Jones St., Chapter 4: Pages 5-6
Page 5, 6 Panels- MadHouse Coffee, W. Desert Inn Road, Las Vegas NV
Panel 1: Action shot of Mr. Myers grabbing the Iced Chai with his right hand a few moments later after paying for the drink. His gaze is already looking out toward the dining area, along with the rest of the body as it twists away from the front counter visible in the background. You can see the Barista already moving on toward a different point to the left of the panel view to clean.
TARA [thought bubble]: Now to something that I pretty much dread- meeting someone new for the first time. So many different and weird anxieties buzzing around my head, not to mention a million questions buzzing through my head...
Panel 2-4: A three-part set of panels that follows Tara at different places in the coffeehouse, looking out for the mystery editor and where she happens to be sitting. The setting and layout of each panel changes slightly as he makes his way around in a nonpattern area, landing in the right side of the Coffeehouse by the time we reach Panel 4. Power bar setting- Panel 2: 74%, Panel 3: 74%, Panel 4: 71%.
TARA [Cont. thought bubble, Panel 2]: Do I be serious? Witty? Do I exhibit a relaxed set of body language, or go strict and professional? TARA [thought bubble, Panel 3]: How much of my personal life do I set out during the interview itself, or do I keep it close to the vest and focus on the work? TARA [thought bubble 2, Panel 3]: There's also the fact that I've never seen Claudia's face, just heard her voice and...argh, I'm brain babbling again, aren't I?! TARA [thought bubble, Panel 4]: Focusing on the work's probably the best bet, given that it's a potential boss. Gives me something stronger to zero in on. Now... TARA [thought bubble 2, Panel 4]: Where is she exactly?
Panel 5: Same setting/layout as the previous panel; the background behind him happens to be settled in the same area as Panel 4, with a couple chatting with each other over lunch. He looks around the general area, holding his still warm latte, in pursuit of the editor and where she happens to be sitting at that moment.
TARA [thought bubble]: On the plus side, she knows I have Asperger's, so...stands to reason that she could make the first move and signal where she is. Could be helpful to-- CLAUDIA [Off-Panel]: Tara?
Panel 6: Cut to a shot of Tara seated at a table near the wall on the other side of the room, waving pleasantly in his direction. She's dressed in a comfortable looking light brown T-shirt with a bracelet on her left wrist. In front of her is a sandwich and a coffee cup next to it. In the background, you can see a painting of a man dressed in a dark Bespoke suit with gold jewelry and electronics in both hands standing in front of the Strip; his arms outstretched as a mushroom cloud wiping out every casino around it.
Page 6, 5 Panels- MadHouse Coffee, W. Desert Inn Road, Las Vegas NV
Panel 1: We move to a side shot of the table a few moments later, showing Claudia (reaching out from the seated position) and Tara (standing in front of the chair he'll sit on, gazing down at the cup that he places on the table as he speaks) shaking hands across the table upon meeting each other for the first time. Her shake is seen as strong and rooted in confidence, while Mr. Myers is more based around finishing the act with no positive or negative connotation attached to it.
CLAUDIA [Cont., to Tara]: Good to finally meet you in person...how are you doing today? TARA [shrugs, to Claudia]: I'm okay. CLAUDIA [Bubble 2]: I hope the drive wasn't too bad.
Panel 2: Action shot focused squarely on Tara a second later, pulling back the chair we saw in front of him in the previous panel and starting to sit down; the energy bar over his shoulder reading 71%, same as the previous page. You can see his drink on the table in the foreground of the shot, with a tableau of people moving all around or seated at tables in the rest of the coffee shop in the background.
TARA [not worried]: It wasn't too bad. The time matched roughly what it said on Google Maps, give or take a few minutes for stop lights.
Panel 3-4: A two-part set of panels that both center on the same type of shot of Claudia that we saw of Tara in Panel 2. She looks down in Panel 3 to the chair next to her as if she's about to grab something she brought with her. In Panel 4, a couple of beats later, she reveals a clipboard with a pen attached to the top of it which she places next to her half-eaten sandwich.
CLAUDIA [Panel 3]: That's good. Now... CLAUDIA [Cont., Panel 4]: Tell me why you want to review books.
Panel 5: Back to Tara in the same setting and layout as Panel 2. The energy bar over his shoulder is the same as it was then, but now with a touch of static that moves from right to left in regards to the statement. He has his Iced Chai Latte cup in his right hand, lifting it up toward his mouth as he thinks.
TARA [looking down at the table, in thought]: Ummm... TARA [thought bubble]: A good question. One with a wide berth of possibility, though thankfully not as terribly stressing as "Tell me a little about yourself." Can't stand that question!