ACT IV: Where everyone is having a bad day, which only gets worse; but in the end, it is clear that something is amiss.


Scene I

Juliet Club

It had been a bad Thursday for the Club ladies.

Luckily Piper, after hours of work at the uni, just had to go in briefly to finalize some arrangements for the following day; as did her colleagues.

"Cynthia, could you pass me that schedule, please?" she demanded haughtily.

The black woman's head lashed up and she let out a growl. It was no secret she hated her given name, and using it like that was just a low blow; precisely what Piper had been going for.

"Here," Cindy said, moving the papers to her end of the desk. "It ain't my fault your girlfriend was there y'know," she added.

Piper gave a start, hand going up to adjust the scarf around her neck. "There is no girlfriend."

"Yeah, yeah... so much for tryna be helpful. For no good deed shalt go unpunished, as the prophet preached!"

Just then their two friends came in. Flaca's eyes narrowed; "Which prophet was that?"

"Oh, one or the other," Cindy brushed it off, then had a better look at the newcomers' long faces. "Oy vey," she lamented; the emo army had not been dismantled yet from...

XXX

The previous day

"You are merrier than usual Morticia," had been her first words at seeing Flaca with more makeup than usual on, liner extra dark and a particularly sepulchral shade of purple lipstick. They'd met at the university cafeteria for lunch, together with Piper.

The other ordered a sandwich and gave her the finger.

"Rude," she mumbled. "OK, anyway. What time are we meeting tonight?"

Flaca stared at her like a madwoman.

"Come off it, we got free tickets! When this gonna happen again, ha?"

A shrug.

"Might be your chance to make up with the little hottie. I bet she was just PMSing last night."

"Wha... That's terribly sexist!" Piper protested.

"Why? PMS is a thing," she replied nonchalant as they sat down.

"Mh." Well that was true.

"Also," nom-nom as Cindy chomped on her food, "Chapman -"

"Could you please refrain from talking with your mouth full?" Piper hissed. "There's people around y'know."

Flaca tsked.

Chom... "A'right, a'right," Cindy raised her hands, and gulped down the mouthful of fries. "So I was saying, Chapman, could be interesting for your research too, right?"

"Well. It is somewhat relevant," she had to admit. "But..." she looked out at the grass and the faculty buildings beyond. After careful pondering she had reached the conclusion that there was probably nothing between Alex and Flaca's new friend; on Nichols the jury was still out. It was her studies, though; she couldn't let herself be deterred by such trivial matters. Moreover... she peeked to her left – Flaca was intently picking at her food.

Ooh fine, this would be her good deed of the month. "OK, let's go," Piper conceded.

"Yay girl!" Cindy boomed.

"Have fun," muttered Flaca.

"You're coming too," the blonde stated conclusively.

"Wha... no thanks."

"What you gotta do?" Cindy sassed.

"Study."

"Your exams just finished."

"I like to stay ahead."

Cindy almost choked on a sip of coke. "Since when?"

"Come," Piper nudged her. "You really wanted to see it yesterday."

"Yeah, you wanted to see loads of it yesterday," Cindy mocked.

Flaca snorted.

"Shush," Piper said, and addressed her other friend again; "You loved the round table."

A faint eyeroll.

Yes! She could see she was about to cave. "It's gonna be fun, you'll see."

.

.

.

And fun it was, for an act or three.

Lorna joined them; she hadn't needed much convincing, and after her workday at the shoe shop she'd just had the time to go home, shower and change, to meet her colleagues at the theater.

The plot twists were enjoyable, as well as the performance: Mercutio-Nichols and Tybalt-Shani's verbal and physical sparring were particularly realistic and believable, Piper observed. She almost felt guilty about it. Then the various additional subplots produced quite a bit of laughter as well, like the hinted at affair between the tiny Latina substitute Nurse and the big butchy Lady Capulet.

Flaca was having a good evening too, her smiles revealed.

"This is dope, yo! Better than the original," Cindy commented after the second act.

"Not hard, Juliet's not thirteen here. And then that's just so booring," Flaca seconded her.

Lorna gaped. "But it's so romantic! They have to fight against everything, and it's a classic and... and it's our club!"

"Yes, well, doesn't mean it's a good story."

Piper opened her mouth to elucidate the tragedy's iconic status and how Romeo was a well-rounded character and... when she saw someone a few boxes away from their almost central one. Darn. Luckily Lorna had not seen him; yet. The lights went off, and the play started again.

But it was unavoidable, and at the following short break Lorna spotted Vinnie too; that put a damper on her mood.

Then at the end they crossed paths in the foyer and began bickering.

She couldn't do much, as she had the misfortune of meeting a face she had not expected to see herself: Alex was there.

"Piper," her partner Fahri had discreetly moved a little way away. "You didn't answer to my messages today."

Yeah, that was true. Alex had sent a grand total of three texts, and they didn't even sound that apologetic: asking if she was OK, and what was the matter yesterday and if they could talk... tsk. She could do so much better. They started arguing...

XXX

Back to the present

Piper remembered it all in very high definition.

So they had started arguing – of course she wasn't jealous, why would she be jealous? - and somehow ended up at Alex's hotel, again, in a much more heated repeat of the other night. Biting and scratching and... else, had been very satisfying, she mused, trying to find a more comfortable position on the chair; but she still felt angry at the other woman. And just a tiny bit ashamed at her own weakness.

"Your depressed-assedness making me depressed too, sisters," Cindy complained. "You lucky your good friend Tova got an idea to make it aall better!"

They just looked at her.

"You trust me?"

More deadpan expressions.

"Oh, come on girls! Yesterday was a series of unfortunate events."

Piper could feel an impeding headache nagging some parts of her brain. "Does it involve alcohol?" Flaca asked.

"Even better!"

"What's better?"

"Come, children, and I'll show you some magic!"

Lorna made a face. "Sorry, Cindy, but I'm not even a lesbian. No offense girls," she told the others.

"I'm not -" Piper needed to clarify.

"Eww," made Cindy. "I love y'all guys, but noope, thanks. I'm talking 'bout fun with friends, no lousy women or men involved today."

"Mh."

"I don't know."

"I mean I..."

"Pfft, come on. It's not as if you have something better to do."

Well. Piper chanced a glance at her phone. No new messages after this morning; she had left the hotel room in a hurry while Alex was still asleep, and later had received the shortest text.

Alex: Piper?

She had been taking long to try and mentally word an answer that would convey everything she wanted to say, eloquently but concisely, sweetly yet with some tang, being bold and not too overt at the same time – with Alex as an incipit– when another message had come.

Alex: I'm not going to beg. You know where to find me.

For some reason, that had crushed all the sweetness out of her and pissed her off. She wasn't going to beg? Excellent, she certainly wouldn't resort to begging either.

"OK, lead the way."


Scene II

Around town

It was her! The woman of his dreams was hurrying somewhere on the street; yes, it was definitely her.

His friend followed the same line of sight and made to grab Vin's arm, but he got out of his stupor and began moving.

"Stop, wasn't yesterday enough?"

"This sighting gotta be destiny! I can't let her go," he started a half jog.

"Oh man," the other one sighed, and went too.

XXX

What had brought him out and there? Part the strange feeling he'd had since two nights before when they'd got back to the hotel, part boredom, part a hunch - he knew to trust those by now.

The bow was resting around his neck transformed into a pendant, and guiding him like a compass.

'Twas clear something was bound to happen, in fact, something had already happened probably; his sensations after the restaurant, and then again last night – it had made him wake up all of a sudden – were sure signs.

Cal went on. This might totally be why he was on this business trip.


Scene III

Teatro Nuovo

It had been a bad Thursday for the Conpany ladies.

They were swamped with work between preps for that night's play and tomorrow's; plus, who knew why, some of them were more in a mood than average.

"Take this, honey," Red said, giving Nicky her favorite back pain relief cream.

"Thanks ma'," she pocketed it with a half smile, and made to continue on her way.

"I got it, man," Boo slapped her shoulder while passing by, easily picked up the trunk she had been trying to move and went on to Gina.

"Ouch," she rubbed the offended part, and watched them, receiving a thumbs up from the light and sound tech.

"Come, I'll put the balm on for you," Red offered, and they moved to one of the dressing rooms.

They crossed Janae and Shani, but the first shook her head at her and the Egyptian girl just turned and hurried away.

"She's still mad at you, mh?" Red asked, helping her girl lift up the sweatshirt and setting to apply the thing.

"Yeah." She had been banned from her own bed and had to crash on the sofa in Boo's room for the last two nights, dammit; Shani could be very stubborn.

"Are you sure you didn't do anything?"

Nicky sighed at the cold sensation on her back. "Positive, ma'. I told you how it went, I was upfront from the beginning on how I met Alex and that one single time, er, stuff occurred. We were always just friends really, it's nothing like Shani and I."

"I know my dear," Red finished up with a nod. "She'll come round, don't worry."

"Mh."

"But just in case, why don't you try the spare waterbed here for tonight? It's not the worst."

Two rooms to the right, Gloria was being subject to Aleida and Maritza's latest experiment; she played Juliet's father Capulet and they had decided she needed a restyling.

"I look like a maricón," she eyed her new makeup critically.

"Good, that's the point." Their Capulet wasn't the straightest arrow in the quiver, but at least he and his lady could act as each other's beards.

"We'll touch it up before the play," Aleida instructed.

"STOP!" Maritza yelled, seeing Gloria was feeling for her fake super long eyelashes. "Don't do anything!"

'Capulet' froze. "OK! Calm down ha?"

"Mh."

Gloria observed her colleagues for a moment while they were tidying up their equipment. "You alright mami?"

No answer.

She exchanged a glance with Aleida. They had both seen the scene and overheard most of it...

XXX

The previous night, after the play

Romeo and Juliet? had been a success. Loud claps and cheers had greeted their performance, and they couldn't be more satisfied.

After rearranging the stage a bit so there wouldn't be too much to do for the morrow and getting back into civilian clothes, the actresses left the theater in small groups.

Outside a few die-hard enthusiasts had stopped to dissect the show, and possibly to have another look at them; Poussey and Taystee for instance had been stopped by an eager black woman with crazy eyes and a crazier hairdo, and they were heard talking animatedly about scripts and time jumps.

Maritza was walking past them with Aleida and Daya, Gloria and Maria not far behind, when she felt the same thing she had at curtain call – and yes, just like then, she met eyes. Flaca's eyes. Flaca's warm kind eyes, attached to her sweet face with that stupid smile on it. Darn it.

Just like then, she deflected; now she would have also moved, but was detained.

"Maritza!" she called.

Daya turned and grabbed her elbow. "Hey, d'you see? It's..."

"Who is it?" Aleida asked, interested.

"Nothing, it's..."

"Maritza," she was here. "Hi."

Darn.

"Hello," Aleida put her hands on her hips and looked her up and down, "And you are -"

"Good evening ladies," oh of course, there was also the large Minnie Mouse-haired woman. "If we could move this on," and she was gesturing and hinting at Daya to leave them alone, with about zero subtlety.

"Yeah, yeah," her traitorous friend agreed, dragging Aleida with her; they went on, as well as Maria and Gloria, but she could see that they were still kinda watching.

Not that this tall bean seemed to care.

"Hi," she repeated with an uncertain smile. Stretched her hand out... oh.

"Are these flowers?"

Well, duh. It was obvious they were.

"Irises. For you."

Maritza gave a small smile back. "I love blue."

"I know, you told me."

Aww. Gosh... She took the lovely bunch.

"Is this your apology?" she whispered.

Flaca frowned. "What – no! It's my congratulations for the play, I loved it, and for, like, admiration..."

She knit her brows. "It's not an apology?"

"No, it's for the play and all... Besides, I don't think I have anything to apologize for," Flaca added.

"Wha... seriously. What about bodyshaming me for example."

"Bodysha... I did the opposite of bodyshaming, I was being respectful of you!"

Maritza crossed her arms, bunch of flowers getting quite constricted between them.

"Well what gave you the impression I wanted to be respected last night?"

"But..." Flaca blushed. "I, I mean -"

"If you hadn't been distracted by other people's assets, maybe you would have noticed."

"Ooh, not that again! You're paranoid, I told you it wa..."

"Paranoid? Great! Now I'm also paranoid," Maritza brandished the flowers accusingly. "You know what, you can go a la mierda."

Flaca could just shake her head. "Jesus, you're mad girl."

"And take these stupid fucking irises with you," she made to push them into her hands again, but thought better; "No, actually, why don't you take them to your flat-ass friend from the other night!" and she threw them to the ground with force, making the other jerk back in surprise.

"Mari," she raised her hands helplessly.

"I told you, don't 'Mari' me," and click-clack-click-clack her irritated heels made, as she stomped away.

"That went well," Cindy commented as she joined a still flabbergasted Flaca. "For about twenty seconds."

XXX

Back to the present

Gloria had gathered some intel from other sources too, and formed her own opinions on the events; Ramos was very hot-tempered sometimes, and this poor person had by mistake brought this out it seemed, even though she herself had looked generally quite alright from a quick glance.

"Maybe your friend will come tonight," Gloria suggested. "I'm sure it was all a misunderstanding."

Maritza's ears pricked up.

"Pfft," Aleida dissented. "If the overgrown bean ain't gonna appreciate your culo as it deserves, she just stupid and you can tell her to got f..."

"Hello my ladies," Boo chose the perfect moment to drop in. "May I..."

"NO," Maritza interrupted. "Not you too, now." She picked up her purse; "Listen, thank you, but tell Daya and Maria to stop gossiping about me for once and get a life!" and out she went.

The three remaining women regarded each other.

"Excuse me my lady Lord Capulet, Nurse..." Boo said. "I can't leave a damsel in distress," and she followed her, leaving the older Latinas to their own devices.

The theater had a bar, and it had been kept open while they were there working; which was proving a sound business decision, given the amount of drinks some of the Conpany members consumed.

It was there that Boo caught Maritza again; she was sitting on a stool, a glass of dark liquid already in front of her – and Nicky was by her side, in a similar condition. Ah, these kids. Couldn't make it on their own.

"My noble Lord Mercutio, and my beloved substitute Nurse," she commenced, putting her hands on their shoulders. "This sweet nectar is not the solution to your problems! Alas, it will obfuscate your minds (and we still have work to do later on today) and leave you unhappy – come the morrow."

They just ignored her. "I propose a better remedy to ease your weary souls. Accompany me, and you shall find out."

A huff.

"Oh, come on guys. I need a break."

Nicky looked at her. "Mh. 'kay," she gave up. "Half an hour tops!"

"That's all I'm asking for" she assured, waiting.

Maritza finished her drink. "A'right. But take off that awful wig first, you almost look like a woman." She wrinkled her nose in distaste. "It's... wrong."

"I couldn't agree more!" and Boo was glad to dismiss her Lady Capulet costume.


Scene IV

At the cannabis store

Cough cough. Maritza gave it back quickly.

"Woo! This is strong man!" Nicky exclaimed.

Martin smirked. "I told you it's good stuff."

"You sure it's still the legal one?" Alex regarded the pipe suspicious.

"Positive! It's my friend Curtis grows it himself. Just relaxes you like chamomile tea."

Alex and Fahri's negotiations were bearing their fruits and they'd probably buy a share of the business. Now Vause was in the back sampling some special new mix to maybe sell; she'd met her old friend Nichols and colleagues by chance, and invited them to join in.

"Good. Lemme take another drag," Nicky said. "We're here to chill after all." Maritza passed the kind of hookah object back, and she inserted her mouthpiece again.

Boo and Fahri were in the store area, trading stories about their former jobs and just chatting.

"Then when I woke up from the coma after my old mate Aydin tried to kill me, I started to consider a career change," he finished the tale.

"Ah, wise choice," Boo nodded, flipping through the perfumes near the counter.

"Yeah."

"Bet it took some time."

"Sure did," he was studying the range of teas. "But in the end Alex and I managed to make our peace with the boss, and be free."

"I wasn't that smart, didn't get out when I should have. Oh well, it was a good job before it got me to prison," she shrugged.

Checked the time - "Hope they've relaxed enough by now, we should go soon."

She opened her mouth to call her friends, when… the door dinged and opened, which made them both turn. Darn. Holy f***ing shit, her baby blues widened.

"Oh," she immediately recovered. "Good afternoon, my lovely ladies."

Tall taco, Italian doll, American psycho and a sort of black Minnie Mouse had just made their entrance. She had seen the scene last night, and heard the Latinas gossip about their fiasco of an outing of the day before; this was not ideal.

"Hello…?" the black woman said.

The other three were surprised, but greeted her nonetheless.

"And Mr… Fahri, was it?" blondie asked the man, who looked embarrassed.

"I, yes, Miss Chapman."

Something finally dawned on Cindy. "You were on stage!" she grimaced, "But dressed as a woman."

She bowed and confessed. "Aye. They make me go in drag sometimes."

Some faint laughter was heard from the back; this caught everyone's attention, and Fahri inhaled.

Time to avert a potential disaster.

"My dear Miss Gonzales," Boo had to think fast, "would you do me the honor of accompanying me outside? There is something I would very much like to show you."

Flaca hesitated. "Miss Black, I -"

"Oh I am not propositioning you, rest assured," she got nearer and hooked their arms, trying to pull her to the door. "Unless you want me to, of course."

"But wha…"

"Boo, what's -" Nicky just had to appear right then, "- this noise…" she trailed off, noticing Chapman, who glared back. Uhm. What was that?

"Miss Nichols," her brow furrowed. "What a surprise."

"Er, Miss Chapman," Nicky fumbled, flashing an alarmed glance at Boo and Fahri. "Yes, I…"

"Nicky!" Alex and Maritza emerged from the back door too, and Martin.

"Oh!" Piper was taken aback. "You are here too," her eyes became slits, "and in there. With them."

"Pipes. Hi."

Maritza zeroed in on Flaca.

Cindy, Lorna, and Fahri were all watching the proceedings in slight alarm.

Boo knew she must have missed an episode or two, but she got the gist of the story; and though she was normally all for a catfight, this did not look like it would be the good kind.

"Are you stalking me?" Maritza had immediately got to Gonzales' face.

"Excuse me?" she scoffed incredulous.

"I've had many stalkers during the years," the other said flippantly.

"Yeah, sure," Flaca rolled her eyes. "Sorry to disappoint you, but no, I'm not here to stalk you."

Cindy had taken a greenish cookie from the jar on the counter. "This suspence's killing me man," she whispered.

Martin didn't understand a thing.

Fahri, Lorna and Boo started to move towards one or the other of the two couples, from which metaphorical and almost literal sparks were beginning to fly.

But Lorna was soon distracted - for the door dinged again in opening, and Vinnie turned up on the threshold.

"Vinnie?" she asked hotly.

"Lorna!" he advanced in her direction. "We gotta talk…"

A big Asian-looking guy entered too, huffing and puffing, and leant against the counter to catch his breath.

"Vin -"

"Oh wow. More draaama," Cindy munched furiously on another cookie.

Outside, one street away...

Cal was getting nearer, he could feel it.

Ouch! The bow tickled him, pointing to the left. And on… and to a building. He examined the sign - "You serious?"he asked the thing.

But the hunch was getting stronger and stronger too; he heard indistinct loud talking and peeked from the shop window into the dimly lit interior, where he could make out several figures, vaguely familiar and… Piper?

Cal cautiously pushed the door open and got in. No one even noticed.

"This is bullshit!"

"Whatcha sayin?"

"...smiling at every breathing -"

"Let's just be reasonable."

It was a cacophony of voices and words, and too many people crammed up in there.

By the entrance Piper's friend was arguing with a short man and gesticulating; it was half English and half Italian swear words - hey, he recognized some of those! - and a big guy stood between them as referee.

The same role was fulfilled by a suit-clad woman of comparable size just a few feet away, where two Latinas were having a close shouting contest (it was a tie from what he could hear).

Weren't all of them snuggled up and happy just two nights ago?

Ow! the darn pendant was almost burning against his chest, and woow he was feeling really off.

Leaning against a shelf, he saw two black people just intent on looking at the whole scene, and nervously puffing on a pipe; and there was his sister Piper sounding accusatory, with her 'friend' the sexy vampiress and the redhead in a corner, Cal remembered them too, and then an Arabic man who was alternatively nodding and shaking his head.

"Fuu..dge!" the more he heard and saw, the hotter his bow seemed to get, and his senses were all haywire.

What the heck?

He could smell it even… no, not the weed; something fishy was up.

Trudging to the small audience, he tore the pipe from the woman's hand - "Hey man! 'Sup?" - and took a drag.

Haaa. Already slightly better… but not enough.

All the former lovey doveys were still fighting, and his gaze traveled from one pair to the next. These were no normal lovers' squabbles.

What then?

Just the other night… the other night…

The bow burned like crazy.

It was a pendant now, it had been a keychain but since it fell… but did it?

The other night… it had fallen. It had been on the floor. Yes, right, right... after Goodall had been found again.

His little rascal of a daughter, who had disappeared for long minutes and even got out to the terrace all alone…

Was it… what if… a series of images flashed through his mind.

All those couples, his missing daughter, her love for mischief, his missing bow… Cal looked at it. It was glowing with a sinister green light, still burning: What was it trying to tell him?

"You better shut up NOW!"

"If you cared..."

...the couples fighting.

"Oh Tartarus, enough of this." Cal moved towards his sister and clutched her elbow. "Pipes, come now," he ordered authoritative and started pulling.

"Hey Cal, what -"

"You, Piper's friend, come too," his powerful touch seemed to shake the tall Latina.

"And you, gimme a hand!" addressing Cindy, who frowned but felt compelled to move her ass to Lorna, where he had motioned her to.

The small party was out in a moment but he didn't stop till they had reached a small piazza two hundred meters away. The burning had stopped, so had the throbbing in his temples.

He left Piper's arm. She looked a bit dazed, as did Lorna.

The images welded together in a luminous epiphany.

Yeah, he saw then. Some serious shit had gone down, and now there was a pretty nice mess to clean.