doors. There was red carpet and polished walls inside. The building was obviously well maintained.

As Emi ushered Patty and Ran inside, she pressed the button for the sixth floor. The doors began to slide shut as Henry made to enter. "Miss, wait!" He called in a panic. As the doors closed, the three would hear the servant bump into them and an almighty crash; the sound of boxes falling to the floor outside. Emi blinked, glancing over her shoulder. She didn't seem to realise she had locked Henry out.

"Well, he'll meet us via the stairs." She said with a shrug as the elevator began to ascend.

'The Silver Scorpion'. Excellent name. It was another reason that Patty had been so eager to work with Emilia. So few wrestlers seemed to understand the value of a good nom de guerre. It gave the burgeoning young wrestler a flair that made her stand apart from others.

But enough of that. Patty would be sure to enquire more about the name while they talked and dined on fine pastries.

"I know how you-" She had just began to follow up when - what was his name? Henrique? - had an unfortunate accident behind them, collapsing in a heap before he could reach the elevator.

Ran winced and couldn't help turning around at the noise on pure reaction - a little unprofessional, but nothing that couldn't be fixed in editing."Should we...help him?"

Patty sighed. Ran really had no clue how the 1% rolled. One day, she'd have to school her on the way things worked. "He'll be fine, don't worry." She pointed back to Emilia. "Eyes on the prize."

She shuffled forward as the elevator climbed and reached their destination. "As I was saying, I relate, older men are always trying to get with this." She flounced her pigtails. "What sort of men do you go for then? Any possible suitors your eying?"

Exclusive scoop, exclusive scoop, come on...

"Suitors?" The lightest of scowls creased Emi's expression, the drone of the elevator the only noise accompanying the three. "Well, no one in England intrigued me, because the men there are pretentious and dull. All bark and no bite. So far, that seems to be the case here in Japan as well, but...you never know what's around the corner~" She gave a secretive smirk. "Maybe you'll pick up on a few cues from my next couple of matches~"

The elevator arrived at the sixth floor at that moment, and Emi chose that moment to stride out. But she almost bumped into a panting Henry, who was awaiting the trio right outside the elevator. The gradual close of a nearby door to the stairwell suggested he had just arrived, and the many boxes from Emilia's shopping trip were stacked in a perfect pile. He had clearly moved fast to arrive up here.

Emi gave a coy smile. "Come now, we mustn't keep our guests waiting." The Silver Scorpion began to pace down the corridor, one leg sauntering in front of the other. "Usually when I take notice of a certain individual, I task Henry with researching every detail he can find on them. He's more resourceful than he looks; his information led me to the decision to debut against Blaise, incidentally. My room is just down here, by the way."

Damn, so close yet so far. Patty was a tad crestfallen to learn that Emilia didn't have any one she could really link up - it would've made a fine little nugget to get the rumor mill moving with. But it was a small matter. That was the great thing about Tension - everyone gets a little dirty, sooner or later, and when it happeend to Emilia, Breaking the Tension™  would happily get her good side.

"You can be sure that I'll be watching closely to-" Ran and Patty both jumped back when Henry appeared before them. After ascending six stories. With boxes in hand. As worldy a reporter as she was, Patty wasn't sure to be impressed, confused, or creeped out by that feat. She also wasn't sure if Henry was about to pass out or not.

Patty coughed to clear her throat and motioned for Ran to get back on target, focus solely on their subject. "Ah, yes, that match. Thoroughly enjoyable." She regained composure like the professional she was and followed after Emilia. "I'll have a few questions about that later, but suffice to say it was an excellent opening. And it's good that you vet your opponents thoroughly. There's a lot of riff-raff to sift through, and I'm glad you don't waste your time and talent on it."

"Life is too short to waste time and talent on." Emi agreed. "The ones I focus on tend to be excellent partners, either in displaying a good show to the audience or simply because they make me look exquisite." A smirk rose on the girl's lips. "Blaise was more of the latter, but I must concede he has potential. When - excuse me- if he'll ever reach it is another matter altogether."

They came to a stop to a brown door with the doorknob fashioned in a gold rose. Emilia's full name was upon the door in golden letters, and beneath it, her name inscribed in Japanese symbols as well. With her free hand, the girl leaned forward whilst clutching her purse to her chest and turned the knob, pushing the door open and holding it for her guests to follow in.

Ran and Patty would be led into a very spacious condo. In front of them was a pleasant lounge, with a large and plush cream sofa in an L shape, stretching around a glass coffee table. It looked heavenly to just sit upon, let alone sleep which one could easily do. The floor was laminated wood, polished so expertly that one could see their reflection in it clear as day. A widescreen TV was opposite the sofa and behind it, stretching along the entire side, was an incredible view of the city through giant glass windows. A huge and immensely decorated chandelier hung directly over the lounge area.

As soon as Emi saw Patty and Tan in, the girl closed the door behind her just as Henry was about to enter. There was a cry from the servant, followed by another crash as the sound of several boxes collapsing once again could be heard. Once again, Emi gave no impression that she had heard the sounds and instead gestured over to the sofa and coffee table, her only concern the two girls before her. "Please, seat yourselves down." The door opened as Henry stumbled in again, and the girl turned her head with a smile as if only realising he was just there. "Take those boxes to my room, Henry. As soon as you've done that, fetch refreshments for our guests posthaste.

Henry began to stagger past the three girls with his tower of gifts, over to the west side of the condo. Patty and Ran would see a modern kitchen that seemed impressively well maintained. Not a speck of dust was in sight, and even the sink seemed to glisten and shine. There was a dining table made of mahogany between the glass windows and the kitchen, with plush red seats and also made of the same wood as the table. Henry moved past these to a spiral staircase, made of glass, which led to an upper balcony and double doors. It was undoubtedly Emilia's room, and in the corner near the spiral glass staircase as if out of the way, was another door. Henry's room.

Emilia turned to her guests with a warm smile. "I know you have both agreed to sampling Henry's desserts, but before that, what refreshments would you like? Some tea brewed the British way? And perhaps biscuits too?"