Fiction and Reality Inside and Outside the Frame

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• Fiction and Reality Inside and Outside the Frame

Summary[]

Fiction and Reality Inside and Outside the Frame

The next morning, the film crew meets at Hotel Debord to begin filming. The Traveler and Paimon run into Ayaka and Yoimiya just outside. As the group of four entered the building, Ayaka and Yoimiya recount their experience sightseeing around Fontaine together, from watching the Icewind Suite in action to trying Diving for the first time.

Shortly after, Chiori and Chevreuse arrive, the latter having just finished the Special Patrol's morning jog. Furina joins the group behind them, still sleep-deprived from making edits to the script last night. Yoimiya goes off to fetch her a cup of coffee while Ayaka goes with Chiori to get her makeup done. Finally, Xavier and Ayato arrive, having gotten the second floor of the restaurant booked for filming. With them are Veronique, the prop manager, and Bonnot, the lighting technician. With the crew assembled, Xavier takes a brief moment to thank everyone before filming commences in earnest.

Director Furina quickly gets everyone to work, having everyone prepare for the first scene. Yoimiya works with Bonnot to get the lighting set up, while Chiori and Ayato banter while the latter is getting his makeup done. Meanwhile, Veronique and Chevreuse instruct Ayaka on how to properly wield the prop muskets being used for the film, the latter two discussing the maintenance behind their signature weapons.

Suddenly, Ayato excuses himself to talk to Furina, and she eventually calls Ayaka and Chevreuse over to discuss their proposal. With Ayato busy trying to hold conversation with the Palais Mermonia regarding cultural exchanges, he offered to turn his role over to Chevreuse, Ayaka is reluctant, but Furina notes the opportunity to fix a flaw in the original novel, namely that the overbearing older brother tends to overshadow the younger sister and undermining the theme of them supporting each other. After some thought, Chevreuse agrees, and Furina immediately begins making some last minute changes.

Before Ayato leaves for his next meeting, he admits to Chiori that he also made the decision to allow Ayaka to bond with people without him distracting her, alongside agreeing with the Paimon on him not being such a good fit for the role. Then, Furina calls everyone to their positions to begin recording the first scene.

The story begins with two young girls, Tulipe and Iris (played by Chevreuse and Ayaka, respectively), at the baron's estate, worried that their mother had been away for a long time. Finally, Rain (played by Elain, an extra) arrives, with apple turnovers for her two daughters. Tulipe notices the bruises on her mother's arm, which Rain tries to brush off before asking how the two were at home. The two sadly recount the servants taking Iris's doll, spitting on them, and calling them names. Rain tries to cheer them up, talking about their names based on what will eventually become beautiful flowers, as the scene ends.

Furina decides the take was satisfactory and begins preparations for the next scene. Paimon is told not to shout when a scene begins, and Ayaka, Chevreuse, and Elain discuss the performance, noting how easily the former two took to acting.

After the preparatory work is finished, the second scene is filmed, in which the siblings return from a trip only to find Rain dead. Tulipe tries to keep Iris from seeing what had become of their mother, but to no avail. The sight drives Iris to tears, and Tulipe, upon realizing that her drink had been poisoned, becomes furious at the audacity of the aristocrats' behavior. No longer feeling safe, Tulipe tells Iris that they need to leave, seeing no hope of taking revenge right there and then. Iris agrees, but not before leaving the Rainbow Rose they bought with her.

Once the scene ends, Yoimiya, Furina, and Chevreuse waste no time lauding Ayaka's performance in the scene, including how she somehow shed real tears during it. The performer herself notes that the idea of clearing her mind and becoming the character is not dissimilar from her swordplay. After the heat of the moment passes, Furina begins preparing for the next scene.

Filming continues until nighttime, before the group breaks for the day. Chevreuse catches up to the Traveler and Paimon to discuss the murder case she brought up the previous day. Similar to how the two musketeers in the novel would leave Rainbow Roses on each of their victims, a Rainbow Rose was found at the crime scene. The Traveler decides to join her to assist in solving the case, and the three detectives immediately set off to find clues.

The group first visits Leschots Clockwork Workshop to see if any firearm components were recently purchased, or any components for personal use. Unfortunately, Livre didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. They then visit Beaumont Workshop to check for firearm components, only to learn Estelle doesn't even make prop guns. However, she also states she sells scrap mechanical components to Fleuve Cendre. Paimon expresses hesitation at the Captain of the Special Patrol being in the slums of the Court of Fontaine, but Chevreuse brushes it off, revealing she grew up there.

In the underground sewers, the trio find multiple leads, First, someone trying to clean up their practice shots, even though the multiple people in Fleuve Cendre who own guns don't even try to hide the fact. The trio speak to Emerald, however she is unwilling to hand over any information freely, which leads Chevreuse to buy the information from her with Mora. Finally, they headed to the bar, where Tetreaux revealed a gun was left three days ago and was not used whatsoever.

Before leaving, Chevreuse recounts her theory of the case: the suspect found the gun a month ago and examined it, before returning it and making his own. Then he found and killed his target a few days ago, leaving the Rainbow Rose with his body just like the novel. Unfortunately this leaves them no closer to finding the murderer, though the Intel they gathered from Tetreaux revealed that the victim was a solitary man from the east side of Fleuve Cendre. However, the man did not have any enemies and was not a noble like in the novel. Chevreuse also reveals that the novelist had an alibi and didn't have a motive or the personality. With the case currently at a dead end, the group agrees to hold off on investigation until filming is done.

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