The next week was filled with long hours at Base and little time to rest. Camilla had managed to submit her strategy proposal for San Francisco with no issues at all, but she was still struggling with South Korea. While their planning was made slightly easier with the cast and crew promising to only use the minimal amount of personnel, it was still difficult when the guardians lacked information on both the territory and the enemy.

Thankfully, Mack had finished his own proposal on his hometown easily enough, and he volunteered to assist Camilla with her research. He even recruited both Song brothers for the job, under the condition that Camilla referred to them both by their first names.

"It's to avoid confusion," Mack explained. "You can't be calling them both Song, or even Mister Song."

Camilla shrugged, as if that would ever stop her. "Okay, so what about Song One and Song Two?"

Mack sighed, and shook his head with feigned disappointment. "Oh, Camilla, you and your poor, troubled soul. People are more than just numbers. If anything, how about... Mad Song and Hot Song?"

Camilla raised an eyebrow, skeptical. "Which one is Hot Song?"

Mack gave her a dumbfounded look. "Really? Have you ever met Minyoung? He's definitely the angry one."

On Sunday, they all gathered at Elsie's to collaborate. Elsie and Camilla had prepped snacks and beverages beforehand, and everyone arranged themselves in the living room just as they had after the attack on the Barracks several days ago. Thankfully, the circumstances were slightly better, and the conversation took on a lighter tone than it previously had.

While it initially felt awkward to call the brothers Minyoung and Jordan at first, Camilla quickly got over it by convincing herself it was necessary for her job. In exchange, the two actually had very insightful information, aided by their past experience as Korean celebrities.

Minyoung was the most helpful; Elsie mentioned he was offended that he was considered non-essential for filming and was cut from the travel crew, and he seemed eager to show off his importance. Jordan, on the other hand, was more keen on chatting and laughing softly with Mack on their shared two-seater.

Once they offered all that they knew, Elsie, Jordan, and Minyoung carried the conversation towards other topics while Camilla and Mack pulled out their work laptops and began to draft up security plans. Every so often, they would interrupt the conversation with some questions, and the brothers were more than happy to answer.

By early evening, their proposals were finally complete and submitted, and Elsie and Jordan eagerly elected to celebrate the occasion with an impromptu karaoke party.

"As long as it doesn't go too late," Minyoung said sternly, but even Camilla could tell the man was itching for a microphone. "Filming starts up again tomorrow, and four of us are required to be there."

"Yes, yes, halabeonim," Jordan said mockingly. "We know you have to wake up early for your morning exercises."

Camilla had no interest in singing anything—she had never even heard of most of the songs—so she was grateful that no one pressured her to join in. She was content with just listening, then wincing at how dramatic Elsie and Jordan tried to sing, coupled with Mack's interpretive dancing. Eventually, Camilla participated in her own way when Elsie began performing a passionate rendition of one song, and Camilla saw it as the perfect opportunity to create a theatrical wind-in-her-hair effect.

The party set the mood high for the rough week ahead, and Camilla found it wasn't as hard as it normally was for her to fake a chipper personality when she arrived at Base early Monday morning. Mack seemed to be in equally good spirits as he greeted Camilla by mimicking the air guitar solo Jordan had demonstrated the night before, and Camilla couldn't help but roll her eyes in good humor. They both snapped to professional mode as soon as the rest of their squad arrived, and after a quick brief, they all headed to the film set.

The location was the same one Exodos attacked a month ago, and everyone was on high alert from the looming threat of both rogue metas and the production schedule. Since the last time Camilla had been on set had been a medicated blur, it was fascinating to finally see everything with her own eyes. Filming a movie was akin to a guardian operation, she quickly realized, especially with its strict chain of command and everyone working towards one individual's unrealistic goal of efficient perfection.

Per Pala's plan, Camilla was stationed in the midst of the set since the cast and crew were already familiar with her presence. But while the workers seemed to be on friendly terms with Camilla, her memory of them was foggy at best, and she was forced to nod stiffly at every enthusiastic greeting she received. The situation was an uncomfortable reminder of how little information she retained while under the influence, and she silently wished she was protecting only Elsie to at least have some sense of stability.

While that wasn't possible anymore, Elsie made things a little bearable by sending Camilla occasional glances, each accompanied by a goofy expression, as if she was trying to make Camilla break her stoic bodyguard persona. Camilla didn't react at all when Elsie crossed her eyes and touched her tongue to her nose, but she did have to stifle a laugh when Elsie lowered her chin to her chest to give herself a triple-chin, then waggled her eyebrows seductively.

But when the cameras were rolling, Elsie became an entirely different person. Even though Camilla was supposed to be on the lookout for potential threats, every so often she let herself be immersed in Elsie's acting.

Camilla always knew Elsie was talented—there was no way she would've been as successful as she was on appearances alone. But what Camilla didn't know was how well Elsie could capture her audience's attention and hold onto it without them even realizing it was happening. It was both amazing and infuriating, and the latter was only because Elsie's acting was distracting Camilla from her work.

Evidently, many civilians were also enraptured by Elsie's talents as they clustered outside the set's barricade, clutching paraphernalia of Elsie's past works and craning their heads in an attempt to get a glimpse of her.

From what Camilla had heard, Elsie Bates was still a household name, but her fanbase had downsized in recent years. In that time, Elsie's popularity began to decline after she began publicly criticizing issues like sexism and racism in both the film industry and the general community, and her honesty wasn't exactly appreciated. Her comments instantly angered a few demographic groups, and many were quick to withdraw their admiration of her.

While Elsie lost several big job offers as a result, she gained a few smaller ones as well, and the fans that agreed with her critiques began to admire her even more. These fans seemed to be the ones that had congregated, and they were surprisingly well-behaved for such a large group, obediently following the directions of the security guards. Still, Camilla kept an eye on them in case a hostile slipped through their ranks.

Another surprise came from Mack. He didn't have any filming to do until halfway through the second day, and he quickly transitioned from his guardian role to his actor persona with ease. On top of that, he was also able to go from his actor self to his character's just as smoothly, and vice versa.

While the director spoke to Elsie after one of their more serious scenes, Mack roamed over to Camilla with a wide grin.

"Good afternoon, First Officer Wyatt," he said chipperly, with absolutely no sign of the tears he had been shedding in the take they just finished.

"I'm working, Olomana," Camilla immediately replied, not wanting to display any opening for Mack to break her focus, as he seemed to enjoy doing to Elsie during their scenes together.

"And you're doing an excellent job," he said, scanning the crowd around them, then waving to his fans that appeared several hours prior. "I see absolutely zero threats."

"Don't make them excited," Camilla warned as the squeals of Mack's fans grew louder at his encouragement. "It's harder to keep track of them like that."

Mack sighed, but put his hand down obediently. "But I'm bored. Oh, did you want to be an extra? I'm sure the director can put you in the background somewhere."

"Mackenzie Olomana, keep this up and I will remove you from this area by force for interfering with my duties."

Mack hummed thoughtfully. "So is that a no then? It sounds like a no."

"Mack," Elsie called from in front of the cameras. "Leave her alone and get back to work."

"Next time, Wyatt," Mack said with a mischievous grin before he jogged back over to Elsie.

As soon as he left, Elsie gave Camilla a quick thumbs-up, which Camilla immediately returned.

The rest of the filming in LA had been scheduled to take a week, but the cast and crew managed to wrap it up a day early. Both Camilla and Elsie used the time to pack for their next stop, San Francisco, but only Camilla had to mentally prepare for the worst.

San Francisco was by no means a small city, but Camilla was sure her mother would somehow find a way to make an unwanted reappearance in her life.

Her concern must have shown later that night, when she and Elsie had settled on their usual couch to watch a TV show. It was a drama Jordan had starred in, and it was filmed at the same set they were going to in about two months. Elsie thought it wouldn't hurt to get a headstart in seeing what the set might look like, and while Camilla didn't think it would help, she tried her best to pay attention anyway, only to get distracted whenever she spotted her packed bags parked against the edge of the room, ready to go.

"Nervous?" Elsie asked, offering the bowl of chips to Camilla.

"A little," Camilla admitted. She wasn't that hungry, but she took some chips just so she had something to do.

"About your mom, right?" Elsie asked, and Camilla was both startled and slightly impressed. She had only mentioned her mother once to Elsie, and that had only been because the woman had abruptly appeared in her nightmares, so she was surprised Elsie remembered that at all.

Camilla nodded slowly then stuffed the chips in her mouth so she wouldn't have to say anything. It's not like she expected to see her mother randomly out of all the people that resided in San Francisco, but knowing they would be within driving distance was enough to make Camilla feel anxious.

"Do you want me to shut up?" Elsie continued.

For a few seconds, Camilla contemplated the offer, then slowly shook her head. "It's fine. I just... I'd rather not think about her."

Elsie nodded. "I understand. I mean, not your exact situation, but the sentiment, you know? Does that make sense? Actually, maybe I should just shut up."

Camilla huffed out a soft laugh. "It's fine, really. Maybe... you can tell me what you would want to see in San Francisco if you weren't working."

So Elsie obliged, and launched into her list of sights and attractions that she had always heard about, but never seen for herself. Camilla had heard of most of them, but most sounded like tourist traps that she would never go to herself. Nevertheless, if Elsie ever wanted to go, Camilla wouldn't mind accompanying her.

"I really hate flying," Elsie suddenly said without needing prompting. "You know, with heights and stuff."

Camilla nodded. She had no problem with heights herself, but she wasn't surprised that Elsie did, considering how they first met. And like Elsie had just told her, Camilla might not understand her exact situation, but she could understand the sentiment. After all, Camilla had her own share of fears.

"Normally, I'd be nervous about it by this point," Elsie continued. "But this time I'm not." She smiled at Camilla. "I think it's because I know you'll be there."

Her admission caught Camilla by surprise. "Why would I change anything?"

Elsie shrugged, turning back towards the TV. "Your presence is comforting, I guess. If something were to happen, I trust that you'd be able to help us. And it's not just your abilities, but those are pretty cool too. I trust you as a person and that you'll do what you think is best. But, you know, no pressure or anything."

"A little late for that," Camilla said as she rolled her eyes, but Elsie's faith in her didn't bother her like she thought it would.

For most of her life, Camilla had seen pressure from all directions: her mother, the Org, her peers, and even herself. People constantly expected more from her, and on multiple occasions, Camilla would worry that she would fall short of their standards. After all, she always fell short of her own.

But with Elsie, it was different for some reason. Even though Elsie had high expectations of Camilla, Camilla wanted to meet them out of her own free will, and not just because it was what Elsie wanted. And even if Camilla failed, she knew Elsie wouldn't be mad at her for it.

Suddenly, Camilla wanted Elsie to trust her even more.

"Don't worry," Camilla assured. "I'll have your back no matter what."

Her rare eagerness earned a smile from Elsie. "That's what I like to hear. Just as long as you don't put yourself in another coma."

Camilla grimaced at the reference and turned back to the TV, muttering, "That was one time."

---

The following day was spent mostly waiting or in transit. Since the combination of the cast, crew, and guardians was so large, the group traveled to San Francisco in three separate trips.

Lee left first with the ground crew who was transporting set pieces and film equipment that were unique to the production. Perez and Pala were in the second group that traveled by air, carrying most of the crew. That left Camilla and Mack with the last group that had a plane stuffed with the remainder of the crew and the necessary cast.

With the heightened security protocols by the Org, an air guardian was required to fly within "effective responding distance" of the plane, that is, close enough to protect them from an attack, should it occur. It was an unfavorable assignment, especially since Camilla knew Mack would get to enjoy the comfortable temperature-controlled cabin while she flew outside in the cold wind under a hot sun. The only comfort in this injustice was that Camilla had made Mack promise to look after Elsie and her fear of heights.

Thankfully, the journey went off without a hitch. The most notable moment was when another commercial flight was in their vicinity, and Camilla neared it out of a mixture of caution and boredom. When she spotted a few pairs of young, curious eyes watching her from the windows, she rewarded them with a few aerial maneuvers, and they grinned wide with every loop and spin she completed.

"Nice moves out there, Wyatt," Mack teased once she met up with them in the terminal.

Camilla hadn't realized anyone beside the kids had seen her airshow, and she felt her cheeks growing warm with embarrassment until she saw Elsie's approving nods.

"You made me want to be able to join you, and that's saying something," Elsie said. "But that might have been the complimentary champagne talking."

The rest of the day was reserved for the crew to prepare for filming. Since the cast wasn't working, the local guardians took charge of protecting the hotel, and the Lee Squad took shifts to protect the working crew. Lee ordered Camilla and Pala to take anything but the first shift since they spent the last few hours airborne, and Camilla wasn't going to argue. She eagerly went to her room and didn't even bother unpacking in favor of simply going to sleep, only staying awake for long enough to set an alarm to take the third watch.

Her shift turned out to be uneventfully boring, and when it ended just before sunrise the following morning, she didn't look forward to the long day ahead of her. After turning over to Lee, who would oversee the crew's transit to the first location, Camilla found the nearest coffee shop and got something for herself and Elsie. At the last minute, she ordered something for Mack too, because she didn't want to hear him complain about her playing favorites.

Surprisingly, Elsie was awake by the time Camilla arrived at her hotel room, after having made a quick stop at Mack's to deliver his present. Elsie's tired smile grew even wider when Camilla offered her caffeine, and she took large sips of it as she beckoned Camilla to follow her into the room.

"Thank god," Elsie said. "I thought without Minyoung here I'd have to survive on the watery coffee they have on set. Oh, and sorry about the mess," Elsie added, grabbing some clothes off one of the chairs and throwing it on her bed. "Have a seat, I'm almost ready."

"You've been here for less than a day and you've already left your mark," Camilla commented, picking up a blouse from the ground that had almost disappeared under the TV stand. She took the seat Elsie had cleared and set her own coffee down to fold the blouse, then placed it neatly on the table beside her. "I'd hate to see how it looks by the end of the week."

"I'll clean it tonight," Elsie promised, even though they both knew full well that that wasn't going to happen. She grabbed the blouse Camilla just folded and pulled a pair of pants from the pile she just made on the bed before disappearing into the bathroom.

Camilla huffed out a laugh at the absurdity of Elsie's words and let her eyes wander over the other items on the table. Among the clutter of random napkins, candy wrappers, and a fancy pair of headphones, Camilla spotted the shiny gold bookmark she had given Elsie sticking out from her well-worn script. Absentmindedly, she let her finger trace the edge, then run over the yellow flowers.

"Those are nice," Hitomi said.

"I guess," Camilla replied offhandedly, quickly diverting her attention to the other items in the store. She had been so distracted that she hadn't realized Hitomi had been watching her, and Camilla felt as if she had been caught doing something she wasn't supposed to be doing.

She had only accompanied her cousin to the stationery store because she didn't think her Japanese was good enough to get around the foreign country on her own, not because she actually was interested in buying anything. But the small display of intricately cut metal bookmarks had caught her attention, and her mind instantly thought of the actress she just met several months ago. The woman had a habit of grabbing any item around her to serve as a placeholder in all the movie scripts she read, and it bothered Camilla incessantly during the few times they met.

"The flower designs are beautiful," Hitomi added, drawing Camilla's attention back to the display.

"I don't know much about flowers," Camilla admitted quietly.

"Luckily, I do," Hitomi said, and she began to point to various bookmarks and explain to Camilla the meaning of the flowers they featured.

"What about this one?" Camilla asked, gesturing to the yellow flower that had first caught her attention.

"You like that one?" Hitomi smiled. "They're freesias: symbols of friendship, and trust."

---

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