....
Zack had been caught off guard but couldn't deny the flicker of curiosity and maybe a little excitent.
Now here Simon was, standing just inside his studio, still exuding that larger-than-life energy Zack rembered so well.
However, he wasn't alone.
Trailing behind him was a young man, maybe in his early twenties, dressed in a hoodie and sneakers. The younger guy's eyes darted around the studio, taking it all in like he wasn't quite sure what to make of the place.
Zack pushed back his chair and stepped out of his cabin. "Simon."
Simon turned, his grin spreading wide across his face. His massive fra seed to fill the space, the overhead lights reflecting off his clean-shaven head.
"Zack!" Simon bood, pulling him into a bear hug that made Zack feel like his ribs might crack.
As he stepped back, Simon smirked. "Still hiding out in this little studio of yours, huh?"
Zack shook off the hug, still feeling his muscle ache a little. "And you still look like you are auditioning to be the lead villain in an action flick. Got another movie gig lined up?"
Simon chuckled, his laugh deep and rich as it echoed through the room.
"Sothing like that." He said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. "Actually, I am here because of him."
Zack noticed the younger man stepped forward, pulling his hands out of his hoodie pockets. He had sharp features and an air of confidence surrounding him despite being in a new location.
But why is he wearing goggles indoors? Well, they do look cool. Zack was definitely weirded out.
"Regal." He said, extending a hand.
Zack hesitated for a mont before shaking it. "...Zack."
The pause was brief but noticeable.
There was a reason for it - Regal's stare.
Despite wearing shades, his gaze was steady, focused, and far too intense, like he was studying Zack for sothing specific.
It wasn't a casual observation. It was deliberate and scrutinizing.
What Zack couldn't have known was that he was only half wrong.
Regal was indeed evaluating, but not in a personal sense. His skills.
In front of Regal, a faint, semi-transparent blue screen floated in the air. It was visible only to him.
===
[Na:] Zack Barg
[Traits:] Passionate, Responsible, Irascible
[Editor:] A -
[Unique Skill:] Insight
===
Seeing the [Rank: A -] Regal's interest grew imdiately - that is definitely near [Expert] level for him.
Anyway, Irascible, huh? I could use it to gain an advantage, Regal thought.
He kept his expression neutral, but his attention lingered on the screen, his gaze seeming fixed on Zack from everyone else's perspective.
Simon, standing nearby, picked up on the awkward tension and nudged Regal sharply with his elbow.
Regal blinked, snapping out of his montary trance. He quickly realized how obvious he had been.
"Ah, sorry about that." He said, his tone brisk but genuinely apologetic.
Simon chuckled, stepping in to smooth over the awkward mont. He clapped Regal on the back and grinned at Zack.
"Don't let the quiet act fool you." Simon said with an easy laugh. "He is a director, but sotis it's like his brain's got too many tabs open."
Zack blinked lightly, his expression unreadable at first. A director? Not an aspiring one or a wannabe, but an actual director?
"Yeah, I get it." Even though Zack's reaction was subtle, Simon caught it right away. "But trust , he has got the chops to back it up."
Regal, unfazed, glanced at Zack and cut in. "Actually, don't mind him. Got so ti?"
Zack hesitated briefly before giving a slight nod. "Sure."
....
The three of them moved to Zack's cabin following his lead.
Settling in for a more proper discussion.
As the conversation unfolded, Zack learnt that Simon had landed a role in a feature film. Indie, sure, but Simon's excitent was palpable.
Even after all these years, Zack could see the sa fire in him, the sa passion for acting that he had from the start.
What was really unbelievable, though, was Regal - the guy couldn't be older than his early twenties.
He didn't just direct the film, but he was also the cinematographer.
Simon had gone on to explain how they had been hunting for an editor for the project and during one of their discussions, he had apparently brought up his na.
"...and that's why we are here." Simon said, wrapping it up with a satisfied grin.
Zack leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk. A flicker of uncertainty crossed his face, conveying this was not what he had been expecting, not even close.
"So." Zack started, his gaze falling on Regal across the table. "You want to be your editor."
"If you are good at it, then yes." Regal replied with a calm nod.
Zack let out a deep sigh, shaking his head.
"It's not that simple." He said, his tone steady, the kind of patience you would expect from soone explaining a complex process to a beginner. "Before you even think about the final cut, you need a lot in place, like the score."
Regal didn't blink.
"I have got that covered." He said, reaching into his bag. He pulled out a hard drive and placed it on the table. "Here is the score."
Zack raised an eyebrow, clearly not expecting that.
Regal's voice remained calm, though there was a sharpness to his words. "You can handle the sound mixing, right? Or should I be finding soone else?"
Simon chuckled loudly. "Told you, the kid is no joke."
Zack didn't respond right away. His focus was entirely on Regal now.
The air in the room had shifted.
What had started as a casual eting now carried an undercurrent of challenge.
And for the first ti in years, Zack felt a flicker of sothing he hadn't expected, excitent. Not just for the work itself, but for the challenge that was coming his way in Regal's tone.
He could sense it, and Regal wasn't exactly being subtle about it either.
"Let's see what you have got." Zack finally said. He paused briefly before adding. "But before I even think about letting you into my editing room, I want the script."
Regal didn't hesitate. "I don't mind."
Simon briefed him about his working process, and apparently he was the type to only work if he liked the script first.
Once again he reached down to the bag he had set by his chair, pulling out a neatly bundled stack of papers.
Without a word, he slid it across the table to Zack.
The quiet confidence in the gesture wasn't lost on him.
From the beginning, Regal's tone had been slightly rough, bordering on provocative.
It wasn't an accident.
Simon had described Zack as a little short-tempered but rational, a man who valued substance over pleasantries.
Regal had taken that into account, along with what his [Unique Skill - Insight] revealed. He understood that Zack wasn't the type to care for polite formalities or elaborate introductions.
Zack, on the other hand, saw through Regal's approach imdiately.
And for once, he didn't mind being provoked.
Still, Zack wasn't about to jump in blindly. He wanted to see the work first before comnting on anything.
Yet beneath his guarded exterior, a familiar buzz stirred within him.
Finally, a job, It had been too long since he'd worked on sothing substantial.
In truth, Zack didn't care if Regal's film turned out to be a ss.
Actually, a part of him almost hoped it would be.
He had seen it all before: young, ambitious filmmakers brimming with grand ideas but clueless about execution.
He would spend countless hours sifting through their disjointed footage, piecing together sothing coherent from the chaos.
But Zack thrived on that.
The raw material, the imperfections, was where Zack found his magic.
The more unpolished, the better.
He relished the challenge of shaping watchable stories from scraps, uncovering potential where others saw none.
What Zack didn't realize, though, was just how much this particular project would change him.
Collaborating with Regal on this film wouldn't just be another job. It would be a turning point, a mory etched into the rest of his life.
Regal, the young, confident upstart, was about to flip Zack's mundane world of editing 'wedding shoots' into sothing far grander.
In the years to co, Zack would find himself known as the second director behind so of the biggest high-budget films in the industry.
....
For now, Zack pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the present.
Without delay, he grabbed the script Regal had handed over and began to read.
.....
.
[To be continued...]
★─────⇌•★•⇋─────★
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