It was somewhat perplexing that in a room filled with so many other performers - some of which they likely had closer connections to than each other - they were still both attempting to entertain a conversation that neither seemed to be too invested in. She could almost swear she’d caught him eyeing an escape route more than once over the rim of his drink. At the very least she could appreciate his dedication to Blaine’s friendship, at the very least that was a safe topic of discussion they could both agree on.
“Mmm,” she hummed thoughtfully around her drink, “while there’s merit to the idea that it can help to know someone in the business, there’s a certain level of satisfaction that comes from knowing your achievements are all your own, that you reached the level of stardom you’ve always dreamed of due to your own talent and dedication,” a short shrug followed as she spotted Blaine again in the crowd, her back straightening a bit “there’s power in not owing your success to anyone.” Who knew that better than she did? As if snapping out of a daze, she again smiled and continued, “that said, I hope you hear back on those auditions soon, the more opportunities that are open to him, the better.”
It baffled her - though perhaps it shouldn’t have - how seemingly proud he was of being considered heartless, an emotion she was sure was written on her face as her eyes rolled at his giddiness over the comments. In a way, it almost reminded her of a much younger version of herself, one that used to believe that a bad reputation was better than no reputation at all. “Right. Well. I suppose that’s one of the benefits of being a man in our industry; you can wear those labels with… pride, I guess? Never truly seeing any sort of backlash for their behaviors, while they’re attributed to being a method actor, or something along those lines. Women, on the other hand, are expected to be sweet, demure and accepting lest they be shunned with those same labels,” though her words were harsh, she did her best to keep a friendlier tone; the last thing she needed was to be accused of starting a scene.
This was not the place to hold this conversation, much less when she could feel her pulse quickening in a mixture of annoyance at his pleasure over his own reputation. Not when one of her hands had already moved to her hip as it often did when she went into a lecturing mode, she was only glad she still had her glass of champagne in the other hand lest her body language fully shift to something much less friendly.
What was it about Jesse St. James that seemed to push her buttons so easily?
“Keep it. I only hope it’s enough to cover the drink. I’m afraid all my other cash has already gone to the bartender, though if it’s not I think it’d only be fair I cover your next drink… Or better yet! You could start a tab with Blaine’s name and place it under his?” She chuckled, again attempting to smooth over the awkwardness of having just given him a stern lecture only moments before.
Musicals. That was always a safe choice amongst performers, and it proved no different now as she quickly found herself enthralled at the mention of Wicked. “Oh! I adored Wicked when I was in it! Easily one of the most enjoyable shows I’ve been involved with. West Side Story is still on my list of dream shows to perform in; but all great choices to consider. I assume you’d be going for the role of Fiyero, yes?“ She nodded at his next question as she finished her own drink, “I am, yes,” the role was all but hers but this was the last person she felt comfortable confiding in, “I worked with Duncan and Steven on Spring Awakening, so once I heard they had a new show in the works, I jumped at the opportunity. Isn’t it every performers dream to originate a role on Broadway?” She nodded, but felt the need to add, “Regardless, I do have a few other projects in the works at the moment. It’s imperative to keep busy.”
Jesse found Rachel Berry somewhat perplexing - if only for the fact that she just seemed so defensive with him. No matter what he had said so far - even if it truly wasn’t meant to be something snide - she had taken it as such and made to defend herself. Jesse wondered what - if anything - he had done now or in the past to prompt this sort of behavior with him. Surely they hadn’t met before? No - he was certain he’d remember meeting her.
“Well, yes, of course, it’s satisfying to be able to say that you’ve done it yourself, but how many people who are currently big name stars can honestly say that they didn’t get some help from a friend here or there?” Jesse shrugged and leaned back against the bar. He wasn’t saying Blaine should go and sleep with a bunch of directors to get a spot in a show, but rather, he should at least recognize that getting an audition from another friend wasn’t exactly a strike to your pride. “Yeah, I hope something comes up. I’m eager for Blaine to be on Broadway already, you know?”
Jesse almost groaned aloud once she began her feminist diatribe. Of course, she had good points - he wouldn’t deny that - but this was neither the time or place for this kind of conversation. Still, it all stemmed from the fact that she’d misunderstood him and her overtly defensive behavior with him. He wanted to outright ask her what he’d done to make her so on edge with him, but he felt it would be rude, and he didn’t need a twenty-minute character assassination in this small, crowded bar. Maybe he would just ask Blaine later.
“I don’t feel pride over it,” Jesse smiled wryly as he peered around the room. He wondered how many of these people felt about him the way that Rachel seemed to. Surely, her apparent opinion of him wasn’t a rarity - but probably the rule. “As long as I don’t lose work over it, I don’t care. Besides, what can I do? Any defense on my part just looks... shady. Like I am definitely a heartless jerk who’s full of himself, but I just don’t want to ‘fess up to it,” Jesse shrugged as he turned to face Rachel again. Perhaps she was in the same boat - a victim of baseless rumors that she couldn’t quite defend, lest she just prove that they’re true. “I like to think people can decide for themselves what kind of person I am when they meet me.”
Jesse grinned at the idea of starting a tab for Blaine as he pocketed the cash. “As tempting as that is, I promised him a couple of drinks, and I’m guessing he figured one for himself and one for you fell under that. Either way, I’m not that upset about it.” In the end, Blaine had at least given him an interesting interaction, even if it hadn’t turned out to be the most pleasant. He could at least now say he’d met Rachel Berry, though he doubted it would ever really come up again. He wondered what Blaine would ask him later about all of this, and more, what had Blaine expected to come of leaving the two of them alone?
“Yeah, Fiyero is a natural choice for me, I think,” Jesse nodded with a smile, amused at the sudden shift of energy in the conversation. So musicals turned out to be a fairly safe topic. “I’m going to guess... you played Elphaba? West Side Story is such a classic... it seems a shame not to have performed in it yet.” Jesse set his glass down on the bar, intrigued by her upcoming project. It was amusing to think she was just lecturing him about the satisfaction in doing it yourself. Still, it was impressive to be originating a role, and he envied her for that. “That really is every performer’s dream. Congratulations, Ms. Berry.”
