The interior of Brick's Wrestling Promotions was full of movement, as its workers were getting ready for a sudden meeting. Revenants and other employees went through the courtyard like ants, carrying any chair, bench, and box they could use to seat on. Kitchen staff, administrative workers, and others sat next to their coworkers at the wrong side of the grave with only slight unease, trying to avoid looking too much at their stitches out of professional courtesy.
Diego sat next to Emma on a bench, impatiently shaking his leg up and down.
"What does she want now?"
"She calls these to review something or to make an announcement", the young woman took a moment to think, taking away her eyes from a newspaper, "One of the big railroad companies is getting into wrestling, so it might have to do with that. Yesterday I passed outside her office and heard her complain about them. She sounded pretty worked up".
"And I thought businesspeople loved some healthy competition".
"That's what they all say, but who doesn't want a good monopoly?"
"Money's one hell of a drug".
"I can take yours if you don't want it", through the edge of her eye, Emma saw Dirtha moved towards the ring, and quickly patted her friend's leg, "Look, here she comes".
Dirtha crossed the ropes in such a regal way that one had to wonder if she had practiced it beforehand. She looked down at her audience, towering over them in size and from her platform on top of the ring.
"Thank you all for coming in such short notice. These past days there have been several developments threatening to shake our place in the industry, and we'll have to change accordingly to overcome them. You'll likely be aware of some of them, such as how W&J's Fighting has purchased Shomer's contract, currently the top fighter in the circuit".
"More like the top psycho", A black man sitting at the other edge of the bench mumbled to himself, while combing a few loose hairs back into his short afro. At first glance, no one could have guessed that he was another revenant, not so much from the subtlety of his stitches, but because he was so skinny that you could use him as a toothpick.
"An accurate observation, Marvin", Dirtha commented, showing that her dagger-like ears weren't just for show.
"Gotta use these sharp eyes you got me".
"If I may continue, W&J's also bought the rights for the merchandise associated with Shomer's image, much more expensive than his own contract. Other companies have made similar moves, following the predictions of a growing interest in heel wrestlers, especially amongst younger generations. In short, people want more bad guys, and kids want their toys".
The woman took a document from the folder she was holding.
"On another note, Mr. Shog has raised the prices of its…his venues. We'll have to adjust to these new costs accordingly".
"Excuse me", a female revenant raised her hand, "Does this mean that the company store will raise its prices too? Or is it going to show on our pay?".
"All options are still on the table".
"The price of bread has gone up three times this year alone. If all options are still on the table, then something will leave ours".
"If you find the prices at the store too high, I can point you to some others with more competitive ones".
"Will the owner run away screaming after he sees my face?"
"Not if you lock the door behind you".
Diego couldn't wrap his head around Dirtha. She usually remained professional and distant, as if nothing could bother or surprise her, and then there were moments when she broke down that image to tell a dry joke. He then turned to Emma and tapped her on the arm.
"Hey, what's this about a company store?", he whispered to her.
"A store that the company owns, it's stocked with pretty much anything you'd need, like food and hygiene products".
"So, Dirtha pays us, and then gets her money back? Aren't there other shops?".
"Yes, but people usually don't like giving us service".
"How am I learning about all this now?"
"Because you're still in your grace period. They tend to give the new resurrected several months to slowly adjust and understand how things work around here. Otherwise, the results aren't pretty".
"Pretty, as in how?"
"Well, a very famous moment in their history was when this emperor thought about resurrecting people to get cheap soldiers for the army, some centuries ago. So, when some of these people found out they were alive again, and they wanted to send them to die, the instead revolted and chopped the emperor's head clean off. They must've thought 'hey, I was dead just a minute ago, what do I care if I die again as long as I take that guy with me?'".
"And finally, after the new trends, I've decided to bring a greater focus into heel wrestlers", while the pair talked, Dirtha had continued with the meeting, "Before we start a heel turn for any of your characters, we've incorporated a new employee to star in this new line. If you look at Emma, you'll see that she's having a fun little conversation with him".
The different shades that dotted the pair's skin turned into a single red, as every eye around looked in their direction.
"Some of you might've met him before. Please, welcome Diego Casanova", the marbled skin woman spoke with words covered in a glee she couldn't contain. In her mind, if an employee ignored her during an important meeting, it was only fair that she pulled the rug from under their feet.
"Um… hello", Diego said timidly, suddenly finding himself the center of attention.
"Your surname's Casanova?", Emma said, trying to hold a treacherous snicker inside her mouth.
"Shut it, I've heard that one already".
"Whatever you say, ladies' man".
Dirtha covered a smile with her folder. As soon as she decided that they'd been embarrassed enough, she took a deep breath, and wore again her armor of professionalism.
"In two days, he'll debut in the new promises tournament. His performance will be key to plan our future strategies, including changes to your characters to bring them in line with the target audiences. With this, we're up to date".
When the long-awaited end arrived, everyone got up in a flash to return to their duties. However, with his rear end still hovering over the bench, Dirtha called the young kravist out.
"Diego, could you please come to my office?".
A chill ran down his spine like a roller coaster. That phrase tended to bring more trouble than anything else.