No Choir Scene Summary

Scene Summary: No Choir

No Choir
Chronicle	DC Chronicle
Game Date	?
Real Date	July 2, 2018
Characters	Bjorn Garinson Casper Iversson Hanna Lindholm Ian Kross Rosalina de Leon
Locations	Washington National Cathedral
Previous Scene	Dead Men Talking (Bjorn) Without a Paddle (Casper)br> Memories: Rising Tension (Hanna) What Would You Do (Ian) Catch Me If You Can (Rosalina)
Next Scene	The Ransacking of the Russian Rose (Bjorn) Desperation (Casper)< Tin Soldiers (Ian, Rosalina)
Content Warnings	Ableism, Domestic Abuse, Mental Illness, Violence
Original Scene	No Choir

No Choir is a scene from the DC Chronicle featuring Bjorn Garinson, Casper Iversson, Hanna Lindholm, Ian Kross, and Rosalina de Leon. It depicts Bjorn, Casper, and Ian having a violent politics-and-hallucination-fueled fight atop the Washington National Cathedral.

Scene Summary

Casper stands atop the Washington National Cathedral, staring down at the ground far below. He flashes back to his youth, when he told his mother that he wanted to marry Nora Lindholm and she opposed the marriage before giving in and giving him her antique wedding ring. He hallucinates Pieter Van Reise's ghost haunting him, encouraging him to commit suicide by leaping off the tower, and weeps.

Below, Ian speeds angrily through the city, arriving to park around the side of the cathedral. He searches two towers before finding the one Casper is in, calling out to him as he arrives, but quickly realizes that Casper is mentally compromised, stumbling through his words and swaying near the edge of the building. Ian tries to talk Casper down, but Casper becomes increasingly unhinged as he claims that Pieter's ghost won't let him out of his destiny. Ian tries to reason with him, reminding him of who and where he is, and tries to convince him to step back for Maeve Glaistig's sake, even though he hates invoking her. Casper panics at the mention of Maeve, babbling about some danger that she shouldn't encounter that is following him. His phone chirps and he sees that it is Rosalina, who he says told him not to move, and then begins speaking to Pieter's hallucination, begging him not to punish him for what was done to him and promising that he will keep Maeve safe. Desperate, Ian uses Presence to command Casper's attention, making one last plea for him to step away from the edge. Casper tells him that he is being haunted by a dybbuk.

A furiously angry Bjorn arrives at the cathedral, sweeping past Ian with Celerity to begin beating Casper with Potence, taking out his temper on him for having caused him to have to play politics all night. He badly injures Casper, who briefly mistakes him for his sire, Ivar Ragnarsson, and begins fighting back, screaming that he will not be forced to return. Confused at his failure to recognize Bjorn but worried that Casper will be killed, Ian pulls him away from Bjorn, trying to remind them both that they are in danger of breaching the Masquerade. Bjorn hits both Ian and Casper, raging that he was forced to deal with Chas Voyager on Casper's behalf, but is intrigued when Ian doesn't fall under the force of his blow. Ian demands to know who Bjorn is, but Bjorn throws Casper into a pillar, causing him to lose consciousness, and then punches Ian again instead of answering. Angry and frustrated, Ian hits him back, and the two begin trading blows.

Bjorn begins to use escalating levels of Celerity and Potence to injure Ian, who weathers many of the blows with Fortitude but eventually begins to take serious damage. Bjorn uses a combination discipline to rain devastating strikes down on Ian, dislocating several joints and breaking most of his ribs, while Ian manages to knock Bjorn down and roll down the cathedral stairs with him, their struggles causing significant structural damage to the building. When they hit the bottom, Ian puts out one of Bjorn's eyes with his thumb, enraging Bjorn so that he smashes him against the walls and floor several times until he is rendered almost incapable of moving.

Bjorn abandons Ian's body and sits down on the stairs to heal, laughing and amused to have met someone who could take so much punishment from him, although he warns Ian that he will kill him if he gets up again. Ian stays down, attempting to heal his wounds, until Bjorn leaves, telling him in passing to send any complaints from his clan through Edward Walker. Ian tries to heal himself enough to get up and begins crawling toward the stairs, still intent on rescuing Casper.

Rosalina has been speeding through the city and now arrives at the cathedral, where she uses Obfuscate to hide herself as she sneaks into the building to look for Casper. She discovers the destroyed tower where the fight took place and rushes to Ian, shocked and horrified at the extent of his wounds, and demands to know where Casper is. Ian is surprised to see her but too exhausted to do anything but point up the stairs toward where he left Casper. Rosalina runs upstairs and finds Casper unconscious, and drops to her knees to hold him in her lap and try to convince him to wake up. Casper regains consciousness but cannot move or speak.

Ian manages to reach the top of the tower and to heal his throat enough to tell Rosalina that they need to leave; she asks him to carry Casper since she cannot, which Ian does very slowly, barely able to lift him due to his own injuries. Rosalina tells Casper that they will take him to safety and then uses Obfuscate at Ian's request to hide all three of them so that they can make their escape.

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.

No Choir Script Summary

Casper is standing at the edge of the belltower at the Washington National Cathedral while the bells ring below him. He flashes back to his mortal life, remembering arguing with his mother Hanna Lindholm in her kitchen.

CASPER: Mamma. Jag vill gifta mig med den här tjejen.

HANNA: Nej, min dumma älskling, hon är en fånig shiksa, du kommer att glömma henne snart. Eller så kommer hon, hon vet inte vad du är.

CASPER: Hon gör. Jag berättade för henne.

HANNA: Vad?! Är du arg?!

CASPER: Mamma. Kriget är över--

HANNA: Nej, nej, nej, min älskade, jag måste skydda dig från--

CASPER: Hon är det enda jag har haft någon tro på.

HANNA: ...Kommer du att gifta dig i Temple?

CASPER: Om det gör dig lycklig.

HANNA: Inget om att du gifte dig med den här tjejen som inte ens vet hur hon ska ta hand om sig själv än mindre du...var sa jag det?

CASPER: Sätta vad?

HANNA: Vad du kom för - säg inte bara min tillåtelse - jag känner dig alltför väl Casper. Du lyssnar aldrig på sunt förnuft. Gud satte inte dina tankar i ditt huvud...

CASPER: Mamma...

HANNA: Ta det. Få mig inte att ändra mig. Fråga henne nu och krossa mitt hjärta.

CASPER: Tack, Mamma.

HANNA: Grattis på födelsedagen, min söta. Älskar väl.

The cathedral bells stop ringing. Casper rubs his ring finger and stares down at the ground below, weeping as he slowly inches toward the edge. He hallucinates the voice of Piece van Reise whispering in his ear.

PIETER: Give it some color, why don't you?!

On the ground, Ian parks and gets out of his car. He climbs the stairs of one tower of the cathedral but finds nothing, then does the same at a second tower. He takes the stairs of the third tower two at a time and arrives on the roof.

IAN: Iversson!

Casper turns to face Ian and stares.

CASPER: Kross...? What are you...? You shouldn't be here... Just - stay away, you all need to stay away - it isn't sage here.

Ian raises his hands and steps slowly forward.

IAN: All right, all right. I'm not coming any closer. So just... step away from there.

Casper hallucinates Pieter's ghost acting as a ringmaster, giving Ian a dramatic introduction. He hallucinates a spotlight appearing on him and Pieter shouting his name before telling everyone his most intimate secrets. He whimpers aloud.

CASPER: I - I can't. He won't let me... I'm not the baker.

IAN: No, you're not. Your name's Casper.

CASPER: Casper.

IAN: You're in D.C. And there's no one here but me and you.

CASPER: No. Not alone. He's here, I tried to find him and he followed me. Dead as a doornail he said but he still followed me--

IAN: Now come away from there before you fall. Maeve wouldn't like that.

CASPER: NO! She can't be here! She can't be!

He backs further out over the edge of the room. Ian reaches out toward him.

CASPER: She'll forget. They all forget.

IAN: She's not here! She sent me to get you before you did something stupid. Which is exactly what you're about to do. Do you hear me? Look around. We're in the middle of the city. If you fall... The quiet, man. You can't, you can't stay here! You have to come away from there. Whatever it is, whatever else is going on, we'll figure it out. But you have to listen to me. All right? Jumping isn't going to fix anything. And you know that.

CASPER: He wants me to jump, Kross. He's so angry. They killed him. Like vermin in a field... No wonder he read as empty.

He begins to cry.

CASPER: You can't help. Everyone is missing or blank.

He looks around as his phone chirps, then looks down at it.

CASPER: Rosa? She said not to move. It'll be okay...

He hallucinates Pieter shouting at him.

CASPER: I am sorry he took your face, but this... you're not helping her... I am tryi-- Him? He doesn-- No. She-- She's safe-- I promised her.

IAN: Casper!

He steps forward and snaps his fingers, using the Presence discipline to force Casper to pay attention to him.

IAN: Look at me. Maeve's safe, all right? But she's worried about you. And if I don't come back with you soon, she's going to come to find us. Do you understand? We need to get down from here. We can figure out the rest after. You just need to listen to me right now.

Casper hallucinates Pieter's ghost attempting to attack Ian, only to have no effect.

CASPER: She can't. Cant be here. It's not safe. He's too angry... and... he won't let me move... He's dead... but everyone forgot he is supposed to be dead... I can't move Kross... He is a dybbuk. I can't - I can't, Windsor, I can't save her alon--

Bjorn arrives at the top of the stairs at a run, then uses the Celerity discipline to run to Casper in a blur of speed. He grabs Casper by the front of his shirt and yanks him away from the edge before using the Potence discipline to punch him in the jaw with superhuman strength. Casper is thrown a yard away and lands on his knees.

CASPER: Faðir?

BJORN: You know what's going on in my night? Take a fucking guess.

He again uses Celerity to rush Casper and Potence to break several of his ribs when he kicks him. Casper grabs Bjorn's leg and climbs up his body to grab at his shoulders. He hallucinates Pieter yelling at him.

PIETER: Off to war you go!

Casper snarls and begins headbutting Bjorn, smashing in one of his own eyes. Bjorn dodges several blows with Celerity.

CASPER: Ég! Vanur! Fara! Aftur!

IAN: Now that you've gotten that out of your system, mind telling me who the fuck you are? Maybe why you think beating him near to death will help anything at all.

CASPER: ...Svört rós...

Casper scrabbles at Bjorn's hands and hallucinates Pieter laughing at him. Bjorn throws Casper into a pillar, using Potence so that Casper breaks bones and the roof shudders. Casper loses consciousness. Bjorn punches Ian in the face again with Potence.

BJORN: Piss off, that's who the fuck I am.

Ian uses Potence and punches Bjorn in the face in return.

IAN: Yeah? Well, that's who the fuck I am. Now back off.

BJORN: Make me, Blueblood.

He attacks Ian, using Celerity to be able to hit him multiple times. He punches Ian in the ribs, then punches him in the back, then dislocates his shoulder by elbowing it, using Potence each time. Ian rips off his coat and throws it away.

IAN: You know what. Gladly.

He begins punching at Bjorn but misses several times as Bjorn uses Celerity to dodge. Ian continues to swing, landing some blows, and the two back toward the stairs as they fight.

IAN: Is that it? I knew the Rabble were all talk!

BJORN: Then let's give you something to talk about, konung.

Ian punches Bjorn's shoulder and breaks a bone. Bjorn uses a combination discipline to strike Ian in the chest with burning force, breaking his ribs. Ian staggers backward, then forces blood to his injuries to begin healing them.

IAN: Son of a bitch.

Ian lunges at Bjorn and smashes into his chest. Bjorn burns Ian's shoulder, destroying the bones at the joint. Ian grabs onto Bjorn's arms, and Bjorn kicks Ian's left kneecap out of place. Both men fall backward down the spiral staircase of the cathedral, causing damage to the wood and stone as they pass. Bjorn headbutts Ian in the face.

Both men batter one another as they roll down until they reach the next floor. Ian lands on top of Bjorn and uses his thumb to put out one of Bjorn's eyes. Bjorn roars and lifts Ian over his head, then uses superhuman force to smash Ian's body against the walls and floor of the cathedral repeatedly. He drops Ian and sits down on the steps they rolled down, laughing as he uses his blood to heal his wounds.

BJORN: Fucking clown.

Ian rolls over, struggling to heal his wounds. He groans and tries to pull his ribs back into place by hand. Bjorn finishes healing his arm and wipes blood off his face.

BJORN: Stay down, boy. If you get back up, I'll kill you.

He stands up and walks past Ian and out of the cathedral.

BJORN: Tell Walker he can bill me. Don't kill Iversson, someone will probably want him later.

Ian slams his hand into the ground and shouts in frustration, then collapses. After a moment, he groans and begins crawling toward the stairs, pulling himself up on a banister.

Rosalina has been driving toward the cathedral, speeding until she arrives. She gets out of the car and and uses the Obfuscate discipline to hide herself so that she can sneak inside as sirens begin to wail in the distance. She discovers Ian lying at the bottom of the stairs and rushes toward him

ROSALINA: Ian!

She kneels next to him.

ROSALINA: What-- Ian, where is Casper?

Ian points up the stairs. Rosalina pats his arm and rushes up, running to Casper and dropping to the ground beside him. She pulls him into her arms.

ROSALINA: Oh, Casper. Mon amour, mon amour. Casper, s'il te plaît. Réveillez-vous.

Casper regains consciousness and opens his remaining eye. Rosalina strokes his hair.

ROSALINA: Chut, tout va bien, mon amour. Tu es blessé. Ne bouge pas, d'accord? Ne bouge pas. Je vais prendre soin de ce. Ne t'inquiète pas.

Downstairs, Ian struggles upright and climbs the stairs, where he stops in the doorway. He picks up his discarded coat and puts it on, then heals his lungs enough to be able to speak.;;

IAN: We have to go.

Rosalina kisses Casper's forehead.

ROSALINA: Help me? Please, I cannot pick him up with only myself. Nous devons vous déplacer maintenant, je suis vraiment désolé.

Ian groans and throws his keys to Rosalina before shooing her out of the way. He picks Casper up and slings him over his shoulder, using a pillar to hold them both up, while Rosalina helps.

IAN: Hide us.

They descend the stairs and Rosalina uses Obfuscate to hide all three of them from view.

Translations

Trivia

• The cathedral bell tower where this scene takes place is also the one that Chas Voyager and Maeve Glaistig visited during the events of A Wing and a Prayer.
  
  
• Casper's hallucinations are due to Cassandra having used the Dementation discipline on him during the events of Without a Paddle, which takes place immediately before this scene.
  
  
• The unnamed woman Casper tells his mother he wants to marry is Nora Lindholm.
  
  
• Hanna refers to Nora as a "shiksa," a Yiddish word meaning a woman or girl who is not Jewish.
  
  
• Hanna's objections to Casper's choice of bride are due to her fearing him being identified as Jewish; he was a child during World War II and he and his mother escaped detection by moving to Sweden and pretending to be native Swedish.
  
  
• The unnamed ghost Casper keeps hallucinating is Pieter van Reise, who he recently discovered may have been killed and whose face an imposter may be using.
  
  
• Ian is driving from the events of What Would You Do, during which he promised to bring Casper home safely in order to prevent Maeve, whom Casper had called for help, from going herself.
  
  
• Casper's statement that he is not "the baker" refers to the scene St. Lucy's Day, during which Pieter told him a story about several young couples on a church tower that included a widowed baker leaping off it to his death. (Perhaps intentionally, since Casper was a baker when he was alive.) The coin falling to the ground that he hallucinates later is from the same scene.
  
  
• Casper's fear that Maeve will "forget" refers to his suspicions that Octavius Sage is alive and controlling her mind and memories.
  
  
• The Isaac Casper remembers as being dead is Isaac Moskowitz, a childhood friend who was killed in the Holocaust.
  
  
• Casper's mention of Pieter "reading as empty" refers to his failure to supernaturally assess his powers in Tessellation.
  
  
• Casper calls Pieter a dybbuk, a dead person's spirit from Jewish folklore that has possessed and is haunting a living person, usually because one or both of them has committed especially heinous sins.
  
  
• Bjorn thinks of the Catholic saints in the church as "Ventrue-carried", a reference to the fact that he is old enough to remember Christianity being spread in Scandinavia due to the incursions of Ventrue warlords from the south.
  
  
• Casper's refusal to "go back" may refer to either his sire having sent him to fight in a war against the Sabbat, or his sire having sent him to become the paramour of his Toreador contact Anne d'Arpajon, both of which traumatized him.
  
  
• The combination discipline Bjorn uses to injure Ian is Burning Wrath.
  
  
• Ian's especially strong reaction to his damaged leg is due to him having sustained a war wound in that leg while alive that caused him significant hardship.
  
  
• Both Bjorn and Casper lose an eye during this scene; they are both followers of the ancient Norse religion, which features Odin, god of war, who is famously one-eyed.