Off-Camera
Friday, April 5, 2024
Office of Seleana Zdunich
Zdunich Zoological Gardens
Los Angeles, California
9:01 PM PDT
Inside the office, Seleana stands, waiting for her friend and zoo head veterinarian, Dr. Michelle “Chavy” Chavez, to come in and discuss what she’s found in her return. She had spent the last few months on maternity leave since giving birth to a daughter, Marlene, in October. Now she was back at work and ready to see how things had kept up in her absence. As she walks into the room, Seleana can’t help but smile at seeing her friends in the office gain.
Seleana Zdunich: How’s it, Chavy?
The doctor smiles brightly.
Dr. Michelle "Chavy" Chavez: I’m happy to be back working again. I missed the animals so much when I was off with Marlene.
Seleana can’t help but smile broadly.
Seleana Zdunich: How is motherhood?
Tears of joy start to well up in Chavy’s eyes.
Dr. Michelle "Chavy" Chavez: I had no idea I could love someone like this. Teddy’s been so good with her. It would surprise people so much given what everyone usually thinks of him.
Seleana nods, visibly impressed as her opinion of Teddy Warren did not tend to be very positive at all. .
Seleana Zdunich: Is he?
Chavy nods happily.
Dr. Michelle "Chavy" Chavez: He’s taken to her like e another with a cub, it’s so cute!
Seleana nods slowly, seemingly taken aback by her opinion being apparently proven so wrong about Chavy’s husband.
Seleana Zdunich: Juliet had said he was being different now that he had you. I am happy to see he is sticking to that, ja?
Chavy nods.
Dr. Michelle "Chavy" Chavez: He’s been trying to talk me into trying physical competition things now too.
Seleana cocks her head slightly, frowning just a little at this.
Seleana Zdunich: Like what?
Chavy knickers.
Dr. Michelle "Chavy" Chavez: He’s talked about me trying wrestling and he’s talked about buying a football team in that league that Brittany, Brayden, Sofism Halo, Christina and Alex are all involved in.
Seleana nods.
Seleana Zdunich: Ja, that is me as well. Christina has asked me to come play in that league the way I did in the other one she played in. We were on the same team.
Chavy beams.
Dr. Michelle "Chavy" Chavez: How’d you do?
Seleana shrugs.
Seleana Zdunich: She was the quarterback, I was a receiver. I do ok, I think. I not hurt the team but we did not go all the way to the championship either.
Chavy nods.
Dr. Michelle "Chavy" Chavez: I don’t know what all Teddy has in mine but he’s been trying to talk me into playing. He seems to think I can play quarterback but I don’t know if I’d do that great.
Seleana shrugs.
Seleana Zdunich: He probably thinks you have steady hands for this job so you would be good at throwing the ball.
Now it’s Chavy’s turn to shrug.
Dr. Michelle "Chavy" Chavez: Yeah, but the animals don’t try to hit me here. How bad would it be if I played and got hurt? I wouldn’t wanna lose this job because I tried another on the side. I’d miss the animals so bad…
She looks down, sighing.
Dr. Michelle "Chavy" Chavez: And what would I do about Marlene?
Seleana moves over, smiling and pats her friend on the shoulder.
Seleana Zdunich: You do wonderful. If you do not want to play, just tell him.
Chavy nods.
Dr. Michelle "Chavy" Chavez: You all seemed to manage without me well enough. The animals are all in good shape, the check-ups have been performed in a timely manner. Everything seems in order.
Seleana nods.
Seleana Zdunich: Ja, because you set everything up and were available whenever a question arose. We had all the help we needed thanks to you.
Chavy smiles brightly.
Dr. Michelle "Chavy" Chavez: I just wanted to keep this place going, I love it so much.
Seleana beams back at her.
Seleana Zdunich: Ja, that is me as well.
Chavy hugs Seleana.
Dr. Michelle "Chavy" Chavez: Thank you for keeping my seat warm for me.
Seleana hugs her back.
Seleana Zdunich: Of course, who else would I want in this job but you? You are wonderful and you are wonderful at it.
Chavy nods gratefully.
Dr. Michelle "Chavy" Chavez: I love you, Sel.
Seleana Zdunich: I love you too, Chavy.
On-Camera
Saturday, April 6, 2024
City Park
Adjacent to Zdunich Zoological Gardens
Los Angeles, California
4:21 PM PDT
The camera opens upon Seleana Zdunich sitting outside on a bench in the park that was built next door to the Zdunich Zoological Gardens. Seleana looks around, enjoying the scenery as she contemplates the future.
Seleana Zdunich: I admit, I did not expect this to last.
A small, wry smile comes to her face.
Seleana Zdunich: They do not just build such things here often.
She looks up slightly.
Seleana Zdunich: Usually, it is another building for commercial use, or a building for high-end apartments. Something that will be tall, ugly, and for someone to make obscene money by stealing the area from those who can least afford it, ja?
Looking around even more, Seleana takes in all of the surrounding area.
Seleana Zdunich: I expected this to be another promise to be broken like so many have been before.
Looking back uo, Selean’s gaze falls directly on the lens of the camera
Seleana Zdunich: I have lived here for nearly ten years’ time now and I cannot remember how many times something like this was promised in this city. It seemed like every time it was talked about, something else would happen to be used to explain why it would not happen after all.
A small sigh with more anger on it than she intended escapes her lips.
Seleana Zdunich: It is like the first idea that was used to get me to try professional wrestling.
She nods as she pats her chest.
Seleana Zdunich: I was promised a tag team that has still not happened yet.
She shrugs.
Seleana Zdunich: Plans change, I know.
She almost laughs as she looks off into the distance across the grass.
Seleana Zdunich: I have been called a broken promise myself as I have won two championships but at my age, experience and length of service in SCW, I should have won more, ja?
Looking back into the camera, Seleana glares harshly.
Seleana Zdunich: As if the problem is I just have not tried hard enough to put in enough work or otherwise have exerted the popper effort, ja?
She shakes her head.
Seleana Zdunich: För fan i helvete! Ni jävla idioter! Ni gör alla sådana höns av fjädrar!
Looking momentarily angry with herself for her little outburst, Seleana shakes her head again.
Seleana Zdunich: Skit också!
Still visibly annoyed, she looks back up into the camera.
Seleana Zdunich: I have watched a great many of you promise many things.
She nods grimly.
Seleana Zdunich: Things you could never hope to deliver.
The anger washes over her, seemingly almost rippling as it goes.
Seleana Zdunich: You promise to end me. You promise to run me out of this sport. You promise to win all the championships. You promise I will never amount to anything because you will make certain it never happens. You promise you will break me.
An almost wicked grin comes across her face.
Seleana Zdunich: You all break those promises every time you get in the ring with me.
She raises a hand to stop the inevitable response and retorts.
Seleana Zdunich: Some of you won matches, ja?
She nods as if the answer is obvious.
Seleana Zdunich: Ja, you win, but you broke your promises to end me, to break me, to run me off. You break your promises to humiliate me beyond all repair.
She shakes her head.
Seleana Zdunich: None of you have done it.
Glaring even more harshly, her eyes narrow.
Seleana Zdunich: None of you CAN do it.
Her hand balls into a fist, threatening to slam down on the bench.
Seleana Zdunich: Now I come to a match with Ariana Angelos and Georgie Robertson.
She nods.
Seleana Zdunich: I have been in the ring with you before, ja?
Sitting forward, Seleana folds her hands across her lap.
Seleana Zdunich: You have both promised such things before, not as vehemently as others but…
She shrugs.
Seleana Zdunich: I shoul laugh at the very idea of such promises now. They have been made so many times, so often and always end up broken.
She snickers as she shakes her head again.
Seleana Zdunich: It is almost like an addict who has not yet hit bottom yet and makes promises they know they will not keep, but do anyway because they cannot help themselves. It is part of their addictions and they will do anything they have to try and feed it.
She nods, the grin fading away as she glares into the camera and points to herself.
Seleana Zdunich: Whether anyone wishes to acknowledge it or not, I am their addiction. Even when they try to blow me off or disrespect me, they cannot help themselves.
She nods pointing to herself even more emphatically.
Seleana Zdunich: I am everyone’s broken promise and I will go on making everyone break those promises because they fail to realize that you cannot break what is wild at heart.
She smirks.
Seleana Zdunich: Välkommen till djungeln. You cannot tame a wild cat that refuses to come in from the jungle.
She stands up, glaring pointedly into the camera.
Seleana Zdunich: It is my home and I will not leave.