Scene Summary: Carrying That Load

Carrying That Load
Chronicle	DC Chronicle
Game Date	November 21, 2015
Real Date	January 20-27, 2016
Characters	Aidan MacNeill Ginevra Bianchi Johnny Dirnt Jonathan Stewart Maeve Glaistig Pieter Van Reise Sean Fallon
Locations	The Garden The Pit
Previous Scene	When the Cat's Away... (Ginevra, Maeve) Stories Are Made to Be Told (Johnny) The More the Merrier! (Jonathan) Dirty Work (Pieter, Sean)
Next Scene	Mending Fences (Ginevra) Remember Remember the Fifth of November (Johnny) Regrets of the Dying (Jonathan, Sean) Paper Faces (Maeve) The Lowlife Limbo (Pieter)
Content Warnings	Mental Illness
Original Scene	Carrying That Load

Carrying That Load is a scene from the DC Chronicle featuring Ginevra Bianchi, Jonathan Stewart, Maeve Glaistig, Pieter Van Reise, and Sean Fallon, with cameo appearances by Aidan MacNeill and Johnny Dirnt. It depicts Maeve and the ghouls attempting to help Pieter while he hallucinates.

Scene Summary

Jonathan and Sean are outside The Pit, nervously waiting for Ginevra and Maeve, whom Jonathan has called for help. Jonathan tries and fails to hear anything happening inside, while Sean complains and rubs at his arm, which he remembers being injured even though it currently is not. When Ginevra and Maeve arrive, hurrying down the street on foot, they ask what's happening and Jonathan and Sean try to explain that Pieter is having a breakdown and the inside of the Pit is no longer recognizable to them. Maeve is worried by their level of panic and takes Ginevra's hand, telling them that they will look inside and need to all stay together. Ginevra takes Jonathan's hand and Sean takes Maeve's other hand as Ginevra opens the door.

Inside, Pieter's Chimerstry has transformed the room into a lush garden with a hedge maze and the moon above. Maeve recognizes it as The Garden from her memories of Raleigh and changes her mind, pulling the ghouls back outside. She tries to reassure them that things will be all right but insists that only she should go inside, asking them to go find Pieter some blood because he will be hungry when she finds him. Sean objects, trying to explain that he was physically hurt when he tried to go in, and Ginevra agrees with him, but Jonathan is worried for Pieter's safety and suggests that Maeve probably knows what she's doing better than they do. Maeve reassures them that the illusion can only cause pain, not actual harm, and shoos them away so she can go inside. Ginevra goes to find blood for Pieter, leaving Jonathan and Sean to keep an eye on the Pit.

Maeve goes back inside, disoriented but remembering enough to know that she should go into the hedge maze to find Pieter. The hedges cut and slice her skin as she passes, startling her but confirming that this is Pieter's memory of the place, not the real thing itself. She hears voices arguing in the distance and forces herself through the hedges toward them, recognizing Johnny's voice but not the others. As she gets closer, the voices argue about someone, with Johnny and Aidan arguing that it isn't their problem and they should leave him alone against Pieter, who complains that they can only be so cavalier because it isn't happening in their homes the way it is in his.

Maeve fights her way free of the hedges, calling for Pieter, which causes the voices to go silent. Pieter sees her but is confused by the fact that she does not belong in this memory. They argue until Maeve manages to remind him that he is in the Pit, which leads him to remember that he is in DC and that Raleigh is in his past. The illusion fades and reveals the Pit beneath it, and a relieved Maeve waves the ghouls inside to help everyone recover.

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.

Carrying That Load Script Summary

Jonathan and Sean are sitting outside The Pit. Sean repeatedly rubs his arm.

SEAN: This is horseshit. What the fuck are we supposed to do with that? What even IS that?

Ginevra and Maeve hurry down the street into view.

SEAN: There they are. Christ.

Maeve pulls her scarf away from her face.

MAEVE: What happened? Is he all right?

JONATHAN: Well, miss, I think so. At least, we haven't seen anything, uh. Or heard anything. Since we've been out here.

SEAN: Who fucking knows. I mean, we think he's in there? Who fucking knows. In there's not really IN THERE.

MAEVE: You think--

She takes Ginevra's hand. Ginevra squeezes Maeve's hand.

MAEVE: Ginevra, I'm going to peek inside, all right? Just... don't worry, whatever you see in there. It won't be real. And you two, of course. But let's all stick together, all right?

GINEVRA: All right, then.

She pushes the door to the Pit open and holds out her other hand to Jonathan.

GINEVRA: Come on. We might as well all see if there's something we can do, right?

They enter the Pit. Inside, Pieter has used the Chimerstry discipline to make the space appear to be a moonlit garden containing a hedge maze. They stare. Maeve backs out the door again and drags Ginevra with her.

MAEVE: Oh. No, wait. I was wrong, don't go in.

There is a long pause.

MAEVE: All right, that's not so bad. He should be in there, and I'll... I'll find him. You should... wait outside. The actual outside. That one.

She points out into the street.

MAEVE: And... find him something to eat, maybe? He's going to be very hungry.

Sean grabs Maeve's free hand and tries to pull her outside as well.

SEAN: Hey, no, don't think so, that place... bites, sweetheart. This is no place for a lady.

GINEVRA: You're not going in alone. That's... that's... It doesn't look safe.

She hisses at Sean.

JONATHAN: Lass. I think maybe we ought to let the lady do as she likes. She's... well, I think she's got a little something the rest of us don't, in this case. Anything else we can do while we're waiting?

Maeve pulls her hands away from both Ginevra and Sean.

MAEVE: It's all right. Really. It's still just the Pit. It just... looks different right now, that's all. It can't actually hurt anyone. It's not real; like being stung by a bee in a dream. It won't hurt me any. Really.

She shoos the ghouls outside.

MAEVE: Wait outside. It's a memory of a place that I've been before. I can find my way.

GINEVRA: All right. I can help get something to eat. Jonathan, can you stay here? Make sure if... well, just in case something happens. I'll be right back. Just come back outside if you don't know what to do, okay? We can always call someone else.

MAEVE: Thank you. Don't worry.

She opens the door and goes back into the Pit. She pauses, then goes to the hedges, which reach out and slash and cut her skin. Maeve pulls away and flinches but follows the sound of distant voices into the maze. She walks until the voices become audible.

JOHNNY: --not my fucking problem. I'm not getting involved in this one, it is not on me.

AIDAN: Oh, for fuck's sake, leave him alone. He's got about fifteen thousand irons in the fire, he can play house a little if it keeps him focused.

PIETER: Yeah, it's okay for you two gadjende, it's not in your house. When was the last time he showed up in here on time? I know he blew you off last time you called, you used to that?

JOHNNY: He's busy.

Aidan laughs.

AIDAN: And we know what he's busy doing, don't we--

Maeve struggles through the hedges.

MAEVE: Pieter? Pieter, can you hear me?

She emerges from the hedges.

PIETER: YOU'RE not here.

Maeve pauses and touches a leaf on a hedge.

MAEVE: I am here. Pieter, I'm here. Remember? You found me.

Pieter shakes his head.

PIETER: No, you're not. You're not here. You WEREN'T here.

MAEVE: But I am. I'm here, Pieter. You found me, in Paris, and you woke me up. Remember? You're in the Pit. You made it, remember? It's yours.

PIETER: Yeah, it's mine. Ah, fuck.

The garden vanishes to reveal the Pit as usual. Maeve's injuries vanish as well.

MAEVE: I think everyone could use dinner, you included.

She waves at the front window, where Jonathan has his face pressed against the glass.

Translations

Trivia

• Maeve's memory of Pieter decapitating his own hand is chronicled in Maeve's Journal: From Paris to DC. Ginevra's mention of an incident outside of Lancaster refers to the same event.
  
  
• Although Maeve reassures the ghouls that Chimerstry illusions can only make them think they are hurt, not actually hurt them, her caution is due to the fact that she knows this is not necessarily true; powerful enough users of Chimerstry can actually cause real physical harm.
  
  
• Maeve's surprise at The Garden causing her pain is due to the fact that the original did not, having been made by her sire Dominic Vaughn and instructed not to harm her. Pieter did not get the same instruction, so his memory of the place hurts everyone including her.
  
  
• The remembered conversation between Aidan, Johnny, and Pieter is referring to their growing unease over Dominic's interest in Maeve, which they see as distracting him from more important events.