Scene Summary: Hope for the Hopeless

Hope for the Hopeless
Chronicle	DC Chronicle
Game Date	November 16, 2015
Real Date	November 30 - December 2, 2015
Characters	Ginevra Bianchi Hope Gutierrez Maeve Glaistig Marcus Vitel
Locations	Limbo
Previous Scene	This is a Legitimate Place of Business (Ginevra, Jonathan, Maeve, Sean) Maeve's Journal: From Paris to DC (Hope) Territorial Nature (Vitel)
Next Scene	Assemble the Players (Ginevra) Strong Medicine (Hope, Maeve) Journeys End In...? (Jonathan) Dirty Work (Sean) That Good Night (Vitel)
Content Warnings	Mind Control, Sexual Harassment
Original Scene	Hope for the Hopeless

Hope for the Hopeless is a scene from the DC Chronicle featuring Ginevra Bianchi, Hope Gutierrez, Maeve Glaistig, and Marcus Vitel, with minor appearances by Jonathan Stewart and Sean Fallon.. It depicts Hope and Maeve meeting for the first time at Limbo.

Scene Summary

Maeve arrives at Limbo and goes to her dressing room, tired. She notices that Marcus Vitel has finished having it redecorated as a birdcage for her and thinks that he must have meant it as a nice gesture in spite of the implied captivity. She sees an ice bucket with a blood pack in it and a note with a thumbs-up and a smiley face and notes that Ginevra must already have been here. Ignoring it for now, she goes to the wardrobe and takes out tonight's costume, sighing at the complex high Victorian fashion, which includes a bustle and a mourning veil. She wonders if the Prince outsources dressing her to the local Toreador, but doesn't want to offend him by asking.

Ginevra comes down the backstage hallway, agitated by her lack of control over what happens at Limbo. She thinks that it's good for Maeve to get out of the house, but that now that her set list idea has been shot down, she can't do anything about the Prince's unreasonable requests. For a moment she wonders if Maeve would be better off truly dead rather than doing this and then is upset with herself. She pauses at the door to the band's dressing room, where she warns Jonathan and Sean that tonight will be a bad night, and then goes to Maeve's dressing room, which she privately calls the Birdcage Room.

Ginevra enters and puts the Prince's card down on the counter, complaining to Maeve that her family and the Prince never let her wear real clothes, to which Maeve replies that they're all very old and are bored by normal things now, worrying about how uncomfortable Ginevra seems. She asks if Ginevra has eaten tonight and tells her to sit down and help her with getting dressed, exaggerating the difficulty to make Ginevra feel needed. Maeve asks if Ginevra has seen Jonathan and Sean, to which she replies that she did briefly and will probably get food with them after the show. Maeve flips over the card and sees that it requests Despair as the mood for tonight, upsetting Ginevra who was trying to hide it, and remarks that this explains why they're dressing her in funeral clothing. Ginevra complains extensively about the Prince's requests and asks Maeve if she can complain to his ghouls, but Maeve discourages her.

In the club proper, Hope arrives with Beverly Bright and Rosario Battista, all of whom split up and sit in different corners. Hope dislikes Limbo and thinks its attendees are foolish, but also wants to be seen here and keep tabs on things. She kicks a guy out of a corner booth and sits down in it, thinking that she's heard the singer is good and at least it might be entertaining. She begins to play games on her phone while she waits.

In the dressing room, Ginevra begins doing Maeve's hair while Maeve tries to explain that elder vampires no longer understand the finer nuances of emotion. She tries to reassure Ginevra that she will be fine, while Ginevra reflects unhappily on Maeve's deal with Vitel for Pieter's safety and knows there is nothing she can do about it. She reminds Maeve that there is blood here for her and tells her that she can get more, internally afraid that Maeve is always on the brink of starvation. One of the bandmembers hisses at the door to warn them that it's showtime and Ginevra shoos Maeve away to the stage. Maeve goes, thinking how long it has been since she wore a full corset and bustle and remembering doing so with Octavius. She touches both Jonathan and Sean and mouths a warning about the night's emotion, noticing that they look unhappy about it and planning to do something nice for them later.

Maeve goes out onstage, where she stands in front of a microphone and sings a despairing song, thinking that this emotion is very easy for her. She uses Melpominee to generate multiple voices as well as inflicting the emotion on the audience members. She recognizes that the effort is draining her quickly but finds it difficult to care.

In the audience, Hope finds Maeve's costume funny but is affected by the song, suddenly thinking back to the way she felt when she was abandoned in New Haven as a new neonate. The audience begins to weep as Maeve finishes, but Maeve is unable to go backstage since Jonathan and Sean are moving equipment, giving Hope time to catch up to her as she comes down the side stairs instead. Hope tells her that the show was awesome and asks if she always makes everyone cry, to which Maeve fatalistically replies that she only does that about three-quarters of the time. Hope asks why she does this and whether she enjoys making people unhappy, and Maeve explains that she asked a favor from the Prince and is working it off. The two exchange introductions, including noting that they are both new to the city and that Hope is an Anarch, and Hope agrees to Maeve's suggestion that they go backstage before the audience recovers.

Hope asks Maeve where she came from as they return backstage and to her dressing room, where Hope is also surprised by the decor. Maeve explains as she begins to take down her hair that she recently came from Paris and Milan, but doesn't really live either place, adding that she was in Chicago before that. Maeve asks her the same and Hope tells her she has recently come from the west coast, after which Hope tells Maeve that she recognizes her from seeing footage online of her having sex with Ian Kross, whom Hope identifies as her sire. Maeve is still grieving Ian and is now shocked by the revelation that he had childer, causing Hope's feelings to also be hurt when she realizes that he never mentioned her. Now unhappy herself, Hope asks Maeve if she wants to go out for a drink, assuming that she will refuse.

Maeve begins to drink from her blood pack, offering to share with Hope who refuses, before the lights in the dressing room flicker and dim, warning them that the Prince is on his way. Vitel arrives at the dressing room, his Obtenebration filling the hall and room with darkness, thinking that Maeve's performance successfully handled several items of business for him and that it is important to praise her for it. He tells her that she did well and she tells him that it was a pleasure while Hope hides against the wall, suddenly feeling sympathy for Maeve and her situation.

When Vitel leaves, Maeve returns the half-eaten blood pack to the bucket and accepts Hope's invitation. Hope is surprised but glad and tells her that she knows a few places, texting her friends to tell them that she is leaving. She jokes that there will be bars on the windows so that Maeve will feel at home, and Maeve says that she wouldn't know what to do with herself otherwise, startled by how much Hope's joke sounds like one that Ian would have made. Hope asks if the Prince always shows up after a show, to which Maeve replies again that it's about three-quarters of the time, noting that instead he usually just sends her gifts.

Maeve finishes getting dressed back in her street clothes and Hope offers her a ride, saying that they will go to Purgatory to drink while Bjorn Garinson isn't there.

Script Summary

The script summary for this scene pares it down to only dialogue and action directions, allowing for a quicker and easier read through what was actually said and done by the characters. Click on the "Expand" tag to the right to view the entire script summary for this scene.

Hope for the Hopeless Script Summary

Maeve arrives in her dressing room at Limbo. She discovers an ice bucket with a blood pack in it and a card from Ginevra. She crosses to the wardrobe and starts going through the clothing. She sighs. Outside, Ginevra comes down the hall, holding a card and frowning at it, and pauses at the door to a different dressing room.

GINEVRA: Sorry, guys. It's probably going to be a bad one.

She closes the door and continues down the hall until she arrives at Maeve's dressing room. She enters, closing the door behind her.

GINEVRA: Ti hanno mai lasciato indossare qualcosa di normale?

She begins to do Maeve's hair, piling it high on her head and pinning it in place.

GINEVRA: Il resto di loro, intendo. La tua famiglia. Il Principe.

She lays the card face-down on the counter. Maeve sorts through accessories.

MAEVE: Non proprio. Hanno passato centinaia di anni, in alcuni casi, a guardare diverse mode che vanno e vengono. Suppongo che probabilmente siano annoiati da qualcosa di "normale".

Maeve turns around and takes Ginevra's hand.

MAEVE: Hai avuto la possibilità di mangiare ancora qualcosa stasera? Sembri stanco. Ecco, siediti, gestirò tutte le gonne senza di te ora che abbiamo la ... cosa del filo a posto.

Ginevra giggles and sits down. Maeve begins to start hooking a corset.

MAEVE: Hai già visto Jonathan e Sean?

GINEVRA: Li ho sbirciati. Probabilmente andrò al Pit con loro dopo lo spettacolo e andrò a cenare lì. Supponendo che Pieter si ricordasse di farne uno qualsiasi.

Ginevra rubs at the sole of her foot. Maeve flips the card on the counter over and reads it.

GINEVRA: Oh--

MAEVE: Ah. Questo spiega perché mi vesto per un funerale.

Ginevra gets up and begins to fasten the back of Maeve's dress.

GINEVRA: Onestamente, penseresti che vorrebbero sentire cose carine. Come se non avessero molto tempo per rimuginare.

MAEVE: Immagino ... a loro piace sentire qualcosa di forte. Non sono sicuro che tutti distinguano davvero più, tra sensazioni piacevoli e sensazioni che non lo sono. Potrebbero considerarli tutti come sentimenti.

GINEVRA: Sei sicuro che non possiamo chiedere al Principe di mantenere le cose un po 'più spensierate? Ho incontrato uno dei suoi servi l'altro giorno, potrei sempre andare a prendere un messaggio per te.

Ginevra finishes with the dress and smooths it down, then starts to organize her hair.

GINEVRA: Intendo. Se tu volessi che lo facessi.

MAEVE: Non preoccuparti, amica mia. Sto bene. Sarò solo stanco più tardi, tutto qui.

Ginevra pins a black veiled hair piece to Maeve's head and hugs her.

GINEVRA: Abbiamo del cibo qui, okay, e posso sempre averne dell'altro, o qualsiasi altra cosa di cui hai bisogno. Quindi fammelo sapere? Forse dopo ci divertiremo tutti a casa di Pieter.

Someone briefly opens the door and hisses at them from the doorway before leaving.

GINEVRA: Sei bellissima. Avanti, ti mancherà il segnale. Vai, vai.

In the club proper, Hope arrives along with Beverly Bright and Rosario Battista. They split up and Hope sits down at a corner table. She begins to play games on her phone.

Maeve leaves her dressing room and walks slowly to the wings, where she puts a hand on Jonathan's and Sean's shoulders. She mouths the word DESPAIR at them. After she lets them go, she walks out onstage and stands in front of a microphone. Hope puts her phone down to watch. Maeve sings a sad song and uses the Melpominee Discipline to force the audience to feel despair. Several members of the audience begin to weep as Hope gets up and makes her way toward the stage, where Maeve is turning to leave.

HOPE: Hey you! That... was awesome. Do you make people cry every night?

Jonathan and Sean begin wheeling a synthesizer offstage, blocking the stage door. Maeve walks toward the side stairs.

MAEVE: I think... only three nights out of four.

HOPE: Oh. That's a pretty decent record. Do you dress yourself? Nevermind. I don't care.

She leans toward Maeve.

HOPE: What are you doing here? Do you like making people miserable? Or do you sing what they tell you to?

Maeve comes down the stairs.

MAEVE: Well, I asked a rather large favor from the Prince when I arrived here, and now I'm working it off. I'm afraid he makes requests, but he's kind enough to leave it up to me to interpret them. Of course, he hasn't actually requested anything happy yet, so that would probably account for my record. Then again, I'm not... very good at happy, these days. I'm sorry, I should have said. I'm Maeve. It's lovely to meet you.

Hope crosses her arms.

HOPE: Hope. You don't have to smile, if you're depressed. I can't stand people who smile all the time. They make me violent. You're new here? I don't know everybody in court. Because I'm an anarch and completely above such small things. It blows here but some of the people don't suck.

She shrugs.

HOPE: Good a place as any.

MAEVE: Yes, I'm afraid so. I just arrived... not quite a month ago. I haven't met any of the local Anarchs before you yet, but I'm glad to. Some of my best friends have been Anarchs.

She sighs.

MAEVE: I don't want to be rude, but would you mind it if we went backstage right about now? There's always the chance someone will recover and decide that they want revenge. In which case I'd rather I wasn't wearing this dress when they start to chase me. It would be very romantic but I probably wouldn't get very far.

Hope shrugs.

HOPE: Okay. Yeah, they're pretty fast.

They leave through the side door and go backstage.

HOPE: We're around. Rosa and Bev came with me. Not really our scene, though. Generally speaking. But we're around.

MAEVE: Yes, well, I think it's only some very specific peoples' scene. I imagine there are better things to do.

They arrive in Maeve's dressing room and she closes the door. Maeve sits down at the vanity and starts unpinning the veil from her hair. Hope leans against a wall.

HOPE: It's subtle. Where'd you come from?

MAEVE: Paris, most recently. And Milan, before that. I don't really live either place, I just... sometimes end up there.

She pulls the veil free and sets it off to the side.

MAEVE: Before that... Chicago.

She unpins her hair and it falls down.

MAEVE: And you? Have you always lived in DC?

Hope's eyes widen.

HOPE: Uh, yeah... Not long. Like almost a year, maybe. I was around California before that. Got some bad news, decided to pack up and see a different coast.

MAEVE: I've heard a lot about the west coast, but I've never been there. I imagine it's at least as interesting as the forty-fifth Toreador salon of the season in Paris.

She pulls a robe out of the wardrobe and shrugs it on. Hope crosses her arms and legs.

HOPE: I figured it out. Where I've seen you before. On the internet, fucking my sire.

Maeve freezes. There is a silent pause.

MAEVE: Ah. Then you know why I'm not smiling much lately.

She puts her hand on her forehead.

MAEVE: I... I'm sorry, I need to eat. Would you like to share it with me?

She gestures toward the ice bucket.

HOPE: I'm okay. That's pretty cold and gross. You go ahead.

She slides down the wall and sits on the floor.

HOPE: Guessing you two were a thing then?

MAEVE: Yes. We were.

Maeve gets up and goes to the ice bucket. She pushes a straw into the bloodpack and begins to drink from it.

HOPE: We didn't stay in touch. Not really. On account of him being such an enormous asshole. You probably knew that already.

MAEVE: I didn't, actually. I didn't know he had any childer.

HOPE: Oh.

MAEVE: But he didn't get around to much of his history. There was a war going on. As for the other thing... Well, I did meet him.

HOPE: Huh? Yeah, he was the worst.

Hope stands up again.

HOPE: Ugh! This sucks. It's stupid and depressing. And not even, like... Whatever. If there's one fucking person who could make me miserable from the grave, it's him. Do you want a beer?

MAEVE: It is those things, I suppose. All right. But I don't know the city, so you'll have to decide where to go.

The lights in the dressing room flicker and dim. Vitel walks down the hall, his shadow unnaturally darkening the hallways with the Obtenebration Discipline. He knocks on the dressing room doom and his shadow pushes it open. Hope shrinks back against the wall.

VITEL: Well done, Songbird. A very lovely performance.

MAEVE: As always, a pleasure.

Vitel walks away and the lights return to normal. Maeve puts the half-empty bloodpack back in the bucket.

HOPE: Goddamn, he's creepy. Does he do that every time?

Maeve closes the dressing room door and then retrieves her street clothes from the wardrobe.

MAEVE: Three out of four times, again. He doesn't usually come down here, though - he'll catch me leaving or send a ghoul down with flowers instead or something.

She drops her robe and pulls her dress quickly over her head.

MAEVE: I suppose he just wants to remind me that he knows I'm here. Or it's his version of being nice, I'm not sure.

HOPE: Good. I know of a few places. Not as fancy as this one, but...

Hope removes her phone and texts Beverly and Rosario. She shrugs. Maeve finishes getting dressed and texts Ginevra.

HOPE: That's kind of the point.

MAEVE:That's fine with me.

Hope puts her phone back in her bag.

HOPE: Probably some bars on the windows, though, so you'll feel at home.

MAEVE: Oh, good. I wouldn't know what to do with myself otherwise.

HOPE: You can ride with me. Um... I'm thinking Purgatory. Because it sucks less, and Bjorn probably isn't there right now. Also, alcohol.

Translations

Trivia

• Maeve's sense of time passing is off; although she thinks she has only been in DC for a month, she has in fact been there for almost three.
  
  
• Ginevra mentions Maeve's finances having swollen since leaving Europe; unbeknownst to her, Maeve has inherited all of Octavius Sage's holdings after his death.
  
  
• The birdcage wall paintings in Maeve's dressing room are based on those in the dining room of Grovelands Park, an eighteenth-century historic site in London.
  
  
• The ghoul belonging to the Prince that Ginevra mentions having just met is Delia Chambers.
  
  
• Hope's memory of being abandoned in New Haven recalls her flight across the country after Ian Kross defected back to the Camarilla.
  
  
• Hope refers to seeing Maeve having sex with Ian online; Vanessa Keasley secretly recorded the two of them and distributed the recording in Chicago.
  
  
• Hope's mention of living on the west coast refers to the Anarch Free States.
  
  
• Maeve's flashback to having sex with Ian refers to the events of The Tempest.
  
  
• Vitel's request for Maeve to perform the emotion of despair tonight was targeted explicitly at preventing Bjorn Garinson from being angry enough to confront him about an issue regarding the Anarch feeding grounds in Rockville.
  
  
• Vitel thinks of Maeve as a "cooler"; in casinos, coolers are people who are deployed to cause bad luck or make bad plays at games, thus causing others to lose more than they win.
  
  
• Vitel's voice is compared to the wear on the Via Augusta, the longest and most continuously used road built by the Romans in their territory of Hispaniola; Vitel was a Roman commander in Hispaniola when alive and likely used the road extensively.

Songs Featured

Missing, Evanescence