HWA Message Board: Messages Off Camera / Messages On Camera

The scene opens out onto the foyer of the HWA Academy.

It’s early doors and while there’s the reception staff and a guard on duty, its relatively devoid of other people that make up the wider Academy proper.

Just the way you like it.

After the recent relocation back to your apartment in New York and the wildfires that had spread through LA now extinguished, it was back to normal.

You choke back a laugh as you make your way through the foyer.

’Normal? Scheiße. This is normal.’

You meander through the corridors towards your office and changing room ahead of making a start on your fitness preparation.

A ping from your phone has you drawing it out.

’Ah, good… an update from the doctor.’

‘She was kept in for 72 hours as previously mentioned. Due to concerns, this was extended by a further 24 hours to run blood work and ensure no complications from her previous injury impacting recovery or being exacerbated by the latest complications. I will be liaising with your company to ensure all documentation is forwarded on and we will be releasing her later today.’

You’d been awaiting that update, even if you do know you shouldn’t have been.

As you’d said to Vanessa the previous night, it was a more extreme example of having to be the one to decide what restaurant to go to, or what you were doing at the weekend. If no one chose, nothing happened. Someone had to do it.

Her response was to tell you to stop being a white knight all of the time.

’Fair comment, that.’

You glance back at your phone, quickly tapping away and thanking the doctor for his message.

Following that, you then forwarded on the update to both Butch and the on-site Academy doctor.

Seeing that they’re ‘read’ almost immediately, you await their responses as your mind drifts to returning back home and settling back into a routine.

You’d not wanted to leave this morning, Kai had been restless during the night and was just starting to drift off as you were leaving. You’d been up throughout the night with him so you were already as caffeine fueled as you were ever going to get and had no plans on staying longer than necessary today. LA traffic was bad at times and navigating it while half asleep was a recipe for disaster.

The first response came through, the onsite doctor.

’Thanks for the update Hans. We’ll await Virgina Mason sending those over.’

Moments later, the second, this time from Butch.

’Thanks mate, appreciate the update, I know this can’t have been easy for you given what’s happened lately. Anything you need, let Wis or I know.’

You nod at this, grateful for it but at the same time desperate to just push it to the back of your mind and focus on something you had control over.

Your training.

Your upcoming match with Jesse.

Those were things you could do.

As you reach your office, you map out what you aim to do and mentally prepare as the scene fades out to black gently for a moment.

As the scene fades back in, it’s now in the HWA studio booth upstairs at the Academy.

It’s lunchtime now and anyone that would want to be in the booth has either done it already or won’t be in for another hour or so.

Plenty of time for you to capture your initial thoughts and get them uploaded.

You’d showered and changed by this point. Many many laps of the track outside, weights in the gym and then a brief sparring session with Matthew had been the order of the day and you were now, you realised, done for the day.

’I hear they settle down soon… in a year or so…’

Small comfort. But what can you do?

You click the timer on the desk and take a step back into the camera’s gaze, ready for what will be your promo to begin.

5.

4.

3.

2.

1.

’Hallo HWA-fanverse.

I’ll keep this brief, jah. Wolfy und Luna Rain. A very good match at Havoc there, could have gone either way. I think that could be said across every single match that night. It’s been too long since our ladies had the platform that they deserve and jah, that is on us. When HWA returned, they were the cornerstone of it. That needs to be the case again at the very least.

Draconis und family, your return was… unexpected, I think I speak for all of us on das roster when I say that. It was not unwelcome, at least on my part. It is good to see you return. We’ve faced one another before in recent years und in the past. If your skills have improved like your daughters have, well mein freund…

Jah, it will be a tough match.

You say you’ve not had anything to do with what has been happening to me of late? You were a straight shooter as they say in the past, so danke, I’ll take your word based on past behaviour.

If that turns out to be false, then I’ll take you und your family down like I did Wolfy und Luna at Havoc.

If your daughter ist saying she’s not done with me, I take it as flattery. Of course you go for the man at the top when you wish to make a statement. Gold isn’t everything afterall.’

You just can’t help yourself.

But confidence is not one of your weaknesses when it comes to anything in-ring.

’As for you Jesse. We face one another at Havoc. Second time in das ring proper. You recall you faced me for promotion to the main roster und while you lost, you showed enough to warrant being promoted. I expect you to be far better now than you were then und I will plan accordingly, as I do in all my matches. I’d ask if you’d been watching my matches while you’ve been away, but as even the last one against Wolfy und Luna showed, I have surprises up my sleeve und can dig deep. Confidence of youth will be there in you, jah, no doubt. You face a Baron in his prime mein freund, see you at Havoc Jesse.’

With that, you thumb the small remote in your pocket, stopping the recording.

A quick check of it, all looked fine.

You’d done plenty of these by now and as you’d not stumbled over any words or done any stupid facial expressions, nothing needed edited.

A couple of clicks of the mouse and it was uploaded to the HWA site and Youtube.

’Hometime.’

With that, you make for the exit to the booth as the scene fades to black proper.