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Anna sat back in her chair at the table as the cast gathered getting ready to start their table read for the new season’s pilot. Reaching out she took a sip of her tea as she thumbed through the script her parts highlighted in advance.


Thumbing through the Emily parts she read a few things, knowing that the season pilot always tended to key in a few things about the season for her character. Grinning she did what many celebrities did in this day and age. Covered up the need to know and took a selfie of the script cover with herself.


She smiled as the door opened and Samantha walked in. “Hey Sammy!” How have you been?” She had seen her really except for a couple public appearances since they had wrapped up the last season. Not that they weren't friendly at all just that they had both been busy during their off season. Besides it had only been a couple weeks since they had last seen each other.

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Sam was so excited to be back at the studio for another season of Our Chaotic Life. The past year had been such a whirlwind she was only just beginning to take it all in. She was now something of a celebrity, she couldn't quite believe it. All the promotion and events had been exciting, certainly, if a little overwhelming. before this all started, she had just been an aspiring broadway actress, she had no designs on being famous at all. But famous she had become, and if she was honest she didn't quite know what to do with it. She had been lucky to have a friend like Anna by her side in those moments. Having grown up in the Disney Channel, she had been surrounded by this sort of thing from a young age and knew exactly how to handle it. It was nice to have her around when she was unsure.

When she got to the USBC building, she was still quite early, so she popped into the coffee shop for a chocolate frappe and some small talk with the nice girl that was nearly always behind the counter when she was there. Jyothi her name was. Always really pleasant. Pleased with her beverage, she got into the elevator to go to the right floor for the show. It was nice to be back in the old routine of putting the show on. For the actors, that always started with the table read. She entered the room, and was happy to see Anna was here already. "Hey! I've been good thanks. How are you?" She greeted her friend.

[River Blue Ashford]

Aw crap. He didn't want to be back here. The summer had gone by way too fast for his liking. He'd rather be doing anything, even any small thing, he had done over his summer than be forced into this room reading this drivel. The canned laughter. He could almost hear it now as he sulked into the reading room the total opposite manner that he entered every scene of this show the first season (how the hell he had managed to muster up the energy to pop through each and every time to applause with wide eyes and a dumb look plastered on his face he had no idea.. oh yeah.. it was cause he was a good actor). He didn't even say hi to the two girls (because that's what they were compared to him: girls) and made a beeline for his usual spot at the table plopping down and pulling out his script from his backpack flipping it open and quickly thumbing through the pages. It would appear too quickly to read but River was a fast reader and skimming came natural when you had years of script reading experience under your belt.

He  was still in his navy blue blazer that he wore for an earlier morning show interview plugging the show (the studio had made him do it) and he had somehow managed to get away with wearing a political stance tshirt underneath with words of the constitution etched out in italic white writing (one of the dressers on the morning show had tried to pull the flaps of his blazer to block it but River refused). No one was going to tell him what to do. Usnavi. Usnavi. Usnavi. The lines raced past him. That was the only thing he liked about this show. He had a name that wasn't boring like Bill, or Chad, or Steve. He was Usnavi which was a name that reflected his heritage. Thank god for that at least.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Anna take a selfie with her script. Holy sh** he wanted a cigarette. He had quit as a teenager but ever since booking the show he had picked it back up again as a way to take time for himself and relieve stress. Was it time to leave yet? He sighed and buried his dark eyes in his script book once again.

OOC: Emma said I could throw him in here!))

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Anna smiled looking over at River entered but in his usual way he walked right on by. He wasn’t the friendliest of people but he was a good actor. That however didn’t mean Anna wasn’t determined to make a friend of him. Sure it would never be a close friend but she was aiming for sociable at least. “I’ve been good, finally moved into an apartment with a great view and plenty of space.” And a roommate but that was more for just having someone around.

Like River she had started out as a child actor but then he was the prior generation of shows in that regard. Anna however wasn’t bitter about it and didn’t mind talking about that show even if it was Disney. Smiling she called out across the table. “Hey River, morning. Saw you on that talk show this morning. I see you survived.”

[River Blue Ashford]

Wow. He had a lot of lines this episode. He noted that as he continued flipping through. He was always super prepared but with all the rewrites before the new season, with everyone being so scatter brained because of the summer holiday, it was hard to keep up. And it wasn't like the first season had ended on a cliff hanger or anything. It was all plot development. Cheesy plot development. God, what he wouldn't give for something with a message. With some weight! Something that wasn't cheap and predictable... Just like Anna trying to make conversation with him.

Once he heard her friendly voice his whole body hunched and tensed like someone was stabbing him all over with needles. "Morning." He was glad she didn't say good morning. Nothing was good. He didn't want this. He didn't need this. Not today. Not any day. Still, what had his manager said? He should try and play nice. Play nice... Ugh. He'd rather crawl into a cave and never come out. He could go his whole life without talking to these two girls. His manager had insisted though if he wanted to keep getting paid he should at least pretend. Pretend. He was good at that. Think of it as an acting gig within an acting gig. Sure. Great. Whatever. "Yeah well.." He shrugged his shoulders not really wanting to get too much into it. "I didn't walk off their set this time so there's that." He buried his eyes back in the script even going so far as to turn his back a little on the girls so he could both focus on his reading but also avoid them. His last visit to that morning show had been legendary because when someone kept pestering him about child acting and his old movies he had eventually told them to screw themselves and walked away mid live feed. He was "lucky the show kept him on" he was told. He should "be happy that they'd give you a shot". Yeah. Whatever.

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Anna smiled at that, knowing what River was referencing about walking off this time. It was well known around the set that he had nearly committed career suicide the last time he was on there by walking off. In a way they were exact opposites. He had taken the downward spiral many child stars took though he had continued acting. While Anna had stayed with her roots and people were still honestly waiting for the moment where she lost it and did something extreme. She was well aware that there were betting pools as to when that would happen and when she would shock people.

"Like I said you survived." She smiled and turned back to her own script for a moment. Now that the show had been picked up for two more seasons she could see the writers scrambling in this episode and most likely the next couple to add some real depth to their characters. While the show had good ratings and an amazing cast right now. The writing had been just a little weak. It would be interesting to see where this new season took them. Anna had to admit she was curious to see where they were going to bring Emily her character. Though she doubted it would be any time soon Emily was in a real relationship that lasted. "Anything good so far for Usnavi?" There was only so much they could do with a nerdy librarian before throwing a wrench into the works somehow.

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"Oh wow that sounds totally amazing. I'll have to come over sometime. I'll being cookies?" She offered, just totally inviting herself over to Anna's new place. She had a habit of worming her way into people's lives and just staying there. Most people didn't mind though.

And then, just when the mood of the room was looking to be nice, River walked in, Not only that. but he was looking predictably grumpy and already it was trying Sam's patience. It was baffling even to herself. Normally she could get along with pretty much anybody, but something about River just got under her skin. Maybe it was having to work with him every day in all his sulky glory, but she just couldn't take his attitude. She knew so many people that would give their right arm to be where he was, and would appreciate it ten times more. "Good morning River." Was all she said before opening her script and letting Anna attempt conversation with him. Those both had child stardom in common, and she could admit that she knew nothing about that life. But at least Anna seemed to be happy to be here.

[River Blue Ashford]

"Yeah. I guess I did. Physically anyways." He shrugged still angling his back toward the two young woman keeping his dark eyes focused on the writing of the script and turning the page to emphasize that he really didn't want to be spoken to by them outside of their lines (more of the same). Apparently, once again per usual, they didn't get the hint. They were still asking him questions. Wishing him good mornings. Ugh. "More of the same." That was the understatement of the century and he found it difficult to hide the disdain in his voice so he didn't even bother. "More of Usnavi bumbling in the door stating the obvious like an idiot." He cursed under his breath, truly frustrated that he might have to put up with YEARS of this (which he should have felt lucky that renewal wasn't a concern with this project), and closed the script pushing it away and crossing his arms over his chest as she looked out the window to the NYC skyline. It would be easy to jump.. But then who would feed his cat Chaucer at home?

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She smiled at Samantha at the idea of cookies. "That would be great. My uh roommate would enjoy them as well." She smiled at that. It was a bit strange having a roommate honestly but the whole point was for the social aspect. It certainly wasn't money. It really hadn't bothered her that Samantha had invited herself. In truth Anna had intended to invite her either way. Samantha just beat her to the planning.

She finally stopped talking with River for a moment as she glanced at her own script some more. "Oh! Emily's new boyfriend has a last name." They had actually counted how many supposed boyfriends Emily had that were never given last names.

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Sam wasn't surprised when she got no response from River. That was pretty standard. Welp, she had tried to be nice and he obviously wasn't going to have any of it during this season either. So she resisted the urge to roll her eyes and carried on looking at her script. What was it her mother always said? If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all. Sam had to remind herself of that often when faced with River.

"Oh! You found a room-mate?" Sam asked excitedly. She'd been following Anna trying to get herself situated for a while. She herself had found herself a nice apartment with a view of the park, and, most importantly, within easy reach of Broadway. When she first started earning a place like that had been one of her goals. It was somewhere she had dreamt of living when she was growing up in Queens.

When Anna said her character's boyfriend had a last name, she leant over her shoulder, looking at the page in question with interest. "Ooooh. I think that means he's gonna be around for a while." She speculated. if the character only had a first name, it was likely to be a cameo role. A surname was serious business. She idly flicked through her own script. "Meanwhile, Marissa is buying a goat." She added. She really did enjoy all the outrageous stuff she got to do whilst playing Marissa. But part of her did kind of long for a chance to play romance. Maybe one day.

[River Blue Ashford]

Those girls acting like a couple of high schoolers gabbing about things in, to him, sounded like a high pitched voice that grated on his last nerve. He was starting to get a headache just from being in the same room and with a sign he began to massage his temple. As much as he wanted to block both of them out he could still make out a word here, a phrase there. What he wouldn't give for silence until everyone else arrived. t goat? Ugh. It got worse with every passing episode. Was this really a plot point? Is this really what they were going to keep feeding the american people with the tool of media and performance that had been given to them? Garbage. Why not make something with a message? With staying power and a message far less fleeting than 'oh look at this silly fun'? He hungered for it.

Still, he'd do what he could to at least get these two to hush. "I, for one, am glad that they're getting more testosterone around here." He leaned back in his chair his dark eyes flashing toward the two girls. "I don't see why you guys would be so excited though. That means less lines doesn't it?" His voice hung in the air letting this idea linger. "There's already six of us in the main cast, yeah?" By the look of their faces they weren't putting it together. He sighed. He'd have to put two and two together for them. "If he has a last name and is staying for a while that means more scenes with him and whoever is playing his love interest which means less camera time for the other girls.." To emphasize this point his finger waved in the air before pointing at Sam. There. Now maybe she'd get it. Maybe THAT would give them something to chat about or maybe get mad about and end all of the chatting if he had his way.

"I'll give you a hint. It's not the goat." And with that he turned his back on them again once again burying himself in the script and beginning to pencil things in on the pages.

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“Yeah, you know how it is. I just wanted someone around. First choice might have been a pet but with my schedule I feel I’d end up neglecting them.” She was really just starting to gain momentum so besides this show she also had a few guest appearances and movie opportunities. There just wasn’t a way for her to feel right about having a living thing dependent on her right now. “I found someone I know who I trust that also needed a place and didn’t mind my schedule.”



She had to blink a little as Sam said her character was buying a goat. “A Goat? Do I want to know?” of course she would find out but a goat? She couldn’t help but roll her eyes at River’s comment however. “Yes there are six of us. And Emily’s new guy isn’t a main cast. But Sam's girl is getting a goat and they always do a good job of balancing the scenes between the mains throughout the season." They pretty much had to per contract. At least during the fist season so far they had done a good job of balancing the six of them even with the string of guest stars they had and were intertwined with.

She did grin at Sam about that. Sure the goat wasn't the same as a new love interest in the show but Anna wasn't worried. The writers and producers knew what they were doing.

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"That sounds ideal. Though actually, I'm quite happy with it being just me and Wizard at home." Sam replied to Anna. Wizard her adorable but grumpy old lump of a cat that she'd had since childhood. When she moved into the city proper, there was no way she was going to leave him behind. He was her best friend, of the four-legged variety anyway. He had been with her through the hardest times in her life, and she wasn't going to be without him on the next step of her journey. As far as a roommate was concerned, Sam wasn't really home enough to feel lonely. Perhaps she would be open to moving in with someone special, if she found the right guy.

And that guy, she vowed there and then, would be the exact opposite of the assbutt sitting across the table from her right now. It would seem the notion of a new love interest had actually woken him up, only now he was actively trying to push her buttons, rather than just being grumpy in her general area. Much to her chagrin, it was working. "If you want to waste your time counting how many seconds screen time you have, River, then go ahead. It honestly doesn't bother me one way or the other." She rebutted, trying to sound casual but it didn't entirely go over. It was true though, it didn't matter to her how long she was on screen for, she was just happy to be here. She quickly returned to her script, trying to block River's existence out for a brief moment and find out what Marissa was going to get up to with her goat.

[River Blue Ashford]

"Yeah. Goat and guy. Totally the same and equal." NOT! He rolled his eyes as he returned to fussing over his script. "They do that the first season because they have to figure out the flow but look at any ensemble show. It starts that way but by second and third season it starts to change. There's audience and writers' favorite then there's.." He didn't finish the sentence. Let her draw her own conclusions. Even though they were young women they could probably put it together without further help.

Wizard. now there was something he could handle hearing the two girls gab about as he owned a cat himself. What was that? Was Sam being snippy? His voice had at least been calm. Hers not so much. Good. Let her get worked up. It was fun to watch. "I don't have to worry about that." He said it so casually and with so much confidence that it had to be fact... But how did he know that? Simple. It was the rule of sitcoms. One guy played the straight man while the other two dudes buddied up for comedic relief. That had been the way since tv was invented. For some reason with women it was different. "It should matter. Makes it easier for them to write you off like on some sort of character sabbatical. You and the goat." He corrected her with a sigh and rose to his feet walking to the other side of the room to pour himself a coffee into a styrofoam cup.

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Yeah that sounded like Sam, happy and content to spend time with her cat. Granted Anna had met the cat so she had it admit it wasn’t a bad companion. It wasn’t perfect for Anna but it worked for Sam.



Inwardly she had to smile at Sam’s comment towards River. She really wasn’t sure what was up with him today but she certainly hoped that he wasn’t going to be like this all season. She wouldn’t say something like that to River but honestly she was glad that someone would voice it.



She just shook her head and buried her face in the script. As much sense as the script didn’t make in real life he was making less. Sure it was a sitcom and half the stuff was just over the top. But Sam and herself knew that a goat and a guy weren’t the same. But this was just the pilot and Sam’s character would get her moment to shine. “It’s only the season 2 pilot River. You know how these things work. By the end of the season everything for everyone will be different.”