~ prologue ~
He steps off the row boat in the swamp, cane first. A distant carnival's commotion fading in and out with the wind and their volumes of excitement.
A small shack house on the edge of the shanty town, another man sitting at a stump as a table, it's roots spreading far into the swamp. A simple chair.
Approaching, his cane sinks into the wet bog, withdrawn, sunken, withdrawn, comfortably as a man who doesn't lean on it, but feels the ground's quality, occasionally leaving a swirl in the mud.
Legba - "Mister no man." He smiles, "What do you need ?"
Nameless - "A corkscrew and a tiny blow torch. This is very old gin."
Legba - "Oh. I see. And what do you have to give ?"
He places a bottle of honey in the shape of a bear on the stump.
Legba - "Oh ! I see ! So you believe you know how I like my drink." He widens his smile, "And you will tell them ?"
Nameless - "I will."
Legba - "Yes ... Yes ! Now we are doing business, 'mister nobody'."
He walks into his small shack house behind the stump and retrieves the trade from his own kitchen, filled with pictures and symbols of his sisters and brothers, cousins and neighbors, with all of their favorite things surrounding them.
Legba - Returning, "This cork screw was used to open bottles in Versailles ! Then stolen by a thief along the way to pry out the lock on the secret door to the left of the bar."
Nameless - "That works ?"
Legba - "It did for her." He places it on the stump. "And this ! Is a butane lighter used by three children to bore through the plastic windows of a shopping center ! To eat the candy inside while their parents slept. They were not caught. It is almost out of fluid and I don't have more."
With a dismissing hand and turn of the head, he places it on the stump.
Nameless - "Perfect."
Turning an eye toward the gin's progress as his guest pulls two short glasses from his coat and sets them down to begin wrestling with the blunted and bent corkscrew in the cork.
Legba - "Careful, now. I don't drink cork." His eye narrows.
Nameless - "I know you don't ..."
The cork popped cleanly. Two glasses filled, he watches the hand approach the honey bear.
Legba - "What kind of honey it that !?"
Nameless - "Fairy blooms. It's been a day."
Legba - A short laugh and turn of his head to face the bottle. Feigning great seriousness and threat, "And that gin ! Where did you get that gin !?"
Nameless - "Remember that cryo-chump's soul I got here last year ?"
Legba - "Yes ... Mister big movie man. From the collector, yes ? The demon ... Ooo ... unique. Life and death and the power over his old tales ..." His face becomes faux serious, "What did you pay ?"
Nameless - "Shhh ..."
Legba - "And this frozen man dreams of ancient gin ?!"
Nameless - "And fairy blooms. At least he did the other day."
Legba - "Ha ! Yes, yes ... pour that honey."
He squeezes honey from the bear into a glass and ignites the top with the torch quickly before it settles, working his way in circles from the center.
Setting down the lighter he licks his palm and places it over over the burning drink and overturns it not spilling while looking Legba seriously in the eye.
Legba - As the drink is righted and placed on the stump, "I see. You call the big contract."
Nameless - As the drink is placed across the stump toward him and the next begun. "I do."
Legba places his hand over the glass in it's time and they drink.
Legba - "This very good. Thank you. What do you need ?"
Nameless - "The channels into Sanctuary that I don't know about." He stares over his empty glass, "Not bad ... it's the the sweat and saliva. Breaks down the honey a step further while adding a shared element. That's the idea, anyway. Other than that I just like the burning."
He pours two more.
Legba - "I've noticed that. You're very good for business. But what you ask is very bad for business. And it means work. You will return to your place when this job is done. All the same again for you. But safe smuggling will no longer be a thing for me to promise. No matter how much I would trust your word, they should not be expected to, on mine."
Nameless - "I know. You'll never be able to use those routes again."
Adds honey.
Legba - "But it is intermingled with this place as well. It is not even so simple as that. What do you bring to pay me for that ?"
Nameless - "A better network. Picked it up along the way."
He burns the tops.
Legba - "I do not doubt that you did." Hand over his.
They hold high their drinks ...
~ The Rough Storybook ~
Drink and slam down glass to black screen.
Voiced over :
Crone (3) - "As was told by my mother,"
~ The sound of Nemesis focusing breathing.
Mother (2) - "And my grandmother,"
~ Nyx opens her eyes in a motel bed.
Maiden (1) - "And her mother before her."
~ Motorcycle engines.
Fade in Gargarean drummers 20-30, deep pounding and chant.
3 - "In Our beginning it was either Amazon,"
2 - "Or Gargarean."
1 - "And the ritual of fire."
Amazons exiting woods, back lit by fire and torch. Gargarean teeth.
3 - "Anything else was gossip."
2 - "Shallow rumor of other places ..."
1 - "Distant dreams ..."
Fire ritual begins between them, orgiastic and muddy.
3 - "But it wasn't to be forever."
2 - "Rumor and dream grew closer."
1 - "And then came the demands of men."
Scene to Nyx, Fire lit inside canvas tent,
Nyx - "You are going to die ..." her hands around the emissary’s throat, long metal claw-rings. Music break.
Nyx - "In 3. 2. 1."
Bone crack and widened eyes, music returns as his encampment is over-run by the Baccante.
3 - "But they knew more would come."
2 - "It was the new day ..."
1 - "There would always be more."
Flash wars of history and Amazon kills, last being Jean D'Arc, sword high, blood splashed armor, screaming to the skies.
3 - "Empires."
2 - "Soldiers."
1 - "The new day."
(guitar, modern day, drums and wails continue, church bell starts, feet walking on the sidewalk with an unnecessary cane, suit over good shoes)
Nemesis ~
Modern, set music continues. Running across the grass outside a high stone wall, annoyed at the sound of the bell in her head, runs faster.
____
Walking feet and cane.
____
Hippolyta ~
Holding her young daughter's hand before the Amazons in the alley, dressed for street, torn and nondescript military garb over personalized armor and bone. Chanting to the upbeat of the music, weapons in the air.
Her daughter tugs on her arm and points to her ear before they disappear to cheers. Their feet now appear standing in a small round temple bordered by pillars.
____
Nameless passed out on the empty bus under a brown hat with the large angry driver standing over him, appears to be yelling "Hey !"
____
Stomping beasts as dragons and fantasy pour through a massive portal into a broad field at the base of a high placed temple. Marching mythos from all over the world.
~ The plains of Har-Megiddo ~
____Music pause but for the bell and the distant war drums from the plains, quaking with arrivals. Nameless looks up at the long ... winding ... stairs encircling the tall mountain base of the temple.
He sighs.
Music back.
____
Nemesis, over the bodies of three rottweilers just inside the gate of the high stone wall. She screams to the air at the bell's sound, growls and runs to the door of the mansion, gunshots heard, indoor flashes to the music, another roar.
____
A cowboy boot pulls over Nyx's foot, a worn loose sock hanging off her toe. Her fingers show her rings tarnished with age. Her foot starts to stomp the boot on with annoyed grunts, her feet appear in the temple, still stomping the boot on.
____
Three archangels look up.
____
Nameless sits on the ground in front of a large gap in the stairs, suit now dirty with his head back from drinking from his cane-flask to see three archangels streak in the sky to timed sonic booms.
____
A business man runs terrified from the mansion and into a car, tearing out the gate, Nemesis running fast after, clothes covered in bullet holes. Screaming at the sound in her head, she runs yet faster.
____
More beasts arrive surrounding a woman with two companions, one opening a large book before her as the other turns the pages while sigils appear around them.
~ The Book of Names ~
____A man's feet appear from fire in the temple, facing those of the three angels.
____
Nemesis stands over the limp business body pulled from the car, crashed into the pole. She roars to the sky and disappears.
____
Nameless tosses his walking stick across the gap in the stairs, makes the jump and pulls himself up over the edge to see Nemesis' feet appear in the temple.
________________
Last beat to the sound of thunder, a cold autumn rain outside Persephone's manor window. To her eyes staring in the mirror. The look when you accidentally catch your own eye and unsettle yourself.
Saffron - Seen in the mirror, focus to her. She pokes her head in the room and says "... it's time."
Persephone - All is quiet now, sadness in her eye, cigarette smoke rising to the side. "Thank you, Saffron. Allow no one." Looking back to her own focused eye with just above a whisper, "Time for the harvest."
She puts out her cigarette and disappears in exhaled smoke.
