Walking down the street with their masks on, Lucas and Christopher drew curious glances from passersby. They must have looked quite the pair - one in a plain white mask, the other in a marshmallow helt.
They eventually arrived at a small, humble studio Lucas had rented. Christopher looked around the compact space, taking in the modest setup.
"This is where we record our music?" Christopher asked, eyeing the cramped quarters.
Lucas smiled beneath his mask. "Yeah..." He gestured around the booth. "Kind of chill, don’t you think?"
"You could say that. It’s tiny," Christopher observed.
"Oh? Too small for you?" Lucas asked.
Christopher shook his head with a smile. "Nah, don’t worry. I’m used to this kind of space. I actually record in my bedroom, so this isn’t a problem."
Lucas chuckled. "Sorry this is all I could get," he said. "It belongs to a friend’s friend. Since she knows , our identities will be safe here."
Christopher laughed softly. "Honestly, I don’t care if my identity gets exposed. I’m not that big a deal. But you?" He raised his eyebrows at Lucas. "That would definitely make headlines - ’Lucas Knight’s Secret Identity Revealed.’"
"You got that right," Lucas smiled. They settled into the studio booth.
Christopher glanced at Lucas with slight hesitation. "Do you know your way around a mixing board? Sound engineering isn’t exactly acting."
Lucas sneered playfully. "What do you take for?"
Christopher raised his hands in mock surrender. "Hey, I’m not doubting you as an artist, but you’re Lucas Knight. I’m ninety percent sure you’re used to professional studios with sound engineers doing all the technical work."
"Don’t worry," Lucas assured him. "I’ve educated myself on music production. I know my way around a DAW."
"Alright," Christopher replied, though doubt lingered in his voice. However, as they began working together, he gradually discovered that Lucas genuinely knew his stuff. From EQ adjustnts to compression settings, Lucas handled the technical aspects with surprising expertise.
As their session progressed, Christopher found himself revising his initial assumptions about the Hollywood star. There was clearly more to Lucas Knight than t the eye.
"I’m kind of surprised you actually know your way around all this technical stuff," Christopher said, genuine surprise evident in his voice.
Lucas smiled, chuckling. "You think I’m only talented in acting?"
"Not gonna lie to you, but yeah," Christopher nodded. "At first, I thought you were just a talented actor. Knowing your way around mixing boards is kind of a pleasant surprise."
Lucas laughed softly. "Don’t you dare underestimate us actors," he said with mock indignation, adding proudly, "We can do plenty."
He continued, his voice taking on a more serious tone. "We imrse ourselves in a role for weeks just to give the best performance. If I got a role as a serial killer one day, I might have to think like one and understand why they kill people."
"Woah, that’s kind of scary!" Christopher exclaid, physically backing away from Lucas slightly.
"Haha, are you getting scared of now?" Lucas asked, amused by Christopher’s reaction.
"How could I not? I literally just t you today," Christopher protested.
"I’m Lucas Knight. I’m known for my goodness."
"Yeah, but I’ll never truly know what kind of person you are," Christopher said. "Not to ntion, just an hour ago, you literally tricked into revealing my true identity, and now you’re saying that if you got a role as a serial killer, you’d imrse yourself as one - that’s freaking creepy, dude."
Lucas looked at Christopher with surprise, not expecting to have scared him so thoroughly. "Easy," he said, softening his tone. "I’m just giving an example. Us actors can choose to be anyone we want to be. If I get a role as a surgeon, I might learn about surgery. It’s the sa for sound engineering."
Christopher eyed Lucas suspiciously. "Really?" He leaned back slightly. "You’re not imrsing yourself in the role of a serial killer right now for your next movie?"
Lucas almost choked. "Where did that co from? I’m not even on a project right now, dude."
Christopher realized he was being overdramatic and sheepishly said, "Sorry." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I just thought that maybe this whole Lucid persona and collaborating with was just a ploy to prepare for your next movie as a serial killer."
Lucas burst out laughing. "You can’t be serious!"
"Well, I an, I’m just a nobody, yet you wanted to collab with ," Christopher said, still eyeing Lucas warily. "Pretty suspicious if you ask ."
"Didn’t expect my example about actors being talented would lead you to overthink such ridiculous things," Lucas giggled.
"Ridiculous?" Christopher shook his head firmly. "I’ve seen how you literally thinned yourself to the bone just for the Joker role. Few actors have that kind of dedication. So it’s fair to think you created this Lucid persona for your next movie. Like, maybe you’re playing a music artist who’s secretly a serial killer."
Lucas stared at Christopher in astonishnt, though he couldn’t entirely deny the logic behind the paranoid theory.
"Well, I guess I can’t bla you for thinking like that," Lucas sighed. "But I assure you - Lucid isn’t part of any role preparation. You can relax."
Christopher studied Lucas’s face for a few seconds before saying with relief, "Then I’m glad."
Then he looked at Lucas seriously. "But really, if you got a role as a serial killer, you would imrse yourself into one? Isn’t that kind of risky? What if you actually had to kill sobody for that..."
Lucas felt a chill run down his spine. "Well, I have certain control over my imrsion," he said carefully. "So it wouldn’t lead to that... hopefully."
The "hopefully" hung in the air between them, making both n shift uncomfortably in their seats.
"But honestly, you’re one amazing actor," Christopher said with genuine admiration. "I just watched Joker, and you’re totally different there. As Arthur, you’re so pitiful, but as Joker?" He shuddered slightly. "You’re terrifying."
"That movie almost reawakened my childhood fear of clowns," he added.
Lucas smiled modestly. "Being an actor isn’t actually that hard if you’re dedicated."
"You’re saying that because you’re talented in acting," Christopher chuckled.
"Maybe," Lucas acknowledged with a soft laugh. Then his tone grew more thoughtful. "But after being an actor for years now, I’ve realized that everyone is acting."
"A person acting as a doctor, or a person acting as a lawyer," Lucas continued. "Everyone just has to understand their role, and they’ll give a good performance."
Christopher fell silent, taking a few seconds to fully process those words. The simple observation was making him contemplate things in a new light.
"So..." Christopher said slowly, "My role is a DJ, and if I want to bring a good performance, I need to know more about being a DJ, huh?"
Lucas nodded. "Right," he said. "Knowing the role by reading a script - in real life, the script is experience and knowledge. Over ti, life will teach us how to know our role better, whether we like it or not."
Christopher looked at Lucas with newfound respect. "That’s full of wise words. Very interesting perspective on life."
Lucas smiled warmly.
"So that’s why you know so much about mixing and sound engineering?" Christopher asked.
"Yeah," Lucas nodded. "It’s all about acting."
Christopher shook his head in amazent. What had started as a simple collaboration was turning into an unexpected lesson about life and art.
Ti flowed by as Lucas and Christopher experinted with their track. The studio filled with the sound of their first creation, titled "Heaven."
Lucas’s voice, remarkably reminiscent of Michael Jackson, floated through the room:
"When I dream of heaven, it’s pure paradise divine,
Where gentle breezes dance and intertwine,
My spirit soars with grace,
In this sacred, boundless space."
The lyrics, which Lucas had created on the spot, continued to flow:
"The world is so colorful, the sky so beautiful,
The eyes that behold everything wonderful,
It’s all that my soul has been longing for."
As the final notes faded away, Christopher nodded in approval. "Didn’t expect you to sing like Michael Jackson."
Lucas chuckled, "I guess I imitated his voice well, then." His experience with voice acting had taught him how to manipulate his vocals, from childlike tones to precise imitations.
Christopher shook his head in amazent. "You have so much talent. At least leave so for us mortals."
"By the way, what do you think?" Lucas asked. "Does the song sound good?"
"It’s from you, so of course it sounds good," Christopher nodded.
They spent the next few hours creating more samples before deciding to call it a day.
As they left the studio, Lucas turned to Christopher. "You have a place to stay here in New York?"
Christopher looked down awkwardly. "Actually, I have a place - but it’s a cheap hotel. It’s all I could afford. I already spent so much just coming here to et you."
Lucas’s eyes twinkled with amusent. "Oh? Why do I feel like you’re blaming ?"
"Haha, no!" Christopher quickly protested. "In fact, I’m glad I risked the money to co here. I got to collab with you."
Lucas smiled warmly. "Just ssing with you," he said. Then, after a pause, "Though, if you need a place to stay, I can offer you a free room at an expensive hotel nearby. What do you think?"
"No, no, don’t bother," Christopher waved his hands dismissively.
"Haha, I insist," Lucas said, gesturing for Christopher to follow him. "After all, I’m the one who troubled you to co to New York."
As they walked, Lucas couldn’t help but think how different this collaboration was turning out to be - not just musically, but personally as well. It felt good to help soone who was still climbing the ladder of success, rembering his own journey along the way.
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