Scene 1:
Larissa could be seen, as usual, sporting everything in red, from her glasses, down to her red miniskirt and red shoes. She sported a red and gold Chinese flag top, as she was after all, Chinese and just wanted to recognize her upbringing in Shanghai. As she spoke, her red hair was flipped back. She also had a pair of red Nike’s on with gold streaks on the sides of the shoe.
Larissa: Jessica Tendonin. While you have had an excellent career, the fact is that someone needs to come in and take your ego down a peg. You brag all the time about beating people. And while you’ve beaten some of the best, and are the current world champion, you’ve never defeated me. And you won’t. The fact is that you haven’t an idea what to expect from me, and honestly, that’s how it should be.
She was standing on what used to be the Rolling Acres mall in Ohio. Why? Because she had an interest in abandoned malls and was standing on it’s inside, right where the fountain used to be. As she walks towards one of the old store structures, she speaks.
Larissa: The fact is that you constantly crow about achievements instead of giving the opponent props. Like with me, how I won this shot last show, you’ll probably overlook it and tell me I don’t deserve this shot as I’ve done nothing to deserve it. Well, Mr. Walker must think otherwise, as he has granted me this shot based on a win gained on the last show.
She would then walk the mall, taking in what it looked like now, and what she had seen in videos. She wanted to do her promo here for a change of pace instead of in her second home in Garfield Heights, which she had moved to recently, to Americanize herself. But the fact was that Shanghai was going downhill and she needed to get away for good. But anyway, the mall looked like something out of “The Last of Us”. The floors had been ripped out, exposing concrete, and the ceiling which was once glass, had bullet holes in it, from the teen gangs that had previously been here years ago. The mall had been abandoned in 2008 and since then had not been used for anything since then and she thought it would be a good place to promo, as she was new to the area and wanted to explore the area she was now living in.
Larissa: See, unlike you, I’m a very humble person. I don’t like to brag about achievements but instead build on them. And this match will be my way of doing that. You see, while yes, I am a huge underdog in this match, it’s where I love being. I feel I do my best work when my back is against the wall. But the thing is, this is a huge challenge for me. I look forward to the challenge and I wish you luck, Jessica.
She would then walk down the mall’s main hall and see another former store, that looked like it could have been a former video store in the mall. She looks up at the former sign, and reads it as “Sam Goody.” She was still new to America and wasn’t really that knowledgeable about them. But somehow, she wanted to use some of her money to buy the property and revive this mall. But she wasn’t sure it was worth it.
Larissa: But the other side of this is that I love a good challenge. I welcome your best shot. But it will not be enough as I plan to walk out as the new Champion and then well, I’ll win the title then go from there. I am not overlooking you Jessica. I know how great you are. Believe me, we all know and we’re honestly tired of hearing it. People have tried to take you down a peg, and I’m going to be the one to actually achieve it. So be ready. Because you have met your match, come TLC. Mark my words.
This was because of the mall’s past.Formally, it had been the home of a fistfight in 1991, and 20 years later, both a death and a murder in 2012, and a suicide, in 2016 occured as well as some shady ownership once the mall was closed, speifically Premier Ventures, which she didn’t know enough about to say anything about it. The scene then fades away.
Scene 2: Buying Rolling Acres Mall
Larissa was now in a meeting with the city of Akron, offering to buy the former Rolling Acres Mall, in an attempt to modernize and revive the mall. The mayor was there, representing the city, speaking to Larissa about her venture. Let’s listen in.
Mayor Quimby: Ms. Kim, thank you for coming. We are excited that you are wanting to buy the mall and land around it. But it’s been sitting there for near ten years, empty. It will be ten years on Halloween. So what made you interested in purchasing the property from us?
Larissa sported a red suit, as red was her favorite color, along with her trademark red glasses and lipstick in red, as well as red heels. As she flips her hair back, she smiles, offering a handshake, which the mayor would accept. She then sits, as does the mayor, as they continued to speak.
Larissa: Call me Larissa. Anyway, I just moved here from China, and after doing my research, I believe this mall could do well with some upgrades and new stores. I believe that once this mall is renovated, and has an owner that knows what she’s doing, as let’s face it. Premier Ventures isn’t doing anything for this mall. I can do better and have the money to privately finance the mall. I’d like to do that.
Mayor Quimby would then smile back at her. He realized how cute and smart she was, but he was already married so he ignored those feelings. As he thought of what to say, he would then stroke his chin, then speak.
Mayor Quimby: Well, first off, welcome to America, and to Cleveland. I definently agree with Premier Ventures needing to be ousted and I’m willing to sell you the deed to the mall. But before I make it official, I’d like to hear what changes you plan to make to the mall. Proceed.
Mayor Quimby’s office was a fine one. The walls were encased in great masonry style tiles, along with a cherry oak desk and a hardwood floor. He had pictures of his family and friends, as well as pictures of other places he had owned in the past, being a former businessman.
Larissa: First off, this mall needs a huge remodel. It looks horrid right now. We need to fix the skylights and get a viable power source. I think new escalators could be a benefit. Before we do that though, we also need to consider what type of flooring to use. I say we keep the concrete. I’ve seen other shops do that and it’s easier to keep clean. We wouldn’t need to rip out anything if we end up using concrete. As for new stores, I do want to see another Target in the mall, possibly in it’s old anchor position. With Penney’s gone for good, there’s no getting them back. We could attempt to get FYE or some sort of similar shop. I will handle the merchandise part of this. As for renovations, a lot needs to be done. I’ll get going on that as soon as I get the deed. We can even keep the Rolling Acres name if possible, which I’m sure it is.
Larissa then takes a breath as she looks down at her attire. She then looks back up as the mayor was thinking of what to say. As he speaks, she wonders what he will say, as she slips up her glasses and pushes her red hair back. She loved the fact that she could have her first business soon enough, and possibly wanted to have her own store in the mall, but hadn’t thought of what yet. But that would come soon enough.
Mayor Quimby: It is nice to see a buyer has plans for the mall. Premier sure didn’t. But I am onboard with your plans, Ms. Kim, and would like to sell you the deed. Since the mall isn’t in good shape, how is say…75,000?
Larissa would then shake his hand, signaling that a deal had been made. She felt that with the condition the mall was in right now, that this price would be a good one to pay and she wanted to make sure it did not fall through as she felt this mall deserved a second chance at life and this was the start of that second chance. She hoped it would be as successful as it had been previously.
Larissa: That is acceptable. I will need your routing number, as I will move the money to your account. I will be taking that deed now. By the way, store wise, with me as owner, I would love to see some local businesses move in. Over in the food court, how bout some legit restaurants, like Chili’s or Wendy’s?
Mayor Quimby would smile at this. He thought that Larissa’s ideas were great but needed fleshing out, but first needed to focus on renovations. But at least she was very ambitious and had a lot of great ideas for the new version of Rolling Acres mall and he felt that she was the right person for the job of mall owner.
Mayor: We will talk about stores in our meeting once the mall is renovated. We are going to be doing that all month long. So I will see you next week, Larissa, when we will hire the contractors to do the renovations. It should be ready to open by Halloween of this year at the least. Congrats and good luck as the owner of the mall.
He stated, shaking her hand. She would then look over the mall as he walked off, handing her the keys to the mall and all the stores. She could now do as she pleased with Rolling Acres Mall as she owned it. But she had to think of what to bring in to revive the mall. The scene then fades off.
So now, Larissa had herself an old mall. She would now head home and begin contacting retailers. She did not have anyone yet, but would soon, if she had her way. But this mall would soon flourish again, as it did in the 80s and 90s. But that would take some time. The scene then fades away.
