….
Five Days Later.
March 16th, 2010.
.
"Hello there! I am Ben Azelart. Nice to meet you!"
Regal glanced up from his notes, momentarily caught off guard by the sheer force of Ben's enthusiasm, which seemed to fill the room the moment he walked in.
"Hello, Ben. I am Regal." He gestured to the chair across the table and offered a polite, if somewhat strained, smile. "Please, take a seat. Here is the scene. No rush, take your time."
Ben's eyes flicked to Regal, registering a brief surprise at his youthful face before brushing it off.
Without missing a beat, he flashed a quick grin and dropped into the chair, snatching up the script. His eyes darted across the lines, lips moving faintly as he rehearsed under his breath.
Regal leaned back in his chair, observing the display with a measured calm.
For a moment, he considered Ben's enthusiasm.
It was refreshing, if nothing else, though the recent experiences had taught him to temper his expectations.
The room was part of a small run down theater Regal had rented for three days to cast the acting crew for his film, [Following].
He had meticulously planned for this, sorting through scripts, finalizing the audition posters, and spreading the word both online and offline. He had given exactly six days for the casting notice to gain traction, a timeline carefully balanced between urgency and reach.
Now, it was already the second day of auditions.
Barely a few minutes passed before Ben straightened, grinned again, and dove headfirst into his audition.
When he finished, he looked at Regal with an eager expression, eyes bright with anticipation.
Regal's face remained neutral, though his inner thoughts painted a more honest picture.
The performance? It was... well, it was something.
===
[Name:] Ben Azelart
[Traits:] Cheerful, Resilience
[Acting Grade:] E ᐩ
===
Cheerful and resilient - very admirable traits in this brutal industry, Regal mused, noting the determination in Ben's eyes.
But acting? That was a different matter altogether.
Another one who is not 'yet' ready trying to conquer the camera.
Regal thought, fighting the urge to rub his temples.
The auditions had been running for two days now, and they were starting to feel more like a test of his own endurance than a search for talent.
The first day held promise.
Plenty of hopefuls had flocked in, lured by the attractive pay hinted at in the gig description.
But by the end of the day, Regal had realized none of them were camera-ready.
Today? It was shaping up to be even worse.
Despite a slight uptick in the number of candidates, the quality of performances had taken a nosedive.
By the time the afternoon sun cast its muted glow across the room, every audition had blurred into a monotonous parade of mediocrity.
None left even the faintest impression, let alone a spark of hope.
And now, Ben.
His initial enthusiasm had been a rare highlight, a momentary respite from the drudgery. But enthusiasm alone could only carry him so far, and his performance quickly unraveled.
Halfway through the lines, Ben stumbled over his words.
Awkward pauses in between each one dragging like a poorly delivered punchline to a bad joke.
Regal forced a polite smile, suppressing the sigh clawing its way up his throat. "Good work, Ben. We will contact you if there's a role that fits."
For a brief moment, Ben's grin faltered.
His expression flickered with a subtle disappointment, a crack in his upbeat demeanor that was fleeting but unmistakable.
He knew. He had failed ...again.
But just as quickly as it appeared, the moment was gone.
Ben straightened his back, his voice as buoyant as when he had first walked in. "Thanks! I would really appreciate that!"
Regal blinked, momentarily taken aback. Resilient, he thought.
There was something almost admirable about the way Ben shrugged off rejection, even from someone as relatively insignificant as Regal himself.
It wasn't forced or defensive.
It was genuine, an unshakable optimism that wasn't laced with bitterness or pretense. Still, admiration alone didn't change the reality of the situation.
"Next." Regal called out, already moving on.
.…
After a few more rounds of auditions that added little more than a growing sense of disappointment, the door opened once again.
A woman entered, her long black hair falling neatly to frame her face.
Well, she got the looks, thought Regal.
Every detail of her appearance was sharp and precise, as if her entire demeanor had been carefully curated to exude composure.
"Hello." She said curtly, with a stony expression.
That was it? Regal blinked. No smile, no overdone pleasantries - just a cold, lifeless greeting.
"Uh… hello." He replied, the awkwardness lingering for a moment before he shook it off and slid the script across the table toward her. "Here are the lines. Start whenever you are ready."
She nodded, a silent acknowledgment, and reached for the script without another word.
As she moved toward the nearby chair, Regal assumed she was about to sit and prepare.
But mid-step, she stopped.
Turning slightly back toward him, she seemed hesitant, her lips parting as though she had just remembered something.
"Thank you." She said softly, her voice oddly stilted and unsure, like a child fumbling with newly learned manners.
Ah, so she is nervous, Regal assumed.
His gaze dropped to the script trembling slightly in her grasp. Her fingers were quivering, just enough to catch his attention.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"No problem. Would you like some coffee?" He asked.
Obviously, the offer wasn't just because she was attractive, though she certainly was. Regal prided himself on being a decent person, and if a little caffeine could help ease someone's nerves, why not offer?
Her eyes stayed on him for a beat, before she finally gave a small nod. "Please. I would like that."
"Perfect. You can continue, and I will get it sorted." Regal said, reaching for the small bell on his desk.
As he rang it, he couldn't help but wonder if this time, the day might finally take a turn for the better.
The sound had barely faded before the door opened, and in walked a middle aged woman in a sharply tailored suit, clipboard tucked neatly under her arm.
Her stride was brisk, her demeanor professional, exuding the air of someone who had long mastered the art of efficiency.
Regal glanced up, smiling inwardly.
Ah, the perks of hiring help.
The sheer monotony of these auditions would have driven him up the wall if he had to handle them alone.
So beforehand, recognizing his limits, he had enlisted someone with experience, someone who could take care of the logistical side while he simply focused on auditions.
Her name was Samantha Cross, a recommendation from Maggie, Gwendolyn's go-to person for all things organizational.
...and, no, don't ask why it just so happened to be another woman.
Pure coincidence, Regal assured himself.
Still, there was a small, additional voice that whispered.
Who hires a guy for this kind of work? Isn't that just common sense? It was a bias, sure, but he was self-aware enough to admit it.
"Yes, Mr. Regal?" Samantha asked, her polite, professional smile perfectly in place.
"Ms. Samantha. A coffee, please." Regal gestured with a slight tilt of his head toward the woman now seated and preparing for her audition.
Samantha's eyes followed, taking in the scene.
The woman was hunched slightly over the script, her focus entirely on the lines before her. Her fingers tapped nervously against the paper, betraying her unease.
"And make it... strong." Regal added, his voice quieter, as though not to disturb the woman's concentration.
I see… Samantha's sharp mind already filled in the blanks immediately.
The coffee wasn't for Regal.
Her gaze flickered back to the woman - the young woman was undeniably pretty.
Pretty women, Samantha knew, often received these small courtesies, acts that, while harmless and unspoken, weren't strictly professional protocol, either.
Still, she said nothing. Her thoughts, neatly compartmentalized, stayed where they belonged, private.
With a nod, she turned on her heel and exited the room.
Moments later, Samantha returned with a steaming cup of coffee in a tray.
Fortunately, she had brewed a fresh batch earlier, anticipating such requests. Regal had made similar ones the day before, again not for himself, but for the participants.
And no, not all of them had been women - it was a small, telling detail that had earned him a point or two in her book.
Professionalism, after all, was a rare commodity in environments like these, where egos and ulterior motives often ran rampant.
Still, even if that weren't the case, Samantha reminded herself, it wasn't her place to judge.
This was her second day working alongside Regal. So, the job wasn't permanent, just a short-term gig to help manage the calling part outside the audition room.
A small favor from a 'friend' who had vouched for her, really.
But even in that short span, she had observed enough to form a general impression.
Regal was young, handsome, and clearly juggling the challenges of a demanding environment filled with potential distractions.
Whatever his intentions were, they weren't her concern.
She approached the table and placed the cup carefully beside the auditioning woman, who barely acknowledged it.
She received a polite nod of thanks from Regal, and with the same quiet efficiency, she exited the room, leaving it steeped in silence once more.
The woman remained focused, her eyes locked on the script as she reached for the coffee. She sipped it absently, never once shifting her gaze from the page.
Her focus was commendable, her fingers tracing the edge of the sheet of scene paper.
….
Finally, after three more minutes, she rose, setting the paper neatly back onto the table.
"I will start now." then she announced.
Regal gave a small nod of approval, and instantly his casual demeanor shifted - the faint neutrality in his expression hardened into something sharper and critical, ready to judge.
…yet, it immediately unsettled her.
Her fingers curled into a fist, knuckles whitening as her composure momentarily cracked.
The coffee?
The polite tone?
She had misread them entirely.
She had assumed it was more of the same pandering she had seen too often before.
But now, studying his expression, it hit her, Regal wasn't here to sugarcoat anything.
His quiet focus wasn't encouragement - it was expectation.
If she didn't perform, she would be out.
No sympathy, no excuses.
The realization was sobering.
She wasn't new to auditions. In fact, she had even landed a few roles before. But deep down, she knew why she had gotten those offers.
Her auditions? Subpar.
She has a stage fright, so despite her preparation, she always couldn't do her best at the audition.
She had recently come to terms with that, but she was still in the process of overcoming it.
And the roles she thought she really landed were not because of her acting. She only understood after a few experiences that those kinds of offers often come with unspoken agreements.
Opportunities dangled in exchange for favors she had no intention of giving.
And so she refused.
Time and again.
Each refusal came with consequences, doors slammed shut, opportunities lost.
But she had chosen this path.
If she couldn't earn her place, she didn't want it.
That thought sparked something in her.
A new determination hardened her gaze, sharpening her stance.
Across the room, Regal noticed the shift.
He noticed the change instantly. Hadn't she already seemed serious? What has shifted now?
He kept his thoughts to himself, leaning back to observe.
And then, she began.
….
She was good-ish.
Regal would place her around a [Acting Garde: C].
Not quite there yet, but she was definitely on the right track.
She was already in the project, he decided.
Continuing the search beyond this point would be unnecessary.
Perfection, after all, was a mirage - there was always someone better, but chasing them would lead nowhere.
Sometimes, you have to make a choice and stick with it.
Still, something had caught Regal's attention during her audition.
At the beginning, she was just... okay.
Her delivery lacked the sultry undertone the character demanded, and if she had continued at that level, she would already be on her way out.
But as the minutes passed, something shifted. She began to settle in, and by the end, her performance carried a grounded, immersive quality.
It wasn't her best - He could tell that much.
Still, the potential was there.
Maybe she could be a [C+: Grade] talent actually.
With a flicker of his eyelid, Regal opened the system panel in front of him.
===
[Name:] Violet Grace
[Traits:] Stoic, Principled, Performance Anxiety
[Acting Grade:] B -
===
Regal likes to think of himself as fair, not one to rush to conclusions.
…and he believed he was already being generous.
He always gave candidates the benefit to prove themselves before relying on his system.
With her stoic expression, he wasn't expecting anything 'extraordinary' from the woman before him.
But it seems he was wrong…
The evaluation results were right there in front of him: [Acting Grade: B -]
Regal nearly shot up from his seat in disbelief.
Acting Grade: B -!? That was the second highest grade he had seen since Keanu, who was a beast of his own in Regal's book.
His eyes drifted back to her.
Stoic and principled, huh? He let the words linger in his mind, considering the first one.
Stoicness is something that is definitely not the best first impression trait one would love to have in this field.
Violet Grace.
He repeated her name quietly to himself. He would remember that.
?!!And then, it hit him.
He hadn't even asked for an introduction.
Clearing his throat, Regal stood and extended a hand. "Regal. Regal Seraphsail."
She blinked, her stoic demeanor cracking ever so slightly. "What?"
Regal gave a genuine smile. "I would further like to discuss the contract details before we finalize anything."
Her eyes widened, her composure faltering further. "I passed?"
"You did, Miss…?"
Straightening immediately, she regained her poise. "...Violet Grace. And I am glad to hear it."
"But before we proceed..." Regal's words hung in the air, stretching just enough to keep her in suspense.
Violet's lips twitched, a flicker of dry disappointment in her eyes.
She already seemed to know what was coming, her expression faintly resigned as if bracing for a predictable question.
"That wasn't your best, was it?" Regal finally asked, watching her closely.
Her reaction was subtle but telling, a slight shift in her posture, a spark of surprise quickly replaced with confidence. "It's true. I know I can do a lot better."
"Good." Regal said, his tone approving. "I intend to use your skills to their fullest potential."
Violet returned the nod, her tone steady. "...I am looking forward to it."
Regal's expression eased, clearly satisfied. "I will contact you once the auditions for the remaining cast are complete. Please leave your contact details with the assistant outside."
"I will. Thank you." She replied, a faint smile, almost imperceptible, gracing her lips.
With that, she turned and left the room, her composed aura returning, leaving Regal satisfied for finally moving somewhere with the casting.
….
.
[To be continued…]
★─────⇌•★•⇋─────★
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