[When she arrives, Achilles is waiting. He has clad himself in the pain black suit loaned by Asher, the fit of which is not quite right. Despite his great stature he now appears somehow smaller, as if whittled away by grief. As if an essential piece of him is missing. As she draws near, he gives a somber greeting.]
Gentle-hearted Maya, I can scarce say how grateful I am that you would venture out in these times of plague and strife.
[From his pocket he produces the photograph, which captures a moment of Sieglinde's birthday party, a cheerful afternoon which now seems so long ago although only a month has passed. This he holds out to Maya. He and Patroclus lean into one another shoulder to shoulder with Sieglinde beaming proudly before them. It was a story they had fabricated, yet what they shared felt nothing short of kinship.
( action )
Gentle-hearted Maya, I can scarce say how grateful I am that you would venture out in these times of plague and strife.
[From his pocket he produces the photograph, which captures a moment of Sieglinde's birthday party, a cheerful afternoon which now seems so long ago although only a month has passed. This he holds out to Maya. He and Patroclus lean into one another shoulder to shoulder with Sieglinde beaming proudly before them. It was a story they had fabricated, yet what they shared felt nothing short of kinship.