Night Beats: Ghost in the Vending Machine

Chapter 4: Fix it in Post

"Good enough, guys. Wrap it up, and let's move everything into the building. Someone, grab Derrick and Rhett, make sure they're ready to go. We'll film the fall before the sun gets any higher. And get Fynn while you're at it, they need to work quick before we lose the light." Steven didn't bother looking up as he skimmed the B-roll Val had already gotten of Derrick that night.

Cassius glanced over as Jane disappeared and his partner in crime reemerged.

"You're always looking out for me?" Emma had the voice of someone who was born into this world already bored with it, which was a startling contrast to Jane.

"What? We were having a moment, I thought I'd improvise."

Emma shook her head as they wandered towards the 'half constructed' building they'd reserved for the morning and half the night. "I suppose it's not the worst dialogue Mark's ever written for you. Though I have the misfortune of saying: 'I think it gave me a hairball,' at some point today." She was either blessed or cursed with the face of a prom queen, and even though she'd auditioned for Lilith, her headshots betrayed her as a Jane. "But you should warn me when you're going to go off script, otherwise I might puke."

Cassius tsked her cynicism as they wandered up a set of treacherous stairs to the second floor. "Look, I'm tired of hearing about how we don't have any chemistry, which is complete bullshit, by the way. I can't help that Mark can't write me decent dialogue."

"Aw, are you upset about Valirianus' new fic with you and Brad shipped together again?"

"Uck, the writing is great, but damn. I mean, I'm pretty flexible, but I'm not sure they've considered the physics of what they're writing. Plus, Jane compares me to mayonnaise!"

Emma laughed as she pulled a vape pen from her pocket. "Well, I mean you are a total Jonny Sue."

"Like hell I am."

She shook her head while exhaling, the smoke tinted with the scent of blueberry and cloves. "Well, maybe not as bad as you were, but come on."

"It's not my fault they keep writing me as the straightest whitest piece of bread they could find."

"And you think lines like, 'you're always looking out for me' are going to help your case?"

"Oh, blow it out your ass." Cass accepted as she offered her vape pen, the white mouthpiece stained with warm peach lipstick.

Cassius took a slow drag as they both watched someone tweak the lighting while Rhett stood in for Jordan. "I'm doing the best I can with what they give me. It's kind of lame though, getting dragged every other week. They got a poll on Twitter about different ways I should be killed."

"I know. I voted for the meat grinder."

Cass gasped dramatically and coughed as he took in too much smoke. "Traitor," he strained and drank the rest of Jane's water.

"Cheer up, Rabbit." Emma pinched his chin then took the vape pen from between his lips.

"You said you never read fanfic!"

"I was bored on the train last night. I gotta say though, I never took you for a 'Daddy' kinda guy."

"Em! Not in a million years!"

She bit her tongue as he was called to run his scenes. "I'm never going to let you live this one down, Cass, you know that, right?"

Cassius huffed through his nose before turning on a heel and walking off. He could still hear her laughing as he took his mark. Emma, unlike her protagonist, had a remarkable commitment to shenanigans, so he was absolutely sure he'd not heard the end of it.