ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʜɪʟᴅ sᴛᴀʀ . . .

"It's truly an honor to have the opportunity to work alongside you, Nisha. I'm a huge fan of your work." Was there any chance of him even keeping his job long enough to be in the pilot if he didn't relax?

who me?

It hit like a truck nearly wiping the grin from her face, but she held it steady despite the slight twitch of her glossed lips. She knew that was coming in some form while on a new set, but it never made it easier to hear it. Not that it was as bad as the time someone referenced her passed mother, but it felt nearly as heavy with how she tried so damn hard to get away from it. But it seemed no matter what she did it'd always follow her-- like that one weird demon ghost thing from that one movie. Haunting her at every turn and location. It nearly made her sigh even with the hold of her smile, but she bit it back to instead press her lips a bit wider with a slight wrinkle of her nose. Feigning finding humor in it.

"Drew or Andrew, got it," she gave a nod then relaxed a bit as he began explaining how he was a fan. How it was an honor to work alongside her. It did warm her heart a bit after the ice overlap with the catchphrase-- meant the guy was maybe more genuine than sardonic about it. Didn't make hearing it any easier, but... she could let it slide, "That's very sweet of you to say. Thank you," she said it softly, genuinely herself before adding as a question, "And if I remember correctly-- this is your first big acting thing, right?" She wasn't too aware of everyone's portfolio, mind you, but she tried to know a thing or two as the "Velma" of the group.

when grace heard that nisha was going to be in this show with them, she felt a twist in her stomach. sure, they were friendly before, friends even, but where the fuck was nisha when everything was going to shit? there were plenty of people that didn't come to grace's defense when scandal after scandal piled up and that didn't bother or surprise them that much. but of all people, she thought that someone like nisha would understand. what it was like to grow up in the spotlight and have your life under a microscope. they thought the other would understand what it was like having so many expectations and responsibilities before you even reached puberty or had your first off screen kiss. but nisha had been silent the entire time.

Nisha had known Grace was going to be on the show with her prior to arriving for the reading of the pilot, but nothing could've prepared her for the tension that came with it. They were professional, mind you, very nose down and reading along at tones that were accurate to their characters in those moments. She was trying to be hopeful to some degree that Grace wouldn't hold too much resentment towards the lack of her presence over the years... but, that was truly hopeful thinking. It had never been intentional or anything against Grace, but she knew it didn't make that better or easier. She'd failed to step in, step up, and just... be a friend. She was so wrapped up in her own existence of proving she was more than who me? that it made her forget those that mattered. Like, well, Grace. Someone she'd once called a good and close friend.

She wasn't necessarily, in this moment, trying to seek Grace out when she came upon her. No. She'd been walking away from the hair trailer after a shot (or two) that made her stomach feel a little funky. She was going to try to find something to snack on in order to fix that, but instead came to a stop at the sight of the burnout her ex-friend. She paused in thought then stepped closer, braving the idea of speaking rather than succumbing to her anxieties of not. Grace spotted her and spoke with a bitterness that burned worse than the tequila going down earlier. She frowned a little herself, standing just a few feet off and shifting her weight from foot to foot. Her eyes dipped then lifted back up choosing to ignore the spat words in favor of a compliment and sentiment, "You did really great today, Grace. It... it was good seeing you." Even if you hate me.

Andrew stood in the corner of the large space, he'd been there so long that he almost seemed to be rooted in place. What he really wanted to do was dance, but what if he (literally or figuratively) stepped on someone's toes in the process? Whatever he did, he at least had to remain sober, for the sake of being in complete control of his actions. Getting fired because he drunkenly embarrassed himself in front of the director was not something he wanted to explain to his followers. Let alone his mom.

He didn't particularly want to be a wet blanket, either. Could he be fired for that? "Hey," he said to the nearest person, getting the word out before he could second guess himself again. His first instinct was to tell them that they did great today, but that felt like it could be misconstrued to be patronizing. "uh, are you enjoying the celebration?"

Nisha didn't mean to be so in her head, but she was trying to go over the day and the pilot read they had prior to this party. She'd found the pilot as fun as she had the first time she read it on her own, but being in a room with the rest of the cast? It'd been... good. She thought. She felt there was chemistry with the rest of the main gang and even Lark who played Thorn... who may be Velma's girlfriend? That was still not fully unlocked lore, but it was definitely a different take on the dynamics. She found it interesting, but was unsure the reception of it. Would (as her manager and her thought) be really good for her career or would it tank it? God, she didn't know for sure. A few crew members already recognized her from her time on Daddy Fix-It and made comments here or there, but she just smiled and played politely. Kill 'em with kindness type thing. She wasn't thinking about that though, instead still going over whether or not she'd actually done well today at the read. It wasn't until she heard someone greet her that she snapped out of her thoughts, eyes a little wide as she looked at the other, "Oh, hey--" his question gave her pause, reminding her fully where she was and what was happening around her. She glanced about with a nod, "Yeah, yeah I am," then brought her gaze back to him, trying to piece together who he was, "You're... Drew, right?"