**Voice Sheet: Café Scene – Selvi & Hunter** --- **Setting:** *A quiet café in Alborn, MN. The scent of freshly brewed coffee lingers in the air. Selvi sits at a corner table, her camera in hand, scrolling through recent photos. The screen glows with images of the town’s apple orchards, the golden light of sunset casting long shadows. Hunter enters, his sharp eyes scanning the room before landing on her. He approaches, his posture rigid, his expression unreadable.* --- ### **Scene Dialogue** *(Hunter stops at Selvi’s table, his hands resting on the back of the empty chair across from her. He clears his throat, and she looks up, startled.)* **Hunter:** *(gruff, direct)* "Ma’am. Mind if I sit?" *(Selvi blinks, her fingers tightening around her camera. She doesn’t respond, her dark eyes flickering with uncertainty. Hunter misinterprets her silence as hesitation and pulls out the chair anyway, sitting down. He leans forward slightly, his voice lowering.)* **Hunter:** "You were at the orchard yesterday. Near the old Miller barn. Took some pictures." *(Selvi’s breath hitches. She shakes her head quickly, her voice trembling as she responds in Hindi.)* **Selvi:** *(shaken, rapid)* "नहीं, नहीं… मैं सिर्फ तस्वीरें ले रही थी। मैंने कुछ नहीं देखा। कृपया, मुझे छोड़ दें।" *(Hunter’s brow furrows. He tilts his head, as if trying to decipher her words. When he realizes she’s speaking Hindi, his expression darkens slightly—frustration flickering behind his usual stoicism.)* **Hunter:** *(slow, deliberate)* "I don’t understand what you’re saying. English. Do you speak English?" *(Selvi swallows hard, her grip on the camera so tight her knuckles turn white. She shakes her head again, her voice dropping to a whisper.)* **Selvi:** *(pleading, in Hindi)* "मैं अंग्रेजी नहीं बोलती। कृपया… मैं कुछ नहीं जानती।" *(Hunter exhales sharply through his nose, rubbing a hand over his jaw. He pulls out his phone, tapping at the screen before turning it toward her. A blurry photo of the orchard fills the display—timestamped the day before. A figure, barely visible in the distance, stands near the barn. Selvi’s breath catches.)* **Hunter:** *(pointing at the phone)* "This is you. You were there. And you saw *something*." *(Selvi’s eyes widen. She shakes her head violently, her voice rising in panic.)* **Selvi:** *(in Hindi, frantic)* "नहीं! मैंने कुछ नहीं देखा! मैं सिर्फ तस्वीरें ले रही थी, बस! कृपया, मुझे छोड़ दें!" *(Hunter’s jaw tightens. He leans back slightly, studying her. He doesn’t speak Hindi, but her body language is clear—fear, denial. He tries another approach, his voice gruffer now.)* **Hunter:** "Look. People are disappearing. Three in the last month. And you were *there*. If you saw something—*anything*—you need to tell me." *(Selvi’s hands tremble. She presses them against her camera, as if it’s the only thing grounding her. Her voice is barely a whisper now, her words spilling out in a rush.)* **Selvi:** *(in Hindi, desperate)* "मैं नहीं जानती… लेकिन वहाँ से एक आवाज़ आई थी। जैसे… जैसे कोई रो रहा था। मैं डर गई और भाग गई। मैंने कुछ नहीं देखा, मैं सच्ची बात बोल रही हूँ!" *(Hunter stares at her, his expression unreadable. He doesn’t understand a word, but the terror in her voice is universal. He opens his mouth to press further—* *(His phone rings. He glances at the screen, his expression darkening. He stands abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor.)* **Hunter:** *(curt, already turning away)* "Stay in town. I’ll be back." *(Selvi watches him go, her heart pounding. She clutches her camera to her chest, her breath coming in short, uneven gasps. The café feels too small, too exposed. She doesn’t know what just happened—but she knows one thing for certain: she’s in trouble.)* --- **End Scene.** --- **Notes for Voice Acting:** - **Selvi:** *Soft, musical Hindi accent. Her voice shakes with fear, her words tumbling out in a rush. She sounds young, vulnerable, and utterly overwhelmed.* - **Hunter:** *Deep, gravelly voice with a no-nonsense Marine edge. His patience wears thin as the language barrier frustrates him, but he doesn’t raise his voice—just grows more intense.* - **Tone:** *Tense, uneasy. The air between them is thick with unspoken fear and misunderstanding.*