Chapter Two
In which the first week goes to absolute hell.
The hotel Cynthia had been put up in for the time being was a lovely conference center hotel, and it was one that had been used for the international meeting a few years back. While it had been over five years since she had stepped foot into the building, the layout quickly came back to her.
A few different events were being held throughout the center, leaving the lobby café with a steady flow of people.
Sipping her coffee, Cynthia scrolled through her phone, half-listening to the sounds around her. The ceramic cup fit perfectly in her hand and was at just the right temperature. Garchomp laid by her feet now that her stomach was finally full, content to watch the hotel around them move.
In hindsight, coffee probably wasn't the best decision. With anxiety towards the day ahead of her sitting at the back of her mind, coffee was only going to worsen it. For now, she tried to ground herself in the moment as much as possible.
A grunt from Garchomp alerted Cynthia to the approaching waitstaff before she was even within sight.
"Are you still doing alright?" she asked, approaching Cynthia's chair.
"Yes, excellent, thank you," she said, looking up to the young woman. She had been very attentive to her despite the whole café area seeming to be under her and one other person's watch.
While Cynthia wasn't one to go around thinking everyone found her attractive, the way she held herself around her left her confident that she might think that. There was something a little more purposeful in how she leaned in when talking to her, and the attentiveness despite the crowd felt like it meant something.
Though, Cynthia realized, she could be reading far too much into it. Regardless, she looked maybe twenty-two, which was out of Cynthia's age range.
"Oh, sweet! Is that a Garchomp?"
Cynthia and the server both looked up to see a young man standing at the plant divider, looking down at Cynthia's pokémon.
Garchomp lifted her head at the noise, then looked back to Cynthia for what to do.
He looked to Cynthia with expectant grey eyes. "You gotta battle me!"
She looked over the kids face, making her split-second assessment. Kid might have been incorrect, he was maybe the same age as her server. While it was perfectly acceptable to not have recognized her as the Sinnoh champion –Castelia City was huge and she wasn't about to think she was that well known– the fact that he couldn't tell Garchomp's strength from a look was telling that he was an inexperienced trainer. Maybe a few badges at most.
Hands still on her drink, she shook her head. "I'd rather not," she said. She wasn't about to embarrass the poor kid. Not this early into her trip.
He leaned through the divider, only somewhat careful of the plants he was disturbing. "What? Scared you're going to lose?"
Ah.
So that was the kind of boy he was.
She knew she should have been above such a taunt. She had heard far worse, but something about it ground on her nerves. "Hardly. I'm just not about to embarrass you this early in the morning," she said, emphasizing with a sip of her drink.
The server had turned away to being clearing another table, but Cynthia caught the little laugh from her.
He wasn't turned away. "Bet you're just scared that I might have an ice type since Garchomp are double weak to them!"
Cynthia's shoulders slumped. It was too damn early for this. "I'm not about to lose my table just to take three turns to wipe you."
Her server was quick to turn around. "I can hold your table for you if you want!"
What she wanted was for this to be over with, but none of that would happen until everyone was off her back.
Looking down at Garchomp, she made her decision. Likely, all it would take was one use of Dragon Rush to make the kid regret challenging her.
Standing up with a purposefully noticeable sigh, she motioned with her free hand for Garchomp to get up. She was going to do this with her coffee still in hand.
The boy pumped his fists in excitement, running his side of the barrier to the door that would lead to the courtyard.
"Good luck out there!" her server said, before quickly adding, "Not that you need it, I'm sure you're plenty strong–I –anyways! I'll hold your table."
Cynthia gave a quick smile to the obviously flustered woman before heading off. She pretended to not notice the eyes that followed her out the door.
With them being in the city, moves like Earthquake would be banned, and Dig might be useless if the courtyard field wasn't deep enough. She would refrain from using it just to be on the safe side.
"I'm accepting this as a one-on-one. Nothing else," she said, meeting him in the courtyard.
His grin was wide across his face. "Fine! You're gonna regret that, though!" He said before running off to the opposing side of the battle area.
At least he had the decency to not make her walk farther than necessary.
His pokémon of choice was released with a flash, the pink creature giving a deep growl, baring their fangs. He had picked a Granbull.
Briefly she wondered if he even did have an ice type pokémon, but she knew he was going for the fact that his pokémon was a fairy type, and now all of her dragon moves would be useless. He was also likely counting on her refusing to use most ground moves.
She grinned, knowing exactly how to deal with the problem –if it could even be called that. "Ready to use that move we learned in Alola?" she asked, running her free hand over Garchomp's back as she passed her.
Her scaly face had something of a smirk on it.
They only needed two turns.
"Since you asked for this battle, you can start things off," Cynthia invited, taking a sip of her coffee. The air in the courtyard was cool, but hopefully this would be over before it changed her drink's temperature too much.
"Let's play with them a little rough, Granbull!"
His pokémon lunged forward, but was far too slow for Garchomp.
"Dragon Claw," Cynthia ordered, watching her pokémon side-step the other.
With a quick hit, she merely deflected Granbull.
The boy began to laugh. "Man, don't you know a fairy type when you see one?" he asked.
She said nothing, waiting for him to retaliate in some way. She was also becoming aware that he wasn't too thrilled about her silence. He was just looking for a reaction.
"Headbutt!"
Cynthia said nothing. Her pokémon merely puffed out her chest, taking the hit as if it were nothing. When her eyes met Garchomp's, she gave her order. With perfect timing, too. They had gathered a small crowd of those who happened to be in the courtyard already, and some who came out from the hotel.
For a second, she thought to continue playing with them, but thought better of it. It wasn't behavior fitting of a champion.
"Stomping Tantrum."
With a quick lift of her arm, Garchomp let out a guttural growl, stomping her foot before slamming her fin directly into Granbull's head.
Allotting a few seconds for him to get up, it was a decided knockout.
It took a lot of restraint to not laugh at the look of absolute dismay on his face.
Garchomp sauntered over back to Cynthia's side
"Good job, Eris."
It wasn't all that often Cynthia would use Garchomp's nickname, or any of her pokémon's, really. It was a common thing to do among well-known trainers, calling their pokémon by their species name rather than a nickname lessened confusion during battles for opponents, announcers, and audiences.
Garchomp gave a low grumble, at a pitch she knew to be a happy noise.
The kid had recalled his Granbull and was making his way to Cynthia's side of the field. He raised his hands up, clenching and unclenching his fists, seeming desperate to think of a response.
"How?" Was all he managed.
"I'm assuming you're a young trainer, so I would advise you to work on sizing up your opponent." She and Garchomp both took a step forward, forcing him to take one back. "I would also advise you: the next time someone tells you no: listen."
His voice was barely a squeak. "Yes, ma'am."
With that, she turned around, walking back inside with Garchomp.
Her server stood by the window with a few others, most dispersing before she could take notice of the small crowd. The young woman had a huge grin on her face. "That was the most incredible shutdown I think I've ever seen in my life– I– Inspirational, really."
She smiled, carefully making her way back to her table. "I just hope he learned the consequences of not taking no for an answer." As she resumed her seat, she took the last sip of her drink.
"Can I get you some more coffee?" she asked.
Looking up at her, she nodded. "That would be wonderful, thank you."
She returned the gesture, taking her empty cup with her.
Garchomp made a small laughing noise as she settled back down on the cool stone floor.
Cynthia tapped her with her foot, but said nothing. Looking to her phone, there was still plenty of time before she had to be at the studio at noon.
In the heart of Castelia City, the complex took up the entire block Cynthia was now standing at the corner of. Tall walls directed foot traffic towards the different entrance gates, and while the buildings inside the walls seemed to be large, they were dwarfed by all the surrounding skyscrapers.
Instructed to enter at the southern gate, Cynthia stood at the edge of the sidewalk, Garchomp still at her side. Her body was pressed to her side in an attempt to ease some of her anxiety.
With a deep breath, her nerves were as calm as they were going to be, and hopefully after a few days, there would be enough of a rhythm to where her anxiety wouldn't bother her nearly as much.
A thank you to Garchomp for her support, Cynthia recalled her pokémon, and began to make her way towards the gate.
She was immediately flagged down by the gate attendant. A burly, but older man, his short hair starting to grey at the sides. With him, an equally old Emolga sat on his shoulder, the fur on its ears starting to grey.
"Hi there! The name's Warren!" he greeted. He looked at her, a sheepish grin on his pale face. "While I already know who you are, I'm required to see an ID."
She grabbed her wallet out of her messenger bag, pulling the card out of its sleeve. "Sure thing," she said, handing it over to him.
He maybe glanced at it for all of one second before giving it back. "Alright, miss Cynthia," he said, turning his body towards the row of buildings. "You're gonna make your way down to building C3, here on the right. When you walk in there'll be a front desk area. I'm pretty sure they told me Li will be able to direct you where to go and whatnot. She's a tiny little woman, you can't miss her." He paused for a second to laugh to himself. "Though, I guess next to you everyone is pretty tiny."
She forced a laugh, having heard something similar nearly her entire life. "Pretty much."
"Anyways, have a nice day, miss Cynthia."
She said nothing else, walking away with a nod.
Like the rest of the city, the area was charged with a noticeable energy. People and pokémon bustled around, small vehicles transporting props between buildings zipped up and down the roads.
The buildings all looked the same, save for the different colored awnings that had the building numbers on them. C3 was a soft yellow.
Inside, the lobby was plain. Distantly she could hear movement about the building. Behind the front desk, an incredibly fat Audino sat in a chair, making a soft cooing noise as Cynthia approached.
"Oh my stars, you might be the cutest thing I've ever seen." It was a struggle to keep her voice from going too far into a baby-voice.
The pokémon giggled, smooshing his cheeks with his paws.
Before she could say anything else, the sound of shoes against the concrete floor caught her attention. A short woman with long black hair and red-framed glasses walked in the room, a smile on her face the second her eyes caught Cynthia's. "Oh! Good! You're here early! I'm Li!" she introduced, quickly rushing to Cynthia to offer her hand.
Relief washed over her as she took her hand in a quick shake. "I'm Cynthia. I was told to look for you," she said.
She nodded, taking her hand back to tuck her hair behind her ear. "Yes! If you'll give me one second," she said, walking back behind the desk. She moved the rolling chair the Audino was sitting on, searching for something on the shelves below. After a few seconds, she pulled out a beige folder.
Ruffling the Audino's head, she walked back over to Cynthia, handing her the folder. "This is just a physical copy of the schedule for the week, your call times for the week, as well as all the addresses for other filming locations. Do you have your copy of the script?" she asked.
She placed a hand over her messenger bag. "Yes."
"Alright. Would you like me to show you around real quick to get a feel for the building?" she asked.
She seemed to know exactly what to ask before Cynthia could even request it. "That would be wonderful, thank you."
She smiled at her, glancing over at the Audino. "Keep watching the desk for me, okay, Oscar?"
He nodded, giving her a little thumbs up.
Walking beside the short woman, Cynthia made sure to keep a detailed mental log of where everything was. Different areas were sectioned off by numbers, making everything pretty easy to remember. There was a formal meeting room that was also a break room, and a whole area that was sectioned off for the lead talents. Her makeup room and wardrobe were in the same area.
Li then gave her a general explanation of everything. Most, if not all, of the green screen scenes would be filmed here, as well as a lot of indoor scenes. There were a few outdoor desert scenes that would be filmed off location out along Route Four, and the bar scenes were all going to be filmed in Nimbasa City.
"Oh, and while I'm thinking about it, are you going to be using a pokémon to fly here at all?" Li asked.
"Yes, I'm planning on flying in with my Braviary." She figured it was best to not get into specifics.
She grabbed her phone from her pocket, pulling up the messenger app. "I'll make sure to have a flight pass for you before you leave. It will just make sure you don't set off any alarms when over the buildings."
That surprised Cynthia. "I didn't realize security was taken that seriously." Warren had seemed so lax, she just assumed everybody else was the same way.
Li nodded. "Because of talent like yourself and Diantha, and even a few others, it's just a way to make sure no crazy fans get in and harass anybody."
Cynthia said nothing in response, figuring it made enough sense for her.
They ended back at the meeting room, where many other cast and crew members had already gathered, including Diantha.
"Alright, miss Jenness, if there's anything you need just let me know, or any of the other PA's that are going to be running around all day."
"Thank you so much, Li."
With that she was off, likely to head back to her fat Audino that Cynthia had hardly stopped thinking about.
Walking around the room, she kept herself at a distance, unsure of where to even begin introducing herself.
Without meaning to, her eyes kept being drawn back to Diantha, who milled about the people, greeting everyone with a great familiarity.
For a moment, she allowed herself to feel envious, wishing she could just will herself to go up to people like that. Under most other circumstances, she could. Talking to people from other leagues had never been a challenge, because they always had the common ground of pokémon battles.
From what she could overhear around her, everyone seemed to be talking about other projects, and everything was film related. There was nothing to the conversations she could add. She was just someone who got incredibly lucky with her role.
"Cynthia!"
Glancing over at the mention of her name, she saw Diantha motioning with her hand to join her.
Despite still being on thin ice with her, she walked over. She needed an in, and Diantha was about as good of an in as she could get.
At her side, she gestured towards the two men standing with her. "Cynthia, this is Michael Garcia, he plays William."
Her offered her his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Cynthia," he said.
"Likewise," she said with a quick shake. Giving her attention to the other man, she felt herself wanting to take a step back.
Diantha continued. "And this is Alexander Hayes. He's Charles."
He also offered her his hand, and she prayed nobody noticed her hesitation. There was something off about the entire situation, however, he hadn't even said a word, and nothing about his body language was outwardly threatening. There was just something about him that was very off-putting to Cynthia.
"Also a pleasure to meet you," he greeted. "But please, just call me Alex."
"Noted," she said, taking the smallest of steps back.
Diantha seemed completely comfortable around him, leading her to chastising herself for overreacting to what was probably nothing. She was anxious from being around so many people she had little in common with. Telling herself she was on edge for no reason, she did her best to force herself to not think about it.
Alex returned his attentions to Diantha. "You know, I would say I'm a little heartbroken over what Scarlet's going to do to poor Charles, but–" he glanced at Cynthia giving her a very quick look over that left her skin crawling "–can't say I exactly blame her," he joked.
Diantha was quick to divert the conversation in a different direction. "I'm just sorry we'll be killing off William so soon," she said.
He laughed, running a hand through his short black hair. "I mean, any other project I might be disappointed, but I get to do crew work once we're done filming with him, so I'm excited for that!"
They continued talking, and amidst it all, Cynthia excused herself to go back to standing off to the side. There was nowhere for her to contribute, since they all already knew one another. Third wheel didn't even begin to cover the feeling.
She looked around, doing her best to put together who everyone was. Most people had already sectioned themselves off. From what little she could overhear, the camera crew had all gathered together, as well as many of the other actors. Before she could think to maybe at least introduce herself to some of them, she felt a presence at her side.
Looking over, Diantha had come to stand with her. "I take it you're feeling out of place?" she asked.
Begrudgingly, she nodded. "Not having a background of any sort in film is…making this difficult, admittedly." She wasn't sure why she was telling any of that to Diantha. She didn't need to prove her right on not having any idea of what she got herself into.
Diantha thought of what to say that might comfort her. While, sure, Cynthia was definitely overthinking things, simply telling her that wouldn't absolve any of her anxieties.
She had wanted an excuse to get away from Alex. While she tended to be guilty of being a touchy person, she at least liked to think she was good at reading when a person wasn't okay with it. Alex lacked that and had quickly begun to bother her.
Walking Cynthia around was a perfect excuse.
"Would you like me to introduce you? Thankfully, I still remember most of the camera operators, and a lot of the other crew that's going to be involved," she offered. It would also be a good opportunity to get to know a few of the newer actors as well.
Cynthia thought it over, and despite how much she wanted to refuse her help in all capacities, she knew better than to risk causing a scene. She would keep her guard up, but allow Diantha to walk her around.
Envy quickly caught back up with Cynthia as they were greeted with smiles, and she told herself they were all really directed at Diantha. She was so bright and charismatic; it was no wonder people were just drawn to her.
They had made it through most of the crew when a young woman entered the room, wheeling in a cart of poké balls.
Diantha brought her and Cynthia to a stop. "Oh, they're doing this much earlier than last time," she commented.
"Who is she?" Cynthia asked.
"That is Camila Gayle. She is the handler for all the acting pokémon. Last time they didn't introduce us to our pokémon until we started filming," she explained.
She was a slender woman with light brown skin, and medium-length hair that was so dark green it was almost black. On her shoulder sat a Pansage, silently observing everyone around them.
"If I could have everyone's attention," she called out, standing in the middle of the room. She waited for the room to fall into silence before continuing, looking down at the clipboard in her hands. "If it's alright with everyone, I'm just going to call out character names. If we could start with Scarlet and Elizabeth!"
They began to walk towards her. "At least with my middle name being Elizabeth, responding to that name is going to be no problem," Cynthia said offhandedly.
Diantha grinned at her. "But are you like me and you tend to panic when you hear your middle name? I only ever heard mine when I was in trouble."
She laughed lightly. "Only when combined with my first name." She heard it plenty of times throughout her childhood, and could still hear her grandmother's voice saying it.
Atop the tray were two luxury balls, and two standard poké balls. Camila had her hand hovering over the luxury balls. "Alright," she began, now speaking at a casual volume. "For Scarlet we have two Kirlia, Kivalina and King," she said, tapping the two capsules to release them.
The two psychic pokémon came out with gleeful calls, their eyes lighting up at the sight of Diantha.
She immediately dropped to her knees, opening her arms to the two pokémon. "So good to see you again, my darlings!"
Much to her chagrin, the sight of the two pokémon jumping into her arms brought a smile to Cynthia's face. She looked up to Camila for her pokémon.
"And for Elizabeth we have Stirling the Klinklang, and Tango the Watchog."
Both pokémon were not ones Cynthia had ever worked with. She had battled a few in her days, but was unfamiliar with their moves and overall battling abilities.
Klinklang whirled around mechanically, taking up a large swath of space, each gear interlocking to make the softest of clicks. Its expression was hard for Cynthia to figure out, so she wasn't sure if they were happy to be around her or not. Hopefully she would figure out its…body…language soon enough. At the very least, she would make sure to look up articles that would help her better understand the pokémon.
Watchog, on the other hand, was a completely different story. The second he was out of his capsule, he was all over Cynthia. He walked circles around her, sniffing her as much as possible. His coat was in pristine condition, and he stood nearly at height with her hips.
"Sorry," Camila apologized, giving a loud snap of her fingers. Watchog stood tall, zipping back over to her. "Watchog have a very good sense of smell, and he just wants to know where you've been to learn about you."
She laughed lightly, taking a knee to offer her hand out to the pokémon. "It's quite alright," she said.
Watchog walked back over, putting his cold nose on her palm, chittering softly as she scratched his chin.
Klinklang floated down to her, spinning at a slower pace.
Diantha looked up to Cynthia from her spot on the floor. "They're just darlings," she commented, smiling as Watchog decided to come over to her. Both Kirlia in her arms giggled as the other pokémon began to sniff them over.
Cynthia looked over to her, smiling at the sight of the tall pokémon making circles around her now. "I take it you worked with them on that last episode?" she asked, now looking at the Kirlia.
She nodded. "Yes. They stand in for one another, but are also technically a part of the reveal that Scarlet doesn't have a single Kirlia, but two, a male and female." She looked back up to Camila. "Speaking of, aren't we supposed to be working with a Gallade, too?" she asked.
She mumbled a yes, looking over her clipboard. "He's not going to be here until around the end of filming. His trainer is only letting us have him for the needed scenes." She then looked down to the two women. "But okay, for now, you all can get to know one another. If they get to be too much–" she directed that comment at Watchog "–feel free to put them back in their balls." With that, she left the two women, working her way around the rest of the cast.
The ground was starting to get too hard for Cynthia's knees. Standing up, she stepped over to offer Diantha a hand.
She told herself it was only to keep up a good front while around everyone.
"Thank you, darling," Diantha said, mindful of the two Kirlia hopping off her lap. She tugged on her hand a bit before letting go. "Let's go sit somewhere more proper," she offered.
Back against the wall, the two sat together on a well-worn loveseat. Both Kirlia instantly hopped back into her lap, and Watchog eagerly climbed onto the sofa, sprawling out across Cynthia's lap.
Cynthia laughed through her nose, running a hand down his sleek coat. She then looked over to Diantha, who had her attention on the Kirlia. Cynthia had already forgotten which on was which. "So, I'm assuming your Gardevoir is filling the role?" she asked, figuring it was best to keep some form of communication going.
She nodded, taking her eyes off the Kirlia. "Yes, it's actually her big debut!"
That took Cynthia by surprise. "She hasn't appeared in anything until now?" she asked. She had assumed with how well known Diantha was, her pokémon would have appeared in a few films by now.
"No, I've purposely waited as long as I have to have her appear in anything with me." She paused, realizing she needed to correct herself. "Though, I mean, she has appeared in advertisements with me. Clothing lines, league advertisements, and a perfume that hasn't come out yet, but I refuse to actually wear," she said, lowering her voice and returning her attention to Kivalina. "But she's never been in a tv show or movie with me until now."
Cynthia laughed lightly. "You advertised a perfume you don't actually like?"
She didn't look up as she spoke. "I'll just be honest with you and say it was a quick project, and they agreed to an upfront paycheck rather than a percentage of sales. Which is probably for the best since the perfume…wasn't to my taste."
She couldn't resist. "I mean, it is perfume, you're not supposed to taste it." Watchog laughed under her palm.
She gave her a pointed look that was mirrored by both Kirlia. "You know what I mean," she bit back. She then laughed lightly. "It smelled like a little old lady. It reminded me too much of my grandmother." The complimentary bottle she had received sat somewhere, "forgotten", back home in Kalos.
She said nothing in response, only laughing through her nose. While simple, the visual was more than enough to tell her she wouldn't like the perfume either. Granted, she was incredibly picky when it came to fragrances anyways.
As they sat together, the chipper call of a pokémon caught Diantha's attention, and as the excited pokémon in question came into view, it got Cynthia's as well.
The Kirlia in her arm mirrored her smile. "Hello, darling!"
The approaching Braixen grinned at Diantha, stopping to look over Cynthia.
"Cynthia, this is Elle." She looked up in time to see Alex walking towards them. "She's Charles's pokémon."
He was laughing to himself, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "Sorry. She saw you, Diantha, and went running."
She laughed lightly, running a hand over Braxien's head. "It's quite alright. I was hoping to get to see her anyways."
He took it as in invitation to join them, taking a seat on the arm of the sofa.
Diantha found herself moving closer to Cynthia, the couch suddenly seeming much smaller than before.
"So, Cynthia! How you enjoying being in Unova?" he asked.
She shrugged, looking down at Watchog before back up at him. "It's nice. I've spent a lot of time here before, researching the mythos of the weather trio, and so it's good to be back."
He nodded along. "Oh, so you're a researcher?"
"Yes."
They talked about that for a while, the subject familiar enough with Cynthia she found it easier to keep conversation going. Eventually, Alex left them, and she could see that Diantha was relieved to have the other end of the sofa back to herself.
Camila then came around to collect the pokémon, explaining when they would be on set and other little details.
By the time she had finished that up, a crew member was calling everyone to come sit around the table to begin the script read, where others had already taken seats.
"Since you and I are leading talents, we'll sit closer to the head of the table," Diantha informed, walking over with her.
They took spots across from one another, Alex sitting next to Diantha, and Michael at Cynthia's side.
Papers flew about the room, along with light chatter.
Cynthia grabbed for her script, digging around her bag for the pen that had gotten loose from its hold.
Scratching the pen against the corner of the script, she could practically feel her soul leaving her body as it refused to write. Looking back into her bag, she couldn't find anything else to write with.
The day was just determined to take as many little punches as possible.
Silently, a blue pen was placed in front of her.
Looking up, the grin on Diantha's face as she leaned back down into her chair was enough to upset her.
"It's your first time," she reminded.
She didn't need the reminder. "Thanks," she said. While she was at least a little thankful, she couldn't help but think Diantha was just enjoying watching her flounder.
A large man came walking into the room. He wore a buttoned up black cardigan that was a little too tight for his size, but carried with him an air that said he didn't care. His pale face was covered in a thick and dark hair, but his head was shaved clean.
The woman who walked in with him was laughing at something, covering her mouth with her hand. She was also a large and imposing woman, but she didn't carry the air of superiority that the man seemed to. She had a slight farmer's tan going on, and her brown hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail.
Together, the two stood at the head of the table, waiting for the room to quiet down.
"Alright!" The man began, clapping his hands together. "Let's get things started, shall we? For those of you who I haven't gotten around to yet, my name is Tom Sharpe. I'm the director for this project. This–" he gestured to the woman next to him "–is Lita Paterson, she is my assistant director. We both worked on the original episode, and we're thrilled to be here again."
Lita nodded. "Likewise. It's great getting to work with a bunch of the same people." Judging by her accent, Cynthia could tell she was from somewhere in the Galar region. "If you're new I'll be sure to get around to you and give you a proper introduction before filming starts," she said, eyes lingering on Cynthia for an extra second.
She then gestured to the first few people around the table. "Today with us we have John Rheed, one of our producers."
The man leaned forward, only allowing Cynthia a brief glance at him. A middle-aged white man with greying hair.
Lita then looked at the other side of the table. "And we even have Blair Dreadfulwater, the lead writer for this script with us!"
This was someone Cynthia actually knew about. While not much, it was more than probably anyone else. Their surname had caught her attention, so they –along with Tom– were one of the few she allowed herself to do a little research on.
They had written for a lot of original series over at Natuflix, but somewhere along the way they were convinced to go write for Hupa. From the titles that she remembered, most, if not all, had at the bare minimum gay subtext.
They waved their hand quickly, nothing more than a quick light brown flicker, but didn't meet anyone's eyes, their curly brown hair falling in their face.
Tom pointed at someone away from the table before continuing talking. "So, I figured before we get into anything it would be a good idea to give a quick listen to the song that inspired this episode. I also figured it might be a good idea to give everyone their own copy of the album, just in case."
As he said it, a person walking around the table placed something in front of Cynthia.
The black and white album covered was face up with the pop star's name printed all across the right side of her face on the cover.
She knew of the lead single, having heard it on the radio plenty of times, but she couldn't name a single song other than that one off the album.
She thought about giving the CD a proper listen, but she quickly realized she didn't have access to a CD player. Memory told her that the stereo in Caitlin's villa was able to play CDs, but she didn't know whether or not to actually trust that memory.
Making a mental note of it, she'd get to it if she remembered.
"So, how many copies of the album do you have now?" Cynthia heard from just behind Diantha's side of the table. Two of the PA's were standing next to each other against the wall. Two young girls who were maybe only twenty years old.
There was a laugh as the other began to count on her fingers. "I did the digital copy so I would get it the night it all was released, then the two from the magazines I got, and then I didn't realize those magazines were going to have physical CD's in them so I got another…so five, now."
The other girl laughed, putting a hand on her arm.
Cynthia did her best to not react in any way, but couldn't completely suppress her amusement. She wouldn't say she felt strongly one way or the other about the pop star, but it was clear that there was at least one big fan in the room.
As the person handing out all the CDs neared the end of the table, Tom began to talk again. "We have full usage rights for the song, but we're planning on just using the rhythm and whatnot. No vocals, but the rest of the song will be playing during the final credits."
He and Lita took a seat at the head of the table as the PA then began setting up the speakers to play. In a short few seconds, the gave a thumbs up, ready to begin.
The song started off at too low a volume, the PA scrambling to adjust to something more audible.
"I wanted to leave him / I needed a reason"
It was by pure happenstance that Cynthia looked up to Diantha as the line passed. Still being so early in the song, she wanted to see how everyone around her was taking things, but it was Diantha's reaction that caught her attention. It was subtle, so maybe she was misinterpreting it. She wasn't too familiar with her, after all.
To her, the look was of realization.
But as to what she might be realizing, Cynthia wasn't sure.
Then, from behind her, she took notice of the two PAs again. Mouthing along to the song, the girl, who Cynthia was just going to refer to as Five CDs until she figured out her actual name, was thoroughly enjoying herself. The other PA was looking away from her, feigning embarrassment.
She was almost too entertaining for her own good.
Soon enough the song came to an end, the music being stopped before it had a chance to continue onto the next.
Cynthia wasn't too sure how the imagery of old, western-esque, Unova came to mind with the song. The only thing that might have made her think of it was the Bonnie and Clyde reference, but other than that, she wasn't sure.
Tom leaned forward, looking down at Blair. "So, why don't you tell us a little about how this all came together, Blair?"
They nodded, but continued to not meet anyone eyes, more talking to the table. "Sure! Really, I just, admittedly, loved that song the second I heard it. About two mornings after hearing it, I woke up in basically a cold sweat at like…I want to say 4:32 in the morning, on the dot, with this story in mind. It was instantly a continuation for Scarlet. I wanted her to leave Charles and William. Both were her getaway cars, one more literal than the other, but then! I realized, no! She's not about to drop things for some other crusty dude– no offense!" they said quickly, their palm towards Alex and Michael.
Both men chuckled at the jab.
They continued, still talking fast. "I kept seeing a beautiful woman who ended up in her life and just turned everything upside down. Plus, she drove a cool car!"
Briefly, Cynthia wondered if it had been Blair who insisted on her filling the role.
Lita nodded, looking down the table. "So, while we're doing the read through today, if you have any questions about dialogue choices, or need any clarification on anything, Blair is here to answer."
They nodded.
Tom scooted forward in his chair. "Now, I'll narrate all the actions and whatnot. This is just going to be a straight read, so no worries on getting things completely into character." He looked down to Diantha, but she was already aware of what he was going to say to her.
"Diantha, if it's too much to jump straight into Scarlet's voice, feel free to not even worry about it right now."
She gave him a look of mock offense. "I think I will manage just fine, thank you."
It earned a chuckle from those around her, but for a second, Cynthia couldn't shake the sheer confusion.
She hadn't been told that the character she would be playing would have any sort of voice. She was to speak as she always did. However, she also hadn't been told that Scarlet wouldn't sound like Diantha.
Though, sure, it sounded like her. If she were to suppress her accent completely to sound as though she were from Unova instead of Kalos.
She was starting to regret not watching that first Red Dawn episode.
Something about it completely threw Cynthia to the point of not even realizing that Tom had already begun to narrate. Thankfully, it was going to be a while before her character had to even speak.
The beginning parts of the read were easy enough. Already it was helping her get a proper feel for pacing when it came to dialogue, and hearing most of the casts voice was helping things come together in her mind better.
Just as she dared to think that maybe things wouldn't be so bad, came the shift in the story of when Scarlet and Elizabeth's interest in one another was treading into outright flirting. She was quickly realizing how often she was going to have her hands on Diantha. Some of the actions were casual and innocuous enough, but the further they got into the script, Cynthia found herself fidgeting in her seat.
She decided to take a note from Blair and only look down at her script, and not up at anyone. While it was probably clear that she was feeling flustered, she didn't need the added anxiety of looking at anyone.
If nothing else, at least Tom was good at narrating with a straight face. "Scarlet stops in her tracks, grabbing Elizabeth's arm before she can make any other move."
"Don't think that for even a second I don't want that Elizabeth, but…" Diantha spoke.
"Elizabeth moves in closer," Tom narrated.
"But?" Cynthia asked.
"She shakes her head, but tries to walk away. Just as she slips out of her grasp, Elizabeth pulls her back into a rough kiss, pushing her up against the wall. Lipstick stains her lips. Kissing her neck, Scarlet pulls away again. This time Elizabeth doesn't stop her."
Diantha took a bit of a shaky breath. "Give me time, Elizabeth…I just need time."
Tom continued. "Elizabeth watches Scarlet hesitate in the doorway before exiting. Shrugging to herself, Elizabeth wipes her mouth with the back of her hand and heads back into main part of the bar. While waiting for her drink, she looks at the back of her hand, where the camera will focus on the smear of red. Fade out."
Cynthia flipped the page, keeping her other hand clenched atop her thigh. It was going to be a long day…
By the end of it, Cynthia found herself thoroughly embarrassed. There was another feeling in the mix somewhere, but it was one she wasn't even about to acknowledge. She'd sooner get hit square in the face than admit to what the feeling was.
She had her instructions for the next day, and had made sure she had all the other papers that were given to her tucked into her messenger bag. For now, it was all she was going to be able to handle for the day, so she made sure to make a quick exit, stopping only to get her flight pass from Li.
She wasn't sure if hanging out with her costars was a thing that was allowed, or expected. Regardless, she had decided well over an hour ago that she was going to leave as soon as possible, avoiding as many people as possible.
All she wanted to do was get back to her hotel and not think about having to do another read through tomorrow.
Outside, she stood at the edge of the building's terrace, letting the cool evening air wash over her. While it was only six pm Unova time, she found herself wishing it was earlier so she could call her sister and tell her how things had gone. Surly she would be able to make light of the whole situation.
As she went to reach for Braviary's poké ball, her phone began to vibrate in her pocket. It reminded her that it had done so about an hour earlier, but they were still in the middle of going over script questions so she couldn't answer it.
Pulling it out, she smiled at the contact name.
"Hi, Caitlin," she answered.
"Hello, Cynthia." She always spoke with such a light voice, like she was perpetually tired. But more in the cute way, not the exhausted, "nobody come near me" way. "How's filming coming along?" she asked.
While she desperately wanted to talk about it, she didn't have that kind of relationship with her. Theirs was a very formal one, and it was probably best that they kept it that way. "It's…different, that's for sure."
"I would imagine so– oh! But before I forget! I was calling to let you know that I have some good news on my Undella rental."
She could always use some good news. "Oh?"
"I had a cancellation, so once I send in my cleaner, it should be all ready for you by tomorrow night. I'll text you when I have an exact time."
On her exhale, she felt the tension from the day leave her body for just a few seconds. "Caitlin, you're an absolute lifesaver."
She laughed lightly on her end. Though, it was probably the only way she laughed.
"So, do I owe you anything? I never got a clear answer on how much they paid you." She was willing to pay just about anything for the luxury of her own space. Or at least, something that was akin to her own space more than a hotel was.
There was a yawn on her end. "Actually, between you and me, I charged…uh…I'm blanking on who exactly paid me, but I charged the filming company, or whoever, my normal rate, not the discount I give you. You don't have to worry about anything."
That came as a surprise, but maybe it shouldn't have. Despite how lax a person Caitlin was, she was probably far more business savvy than Cynthia gave her credit for.
Walking out of the building a few moments later, Diantha caught the last few words of the conversation Cynthia was having on the phone.
"Thank you again so much, Caitlin…Oh, don't worry. I'll definitely let you know if I want any company…Bye."
Diantha found herself wondering who this Caitlin person was. Whoever they were, there was a smile on Cynthia's face, and she was visibly at ease when talking to her. It was a stark contrast from how she had been earlier as she was practically inching towards the door the last few minutes they were meeting.
Before she could call out to her at all, Cynthia released a large Braviary. Diantha knew them to be large pokémon, originally bred for war here in Unova, but even hers was noticeably large.
She stood in silence, watching Cynthia slip the flight pass over Braviary's neck before climbing onto the pokémon. There was something powerful about watching the bird stretch out their grand wings.
They took off to the skies just in time for Alex and Michael to join her out on the terrace.
The two men were laughing with one another. Alex spoke to her first. "Diantha, please tell me you caught how red her face was getting towards the end there."
At that, she laughed along. "I can't say I exactly blame her. This is all…a lot for her first time acting." She, however, had been able to excellently hide all her own embarrassment. She had mastered that poker face a long time ago. While Cynthia had stumbled through a few of the raunchier lines, she had spoken it all with calculated ease.
She just hoped that Cynthia would have it all under control by the time they had to film those scenes.
"Can you believe she's getting paid about as much as you, though?" Michael asked, standing next to her.
That she wasn't aware of. "Is she?" She wondered how he would know any of that. She wasn't even aware of how much anyone other than herself was getting paid. Then again, she always made sure to never look for that information. She didn't like the potential path of greed it could lead her down.
"It's what I heard. Casting director and producers got so sold on having two champions in one episode that they got desperate for her to say yes to being Elizabeth. She's basically getting paid just as much as you– as a nobody!" he continued.
She wanted to believe him –and to also dispute her being a nobody because she was a champion after all– but knowing how much her paycheck was going to be, she found it incredibly unlikely that someone so new to the game would be receiving even half of what she was. "Question, dear: How much are you assuming I'm getting paid?"
He seemed to stumble a bit at that, but Alex came to his rescue, standing at her other side.
"You're a known talent, and the lead role, so that means you're going to have the biggest check out of all the actors. However, I know you're not getting paid a full million since I'm getting paid pretty decently. If you were, we would have been shafted. I'm figuring not half a million if Cynthia getting paid the same, for the same shafting reasons. So," he paused, motioning his hands around as if he were juggling the numbers. "Anywhere between two fifty and four hundred K."
She couldn't resist a laugh. He was in the ballpark, but she wasn't fond of sharing the exact numbers with people. "While we could talk numbers all night, I distinctly remember both of you pestering me to get dinner. Shall we?" she asked, taking the first steps down towards the sidewalk.
Michael kept pace with her, Alex falling in on her other side.
She had been frustrated all day, because while they had been pestering her to get together, neither of them could come to a decision of where to go. Meaning, she couldn't look up a menu ahead of time, which was incredibly upsetting for her.
For now, she would shove the feeling down, so long as the topic of her pay was dropped, and try to enjoy the night for what it was.
Thankfully, the following day was nothing more than a script read. With final questions and clarifications from Blair, there was nothing else planned for the day. Official filming would start the next day, but until then, the day was Cynthia's.
Caitlin told her the villa would be ready by four, so she still had two hours until then.
With all of that in mind, Cynthia set out on foot to walk around the city for a while. At the very least, it would help clear her mind of how the script read went.
Things had gone far better than the previous day. Knowing what to expect, and how it was to say her lines aloud to a room full of people rather than just her acting coach, she did a better job of compartmentalizing her feelings.
Once out of the gate, with a quick wave to the security guard, she walked to the corner of the street, trying to make a decision of where to go from there.
While figuring that out, she reached for Zora's poké ball, figuring now was a good of a time as any to let the pokémon see Castelia.
She appeared with a shake, looking eagerly to Cynthia. Her ears twitched, angling around to listen to the sounds that surrounded her. A grin broke across her face as she took in the tall buildings.
Together, the two began to walk the city, Cynthia enjoying watching her sister's pokémon take in the sights. She was in her element, and clearly remembered the city well.
"We've got time to kill. Anywhere you want to go?" she asked the pokémon.
She nodded, taking a slight lead.
The anonymity that a large city provided was something Cynthia enjoyed. Especially since the city they were in wasn't her home region. Here, the chances of running into someone who would recognize her was much smaller than anywhere in Sinnoh.
Half an hour had passed, and after much ducking her head into alleyways she must have frequented as a Zorua, Zora brought them towards the piers.
Across the busy street, she could see the destination the pokémon had in mind: a Castelia cone stand.
She laughed through her nose, putting a hand on her sister's pokémon. "Can't say I'm going to say no." It might be more concerning if she ever did say no to her favorite sweet.
Zora grinned wide, likely having anticipated her response.
Once paid for and out of the line, Zora wasted no time in downing her treat in one bite, licking her chops and claws of all bits of ice cream. Cynthia laughed, putting her phone away. "So much for sending a picture to Kay," she said, walking with her towards one of the benches.
As far as Castelia went, the area was one of the few "quieter" places. It was all relative, though. The hustle and bustle of the city was going to be apparent just about anywhere she went.
Sitting down with Zora at her side, she pulled out her phone again, this time to call her sister.
After a few rings, she picked up.
"Hey, Hollywood, what's up?"
She tried to suppress a laugh. "Oh, you know, living the dream. Drowning my embarrassment from the script reads in Castelia cones. The usual."
She laughed on her end. "I know you technically can't give me details or anything, but that bad?"
"The last two days have really put into perspective how much I'm going to have to touch and kiss Diantha, and then have to look at her again at the international meeting like it was nothing." Saying it out loud only brought the heat back to her face.
Zora snickered beside her.
"I mean, at least it's Diantha. She's cute. You could be smooching Alder."
She visibly cringed at the thought. "I mean, yeah, she is, she's gorgeous –also kind of annoying– why did you have to make me think of that?" He had always been a nice enough man, but he had been in his late fifties when he handed things over to Iris. A definite no in her book.
She laughed again on her end. "Just reminding you that it could always be worse, Cindy."
She certainly wasn't wrong…
– – – –
EXT. CAR GARAGE – DAY
The shop is located in the heart of the town. Small and dusty, the air is always filled with particles of some sort.
Scarlet isn't impressed, but Charles assures her that the person here will solve all their problems.
CHARLES
Trust me, Scarlet. I've heard nothing but good things about this person. All of our problems are done for.
We're jet set from here on out.
SCARLET
You better hope so.
Transition as they start walking in the building
INT. CAR GARAGE – DAY
The interior is somehow even worse than the outside. Dark and dingy, the smell of oil is thick in the air. The lights are all faint, and most of the natural light is obstructed by filthy windows. Two cars sit in the room, and the soft sound of working can be heard.
Scarlet shows visible disgust for the appearance of things.
Charles calls out to someone in the main body of the shop.
CHARLES
Elizabeth!
From between the two beat-up cars, a woman stands up. ELIZABETH. Tall, blonde, slender face, mid 20's. She's covered in a layer of grime from working, and yet despite it, there's still this ethereal quality about her. Enough to catch Scarlet's attention.
Elizabeth wipes her hands on a dirty towel, stepping in front of the car.
ELIZABETH
So, you were serious?
CHARLES
Do I seem like the kind of man who would lie?
She laughs, throwing the towel onto a table.
ELIZABETH
You are the man with a $10,000 bounty on his head. I'm sure it comes with the territory.
CHARLES
Fair point.
He turns his body towards Scarlet.
CHARLES (CONT'D)
Scarlet, meet Elizabeth Park. The answer to all our problems.
Elizabeth steps around the car, motioning with her hand for her pokémon to join her. A tall WATCHOG joins her, and a KLINKLANG isn't far off.
ELIZABETH
Well, well, well. The Kiss of Death herself. It's a pleasure to meet you.
She extends a hand to Scarlet, who does not take it. Instead, she merely looks over the grungy woman in front of her, and scoffs at her pokémon.
SCARLET
(To Charles)
A woman with a Watchog? You've got to be kidding me.
ELIZABETH
(laughs, taking her hand back)
Think I'm not fast enough for you?
SCARLET
Hardly.
ELIZABETH
Trust me, babe. If I'm not fast enough for you, I'll turn myself in.
Elizabeth motions for them to follow her. She leads them to the back room with a different car. Klinklang joins them, Watchog staying close at Elizabeth's side.
The car itself is very underwhelming. It seems like every other car in the area.
SCARLET
Are you sure this thing is fast enough? Looks like a hunk of junk, to me.
(to Charles)
No better than William's, honestly.
Elizabeth leans against the hood of the car, looking over the woman in front of her. Charles might as well not even exist.
ELIZABETH
I'm not giving away my secrets until I actually have your trust.
Scarlet returns the look over. Begrudgingly, she likes what she sees, but isn't about to admit it. She sighs then looks to Charles.
SCARLET
She gets one shot.
(to where only he can hear)
And if she fails to impress me, you're going the way of William.
Charles laughs uncomfortably, taking a careful step back from her, much to Elizabeth's amusement.
SCARLET (CONT'D)
Now get me out of here before the smell of oil soaks into my good coat.
Scarlet and Charles begin to take their leave.
ELIZABETH
It's been lovely, Kiss of Death.
SCARLET
I'll return the sentiment once you've impressed me.
(from over her shoulder)
And know that I have very high expectations.
– – – –
Sitting in the dressing room that had been designated hers, Cynthia gripped the arms of the chair she was sitting in until her knuckles were white. For the sixth or seventh time, her makeup person, Dezerea, told her to relax.
She was a pretty, young woman. Long red hair in braids, and eyes of gold. She wore bright makeup that contrasted nicely with her dark skin.
"Have you ever had anyone do your hair and makeup?" she asked, applying more of whatever it was to her cheeks that would give her a gungy look. Cynthia disliked how much she could feel the makeup on her skin.
"I get help with my hair now and then, but I never let anyone do my makeup. People being in my face that much flusters me," she admitted. This all was definitely far more flustering than getting put into her outfit. The woman who was throwing clothes at her had a heavy Castelia accent, and was in her early fifties. That was a quick and easy process.
Having a pretty woman who was around her age in her face was flustering. Having a fifty-year-old, grumpy, woman fussing over the length of her sleeves wasn't.
Dezerea laughed, standing back to check her work. "I get that, but trust me, Cynthia, I'm here to make you look good, and nothing else."
A selfish part of her almost wished she was there to fluster her, but flirting with crew members was not something she wanted to be known for. Then again, it's not like she was going to stay in this career field, so would there be any harm?
"I appreciate it," she lied.
Dezerea was silent for a while as she walked circles around Cynthia. "I think you're good," she finally said.
Getting up, Cynthia turned around to look in the mirror. Despite being freshly showered, she looked like she had just walked out of a long day in a mechanics shop, with her hair tied back, strands pulled out haphazardly, and stains of what convincingly looked and felt like grease smudged across her face.
Ironic, since she didn't even know how to do an oil change.
Though, the more she looked at her appearance, the more she felt the weight of all the makeup on her skin. This was going to be fun to get off later.
A head popped into the room. "Cynthia, you're up."
Dezerea smiled at her. "Knock 'em dead, champ."
"Thanks," was all she managed. She hoped her skills were up to par, and that this wouldn't end in complete disaster.
She had spent a good part of the night looking over the section they were filming for the day. She was at least confident she could remember her lines. She just hoped she could get the delivery right.
The PA walked her to set. Cameras and lights filled the makeshift mechanics shop. The two cars in the main area weren't functional, but the car in the room they would walk to was. So she had been told, anyways.
She had been given a tour of the set earlier, and had been left impressed with the set designers. When the script called for Elizabeth's car to be underwhelming, they delivered, and the rays of light that filtered in through the windows were shimmering with specks of dust.
"Alright," Tom said, pointing at Cynthia the second she was in earshot. "Cynthia, take your place with Watchog and Klinklang, and let's get started!"
Camila released the two mentioned pokémon, speaking to them briefly before sending them over to her. Watchog eagerly made his way to Cynthia's side, and Klinklang floated off to wait on the other side of the wall.
Down the "hall" Diantha and Alex waited.
Cynthia had yet to see Diantha in her Scarlet makeup. Her hair was pulled back into a messy braid, and her clothes were conservative at best. But even from across the room, Cynthia could see the bright red lipstick she was wearing.
Kneeling down with Tango between the two cars, Cynthia took notice of how he matched her. Grease makeup was applied to his fur, turning his once pristine coat into a proper mechanic's pokémon.
She couldn't resist giving him a quick scratch on the chin. He lifted his head in delight.
"Quiet on set!" Lita called.
Everything fell into a hush, except for the sound of her heartbeat in her own ears.
Lita called the scene number and take one.
The distinct sound of a clapperboard filled the air, and with it, Cynthia's own anxiety was skyrocketing to the point of feeling lightheaded.
Watchog placed a paw on her arm, but made no sound. It brought her a small comfort.
At the sound of footsteps into the main area, and an audible grumble from Diantha, Tango took his paw back.
"Elizabeth!"
Taking her cue, she hauled herself up to try to look like she had been working on the car. She refrained from speaking for a second, practically feeling the camera on her.
Reaching over for the towel on the bench, she wiped her hands as she stepped around the car. "So, you were serious?" She asked, directing her attention at Alex. Though, it was a little hard to ignore the way Diantha was now looking at her.
It was subtle, but the quick raise of her eyebrows and slow look over left her feeling warm.
He grinned at her, shrugging his shoulders in a playful manner. "Do I seem like the kind of man who would lie?"
She laughed, trying her best to not react to how forced it had sounded. She then threw the towel onto a different work bench. "You are the man with a $10,000 bounty on his head. I'm sure it comes with the territory."
He shoved a hand into one of his pants pockets. "Fair point." He then turned towards Diantha, nodding his head in Cynthia's direction. "Scarlet, meet Elizabeth Park. The answer to all of our problems."
Cynthia began to walk towards them, a last-second wave to Watchog for him to join her. She had almost forgot the action bit.
He scurried over, Klinklang hovering into the main part of the room.
"Cut!" Tom's voice broke through the room, causing Cynthia to flinch.
Lita spoke next. "Can tell you almost forgot to call Watchog in. Let's try again!"
Diantha laughed lightly to herself, which didn't go over well with Cynthia.
She walked with Watchog back between the cars, waiting for the set crew to move her towel back to its spot. Something she found entirely pointless. There was no reason she shouldn't be moving something as simple as a hand towel back to its original spot.
Watchog patted her leg as she kneeled back down.
She wanted to be comforted by the gesture, but could only chastise herself for messing up right off the bat.
"Alright, quiet on set." After the hush, Lita followed it up with, "Take two!"
On take two, things fared no better. She ended up messing up sooner in the take, accidentally looking into the camera as it had focused on her.
Take three, she ended up smacking her hand against the car's hood when she gestured for Watchog to join her, thoroughly embarrassing herself.
Tom called for a quick break, asking for "everyone" to look over their lines during it, which frustrated her. It wasn't the lines she was having trouble with. Her lines were easy enough to remember, it was just having cameras so close by that was bothering her.
While pretending to read over her lines, she instead thought back on her month with her acting coach, trying desperately to remember if she ever gave her any advice on having cameras in her face. Nothing came to mind.
From there, she thought to exhibition battles, and other televised battles she had throughout the years. Cameras had been in her face at many of those events, and yet she couldn't figure out why they didn't bother her then.
It was all a little too frustrating.
Many, many, takes later, extra breaks, and a few failed attempts from Diantha to get Cynthia to just talk to her so she could try to understand her hang-up with the whole thing, Tom sat back in his chair, sighing heavily. Lita stood next to him, and together, they talked quietly amongst themselves.
Diantha looked to the directors, quickly losing the ability to keep things together. She was getting frustrated, and it wasn't something that she often did. Mistakes happened, lines would get messed up, props would get moved just off enough from their original spot that it would mess up the flow of things. All were things that could be expected from day one of a production.
This, however, was becoming a bit much.
As she stepped forward to try once again to get Cynthia to talk to her –and she refused to be brushed off again– Tom and Lita called for everyone's attention.
"How about we call day one to an early end? Go home, get some rest, and get those day one jitters out of the way. Same call times and everything for tomorrow, alright?" Tom asked.
She nodded, the slightest grumble somewhere in there.
Alex nudged her. "I know how you feel, but hopefully things'll be better tomorrow."
She wanted to nod along and agree with him, but the thing was, he didn't know how she felt. He wasn't the one who spent most of the day getting brushed off by Cynthia. All she wanted to do was help, and offer advice. She had plenty of mess ups, and had worked past all of them in one way or another. She could help if Cynthia would just let her.
Instead, she would give her the cold shoulder, and hardly engage with her.
Pressing onward, she wanted to give it at least one last attempt. Maybe they could work together one-on-one off set.
"Cynthia, talk to me, please," she said, approaching her.
She looked down at her, and the grunginess of her appearance that she had found oddly attractive earlier was now coupled with obvious frustration. She probably felt as every bit of the mess she looked.
She immediately tried to brush her off again. "I really don't want to– I." She took a deep breath, beginning to walk away.
Diantha kept at her side. "I'm just trying to help. If you would just talk to me–"
They had reached the hallway that lead off the set, back towards the changing rooms. Nobody seemed to be around them, but even if they were, Cynthia couldn't be bothered to care in the moment. Spending the entire day feeling like a failure left her with no patience.
Stopping in her tracks, she turned on Diantha. "Well I don't want your help!" she snapped.
Diantha's hands balled into fists at her side.
"I just want to get all this fucking makeup off me so I can get out of here, and not have to think about any of this for a while, okay? I don't need your help at being an absolute disaster!" She instantly regretted her words, remembering that it wasn't just a movie star she was snapping at. She was snapping at the Kalos champion. Someone she would have to deal with again in the fall at the international meeting.
Diantha looked like she was ready to clap back, but at the last second seemed to think better of it.
Instead, she clasped her hands at her front softly. "Fine. I tried." She took a step back, needing to distance herself before she bit back with twice as much venom. "I've only been at this since I was, oh, ten years old? But I guess my seventeen years of experience means nothing, right? What do I know?"
She turned around, intent on heading for her dressing room. She was done dealing with the frost queen.
Cynthia's shoulders slumped. "Look, I–"
Diantha turned on her heel, contempt written clear across her face. "Save it. Next time you speak to me I expect a better attitude." She turned away, not waiting for any kind of response.
She had expected so much better from her. For years now she had wanted to get to know her, eyes always drawn to her during international meetings, no matter how much she chastised herself for it.
In that moment, she decided it was probably best that she never got to know her. Knowing how much of a stubborn woman she could be would have just made the international meetings all the more frustrating. Instead of having to pretend she wasn't such a pleasant distraction, she would have had to pretend she wasn't absolutely annoying.
If Cynthia didn't get booted before then, this was going to make later scenes much more frustrating, and not in the way she was anticipating them to be.
At the very least, she supposed, it would be no worse than all the men she had to kiss over the years of filming.
Cynthia remained in her spot for a moment, watching her leave. Her frustration with the day gave way to anger. She had wanted to apologize for snapping, but Diantha cut her off before she could even begin to attempt to.
"She really is a diva, isn't she?" she asked to nobody.
Rolling her eyes, she took off her for dressing room, somehow even more desperate than before to get the makeup off.
There, Dezerea was already waiting, a look of pity on her face. It didn't help her feel any better. "Rough first days happen," she said.
She sat down on the makeup chair, only then realizing how tense her whole body was. She was going to have a headache soon enough from it. "Rough first days where you end up yelling at your costar to where she's now probably pissed at you?"
She grimaced, walking up to her with a small bag of makeup remover wipes. "Well," she said, dragging it out. She handed the bag to Cynthia. "If you'll wipe your face, I'll get working on your hair," she quickly said.
She did as instructed, reveling in the feeling of the cool wipe against her skin.
"So, okay, you've had an…extra rough day. Got mad at each other, said some dumb things, and nobody apologized." Cynthia decided she had definitely overheard everything she said to Diantha. "Tomorrow is a new day, Cynthia. Surely it can only go up from here…"
Unfortunately for Cynthia, it did not go up from there. If it was even possible, it went further downhill.
The tension between her and Diantha was palpable to everyone on set, and now mess-ups were coming from both of them all morning. Mistimed actions, tripping over nothing, delivering lines with the wrong inflection; name it and it went wrong.
By the middle of the day when they were set to break for lunch, tensions were high among everyone.
Diantha found herself ready to rip her own hair out at the number of retakes they had done. Now that she was starting to share blame takes gone wrong, frustration didn't even begin to describe her feelings surrounding everything.
Lita called cut, her tone indicating that she was at wits end.
Deciding that she didn't care to hide anything anymore, Diantha sighed loudly as she began to walk off set.
Alex reached out for her, but she purposely walked fast enough to keep out of his grasp. She didn't need his input.
One of the PAs was quick to meet her, offering her the last of her bottle of water. She snatched it from them a little too intensely. "I don't know why they're putting me with a rookie like this!" It was louder than she had intended, but at that point, consequences be damned.
In a split-second decision, Cynthia decided she wasn't going to ignore her. She had heard every bit of it, and was so thoroughly done with everything that maybe getting out exactly how she felt would get her sent home. "I can hear you, you diva!" she shot back.
The set around them fell into silence.
Diantha turned around, her braid whipping around dramatically, and her shoes making a screech on the floor. "Excuse me? I'm the diva? Darling, I think you need to take a good look in the mirror!" The thin plastic of the water bottle in her hand crunched loudly under her grasp.
Cynthia took a few steps towards her, only stopping when Watchog got in her way, making desperate chittering noises at her.
"Look, I get you think you're better than everyone here, and I get that you're leagues ahead of me, but quit acting so high and fucking mighty!"
Anger fueled her every step as Diantha looked to close the distance between them.
"Hey!" Both Tom and Lita warned.
They were ignored, both women too angry with the other to even care.
Watchog did his best to keep some distance between them, clearly panicked because nobody on set was looking to get between them as well.
"Call me a diva all you like, I've heard far worse!" Diantha hissed.
Cynthia laughed in a mocking way. "Yeah, sounds like with good reason!"
"You know, Cynthia, I have done nothing but try to be nice to you! After years of wanting to get to know you, I put aside all reservations I had about working with someone so new to filming. It seems I should have voiced all of that sooner! I tried so hard yesterday to help you, but you brushed me off at every given chance!" She stepped forward, pointing a finger at her. "All my anger and frustration is reactionary to how absolutely stubborn you have been! Call me a diva all you want, but I think it's clear who the real diva is."
At that point Cynthia almost had to remind herself to actively breathe. Her whole body was wrapped in an angry flush.
Despite the anger, her voice was weak. "You and I both know I'm not supposed to be here."
Diantha had wanted to ask if she had actually learned anything in the month she spent with an acting coach, or if she had just not paid any attention. However, it was the quiet admission that put things into a new perspective for her.
It wasn't that Cynthia hadn't learned anything. Maybe it didn't start off this way, but it was undeniable at that point: she was self-sabotaging.
As she took a deep breath to steady herself, she noticed out of the corner of her eyes Lita making her way towards them.
Carefully, she put a hand up, motioning for her to stop, but kept her eyes on Cynthia. Softly, she said, "Cynthia, let's talk this out like two reasonable adults. I don't want to keep fighting with you. Fighting will be productive for nobody." And that was the truth of it all. It was easy to be angry, sure, but she didn't want to fight with Cynthia.
Lita stayed in her spot, watching closely for someone to make a move, and Watchog stayed firm in his spot.
Cynthia felt her shoulders slump, but was at a loss for words. Desperately, she wanted to say something. Anything. But words refused her.
"Walk with me," Diantha said with a wave of her hand.
She half expected Cynthia to ignore her and storm away, once again brushing her off, but to her surprise, she sighed. "Fine," she mumbled.
Watchog put his paws down, making a worried sound when Cynthia reached down to ruffle his head.
Diantha looked over to Lita. "We will be back," she said before walking off set with Cynthia.
As they left audible chatter began to fill back in…
