After weeks of preparation and rehearsing, the final day for the project came.

The instructions were simple—be true to yourself but stay in character.

From one heart-to-heart discussion to the next, it seemed like for a moment, the main cast would stop and get real with each other and be themselves—a defining moment which only intensified their subtle growth and close bonding.

And at long last—after the many panoramic shots of the long, winding valleys and natural landscapes, of the careful practice among the actors, the long-anticipated scene between the male lead, the swordsman and his female co-star, the Child of the Full Moon arrived.

Omitting the occasional line slips, laughing from their mistakes, tripping over feet, or making funny faces on the camera and tickle fights – after the fifty take, the crew members finally managed to get the two main leads to cooperate with them. So far, everything was running smoothly. And yet, at the same time, the anticipation for the scene to end was definite. Of all the frames, they've shot through the course of their year-long project, this last and final scene proved to be difficult and challenging.

There were no Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI) effects for additional support

No voice-overs in the recording studio to deliver lines for the infamous skits.

No special effects for magical spells and cutscenes.

No intense choreography or frenzy battle scenes.

No indirect or direct cinematic headshots.

No green screens in the background.

No gathering of a large group.

No usage of any props.

Just two actors, the subtle tinker of music (dare they say, romantic?) in the background, the profound blessing of nature, a functioning camera and nothing more.

The camera refocused on the two actors delivering their lines accordingly to the script. Through the careful and precise use of their body language—the head tilts, the light-hearted laughter shared between them and the routine exchanges of smiles—the Director and the crew's vision of this particular scene was slowly coming to light.

All alone and just the two of them under the watchful eye of the moon and the stars—it was indeed an ideal capture of private intimacy and closeness. And of course, the actors themselves were at the peak of their elements.

"…Close in."

The camera zooms in on the pair standing adjacent from the other.

"…It's strange. Right now, I'm not scared at all." The pink haired female declared, her eyes trained on the horizon, her expression solemn but gentle. "If anything, the thought of a new world about to dawn is…"

As she trails off, her partner takes this as his cue to deliver his lines. "The Adephagos won't kill us." He reaffirmed to her as he too looked up to stare at the horizon. "We'll live on."

Hearing this, the female lifted her chin and turned her head, facing him. She collected her hands together, tying them in a firm grip over her puffy white-pink dress, accentuated with gold markings. Inhaling a deep breath, she proceeded to deliver her next few lines in a soft, gentler tone. "And I'll be able to stay with everyone." She replied back to him with a faint smile. "With you."

The two locked eyes and stared at each other for a long moment. Passive ebony orbs taking solace with warm seafoam.

"…Focus in."

The camera zooms in on Yuri and lingers for five consecutive seconds. After that came Estelle, followed by another five consecutive seconds. Neither spoke nor moved, their expressions passive with no restraint.

"…Zoom out."

After the quick headshots, the camera slowly zooms out to its original frame of the two actors once more.

With another light-hearted smile, his partner lowered her chin and closed her eyes.

"Thanks," The long-haired swordsman answered, not seeming to take his eyes off of her. His voice softer than usual. "I feel the same way." He then sets his sights across the starry heavens. "Let's get it over with," He adds in, his tone brimming with vigor. "and live on in a future we choose."

In response to his uplifting words, Estelle slightly tilts her head and light-heartedly agrees.

A buzzing sound ensues from the background.

Unfazed by the noise, the two actors continue to stare at each other for another five consecutive seconds, never breaking eye contact.

And with the addition of three long beats, the screen proceeds to gradually fade to blank…

"And…CUT!"

Hopping out of the black folding chair which read, 'The Director', the short bearded man adjusted the black beret situated on his bald head. With the rolled script gripped in one hand, he proceeded to flap his arms up and down rather immaturely. "ALRIGHT!" He cried, his cheeks somewhat flushed from having to exhort his voice out loud. "THAT'S A WRAP, PEOPLE!"

A multitude of cheers and applause rang throughout the outskirts of the valley.

Estelle flinched at her spot, albeit surprised by the Director's sudden announcement.

Yuri, on the other hand, heaved a sigh, remaining unfazed by the current situation.

In no less than a minute, the vast crowd of crew members flocked toward them to congratulate them on a job well done.

"Excellent job as always!"

"Man, you really had me in tears!"

"That was so romantic~"

Estelle nervously laughed, bashful but accepting of their unanimous comments. "Well, we did what we could." She told them, sneaking a glance at her co-star standing beside her. "Right, Yuri?"

Yuri nodded his head in agreement. He then raised his hand up high, though not too high as to not let her jump and fall over like last time.

Estelle beamed at the sight. "Yay!" She cried, slapping her hand over his and performing a tiny twirl around him. "We did it, we did it!"

"We sure did." He agreed with her, his grin widening at her childish antics.

Not wanting to bother their privacy, the crew members silently retreated back, merging with the background as they so often do.

"THIS CALLS FOR A CELEBRATION!" The Director exclaimed through his yellow megaphone, his tiny glasses slightly tilted prior to his swift motions. Earning a wave of shrieks and applause, he continued, "STARTING TOMORROW, WE LEAVE THIS HELL HOLE TO DUST AND FLY BACK HOME!"

"Well, you heard the old man," Yuri grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. "Least we're finally done with everything." And turned, heading back to the entrance of the staged town entitled 'Aurnion'. Taking note of the latter's absence beside him, he halted in his steps and peered over his shoulder. "Estelle, you coming?"

Estelle blinked. "Oh, uh…yes!" She squeaked, a bit embarrassed from spacing off.

After exchanging goodbyes, goodnights and a few positive comments to the nearby staff and camera crew, she hastily made her way over to her awaiting partner. Once they were in close proximity with each other, Yuri turned his back and walked forward, leading the way.

"You did pretty well back there," He commented, catching her off-guard.

Estelle puffed her cheeks. "Don't be so modest." She sighed, turning away to avoid eye contact with him. "I'm not as talented as you are, Yuri." Thinking it over, she shook her head. "Well, not just you but everyone else here. Flynn, Rita, Raven, Judith…and then there are the veteran actors like Don Whitehorse and Yeager…even Karol whose only framework up to this point was performing in kid shows." She went on, "You all are so level-headed. You all know what words to say and how to use subtle movements to an advantage."

"Yeah but you also excelled pretty well. And you're only just a novice actress." Yuri points out, "And that's saying something."

Estelle bitterly smiled. "It took a while for me to finally get around and be accustomed to it." She confessed, feeling embarrassed. "But you and the others, you do it so naturally."

"We all need to start somewhere. And since this is your first time in a big production, it's definitely worth the learning experience." Yuri explained. "My resume might make me look professional with a lot of experiences, but really, I'm still learning as I go." He turned to look at her with a lop-sided grin. "And I really learned a lot this whole year tackling this project with all you guys."

Estelle's lips slowly curved upwards. "Couldn't have said it better myself." Smiling, she took a few steps ahead, paused to stand right in front of him and respectively bowed her head. "But, really, I cannot thank you enough. For these past few months, you've been a wonderful teacher to me."

"Don't thank me," Yuri stated flippantly with a dismissive wave. "That was all you."

Estelle rolled her eyes. "You're being modest again."

"I'm not!"

It was no secret that for the past whole year since they tackled the project, the main leads—Yuri Lowell (22) and Estelle Sidos Heurassein (19-20) became very close to each other. As instructed in the script, it was highly recommended by the Director that they should get used to each other's company. Since their characters shared the majority of the spotlight together, it made sense for them to practice their choreography and rehearsing their lines. Much to the Director's surprise, on the first day they were recruited, the two immediately got along pretty well.

A year later and the two are still inseparable.

Due to their closeness, this spawned an on-going rumor among the staff. Their attraction with each other off-screen was undeniable, certainly off the charts. And there was no doubt that the two captured their characters perfectly in sync. Time and time again, the pair would simply dodge the question, change the topic or like what Yuri usually does, flat out reject the idea at the spot.

But by the end of the day, was their natural affinity simply just for acting…or was there something more going on behind the scenes?

Too engaged in their conversation, the two actors failed to notice that they were already a few feet away from the small wooden house which served as their temporary place to sleep and relax.

"Oh! We're already here?" Estelle asked, skidding to a halt in front of the door.

Yuri shrugged. "Guess so."

Estelle sheepishly grinned. "We must've been so caught up talking."

In response, Yuri devilishly smirked. "Oh? And who's fault is that?"

Estelle stuck out her tongue.

Seeing this, Yuri laughed.

A barrage of shouts and the clanking of heavy metal pierced their ears, grabbing their attention.

"W-what was that?"

"Beats me," Yuri replied, squinting his eyes through the window. "Maybe they're up to something again."

Through the glass-tinted window, the pair silently acknowledged the presence of their friends and the other cast members inside—Karol, Patty, and Nan sitting on the floor, wearing their pajamas, currently playing a board game against Judith (currently in possession with a Ba'ul plushy), Duke and Repede. On the other side of the room was a large group—and from the looks of it, they could spot a short brunette and a blue-skinned aquatic woman standing on top of one of the tables. Surrounding Rita and Undine were stunt-men, extras dressed as random guild members and the Imperial Knights. At the very heart of the mass of the crowd was a table.

"Is that Flynn arm wrestling the Don?" Estelle questioned, quite taken aback by the sight.

Yuri let out a whistle. "Twenty bucks on the Don."

Estelle smiled, followed by a light giggle. "You're hopeless." She said, lightly smacking him on the chest. She then leaned forward, her eyes twinkling with excitement as she looked on through the window.

Across Rita's table was Raven and President Kaufman partaking a drinking game together with the main 'antagonists'—Yeager, Cumore, Ragou, Barbos, and Alexei.

Not too far away from where their respective table was Zagi, Clint and Tison engaged with their electronic devices. From the looks of it, they seemed to be sharing photos of their respective pets.

Speaking of electronic devices, there was Ioder together with Sodia, Witcher, LeBlanc, Adecor, and Boccos posing in different positions with Khroma as their designated photographer.

"I wonder what the viewers might say if they ever saw this," Estelle commented sheepishly. She then motioned her head to face her partner, only to be surprised to catch him staring at the window with a pained expression.

Worried, Estelle called out his name.

Blinking, Yuri swiftly turned to face her. "Did you say something?"

Estelle frowned, her brows furrowing. "What's on your mind?"

"Nothing…I just…" He trailed off, unsure of what to say next. Sighing, he mumbled, "So, this is it, huh?"

"What do you mean?"

"You heard the old man." He continued, his eyebrows furrowing with uncertainty. "After this, we head on back to the real world."

Registering his words, Estelle lowered her head, her eyes downcast. "I see." Though her expression remained neutral, it was the minor details—the slight quivering of her lips and her glassy eyes—that Yuri took note of. "I, too feel the same way."

Yuri slanted his head to the side, confused. "You do?"

Estelle bobbed her head. "I also wish to continue this project forever." She admitted to him with a forlorn look. "The friends I made here have now become a part of my family. The memories we made here are so precious and fleeting. Sometimes, I wish I could just turn back time and relive them." At the thought of being separated from her friends—her family made her stomach queasy. "I really don't know what I'll do without all of you."

Yuri nodded. "Yeah." He agreed, setting a hand on his left hip. "It's gonna be weird being all alone again."

"You have Repede." Estelle points out, shedding some positivity in their sensitive topic. "And isn't Flynn your actual childhood friend?"

At the mention of his canine companion and male confidant, Yuri flashes a crooked grin. "Yeah, but they're not exactly the type to get easily made fun of."

Estelle rolled her eyes. "Oh, you're mean!" And raised her arm high to lightly smack him on the shoulder. Before her hand could brush past his shoulder, Yuri caught hold of her wrist in the nick of time, pulling her forward.

Flustered, Estelle shut her eyes closed, inhaling a deep breath. She set her gloved right fist over her thumping heart, her cheeks turning beet red as the distance between them turned to a close.

Estelle blushed harder as she caught wind of his laugh, the vibration causing his chest to softly rumble. He secured an arm over her waist, bringing her close to him, earning a light squeak.

Resting his chin on top of her head, he sighed heavily. "I'm gonna miss you." He murmured through her hair.

Hearing this, Estelle relaxes, her stiff shoulders gradually reverting to its natural degree. Leaning her head forward, she brushed her cheek along the fabric of his dark tunic. She breathed him in before sighing in content. "I know." She replied back, her words a bit muffled. "Me too."

And they remained still for a while.

Neither spoke nor dared to move.

Contented, Estelle breathed in his natural lavender scent before closing her eyes. She slowly smiled, allowing for the sound of his equally rapid heartbeat lulling her to sleep…

"We should head back inside." She advised him.

No response.

"Everyone's waiting for us." She added in, smiling sweetly. "And there's also that long-awaited celebration the Director speaks so highly of."

Still no response.

Releasing her hold from him, she slowly propped her head upwards. "Ready to go, Yu— "

He leaned in, softly pressing his lips against hers, silencing her from speaking any further.

Hello! How are you? My name is Kroissant!

This is my first time tackling a game-contented fanfiction (in response to Vesperia definition!). Hopefully, I was able to get the characters to stay in character, though the whole point of this alternative AU was to break it since this one, in particular, focuses on them being actors.

Once more, it's based on the question 'what if they are actors?' along with many 'Yustelle' moments. I'm planning on making this series but for now, we'll see how popular it gets/if my interests are still fresh on this idea.

So far, what I know is that the POST-game from TOV would delve in reality so we'll have real countries and cities like Japan and Tokyo taking on as the replacement settings. Overall, what do you guys think?

Again, it's wonderful to be here!

Feel free to comment on what you think!

Updates are still up in the air!

P.S. - recommended song: the full moon and the evening star (TOV ost)

P.S.S. - dialogue, in the beginning, comes from Yustelle Heart-to-Heart