Chapter Text
“Heh, you don’t look so bad for an herbivore,” Leona complimented, seeing Yuu dressed head to toe in beautiful white and gold.
“He’s right,” Jamil agreed. “You look just like a fairy.”
“Aw, you guys.” Yuu blushed, looking away bashfully. But that quickly turned into a teasing smile. “And even a compliment from the great Leona Kingscholar. I am truly honored~”
The lion huffed, his tail swishing in annoyance. “Whatever. Don’t let it get to your head.”
“With this, Operation Steal the Show will be a success!”
“CUT!”
Everyone turned to the director, his shout stopping the scene. The cameras focused on the actors stopped playing.
“What now?” Leona inquired with a furrowed brow. “We’ve been redoing this scene five times already.”
“I definitely got my lines right this time,” Yuu muttered softly. She had messed up the first two takes. And she didn’t see anyone stepping out of position. Ruggie already did that on the third take.
“You did great, Yuu!” Kalim, who’d been standing in the background, shouted enthusiastically. She smiled at him in response.
“Something feels like it’s missing,” the director admitted, viewing the scenery and the cast. “We’ll come back to it later and reshoot at a different time. Let’s at least get the fashion show scene out of the way. Is the garden set ready?”
“Yes, sir!” one of the tech crew confirmed. “And we have the LED lights set up just like you wanted.”
“Perfect. We’ll come back to this scene afterward. All cast members needed for the fashion show, head to the garden set. We’ll just splice the scenes together at the end.”
“Yuu,” Vil called out as the young protagonist, “a moment if you please.”
Yuu paused and turned to Vil as she was gathering her things to move locations. “Yeah?”
A spark of envy shined in the pro actor’s eyes as he stared at her. It was a bit unwarranted on his part, but it was a feeling that he couldn’t bring to let melt away.
“Your posture in those heels needs improvement,” he stated frankly, pointing to her white heels, ribbons tied together around her legs. “I noticed you were stumbling a bit as you walked onto the scene.”
Yuu rolled her eyes, but she didn’t think too deeply on his words as she sent him a playful smile. “Well, la-dee-da, Mr. Heels On Every Costume. I mean, look at you.” She pointed down to the shoes that came with his NRC uniform, more specifically the heels on the back.
“Not necessarily true,” he countered, shaking his head. “The shoes for my ceremonial robes are fairly standard.”
“They still have some lift though.” Yuu pouted, crossing her arms. “But thanks for the advice. I still need a little more practice in these things.”
“Honestly…” He sighed, looking at her like a disappointed mom, at least from her perspective. “You’re an actress who’s been in the industry for a couple years. How do you not know how to wear heels by now?”
“My characters don't usually wear heels,” she answered simply. “It’s been a habit of many of them to even wear boots with dresses too. And I liked their fashion choices enough to bring them over into my own style. So yeah, not much time for wearing heels.”
Vil couldn’t help but continue staring, falling silent. Yuu… She was the protagonist of Twisted Wonderland, the hit show that everyone watched and couldn’t sit still as they waited for a new episode to drop. Her role granted her a near constant spotlight shining down on her…
And he was considered an extra in the Fairy Gala episodes. His role in its entirety was to be a character modeled after a fairy tale villain. Sure, he was going to have a major role later on in the show as a housewarden, meaning he was going to overblot and have Yuu come to his rescue. But then he’d be pushed to the background all over again. It wasn’t fair…
“…il…Vil. Hey, are you listening?”
Vil finally turned his attention to her. “Apologies. My mind was elsewhere. What did you say?”
“Ah, it’s nothing important.” You shook her head, the flowers in her hair gently swaying with her movements. “I was just asking if you had some good shoe brands you could recommend to me for practice. Since you’re the fashionista and all.”
“Hm…” Vil thought for a minute. “I’d personally recommend the Elitea brand. And for your feet, you should be starting with a wider heel and go thinner once your feet are comfortable with elevated height.”
Yuu nodded, clearly taking note of his words. He observed her casual posture, as if she was talking to a friend instead of a professional actor. Yes, they were both actors, but he had seniority as someone who’d been in commercials and shows since he was just a child. A sense of professionalism was needed when dealing with co-stars or anyone else in the entertainment industry; his image was very important to maintain in all circles. But Yuu was an odd one. She treated him the same as all the others, speaking frankly but kindly.
“I’ll keep that in mind. I gotta go now.” She picked up her bag and turned to leave, still wobbling slightly but putting in some effort to keep her back straight. He watched her exit the set with the echo of clicking heels growing dimmer.
“All actors for the classroom set get in position! Hey, can you get Idia from his dressing room?”
Vil let any of his thoughts about Yuu fall to the back of his mind. He had a job to do. And he would make sure he still gave a stunning performance.
Hm?
Before he could return to the set, Vil noticed something on the chair. Picking it up between his slender fingers, he recognized it as one of the star earrings that Yuu always wore. They were such a beloved pair that she convinced the director to let her keep them on. They added more personality to her character, so the slight change was approved almost instantly.
It must’ve fallen out when she wasn’t paying attention. He found the backing not too far away and scooped it up off the ground.
He placed the earring in his pocket, resolving to return it later.
✦ ✧ ✦ ✧ ✦ ✧ ✦
“Hey, Yuu.”
The girl in question looked up from admiring the set. “What’s up, Leona?”
He pointed to his own ear and then to her. “One of your earrings is missing.”
“What?!” Her eyes widened, her hands flying to her ears. “Oh my god, when did that happen?!” Her breathing turned short, her mind spiraling into a panic. She rubbed at her lobes, in a feeble attempt to suddenly make the missing one appear again.
“Geez, calm down.” Leona placed a strong hand on hser head in a strange attempt to ground her. Even if it did the job physically instead of emotionally, Yuu found a sense of comfort in the gesture. “Just breathe and think about when you last had them both in.”
“Okay…” She took a few deep breaths, doing her best to calm her mind. “Let’s see… They were definitely in when we had the costume touch-ups. And they were still there when we did those few redo scenes… The dance studio!” She shouted out when she came to the realization. “It probably fell when we were using the Pomefiore dance studio.”
But…there was no time to get back to it. Everyone was setting up for the fashion show scenes, and she needed to be there for the switcheroo with Ruggie. All she could do was hope that the crew members would recognize it and not sweep it up while cleaning. And pray that no one would step on it if it fell on the ground.
Aaaand she was just giving herself more anxiety. Fantastic. She was probably too wound up to do any scenes now.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Kalim jogged up to them with Jamil in tow. He must’ve heard her commotion and came to check on her. Just like his character in the show, Kalim was just a very sweet person.
“The herbivore lost her earring and she’s freaking out about it,” Leona answered for her, making her pout.
“I feel like you’re sticking to that nickname just to annoy me.” She regarded Kalim with a softer smile. “I’m just getting worked up. They’re important to me, so I would like to know my missing one is safe. That’s all.”
“I can understand your dilemma,” Jamil sympathized, crossing his arms in thought. “We could ask some of the crew to keep a lookout. While we’re supposed to stay on set, stagehands have a little more freedom of going place to place.”
“Don’t sweat it.” Leona patted her back a little roughly.
Though she knew he was tempted to ruffle her hair like all the other times. But he’d get in trouble with the costume department if he tried, having first-hand experience in how long it took to perfectly adjust their Fairy Gala attire. And he hated getting nagged.
“I’m sure anyone with eyes will see how important it is and give it back to you. So stop looking all nervous. It’s giving me a headache.”
“Leona’s right!” Kalim agreed with a bright smile. “You’ve worn those earrings so often to the set and events that I doubt anyone would look at those earrings and not realize who they belong to.”
“Though ‘Yuu’ in the show may be described to be a plain-looking person,” Jamil added, “you do have a very distinct style about you in subtle ways. Those earrings have essentially become part of your role.”
Yuu smiled softly, realizing after months of working together that this was their way of consoling her. “Thanks, guys. You’re right. I’ll just have to…” She trailed off as she reached up again, plucking her other earring out and going over to put it in her bag. “Guess this’ll be going in the ‘Top 10 Things You Didn’t Notice’ videos all over the internet. But I doubt missing earrings will make the top five.”
“Places, everyone!” the director shouted.
“Guess I’ll ask around after,” she muttered to herself, leaving her bag to take her place in the garden set next to Ruggie.
She watched as they brought Grim back on set, who immediately trotted in her direction. The staff liked that him being her own cat made a few things easier. The rest would be tweaked with CGI.
“And action!”
✦ ✧ ✦ ✧ ✦ ✧ ✦
As soon as the scenes were filmed and they were allowed to go back to change out of their Fairy Gala attire, Yuu grabbed her things and was just about ready to bolt to the dance studio to see if anyone had found her earring. But as she was ready to head out the door and sprint her way there, the door opened first to reveal Vil Schoenheit. Yuu skidded to a stop just in time before she could bump into him.
“Whoops, sorry Vil,” she quickly apologized, clearly trying to make her way around him. Her worry outweighed her curiosity about why he was even there. But it wasn’t really any of her business either.
“No worries,” he replied. “I was actually looking for you.”
That made her stop, taking a step back to better look at him. Curse her short stature. “Me? For what?”
“Here.” He reached into his pocket and presented what was in his hand to her.
It was her earring! “You found it!”
Her expression lit up with a smile, happily taking back a piece of her prized possession. She immediately put it back in her ear, making sure it was secure. Then she dug into her bag to get the other one, feeling complete once more. Her smile didn’t go away, looking up at Vil gratefully.
“I can’t thank you enough. I was driving myself crazy thinking about it. You’re my hero.”
“It was no trouble, really.” Vil gave her a practiced, polite smile. “Just make sure they’re secure next time. It wouldn’t do you well to lose them a second time.”
In this industry, it was always best to have good standing with the staff, even if you may not want to. But the “hero” part almost made him scoff. Oh, what he wouldn’t give to truly be just that. But here she was, the star of the show, unknowingly rubbing it in his face.
“Believe me, I will. Even if I have to hot glue these things on.” She laughed softly at her own joke. “Oh yeah, how about I treat you to lunch tomorrow? To say thank you.”
“I appreciate it, but I am currently on a diet.”
“No worries. I know a few places that’ll be good for anyone eating healthy.” She smiled, pulling out her phone. She pulled up her Magicam, scrolling through her likes. “Here’s a few.” She flipped her phone to show him photos of some small cafés and bistros. “Or I can just order in and give it to you on set. Your choice.”
He couldn’t understand. Why was she going so far? A simple thank you was all that was necessary. Then again, her earrings were precious trinkets. It made sense that she’d want to thank the person that returned them to her. As far as he could see, she had no other ulterior motives. He had learned that she wasn’t that kind of person the first day on set.
“And this is Yuuna,” the director introduced the one beside him, who stood there with a casual smile. “She will be our lead.”
“Hey,” she greeted with a short wave. “You can call me Yuu. I look forward to working with all of you.”
As the cast dispersed to do their own thing during their short break, Vil decided it best to approach the new cast members. It was important to be acquainted with everyone. Plus, he didn’t need to fix his makeup for another ten minutes, according to his schedule.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said with his model smile.
“It’s nice to meet you too,” she responded, staring at him a bit more than necessary. “And you’re Vil Schoenheit, right?”
“Indeed. It’s an honor to be recognized by you.”
She laughed. “I know you don’t mean that, but thanks. You were in one of my favorite shows when I was a teen.”
“Oh? Which one?” he inquired, curious to see if she was truly a fan.
With a smile, she confidently answered. “Silver City.”
His eyes widened. He hadn’t heard that title in a while. “Really? Not many people remember that show as I’ve seen.”
A hand rested on her hip as she shook her head. “Are you kidding? It’s an under-rated urban fantasy classic. I can’t understand why so many people dropped it, especially when the plot was solid and so many subtleties about it carried over to later episodes. And they really did a great job with the costumes. You could recognize which pieces of clothing belonged to what character.”
He listened to her gush about the show’s plotline and how she was really rooting for Ruby, the secondary villain, to have a redemption arc once her tragic backstory was revealed and her loyalty to the main antagonist began to waver. And she not only mentioned his character, but he could see her honest passion for the franchise, from the storytelling to the backgrounds.
“And you were part of my favorite season. Your performance made me wish they brought Ezekiel back for later episodes. How could they not see the potential of a fallen angel character walking among the humans. And his motivations were great commentary on acceptance in society. It made me want to work harder so I could take on roles that subverted expectations just like he did.”
She paused, awkwardly shifting in place. “Sorry. I got carried away.”
This time, Vil genuinely smiled. “No worries. I’m honestly glad my character made such an impact on you.”
“He did. So I’m glad I get to work with the guy behind that role and一” She stopped and reached into her pocket, pulling out her phone. “Sorry, that’s my agent. I hope we can talk some other time.”
“I would like that.” He said that to be polite, but perhaps he wouldn’t mind speaking to her again in casual conversation.
He realized he didn’t answer her question, being lost in thought once more. “It’s alright. If you don’t mind, I would like to eat on set. As much as I would like to go, I don’t think my agent would approve of a spontaneous outing.
“No problem,” she said, tucking her phone back in her bag. “If you have any allergies, tell me now. I don’t want to bring you something only to find out you can’t eat it.”
“None as far as I’m aware. However,” his voice took a sudden serious tone, “I make sure to keep mayonnaise out of all dishes I eat.”
“No allergies and hates mayo. Got it.” She nodded, noting all that down mentally. “Alright! See you tomorrow.” Yuu smiled and waved as she exited the building, leaving him wondering if he really made the right choice.
✦ ✧ ✦ ✧ ✦ ✧ ✦
“Here you go.”
Vil looked up from his phone when Yuu handed him one of two containers during their lunch break. And by the logo pasted on the top, he recognized that she went to one of the places she had shown him on her phone.
“I still wasn’t sure about what to get you, but since you said you were on a diet, I got you a chicken salad bowl. I asked them for a different dressing since the regular one had mayo in it. And they’re smoothies were two-for-one so here. It’s made with low-fat yogurt so I promise, the calorie count is low.”
He set his phone down and took the offered food, noting that they indeed looked like some of the healthier options. “What flavor?” he asked, shaking his smoothie slightly.
“I went for their Island Forest blend. It’s got spinach and kale, but also mango and pineapple. It was the most recommended of the healthy options.”
He took a sip, letting the flavors rest on his tongue. It was good and didn’t taste fatty at all. “Thank you.”
He opened his salad, taking the plastic fork she handed over when she sat down next to him. The first bite was surprising. It was light on the taste buds yet packed with flavor. He didn’t feel like it would be going straight to his hips anytime soon. But he was careful not to overindulge, taking slow and spaced out bites instead of stuffing his face.
The two sat in comfortable silence that he hadn’t really been able to get while on set before. He felt no need to converse with her and she seemed to respect that, eating a black bean burger without the bun and assorted vegetables. It was nice to see that she was also taking proper food intake seriously. Unlike some people here. He had caught Ace eating a bag of chips from the vending machine with no remorse whatsoever.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Yuu lightly kicking her legs as she ate.
“I see you took my advice,” he commented, noticing she was wearing Elitea brand shoes with a wide heel.
“Hm?” She looked away from her food and up at him. Once she realized where he was looking, she smiled. “Yeah. And you were so right. These shoes are super comfortable, even with the heel.” Yuu kicked her feet again, but not in a way that might hurt any passersby. “Put them on and walked around as soon as I got home. Best to start early, right?”
“I agree.”
He really did. The effort she put in to learn and better fit her role was quite refreshing. And though the thoughts about wanting her spot sometimes lingers, they started to gradually fade as he came to the realization that Yuu was a good fit for the part she’d been casted for.
“I should get into costume now,” she said, sitting up to throw out her now empty food container. “That Fairy Gala dress and makeup takes forever to get just right.”
“Well, it is a side story that requires the most polish,” he said, also standing. “A fashion show, whether for fairies or humans, should be spared no expense.”
“I know, I know. The whole department says the exact same thing. See ya later!”
She left the little break area after she threw out her trash, going back to her dressing room to get ready for the next scenes. He would still be there, a minor character in the current story. His spotlight would come, but it wouldn’t last long. Nevertheless, he would give it his all.
For his scene, there was a special camera set up in the botanical garden that would have footage relayed back to the television in real time. It was part of the concept that Idia Shroud would have a drone circling the garden to watch the fashion show and make sure everything went off without a hitch. That meant their scenes would be playing at the same time, so it was crucial for no one to mess up a single step.
That’s how he found himself an hour later staring at the very screen, watching Yuu do some silly dance with Ruggie as they waited for the cameras on their end to start rolling. Kalim tried to join in, but Jamil pulled him back to the show stage. He continued to watch Yuu dance, looking joyful and free in her white and gold attire. She was doing better in those heels than last time, likely because she wasn’t giving walking in them much thought at the moment.
Vil Schoenheit, contrary to one’s belief, was not one to deny reality. It did no one any good to rely on wishful thinking or refusing to accept an undeniable truth.
Yuu was a wonderful woman, inside and out. What others might’ve seen as plain and unassuming, he saw as brimming with great potential. She could easily be a chameleon, blending seamlessly into many roles and adapting to changes with a snap of her fingers. But most of all, she was kind and honest. She didn’t let the different professional statuses of those in the cast and crew get in the way of her striking up a conversation. She spoke with him like a friend, allowing him to ease up just a little, knowing she had no other incentive to talk to him other than just to talk.
And a beautiful woman such as her certainly deserved a beautiful love interest to complement her.
A confident grin spread across his lips. Perhaps he could provide the director with what he might’ve felt was missing in all these scenes.