Marshall had not quite been accosted on the street as Nanette had been, no. His recruitment for this film had been more roundabout, involving his agent, a fat check he was told he could not refuse, and a promise that acting in the lead role might look good on his résumé. And unlike Nanette, his experience with acting was a little more like what they were about to do, but not by a wide margin. After all, he could hardly compare televised product advertisements to, er, a romantic comedy.

At least his co-star (damn, this was really a big deal, wasn't it?!) looked like a girl who could have a fun time and might forgive him for any awkward slip-ups. Marshall flashed her his most winning smile.

"Eh, something like that," he said with a laugh. "First time on the big screen. Well. Kind of. I'm not really an actor," he admitted. He felt more like a fool, to be honest, dressed in the fake suit of armor that was his costume for the aptly named costume party scene they were supposed to film first. But he would give it his best shot.

"I'm Marshall, by the way," he introduced himself, extending a hand with full intention to kiss the back of hers like the gallant knight he was apparently supposed to be. "What's your name?"

Nanette Sanguine

NOTES
+ Mission: A Star is Born

"Nettie, then," Marshall repeated, smiling at her finished ensemble, with the white dress and angel wings. He had to admit, she was cute. If he was going to pretend to fall in love with her for the next hour or so — however long they needed to shoot takes — at least it would be easy.

An assistant called them to the set before Marshall could say anything else. Together, he and Nanette wandered over. The set was massive, decorated to look like several rooms of a posh mansion. Actors and extras milled about in their own ridiculous costumes. Someone ushered the two stars (stars!) into one of the 'rooms', with a miniature stage, large aquarium filled with small fish Pokémon, and several seated actors. A regal, older woman in a white dress stood on the stage while three men in suits stood behind her, each one carrying a violin.

An assistant positioned Nanette to the far side of the aquarium while a second one sprayed Marshall's face and hair with water. "You've just dunked your face in a sink," the man explained as she pushed Marshall's hair back into just the right style. He remembered reading that part in the script and assumed they'd film it later.

The crew took their positions. Marshall faced the sink he had to pretend he'd just emerged from, water dripping down his head onto his fake suit of armor.

"Costume party, take one," someone said loudly, followed by the sharp clack of the clapperboard.

Music started playing as the woman on stage started to sing. Marshall looked into the mirror above the sink, saw the fish swimming in its reflection, and slowly turned toward the aquarium with an awed expression. He knew that Nanette hid on the other side, but he also knew he wasn't supposed to see her yet. So he focused on the fish, pretending to be entranced by their movements and the beauty of the aquarium display itself, and approached with slow and steady steps.

Nanette Sanguine

NOTES
+ Mission: A Star is Born

Nanette's smile, shy at first but blooming into a beaming grin, was infectious. Marshall didn't need to act, not really, not when her face brightened at the sight of him. He tempered his own grin as he played with her from the other side of the aquarium, allowing it to widen as he moved in to touch his nose to the glass. When Nanette giggled, Marshall allowed himself a little laugh. It was off-script, but the director didn't stop him.

Actually, the next part of the script said Marshall had to 'plead silently with her', whatever that meant. So Marshall opened his mouth as if to speak, but instead tried to convey a question with his eyes. "How the fuck did we find ourselves here?" they would have said. Hopefully it expressed the proper sense of wonder he was supposed to be feeling.

An actress playing Nanette's character's… maid, or something, appeared from out of nowhere and looked aghast at Marshall. She said some words — he really did not know the script outside of his own lines — and dragged Nanette away through a door.

"Cut!" the director finally yelled. "From the top. Let's do another take."

The crew and cast burst into action as they reset themselves and the scene. Marshall's entire body relaxed as he let go of the persona he had been holding onto that whole time. Damn, film was much more difficult than commercials.

Nanette Sanguine

NOTES
+ Mission: A Star is Born

Thank Arceus the director was happy after three takes, because Marshall could feel himself growing more and more desperate in his facial acting with every redo. He accepted a bottle of water from some aide and was chugging it when Nanette approached him.

"It's fucking hard!" the redhead admitted with an easy laugh. "And this scene is all eye contact and lusting after your character, so it's not like I have much dialogue to help me." He said it so casually, not thinking about the fact he had only met Nanette mere hours ago.

The person in charge of feeding the entire staff came in and announced that lunch had arrived, prompting everyone to stir with excitement and start shuffling toward the break room. Not all of them could squeeze into the smaller space, of course, so Marshall hung back. He glanced over at Nanette to find her looking at him, a smile still curling her lips.

"It's not my first time acting, actually," he admitted. "I've done commercials before, like for men's deodorant or shaving cream. It's nowhere near as much acting as this film stuff, though." He chuckled. "You're really good, too. Your emotions are so real, like for a second or two, I forgot we were actually just pretending to like each other."

Nanette Sanguine

NOTES
+ Mission: A Star is Born

Marshall watched Nanette turn to the aquarium and play with the Pokémon, making faces at them as they swam around, curious about all the commotion. Her concern about his health was touching, but he didn't need a reminder to eat. Truth be told, he was starving, but like hell he would try to jostle for a sandwich. No, he could wait even a few minutes. And anyway, something about Nanette's gentle dismissal of him gave Marshall the impression that she expected to be left alone. Was it because she truly wanted to be? Or was there something else on her mind?

"Let's eat together," he offered without a second thought. He wasn't the kind of man who gave second thoughts to things. "And let's get coffee later when we're all done filming for the day. My treat."

He grinned, hoping his dashing good looks (that she admitted to!) would be enough for her to say yes. And it would be a nice change of pace from the crowded set. They could find a small café, somewhere cozy with a "just friends hanging out" vibe. After all, he and Nanette didn't know each other. The last thing he wanted to do was scare her.

Nanette Sanguine

NOTES
+ Mission: A Star is Born

Marshall laughed and took her arm. So what if the roles were reversed? "Hey, hey, I said I'll get the coffee, so I'll get the coffee!" he insisted good-naturedly as the pair made their way into the break room to grab lunch for themselves. "We can grab my phone while we eat and look up a place with good reviews. No way I'm bringing a girl on a date to somewhere new if it's shit."

A date. He did not mean it seriously, but that's what it would be, even the people involved were only on friendly terms. Truth be told, Marshall didn't often have opportunities hang out with pretty girls like Nanette; his training schedule and endorsement gigs filled up most of his days with work, work, and more work. On the rare chances he did go out, he'd grabbed lunch with Tam Fawley or done some community work for the Rangers. But neither Tam nor the Rangers were particularly cute. (Sorry, Tam.)

At the table laden high with sandwiches, bags of chips, and large bowls of salad, Marshall paused to consider that Nanette might already have a favorite coffee shop in Lilycove. "Unless, of course, there's a café you usually go to?"

Nanette Sanguine

NOTES
+ Mission: A Star is Born