"Welcome, welcome, we hope you didn't get troubled on your way here." The production team for the company's endorsement photo shoot said as he assisted and led them to the make-up room
Given that it was a sports drink advertisement, they were asked to wear shirts with the brand's colors and logo, the make-up team applied light make-up to enhance their features.
She then remembered that she have her transitional lenses in her bag so she took them out and carefully put them on.
"You're done already?" Opal asked Key who's now scrolling through her phone
"Yeah, I mean, I didn't remove my make-up from earlier so there's no need to apply more." Key replied
"Close your eyes please," the make-up artist said because he can't apply eyeliner on Opal's eyelids
Key is scrolling through her private account, one she created for the sole purpose of journaling, when her sister's name and picture flashed on the screen, she swiped the button to answer it.
"Hey, Chela, what's up?" Key greeted as soon as she heard the line connecting
[Grandfather is displeased.] Chela said in a monotonous tone and Key leaned on the chair
"Hmm, what's new with that? Isn't he always displeased with the three of us?" Key asked and she saw the look of her eyes on her reflection in the mirror, there wasn't even the slightest flicker of life in them
[No, he's rather… how do I say this… infuriated.] By her tone, Key couldn't help but sigh
"Oh, let me guess, he hit his cane on the side of the stairs and broke a couple of furniture or five while shouting, 'what have I done to have those brats in this lifetime?'." Key even change her voice to imitate her grandfather's voice as she spoke and then a small chuckle escape her lips
[No, he slapped us. It was only father and me then.] This reply from Chela made Key stop chuckling
"He did what?" she asked in disbelief and sat up properly
[Then, he gave you an ultimatum.] Chela added and Key's eyes narrowed in obvious testiness
"And, since when was I under his jurisdiction? As far as I remember, he never cared nor gave a hand with my life since we officially became family." Key asked, utterly dissatisfied with the news
"Key," Key's expression immediately changed in a blink of an eye upon hearing Bright call her
"Let's talk later, Chela, give me the full details." Key said and hung up
She put her phone down and faced her teammates with a smile, the expression she had from earlier traceless on her face. They headed to start with their solo shots, and Alexei had his photos taken first.
Key watched how the whole process goes while Dewy took a couple of photos of the teams from behind the scenes and sent them to the JLNC's public relations and communication department who will then post them on the official account of the team.
"Ms. Kashmiri, you're up," the staff said and assisted her to the stage
Key held the sport's drink in one hand and smiled. After the photographer gave her an okay sign, she looked at the assistant photographer who then instructed her on what pose she should do next.
She took a total of three photos, then two photos with Alexei, and two photos with Rio.
"Alright, it's time for the whole team." The photographer announced after taking her photo with Rio
"Serion, Rasheed, please stand on both of Kashmiri's sides. Rio next to Alexei, then, Opal, Quant, and El go in front with one knee on the ground." The assistant photographer instructed them one by one
"Please keep a pose that you're comfortable with," he added then after a while of inspecting their poses
"Alright, that's perfect!" He said and clapped then he looked at the photographer
"It's alright, sir," he said and the photographer started operating the camera
They then changed poses after three shots, Key was asked to sit on a colored cube surrounded by her teammates.
They all smiled for the photo, but only Rasheed kept a slightly indifferent expression, however, given that it's his usual expression, the photographer let him be.
"Perfect! Like an angelic princess among six knights of valor." The assistant photographer commented
"Angelic, huh?" their captain commented and looked at Key who looked at him
"I do look angelic, Captain, only that's just for appearance." Key replied slightly inaudible with a smile
"Are we done now?" Quant asked the staff who is now setting up the stage
"Yes, sir, we can't have the fans wait for too long." The other staff replied
"Let's go then, it's time for the meet and greet." Dewy called them
The staff led them to an open field with banners of their faces, there's also a large tarpaulin of their group photo with the words; "MEET AND GREET with the JLNC" underneath.
"Our beloved patrons, thank you for your patience." The emcee said as he walked up the stage
"Now, for the long-awaited event, let us welcome…" there was a dramatic drum roll effect after the emcee's words successfully triggered the fans
"JLNC!" the fans went wild the moment they walked up the makeshift stage
The fans waved banners while cheering and screaming their name.
The sunlight hit their faces, slightly blinding them and only Key who's now wearing transitional lenses was unaffected. They all acted as if they're saluting even though they are merely covering their eyes from the heat of the sun.
"Now, let's have the captain give our beloved fans a message." The emcee said and handed the microphone to Rasheed
"Thank you for coming here, and I hope you'll continue to support us in the coming games." He said and handed the microphone back to the emcee
"What a short but meaningful message from the captain." The emcee commented before facing the fans
"You all remembered how we asked each of you to write a question you want to ask them earlier, right?" He asked them and the fans cheered before saying 'yes'
"Now, JLNC, are you ready to answer the questions or fans have for you?" the emcee asked them
"Yes,"
"Sure,"
"Ready,"
The members answered with different words, and then the staff came up while holding a large box. It looks similar to those boxes used in suggestion boxes and game shows.
"We can't have our beloved idols stand the whole time, right?" He asked the fans who replied with loud 'No's and 'give them seats' before the staff led them to a table on the stage and allowed them to sit
They are all seated in their respective seats and their usernames in the game are printed on the triangle that serves as the nameplate in front of them.
They sat in the usual seating arrangement in-game arenas; support, captain, mid-laner, off-laner, and top-laner.
Key sat between Rio and Alexei, Opal is next to Alexei, Rio is next to El, and Rasheed sat between El and Quant.
After seeing that they are all seated and had received their respective microphones, the staff asked them to get a paper from the large box one by one.
"Who will read their question and answer first?" the host asked them and they looked at Quant who is at the end of the table
"M-Me?" he asked looking at them with his confused eyes before he opened the folded paper
"If you were not in the e-sports circle, where would you be?" Quant read the question while holding the microphone placed on the table
"I would be a food blogger, trying foods and commenting about them on my live." Quant answered and placed his microphone down
"A capitalist in Gallia," Rasheed answered and placed his microphone down
"A freelance model," El answered placing his microphone down after answering as well
"Well, I probably would still be in Arasia, doing business or something." Rio answered
"In a law firm somewhere," Key answered with a small smile
"I probably would be touring around the world and live streaming." Alexei answered
"I don't really know but maybe a gym instructor," Opal answered
They read the questions they picked one by one and unsurprisingly most of them were about their types in girls, or their standard for choosing a partner, and personal stuff.
"This is interesting," Key commented when she read the question she picked
"What is it, Ms. Kashmiri?" the host asked
"Rate your closeness with everyone in your team from zero to five, and tell us why." She read
"Well, Ms. Kashmiri?" the host asked
"Hmm, I'd give everyone a four, although I'd like to give it a five, I also considered the importance of time in one's closeness, and I haven't really been part of the team as long as everyone else has." Key answered
"As for why," she clicked her tongue and smiled
"They all welcomed and treated me well in their own way. I mean, they are all unique individuals so their way of expressing themselves would also differ so it's the intention and effect that counts for me." She continued
The other members also answered, with most of them answering five with the rest and only Key receiving the rate 4, which meant that her teammates agreed with her thought about the importance of time in one's closeness.