Leo's face tightened, his eyes narrowing as he met Kris's challenging stare. "She's not your property, Kris," he retorted, his voice calm but firm. "And I'm concerned about a fellow cast member. Unlike some, I don't see people as tools for my 'results'."
"She's my assistant for the week, Leo," Kris snarled, taking a step closer, his voice dropping to a dangerous growl. "A bet. Something you wouldn't understand, given your preference for... less competitive pursuits. She's under my direct supervision, and frankly, your 'concern' is interfering with her duties."
"Her duties?" Leo scoffed, a flicker of anger in his eyes. "You're working her to the bone for your convenience! She looks like she's about to collapse, and you're talking about 'duties'? That's not leadership, Windsor, that's just being a bully."
"Watch your tone, Leo," Kris warned, his voice a low, dangerous rumble. "You don't know anything about what's going on, or what she's capable of. And you certainly don't know anything about my business."
Mia felt herself caught in the crossfire, a strange, overwhelming mix of emotions swirling inside her. Anger at Kris for treating her like a pawn, gratitude towards Leo for standing up for her, and a bewildering flutter in her chest at Kris's fierce, almost primal, possessiveness. He was defending her, in his twisted way. The lines between their characters, Hermia and Lysander, caught in a magical love triangle, and their real-life selves, tangled in this bizarre rivalry, blurred into an indistinguishable mess. Her head spun.
From the tech booth, James had been watching the escalating confrontation with growing alarm. He saw Mia's wide, overwhelmed eyes, the tension radiating from her. He knew he had to intervene. He started to move forward, but Ms. Dubois, sensing the shift, clapped her hands sharply, her voice cutting through the rising tension like a whip.
"Alright, gentlemen! Enough brooding! Kris, Leo, your intensity is fantastic, but save it for the stage! We need Hermia and Lysander's bewildered reactions now! Places!" Her tone was unusually firm, a clear warning.
Kris didn't break eye contact with Leo until Ms. Dubois spoke, then, with a curt nod that bordered on a sneer, he turned back to Mia. "Places, Princess," he commanded, his voice cold, the protective intensity from a moment before now replaced with a familiar aloofness.
The air crackled with the aftermath of their clash. Mia felt a strange mix of annoyance and something else she couldn't quite name. Kris's possessiveness was becoming increasingly blatant, a strange undercurrent to their forced proximity. Day six down, and the personal drama was escalating.