acting, performing, the entire showbiz had never been in vera's skillset. as a kid, she'd entertained the idea; during her teenage years, she imagined what the news would have to say about the power couple made up by a novelist—her girlfriend—and an actress.

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it had never been a serious aspiration of hers. even today, the ginger is only in this waiting room to accompany a friend, who had been so nervous about the auditions that she somehow managed to convince vera to take them with her.

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as she waits for said friend to come back from the restroom, vera thinks that she really should think things through before accepting to carry out these favors.

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that's how the haunter finds vera: alone, worried, turning her face towards the door every few seconds. the feeling of being watched doesn't go unnoticed, even if vera can't tell why and by whom until the ghost's owner approaches.

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"please," she says, reaching a hand out to stop the man from forcing his pokémon back into its pokéball. she's too late, and the hand hangs in the air awkwardly for a moment until a short spring of bubbly laughter breaks out, laughing the entire matter off. "don't worry about it."

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vera smiles, the foreign accent piquing her interest. they still got time, as another girl was just called; a little chitchat wouldn't hurt. "where are you from?"


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kalosian is an accent vera had never been in direct contact with, despite having spent years in the neighboring galar, so it would be easy for bucky to fool her. perhaps it was fate that dictated that all the kalosian students she'd met in her alma mater could show off english diction parallel to a native's, simply so that he could pull off this stunt.

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or perhaps the university only accepted applicants with perfect english. regardless, the time taken to question the veracity of the man's claim would come close to zero.

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vera lets out an impressed "ooh," as she takes the hand offered to her. "i'm just a plain old native," she admits, arms shrugging it off as if nothing. boring. "kalos is pretty far, what made you come all the way here? was it for an acting career? just for this audition, maybe?"

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now, vera's friend hadn't told her all the details about the studio that had called for this audition. they could be auditioning for big names or an indie movie and vera would be none the wiser, which is why she sees nothing wrong in her question.


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team torpedo is such a funny name that vera ends up giggling despite herself. team rocket is no laughing matter, the threat of another invasion always looming behind their backs. always there, like a shadow. like a backstabbing shadow. this new thought leaves an uncomfortable tingling sensation on her skin.

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another girl returns with her face white as a sheet and a name on her lips. it's vera's friend, which meant vera herself would probably be up next. most importantly, it meant her friend would be missing her audition if she didn't go get her soon!

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"oh dear, i gotta get going. i'm sure you'll do great regardless, but good luck at the audition!"

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the pair wouldn't see each other until after the cut-offs were announced. a total of eight young men and women—all college kids in the movie's narrative—lined up for a pre-graduation weekend trip to the beach. when she sees the silver-haired man again, vera offers a smile and a wave.

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the real reunion happens when they're separated from the group for a specific scene starring them: the main character's ex-boyfriend and best friend respectively. it's the wee hours of the night, morning now, after a party in which the protagonist had gotten so drunk they had to join efforts to bring her back to the beach house.

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"eventful weekend, eh?" vera says to buck's character. her eyes are fixed on the horizon, on the sun slowly poking out. she takes in a deep breath, preparing for the conversation to come. "did she say anything while she was...?"


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speechless. the persona she's tried so hard to get into blurs in that moment with the real vera. she watches with authentic awe that she hopes will come off as the character being taken aback. looking down, she takes an unscripted moment to recover from the surprise of such a good performance.

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vera's hand runs through her hair, uncharacteristically down just for the role. "you say that as if i could have done anything to prevent it. you know better than anyone how stubborn she can be." her voice is shaky, not as a result of good acting skills but because it's hard for her to say these words. once upon a time, the one getting drunk beyond recognition was vera herself.

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she turns to buck now, looks for the blue in his eyes to show that what she was about to say was true. "grace isn't happy." a pause, dramatic in its own right. "james is a good guy and i'm sure he loves her as much as she claims to love him back, but..." vera's breath catches in her throat. she's forgotten the next lines!

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a light tremble but she's back on her feet. vera just hopes buck won't mind her improvising now. "i haven't seen her smile the way she used to when she was with you."

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vera doesn't know if her "best friend" really thought he was her current boyfriend or if she never got over the last. the script doesn't specify at any point, and that allows some room for interpretation, allows vera to unconsciously weave the discourse she believes in into the narration.

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