At Wine cafe - the coffee shop.
Ian and the article reporter were looking face-to-face, and the coffee shop was as silent as it was when they first got in. The reporter had a massive espresso mug, while Ian had an average-sized coffee.
"....So yes, I have somewhere to be in exactly thirty minutes. I thought of rescheduling it, but again, your reporting head was persistent in doing the interview, and as he said, not like Ian does many interviews, anyway." Ian said with a smile, and his words were supposed to be a joke—which went above the reporter's head, considering how visibly uncomfortable she was.
"Ahaha…" She laughed awkwardly. Although she was confident about what her questions would be, she had never expected Ian Renner to be such a warm person. Ever since she got here, he had been nothing but considerate. Because of that, the nervousness in the pit of her stomach kept increasing. "Sure, sir, I'll be recording everything you say. That's fine right?" She asked.
'Of course, it is. If not, what am I supposed to do? Write everything?' She thought to herself sarcastically and cleared her throat. "I'm Leah, and I'm from the Hollywood Night magazine. Thank you so much for agreeing to give us this interview. Considering you are very busy these days, we thought it would be almost impossible."
"Oh… haha, it's not a problem. Nice to meet you, Leah," Ian said with a smile and took the first sip of his coffee.
"Yes, straight to the point. We have had rumors about how you and Goofy had made deals. And considering that, Goofy is one of the biggest Hollywood movie-making companies. How do you feel about it? And is there anything you've been hiding from the media?" She asked upfront.
The question was tricky. And Ian knew what she was asking.
"Well, yes. Something I have not been exposing is how the rumors spread even before we made deals. It was like, I saw these trends going on in Nwitter, and the next day, I was getting called for a meeting by the CEO, Mr. Sanson. So anyway, I was busy with that movie for the past couple of months. The one we collaborated on. It was a great experience, and the VFX department is one of the best in the industry I have ever known and seen. And I can tell everyone to wait for an exceptional movie—which would be something that one could not forget during their entire lifetime," Ian said with a nod, which Leah returned.
"Ian… A movie director, songwriter, author, what's next? Do you have plans to act?"
"Again, it's a yes. I can't say no to that because the future ahead of me is a long journey. But also, I want to focus on movie production and directing for some more time before I think about anything. And writing… It's something I have always enjoyed doing. Ever heard that too many ideas can never be enough?"
Leah chuckled in response. "The criticisms are not always positive. We do a little tabloid on the advice from the people we interview. And mainly, they are questions asked by our readers and followers so that they could help the youngsters out there. So, Ian, your question is. How do you deal with criticism?"
"Honestly, at first, I had to take some time to figure out how people exactly react to my ideas. And, with the execution, I can't say much because it is a comparatively long process—obviously very long that it takes for someone to post a comment based on the move. And even after going through the huge process, if the fans find something extremely out of their taste, the problem is not me. It's their preference. If the criticism is constructive, I will try my best to improve for future projects of mine. But if it's something where the problem is not on me, I'd have to ignore them,"
Ian's answer made a lot of sense. There were four more questions, some of the frequent interviewer-director questions.
"... the Last question of the day, Is there anyone you're seeing right now?"
Ian chuckled at the question. "It's for me to know and you to find out. Thank you so much for the wonderful interview," Ian said with a nod, signaling that he had completed the questions.
-
Renner Studio Main Office Building, Beverly Hills, California.
His next stop of the day was at his office room.
Walking inside the office, many employees greeted him.
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After their new recruitment a while ago, the office felt more vibrant.
"Sir, Ian…. Mr. Greyson is already in the meeting room." A tall male with round-shaped spectacles said, almost running out of breath.
Ian frowned at how he looked like he just got out of a marathon, "Where's Murphy?" Ian asked without asking about the 'other' thing.
"He went running some errands. Should be back soon,"
"Okay, thanks,"
Ian muttered quickly and walked inside the meeting with the devil.
Devil—Politician, yes. But the devil can also be a friend, right?
"Hello, Christopher," The back of the politician was the only thing that greeted Ian when he walked inside the office. "Were you waiting for long?" He asked.
"Nah, just two and half hours–" Ian was shocked at how serious Christopher looked. "Just kidding, five-ten minutes."
Ian dragged his chair to the front. "Yeah, okay. So, I invited you here today because I have been thinking about what we talked about the other day at the party. I know how if I cut the bullcrap and get to the point. Without a proper financial backlog, you're going to lose the election," he said.
Christopher Greyson looked shocked, surprised, and speechless for the first time in quite a while. Considering that he was someone who had any response at the worst positions, the recent meet-up was hitting him like unexpected rain.
"Uh- I-" His mouth opened and closed several times. Then, finally, he took a deep breath in and sighed. "I know. I honestly am very well known about my situation. And trust me when I say that I don't mind losing the election, but my effort is worth everything. And it's fine if we're about to talk about something related to the upcoming election—It's nice knowing you—" He stood up from the seat.
"Despite—" Ian said, making him stop in his tracks. "Despite all of those setbacks. I want to say that I can see a talented, charismatic, and smart person with a good heart. And I'm ready to fund your campaign since it would be a fight for the senate position…. Also, this might turn into a mutually beneficial friendship." Ian's honest and perfectly singular-meant words made Christopher sit back in his chair.
His words meant something that anyone could understand because this wasn't like a sort of rocket science. Just political talks—worse than rocket science.
"I'm surprised at how you're asking this from me straight away," Christopher implied about something Ian wasn't comfortable with.
"Hmm… I did. I want to help you with this matter," Ian said again.
"Can I know why? I see no reason you'd help me when you know a lot is at stake. And you just signed deals with Goofy. So why don't you support the parties they support? And they are hell-bent on not helping me because I’m not the type to take illegal actions or support companies like Goofy just due to the connections, I’m someone who longs to do the right thing. So, you help me after knowing who I am, is confusing," Christopher questioned.
"As to answer your questions…." Ian explained what he wanted in the future, and he was doing this.
Regardless, Christopher agreed to let Ian fund the campaign after an hour more discussion. This partnership could mean many things or a single thing.
They would win together — or lose... And kids, that's what happens in partnerships.
-
"What is the time?" Ian asked Raelynn, who was seated beside Niko. Her laptop was turned on, and she was busy, just like she was the whole evening.
"Ah, 7. It's already seven!" She said while rubbing her temples harshly.
"Hmm… I should get back to the studio. Unfortunately, the nap extended for an hour, although I aimed for thirty minutes."
Ian yawned and walked out of the office room without glancing back at the room.
"I do not know how anyone could fall asleep on a desk. Like how-" Raelynn shook her head, muttering to herself, and then got back to work.
Ian walked inside the hollow and dark room. The only light visible was the screen. On that, there was Avatar already being edited. Almost three people sat in front of the thousands of buttons/ gliders fixed on the table.
"This is going great," Ian muttered while walking in.
"It is. And Ian, get some rest. It's the twentieth day, and you still are wandering in, every night," the person who sat beside Lucas muttered.
Ian chuckled at the concern. It was true. Saturdays and Sundays were the only days he got off from the editing; even during those days, he had been busy. Yet, Ian couldn't help but 'help' Lucas and his team, considering how big of a project this was.
"Thanks for the concern—"
"Ian, before you say anything. It will be perfect if you sleep at night from tomorrow. You can always check in from time to time, but since we have completed the basics, you can trust us,"
"It's not about trusting, Lucas. But, of course, I trust everyone. It's just my passion to watch the editing process. As tired as I felt before, after walking in and seeing this thing slowly build up, I feel like spending some more minutes—and then the minutes turn to hours. The night goes in a blink unless I'm too tired, of course," Ian said, and others nodded in understanding.
'He was someone who truly adored what he does,' the person beside Ian thought to himself and looked at Ian, who kept his gaze on the face of Neytiri, which was on the screen.