Screen 1
ONE:
New angle, perhaps past PAYNE, but favoring FARROW and the CARRIAGE that has now pulled up.
THREE of the “Five Gunmen” are aboard -JEPPESON CALLOW, BEAUFORT, and SARGENT MENDEL BURLEY. CALLOW sits at the driver’s seat, reins in his hand, with BEAUFORT beside him.
BURLEY is opening the door on the side.
ALL of the GUNMEN are looking at FARROW.
1. PAYNE: Have you met my companions? Allow me to introduce them…
TWO:
On CALLOW and BEAUFORT, on the driver’s seat. CALLOW is putting a knuckle to the brim of his hat in polite greeting, but there’s no smile.
BEAUFORT sits beside him, glowering. He’s a mean ‘ol cuss.
2. PAYNE/off: Jeppeson Callow sits at the reins, he you may have heard of from
that sorry business in Daghten a few years back.
3. PAYNE/off: And Mister Beaufort beside him. We do not speak of his sins.
THREE:
Angle, BURLEY standing beside the open door of the CARRIAGE. He’s giving Farrow the eye, and it’s pretty clear what he thinks of the man from his expression. He is not impressed.
4. PAYNE/off: Sergeant Burley, here, served with distinction in several campaigns
of the Hollern, the Fueille, and even amongst the Tanitin Region…
Screen 2
ONE:
PAYNE and FARROW again. FARROW is looking to PAYNE once more. PAYNE has come a little closer, the same easy manner as ever.
1. PAYNE: …though said distinction was not always honorable.
2. FARROW: You’ve brought thugs. How proud you must be, Darius.
3. FARROW: This is meant, I assume, as intimidation?
TWO:
PAYNE is moving to the door of the carriage, still speaking to FARROW, who is watching him.
4. PAYNE: Intimidation, Ethan? No, not at all.
5. PAYNE: Rather a consideration for you to undertake.
THREE:
PAYNE, leg up, about to enter the carriage, and he’s still smooth as silk with FARROW.
FARROW is impatient and now growing indignant; he’s been frightened enough this evening, he’s done with it.
6. PAYNE: He has made his will known to us, and we have seen his
displeasure.
7. PAYNE: Failure in this will be dire for us both.
FOUR:
On PAYNE, and now he’s serious. This is the offer.
8. PAYNE: You know the Court and I stand familiar with the streets.
9. PAYNE: Perhaps, in concert, we might overwhelm Lady Sabre’s… defenses,
yes?
Payne seems to be the practical one
I think Farrow may be trapped by Payne’s logic, but know that it is far easier in the end for one person to take credit, especially if Farrow suffers an unfortunate “accident” during their joint operation.
Just sayin’
“During their joint operation”?
Nope, Payne seems smart enough to wait until they have the map before “arranging the accident”.
The fine gentlemen get names. No more Mr Top Hat, Mr Red Beret, Mr ‘Stach.
Hey Richard, you might be a new reader? These names were actually provided and voted on by our readers!
http://www.ineffableaether.com/2012/07/03/dropping-names/
Well that explains how they survived the encounter with the Marshall.
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0472.html
Named NPC has more HP than unnamed NPC.
Looks like the evil mustache club
Ha! that’s a good name for them
somewhat like Holmes’ “Red Headed Club” or what ever it was called.
Is the ellipsis before “defenses” meant to read as really creepy and possibly with overtones of rape? It definitely did to me, but I may be oversensitive about that kind of thing.
That’s quite a leap you took there.
Errr… no? More like things like West, Drake, the Pegasus, her sword, literally anything else.
I don’t think it was meant as such, but I can definitely see how it can be read in that way. Overcoming a woman’s ‘defenses’ has definitely been used in other contexts as a euphemism for rape, so I can understand that reading of it here.
It was never written, nor intended, to imply a threat of sexual violence against Lady S, not at all. That said, it’s a reasonable interpretation of the text. Jeremy is spot on – getting to the map will require no small luck, and a plan to deal with everything that stands between Payne and Farrow’s way and her Ladyship.
So it’s a fair read, certainly, but was absolutely not intended.
Woo! Beaufort!
Naturally after the brief descriptions of each mysterious mustachioed mad man, I’m dying to know their their individual histories.
Jeppeson looks like an undertaker who augmented his own business. Beaufort may have been a mariner at one time, perhaps even a mutineer. and Sergeant Burley…ah the Mad Sergeant…does machine-gunning your own men bring distinction without honor?
I like the qualification that serving with distinction did not automatically entail something honorable. Just in case you had any doubt after the panel with the killer emerald gaze.
Payne is remarkably patient with this guy.