Radio silence. Solace Tatum's promo for the second round of the March Madness Tournament was released days ago, but still no word from Hanari Carnes. She looks at the time, she has to go to the gym today at some point and run some drills. She has an hour or so before Mark, her trainer, is due at the gym, and she has become stir crazy waiting for that time in her apartment. Patience was not something she could honestly say she's mastered, maybe one of her biggest flaws, but she was trying each day to get better at it. Of course, being in the moment of having to wait didn't suit her, like a twitch, her nerves were shot trying to accept that there was a lull in her day, and it was only a matter of hours, how could this be so grueling! Then, it clicked in her mind, how could she have forgotten! She has to call her Daddy today for the first time in weeks. She picked up her phone and scrolled to his contact, pressing call and lifting the phone to her ear. It rings and then she feels safe as she hears his voice.

Daddy: Hello...

Solace: Hi Daddy!

Solace grits her teeth, hoping her lack of communication hasn't caused him to worry.

Daddy: Hello Baby! You gettin' busy over there?

Solace: Yes, Daddy. I'm so sorry I haven't touched base...

Daddy: Baby, don't you worry about that. I knew you would be workin' just like I knew you'd be callin'. Everything going well for you, I've been seeing.

Solace: Yes, Daddy. I have been busy between training and doing interviews and all that. They really keep you movin' here.

Daddy: That's the way you always like it, isn't it?

Solace: It is, but still, I should be calling you more.

Daddy: I told you not to worry about that. You'll call me when you call me. That's it. I'm not worried about you over there. Look at my girl making her own name!

Solace: Well, I am a Tatum, after all...

Daddy: That you are, my love. You really are doin' what you do best.

Solace: What's that, Daddy?

Daddy: You're makin' me proud, Sol.

Solace smiles big, hearing her Daddy's voice, she can't help but begin tearing up.

Daddy: You okay, Baby?

Solace doesn't respond right away because she can't. Her smile remains as she wipes away her tears.

Solace: Yes, Daddy.

Daddy: Are you doin' okay?

Solace: Yes. I just miss you and just being home.

Daddy: Hey, now. That's okay. That's part of life. Sometimes we gotta be Not home, and that's okay because you betterin' yourself.

Solace: I know, Daddy.

Daddy: You makin' a name for yourself, and you out there doin' it alone. You should be proud of yourself too.

Solace: I don't know...

Daddy: Now, what's that about? What don't you know?

Solace: I don't know if i'm proud of myself...

Daddy: Why wouldn't you be. You should be proud as I am; even more so!

Solace: I just don't think my wins have been what I want them to be.

Daddy: My girl, a win is a win. What's wrong with those wins?

Solace: I don't know...

Daddy: Oh, you mean because of that one match bein' a giveaway because of those outsiders?

Solace: Yeah...

Daddy: I wouldn't call that somethin' to lessen. Now, I know you want to win the right way, and I've known that about you since you were about four years old... you remember that far back?

Solace: You talkin' about Checkers?

Daddy: You would not let me throw a Checker's game. It was like you knew I was goin' on easy on ya, and you would raise hell and start puttin' all my pieces back to start all over again.

Solace: I remember, Daddy.

Daddy: You got this... drive in you. You know what you want to do and when you can't do it, it gets right under that skin of yours and that's a great way to be, baby, but try, try, try to enjoy the ride. You can't control other people, you can just control you... and you shouldn't try to control other people because, in the end, that's not truly who you are either. You know, baby?

Solace: I know, Daddy... I just... I want people to say Solace Tatum earned everything she got. Some of these people... they just throw anything they can at you. Any misstep, any baggage, they throw it at you and say "That's what it is" when it's not always what it is. I just don't want anyone bein' able to say I didn't earn what I'm tryin' to be.

Daddy: I get that baby, but you also don't want to come off as arrogant. You go around actin' like beating Kenzi Grey ain't a big deal... how you think that's gonna come off? Not everybody sees these things the way you do, Sol... it might have a reverse effect where they think you actin' like some kind of bad MFer, and you just tryin' to make things how you want them to be. Not everyone gonna understand that, baby girl.

Solace: I know, Daddy... I'll try not to do it much. It's just hard. I want to be at my best.

Daddy: And you are, baby. Just try to control your perfectionist tendency, you know it can cause you more problems in the end. You know that.

Solace: I know, Daddy...

Daddy: Take a breath once and a while. Okay?

Solace: Okay, Daddy... I will...

Daddy: So, who is this Canary joker you have next?

Solace: Canary?

Daddy: The Spanish dude.

Solace: Oh, Hanari! Haha. Yeah, Hanari Carnes.

Daddy: Yeah, yeah... that guy. I have seen him a few times in the past. He's got some moves. They call him the Perfect Storm.

She hears her father laughing.

Solace: Yeah, I've been studyin' as I do. Wasn't much to him, but I'm goin' in like he's a threat.

Daddy: Well, with the name perfect storm! That sounds like a threat to me, but then you hear him talk, and all that thunder goes out the window.

Solace: Yeah, although, he has been quiet.

Daddy: Oh, then he's a quiet storm?

Solace: We might not have talked but I do not miss those jokes of yours.

Daddy: What? That ain't no joke.

Solace: I kinda like that though. Quiet storm.

Daddy: Oh yeah, you heard that before?

Solace: Yeah, I think that sounds more threatening if we're bein' honest.

Daddy: That should be your name. You know?

Solace: My name?

Daddy: Yeah, I mean... quiet storm suits you pretty well, if you ask me. You got this sweet and caring side to ya, that's until you get crossed, then, they learn you ain't all sugar and rainbows.

Solace: Haha, yeah, that's true.

Daddy: I'm serious, baby... all these people have their trademarks and gimmicks, you could use a tough soundin' name.

Solace: I already do, Daddy. It's Tatum.

Daddy: C'mon now, you makin' a name for yourself. That Tatum name is you no matter what! Anyway, you should consider it.

Solace: Maybe...

Daddy: "The Quiet Storm" Solace Tatum.

Solace: That does sound hot.

Daddy: I'm telling you! It's got a ring to it.

Solace: Yeah, maybe it does... but, even so... it's too close to "The perfect storm" People might say I stole it.

Daddy: Two different things. Two different concepts. Plus, if you defeat him, nobody can really say anything, can they?

Solace: I guess so, Daddy.

Daddy: All right baby, I have an important meeting in a half-hour and I got to get dressed for it. You keep in touch, even if it takes you months to give your old man a call.

Solace: I'll call you more.

Daddy: I'm playin' with you, Sol. Good luck with your match, I know you don't need it.

Solace: I'll take all the luck you givin' out, Daddy. You take care, okay?

Daddy: I love you, baby, be safe.

Solace: I love you.

The phone beeps when their call is disconnected. She sighs, wishing to just have him in America with her, but she knows this can't be anymore.

Solace: Quiet storm...

She lifts her phone, checking the date, and lets out another sigh. She is due for another promo of sorts, after all, Saturday would be here quick. She pushes the camera icon and presses the record button as she lifts it to film herself.

Solace: "Buen dia" Did I say that right? I'm sorry, I just thought we got off on the wrong foot... I said something that might have been rude, and it's not like me to disrespect people like that, and uh, well... it's just...

Solace takes a deep sigh.


Solace: There's just... nothing to you. You're a walking talking, (probably stalking), gimmick. This 'suave' swag you think you got goin' on is delusions of grandeur.

She begins to count her fingers.

Solace: You are a chauvinist... you are a walking stereotype... you wave around your home country's flag like your people would want you to be their spokesman? And I really doubt they would... you are a... loser. washed up. 15 minutes of fame finished... it's over. Do you know what really pisses me off though? The arrogance... the arrogance of winning a few matches and thinking he is better than everyone around him, all while losing three consecutive matches, and about to lose his spot in a tournament that last year, he struggled his way to the finals. I'm here to end the suffering. I'm here to pacify that obnoxious mouth of yours. Something just rubs me the wrong way about you, Hanari. I don't know if it's the cockiness, or the cringy, maybe you just aren't my type... but I've never been into a clown. A cartoon character.

Solace snickers at the thought.

I checked you out though, I saw some things that helped me understand exactly who I'm up against. I've seen your background, you had some moments, but as the clouds of a perfect storm, eventually, there's nothing left to give... and it fades away, becomes a distant memory. Isn't that your thing? The perfect storm?

Yeah, I know what a perfect storm is and why you adopted the moniker. I know that you believe that you bring a set of circumstances that, when combined, should strike fear in your opponents. I get it. It's kind of on the nose and I'm sure you've seen plenty of near-perfect storms growing up in the Dominican Republic, but to call yourself that? That would mean that you truly believe, or at least want people to believe, that you are some kind of a threat, like, a worst-case scenario if someone finds themselves across the ring from you. If you believe that you are in my worst-case scenario... you must have your head in the clouds. To underestimate me in this way? I should be offended... but you know what's weird? I'm not... being underestimated is what drives me... it's what pushes me to become my best me, and now, you are in the unfortunate position of being across the ring from Solace Tatum. Look, I get it... you don't know me. You've never heard of me until I showed up in XWF, and, there's not a doubt in my mind that you underestimate me because I'm just the new girl... the same mistake Kenzi made... the same mistake Kris Vonn Bonn made... and like clockwork, Hanari Carnes, you are making the same mistake.

What is a perfect storm to a shipless ocean? Just... some passing event... and, Hanari, your time has long passed... nobody worries about the perfect storm anymore! You're a rarity... and not like a diamond in the rough, but like, some cloud cover that makes some threats of thunderstorms but makes fools of the weathermen who predicted it... nobody fears you or your moniker because you know what is worse than a perfect storm? A quiet one.

The storm you don't expect or see coming. The storm with thunder that rumbles gently in the darkness, and when it's lightning only strikes once it's already on top of you. It's not considered a threat because it isn't considered at all... it's unpredictable... it's unnoticeable... it's underestimated but now it's rolling in... a fierce, and gusting wind breathes sudden alarm to the unaware... a flash of lightning and the roaring thunder spark urgency in the bravest of men; Making a perfect storm look like a spring drizzle... I am that quiet storm, Hanari. You never see me comin'... but I'm already there... and it's too late to batten down your hatches... it's too late to take shelter. As your eye weakens and your pressure rises, your momentum lessens and your entire reputation becomes unstable... you become just a breeze against a tempest, violent hurricane... and suddenly, i'm your worst-case scenario.

You thought you would at least reach last year's bracket... and maybe in 2021, you would finally become the King of the XWF, didn't you? Did you tell yourself that? Or did experts suggest you were a possible wild card? The weathermen, wrong again.

I'm sorry, it's nothing personal... it's not in my nature to add insult to injury, and the compassion in me is a very real characteristic that I try to implement in any competitive situation, regardless of my secret opinion of you or anyone else... but I also want to be honest and straight-forward. My intention, full disclosure, is to leave Hanari Carnes right here in the second round of the March Madness Tournament, and then, Hanari, you can watch a real storm do her thing.

Take it personally, if you want, but it's the truth. True as anything I have said so far... I mean, wasn't I right about your WWH record? You lost your third match, making you 0-3. I called that shit! You want to know how I figured as much? Because you had vigor... but somewhere down the road, you lost it, man. Sorry to be the one to bring up the inconvenient truth here, but a spade is a spade... look, climates change. It's just not a good pattern you're on, and quite frankly, you seem to be off your track a bit... and as the seasons change, in this case, a full calendar year, it's possible you haven't consulted the farmer's almanac or you might have seen that your once proven success might have just been a once in a lifetime occurrence.

Long story short, it's over. Take your flag, fold it nicely for the suitcase. Send a nice email to your fan that honored your career with a webpage and thank them. Hang up the boots, auction your tights, and enjoy retirement as a washed-up, over-rated, and poor representation of your people... oh, and thank you for inspiring my own new moniker! I think the Quiet Storm fits me well, and I have you to thank for its conception. Well, my Daddy actually suggested it, but after I defeat you on Savage... there'll only be room for one storm in the XWF... and it should be the one that doesn't clear up the moment it forms. So much for a 'perfect storm'. See you in the ring, Hanari. Bring your umbrella."

Solace smiles, never losing her edge, and even against someone as well known to the XWF as Hanari Carnes, this newcomer is unshaken by his reputation and unmoved by his accomplishments. To Solace, Hanari Carnes is just an opponent, and just another person she has to defeat to become her best self. Could Solace Tatum become the Queen of XWF in just a month? She can't focus on that right now... right now, she has to focus on the steps it takes to get there... and no further than the step she is on... She will stay focused on Hanari Carnes, and when he has been eliminated, then, Solace will focus on her very next step... and not a step further.

She hits the button to stop recording, and accidentally sends the video to Commissioner Sarah Lacklan on accident.

Solace: Shit! Undo! Undo!

But it's too late. It has been sent. Her heart drops into her stomach as she wonders what the Commissioner will say back, or if she will just mock her privately during a brunch with Kenzi. Solace feels her anxiety rising as she quietly hates herself for such a stupid mistake.