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Andromeda wakes to the sound of a heavy door sliding open and sees Morgan in front of a hidden alcove with a tall mirror, wigs and clothes hanging.
Andromeda - "What is that ?"
Morgan - "Infiltration gear. Come here." She goes to the desk and takes the large shears from the drawer.
Andromeda pulls the blanket around her and walks to the mirror, seeing herself for the first time since she left Mycenae. Her emotions are clearly mixed.
Morgan walks behind her with the shears and trims off the missed clumps of hair carefully, examining closely enough for Andromeda to feel her breath as she brushes away the trimmings from her scalp.
Morgan - As she dips a cloth in warm water, "The blanket."
Andromeda drops it and Morgan begins washing her gently in the mirror.
Morgan - "I hear your husband likes parties."
Andromeda - "Yes ... drama parties ..." She shudders a bit with the wash. "Everyone wears masks."
Morgan - Dipping and wringing the cloth then washing lower, "We call them masquerades." She leans to her ear and whispers, "What color hair would you like ?"
Andromeda points to a wig and Morgan puts it on her, arranging it over her shoulders, kissing where it lines.
Morgan takes the appropriate dress and drapes it over her, then pinning at the shoulders. She takes notable pleasure at putting on her belt, all watched in the mirror by Andromeda.
Morgan - "You've gotten to me, Andromeda. But it's going to take me a very long time to stop hating you for that."
Her image exits the mirror and the cabin door is heard closing.
Andromeda turns back to her reflection and smiles. "I love you too, Morganna le Fey," she stares at her strange new self, "my dearest fairy queen." She looks to the bookshelf.
________________
Perseus is tended by two handmaidens who dress him for the party as the sound of thunder startles him. One looks to the other with a look of disgust with his timidity while the other rolls her eyes points to the small open money bag on the table.
Perseus - Looking to the left still nervous, "My dear, do check the window ... shan't have the guests getting drenched ... ?"
The lady to the window - "Not a cloud ..."
Perseus - Looking more frightened than before, "Still ... I think we may remain here the night." He closes his eyes to the massage, exhaling to calm.
The lady at the window gestures her annoyance to the masseuse, her hands gesturing to her fine dress for the party and throwing them in the air.
The other well dressed lady looks at her with her hands open as to say "What can I do about it ?"
Perseus - Back soothed into calm stupor, eyes still closed, "Yes ... let's stay in tonight.
They roll their eyes. "Anything you desire, my lord." They hang their tongues with grossed out expressions.
(My Old School - Steely Dan)
Sleeping Mycenaean soldiers fling through the air ...
____
The dancers all have two masks they interchange between while dancing, the minglers gathered around, some holding a single mask, eating and conversing, the other through their belt.
They dance, some in groups to history's steps, veering toward flapper styles, to match the period aesthetics of dress (a similar fit in pale colors) many with wreaths on their heads of varied kind. Many are they to impress, others to enjoy, some lurk for networking. The dancers are oblivious.
____
One by one a soldier falls asleep and is pulled from a rooftop by a rope before hitting the roof walkway. Any who turn falls as one by one they disappear.
Steel darts impale their armor, while poison blow-darts hit their joints. Ropes attach to a tall trebuchet outside the wall, run by Kurukulla and two gearworkers.
____
The dancers dance ...
____
The two gearworkers work their way across the rooftops, springing on hydraulic legs, leaps reinforced by bursts of gas from the compression tanks on their backs, dragging more ropes from the crane's many pulleys.
Past a small fighting pit three shirtless soldiers battle with practice swords before the fall, passed over by a gear-worker who each ties a rope along the way, dragging more behind as the bodies disappear.
____
The dancers spin ...
____
Morgan, Andromeda, Xquic and Lieu Hanh walk up from the base of a path, a long ramp with a high wall to the left, the now silent pit and rooftops to the right, leading at the top of the wall to the courtyard filled with the celebrants . As is the actual map.
Lieu Hanh - To Xquic, "You look so good that wig ... I'll be thinking about you tonight."
Xquic - "Yah ! I just got ..."
Andromeda- Blocking their path, "You took ... my hair ?"
Xquic - Pulling on it, "Your hair's gorgeous ..."
Andromeda - "... okay." She smiles with concern and turns to walk.
Lieu Hanh - "She looks better all butch anyway."
Andromeda looks back with a raised brow, unnoticed as they babble.
Xquic - "Yah she does ! I'm gonna think about her ..."
Lieu Hanh - "While wearing her hair ? That's really creepy."
Xquic - "Yeah ..."
They group low at the top of the path, to the bushes near the celebration, the hill leading down behind to a city wall.
Morgan - "Ignore them. I'm not even sure why they're here. I've never actually paid them." She glances back while they sit cross legged playing hand games, ending in in one getting slapped hard. Looking back to Andromeda, "Are you sure they wont recognize you ?"
Andromeda - "Give me your thingie. Your ... looking thingie."
Morgan - Handing it to her, "It's called a 'telescope'."
Andromeda - Scanning the courtyard, "Whatever ... my new words are still weird ..."
She guides the view upward to two large windows in the highest structure and sees two women bouncing around.
Andromeda - "No." She closes the scope and hands it to Morgan. "No one will recognize me unless I call attention. I was rarely let out of the tower, and only dined publicly with his highest advisers."
Morgan - Looking across the windows through her scope "Then how do we get in there ... ouch. Sorry."
Andromeda - "Don't worry about it."
She runs fast low to the clear left path toward the base of the tower buildings. Morgan watches through the scope and sees the gun in Andromeda's hand, looks down at her own belt, where her 'pretty' gun is missing.
Morgan - "Damn it !"
Lieu Hanh - "She just took your ..."
Morgan - "SH !"
Xquic - "Right off your ..."
Morgan - "Shut !"
Lieu Hanh And Xquic look at each other shocked. Xquic wags her tongue between two fingers while Lieu Hanh's jaw drops. They both turn slowly to stare at Morgan.
Morgan - Staring back cold, "... You two ... really need to take care of the inner courtyard security now."
Lieu Hanh - "Then what lovey ducks ?"
Morgan - Wincing her eyes shut, "Then. If you shut the fuck up. Shore leave."
They cheer running down the way to the party.
Morgan opens her scope, checking, as one by one a guard disappears each time the dancers turn turn their backs with the music.
________
Xquic and Lieu Hanh scurry around corners dragging bodies, occasionally banging one into a corner turn or doorway.
Xquic - "He splattered !"
Lieu Hanh - Looks with horror, "What do they eat ... ?"
Xquic - "Babies. I heard they eat babies."
Lieu Hanh - "They do not !"
They look back together at the mess.
Xquic - "I'm just saying I heard that."
Lieu Hanh - "I heard that too ..."
________
Andromeda hears the women screaming their pleasures long down the hall and nudges their bedroom door open with the gun's barrel. She sees the two ladies, one riding Perseus' crotch, the other his face, both screaming fake orgasms while writing wobbling notes to each other, flipping pages.
"Did he kiss you ?"
"Yes ! Ugh ! What do they eat ?!"
"I heard they abduct peasants."
"That's the stupidest thing I ever OH SHIT !" An arrow left is drawn, as she looks left with her eyes, pointing, still crying out.
Looks annoyed, "What ?! I just heard OH ..." A frowny face is drawn.
Andromeda stands at the open door with the gun pointing between them, gesturing to get up.
They look confused, still bobbing and screaming ...
Andromeda puts the gun to her head and pretends to pull the trigger showing an exploding head motion with her other hand.
They stare at her briefly, before eyes go wide and they mouth "Oh !" They nod, "Okay." They stop their screams and grab a sheet, pulling briefly against each other over it, before sharing to cover.
Perseus - "Mmmm ... no don't ... sto" Opens an eye "! Andra ..."
! Bang !
The loud and powerful gun throws Andromeda back out the door with a crash. The music and dancing stops as the echo sounds through the courtyard.
Andromeda - Bursting out into the high balcony over looking the staring party, shrieking, "My husband is dead !"
She runs at length around the long slow descending path while they stare ... and down the steps to the head of the party. "My husband is deaaaad ..." She falls to her knees, feigning grief and sobbing.
Xquic and Lieu Hanh walk up laden in jewels and crowns followed by the two ladies and Morgan who moves them in front of her.
A councillor - Asking shyly, "And ... who ... is your husband ...?"
Andromeda remembers her wig and pulls it off suddenly.
The crowd - "Oh !"
Andromeda - Annoyed. "I'm Andromeda."
Councillor - "An ... dra ..."
Andromeda - "! Your Queen !" She grabs the wig off Xquic's head and puts it on.
Xquic - "Hey !"
Crowd - "Oh !"
Councillor - "Oh ... Oh ! From dinner ! You mean your husband ... the King ... ! Oh _! How could this happen ? Who did this ? Where are the ..."
Andromeda - _"Ninjas !" She closes her eyes and shakes her head to the side mouthing 'Ninjas ...?
The crowd goes back to staring stupid.
Andromeda - "From Dorian ! ... Dorian ninjas. They killed all the guards I think. They're like assassins ... they ... sneak around a lot ... but these people saved me. They're cool."
The crowd stares while Xquic and Lieu Hanh raise arms like champions, treasures dropping.
Andromeda - "Yep ! So ... I'm off to save the world now ! And these two good ladies ..." She looks over at her husband's mistresses harshly while they feel the tips of Morgan's two blades at their backs.
Morgan - Quietly with threat, "Your names." She jabs.
"Daphne !"
"Cassandra !"
Andromeda - "Daphne and Cassandra, will act as viceroy and adviser respectively, in my absence. You will do their bidding ... as they will do mine." She looks sideways at them with a furrowed bow.
They nod with jabs at their backs.
Andromeda - "And now ... bla bla ! Watch out for Dorian ninjas ! And you should probably know that you don't actually exist." She looks into the crowd, "Hm. Except maybe that guy." She looks at Morgan.
Morgan shrugs back.
An adorned nobleman in the crowd's eyes go wide as he stutters looking around, those near distancing ...
Andromeda - "So goodbye."
Andromeda, Lieu Hanh and Xquic grab ropes as they drop from the
All silently above them all, pulling them up. The crowd stares long after the ship as it drifts away slowly while Morgan walks a circle around them unseen to the gate.
Cassandra - Clears her throat loudly.
The crowd looks at her, still dazed.
Cassandra - "Did you know that the treasury is this way ?" She gestures with her hands, while Daphne nods with a smile.
________________
In the darkness to the castle's side ~
Voice from the shadows - "You didn't think he could trick an oracle out it's eye, did you ?"
Morgan - "No ... I really didn't think that. So what did you get out of it ?"
Pegasus - Stepping out into the stable's lantern light, chewing hay. "I'm a flying fucking unicorn."
Morgan - Pulls out a copy of 'Bullfinch's Mythology', reads briefly and looks up. "That's not what it says here ..." She replaces the book to her bag and pulls out a bone-saw.
Pegasus - "Wait what !? What are you doing ? ! No !"
Morgan - Stepping in with the saw, "The analogies were getting a little heavy handed anyway."
Pegasus - Sawing sounds, "! NOOOOOOOOO !"
________________
(Loose Booty - Sly and the Family Stone)
The
party-goers roll in gold, walking and dancing out with baskets filled.
Outside the gate they are met by many surrounding villagers with
torches and pitchforks. Gearworkers get pulled up from their crowd with
ropes.
____
The villagers roll in gold and dress as royalty. The sound of thunder.
____
Pegasus stares after missing his horn, eyes seething for revenge.
Morgan's voice - "Can I have my gun back now ?"
Andromeda's voice - "No."
! THE END !
