Ep. 27 In Defense of a New Friend
int. hovel night
Still the hovel, still the same meeting of characters- the Devil, the Hanged Woman, the Queen of Swords the Knight of Cups, the Hanged Woman, the Hermit and the Alice. The Pale Horse, having exited the scene, is not here.
However this scene opens in less tranquility than prior. The Devil and Queen of Swords stand, facing each other, muscles tensed, faces twisted in anger- they have almost come to blows before their arcana energy is snuffed out like a candle by the Alice, who has stood up in between them, a sudden, unexpected sticking point of calm and seriousness. This anchor surprises them almost as surely as Alice’s own ease at snuffing out their respective powers does. No longer does the copper arcane aura flicker from the Devil’s eye. The Queen’s sword, once glowing a bright green, is now reduced to a hunk of metal- still deadly, but not magically so. They each turn toward the Alice, who opens her eyes, the grey-red haze within them thicker than normal- glassy, emotional.
ALICE
The Pale Horse is your friend, isn’t he?
The Devil exhales tersely at this suggestion and sits back down in a pouty repose, not meeting the Alice’s eyes.
DEVIL
Some friend.
The Queen also returns her sword to its resting place against the wall. She reclines against the massive blade.
QUEEN OF SWORDS
He’s more an acquaintance, really.
ALICE
(to the Hermit)
So the Pale Horse tried to kill himself. Right? That’s the only way to take what he just tried- if he had taken me to the Tower, and the Tower rejected both of us- we’d have died. Right?
HERMIT
It is a possible outcome.
ALICE
And this doesn’t like, rock anyone’s world? Your friend just tried to kill himself and all you can think to do is fight each other?
She turns accusingly to the Knight of Cups.
ALICE
What about you- you spend all your time talking about love and how important that is- you’d care if even an acquaintance tried to kill themselves, yeah? But right now you’re just sitting there smoking.
KNIGHT OF CUPS
I…
DEVIL
(interrupting)
Let me ask you this, Alice- you care about the Pale Horse, right? Even though you just met him?
Alice meets the Devil’s dim gaze.
ALICE
I bet he’d care if any of you tried something so stupid. He’d probably even stand up for you, the way he did for me in the forest.
DEVIL
You don’t know him, Alice. Not even a little. That good friend of yours predates you- predates almost all of us here- by an eternity. He’s half--a-card, at best. And he has a lot of nerve showing his face here, parading around in that form like he’s something other than what he is- a riderless horse.
QUEEN OF SWORDS
(quiet, icy)
Don’t mistake our politeness for respect. That creature, that…horse…is one of the most selfish cards in Arcana.
ALICE
Well, I don’t know anything about that. I don’t have time to learn everyone’s ancient history. I can only go off of the way things appear here and now, and so far, the Pale Horse has stuck by me. Sure, he’s mean, and grouchy, and kinda scary looking and I never know what he’s thinking, but he’ll defend me without even thinking twice- he’s loyal. And when he does speak, he is honest.
KNIGHT OF CUPS
(clearing his throat)
Not to disagree with a lady, dear Alice, but if this horse truly stands for love, then what was his frame of mind when he tried to kill himself- while you were still riding him? That does not strike me as the way of love, but rather, the way of a sociopath. Could it be you are mistaken about this creature?
Alice has no response to this.
DEVIL
Admit it, kid. You have the wrong idea about the horse.
ALICE
(quietly, hurt)
Then why are any of you here. If none of you care about him- or anyone else, apparently- why bother coming to this hut. Why did the Hermit even bother putting us all together.
The Hermit smiles expectantly, a spectator in this sparring match.
HANGED WOMAN
(plainly)
Because each of us wants something.
The Devil can only cast his eyes downward, a frustrated sigh.
QUEEN OF SWORDS
She’s right. We each have a loss that the Tower could restore. That is enough for us to look past these differences…for the moment.
DEVIL
Maybe.
ALICE
(to the Devil)
Maybe?
DEVIL
(motions to the Hanged Woman)
We haven’t signed on for anything. No one here has. Hermit can smile and weave all the plans he wants- but nothing is set on stone.
HERMIT
(chuckles)
Oh, nothing ever is.
DEVIL
But if the idea is that we’re all supposed to come together as some sort of merry band and follow the lead of an idiot kid who dropped out of the sky- you better scale back your expectations real quick.
ALICE
Then don’t come along.
She looks to the Hanged Woman as well, who averts her own gaze, withdrawing beneath her cap.
ALICE
Either of you.
DEVIL
You don’t even know where you’re being asked to go- or do-
ALICE
And I don’t really care, as long as it’s not with either of you.
Alice looks to the rest of the room.
ALICE
Or anyone else who can’t get over themselves. I’d be embarrassed to be seen with such shallow people.
Alice turns and leaves the room abruptly. The Devil turns his back to the group. The Hanged Woman remains withdrawn within her witch’s cap. The Knight of Cups begins to reload his pipe. The Queen of Swords habitually pulls a canteen of fajro juice from her side and takes a pull.
QUEEN OF SWORDS
You’re an idiot, Devil. You really are.
DEVIL
You didn’t do much better, and you’re supposed to be the scary authority figure here.
The Queen of Swords eyes the surprisingly calm Knight of Cups as he begins to smoke again.
QUEEN OF SWORDS
Speak, Knight. Cups are infamous for their intuition. You know more than you say.
The Knight of Cups, lost in a gathering cloud of pipesmoke, coughs a bit at this and replies in a husky voice.
KNIGHT OF CUPS
The Hermit told no lies- the Alice truly has the power of the Fool. Pure intuition- just like the last cardholder. She could see through each of us. That’s…that’s all I was thinking, really.
The Devil pulls out a small case of cigarettes and lights up.
DEVIL
And the Fool’s same judgment.
QUEEN OF SWORDS
Call her what she is- a woman of strength. Unrefined, naïve, maybe. But flames temper the strongest of steel. She may yet take a new shape that will surprise us.
