Moments Like These (Emma and River)

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Autumn checked her watch. The show was to start filming in an hour and a half, but people working behind the scenes, like herself, were quite busy. It was the first episode for the season and the crew had to ensure that tonight was going to be entertaining enough to get good ratings. The guests for tonight, River Blue Ashford and Emma Silvias , were already here and she wanted to see them before the show started. Autumn had already met both of them and was very excited to have them on the show.

She met River when running a few errands around the building. Autumn had previously heard that River was irritable and unsatisfied with his career thus far, but she wanted to give him a chance. Autumn could sympathize with him as she had several jobs in the past several years, and she, too, wanted to find the right kind of work. They became fast friends soon after once Autumn ran into him a few more times.

Autumn and Emmy met when she was on the show a while ago. Emmy had been on Code Blue and was brought onto the show to talk about her experience on set there. Emmy had been impossibly shy and it was Autumn's job to bring her onto the set of the talk show. As they walked to the set, Autumn got Emmy talking to her and they just clicked.

Autumn walked briskly through the halls, looking for both guests. She didn't have anything left to do, so she thought it would be a good idea to catch up with both of them. As she rounded a corner of one of the hallways, she soon saw both of her friends sitting in one of the common areas on set. Walking up to her friends, she sat in a chair near them. "Hey River, hey Emmy. It's been a long time. How are you guys doing?" Being with two of her favorite people made Autumn's day so much better.

[River Blue Ashford]

River tended to be a bit picky about the shows he was put on to plug any of the projects he was involved with. Some might say it made him difficult to work with but to River it was called having standards. He didn't want to go on a show to talk about things he didn't care about or smile real cheesy to the camera. There were issues that needed talking about (some as recent as the election) that needed solving and damnit.. As a non white male he needed to voice them! Someone had to. Despite the warning by his manager he marched up to the broadcast company and to his usual dressing room when he was a guest on this particular show (not that he got along with the host who was apparently seeing his cast mate @savannah). God he wanted to wring that man's neck. And he fully intended to but that plan went on the back burner once little Emma Silvias came rushing in through his dressing room door.

Out of pure coincidence the two of them had been on talk show bills the same day five times in the last year. The likelihood of that was astronomical but since it had happened they had kind of formed a weird little relationship between the bitter man and bright eyed little girl. He was shockingly good with her (something that blew his castmates' minds when they saw the pictures or tweets) and he had even bought her a Christmas gift last year. She even insisted on calling him Mister Blue (his middle name) and this was something he was all too happy to let her have. By the time Autumn reached them in the dressing room/common area Emmy was already in his lap quietly looking down at the big book (something about politics) that he was reading. Hearing their names they both looked up.

"Hey Autumn." River greeted, business as usual, Emmy meanwhile was grinning from ear to ear and gave her an excited look. "Mister Blue Man is reading to me!" River gave a knowing little smirk. "Indoctrinating her early." He swore  holding up the book for the host's assistant to see obviously kidding but hey.. who knew? It could be plausible. "Country's in the crapper. Could be better." Was River's usual answer to Autumn's usual question about how he was. Emmy however was far more forthcoming. "Good! My Uncle Billy is going to come watch I think if he has time!" She kicked her legs excitedly waiting for an answer. "Do Mister Blue Man and I get to play a game like last time?" The host always had some fun, child friendly (somewhat) on air game every time she was a guest.

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Autumn laughed at River's comment of indoctrinating Emmy early. Frankly, she wouldn't put it past him. She never knew what to expect with River, and this was no different. And him complaining (well, technically it was true) that the country was going downhill was typical, as he did it constantly. Despite him being coarse and somewhat rude when they first met, River's bluntness was growing on Autumn.

Emmy's Uncle Billy was William Skylar, an actor on Code Blue. Autumn had never met him before and had only seen pictures of him, but from what Emmy told her, he seemed like a good person. Autumn had walked past the line of people waiting to get into the studio to be part of the live audience, and was pretty sure she had caught a glimpse of William, which would definitely make Emmy happy.

Emmy and River were the most unlikely of friends due to River's perpetual bitterness and Emmy being a small, adorable child. Autumn fit into the group as the quiet one, as the others were either constantly voicing their opinion (River) or talking about something funny that happened on set (Emmy). They were an odd bunch, but it somehow worked.

Autumn smiled at remembering River and Emmy playing a game last time they were on the show. The game was a kid-friendly version of Pictionary with the guests playing against the host. It was extremely funny to watch River attempt to draw a spaceship, which ended up appearing more phallic than he intended. The audience obviously found it hilarious, as did Emmy, as she thought it was funny since the drawing was so horrible. Autumn actually wasn't sure of what the game was for tonight, as it was either a weird version of Go Fish or easy version of Family Feud. "I can't tell you what the game is. It would take away the surprise." Autumn shrugged. "But I think I did see Uncle Billy here earlier." Autumn smiled, then realized she had yet to address River. "And I see that your attempts of indoctrination aren't exactly working. I still have yet to decide whether or not you're a good influence."

[River Blue Ashford]

"Mister Blue Man and I are going to be on the same team though, right?" The little girl frowned a bit worried. She didn't need to worry long as River patted her back reassuringly. "Of course we're on the same team. I wouldn't play if we weren't. Right Autumn?" This was probably true. River wasn't one to degrade himself on a talk show just so middle aged women or teenagers staying up far too late could have a good giggle. He may have been a mope but he wasn't about to ruin a little girl's day. He did have a heart contrary to what others (or even himself) might say. Emmy smiled but was distracted by the mention of her Uncle. "You really saw Uncle Billy?!" Unlike the mention of her parents knowing her Uncle was nearby thrilled her.

"Maybe he can have some pizza." She looked up at River thoughtfully who winced. He really had been hoping she wouldn't blab about that one. Now he would have to fess up to Autumn. "I ordered a pie. Hope you don't mind." Most other assistants probably would but with Autumn they stood a better chance. She was very nice and understanding. Also it was just a pizza. A harmless pizza to make a little girl happy.. And he was hungry anyhow. His stomach and stubbornness always won out. "You can have some!" Emmy promised the late night assistant still smiling as she slid off of River's lap and hurried over to Autumn looking up at her. "There's twelve slices on the pie so Blue Man and I each get 6. You can have one of mine and one of his we'll still have..." Her brow furrowed as she tried to figure it out. River hid a chuckle behind his hand. "Six minus one is.." He lead her carefully from the comfort of his chair by the mirror. "Five!"

"Smart girl. Right?" River hid another smile as if it was unbecoming. 

[Michael Muir]

Sometimes, being old and out of touch had it's advantages. One being that in situations where famous people hated being recognized, you didn't know them in the first place to make the mistake of recognizing them. Something along those lines had happened when he had first started appearing on GNN a couple of years ago. Mike had been wandering around the studios trying to find the intern who claimed they had free snacks (that, ultimately, had turned out to be a lie, too!). Then all of the sudden, bam, he bumped into some fellow and struck up a conversation about how his sneaking suspicion that in fact, there were no free snacks. 


River and Michael had become instant friends. 


Later when he discovered the guy had been on some show years ago and now hosted another, it was...shocking. Yet  it did not tarnish the friendship they had established. 


What brought him here today? Simple: coffee mix up. He wasn't even quite sure if the guy drank coffee, but he thought he'd be cordial and offer. He had no idea of the taping schedule and was somehow able to wander onto set, looking around curiously until he spotted the drone he was looking for. 


"Shit-" This place is packed, huh? Is what he would have said, if he had not suddenly noticed their was a child amongst their presence for some reason. Flustered, Mike thought quickly, "-taki mushrooms are pretty great....anyway..." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. God, why was that kid so cute, too? It made him wish his daughters were incapable of growing up because there had been a day when they'd looked like that too. Just a few years and the grandson he had never met would be about that age, too. 

In one hand he had a cup of coffee from a fancy starbucks type place, local of course. He extended it to River. "It's still hot. Can't drink it black, they messed up my order pretty bad. It's like, you get in line, I tipped the guy and what, you're gonna give me this? I am not letting my hard earned money go to waste so you better be a caffeine consumer, chief." 

He gave a wave to the others in the group with a polite smile. "I'm Mike." Nobody watched GNN, at least not the boring segments that they had him on, so he was pretty sure nobody knew who the hell he was. 

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Autumn smiled sweetly at Emmy. "Of course you and Mister Blue will work together during the game! It would be more fun that way, wouldn't it?" She watched as Emmy's eyes lit up as she mentioned her Uncle. "Yeah, I saw him a while ago, in line to get a seat in the audience. When you're on set during the taping, you'll definitely see him!" After both River and Autumn offered her pizza, she shook her head no. "Thanks, but I've already eaten." She replied, grinning as Emmy did some basic addition. Emmy was young, but she was pretty smart for her age.

Autumn stood there, lost in thought for a second, then noticed an older man walking over to the group. He seemed vaguely familiar, but Autumn couldn't place his face. He might've been someone she was introduced to by her parents at the numerous dinner parties and such she was forced to go to. The man seemed to know River, and was even friendly with him, so obviously River approved of him. The man introduced himself as Mike, and Autumn smiled warmly at him in response. "I'm Autumn and I work here at The Late, Late Show as a personal assistant. Nice to meet you Mike."

Michael Muir River Blue Ashford

[River Blue Ashford]

"Thanks." River nodded toward Michael. Being good friends, one of the very few he had given how close to the chest he played things, there really was no need for the usual hey and how are yous? They both already knew how the other was... Probably grumpy and miserable about the state of the world and the hands they were dealt though River was doing fairly well hiding such a negative feeling from the little girl in the room. "Good thing it's hot or I'd have to send you back out for the glorious trek." He joked back lowly with a slight roll of his eyes as he took a sip of the black coffee. Bitter.. Just like him. Was there a better match ever made?

"Mike's been on the show once or twice. I think before you got here probably. He's the complainer." Introductions. He never liked them. Boring. Good thing that Autumn never seemed to make a big deal of them when he was around. Probably because as a late night show assistant she was probably used to them and even sick of them. "Is your name Mike Complainer?" Emmy squeaked out in question looking at the older man with her brow raised curiously. "From the mouths of babes." River swallowed a chuckle as he stood. God he wished he could have a beer before the show but with a kid around, in a professional atmosphere, it was less than appropriate and he actually could be bothered to care about it. "I'm going to call you that from now on." He warned his friend leaning against the makeup counter.