Episode 40 - Off the Rails

Speaker 0 00:00:00 Hey, Barry. Hey Al, who should you call? If you get locked out of your house a month, they always have the key it's time for compelled dual Speaker 0 00:00:26 Hello everybody. And welcome back to compel dual IML and I'm Barry. And we are a single player. Cody, M D and D five E actual play podcast. Speaker 2 00:00:37 Previously on compelled dual, you see a line of Australian ships. You would never make it through. If you didn't have this plan to ride on Speaker 0 00:00:53 Names, origins, and raisins to visit him and the pirate king of the Zephyrhills. And we were hoping to, uh, shouldn't have said it was a fire at, so be it turns around from the railing and OSA sweetly to the captain says, dear, shut the fuck up. Things are not going well. And <inaudible>, it seems Speaker 2 00:01:18 Okay. Yeah. This has got to fucking stop. Speaker 0 00:01:22 This is worse than we thought it was Speaker 2 00:01:25 Ravine. What happened with said, Speaker 0 00:01:28 You're asking the wrong person. I've been trying to keep in touch with them. He hasn't gotten back to me in months. Speaker 2 00:01:34 That doesn't sound like him. Speaker 0 00:01:36 Maybe not to you. Speaker 2 00:01:40 A bar fight Mr. Stone, bloom you and I really have to stop meeting like this. Speaker 0 00:01:46 He's going to try and kiss you. Speaker 2 00:01:49 The world's fucking going to shit. And I'm the one that has to fix it. And I thought you didn't want me. Speaker 0 00:01:55 His peoples are just blown. Zed is fucked up right now. Speaker 2 00:02:02 Leo is on her appraiser's edge psychologically right now, but it's his turn to be the strong one. He's just going to keep it together as best he can. Speaker 0 00:02:12 But you don't want me Speaker 2 00:02:15 Said, if you are fucked up enough right now to be throwing my own words back in my face. Number one, you don't need to be pursuing this course of action. And number two, I'll play that game with you. You don't want to do something stupid right now, go to bed. I'd like to cast silence on the bedroom And he just cries until he is unconscious. Speaker 0 00:02:52 So Leo, after all of the fucked shit that happened last night, you wake up in the bedroom. He is still snoring on the bed. You are on the floor using his duffel bag as a pillow. What are you doing? Speaker 2 00:03:21 Feeling like an absolute pile of shit mostly, But after a while of laying on the floor, staring at the ceiling, he's going to realize how much his back hurts and then get up and check on his head. Speaker 0 00:03:37 This man is out like a fucking light, just fully passed out, hugging a pillow. Speaker 2 00:03:44 Leo leans down and goes like, he's going to pet his hair back and then clenches his fist and pulls away. And he's going to head back out the door, try to find where the kitchen is to maybe get him some water. I think Speaker 0 00:04:00 The kitchen is not hard to find somebody's brewing coffee. You hear the sounds of somebody like rustling around in there. You would assume it's the roommate that said, mentioned, Speaker 2 00:04:10 Well, this is about to be awkward Speaker 0 00:04:12 Yet. Is you go on in? Speaker 2 00:04:14 Yeah. If he had more presence of mind about the situation, Leo would maybe like knock or introduce himself, but he's just gonna go. Speaker 0 00:04:22 It's not big. It's a lot like the kitchen and ravine and Verity and Arivale and silica and Allendra's apartment. It's very cramped, very like galley style almost. And there's someone standing in there with their back to you just under five feet tall hair tied back in a very practical braid wearing armor over a really nice but simple Canary yellow tunic and some very sturdy boots. You see this person's ears Twitch as you come in and they're these big, frilled almost gobble, annoyed ears modeled gray, green, and brown. This person is just making themselves coffee at the counter. Speaker 2 00:05:09 Yeah. Leo is barely conscious and has no social graces right now. He's just going to lean in the doorframe and not over at the coffee pot and go, Hey, you mind if I steal a cup of that Speaker 0 00:05:22 As this person turns around, there is a smashing sound. As she accidentally completely chucks her full mug of coffee onto the floor and yells what the fuck time slows to a crawl for you as she starts to turn her head and you see the distinct angular profile of one princess, Eleanor Ash, Thorne, what Speaker 2 00:05:57 Do you want me to roll for Leo to not pass out? I am dead serious Speaker 0 00:06:04 Romeo with safe. Speaker 2 00:06:07 That was a 19 Speaker 0 00:06:09 Regrettably. You remain conscious. Speaker 2 00:06:12 Leo doesn't pass out, but he does fully stagger out of the doorframe and catch himself on the counter before he hits the floor. Eleanora, what the fuck are you doing here? Speaker 0 00:06:28 What the fuck are you doing here? This is my kitchen. And your dad did Speaker 2 00:06:33 Okay. I am starting to put some things together. We're entering a situation where Zed has just forgotten to tell a lot of people that I'm alive, right? Speaker 0 00:06:43 That's been high for the last like eight months. All right. He told me a lot of things. Yes. He told me you were alive. He also told me, he thought there was a dragon rampaging through the city. So grain of fucking salt on think the dead says Speaker 2 00:06:56 It's a really long story. Got pulled into a malfunctioning teleportation portal, got zapped to a, Skyah almost died a couple of times getting along with my sister. Now we're here to stop the incoming war and you are supposed to be in towards June. What the hell is going on here? Speaker 0 00:07:16 Oh, at our ratios up in like fists, one hand in her hair and says, well, ah, my father died and I heard that you died. And I had a little bit of a nervous breakdown. So I thought, Hey, I'll go check it out. I'm a good friend Zed. We'll see how that works. And then I had to pick him up out of a gutter. And now I'm here. Speaker 2 00:07:34 I, oh, God Eleanora. I'm so sorry. Speaker 0 00:07:40 There is a pause. You watch her shoulders soften a little bit. And then from behind you, you hear what in the fuck is going on. Speaker 2 00:07:52 Leo brings one shaking hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. Be quiet. He said, my roommate is sleeping. He said, thanks for the heads up Zed. Speaker 0 00:08:10 There is a beat of silence. And then said, says, when the fuck did you, and he brings both hands up to just kind of hover around his head. I don't, I don't understand what the fuck is going on here before you have time to process that Eleanora shoots back. You don't get to yell. I am the person that started yelling. I am the only person that's allowed to yell right now. Everybody's shut up. Speaker 2 00:08:33 Leo shuts up, but he looks over at Zed, kind of confused. Speaker 0 00:08:38 There is a long, silent moment. Eleanora smooths down her hair, nods to herself and says, I'm making coffee. Does anyone want coffee? We need coffee for this conversation. Speaker 2 00:08:51 I would bury a knife in someone's chest for some right now. Eleanora. Thank you so much. Speaker 0 00:08:57 Zed from the doorway of the kitchen. Still looking extremely confused, says, yeah, same, same here. One for me. And then he just puts his hands down and then puts them back up and just turns and goes into the living room. Eleanor, I makes you all coffee and then goes into the living room herself. I assume you follow. Speaker 2 00:09:17 Yes. Very confused and very tired. I do. Speaker 0 00:09:21 Eleanora does not even bother to try and sweep up the mug that she threw across the room. Just leaves that there for later, that is sitting down on their couch with his head in his hands. And Eleanora puts a mug down in front of him. A little more forcefully than you think she may be intends to and says, right? Let's let's all talk about this. Like adults let's let's go over what happened? Cause I was asleep last night and this was not the situation. And then I woke up and now this is the situation Speaker 2 00:09:53 Zed. Do you want to tell her about the situation or should I Speaker 0 00:09:57 Zed still with his head and his hands does not look up. It just says you're a member. Uh, when I told you how, when I was with my ex, I got into all that trouble cause I was having blackouts. Speaker 2 00:10:12 So you don't remember anything from last night then Speaker 0 00:10:16 And it'll come back to me eventually. I, and then he stops and he looks up horrified, oh fuck. What did I do? Speaker 2 00:10:28 We'll get into that after I cover the big picture for both of you, I suppose Leo looks a little more pissy than he means to speaking of the big picture for that. I'm going to make a long story, very, very short. And then Zed. When we get to your portion of the explanation, I'm going to make a relatively short story kind of long. So just bear with me here. I'm running on not a great trance and several, several months of unceasing trauma has, I was just telling Eleanora when fi and I went into the portal. Something happened, it malfunctioned. We didn't die. In fact, even though that was what the rest of the world was told, we got zapped all the way to the middle of nowhere in Australia spent several months on that hell continent, which did a real number on me. As you both can see. Speaker 2 00:11:21 And he waves at his whole thing, the scar and the haircut and the loss of a bunch of his muscle mass walked across a bunch of the country definitely made me sure that I don't ever want to go camping again. Did you know that mobs in AU Skyah have like a five foot wingspan? Anyway, we got out of the country on a ship, landed in candlelight Wharf and immediately got kidnapped by pirates. One of whom my sister is now dating. We convinced said pirates with a fair bit of help from my sister's feminine Wiles. I am sure to help get us back here so we can shut down the blockade and hopefully stop all out war from happening. Given that my father is pursuing it under the pretense, that fee. And I died on Boulder and soil, which didn't happen. Well, feed died, but it was in the Zephyr Isles and I fixed it. It's fine. Anyway, we are back. We are hoping to get to Boulder and gather the rest of our party and then figure out what the fuck we are doing next. Does anybody have any questions on the big picture? Speaker 0 00:12:30 There is a long pause. Eleanora put the finger up, opens her mouth closes. It takes a big sip of her coffee opens her mouth again and then says, Nope. I'm I'm. I'm good. I'm great. I'm totally cool with what's going on right now. Speaker 2 00:12:49 All right. And now for the more detailed portion of our little recap, so we landed in guitar from yesterday. Oh my God. Yesterday, I feel like I've been here for a hundred years. Speaker 0 00:13:03 Unison, Eleanora and said, say same. Speaker 2 00:13:07 Anyway, there was a whole thing with the pirate queen of Australia and the Navy all catch you up on all of that. Later once we are able to sit down and have an actual war council with everyone, but we got past the blockade, got into the city, went and solver vain. He yelled at me for a long time. And then we went to a bar where I saw a very familiar face getting into a fight with three dudes. Speaker 0 00:13:35 Zed has had in his hands. Again, you watch just the structural integrity of his posture starts to grading. He just slumps forward. Speaker 2 00:13:46 I was able to shut down the fight. I got you outside. We had a reunion. I had a panic attack and then realized that you were realized what was going on and got you home. You we'll talk about it later. I slept on your floor last night. And then I got up to get you some water this morning and Eleanora was in your kitchen. So that's what you missed. Here we are. What happens next? Everybody? Speaker 0 00:14:20 There's the pause. Speaker 2 00:14:22 He had no shit. Sherlock Speaker 0 00:14:25 Eleanora says again, it's my kitchen. And doesn't matter where counsel, that sounds creeds. I didn't know. Ravine was still in the city. Speaker 2 00:14:37 Leo takes a very slow sip of his coffee and cuts his eyes sideways over. It said you didn't tell her that ravine was still in the city. Speaker 0 00:14:48 Eleanora also looks over at Zed. You knew ravine was still in the city and Zed gives up on sitting up just slumps forward, completely onto his own lap and just grow from that position. Just facing the floor, head between his knees. He says, I got such a fucking hangover right now. I also didn't tell ravine that you're in the study. So it cancels out. Speaker 2 00:15:15 I don't think that's how any of this works. Speaker 0 00:15:18 It's not an Illinois just puts both for hands together, puts them in front of her mouth and goes Zed. I'm on my hands and fucking knees that I'm begging. I'm begging. I'm begging you, just like a little bit of effort. And that's still with his head down between his knees goes, I'm working real hard. I'm trying to put together what the fuck I was thinking last night. So give, give me a minute. Speaker 2 00:15:45 I'll help you with that later when we have a little more privacy, go pack your shit said, we're probably leaving the city today. Speaker 0 00:15:52 He sits up dust his hands off when thing and goes about that, I can do a damn. He looks at you. Look that Eleanor and then stands up and leaves the room. Speaker 2 00:16:08 Leo waits for him to leave, takes another big slug of his coffee and then sits. The mug down, stands up and fully starts pacing. The living room Speaker 0 00:16:17 Eleanora scooch his along the counter so she can pick up the sword that you saw propped against it last night and just starts agitated, like polishing it. Speaker 2 00:16:27 Leo continues to pace. But after that gets out of the room, he kind of looks over his shoulder at Eleanora as he goes up Zed. And I obviously are going, but I wouldn't dream of dragging you into this. If it's not something you're interested in, I understand that it's been hard for you to I'm sorry about your father. I really am. I know we didn't always see eye to eye, but I know how important he was to you. Speaker 0 00:16:54 Eleanora lets out this really bitter laugh. Yeah, well, uh, the two of us weren't getting along as well as we used to, by the time it happened. So besides, uh, his mind had been going for a couple of years at that point it's he would have wanted to go out before it was bad. Speaker 2 00:17:22 Leo stops pacing for a second and processes that more importantly processes, the implications that it has about his time in Tor dune and what happened there. And winces really hard before spinning around on his heel and going back to pacing again. I understand it's still not easy though. And I know firsthand in a couple different situations, how hard it is to heal from losing someone you love and how long it takes. So like I said, at the end of the day, you don't have a dog in this fight. You don't need to start hauling my shit around on top of yours because I know you and I know that. That's what you're thinking right now. So just do yourself and me a favor and put yourself first. Okay. Speaker 0 00:18:08 Eleanora looks up from the sword in her lap and says, you want to know why I left her Dan? Speaker 2 00:18:15 Yes I do. Especially given what a monumentally unsafe decision it was with the world burning down around you. Speaker 0 00:18:23 After my father died, um, there's a lot of talk about coronations and me sitting on the fucking throne and all this bullshit that when I was a kid, I never thought I'd have to deal with. And I was sitting there thinking, this is the country that my mother died for. And I spent years of my life ignoring and covering up what was going on with my father. And after the whole shit show that went down with you, who knows how many people suffered for that? And I was supposed to be in charge, pretend I didn't do any of that. Pretend none of it happened. So I left. She polishes the sword one more time and then picks up a scabbard and slop it in and says, I've done a lot of thinking since the last time we saw each other. And if you're trying to stop this whole shitty situation and actually do some goddamn good for people, then I'm in and she stands up, dust yourself off, sludge the scabbard under our belt and says, give me 20 minutes to pack my shit. Speaker 2 00:19:50 Leo spins on his heel again, where he's been pacing and pulls her into his arms. Speaker 0 00:19:55 She hugs you back super tight. Speaker 2 00:19:59 He's got her in a vice grip. He's got one hand cupped her on the back of her head, just holding her to him and is trying really hard. Not to cry. He's feeling some incredibly complicated emotions right now. Thank you. And he lets her go, Speaker 0 00:20:27 Eleanor, I actually hold onto you for a second after you let her go and then nods against your shoulder, Patsy, a couple of times in the back, very firmly and then just kind of shifts of both hands around your shoulders and just pushes back. Right? Kind of go do that. And then she heads off down the hallway. Speaker 2 00:20:48 As soon as he's alone, Leo just collapses on the couch and fully puts his head in his hands. Speaker 0 00:20:53 After a minute said comes back in. He's got the look of somebody that dunked his head under a faucet and he's just like pulling his hair back up into a ponytail. He's got his duffel bag over his shoulder and he says, ah, right. Um, I'm good. I guess if you are, Speaker 2 00:21:11 Leo does not take his head out of his hands. Nobody in this apartments. Good said we just need to be ready to go. I told my sister to stay at the Inn where we found you last night. So we're going to head over there. Pick everybody up and figure out how to get to Boulder. I guess. I don't know. Speaker 0 00:21:32 Roland site really quick, Speaker 2 00:21:34 25 Speaker 0 00:21:36 Zed. Winces almost imperceptibly. And then cover that up with a roll of the shoulders. All right. Uh, it'll be good to meet your sister under circumstances where nobody's trying to kill anybody else. I guess, unless I put my foot in my mouth cause you and Eleanora both seem, uh, ready to snap. Speaker 2 00:21:58 I snapped about a year ago. I'm just maintaining now. Oh, by the way, my sister is dating the lady that melted your face back on the mountain top. So try to be nice to her. No Speaker 0 00:22:08 Promise his boss Speaker 2 00:22:11 Said, I want you to say it with me. If you can't say something nice, Speaker 0 00:22:17 Then I'm probably gagged. Let's go, Speaker 2 00:22:20 Okay. I'm going to wait for Eleanora to packer shit. And then we're going to leave Speaker 0 00:22:25 A couple of minutes later. Eleanor comes out carrying a very large trunk nods of the both of you and says gentlemen, and then she heads out the door. Speaker 2 00:22:35 Leo watches her go and his expression softens a little bit. He reaches up and passes out on the shoulder a little harder than he means to the gang rides. Again, let's go as we're walking down the street, I'd like to follow up on that promise. I made to feed last night and fire off a sending spell the message says, good morning. Shit's fucked. Headed back to the end with some friends of mine, get everybody together downstairs. We all need to have a talk. Fi you are awoken from your trance in a bed in this shitty little, in that you got a room in last night by your brother's voice in your head Speaker 0 00:23:21 Feed, groans and buries her face and her pillow for a second Speaker 2 00:23:26 To your left await beside you in the bed shifts. And you are accosted by the sound of the captain's snoring directly in your ear to your right. There is an absence on the mattress that you are not expecting. Sabine was there when you went into your trans she's not now, do you open your eyes? Uh, Speaker 0 00:23:46 Yeah, that's unsettling enough. That feeds up Speaker 2 00:23:50 As you open your eyes, you see directly in front of you. The very deeply trancing face of the captain who is snoring like a lumber Jack and smells like a rum distillery and hovering behind him up fully dressed for the day. Totally ready to go. You see Sabine crouched beside the bed with a cast iron frying pan in one hand and a big wooden spoon in the other leaning down over his head, she sees you wake up and her eyes widened a little bit. Savine has the message can trip. So this will work. She points at you and you get a message in your head that says, look, please don't judge me for this. If we don't give him consequences, he'll never learn. And then she immediately starts beating the shit out of this pan with the spoon right next to the captain's ear. The captain shoots out of bed bolt up, right with a yell all hands on deck, Batten down the hatches dog, thunder woman. And then he sits back down on the edge of the bed, cradling his head in his hands. So, so hung over. Why? Speaker 0 00:25:07 Apparently this was a teachable moment. Speaker 2 00:25:10 The captain groans pitifully, what am I meant to learn that I can't drink the way I did when I was 120. So beans ceases her assault on the frying pan with the spoon grins, widely and goes. Exactly, sweetie, Speaker 0 00:25:27 I'd be more sympathetic, but I'm finally coming to terms with the fact that that snoring is going to be the first thing I hear every day for the foreseeable future. Speaker 2 00:25:36 Civilian puts the frying pan and the spoon down on the bedside table and just leans in and kisses the captain on the forehead and then leans over him and kisses you on your cheek. Good morning, everybody. Do we have any idea what's going on after Leo swanned out of here last night? Speaker 0 00:25:53 Just got to sending from him. Actually. Apparently he's gathered up some more friends and we're heading out soon. Speaker 2 00:26:01 Oh, okay. Um, should we get everybody together then? Cause ravine and Arivale and Verity all went back to their apartment. I can go get them and their folks. Speaker 0 00:26:12 It's a good idea. Um, we can start, I can start brainstorming ways to actually get us to Boulder while we're waiting on everyone. Speaker 2 00:26:22 Okay. Well at least we have an immediate plan. I'll go grab ravine and co you get this man downstairs and get him some greasy breakfast food, and I will be back soon. Speaker 0 00:26:35 We'll do be careful. And then he's going to slide out of bed and just tug the captain with her. Speaker 2 00:26:40 He is just complaining. Incoherently the entire time you two are getting ready and packing your stuff up, but he is much more capable of intelligent conversation. After you get him downstairs and get a big plate of hash Browns and some eggs into him, he takes a big swig of coffee that you can just tell by. Smell probably tastes like tar and brings one hand up to his temple and goes, alright, uh, this appears we're going to be headed out soon. I, Speaker 0 00:27:13 As soon as we can figure out what the most expedient way to get to older. Yes. Speaker 2 00:27:17 Right? Well, we can't take the entire crew with a bunchy with us. I reckon I head down to the Harbor, pick up Lorelei and see Tim accrue and be back soon ish. Oh my head. Speaker 0 00:27:30 Fee's going to pat them on the shoulder and lean over and kiss him on the cheek and say, good idea, darling. Speaker 2 00:27:37 He gives you a look like he knows that you are judging him, but then shakes his head and stands up and walks out the front door of the bar. And you are left alone. Just waiting on all your people to get together. What are you doing? Speaker 0 00:27:51 I think he spends a good couple of minutes. Just sitting there with her head in her hands, uh, and then eats breakfast. And I guess weights. I don't have anything else to do. Speaker 2 00:28:01 Not too long. After the captain leaves, you see the door of the Inn open again. And Leo walks in looking fucking haunted. The bags under his eyes have bags under them. And he is followed by Zed who you saw last night. Again, big heavyset, half work. Do lots of tattoos, lots of piercings, big dangly, gold jewelry hanging out of his tusks long hair up in a ponytail and a person you have never seen before this very strong, but very compact and petite young lady who appears to be of goblin and human heritage with the long frilled ears and bright luminous yellow eyes dressed in armor with a sword at her side, they are both hovering very close to Leo. He walks in, sees you and lets out the most beleaguered Sy. Speaker 0 00:29:06 Good morning to you. Sunshine brother, dearest. Speaker 2 00:29:11 Don't speak to me yet. He pivots on his heel and leaves the two friends that he brought with him to walk up to the bar where this extremely tired grizzled old dwarfish dude is wiping down the bar top. Garson at bloody Mary. If you please, and also the biggest table, you have a private room. Is there a private room? Is there anything and enters into this conversation with the bartender as these other two people are looking at you extremely awkwardly. Speaker 0 00:29:44 Hi. And then he pushes the plate forward across the table and says pancakes, Speaker 4 00:29:56 Oh, this is horrible. Speaker 2 00:29:59 Both of them look at each other for a long moment and then Zed shrugs and comes over and grabs the plate of pancakes and started chowing down on him. Leo comes back with a very oversized, bloody Mary and waves toward the back of the bar to usher you into whatever private room he has managed to get for all of you Speaker 0 00:30:19 Fee spares herself, a moment to ponder how he managed to get a private room in a dive bar, but goes, Speaker 2 00:30:26 Oh, it's not fancy. It is not a private salon. It is a storage room. There are creative moonshine stacked up along the walls. You get the feeling. This is maybe like the break room for the employees that work here. There's a long, rough hewn wooden table and a few chairs set around it. One of which Leo collapses into immediately and chugs like half of his bloody Mary before slamming it back down on the tabletop. Okay. Where's everybody else. Speaker 0 00:30:56 Uh, the captain went back to the banshee to get Lorelei and tell the crew what they're supposed to be doing while we go to Boulder and Sabine went back to Arivale and Verity and everybody's apartment to round all of them up Speaker 2 00:31:10 After several more minutes, Sabine kind of barges into this back room that you guys find yourself in. And she has ravine who you met yesterday, air of a Verity and a tall willowy Elvin woman of the same kind of wood elf heritage is ravine is with long coily red hair behind her. They all come in, shut the door, take up positions around the table. It's a really awkward situation. No one's saying anything to anybody. The silence is deafening. And after a few more minutes, the captain shows back up. He's got Laura lie by one shoulder, kind of ushering her in through the door. And you're all cramped in this little back room with crates and provisions stacked around you. Leo plants, both hands on the table and stands up very slowly. Okay. So we should all start with introductions. Since many of us have tried to kill each other in the past. And those of us that haven't done that I have no idea what's going on here. I'll start. Hello. My name is <inaudible>. I am the grand duke of Austria and I am this close. I am this close to absolutely losing my shit. Fi Speaker 0 00:32:31 I'm Ferrara. I am the slightly less dramatic sibling. Speaker 2 00:32:36 Leo flips you off and then sort elbows this young lady that you've never met before and she steps forward. Hi, I'm Eleanor Ash, thorn I'm Leo's ex-girlfriend's. Don't worry. We're cool. And then she leans over and elbows Zed in the side and he flinches and stands up a little straighter. Um, I'm Zed, stone bloom. I'm Leo's uh, I'm here. Leo sort of cuts him off and goes he's my boyfriend also don't worry. And he waves back and forth between Zedd and Eleanora. They're cool. Anyway, moving on the rest of you kind of go around in a circle and introduce yourselves each in turn, the last person who says anything is Lorelei. She is standing at the table next to the captain with absolutely rigid posture, staring at Leo and Zedd and Eleanora at the other end of the table. Go ahead and roll insight. 17, Laura, I looks extremely hurt and betrayed. She narrows her eyes down toward the other end of the table and goes, not that anybody cares, but hi, I'm Laura. Lasha chrono. I'm Leo's dead. Fiance's little sister. And then she storms out of the room. Speaker 2 00:34:03 Zed in Eleanora, both look extremely uncomfortable. And Leo reaches out after Laura lie, as she storms out the light, but he doesn't follow her from beside you fi Sabine sort of hisses and goes, I've got her update me later and then heads out after her fee uncomfortable says, right? So travel plans. Once again, the silence in the room is oppressive, but eventually ravine looking extremely uncomfortable, raises one finger into the air. Um, I mean we could always take the train. The rail system in vaudeville door is still functional. We could at least get as far as dared or all that way. Once we get up towards full dura, it gets a little more complicated. The capital's on an island. That's pretty much surrounded by the blockade, but I think at this point with all of the interconnecting issues that are going on and he looks over at Leo, very sharply, perhaps the best course of action is just to get as close as we can and roll with the punches. That's all, any of us are doing anymore. Right? Rolling with the punches. Verity reaches out a hand and squeezes his shoulder and goes, babe, I love you. You're shimming out a little bit right now. Or a vein does have a couple little mushroom caps popping up along his hairline. He looks on the fucking edge. Speaker 0 00:35:42 Cool, awesome. What's the train. Speaker 2 00:35:45 A very large mushroom hears on the side of her veins, temple, a train is those things you've seen zooming around the inside of the caverns, the big metal things, lots of smoke. Um, there's a rail system that connects all of the major cities in vaudeville door, except for the Capitol, which in terms of, you know, infrastructure design was a really stupid decision, but either way, it's an overnight train trip up to DeRidder all. And then we just figure out how to get past the blockade on your part again, I guess, I don't know nobody was suggesting any other viable options. I'm just trying to help. Speaker 0 00:36:34 It's very helpful. Thank you. Okay. So we all get on the train and figure out how to get into Boulder on the way Speaker 2 00:36:46 Ruffian puts both hands up, like he is washing his hands of the situation and goes, I don't know. I'm just contributing what I can and down at the other end of the table, Leo pinches the bridge of his nose and goes, yeah, we, we get on the train and we make everything else. A problem for later, this is becoming a bad habit, but I'm not in a place where I can examine it right now. Same Speaker 0 00:37:12 Let's go. You all had out of the translation. Everybody who has lived in guitar and for the last year seems to know pretty much where it is. It seems like it is built to be able to handle a lot more hubbub than there currently is at it. It's not deserted. There are still people moving on and off of trains and going about their business, but it seems like it's usually a lot busier than this. The FIKI will kind of break away from the pack and go off to talk to the guy at the ticket booth. You hear the captain like scratching in his coat pocket and pull out a bag of coins. And then fi talks very charmingly to the person selling tickets as Sabine kind of looks over destination maps. The rest of you are left standing kind of awkwardly in the middle of this train platform. Speaker 2 00:38:06 I'd like to check on Laura lie. What's she doing? Speaker 0 00:38:11 I is furious. Like you knew that as you were leaving the bar, she has not calmed down the entire walk. She is not looking at you. She is sneaking furious glares in beds direction. And she is just standing there with her arms crossed over her chest. She is extremely angry Speaker 2 00:38:32 And I have learned pretty valuable about how it is not my place to try to mitigate Laura lies, anger. So I'm not going to try to insert myself into that situation. I'm just going to wait for fi and Sabine and the captain to get back with Arctic Speaker 0 00:38:47 It's. After a few minutes, they all come back over, kind of holds up a handful of tickets and says, so we have three. I don't know how to translate the door of award boxes, boxes. Speaker 2 00:39:02 Uh, Leo speaks to war Vish. Compartments. Speaker 0 00:39:06 Yeah, that's the one. Uh, we have three of them. Apparently they each sit about four people. So I figured that would be, and she looks around the group at all of the interpersonal tension that is happening. I thought that'd be fine. Uh, it's going to be an overnight trip. We should get there late tomorrow afternoon. So I'm going to go. It should be here. And the guy said 10 minutes, and then she walks off to a little like fenced off sub platform with a bunch of benches in it. Speaker 2 00:39:42 Leo is just going to sit down on the nearest flat surface and put his head in his hands for the umpteenth time today, Speaker 0 00:39:51 Laurel ice storms off and goes into it's next to fee. As you're sitting there, the captain sounding very admiring says, oh, you're a big son of a bitch. You ever stolen a book? Big man and Zed standing next to you says, oh God, no. Speaker 2 00:40:13 Without lifting his head from his hands, Leo says, don't Speaker 0 00:40:19 I wasn't doing any number one. Speaker 2 00:40:21 I'm sitting right here. And number two, he is so spoken for, Speaker 0 00:40:28 There is another long awkward moment of silence. And then the captain says, so trains, huh? Never been on one of those. Speaker 2 00:40:37 If Leo had his way, he would never take his head out of his hands again. Yeah, me neither, but a means to an end, I guess. Speaker 0 00:40:48 Hi, I don't take just about any excuse to get out from underground at this point. Hasn't been a good day for me. So far as he saying that you hear a long slow whistle and then from far away feels all right, everybody, that's us another pause. And then the captain says, ah, fuck this. Speaker 2 00:41:12 I look up finally, Speaker 0 00:41:14 You saw the little steam engines that kind of carry things around <inaudible> you saw those the first time you were here. This is like that. But a lot bigger. It is basically just a metal tube with steam coming out of a little spout near the front of it. Fi is gesturing towards it as to imply that your groups should get on. It's bigger than the ones you've seen before, but it's not big. And it is emerging out of a tunnel in the rock. The captain looks deeply unhappy as your group converges on this train. Speaker 2 00:41:50 Yep. I'm not saying anything to anybody. I'm going to get on Speaker 0 00:41:55 You all pile on your tickets have like numbers of compartments that you should go to. So you all get settled in Zed stops as you're going past and just sits down in a bar car. He does not say anything to you. He is not really looking at anybody. He just sits down. But the rest of you carry on. Lorelei is at the front of the pack, just stomping the entire way through the train without looking at anybody, she just sits down in the first compartment you got to to bean sits next to her ravine and Verity pile into a separate compartment. Everybody kind of gets settled. Speaker 2 00:42:34 Yeah. I'm just going to go wherever my ticket tells me, I should. Speaker 0 00:42:39 It's just kind of a little box with a window on the side, not a big one and two benches that are against the wall facing each other. After a minute, Eleanor comes in, sits on the bench opposite you. Speaker 2 00:42:53 Leo just sits there in silence for a really long time. And once the train starts moving, I think jumps pretty profoundly, but then goes back to leaning back at the bench and pinching the bridge of his nose. Well, I guess it's safe to assume that said won't be back for a little bit. Speaker 0 00:43:15 NA given the past eight months of experience, I wouldn't count on it. Speaker 2 00:43:23 Yeah. And uh, speaking of past experience, you and I didn't exactly leave things on the best terms, did we? Speaker 0 00:43:36 That's a bit of an understatement given that where he left things was, you know, my father tried to kill you. You broke up with me, you ran off into the woods. Speaker 2 00:43:49 Uh, I didn't want to, you have to know that I didn't want that. I, Speaker 0 00:43:58 I do know that. And I also know that what you did want didn't and couldn't include me. Speaker 2 00:44:08 I wish you wouldn't say it like that. I wanted for none of this to ever happen, but yeah, at the end of the day, I think you're right. The things we want and more importantly, the things we have to do, can't include each other in the way that I wanted them to. Just for closure sake. Did you ever actually love me? Speaker 0 00:44:39 Oh no. I just fuck up my relationship with the only family member I have left for any Tom Dick and Larry that walks into my bedroom. Yes. I loved you. You jackass. I still do, but she kind of slumps in her seat and crosses her arms over her chest and says, I think we both know that our plans for the future don't include each other in that way. Right? Speaker 2 00:45:07 That is something that Leo has known for a while, but hearing it out loud feels like getting punched directly in the chest. He kind of bowels forward a little bit where he's sitting on the bench. So what, now we just press forward and go on trying to meet the goals we've set for ourselves and accept that everything we had was what a pipe dream, uh, could have been. Speaker 0 00:45:35 What's the alternative. We try again, we get a worse ending than the first time we cheap and what we had trying to make something that's not going to work limp along. I don't want to do that. Speaker 2 00:45:52 Yeah, neither do I. So now I guess we get to figure out how to be grateful for what was there and how to build something else. Moving forward. Speaker 0 00:46:05 She kind of reaches up and rubbed at one of her eyes and then gives you a big watery smile on the bright side. We're going up against the desperate, trying to stop a war between two power hungry world superpower. So we might all die tomorrow. Speaker 2 00:46:20 Leo lets out something between a laugh and a sob and just pulls her into a big, tight hug. Speaker 0 00:46:27 She hugs you back, patch you back a couple of times and then pulls back and says, so what are you and me just going to play checkers for the next six hours? Or Speaker 2 00:46:39 Uh, no, you kick my ass and I'm a sore loser. Anyway. I've been putting off a conversation. I really need to have with Zedd since last night or well for the last year. Really? So I'm going to go do that. And tomorrow we'll wake up and dare to Raul and figure out where we're going from there. Speaker 0 00:47:04 Yeah, I guess so. And then she reaches out and pats you on the shoulder a couple of times says, good luck with that. Talk. Speaker 2 00:47:13 Leo goes to leave the compartment and pauses in the doorway with his hand clenched around the doorframe Eleanora, Speaker 0 00:47:22 Eleanor has her feet kicked up on the other bench. Again, she doesn't look towards you as she says, yeah, Speaker 2 00:47:31 I still love you too. And Leo walks off into the corridor and goes to try to find said, Speaker 2 00:47:41 Feet. You find yourself in this cramped little compartment on the train with Laura, like curled up in one far corner. These bright orange waxy looking earplugs jammed into her ears. And the captain curled up in the other, making himself as small as possible. Looking at the wall after a minute, Sabine comes in, drops off her bags and kind of scoops Laura lie out around her shoulders and ushers her out into the corridor. And you are sitting in this train compartment with these two bench seats facing each other alone with the captain. What do you do? Speaker 0 00:48:27 The looks over at the captain and says, sweetheart, is there anything I can do? Do you want me to open the window Speaker 2 00:48:38 Window windows sounds good. Speaker 0 00:48:40 I'm going to see if I can open the train window. Speaker 2 00:48:44 There are blinds that are done across this window and you lift them up to reveal that you are going through this tunnel under a mountain. And there is nothing outside of this window. Save for old ball of rock, about six inches outside the glass rushing by and the captain goes, huh? No, no, no. What does a bad thing? Just go ahead and yeah, no, Speaker 0 00:49:09 If he's going to close the shutters again, Speaker 2 00:49:12 He goes back to staring very intently at the inside wall of the compartment that you're in. After a few more minutes, you hear the door slide open and Verity comes in with an arm full of candy bars, cotton, candy pretzels, various snack food. As she bumps the doors to the side with her hip and edges her way into your compartment. Hi everybody. Did you know that? There's a really nice lady that comes down the train with a cart full of snacks. I brought some, I didn't know what you'd like captain. We haven't talked that much. And I feel like you got really mad at me when I analyzed your birth chart. So I brought you some cotton candy. I feel like you'd like that. The captain says nothing to Verity, but does reach up and take the little tub of cotton candy from her hand. Speaker 0 00:50:04 Uh, thank you, Farah. Speaker 2 00:50:10 She like a chocolate person. So I got you a couple of candy bars. You can pick her arms are just overflowing with snack foods right now. And she has a variety of about six different kinds of chocolate bar. Speaker 0 00:50:23 Where did you get the money for all of, you know what? And he just any chocolate bar that has some kind of caramel or nuts in it, Speaker 2 00:50:31 Verity smiles in a very self-satisfied way and then posts up on the opposite bench across from you and the captain and starts digging into a little bag of pretzels. Speaker 0 00:50:42 If he's going to sit in silence, eating her candy bar for a solid minute and then awkwardly clear her throat and say, uh, Verity, there, there is something that I wanted to ask about. And then she stops and she turns to the captain and she says, sweetheart, I've had a thought, uh, I could really use some coffee if you wanted to find the person that is apparently selling snacks to people or something, I would really appreciate it. Speaker 2 00:51:15 Great, right? A job, something to do that sounds fun, fucking tastic. And he jumps up to his feet and charges out of the compartment. Very clearly wanting to find a bigger amount of space around him than there is right now. Verity is still sitting across from you, munching on her pretzels and just looking at you, expectantly Speaker 0 00:51:38 Fi turns to fully phase Verity, and then says I met someone since the last time I saw you, that I think was from the silent city. And I wanted to see if you had any more information on this person. Speaker 2 00:51:51 Oh, um, well, yeah, I know pretty much everybody from the silent city, it was the only place I ever went until I met you in Arivale. So lay it on me Speaker 0 00:52:02 Fi grimaces and takes another large bite of her candy bar. A woman I'd say 50 ish, years older than me, uh, tall green skin, twisting horns and feet kind of illustrates the shape, goes by the name of defiance Speaker 2 00:52:25 Fairity was in the process of taking a pretzel out of her bag to put into her mouth and drops it back into the bag. Her eyes go really big. Uh, oh, defiance. Yeah. Yeah. I know her. What happened? That is a very, Speaker 0 00:52:45 Very long story. Uh, that ends with her jumping off a boat Speaker 2 00:52:52 <inaudible> eyebrows pinched together and she frowns really deeply well. Um, defiance. She, um, she is kind of the reason that I was the apprentice high priestess. When you met me, the succession of who the high priestess is in the silent city, doesn't go down through families. You understand it was my mother, but after her, it was supposed to be defiance because she was born with talent and the storm printer's blessing and all of that stuff that I don't have Speaker 0 00:53:27 Now, Verity, you have a lot going for you. You're very plucky. Speaker 2 00:53:35 There's a moment where Verity is grave expression drops and she grins very broadly. Thank you. And then she shifts back into a more serious expression. But anyway, defiance, she was really powerful. You know, quite a bit older than me. I was just a kid when she left, but she was training under my mom to be the next high priestess. And then, well, she had a big family. See mom, dad, brother, a couple sisters. They were all Rangers folks that we would send out to help keep all of us fed. And they went out on a fishing trip. One day. Defiance was still back in town with my mom doing training stuff and they never came back again. I'm sorry, I can't give you more information. I was just a little kid when this happened, but my mom told me that what happened was that defiance lost her faith. She lashed out against the storm bringer and her power changed, became different. I don't know, but when she turned a hundred, she left just like everybody else in the silent city is allowed to do when they turn a hundred and we never heard from her again. So I became the apprentice high priestess, even though I, you know, um, I wasn't really suited for the job. How did you meet her? What is she doing? Speaker 0 00:55:13 Well, no, she's not doing a lot, but uh, she was, uh, working for the Assurion Navy and also running a pirate fleet. Speaker 2 00:55:26 Oh, that sounds bad. Speaker 0 00:55:29 Yeah. She did try to kill all of us. Like really hard. I just, she had one of an empty kind of gestures with her shield and at the orb in it, one of these and her magic was weird. Speaker 2 00:55:48 Verdi, fully flattens herself back against this bench seat that she's sitting on, staring at the orb in the middle of your shield. Where did you get that? Speaker 0 00:56:01 Oh, right. I forgot you didn't add from my birth mother again. Long story also. It was a year ago, so I don't really want to rehash it now. Speaker 2 00:56:13 Okay. That's fair. But yeah, again, I was just a little kid, but I remember her having something that looked almost exactly like that. It was what she used to cast her magic. People said it came as a gift directly from the storm bringer. Speaker 0 00:56:30 Yeah, I did see that her magic was weird and she said a lot of fucked up things and then jumped off of her own boat into shark infested waters. So she's not really a problem anymore, but Speaker 2 00:56:42 Oh my God, she died. Verity looks extremely distraught. Speaker 0 00:56:48 Again. She tried to kill us, like really, really tried to kill us and got a lot of people killed and she sucked. I get the, you're a very sensitive person, but she sucked. Speaker 2 00:57:00 It looks extremely shaken as she reaches down into the bag next to her and slowly chomps on another person. Oh, um, well that's is that sad? No. Cause she sucked. I don't. Okay. Anyway, that's all I can tell you. I don't know much more about her. Speaker 0 00:57:22 It's fine. I, I don't even know. I asked, I just feel like something's unfinished and all of this. I don't know. I feel like I'm missing something. Speaker 2 00:57:39 Well, I mean, you have an orb like hers, so maybe that's another gift that the storm Brinker gave you. Right? Maybe she knows what's coming next. Speaker 0 00:57:50 That's fair. It's been a few weeks. Since I've talked to her, I might have to ask some questions. Speaker 2 00:57:57 You've talked to her. Speaker 0 00:57:59 It's a long, long story. We can have this discussion later. Speaker 2 00:58:05 Verity looking extremely shaken, gathers up all of her snacks and nods at you slowly. Okay. That was ominous. I'm going to go find her a vein. Speaker 0 00:58:19 So true. I'm glad you two are happy. Speaker 2 00:58:22 We're so happy. He's so nice to me. He tells me I'm pretty all the time. It's great. And she leaves the compartment and kicks the door shut behind her. Speaker 0 00:58:35 So Leo Les, we saw you. You were heading off to finds ed. You find him in the bar car, sitting at the bar. You catch him actually in the middle of just slamming a shot with two empty shot glasses already on the bar. Top next to him. As you walk in, he gestures to the bartender for another one, like a guy who is drowning Speaker 2 00:59:02 With very similar mannerisms. Leo is going to settle onto a bar stool next to him and wave for one of whatever. He's getting Speaker 0 00:59:11 YouTube. Sit there in silence for a second. Zed is not looking at you. He is looking down at the bar top chipping at the varnish on the wood with one of his fingernails. Speaker 2 00:59:22 Leo takes a shot and then is also not looking over. It said he's also staring down at the bar top. So we're going to need to talk. I won't make you do it now. If you don't want to, you can wait until whenever you're ready, but we're going to need to talk. Speaker 0 00:59:47 He laughs humorously slammed the shot, wipes his mouth of the back of his hand and says, boss, if you're going to chew me out, I'd rather you just get it fucking over with. Speaker 2 00:59:59 That's not look, I'm sorry. If I was pissy with you earlier, I'm not here to rip you a new one and make you feel worse about the situation than I'm sure you already do. But we need to talk said so much of everything about this shit that has gone wrong has gone wrong because we haven't talked. Speaker 0 01:00:27 Oh, that's why shit went better. Cause we didn't talk. He puts a hand up and then gestures the bartender again and then turns back to you and says, you want to talk? Sure. Let's talk. Let's talk about how I thought you fucking died in front of me. Let's talk about how I had you. And then I fucking didn't and you were gone. And I thought it was cause I wasn't fast enough. So yeah, I went down the fucking mountain and I got drunk. And then when that didn't fill up the fucking hole in my stomach, I went out and I got high. Cause that's what I do when I feel like shit. All right. A couple hours pass. I'm coming to terms with the fact that I fucked three years of progress. And then the first thing I hear from you since I thought you died is don't wait up, said, I might not be back said so sure. Let's fucking talk, Leo. Let's talk our way through that. And then he slams the shot glass that they bartender. But then in front of him, Speaker 2 01:01:37 Leo also waives for another shot and slams it. What do you want? You want an excuse? You want a justification? I can't give it to you. I can try to explain what happened, but honestly, I don't think you care about that. I want to talk not so I can explain away all the shitty things that I did or so you can justify all the shitty things that you did. I just want to talk said, can you give me that, Speaker 0 01:02:18 That when you say that he stops roll the shoulders back, reaches up to like scratch at the inside of his arm and then back to rub his neck and says yeah, yeah, I can. Yeah. Sorry. I let's talk. Can we go somewhere else? Speaker 2 01:02:43 Yeah, I, yeah, come on. Leo is not taking him back to their compartment because Eleanora, as far as he knows, it's still in there. I'm going to try to find somewhere that we could talk privately. I don't know what I'll have for role for that. Speaker 0 01:03:02 That'd be a survival check buddy. Speaker 2 01:03:04 15. Speaker 0 01:03:06 I think if you walk through the train long enough, you find like baggage storage, a car that is just a bunch of people's luggage. Speaker 2 01:03:14 Yeah. I pull Zed in there and shut the door behind us. Speaker 0 01:03:18 Zed says nothing on the way there you usher him into this car. And he just stands there. Arms crossed over his chest, like hunched in on himself. Speaker 2 01:03:29 Leo turns around from where he has shut the door behind them and just fist his hands up in his hair. I don't want an explanation. I just, I just want to know where we are right now. Speaker 0 01:03:45 There's a long moment of silence. And then he says, what's happened last night. I mean, I know the company's safe version you gave Eleanora, but I don't. I, what the fuck happened? Speaker 2 01:04:09 I helped shut the fight that you were in the middle of down, took you outside. You tried to kiss me and I really wanted you to and we did. And then I started freaking out and then realized what was happening. So I stomped that shit down. I got you home. She tried to kiss me again. I shut it down probably in a meaner way than I should have. And it wasn't that I didn't want, we keep coming back here. You know? And I just, even though I know I probably already am. I don't want to be something you regret and I get that. You never asked for any of this or for me, but it's what happened and I'm here. And I, I guess I just need help understanding why every time I feel like I get close to who you push me away. Speaker 0 01:05:22 He rakes a Hanford, his hair and just laughs here religiously. And he goes, I guess I'm just a piece of shit, man. It's easy to love me while I'm in front of you. And then the second amount of sight, it's just, he just puts his head in his hands and I think sits down on the nearest like trunk or box or something. You know, he said that to me once my ex I mean, we'd been together for like almost a year at that point. And I left him, not for long. I went to all of her friends and they were all his friends obviously. And because they're all his friends, they all told me I was overreacting and I had to go make it right. So I went home after a day and I begged him to take me back. And he said, you know what? The you're so easy to love when you're in front of me. But when you go, I just remember all the things I love you in spite of. And he puts his head back in his hands. I slept on the front porch that night fucking freezing out. And I just shit. He was probably right. And I hadn't talked to anybody that gave a shit about me and months. I'd given them all that time to remember all the fucked up things about me. He looks up from his hands and he just reaches back and fits both of them at his hair. Do you have enough time to remember all the fucked up shit about me? Speaker 2 01:07:33 Leo gets down on level and gets his face and both hands and presses their foreheads together. That is not what this is Sin. Before I met you. I had people that told me I wasn't worth shit and could never be good. It could never be anything or people that told me I was perfect and didn't need to change. And then I met you and you told me something different. And I get the things at the beginning were complicated. And then I got zaps all the way across the world. And we didn't have the chance to really talk it through. But I, You are better than this. We are better than this. The only reason I know that is because of you. I almost died several times trying to get back here. And I honestly believe at a couple points there I could have made the choice to die. And the man, I was five years ago, but if done it would have said that the world that never gave a shit about him could fucking burn, but I got up and I lived. And that is because of you. You have changed me Knowing you has changed me, loving you has changed me. And I don't love you in spite of anything. I love who you are. But more than that, I love who you could be huge to serve to be better than you are now. Fuck. I deserve to be better than I am now. And it took you to make me realize that. Speaker 2 01:09:47 So don't worry about whether or not I had enough time to remember all the fucked up shit about you. I did I to Put the thing is I have spent long enough wrestling with my own demons, Zed. I am not afraid of going a couple of rounds with yours. Speaker 0 01:10:16 Zed lets out it's more a noise than a sob just And claps the hand over his mouth and just bows forward. Speaker 2 01:10:30 Leo just squeezes, both of his hands. A little bit tighter where they're clasped on either side of <inaudible> face and leans in, kisses him on the forehead. Okay? Progressed. We need your rest. Come on, let's go. Let's just go lay down. And he's going to try to get him back up and get him back to the compartment. Speaker 2 01:10:56 Feed. The rest of your day is pretty uneventful. You do not see Leo from the moment you get on the train. He's just gone. Most of your time on this journey is spent in the department with the captain as pretty much your only constant companion, Sabina and Lorelei are in and out throughout the day. The hours were on. All of you end up going to the dining car later and sitting down for dinner. Coming back to the compartment. These bench seats fold out into beds and there are pulled down bunks that come out of the wall and you all set yourself up to take your trans. You are woken up pretty suddenly by a whoosh of air, outside the train and a bright sudden light coming in from the blinds pulled down over the window in your apartment. Speaker 0 01:11:51 Okay? Uh, I'm gonna pull the blinds up. See what's going on Speaker 2 01:11:56 From one of the pull-down bunks over your head. As you lift up the blinds over this window, you hear the captain go, oh, thank fuck. Because you have lifted up the blinds to a gorgeous mountain view. As the train exits the subterranean tunnels that it has been traveling through throughout the night, the captain lunges out of bed, shoulders past you throws up the window and hangs his head out like a dog out of a car, just taking very deep breaths and looking extremely relieved. Speaker 0 01:12:33 He's going to grab the back of his shirt so he doesn't fall out the window. Speaker 2 01:12:37 The captain is just whooping, enjoy and utter relief, which wakes us Sabine up in the other bench seat that has been folded down into a bed. She sits up with a mumble kind of squints around at everything that's going on. All right, guess we're most of the way there then. Good morning everybody. And your day goes on from there. You all get up. Get out of bed, get Laura lie, ready for the day. Go to the dining car, get breakfast, everybody except Leo and Zedd is there. The train keeps winding through these narrow mountain passes for several more hours. It's mid afternoon. I think most of you are hanging out in the dining car right after lunch. Again, no sign of Leo and INSEAD. When you hear a rattle as ravine leans over to a window and lifts up the curtains and goes, oh shit, there it is. Speaker 0 01:13:40 I look out the window. Speaker 2 01:13:43 The city of Daryl is absolutely nothing like GIM Tara, any preconception of a vulgar and metropolis that you might have had in your head after being in and around <inaudible> for the time that you were is totally demolished. It is this massive sprawling city nestled in the valley between three snow-capped mountain peaks leading out into a Harbor that is easily five times the size of guitar, drums, and a churning gray stormy sea beyond. It's beautiful in this late afternoon, sunlight smoke rising from chimneys down in the valley. Other trains shooting down along tracks from the other mountain peaks, but it seems subdued much in the way that guitar was when you left it as the train winds down out of this mountain pass, you get a better look at this massive Harbor and what lies beyond it. Namely the sails and flags of many, many Australian Naval vessels hovering just beyond the borders of the Harbor surrounding something very interesting as the train winds, its way down into the city of Daredevil and you get a better look at what is lying out beyond the horizon. You see a mountain out in the water, sloping, ridges going up very gradually. And from the top of this mountain, you see a swirling column of smoke rising up into the air. As you're standing there looking out the window, Arivale draws up next to you kind of fiddles with her duffle bag that she's got slung over her shoulder and adjusts her goggles over her eyes. So, um, that's folder, well that's not folder folders inside the mountains. So you understand how difficult it's going to be to get over there. Right? Speaker 0 01:16:01 Well, we got through one blockade. I'm sure we can manage. Speaker 2 01:16:09 I mean, well not to be a pessimist actually. Yes. To be a pessimist. I feel like being a pessimist is kind of my role in all of this. Now that I think about it. You got through the blockade on an Australian ship with a good bit of luck. We don't have the ship anymore. And can we ride on whatever's left of that luck Speaker 0 01:16:33 The way I see it, we're going to need a fair bit of luck either way we'll we'll come up with a plan. We'll um, she's gonna look around for a second and go Sabine. If you can think of ideas, that'd be great. Has anyone seen my brother Speaker 2 01:16:49 Sabine looks supremely uncomfortable and sort of shifts back and forth on her feet a little bit? Um, no, can't say I have, but as far as plans go, we'll need to get across the bay to make it into the city. We know that Fen and Colossae and Mia are all inside that mountain. So that's where we need to go. It's just going to be getting across the big stormy bay full of very well armed Australian Naval vessels. That's kind of a little hiccup in the situation. Speaker 0 01:17:28 Can I estimate how much space we'll need to cover over the water? Just looking at it. Speaker 2 01:17:35 You're on a very fast moving train, winding down into a big urban setting, go at the head and roll me perception. Speaker 0 01:17:46 That's a natural 17. So a dirty 20 Speaker 2 01:17:49 Fee you grew up in a seaside town you're pretty experienced with eyeballing nautical distances, especially from the shore. You would say it's somewhere between a mile and two miles from the farthest point of this bay over to the closest point of the island, where vaulter is, it would be an easy trip. If there weren't a bunch of Australian ships armed to the teeth with cannons and battle majors sitting out there between you and your destination. Speaker 0 01:18:26 Yeah. And as far as I know, the only ones of us that have any kind of teleportation magic are me, Sabine, Lorelei, and Leo's friend to Allendra. And none of us, I don't think have the spells lots to get us over there. Magically, Speaker 2 01:18:46 Not even one of you, much less. All of you with the magic that you saw on the mountain top and your experience with learning about Sabine's magic. She couldn't even get herself all the way over there, much less 11 people, which is what you're dealing with right now, as you are coming to that realization, the door to the dining car swings open with a clatter and Leo walks in still in his clothes from yesterday, looking extremely tired, extremely sad, extremely fragile. He just walks down the length of the dining car without saying anything to anyone else and collapses into a booth next to Eleanora and grabs for some snacks leftover from lunch Speaker 0 01:19:40 Fi grimaces and says, I hate to pile shit on when you're already down, but, and she nods at the window. We need to figure out a way to get over there. I was thinking if any of us have any way to keep hidden, we could see if we could find like a rowboat or something. I don't, I don't know. Oh, Speaker 2 01:20:04 I could keep us hidden. No problem. From down at the other end of the dining cart, Verity who has been canoodling with ravine over afternoon, tea raises one hand. I got a spell for that. Don't worry. Uh, you all just have to stay close to me. It's the same thing that I did when we were getting off the boat in guitar. I'm your member, Speaker 0 01:20:27 Right? Yes, yes, yes. That would be helpful. It's just a matter of figuring out how to get a boat without everything going terribly Speaker 2 01:20:40 Leo again, looking exhausted, runs a hand back through his hair. Um, Verity, how long do you have on that spell? Cause I, I might have something Verity launches up from where she's been sitting with ravine and goes and leans over the table at him a little close into his personal space. Oh, I think the longest I can make it last is like an hour. Is that going to be okay? Will that help? That will help just so much. You can go sit back down now and Verity trots back down the dining car and sits back down next to her vein. You see Leo reached down to his belt and pull out this beat up old leather journal, almost looking book and start flipping back through it. Speaker 0 01:21:29 Right. Uh, okay. If we've got the beginnings of a plan, how about everyone? Go gather up your stuff and get ready to disembark. If he's going to not at the captain and raise her eyebrows as like emotion of, can you get my shit? And then sit next to Leah, Speaker 2 01:21:52 The captain nods briskly and makes his way out of the dining car. Everybody files out pretty quickly after that. And you are left alone in this dining car with your brother who, as soon as everybody else leaves fully collapses down and rests his head on the table. Speaker 0 01:22:14 Do you want to talk or is this more a stuffed, some of the train companies dishware and our bags and go somewhere where we can throw it against a wall conversation. Speaker 2 01:22:25 Don't tempt me fi we're both too broke to go breaking the rail company's property. And only one of us is cute enough to be able to convince the captain to front us the cash, to pay off any collateral damage. Speaker 0 01:22:39 Yeah, but don't beat yourself up about that. He's got high standards and I'm just exceptionally adorable. And then she's going to elbow him in the side. Talk Speaker 2 01:22:50 About what oh, the, the travel plants, the yeah, getting to the island. The thing that we're here for it. Yep. Speaker 0 01:23:01 No, not about that. More about whatever's making you say about what in the tone of somebody that to be hit with a guiding bolt. Speaker 2 01:23:13 No, I, I didn't, I'm not, I'm fine. I'm good. I'm Speaker 0 01:23:19 Are you out of adjectives? Can I suggest full of shit? Speaker 2 01:23:24 Go fuck yourself. He fully puts his head in his hands and just braces his elbows on the table. Said's not doing great. And no small part of that is because of me. So I'm just trying to figure out how to cope with that. And don't really have time to, because we need to figure out how to get all of us across this bay and into this mountain to stop the war that is threatening thousands of people's lives. And that's what we need to be worrying about because my life doesn't matter. None of my shit matters. Okay. I can do something, but you're not going to like it. Speaker 0 01:24:10 Okay. One, Speaker 2 01:24:14 He's still got this beat up leather bound book, open on the table in front of him. And he leaves back through a couple pages to where there is scratchy writing in priests, tongue that you know, for a fact is not Leo's handwriting. You've seen enough of his handwriting to know that it's not his, he points to it. And you see that it is a spell called waterwalk Leo frowns and tilts his head a little bit. I can cast the spell and what's more. I can cast it in a way that will let me preserve my power in case we get over there and I need to drop some big, bad magic to keep us all safe. Speaker 2 01:25:00 It's just going to take me about 10 minutes to do the spell. The problem is that I can only cast it on 10 people. You Sabine the captain, Laura lie, ravine, Eleanora, Celica, and to Linder up. But it's one body air of a fairity and Zed. That's 10 and me makes 11. I can get 10 people, a couple of miles across that bay and Verity can hide them, but I can't get 11. I can send you all over there and Verity can keep you safe and I can follow and come later, but I can't come with you. Speaker 0 01:26:00 Well, that's not acceptable. You'll get yourself caught, trying to go pass the blockade. If varies, not with you. Speaker 2 01:26:09 Phew. We don't even know what we're gonna do. Once we get into the city, you've got the better shot out of the two of us of making something happen. At least a straight area still loves you. Speaker 0 01:26:24 No, no. This is crazy. Someone else has to be able to hide people. Isn't isn't one of your friends that Druid can't we Speaker 2 01:26:34 Relying on to Lynn DRA to be willing, to be separated from her vein. When the stakes are, this high is a losing bet. Just trust Speaker 0 01:26:43 Me. Then he comes over with you too. Speaker 2 01:26:46 He can't, he won't. I know him well enough to know that he's not gonna leave Verity and you need her to keep you safe Speaker 0 01:26:55 Either way. You're not throwing yourself on the sword, just because you've had a shitty week. Leo, I don't accept it. We're not doing it. We're going to figure something else out. Speaker 2 01:27:08 He plants both hands on the table and gets very suddenly to his feet. And what if I need to? What if throwing myself on the sword is easier than dealing with the absolute shit show that I've created. Speaker 0 01:27:25 She gets up to, she gets up in his face and he says, I don't give a shit. What's easier. We're figuring this out and I'm not letting you do this. That's the end of it. So either we figure out a way to execute your plan, that doesn't get my fucking brother killed, or we figure out a different plan. That's final. Speaker 2 01:27:49 We'll be, oh, makes a supremely frustrated, noise and shoulders past you and storms out of the dining car Speaker 0 01:27:57 Feels, I love you too. You asshole. After him And Leo, what are you doing? Speaker 2 01:28:12 I'm going to go, try to find Zed and tell him that we're getting ready to go. Speaker 0 01:28:18 Zed is back in your train compartment, where you left him sitting on one of the pull-out beds, just with his head in his hands. Speaker 2 01:28:26 Leo's going to sit down next to him and also put his head in his hands. Speaker 0 01:28:31 As you sit down next to him, he does sit up and like roll his shoulders back and just plaster on a smile. So, uh, what's the plan boss, uh, Romanian site really quick, Speaker 2 01:28:47 26 Speaker 0 01:28:49 Disregarding any of the emotional issues. Cause we did already hash that out. Zed looks physically extremely uncomfortable. He looks like he is having a bad time as you're sitting there and he's like roll the shoulders again, cracks his neck scratches at the inside of his arm. He's very fidgety. Speaker 2 01:29:13 Leo is going to reach out and grab his hand. Um, train, slowing down. We're getting ready to hit, dare to all. Um, I've got a plan. It's not a good plan, but it's a me plan. And uh, we're headed for Boulder. So pack up. Let's get ready to go. I want to get this next part over with as soon as possible. Speaker 0 01:29:40 Uh, yeah. And he like Scripps his hands over his face. Yeah, me too. Let's yeah. And he reaches down fishes, his duffel bag out from under the bed, slings it over his shoulder and sands up. Speaker 2 01:29:56 Okay. I'm going to pack my stuff up to get ready to go. Speaker 0 01:30:00 The train stops your party congregates on the platform. And what are you doing next? Speaker 2 01:30:09 Trying to navigate us to the farthest point of land. I'm trying to find the least amount of distance over water that we're going to have to cross Speaker 0 01:30:20 Romeo low DC, survival Trek Speaker 2 01:30:24 17. Speaker 0 01:30:26 There are city maps, pretty much everywhere. They're like plastered to the sides of buildings. You get the impression that dared all is a big town to visit. It seems like it did have a thriving tourism industry before you know everything. Speaker 2 01:30:44 Oh, big sprawling city in the mountains, big tourism industry. We're in LA, we're in Los Angeles right now. Speaker 0 01:30:52 Yeah, pretty much. There are freeways all over the fucking place. You can buy a map at the train station. It's not hard to get to the furthest point out of land. There is this like snaking peninsula with a long island that slightly disconnected from it. There's a big bridge. It seems like this is a popular, like walking trail because it's right on the water. It's real nice. It's very scenic. There's like stupid kitschy gift shops and shit. Speaker 2 01:31:22 Okay. I am gathering everybody up on the beach as close as we can get to the island as the Crow flies and turning around to look at fi all right. So, uh, plans or lack thereof of side, we still need to figure out what we're doing once we get over there. I don't want us running in blind. We can't just waltz into the city and walk into the Australian embassy. That sounds like a good way for me to get killed and you to get kidnapped. Speaker 0 01:31:54 Right. But I mean, I don't know how far ahead we can really plan this. I think we just have to get over there and try to find an an in or something. I, Speaker 2 01:32:06 But the thing is, I don't know how safe and in, in Boulder would be to a group that has as many Australians in it, as we do Speaker 0 01:32:14 Leo Romy and advantaged history check, Speaker 2 01:32:19 Uh, 15, Speaker 0 01:32:21 You remember actually that you have an aunt and uncle that moved to vaudeville dirt to quote unquote improve relations. When you were a kid that as far as you know, do live in Boulder, Speaker 2 01:32:38 Leo squints, as he looks out towards this mountain in the distance, and then turns back to fie again, all right, this is going to sound wild, but I think I might have a safer option than an end. We have family in Boulder. Speaker 0 01:32:55 First of all, come again. Second of all, how is any member of our family? Any safer than an N at this point? Speaker 2 01:33:04 Well, because that family member is our aunt Nora, uh, you wouldn't know her. She moved to Boulder with her husband and their kids. Way back before you came to court, they wouldn't know you, they, and he winces a little bit. They don't even know Leo, but the one incident that sticks out in my mind is that they moved very shortly after the whole family came up to and hall for a gala. And she gave the old man and Negi in front of the entire council of advisors. And besides we now know that our father is a fratricidal maniac who killed his eldest brother. And I think that presenting this information to our aunt Nora might endear her to our cause a little bit. Speaker 0 01:33:56 I don't feel like that's a safe enough that we don't know this woman. Speaker 2 01:34:02 It's not a safe bet, but it might be our best one. I got just give me a minute. Let me check it out. I'm going to pull up my augury bones. Speaker 0 01:34:12 Oh, good. That always ends really well. Speaker 2 01:34:15 Leo shakes his bones in his hands and asks, how is it going to go? If we look for help with our aunt Nora, I swear to God. If you say wheel and whoa again, and then casts them on the beach, Speaker 0 01:34:31 The first bone comes up a wheel. And then the second one rolls a couple times and rolls and rolls and then settles on whoa. Speaker 2 01:34:43 Leo picks up his augury bones and throws them into the ocean. Speaker 2 01:34:49 I will never cast this spell again. Completely unhinged Leo stands back up from throwing bones into the water and goes, alright, fuck this. He grabs a piece of driftwood off the beach and starts drawing a summoning circle in the sand. The spell I am casting. I am casting as a ritual, so I don't burn my only fifth level spell slot. But Leo finishes up drawing this circle in the sand, pulls out his knife makes a shallow cut across his Palm and drips. A couple of drops of blood down onto it and casts commune as a ritual. So I contact my deity and ask up to three questions that could be answered with a yes or a no. Speaker 0 01:35:37 Okay. Every other time that caramel, the Lord of bones has appeared to you. It has been a very subtle kind of thing where he just up heres usually behind you. And then it's very dramatic. As you turn to look at him, you cast the commune spell. There is a loud popping noise. And then Kimbrel appears one hand outstretched as if he was grabbing something, wearing a fuzzy bathrobe. And then he stops his great majestic horn head, tilting and confusion. And he sees you and he goes and clutches the rope tighter out himself with both hands. He has adopted the posture of a cartoon mom who has just seen a mouse in her pristine kitchen, everyone behind you, except as that, an Eleanora screams very loudly. And then there is a moment of silence. As you all regard each other roll, the Lord of bones says, Speaker 2 01:36:56 You know what? No, I brought you here to ask a question, but because you are saying that as someone who has consistently, almost always popped in on me, either naked post-coital or both for the last five years, I'm going to point out the hypocrisy there Speaker 0 01:37:13 From behind you. Eleanora says, yeah. I also take issue with that Speaker 2 01:37:19 As you should. And Leo turns back to Kimra all right. I get three questions. So let's make this short and sweet because I'm going to be honest here. I really hate talking to you. Speaker 5 01:37:32 I was in the middle of watching my stories. Speaker 2 01:37:35 What stories were you watching Somehow? That hurts a little bit. Anyway, I get three questions. Question. Number one, you have to tell me the truth. Did my father kill his brother? Speaker 0 01:37:53 He gives you kind of a look. And then he says, Speaker 2 01:38:00 Question number two. If I tell my aunt this, will she help us Question number three? I don't have question. Number three. Hold on. Speaker 0 01:38:15 Fee stepped out from behind you looking at camera and says, are you in Kiva connected? Kimmel's great horn head like a Cobra focusing on its prey, swivels to look at her and his purple silver eyes glimmer. And he says, And then he disappears. Speaker 2 01:38:47 Well, given all of that information, Leo stance, they're blinking for a couple seconds. Sorry. Everyone had to see that. That was my God. Um, and then he looks back over at fi told you he was fucking annoying. Speaker 0 01:39:05 I don't like him for multiple reasons now. Speaker 2 01:39:09 Oh, same. But yes. Going to aunt Nora seems to be our safest bet with the information we've been given. So here's, what's going to happen next. I can get everybody but me across that water with a spell and I will follow later. Speaker 0 01:39:29 Several people start protesting. Speaker 2 01:39:32 I don't want to dump a bunch of my power into casting the spell quickly to get us all across the water. At the same time, we don't know what's on that island. We don't know what's waiting for us. I can send you. And then it'll take me 10 more minutes. I'll be right behind you. I'm very good at hiding. The captain taught me. Well, Speaker 0 01:39:53 Everybody is still like yelling over you. And then after a second Zed in the middle of the pack, kind of raises his hand and goes, uh, I mean, if we're just trying to go across the water And then he elbows past people to get to the shore, you watch him like shift his stance, roll the shoulders and say, this is going to be weird. And then he starts running across the water. I do not have the words to describe the motions he is doing, but like he is moving on the surface of the water and then he gets about 20 feet out. Turns, kicks up a huge wave as he spins and then runs back to shore skids to a stop on the pebble beach next to you. So that's just the thing that Zed can do because of his improved on our movement. I believe he can just do that. Everybody blinks at him for a second. As he readjusts his stance, cracks his neck, looked at everybody and grins and goes, what? None of your mom's taught you how to do that. Fi where she is standing next to you, stops turns to look at you and says that's 10. Speaker 2 01:41:31 Yeah, it is. All right, everybody croup up. Give me 10 minutes. And I cast waterwalk on everybody, but said, as a ritual, Speaker 0 01:41:46 As you're getting to the end of it, they're 80 casts passing that a trace. You watch this slow shimmer of silvery blue light spread out from around her. Everybody starts to step off the beach. They're all hovering above the surface of the ocean on this waterwalk spell except Zed. Who's doing some weird shit. Speaker 2 01:42:14 He's still staying close enough to Verity that he's protected by the past without a trace, right? Speaker 0 01:42:19 Yeah. He's basically having to run circles around her because he's so much faster than everybody else, but he's staying close. Speaker 2 01:42:27 Leo is going to stay behind on the beach and make sure everybody else gets out ahead of him. Speaker 0 01:42:33 Everybody starts to step off Verity Zed, Lorelei to Len DRA ravine. Arivale the captain Sabine, Eleanora and fie stays on the beach with you. She takes one step off. So she has one foot hovering above the surface of the water. And one on the pebbles with you. And she holds out a hand Speaker 2 01:43:00 Leo truly realizing for the first time that he is not alone, takes that hand and walks out onto the water with her. Speaker 0 01:43:15 Okay. So we're going to roll a big, huge group. Self-track we have assigned everyone to die in our little box and keep track of them. Eleanor rolls with disadvantage because heavy armor, the DC is 25 and we have plus 10 because it's past that trace. So we need to roll an average of 15 Speaker 0 01:43:52 Okay. Uh, the captain wrote in that 20, so he gets a 35 Leo and Arivale each roll to 37. Good for them. Eleanor, I even with this advantage got a 23. And so did Verity ravine and Sabine both rolled 20 ones. Feveral to 31 Zed road at 25 to Lynda rolled a fucking 36, a and Lorelei got a 33. Okay. That's an average of 28.9. So 29. So that handily beats the DC on the self-check you all step onto the beach on the island of Boulder, fie nods for herself. And she says, okay, we can do this. And then she motions all the forward, takes a couple steps and I'm going to need everybody to roll a deck safe. Speaker 2 01:44:47 Okay. Well, Leo rolled a 17. Speaker 0 01:44:52 The save was a DC 18, bud. You stepped forward and around your feet, arcane, runes start to glow and you are in sconce than a resilience sphere. So I'm going to roll deck saves for everybody else in the party. Uh, Lorelei, because she just took another barbarian level roles with advantage. She got a 24. So Laura lies out Arivale rolled a 24 just on her own fucking merit. She is also out Sabine rolled a 26 to Linder, older 21. They are all out. Ravine rolled a seven, but seeing this resilience fear pop up around you. He's going to cast counter spell at fifth level. So he is out. The captain rolled a 14, rolled a natural one. So it's a six feet rolled of seven Eleanora. Also rolled a natural ones with the three and Verdi rolled at 12. They are all ensconced and resilience here is with you. Speaker 2 01:46:08 Okay? So the only people out are Arivale Sabine to Lynn DRA, Laura lie and ravine. Yes. Yup. Speaker 0 01:46:18 Savine gets one action. As she sees all of these resilience fears pop up, she is going to grab Lorelei cast greater and visibility and say, run, find Colossae Laura, Lego's invisible. And she has to mention Dori. You see the lights of it, flare up in a doorway about her size and then disappear. And another one flares up 500 feet away. As what you recognize as a strawberry and soldiers start to coalesce on you. Dozens of them, all holding crossbows, trained on all of you to Linda with her one action grabs were vain. He yells no and reaches for Verity and to lender does not listen. She pops them both away with her teleportation ability. 30 feet outside of the circle of archers. Arivale is the only one left with an action. She looks around at all of you grimaces. And I'm going to Rolodex to see if she can get past these archers. So Arab is going to roll acrobatics really quick. She rolled a five. She gets plus 13. It was a DC 20 Arivale does not make it. She gets stopped by this line of archers. Speaker 0 01:47:46 She and Sabine are the only ones left out of the bubbles within the circle. As these archers, all gather on you, speed goes down to our knees, put their hands up. Arivale gets body blocked by these soldiers, stumbles back and starts reaching for the bow on her back. Looking around wildly. The rest of you are all in resilient spheres. You see another dimension to our pop up on the mountain to Linda and ravine dash forward against her veins wishes. Clearly he is still trying to go back for Verity and to a teleport to them. Again, they are getting as far away as possible, as fast as possible as the rest of you are ambushed by dozens of assuring soldiers, Speaker 2 01:48:37 Leo from within the resilience fear that he's trapped in, puts his hands up over his head, looks over at fi and says shit. Speaker 0 01:48:53 And that's where we're going to end this week. Speaker 2 01:48:57 Everything is bad all of the time. Speaker 0 01:49:01 We'll see how our heroes get out of this situation. Speaker 2 01:49:05 Next time on compelled dual Speaker 2 01:49:23 Hey, everybody, Barry here with the postscript, just clearing up a couple of housekeeping things here at the end of the episode, as always, we're going to go ahead and plug our social medias. You can find us on Twitter, Tumblr and Tik TOK at compel duel. We also have a lot of other cool stuff like an official Spotify profile and official website. You can find all of that linked on all of our social media pages. We do a weekly Q and a stream on our YouTube channel, where we talk about the most recent episode and answer your questions. We would love to see you guys show up for that. If you subscribe to us on YouTube, you'll never miss a notification for those Q and a streams. If you're interested in supporting the podcast, you can find us over on Patrion at patrion.com/compelled, dual, where starting at just $2 a month, you can get all kinds of cool perks, including early access to episodes, access to exclusive playlists and bonus content, even wax sealed letters from your favorite character every month. Speaker 2 01:50:24 If you'd like to support us in ways that don't involve pledging to the Patrion. If you're listening to us on apple podcasts, we ask that you drop us a rating and a review because that helps the show get promoted to a wider listener base and helps us grow our audience. And as always word of mouth advertising is the most powerful thing we have going for us right now. So if you like the show, just tell a couple friends about it. And if they like it, ask them to tell a couple of friends as well, episode 20, we'll be releasing on Friday, October 22nd, 2021. Or if you are a member of our Patrion, you'll be getting your early access on Thursday, October 21st. Thank you so much for listening and we'll see y'all next week.