Chapter Text
Kaveh stared at the envelope in his hands, the front sporting a proud red seal that read Akademiya Productions.
His fingers shook minutely as he slipped them under the seal, pulling it off with a sharp tearing noise.
A week ago, at his audition, he had been performing to impress, holding himself with pride and confidence, delivering each line with perfect precision and the most flamboyant of gestures— all to hopefully receive the role of one of the more important characters in the Akademiya’s newest movie, Knowledge Reincarnate.
The prestigious production company hadn’t given him all the details on what the movie was about, but Kaveh knew at least the general idea. It was based on a real-life Sumeran legend, revolving around the three legendary deities of the forest and desert: the Scarlet King, the God of Wisdom, and the Goddess of Flowers. From what he could recall, the governing entity of whatever world the film was set in would choose ten or so candidates, three of which, unknowingly, were the reincarnations of each deity. They would be sent off to a temple somewhere in the desert where forbidden knowledge was corrupting the land, and they had to find out who each reincarnation was before they got there to enter the temple.
Kaveh knew he wasn’t fit for the male lead, Ahmar, whose personality revolved around distance and blunt stoicism. But upon setting his eyes on one of the more notable side characters, Lotos, he knew that one was the one for him.
Lotos Somno. One of the candidates for the reincarnation of the Goddess of Flowers. A sweet, positive character who found beauty in everything. Kaveh wasn’t sure about his ability to perform the first part, but he had often been told he was an idealist and very poetic. Surely, then, he would be able to accurately depict Lotos’s love for the world?
Kaveh slid the contents of the mail out and absently dropped the envelope somewhere on the ground. The paper was smooth and thicker than normal printer paper, and he unfolded it with bated breath.
-- -- --
Dear Kaveh of Ksharewar,
On behalf of Akademiya Productions, we are delighted to inform you that you have been selected to play the role of Lotos Somno in our upcoming film, “Knowledge Reincarnate”.
Your audition and performance impressed both our casting team and director, and we believe you will bring exceptional depth and authenticity to this character. We are thrilled to welcome you to the cast.
-- -- --
Kaveh let out a sharp gasp, heart leaping into his throat. He stared at the words on the page for a long, long moment, before breathing out roughly, feeling all the air leave his lungs for a long moment.
He had done it. Despite all odds, he had managed to land one of the best roles besides the leads.
-- -- --
Please find enclosed the following:
- A copy of your contract outlining compensation, schedule, and obligations.
- Preliminary production schedule, including table reads and rehearsals.
- Contact information for our production coordinator, who will assist you with logistics such as wardrobe fittings, travel arrangements, and accommodations.
We look forward to collaborating with you and are confident that your contribution will be integral to the success of this project. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Congratulations once again, and welcome to the team!
Warm regards,
Rukkhadevata Aranyani
Director
Akademiya Productions
-- -- --
Kaveh exhaled, a wave of relief washing over him. He had gotten the role. He was one more step forwards towards success.
He took out another paper— the schedule— and gave it a quick once-over. The actors would meet at Akademiya studios in a week, where they would receive details for housing, filming locations, and just get to know the other actors.
“Sounds good,” he said aloud, voice trembling with the aftershocks of disbelief, folding up the papers and tossing the envelope.
It was time to start packing.
── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──
Standing beneath the shadow of Akademiya Productions’s main building, Kaveh felt the distinct sensation of being stared down by something much larger than himself.
He had acted in movies before— of course he had. He was an actor, that was a given.
But most of them had been little, low-budget movies made by companies no one had ever heard of. They had mostly been filmed in soundstages, with a few exceptions for a little on-site shooting.
But this.
This was so much different.
Akademiya Productions’s building was huge. Not exactly in height, it was probably only four or so stories; but rather width. It looked like a huge warehouse, or like those big buildings meant to store rows and rows upon trucks. The location was fairly remote, too; it was backdropped by a forest that stretched as far as the eye could see.
Was that where they were going to be filming??
Kaveh nervously peeked in through a window, spotting the silhouettes of people moving around. He couldn’t tell if they were actors or staff, although one of them seemed to be wearing some sort of tiara, and another had… a giant hat?? So maybe they were actors in costume.
He took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair, and reached for the door.
The first thing he registered was that the place was cozy.
It was somewhat reminiscent of a hotel lobby, with warm lights, marbled walls, and carpeted floors. Four or so people were seated at a ring of verdant green couches, with clothing racks rolled out beside them. Those were probably for the costumes; he spotted a few that looked familiar from the movie preview.
“Ah! You must be Mister Kaveh!” A slightly familiar warm voice rang out. It was Director Rukkhadevata, in a business casual white dress, smiling brightly. The other three turned towards him, two of which broke into welcoming smiles, and one of which looked away with a scoff.
A red-haired girl who was wearing the tiara Kaveh had seen through the window stood up and shook hands with him. “Hey, Kaveh! I’m Nilou, actor for Malikata.” So she was the one acting the Goddess of Flowers’s reincarnation, which certainly made sense considering her long, flowy, white and red dress.
“Candace, actor for Aaru,” another woman with blue hair offered. Curiously, she had one blue and one golden eye; Kaveh guessed that those were contact lenses, since Aaru was depicted with heterochromia in the original legend.
“Dehya, actor for Kahina.” The last woman, who was styling her hair into a shape somewhat reminiscent of cat ears, greeted. “That’s Wanderer,” she added, pointing to the last one, a boy in a comically large umbrella hat who was looking away with crossed arms. “That’s probably not his real name, but that’s what he wants us to call him because he’s emo and edgy. Oh, and get this— he’s the actor for Kuni.”
Wanderer huffed in exasperation. “It's a stage name, dumbasses.”
Kaveh laughed, setting his briefcase aside and taking a seat on the couch. “Already in character, aren’t you?”
The shorter guy scowled. Well, that certainly spoke volumes about Director Rukkhadevata’s ability to cast actors; this ‘Wanderer’ person sure did fit the bill for Kuni, a pessimistic character whose entire personality was hating everyone.
If Kaveh remembered correctly, Malikata was depicted as a lively, assertive female lead who led the charge for the temple, yet also got extremely flustered around Ahmar, the male lead and reincarnation of the Scarlet King. Nilou seemed to match the energy, but at least at a first impression, seemed fairly soft-spoken for a character of that strength.
Candace and Dehya, on the other hand, seemed quite fit for their roles. Aaru was a guardian of the desert and one of the candidates for the Scarlet King, who was calm and composed yet could be frightening. Kahina was a warrior who was more boisterous and confident, and yet another candidate for the Scarlet King.
Putting all that aside, all of them seemed experienced and moved with practiced ease. Kaveh, feeling distinctly out of place, wondered what he looked like, a floundering novice actor among professionals.
But he was quickly pulled out of that train of thought when Dehya threw a bundle of fabric at him. He caught it entirely on instinct, then began trying to figure out how to untangle it.
“We’re trying on our costumes,” Candace explained as Kaveh pulled an ornate blue and white shirt with accents out of the pile. “Just so the tailors know what does and doesn’t work and can make adjustments early before shooting. Also because it's a fun way to pass the time.”
“And so we can praise the head designer!” Nilou added. “Director Rukkhadevata hired her and brought her here all the way from Fontaine. Her name is Chiori, and she designed all of the costumes.”
Kaveh whistled, impressed, as he pulled a blue feather hairpin out of the bundle. “Really? I’d think that—”
A door opening and shutting interrupted him, and everyone (except Wanderer) turned around.
“Oh, is Alhaitham finally done getting dressed?” Dehya asked. “Fuck yeah, it's been forever.”
Kaveh had only a second to process the fact that no one seemed to bat an eye at her less-than-professional language before someone turned the corner.
And then he stopped breathing.
The man who stepped into view had teal eyes with a gold ring, likely the work of contact lenses, similar to Candace’s. That clearly gave away that he was the actor for Ahmar, as the eyes were the most telling factor. He was running a hand through silver hair that shone under the light, and he was wearing a pair of gold and green headphones, which Kaveh didn’t remember being in the original, but they were still styled in Ahmar’s color palette. Was that a new addition?
Speaking of additions… he was wearing Ahmar’s signature long pine-green jacket and cape. But apparently, one of the designers had decided to change the outfit for— fanservice?? Because the jacket was now off-shoulder, and the original long-sleeved black shirt had been changed to a sleeveless top, with some sort of sleeve glove that cut off at the upper arm. Which meant that the man’s— Alhaitham's?— right bicep and shoulder were on full display. And as if it couldn’t get worse, both the top and the pants had been made unnecessarily tight, which meant Kaveh could see every curve and angle of his chest and abs and—
He tore his gaze away before his thoughts could get any more… unprofessional. A movement at the corner of his vision caught his eye, and he glanced over only to see Rukkhadevata shooting him a knowing look. Kaveh’s face burned, and he had to resist the urge to combust when Alhaitham sat down next to him, their thighs only inches apart.
Ahmar. The strongest candidate for the God of Wisdom’s reincarnation, who, in a plot twist no one had expected, ended up being the Scarlet King’s reincarnation instead. He was the male lead of the story, becoming closer and closer to Malikata throughout the plot, always teasing her despite his indifferent personality.
Kaveh looked away, his eyes finding Nilou’s red hair. Speaking of, hadn’t Malikata kissed Ahmar in the original? He felt an unexpected stab of jealousy and quickly tried to ignore it.
“Are Tighnari and Nahida still in the changing rooms?” Candace asked, because apparently none of them were the least bit affected by Alhaitham’s ethereal beauty.
“Yes, I believe so. Actually, I should probably check on Nahida. She might be having difficulties with her costume.” Rukkhadevata abruptly stood up and headed towards the direction Alhaitham had come from.
Kaveh blinked, startled and confused, and Candace chuckled. “Nahida is Director Rukkhadevata’s daughter; I think she’s around four years old. She’s going to be playing the part of Kusanali.”
Kaveh did a double take, as did Nilou, who apparently also didn’t know. “Kusanali?” The former echoed. “A— four year old??”
“Yep! She was depicted as a child in the original, remember?”
Kusanali. The reincarnation of the God of Wisdom, and the only one who had known her true identity. Yet she had fooled everyone by taking on a child’s form, and the other candidates had been so naive that they never considered that the little kid could be a deity’s reincarnation.
The changing room doors opening again had everyone turning to look once more. Rukkhadevata walked out with a smile, and beside her stood—
“EEE!!” Nilou leaped up and ran over to them. “Director Rukkhadevata, you never told me your daughter was this cute!!”
Nahida blinked curiously at her. She looked like a carbon copy of Rukkhadevata, with the same white hair, green eyes, and little version of her mom’s dress. She giggled as Nilou pinched her cheeks, her little hands coming up to pat the red-haired girl’s arms.
Kaveh laughed, enamored, as did Candace and Dehya. Even Kuni’s severe gaze softened, and Alhaitham was—
—smiling.
The taller man’s lips curved up slightly and his eyes crinkled at the corners. His stoic eyes shone just a little under the light, the golden ring glinting in a way that was so unfairly attractive.
He looked beautiful. Radiant, even.
Kaveh swallowed, feeling a blush rise on his face. He was so fucked.
“I’m going to go change,” he mumbled, to everyone else’s slight bewilderment and to the knowing glint in Rukkhadevata’s eyes. But thankfully, the others moved back to dousing Nahida in compliments, so Kaveh could grab his costume and scurry on over to the changing room.
On the way, he passed by someone (Tighnari?) who had neatly cut black hair with some strands dyed bright green, dressed in dark blues and greens with a white sash. Curiously enough, he had… fox ears. Well, that meant he was definitely acting for Valukashuna, a foxlike forest sprite who was one of the candidates for the Goddess of Flowers’s reincarnation.
Kaveh gave him a polite nod as he passed, hoping his face had cooled down to manageable levels by then. He slipped into the men’s changing rooms, before plopping himself down on a bench and exhaling aggressively into his hands.
What was he going to do?