S2 Ep9: Born to Die Pt 1

[00:00:30] Speaker A: Hi, I'm Gavin Cash, and I'm playing Clint Brazas, the scion of the Morrigan. [00:00:37] Speaker B: Hello, I'm sticker, and I'll be playing Coda Massacloy, the scion of Bastet. [00:00:43] Speaker C: Hey, I'm Gary, and I'll be playing Oliver Brights, the scion of Oguma. Hi. [00:00:50] Speaker D: I'm overthinker, and I will be playing Kareem, scion of set. [00:00:55] Speaker E: Hi, there. I'm grizz, and I'll be playing Shango, the Loa, god of Thunder and Justice. [00:01:04] Speaker F: And I'm bloody porcelain. I will be your storyteller for the evening. Good evening, players. [00:01:10] Speaker C: Hello. [00:01:13] Speaker D: Good evening. [00:01:17] Speaker F: In our last episode, you all left Anvil and headed for Cleveland and found your way to the Cleveland Clinic, a foremost heart transplant hospital in the world. You did some research on the hospital. You managed to acquire some borrowed identities and showed up at the hospital a few days before the real holders of those identities were meant to be there. To get an idea of layout, floor plan. To look for the perfect place to set up the altar to the Atslanti Pantheon. Koda, while dealing with a salty kitty in her backpack, located a lovely older woman named Rosita who works as a candy striper, basically in the hospital. A volunteer to help keep things clean and orderly and keep herself active. Afterwards, you went back to a motel, got a couple of rooms, and, um, there were. There was meditation. There were some heartfelt moments, and there were cuddles, and there were definitely pictures of the cuddles. [00:03:14] Speaker D: Goddamn bird. [00:03:20] Speaker F: It is the same morning now, and we are going to open with Oliver and Coda, who had been in a little bit of a conversation before we ended last episode. [00:03:40] Speaker C: Indeed. See, I guess that I'll look to gutter. So you'll talk to her? [00:03:55] Speaker B: Yeah, I'll talk to her. [00:03:59] Speaker C: Good. I much rather see some resolution to all this rather than you having to get more and more upset as the days go by. [00:04:12] Speaker F: It. [00:04:14] Speaker B: Yes, I'll talk to her. I'll talk to her. I'm going to talk to her. Okay. Yeah. I'm going to talk to her. I'm going to talk to her. [00:04:23] Speaker F: Good. [00:04:24] Speaker B: Thanks, Teach. [00:04:29] Speaker C: No problem. [00:04:35] Speaker B: All right, let's smooth over Rosita and, I guess let her know that it's not. Let her know what exactly we're asking her to do in form. [00:04:50] Speaker C: Yes. Speaking of which, how honest are we going to be with her? [00:04:55] Speaker B: That's what I was wondering. That's why I was so around the bush with her. But how much are we allowed to say, can we say it's a shrine, too? Can we say the exact culture? [00:05:12] Speaker C: Technically, I think we could say whatever if we want. It's just a matter that she's mortal and likely won't believe us, but we effectively just need to ensure that she goes by the shrine every day, prays to it, and maintains it. Whatever we have to say to get her to do that is on the table, I believe. [00:05:34] Speaker B: Okay. And I guess if we also know the importance of it, then we could still use know. [00:05:46] Speaker C: We can also hope that Clint can give her a gais to ensure she does it. But if she's not on board with it, then doesn't matter what Gais she ends up having. If she doesn't want to do it, she's not going to do it. [00:06:02] Speaker B: True. I think I have an idea. If things start to get a little, I have something possibly up my sleeve. [00:06:15] Speaker C: All right, good. [00:06:16] Speaker B: Maybe. No, definitely. I definitely have something up my sleeve. [00:06:24] Speaker C: I'll take your word for it. I say we can be forthright about what we're intending to do, but maybe not go into fine detail and risk scaring her off or blowing her mind with everything about our lives. [00:06:46] Speaker F: Yeah. [00:06:46] Speaker B: But that part might be easy because even I still don't believe most of the stuff we're going through. [00:06:54] Speaker C: I believe it's just a lot. [00:06:58] Speaker B: All right, well, let's hit the road. [00:07:02] Speaker C: See cream and Clint are up to. [00:07:05] Speaker B: Yep. [00:07:05] Speaker C: Hopefully not too much trouble. [00:07:10] Speaker B: Yeah. Coda will get up and get a comfortable bag for Pele and apologize to him. [00:07:20] Speaker F: Where exactly did you get this comfortable bag? [00:07:22] Speaker B: He has a carrier already. Like the good carrier. [00:07:26] Speaker F: He does. [00:07:26] Speaker B: Didn't put him in it last time. It. [00:07:35] Speaker F: He will allow himself to be loaded into the carrier, though it is clear that he is still salty. [00:07:41] Speaker B: Yes. I have much to work on. And then she'll knock on cream and Clinton's door like the. [00:07:57] Speaker A: Come on in. Did we unlock the door? [00:08:06] Speaker D: I go over and I open the door. Good morning. [00:08:10] Speaker B: Good morning, you two. [00:08:14] Speaker A: Good morning. [00:08:16] Speaker B: Sleep well? [00:08:18] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. It was a good rest, indeed. [00:08:24] Speaker D: Are we leaving immediately or do you want some coffee? [00:08:27] Speaker B: I think we should go as quick as we can just to get this out of the way, because, storyteller, what month are we in right now? [00:08:40] Speaker F: Why do you do this to me? [00:08:41] Speaker B: I'm sorry. Okay. Instead of a month, are we in right now? [00:08:45] Speaker C: I believe it's October. [00:08:46] Speaker F: Yeah. [00:08:46] Speaker B: I'm like, are we close to October? Thing we need to do? [00:08:49] Speaker F: Yes, it's October. [00:08:51] Speaker B: Okay. [00:08:52] Speaker F: You are like, literally a couple of days from when you need to go meet Chingo. [00:08:57] Speaker B: Okay. Yeah. So then code is going to go. Yeah. Let's get this done as quick as possible because we then need to get down to, well, St. Louis. Or was it Louisiana? Wait, we have to get somewhere. [00:09:16] Speaker D: Another task, perhaps? [00:09:19] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:09:24] Speaker D: Interesting. Throws on his jacket, grabs shades. He was already wearing, like, jeans and bulletproof vest when he opened the door. [00:09:41] Speaker A: Hold on. And Clint starts getting dressed as well. He was not wearing much more than a T shirt and boxers. [00:09:49] Speaker F: You have to be in New Orleans. You hear from Ian? [00:10:00] Speaker A: I think Ian says we have to go to New Orleans for the next St. Louis. [00:10:09] Speaker D: I always confuse them. You're meeting one of the lower then? [00:10:17] Speaker A: Yep. Are you cool with the lower? [00:10:28] Speaker D: It's complicated. It's always complicated. Yeah, I think you guys are starting to get the picture. I don't have a problem with them. They might have a problem with me. [00:10:43] Speaker A: Got it. [00:10:45] Speaker D: Which is not to say I don't have a problem with some people and gods, but I'll just steer clear. How about that? I don't want to make any more trouble for you guys. [00:11:00] Speaker A: You got something better to do? [00:11:04] Speaker D: I don't know. I never do. [00:11:07] Speaker A: All right. Yeah, well, it's all right. Well, we'll keep in touch. [00:11:13] Speaker D: Right, well, I'm going to help you finish this and then. [00:11:17] Speaker A: Exactly. [00:11:18] Speaker D: You have my number. [00:11:23] Speaker A: And you got mine. [00:11:25] Speaker D: Indeed. [00:11:29] Speaker A: All right, well, I think I got everything in the right place. We ready? [00:11:39] Speaker B: Yep. And she'll look to Oliver and go. Are you ready? [00:11:44] Speaker C: We have the shrine bag. Yeah, I believe we're ready. [00:11:54] Speaker D: All right, let's go see if there's a bum squad. [00:11:59] Speaker A: There shouldn't. [00:12:03] Speaker F: One can only hope. You all gather up the rest of your things and head out to the car. The second you are in the car, Brahm wriggles his way out of Oliver's arms and begins crawling all over the seats, trying to squirm his way under them. He is stiffing a lot. You have the sneaking suspicion that he is looking for more junk food. [00:12:31] Speaker C: Lynch, you got my dragon addicted to junk food. [00:12:36] Speaker A: Well, I mean, it's not really an addiction. It's just a convenience. Really? [00:12:41] Speaker C: Just convenience? [00:12:43] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:12:44] Speaker C: What is convenient about this? [00:12:47] Speaker A: It's in a package. And you don't have to get your hands too dirty. [00:12:50] Speaker D: I would like to surreptitiously drop Brahm. The rest of my funions. [00:12:55] Speaker C: You're not helping either. [00:12:57] Speaker D: Well, surreptitiously. [00:12:58] Speaker F: Surreptitiously, you may not necessarily see it happen. Given the stats between the two of you. I'm not going to make anybody roll for this. You definitely don't see the funions get dropped between the two front seats where Brahm immediately shoves his head most of the way into the bag. [00:13:20] Speaker C: Say convenient packaging, and you don't have to get your hands dirty. Yet you sent me a photo of him covered in Cheeto dust. I wouldn't call that cleanly. [00:13:31] Speaker A: I didn't say cleanly. I didn't have to get my hands dirty, though. He licked himself clean. [00:13:37] Speaker D: My back seat, on the other hand. [00:13:39] Speaker A: Yeah, well, a napkin or two might help. [00:13:48] Speaker D: Indeed. But we'll have to deal with that later. We're here. [00:13:54] Speaker A: How did we get here already? [00:13:56] Speaker D: You weren't paying attention, were you? [00:13:58] Speaker F: You were driving and nobody was paying attention, so you just showed up. [00:14:04] Speaker A: Well, all right, then. It was easier than last time there. [00:14:09] Speaker D: Was a dragon, and it's very distracting. [00:14:11] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:14:16] Speaker D: So, division of labor, how are we doing this? [00:14:21] Speaker C: Well, you said you wanted to meet with some people to see what we can do about that room. If you want, one of us can accompany you while the rest of us are going to meet with Rosita and more fully explain the situation to her and hopefully get her on board. [00:14:36] Speaker A: May help give her a little, not spiritual divine contract, if you will. [00:14:44] Speaker D: My approach is similar. I believe I can lay a belief on someone, and if it's the right person and the right belief, they should keep the room empty for ever. [00:14:59] Speaker A: Well, I think we're going to be working together real well, then. [00:15:03] Speaker D: Agreed. [00:15:04] Speaker C: Do you need that? [00:15:06] Speaker D: I might. I don't know who the right person is. [00:15:11] Speaker B: And I should definitely go to Rosita. [00:15:16] Speaker C: Yes, you should do that. Cream and I are already linked by our fake IDs, so I could go with you if you would like cream. [00:15:24] Speaker D: If you know the internal workings of a bureaucratic system, then you can probably find the right man. [00:15:32] Speaker B: That sounds like Mr. B, for sure. [00:15:36] Speaker C: Thank you. I'm not an expert, but I can probably figure out who the right person to go to. [00:15:43] Speaker D: All right. [00:15:45] Speaker A: All right. I'll come with you. Coda. Let's see if we can't talk to Rosita and get her to do her thing. [00:15:51] Speaker B: Yep. She's just going to look back to the group again. So we're agreeing to not tell everything, but tell some things. What are we considering? What are we saying? Or things we should not say? Obviously, we can't say scion, God, yada, yada, yada. [00:16:12] Speaker A: Oh, we can't say that. Okay. [00:16:14] Speaker C: No, it's up to you. [00:16:17] Speaker D: Someone who can be convinced that. [00:16:21] Speaker F: The. [00:16:21] Speaker D: Success of the hospital is contingent upon the worship of this altar. Then why not? People think crazier things without us intervening. [00:16:36] Speaker C: I agree. You just need to say whatever you need to say to get her to understand that she needs to go to this altar every day and pray to it and keep it maintained and so on and so forth. What those words may be. It's up to you two. [00:16:52] Speaker A: Okay, I thought of just one small problem real quick. Kareem, if you're going to tell someone to keep the place empty and secluded, do we need to make sure there's an exception in there for this lady? [00:17:07] Speaker D: I will include it. Good point. [00:17:12] Speaker F: Ian sort of fluffs out his feathers a little bit. I'm not sure where everybody got that you have to do this every day message. Because I don't remember them saying that. Just regularly. [00:17:28] Speaker A: Tweet to tweet, tweet, tweet. You think so? It's just regularly, not every day. [00:17:36] Speaker F: Most altars don't need somebody at them every day. A couple times a week is usually good enough. [00:17:42] Speaker A: A couple times a week? Okay, folks, Ian is saying that it doesn't necessarily have to be every single day, but, like, two, maybe three times a week. And I trust him. He's got better memory than I do. [00:17:58] Speaker C: That makes it a lot easier. She's already here most days, though. [00:18:03] Speaker B: It sounds like she's a great choice. [00:18:06] Speaker D: Indeed. Thank you, Ian. [00:18:09] Speaker A: Tweet, tweet, tweet. Ian, they're saying, thank you. That was very helpful. [00:18:14] Speaker F: I understand them. They don't understand. [00:18:20] Speaker A: Anyways, here, and I got a couple of acorns, a pecan and a shelled walnut. That do good for you. [00:18:32] Speaker F: Pose. Did the dragon eat all the funions? [00:18:35] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:18:37] Speaker F: Damn it. [00:18:38] Speaker A: I'm sorry. We'll pick up a bag on the next. [00:18:43] Speaker F: Right. [00:18:44] Speaker A: All right. Clint feeds his bird and then looks to the rest of the group. [00:18:53] Speaker D: Here we go. [00:18:53] Speaker B: All right. Off we go. [00:18:56] Speaker C: Indeed. [00:19:00] Speaker F: Okay, we are going to start with coda. So the thing about candy stripers is that they kind of work all over the place. What are you going to do to try and find the poor woman that you weirded out yesterday? [00:19:22] Speaker B: I'm just going to call her. She gave me her phone number. [00:19:24] Speaker F: Oh, that's fair. Yes, she did. Okay, you call. It takes a few minutes, but eventually an older lady's voice comes on the line. Hello? [00:19:39] Speaker B: Hi, Rosita, this is Ruby. I spoke to you yesterday in the hospital about. Yeah. Am I able to bring another person who's on this project so we can clear up some possible confusions? About the project. Can we come talk to you? [00:20:07] Speaker F: I suppose. Yeah, I can take a break. [00:20:11] Speaker B: Great. Or we can also help you while you're doing this, too. And we can talk to you. [00:20:16] Speaker F: Well, no, because I have to go into people's rooms and not everybody's in there, but I can meet you at the food court. [00:20:23] Speaker B: Yeah, sure. Would you like coffee or a bagel or something? [00:20:28] Speaker F: Why don't we just meet there? [00:20:30] Speaker B: Okay, cool. And she'll hang up and then she'll go, we're meeting at the food court. [00:20:37] Speaker A: Okay. Did she want a coffee or bagel? [00:20:39] Speaker B: She said, let's just meet there. [00:20:42] Speaker A: She didn't say yes or no? [00:20:44] Speaker B: Yeah, she didn't say yes or no. [00:20:46] Speaker A: Let's get her a bagel anyways, just to be safe. [00:20:49] Speaker B: And a coffee and, like, a croissant, just in case. [00:20:53] Speaker A: I'll take a croissant, too, while we're there. [00:20:56] Speaker B: Okay. [00:20:56] Speaker A: All right. [00:20:58] Speaker B: We go to the cafe, get the things, wait for sweet Rosita. [00:21:04] Speaker F: I mean, she meets you at about the same time you guys get there. So you guys are basically getting into line when she kind of shuffles in. Where they sell the food is where you guys were going to meet anyway, which is why she said, let's just meet there. But she looks appreciative of the effort. But she makes her way over and sort of kind of glances between the two of you like. [00:21:35] Speaker B: She'S still a. [00:21:36] Speaker F: Little confused as to the exact nature of the project, but also still has that look on her face like she is just happy to be helpful. [00:21:51] Speaker B: So what's my name? Coda. So Coda is going to look to Rosita and go, hi, nice to see you again. Hello. [00:22:07] Speaker F: So what did you want to talk about? You don't have to roll for this. She looks vaguely nervous. [00:22:19] Speaker B: Yeah, well, I got her, hopefully. Well, first, this is my friend. She's going to look at Clint and kind of try to remember if they came up with a fake name for Clint. Or she's just going to say Clint. [00:22:34] Speaker A: He'll offer his hand. Hi, I'm Clint. Nice to meet you, ma'am. [00:22:37] Speaker B: Great. [00:22:40] Speaker F: Nice to meet you, too. I'm Rosita. [00:22:44] Speaker A: Nice to meet you, Rosita. I've been working on this project with Ruby, and we just wanted to make sure we get everything covered for you. That way there's no. [00:22:54] Speaker F: Okay. [00:22:57] Speaker A: Uh. He looks to and then looks to Rosita. What has she told you about the project so far? [00:23:07] Speaker F: Not much. Admittedly that they're trying to set up some sort of, like, cultural display, and they needed somebody who would take care of it. [00:23:18] Speaker A: Yeah, it's something meant to bring about good fortune, good luck, a sort of display to folks that it matters to. However, we're still in the research and testing phase of this thing. So what you're tasked with, essentially, should you accept the position, is just to come and visit it every two, maybe three days, make sure there's no trash, nothing really messed up, pay your respects to it, and let us know if anything's a mess. [00:23:52] Speaker F: Am I supposed to. I mean, I can make sure that it stays clean. That's fine. We have a whole staff of people whose job it is to keep the hospital clean. Is there something specific I'm supposed to be doing? Yeah, I would say I'm not entirely sure what the nature of it is. [00:24:18] Speaker B: So that's where the part where I believe when I found you and I said, it's really special. So essentially, this is for, let's say, the best word to say. It's like a shrine. And the culture that it's from, the shrine Walla, has its own meanings and such, but it's being put up after many children from this culture were sadly lost. And it's kind of a way to pay respect to the culture and to the kids that were lost. And I don't want just someone to come along and give it a cleaning, and that's it. I want someone who cares and could maybe pay respect to a couple of kids that were lost so painfully. Sorry I was so OD about it. It's just a very delicate subject. [00:25:17] Speaker A: Clint reaches over and puts a hand on Ruby's shoulder, as if reaffirming and reassuring. It's going to be. [00:25:26] Speaker B: You. [00:25:31] Speaker F: I'm happy to do that. So do you just want somebody to make sure that there's fresh flowers, or is there something special I'm supposed to do, or is it just keep it clean and leave flowers? [00:25:48] Speaker A: That's a great question. [00:25:52] Speaker B: Let me text our director and see if he has any specifics. Right now we just needed to find the correct person. So let me actually get the actual specifics. And she's going to quickly text Oliver. [00:26:06] Speaker A: Taking advantage of Coda being distracted with her phone. Clint will talk with Rosita. Just a moment to activate Brajan's eye and judge her enoch. [00:26:22] Speaker F: Okay. She's immortal, so there isn't a whole lot there to see, right? [00:26:31] Speaker A: Does she have any sort of virtues? [00:26:37] Speaker F: The thing about mortals and their virtues versus, like, scion and other supernaturals is that mortals kind of run the gamut and are not nearly as strong in their ratings as you guys are. You can tell that she's very big on harmony, which kind of probably feeds into her desire to, what do you call it? Volunteer her time and give back to her community. That's probably her highest, her lowest, and this is probably something that will give away that Coda made kind of the perfect choice Is that her lowest is probably like, intellect. Not that she's dumb. It's just that she doesn't seem like the type who's going to think too hard about the things that she's being asked to do and pick them apart like you would expect somebody like Oliver to do. [00:27:52] Speaker A: All right. All these things are lining up just the way we need it. And then with that review of who she is, at least in that regards, Clint will look over to Ruby to see if the text has gone through and received anything. [00:28:09] Speaker F: Coda, who exactly are you texting? [00:28:12] Speaker B: Oliver. [00:28:14] Speaker F: Oliver, you have a text message. Coda, what does the text message say? [00:28:18] Speaker B: Hey. Yeah. So she seems like she's possibly down to do this. Just wondering. She's asking, what exactly does she need to do at the shrine to pay respect? [00:28:30] Speaker C: I'll look at the message. [00:28:31] Speaker B: Question mark, question mark. Question mark, question mark. [00:28:35] Speaker C: I'll quickly send a reply back. Once we get the room set up, we need to contact a priest to consecrate it, and then she needs to simply pray at it and keep it. [00:28:51] Speaker B: Thank you. Thank you. She'll put her phone away and go, oh, this is perfect. It's going to be really simple, Rosita. So once we get it set up in its room, we're going to have a priest come over. They're going to kind of pray over it or something like that, consecrate it, and then all you have to do is just pay your respects and keep it clean. So paying respects is in just a little prayer over it, thinking about all the little ones that were taken from this earth so soon, and that's it. And keep it clean. Okay. [00:29:33] Speaker F: Think I can do that? [00:29:36] Speaker A: Yeah, if I could. Rosita, you seem the sort to truly understand that things in life, in nature, and in civilization exist on a sort of balance, and I really appreciate that about you. I was wondering, do you feel comfortable taking on this task? And as he continues talking, he will see if he can't levy this expectation of greatness upon her with lay token chaos. [00:30:13] Speaker F: Oh, boy. Okay. Is there a role associated with that? [00:30:18] Speaker A: There is. The Met successes are two months of potency. So 12345. [00:30:34] Speaker F: Good Lord. So for ten months? [00:30:36] Speaker A: Yes, for ten months. Up to a year and a day. So, yes, ten months. [00:30:41] Speaker F: Goodness. All right. Yeah. So you have this conversation with her, and she at first, mostly seems confused, but eager to be helpful. She seems very keyed in on the idea that this is for people who've lost, people whose children have been lost. And obviously, that's like the worst kind of loss. And she wants to honor them properly and make sure that this little display or whatever it is that you guys are putting up as well, taken care of. And you can kind of feel the Gaius being kind of draped around her. You can't see fate threads or anything like that, but you can almost sense, like, you're laying almost like a shawl around her shoulders. And the weight of it is kind of hung on her soul, literally. And you know that short of dying, at least for the next ten months, she will do whatever is expected of her. [00:32:05] Speaker A: Awesome. And you see, that's really all we need, ma'am. And thank you. [00:32:13] Speaker F: Of course. I'm happy to be of help. [00:32:19] Speaker A: Now, Ruby, is there any sort of payment that we have allotted for this, or is this purely volunteer work? [00:32:31] Speaker B: Great question. [00:32:32] Speaker F: I'm watching Coda begin to panic again. [00:32:41] Speaker B: This is a great question. And, you know, once the shrine is set up and everything has fully, like, they've chosen the room and such, I'll talk to our director and see if we can find perhaps a drop of money that could be sent Rosita's way, if that's okay. Of course. Rosita. [00:33:06] Speaker F: A stipend? [00:33:09] Speaker B: Yes. [00:33:12] Speaker F: That would be nice. It would help me make sure that there are nice things put out for the children. [00:33:24] Speaker A: Absolutely. And it also means you can have a cup of coffee. [00:33:34] Speaker F: Is there anything else? [00:33:36] Speaker B: That's it. We just wanted to clear things up. I know I was pretty nervous yesterday. [00:33:44] Speaker F: Yeah. You should probably consider your approach before you ask if somebody will take care of a box in a hospital. But I appreciate you coming back and clarifying because I feel better. [00:34:05] Speaker B: Thank you for your notes. [00:34:11] Speaker A: Always happen to help folks find a little bit of peace and ease about their new positions in life. [00:34:17] Speaker F: Okay. Is there anything else that you need for me? Should I expect a text message when you know? [00:34:24] Speaker B: Yes. [00:34:26] Speaker F: Okay. Well, have a nice day. [00:34:33] Speaker A: Here's your coffee and your bagel, by the way. Here you go. [00:34:36] Speaker F: Thank you. [00:34:37] Speaker A: Of course. [00:34:38] Speaker F: Take it. She will turn and leave. You get the feeling as she's leaving that she's a little flummoxed and a little unsure about what exactly she just signed up for. But also, there is an air of determination that she is going to live up to the promise that she's made, even if she doesn't entirely understand it. [00:35:07] Speaker A: Exactly the person we need for the job. [00:35:14] Speaker B: Koda will let out a deep breath and shake her face because she's like, oh, my gosh, I'm smiling so much. [00:35:21] Speaker A: Yeah, it works well, though, when you smile, folks tend to smile back at you. [00:35:28] Speaker B: Yeah, I kind of wished when I frowned at them, they would kind of. [00:35:35] Speaker F: Whatever. [00:35:37] Speaker A: You want folks to frown at you? [00:35:39] Speaker B: No, I just want them to go away if I frown at them like that, Glenn, but whatever. [00:35:46] Speaker A: Oh, well, I mean, if you're frowning at someone, it shows you're interested in them, just not in, like, a positive way. But you're paying attention to them if you want them to go away, you kind of treat them like a cat. You know. [00:36:02] Speaker B: Give them scratches, love, care, and all of my attention and money. [00:36:07] Speaker A: Is that what you're doing? I thought you're supposed to ignore them a little bit to really drive the point home that you're not a threat. [00:36:19] Speaker B: No. Well, I mean, not for me, because my mom's literally the cat lady, so I can't really ignore. That's like you ignoring birds. [00:36:35] Speaker A: Well, yeah, I try and ignore Ian sometimes, but he's a little noisier than I can handle, so it doesn't always work out. [00:36:42] Speaker F: Noted. [00:36:44] Speaker B: Well, I hope Oliver and Kareem are having as much luck as we just had. [00:36:50] Speaker A: Maybe we should go check on. [00:36:52] Speaker F: All right, speaking of which, Oliver and Kareem, what's the plan? Guys, what are you doing? [00:37:01] Speaker C: I believe I want to see if I can either suss out who the best person to go to through administration would be to get a room dedicator secluded for us. That, or potentially just run the bureaucratic circuit until we eventually make our way up to that person is through conversation. [00:37:24] Speaker B: Okay. [00:37:28] Speaker C: I'd rather do the former, since I have a better shot at that, but if I can't do that, then the latter. [00:37:34] Speaker F: Let me open up. Goodness, I apologize. Joby doesn't like me today. All right, let's see. Let's make an INT and politics roll. You can both do this. One of you can roll to help the other. If you would prefer, you can roll separately. [00:38:08] Speaker C: What do you think, Kareem? I have seven detents for this. [00:38:12] Speaker D: I think I should find my character sheet. [00:38:16] Speaker F: That would be helpful, yes. [00:38:19] Speaker D: You're far better at this than I am. I have three. [00:38:25] Speaker C: All right, then. If you want to help me, then I potentially can get seven more dice for sure. [00:38:33] Speaker F: Go ahead and roll your three, Corinne. All right, that's two. So, Oliver, you get one extra die. Coolio. I'm assuming you don't have any epics or anything that would apply to that. [00:38:56] Speaker D: I do not. [00:38:57] Speaker C: I'm going to burn a legend to reroll that because that's not stellar. [00:39:13] Speaker F: 12345 plus eight total. Goodness. Okay. Between the two of you. So the first thing that you realize, Oliver, is that as you guys go in and you are trying to figure out who to talk to, you are approaching this from a very research oriented mindset. Like, you're just trying to nail down the structure of the power structure of everything here. And Kareem kind of watches you for a minute and then sort of walks over to one of the other desks of another secretary who's kind of nestled off to the side doing her own thing, not really being bothered by anybody. And he lays on the charm and he's really good at it because it doesn't take long before she's just like, oh, okay, sure. I don't have that exact information, but I have this. And she hands him, like, a directory kind of thing that has actual names and not just, what do you call it? Not just departments listed, which he brings back to you. Not entirely sure if it'll be helpful, but pretty sure it'll be helpful. And between that and your ability to kind of parse information and a couple of well asked questions, the two of you manage to narrow down one of the head administrators for the hospital, somebody who is actually kind of specifically in charge of things like making sure that room turnover and things are managed well. [00:40:58] Speaker C: And does this say where we can find him, or are we going to have to suss that out as well? [00:41:02] Speaker F: There is an office number, yes. [00:41:05] Speaker C: All right, great. In that case, while we're on the way, I'll turn cream. Do you think you'll need a little, how we would say, boost? Once we're in there and you're doing your thing? [00:41:18] Speaker D: It couldn't hurt. [00:41:20] Speaker C: All right. [00:41:21] Speaker D: I mean, I don't think we're going to be dealing with other bigger problems today. [00:41:26] Speaker C: Hopefully. Then, yeah, I can aid you some magic. But before I do. So, just to be sure here, you're certain that doing this for us won't mean we owe your pantheon or father any particular favors? [00:41:43] Speaker D: Doing this for you might mean that my father owes me a slap across the face, but that's about as far as it goes. [00:41:51] Speaker C: And you're comfortable with that? [00:41:55] Speaker D: As Miss Masquois said, fuck that noise. [00:41:59] Speaker C: All right. In that case, I'll pull out the book and do some fate weaving, changing some of my luck around to aid Kareem. And in doing so, I'll be using trading fates, which does not cost me legend, but will give me some penalties next time I do a role that involves legend. [00:42:24] Speaker F: Excellent. [00:42:27] Speaker D: Indeed. [00:42:33] Speaker C: Okay. 234-5678 910. And then epic. So eleven. So for the rest of the scene, cream, you have eleven dice in, like a nice, fun fate pool that you can pull from for any of the rolls that you're doing until you're down to zero. [00:42:51] Speaker F: Right. It is a pool. So anytime you roll one of those that die is gone. [00:42:56] Speaker C: Yes. [00:42:57] Speaker D: Cool. What is the room number? Which one did we pick? [00:43:05] Speaker C: Well, you're the one that made the list. [00:43:07] Speaker F: Not hugely important. [00:43:08] Speaker D: Cool. [00:43:09] Speaker F: You pick a number that is ideal as long as it adds up to 13. [00:43:16] Speaker D: Cool. I just make sure I've got that written down. Rosita. Trying to figure out exactly what angle I'm going with. Also, what did they text you? [00:43:32] Speaker C: They were in trouble? No, they just need some help because they were asking me what they needed Rosita to actually do at the shrine. I would think they would be able to put together that one typically prays at a shrine, but Alask not. [00:43:49] Speaker D: I mean, it is the Atlani that could require a blood sacrifice. [00:43:55] Speaker C: We were told that was an optional thing that could be done, that the Pantheon would like it, but I'm not sure if we can. Convincing Rosia to pray at the shrine frequently is one thing. Getting her to sacrifice a human heart is another. [00:44:13] Speaker D: A heart? [00:44:15] Speaker C: Yes, that was what they mentioned. That sacrificing a person's heart at the shrine was an optional task we could have them do. [00:44:29] Speaker D: Shouldn't be hugely surprised, but I assume a fresh heart would be preferable. [00:44:37] Speaker C: Yes. I was wondering, perhaps they could just use one of someone who's already passed on. But does make clear to me that the Pantheon isn't too fond of that. They prefer either freshly dead or still living. Hmm. [00:44:55] Speaker D: And I assume you don't want to go through the extra rigmarole of hanging around surgery, hoping someone doesn't make it and then stealing it. Do you? How much do you want the favor? [00:45:12] Speaker C: Assuming what you're doing for us goes well. Still owe a favor, or still have a favor owed to us from Tez Catalipoka. So I think we're in fairly good standings as of right now. But we haven't been doing the best with our trials previously. We've been making some mistakes, so I'd rather not add more difficulty into what we're doing. [00:45:42] Speaker D: I can respect that. On the flip side, of course, countering mistakes with exceptional success. Maybe not today. It's not in the plan. [00:45:55] Speaker C: Yes, and I'll kind of, like, check my watch. And we do need to get down to New Orleans in the next few days, so we can't spend a whole lot of time here. [00:46:06] Speaker D: I can give you guys a ride. I'm just going to stay once you're there. [00:46:13] Speaker C: I wouldn't expect you to. You have your things to do, we have ours. [00:46:19] Speaker D: All right, let's roll this guy. [00:46:24] Speaker C: All right. After you, good. [00:46:26] Speaker D: Sir. [00:46:27] Speaker C: By the way, what is your fake ID name? [00:46:32] Speaker D: I don't think we figured that out. [00:46:35] Speaker C: Yeah, I was given Dr. Mark Jacobs. I don't know if yours is ever mentioned. [00:46:39] Speaker F: It was going to be honest with you. Off the top of my head, I don't remember. [00:46:49] Speaker B: Seth. [00:46:50] Speaker C: In that case, Seth. [00:46:51] Speaker D: There we go. [00:46:54] Speaker C: No last name. [00:46:58] Speaker B: All right, Seth. [00:47:05] Speaker D: We'Ll head into the office. [00:47:08] Speaker F: Okay. At first, you are told that the man that you need to speak to is not available. It takes a little bit of, again, sweet talking. And again, this is immortal. And it's not an overly difficult task. So I'm not going to make cream roll for it because I know what his stats look like. It doesn't take too much pressing to get the secretary to agree to shuffle the next hour or so around on Abigail. Goodness, where are my notes? I literally just had her name in front of me and then I scrolled away and I've lost it. I can't remember what her last name is. Abigail Stevenson, who is the administrative. The head of this particular part of administration to free up enough of her schedule to have time to speak to you so that you are not here for the whole day. [00:48:28] Speaker D: Excellent. [00:48:34] Speaker F: And after a bit, you are allowed into her office, and she's literally, like, hanging up from what you assume was a call when you walk in. [00:48:51] Speaker D: Good morning, ma'am. [00:48:54] Speaker F: Good morning. I don't remember you being on my schedule. [00:48:59] Speaker D: We weren't. Apologies, but it's a matter of a little bit of urgency. Your secretary said they moved some things around and it would be fine if we spoke now. We'll be brief. [00:49:11] Speaker F: I see. [00:49:12] Speaker B: Go ahead. [00:49:15] Speaker D: There's a small matter that requires your authoritative abilities. This room may tell the number is going to be closed for a shrine starting today, and we need you to. It's a matter of some importance and I'm hoping that you can see the benefits once I have enumerated them. Honestly, the representation at the traditional, what do you call it? It's not a shrine. It's not a church. Anyway, some people feel left it out. And I assure you, I lean forward, place hands on my heart. If you can make this happen, the success of yourself and this hospital will only rise. And I am going to use a little bit of legend. [00:50:38] Speaker F: Okay? [00:50:42] Speaker D: God's honest. [00:50:47] Speaker F: All right, do you have to roll for that, or is that just a thing that you say you're doing and it works? [00:50:53] Speaker D: I mean, I can roll a manipulation role to sell it, but it's just a thing that happens to mortals. [00:51:08] Speaker B: See? [00:51:15] Speaker F: Okay, go ahead. Sorry, go ahead. [00:51:25] Speaker D: Did you want me to read the actual ability? [00:51:27] Speaker F: Yes, please. [00:51:29] Speaker D: All right. God's honest. When she's trying to convince someone of something, the scion puts her hand on her heart, puts her hand on a Bible or holds up the right hand with pinky and thumb crossed in the palm, or performs some other gesture of sincerity, as well as spending a legend point when she does so, her would be Mark accepts that the scion is telling the truth about the subject at hand. No questions asked for the rest of the story. Only solid, incontrovertible proof showing that what the scion said is undeniably false will convince the mark he's been fooled. [00:52:11] Speaker F: Goodness. Okay, y'all pulling out, like all the big guns. We're laying gayest. We're pulling out godly abilities to just tell people. Yeah, no, I'm being honest. You believe me. [00:52:27] Speaker C: Let me just do a quick prophecy really quick as well. While we're doing it. [00:52:34] Speaker F: Do you actually want to do a prophecy or. Okay, I was just like. Because you can. That you are welcome to. Okay. [00:52:48] Speaker D: We've already chosen an individual to watch over the shrine. We simply need the room cordoned off for this purpose indefinitely. [00:53:00] Speaker F: I see. Well, I suppose you said you had a specific room in mind. [00:53:17] Speaker D: Indeed. Okay, I tell her. [00:53:25] Speaker F: Okay, you guys went with room 544, which, unless the storyteller is having a really bad at math Day, should add up to 13. [00:53:41] Speaker C: Yes, you're good. [00:53:44] Speaker D: 544 in this wing. [00:53:50] Speaker F: And I believe you guys specifically wanted to pick a room that was dedicated to longer term stays. Generally one of the more quiet floors. She kind of frowns a little bit, and she kind of looks from you to a plan behind her on the wall where you could see that it's not every single room the hospital has, but it's a fairly detailed floor plan kind of layout. And she pulls up her computer and pulls up something on her computer, kind of types away for a moment and sort of lets out a long breath. Well, we currently have somebody in that room. I suppose I could try to transfer them. [00:54:43] Speaker C: MAy I take a look? Perhaps I can help do that. [00:54:48] Speaker F: This is people's healthcare information. I can't just. [00:54:53] Speaker C: Of course. I simply meant the room layouts. [00:54:58] Speaker F: Oh, yes, sure. She'll kind of turn and she'll point to the room that you guys want. We currently have someone staying in that room. And just as a reminder, every room that you guys looked at that met your requirements had somebody in it last night. So you guys kind of went into this knowing you were going to have to find a new room for somebody. [00:55:24] Speaker C: Could I potentially just kind of like looking at the layout of the hospital and from what we know, who's in which room and maybe asking her who's in what room? Just be able to quickly off top my head, reorganize things to make it work. [00:55:38] Speaker F: Yeah. Got enough epic intelligence. I'm not going to make you roll for that. That would just work for you. After a few moments, she sort of gives a little nod. Okay, I think that could work. That shouldn't be an issue. This is an OD request. [00:56:06] Speaker D: It's been in talks with some of the families of patients for a while, but I suppose they've not contacted you directly. There's also, I believe, someone who's already agreed to observe and maintain, so normal janitorial services will probably not be necessary. [00:56:27] Speaker F: All right. [00:56:32] Speaker B: I'll. [00:56:35] Speaker F: Get my office on drawing up an agreement to hold the room indefinitely, and I'll have it sent up the. Do you have an email, something? [00:56:51] Speaker D: Of course. And I pull out a card and pass it across the desk. [00:57:00] Speaker F: She will take it. [00:57:02] Speaker D: Cool. I'm going to hope that she takes it without examining it too closely because the name on the card is not the name on my badge. It's also not my real name. [00:57:13] Speaker F: Yeah, she doesn't really do much with it. She looks so confused and so engrossed in everything that is going on that she's not paying super close attention. [00:57:30] Speaker D: Yeah. Well, your help is most appreciated. We'll send over some paperwork in the next few days to make sure everything is smooth. [00:57:46] Speaker B: Okay. [00:57:48] Speaker D: I appreciate your cooperation. [00:57:51] Speaker F: Of course. In anything I can do. She still looks baffled. Just completely fucking flummoxed. And she looks like she's not entirely sure she believes you, but she's not entirely sure why. You get the feeling she's like, this is weird, but also he's clearly telling the truth, so sometimes weird shit just happens. [00:58:17] Speaker D: She believes that the hospital will be better when she does this? [00:58:22] Speaker F: Yes. All right. [00:58:27] Speaker D: As we're heading out, we should probably check back on that one. In a couple of months. This new belief might. She looks like she's going to have a hard time reconciling what she believes now with what she believed before. No, just drop by, see if she's doing all right. [00:58:47] Speaker C: I'll make a note of it. But hopefully the reorganization I did will be sufficient in the sense that she won't want to bother reorganizing. [00:59:01] Speaker D: Indeed. [00:59:02] Speaker C: But, yes. Very good idea. I'll be sure we check in. [00:59:10] Speaker D: I admit I don't usually use it on people who are in a system like this. Often free agents and people without a lot of direction. [00:59:25] Speaker C: Yeah, bureaucs. These are stalwart, I guess you could say. Like that. [00:59:35] Speaker D: Rigid. [00:59:37] Speaker C: Rigid. Much better word. [00:59:44] Speaker D: Should we head to the room and. Oh, how long do you think it's going to take her. [00:59:52] Speaker C: The woman, to make sure everything gets handled? [00:59:56] Speaker D: To clear the room? Yes. [01:00:02] Speaker C: We didn't exactly give her time, but let's hope soon. But since we met with her, we may be able to direct it a bit and throw some weight around. Regardless, we still need to contact a priest whose number we were given and then wait for them to get here. [01:00:21] Speaker D: True. That's funny. I get all kinds of assignments doing strange and dangerous things, but this is strange, not dangerous. [01:00:38] Speaker C: I don't think it's new for us as well. I'm half expecting the hospital to get attacked by Wolf soon, so keep an eye out for that always. [01:00:52] Speaker D: Because as we're heading to the room, typical conversation. [01:00:56] Speaker C: Yeah, because things don't typically go peacefully for us. [01:01:03] Speaker F: Okay. Are you guys headed to the room, or are you headed to meet up with Coda and Clint? [01:01:09] Speaker C: Both. [01:01:12] Speaker F: Are you telling Coda and Clint to meet you at the. [01:01:18] Speaker C: Same situations? Handled. Meet us there. [01:01:23] Speaker A: Looks like they're waiting for us. [01:01:25] Speaker B: All right, head on over. [01:01:29] Speaker F: You all meet uP. Not in the room itself, but nearby. There is somebody currently staying in said room, but as you guys are kind of hanging out, you get there in time to see. Get there in time to see that somebody has already started making changes. There's an empty room nearby where they have gone in and turned on lights. And you see one of the candy stripers is coming by with fresh linens and starting to make up the bed. And there's, like, this flurry of activity at that end of the hallway where nurses and orderlies are kind of coming and going. Looks like they are getting another room ready. Maybe for a transfer from the room that you guys moved or maybe for somebody new. It's hard to tell. [01:02:32] Speaker D: All right. Easier than I thought. [01:02:40] Speaker A: We've got the person who's decided they're going to help us out too. Looks like everything went well on y'all's end. [01:02:52] Speaker D: Indeed. Sometimes you just have to tell people how it is. [01:02:57] Speaker C: But Kareem did make a good point that in a couple of months we should either call or come here personally to make sure everything's still running smoothly. [01:03:06] Speaker A: Yeah, that's a good idea. A couple of months is always a good idea. I don't think I managed to convince her for a full year, but we'll see. [01:03:17] Speaker C: Well, people are creatures of habit. Once she does it for long enough, she might simply keep doing it because it's what she's been doing for so long. [01:03:26] Speaker D: Indeed. [01:03:29] Speaker A: That's a good point. I also offered enough money to help her get coffee, so that might also entice her. [01:03:36] Speaker C: You offered her money? [01:03:37] Speaker A: Yeah, just for coffee. [01:03:40] Speaker C: And how is she going to get that money? [01:03:45] Speaker B: I said I text our director and we'll see if we can fish up together. [01:03:53] Speaker C: Our director? [01:03:56] Speaker F: You. [01:03:57] Speaker C: So I need to pay her a stipend? [01:04:00] Speaker B: You don't need to pay her. We just need to have a conversation, that's all. [01:04:03] Speaker D: May I suggest, Mr. Bright, have you ever started a shell company? [01:04:09] Speaker C: No, I can't say I've ever started a shell company before. [01:04:12] Speaker D: It's always a good time to learn. [01:04:14] Speaker A: Are we going to the beach? [01:04:18] Speaker C: The issue here is that you've put the idea that she will be receiving money in her head and we now need to find a way to give her that money regularly for doing this. Money we do not have. [01:04:32] Speaker B: Money is easy, though. We sealed kind of the gates of like a random whatever and y'all hatched a baby dragon. We've fought, blah blah blah, getting a couple hundred bucks. [01:04:49] Speaker D: I find your lack of details to be extremely antagonizing. [01:04:53] Speaker B: What do you mean? [01:04:54] Speaker D: That all sounds pretty awesome and you are just breezing over it. [01:04:59] Speaker B: Well, I'm also in a hospital and I don't want them to book a room for me for speaking crazy talk, so I'm going to be as least specific as possible. [01:05:09] Speaker D: Fine. But tell me later. [01:05:11] Speaker B: Yes, I will. Well, some of it. [01:05:13] Speaker D: Good. [01:05:14] Speaker F: Got to keep my. [01:05:15] Speaker C: I'm very glad you believe this coder because if money is so easy, you can figure out how to get her stipend. [01:05:23] Speaker A: I have an idea. Are you going to text your mom for once? No, but it's someone else. [01:05:31] Speaker D: Or is yours climbs before you do. I do just want to reiterate, when it comes to dispersing money to mortals and never thinking about it again, a small shell company that can send paperwork around is extremely useful. They just get the check every month. [01:05:53] Speaker C: Good idea. We still need to get the money. [01:05:57] Speaker A: I was just going to talk to Betty. She seems to have a fair amount of cash on her. [01:06:01] Speaker C: I still have some money that she gave us, but I don't know if it's enough to pay this. [01:06:07] Speaker A: How much is a coffee? Like $10. [01:06:11] Speaker B: I see. [01:06:12] Speaker F: We give her $500. [01:06:13] Speaker C: About total or amount? [01:06:16] Speaker A: I mean, it's hospital coffee, so it could be both. [01:06:21] Speaker D: So what's the rate of exchange in the US? [01:06:25] Speaker B: Yeah, you missed me with that one. [01:06:30] Speaker D: I suppose you're all from here. I don't know. How much is a decent living wage? [01:06:36] Speaker B: Again, you missed me with that one. I'm a college student. Well, scion college. [01:06:43] Speaker D: So you know how little a person can live on. It doesn't matter. I'm going to make a few phone calls. And I need to do it anyway because I said I would send the bureaucrat some paperwork making all of this official. [01:07:01] Speaker C: That's true. If you need to send her paperwork, then perhaps we can already put in the contracting that Rosita needs to get money for this. Depending on how you worry, you might be able to make it. So the hospital pays her and we don't need to do anything. [01:07:19] Speaker D: You don't want that because the hospital can look into itself. If you create a private entity, the hospital can't look into you without legal action. I think. [01:07:30] Speaker C: True. [01:07:32] Speaker A: I mean, we could just give her a brick of cash and call it a day. Right? [01:07:37] Speaker D: We want the bomb threat problem. [01:07:40] Speaker C: Yeah, that might be a bit suspicious. Just giving her a roll of hundreds and saying, here, thanks for helping us out. Doesn't look the best. [01:07:50] Speaker A: What if we spread out the $100 bills every couple of months when he come and visit? [01:07:56] Speaker C: That is what Kareem is saying we should do. [01:07:59] Speaker A: Oh, okay, cool. [01:08:01] Speaker C: Through a company. Why would doesn't exist, but does exist. [01:08:06] Speaker D: To make it look official. Like she has a job. [01:08:12] Speaker A: Oh, but she's a volunteer. [01:08:15] Speaker C: But you pay her for this role specifically. Meaning she is now employed. [01:08:23] Speaker A: Oh, no. Do we need to prepare tax documents? [01:08:27] Speaker D: Well, we don't, but the person. [01:08:32] Speaker C: Cream. [01:08:32] Speaker D: Pinches the bridge of his nose, in theory. [01:08:37] Speaker A: I mean, I didn't say it would be a livable wage. It's not like it has to be above board. Restaurants pay people under the table all the time. [01:08:48] Speaker B: We'll just give her an envelope of money. And that's it. [01:08:51] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:08:52] Speaker C: Not a good look. [01:08:54] Speaker A: Well, who's looking? It's an envelope with her name on. [01:08:58] Speaker D: Let's talk about this somewhere else. [01:09:00] Speaker F: I love that y'all are having this conversation in the hallway of the hospital. [01:09:06] Speaker D: We're going to Denny's. [01:09:08] Speaker C: We need to contact. [01:09:10] Speaker F: We're not going to Denny's. I, as the storyteller, I'm retconning that because y'all go to Denny's and nothing gets done. [01:09:17] Speaker A: Let's go to that hop instead. There we go. [01:09:21] Speaker C: No, I'll show everyone into the room. We picked room 544. [01:09:27] Speaker D: You and I are going to set up a thing. [01:09:30] Speaker F: You guys wait for a bit until it is clear that they have moved out the person from the room that you picked and you watches. Not Rosita, but some of the other candy stripers come through and they strip the bed and the cleaning staff comes through and starts cleaning things up. And once the flurry of activity has settled and you are able to get in without the risk of running into anyone in particulAr, provided that you time your entrance, well, you find yourself in the room alone with the back. [01:10:10] Speaker C: Let's set the shrine up. I'll call the priest who will come here and consecrate it. Then we can figure out this whole stipend debacle. [01:10:21] Speaker A: Yeah, I'll work on the puzzle. [01:10:27] Speaker C: Sounds good. [01:10:32] Speaker F: Goodness. Okay. All right, we are going to start with. We're going to start with the puzzle mostly because, Oliver, all you have to do is make a phone call and the guy says, yes, I'll be there this evening. No big deal. Make sure that it's set up and then I'll get there when I'm able to get there. It is, by the way, in the afternoon by now. So him not being able to get there until the evening is not unusual. Clint? [01:11:13] Speaker A: Yes, ma'am. [01:11:14] Speaker F: You are going to attempt to put together the puzzle. [01:11:17] Speaker A: Yes, ma'am. Got to put this shrine thingy thing together. [01:11:21] Speaker F: Great. This is going to go well. I need intelligence Plus. Let's go with Intelligence Plus. I don't want to be too mean. Intelligence plus academics is kind of the only thing that you. Maybe intelligence plus art, but I think they're the same thing. [01:11:53] Speaker A: They are. All right, here comes. [01:11:57] Speaker C: I'm going to watch him doing this. Just be like, oh, no. And I'm going to spend a willpower to use my singing stone to give him three extra dice on this. [01:12:04] Speaker A: Oh, I'll take that. [01:12:06] Speaker F: Okay. [01:12:08] Speaker A: Because I can give people three successes total. [01:12:16] Speaker B: Okay. [01:12:18] Speaker F: So a couple of things about this. First thing, Clint does not finish the puzzle, but he does get quite a few pieces together. And weirdly, they're almost the more complicated bits that he figures out first. It's almost like Oliver's help kind of made him aim a little higher than was intended. So it's success, but it's limited success as opposed to general overall success. Quint, can you make me a perception awareness role, please? [01:13:03] Speaker A: Sure thing. That's a one success. [01:13:13] Speaker F: Good Lord. Okay. You don't notice shit. The one thing that you notice is the same thing I pointed out to you guys last week, which is that the stone that these are made of, it seems from the look of them that they should be heavier than they actually are. But you get kind of the most complicated part of the puzzle put together before you kind of sit back and kind of push your fingers through your hair. Looking a little flustered and frustrated that you are having this much trouble. [01:13:52] Speaker A: I don't think these instructions were written in English. [01:13:57] Speaker B: There's instructions? [01:13:59] Speaker A: No. Never mind. This is how you wash the bag. Sorry. [01:14:04] Speaker B: I see. [01:14:08] Speaker D: I believe you've got this. [01:14:10] Speaker B: I can help you maybe. [01:14:12] Speaker A: Yeah, I'd appreciate it. I think I got some of these things together in the right order. Yeah. Y'all hop in. See what y'all can do about I. [01:14:20] Speaker C: Give it a try. [01:14:22] Speaker D: I'm actually going to hand. I'd like to do another thing. While some of us are doing this, I'd like to call a. Huh. Yolanda Williams, a corporate fixer operating out of. [01:14:39] Speaker F: Huh. [01:14:41] Speaker D: If there's anyone who can teach a smart but inexperienced person how to set up a shell company and make it all look legit, it's her. [01:14:52] Speaker F: Okay. I love the fact that you are steadily corrupting my sweet, well meaning band of scions. I'm here for it. Okay. So I'm assuming that you are effectively going to set up a thing so that she can reach out to Oliver later. [01:15:07] Speaker D: I mean, I was going to call her, give her a brief rundown of the situation, and then hand Oliver the phone. [01:15:14] Speaker F: Okay. Oliver is currently busy working with clint on the. [01:15:17] Speaker C: I have multitasks, so I could probably do both. [01:15:20] Speaker F: Jesus Christ. [01:15:22] Speaker D: Perfect. Love it. [01:15:23] Speaker F: Okay. All right, cool. I'm not going to role play that scene out because we have already spent entirely too much time on this. Know, Oliver, that you are getting coached over the you. It's a good thing that I banned those particular, um, because otherwise you could effectively have, like, multiple dots in larceny from this conversation. Here to help. Okay. You have a conversation with this woman. While you are working on the puzzle, I need you to make me an intelligence and a cult role. I will tell you, without you having to roll for this part of it, Brahan's eye would not go amiss. [01:16:24] Speaker C: All right. [01:16:25] Speaker F: You can feel the power coming off of these things. The more of them they get put together. [01:16:31] Speaker C: I will. Where's my. There it is. Yeah. I will burn FreyJan's eye. However, as I try to attempt to use it, since I use trading fates, it just flickers out and does not work because I lose so many dice that I cannot make this roll. [01:16:51] Speaker F: Oh, well, damn. Okay, sorry. That wasn't how I intended for that to go. [01:16:58] Speaker C: That's why it's trading fates. It's what I did to myself. [01:17:01] Speaker F: All right, well, then just into Nicole with nothing on top of it. [01:17:06] Speaker C: That is AOK. Except that's not AOK. [01:17:10] Speaker F: That's not great, Oliver. That's only two. [01:17:14] Speaker C: Yeah. How many legend do I have left? Yeah, we can burn one more to reroll. [01:17:21] Speaker F: Yes, yes, please burn more and more legend right before the finale. [01:17:26] Speaker C: That's not any better at all. [01:17:28] Speaker F: Actually, it's not. That's almost worse. [01:17:31] Speaker C: My total is five. [01:17:34] Speaker B: Okay. [01:17:37] Speaker F: You make quick work of putting the puzzle together. As it starts to come together, you can feel the power coming off of this thing. You can feel the kind of weightiness to it. It's not a physical weight, as I said, as you are moving these pieces around and kind of manipulating things, they're really light in your hand. In fact, if you weren't touching them directly, you would think that there's no way this could be real stone because of how light it is. But as you continue to click pieces together and slide them into place, you especially. But everybody in the room, after a while, as you get closer and closer to having this completed, can feel like the air gets almost thicker for all of you. It's almost like stepping off of a plane after being in a place with no humidity index and stepping off of the plane in the Everglades. The power in the room is like a blanket that lays over you, and it is very clearly emanating from this large, like, three foot across, circular. It almost looks like it could be a seal if it were actually placed on something. [01:19:20] Speaker D: Well, that feels like it worked. [01:19:24] Speaker C: Agreed. [01:19:28] Speaker A: It feels like I got static going on or something. [01:19:36] Speaker C: Does he? Meanwhile, I'm sure the entire time I have the phone held between my ear to my shoulder, I'm just listening. [01:19:43] Speaker F: Yeah, she is going on and on about the benefits to having this set up and how quick it could be and ways that you could have the funds feed into other things so that the more steps that the money goes through, the cleaner it is. You don't know who this woman is. She didn't give you a name when she started talking. But you're absorbing every bit of this information and after a few minutes, once that final click happens with this circular piece, you realize that you have enough knowledge that you could easily go into white collar crime. Like tomorrow. [01:20:34] Speaker C: I'm just going to look at cream, like very confused. [01:20:39] Speaker D: She's good. What can I say? Yeah, she's really good. [01:20:45] Speaker F: Tell him I'm not good. I'm the best. [01:20:48] Speaker D: She says she's the best and he. [01:20:50] Speaker F: Still owes me a drink. [01:20:52] Speaker C: And you owe her a drink. [01:20:55] Speaker D: If she sets this up for you, I will buy her too. [01:20:57] Speaker C: Whatever she wants, I'll convey that back as well. [01:21:06] Speaker F: You could hear the smile in her voice as she just kind of goes, I'm going to hold him to that. And you could hear typing in the background. Listen, he has my number. I am going to get to work on this and you can call me in a day or two and I'll have something set up. [01:21:30] Speaker C: Okay. Thank you. [01:21:36] Speaker B: Of course, Mr. [01:21:37] Speaker F: Bright. Is there anything else? [01:21:40] Speaker C: No, I think that's all of it. [01:21:46] Speaker F: Perfect. Well, have a good afternoon. And she hangs up. [01:21:50] Speaker C: I'll hand the phone back. [01:21:53] Speaker D: Thank you. Learn anything new? [01:21:59] Speaker C: A lot. I could probably get away with tax evasion now. Don't think I will, but I could. [01:22:07] Speaker D: You're going to pay a government. You're going to keep doing that when you're a demigod? [01:22:14] Speaker C: Well, when you put it like that. [01:22:18] Speaker D: Yeah. [01:22:22] Speaker A: So do we get to save more money because of that? [01:22:26] Speaker C: No, we just effectively have a corporate body we can move money around with without it being tied directly back to us. It could, in theory, get tied back to us, but it's a step of removal that will make it harder to do so. [01:22:41] Speaker D: You think that's good? Try a little prophecy for insider trading. [01:22:49] Speaker C: Okay. [01:22:50] Speaker D: I'm just saying you guys have money problems, solve them. [01:22:57] Speaker C: Using prophecy is a very special and sacred and difficult thing to pull off that I can only do every once in a while. Doing that to make money feels a bit sacrilegious. He shrugs. [01:23:22] Speaker F: Oliver, what is your piety rating? [01:23:27] Speaker C: One. [01:23:30] Speaker F: It is two now. [01:23:32] Speaker C: All right. Awesome. [01:23:41] Speaker D: So do we know what? [01:23:42] Speaker F: Say that, except that now that's got a much stronger pull on you. [01:23:45] Speaker C: That is true. [01:23:48] Speaker D: So do we know what this thing does? [01:23:56] Speaker C: No. I tried to kind of figure that out. But what I did earlier for you kind of. Yeah, well, not exactly. It somewhat kind of like shredded the threads of fate tied to me and my own luck and fortune and powers as a scion. And it kind of shorted out, you could say. [01:24:22] Speaker A: Well, if someone's supposed to pray at it, maybe that'll make it do something. [01:24:28] Speaker C: That's the idea. [01:24:30] Speaker A: All right. Clint will walk over, I grab his shoulder. [01:24:36] Speaker D: You are a scion. [01:24:38] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:24:38] Speaker D: You already have allegiance in front of things that are not belonging to your gods. [01:24:47] Speaker A: I was just going to give a prayer to Mom. I didn't know it had to be a prayer to this particular thing. [01:24:52] Speaker D: It's their. [01:24:56] Speaker A: Oh, okay. [01:24:57] Speaker D: Well, I mean, to be fair, I kind of look over it at Oliver. I'm shooting from the hip here, but that seems like a bad idea. [01:25:09] Speaker C: No, it is a bad idea. Do not do that, Clint. [01:25:12] Speaker A: Oh, okay. Well, all right. I'll let someone else do it. [01:25:17] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:25:22] Speaker D: Rosita. [01:25:24] Speaker A: Yeah, exactly. [01:25:26] Speaker B: Oh, should I text her to come up here to look at this or just text her the number of the room? [01:25:36] Speaker F: Yeah. I have some questions for folks before y'all start making any more moves. Are you planning to in any way, shape or form, obscure or hide this stone circle, or are you just going to leave it out in the open? [01:25:59] Speaker A: I thought we had a plan to kind of tuck it behind a wall or under a floor. [01:26:06] Speaker D: That was the plan when we were going to put it in the spiritual place. [01:26:12] Speaker C: In the hospital, we get a rally. [01:26:18] Speaker B: I mean, Rosita is going to have stuff. Perhaps so I could ask her what's her ideas on dressing this up somewhat. [01:26:30] Speaker F: You can also wait until the priest gets here. I'm just trying to get your final steps on this, because we've been at this for 2 hours. [01:26:41] Speaker D: Bunch of flowers. Just like a lot. Too many flowers. [01:26:47] Speaker F: A lot of flowers. That's your plan? [01:26:50] Speaker D: Does anyone else have an idea? [01:26:52] Speaker B: So I think waiting for the priest to come do his hallelujah, amen, whatever it is. And then we could possibly also just ask what would be the best. Ask the priest what would be the best things to dress this up. And then whatever information we get, we can maybe relay it to what's her name. Rosita. We gather our own stuff and drop it on there. Backup idea. We text the twins and say, hey, what do you guys usually drape or dress your shrines with? [01:27:34] Speaker D: Solid. [01:27:35] Speaker A: That sounds like a good plan to me. [01:27:40] Speaker B: Koda clears her throat. [01:27:44] Speaker D: Excellent. [01:27:46] Speaker F: Okay. [01:27:50] Speaker D: Does somebody want to watch it? Well, I haven't eaten since breakfast. [01:27:58] Speaker A: Yeah, I can watch it here. Yeah, we can watch it together. [01:28:03] Speaker C: Sure. [01:28:05] Speaker D: All right. Coda, do you want to get some food with me? [01:28:11] Speaker B: BP? [01:28:12] Speaker F: Yes. [01:28:13] Speaker B: Is it possible while everyone's kind of figuring out who's going to get breakfast, who's going to stay, Coda is just going to text net and say, we need to have a conversation. Are you free today? [01:28:25] Speaker F: You can absolutely send that. [01:28:27] Speaker B: Okay, cool. [01:28:31] Speaker F: You do not immediately get an answer back, but you can send it. [01:28:35] Speaker B: That is a. OK. [01:28:43] Speaker F: I believe Kareem asked if you wanted to go get food. [01:28:51] Speaker D: It would be lunch moving towards dinner at this point. [01:28:54] Speaker F: Oh, yeah. This is like a late lunch. [01:28:59] Speaker B: Yes. Coda. [01:29:00] Speaker F: Yes. [01:29:01] Speaker B: Oh, sorry. Yeah, I'll go with you. All right. [01:29:12] Speaker F: Where are you guys going to get lunch? [01:29:19] Speaker D: Do you know where the cafeteria is? Didn't you meet Rosita there? [01:29:23] Speaker B: Yeah, they have stuff here. It's probably shifted the menu over since it's later in the day, so. Yeah, I can walk you there. [01:29:36] Speaker D: Well, this has ended up being kind of nice. [01:29:44] Speaker B: Better than what you usually do. [01:29:47] Speaker D: Nobody died. [01:29:50] Speaker B: Well, somebody did, but we just didn't see it. [01:29:54] Speaker D: Nobody died as a result of me. Although I suppose we are in the hospital. [01:30:04] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:30:05] Speaker D: This may have to be the highest body count I've ever worked. [01:30:08] Speaker B: Oh, my gosh. Sorry. [01:30:12] Speaker D: Bad joke. [01:30:13] Speaker B: No. Well, yes, but it's okay. I mean, I meant to talk to you about this yesterday, but we all kind of went to sleep or whatever. She's going to try to dress this as discreetly as possible, but she will say why. Well, first off, sorry for, I guess, grilling you so much yesterday when you said you wanted to help us or whatever. [01:30:51] Speaker F: Shrug. [01:30:53] Speaker B: Yes, shrug. But also, you are, and you have been helping us out a lot, as Suss as you can be. But at least I can trust that you're Sus. [01:31:08] Speaker D: Indeed. [01:31:11] Speaker B: But. So do you know why you're not allowed to be with bands of people or with a band? [01:31:28] Speaker D: Do you know why you are? Do you know why scions form bands? [01:31:37] Speaker B: To protect each other. And because. Well, yeah, to protect each other. Because we work well together. Well, at least we're trying to, but we do. [01:31:50] Speaker D: I mean, he's managed to do this. So far so good. So what does it say about a god who doesn't want his Zions? Who wants them isolated? [01:32:02] Speaker B: Well, I already told you what I thought. He's a fucking dick. Excuse me? Sorry. That's your father? [01:32:12] Speaker D: No, he is. [01:32:14] Speaker B: Okay, great. He's a fucking dick. [01:32:20] Speaker D: I think I had some time to think about it. It's about value. What value does he place on my life? A little. He gave me things to help me. But what value do any of the gods place on any of us? They send us to do things. They put us into danger. They test us. They lie to us. They bind us to them with words we didn't know better than not to say. [01:33:03] Speaker B: Hmm. [01:33:05] Speaker D: My God is honest about my expendability. And yes, he is a dick. And cruel and desperate for power that will never be his. [01:33:22] Speaker B: But at least he's honest. [01:33:24] Speaker D: At least he's honest. I don't think it's as. I don't think most of his traits are so uncommon. Obviously, there are exceptions. There are gods of good things, but they are of different creatures. Does that make sense? [01:33:51] Speaker B: Yeah, it makes sense. I guess I'm wondering. Just because your dad wants you. Well, okay, here's something I'm thinking about. What's your value of your life? Your value. You, Kareem. Insert last name. Value of your life. [01:34:16] Speaker D: All right. And then I get to ask you a question, and then we're getting a handbook. [01:34:19] Speaker F: Yes. [01:34:20] Speaker B: We could be online getting food. [01:34:22] Speaker D: All right, I. The value of my life. I didn't think about it until I did. And then I placed such value upon it that I was willing to do anything to keep it. And between you and Me, it wasn't a good deal. But I'm not convinced I wouldn't make it again. It comes back to. It comes back to what you have to do. What are you willing to do? How far will you go? Is it. For some is it's too far to hurt someone. For some, it's too far to hurt someone's feeling. For others, it's. No, it's worse things. When I had that question posed to me before, I said it was worth anything. And that is what it cost me. [01:36:06] Speaker B: Huh. [01:36:12] Speaker F: Wow. [01:36:12] Speaker B: The English language surely sucks. Well, I guess you didn't have to say it in English, but, wow, that sucks indeed. And now you're getting it back. [01:36:23] Speaker D: I'm getting what back? [01:36:25] Speaker B: Well, anything or whatever it was that was taken. [01:36:33] Speaker D: No, I don't think so, anyway. [01:36:43] Speaker B: Well, at the end of all this hullabaloo that we have to. Sorry, I shouldn't say hullabaloo at the end of all of these labors that we have to do, and hopefully, when things quote unquote off, settle down, reach out to me about this thing, this situation you've gotten yourself in. Because you're a good person, Kareem. [01:37:17] Speaker F: And. [01:37:17] Speaker B: You don't deserve to. Or maybe in the moment, sure, you said anything or whatsoever in that moment. Sure, you said anything is worth my blah, blah, blah or my life or whatever the terms was, but I think it's about time we move past that. [01:37:43] Speaker D: It's not me you've got to convince. [01:37:46] Speaker B: I know, which is why I said, when all of this other stuff that we have on the docket is done, reach out to me. I'll help you. [01:38:00] Speaker D: Thank you. [01:38:01] Speaker B: One cousin to another. [01:38:04] Speaker D: Right? Cats and snakes getting along. [01:38:10] Speaker B: I thought you were a dog. Yes, but cats and snakes, whatever. You can be whatever you want. [01:38:22] Speaker D: Cats and dogs getting along, living together. [01:38:26] Speaker F: Sky is colored. [01:38:27] Speaker D: Four cheeseburgers, please. [01:38:29] Speaker F: All right. Coda and Kareem have gone to get food. Oliver and Clint are babysitting the stone disc that they put together in the room that feels somehow heavier and more important and almost magnetic, like they are being drawn in. Are Oliver and Clint doing anything in particular? Are you just hanging out, waiting for the priest? [01:38:59] Speaker C: I think we're just waiting for the priest. Clint's babysitting the shrine. I'm babysitting Clint. [01:39:07] Speaker F: That makes sense. [01:39:08] Speaker A: Honestly, Mr. B, you think I could throw this thing like a frisbee? [01:39:13] Speaker C: Put it down. [01:39:14] Speaker A: Okay. [01:39:19] Speaker F: Ian is perched outside of the like. So he's been hanging out outside just like Pele is in his carrier. And I'm going to assume that somewhere along the line, Brahm also got a carrier. And they are out with the car because y'all just can't go carrying animals around in a hospital. Ian is perched outside the window, just sort of watching. Every so often, Clint goes over and opens the window, and Ian, like, drops a shiny into his palm and then flies away again. And it's everything from shiny bits of tinfoil and ribbon to actual coinage. That said, it is around the time that Koda and Kareem are returning that an older man in what looks like a suit, or at the very least, definitely like, slacks and one of those just, like, tan kind of like Duster. Not Duster, but like, professional overcoats, comes in and he sets down a heavy looking. Heavy, a heavy looking, like, black leather, like, carry on bag and kind of stares around at the. [01:40:55] Speaker B: At the. [01:40:55] Speaker F: At the four of you and goes, so this is the place? [01:41:02] Speaker C: It is. [01:41:06] Speaker F: Do you intend to stay for the process or would you be more comfortable waiting outside? [01:41:13] Speaker C: Would we be inhibiting the process anyway by staying? [01:41:18] Speaker F: No. Though people frequently become uncomfortable. [01:41:22] Speaker A: Do you need help? [01:41:25] Speaker F: Not unless you have a heart you want to donate. No, I'll stay. [01:41:31] Speaker C: I will as well also stay. [01:41:36] Speaker A: Yeah, I'll stay. I'm just not volunteering the heart thing. [01:41:39] Speaker D: Clint. [01:41:41] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:41:42] Speaker D: You're a kind and gentle person. There may be some things you shouldn't. [01:41:45] Speaker A: See, but are y'all going to leave me all alone in the hallway? [01:41:56] Speaker F: Listen, I don't have all day, so you all figure it out. I'm going to get to work. And he moves over to where you guys have pushed the bed kind of off to the side. I'm assuming that at some point, you guys took that stone disc and set it up on, I don't know, like, a table or something in the corner so that it's actually, like, on display and not just laying on the floor. [01:42:19] Speaker C: Yes. [01:42:21] Speaker F: And he begins to pull various items at accoutrement out of his bag. There are long, wickedly sharp knives that have an OD tinge along the blade. [01:42:39] Speaker D: Kareem closes the door. [01:42:42] Speaker F: There is a bowl that looks like it is made out of stone. There are a number of very clearly, like, real gold icons that are set up around this sphere. Um, and at some point, he kind of stops and he looks back at the four of you and says, are you sure you want to be here for this? [01:43:25] Speaker A: Well, you know, there's someone in the car that probably needs some attention. I'll let y'all handle this. And Clint will leave the room. [01:43:38] Speaker D: I've seen worse. [01:43:40] Speaker C: Call Darkene. Curiosity. [01:43:44] Speaker B: Yeah, I'm not leaving. Okay. [01:43:49] Speaker F: I am going to need. Let's see what I'm going to need. Courage or. Sorry, I have to pull up sheets and see what people have for their things because I accidentally closed your sheets thinking I wasn't going to need them again tonight. I'm going to need either courage or conviction or duty. Your choice. You are rolling your unspent stuff. [01:44:44] Speaker D: Can I add some of. [01:44:49] Speaker B: Those? [01:44:50] Speaker F: Plus integrity, if you have it. [01:44:55] Speaker D: Can I add some of those dice that given to me earlier by Oliver? [01:45:03] Speaker C: If it's considered the same scene, then yeah. [01:45:05] Speaker F: Yes. It's not technically the same scene, but I will allow it. [01:45:10] Speaker C: Thank you. I don't want to have all eleven. Those dice bite me for no reason. [01:45:16] Speaker D: Wait, if I don't spend them, is that bad? [01:45:19] Speaker C: Well, it's that if I give you that my next time I use a legend point, I lose how many dice I gave you. And so if you don't spend them, it kind of means, like, I hindered myself for. No, but. [01:45:31] Speaker F: Oh, you already did that. [01:45:32] Speaker C: Yeah, I already did it. I got two successes. [01:45:38] Speaker D: Five. [01:45:41] Speaker F: Okay, Coda. [01:45:42] Speaker B: Also. Wait, no, no, not two. I was looking at Oliver's. I got one success. [01:45:52] Speaker F: Okay, so he reaches into his bag and pulls out a smooth, jet black, shiny box. It is a little smaller than a football, and it doesn't even look like a box. It looks like it's smooth, like it's seamless. Until you see him kind of as he's whispering something under his breath. He runs the tip of his middle finger along the top of the box and then Presses in at a point that looks indistinguishable from the rest of it to your eyes. And the top of the box literally splits in half. And the two sides tilt upwards like they're on hinges. When he does this, you all hear a noise that is not a physical noise. You hear it and it is loud and it is piercing, and it's like it's drilling into your head. But you could tell that it's not like it's only in your head. It's not coming from a physical thing. Other people in the hospital will not be able to hear this. But you hear it. You hear ear piercing screams of pain and agony, but also some that almost sound delighted and ecstatic, like someone is being ripped apart and enjoying themselves. The man holding the box, who reaches in and pulls out what she realizes. A still beating human heart that is dripping blood down his hand onto the floor. He does not seem bothered by the noise. He does not seem bothered by what is happening with the thing in his hand. And he turns to this altar that you all have helped to set up and begins to chant. Those of you who rolled less than three under three successes, you all are gripped by your choice of either abject terror or you're almost. I'm trying to think of how to word this. I'm sorry. You're all either completely gripped by. You're either completely gripped by terror or you are in such a heavy state of shock that you kind of emotionally shut down and will have to process the emotions later, at which point they will come back and hit you harder when they do. As an aside in your terror, it's definitely like a flight trigger. More than a fight trigger. Like being dunked in ice cold water. [01:49:55] Speaker B: Do you want to know what we choose? [01:49:57] Speaker F: Yes. [01:49:58] Speaker B: Oh, well, yeah. Coda is definitely going to bottle that. [01:50:04] Speaker F: Miss, avoid the problem. [01:50:06] Speaker C: I just flee the room. [01:50:11] Speaker D: I succeeded. And I'm concerned about this ritual being interrupted or people seeing through an open door. Is there a world in which I calm Oliver or prevent him from throwing open the door and running screaming through a hospital? [01:50:32] Speaker F: He doesn't run screaming. He just leaves. [01:50:37] Speaker D: Okay, so it's not manic yeah, no. [01:50:40] Speaker C: It'S just very shaky. I gotta get out. [01:50:43] Speaker F: He's gonna walk out very quickly. Go find somewhere to have a panic attack is basically what's about to happen. [01:50:49] Speaker D: All right. [01:50:51] Speaker F: But he's not, like, screaming. [01:50:54] Speaker D: He's not telling attention to us. [01:50:58] Speaker F: No, not as such. More calling attention to himself. [01:51:03] Speaker D: All right. [01:51:05] Speaker F: But if you would like to, you are perfectly able to shut the door behind him. [01:51:09] Speaker D: I do. As soon as he's out, I look over at Coda. [01:51:18] Speaker F: Coda's face has gone stony and her eyes are a little distant. You recognize immediately the signs of first stages of shock. He's just shut down because she can't face it. [01:51:43] Speaker D: He nods. That'll happen. Just make sure your reflexes don't go. When your sensation does and returns his eyes to what's happening. [01:51:55] Speaker F: He picks up one of these blades and proceeds to, as he is chanting, hold the heart up over his head. The chanting gets not louder, but more and more, like, fevered. And you can feel again that pulse of energy and power in the room. Kareem, have you ever. I mean, of course you have. You given your history, you've witnessed sacrifice before. For most God sacrifices are like offerings of food and wine and flowers and things. But you're versed enough in the occult to know that the Aztecs are all about blood sacrifice and specifically hearts. And they get really, really into it. And this guy is no different. He holds the heart over his head, picks up a blade. And as he is chanting, the chanting gets more and more feverish, more and more ecstatic. Like his entire soul is gripped with this divine, horrible kind of ecstasy. And then when you could tell that he has come to the crescendo he drives the blade into the heart. [01:53:38] Speaker B: And. [01:53:38] Speaker F: Through into his palm and doesn't stop chanting. And the pulse of energy that goes out from this room, you can tell, extends. You don't know how far but it is strong enough that it would not surprise you at all if there are people who might be a little bit on the sensitive side. Most mortals are not. But there are occasionally the rare few who aRe, if there are any of them in the hospital and they could be on the opposite end of the hospital they felt that even if they don't know what it was. Oliver feels it. Clint feels it. Out in the car where he is. Coda gets rocked by it on her feet a little bit but manages to maintain that kind of distant, vacant expression. And then he pulls the blade out. And you watch as he grips the heart and squeezes it almost like it's a sponge. He's trying to wring out and squeezes as much of the blood as he can into that bowl. And at one point, he swaps hands and he squeezes the heart with his free hand, while his now pierced hand also bleeds into the bowl. And then after some time and quite a lot of praying on his part, he touches his fingers into the bowl to get the tips of them covered in this mixture of blood. And what you realize are probably some sort of herbs and whatnot, goes around the room and finds the corners all the way at the top, up near the ceilings. Stands on a chair and just touches his fingers and leaves these tiny little smudges of blood in each corner of the room. Um, he returns to the bowl and proceeds to dump its contents over the stone. What is strange is that as the blood cascades down over the stone, the stone seems to absorb it. It does not drip onto the table. It doesn't get on the floor. It hits the stone. It dribbles along it, but before any of it can drip off, it gets fully absorbed, and it looks like the stone was never touched by it. It takes about an hour, and eventually the energy in the room lets up a little bit. It is still powerful, it is still potent, but it is not oppressive the way that it was. It is like getting that first deep breath of cool air after being outside in the hot sun all day. He, without really looking at you, kind of licks his fingers clean, pulls out a black cloth and begins to wipe down his tools. Goes into the bathroom to wash his hand, wash his hands, and wraps up the one that he injured. Puts his tools back in his bag and looks at the two of you that are still in the room. Kind of blinks a little bit because it's clearly the first time he's noticed that Oliver left. Oh, well, that should be that. As long as someone tends to it a few times a week and makes offerings. They don't have to be of our preferred variety, but if it could be. [01:58:17] Speaker D: Pulled off and he'll kneeling and thinking of the dead, would that be sufficient? [01:58:24] Speaker F: It would be good to have some sort of offering. Flowers, food, wine, that sort of thing. But praying can be sufficient. [01:58:34] Speaker D: We'll add the offering to the priestess's duties. [01:58:39] Speaker F: Excellent. I will inform. [01:58:44] Speaker D: Shake his hand. [01:58:45] Speaker F: He will shake it with the hand that he did not stab. [01:58:50] Speaker D: I switch hands. [01:58:57] Speaker F: I will inform you, my employers, that you have accomplished your task. And unless they do not continue to receive the worship that they are supposed to get from this, I would assume your job is done. [01:59:29] Speaker D: Good. Thank you. [01:59:32] Speaker B: Yeah, thanks. [01:59:37] Speaker F: And he will nod. You guys realize, as he goes to leave, Kareem notices this more than Koda does. When he came in, he looked like a older, kind of stern faced, slightly wrinkled older man. And now that he leaves, it looks like he's taken a good five, six years off of his life somehow. Somehow doing that, he looks healthier, younger. He's less wrinkled. Even his hair seems a little bit better. [02:00:19] Speaker D: Interesting. [02:00:22] Speaker F: He doesn't seem to notice. Or if he does, he hasn't said anything to give away that he has, and he leaves. Coda, Oliver, and Kareem all get one legend point back for being present for that. [02:00:38] Speaker D: All right. [02:00:42] Speaker B: Yikes. [02:00:44] Speaker D: Well said. [02:00:46] Speaker F: Oliver. [02:00:48] Speaker D: Yes. [02:00:51] Speaker F: After you flee the room, I want you to tell us about your reaction. As soon as you are in a place where you can maybe not cope, but react without being disruptive. [02:01:15] Speaker C: Right? Yeah. I probably leave the room quickly, make my way to the nearest bathroom, get myself in there, and sort of just post up in front of the sinks, either arm kind of on either side of the porcelain, shaking horribly. Probably sweating. Looking at myself in the mirror, very pale, and trying to splash myself of cold water and handle the abject terror that I am thaT's running through me right now. [02:01:48] Speaker F: Okay. Oda. [02:01:57] Speaker B: Yes? [02:01:58] Speaker F: Roll me a single D ten, please. [02:02:00] Speaker B: A shingle D ten. A five. [02:02:10] Speaker F: Perfect. All right, now that you guys have gotten this set up, I'm assuming you have during your waiting period, you would have contacted Rosita with the room number and such things. Is there anything else you guys want to do before you leave the hospital? [02:02:33] Speaker B: Nope. [02:02:37] Speaker C: I think we've got it covered. [02:02:40] Speaker D: Yeah. Our business here is concluded. A distant eyed Coda, a shaking Oliver, and Kareem, who's. He's got a bit of a frown on. [02:03:02] Speaker C: By the time I leave the bathroom, I'm probably still shaky. Still a bit pale. Heart rate's still up, but not as bad. I ensure that I leave the bathroom in a more stable state, at least to avoid drawing attention. [02:03:23] Speaker D: Yeah, head back to the. [02:03:28] Speaker A: Oh, let me get Brompton out of the way for y'all folks. Yeah, come on in. [02:03:36] Speaker D: Did you feel that, Clint? [02:03:39] Speaker A: Yeah, I felt something. What happened? [02:03:43] Speaker D: It worked. [02:03:45] Speaker A: Wait, just like that? [02:03:50] Speaker D: Glance over at Coda. [02:03:52] Speaker B: Coda has gotten in the car, put her headphones in, and is just petting Pele, looking out the window. [02:04:04] Speaker A: So it wasn't a good time. [02:04:07] Speaker D: I'm guessing you made the right decision. [02:04:13] Speaker C: Yeah, not a good time is a mild way of putting it. [02:04:20] Speaker F: Oliver looks worse than he did when you guys got back from Magma. [02:04:26] Speaker A: Well, I mean, the good news is it's done. So do you all want a hug and some ice cream? [02:04:36] Speaker C: I think we have other places we need to be. [02:04:40] Speaker A: Well, we can get ice cream on the way, right? [02:04:44] Speaker C: We'll see. [02:04:46] Speaker D: I support it. I find sugar sometimes raising the spirits with chemistry leads to raising the spirits in general. [02:05:02] Speaker A: I think I might got Tetris on my phone. I hear that tends to help. After you see some stuff you don't want to see, y'all want to play it? And he'll hold his phone out to Coda. [02:05:16] Speaker B: She'll look over and then shake your head and look back out the window and keep heading. Pele. [02:05:24] Speaker A: All right, then. Let's get moving. At least a little bit. Maybe we'll leave this place behind. Feel better for it. [02:05:34] Speaker D: Yeah, indeed. [02:05:39] Speaker A: All right. Don't mind the Cheeto dust on your chair there, Mr. B. Or the tore up rappers. Nothing happeNed. [02:05:52] Speaker C: I'm sure. [02:06:00] Speaker A: All right, since you're bending my arms, we may have eaten our emotions a little bit, but we're all happy now. [02:06:07] Speaker C: We? [02:06:10] Speaker A: Mostly me. [02:06:13] Speaker D: Mostly. [02:06:14] Speaker A: Mostly. [02:06:17] Speaker D: Yes. [02:06:17] Speaker C: Hello. [02:06:18] Speaker D: I'm going to need four large frosties, please. [02:06:24] Speaker F: Oliver, you realize, as Clint says, mostly that Brahm is like nestled on the floor of the front seat between Clint's legs. And his head is on like knee and there is a chocolate outline around his where I don't think reptiles have lips, but you know what I mean. [02:06:49] Speaker C: Yeah. [02:06:49] Speaker F: He looks like he's got chocolate lipstick on, basically. [02:06:57] Speaker A: Look, he's sleeping like Angel. Look at him. Let's pet in his head. [02:07:02] Speaker D: He's coming down. [02:07:06] Speaker F: All right, well, you all get your large chocolate frosties because a spoonful of sugar helps the sacrifice. Go. [02:07:17] Speaker B: Wow. [02:07:21] Speaker D: Perfect. [02:07:25] Speaker F: What are you guys going to do? Are you guys headed for New Orleans immediately? Is there something else you want to do before you leave? What's the plan? [02:07:37] Speaker A: I mean, we already got our ice cream. I'm good to have another road trip. [02:07:44] Speaker B: Yeah, to New Orleans. Okay. [02:07:49] Speaker A: Anything like the last road trip. We're going to end up with some serious munchies, though, boy. [02:07:58] Speaker F: Oh, yes. We have to make roles. [02:08:00] Speaker D: In fact, let's just get everybody stoned after. [02:08:04] Speaker F: After what? [02:08:04] Speaker D: We just. Well, after what two of us saw and one of us left. [02:08:11] Speaker C: I saw plenty. [02:08:13] Speaker D: Yes. No, Shade doctor. That was professor, you was something. I. That was something. [02:08:29] Speaker C: Nevertheless. [02:08:33] Speaker D: And I offer to get everybody stoned. [02:08:38] Speaker C: Does everybody take him up on this for once? Yes. [02:08:44] Speaker F: Holy shit. [02:08:46] Speaker A: No. You're supposed to inhale and hold inhale and hold. [02:08:54] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. [02:08:55] Speaker F: I was like. I'm assuming I don't really need to ask, but I have to. All right, I need everybody to roll your legend score, please. [02:09:09] Speaker C: The legend score or the total Legend points? [02:09:12] Speaker F: Legend score. [02:09:13] Speaker C: Just making sure because sometimes we do both. [02:09:21] Speaker A: Beans. [02:09:23] Speaker F: Old beans. [02:09:24] Speaker C: That's not right. [02:09:26] Speaker F: That's not right either. [02:09:27] Speaker C: That's just the number four. [02:09:30] Speaker A: Holy crap. [02:09:32] Speaker C: Two. [02:09:34] Speaker F: Kareem. [02:09:35] Speaker A: One. [02:09:35] Speaker D: That was a joke. [02:09:38] Speaker F: That's wrong. [02:09:41] Speaker D: That's dead. [02:09:43] Speaker C: Who is this guy? [02:09:45] Speaker F: Okay, so Clint gets one, Oliver gets two, Kareem gets four. Kareem can handle his shit, appareNtly. Well, the problem is that Kareem needs to be able to zone out and not think about it. Everybody else seems fucking gone. Oliver is a little less gone than others, but still pretty gone. [02:10:21] Speaker D: Yeah. Kareem's mind is working right now. It's been a. [02:10:29] Speaker F: Is Kareem gonna drive for a little while longer and then try again? [02:10:35] Speaker D: Yeah, I'll get further out of town. [02:10:42] Speaker F: Are you going to continue puffing? [02:10:45] Speaker D: Yeah. [02:10:46] Speaker F: All right, cool. Roll me your legend, but take one die off. [02:10:57] Speaker B: Jeez. [02:10:59] Speaker A: Not allowed. [02:11:04] Speaker F: Okay. All right. Well, you guys managed to get about 4 hours. Four or 5 hours now. About 4 hours out of town. About 5 hours total since the sacrifice and coda, that's when the shaking starts. [02:11:24] Speaker B: She's going to try to keep taking deep breaths, but she definitely is going to start tightening a little bit. Not tight like squeezing Mr. Cat or not Mr. Cat. Pele. But it's like the petting is getting a little bit more, like fervent? Yes. [02:11:46] Speaker F: Is that the word I'm looking for? [02:11:48] Speaker B: Yeah. And she's going to start being like. And like, petting Mr. Cat. [02:11:55] Speaker F: You are breaking out in a cold sweat. You are shaking from head to toe. Pele has kind of plastered himself to your chest and, like, tucked his face against your neck and is purring louder than he has ever purred before. As far as you know, in an attempt to calm you down, however, Kareem pulls over. That's not how this works, unfortunately. It helps, but it doesn't fix it. It's probably a good thing that Kareem is pulling over because by the time the car comes to a stop, you are head to toe reacting. You are full blown panic attack. You feel queasy. It feels like every nerve ending in your body is kind of tingling and then going numb. Your hands don't want to react the way that. The way that they normally do. And it is hard to want to sit still all at the same time. [02:13:18] Speaker B: Yeah. I think once the car pulls over. She's going to try to get out the car and try pacing on the side of the road, like back and forth. At some point, she'll try to light another joint, but her hand is shaking. She'll drop the joint, drop the lighter. [02:13:37] Speaker C: Good. [02:13:39] Speaker D: You want to smoke? You want to fight? You want to jump? What do you want to do? [02:13:47] Speaker B: I don't. She's just not gonna know what to say. She's gonna keep trying to form words, but like, nothing's coming out. [02:14:00] Speaker A: Clint will get out of the car to join and approach calmly and softly with his voice. Goda. Are you okay? And would you like help? [02:14:19] Speaker B: I'm not okay. This is not like normal me. This is not me at all. And I just saw the heart getting. And it's. It's. You know, it's just like I could. I could feel it. And it's like I've been dreaming that every night. And it's just. In that moment, it. It just felt so real. And let's just gotta continue pacing. [02:14:48] Speaker D: Dreaming. [02:14:49] Speaker A: That's awful. And I'm sorry you had to see it. [02:14:54] Speaker D: You dreamed that? She dreamed that? [02:15:01] Speaker A: I'm not sure. But I don't think pestering her with too many questions right now is going to help. [02:15:09] Speaker D: No, for sure. [02:15:10] Speaker A: We'll see what we can do. [02:15:13] Speaker F: Coda. [02:15:15] Speaker B: Coda. [02:15:17] Speaker F: You. As you are having this break. As you are having this breakdown on the side of the road. [02:15:28] Speaker A: Oh, no. [02:15:29] Speaker F: There are monster. You all don't even know what I'm going to say. Let me get it out before you call me a monster. Goddamn. You are not entirely present. Your mind reaches back to sounds and smells and fears you had hoped you had left behind. You are reminded of the screams you and the people who ended up becoming your band gave off as you were being hunted by wolves the size of cars. You are reminded of as you look down, as you catch a glimpse of your reflection in the glass of Kareem's car in the window. You are reminded of how pale Oliver's face was when he had a vision where he was sure that net was dead. You are reminded of nightmares that you had after the day that net nearly died. And you barely. Between the other Kareem and Oliver, the three of you managed to barely get her to hold on long enough for her body to heal itself. The screams that you heard when that heart was pulled out of that box remind you of every moment of overwhelming pain and fear and world shattering realization that you've had. But they also do something else as you struggle against the fear and the panic that comes from it, you are reminded. You also remember the notes of submission and delight and ecstasy that was in it. And you can't help but wonder how much joy, how much delight Gwen might get every time a scion dies to the wolves under her command, and how much. And that leads naturally into the question of, did Stefan ever enjoy the hunt? Were any of those deaths, you know, that some of those deaths were basically like sacrifices just to the Titans and to the Titan spawn, because every time a scion died, at least one wolf got stronger. [02:19:34] Speaker B: Ooh, she's just going to start crying and pacing and looking at her hands and pulling at her hair and calling herself stupid and whatever. Yeah, and she's, like, sobbing. [02:19:56] Speaker A: Clint will once more gently approach and try to offer a hand. Or if she continues to pace, gently place a hand on the shoulder for as long as the touch can stay. [02:20:12] Speaker B: Yeah, I think at some point she's just going to hug Clint and just, like, Sob. [02:20:17] Speaker A: And that's when Clint will return the embrace. He does not do it first, but he is very relieved, visibly relieved, whenever she goes in for it. [02:20:29] Speaker F: Okay. [02:20:33] Speaker A: Well, it might not be okay, but we're here with you. We're going to be here with you the whole step of the way. And, well, you've got this. You can do this. You've been through things that I don't know about. We've been through things together. God damn it, Coda. We're going to keep going through things. I'm going to make sure you continue going through them. You're going to come out stronger and better. [02:21:13] Speaker D: I also. You've given me renewed vigor to fight against my betters and try and be free. And as long as you have my back, I will have yours. I promise. [02:21:43] Speaker A: Now, would you like some water? [02:21:49] Speaker B: Yeah, that'd be great. [02:21:51] Speaker A: Yeah, sure. There's no rush. Take your time. We're here for you. [02:21:59] Speaker B: Going to look around for Pele? [02:22:02] Speaker A: Well, maybe not Pele. [02:22:05] Speaker F: Pele is nearby, but he's a cat and can't exactly give, like, hugs in the way that humans can, so he's been watching. [02:22:16] Speaker B: Yeah. She's going to kneel to just pick him up and hold him. [02:22:22] Speaker F: Okay. [02:22:23] Speaker A: Ian, give her a hug, too. Come on. [02:22:25] Speaker F: I'm a bird. Her cat wants to eat me, so, no thanks. But you can give her one of the new shinies. [02:22:39] Speaker A: New shinies? You sure? All right. Clint will rustle around in one of his pockets and produce a half dollar Coda. I know this might not seem like much, but this is from Ian. Here you go. [02:23:00] Speaker B: Oh, sick. $0.50. [02:23:04] Speaker A: That's his shinies. And he's just trying to help. He's here for you, just like we are. [02:23:11] Speaker D: And now you don't have to pay taxes on it. [02:23:13] Speaker A: Yeah, that's tax free right there. [02:23:17] Speaker B: Thanks, Ian. [02:23:20] Speaker F: Ian kind of bobs his head in the way that birds do sometimes. [02:23:25] Speaker B: Yeah. Coda will try to get herself together a little bit, but she's still. [02:23:37] Speaker D: I don't know if we have time, but look over at Clint. Do you think meditation would be helpful? [02:23:45] Speaker A: Yeah, we can meditate, we can cuddle. We can do whatever you need. [02:23:52] Speaker D: I mean, with the. [02:23:58] Speaker B: Oh, maybe when we arrive in. Shit. [02:24:05] Speaker F: Where are we? [02:24:06] Speaker D: On the side of the road. [02:24:09] Speaker A: It's all right. We don't need to rush it. We'll let it happen when it's time to happen. We don't need to force Coda to do nothing she ain't ready for. [02:24:18] Speaker F: Yeah. [02:24:18] Speaker B: When we bunker down in New Orleans. [02:24:21] Speaker D: Then when you are ready. I have sort of a meditative aid. It lets people look inside themselves more easily, comfortably. [02:24:35] Speaker B: Let's see what's in there. [02:24:37] Speaker A: I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by who you see. You're a goddamn good person. [02:24:46] Speaker F: All right, you all. Unless Oliver has something specific he wants to say or do. [02:24:52] Speaker C: Yes. Kind of allow the other two to say their piece because didn't want to overcrowd her. But once everyone's kind of, like, ready to move and get back in the car, I will put a hand on Coda's shoulder. He's right. You're a phenomenal person, Coda, and I know you were having a moment, but please never call yourself stupid ever again. [02:25:26] Speaker B: Okay? [02:25:32] Speaker C: It's not going to be all right, I don't think. But it will get better. Things aren't always great. Things aren't meant to always be great. But things will be great again. And that's just how life works. [02:26:01] Speaker B: Yeah, she's just going to nod and continue cuddling Pele and sneak out a toaster strudel to munch on. [02:26:14] Speaker C: Of course, she does eye it for them. Say nothing. [02:26:20] Speaker F: You know it's bad when Oliver doesn't give shit about her poor food choices. All right, you all climb back into the car and set off. Not going to make cream roll again. I feel like cream's got enough on his mind. After getting to witness that epic meltdown that he sort of lets himself go and everybody else is folded up in their various thoughts. Clint is obviously in caregiver mode, watching over Coda. Coda is wrapped up in her own trauma. Oliver is probably a little bit traumatized, a little bit concerned. And then you all look up and the air really has changed. It really is heavier and thicker because you realize that you are passing a sign that says New Orleans, 5 miles. [02:27:25] Speaker D: Welcome to here. [02:27:29] Speaker F: Welcome to here. [02:27:33] Speaker D: The mood in the car is pretty low right now. [02:27:38] Speaker A: Wait, all it took was pit stop on the road to collect our thoughts and suddenly we're here. [02:27:49] Speaker D: Looks like. [02:27:53] Speaker A: All right, I'll take it. [02:28:01] Speaker D: Let's try and grab a hotel. You guys should get set up. [02:28:08] Speaker B: Shango may have something waiting for us. [02:28:12] Speaker A: You ready to see Shango yet? Or do you need a little bit of time to maybe have a drink, some food? We can take a moment. It's okay. [02:28:25] Speaker B: I feel like we're going to get the best food from Shango. [02:28:28] Speaker C: He's a fairly understanding man. I think if we tell him we may need a day, then he'll give it to us. [02:28:37] Speaker F: Likely speaking, you guys aren't due here for another 48 hours. So if we want to do a time skip and say that you take a couple of days off, you can do that. [02:28:48] Speaker B: Hype. [02:28:51] Speaker F: So you guys are going to get a couple of hotel rooms and spend a day or two just sort of chilling and letting yourself wind down before you report for duty. [02:29:08] Speaker D: Two things. One, does Koda want to meditate? And two, how do you all say goodbye to Kareem? [02:29:17] Speaker A: Oh, no. [02:29:24] Speaker B: Man. [02:29:26] Speaker C: Like, Coda answered the first question before answering the second one. [02:29:34] Speaker B: Does she get anything? Any messages on her phone? [02:29:40] Speaker F: Not right now. [02:29:43] Speaker B: Sudden? Yeah, she'll meditate. How she says goodbye, I don't know yet. [02:29:54] Speaker D: Kareem brings out the mat, the bowl, laces their fingers. Cross legged like this. Breathe and just let your mind go to whatever is. Whatever is troubling you. But there's so many things go down the list. [02:30:32] Speaker F: Um. [02:30:36] Speaker B: Am I supposed to say, like, ohm? Don't people usually say ohm? [02:30:41] Speaker D: All right, so first on the list is anxiety about doing meditation, right? [02:30:49] Speaker B: I don't have anxiety. [02:30:53] Speaker D: You just asked me if you were meditating correctly. You want to say ohm? Does that feel right to you? [02:31:03] Speaker B: Okay, I'm not going to say ohm. Okay. All right. Close my eyes and think of the things that's bothering me. He just said I have anxiety, which I don't. Let's see. I'm afraid that net's gonna leave me forever because I've made a lousy decision. Although my decision maybe wasn't bad. It was actually a pretty decent decision, but who knows, because, wow, Stefan could have actually loved killing people. And we are just giving forgiveness to someone who probably could have loved the kill. [02:31:46] Speaker D: Coda. Feels like warm desert sun. Not hot, but warm indoors. And I think probably smells dust and sand. [02:32:03] Speaker B: Is that the bowl? Okay, Coda. Yeah. [02:32:11] Speaker F: Roll me wits and integrity. And if you would like, I will allow you to spend a willpower to add your one remaining harmony dot to this role. [02:32:36] Speaker B: I will do that. Oh, no, I'm going to hold on my harmony just in case that conversation happens. I think I want harmony, which meant more than this. [02:32:55] Speaker F: Okay, roll. Hate to break off the roleplay scene, but we've only got an hour left, so I'm trying to. [02:33:03] Speaker B: Yeah, what was the role again? Sorry? [02:33:10] Speaker F: Wits and integrity. [02:33:11] Speaker B: Wits. [02:33:12] Speaker F: There we go. Not bad. [02:33:21] Speaker B: Three. And then I have two in wits. [02:33:25] Speaker F: Very good. Okay. With Kareem's guidance and the sound of Pele purring in a very steady but loud tone, you manage to kind of let go a little bit. You realize after a moment that you've kind of been white knuckling life for a long time and you're still holding on really, really hard, but you feel that kind of mental grip that you've always had on everything. Ease just a little. And you probably cry some more because that's what happens when you let go of some of that trauma and tension that You've been storing and bottling up. But it's a really good cry. And by the time you sort of resurface, you are emotionally a little spent, but also a little bit more centered. [02:35:05] Speaker B: Come over here. She's just going to give him a big old hug. [02:35:11] Speaker D: He returns it. You see this? I could get used to. [02:35:19] Speaker B: Yeah. Fuck your dad. I'm going to find you and we're going to help you get what you want, okay? [02:35:31] Speaker D: Look to right in the eye. Okay. [02:35:35] Speaker B: All right. Don't. [02:35:37] Speaker D: All right. [02:35:37] Speaker B: You better still be alive the next time I see you, or I'm literally going to find you in our underworld and kick your ass. [02:35:46] Speaker D: You'll have to get past another heart to do it. [02:35:48] Speaker B: Oh, God. [02:35:50] Speaker F: It's fine. It's fine. [02:35:57] Speaker D: At that point, his phone rings. Shit. Shit. I have to go. [02:36:07] Speaker B: Oh. Going to say goodbye to the others. [02:36:13] Speaker D: Can we do it in the next ten minutes? [02:36:18] Speaker B: Y'all? Kareem is leaving. She yells already. [02:36:24] Speaker D: All right, I've been. I have to go. [02:36:33] Speaker A: Where are you going? [02:36:38] Speaker D: I don't know. The message says come here, and I can't not follow it. [02:36:45] Speaker A: All right, well, you got my number, right? [02:36:48] Speaker D: I do. [02:36:49] Speaker A: All right, well, come here real quick, and Clint will open up for a hug. [02:36:54] Speaker D: Absolutely. Big old hug. [02:36:56] Speaker A: Of course. Now, you stay safe out there. You need any help, you know who to call, right? [02:37:02] Speaker D: I will call all of you. [02:37:04] Speaker A: That's right. [02:37:05] Speaker D: When I need solid support. And this business isn't always consistent, but this gives me the tenor of something that will be over in a little while. So you need me for something, call me. [02:37:25] Speaker A: Yes, sir. You got it. [02:37:27] Speaker D: You all function beautifully in your own spheres. But I have a different sphere, and I think I've proved its usefulness. [02:37:36] Speaker F: Got it. [02:37:37] Speaker B: Cuz. [02:37:40] Speaker A: Where's Mr. B? [02:37:42] Speaker C: Right. Right here. [02:37:43] Speaker A: Oh, there you are. [02:37:44] Speaker C: Just waiting for my turn to speak. [02:37:49] Speaker F: We're taking lessons from Dolgrim. [02:37:52] Speaker C: Thank you, Kareem. You've been of invaluable help to us. I'll hold out a hand. [02:38:00] Speaker D: I grab the hand for a handshake, then flip it and pull him into a hug as well. [02:38:06] Speaker C: Okay, we're doing this. [02:38:09] Speaker D: I'm learning from your friends. [02:38:13] Speaker C: Yeah, they're good at that kind of thing. Trust me, I've learned a thing or two from them as well. [02:38:24] Speaker D: I thank all of you. But, Oliver, there's A lot going on around you guys. I don't know if any of you are aware of how interesting you've become to everyone. [02:38:41] Speaker A: So while you're doing your test, Oliver is pretty interesting. [02:38:47] Speaker D: Yes. [02:38:50] Speaker C: I'm mildly novel. Let's go with that. [02:38:56] Speaker D: What you are doing with Stefan and these trials, keep an eye on your task. Don't forget to keep an eye on the world around you and above you. All right. [02:39:20] Speaker C: Good advice. Thank you. [02:39:25] Speaker D: And if you need to understand politics, well, I have someone you can talk to about that. [02:39:31] Speaker C: I have a decent understanding. I think the politics you're asking me to understand involves white collar crime. [02:39:40] Speaker D: They're not so different. No, they're best collar. All right, cousin, Godfriend, Professor, I hope I shall see you again. [02:39:56] Speaker B: You will see us again. [02:40:00] Speaker A: And you'll hear us again, too. [02:40:04] Speaker D: Good. Prem goes over to his car, opens it up, reaches in, pulls out several bags of cheap snack food, turns around, puts them down, making eyes at Brahm. [02:40:22] Speaker F: Who immediately launches himself past Oliver's legs. [02:40:32] Speaker C: All of you are a terrible influence on my dragon. [02:40:38] Speaker D: Well, you still to get some exercise. Somehow chasing snacks seems like a good method. And with that, Kareem gets in, puts it in gear and takes off. [02:40:54] Speaker F: Excellent. All right, you all watch as Kareem drives away. My understanding is that there are some phone calls that need to happen. Who wants to go first. [02:41:09] Speaker B: Not it. Oh, wait, no. Coda's being more confrontational. I'll go. [02:41:18] Speaker A: Yeah, go ahead. [02:41:19] Speaker F: I mean, it's up to you. With all of that trauma, if Coda doesn't want to make the call, she doesn't have. [02:41:27] Speaker B: No, she should. She should, and I should. Okay. [02:41:36] Speaker F: I'm going to assume that Clint is going to text Shango and let him know that they are in town. [02:41:41] Speaker A: Sure thing. That way he's not interrupting a phone call. [02:41:45] Speaker F: Okay, cool. Hoda, you make your call, the first thing that you realize is that you aren't even entirely sure where in the world net is right now or what time it is, where she is, but you force yourself not to hang up. You've been putting this off long enough, and you're maybe more than a little tired of the very, very brief one to two word answers you frequently get when you text her. After a moment, the phone call gets picked up. Hello? [02:42:56] Speaker B: Hey, net. [02:42:59] Speaker F: Hey, what's up? [02:43:05] Speaker B: I'd like for us to talk about us if you're free right now. [02:43:11] Speaker F: Oh, you want to talk now? [02:43:14] Speaker B: Yes. [02:43:18] Speaker F: Sure, let's talk. [02:43:24] Speaker B: Okay, so I feel like you have a lot you want to say to me because I feel like things are really strained between us right now, and while I'm here. Say what you want to say and then I'll say what I want to say and then we'll both see where we both are. But this long distance situation we've been in, single text message and me hiding and whatever, it's just not healthy for us. And I wish we were in person to do this, but we can't be. And I want us to talk, so lay out your cards. [02:44:24] Speaker F: Well, I never particularly said that I had much to say to you because I don't. I made my feelings on the situation perfectly clear in the moment. I don't fuck around for a year before I finally come and have a conversation. Also, you realize that this long distance thing is because you let the asshole off the that. You know, whether you guys like it or not, I'm now out here. Me and Kareem and Lucas are now out here cleaning up your. [02:45:11] Speaker B: So, okay, let's start with the first thing you said. You clearly have something to say when you say that. I've been fucking around for a year, so that's the first thing. Coda, you've been fucking around for a year and you haven't spoken to me? There it is. And, yeah, I agree. I did fuck around for a year and thought that maybe we could be okay if I don't know what I thought would happen. [02:45:55] Speaker F: Hold on. So now not only are we having the conversation you've been putting off for a year, you're putting words in my mouth. No, I don't feel like I need to point out to you the issues with your behavior. Because if I did, we wouldn't be having this conversation. You clearly know what's going on. You don't need me to point that out for you. You're a big girl. [02:46:25] Speaker B: I am. Okay. Sorry for putting words in your mouth. The second thing you said. Yeah, we're working on getting Stefan his freedom and we're working towards it. He's also still being punished. But yes, we made that decision. And yes, I'm going to have to live with it. And yes, I know you don't like it. However, whether he died, we would still be in this situation. [02:47:04] Speaker F: They were working together. There was every chance we could have dealt with both of them all at once. And you decided that you didn't give a fuck about anybody else's feelings. The only thing that mattered is whether or not you got to be the hero for an asshole who is responsible for dozens of deaths. [02:47:23] Speaker B: Net. You know that's not true. [02:47:26] Speaker F: You don't know that it's not. [02:47:28] Speaker B: I do know, and you can't. I have no. In your mouth. You can't put feelings in. You can't decide what my feelings were in that moment. You know, I was upset, and I care about your feelings. But this was something where. It's an age long situation where they were just hunting Loki scion for no reason, and then, well, he ended up being the outcome of something like this. So I decided he should get a redemption. Yeah, it's terrible that he's done. Terrible. [02:48:02] Speaker F: If you. After everything that you guys have been through and everything that everybody has told you, if you still think that there's no good reason for Loki scions to get hunted, then I don't know what to say to you. Because the reaction that he had to go on a mass murdering spree, that's not a normal reaction. That's a reaction you expect from somebody like a cyan of Loki. [02:48:32] Speaker B: That's the reaction you'll get from a cornered animal. A cornered animal that's not given a chance. [02:48:40] Speaker F: Okay, we're not animals, Coda. We're people. We have higher reasoning. We have higher reasoning and morals. And this is not just a survival of the fittest. We're all fucking part of the animal kingdom bullshit. Don't give me that. [02:48:59] Speaker B: But it is. [02:49:00] Speaker F: He made a moral choice and became a mass murderer. And you and your friends thought it was more important to save him than to deliver any real measure of justice. You apparently don't particularly care, at least by comparison, how your decisions impact everybody else. And that's fine. That's fine. I'll deal with the fallout. I'll clean up the mess. Because that's what I've been doing ever since I met my dad. I'm always cleaning up somebody else's mess. The difference is that I now have to live with the person that I cared about as the one who created the mess and seems perfectly content to overlook how I feel about things. [02:49:58] Speaker B: Net why do you think I'm overlooking how you feel about this? I'm trying to have this conversation with you because I care about how you feel about this. I've been having nightmares nightly about how you felt about me, how this affected you, how this has affected so many people. I keep thinking maybe I made the wrong choice. But at the end of the day, he deserves a second chance. This is a place where we can start. I didn't do this to be a hero. I could give two shits about being a hero. I did this because. Well, I did this because it's not right, what's been happening to the Loki, to the scions of Loki. And putting that aside, why do you think I don't care about your feelings? When I spoke to you about this, obviously, I was concerned about how you'd feel about. [02:50:57] Speaker F: So, okay, I apologize. I should have been more clear about what I meant when I said you didn't care. You prioritized other things over my feelings. Which is fine, whatever. I have my job. My job is to clean up the mess that's left behind by that psychopath that we may have actually been able to get to had she not had a mile of fucking warning that Stefan was bailing. But y'all not only gave him a chance to, I guess, reform himself or something, but you turned around and, I guess, made the same offer to her. From what I've heard from other people who have gotten to hear about all of the information he's given to the Acer, you gave her the same fucking chance. She didn't take it. But you gave her miles of road ahead of us, so there was no chance to catch her off guard. Do you realize how many times I have been like this? Fucking close to getting her and I can't because she knows so fucking Much about everything that's going on. Because y'all gave her the warning that you did. [02:52:28] Speaker B: Above the table. What does she mean by that? [02:52:33] Speaker F: What do you mean by what? [02:52:35] Speaker B: About us giving her a warning. [02:52:38] Speaker F: You guys literally had a conversation with Stefan and Gwen in season one where you offered Gwen the same deal you offered Stefan. Gwen just didn't take it. [02:52:51] Speaker B: Okay? That's what you. [02:52:54] Speaker F: She's saying. She's saying, you know, had you guys not decided to save him, had you worked together with her and her group and everybody else who was willing to help to take him down, there's a good chance you could have gotten both of them in one go. [02:53:14] Speaker B: Okay, I see. Got you. Sorry, I was a little like. Wait, what is she talking about? [02:53:24] Speaker F: Yeah, no, it's been a year. I understand. I'm fine with giving reminders. [02:53:29] Speaker B: Okay, cool. [02:53:31] Speaker F: So I. Getting back into character. Sorry. Yeah, no, me, too. I don't know what to say to you, Coda. You took in how I felt about the situation. I had to go to Anvil and sit in a fucking room and listen to what was happening, knowing that if it came to a draw, I was going to have to fight all four of you by myself. And if I won, then he died. So I got to face that by myself. And then you guys won. So I got to know that the mass murderer who killed the person who was closer to me in the world than basically anybody else is eventually going to walk free. Like, he's not even getting, like, a life sentence. He gets to be imprisoned for what, a year, maybe two, while you guys do a bunch of jobs for everybody else, and then he gets off early for what? Good fucking behavior on your part? And you guys think that that's just. And that's okay? [02:54:52] Speaker B: We think it's a start. He's still going to have to work and get. And he's still going to have to work towards. [02:55:03] Speaker F: He shouldn't be given the opportunity to be a part of the rest of the world again. He shouldn't. I'm sorry. You kill that many people, you do the things that he's done, you bring the Titans closer to being in power and the whole world getting fucked and every human being on the planet being sacrificed or being enslaved, depending on what fucking Titan wins. You don't get to be a part of society again. At the very least, you get locked up until you die. And then after all of that, you spent a year not having a conversation, sending me these half ass text messages about, oh, hey, I saw this thing and I went to this place. And isn't that cool? Like nothing fucking happened. Like you were expecting me to be the one to come to you. [02:56:01] Speaker B: I wasn't expecting you to come to me. I just wanted to start to let you know I was still here. [02:56:12] Speaker F: You were off doing your own thing and not acting like you were actually a part of a relationship. [02:56:18] Speaker B: That's not true. Net, I was talking to you because I wanted to make sure our relationship was still. [02:56:25] Speaker F: You weren't doing anything for the relationship. You were doing things to make yourself feel better. You were letting me carry your weight. [02:56:40] Speaker B: You are not carrying my weight, Net. [02:56:43] Speaker F: I have been for the past fucking year. I've still answered you when you've texted me. I've picked up the phone when you've needed help with things. I'm not obliged to do any of those things. I'm not obligated. My dad told me I could tell you to go fuck yourself anytime I wanted. But when you needed me in Japan, I made it happen. And then you couldn't do the one thing I asked you to do. So I got to deal with all of that history on top of everything else. And I've just been waiting for us to have a conversation, for us to face what happened. And you have been avoiding it by sending me these half assed messages again like nothing happened, like we're just old friends and you're off on the other side of the world doing study things. And we're definitely not scions who could just make a phone call and pop over to the other side of the world if we needed to. There was no attempt on your part to get together. Even now, you don't want to have this conversation in person. You're having it on the goddamn phone. [02:57:51] Speaker B: I do want to have this conversation in person. [02:57:54] Speaker F: Did you ask once? No. You made the phone call? [02:58:01] Speaker B: Yeah. I said, can we have a Conversation. [02:58:06] Speaker F: Over the phone? Coda, there was no. Hey, we should talk. Let's get together in person. It was just. We should talk. Listen, I don't know what you want from me. I've made my feelings perfectly clear a couple of times now. As it turns out, I'm never going to be okay with what you did. And if I ever see Stefan in person, I'll kill him. I don't give a fuck about his sentence. Once he's out, he's fair game, because that is the least I can do for Moira and for everybody else that he murdered. And for me. Case you forgot. [02:59:13] Speaker B: Well, this is what I wanted. Okay? [02:59:20] Speaker F: I have stuff to do. [02:59:37] Speaker A: You done on the phone there? [02:59:41] Speaker B: Coda is still sitting on the phone. [02:59:45] Speaker A: Oh, sorry. Pipe back down and just watch. [02:59:54] Speaker F: Coda around the same time that Clint says, are you done on the phone? You hear your phone go? [03:00:03] Speaker B: Yeah, she's just going to sit there for a bit. Yeah, I'm going to go for a walk. And she's going to go for a walk. Glenn. [03:00:28] Speaker A: Yep? [03:00:29] Speaker F: Your phone rings. [03:00:31] Speaker A: Oh, all right. Let me go ahead. [03:00:33] Speaker F: Shango. [03:00:34] Speaker A: Shango. It's about time. He'll press the button and. Hello. [03:00:45] Speaker E: What a transition. [03:00:48] Speaker F: Would you like to read the text messages that you were sending to Shango that I didn't see because I was in a really heated RPC? [03:00:56] Speaker E: He said it to me. It was just like, going right into it. Okay, sorry. Clint, my boy. There you are. [03:01:03] Speaker A: Yeah, sorry, there was a phone call. I didn't want to interrupt. How are you doing? [03:01:09] Speaker E: Oh, just fishing on the pier, enjoying the sun. It is a beautiful day and the Big easy, and I'm loving it. So you're all here? [03:01:18] Speaker A: Yeah, we're somewhere around here. I don't know which hotel we ended up at, but we're in New Orleans. [03:01:25] Speaker E: Okay, well, heated phone call. Sure everything's okay? I mean, what's the plan? Are you guys ready to meet up? [03:01:35] Speaker A: It might take a couple of minutes. Coda's going to go take a walk for just a little bit, but once she's done. Hold on. Mr. B, you about ready? Once Coda gets. [03:01:47] Speaker C: Yes. [03:01:50] Speaker A: All right, so Mr. B is just about ready. Coda is taking her time doing her thing. And once she's done, we'll start heading your way. [03:02:02] Speaker E: Yeah, come on down. Meet me at Cooper's in The French Quarter. [03:02:05] Speaker A: I got a great. In the French Quarter? [03:02:07] Speaker E: It's delicious. [03:02:09] Speaker A: Yeah. Is there any sort of dress code or anything that we need to change into? [03:02:15] Speaker E: Come get your ass down here. [03:02:16] Speaker A: You got it, sir. [03:02:17] Speaker F: Thank you. [03:02:18] Speaker A: All right, talk to you and hang up the phone. [03:02:26] Speaker F: Clint. Just casually making calls to gods. [03:02:30] Speaker A: Well, that's why they call me God, friend. All right, so, Mr. B, like I said, once Coda gets back, we'll go ahead and make sure she's ready, maybe take a minute, grab a drink or something, then head on down to the French Quarter. Shango's waiting for us. [03:02:54] Speaker C: All right, sounds like that's what we'll do then. [03:03:05] Speaker F: Okay, Coda Pele is walking with you? He is quiet, but he is close by. [03:03:17] Speaker B: Yeah, Coda is just very quietly walking and thinking. Do y'all, like, text her that we need to get ready to go, or y'all just kind of wait for her to come back? [03:03:34] Speaker C: I'm giving her time to. [03:03:38] Speaker A: Hurry it up either. [03:03:46] Speaker B: Yeah, no, she's just going to walk and then eventually she'll just come back. Just have a quiet walk with Mr. Cat or with Pele. [03:03:54] Speaker F: Okay, say it's about 2 hours by the time Koda and pale come back. During that time, Ian a couple of times just sort of flew out and made a circuit. Kind of just keeping an eye on where they were to make sure that they were okay. But he never gets close enough to bother anything. [03:04:16] Speaker A: That's my bird. [03:04:20] Speaker B: Yep. And she comes back. [03:04:24] Speaker A: Hey, Cody, you doing? [03:04:34] Speaker B: Yeah, but I'll figure something out. [03:04:38] Speaker A: Well, you know, we're here along with you if you need anything. [03:04:43] Speaker F: Yeah, he's right. [03:04:45] Speaker A: But if you're in need of food and drink and a chance to meet one of the best gods out there, Shango's waiting for us in the French Quarter. [03:04:57] Speaker B: Great, let's go. [03:04:59] Speaker A: You got it. [03:05:04] Speaker F: Okay, you all get yourself together. I'm assuming you rent a car. [03:05:14] Speaker B: And. [03:05:14] Speaker F: Go to meet with Shango. Sure. [03:05:37] Speaker E: I guess that's me then. Yeah, Cooper's just a really nice low tier restaurant. Like casual dress to the nines. But Django's just like leaning against the door outside. He's not in a suit this time. He's just in a really nice plaid button up, sleeves rolled down, really nice jeans and stuff like that. Big boots you can see in like upper side him. He's got a bucket full of crab and shellfish and stuff like that. He's got beside him and he just. [03:06:11] Speaker F: Got. [03:06:13] Speaker E: On to chew. Looks over. Hey, there you are. [03:06:17] Speaker A: Hey, it's Shango. There he is. [03:06:19] Speaker E: Big man. Give me a hug and come here. And he cracks his spine. There you go, big boy. Oliver holds out a hand. [03:06:30] Speaker C: I'll shake it. [03:06:31] Speaker E: Yep. Wouldn't do that to. [03:06:34] Speaker A: Oh. [03:06:37] Speaker E: Coda. [03:06:39] Speaker B: Hey, Shango. Nice to see you. [03:06:43] Speaker E: I was going to ask consent. Consent is cool. Would you like a hug? [03:06:48] Speaker B: Yeah, sure. This would be great. [03:06:51] Speaker E: I give her a hug. [03:06:55] Speaker B: You don't hug back. [03:06:59] Speaker E: I don't know what it was, but it'll work out. [03:07:03] Speaker D: Endless. [03:07:03] Speaker E: Let's go. All right, everybody, hop in the old Shangle mobile. Got a long way to go. [03:07:12] Speaker A: Oh, we're not going to drink or eat here. [03:07:16] Speaker E: No, I got to get going. [03:07:18] Speaker A: Oh shit. All right, I may have over promised and under delivered. Can we stop somewhere to like. [03:07:24] Speaker E: No, we got to get going. You already made me. [03:07:27] Speaker C: Don't have time for this, Clint. [03:07:29] Speaker E: No, we got to get moving. [03:07:30] Speaker A: All right. [03:07:31] Speaker E: And he goes around the corner and you see probably the radiest looking van with, like, a big crab that says. I think it just says Shingy's crab spot. All right, everybody in the back. [03:07:46] Speaker A: We going to get crabs? I just did. [03:07:49] Speaker E: Hold up the bucket. [03:07:53] Speaker A: All right, everybody in. [03:07:55] Speaker E: And it reeks of seafood in the back of that van. All right, everybody in. Okay, St. [03:08:04] Speaker F: Yes. [03:08:05] Speaker E: It's on Delacoi Island. [03:08:06] Speaker A: Correct. [03:08:09] Speaker F: So here's the thing. [03:08:11] Speaker E: It says the island. And there's one island that I know of relatively, so. [03:08:18] Speaker F: Okay. It's not an island that humans know about. Cool. [03:08:29] Speaker E: It's fun. So he starts driving through the streets of New Orleans. Can all of you swim? [03:08:38] Speaker A: Yeah. [03:08:43] Speaker E: This is a legitimate question. Can all of you? Okay, Coda. [03:08:47] Speaker B: Yeah, I can swim. [03:08:49] Speaker E: Perfect. Pele. He looks right at the cat as he's just, like, driving through the streets. [03:08:58] Speaker F: The cat gives you the least impressed look of any cat ever. I can, but I don't. [03:09:10] Speaker E: That's good to hear. And you see him just, like, going to the streets, and he's going through that third French quarter into the shipyards. And you see him just kind of, like, driving straight towards the End of the pier. All right, there's only one good way to catch, grab, and that's go straight to the bottom. But that's what this event is all about. All right, everybody, hold on. And he puts it in gear, drives faster. Okay, there's only one way to get to the Baron's place, and he get off the pier. [03:09:40] Speaker F: So you guys are given very little warning. A simple question of whether or not you can swim. And then as soon as he gets a confirmation, Shango floors it and speeds at. You're not entirely sure how it's possible, but this ratty ass van somehow gets up over 100 and sails off the end of the pier into the water, it is just as violent hitting the water as any movie has ever made it seem. Probably more so, but really freaky, because it's this really violent, jarring when you hit the surface of the water. But then as the van kind of sinks lower, the water doesn't come rushing in. It's a slow, very slow trickle. [03:10:38] Speaker E: All right. Okay. And as it gets, you feel like, settle onto the bay, and then it kicks in a gear again and goes driving. All right, then give us a few minutes. All right. There's only one way to get to the Baron's place. We could take, like, 5 hours, drive all the way around, but we're just going to drive straight across the bay. Because if you look up and as he kicks it into gear again, where in the middle, the bay is huge. It's wide open and goes straight out into the sea. But as he points up, you see, like, it start to go into an incline as it comes up and out of the water with just, like, it starts to drain out of the van a little bit. You do, in fact, see the Baron's mansion. [03:11:27] Speaker C: Yeah. [03:11:28] Speaker E: Should I describe it as the. Or should you? [03:11:31] Speaker F: I will. It's a little bit more complicated. [03:11:37] Speaker E: I'm trying to shortcut this. [03:11:39] Speaker F: I know, but not allowed. This is a really cool thing. So we're gonna go full into it. Go ahead. You guys get to the bottom of the bay, and Shango kind of points and says, we got to go that way to get to the baron's mansion, and immediately reaches and starts opening the door, which opens normally. And then there's the Rush of water. You're not sure if he was able to get the door open that easily because he's a God and he's just that strong. Or if there's something weird about the van or whatever is going on. But the water does come rushing into you or rushing into the van, and you are all forced to push yourselves out. As you push out and you follow him swimming, he kind of reaches behind you, and there is a trail of, like, bubbles that come off of his fingers. And each time one of those kind of hits, like, your face, it finds its way to your mouth and your nose, and you get just a moment of air, and you look forward and you realize that even though it was perfectly clear blue skies when you drove off of that pier, the water ahead of you is churning violently, and he is going straightforward for it. And the closer and closer you get, the more you realize that there is, like, this massive swirling of water. I can't remember what they're called. Almost like a whirlpool, but massive. A whirlpool. But, like, the size of a football field. And you guys have to go straight to it. I would like everybody to make me strength and athletics roles. If Clint would like to, you can help Oliver by sacrificing two of your dice to give to him. [03:14:12] Speaker A: Yeah, I can do that. [03:14:15] Speaker C: Okay. [03:14:16] Speaker B: Question. Would you consider this a chaotic. [03:14:21] Speaker F: Yeah. Yeah. [03:14:24] Speaker B: Okay. I think Coda's going to use eye of the storm. When I'm caught up in a chaotic situation unrelated to myself, I can activate this boot and become an island of calm in. I don't know how to say that word. She's miraculously untouched in the confusion, and she remains so for as long as she doesn't actively. Oh, shucks. Involve herself. [03:14:53] Speaker F: So you can't really make the water be calm? [03:14:57] Speaker B: No, it's, like, around her. Around her. [03:15:00] Speaker F: Well, no, you can't make the water be calm. You can keep yourself calm in this situation and not be bothered by the chaos around you, but understand that what is happening is a huge, unstoppable supernatural force. This is not something that spending a point of legend can fix. [03:15:20] Speaker B: Hmm. [03:15:24] Speaker F: Technically speaking, in order to really be able to get away with this without any issues at all, you would want the water per view. All right, I need rolls from everybody, please. [03:15:36] Speaker A: Okay, that would be six. [03:15:42] Speaker C: One. [03:15:48] Speaker B: That was strength and athletics. Athletics. Okay. [03:16:07] Speaker F: That'S four. Do you have any epics? [03:16:11] Speaker B: Yes, I have one epic. So five. [03:16:14] Speaker F: So five. You roll better than. What did Clint get? [03:16:18] Speaker A: Clint got six. [03:16:19] Speaker F: All right. You roll better than Oliver. Not quite as good as Clint, but still pretty good. Oliver. You struggle. And as you are struggling to try and keep up, Clint has kind of basically allowed you to latch on to the back of his shirt so that you don't get completely swept away, but it's still just not enough. And as you are going, a large, powerful hand kind of grips you by the back of your jacket, and you look over and realize that Shango is, like half carrying you so that you don't get swept away in this vortex. You manage to. [03:17:06] Speaker A: You said you could swirl. [03:17:11] Speaker F: After a few moments, you guys break through what feels like a wall of water, and you step out onto a tropical island. It is paradise. The foliage is green and thick, and there are fruits everywhere, though they're strange and nothing that you've ever really seen before. You can see buildings, most of them smaller. Oh, goodness. What are they called? Like, beach shacks and things like that built here and there. [03:17:57] Speaker C: Cabanas. [03:17:59] Speaker F: Yes, cabanas. Thank you. Yeah. [03:18:01] Speaker C: Got you. [03:18:04] Speaker F: And you look up past the immediate tree line and see the top of what has to be a massive, massive manor house. In the distance, on the breeze, you hear music. It is raucous and lively. There are voices raised in song. You see people coming and going here and there. They're all obviously ghosts, but they're acting like they're just people. You know that 90% of the time, the manner which is where the music is coming from is dark and quiet. [03:19:05] Speaker A: Yeah. [03:19:08] Speaker E: Welcome to the Fet gate, everybody. This is where the spirits can feel like they're alive again. They relax, they eat. And the baron throws a massive party. We do it once a year for 24 hours. This entire area you see before you is a haven to anyone who has bats beyond. And we get to let them live one more time. And the goal of the three of you? Well, 1 second, it kind of like snaps its fingers and you go dry off. Oh, yeah, of course. How you doing, Pele? [03:19:45] Speaker F: Pele's fur is fluffy and he looks annoyed. [03:19:51] Speaker E: You look better like that, you fuck. Anyway, I love cat. This way. The goal of the three of you, any gestures towards the vortex, is to not leave this spot for 24 hours. You will guard this location with your lives. [03:20:09] Speaker C: Okay, all of the Loa. [03:20:12] Speaker E: Yes, go ahead. All of the loa is here. All of our children are here. My children are here. And for the first time in a very long time, I get to celebrate this occasion with them. Because the three of you, the task I set before you is to guard this for 24 hours. I won't be coming to check on you. No one will be. Now, there is food and plenty of snacks right over there. Points to like a picnic table off to the side, because of course I'm going to feed you. There's a knapsack if you want to sleep between shifts or whatever. You got to do. [03:20:59] Speaker A: All right. Seems pretty straightforward. [03:21:03] Speaker F: It's not a female voice from nearby. [03:21:09] Speaker A: Oh, I thought that was one of us. [03:21:13] Speaker F: You all turn and you see a face that Shango recognizes. But the rest of you, well, I should say two of you have to double take because she looks almost exactly like a God that you have seen before, just somehow different. She is pale skinned, red haired. Her hair is piled up atop her head and there's like wraps around it to keep it up off of her neck. And she is wearing a long skirt and a shirt with a bodice that's like an underbust. And she has a thick cigar between her pointer and middle finger on her right hand and a bottle of rum in the other. [03:22:04] Speaker E: Already got started. [03:22:08] Speaker F: You know we're always partying. We just brought the party here. Here, I brought this for you. And she'll toss the bottle over to Shango. [03:22:23] Speaker E: Grabs it, takes a massive slug. Oh, this is going to feel amazing. [03:22:29] Speaker F: These are the scions that have been causing all of this hubbub. [03:22:36] Speaker A: There's been a hubbub. [03:22:38] Speaker C: Guilty. [03:22:40] Speaker E: Introduce yourselves. [03:22:43] Speaker A: Oh, sure. I'm Clint Brazis and I am a scion of the Morrigan. Nice to meet you. [03:22:53] Speaker B: I'm Coda Massacoy, scion of. [03:23:00] Speaker D: You. [03:23:01] Speaker C: Oliver Bright, scion of Ogma. Good to see you. Brigid. [03:23:07] Speaker F: Mama. Brigitte, of course. I wanted to come and greet Shango. It's so rare. He gets to visit us. True. [03:23:21] Speaker E: The world isn't. World's getting more fucked up every passing day. And I wanted at least one to spend time with everybody. I hate being the one to issue this, but. So we agreed to. [03:23:40] Speaker F: We are glad that you could make it. You should know this is not going to be an easy thing that you have signed yourselves up for. It used to be that our underworld was safe, but it hasn't been for some time. [03:24:00] Speaker A: That seems to be a common thread going around. [03:24:06] Speaker F: And she'll kind of turn and gesture at the water swirling around you. And you realize as you turn back that somehow the waters that you stepped through have become darker. They're darker from this side than they were. They are more foreboding. And occasionally you see a large, translucent, but slightly glowing figure pass by. It's so quick you almost miss it. And there is a feeling of dread that kind of wells up inside of you. The kind of dread that you imagine or that you started to have when the water started to fill the fan and you suddenly realize that you might drown. [03:25:05] Speaker A: Y'all got a big friend out there? [03:25:10] Speaker F: No. Clint. These waters have been haunted for a long time. But the Hauntings have been worse since the shattering. [03:25:19] Speaker A: That's a haunting? [03:25:21] Speaker F: There's a number of them. Funny enough, though, I don't think that that will be your biggest worry. A place like this, all of our scions in one place? She'll shake her head. [03:25:36] Speaker E: Desire. Someone's going to get a little overzealous more often than not. And it won't be their job of the parent to pull them back. [03:25:49] Speaker A: You think like someone bad is going to try and come after you all? [03:25:55] Speaker F: For sure. I think that any begathering like this from any pantheon will be a target. [03:26:09] Speaker E: Turn to the three of you. I chose the three of you to do this because I do, in fact, trust the three of you with all of myself. I know you can do this. [03:26:22] Speaker A: Hear me well? Yeah. [03:26:27] Speaker C: Thank you for your faith. [03:26:29] Speaker E: Always. [03:26:31] Speaker A: And your food. [03:26:39] Speaker E: I know you can do this. [03:26:42] Speaker B: Yes, I can. Thank you. [03:26:47] Speaker E: Of course. Sorry. Birthday. [03:26:54] Speaker F: You were the one who gave them the job. I just came to be the welcoming committee. [03:26:59] Speaker E: And I appreciate it. [03:27:00] Speaker D: Thanks. [03:27:01] Speaker E: In the list of drinking the room the entire time. [03:27:05] Speaker F: I tried to leave more drinks with your tings, but he said it would not be a good idea because you were on duty. You survived the next 24 hours. I have a bar in New Orleans you can come and drink for free. [03:27:26] Speaker A: You know what? I'll take you up on that offer. [03:27:29] Speaker B: Yeah. [03:27:33] Speaker A: CLINT WAGGLES HIs brows at that response. [03:27:37] Speaker F: She kind of gives a saucy grin, reaches over and grabs your ass just brazenly and then laughs a little bit. I like this one. He can stay however long he likes. [03:27:57] Speaker E: Shango's eyes, which have been like a cloudy white or like dark stormy gray. The smallest shake of his head, like, no. [03:28:10] Speaker C: Similarly wince a little bit. [03:28:15] Speaker E: Like the man to man like you will not survive. [03:28:23] Speaker F: It's not even her husband you have to be afraid of. [03:28:25] Speaker A: Oh shit. [03:28:29] Speaker F: All right, sorry, go ahead. [03:28:33] Speaker E: No, I mean, I appreciate you being in the welcoming committee, but claps a hand on Oliver's shoulder and looks him dead in the eye and just like you're the captain, these are your mates and those are the waters. Keep it afloat. Also points to the bucket of crab that he did carry with him. Dig in. All right, I'm out. [03:28:59] Speaker A: All right, enjoy your party. [03:29:02] Speaker C: Just call me a smile, I guess. [03:29:06] Speaker B: Oh, I get that lovey dick, man. [03:29:10] Speaker C: Good job. [03:29:12] Speaker B: Yeah. [03:29:14] Speaker F: My mom, Brigitte links arms with Shango, gives all of you a saucy little smile, blows you a kiss and winks and turns to lead Shango away towards the sounds of the party in the distance. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is where we're going to wrap up for the night.