### Act 2, Scene 3: Welsh vs. The Queen

- Setting: The butterfly house in the palace gardens. It is essentially a huge glass house full of beautiful green and flowering plants. There is a little gazebo like platform in the middle. The bright sun is streaming in through the windows. Colorful Butterflies are fluttering all over the place, sitting on the plants, on feeders. Two ornate columns are on the second level at [3] and [5].
- Stage setup:
- Backdrop: the butterfly house in the palace gardens
- Big scene elements (2nd rail):
  - both sides: two ornate columns
- On playrail: Nothing.
- Props:
  - water bowl (Haku)
  - ceremonial stick
  - Welsh's document (Haku)
  - giant antique mobile telephone (Haku) with cable (Shishi)
- Special effects:
  - colorful butterflies that can land on various things (Runo (eaten), Kayjay, Lee Taiger, Black Wulf, Nex)
  - throw in chicken feathers when the phone line gives (Shishi)
- PreRec:
- Puppets: Mr. Welsh (Jyanon, Curry), Queen (Tani, o'wolf, "Vesonia"), Servant (Lynard, Estragon, "Bobcat")

##### TECH PREROLL

LX 0099 - Work Light OFF (Static Playbacks)

LX 2300 - STANDBY for GO: DBO with dim blue reading light (link to LX 0002)

Check Levels
Unmute Desk

Tani: ON

Lynard: OFF
Jyanon: OFF
(Telepathic FX: OFF)

##### INTRO

This conversation happens entirely telepathically

Florence: "I can't believe Welsh killed father just to have the company to himself!"

Ortha: "Does he have no heart?"

Cal: "Feelings can be so confusing! With Welsh, I always knew where I stood. He said what he meant and meant what he said, very rational man. I admired that. I'm not very emotional myself."

Ortha: "You're lying to yourself, Cal, but don't lie to me. Right now, you're bursting with emotion and you don't hide them well."

Cal: "I'm sorry."

Ortha: "No, I am sorry. For what your mother did to you. And your father."

Cal: "HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT? I NEVER TOLD ANYONE!"

Ortha: "You did. To me. Right now."

Florence: "I warned you. Keeping your thoughts to yourself takes a lot of restraint."

Cal: "What else do you know about me?"

Ortha: "That you cried every time your mother abused you. And your father wouldn't believe you. He'd threaten you if you didn't stop crying."

Cal: "'Stop crying!' he said. 'Or I'll give you a reason to cry.'"

Florence: "That's terrible!"

Cal (angry): "I don't want your pity! Pain is a good teacher, you know. And talking doesn't make anything better, so why bother?"

Ortha: "I didn't want to hurt you, I swear. I can't read your thoughts against your will. And no, Florence, he does not have a crush on me because I'm a giant furry surrogate mother. Stop thinking that. It's not true."

Florence: "Oh. Did I?"

Ortha (accusing): "You both have a lot to learn. Your thoughts are as loud as screaming children. This is intimate, so be gentle with each other. And don't judge."

Florence: "So, how did you end up working for Welsh?"

Cal: "An ad in the newspaper, if you can believe it. I wanted to leave this mess of a family as soon as possible. I applied shortly after Welsh took over the company, and they gave me the grand title of deputy assistant to the secretary of Mr. Welsh. I made coffee, ran errands, and I never asked questions. That must have impressed him."

Florence: "And you never felt any remorse?"

Cal: "I was his assistant, not his hitman!"

Florence: "Still, you knew everything."

Cal: "I didn't make those decisions, I just had to do what I was told!"

Ortha: "It's all alright Cal. We all can't change our past, but we can change our future."

Cal: "This is awkward."

Ortha: "Honesty often is."

Florence: "I used to be pretty much the opposite of you. All heart and no head. Always wanting to make everyone around me happy. And you can't imagine how many times that was a stupid idea. So don't believe you were all wrong. I wish I was more like you. A little bit at least."

Ortha: "And if you want me to be your giant teddy bear every now and then, I'll be happy to oblige."

Cal: "I DID NOT JUST THINK THAT!"

Ortha: "Loud and clear."

Cal: "Fuck me in a hammock!"

Florence: *giggles*

Ortha (internally smiling): "Oh come here you poor two-legged creature."

Florence: "And what about me?"

Ortha: "And you too. Let's call it a night and share some dreams, shall we?"

##### DIALOG

Curtain - open

LX 2310 - Lights on

AMB-0701 - Tropical Garden
MUS-0701 - Cue1

Queen Irdis walks in from [1] with a little bowl (full of sugar water) in her hand.

Queen: "Hello my little friends! Isn't it a wonderful day?"

The queen holds up the bowl

Queen: "Come here, I have a treat for you!"

Many of the butterflies fly towards the Queen and sit down on the edge of the bowl, drinking.

Some butterflies sit down on the Queen's head and her arm.

One butterfly lands on the Queen's nose.

The queen sneezes

All the butterflies fly off in a panic

Queen: "Ooops! I'm sorry! Let me just put this over there … "

The queen puts the bowl on the column at [3]

The butterflies flutter all around the scene again, some sit on the bowl, some don't.

Servant comes in from [1] carrying a ceremonial stick

SND-0701 - Door Opens

Lynard: ON

Servant knocks on the ground with his stick three times (RATS)

MUS-0702 - Cue 2

Servant: "Your Majesty, Mr. Welsh awaits the privilege of your company."

Queen: "Punctual as ever. Show him in."

Servant: "Your wish is my command, your majesty."

Servant walks outside towards [7]

Jyanon: ON

Lynard: OFF

Welsh comes in from [7]

SND-0703 - Door Closes

Queen: "Mr. Welsh."

Welsh: "Your Majesty."

Queen: "You may approach. I do hope you're bringing good news."

Welsh: "Oh yes, your Majesty. The banquet manager and I have put our heads together, and we've come up with a way to make the upcoming state ceremony even more spectacular."

Queen: "Indeed? Your plans must be sensational, if you presume to charge even more to the Royal Treasury."

Welsh: "Nononono, absolutely not, your Majesty. Here, please have a look."

Welsh hands a piece of paper to the Queen.

The Queen skims over the paper

Queen: "Hmm .. hmm… hmm… I see … an even bigger cake … if you insist … more electric lights … a gold plated cage for the beast? Really?"

Welsh: "It looks magnificent! Everybody will want one!"

Queen: "That may be, but the budget remains fixed. The House of Astar should be well presented, but we will NOT be remembered for wasteful excess. Do we understand each other?"

Welsh: "Your Majesty will be remembered for ensuring the safety and prosperity of Astar. The cage and the animal are my personal gift for your Majesty's collection. All preparations will of course be done at my own expense."

Queen: "In our experience, nothing costs more than a gift. Presumably there's a price that you didn't write on this slip of paper?"

Welsh: "Well … we have to make few small adjustments to the list of suppliers, and a slight change in the schedule, but that's it."

Queen: "Such as?"

Welsh: "I've talked to Eva Harrington, and I'm afraid supplying a cake of these dimensions is beyond her capacity. So that commission would have to go to Cantrell's Bakery in Herringstown instead. And the gold plating on the cage will take three extra days to finish, so it would be great if we could postpone …"

Queen (interrupts him): "No."

MUS-0703 - Cue 3

Welsh: "I'm sorry, your Majesty?"

Queen (annoyed): "Apology accepted, Mister Welsh. We're pleased you regret bothering the butterflies with such disagreeable demands."

Welsh: "Your Majesty. I don't think I understand."

Queen: "As you know, Mister Welsh, you serve the House of Astar, and the Royal Court is not one of your carnival attractions. You must be so embarrassed for thinking you could dictate the terms of our arrangement."

Welsh: "I assure your Majesty that all my intentions are only in the Crown's best interest!"

Queen: "Of course, Mister Welsh, and your service is appreciated. Such as your impeccable consultations on the imminent uprising in Vanos. Do you remember? The one that never happened?

Welsh: "Oh your highness, we've been through this before. I swear by my life, I never withheld any information from you!"

Queen: "Vanos was a peaceful country, its borders undisputed for centuries. We marched in like invaders. Tens of thousands of innocent civilians paid with their lives."

Welsh: "And the Kingdom of Astar has been re-united - something that nobody had thought possible. And all thanks to you, my Queen, and your wise decision."

Queen: "That is the official version."

Welsh: "And the version that we both come off best with."

MUS-0704 - Cue 4

Queen: "And that is the only reason you're not dangling from the oak tree on timber hill yet. You're a cunning man, and in these troubled times, we value your connections. And you are very useful to the royal court. But don't treat your Queen like a fool ever again. The war on Vanos was the biggest profit you ever made. Your own little empire only exists because we allow it."

Welsh bows

Welsh: "And I am eternally grateful for your generosity, your Highness."

Queen: "The Kingdom of Astar prospers. Our cities grow. At some point, our island will be too small, and colonization will become inevitable. Our interests are well aligned with yours - right now. But in the great equation of our country's history, the Crown is the constant. You are merely a variable."

Welsh: "Of course, your Highness."

Queen: "The date of the state ceremony stands. And we will not break our long and excellent relationship with the Harringtons over a few more levels on a cake. We appreciate that you so graciously agree to the wisdom of these decisions."

The Queen rips the piece of paper to pieces.

SND-0703b - Ripping Paper

Queen: "Thank you for the paper, Mister Welsh. We're certain the moths will gladly accept your gift."

The Queen storms out to [1]

SND-0704 - Door Open

Lynard: ON

Tani: OFF

The Servant comes in from [7]

Servant: "If Mr. Welsh would please follow me to the door."

Welsh: "Would it be possible to use the … um … mobile phone before I leave? I have a few business arrangements to make for the state ceremony."

Servant: "Certainly. Please wait here."

Servant leaves to [7]

Welsh paces up and down nervously, grumbling

Welsh growls at the butterflies feeding on the bowl

Butterflies flee in panic

Servant comes back in from [7], carrying an antique telephone. He walks toward column at [5]

MUS-0705 - Cue 5

The cable is too short, and it tenses up like a washing line.

SND-0705 - Tension

Servant: "Heavens! Pardon me, sir, something is funny about the cable."

Servant pulls

Servant: "Hnnnnnnrgh!"

The cable suddenly gives (but still stays tensed like a washing line.)

SND-0706 - Chickenkarömpelscreamcatastrophy

Servant makes a little jump, trying to balance the phone

Puts the phone on the column at [5].

Welsh: "Thank you. Now, if I could have some privacy please. Important royal business matters."

Servant: "Of course, sir."

Servant leaves to [1]

SND-0707 - Close Door

Lynard: OFF

Welsh picks up the receiver

SND-0708 - Pickup
MUS-0706 - Cue 6

Welsh: "Hello? Operator? Please give me number 4441. Thank you."

The butterflies flutter around, and sit down on the telephone cable one by one.

Short pause

Welsh: "Hi there, it's me, Welsh. I'm using the Phone in the Palace, so I'm pretty sure nobody is listening. They are not going to postpone the reception. That means you have three days to get Ortha back. Ortha. The beast. Yes. I know. I don't care how. It has to work. We got away with the whole Vanos affair, but if we want to do it again, I need the Queen to trust me, no questions asked. We'll be safe once past the point of no return, but that's still a long way off. Call the think tank. Let them do their thing, propaganda, bribes, let them stage something - as long as the Queen thinks we saved her royal behind. No, that's not all. About the Harringtons. Florence is dead, and that means Eva Harrington needs to be terminated, ASAP. What! Florence is still alive? And Cal too? Where are they? Why didn't you tell me that earlier? I KNOW I TALK A LOT, THAT'S BECAUSE I HAVE A LOT TO SAY. So what are you waiting for, kill them! Yes, all of them, including Eva! Because otherwise they'll spill the beans, that's why YOU MORON!"

Welsh slams the receiver on the hook.

SND-0709 - SLAM
MUS-0707 - Cue 7

All butterflies fly up from the cable one butterfly flies directly in front of Welsh.

Welsh snaps at the butterfly and walks off to [1] while chewing on it.

LX 2399 - Lights fade out

Fade Ambience, SFX and Music with LX 2399

Curtain - close

Mute all but Video

LX 0099 - Work Light ON (Static Playbacks)