Chapter 697: Not Your Part
I counted fifteen minutes, give or take.
That’s how long Leon spent attempting with all his might, and trying all in vain to change the director’s mind.
But of course, he wouldn’t budge on his decision... and to be fair, it was really hard to find any faults as to his reason why.
“Look! Just take a good long look at her!” He said, aggravatingly extending an arm out at Ash like she was part of an art exhibit. “This Elf’s got the looks, got the mannerisms down pat, her ears even move the right way. Remind you of anyone, or do I seriously need to spell it out for you?”
“So she looks a bit like Eshwlyn! Really, it’s not a big deal,” Leon continued to reason. “In fact, it just adds to my point! If she can replicate Eshwlyn this precisely, just think about all the other Elves you can make her act to perfection!”
“It’s not just how she looks, it’s how she sounds too, alright?!” He snapped, his patience pushed to its limits. “I don’t want the audience to look at her and see one thing, but hear another! I put her in, Eshwlyn’s all they see and hear, and in case you forgot, Leonardo, you’re currently separated from her at the mont, rember? She’s not in this story!”
“So just put Eshwlyn in the story with , then,” Leon said, flinging both arms up in the air like it was the most obvious solution. “You put Chester in, didn’t you? And he’s non-canon... but look how that turned out! Even better, Eshwlyn’s already a pre-existing character, so it won’t be as difficult dropping her in.”
.....
“Chester only exists because of your co-star’s insistence,” The director explained, heaving a deep breath that swelled his chest. “And believe , she’s a hundred tis more stubborn and determined than you’ll ever be, which I ca to learn the hard way, so just drop it. No more andnts.”
This went on for quite a bit, and at a certain point, Leon’s determination to turn Ash into the next big breakout celebrity was slowly starting to sound like plain-out desperation to .
“What if she doesn’t play an Elf?” ca the great Hero’s next absurd suggestion. “If the Elidna doesn’t work out, Ash could play the part! It’d be easy, surely,” then he whirled around towards Ash. “Hey, you won’t mind taking off your Elf ears temporarily for the role, would you?”
“Umm...” was all Ash managed to respond with before I decided then to finally step in. Don’t know about the rest of Hollywood, but the removal of bodily parts is where I draw the line.
“I’m on the director’s side,” I said simply. “Leon, best we just take the loss. He’s right, Ash just ain’t the right fit for this story here. Sotis beauty like hers has a price, y’know?”
Leon narrowed his lips, a hint of disappointnt rippling through his handso mug. “Just thought it’d be a good bonding experience. The three of us, getting to know each other better,” His eyes drifted back over to Ash. “Ahh, what a loss of great talent.”
“It is alright,” She replied, backing up. “My eagerness to be involved is but a re whimsical impulse. I harbor no disappointnt at this outco. Besides, to behold your performances today is already a satisfaction fulfilled.”
“No, but seriously, it’s as if you just plopped right out of the ga itself or sothing, it’s remarkable,” The director remarked, pulling his shades down once more in rousing fascination. “If we ever do decide to make a movie involving Eshwlyn, is it safe to assu that I’ll have you available to play the main role?”
Ash ford a smile, looking both bewildered and amused at the entire situation. “I suppose that highly depends,” She pondered aloud, slowly peeking over at from the corner of her eyes. “Perchance, would Chester have another pivotal role to play alongside myself?”
Interesting thought to consider. But honestly, after this... I think I’m gonna retire from the lilight. I much prefer watching movies to being in them, anyway.
In record ti, the film crew had managed to haul their entire equipnt back up onto the top floor, untangling wires and setting up cara positions for the next scene that everyone was long-ready to get over with.
My role in all this was pretty much done already just as I had hoped for, but for curiosity’s sake, and a morbid one at that, I decided to hang back for a little while longer to see how things were gonna unfold.
“You’re not going ho?” Leon asked , finding Ash and I in a corner way back from all the commotion. “Figured you wanna rest up, you must be exhausted, right? Considering last night, I’m amazed you could even co up with your own lines the way you did. This is your first acting gig, right?”
“The first and only,” I affird, too busy staring as the ek Elidna slowly strode up to the scene, surrounded on all sides by the intense gazes of thousand-dollar lenses. “I’m curious, you played the ga, right? What happens after this scene?”
Leon quickly snapped his eyes back at in a thwarted attempt to strike up a conversation with Ash and pondered silently for a mont.
“It’s a big exposition dump, mostly. After the Elidna becos convinced that Leonardo was an entity that did not belong, she begins helping to fill in the blanks on so mysteries. Being a being that lived during the ti of the Divines, she explains that he has been sent to a province completely separated and secluded from the rest of Asteria. A first attempt, a failed attempt from the first Divine Frederika to prosper life.”
“Failed attempt?” I shifted my focus away from the scene of a scuffed second take to look at him. “What’s the failure? From what I’ve seen so far, life seems to be prospering quite well here.”
“Who knows? Godly, omniscient reasons, probably,” Leon shrugged. “Anyway, after deeming the attempt a failure, Frederika absconded to start anew, but in doing so, legends claim that she had constructed a portal, acting as a bridge for the lands between... to which she promptly sealed forever closed at the mont of her departure.”
“Let guess,” I said. “The portal’s Leonardo only ticket to getting back to Asteria?”
“Yep, you got it,” He affird, nodding. “All Leonardo has to do now is find that portal of legend and sohow get it working again, and along the way, round up a rry cast of interesting and whimsical characters-like you. And you too, Ash!” He said, leaning over at her with a visible frown. “If only, huh?”
Ash didn’t hear him, those perked, pointy ears of hers were too invested pointing straight at the scene playing in front of her which from what I could hear didn’t seem to be going quite well again.
“But it’d be a complete miracle if we even manage to get to that part of the story...” Leon said, sighing.
“Why’s that?” I asked, which prompted him to sigh again.
“Lack of characters. No Elf, No Terestra, and the Elidna herself, at this rate, well...”
Leon trailed off, his dismayed silence leading to a reverberating echo from afar, as a loud voice yelled, “CUT!”
I snapped back ahead of , seeing over the crowd, as the director stomped his way onto the set, practically radiating with anger.
“That’s it. You’re out! O-U-T! Out! Can’t play the part, shouldn’t have auditioned in the first play! Second ti, third ti! How many more tis?! No, don’t say anything, no excuses. Go, just go! ”
“Yep,” Leon said, hanging his head. “Lost her too.”
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