Evander stands at the large, wooden doors that tower at the entrance of Harmony Headquarters. His eyes lock with the knobs, still uncertain, but ready. As his hands clasp the cold metal and push the doors open, he’s greeted by the Big Boss’s usual smile. It irritates him, but he doesn’t tell her that. “I’m taking the role. I just finished speaking with the director, so what was the other business you wanted to discuss?”
“Treat...?” He feels strange just repeating the word.
“Treat,” she echoes. “As in ‘trick or’?”
“I don’t follow.”
“The truth of the matter is that our little Amy has been working reeeaaally hard on this Halloween showcase in a couple of days, and I haven’t thought of her reward just yet. I need your help with that.”
“Shouldn’t you just... pay her? Like, isn’t that what you’re supposed to get out of doing a job?”
“I may or may not have pressured her into doing extra work at the expense of a prize, though?”
“... You’re kidding.” And there’s the Big Boss, straight-faced as usual. “... You’re not kidding. Just what do you expect me to do...?”
“Aren’t you the one who graduated as the highschool valedictorian? You’re smart--figure it out. In the meantime, get out of my office.”
“Wait, wha--”
“Shoo~!” She stands and proceeds to push Evander out the door. “Good luck!”
Trays clatter onto tables in Harmony’s dining commons, a wide array of aromas mixed into the air coming from different stalls ranging from instant foods to high-end cuisine. Evander sits alone at a booth, staring contemplatively at a chicken salad before an unexpected visitor joins him, a beaming grin on her face and a redhead tailing behind. “Hey there, mister star actor~”
“B-Boss! It’s rare to see you here on the ground floor.”
“Just thought I’d mingle with the commoners~” She laughs, lacing her fingers together and pressing her thumbs against the underside of her jaw as she tilts her head at the unfamiliar hue of Evander’s eyes. “That’s new. Oh-- Ion, go get me some coffee.”
“But you hate cof--”
“Just go, shoo.” She waves and Ion inwardly groans as she complies, leaving the two alone at the booth. “I have business to discuss with you, Mr. Castaneda.”
His eyes linger on Ion as she turns the corner and heads down the hall of establishments lining the floor. “What kind of business? I got a new role proposition recently, and if it’s about that, I’d... actually like some advice.”
“Well, it’s not, but I can spare some time to give my opinion on it since you’re bringing it up.” She doesn’t normally like talking about work-related business unless she has to, but there’s a special place in her schedule for the young man who went from a highschool nobody to the biggest star in Anvanum in only a month after his debut.
“... Well...” Where to start... “I’ve been thinking, and this new role isn’t... exactly... my type of role, if that makes sense.” Reaching down to where his bag is by the leg of his chair, he slips out a sample of the script and places it on the table in front of Jenci. “Over the years, I’ve been cast as the villainous badboy type, so I’m not sure if I can pull off this sort of... quiet, earnest character as well as the director would like.”
Flipping through the pages and skimming through lines of text, she hums in thought. “Are you saying you don’t think you can do it?” She glances up at him from the papers and catches his gaze as her whimsical tone drops in register, almost to a grumble. “... or are you saying you don’t want to?”
“I...” He’s almost offended--almost, but he realizes something. His eyes dart down to the page and he can feel his hand clenching slightly against the table. “I want to, I just--”
“So you just can’t do it. I suppose it can’t be helped, then. You can’t take a job if your abilities don’t measure up to the criteria.” Her tone is dull, but blunt. “Can’t waste the company’s resources on someone who won’t pull it off.”
“I can!” He freezes, realizing he just yelled at the company’s CEO, and with so many people around... he could feel the gazes on his back. “Er--”
“Good~ I knew I could convince you.” She sees his look of confusion and shrugs her shoulders. “I don’t know what you’re so afraid of to prevent you from taking a job that extends your horizons.” Her fingers unravel from each other and one glides up her cheek as she rests her head lazily to one side. “Or is it that this role is too real for you maybe? You don’t look like the villainous badboy type to me, Mr. Castaneda. You never did, quite frankly, and I think this role hits closer to home for you. I know it’s off the books and I shouldn’t talk about it, but your family problems... they’re similar to this character’s in the story, are they not?”
“Well, that’s true... but...” But he doesn’t really want to... to...
-- - “I know what the issue is.”
“Taking this role means facing your past... right? The case with the Forrester incident is closed to the rest of the world, but it’s something you still let linger in the back of your mind.” Evander’s lips purse tightly; his eyebrows crease and he’s not looking at Jenci. “No one else has confronted you about this yet, have they? Who’s taking care of your mother now? What effects have your actions had on your bandmates? Who are you to be able to influence so many other lives with your own like that? They just let you go on as you like because you’ve got the illusion of fame, fortune, and nonchalance about you, but you’re still really torn up inside, right?”
Silence. But he musters the voice to speak after a moment. “... I... Yeah. Yeah, I am.” His legs and back are aching from how tense he’s gotten, and his palms sting from how tight his fists are.
“Perfect. Then you can put that sort of energy into the character you’re portraying. It seems impossible to you right now, but just how good of an actor have you been if all you’ve really done is pretend to be people you’re not? You can’t bred personality without firsthand experience, and though I do understand that ‘fuckboy’ has been a part of your history, you and I both know you’re not undoing your pants for anyone these days.” She crossed a line just then, and she knows it. She sees Evander growing anxious, but she doesn’t relent.
“Mr. Castaneda, acting may be your job, but if acting in a role that’s not yours is all you can do without emitting genuine emotions, then I don’t need you to be part of this company. If you want to go back to stage performances, Spilled is just across the way, and I’m sure they’d be thrilled to adopt the fallen star of Harmony Records.” Hazel eyes narrow ever so slightly and her words drip venom. “Your playboy phase outside of work is over, so don’t try to live your glory days at work.” As Evander teeters over the edge of his wall of anxiety, she stands from her seat and slides her hands into her jeans pockets. “When you’re ready to take your job seriously, come talk to me in my office. This conversation’s ruined my mood, so I’ll bring up that other thing once we’ve both had time to cool off.” She turns away only to see Ion making her way toward them, carrying a tray of coffee. With a halfhearted smirk, Jenci takes the cup meant to be hers and places it on the table in front of Evander. “My treat. We’ll talk later.”
“...” He can’t help but follow the two with his eyes as they make their way to the elevator. His heart feels as if it’s going to erupt in his chest, but the next thing he knows, he’s dialing a number on his phone and hoping both that the other end is free and that there’s no answer at the same time.
[... Hello...?]
“...” He feels his entire body quake at the sound of her voice. “... Mom...? ... ... ... Yeah... It’s me. How... How have things been? ... Yeah, it’s... been a while. Gimme a sec to get somewhere more quiet.”
“It’s done!” A voice chimes out above the murmur of Harmony Records’s Fashion Department, forcing heads to lift from work and turn their gaze toward the source. A head of red hair pinned in a messy bun sits atop the figure of Amy standing triumphantly with her hands on her hips outside of her studio door. “Get the Big Boss over here!”
“Amy! Amy, Amy, Amy! My favorite redhead--”
“A-hem.” Ion holds her fist up to her mouth. “Your assistant is right here.”
And as if she didn’t hear it at all... “--I knew you could do it, see?” She claps her hands together and grins. “Now it’s time to talk about the event planning element of it--”
“Wait, what--”
“I told you, didn’t I? You’re in charge of the whole showcase, not just the designs. That means decorations, special performances, and even a little speech about this beautiful array you’ve designed!”
“W-Wait, but my other deadlines this month are--”
-- - “--extended.”
“I expect you to use any and all resources you need from any department. Don’t think about the costs--I’m sure your performance will make up for all of it. It always has~”
-- - “But--”
“No buts. No one else can make this happen but you~ But don’t worry either--the reward will be well worth it.” She saw Amy’s interest spark almost immediately. “We’ll discuss that later.” And with a dismissive wave, she turned and headed back to HQ. “Let’s go, Ion.”
“Sorry, sis... Ask me if you need to get in contact with any of the other departments.”
