What’s Going to Happen?

 

We’re closing in fast, with barely two days to go. Now we find ourselves at the heart and soul of literature: the plot of Patchwork Hearts. Just what is going to happen to all these people I’ve put together? Well, purposefully, I’ve left a lot of this question unanswered: it spoils the writing and constricts me to figure out everything that’s going to happen before it does, but I needed to give them a feasible jumping-off point to get this circus going. Here’s my plan:

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First is a prologue. In it, we meet each of the members of the main cast (with the exception of Malcolm, who can only be effectively introduced as a friend of Phineas), told in four separate stories. First comes Phineas, our hero, who starts off the story by putting a small diamond on his heart, hoping it will benefit him. After that comes Cynthia, or “Cindy”, going into a heart boutique on the Lower Slopes and buying a magnifying lens to put on her heart. Next is Virgil, the mentally damaged person, who goes to the rag and bone shop where he bought the fateful watch that destroyed his personality. Dirk and Jack Draconi IV, however, are featured in one story; Dirk, being a standoffish independent Black Marketeer, is personally interrogated by Draconi to add him to the Family fold. He threatens to put a live cockroach on Dirk’s heart if he doesn’t comply and allow Draconi to put a Draconi family crest on his heart to symbolize his allegiance to the Draconis. He eventually does and lets them put on the crest, but Draconi puts the cockroach on anyway because he’s a spiteful bastard.

Following these inciting incidents, the rest goes into motion. Phineas’ friend, Malcolm, thinks that he’s acting strangely, but Phineas won’t tell him why. He thinks that he needs a change of scenery, so he invites Phineas with him to a boxing match he has in north Blackstone. Cindy, meanwhile, with this magnifying glass on her heart, gains an insatiable curiosity about the far distant poor district of Blackstone. She goes there and promptly gets lost.

Dirk, a bit depressed about no longer being an independent, finds Cindy and, sensing her naïveté, decides to play her for some money. He almost succeeds, but Phineas quickly and sharply deflates Dirk’s efforts, which introduces Phineas, Dirk and Cindy at the same time.

What Dirk doesn’t realize, though, is Draconi knows his every move because the Draconi crest he bonded to him is a “tracker” which lets Draconi, who has the “bonder” crest, know what they’re all up to. He becomes suspicious that Phineas caused Dirk to lose this business from a silly and rich society girl.

Was that too much to absorb? Here’s a flow chart I drew up:

 

The prologue of Patchwork Hearts

 

Following this, Phineas, Malcolm and Cindy all meet at a tavern in Blackstone; fast friends. Virgil is there, too, and he makes a big, insane scene about his bar tab. Phineas tries to calm him down, but he’s being oddly abrasive and hard-headed, which only makes Virgil madder. Malcolm, though, calms him down, not by threats of violence, but with sharp humour. Cindy, who is sympathetic of Virgil, asks what happened to him, and he explains the problem of the exploded clock that has sent his Heart in a tailspin. Phineas tells him that he’s going through a similar thing with his diamond. Malcolm, who still doesn’t know, gets mad that Phineas would be so hasty about bonding something like that, and not telling him once he did. Phineas reacts harshly, partly because diamonds are so abrasive and transparent, and so is he. Him and Malcolm quickly fall out of speaking terms.

Dirk, who is also in the tavern, overhears this exchange, and conversely, so does Draconi. Dirk isn’t aware of this, however, until Draconi contacts him and tells him to stick to Phineas like glue; he could either be very useful or a big liability.

 

A scene in a tavern, where all the main characters inevitably meet.

The third scene I’ve planned is where Phineas meets Jack Draconi IV, who will inevitably become the story’s villain. Phineas has an interest in theatre, so as thanks for helping her out in Blackstone, Cindy has invited Phineas and Malcolm to a play being held on the Lower Slopes. Phineas eagerly accepts, but Malcolm doesn’t want to go, probably because he’s still mad at Phineas. Nonetheless, Phineas attends with Cindy.

Also at the play is Draconi, who also enjoys theatre. By chance, he spots Phineas in the audience, who he recognizes from a Backsight that Dirk gave him earlier (which is where a “bonded” person can pass on a visual memory to a “bonder”, i.e. Dirk passing on a memory to Draconi. I just thought of that right now, by the way). After the play, Draconi quickly strikes up a conversation with Phineas, to size him up. Phineas doesn’t recognize Draconi; though his name is infamous, his appearance is largely unknown. Draconi eventually finds out that Phineas has been interested in finding out how to “unbond” objects, since that diamond isn’t working out for him after the incident in the tavern. This could be a problem for Draconi, for if Phineas was to find out how to unbond things, besides the immense cultural shift this would cause, he could give this secret to his team of “bondeds”, thus releasing them from his servitude. Draconi doesn’t take Phineas very seriously at first, but suggests to the Family that he be placed on constant surveillance.

Cindy sees Phineas chit-chatting with one of the biggest crime lords in Sangua City, who she recognizes from several formal gatherings she was at, which distresses her. Cindy later tells Phineas that was Jack Draconi IV, a fact that fills Phineas with incredible worry.

Meanwhile, at his home, Malcolm hears strange sounds out his window. Looking out, he sees Virgil, who has wandered out of Blackstone into the south Narrows and is causing a ruckus. Malcolm immediately rushes out and gets Malcolm off the street and out of harm’s way. Virgil recognizes Malcolm as the man that helped him at the tavern, so he lets him help him once more. Phineas later visits to see how Malcolm is holding up, when he finds Virgil and hears his story.

Seeing Virgil, Phineas comes to realize that bonding things to your heart can be dangerous and unpredictable, and now sees the importance of finding out how to unbond things. Such an idea is ridiculous, but Phineas is determined to find a way; not just for him or Virgil, but for everyone.

 

The events of how Draconi and Phineas meet, and the moment that makes Phineas determined to succeed.

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Heavens knows this is not the whole story; far from it. This is just where I’m going from. The story, even between these outlined interstitials, can fly off in all sort of wild and fantastic directions which might send these early ideas out the window. Such is the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants fun and grandeur of NaNoWriMo; I hope you’ll be along for the ride!