Inglourious Romance

First Meeting

The spot where Amaya sat was a great hiding spot; it was quiet and she could enjoy her book in peace — well, mostly in peace. If Jeff found her she was sure she’d be squealing over something he did to her. She was totally alone, or so she thought. Her feet rested on a crate, and her hand was curled under her chin as she used her thumb to advance the pages on her Kindle. She had not noticed the actor who had appeared from behind the scenery that she had helped design.

She gave a start when a German-accented voice came from behind her, and she almost dropped the Kindle. Amaya tilted her head back to see that same actor she had noticed from earlier was standing over her, apparently interested in her choice of reading. This confused her; he was one of the actors. Why the hell would he even be interested in anything she was doing?

“Oh….er, yeah,” she replied, turning to face him. “I…I like the classics. Charles Dickens is a personal favorite.”

“I find the classics are not appreciated enough,” Christoph replied with a faint smile on his lips.

He rubbed his distinct jowl with the palm of his hand while Amaya looked up and inspected him. She seemed confused as to why he was standing over her. Perhaps it was strange to just be hovering. He glanced away a moment and then back at her.

“I don’t mean to intrude— I mean, if you’re busy then I’ll…”

“Oh, ah…no! It’s fine,” she told him, putting her hands up. “I was just out here for a bit of a break before we finish working on the German night set.” She pushed on the switch that put her Kindle into sleep mode. “But…um, I do agree with you. I read a pretty broad range of materials, but I favor the classics myself. And fantasy.” She gave a slight smile and cleared back a lock of her auburn hair. “Needless to say, my high school English teachers adored me.”

Christoph smiled and chuckled admiringly. He then crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for Amaya to stand up on her feet. She was not much shorter than he was, but he had been more than used to his own height by now.

“I admire that,” he said softly, his eyes gazing in hers confidently despite his more bold statement. “I was actually curious, on the topic of the set... How long did it take you to do all of this? There seems to have been so much time and effort put into the set. My father was a stage builder, and even he never built anything on this scale."

“Well,” she began, “I’m sure Quentin has told you that he’s trying to get this film done in time for Cannes, but we’ve actually been here for months taking pictures, drawing concept art, and building the sets.” She gestured to the one behind her. “I collaborated on the concept art for some of these as well as the storyboards, including this one for the theater scene. We visited some museums and locations in Berlin to get an accurate idea of Nazi Germany. It was a lot of fun, but we’ve been working some long hours, 12-14 hour days. Sometimes more.”

"I see..." he began, taking a more casual stance. "I noticed you earlier. If you do artwork, then why do you help with putting sets together?"

Amaya shrugged. "I don't mind to help where needed," she simply said. "I mean, I can use a hammer and nails and follow directions. It's no problem."

She picked up her messenger bag and opened the flap which revealed a leather portfolio with her artwork inside, a sketchbook with brightly colored sticky notes poking out from between the pages, a bright red Gleim’s Instrument Rating Test Preparation book, a metal box of artist grade colored pencils, copic markers, and Sakura brand inking pens. She put her Kindle into her bag with her other things.

Christoph tilted his head to examine the contents of her bag, noticing all of the supplies she kept with her. He figured that she must have had some extraordinary talent in art if she were carrying around all of those supplies and if she were working on art for Quentin Tarantino. He smiled as she looked back up at him and mentioned a tour of Berlin.

“We’re just about done, though,” she told him as she clasped her bag closed. “Well, with this particular set, anyway. We should be putting together the final pieces for it. Now maybe I can finally tour Berlin a little more.”

“I’m actually from Austria, but I’ve spent a great deal of time in Germany. In fact, I live here in Berlin. When we both are free, I’d be happy to show you around…" Christoph paused, realizing that might sound a little too forward. "Er— if you’d like, of course.”

Christoph always tried to be as much of a gentleman as he could be towards strangers and women. Although, he certainly had his sassier side, and it often showed towards people he knew and interviewers as well. The woman before him seemed like she could use a break, and he would enjoy taking someone around to see all of the most beautiful parts of the city.

She blinked. He wanted to show her around Berlin? He was about to have an important role in a Quentin Tarantino film. Plus, the filming of the movie was supposed to be on an accelerated schedule, and she didn’t want to take up what little free time he had. Although it would be handy to have someone with her who spoke German…

“Er..you’re from Austria? How neat. I’d like to visit Austria sometime. This is the first time I’ve ever been to Europe,” she began, adjusting her bag. “But you probably won’t have much time off from filming if Quentin wants it to be finished in time for Cannes. I don’t want to take up what little time you’ll have to yourself, Mr….uhh…I’m sorry I didn’t catch your name.”

He extended his hand quickly for her to shake, feeling a bit foolish for not having introduced himself right away. When she took it, he shook her hand firmly with a charming smile. “Christoph Waltz,” he started. “But feel free to call me Christoph.” When she returned his hand, it returned to his side, and he stood rather casually before her. “And please, I’m not in very many scenes at all. I just have a lot of lines to remember.” He chuckled as his voice strangely inflected as he laughed. “I can show you around when I don’t have a part that day. I wouldn’t mind seeing Berlin again myself.” He ran his fingers through his hair to fix it, as if it were a mess to begin with. “Austria, too, is a beautiful country as is most of Europe.”

Amaya gave an amused smile at his remark. “Kinda like how I don't really help design the scenes -- I just have to draw a lot of pictures for them." She held onto the strap of her messenger bag which had a few small buttons attached to it. One was that of Rosie the Riveter and another said ‘Cessna: We Teach the World to Fly’. Another was one was blue with a white sparrow. “Oh, ah…I’m Amaya Thomas, by the way. I don’t think I properly introduced myself. But, yes, I must agree, this is a beautiful part of the world, one that most people in America don’t get to see. I’m glad I had the chance to be here, thanks to being on Quentin’s crew.”

Just then, the door to the studio door opened, and Jeff poked his head out. “There you are!” he glanced around. “Nice hiding spot!” He came fully out from behind the door. “Hey, Dennis has been looking all over for you. You’ve been gone forever!”

Amaya’s green eyes went wide as she realized that she had been out here way too long. “I…ah, crap!” she exclaimed. “I was just…I was…” She glanced at Christoph. “Er, uh…shit. I’m sorry, but I better go.” She offered a sheepish smile. “Um…if you’re not busy, find me later and we’ll talk more about that visit to Berlin together.”

Christoph nodded, understanding perfectly that when duty calls, especially on set, you answer that call. “I don’t have much to do today,” he replied. “We’re not staring filming until tomorrow. I’ll find you later.”

Jeff’s eyes bounced between Amaya and Christoph, filled with curiosity.

“Well. It was lovely meeting you, Amaya,” he answered her as she gathered her things, preparing to leave with Jeff to help on set. He then acknowledged her colleague with a nod, slightly bowing while his hands rested in his pockets.

"Same to you, Christoph," Amaya replied, reaching for the door. "See you around."