Triple Point

Chapter 15: Shop Talk

Elsie's first few weeks back in the States were a strange transition into what she supposed would be her new normal for the foreseeable future. As much as she wanted to return to her unemployed routine in Los Angeles or even vacation with her family back in Arizona for a bit, she apparently had a list of commitments she had to fulfill.

So every morning, she dragged herself, and Pala and Quentin by association, to physical therapy where a healer guardian would use their abilities on her shoulder for ten minutes. For the rest of the hour, Elsie would be forced to move a variety of objects in a variety of ways, and the whole thing would've felt ridiculous if it wasn't so damn difficult.

It only took a few days for the general public to catch on to her schedule, and soon she was greeted by flashing cameras and invasive questions whenever she stepped outside. Thankfully, both Pala and Quentin were over-prepared for such scenarios, and the reporters would be held off by Quentin's wall of swirling air while Pala shuffled Elsie to safety.

Along with her PT, on three separate occasions, Elsie was formally summoned to the American Protection Organization headquarters for more questions to answer and documents to sign. It was a tedious process that was only prolonged when Minyoung brought along a lawyer to inspect every bit of paperwork.

So when Elsie finally had something purely work-related in her schedule, she was ecstatic. It was only a table-read and it was scheduled to run late into the night, but at least it had almost nothing to do with the attack on the Games—almost, because the movie it was for was about guardians. Specifically, it was the sequel to Elsie's first ever movie For the People, the one that had made her a household name while also encouraging the public's support for meta-humans and guardians.

Regardless, the connection between the movie's plot and the attack on the Games was a stretch, so Elsie was grateful for the much needed distraction in her life. Plus, Quentin was thrilled that he was required to be in attendance and essentially get paid to get a sneak peak of the sequel to his favorite movie.

The movie sequel was not-so-creatively named For the World, and the table-read took place at the producing studio's main corporate building. Aside from repeatedly telling multiple people that yes, she was fine, and yes, she would be fully healed in time for filming, the reading was exactly what Elsie needed to distract herself from the possibility that her life was in danger. In the script, she was the powerful hero Sam Summers, and although some of the lines were a little cheesy, she found it to be overall entertaining.

Her biggest qualm was that this movie would be introducing a love interest for the grown-up Sam. While Elsie definitely did not have anything against romance or true love or whatever, the storyline felt forced. The original movie portrayed Sam as a strong and independent young girl, but now, fifteen years later, a major part of her life hinged on a guy? Completely unrealistic.

Personal issues aside, there was a high probability that a sequel was only being made because of the expected profits her co-star would haul in, so Elsie supposed she couldn't complain too much. After being forced to work with assholes on numerous projects, Elsie considered herself lucky that her latest co-star hadn't done anything to piss her off yet. In fact, since they had met several months prior once the casting was finalized, they've gotten along great.

Mackenzie Olomana was one of the few American guardians that was also a successful actor, partially due to his talent, partially due to his amazingly good looks, and partially due to his charming boisterous personality. He rose to stardom shortly after becoming an official guardian, and teenage Elsie was quick to join his hordes of fans. Thankfully, her obsession quickly died down to professional appreciation, and no one would have known about her shameful crush had she not announced it to a reporter while intoxicated several years later. It was an embarrassing and regretful moment that was made worse when her parents called her the next morning to praise her excellent taste.