CHAPTER TWO : the aftermath.
scene transcript between adam griffin, alina winthrop, charlie yates, roman keating, thalia pham. featuring ace. july second.
roman keating: over the last few days, rome's found himself apologizing to adam for taking up space whenever they were in the same room. he can't recall a single moment in the last seventeen years of knowing each other where they've disagreed or fought — at least to the point of uneasiness between them. though not as bad as the keating household, the tension is suffocating, rendering him uncomfortable enough to spent the majority of his time on the orion. the boat rocks gently on top of the ocean as he rests comfortably with his legs stretched out, head leaning back and both arms hanging off the side. per adam's urgent request, he waits for the others to arrive. he's hoping they can remedy the situation without another argument.
alina winthrop: if she knew that agreeing to help adam at the archives would lead to this, she probably would have said no. there had been a slight adrenaline rush when they first discovered the connection between the warners and rome's boat, but it's been a few days since and now she's wondering if that was truly a lead worth following. but adam had sent her a text that morning telling her to meet them on roman's boat, and she figures, now that she's in this, she might as well be in it. when she arrives, rome is the only one there. she stops next to him, and pushes her sunglasses up. "so i take it you've all kissed and made up now?"
thalia pham: for a self-proclaimed pacifist, thalia is very aggressive when it comes to the kind of brawl that only ever spawns between her friends and those beefed-up trust fund brats. if she wasn't five foot three, she would have certainly jumped at the chance to smack brax across the face. she would just have to reach his face, first. it's a little different watching her friends dive into action, though, and it only floods her with even more concerns about the path adam's going down. so when asks all of them to meet him there, a glimmer of hope flickers behind thalia's eyes. maybe they can finally move past all of this. with some of the letters between his father and claudio tucked safely in her back pocket, though, a little piece of her understands that this will never truly be over until adam accepts that his father is gone for good. she approaches the orion nervously, in anticipation of which adam he'll be today. normal, kind-hearted, goofy adam or obsessive, i'm-gonna-get-us-all-killed adam? when all she finds is roman and alina, though, her heart rate sinks to its normal rate. until she realizes that she's alone with rome and alina. thalia pulls her sunglasses down from her head to her eyes. god. "where's adam?"
adam griffin: the adam griffin apology tour has been put on hold. after his talk with thalia on the beach, he had every intention of tracking down rome and don and making up after his display at the bonfire. sure, he wasn’t planning on stopping the search, but with a clearer head, he understood why it wasn’t fair to drag his friends along on the hunt. but then came his second trip to the archives and the picture of rome’s boat and personal safety be damned, adam was going to find out what happened to his dad and get rich in the process. always on his own time, adam approaches the orion a couple minutes after his requested meeting time to be greeted by his much more punctual friends. and alina. “perfect, you’re all already here. ali and i have treasure hunt news.” he puts his hands up, anticipating a protest. “and i won’t take it personally if you don’t want to stick around, but rome, we kinda need your boat.”
roman keating: all he can offer to everyone’s inquires on adam’s whereabouts is a shake of his head or shrug of his shoulders. “not a griffin to be found,” he replies, not bothering to move a single muscle. when adam finally approaches with treasure hunt news, rome crosses his arms over his chest with a deep sigh to prepare himself for the rest of the conversation. he was hoping for something more lighthearted to conspire; beers all around, a joke here and a joke there. despite his demeanor, he can’t deny the comfort he finds in being around the rest of the group. he doesn’t necessarily have an issue with the hunt in and of itself, but the prospect of any of them dying isn’t on his bucket list for the summer. his curiosity strikes with the word need. “you need my boat? for what?” he questions, bringing his sunglasses lower on the bridge of his nose. “are we off to find captain hook?”
thalia pham: sometimes productive oceanside chats aren't enough to keep someone from going after what they want. lia gets that now. adam can't be stopped, not until he finds out what happened to his dad or gets shot in the process. his news of reigniting the treasure hunt isn't surprising—it's the fact that it's preceded by "ali and i" that bothers her most. alina winthrop, doing what she knows best. slithering in at the worst possible times. thalia swallows the sour taste on her tongue. is that jealousy? she pulls back from adam one time, for his own good, and immediately she's replaced? lia she pulls her sunglasses down like a librarian. she wants to leave, to try to punish adam in some kind of way, anything to make him stop, but she knows it won't work. the only thing it'll do is risk the strength of their friendship. "you've got to be kidding me." she says, the words tinted with a small dose of venom. "what is it this time?"
adam griffin: if the looks his friends give him are any indication, maybe adam should’ve completed his apology tour before he tried to rope his friends back into his shit. oh well, too late now. “okay, first,” he pushes rome and thalia’s sunglasses back up their noses, one hand for each pair. “stop looking at me like you’re my disapproving parents. feels like a bad omen, i don’t have a great track record of keeping them in my life, y’know.” part of him hopes that the morbid joke would make him feel any better about the truth to it. it doesn’t, but he moves on without allowing himself to give it a second thought. “now, we think the orion formerly belonged to someone that has something to do with a treasure. remember how a griffin married a warner? when we went back to the archives, we found a picture of a warner on the orion. it might be a longshot, for you to buy the boat with a clue on it,” adam shrugs. “or it might be fate. i think it’s worth a look to see if there’s anything left on it.”
alina winthrop: obviously the bonfire was a train wreck and adam asking her for help was a red flag in itself, but she’s still surprised by the mood on rome’s boat. serves her right for being punctual for once. when adam arrives, there’s not much for her to say so she’s playing observer from behind her sunglasses. rome is rome and thalia is annoyed, but none of it is really new. adam’s ease within the group seems out of place given what he’s asking of them, but none of them have said no yet. she supposes she’s a victim of that now too.
roman keating: roman swats adam's hand away as he pushes his sunglasses back up his face, tsking in annoyance. he glances between charlie, thalia and alina to gage their expressions before settling back on adam as he talks about the possible history of the orion. he barely recalls anything they've found or discussed while snooping around, but he nods his head anyway. "we're chucking a lot of shit up to fate these days, man," he counters, trying to come off as lighthearted as possible. as long as their all here, there's not a reason for them to not look. "don't see why we can't look. at least old lady mckee and her shotgun aren't around."
thalia pham: she squints through her sunglasses once adam places them back atop the bridge of her nose. who is she to say no to his request? it's roman's boat, and they're already there anyways. maybe it is fate. something like this doesn't really seem like a coincidence—the boat to which rome is essentially married, falling into place somewhere within adam's family's history? "that's funny, i seem to remember you looking forward to cozying up next to old lady mckee just a few days ago," thalia nudges rome with her elbow. "but you're right. we're already here.." she peers at adam, feeling guilty about the eager look of hope that's already bound itself to his face. "i guess we should look.”
joshua cooper: it’s a tall order, even coming from adam, and he’ll usually say yes to whatever stupid shit they wanna do, but he’s also unwilling to trust anything alina’s involved in. except that, thalia and rome are more than willing to go along with this, and josh feels like he must’ve missed the part where they decided that it was okay to risk their lives again. “that’s really it?” he surprises himself with his conviction, but someone has to be the voice of reason. “and if we do end up finding something on the boat, are we gonna follow that thread? i mean, where are we drawing the line here?”
roman keating: "i'm currently going through a dangerous woman phase. the more likely they are to cause bodily harm, the hotter they are. old ladies included." rome nudges thalia back with his foot then returns to his lax position. he doesn't expect they'll find anything of importance, but if they do, he doesn't want to focus on where it leads them. he prefers to go into things blindly; that way, the threat of danger stays low on his radar. besides, rome would rather they do this as a group instead of adam running around solo or with only alina in tow. "don't worry, joshy, we'll keep you safe," he teasingly coos, blowing him a kiss.
adam griffin: adam knows his friends would do anything for him, but given the resistance he was met with a few days ago, thalia and rome are remarkably quick to agree to look. though, poking around on rome’s boat is pretty low stakes compared to breaking and entering. “if we don’t find anything, yeah, that’s really it.” at least until he finds another path to rush down. “but i’m following any thread i find.” there’s an edge to his tone, making it clear how serious he is. when it comes to his father, he doesn’t intend to leave any stone unturned. but adam doesn’t want another fight, so he drops the attitude and shoots josh a grin. “i’ve never been very good at drawing,” he shrugs, “we’ll play it by ear.”
thalia pham: she could veto this whole thing, try to reason with adam again. but she's tired of being the person responsible for crushing her best friend's dreams. thalia snorts at adam's reply to josh and shakes her head, but she can't hide the smile on her face. she leans against josh. "one day at a time," she mumbles. the letters between morales and thomas are burning a hole in her back pocket, and she still can't decide whether or not to show them to the rest of the group. hopefully the boat will just become another loose end, and they can put this whole thing behind them. thalia stands straight and turns toward alina. "you gonna help us, princess?"
alina winthrop: as per usual, joshua is the only one with even half a brain cell. but at the end of the day, he's still only josh and this is about adam's father. if she could imagine another life for herself, she thinks she might want one where the people who were supposed to raise her mattered that much. play it by ear. alina wants to scoff. she won't pretend to know adam, but she knows this won't be how it ends. for the first time in the conversation, she's addressed by none other than thalia. "turned over a new leaf then, pham?" she flashes her a smile. "well, only because you asked so nicely."
roman keating: while some tension is still lingering, he's thankful that their inability to say no to adam is keeping things civil. despite spirits seeming higher, he's not naive enough to believe another blowout is off the table — especially if or when they find themselves in another life of death situation. roman forces himself to a standing position. he assumes that if there's going to be anything on his boat, it's somewhere below deck. moving to open the hatch, he looks back at the group. "if i'd known this is what we were doing today, i would've at least tried to tidy up."
alina winthrop: “yeah, when’s the last time you cleaned up around here, rome? christmas?” she navigates her way around gingerly, pinching a girl’s blouse and tossing it elsewhere. the rest of them are spread out in the small space, shuffling through drawers and boxes. alina’s helping, sort of — working at half the pace they are when she finds a box in the corner. when she tries to open it, it doesn’t budge. alina turns it over as she looks for any marks, but, for all intents and purposes, what she’s holding is just some box.
thalia pham: lia looks around for a few seconds, but ends up starting to clean instead of searching for clues. she can't help it. alina's right. they aren't really sure what they're looking for, but once thalia notices alina's found a box she gravitates toward her. "here, let me try." she slides the box out of alina's hands and into her own. "it looks like it needs a key." it looks old. like, old enough to actually be relevant to all of these treasure hunt shenanigans.
adam griffin: there’s a part of adam that knows how ridiculous it is for his heart to skip a beat when he turns around at the sound of thalia’s voice and takes note of the box in her hands, but most of him knows that hope is all he has left of his father. “here.” he holds out a hand, and tries the lid himself. it doesn’t budge. for good measure, he gives it a shake. it sounds like there could be something in there, but he isn’t sure if it’s his imagination playing tricks on him. regardless, the box is useless as long as it's locked. adam hesitates before he sets the box down, attempting to keep his face stoic. his gaze lifts, finding alina's — only person on the boat that won’t be able to pick out the disappointment on his features . “at least now we have something to look for. gotta be a key for this somewhere.
roman keating: he hasn't been helping. instead, roman has taken a seat on the small bed, choosing to observe the others when alina discovers a box he's never seen before. with all the work he'd done on the orion when it was first given to him, he's surprised that they've actually found something. then again, he's fairly unconcerned with matters that don't align with his daily tasks. as adam and thalia mess around with the box, a sense of relief washes over him when it doesn’t open. though he could easily bring up the crowbar he’d brought along to their excursion a week prior, he keeps that information to himself. “i know we almost died, but i’m kinda hoping it’s at old lady mckee’s amongst her china cows. she and i have unfinished business.”
alina winthrop: when thalia takes the lead with the box, ali figures she's reached her kindness quota for the day, so she makes herself comfortable next to rome. honestly, it seems like a dead end. the key could be anywhere. she laughs sharply at rome's comment, mostly out of disbelief. "seriously?" though she does admire how he's able to make a joke so soon. something else occurs to her. "for the record, if you all go back to mckee's house, i'll pass."
charlie yates: as a small circle begins to form in the cramped space, charlie chooses to linger on the outskirts, his body tucked in on itself and made small against the clutter. going into this, he hadn’t expected much. it just didn't seem likely that after everything they’d been through — the risks, the long nights, the many dead ends — the next piece of this elaborate puzzle was sitting right under their noses the entire time. and yet ... here they are. adam had called it fate, but charlie thinks it too good to be true. sure enough, it’s only a moment later he hears the words that turn the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach into a vacuous hole : a key. of course they need a key. and judging by the size and shape of the box, charlie gathers there’s a very good chance it needs a key exactly like the one sitting in the bottom of a moving box waiting for him back at his parents' place. skinny fingers dig into the ridges of his elbows, clutching as though for dear life as he trains his face to keep from showing that his heart and stomach have just dropped out of his ass, through the floorboards, and directly into the sea. he opens his mouth a few times, considers fessing up. whatever reaction he might get from the others is surely better than braving mckee's shotgun or god knows what else in what he knows would be a pointless venture should he not say something right now. but he thinks back to adam's words from before : this really is it. another dead end and they're done. no more mystery, no more risks, just a normal summer with his best friends and their whole ( healthy ! ) lives ahead of them. charlie bites down on his lower lip. he doesn't say a word.
ace: the harbor is a favorite of ace's. so many expensive boats left unattended, pretty things left lying about. he's tossing his set of keys around in his hands as he walks across the strip of land, busying himself — idle hands are the devil's workshop, after all. he's got a toothpick tucked between his lips and the slight breeze coming off of the coast tousles his hair just the slightest. finally, he comes to a stop before the piece of shit boat somehow tucked inside of all the luxury. he knew he'd find them here, he watched adam make his way over earlier. like little goldfish, waiting for a greater predator. ace clears his throat. "howdy, kids," he says before leaning against the side of the docked boat. "i heard you've been on the hunt. let me guess — nothing but loose ends?"
adam griffin: there's a split second where adam's almost checks on charlie. something in his posture makes adam pause, but before he gets a chance, he's distracted by the sound of a throat clearing behind him, and whatever fleeting concern adam felt for his friend is forgotten. ace painted himself in the background of the outer banks so effortlessly that it doesn't even register as strange to see him standing at the edge of the dock. at least not to adam, who's worked enough shifts alongside him that a foundation of trust has been built between the two. "hey, ace," adam nods in greeting. no, it's not until he mentions 'the hunt' that adam even considers something might be off. even then, he's willing to write his concerns off as paranoia. he takes a step closer to the edge of the boat, putting himself in between ace and the others. "what're you talking about?"
thalia pham: "we are not going back there," thalia says, waiving her index finger in the air like she's on her soap box. a lot is going through her mind, especially the correspondences between claudio and thomas she's failed to bring up. she's not sure she should. just as lia begins to notice that charlie seems a little anxious, adam's coworker invites himself into their conversation. already, she doesn't like it — the way he looks at them, it isn't simple. it's like he knows something they don't. thalia places her hand on charlie's shoulder just in case he really is feeling off, but turns her full attention to ace.
ace: he scratches the bottom of his jaw as he laughs. he can't tell if adam's playing dumb or if 'the hunt' wasn't clear enough. "relax," ace says, waving his hand at him. "you're searching for the treasure, right?" he doesn't have to ask — these kids haven't exactly been subtle about it — but he does it to be polite. "well i am, too. and i think things would go a lot quicker," he leans forward, "if we all just worked together."
alina winthrop: she’s never been to the wreck, so she doesn’t recognize the man who approaches. of course, ali’s defenses have always been easily disarmed with a pretty face, and, if adam knows him, surely he can’t be that bad. she can tell thalia is immediately distrustful of the guy though, as per usual. she purses her lips, gaze returning to adam. it’ll be mostly up to him, she thinks, which means they’ll probably say yes. ace is right anyhow, and they might stand to gain more from him than the other way around.
roman keating: despite the fact he knows of ace, roman's never particularly taken a liking to the guy. he may be right and it couldn't hurt to have another person on their side, but rome has a natural distrust of people who aren't in his inner circle. finally moving to stand next to adam, his arms cross over his chest as he glances over at his friend for a brief moment to try and read him before returning his eyes on ace. "you can back up. we heard you from where you were." his words come off territorial and if no one else was going to say anything, he had no qualms about speaking up.
adam griffin: the second adam feels roman's presence beside him, he knows rome doesn't trust ace. the two have never seen eye to eye when it comes to outsiders, and this is no different; adam wants ace's help, in whatever capacity he can offer. but adam also trusts rome, and respects his judgement, so when he meets roman's gaze, just for a second, he decides not to immediately show his hand. "sure, you might be right, things could go quicker," his tone is light and the grin on his face is easy, a stark contrast to roman's sharp edges. "but that's only if you have something that can get us somewhere. what do you know about the treasure?"
charlie yates: ace's arrival, while unexpected and a bit off - putting, couldn't have come at a better moment. it saves charlie from adam's attention, something he doesn't know if he'd be able to hold his conviction against if questions started being asked. he's happy to take a step back now, let adam and roman do the talking, and try to recompose himself in the time it takes to get to the bottom of whatever ace wants from them. he sets a hand over thalia's, giving it a light squeeze to thank her and try to settle some of the nerves he can feel radiating off her as well.
ace: ace can't help but respect that they're not letting him just walk all over them. adam, bargaining for information? it almost makes him a little proud. he faces roman, whom he doesn't know very well but it's not like that matters. "easy, tough guy. i'm just trying to have a conversation here," he says as he steps aboard, noticing thomas's watch sitting on a stack of crates well within reach. ace stares past the two boys and smiles at the pretty winthrop girl. "i know lots of things. like how abraham griffin wanted to be buried with the gold." ace walks toward the crates smoothly, like he's pacing. "and i also know there's a painting being auctioned off at the charity event on the fourth, that we would both find very interesting." he rests his hand on the top crate, just inches away from the watch. "only i can't get in to see it. but these two lovely ladies can," he says, nodding to thalia and alina.
thalia pham: this display of testosterone is too exhausting to watch. lia wants to check out, to roll her eyes toward the water lapping against the side of the boat and never look back. but what ace is saying is actually working on adam. at least it's a relief to feel the weight of charlie's hand on her own. "a painting? what does that even mean?" she scoffs to herself. ace obviously only needs them because her and alina's family have already secured invitations to this event, and calling her a lovely lady is not working in his favor. thalia walks over to adam and lowers her voice, although she's well aware that everyone can still hear her. she stands on her tippy toes to meet his face. "i don't think you should trust this guy, he's being unreasonably vague. and he's like, the slowest talking person i've ever met."
adam griffin: truthfully, ace trying to fuck them over doesn't even cross adam's mind. he's always been evasive; avoiding questions about his past and sidestepping any conversation about himself, so adam wrote him off as private long ago. all ace has to do is mention abraham by name and give them a new direction for adam to be ready to go down this path. thalia, however, doesn't seem quite so enthusiastic. adam leans down to listen to her, meeting her gaze, but he's unable to match the uncertainty he sees in her features. the reasons she gives not to trust ace aren't too convincing, and besides, ace said it himself that can't even get into the event. even if they find anything, they could always lie to him — how would he know any differently. he shoots talia a grin, "yeah, but if you already had an invite to the party." their decade old fourth of july tradition of setting off their own fireworks on the beach forgotten in favor of their newest lead. he shrugs. "we might as well go see what's up. don't you lovely ladies need some hot dates?" immediately, adam takes a step backwards, anticipating a swat for the comment.