Off-Camera
Thursday, August 18, 2022
Office of Seleana Zdunich
Zdunich Zoological Gardens
Los Angeles, California
8:02 AM PDT
Needing to return to India as quickly as possible, Seleana Zdunich had come into her office to look over a few things before going back for her next match against Mercedes Vargas and Roxi Johnson and this needed to be done quickly if she didn’t want to be wrestling for the World Bombshells Championship while so jet lagged she feels like she’s been run over by a car filled with a giant margarita that she attempted to imbibe by herself and now woefully regrets said act.
As she scans a few documents regarding the feeding of certain animals and the possible additions of others, two familiar visages appear in the doorway. Seleana looks up and smiles.
Seleana Zdunich: Hej, HayJo, Razorback…
The people, Haylie Jo “Halo” Annis and Sam “Razorback” Matthews, walk into the room, neither looking particularly happy. Seeing the looks on their faces, Seleana’s smile fades to a frown.
Seleana Zdunich: What is problem?
Halo nods to Razorback.
Sam "Razorback" Matthews: Been some talk lately that your old lady’s baby daddy lookin’ to stir up some shit.
Seleana nods sadly.
Seleana Zdunich: Ja, usual…
Razorback shakes his head.
Sam "Razorback" Matthews: Naw, this ain’t usual. This could be bad if the scuttlebutt’s even partially true. Word has it he wanna rumble with the Carbajal Family.
Seleana’s frown deepens.
Seleana Zdunich: Why?
This time, it’s Halo’s turn to shrug.
Haylie Jo "Halo" Annis: Somebody told him that was the name givin’ his business “pushback.”
Seleana shakes her head in near awe.
Seleana Zdunich: Han gör en höna av en fjäder…
Both Halo and Razorback just stand there as Seleana closes her eyes.
Seleana Zdunich: The Carbajal Family are not a Family like that…
Halo nods knowingly.
Haylie Jo "Halo" Annis: Yeah, we know, they’re just involved in multiple charters and have cousins that do shit back home like that.
Razorback’s face fills with disgust in kind.
Sam "Razorback" Matthews: We still have no idea how he got this idea, or who was the idiot that decided they were more than just members of MCs.
Haylie Jo "Halo" Annis: We just thought we should warn you in case…
Before she can finish her sentence, another man walks up to the door. This one, none of them have ever seen before.
Man: Motocicletas... esto explica muchas cosas.
Halo and Razorback turn to face the man standing there and both frown. Seleana looks up and nods.
Seleana Zdunich: ¿Puedo ayudarle?
The latino man smiles.
Man: Es posible. Me llamo Tuco Villanueva. Trabajo con Todd Williams.
Seleana nods slowly.
Seleana Zdunich: ¡Mucho gusto! ¿Qué puedo hacer por ti?
Tuco’s smile only grows and intensifies while somehow still radiating a sinister menace to it.
Tuco VillanuevaWe have heard some disturbing news.I am here to understand.
Seleana nods.
Seleana Zdunich: Ja? What is it you need better understanding for?
Tuco’s smile never changes.
Tuco VillanuevaWhy does Todd think your family would move against him?
Caught off-guard, Seleana’s lips part as she stares at him.
Seleana Zdunich: My family?
Tuco simply nods curtly.
Tuco VillanuevaYour family.
Seleana stares back at him.
Seleana Zdunich: I am a zookeeper, what family of mine would move against you? My sisters play guitar. My cousins run gyms and tattoo studios or work for me.
Tuco nods to Seleana.
Tuco VillanuevaYour daughter-in-law.
Halo almost bristles at the phrase.
Haylie Jo "Halo" Annis: What about me?
Tuco nods to her, the smile still present.
Tuco VillanuevaThe Colombian one.
Seleana shrugs.
Seleana Zdunich: She is a college student.
Tuco VillanuevaAnd her sister?
Seleana shrugs.
Seleana Zdunich: She is keen to find herself after having a single wrestling match. It is possible she will continue training so that something like that will never happen again.
Halo crosses her arms.
Haylie Jo "Halo" Annis: Why do you wanna talk about them?
Tuco VillanuevaThey are Carbajal cousins, yes?
Seleana nods.
Seleana Zdunich: Ja…from Bogotá, not Medellín.
Tuco nods slowly as if taking this information for the first time.
Tuco VillanuevaDe Bogotá…
Seleana nods.
Seleana Zdunich: Bogotá.
Seemingly disarmed, Tuco nods almost apologetically.
Tuco VillanuevaGracias. Thank you for your time.
Tuco takes his leave and all three watch him go until he is safely both out of sight and earshot.
Haylie Jo "Halo" Annis: What… the actual fuck… was that about?
Sam "Razorback" Matthews: That… sounded like somebody in the T-Will Organization is getting paranoid.
Haylie Jo "Halo" Annis: That almost sounds somebody’s gettin’ high on they own supply and lettin’ the shit run wild on ‘em.
Razorback nods.
Sam "Razorback" Matthews: You ain’t wrong.
Seleana frowns in confusion.
Seleana Zdunich: Should we be worried? He has made a visit asking about people who do not live here and others who are not connected to anything.
Halo shrugs.
Haylie Jo "Halo" Annis: Normally I would say no, but this is Papa T-Will we talkin’ ‘bout, so who knows what’s goin’ on. For right now, y’all just worry about Miss Roxi and Vargas and that championship and let Papa T-Dub worry about gettin Mama Chrys a damn job again, assuming he ain’t tryin’ to be like my daddy when it comes to ashin’ bridges.
Razorback shakes his head.
Sam "Razorback" Matthews: I’m more worried about what other places they might look. Are they gonna look at Mount Diablo? Are they gonna look to Minnesota or Vegas? What about New Orleans or Jersey? Depending on where they started and why they even started lookin’...
Seleana almost laughs.
Seleana Zdunich: You are probably putting more thought into this than they did, ja?
Halo and Razorback both grin.
Haylie Jo "Halo" Annis: Or we just ain’t focusin’ on one thing too much. Lord knows what Papa T-Dub is actually thinkin’ or who put that thought in his head to begin with.
Seleana nods her agreement.
Seleana Zdunich: Ja, is true. I have plane to catch. If I need to know more, someone will tell me, ja?
Halo and Razorback both nod.
Haylie Jo "Halo" Annis: Go kick some ass, Mama Sel!
Sam "Razorback" Matthews: Go get ‘em!
On-Camera
Friday, August 19, 2022
Zdunich Room
JW Marriott Hotel Chandigarh
Chandigarh, India
10:02 PM Local Time
The camera opens upon Seleana Zdunich sitting on the bed of her hotel room. She slides forward to the edge of the bed, nodding to herself as she does so.
Seleana Zdunich: Well, this is different, ja?
A small smile comes to her face.
Seleana Zdunich: Three world champions coming together to compete for the richest prize there is. All three of us have won it before, ja?
Nodding to herself, her hands come together almost in prayer. She looks down at her hands momentarily before looking back up into the camera.
Seleana Zdunich: Mercedes, you and I danced last week in Kolkata. We have danced many times together. Some you have won, some I have won but they are always worth paying admission to the cotillion. I learn every time I get in the ring with you no matter the outcome and I thank you for every lesson. You teach me whether you mean to or not, you teach yourself as well, ja?
Pausing, Seleana nods with a playful smirk crossing her face.
Seleana Zdunich: Some lessons simply need special reinforcement.
She looks to her hands again, the smirk slowly transitioning back into the smile. She nods to herself knowingly and then looks back up into the camera again.
Seleana Zdunich: Roxi, you have been a friend when you did not need to be. You and I have also danced many a dance and you have also taught me every time we have heard the music play. I can never thank you enough for all you have done for me and my family. You have been a champion with and without the belt to show off and you stand alone at the top of the mountain all wish to climb.
Her right hand squeezes into a fist, her left almost acting as a punching pad or catcher’s mitt for it. Her left hand squeezes the fist.
Seleana Zdunich: Some lessons require special reinforcement.
She nods to herself again and then stands up to face the camera.
Seleana Zdunich: I have learned many lessons. I have learned them over and over again and I will admit, some I was slow to properly accept but others were simply the product of not being ready to take the step being offered. I have also taught the same lessons over and over again and some just refuse to accept them. Some want to dismiss the lessons being shown. When someone shows you who they really are…
She nods pointedly.
Seleana Zdunich: Believe them.
She points to the right of the camera.
Seleana Zdunich: Roxi has shown over and over again who she is. She has fought battles that no one thought could be won and she proved them all wrong. She was not supposed to be where she is and was never supposed to come back to it a second time but she proved those thoughts wrong as well. She has climbed repeatedly, hand over hand, until she reached the summit, got knocked down and then climbs hand over hand again… and again… and again…
Her hand slashes across the shot.
Seleana Zdunich: No one should doubt her ever again! She is the World Bombshells Champion and she has defeated everyone who would take her place and show her the door!
Her hand balls into a fist again.
Seleana Zdunich: The doubters make hens out of feathers!
Now she points to the left of the camera.
Seleana Zdunich: Mercedes has shown who she is as well. She come to this country with a name and a dream and she made that dream a reality by any means necessary. She has shown she is capable of anything no matter what anyone thinks. If it is proper or not, Mercedes will do it if it will get her six more inches on her climb. Mercedes is a car that needs no driver to win a race, she simply needs the finish line to be in her sights and everyone else beware because she will start throwing different coloured shells to send you careening out of control and think nothing of it.
Pausing, she nods, a slight smirk on her face again.
Seleana Zdunich: She might even enjoy watching the crash as she rides by to victory if it is a sweet enough moment.
Her teeth grind at the thought of how Mercedes is.
Seleana Zdunich: She will watch you go and she will celebrate because it is one more time that she has scratched and clawed and bitten and dragged her way to the top and everyone else can survey the damage left in her wake and shudder at what will happen the next time someone steps in her way.
Once again, her right hand balls into a fist.
Seleana Zdunich: They have shit in the blue cupboard!
Taking a deep breath, she glances at the carpet before looking back into the camera. She nods and points to herself.
Seleana Zdunich: I am that next person to step in her way. Last week Mercedes was given the opportunity to shut me out of this spot and she failed to do so. Now I am given the same opportunity to challenge Roxi as she is. You could have stopped me, Mercedes. You could have stopped me dead and I would have been left floating with nothing but the taste of ashes in my mouth left over from what should have been the sweetness of victory. Instead, I stand here…
She points forcefully to the floor beneath her.
Seleana Zdunich: On the precipice of retaking the summit again and I have you to thank for that, Mercedes. Once again, someone was given the chance to deny me and once again all they did was deny themselves the bragging rights of saying I could not do it! I am here and I am ready to learn this lesson all over again! I have two wonderful teachers and we will see which one tries to take the lead on this lecture of pain!
Her hands come together in anticipation.
Seleana Zdunich: Roxi, Mercedes, this will be a wonderful recital. We will all waltz, and then we will see who is willing to turn the beautiful dance into a dirty mosh pit and ready to turn it toxic as it can be. I know you will both come prepared. Now it is time to make this toxic waltz into a wild slamfest as we take out partners and try to prove we are each the queen of this particular pit!
A small, wry smile washes over her visage.
Seleana Zdunich: Roxi likes the beat, Mercedes likes the bottom end and I like the roar above it all. Now we smash into each other in a symphony of destruction that will leave only one of us able to stand up and raise our fist in triumph.
She raises her fist high above her head and then brings it back to rest against her chest.
Seleana Zdunich: I am ready for the dancing lesson… and I am ready to teach as well.
The fist falls away out of the shot as the camera zooms in to frame her face.
Seleana Zdunich: Start the music, it’s time for the circle to open wide and the wall of death to bring us all together!
Her eyes flash as she smiles ever more brightly.
Seleana Zdunich: See you Sunday, ja?
