Last Cycle Today: An Interview with a Dirty Diamond

[Hope]

Playing over the sweeping camera angles of the silver haired woman was a song she had recently heard and quite enjoyed. It wasn't Rhy'Din's biggest studio by any means but there had been a deal brokered between the Diamond and the pretty faces sitting across from her. A crew assistant behind the camera held up his index, middle and ring fingers before slipping down the ring, then the middle to point at the lit stage and that dead bulb began to shine a bright red.

"Hello Rhy'Din and welcome to the premier episode of Last Cycle Today! My name is Preston and I'll be your host this evening but enough about me! This is the first time we've gotten our ducks in a row (financing!) but we're hoping it won't be our last!" The young man let out a cough, somewhat playful but lingering was a truthful anxiousness to it all.

"We've got a special guest today who some of you might recognize from the Outback or more recently the Iron Fist League! Among her recent accomplishments she is the Keeper of Fire on the Twilight Isle, the Baron of Old Market and for some time remaining and perhaps to come, the Diamond of the Outback! Please give a round of applause to the one and the only, Hope!"

As she took a drink of the water beneath the lights she crossed one leg, the left, across so that her ankle rested atop her right knee. The live audience wasn't difficult for her to adjust to since she'd done every match in front of one, whether it be the humble beginnings in the Outback with peers or the shuttering lights in the Iron Fist Gardens. She smiled to the young man across from her who sat on his own love seat while she enjoyed a comfortable leather recliner.

"I'm thankful to be here and thank you for having me." She smiled to him before turning her gaze to the camera lens with a wave.

Preston adjusted his posture on the sofa and began to flip through some of the topics on his clipboard before setting it down on the table between them.

"We're excited to have you today and we've got a few questions we'd like to ask you so if you don't mind, we'll just jump right in! Since your first appearance you hit the ground running and have only really moved forward. Do you feel like the sky is still the limit? You've accomplished a lot in your time here and we have to know as well as many others, will you be slowing down any time soon?"

Fingers interlaced and folded carefully against her knee while she listened to him and thought about the most honest way to respond.

"The future is a hard thing to read. I don't have a crystal ball so unfortunately I can't tell you what's around the corner but I can tell you that for the immediate future, I'd love to keep my standards of living right where they are." A smile was eased into the man's direction once more.

"I don't think any would want to fight that! Now we've seen earlier that you had relative quick success earning yourself not just one but two places of residency. One you have successfully installed a firewall for, if I may be so cliche." He laughed a bit flashing his pearly smile to the camera.

"That was terrible." She said dryly while forcing a smile out. Really, it was terrible.

"Yes you have had more than enough to prove you're the heart of that volcano. Now shed some light for us on your upcoming challenge against Anubis. He is one of the most accomplished fighters Rhy'Din has seen, naturally that has to carry some weight into the equation right?" He tapped at the clipboard that had found its way back into his hands with a pen.

"Definitely. Only a fool would think that man harmless. I will be treating him as seriously as I have any other match. I've got a lot to lose and I'm not quite ready to give up my ring just yet." She took a hold of her necklace and began to trace the circle of the ring with her fingers. The Key of Fire and Diamond were both also present on the cord of gold.

"He is a man capable of many grotesque feats and perhaps not the model citizen but... if there is such a thing in Rhy'Din, I don't believe I want to meet them. I will treat this fight like any else; failure is the most readily available option." She leaned forward to pick up the water once more. You might think living in a volcano would make one impervious to heat.

"So all of you listening from home make sure you write that down. Do not underestimate anyone! Ever! That is a law from your Diamond!" The sound of paper flipping could be heard as he took the next page within his eyesight with a broad smile.

"Now Hope it turns out your Barony isn't the only thing at stake recently. The next Diamond Quest is around the corner (literally!) and is closing in fast. Do you have any predictions you might like to guess with? Are there any names we should look into? Does a repeat performance come across as likely?" He proceeded to launch a barrage at her without pause.

“As far as predictions go I don't think I can give a fair one being biased as I am. With that said I'm confident in my abilities that have gotten me this far and I'll be going in with the same goal that I've always had: to do my best. Last time my best was enough to walk away with it. This time? I guess we'll all find out at the same time.” She stretched with her hands over her head.

"Fair enough! You've never struck me as a total [expletive removed] talker but you're willing to shine a little from here to there. What are your opinions on trash talking? Is it simply part of the sport, part of the entertainment side? Do you ever have to bite your own tongue from putting anyone on blast?" He leaned in with his chin resting on his knuckles.

"I think it's a two-sided coin. On one hand, yes we're entertainers. We don't only fight, we also have to sell our brands. People show up for names. The truth is you can find two homeless men fighting over a half-empty bottle of wine, or probably some kind of depleted Uranium in Rhy'Din. So why us? Our names and what they carry. Titles help of course but look at the IFL. Monstrous crowd really and they never fail to support their fighters. On the other side- I don't personally feel the need to talk trash but there is honest merit to those that do. The goal is to win and if you can get under your opponent's skin and set them off their A-Game? Well maybe it's something worth considering."

"So if you find the opportunity right and know it will set off your opponent, you might consider a little bad mouthing?" He smiled as she simply shrugged not willing to give a direct answer.

"Speaking of IFL let's touch on that a little bit! You were a new signing to Team Dirty this season and although we did get a brief glimpse of you in the hot seat when Captain Farron had to step away for her newly born twins, congratulations Ms. Farron!, could you tell us a little about the experience? What were your expectations? Maybe give us a little insight on the contract details?" He was good with prying angles, that was for sure.

"I was fortunate enough to have gotten an offer from Claire representing Dirty before the season was underway and at first, I was offered a respectable amount of money. I turned down the first contract in light of a second: one that offered less guaranteed pay but would reimburse me through bonuses should I earn them. Personally, I think that is a better route through life. I didn't want the world, and although they weren't offering it, I wanted to earn my spot like everyone else. I remember watching the footage of the last season and one fighter stuck out to me. Lena Choi was just power and humility from start to finish. I watched her lead that team to the playoffs and I just thought to myself: I want to be that. I wanted to get a team that was on or near the hump and help them get over. I think that's exactly what I got in Dirty and I'm hoping to stick around for a long, long time."

"So there we have it. Hope exposed!" He flared another white smile to the camera.

"Unfortunately that about wraps up all the time we have today! We'd like to thank you all for watching our first episode of Last Cycle Today and we'd like to extend a formal thank you to the Diamond Hope, or is it the Hope Diamond?" Cue cringe-worthy laughter.

"Best of luck tonight we'll be rooting for you!" With that last smile and wink the camera faded to black.