EXETERRPG: (1 - 1450) FO Ailynn Bracken/Gabrielle Knight and Farfalina

[Mark Howard]

Mission: Lights, Camera….Action?

Day: 1

Stardate: 2446.01.01/2025.06.30

(Toronto, Canada -Pinewood Studios Toronto  - FO Cmdr Ailynn
Bracken/Gabrielle Knight and Farfalina - 1450)



Ailynn’s mind was slowly calming down as she walked toward the large
building that she’d been into earlier, headed back to wardrobe to return
the uniform that she’d borrowed earlier on pain of death. The visit to the
hospital had gone about as well as she could have expected, and everything
afterward had gone south really quickly. ~I really need a drink~



Farfalinna was standing outside, in the sun. Dressed in yellow today with
sunglasses covering her eyes, she looked to be almost baking in the sun of
the lot. “Gabrielle!” She cried out, abandoning her sun worshiping pose to
embrace Gabrielle and give her a gigantic smooch on the cheek. “How are you
doing, Beautiful? Also I saw Tristan earlier and he’s having huge issues. I
know you are his best friend so maybe you can talk with him? I tried, and I
suggested he go find our EMT to get some of that magic Valium he doles
out.” She pulled back from the embrace and the whispered words into her
ear. Lots like this had huge paparazzi issues, which was why she was
whispering the words and hiding her mouth in Gabrielle’s hair so no one
could read using a telephoto lens. “Are you ok? Our show runner wants to do
some still photos to leak to the press.  He thinks we should build some
hype over our characters possibly getting back together?” Farfalinna raised
her eyebrows in a sexual innuendo.

~Sienna?~ Ailynn gasped as she was caught in her embrace. ~No…~ it wasn’t a
Sienna type hug, she remembered those well. ~think Ailynn...you’ve only
just read this.~



“Hey honey.” She went for the safe option. “I haven’t seen anyone yet.”
~magic Valium?~ Seeing Sienna, or rather her face and body brought back so
much to Ailynn straight away. They’d had good times. It was clear to Ailynn
immediately though that it wasn’t exactly Sienna in front of her. “So
remind me…” she said. “When did we first meet? Was it way back on Mars?”



She laughed happily, “Gabrielle. We met at the Music Awards. You were
wearing those amazing wings and we were dancing and then we kissed on the
stage and became BFFs. And not just for the paparazzi. If you mean our
characters…. On this show the characters met when they were in high school,
or something like that. Backstory wasn’t quite clear.” She shrugged
elegantly. “Do you want to go into costume and make up and do that photo
shoot? Lord Banowsky wants them done today if possible but I don’t want to
interfere with your shoot schedule.”



“We start shoots tomorrow.” Ailynn said, making a mental note to check
youtube for the awards she’d mentioned. “Today it’s a preshoot meeting
later, I’m headed to wardrobe anyway, So the photoshoot fits well.”



“If you are sure? We really ARE friends Gabrielle. We can have a drink
afterwards and you can tell me all about it. How did the work on that
medical drama go?”



“Oh you know how it is. They just wanted my face in it. Pays the bills…”
~Farfalina! That was it.~ Ailynn thought as she remembered the IMDB page
that she’d read earlier. “So ‘Lina, can I ask you something, and promise me
that you won’t think I’m drunk?”



“Oh absolutely. Shoot. I know you don’t drink anything harder than
champagne, do what is going on?” She stopped outside the costuming shop and
really looked at her friend. Looking around for a moment she pulled
Gabrielle into one of the blind spots of the lot, a smoking and make out
place. “What is going on? You aren’t acting like yourself. You know the
rules. When we are on set, we are on, the personality that the producers
created is who is on. I am Farfalinna, not Leora.” Gabrielle was one of the
few people trusted with the secret of who Farfalinna truly was.



“Hey! Steady. I’m sorry okay?” Ailynn sighed. “Look. I’ve not had a great
day, and it is not shaping up to look like it’s going to improve any.”
Ailynn looked at the other girl. She could see now that none of Sienna’s
endearing mannerisms were there. “Look. Have you ever had a thing where you
wake up and you have no idea what’s going on around you?”



“Like after drugs and too much drink? No, that’s why I have a bodyguard. Is
this why Tristan was acting so strange? Cuz he’s weirder than usual. It was
like he thought I actually WAS Sienna.”



“I swear...and I wish I could say I was wasted, I’ve never done that stuff,
and other than a glass of champagne or red I don’t drink either.” Ailynn
said “...but I had to have my cleaner show me how to use insta and google
maps this morning.”



“Oh tech stuff is so confusing!  I’m not great with it either. It isn’t
important when we’re on set, you can grab one of the PAs to do that for
you. Remember you are not a penniless nobody anymore, you are Gabrielle
Knight, successful, beautiful and confident.”



Ailynn opened her mouth to reply, but she realised what ‘Farfalina’ had
said. ~It was like he thought I actually WAS Sienna…?~ Ailynn’s mood was
crumbling further as another foundation block in her life was destroyed. “I
know, and you’re correct obviously, but it was so weird...Anyway. Tell me
about you. What are you up to?”



She took a deep breath and looked at her friend, “Well. On shoot we’re
doing all the publicity shots today. Hype mostly. Lord Banowsky,” She used
the term that most people used on set for the overlords of their various
productions, “Wants Sienna and Trip to do video letters, basically facetime
each other.  Tristan said that Sienna and Trip had made up but I looked
through the scripts and didn’t see that. How did your contract negotiation
go?”



Gabrielle shrugged, finding her voice at last. “It went as I said it would.
Standard second season terms plus point 05 on reshows, half of one percent
on merch that involves my likeness.”



“Tristan was a real pain to Lord Banowsky and got a really sweet deal. I
hope Jason Harnes (Sekal’s actor) managed to get a good deal. He has to
have those silly ears glued on each shoot.” She leaned back against the
building.  “It’s going to be pretty hectic once shooting starts, Gabrielle.
Want to head inside and start getting ready?” Farfalinna felt that
something wasn’t quite right still, but she was more grounded in this
conversation since she had been on lot for several hours. “I should have
pulled a stunt like that if I thought it was going to get me a  better deal
with M’Lord Gatling. Man has brilliant ideas for the show.  I just wish the
writers would actually listen for once…” Her voice trailed off as a PA
stuck her head around the corner, “Madame Farfalinna, Miss Knight, you are
needed in make up and costuming.” The PA spoke into her walkie talkie that
she had found them and Lina grinned at her friend. “Seems like we have
orders, my friend.”



Gabrielle nodded, and thanked the PA, who smiled a reply, then turned to
her next task. “Seems like we do.” She replied, and walked alongside ‘Lina.
“So...What’s coming up next  for you? New show? New Album?”



“No… I’m here for the next few months.  I hoped to get Tristan to come on A
Star To Guide Us as a love interest but he seemed to find that weird for
some reason. Tristan is Tristan though.” She shrugged as she led the way
into makeup and sat down in one of the two chairs with a hairdressing
station.



Gabrielle sat back in the chair, she smiled at her makeup artist and
hairdresser. "I can kind of see that to be honest. Little bit weird." She
smiled and winced slightly as her hair was combed back and styled back into
the tight bun that Ailynn typically wore on duty.



"I've got something in the bag. New thing for Disney plus. Shoots later
this year. Can't say any more though." She looked to her hairdresser.
"Thank you. That's awesome." She leant back as makeup started applying the
base layer for her foundation.



Sienna normally wore a crown braid on duty on the Illuminar and the pins
jabbed into her scalp now and then, but this was only after running her
hair under some kind of darkening rinse to mimic Sy’s much darker hair.
The contacts were on the table in front of Lina. Which she promptly put in
once the hairdresser was done. Lina blinked hard to settle the contacts.
She then looked in the mirror. “You’d think that there would be something
more than just the eyes to say ‘alien’ hun? Like the pointed ears that Jase
has to wear.” Her makeup was earlier to apply since Sienna had natural skin
tones and Lina had been careful to stay out of the Sun. “Script looks like
we’re going to the desert in a bit to shoot ‘Vulcan’ “ She sounded a
little...sad. It was the most emotion she’d shown since they started
talking. “I am going to dry out so badly.  Luckily I only have to walk
around the city here and there. Other people get to go on a mule ride.
Lucky me.” Her voice didn’t sound as if she particularly cared. A makeup
artist patted her shoulder, “Madame Farfalinna we will do our best to make
sure that your lovely skin stays lovely.”



"Hey..don't complain, you could have to have stuff glued to your face for
three hours a day."



"Eyes still please Miss Knight."



"How many times Chrissie, just Gabs." Gabrielle stayed motionless while her
eye makeup was done, then turned to Lina. "Keep hydrated, and stay off the
drink and stuff."



“Yes, yes, I know the rules.”  She stepped into costuming and changed into
her uniform. “You ever think that the writers need to smoke some whacko
grass and get out of their rut? I mean, what military institution would
have 20-ish year olds in any position of authority? This isn’t Heinlien
after all.” Leora was showing through the Lina facade for a moment before
the mask slid firmly back into place. “Your character is my character’s
ex-lover, but your the best friend of her twin, and your what half sister
is my sister in law? Talk about close family relationships.” She shrugged
as she pulled the uniform jacket on and zipped up the hidden zipper over
her tank top.  “At least it isn’t polyester the way the TNG uniforms were.”
She shuddered at the thought of those ultra-hot uniforms on set.



“Do what we can with the costuming budget. We’re making big bank on these
shows, so better costuming.” One of the costuming women spoke as she ran a
lint brush over the uniform as another pinned her rank insignia and comm
badge on.



“It’ll be cool if one day these become real. Though we can talk into our
watches now, so not that far off.” She slid her jacket over her watch, but
the assistants were on to her and held out a hand for the offending fruity
smart watch.



Gabrielle nodded as she was helped into her uniform. Going through the same
motions as Lina had. "I know right." Her own insignia and pips were pinned
on, and her own watch removed. One further thing for her was the addition
of her Ryelle's ear jewellery. "Imagine though a phone call through a badge
on your chest. How odd."



A grin but Lina said nothing. She stared at herself in the mirror.
Something skittered behind her eyes for a moment but it was lost, pretty
fast.



Gabrielle caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, and seeing Ailynn look
back at her. There was a moment where something flitted through her mind
but she shook it off. "Who's doing the shoot?"



“Did you feel that too?” She asked Gabrielle curiously, “Like something was
in the back of your mind for a moment, pushing? Oh. Jen Reid. She’s done
your work in the past?” She finally realized what Gabs had asked, the
moment having passed.



"Yeah...that was odd. Anyway… Jen's a good one. Total pro. Her lighting is
always set up right so there'll be no messing about."



“Lord Banowsky wants us doing a kissing scene so they can promote the hype?
You ready?” An impish, not Sienna smile. Sharp and a little silly. Puckish.
Not very kind.



Gabrielle sighed and laughed gently. "Oh sure." She said a hint of
amusement in her voice. "I kiss you now and who know what rumour starts."
She leant forward and gave Lina a friendly peck. " Besides." She waved at
her face. "Makeup."

(Reply None)
(Posted by Mark and Mel)
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