### Act 1, Scene 3: Something With Cats and Dogs

Setting: Zoe's apartment. It's nice. Bright. Colorful. She's got a big comfy bed. Living Room and kitchen are combined into one room, American style. Lots of photos of herself and her friends pinned to the fridge. A "red umbrella fund" poster. Two framed pictures on the wall. A table [2, 2nd] with cat grass and some oopsies. A webcam with a big ring light is mounted on the laptop. There's a small bathroom next door [1]. Another door [7] leads to the outside.

Stage setup | Name | Comment
--- | --- | ---
Backdrop |  |
Left: Apartment |  |
Middle: Apartment |  |
Right: Apartment |  |
On 2nd rail |  |
bed |  | [5, 2nd] with 2 cushions and a plushie
laptop | 2ndVoice |
On playrail |  |
table |  | [2, 2nd] a plant and oopsies on top
webcam | 2ndVoice |
Hand props & personal props |  |
bandage | Rangarig | on Robin
handkerchief | Aiko |
Ooopsies | o'wolf | things Zoe can push off the edge when she is bored (on the table)
Special effects |  |
PreRec |  |
| Voice: |

Role | Actor | Hands | Voice | Puppet | Costume
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Zoe | Pan | o'wolf, Luno, Fyx |  | Zoe |
Ryan | Lynard | Kayjay |  | Ryan |
Robin | Eisfuchs | Reesa |  | Silverclaw | 2 blood patches

Part | Time
--- | ---
Intro | **00:00 **
Dialogue | **00:00 **
**Scene Total** | **00:00 **

##### TECH PREROLL [EMOJI_TOILET_ROLL]

LX-0099 Work Light OFF (Static Playbacks)

LX-1300 STANDBY for GO:

Check Levels
Unmute Desk

Puppeteer1: ON

STBY Stage left [1, off]: Ryan

STBY Stage right [7, off]: Robin

Zoe on the bed in [5, 2nd]

##### DIALOG

AMB-1301 - Boring Room Tone

MUS-1301 - Music Cue 01

Curtain - open

LX-1301 Lights on, warm white CTO, incandescent lamp

Zoe is sitting on the bed [5,2nd], working at her laptop

SND-1301 - Sound of a hair dryer, then gets switched off

Ryan comes in from the bathroom [1], all fluffy

Ryan: "Oh! You're awake! I thought you'd never get up."

Zoe: "Cats can sleep up to 18 hours per day!"

Ryan: "Seriously?"

Zoe (laughs): "Well, wouldn't you, if you could?"

Ryan: "Totally. If only my back would let me."

SND-1302 - Bones Cracking

Ryan stretches and his bones crackle and pop

Zoe: "You didn't have to sleep on the floor. There's plenty of space for two in my bed. And the mattress is the most expensive thing I own!"

MUS-1302 - Music Cue 02

Ryan: "You are one needy kitty!"

Zoe: "Seriously, I thought you liked cats!"

Ryan: "I do! Like, really. But ... we barely know each other."

Zoe: "Since when is that an excuse for a dog?"

Ryan: "I also thought the last thing you need after last night is a smelly old wolf drooling on your pillow."

Zoe laughs

Zoe sticks her cold nose right under Ryan's armpit

Ryan eeks!

Zoe sniffsniffsniffs

Zoe: "Now that you are showered, you actually smell quite nice."

Ryan: "Twice even. And I used the cat shampoo."

Zoe: "It'll make your fur allll shiny and fluffy."

Zoe purrs, and cuddle rubs against Ryan, again running her paw through his chest fluff.

Ryan can't resist that show of affection, but still doesn't feel like he deserves it

Ryan leans into Zoe, and then casually pushes her back at arms length, looking her straight in the face

MUS-1303 - Music Cue 03

Ryan: "You're cute. And I'm glad I was there to help when you needed it. But I'm afraid it's time for me to move on."

Zoe: "Where to?"

Ryan: "I don't know. I came back here to figure something out but I think that was a mistake."

Zoe: "Ohhh, so you are from here!"

Ryan gulps

Ryan: "Oh, uh ... that was a while ago. A lifetime ago."

Zoe (giggles): "You look like I just asked you to marry me. Why is the big brave wolf suddenly so shy?"

MUS-1304 - Music Cue 04

Ryan: "I burned through my monthly allowance of courage yesterday."

Zoe: "What made you do it?"

Ryan: "The screaming injustice. Fucking cop thinks he's untouchable. He was about to rape you. I couldn't just stand there and watch. I bet everything on my privilege as a member of the canine master race. And it was scary how well that worked."

MUS-1305 - Music Cue 05

Zoe: "Aww, and here I thought you did it for me!"

Ryan: "Eh ... uhm ..."

Zoe snorts

Ryan: "Damn, Zoe, stop steamrolling me like that!"

Zoe: "You're just a very hard nut to crack. What you did was amazing, I'm forever in your debt, you can trust me!"

Ryan: "I do."

Zoe: "So did staring at my fluffy naked ass have at least a little bit to do with it?"

Zoe shoves her ass towards him and slaps it.

Ryan gulps and stares longingly at the lovely ass in front of him while retreating towards [1]

Ryan: "Uh ... the ... the screaming injustice!"

MUS-1306 - Music Cue 06

Zoe sees him edging toward the door, so she changes the topic to distract him

Zoe: "So why did you leave?"

Ryan: "A series of bad choices and a nasty breakup. Getting fired helped."

Zoe: "Your job?"

Ryan: "Yeah. Used to work security. Got tired of the abuse and politics."

Zoe: "Damn! That sounds rough!"

Ryan: "So what's *your* deal?"

Zoe: "Robin found me after MY series of bad choices. Now I've got the best job in Cat City. I live here for free and I get to keep the tips."

Ryan: "Any ambitions for the future?"

Zoe: "Yeah, sure! It would be great to dance on a bigger stage one day. When they let cats perform legit. When pigs fly. For now at least I do what I love. And Robin does an amazing job keeping everyone together."

Ryan: "Judging from last night, that's not an easy job."

Zoe: "Oh hell no. The city's trying everything to drive us out of here. If we don't put up a fight it's going to be the end of our neighborhood."

MUS-1307 - Music Cue 07

Ryan: "It's always the same story, isn't it?"

Zoe: "That's why I had hoped you could stay for a while. Those cops will be back. With weaponized bureaucrats in tow. We could really use a canine like you on the team right now. You get it. And you're not just a dog, you're a motherfucking wolf! What you say matters."

MUS-1308 - Music Cue 08

Ryan: "I don't think it's that easy ..."

Zoe: "Robin said she needs help at the bar anyway. You can stay here at my place. Maybe just for a while, to see how things work out? And again, no need to sleep on the floor. Cuddles are included for free."

MUS-1309 - Music Cue 09

Ryan: "The way you say this makes me feel like a freeloader. Won't I be taking space away from your ... paying customers?"

Zoe: "I don't have THAT kind of customers. The only thing I do from time to time is a bit of camming for my online fans. But since Robin came up with the scratching-post-and-cat-toys routine, the work at the bar has been paying well enough, so I only do it when I feel like it."

Ryan: "Doesn't the whole striptease thing feel, like, super degrading?"

Zoe: "No, actually it's super empowering. That stage is my kingdom, and I decide where people keep their dirty paws."

SND-1303 - The door buzzer rings frenetically

Zoe: "What the hell?"

MUS-1310 - Music Cue 10

Zoe walks to the door in [7] and opens

SND-1304 - The door opens

Robin barges in, crying. Her fur is all ruffled up, and there's still blood on her face.

Zoe: "Oh my god! Robin! What has happened to you?"

Zoe grabs Robin and guides her to [4].

Robin: "It was Chief Cross! We got into an argument, and he decided to arrest me."

Zoe: "You did WHAT?"

Robin: "I did nothing. But he just kept screaming STOP RESISTING, and threw me to the ground. In front of everybody watching. Nobody said anything. Fucking NOBODY."

Zoe: "You look terrible. We need to clean that up."

Zoe grabs a handkerchief from *somewhere*

Robin: "I don't know what I was thinking ..."

Zoe: "Hold still."

Zoe cleans Robin's wound with a handkerchief

Zoe covers Robin's wound with a bandage

Robin: "Ouch! Aaargh!"

Robin looks up at Ryan, again seeing something

Zoe: "There we go, that looks much better."

Robin: "Geez, I swear I've seen your face someplace before."

Ryan (trying to distract Robin): "Okay, here's the first rule when dealing with cops: Don't speak to them unless you absolutely have to."

Robin: "You seem to know an awful lot about cops."

MUS-1311 - Music Cue 11

Ryan: "More than I like to. Comes with the type of work I used to do."

Robin: "Zoe, did you get to ask him yet?"

Ryan: "Yes, she did. And I don't know. I'm not the knight in shining armor you seem to think I am."

Robin: "But do you think you can work a bar?"

Ryan: "Maybe ..."

Robin: "Great. Your shift starts at six. Don't forget to put a proper shirt on."

Ryan: "Uhm ... what?"

MUS-1312 - Music Cue 12

Zoe (laughs): "Congratulations. You've just been adopted. Your days in the pound are finally over."

Ryan: "Goddamn cats ..."

MUS-1312 - STOP
AMB-1312 - STOP

LX-0099 Lights out

Curtain - close

LX-0099 Work Light ON