The Firm

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30th September 1997 (Tuesday)

Daryl Schmidt (POV)

"I don't know if you heard. I am not at Shaffer anymore." 'Fletcher' explained.

'Andrew nodded neutrally, "Yeah, I did hear that. Did you quit?" His expression was neutral for the most part, but there was a hint of animosity buried deep within, traces of vindication in his eyes as awaited the answer he was already aware of.

'Fletcher' sighed, "Not exactly." He turned to look at 'Andrew', "Some parents got a kid from Sean Casey's year, I think… to say some things about me."

The camera facing 'Andrew' zoomed in a sliver, as 'Fletcher' continued, "Although why anybody would have anything… other than peaches and cream to say about me is a mystery." He remarked with sarcasm before grinning widely, as Andrew chuckled softly, both of them sharing a look of common understanding. "Yeah."

"That's a good laugh, right?" He asked.

"I'm sorry-" 'Andrew' said, before 'Fletcher' interrupted him, "No listen- I get it, I know I made enemies."

Andrew nodded lightly, pursing his lips slightly, as he elected to continue the farce.

"I'm conducting a little, though… So, they brought back the JVC fest this year. They got me an opening in a couple of weeks with a pro band."

"That's great."

"Yeah, it's alright." He nodded once, before continuing, "Truth is, I don't think people understood… what it was I was doing at Shaffer… I wasn't there to conduct. Any fucking moron can wave his arms and keep people in tempo- I was there, to push people beyond what's expected of them. I believe that is… an absolute necessity." He launched into a tirade… justifying his monstrous actions, rationalizing them to fit an ideal… a hypocrite of the highest order and yet, oddly persuasive. "Otherwise we're depriving the world of the next Louis Armstrong. The next Charlie Parker."

'Andrew' gave a hint of a smile, barely visible before squashing it in favor of listening to his former mentor's 'explanation'. "I told you about how Charlie Parker became Charlie Parker, right?"

"Jo Jones threw a cymbal at his head." Andrew replied without missing a beat.

"Exactly. Parker's a good kid, pretty young on the sax. Gets up to play at a cutting session, and he fucks it up… And Jones nearly decapitates him for it… And he's laughed off the stage. Cries himself to sleep that night, but the next morning, what does he do? He practices-" He abruptly stops as Ricky shakes his head.

"CUT! TAKE 27, AND THEN BACK FROM TOP EVERYONE!"

Oh fuck! Fuckin'... just when the fuck will he be satisfied huh? We've been doing this scene for 6 hours straight, and every single time from over the top, and not just- from the last camera cut!

I make my way to the table, only to see Ricky giving notes to Al, all the while Al pays rapt attention to him.

"-mix of emotions from anger and frustration, to a hint of vulnerability and sadness. The inner turmoil, and the conflicting emotions were spot on, but you went too deep in your vulnerable state. Terence Fletcher is conflicted sure, but not repentant in any way, so while he's slightly vulnerable, the simmering anger at the sight of his student, which is not visible at first, or even second glance but rather the third… try and work on that. That make any sense?" Ricky asks.

Al nodded in contemplation, "Yeah, that makes a lot of sense… I'm gonna head to that stage over there, just tell everyone to not interrupt me. I'm in character when the camera rolls, but you're telling me to alter it a little… I need some time, 10 minutes tops."

"Works for me. 10 minutes it is… and not a second more. We've only got 2 hours left Al, and another scene to shoot, so half an hour more for this one. You do your thing, I'll do mine, and we'll meet back here in 10 mins."

"Done."

They shook hands, before Al made his way to the elevated platform for the jazz band, and Ricky made his way to me.

"Hey Daryl. You got something for me?" He raised an eyebrow.

"As a matter of fact, yes, the 20 minute reel has been finalized… Though why you wanted it in the first place remains a mystery-" I begin, only to be interrupted by his sigh.

"I thought Missy would've told you."

"Oh actually, she had to postpone our talk yesterday due to some work that came up. I think she was interviewing people last I talked to Daisy."

He nodded in understanding, "Stagehands and assistants, the unsung heroes of our industry. Makes sense. Anyways, I'll fill you in. You remember day 4 of filming?"

"Bits and pieces yeah. I was only there for like, 5 minutes before you sent me off to prep the set for the next scene. What of it?"

"Well, me and Yash were brainstorming ideas for marketing, considering our FYC campaigns will be running later than that of the other contenders, and we came up with this cool thing… Yash is a genius by the way- anyways, it was like a trident, 3 prongs and all you know? Killing 3 birds with one stone kinda deal, and I decided to go all in."

I impatiently nod along, "Yeah-yeah, and?"

"... A short film. Just picture this Daryl. The shortfest scene is all dried up, barely 4 major fests in North America and all of a sudden… a 5th one. An ambitious man named Robert Arentz decided to fill the void, and so, the inaugural 'LA Shorts Fest' will be held this November, and our short film will open it. In a few years, it will be accredited by the Academy, and eventually be regarded as one of the largest shortfests in the world… and the first ever short to be screened, at the first ever fest… will be mine. The 'retrospective perspective' we call it, that's one bird. You following?"

"... Kind of, I get your idea but, what's the guarantee here? Like, why do you think it's gonna end up being big later on?" And the moment the words escaped my mouth did my brain catch up, as I very nearly slapped my face for asking such a stupid question.

"... Because LA is the heart of Hollywood Daryl… and this is the first ever shortfest to feature here." Ricky enunciated, looking at me weirdly (rightfully so), "They're not letting it die. Plus, I met Bobby-"

"Who?"

"... Robert Arentz… keep up dude." He shook his head before continuing, "I met him and he's a stand up guy. Got all the right connections, and he was bending over backwards to appease my every request… a lot of people are, after what happened at Venice- anyways, it's all good man. Now, the 2nd bird… if this film premieres after the short, then as per academy guidelines, it'll be counted as an adaptation and so-"

"Holy Shit." I exclaim, grasping a hint of his madness.

"Yep, that's one way to describe it-"

"HOLY SHIT! YOU-" I looked around before ducking my head and whispering, "both of them? Really? One fuckin' ceremony, and you're not willing to leave a single category untainted? Best Original for Good Will Hunting, and Best Adapted for this one? What the- you're a madman Ricky, pure and simple."

"I prefer perky actually-"

"Hold on… the category for best short film-"

"Yep."

"..."

"Yep."

"I didn't say anything."

He slung his arm around my neck before leaning in a little and whispering, "You don't have to verbalize in front of me to convey something Daryl… just think it. Chances are, I'll pick it up with a glance… a testament to how well I know you." He grinned, before slapping my back playfully.

"On a lighter note, how's your script coming along?"

Ricky Stirling (POV)

The moment I mentioned his script, he instantly perked up and frankly I can understand why.

You see, Daryl is a talented man, and by far terribly competent as an AD, but it's his lifelong dream to become a fully fledged director… and for that he began writing his own script sometime in Feb.

He didn't tell me until April, when he shoved it in front of my face with the look of an eager puppy, desperate for head scratches, but of course I subconsciously figured it out before March, what with his droopy eyes, long nights, and skittish behavior… and a healthy use of 'Observe'.

… I really gotta stop using that skill on everything and anything. At first, it used to be this great tool that allowed me to have a leg up on every situation I stumbled upon, and allowed me to instantly gain valuable insight into outright strangers without so much as a greeting.

But now… Sigh.

This world is so beautiful now that I have decided to slow down and enjoy it, rather than chase after my misguided attempts at crafting a perfect legacy… and 'Observe' is sapping it of all its glorious mystery.

Not to mention my absurdly high WIS and INT stats, which automatically process information at a speed hitherto unknown in history. It makes any conversation a chore, since every single statement, however seemingly natural at first glance, is a carefully crafted tool to manipulate the direction of said conversation and the worst bit… there is no longer a hint of conscious effort required in doing so.

It really makes me wish I could just toggle off my stats at will… someday, hopefully the Gamer allows it. Then again, I have no idea regarding the consequences such an action would cause, if any at all so… fingers crossed.

Daryl on the other hand, rattles off like no tomorrow, "So I scrapped the church scene completely, since you were right. I imagined it, and the tone was somehow always off, and the setup just didn't have a satisfying payoff, so I decided to exclude all religious elements and have the revelation take place in a neutral setting… I'm still trying to figure out where exactly-"

"Outside his daughter's school, while waiting with the other parents. You can use an off-beat element from any unassuming poster to stimulate the epiphany-"

"Thereby achieving the perfect flashback transition- OH YES! I can't-" That was all he managed to get out before bear-hugging me.

"I can't believe that never came to me Ricky, I just- thanks." He was clearly overjoyed with what he got.

For context, this is far from the first time I've helped him with the script in a substantial way, ranging from canceling scenes, to adding new ones, changing key aspects of the narration, to modifying the characterization… Long story short, he is going to give me a co-screenwriter credit when the movie gets made AND, I'll act out an extended cameo, for publicity if nothing else.

It's been his pet project for over 6 months, and he's had the idea in his head for well over a year. In fact, the only reason he didn't adapt it for his thesis film, was that he couldn't trim aspects of it to fit a shorter runtime, and he couldn't manage to secure the funding needed to capture his vision in its entirety.

A pity for him, sure but for me? An up and coming businessman with a newly inaugurated production house on the block? It was hilariously easy to convince him to let me produce his film, not only promising him significant creative control, but a far higher budget for production and marketing, than any other studio would even dare to imagine for a directorial debut.

And 'He Said, She Said', after some… changes, is a pretty solid concept for a movie, and if done right, has enormous potential to become a high grossing legal thriller, and would be a pretty nifty addition to Midas Productions' filmography…

Then again, the finished product is months away from even entering pre-production, so I'll take a step back to avoid building castles in the sky.

Anyways… Oh.

I freeze up all of a sudden, as Daryl's animated chatter comes to a gradual halt, before I hold up a megaphone and screech loudly… My voice being deceivingly melodious as well, due to a collective of skills designed to make my voice smoother than that of a nightingale. "EVERYONE BACK TO POSITIONS NOW!"

They all pause for a fraction of a second, before proceeding to systematically form lines to dispose of their coffee cups in waste paper baskets, the lines moving without a hitch… as I stood there watching them all like a proud mana hen.

"I turned their sloppy asses into that." I proudly remark, as Daryl just stares at the scene, amazed beyond belief.

I trained them well. They were after all my employees… When I got them, they were all untouched pieces of clay, but I-I alone molded them into the efficient machines they turn into, the moment they hear the sound of my voice.

Wasn't that arduous really, some light operant conditioning techniques, combined with my natural CHA and leadership skill, working in tandem with my ever-growing BIZ (Business Acumen) stat, it was easy enough.

Not creepy or scary in the slightest… perfectly normal really.

All companies do it… I think.