Into The Rabbit Hole - Episode I (Feat. Roulette)

[DSX93]

This! Is! Awesome! Alicia knew that she could convince management to give her her own talk show. She had the charisma. She had a look that would keep people watching. She had a vision for something that would help her stand apart from the other shows that wrestlers have put on. If they gave her a chance, she'd deliver the ratings that they were looking for.

The

And the chairs in the middle...

was perfect. Good and layered, and wide enough for the audience to be able to see what's happening at all times. One of those big LED signs up top lighting the show's name in white, with the logo just below it: The inside of

with the perspective of nearing its end, at which a

This in silhouette form.

of her was waiting.

She even had help. From Elvira Velour, an opponent she'd faced in one of her tryout matches in Tokyo. It was a fun one. Hot. The perfect mixture of stiff competition and flirtation. At its end, she'd been laid flat under two hundred pounds of woman, wrists pinned to the mat, with the most luscious pair of lips she's ever seen mashing into hers, asserting dominance. It was something out of a dream.

Could hardly call it a shower they walked into afterwards, with how dirty it got.

Alicia wasn't satisfied with this, however. Far from it. She wasn't going to stay beaten. She wasn't going to let herself be considered conquered. She will be getting her get back one of these days. But for now, she was happy to have her walking around in that

introducing the audience to the show.

Dim lights to start with. Leave the set barely visible. Cue the

Imagine that the band skips to the crescendo when Elvira arrives at the final lyrics.

and a flash of light, outwards, leaving the set silhouetted. Make it like a rousing from slumber. Gradually light the set. Fully, in synchronicity with that first sound of the bass guitar. Peel back the first layer of curtains to reveal Elvira and the band and let them pull the audience in with their tune and her vocalizing. And of course, her beauty. Skin brings 'em in, after all. One reason why Alicia wanted a cover that had a lengthy build-up in the intro; let the audience get their whistles and catcalls out of the way so they can settle down and let her sing. Another was that it was a composition that befitted them both; the more laid-back feel for the lounge singer, and the Latin influence for the luchadora.

"♩One pill makes you largerrrr, and one pill makes you smaaaall. And the ones that Mother gives you don't do anythinnng at all. Go ask Alice. When she's ten feet tall. And if you go chasing rabbits, and you know youuu're going to fall, tell 'em a hookah-smoking caterpillar haaas given you the caaall -- call Alice. When she was just smaaall.

When the men ooon the chessbooard get up and tell you where to gooooo, and you've just had some kind of mushroooom, and your mind is moving looooow, go ask Aliiiiiice! I think she'll knooooow! Whaen logic and proportiooon have falleeeen sloppy deaaaad, aand the White Knight is talking backwards, and the Red Queen's off with her heeead, remembeeeer what the dormouse saaaaid! Feed your heeeead! Feed your heeeead! Feed your heeeeeead! Feed your heeeeeead! Feed your heead! Feeed! Yooouuur!♩" Wait for the end of the drum roll, and finally, in acapella..."♩Heeeeeeaaad!♩"

Thunderous applause -- she knocked them dead! Alicia herself was clapping for them. She couldn't have asked for a better vocalist!

"Ladies and gentlemen, please give a round of applause for your host: The White Rabbit we've all been chasing since we received news of her signing, Alicia Lepo!"

She was all smiles when she appeared from behind the second layer of curtains, from the right. The band dispersed as she walked onto the set, and as Elvira was about to pass her by, she'd say to her, "Muchas gracias! That was perfect!"

"What did I tell you?"

Elvira did tell her: Put her in front of a microphone, and she'll get them going.

"You can have that spot permanently, if you want it."

"Much appreciated, darling."

Alicia looked back over her shoulder as Elvira walked past, admiring the jiggle of that big behind. Every step was like poetry in motion. The crowd got a little rowdy, seeing the implications. The tripod went with the band, but with the boom mics in place now that she was center stage, she didn't need it.

She gave the crowd some time to quiet down before she spoke.

"Thank you! Thank you all for showing up to take a look Into The Rabbit Hole! I am your host, Alicia Lepo, and I'm here to feed your heads with news on the hottest wrestlers in LAW today, from the vets, to the up and comers, and to the newcomers! And today we'll be getting the scoop on one of these new faces.

New to LAW, but she's rising fast through the charts in Canada. This stone cold fox is not only talented on the mic, but she's got the moves too! Killing it on stage and in the ring! And she's looking to light up the LAW stage and show the world that she can be number one as a musician and as a professional ass kicker! Give it up for...Roulette!"

Spanish to English Translation

"Muchas gracias!" -- "Many thanks!"

[HotWheels]

So this had become a whole thing.

It felt like an overnight turnaround. The Fox interview. Signing a contract for one match. Being offered a boatload to make it potential for more matches. At some point, Dinah's agent was entirely sure that she had lost her head, the plot - anything she could lose, she had lost it. Something about all this had the star they called Roulette excited, however. Anxious, too, but anxious was a part of excited, wasn't it? At the snap of her fingers and with a few bold words, she had become a wrestler.

And that had led her to yet another wrestler's interview show. Quite a few had jockeyed for her to make an appearance after the news of her signing, but this one had sounded the most interesting to Dinah when all had been presented to her. Plus, it was the opening episode, and she would always have her name listed as the first guest. She need only hope it was professional and not an embarrassing disaster. So far, however, it looked... great. A little overly dramatic for Dinah's taste as a performer who only survived by being on the edge of cool, but it had style. She propped her elbow up at stage side and lifted her fingers along with the notes Elvira sang.

But there was her host, and the performer peered down to make sure everything was in place. Since this was a sexier, almost boudoir setup, she had gone for a leotard under her usual jacket, her hips only partially hidden beneath one of her typical black skirts. She fixed the belt and picked at the back of the leotard (didn't want one of those showing up in a bunch of grainy, zoomed-in pictures of her ass), and by that time, she was being called to the stage. One of the camera crew gave her a little nudge, and she glanced at him with all sorts of sass in her eyes as she strutted away.

She was all smiles and eager waving once she emerged to the cheers of the studio crowd. A little half-hearted sway of her hips and bounce to an unheard beat made them even louder, and Dinah kept them engaged while she slipped her way over to Alicia and settled into place. Now for that awkward small talk before the interview began. What a silly practice, but it was needed. "Heeeya! How are you doing?"

[DSX93]

Alicia had a "live and let live" philosophy that carried over to the show's non-existent dress code. Even Elvira's outfit was her own choice. "A Playboy Bunny come to bounce around the ring instead of the mansion" was one that was out there itself, so she wasn't going to give anybody else flack about what they wore. Her guest could've even shown up naked, if she wanted to. Knowing the kinds of people that watch LAW, it's safe to say they would've loved it. That said, she wasn't about to set out on a race for that sort of thing.

What she's seen of Roulette's conduct on social media and other interviews suggested that they tackled life in a pretty similar manner, so she had the feeling that she'd be walking out in something that walked the line well. Something that was sexy, but also left some room for the audience's imaginations. And sure enough, she didn't disappoint. By the time the ladies were in those velvet chairs, the audience was engaged down to a man.

"Doing as good as I look." Alicia would say to Roulette's initiative. Some might call her cocky for saying it, but aside from the dye, contacts, and makeup, she was natural and self-made from head to toe. And in her book, when you've put in the work to look this good, you've got every right to brag. "And judging from the reaction of our wonderful audience here, it seems safe to assume you're doing just as well. Am I right?" She'd pause to let them have a moment to let her know just how beautiful they found her. It was a very close call, threatening to overtake the love they showed to Alicia herself. It was no empty praise from her either; the girl was a smoke. Show.

"Let's get started with one of the top questions on their minds: What led you to starting a career in professional wrestling as opposed to, say, mixed martial arts?"

[HotWheels]

For all her belief that the whole awkwardly casual conversation made for absurdity, Dinah looked all too comfortable with all of it when she settled in, crossed a leg over the other, and made a pretty picture of herself. She had never had trouble settling into a crowd of strangers and garnering attention even before all the success and glam, but learning how to market herself had turned her charms up twofold. Once she was comfy and presentable, she winked and waggled her fingers in greeting at a section of the crowd without actually seeing any of the faces, but her attention switched back to the hosting rabbit.

Part of the reason for her agreement to make this her first LAW-oriented interview was a belief that she and Alicia here could end up on the same page. Judging by the woman's quick wit about her looks, she had guessed correctly. Not a brute pumping iron until her head exploded, this one. "Must be pretty good then," she lightly retorted, only just loudly enough for the cameras to pick it up. Empty banter, but people at that sort of stuff up, especially with two attractive women settled in front of them.

But she willingly reclaimed the attention when the studio audience piped up for her a second time at Alicia's urging. Used to encores, Dinah grinned at them and again stood to offer a lazy curtsy before regaining her seat. They ate that up, too. This was going pretty damn well so far.

Questions, questions, right. The first one: softball. They hadn't communicated in depth before the interview - it was mostly a "my agent will call your agent" arrangement in line with Dinah's hectic schedule of the last two weeks - but if the questions stayed this simple, she would be coming out looking like polished marble. She could deal with that. "The showmanship, of course! After the kickboxing event, I had a taste and wanted more. MMA has its brand of showmanship, but wrestling has so much focus on the crowd interaction. And I think the crowds like me alrigh-" She pointed at a few that cheered as if on cue. "-so after that conversation and challenge from Keith Fox on his podcast, it seemed like the obvious next step in my, you know, rise to the top of combat sports."