Chapter 502: Juliet Moretti – I |
An Inside-Out fastfood restaurant.
When he saw it, John made a small chuckle since he'd forgotten how many random knock-offs were around in the world.
But he took Juliet there to get some food and relax.
Ideally, he would have taken her to a restaurant or something to unwind, but she seemed more comfortable at the fastfood restaurant.
Especially since the staff didn't treat her any differently. Probably because they saw worse every day.
But either way, although not the ideal location, it was a private location.
And one that John made even more private by subtly using his powers to distort people's perception so they'd slide over him and Juliet when looking at their booth.
Juliet nibbled on a fry and looked up at John with a grateful smile. "It's been a while since I've had warm food. Thank you, Mister Smith."
"John's fine. Mister Smith just reminds me of that guy from the movie."
"Johnny Macho...?" John blinked. And then he got a flash of a memory. Way back when on Earth, a cartoon that Gray used to watch.
Johnny Br*vo, on the C*rtoon N*twork.
John laughed and said, "I'm not THAT buff. But thank you for the compliment."
Juliet giggled and then sipped on her drink, a vanilla cola. After that, she kept eating her fries, as if making them last.
But John didn't rush her. Even though he could reassure her that it wouldn't disappear and that her troubles would be cleared, he knew better that words took time to sink in.
So instead, he just observed her.
...It was clear now.
Juliet had sent the audition reel while filled with hope and optimism. Probably after just having moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in music.
Did someone tell her she was good? Did she have a full history behind her that gave her the confidence?
John didn't know yet. But he could roughly guess the broad strokes.
From her accent, she seemed to be from New York. Although it was subtle right now, it was still there.
Maybe a music major? Packing everything up, with just a guitar and the clothes on her back, she dared to risk it all.
And it wasn't enough.
No, that wasn't right.
It wasn't that it 'wasn't enough.'
It was that Juliet refused to compromise.
With her beauty, she could probably have at least gotten a part-time job to keep things afloat.
But she put everything on her music instead. Because she believed in it, believed in herself.
And in this world, it was incredibly rare. Awe-inspiring, even.
John knew that even in the Three Realms, this level of dedication was rare. A literal do-or-die mentality. That she wouldn't stop. That she would succeed or she would die.
Most people flinched. Hesitated at least once.
But the proof of Juliet's actions were clear in her clothes, bandaged fingers, and thin body.
Although...
John couldn't help but say it. "...You know, you could have been a bit more considerate of the risks before grabbing everything and putting it on your music."
Juliet paused in the middle of unwrapping her burger. Then she let out a soft laugh. "...Yeah." She looked up at John with a soft smile and said, "I just... kind of got in the habit. Thinking that, today is the day. And before I knew it... Well." She gestured towards herself. "...I ended up like this. O-Oh! Don't worry though." She gave John a thumbs up and said, "I know how to keep myself safe. I look rough, but nothing really bad happened."
It wasn't a lie.
John could tell that much.
...Though it also wasn't the whole truth either.
'Safe' was subjective after all. And considering that Juliet looked like she'd definitely gone through a few scuffles...
Well.
John wasn't going to press the issue. It was her life, after all.
Juliet finished unwrapping her burger and took a bite, smiling. "...Thanks again, Mister Smith- I mean, John." She let out a soft laugh. "I'm not sure if this is the lesson I should be taking from this... but I'm glad that it worked out. It made everything worth it."
John nodded. "Yeah... I think we should gloss over it a bit. It's good to be encouraging, but telling people that they should literally do or die is not quite the message you want to spread..."
Juliet laughed properly that time. "Mmhm!" She took a bite from her burger and then said, "I definitely should have been smarter about it. But... it worked out. I'm grateful for that. And for you." She paused, her cheeks red from embarrassment. "...But I guess you saw the old video then. I'm definitely not what you were expecting, huh?"
John coughed. "To be fair, I did take a bit to get back to you too... You seemed fine at the time though, so I put you a little lower in priority. Sorry."
Juliet laughed again and said, "No, no. I get it." She took another bite from her burger and then smiled. "I definitely was fine when I recorded that. How I ended up like this... well." Her smile dimmed a bit and said, "...I forgot how being trusting in this world can burn you."
"Ah." John paused. "...Wanna talk about it?"
Juliet smiled. "Maybe some day. Still processing things... Fry?" She held a fry out for John.
"Thanks, but my wife would kill me. Literally. She's... very possessive these days."
It was a joke.
Yue wasn't THAT bad anymore.
...But she definitely would nag his ear off about it, so John wasn't going to risk it.
Especially since she was already starting to talk about maybe another kid after Rory grew up a bit.
Because John knew for sure that Yue would demand compensation for stressing her out...
Not that he minded, of course.
It was just a bit of banter, the usual teasing and back and forth...
But he ALSO knew that Meggie would roast him about it nonstop if it came to that.
And John wasn't about to have his teenaged(?) daughter start digging into him when her own lovelife was a disaster.
Juliet paused and then chuckled. After eating the fry, she said, "I forgot. Miss Yue does seem like the possessive type."
"Oh, you have NO idea."
Juliet raised an eyebrow. "Should you be talking about your wife like that?"
"My wife is a bundle of red flags. But I love her for it."
"...Oh, you're one of THOSE guys. The 'I can fix her' type." Juliet laughed. "...Well. I guess that explains Project MirAIs, right?"
John nodded. "Yep. And speaking of that... I take it you ARE interested in joining, right?"
Juliet let out a bright smile. "Of course! Hana's my oshi, you know? She's the reason I decided to go into music and risk it for this." She paused. "...I was hoping I could be like Lawfi and Billy Eyelash, but it's a lot harder than it looks breaking into that field..."
"Yeah, the music industry is gatekept and about who you know rather than how good you are..."
Juliet scoffed. "Oh, I was made VERY aware about that." She pursed her lips, her nose wrinkled in disgust. "You pay in money, and if you don't have enough, you pay in exposure. In more ways than one."
"...Ah." John paused. "...You ended up on that side of things, huh?"
Juliet sighed. "...It's L.A. Even if you don't want to, you find out about it. Not that I ever did, but I knew some girls who compromised... but forget about that." She shook her head and smiled. "Is it true? That you have a whole studio in Japan with live 3D tracking and everything?"
"Of course." John nodded. "It's more than just cutting edge technology, it's technology at least a decade into the future."
Juliet laughed. "Nice. Then... can we use it? If we're part of Project MirAIs, I mean." She paused, suddenly looking worried. "O-Oh. I guess I'd have to go to Japan then... but I don't have a passport or anything..."
"I can sort that out for you. But for now, how about we get to know each other first?" John smiled and held out his right hand. "I'm John Smith, CEO of Myth Incorporated, the founder of Project MirAIs, and Hana's manager."
Juliet smiled back and shook his hand. "I'm Juliet Moretti. Um..." She paused. "...I'm still 17 right now. I turn 18 in a few days, but... will that be a problem."
John paused. "It won't be. I am just suddenly VERY concerned about your life."
Juliet let out a nervous laugh. "Yes. Well... it's a long story. Um..." She fidgeted with her sleeve.
Seeing that she was nervous, John shook his head and said, "It's fine. You don't have to tell me. I'm just happy if you're safe. Seeing women in trouble always bothered me." He paused. "...It also caused me to always get into trouble. My daughters and wife can attest to that."
"Pft." Juliet smiled. "Yeah, you seem the type. You're the sorta guy who'll jump in front of a train for a gal, right?"
Was she finally getting comfortable? A bit of her accent slipped into her words as Juliet talked.
Hearing that, John chuckled and said, "Well, I haven't done a train. But I did jump in front of a blade for my wife. More than once, actually."
Juliet's eyes widened. But then she paused, as if remembering something. Then she nodded. "Makes sense. Considering how pretty Miss Yue is, she seems like the type you'd have ta beat guys off with a stick."
"Something like that." John laughed. "But Juliet Moretti, huh? Any relation to the mob family? Or just a coincidence."
"Fun story that." Juliet popped another fry into her mouth and then said, "I think Gramps was part of them. Never confirmed it, but he was always suspiciously well dressed. And always had money around too." She paused. "We always DID go to a lot of pizza places down in Jersey when I was younger too..."