Reading Between the Lines

Julie giggled as Rebecca looked for the perfect spot like a pet in search of a nap. But then the redhead's questions came, and all of a sudden, Rebecca seemed less like a housecat on the sofa and more like a panther in the jungle -- lying in wait for its prey to come waltzing in. Still, the streamer was confident that she'd be able to ward off BB's advances. After all, the playbook was one she knew well. Play the bubbly, ditzy streamer but pick your words carefully. Speak positively about everyone on the team. Don't make anyone look bad. Easy, right? Especially given the fact that she genuinely felt a lot of affection for her teammates.

"Well..."

"Brookie-Bear is just cute as a button -- I don't think it's possible to dislike her. She's got this really cute blush that's just to die for." Her hands went to her chin like a daydreaming schoolgirl. "Lee -- that's Leonie, by the way -- is always so reliable. Like, she was low-key super clutch when it came to getting settled in here in Japan." Julie instinctively flexed her wrists, remembering how much heavy lifting she'd had to do... and how Leonie bailed her out of, like, half of it. "And then there's Louisey." Louise was... a bit of a tough nut to crack. She admittedly hadn't gotten to know the Dutch girl very well at all yet, but that didn't mean Julie wanted to throw her under the bus. "She's got this real quiet, stoic intensity to her, y'know?" She narrowed her eyes like a comic book badass. "Wouldn't wanna get on her bad side, that's for sure!"

"Although, to more directly answer your question..." Julie brought a finger to her chin, bending it lazily against her face as she considered how she'd respond to what Rebecca was really asking. The question within the question, so to speak: Julie was on a whole 'nother level compared to the others on the team. Why rock with them? She would have to be careful in her response. Even if all that was true (and it wasn't), she didn't want to give Rebecca any more ammo than she already had. "I mean, we're all brand spankin' new to this, right? I'm a trained kickboxer with some other grappling stuff, sure, but we've all got stuff going for us." She ticked her teammates off on her fingertips as she listed them off. "Brooke's suuuper bendy -- it's honestly kinda hot -- Leonie could probably snap me in half and I'd say 'thank you,' and Louise is one of the most athletic chicks I've ever met. I've just got the training... and the smokin' hot looks," she finished with a wink.

And now for the grand finale. The apex of her little speech, a barely-disguised defense of everything Christina was building here. Julie shrugged, putting her hands palm-up. "But that's why we're all here, isn't it? If I went solo, then AFW would be in charge of my booking and stuff. Which, like, ew. And you can publish that," she giggled. "And other, more 'established' agents..." Julie waggled her fingers mockingly at that descriptor. "They'd probably try to push me towards the 'safe,' 'traditional' route. Doc's building something brand-new here." Julie pointed to her manager. "And she's still the principal owner. Fifty-percent-plus-one, baby! Cash back to the other 49, but Doc's got final say over how we do things. Which means that we've got final say." And a little loop back to Rebecca's earlier concerns. Just like they'd taught her in Speech and Debate class.

Just as she had finished asking her question, a slender hand had vanished from sight into her jacket. From within she produced a phone, lightly drawing her finger across the screen in a path to unlock the device. A few taps later she was opening an audio recorder app and the phone was tucked under her pad in a practiced position. Rebecca listened quietly with a soft friendly smile she seemingly reserved for the wrestling talent, as their manager had gotten rather curt treatment from the magazine reporter. As Julie spoke, the redhead's pen seemed to be in constant motion though it was unclear if she was doubling up on her recording by writing quotes or just making general notes.

"That is rather nice to hear. With someone with as much of a fan following coming into this business, it can sometimes put a pretty big spotlight on you, even if you're coming in as a fresh talent. People have expectations due to your rather public social media persona as I am sure you know. It's nice to see that despite the level of fame you already have, the other women under Team Stanza's umbrella aren't intimidated or jealous by how your presence might overshadow theirs. I suppose the hope is everyone's talent will speak for itself, yeah?" Rebecca circled the bottom of her pen through the air, occasionally tapping her chin as she openly expressed what was on her mind in response to Julie's safe, non confrontational answer.

"So you came to Team Stanza because it was something brand new to build up on, with a message statement you believe in, under leadership you trust." Rebecca summarized, pausing to allow Julie to correct her if the generalization wasn't what the social media star had been looking to convey. "What drew you into the idea of full time wrestling  and where are you looking to aim your sights within the federation?"

And there it was. A subtle reframing of their conversation, sneaking in concepts of fame, jealousy, and talent. Bait, set out in the hopes of getting some response; even if she'd hastily corrected the reporter, Julie's words would at the very least be... interesting. Julie felt the weight of Rebecca's recap coming at her like a storm of arrows. If there was one thing she knew though, it was how to zig-zag through a minefield of subtext.

"Yeah!" she chirped. "I love Doc, I love the girls, and so far, I'm loving AFW! Can't wait to see what kinds of fun we all get up to together," she finished with a wink, her playful smirk belying the fact that this was a disguised answer to her remarks about their comparative talent and fame levels. If a scrap of red meat in the form of ragging on AFW's managerial department wasn't enough to take Rebecca off the trail, then she'd have to fire back more explicitly.

"But wrestling, yeah, that is a good question." She didn't see how this next question could lead to any gotchas, but Julie was nonetheless prepared. "I mean, I like doing sexy stuff with sexy girls. I like putting on a show. And yeah, duh, I like fighting. I've never actually shot any explicitly sexual content before -- not for the public anyway," she added with another giggle. "When I decided I wanted to make the leap, I knew I didn't just wanna do it for the heck of it. I wanted to pursue all my passions at once. Fun, fandom, and fucking, y'know? So I don't really care much for winning or losing or shiny belts. There is a list of chicks I wanna roll around with -- take that however you want to, by the way -- but that is a little secret I'm sure you'll figure out as you follow me."

"Mhmm, mhmm." Rebecca's eyes scanned over her notes, though her pen didn't return to the page. Instead, she idly twirled it between her fingers as she listened to Julie's acknowledgment of what she had checked back with. Everything seemed in order. Her pen came to a stop, thumb tapping the top twice to click the tip into the pen then back out where she would then bring the nub to the page.

The small addition of "not for the public" to Julie's mentioning of more candid content didn't raise a brow from the journalist, the light glinting off her glasses as she peered over the lip of her pad. While that may have been a juicy tidbit to circle back on, for not all it warranted was a small smirk and a wag of her pen like they were two best friends sharing school drama during a slumber party.

"Ah yes, the well known three "Fs"." She remarked in a soft snicker, allowing Julie to remain uninterrupted throughout the rest of her answer. When the social media sensation had finished, Rebecca met eye with a half-smirk. "Well, if there is someone you are looking forward to having an " exchange" with, no better time than now to call them out. I am sure the readers at home would appreciate a small taste of what they could look forward to from you." She had an airy way of speaking as if this was just some offhanded thought that had just come to her. They likely both understood the value of a good name drop, even if it were something that might never happen.

"While there is certainly going to be a large crossover with AFW and your existing fanbase, a great many eyes are going to be on you for the first time soon. What is Team Stanza or you planning to do to get yourself out there to all these new people and make yourself someone to watch?"