Wile of the Fox [for BlackAkuma]

[HotWheels]

Dinah had been told that many times - that she had good instincts. Good entertainment instincts, good business instincts, good partnership instincts. At times, she doubted it; they hadn’t seen her waltz her way into… her first work in the entertainment business. She had to shake those thoughts away whenever they invaded. Definitely not a subject to ponder on in front of a camera. She liked hearing that she had a knack for things, however, even if she would claim a lot of it was hard work. It was indeed hard work, after all, and it made her sound more down to earth to claim that as her greatest boon and contributor to her success.

“Thank you, thank you~”, she coyly retorted, posing in her seat as if she were sheepish about the compliments. The last match was the one she wanted people to see - it was the longest, and arguably, it was the one where she felt least comfortable. The hits had been harder, too. But she had been so focused and had become so used to the blows by that point that she looked like just what she had described - a gladiatrix countering everything her opponent had sent her way. It was even impressive for her to watch, and she had lived it.

…And of course, he was right about the second point. That, she could make light of too - she already wore the smirk by the time he finished. “They don’t only say I bought my way to the top.” She flicked up the top of her skirt just enough to show up more of her legs before letting it flop back down. She peered into the camera. “But I’ve heard that about my whole career. It’s a weird way for them to admit they’ve decided I’m such a babe I can get straight to the top of the business on my looks, but if they want to dox themselves, go right ahead.” She winked.

Her attention wheeled back to Keith. “I’m also happy to fight them if they want some proof. Was it the guy from Exclaim who said that? He’s been eating my- he’s been hounding me for years." Intentional slip up for a slap to his stupid mug. "I’m still in fighting shape. I stuck with the training. It’s great cardio.”

[BlackAkuma]

The smirk was a good sign. Touching on the haters was always a delicate topic. Being a public figure meant that you made enemies by the thousands by default, and the internet had a way of amplifying them. Even his show had a bunch of Anti-Fox Reddit forums, populated by people who loved to point out his shortcomings, some real and some imagined. That sort of thing bothered him when he started up, but it was only white noise these days.

Not everyone had thick skin, though, so seeing Dinah had developed a similar skill was cool. Water off a duck’s back.

His gaze went down on instinct when she flashed some thigh, pure male instinct at work, but he was quick to reset and bring his focus back to her face as she looked towards the camera. When her gaze fell back on him, he was fully focused and nodding. ”The guy from Exclaim? He’s the guy who did the thing, right? The thing with the other thing and then that thing?” He feigned knowledge for a couple more seconds before he threw it away with a wave of the hand. Yeah, got no idea who that is, but I’ll bet on you if it comes to that.”

That last bit intrigued him, the most, though, and he scooted a little closer to her and leaned. ”It’s cool that you’re sticking with it, though. How soon until you step back into the ring, you think?”