Topic: It's about who you know

Lelah · Date: 2011-03-03 21:23 EST

Jon had assured her that she was a shoe-in, but Lelah was stupidly nervous about meeting Mataya. It had been years since she'd been on an audition, and despite the fact that she had an Oscar and two Golden Globes under her belt, as well as four wildly successful screenplays and three films that had been under her direction, she was worried that she wouldn't make the cut. So, she'd rolled out of bed that morning, dressed in head to toe Dolce and Gabbana, and hired a hansom to take her to the Theatre. Once there, she'd learned to her utter horror that auditions were being held for the Rocky Horror Picture Show. "Oh, sweet Mother of God," she muttered under her breath. Yanking self-consciously on the hem of her dress, she stepped inside and gave the place a look around.

"Okay, that's fine," 'Taya was saying as she rose to her feet, brushing invisible lint from her jeans. Charles was given a grin as she turned to make her way back up the aisle, pausing when she took note of the immaculately dressed woman just visible through the doors to the foyer. "Just a sec, Charles, looks like we have a visitor." Changing course, she made her way out into the foyer, brushing her hair back off her face to offer a smile and a hand to shake to the woman there. "Uh, hello? Hi, I'm Mataya De Luca, the owner of the Shanachie Theatre, and ..." She paused, her eyes narrowing as she realised the face was familiar. "And you're Lelah Rivka. Jon said you might drop by. Welcome!"

She shook the woman's hand, giving her a huge smile as a weight seemed to be lifted off her shoulders. "Yes, that's me. Hi. It's great to meet you. I've followed your career. This is a gorgeous building, by the way." Lelah was dimly aware that she was babbling nervously.

"It is lovely, isn't it?" 'Taya glowed at the praise handed out to her theatre, bypassing the reference to her career with easy grace. "C'mon, come and take a look around the auditorium." She turned, gesturing for Lelah to follow her as she returned to the heart of the Shanachie. "We're in the middle of auditions right now, but they should come to a close in about an hour so we can prep for tonight's performance. Have you been in Rhy'Din long?"

She followed, eyes up-turned as she looked around the rest of the building. "Since Sunday. Jon and...um...Jon's boy, whatever his name is, let me tag along with them. It's...well, it's very different from Earth. I feel a little...lost." She gave Mataya a slightly self-deprecating smile and realised again that she was babbling.

"Correy," 'Taya provided the name with an easy smile, gently laying a hand on Lelah's shoulder. "You can relax, you know, I don't bite. At least not unless your name is Max Yako and you're asleep in my apartment right now." She cackled just a little, before remembering that she was supposed to be making a good impression here. "I know how you feel, I was totally lost when I came here myself. But if you roll with the crazy, it's a pretty good place to live."

"Max... Your ex? That Max?" Lelah was no stranger to the gossip rags; she hated to be in them, but didn't mind reading them. Hypocrisy, thy name is Leelee! Deciding that perhaps that was a subject best left alone, she smiled and glanced sidelong at Mataya. "I'm almost sure I want to stay, but... I can't help but wonder if I'm committing career suicide by doing that."

"My fiance, yeah." 'Taya waved her hand with a laugh. "It's complicated." She listened to the concerns with a gentle smile. "Well, it hasn't done Jon's career any harm," she pointed out. "And I was pretty burned out with the Hollywood and Broadway scene. I've made a place for myself here, but it's not for everyone. What sort of thing do you want to do?"

"Honestly? I want to keep writing and directing. I think I'm pretty much over the need to act...for now anyway. But writing and then seeing those words come to life on the screen is pretty addictive."

"Really?" 'Taya's brows rose with interest. "You know, Jon was talking about a screenplay he's writing at the moment ... Here, come and sit down." She offered Lelah a seat in the right bank of stalls before sliding down herself. "We've got Ludo Von Eschenbach here right now, I doubt he's ready to hand over direction duties even for one production at a time. But Rhy'Din doesn't have any studios that I know of. If you could get the backing, you could kick start a new industry here. Be the Louis B Meyer of Rhy'Din, only female and far better dressed."

Lelah · Date: 2011-03-03 21:24 EST

She sat down in the proffered seat and grinned. "That's exactly what my plan was, actually. I've found a great location for the studio lot, I just need money people." With a humourless laugh, she shook her head. "That's the story of my life, you know? Trying to find people with money who are willing to take a chance on me and my scripts. I don't suppose there's people around like Bruckheimer or Frank Marshall, are there?"

She chuckled softly back. "Well, I haven't met any, so I guess that makes me one of them," she laughed, shaking her head in amusement. "There are a few big players around - GrangerGuild, Jon's family's business? They have the money to back you, and you'd only need to win over the man at the top to get their support. Or you could try Baron DeMeur, or even Tara Rynieyn ... although I'd be careful with that last one, if I were you. She's totally psycho unless you get her in the right mood."

Leelee wrangled a notebook out of her bag and jotted down the names. "I think I'd prefer to avoid dealing with psychos, truthfully. Actors are bad enough," she said with a smirk. She laid the notes down in her lap and fidgeted with the pen for a moment before asking hesitantly, "So... Can I ask you something?"

"Well, that depends," 'Taya laughed teasingly, curling one knee up to her chest comfortably as she smiled over to the beautiful woman beside her. "How much is it going to cost me?"

"Oh, no. It's not that." She paused for a second, a wicked glint in her eyes. "Well, not now anyway. No, I was wondering...why do you stay here? I mean... What is it about this place that drew you here? What is is about this place that makes you stay?"

She smiled thoughtfully, her eyes lifting to watch the auditioning cast on the stage for a moment. "You know, that's a difficult question to answer," she mused quietly, chewing on her lip as she thought it over. "I guess I stay because I've made a place for myself here. I've made a difference, and I can see it, everywhere I go. This time last year, the Shanachie was just a dream. And now it's real, and I've given so many people so many opportunities just by following that dream. Rhy'Din's a magical place. Dreams really do come true here, if you've got the time and energy to fight for it."

She followed Mataya's gaze towards the stage, watching the people throwing their hearts and souls into their own dreams. She was quiet for a long, long moment and then smiled. "Yeah," she said softly, "that's what I thought, too." Then she straightened and angled her body towards Mataya, a tiny smirk lurking around the corners of her mouth. "So. How much do you think you could chip in?"

She chuckled. "Now that really does depend," she grinned. "Show me a project, give me an estimate, and I'll let you know what can I do for you." The airheaded actress had definitely become a good business-woman over the past year, that much was abundantly clear.

She nodded. "I've got just the script. Let me put a final polish on it and present it to you."

Mataya grinned. "Take your time getting your pitch sorted. Maybe if you spend a few days here just soaking in the atmosphere, you'll have some sudden flashes of inspiration." Yes, she was teasing, but she was also quite serious. "You're welcome to drop by here anytime, although I'm not usually around except in the mornings. Where are you staying?"

"At the Red Dragon for now. Jon and ...Correy, right?... sprang for a room for me for the week. I've been wandering around town since Monday morning, soaking in the sights, checking out possible real estate. I've got the perfect place for the lot picked out, discovered that the WestEnd and the Docks area are very, very bad, and I found a cute little carriage house loft in...um...New Haven that's just perfect for me and Oscar."

"Well, in that case, you should probably look up Fiora Shantalaine's office," 'Taya suggested with a smile. "She's the best realtor in the city, although she's laid up in hospital at the moment. But her office is still open, I think Dusky Beaumont is covering for her. It's in the Zen Building, actually - I assume Jon made sure you know where that is?"

"Yes, in that WestEnd place. Honestly, how he can live there is beyond me. It's worse than the Bowery!"

'Taya laughed. "It's not so bad once you get used to it," she assured Lelah with a knowing smile. "I've lived there nearly a year myself, and nothing that bad's happened to me. Except the whole ghostly possession and demon thing, but that got sorted out fast. No lasting side effects except Hortense over there." She gestured to a shadowy figure who was lingering on the edge of the stage - a figure who was grey and transparent. "She's our ghost. Nice woman."

Lelah · Date: 2011-03-03 21:25 EST

?Oh, holy f*ck!" Lelah just about sprang backwards over her seat, spilling her bag and the notebook and pen to the floor. "Jesus Christ! That's a...a ghost!"

"Whoa, whoa, easy!" The exclamation had brought the attention of everyone on stage and around it to the stalls. 'Taya laughed, waving them back to their duties. Her smile turned a little sad as Hortense, evidently aware that she was the cause of the outburst, faded from view. "What, you've never been in a haunted theatre before?"

"Well, you know... Rumours and all of that." She smoothed her skirt down and retook her seat, blushing at her outburst and the attention it garnered. "Sorry. I've never seen one before," she added sheepishly. "I hope I didn't, you know...offend her or whatever."

"I shouldn't think so," 'Taya assured her with a grin, sitting down once again herself. "She only really has a problem with people walking through her. She finds it rude, which I can totally agree with."

She laughed and the pressed the palm of her hand against her forehead. "God, this whole conversation is surreal." She gathered up her things and then stood, holding her hand out to Mataya. "Thanks so much for your time. I really appreciate it. Um... What are you doing after Rocky Horror?"

It hadn't even occurred to 'Taya that anything said was even partway out of the ordinary, but Lelah's pointing out of it made her laugh. "You're right, it really is. See what I mean about rolling with the crazy?" She took Lelah's hand, shaking it warmly. "It's been a pleasure, Lelah. And, uh... after Rocky we have the Rep Company doing Death of a Salesman, and then both companies are combining to do Twelfth Night. Any of that appeal?"

"Shakespeare and Miller? Are you freaking kidding me? Both!"

"Well, that gives you about three weeks to prepare an audition for the infamous Von Eschenbach," she grinned. "Don't worry, he's mellowed in the last six months. I think."

She snorted. "I'll never make it. I had freaking condors in my stomach just coming here today. I'll get out of your hair. Oh, one thing before I go, any idea of how I might find this DeMeur guy?"

"To be honest, I have no idea," she shrugged, wincing apologetically. "I'd say your best bet would be to send him a letter through one of the couriers. That way he's guaranteed to get it, and the onus is on him to get in contact with you."

"Not a bad idea. Thanks again." She shouldered her bag and turned to give one last look at the stage before heading for the doors. Well, that hadn't gone as badly as she thought it would. And she got a possible investor's name out of the deal, too.

((Thanks to the player of Mataya for this scene.))

Lelah · Date: 2011-03-20 15:31 EST

The next few days after Lelah's meeting with Alain DeMeur passed by in a whirlwind of activity. She went immediately after leaving her coffee house meeting with Alain to the law firm of Usten & McNeil and availed herself of their myriad services. They helped her draw up articles of incorporation for the studios, which would now be doing business as 21twelve studios; they drew up three contracts ? one for Alain, one for 'Taya, and one for the Grangers; and the firm's real estate specialists began negotiations to purchase the land and derelict warehouses where the studios' physical presence would be housed.

Lelah went home after seeing Alain, and worked on drafting another proposal package. It would be very similar to the one she'd given to Alain, but it would include with the first ten pages of the spec script for the new studios' first project. She included the script pages in the hopes of intriguing 'Taya enough to want to take one of the lead parts; the other leads were reserved for Lelah herself, Jon Granger, and an as-yet-to-be-determined male star. There were at least 5, possibly 6 other parts that would be cast from the city's population. And of course, most of the behind-the-scenes people would also be culled from the people who lived in the city ? costume designers, seamstresses, make-up artists, set painters and builders, camera operators, sound people, etc. One film could employ easily more than 50 people who would never be on camera.

The next morning, a runner from Usten & McNeil dropped off the contracts, and Lelah left the house, headed first to Alain's home to leave the signed contract for him, and then she headed out to the WestEnd, hoping to catch 'Taya at the Theatre or at the dance studio where she taught. After not finding her at either place, Lelah headed to the Red Dragon for a quick bite and a drink.

Lelah · Date: 2011-03-20 15:32 EST

There were few people who would consider the Red Dragon a haven of peace and quiet. For Mataya De Luca, it was a positive refuge at the weekend, especially when she was spending almost every waking moment at the Shanachie. Rocky Horror was proving to be quite the hit, which meant that every warm up seemed to be turning into more of a rehearsal by the day. Which was why she was currently curled up on the couch by the hearth of the inn, with the Rhy'Din Post in one hand, eating toast and drinking coffee, in a calm little world of her own.

Lelah was, for once, dressed casually. Jeans, a t shirt, Nikes, a hoodie thrown on when she realized that it was still rather chilly outside. She'd been first to the Theatre, then to Zen, and hadn't found Mataya at either place, so she headed back to the Red Dragon, in search of a drink and some lunch. Stepping through the front doors, she was pleasantly surprised to find her quarry. "Hey, Mataya!" she called out as she headed to the bar.

Blinking in surprise at being hailed so ... well ... cheerily, 'Taya looked up from her reading, her lips curving into a smile on seeing Lelah advancing across the room. Like the Lelah, she was dressed for comfort over style; jeans, Converse, and the world's biggest cardigan for snuggling purposes. Dropping her slice of toast, she waved, swallowing quickly. "Hey, Lelah," she greeted her newest friend. "How's it going?"

"Good, good. I've been all over town looking for you," she said with an easy smile as she moved around behind the bar. Disappearing long enough to snag a bottle of Silver Mark, she reappeared and glanced over her shoulder towards the door marked 'kitchen'. "So, if the bar is self-serve, does that mean the kitchen is, too?"

Tilting her head back to keep eye contact as Lelah moved around, 'Taya grinned. "Certainly is," she agreed. "Just stay away from the Stew - it's got it's own little cupboard back there."

"The Stew. Okay." Did she look confused? It was probably because she was. "I'll be back in a second." Then she headed into the kitchen. A loud bang soon followed and then a not-so-muffled stream of curses hot on its heels. Seems LeeLee found the Stew.

'Taya was already on her way to the kitchen when the screams sounded - she knew that look of confusion all too well. A quick stop to grab a shoe from the lost property box, and she slipped into the kitchen. "Duck!" With a well-practised arm, she threw the shoe to the reaching Stew, and watched as the footwear disappeared in a cacophony of slurping, chewing sounds. While it was distracted, 'Taya slipped forward and firmly closed the door on it. "You okay?" she asked Lelah, turning to smile in sympathy to the dark beauty.

She slammed the kitchen door shut and stood for a moment with her back against it, panting, her eyes wide with fear. "That thing tried to eat me! What the hell is that?" The hand that was holding a plate with a rather large sandwich and a small orange on it was shaking. "God, this place is freaking weird," she muttered.

Laughing, 'Taya shook her head. "You get used to it," she assured LeeLee. "I don't know how it got like that, but everyone calls it the Stew. You can either hit it with something metal, or feed it a shoe, that generally makes it go away." She smiled, gesturing for LeeLee to escape. "C'mon, it doesn't come out of the kitchen."

Lelah · Date: 2011-03-20 15:33 EST

"A shoe. Well, I suppose as long as I'm not wearing Fendi or Prada, it's welcome to one. You know, in the name of not dying and all." She pushed off the door and headed to the hearth, beer in one hand, lunch in the other. Settling down in a chair across from the couch where 'Taya had been curled up, she pulled out the proposal package she'd been carrying around all morning and handed it over to 'Taya. "I know it's the weekend, so we can put off business until tomorrow if you want."

Resuming her comfortable curl, 'Taya took another bite of her toast before wiping her hand clean to take the package from Lelah. She glanced over it with deceptive speed, looking up at her companion with an inviting smile. "Anything that gets me away from Rocky Horror right now is more than welcome," she chuckled lightly. "I never thought I'd say this, but the whole corset and heels thing just isn't doing it for me this time around." She took a sip of her coffee, grimacing at the luke-warm temperature. "So ... pitch away. I'm listening."

"I saw that last week," she said, after taking a huge bite of the equally huge sandwich and chew thoroughly. "Max was awesome, by the way. He really rocks the whole sweet transvestite look. And that Rocky. Wow. Muscles on top of muscles. Is he married?"

She laughed at the praise and questions. "Yep, just recently," she offered the disappointing news to her companion. "To Riley, the woman playing Magenta, actually. They're coping pretty well with the run, given that neither of them are professionals. We were joking around this time last year, and the joke backfired on them." She grinned wickedly. "I'll let Max know you enjoyed his Frank - he loves to be praised, that man."

She made a little pouty face but recovered quickly. "Max is an actor. Of course, he loves the praise." She grinned and then finished half the sandwich. "So," she said, putting on her serious business face. "I spoke to Alain DeMeur the other day. And he's in. Thank you for that contact, by the way."

"No worries," she smiled, finishing off her own toast and washing it down with coffee. "I haven't actually met the man myself; just heard a lot of good things about him. So it sounds like you're making headway with your business venture. How much is it going to pinch?" She grinned as she asked - 'Taya knew exactly how high a figure to expect.

"Well, considering the script I picked is more American Beauty than Lord of the Rings, I'm asking for $750,000 from each investor." She paused and flipped the top off her beer and took a sip while waiting for that to sink in.

The theatre owner nodded slowly. "American dollars?" she asked thoughtfully, gesturing with the package on her lap. It was a lot of money either way, but she wanted to be sure. "And that script is in here, is it?"

"Yes to both. Well, the first ten pages of the spec script is in there. Alain said the $750,000 translated to something like 300,000 silver."

"Yeah, that's pretty close," 'Taya nodded, spinning her mind through everything that she was being told and everything that she already knew. "Okay, I'm in. Not the Shanachie, me. My mother's going to have a small fit when she realises what I'm spending my money on, but what the hell - the woman won't even move out of her apartment in Brooklyn."

Lelah · Date: 2011-03-20 15:35 EST

She grinned and then reached into her bag once more, pulling out a small sheaf of paper. "Contract," she explained and handed it to 'Taya. "Already signed. I figure that Alain will be more of a silent partner in all of this - wanting regular reports and things, but not really wanting a more active role in the day-to-day business. This contract is different than the one for him. It gives you more of a role in things - choosing which projects to do, final say in hiring, marketing strategies, stuff like that." She sat back and sipped more beer.

"Wow." 'Taya laughed as she scanned through the contract. Experience took her eyes to the important paragraphs, and those she read carefully before skipping onto the next. "Trusting me not to turn into the Barbara Cartland of Rhy'Din, aren't you? I should warn you, I have a huge amount on my plate as it is. If you want me around, you'll need to tell me in advance." As she spoke, she pulled a pen from the mess of half-up curls that was her hair today, signing and counter-signing.

"All right, I can do that. Just so everything's above board, I'm holding a 50% interest in the studio; you and Alain and whomever I get on the hook will hold a 16% interest in things. Is that still acceptable?"

"Of course," 'Taya agreed easily. "I wasn't expecting more than 12%, actually. Who's next on your list of potential investors? If it's the Grangers, I'd hold off until Jon's back on his feet. They're a little paranoid about folk trying to fleece them after all the business with one of them getting abducted before Christmas and such."

She nodded. "That was exactly my thought, too. How is he doing? I saw him the night after it happened and he looked...awful. I did run into one of his millions of cousins, though. Nice guy. A little intense, but I suppose that's to be expected."

"Sounds like Ollie," 'Taya nodded. "From what I hear, he's stable but still unconscious, so they're still waiting on him coming around to determine what damage the bullet did." She shrugged, her brows furrowing in concern. "I hope for his sake he's gonna be okay. It'd kill him not to be able to do what he loves."

"Yeah," she said softly, shaking her head and falling silent for a moment. Then she put on a happier face and said, "Well, he has to get better because I wrote a part in the first project especially for him."

She perked up with a smile of her own. "Well, then, you'd better get down there and tell him that. We can't have Jonathan Granger letting the side down now, can we?"

"On the off chance that he doesn't get...better," and God did she feel like an absolute assh*le asking this question and making this implication, "do you have any other suggestions? I just need one more investor with that kind of money." She shifted a bit in her seat, reaching forward to take the contract from 'Taya.

Painful though it was to hear that said, 'Taya understood the reasoning behind it. She passed the contract over, frowning thoughtfully. "Well, there's always his family," she suggested. "They're big money around here, and I don't think they'd have a problem with supporting one of Jon's projects. Or you could try Elessaria Devabriel, or the Simons. Any of the business owners would at least listen."

Lelah · Date: 2011-03-20 15:35 EST

She nodded. "Okay. Who would be good to talk to in the Grangers? I only know Correy, Jon, and that other cousin...Oliver, I think. Should I go straight to the top?"

She shrugged. "I guess that would be best, yeah," she agreed. "I mean, you could go to their head of finance - he's the one with the purse-strings, after all. I've heard that the man at the top is kind of old ... I don't know how interested he'd be in a new studio."

"Head of finance. Hmmm... The gate holder to vast wealth. Yeah, I think he'd be perfect." She grinned a little impishly. "What's his name? Should I go in a pantsuit or a short skirt?" She laughed, hoping 'Taya knew that she was only having a bit of fun and not seriously considering using her feminine wiles to milk someone of a considerable chunk of change.

'Taya laughed aloud at that. "I've only ever heard him called Junior, but a little leg and cleavage never goes far wrong, I've found," she joined in with the game cheerfully. "A lot might even get you on the Granger bankroll."

"Junior," she made a face. "Let me guess, a 30-something spoiled rich boy with the morals of a great white."

"Worse," 'Taya offered with a gleeful grin. "Try mid-fifties."

"Oh, God," she said with a groan. "I'll definitely have to trot out the super low-cut and super short then, huh? I think I'll try one of your other suggestions first."

"Eless is a lovely woman," 'Taya suggested with a grin. "She's very approachable - and she knows just about everyone, so even if she can't help you, she can point you in the direction of someone who can."

"Wonderful. Thank you. Well, I'll get out of your hair now. When are auditions for Miller and Shakespeare?"

"End of the week for Miller," 'Taya offered over promptly. "Shakespeare's a joint effort, so some roles are already cast from the Rep Company, but I'll let you know when the auditions come up for them."

"Great. I shall be there for both. Gotta keep my chops up." She rose, slung her bag over her shoulder, and gathered up her dishes and empty bottle. "Thanks again, 'Taya. I appreciate the confidence...and the cash!" She winked and headed for the bar to drop off her lunch leavings.

She laughed, settling into her curl on the couch once again. "Anytime, LeeLee, you know that. I live to help struggling actors." She flashed Lelah a wicked smile, downing the last of her cold coffee.

Sending her new business partner a jaunty wave, Lelah headed out into the sudden thunderstorm, cursing the fact that she didn't bring an umbrella.

((Thanks to the player of Mataya for this scene.))