BtW Book 01, Part 02: The Devil of the Details

Braving the Waters, Book 1: The Shore

Part 2: The Devil of the Details

It was a hectic time. Barely two days after the message, the callback paired Kat with Yun again, and they read more scenes together -- different from the first audition but clearly the same characters. This time, however, they didn't even have to wait to be notified; at the end of the session, Talia and M scheduled them for a second callback with actors who had gotten as far into the audition process as they had. The callback was for a week hence, and for the first time, they were given partial copies of the shooting script, with instructions to memorize their lines.

Yun decided that she and Kat might as well rehearse their shared scenes, so she rented a practice room from one of the local theater troupes. They met for the whole day, every day, of the intervening week to rehearse, becoming as familiar as they could with what they had of the script.

"This is uncharted territory for me," Kat said on the final afternoon before the callback. They were done for the day and were just sitting around, relaxing before heading home.

"What is?" Yun asked, sipping from a bottle of room-temperature water.

"This role. I've never played someone who's into girls."

Kat had expected Yun to laugh, perhaps get angry. What she got instead was a thoughtful look.

"You're overthinking it," Yun finally said, pointing the bottle at her. "From where I'm sitting, you've been knocking it out of the park in our readings this past week. Hell, I'm almost convinced you're into me."

Yun gave her a wicked grin before taking another sip.

"Uh-" Kat felt the heat rise in her cheeks.

"Relax. I'm just teasing. Stop worrying. You're doing just fine."

"But what about the-, the-" Kat stammered.

"Sex?" Yun's tone was matter-of-fact.

"Yes." This time, Kat felt herself actually blush. "It's not that I'm having second thoughts. But now that the prospect of it happening is getting more real--"

"Performance anxiety?"

Kat nodded.

"First off," Yun replied, tapping the bottle with a finger to emphasize each of her points, "Neither of us has been offered a role yet. Right now, you're stressing out over a nothingburger. Second, even if we do get an offer, Talia will be going over the details. And I trust her to do right by us."

"Third, and probably most importantly where you seem to be concerned," Yun continued, "None of it will actually be sex. From the sound of it, every scene has been choreographed, maybe even storyboarded, in advance. It's going to be all about taking direction and hitting our marks. Full stop. You want real performance anxiety? Think of porn and male performers."

"Point taken. But still...." Inwardly unconvinced, Kat let her sentence trail off. While she could intellectually grasp Yun's explanation, there was still a part of her that quailed.

"To be brutally frank, you're worrying over the wrong things." Yun capped her water bottle and set it down on the table, then crossed her arms.

"What?" A little of Kat's irritation leaked through in curtness of her question. Yun was being far too reasonable about all of it.

"I thought you'd have twigged to the implications of the lines you've been reading by now." There was no mockery in Yun's face or tone, but Kat was too annoyed to be mollified.

"Are you going to explain? Or do you just like keeping the idiot in suspense?" The words came out with an edge that Kat hadn't intended. She knew she'd put a foot wrong when she saw the slight tightening at the corners of Yun's eyes.

"You're tired and it's making you cranky. So I'm giving you a pass for jumping down my throat before I could explain," Yun said, her tone deceptively mild. "Besides, I don't get my kicks from winding people up. Just so we're clear."

"I'm sorry," Kat said, and meant it.

Yun waved it off.

"Don't make a habit of it, and we won't have any issues. Also, I don't think you're an idiot. A little slow on the uptake maybe, but not an idiot. What I was going to say is that you, my dear Kat, are playing the POV character in this Talia Lane production."

Yun reached for her water bottle again and cracked it open, loosely crossing her arms in front of her again before taking a long drink. Her eyes never left Kat's face.

"What?!"

"You've said that word before," Yun observed dryly. "It looks like you're the lead. Or more accurately, the character you've been assigned is. Just read her lines. Examine how they fit into the scenes we've been given. Unless I'm totally wrong about the whole thing, this is her story. The character I'm reading seems to have a hefty role in it too, of course, but if these are really excerpts from the shooting script, the audience will be following you."

"Wait, you mean-"

"Talia is apparently contemplating giving us the leading roles. You more than me. That kind of dwarfs all other concerns, don't you think?"

"Oh shit." Kat could feel the blood drain from her face and the acid churn in her stomach.

"'Oh shit' indeed. I'd say 'no pressure,' but I'd be lying and being flippant at the same time. You don't deserve that from me. So go home, get some rest, and I'll see you tomorrow, eh?"

* * *

The butterflies were already fluttering in Kat's stomach even before she exited the rideshare and stepped onto the sidewalk. Thankfully Yun was standing beside the entrance to the hall, doomscrolling -- as usual -- on her phone, though she quickly looked up when she heard the car door slam.

"Bright and early, Kat!" she called, smiling. "Looking to make a good impression, eh?"

"Says you. You're obviously earlier than me," Kat replied as she walked over. "I'm not the only brown-noser around here, apparently."

Despite her attempts at gibes, Kat wasn't feeling particularly jaunty. She'd been so anxious that it was a minor miracle she'd managed a whole three hours of sleep. Now that she knew what was at stake, the pressure to do well was an almost palpable thing: a smothering blanket despite the coolness of the morning. But maybe she'd blow it so badly she wouldn't get the role; at least then the pressure would be gone.

"This isn't my first rodeo by a long shot, but it is yours," Yun was saying, her expression serious. "Didn't want you to walk into the hive of scum and villainy alone."

"Are they really going to be that bad, you think?" Kat pushed open the door, motioning for Yun to precede her. "The others, I mean."

"Probably not, given that Talia herself has been involved in auditioning and casting," Yun nodded in acknowledgment of Kat's gesture as she walked through the entrance. "But we won't know until we know, you know?"

"That's a lot of 'knows.'"

"I know." Yun grinned.

Kat rolled her eyes and started walking faster; tall as she was, Yun had no trouble keeping up. In short order, they reached the designated door.

"Do we knock?" she asked.

"Yeah," Yun replied. "Not my style to just barge in." She raised one hand and rapped sharply -- one, two, three -- on the wood. Then she grasped the handle and pushed, following the door as it swung inward. Kat was close behind.

The room itself was considerably larger than the one in which Kat's first audition had taken place. There were also three cameras this time, strategically positioned around several marks on the floor, the better to capture multiple angles. As she looked around, Kat saw that they hadn't actually been the first arrivals that morning.

Talia and M were speaking to each other in low tones as they stood in front of a table; they each nodded, but didn't otherwise address either her or Yun. In a far corner, a dark-haired woman with a military haircut was reading a hardcover book while a tall, bearded man, his hair shot liberally through with silver, lounged against a nearer wall. He looked up as the door swung shut on its own, then stood straight and walked over to them, extending his hand in greeting.

"Jacint Quintana i Araia. But I go by Cinto." His voice was a resonant bass, seemingly emanating directly from his barrel chest, but the tone was warm and welcoming. "And you are Yvonne Lau. The little birds told me you were on this project. One of the few times I am glad that they are correct."

"Guilty as charged," Yun replied, smiling and shaking his hand. "But nothing's set in stone just yet."

"Of course, of course."

"May I introduce Katrin Tallman?" Yun went on, subtly motioning Kat forward. Kat would have been perfectly content to stay in the background, but it apparently wasn't to be.

"Charmed. If I may say -- and not to give offense -- but the little birds are silent about you."

"No offense taken," Kat replied. For such a bear of a man, he had a surprisingly gentle grip. "It's my first major project, so it's not really surprising."

"Ah. I hope your experience will be a good one."

"Thanks. So do I."

While they had been talking to Cinto, the woman in the corner had closed her book and approached. Contrary to her stern appearance, her actual manner was rather timid, and for some reason her gaze was fixed on Yun.

"Excuse me, I couldn't help overhearing, but are you really Yvonne Lau?" Her voice didn't quaver, but the trepidation was clear on her face.

"That's me," Yun replied, giving the newcomer another smile.

Upon seeing the smile, the woman stuck out her hand, almost as if she had to do it before she lost her nerve.

"Jaye Mansell. I'm a fan."

"Oh?" Yun said, warmly shaking the proffered hand. "Which movie or series?"

"All of them, but especially Dreams of Lost Arcadia. Your portrayal of the Empress of The Abyssal Web was chilling."

"Thank you. Wasn't a big fan of all the makeup and prosthetics, but it's still one of my favorite roles--"

After that, the three of them fell into an extended, rambling discussion about their respective past projects as well as the industry in general, all topics Kat felt singularly unqualified to discuss. So she took a seat a respectful distance away, popped in her earbuds, and turned up her DnB playlist. As she let the music play, she went over her lines again in her mind, pulling out her copy of the script and riffling through it when she needed a refresher. She was three remixes into her playlist when a shadow fell across the page she was reading.

Kat looked up and her gaze met...Talia's. She was smiling, but Kat only noted that in a vague, background way. Once more she found herself mesmerized by those eyes. In terms of color, they were unremarkable: dark brown, almost black in the room's lighting, but there was something in them that held Kat's attention and made her unable to let go. Or was it that she was unwilling? But why?

It was then Kat realized she was holding her breath, and so she tried to exhale as slowly and quietly as she could muster. Then she fumbled her earbuds out of her ears, nearly dropping them in the process of trying to stuff them into a pocket, before settling for holding them loosely in one hand, the music still faintly emanating from them.

"Hey," she said. Inwardly, she cringed. Was that really the best greeting she could come up with?

"Nervous?" Talia said, still wearing that small, friendly smile. Her hair was once again in what Kat thought of as her customary bun, and she was dressed in running shoes, gray sweatpants, and a black, long-sleeved henley. As at Kat's first audition, she looked tired, but none of that fatigue tinged her smile in the slightest. It was a lovely smile.

"That obvious?"

Talia nodded and sat down beside her, keeping an empty chair between them.

"Every line in your body is tense, rigid even."

"I thought I was just sitting still."

"It's kind of my job to notice these things. Interpret them."

"Oh! Director. Right," Kat said, feeling stupid.

"You're just anxious, preoccupied, maybe even a little terrified," Talia replied, almost as if she could sense Kat's line of thought. "Never fear, Ms. Tallman. You're here because I think you can do the job. Obviously, you're free to prove me wrong. But I don't believe you will."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"How can you have such confidence in me?" To Kat's ears, the question sounded almost plaintive.

Talia said nothing at first, instead leaning back in her chair and looking down at where she had her hands clasped in her lap. When she finally spoke, she didn't look at Kat.

"Experience. Instinct. Instinct born out of, and honed by, experience. I've been at this since my early twenties. Close enough to a decade and a half behind the camera as to make no difference. A lot of talent has crossed in front of M's camera in that span, and I'd be a terrible director if I hadn't developed any feel for how well or how poorly any given individual was likely to do. I've been mistaken, of course. But I've been right, too. More often than not, I like to think."

Talia raised her head, glanced over at Kat, and held her gaze for a moment before looking back down at her hands. Her voice was quiet, and tinged with melancholy. Kat found herself wondering why that was.

"I had a good feeling about you after your first audition, and all your readings since have only reinforced that impression. I believe you're capable of going far -- if you don't lose your way and fly too close to the sun. And in this business, that's a very big 'if.'"

Talia fell silent then, and Kat had never been one to try and fill lacunae with empty conversation, so she kept silent too. Not that she would have known what to say. She was just glad that Talia had approached her. Glad that Talia had said what she'd said. Glad that Talia was there. Glad enough that she didn't even worry or wonder overmuch at why she was glad. She just wanted the moment to last. It didn't.

At that moment the door opened and two people entered: a man and a woman. A study in contrasts, he was a full head taller, while she was as pale as he was dark. Though they both were good-looking, with an undeniable presence, they left Kat cold, unmoved. Beside her, Talia sighed, almost too quietly to hear.

"But that's for the future, Ms. Tallman," Talia said and stood up, lightly slapping her thighs with her hands as she rose. "We must needs attend to the present, because today's ensemble is complete and it's time to begin."

* * *

"All right, everyone!" Talia called, from behind the table. "That'll be all for today. Thank you for your hard work. Please come over and get your schedules, then you may leave."

Kat surreptitiously let out a sigh. The readings -- really more of a dry run, since they had been asked to work from memory -- had taken all day, with only a brief break for lunch. They had gone through what appeared to be the entire opening sequence of the project, which meant the bulk of the work had fallen squarely on her shoulders. Kat had acted across from every other actor present, and despite Talia and Yun's assurances, she wasn't certain she was doing well at all.

Set beside everyone else, it felt to Kat as though she was plodding and clumsy by comparison, so instead of the pressure easing up, it was -- if anything -- more oppressive than ever. It had been easy to shove it to the back of her mind when she had been too busy acting to think much beyond the next line, or at most the next scene. But now that they were done, it crowded in on her from all sides, worse than it had been the night before, or earlier in the day.

So when Talia said they could approach, she was more than ready to do just that. That way, she could go home as quickly as possible, crawl under the covers, and contemplate her inadequacy in solitude. No one else seemed to be in any particular hurry, so she was the first to stand in front of Talia. The older woman looked up at her, an unreadable expression on her face.

"Ms. Tallman, do you mind waiting until everyone else is done?" There was nothing in Talia's voice that told Kat much of anything either.

"No, of course not," she replied, trying to keep her own voice steady and her own face blank.

"Thank you. Could you please ask Ms. Lau to wait as well?"

Kat nodded, moved away, and found Yun, who was saying goodbye to Jaye. Kat waited until the latter had left before she approached.

"What's up?" Yun asked. "You look like you've been told you're being hanged tomorrow."

"I went up to the table and Talia asked me to wait until she'd finished with everybody. Asked me to tell you the same thing."

"Okay," Yun said, giving her a puzzled look. "So?"

"Does it mean she's going to give us bad news?"

"Kat, it could mean anything. There's no point in speculating on the basis of little to no information, let alone work yourself into a tizzy over it. What will be, will be. Did you want to sit? You must be exhausted after all this."

Kat shook her head and somehow kept herself from wringing her hands.

"Wouldn't be able to sit still anyway."

"All right. I'll keep you company."

"Thanks."

One by one, the others went up to Talia, received a few sheets of paper, and departed. Though the entire process only took a short time, for Kat, it was as though time had slowed to a crawl. But finally, only Talia, M, Yun, and herself were left. M had been in the process of stowing his gear when Kat first approached the table, and he was now closing the latches on the last hardshell equipment case. That done, he stacked it atop the others on a handcart and turned to her and Yun.

"Before I go," he said, a smiley face displaying on his helmet visor, "I just wanted to compliment you both on an exemplary job today." The screen switched to a pair of animated hands clapping before returning to the face. "By your leave, T?"

"See you tomorrow," Talia replied. "Have a good night."

"And you better get some sleep. I mean it."

"I'll try."

"Do. There is no 'do not.' Nor is there 'try.'"

Talia's only answer was a laugh that, for a moment at least, banished all of Kat's anxieties.

"Pull up some chairs, please," Talia said, once M had exited the room. "This should be brief, but it's been a long day and I'm sure you could use the rest."

Kat and Yun complied; Yun leaned back and crossed her legs, her posture utterly relaxed. Kat, on the other hand, found she couldn't do anything but sit on the very edge of the chair.

"Given her experience," Talia began, "Ms. Lau has no doubt surmised that, having come this far in the audition process, the odds of your being cast are quite high. In fact, M and I have decided to do just that and extend both of you an offer."

Kat's heart leapt into her throat as relief and elation flooded through her. It was a good thing Talia wasn't finished talking, because Kat didn't think she could have said a word even if it meant her life.

"As such, I will be giving each of you a physical copy of your respective contracts as well as sending electronic copies to your agents. Those will be sent out tonight, which means they should be available for study by tomorrow morning at the latest. Additionally, we will meet at Taika Studios' offices on Saturday to go over, in detail, the sex and nudity clauses in the contracts. Given that the applicable scenes involve only the two of you, it will be more efficient to speak to you both at the same time. Are you both fine with that?"

"Yes," Yun replied. Kat only trusted herself as far as a nod.

"All right," Talia continued, "That gives you three full days to read the contracts for yourselves, as well as discuss them with your representation. I strongly recommend you do both. Though it should go without saying, please do not sign the contracts before all discussions are complete. Until the contracts are signed, nothing is final, let alone legally binding. Before then, you may withdraw from the project with no repercussions or recriminations. Do either of you have any questions before we finish up today?"