Scene Summary: A Friend in Need

A Friend in Need
Chronicle	New York Chronicle
Game Date	December 12-13, 2014
Real Date	March 1 — April 12, 2021
Characters	Evelyn Summerfield Marcus Aurelius
Locations	Aurelius Compound Ventrue Correctional Facility
Previous Scene	All That Remains (Evelyn) Fathers and Sons (Marcus)
Next Scene	Everything Comes Down to This (Evelyn, Marcus)
Content Warnings	Mind Control
Original Scene	A Friend in Need

A Friend in Need is a scene from the New York Chronicle featuring Evelyn Summerfield and Marcus Aurelius. It depicts Evelyn asking Marcus for help when Jean Claude Danut writes to her and Ian Kross.

Scene Summary

Evelyn walks down the corridors of the Aurelius Compound, ignoring staff who are working at various tasks. She is clutching two unopened letters in her fist and trying not to cry, instead focusing on not wasting any time finding help dealing with them. She has not read the letters yet and wishes she could throw them away, but knows that it would be wrong to do so when one of them is addressed to Ian.

She knocks on Marcus' office door and he is surprised to have a visitor, guessing that it might be Olivia Roth but pleased to see that it is Evelyn, who he has been hoping would approach him. He stands and greets her as a ghoul shows her inside, offering her a seat. Evelyn is uncomfortable in his office and knows that she cannot see through his carefully crafted image, but gives him the letters anyway, shaking with emotion. She tells him that she wants to help Ian while he takes the letters and reads them both. Marcus puts the letters away and praises Evelyn for coming to him for help before using Dominate to ask her for information about the letter-writer, Jean Claude Danut.

Evelyn knows that she is being forced but is helpless to do anything about it, telling him that Jean Claude is a Toreador from Chicago who is responsible for all their misfortunes there, naming the bombing of Kross Industries, the death of Alexander Kross, and her own Embrace. She begins to cry and tells him that she is afraid of Jean Claude, who seems to be able to find her effortlessly no matter what she does. Marcus asks if he was the one who Embraced her, and she explains that while Chason Wells actually did so, Jean Claude has told her that he did so at his request.

Marcus sighs, recognizing that this complicates his plans, but also wants revenge against Jean Claude for taking Evelyn from the House of Aurelius. He stands up and takes Evelyn by the shoulders to comfort her, apologizing for making her relive her trauma before wiping the conversation from her mind. He kisses her cheek and tells her that she should return tomorrow night, when he will allow her to take the letter addressed to Ian down to him.

The next day, Evelyn dreams of Xander holding and comforting her and feels much better when she wakes up, relieved that she can trust Marcus to help her. After running errands, she takes the letter addressed to Ian to the Ventrue Correctional Facility, wishing she knew what it says but unwilling to violate Ian's privacy to read it.

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.

A Friend in Need Script Summary

Evelyn walks down the corridors of the Aurelius Compound, avoiding staff members. She is carrying two letters clutched in her fist. She arrives at the door to Marcus' office and knocks. A ghoul shows her inside and announces her, and Marcus stands to greet her.

MARCUS: Evelyn! What a wonderful surprise.

He motions to a chair.

MARCUS: Please, have a seat.

He sits back down and sets the book in his hand aside.

MARCUS: Please.

Evelyn walks into the room and hands Marcus both letters.

EVELYN: I thought... I wanted to help.

MARCUS: Thank you!

Marcus reads both letters and then looks up to Evelyn, returning the letters to their envelopes.

MARCUS: Well... It's very good you brought this to me. You did the right thing, Evelyn. Don't worry. I will take care of this. But first...

He leans forward in his chair and uses the Dominate Discipline to force Evelyn to answer.

MARCUS: Tell me... who is Jean Claude Danut?

EVELYN: A Toreador from Chicago. He was responsible for, for everything. For everything that happened. Kross Industries and Xander and the investigation and — and me.

A tear runs down her cheek.

EVELYN: All of it. He won't leave me alone. It doesn't matter where I go, or what I do. He's everywhere. I see him every — every time I c-close my eyes.

She wipes tears from her face and traces her scar with a finger.

MARCUS: He was the one who hurt you? Was he the one who Embraced you?

EVELYN: No. Chason Embraced me. Chason Wells. He was — he was — I thought he was my friend. I thought he Embraced me to hurt Ian. But Jean Claude said it was for him. He always said, everything was for him.

Marcus sighs and smiles, then stands up, taking Evelyn by the shoulders.

MARCUS: I see. Evelyn, my poor girl. I am so sorry to make you relive any of that. But don't worry. You won't remember any of this.

He uses Dominate to wipe her memory of the conversation and order her to return.

MARCUS: And I promise, he'll pay for taking you from me.

He kisses her cheek.

MARCUS: Come back tomorrow night. I'll let you take Ian his letter.

The next night, Evelyn wakes up and runs errands before taking the letter addressed to Ian and going down to the Ventrue Rehabilitation Center.

Trivia

• Marcus' desire for revenge against Jean Claude because of Evelyn's Embrace implies that he wanted her to become a member of the House of Aurelius; similarly, Marcus once planned to Embrace Colin Thomas only to be beaten to the punch by Walter Black.
  
  
• Although Evelyn thinks he was only a dream, her fiance Alexander Kross actually did comfort her in her sleep, being a Wraith who is currently haunting her.