2026-05-27: A Friend In The Business
- Log: A Friend In The Business
- Cast: Gozaburou Gessou, Lisa Silverman
- Where: Aoba Ward, Sumaru City
- OOC Date: May 27, 2026
- IC Date: November 15, 2012
- Summary: Lisa shows up at Zabu's studio as requested--for an interview! Gozaburou asks a number of questions, and learns that this is a very unusual girl. Lisa, of course, learns nothing about his true feelings.
<Pose Tracker> Gozaburou Gessou has posed.
Gozaburou Gessou's studio is currently quiet and mostly dark for the moment. While there is the occasional crew member in and out, it was clear that production had wrapped for the day on the show. That isn't to say that there is no light however.
The stage lights are currently on as if an island in the surrounding shadows. On the set, at his desk, Zabu sits hard at work on his laptop....hard at work for someone such as himself. He idly scrolls social media for the latest scoop or the results of his latest showcase. You always did need to know what the public was thinking in this biz.
Dressed in a pale blue suit and matching thick rimmed glasses, Zabu smacks his gum, grinning at each post with mild interest. It would seem that there wasn't much sizzle today. What a shame. "Hmmm..."
It was hard since the Joker Killer was dealt with. There was no boogieman out in the streets anymore and that was bad for business. Plus the people on top wanted him to cover Wang Long....Ugh. Might as well ask Zabu to cover voodoo or space aliens too.
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
The public is still thinking about the Muses! Well, not everybody, but enough people that they remain in the spotlight. Lisa's had more fans to react to, and has met so many by now at all these meet-and-greets. She, Miho, and Mami are all having fun with it... but it can be pretty tiring, so Lisa for one is glad that when she got asked to come here, it was post filming for the day.
Lisa's not in uniform anymore, instead in a skirt with stars diagonally down it and a tanktop under a green jacket. Her blonde hair is up, as usual, and she steps around the studio from the entrance. "Gessou-san?" she wonders, wandering towards the lit stage. "It's Lisa Silverman."
She hasn't met him before, but she was asked to come, so...
<Pose Tracker> Gozaburou Gessou has posed.
Zabu looks up almost instantly at the voice, raising a brow as his mind works to catch up with what he is seeing. It's a Caucasian girl speaking Japanese. Why did that---oh yes. One of Ginji's girls. The smile returns and the host is to his feet. "OH yes! Lisa! Welcome! Please make yourself at home...Do you need a drink? Hold on. KENJI!!!"
From around a corner in the shadows, a rather put upon man looks around with wide eyes. "Uh, yes Mr. Gessou?"
"Get this charming lady what she wants and please be quick about it." Zabu is still smiling but his eyes narrow ever so slightly in Kenji's direction. It wasn't clear if he was being awful or just assertive.
"Yes, sir, Mr. Gessou!" The man is gone just as quick as he arrived.
Zabu lets out a sigh and shakes his head, still looking just as jovial. "Sorry, my usual assistant is on holiday so I'm stuck with Kenji for the moment. We would've had a refreshment station ready for you on a good day. Come, sit sit! This is going to be a nice cushy interview for a piece we're running on you gals so I want you as comfortable as if you were with one of your girlfriends. Just consider me one of the gals. Hahaha. No but seriously you don't need to have any nerves about this." He laughs, gesturing for a chair across from his place at the desk.
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
"Thanks!" Lisa answers, and then blinks. That's some shouting. And that man has some pretty wide eyes. "Just a melon soda's cool," Lisa answers, and it is not clear at first if Zabu is a terrible boss. Once he gives an explanation though...
"Oh," Lisa says. "That's why he's so spooked, because he's not used to it?" she wonders. Put-upon assistants aren't that strange in this business, but it would make sense to her. Anyway...
She laughs a little. "It's like that, huh?" she asks.
Admittedly, telling her she doesn't have to be nervous makes her more nervous...
"So let's just charge on in then!" Lisa says, indomitable(?). "Ask away!"
<Pose Tracker> Gozaburou Gessou has posed.
Zabu grins and nods for a moment before calling after Kenji. "Melon Soda!"
There is a chirp from Kenji in response, prompting the host to rub the side of his head. Zabu looks at her when she asks about Kenji's mode, laughing slightly. "Yes, he's more of a glorified intern, I'm afraid. We pride ourselves at making our guests feel at home so I apologize for this lapse in quality."
He chews his gum, nodding. "It is very much like that. So feel free to tell me what's inside that heart of yours. The public loves that sort of thing. Put your faith in me and you'll be shaking the hands of twice as many fans by next show." The host finds his chair and sits again, pushing the laptop to the side. He takes a moment to pull out a notepad and looks up at Lisa before beginning.
"So lets start of light...Tell us what got you into music and what you love about it." He looks back down to his notes, wondering exactly what school Ginji picked this foreign girl from. She didn't seem like his type at all but knowing that louse he was trying something new. Zabu doesn't want to spook this girl, however. As much as it would be fun to tank Ginji's idol group, it would only serve to annoy Zabu when Ginji whined to the higher ups about such a turn of events.
As if on cue, Kenji returns with the Melon soda, offering it to Lisa sheepishly. "Here you are. Sorry for the wait."
"Kenji, remember you aren't being paid to bother the guests." Zabu says pointedly, gesturing for the man to leave. "Thank you, please go handle your other duties until we need something else."
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
"It's fine!" Lisa insists, and in this she is very Japanese, at least; she's being very polite and self-effacing about the whole thing. But what's in her heart? That seems awfully personal... But the public does love that kind of thing, she's noticed. Close off too much and she'll tank their relationship with the fans. "Wow... Well, it'd be great to reach more people," she says brightly.
Lisa takes a seat, too, obviously. "Oh!" she says, and then smiles. "That's--"
"Touche," she says, 'thanks' in Cantonese, on reflects. But Kenji gets shut down and that's very awkward. It's not her place to say something though, and she's a lot more on her best behavior out here...
"Um," Lisa starts.
"Right. So music for me comes down to my friends; I always liked music OK enough, obviously, but I really got to know how great it could be singing with my friends. We did a lot of karaoke and stuff; I'd never performed for other people before all this. But if I can share that feeling of doing something together with people you care about, then I'm happy about that. I guess that makes it more fun to meet fans, too, since we're kind of all sharing that... feeling."
She's got a little polish.
<Pose Tracker> Gozaburou Gessou has posed.
Zabu notes the awkwardness from his treatment of the help. He will need to cool it before this interview turns hostile. He stiffens his smile as he leans back in his chair, nodding as she begins to answer his question.
"I see. So your career is a reflection of your friendship with the other members? Interesting. Any memories of you and your friends you'd like to share that showcase the joy you find in music with your friends." Zabu is pretty good a hiding his inner thoughts. As much as he'd like to laugh at this girl's naive outlook on showbusiness, he did have to admit that such sentiments played very well with the fanbase, who were probably going to love whatever this girl said.
He taps his notebook, thinking for a moment. "So if Friendship is the bright spot, what kind of problems are in the day to day....Off the record for a moment, you don't gotta be too direct on this one. The public doesn't want to really know your sorrows. They want some positive downsides to show business...like hard schedules, making up time at school...you're a pro, you know this."
Zabu reaches for a bottle of water, taking a sip. "Also how long have you been performing?"
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
Smart.
"Hai," Lisa answers. "I'm enjoying getting the chance to expand my horizons about it, get to know other performers and other show business stuff, but that's where it started for me." A beat. Hmm. "Performing on the set of SMILE--that movie a while back?--was a real highlight for all of us. Not only did we get to spend time together, but we got to meet a ton of new people and try some new songs, and be part of something we never had the chance to try before."
Friendship's the bright spot... Problems in the day to day? Lisa's not so naive that she's gonna go into her real sorrows about it. But Zabu thinking to reassure her about that is nice; it gives her a better impression of him. "The scheduling is the biggest one--I've gotta arrange so much stuff in advance if I want to make sure there's time for it at all, with everything going on and all our practices and recording and stuff. There's a lot that's like, changed, too."
Pause. "We were doing music for years," Lisa says, "But I've only been performing for other people in the last year. So, I guess I'm learning some of this stuff along with everybody else..."
<Pose Tracker> Gozaburou Gessou has posed.
"Ah yes, SMILE. A very interesting movie. I'm sure there are some who pour over your parts. Thats just the way fans are...especially idol fans." Zabu says with a grin. "But I can see how that would be quite the experience." He takes his pen and jots something down as he considers her words. "Follow up on that, do you think movies are the next stage of your career?"
"Oh ho...You should really invest in an assistant for that you know. I'm not sure what...dear Ginji is paying you girls but it has to be enough to have some form of help." There is a little bit of stink on 'dear Ginji' as Zabu really doesn't care about openly hating that hack clown POS. Still, he doesn't go TOO hostile because appearances needed to be kept...even in show business.
"Hmm I hope they have you three in some formal training. Singing is very hard on the vocal cords without proper technique...But I'll leave it there." He clears his throat and checks his notes again. "So what is the one thing you've always wanted to tell your fans but haven't had the forum to...It can be anything you want it to be. From please shower to something heartfelt...maybe more the latter as you aren't the punk of the group as far as I know." Zabu laughs to signal that he's trying to make a joke. "Actually what role would you consider yourself in the group? Are you the sassy one? The lover? The fighter? The scary one? The posh one?"
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
"Yeah!" Lisa answers about their parts getting scrutiny. But it was a big experience. As to movies, "I'd love to explore the idea," she says of movies, "But I don't know yet what we're doing in the future; my big focus at the moment is our next album." Another 'polish' moment... but she can't deny she'd like to do movies. "...But especially if I got to do some stunts, that'd be a lot of fun!"
An assistant! Hmm. Lisa tilts her head. "Haime?" she asks. 'Really?' "I never thought about getting an assistant..."
But, "Oh, Sasaki-san's got is in training for singing and dancing both. And some extra training when one of us wants to learn even more. For instance, I'm seeing an extra dancing instructor to get better at stuff even beyond our current choreography."
But something she wants to tell...
Lisa can't help but stare a moment at 'please shower' because it's so blunt! But she laughs along anyway. "Hmmm... No, i'm not that."
The punk of the group, that is.
"Hmmm... Well, I'm totally a fighter! But Sheba studies kung fu with me, too! And Mee-ho's definitely the cute one. Sheba's super mature..." So what does that leave for her? "I do like to think about love. And my parents do have a fancy house..." So lover and posh make sense, of course.
"I guess it feels weird to be the one to say which I am; that's something other people look at. So I mostly feel like I'm the loud one!" She laughs at herself a little.
<Pose Tracker> Gozaburou Gessou has posed.
"A stuntman Idol? Intriguing...I'm sure your fans would worry however so I can't think they'd be thrilled...But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try it. A little danger is good for the soul." Zabu winks playfully before going back to his notebook.
He nods as she mentions that Sasaki has them in training. At least that loser was that smart. "Oh nice. I myself took several years of classical training in my youth so I can only speak of the wonders it will do for multiple aspects of your life. Work diligently and the rewards are countless, I promise." Zabu nods slowly before taking another sip of his water.
"Interesting so you girls can put a fight. Look out unruly fans, hah." He jots something down as she explains who she is in the group, noting her humility about the question. "I'll put down you are the heart of the group as that is what your words says to me. "Eh, it's fine to say who -you- think you are. It's an exercise in writing your own narrative...Off the record again, I will say that as you continue your journey in this business that making your own image is key to success. It doesn't always work but it can help you be content in your career." Zabu smiles and nods sagely, going back to his notes.
"Lets get into some of the hard questions...Who inspires you? What are some of your inspirations in how you perform?"
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
"Mostly I want to test my skills," Lisa says. "I love martial arts movies, so the chance to do something like that would be really cool!"
But, "Oh, wow," Lisa says of Zabu's classical training. "I'll work hard, too!" She finally sips at her melon soda; it's pretty good, but she barely tastes it given the pressure of an interview.
Look out unruly fans!! "Haha, of course I wouldn't want to hurt my fans. It's more about the grace and skill for me than actually getting into fights."
The heart of the group... Hmm. But it's fine? "Oh... That makes sense," Lisa says of writing her own narrative. "Thanks, Gessou-san. I'll remember that."
But the hard questions. "My biggest performance inspiration is Bruce Lee," Lisa says, and says it with an entirely straight face. "Throughout all of his movies and stuff he really shows grace, movement, style. That's what got me interested in movies--and in kung fu. ...But I have a lot of of singers and dancers and other performers I admire too!" Lisa rattles off a couple of singers and groups who were popular when she was in middle school, just a few years ago. But--
"But I met one of my real inspirations on the set of SMILE. Junko Kurosu! She's so... professional. She's really lovely, and had a lot of good advice for us..."
"And the way she looks out for her family is really great, too." Like her GAY SON. But Lisa doesn't say that part.
<Pose Tracker> Gozaburou Gessou has posed.
Zabu listens to Lisa, nodding his head as she explains her inspirations. He begins to wonder how Ginji made this girl into an idol. She was certainly more active than most of the girls he interviewed in her field.
He nods at Bruce Lee, smiling smugly as he almost could've predicted that. "He was an interesting persona as well. Rather infamously in old Hollywood...But I will leave discovering his history to you as learning about ones idols is a very personal experience." He nods sagely again, taking a sip of his water.
"Ah! Kurosu-san. She was on the show to talk about the cause she was championing. Class act she was. I can definitely see why you admire her."
After a moment, Zabu closes his notebook and looks across the desk at the high school girl in front of him. He wonders what kind of bullshit that untalented hack was going to put her through...It was a shame really. Zabu almost cared for this one because she was so out of the ordinary....almost. Still, it might come in handy to turn her against Sasaki just to get one over on that guy.
After a moment, Zabu reaches into his coat pocket and produces a business card, presenting it to Lisa politely.
"Our interview is at an end but if you ever need something in this crazy business, don't hesitate to call. In this business, it is all about who you know and while I know the rules of the idol world, this is simply business." Zabu smiles pleasantly, getting a new piece of gum to chew after the card is taken or rejected. "Lisa-san, it has been a pleasure."
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
Miho and Mami are more conventional picks for an idol--Lisa's pretty, but her various unusual traits mark her up as just quirky enough to stick in the memory. ...Even if for some, there'll just be the appeal of the Japanese white girl.
"Oh yeah?" Lisa asks. "I know some... But I'll have to find out more! Thanks." She smiles.
But then, Junko! The cause she was championing. "Yeah!" Lisa answers. "I think she's great."
But Zabu closes his notebook... Hmmm.
A business card. Lisa sees no reason not to take it; making another contact in the industry just seems smart, and she knows no reason that her manager would mind. "Thank you," Lisa says, politely taking the card in both hands. "I'll remember that, Gessou-san."
"It's been nice to meet you. I hope you can meet my friends soon, too!"