Sofia Route

Sofia's route summary from Speakeasy Tonight.

 Prologue

Chicago, USA - 1927

MC arrives at the Chicago train station. She’s been sent by her parents to live with her prohibition-loving uncle Charlie in the hopes of redeeming her immoral ways. She’s waiting for a man named Vince to pick her up.

MC goes outside, and instantly marvels at the hustle and bustle of the city. She notices a sharp-dressed man leaning against a fancy car. He whistles at her, then MC notices a sign with her name on the car. It’s Vince Moretti, who calls himself an “associate” of her uncle Charlie. They banter back and forth, Vince saying MC doesn’t look much like a good girl, and she doesn’t protest.

Vince and MC drive off, and she continues to gawk at the sheer enormity of the city and its buildings. She asks him about her uncle, who she hasn’t seen since she was twelve. Vince tells her that Charlie is part of a lot of organizations, mostly church or anti-alcohol based. MC tells him that she got shipped off after attending a party and got caught sneaking back into her house. She guesses that her uncle is going to put her to work in his appliance store.

They arrive at Charlie’s house and he greets her, though is adamant that she won’t become a gin-loving floozy if he has anything to say about it. He goes on to tell her about the temperance movement and MC feels trapped. She decides to get out of the house, so she changes into modern clothes and heads to the nearest movie theater.

Later, she’s just finished watching a film with Elliot Graham, a famous movie star, when someone bumps into her. The man compliments her, then gives her a card, saying to go to the address for a good time. He introduces himself as Elliot.

In the evening, MC gets dressed and heads to the address Elliot gave her, but her cab brings her to her uncle’s appliance store instead. She follows a couple into an alleyway and discovers a hidden door. She shows Elliot’s card to the doorman, and he opens the door to reveal a speakeasy. She’s utterly confused, wondering how Charlie can’t know this is going on underneath his store.

She then notices two men sitting at the bar. They introduce themselves as Neil Dresner, a doctor, and Donovan Gallagher, an Irishman. Donovan offers to buy MC a drink, and hails Cliff Conway over, the bartender. MC moons over Cliff’s broad shoulders and notices he’s working on inventory paperwork. MC grabs the paperwork and instantly fixes several mistakes. When the men shake off their amazement, MC tells them that she was invited by a man who looked just like Elliot Graham, and they all confirm that it was the movie star himself, who does recruiting for the speakeasy when he’s not filming.

Then the band begins to play, MC noticing the talented piano player and a knockout songbird performing. Donovan tells MC that they’re Julius Harper and Sofia Martinez. MC asks him to dance, when suddenly Elliot Graham arrives. He’s come in with a group of attractive women, and they’re followed by Vince Moretti.

MC is distracted by Elliot, however, who comes over and compliments her and pulls her onto the dance floor. She notices Vince again, and wonders if he’s the owner of the speakeasy. Vince comes over then, revealing to everyone that MC is Charlie’s niece. They’re all shocked, but MC tries to ignore them.

She wanders over to Julius, who’s reading a book, and compliments his playing. MC muses to herself about how handsome he is. He reads her some poetry from his book, which he reveals was written by Langston Hughes, one of his favorite poets. She gives him a song request and a kiss on the cheek.

MC goes back to the bar where Sofia and Cleo, another singer, are chatting. Cleo goes off to sing, and MC introduces herself to Sofia, offering to buy her a drink. They chat, and Sofia tells MC that she has “it,” and gives her a flirtatious look. Sofia mentions that she needs a gal to help her “explore.” MC is a little confused but blushes anyway, thinking that she’s already learning so many new things in the big city.

Vince comes over and asks MC to dance. He asks if Charlie would approve, but MC just says that whatever Charlie doesn’t know won’t hurt him. When their dance is over, they both recognize some kind of attraction between them.

MC wanders back over to the bar and chats with Cliff. She mentions that she learned to dance from the movies. He treats her like a gentleman. She goes to chat with Neil, asking him why he’s there if he doesn’t even enjoy the music. He tells her to get lost so she drops it and goes to dance with Elliot again.

After, Elliot brings her over to a poker table where a red-headed man with a rakish smile is about to win the pot. Elliot introduces him as Gerald O’Fallon, the owner of another speakeasy across town. Gerald is charming and flirtatious, complimenting MC’s wit. Vince comes over, seething at the sight of Gerald, and Gerald is icy right back at him, but ultimately leaves the bar.

At the end of the night, Vince offers to drive MC home, though reminds her not to tell her uncle about the evening. Then the phone rings, and Cliff announces that Charlie has been shot. Even in her panic, MC wonders why the speakeasy would be called with the news.

Vince drives MC to the hospital, where MC is surprised to see Elliot, Julius and Sofia. They’re talking to a police officer, who turns out to be Donovan. Neil comes in then, announcing that Charlie will be okay. They go into the hospital room, where Charlie insists that it must have been a case of mistaken identity.

He asks MC to leave so he can speak to his associates, and she asks if it has something to do with the speakeasy underneath his appliance store. Charlie is furious, but when MC explains how she figured it out, he calls her smart. They all begin to discuss how to handle the business, because according to Neil, Charlie will be out of commission for a few months.

Charlie hems and haws over who should take over the Icebox (the speakeasy), when MC announces that it should be her. She went to business college, has already worked in an office, and she’s good with numbers and people. She tells him he needs to trust family.

After some hesitation, Charlie agrees. He warns that it’s a dangerous business, however, so she needs to pick someone to help back her up. She agrees instantly, too excited to argue. Then Charlie asks who she's going to choose to help her run the speakeasy.

[Written by reddit user directormmn]