ONE:
Long shot, SABRE on DECK at the railing, watching as WEST rows away in a dinghy towards the pier.
The sun is now setting. Lots of pretty colors because, you know, pollution in the Shera sky.
NO COPY.
TWO:
POV shot, CALLOW’S LENSES as per last chapter. WEST with his back to us in the dinghy, rowing in our direction.
NO COPY.
THREE:
POV shot, again CALLOW’S LESNSES, of SABRE on the deck, still at the railing. She’s starting to move, one hand still on the rail, the other brushing hair out of her face.
NO COPY.
FOUR:
On CALLOW, half in the lengthening shadows of evening, as he stows his LENSES. He’s looking crafty.
1. CALLOW/small: That’s the last of the crew.
2. CALLOW/small: She’s alone.
Screen 2
ONE:
Almost stet on CALLOW from the previous page, last panel, but PAYNE is emerging from the shadows behind him, tugging on one of his gloves.
He looks pleased.
1. PAYNE: Ah, then we must give her our company, mustn’t we, Mr. Callow?
2. PAYNE: No lady should have to pass an evening in solitude.
TWO:
PAYNE turns his head slightly, as the rest of the GUNMEN now become visible past him — BARCLAY, BEAUFORT, THE GENTLEMAN RIFLEMAN, and BURLEY.
All have their weapons. All are looking to do wicked business.
3. PAYNE: Let us wait until the evening has made its full descent.
4. PAYNE: Then we shall share the pleasure of our company with Lady Sabre.
I call shennanigans. I would think that people as devious and untrustworthy as these would smell a trap a mile off.
One would believe so.
While I’m tempted to agree, we know that Sabre can hold off 4 on her own, and there’s only 6 bad guys here.
I assume the rest of the crew is Visibly Partying, which means that Sabre’s backup is Drake and Drum (I’m assuming Light and Stone need to stay low to maintain their story). And they only brought 6?
Really, what I want to know is: what are West and the rest of the crew doing while this goes down? Sure, they could just be having a party, but why not counterattack an ashore target when you have such a lovely distraction/excuse?
Payne still looks like Ritchie Daley
Payne has shown us how dangerous a tactician he is, but also that he is capable of great overconfidence as well as being inflexible when something he failed to anticipate happens. I would guess the unanticipated will come from his “colleague” who knows that Payne is a betraying, backstabbing, untrustworthy bastard.
I can’t wait to see what is next!
Oh, is he asking for it.
“Come into my parlor,” said the Spider to the Fly.
I find it plausible. People who con for a living are often surprised to be conned. Indignant, even. Plus, they’re men, and she’s a lady, literally a Lady, and these toughs have rarely been intimidated by “the quality” unless “the quality” had a regiment or some such at its disposal.
I have to say, the overtones of rape in this sequence make me super uncomfortable. Even though I know Her Ladyship is laying a trap, it still makes me feel really icky
Well, I think that’s a valid enough interpretation of what we posted, but that’s so far afield of the tone and nature of this comic that I should hope it’s truly not a concern. We’re never going to go there.
Never.
Ever.
I worry that Her Ladyship’s plan, whatever it is, is going to fall through badly. Rick’s illustration for this chapter of the Pegasus burning bodes ill. Also, whatever Payne’s planning to do with that sample of Lady Sabre’s blood, it probably won’t be anything good.
*cackles*
(Or should I say… *crackles*?)