Chapter 88: Different Outlook

No sooner had the trio heard the order from Murray, they instantly flipped their switches and assumed the skin of their fictional characters.

Following up from a couple scenes after Elias’ and Titus’ meeting, the film’s central focus had returned to the dry, emotionally unavailable man.

Failing to land his jumps successfully, talk less effortlessly... jumps that his previous self wouldn’t have had the least bit issues with, Elias’ frustration continued to grow.

The media’s encroachment upon his life following his meeting with Titus hadn’t been in his favor either, as several articles began questioning and even mocking his comeback.

Even then, he persisted.

Despite his routine pushing him to the extreme, he refused to spare himself and his bad leg the pity party.

Ultimately, it resulted in him aggravating an already debilitating injury, leading to a scene where his physician, after examining him, warned yet again that he might permanently cripple the leg if he landed another jump.

This time though, Elias was forced to truly face that reality... the one he’d been masking under winces of pain and his now jaded nature.

Like most humans under pressure, he started caving in to the noise and actually wondered if he should’ve stayed retired in one particularly emotion-heavy scene they would eventually film at a later date.

Howard had also been present in said scene, and it was clear as day that the coach wasn’t sure of what he could say to ease his student’s wallowing.

Soon enough though, he figures out what to do and simply tells Elias to stay off the ice for a couple days and come to his office later in the week.

Despite being unsure of what his Coach was up to though, Elias begrudgingly accepts.

To that effect...

{Rink | 4th, February 2018 | Act 3 | Scene 10 | Take 1}

The office was quiet and dimly lit, thin streaks of sunlight spilling in through its windows.

To the sides were shelves lined with old trophies, faded photographs, and stacks of VHS tapes that had somehow, someway survived and made it into the digital age.

In the most obvious corner of the room, a television and a DVD player were placed next to one another on a table stand, allowing for easy viewing from any angle of the room.

As Elias limped through the door with his cane, his gaze immediately locked onto Noah’s.

"What’re you doing here?" the man asked.

"I was told there’d be snacks," Noah remarked, looking up from the chair he had occupied and then glancing over to Howard whom was deliberately busying himself with one of the shelves.

Naturally, Elias’ eyes narrowed, to which he then asked to his coach;

"What is he doing here?"

"Nothing much. Figured an extra spectator wouldn’t be bad." Howard casually replied as he retrieved what he wanted.

"Now sit down." the coach gestured to a chair as he inserted the disc into the player and switched on the TV.

Shuffling his way over without bothering to offer a sarcastic remark in response, mostly because he was in more pain than usual, Elias did as he was instructed as the screen came to life.

Seeing a much younger version of himself appearing on the screen as the arena erupted with applauds and his name was announced, Elias glanced over to Howard who simply gestured to him to keep watching.

Noah, on that other hand, leaned forwards slightly and adjusted in his seat.

This was among the many versions of Elias Noah had grown up with, but even he had never seen this performance. Yet, this was the very same version of himself Elias criticized the most.

As an eighteen-year-old Elias skated onto the ice with an effortless confidence, the music begam, as did the performance itself.

Watching in silence, neither of the trio spoke, for several minutes on end.

Eventually...

"Huh?" Noah tilted his head, seemingly realizing something.

"What?" Elias demanded.

"I’ve noticed, that in every video before your injury, you always smiled through your performances. Genuinely." Noah replied, glancing over to the man.

And sure enough, it was there, a curl of his lips that wasn’t exaggerated, or performative, but... natural. One that indicated that it wasn’t for the audience, or to sell his performance.

Rather, it was for him, and only for him. A smile of exhilaration, purely for the love of what he was doing.

"You don’t smile anymore on the ice..."

Elias stared at the screen for a while without replying. Then he spoke, his tone dryer than ever;

"Turns out pain isn’t particularly funny, Noah."

In response, Noah let out a quiet, acknowledging hum as he and the others kept watching the program.

Then, at some point in young Elias’ performance, he improvised.

Instead of taking the safer transition into his next jump, he added a flourish.

It wasn’t perfect, and his edge slipped ever so slightly as he landed. It was barely noticeable, in fact.

Yet... Elias couldn’t help it.

"There." he had immediately pointed at the screen and Howard paused it, seemingly having expected it.

"I shouldn’t have done that," he criticized his younger self without mercy.

"That transition. It served no purpose and I nearly lost the edge. It was unnecessary."

In response, Noah frowned, while Howard remained suspiciously quiet, a thin smile on his lips.

"I liked it, though. It was a beautiful double axel." Noah countered.

"It was inefficient." Elias shot back.

"It was different." Noah pointed out.

"It was risky." Elias turned to face him.

"It was interesting." Noah smiled, to which he then added as he equally turned to face him;

"I’m gonna remember it for a long time. In fact, I’m going to try and replicate it at some point in one of my programs."

Elias simply shook his head, clearly tired of always trying to convince the overly optimistic youth. It was also why he scoffed and said;

"Doesn’t make it any less of a mistake."

To that, Noah glanced sideways at him. Then he asked, his tone curious;

"Why do you do that though?"

"What?" Elias dismissively replied.

"Criticize your willingness to try something new."

Noah’s question may have been innocent, but it didn’t stop it from hitting Elias like a freight train, his eyes seemingly recalling the moment everything came crashing down for him.

It was a jump he really shouldn’t have tried. A jump he’d done out of a desperate need to edge himself ahead of Titus at the championship finals.

Given how much of an improviser he was though, he’d believed he could land it.

Afterall, it wasn’t his first rodeo abandoning a planned routine and going for the harder alternative just to secure a victory. The entire figure skating world, in fact, had come to know him especially for that habit of his

However, that jump in particular... it ultimately hadn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. More so with the recent news coming to light.

Yet, it was the very same jump that had broken his leg. One that had cost him his career.

If only he hadn’t tried to innovate... to attempt something no one else had in that very moment...

He probably would’ve gone on to win other championships. Perform on other stages. Be a renowned figure skater, just like Titus.

But now he was relegated to this. A man who desperately wanted to...

"Hello...?" Noah waved a hand and Elias suddenly snapped back to the present, one that Howard had equally noticed but chose not to react to.

Still, Elias didn’t answer the youth’s question immediately. Instead, his eyes remained fixed on the younger version of himself frozen on the television screen.

Finally...

"Because, the possible failure that comes with it is what history will remember," he finally answered, then leaned back into his chair as he added;

"Not the innovation itself."

Once again, the room grew quiet.

Casually, Noah placed both palms behind his head as he equally leaned back and comfortably sank into the chair.

Then, he broke the silence and said after a brief while;

"You may be right,"

"But I’d argue that the best figure skaters weren’t remembered because they never failed to land a move," his gaze returned to the television, a thin, reverent smile touching his lips as he continued;

"Rather, I’d like to believe they were remembered because they found a reason to get back up and try again until they did."

"I mean," Noah then tilted his head over slightly in Elias’ direction as he said with yet the same smile;

"It’s why I remembered you all this time, isn’t it?"

"It’s why everyone’s remembering you again, isn’t it?" Noah added, his gaze still locked onto the screen.

Yet, his words had willed a powerful silence to descend into the room.

Even Howard whom had invited Noah over with the intention of giving Elias’ a different outlook on things was just as stunned.

Elias was much the same, the words echoing deeply within him as his pupils slowly dilated.

Yet, before he could manage to respond, Noah had already gotten up from his chair with a lazy stretch, an easy smile on his lips as he walked towards the door and said;

"But knowing you, you’d probably say that’s naïve, won’t you?"

No sooner had he said that, he laughed a bit to himself and walked out, the door clicking shut behind him.

"And... Cut!"

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/Caer07