Chapter 196: 196
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(cont'd)
"I really wanna do it dad. It's a great opportunity for me." Payew says in resolve.
"I… just don't feel you're ready." Kilat shakes her head, her voice starts trembling.
"Honey. I don't like it either, but the school seems prestigious." Liboo consoles Kilat.
"Not just any business school. It's one of the best in America." Tayaw says.
"Mom. Think about it. I'm already 17. I left home at 16 and I did just fine here in Ouigab. And, many people my age also go to college abroad." Payew says.
"I'm just worried that you'll be alone in New York, which isn't exactly as safe as Ouigab. Oh! And the guns! Oh, the guns!" Kilat says worriedly.
"Mom. True. New York isn't as safe as here, but the parts of where the university and where Payew will stay in, is just as safe as Ouigab." Tayaw argues.
"Wasn't Tayaw 16 when he left home? He even lived alone in a big house by himself before his band moved in… Payew will be fine." Agew cuts in.
Kilat gives Agew a warning glare, but the next moment, she found Agew's and Tayaw's words reasonable.
"Wow. It's been that long already?" Tayaw on the other hand, is surprised by how time passed him by. Tayaw's question to himself somehow cuts Kilat's worries for Payew.
"Haha.." Liboo chuckles. "Honey. 3 years is a short time and even Tayaw didn't realize. 4 years will soon pass too and we have a son with a business degree then." Liboo says to Kilat, his words enough to put her worries in the back of her mind.
"Let's get one important thing out of the way…" Liboo changes the subject, his seriousness getting the family's attention.
"When are you kids planning to leave?" Liboo asks.
"I'm actually leaving tonight. I have an urgent business to attend to. That was what the phone call was about earlier." Tayaw explains. Kilat nods and the family lets Tayaw continue.
"After my business there, I'll be back immediately to pick Payew up. It's better if Payew meet me at Kangpan so I don't have to come back up to Okuba." Tayaw says.
"Wait. How about his student visa?" Kilat asks.
"All done, mom. All Tayaw's work. Probably bribed some officials to make it quick." Payew says.
"! *cough*" Tayaw does not confirm or deny.
Kilat and Liboo give Tayaw a questioning glare, figuring that Payew must have received the acceptance letter a few weeks earlier considering there's enough time to have a student visa be approved.
"The more important question is, why are you kids in a hurry? Payew, you will barely have enough time to pack up." Liboo says.
Payew also realizes how fast things could be from Tayaw's plans.
"Oh. Don't worry. I'll just bring him there to look for an apartment, hang out a bit, and we'll be back immediately, continuing our vacation at home." Tayaw says.
"Phew." Payew sighs in relief.
"That's good. That's good." Kilat says, having more time to spend with Payew.
"I'll drive him to Kangpan then." Liboo agrees to the plan.
~~~~~
~~~~~
~~~~~
June 5, 2013 – Wednesday 1 pm – Mercer Street, Manhattan, New York
*Slam* *Slam* Tayaw and Payew get out of the car after parking in front of a neat looking, orange brick apartment building. The orange is only for design however.
"Here's where I'm staying?" Payew asks, dumbfounded.
"Yeah. Problem?" Tayaw asks.
"Dude. Am I crazy? Or that's the street going to NYU over there…" Payew points at the cross street going to West 3rd street.
"Oh? Okay… You already know your way around." Tayaw chuckles.
"I used Google Streetview... Anyways. Isn't this place too close? That's a minute walk to school man…" Payew complains.
"It's for your safety buddy. And, you don't have your driver's license yet to drive around." Tayaw says.
"True.." Payew nods.
"Let's go up?" Tayaw says and he leads Payew inside the building.
A minute later, Tayaw opens the door of the 12th floor apartment unit he bought for Payew.
"Okay. So this is the kitchen on left, laundry on the right. Ahead is the –" Tayaw starts introducing but is interrupted by Payew.
"Hold on man. I thought this was a student dorm?" Payew says, shocked as he proceeds to the spacious dining area and living room.
"How big is this apartment?" Payew asks.
"Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen, dining area, and living room… Combined area? 9 x 9 meters." Tayaw says.
"Damn. It's wider than our house in Okuba." Payew is dumbfounded.
"This is just one floor, our house has two." Tayaw 'argues'.
"Whatever. It's too big for me. Too big to clean too." Payew shakes his head.
"Hey. Mom and Dad definitely want to visit sometime. Also, I need to crash somewhere when I'm visiting New York City." Tayaw says.
"Alright… fine." Payew accepts and takes a deep breath as he takes a closer look around the apartment.
A few minutes later, Payew is done looking around.
"You know, I already think I'm gonna miss this place. I probably won't be able to afford a place like this once I enter the workforce." Payew says.
*pat* *pat* Tayaw pats Payews back.
"Work hard, buddy. Buy it from me someday." Tayaw grins.
"And I don't think it won't take long before you do. Phil has good impressions about you." Tayaw adds.
"About Phil!... I know you said you have friends here but I didn't expect you'd introduce me to the CEO of Pink Apron himself!" Payew says, reminded of his disbelief earlier in the Pink Apron headquarters.
"You've heard of them? We don't have Pink Apron at home." Tayaw asks.
"They advertise a lot through American podcasters and youtubers. Anyway, now I'm scared I might just get in his way. What if I do something that will lose them money?" Payew says in worry.
"Oh. Don't worry about it. Phil told me that he'll just let you watch, or have you by his side as an unpaid intern." Tayaw says.
"That's good. I still get to learn, which is the most important." Payew nods.
"BUT. He also told me that when he thinks he finds you useful, he just might give you some responsibilities. Who knows? Maybe you can actually start making good money at Pink Apron before you even graduate uni." Tayaw says, bringing the pressure back on Payew.
"...Then wouldn't that be nepotism? Haha." Payew chuckles guiltily.
"Maybe. Nepotism will have something to do with it. But if he actually finds you deserving of whatever, then that's meritocracy. You just have a higher starting point than others. Either way, it's Phil's decision and he's the boss. He can do whatever he wants." Tayaw shrugs.
"How'd you convince him to take me in by the way? Does he owe you or something?" Payew asks.
"Heh. Yeah. Big time." Tayaw says, not bothering to explain any further.
"I'm not even going to ask." Payew shakes his head.
The things Tayaw told Payew as Phil's 'Arrangements' are actually not Phil's ideas at all, but Tayaw's.
"So, what do we do now? We go back home?" Payew asks.
"Nah. We go to LA tomorrow." Tayaw says.
"Cool… What do we do there?" Payew is excited to see the famed film capital of the world.
"I'm going on a talk show." Tayaw says.
"Is it that Aiden show again?" Payew asks.
"Yeah. He's the only talk show host I like." Tayaw says.
"Cool!~… Do I get to be in the audience?" Payew asks, his excitement increasing.
"Hm. That goes without saying." Tayaw nods.
"Nice…" Payew is pleased.
"Anyways. Aside from that, have you heard of Pixie Studios?" Tayaw asks.
"No." Payew shakes his head.
"An animation studio. It makes 3d animated films for kids. You might have seen one of their films." Tayaw says.
"Okay. We'll go there too?" Payew asks, getting more excited at the things he will go to the next day.
"Yeah. I'm consulting. If you want, I can talk to them into having you intern there on August before school starts." Tayaw says.
"Don't tell me… Another friend?" Payew asks, his excitement replaced by pressure.
"Not really. But they're actually making the animated version of my fairy tales." Tayaw says.
"So, nepotism again?" Payew jokes around this time.
"Yes. Haha. Do you want to work there just for a few weeks?" Tayaw asks.
"Yeah… But, is it like what I'll do for Phil?" Payew asks.
"Yeah. Don't worry. And, it's a temporary internship job once every summer, if it suits your schedule. I asked them if you can intern with them as long as they're working on a movie based on my book, and they said yes. But. You don't have to if you don't want to. I'm just giving you an opportunity for experience." Tayaw says, not saying the whole truth.
Three days ago, he managed to finally become a co-owner of Pixie studios, owning 49% of the company. While Tayaw did not become the majority owner, Pixie's other owners/ founders welcomed him with open arms. This great welcome is influenced by a few things. One, the owners realized that Tayaw's name and TLD Grimmauld's legal name that they signed with almost three years ago for 'Grimm's Fairy Tales – Vol 1', is one and the same. Two, the other owners are also passionate in making good animated films and Tayaw joining their ranks will help immensely. Three, they are greatly impressed by Tayaw's future plans for the company. Fourth, they also figured out that Tayaw is the same award-winning 'Isaac Yawat'. Finally, and most important of all, the owners will make sure to treat Tayaw most fairly and provide him some privileges or else they can say goodbye to getting the movie rights of TLD Grimmauld's other existing works or his future ones.
"I actually want you to experience office politics there. It's gonna be ugly, you might not like some things you will see, but it's something you won't learn at school. Pixie isn't as cutthroat as other companies, but you will have a taste of how cutthroat business really is there." Tayaw says.
"…" Payew hearing this, gets his hesitance replaced by excitement and hunger for drama.
Tayaw's shareholder representative – slash – manager, will be the one who Payew will actually work under.
"Anyways. So, lunch? Do we dine in, or order take out over the phone? There's a LOT of restaurants around here." Tayaw changes the subject.
~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~
1 PM - Somewhere in the Australian outback.
*VROOM* *SCCCRR*
A tour bus full of passengers stops in front of a makeshift town of trailers and tents. Unlike the usual excitement and curiosity found inside a tour bus, the passengers of this special tour bus are oddly silent, their anxiety and uncertainty palpable in the air.
"Alright. Now that you've seen where we will spend our time in the next few months, I understand if you're all scared." Gary addresses the other passengers in the bus.
"…" The passengers have no response.
The passengers, which are the cast and crew who will work in 'Australia', have just finished hopping from one film location to another, led by Gary, Helena and Xiao Song.
"Poisonous bugs, poisonous snakes, dangerous animals, hot weather. Rest assured there are medics on standby with antidotes and emergency care. However, if any of you, ladies and gentlemen, back out now, we would understand." Xiao Song says.
"Nathan. Damien. Claire. You three especially have your looks as your moneymakers. This is your last chance to leave." Gary adds.
Nathan, Damien, and Claire however, quickly get over their fears and have shrugged off their worries about the dangers that they may face while shooting the film.
"There's no way I'm giving my role to someone else." Damien says, his decision final.
"This is the first role I REALLY want. I'm not leaving either." Nathan says in resolve.
"I've prepared for this role since January. No way I'm not going all in." Claire, despite still having reservations, also decides to continue with her work.
The crew and supporting cast, seeing the resolve of the leading actors, also decide to stay.
"Good." Gary smiles in relief and satisfaction.
"Question!" Nathan raises his hand suddenly.
"I heard you also have Isaac as another co-director. Will he join us here?" He asks.
"I wanna meet him too. According to Claire here, he might really help us with our roles." Damien says, hungry to learn.
"Yes. He's working on the film. Him coming here? I don't think so." Gary says.
This makes Nathan, Claire, and Damien disappointed, and the crew enter into a chatter.
"BUT! He's already contributed more than enough, more than you all might think." Xiao Song says. This silences the chatter.
"Besides. The kid's got marketing to do with his film." Gary concludes.
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
(cont'd)
"I really wanna do it dad. It's a great opportunity for me." Payew says in resolve.
"I… just don't feel you're ready." Kilat shakes her head, her voice starts trembling.
"Honey. I don't like it either, but the school seems prestigious." Liboo consoles Kilat.
"Not just any business school. It's one of the best in America." Tayaw says.
"Mom. Think about it. I'm already 17. I left home at 16 and I did just fine here in Ouigab. And, many people my age also go to college abroad." Payew says.
"I'm just worried that you'll be alone in New York, which isn't exactly as safe as Ouigab. Oh! And the guns! Oh, the guns!" Kilat says worriedly.
"Mom. True. New York isn't as safe as here, but the parts of where the university and where Payew will stay in, is just as safe as Ouigab." Tayaw argues.
"Wasn't Tayaw 16 when he left home? He even lived alone in a big house by himself before his band moved in… Payew will be fine." Agew cuts in.
Kilat gives Agew a warning glare, but the next moment, she found Agew's and Tayaw's words reasonable.
"Wow. It's been that long already?" Tayaw on the other hand, is surprised by how time passed him by. Tayaw's question to himself somehow cuts Kilat's worries for Payew.
"Haha.." Liboo chuckles. "Honey. 3 years is a short time and even Tayaw didn't realize. 4 years will soon pass too and we have a son with a business degree then." Liboo says to Kilat, his words enough to put her worries in the back of her mind.
"Let's get one important thing out of the way…" Liboo changes the subject, his seriousness getting the family's attention.
"When are you kids planning to leave?" Liboo asks.
"I'm actually leaving tonight. I have an urgent business to attend to. That was what the phone call was about earlier." Tayaw explains. Kilat nods and the family lets Tayaw continue.
"After my business there, I'll be back immediately to pick Payew up. It's better if Payew meet me at Kangpan so I don't have to come back up to Okuba." Tayaw says.
"Wait. How about his student visa?" Kilat asks.
"All done, mom. All Tayaw's work. Probably bribed some officials to make it quick." Payew says.
"! *cough*" Tayaw does not confirm or deny.
Kilat and Liboo give Tayaw a questioning glare, figuring that Payew must have received the acceptance letter a few weeks earlier considering there's enough time to have a student visa be approved.
"The more important question is, why are you kids in a hurry? Payew, you will barely have enough time to pack up." Liboo says.
Payew also realizes how fast things could be from Tayaw's plans.
"Oh. Don't worry. I'll just bring him there to look for an apartment, hang out a bit, and we'll be back immediately, continuing our vacation at home." Tayaw says.
"Phew." Payew sighs in relief.
"That's good. That's good." Kilat says, having more time to spend with Payew.
"I'll drive him to Kangpan then." Liboo agrees to the plan.
~~~~~
~~~~~
~~~~~
June 5, 2013 – Wednesday 1 pm – Mercer Street, Manhattan, New York
*Slam* *Slam* Tayaw and Payew get out of the car after parking in front of a neat looking, orange brick apartment building. The orange is only for design however.
"Here's where I'm staying?" Payew asks, dumbfounded.
"Yeah. Problem?" Tayaw asks.
"Dude. Am I crazy? Or that's the street going to NYU over there…" Payew points at the cross street going to West 3rd street.
"Oh? Okay… You already know your way around." Tayaw chuckles.
"I used Google Streetview... Anyways. Isn't this place too close? That's a minute walk to school man…" Payew complains.
"It's for your safety buddy. And, you don't have your driver's license yet to drive around." Tayaw says.
"True.." Payew nods.
"Let's go up?" Tayaw says and he leads Payew inside the building.
A minute later, Tayaw opens the door of the 12th floor apartment unit he bought for Payew.
"Okay. So this is the kitchen on left, laundry on the right. Ahead is the –" Tayaw starts introducing but is interrupted by Payew.
"Hold on man. I thought this was a student dorm?" Payew says, shocked as he proceeds to the spacious dining area and living room.
"How big is this apartment?" Payew asks.
"Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen, dining area, and living room… Combined area? 9 x 9 meters." Tayaw says.
"Damn. It's wider than our house in Okuba." Payew is dumbfounded.
"This is just one floor, our house has two." Tayaw 'argues'.
"Whatever. It's too big for me. Too big to clean too." Payew shakes his head.
"Hey. Mom and Dad definitely want to visit sometime. Also, I need to crash somewhere when I'm visiting New York City." Tayaw says.
"Alright… fine." Payew accepts and takes a deep breath as he takes a closer look around the apartment.
A few minutes later, Payew is done looking around.
"You know, I already think I'm gonna miss this place. I probably won't be able to afford a place like this once I enter the workforce." Payew says.
*pat* *pat* Tayaw pats Payews back.
"Work hard, buddy. Buy it from me someday." Tayaw grins.
"And I don't think it won't take long before you do. Phil has good impressions about you." Tayaw adds.
"About Phil!... I know you said you have friends here but I didn't expect you'd introduce me to the CEO of Pink Apron himself!" Payew says, reminded of his disbelief earlier in the Pink Apron headquarters.
"You've heard of them? We don't have Pink Apron at home." Tayaw asks.
"They advertise a lot through American podcasters and youtubers. Anyway, now I'm scared I might just get in his way. What if I do something that will lose them money?" Payew says in worry.
"Oh. Don't worry about it. Phil told me that he'll just let you watch, or have you by his side as an unpaid intern." Tayaw says.
"That's good. I still get to learn, which is the most important." Payew nods.
"BUT. He also told me that when he thinks he finds you useful, he just might give you some responsibilities. Who knows? Maybe you can actually start making good money at Pink Apron before you even graduate uni." Tayaw says, bringing the pressure back on Payew.
"...Then wouldn't that be nepotism? Haha." Payew chuckles guiltily.
"Maybe. Nepotism will have something to do with it. But if he actually finds you deserving of whatever, then that's meritocracy. You just have a higher starting point than others. Either way, it's Phil's decision and he's the boss. He can do whatever he wants." Tayaw shrugs.
"How'd you convince him to take me in by the way? Does he owe you or something?" Payew asks.
"Heh. Yeah. Big time." Tayaw says, not bothering to explain any further.
"I'm not even going to ask." Payew shakes his head.
The things Tayaw told Payew as Phil's 'Arrangements' are actually not Phil's ideas at all, but Tayaw's.
"So, what do we do now? We go back home?" Payew asks.
"Nah. We go to LA tomorrow." Tayaw says.
"Cool… What do we do there?" Payew is excited to see the famed film capital of the world.
"I'm going on a talk show." Tayaw says.
"Is it that Aiden show again?" Payew asks.
"Yeah. He's the only talk show host I like." Tayaw says.
"Cool!~… Do I get to be in the audience?" Payew asks, his excitement increasing.
"Hm. That goes without saying." Tayaw nods.
"Nice…" Payew is pleased.
"Anyways. Aside from that, have you heard of Pixie Studios?" Tayaw asks.
"No." Payew shakes his head.
"An animation studio. It makes 3d animated films for kids. You might have seen one of their films." Tayaw says.
"Okay. We'll go there too?" Payew asks, getting more excited at the things he will go to the next day.
"Yeah. I'm consulting. If you want, I can talk to them into having you intern there on August before school starts." Tayaw says.
"Don't tell me… Another friend?" Payew asks, his excitement replaced by pressure.
"Not really. But they're actually making the animated version of my fairy tales." Tayaw says.
"So, nepotism again?" Payew jokes around this time.
"Yes. Haha. Do you want to work there just for a few weeks?" Tayaw asks.
"Yeah… But, is it like what I'll do for Phil?" Payew asks.
"Yeah. Don't worry. And, it's a temporary internship job once every summer, if it suits your schedule. I asked them if you can intern with them as long as they're working on a movie based on my book, and they said yes. But. You don't have to if you don't want to. I'm just giving you an opportunity for experience." Tayaw says, not saying the whole truth.
Three days ago, he managed to finally become a co-owner of Pixie studios, owning 49% of the company. While Tayaw did not become the majority owner, Pixie's other owners/ founders welcomed him with open arms. This great welcome is influenced by a few things. One, the owners realized that Tayaw's name and TLD Grimmauld's legal name that they signed with almost three years ago for 'Grimm's Fairy Tales – Vol 1', is one and the same. Two, the other owners are also passionate in making good animated films and Tayaw joining their ranks will help immensely. Three, they are greatly impressed by Tayaw's future plans for the company. Fourth, they also figured out that Tayaw is the same award-winning 'Isaac Yawat'. Finally, and most important of all, the owners will make sure to treat Tayaw most fairly and provide him some privileges or else they can say goodbye to getting the movie rights of TLD Grimmauld's other existing works or his future ones.
"I actually want you to experience office politics there. It's gonna be ugly, you might not like some things you will see, but it's something you won't learn at school. Pixie isn't as cutthroat as other companies, but you will have a taste of how cutthroat business really is there." Tayaw says.
"…" Payew hearing this, gets his hesitance replaced by excitement and hunger for drama.
Tayaw's shareholder representative – slash – manager, will be the one who Payew will actually work under.
"Anyways. So, lunch? Do we dine in, or order take out over the phone? There's a LOT of restaurants around here." Tayaw changes the subject.
~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~
1 PM - Somewhere in the Australian outback.
*VROOM* *SCCCRR*
A tour bus full of passengers stops in front of a makeshift town of trailers and tents. Unlike the usual excitement and curiosity found inside a tour bus, the passengers of this special tour bus are oddly silent, their anxiety and uncertainty palpable in the air.
"Alright. Now that you've seen where we will spend our time in the next few months, I understand if you're all scared." Gary addresses the other passengers in the bus.
"…" The passengers have no response.
The passengers, which are the cast and crew who will work in 'Australia', have just finished hopping from one film location to another, led by Gary, Helena and Xiao Song.
"Poisonous bugs, poisonous snakes, dangerous animals, hot weather. Rest assured there are medics on standby with antidotes and emergency care. However, if any of you, ladies and gentlemen, back out now, we would understand." Xiao Song says.
"Nathan. Damien. Claire. You three especially have your looks as your moneymakers. This is your last chance to leave." Gary adds.
Nathan, Damien, and Claire however, quickly get over their fears and have shrugged off their worries about the dangers that they may face while shooting the film.
"There's no way I'm giving my role to someone else." Damien says, his decision final.
"This is the first role I REALLY want. I'm not leaving either." Nathan says in resolve.
"I've prepared for this role since January. No way I'm not going all in." Claire, despite still having reservations, also decides to continue with her work.
The crew and supporting cast, seeing the resolve of the leading actors, also decide to stay.
"Good." Gary smiles in relief and satisfaction.
"Question!" Nathan raises his hand suddenly.
"I heard you also have Isaac as another co-director. Will he join us here?" He asks.
"I wanna meet him too. According to Claire here, he might really help us with our roles." Damien says, hungry to learn.
"Yes. He's working on the film. Him coming here? I don't think so." Gary says.
This makes Nathan, Claire, and Damien disappointed, and the crew enter into a chatter.
"BUT! He's already contributed more than enough, more than you all might think." Xiao Song says. This silences the chatter.
"Besides. The kid's got marketing to do with his film." Gary concludes.
cont'd "I really wanna do it dad. It's a great opportunity for me." Payew says in resolve. "I just don't feel you're ready." Kilat shakes her head, her voice starts trembling. "Honey. I don't like it either, but the school seems prestigious." Liboo consoles Kilat. "Not just any business school. It's one of the best in America." Tayaw says. "Mom. Think about it. I'm already 17. I left home at 16 and I did just fine here in Ouigab. And, many people my age also go to college abroad." Payew says. "I'm just worried that you'll be alone in New York, which isn't exactly as safe as Ouigab. Oh! And the guns! Oh, the guns!" Kilat says worriedly. "Mom. True. New York isn't as safe as here, but the parts of where the university and where Payew will stay in, is just as safe as Ouigab." Tayaw argues. "Wasn't Tayaw 16 when he left home? He even lived alone in a big house by himself before his band moved in Payew will be fine." Agew cuts in. Kilat gives Agew a warning glare, but the next moment, she found Agew's and Tayaw's words reasonable. "Wow. It's been that long already?" Tayaw on the other hand, is surprised by how time passed him by. Tayaw's question to himself somehow cuts Kilat's worries for Payew. "Haha.." Liboo chuckles. "Honey. 3 years is a short time and even Tayaw didn't realize. 4 years will soon pass too and we have a son with a business degree then." Liboo says to Kilat, his words enough to put her worries in the back of her mind. "Let's get one important thing out of the way" Liboo changes the subject, his seriousness getting the family's attention. "When are you kids planning to leave?" Liboo asks. "I'm actually leaving tonight. I have an urgent business to attend to. That was what the phone call was about earlier." Tayaw explains. Kilat nods and the family lets Tayaw continue. "After my business there, I'll be back immediately to pick Payew up. It's better if Payew meet me at Kangpan so I don't have to come back up to Okuba." Tayaw says. "Wait. How about his student visa?" Kilat asks. "All done, mom. All Tayaw's work. Probably bribed some officials to make it quick." Payew says. "! *cough*" Tayaw does not confirm or deny. Kilat and Liboo give Tayaw a questioning glare, figuring that Payew must have received the acceptance letter a few weeks earlier considering there's enough time to have a student visa be approved. "The more important question is, why are you kids in a hurry? Payew, you will barely have enough time to pack up." Liboo says. Payew also realizes how fast things could be from Tayaw's plans. "Oh. Don't worry. I'll just bring him there to look for an apartment, hang out a bit, and we'll be back immediately, continuing our vacation at home." Tayaw says. "Phew." Payew sighs in relief. "That's good. That's good." Kilat says, having more time to spend with Payew. "I'll drive him to Kangpan then." Liboo agrees to the plan. ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ June 5, 2013 Wednesday 1 pm Mercer Street, Manhattan, New York *Slam* *Slam* Tayaw and Payew get out of the car after parking in front of a neat looking, orange brick apartment building. The orange is only for design however. "Here's where I'm staying?" Payew asks, dumbfounded. "Yeah. Problem?" Tayaw asks. "Dude. Am I crazy? Or that's the street going to NYU over there" Payew points at the cross street going to West 3rd street. "Oh? Okay You already know your way around." Tayaw chuckles. "I used Google Streetview... Anyways. Isn't this place too close? That's a minute walk to school man" Payew complains. "It's for your safety buddy. And, you don't have your driver's license yet to drive around." Tayaw says. "True.." Payew nods. "Let's go up?" Tayaw says and he leads Payew inside the building. A minute later, Tayaw opens the door of the 12th floor apartment unit he bought for Payew. "Okay. So this is the kitchen on left, laundry on the right. Ahead is the " Tayaw starts introducing but is interrupted by Payew. "Hold on man. I thought this was a student dorm?" Payew says, shocked as he proceeds to the spacious dining area and living room. "How big is this apartment?" Payew asks. "Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen, dining area, and living room Combined area? 9 x 9 meters." Tayaw says. "Damn. It's wider than our house in Okuba." Payew is dumbfounded. "This is just one floor, our house has two." Tayaw 'argues'. "Whatever. It's too big for me. Too big to clean too." Payew shakes his head. "Hey. Mom and Dad definitely want to visit sometime. Also, I need to crash somewhere when I'm visiting New York City." Tayaw says. "Alright fine." Payew accepts and takes a deep breath as he takes a closer look around the apartment. A few minutes later, Payew is done looking around. "You know, I already think I'm gonna miss this place. I probably won't be able to afford a place like this once I enter the workforce." Payew says. *pat* *pat* Tayaw pats Payews back. "Work hard, buddy. Buy it from me someday." Tayaw grins. "And I don't think it won't take long before you do. Phil has good impressions about you." Tayaw adds. "About Phil!... I know you said you have friends here but I didn't expect you'd introduce me to the CEO of Pink Apron himself!" Payew says, reminded of his disbelief earlier in the Pink Apron headquarters. "You've heard of them? We don't have Pink Apron at home." Tayaw asks. "They advertise a lot through American podcasters and youtubers. Anyway, now I'm scared I might just get in his way. What if I do something that will lose them money?" Payew says in worry. "Oh. Don't worry about it. Phil told me that he'll just let you watch, or have you by his side as an unpaid intern." Tayaw says. "That's good. I still get to learn, which is the most important." Payew nods. "BUT. He also told me that when he thinks he finds you useful, he just might give you some responsibilities. Who knows? Maybe you can actually start making good money at Pink Apron before you even graduate uni." Tayaw says, bringing the pressure back on Payew. "...Then wouldn't that be nepotism? Haha." Payew chuckles guiltily. "Maybe. Nepotism will have something to do with it. But if he actually finds you deserving of whatever, then that's meritocracy. You just have a higher starting point than others. Either way, it's Phil's decision and he's the boss. He can do whatever he wants." Tayaw shrugs. "How'd you convince him to take me in by the way? Does he owe you or something?" Payew asks. "Heh. Yeah. Big time." Tayaw says, not bothering to explain any further. "I'm not even going to ask." Payew shakes his head. The things Tayaw told Payew as Phil's 'Arrangements' are actually not Phil's ideas at all, but Tayaw's. "So, what do we do now? We go back home?" Payew asks. "Nah. We go to LA tomorrow." Tayaw says. "Cool What do we do there?" Payew is excited to see the famed film capital of the world. "I'm going on a talk show." Tayaw says. "Is it that Aiden show again?" Payew asks. "Yeah. He's the only talk show host I like." Tayaw says. "Cool!~ Do I get to be in the audience?" Payew asks, his excitement increasing. "Hm. That goes without saying." Tayaw nods. "Nice" Payew is pleased. "Anyways. Aside from that, have you heard of Pixie Studios?" Tayaw asks. "No." Payew shakes his head. "An animation studio. It makes 3d animated films for kids. You might have seen one of their films." Tayaw says. "Okay. We'll go there too?" Payew asks, getting more excited at the things he will go to the next day. "Yeah. I'm consulting. If you want, I can talk to them into having you intern there on August before school starts." Tayaw says. "Don't tell me Another friend?" Payew asks, his excitement replaced by pressure. "Not really. But they're actually making the animated version of my fairy tales." Tayaw says. "So, nepotism again?" Payew jokes around this time. "Yes. Haha. Do you want to work there just for a few weeks?" Tayaw asks. "Yeah But, is it like what I'll do for Phil?" Payew asks. "Yeah. Don't worry. And, it's a temporary internship job once every summer, if it suits your schedule. I asked them if you can intern with them as long as they're working on a movie based on my book, and they said yes. But. You don't have to if you don't want to. I'm just giving you an opportunity for experience." Tayaw says, not saying the whole truth. Three days ago, he managed to finally become a co-owner of Pixie studios, owning 49% of the company. While Tayaw did not become the majority owner, Pixie's other owners/ founders welcomed him with open arms. This great welcome is influenced by a few things. One, the owners realized that Tayaw's name and TLD Grimmauld's legal name that they signed with almost three years ago for 'Grimm's Fairy Tales Vol 1', is one and the same. Two, the other owners are also passionate in making good animated films and Tayaw joining their ranks will help immensely. Three, they are greatly impressed by Tayaw's future plans for the company. Fourth, they also figured out that Tayaw is the same award-winning 'Isaac Yawat'. Finally, and most important of all, the owners will make sure to treat Tayaw most fairly and provide him some privileges or else they can say goodbye to getting the movie rights of TLD Grimmauld's other existing works or his future ones. "I actually want you to experience office politics there. It's gonna be ugly, you might not like some things you will see, but it's something you won't learn at school. Pixie isn't as cutthroat as other companies, but you will have a taste of how cutthroat business really is there." Tayaw says. "" Payew hearing this, gets his hesitance replaced by excitement and hunger for drama. Tayaw's shareholder representative slash manager, will be the one who Payew will actually work under. "Anyways. So, lunch? Do we dine in, or order take out over the phone? There's a LOT of restaurants around here." Tayaw changes the subject. ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ 1 PM - Somewhere in the Australian outback. *VROOM* *SCCCRR* A tour bus full of passengers stops in front of a makeshift town of trailers and tents. Unlike the usual excitement and curiosity found inside a tour bus, the passengers of this special tour bus are oddly silent, their anxiety and uncertainty palpable in the air. "Alright. Now that you've seen where we will spend our time in the next few months, I understand if you're all scared." Gary addresses the other passengers in the bus. "" The passengers have no response. The passengers, which are the cast and crew who will work in 'Australia', have just finished hopping from one film location to another, led by Gary, Helena and Xiao Song. "Poisonous bugs, poisonous snakes, dangerous animals, hot weather. Rest assured there are medics on standby with antidotes and emergency care. However, if any of you, ladies and gentlemen, back out now, we would understand." Xiao Song says. "Nathan. Damien. Claire. You three especially have your looks as your moneymakers. This is your last chance to leave." Gary adds. Nathan, Damien, and Claire however, quickly get over their fears and have shrugged off their worries about the dangers that they may face while shooting the film. "There's no way I'm giving my role to someone else." Damien says, his decision final. "This is the first role I REALLY want. I'm not leaving either." Nathan says in resolve. "I've prepared for this role since January. No way I'm not going all in." Claire, despite still having reservations, also decides to continue with her work. The crew and supporting cast, seeing the resolve of the leading actors, also decide to stay. "Good." Gary smiles in relief and satisfaction. "Question!" Nathan raises his hand suddenly. "I heard you also have Isaac as another co-director. Will he join us here?" He asks. "I wanna meet him too. According to Claire here, he might really help us with our roles." Damien says, hungry to learn. "Yes. He's working on the film. Him coming here? I don't think so." Gary says. This makes Nathan, Claire, and Damien disappointed, and the crew enter into a chatter. "BUT! He's already contributed more than enough, more than you all might think." Xiao Song says. This silences the chatter. "Besides. The kid's got marketing to do with his film." Gary concludes.
