That old guy is humble-bragging right
The next day, the film crew had Avery Hayes booked solid.
Her schedule was packed from eight in the morning until three in the afternoon, all of it dedicated to shooting promotional photos.
Her character was a barbarian princess, and the look was fierce, bold makeup, bright red lips, and a costume of fur and rich, heavy fabric.
The effect was so convincing that just standing there, she captured the character's untamed spirit before she'd even spoken a line.
A few of the directors on set nodded to each other, clearly satisfied.
That afternoon, the on-set writer pulled Avery aside to go over the script and mark out her scenes. She was a little surprised; it wasn't the same writer who'd been at her audition. A clear sign Producer Sterling had already cleaned house.
The writer got straight to the point, explaining the core of the show and her character, Isolde. In the world of *Bones of Mountains and Rivers*, Isolde was essentially the secondary villain, serving as the muscle for the main antagonist, the Minister of Revenue.
The show itself, he explained, was about a group of veteran officials trying to save a dynasty on the brink of collapse.
War had broken out between the Central Plains and the neighboring Huihe.
After the Great General was killed in a skirmish and the army was routed, the Emperor of the Central Plains decided to sue for peace by marrying off a princess.
That's where Isolde came in. She arrived in the Central Plains on behalf of her father to oversee the marriage alliance and escort the annual tribute back to her own court.
But during her stay, she discovered the dynasty was rotten from the inside out.
The Emperor was a fool, and only a handful of loyalists, including the young general, Raphael Valenti, and the Fourth Prince, were desperately trying to hold the kingdom together.
The sharp-witted princess immediately saw an opportunity in the chaos.
Isolde began playing the old and new factions against each other, using her cunning to drive a wedge between the young general and the Fourth Prince.
Her plans were repeatedly thwarted, however, by a wily old official, the heroine's father, who wanted her dead before she could ever leave the Central Plains.
The man tasked with killing her? The show's male lead, General Raphael Valenti.
Isolde, just as clever, recognized that the young general would be a massive obstacle if the Huihe cavalry ever marched south.
Her first instinct was to strike him down before he became a problem.
The two of them became locked in a thrilling secret war, trading blows and victories in the shadows of the court.
In the end, Isolde managed to escape and return home, but not unscathed. A deadly poison was already coursing through her veins. She reported everything she'd learned to the Khatun, her nation's queen, who promptly decided to send troops south.
Knowing her time was short and burning with a desire for revenge, the princess rode out with the army. She was ultimately killed on the battlefield, struck down by the young general himself.
But as she lay dying, the image that filled her mind wasn't the Northern Wastes where she grew up or the campfires of her royal tent.
It was the silhouette of a man in black armor, a silver spear in his hand, standing on the capital wall just before she fled.
That memory blurred into the face of the man whose spear was now piercing her chest.
With a faint, sad smile, she closed her eyes.
She was an incredibly complex character. She had no romance plotline, but that final vision added a layer of mystery to her fated, hostile relationship with the general, leaving the audience to wonder what could have been.
Avery's scenes were scheduled in three blocks.
The first was at the capital palace set.
The second would be a mix of on-location shoots and studio work, covering the grassland tribal scenes, horseback riding, and fight sequences.
The riding wasn't an issue; Avery already knew how.
Ascot Legal Partners made sure all their attorneys could handle the schmoozing that came with the job, and that included a few equestrian events.
The third and final block would cover the story's climax and her character's end.
Because her scenes were scattered across the production schedule, she'd be on the *Bones of Mountains and Rivers* set for a full month.
Avery spent two hours breaking down the script and mapping out the logic behind Isolde's every move.
After the writer left, she grabbed her copy and headed downstairs to find Alden Pierce.
She needed his help polishing her performance.
For her first scene the next day, she wanted to perfectly capture the way this foreign princess hid her sharp, calculating mind behind every glance.
Shane Croft had picked Alden up that morning and dropped him off before heading out, so he was probably already in California. And Alden, a veteran actor, understood the script on a level Avery knew she couldn't reach as a newcomer.
The moment they started running the scene, he pinpointed the problem.
"You've got the power down, no question," he said, "but you're missing something crucial. The Huihe are victorious, yes, but Isolde is in a foreign land, surrounded by enemies. She can carry herself like a princess, but she has to be restrained. For this scene, you don't need aggression.
You need sophistication."
He leaned forward. "Soften your eyes a bit. Right now, you look like you're about to assassinate the emperor."
It was rare for Alden to get a real chance to critique her, and he was practically buzzing with energy.
He'd been coaching her for nearly a month, and every time, she picked things up instantly, sometimes even building on his advice in ways that left him feeling a bit useless.
After feeling unneeded for so long, he was finally getting his moment. The teacher had something to teach.
But Avery didn't give him a chance to lecture.
The instant he finished speaking, the ferocity in her eyes vanished, replaced by the cool, calculating gaze of someone weighing an opponent's every word in a high-stakes negotiation.
"Better?" she asked, tilting her head. With a soft blink, she'd tucked away all that outward intensity, leaving only a hint of curiosity behind a mask of calm composure.
Alden stared at her, the rest of his advice dying in his throat. He glanced down at the script, then back up. "Yeah," he mumbled, trying to sound casual. "That's about right. That look is perfect."
He quickly moved on to the next scene. Avery had eight of them to shoot tomorrow; surely he'd get another chance to really test her.
He was trying to salvage a little pride, but Avery was completely unbothered, already deep inside her character's head.
No matter what adjustments Alden suggested for her expression or posture, she nailed it on the first try, every single time.
As far as Avery was concerned, her session with Alden was a huge success. Asking for his help had been the right move. Even though she understood the character, without him helping her fine-tune the details, she knew she's be looking at a dozen bad takes tomorrow.
Alden, on the other hand, was internally screaming. He was so exhausted by her flawless performance that he just wanted the "coaching" to be over.
Once they'd polished all eight scenes, Avery went back upstairs, feeling completely satisfied.
Meanwhile, Alden was glued to his phone, furiously texting an old friend.
He complained that this new actress he was coaching was some kind of genius who got everything instantly.
She learned so fast it gave him zero sense of accomplishment.
It was hard to tell if he was genuinely complaining or just humble-bragging.
Either way, at that exact moment, another veteran actor brought in to save the production was staring at the clueless rookie he was stuck with, so angry he was about to crush his phone.
*That old fool is totally humble-bragging, isn't he?*
After sending the text, Alden's eyebrows shot up. He started humming a little tune, the frustrated look from moments ago completely gone.
Clearly, he was in a very, very good mood.