Chapter Text
[Hollywood Heights Apartments | Early Morning]
Bzzt.
Bzzzt.
Bzzzzt.
Kakavasha groaned as his body was stirred from a deep sleep. His eyes fluttered open and half his vision was obscured due to his face being nestled comfortably into his pillow. He had to squint to see through the bright rays of sunshine that were peering its way through the blinds of his window. The buzzing was a familiar feeling, and he had to roll onto his back in order to search for the source. Less than a moment later, he dug his phone out from beneath the comforter and he brought the screen up to his face to read the somewhat blurry text notifications.
New Messages: Diamond (3)
He let out a soft sigh and pushed himself to sit up and brushed some of his messy blonde bangs out of his face so he could put his full focus onto the device in his hands. Kakavasha swiped up to unlock his phone and tapped into his messages. He had to take a moment to rub the dreariness out of his eyes before actually reading, though.
Diamond: Don’t forget, you have your audition today.
Diamond: This is a big role, so don’t mess this up.
Diamond: Bring your A-Game. The I.P.C. is watching you with great interest, Aventurine.
“Ugh,” Kakavasha’s brows furrowed and he easily typed his response. “I already know.”
Aventurine: Relax, Diamond~ I got this in the bag!
Aventurine: You’ll see. I’ll blow that audition out of the water.
He threw the comforter off of himself and hopped out of bed. He tucked the phone into the pocket of his pajama pants and waltzed over to his closet, throwing open the double doors leading into an extravagant walk-in dressing room. This, among many other amenities, were all part of the deal he made. A promise to a reputation he had to maintain. Not that he really minded all that much when it came with such lavish benefits.
Kakavasha eyeballed the multiple rows of hanging ensembles, thumbing through the various outfits and skimming them over. He appraised each one with a short hum, and his twin colored eyes of blue and purple judging the fabrics and color palettes with an intense, swift precision.
“Nope… nuh-uh… too flashy …” He paused when he stumbled across a particular set and his gaze shimmered with excitement. “This one.”
The young man stood on the tips of his toes to grab the ensemble hanger off the rod and pivoted around to browse the floor to ceiling shelves of shoes. In an instant, he grabbed a pair of black wing tipped loafers. Now that he had his attire planned, Kakavasha rushed off to the ensuite bathroom, closing the door behind him with his foot.
This was the day. He came face to face with himself in the mirror as he set his clothes down onto the marble countertop of the vanity. With a determined smile, he nodded at his reflection. Just you wait, Diamond. I’ll show you I was worth the gamble.
Now that he had his goal, Kakavasha took out his phone, elegantly setting it atop the marble and opened up his Spotify to play his Morning Mix. His carefully curated playlist for getting ready in the mornings. He was ecstatic to hear that Break My Stride by Matthew Wilder was the first tune of the day. A rather fitting hymn for the day to come.
He hummed the lyrics to himself as he stripped himself of his sleepwear. The blonde tossed his clothes into the nearby hamper and strutted to his shower, leaning over to turn one the dial for hot water, and waited for the water to get warm. Once he deemed it the perfect temperature, Kakavasha slipped into the shower and made quick work to wash himself up. He had his routine down to a science: body wash, face wash, shampoo, conditioner, and his follow-up cleanser for his face for good measure. He wouldn’t be caught dead with any sort of blemishes.
After he got out, he wrapped a towel around his waist and another towel was dedicated to fluffing out the water from his hair, being careful not to be too rough with his scalp as he rubbed the cloth over his head. Next, blow drying the rest of the moisture out, but never with the high-heat setting. Lukewarm or cold to avoid heat damage. As much as he hated to admit it, there was such a thing as too hot.
Now that he was fully dried off, Kakavasha got to work on his attire. He slipped on a comfortable pair of boxer shorts, followed by a neatly pressed pair of black slacks. A basic black belt cinched through the loops, and he fastened it just snug enough to hug his hips in just the right way. On top, a off-white button down shirt. Long sleeves, but the sleeves were rolled up to the dips of his elbows. A flattering dark green, sleeveless vest complimented it.
As he sized himself up in the mirror thus far, Kakavasha couldn’t resist a giddy little grin. He looked good. Really good. Even with his hair a total mess and the rest of himself not quite put together, he was already appreciating the outfit he chose. It was a bit different from his usual, flamboyant fits that he chose from his many sponsors – all for the sake of social media. This wasn’t for them. This was for him.
Glancing at his phone, the blonde jolted when he realized he only had another fifteen minutes to finish getting ready and head out the door to drive to the production studio. “Shit–”
He kicked it into high gear, swiftly slipping on his socks, shoes, and styled out his hair into his usual wispy flair. Kakavasha opened the drawer closest to him at waist level, which revealed a collection of his favorite jewelry and accessories. He places a couple tasteful golden rings on his middle and pinky finger of his left hand, and a dashing gold chain bracelet for his right wrist. Next was a set of studded earrings. And lastly, his favorite pair of aviator glasses – he pretends they’re for show, but they do have a prescription in them. Kakavasha would usually opt for contacts, but he felt that the glasses would add to the character he’s meant to portray in the audition today.
Felix Bonaventure. A dashing young man who took fate by the horns. One of the two leads of the film, whose personality required a saccharine tongue, cunning, and a dash of daring flamboyance. He was the textbook risk-taker that didn’t care about the odds. He only cared about one thing: winning. That was a character Kakavasha could get behind.
So, he made sure he looked as “in character” as he felt. An outfit that wasn’t so flashy that it screamed gaudy, but it was enough to turn heads and make him stand out. Hopefully in the audition room more than anywhere else.
And with the preparations in place, it was showtime.
Kakavasha grabbed his phone and was sure to snap a picture of himself with a cheeky smile, flaunting himself to the camera with a practiced ease. Once he had the picture he liked, he made a few quick edits and uploaded it to all of his handles on the internet, along with a quirky: Feeling cute, might delete later.
His fans ate that up.
Now that formalities were out of the way, it was high time he got going. There were bigger fish to fry today, and he’d be damned if he were late.
-
[International Pictures Corporation | Studios | One Hour Later…]
There’s a lot of people here. Kakavasha pursed his lips as he sat prim and proper in his chair amongst the rest of the awaiting auditioners and aspiring stars. Are they all here for the same role? Are we all trying to get Felix? His brows creased and he fished his phone out of his pocket in a feeble attempt to occupy himself with the device and distract himself from his worsening thoughts. He couldn’t let the self-doubt and worry seep its way in. Not right now. Not when he was so close.
Diamond’s words created an uneasy pit in his stomach. Don’t mess this up.
Kakavasha exhaled a short breath. He hadn’t slipped up before, so why should now be any different? He’d been training for this moment for literal years. Upon his social media success, he was contracted by the head of the I.P.C. Production Studios, as a protégé of sorts. Diamond and Jade had taken a great interest in Kakavasha’s internet personality, and branded him into who he was now – Aventurine. One of the ten Stonehearts , influencers who collaborated in all aspects of media. He was coerced encouraged to take acting lessons, learn the etiquette of the industry, and the power of networking.
He was ready for this… wasn’t he?
The sound of the door across the way from him opening startled the young man out of his thoughts and halted the downward spiral before it could proceed any further. A woman with long, crimson red curls stepped out into the room of waiting actors and her voice held an odd warmth as she called the next name.
“Aventurine?”
That’s his cue. He gracefully stood up and raised his hand to get her attention.
“Present~” Kakavasha’s voice held a harmonious lilt that made the woman’s smile grow, even if by a mere fraction.
“Right this way, please.”
Kakavasha Aventurine walked over to meet her at the door and followed her beyond the entry point, the door closing behind him marking the beginning of his new journey.
The room wasn’t particularly large, roughly the size of an above average living room. There were various lights illuminating the space to optimize the space in front of the camera, which resided directly adjacent to a small table. At that table sat two men, and now the woman that guided him in. One of the men had long, silver hair and golden eyes that held the warmth of a thousand suns. The second man was an older gentleman with short, brown hair with tufts of gray and black rimmed glasses on his nose.
The first of the two broke the short-lived silence as Aventurine stood on the designated marker.
“Good morning. My name is Jing Yuan, and I’m the director of the project.” He nodded towards his associates. “This is Welt Yang, my Assistant Director, and Miss Himeko, our Casting Director.” With introductions out of the way, the silver-maned man flashed an easy smile and gestured towards the blonde. “Let’s begin with your slate and the audition, shall we?”
“Of course.” Aventurine beamed and rested his hands on his hips.
“Ready?” Welt’s voice chimed in as the cameraman prepared to roll. When he nodded in confirmation, he made the call. “Action.”
“My name is Aventurine, with the I.P.C. Agency, and I’m reading for the role of Felix Bonaventure.”
It doesn’t take longer than a few seconds before he’s spouting off his rehearsed dialogue, his eyes subtly drifting to Jing Yuan, who was holding the script.
“My dear doctor,” Aventurine’s voice croons with an almost sickening, taunting sweetness and he makes direct eye contact with the director. “You don’t trust me?”
“I’d trust you about as far as I could throw you.” Jing Yuan’s tone became deep, authoritative. “All you do is play your audacious games in the hopes that you can miraculously win by a fraction of a hair. I will not tolerate your antics on this job. Your gambling has no place here.”
“Is there really such a difference between your carefully crafted plans and my thoughtless gambling, Evans?” Aventurine sauntered over to the table, and boldly placed his palms down, leaning closer to Jing Yuan, challenging him with a playful glint in his eyes. “ What is gambling, if not a masterfully crafted ruse that hides behind probability and psychology?” He tilted his head and his smile grew more devious. “Have you ever thought with that pretty head of yours that perhaps you and I aren’t so different?”
Jing Yuan let out a deep, rumbling chuckle. “I’d hardly consider us on the same playing field. Your tactics are reckless. Sloppy. ” He pushed Aventurine away by his chest, curious to see how he’d respond. To his surprise, the blonde used the momentum to sway backward into a little twirl and he added a little flourish to his new standing position.
“I prefer to think of it as… impromptu. ” Aventurine laughed and shook his head in dismay. “Come on, doc. At least hear what I have to say before throwing me to the wolves~”
“Cut.” Welt’s voice sliced through the scene and the entire atmosphere changed in an instant. Aventurine exhaled and his shoulders relaxed into a more neutral position as he tucked his hands into his pockets and kept his natural smile.
“Well done, Mr. Aventurine.” Himeko beamed excitedly. “I could feel the tension, and the subtle hints of seduction worked wonderfully!”
“I couldn’t agree more.” Jing Yuan snickered and his expression was very telling of his amusement and interest. “Your personal touches and bold nature were very refreshing.” He glanced over to his colleagues, who all seemed to share his sentiment. He returned his focus to the young man and he hummed in satisfaction. “How would you like to come back next week for a callback?”
Aventurine’s eyes lit up, and he was overflowing with excitement. “As if you even need to ask.”
Welt chuckled at his enthusiasm, and he couldn’t deny his own fondness for the bright attitude of new actors. Their vigor truly was something to behold. “Miss Himeko will contact your agent with the details. The script will be the same as it was today.”
Aventurine nodded and stepped forward, politely shaking each of their hands. “Looking forward to it.” As he turned to leave, he waved at them over his shoulder. “Have a good week.”
Jing Yuan hummed and leaned back in his seat. “You as well, Mr. Aventurine.”
He made his way out, past the waiting room, past the reception office, and he waited until he was outside and heading towards the parking lot to pump his fist with excitement.
“Yes!” Kakavasha bubbled with laughter as he got into his car and he tapped his palms against the steering wheel, unable to contain his overwhelming joy. “Take that, Diamond!”
He sighed in pure bliss and now that he didn’t have any other plans in his itinerary, the young influencer decided to treat himself to a little something. Nothing tops a good morning like a little iced coffee and his favorite dessert.