Due Diligence
The lights were sickeningly bright, even from behind the curtains.
The hero’s PR manager snapped her fingers in front of their face. “Hey. Hey. Pull it together.”
“I don’t do these.” They felt their heart in their ears, beating rapidly. “I don’t do meetings, the questions, I can’t, please don’t make me–”
“Hero.” Their manager’s voice left very little room for sympathy. “I know. But this is what happens when you get popular, they look to you for information.”
“Popular?” The hero repeated, the sweat on the back of their neck turning cold. “I’m not a celebrity! If I do this, I’m going to screw it up, and it’s like you said, I need to maintain a reputation.”
“Yeah, well, strong and silent isn’t working for the general public anymore.” She looked down at her tablet. “You have ten minutes to get whatever this is together. I’ll get you some water or something, just–” she sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “fix this.”
The hero had thought they wanted to be alone. They thought so terribly wrong.
They could feel themself begin to struggle for breath, and reached desperately behind for the wall, arms shaking as they slid down.
Press conferences, they asked for no press conferences, and there was an agreement. They would save the day, they would leave the scene. Strong and silent type, sturdy and dependable.
But the minute they opened their mouth out there, they would stutter, they would say something they’re not supposed to, they would mess it up, they knew they would.
Reputation could make or break, and with the hero’s public speaking ability, it would break.
People would stop looking to them for help, would start thinking of them as awful and horrible when all they wanted to do help. Quickly, quietly, just help.
“What a mess.” A voice spoke from the dark.
Though their arms still lacked a sense of firmness, they managed to pull themselves back up.
“Good, very good.” The voice said. “You were compressing yourself, making it harder to get air.”
“You.” The hero managed.
“Me.” The villain grinned, approaching them slowly.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
“You’re still tensing your muscles.” Their arms shot out, placing their hands on the hero’s shoulders. “Relax these.”
“Why?” The hero shoved them off. “So you can fight me while I’m vulnerable?”
“No, so you can go out there and speak without losing your head. Do you want that?”
The hero’s jaw tensed, a sign that they didn’t want to hear anything the villain had to say, but they nodded nonetheless.
“Then listen. Unclench your jaw, take a deep breath in, now hold it, very good.” The villain once again placed their hands on the hero’s shoulders. “Breathe out, keep the pattern. You need to relax the shoulders, your back will do the same subsequently. Hey, the breathing pattern, keep it. Yeah? There we are.”
With one final steady breath out, the hero’s arms firm again and their stance solid, they wrapped their hands around the villain’s wrists, and removed their hold on their shoulders.
“I need to return you to the authorities.”
“Mm, no, you need to focus on what you’ll be saying to the swarms of reporters. Believe me, they’ll be asking bait pieces. Just remember that there’s no shame in taking your time to answer the question. They’ll think of you as thoughtful, and that’ll help with the strong and silent thing you have going on right now.”
Stepping back, the hero did a once over.
“Oddly sound advice. Why?”
The villain also took a step back, glancing to the hallway where the manager had disappeared to.
“I did want to shake things up a bit. Scare you, scare the public, but it looks like she,” The villain nodded towards the hallway. “got the scaring you part down. Expertly done, if I may add.”
“But the public?” The hero crossed their arms, eyes blazing. “Still want to try something?”
“Oh, relax. Don’t get yourself worked up. Seriously.”
The hero said nothing, continuing to scrutinize the villain, waiting for them to strike.
A strike never came.
“I appreciate your due diligence.” The villain admitted quietly. “And the people in this city like to tear people like you and I apart-”
“We aren’t the same-”
“But they don’t always think so. I appreciate your due diligence. I…appreciate that it’s tough work. I don’t want to see them turn that, or you, into something perverse.”
The hero raised a brow, then snapped to attention, as did villain.
Quick clicking heels, their expectant manager coming back.
“Breathing pattern, if you need it again, lean back and keep away from the mics. Time to consider an answer is good, and if you can throw in a thoughtful pose during that time, you might end up on the cover of a glam magazine, or get yourselves some very loyal fans who’ll fawn over your looks.”
“My look-?”
“I’ll be watching from the comfort of my home. Break a leg, Hero. Due diligence.”
The villain melted back into the small slips of darkness the studio allowed, very good at that trick apparently, something the hero would have to take note of in the future.
“Okay.” Their manager’s voice cut across the hero’s thoughts. “This is good, this is better.”
Handing them a bottle of water and a rag, she made a motion across her forehead.
“Dab off the sweat. You ready?”
“Strong, silent, and sturdy doesn’t work for the public anymore?” Looking back to where the villain was, the hero nodded. “Then let’s see what does.”
Due diligence.
