Act 3, Scene 3: Echoes of the Past

DIALOG

Knock Knock!

Open Door

Sylas: "Kitty!"

Jessica: Foxy!

Sylas: "How come you're free at this time of the day? I thought they put you on the late shift again?"

Jess: "One of the rocket scientists blew a new crater into the east wall of Mount Utama, and they sent everyone stationed in the lookout home until they get the bridge fixed. Please tell me you don't have anything planned for tonight yet!"

Sylas: "Believe it or not, I don't!"

Jessica: "Work has been crazy the last few weeks. I was beginning to believe we'd never have a free evening together again!"

Sylas: "It's like they're mismatching our shifts on purpose, right? I've been missing you!"

Jessica: "Same!"

Sylas: "Come over here, my emotional support kitty!"

Jessica: *purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr*

Sylas: "Hmmmm ... I love it when you do that. Your purr is like a healing superpower. I used to have a cat like you in my previous life."

Jessica (jokingly): "Nah ah ah! What did I tell you, Sy, no talking about our exes!"

Sylas (jokingly): "She was spayed, I swear! But sorry, I didn't mean to compare you to an animal ..."

Jessica: "Sy ... we ARE animals. Always have been."

Sylas: "Yes, but not like that?"

Jessica: "I never believed in this 'humans are the pinnacle of creation' bullshit. Not before, and not under Jeffrey Arkenstone."

Sylas: "Then why did you join the order?"

Jessica: "To find people like you. Someone who was born on the same planet. Someone who doesn't go 'OH NO, THE CUUUURSE! THE CUUURSE' when I talk about my past life."

Sylas: "Same here. Actually, I initially thought the cult was just an elaborate coverup to keep the natives from asking too many questions. If I had known that it is exactly what it says on the tin, I wouldn't have joined. And now I'm stuck here on this prison island."

Jessica: "Startup Al Catraz."

Sylas: "That's what it is. Well, at least we have each other. It seems like everyone else here is blindly following Jeffrey with no questions asked."

Jessica: "Maybe that's what it is. Or maybe it's just that nobody dares to speak up. There are so many things you're not allowed to say. And there are constantly people disappearing without a trace. When you ask the supervisors what happened to them, they'll tell you that they have been relocated to the mainland. But I don't think that's true."

Sylas: "No talking back to the great leader!"

Jessica: "Sometimes I feel like there are so many elephants in the room that I'm running out of air to breathe. I'm always worried to accidentally say the wrong thing and getting thrown in the slammer. Not just when criticizing Jeffrey's goons. I feel like I'm constantly walking around with a mask on my face."

Sylas: "What do you mean?"

Jessica: "Sy ... I feel like, if we want to survive this hellhole, we need to be absolutely honest to each other. No silly taboos. No secrets."

Sylas: "I'm not keeping any secrets."

Jessica: "But I am."

Sylas: "I don't care about the crimes of your past."

Jessica: "It's something more personal than that ... something I have a very hard time talking about. And I want you to know that, if you want to break up with me after I told you what it is, that's okay."

Sylas (comforting): "Whatever you want to tell me, Jess, I can handle it."

Jessica (scared): "Okay. *takes a deep breath* You know me as Jessica. But that's not actually my real name. In the old world, I used to be ... Jamie. Jamie Poole."

Sylas: "What makes a name 'real' anyways? Can't we call each other whatever we want?"

Jessica: "That's not the point, Sy! The point is ... I used to be a guy! A man! 100% cis male! And now I'm a cat with boobs!"

Sylas: "Oh ... Wow. I didn't catch that! I can't imagine how hard it must have been for you to tell me that."

Jessica: "So, what do you think of me now?"

Sylas: "Phew. Actually ... let me find the right words. It's hard to keep sane in a situation like ours. Both our lives have been turned upside down like someone suddenly switched the channel on a TV. From one day to another, all that remained of our lives were distant echoes from the past. And no matter what the cult's gospels says, we are no longer humans. I'm now a fox. And you're now a serval. A very beautiful one at that."

Jessica: "Sylas! I'm a fat gay man trapped in a bombshell female body, in love with another man, but he's actually straight!"

Sylas: "That's not at all how it feels to me. To me, you're just you."

Jessica: "This is where it gets complicated. I don't know who I am, or what I'm supposed to be."

Sylas: "Maybe it just takes time to find out. I always had a hard time putting myself in categories. I love someone or I don't. Screw names. Screw genders. I know I love you, and I always will, no matter what you are or what you want to be. If you'd rather be a man ... I'll be there to support you."

Jessica: "But what if I don't?"

Sylas: "What do you mean?"

Jessica: "What ... if I actually enjoy being a woman having a tail and fur, and being able to hear the mice hiding under the floorboards?"

Sylas: "If that's the case ... shouldn't that make you the happiest person on the island?"

Jessica: "IF IT WEREN'T FOR THE FACT THAT I'M ACTUALLY A SUPER GAY, SUPER MALE, HAIRY CHESTED, LEATHER LOVING ..."

Sylas (interrupts): "Shhh! Stop it right there."

Jessica: "But ... but ..."

Sylas: "What are you afraid of? That the gay police is going to find and arrest you? Since when is being feminine a crime?"

Jessica: "*sigh* Logically I know that you're right. But emotionally, I just can't get over being in a straight relationship all of a sudden."

Sylas: "Or is it me being in a gay relationship all of a sudden?"

Jessica: "I know it makes no sense. But still ..."

Sylas: "So how about we just stop thinking about it, when all it's gonna do is give us a headache? I love you for who you are, and not for what someone else thinks you should be. Especially not the ghosts of your past."

Jessica: "Thank you, Sylas. I was so worried you'd take it the wrong way. I shouldn't have doubted you."

Sylas: "I have my own share of ghosts haunting me. And the gender thing ... You know ... I was expecting something like this. I mean, which body you get zapped into is completely random, right? So unless lightning strikes are incredibly selective in this world, every second person in this camp should have changed more than just their species. I assure you, you're not the only one."

Jessica: "We'll find out sooner or later. However there's one more thing I'd like to talk about."

Sylas: "Okay, fire away."

Jessica: "You said, I reminded you of your cat?"

Sylas: "Yeah, again, sorry that was pretty rude."

Jessica: "No no no! I ... I actually love it when you talk to me like I'm your pet. Could you please do that more often? ... Meow?"

Sylas: "Really? Awww, you're such a good kitty."

Sylas pets the kitty.

Jessica: "*puurrrrrrpurrrrpurrrrpurrr*"

Sylas: "Come on, let's go and teach the world what unconditional love looks like!"

Jessica: "*puurrrrrrpurrrrpurrrrpurrr*"