To Catch a Lone Star

Lucia:

Lucia had seen then from afar, there weren't exactly hard to miss. A gaggle of men with cameras and pads chomping at the bits to slam her with pressing questions. This was only the first week she had started attending Friction showings, but someone had seen her entering the back stage area and reported Lucia Lynch was now employed by AFW. She had wanted to keep things on the down low for a bit, it was the whole reason she had picked a stage name... granted, she would have been recognized in her ring gear. It was for the most part her old costume. The series was now all but defunct, it wasn't like they were going to try and sue her in Japan for using her own likeness... right?

She loved stopping for fans. Adored signing autographs or posing for selfies. But paparazzi were a different beast. They were just looking to get that next juicy tidbit to put a final nail in her coffin. She had hoped things would be different over here, but the world had a funny way of proving her wrong these days. There was a possibility they wouldn't be able to pick her out of a crowd though, which was the last ditch hope.

She had set her duffle bag down on the hood of a nearby car. Her eyes never left the entryway as he went through the trouble of trying to gather all her hair up into a bun, only having two hair pins and a scrunchie to work with. With the task complete, she threw her hood up over her head, tugging it far enough down to cover her eyes. Taking a deep breath she hoisted her bag up over a shoulder and started to the lobby entrance.

As she slipped across the parking lot she slowly filed in behind a few other people that seemed to be going in the same direction. Her head dipped low, she moved with the small pack, pushing through one of the many doorways. Things had all been going so well until the paparazzi suddenly closed in ranks, cutting her off as cameras flashed and voices shouted. Some in English, others in Japanese. It was hard to discern most of what was being said. Probing questions, dumb questions, all sorts. They didn't need real answers, they were just looking for reactions, baiting her to say or do something more worthy of a photo. She knew this song and dance and never played. Instead trying to push past everyone.


"What's the best place you've ever eaten?"




"What prompted this bold career move?"




"But seriously... Are you seeing anyone?"




"If you were seeing someone... who would it be?"




"We know you have to be seeing some... spill the beans!"



"Have you taken a vow of abstinence?"




"What is the perfect honeymoon, in your opinion?"



"Who would win in a fight, The Incredible Hulk or a three hundred pound baby?"



"What is the best time to take a shower?"




"Is zero a number?"



"Should every county be controlled by one central government?"

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"Where did you go to school?"



"Is it delivery or Digorno?"




"Where does Mako Adachi shave cleanest?"
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"Do you believe in magic?"




"Did you mess up your makeup?"


"Followup! Does karate truly mean never having to say you're sorry?"


"Have you ever drank another person's blood?"

"Well have you told them who I AM, Jerry?! The Villainous Seductress? The Blight Upon The Land? The Ravishing Corrupter?...Yes, you HAVE to say that part!!! It's all part of the presentation!!!" Thankfully Bethany was adept at multitasking, otherwise she wouldn't be able to admonish her talent agent over her speakerphone while weaving through heavy traffic on a chilly weekday afternoon. This was about the third exasperating conversation about the same topic...Bethany's complete lack of accommodation from AFW!!! Almost two months since she had signed her name on the dotted line of the roster page with hardly a hint of media coverage, fanfare, or even a podcast with a retired wrestling has been!!

"Jerry...Jerry, a star of my caliber deserves to have her name shine dazzlingly on the marquee and be a headliner~...Not wallow in the depths of D-list talent who only see action at empty stadium house shows. No, I am not overexaggerat-" After parking her car in the lot of the stadium, Bethany slung her tote bag over her shoulder and started stomping towards the arena in her casual black tracksuit with purple lining. Her neck crooked to her phone on her shoulder so she could continue to badger her agent before she was stopped by the glitz and glamour huddled in front of the entrance to the stadium. Her eyes sparkled brightly and with as much shine as the flashing cameras as sheer elation replaced her whiny surliness.

"Ah, you cheeky devil you~...I knew I still kept you around for a reason. I'll call you back to let you know how it goes~..." Bethany hung up before the confused talent agent could ask what she was talking about. She merrily sauntered into the gaggle of badgering media hounds with a sinful smile and some nobody with a hoodie walking beside her. "Please, Please one at a time~...I will be more than delighted to answer each and every one of your questions in excruciating detail..."

Bethany plopped her tote bag down and made sure each and every camera was catching her good side before adjusting her schlubby tracksuit as best she could. She would have dressed to impress had her absent-minded agent let her know in advance instead of this interview segment instead of springing it on her as a surprise. The baffled reporters were too confused interrupt Bethany's odd insertion and too cowardly break the bad news to her.

"Now than...Pepsi...Robert Downey Jr. has clearly lost all passion for the role and is simply doing it for the money...I'm far too intelligent to be voted President-" Bethany balked at the last question and stared curiously at the reporter who must have had a case of mistaken identity.

"Lynch? Lucia Lynch? Ah nononono my boy. Flash in the pan, stone-faced one note actresses from cheesy werewolf action schlock are nowhere to be seen here. The name is Bethany Paige. That's B...E...T...H...A..."

As Lucia attempted to move through the crowd, the further she separated herself from Bethany the more obvious it because the cameras and questions weren't for the villainess. A paparazzi two two even shoved their way past her to get a better stop of the woman trying in vain to hide herself behind her hood. Lucia just wanted to get out of this mess and into the back where she could find a bit of peace.

She was mindful not to push or shove, trying to squirm her way through bodies. She could swear someone grabbed her backside, but she was determined not to give them a rise. That was until she heard a voice back behind her, one that wasn't part of the mob. She turned with a furrowed brow to stare at back at Bethany. Her jaw was squared, eyes narrowed as the indignant look upon her face sparked another round of pictures. One actually got right in front of her, blinding her with a flash.

She staggered back into the lobby, blinking sight back into her eyes. "Flash in the pan?" She stormed right up towards Bethany, making sure to get up in the woman's business. "Maybe you'd like to say that again, to my face Ms. Paige, whoever YOU are." While Lucia normally wasn't this confrontational, she hated when her work was dismissed. Sure... things got a bit cheesy and low budget towards the end, but they started out grand. She had put so much work into herself and those movies, she wasn't about to let this soccer mom in a track suit spit on her career. This was one line in the sand that easily set her off once crossed.

The paparazzi were quick to encircle the two, the conflict already provided higher stakes than anything they could have hoped to get from the woman. Now they had two known names potentially about to throw down? Today was going to be a decent payday.

"...A...I...G...E. Bethany Paige~..."

Bethany thought nothing of her off the cuff jabs at the acclaimed "Full Moon Rising" actress, or throwing shade as the young people called it nowadays. She had only caught snippets of the blockbuster franchise here and there while channel surfing, and was frankly unimpressed from what she saw of the leading lady. She thought Lucia's acting range was limited at best and the action set pieces were utterly ludicrous in the later movies. Honesty...driving a motorcycle into a monster, jumping off and shooting it with dual pistols for a gaudy explosion and all in slow-motion?...How could Bethany not feel insulted to be compared to-

"Hmm?! Ah...w-well well, if it isn't the star of stage and screen herself, everyone..." Bethany played off her stunned shock as best she could from the sudden star appearance, her improvisation skills being put to the test as she began a faux round of applause for Lucia's surprise entrance. Two people in the back clapped along but were never heard from again. Bethany buckled down and cleared her throat as the interview segment was in danger of being usurped by this Lucia person trying to steal HER spotlight...yes, Paige still thought all these media personnel were there for her.

"I didn't stutter. I meant every word, wolfie. And who am I, you say? You must have been hiding under a rock in between filming noodle commercials, dearie. For you see, I terrorized and brought fear and loathing upon the heroes in the critically acclaimed and nationally broadcast T.V. show Super Sentai Dairanger as The Villainous Seductress...The Blight Upon The Land...The Ravishing Corrupter...Mistress Paige~..." Bethany flawlessly recited her flashy introduction with a dramatic flip of her hair, sultry undertone, and luscious licking of her lips to the closest camera she could spot.

"Now why don't you scurry yourself away, young wolf pup? There's only room for one star on this stage, and you've had your time in the spotlight..." Bethany would cock her hip to one side and smack the side of her ample butt against Lucia's midsection to help shoo her away from the cameras. Bethany smiling and posturing for the limelight and once more after she had been rudely interrupted.

"Okay, where was I? Ah, of course...The perfect honeymoon would be a romantic liaison to the beaches of Hawaii~...Hot showers..."

Lucia bought into Bethany's somewhat graceful slide into the confrontation. The way in which she handled herself only seemed to annoy her more. It came across as if she was aware Lucia had been among them and said it deliberately to take a shot at her. Who was this woman? A plant? It had to be. There was no real reason to hide now. She drew back her hood, shaking out her hair. Her brow raised with each continuation of her title until it had threatened to drift off her face entirely.

She had never heard of the show. She wished she had, so she knew how to accurately fire back at the woman. She could only assume they were in a similiar boat though. She wasn't dressed as if she were attending an arena broadcast.... not if she was some hot shot celebrity. No, she looked like she might actually be a member of the talent as well. She didn't carry herself like a wrestler or a fighter... maybe a manager? She certainly had the yapping down.

"Sounds like some kids show." She muttered with a shrug. Without knowing the details it was all she could muster. "For a self identifying blight on the land, you sure have a inflated amount of self worth. I don't scurry away, Mistre- " She stumbled back a step or two as Bethany smacked her with her hip, completely flabbergasted by the nerve of this woman. Her fingers clenched into fists, shaking before she settled herself. A plethora of pictures already taken of her boiling frustration already at this point.

Two could play at this game. She straightened herself up, putting on a warm stage smile as she stepped out in front of Bethany, fielding questions over her.

"Yes, you should let it go, pretty sure they say as much... Mhmm, yes?  Depends on the night, most nights no. I'd rather get a good night sleep instead of rocking or rolling. Didn't you know? That wolf on the show was actually me. I do my own stunts after all. No need to transplant my brain." She gave a practiced wink, blowing the cameramen a kiss.

Some people just didn't have what it takes to handle the paparazzi. It takes a certain flair for the theatric and giving just enough of yourself to satisfy them but keep them wanting more. Traits this humble she-wolf just did not possess, in Bethany's humble opinion. Lucia, quite frankly, should be thanking Bethany for hip checking her out of the spotlight so she can run off and film more noodle commercials or whatever demeaning sidejobs she could get nowadays.

"Now my second favorite spirit animal is the...H-Hey!!! I'm over here!!!" Bethany opened her eyes from her self-righteous prattling to notice all of the paparazzi had scurried off to huddle eagerly around the wolf girl herself!!! They devoutly hung onto every uttered syllable with steadfast attention as she cast some sort of bewitching, charismatic spell on them!!! They recorded every word while professional photographers scrambled around her to get every imaginable angle of that devilish smile of hers. Her wild, untamed, bad girl aesthetic that made her seem mysterious, dangerous, but still drew you towards her as if you could be the one to heal her damaged heart~...How was Bethany supposed to compete with that absurd level of universal appeal!?!?!?!

Bethany gnashed her teeth and proceeded to stomp her way through the mass of human revelers until she was once standing toe to toe with the tomboy-ish movie star with the scraggly raven hair who was soaking up her spotlight and fielding her questions.

"Hey!!! How about a little professional courtesy!!! I didn't spent seven seasons getting blasted off into the sky every weekday at 4:30 to have some D-list celebrity hog up MY hard-earned spotlight!!!" Bethany shrilly barked after getting all up in Lucia's face, her large breasts bouncing up next to the werewolf princess' from how uncomfortably close they were."I take it you're not here in AFW just to take in a show, so how about we settle this the way everyone does? Just you, me, a referee, and a squared circle~..."

"Sorry, which one last the last movie again? Karate DOES mean never having to say you're sorry." She gave a small stage laugh, giving her hair a small supermodel toss with the flick of her head to the side, hamming it up for the camera. "All blood consumed on set was not actual human blood, to my knowledge. Our last director was a bit of a character though, so your guess is as good as mine!" It was easier to talk to them if she treated these people like her fans and not the bottom feeding garbage people they were. Thanks to Bethany she had traded one target of her ire for another and found this paparazzi encounter far less obnoxious than normal.

Lucia folded her arms, making a cocky showing of arching a brow to pair with her unmoved stony expression. Such a cool and collected character all of a sudden... Because she had invited her actual character. She tilted her head, giving Bethany a small fanged smile as the woman got up in her business.

"Blasted into the sky huh, guess that was the height of your career." She smirked knowingly as there were a few chuckles in the crowd. They were having a frenzy with photographing these two, the potential for a fight drove it on. "D-list celebrity? Sorry hun, I don't travel in your circles." She did lean back a bit, the other woman was invading her personal bubble a bit too much. She didn't need to taste what she had for lunch. She made a big show of fanning her hand to blow back the other woman's breath.

Her curiosity had been piqued almost instantly, eyes drifting up and down over Bethany. She was pretty sure she could take this woman in a fight any day of the week. Some kids show nobody likely hadn't thrown a real punch in her life. "Sure." She accepted coolly. "Just remember you're the one to asked for this when I send you back into space." She suddenly jerked back away from Paige, throwing a quick uppercut at the woman. It stopped JUST shy of her chin, not intending any harm outside of making her flinch. "Straight to the moon." She threw back her head, giving the crowd her signature werewolf howl.

The crowd ate it up!