Description: A study in contrasts. A lady of the night meets a lady of the morning. An apathetic prodigy, with the world given to her on a silver platter finds herself in the company of a woman with a long past of failures and struggles. A spar occurs over the fate of Jace, but the superstar might be disappointed in the kind of catfight both ladies are willing to pull...
The Athens Hilton isn't the nicest hotel that Bethany has ever stayed in, but it is comfortable enough at least.
The heiress is having breakfast. Leant up against the bar, a tall glass of orange juice is being sipped inbetween long drags on a cigarette. A growing miasma of tobacco is growing around the rich woman, who is making it her business to eye the other patrons of the hotel as much as they eye her. She'd be returning to America soon, she's sure. Having made her splash and upset a sizeable proportion of the population, she really just has to lay the groundwork for Jace and she'll have had a very productive weekend.
She doesn't look particularly enthused, though. She's bored again, and her casual apathy is written across every inch of her slouched demeanor. This place is boring. These people are boring. Jace had managed to be interesting for a little while, but he isn't actually around right now. So? Back to boring.
But what was the other half of society up to?
Bethany's idle view of the ins and outs of the morning commute is interrupted by the sounds of hefty gasping. A statuesque woman, garbed in a pair of startling US-flag sweatpants and sweatshirt, jogs into the lobby, inhaling deeply. "WHEW-WEE! What a work out!" She loudly pipes out in an accent that would not be out of place of a bad western movie. The tall, beautiful woman is red in the face, sweat on her brow. Slowing down to a walk, she flashes an energetic smile as she grabs her arms, and begins twisting them side to side, stretching them.
Oh lord she is coming your way Bethany.
Jezebel continues towards the bar counter that Beth was sitting at, hardly passing the woman a look. Why would she? The middle-aged woman had a routine she did her best to keep to, to keep her physical condition at peak. Early morning was meant for early-day exercises, with a round of jogging to keep the endurance up, and the energy up for the whole day. And with the Saturday Night Fight that evening, who could blame her for infusing herself with positive energy. Reaching the bar, she pipes up in that energetic drawl, as she ceases her arm streches, and moves to the glutes and legs. Picking up her foot from behind, she stretches them as she flashses that winning smile, dimples forming beside her freckles as she speaks to the tender.
"Why Good Mornin'! Could I please have a nice glass of orange juice, would you kindly? Woooo-weee!"
Bethany can really radiate disdain when she wants to. From the moment she hears that first, loud exclamation she thinks she knows who it is. After all, the notion that there could be more than one of them in Athens is just too horrible to contemplate. The truth is that Beth doesn't hate Jezebel - to hate her would require a lot more in the way of commitment than she is willing to give. But she certainly doesn't *like* her either.
The young woman is waiting for Jezebel to recognize her. When that doesn't happen, she draws on her cigarette again, and exhales a long, steady stream of smoke directly into the flag-clad woman's face. As far as introductions go, she feels that this gets them off on the right foot.
"You can jog all you like." She says, evenly, "You're not going to catch up with your career. That, has passed way over the horizon."
Beth's casual, sardonic drawl could not be much more different than the cheerful, energetic older woman. The cynicism drips from every syllable, thick and heavy.
As the bar tender prepares Jezebel her glass of Orange Juice, Passing a glance at the rich so-and-so with the presence of a lounge singer, she just smiles brightly and politely. She doesn't recognize the media mogul, though really, someone like Jezebel should learn to get a good grip on the names of the business. But when that smoke is blown her way, she sweeps it clear away, smile not yielding for a second. A rich so-and-so. Keeping up that bright, bubbly drawl, she just responds right back with a cheery air.
"Well, boy howdy miss, I don't normally take exercising tips from a habitual smoker, but I darn say you got my attention on this one!"
Jezzy gives Bethany a once over as the glass is placed right on the counter. Turning back around, she goes to sipping on her orange juice once before looking back over. "Now, I got to say, there aren't that many who know about my full career, but it sure does mean a whole lot to meet up with someone darn dedicated. Why, you would have been the right age for Jezebel's Show-Up Hoe-Down." Seemingly unphased by the initial puff of smoke, she just keeps up that bright and bubbly air, as she leans against the counter, crossing her right shin over her left.
"What's your name, darlin'"
Bethany rolls her eyes. For a moment, she just lets the question hang in the air, and then she stubs out the cigarette in a nearby ashtray. She gives Jezebel a long look, as though she were trying to wither the perky Southern girl with her eyes. It isn't unusual for people not to know who she is; you really have to follow a certain kind of media, and fighters are rarely into that cross section of society.
The name is big business, though.
"Bethanny Cale. Of the Cale group." The Cale group of media companies, dabbling in everything from film production to newspapers.
"My family *is* the entertainment industry, Ms. Faiblesse. But I'd never heard of you until I saw you were going up against Jace. Then I decided it was time to see if I might be interested in giving you a helping hand back into the spotlight."
She looks away, picking up her orange juice and sipping it. The ball has been placed back in Jezebel's court. She is clearly unimpressed, and her every action has been rude and infuriating. The question now becomes whether Jezebel is the sort of person who will try to win her over... or if she's the sort of person who will rebuff her and try to cut her down to size. The Business is full of enough of both, lord knows, and Beth... well, she's not a morning person, apparently.
Lightning Spangles might have a few cross words for a rude woman....
But Jezebel needs to keep bridges up, not burn them.
"Bethanny Cale. I heard of you!" The actress pipes up, taking another drink. Clearing her throat, she salutes the woman real quick. "Just call me Jesse, Mrs. Cale. Yeah, yeah, Bethanny Cale. I read about you in the paper this morning!" She nods knowingly, looking away from the woman briefly. "Well, what a real co-winky dink to run right into you, darling!" The woman turns back to Beth, and thrusts out a hand for a friendly shake. "Well, I'm always open for more opportunities, but I think you misunderstand my intent on what way I want to take my career, but lets start on your side, darling!"
"What do you have in mind?"
And now that she's raised Jezebel's hopes, it is time to dash them.
Beth just looks at the offered hand, and shrugs her shoulders. "I'm a Miss, not Mrs." She says, turning to face Jezebel a little more fully. She gives the woman an obvious, scrutinizing once over, and then she shrugs a second time. Folding her arms over her chest, she just shakes her head.
"You need to lose the cornbread witticisms. Those, went out of fashion with legwarmers. Even the kids these days aren't going to buy it. You're too old for leading lady, too. Maybe you could play the zany best friend, but... the irony there is, you're too pretty."
There's a bark of laughter, and she smirks. "As for this, fighting thing? Please. Do you really think anyone is going to take you seriously? Jace will wipe the floor with you. He practices a *real* style. And when he does, nobody is going to want to see you again."
"Sorry, 'darlin', but really, you should probably just go home."
About ten years, that would have crush Jezze. With the accident, the scandals, the terrible gig after terrible gig. Ten years ago, Jezebel was at the bottom of the barrel, clawing her way at the top. Broken, desperate, and alone, ten years ago, Jezebel would be like soft clay in Bethanny's hands.
But Jezebel Faiblesse has come a long way since then.
The veteran actress can't help but let out a cheerful chuckle against Bethanny's pompous cynicism. "Well, Mizz Cale, I wanted to give you a chance, but it looks like you don't know a darn thing about . And I was just about to refer you to my agent; Woo-wee, I'm glad I just saved you the embarassment of fighting right out of your league." Shaking her head, she sips the orange juice again. "Maybe you aren't used to picking your own fights though. Your daddy should have a talk with you on how to properly draw in an old vet on the acting scene, if you are gonna cut out on your own like that!" Leaning towards Bethanny, the full force of the woman's personality comes out, as Jezebel raising a fist... and shakes it. "Since I'm an old salt ready to give a young whippersnapper a few tricks in the industry, I'll give you some you really deserve."
"Advice, free of charge."
Sticking out the first finger, she keeps up that energetic drawl "First up, backhanded compliments might cut it in the tea circle, but you try that with a potential hire, you'll find that being downright rude will ruin a load of potential recruits. Getting a reputation of a pitbull might not be worth a darn in the short run, but you will be hurting in the long run. Two, if you want to really drive in how someone is at the bottom of their career, wait until they had a few darn failures. Asking me to stop fighting when I haven't even had a spin in the ring isn't a smart move, it's just dumb." The older woman looks away again, letting out her own catty remark aiming right for Beth's abyss.
Course, figured you had cotton for brains you started flirting around with that Jace kid."
There's really only one problem with trying to bait Beth about her inexperience in business, her love life, or much of anything. Beth really doesn't care. Throughout the tirade, she listens, yes, but she does it with the most infuriatingly bored expression on her face. Oh good, Jezebel is the sort who will hit back when pushed. Really, she's a fighter, it is expected. It would have been interesting if she'd made the older woman break down... but this? Meh.
"You're right, I'm not much interested in working with people." She says, her tone losing much of the cynicism and resuming a more bland nature. As though Jezebel's onslaught has succeeded in knocking the energy out of her; yawn.
"Jace is a fun guy, actually. He's not half as stupid as I thought, and that's impressive. And you're right. Nobody really knows what Jezebel Faiblesse can do."
She shrugs again, and plucks up her purse, to produce a second cigarette, and light it. "The stakes are high for you, though. If you wipe out, your career is toast. Me?"
She meets Jezebel's eye again, and there's a long, sucking drag on the cigarette. "I don't need any tips, because I don't need a career. No matter what happens to me, I, will never have to do a damn thing I don't want to do."
She shrugs, "And that's the difference. You're desperate. Jace and I have already won. Do you think the crowd will find desperation, attractive?"
Well daggum, she was bored.
Not that it seems to phaze the bright-eyed Jezebel. She had her soft-spots, for certain. Bethanny just hasn't found them yet, and Jezze was glad about that. Jezebel knew that while losing didn't make you a loser in the fighting circuit, she knew that losers didn't get paid, and once you get enough losses stacked up... it was curtains for an old card like Jezebel.
The kind of prey that Bethanny was apparently looking for.
Finishing off her orange Juice, she places the empty cup on the counter. Where Beth takes a smoke, Jezze continues her cool-down routine. "Well, darlin' I used to make my living teaching kids how there are two sides to everything. What you might see as desperate, is what I'd consider hardworking and dedication, and a real love for what you do! The kind of resolve that makes you alive everything morning!" She begins some lunges, her long legs getting quite the work out. "Now, you might come across a lazy princess who got everything handed to her to me, but I'm sure deep down, you got it right. Why put any work out if you are just gonna have it handed it to you for free? If you got the easy life, then why not .
"Not like that dream will ever end, no siree!"
Was Jezebel sneaking in some of that biting cynicism into her cheery tone? Meeting Beth's aloofness with spirited joy, it was a strange intermingling of opposites. IN fact, her bright tone seems to fade as she moves on to the next topic. "Now, you got me darn worried about that Jace kid. Not half as stupid as you thought he was? Well, I can tell already that Jace is a dumb kid, and you aren't the kind of woman for him to be messin' around with! What's your game, Mizz Cale? Doesn't take a genius to see you are up to something. Thinking of corrupting the poor kid away from the Disney life, and into, well, I bet I know what you would call it." The cowgirl looks at Beth, a twinkle in her eye.
"Something more mature for him?"
Bethany is now apparently more interested in her cigarette than she is the lunging woman, inspecting it whilst it smoulders. "Me? Up to something?" She says, "I think you're giving me far too much credit. I'm not the sort to go in for complicated schemes. I'm just looking for something ... interesting." The comments about her personality? The implication that she's naive for thinking she can carry on as she has been forever? Water off a duck's back. She's mastered everything she's ever turned her hand to. The notion that she's wasting her potential is something that dozens of people have thrown in her face over the years. Some of them she even pretended to care about.
"I find Jace interesting. The funny thing is, I didn't have to do any corrupting at all."
There is a certain sparkle in her eye at that, as she thinks back to how things had actually gone. It is funny. Jace really had thrown her a curveball, and it was in the most fascinating way. She likes that. And she'll probably keep liking it, so long as he keeps playing into her game, rather than trying to play her.
"I'm not going to do anything to Jace. I'm not that sort of person. I'm just going to give him options. Let him meet his, full potential." She smiles, and it is the fakest, most insincere smile to ever grace a pair of lips. Made moreso by the smoke that wafts from between them, and the deeper, sultry edge the tobacco lends her voice.
"I'm a pleaser by nature, you see? Always putting others above myself."
"Spoken like a true bad influence, Mizz Cale."
Jezebel took years to reach her level of Tae Kwon Do, and was far from a master. Where Beth had a reason to not give 110%, Jezebel had to give it all she got to just reach half of Beth's level. In the realm of hardworkers, it might be just a bunch of dutch uncles....
Or maybe outright jealousy.
Still, with her bright tone, Jezze seemed to be unphazed by the laidback lady in black's additude. What seems to be needling her more is her relation with Jace. Finishing the lunges, she bends over, touching her toes. All the time, she continues this verbal sparring match, trading throws and kicks for sharp words from both sides. "I've seen enough woman like you, to know you don't need a plan to ruin someone's life. I gotta say, you are the first one I've seen with a seven figured income." Jezebel grabs the base of her back, and stretches back, groaning a bit.I bet you really believe that, if you can muster up the half a effort to believe in anything that doesn't strike your whimsy. Why, I'd dare say..."
"You really don't have a sense of responsiblity, do you Mizz Cale."
"Not really, no."
Bethany doesn't care enough to hide her disdain for such notions. She shrugs off responsibility as much as possible. Sure, there are some things that she wants to see through... but because she finds it exciting, because it is for herself, not because she cares about commitments to anyone else. She's really very bored with this line of questioning, now. As though it is news that she ruins lives. As though this is somehow news to her.
"Am I supposed to care about what you think of me?" She asks, with a hint of sarcastic curiosity entering that bored tone. "I don't think you understand. You're irrelevant. What you think of me, is irrelevant. You aren't going to make me change my ways, and you *aren't* going to scare me off. The world is full of people like you. Who think that hard work and effort are the way to reach the top."
She breathes out another long stream of concentrated venom, as well as some more smoke. "It's a good thing, really. It gives people like me somewhere to step on when you bend over."
"Relevance is what you make it."
The stretching complete, Jezebel takes a bright, bubbly exhale. Hands on her hips, she looks back over to Bethany. All the world, at her fingertips, and not a care in the world. Of course, in her corner, she probably sounded like an after-school special on repeat. A continuing study in contrasts; the light against the dark. "I've been in the business long enough to know it'd be a waste of my breath to make a princess like you shaking in her heels. But I got a lot of breath to waste, so let me say this."
"It sure must be boring, to have everything the world has to offer, and in the end, make it so it means nothing."
Walking in front the red-haired heiress, she just keeps her hands on her hips, that smile still not fading. "Just like an ol' cartoon villain, from the good ol' days. Starting from that poisoned honey of a voice, and right down to that figure." Jezebel looks up and down the far shorter woman, "Hard work might be for footstools, Mizz Cale, but at least it burns off those calories. Course, I heard money can buy anything. Might even buy back the years those cigarettes take away. But you're young, kid. You can afford not to care now. But let me warn you."
"I'm gonna keep an eye on you and Jace, Mizz Cale."
"Good."
Bethany finally detaches herself from the bar, so that she is invading Jezebel's personal space when she stands up. She is shorter than the leggy cowgirl, that much is very true, but she is not cowed at all by that physical difference. Nor the fact that Jezebel is apparently a trained fighter, ready to head into the official circuit, whilst for all the world knows, Bethany lost interest in fighting entirely four years ago and never bothered to compete outside of small time tournaments.
"I like it when people watch."
She slides past the elder woman, then, body to body for a moment, before she carelessly takes off. Tossing her smouldering cigarette on the ground behind her as she leaves, she saunters out of the bar without even a backwards glance. Everything that needed to be said, has now been said. It is boring, now. Time to try and find ~something~ to keep herself entertained until she could legitimately leave this place. Perhaps she'll torment the room service staff for a few hours.
One thing is for certain. Whether Jace wins his fight or not... Bethany will be seeing a lot more of Jezebel.
Log created on 04:06:44 05/12/2012 by Jezebel, and last modified on 07:47:53 05/12/2012.