To the readers
I appreciate any comments on the story.
Notes
[] are used to indicate stage directions
All dialogue follows a "Speaker: dialogue" format
{} are used for author comments.
Episode 5: Let'5 Pl4y: Th3_1st_Ru1e (Let's Play: The First Rule)
[opening theme plays]
[Open in Home Economics classroom, part classroom part kitchen.]
Home Economics Teacher: Okay, split into groups of four, pick a station and prepare the recipe. Remember to prepare the crust first.
[Everyone picks a station. Show Ethan isolated, a group with six and another with 5.]
Teacher: [looks at most of the groups with four people] Ruslan, Nia, and Vincent, can you three join Ethan's team please?
Everyone: No.
Ethan: I do not care.
[As everyone works on their meals, he puts his supplies on his cutting board, moves to grab a knife and looks back to see his vegetables are gone. Looks over and they're over on one of the standing desks. Grabs them and gives Ruslan a glare. The other student just has an amused smile. Set them down next to his dough. Except his dough is gone. Look over and sees a large ball dough on the next station with 6 people. Ethan takes a fork and stabs at the dough while people are rolling it.]
Nia: HEY.
Ethan: Don't steal my food.
Home Economics Teacher: Hey what's going on?
Ethan: I'm taking back what's mine.
Nia: He just came over and started stealing stuff. This is all ours.
Ethan: Yeah, you just prepped twice the amount.
Vincent: We just took what we needed for our group size.
Home Economics Teacher: That's what you get for adding too many to a group. Mix ups happen.
Nia: [insincere] Yeah sorry Mrs. Vangalder. Mistakes happen.
Vincent: [insincere] Yeah "sorry".
[Mrs. Vangalder looks at the group suspicious but turns to supervise other students. The three smirk at Ethan. Ethan glares at them before going back to work.]
[Cut to Principal Caroline's office. Axel's sitting in a good chair.] {unlike the one Ethan was using in ep 1}.
Caroline: I want you to understand that I know you are an intelligent and mature person.
Axel: …
Caroline: That's the first reason I listened to your request. You also had good intentions trying to uphold the rules.
Axel: …
Caroline: But while this institution owes you for what happened three years ago, we won't afford you this luxury anymore.
Axel: …
Caroline: Because of what you did, I am flooded with messages about students being put on probation. On scholarships being revoked. Is this what you wanted?
Axel: …
Caroline: Did exposing them earn the result you thought it would?
Axel: …
Caroline: What do you have to say for yourself?
Axel: You gave me permission to release the video.
Caroline: Unofficially. And I said you would face the consequences. Though given the circumstances, I think what Jacob Rook and the others put you through was enough.
Axel: Honestly. Yes. If that's the punishment that would be enough, but-
Caroline: And if this were an isolated incident, we could do that! There is a system in place for this.
Axel: And it doesn't work.
Caroline: [angry] That's not for you to decide.
Axel: They can just buy their way out of trouble.
Caroline: …please see Mr. Frosch at 4 for the next week. I'll inform him to put you on the detention list.
Axel: What! I didn't say anything wrong.
Caroline: Enough. You are excused. Leave.
Axel: I thought you cared. What about the video?
Caroline: One month. Do you want to keep talking?
[Axel gets up to leave. Gives Caroline a betrayed look on his way out.]
Caroline: Okay three months then.
Axel: Eh?
[Shuts the door quickly]
Inès: I'm almost there. Almost. If I get there before class ends, I can just be late and not absent.
[Ines arrives just as dance class is finishing. Sees a group of students chatting by the studio exit to the main gym. She sees Victoria Koch and a bunch of students chatting. Ines composes herself.]
Ines: Oh, hey Victoria. How was class today?
Victoria: Fine.
Ines: [acting nonchalant] Yeah, shame I couldn't make-
[They cut her off by leaving.]
Ines: Oh. [She turns to another group, and they immediately shrink back from her.] Oh.
Axel: Well, that could have gone better. What did I do wrong? I practiced dozens of times. I didn't even get to use my prepared arguments. Guess she's corrupted too. How else can you explain why she got mad at the end for no reason.
[Axel exits the admin courtyard and into the cliffside quad. Students are watching and giggling at something on their phones.]
Axel: Did you get anything off her computer? Ai? Did you get anything?
[He cuts across the cliffside quad, back through the outer wall into the dormitory courtyard and up through the solar panel bridges connecting the science labs where some students are at the tables also watching something. The same female voice from before is speaking.]
Axel: Ai, you were supposed to scrap her file history. Are you here?
[He's arriving on top of the grass roof of the male dormitory and about to open the door to the stairs when he glances down at the students chilling on the roof.]
Student's phone: "Oh what are bits?! Can I use them to make friends?"
[Axel's eyes go wide. He immediately darts off past the dorm to the parking lot.]
[Ethan is in line at the head of the cafeteria. They are serving buffet style from the counter between the kitchen and the cafeteria.]
Ethan: [Talks to one of the chefs behind counter] Hey Dolta, is there any more fried chicken?
Chef Dolta: We have one more tub left.
[Dolta places a giant metal tub of fried chicken next to the other entrée options. The people ahead of him notice his line of sight. The three of them who already have loaded trays scoop up a couple pieces each until the serving tub is empty.]
Ethan: HMMMM!
[Ethan takes his still sizable heap of food toward the first section of tables on the ground floor. They are all the closest tables near the kitchen line itself. Hainer and Korey are there, but they don't give Ethan any attention. Rook and other boys with bruises are at one of these tables and give Ethan a glare. Some of the kids are watching Ai's stream on their phones.
Ethan goes to sit down. Although the table is only half full and there are several empty seats on the lunch table, everyone at the table immediately skooches over to fill up the empty spaces. Ethan turns around. The people at that table put backpacks and instrument cases on the seats. Rook smirks and goes back to his lunch.
There're footsteps behind Rook.
SLUMPBPM
Ethan upends his tray on Rook's head, drops his tray and walks away.]
[Inès is talking with another two girls who are changing back into regular shoes. In the background the teacher is asking for help to put the mats back down over the wooden floor. Inès turns to the girl hurrying to leave.]
Inès: Romilda. So, the sandbar party was lit. Me and Zoe found-
Romilda: We have to get to next class.
Ines: Class hasn't even ended.
Victoria: It's on the other side of campus.
[The two girls move over to the other side of the room and continue talking.
BONG
The school's gentle bell goes off. The other girls show no sign of leaving soon.
Ines exits the dance studio as its being transformed back into the martial arts dojo and joins the stream of students walking down the open hallway, the student dorms and lab buildings courtyard visible, and walks toward the cafeteria.]
Mabel: [sees Ines and jogs to catch up with her] You look like someone killed your dog. What happened?
Ines: It's just strange. I just talked with the other dance kids. Did I do something wrong?
Mabel: Well, you gotta tell me what happened.
Ines: They-they just lied to my face to get me to stop talking.
Mabel: Is that out of character for them?
Ines: What do you mean out of character? It was just rude.
Mabel: Well yeah, but is that their tick? Their style of cutting you off so they don't have to say it to your face.
Ines: How would I know? I've never talked with them before.
Mabel: Oh, you haven't … Now it makes sense. Come on, I'll explain. Tell me everything you said.
[Mabel gestures to come with her.]
[Ai is sitting on a tower platform in a crescent moon rocker chair made from the same material as the tower looking at the array of screens around her helping her run her live stream: One showing the viewer chat messages, another window showing her what the audience is seeing and a window with controls and filters. She's reading off the chat messages.]
Ai: "Do you have any emotes?" Uh, duh. I'm emotive. [poses] Happy, angry, PISSED OFF! … and cute. "Am you going to play anything?" Sure! What do you guys want to play? "What type of games do you play". Well, I usually do tower deactivations. Fighting or sneaking past monsters. "Stealth? Capture the objective multiplayer?" Yeah, stuff like that. "CS GO?" No, I don't know that one. Sounds like an investing game. "She's not wrong, it kinda is." What does that mean? "Who do you play with? Any collaboration? Collabs with other Vtubers?" Well, the only people I usually interact with are the ones who get virtualized. So just Ombret, Ax-
[Her stream gets muted.]
WRRHMM
Axel: Ai! Don't say anything else.
[He floats up and steps onto the second level.]
Axel: Stop that stream.
[He pushes her down out of the camera frame.]
Axel: We need to keep our IRL names secret otherwise anyone can track us down. Only call me by my gamertag where people can hear you.
[She starts to get up and Axel shoves her down with his foot.]
Ai: Okay okay I get it. Let me up.
[She starts to get up and he kicks her down.]
Ai: Let me up.
Axel: The golems or the tarantulas won't let you up.
[Axel makes to knock her down as she gets up, but she shoves herself back and stumbles up while not looking away from him.]
Ai: Let's see how you like it.
[Punches him, but Axel guards and counters.]
[Ai reels back and catches herself.]
Ai: Okay stop stop I give.
Axel: No, you keep running into danger. Learn how to defend yourself.
[Ai tries covering her head and curls up.]
Axel: No no. Put up your guard. [he pulls her up. He demonstrates the guard stance to block blows to the face.] This is meant to absorb and redirect attacks aimed at your vitals. [she copies him] No higher. Put UP your guard. [corrects her] There. [She blocks his punch but still gets knocked down. Axel looks confused but realizes] Right. Beginners need to start with stances. Sorry it's been a while. Bend your knees to absorb some of the impact. If you're rigid you're just going to get knocked down.
Ai: Wait, are you training me?
Axel: You are going to keep getting in the thick of it and I realize after the Remote Control Avatars that you are right. It takes too long to just secure the area and then have you come in to take care of the tower. If you want to fight, let's give you the best odds.
Ai: Can I keep the stream up?
Axel: Sure, just don't say my name.
[Ai hits a button on her stream settings and unmutes the stream.]
[Cut to a student's dorm. Standard Malhur sports paraphernalia. Has jerseys and a gym bag. Game console. Has a secret drawer underneath the bed that's currently pulled out. Jordy, the boy Ethan was talking with in ep 1 except now with a brown windbreaker, is counting something inside it.]
[Heavy double THUMP THUMP on door.]
Jordan: #$&^!.
[Quickly puts back the drawer and zips up the gym bag it's disguised around it.]
THUMP
Jordan: Just a minute.
CLICK
[Electric lock disables and door opens]
Ethan: Jordy open up.
[Ethan has his hand on the card scanner outside, red lines spreading on it.]
[Jordan immediately closes the door.]
Jordan: [talking through door] Dude Not here.
Ethan: Sess. I'm not trying to get more. I brought my own.
Jordan: Yeah, from me.
Ethan: Yes. I just…need a place to chill.
Jordan: So go to your room.
Ethan: Don't know when Sherlock comes back… [beat] I'll shaaaare.
[Jordan sighs and opens door letting Ethan in]
[Back in the lunchroom on the second level. They exit outside to the library courtyard carrying their trays.]
Ines: Tell me. What did I do wrong.
Mabel: Nothing. You did something.
Ines: You just said-
Mabel: I realized as soon as I said- listen, it's just an unwritten rule.
[Walking from the cafeteria balcony to the rampart walkway, dodging runners and groups of people as they made their way down the stairs into the library courtyard with the large tree and small pond. The ground rose and fell in small hills before it flattened to meet the path that made its way in a circle around the tree. They sat down at a small table with an umbrella watching the people around them. Leaving their food untouched for now.]
Mabel: Right now, you're with me, Zoe, Landry. You're in the Zoe group. [puts down four mini baked potatoes halves] And you talked with Victoria and Romilda. [Lines up two tangerines on her tray.] That's pretty much the leaders of the dance group.
Ines: But I'm in dance class?
Mabel: Yeah, I know that's different.
Ines: So, how do I join their club?
Mabel: It's not a "club". It's … [exasperated] people who hang out to do a "thing". They do dance. Zoe's group is centered around Zoe.
Ines: Why do dance and Zoe groups not like each other?
Mabel: They don't. There's no beef. It's just two different groups and you talked to them like you wanted to part of their group…it's up in the air. It's it's it's just weird when someone from one group just tries to get themselves into another.
Ines: Why is this so complicated? I never had to deal with this at Lycée Blanche. Did I forget something. Is this place just bizarre on purpose-
Mabel: It's fine. It's like this everywhere. You were just going on autopilot until now and you happened to avoid all the social landmines.
[Inès looks hurt.]
Mabel: Oh, nonono I forgot. No you didn't. I didn't mean it like that.
Ines: It's just…can you help me understand so I can get better.
Mabel: Yes yes. [puts her hands on Ines's] I can help you.
Axel: 1
[Ai does a front push kick and Axel blocks it by knocking her leg aside. Then Axel does it and Ai blocks.]
Axel: 3
[Dead leg kick at Axel's side. Axel catches it. Now reversed.]
Axel: 5
[She aims a snap kick at Axel's head. Builds a tabletop guard with his gauntlet so it never hits his face. Now Axel returns it. Ai fails to block, falls, and attempts to sweep Axel's leg. Axel shifts his shin to take the hit from Ai front on instead of from the side.]
Axel: What are you doing?
Ai: Sweeping the leg.
Axel: That's not a thing.
Ai: Then why does every martial arts fight I've watched have it?
Axel: Because it's cool. Doesn't mean it works. Also, your fall was terrible. Now I can just- [steps on her chest to pin her]
Ai: What does that even mean? How do you fall "right"?
Axel: Right. Basics. Kick me.
[Ai high kicks Axel in the face. Axel exaggerates his fall and splays out his arm and leg when that side of his body hits the ground to spread out the impact. Then immediately gets his legs under him and jumps back up. Ai side kicks Axel in the gut below his half plate and sends him on his back. Axel does the same spreading out of impact as before with his arms above his head before pushing himself back up with his gauntlets against the ground.]
Axel: Chamber
[The impacts of the spikes from the gauntlets rockets him back up nearly doing a flip.
Before he can land, Ai grabs his arm and blocks his leg from touching down by stepping back and forcing him to continue his forward momentum as she flips him over her shoulders.]
Axel: [stunned] Okay…so now I'll show you how I defend myself on the ground. Good counter.
Ai: I…I just did what seemed right.
[There's a bling of a new donation made to the stream.]
Commenter A: He's the $%^&*. He was hitting her while she was down.
Commenter B: %%%% cool kick up.
Commenter C: 3 3 3 3
Commenter 1: It's a gym date.
Commenter 2: Just an excuse to show off their full body avatars.
Commenter 3: What's the lore behind him and Ai? Are they dating? What's his channel?
Commenter 4: reply to Commenter 2-yeah why wouldn't they?
Ai: What changed your mind? I thought it would be a waste of time to train me.
Axel: You like to fight directly. I don't have the luxury of time to keep correcting people on what they should be doing and I'm not the best teacher since I only got to learn the basics. But this is a necessity, not for fun. I'm just going to make the best of other people's situations.
[Andrew the monitor is walking through the dorm hallway. Knocks on Jordan's door. There's loud music and shouting behind it.]
Andrew: Excuse me. Can you open up?]
[The voices and music stop and then]
Ethan: [muffled] Christ.
Jordan: [muffled] Over there. No lift it up.
[Andrew frowns and gets suspicious. Uses a staff pass on the door scanner to click it open. He sees Ethan and Jordan in the middle of trying to hide something.]
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