Aberrant: Children of Quantum Fire - [Interlude: Bombshell & Ling] Lights, Camera, Action! [Complete]

[Bombshell]

Time: Starts March 25th, and ends sometime in May

Location: Mumbai, Dark Sun Studios, set of the Dead Rising movie

Jason sighed and rolled her eyes, exchanging muted comments with Indira 'Rakshasa' Shastri - one of her co-stars - and Rajinder Dipamkara - the director - as latest auditionee walked off stage. They were looking for a new face to star in the action-horror movie, a new nova face... Unfortunately, too many thought a node made them able to act. It made them act alright, but not in any way conducive to filming a movie. And then there were the others who were just using the opportunity to get into the presence of the most beautiful woman in the world and another woman who could be nearly any woman, man, animal, or other you could dream of. The last auditionee had completely blew his wad in his pants when Jason had just offered a faint smile in encouragement when he had stuttered over his lines.

Then he had proposed.

Yeah, this might have been a zombie-movie, but they still wanted good actors. There was a subtle message they wanted to reveal in the movie about a bio-virus that created the plague of zombies... and the super-beings who resisted them... and in some cases... became them. Mumbai had a reputation of having insightful and poignant flourishes to even their most action-happy productions. Jason had done some of the writing too. She hoped some would consider the issue of taint she had subtly alluded to.

Mumbai had really blossomed over the years. Despite its massive growth as the world center for the movie industry, there was remarkably little violent crime. Theft and embezzlement was still common though. Still, the influx of cash had turned Mumbai into a beautiful city, with glitz and glamour without being totally artificial. From nine resident novas in directly involved in the movie industry in 2012, that number had swelled to twenty, not including those who only worked in Mumbai part-time. And they had kept their independent ideals. No major faction had gotten sway this group of novas, who collectively, could have a large effect on popular culture, and did.

Dead Rising was supposed to be a vehicle for new actors, unknowns, and such, so Jason had only agreed to play a relatively small part. Indira was playing a variety of extras and bit pieces. Still, for most movies Jason was in, she sat in a large portion of the auditions. If an actor couldn't even make through an audition with her in the room, there was little hope they could manage a full scene with her.

"Next," Jason called, her rich, velvety soprano drifting out into the hall.

As the next auditionee walked in to the room, he found himself facing a table with three people sitting behind it. Rajinder was in the middle, the stunning Indira on the right, but all eyes immediately went to the woman on the left. It was impossible not to.

She was tall, but not extremely so, still under six feet, with glistening inky black hair with an almost blue sheen, gorgeous indigo eyes that glowed with their own light, with a toned and curvaceous figure that jolted the mind with fantasies of what it would look naked, even as the angular beauty of the face dared you to try make them happen against her will.

Even being half a foot shorter, her naturally Nordic ethnicity exchanged for a coppery skinned Native American one - with hints of Asian as well - black hair instead of silver and a figure that wasn't quite as dramatic, if no less drool-worthy, Jason 'Bombshell' Bellefleur-Waters was unmistakable. She gave the latest newcomer a friendly smile and recrossed her legs, hoping he would at least manage to read his entire part.

He was tall, as tall as she was naturally, and good-looking, but not extremely so. Which was actually better for most of the parts. Let's see what he has...

"Hello. What is your name, and what part do you see yourself reading for?" Jason asked warmly.

[Ling]

His narrowed eyes did not give anything away, while she was beautiful, the young man had the will of a titan. Ling grinned brightly, his silver tongue shown as he spoke, "Oh Wong will do just fine, as for which part," he pondered a moment, as if this was a spontaneous decision, "decide if my emulation is real enough for you."

He spun on his heel, his back to them arms out stretched as his wings wrapped around himself, the eufiber changing, sliding up his arms toward his body. This revealed his tone and muscled arms, a pair of mirrored sun glasses left in his right hand, the eufiber changing into blue knicks jersey, black jeans and combat boots.

Spinning back around he placed the sunglasses over his eyes in one swift fluid motion, oozing with a dangerous countenance. His Natural form remained the same, decidedly Chinese, clearly he was no shape changer. A smile of deceptive warmth played at his lips, as if he was studying those before him.

He introduced himself, as if speaking to someone else, a feral warmth within his speech, as if luring them into his every word, no quantum was involved and yet, he drew them in still. He paused at times, and it was as if the beating of one's own heart, was all they could hear. This was the first incarnation as he went through multiple scenes. He portrayed himself as a comedian, one moment, the sensual con artist, and terrifying tyrant. This was done with the very fluidity of mercury, swift and seamless. He ended with a turn and a bow as his outfit returned to normal, his wings unfurled. This man, had style.

[Bombshell]

Jason tilted her head in amusement, hiding a grin behind a strong, feminine hand, her indigo eyes flashing. Wong certainly had a great deal of confidence in his abilities, which, while not poor, and revealed natural talent, were still quite rough around the edges. On the other hand, a little bit of braggadocio wasn't unwarranted in an actor - and certainly not in one playing that part - and though his eyes had roamed over the more than pleasant vista of delightful contours arrayed before, more than he might have been aware of, he had delivered his lines without a single stutter or slack-jawed gawking.

And Wong had obviously relished playing one of the putative villains, which was a nice difference. Jason was beginning to wonder if Indira was going to have to play half the villain cast.

"You show promise, Wong," Jason admitted with a slightly warmer smile, making a note on the list before her. "And a good choice, by our reckoning, choosing to read for Han." Her grin turned wry and she shared a glance with Rajinder and Indira. "If we had one reading for Morgan Fox or Dan Hawkins, I think I was going to scream."

Rajinder banged his head against the desk. "Oh, gods! If I heard one more overweening, self-righteous accent, I was going to cut Fox from the movie and change it to Jules' Refuge."

Indira smirked, patting him on the back consolingly. "There, there, the bad American accents are gone." She gave Wong a dark-eyed appraisal. "Have you done any acting before?"

"Never," Wong said with an amiable grin. "I was just passing through saw the casting call. Didn't have any pressing priorities, so decided to give it a shot." He wiggled his eyebrows and gave the girls a playful leer. "Though I'll admit meeting some of the stars may have influenced my decision."

Rajinder rolled his eyes, while the two women shared a womanly look. Rajinder gave them a long suffering look. "Well, what say you?"

Jason studied the young man before them. He moved well her old XWF skills told her. He shouldn't have any trouble with the action scenes, even if a little training was required. "Oh, let's give him a shot at reading another scene. This time with a partner. Indira? Let's say, act 2, scene 14."

"My pleasure... and his..." Indira chuckled, standing up and moving around the table.

"Wong, we'll give you a few minutes to review the lines while Indira gets ready." She gave him a mischievous smile. "Don't worry too much about getting the lines right, just manage to get through the scene."

Wong almost scoffed, his wings flaring. He'd show them. And then Indira began shifting and he had a slight twinge of doubt. Indira's complexion grew much fair as she grew up and out, her figure even more exaggerated then Bombshell's natural one, cartoonish even, with breasts bigger than her head. Raven hair turned a deep crimson and her eyes were glowing lavender lamps.

"Hope you're ready for me... Han," Indira purred in a smoky, mellifluous voice.

Jason chortled, giving Wong an apologetic shrug of her shoulders. "Sorry, Wong. But if you can't handle this, you won't be able to handle some of the other scenes." Wong wondered if she was serious, but Jason simply raised her brows and he was suddenly, acutely aware that though Indira was a stupendously attractive woman in her own right, she was a pale shadow compared to the impossibly captivating Bombshell. And he hasn't even seen another of his co-stars, Jason thought. "Trust me."

[Ling]

Ling smirked and gave a curt bow to Jason, the eufiber changing as he spoke, his new costar could now see perhaps what gave him his control. His eyes appeared shut. He placed the mirrored glasses over his eyes, "Ah, and you must be Venus," a smirk played at his lips, his fangs dangerous and inviting. Turning to face his new costar, the screenplay floating from his hand to the table after a small tap of his foot, perhaps to read out vibrations.

He smiled, and spoke warmly, a man who knows what he wants, and how to get what he wants was before them. There was no doubt in his words, a few parts he improvised, but the scenes goal was retained. He would have his new costar within his grasp, willing to give everything despite herself. It was all just a game, and he was good at winning games. He had charms, while he wasn't as specialized as some power houses out there, he was quite capable. When it came to the parts where they would touch, his breathing changed, it slowed and his heart rate had increased only slightly, a meditative trance perhaps. Only noticeable by Indira, or perhaps a greatly perceptive nova. While his eufiber kept it unnoticed visually, Indira was able to feel that he was still a man.

When all the lines were said and done, he was able to make it through, while he had improvised a few of the lines, most of them held true to the screenplay. He chuckled as he bowed to Jason, "I just may need to take care of something later, I hope that was up to your expectations, and Indira, it was truly a pleasure."

[Bombshell]

Jason chuckled as well, a mellifluous counter point to Ling's gruffer tones, standing up and gesturing to a door to the side, one corner of her lips tugging up with amusement. "That's something we're well acquainted with - if you have to take care of it, you can go right in there. It's sound-proofed, too. And as for our expectations, so far that was by far the best reading we've had for Han."

She turned slightly, inadvertently offering Ling the delicious curves of her intoxicating profile as she addressed her colleagues. "Well, what do you guys think?"

"I believe we have our Han," Indira commented, taking her seat behind the table and resuming her natural form.

"Rajinder?"

"Umm, er..." Rajinder hedged. He would have preferred seeing a few more trying out for the part, but some scenes of Dead Rising were already being filmed, and if Wong didn't have exactly the looks he was hoping for, he at least had some talent and hadn't been reduced into a pile of drooling, sex-addled man in the presence of Bombshell and Rakshasa. Admittedly, they weren't trying and were exemplary actresses, able to portray exactly the vibe they wished, but Wong had still done better than an unfortunately large minority of their auditionees had. Rajinder nodded. "Okay. Wong, if you can fill out the paperwork, the job is yours. Oh, any powers you have and are willing to use on set? Could help with certain scenes and the FX department."

"Excellent. I'll show Wong here around the studio, explain what will be expected of him, show him to his trailer, and gather up the contract and waivers from Legal and Finance." She flashed them a quick, victorious grin, since they would have to sit through more auditions, while she wouldn't. "You guys try to find us a decent Fox and Dan, eh?" Jason leaned over, glancing at her notes. "You might want to give Kevin Petals - fifteen - another shot. He had the look and sound for Fox and he won't be staring at my legs, so hopefully will be able to get through the scene this time."

After giving Wong a chance to ask any questions and answer Rajinder's - and to use the bathroom to 'relieve' himself - Jason led him around the production lot, chatting amiably and pointing out where various things were and explaining the routine during a movie production. The sheer excess and waste of movie studios from the nineties and early aughts had been shaved off and dispensed with. Movies and TV programs for that matter, were being made faster and cheaper without loss of quality, but it was still a very busy business and was a job. If could be a great deal of fun and satisfying, but it was a great deal of work as well. A lot was being expected and demanded from Ling. Jason hoped it didn't overwhelm the first-time actor.

Passing by one of the sets, Jason heard some commotion and asked Wong to indulge her as she investigated. A scene had just been filmed, and they wanted to do another take, but they were having trouble righting the armoured bus, since the hoist was broken. Jason took care of it, and Ling watched as the sleek and curvaceous woman effortlessly picked up the bus and righted with a single hand. It was well known Bombshell was a physically powerful woman, and yet, somehow, it was easily overlooked, if not forgotten, simply due to her transcendent looks.

"Okay, guys, make this take a keeper," Jason encouraged them. "I'm not playing hoist all day. Come on, Wong, there's still a lot to show you."

Running by Legal and Finance, Wong found himself with a surprisingly thick pile of paper in his hands as Jason led him to his trailer, if he chose to take the part. 'Trailer' was a bit of a misnomer, it was more of a moveable hotel room. If it wasn't exactly spacious or luxurious, it was still comfortable, cozy, and had most of the amenities he could ever need... if he wasn't a demanding diva. And if was free, part of the contract. He could stay elsewhere of course, but he would have to pay it entirely on his own and would still expected to be on set on time.

Leaning back on the edge of an armchair, crossing her legs at the ankle, Jason waved at his surroundings. "This will practically be your home for a month and a half to two months, depending on scheduling and inevitable setbacks, though Rajinder is amazing at dealing with those - he just looks overly-stressed all the time." She pointed at the sheaf of papers in his hands, her easy-going expression going a touch more serious. "And I really suggest you read all those entirely before signing. They're clear enough that you don't need a lawyer or agent, but you may want one to read them anyway. We don't want any misunderstandings on either or our parts, right?" She gave him a friendly smile. "If you have any questions about them, or anything else, I can try to answer them for you."

[Ling]

For a personal tour such as this, Ling kept his mirrored glasses, after all, he wasn't a eunuch. He liked what he did manage to see, the place was nice, everything was indeed the big time. Funny how he only did it on a whim. He offered nothing but smiles, was it politeness or was he just that care free.

"Of course, a contract is not something to go into lightly, even I know that." he offered a toothy grin, leaning back in a plush chair, his head tilted down as he began reading the documents. "You'll have to forgive me, I was taught never to look directly at the sun."

He went through the documents with a fine toothed comb, he asked questions and requested changes where applicable, humble requests really. "Well with that, I believe everything is agreeable and I won't have any issues in contributing to the film." He laughed and leaned back, "I am sure the next two months will be quite the amusement."

[Bombshell]

"Hold onto that thought," Jason chuckled, standing with a powerful and animalistic vitality, shooting Ling a smile as she took the completed contract from him to drop off at Finance and Legal. His requests had been small and relatively humble, ones she could authorize easily enough. "There'll be days when that Nova endurance is taxed to the limits, and then, in some ways worse, days that drag on forever with little to do." Her smiled broadened enigmatically. "But yes, there will be fun to be had."

Wong had a certain insouciance without being insufferably arrogant, Jason mused, pursing her full lips and tapping the rolled-up contract against her thigh. If he wanted one, he could probably have a career in show-business. If he worked at it, it might even be a great one. With a shake of her head, Jason spun around and beckoned Wong to follow her, though the sight of her divine backside was enough to beckon a dead man from the grave.

"For now though, there's still plenty to do. We'll drop this off to Finance and Legal, then swing by Wardrobe so they can get your measurements." She glance over at him, arching a brow at him. "Eufiber and Neofiber - if you have it - is extremely versatile. But unless you're extremely skilled and practiced with it, and with how clothing affects movement itself, it often doesn't hang or move quite right, or affects your movement probably. It's subtle, but gets picked-up subconsciously from viewers."

She crossed an arm across her torso, cupping an elbow, a pair of fingers tapping her lips as she eyed Wong. Then she nodded and directed him down the row of cast trailers to one on the end. "But first, let's have you meet some of the others who have already been cast. I should warn you, the first one we're going to meet has an... aura. She'll seem very... captivating. Moreso than her babelicious good looks should normally entail." She gave him a level look. "I hope you can deal with it. And as you saw, the contract offers full therapy to help acclimatize to it, if you so wish."

Even with some outings, Jason had noticed Sakura seeming sort of... stir-crazy at the palace and had suggested she audition for a supporting role in the movie she was participating in. She didn't think with her natural talents Sakura would have any trouble landing the part, but to be fair, she had to tell the studio about the effects of Sakura's aura. Thrilled at the thought of a new face of such beauty and evident talent - and with a reputation in certain circles - the studio had been willing to make accommodations.

Several people had who objected had been offered positions off the lot, others had willingly accepted restrictions on the movements so they would end up in Sakura's presence, but most had been willing to accept the consequences. The majority of the veterans had worked with a large variety of novas, and were aware of the effects they could have, and it came with a bonus besides and full psychiatric services had been provided to help deal with the effects. So far, there had been any major disasters, except for on caterer stealing every flower of hers he could get, and the pilot of Jason's private jet almost flying away with Sakura - that had necessitated a revision of travel plans, meaning Jason was playing chauffeur more than she was used to, but would accept for Sakura's sake. Rajinder had simply been thrilled with the signed contract, in his eyes, making Sakura his.

Jason stopped by the trailer and knocked on the door with a melodiously rhythmic staccato. "Sakura, you have a minute to say hi to a new cast member? We have our Han." Jason looked over at Wong as they waited for the response, telling him about the rest of the cast. "She's playing Dr. Myfwany Shattuck. We also have our Kristin, Sarah, Ares, Phobos, and RUS President Bushfeld, and several others, not counting Indira rounding out the cast. Fox and Dan Hawkins are the two major parts we still need to cast."

[z023]

The door opened and another impossibly beautiful nova smiled out at Jason, peeking over her shoulder to get a look at the new actor and main villain of the movie. She was obviously of mixed heritage, Japanese and Caucasion, though the green lips and eyes and the cherry blossoms growing out of her hair were far more distinctive than her race. "Wonderful!" she exclaimed, lighting down the the steps of the trailer to bow to the winged nova, "I am Konohanasakuyahime, it is a pleasure to meet you. Please call me Sakura, or Myfwany I suppose, so that I can get used to it for the movie."

Her smile was infectous and Jason noted that she was already experimenting with the suggestions that Wardrobe had given her; her silk was formed into practical brown boots, loose cocoa colored slacks, a blue tank-top, and a sheer light green shrug that came down to mid-thigh. Each article of clothing managed to have just the right texture for the material it was suppose to be made of and hung exactly like normal clothing. It had taken some convincing for Wardrobe to let Sakura use her silk instead of regular clothes, but after an acerbic announcement that she never wore anything other than her silk and several impressive displays of her master over it, they'd finally relented. Jason had sensed some deeper issue at play with Sakura's unusual bout of temper over something so innocuous, but it hadn't been the right time to ask. Besides, the ensemble she'd put together seemed to convey both doctor, woman, and traveller all at once, which was exactly what they wanted for Dr. Shattuck. A small smile crossed Bombshell's lips as she realized that this was the first time she'd seen the Spring Goddess in shoes.

She waited politely for the man to introduce himself, fairly vibrating with her excitement at being on set and out in the open with no explosions, bullets, or too many marriage proposals yet.

Sakura's Aura

Object of Desire Roll:

Malachite *rolls* 16d10: 6+6+9+7+6+9+2+7+1+7+5+3+2+6+1+5: 82

5 success (lowest so far )

Please check the spoiler on Sakura's character sheet for the affects and rules to resist the aberration.

Also, Sakura permanently gives off Arousal and Interrelation (Friendly) pheromones at a Toxicity rating of 3 all the time. On set, the Interrelation is probably around 6 as she wants to make friends and not offend people, as well as Confrontation 1 for just being nervous around so many strangers and learning/doing her part well (which will affect others to be non-aggressive and a little nervous themselves). The rules for resisting the pheromones are also listed on her character sheet under the Body Shift power.

She is also using the Tactful Enhancement while on set.

[Ling]

Ling followed along, he took a few peeks at his escort to get himself used to such appearances. His eyes opened slightly when meeting the green princess, her enthusiasm was somewhat like his. Refreshing. He breathed in a truly reflexive motion, his eyes opened fully. This revealed a more serious nature about him. He stared a moment, her eyes, the iris' perfect little green orbs, like jewels. He liked her instantly. Here he thought it was the familiarity in enthusiasm, her exotic eyes, those were his reasons that he believed.

"L . . I am called Wong," his left hand went to the small of his back as he gave an exaggerated bow, his right arm across his chest his hand outward, palm raised. "Dr. Myfwany."

Zellcrs *rolls* 11d10: 4+6+1+5+6+3+1+10+4+2+3: 45 (Coercion) 1 success

Zellcrs *rolls* 11d10: 4+3+3+2+10+3+6+5+5+7+6: 54 (Arousal) 2 successes

Zellcrs *rolls* 11d10: 7+10+10+4+5+5+5+1+6+5+8: 66 (Interrelationship) 4 successes

Zellcrs *rolls* 8d10: 10+4+7+9+3+3+3+5: 44 3 successes + 4 auto from Empathic Shield

Slightly affected by Pheremones, he's not whipped by any means, and he does not wish to own her, at least due to OoD...his own greed is still out there.

[Bombshell]

"And where was this charming chivalry when you met me, Wong?" Jason commented, arching an elegant brow in amusement. She had noted his little slip, but didn't call him on it - he was hardly the only Nova - or actor - to use another name. When Wong gave a start and straightened to give her a bow, Jason held up her hands and chuckled. "Oh, no! No, now it's too late. You would only be humouring me." Jason leaned towards Wong, playfully whispering in a voice Sakura was meant to hear. "But yeah, she can have that effect. I warned you."

Jason pursed her lips, then nodded over her shoulder. "You want to come with us, Sakura? Wong here, still needs to see wardrobe and I still wanted to take him to meet his other co-stars. Speaking of which, I should probably head back to the auditions... Give a girl an excuse? Maybe we can grab lunch?"

[z023]

She grinned and nodded, more than willing to indulge Jason especially when her own belly rumbled in appreciation of the idea. "Well, I guess that a yes from all four of us," she laughed.

They prowled their way to Wardrobe, the minions there immediately fussing over Wong as they came up with and discarded scores of outfits to capture the essence of Dead Rising's villain (not mention to accentuate those just perfect wings!). Sakura was surrounded by her own small posse of fashion designers, getting more of drill session than a wardrobe session. They demanded she show them each outfit that had been sketched out for scenes with Myf, including the stain and rip patterns they were going to want to see. It took almost as long to take Wong's measurements and do his color-typing as it did for Sakura to - once again - convince her team of outfitters that she and her silk were up to the task. The small gap between the finish up with Wong and the relented on Sakura was filled with Wardrobe minions drifting their way over to the green-lipped nova and begging her to play living model for personal clothing designs that they technically weren't allowed to work on while on the clock. Sakura didn't know that, though, so her corner of the dressing room was filled with "just a little more purple, and an inch higher on the hem. Perfect!" "Hey, my turn now!" "No, I was next. She said she was doing mini dresses first, then formals!"

It took a full out Look from Jason to disperse the overly zealous designers, but once cowed they scattered back to their drafting tables and sewing machines, making sure to look very hard at work. Jason managed to hold her laughter in until they'd made it outside and several yards from the Wardrobe warehouse. "I told you you shouldn't have shown them just how much you can do with your eufiber. They'll have you in every fantasy outfit they can think of by the end of the shoot!"

Sakura blushed and shrugged. "It's kind of fun," she admitted sheepishly. Her belly rumbled again and she looked to both of them with hopeful eyes, "Lunch now?"

[Bombshell]

"Lunch now," Jason agreed with a smile, leading Sakura and Wong across the production lot to the studio cafeteria, simply called the Dark Sun Café. Cafeteria might have been a bit of a misnomer. It was self-serv, but the food was excellent, as good as anything you could find in a fine restaurant, if not the absolute, nova-cheffed, best. Rajinder and the Dark Sun execs enjoyed fine food as well, and believed having a excellent food at excellent prices on location would help curtail lunches running over long and they availed themselves of the cuisine as well. Some even held business meetings there.

Jason swaggered along with a graceful, powerful stride, looking for the right movement for Jules WhiteElk, giving Sakura an amused grin. "Oh, I'll admit, it can be loads of fun, but be careful - give a fashion designer an inch, and he'll try for a foot."

Jason chortled, thinking about the beginning of her career, when she first started modeling and acting after her debut in the XWF. She had done much the same as Sakura, and though she might not have had the same innate talent with eufiber (or its analogue), after twenty years, she had tremendous experience. Still, she was as likely to wear more conventional materials as eufiber. She glanced at Sakura out of the corner of her eyes, lips pursed musingly, wondering at Sakura's insistence on her self-fashioned silk. I'll leave that for another time...

Instead, she suggested, "Just set a time and place for it, Sakura. Helps save your sanity and distractions on the lot. I'd suggest putting in a payment scheme, but that often weeds out the most frivolous of requests, and those are sometimes the most interesting."

They dropped of Wong's contract at Finance and Legal, which signed and filed it, then reaching the Dark Sun Café, Jason opened the door and waved them in, following in behind. The decor could be best described as cozy and organic: warm woods, curving booths, flowing plants, and plush leather seating. Even the long buffet line was curved, the stainless steel softened by a wooden facade. "Order what you like, Wong. Actors in a film that is still in production eat for free." She pointed over to a booth that was off to the side, providing a wide view of the rest of the café and the large front windows. "That's my regular booth, when it's free."

[Ling]

Ling had followed quietly, embarrassed at how foolish he acted, when she refused his hand, he somewhat snapped to. "I usually don't eat really, but I will indulge myself this once." He grinned eyes now shut under the glasses, it was somewhat a comfort to see the world through feeling. He moved toward the self served portion and seemed to grab the most mundane items imaginable even at such a fine eatery. He searched for water, using his eyes to discern that matter.

Once he had obtained his fill he returned to the table and sat, "a fine selection, I really appreciate your guidance." His smile was back to his usual toothy grin, awkwardness defeated.

[z023]

Sakura could feel the flash of embarrassment and then irritation that flowed through Wong and frowned; she wasn't sure what had happened, but he didn't seem to want to talk about it, so she kept quiet. She gave him a shy smile when he commented on his need not to eat, "I do need to eat. A lot. I hope...well, I hope lunch doesn't take too long, if you're used to not having to spend time eating."

She pattered around the buffet with he two of them, her easy grace letting her juggle two of the large plates (yes, nova appetites were well understood in the Dark Sun Cafe) and placed small portions of just about everything on each plate until they were as full as they could be without spilling over the edge. She laid the two platter-plates on the table, then asked everyone for drink requests and filled those, along with snagging a bowl of broccoli cheddar soup while she was on her way back.

She smiled at her lunch mates and waited until they had started in on their own plates before she began tucking in the vast array of samples she'd piled her plates with. She'd occasionally make faces as she came across bites of food that she didn't care for or new favorites. At one point she stared mournfully at a piece of salmon, having brought it to her lips and then set it back down after catching the fishy smell. "But I love salmon!" she pouted. "Stupid hormones..."

[Ling]

Lings fork moved swiftly and snagged the salmon from her plate, tossing it into his open mouth chewing happily, "waste not want not." He offered a smirk and continued to eat and took a long swig from his Fiji water. "We should probably get to know each other a bit," he offered a nod to both parties in polite conversation. "I rather enjoy about everything life has to offer, I hope my insufferable energy won't be too much of a burden during the production."

He chuckled and leaned back, "I do tend to be somewhat of a vagabond, I'll make sure to at least let you know when I will be wandering off, that way I won't hold up production any."

[Bombshell]

Jason looked on Sakura with wistful fondness as she mowed through her own massively piled plate. She well remembered her own crazy pregnancy cravings - though admittedly, she had disliked most seafood since her eruption - but she could never recall that time without knowing Danielle had never had the chance to hold their daughter in her arms, only ever felt Danica kick through the swell of her gravid abdomen. Idly, she mused on whether she should give Danica a sibling...

She smiled at Wong around a bite of ham. "Insufferable energy can be suffered, but don't make a habit of wandering off too often." She chuckled with light-hearted music. "Rajinder can get Indira to replace you - she can play anybody or anything - and sweet as she is, she can have a viperish temper when people keep piling things on top of her. And then we all suffer."

Her first plate disappearing inside a slender waist that had no business containing such a quantity of food, Jason got up and got another, this one more modest, with a side for desert. She arched a brow at her two dinner companions as she licked off the rich cream topping of her cheesecake from a fork.

"As for getting to know each other better... Well, most of my life is out there for public consumption. What would you like to know?" She murmured in appreciation as she took a bite of the rich cheesecake, her eyes half-lidded in pleasure. "In case you don't give credence to the stories and rumours, and can tell you that yes, in fact, I was born male and 'busted' out as a woman, as it were, when I erupted. Quite an adjustment, I assure you, but it led to me meeting my future wife, so overall, I'll have to slot this into the pro column."

[z023]

Sakura made a face at Wong, even sticking her tongue out, but then grinned and laughed. "Well, at someone can enjoy the salmon." She poked her belly with mock anger, "I'm going to remember this, you three. You're all going to owe me salmon."

With that proclamation, Sakura headed back to the buffet and filled up another two platters: one with more salad/entree samples, though no more seafood, and the other with at least a little bit of every desert they had out, save the runny ones like ice cream. She's be back for those on the final round. She set the plated down, then lit up with a new idea and headed back to the soda fountains and desserts, making herself a rootbeer float. She sat the drink down with a satisfied thud, "There!"

​She blinked at Jason's explanation of her...his...birth, and then transformation, her humor settling into something far more introspective. "You...you born male and then became female when you erupted?" she asked quietly, but with that intensity that she would sometimes get that reminded Jason that she wasn't a teen like the other young, powerful novas she'd met in the Congo. I...that...is that what happened to me? Father always told me I was supposed to be a boy and that Mother had turned me into a girl just to spite him. Well, Father screamed that at me when he had too much sake or a just a bad day. Maybe Jason would understand...about me. About...all of it.

[Ling]

Ling looked between them with a straight face and went back for dessert, an enormous amount of ice cream with all the toppings. He was almost hidden behind it, "born man, erupted as a woman that's an interesting thing to happen, I only got these fantastic wings out of the deal." He enjoyed bits of his ice cream and smiled, "well, I suppose any question as for what your likes and dislikes are could be easily gleaned by any of your many interviews, biographies, etc."

He popped a cherry into his mouth, "triplets, you can tell already that it's true?" He tilted his head offering a smile, "well I suppose hrm, I'll let you in on some things." He took another large bite of ice cream allowing it to dissolve before speaking, "I was born in North China, obviously, I like long walks on the beach, my turn offs include bad breath, a lack of foreplay, and small dogs.....don't ask." He was probably joking about the last part, or the whole thing.

Ling let out a hearty chuckle, "well as for anything I'd want to know, hrm, what lies in your interests when not hounded by paparazzi or lifting buses, or getting bugged by fashion designers." This one was more directed at Sakura, he licked his lips slowly after he said it, perhaps he was just chapped.

[Bombshell]

"Interesting... Yes, it's been interesting," Jason smirked wryly and glanced down at herself, her chest swelling to its natural magnificent proportions before returning to the more modest - but still abundant - measurements she wore playing the part of Jules WhiteElk. "As many of my friends are all too willing to tease me about, I can't fly, but yeah, I agree, awesome boobs win."

Jason laughed along with Wong as he listed off his profile. "Heh, I quite agree about small dogs - dogs smaller than house cats don't count as being dogs. As for other interests, though I don't have any particular talent with plants, I've taken up some amateurish gardening and I'm rather proud of the house and furniture I built with my own hands for one of my homes. There's a good feeling, living in a place you built and designed yourself, even if you're not Artifex Langley."

She took a sip of her beer, noting the taut intensity in Sakura and gave her a more somber nod, though her lips still curled up at the ends. "That's right, Sakura, once male, now female. I can't say it was ever anything I expected would happen - or desired - if I erupted. I never even imagined being a nova, actually, not seriously, but there it is. My girlfriend was certainly surprised - Katya was the one always dreaming of being a nova and had wished she was built like Knockout that night. Back then, I was more of an Ausrine and Alejandra man. I was totally about the legs and ass. Katya wanted the height and bustline to show up a girl ragging on her at school."

Her indigo eyes grew distant as she recollected those early days of her nova-hood, her smile softly widening as she bit into another piece of cheesecake. "From what we could determine, my eruption - or at least the form it took - was a complete fluke. The paraphysicians at the Rashoud clinic claimed it was caused by a 'pre-eruptive manifestation of quantum-based psychic abilities.' Whether it was on my part or Katya's, nobody knows, though Katya erupted nearly a year and considering some of the things she can do, I'm wagering it was her fault," Jason explained, no trace of self-consciousness or embarrassment evident, nor any blame.

"Essentially, I ended up with my girlfriend's idea of eruption. Not sure if that helped me to adjust or not, I seemed to pick up some of her quirks in the process, like instantly speaking Russian, a dislike of fish, an eye for fashion, actually being able to carry a tune, and a tendency to cross my legs if I don't consciously think about it. I had a therapist for a little while, and even she couldn't decide if it was from the unusual eruption or a sub-conscious coping mechanism."

Jason gave an easy shrug, it was something she had long become accustomed to and she had never minded speaking of it. "But you adjust or go mad and bitter, eh? Half the world manages to live as the opposite gender, acting like it was a death sentence seemed a little hypocritical to me. Admittedly speaking with those who have been afflicted by Hera's Revenge, it seems the mental-social changes changes are different for everyone who undergoes a similar situation. I definitely had it easier than most, and that's not even counting everything I else I got with erupting. No back pain for me." Those lips curved into something between a frown and a smile as she finished the cheesecake. "At least the virus has been able to do some good, for those who are truly transgendered."

[z023]

"Hera's Revenge?" Her brow furrowed as she tried to pull up information on what that was. She'd heard...yes, it was the virus that changed a baseline's gender. Some of the time. The rest of time the person just became a carrier. "Y'know....I...could probably change them back - and clear their system of the virus. The ones that want to go back to their birth sex. And clear out the systems of carriers, if I knew who they were. It doesn't affect novas, does it? I couldn't change a nova. I tried once, at a man - male woman's request, but it just didn't work."

She let Jason ponder that while she gave Wong a shrug and delved out some of her own background. "I was born a Kam- a nova. My mother was a nova and my father was an asshole." She reigned her flash of anger back, "He wasn't a nova, thank the sun and stars. I - my mother got me away from my father when I was little and left me with a...friend of hers, I guess. I don't know. It was only supposed to be for a couple of days, but she never came back. Her friend found a couple willing to take me in and deal with my....issues. I was really lucky with them, they're wonderful people and they put up with a lot as parents with a kid that could outsmart them and disappear into the woods for days when she got into a snit over something dumb." She was smiling, remembering some of the bratty things she'd done as a child, and her parent's patient but firm handling of her. She was radiant, smiling like that, and the air filled with the delicate scent of cherry blossoms in the first flush of blooming.

[Ling]

Ling listened, it was a lot of information, he sipped on his water and then another big bite of ice cream, now melting. "A lot on both your plates, have to say I have been lucky in life." He looked between them, "I honestly left home just a few short years ago, the mountain life was good to me, but obviously I need a little more stimulation." He smirked slyly, "you all make my humble beginnings like nothing it seems."

Ling studied them, risking use of his eyes, yup, still beyond gorgeous. "I've tried to dabble in as much as possible, I figure, one life, experience as much as possible, try anything twice as I always say." He nodded, "though of course there are some morals in there, I suppose, almost anything twice." He stretched his wings, "we wouldn't happen to be able to do some scenes in the woods would we, I'd like to go camping." He noticed Sakura following one of his wings, he then moved them in and out to test his theory, she was looking, "want to touch them?"

[z023]

Sakura's eyes lit up and she nodded in mute assent. He tipped a wing towards her and she leaned across the table to run a finger very gently along the outer ridge, being careful to go with the lay of the scales, before letting her fingertips float along muscles and membrane. When she sat back again in her seat, she blushed cutely. "They're very beautiful. Thank you."

She started in on her deserts to try to cool the color in her cheeks. She loved wings, which was why Shaman's gift of the mated parrots had been especially sweet to her. They stayed in the nest she'd made for them during much of the day when they weren't out hunting for food, especially when she had food brought to her apartment because of cravings, she'd always have some seeds and little tidbits for them brought as well. But they also had made their own nest in the nearest tree in the small private garden just off her bedroom where they would keep their eggs. As much as they trusted Sakura, other strange humans and novas still made them too nervous when they had the option of a freedom they'd never known before in their lives.

She looked up after putting away about half of the plate and realized she'd spaced off while eating. "Um," she blushed cutely again, "What were talking about again?"

[Bombshell]

Jason grinned as she finished the last of her meal. "Nothing serious, just boys who would be girls and girls who would be boys." She chuckled huskily as Sakura blushed and waved a hand dismissing her embarrassment. "Don't worry about it - it's rather off-topic considering we were welcoming Wong here to the cast of Dead Rising."

Jason began piling up the empty dishes as she expanded a bit on the virus for Sakura's benefit. "Yes, Nova physiology is immune to the HR virus. Clearing it of the system isn't much of a problem - certain antibiotics deal with it readily enough, but if you're capable of helping some of them transition back, I know the Tiresias Foundation would be interested. The Foundation receives a decent amount of donations to help the afflicted adjust, new living expenses, therapy, and the like. There is one nova doctor they are connected with who can reverse the effects - though not easily and not quite fully - but it's hard for them to call upon him and he's kind of a dick, too. If you want to get involved, I can arrange something, I'm sure. We can talk about it later. For now, let's focus on Wong."

Wong blinked, feeling both women giving him a smile and with everyone done their meals, Jason picked up the tall mound of empty plates and disposed of them at the dish drop-off, then returned. "Shall we be off? There's still the rest of the cast to meet - well, that we have - and the rest of the studio that might be of interest to you. And yes, there will be scenes shot off the lot and in the wilderness. We can manage a most things right here, but sometimes nothing beats location, right?"

Speaking of the cast, Jason glanced down at her watch, pursing her lips in a near pout. "Damn. I really should get back to Rajinder, Indira, and the auditions. They're going to curse me as is. You think you can show him around and meet the rest of the crew, Sakura? I'll catch up in a few hours and drop you off where you want to go."

Later!

I'm think after this post or the next one, we can do a time lapse or something, and continue in the midst of a scene or reading or something.

Catch me in chat if you have any ideas.

[Ling]

Ling snickered at the forgetfulness of Sakura, "I can have that effect sometimes." He smiled playfully at Sakura and leaned back, "you don't have to tailor to me so, while the world should revolve around me, it doesn't yet." He chuckled waving it off as silly, "Don't need to focus so much attention, how about we escort you back to the embarrassing auditions, maybe another who can handle those killer looks will fit a role perfectly."

He grinned, "then me and Sakura can go wandering about and I can get heads or tails of this place, perhaps do some line reading, have some fun." He leaned over elbows on table, hands cradled, "after all, it's what I live for."

[Bombshell]

"A life without fun and joy is a dreary life indeed, 'tis true," Jason agreed with a muted grin. Wong was young yet, but she hoped he hung onto his joie de vive. With a dramatic sigh, she stood up and stretched, her Bombshell figure straining the buckskins she was wearing, then arched a brow and proffered her crooked arms to her companions. "Alas, I must endure another slew of auditions, though I have hope we'll find another diamond in the rough. Until then, I'll enjoy havin' the two of you for escort."

Wong and Sakura linked their arms with Jason's, then the three of them ambled towards the auditioning room, chatting along the way. Wong quickly learned beyond her superlative pulchritude, Bombshell was an extremely likable and easy-going woman - It was obvious why the world at large loved her.

Jason paused at the door to the audition set, hearing the murmur of someone reading a part and not wanting to interrupt - she wasn't one capable of an unobtrusive entrance. She leaned against the wall, arms crossed, facing her companions. "Well, I'll probably be doing this for most of the afternoon. Sakura, I'll stop by when we're done to drop you off before I pick up Dani." She pursed her delectable lips, musing. "Maybe if we find the rest of our cast, we'll all go out for dinner to celebrate - I'll let you guys know."

Hearing the audition come to an end, Jason turned gracefully and pulled open the door, glancing back at Sakura and Wong over her shoulder with a small, teasing grin. "Try not to get into too much trouble, eh?" Then she was through the doors. "So, Raj, Indira, did Kevin prove he has what it takes to be our Fox..."

[z023]

April 10th, 2027

Set of Dead Rising

"Cut! Dammit!" The actors paused, letting themselves come out of the minds of their characters for a moment. The assistant director, on the other hand, stomped over to where a tree branch had fallen in the middle of the scene, crashing loud enough to cover the voices of the actors and well in sight of all four of the cameras positioned for the shoot. "Ground Crew, get some damn people out here and clear the area! No more dead branches falling in the middle of scenes!"

"Why couldn't we just do this inside with some holograms or something," he groused to himself and waved off the actors. "Take lunch, we'll start again in two hours!" He grabbed an intern and pointed at the villain, "And get him a new set of clothes! We're gonna have to start the damn scene all over again!"

Sakura bounced over from where she had been watching the scene: one of the first confrontations between Han and Fox a few miles (in the movie) away from Fox's Refuge. Wong's shirt was ripped pretty much off from a point in the script where Fox grabs Han's shirt and Han simply steps back, letting the clothing shred on his wings and freeing himself from any control Fox was trying to exert. That it left the attractive dragon-like nova shirtless was a much appreciated side effect for the crew and the expected audience. The verdant nova woman leaned up and kissed him on the cheek, "Awww, but I like him this way!"

Titters, laughs, and few catcalls agreed with her. She linked arms with him and pulled him away from the poor baseline intern. "After lunch. Just bring the change of clothes by here, okay?"

The girl nodded, giving Wong her own barely concealed appreciative once-over and then took the chance to grab her own lunch before Mr. Dick (also know as Assistant Director Richard Dine and no one should ever name a child Richard) found something else for her to do until shooting started again. Sakura grinned up at him and walked the two of them farther into the woods; a little ways off was a large fallen tree with moss-covered rocks around it like seats at a campfire. Sakura eased herself up onto the log; she was already start to show a little and having to adjust her movements as her center of gravity changed. Her scenes were still being shot so that her pregnancy wasn't noticeable until the writers decided if they would write a pregnancy into Dr. Shattuck's story.

"So," she beamed at Wong, "you said you wanted to learn how to control your eufiber better, so you don't have to worry about Wardrobe, right? How about we practice for a little while and then go get something to eat at the cafe?"

[Ling]

Ling most notably turned red at her small display of affection, he was still a man they all saw, but he showed now modesty to the fact. The cat calls were right to a T. He allowed himself to be led easily enough, giving her an appreciative glance as she spoke, he had gotten used to her, somewhat and pregnancy helped coping. "A fine memory to go with the foliage, I do wish for such a result," he spoke sweetly enough, honeyed words as he gave her a small playful bow, "and yes, food, delicious food." It would take a few minutes for his cheeks to begin to lose their redness as he took mental inventory of his eufiber. "Show me what you got," he grinned big.

[z023]

She grinned back and debated what to show him. She could just show him detailed clothing, but that was boring and wouldn't really stretch his skills beyond what was useful for this movie. "Well, first you have to think beyond just clothing. That's fine and mostly what people use eufiber for, but it can do so much more." She grinned as a thought struck her, "Have you ever seen Disney's Beauty and the Beast? My mom loved that movie and we used to watch it when I was little."

Wong nodded, which got a happy grin from Sakura; she held out her palm, flowing her silk out of her pores. The translucent strands pushed upwards, spinning and weaving together until they began to form a familiar shape, colors slowly filling out the stem, leaves, and petals of the enchanted rose. Even a shimmering golden glow flowed out of the silk construction. It looked like it was spinning just above her palm, but in truth she'd simply kept the strands at the very bottom clear. "There, see? Far more than clothing. People make jewelry with their eufiber with out of ever thinking about how much more intricate that is than most clothing, just because it mentally falls under the category of 'something I wear'. That's the mindset you have to surpass to really learn to shape and control your eufiber. Then you can do just about anything you can imagine with it."

The rose slowly unwound itself and she pulled her silk back to her, adding a short silver necklace to her outfit, the rose hanging suspended in a diamond-looking gem as the pendant. "Now, your turn. Think of something you like, something simple, and use your eufiber to create it on your palm. Even something as simple as a colored shape will work; just not clothing or accessories."

[Ling]

Ling smiled, "that easy hmm, alright." He held out his palm and began to focus. What came out wasn't all that pretty, an odd oblong shape, an attempt at a circle perhaps. "Hrm, alright," he sighed, "can't be perfect on the first try, do you study any martial arts?"

"Not at all, I abhor violence, even the preparation of such," Sakura said proudly smiling, "what are you getting at?"

"Well, martial art's for the most part have always been for peace, a way of meditation, to perfect oneself." He nodded, "while many focus on the external and physical, there is also the internal and spiritual side, focusing on ones energy and concentration to obtain peace of the soul." He concentrated as he spoke the threads of his eufiber beginning to weave together, "through breathing, mental exercises and precise movements, bring everything together neatly, in many facets, like this crane."

Ling held up his hand, a little red origami crane now occupying his palm, he breathed out, it was almost perfect, she could see minor imperfections in the texture but it was remarkable compared to what he previously did.

[z023]

She gave him a look that said she didn't buy his comments about martial arts. "The basic combat styles of Asia were primarily by the peasantry of China and Japan, who could not own anything that was deemed a dedicated weapon or even have more than one knife per village in some areas, to have a means of self-defense against the nobility. The "peaceful contemplation" was only folded into the mental focus necessary for the discipline to consistently pursue and maintaining one's physical proficiency in the combat art once the monasteries were given a culture position the provided them protection from nearly all military forces even during wars in the immediate area. Yoga, that was always spiritual and for the health of the practitioner in all aspects of life through meditation, breathing exercises, and physical movement."

She waved the conversation off, "But, as I have learned over the years, perception is often more important that facts and the truth in this matter in practicality is fairly moot." She peered at the crane and smiled, "Now, that's what I mean. Now, can you make it flap it's wings? Then, once you're got that down, try adjusting it to look more like an actual crane, little steps along the way. Like changing the color, then rounding things out, then adding details like eyes and feet and feathers. If you can do all that today or over the next few days, you'll have made a solid base for understanding the more advanced manipulations you can achieve."

[Ling]

"To each their own, I understand your side, but so long as there is maliciousness in the world," he shook his head, "a subject for another time, I'd rather keep you smiling." Ling smirked and concentrated, the crane moving in odd ways, nothing really noted towards "flapping" not in a fluid motion at least, "plenty of work to do here it seems." He says that part with a twinge of embarrassment.

[z023]

She grinned and winked at him, "To be fair, I cheat. I make my own silk - eufiber. It's always been easy for me to do this sort of thing, once I was allowed to." A shadow flickered over her expression, but was gone as quick as a blink. "Now...you can do shapes pretty well, that's good. Now just..."

They continued on for nearly the entire lunch break, lost in the amusement of playing with their gifts and good company. They would have missed getting to the cafeteria at all had not the intern from earlier managed to track them down and plead with Sakura to let Wong put his costume back on and get something to eat before the director came back.

The Spring Goddess raised her hands in defeat, "Alright, alright." She shrugged at Wong, "We'll try again in a few days? I'm leaving the set for a few days for another project I'm working on, but once I'm back we can work on feathers again."

[Ling]

Ling offered warm smiles around, "I wouldn't miss it for the world, lets go ahead and grab that bite and get me covered up, I think this would bring out a studlier side to Han, something for the ladies, but another time, leave it to the imagination and all." The intern coughed, and he grinned that carefree shit eating grin and they went to the cafeteria enjoying a meal together, he even drug the intern with it. The direct attention seemingly blustering the poor intern, but they all survived lunch and made it to the dressing room where he covered his lanky form, "well, the show must go on," he stepped out on the scene and struck a pose, "Lights, Camera, Action!"

[Bombshell]

Late May; Mumbai, India

Standing backstage of Grand Hall A of the prestigious and internationally renown Mumbai Institude of Film, Television, and Theatre, Jason watched her castmates get ready for their first interview-slash-press conference, a pleased and proud grin on her lips and gave Indira a nod. With so many first-time actors and a deep mix of nova and non-nova cast, some hiccups had been inevitable, but the cast and crew had really gelled during the semi-chaos and the Dead Rising production had turned out to be an excellent one, even without the post-production polish. A lot of friendships and relationships had been made.

Wong had played the part of the villain with relish, and if his braggadicio had annoyed some - notably Kevin, playing Morgan Fox - it had added spice to their on-screen conflict. Sakura had played the part of Dr. Myfwany Shattuck perfectly, despite the pains taken to work around her progressing pregnancy. For an openly gay and flamboyant gay man, Jake O'Connor played an eerily good macho, Conanesque James/Ares.

Able Glendale and Ethan Hertz, playing Willian Markham and Gerald Marks respectively, both veteran character actors, had worked perfectly as anchoring influences on all the new actors on set.

Jason might have been most impressed with Damien Cole, playing the part of Kristin after he had failed to win the part of Ares and revealed his power to shift gender; a power he found embarrassing, but he was really wanted a part in the movie. He hadn't been the best actor on the set, far from it, but he was certainly the most improved. Having never spent more than ten minutes as a girl before, Damien had been terribly self-conscious being female more often than not during the shoot, which had actually helped him portray a girl uncomfortable with the attention her looks drew.

Jason wasn't so sure how much help the gently teasing advice on being a girl the female cast-members - herself included - provided had been. The short, heavily muscled cutey felt Jason's eyes on her and looked her way, rolling her shoulders, a slightly uncertain expression on his cute face, making him younger than he was. Danica had taken an interest in him, since as a girl, he was the only one who was barely any taller than she was.

"You don't have to do it this way if you don't want, Damien. There's still time to change," Jason assured him, noticing how tight his shirt was across his thick, well-endowed build. Damien - at least girl-Damien - had noticeably added muscle, as well as the accompanying strength, during the shoot.

"No... no, it's okay," Damien said. "This is my first credited role, the part people will first know me from." He cupped his full chest. "I want to get used to these in front of other people instead of just you guys, y'know, just in case I need them again.. for whatever." His face glowed red, but that was nothing new, it had happened a lot during the production of Dead Rising. "It's just, you make it look soooo easy, Bom - Jason."

Jason chuckled warmly, a rippling, silvery sound. "That's twenty years of experience, Damien, with no option of shifting back-and-forth. You did fine as a first time XX member. And you made Kristin a truly adorable mini-amazon." Damien blushed again.

They had celebrated hard at the wrap-party two days ago and they had more than earned it. Still, only a few showed signs of the aftermath, all of them wanting to make a good show for their first group interview, even if it was a casual one. Jason smiled ruefully, remembering being surprised during her first wrap-party, during the production of Ragnarok. It had been an education, especially for woman still adjusting to being a woman.

"Kareena will be introducing you in five," a TA announced, poking her head into the green-room, a pair of fingers pressed against her earpiece.

"Thanks, Amrita. Dani, stop teasing Damien and mooning over Sakura and go with Amrita, 'kay?" After Danica, reluctantly, acceded and left with Amrite to take her seat in the front row, Jason turned back to the rest of the cast and crew, her rich, velvety soprano cutting smoothly through the hubbub of conversation. "Okay guys, I know this is new for many of you, but just relax. Yes, the auditorium will be full, but this is still a casual interview and Kareena Kanpoor - amazing woman - will keep it that way. Relax, have fun, don't let some of the more obnoxious reporters bait you, and try not to spill too many spoilers, eh?"

On stage, Kareena Kanpoor, a stately and elegant Hindi woman in her well-preserved seventies will age-silvered hair, Dean of MIFTAT since its founding twenty-two years ago began introducing them. "Please welcome, from the motion picture, Dead Rising, Angela Whitfield, playing the winged Gabrielle..."

They began filing out of the green-room, heading on stage, greeting Kareena and waving to the crowd filling the ascending seats of Grand Hall A, and taking their seats on the comfy couches and loveseats decorating the stage. Side tables with pitchers of water were scattered near at hand. Rings rippled through the water under the rising roar of the crowd.

"... and returning to talk with us once more, the stunning and ever gracious, Jason Bellefleur-Waters."

"A pleasure and true delight to spend time with you, Kareena, you and your students." Keeping the blue-black hair - pulled back in a high and straight tail - and dusky skin she had worn playing Jules WhiteElk, but back to her naturally height and figure, Jason took the loveseat furthest from Kareena, dressed in a pair of casual, worn jeans and a plum-coloured blouse. Kareena would be focusing most of her attention on the new and less well-known actors. "Glad to be back."

Cast

Sorry for the entirely too long delay.

Here's some cast names and parts I came up with. Feel free to change some of them or make up more. And of course, feel free with progress the interview. It's meant to come across something like the Actor's Studio (though without the pretention of James Lipton) and... something I forget the name of, but it's some sort of acting or flim school where they get the cast of a television show to talk about previous seasons and what they can expect in the next.

Jason - Jules WhiteElk

Sakura - Dr. Myfwany Shattuck

Ling/Wong - Han

Indira/Rakshasa (Nova) - Violet/Venus, several other small parts

Kevin Petals (Nova) - Morgan Fox

Rajesh Kanpoor (Nova) - Dan Hawkins

Jake O'Connor (Nova) - James DeBeers/Ares

Damien Cole (Nova) - Kristin Mackenzie

Angela Whitfield (Nova, wings) - Gabrielle

Able Glendale (Baseline, Black) - Willian Markham

Ethan Hertz (Baseline) - Gerald Marks

[z023]

The was a surprised murmur when Sakura was called and took her place at the panel. They'd managed to keep a fairly tight lid on the set, so the baby bump peeking out from her dress caught eyes and attention. She flushed slightly and took her place as Kareena managed to keep on task and call the others without even a hitch in her voice. Kareena smiled brightly at the panel once everyone had been called and then out into the audience, comprised primarily of students of the various arts and professions required to put together a modern movie but including some generous alumni and parents, and concluded, "Alright. Now that everyone's out here, how about a few questions from the audience to get us started off?"

Hands shot up all over the hall and Kareena pointed to a young man dressed almost painfully fashionably. He stood up, eyes roving over the cast and he tried desperately to remember his question. "Uh...Ms. Bellefleur-Waters...uh, I-uh..." He blushed as words seem to flee from him and Kareena stepped in. "That's okay, Kaji. Take a moment and I'll come back to you."

She pointed to another student, a young girl of European descent and goth tastes. "Penelope, your question?"

"Yeah, Bombshell, are you gonna do more horror movies? What was the inspiration for Dead Rising?" The girl managed to get her questions out, though she wasn't quite looking at the panel when she spoke. Her eyes riveted on Jason once she was done, though.

Kareena stepped aside to allow Jason to answer the question.

[Ling]

Ling enjoyed the spotlight, he showed off some smiles, even offering touches of his wings, he tried to be unobtrusive to the questions, currently posed. Let his questions come to him, which was easy, after all, he was drop dead gorgeous, but he was still approachably gorgeous. This was an advantage in getting intelligent attention. He lavished in attention, it was his scene.

[Bombshell]

Jason gave Kaji an understanding, sympathetic smile... which somehow both flustered and calmed the young man down at the same time. She had been a young man once herself and during the weeks following her eruption, just seeing herself in a mirror had been... very distracting. And she had been embarrassingly fumble-tongued the first time she had met the Supermodel and Elite Ausrine, despite at the time having been every bit as beautiful a woman herself.

Hoping Kaji would manage to collect himself enough to ask his question, Jason met Penelope's eyes with her own. "I don't see why not, Penelope, as long as it's something more than just a hack-and-slash, blood-and-guts extravaganza. I hope when you guys see Dead Rising, you'll see in it something more than just another zombie film, which is what drew me in. Not that there is anything wrong with those types of films, I've enjoyed my fair share of them. But as an actor, I find them a little one-dimensional. Horror needs something, another angle, social commentary, something... more to really make it stand out. Rather than looking at what kind of movie it is, I look more for an interesting and fun premise and meaty characters, either well-written or with enough latitude in the script to add depth to them."

Jason shifted in her seat, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees, graceful hands gesturing - opalescent nails flashing under the lights - as she got involved in the discussion. "As for the inspiration that gave rise - pardon me - to Dead Rising, that was stumbled across by Rashindar as he was trolling obscure corners of the OpNet."

She glanced at the director, giving him an amused smile, who just rolled his eyes, though a slight blush reddened his dusky cheeks. "He found a site - rpgpost.op - that was something of a mix of play-by-post roleplaying games and an exercise in collaborative writing. One of the 'games' - for lack of a better word - moderated by Dawn Prough, focused on surviving in a post-apocalyptic world. It featured zombies and novas - not novas as we know them, but people with superhuman powers - and an intriguing connection between the two. The... quality of the writing varied to say the least - there were close to twenty individuals participating in the game - but the ideas and characters that arose, along with the over-arching plot, gave the story legs. Rashindar was explaining it to me and it just clicked. We contacted Ms. Prough and the other authors involved and got the rights to turn their game into a movie. Admittedly, we had to make some changes, to add our own ideas, to cut out the characters we didn't get the rights to, and for a better flow on the screen. As well, we cut a great deal - those people had written an awful lot over the course of what was it, Rashindar?"

"Looking at the dates of the first post and the closing one, I believe it was over five years. We could've filmed an entire television series with what they wrote. Heh, some places, there was more drama than a soap opera."

"Right, five years, and during some of that time, the writing was at a frenetic pace. But there you have it, Penelope. From a humble roleplaying game enjoyed over the OpNet by a dozen or two from across the world, came the idea for Dead Rising. Just goes to show folks, an idea for a script, song, anything really, can come from just about anywhere. All you future writers, directors, and performers too, kept your eyes and minds open - you never know where inspiration will come from."

Jason settled back in her loveseat, recrossing her legs, a playful light in her eyes as she held up a slim, elegant finger. "Oh, and one little addendum about appearing in future horror movies... and any other for that matter. Dead Rising may be my last movie for a while. I'll be taking a sabbatical of unknown length from acting to pursue... other endeavors."

The crowd reacted in surprise, their murmurs rising in speculation and questions, but Jason ended it with an arch of her brow, a tilt of her head, and a widening grin. "Please, no worries. I'm not retiring, not yet, just taking a break. And I assure you, you'll hear what I'll be getting involved in soon enough... but not today, though you are the first I have publicly told about my future absence from the silver and small screen, at least in any leading or large role. Now, I've been here before and we have a fair number of first-time actors for you students to dig into. Let's give them some questions, eh? Unless it's from Kaji, I'm not answering any more until everyone has has at least one of their own."

[z023]

The studio rustled for a moment as other students scribbled down questions to ask once Bombshell opened the floor back to questions directed at her, as other eyes roamed over the rest of the cast and hands began to shoot up with questions for the other novas. Kareena pointed at another twenty-something student, this one a young man of Spanish heritage, "Carlos, your question?"

He nodded, seeming nervous but still able to speak, "Um, yeah. I had a question for Ms. Kona..Ko-no-sa-ku-ya-hi-me." He sounded out her formal name, the one listed on the hand-out for the interview and promotional material for the movie. They'd included a pronunciation guide for just that reason.

Sakura nodded to the young man and smiled softly, "Sakura, please."

He blinked at her smile and had to take a minute to gather his wits. "Sakura. Th-thank you. Um...you're pregnant."

There was a moment of silence and Kareena cleared her throat and motioned for him to continue. "Your question, Carlos?"

"Oh, yeah!" He flushed and had to reach for words again. "Um, sorry. There aren't many novas that can have children. Could you tell us how you learned that you were fertile? Who the father..." his eyes flicked over the Jason, then back to Sakura and he flushed a deeper red, "um, who the other parent is? Are you married? How far along are you? Is your character pregnant in the movie?" The last was added hastily with a guilty glance at Kareena.

Sakura took a deep breath and carefully considered her words. She'd been thinking about how she'd answer questions for a while now and had decided that the best course was not to lie and not to share other people's secrets. "First off, no, Myfwany is not pregnant in the movie. The camera crews and directors did a great job working around my pregnancy for the movie. There was some discussion about working it in, but the timeline for the movie just didn't work well with my actual pregnancy." She wrapped her arms around her bulging womb and smiled, her expression a little dreamy, "I'm almost sixteen weeks along and I'm carrying triplets. I'm not married and I'm not commenting on parentage other than myself. As for my fertility, that's a part of my quantum expression. I can commune with and alter nature, including granting fertility to sterile creatures, from microbes and bacteria all the way up to baselines and novas." She heard Jason take in a deep steadying breath; Sakura had said that she intended to answer questions about her powers as part of the social shield that Sakura was using the movie and exposure to build, but now they were past the point of no return for the pregnant nova. She was publicly outed now, for good or ill.

The studio had erupted into whispers and several people standing up and clamoring out questions all at once. Kareena tried to hush them and finally turned up her microphone and ordered, "Everyone! Silent! Sit down, or I'll end the interview right now!" Her stern face and menacing presence managed to convince most of the students and alumni that she meant it and the room quieted down as the Indian woman's glare cut across the rows of seats. Once silence had descended on the room again (silent mostly because OpPhones had touch screens now), she pointed to an older man, obviously an alumni and not a student. "Mr. Kalanouskus. Please keep to questions about the movie. Ms. Konosakuyahime can decide if she's available once the interview is over for more personal questions."

He stood and cleared his throat, unconsciously smoothing out the non-existent wrinkles in his Italian-made business suit; he spoke with more force a self-possession than any of the students had so far. "Thank you, Mrs. Kanpoor. My question is actually for Mr. Wong." Attention turned to the dragon-nova and the baseline business man smiled, pleased to have pulled attention away from the flower-haired young nova's revelation. He tipped his head respectfully to the new actor and villain of Dead Rising, "This is your first movie according to the studio. Have you had any acting experience before this, even in amateur productions? Did you act at all before your eruption? Have you had any formal training in acting before or after your eruption?"

Most of the eyes in the study turned to watch Wong with intense curiosity, and the business man waited with quiet, confident patience for him to answer.

[Ling]

Ling smirked in his standard fashion, "there has been no formal training at all, in fact, the movie was a whim." He leaned back in his chair and steepled his hands, "I am sure you will all be pleased with my presence on the silver screen."

"Quite, now how did one decide this, it must have at least had some serious thought?"

"None really, like I said, it just dawned on me to take this on, now to answer your next question, despite it starting as a whim, my devotion to finishing this film is unwavering." He smiled at Sakura and then the crowd.

"My next question is for Miss Bellefleur-Waters, with such an unknown with no background in acting, what made the casting crew so eager to shoot him in such a big production, and as to play the villian, a serious and large role?"

[Bombshell]

"Ah, ah, ah," Jason countered melodiously, waggling her finger at Mr. Kalanouskus as if scolding a young boy, but a dimple appeared as she smiled. The experienced Alumn, in an amazing display of self-possession managed not to blush - for a variety of reasons and it was a close thing - but rather arched a brow, shrugging slightly as if to say: I had to try, right? "Nice attempt, Mr. Kalanouskus, but if I answer you, to be fair, I'll have to answer everyone else, and then where will we be?"

"Experiencing oral and aural gratification?" came one smart-alecky response from deep in the crowd.

Jason nodded in the smart-alec's general direction, acknowledging his witty answer, but gestured towards Rashindar with a flick of her enticing fingers. "I'm going to let Rajinder take this one. Indira and I had a great deal of input, but the final decision was always his."

Rajinder ran a hand through his slicked back, black hair, snorting a laugh as he gave Bombshell and Rakshasa a pair of wry grins, then turned back to the audience, his dark eyes dancing with impish humour. "Riiiigh... You try sitting between two beauties like Jason and Indira for ten to fourteen hours a day during auditions. The only decisions they let me have are what to get them for lunch and which one to lust after more."

Indira gave him a small smirk, Jason sniggered and rolled her eyes at Rajinder's antics. Rajinder for his part issued an exaggeratedly put-upon sigh, slumping his shoulders as if his lot had been a terrible, horrible burden. The audience tittered - spending so much time with the likes of Jason and Indira, as well as Sakura and even the cutely femininized Damien for that matter, might have indeed been a burden, but hardly a terrible or horrible one.

"Seriously, we didn't get that matter auditions for Han - everyone seemed to want to play Fox and Ares, and most of them were just awful, even you were Kevin, the first time," Rajinder teased, slapping the actor who played Morgan Fox on the back. "If it hadn't been for Indira and Jase demanding you get another chance, their heaving bosoms just staring at me so pleadingly... " Rajinder turned to give said bosoms a direct glance, pretending to lose himself in the sight... and it might not have totally in pretend. He played the skirt-chasing flirt, but it was an act hiding a sharp mind and an expansive vision. Mostly.

"See! Pfft! Final decison was mine, my arse. Anyway, as I was saying, those who read for Han, up to that point had been playing it too serious, too sinister. Wong came in with just the right mix of being a schemer and brash ego. I like to think I have an eye for untapped talent, and Wong just hit the mark. And for Dead Rising, other than Jason and Indira playing supporting roles, and the excellent misters Glendale and Hertz as steadying influences, we were looking for fresh faces, new ones barely known if known at all. We wanted the focus to be on the film, rather than the same faces seen on several movies each year."

"And you have-" "With Ja-" "And you expect with those on-"

"Yes, yes, yet we have Jason 'Bombshell' Bellefleur-Waters in the movie, with that unmistakable rack, those legs, those eyes, every single part of her. That's just the realities of the movie industry. We used her name to draw attention to a movie predominated by rookies. And she graciously allowed them, and the movie, to shine, without dominating the screen herself. Indeed, I think her biggest contribution was the musical score she composed, with that voice of hers and haunting guitar and violin work - it's another character in its own right. When you guys see the full movie, you'll see that she, and all those here, succeeded splendidly, our veterans molding and tailoring their performances to highlight our newbies raw talents. I assure you, you'll several of these guys in the years to come, even if I have to cast them myself."

"Thank-you, Rajinder Dipamkara, that answers my question quite nicely." Mr. Kalanouskus sat down and immediately another young man stood up, dressed up like an Abercrombie & Fitch poster boy, with the blond hair, blue eyes, and well muscled build of an All-American Country Boy, but with skin tone and facial features that conjured a variety of ethnic influences without actually indicating a prevailing one.

"Yes, go ahead, Kam," Kareena said to the anxious young man.

Kam nodded his thanks, looking uncomfortable and interested at the same time. "Uh, yes, this is for, erm, Damien Cole. What's it like, playing a girl? I mean, for the first time. Yeah, there are a number of actors, actresses, like Rakshasa, who can play any part. And I mean, Bombshell, she - you - said she was born a man, but that's barely believeable, she makes it seem so easy, so natural. You tried for a male part, right? And then a girl's part, so, what's it like? And why'd you do it?"

Damien shifted in his chair, looking even more anxious and uncomfortable than Kam, hunchin his shoulders, arms folded beneath his breasts, cheeks red - again - and a crooked grin his face. It made him look even younger... and cuter. He sounded young too. "It was embarrassing, mortifying, uncomfortable - at first - then scarily not that uncomfortable the longer I stayed like this. Losing half a foot of height, and with these things bouncing around... " He shrugged, broad shoulders rising and falling, followed by the rise and fall of his fulsome chest. "And I swear to God, you won't believe how girls talk when it's only girls around. I don't know if they were doing it just to tease and shock me or if that's really how it is, but damn! And they had way too much fun with my 'girl lessons'" Damien reddened even more. "And no, I'm not saying anything more about that!"

"But it really made me re-evaluate how I approached acting, approached my part, since everyone reacted differently to me, different to what I was used to. I can't honestly say I'd like to play another part like this, but I'll have to admit it did make me a better actor."

"It really did, Damien," Jason agreed. "All of us could see the improvement you make throughout the movie."

"And being... unused to your... new build, helped you really sell Krisin's part. I'm impressed and honoured you took this chance with us," Rajinder added honestly, this time not adding a hint of flirt or teasing.

"Thanks, guys, really. As for why I did it, well... I thought I was perfect for Ares, but Jack already had that sown up - he's awesome by the way - and I was really bummed. I had bills to pay and hadn't gotten a part in a while, it was turning into a bad cycle. I needed this movie, if only for my own confidence. Looking at the parts available again, Kristin was the only other one I thought I could portray... physically, only she was, y'know... a girl. I mean, I could the gender-bender thing since I erupted, it's just... other than two or three times for a few minute each time, I never used it. But I figured, using it this time, it was like a whole second chance at auditioning, I'm just glad they gave me the chance."

"And we're glad you took it," Indira said, pinching his cheek - her smile was teasing. "Absolutely adorable, muscles and all."

"Stop that!" Damien protested, slapping her hand away, but he looked shyly pleased. "Anyway, that's why I tried... this. It has been one hell of an experience."