Legal Counsel

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The sound of Allison's navy blue, designer heels echoed down the mostly empty hallways of the upper level of the AFW headquarters. In long, graceful strides she approached the door of Aurelia Fortuna's office, but she wasn't there to see her.

Her hair was perfect. Her face was the idealized image of feminine beauty, skin smooth and flawless with emerald eyes unsullied by expression. Her ivory dress had a tight-fitting bodice with a high neckline that gave way to a fuller, fluttery skirt with two blue pleats hidden in the front. She wore a brown leather belt around her waist, and carried a manilla envelope under one arm.

She pushed open the door into the office of Mercedes Wrenn, "Rally" Fortuna's assistant, and offered the pink-haired paralegal a warm smile. Her heels were silenced on the carpeted office, and as she stepped closer to the girl's desk her height was put into perspective. Standing an imposing six feet tall in her heels, she dwarfed the diminutive Mercy as she leaned across the desk to offer her a handshake.

"Hello, Mercedes, darling. Please forgive the intrusion. I hope I'm not interrupting anything terribly important. Do you have a moment to talk?" She asked, as if they were coworkers on perfectly cordial terms, each on the others Christmas card list.

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Mercy's finger's typed away at the computer as the screen flickered in her glasses almost to the beat of the ambient trance that filled the room softly. It was another day at work. Another day without Clyde. Every time she checked her phone to see that the inevitable text wasn't there, she cursed herself a little bit.

She needed to fix these terrible habits because they were making her far less productive than she should be. That was definitely the reason.

It was not unusual for wrestlers to enter her office to see her boss or simply her. However, as Allison Watson strode confidently through the door, Mercy's face wore a curious look. She had just been talking about the woman a few days prior to Taylor and she had intended to set up a meeting with the blonde Brit. That Allison would make her appearance now was almost serendipitous.

Mercy shook her head slightly, washing away her look before she forced a polite smile, something that came rather easily to the paralegal. "Hello, Ms. Watson. To what do I owe the pleasure?" She said assuming Allison was here for business. If that was the case, Mercy still needed to be a professional even if she loathed the woman who so haughtily smiled at her. She took Allison's hand and gave it a dainty shake.

"Just business," Allison said pleasantly. She gripped Mercy's delicate little hand in her fingers for a moment. If felt soft and girlish, smooth skin and so sign of any hard labor. Mmm, she looked good enough to eat.

Allison sat in a chair across from Mercy's desk and crossed her legs in a very ladylike way. She placed on hand on her knee and held up the other to gesture to the air.

"I have a small problem that I was hoping you could help me with, given your position in the company and your undeniable legal talents," she said with a smile. "Your name was at the top of my list for this. Do you have a moment? Is this a good time?"

Mercy raised an eyebrow but gave no other indication that she believed or disbelieved what Allison was saying. She watched as the woman sat down and her heart began to beat just a little faster.

Mercy looked at her screen. It was nothing that couldn't be put off for the moment. If Allison really did need something for business, then it was her duty to see that she help as much as she possibly could. She WAS in talent relations after all. Mercy minimized the window and paused the music and then turned to give her full attention to Allison.

"Yes, of course." She said politely. "If it's company related then I'll do what I can and pass along whatever I can't to Rally or Ms. Von Creuzfeldt. What's your problem, Ms. Watson?"

Mercy held her composure but still, this was the woman whose name had been on the edge of Clyde's lips for some time. Even though she HAD to be cordial, that didn't mean she had to LIKE it and it didn't mean that the scene wasn't awkward and creepy. She felt like she was in the Twilight Zone or something.

"It's with another wrestler, unfortunately. But not in Friction. Your unique experiences make you just the woman for the job, and you know how I do adore your spirit," she said, without irony.

She leaned back slightly in her chair, relaxed as if the two were old friends while still retaining her queenly poise. "I don't know if you're aware of a situation involving Clyde Gastin and his sister... Bonnie." She was well aware that Mercy and Clyde were involved, but didn't let on. "He interfered in a match I had with his sister ages ago, and since then he and his sister have made it their mission to hunt me down. I wouldn't mind if it was in the ring, that's the job, after all, but it's not. I was lured to an abandoned parking garage and attacked by the boy and his friend. Both of them have come to my place of business, not at all affiliated with AFW, to hound me and issue their demands. They even found my niece, my poor, sweet little niece, only eighteen years old, and went to her apartment to goad her into a match she couldn't possibly win."

She paused, to let it all sink in. "I'd like to explore the legal options available to me for dealing with this sort of extracurricular activity. Certainly what happens in AFW stays in AFW, so to speak, but this has become a problem for my business and for my family, to say nothing of my own feelings of safety."

Mercy's brow visibly furrowed when Allison began to speak. What a witch. She knew exactly what she was doing and exactly why she was specifically talking to Mercy. However, as Allison continued, she heard the woman's side of the story. She tilted her head. She knew exactly what happened and Allison deserved every bit of harassment. However, legally speaking, what Bonnie and Clyde were doing were probably in violation of several laws and Mercy couldn't help but partially agree with Allison on Clyde's methods.

"Ahhh, hmmm." Mercy said after Allison was finished. "Well, this sort of thing isn't entirely uncommon in this business." She began. "I would always suggest, from a business standpoint, that you do try to settle things in the ring if possible. Stipulations can always be drawn up that include legal ramifications if said stipulations are not fulfilled. To be frank, the fact that your dirty laundry is NOT being aired in public between you, Mr. and Ms. Gastin and all other parties involved, is a terrible shame to this company's bottom line as well as the fans."

Mercy sucked in a careful breath and grabbed one of her cheapy pens to gnaw on while she thought. She certainly wasn't going to grab her Uniball when she had a pile of Bics for just such an occasion. Allison was sly. She was clever but Mercy had to think about a lot of things. Getting things out in the open would put a spotlight on everyone but could that backfire for Bonnie and Clyde?

"We ARE able to get you a pass if you'd like to make a guest appearance in Kyoto." She said, just to buy herself a little time while she mulled things over. "It's something we do from time to time. Especially since Mr. Gastin obviously cannot wrestle in a Friction ring." That didn't mean, however, that he couldn't be AT a Friction event, he just wasn't going to be competing.

Mercy wondered, though, if the legal options were better. She could offer Allison a restraining order option. No doubt the woman had thought of it but if she got one, then maybe that would settle all these matters. It would even keep Clyde safe. Mercy could help him and it'd be Allison's idea! Still, Allison was up to something so Mercy held that card for the moment, wanting to see how Allison might respond to her initial offering.

"Well," Allison said, cocking her head to the side and with a tone like she had to point out what was clearly wrong with Mercy's suggestions, but she did it in a way that was terribly good-natured. "If I were to go all the way to Kyoto to give him the match he wants, I'd only be encouraging his behavior. Who's to say it wouldn't get worse afterward? I'm quite confident in my abilities, and I don't think a boy like him would find the satisfaction he wants in the ring with me. You've seen him before, he's hardly your size!" A lilting, feminine laugh.

She wore a faint, friendly smile while she continued. "And if I filed a restraining order, then think of what that would do to Miss Gastin's career. She'd hardly be allowed in the Friction arena. The scheduling conflicts would be too much a burden on the AFW staff." She appeared troubled, as though genuinely concerned for Bonnie. "I don't have any interest in harming them. I may have got a little carried away in my match with Bonnie, I'll admit, but she's a tough competitor..."

She turned, and fixed her emerald cat-eyes on Mercy. "What would you do, if you were me?"

Mercy returned Allison's initial words with a dry look that bordered annoyance. She tapped her pen against the desk. "The contract would." She said simply. Allison was smooth but Mercy didn't like having to repeat herself no matter how much a vixen purred at her. "The stipulations can certainly include any sort of thing you like attached to it."

Mercy shook her head. "I'm sure that you're really great in the ring." Mercy said turning her head. "And Clyde IS a stubborn, hotheaded fool sometimes but I think that if you just give him the chance to vent his frustrations then that would be that. He just feels threatened. He thinks that you're the one who is threatening his family."

Mercy shook her head. "Clyde is the problem, not Bonnie. Bonnie's a good girl." She began. "Whatever happened between you and her in the ring initially, I think she would have been willing to leave it at that if things hadn't gotten out of hand and maybe Clyde rushed in without thinking but he only did it to protect his sister from what he thought would be a serious career ending injury. Your little dog was right there at your side too." Mercy said, leaning back and crossing her arms. She was not a fan of Jocelyn either.

"Anyway." She said in a surly tone and looked at Allison. "So you want me to come up with recourse, possibly legal, that neither involves wrestling nor a restraining order as a solution to your quandary? Is that what you're asking of me?" She said. There WAS a bit of a twinkle in her eye at the thought of Allison's challenge. Solving everything all by herself and making everyone happy with her power of law! She couldn't deny her ego liked the thought of it.

"Yes." Allison wasn't smiling after the remark about her dog. She stared back at Mercy and let her finish.

She drew a deep breath and uncrossed and recrossed her legs the other way. "I could've gone anywhere for help with this problem, and I chose you. I would love nothing more than to see your mind work. I'll be completely honest, I don't want to have to compromise my current lifestyle. I don't think that I should have to hide from them while they are attacking me and threatening my loved ones. They recently attacked me in the ring, the last time they appeared there to crow about their demands. It went... badly for them."

She said the words impassively, with not even a hint of braggadocio.

"Please, take some time. Here's my card. You can reach me at my spa mostly during business hours." She placed a business card on the desk. "And I would love the opportunity to reward you for your time and your work, since you are going above and beyond the call of duty, certainly."

She stood up. "Mercedes, darling, it is such a pleasure to see you under less dire circumstances. Have a lovely day."

Mercy was conflicted between Allison's expert stroking of the girl's ego and the factthat she loathed the Brit. the way she talked like she was a victim in all of this made Mercy gag. Still, if Allison actually was serious about resolution then that was something she had in common with the haughty blonde.

Mercy's mind was already at work when Allison placed down the business card and stood up. Mercy did the same. She already had an idea of what the solution was but she didn't need to say it right away. She needed some time to prepare.

Mercy held out her hand and smiled at Allison as well as she could muster. Once again she was thankful for the practice. "Yes. You have a good evening as well, Ms. Watson. If there's anything else you need don't hesitate to call. We'll be in touch soon." Please hesitate was what she wanted to say.