A Change in Management

The stale air that smelled of processed food. The slow, rhythmic pumping sound of the machines behind the beds. The quiet hum of the florescent lights, and the stiff, slightly tilted beds. All of these things had become very familiar to Rachel Carin for the last few months, but that wasn't to say she got used to them. She wasn't used to waking up in a hospital bed every morning, or often in the middle of the night. She wasn't used to the nightmares, even though they happened nearly every night, and she wasn't used to waking up in a cold sweat either. This had probably been the longest period Rachel had been in a hospital in all her life, but the safety and comfort was a relief, to some extent. Compared to the nightmarish events that put her, and her best friend, Alex, in that room, boring was a nice change of pace.

But it wasn't exactly a welcome one. Rachel had always healed remarkably well, and she wanted... no, needed to be out there. She had a goal now, not just something to move away from, but a new life to work towards. While Alex slept comfortably in the bed beside her, Rachel lie restlessly yet again as thoughts tumbled through her head of how they were going to make it that far. Before they had Dave to manage things for them, to look out for them... or, at least, so they thought. But being on their own now was not much better, and between managing their money and spending a considerable amount of time getting her ass handed to her, things were not moving forward the way they were supposed to. Hell, she had barely managed to get the AFW to pay for their hospital bill like they were supposed to with all that was going on, and by the time she had worked it out, enough had come out of her paycheck for the fight that it really wasn't adding to the college fund.

Almost reflexively, Rachel's unbandaged hand slowly reached up to rub her bare neck, where her collar had normally been. Even in the hospital she had managed to keep it with her in the past, but now... now it was in the hands of that woman. That sadistic, psychotic woman. A shudder shot through Rachel's body as her subconscious forced her to recall the events of that night yet again, and her body seemed to ache in response. The whole ordeal had her still left a bit shaken, though she did her best not to show it, even to the doctors and nurses who could see the damage with their own eyes. Really, the medical staff were the only people she really saw anymore, other than Alex, and she was grateful enough that they let the two of them have the same room to worry about it. So she was more than a little surprised when she heard someone enter through the door, given that no one was scheduled to feed or check up on them at this time.

Lily Belle was dressed just as she always was, like a caricature of a "sexy business woman" that you would see in a strip club or bad porn. Unlike in the ring, however, this outfit was not quite so light and stretchy. In silk stockings, a pencil skirt with matching jacket, and a white blouse which she actually buttoned up to actually cover most of her cleavage she stepped quietly into the hospital room. She always made a point to keep tabs on many of the newer wrestlers around the AFW, and especially the "jobbers". When she had heard about what happened with these two she had immediately started drawing up paperwork.

Leaning fully into the room Lily glanced about with a friendly smile before knocking lightly upon the open door. She could see that one of the girls was still asleep, but the other was moving about. "Ah, hello... Miss... Carin, is it? Do you mind if I come in?" She had thought about bringing one of the other girls with her for testimonial, but considered that people didn't always like people seeing them at their most vulnerable.

Hearing someone pop in the door at an unexpected hour was surprising, but the unfamiliar voice that followed was enough for Rachel's head to perk up and check who it is. The woman at the door's fancy, if not the slightest bit suggestive, outfit and composure was only strangely belied by her short stature and youthful, almost innocent face. Really, these competing factors only managed to give the woman an immediate sense of endearment and relatability, like a small child dressed in her mother's clothes. Maybe less demeaning than that.

In any case, the woman was deliberately here, as she knew who Rachel was, and while it was always a bit embarrassing being seen like this, some new company was more than welcome. Given her attire, there was a chance this was a reporter, here to make a riveting editorial out of her crushing defeat, but she was polite enough to ask if she could come in, and... well, it's not like there was anywhere to run to. "Um, yeah, that's me. Sure, come on in," she replied with the slightest bit of nervousness in her voice.

Lily bowed politely, as if entering a Japanese home, and moved fully into the hospital room. In front of her she held an attache by the handle as if it were her lunch, or something perhaps more vital. Dark eyes drank in the room around her as she approached the bedridden wrestler, appraising her surroundings and the state of affairs. It always paid to know more about the situation you were about to walk in to. That held true in wrestling as much as it did in conversation. Only as she stood by the bedside properly did she really take the time to look over Rachel's state, and as she did a shadow passed over those friendly features. For a moment her eyes were miles or perhaps months away.

A second passed and a flutter of lashes blinked away scarring memories for another time. Looking the injured young woman in the eye Lily bowed slightly again. "My apologies for disturbing you. I'm sure you must need your rest, but I... I felt I really needed to come and see you as soon as possible. My name is Lily Belle." She paused and watched Rachel's face for any flicker of recognition. Just maybe her name preceded her, but probably not. Well, maybe as a fellow jobber, but not as a manager.

Well, the reporter theory was getting debunked pretty fast. Really, that didn't surprise Rachel at all: in her eyes, she hardly had a career worthy of getting any press. As spectacular as some of her losses may be, they were still exactly that, and no one really has that much interest in a loser at the end of the day.

But if that were true, than who was she? The name didn't ring a bell (no pun intended), even if she clearly paused for a reaction, which had Rachel feeling a bit more inhospitable than she might have otherwise have been. The important thing was that, for whatever reason, someone had come to see her, and as long as it wasn't a debt collector (though given her luck, Rachel wasn't ready to rule that out), Rachel wanted to be as welcoming as possible.

"Hey, no problem, it's great to get some company. Why, er, why don't you have a seat?" she responded meekly, gesturing towards one of the chairs in the room while she fought her usual instincts to offer whatever would normally be in her home. Really, someone being this polite to enter a space that Rachel didn't really see as her own felt a little strange, but that also most likely meant this Lily was here for something. "So, uh, what's up? Why... why are you here?"

Lily expertly masked her mild disappointment as Rachel clearly didn't know who she was. At all. Well, that just meant she needed to put on some more sensational matches, and maybe even win a couple! Smiling as sweetly as she could Lily took up the proffered seat by the bedside and laid the briefcase in her lap neatly.

"Thank you. I know this probably isn't a good time for you. It can be difficult to recover after... such an experience. However, I am a manager with the AFW. I wrestle as well, but that's now why I'm here." She delicately danced around jumping straight into business, trying to find a tactful way to approach the subject at hand. How could she explain just why she was here?

A manager? Rachel's head started to race through what this could mean. The most obvious answer was that Lily wanted to fill the void Dave had left. While by no means a high profile type of guy, Rachel and Alex's previous manager still made the contacts necessary to set them up in some bigger matches, even getting Rachel into the preliminary round of one of AFW's major tournaments. But, he didn't interact with much of the staff or even the other wrestlers more than he had to, and so when he left, it wasn't a well-known thing. The fact that both girls were managing their own business side of things now was something that Rachel had believed was pretty much only known by one or two other people.

Besides, why would a manager want to pick them up? So far as Rachel could tell, she personally had the reputation of being the worst wrestler in the league. After almost a dozen matches, there was one win between the two of them, and it was by Alex. So... if Lily wasn't here to pick them up... maybe they were being kicked out.

"Wait, hold up," Rachel preemptively pleaded, her worries already getting the better of her. Could a manager even do that? Even after managing her own last few matches, Rachel didn't fully understand their relationship with AFW itself, but if it was possible, it seemed to add up. "I know we haven't done so well, b-but... I can get back out there. Really, it's not a big deal. I... I need the money. We both do. You can understand that, right?" Rachel's pace quickened as she spoke, her eyes widening with worry.

The panic in Rachel's voice, her mannerisms, and her words were as plain as day. The girl was terrified that the company had sent her out here to terminate their contracts. Lily knew all too well what it felt like to be making your living by your matches, and how scary it could be to see that livelihood slipping away. Her dark eyes softened with genuine affection and sympathy as she reached out to clasp one of Rachel's hands in her own, an imploring gesture for calm. "Oh, no no no, honey. I'm not here to can you. I heard about you after that incident with Elsa, and I looked you up..." She wouldn't even call their encounters with Elsa "matches", in so much as they were disasters.

Gently stroking Rachel's hand she did her best to placate the girl. "You and Alex. I'd like to add you to my stable, if that's alright." She tried to fix Rachel with a firm look, to emphasize how much she was not joking.

For a brief moment, Rachel's eyes just glazed over. All the worry and concern that had overcome her, washed away in a sea of momentary confusion. "Stable? Like with hors-"

And then it dawned on her, and a whole new type of confusion arose. "Wait, what? Why? We aren't, I mean we're both-" she looked over at Alex's bed with thoughtful concern. As much as she didn't want Alex to get caught up in more bad matches because of bravado, she didn't want to discredit her either, especially when she couldn't speak for herself. "I'm terrible. I understand if you heard about me, but, I mean... I don't know if you've seen any of my matches, but I-I can't fight. I'd just weigh you down."

Despite her concerns, though, Rachel didn't want to say no. Maybe she was just under the sway of Lily's body language, some momentary persuasion, but she got the sense that this woman would be good for them. That maybe, somehow, she'd be able to take care of them. But what Rachel had a harder time justifying was how she would be any good for Lily's own image.

Lily watched Rachel's eyes as she began to speak for Alex but then thought better of it to speak only for herself. The expression on her soft features was calm and sympathetic as she listened to the girl's appeals. Her confusion was understandable. Not many people would want to take on a stable of mostly losing wrestlers. Sighing wistfully Lily lifted one of her hands to stroke Rachel's hair in a nurturing manner. "I know, Miss Carin. I also know that most AFW fans are looking to be entertained as much as they are looking to root for a winner. Most of my wrestlers... myself included, have very few wins to speak of. I want to offer you a safe place to live and train, and representation."

It was clear to see that all of this was a bit overwhelming for the poor girl. Lily gave her a soft smile before continuing, "You don't have to decide now. Get better. Come and visit the house. Meet the girls. Then decide."