Shawn could hear not too far away the sounds of the director and camera man, some other kid's take already playing out on set.

"Roll camera" the director said.

A response replied back from the camera team with "Camera Rolling"

It was then that Sally came up beside Shawn, always seeming to be around acting and studios, such encounters were common now.

"Hey Shawn. Good to see you." She said. She was wearing a long, red dress, hair all done up like some kind of princess, complete with golden crown.

Shawn was struggling to pull on some hosiery as Sally approached. "Hey Sally. That's a cool dress."

Sally seemed to drift over to him, long dress dragging behind her

"Thanks. I hope we get to be in a scene together, that would be fun. It's going to be a weird film Kid Knight. My Mom was telling me that its a time travel movie or something."

"Hey, you should sit at my lunch table at school. We can talk about stuff like acting." Sally suggested, suddenly.

"Yeah, I think it there's a magic wishing well or something. I guess you're trying out for the princess?" Hosiery finally in place, Shawn pulled himself to his feet.  "Eating lunch with you sounds cool."

Sally sighed. "I hope so." She said, a bit of nervousness about the scene and the upcoming tryout creeping into her voice, face taking on a distant look.

"Yeah. Maybe we can even talk more about getting out of acting." She said, wincing as if she instantly regretted saying it. Then looking up at Shawn's face, reading it for how he might react, her own nervous eyes darting back and forth. It was the look of someone who just realized that their big mouth might have gotten them in trouble.

Shawn gave her a genuinely sympathetic look. "If you want. It still makes you feel tired?"

"Oh yeah." Sally said, like she didn't have the energy to continue even one more try out. She leaned against a prop mirror, her arm draped lazily around it. "Honestly, I really don't want to spend another try out or day training in acting. But I don't have a choice. I don't have any choices any more. My Mom and my Dad want me to do this because it seems like it should be important. I guess I should always do what the important people think."

"What are you going to do Shawn? Are you gonna keep doing this? Do you even like it?" Shawn could tell that Sally wanted an honest answer. But she also wanted an answer that allowed her to validate her feelings. Her feelings that acting was something draining, and forced upon her.

"Acting makes me so tired, and all the training and auditions, the pressure is crazy." Shawn agreed with Sally more than she knew, but it wasn't something he could admit even to her. Too much of his life was riding on his career. "But, I mean, I do it because I want to do it. I want to be acting 'n stuff, so I endure the bad bits. But if you don't want to do it, I think you shouldn't have to, you know?"

"I can't." Sally said. "I can't not do it." She chagrined. Disappointment shrouded her face, making her look older.

"It's everything to my parents. I don't think they would...I don't think I could do anything living with that disappointment, with their disappointment over my head. I think I would be, just..just...nothing." she said, and her body seemed to sag, lose energy. Suddenly, she didn't seem like the lively, fun Sally anymore, but a fearful.

Shawn tried not to think about the parallels to his own life here. He wasn't sure if his parents would keep loving him if he stopped doing this, especially after they moved all the way to LA for him. And what would he be without that? And what would happen to Bobby? "That sucks." Still, all he could really offer Sally was sympathy. They were both trapped, she was just more honest about it.

"Urrgh.." Sally groaned, agreeing with Shawn. It was clear that his comment seemed to sum up how Sally felt. But it did nothing to help her. Perhaps nothing would. Still, her groan seemed to confirm her feelings.

"Yeah." She said finally. There was an awkwardness as the finality of Shawn and her comment lagged between them, a dour mood settling in. A moment of silence when only the sounds of the child actors whose turn it was to try out could be heard. A kid reading a line solo, the sound of scribbling notes, perhaps by the director or some other staff member evaluating try-outs.

Shawn didn't really have anything else he could think to say. "Good luck anyway, I guess..." He felt bad for her, but there wasn't anything he could do to help. Maybe if they got cast together they could hang out more?

"Cramer, Shawn." A stiff voice called out into the dressing room, rescuing Shawn from the awkwardness and offering the promise of a new kind of anxiety and excitement.

"Cramer...Shawn." The voice called out, beckoning out to Shawn, more urgent this time.

Shawn shook off his gloomy thoughts and got his game face on. When he was nervous or upset, it was almost a relief to disappear into the role of Good-Hearted Actor Boy Grateful For The Opportunity. He didn't have a million things to worry about and a dozen awful things on his conscience.

He headed for his audition.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:45, Fri 17 Mar 2017.

Shawn made his way over to the audition stage from the dressing room and was greeting by a man sitting in the audience. Next to him was an assistant and a camera man, behind a large camera. Bright harsh lights hit the stage.

"Oh! Your name please. Before we get started. Come on now, this is the 15th audition today. Name! Name!" The director said.

Shawn gave the director his best, brightest smile, a beaming grin that was like clouds parting to reveal the sun on an overcast day. Any trace of doubt or sadness was gone from his face - indeed, it was hard to imagine any such expression on there to begin with. He was excited to be here and ready to give his best. "Good afternoon! My name's Shawn Cramer."

The director seemed to take that in, absorbing Shawn's presence and perhaphs even comparing it to those that came before him.

OOC: Shawn Rolls Presence + Manipulation

OOC: 08:24, Today: Shawn Cramer rolled 4 successes using 9d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s with rolls of 8,6,2,8,8,10(+2),6,7,5.  Presence + Manipulation + WP .

"Wonderful!" the Director exclaimed. "Make a mark on the name of this child." He said, with a lazy gesture of his hand at his assistant. Evidently, he had already forgotten Shawn's name.

"Finally, we have someone that looks the part." he advised, looking toward the camera man who nodded.

"Now, Shane" he said, addressing Shawn, "What part, if you could have any, would you want in a movie about a knight that saves a princess?" he asked.

Shawn made a show of thinking about the answer, even though questions like that had been a big part of his preparation. "I mean, being a knight sounds really cool! But I'd love to act in a cool movie like that, so I'd take any part; the knight, the squire, even the princess!" He giggled charmingly at his own joke. A boy playing a girl role - how silly!

"You hear that?" The director said to his assistant. "We need more kids like Shane on set. He's willing to take any part, and it looks like he's both punctual and not a complainer. That will take you far in this business Shane."

"Tell me. Where are you from?"

Shawn, always a sucker for compliments, found himself blooming more than usual. Even if the name wasn't quite right. "I'm originally from Milwaukee, but I live in LA now. It's all been really interesting!" He wasn't going to complain about being misnamed (he didn't want to be a complainer).

"Milwaukee" the director said. "Milwaukee!" he shouted a second time, delighted. He laughed. It was a light-hearted kind of laughter, airy and welcoming.

"What a delight to have someone of your kind here." he seemed. "Capital! Absolute capital!"

"OK Shawn. I'm going to have you read from Sir Kevin, the main character. The knight himself. Sound good to you?"

The assistant came forward with a hand full of papers, some loosely held. It looked like it was probably the script Shawn had to read from.

"That sounds great sir!" Shawn looked over his lines, preparing to deliver them with all the charm and skill he could muster.