First Impressions

Kozue listened and listened well as Maximillian told her about his upcoming prospects, and a few names made her eyebrow raise. Bashira Matsumuto? Sounded familiar.  Lucia? Never heard of her. Bullet Club? Like the name, even if it sounded like something a gun nut would want to join. Julia Rogers? That name she knew and knew well. One of her most requested opponents on the AFW forums, half because they were both high-flyers who’d never met before, and half because fanboys were down with the ninja vs. cowboy dynamic. Possibilities, possibilities, possibilities.

Kozue was mulling these possibilities as she sipped her concoction, only to perk up when Maximillian brought her mentor in the mix. She was surprised, then surprised that she was surprised - it was the sort of thing Benny would do, after all. After the rough-as-fuck start they got into in the ring, the elder kunoichi had taken her under the wing. She could be harsh, harsh as hell, had a stick up her ass, but Kozue never doubted her mentor cared.

It had been a good, long time since she’d had a person like that in her life. A welcome change of pace.

Now, if only the woman would let her drink in her peace. ”God, fucking, son of a くそくそくそくそ...”

Grumbling, she sat the drink aside, leaned back, then leaned forward and gave glass a push towards Max, taking care not to let it spill in the process. ”You want that? It’s good, I don’t backwash.”

Maxi raised his index finger after Kozue solemnly offered up her drink, interrupting her after just than noticing something else was written in smaller kanji farther down at the bottom of the scroll. A message he may have noticed earlier had he not been wearing sunglasses indoors, but he read it out loud nevertheless.

"P.S. - Tell her to make it twenty minutes of pole balancing on one foot if she snaps back with vulgar language."

"Yeesh...I think you should quit while you're ahead...or, before you get any farther behind." The G.M. advised while turning the scroll in Kozue's direction to have her see the message itself so she knows he's not fibbing. Even Maxmillian felt a twinge of pity for Kozue at having so authoritative a taskmaster...although, that may have just been him sympathizing with her considering how tight a leash Angelica can have on himself at times. Like the time he offered to graciously congratulate his wrestlers in their locker room on a stellar show one night just because they may still be changing and in their unmentionables...and she offered only but the most chilling of ice cold stares that he still shivers from to this very day. What a world we live in where a boss can't even show his gratitude to his employees...

"But hey...What say we end this meeting with some positivity. I see nothing but big things in your future, Ms. Kaburagi. Big, perhaps even golden things strapped around your waist...all to cheering ovation and substantial pay increases." Maxi stated while winding up the scroll and standing up out of his chair, the universal body language for wanting to end meetings. Offering her a handshake and a brief escort to the door...although with some parting words during their waltz. "...however, should I ever be in the need of someone well versed in the ninja arts, such as information gathering or other such tasks...could you perhaps be relied upon in the matter?" Max offered with his hands in his pockets, staring forward. "Off the books...Of course."

”Oh, come oooooooon.” Kozue’s groan filled the room as she slumped back in the chair. ”I’m from Jersey, we’re literally the Curse Word capital of America. Fricking...dang it...crap…”

Now, slightly more miserable and dryer than she wanted to be, the promise of a sober and aching night was making her a tad cranky. So it was a good thing that Maximillian chose to cheer her up with something that would undoubtedly make her happy - namely, talking about money and potential championship runs. If there was one thing she and Benikage both saw eye to eye on, it was putting their services up for sale, so long as the buyer wasn’t too shady. Maximillian was...okay, he was pretty fucking weird, but the AFW was pretty fucking weird, so he fit.

Taking his handshake and making it to the door, she nodded at his proposal, with an innocent smirk on top. ”Sure, I’m down with that. I didn’t spend half of a year under a freezing waterfall to not do a little eavesdropping. Gotta earn my name somehow.”

She opened the door and slipped through, throwing him a wave on her way out. ”Don’t be a stranger, bossman.”