Chapter 697

Chapter 697: Not Your Part

I counted fifteen minutes, give or take.

That’s how long Leon spent attempting with all his might, and trying all in vain to change the director’s mind.

But of course, he wouldn’t budge on his decision... and to be fair, it was really hard to find any faults as to his reason why.

“Look! Just take a good long look at her!” He said, aggravatingly extending an arm out at Ash like she was part of an art exhibit. “This Elf’s got the looks, got the mannerisms down pat, her ears even move the right way. Remind you of anyone, or do I seriously need to spell it out for you?”

“So she looks a bit like Eshwlyn! Really, it’s not a big deal,” Leon continued to reason. “In fact, it just adds to my point! If she can replicate Eshwlyn this precisely, just think about all the other Elves you can make her act to perfection!”

“It’s not just how she looks, it’s how she sounds too, alright?!” He snapped, his patience pushed to its limits. “I don’t want the audience to look at her and see one thing, but hear another! I put her in, Eshwlyn’s all they see and hear, and in case you forgot, Leonardo, you’re currently separated from her at the moment, remember? She’s not in this story!”

“So just put Eshwlyn in the story with me, then,” Leon said, flinging both arms up in the air like it was the most obvious solution. “You put Chester in, didn’t you? And he’s non-canon... but look how that turned out! Even better, Eshwlyn’s already a pre-existing character, so it won’t be as difficult dropping her in.”

.....

“Chester only exists because of your co-star’s insistence,” The director explained, heaving a deep breath that swelled his chest. “And believe me, she’s a hundred times more stubborn and determined than you’ll ever be, which I came to learn the hard way, so just drop it. No more amendments.”

This went on for quite a bit, and at a certain point, Leon’s determination to turn Ash into the next big breakout celebrity was slowly starting to sound like plain-out desperation to me.

“What if she doesn’t play an Elf?” came the great Hero’s next absurd suggestion. “If the Elidna doesn’t work out, Ash could play the part! It’d be easy, surely,” then he whirled around towards Ash. “Hey, you won’t mind taking off your Elf ears temporarily for the role, would you?”

“Umm...” was all Ash managed to respond with before I decided then to finally step in. Don’t know about the rest of Hollywood, but the removal of bodily parts is where I draw the line.

“I’m on the director’s side,” I said simply. “Leon, best we just take the loss. He’s right, Ash just ain’t the right fit for this story here. Sometimes beauty like hers has a price, y’know?”

Leon narrowed his lips, a hint of disappointment rippling through his handsome mug. “Just thought it’d be a good bonding experience. The three of us, getting to know each other better,” His eyes drifted back over to Ash. “Ahh, what a loss of great talent.”

“It is alright,” She replied, backing me up. “My eagerness to be involved is but a mere whimsical impulse. I harbor no disappointment at this outcome. Besides, to behold your performances today is already a satisfaction fulfilled.”

“No, but seriously, it’s as if you just plopped right out of the game itself or something, it’s remarkable,” The director remarked, pulling his shades down once more in rousing fascination. “If we ever do decide to make a movie involving Eshwlyn, is it safe to assume that I’ll have you available to play the main role?”

Ash formed a smile, looking both bewildered and amused at the entire situation. “I suppose that highly depends,” She pondered aloud, slowly peeking over at me from the corner of her eyes. “Perchance, would Chester have another pivotal role to play alongside myself?”

Interesting thought to consider. But honestly, after this... I think I’m gonna retire from the limelight. I much prefer watching movies to being in them, anyway.

In record time, the film crew had managed to haul their entire equipment back up onto the top floor, untangling wires and setting up camera positions for the next scene that everyone was long-ready to get over with.

My role in all this was pretty much done already just as I had hoped for, but for curiosity’s sake, and a morbid one at that, I decided to hang back for a little while longer to see how things were gonna unfold.

“You’re not going home?” Leon asked me, finding Ash and I in a corner way back from all the commotion. “Figured you wanna rest up, you must be exhausted, right? Considering last night, I’m amazed you could even come up with your own lines the way you did. This is your first acting gig, right?”

“The first and only,” I affirmed, too busy staring as the meek Elidna slowly strode up to the scene, surrounded on all sides by the intense gazes of thousand-dollar lenses. “I’m curious, you played the game, right? What happens after this scene?”

Leon quickly snapped his eyes back at me in a thwarted attempt to strike up a conversation with Ash and pondered silently for a moment.

“It’s a big exposition dump, mostly. After the Elidna becomes convinced that Leonardo was an entity that did not belong, she begins helping to fill in the blanks on some mysteries. Being a being that lived during the time of the Divines, she explains that he has been sent to a province completely separated and secluded from the rest of Asteria. A first attempt, a failed attempt from the first Divine Frederika to prosper life.”

“Failed attempt?” I shifted my focus away from the scene of a scuffed second take to look at him. “What’s the failure? From what I’ve seen so far, life seems to be prospering quite well here.”

“Who knows? Godly, omniscient reasons, probably,” Leon shrugged. “Anyway, after deeming the attempt a failure, Frederika absconded to start anew, but in doing so, legends claim that she had constructed a portal, acting as a bridge for the lands between... to which she promptly sealed forever closed at the moment of her departure.”

“Let me guess,” I said. “The portal’s Leonardo only ticket to getting back to Asteria?”

“Yep, you got it,” He affirmed, nodding. “All Leonardo has to do now is find that portal of legend and somehow get it working again, and along the way, round up a merry cast of interesting and whimsical characters-like you. And you too, Ash!” He said, leaning over at her with a visible frown. “If only, huh?”

Ash didn’t hear him, those perked, pointy ears of hers were too invested pointing straight at the scene playing in front of her which from what I could hear didn’t seem to be going quite well again.

“But it’d be a complete miracle if we even manage to get to that part of the story...” Leon said, sighing.

“Why’s that?” I asked, which prompted him to sigh again.

“Lack of characters. No Elf, No Terestra, and the Elidna herself, at this rate, well...”

Leon trailed off, his dismayed silence leading to a reverberating echo from afar, as a loud voice yelled, “CUT!”

I snapped back ahead of me, seeing over the crowd, as the director stomped his way onto the set, practically radiating with anger.

“That’s it. You’re out! O-U-T! Out! Can’t play the part, shouldn’t have auditioned in the first play! Second time, third time! How many more times?! No, don’t say anything, no excuses. Go, just go! ”

“Yep,” Leon said, hanging his head. “Lost her too.”