Cafe Research II

Originally she had used the Starbucks as a means for free WiFi when he apartment was coming together. Thee days she used it s a taste of normalcy in the busy city. Her small cramped apartment was undeniably drenched in the Asian flavor with the suppose compact nature despite many trappings from home. Everywhere she went, things were so strange, even the McDonald's was different and weird. Once you couldn't trust a burger serving clown to be consistent, who could you trust? Starbucks, apparently. So she had become a regular, at least once a week to ground herself. She hadn't had any more wild encounters, she even knew a few of the barista, two of which happened to also be foreigners. William was from the UK, like her friend Rebecca, and Daisy was from the states as well, California.

William, or Billy as she called him, had become one of her next best friends outside of Ryoko. Though, she never really saw him outside of work. If she came by after training at the gym and he was closing, he'd smuggle her out a bunch of the cookies rather than tossing them in the trash. Sure, there weren't fresh, but with the right about of milk it didn't matter if they were a bit hard. It helped make up for all the money she spent just to get a hot chocolate and hang out for the afternoon.

She had kept with them theme of using her cafe days for research, sitting by the window to catch a bit of sun for a change. Her jacket was draped on the back of her chair. An old brown thing, beaten from age with frayed sleeves. It looks a bit big for her, she hadn't been the original owner. It had a pale green inside lining as well as a cloth hoodie bunched up at the back, hanging unevenly as one of the drawstrings was pulled way to far in one direction and showed far more wear and tear than the other form her chewing on it so often. She was dressed standard fair, faded blue jeans, her trusty white and red sneakers, and a beige T-shirt reading "WWGD" with a green silhouette of Godzilla on the front. The back had a crumbled pagoda in slightly more detail, as if it had been taken from an old photo. She had been a bit hesitant to wear the shirt at first, being as the giant beast tended to blow up Japan on the regular. To her surprise it was the locals that often times seemed to compliment her on it, and ask what the letters meant.

On the table before her sat her crappy-lappy, the company logo on the back end of the screen covered with a frowning face sticker. The think was an archaic brick, the type you could easily bludgeon someone to death with if it caught your fancy. It was plugged into a wall socket, the only real way to sue the thing. Without a constant source of electricity fed to the beast, it lasted a good twenty minutes before checking out. She still loved her laptop, when it behaved. She had had the thing forever, even before high school. Many a good memory of watching movies at night under the covers when she should have been asleep. Sticking it to the man, trying to get her down.

She had given up taking notes on the laptop, opting for the good old fashion way, with a pen and pad. It worked out far better than having to pause a video every time she needed to jot something down. Today's subjects were "The Imperial Order". The two members of the team had been on the original list Ryoko had given her for talents to look into. Admittedly she hadn't intend to on looking into the two of them until she found out the woman she was looking into, Valley Doll, was currently involved in a feud with them. That had caught her interest and bumped them closer to the top. She didn't regret it now, flashy moves, some high flying, these were things she wanted and needed for her own arsenal moving forward. The match in question she was streaming was their first title defense against a team called Pride Queens.

She had her clunky headphones on one ear, the other left open to hear the world around her. She didn't want to disturb the other customers and respected the staff she knew by name too much to make them loom over her to have to tap a shoulder to catch her attention if needed. beside her laptop sat a half finished cup of hot chocolate she was working on slowly, making it last so she seemed like a good customer. Between her lips was a thin black coffee stirrer that had seen better days, bent at an odd angle she was idly nibbling at the end in her mouth as she quietly watched the match, ready to jot down notes.

"Ooooh, a Starbucks!" Man, she didn't think she would be saying this sentence in her life like some basic bitch, but Abigail was pleased to see one here. She didn't come for some Pumpkin Spiced Latte, far from it. She just needed Wi-fi access to upload something to her friend for her own YouTube series. Life as a Youtuber never stops, one thing that Abbie has realised when she first started doing this part time in a college dorm. 

The nerd took many photos and videos on her personal DSLR, documenting every step she took in the bustling streets of Tokyo, especially the night life. She felt like a tourist as she explored but at the same time, Abbie had to keep reminding herself that she lives here now. In Tokyo! How rad was that!?

Of course, there was a reason why she had came here in the first place but why not have add a vlog to the channel? For those that are interested in seeing her thoughts and impressions about the place. And those viewers that feel somewhat entitled to see another one of her videos where she covers another wrestling match, that will come soon. She knew her audience well enough. And her views has already been covered in a video that will be a solid reminder for those sorts of people.

Speaking of videos, she had been wanting to upload something but her home Wi-fi was down and will take a day to fix. Going offline....eugh...sounds creepy. Going outside? Blegh. But Abigail took it in stride, she did want to explore anyways. But how was she going to show it to her fans? Good thing the concept of ''Free Wi-fi" is a thing. It is very easy to take something like internet service for granted. Especially for Abbie where her job relies on being connected.

Entering the Starbucks, her emerald eyes scanned the place for a free space. Good. Not overly busy. With her eyes remembering the claimed spot, putting an imaginary flag to claim that piece of land hers, the flag having her channel logo on it, Abbie looked on the menu. Hmmm...a pumpkin spiced latte sound goo-nah, never go basic bitch. A hot chocolate sounds more tantalising, always such a fan of hot cocoa. She dressed rather casual, a black hoodie with the "MARVEL" logo on on the front, normal dark blue jeggins and vans. A woolie beanie on her hair. Probably looked a bit hipster but fuck it. Her choice. While nowadays she looks good, she went from a beanpole with boobs attached into the toned, fit, swimsuit worthy body that she dreamed of. Hah! Look at her now, bullies! But her attire made sure she blended in with the crowd. 

Grabbing her hot chocolate, she walked over to the spot that she claimed mentally, which so happens to be behind the rookie prospect, slinging off her backpack off and taking out her Macbook Pro, the more recent version. While she was a Window girl for life, it was a nice device for video editing and work. Plugging it to her DSLR, she soon made the Free Wifi count, getting all the good stuff onto her computer for future editing. While the progress bar went as slowly as one would expect, it is a public place after all, her eyes would move around the room, sometimes breaking to watch her hot beverage, sometimes scanning the room when something caught the redhead's eye. 

Just in front of her, she sees a glimpse of something going on, Abigail not one to pry but curiosity has piqued for the nerd. Tilting her body to get a better look and she wouldn't have believed it. An AFW match. She recognized it almost immediately, one that she has reviewed before on her channel. The Friction Tag Team Title match between the dominant Imperial Order and the defending champions, at the time, the Pride Queens. Sure, Japan was big in terms of wrestling but she sure as hell didn't think she would see a AFW match being played. The girl looked like a foreigner like her, taking notes it seems. Hmmm.... should she go there and ask? Though wouldn't it seem like prying? Then again, she already did peeked behind to see what this girl was watching. She could be into wrestling too. Plus, would be nice to at least make a friend here in Japan. 

Alright. She's going. Rising out of her seat, she locked her device, the upload still going on. At best, it was just a quick hello and see where else it would lead. That is if the foreigner was actually nice. Abbie walked up, almost hesitating to tap on her shoulder and just give a friendly wave. Okay, Abbie. It all comes down to the first line. Don't look like a creeper. Don't. Fuck. It. Up.

"Oh hi!" She smiles at the new person. Was she too excited? Maybe dial it down.... "Sorry, caught a glimpse of what you're watching. I'm guessing you're a fan?" Much better.

Alexa craned her neck as she looked back over her shoulder at an odd angle, almost eyeing Abbie upside down. She blinked at the girl, lips tightening somewhat. She had a casual greeting... did she know her? Oh god did she forget this woman's name? She was so bad with names and faces. In her mental panic her headset started to slip off, only mounted over one ear, being left at a steep angle allowed them to start to slip away. She jumps a bit, catching them just before they fell from her head leaving her in a particularly odd frozen stage looking up at Abbie.

Oh... she didn't know her. Just saw what she was watching. What a relief! The last thing she needed was to be mortified to the point of fleeing the cafe, she had only just got here... an hour and change ago. She generally stayed for awhile. Pulling her headset off, she straightened up to try and seem a bit more cool and composed, setting them down on laptop screen. She flicked a key on the pad, pausing the streaming video. Half twisting in her seat she looked up at Abbie as if she hadn't just been bumbling around like a complete weirdo.

"You'd guess right... Half right." She grinned like a doofus, swishing the coffee stirrer from one corner of her mouth to the other. She thrust out a hand at Abbie, an offered shake. "I'm actually also an employee." She wiggled her eyebrows, her tone suggesting that this fact was quiet possibly one of the most impressive jobs to have. To her, it was. Granted she hadn't won a match. Or a spar. Or even debuted as herself yet, but she was learning stuff. Sometimes you had to fall a couple (dozen) times before you could really find your footing.

If Abbie took her hand, she didn't have a particularly impressive handshake, it lacked a firm grip and was a bit to energetic on the actual shaking part. "I'm just studying up. Taking notes on the competition, ya'know? For that big day I'll have to take'm down." Which who really knew when that is. The Imperial Order were reigning champions. The likelihood of her ever seeing them anyplace beyond backstage was almost zero.

Ah damn. Probably not the best thing to disturb a stranger. Ach. Maybe she shouldn't have done that. Even she was looking at her wierd... maybe... probably not, but still! There was a moment when they stared for a few moments. Probably would have stayed that way if the headset didn't start the icebreaker. Did its job since Abigail found it a little amusing, stifling a chuckle.

Once Alexa had adjusted herself, she faced her fully as if Alexa used the Neuralyser on Abbie, looking more composed it was then that Alexa made herself known as an employee of AFW. Abbie's eyes widen, a bit of shock to hear that she just met someone who worked in AFW. "Oh really?" But soon after, her eyes squinted at her. Wait. Was she really? Was this woman pulling her leg? "Wait, hold on, sorry. Errmmm..." Her emerald eyes scanned Alexa's face as if she's Face IDing the woman. "Not to be rude or anything but I would have totally recognised you if you did show up on AFW. I cover pretty much every match in that federation. fed just joined? Don't look like some of the masked wrestlers either..."  Pursing her lips as she scanned every part of her face. If  Alexa had been in the ring then she would have recognised her. Though Alexa does seem confident that she is. Though she could also be one of those crazy people that say what they think they say...hmmm...should she trust her? 

Well, let's see how this goes..."Well, nice to meet you Ms?" She didnt get the name but couldn't leave her hanging. She shook her hand. Huh, not really firm..not the most impressive but not the most pathetic either. "Studying up on the Imperial Order eh?" She looked on the screen. "Well those guys are good so you'll probably need to show you're as good or get a good push if you're gonna go take those two. That and a tag team partner...." She would look around the café room. "....If you have one that is."

Alexa tilted her head curiously as Abbie spoke, the big dumb smile on her face only growing. Another super fan like Ryoko? She wasn't sure. She did say cover, right? Maybe a journalist of some sort or a photographer? It was understandable that the other woman. Didn't know who she is. Past the fact of her actually being a nobody, she had only ever had one official match and she had been incognito at the time.

Madam Sien Teist had been an experience to bring to life, not a necessity. It was a shame she wasn't willing to take credit for having played the role. She was a bit frightened people might associate her with the character when she showed up as herself on the stage finally. Getting booed out of the building for her first match as AJ Shay would have been devistating to her already shaky self worth.

"I haven't premiered just yet." She clarified, she was alright with the half truth at this point. She had been asked a few times by others by now. "Soon. Just waiting to be booked." That hadn't been entirely true. She had been approached by a few people asking about being her opening match, she had just flaked and turned them down. She was a bit frightened to show herself in the ring without some sort of flashy gimmick or entrance. It's why she had been trying to fill out her wheelhouse with cooler moves and hopefully pick up some ropework confidence from some of AFW's high flyers. She was a work in progress

Slipped her hand into Abbie's as it neared. While she wasn't weak, her handshake game was. She was never really an impressive interviewee back home. Her limp noodle handshakes with the back end gusto didn't tend to impress most people in the professional world. She just was trying not to squeeze someone's hand and make them uncomfortable. It didn't ooze confidence, but her smile while a bit silly, made up for it.

"Ms. Shay, AJ Shay. Easy to remember." She hoped anyway, her preferred shorthand was if nothing else, snappy. "I don't... Yet." She didn't really intend to get one either. She wasn't sure why she had made the claim to one day face the tag champs down. In a perfect world she could ally herself with her idol, The Black Fang. She wasn't sure what the chemistry would be like as a tag team, but she wanted it anyway. It wouldn't even matter if she was some rink-a-dink sidekick. She chewed on her coffee stirrer, almost drifting off into a daydream and leaving Abbie behind. Boy that would have been weird.

Alexa gave a small nervous chuckle as she withdrew her hand, likely after having been shaking it for slightly too long. "It's a long way off. Life goals, ya'know?" She figured there was no point in talking herself up, not if Abbie knew the product. Honesty always served her better regardless. The brunette motioned to one of the nearby chairs, feeling a bit strange having a full conversation with only one of them standing. "Stay awhile." She flashed another smile. Good company almost always beat out handling in the corner staring at her laptop.

Huh. She would have known if Alexa, or AJ as she put it, had been in the ring. Unbeknownst to the rookie, probably, but Abbie did indeed see the Madam Sien Teist match against the Black Fang, already putting her thoughts down in a video on her channel. A super fan indeed, thought maybe or maybe not like the level of Ryoko. 

"Ah." Abbie nodded. She has heard stories about young, fresh talent trying to get in but taking a while to get booked into a match. Talent that are ready to showcase their stuff but not getting a chance. While she doesn't know the full truth as to why she has not gotten herself in the ring yet, she could understand.

While the handshake didn't really impress her, the smile did, probably should lead with that. Or maybe a fist bump....nah, not excatly professional that one. Yeah, just go with the smile.

"Ms. Matthews. Or Abbie. Doesn't matter which one." Returning with a smile of her own, brushing back her long strands of red hair. "And trust me, I know. There's no rush, probably the worst thing if you're not over with the fans. Plenty of chances to get one at a later stage once you have your debut. But a girl can dream. Partners...title belts... Awesome matches" Saying that, even Abigail was way off herself... though we'll get to that later on...

She wasn't sure if she should have said anything but Alexa did notice that she held on the handshake, poor as it was. The brunette motioned to one of the chairs nearby and asked if she could stay. Well, Abbie was in no rush to get back and she could pass the time while the upload goes on. Plus, she gets to meet someone just starting AFW! How rad was that?

"Yeah sure. Give me a sec..." A nice smile sent to her way as she left to get her laptop and DSLR. Surprisingly it hasn't been stolen yet. Lucky Abbie. Picking it up, she takes it to the same table as Alexa's moving the chair with her foot so she could sit down. "Sorry about the whole "face scanning" thing. I basically follow everything and everyone from the AFW and the developmental prospects in the wrestling world. It's my job." Not to really brag, but it is a cool job. Well, being a wrestler was even more cool! "So when I say I know everyone, I do mean everyone." Pointing at her head and the vast amount of information she holds inside.

Abigail looked young, maybe about Alexa's age? She wasn't certain. If it wasn't a child, or a visibly older person, she had a very difficult time categorizing "young adults". In her eyes, the girl had a good look going, one she wished she could pull off half as good. Her own hair was normally always a frazzled mess, the sort that was always blown out of place by the wind and never settled back right without a comb. The beanie was a good idea... she should consider that or  one of her old baseball caps in the future. It was particularly hard to impress Alexa though, she seemed to think most people worked their looks better than she could.

"Abbie it is then." She gave a soft laugh at the no real rush comment. Truthfully, she didn't see gold in her future, not nearly as hungry for it as many others seemed to be. She couldn't blame them, it was a mark of greatness, proof that you were capable of doing great things. The best in the company... All of which Alexa was a bit on the fence about for herself. She would rather wait until she was happy with herself before trying to work towards a belt. She had a long way to go, and wasn't ashamed to admit it. "Especially awesome matches."

Tilting her head curiously, she twisted in her chair to watch Abbie walk off to get her things. She hadn't even noticed the girl earlier. Maybe she had just come in? A fellow wi-fi bandit though. Their kind had to stick together. She set her headset aside, picking up her warm chocolate to nurse what remained as she casually watched the other girl, only slightly envious she had a far more sleek laptop than the old brick here. She extended her leg, also helping to nudge the chair out when the girl returned to ease her passage to the table.

"It's fine. If I got weirded out by one person looking me over, I'm in the wrong business." She had been with AFW for a bit now, and admittedly knew very little about her peers. She tended to deep dive single competitors over familiarizing herself with everyone. Her mind wouldn't be able to lock down all of that knowledge without having it down on note cards or other forms of visual aids. "Yeah, so you said... Do you write for a wrestling magazine or something? This isn't on the record, is it?"

While not a fashionista and not really a model, she still looked good, the choice of clothing more casual than anything. Nothing wrong with a hoodie and jeans combo. Might have her looking like a mix between a skater and a photographer but it's her style. While her hair certainly has less problems than Alexa's, she could understand the stress of frazzled hair. Maybe she could help with that. That is if she nails the friendship interview.

Alexa would be right about the fellow Wi-fi bandit, having only just came in and needed to send some stuff. Speaking of which, got past halfway..That's something. Still, Abbie probably wouldn't have to worry about staring at a screen for such a long time when she has a wrestler to chat with..

Putting her stuff down, Abbie not really caring much how her laptop was a lot more better than the brick Alexa has. For Abbie, she was lucky that what she loved doing had funded her to pay for better stuff, better equipment. No doubt wrestlers would be the same once they make a name for themselves. "That's true. Best he prepared for the paparazzi in the future then. Or me at some point." She chuckled. Alexa had asked if she writes for a magazine or something along those lines. Abbie soon giving a smile once she finishes with taking another sip of her drink. "Something along those lines. I have a YouTube channel where I talk about all things Wrestling. Shows, matches, my thoughts on how I would write storylines, coolest moves, you name it. Pretty much do it all. I prefer to be independent with what I do. I like having full creative control..." And she has had a lot of success with that too, as the subscriber count would prove. 

"And don't worry, I'm not TMZ. I don't carry a secret tape recorder on my person at all times." Giving a light tap on Alexa's shoulder with her fist. "Unless you want to be on my show that is."

Daydreaming about fame and success should have been easy, most people did it. Adoring public, swimming in money, being asked a million questions by people that just want to know more. Alexa couldn't see that for herself, nor let herself see that yet. She hadn't done anything since coming to Japan to warrant it unless piling up friends somehow made her a better competitor. Maybe once she made it those other things would fall in place. As of yet she wasn't even a blip on the radar. She may have impressed The Black Fang and a few others when she wrestled as her alter ego but in the end she lost.

That didn't deter her too much. It was hard to be upset about eating a pin from the wrestler she seemingly admired the most in the league. Not many people got to talk to their heroes let alone do something as personal as wrestle them. She couldn't help a goofy smile from gracing her lips as Abbie spoke, though the girl hadn't the faintest idea it had nothing to do with what she was saying.

"I'm always prepared." She gave a purposely over the top wink. That statement wasn't even remotely true. She sort of bumbled through life as a whole, on the odd chance she knew what was coming, then she tended to bunch down and prepare. Prior to facing her hero she had watched every match the woman ever had including all the promos. After getting bested in the gym she had dug up everything she could on Tomoko too for when and if they ever had a real match. She had a tendency to overthink most things, which wasn't exactly bad, but not a great habit for a career that required a lot of snap decisions.

"Really? That's pretty cool. My friend Ryoko told me she use to do something like that. I was trying to convince her to get back into it not that long ago. She's got a really good eye for that sorta stuff... Also knows a lot about AFW. She is my go to resource to just about everything come to think of it..." She made a face, one eye closing tightly as she really thought on how much she relied on her best friend for just about everything. It was a little embarrassing now that she really looked at it from the outside. A bit of color started to build in her cheeks before she obscured her face with a long sip of hot chocolate.

"Heh... I doubt you'd get anything TV worthy out of me even if you did work with them." She gave her cup a swirl, peering down into the murky brown liquid. She was just another nobody after all. Sensationalist media wouldn't really care about someone like her unless she went crazy and started to suplex people through the tables here... She caught herself actually thinking about it with a snicker. She couldn't be bothered to wish happiness upon herself but could picture throwing people around a Starbucks to make the news. Nice Alexa.

Alexa's body shifted with the nudge of the other girls fist, meeting the gesture with a grin. Her features lit up at the thought of being involved with Abbie's show as a potential guest. How cool would that be? "I would totally do that. " It was a good thing Abbie was legitimate. The thought she could have been lying never really crossed he mind. She might have reconsidered if she understood the scope of the girl's audience though, assuming hers was as small as Ryoko's had been. How wrong she was.

She straightening up in her seat, shifting the chair between her with a few sharp squeaks against the hard floor. "So... Did you just move here too?" She assumed only because of Abbie's use of the Wi-Fi too. Hers had taken awhile to get set up in the apartment. Sure, it wasn't as if only internet squatters used cafe connections to get things done, but she preferred to find common ground with Abbie by assuming. Being more like he didn't seem to be a bad thing, she seemingly had her life together.

For Abbie, what she had going on was something she loved. She never thought herself to be as successful when she first started. She never used sexuality to promote herself (although the fact she was a woman was more than enough) it was just her expansive knowledge and great personality that got Abbie to where she is now. Sometimes it wasn't pleasant, being on the internet means you would be a target for the odd troll or hater, but that never deterred the redhead. Just meant that she just needs too keep being her.

While Alexa had been tussling with her apparent idol, Abbie wished for that chance herself, having some wrestlers she aspires to wrestle with. Well, if she even does manage to do so. Some veterans have retired already so the list becomes shorter and shorter.

Her eyebrow raised when Alexa talked about her best friend/secret idol Ryoko, saying that she herself does something like that. A look of intrigue has passed towards the rookie prospect. With the job she does, Abbie does do a lot of networking and chats to some people that talk about wrestling too. Of course, most of them were American, some from the UK. She did that to build relationships and see if they wish to collaborate into making great stuff. From what Alexa is saying, she might be good for this sort of thing. "Ooooh. Well maybe I could have a chat with her as well. She sounds pretty cool. Could try convincing her myself." She grinned as she took another sip. There is always some sort of knowledge that someone would know that Abbie doesn't. While it is rare that it happens, it's a good talking point.
"And that is true. Though they are always waiting for something juicy or embarrassing to come up. Unlike some predators, I at least have journalistic integrity."

Abbie chuckled after the light fist bump to her shoulder and she seems to like the idea of being in her podcast. "Awesome." Her hand went to the track pad of her Mac, the cursor going to the notes section before writing "Alexa/AJ Shay for a possible podcast soon..." All the while Alexa asks if she just moved in here. "Yup. Moved in just recently." After saving the note, the tall redhead turned her head towards Alexa. "Need to set up my Wi-Fi back at my new apartment so I have to rely on le cafe internet. Not as good as the speeds of which I'm used to..." As proven to how slow the progress bar is going. "...But it is good enough. Better than having none at all. Especially for what I do. Can't do any live stuff till then so I took the time to explore. And it is really wonderful. Definitely is. She finally understood why people love Tokyo.

Adjusting her glasses with her index finger, the other tapping the table some to a steady beat. "How long have you been here, yourself?