Friday, March 28, 2014

Interlude - rethinking life as an NPC

We see a medium shot of the interior of a tavern - heavy and dark wooden beams, fire in the corner fireplace, long bar, twelve or so tables with, perhaps, ten patrons.  A woman wearing a shirt of chainmail over simple but clean clothes sits nursing a mug of ale.  She's got short brown hair, and stares intently into her beer, her thoughts deep and intense; she is 25 years old, and we will refer to her as Josie because that's her name.  We see a man dressed similarly enter and approach - very short black hair, starting to go bald in the front; he enters and heads directly for the table where she sits.  He's 35 years old, and though his name is not Frank, we'll refer to him as that because that's what everyone else calls him, so he might as well start to feel that his name is Frank.

F: Hey Josie - copper for your thoughts.

J (looking up): Oh - hey Frank.  Thanks for stopping by.  (She motions to the bartender, pointing to Frank).

F (sitting): You been distracted all day.  Thinking about the boss?

J: Yeah.  Well, sort of.  Thinking about those guys, really.

F: I want to know what they asked him to do, you know?  Should we worry?  We gonna start being smugglers now?

J (shrugging, sipping her beer): Do you... Frank, do you have a... a plan?

(The bartender comes over and hands Frank a mug of what's probably beer.  Frank takes a sip and smiles): Ah, that's a good pour, Tonio.  Thanks.  (The bartender grins and tilts his head, then retreats back to the bar)

F (looking puzzled at Josie): A plan?  You mean... for the boss and what happened?

J (shaking her head): Naw, for - for life, I guess.

F: I dunno - keep my kids fed, I guess - buy the wife a new kitchen?  I don't know what you mean.

J: Yeah, I guess I don't either.  How long you been working for Abe now, you figure?

F (looking puzzled in a different way): almost 20 years - right after school.  Same as you - you know that.  What's going on, Josie?

J (sighing and looking back into her beer): Those guys - they didn't have a plan.  You know?  That was obvious - they barged in, Abe starts shouting, we call for the guards, he gets dragged off.  Didn't seem like the most thought-out of kidnappings, or robberies, or whatever it was, you know?  But then he comes back the next day with that shiner, won't talk about it, tells us that Nothing Happened in that way - business as usual.

F (nodding): Yeah, okay - it was fucked up, but not, like, dragons setting you on fire fucked up, right?

J: That's the thing - they just DID stuff.  They didn't have a plan - they bust in and make things happen.  What have you made happen, Frank?  You know?

F: Well, I guess now that I own the house from the bank I'm looking pretty set up there, and most of the kids are mostly pretty good...

J (laughing): all right, fair enough.  Raising kids - yeah, that's making stuff happen, sure.  What have I made happen?  I have a job, and I own part of this bar, and I'm saving up to buy my partners out - but, working in a warehouse?  Owning a bar?  Ffffuuuuuuucck.

(Josie slumps in her chair and sighs again, then sits up, resolved, and gulps half her mug in one quaff)

J: So I'm gonna go.  I'm gonna tell Abe I quit and I'm gonna go - somewhere.  I heard a guy in here the other day talking about how they found pyramids in the deep desert.  Pyramids!  You know what a pyramid is, Frank?

F (frowning and shaking his head)

J: Well neither do I - some kind of big building?  But - fuck it.  I took my money out of the bank and I'm gonna go on adventures.  I'm gonna see the fucking world, you know?  I wanna be like THOSE guys.  No plan other than see what kind of cool shit there is.

F: So - you gonna be a burglar, beat people up for money?

J (laughing): no no - nothing like that - I'm gonna go to Joven, and I'm gonna talk to my uncle, and then I'm gonna go to the frontier.  I wanna see some pyramids, you know?

F (nodding slowly): yeah, okay - I get it.  I'm gonna miss working with you, Jo, but I get it.

J (finishing the rest of her beer and calling to the bartender with two raised fingers): finish your drink, Frank.  I'm giving you my share in this bar.  Buy Sandra that kitchen.

F (blinking and looking wide-eyed at Josie): what?

J (laughing): finish your drink so you can toast me and my adventures, guy.  Now, when I come back to town, you gotta put me up on your couch - but yeah, I already got the papers written up.  We'll have a drink and you'll get the bar and then in the morning - FFFFFT! - I'm outta here. (Gesturing and making a half-whistle sound for emphasis)

F (finishing his beer in three gulps, smiling after the last one): well, okay, Josie.  Thanks - you didn't have to do that, you know.  I appreciate it.

J (laughing and nodding): Joven's dreams, but now that I'm saying it - it feels good, you know?  Like I want to go RIGHT NOW instead of waiting until tomorrow morning.  This feels right.  Hey - you wanna pay me back - you have another kid, you name her Josie, hey?

(The bartender comes over with two mugs, setting one down in front of each of them.  Frank and Josie tap mugs)

F: Well, to adventure, then!

J: To adventure!

We pan back from the friends, sharing a beer, thinking about adventures.

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