AN: A more dialogue-filled chapter this time.
The next update will likely be 'The Batman of New Meridian' which I will either post next week or the first week of August. Also a reminder for those who follow me: I right now have a poll on my profile page and I'd appreciate if you could drop a vote. Much thanks.
CHAPTER 03: There's a Storm coming
After he left the FDW complex yesterday, he thought Estelle would be done with him for the day but that didn't seem to be the case. When he got back to the manor, Alfred was waiting for him with a message from 'a rather austere woman' with specific instructions to come early in the morning and enter through the service door.
It was apparent that she was very particular that Bruce should not be seen by the other employees, which he could understand; kayfabe meant everything to them. It was a magic show maintaining the illusion of epic clashes and titanic showdowns but Bruce suspected that they were maintaining more than just one kind of illusion.
Last night, he met up with Gordon again to check if there was any development from their end. Flannery and Allen had already questioned a PR representative from FDW and that went about as nowhere as anyone would expect but it revealed an interesting angle in this case.
Turns out that Wolf's contract with Final Destination Wrestling had expired two months ago and was in the process of renegotiation. The Barkeep, at the place where Bass and Wolf had their fight, seemed to corroborate this by claiming that Wolf was a regular and would often confide in him.
According to him, they were going to up Wolf's payment but the aging wrestler was feeling the toll from the constant traveling and was worried if he still had it in him to go on.
Word was going around within the Bar that Bass came to FDW to sign a deal since he wanted to be more involved in Tina's career but when Bass found out that Wolf was being offered far more than him and Tina, he lost it.
It would seem that Wolf was no longer affiliated with FDW at that time and Bass's case wasn't looking so good.
And that's was what bothered Bruce, everything was too straight forward like it was neatly arranged. He hoped he wasn't being to too paranoid but he knows what the Court was capable of and despite everything being self-explanatory on the surface, he had this feeling that if he were to scratch that surface, he'd find something far more sinister at play.
"Hiya Bruce! How's it goin'?"
The voice ahead of him brought him out of his musings to see Mika, clad in her usual cyan mask and monokini, waving at him from the end of the corridor.
"Hello Mika." he greeted as he neared her. "Were you waiting here this whole time?"
The blonde lady wrestler blinked and tilted her head in confusion.
"Eh? No, I just arrived. Why'd ya think I was?"
"Oh. Um, I just assumed you came from the lockers." Bruce then awkwardly gestured to her outfit. "Considering that you must've changed in your tights there."
Mika looked at him blankly for a moment before she suddenly let out a snort followed by chortling loudly as she slapped his shoulder, a little too hard for his liking.
"Ha! You're funny! I changed into this back in my hotel room." she said.
"Your hotel room?" Bruce asked as he lightly rubbed his shoulder.
"Yup. Me and Nadeshinko are staying in this place down at Burnside. She usually drives me down here but I didn't wanna bother her with that today so I decided to just hoof it."
She emphasized this by turning to her side and jogging on the spot.
"Nothin' like getting the blood flowing in your legs, am I right?" she asked cheerfully.
Bruce would've admitted to himself that the movement of Mika's glorious glutes were a little distracting had he not noticed something about what she just said: She was staying at the Burnside neighborhood, near Gotham's Chinatown. That was miles from where they are.
"You mean you ran all the way from there? While wearing that?" Bruce asked.
Mika turned back to him, looking at him questioningly with her fists at her hips.
"Yeah? So? It's my work clothes ain't it!?" she said accusingly.
"Of course it is." Bruce said trying to sound convinced.
He'd be lying if he didn't say Mika stuck out like a sore thumb and could imagine the people of Gotham's early hours staring at the blonde scantly-clad wrestler running down the streets. But then again, this IS Gotham; he could also imagine the citizens seeing her as just another member of the 'costumed weirdo population' as they would put it.
"Anyway, we'd better get to Miss Castrillo's office. You know where it is?" he asked.
That seemed to have brightened her mood since Mika immediately
smiled and gestured him to come along.
"Oh sure! Follow me."
"You know, I hope you don't mind me being slow on the uptake. This is all pretty new to me." Bruce feigned naivety as he walked alongside her.
"Aw, don't sweat it! Everyone's gotta start somewhere. Coming here all the way from Iwashigahama, it was all pretty weird for me too but it's actually not bad once ya get used to it."
"Iwashigahama?"
"That's where I'm from, home of the IJWPW!"
Bruce would later learn that those long sets of acronyms stood for 'Iwashigahama Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling' headed by Yoko Harmageddon who was also Mika's coach.
"So then, how did you end up performing all the way out here?" Bruce asked.
"Well, the thing is…"
Mika explained that the IJWPW had been having financial troubles for quite a while. Iwashigahama was only a small fishing community and outside competition was fierce. Then, out of the blue, a representative from FDW paid Harmageddon a visit and soon after that, Yoko made an offer to her athletes: saying that they'd be contracted to FDW to allow them more international exposure.
Almost immediately, Bruce noted that this account was eerily coinciding with what Bass told him about FDW's practices. It certainly piqued his curiosity and so he decided to pick Mika's brain and ask about her own opinion.
"Was it all worth it?" he asked. "Coming to FDW, I mean."
"Um, Yeah! I think so!"
Mika spoke so enthusiastically but Bruce wasn't sure she was entirely convinced.
"The crowds are great and I got to meet a lot great talent here."
"So a lot of renowned wrestlers from all over the world are contracted here, right?" inquired Bruce.
"You bet! Some of the best!"
Bruce saw an opportunity and decided now would be a good time to ask an important question that had been at the back of his mind.
"I've heard Tina Armstrong performs here too, is that true?"
Just as the question left his lips, Mika abruptly halted in her tracks and in turn caused him to stop behind her. Her action made him wonder if he touched on a sensitive subject and it brought about a feeling of unease.
The horrible possibility that he may have been too late played out in his mind but just as he tentatively grasped the idea that he would have to tell Bass that he couldn't keep his promise, Mika slowly turned to face him.
She looked like she was forced to eat a bug.
"Yeah. Tina works here alright." Mika said with begrudging disgust.
He did feel relieved over that info but at the same time, he couldn't help but be curious about Mika's behavior.
"You don't sound like you like her very much." he said.
Mika stiffens with wide eyes, realizing her tone and quickly shakes her head, whipping her twin-tails around in the process.
"It's nothing like that!" she frantically denied. "I mean, it wasn't at first. I actually LIKE her. She and I were getting along great! But then I mentioned what a big fan I was of her dad and she just totally flips out on me!"
"Her dad?"
The blonde lady wrestler nodded with enthusiastic smile.
"Uh huh, Bass Armstrong. The toughest guy to ever set foot in the squared circle. He's the coolest! Well, not as great as Zangief but he comes pretty close!"
Unfortunately, her moment of 'fan-girling' didn't seem to last and her expression turned sour.
"Grrr! Seriously, what is that cowgirl's problem!? Who does she think she is talking to me like that!?" Mika growled with clenched fists.
At least in Bruce's mind, this seemed to corroborate one aspect of Bass's story, that there's bad blood between him and Tina; whatever had been said between them must've been bad enough to make the playful woman from the photo he'd seen to become hostile towards her fellow performer.
"Perhaps she's just trying to get out of her father's shadow." Bruce subtly suggested.
Mika crossed her arms and begrudgingly muttered in a sulking state.
"Maybe."
Although Bruce was glad to hear that Tina wasn't harmed, he personally wouldn't feel satisfied until he saw her with his own eyes.
"Was Tina scheduled in any matches recently?"
"I dunno, last I remember she and her partner had a tour signing in Atlanta…HEY WAIT A MINUTE! Why're you so interested in Tina all of a sudden, huh!?" Mika suddenly rounded on him.
She was already feeling miffed on the subject of Texan Superstar but for some reason, the idea that Bruce's attention was fixed on Tina set her blood to a boil.
"It just that a friend of mine wants her autograph. He knows about the arrangement I made with Nick by the way." Bruce quickly said, trying to deflect any possible suspicion.
Mika looked at him with doubt etched on her face for moment before releasing a small huff.
"Yeah, I can see that I guess."
"Why? You're not jealous of her are you?" Bruce asked with a wily smirk.
The reaction he got from her was so cartoonish that he almost chuckled. Although Bruce would never admit this to himself, he found her kid-like personality charming and oddly refreshing compared to most women he had interacted with. In a way, he found her to be cute.
"H-HUH!? Who you calling jealous!? I'm not jealous! I just don't get why SHE gets more push around here than I do!"
She sighed with her brows knit in frustration and glanced downwards.
"Yoko-san said I needed more exposure but nobody around gives me a chance." she spoke with a disheartened tone.
Whatever playful facade that Bruce had put on had melted away in that instant and he found himself in an odd spot. Contrary to what some believed about him, Bruce would never want others to be as miserable as him and it's one of the reasons he had a tendency to shut people out of his life.
Granted, he didn't know Mika that well but to see her without that spunk and fire that he had seen yesterday just didn't sit well with him.
"Mika…" he addressed her, causing her to look up at him.
"I admit, I have no idea how the wrestling biz works but I know great talent when I see it. And if the crowds love you like Nick says they do, then so do they."
Mika's expression widened even further when Bruce stepped closer to her and clasped her firmly by the shoulder in an assuring manner.
"I'm not one for pep-talks." Bruce told her. "So all I can say is: Just hang in there. It may not be over here but as far as I'm concerned, there'll always be a chance for you."
It felt weak to him but that was all he had. But in Mika's case, she felt totally floored by it since she had first hand seen for herself how skilled the man is and to hear him compliment her like that caused her cheeks to burn in redness.
"You alright? Did I say something wrong?" Bruce asked, noticing how flushed she looked.
Abruptly, the female wrestler quickly spun with her back to him to hide her embarrassment.
"N-n-no, I…I'm totally fine! C'mon, Estelle's office is this way." she said quickly and marched on, leaving Bruce to momentary regard her with bemusement before following her.
Mika didn't quite understand it herself. Usually when her heart raced like this, it was after a good workout with the satisfactory ache of muscles and coat of sweat. Obviously there was the absence of aching and sweating but she couldn't exactly say that she didn't feel satisfied nor could she explain why she felt lightheaded like somebody spun her a few times before throwing her at the turn buckle.
"Why'd he hafta go say things like that!? Now I'm feeling all funny." she internally groaned to herself.
"First things first. Here, this is for you."
Eager to get the matter over with, Estelle impatiently slid a sealed plastic bag across her desk towards the aloof Billionaire.
"What is it?" asked Bruce as he caught it.
"Are all rich folks this dense? It's your mask, of course!"
He tore the plastic open and pulled out what felt like thick cotton material. It was indeed a Luchador-style mask with wide eye holes and an area for the lower half of his face to be exposed. One could say that it was similar to his cowl from his batsuit but thankfully, he felt it was distinct enough for people to not make that kind of connection.
"Hey, it looks kinda like my mask." Mika spoke up next to him, noting the cyan and black color scheme.
"Since you're are going to be partners, it's only appropriate that we have matching themes for the two of you." said Estelle.
Bruce held the thing up as his lips curled in a lazy smile.
"You got something with a more lighter hue? Doesn't quite match my eyes."
Of course, as he expected, Estelle wasn't so amused.
"If you don't like it, Wayne, you can always stick your head in one our toilets instead. Plenty of hues in there."
"I think it'll do."
"Glad that's settled. Mika,…"
"Ah! Um, Y-yeah?" The blonde wrestler snapped to attention.
"You'll be wearing a new costume to reflect your heel persona. Something darker and more wild, that's not going to a problem, right?"
"N-no, I'm cool with it. But, errm,…"
Mika trailed off as she twiddled her fingers nervously.
"Yes?"
"I can still wear this any other time, right?" she asked, beseechingly as she tugged on her current costume.
Bruce was starting to wonder if she ever took that outfit off. From his sideways glance towards his companion, he looked back at Estelle and found her sighing while pushing her fingers under her glasses and rubbing the bridge of her nose. He figured that she must be dealing with all kinds of unique personalities on a daily basis.
"As long as it's not in public, you can wear whatever you want."
That seemed to have brightened up Mika. However when Estelle regained her steely composure and linked her fingers on the desk in a business-like manner, she brought up a subject that ruined it again.
"Now, about your name change…"
"What!? No way! I'm not changing my name!" Mika exclaimed defensively.
"All I'm asking is that you to drop the 'Rainbow' part. If you're going to go heel, you'll need something a lot more intimidating than a rainbow."
Despite Estelle attempts to reason with her, Mika tried desperately to come up with a counter-argument.
"W-well, Rainbows can be intimidating! Like, they can be bright enough and hit your eyes in a way that can totally mess them up. I bet that can really ruin someone's day!"
Bruce frankly found the whole thing amusing and in a rare moment to allow himself to indulge, he decided to stir the pot a little.
"Y'know, I remember reading that in some cultures rainbows can be a bad omen."
It went about as just he thought it would, with Estelle shooting him a murderous glare while Mika nodded vigorously as she pointed to him.
"Yeah! What he said!"
"Look, just think about it alright." Estelle sighed before turning to Bruce. "As for you, Wayne, we already have a name for you."
She wiped her palm across the air as she announced it.
"Storm Maxwell!"
"Storm Maxwell?" Bruce asked in bewildered disbelief.
"It was Todd's idea. Something wrong with it?"
The lady Booker asked him with her fierce green eyes literally sparking from behind her glasses.
"No. It's just that…" he trailed off.
"Just that…?" she prodded with a warning tone.
In honesty, Bruce felt that it sounded too much like a porn star name but he also had a feeling that he had tested enough of Estelle's patience at this point.
"Never mind. Can I ask a question?"
As the intensity faded from the lady booker's eyes, leaving only weary irritation, she leaned back on her chair while resting her head against her fist.
"Shoot." she said offhandedly.
"When you say 'heel', that means we're playing the bad guys in the show. Right?"
"Yes, Wayne. You're playing the bad guys." Estelle spoke in a tired condescending manner, like she was talking to a child.
"So what kind of bad guy am I? What's my angle exactly?"
"You can figure that out when it's time to cut your promo."
"Cut my what?"
"Your promo." Mika spoke to him. "That's when you get to show off your mic skills! Y'know? work the crowd, talk smack and all that."
Bruce's eyes slowly widened in apprehension.
"Oooh, I don't know about that." he shook his head. "I can't act to save my life. Ask my butler if you don't believe me."
That was a lie of course; In fact, acting as his public persona was pretty much his day job. But "mic skills" was something he had next to no experience with.
"Hey, don't sweat it! I'll help you out." said Mika as she got close and clasped his shoulder.
Bruce looked towards her and when her eyes met his, she found herself frozen on the spot.
She didn't understand why; it wasn't the first time she had her face close to his before but for some reason it felt different this time. Even now, she still couldn't get a full read on him. The man before her seemed to be an easy going guy but his eyes…it was so intense and focused. A few shades darker blue than her own.
When the realization that she had been staring hit Mika, her heart thumped and she felt her cheeks burn. Very hastily, Mika released Bruce's shoulder and scooted away to the other edge of her chair. Luckily for her, Estelle didn't seem to notice her behavior.
"See that you do, Mika. Now listen up, I have already spoken to Nadeshiko about this: the both of you are booked for tonight's tag-team championship match."
"What for real!?" Mika stood up in excitement.
Estelle's lips curled into smirk.
"I told you I'd give you a Title shot."
Her poise didn't last as the lady booker didn't expect Mika to lean over close with a face as sunny as a child who just got her favorite treat from her mother. The sudden action caused Estelle to lean back further with her eyes popped open.
"Thanks Estelle! You won't regret this!" said Mika gratefully.
But Bruce quickly recalled what Estelle and Todd had actually planned yesterday.
"You do remember that you're supposed to lose, right?" he said to Mika.
That mentioned cold hard fact resulted in poor Mika deflating from her mirth.
"Oh…yeah." she uttered somberly as she slid back to her chair.
"That's right." Estelle cleared her throat as she pushed up her glasses. "And I'll lay it down for you in simple terms…"
It was now the lady booker who stood from her seat, looming over the blonde wrestler like an unforgiving monolith.
"Nadeshiko screws up a move, you lose the match and then…in your frustration and anger, you turn on her, giving her the beating of a lifetime."
Mika felt her throat dry up. It was the same thing explained to her yesterday, but it was in more professional terms then. But now, with Estelle driving whole idea that she had to beat up her best friend into her, she couldn't help but feel unnerved.
Bruce tried to be inconspicuous as he observed the bespectacled woman with suspicion, watching her lay her palm on the table as she spoke heatedly with aggression.
"No Saturday morning kiddie crap, I want to see blood! At that moment, I want you to keep it in your mind how all your hopes and dreams have been crushed right before you and it's all Nadeshiko's fault!"
As Bruce continued to watch, Estelle walked around her desk over to Mika and leaned down to side of her face, practically growling in her ear.
"You would've been number one if it wasn't for her. And she…Needs…To…Go! Got it?"
With brows knit and a miserable expression, Mika could only give a weak nod.
"Yes ma'am."
"And this is the cafeteria!"
After their meeting, Estelle had requested Mika to show Bruce around the building and to get him 'acclimatized' so to speak. He had already changed into his mask and wrestling gear. Although he won't be on camera nor see any ring action (except for perhaps practice), it was important that he show his presence inside the premises.
And on the subject of said premises, the best way Bruce could describe the cafeteria was 'simple'. It wasn't the kind of cafeteria one would expect from a school or company but a mere medium sized room with a small buffet table, stack of plates and a water cooler on one side and rows of picnic tables on the other side.
The food itself was pretty ordinary too: just some salad, fish, steak and the like. Not particularly appetizing. Then again, these were supposed to be for athletes. Bruce figured that everyone here was probably on a strict diet plan.
"Say…now that we're here, whadaya say we get some grub?" proposed Mika while giving a toothy grin.
"Ah, none for me thanks." Bruce said warily.
The blonde wrestler looked at her companion with a frown, leaning towards him with a fist at her hip while wagging her finger in a lecturing manner.
"That's the wrong kind of attitude! If you wanna keep yourself in shape and get strong then you gotta eat!"
Not allowing him to have a say in the matter, Mika dragged him over to the buffet table and handed him a plate. Bruce took it with some hesitation and resigned to serve himself some salad while he watched Mika pile her plate with slabs of meat.
"Plenty of food and plenty of exercise! Those are the keys to MUSCLE SPIRIT!" she declared as she added another steak to her stack.
"A diet like that is certainly…protein-rich at least." Bruce internally remarked.
Mika then noticed someone sitting at the tables and her eyes lit up.
"Oh, hey! That's Nadeshiko sitting over there. Yo Nadeshiko!" she called while waving at her.
Bruce followed her towards the tables where only one other person in the entire room was seated. She was woman with black hair that was short and styled in a hime-cut, her build was fairly muscular and she wore a white leotard with red stripes like a tiger and a red oval at chest.
Despite her boyish haircut and physique, Bruce found that she had an air of femininity about her much like her name, 'Yamato Nadeshiko'. This was Mika's partner whom had been spoken about and the one Bruce suspects could be in danger.
However, that line of thought was nothing but a hunch at the moment and so Bruce decided to keep such thoughts to himself for now.
"Heya." Nadeshiko waved back. "Good to see you being bright and chipper as always, Mika."
But Nadeshiko immediately noticed the newcomer wearing the blue and black Luchador mask.
"Erm, who's your friend?" she asked while pointing at him.
"Ah! Sorry, I forgot to introduce you." Mika turned to him with a sheepish look.
"Nadeshiko, this is Bru-oooooooooooo…"
Mika comically trailed off with her eyes widened and lips frozen like she had been caught with a cookie jar, leaving Nadeshiko to look at her weirdly.
Bruce figured he'd better step in and handle introductions himself to take the attention away from Mika's near flub.
"Hello. Storm Maxwell, you can just call me Max." he smiled charmingly as he held out a hand for a shake.
Nadeshiko regarded him for a moment before her lips broke out in a friendly grin as she shook his hand.
"Heh. I think I will, Max."
"Is it alright if I join you two, I don't wanna intrude."
"Don't be stupid, you're not intruding on anything. Sit." she gestured to the seat opposite her.
Both Bruce and Mika sat down with the former being internally thankful that his charms seemed to have worked on her.
"I take it you're new here?" Nadeshiko asked him.
"Yup, signed a contract just yesterday. Mika here was just showing me around."
"She was, huh?"
Nadeshiko looked towards Mika wryly as the blonde wrestler was already chomping on her food.
"I hope she wasn't acting too weird in front you, she can be a little overzealous sometimes."
"Mmph! I amph nop weirph!" Mika protested with mouth full before swallowing.
Bruce smiled again and shook his head.
"Not at all. As a matter a fact, Mika has not only offered me great advice but she's been nothing but helpful. I admit I didn't know much about her career but I've become a big fan of Rainbow Mika."
Once again, Mika found herself being caught off-guard by the sudden compliment and felt her face tinge.
"Ehehe, thanks Br-…um, Max." she bashfully scratched her cheek.
The blonde's behavior wasn't lost on Nadeshiko who curiously looked back and forth from her friend and the newcomer. Then her lips slowly curled into a teasing smirk and she rested her head on her wrist with the elbow on the table.
"So, you two banging each other or something?"
The question caused Bruce to nearly spit out his drink while Mika's face color turned into such a glowing red that she resembled a Christmas ornament.
"Sh-sh-shut up, Dumbass!" Mika yelled.
"Bwa-hahaha! You should see your face! Cho Kawaii!"
Nadeshiko laughed heartedly to the point of tears welling at her eyes.
"Grrr! Stop making fun of me! There's nothing going on between me and Bru-,m-Max! Okay?!"
"Ehhh~? So you're still a virgin?" Nadeshiko acted in mock surprise. "That's even cuter!"
"Don't say that out loud! You wanna take this to the ring!? I'll stomp you until next Tuesday!"
Seeing Mika becoming heated, Bruce attempted in interject and deescalate the situation.
"Let's take it easy now. We don't want to make Nadeshiko's injury any worse, right?"
However, he then began to wonder if he maybe overstepped his boundaries for the reaction he got wasn't what he expected. The playful air around the two lady wrestlers was suddenly sucked out and was left with stagnant void of awkwardness, both Mika and Nadeshinko froze in their place and looked towards him like he said something taboo.
"Oh. So Mika told you about that." Nadeshinko said before turning an accusing look towards Mika.
Seeing Mika stiffen with nervousness under Nadeshinko's gaze made Bruce feel like awful. Apparently, it WAS a sensitive subject between the two and he internally admonished himself for misreading the situation. Fortunately, he knew just what to say to take the heat off Mika.
"Actually it was Nick who told me about it." Bruce said.
Nadeshiko turned her sights back to Bruce with a brief confused expression before it suddenly clicked for her.
"So YOU'RE the guy!"
She slammed her palms on the table and reared herself up from her seat like an enraged bull, emitting an aura so violent and even Mika's found herself scooting back slightly in fear of what her friend might do. Bruce began to wonder if he had stepped in it again.
"Now it makes sense. YOU'RE THE GUY WHO THEY WANNA REPLACE ME WITH!"
"Whoa, hey, none of that was my idea." he put his palms up in innocence.
"Pfft!" Nadeshiko suddenly clenched her curled lips before bursting out laughing again.
"BWA-HAHAHAHA! The look on your face!"
As she broke in hysterics while pointing at him, Bruce was starting to question if he had her personality pegged wrong; she seemed to have a weird sense of humor.
"It's fine, don't worry about it." she waved the whole thing off and sat back down. "Yeah, I already got the low down from Estelle."
With faraway eyes, the brunette lady wrestler smiled sadly.
"Looks like I'm gonna be away from the ring for a while." she said in a somber tone.
"Nadeshiko…" Mika trailed off, her face pained with sympathy.
The blonde wrestler then reached out clasped Nadeshiko's hand in comfort.
"Hey, it'll be okay. You'll get better soon and be back in no time, you'll see."
Without a change in her expression, Nadeshiko returned the sentiment by patting Mika's hand over her own. It was like she felt Mika needed more cheering up than she did.
"Thanks Mika but you and I both know that this has been a long time coming." Nadeshiko told her.
"Honestly, I'm a little shocked." Bruce spoke up. "I heard folks here in FDW barely go on hiatus."
This caused Nadeshiko to cast another curious glance towards him, wondering at first where did he get that info from. But she then shrugged it off figuring that he probably heard it from his own circles, considering that he is wrestler after all.
"Technically that's true." she said.
"Technically?"
"Well, when your contract's end date is renegotiated before they decide you can't cut it anymore, then it's not a hiatus, is it?"
Bruce's eyes widened at this.
"Is that what's going on here?" he asked.
"It's what I hear anyway. That's why our roster's been changing recently. A lot of the other guys have ended their stints much earlier than I thought."
Wolf's story, as told by Bass, was once again brought to his mind and it seemed to line up with what Nadeshiko said. But there was still something not clear in this picture and that was Nadeshiko herself. Why would she be a differing factor here? Bruce decided to dig a little deeper.
"Did Nick or Estelle say anything to you about renegotiating?" Bruce inquired.
"Nope. Not a thing."
"Why do you think they didn't?"
It was an odd question but one that actually got her to think on the matter.
"I think…" she mulled before snapping her fingers. "It's cause I'm part of a 'package deal'."
"I don't follow." said Bruce, looking at her blankly.
Mika piped up at this point.
"Oh, I get it! Both Nadeshiko and my contracts as signed by our master, Yoko-sensei."
Indeed, he recalled about what Mika had told him Yoko. This would mean that Yoko would need to be involved in any contractual negotiations with the IJWPW athletes. Although the facts seem to be clear, Bruce still felt that something wasn't quite adding up but that's a line of investigation he could come back to later.
For now, he should just be wary about Nadeshiko's safety…and Mika's too, for that matter.
"In any case, I'm sure that Mika will be right about you getting better soon." Bruce steered and tried to close the topic.
"I'll be glad if that's the case." Nadeshiko sighed. "Of course, I'm not holding my breath. My last physical didn't go so well. So let me give you some advice, Max…"
Nadeshiko addressed him with her face turning serious, both arms folded with their elbows on the table while she points at him.
"If you wanna work here, then you better be prepared to suffer for it. Some of the guys here don't know the meaning of restraint."
It was obvious what she was getting at but he was no mere rookie and held out a palm at her in assurance.
"I'm aware of the danger, both in and out of the ring."
He left that last line vague and at that point, he wondered if he should try to segue into a certain topic. There was the possibility of overstepping his boundaries again but considering that the information was public away, he decided to go for it.
"Um, I…heard about what happened to Wolf Hawkins. Tragic, real tragic." Bruce acted as somber as he could.
"Wait, what happened to Wolf?" Mika asked.
"Girl, you really need to get your head out the clouds. It was all over the news." Nadeshiko scolded her.
She then leaned over the table, cupping the side of her mouth while whispering discreetly.
"Wolf Hawkins is dead."
"WHA!? WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN!?" Mika burst out.
"Shh! Keep your voice down! Nick told us all to not talk about it on company grounds. Said it was bad for morale."
So it seemed it was a sensitive topic after all.
"Did you two know him that well?" Bruce asked.
"No. I barely even talked to him." Mika shook her head, still feeling shocked about it.
"Wolf was a very secretive guy. Kept mostly to himself in that private locker room of his." said Nadeshiko.
"Private locker room?"
"Yeah, he was one of Nick's favorites and being a favorite of the boss, well, that gets you perks if you know what I mean."
Bruce could detect a hint of resentment in her voice and he would later learn that it's an understandable sentiment. Wrestlers who got their own space gave the impression that they thought they were too good to hang out with the other boys and girls.
That aside, the fact that Wolf had a personal locker room piqued Bruce's interest. The police didn't find any personal effects or any clues at where Wolf was staying but they never thought to go through his personal locker here. There might be something confidential he stashed in there, something that might shed some light on this mystery.
From there, Bruce tried to clear the air by veering the conversation to idle chit chat. Nadeshiko was of course very interested in him but since he couldn't tell her who he really was (in both senses), he answered her questions with vague or made up information. Mika simply ate vigorously in silence while listening in on their conversation. This continued on until she finally finished with a short burp.
"Urp."
She then stood up with her fists raised, looking all fired up.
"Okay! Now it's time for us to work up a sweat!"
"Can't you act a little lady-like at least once?" Nadeshiko frowned at her disapprovingly. "At this rate, no guy'll ever want to date you."
Nadeshiko gave a sideways glance towards Bruce while giving a sneaky smirk.
"Present company included." she added.
That last bit seemed to have sailed over Mika's head and the cyan-clad wrestler put her fists to her hips and rounded on Nadeshiko with her usual fiery disposition.
"Oh yeah!? Well, what do you know about bein' a lady?! Let's get to the practice ring right now and I'll show how I'm gonna whoop your ass after the match tonight!"
Nadeshiko stood up as well while fixing weary half-lidded eyes towards Mika.
"You just ate. How are you gonna whoop my ass with a stomach cramp, huh?" Nadeshiko replied.
"Aw clam up and move it!"
The two lady wrestlers moved together towards the exit but about halfway there, Mika halted and looked back to see that Bruce didn't get up from his seat.
"Aren't you coming, Max?" she asked.
Bruce shook his head.
"No, you two go on ahead. I'm just gonna go rest at my locker for a while. By the way, can I ask one more thing?"
"Sure. What's up?"
"Is it alright if you guys can tell where Wolf's private locker room is?"
The unexpected question gave both women pause, making them briefly glance at each other before turning an inquisitive eye towards him.
"Why do you want to know?" asked Nadeshiko.
"Yeah, why?" Mika added.
They were starting to get suspicious but fortunately Bruce had already cooked up a made-up reason. He just hoped that they'd buy it.
"This is kinda embarrassing but…I'm a little superstitious." he acted sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.
"Okaaay…?" Nadeshiko raised a brow.
"And I make it point to avoid any place that's associated with anyone recently deceased, at least on the first day. It's bad mojo and if I don't know where it is, then I'd risk walking by it by accident. So, y'know…"
He stuck to his character by trailing off in an aloof manner. For a moment, it looked like neither women knew what to think but then Nadeshiko surprisingly shrugged.
"Whatever. It's actually right down this corridor to your right." she pointed out for him.
" 'preciate it." Bruce raised a thumbs-up.
Nodding and feeling satisfied that she helped him, Nadeshiko turned to leave.
"Well,…catch ya later, Max." Mika waved and followed her partner.
A part of her didn't want to leave him but she internally assured herself that he would be fine and that right now she needed to focus on her match tonight.
After waiting in a casual manner to make sure he was alone, Bruce slowly stood and walked out of the cafeteria and strolled through the mentioned corridor. He kept up his unassuming demeanor just in case he was being watched. He soon dropped it once he felt that the coast was clear.
Keeping an eye on the right side, he soon came across a simple dark colored metal door that seemed to have slots for an absent plaque. It looked like this could be Wolf's private locker.
First, he slowly pushed down on the door handle to find that it was, as expected, locked. This wouldn't be a problem for him as he then reached into the side of his trunks to fish out a mini lock-pick kit.
He nimbly went to work while glancing from his left and right to make sure the coast was clear. It didn't take long before he felt a satisfying click which prompted him to put away his tools and hid them again on his person.
With a grip on the door handle, he gently pushed it down and nudged the door a little to confirm his success and slowly pushed the door open before sliding himself inside.
There was a possibility that whatever possessions were inside were already cleared out and if that was the case, he could only hope that something was missed. But when he looked to inspect the room, he found himself frozen in place.
The locker room itself was pretty spacious and decked out with gym equipment, a dressing table, a leather sofa and a small TV for viewing matches. He could see why the other wrestlers would be jealous of anyone having it.
But that wasn't what gave him pause.
It was that there was somebody already inside, also frozen on the spot when they noticed him; somebody he very well recognized.
She had soft neck-length blonde hair flowing over the sides of her face, sapphire blue eyes widened like a deer's in headlights and pink luscious lips that was slightly parted.
Not to mention, her huge breasts which were currently on the verge of being tied with an American flag bikini.
Indeed, it was Tina Armstrong all right. She was right here, he had finally found Bass's daughter.
And in that moment, Bruce silently admitted to himself that the picture Bass gave him did not do her justice and that calling her a 'certifiable bombshell' was a damn understatement.
There was so much he wanted to question her about, about her father and about what was going on. But considering their current awkward situation, this was definitely NOT the right time.
"Ah,…" he tried to speak but honestly, what was he supposed to say?
Of all the countermeasures and preparedness he usually formulates, he certainly didn't see this coming.
With Tina continuing to stare at him, he knew he had to make something up, as half-assed as it was.
"I'm sorry. I got lost and thought nobody was in here and um,…" he began his retreat towards the door. "I'll be leaving now."
"Now hold on there." she suddenly called out and made him halt in his tracks.
Realizing that he had no way out, Bruce figured he might as well turn around and face the music.
As Tina approached him, he took stock of the rest of her clothing: the lower half of her body was decked in tight pants resembling stone-wash jeans with a studded belt and an intricate buckle, fringed cowgirl boots at her feet and fringed armbands below her shoulders.
Strangely enough, she didn't seem angry with him as he thought she would. Rather, she had her lips shaped into an intrigued smile.
"How'd'you get in anyway?" Tina asked, her speech flowed with a southern accent. "I could've sworn I had the door locked."
"Wouldn't know anything about that, it was a little ajar when I got here." Bruce lied.
He wasn't sure if she was buying it or not but the side of Tina's lips stretched to a smirk and her voice purred slightly.
"Mmm, maybe it was."
Seeing that he wasn't going anywhere Bruce decide to introduce himself and held out his hand for a shake.
"Name's Storm Maxwell, by the way. You can call me Max."
"Well it's nice meetin' ya, Max." Tina grinned as she shook his hand. "I'm-"
"I know: Tina Armstrong." he grinned back. "Gotta say, I was quite surprised to see you. I heard you were off touring in Atlanta."
Tina took her hand back and clasped it behind her in an almost coy manner.
"I was. An' I jus got back."
A brief and yet comfortable silence settled between the two of them as they took in each other's presence. Tina broke the moment by finally turning around walking back into the locker room.
"Since yer here an' all, how about helping me out with lil' somethin?"
Bruce had to remind himself that it was her father who had entrusted him to find her and protect her. Checking out the way her ass swayed with each step would be inappropriate, VERY inappropriate. At least, that's what he told himself as his gaze lingered.
"Sure, what do you need?" he as nonchalantly, forcing his mind back into focus.
"Your hands on mah feet."
He blinked.
"I'm sorry, what?"
Tina turned around and laid on the ground with her legs bent like an 'A' shape.
"For sit-ups, silly." she giggled.
"Oooh." Bruce drawled in realization before giving it some thought. "Okay then."
And so he walked in, went on his knees by her boots and then firmly grasped her by the ankles. Bruce watched as Tina put her hands behind her head and started to perform her first set.
It was from this angle where he also able admire her overall physique, with her abs being toned and her stamina showing no signs of weakening.
But with each rep, her pretty face came up within his vantage and puffed a soft breath. He found it distracting but what was even more distracting was the way Tina's round boobs bounced and flopped every time her torso came up.
"So, Max…"
Tina addressed him as their faces lined up.
"I ain't seen you around here before. You're new?"
Bruce remembered being asked the same thing by Nadeshiko and decided to just give out the same answer.
"Yes I am. Just signed a contract, though I'm not booked for any matches yet."
"Well I hope yer not planning on wanderin' around an' checking out other locker rooms till then."
"Hey, I said I was sorry about that." he said with a frown.
Tina giggled before doing another rep.
"Relax, Hun. I'm only teasin' ya."
Bruce couldn't help but give a good natured smile at that. Maybe it was because of all the darkness and evil he surrounds himself with as Batman but Tina gave the impression that she was a free spirit, wild and untamable. He could see it in her eyes which, now that he noticed, twinkled with a jewel-like luster.
"So,…Atlanta, huh?" Bruce addressed her this time. "Have you been on the road a lot? It must be exhausting."
"It can be but I really do love mah job. How about you? Have you traveled?"
"What? Me? Oh no, I don't think I've ever left Gotham."
That was a lie of course but one that he thought would make for a suitable cover story.
"Oh, so you're local. That's nice."
Her southern twang drew out that last word, making sound more like 'nah-ee-se'. Bruce found it cute. It wasn't like he had never interacted with anyone with a southern accent before but something about Tina's voice made it appealing to him.
"I've always been fascinated by this city." Tina said. "Maybe you could tell me some fun spots ta visit."
Bruce's jaw tightened and he frowned deeply at this.
"I wouldn't exactly say that Gotham is nice or fun. This city has a real ugly side to it."
Tina giggled again.
"Oh Hun, every town's got an ugly side. You jus gotta focus on the good than the bad."
"A real optimist, huh?" he gave a half chuckle.
With her next rep, he felt her breath against him as she brought her face up. So close that he felt that had he brought his face a little more forward, they'd be able to kiss.
"And yer not?" she asked teasingly.
"Well, I try to be." he smiled charmingly at her. "Especially if it lets me meet people like you."
Tina had at last ended her exercise and sat up properly with one arm over her knee as she leaned closer to him.
"Now, ain't you the sweet-talker." she returned his smile.
Suddenly the door swung open and a person entered while holding drinks in two Styrofoam cups, each with a straw.
"Hey Tina, I just got us some…"
The atmosphere in the room immediately shifted to back to awkward as Bruce found himself being stared at by a someone he hadn't met before.
The person in question was a woman with brown eyes, long flowing brown hair that parted behind her back, sun-kissed skin and a curvy athletic body.
But the most eye-catching thing about her was the outfit, particularly the pink and silver Luchadora mask that she wore which had a bird symbol above the eye holes and white feathers fanning out from the side of the head.
The rest of the assemble consisted of silver thigh-high laced boots, silver gloved arm-guards with pink elbow pads and what looked like a pink and silver strapless leotard over a black thong. The top of the leotard was harnessed at the shoulders where each side was covered by a fanning arrangement of flowing white feathers.
"What's going on?" the masked woman asked, looking back and forth between Tina and Bruce. "Who is this?"
"Heya JayCee! We were jus talkin', that's all." Tina waved at her.
Bruce stood up hurriedly and quickly extended a hand towards her for a handshake.
"Hi there. Storm Maxwell. You can just call me Max if you'd like."
It had become his standard introduction but unlike with Nadeshiko and Tina, he didn't seem to be received well by JayCee. The Luchadora only stared at his hand weirdly before fixing a suspicious look on to him.
Even through her mask's eye holes, Bruce could see the gears turning behind her eyes. Something told him this woman was a lot more level headed compared to the other wrestlers he had met and that he needed to be more careful around her.
"Is this guy bothering you, Tina?" JayCee ignored him and addressed her friend.
"Aw drop the whole momma-bear bit, wouldya? Max is harmless."
Tina said as she walked past her while taking the drink from her hand.
"I'm not so sure I'm convinced." JayCee narrowed her eyes at him. "You do realize that this is a private locker room, right?"
"Oh, erm,…I was lost."
"Right." JayCee said in an unconvinced tone before taking a sip from her drink.
Seeing that he didn't have much of a leg to stand on, Bruce concluded that he'd better make himself sparse rather than stay and argue with her. He started towards the door while still facing them as he spoke.
"Y'know, maybe I should just leave you both to it and get going. It was nice meeting the both of you."
"Hold your horses." Tina stopped him again. "We were jus leavin' too. Weren't we, Jace?"
JayCee found herself caught off guard; not only by the sudden statement but by that look that Tina directed her way.
"Er, yeah sure." she hesitantly confirmed while being confused by her friend's actions.
Tina then walked over to their locker area and opened a thin cabinet before she retrieved something large and shiny to sling over her shoulder.
"Can't leave without these."
Even though Bruce had never seen them before, it was pretty much a no-brainer what they were.
"Championship belts…" he noted. "You two are the new tag-team champions?"
"Sure are. We won them from King and Armor King back in Atlanta." Tina chirped.
He recalled that Estelle had just given Mika a Title shot but never specified who her opponents were. Mika probably just assumed the she'd be facing the former champions.
"Estelle didn't say anything about this." Bruce said with narrowed eyes.
"Estelle doesn't say anything to anyone." JayCee spoke up while retrieving her own belt.
Bruce followed the two ladies outside, walking with them down the corridor as he continued to converse.
"Isn't that a bit…counter-intuitive?" he asked.
"It's how things are done around here. Nick and Estelle think keeping us in the dark would 'heighten the drama' or whatever." JayCee explained, gesturing with air quotes. "Half the time, we don't even know who we're booked against."
"Sounds wacky if you ask me."
"It's all about going wit the flow, hun."
JayCee was suddenly taken aback when her Tina suddenly matched pace with Bruce and hooked her arm around his, catching him also by surprise as the side of her boob pressed against his arm.
"Life is unpredictable after all. Sometimes ya jus gotta adapt to the unexpected." her voice purred.
And on the subject of the unexpected…
"Yo, Max!"
The familiar voice drew Bruce to look ahead where he found Mika and Nadeshinko heading his way. He wondered, had they already finished their practice? Or had more time passed than he thought? Regardless, he was about to find himself in the middle of a collision course.
"Whacha doing over ther…" the cyan-clad woman's voice soon trailed off as the two groups stopped in front of each other.
"Huh? Mika?" Tina noticed her.
Comically, Mika's eyes bulged out in surprise and even her twin tails jumped as she exaggeratingly reeled back.
"Eh? WHAAA?! T-Tina!? Why are you here!? And what're you doing with Bru-arg-Max?!"
Mika hastily corrected herself, unable to ignore the spike of jealousy she felt.
"Now wait a doggone minute!" Tina interrupted before Bruce could get a word in. "Max, do you know this girl?"
"Hey! Whadaya mean 'this girl'?!" Mika rounded on her.
"I think a better question would be…" Nadeshiko interjected with a suspicious gaze. "Where'd two get those belts?"
Tina smirked in a haughty manner.
"Where'd ya think?"
"Wait, you mean…WE'RE FIGHTING YOU GUYS TONIGHT?!" balked Mika with shaky pointed finger.
JayCee released a weary breath, realizing the behind-the-scenes machinations that brought this about.
"Then I guess Estelle didn't tell you two either." she stated.
The two blondes glanced at Bruce who stood in between them before they set their sights on each other. Their expressions slowly turned fierce and sparks began to fly from their eyes.
Their partners on the other hand only looked on, with JayCee appearing to be confused and curious while Nadeshiko leaned forward with intrigue while holding a finger-gun under her chin.
"Well, this just got interesting." Nadeshiko grinned.
TBC