Joshua is seen backstage after losing the match in Belfast. All of a sudden an interviewer comes into the shot behind Joshua. “Mr. Acquin do you have some time I have a couple questions to ask you.” Joshua looks at them angrily. “You have the balls to ask me questions after I took a loss?” The interviewer gulps and continues on, “Mr Acquin you teamed with Amy Marshal and you were forced to tap out. How does it feel to take the loss for the team and be out?” As Joshua is getting ready to answer it Amy walks through the shot and Joshua gives chase trying to talk to her and trying to apologize all the way back to the changing room which she slams the door and locks it in Joshua’s face. Joshua turns around “She will be fine, she just needs to cool off.”
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The Club, past the hive of offices, the team facilities, the glass walls of the rink side club; through the den, through the doors, through the entry, to a discreet, dark hush. The room is oddly shaped. There are no windows. Short metallic curtains, glinting in the low light, hang from the ceiling in geometric arrangements; cocktail tables hold neat clusters of white roses. Pendant light fixtures, bronze polyhedrons with intricate cutouts, cast lacelike shadows on the gray and pale gold walls. A bar occupies one corner, with a bartender who looks a little bored. Wrangler’s Arena has 10 of these “ultra-luxurious suites,” touted by the local fans as its “most exclusive destination.” One of these suites will cost you a little more than half a million dollars for the season, though this particular one is not for sale, it is the owner’s Joshua Acquin.
In the Vault on this night, is a woman who represents the owner’s interests. Her name is Ashlynn Acquin, Joshua’s sister. She is diminutive, but with a strikingly vibrant presence. She wears a black ribbed skirt and a black fitted jacket that frames the bright plumage of a blazing yellow shirt. Her buoyant blonde hair is burnished by the low brass light; her nails are painted jet black. Perched on a leather couch in a corner of the room, as if ready to take flight, she speaks softly but intently to a man in a gray suit; it is Austin Acquin, brother to Joshua Acquin and one of his closest allies.
It is nearly game time. Ashlynn stands up, smooths her skirt, and takes her leave. She glances at her phone, its screen crammed with texts: so-and-so needs an extra ticket, so-and-so doesn’t know where to go, so-and-so wants an escort, and can’t Ashlynn come herself? Ashlynn is CFO of Acquin Sports and Entertainment Holding and is the official conduit between the Wranglers business management, the ECHL, and Joshua Acquin. She is on the board of directors of the Wranglers and of Wranglers Arena LLC, the company that runs Wranglers Arena, and she represents the team on the league’s Board of Governors, the council of all ECHL teams’ owners, if Joshua is unable to attend. On some days, her attention is preoccupied by spreadsheets, contracts, statements, meetings, phone calls, emails. She has to think about issuing bonds for the new practice facility, or digital marketing initiatives, or how to balance Joshua’s majority interest in the Wranglers when he is on the road. This day, though, is different; tonight is the Las Vegas Wranglers special event, the Indoor Winter Classic. It is, she likes to say, a huge party, one with 15,000 guests. As it happens, one of them is the son and wife of the owner of the Vault. Joshua Jr and Tiffiny Acquin are in the house. They have shown up due to Joshua being on the road in England and Scandinavia to watch the Las Vegas Wranglers, along with 15 or so guests — advisers, associates, and friends. They are somewhere in the arena at that moment, making their presence felt.
Ashlynn strides out of the suite, plunging into the rush of the crowd. She walks fast, the red soles of her black Louboutin stilettos flashing. Everywhere there is the sharp air of anticipation, the distant thump of music, the buzz of voices, some close, some directed at her. Ashlynn! Her attention is given freely — to security guards, colleagues, gawking fans; to people speaking Russian, English, and other languages. She has a voice that can travel far, a smile that can travel farther. A few people she passes require something a little extra — a soft touch of the forearm kisses on the cheeks, a little melody in her lilting voice. Even then, she only seems to stop — in reality, she barely slows. This is her charm, this is what people usually first mention when they talk about her — her extraordinary, almost genius ability for making people feel the full force of her attention. “Some people have this talent: They can talk to you for 30 seconds and then disappear, but still make you feel really good,” says her friend. “She has that.”
She would make a perfect hostess. It seems almost cruel to say so; she is one of the top executives of the Las Vegas Wranglers, one of the highest-ranking women in all of professional sports; she is entrusted with the authority of one of the United States more powerful men. She is hardly a woman who just throws parties. Were she a man, it would be hard to imagine her fielding texts asking her to escort rich businessmen from the gift shop to their seats. But there it is; one cannot help but feel it. And one senses that if she could, she would buy the flowers herself. She has never hidden the fact that she is a woman. She seems to embrace it. She uses her smile; she banters; she dresses to flatter her figure. She has experienced, of course, sneering comments and quick dismissals, and she knows that the golf course can turn business into a boys’ club. But she claims her gender isn’t a disadvantage — not even in the boardroom. “Actually, I find that when there are few women in the room with men, they actually listen to what you have to say,” she says. “Because it’s kind of more unusual, and I am never shy about voicing my opinions when I have them.” Besides, it is impossible to watch her command the hall at the arena and not see that while this may be like a party, a night of wine and small talk and even sports, this is really business. She makes it to a secluded room to where on the screen is Joshua Acquin. “Hey Ash how’s it going there, sorry I have to miss this game I have enjoyed going to the game every year. But this week I have a major match so I am glad I can entrust you with the running of the team. By the way I have picked you up some gifts on my trip like you have asked. Anyway what was the major news you had to tell me.” Ashlynn looks around the room seeing her other brother, sister-in-law, and nephew sitting in the room waiting. “Joshua the big news is that next season you have been invited to play in the AHL in a new division the AHL is opening by moving teams from the east and a couple teams in the west. It is so teams on the west are not sending players across country, a cost saving move. Now right now we are not affiliated with any NHL team but if we make the move we have the option of four teams. The four AHL teams they gave you the option is Lake Erie Monsters, Utica Comets, St. John’s Ice Caps, or the Portland Pirates. They have already moved five other ones and you would be the sixth team. Don’t worry whichever one you pick will get a replacement team. But they have given a deadline of 1 March to answer them.” Joshua can be seen thinking about the major news and choice he has to make. “ I think that we will need to have a board meeting and depending on my schedule after Sunday I may be able to fly back during the week but there may be the possibility of another VTC like this.” As the scene fades out he can be seen talking to everyone as the door closes
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Before Joshua goes outside to his car he is stopped by a random backstage interviewer asking for an interview to which Joshua agrees.
“Welcome to Oslo Norway SCW fans. We now have started our second leg in this world tour. With me at this time is one competitor for the SCW Roulette championship match, Joshua Acquin.” Joshua steps into the shot. “Joshua first thing first how is Amy doing?” “Well Amy is doing alright we had a talk about what happen in Belfast while we were supporting SCW in Whales and of course we were both upset over the issue but in the long run we are still friends. Even though she doesn’t have a match this week she will be cheering me on and will be the first one to get in the ring and hand me my championship.” “Do you think you will win the championship this time?” Joshua chuckles to himself. “What kind of question is that, of course I will win the championship I am going to leave this cold fucking city with a championship around my waist. If you think I am going to let this slip through my hands again you are sadly mistaken.” The interviewer holds their ear like they are receiving a question. “Joshua this week Las Vegas lost a person that was well known in the city of Las Vegas, of course I am talking about Jerry Tarkanian. Did you have anything to say about him?” Joshua talks a moment to think about it. “The things I could say are numerous about this great man. He gave the city it first team that drew everyone’s attention with a college team. Let that sink in and he didn’t do it with top recruits. No he took the B players and players that may have had issues. To me that is a man that took little things and made them great. In my resort I own I will sometimes take people that no one want to hire and I hire them now sometimes I hit gold and sometimes I strike out but at least I give them a chance. Now I am going to give The Tarkanian Basketball Academy 500 thousand dollars to make improvements. Also I am opening my resort to any family member that needs a place to stay through this tough time. Now people may think that I am crazy for doing this but I think he was a sports pioneer in Las Vegas.” The interview nods. That is a great jester. Now you have not seen your wife and son in a little over a month. Being a newlywed how do you cope with this?” “Well thanks to technology I can Skype my wife and son every day. Plus after I am done here I am going to pick them up so they can be here when I win the championship and also so I can take my son around to learn about the Vikings at the museum here. I mean this is the place to learn about them right? Nothing but the best for my friends and family.” With that Joshua takes his leave and walks out the side door to his waiting car.
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Nightmare plays over the PA system as Joshua waits till the lyric Nightmareeeeeee hits, he then walks out onto the ramp wearing his trunks and a T-shirt that reads SCW’s Nightmare. As he slowly makes his way the ramp he walks around the ring walking past the broadcast team and grabs a microphone that is laying on the table for him. He climbs up the stairs and wipes his boots before he goes though the ropes. He walks to the center of the ring.
“Now for those of you in Oslo that don’t know me I am Joshua Acquin a one-time SCW tag team champion. It has been too long since I have tasted any gold here in SCW and my latest try to win anything here as far as a tournament fall flat on its face. Now I am not going to blame Amy for what happen. She wrestled her little heart out and I was the one that let them team down. I mean we had the best pick of the tournament in her and I. But now I have been chosen to main event here in Oslo. Not only that it is for the SCW roulette Championship. I have tried to get this before and was out classed by one of my opponents for this match. But that will not happen again as I have learned from the last time I have faced him. I went into that match under prepared to fight. But as always I took something from that match. Hell I am ready for anything if I can work in a pudding match I think I can fight in a three-way random match. The champ is a one Alex Kaelin. He won it in the fore mentioned tournament to the other person in this match. That person is none other than Sephiroth Du Lac, whom had to go to a dirty trick of spraying red mist in my eyes while the ref was turned to worry about a little blood on me. This time I am going to ensure he will not get that in on me, the champ had better worry about not even being the one I pin in order to win the championship from him. Maybe I could even just wait outside the ring and wait till it is the right time to jump into the match. Take the ultimate opportunity to win the championship. Now will I win? As much as you guys hate me you know that I am right when I say here in Oslo I will walk down this ramp here a contender and walk out and up that ramp a champion. I will put money on that.”
Joshua drops the microphone and raises his arms in the middle of the ring and takes in all the boos from the crowd as they are showing him all there hate. As he walks to the back he stops at one particular family and gives them a hug and kisses, he even grabs the boy and brings him over the railing.
“Now if I wasn’t a confident person in my abilities to get this championship would I fly my wife and son over here to Oslo to watch me win. Before you freak out and say Joshua he is supposed to be in school, don’t worry he is home schooled and still better than any of your kids. I mean come on he came from me and I am pretty damn good myself.”
