Episode 2.06.5 transcript - “The friendly kind”

ADAM RAYMONDA: Windfall is intended for a mature audiences, see our show notes for more information. Listener discretion is advised.

[MUSIC: Windfall Theme starts]

[SFX: A beer is cracked, which Helina takes a large swig of, before slamming it on the table next to her.]

SYLVIE: You really think that’s the best thing you could be doing right now?

HELINA: Oh, shut up you. You’re a figment of my imagination.

SYLVIE: That doesn’t mean that I can’t worry about you.

HELINA: It categorically does, actually. But whatever you say, Hoss.

SYLVIE: I know that you’re going through an extremely difficult time. But you know as well as I do that it’s an unhealthy coping mechanism. That it’s something you do when you’d rather find an easy escape, than tackle an issue head on.

HELINA: What do you call trying to kill the Queen, if not “tackling the issue” head on?

SYLVIE: (pursing her lips, then breathing through teeth) An… overcorrection, on your part. And a blasphemous one at that, but I won’t make you sit through another one of my lectures about how our ancestral prophecies actually line up with her appearance in the skies above this city…

HELINA: (snorting) Yes, please, spare me. There’s a lot of things I miss about you, but that ain’t one of ‘em.

[SFX: Helina takes another swig of the bottle in front of her, before beginning to pace the room back and forth, back and forth.]

SYLVIE: Aw, c’mon, look at you. You’re surrounded by more people you actually like than you’ve ever been for as long as I’ve known you. I’ve been replaced. And I’m okay with it! You deserve this kind of love.

HELINA: No one could ever replace you. Even if your beliefs make my skin crawl. There’s never been anyone else that’s shown me the same patience and tenderness you did.

SYLVIE: That may be true, but Cas is quickly catching up for me in that department, wouldn’t you say?

HELINA: (suddenly sour) You mean the man that stopped me from fulfilling my lifelong dream? Of watching the light fade from her eyes? Of never having to hear one of her stupid Bing Bongs again? Please. Give me a break.

SYLVIE: Your partner’s restraint doesn’t match his feelings, and you know it. He was concerned about you, and what killing Her Majesty would do to you. You have to realize that.

HELINA: I’m not some fragile doll. With the kinds of horrific things I’ve seen… the things her people did to our families? It’d do me some good, a little retaliation.

SYLVIE: You know, I’m just realizing right now, that in all our years of friendship, I never told you why I became a Wolf, did I?

HELINA: No. No, you didn’t.

SYLVIE: Would you like to hear it?

HELINA: Of course I would, but why even bother? We’ve already established that you’re not actually here. That I’m imagining this entire conversation.

SYLVIE: We’ve also established the fact that that doesn’t matter. Whether or not I’m just some facet of your fracturing psyche, wouldn’t you still like to hear what I have to say?

HELINA: (a defiant breath through her nose) I don’t suppose I have much of a choice, do I?

SYLVIE: I mean, no, you do. As you already pointed out, everything I’m saying to you is just coming from the part of you that remembers what it’s like to be cared for by someone you disagree with.

[SFX: Helina takes another swig. After a moment, she lights a joint and breathes in deep.]

HELINA: I really am a fucking head case, aren’t I?

SYLVIE: When I joined the Wolfpac, things were… different than when we met. We’d speak before we shot a little bit more. Hear one another out, even if everything anyone said sounded like swamp sludge. So my village? We trusted their missionaries when they showed up. Broke bread together. Shared stories and meals and hopes and dreams… and they told me about her. And everything that had already changed because of her. And what she represented.

HELINA: Yippee. You got brainwashed by the friendly kind of fascists, who knock on your door with puddings and cake.

SYLVIE: No, friend. I saw the change coming to our world and chose to accept it. To embrace it. Floating structures, appearing overnight in the sky? A literal race to meet it, by building up a megacity at speed and efficiency never before seen? It’s not that I think that everything we did in Her Name was right. I’d never pretend that Windfall City wasn’t paved with the blood of Proximans. But I saw an opportunity, and I took it.

HELINA: (sigh) Even you wouldn’t be that crass. It was never about the money for you. It was always her… as much as I hated that.

SYLVIE: You’re damn right it was her. When I first joined up? I witnessed marvels like you couldn’t believe. Both at home, as we built the towers, and when we’d go out on missions. The whole world of Windfall was something that wouldn’t have been at my fingertips. The tastes and sights and the smells and the sounds and the people. If it weren’t for her? I’d have just remained some backwoods kid for the rest of my life.

HELINA: If it hadn't been for her, you wouldn’t be dead.

SYLVIE: And how do you know that? Do you know how fragile life is? I could’ve died taking a shower. With how clumsy I was? I’m surprised I didn’t.

HELINA: Very funny.

SYLVIE: I’m just begging you to look at the situation in front of you, and realize that it doesn’t have to be all bad. If you’re willing to roll with the punches.

[SFX: Helina goes to take another swig of her beer.]

SYLVIE: (interrupting her) And stop fucking doing that.

HELINA: I wasn’t built for a world like this one.

SYLVIE: Too bad, it’s the one you were given. What next?

HELINA: Drink myself into oblivion, wait for the end to come?

SYLVIE: Or, get off your ass, and take a second to think about the people who count on you. There are so many of them. Who you’ve fed and clothed and whose wounds you’ve mended. They’d be lost without you.

HELINA: No, they wouldn’t. They’ll be better off. Especially if they’re gonna keep her around.

SYLVIE: You stubborn asshole. You’re selling yourself short, you know. And the people who love you, too.

HELINA: If they really loved me, they never would have brought her here in the first place.

SYLVIE: Oh please, even you have to be able to recognize that there was a whole lot more strategy behind their decision than that.

HELINA: (scoffs) Oh what the fuck do you know? You’re just a ghost.

[SFX: Helina takes another swig, before throwing the bottle at the wall, letting it shatter.]

HELINA: Well? Haven’t you got any shitty little remarks to say back to that?

[SFX: There’s a moment of silence. In the background, maybe we hear the hum of a fan spinning. Sylvie is no where to be found.]

HELINA: Fuck.

[SFX: Helina presses a few buttons on her communicator. After a second, a message plays.]

SYLVIE: Heyyyy friend. I was just calling you to say that I was thinking about you this morning. I have the day off today and I’m meeting up with some friends from back home again. It’d mean a lot to all of us if you’d consider joining. I really think it’d do you some good, to talk to other people who get it... Ah, who am I kidding, there’s nothing I can do to drag you out of that dive bar, is there? Whatever. I love you. See you soon.

[SFX: The communicator beeps as the message ends. Helina weeps softly to herself as it starts over again and she takes another drink.]

ADAM RAYMONDA: Windfall is a Rogue Dialogue production. This episode was written and directed by Bob Raymonda.

Here’s our cast in order of appearance:

Emily Battles … Helina
Nadia Sepsenwol … Sylvie

Dialogue editing by Bob Raymonda.

Sound design, mix, and score by me, Adam Raymonda.

Our logo is by Sam Twardy.

Windfall season 2 would not have been possible without our incredibly generous supporters on both Indiegogo and Patreon. But in the spirt of full transparency, part of the reason it has taken so long to come here is that we were unable to fully fund the season during our initial campaign to do so. If you like what we’re doing, you can support us by donating as little as $3 a month at patreon.com/roguedialogue.

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We’ll be back soon with episode 7. In the meantime, don’t forget to ask yourselves: What Would Wanda do?