The room held its breath.
Julian recovered his line with the finesse of a veteran actor, slipping back into character like a glove.
He stepped closer, voice low and steady as written:
"Tell me where you were the night of the attack."
Aria blinked at him.
"I was eating."
Julian froze.
Director Mason bolted upright.
"CUT!"
Aria turned to him, confused.
"…That wasn't the line?"
Mason sprinted toward her like a man trying to stop a toddler from pressing a nuclear button.
"Miss Lane. Sweetheart. Darling. You were supposed to say—"
He jabbed the script frantically—
"THIS. This sentence. Word for word!"
Aria looked down at the page.
"Oh. I didn't read that."
The room collectively inhaled through their teeth.
Julian coughed into his fist, half amused, half horrified.
Mason's voice went shrill.
"You didn't read the scene?!"
"I skimmed," Aria said.
"You skimmed an audition script?!"
She nodded.
"I thought it was optional."
Daniel made a small dying noise in the corner.
Julian Tries to Help
Julian stepped in gently.
"Aria, do you want me to walk you through the beats first?"
Aria nodded.
"That would be helpful."
Mason pointed dramatically at Julian.
"Yes! YES! Actor-to-actor! Teach her! Shape her! Tame her!"
Julian: "Tame?"
Mason: "Tame."
Aria: "I am very tame."
Three people in the room laughed nervously because they knew she was absolutely not.
Rehearsal Take Two
Julian moved back to his mark.
"Let's try again. Follow my lead."
Aria nodded, serious now.
Mason retreated behind a monitor like he was preparing for war.
"Action!"
Julian delivered his line again—sharp, perfect:
"Tell me where you were the night of the attack."
Aria inhaled, focusing.
Then said:
"I was… near the scene."
Mason peeked through his fingers.
"…Close enough," he whispered.
Julian smiled a tiny, approving smile.
"Good."
Then he stepped forward for the next line.
"You expect me to believe that?"
Aria answered honestly:
"No."
Julian choked.
Mason slapped the armrest of his chair.
"CUT!!"
The Chaos Is Now Unavoidable
Mason stomped toward her.
"Miss Lane, why do you keep improvising?!"
Aria blinked.
"I thought honesty matters in acting."
"No!" Mason cried. "Acting matters in acting!"
Aria considered this deeply.
"Ah."
"'Ah,' she says," Mason muttered, collapsing into a chair. "Julian, she's going to kill me."
Julian hid a smile.
"I think she's doing well."
"WELL?!" Mason sputtered.
"She's dismantling the script like it's IKEA furniture!"
Aria lifted a hand.
"I can read it properly."
"THANK YOU."
"After snacks."
"NO!"
Third Attempt: Miracles Exist
After forcibly confiscating her snack bag, Mason allowed take three.
"Action!"
Julian: "Tell me where you were the night of the attack."
Aria (actually reading this time):
"I was at home."
Julian: "You expect me to believe that?"
Aria: "Believe what you want."
Julian's eyes sharpened—this time actually impressed.
Mason slowly sat up.
"…That… was good."
Julian continued, voice low:
"You think you can hide from me?"
Aria responded—
with exactly the right tone, the right coldness, the right flicker of danger:
"I'm not hiding. You're just not looking properly."
The room fell silent.
Julian inhaled, stunned.
Mason stood up so fast his chair toppled behind him.
"…Oh god," he whispered.
"She's perfect."
The Crew Reacts
A makeup artist clutched her brush like she'd witnessed a miracle.
A sound tech whispered,
"I thought she was supposed to be a newbie?"
An intern nearly cried,
"Why is she better than half the drama school graduates?"
Julian exhaled slowly.
"You really haven't acted before?"
Aria shrugged.
"I react well."
Julian murmured,
"…That's an understatement."
Director Mason's Breakdown Part I
He dragged Daniel aside.
"We're hiring her."
Daniel blinked. "Already?"
"We're hiring her NOW."
"But the audition just star—"
"DO YOU WANT AN OSCAR OR NOT?!"
Daniel stammered. "Yes—yes—of course—"
"Then sign her before another studio steals her!"
Daniel nodded vigorously.
"Right! Right away! Should I let her eat again?"
Mason glared at him.
"…Yes. If it keeps her from killing us."
Aria, meanwhile, looked at the script like it was a snack menu she wasn't interested in.
And Julian looked at her like he'd just watched someone lift a car one-handed.
Director Mason didn't know it yet…
but this was the calmest day of filming he was ever going to get.