Helvetica's Hotseat, Ep. 2- Alicia Wells

Helvetica nodded along patiently, as Alicia talked over the results of her match. If Hevletica was going to be completely honest, she would have rather seen Abattoir reach that staple gun. Not something she would have normally seen in a match. Fortunately, the "student of the game" had enough sense to know she probably shouldn't have mentioned that. Besides, Alicia had presented a much more interesting line of questioning.

"I think it's worth noting that, for all the assorted weapons around the ring- including a stable gun, for Christ's sakes- the thing that won the match was your legs. Which, I mean, kind of puts your legs on par with at least the staple gun. And probably above the kendo stick, the metal pads, and some of the other nastiness that got thrown in there.

"So, that in mind, the implication is kind of that your legs are stiffer competition than getting beaten on by blunt objects. So, do you find the idea of being in a hardcore match that intimidating, despite this? You say you want this to be your last hardcore match, for awhile? Do you think that's going to affect your match, or your desire to win it? Not every day I see a fighter- especially one that seems as motivated as you- talk so openly about the possibility of losing. Do you find yourself intimidated, despite your win?"

Alicia couldn’t help but laugh at the comparison of the threat posed by her legs to that of a staple gun, but she quickly sobered up as Helvetica went on, her grin turning into a frown as the interviewer got into the idea of her being scared because of what she’d said a moment ago about hardcore matches. She didn’t honestly know whether to be amused at how badly wrong the idea was or offended.

”It’s got nothing to do with being intimidated.”

The kickboxer’s tone left her statement in no doubt. She wasn’t intimidated in the slightest. Not by Adrian, not by the stipulation and not by the hardcore rules themselves.

”As for talking about losing, Adrian Kytes didn’t get to be champion by being a pushover. She’s going to throw the kitchen sink at me to keep that title and I don’t have a problem admitting she might beat me. Like the saying goes, you win some, you lose some. Will I be disappointed? Sure. But as long as I did my best, that’s all I can do.”

The redhead settled back with an icy smile.

”But no, I’m not intimidated. I just prefer to win my fights with these-“ She raised first one then both legs up to rest her feet on the desk, giving the camera and Helvetica a good look at the limbs that had nearly put Abattoir in a hospital bed in the tight-fitting jeans, ”-Not…”

She paused. Smirked.

”Well. I was going to say weapons but you already covered that one.”

Helvetica squared her jaw as Alicia's tone flattened. It was clear that the girl wasn't going to show any vulnerability, here, and it was probably pointless for Helvetica to try needling her further. At least, along those lines.

"Huh. Interesting. I appreciate that. Lot of the 'hardcore' scene tends to lose itself in all the 'toys' and big, attention-grabbing dives and table crap. Really nothing more than glorified yardtarding, at that point.

"So, let's go the other route. Let's say you win this thing. That's a possibility still, right? The champion is supposed to exemplify their division, right? So, how exactly do you plan on holding up the hardcore division? And how long do you think 'those,'" Helvetica pointed down at the legs that Alicia had just displayed for her and the cam, "are going to be enough to help you hold onto that title?"

It wasn’t a stretch to say that Alicia agreed wholeheartedly with Helvetica’s summation of the hardcore division – she was fine with them doing whatever they wanted to do to each but she personally preferred her matches to have more skill in them. It was, in her opinion, a sad state of affairs that, when she talked about Adrian throwing the kitchen sink at her, that might be literal. But they certainly seemed to be more about tricks, toys and tables than actual skill in her experience so far.

But she tilted her head as the brunette continued, curious about where the interviewer was going with this. A nod followed – oh, it was very definitely possible that Alicia might win. As Valley had pointed out, they were basically stepping into her world. If it hadn’t been for the open question of what tricks Adrian was bringing to the ring and the weapons, well, Alicia would be pretty confident she could take the champion. As it was, she’d just have to see. It wouldn’t be any fun if she was certain of winning anyway.

Her expression tightened however as the other woman got to her point, Alicia very clearly not appreciating that line of thought at all. Biting back an angry rejoinder, she took a deep breath to calm herself and kept her legs propped up on the table.

”Well, according to the current incumbent, champions tend to be a cut above everyone else. So, if I beat her, I guess that would make me a better hardcore wrestler than she is. So I would be exemplifying it. And if you mean ‘how long would I be champion’, well,”

Alicia threw the woman a tight, evil smirk.

”Until someone took it off me. Stupid question, though I guess I shouldn’t expect too much from a student.”

Her grin widened.

”Oh, and as for how long, would you like a demonstration?”

"Ah-heh," Helvetica laughed, mirthlessly, as she shifted in her desk chair. Almost subconsioucly, the American shifted to present her cast-bound arm to the camera. "Another time, maybe ... I'm not exactly a 'Cowboy Bob,' this thing's not a gimmick!

"Moving on," Helvetica said, in a bit of a rush to change subjects, "let's get back to you, and your background. Let's talk about where those deadly legs of yours got their training, huh? What's your fighting background? And, ah, for now, a simple oral history will do." Helvetica was trying hard to maintain a casual, aloof attitude, but the edge in Alicia's grin was doing plenty to cow the injured Helvetica. Having spent the previous several days watching tapes of Alicia in action didn't exactly make that facade easier to maintain ...

"Now, back when you were living in London, your training was in MMA and kickboxing, right? Now, those tend to be ... let's say more 'structured,' than AFW competition ends up being. Case in point, nobody gets to pull out a wrench. Clearly, though, it was good preperation. So, how did you end up here? How did you go from MMA, to a promotion that regularly features matches that literally center around boobs?"

”I’ll be looking forward to it.”

Having not really expected Helvetica to take her up on that one, Alicia wasn’t disappointed when the interviewer failed to do so. Excuses, excuses were the order of the day it seemed – the woman’s arm might actually be still broken for all she knew but, gimmick or not, she was entirely sure she could demonstrate her point without hurting it.

Oh well, at least it’d got them off talking about the Hardcore division. Talking about her training was almost certainly safer territory as far as she was concerned. Someone with more experience in this sort of thing could probably have done it more elegantly but Alicia’s experience with interviews was definitely lacking in all respects.

So being aggressive about it was probably her best option.

That said, Alicia’s grin widened still more at the note Helvetica threw in about sticking to an oral history.

”That’s right,” She agreed, taking her legs off the table to the ‘Student of the Game’s’ probable relief.

”Kickboxing first and I was so good at it that my parents let me sign up for MMA too. I kept them both up through school, and into university. We’re not talking UFC here, mind – we talking the local club scene up until I went to uni, then I got to spread my wings a bit. I also did some basic wrestling there, not pro stuff and I pretty much only dabbled.”

Alicia’s eyes had drifted away from the camera, her gaze now cast absently off to one side.

”As for how I ended up here, well… I was looking for something a bit less – how did you put it? Structured. If anyone tries to hit me with a wrench, I’ll make them wish I’d broken their arm. And if management wants to waste me on a match centred on boobs…”

Her eyes snapped back to focus.

”Those squish pretty nicely too.”

Helvetica nodded along, chewing her lip a bit. Glad that she'd managed to shift gears without getting her arm back in the line of fire, the nosy American was also feeling like they might be getting toward something interesting.

"So, sounds like you had a lot of support from your parents, then, going into combat sports. That's pretty great," Helvetica said with a nod. "Especially considering your aptitude for it. Have they been watching much of the AFW product, since you've come over here? I know this place has ... kind of a reputation. How do they feel about the, how about we call it a shift in career tones? Or any of your old trainers, you still keep in touch with them?"

Well, Alicia would debate how much support she’d actually had from her parents. They’d never really understood the idea of girls wanting to fight so it hadn’t been until they’d basically tried everything else that they’d put her into kickboxing classes. And yes, her aptitude for it had taken her a long way since but it’d always been at her insistence not because they’d supported her. Ok, they’d never come out and said she couldn’t train but she was still pretty sure that her mum at least would have preferred a more…

Um…

Traditional daughter. As opposed to Alicia. Oh, she was sure now that they loved her and always had and she loved them but… Yeah. How much they supported her… She didn’t know.

It wasn’t really something they talked about.

But Helvetica hadn’t asked about that, which was probably just as well for her because Alicia didn’t want to talk about that. Instead, she’d asked a question the redhead didn’t have any qualms about answering at all.

”I haven’t asked,” She answered with a shrug, ”But probably not. They’re not really into combat sports. I guess they might watch my matches – might – but I wouldn’t expect them to watch. Even if this place didn’t have that reputation you mentioned, they probably wouldn’t be into it.”

She really didn’t mind. Particularly given matches like the one with the Won Sisters or her scrap with both Liberty and Abattoir at once. Particularly that last one. She really didn’t think they’d have enjoyed watching that one bit.

”As for how they feel about me being here, we’ve not talked about it. Same with my old trainers.”

Alicia’s tone for that last bit was intended not to invite further discussion. As far as she was concerned, it wasn’t. And the glare she shot the other woman was fully intended to make that absolutely clear.

Alicia's shrug and noncommittal answer communicated that she wasn't too affected or fussed with Helvetica's new line of questioning. Her flat tone at the end, however, gave off an entirely different vibe. Helvetica bit her lip, as she chewed her options. This was a particularly tasty questioning path, if she was reading between the lines correctly. On the other hand, this interview could end up coming to a likely swift and definitely uncomfortable conclusion, right then and there.

Helvetica erred on the side of keeping the interview rolling ... for now. "Interesting. So, how about the cultural adjustment, then? Leaving the in-ring stuff alone, for now, how has adjusting to life in Japan been, for you? I know I haven't been able to find a decent burger in months, but I'm curious about coming from somewhere like the UK, and moving to Japan. And further, what about adjusting to the AFW fan base? I knew what to expect out of them, but how about you? How has your fan reaction been, and what's been your reaction to them?"

That was better.

There was a suspicious glint to Alicia’s expression as she considered Helvetica’s newest line of questioning, mostly because she didn’t trust the interviewer to have dropped the other one so easily. Maybe she was actually that easily cowed but… No, she didn’t trust it one bit.

But the new track was definitely something she felt more comfortable talking about.

”Culture shock… Oh yeah, I’m still not used to everything here. I’m just about managing somehow, but I know what you mean about the food. And the language. And the weather – that’s a bit of a change from home. But you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do, right?”

The other part of the question was about the fans and how Alicia regarded them. Well, that was an easy one to answer.

”This is going to sound pretty self-centred,” The big redhead offered candidly, ”But I really don’t care what the fans think of me. So, they hate me for what I did to Gallium and because I don’t pander to them like half the women on the roster. Sure, if that’s the way they want to go, that’s fine. But it’s not me. I’m here for my reasons, to fight the people I want to fight…” She shrugged. ”If they’re going to boo me for that, well, I don’t care about that either.”

And she was sure that Helvetica was going to make something of that. Something about the importance of entertainment, or relations with the fanbase or… whatever.

Deciding that – as she usually did – the best defence was a good offence, the redhead tilted her head to peer at the interviewer.

”So, that’s a stage name you’re using, right?”