CHAPTER 44: CHAPTER 44 NEW FRIENDS

"I... I’m glad you liked them," she mumbled, fingers fidgeting with the hem of her sleeve.

Isabella wasn’t used to compliments especially not ones that felt this sincere.

Her whole life had been spent either trapped inside four walls or hidden behind a glowing computer screen. The only men she had really interacted with were Leonardo, who scared more than softened her and Jay, whose teasing felt more like an annoying brother than anything else. Everyone else? Just bodyguards, staff, and strangers who looked past her.

So when Elliot, with his kind voice and soft dimpled smile, complimented her work without any expectations or judgment...

She felt flustered.

And shy.

Her fingers instinctively tugged at the hem of her dress, and her eyes lowered, unable to meet his for too long. Her heart was doing that strange flutter again like she was standing in warm sunlight after years of cold shadows.

"I-I just... did my best," she muttered, voice small.

Elliot chuckled lightly, not in mockery, but in genuine amusement at her reaction. "Well, your best is pretty impressive, Bella."

She didn’t know how to respond to that.

So instead, she nodded quickly and kept walking beside him, cheeks still tinted pink... hoping he wouldn’t hear the quiet racing of her heart.

Elliot then took her to the team he was working with on a different project. Gently pushing open the door, he held it for her. Isabella stepped inside and was immediately struck by the low hum of computers, the glow of multiple monitors, and the quiet intensity that filled the room.

There were four people inside, all working intensely.

The first was a tall woman with long, black hair tied in a high ponytail. Her fingers moved quickly over her keyboard as she leaned in toward her color grading screen, expression serious and sharp.

The second person was a guy with curly, fluffy hair and smooth, chocolate-toned skin that shining slightly under the studio lights.

He had a silver earring in one ear and a calm, laid-back air about him as he tapped rhythmically on a drawing tablet, nodding his head to music only he could hear.

The third made Isabella blink.

A cute guy maybe around Jay’s age sat cross-legged on his chair with light blue hair that flopped into his eyes. His skin was pale and clear, and his lips had a constant soft pout, like he was forever unimpressed or waiting for snacks.

Why does he look like Jay’s long-lost brother? Isabella thought, trying not to giggle.

And the fourth was a quiet figure in the corner, lean build, black glasses, hoodie pulled up halfway, typing with absolute precision as if each stroke was timed. He didn’t look up once.

Elliot stepped forward and spoke calmly, "Everyone, meet Bella. She’s the creator of those LUT packs we’ve been testing."

All four turned.

The black-haired woman raised an eyebrow.

The curly-haired guy gave her a charming smile and a wave.

The blue-haired one blinked twice, tilted his head, and squinted like she was a walking question mark.

The guy in the hoodie only looked for a second before nodding silently.

Isabella, standing there in her soft pink dress, gave a little nervous wave.

"Hi..."

The tall woman with black hair spun her chair dramatically and stared at Isabella with wide eyes full of disbelief.

"Yo! You turned out way too young," she said with a thick European accent, folding her arms with a grin. "When Elliot said bella from bella Zone was visiting, I imagined someone in her thirties, not—" she paused and gestured vaguely at Isabella’s soft pink dress and innocent face, "—this fairy princess."

"I’m Zara," she added, leaning back in her chair. "Senior Colorist and the person obsessed with your LUTs. Seriously, they saved three of my projects."

Isabella blinked and smiled shyly. "T-thank you..."

Before she could say more, the blue-haired guy stood up slowly, stretching with lazy catlike movements before walking over. He looked even softer up close—his fluffy sky-blue hair fell over his forehead, his lashes long, and his sleepy eyes oddly mesmerizing.

He stopped right in front of her and stretched out both arms toward her with an unreadable expression.

"...I’m Rumi," he said in a dreamy, slow voice. "I do environmental rendering and concept styling. You smell like sugar."

Isabella’s eyes widened, unsure if he was about to hug her or scan her.

Behind them, the guy with the glowing chocolate skin chuckled and waved a hand from his chair. "Don’t mind him, he’s like that."

He stood up and walked over too, holding a calm, confident air. His voice was smooth, easy. "Name’s Deshawn. VFX and compositing. Been in this studio since it started. Elliot said you were brilliant, and I believe it now."

"Thanks," Isabella mumbled, cheeks warming.

Finally, the guy in the hoodie looked up, pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, and gave a small wave.

"I’m Kio. I don’t talk much. I do system patching, plugins, backend... the quiet stuff."

Isabella gave him a warm smile. "I’m Isabella. Or Bella... I’m really happy to meet you all."

Zara grinned, "You’re adorable. We’re gonna corrupt you in less than a week."

Rumi blinked. "I want to feed her strawberry milk."

Deshawn sighed, chuckling. "Y’all are scaring her already."

Kio just went back to typing.

And Isabella, surrounded by them, somehow felt both nervous... and kind of at home.

"So... you said you wanted to collaborate with me?" Isabella asked softly as Elliot guided her toward the other side of the room where a cozy sitting area waited—two soft gray sofas facing each other with a simple glass coffee table between them.

She sat down gently, her hands resting on her lap as her wide eyes took in the space.

Elliot sat across from her, his arms resting on his knees as he leaned forward slightly with a smile. "Yes," he said. "We’ve actually wanted to reach out to you for a while."

Zara chimed in from the side, leaning back in her chair with her arms crossed. "Those LUT packs you posted? We tested them across three completely different projects, and they all looked stunning. You’ve got a killer eye, Bella."

Deshawn nodded. "Most people don’t understand how to color for mood and character in the same frame. But you do it naturally."

Even Rumi, who had returned to his chair and was now curled up like a cat, added lazily, "We don’t hype people unless they’re worth it."

Isabella looked down shyly, overwhelmed by the praise.

"But," she whispered, still unsure, "I’m not a professional like you all. I never even studied formally. I just... taught myself online."

Elliot shook his head gently. "That’s not a problem. In fact, it makes your growth even more impressive. We don’t care about degrees—we care about vision."

Then he smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling. "So if you’re open to it, we’d love to offer a collaboration. Something small at first. A short film or a teaser edit. Just to test the waters."

Isabella’s fingers curled slightly on her lap.

A studio like this... asking her to collaborate?

She looked up, still hesitant but curious. "And... I’d be able to work remotely?"

"Completely," Elliot said. "You can work from wherever you like. We’ll give you credits, support, and payment through whatever method you prefer."

Her heart beat faster.

For the first time in her life... someone wasn’t using her.

They wanted her talent.

Her work.

And suddenly, the idea of stepping out of her shell didn’t feel so scary.

Isabella had no idea how two hours passed.

What started as a formal studio visit quickly turned into the most unexpected, laughter-filled afternoon she’d had in a long time. They had shown her sample projects, discussed color moodboards, even pulled up some rough drafts of upcoming animation shorts. She offered her thoughts hesitantly at first... but they listened. Really listened. Encouraged her.

And then there was Rumi.

Out of everyone in the room, he had a strange ability to make her forget she was shy. He had this slow, sleepy way of speaking, like he was half in a dream but his jokes? Absolutely unpredictable.

He cracked random lines mid-sentence, used dramatic cartoon voices when reading scripts, and once tried to pitch an idea where all the characters were secretly sentient fruit.

Isabella had laughed so much her cheeks hurt.

And every time Rumi laughed, his soft, fluffy blue hair would bounce with him, making him look like a human plush toy.

Zara rolled her eyes every five minutes at him, but even she was smiling behind her mug.

Deshawn was more chill, but his smirks showed he enjoyed watching Rumi’s chaos too.

Even Kio, the quietest of all, snorted once–once–which, as they all told her, was considered a full-blown laugh from him.

By the end of it, Isabella was hugging her tote bag, cheeks slightly red from too much smiling, and feeling... full.

Not with food.

But warmth.

****

1:30 PM

Isabella stood near the door, holding her bag close with both hands, her eyes still twinkling from laughter and warmth. She had just thanked Zara and Deshawn when suddenly—

An arm slid casually around her shoulders.

Rumi.

He leaned in close, his chin practically resting on her shoulder, and took a playful little sniff.

"You’re going already?" he said, voice slow and pouty, like a kid who just lost his favorite toy.

Isabella blinked, caught off guard. Her cheeks flushed pink as she tilted her head slightly to look at him.

"Y-Yeah... sorry," she said with a sheepish smile, "I have guitar classes."