AN: Late. Hope you saved some ps for me.
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The door opened to reveal a spacious studio with polished floors, a neutral backdrop, and racks of costumes hanging neatly along one wall. Bright but diffused lighting filled the room, designed to flatter and expose in equal measure. Cameras stood ready on tripods, and a monitor displayed the feed in real time. Plus, there were a couple of chairs, tables, and a long couch.
Halle stepped inside and looked around with raised eyebrows. "You really don't do anything halfway, do you?"
Alex gave a small smile as he closed the door behind them. "This is your stage for the next hour. Think of it as a rehearsal room, not a test. I want you to be comfortable. What matters here isn't just hitting marks but finding the weight of the character."
She approached the clothing rack where several variations of Storm's costume hung. The designs ranged from classic leather with metallic accents to more fabric-based ensembles that hinted at an ancient warrior aesthetic. Her fingers trailed over the material of one, lingering on the silver-lined cape. "These are beautiful," she murmured.
"They're prototypes," Alex explained, walking toward a table stacked with dialogue sheets. "I had the costume department put together different iterations of Storm. We'll settle on a final look once we know what you feel powerful in. Storm isn't just a superhero; she's a goddess in her own right. She commands the elements. That has to come across not only in what she says, but in how she looks, how she stands, how she breathes in a scene."
Halle turned to him. "Ororo Munroe is a complex character. I've read the comics, the first two editions of X-Men. I really liked her. And I was going through the fan forum and reviews a couple of days ago... I gotta say, she got a big fan following."
He picked up a sheet and handed it over. "Yep! She's popular and beautiful. And I believe you can pull it off perfectly."
She read over the page, lips moving silently as she absorbed the dialogue. It was a short exchange, a confrontation scene written for testing purposes. Storm was warning Magneto to stop his madness before another war breaks out.
"Do I get time to change?" she asked with a teasing glance.
"The fitting room's over there," Alex replied, gesturing toward a curtained space in the corner. "Take whichever costume feels right."
She disappeared behind the curtain with the chosen outfit. Alex adjusted the lighting, narrowing the focus on the backdrop to simulate a storm-lit sky. He dimmed the periphery to leave her center stage. By the time Halle stepped out again, the atmosphere in the room had shifted.
She wore a form-fitting black suit that gleamed with subtle silver threading, a flowing white cape attached at the shoulders, and boots that added both height and authority. A white wig completed the look, falling around her face in a cascade of silver strands that shimmered under the lights.
'Wow! Perfect,' Alex paused, taking her in. "Now we are getting closer."
She spread her arms slightly, testing the cape's weight as she moved. "Feels strange. Like I should be standing on a cliff with thunder rolling behind me."
"Hold that thought," Alex said. He walked closer, lowering his voice. "Storm is more than her powers. She is regal without trying, confident without arrogance, compassionate but never weak. When she speaks, people believe her not because she demands it but because she radiates authority. I want you to feel that in your bones. Shoulders back, chin lifted, eyes steady. You're not begging for respect. You are respect."
Halle straightened at his words, her posture aligning almost instinctively. Her gaze sharpened as if something inside her clicked into place. Alex nodded, satisfied.
"Good. Now take the line. Read it once as Halle Berry. Then again as Storm."
She raised the sheet, read the dialogue in her natural voice, and lowered it again. Then she drew in a slow breath, closed her eyes for a moment, and exhaled. When she opened them, her expression had changed. The softness was gone. What replaced it was resolve.
Alex moved toward the opposite side of the studio, grabbing another sheet of dialogue from the table. He didn't bother with a costume or props. His presence alone carried the weight he needed for this test. He glanced over the lines and then looked back at her.
"All right," he said evenly. "I'll be Magneto. Forget me as Alex. I want you to see me as the man who threatens your people, who tempts you with power while planning destruction. Ready?"
Halle tightened her grip on the sheet for a moment before setting it aside. "Ready."
Alex adjusted his stance, shoulders squaring as he slipped into character. His voice deepened, sharp with the conviction of Magneto. "The humans will never accept you, Ororo. They fear you. They hate you. And yet you fight for them? Why protect a world that would burn you at the stake if it could?"
Halle straightened her spine. She lifted her chin just as Alex had instructed earlier, letting the cape drape behind her like the wings of some celestial being. "Because I am not ruled by hate," she answered. Her voice was firm, but Alex caught a softness lingering at the edges. He raised a hand slightly.
"Stop," he said, dropping Magneto's mask for a second. "Don't just respond. Own it. You are Storm, a queen standing against a tyrant. Your tone cannot waver when confronting an enemy. Don't show weakness. Speak as if the very wind itself would rise to defend you."
Halle nodded, resetting herself. She took a breath, rolled her shoulders back, and let the cape fall more dramatically as she spread her stance. Her eyes locked on Alex. This time when she spoke, her voice rolled like distant thunder. "Because I am not ruled by hate. I'll carry Charles' vision forward. And I will not let your bitterness poison this world anymore."
Alex didn't interrupt this time. He stepped closer, his Magneto stance resuming. "Charles' vision? Don't make me laugh. Compassion for humans is a weakness, and weakness gets our kind killed. It got him killed. I offer you survival. Stand beside me, and the world will kneel before us."
Halle let the silence hang for half a second, her eyes narrowing as though storm clouds were gathering behind them. She raised her arm slightly, cape rustling as it shifted. Her voice thundered now, pride swelling in every syllable. "I am not your subject, Erik. I will not bow to tyranny masquerading as salvation."
Alex felt a shiver crawl up his arms despite knowing it was only a rehearsal. He leaned forward, pressing the weight of Magneto's menace into his voice. "Do you dare defy me, child of the skies?"
Halle stepped forward too, closing the gap until only a few feet separated them. She towered with presence, her chin high, her eyes unyielding. "You can't save the world just going around killing people. I will do what is necessary to stop you this time. I won't make the same mistake again. If it is war you seek... Wrath of Mother Nature is what you'll get."
Alex almost broke character at that. The delivery was fierce, raw, and regal. Exactly what he had been hoping to draw out of her. He let the moment simmer before lowering his voice again. "Yes. That. Hold on to it. That is your Storm."
They exchanged multiple dialogues, and with each passing second, Halle was getting more and more into the character. After around two hours of discussing and changing costumes and again exchanging dialogues and poses that Storm does while controlling her power...
Halle nailed everything with very few mistakes.
She exhaled slowly, a small smile tugging at her lips. "It felt… different. Stronger."
"This is what I've been looking for. Perfection," He said softly as if he was mesmerized by her acting.
She smiled a bit and sighed in relief. "I was nervous walking in here, but this felt good. Like she belongs to me already."
"She does," Alex said simply. He reached over to stop the camera. "We will polish the details, but I already know you are the Storm I want for this project."
She smiled at him, a little breathless from the intensity of the test. "Then I guess you're stuck with me."
Alex's answer came without hesitation. "Gladly."
"By the way..."
Halle gave him that sly twirl, the cape spinning just enough to accentuate the cut of the costume against her body. She stopped with her back to him, glancing over her shoulder with Storm's regal disdain but Halle's unmistakable mischief.
"...I think I look sexy in this costume. What do you think, Mr. Wilson?"
Alex leaned back against the table, arms folded, eyes traveling over her slowly. He didn't bother disguising the appreciation in his expression. "Sexy doesn't quite cover it. Storm was meant to command nature's power, intimidate enemies and inspire allies. Right now you're all of that, but you're also dangerous in a way that has nothing to do with lightning."
Halle tilted her head, smirking. "So you're intimidated?"
He chuckled low. "I didn't say that."
She took a few slow steps toward him, cape brushing against the floor, boots clicking in time with the measured rhythm of her approach. She stayed in character. "Careful, Erik. You may talk about power and control, but you forget that storms don't ask permission. They take."
Alex arched a brow, staying with her in the scene even as something hotter simmered beneath. "And what exactly are you taking from me, Ororo?"
Halle stopped close enough that the cape grazed his knees. She reached out, caught his tie, and gave it a little tug. Her lips curved, part Storm's queenly smile, part Halle's wicked tease. "Whatever I want."
The studio air felt charged again, almost as if the rehearsal had bled into reality. Alex held her gaze, searching for hesitation, but found none. Instead, he saw the flicker of amusement that told him she knew exactly what she was doing—flirting in character, but also testing him.
"Dangerous game," he murmured in a low voice.
"Life's boring without danger," Halle shot back, her hand still clutching his tie. She leaned in, her breath warm against his lips as her eyes lingered on his mouth.
He angled his head and brushed his lips over hers in a kiss that was brief but electric. Halle didn't pull away. Instead, she deepened it, her fingers sliding from his tie up to the back of his neck. She kissed like Storm fought—assertive, commanding, but with a pulse of heat that made it impossible not to give in.
'So soft!' Alex thought as he deepened the kiss. He felt her open her mouth as their tongues clashed with each other. The kiss soon turned into a sloppy, full-on tongue kiss. They kissed each other hard and fast. But they parted before things could get any more heated.
Her lips were still curved in that same playful smirk. "That didn't feel like acting," she whispered.
"It wasn't," Alex admitted without hesitation.
She laughed softly, the sound rich and unguarded. Then, slipping fully back into character, she straightened her spine and said in Storm's voice, "Careful, Erik. You underestimate me again and you'll find yourself struck down."
He laughed under his breath and caught her wrist, pulling her a fraction closer. "And what if I want to be struck down?"
Her eyes sparkled with mischief. "Then maybe you're crazier than I thought."
They kissed again, this time slower, more lingering. Her cape slid against his side, her hands framing his face as though she was still commanding the scene, still controlling the atmosphere. Alex matched her, one hand braced at her waist, the other sliding along the line of her back until his fingers brushed the clasp of the cape. He tugged lightly, letting it fall from her shoulders to the floor like a banner being lowered.
Halle broke the kiss long enough to glance down at the cape puddled around her boots. "That was a dramatic touch," she teased.
"Every goddess deserves drama," he replied.
She laughed again, then pushed him back against the table with a firm hand to his chest. "You're making it very hard to keep this professional, Alex."
"Professional was out the window the moment you twirled in that cape," he countered, wrapping his arms around her waist again.
Their mouths met once more, kisses building into something more heated, rhythm alternating between playful nips and deeper pulls. Halle laughed against his lips when his hand slid higher along her thigh, then caught his wrist and stopped him with a grin. "Not here. I'm still in costume."
"You'd make it iconic," Alex teased, kissing her jaw.
She tilted his chin up with one finger, eyes glinting with both challenge and promise. "Dinner first. You already invited me, remember? Impress me outside the studio, and maybe Storm will grant you another storm later."
Alex gave her a knowing smile, equal parts Magneto menace and his own easy charm. "Deal. But fair warning—when I set the stage, I don't do anything halfway."
"Good," Halle replied before kissing the tip of his nose. "Neither do I."
She walked toward the fitting room with deliberate sway in her hips, tossing him a glance over her shoulder. "You are a good kisser, Mr. Wilson." She winked before entering the room.
Alex slumped down on a chair, shaking his head. 'Haaa... That was intense. She's such a tease. Just you wait. I'm gonna tease the hell out of you with my magic fingers.' He looked at his open palms. 'I'm gonna make you cum with my classic foot massage.'
He has that evil smile on his face. But he quickly realized what he was thinking. 'Argg! What the hell am I even thinking like a little creep? It was just a couple of kisses and we are definitely going to have a simple date and she...' He looked at Halle's stats on the System screen.
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Name: Halle Berry
Age: 39
Mental status: Excited
Physical status: Healthy & aroused
Emotional status: Happy, horny, feeling loved
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'Huh?! We make a perfect match.'
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