Episode 36 - Crisis Deadline

Speaker 0 00:00:00 Hey, Barry. Hey Al, why did the party ask if the diviner was feeling okay, why he was scrying? It's time for compelled duel. Speaker 2 00:00:25 Hello everybody. And welcome back to compel duel. I'm Al and I'm Barry, and we are a single-player Cody and Dudgeon and dragons. Fifth edition actual play podcast previously on compelled dual. Speaker 3 00:00:40 You ever go through a divorce so nasty that it grants you a surprise around on each other in combat. Speaker 0 00:00:47 Okay. Let's all remember for a second, that defiance is a liar. Let's all remember that and internalize it and bring that perspective to the conversation. Lorelei, Leo, it's going to be okay. You're going to be okay. We're going to be okay. Speaker 4 00:01:09 Anyway. I'm not too keen on hanging out around here with a bunch of people that hate me. The captain can't get off the ship, but he neglected to mention that there's nothing stopping you or I from doing it. Ah, where we already done with drinks, I wanted to have a chat. Who did you kidnap you? Well, I know you kidnapped me Jack ass. I was there for it. She asked my sister what vice Admiral. The Australian Navy gets murdered on Zephyr Isles land. That's an open gate for a full invasion fee. She can't die here. Speaker 4 00:01:57 You are always so high up on your little pedestal with your nose in the air, talking about the ultimate power of truth and how it's the greatest force in the universe. But how strong was your marriage? If it only took one little lie to make it implode, the proverbial wolves are out our door by friends, and we're going to go to the powers that be and demand some fucking action. He looks back up at you and Sabine and breaks out into this crooked rakish grid. It's time for us to do what we do best. Let's go call some problems. Speaker 0 00:02:45 All right. So last time you all solidified a plan to try and sneak Speaker 2 00:02:53 Through the city of Pearl port to directly confront the conclave that runs Speaker 0 00:02:56 The entire Zephyr Isles. I don't know if I would call that a plan. That would be a generous description. Fair enough. But regardless of how well thought out it was, uh, I will need everybody to make a group stealth check. So I'm going to roll for the captain and Sabine first. So the captain Rhodes dirty 20 and to be enrolled at 16, that will be a 29 for Leo. All right. Uh, most of the ship's officers are not going to come with you. So I'm just gonna roll for the crew members that did generally. And I'm going to roll one self check for you. And one for fi figure out a nine, you get six and the rest of the crew, a Nat 20 and two eighteens. All right, Speaker 4 00:03:47 You didn't even need my 29 to bring that average up. Speaker 0 00:03:50 Nah, nah, it helped them. Uh, that'll do it. So I think what happens, the category is Leo just is gone. No one can see Leo as they're getting off the boat. You like trips over a loose board down on the dock and knocks into fee and fee because she is not used to the weight of her new shield, almost dives nose. First into the docks. Leo Speaker 3 00:04:15 Takes a moment to save her how sweet being on this side of a good stealth check is. And from the shadows goes, wow. Speaker 0 00:04:25 Well, given that all of the people that understood that reference are on a separate continent, the captain does shush. You, did you miss the memo where I'm being quiet? Speaker 4 00:04:37 No, but apparently both of our sisters did Speaker 0 00:04:40 Daggers daggers. He stares at you. You all set off through the streets, largely unnoticed. I think enough of the crew, no like weird side alleys that you can go down that you managed to get up to the Citadel relatively quickly is interesting. You saw the <inaudible> like this big, huge stone castle up on top of the mountain that Ms. Burrows built on the pro port Citadel is much larger and there is a sprawling campus of outbuildings around it. And you see a lot of people in the gray robes that you've recognized as being uniform of state service, just running around, doing errands. You see a bunch of acolytes like playing a rhythm game in a square. You see people sitting on benches, talking, you get the impression that they're on breaks. It is a weird contrast from the limited interaction that you've had the state service members before, where they were very, not necessarily aloof and not necessarily not in touch with the people, but like emotionally a step back and like very professional. Speaker 2 00:05:55 This is not that at all. You just see a lot of people just go on about their business and people seem pretty content. A lot of people Speaker 3 00:06:05 Give weird looks to the Speaker 2 00:06:08 Group of you as you enter onto this campus. And it becomes harder to be filthy. You watch the captain, duck his head away from people looking at him and just keep walking towards the Citadel. A few other members of the crew do that as well. You just barge into this big government building and announced. Yeah, Speaker 3 00:06:27 This was a great plan. This was a great plan. Okay. I'm sticking very close to fi Speaker 2 00:06:33 Fi is looking around wide. I'd add just about everything. You all walk into the Citadel. Roll me perception. Well, I rolled a four, but it's a 12. That'll do it. It wasn't a high DC. You walk into this building immediately. The entire crew just like sticks Speaker 3 00:06:56 To the wall of what is a Speaker 2 00:06:58 Huge circular chamber. You look down at the floor and there are carvings on this big flat stone floor that immediately catch your eye. Speaker 3 00:07:09 I look closer at it. I don't touch it. Speaker 2 00:07:14 The floor of the chamber, not the entire floor, but like the middle of it is absolutely a portal stone. I don't think anybody is stopping to give you expedition on that. But you watch as they just skirt the entire way around this stone to get through this chamber, Leo kind of elbows fee in the side and goes well, damn, the captain was actually right about something. Shame that the key we had has gone fever, raises an eyebrow at you and goes, yeah, shame. I Speaker 3 00:07:48 Would do it again. And you know it. Speaker 2 00:07:51 So this big chamber, it has a lot of archways in it and like sight lines to other rooms. Do you walk on the portal stone or are you also going around it? Oh hell no, I'm going around it smart Speaker 3 00:08:05 Enough to follow the lead of the people that have actually been here before. He's not going to walk over. Not Speaker 2 00:08:12 Everybody accepts you fee and Sabine seems to know exactly where you're going. So they all circle around to at big Archway that is directly across the room from where you came in and it opens up into this long hallway with a bunch of people milling around in it. They all give you extremely strange. Looks like more so than the people outside captain. Speaker 3 00:08:37 Are you still confident in your plan? Because, uh, you know, not that I ever was to begin with, but it seems like things are getting a Speaker 2 00:08:44 Little, a little froggy. The captain has like stopped in this hallway. He nods to himself a couple of times and he says, right. Yeah. Why wouldn't I be confident or just about to charge into the meeting chamber of the conclave that runs everything. And there's the foils, just a whole room of people that's have immense political power and dislike me personally. Why would I have anything other than a 100% confident? And he just starts walking again, take my fucking Speaker 3 00:09:16 Chances with defiance. At this point, I follow him. Speaker 2 00:09:21 The hallway ends in a big pair of double doors unceremoniously. The crew opened them and the captain just walks in fi is definitely following. I assume you are also following Leo Speaker 3 00:09:34 Style at the nearest wall before he gets to the door and just slowly knocks his head against the stone a few times in exasperations, but then follows them in. Yes, Speaker 2 00:09:46 You all set through these doors. The hallway opens up into this big circular chamber. The first thing that strikes you is how many people are seated here. There are a few dozen young adult to absolutely fucking ancient storm folk seated in these huge risers, going up from the center of this room. They don't seem to be doing a focused task at the moment. You see people messing with paperwork, you see a few people like chatting and the risers. You walk into this open space between the seats. It is resoundingly loud in this chamber. It has a bit of an echoing audio quality as the captain, just claps once and then says, legislators, a moment of your time. Speaker 3 00:10:43 16. I would like to hide under the risers man. I don't know, but I have a feeling this is about to get bad and I don't want to be in the middle Speaker 2 00:10:54 Of it. Let me okay. You managed to duck out of the way, just before everything goes completely silent. You watch the captains smile and just go very strained. And he says, first of all, I appreciate your <inaudible> and not having me arrested, given various charges. You notice that like the seating is arranged. So the more like senior legislators you would guess are closer to the center and then people get younger as they go up. So one of the people in this like middle row is very, very old storm. Folk lady says what would just set those members? They accrue that she used as messengers that tend to tell you that we had to agree to suspend charges. Well, Olivia there deliver delivering news as a captain phrases. Oh my Speaker 3 00:11:53 Doc and Ascot are going to get down there and we're going to be, doc's gonna fucking kill him. Speaker 2 00:12:00 The captain incredibly wrong-footed says interesting. That fan said, he turns around, he looks confused for a second and then he gestures. And he says, Ferrara, would you like to explain? And fi also does a double take at the spot next to her where you were supposed to be to do negotiations because this is the whole thing that Leo is good at. Speaker 3 00:12:25 Well, now that I know that we're not going to be arrested, I'll come back out. I shuffled slowly sideways out from under the risers where I was hiding and just kind of wave it. Everybody. Speaker 2 00:12:35 It's just a flat charisma check five. The mood in the room is frosty. I'm sorry. Speaker 3 00:12:46 I fucked this up for all of us. I just thought that things were about to get really bad. Speaker 2 00:12:50 Several people in the crew, including the captain and Sabine, all wince as the mood, palpably declines, as you shuffle guiltily out from under the risers for the cash. And very stiffly says, play that. If you could explain what we're dealing with to the entire conclave, Leo straightens, his breastplate a little bit, dust himself off, tries to recover a bit of his dignity and then takes a step forward. Speaker 3 00:13:24 The steam legislators. Thank you so much for your consideration, Speaker 0 00:13:28 Your mercy, I think. And your time. My name is <inaudible>. Speaker 3 00:13:35 I am the grand duke of Australia. This is my sister Ferrara, the grand dachas. Speaker 4 00:13:42 I'm sure that you are all aware of the political situation happening off the coast of <inaudible> right now with the Australian Naval blockade. I have no doubts that this is impacting your nation as well in terms of trade routes, being interrupted and commerce stalling. But that is not the issue. I am here to speak with you about this act of war is being wrongfully waged by my father as revenge for a Voltaren incursion on Australian soil. That happened well over a century ago, and it is being waged on the premise that my sister and I died on Boulder and soil. As you can see, this is not the case and it is our goal to get through the Australian blockade and back to vaudeville door in order to stop this war before any more loss of life happens, you may be asking yourselves why you should get involved with this and at face value. I agree. It doesn't seem like a good deal. However, I believe you should all be made aware of the fact that the pirate queen of Australia is in your city. As we speak beak, Speaker 0 00:15:00 As you've been talking, the atmosphere has been kind of bored, but as you say that there are like several hushed exclamations and people start murmuring up in the seats, Speaker 4 00:15:12 Leo nods and allows himself a little bit of a smirk because he's got I'm on the hook. Now, furthermore, a little known fact about defiance pirate queen of Australia is that she is also vice Admiral of the Australian Naval special forces. Speaker 0 00:15:29 I have relatively Speaker 4 00:15:30 Little experience with the woman myself, but what little I do have leads me to believe that she and my father are working together because they share Speaker 0 00:15:39 A common ambition. So Speaker 4 00:15:43 Before you write off our request for aid, I think it would be beneficial for you all to ask yourselves. After my father has had his fill of blood in vaudeville door, where will he go? Next? The Zephyr Isles are incredibly rich in resources and invaluable as a stop along trade Speaker 0 00:16:06 Routes. And under its current leadership Australia just hungry. There's a moment where this inner ring of legislators talk amongst themselves for a second. And then the same older lady, she appears to be the oldest person on the conclave. So you would assume that's why she's speaking to you says, right? Even if that's all true only to point out to your boy that while you might not be old enough to remember the Voltaren war, most of us here are. And I would point out that if we free up the darn war machine from its current commitments of NARTH, then where do you think they are going to go next? As far as I see, well, the loss of life is lamentable. The best way to protect Zephyr oils is to let hunger for power. Cancel out again, no one on this conclave wants to Sandy one day storm focus, Sherry and Voltaren doesn't matter. But if we've got two nations thirsty for blood and economic advancement, then I said, I'd rather they kill each other than us. Speaker 4 00:17:19 And say that, that sounds like a sentiment from someone that is protected enough under the status quo that they don't want to dream of anything better. The so-called good of Australia has come at the price of the blood of her people for far too long now. And I can't let it stand. What my sister and I aim to do is stop this madness, take back power in our home, turn it into something better. And at that point, if the Voltaren war machine is free and hungry again, would you rather not have somebody willing to stand by in order to make a change Speaker 0 00:17:59 This older lady straight up laughs and expect us to lay down the lives of our people to fix the problems of a foreign nation on the word of a foreign diplomats, that things will be different if we do that sounds like a reasonable decision to you. It does it Speaker 4 00:18:19 All. Due respect, legislator, the lives of your people are already on the line and will be no matter what. Watch the conference vaudeville door is going to end one way or the other. And whoever is left standing at the end of it will still be hungry. And you and Tor dune are the next people down on the floor. Speaker 0 00:18:39 Food chain Speaker 4 00:18:41 Say toward June 1st, this whole process repeats itself. Whoever is left standing at the end will still be hungry. And where does that leave? You? Storm poke lives are already at risk. Would you rather them be risked in the name of building a world where this sort of thing doesn't happen over and over and over again? Or what do you just prefer them to be shoveled into the gaping mall of the next hungry tyrant persuasion? Not 20, not 2026, not 20 years. Leo fucking said he was good at this shit. He Speaker 3 00:19:27 Fucking said it. He's been telling them the whole time. Speaker 0 00:19:33 There is an unrest in this big gathering chamber. One person like near the top stands up and goes, I am like pumps their fist in the air and then realizes that no one else is doing that and sits back down. There is a lot of murmuring in this room, this entire, like first ring of older legislators make eye contact with each other. And as one raise one hand and everything goes quiet. And then the same older lady that's been debating with, you says, all right, you are, you convincingly will deliberate on it. And there is just crashing sounds of protest from up in the risers. There is pandemonium. As people just start talking over each other and this older lady Lauder says, we will deliberate on it. Speaker 0 00:20:24 And the captain from behind you yelled you, people are out of your fucking minds. All of the eyes of these older legislators snapped him. And this older lady says, well, thank you to keep your mouth shut about matters that you have no scope of LOD and the captain snaps back. No Scott, my ass more sailors or the people dying. We won't stop with us, but it's certainly us. Now this order legislator just says, well, thank you not to hold this conclave accountable for the risks of your profession and the captain just roars. People are dying. And this old lady immediately snaps back at him. Again. Any loss of life is a tragedy. One that we would gladly prevent was you're asking us to move hastily and accept the risk of further and longer lasting tragedies. And the captain takes like three steps up into this woman's face and just yelled. I'm asking you to move at all. And then he spins on his heel and he stops out. I'm going to roll persuasion for him really quick, Speaker 3 00:21:47 Every fucking time with this guy. Okay. So with Speaker 0 00:21:52 Leo and the captain, both having rolled Nat twenties to persuasion the conclave chamber erupts in chaos. Speaker 4 00:22:02 Oh, well that, wasn't what we wanted to have happen. Speaker 0 00:22:06 It's what's happening though. Like genuinely people are standing up and yelling. Speaker 2 00:22:16 Sabine grabs you by the elbow and just says, all right, friends, uh, I think we should clear out while this is going on. She has you and fi by the elbows and she is just towing you out. Yeah, yeah, we should. We should get out of here. Oh, Kim rolls, bone Sabine. What did we do? That's the bean. This is through her teeth and just continues towing you out fee is going along after her. The rest of the crew is kind of slowly edging back out the door as the entire conclave of the Zephyr Isles just starts having a full screaming match as Sabina's dragging them out. Leo looks over at fie and goes, oh shit, did we just destabilize the government? Are we the bad guys? He gives you kind of a nervous laugh. It's just cause only time will tell, I suppose, Speaker 3 00:23:12 B you get dragged out of this absolute pandemonium happening in the conclave chambers and back into the relative tranquility of this big hallway, stretching down one wing of the Citadel. Speaker 2 00:23:29 Pretty much everybody Speaker 3 00:23:30 On the crew looks freaked. Leo looks extremely nervous. Sabine looks tired and the captain looks more upset than you've ever seen him as he is just brooding outside the door. As all of you kind of reorient yourselves, Leo looks back and forth between everybody gathered in your little group and goes, okay, so we may have, um, caused a little bit more upheaval Speaker 2 00:23:59 Than we meant to. Speaker 3 00:24:01 I think what we should do is maybe look into using that literal actual portal. That's in the middle of the foyer, the person that made the portal key that didn't work and sent us to a sky was a very capable artificer. But I have a lot of faith in glasses. He seems like a plucky Speaker 2 00:24:22 Kid with the words I have a lot of faith in glasses. He seems like a plucky kid. You have single-handedly talks to me back out of the plan that you were trying to talk me into with our luck. We'd get sent somewhere farther than I was Skyah. So, and we have to finish what we started to do. I think you bring Speaker 3 00:24:44 Up that point and Leo gives Speaker 2 00:24:46 You a nod. Like he agrees with you. Yeah. Even Speaker 3 00:24:50 Though what we started may end up being really fucking bad. Okay. He runs a hand back through his hair and just starts pacing. Speaker 2 00:25:00 You see Speaker 3 00:25:01 Sabine go over and put a hand on the captain shoulder and just squeeze. She leans in and whispers something into his ear and you see him visibly, physically relax. The muffled sounds of arguing are still coming out of the conclave chambers, but from the other end of the hallway, echoing off this glowing stone that the Citadel is carved out of you here. What would you look with the tide washed in and this Speaker 5 00:25:35 Old, old storm Speaker 3 00:25:37 Polk lady with a cane and snow white hair that has opalescent flashes of pink and yellow comes hobbling down the hallway. The captain's face has been gravely concerned, but immediately softens hot, a few significant criminal charges. Following me that prevented me from coming back Speaker 2 00:26:00 To visit matron, sorry. And this Speaker 3 00:26:03 Lady makes it up to him and just claps, both hands around his face and kind of shakes his head a little bit. Speaker 2 00:26:10 Still waiting to hear the details on those charges, by the way, under his breath, Leo mumbles, I've heard the details. And then this Speaker 3 00:26:18 Old lady, it's still very much pinching the captain's cheeks and rattling him back and forth goes, oh, you don't come visit for three decades. Don't worry about it. I only fed you and clothed. Jen changed Speaker 2 00:26:28 Her diapers. He Speaker 3 00:26:30 Smiles down at this lady and goes, I'm sorry, I've been busy. Oh, you haven't met. Oh, you haven't met any kind of jerks, a thumb over his shoulder. Speaker 2 00:26:42 It's been my wife. And he looks over at you and his eyes widened a little bit Ferrara, fie grimaces. And she says, well, I suppose you could say I'm as mistress, but I am dating her too. This Speaker 3 00:26:59 Old, old lady smiles up at the captain and says, good to see you're keeping it simple lad Speaker 2 00:27:07 And the captain just stares into the abyss for a second. Hi, keeping it so simple that, uh, I just developed the entire conclave into a screaming match. Oh, K-VEST thunder pitches at the bridge of his nose for a second. It is good to see you though. And he Speaker 3 00:27:25 Pulls her into a big hug and just squeezes her super tight. Speaker 2 00:27:29 This older lady Speaker 3 00:27:30 In her gray state service robes, interacts with him in a way that is very motherly. She like holds him to her and pets his hair down and then pulls them back to look at him like a mom checking on her kid. That's fallen down on the playground. And she sort of just goes up on her tip tiptoes, kisses him on the forehead and turns around and keeps walking down the hallway Speaker 2 00:27:51 Around that time. People start. Yeah. Coming Speaker 3 00:27:54 Out of the conclave chambers, it appears that they have called a recess because of the pandemonium that was happening in there. You see all of these legislators just pouring out into the hallway. And at that point, the captain zeros and on somebody in the crowd and without saying anything to use Sabine or Leo, just charges off across the hallway to talk to somebody. And you are left with your brother and Sabine, just taking in the utter chaos that has just happened. Speaker 2 00:28:30 Well, all in all, it seems like the morning's been a success. That's Speaker 3 00:28:35 Debatable. I need some air and Leo charges back down the hallway towards the front door Speaker 2 00:28:43 By then he Speaker 3 00:28:45 Puts up one middle finger over his shoulder and just keeps walking Sabine next to you. Just fully puts her face in her hands. Speaker 2 00:28:57 Yeah, that seems to be the consensus. Yes. Dare I say second. Did she kind of laughed Speaker 3 00:29:04 Into her hands and then raises back up? I mean, I've heard a lot of things about your brother, but he is markably well-spoken for being as much of an absolute little bastard Speaker 2 00:29:18 And the captain. Well, she looks Speaker 3 00:29:24 It over, further down the hallway at where the captain has grabbed one of the younger legislators around her arm and has halted we're off to talk Speaker 2 00:29:33 And he looks extremely Speaker 3 00:29:35 Greenly convicted as he is talking to her. You see them in this very impassioned conversation where she says something and then the captain replies and just slams a fist down into his open Palm. Like he is desperately trying to convince her of something next to you, Sabine smiles. But it's very sad. And she reaches down and squeezes at your hand. Speaker 4 00:30:07 I don't think he knows how brave he is. I mean, the rest of the world knows it. Obviously he's a legend. But at the end of the day, when he tries to rest, when the mask comes off, he thinks he's still that scared little boy running from a responsibility that he couldn't handle. You've seen it, right? I, Speaker 0 00:30:38 Yeah, I have. He doesn't understand. Speaker 4 00:30:45 He doesn't understand how brave it is to have your whole world turn its back on you and then to decide to save it regardless. And he doesn't even know the truth of things. Doesn't know if the world's even worth saving, he doesn't care. He's going to save it anyway because he's the captain and that's what he does. What does that, if not courage, he breaks my heart failure over and over again. He breaks my heart and he'll break yours too, because no matter what you do, he will never be able to see himself the way that you see him Speaker 2 00:31:41 Brief the right. Cause the hand back through her hair laughs to herself and says, yeah, well I'd be willing to lay money. You thought the same thing about me once or twice, it didn't stop you from trying to show me the truth. Anyway, I didn't actually seeing you now like this Speaker 3 00:32:08 It's honestly what I thought was always going to happen. Speaker 2 00:32:12 Well then, uh, that makes one of us. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. And that Speaker 3 00:32:22 Comes with its own set of things to untangle. Speaker 2 00:32:26 That being said, I think I Speaker 3 00:32:27 Heard the captain say there was a library and here I'm going to go dig around and see what I can find. There's too many things that don't have Speaker 2 00:32:37 Connections. We need Speaker 3 00:32:39 To find out what's holding all of this together so we can pull it apart. Does that make sense? Speaker 2 00:32:46 As much as it usually does when you start peeling back the layers of things, there's something we're not seeing. I'm going to go Speaker 3 00:32:56 Try to crack it because that's all I can fucking do right now. I guess Speaker 2 00:33:02 He's going to kiss her. She Speaker 3 00:33:04 Pulls you and then kisses you back and then takes a step back from you, nods and sets off down the hallway. Speaker 2 00:33:15 At that moment into this grand Citadel walks doc with Ascot glasses and Lorelei in tow Leo, you watch her stop at one end of this hallway point all the way down the hallway at the captain and very loudly say you. Yeah, Speaker 3 00:33:33 Leo was on his way outside and just claps a hand over his mouth and quietly whispers. Speaker 2 00:33:39 Oh the captain just loud enough to be audible says Ash and doc again, very loudly. It says I am 307 years old. He a little shit. I walk my old bones all the way down this mountain only to be told when I get to the ship by Pelican of old people, it's no you've set off on some grand mission all the way back up should be ashamed of yourself. The captain just sys pinches the bridge of his nose and says, well, you're not going to be any happier with me when I update you on the rest of the situation. And doc says, hi, that's an entirely new set of a fires. She marches up into the conversation that he's having. And he starts to update her, ask God has his hair down for the first time ever that you've seen, he looks like he is like one step away from losing it. You watch him like consider it for just a second. He just considers for just a moment, not getting back on the boat. And then he looks at you, gestures, ads, glasses, and Lorelei, and says, once you've watched them, I need a drink. Yeah, sure. Hey guys, how are we doing? Lorelei says I don't need to be watched. I'm not a baby and glasses for next door says, hi, we're not babies. So Speaker 3 00:35:00 How about I just hang out with you guys then would that be okay? Speaker 2 00:35:05 You watch localized face grew up for a second and she takes it a long second to think about it. And she says that would be fine. She looks after we're Ascot has walked off now and she says he wouldn't let me stop to get my book, which was very weird of him. I Scott's weird. Don't know what to tell you, buddy. Can anybody point me toward a library? I Speaker 3 00:35:28 Think Sabine just headed off that way. She went and Leo points. Speaker 2 00:35:33 Yeah. Lorelei just walks off and glasses looks. He's going to follow her for a second and then tilts his head to the side and walks over to stand next to you and says, what are we doing, Mr. Lyra? We're just chilling glasses. I don't know what to tell you, man. I think you had like walked out a minute ago. She comes back in at that point arm and arm with a teenage girl about her age, late teens, storm folk girl, similar in color scheme in Opalescence to like Pelican. She has a big cloud of dark hair that is just flashing rainbow colors in the light, very dark skin, gray robes. You watch her duck, her head. As you said something just smiling a little bit. And as they're walking in glasses, it turns back to you and he says, by any chance, do you happen to know Ms. Laurel I's favorite color? Leo Speaker 3 00:36:28 Absence, head around to look at glasses and narrows his eyes. Speaker 2 00:36:32 Why? But now you and the girl on her arm have walked up. And in the smuggest tone of voice, you just absolutely crows the lodge, trying to make a gift for his little girlfriend glasses, his head snaps around to look at her and just very loudly in the middle of this chamber for everyone in it to hear, he says, she's not my girlfriend. Leave me alone. And the girl on his arm says, well, I think it's rather sweet. You looks at her like a little bit betrayed and says, well, I'm sweet. That's a lie. This other girl laughs very quietly, gets up on our tiptoes to kiss you on the cheek and says you're naughty. But I like that about you. You just blushes outrageously her face almost turns green from how much blood has rushed to it and how much the Opalescence in her skin is flashing with it. And this girl next to her, just laughs again and says, well, my break's over. I think she kind of like squeezes he elbow and says, don't leave without saying goodbye. This time you still blushing goes. Can't promise anything. I'm a very dangerous pirate and this girl just goes, hi. I bet. And then swans off, you just stands there and crosses her arms over her chest very deliberately. And just look at the floor. Hey Speaker 3 00:38:07 You, I don't think you're in any position to be roasting anybody about their girlfriend. Speaker 2 00:38:13 Mutinous you says, wait, shut up. It's been a while since I've seen her is all, is it? And I think she just like if possible crosses her arms tighter and like turtles into her shirt. Aw. Speaker 3 00:38:29 So cute. Anyway, glasses, why do you need to know Laura lies? Paper, color Speaker 2 00:38:35 Glasses kind of look sideways and goes whale. And then he reaches into his pocket and he pulls out what appear to be like wax earplugs. He kind of fiddles with them a second and then hold them out and says, well, Ms. Laura and I were talking about mutation or how to make a boom. And she mentioned that loud noises make her a bit upset and always said, I could probably help with that. And I made these and they have a silent smell on them. So, so, so when explosions happen, she doesn't have to hear them. And I thought I would maybe make them pretty for her because she's pretty, Leo breaks out into a big crooked smirk. Laura lives. Favorite color is orange. And you have my blessing. I don't know what that means, but thank you. And then he stuffed the earplugs back in his pocket and he says orange. All right. Ah, I can do that. I could do that. He runs off, he's a runs. Leo watches him run off and then reaches Speaker 3 00:39:54 Down and twists at the ring around his finger. And just to himself whispers, he's a good kid. You'd like him. Speaker 2 00:40:05 You not knowing the significance of that says, all right, you're a band weird or realize lift glasses. Doesn't know how to pick up girls. Just the normal day. Love makes shit weird. You, I think that you're able to figure that out. I suppose, uh, Roland side for me really quick. Uh, 23, she looks a little sad and a little nervous. You okay? I'm fine. I just haven't seen her in oil as well. Leo breaks down into a big shit-eating grin. I don't look at me like that. Speaker 3 00:40:52 If I offer you some advice, are you not going to be an asshole Speaker 2 00:40:55 About it? Depends what the invoices does she make you happy? Well, yes, obviously she tells the best jokes and she blushes a little harder and she's clever and all that. Then that's what you need to pursue. Just trust me on this, holding onto the people that make you happy is pretty much the best thing that any of us can do. She is trying to glare a hole in the floor for a second. And then reluctantly, she says, if you're in the service, you can't get married to people that aren't. And I know we're too young for that or whatever, but it all, I was thinking about it and it had to ask her to leave first. And I don't, I don't know if she would, oh, that, that sucks. Speaker 3 00:42:00 You I'm really sorry. But I mean, given the current situation, we could all die tomorrow. So I think that maybe the best idea for all of us Speaker 2 00:42:13 Is to just take love Speaker 3 00:42:15 Where we can find it and not worry about whatever repercussions might come later. If you let fear of how everything could go wrong, stop you from pursuing things that are good, Speaker 2 00:42:28 Then you're miserable either way. There is a long pause. And then you raise a hand back through her hair, sighs and says, I suppose, you're right about that. And then she punches you in the arm. Super hard owl Speaker 3 00:42:51 Was this because I said that and we could all die tomorrow. Cause I get that. That's kind of a weird pep talk to give a teenager. But Speaker 2 00:42:55 Yeah, yeah, it was a very weird pep talk. Not sure how I feel about it, but it was decent advice. So I'm just trying to keep you humble. She kind of gives you an awkward like side hug, like a one arm around your shoulders and looks extremely uncomfortable about it and then says thanks a few things to look into. Well, I'm here. So I'm going to go do that, but good talk. And she gives you an awkward little thumbs up. Yeah. Good talk. I think you might have done some muscle damage. Take somebody with you. Okay. I don't know how Speaker 3 00:43:38 Things are going to shake out with the conclave and I want everyone. There's another pause. And then you Speaker 2 00:43:45 Like grabs the hilt of her sword on her back and then says, I don't need backup. I'm allowed to worry go. She kind of wrinkles her nose and says no mushy badges. She runs off. Speaker 3 00:44:02 Leo watches her runoff and kind of grins to himself. Speaker 2 00:44:07 I'm cool with the teens Speaker 3 00:44:14 Fi you are standing there just watching this chaos unfold around you. After Sabine walks away, there are legislators pouring out of these chambers talking amongst themselves. You noticed some pretty heated arguments going down a little further down the hallway. You see the captain finish whatever conversation he was having with this younger legislator looking really frustrated. He spins around on his heel and stomps off towards you and meets you at the end of the hallway. Speaker 2 00:44:44 Uh, guessing that conversation was less than productive. I had an easier Speaker 3 00:44:49 Time convincing a brick wall, but that's par for the course around here. Don't know why I expected anything, any different. He takes his hat off and runs a hand back through his hair and then looks around at your scattered party, kind of hanging out Speaker 2 00:45:05 Where's the bean. Uh, she said something about going off to put some things together in the library. Of course she did for a moment, Speaker 3 00:45:17 His frustration falls away and there's just this fond little smile that stretches itself across his face. Speaker 2 00:45:25 And then Speaker 3 00:45:25 He nods at the passage out into the foyer. Right? Well, I feel like we should go catch her up on the Speaker 2 00:45:33 Situation you want to come with me. I would like nothing better. He reaches Speaker 3 00:45:40 Down, grabs your hand and starts tugging you out of the hallway and into the foyer. Speaker 2 00:45:46 If he's going to squeeze his hand and say so, uh, are we good? I don't think Speaker 3 00:45:56 Any of us can describe ourselves as good right. Speaker 2 00:45:58 And high loss. But, uh, I have a few are smiles and squeezes his hand again. And just says, I just, uh, have been thinking a lot about what you said about taking sides and needed to make sure that you knew that that's not what this is for me. Would Speaker 3 00:46:22 It be fair? When I said that Sabine was trying to kill me, which thankfully isn't the case anymore, Speaker 2 00:46:28 But I understand that things are complicated. And Speaker 6 00:46:33 How things play out in the end. Assuming Speaker 2 00:46:36 We don't hold. I might not be Speaker 3 00:46:38 As clear coaches typically like things to be Speaker 2 00:46:42 Few things are, oh boy, I wish I could drink to that. Come on less. Let's go find Sabine. Okay. Yeah. He's the one that knows where he's going. I'm going to follow him. The captain Speaker 3 00:46:55 Leads you up a big spiral staircase and into another long hallway where there is a huge door that he just walks in without paying much mind to it. Speaker 2 00:47:07 You are in Speaker 3 00:47:08 A, a library that makes the palace library in Australia. Look like a joke. Speaker 2 00:47:14 It is massive. Speaker 3 00:47:16 You're actually standing up on a third floor of this library and looking down at a big floor full of tables, far below you. And all of the walls are just completely lined with bookshelves. Speaker 2 00:47:31 Oh, we're never going to get something out of here. The captain Speaker 3 00:47:35 Wrinkles, his nose and kind of bats a hand through the air. They don't even have anything good in here. It's all trade manifests and philosophy Speaker 2 00:47:43 Texts. Yeah. Philosophy tax and trade manifests. That's the beans not supposed to. They looking at, she's never going to leave willingly. You've got me there. He laughs to Speaker 3 00:47:55 Himself again and leans over the railing of this third floor that you're on to look down at the floor of the library. And as you move up beside him, you see that Sabine is down there at one of the tables. She has set up something that looks like a scene out of criminal minds on this table. You see pieces of parchment. You don't quite see what's written on them from as high up as you are. She has a big pile of books on one corner of the table, a little box of pins at her side and a ball of string that she has apparently Speaker 2 00:48:31 Gotten somewhere. And it's Speaker 3 00:48:33 Just connecting all these dots between these pieces of paper and occasionally stopping to scribble at something and put another piece of paper down on the table that she puts a pin in and starts wrapping with Speaker 2 00:48:43 String. She is fully absorbed. She does not see you guys up there. Speaker 3 00:48:49 The captain braces, his forearms on top of the railing and leans into it a little bit with that same fond smile on his face, Shay something isn't she? Speaker 2 00:49:03 You could say that he is just also smiling. Very fondly. She gets like this. When things get bad, starts Speaker 4 00:49:16 Looking for connections, trying to put the puzzles together. Speaker 0 00:49:21 She always said it keeps her productive, keeps her mind off things. And I don't know about productivity, but tell you what too. I think not that anything I think means much a consequence. I think that woman's heart and she won't tell you. Of course she never even told me not really dodged Speaker 4 00:49:47 All the right questions gave all the right answers. That sounded pretty. It didn't mean shit. You can see it. If you managed to get catch a look at her, when she thinks you're not paying attention, she hurts. I think she hurts so bad that the heart is the only thing she trusts Speaker 0 00:50:05 Anymore. She thinks that if she could just make it make sense, if she can figure out why that it'll stop everything hurting so much. Well, that's bullshit. Speaker 4 00:50:21 He crosses his arms on the railing and takes a fleeting. Look back over his shoulder, out at the area you just came in from where the conclave chambers are. Speaker 0 00:50:33 I've always known exactly why everything that hurts me did it. And that didn't, but she's beautiful. Putting all her little puzzles together. Isn't she? She thinks, but there's an answer to all of this in the she's going to be the one to find it. I don't know how much I believe in the first part, but how can you look Speaker 4 00:50:56 At her and not believe in the ladder a little bit? Speaker 2 00:51:01 Well, if anyone could solve all this, I think would have to be Sabine by sheer force of stubbornness. If anything else kinda leans over on the railing, looks down at SPI. And so with that fun smile on her face and then cuts her eyes sideways to the captain and says we've both already acknowledged to each other that we're in love with her. I think we can admit that that is still the state of affairs. Don't you? Speaker 0 00:51:35 It's hard not to trust me. I tried. Speaker 2 00:51:41 Well among the other things I've learned about you over the last couple months, I have noticed that you have a tendency to throw yourself into challenges. No matter how ill-advised, Speaker 0 00:51:54 That's an accurate assessment. He leans over Speaker 3 00:51:58 And presses his forehead up against yours. Why do you think I'm standing here with you? And then he kisses. You Speaker 2 00:52:09 Feed just the smiles into the kids and then pulls back and says, my aren't we a tray out. This is a fucking mess. It will be easier if you don't think about it so much. You're good at that. And then feet leans in and kisses him again. You know, Speaker 3 00:52:28 I think it says something about me psychologically. That's I'm only capable of falling in love Speaker 2 00:52:31 With mean women. And he just turns around and walks away from you feel laughs. And then she starts heading down the library to go help Sabine. Sabinas Speaker 3 00:52:42 A little frantic as she is pinning things to this table and scribbling on a paper. She doesn't notice you walk over for a second. And when she looks up and sees you there, she jumped. Speaker 2 00:52:53 Oh, hi. Um, do you mind Speaker 3 00:52:56 Moving that stack of papers over to the other table? I need space because I have this idea about the connection between the pirate operation and a Cherian Naval movement. Speaker 2 00:53:09 He marks a little bit and she says, I'll do whatever you ask of me. Speaker 3 00:53:14 Still just absorbed in whatever she's writing down on the paper in front of her and absentmindedly kind of waves of finger in the air. Uh, the captain hasn't killed anybody Speaker 2 00:53:23 Yet, right? Not unless he was very quick and quiet about it, which is not his style. Yeah. It's Speaker 3 00:53:30 More quick and loud. We would have heard the carnage. Okay, good. I just hope that the legislators are able to get their thumbs out of their asses and we can get out of here as quickly as possible. I know he Speaker 2 00:53:41 Gets antsy when he comes home. Yeah. I've gotten that impression. Well, if they won't help us, then we'll just figure something else out. I guess I was actually Speaker 3 00:53:57 Formulating a little backup plan. I call it operation lure, defiance into international waters, kill her and take her boat. Speaker 2 00:54:05 You know, I don't hate that plan. Actually. I'm a genius. You can go ahead and say it fi leans in across the table and says, now, if I told you you were a genius, every time he did something smart, I'd never have time to say anything else. Flattery will get you everywhere for aura. Speaker 3 00:54:23 I'm getting a headache looking at all this though. I think I've found as many connections as I can. We should go check on the others. I think we should be sticking together. Speaker 2 00:54:34 Yeah, that sounds about right. Uh, so we can all keep an eye on each other and nobody does anything stupid. If nothing else you watch, your brother I'll watch the captain. Okay. Oh, I don't know if putting me in charge of not making impulsive decisions. It's a good idea. Speaker 3 00:54:51 He just laughs and grabs your hand and leads you out of the library. Speaker 2 00:54:58 Leo. There's not really much for you to do at the Citadel, especially while the conclave is on recess and not really discussing the issues that you've brought up. What are you choosing to occupy yourself with? I'm going to hang Speaker 4 00:55:12 Out in the foyer and just look Speaker 3 00:55:14 At the portal for a while. Not touching it still, but I'd like to just kind of look at it and see how it matches up with the one that we saw in GIM Tara and the one that we saw. Speaker 2 00:55:27 Yeah. Romy in Arcata check 21. Okay. Yeah, sure. It matches up pretty well with the portals that you saw in <inaudible> or at least it looks like it did. At one point it has very obviously been changed in some significant ways. Like a lot of the rooms have been either worn away by time or like etched out. You get the feeling that it wouldn't be super functional if you tried it, it has now become somewhat of a ceremonial fixture for people that had a vested interest in not letting it be a functional portal, you get the feeling, it wouldn't work if you tried it. And that things would probably go very bad if you did. Damn. Yeah. Speaker 3 00:56:18 I've had my fill of portal accidents. I will not be pursuing this train of thought any longer. Speaker 2 00:56:23 So true. Uh, so what are you doing? Speaker 3 00:56:27 He probably saw fi and the captain walk off. So he knows that she's got someone with her. He's going to go try to find him, Speaker 2 00:56:33 Okay, roll survival really quick 14, you watch Lorelei runoff and actually the same direction that fee and the captain have gone off in. So you started heading down that way before you get to anything that looks like a library, which is what Lorelei said. She was going to out of the corner of your eye in a big enclosed courtyard garden. You see a Glint of metal and here just a oh of like rain. Oh no, I run in that direction. You come out into this courtyard and you see you is standing there with her arms crossed over her chest. Glasses is sitting on a bench, just kind of kicking his feet and trying to like subtly mess with the earplugs that he made earlier. And Laura Lasha chrono is standing there holding use sword, which has sunk several inches into the ground where she tried to swing it and failed. And as you walk in you very unimpressed just says c'mon you can do better than that. Get mad. Hey guys, Speaker 3 00:57:45 Are we doing Leo inserts himself into the situation as quickly, Speaker 2 00:57:51 Laura lie, you should put that down. I don't want to put it down. You teaching me to sword fight and then she picks the sword back up again. She's not very strong. So her arms do wobble a little bit. And again, with just her, she tries to swing it again and just lodges it into a tree. You goes, oh, Hey, come on. You'll put buyers in the blade. Oh, okay. Speaker 3 00:58:16 Yeah. Yeah. You're learning to sword fight. This is, oh, this is awesome. I am responsible for you now. Okay. Laura Lee, did you know that glasses made you a present? Speaker 2 00:58:27 Laura light stops where she's trying to get the sword back out of this tree and looks past you at glasses and tilts. Her head glasses is blushing. Oh, so furiously and Laura light blinks out literally and go, you made me a present. Yeah, he Speaker 3 00:58:45 Did. And put the sword down and go get it. You can I talk to you for a second? Speaker 2 00:58:50 You kind of give to you. I share. And Lorelei zooms over to the bench with glasses and sits down and you, and you walk off. Leo pulls Speaker 3 00:59:03 Her around a corner around a Bush, something so that they are out of line of sight and hopefully out of earshot of Laura lion glasses. Speaker 2 00:59:12 Okay, look, I get Speaker 3 00:59:15 That. You are probably well-intentioned in this, Speaker 2 00:59:18 But um, have you Speaker 3 00:59:22 Ever met a sourcer other than fi Speaker 2 00:59:24 Before you kind of squints and says, I, there were a couple in my years alkaloids. Speaker 3 00:59:33 I'm not sure how much you know about how sorcery works, but their powers are tied pretty Speaker 2 00:59:39 Intrinsically to their feelings. Laura has really Speaker 3 00:59:45 Big feelings and really, really big powers that go with Speaker 2 00:59:49 Them. And it's been a Speaker 3 00:59:52 Really hard thing for her, her whole life to keep them in check. Speaker 2 00:59:55 So telling her to get mad about things is not as beneficial as you think it is. There is a long pause and you gives you a look like she thinks you're extremely dumb. And then she says, I asked someone whose powers are also tied to my feelings. I understand what you're saying. I've known the girl for two days. And even I can tell she's already mad. Obviously she's mad. Her brother's dead. She doesn't know what's happened to her parents. And she can't do a damn thing about it because an entire government wants her head on a pike. You'd be mad too. And I just think that it's better to try and help her work it out and to expect her to bottle it up all the time for the comfort of other people. I, Speaker 3 01:00:48 Yeah. Yeah. You're right. Of course. She's angry. Cause she's got every right to Speaker 2 01:00:51 Be angry. Just be careful. Okay. I was very close with Laura <inaudible> Speaker 3 01:01:01 Brother and her entire family and Speaker 2 01:01:05 I can not lose her. So just be careful if she's trying to stump down parts of herself, for fear of upsetting you. I think that's just a slower way of losing her. You and I are Speaker 3 01:01:19 Just going back and forth with the good advice today. Aren't Speaker 2 01:01:22 We, I hear as wildly as an 85 year old girl. Good for you. Yeah. Good for me. Have you seen my sister anywhere rolls her eyes and says I, she in the captain went into the library after their girlfriends. So either they're doing very important research or they're being gross. And speaking of girlfriends, use girlfriend ducks into the courtyard with the little wave bounces over and again gets up on her toes a little bit. She doesn't need to she's taller than you is, but she does it anyway to kiss her on the cheek. And then she says, so I got those records. Do you wanted to look into, and I picked up a few foils that's ah, seemed related. I figured you'd want the full picture. If you're asking questions, you kind of looks at her and then looks over at you like nervously, right? Speaker 2 01:02:16 Thank you for that love and takes the files and gingerly just puts them down on a Bush. Like they are a loaded bomb. And then I think she just kind of like wrapped both arms around her girlfriend and like twirls her a little bit and then puts her down and picks the files back up and then yells Lorelei. I'm going to tell you what you're doing wrong with your sounds there. You watch her like take one hand down from one of her ears with an earplug between her fingers and the other one, just fluorescently orange is in her other ear. And she goes right. Learning how to hit stuff. That's what we were doing. She has gone extremely blue in the face and she hops up from this bench where glasses is also blushing, furiously still and runs over and tries to rip the sword out of the tree. Again, how fun hitting stuff, Lorelei. She was facing you enough to catch that. So still with the earplugs in her ears too loudly, she yells that I will. I'm going to Speaker 3 01:03:16 Ask you his girlfriend for directions to the library and go, try to find fee. Speaker 2 01:03:21 Yeah. She'll lead you to the library. No problem. Fi is walking out of the library. Arm-in-arm with Sabine. Ah, Speaker 3 01:03:29 You was right. You were in here being gross. Cool. I wanted to talk to you for a second. Is that Speaker 2 01:03:34 Okay? What do you mean be engrossed? Sure. Let's talk. Leo gives fi Speaker 3 01:03:40 A very smug grin, nods that Sabine and then pulls her off to talk to her Speaker 2 01:03:46 For a second. So Speaker 3 01:03:50 I've been thinking about what we can do while we're waiting on the conclave. And I think it would behoove Speaker 2 01:03:56 Us to try Speaker 3 01:03:58 To get as much of a tactical advantage on the situation as possible. Speaker 2 01:04:03 Right. That sounds like a good idea, but I don't always trust it when things that you say sound like good ideas, fuck you. Anyway, I think Speaker 3 01:04:15 We should. Shouldn't head somewhere a little out of the way I can do the whole scrying Speaker 2 01:04:21 Thing. And I think Leah looks back and forth to make sure nobody's listening. Think checking on defiance to see what she's up to might be a good idea. He straightened her posture a little bit reaches back to kind of tuck her hair behind her horns and goes right. That's yeah, that's a good idea. Uh, how are we going to do that? It's an interesting process. Come with me. Okay. You start walking away fee like pauses to wave reassuringly at Sabine and kind of like wave her off then follows you. I think we should fully go outside the Citadel for this. I've had bad experiences Speaker 3 01:05:02 With dropping knowledge of my magical prowess in front of large amounts of people before, especially powerful people. Speaker 2 01:05:09 You have to go pretty far from like the main Citadel building to get off campus. Like I said, a lot of the buildings around the Citadel are also state service allocated to buildings. So you have to go like a couple blocks down the street. Okay. I'm Speaker 3 01:05:24 Going to do that lead fee with me and just try to duck into the first alley that I find Speaker 2 01:05:30 Once we get off campus and take out the crystal ball. Okay. So basically Speaker 3 01:05:38 What I do is I take this and I try to put a bead on whoever I'm Speaker 2 01:05:46 Looking for magically. It was Speaker 3 01:05:49 Easier with father. Obviously I'm more familiar with him and I have this and Leo kind of waves, his signet Speaker 2 01:05:54 Ring. Right. Um, can I do anything to help? I mean, I'm familiar with defiance, but Speaker 3 01:06:04 That's why I brought you out here. Actually. I'm not sure if I'll be able to pull any power off of Speaker 2 01:06:10 You, but it's worth a shot. Right? Feet looks like she's doing magic math in her head for a second. And then she nods and she says, yeah, it's worth a shot. I'm sure it's fine. Worst case scenario is the crystal ball blows up and kills both of us, I guess. Oh, that's a fun, worst case scenario. I'm not Speaker 3 01:06:31 Even sure if that would happen. I'm not a wizard. Speaker 2 01:06:35 Oh, so we're dealing with a total unknown. This is, this is getting more reassuring by the second. Welcome to being a cleric, Leo poles, Speaker 3 01:06:44 Camera's blade out of his belt and casts scrying. And Speaker 4 01:06:48 Do we need to roll anything to see if he's able to use fees, familiarity with her to help role in the in Arcata check? No Speaker 0 01:06:58 Is 11. Speaker 2 01:07:02 Okay. That's not going to do it. It was a good idea, but it ain't gonna work. Um, so I'm going to roll it with, say for defiance she gets plus 12 to is so that's 8 23. Speaker 0 01:07:16 Well, shit. Leo's Speaker 4 01:07:19 Just staring into the crystal ball, clenching his hand or on the knife Speaker 0 01:07:22 And shakes his head. Damn it trying. I just, I can't pin her down Speaker 2 01:07:32 From behind you. A voice says Letterman than you have tried your Highness shit. You turn around and you see a Jade green willowy and fertile elf woman with the big spiraling horns, arms crossed leaning against the side of a building behind you in this alleyway Speaker 4 01:08:01 Freezes where he is. And just moves his eyes over to fi Speaker 0 01:08:05 And goes don't let me have ideas anymore. Okay. Speaker 4 01:08:14 Fi you and your brother are standing in this dead end alleyway with defiance blocking the exit. She grins over at you with that big hungry smile Speaker 0 01:08:28 And says, took you too long enough in there. Anyway, Speaker 4 01:08:33 I just dropped by to get you caught up on the situation. Let you know how things are going to go. Speaker 0 01:08:42 You're both coming with me. Speaker 2 01:08:45 You know, I understand that confidence is important, but there's more to making something happen than just saying it over and over again. Speaker 4 01:08:53 Oh, I think you misunderstand the situation here. Grand Duchess. I wasn't asking Leo tuxes, crystal ball back into his bag and laughs Speaker 0 01:09:04 At her. Okay. I think you're ignoring Speaker 4 01:09:09 The part where it's two on one and I think we can take you her smile widens into something absolutely vicious. Speaker 0 01:09:21 Oh no. See, beside the fact that I could absolutely crush you. If I had half a mind to your sister and I already Speaker 4 01:09:29 Covered in a previous conversation, that it's a bad idea. If I go missing in the Zephyr Isles, Speaker 0 01:09:37 You know what? With the massive Speaker 4 01:09:39 Australian invading force that would come as a result of that. Speaker 0 01:09:44 And besides, I don't really Speaker 4 01:09:46 Care what you want to do as far as getting on board. If you will, Speaker 0 01:09:53 You see I've Speaker 4 01:09:54 Had this really good grand entrance planned where I sail back past the blockade with your head swinging off the bow spread. But grand Duchess, you are going to walk onto my ship willingly, Speaker 2 01:10:10 Vice Admiral. Assuming I did walk onto your ship. You wouldn't like what happens next? And that's a pretty big if, because why would I do that? Speaker 0 01:10:26 Oh, that's an easy answer because I'm done playing around. And if you don't, I will Speaker 4 01:10:33 Kill every man, woman and child standing between me and you. Speaker 0 01:10:39 And I think you've just got too big of a heart to let that happen. Don't worry about it. We all have our flaws. Well, if that's the game you want to play fi Speaker 2 01:10:53 Steps forward, one hand just absolutely crackling with electricity. Why don't we take this somewhere? That there's no one between us couple reasons. Actually I did Speaker 4 01:11:06 Promise your father that I would return you in pristine condition. And you know, that just wouldn't be fun. Speaker 2 01:11:17 Then I suppose we're at a stalemate and you can run off and tell my father that like a good little errand girl. Speaker 4 01:11:25 I don't think I'm going to be making that report just yet. She straightens up from where she's been leaning against the wall of this building and just runs a thumb over the hilt of her sword, where it's at her belt. I've done my due diligence given you to the terms. I'll give you a little bit to think it over, Speaker 0 01:11:47 But don't say I didn't warn you enjoy your useless political posturing. Things are about to get a lot more entertaining and she pivots on her heel and walks off Leo from next to you goes, oh, fuck. Oh, fuck. Uh, aside Speaker 4 01:12:15 From the fact that I really don't like the prospect of my head swinging from a bow sprit. You know, I feel like she'd probably tie me up by my hair and that will look really bad. Speaker 0 01:12:22 Shit is about Speaker 4 01:12:23 To pop off. We need to go find the captain and Sabine. Now Speaker 2 01:12:29 He pauses for a second. Andrew looks after where defiance has walked Speaker 0 01:12:32 Off still with one hand up and then Speaker 2 01:12:36 Closes it, puts it down her and goes right. Yes. We need to all discuss this Speaker 0 01:12:43 Shit. God, she's the worst. Yeah, no argument. Let's go. Speaker 4 01:12:51 And without further discussion, the two of you book it back for the Citadel. Speaker 2 01:13:00 Uh, Hey Leo, remind me what your armor classes fucking. Oh, it's 16. Y okay. So that's not going to hit you walk into the Citadel and missing by one points. A fist just goes flying past your face. Leo ducks standing in front of you. The captain looks absolutely fucking furious. And as you duck just very loudly, he says, you told her the one thing I asked you not to do Speaker 3 01:13:39 Told who, what, what are you talking about, man? Speaker 2 01:13:42 He is going to try and punch you again. That's not going to hit either. Um, Leo ducks, again from behind him. You see you rolling 11. You looks like she has been crying, which is also not a common sight as it happened. He goes in for the second punch. She yells, nobody needed to tell me I'm capable of basic deductive reasoning. You jackass, oh fuck. From next to you. He goes, whoa, everybody can everybody settle down. What's going on? What's Speaker 3 01:14:25 Going on? I concur with you. The captain's a jackass. Speaker 2 01:14:29 He whips back around a glare at the captain. Fuck Speaker 3 01:14:33 You for thinking. I'd betray your confidence like that. I think you're an insufferable moron, but you're also my friend. I wouldn't, I do Speaker 2 01:14:40 That to you. The captain like brings a hand up to fist in his hair and before he can say anything, you just lets out this bitter laugh and goes. You really can't take responsibility for any of the situation. Tanya, the captain whips back around to look at her and goes, all I've been doing from day one is trying to take responsibility for this. And you just yells back. You know, I actually thought that you just wanted me around for me. I actually believed that you just thought I would be good to have around, but no, I should have known it. Wasn't about me at all. It was all about your guilty fucking conscience. And she storms off. She has storms right out of the Citadel Speaker 3 01:15:25 I running after her. She can't go outside alone right now Speaker 2 01:15:29 From behind you fee again, says what the fuck is going on? Speaker 3 01:15:36 Running over his shoulder. He ELLs captain. You catch her up fi you catch him up. I'm going to go stop you before she gets out. Speaker 2 01:15:43 You speed is actually 10 more feet than yours. You're going to have to dash if you want to catch up to her cutting action, buddy. I double dash. Okay. Absolutely. You managed to catch her like right before she gets out the door, he just Speaker 3 01:15:57 Runs up and grabs her by the back of the vest and pulls her back. Listen, I know you are upset, but you cannot go out Speaker 2 01:16:04 There right now. Okay. So she's going to try and punch you now. Yeah, she rolled an 18 on the dye and she gets plus nine. So at 27 is absolutely going to hit your armor class. You take, uh, six bludgeoning damage as you just whips around and like ducks through your grip on the back of her shirt to just sock you right in the mouth. I deserved that Leo Speaker 3 01:16:29 Wipes the blood off of his lips. And we'll try to grab you by the wrist to keep her from running off again. Speaker 2 01:16:36 Listen, Speaker 3 01:16:37 I get it. You are angry. You have every right to be angry right now, but defiance is out there. And by out there, I mean within a block, you can not go out there right now, especially not alone. Speaker 2 01:16:50 You, her eyes still extremely puffy. She has obviously been crying. You would say within the last five minutes opens her mouth. Like she's going to say something and then stops. And her eyebrows furrow. And she says, what? That's what feeds back. They're telling the captain. Now we took a little Speaker 3 01:17:10 Walk to try to handle some spell work that I was. Speaker 2 01:17:13 And she cornered us in an alley. Things Speaker 3 01:17:16 Are about to get very, very bad. Speaker 2 01:17:21 Trust Speaker 3 01:17:21 Me you, I get it. The instinct to run away. When you find out that your whole life has been a lie is a powerful one. I have given into it before, but we need to stick together right now. Speaker 2 01:17:35 She opens her mouth, closes it stammers for a second. She just brings like the back of her hand up to her mouth and just start sobbing. Yeah, Speaker 3 01:17:46 A little shorter than Leo. So it's not going to be a problem for him to just get an arm around her shoulder and shepherd her off. Try to find someplace private to sit her down. Speaker 2 01:17:57 Yeah. She goes with you, uncharacteristically compliantly. You find like a bench in a room off the foyer. She is just fucking losing it. She has had a very bad day. Speaker 3 01:18:12 Leo's going to sit there with her and offer whatever support she needs. He doesn't want to be too forward and like hug her or anything in case she doesn't want that. But he's going to sit with her until she's able to calm down. Speaker 2 01:18:27 She just like curls in on herself and buries her face in her hands. After a minute, she just it's been 20 years. And he could have told me anytime. And he just decided not to Speaker 3 01:18:44 Deathly afraid that you were going to hate him. If Speaker 2 01:18:46 You knew, I know that doesn't fix anything and it doesn't lessen the blow, but he didn't keep Speaker 3 01:18:54 That information from you out of disregard or Speaker 2 01:18:59 Malice. He was really, really afraid. You think that matters? He's a grown ass man. And I'm a dumb kid. I left everything behind for Speaker 3 01:19:22 What did he say to convince you to come with him? Speaker 2 01:19:30 He'd been back to the Citadel a few times when I was a kid, he said, said, I was impressive, said, I said, I knew how to take charge. And he admired that and wanted to take me under his wing because I was just that fucking special. And I don't know why I believed it. I'm such an idiot Speaker 3 01:19:52 For what it's worth. He said all of those things about you to me and there wasn't anybody else around. Speaker 2 01:19:58 Wasn't really a lie. Speaker 3 01:20:01 The circumstances suck you. They do. And it's something that it's probably going to take you the captain a really long time to unpack Speaker 2 01:20:11 Rebuilding Speaker 3 01:20:11 Trust. When someone breaks, it is one of the hardest things in the world. So it's understandable if you can't trust him Speaker 2 01:20:18 Right now. So trust me, your brother loves you. It's not about Speaker 3 01:20:24 Responsibility. It's not about his guilty conscience. He Speaker 2 01:20:28 Loves you and with the world Speaker 3 01:20:31 Going as absolutely bat shit as it is, we need to find the people that we love and hold onto them. Speaker 2 01:20:40 There is a long moment of silence and you just kind of reaches up and rubs that our eyes and sniffles again goes, I just want to talk about this anymore. You don't have to, but I need you to promise Speaker 3 01:20:54 Me that you're not going to run off because it is way too dangerous for any of us to be out there alone right now. Can I get you anything? Anybody? Do you want me to go find glasses? Lorelei, your girlfriend. I don't know. Speaker 2 01:21:11 No. I want to be alone. Okay. Just hang Speaker 3 01:21:15 Out here for a bit. Okay. I'll be back to check on Speaker 2 01:21:17 You and I'm Speaker 3 01:21:19 Going to get up and go, try to find Sabine because she's the only person that hasn't been caught up on this that is somewhat in charge of the rest of Speaker 2 01:21:28 Us. I think. Go ahead and roll. Survival. 21. Sabine is back into the library again. Okay. Going in, grabbing her, pulling her to the side. You grabbed Sabine by the arm. She is leaned over table, sorting out documents and rolling up a ball of string. She lets out just a squawk. As you grab her, she did not see you coming. You pull her away and she gets her bearings and then immediately just goes, oh, what did he do? Speaker 3 01:21:58 Uh, tried to throw a couple haymakers at me actually. But that's not the issue at hand here. We have a defiance problem in extremely close proximity. Speaker 2 01:22:08 Oh shit. FI's catching up the captain right now. I, I Speaker 3 01:22:14 Wanted to drop a scrying, spell on her. See if we could find out what she's up to while we're waiting on all of this conclave Speaker 2 01:22:19 Bullshit. And she just showed up in the alley where we were threatened some very explicit Speaker 3 01:22:27 Forms of Corpus mutilation to me specifically and told us both that if we did not go get on her ship with her post haste, that things were going to get extremely violent. Speaker 2 01:22:39 Yeah. That all sounds pretty par for the course for defiance. Okay. We need to regroup. Um, I don't think we should be here. There are she grimaces and like flinches a little bit. And she goes, there are kids in this building and defiance doesn't have a lot of compunctions about that. We should go. I think the safest Speaker 3 01:23:01 Place we can be where we're not putting anyone else in dangerous, probably back on the Speaker 0 01:23:05 Right. At least there we've got cannons. Speaker 4 01:23:08 It's a defensible position. We can fuck off into the Harbor if we have. Speaker 2 01:23:13 Yeah. That's probably our best bet. If nothing else. If anybody tries to come up the ship after us, then we can at least bottleneck them on the gangplank. Yeah. Um, do you know where glasses and Lorelei are? I'm going to gather them up. Speaker 0 01:23:28 I'm going to go find them captain Speaker 4 01:23:30 And fear in the foyer. Use in a room off to the Speaker 0 01:23:32 Left. See if you can track down doc and the rest of them. Right. Got it. Uh, what's our crisis deadline. How Speaker 2 01:23:44 Long do all of us? Wait before we just get out of here and hope that everyone else makes it out. Speaker 0 01:23:48 Okay. Speaker 4 01:23:50 Eyebrows, furrow. And he frowns at her. Everybody is getting out, okay. We're not doing math. Speaker 2 01:23:59 She gives you kind of an, a fronted look. And she says, oh, don't make me out to be the asshole for trying to think. Realistically, this is not the first time I've had to make this decision. She shakes her head and she says Speaker 0 01:24:13 20 minutes. If Speaker 2 01:24:15 I'm not in the foyer in 20 minutes with doc Ascot and the rest of the crew, then you drag fi and the captain out of there by their shirt. And if you have Speaker 0 01:24:21 To find sure, good luck, I'll see you in a bit. See you. And she walks off. Speaker 3 01:24:32 I'm running back to the courtyard where I last saw glasses and Laura, Speaker 2 01:24:36 The courtyard that you saw the glasses in Lorelei and is not very far away from the library. They're actually in fact, still on the same bench that they were earlier. Laurel ISO has used sword and she's holding the Palm, all of it in one hand and a book and the other, she had glasses are sitting very close together. As you walk into the court yard glasses looks up at you and then he just elbows lie on the side. And her head shoots up from our book Speaker 3 01:25:04 Ducks behind a tree or a pillar or something really quick and just takes a deep shuttering breath to try to calm himself down and not look like he is physically upset or afraid Speaker 2 01:25:16 Overall deception. If I have to. And you do have two yes. 14. Okay. I'm going to roll insight for Lorelei in glasses. So glass has got a 13. Lorelei got a 14. Exactly. Leo comes back out and walks up to them. Trying really hard to keep his composure. Hey, you guys, Speaker 3 01:25:40 We are getting ready to leave. So you should pack up whatever it is you're doing. Cause I think we're headed back to the ship. Okay. Speaker 2 01:25:47 Glasses just goes, oh, all right. He had like his little artificers tools out. And he was like messing with something in his lap. And he starts packing things up. Lorelei tilts her head a little bit and her eyebrows and you watch her grip tightened on the pommel of youth sword for just a second. She looks at glasses out of the corner of her eye and you watch her jaw set. And she says, okay, uh, yeah, let's go. And she closes her book with a snap. Leo puts a hand Speaker 3 01:26:22 On her shoulder and squeezes super tight and is just piloting her down through the hallway. As soon as glasses gets all his stuff together to come with Speaker 2 01:26:29 Them, you all gathered back in the foyer fi and the captain are talking in very hushed tones to each other. You see that they are squeezing each other's hands super tight, but they both shoot up to their feet. As soon as you get in, you was not there. Sabina's not there. And Ascot dock and the rest of the crew are not there. Shit. And then Leo Speaker 3 01:26:56 Remembers that he is still standing directly next to Lorelei and takes his hand off her shoulder and tries to fucking keep it together. Again. I'm going to walk over to fi and the captain, Speaker 2 01:27:09 Hey, sorry Speaker 3 01:27:10 To interrupt you too. Haven't seen Sabine. Have you Speaker 2 01:27:14 Fif rounds? She goes, uh, not yet. I thought you were going to get her. I did. And we put our heads together, Speaker 3 01:27:22 Decided that our best course of action was going to be to get back down to the ship as quickly as possible to have some kind of defensible position that won't have a huge amount of collateral damage for defiance to be able to Speaker 2 01:27:34 Take. She said Speaker 3 01:27:37 That if she wasn't here in 20 minutes, we had to leave without Speaker 2 01:27:39 Her. You watch the captain just grit his teeth. And he goes, and how long ago was that? About 15 minutes ago. Well, we'll give her 10. No, we won't. Nobody's leaving anybody Speaker 3 01:27:58 Do either of, you know, something that Sabine would definitely have on Speaker 2 01:28:01 Her right now, fees eyebrows for a little bit. And she like raises her hands. Does kind of a Schlenk shuffling motion. Uh, her bells, I haven't Speaker 3 01:28:13 Looked at those enough to remember what they look like. It has to be something I can visualize. Speaker 2 01:28:18 There is a pause. And then the captain says, well, here's hoping keep holds the wedding ring off of his hand. It looks like this. Yes, exactly. Ah, we bought them at the same time from the same person Speaker 3 01:28:36 I cast locate object on Sabine's wedding ring. If she's within a thousand feet in any direction, I know where she is. Speaker 2 01:28:43 Yeah. Sabina's within a thousand feet or at least her wedding ring is and approaching fast. Okay. Thank Kimra. She's coming fi and the captain both visibly sigh in relief. I go grab you and tell her that we're getting the hell out Dodge. As you are dragging her back into the foyer with a jingle and a muffled curse. Sabine comes skidding down the marble floor, into the foyer behind her. You see doc, you see Ascot, you see the other members of the crew that came along the Citadel, right? Just on time, let's go. Speaker 3 01:29:25 There are faster ways that you could get down this mountain. You see a big winding thoroughfare and what looks to be a cable car of some sort that's running from the Citadel all the way down to the docks. But the captain brings up the fact that it might be better for you all to stay out of sight. So you end up taking the long way back to the docs. The setting sun is illuminating the glowing stone of Pearl port. As you wind your way through all of these back alleys and secret passageways, and it is fully dark. By the time you make your way back through the streets and out of the main gates of the city downtown to the docs, Speaker 2 01:30:07 The atmosphere is tense Speaker 3 01:30:10 Fee. As you're walking, you notice that Leo has his head on a swivel and a hand on his knife. And the other on Laura license Speaker 2 01:30:19 Shoulder Sabine is hypervigilant. The captain looks conflicted Speaker 3 01:30:26 About what he should be worried about, but he caught you up on that whole situation. And you is just sticking close to the back of the pack, adjusting the harness. That's holding her sword on her back, looking with kind of a thousand yard stare at everybody out in front of her. You emerge onto the docks. As the stars start to come out through the scattered storm clouds overhead. You hear a couple of rumbles of thunder and off over the horizon. You see a couple of flashes of Kivas mantle. Like a storm is getting ready to move Speaker 2 01:30:57 In. Sabine looks around Speaker 3 01:31:00 Sharply for a couple seconds and then size and relief. Speaker 2 01:31:05 Okay? Speaker 3 01:31:06 So it looks like we're at least ahead of her. In this respect, the captain nods looks out across the deck where scattered ships are still coming in, going up to more of the docks before the storm. It comes in. Hi. We'll have to find a way to make the ship a little more defensible, I think, but glasses can surely help Speaker 2 01:31:23 With that. And I think that, and he pauses Speaker 3 01:31:30 His eyes go wide with shock and very quietly. He says, Speaker 2 01:31:36 Ah, shite, what what's can I role perception, investigation, something to figure out what's going on? Yeah, sure. Go ahead and do perception for me. I don't like that. You said it like that. Not 22 Speaker 3 01:31:53 Fucking plot relevant in that twenties. This episode, people are definitely going to say that we're fudging these. Yes. Follow the captain's line of sight. And he is looking out into the Harbor where all of these ships are coming in to brace themselves against whatever storm is getting ready to roll in on Pearl port. Speaker 2 01:32:13 You see Speaker 3 01:32:14 Several multi-decade multi mastered sailing ships rolling in all of them, pretty similar in build and all of them flying from the mask. A blue flag with a white oyster, with a Pearl inside it and two cross swords underneath. So they're all flying. Fleet cuts Speaker 2 01:32:35 Feed looks at the captain, confused and goes, what's wrong. Those are all fleet sheds. Did you call for reinforcements? He shakes his head. They're all fleet ships. They're all the ones we lost. Thanks the question. Who's sailing them. And then the screams start from down the docks. Speaker 3 01:33:00 You hear the sounds of violence and carnage breaking out. And now that you're getting a closer Speaker 4 01:33:08 Look at these ships that are all sailing in and tying themselves to the docks. Speaker 0 01:33:13 You see scores Speaker 4 01:33:14 Of Australian sailors hopping off the gangplanks, swords drawn and wreaking, absolute havoc Speaker 0 01:33:24 Shit. Speaker 4 01:33:26 The captain unsheathed says Cutlass immediately and turns around back to the rest of you and shouts no time Speaker 3 01:33:32 For planning, counter measures, she's made her move. And then he whips back around to look at you and Leo, you to take the kids back up to the Citadel. Now Speaker 2 01:33:42 PHY frowns at him. And she goes, I'm not just Speaker 3 01:33:44 Gonna they're after you fee. And someone's going to burn the conclave. Speaker 2 01:33:52 He's going to gather up glasses and Laura lion. You, Speaker 3 01:33:55 You pulls her arm out of your grip, very sharply and spins around to look at the captain. He goes, I'm not just leaving you Sabine Speaker 4 01:34:04 Flicks her wrist so that a ball of fire Speaker 3 01:34:06 Appears in her hand, nods over at you and goes, you absolutely are go. It is too dangerous for you to be down here. And then she looks over at you fi just go, we'll follow you. We'll be there. As soon as we can, Speaker 2 01:34:21 I'm going to shove glasses in Leah's direction. Get Lorelei by the elbow. Speaker 0 01:34:26 You're left standing there Speaker 4 01:34:27 With Lorelei, watching the madness, closing on the captain and Sabine. They run several yards away down the docks and the captain just effortlessly cuts down. The first sailor that comes at him, no contest, he and Sabine pivot in a weird way. You've noticed that their respective combat styles typically revolve around them getting distance from people, the captain. So he can have advantage to kind of use his swashbuckling skills and Sabine so she can stay out of the fray, Speaker 0 01:35:00 But they go directly back to back in a way that they Speaker 4 01:35:04 Are covering each other's flank. A hundred percent. You see the captain stab another sailor and Sabine covers him on his other side and shoots a fireball at another one. She throws her head back and laughs and looks over her shoulder at the captain. You know, you're unbearably handsome when you stab people like that. Speaker 0 01:35:25 And the captain laughs back last what'd you behave and Sabine, smirks and goes never and shoots another fireball. Speaker 2 01:35:35 Fie is going to yell down the docks. If either of you dies here, I'm bringing you back just to yell at you. And then she's going to grab Laura lion run. The last thing you hear as you run off Speaker 0 01:35:46 Is both of them laughing and the captain's voice bouncing off the stone. How many accounts last Sabine replies, uh, 25. Last time I had a second. The captain laughs again, oh, this won't take any time at all. And as defiance is, ultimatum Speaker 4 01:36:06 Becomes reality. And the sack of Pearl port begins you, your brother and all of your young charges disappear into Pearl port, making your way to the Citadel. And that's where we're going to end for this week. Well, no, no things are about to get really bad, but we'll see that next time on compelled dual Speaker 2 01:36:50 Hey, everybody, Barry here with Speaker 3 01:36:51 The postscript, just clearing up a couple housekeeping things here at the end of the episode, as always, you can find us on social media. We are on Twitter, Tumblr and Tik TOK, acapella duel. You can also find us on Tik TOK, acapella, dual adios, where we post audio snippets from the show. We host a weekly Q and a stream on our YouTube channel. So we'd love to have you come out and hang out for that while we answer questions every week. About the latest episode, if you subscribe to us on YouTube, you'll never miss a notification for that. If you're interested in supporting the podcast, we ask that you consider heading on over to patrion.com/compelled dual, where starting at just $2 a month, you can get access to all kinds of cool things like early access to Speaker 2 01:37:30 Episodes, bonus episodes, special Spotify Speaker 3 01:37:33 Playlists, all kinds of cool stuff, even letters from your favorite character every month. If you're interested in supporting the podcast in ways, other than pledging to the Patrion, if you are listening to us on apple podcasts, we would really appreciate it. If you would give us a rating and a review, since that helps get the show promoted to a wider audience and as always word of mouth advertising is the most powerful tool we have at our, so if you like the show, just tell a couple of friends about it. And if they like it, ask them to tell a couple of friends Speaker 2 01:38:00 As well, episode 16, we'll be going live on Speaker 3 01:38:04 Friday, September 26th, 2021. Or if you are a member of our Patrion, you will get access to that on Thursday, September 25th, boy. Howdy. Next week's going to be a good one. See you then.