Jones St., Chapter 8: Pages 1-2
Page 1, 5 Panels- Tara's Bedroom, Jones St., Las Vegas NV
Panel 1: We open on a shot of Tara standing in front of his bed, looking down at his phone in a frozen bit of thought. You can see his phone's screen in the panel view in the Phone app, implying that he's about to call someone.
TARA [narration caption]: To someone who's not a great fan of talking, making a Phone call is a uniquely harrowing situation...a little like walking next to a swarm of bees. You think you're okay, but the feeling...the feeling doesn't last.
Panel 2-4: A three-part set of panels that centers on the same setting and layout as the previous panel. Each one shows him pacing around the room, slowly but surely tapping the numbers on the phone over the course of a few minutes. All the while, you can hear the sound of buzzing (showing in a series of "BUZZZZZ!!!!") that permeates the whole of the panel till the final number is pressed.
TARA [Cont. narration caption, Panel 2]: The mind constantly screaming and moving all around me as I'm typing the number, paired with the anxiety... TARA [narration caption, Panel 3]: The chatter of other thoughts and conversations going on in my day as it rings. TARA [narration caption, Panel 4]: It's why I don't like making them...
Panel 5: Cut to a close-up of Tara's thumb clicking on the green button in order to start the call. In the top of the panel view, you can see the bottom "7, 8, 9" numbers from the screen; the bulk of the bottom half covered by his finger and hand, save for the Recent and History buttons on the bottom of the phone screen. As for the buzzing, it's stopped in concert with the buzzing from earlier.
TARA [Cont. narration caption]: Unless I really need to. And even then...
Page 2, 6 Panels- Millennium Fandom Bar/Tara's Bedroom, S. Las Vegas Blvd./Jones St., Las Vegas NV
Panel 1-2: A two-part set of panels that starts out in the same setting and layout as the final panel of the previous issue; the phone ringing from within her messenger bag. Melanie glances down in Panel 2, pulling the bag up onto the empty stool next to her just before reaching in to answer. In front of her on the bar countertop, you can see a plate of chili fries that are only 1/4 eaten.
MELANIE [to herself, guessing; Panel 2]: Probably Jay checking up on me, or maybe that mobile gaming company I talked to last week...
Panel 3: Cut to a few moments later with the young woman pressing the phone against her ear; the layout of the scene shifting slightly that the bag is out of view, and we see only the top half from her face to her chest.
MELANIE: Hello? TARA [from the phone receiver, to Melanie]: ...Hey! MELANIE [surprised, Bubble 2]: Tara! Hey, uh... TARA [from the phone receiver]: You got my text?
Panel 4: Cut to Tara standing to the right of the front of his bed, giving a sympathetic nod to what she tells him; the phone pressed up to his ear in the same relative position that Melanie's is in the previous panel. You can see part of the Ray Bradbury poster on the wall behind him in the background as he speaks.
MELANIE [Cont., from the receiver]: Yes, I did. This isn't really a good time. I just got fired from my job today. TARA: Oh, s--sorry to hear that. I wasn't gonna hassle you too badly. It'd just been awhile since I heard back from you, and I didn't--
Panel 5: Back to Melanie in the same setting/layout as Panel 3. She looks over in the direction of Cassie as she comes into the young woman's sight line; the background audio of the scene has changed to a slower tempo song from the more faster, danceable one that had played in the background up till now.
TARA [Cont., from the receiver]: Is that the Fandom Bar? MELANIE [nods]: Yeah. I'm here with my roommate Cassie, the one from Witches of Neverwhere. So I can't really talk at the moment. TARA [Bubble 2, from the receiver]: Okay, I won't take up too much of your time.
Panel 6: Back to Tara in the same setting/layout as Panel 4. A few moments have passed since the last piece of dialogue from the previous panel, and we see the struggle in his eyes as he tries to frame the next words to come out of his mouth.
TARA [Cont.]: I just wanted to know if...if you could come over to Sif's a couple nights from now. MELANIE [from the receiver]: ...Tara! TARA [Bubble 2]: Just to...Just to check up on where we stand. Also, tell you something that I should've said awhile ago. It's been bothering me for so long, the silence and wait (not the other thing), and...I just wanna know.
MELANIE [from the receiver]: Wanna know what? TARA [Bubble 3]: If...If we are...