Putting Down Roots

"What do you think?"

Did he hear that right? Anwar simply stood with his hard hat on, letting his eyes linger on the glossy surface. He looked her straight in the eyes and spoke honestly.

"It looks great. I think removing the columns was a good idea. Opens up the space. Tearing down the walls for a skylight was difficult, but manageable. This building is kind of old, so might not be the best idea to mess around with-"

"We need to raise the ceiling." Oh, Sweet Christ. Elizabeth raised a finger to the sky, shutting one eye tight as she played it against the light. "That's what I thought. It's too close."

Elizabeth Winterbourne:

Anwar should be having his day off. He'd been contracted with AFW for over ten years now and worked with just as many administrators in that time. It could be a unique and rewarding experience as much as it was frustrating. The federation never seemed to have a shortage of eccentric fellows with all kinds of design decisions and renovations brewing on a whim. When you had that much "Fuck You" money to throw around, he supposed, the world wasn't much more than a collection of building blocks.

He was a man that was proud of what he'd accomplished so far. It wasn't too far a stretch to say that AFW wouldn't exist as it is without his expertise, and he would prove that again over the course of the next ten or so hours. Inwardly, he just wished his new boss wasn't Elizabeth Winterbourne of all people.

The craftsman had been having the hardest time of his life pinning down whether or not she was actually listening to him. Clearly not. "'Raise it'? Are you crazy? I don't think that's going to be-"

"Excuses? That's unbecoming of you." Oh. He had a whole lot more than excuses. Trust him. "Chin up. I'll put feelers out tomorrow and bring on another five men. Or is Damascus’ golden child showing his luster?” He didn’t even respond to that. The indignity of it only stalled him for a second before he went back to his tablet and started rethinking the design, leaving the heiress to oversee the efforts from the doorway.

Elizabeth was pretentious by nature and she kind of hated that about herself. A mix of nurture and nature, she supposed. The Winterbourne name was more or less an amalgamation of nostalgia and bombast. She was of two minds about the whole thing. As a leader and the chosen figurehead, she'd been wanting to depart from those habits and proceed into a future unclouded. But there was a comfort in what was familiar, a safety net she couldn't afford to release just yet. Not until she got this league off its feet and could finally start working.

Her office was little more than an empty room with a team of labor-hatted worker bees tackling the walls with ladders and a window wall twenty feet high. They had a long way to go before General Manager Elizabeth was ready to take office. It will be a long night.

Roman was having a lot of trouble when it came to managing Sabrina. Well, it wasn’t entirely wrong to say it hadn’t been a fun little venture starting off, but he had been adjusting to handling matches, scheduling, and even setting up interviews at times for people when it came to interacting with Sabrina. She had been a good addition to Momentum’s roster, especially when it came to having boxers and fighters in that specific department over. Though, after changes, there had been much more open styles to have been added.

It seemed like a pain in his eyes, but the fact that they expanded was actually good in his opinion. It gave time for Sabrina to start making waves, get above most of her competition and set up some good matches with anybody who’d meet her in the ring. He did TRY to convince her to go and partake in wrestling.

She immediately flung a bottle in his direction and that was as awkward as expected. Regardless, he needed people and he wanted some help from the league rather than gathering contacts and asking for favors that he was still running high on.

So, he decided to go and check with someone who seemed to have the most experience. Of course, there was also another reason why he wanted to meet with them and he’d address that now.

“Yeah, yeah… I… No, I’m… I’m gonna be back soon. I kinda wanna do something since I’m bored as shit over here and I think I’ve got a way to have some fun and make new friends. A poodle? I… French? Sabrina, you’re making no sense to… Well, I mean, they’re French… Yeah, I guess that works too?” Roman Foster sighed and hung up on his phone, looking at the stupid photo of Sabrina Anderson who was grinning with a fat cat planted against her face.

God, that thing looked like it was going to kick the bucket soon.

Roman Foster:

Slipping his phone back into his pocket, Roman strolled through the building whilst humming a soft and gentle tune. It was a nice little bit from China. A nice little tune over the course of one’s life and how it would end just as quickly beneath man starting from man. Quite literally, but it was a poetic piece he couldn’t help but find lovely.

It took a few minutes to get some directions, but the well-dressed man eventually found himself right before an unfinished little office. Honestly, it was a pretty nice office since he had to work from an apartment. Granted, it was a generous place, but the fancy stuff never did stir well with him. Well, not unless he was indulging in a damn hot tub. Now that was a way to relax after a day of dealing with Sabrina and her nearly breaking public property.

“Hey there, guys. I’m looking for a…” And then his eyes locked onto the only woman in the room, his eyes peering at her with curiosity before a silly grin came across his face. “Ah, well it looks like I’ve found her. Good to meet ya, Miss. Winters… Sorry about my intrusion, love what you’ve done with the place. I’m Roman, Roman Foster! Here to make friends and offers like the manager I am.”

He chuckled sheepishly and offered a simple wink.

“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Elizabeth's attention had been on the empty Momentum stage that could be observed through the window wall just behind her desk. There was a view of every corner of the stadium from where she stood, from the entrance hallways that fighters would enter at either side of the arena to the vast stretch of seating that touched every corner of the walls, perfectly framing the grand stage at its center illuminated in the spotlight. Her office was designed more like a luxury VIP box.

It was only an unfamiliar voice that drew her away from the view beyond the window and to the mysterious man standing behind her. The heiress fluttered her lashes as she looked the figure up and down with distant regard, seemingly inspecting him with only the slightest hint of interest. As if she didn’t want it known how intrigued she was at a glance. After he finished, Elizabeth did not address him right away and instead canted her head to the side.

“...Anwar, who is this?” She asked, pointing to Roman.

“How the fuck should I know?” Came a response from the other side of the room.

Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders and refocused her attention back on the man in front of her. Mystery was well-painted all over him. He was tall, well-built, and dressed rather nicely if a little rugged and unkempt around the edges. He appeared rather professionally composed, yet his face and demeanor were all nearly half-asleep. She was positive he would have stood out to her in the hiring process.

‘Manager’ was not the occupation she would have guessed for this man, but then she knew better than to go by appearances alone. Elizabeth turned to face him, granting Roman the luxury of her full attention. The sun was starting to set beyond the wall.

Elizabeth extended her hand out, offering a sincere greeting even if her confusion “The pleasure is all mine, Roman. You’ll have to forgive me because I’m somewhat confused. Did you speak with my scheduler at some point? As you can probably tell, my office isn’t quite ready for appointments.”

"I'm the guy who believes that time is a construct."

His response to both Amar and Elizabeth had been as sarcastic and full of sly tones as always when it came to meeting people. Sure, it was a little bit rude to show up unannounced, but that's the bright side of asking around and doing a bit of research beforehand. Well, some research. He may have been new to being a manager when it came to others in this field, especially coaching a fighter despite the fact that she clearly wanted to try and headstrong it on her own, but he was still careful when it came to studying others beforehand.

Never know when you could score a good deal, eh?

He peered off towards the window wall, whistling softly at the sight alone. This was one hell of an office and even had an awesome view at the fights that'd go down below. Hell, what he wouldn't kill to have something like this to fancy himself in and indulge in a stiff drink and some good food whilst watching one hell of a fight. Knowing his current fighter though? Hell, she'd tell him to get off his lazy ass and focus on watching the matches that had any pugilists.

Such was the trouble of Sabrina.

In terms of the young woman before him? Well, she certainly carried herself in a way that held a sense of pride, but he could practically see and smell the professionalism that came off her. All work, efficiency, and probably schedules upon schedules laid out to plan her days and weeks. Even despite her being well dressed, he could still see something that catered to her figure beyond simple 'perverse' likes.

Granted, he indulged in women when he could, but he wasn't an idiot...

Walking over to the young woman before him, he took her hand in a firm grip and offered her a simple grin. A stark famous grin that marked him from all over in certain areas that were less than fair and legal. "Pleasure to meet ya, Miss. Winters. Don't worry about it either, but I decided to ask someone I know a bit of a favor regarding you. No worrying brows please, it's all by the book! I just asked around and had to find where you were on a 'decent' day, but believe me, that took me about a couple of days before I could nail it right."

He stepped back and sighed softly scratching the back of his head for a few moments before smiling softly. "I'm not technically here for an appointment, but I'm here for something else. I'm not sure if it'll intrigue you, but I'll be straightforward... I've been sorta bored lately ever since coming here, and seeing my gal, Sabrina Anderson just so you know and hopefully take to her career kindly, has inspired me as of late..."

And he offered her an impish little wink.

"I've done some homework on you and I wanted to know if you'd indulge me in a bout." And his grin stretched wide once more, as always.

Sabrina DID say to get off his lazy ass, right?

Contrary to public opinion after that article had been published about her, Elizabeth hadn't purchased the executive rights to Momentum on anything less than a whim. WinTech was showing promise in recent months and could afford another year of uninterrupted research. People likely assumed this was a bid to keep her lights running, to make her brand little more than a fad worth its weight in sponsorship dollars.

What the Winterbourne family didn’t enjoy sharing openly was Elizabeth’s considerable amount of her young life exploring the world in pursuit of martial arts. Business school had taught her the art of reading faces and body language. Her travels exposed her to the second nature of picking up intent at a glance.

That was how she knew that Roman was being straightforward. In a rather simple-minded and brash kind of way that may have invoked ridicule from anyone else in the heiress’ position. For Elizabeth, she merely stood taking him in. Trying to gather the whole sum of what he was presenting to her. Her lips pressed together.

“You want to fight me?” The baffled tones in Elizabeth’s voice discreetly hid the underlying intrigue in his words. Roman was bold if nothing else. The young CEO looked him over for another moment. He was strong, his hands lined with subtle scarring and calluses. This was a sincere offer. Her eyes returned to him, cool and indifferent. "No."

Elizabeth brushed a lock of hair behind her ear and pulled her phone from her pocket. With a few taps, she had her personalized database open and his file in her hands. "There's no data of past fighting experiences on you. You have no training history, no affiliations with any school, no fight record even listed. Being frank, Mr. Foster you're just not that interesting to me. I appreciate you taking the time to introduce yourself, however. You can see yourself out."

The heiress turned back around and began to walk back towards her desk. Her schedule was still full and she had only a few hours to go before Maximillian wanted her first quarterly report.

Articles, newspapers, reports, and more never once conveyed the truth and meaning behind someone’s intentions. Sure, he heard about her and got some honest thoughts regarding her traction, but they never did intrude upon his thoughts, much less opinions. He lived a free life, a life dictated by his whims and choices, and whilst it was a selfish one, it was his.

Still, you only ever got to know a person by getting right up to them and getting as real as possible. Either that or lying to them every few seconds until they lost it. That one tended to backfire though from what he knew…

“Well, I’d also like to take you out if that’s in my cards, but I think I’m better off trying for something a little more realistic.” Of course, Roman was met with a cool and indifferent response thrown in his direction, left with a subtle brow raised as he grinned subtly in her direction. It wasn’t even that he found it insulting, much less masochistic, but he did find it amusing that she had come to her answer with such a look.

He crossed his arms over his chest and decided to hear her reasonings and it came pretty quickly the moment she drudged up his past. Rather, the lack of it all that came to anything that could have come to his ‘fighting experience’. She wasn’t wrong. He didn’t have any of those, not a single one.

But, at the same time, someone who looked at the info first and foremost meant she was curious by nature, huh?

“Well, you’re not wrong, but you’re not entirely right either. I’ve never once stepped into the ring… Not officially, that is. Unofficially, however? Well, there’s a reason I’m heading Sabrina, an Undergrounder, in the organization.” He had an almost giddy look upon his face, something twitching with excitement and amusement as that grin on his face stretched her again. A hand planted itself against his hip and he leaned forward, tilting his head.

“I never did want the spotlight. Didn’t wanna bother much else with going into a league or something like that, but down below? Well, I always found it way too fun! Plus, I owed people a few favors and made a bit of a name there… Before I bailed.” He cracked his neck once and grabbed at his shirt once, tugging at it in annoyance. Even with his lax dress code, he wished he could have worn something far less professional rather than anything else. Suits were just a pain for the man and it showed in the way he acted.

“Ive bled before, I’ve fought before, and I’ve scored quite a few KOs in my time. I might not got records, but in the Underground? Well, people always remember your name…” It was a subtle way of throwing it out, but a slight jab in her direction and ‘authority’. Still, if that didn’t push it, Roman did have ONE more little chip on the table to throw in.

She just wouldn’t be happy he threw her into a deal though.

Persistent.

Elizabeth admired that quality in any businessman - if that's what you wanted to call this man named Roman. It was entirely possible that wasn't even his real name. All she had to go on was the man in front of her and his unusual demeanor. Part of her, admittedly, was overcome with curiosity.

If she were a few years younger, lost in some foreign hinterlands, this would be her moment to indulge. Tempting, tempting.

But no, she had responsibilities. Projections to meet, goals to pursue.

Underground fighting. That explains Roman's sparse history somewhat, but it still didn't tell her exactly what he had to gain from all of this. He had told Elizabeth he was bored, but did he really expect her to believe that? She couldn't help but get the feeling she was being tested. She sincerely hated that.

"I see you have issues with hearing. I can be clearer: picking fights with your employer is a bad idea." Or something like it. Elizabeth had assumed this role only yesterday and the board was none too shy about their objections. She would be facing a lot of opposition going forward, both inside and out. It wasn’t hard to imagine that this lawless backstage fixer has issues with his new boss. That was too bad for him. HR accepted resignations for a reason.

"Momentum is hours away from its relaunch. I have better things to do than waste valuable time entertaining this….whatever this is. Nothing you have to say will change my mind otherwise." Which also meant she would have the best seats in the house to the opening matches. So she really did not need distractions right now.

"Oh, you're cute, you know that? Honestly, I can see the appeal with some of the guys and gals bringing you up now. You're certainly all about regulations and schedules, huh? Me? I tend to wing it most of the time and it tends to work out here and there."

The man was brazened, almost in a way similar to Sabrina, but where Sabrina was blunt and you could easily tell a lie from truth, the words that flew from Roman's tongue truly were indistinguishable from true and lies. It wasn't a simple matter either, but rather the shaping of a lifestyle more-so than anything else and Roman was just one of those people who you could either trust with your life or keep them so close so that they never went and jammed a blade between your ribs.

Of course, whether that was literal or metaphorical all depended, but Roman was a different person these days and he much enjoyed the simple times.

"Still, you've certainly got a point that picking a fight with your employer isn't exactly the smart move, is it, huh? Well, maybe there's more to it all, but I just like being a simple fella and indulging in whatever I like, but, if you're quite insistent..."

The man's expression simmered, and his grin stretched wide as he dug into his coat, almost as if about to pull something forward...

And in his hands, he presented a phone with a video available to play at her leisure. His eyes twinkled with amusement and that same little bit of mischief that never seemed to die down, especially when handling such a lovely woman in his presence. Elizabeth had her priorities and her orders set in stone, but he knew a way on how to technically test his newest employer whilst also seeing if she had what it took to be more than just a pretty face in glasses. Though, truth be told, the glasses certainly did add to the appeal.

"My fighter, the one I've been sponsoring and managing since I've gotten here, Sabrina Anderson. She's from the Underground too, but she's working on her way to bringing up the pugilistic ways into Momentum and with a splash. She's not exactly PG-13, but if you take a gander at the video, you can see what makes her special." It had been one of the fights she had back in America. It was an illegal bout, of course, but one recorded and the results spoke for themself.

The video itself was a brutal testament, but it certainly showcased Sabrina's finer points from brutal blows, strength, resilience, and the uncanny ability to still think on her feet despite being as reckless as she was.

"You go on about helping fighters, improving them, and trying to push them even further than anyone else, right? Well, how's about you take this little challenge from me, and I'll push Sabrina towards whatever endeavors you want. Consider it a little bit of a favor there, you know... If you can actually fight." He added just a little bit of bite to his words at the end, but it wasn't meant out of malice or spite. However, if he had one talent...

It was riling up someone to a degree. Not to mention that even if she did take the fight and lose or win, he'd probably push Sabrina to her regardless. This woman was gonna be the boss and it paid to have friends in high places, mostly for favors.

"So, whaddya say? My girl a bit of interest to you, 'boss'?"

What was with this guy?

Confident, Elizabeth could give him that. It was like talking to a starving hound desperate for so much as a nip. He wasn’t barking at her just yet, but the low rumbling in his tones and that unmistakable hunger gleaming in his eyes wasn’t easily ignored. Trying to shoo him away only fed that instinct, that nerve to leap and bite. In any other arena she might have been able to respect that kind of persistence. Bother, if they had met in WinTech…

She was getting distracted. The ashen-haired heiress held back an exasperated sigh and focused on Roman. More importantly, she focused on what he was offering.

Of course, Elizabeth had always known this wouldn’t be as simple as walking in with an empty basket and a half-hearted demand. This was a negotiation where Elizabeth had seemingly all of the bartering power. She had no idea what Roman could offer until the very moment he pulled up a video that showcased his price in exquisite detail.

“Sabrina Anderson?” Elizabeth knew the name well. She and her rival-to-be, Margaux Lefeuvre, had sent a resurgent ripple across Momentum betwixt the blows of their debuting bouts. Elizabeth’s sources had informed her that the Frenchwoman had taken a keen interest in Sabrina. Elizabeth could safely say the same of the American. Her unrelenting savagery was the kind of energy they needed more of. Both in the federation in combat sports in general. If there was a breed of individuals that showed promise in surpassing the body’s limits…

"She's your protégé? Interesting. We could get some impressive data off of her striking power alone…" She muttered that last bit to herself as she let her mind trail off. WinTech technically wasn't affiliated with AFW, not on paper. "So all you are asking is that I accept your fight and you will give me Ms. Anderson? I can do whatever I want with her?"

That's basically what he said, right?

"Pretty much, future boss."

Roman could already see the way the woman's eyes were processing the information alone. She took the bait and it was clear that she wasn't going to deny the curiosity that drove her to her thoughts. Truth be told, he wasn't sure how far along of a combatant she was, but even beneath the fancy get up and professional looking suit, he could still  see the most subtle outlines of power that wrapped around her body. It was an odd thing, but it was also a bit of curiosity as well aside from general beauty.

He planted his hands upon his hips and slipped his phone back into his pocket as he approached her, hovering over the woman and giving her a rather amused glance. While he held the charisma of a leader at times, he also held the same aura of a scoundrel that you could never trust barring the few times you did.

Which, in most movie scenarios, never did go the way somebody planned it.

"Barring a few things, mostly overworking the girl and inhumane labor laws in the equivlaent of a third generation country, or something like Canada, then you could pretty much throw her at whatever test or little thing you got in mind and she'll do it." And he leaned down and promptly gave her a rather, surprisingly, soft smile that didn't show a hint of mischief other than what looked to be honesty for the first time in this conversation.

"And I won't even ask for prices. Just give me a decent fight and you can consider it a done deal that my girl will help you and whatever projects you got in mind... Assuming you can actually give me one." And then that stupid and proud grin of his came to face once more.

Indeed, this was a man who you could either slap or trust.

Sometimes both.

"Whaddya say?"