Post by Fiona McFly on Jan 19, 2024 20:51:12 GMT
~19 JANUARY 2024 + 9:30 AM~
The weather outside was cold and biting.
The vibes inside Fiona's office were just as chilly as the conditions outdoors.
Inside the temporary venue that housed the Revolution Texas Academy in Midlothian, quarters were cramped and nerves were frayed. Fiona McFly, slumped in a dusty old swivel chair, sighed and shook her head as she perused through the latest financial reports. Mr. Cade, a gentleman in his late-50s who served as the institution's financial advisor, quivered his lips as he helped her process the dire news that she'd been given.
MR. CADE:
Two months. You have enough set aside to run RCW and the main Academy for two months. You paid too much for the refurbishments to the Grapevine campus.
FIONA MCFLY:
Christ...
MR. CADE:
Well, you like to compartmentalise things, but that's not exactly a smart financial strategy. You try to balance your plate, but one thing throws it out of whack.
Fiona took a sip from a piping hot cup of Earl Grey as she looked around the room, which was formerly the principal's office at the former J.R. Irvin Elementary School site. The building had been slated for demoltion, but she had convinced the city to be able to move the Academy and Retro's headquarters to the building as a short-term solution until the main campus refurbishment was completed. She had so much on her plate, it was throwing her own mental state out of balance.
It was a little too much to fully process just how dire things had become.
Academy recruitment was down by fifty percent, and injuries had taken a toll on the Retro promotion's biggest stars. Caroline Machado, the Academy's MMA instructor, was dealing with mental health issues. The infectious spirit she often provided Fiona and Company just wasn't there. Guest MMA instructors just didn't share the same vibe Caroline had.
Of course, there was also the situation involving R.A. Marshall -- a.k.a. "RAM." An error during a random drug screening nearly led to the termination of his own wrestling career, and despite everything that he had put her through along with Yulia Malakova, Fiona still saw the potential in him to do great things.
There was no way in hell Fiona was going to get her business partner and friend James Gilmore involved in this mess. She knew that JJ had much on his plate, given that he was now a single father and fully committed to training new wrestling prospects after his in-ring retirement. She bowed her head and took a deep breath as Mr. Cade perked up.
MR. CADE:
Fiona...you've done a helluva good job investing your time and money into these ventures, I'll say that much. You seem to have a very good business acumen and a very shrewd personality, kind of like a diplomat. Problem is...you don't need to be running the whole kit 'n' kaboodle by yourself. It's not good on your own psyche.
Mr. Cade paused and adjusted his red bowtie.
MR. CADE:
What I'd do is get somebody to run day-to-day operations in the Academy proper; someone else can run Retro. You have a fledgling film production studio, Sunrise, that you can tie with RCW. Boom, one problem settled already.
FIONA:
Hrmm...never thought about that. Then again,Retro was mainly comprised of folks who trained at the Academy.
MR. CADE:
And there's another problem -- too much homegrown talent. Yeah, I understand how good it is to develop your own farm system, but you need free agents, big names that can give RCW the spark it needs and, conversly, help with Academy recruiting. Tying Sunrise and Retro together means now you've got enough set aside to get the promotion back on its feet.
Fiona nodded slowly.
FIONA:
Here's what I'll see about doing...Johnny can help JJ run the Academy's day-to-day operations. I'll handle Retro whilst someone else can partner up and run Sunrise.
Both smiled from ear to ear, knowing that things were off to a good start. Yet Fiona couldn't help but close her eyes, pondering about where to take RCW in the future. A light bulb popped inside her mind -- she began to believe that the promotion needed some extra edge, an attitude that simply didn't mesh with its current family-friendly product that was being shown on meTV. At that moment, only one name came to mind.
And she had his number on her favourites list.
FIONA:
Hi Ram, I...I hope you're doing a'right. Whilst I know that you and I aren't gonna singing karaoke together, I have a special deal for you...
~TO BE CONTINUED~
The weather outside was cold and biting.
The vibes inside Fiona's office were just as chilly as the conditions outdoors.
Inside the temporary venue that housed the Revolution Texas Academy in Midlothian, quarters were cramped and nerves were frayed. Fiona McFly, slumped in a dusty old swivel chair, sighed and shook her head as she perused through the latest financial reports. Mr. Cade, a gentleman in his late-50s who served as the institution's financial advisor, quivered his lips as he helped her process the dire news that she'd been given.
MR. CADE:
Two months. You have enough set aside to run RCW and the main Academy for two months. You paid too much for the refurbishments to the Grapevine campus.
FIONA MCFLY:
Christ...
MR. CADE:
Well, you like to compartmentalise things, but that's not exactly a smart financial strategy. You try to balance your plate, but one thing throws it out of whack.
Fiona took a sip from a piping hot cup of Earl Grey as she looked around the room, which was formerly the principal's office at the former J.R. Irvin Elementary School site. The building had been slated for demoltion, but she had convinced the city to be able to move the Academy and Retro's headquarters to the building as a short-term solution until the main campus refurbishment was completed. She had so much on her plate, it was throwing her own mental state out of balance.
It was a little too much to fully process just how dire things had become.
Academy recruitment was down by fifty percent, and injuries had taken a toll on the Retro promotion's biggest stars. Caroline Machado, the Academy's MMA instructor, was dealing with mental health issues. The infectious spirit she often provided Fiona and Company just wasn't there. Guest MMA instructors just didn't share the same vibe Caroline had.
Of course, there was also the situation involving R.A. Marshall -- a.k.a. "RAM." An error during a random drug screening nearly led to the termination of his own wrestling career, and despite everything that he had put her through along with Yulia Malakova, Fiona still saw the potential in him to do great things.
There was no way in hell Fiona was going to get her business partner and friend James Gilmore involved in this mess. She knew that JJ had much on his plate, given that he was now a single father and fully committed to training new wrestling prospects after his in-ring retirement. She bowed her head and took a deep breath as Mr. Cade perked up.
MR. CADE:
Fiona...you've done a helluva good job investing your time and money into these ventures, I'll say that much. You seem to have a very good business acumen and a very shrewd personality, kind of like a diplomat. Problem is...you don't need to be running the whole kit 'n' kaboodle by yourself. It's not good on your own psyche.
Mr. Cade paused and adjusted his red bowtie.
MR. CADE:
What I'd do is get somebody to run day-to-day operations in the Academy proper; someone else can run Retro. You have a fledgling film production studio, Sunrise, that you can tie with RCW. Boom, one problem settled already.
FIONA:
Hrmm...never thought about that. Then again,Retro was mainly comprised of folks who trained at the Academy.
MR. CADE:
And there's another problem -- too much homegrown talent. Yeah, I understand how good it is to develop your own farm system, but you need free agents, big names that can give RCW the spark it needs and, conversly, help with Academy recruiting. Tying Sunrise and Retro together means now you've got enough set aside to get the promotion back on its feet.
Fiona nodded slowly.
FIONA:
Here's what I'll see about doing...Johnny can help JJ run the Academy's day-to-day operations. I'll handle Retro whilst someone else can partner up and run Sunrise.
Both smiled from ear to ear, knowing that things were off to a good start. Yet Fiona couldn't help but close her eyes, pondering about where to take RCW in the future. A light bulb popped inside her mind -- she began to believe that the promotion needed some extra edge, an attitude that simply didn't mesh with its current family-friendly product that was being shown on meTV. At that moment, only one name came to mind.
And she had his number on her favourites list.
FIONA:
Hi Ram, I...I hope you're doing a'right. Whilst I know that you and I aren't gonna singing karaoke together, I have a special deal for you...
~TO BE CONTINUED~
Well howdy there pardner.