Scene Summary: What Makes a Man IV

What Makes a Man IV
Chronicle	New York Chronicle
Game Date	December 26, 2014
Real Date	February 21-23, 2016
Characters	Ian Kross Olivia Roth
Locations	Ventrue Correctional Facility
Previous Scene	What Makes a Man III (Ian, Olivia)
Next Scene	Maeve's Journal: From Paris to DC (Ian) One More Day (Olivia)
Content Warnings	Captivity, Suicide
Original Scene	What Makes a Man IV

What Makes a Man IV is a scene from the New York Chronicle featuring Ian Kross and Olivia Roth. It depicts Ian talking about his past romantic relationships in therapy.

Scene Summary

Olivia arrives in Ian's cell, noticing that the strain of pretending to be positive is starting to become noticeable in him. She makes a note to ask Marcus Aurelius what he's been asking of him in case it might affect their therapy progress, then sits down and looks at Ian, who she considers a difficult but not impossible case. They greet one another and she asks if he wants to talk about anything before they start, and when he does not tells him that they will pick up where they last left off.

Olivia asks Ian about his marriage to Rebecca Crosswell and they discuss him meeting her through her brother Colin Thomas as well as his family's disapproval of the match and his service in World War I. Ian becomes angry when Olivia asks him how the marriage ended, but she insists, telling him that he will make no progress if he can't even talk about the basics, and he repeats that Becky died. She goes on to ask if he had any children, to which he replies that he had one, Elizabeth Crosswell, but that she is also dead and he doesn't want to talk about his dead family when his girlfriend has also just died.

Olivia then asks Ian about his girlfriend Maeve Glaistig, upsetting him again before he objects to the use of the name, preferring her birth name of Mary O'Malley. Olivia asks about their relationship and he says that it was complicated, but he got used to her presence and it makes it difficult to remember how long they were together.

Olivia thanks him for going over the basics and tells him that she would like to start a more in-depth discussion before the end of the session, asking him about what he was like as a child and then a young man. Ian answers, but becomes more belligerent until he erupts when she asks about his wife again, asking why they should talk about something that happened so long ago. Olivia tries to convince him that it is important, but he continues to refuse to discuss Becky, eventually agreeing to do so later but not now. Olivia agrees and ends the session.

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.

What Makes a Man IV Script Summary

Olivia enters Ian's cell and greets him, making a note before sitting down.

OLIVIA: Is there anything you'd like to bring up before we begin?

Ian waves for her to continue.

OLIVIA: All right. Last week we went over your basic information and I’d like to finish. After that we will move on to discuss a few things in detail. How long were you married?

IAN: I don’t know. Three years? Almost three years.

Olivia makes a note.

OLIVIA: Did you have--

IAN: We knew each other longer than that.

OLIVIA: I see. And how long did you know one another before you were married?

IAN: Ah. Nine years. Off and on. We were - I went to war. I came back.

OLIVIA: And how did you know one another? How did you meet?

IAN: She was my friend’s sister.

OLIVIA: A friend? What did your friend think of your marriage?

IAN: Colin?

He shakes his head.

IAN: He was thrilled. Didn’t take much, really.

OLIVIA: That’s good. Family support can be very important to romantic relationships. And you did not have the support of your own, when it came to your marriage.

IAN: Wait. How did you--

OLIVIA: Last week, Mr. Kross. We covered it then.

IAN: Right.

OLIVIA: Were you ever able to repair your relationship with your family?

IAN: I-- No. Not really.

He stops looking at Olivia. She makes a note.

OLIVIA: And how… How did your marriage end?

IAN: Oh God, Goddammit.

He runs his hand over his face and throuhg his hair.

IAN: Why-- Look, I’m tired, all right. It’s been a long week. Could we just--

OLIVIA: These are the basics. If you can’t bring yourself to talk about even this, then there’s no hope for you. You told me that you wanted to change and now you have to show me. Start with the little things.

IAN: Little things? These aren’t little things. These are, they’re my life. All the pieces of it that are left.

OLIVIA: They were your life. This is your life now. You can’t keep them by holding them inside. It only keeps you from moving forward.

IAN: Right.

OLIVIA: How did your marriage end, Mr. Kross?

IAN: She died.

OLIVIA: Thank you. Did you have any children?

Ian groans and lies back on the bed, covering his face with his hands. Olivia sighs.

OLIVIA: Mr. Kross.

IAN: Yes. One. Her name was Elizabeth. She’s dead now too. Could you just for one, one fucking second--

He groans. Olivia leans back in her chair.

IAN: My girlfriend just died. I don’t want to talk about my dead wife or my dead child.

OLIVIA: Okay. By your girlfriend, you mean Maeve Glaistig?

IAN: Oh for fuck’s sake!

OLIVIA: Is that correct?

IAN: Fine. Yes.

There is a long pause.

IAN: No. That wasn’t her name.

OLIVIA: What do you mean?

IAN: I mean, that wasn’t her name. Maeve Glaistig. What a stupid fucking name.

OLIVIA: Ah. What was her name?

Ian freezes, then sighs.

IAN: Mary. Mary O’Malley. The other was her stage name, something like that. Stupid-- Her name was Mary.

Olivia makes a note.

OLIVIA: And how long did your relationship last?

IAN: Shit. Um…

He props himself on his elbows.

IAN: It was… Dammit. Complicated.

OLIVIA: Sometimes it is. How long did you know one another?

IAN: Oh, maybe… Two years? It’s hard to say. It - It felt longer. Like--

OLIVIA: Go on.

Ian shakes his head and lies back on the bed again.

IAN: You get used to someone, you know? You get used to them in your life. It’s hard to - to imagine it without them.

OLIVIA: Yes, I understand. And you were still together when you went into - into torpor?

IAN: Yeah.

There is another long pause.

OLIVIA: We’ve now covered all the basic information that I needed. Thank you, Mr. Kross. From this point forward, we’re going to look more in-depth at specific time periods or incidents in your past.

IAN: Oh, joy.

OLIVIA: Our session for tonight is almost over--

IAN: Now that actually is good news.

OLIVIA: Our session for tonight is almost over, but before I leave I would like for us to begin our in-depth conversation.

IAN: Get on with it then.

OLIVIA: I’ll start with something simple. What were you like as a young man?

IAN: I was a shit. A spoiled, conceited little shit.

OLIVIA: Yes. You were the… Viscount Bayham – I cannot say I am surprised.

Ian snorts.

IAN: Yeah, well, I was good at it. The best, really.

OLIVIA: What did you like to do?

IAN: I don’t know. The normal things, I suppose. I rather liked hunting. Riding in general.

OLIVIA: Ah, really? I used to ride.

IAN: Used to. Sorry to say, you won’t be getting in arm’s length of an animal now. Being dead’s fun, isn’t it?

Olivia sighs.

OLIVIA: Is it, Mr. Kross?

IAN: Oh, fuck you. Weren’t we discussing something?

OLIVIA: Yes. Of course. You said that you went to war. I assume this was when you were a young man? How old were you?

IAN: Nineteen. Maybe twenty. Old enough to think I was an adult without actually being one.

OLIVIA: You were in World War I, am I right?

IAN: Right. Three fucking years.

OLIVIA: And it was after you came back from the war that you were married?

There is another pause.

IAN: I said I didn’t want to--

Olivia holds up a hand to stop him.

OLIVIA: I know what you said. But we won’t get anywhere unless we discuss these things.

IAN: Discuss what? Something that happened almost a hundred years ago. Why? Why bother?

OLIVIA: Because it hurts. Because you don’t want to talk about it. That’s how we know that we need to discuss it to move forward.

IAN: Hm. Now isn’t that just sadistic?

OLIVIA: No. It’s the reason we’re here. This isn’t going to be easy. It takes work. Real work, Ian.

IAN: Let’s stick with Mr. Kross, yeah? Doctor?

OLIVIA: If you wish. So… After you came home, you were married then?

IAN: I said no!

Olivia shrinks from his shout, then gathers her things.

IAN: No. Dammit. Not yet. All right? Just… Not yet.

Olivia nods.

OLIVIA: Then we will leave it here. Have a good evening. Mr. Kross.

Trivia

• Ian's anger at Olivia asking him how his marriage ended is in part because he knows that she already knows, having confessed to contributing to Becky's death in Session's End.
  
  
• Ian's speech about the remaining pieces of his life parallels Maeve's in Veritas.
  
  
• Ian dislikes Maeve's name, but assumes it was a stage name, not yet aware that it was given to her by Octavius Sage.
  
  
• This is the only time Ian has ever voluntarily told anyone Maeve's birth name, which he knows she only shares with select people.
  
  
• Ian mocks Olivia's mention of horseback riding; animals dislike and fear vampires, something she does not know yet as a newly Embraced childe.