pocket change your mind | [penny&nickel]

Maybe it's a bad judgment call, or maybe it's the bravest thing she's ever done. Penny has learned at this point that life is all about perspective. You win a few, you lose a lot. She's used to not being particularly good at anything, so she never really worries over who's the best. She auditioned for Young Love in Panem because it seemed fun, not because she thought it was actually gonna help her find someone to start a romance with.

Newsflash, she's still as single as she's ever been. Just the tiniest bit more sure of herself, more confident being in front of a camera. She only just met her agent two weeks ago, but as soon as she hears about the Justice Fray movie in the works, she begs for an audition. "I'll try out for any part! Really!" Of course, she knows making the jump from reality TV to feature film isn't going to be easy, but she's nothing if not tenacious.

Call her a dreamer. She'll answer.

Maybe that's what convinces the casting agent to tell her she's been invited for a chemistry reading with the lead, or maybe it really is just sheer dumb luck. She caught them on a nice day. But nope, they're giving her directions on where to meet them next and mentioning names she hasn't been introduced to yet. "Let's make sure Nickelo is all set up, have we restocked his mini fridge with lemon water yet?"

Her heat skips a bit when she realizes just how familiar that name actually is, and how surely it's not just a coincidence. She's been listening to 'What Makes You Pretty' by Megaheart on repeat for the last month, and she knows who sings that chorus because he's her biggest crush in the whole band. She shakes her head in shock, trying to snap out of her daze, as she strolls down the set pathway. Nickelo LaFauci might be in the very same space as—

"Ah!" she shrieks, as rounding a corner appears the heartthrob in question, his hand raised in a mock fist. His expression twists with shock, his battle cry fading into a meek little, "oh." His voice is timid, but still low and warm and smooth. The same crooner's voice capable of singing one of the best songs since a Paris Vanburen single. And she's not just saying that because the megastar is her cousin! Case in point: she's a megastar.

Her script papers flutter out of her hands, and that's already making her blush even before he starts to speak normally. He stares down at her with a sweet face, apologizing and then kind of stumbling over his words. It humanizes him in a way that helps her relax, remembering to breathe and treat him like the normal person he'd probably really like to be treated as. Or at least she hoped, it would absolutely break her heart if her celebrity crush turned out to be an asshole.

"I don't work here yet," she answers, rising to her feet and running a hand through her tousled curls. "I'm, uh, actually supposed to be on my way to a chemistry reading. For the Justice Fray movie?" She wonders for a minute just revealing what she already knows, hey I know you're a super popular pop idol and also you're starring in this movie I'm talking about, but her anxiety gets the best of her. Maybe it'll go better if she pretends like this is a genuine first meeting. In a sense, it is.

"Do you think you could point me in the right direction?"

He smiles awkwardly, running a hand through his dark hair. She blushes again, and hopes that the flush of pink in her cheeks will be easily written off as nerves. She literally has a poster of his boyband in her room, she knows he goes by Nickel and he's the group's mom friend. And now she's learning that he's genuinely nice and humble, too? Her mind spins, whirls, unable to process that she's actually about to do a chemistry read with this guy. But she's giddy with excitement.

"Oh, the Chemistry Read! That'll be with me actually," he states what he isn't aware she already knows, even taking the time to help her gather her papers. She takes them from him graciously, careful to calm her breathing and not let this go to her head. She remembers being hounded a couple times after coming home from filming Young Love in Panem, and it never made her feel nice to be treated that way. Like a thing to be gawked at. It's not his fault that his voice is like honey and his face is undoubtedly handsome. He's just a guy. Clarification: he's just a guy playing the lead in the movie she's auditioning for. "I'm Nickelo. I play Justice Fray."

It's no time at all before he's already treating her like a friend, speaking to her warmly and encouraging her punctuality. Telling her about her competition. "Really?" she asks in surprise. She had heard the "we'll let you know" line before, and she didn't realize just how bad it was. Maybe that's why the casting agent never called her back for that particular project... "Well, here's hoping I dodge that bullet." They move across the set, her eyes honing in on various boxes full of props and scenery pieces, and she finds herself wanting so badly to land the part of Iris. She knows it's only a supporting role at best, but she has no qualms starting at the bottom of the ladder and working her way up.

When he turns to her again with a warm question, asking for her name, she scolds herself for being rude and taking so long to introduce herself. "Oh, sorry! Can't believe I forgot." She reaches out a hand to him before she can stop herself, staring up with big blue eyes. "I'm Penny Vanburen."

After a moment, they part, and she places her hands in her pockets and glances back to the set. It seems so large and grand, a little overwhelming. "Is this, um, your first movie project? Or are you a regular in the studio?"

Nickelo already seems so engaged in the community of workers rushing around the set, holding sound pieces and spotlights and various props. She realizes then and there that there's so much more that goes into making movies than she ever knew about. Sure, she got to experience a bit of the process while filming Young Love in Panem, but this is an entirely new ball game. She ducks out of the way of a painting being carried from one lot to another.

Watching the way her dashing escort smiles warmly and waves at all the strangers passing by, it just makes her feel even better about him. He's clearly charming, and more than that, there's no shadow of a doubt that he's kind. She listens to him speak, drawing in his words and the information about himself that he provides. "Yeah! Uh, first movie, I mean. I've done some smaller stuff. Couple commercials, some background roles, loads of music videos..." and then he trails off, a brief pause before he stops to glance at her with a furrowed brow, as if trying to inspect her face more closely.

"Wait, did you say your last name is 'Vanburen' before? Like Paris Vanburen?" She laughs shyly at this, already more than used to this reaction to her surname. If she's not gonna let the fact that he's an accomplished individual on his own right, she's not gonna let it be a big deal that she's simply related to a pop sensation. That has nothing to do with her, really. She just lucked into the name. "Heh, yeah, guilty as charged."

He talks about the connecting thread, surprising even her to learn that Paris played a hand in his success with his band. She decides to lean a little closer to the truth of the situation. "I've heard of your band, actually! I can't believe I didn't connect Nickelo and Nickel. Your voice is a dead ringer for the lead's." She laughs again, rubbing the back of her neck. "Well, I guess it literally is your voice. Wow. 'What Makes You Pretty' is all any of the girls at my gym are listening to right now." It's all she's listening to.

She's grateful for the cool air of the reading room as he directs her inside. "And, yeah, Paris is pretty cool. I'm not all that close with her these days, but that makes sense to me." She offers him another warm smile before glancing at her new surroundings, taking in the professional and still somehow chic space. "This is so fancy," she remarks, running her finger up the side of a marbled vase and then squeaking when it starts to tilt, quickly catching it and keeping it held in place. "Okay! Lesson learned not to touch things!"

For his credit, he does have a very calming aura. He makes her want to be honest with herself, for the better. "Nervous?" She exhales a breath she's been holding, shaking her head and feeling her blonde curls bounce around her face. Maybe she's in out of her league, and maybe all of this feels strange and new to her, but she's ready. She has to be.

"Nope," she answers earnestly, playfully punching his shoulder. "Not after meeting the cool guy I'm reading with."