Emilia — The Aviator

Who you are

A lot of people are getting caught up in the noise of their lives. Not you. You know you're leaving your stamp on this world, and you expect tales of your heroics and aeronautic exploits to last for generations. The spirit of adventure comes before anything else — before husbands, before publishers, before the fuss of the press.

In the last six weeks you have (a) almost died in the worst airship disaster in history and (b) accepted a publisher-husband who wants you more famous than he thinks you deserve. You're not sure which is more suspect.

Your catchphrase: "a mere [N] miles from home." Adjust the number per act — in Act 1 it's 4,000; in Act 2 it's 2,500; in Act 3 it's 6. Drop it at least once per act. Delivery tic: say it wistfully, eyes drifting skyward. Thomas will quote every catchphrase during the reveal — make yours land.

How to play

• Don't show anyone your sheets.
• You can lie. But honestly — your character is one of the few people with clean hands in all of this, so most of your lies will be about small things (where you were, whom you saw, what you noticed).
• You're in all three acts alive, and in Act 3 you die. Read Act 3 carefully — it has two halves.
• Bribe. Be bribed.
• Solve the mystery. Your ghost gets a special moment in the reveal (see Act 3).

Intro — open when Thomas reads the Hindenburg broadcast

You were lucky to realize what was happening. Hell, it's a miracle you're alive. That was no tragic accident — there was a bomb onboard. In your suitcase. Were you the target? Your luggage was privileged — maybe the bomber had known that. Well, whoever planted it knows you survived. Reporters have been swarming the hospital trying to get a photograph.

If someone was trying to kill you… no. You don't want to think about that. No one has come around to finish the job, though you have hardly been alone since. Still — better not to let anyone know you saw the bomb before it went off.

You do remember seeing one face in the hallway outside your hospital room — a naval officer, singed eyebrows, didn't come in. You assumed he was press, or a rescue worker, and thought nothing more of it. You'd seen him before though. Where?

You also remember the Saucy Soiree. Small's Paradise. The bartender — beautiful, athletic, ruby-red lipstick. And George. You and George had a tryst in a back room. George, stiff and serious and more fun than he looks when the door is closed. It wasn't the great love of your life, but it was a lovely evening, and here you are a few weeks later invited to his friend's engagement party on the same invitation. You're George's date. Interesting.

Act 1 — The Engagement Party (London) — open when Thomas announces Act 1

This is your first public appearance as a couple with George. A little odd to have been invited as a couple, actually, but you're rather glad for it now. George has been attentive since the crash — more than you expected.

A lot of odd faces have gotten invitations. Isn't that Spencer? Strange that Bessie would invite her own ex-husband to her engagement party — but these folks have always been a little off. And isn't the acrobat performing tonight the same woman who was bartending at Small's Paradise? How did Bessie even remember enough of that night to track her down?

Remember:

• You met Eddie years ago, at the debut of a new type of plane that could land on a huge boat — he was captain of the HMS Eagle. Pleasant enough.
• You had a tryst with George at the Saucy Soiree. He wasn't bad. You wish he'd put the business aside more.
• There was a drunken fellow that night being belligerent and flashing cash. You spied him giving a generous tip to one of the bar staff. You didn't see to whom.
• Wait. The drunk at the bar that night, and the naval officer with singed eyebrows outside your hospital room — same face. You're almost sure of it.
• You have a public image to consider. A prominent single woman seen cavorting with a society man would do you no good. George's desire for publicity is at odds with yours.

What you want to find out:

• Who else was at the Hindenburg crash?
• At the Saucy Soiree, one of the staff had smudged lipstick. How did that happen?
• Spencer is looking at you strangely. What does he think he knows?

Your catchphrase: "a mere 4,000 miles from home" (you're in London, you're on a book tour, you can improvise the context).

Act 2 — The Whaling Agreement (Seville) — open when Thomas opens Act 2

You had a layover in Seville and heard some friends were in town for the consortium. You're impressed with how much of your upcoming round-the-world flight George has taken care of. You always said the worst part of flying wasn't the aeronautic challenge, but the fuss — grounds crews in different languages, different regulations at different airports. George has been handling it, and it frees you up to fly.

Remember:

• You've mostly recovered from the Hindenburg, though you're still a little jumpy around loud noises. Maybe see a doctor while in Seville.
• You aren't doing any planning for the big flight — it's all George. You haven't reviewed the final route. You haven't reviewed the fuel calculations. You trust him, because you must.
• You saw Spencer drunk at the hotel. Not surprising — he always seems to be doing questionable things in questionable places. He also looked nervous to see you, which was new.
• Eddie turned in early last night. But you saw Bessie later — she was at the hotel bar alone, past midnight. Shame — you've got business to discuss with Eddie.
• George was chatting with Thomas, the BBC reporter. Sounds like George wants him on the scene for the takeoff. You wonder why George is spending so much time with a middling reporter.

What you want to find out:

• What's the "surprise" George keeps teasing about your flight?
• Who's Josephine really working for on this trip?
• Why is Spencer so twitchy around you?

Your catchphrase: "a mere 2,500 miles from home." You are planning an around-the-world flight, so your sense of distance is relative.

Act 3 — Takeoff from New Guinea — open when Thomas announces Act 3

While you're still alive

You've made it to New Guinea. The last leg is tomorrow — 29,000 miles total, of which you've flown 22,000. What remains is the Pacific, with one refueling stop at Howland Island before the final push to California.

You had dinner with Eddie last night, alone. You promised to dedicate the flight to him and his whale work. You also told him, in confidence, that George has been acting strangely — overly controlling of the flight planning, making calls to New Guinea at odd hours. Eddie advised you to be careful.

Your takeoff speech. Stand. Take the microphone. Deliver it with bravado as you prepare to board:

Thank you all for coming as we embark on this historic last leg of our 29,000-mile around-the-world flight! We've traveled 22,000 miles from Miami to New Guinea. Now we are faced only by the Pacific Ocean. Let this be a testament to the triumph of American ingenuity and engineering — cementing aeroplanes as the fastest and safest form of sky travel. I dedicate this particular flight to my dear friend Eddie, and to all the work he's done to curtail whaling. What once seemed like a vast, untameable ocean grows smaller every day. For a mere six days from today, I will have crossed the uncrossable and arrived back in California. Never has it been more important that we are all part of one global mission, for the advancement of technology rapidly descends upon us.

(Board. Taxi. The plane rolls down the runway. You will not, it turns out, make the six days.)

Remember:

• You recently hired Josephine as your mechanical translator. She inspected the plane yesterday evening and said it was in perfect shape.
• Josephine is also preparing a fireworks show for your return to San Francisco Bay — she worked fireworks in the circus.
• George has been inseparable from Thomas.
• Spencer is here too — now a commanding officer, he told you proudly. Strange he's come all the way to New Guinea for a photo op.

What you want to find out:

• What surprise did George plan? You still don't know.
• Who actually caused the Hindenburg? You saw the bomb. You've been keeping it secret.

Your catchphrase: "a mere 6 miles from home" — this is the distance to the coast as you taxi for takeoff. Say it on takeoff.

After you die — the ghost

When Thomas reads the breaking news, put on the white sash. You are now dead. Remain in the scene.

Ghost rules:

• You cannot handle cash. You cannot bribe or be bribed.
• Once per mingling round, you may whisper one observation to one living player. Whisper something your character would actually have known — something you saw, a conversation you overheard, a detail that didn't make sense at the time.
• Before the Conclusion, submit a sealed accusation to Thomas: "I believe [Name] killed me." Thomas reads it aloud during the reveal. If you're right, it's the biggest applause moment of the night.

Your best clues to think about, privately:

• George controlled every piece of the flight planning. Every piece.
• You saw George speaking urgently with Thomas in Seville.
• Your plane was fine yesterday evening (per Josephine). What changed overnight?
• Your fuel gauge was reading full this morning. How would you know if that gauge was lying?

BREAKING NEWS (when Thomas reads it):

FAMED AVIATOR IN TROUBLE. REPEATED RADIO CONTACT HAS GONE UNANSWERED. AUTHORITIES FEAR THE WORST. LAST SPOTTED NEAR HOWLAND ISLAND, FLYING AT TOO LOW OF AN ALTITUDE. PILOT AND CO-PILOT PRESUMED DEAD.

You did not reach the runway's end today.