Chapter…FIVE!
It was already late at night
in Square World, but in Square Studios the light was still brightly on. There
was a shooting on this night, which was one of the most important scenes in
FF8, the ballroom dancing scene.
The crew worked for many
hours before, setting up the studio to make the scene look grand and perfect.
The extras that played as NPCs around the ballroom were all dressed up and
walking around, waiting for the shooting to start.
At one corner of the studio,
Cloud was standing there, tapping his feet, waiting for Rinoa to come out from
the changing room. A lot of thing went by Cloud’s mind while waiting. He was
shocked to see that Rinoa being really nice for the past few days. During
rehearsals and some acting tutorials, which Cloud gave her, she had nothing to
complain and just did what he asked her to. She didn’t smile nor didn’t she get
angry. Her character was totally different from the time Cloud first met her.
She might be nervous, but still…
Cloud heard footsteps made by
high heels coming from behind him. He turned around and saw something that
grabs his full attention. He saw a goddess, with silky, free flowing hair,
wearing an elegant gown, adjusting her dress. It was a sight that will remain
in Cloud’s mind for a long time. All that ugly character that he saw days ago
disappeared. She is a goddess.
“Is it okay?”
Rinoa asked Cloud, hoping to
get some comments on the dress. Cloud woke up from his fantasies and just
nodded. Rinoa still looked very nervous and Cloud scratched his head, hoping to
find a way to calm her down.
“Relax! The most you can do
is screw the whole thing up and had countless of retakes!”
Cloud tried a pathetic joke,
but Rinoa just looked at him and force a smile. Cloud shook his head and tried
to figure out something else to say.
“Alright, I know. It’s
difficult to get those butterflies off your stomach. I’ve been there too.”
Cloud confessed.
“I will be around the area. I
will hint you will there is something wrong, okay?”
Cloud comforted Rinoa and Rinoa
just replied with a wan smile. Cloud couldn’t believe his eyes. This amazingly
beautiful smile just came out from a girl that shouted at him and stomped on
his foot days ago. The reason will remain a mystery…
“Ganbatte.” (Jap for ‘try
your best’)
Cloud gave a last boost of confidence to Rinoa and Rinoa
received it with a smile. Rinoa then turned around and walked towards the
shooting when Reeves called everyone to standby. Cloud looked at Rinoa leaving,
and many thoughts ran through his mind. There is something about this girl,
something that can win many men, many hearts…
“Everyone get into your positions!”
Reeves shouted with his megaphone and then he sat onto his
director’s chair, observing the surroundings. Watching him from the focus of
the entire studio was Squall, wearing a tuxedo, standing like an idiot waiting
for time to pass by. He had been through with his first shooting yesterday. He
didn’t enjoy it as much as Zell did but he accepted it as well. He had no idea
why he applied for this character but something in his mind told him to. It was
like there was a strange force that pulled him towards here…
“Uh…Squall, isn’t it?”
Squall heard a soothing voice from behind and turned around.
He felt a strong sensation rushing all over his body. A beautiful face, with
exceptionally amazing eyes and features looking at him. Squall was stupefied.
The face just looked at him and then made a smile. Squall’s heart was numb and
stopped beating. He just looked at the face without blinking. Nothing in the
surrounding will now be capable of grabbing his attention.
(She is…she is…)
“I am Rinoa. The main female character. Nice to meet you.”
Squall heard the face talking to him in a polite voice.
Squall woke up from his dream when he heard the nervous tone in Rinoa’s speech.
(She is nervous…)
“Ar…yo…” Squall mumbled. He can’t get words off his mouth.
“You nervous too?” Rinoa asked and looked at Squall.
(Nervous? Not until I met you.)
“Hm…strange. I suddenly felt better when I saw something
more nervous than me. I guess we are going to be okay.” Rinoa said with a
chuckle.
(Reeves…Reeves…)
Squall thought about an incident that happened days ago. He
asked Reeves who the main female character is but Reeves refused to tell him.
Reeves said he wanted to have that ‘emotion’ on Squall’s face on the first
scene with Rinoa. Squall looked at Reeves and saw Reeves lifting a thumb at him
and smiled. Man, Reeves really pulled this trick well.
“All right! Stand by everybody!”
A crew shouted out and Squall can see the extras around them
stood into position. At this time, Rinoa got Squall’s attention and prepare to
part.
“Ganbatte.”
Rinoa said while holding both of her fists and walked to her
position. Squall hurried to his position, took a glass of colored water and
stood in position.
“3…2…1…Action!”
A loud ‘thack’ was heard and the camera rolled when Squall
was standing alone drinking, and Selphie and Zell came along and had short
conversations with him. It went smoothly and now Squall was looking up high
into a series blue screen, where there will be graphics added to it later.
Then, he heard those high heels and looked…
“Care to have a dance?”
Rinoa asked Squall and Squall just kept quiet. Squall didn’t
notice’s Rinoa’s speech much. He suddenly couldn’t concentrate on his
character!
“I…couldn’t dance.”
Squall said and faces on the crew turned. That wasn’t in the
script! That was…
“Come on!”
Rinoa said while pulling Squall on an attempt to salvage
whatever scene remaining that was left. Reeves should had shouted ‘cut’ by now,
but strangely, he hadn’t…
Rinoa and Squall are now at the middle of the ballroom scene
with extras around them. Rinoa tried to lead the dance for Squall to follow but
Squall became awfully bumpy and couldn’t dance like what he should. The crew
around is whispering to each other while some others are asking Reeves to stop
it. But Reeves just sit there, signaling that things could be done. Cloud was
seen standing at one side, rubbing his chin.
Rinoa made another few attempts to make Squall follow her
dance steps but Squall failed to. His mind was just clouded…
Squall accidentally bumped into an extra and the extra
looked back at him. Rinoa made a face at the extra and then looked back at
Squall. She made a smile at him.
(You can do it, Squall. You can do it.)
Squall felt a boost of confidence when he saw that smile.
Instantly, he gained his memory of the dance steps and did it the way he
rehearsed with another person. His steps and Rinoa’s matched perfectly and this
continued till the end of the dance. After that, a short explosion was heard,
the signal where the two will have to look at the blue screen. Both Squall and
Rinoa looked up at the same time, and gazed into the blank blue screen.
(Thanks, Rinoa. Thanks…)
Squall suddenly felt Rinoa’s hands leaving his and Rinoa
made a wink at him. Squall knows the rest of the script. He will look at her
leave, slowly, slowly…
The crew was astonished to see this. Reeves was smiling as
if he expected this. Cloud was smiling too. This had been a great success.
Though the script writing team will be very furious.
“CUT!!!”
Reeves shouted to halt the shooting and some of the crew
cheered for an ‘accidental’ work well done. Rinoa’s expression changed from
that partial nervous look into a happy and joyful one. She was glad that she
went through this all right, and she walked towards Squall.
“I don’t know what you are thinking, but you sure have guts
changing the script.”
Rinoa said to Squall and Squall looked back at her.
(Me? Changing the script? I was waiting for the ‘CUT’ all
the time…)
“Anyway, see you tomorrow!”
Rinoa said and left Squall. Squall looked as Rinoa left and
walked towards…Cloud?
Rinoa looked extremely happy when she was in front of Cloud.
Cloud just nodded after whatever she said and the two left together. Squall
slumped onto the ground, looking at the two leave.
“Nice job.”
Squall turned around and saw Reeves standing next to him. He
looked at him with furious look.
“It was all your idea, right? Not introducing Rinoa to me before,
arranging another person for the rehersal…”
“Whatever you say. Whatever you say…”
Reeves gave a wicked smile at Squall and started directing
the crew to pack up. Squall just sat on the ground, thinking.
(I am not a puppet…!)
Obviously, Squall was being used. Emotionally. Guess that’s
Reeve’s way to get the best acting out of him.
<End of Chapter 5>
(Hm...if you are someone from Square...or anybody with
enough sense reading this, you should had known that this is totally fiction.
Just someway of introducing characters and expression of ideas. Bizarre, crazy,
makes no sense...who cares. It a fiction. )