That next morning started with the four judges crowded around a table full of photographs, each capturing the image of an auditionee that had impressed them enough to even be considered for a chance at the semi-finals. However, whilst those in the photographs were bright-eyed and busy-tailed, as the saying went, the four judges seemed a little tired due to another early morning at Colin's demands.
"Do we really have to do this now?" Tino asked, yawning rather loudly.
"It gives the chosen acts more time to prepare," Dorian explained, in an odd mixture of calm and bluntness. "You don't want to see them all do the same thing again, do you?"
"I wouldn't mind seeing that routine one more time," Palmer chuckled, pointing to one of the photographs and grinning in a manner of giddiness and pervertedness; his expression soon causing sore ankles when he felt both Lady and Dorian kick him with their silver heel and heavy dress shoe respectively.
"Tino, help me out here."
"Out of respect for my girlfriend, I'm saying nothing," Tino said, his focus seemingly on another photograph. It was as if he was trying to learn everything about the act from that one still of time; soon pulling his face and brushing the photograph off the table, it was obvious that it was one act he didn't want through.
"What was wrong with them?" Lady questioned, shaking her head and bending down to pick up the photograph. "I thought they showed a lot of promise."
"Yes, promise. Not talent," Dorian retorted, glancing up from the photographs with one eyebrow raised.
"I think there's the saying of all style and no substance," Tino began. "Like when Aniki's trying to cook. It's all arranged nicely but it tastes like merda."
"Speaking of all style," Dorian then said, sounding a little suspicious. "Does this lady remind you of anyone?"
With Dorian gently pushing the other photographs into two piles to isolate the offending picture, they were soon studying it as if they were Sentinel during an interrogation instead of four judges from a popular yet trivial talent show.
"She does look familiar," Lady said, her tone then turning from thoughtful to impressed. "Her style is still so great. I'd so love to go glam shopping with her some time-"
"OH FOR CAZZO'S SAKE!"
The three other figures in the room slowly and unsurely turned their attention to the sudden snapper; feeling his clenched fist shake a little out of rage, Tino was trying hard not to lose it too much and failing somewhat miserably. However, his anger seemed more focused towards the photograph than towards his present company.
"You guys are just too much, you really are! You knew people would have eyes on you to make sure you couldn't crash the party so you crashed the party prep instead! Seriously, if Don hadn't made me promise anything, I would so kill you all once I got back to the Palace! Jesus Christo!"
"That was quite an articulate outburst, Tino," Dorian said, seeming the least shaken of the other three in the room and bravely not skipping a beat. "Care to explain what that was all about?"
"Carmela," he said, throwing the photograph back onto the table. "Carmela is Bella!"
"How the bloody hell did you fail to realise that when she auditioned?"
"Enough changes and it throws you off the scent," he replied, placing a hand to his head as if he suddenly had a headache. "Her background, making her hair look dyed, even changing her singing style. No wonder my gut told me that I was being silly by suspecting anything."
At that moment, he took the picture of his clanmate-turned-auditionee and ripped it right through the middle, making it clear that she would never make the cut as far as he was concerned. Glancing up at the other three judges, he felt a wave of relief come over him when Palmer was holding the bin and seeming more than happy to see the tattered remains have a new home there.
"I know what you promised Colin," he said, calmly and reassuringly. "But Colin doesn't have to know, ok?"
Giving a single nod, Tino continued to go through the other photographs with the other judges; Carmela's soon not being the only one to find a home in the bin as they began to decide more and more acts who certainly hadn't made the grade. Their discussions took them all the way until lunchtime, with Palmer's stomach giving a somewhat stifled growl upon placing the last photograph on top of the semi-final pile; the Sentinel soon looking a little embarrassed at it all, though the three other judges were more concerned with where to go for lunch.
~
"Would any of you like to tell me what we're doing here in a dump like this?"
Due to the combined factors of ease of access, money and the judges' eating habits (especially where Tino was concerned), the judges had treated themselves to a lunch of fried, crispy-skin chicken at none other than Clint City Chicken; well, two of them, as Dorian was never impressed when it came to the fast-food joints, and he kept claiming that Lady's dinner date with Jonas had blessed her with a lucky escape.
"Hey, it's the only place that specialises in the only non-flesh meat I like, now shut up and get it down you," Tino retorted, in the midst of ripping the chicken skin from the fleshy meat.
"Oh my word! Judges...judges!"
A tall, slim, middle-aged woman had suddenly approached their table, accompanied by three, eager-looking females of around 8 to 9 years old. She seemed apologetic at having disturbed the three males yet ever so excited at the same time that she'd had the chance to see them.
"Sorry to disturb you like this, but the girls love the show and I just know this year's series will be brilliant. Is it ok if they have your autographs?"
"Are they all yours?" Dorian asked, his curiosity piqued when his response was the giggly "No, silly. Naomi's mine but Nicola and Nadine are her cousins."
"Mr Mendel, could you sign this for me, please?" The blonde-haired girl asked, grinning as the Sentinel took and signed her flyer. "I saw you on the beach the other day but Mom said you were working so I didn't want to bother you."
"Your mom's a wise woman, Naomi," he responded, sneaking a cheeky wink in the older female's direction.
Nicola then stepped forward, with the judges assuming her name since her t-shirt had it printed in silver, glittery letters.
"Dorian," she began, her cheeks turning a little red from beneath her honey-brown locks. "My auntie's looking for a boyfriend and I think she would like you to be it."
"Well your mother's got good taste," the Upper responded, humouring both the little girl and the older female with a little chuckle as he tried his best not to smudge his own signature. "Unfortunately I'm not looking to date at the moment."
The last child of the trio, Nadine, then stepped forward, seeming rather nervous at the mere thought of standing before the four well-known faces; glancing up as she just couldn't manage to get her words out, she simply placed the flyer besides Tino's napkin, hoping to make it clear that she wanted him to sign it.
"You...you want me to sign this, signorina?" He asked, wiping the chicken grease from his fingers onto the napkin; blushing a little out of embarrassment as he'd almost picked up and sullied the flyer, he happily took the pen from Dorian's hands and began to sign.
If Colin ever found about the Carmela/Bella situation, then this is what Tino would miss most; the attention he usually received being that of disgust and horror, it was just nice to be received as a normal, human being that the public were looking up to. Especially when the likes of children were involved, as nine times out of ten they didn't just see you as someone worthy of looking up to, but a hero...
