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ACT V, Scene i
by Melinda Kimberly
ACT V, SCENE 1: (The Shadow Gallery)
(V sits, forlorn and silent, by the immaculately-made bed in Evey’s room.)
(Outside, the Wurlitzer spins up. “And now... you say you’re lonely…”)
(V looks up. As the song plays, he moves slowly, tentatively, out into the main room, hoping that his ears have not deceived him. “…Cry me a river... Cry me a river... I cried a river over you...”)
(Evey stands beside the Wurlitzer, gazing down affectionately at it. She senses V’s approach, glances up, and smiles.)
SIR NATHANIEL (Evey)
Videsne quis venit?
(V pauses in startled disbelief, then recovers his Shakespeare.)
HOLOFERNES (V)
Video, et gaudeo.
Act V, scene i, LOVE’S LABOURS LOST
(Evey turns. Leans against the Wurlitzer. Gazes warmly at V.)
(Evey: It’s good to see you too.)
(V: Evey…)
(Words fail him.)
I do presume, sir, that you are not fallen
From the report that goes upon your goodness;
An therefore, ... I put you to
The use of your own virtues, for the which
I shall continue thankful.
Gentleman (V)
What's your will?
Act V, scene i, ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL
(Evey: I guess that depends on you.)
(V wavers, then stands straighter as if expecting Evey’s welcome to turn to a dismissal.)
Act V, scene ii, CYMBELINE
(Evey: How so?)
KATHARINE (V)
[I] made her melancholy, sad, and heavy;
And so she died: had she been light, like you,…
She might ha' been a grandam ere she died:
And so may you; for a light heart lives long.
ROSALINE (Evey)
What's your dark meaning, [sir], of this light word?
KATHARINE (V)
A light condition in a beauty dark.
ROSALINE (Evey)
We need more light to find your meaning out.
KATHARINE (V)
You'll mar the light by taking it in snuff;
Therefore I'll darkly end the argument.
ROSALINE (Evey)
Look what you do, you do it still i' the dark.
Act V, scene ii, LOVE’S LABOURS LOST
(V laughs softly. The velvety sound fills the room.)
(V: Perhaps, but not for much longer.)
(Evey nods agreement.)
(Evey: It’s a bit mad above right now. People are frightened… and excited… and unsure.)
(V: Such is the nature of chaos, and all change is, at its heart, chaotic.)
(Evey: But there’s hope in that chaos.)
(V: That was my intent.)
(Evey: So will you join them tonight at Parliament?)
IAGO (V)
This is the night
That either makes me or fordoes me quite.
Act V, scene i, OTHELLO
(Evey (smiling): That wasn’t an answer.)
(V gives a slight nod in acknowledgement, but says nothing.)
(Evey scans the mask’s surface as if she can see through it to the man underneath. V watches her, wavering. Evey is almost close enough to touch.)
(V: You... have been the light in my thoughts these past dark months, Evey.)
(Evey: Have I?)
(V: Yes, as you have also been the grey pang of my regret.)
(Evey (intrigued): Your regret?)
(V: I rejoice in that heroic creature who looked at me and said she’d rather die, but I do regret the pain that caused someone I held so dear to say goodbye.)
(Evey’s smile is genuine.)
KING (Evey)
I have forgiven and forgotten all;
Though my revenges were high bent upon him,
And watch'd the time to shoot.
(V approaches Evey cautiously, as if expecting her to disappear.)
LAFEU (V)
...[I had lost one]
Whose beauty did astonish the survey
Of richest eyes, whose words all ears took captive,
Whose dear perfection hearts that scorn'd to serve
Humbly call'd mistress.
KING (Evey)
Praising what is lost
Makes the remembrance dear....
[do …] not ask our pardon;
The nature of [t]his great offence is dead,
And deeper than oblivion we do bury
The incensing relics of it:
Act V, scene iii, ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL
(V’s shoulders relax and a faint sigh of relief escapes the mask.)
(V: I did not think to see you again.)
(Evey: I promised. And even if I hadn’t promised, I still would’ve come.)
POSTHUMUS LEONATUS (Evey)
Every good servant does not all commands:
No bond but to do just ones.
Act V, scene i, CYMBELINE
(Evey pushes off the Wurlitzer to stand toe-to-toe with V. The tension between them is palpable, though they do not touch.)
(V: Just ones?)
(Evey: Just once.)
(V exhales, a breathy sigh.)
(V: And... what do you plan to do just once?)
(Evey: Like I said, I think that depends on you.)
CYMBELINE (V)
I stand on fire:
Come to the matter.
IACHIMO (Evey)
All too soon I shall,
Act V, scene v, CYMBELINE
(Evey reaches up as if to touch V’s masked face. Thinks better of it. Lets her hand fall. Laces her bare fingers with his gloved ones.)
(V tilts his head, intrigued. He brings Evey’s hand up between them. Turns it palm up. Caresses it with gloved fingers.)
(Evey’s breath catches. V looks up. Even through the mask, his gaze is intense.)
(Evey: You’ve... you’ve been in my thoughts. And in my dreams. Out of the corner of my eye I could swear I see you a hundred times a day, but every time I turn, you’re not there.)
(V: I am here now.)
(V presses Evey’s hand to his chest. Her bare fingers splay against the black brocade of his doublet.)
(V: And so are you.)
(Evey’s breath catches again. The mask tilts up; V pauses.)
HECTOR (V)
I trouble you.
No, not a whit.
Act V, scene i, TROILUS AND CRESSIDA
(Evey’s hand spans the smooth black brocade of V’s doublet, moving across his chest with deliberate fascination. V watches her hand, then gazes at her as if memorizing every detail of her.)
(V: You haven’t regrown your hair.)
(Evey shakes her head no.)
(Evey: It didn’t seem right. That girl is dead, just like you said. And I’ve stopped mourning for her.)
(V reaches up, his fingers trembling slightly. Just when he is about to touch Evey’s short-shorn head, he thinks better of it.)
(Evey catches his hand and presses it to her temple.)
(Another breathy sigh from
beneath the mask. V’s gloved fingers and palm hush over the surface of Evey’s
stubbled scalp. She leans into the touch, smiling. V watches her, fascinated.)
FERDINAND (Evey)
O, you have lived in desolation here,
Unseen, unvisited, much to our shame.
Act V, scene ii, LOVE’S LABOURS LOST
(V shakes his head no.)
DON ADRIANO DE ARMADO (V)
For mine own part, I breathe free breath. I have
seen the day of wrong through the little hole of
discretion, and I will right myself like a soldier.
Act V, scene ii, LOVE’S LABOURS LOST
(Evey: A soldier? ... You mean tonight.)
(V: The Fifth of November.)
(Evey: Yes, I remember.)
(A faint exhale, like a breathy chuckle.)
DUKE VINCENTIO (V):
.... My business in this state
Made me a looker on here ...
Where I have seen corruption boil and bubble
Till it o'er-run the stew; laws for all faults,
But faults so countenanced, that the strong statutes
Stand like the forfeits in a barber's shop,
As much in mock as mark.
Act V, scene i, MEASURE FOR MEASURE
(Evey (nodding): But we’re going to change that.)
(V: We?)
(Evey: I was hoping... Could I watch it with you? Parliament, I mean.)
(V: You’ll be there?)
(Evey reaches up. Her bare fingertips brush the smooth lacquered steel of the mask’s cheek.)
(Evey: I wouldn’t miss it for anything.)
(V leans into the touch.)
(V: Just ones.)
(Evey: Just once.)
(V’s hand slips down the back of Evey’s head, the touch a slow and sensuous hush as if he could feel every millimeter of skin through the gloves’ leather.)
LORENZO (V)
Here will we sit and let the sounds of music
Creep in our ears: soft stillness and the night
Become the touches of sweet harmony.
Act V, scene i, THE MERCHANT OF VENICE
(Evey closes her eyes in pleasure. The Wurlitzer changes songs. Cloying, syrupy music stains the air. “If I loved you... Words wouldn’t come in an easy way...”)
(Evey stifles a giggle. V is unsure whether to laugh or sigh in annoyance. He gives the Wurlitzer a polite but firm thwack with one gloved fist. The record skips, the machine changes records, and a new song begins to play.) (Soft and meditative music fills the room like calming incense. Evey smiles at V, who moves closer again. “One part of me just wants to tell you everything... One part just needs the quiet...”)
(V’s fingers trails over Evey’s shoulders, following the line of her spine. She shivers deliciously as the Wurlitzer continues to play. “...I will not take these things for granted... I will not take these things for granted...”)
(Evey caresses the cheek of V’s mask. Her fingertips whisper over Guy Fawkes’ steel smile.)
HELICANUS (Evey)
This was a goodly person,
Till the disaster that, one mortal night,
Drove him to this.
Act V, scene i, PERICLES OF TYRE
(V: Much more than one night drove me to this.)
(Evey: And much more than one night drives me to this.)
(Her lips just barely brush those of the mask. V is motionless.)
(V: Evey…)
LYSIMACHUS (Evey)
Yet let me obtain my wish.
Act V, scene i, PERICLES OF TYRE
(V (flustered): And what is your wish?)
(Evey guides his hand down to the hem of her shirt. Curls his fingers under the fabric. Pulls upward. Wriggles a little as V lifts the shirt up and over her head. Helps him slide it down her arms.)
(V stares at the cloth in his hands as if not quite able to fathom how it came to be there. The mask tilts to look at Evey.)
EARL OF DOUGLAS (V)
I fear thou art another counterfeit;
And yet, in faith, thou bear'st thee like a king:
EARL OF
But mine I am sure thou art, whoe'er thou be,
(V gazes at her, wondering. There is the tremor of a question in his voice.)
EARL OF DOUGLAS (V)
And thus I win thee.
Act V, scene iv, HENRY IV, PART I
(With trembling hands, Evey finds the center seam of V’s doublet. Unbuttons it. Slowly slides her hands inside to touch the soft muslin of V’s shirt. Behind the mask, V’s breathing speeds.)
(Without warning, V turns on his heel, Evey’s shirt in his hands.)
TROILUS (Evey)
I pray thee, stay.
Act V, scene ii, TROILUS AND CRESSIDA
VALENTINE (V)
[Aside] How like a dream is this I see and hear!
Love, lend me patience to forbear awhile.
(Evey covers her bare torso with her arms, shivering slightly.)
SILVIA (Evey)
O miserable, unhappy that I am!
Act V, scene iv, TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA
(V glances back at her. Still
carrying the shirt with him, he crosses the room with hasty steps.)
TROILUS (Evey)
Fly not; for
shouldst thou take the river
I would swim after.
DIOMEDES (V)
Thou dost miscall retire:
I do not fly, but advantageous care
Withdr[aws] me from the odds of multitude:
Act V, scene iv, TROILUS AND CRESSIDA
(V disappears through the door to Evey’s room. Evey glares after him, half-naked and annoyed.)
(Evey: And what was that supposed to mean?)
(When V fails to return after several long moments, Evey follows into the bedroom, curious and slightly concerned.)
(V stands, a narrow band of black satin in his hands. He is visibly warring with himself. When Evey enters the room, he glances up. She flicks her eyes to the band of satin.)
(Evey: What’s that?)
(V wavers, then makes a decision, turning to face her.)
(V: If I gave this to you it would not be for your sake, but for mine.)
(Evey: Your sake?)
(V: I believe you might be able to see me as I truly am. Beneath the mask. Beneath the scars. Perhaps even beneath... But even if you could forget, or forgive, or ignore, I cannot. This will make it possible for me to see nothing but you, because if I helped you obtain what you wish, I would wish to see nothing but you.)
(Understanding changes Evey’s expression into a beatific look. She closes the door and leans on it, a slight flush coloring her cheeks.)
(Evey: You want to see nothing but me?)
(V: Nothing but you.)
(Evey: Just ones?)
(V: Just once.)
(Smiling, Evey closes the distance between them and plucks the band of black satin from V’s hands. She takes a deep breath and binds it around her head over her eyes, blindfolding herself.)
(V watches her, half in joy, half in disbelief.)
LORENZO (V)
Fair lad[y], you drop manna in the way
Of starved people.
Act V, scene i, THE MERCHANT OF VENICE
(Evey smiles. She puts on a brave face at the darkness of the blindfold, but soon beads of nervous perspiration form on her forehead. She goes stiff, clinging to her self-control in the self-imposed dark.)
(V caresses Evey’s face, considering. She tries to relax into his touch, but can’t quite. He moves to untie the blindfold. Her hands stop his.)
(Evey: It’s okay, V.)
(V: I should not have asked it of you.)
(Evey: I can do this. I need to do this, for both of us.)
(V takes a breath to press the point.)
(Evey: No fear. No lies. Only truth.)
(V pauses at the stubborn jut of Evey’s chin. His shoulders fall as he resigns himself to her courage.)
(V: How can I help?)
(Evey gives a nervous laugh.)
(Evey: Holding me would be good.)
(V enfolds her in his arms, tentative at first, then both he and Evey cling more and more tightly to each other. Within moments, the embrace presses from knees to Evey’s forehead, which she buries in the brocade of V’s mostly-unbuttoned doublet.)
(The usually flawless tenor of V’s voice is hoarse with repressed emotion.)
(V: I did not think... to see you again.)
(Evey slips one trembling hand inside V’s doublet, running her fingers over the creased muslin of his shirt. Both tense at little. Evey adds a second hand to the first. V surrenders to the touch, his breathing ragged. Evey gently pushes the doublet off V’s shoulders and down his arms.)
(Evey (half-teasing): How many layers are there?)
(A strangled laugh.)
(V: Do you really wish to know?)
(Evey: Oh, yes.)
(V: Just the shirt remains.)
(Evey smiles. Tosses the doublet onto the same chair where only a short while ago V had sat and waited hopelessly for her return. Now V trails his fingertips across Evey’s bare shoulder as he moves to stand behind her. Her breathing grows shorter and quicker as she turns blindfolded eyes to track V’s movement.)
(V holds her to his chest, reassuring. When the tension in Evey’s body shifts from phobia to anticipation, V’s gloved fingers slip over her shoulders. Down her arms. Around her waist.)
(V sheds his gloves, tossing them to land on top of the doublet on the chair by the bed. He caresses Evey with bare hands. Her breathing speeds, as does his. Bare fingertips brush her belly. Strong fingers gently cup her breast. The mask bends to Evey’s ear as she presses back against V. He whispers her name. She shivers, grinning.)
Act V, scene v, CYMBELINE
(V caresses Evey, exploring. His body language grows more confident as he finally begins to believe Evey is real.)
Act V, scene ii, AS YOU LIKE IT
(V breathes Evey’s name in her ear.)
(Evey sighs, smiling. Covers V’s bare hands with hers. Guides them down to her waist. Curls his thumbs around the waistband of her skirt. Together, they push the skirt over her hips. It slithers down past her knees and pools at her feet.)
(Evey turns in V’s arms, blindly seeking a kiss. Her lips brush the lacquered smile of the mask again. V stiffens slightly and she pulls back.)
(Evey: I’m sorry. I forgot that you…)
(V isn’t sure what to say. He waits, listening.)
(Evey: I know this is going to sound silly, but for a moment there, I thought I’d turn and find the warmth of your mouth. I guess I just forgot.)
(V (whispering): You forgot.)
(Evey: I’m sorry, V.)
(V: Don’t be.)
(Evey: You know, there were times during those months I was with you that I’d swear your expression changed. It was like I could see you – the real you – right through the mask.)
(V: And… what do I look like?)
(Evey (sobering): Like someone who’s sacrificed almost everything he has to make the world a better place.)
(V reaches up as if to remove Evey’s blindfold, but can’t quite do it. Instead, he wraps his arms around her.)
(V: And the dark…?)
(Evey:… is where you are. And where I want to be.)
(The radiance of V’s quiet joy is visible, even through the mask. He turns his head to kiss her. Pauses. Glances down. Decides. Takes a deep breath to gather his courage. Reaches up beneath the curtain of straight, black hair. Begins to unbuckle the straps that hold the mask in place.)
(Evey cocks her head, listening to sounds she can’t quite identify.)
(Evey: V?)
KING RICHARD II (V)
One kiss shall stop our mouths, and dumbly part;
Thus give I mine, and thus take I thy heart.
Act V, scene i, RICHARD II
(Evey holds her breath. She turns, her senses perked as she realizes what V is doing. He lowers the mask from his face and gazes at her. Though still blindfolded, Evey colors as though she could feel his unfiltered eyes on her. She reaches up with trembling fingers and touches the scarred and uneven surface of V’s bare cheek.)
(It is V’s turn to hold his breath. Evey’s fingertips caress the line of his jaw, curling to the back of his head. Beneath the silken hair, Evey gives V the nonverbal cue to close the last few inches between her lips and his.)
(V bends just enough to offer Evey’s lips a gentle kiss.)
Thy lips are warm...
Act V, scene iii, ROMEO and JULIET
(V kisses Evey gently, testing. Her hand at the back of his neck becomes more insistent. The kiss deepens. V holds her close, his mask still in one hand, forgotten.)
(When V and Evey part, both are out of breath and grinning.)
(V tosses the mask onto the chair. It lands, smiling, on his abandoned doublet.)
PROTEUS (V)
Bear witness, Heaven, I have my wish for ever.
JULIA (Evey)
And I mine.
Act V, scene iv, TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA
(V kisses Evey again, more hungrily than before. Her hands slip to his waist, freeing the hem of the loose, gauzy shirt so she can run her hands over the bare skin beneath it.)
(His cry muffled by the kiss, V bends just enough to sweep Evey up into his arms. Laughing, she kisses his face, lingering at his mouth. He lays her down on the bed, stretching out beside her.)
(Evey reaches out blindly to V. As she shifts, the blindfold slips. V freezes.)
(Evey keeps her eyes firmly closed. Makes an annoyed sound. Sits up to move the blindfold back into place. Ties it more tightly this time.)
(Evey: There. Sorry about that.)
(V stares, astonished at her casualness.)
(Evey looks around blindly, her annoyance turning to concern.)
(Evey: V? ... V? ... Are you all right?)
(Smiling, V kisses Evey tenderly. She makes a sound of pleasure, deep in her throat. Lays back, pulling V with her. He frames her face with his hands, leaning on his forearms. His still-clothed hips brush her nearly-bare ones.)
(Evey slips her hand beneath V’s shirt to caress the bare skin of his back. Her fingertips describe a smooth but torturous network of scars.)
(V (breathless): Evey... I...)
(Evey: It’s all right, V; I like the way you feel.)
(This is clearly not the response V was bracing for. He waits.)
(Evey: I’ve wanted to touch you for a long time. And kissing you is even better than I’d hoped. Anything more would be…)
(V: Heaven.)
(Evey (smiling): Yes.)
(V shifts slightly so he is reclining on one side. He caresses down the naked lines of Evey’s body until his fingertips trace the band of her panties. He glances up to gauge her reaction. She arches slightly against his hand, breathing hard.)
(Evey: V...)
(V: There... are limits to what I can offer you, Evey.)
(Evey: It’s all right. I’ve seen the hands and I can guess the rest. But you can still touch me, right?)
(V: Yes.)
(Evey: Then do.)
REIGNIER (V)
Upon thy princely warrant, I descend
To give thee answer of thy just demand.
(V’s fingers slip lower. He cups Evey gently through the thin cotton of her panties. She cries out. Reaches for him. Curls her fingers around the back of his neck. Pulls him down for another kiss.)
(V chuckles, low in his throat.)
And here I will expect thy coming.
Act V, scene iii, HENRY VI, PART 1
(Evey’s mouth seeks V’s. His hand moves against her, gentle and almost teasing through the layer of fabric between them.)
(When Evey is on the ragged edge of arousal, V slips his hand into the band and curls long, strong fingers up and into her. She arches off the bed, calling the single letter that is his name. He begins a rhythm with his hand. She moves with him, focused by need.)
(V leans over Evey, his kiss insistent. Evey arches into his touch. Her hands fist in the loose muslin of his shirt. Her cries crescendo. The room echoes with her final scream as V brings her.)
(Evey, out of breath, relaxes as a final few aftershocks return her to her senses. V slowly withdraws his hand. Evey shudders sweetly one more time. He holds her until both of them have relaxed completely and recovered their breathing.)
(Evey: Thank you.)
(V kisses her very gently, a nonverbal “you’re welcome”.)
(Evey caresses his back through the muslin of the shirt. A thought occurs to her.)
(Evey: What about you? I didn’t do anything for you.)
(V: On the contrary, Evey, you did more than I’d ever dared dream.)
(Evey: But don’t you want me to...)
(Evey’s hands slide to the waist of V’s trousers.)
(V: No.)
(Evey nods understanding.)
(Evey: The scars?)
(V: I’d rather not be reminded how little is left to touch.)
(Evey slides her hands under the muslin shirt. Caresses the trim but tortured lines of V’s back.)
(Evey: Is this all right?)
(V replies with the deep, slow caress of his mouth on Evey’s. She responds with a mix of hunger and affection. By the time they come up for air, both are relaxed and smiling.)
(Evey: There is no place in the world I’d rather be than here with you.)
(V is quiet a little too long, silently searching for the words to frame his reply. Evey’s smile fades.)
(Evey: I don’t get to keep you, do I?)
(V: Would you prefer a lie or the truth?)
(Evey: Which would hurt less?)
(V holds Evey tight, burying his face against her shoulder. Evey’s arms tighten possessively around him.)
THESEUS (V)
Lovers and madmen have such seething brains,
Such shaping fantasies, that apprehend
More than cool reason ever comprehends.
The lunatic, the lover and the poet
Are of imagination all compact:
Act V, scene i, MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
(Evey: That means “no”, doesn’t it?)
(V: I wouldn’t know what to do with my sanity even if I had it, Evey. In truth, I have been a madman for almost as long as you have been alive. Now because of you I have been a lover too. Whatever else happens tonight, I must thank you for that.)
(Evey: You’re welcome.)
(Evey turns in V’s arms so they are belly to belly. Emotions war on his face.)
(V: You were right, Evey. They created a monster.)
(Evey flinches, coloring.)
(Evey: That was just the anger talking when I said that. I’m sorry; it was cruel.)
(V: But no less true.)
(Evey: Much less true. The world needs more monsters like you, V. You remind the rest of us of what real justice and real change look like.)
(V is silent, stunned.)
(Evey: I came here knowing what you’ve done. Suspecting what you’d do. Wanting who and what you are. And you’re exactly as I’d hoped you’d be. V... I wouldn’t change you even if I could.)
(V kisses her. Caresses her. Relaxes into her arms.)
(Evey: V?)
(V: Hmmm?)
(Evey: Can I tell you something else?)
(V: Of course.)
(Evey: The truth is... I was hoping you’d offer me more than just once, this time on a dagger’s edge.)
(V: On a dagger’s edge?)
(Evey (teasing): I know for a fact you have daggers.)
(V considers the request seriously.)
TIMON (V)
You witch me in it;
Surprise me to the very brink of tears:
Act V, scene i, TIMON OF ATHENS
(Evey: It’s high time someone did.)
(V sobers, memories of past tortures fresh in his eyes.)
(V: I would not hurt you, Evey, even if you asked it.)
(Evey: I certainly hope not. But that possibility -- the danger -- is part of what makes you who you are. And I love who you are, which probably means I’m a monster too.)
PROTEUS (V)
Nay, if the gentle spirit of moving words
Can no way change you to a milder form,
I'll woo you like a soldier, at arms' end,
Act V, scene iv, TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA
(V is gone from the bed almost as if he’d evaporated.)
(Evey: V?)
(Evey sits up. Fumbles for covers. Manages to slip between the sheets.)
(Evey: V?)
(The air rings as V unsheathes a dagger. He stands in the doorway, gauging Evey’s reaction.)
O happy dagger!
This is thy sheath;
Act V, scene iii, ROMEO & JULIET
(V looks at her, uncertain how to take that.)
(Evey: Sorry. I had to.)
(Chuckling, V shuts the door behind him.)
PROTEUS (V)
Unhappy were you, madam, ere I came;
But by my coming I have made you happy.
Act V, scene iv, TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA
(Evey: Actually, I believe it was I who did the…)
(Evey’s teasing is lost in a gasp as V tears the covers back. He leans in close, on one knee by Evey’s hip. His mouth is close enough to kiss, but instead holds Evey motionless, heart pounding at the suddenness of the move. V rakes her with hungry eyes, then changes the grip on the dagger.)
(The flat of the blade caresses the line of Evey’s jaw. She is caught between holding her breath and breathing in short pants. V whispers against her lips.)
OTHELLO (V)
Behold, I have a weapon;
A better never did itself sustain
Upon a soldier's thigh: ...
Act V, scene ii, OTHELLO
(The blade traces down Evey’s throat, a tease of steel that never breaks the skin. V’s mouth hovers above Evey’s. Holds her in thrall without fully committing to a kiss.)
(Evey: Please...)
(The tip of the blade traces across the line of Evey’s collarbone, circling down to spiral in toward her nipple, which tightens. A flick of the wrist and the tip of the blade nicks the point of Evey’s nipple. She gasps, though the nick draws no blood. Her whole body tightens, waiting.)
(Evey: V...)
(V’s mouth teases Evey’s, almost close enough to taste, but never giving in to the kiss. The blade slides lower, slipping across the flat planes of Evey’s belly. She breathes in fitful gasps.)
OTHELLO (V)
Be not afraid, though you do see me weapon'd;
Here is my journey's end,
Act V, scene ii, OTHELLO
(V changes his grip on the dagger. The tip slips into the band of Evey’s panties. V slides the flat of the blade along her belly to the side. Cuts the band with a precise flick of the wrist. Slides the blade back along her belly to the other side. Flicks his wrist again, slicing the band on the other side. Waits.)
(Evey is holding her breath. V teases her mouth with another not-kiss.)
(V: This is rougher than I’d planned, Evey.)
AEMELIA (Evey)
Ay, but not rough enough.
Act V, scene I, A COMEDY OF ERRORS
(V: Are you quite sure?)
(Evey: Please…)
(Without warning, V stabs the dagger to the hilt into the mattress alongside Evey’s head. She shrieks, startled. He kisses her fiercely, deeply. His hand slides down her body, possessive, until he curls his fingers around the sliced band. With one firm motion, V tears the panties away and tosses them aside.)
(V catches Evey’s hand when it reaches for him. Presses her wrist to the mattress. Shifts so he straddles Evey’s hips, kneeling. Reaches down with his free hand. Evey parts her thighs, sighing into V’s mouth. His fingers curl into her, possessive. He kisses her, bold, sure of himself.)
(The strokes of V’s hand match the movement of his mouth against hers. Evey arches into his touch, moving with him. Rakes the nails of her free hand down his back. He shivers deliciously. His fingers move deeper, faster.)
(Evey breaks the kiss long enough to scream her pleasure. V possesses her mouth again, the kiss bruising, hungry. Evey presses up, kissing back. The motion of her hips matches the movement of V’s hand.)
(Evey begins to tremble, the shuddering consuming her until she is all but bucking beneath V. He holds her down with hands, mouth, and body as the pleasure rolls her. She arches against him one last time, her final cry muffled by a fierce kiss, then collapses, boneless.)
(The racing of Evey’s heart is almost audible as she gradually recovers her senses.)
(V releases Evey mouth and buries his face in her shoulder again. He kisses up her throat and along her jaw.)
(Evey, out of breath, caresses V’s back lazily.)
(Evey: Thank you.)
(V: I did not hurt you?)
(Evey: No. It was what I wanted. Better, actually.)
(V: And you are not angry with me?)
(Evey gives a pleasure-drunk chuckle.)
BENEDICK (Evey)
I will live in thy heart, die in thy lap, and be
buried in thy eyes;
Act V, scene ii, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
(V (smiling): I will take that as a no.)
(V shifts the hand that still rests between Evey’s thighs. She shudders with pleasure when he slowly withdraws it. He watches her, fascinated, then slips from the bed to retrieve his mask, gloves and doublet.)
(Evey fumbles the covers over herself, uncoordinated in the languor of afterglow. Once dressed, V stretches out beside her again. She reaches up to caress his face. When her fingertips brush lacquered steel, Evey starts.)
(Evey (resigned): Just ones.)
(V: Just once.)
(V brings her hand to the lips of his mask and presses a “kiss” of apology to it.)
(Evey: I guess this means I can take the blindfold off?)
(V: Yes.)
(Evey reaches back. Slips the blindfold off. Looks up. V gazes down at her through the mask, composed and visibly more at peace.)
(V: Thank you, Evey.)
(Evey smiles at him, a bittersweet smile.)
(Evey: So what happens now?)
(V: I think that depends on you.)
(Evey: When I’m sure I can walk again, I’d like to go with you to Parliament.)
(V: Are you sure?)
(Evey: No, but I think it’s the best choice, given the circumstances.)
(V: When you’re ready, then.)
(V retrieves Evey’s clothing and folds it into a neat stack on the edge of the bed. She looks at it with conflicted emotions.)
(V: I regret I have no ladies’ undergarments on hand to offer you)
(Evey: What?)
(V: To replace the ones you just lost.)
(Evey stares at him as if he’s gone mad, then she begins to laugh. She laughs until she’s almost in tears. V looks puzzled and slightly unsure.)
(Evey: It’s quite all right, V. I’d worry about you if you did have ladies’ undergarments on hand.)
(A faint, breathy chuckle.)
(V: I suppose you might at that.)
(Evey slides out from under the covers and stands. She is slightly unstable on her feet. V supports her with a hand at her elbow while she dresses.)
(Evey stands, fully clothed, before a fully-clothed V, who gazes down at her through the steel mask. He cups her face in his hands, the action both tender and seeking.)
DUKE VINCENTIO (V)
I have a motion much imports your good;
Whereto if you'll a willing ear incline,
What's mine is yours and what is yours is mine.
Act V, scene i MEASURE FOR MEASURE
(Evey: All I want is you.)
(The mask tips down; V is visibly warring with himself again.)
(Evey controls her emotions. Covers V’s hands with hers. He looks up.)
(Evey: I had a feeling this might happen. I just didn’t think it’d be this hard.)
(V: Just ones.)
(Evey: Just once.)
TIMON (V)
Commend me to my loving countrymen,--
(Evey: V?)
TIMON (V)
Commend me to them,
And tell them that, to ease them of their griefs,
Their fears of hostile strokes, their aches, losses,
Their pangs of love, with other incident throes
That nature's fragile vessel doth sustain
In life's uncertain voyage, I will some kindness do them
Act V, scene i, TIMON OF ATHENS
(Evey: I don’t understand, V. What does that mean?)
(V: It means I am up to something.)
(Evey: You always are.)
(V: It will all make sense soon, Evey. I promise.)
(Evey slips her hands around V’s waist. He presses her head to his shoulder, wrapping himself around her one more time.)
(Evey: Why does this feel like goodbye?)
(V: It isn’t.)
(Evey: Not yet?)
(Evey and V trade a long look.)
(V: I have a gift for you, Evey, but before I give it to you I wonder... would you... dance with me?)
(Evey: Now? ... On the eve of your revolution?)
(V: Oh, a revolution without dancing is a revolution not worth having.)
(The Wurlitzer comes to life. “... I am a bird gurhl...”)
(Evey gazes at V and makes a decision.)
(Evey: I’d love to.)
Not marble, nor the gilded
monuments
Of princes, shall outlive
this powerful rhyme;
But you shall shine more
bright in these contents
Than unswept stone besmear'd
with sluttish time.
When wasteful war shall
statues overturn,
And broils root out the work
of masonry,
Nor Mars his sword nor war's
quick fire shall burn
The living record of your
memory.
'Gainst death and
all-oblivious enmity
Shall you pace forth; your
praise shall still find room
Even in the eyes of all
posterity
That wear this world out to
the ending doom.
So, till the judgment that
yourself arise,
You live in this, and dwell
in lover's eyes.
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