Dusk Simulacre

Transcript

Big Bear Lake; California, USA

[Dulce and Antonio returned to Del Sol Valley for just one day before rising early the following morning to take a short two-hour drive to the mountains.]

[Fortunately, these two are early birds. So, they had plenty of energy to start snowboarding upon arrival!]

[Dulce feels like she could fit right into the Totally Spies team with her purple outfit. Meanwhile, Antonio is more bundled up because he gets cold easily.]

{Moodlet: Sad +1; Need More Practice; (From Poor Snowboarding); There were a couple good moments, but overall Dulce is not happy with her performance snowboading out on the slopes. Some extra practice is in order!}

{Moodlet: Sad +1; What a Biff!; (From Imperfect Snowboarding); Well Antonio just isn’t that tricky, unfortunately. Maybe he should stick to snowboarding videogames!}

Break Time!

After a much-needed calorie refuel...

{Moodlet: Energized +1; Shreddin’ the Gnar; (From Having a Perfect Run); That was so wicked cool! Dulce just had a perfect snowboarding run.}

----------------------------------------------------

[Of course, they exhausted themselves. Endurance doesn’t last forever. The plan now is to recharge before heading to a restaurant to celebrate the last day of winter.]

Grace: She’s a clear danger to anyone who gets in the way of what she wants.

Caleb: That wasn’t a good example. Marybell pressured her.

Grace: Oh, so that’s who she learned it from.

Caleb: I planted the plasma fruit seeds. Marybell and her crew moved on. It could have ended far worse.

Grace: I’d say it ended pretty badly for those vampires!

Caleb: We don’t know that. Not for certain.

Grace: [exasperated] May I speak to you downstairs for a moment?

-

Darling: Zhao the Younger! Kiddo, I’m not accepting your fake ID just because I know your sister.

Julia: I’m not here to drink. [conspiratorially] I have a business meeting.

Darling: [laughs] What kind of business are we talking? Not some shady Internet lover, I hope.

Julia: Who do you think you are, my mom? I’ll have fries and a Fanta, please.

Darling: By the way, what the hell is your sister up to? It’s like she totally dropped off the map.

Julia: [dismissively] Your guess is as good as mine.

-

Text messages on Julia’s phone from an unknown number: Saw your vid. That Vatore bitch has had it coming for decades. I’ve got stories if you want to hear them. Name the time and place. Just keep it after dark.

-

Drea: Is that a wooden stake in your hair?

Julia: [startled into defensiveness] I didn’t exactly know what to expect. I thought I should be prepared, just in case.

Drea: [chuckles] Prepared. Cute. I forgot you were, like, 12. You’re in way over your head, Buffy.

Julia: [offended] It’s Julia. And I’m 17, almost 18.

Transcript

Porto Luminoso; Tartosa, Italy

ANTONIO: Are all your things packed?

FRANKIE: Not quite. After we finish eating can we stop by a store so I can buy a folder? I don’t want Valeria’s drawings to crease.

ANTONIO: Sure. So, you still don’t want kids of your own? You’re great with Val.

FRANKIE: Um, no. She’s cute, but I don’t desire the responsibility of a child 24/7.

FRANKIE: Can I get an order of the dal makhani?

ANTONIO: And I could get the bhel phuri, please?

EMPLOYEE: Coming right up!

FRANKIE: The woman I’ve been seeing wants to remain child-free too. I think it’s a sign!

ANTONIO (smiling): You oughta introduce us one of these days.

[The employee places the bowls on the counter.]

EMPLOYEE: Here you go. By the way, are you locals?

ANTONIO: No.

EMPLOYEE: Oh, you speak Italian so well!

[Antonio grimaces.]

FRANKIE: Apologies. He’s shy. Thank you for the food.

FRANKIE: What the blazes was that??

ANTONIO: I’m not shy.

FRANKIE: I had to conjure something. Now your turn. Explain yourself.

ANTONIO: You’re right. I’m shy. It’s embarrassing how effortlessly good I am at everything.

FRANKIE: Okay, what’s your actual answer?

ANTONIO: I hate my Italian ancestry. I hate coming to Tartosa. All the times I came here as a kid were miserable, and they plague my mind.

FRANKIE: Yikes. Is Dulce aware?

ANTONIO: About my upbringing? Yeah, but she doesn’t know about the fight-or-flight mode I experience here.

FRANKIE: You need to tell her.

ANTONIO: What for? It’s not like I’d stop coming. These new memories will override the old ones.

FRANKIE: I suppose that could work?

ANTONIO: It will work.

FRANKIE: Okay, okay.

[Frankie takes another bite of their meal.]

FRANKIE: So why do you think you’re fine in Del Sol Valley, but not in Tartosa?

ANTONIO: I saw your dad here much more often than I did over there?

FRANKIE: That’s an obvious reason. Dive deeper.

ANTONIO: I thought the goal was to move on.

[Frankie observes a cyclist while speaking to Antonio.]

FRANKIE: That’s impossible with a stiff chain link...

FRANKIE: Toño, I figured it out. Isn’t Tartosa where you received the scolding of a lifetime for not following orders correctly?

[Antonio blinks.]

ANTONIO: Yeah. I’m not proud of what I did after that.

FRANKIE: Cut yourself some slack. You were a kid.

ANTONIO: I was already living on my own and old enough to know better.

FRANKIE: Regardless, your issue lies there. You need to rectify it if you want peace of mind.

ANTONIO: I won’t be forgiven for it.