Full Moon Rising

Paige was never someone to propagate stereotypes by her own actions or otherwise. A creative freebird and learned thespian such as herself instinctively sought to branch out from the norm. Partaking in new ventures with reckless abandon and unapologetic intent towards steering clear of what could be considered clichéd. The slipshod appearance of her unconventional living quarters indeed providing ample truth of that from all of the scattered remnants of her overzealous hobbying. Paige indeed prided herself on being as far from typical as she possibly could...but how could she resist adopting the cuddly fluff-ball after first laying eyes upon him from a picture her friend texted to her?~...Her family once had a cat named Zeus who was about as obstinate and egotistic as one would expect with a name like that. But Paige grew to love him all the same, to the point she was the only one he would allow brush his hair.

Although never to his liking, Zeus was the only live audience she had for her puppet shows as a little tyke when her parents were too busy to play with her. Her other stuffed animals just didn't emote as well as the family cat did, even if it just did primarily consist of mewling meows, blinking, yawning and falling asleep. Silly as it sounded that was Paige's first experience working in front of a live audience, captive or not. Unfortunately, their relationship was too beautiful for this world as poor Zeus met his maker after...ironically enough, being struck by lightning while caught in a tree during one stormy night. A poignant and oddly poetic end, but Paige couldn't help but be reminded of that grumpy tabby when gazing into the eyes of the kittenish Hercules. So with a softened heart and a childhood history igniting feelings of nostalgia, Paige ultimately decided to become a pet owner once more at the risk of being dubbed a clichéd Cat Lady.

"I know, I know. You're thinking, frumpy somewhat middle-aged woman living alone...OF COURSE she has a cat. But I'll have you know that coming home to someone, even if it's just a cat, is actually quite the therapeutic pick-me-up after a stressful day on set or at the gym or whatever." Paige uttered whilst still in the kitchen and with her back still turned to the kitten carrying Lucia. Merrily putting on the finishing touches of the chicken parmigiana with adding seasonings and seamlessly multitasking when it came to continuing their conversation. "You know as an actress you do a lot of traveling and late night scene shoots. You dedicate SO MUCH of your life towards your craft. Sometimes it's just nice to have a bonafide travel companion to keep you company, and someone whose always happy that you're home. My friend has more kittens she's willing to part with if you're interested, just give me the ol' hollerino~..."

Turning off the stove with a twist of the knob, Paige began setting down the plates and placing silverware besides them both. The meal's presentation matching the richness of its succulent flavor and magnetic aroma drawing you towards it. Herbal seasonings dotted atop the melted cheese and sauce slathered chicken breast, thin glasses of red wine placed beside both dishes while Paige strolled to her Ipod stereo and scrolled through her playlist until she found some smooth Jazz to listen to and ensure there was no awkward silence in their conversation. Paige taking her seat and waving Lucia down. "Come on, sitsitsit. Loosen up and take a load off. Food's not gonna eat itself. Tell me all about what it's like being back on Hollywood. Whatcha bring in the duffel bag anyway? Hope you haven't been the one pilfering memorabilia off the set. Janice in the costume department would be pissed~..." Paige snickered while reaching behind her head to start re-arranging her hair into more of ponytail so it wouldn't be flowing everywhere. Hercules purposefully rolling the side of its furry side body against Lucia's foot after she took a seat before strolling back into the living room and it's basket within.

Lucia wasn't fond of people claiming to know what was going on in her head as if they knew her. The fact Bethany had hit the nail on the head though just made it that much more bothersome. It wasn't as if it had been an original thought though, all the signs were there. From the way, Bethany dressed, the numerous hobby touches around the apartment, and of course living alone with her cat. It all had been wrapped up in this old soul vibe the other actress threw out, making her seem older than she actually was. These were all the signs of someone who was lonely, or at least that is what Lucia assumed. Maybe it was just Lucia projecting her own loneliness onto the situation. She couldn't help but feel an underlying bitterness to it all, having expected the other woman to somehow be worse off.

She wasn't proud about feeling a bit annoyed to find Bethany lived a far more healthy and happy life than she had been. While the other actress seemed to just move through her successes and failures like water, Lucia by comparison was the contents of a bag of upended coal. She hadn't ever really moved past her one big break and every snag she hit along the way getting back to that singular point had broken her down and started to form cracks around who she was. In truth, she couldn't even remember the last time she was happy, truly happy.

"Hollerino…" She repeated in a sour mutter as if the word itself had attacked her senses and left a lingering taste in her mouth. It felt bad to stand here in this woman's kitchen after being invited into her home, offered food and help, to have the urge to tear her down with sarcasm and her usual terse nature. She found herself getting angry, not at the situation or Bethany, but herself for feeling that itch to sabotage everything with her own self-pity. When exactly had she gotten like this?

"...What? No, it's just my script." Among another set of casual clothes. She wasn't if she was going to wind up walking several blocks in the summer heat and really hadn't wanted to be drenched and looking like a hot mess if they were going to be reading lines for who even knew how long. Now that attention had been called to it though she felt the sudden need to be rid of it. Leaning out of the kitchen she unslung her bag, giving it a small toss to lay against the wall where hopefully neither woman would later trip on it.

"It's… good." There was some hesitation there and a cautious answer. If there was more to tell it seemed she was reserved enough to keep it to herself. She moved back into the kitchen, making her way to the unoccupied chair that had a place set in front of it, and slipped into her seat. Before she could settle in, the actress jumped at the sudden sensation against her leg, forgetting a cat was loitering around beneath her until she locked eyes to give Hercules a dirty look for spooking her. With a roll of her eyes, she turned back to Bethany  "Is someone actually stealing stuff from wardrobe? It's probably one of the director's entourage trying to make a decent buck instead of whatever those personal assistants scrape by on...."

"I don't take souvenirs until we wrap…" She admitted with a small smirk and a candid loft of an eyebrow Bethany's way, having a genuine sense of pride behind her words. "All that stuff gets thrown in a storage locker or broken down anyway. At least it has a better home with me. Honestly wish I nabbed my old sword from the television run. Saw it on eBay at some point when they liquidated everything having to do with it. Sad to see it being hawked with a bunch of the other stuff. The props for that show were better than the later movie…"

Bethany was indeed keenly aware of the optics of her living situation. Especially given that whenever she'd had her acting buddies over for script readings on their latest theatrical endeavor, which invariably devolved into up all night gabbing sessions about relationship gossip amidst mirthful laughter once the ladies got enough wine in their system, Beth would get the typical playful ribbing about how cluttered her old fashioned style household was becoming. And the adoption of her adorably fluffy Hercules opened the floodgates for sly poking and prodding about her impending Cat-Lady status. Well...one kitten does NOT a Cat-Lady make, she figured. Bethany is a consummate social butterfly who of course prefers the company of people over house cats. Besides, it takes about 3-4 cats at best to be branded with that label. Bethany just figured she should nip that irksome stereotype in the bud before Lucia starts getting the wrong idea about her.

"...*giggle*...me too." Lucia's sly smile was shared in kind as Beth continued going about tying up her hair into a ponytail behind her, appreciating the character trait they share. Too few and far between were the genuine similarities they shared~...even if this one was their proclivity for thievery while on the job. "Yeaaaaaaah, word around the set is someone's pilfering the odd knick knack here or there. Not just from wardrobe either. I hear they're gonna start being more diligent with security and what gets loaned out from the costume department. UGH. How unprofessional can you get to not even wait until the movie's in the can, you know?" Beth remarked with a guttural groan and emphatic roll of her eyes...while stealthily extending one of her legs to the side to begin discreetly sliding a cabinet door closed at her feet. Within which housed the snatched Full Moon paraphernalia in question. Bethany smiling innocently as her upper half suspiciously started leaning to the side before she abruptly straightened up to the closing shut of the cabinet door~...

The Herculean kitten at Lucia's feet seemingly unfrozen by the ice cold stare of the wolfen guest still attempting to shoo her off with foot nudging efforts. For reasons of cat-like curiosity, and perhaps hoping for the odd morsel of food to be accidentally plopped onto the flooring for her immediate consumption, Hercules continued hovering about the dining table until being jolted with a hopping flinch from Lucia flinging her tote bag back inside the living room. Off she immediately scampered out the kitchen to follow the origin of that thumping sound until coming across the tote bag and it's partially opened zipper. At first poking her head inside before scurrying the rest of her inside as well..."I'm sorry to hear about what became of the props from your T.V. show, although I think they found a better home than what became of Mistress Paige. On the day I shot the last appearance of my character, once it was a wrap I walked around the block and discovered all the set pieces for my villainous lair in a dumpster..."

Bethany glanced downward as her voice trailed off, not particularly proud of what ultimately became of her years of dedication to that television show, but breathing out a sigh as she finished tying up her hair. "BUT...what can you do except pick yourself up, wipe off the boot mark on your fanny, and get back on the acting grind ya know? I mean, look at us~...We're back in the limelight and on the cusp of delivering a genre-defining blockbuster...or at least that's what the tag-lines will say. So, Cheers!!!" A raising of her wine glass would be offered to Lucia to clank her own cup into, acting as the dinner bell as well as Beth began using her knife and fork to start cutting her into chicken."ALRIGHT...now why don't you tell me what's been eating you up inside? Ever since we started filming you've become even more of a grumpy sourpuss than normal. To the point where I've seen the crew practically jump into trash bins to avoid you on set."

Lucia affixed the hostess with a scrutinizing look, a feeling in her guts telling her the amount of ham on display at the moment was slightly suspicious. Ultimately it didn't matter who was taking notarized paper or studio-branded cups. All those studio heads had more money than god anyhow and could afford people scraping off the top. She just couldn’t stand the idea of someone taking her things. Costumes, props, whatever she was made to wear or handle. Those things carried a certain weight, a comfort reminiscent of the glory days she so desperately clawed for.

The aroma of breaded chicken and homemade marinara had been toying with her as they conversed, now getting the faintest rumble from her stomach. Eyes darted off to the side, freeing her co-star from any accusations of on-set theft. A gentle hint of color on her face, embarrassment. She hoped the other woman hadn’t heard that… Lucia was already grinding her teeth in annoyance for whatever small comment Bethany would make about it before it had been uttered. With a soft huff, the wolfen actress tugged at the baggy sleeves of her cropped hoodie, rolling each one back to her elbows, in turn, to keep them from dragging over her meal.

“Genre-defining, heh.” The Full Moon Rising series had done its fair share of transforming over the years. The original movie had been a campy fantasy trope film. Knights, castles, werewolf battle princesses… after that though the lines blurred and it became more convoluted. They were more modern-day, supernaturally action flicks with fast vehicles, brooding Dutch angles, and more guys than you could shake a stick at. This newest venture practically dipped into science fiction territory with its cyberpunk noir feel. If there was one thing she knew about this franchise it was that it wasn't going around defining anything but the outlines of well-formed plot holes. She still. loved it though, warts and all.

A toast? A drink sounded good right now. Eager fingers scooped the wine from the table, lifting it to gently tap Beth’s with a resonating clink of glass. She brought it to her lips immediately, taking just a small sip. A pleasant hum was a good endorsement as she held herself back from taking a larger less refined swig. Lucia covertly eyed the other woman from over the lip of her glass, gauging how she handled her drink. If Beth’s attentions were drawn away though, she would take that larger gulp.

“What? Nothing… Everything has been fine. I’m just… I get method on set. Really sink into the headspace of the character.” A feasible lie, her character was grim and brooding sure, but still managed to have charm. The stormcloud Bethany was rightly describing was wholly different and obvious to just about anyone who was around to witness it. She wasn't about to admit it though, the constant rewrites, the director seemingly hating her guts and playing favorites. Saying it out loud made it all the more real and coping with struggling with it felt like an admission of failure to the craft. She belonged here as a big name star, she fought so hard for it, she would endure whatever she had to to keep it. “You’re just falling victim to the on-set gossip mill. People are always trying to stir up drama. Don't worry, you’ll get used to it.”

"Jerry, listen. As the producer you know this better than me. The film's budget is on the cusp of becoming overblown. Every retake, each flubbed line is money burned to cinders in a puff of smoke. We may as well use actual cash to light the fire for the pyrotechnics, that's how bad we're burning through our funding right now. I'm trying to find this film's heart and soul, and she can't remember her dialogue worth a damn. We keep this up, and the studio's gonna scrap the whole fucking thing, and fire you, me, your dog, everyone. And I don't want that kinda blemish on my filmography, Jerry."

"You're overreacting again, Micheal. Besides she's the headlining star of the whole project. This film was never gonna make it out of the script writing phase if we didn't have her onboard. What are we gonna do, recast the lead actress and RESHOOT the whole freaking movie in mid-production? She's too ingrained into the franchise to cut her and social media will eat us alive anyway. We'll give her a few more weeks to see if she can right the ship. After that, I dunno. We'll do a multiverse angle and replace her with Charlize Theron or something. Come on, we're late. They need us in the editing room."



"...Oh, right of course. Gotta...Gotta steer clear of that on-set gossip..." Bethany's acting chops delivering a sterling performance as she diverted her attention towards the screen door of her terrace while imbibing in another sip of wine, the subtle action affording her more time to decide where best to steer the conversation without it veering off-road into a ditch. Keenly aware of her wolfie's on-set predicament but tactful enough not to spill the beans due to concern of amplifying her friend's stress levels about the matter. Customers don't come much pricklier than her wolfen co-star. Guarded within layers upon layers like onions in the hands of CGI ogres. Beth allowing silence to fall upon the conversation for the time being and act as a soft reset for their discussion, also the scrumptious meal wasn't going to eat itself. The savored deliciousness of the fried and marinated chicken breast satiating any rumbly tummy's within the room Bethany definitely overheard~...but midway through the meal a thought came to Beth, accompanied by a chuckled smirk. "You know...whenever I was auditioning for my early roles, my acting coach would call me and ask how I felt beforehand. I'd say Fine, or whatever...and she'd say...FINE? You know what FINE stands for? Freaked Out. Insecure. Neurotic. Emotional...and she was right on the money of course. Now I'm not saying you need to unlatch all those guarded gates of yours or anything, but it is just me and Hercules. I'm sure it's alright if you share a teeny bit of what's on your mind, right?"

“Yep.” Lucia responded flatly, more than happy to leave the conversation there regardless if Bethany believed her or not. She didn’t need an archaeologist attempting to unearth whatever bones she currently had buried. It was messy and would likely lead to only finding more skeletons hidden away than she cared to even admit dotted throughout her past. Trying to unpack why she was the way she was meant examining herself in the mirror and reflecting on the past. That was a hard pass. She preferred to embrace the good times and keep everything else tucked away neatly and in the darkest recesses of her mind where it couldn’t make her confront it. She hated feeling bad, especially when it was because of her own poor choices in life.

The awkward silence didn’t bother her. The soft clink of silverware as both women ate. The light music accompaniment. It gave her time to appreciate the home-cooked meal. She considered asking for the recipe… that was what people tended to do when they liked what someone else cooked for them after all, but she knew full well she wouldn’t be doing any cooking that didn’t include a microwave.

Lucia had almost finished her chicken, one of the last little morsels on a fork about to be sent past her lips when Beth started again and Lucia was stuck mid-motion listening. Once the intervention vibes hit her, she bit down on the chicken, chewing on it as she listened to what Bethany had to say. The wolfen actress gave a soft snort near the end, picking up her wine glass and polishing the red of the red off before finally speaking.

“Christ, leave the cat out of it.” She set the glass down, leaning back in her chair to look across the way at Beth. This was the part where she normally walked on these things, right out the door. It had been that way with her old ex and with her drinking, people reaching out to try and “help”. In the end, they were right and Lucia had been wrong. That didn’t make it feel like any less of a punch to the gut. How many people had she lost in her life who had genuinely cared about her due to her own stubbornness?

Her golden gaze fell on the other woman, fully intending to tell her it was none of her business and to fuck off… in a more polite and diplomatic way. Lucia had found herself getting stuck before even getting off the ground. Despite how grating the other woman could be, she was perhaps the first person in a long while that she could say continued as being a close friend. Even when the woman was downright embarrassing when they were around each other, she enjoyed her company. They played off of each other so well.

“...Hey, uh. Thanks. For the meal and the script read stuff. I just want you to know I really appreciate taking the time to… deal with this.” Lucia fanned her hands, gesturing to herself. “Things have been rougher than expected and I am adjusting… I don’t really want to talk about it though. I am actually going to be fine though.”

“Also Why freaked out and not just freaked? That's F.O.I.N.E.. What kind of shit advice was that, right?”  Lucia gave a small forced chuckle, reaching out to take her glass again and hold it towards Beth in a silent request to be refilled. There had been a peek inside, past the veils, but in the end, she couldn’t linger that at the end and had to bring it all back with a deflection.

Hercules making his scowling opinion known of Lucia's attempt at ixnaying the adorable cat from the conversation, affronted and offended as he bites into his favorite toy and pranced with a haughty gait out of the dining area into the living room. Bethany meanwhile staying behind and continuing to fight the good fight in spite of the barriers locked in place around her guarded wolfie, matching the dominatrix in terms of acting capabilities and conversational steering with how deftly she diverted the discussion from any more soul searching than she was comfortable with. Although Bethany somewhat understood Lucia's hesitance considering that she herself was not being exceptionally forthcoming with her knowledge of Lucia's precipitous status on the movie set, which was the underlying reason behind her insistence on delving further into her friend's acting woes aside from genuine concern. Sometimes you prefer to keep matters close to the chest if you feel it's for the greater good...but hope yet remained as Lucia thanked Beth for the meal and the concern she was showing. Genuine progress in their relationship...AH, may Beth's heart cease its fluttering frolicking as she envisioned tasting of her wolfie's lips once aga-

"HM?! Oh right, here you go~..." Beth's thought bubble being popped by Lucia's gestured request for a refill of her wine glass, merrily acquiescing before topping herself off as well. Appreciative of the slight progress they made but aware of the deflection and Lucia's continued usage of the "F" word."And hey, don't think of this as me dealing with you. I adore having you around, and I appreciate you letting me practice my hosting talents. But yeah, that whole phrase, ugh. She said it all the time. It was mainly her way of letting me know it was alright not to be calm and collected all the time, and how freeing it is to express yourself rather than let anxiety run rampant within your psyche. Silly notion, right?" Beth offering sage advice with a perky smile and cling of their wine glasses, drinking further and hoping that her directed messaging wasn't too obvious in its intended targeting. The scrumptious chicken parmigiana having been devoured in the next few minutes leaving stomachs full and appetites satiated. Bethany graciously taking Lucy's emptied plate before beginning to clean the dishes with a thorough wiping "Say, have you heard about any of the rumors regarding the marketing department? I think they might actually something awesome in store for you. LOTTA chatter about them being contact with the Friction GM for hours on end..." Bethany spreading her own gossip throughout the cleaning process with a melodic hum to her task.

“If you just wanted practice their are a lot of hapless young people who would no doubt be overjoyed at the thought of a free meal.” Lucia brought the crystalline glass to her lips, pausing a moment at the twinkling libations just beyond the edge. Perhaps it was time to stop now? She considered for the briefest of moments but when Bethany belabored the point of expressing oneself, she had opted to take that sip. Whatever had been cautioning her against such actions was dwarfed by the weight of emotional baggage.

“Hilarious.” The wolfen actress responded just as flatly as the deadpan look that accompanied it. When the meal had been tucked away and Lucia’s own plate thoroughly picked bare, she sat by and quietly watched Bethany work at gathering the dirty dishes and paired silverware. Lucia leaned back in her chair, allowing the hostess to easily reach past her before making her way over to start cleaning up.

Bethany was a good cook and a welcoming host, both had been a pleasant change of pace from what awaited back at her dreary apartment. Just the thought of their roles reversed sent a shiver up her spine. Dusty shelves and unwashed plates piled in the sink. At least now that they were stateside she had a cleaning service come in once a week to tidy up. Her apartment in Japan didn't fare quite so well. Unpacked boxes, a ceiling fan with a grimed-on layer of dust, and a leaning tower of unwashed plates had been left unattended for weeks prior to even leaving to come to shoot the movie. She had grown to despise chores from her previous relationship, such things had always been heaped at her feet with the expectation of getting done. Young and stupid as she was, she just assumed the duty out of misguided obligation. Watching Beth simply do it all so easily for the two of them made her feel quite childish of her to leave it neglected.

With a soft sigh, Lucia polished off the last of her glass of wine and scooted out of her chair. Lazily she padded across the kitchen, pulling up beside Bethany to set her glass in the sink next to the rest of the things to be cleaned. It was probably for the best she did not drink anything else tonight despite wanting to. She had been told on more than one occasion she was a nasty drunk, not that she remembered. With a light sway of her hips, she gave the other woman a bump.

“Move over, I’m drying.” It was the least she could do, reaching for the closest thing that passed as a dish towel and hoping that was its actual purpose. Rolling up her sleeves, she would get to work tending to whatever Bethany would hand her way, halving the burden of clean up. "I knew they were doing talks. I figured it was just for some ad reads or some stupid skit for the two of us to get aired. Haven't caught any real details."

Lucia may be surprised to know that the line for that free meal may not exactly be stretching down around the corner. Gracious and welcoming though Beth is in regards to her hosting duties, she'd be hesitant to admit that sometimes she can actually have issues finding willing houseguests to share her modest living quarters with. Friends canceling at the last minute through texting or making up excuses about ailing great uncles becoming unfortunately commonplace whenever Bethany attempted any social gatherings nowadays. Not that she had any evidence to prove this theory, but she wondered whenever she noticed co-workers ducking into janitor's closets as she approached with a gleaming smile and concert tickets...if she came off as just little...overbearing at times. The idea came to maybe ask Lucia about this as she scrubbed grease stains out of her frying pan with a brillo pad when all of sudden she'd be hipchecked out of her contemplative thought bubble and to the side of the sink. The nonchalant indifference of her wolfen oppositely mirrored by the starry-eyed infatuation beside her, thew smitten dominatrix biting her lower lip and internally squeed with an elated shiver at the continued genuine progress in their relationship~...

...BUT, she mustn't capitalize just yet. Doing so now would just scare off her wolfen prey. Bethany therefore regaining her composure with a rasped throat clearing as she lathered and washed the dinner platters. "...*AHEM*...Oh, nonono. I think this might be something bigger than any old photoshoot or publicity stunt. It's gotta be if it has Sir Maximilian Pegasus involved. You might be called upon to strap back on those fetching wrestling boots of yours. Lucia Lynch...A-list celebrity AND future World Champion. Has a nice ring to it, huh?" Beth coquettishly smirked with a sly nudge of her elbow against her co-star's side as she continued their dish-washing teamwork. The task taking a little longer to complete since some of her breakfast dishes lingered long with Hercules' feeding tray, but there was peaceful harmony that came through diligent cooperation and hard work. The grease on the pans being no match for their own elbow grease as the sink eventually became emptied with a silver sparkle, almost to Bethany's chagrin since it meant their time together may potentially be coming to a close. She dried her hands with an adjacent towel before striding over towards the kitchen counter/dinner table they'd just eaten from, taking a seat on its edge with a nimble hop.

"And you know...it's not like it isn't possible. You've got more going on for you than you may realize. Gorgeous in every way, mysterious, brooding, captivating, intelligent, dedicated to her acting craft, a great ass, and best of all, ME as your BFF. Sounds to me like you got all you need make this movie a blockbuster smash and moreso, Buster Brown~..." Paige smiled brightly while swaying her legs back and forth.

The frying pans were not the only thing that had been lathered up tonight, the glasses of wine had left a pleasant glow in Lucia’s cheeks. She hadn’t gone overboard but the alcohol had been front-loaded, her stomach still waiting for the only meal she had today to settle in. It helped she found Bethany far more manageable in these more intimate moments they had. Just the two of them chatting, be it at the convention, in their trailers, or here where it was just them… and a cat. She always felt on edge around people when Bethany was there, always a hair’s breadth from the woman doing something to embarrass her, oftentimes on purpose. It was so damn annoying, especially when image meant so much in this business.

She breathed out, not letting herself linger. She was overthinking again, ruining her own mood for no reason. Right here, right now, there were no problems aside from far too many pots and dishes to dry… Why had she agreed to this again? Stop it Lucia. “It's Kingsley I think,” she responded quietly as she dutifully stacked dried cookware. The reference soared well over her head. Lucia wasn’t well versed in much anime or even pop culture, mostly stuck in the fiction that surrounded her career and not much else when it came to nerd culture.

A-list celebrity. She thought on that point. Annoyed as she was with production woes, no matter how much she hated their director, this was being budgeted as a triple-A production. Technically her first. Perhaps that played a part in some of her woes. The expectations and how tight and impersonal things were. She recalled the old movies and how much fun they were. The atmosphere was far more laid back and she could name everyone on the crew. This bigger more corporate thing they were in felt so isolated by comparison with how many strangers seemed to be around her at all times with how large the crew and cast were. She made a soft thoughtful sound of surprise and clarity

“I guess.” She offered a noncommittal response, having lost part of what Bethany said when she went down her own mental rabbit hole. When the woman nudged her, she found herself nudging back with a soft smirk. She remained mostly quiet for the rest of their combined effort, speaking when spoken to but otherwise filling the empty time between drying with taking in the small details of the kitchen space she had missed earlier. When they were finally done, she hung the dish towel back from the hook she had first retrieved it from.

Rather than returning to the table, she had opted to remain behind, leaning against the countertops behind Bethany as they conversed. She was used to receiving flattery, but the unprompted list from Bethany brought a hint of red to her cheeks. She gave a soft chuckle, running a hand through her hair though went silent at the mention of her ass of all things. She glanced awkwardly over her shoulder though couldn't get a good look at it. She did have a nice ass… didn't she.

“I’ve also my ass, as great as it is, handed to me in the ring. One of those times by some part-time wrestler hack of an actress.” She teased in a tone that made it obvious that she didn’t believe the lobbed insult. She pushed off the counter making her way back to Bethany.

“I put in a lot of time into the acting business. I don’t claim to be the best to ever do it but I worked for it. My time in AFW… I don’t feel I’ve really done enough, nothing feels like organic growth.” The actress paused behind Bethany’s chair, reaching down to place her hands between the woman's collar and shoulder blades. It was light at first but her grip tightened, working her thumbs down into the other woman's muscle. She didn't have much to take away from her past disastrous relationship, other than how to give a good shoulder or back massage. It seemed like the least she could do for the woman who had slaved in the kitchen for her. She was casual about it, treating it more as an exchange of goods than anything more involved.

It took her a moment to remember “Buster Brown” was just a saying, thinking for the briefest moment Bethany had somehow dug up her birth name.  She shook her head and gave a small shrug as she worked to relieve the tension in Bethany’s shoulders. “We’ll see how we do when we premiere. Going in with tempered expectations saves on the heartache when the critics get to it… besides we aren’t even in the can yet. Too early to be doing victory laps. So let me ask you something. How does this compare to your old gig? I don’t know what the turnaround was for episodic filming for you but when I did tv stuff it was a fucking whirlwind schedule. Just banging stuff out.”