Damsel In Distress

"Oh, I'm not sure," Taylor said as she looked around for anything that resembled what she was looking for. "They make TV's now that are like, really really big and stuff. I don't really know how any of it works or what the best thing is, but that's why you're here, Spielberg."

She found an aisle full of complicated-looking audio stuff and stood staring blankly at it. When she had bought her stereo, she bought the whole thing as a set. She didn't know anything about matching speakers to whatever and what she needed for surround sound and stuff, but recent revelations about her ill-tempered assistant gave her an awesome idea.

"Hey, Morg," she said. "How would you like to be in charge of Operation Watch-Stuff-In-The-Basement? You can handle, like, all the video and sound stuff, and I'll handle the furniture. I mean, unless you don't want to. Unless you want to do the whole thing! What do you think? It'd get you away from selling t-shirts for a while. Could be fun."

Morrigan put her arms behind her back and walked with Taylor. "You really don't?" She paused. "You make it really easy to-" Morrigan stopped herself again and sighed. "Yeah, I'll do it." She said. She pulled out her phone and began to look up some stuff online.

"I'll get you an awesome set up. Don't worry." She flashed a smile. "Just give me a ring if you need me to wipe your ass too." She said and grinned. Next stop was the room full of big ass televisions and thumping sound systems.

"Yeah, hold up there, hotshot."

Taylor grabbed Morrigan's elbow and pulled her back. "I make it so easy to what?"

Morrigan was pulled around and forced to face Taylor. She stared at Taylor dryly. "You make it easy to make fun of you." Her face then hardened a bit. "You wanna go right here or something?" She said, narrowing her eyes. "Or do you want me to get you your shit?"

Taylor's face tightened and she started to sound like Staten Island. Why did it have to go this way?

"If you wanna make fun of me, go right ahead, but there's a line. I'm perfectly cool to joke around, but I'm your boss. You don't get to just talk shit all the time and expect to not get hit." She narrowed her eyes and lowered her voice so that only Morrigan would be able to hear her. "And no, that's not what I want. But if it's a fight you want with all your bullshit, I would be happy to show you how bad of an idea that is."

She straightened up and glanced around to make sure they hadn't attracted any attention. Force of habit. "So what's it gonna be, are you gonna cut the shit, and are we going to build a little theater, or are you going to make me set you straight?"

"It's not?" Morrigan said, not budging a bit. "I held my tongue and you're giving me shit. Sure sounds like you want to start something."

Morrigan turned around. "If you don't like it, fire me. Otherwise, I've got a theatre to pick out for you."

Taylor counted to three, and did her best to calm down. Morrigan did not make it easy.

"Sounds like you always want to start something, but you probably just miss having Lukretia around to kick your ass. Sorry I'm not some creepy mega-bitch, call me when you're done."

She didn't wait around for another prickly response from Morrigan. She walked straight back out the door to the car. There was a place nearby where she could probably find some good furniture for the thing, but for the moment she needed to get in the car, take some deep breaths, and call somebody. Not Johnny, obviously. Maybe not even Junko... Akashi was no great help. It was the middle of the night for Cassie, and really they were all Taylor had. She'd spoken to Natalia on the phone before, once upon a time, when she was in need, but she hadn't seen her in so long...

She sighed, and dialed Junko's number. Motherly advice aside, she was a manager who made a living wrangling notoriously difficult people. Maybe she'd have something to say.

When she picked up, Taylor led with "Help me not punch Morgan's face in."

"Hah... hah..what was that dear?" The panting voice of Junko rasped into the phone. It sounded like she was in the middle ofa marathon. "Your little devil is giving you some trouble? Hah... hah..." She added. "Where are you? Do you hah.. need me to come give her a time out or spank her bottom fufu~"

"Hey. Yeah. She is." Taylor complained. "She's just always talking shit to me and making her little comments, and I don't know what to do! Like, I just want to beat her face in and tell her to go fuck herself, but I can't do that. I can't say 'I'm your boss you can't talk to me like that' because a good boss wouldn't have to. I can't just let it slide, because then I'd be pathetic. This is really hard, mom, and I'm not a good boss. I've barely ever even had a job! It's no wonder I-"

She stopped suddenly, and then asked suspiciously "Wait, what are you doing?"

Junko listened with patience and seriousness to Taylor's words. She'd calmed down and was ready to answer when Taylor stopped. "Oho~ Well, I just found a nice stallion and was having a ride. Bareback, if you know what I mean... fufufu." After a chuckle, she paused, grinning brightly. "I was in the middle of a workout. How do you think I keep such a girlish figure, fufu." She then tilted her head.

"That girl knows she can push your buttons. She has no aversion to threats, physical or otherwise. She might like it. If she worked with Lukretia, then she probably thinks it's normal. You're both the same age, you work together. How can you foster an employer, employee relationship when you're also peers? When you two have fought each other?"

Junko began to frown. "You're just not going to be able to build a relationship from respect like normal employers and employees. You'll have to find something else to build a relationship with. It's going to take some maturity on your part, Taylor-chan. You might have to eat a lot of things you don't want to while you're figuring out the best course of action. But... I know you have it in you."

Junko inhaled softly. "There was a girl who I grew up with in Kyoto. She was my wrestling buddy and we used to watch the matches together. She was much more athletic than me. She was a natural talent. It was clear that she would be a pretty good champion. We both broke into the business and when I went off to college, she got into the independent circuits. When I finished school and began to work for bigger circuits, I urged her to come with me. She was my first client and I was her agent. We thought it would be easy since we were best friends growing up but when it was time to get busy, things suddenly changed. She was good, but I told her that she needed to be disciplined. She just wanted it all right away and demanded I make it happen like I had some kind of magic wand. I knew the best way to get ahead was dedication and hard work, and rode her pretty hard. She enjoyed some success but when a title opportunity came for a minor belt, I turned her down. She wasn't ready. Not only that but that champion was known for playing rough. She liked to take on girls working their way up in the ranks and just beat them out of the league."

Junko sighed. "She accused me of putting my career before hers. She accused me of not really being her friend. Like the whole rest of our lives we had spent up to that point were a lie. It hurt and she fired me. Then she fought that girl and got hurt so bad her career nearly ended..."

Junko frowned. "She wanted me to be a yes man instead of doing my job as her agent and manager. I couldn't. It was better for both of us that we parted ways and... well.. we sort of became rivals after that. Almost enemies, I'd say or, so I thought. One day, after she heard I retired, she called me up out of the blue. I was shocked, believing that she hated me but do you know what she said?" Juno sniffled. She could feel a tear dripping down her cheek. "She thanked me. She said that she was stupid for not listening to me and that when she nearly lost her career, she knew how important my words were and after that, she heeded my advice and worked hard and worked smart. She became a cancel and had a great career. The first girl I took to a title shot fought against her and she kicked that girl's ass." Junko chuckled.

"Ahhh..." Junko shook he head. "Listen to me ramble. Anyway, Taylor-chan. Do what you think is best and if you believe in your heart of hearts that she's doing a job you feel is satisfactory or better, then, isn't THAT what's important? Would you just want her kissing your ass all the time anyway? That might be more frightening coming from that girl, fufu."