Leaf had only been up for an hour.
He’d chugged down his coffee and gotten ready for the shoot, appearing delirious and mealy-mouthed as he spoke to the photographer. The brushed concrete walls had been put up, really just posterboard with some creative paper mache work from whatever set dresser had been contracted out. A little cutout of an imagined rough-and-tumble back alley, or at least a marketing executive’s idea of one. A few feet away the other models were helping themselves to craft services, or rifling through the wardrobe on its suspended racks.
“So for you we really want some of that charming energy, you know, soft-boy aesthetic Instagram style, right?” The photographer was talking to him.
“Soft boy aesthetic.” Leaf tasted the words.
“Yeah yeah like that sun-bleached kinda zoomer take-no-attitude vibe right? Real social justice stuff.”
Leaf nodded like he understood. Sometime between him arriving and the shoot beginning, he’d gotten dressed in the NYSee puffy jacket, accessories provided by Loomer, and a Lidmasters TREAT hat. MRSP whatever. He positioned himself in front of the background, and did what came naturally.