Off-Screen Drama

°~ Chapter Twenty ~°

He opened the oven and picked at the foil. "Is dinner done? This looks done?"

"It takes longer to cook." Remi said, but even as he said it he noticed that the oven was off.

Wait? Wasn't that on just a moment ago?

When had she turned it OFF?

I was standing right here the entire time!

"Nah, looks done to me. These don't usually take long anyways. You hungry?"

"Is she going to hide again? I've yet to see your sister eat."

"She'll be fine. She's stronger than you think."

"As I'm learning. You've got
some explaining to do."

"I do? About what?"

"Her."

*****

"I knew it. You're pretty good
at this," Beatriz said.

Juliet glanced up from her work to find the Costume Designer standing right next to her. She'd been working on adhering sequins to a dance outfit for one of the men that was going to show up in the club for the movie.

Sequins were a dull, boring business to work with. But at least she didn't have to offer them much thought.

"It's just sequins. I wouldn't
warrant they take any talent
to sew on," said Juliet, stringing on a few more.

Beatriz clapped her on the back so hard she nearly slammed her head down into the table, and barked with laughter.

"You'd THINK that, but you have no idea how many interns I get over here that don't know the first thing! With your help we'll make the schedule no problem. Hey Amber, how are we doing with the cut outs?"

It was another busy day in Costume, and even though the people here were a little too open and outgoing for her taste, Juliet was starting to find her niche.

At least here I'm not constantly being harrassed for stupid stuff... she thought, setting another string of sequins to the shirt she was working on. I just come in, sit, and get to work.

Most of her morning went by rather quickly. Occasionally an actor or actress stopped in to check on their costumes, to get new measurements, or to try on completed pieces.

Lydia had been forbidden from the Costume Department due to her previous reaction, so Amber usually left to handle her personally. After Daniel had spoken to her, they had had no issues getting her measurements and starting her costumes.

Juliet was antsy to see the red dress they were going to make for her. She'd always wanted to see what it would look like in person, and now she was there watching them string it together.

*****

"Finally! Lunch time!" Bree announced happily. "So, there's this little cafe I've seen that I SO want to go to. You free Ape?"

Ape was his nickname for Amber. Juliet still hadn't learned why, but everyone else seemed to assume that it was appropriate.

"Wait till we start hittin' the deadlines." Beatriz had said the first time Bree used the nickname. "You'll see what she's like then."

Bree liked giving nicknames it seemed. Within the first week of being here, she'd learned that he called Amber "Ape", Lily "Mime" since she was always working but never talking, and Breatriz "Beaut" because he could easily rhyme it with "Brute".

How he got his OWN nickname was still a mystery, though Juliet had it in mind that he probably gave it to himself.

"Jules-hon, you want to come with us?" He asked Juliet.

She furrowed her brows at
him. "My name is Juliet. Not Jules-hon."

"Awe, but Jules is such a cute name-"

"My NAME is Juliet," she insisted. "And I'm staying here."

Bree and Amber exchanged glances, before shrugging and deciding they'd head out without her. They'd already grown accustomed to her standoffish nature.

"Alright, see you later Jules-hon!" Bree called back.

"It's Juliet!" She called back, but he was already out of earshot.

Now that they had left, it was just Juliet and Lily in the room, and Lily was already packing up to go to lunch. Beatriz had gone out to have a short meeting with Daniel, and hadn't returned yet.

Guess I'll do the usual, Juliet thought, collecting her bag and lunch, and headed out the door.

*****

After being here for a few weeks, Juliet had already started getting accustomed to the set layout, though she still had to keep an eye on where she was going. It was easy to get lost here, and the place was massive.

It was lucky for her that the cafeteria was close by. The set didn't have an "actual" cafeteria, but they had hijacked a large room and were using it as such. So many people went there for lunch, it had practically BECOME the cafeteria.

She took the usual route through the set on her way to the room, when she noticed that a small crowd of people had started gathering around one of the finished sets.

From their hushed silence, and the voices she was hearing, her guess was that one of the scenes for the movie was being filmed.

I wonder which one it is?

Curiosity got the better of Delani, and she decided to postpone lunch to see what they were up to. She didn't get too close to the crowd or she'd start to get claustrophobic, but she did find a good place to stand where she could see some of the action commencing.

She recognized the scene in an instant. Remi was dressed in a rugged white button up shirt, with a fedora and black slacks. He walked with a hunch in his back, which only made the muscles of his arms bunch up at the shoulders.

He looked like a bulldog, all things considered. But that was how Logan had walked as far as she knew.

She noticed Julian a moment later, dressed in the grey suit with orange tie that made up his character, and realized that this was the scene where Logan and Oliver were supposed to meet each other.

I didn't know they were filming this already... she thought, finding a chair nearby where she could see them and settled in.

They must really be cracking the whip to pick up the film schedule.

I don't think anyone will mind if I eat my lunch here.

So she did, and without fail,
The scene was better than Juliet could have imagined.

Remi had Logan down to a "T". He was hulkish, dominant, and snide. Oliver was perfectly friendly, though Julian had given his character a good undertone of creepy.

Oliver was the son of a mobster. He knew what his family was capable of. But he'd adopted his father's way of seeming like the family sort, the kind of guy that was just good natured, and couldn't possibly hurt you on a whim.

Though when he had to get his hands dirty, he was pretty good at getting his point across.

Julian's gotten pretty good at this, she mused, as she started to eat the salad she'd brought with her.

All of their practice is paying off it seems.

I wonder how they'll do when Lydia comes in.

A quick blush crept across her cheeks when she remembered the practice that they had at her home. She'd been terrified the entire time... but after it was all said and done, she couldn't say it was entirely a bad experience.

After all, I'd gotten to see Remi's interpretation of Logan first hand.

And it was... Uh... Goodness... Even thinking about it now still gives me goosebumps.