As Shinji wakes up, he meets a kindred spirit amongst the people of the circus. Talia and Elio finally agree to share their story, and Marcus offers them a proper welcome.
You can find more information, including our full cast list and transcripts, at DesperadoRadio.com.
Credits:
Written and produced by Samy Souissi.
- Elio – Samy Souissi
- Shinji – Tibet Boyer
- Talia – Tami Ige
- Leo – Femi Adebowale
- Samar – Kawtar Morchadi
Soundtrack:
- (Free) J Balvin x Dancehall Reggaeton Type Beat 2019 – “Mamacita” | Isa Torres x Taylor C.
- Warrior Women – Epic Journey
Transcript
Previously on Desperado…
ELIO
After Joan and her coven raided the circus, Marcus had to give Shinji an emetic to protect him from questioning. Doing so, unfortunately, he almost killed him, as we learned later from Leo, a man who swears like a crusader, but claims not to be one. On our guard ever since, we’ve been watching over Shinji as he recovers.
This is Desperado…
SFX: (transitional music)
ELIO
We didn’t really spend much time looking over Shinji because, merely half an hour later, that man, Leo, stepped back inside the tent holding a pillow in each hand. Talia glanced at me, dagger in hand, and I nodded. If anything happened, my shield was ready.
LEO
Can we please talk?
TALIA
Stay where you are, drop what’s in your hands. And sit down.
LEO
… Guys those are really nice pillows, I mean-
TALIA
You do all three, or you bleed.
LEO
(laughs heartily)
Okay… this is what I get for being nice.
ELIO
The rest… honestly was too quick for my eyes. The man didn’t move, but a pair of wings sprung from his back… and slit through the air. Neither of us had time to react, I blinked and there was wingtip under my chin, an inch away from my throat. Same thing for Talia.
LEO
You know, Marcus thinks it takes time, and tact, and patience… for newcomers to finally warm up to the circus and learn to trust- but really, everybody here was pushed against a wall at one point and told- “Hey, if we wanted to kill you, we really would have, and it wouldn’t be hard- So can you stop being such a wanker?”.
ELIO
His wings disappeared, and I took my first, real deep breathe in a minute. Then he dropped the pillows, and sat down on the floor.
LEO
Now, can we talk?
SFX: Sharp whoosh
TALIA
My dagger flew off, and stopped right before his eyes. I didn’t smile at his surprise, but to some level it reassured me. And I said:
Sure. What do you want with Shinji?
LEO
Take a fucking guess, did you not see the wings?
ELIO
Talia.
TALIA
I glanced back at you and froze for a split-second. You, the man with the impenetrable shield, were terrified.
ELIO
He… He’s an angel. He doesn’t care for your dagger, and he’s being really, really, patient with us. So drop it.
TALIA
I’m not-
ELIO
NOW, Talia.
LEO
Wow-wow-wow- It’s okay- Relax. I’m-
ELIO
I’ve seen wings like yours before. I’ve seen them fly over a city and reduce everything to ash- in a matter of seconds. What are you doing here?
LEO
Same thing you’re gonna do.
TALIA
And from his pockets he took out a handful of military tags, each one emblazoned with a cross, some of them completely scorched.
LEO
Hunt down crusaders. These are all from the past 6 months. These two in Madrid, this one in the south of France, and the other four just a few days ago, less than an hour away from here. If you can make your way here, what makes you think Crusaders haven’t?
TALIA
Yeah, why do you think we have a dagger to your face?
LEO
Which, by the way, I do care about, because again, not a crusader. All I have is my wings. Nothing else. And that makes me the only person equipped to make sure your friend recovers properly. Even Marcus, no matter how well intentioned, almost killed him.
ELIO
You’re just here to… watch over him?
LEO
Yes, please.
ELIO
I looked at Talia, and without a word this time, she called back the dagger to her hand.
Still, he didn’t try to get up and instead just slid the… really nice pillows on the floor.
LEO
I’ll stay right here. I’ll answer whatever questions you have. All I want is to keep an eye on him.
TALIA
(growls)
…Fine.
It didn’t seem like we could keep him away from Shinji anyway. So I sat back down, and asked…
Let me get this right. Your job… in this circus… is to hunt down Crusaders?
LEO
Me and everyone else. That is Marcus’ life work. In the morning you’ll be officially introduced to the circus and- Actually I guess you still need to be debriefed.
ELIO
I’m… not sure I follow.
LEO
Does Marcus know everything he needs to know? About you?
TALIA
He tried to ask, but… witches.
ELIO
What should we expect tomorrow?
LEO
A party.
TALIA
Seriously? What?
LEO
Yeah you’ve been found! It’s a celebration. But before that, you’ll need to tell Marcus everything. Because if he doesn’t know the whole story… this happens.
TALIA
And he pointed to Shinji.
LEO
Make sense?
ELIO
Yeah.
LEO
I would get some rest if I were you, then. Tomorrow will be a long day.
TALIA
I’ll worry about tomorrow when it comes. Right now, I’m watching out for my friend.
ELIO
And an hour later we were both asleep, because Lady luck was a lot more subtle than we thought. And as the minutes passed, we felt more and more at ease with Leo. We let down our guard, resisted a little less… And drifted away.
TALIA
I never slept so well in my life.
ELIO
Yep. In the morning we found Marcus and Leo pleasantly talking on the other side of the bed. And even then we didn’t wake up in panic, nor did I feel any guilt about falling asleep, and that should have been the first sign I was being soothed by Marcus.
TALIA
Yeah. I was embarrassed at best but Marcus and Leo were very quick to tell us it was all fine, that we were probably more tired than we thought and blablabla-
ELIO
Fucking liars.
TALIA
And good ones at that.
SHINJI
…You know, hearing it now… he handled you two like tired babies.
TALIA
What do you mean?
SHINJI
He saw you were loud and cranky, and he put you to bed.
ELIO
Smart man.
TALIA
Yeah.
So then Marcus suggested we get some food, while Leo would keep watch over Shinji- And we agreed. I mean, seriously. At this point what could I have possibly objected to?
SHINJI
You left. I assume I woke up just a few minutes later- and then I met Leo. When he showed me his wings I didn’t even make the connection between him and the Angels. I was just amazed there was someone like me!
I- I didn’t even have the words, really- I just… deployed my own.
LEO
I knew it! I knew it!
SHINJI
He was delighted. He looked like a kid opening a present and I couldn’t help but smile in return.
LEO
They’re incredible! I’ve never seen a refraction like that!
SHINJI
I like your feathers.
LEO
Thank you! I’ve always wanted to see bare-wings like yours, can you control each- “finger” I guess… on its own?
SHINJI
I smiled, and showed him I could.
LEO
See, I can’t do that! The feathers are great but they really get in the way.
Goodness! Where are my manners? How are you feeling? Do you need anything?
SHINJI
I’m good. Just tired.
LEO
Yeah? Hungry?
SHINJI
You know you’re– the first one like me.
LEO
Am I? You’ve never met anyone else? Wait… give me your hand.
SHINJI
And I did. I braced myself, like I always had to when about to shake someone’s hand- not knowing how strong their grip would be or how much pain I would have to hide. It ranged from light discomfort to split-second-torture but with him… nothing. Nothing…
Ah, fuck- sorry- getting emotional-
ELIO
It’s okay, dude.
TALIA
Take your time.
SHINJI
It just hit me y’know. It was the first time feeling someone’s touch and not being scared at all. And I bet he saw it because his smile widened and… he gently pulled me closer. He wasn’t even trying to be careful. He didn’t treat me like I was made of glass. He just… knew.
And I held on to him…. I just started crying man. I know it sounds dumb but-
TALIA
Don’t say that, come on. I genuinely think it would have killed me. I need human touch. It’s intimacy, connection, it’s love– It’s- I’m so sorry you grew up like that.
SHINJI
It’s alright- I caught up a bit lately. But yeah, I was… I was a mess that morning-
TALIA
I can imagine.
While you were meeting Leo we stepped outside, as the Circus was setting up a buffet for breakfast.
Everyone knew their roles, whether it was setting tables, heating up food or making sure the night shift was served first. I never understood what “organized chaos” meant until I saw the circus in function. And if most of them were still being discreet, we noticed a few more cast members glancing and whispering about us.
ELIO
Marcus got us our plates, brought us to a table and – with a little nudge from Lady Luck, we talked.
TALIA
It was… an unusual feeling to tell your story in broad daylight, without precautions or fear of any kind.
ELIO
We told him everything. My village, La Catrina…
TALIA
The deal I made with the Baron, and the mission he gave me. Marcus listened, only interrupting to ask for more details here and there… And at the end of it, he kept quiet for a moment. He said my story, in particular, was most troubling. But still he told me not to worry, and I believed him with all my heart. He said that there were precedents, that a curse like that could be broken and he would personally look into it.
ELIO
And immediately after that, he reminded us we were free to leave. If we wanted it, he’d make us disappear as promised. But if we stayed… If we stayed he could maybe free Talia, and help us become what we needed to be.
TALIA
Nobody would have said no to this.
ELIO
And so we stayed. And Marcus smiled. He got up on his seat and claimed us as part of the Circus. And people cheered and clamored- like they were just waiting for this. And in an instant we were swarmed.
We were welcomed.
And whatever plans they had for the day- they ditched to celebrate. Nobody’s as ready for that than circus artists. Instruments appeared in people’s hands and a group made space for dancing. Honestly I think they just wanted an excuse to start drinking early, like-
TALIA
Yeah, the Nova folks know how to throw a party.
SHINJI
A little too much if you ask me.
ELIO
Yeah. At first I found it quite… impressive, y’know what I mean? But- There was something off about it.
TALIA
It’s because it’s sad. It’s how most of them cope. Everybody there had a story like ours. Stories of loss, of burning cities and drowning boats… So you drink. You take. Or you lose yourself in your work, your art, whatever garden of peace you managed to protect from the outside world.
The Nova folks are extraordinary… but a lot of them are hurting.
It was a lot to take in. A lot of questions and repeated answers. Just a lot of faces, honestly. And I… I don’t know. Now that I didn’t have people depending on me, I just wanted some time for myself. So I asked someone for a cigarette, and told Marcus I need to find a bathroom. Instead I went to find some shade under an oak tree. Not too far from the camp. It was nice. I sat down, I took a deep drag, and felt my mind clear up. I didn’t think of anything. I just took time to exist. How I was alive. I was safe. That was enough.
SAMAR
Oh hey!
ELIO
I looked over, as Samar approached the clearing. She was coming from the forest, dirt all over herself and a fresh bandage on her shoulder. She was wearing the same clothes as yesterday, but accessorized it with a travel pouch dangling from her belt, a set of throwing knives strapped to her thighs, and two short swords, crossed on her back.
SAMAR
You look well! How was your first night?
ELIO
I- Good. Good. It was… Yeah. It was good.
SAMAR
Yeah?
ELIO
Actually- no-not really. It’s fine. It was just… yeah. It was a lot. But you’re- what happened to you? Is everything okay?
SAMAR
Oh yeah, no that’s… that’s fine. It’s part of the job.
ELIO
Right. And you’re a…
SAMAR
Gardener.
ELIO
… Okay. You’re not a fucking gardener.
SAMAR
I’m really not. Is it the sword? It’s definitely the sword.
ELIO
Well, I mean… It didn’t help.
SAMAR
It’s not my job per say- but back home it’s considered polite to hunt demons.
ELIO
Okay… not my first language. But you said…Demons.
SAMAR
Yeah it’s– ummm… civilized, you see what I mean? Like picking up trash on the floor? If you can, you should.
ELIO
I… No, no. It’s… mmmm.. I’m stuck on the demon bit, actually.
SAMAR
Yeah this country is full of them. I don’t know what the witches are doing.
ELIO
What- What do they look like?
SAMAR
Uhh- It depends. So a demon is basically what happens when people hear creepy noises at night and superstition spreads. People can put a lot of faith in folktales, and all that energy has to latch on to something. Usually a wild animal that just happens to enjoy screaming at weird hours. They can get quite big, super aggressive. They grow claws, fangs- sometimes wings. It depends on the culture.
ELIO
And… Are you okay?
SAMAR
Yeah it’s fine. It did scratch me a bit.
ELIO
Yeah…
SAMAR
My parents would be disappointed.
ELIO
Is that the right word?
SAMAR
Oh, it really is. My dad used to say there’s no difference between a demon and the breeze. I still don’t know if he was kidding… But what about you? Whatcha doing all alone?
ELIO
Are you sure you don’t want to rest? You had quite a night.
SAMAR
I was more hoping to bum a cigarette off you, to be honest.
ELIO
Ah, sorry, it’s not mine. But you can finish that one if you want.
SAMAR
Nah, it’s okay. What happened last night though?
ELIO
We got to meet some witches.
SAMAR
Ah. Was it Joan again?
ELIO
Yeah, you know her?
SAMAR
Yeah. Smart woman. I assume Marcus took care of it?
ELIO
Yeah, he- fuck I forgot to ask him about that. She asked to see our IDs and… he already had three passports for each of us. Out of nowhere, like…
SAMAR
Oh, no! That was probably Basim.
ELIO
And she took out her necklace from under her shirt. It was a small pendant, carved in a strange, smokey crystal with garnet reflects. On it was engraved a single word in Arabic.
SAMAR
(in arabic)
Good morning, Basim. Would you like to meet my new friend?
ELIO
As soon as she spoke, a strange mist started pouring from the stone, taking shape in the air. It was…alive. With huge round eyes and a sort of… Cheshire smile. It blinked at me, intrigued, then seemed to yawn and…stretch. And by that, I mean like three or four hands made of smoke materialized around him and extended briefly. I was mezmerized, and I asked
What is it…?
SAMAR
This is Basim, the genie.
ELIO
…No way…
SAMAR
My people and his kind have been companions for centuries. They hate taking orders, but they love being helpful… and they can create pretty much anything with their little hands.
ELIO
Anything…
SAMAR
Well, I’ve never seen them create anything bigger than a shirt. The more complex the object, the more energy it takes.
ELIO
The genie then took one look at Samar, and started shaping some of the haze around him. His little hands multiplied in the air, moving with the ease of a seamstress, as he weaved together an object from the mist. You could feel him pull at the seam of reality and rearrange it between his tiny claws. And in an instant, a cigarette pack that dropped into Samar’s hand.
SAMAR
Aww! Thank you! This little one has been spending a lot of time with Marcus lately. I would be surprised if he decides to-
SFX: distant demonic roar
ELIO
…Samar.
SAMAR
…Did I miss one?
ELIO
Was that…?
SAMAR
Yeah- And it smelled blood.
ELIO
It’s…
SAMAR
Go get Marcus.
ELIO
But-
SAMAR
Sweetie, it’s okay- We’re all gonna be fine. Just go get Marcus.
ELIO
Deep in the forest, branches from the highest trees started to shake, as something made its way toward us. Something big. Despite the panic I looked back at Samar and said
“I’m not leaving you here!”
SAMAR
Which is, frankly insulting, if you ask me.
SFX: Another menacing roar
GO!
ELIO
I stepped back, slowly and said: “I- I’ll go get some help!” And I started running. Everyone in this circus was fucking crazy- but anyway, I sprinted back to the festivities and yelled something about: “Demon! There’s a demon in the field!”
As soon as I saw Marcus, I just grabbed him by the shoulders and screamed my warning. Just… begging for anyone to help, but they just all stopped. They looked at me and then they… cheered. They all just fucking cheered like if I had said “next round is on me”… And they made their way to the field.
TALIA
What’s going on?
SHINJI
Did you say demon?
LEO
Move! I’m not missing this!
ELIO
I- Samar-… I didn’t have the words. I was just- floored. And then that roar again.
SFX: Demonic screech pierces the air
TALIA
We turned around as the creature emerged from the forest.
SFX: Crack of bark and leaves as something large crashes through the trees
SHINJI
One look at it, and my wings deployed. Everything about that creature was made for killing.
ELIO
It vaguely resembled a panther- yet something about the way it moved reminded you of a snake. It was sort of… repulsive grace. With thick, red fur… its spine distorted by the weight of turgid muscles. Whatever animal it used to be, magic made it a killing machine. With claws the size of my hands and fangs big enough to distort its mouth. Bony spikes had pierced the skin on its back and shoulders- every aspect of its body made to pierce, tear and slash. And yet the circus still cheered, observing from afar as Samar took out her blade.
SFX: sword unsheathes
TALIA
What is she doing?
ELIO
Why is no one helping her?! I ran back to the field, elbowing my way up front- until a hand suddenly grabbed my shoulder. Leo.
LEO
Calm down. I don’t think she would appreciate that.
ELIO
What are you talking about?!
And Samar just… whistled.
SFX: sharp whistle cuts the air
Like you would a dog. She was perfectly still, and in that moment she seemed made of stone. Unmoveable, implacable. I can’t even describe it- she was… she was a rock. A mountain. But the beast couldn’t see it. It took one step forward- foaming at the mouth, and the machinery of its muscles exploded in fury.
SFX: loud, aggressive roar
ELIO (CONT’D)
It leaped forward and I couldn’t help it- I yelped. I had seen death, in that very moment.
But Samar simply stepped aside, and the claws dug the earth instead of gorging in blood. Its jaw snapped in the air immediately afterward. But still. Too late. Samar spun around and her blade slashed into the demon’s shoulder.
SFX: blade slashes
Always with that insulting indolence, playful like a dancer on waxed floor. To the creature she opposed a barrage of steel, elusive and ruthless- but not once did the demon weaken. It could take a thousand cuts without a flinch but one swipe of its claws- and it could have torn Samar apart. She wouldn’t be able to maintain that rhythm, but as I quickly find out she had no intention to. She slipped under the creature as it leaped again… And stood up in a staggering spin. The arc of her blade caught a flash of the morning sun- as the head of beast fell to the ground.
The move had seemed so obvious… And then the applause. The thundering joy as wicked blood soaked the earth. That, was the Nova circus.
TALIA
Now let me tell you about what we became, under their teaching.
SHINJI
This is where our story truly begins.
ELIO
In a peaceful valley not too far from Bristol… they made us god- killers.