“well gee— when you put it like that!” she’s turned down every television role so far without hesitation. what was important to gather the big names, to get every individual auteur to understand just who they were dealing with so they knew that it was their loss if they didn’t help her get to the a-list. but now she has the backing of those names, she has the filmography to show she has put in all the hard work for her title. and this isn’t just the brady bunch, this is prestige. a miniseries, a movie stretched out with space for people to really luxuriate in the scene they were given. and she has to admit, the company backing does sound like a smart move at this stage. individual people were less and less reliable as they grew comfortable. they needed a shake up!
“just one more question—” paging through what she’s been given, reading the character description, assessing it against what she’s done already. there was always a brand to be maintained, even if her agent didn’t always remember. “it’s just the one season right?” verbal assurance wasn’t everything, but it was worth its weight in blackmail. “i don’t really think i can promise you the next decade of my life, you know how it goes!”
So it is business in the end. To Orion, he has more of an upper-hand in that territory than any other. Creativity is one thing, and it can be remarked as being priceless, but priceless is just a nice way of saying penniless most of the time. He knows this intellectually and practically in both senses with equal experience, and he has no problem using this to his advantage. Besides, isn't that what he does best? Use things to his advantage, even if those things are made of flesh and blood?
One more question pauses him for a moment, makes him absorb her more in his sights while he listens carefully. She doesn't intend ten years, and he's not looking for it either. The world plays on again while he offers her an assuring smile. It sounds like he's gotten what he's come for. "For now, it's one season," he agrees. "If you like what you see after we’re done, we can talk about a longer relationship."
His hand now holds his pen. Montblanc brand, 18k gold accents, another gift that is part of everything Orion currently owns or is on loan. In the moment, he settles on ownership with only an extension held out for Eloise to borrow for the sake of a written agreement in the paperwork he's already passed to her under script.
"All I need right now is your signature," he explains, "and I'll be able to deposit the points into your account by the time it’s dry."