"CONNIE!"

Hat had gotten to Dead Bird Studios as soon as she could after the director's call, and the two waited for her and Bow in a lobby sparsely populated by other owls and penguins. Hat sped into the Conductor's gold arms, letting him spin her around in excitement and laughter. Bow shyly edged up to Grooves and put her little arms up, murmuring something like "Pay attention to me." Grooves chuckled and lifted her into his arms. While they both had worked for both directors, in the Conductor's movies Bow had taken a backseat, and in the DJ's movies it was the reverse, with Hat as the deuteragonist. It was no secret that the difference was because it was painfully clear each girl had a favorite director, and each director had a favorite girl.

Having returned fresh from a Timekeeper mission, it had been a hot second since they'd seen the directors anyway. The four really needed to go for cake or something sometime.

"Thanks for getting here so quickly," said Grooves around Bow's head. "We shouldn't take too much of your time. We've got sketches of sets and costumes downstairs and a plot draft, too."

Still with her hands on the Conductor's shoulders, Hat glanced up at Grooves. "Just how much did you get done in how much time?"

Conductor shrugged. "Three weeks worth in three days, maybe...?"

"It was mostly Conductor," Grooves said, pointing at his rival like a child tattling to his mother. "His coffee breath is worse than normal."

Frantically Conductor ripped away from Hat, growling in his throat and fumbling around in his pockets, eventually pulling out a red metal tin and popping a few breath mints. "Damn it, Grooves. Yer the one who gave me such a ridiculous deadline."

"I knew you could do it, darling," the penguin replied cheerfully. "Come now, we've things to talk to the girls about!"

The Conductor's expression morphed into something unreadable. Bow wiggled out of Grooves' hold to take Hat's hand and follow the two birds through the Conductor's half of the studio and to the elevator that took them down to the office and storage level.

After that there was a general air of friendliness and cheerfulness radiating off of all four of them. Hat wasn't ignorant of the smiles the Conductor and Grooves shot each other, or the general atmosphere that was uncharacteristically tension-free. It wasn't unpleasant, either. Hat and Bow were just happy to be able to be with both directors at the same time without a verbal (or physical) fistfight...or knife fight, Hat thought with a pointed glance at the Conductor. She intertwined her fingers with Bow's. Her face said she thought time like this was nice, too.

How long it would last was unclear.

Grooves and the Conductor spoke of their idea like the girls were already on board - and, Hat decided, she supposed she was. I appear to have not a choice nor anything better to do. The idea itself was boney and definitely a draft, a shell of what it would soon become, but it brought Hat joy nonetheless. She was sure it was going to be good.

"We know it's a fledgling of an idea," Grooves explained, seeming to have read hat's mind. In front of them, the elevator chirped at them and slid open. "But we like to write characters around the actors we know are going to play them."

"It's why we've used a similar set of actors for every movie," the Conductor added.

"Right." Grooves gestured politely with a wing for the girls and the Conductor to exit before him. "We wanted to make sure you were willing before we made any more plans!"

Bow smiled over at Hat. "I'm game," she murmured.

"Me too." Hat pumped a fist in excitement. "Heck yeah! It'll feel good to be back in front of a camera!" She glared playfully up at the directors with a grin as the group made their way down the office hall, past other Express owls and Moon penguins, to the Conductor's office. "And maybe we'll got through some legal processes to give permission to use our image and stuff so we can actually get paid, yeah! I'm friends with a lawyer! I'll sue!"

The two directors chuckled uncomfortably, and the Conductor reached over to tap the DJ's shoulder.

"Isn't that, like, doubly illegal since we're minors?" Bow tapped her chin. "I don't remember signing anything last time."

Face betraying that he'd been caught pretty off guard, the Conductor stopped dead and started talking rapidly with his hands. "Yeah, well, uh, here's the thing, lassies-"

"We didn't tell you this when we made your bird identities, but-" Grooves cleared his throat.

"Legally," said the Conductor, pointing at Hat, "in the eyes of the United Federation o' Birds, yer me kid. And Bow is Grooves'. So we made those decisions for ye, back a few years ago."

Bow broke into giggles behind Hat's back, and whether they were of amusement or disbelief was unclear. Hat growled slightly. "...And you didn't tell us this until now?"

"It wasn't important!" the Conductor whined defensively. "We're sorry, lassies. Ye'll get paid this time, we promise!"

The group took a left turn into an ajar grey door into the Conductor's neat office, barebones with only a few filing cabinets, a grand desk with a computer, and a red rug on the floor. Hat clicked her tongue disapprovingly, passing past the Conductor and pulling up a wooden chair from near the wall to put it in front of the desk. "That's not what I'm worried about," she scoffed. A shudder flew down the Conductor's spine at the smug sideways look she shot him as she sat down. "...Dad."

"Lass."

"You're in trouble," Bow informed Grooves quietly. "This is something we're gonna hold over your heads, you know." She put her hands up, asking him to hold her again. She was up to his belt now, Grooves reflected. Soon she'd be too big, but for now, he lifted her up and she snuggled up against his soft chest feathers. "I know, darling," he said awkwardly. "...It was rotten. We just didn't see any other way around it." A realization came to him with a frown. "Since you are a minor, you couldn't have signed anyway, with out your mom or dad. Maybe there really was no other choice."

"Hat's mad." She pointed to Hat, who was laughing and harassing the Conductor, darting around him with the occasional small punch here or a pluck of a feather there. "She gets like that when she's mad."

"You aren't, darling?"

"Nah." Bow sighed happily. "I don't mind so much. I thought of you as part of my family anyway." Grooves' heart melted just a little.

Conductor wrangled himself free of Hat's wrath and stubbornly plopped down at his desk across from her, shielding his head from further assault with his arms. Grooves carried Bow in to join, setting her down on the desk like she was a cup of coffee or a folder. "Lass, that is enough,," the Conductor sighed. "We've got work ta do!"

"Alright, Dad," Hat sneered with another click of her tongue.

"Lass..."

"Here's the scoop," Grooves said quickly with a small smile. "We think you'll like this...The working title for our movie is Encore. And remember how we like to write characters around the actors?"

"Mmhmm..."

"Well." Grooves shared an excited glance with the Conductor. "We want you darlings to recruit your friends to be actors alongside you!"

Bow tapped the pads of her fingers together in elation and Hat gasped dramatically into her hands.

"The movie's aaaall about ye lassies," the Conductor said, waggling a finger at them. "Ne'er mind the fact that Ah wouldn't have agreed to a collaboration if ye two weren't involved...Yer deserve some freedom. And we won't try ta kill ye this time!" He purposefully turned his head toward Grooves, who stared back with equal contempt for both their past misdeeds.

Sensing tension, Hat laughed nervously. "I-I think it's a great idea!" she cried. This was more like the Grooves and the Conductor she was used to.

"Me too," said Bow wholeheartedly. "...Gosh, imagine a movie with Mu, or Cookie, or even Snatcher!"

"Pssh, that old worm would never agree to do anything cool like this!" All Snatcher did nowadays was mooch off of the oxygen on Hat's ship, reading and hawking up the occasional Death Wish. He'd never agree to be in a movie...

Which was why Hat was going to try to convince him first.

Bow's big eyes flitted timidly back and forth between her directors. "Can..." she piped, "you guys be in it?"

Conductor reached over and patted the top of her hand comfortingly. "Well, that goes without saying, lass."

Hat narrowed her eyes shiftily. "Still...where is this coming from? When did you two get so buddy-buddy?"

Grooves and the Conductor exchanged a glance, then looked away just as quickly, both muttering some iteration of "Haha, not important". It did little to ease Hat's suspicion. Something happened here, but her dense mind couldn't even begin to guess what it was.

Bow noticed, too, but her expression said she didn't care so much. Their eyes met, having a quick, silent conversation about the situation, becoming so absorbed in it they were caught off guard when the Conductor slapped down a paper folder with enough force to change the subject. "So!" he cried. "Ah been up the past few nights sketchin' till me wrists almost fell off. Take a look at me hard work."

Hat opened up the folder and began to thumb through the stack of papers contained within, eyes growing steadily wider and wider with each new sketch. Damn, who taught this old man to draw? While rough and black-and-white, each sketch brought to life a new angle of each set - the Moon town set during the day and at night, and an air view and a street view of it, a professional recording studio, a kitchen and a bedroom so reminiscent of Hat's own it brought a smile to her face. Bow planted her index finger on a field of flowers with a big tree, the huge moon in the background. "I like this one!" Crusty old man the Conductor may be, but times like this was why Hat respected him; he still brought many people a whole lot of joy."They're great," she said emphatically. "I love 'em!"

The owl brightened. "Great!" Hat thought his expression said something like Three whole pots of coffee put to good use.

Bow tapped the pads of her fingers together, clearly very pleased with the way the events had turned. "Let's get started!" she squealed. "The sooner we recruit people the sooner we can, right?"

"I like the way you think, darling," Grooves said in amusement. "Do you have anyone in mind already?"

"Well, our friend Mustache Girl..."

One of the penguin's massive eyebrows rose. "Really? The mustached darling?" His voice conveyed his confusion - while the girls were still friends with Mu, they tried to avoid speaking of her even after years had passed to keep her safe.

Surprisingly, Bow sprang to Mu's defense before Hat could even try. "Hey," she pouted. "Really. She's our friend, so why shouldn't she be in it with us?"

Impressed, Hat leaned over and patted her shoulder. She smiled back.

Grooves and the Conductor shrugged at each other. "Alright," said Grooves, "I suppose I trust you darlings to keep an eye on her-"

"Grrrr!" Hat leapt to her feet on the chair to reach over and lightly sock Grooves in his big, fluffy gut. "She don't need watching! Don't be mean to our friend!"

"Yeah!" Bow joined in, the both of them leaning over to batter Grooves together. The Conductor cackled behind them, crossing his arms and legs. Laughter filled the office. "Darlings, darlings!" Grooves cried, placing a flipper on both of their heads in an attempt to calm them. "Alright! I'll trust your friend!"

Picking at his teeth with a long talon, the Conductor tched. "Ah'd like ta meet the angry li'l lass again. So ye'd better go get her."

"Righto." Hat gave a salute without any meat behind it. "Keep those ideas coming...I'm still not sure how you two are working together, but it's nice, so keep it together for a little bit, please." She offered a hand to Bow to help her get down from the desk, which the smaller girl took as she hopped down. "We'll be back eventually. Play nice."

Before she exited behind Hat, she paused, turning back to the Conductor and Grooves with a shining beam. She waved a hand in the air. "Bye, Con!" she sang. "Bye, Papa! See you later!"

Grooves clapped a flipper over his heart, making a small, defeated noise under his breath. "Buh-bye, darling," he was barely able to struggle out around the lump of adoration in his throat. "Have fun and be safe."

Conductor spun around once the girls had left to stare at the back wall. "...Haha, me sons don't know they legally have a human sister, either. Whoops. Maybe I should tell 'em." He crossed his ankles, refusing to elaborate further.

"So," Grooves ventured, "we can keep this thing together for their sakes, right?"

"Eh." Conductor shrugged. "Probably."

"...You sure have changed ever since what happ-"

Violently the old owl released a growl and whipped around, jamming a talon in his rival's face. "Shut it."

Grooves put up his flippers up defensively, taking a step back. "Woah! Darling, sorry, I just-"

"Ebabababababab! Ah said shut it!" Lacklusterly he sat back, groaning and pinching the bridge of his beak. "Ah said it before an' Ah'll say it again. I was drunk when that happen, awright? Hasn't changed me none. And if ye keep bringin' that up I'll start sayin' I was drunk when I agreed ta this too."

Abruptly he stood before Grooves could get in another word edgewise. "Got that?" Without giving him a chance to reply, the Conductor stormed off.

Grooves studied the door that the Conductor left out of, brow furrowed and covering his beak with a flipper in thought. He had but a single sentiment, one he was sure anyone who had seen the Conductor would share. The owl had started scratching the back of his neck after he'd said he was drunk, a tell the penguin recognized from all the years the two had spent in the same building.

"...Liar."