Goncharov: Coda

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<<set _first to true>><h2>Goncharov: Coda</h2> <h3>A reincarnation of the greatest mafia movie never made. Goncharov has //everything//...except an existence.</h3> <><<waitforaudio>> <<liveblock>><div style="font-size:3em;margin:auto;text-align:center;"> <<fadein 3s>><<linkreplace "" t8n>> <div> </div> <<set _reveal to true>><<update>><<audio "maintheme" volume 0.25 fadein loop>> <</linkreplace>><</fadein>> </div> <hr> <center><<if _reveal>><div class="choice"> <<fadein 1s>>Lights...<</fadein>> <<fadein 2s 2s>>Sound...<</fadein>> <<fadein 3s 3s>>Camera...<</fadein>> <<fadein 5s 5s>><<link "Action!">><<audio ":playing" fadeout>><<goto [[Ready]]>><</link>> <</fadein>> </div><</if>></center><</liveblock>><>

// COLONNA SONORA <<cacheaudio "maintheme" "Goncharov Audio/main_theme.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "bell" "Goncharov Audio/clocktower.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "bridge" "Goncharov Audio/The Bridge Breaks.wav">> < // CASTING <<set $char to "blank">>

<div id="back"><<link '☚' >><<run Engine.backward()>><</link>></div> <div id="title">DO NOT DISTRIBUTE</div> <div id="forth"> <<link '☛'>> <<run Engine.forward()>> <</link>> </div>

<div id="settings"><<link ''>> <<run UI.settings()>> <</link>><<if _first>> Settings<</if>></div> <div id="save"><<link ''>> <<run UI.saves()>> <</link>><<if _first>> Saves<</if>></div> <<if $cast>><div id="mem"><<link ''>> <<run Dialog.setup("Cast & Crew");Dialog.wiki(Story.get("Cast & Crew").processText());Dialog.open();>> <</link>></div><</if>> <div id="cred"><<link ''>> <<run Dialog.setup("Credits", "credits");Dialog.wiki(Story.get("Credits").processText());Dialog.open();>> <</link>><<if _first>> Credits<</if>></div> <div id="restart"><<link ''>> <<run UI.restart()>> <</link>><<if _first>> Restart<</if>></div>

<center><h3>Cast</h3></center> <<= $role.full>> - ''<<= $fullname.toUpperCase()>>'' Goncharov; Lo Straniero - ''BOBBY BIANCHI'' Mario Ambrosini - ''MAL PACCHIATTO'' <<switch $char>> <<case "sofia">> Andrei Daddano; The Banker - ''ANTON SIDOROV'' <<case "andrei">> Sofia Alexeyevna Medvedeva - ''VANINA ONEGIN'' <</switch>> Katya - ''ALICE TURNER'' Icepick Joe - ''DANI SCHUSS'' <center><h3>Crew</h3></center> Director - ''J. L. APINLOONÈRE'' Producer - ''ELLE ELEGY'' Screenwriter - ''TUZI MOON'' Music Direction - ''JÁRA CIMRMAN''

//Goncharov: Coda// was written, directed, and produced by <a href="//lapinlunaire-games.itch.io/">Lapin Lunaire Games</a><<lapin>> for the <a href="https://itch.io/jam/goncharov-game-jam">Goncharov Game Jam</a>. It is a time capsule of one week in late November 2022, and a tribute to the 1973 masterpiece that is Martin Scorsese's //Goncharov//. <hr> <center><h3>Macros and Special Code Mentions</h3></center> * Chapel's excellent <a href="https://twinelab.net/custom-macros-for-sugarcube-2/#/?id=chapel39s-custom-macro-collection-v290">Custom Macro Collection</a> * SjeordHekking's marvelous <a href="https://github.com/SjoerdHekking/custom-macros-sugarcube2/tree/main/Notification">Flash Notification Macro</a> * UI based on a template by <a href="https://nyehilismwrites.tumblr.com">nyehilism</a> <hr> <center><h3>Music</h3></center> * "Main Theme" by <a href="https://caramiaaddio.tumblr.com/post/701508256622952448/caramiaaddio-caramiaaddio-all-this-talk-about">Alix (@caramiaaddio)</a>, from //Goncharov// (1973) * "The Bridge Breaks" by Matt Lee (@nicewizard on <a href="https://nicewizard.tumblr.com">Tumblr</a> and <a href="https://soundcloud.com/nicewizard">Soundcloud</a>), from //Goncharov// (1973) * "ChurchBellKonstanz" by edsward on <a href="https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/churchbellkonstanz-6372/">Pixabay</a> <hr> <center><h3>Fonts and Icons</h3></center> * <a href="https://fontawesome.com/">FontAwesome Icons</a> * "Arsenal" by <a href="https://www.behance.net/andrij">Andrij Shevchenko</a> * "Danielle Harris Regular" by <a href="https://www.creativefabrica.com/designer/letterhend/">Letterhend Studio</a> * "Newsreader" by <a href="https://github.com/productiontype/Newsreader">Production Type</a> * "Open Dyslexic" by <a href="https://opendyslexic.org/">Abelardo Gonzalez</a> <hr> <center><h3>Image Assets</h3></center> * <a href="https://www.transparenttextures.com/">Transparent Textures</a>

// LAPIN LUNAIRE GAMES LOGO <<widget "lapin">> <<link '<img src="Goncharov Images/LapinLunaireGames-logo.png" style="width:2em;">'>> <<goto [[bonus features]]>> <<run Dialog.close();>> <</link>> <</widget>>  // LOCATION <<widget "loc" container>> <div class="loc"> _contents </div> <</widget>> // UNIT <<widget "unit" container>> <div class="unit"> _contents </div> <</widget>> // CHARACTER <<widget "char" container>> <div class="char"> _contents </div> <</widget>> // WRYLY <<widget "wry" container>> <div class="wry"> _contents </div> <</widget>> // DIALOGUE <<widget "dia" container>> <div class="dia"> _contents </div> <</widget>> // TRANSITION <<widget "trans" container>> <div class="trans"> _contents </div> <</widget>> // ACTION <<widget "act" container>> <div class="act"> _contents </div> <</widget>> // CHOICE DIV <<widget "choices" container>> <hr> <div class="choice">_contents</div> <</widget>>  <<widget "G">> GONCHAROV <</widget>> <<widget "A">> ANDREI <</widget>> // $char highlight <<widget "role" container>> <<if $char.includes(_args[0])>> _contents <<else>> _contents <</if>> <</widget>> <<widget "K">> KATYA <</widget>> <<widget "S">> SOFIA <</widget>> <<widget "I">> ICEPICK JOE <</widget>> <<widget "M">> MARIO <</widget>>

Goncharov: Coda

tag "noreturn" for all passages of Memory Files, since they're navigated to using the dialog call from the footer. All `script` tagged passages should also have the `nobr` tag! Wrap each character's name + lines (+wryly if applicable) in a {{unit}} div

<div class="loc">Int. Meeting Room - Day</div> Today’s the day! The very first table read for //Goncharov: Coda//, the long-awaited remake of Scorsese’s legendary 1973 film. You’d been restless throughout the audition process — much like Mario in the film, before he found an anchor in Icepick Joe — but all your passion and sleepless nights (not that you couldn’t sleep, just that you tried out a method acting approach to really grasp the character) had finally paid off. Which character did you land the part of? <><div class="choice"><<button "Andrei “The Banker” Daddano, sharp-eyed right hand to Goncharov himself. Half-Russian, half-Italian. All man, all loyalty.">><<set $char to "andrei">><<goto [[Set]]>><</button>> <<button "Sofia Alexeyevna Medvedeva, a mysterious assassin whose body count is almost as long as her name. A woman of many means and little loyalty.">><<set $char to "sofia">><<goto [[Set]]>><</button>> </div> <>

<><<if $char is "andrei">><<set $Char to "Andrei">><<else>><<set $Char to "Sofia">><</if>><><div class="loc">Int. Meeting Room - Day A door clicks open and shut again.</div> You run your thumb under the bold print on the cover page of your script: it’s really happening! You’ve really landed the role of your dreams — your mind fills with bright lights and cheers as you imagine speaking about your Process in press junket interviews, bonding with your castmates through the intensity of the scenes you’ll film together (you could just //die// thinking of the beer bottle scene!), and bringing the graphic, tragic joy of Goncharov to impressionable young minds across the world. A sharp sequence of claps breaks through your daydreaming. You sit up straight and look to the head of the table, where the director, J. L. Apinloonère, is standing. She’s grinning very widely, almost as wide as the Clocktower Argument shot in the original film where Goncharov and Katya get stuck in traffic and Icepick Joe first appears onscreen. “Thank you all for being here today!” exclaims the director. She holds up a copy of her script and taps it. “I’m the director of //Goncharov: Coda//, Jinques. Excited to have our Goncha-fam together today.” Jinques motions to the person on her right and sits down. They raise a hand and salute the table, then say in a voice cooler than ice cold, “I’m Elle Elegy, producer.” There’s a moment of awed silence before Elle taps their sunglasses down to cover their eyes and the introductions continue. “Dani Schuss, I play Icepick Joe.” “Mal Pacchiatto, reading Mario Ambrosini.” <<if $char is "sofia">>“Anton Sidorov, reading for Andrei Daddano.”<<else>>“Sera T. Onegin, I play Sofia.”<</if>> “Alice Turner, playing Katya.” “Bobby Bianchi, reading for Goncharov.” You look over your castmates as they introduce themselves. Even from first impressions, you can tell everyone has really committed to the film. If you squint and cover one eye with the side of your hand, the way Bobby’s hair is styled even looks //exactly// like Robert de Niro’s from the original film. Okay, deep breath. Time to introduce yourself too. <hr> “<<textbox "$name" "Nome">> <<textbox "$surname" "Cognomen">>, reading for $Char.” <div class="choice"> <<link [[Phew.|Set2]]>><<set $cast to true>><<set $fullname to $name + " " + $surname>><</link>></div><> <<if $char is "andrei">> <<set $role to { first: "Andrei", last: "Daddano", full: "Andrei “The Banker” Daddano", nick: "The Banker", desc: "Sharp-eyed right hand to Goncharov himself. Half-Russian, half-Italian. All man, all loyalty." }>> <<elseif $char is "sofia">> <<set $role to { first: "Sofia", last: "Medvedeva", full: "Sofia Alexeyevna Medvedeva", polite: "Sofia Alexeyevna", desc: "A mysterious assassin whose body count is almost as long as her name. A woman of many means and little loyalty." }>> <</if>> <>

<<flash "Goncharov: Coda Cast & Crew Leaked!">><</flash>>Smatters of polite applause follow your introduction; you bask for a second before realizing it’s because you’re the last one to go. Jinques flips open her script and picks up her pen with a twirl. “Before we get started, I want to just give you all a little overview of my vision. Obviously, the legacy of //Goncharov// is something we want to honor — it’s a classic, iconic film, and we are all here because we have a deep love for it. I want us to use that love to bring new life — haha, yes, that //is// a reference — to this masterpiece.” Her eyes slide over the table, pausing to hold each of your gazes with almost frightening intensity. “I’ve worked with our fantastic music director, Jàra Cimrman, to prepare some atmospheric audio for today’s read. As we work through these scenes, let it move through you and mingle with the source material to create something fresh. Improvisation is //welcome//. We are //interpreters//, we are //transformers//, we are //artists//. “Just remember one thing,” Jinques finishes. “Make. Meaningful. Choices.” You sneak an excited glance around the table. Elle is smoking a cigarette — no, actually, that’s a chocolate-covered biscuit stick that they're holding between two fingers. (//So cool!//) Bobby nods solemnly and puts on a pair of reading glasses. Alice does some silent breathing exercises. Dani flips his pen so he’s holding it like an icepick and grins. <<if $char is "andrei">>Sofia<<else>>Andrei<</if>> — whoa, you’d almost called <<if $char is "andrei">>Sera //Sofia//<<else>>Anton //Andrei//<</if>> — catches your eye and winks. It’s just like you’d imagined! “We’ll start with the train scene.” The sound of shuffling paper fills the room as everyone flips through the script. There’s no champagne at the table to throw, but you figure that’s what the water bottles are for — pretty genius of the prop team, to keep you all hydrated and in homage to the original. <hr> <div class="choice">[[Jinques clears her throat and reads you in.|Action!]]</div>

<div class="loc">INTERIOR, PASSENGER TRAIN – DINING CAR – DAY.</div> Flashes of Italian countryside blur bright and green through the windows. We close in on a well-dressed couple in the dining car. KATYA GONCHAROVA, née MIKHAILOVNA (32), lifts her GLASS and takes a delicate sip. Across from her, GONCHAROV (late 30s) stares through his wife and the window. His suit is crisp, his eyes haunted, and his power worn with ease. <<unit>><<char>>GONCHAROV<</char>> <<wry>>(calmly)<</wry>> <<dia>>You look worried.<</dia>><</unit>> <<act>>He reaches for KATYA’s hand. The wedding rings on their fingers catch the Italian sun.<</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<K>><</char>> <<wry>>(with a well-practiced smile)<</wry>> <<dia>>We both know I’m a woman of faith. (...) You know, a good wife is supposed to worry about her husband. I worry about too many things.<</dia>><</unit>> <<act>>GONCHAROV smiles tenderly. It looks out of place on him, but KATYA seems reassured.<</act>> <<unit>><<char>>GONCHAROV<</char>> <<dia>>And that is why you are the best of wives.<</dia>> <<char>>(glances at plate, fiddles with ravioli)<</char>> <<dia>>I made a promise to you, Katyushka. As you are a woman of faith, I am a man of my word.<</dia>><</unit>> <hr> <div class="choice">[[Beat.|Buon viaggio]]</div>

<<loc>>INTERIOR, PASSENGER TRAIN – DINING CAR – DAY. (cont.)<</loc>> <<act>>Beat.<</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<K>><</char>> <<dia>>That’s not…let’s eat. It’s been a long journey.<</dia>><</unit>> <<act>>GONCHAROV pushes the food around his plate, methodically covering the ravioli in sauce. Hesitantly, he lifts a bite to his mouth. The moment his teeth close into the pasta — <</act>> <<trans>>SMASH CUT – CAR ENTRANCE<</trans>> <<act>><<role "sofia">>SOFIA ALEXEYEVNA MEDVEDEVA<</role>>, svelte and pearl-earringed in a vintage, brunette //Atomic Blonde// kind of way, walks into the dining car. Camera pulls back smoothly and we see that she’s approaching from behind GONCHAROV. Her eyes meet the camera — cut to KATYA, who meets SOFIA’s implied gaze with a guarded air.<</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "andrei">>ANDREI (O.S.)<</role>><</char>> <<wry>>(quietly, slipping a hand over GONCHAROV’s shoulder)<</wry>> <<dia>>Everything is prepared for our arrival in Naples. Should I — Christ, boss, who made this food?! They didn’t treat you right — I’ll speak with them.<</dia>><</unit>> <<act>><<role 'and'>>ANDREI — 30s, razor-faced, with an air of quiet, fatal purpose augmented by the austere black eyepatch covering his left socket — moves to find a car attendant, but GONCHAROV stops him.<</role>> Beckons him closer. <<role 'and'>>ANDREI<</role>> bends to listen and <<K>> makes a show of searching in her purse for a cigarette instead of paying attention.//(extreme close-up, MOVE THE DAMN BOOM)//<</act>> <<unit>>><<char>><<G>><</char>> <<dia>>Join me for prayers tonight, Dreika. We have offerings to make to St. Julian.<</dia>><</unit>> <<if $char is "andrei">> <<include "first choice">> <<choices>> <<button '“I’ll see you at the altar.”'>> <<set $a1 to 0>><<goto [[Andrei c1]]>> <</button>> <<button "Kiss <<G>>’s hand.">> <<set $a1 to 1>><<goto [[Andrei c2]]>> <</button>> <</choices>> <<else>> <<act>><<A>> kisses <<G>>'s hand and the ring that gleams up from his strong fingers. The train rattles around them as <<G>> lays his hand briefly upon <<A>>'s brow in blessing. <<K>>’s red-painted lips twist into a silent scoff and she rises from her chair.<</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<K>><</char>> <<dia>>I’m going to get some fresh air.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<G>><</char>> <<dia>>We’re not far from Naples. Come back in soon.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>><<K>> nods but doesn’t respond before heading out of the dining car. In the background, <<role "sof">><<S>> calls over a waiter and speaks briefly with him before rising and exiting in the same direction as <<K>>.<</role>><</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<G>><</char>> <<dia>>Even now…<</dia>> <</unit>> <<choices>> <<link "Follow Katya.">> <<goto [[Sofia start]]>> <</link>> <</choices>> <</if>>

<<message "''$fullname'' - ''$role.full.toUpperCase()''" btn>> $role.desc <</message>> <<message "''Bobby Bianchi'' - ''<<G>>; LO STRANIERO''" btn>><</message>> <<message "''Mal Pacchiatto'' - ''MARIO AMBROSINI''" btn>><</message>> <<switch $char>> <<case "andrei">> <<message "''Anton Sidorov'' - ''ANDREI DADDANO; THE BANKER''" btn>><</message>> <<case "sofia">> <<message "''Sera T. Onegin'' - ''<<S>>''" btn>><</message>> <</switch>> <<message "''Alice Turner'' - ''<<K>>''" btn>>><</message>> <<message "''Dani Schuss'' - ''ICEPICK JOE''" btn>><</message>>

<<unit>><<char>><<role "a">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>I'll see you at the altar, then.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>><<K>>’s red-painted lips twist into a silent scoff and she rises from her chair.<</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<K>><</char>> <<dia>>I’m going to get some fresh air.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<G>><</char>> <<dia>>We’re not far from Naples. Come back in soon.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>><<K>> nods but doesn’t respond before heading out of the dining car. In the background, <<S>> calls over a waiter and speaks briefly with him before rising and exiting in the same direction as KATYA.<</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<G>><</char>> <<dia>>Even now…<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>><<G>> sighs and glances at his POCKET WATCH.<</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<G>><</char>> <<dia>>Come, sit with me, Andrei. Eat.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "a">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>I don’t think your wife would appreciate me taking her seat.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<G>><</char>> <<dia>>So share mine. Relax, Dreika. The saints I ask you to pray to are formidable indeed — I’m not so unholy to make you do it on an empty stomach. <</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "a">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Much appreciated, Goncharov.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<choices>> <<link "Cut!">> <<goto [[cut1]]>> <</link>> <</choices>>

<<loc>>On Location - late afternoon<</loc>> //“Cut!”// Jinques presses a hand to her mouth, her eyes sparkling with tears. For a second, you think she might fully start weeping. “That was it, we got it,” she announces, voice choked with emotion. Beside Jinques, chocolate biscuit stick dangling loosely from the corner of their mouth, Elle rasps, “Fuckin’ effervescent.” Jinques takes a moment to compose herself before nodding. “Alright, our clearance to film in the historic district is only valid during daylight hours, so we need to move quickly! We’ll only have one or two takes to get golden hour light, maybe a third if craft managed to get some extra panettone and Paolo is on shift.” <><<choices>> <<link "Time for your next scene!">> <<if $char is "andrei">> <<goto [[Indulgences]]>> <<elseif $char is "sofia">> <<goto [[Family Reunion]] >> <</if>> <</link>> <</choices>><>

<hr> ''This is it -- your chance to shine! Jinques's voice echoes in your head. //“Make meaningful choices,”// she had said. And by God, you will.''

<<loc>>Ext. Street - Day Indulgences<</loc>> <<act>><<G>> and <<role "and">><<A>><</role>> walk through a half-empty market. The wind is cold as death, the streets are nearly deserted, and there is a conscious distance between the two men. <<G>> pauses by an apple stall. The fruit is massive, bright and heavy enough with sweet-tart promise to make his mouth water despite having only imagined the taste.<</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<G>><</char>> <<dia>>Andrei.<</dia>><</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role 'and'>><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<wry>>(swiftly)<</wry>> <<dia>>Yes?<</dia>><</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<G>><</char>> <<dia>>What business has the name of //lo straniero// concluded today?<</dia>><</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role 'and'>><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>His name has spread, and Nannini’s pawn in the municipio has folded.<</dia>><</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<G>><</char>> <<dia>>Ambrosini still holds the papers?<</dia>><</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role 'and'>><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>…yes.<</dia>><</unit>> <<act>>Something plays over <<G>>’s face. To <<A>>, it’s an expression balanced on the edge of cruelty and despair. CUT to cam 2, medium shot to show the side of <<G>> concealed from <<A>>’s view.<</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<G>><</char>> <<wry>>(to seller)<</wry>> <<dia>>Half a kilo.<</dia>><</unit>> <<act>><<role 'and'>><<A>> watches intently as money and forbidden fruit exchange hands. His eye fixes on the apple bobbing in <<G>>’s throat.<</role>> In the distance, the CLOCKTOWER begins to toll the hour.<</act>> <<trans>>Wide shot of <<G>> and <<A>> walking along a dirt road to a wooded area. <<G>> is carrying a bag of apples.<</trans>> <<unit>><<char>><<G>><</char>> <<dia>>Ambrosini is growing bolder. Tell me, Andrei, does this corner of the Old World still hold to the ways of hospitality?<</dia>><</unit>> <<act>><<G>> tosses an apple from the bag to <<A>> and looks up through the wood as he takes one for himself, sets the bag down, and paces slowly between the trees.<</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<G>> (cont.)<</char>> <<dia>>To break bread with another man is to set weapons down. To conduct business over a meal is to promise action, not to take any. But to dine with Mario Ambrosini, as I understand it, would be suicide.<</dia>><</unit>> <<choices>> <<button "Those kind of rules only apply within families.">> <<goto [[market1]]>> <</button>> <<button "Not all roads lead to Rome.">> <<goto [[market2]]>> <</button>> <</choices>>

<<unit>><<char>><<role 'and'>><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Those kind of rules only apply within families.<</dia>><</unit>> <<act>><<role 'and'>>He pauses and looks down at the APPLE in his hand. <</role>>The camera shifts focus from <<A>>’s pensive profile to <<G>> in the background, watching his right-hand man carefully.<</act>> <<act>><<role "and">><<A>> raises the apple to his mouth. Locks gazes with <<G>>. Bites (//move the boom to catch the crunch or so help me god//), chews, swallows.<</role>><</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<G>><</char>> <<dia>>I see. I’m a fortunate man, then, Dreika.<</dia>><</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role 'a'>><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Fortune smiles on happy families.<</dia>><</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<G>><</char>> <<wry>>(laughs)<</wry>> <<dia>>You’re losing your Italian humor, Dreika, and I’m happy to take the blame. Come by tomorrow for dinner, outside of business. See what Katya’s done to the house.<</dia>><</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "and">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>She was telling me about it on the drive, when you were with Tolya. I hear the kitchen curtains are to die for.<</dia>><</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<G>><</char>> <<dia>>Sure, she’s filled the whole fucking place with chintz. Everywhere you look, it’s inescapable.<</dia>><</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "a">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>At least you’ve got your study.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<G>><</char>> <<dia>>The study and the floor, until she finds a rug awful enough.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<choices>> <<link "Cut!">><<goto [[cut2]]>><</link>> <</choices>>

<<unit>><<char>><<role 'a'>><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Not all roads lead to Rome. Any one with Mario Ambrosini’s name on it goes straight to hell.<</dia>><</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<G>><</char>> <<wry>>(laughs)<</wry>> <<dia>>If you’d said that to me when we first met, I’d tell you we were already there.<</dia>><</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role 'a'>><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>That was a long time ago, boss.<</dia>><</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<G>><</char>> <<wry>>(soberly)<</wry>> <<dia>>It was, wasn’t it?<</dia>><</unit>> <<act>>He spits out an apple seed.<</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<G>><</char>> <<dia>>How much of our time has run out, Dreika?<</dia>><</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role 'a'>><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>What does that matter, boss? We live the high life, die in good grace. We won’t be around to catch the blame.<</dia>><</unit>> <<act>><<G>> doesn’t respond, just pulls out the BROKEN POCKETWATCH and watches it tick as they eat their apples in silence. <<A>> finishes his and <<role "a">>starts kicking up dirt<</role>> to toss the core out.<</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<G>><</char>> <<dia>>Aren’t you tired of burying things?<</dia>><</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "a">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>…They’ll rot anyway. Less mess for me to deal with.<</dia>><</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<G>><</char>> <<dia>>Then let the worms work for their feast.<</dia>><</unit>> <<act>><<G>> throws his own eaten core to the ground. <<role "and">>After a moment of hesitation, <<A>> does the same. <</role>>His core rolls to a stop beside <<G>>’s. The camera remains fixed on the abandoned, eaten cores as the men walk offscreen.<</act>> <<choices>> <<link "Cut!">> <<goto [[cut2]]>> <</link>> <</choices>>

<<loc>>//Goncharov// Set<</loc>> //“Cut!”// It’s honestly difficult to look directly at Jinques. She’s alarmingly radiant and getting more ecstatic with every cut. Earlier, an intern mistook her for a fill light and tried to reposition her. You grin and keep her in the tiniest corner of your peripheral vision as she speaks with the sound team, all of whom have donned black wraparound shades in an effort to save their retinas from frying. She emerges from the sound huddle and throws a blinding grin in the direction of where you’re clustered with Bobby and Mal. “Great work, guys,” she beams. The glare off Bobby’s prop pocketwatch angles directly into your eyes as he mock salutes Jinques and you turn away with a grunt of pain. “Yes!” Jinques exclaims, pointing at you. “That’s perfect, channel that. My god, you’re all just so //inspired//.” You muster up a smile through watery eyes and offer a thumbs-up. Someone guides you to a nice dark place to rest for a while until you’re called to set again. Luckily, you’ve recovered fully by the time someone comes to collect you. <><<choices>> <<link "Time to film!">> <<if $char is "andrei">> <<goto [[Fallen Fruit]]>> <<elseif $char is "sofia">> <<goto [[Basilica Betrayal]]>> <</if>> <</link>> <</choices>><>

<<act>><<role "and">><<A>> kisses <<G>>'s hand and the ring that gleams up from his strong fingers. The train rattles around them as <<G>> lays his hand briefly upon <<A>>'s brow in blessing.<</role>> <<K>>’s red-painted lips twist into a silent scoff and she rises from her chair.<</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<K>><</char>> <<dia>>I’m going to get some fresh air.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<G>><</char>> <<dia>>We’re not far from Naples. Come back in soon.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>><<K>> nods but doesn’t respond before heading out of the dining car. In the background, <<S>> calls over a waiter and speaks briefly with him before rising and exiting in the same direction as KATYA.<</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<G>><</char>> <<dia>>Even now…<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>><<G>> sighs and glances at his POCKET WATCH.<</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<G>><</char>> <<dia>>Come, sit with me, Andrei. Eat.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "a">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>I don’t think your wife would appreciate me taking her seat.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<G>><</char>> <<dia>>So share mine. My life does not allow a long list of regrets, Dreika. Neither does yours. <</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "a">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Come on, boss. Naples is no place for the melancholy of the homeland.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<G>><</char>> <<dia>>You keep the old tongue well, though it’s foreign to you. Isn’t it?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "a">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>My mother taught me when I was young, when my father was away. It’s a language, it works no matter where you learn it.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<G>><</char>> <<dia>>A tongue is a tongue.<</dia>><</unit>> <<choices>> <<link "Cut!">> <<goto [[cut1]]>> <</link>> <</choices>>

<<loc>><<G>>’s study - night Fallen Fruit<</loc>> TOLYA and SASHA file out of the study. <<role "and">><<A>> follows them, but <<G>> stops him before he leaves and motions to the door. <<A>> nods and closes the door, taking care to shut it completely but silently, before returning to stand in front of a seated <<G>> at the desk.<</role>> Visible on the bar cart at the side wall between the two men are the yellowed, bitten cores of the APPLES they ate together, what seems like a lifetime ago. <<unit>><<char>><<G>><</char>> <<dia>>To Sopranommi and Ambrosini and every other tree with roots, I am //Lo Straniero//. The stranger and his banker, you and I. And very few like foreign debt — I understand. But my wife has made friends. So, I am asking my bank to check their credit.<</dia>><</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role 'and'>><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Understood, Goncharov. Anything I know, I can say now. Ambrosini’s payroll hold most of the media, but our contacts are solid, so those lines will come in fast.<</dia>><</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<G>><</char>> <<dia>>They met at the market, by the clocktower. Her name is Sofia.<</dia>><</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role 'and'>><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Bicicleta?<</dia>><</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<G>><</char>> <<dia>>No. Sofia Alexeyevna.<</dia>><</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "an">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Alexeyevna? Not one of ours, though. Does she know anyone in the family?<</dia>><</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<G>><</char>> <<dia>>Katya says no.<</dia>><</unit>> <<act>>Beat.<</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "a">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Katya says no…and you don’t believe her?<</dia>><</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<G>><</char>> <<wry>>(fixing <<A>> coolly)<</wry>> <<dia>>You calling my wife a liar? A traitor who would go against the wishes of Goncharov? You dishonor my wife like that, Dreika?<</dia>><</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "and">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>No, boss. Not any more than you do.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>><<G>> looks at <<A>> for a long moment. Sighs. He gets up, pours two glasses of brandy. Hands one to <<A>>, but doesn’t release it. His ring glints in the dim light — it is unclear if it is his wedding ring or his father’s heirloom band.<</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<G>><</char>> <<dia>>You’ve prayed to St. Julian with me, Dreika. For me, too. And I appreciate that, and know you have been loyal. We share no blood, but we have spilled it from the same veins. Drunk from the same cup. Eaten of the same fruit. There was a time when we loved the same woman.<</dia>><</unit>> <<choices>> <<button "“Goncharov. What would you have me do?”">> <<goto [[fruit1]]>> <</button>> <<button "“Loved?”">> <<goto [[fruit2]]>> <</button>> <</choices>>

<<unit>> <<char>><<role "an">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Goncharov. What would you have me do?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>>Long closeup of the brandy glass, framed between <<A>>’s and <<G>>’s hands from above and below. <<G>> releases the glass and circles the desk to sit again.<</act>> <<unit>> <<char>><<G>><</char>> <<dia>>Watch over her.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>> <<char>><<role "a">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Goncharov, with all due respect, your wife is outside these matters. She’s not a child, but no family in Naples would risk — <</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<G>><</char>> <<dia>>I was talking about Sofia.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<trans>>Slow pan<</trans>> <<act>>//Closeup fruit bowl to wide shot of <<G>> and <<A>> in back quarter-lit/silhouetted profile.//<</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<G>><</char>> <<wry>>(cont.)<</wry>> <<dia>>You know the Sopranommi consigliere.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>> <<char>><<role "and">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>I do. He — <</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>> <<char>><<G>><</char>> <<dia>>Took a hit out on Katya’s new friend.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>> <<char>><<role "a">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<wry>>(visibly disturbed)<</wry>> <<dia>>When?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>><<G>> fixes <<A>> with a long look. <<role "a">><<A>>’s face slowly melts from confusion into something guarded as he realizes <<G>> has been testing him.<</role>><</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<G>><</char>> <<dia>>Last week. So tell me, Andrei, when’s the funeral?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>> <<char>><<role "and">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>I…I’ll find out. I know some people, they’ll be discreet.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>> <<char>><<G>><</char>> <<dia>>I hope you know them better than the poor Sopranommi bastard, because the service is tomorrow. Maybe they’ll be there, you can do your asking then. Discreetly.<</dia>><</unit>> <<act>>Beat.<</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<G>><</char>> <<dia>>But you knew already, didn’t you?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>>The ticking of the grandfather clock in the background grows steadily louder. <<G>> stands and slowly sets down his glass. His father’s ring glints in the light.<</act>> <<act>>Suddenly, <<G>> seizes <<A>>’s head tightly and brings it close to his, the same way he gripped him in joy at the the ZANICCHI WEDDING, though the mood is drastically different now.<</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<G>><</char>> <<dia>>Time and time again, Dreika, you have proven yourself to me. That’s the trouble. Time runs out, but yours never seems to get there.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "a">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>…you’re cutting me out?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<G>><</char>> <<dia>>I am telling you to find out how Sofia Alexeyevna killed a man more resilient than a cockroach, why Sopranommi wants her dead, and what her interest in Katya is. Can you do this, Andrei?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "a">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Are you asking me to prove myself again, Goncharov?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<choices>> <<link "Cut!">> <<goto [[cut3]]>> <</link>> <</choices>>

<<unit>><<char>><<role "a">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Loved?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>><<G>>’s face is unreadable. SLAP. <<role "a">><<A>>’s head reels to one side on impact and he flexes his jaw. <<G>>’s expression doesn’t change, but <<A>> seems to see something in his face that we cannot.<</role>><</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "a">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Thought you’d have used the other hand.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>> <<char>><<G>><</char>> <<dia>>You think I’d take off this ring for you?!<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>> <<char>> <<role "a">> <<A>> <</role>> <</char>> <<dia>>There was a time when you would have.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<choices>> [[CUT|cut3]] <</choices>>

<<loc>>Generic Schengen Agreement Area - Day Definitely Still On Location Yep Totally<</loc>>“//Cut!//” You break out into a genuine grin and step back to stretch — nobody ever talks about how much a Cool Walk strains your back muscles. Jinques throws up a thumbs-up and calls, “Nice job! We got it — and $name, loved those delivery choices!” Your grin widens, warmth fluttering in your chest at the praise as Mal walks up to you, dabbing away fake blood from his eyes with a towel. He swipes off a bit of the silicone covering part of his eyebrow too (you’d tell him, but you don’t see any glue or product lying around, and plausible deniability is //everything// when it comes to defending oneself against the wrath of the makeup team). “The energy is so good today,” he says. “And holy shit — you’re on fire today! Literally channeling <<if $char is 'andrei'>>Harvey Keitel<<else>>Sonia Petrovna<</if>>. I got chills during that last take.” “Thanks, Mal,” you say, raising a hand casually to your brow. Mal squints at you, clearly confused, so you keep hovering your hand there and making scratching motions in the air (it feels a little silly, sure, but you’re not about to risk your own life — //ahem//, makeup). Finally, Mal’s eyes widen and he gasps, quickly followed by a hasty “oh shit” as his eyes dart over your shoulder at somebody. You turn and immediately identify the source (or rather, sources) of his distress: Lisa Monea, key makeup artist, and special effects makeup artist Mona Lissa, both armed with jars of pomade and combs. You turn back to find empty air where Mal once stood; before you can look around to see where he went, Alice walks up and nudges you. “I just heard we’re doing the B scene next,” she says. Her breath smells almost overwhemingly of peppermint extract; you're getting goosebumps. “I’ll see you over there.” <><<choices>> <<link [[It’s time.|B scene]]>><</link>> <</choices>><>

<<loc>>Int. Basilica - Evening Basilica Betrayal<</loc>> <<act>>KATYA’s heels click steadily on the floor of the basilica as she approaches the ALTAR. She pauses before the KNEELER set out before the grandeur of the altar, considers it, and steps deliberately to the side. KATYA crosses herself, looks up at the cold glow of moonlight through the altar’s stained glass centerpiece, and slowly lowers down to her knees.<</act>> <<unit>> <<char>><<K>><</char>> <<dia>>In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<trans>>jump cut<</trans>> <<act>>The door creaks open, then shut again. We hear two sets of footsteps approaching; purposeful and heavy, but respectful. Walking cam approaches KATYA, who keeps her head bowed until the sharp click of an icepick tapping against wood echoes through the church. Cut to cam 3, close shot on KATYA. She stops, attempts to rise, but a gloved hand on her shoulder presses her back down.<</act>> <<unit>> <<char>><<M>> (O.S.)<</char>> <<dia>>Now, Donna Goncharov, don’t stop on my account. I admit, I was surprised to hear you’d be here at this hour — doesn’t Russian Orthodoxy prefer evensong to solitary prayer?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<trans>>Wide shot<</trans>> <<act>><<K>> on her knees, hands still clasped in prayer, <<M>> standing behind her, one hand on her shoulder. <> approaches from the side, nods at <<M>>. The men switch places, circling <<K>> like sharks as <<M>> stands in front of her.<</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<K>><</char>> <<dia>>You could say I’m unorthodox in that regard. And I could say the same of you, coming for me in cold blood on holy ground.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>> <<char>><<M>><</char>> <<dia>>Donna Goncharov. You wound me. I too am a man of faith.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>><<M>> gestures to the basilica around them, opens his jacket to reveal his lack of weapons. At a nod, <> does the same. Cut music.<</act>> <<unit>> <<char>><<M>> (cont.)<</char>> <<dia>>So please, finish your prayers. For a woman on her knees, I have all the time in the world.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>><<K>> swallows and clenches her jaw against a shudder; her breaths come fast, but her hands are steady. <</act>> <<unit>> <<char>><<role "sof">><<S>> (O.S.)<</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Couldn’t agree more! But let’s be a bit more pious in the house of the Lord, shall we?<</dia>> <<wry>>(in Russian)<</wry>> <<dia>>//Run through the east ambulatory!//<</dia>> <</unit>> <<trans>>CUT to <<S>> perched in the UPPER ALCOVES with a GUN.<</trans>> <<act>>The basilica fills with the tolling of the bell as a new hour strikes, erasing all other sound. Moonlight haloes <<S>> as <<role "sof">>she raises her gun and fires<</role>>. We see <<M>> yell and fall to his knees, mirroring KATYA as blood spreads from the wound in his leg. <> runs to grab KATYA, but she shoves <<M>> at him and makes a run for the ambulatory.<</act>> <<act>>Shattered glass and dust rain down as the bell continues to toll. When the final ring fades, it is replaced by <> swearing as he supports a wounded MARIO and moves towards the exit.<</act>> <<unit>> <<char>><><</char>> <<dia>>The fuck are you playing at, Sofia?! You forget who you answer to?!<</dia>> <</unit>> <<choices>> <<button "“God doesn’t keep promises to women like me!”">> <<goto [[basil1]]>> <</button>> <<button "“The Lord works in mysterious ways, motherfucker!”">> <<goto [[basil2]]>> <</button>> <</choices>>

<<unit>><<char>><<role 's'>><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>The Lord works in mysterious ways, motherfucker!<</dia>> <</unit>> <<trans>>Cut to AMBULATORY<</trans>> <<act>><<role "so">><<S>> grabs <<K>> and together they run out of the church and into SOFIA’s waiting car. They rip down the street.<</role>> <<K>> is splattered with blood. <</act>> <<loc>>INT. SOFIA’S CAR - NIGHT Tires screech over cobblestone.<</loc>> <<unit>><<char>><<role 's'>><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>There’s cigarettes in the glove com — <</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<K>><</char>> <<dia>>//Why?!// Sofia, they’re going to kill you — do you understand what you’ve //done//?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role 's'>><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Would it be too much to just believe that I’m the answer to your prayers, Kitty?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>><<K>> gapes at <<S>> for a moment.<</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<role 's'>><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>And here I had heard you were a woman of faith.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<K>><</char>> <<dia>>//Lord//, why don’t you — there are ways our world works, Sofia. Why don’t you see that?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>><<role "sof">><<S>> swerves hard off the road, into the woods. <</role>>She stops the car just outside a small copse; illuminated by the headlights we see that it’s the same one <<A>> and <<G>> took the apples to.<</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<role 's'>><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Who sees //you//, Katya? In your world of pretty dresses and polished silver and closed doors, //who sees you?//<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>><<role "so">>She grabs KATYA’s hand and holds it up.<</role>><</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<role 's'>><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Do you want to live inside this ring forever? Watching your time tick away through a smokescreen, in rooms of men who treat you like a toy? Don’t say it’s for love, we both know you aren’t stupid enough for that. If you play by the rules of their game, you’ll never win. Everyone cheats, Kitty. Don’t fool yourself into thinking anything else is fair.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<K>><</char>> <<dia>>You don’t understand.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role 's'>><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Don’t I? Do you think I always lived like this? We’re not so different, Kitty. I just chose to do something about it.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>><<K>> doesn’t reply. Her eyes are fixed on the ring on her finger — or Sofia’s hand, still gripping her own.<</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<role 's'>><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>You don’t have to believe me. Just remember that when time runs out, people like me make their own choices.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>><<role "s">>SOFIA’s gaze flicks down to <<K>>’s exposed neck, bare of the PEARLS that <<G>> gifted her.<</role>><</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<role 's'>><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Maybe you’ve already started.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>>After a long moment of silence, <<role "so">><<S>> tosses away KATYA’s hand to throw the car back into gear, reaches across KATYA to grab a red silk scarf, and ties it over her head, covering her hair.<</role>><</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<K>><</char>> <<wry>>(softly)<</wry>> <<dia>>You chose to die tonight. By one hand or the other.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role 's'>><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<wry>>(scoffing)<</wry>> <<dia>>Do you have anything else to say to me?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<K>><</char>> <<dia>>You already know.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role 's'>><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Keep your prayers, Kitty.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<trans>>JUMP CUT; WIDE SHOT<</trans>> <<act>>KATYA’s face is half-illuminated as she watches SOFIA drive away, shrinking into a dot of red in the dark, distant windshield.<</act>> <<trans>>FADE INTO CLOSEUP; POV CAM<</trans>> <<act>>The red of SOFIA’s headscarf becomes dots on KATYA’s nails — not lacquer, but blood. We zoom out to see KATYA in half-shadowed silhouette, the gold of her hair darkened, white dress and jacket spattered with deep red.<</act>> <<choices>> <<link "Cut!">> <<goto [[cut3]]>> <</link>> <</choices>>

<<unit>> <<char>><<role "so">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>God doesn’t keep promises to women like me!<</dia>> <</unit>> <<trans>>Cut to AMBULATORY<</trans>> <<act>><<role "so">><<S>> grabs <<K>> and together they run out of the church and into SOFIA’s waiting car. They rip down the street.<</role>> KATYA is splattered with blood. <</act>> <<loc>>INT. SOFIA’S CAR - NIGHT Tires screech<</loc>> <<unit>> <<char>><<role "so">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Take that off. <</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>> <<char>><<K>><</char>> <<dia>>They’re going to kill you. Sofia, why — why?!<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>> <<role "so">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<wry>>(annoyed)<</wry>> <<dia>>Take your goddamn jacket off before your husband thinks I got his wife into a firefight.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>> <<char>> <<K>> <</char>> <<dia>>What the hell do you call what just happened?! <</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>> <<char>><<role "so">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Breaking even, Kitty.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>><<K>> stares at <<S>>. Then suddenly — <</act>> <<unit>> <<char>><<K>><</char>> <<dia>>Let me out.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>><<role "so">><<S>> keeps driving. They turn off into a wooded area — the same one <<A>> and <<G>> took the apples to.<</role>><</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<K>><</char>> <<wry>>(angrily)<</wry>> <<dia>>Let me out! Sofia, I swear to God — <</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "so">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Didn’t you hear me earlier? God doesn’t keep promises to women like us. <</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>> <<char>><<K>><</char>> <<dia>>We aren’t the same.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>> <<char>><<role "so">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Aren’t we? Women out of time, living through smokescreens that men blow in our faces. Only difference between us, Kitty, is that I do something about it. <</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>>Beat.<</act>> <<unit>> <<char>><<role "so">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>And I speak better Italian.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<K>><</char>> <<wry>>(in Church Slavonic)<</wry>> <<dia>>Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be thy name — <</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>> <<char>><<role "so">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>There’s another gun in the glove compartment, if you’d be kind enough to end my misery — <</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<K>><</char>> <<dia>>I’m praying for your soul, Sofia, because when Ambrosini’s done with you there won’t be anyone else to do it.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>> <<role "so">><<S>><</role>> <</char>> <<dia>>You think I couldn’t have given him a grave instead of a limp? That wasn’t a miss, Kitty, that was mercy.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<K>><</char>> <<dia>>Since when are you so merciful?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "s">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Since I made the mistake of giving you that cigarette.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<K>><</char>> <<dia>>I thought you didn’t make mistakes.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "so">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Occupational hazard. Get out.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<K>><</char>> <<dia>>Wha — <</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>><<role "so">><<S>> leans over, opens the door, and shoves <<K>> none too gently into the night.<</role>><</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "so">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>You wanted me to let you out, I’m letting you out. Your husband’s dog has been tailing us since the square. Don’t bother saying hello for me.<</dia>><</unit>> <<act>><<role "so">><<S>>’s gaze darts to <<K>>’s bare neck — she’s not wearing the PEARLS that <<G>> gifted to her.<</role>><</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "so">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>You know, I’ll be upset if you don’t come to the funeral. Thanks for the necklace, Kitty.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>><<role "so">>SOFIA doesn’t wait for a response before leaning over again to yank the door closed and grab a red silk scarf. She ties it over her hair and drives away without a backwards glance. Iva Zanicchi’s //Sangue Nero// is playing on the radio — SOFIA reaches out and brusquely shuts it off just before the ending of the first verse.<</role>><</act>> <<choices>> <<link "Cut!">> <<goto [[cut3]]>> <</link>> <</choices>>

<<loc>>Int. Mario’s study - Day Family Reunion<</loc>> <<act>>The room is hazy with cigarette smoke, doused in an air of secrecy and shrouded lamps. MARIO sits in a leather chair, one leg propped over the other as he smokes. The door opens <<role "s">>and <<S>> enters, ushered in by <>. <> leans against the table beside MARIO, leaving <<S>> to stand before Don Ambrosini.<</role>><</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<M>><</char>> <<dia>>Sit, sit. Joe, a chair for Donna Medici.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>><> retrieves a chair from across the study and sets it behind <<role "s">><<S>>, who sits and crosses her legs opposite <<M>>’s.<</role>><</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "so">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>I’m a Medici now?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<M>><</char>> <<wry>>(shrugs, smiles)<</wry>> <<dia>>If I’m going to call you a fake name, I’d like to pick it myself.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "so">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>In that case, I’ll take it as a compliment. Why have you called for me, Don Ambrosini? <</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<M>><</char>> <<dia>>I’m pleased to see you alive.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "so">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Pleased or surprised?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>><> starts forward, but <<M>> raises a hand.<</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<M>><</char>> <<wry>>(to <>)<</wry>> <<dia>>It’s alright. A fair business question.<</dia>> <<wry>>(to <<S>>)<</wry>> <<dia>>Both, if I’m honest. I sent some of my boys after you when I heard about Sopranommi’s hit. Thought you could use some protection. <</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "so">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>So they would have told you I didn’t need any to put his consigliere underground.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<M>><</char>> <<dia>>The flowers you sent to the funeral were very tasteful.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "so">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>I appreciate that. Speaking of taste, can I ask you something, outside of business?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<M>><</char>> <<dia>>You can, though I’ll remind you I don’t mix business and pleasure. <</dia>> <</unit>> <<choices>> <<button "“Was that your sister I saw on my way in?”">> <<goto [[reunion1]]>> <</button>> <<button "“You got a light?”">> <<goto [[reunion2]]>> <</button>> <</choices>>

<<unit>><<char>><<role "s">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Was that your sister I saw on the way in? Giulia, right?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>>Any mask of casual amusement drops from <<M>>’s face. <<role "so">>SOFIA’s remains.<</role>><</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "s">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>She’s awful pretty — you’ve got the same mouth, you know. Looks a little nicer on her, but hey — you’re not so bad.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<M>><</char>><<dia>>I like you, Medici. So watch your fucking mouth.<</dia>><</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "s">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Tell your boys to stop tailing me first, so I can do the job you hired me for. Or they can watch me go shopping with my new friend Giulia and talk about how her brother’s a good guy but he snapped at her for no reason. Maybe I’ll buy her a new lipstick, show her how to smoke without messing it up.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<M>><</char>> <<dia>>You watch your fucking mouth!<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>><<S>> leans to one side in the chair, smirks, and flips up a single finger at MARIO--but uses it to dab leisurely at the corner of her lipstick. <> starts forward, icepick flashing in the air. Smoothly, without batting an eye, <<S>> draws a concealed pistol and aims it square at MARIO’s forehead.<</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "so">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Ambrosini, you gotta train your dog not to bring an icepick to a gunfight.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<choices>> <<link "Cut!">> <<goto [[cut2]]>> <</link>> <</choices>>

<<unit>><<char>><<role "s">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>You got a light?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>><<role "s">><<S>> pulls a pack of cigarettes from her pocket and deftly slides one out.<</role>> <<M>>’s eyes narrow but he motions for <> to light it for her.<</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "s">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Thanks. Distress or no distress, a damsel likes to know where she stands. <</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><><</char>> <<dia>>You asking for us to remind you of your place?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "s">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>You forgetting yours?<</dia>> <<wry>>(to MARIO)<</wry>> <<dia>>I don’t need a tail, Ambrosini. Call your dogs off while I’m doing my job.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<M>><</char>> <<dia>>Donna Medici, you must understand, I did not earn what I have without certain security measures. My guys won’t bother you, as long as you do what you’re being paid to.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "s">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>You want me to be a Medici so bad? Alright, Ambrosini. You picked your poison.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<choices>> <<link "Cut!">> <<goto [[cut2]]>> <</link>> <</choices>>

<<loc>>Ext. Train car - Day<</loc>> <<act>><<K>> leans on the thin railing and searches through her purse, though we get the sense her purpose is to look engaged rather than any actual desire to find a specific object.<</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "s">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Do you need a hand?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>>Tension snaps <<K>>’s head up a little too quickly for her alarm to pass unnoticed. SOFIA’s Russian accent is almost imperceptible but <<K>> catches it immediately. Her hand, however, remains inside her purse as though she has a gun.<</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<K>><</char>> <<dia>>I came out for a smoke, actually.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "s">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>It’s a beautiful view.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<K>><</char>> <<dia>>A valley is a valley.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "s">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Sure. By the way…<</dia>> <</unit>> <<include "first choice">> <<choices>> <<button "“Your lipstick is a bit smudged. Here.”">> <<goto [[Sofia c1]]>> <</button>> <<button "“I have a light.”">> <<goto [[Sofia c2]]>> <</button>> <</choices>>

“//Cut!//” You stay in position for second after the call, an inexplicable shot of adrenaline coursing through your body as you realize that was the most perfect take imaginable. Everyone else seems to feel it too, because the post-cut hush lasts until Jinques’s voice rings out with the magic words: “That’s a wrap!” A cheer goes up immediately. Someone pops a celebratory cracker and confetti bursts into the air, showering the set with a mix of brightly colored paper and laughter. Dani sweeps you into a hug — he’d kept coming to set even after filming his final scene, which you’d thought was sweet but a little weird until you found his finsta, which was nothing but pics of the Goncharov merch patches he’d been hiding all over set, along with blurry shots of everyone’s shoes and emoji-only captions. Then it was weird but a little sweet. More people join the hug, cheering and weeping like Icepick Joe at his sister’s wedding. Occasionally a cry of “//Viva Goncharov!//” goes up. Jinques looks like she might be making a speech and Bobby trying to help quiet everyone down for it, but she’s crying a little too hard for it to be effective. A door slams, echoing like a gunshot — long accustomed to the sound of prop arms firing blanks, none of you blink an eye until it happens again and an enraged voice roars, “Where the //hell// is Jinques?” You wriggle your head out from under Mal’s arm and stare at the newcomer. She looks almost exactly like Jinques (and come to think of it, Elle, although you’ve only seen them without their dark sunglasses once), if Jinques and Elle had driven their sleep schedules off a bridge and also been in home isolation for about two years. What a wild idea. “Oh, hi, Tuzi,” Jinques says, followed by an awkward laugh. “What’s up?” You squint at the newcomer as she stomps up to Jinques and shakes a distressingly thick binder in front of her. Tuzi...Tuzi... <> <<choices>> <<link "…Where have you heard that name before?">> <<goto [[Fin2]]>> <</link>> <</choices>> <>

“What’s //up//?” Tuzi replies, voice careening wildly. “Yeah, what //is// up, Jinques?!” She thumps a hand flat against the binder. A couple of pages fall out, but Tuzi doesn’t seem to notice. Someone — the watch looks like the production intern’s — reaches out and nabs the fallen pages. Jinques tries to duck behind Elle and Bobby, but Tuzi’s hand snaps out and seizes her arm. “//This//,” Tuzi shakes the binder, “is the screenplay! The one that I wrote, with the official blessing of Scorsese that I received in a dream, that went through several rounds of review and editing!” Oh! You know where you’ve heard (or rather, seen) that name before. The little yellow sticky note that you received when you were booked flashes in your mind. //Tuzi Moon - Screenwriter//, it had said. “Why is over ninety percent of the film improv?!” screeches Tuzi. “Am I a joke to you?! Is that it?” “I — it’s a funny story, really,” Jinques tries. “Creative freedom is — ” “Funny?” Tuzi repeats. The binder falls to the floor with a shockingly loud thump as she grabs Jinques’s collar and shakes violently. “Funny?! Funny how? I mean, funny like a clown? Does it amuse you? Make you laugh?!” Tuzi lets out a scream of pure rage and shoves Jinques backwards into Elle’s waiting arms before throwing her own hands up in the air. “Fine, do whatever you want. Just because you made me an offer I couldn’t refuse — I fell for it! Fine! But mark my words, I will not forget this!” She snatches up the script binder and stalks off the set, cradling it close to her chest. Dani, still wide-eyed, pulls out his phone and snaps a quick picture of Tuzi. You glance at him and he stage-whispers, “She was wearing the //Goncharov// shoes!” <> <<choices>> <center> <h3>Thank you for playing!</h3> I hope you had fun. For the ''BONUS FEATURES'' included on this LapinLunaireGames disc, click the button. </center> <<button "BONUS FEATURES">> <<audio "maintheme" volume 0.25 fadein loop>> <<goto [[bonus features]]>> <</button>> <</choices>> <>

<h2>Bonus Features</h2> To jump to this menu from any other point in the game, click the <<lapin>> in the ''Credits'' in the footer (). <><<choices>> <<button [[Deleted Scenes]]>> <</button>> <<button [[About the Game]]>> <</button>> <<button "<a href='https://lapinlunaire-games.itch.io/'>More from Lapin Lunaire Games</a>">> <</button>> <</choices>><>

<<unit>><<char>><<role 's'>><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Your lipstick is a bit smudged. Here.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>><<role "so">>She taps the corner of her own mouth with a fingertip, lips parting slightly.<</role>> KATYA’s gaze sharpens before she breaks eye contact to dig in her purse again for a mirror.<</act>> <<unit>> <<char>><<K>><</char>> <<wry>>(tightly)<</wry>> <<dia>>Thank you.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role 's'>><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>My pleasure.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<K>><</char>> <<dia>>I must have left it inside somewhere. How embarrassing.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role 's'>><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Do you always worry this much about strange women seeing you a bit mussed?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<K>><</char>> <<dia>>I’ve been told I keep a worrisome manner.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role 's'>><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Relax. Have a smoke. I won’t tell.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<K>><</char>> <<dia>>You wouldn’t need to. I don’t need to sneak my smokes.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role 's'>><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<wry>>(laughing)<</wry>> <<dia>>My offer comes with a free mint and cosmetics.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<K>><</char>> <<dia>>Do you always offer up everything to strange women on the train?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role 's'>><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>You know what they say. When in Rome…<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<K>><</char>> <<dia>>You missed your station a long while back, then.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role 's'>><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>//A Napoli//, then. There’s something there for us all. For me, it’s lemons at the market, the limoncello I’ll make with them, and Alessandro Manzoni to keep me company as I drink it.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<K>><</char>> <<wry>>(taking out a cigarette)<</wry>> <<dia>>You put lemons above your lover?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>><<role 's'>><<S>> flicks open her lighter and extends it for <<K>> smoothly.<</role>> Taken aback, <<K>> bends her head halfway to light the cigarette before looking up at <<S>>. They share a moment of silent eye contact — KATYA appraising, SOFIA calm and smiling slightly — before <<K>> breaks the shared gaze to lower her cigarette completely and light it on SOFIA's flame. <<role "s">>The click of the lighter closing seems to startle both of them.<</role>><</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<role 's'>><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Not a lover. A book.<</dia>> <<wry>>(laughs)<</wry>> <<dia>>I read before bed.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<choices>> <<link "Cut!">> <<goto [[cut1]]>> <</link>> <</choices>>

<<unit>><<char>><<role "so">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>I have a light.<</dia>><</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<K>><</char>> <<dia>>Oh, I…<</dia>><</unit>> <<act>>KATYA trails off as she realizes that she, in fact, does not have a lighter. How many years has she been dependent on Goncharov or one of his men for something as simple as this? Longer than they’ve been married — it hits her like a slap, but she does her best to conceal it and keep up appearances. She’s extremely good at it after a lifetime of practice.<</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<K>><</char>> <<dia>>That’s kind of you.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>>She slides out a cigarette from her pack and places it in her mouth, almost angrily. <<role 'sof'>><<S>><</role>> flips open a LIGHTER and holds it out for KATYA. After KATYA’s cigarette is lit, <<role 'sof'>><<S>><</role>> tucks away the lighter and pops a cigarette of her own between her lips.<</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<K>><</char>> <<dia>>Oh, I’m sorry — I would have offered if I’d known.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "so">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>No need. I have particular tastes — I haven’t touched another blend in years, if you can believe it.<</dia>><</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<K>><</char>> <<dia>>My husband is the same way.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "so">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Oh?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>>Before <<K>> can respond, <<role "so">><<S>> bends her head to touch her cigarette to KATYA’s lit one, cupping one hand around the glowing tip and blocking KATYA’s hair from the embers with the other. Once lit, <<S>> leans back, takes a deep drag, and slowly exhales out, tilting so the smoke coils past KATYA’s face instead of in it. She smiles indolently at KATYA, as if sharing a secret.<</role>><</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "so">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Thanks. Someone told me once that a lady should never light her own cigarette.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>><<K>> leans over the railing and stares at the landscape.<</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<K>><</char>> <<dia>>Seems a bit outdated.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "so">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Maybe. Depends on if you like doing things or having them done, I suppose.<</dia>><</unit>> <<choices>> <<link "Cut!">> <<goto [[cut1]]>> <</link>> <</choices>>

Coming Soon!

<<loc>>Director's Commentary About the Game<</loc>> Coming soon!

<<loc>>BRIDGE - EVENING<</loc>> <<act>>Dusk falls over the Neapolitan twin bridges; we cut rapidly through a series of close, faceless shots of lone figures approaching over cobblestone streets, overlaid with the sound of their footsteps like distorted gunfire.<</act>> <<trans>>JUMP CUT<</trans>> <<unit>><<char>><<G>><</char>><<dia>>No one can escape winter. Not even us.<</dia>><</unit>> <<liveblock>> <<timed 18s>><<audio "bell" fadeto 0.6>><<set _music to true>><<update>> <</timed>> <<if _music>> <<timed 5s>><<audio "bridge" play>><</timed>> <</if>> <</liveblock>> <<act>>The moment GONCHAROV speaks, the clocktower’s bell begins to toll. In the quickly fading light, breath is visible, mimicking the fog roiling past the horizon. We pan up a lonely silhouette of a man. All shots going forward are tight, single-focus, with the speaking character filling the frame.<</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "and">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Well, are you happy? Calling me out for one last fandango?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<G>><</char>> <<dia>>Is that all this ever was to you? And you did it anyway?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>>The sound of heels on cobblestone clicks loudly through the fog. We see a pair of feet in black heels moving purposefully. The clocktower rings out once again as one foot splashes through a puddle, undeterred. The water turns rust red, staining the stones, and we realize the shoes were originally white — in the dim light, the blood soaking them through looks black.<</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "sofia">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>It’s nothing personal. It never was. Never will be.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<K>><</char>> <<dia>>I never wanted it to be.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>>A gun cocks. We see a sepia-washed version of an earlier scene, when the boy Goncharov shot a deer on a trip with his father. Just before the buck falls, we cut to Goncharov’s POCKET WATCH falling into the street.<</act>> <<choices>> <<button "Walk forward.">> <<goto [[bridge2]]>> <</button>> <</choices>>

<<unit>><<char>><<G>> (V.O.)<</char>> <<dia>>Perhaps it was then that I should have said ‘I love you’. Something stupid and thinly true like that. But somehow…I doubt it would have made a difference. Not with how everything had already changed. Already been put into place, like chess pieces running a larger gambit.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "sofia">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>We’re all pawns. You know it.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<trans>>Dolly cam move back; medium shot<</trans>> <<act>><<role "sofia">>SOFIA leans on the railing of the eastern bridge<</role>> and the shot slowly widens to reveal <<role "andrei">>ANDREI<</role>> beside her. <<role "sofia">>In one hand she holds a green lightning-stoppered bottle, in the other a gun. SOFIA pops the closure of the bottle open and takes a swig. Without looking at him, she offers the bottle to ANDREI.<</role>><</act>> <<if $char is "andrei">> <<choices>> <<button "Refuse the bottle">> <<goto [[A.1]]>> <</button>> <<button "Take the bottle">> <<goto [[A.2]]>> <</button>> <</choices>> <<elseif $char is "sofia">> <<act>>ANDREI pushes SOFIA’s hand away, his single-eyed gaze hard as he stares at the river below. <<role "sofia">>She tosses him an exasperated look, then tips the bottle to her lips again, swallows, and snaps the closure shut once more.<</role>><</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "sofia">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>If you’ve got a Bible on you, I’ll swear it’s not poisoned.<</dia>> <</unit>>> <<unit>><<char>><<A>><</char>> <<dia>>If I had a Bible, you’d be ash.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "sofia">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Fine. Sulk. It won’t undo anything.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>><<role "sofia">>SOFIA tips the bottle up to her lips again, swallows, and clicks the closure back into place.<</role>><</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "sofia">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<wry>>(gesturing with the bottle)<</wry>> <<dia>>Last chance, Banker. Don’t start your list of regrets now.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<A>><</char>> <<dia>>The Banker’s list ran out of room a while ago, and I don’t answer to that name anymore.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<choices>> <<button "“Guess you’ve already said your goodbyes, then.”">> <<goto [[S.1]]>> <</button>> <<button "“You think you made the right choice, Daddano?”">> <<goto [[S.2]]>> <</button>> <</choices>> <</if>>

<<act>><<role "and">>ANDREI pushes SOFIA’s hand away, his gaze hard as he stares at the river below.<</role>><</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "sofia">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>If you’ve got a Bible on you, I’ll swear it’s not poisoned.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "andrei">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>If I had a Bible, you’d be ash.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "sofia">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Fine. Sulk. It won’t undo anything.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>>SOFIA tips the bottle up to her lips again, swallows, and clicks the closure back into place.<</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<S>><</char>> <<dia>>Last call, Banker.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "andrei">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>No one calls me that anymore.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<S>><</char>> <<dia>>Guess you’ve said your goodbyes already then. Sure you don’t want one of mine?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>>She holds the bottle out a moment longer, steady even as snow begins to fall.<</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "andrei">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>//…addio//.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<choices>> <<button "“That’s goodbye enough for me.”">> <<goto [[A.1.1]]>> <</button>> <<button "Take one last drink.">> <<goto [[A.1.2]]>> <</button>> <</choices>>

<<act>><<role "and">>ANDREI takes the bottle, fingers clenching on the glass for a moment, and takes a drink, his jaw set hard. He raises the bottle to his mouth again, but hesitates.<</role>><</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<S>><</char>> <<dia>>Go ahead.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "andrei">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>…you make this yourself?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<S>><</char>> <<dia>>Yeah. The lemons are good here.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "andrei">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Tastes like summer. A long one.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<S>><</char>> <<dia>>It’s good for the memory.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>>She holds out a hand for the bottle as ANDREI takes one last drink. <<role "and">>He hands it back to her and returns to staring out over the water as he licks his lips.<</role>><</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<S>><</char>> <<dia>>Well, Banker, any goodbyes left to cash in?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "andrei">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>No one calls me that anymore.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<S>><</char>> <<dia>>Question still stands. Now or never, Daddano.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "andrei">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>> …<</dia>> <</unit>> <<choices>> <<button "“Goodbye, Goncharov.”">> <<goto [[A.2.1]]>> <</button>> <<button "(in Russian) “Farewell, old friend.”">> <<goto [[A.2.2]]>> <</button>> <</choices>>

<<unit>><<char>><<role "sofia">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Guess you’ve already said your goodbyes, then.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<A>><</char>> <<dia>>The second I started working with him.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "sofia">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>That’s an interesting choice of words, “with”. Always thought the banker worked for the stranger.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<A>><</char>> <<dia>>So did a lot of people. Didn’t make me his dog anymore than you were Ambrosini’s bitch.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "sofia">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>I offer you some goddamn closure and homemade limoncello, and this is what I get?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<A>><</char>> <<dia>>What’d you expect, a fucking thank you note in the mail?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "sofia">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Never said I thought you were Goncharov’s wife.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>>Beat. They stare at each other as the falling snow finally coaxes out the bloodstains hiding beneath the top layer of their clothing. Two dead wretches walking, ANDREI and SOFIA hold each others’ gaze with tight jaws and loaded guns. The tension is as grating as radio static, murderous and melancholy all at once. Then suddenly — ANDREI breaks out in wild, unrestrained laughter. <<role "sofia">>A second after, SOFIA joins him.<</role>><</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<A>><</char>> <<wry>>(through laughter)<</wry>> <<dia>>You’re a fucking bitch, you know that?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "sofia">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Better men than you have called me much worse. I’m very proud.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<A>><</char>> <<dia>>God, we’re…<</dia>><<char>>(he runs a hand roughly over his face)<</char>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "sofia">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<wry>>(lightly)<</wry>> <<dia>>I like to think we could have been friends. In some other time.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>>ANDREI just shakes his head, clinging to the last vestiges of his hysterical laughter as it leaves him for sorrow. <<role "sof">>SOFIA considers the bottle again, picks it up by the neck and hefts it, then hurls it up and over the side of the bridge. Her gun arm extends, barrel tracing a smooth arc in line with the falling bottle’s trajectory.<</role>> GUNSHOT. CRASH. The bottle shatters on the rocky riverbank and <<role "sof">>SOFIA lowers her unfired gun — SOFIA and ANDREI lock startled, disturbed glances.<</role>><</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<A>><</char>> <<wry>>(wryly)<</wry>> <<dia>>Friends?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "sofia">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<wry>>(dryly)<</wry>> <<dia>>In another time.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<A>><</char>> <<dia>>Christ.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>>Without another word, ANDREI turns and runs towards the sound of the gunshot. <<role "sofia">>SOFIA sighs, looks at her gun and the shattered remains of the bottle, then walks in the same direction.<</role>><</act>> <<choices>> <<link "The cobblestones are slick with fallen snow beneath your shoes.">> <<goto [[bridge3]]<</goto>> <</link>> <</choices>>

<<unit>><<char>><<role "sofia">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>You think you made the right choice, Daddano?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<A>><</char>> <<dia>>What kind of fucking question is that?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "sofia">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Jesus, you’re fucking hairtrigger. Maybe I was talking about the limoncello, asshole.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<A>><</char>> <<dia>>Yeah, and maybe I was born yesterday.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "sofia">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>When’d you get so cynical?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<A>><</char>> <<dia>>I grew up with a clock ticking down every second I had left. I started running out of time before I knew what it was.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "sofia">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Oh, yeah, the rest of us were born immortal with clocks going backward. You poor, defective thing.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<A>><</char>> <<dia>>She really got to you, didn’t she?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "sofia">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>You really spent too much time with Goncharov. You think everything is an echo of what you can’t escape, don’t you?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>><<role "so">>SOFIA doesn’t wait for a response before running a thumb over the wire closure of the bottle, a hollow smirk on her lips. Smoothly, she hurls the bottle up and over the side of the bridge, her gun arm coming up quick as a ghost to follow the trajectory of its fall.<</role>> GUNSHOT. CRASH. The bottle shatters on the rocky riverbank and <<role "so">>SOFIA lowers her unfired gun — SOFIA and ANDREI lock startled, disturbed glances.<</role>><</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<A>><</char>> <<dia>>The other bridge.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>><<role "s">>An incredulous, crooked smile widens SOFIA’s face, cracking open into raucous, uncontrolled laughter. She doubles over, one hand gripping the bridge, laughter spilling from her like blood from a wound.<</role>> ANDREI’s shock morphs into recognition, then disdain. He backs away from the bridge a few steps, taking in SOFIA and the glittering debris of the shattered bottle on the bank below, then turns and runs in the direction of the gunshot.<</act>> <<act>><<role "so">>SOFIA sinks to her knees, back against the wall of the bridge as her laughter tapers out, and pushes her hair back from her face.<</role>><</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "sofia">><<S>><</role>><</char>> <<wry>>(brokenly, through laughter)<</wry>> <<dia>>//Ave Maria//. Hallowed be thy name, Father, for I have sinned!<</dia>>' <</unit>> <<act>><<role "s">>SOFIA gathers up her gun, glances at the smashed bottle, expression sobering, and sets off after ANDREI.<</role>><</act>> <<choices>> <<link "The cobblestones are slick with fallen snow beneath your shoes.">> <<goto [[bridge3]]<</goto>> <</link>> <</choices>>

<<loc>>WESTERN BRIDGE, NEAPOLITAN DOCKS - NIGHT<</loc>> <<act>>It’s a beautiful night in Naples; snow falls softly, dusting the world in a pure, powdery silence, broken by the quiet lapping of water against the docks. As we close in on the now-abandoned AMBROSINI BOATHOUSE, heavy, staggered breathing clashes with the sound of the water. KATYA stands, crying, in front of the doors, a smoking pistol clenched in her hands. Her breath rises through the air in clouds as she glares at GONCHAROV, who faces her from twenty paces, hands in his pockets.<</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<G>><</char>> <<dia>>Was this one of your many worries, Katyushka?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>><<role "and">>ANDREI skids into view, looking wildly between KATYA and GONCHAROV.<</role>> As GONCHAROV’s face darkens into something thunderous and still, <<role "sof">>SOFIA walks through the shadows cast by the boats bobbing in the water. She pauses a good distance away, then ducks into a side route and winds her way closer, staying out of sight until she finds a good spot to observe unseen.<</role>><</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<G>><</char>> <<dia>>I told you if I ever saw your face again, I’d kill you, Daddano. You’re lucky you’re wearing a hat with a brim. Now get out of my fucking sight.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<if $char is "andrei">> <<include "Andrei Bridge">> <<elseif $char is "sofia">> <<include "Sofia Bridge">> <</if>>

<<if $bridge is 0>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "andrei">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>I'm not the one who made a stranger out of you, Goncharov.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>>In the corner of ANDREI's vision, something gleams against the shadow, the snow, and the water. SOFIA raises her gun. With the same ease as tracking the falling bottle earlier, the barrel of her gun floats in the air, trained on him.<</act>> <<elseif $bridge is 1>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "andrei">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>I don't answer to //Lo Straniero//.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<G>><</char>> <<dia>>Take your goddamn hat off.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>><<G>> raises a gun, his hand steady as he trains it on ANDREI. <<role "and">>ANDREI tenses, his own draw tightening, gunmetal cool and steady in his grasp.<</role>><</act>> <</if>> <<unit>><<char>><<K>><</char>> <<dia>>Even now? Even now!<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>>GONCHAROV turns back to face KATYA. His expression is pained, the palimpsest of a genuine anguish years in the making.<</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<G>><</char>> <<wry>>(tenderly)<</wry>> <<dia>>Katyushka, if we were really in love, you wouldn’t have missed.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>>KATYA howls — in rage, in pain, in love, in hatred. It’s impossible to reduce the sound to a single note. There is something unspeakable about her, a kind of violent, utter rawness that compels us to watch her. Her eyes fix on something behind GONCHAROV — she’s spotted SOFIA. The two woman share an instant of silence, SOFIA tilting her gun to glimmer with all her unspoken words, before KATYA draws in a deep breath. Slowly, she takes aim again.<</act>> <<act>>Time slows. Two GUNSHOTS ring out, distorted by the stillness of a winter’s night. KATYA’s scream, sharp and clear as shattering ice, breaks the silence like a bullet through glass; Goncharov’s POCKET WATCH smashes to the ground, cracked face bursting and scattering at last.<</act>> <<trans>>ZOOM; EXTREME CLOSEUP<</trans>> <<act>>The delicate cogs and springs of the watch clatter flat against the stone. <<role "a">>Blood, red as original sin, seeps into the falling snow.<</role>><</act>> <<choices>> <<link "Cut!">> <<goto [[Fin]]>> <</link>> <</choices>>

<<act>>Time slows. Two GUNSHOTS ring out, distorted by the stillness of a winter’s night. KATYA’s scream, sharp and clear as shattering ice, breaks the silence like a bullet through glass; Goncharov’s POCKET WATCH smashes to the ground, cracked face bursting and scattering at last.<</act>> <<trans>>ZOOM; EXTREME CLOSEUP<</trans>> <<act>>The delicate cogs and springs of the watch clatter flat against the stone. <<role "a">>Blood, red as original sin, seeps into the falling snow.<</role>><</act>> <<choices>> <<link "Cut!">> <<goto [[Fin]]>> <</link>> <</choices>>

<<unit>><<char>><<role "andrei">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Goodbye, Goncharov.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<S>><</char>> <<dia>>There will be more summers, Andrei. More fruit to ripen.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "andrei">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Very generous of you, telling me all the things you want to hear.<</dia>><</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<S>><</char>> <<wry>>(scoffing)<</wry>> <<dia>>Isn’t that what he liked about you?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>>As ANDREI begins to retort, SOFIA turns and hurls the bottle up and off the side of the bridge. Her gun arm comes up smoothly, barrel following the trajectory of the falling bottle. GUNSHOT. CRASH. The bottle shatters on the rocks by the riverbank and SOFIA lowers her unfired gun — <<role "and">>SOFIA and ANDREI lock startled, disturbed glances.<</role>><</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<S>><</char>> <<dia>>Welcome back, Banker. If only for a moment.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "andrei">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>…fuck.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>><<role "and">>Without another word, ANDREI turns and runs towards the sound of the gunshot.<</role>> SOFIA sighs, looks at her gun and the shattered remains of the bottle, then walks in the same direction.<</act>> <<choices>> <<link "The cobblestones are slick with fallen snow beneath your shoes.">> <<goto [[bridge3]]<</goto>> <</link>> <</choices>>

<<unit>><<char>><<role "andrei">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>//Prashai, starii drug.// [Farewell, old friend.]<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<S>><</char>> <<wry>>(with interest)<</wry>> <<dia>>Your mother was from the south?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "andrei">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Don’t push it, Sofia Alexeyevna.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>>SOFIA smiles coldly.<</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<S>><</char>> <<dia>>I think we could have been friends, once. Birds of a feather.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "andrei">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Opposites attract.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<S>><</char>> <<dia>>…touché.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>>SOFIA hefts the bottle, looks it over once more, and hurls it over the side of the bridge, following its trajectory with her gun arm in one smooth motion. GUNSHOT. CRASH. The bottle shatters on the rocky riverbank and SOFIA lowers her unfired gun — <<role "a">>SOFIA and ANDREI lock startled, disturbed glances.<</role>><</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "andrei">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>The hell was that?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<S>><</char>> <<dia>>Speaking of old friends…sounds like they die hard. But if you’re asking me…I’ve got no business in it.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>>Beat.<</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "andrei">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Fuck!<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>><<role "an">>Without another word, ANDREI turns and runs towards the sound of the gunshot.<</role>> SOFIA sighs, looks at her gun and the shattered remains of the bottle, then walks in the same direction.<</act>> <<choices>> <<link "The cobblestones are slick with fallen snow beneath your shoes.">> <<goto [[bridge3]]<</goto>> <</link>> <</choices>>

<<unit>><<char>><<role "andrei">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>…addio. That’s goodbye enough for me.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>>SOFIA shrugs and casts a long look over the bottle in her hand. She licks her lips, then hurls the bottle over the side of the bridge, drawing a gun from her side in one smooth motion. GUNSHOT. CRASH. The bottle shatters on the rocky riverbank and SOFIA lowers her unfired gun —<<role "and">> SOFIA and ANDREI lock startled, disturbed glances.<</role>><</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "andrei">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Ambrosini?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<S>><</char>> <<dia>>I doubt it.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>>Beat.<</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<S>><</char>> <<dia>>Like I said, it’s nothing personal.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "andrei">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Fuck!<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>><<role "a">>Without another word, ANDREI turns and runs towards the sound of the gunshot.<</role>> SOFIA sighs, looks at her gun and the shattered remains of the bottle, then walks in the same direction.<</act>> <<choices>> <<link "The cobblestones are slick with fallen snow beneath your shoes.">> <<goto [[bridge3]]<</goto>> <</link>> <</choices>>

<<act>><<role "and">>ANDREI’s fingers close around the neck of the bottle as SOFIA releases it. It clinks loudly against the stone wall of the bridge, and he throws her a dubious glance.<</role>> SOFIA’s only response is a breezy smile and a handwaving gesture that feels equal parts inviting and patronizing. <<role "a">>He pushes the stopper open and takes a long drink, then hands the bottle back to SOFIA without looking at her.<</role>><</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "andrei">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Do you drink to forget, or to remember?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<S>><</char>> <<dia>>Depends on the day and whose name is on my bullet.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "andrei">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Do you ever miss the taste of the truth?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<S>><</char>> <<dia>>Are you done?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "andrei">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Do you ha — <</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>>SOFIA cuts him off by swinging the bottle a little more violently than necessary to hurl it up and over the edge of the bridge. Her gun arm follows in a smooth, sweeping arc, tracking its trajectory with deadly ease. GUNSHOT. CRASH. The bottle shatters on the rocky riverbank and SOFIA lowers her unfired gun — <<role 'a'>>SOFIA and ANDREI lock startled, disturbed glances.<</role>><</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "andrei">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>What the hell was that about?<</dia>> <</unit>> <<unit>><<char>><<S>><</char>> <<dia>>Looks like there was still time left on the clock.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>>Beat.<</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<role "andrei">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>Christ — //fuck//!<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>><<role "and">>Without another word, ANDREI turns and runs towards the sound of the gunshot. SOFIA sighs, looks at her gun and the shattered remains of the bottle, then walks in the same direction.<</role>><</act>> <<choices>> <<link "The cobblestones are slick with fallen snow beneath your shoes.">> <<goto [[bridge3]]>> <</link>> <</choices>>

<<choices>> <<button "“I’m not the one who made a stranger out of you, Goncharov.”">> <<set $bridge to 0>> <<goto [[A.3]]>> <</button>> <<button "“I don’t answer to //Lo Straniero//.”">> <<set $bridge to 1>> <<goto [[A.3]]>> <</button>> <</choices>>

<<unit>><<char>><<role "andrei">><<A>><</role>><</char>> <<dia>>I'm not the one who made a stranger out of you, Goncharov.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>>In the corner of ANDREI's vision, something gleams against the shadows, the snow, and the water. <<role "sofia">>SOFIA raises her gun. The barrel floats in the air, trained on him with the same ease as it offered the falling bottle earlier.<</role>><</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<G>><</char>> <<dia>>Take your goddamn hat off.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>><<G>> raises a gun, his hand steady as he trains it on ANDREI. ANDREI tenses, his own draw tightening, gunmetal cool and steady in his grasp.<</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<K>><</char>> <<dia>>Even now? Even now!<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>>GONCHAROV turns back to face KATYA. His expression is pained, the palimpsest of a genuine anguish years in the making.<</act>> <<unit>><<char>><<G>><</char>> <<wry>>(tenderly)<</wry>> <<dia>>Katyushka, if we were really in love, you wouldn’t have missed.<</dia>> <</unit>> <<act>>KATYA howls — in rage, in pain, in love, in hatred. It’s impossible to reduce the sound to a single note. There is something unspeakable about her, a kind of violent, utter rawness that compels us to watch her. Her eyes fix on something behind GONCHAROV — she’s spotted SOFIA. <<role "sofia">>The two woman share an instant of silence, SOFIA tilting her gun to glimmer with all her unspoken words<</role>>, before KATYA draws in a deep breath. Slowly, she takes aim again.<</act>> <<choices>> <<button "Give Goncharov a grave.">> <<goto [[S.3]]>> <</button>> <<button "Give Goncharov a limp.">> <<goto [[S.3]]>> <</button>> <</choices>>

Andrei and Goncharov talking and eating apples, “Apples are good. First fruit, classic, dependable.” → “Well, I know, boss, but I thought you might like these. Old buddy of mine cracked open a shipment, they’re some of the best I’ve ever had.” → “You make it a habit to suck on raw lemons, Dreika?” → “Nah, not a habit, boss, but they’re good. Life is good, you gotta live it well.” → “Hmm. Not bad.” → “See? Good, right? If you want more, just say the word.” → “No, Andrei. It takes the pleasure out of it, to have so much sourness spilling out. Better to select one, the finest of the crate, and make a feast of it.” → “You ever have it like this before?” → “Not like this, no. But with vodka and sugar, to cure drunken nights. Before Katya coaxed it out of me.” → “To cure?” → “Hair of the dog, Andrei. For a young man, hair of the dog.”