CAST

SAMUEL SEABURY - ARTHUR KIRKLAND

HERCULES MULLIGAN - GILBERT BEILSCHMIDT

AARON BURR - COOPER WRIGHT

ALEXANDER HAMILTON - DENNIS READER

JOHN LAURENS - ANTONIO FERNÁNDEZ CARRIEDO

MARQUIS DE LAFAYETTE - FRANCIS BONNEFOY

The scene is a bright blue sky, only whisks of thin, icy clouds high above as Dennis Reader walked down a trail on the very edge of the city, his new friends, Antonio Carriedo, Francis Bonnefoy, and Gilbert Beilschmidt rough-housing behind him. A few feet away, a pensive Cooper Wright trailed, watching them with a judging eye. The air was crisp and clear, the wind gently blowing as people bustled about their business, buying goods and gossiping among themselves peacefully.

The peace among them, though, was interrupted, when a pale man stepped up onto a mass of high hay bales, clearing his throat as he jerked a couple of papers in front of him to straighten them out.

"Hear ye, hear ye!" He shouted, his prominent British accent catching the ear of quite a few people, including the group of rebels passing by. "My name is Arthur Kirkland, and I present "Free Thoughts on the proceedings of the Continental Congress!"" The crowd began to gather beneath him, and Reader and his friends followed, everyone's curiosity sparked.

Kirkland smiled, "Heed not the rabble, who scream revolution. They have not your interests at heart."

"Oh my God. Tear this dude apart." Beilschmidt grumbled. Carriedo stepped forward, rolling up his selves, but Bonnefoy grabbed the tail of his jacket, holding him back.

"Chaos and bloodshed are not a solution. Don't let them lead you astray. This Congress does not speak for me!"

Beilschmidt growled, stepping forward, but Wright placed a hand on his shoulder. "Let him be."

"They're playing a dangerous game. I pray the King shows you his mercy..." Wright looked around, realizing Reader had disappeared, "For shame, for shame..."

Wright's eyes widened in horror as he saw Reader climb up next to Kirkland, who had his eyes trained on the paper. As the farmer continued to read off the paper like a drone, Reader spoke straight to the audience, overlapping Kirkland's words. "Yo! He'd have you all unravel at the sound of screams, but the Revolution is comin', the have-nots are gonna win this!"

"- they have not your interest at heart!" Kirkland was struggling to speak over Reader.

Reader was smirking, "It's hard to listen to you with a straight face."

Kirkland glared back into his paper, attempting to ignore Reader, "Chaos and bloodshed-"

At the same time, Reader started talking, this time, directly at Kirkland, "Chaos and bloodshed already haunt us, honestly you shouldn't even talk. And what about Boston? Look at the cost, n' all that we've lost n' you talk about Congress?"

Kirkland glared up at Reader. "This Congress does not speak for me."

Reader laughed, "My dog speaks more eloquently than thee,"

Kirkland stepped closer, his thick brows furrowed, "You're playing a dangerous game."

Reader leaned forward, before lurching away, scrunching up his nose, "But strangely, you mange is the same!" In the crowd, Carriedo choked, while Bonnefoy glanced at him, his knowledge of the English language failing him at the moment, not quite understanding what "mange" meant.

Kirkland's face turned red. "I pray the King shows you his mercy."

Reader pulled out the pistol in his holster, examining it with a smug look, "Is he in Jersey?"

The crowd gasped, except Carriedo, who cheered slightly. Kirkland looked like someone had just slapped him in the face, "For shame!"

Reader turned to the audience, "For the revolution!"

"For shame!"

"FOR THE REVOLUTION!" The crowd screamed in response.

Kirkland, realizing he was the minor opinion, was beginning to look a bit sickly. "Heed-"

Reader rolled his eyes, turning to Kirkland again, "If you repeat yourself again, I'm gonna-"

"Scream-"

"Honestly, look at me, please don't read!" Reader snapped as Kirkland gripped the paper even tighter with his shaking hands.

Kirkland tried to ignore him, "Not your interests-"

"Don't modulate the key then not debate with me!" Reader ripped the paper out of the man's hands, prompting Wright to make his way forward. Carriedo, Bonnefoy, and Beilschmidt, however, nearly collapsed with laughter. "Why should a tiny island across the sea regulate the price of tea?"

Wright reached the hay bales, looking at the pair, "Dennis, please!"

Reader turned on him, his eyes still just as fiery, "Wright, I'd rather be divisive than indecisive, drop the niceties!"

"SILENCE!" A different crowd nearby shouted. Everyone turned to face them, and saw that they were all pointing at a large piece of parchment nailed in a tree nearby. "A MESSAGE FROM THE KING! A MESSAGE FROM THE KING!"

"A MESSAGE FROM THE KING!"