Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00:00 Hey, Barry. Hey Al what mountain do players scale to gain a level?
Speaker 1 00:00:06 I don't know.
Speaker 0 00:00:08 Experience point it's time for compelled. Joel.
Speaker 0 00:00:26 Hello everybody. And welcome back to compel duel. I'm Al and I'm Barry, and we are a single player. Cody, M D, D, and D <inaudible> actual play podcasts
Speaker 1 00:00:37 Previously on compelled duel. You hear from the door? A metallic rattle. Well, shit fire. I guess this thing is really stuck. All right. Sta do your thing. Hey, long time. No, see, a lot of stuff has changed. Uh, the world's on fire. I thought you died for a bit. I figured out that I also like men. Now someone will have heard that. So we need to get all of you out of bondage and fucking move.
Speaker 0 00:01:14 I'll be damned. He did do it, huh? Yeah,
Speaker 1 00:01:19 He really did
Speaker 0 00:01:21 My brother and I have good reason to believe that our father killed his and your brother. Valoran for the purpose of extending the bolder and more.
Speaker 1 00:01:36 Oh my God.
Speaker 0 00:01:38 It occurs to me. I may have forgotten to add something to our conversation on the train.
Speaker 1 00:01:47 Don't worry about it. I'm capable of basic and forensic something, something you were better off before you met me something, something I ruined your life.
Speaker 0 00:01:57 I was gonna say, I love you too. Actually,
Speaker 1 00:02:02 I am so sorry to interrupt, dear. Um, the arch Duchess is here to see you. The hoop in the hallway outside, you hear the click of high heels on the tile closely followed by the offbeat percussion of a cane, the arch Duchess of Australia, a Lasha to Caren looks from your uncle to your aunt, to you, nods, grimly, and says, all right, well, it seems we all need to talk.
Speaker 1 00:02:48 We open up right where we left off with fi you are standing in your aunt Nora study with your aunt, your uncle, Aaron, and the woman who raised you, Elisha the car and is standing in the doorway long, a magnificent gown trailing behind her, a gleaming, circle it on her head and has just been reintroduced to you. As the arch Duchess of Australia. You see your aunt Nora's grip around her wine glass go white knuckled. And she stands up and moves to go sit behind her desk. She looks over at your uncle and goes errands, sweetie. We are being terrible hosts right now. How about you go downstairs and get the kids and our new guests and take them out for some evening entertainment, maybe to the night market, your uncle frowns at her. Is that what we need to really be worrying about right now? And she cuts him off. Of course it is. I would hate to appear rude. So maybe you should just go get all of them and take them somewhere outside the house. Aaron, he then gets the picture and nods shakily before turning to a Lasha dipping a little bow, your majesty and fuck it. Books. He's down. The hall gone. Nora is still sitting behind her desk. She has not moved. And Alicia hasn't either
Speaker 0 00:04:27 Fi grits her teeth and reaches up to touch her fingers to the base of her neck gives a very wide, very strained smile and says arch Duchess. How wonderful to see you. After all these months,
Speaker 1 00:04:50 Elisha sweeps into the room, sets her cane down next to one of the armchairs and reaches up to get your face in both of her hands. She hooks one finger under the streak of your hair that has gone white after your incident with the lightning strike and looks deeply saddened. I think Kimberly you're all right. What's happened to you. And then she seems to remember herself and takes a step back, picks her cane back up and turns over to Nora. Nora. I know this is going to sound a little odd, but as a favor to an old battle, buddy, would you perhaps mind not discussing Ferrara's arrival with anybody for now your aunt or a laughs with absolutely no humor in it and stands up from behind her desk. Very sharply.
Speaker 1 00:05:44 Oh, that horse has left the barn a Lasha believe me. The first thing I did was reach out to Berea and Jarana with a lot of the new information that I have learned today. Elisha smiles at her very tightly and you have known her long enough to see the threat that is lying just beneath the surface of it. Well, in that case, if you wouldn't mind giving us the room, I have some things to discuss with my stepdaughter Nora's lips, press into a very thin line and without displaying any quarterly decorum or civility, she just shoves back from her desk and stocks around it and goes to the door. She stops in the doorway and turns back to you fee fine Ferrara. If you need anything, I will be right outside. All you have to do is call for me. And she walks out and slams the door behind her. There is a long beat of silence following her exit during which you feel the little ping of ascending spell, go off in your head and you hear your brother's voice uncle Aaron's rushing us out of the house. I get the feeling. This is an evacuation. Where are you? What's going on?
Speaker 0 00:07:07 Fi sends back a Lasha is here. I'm handling it. Start thinking of a plan
Speaker 1 00:07:18 In front of you. You see Elisha's very composed Regal posture that she had adopted when talking to your aunt cave in a little bit. And she winces reaches down to rub at her hip and sits down. And one of the wingback chairs in front of the fireplace. All right? So we'll need to eventually unpack the mystery of how you managed to survive. But for now we have a lot of other catching up to do.
Speaker 0 00:07:48 Yes, it seems we do feet steps, a little closer and just hits hisses. What the fuck are you doing?
Speaker 1 00:07:57 She narrows her eyes at you. What I have to do and mind your tone.
Speaker 0 00:08:07 You knew what he was and you married him. And you want me to watch my tone? My tone is the issue here. A Lasha really
Speaker 1 00:08:17 One could make the argument that he also knew what I was and married me, but that is irrelevant. Yes, I did. It was the best method to secure enough power to help me find out the truth of everything that's going on and to secure your position. Once you eventually made it home, I have been in your corner for your entire life for Aurora, but now that support actually has some power behind it.
Speaker 0 00:08:46 This is you being in my corner, marrying the man that fucked with my mind, being complicit in a baseless war, sending defiance me as an attack dog, that's being in my corner.
Speaker 1 00:09:01 She gets to her feet. She gets up in your face a little bit. This war is not baseless. Crack open a history book fee for hundreds of years of vog Boulder has been getting bigger and hungrier. And if somebody doesn't nip that ambition in the bud, they will swallow the entire world as for the situation with your father. If I had known more about what was going on than I maybe could've done something to mitigate it, but I more has a long and storied history of acting rashly. When backed into a corner and ask for defiance, we had no way of knowing about all of that nasty business in Pearl port. She was just supposed to collect you and bring you home safely. Although in retrospect, that could be my fault. I should have known even as far back as the beginning of the beacon, schism defiance proved herself to be a loose cannon who took the orders that she was given extremely liberally
Speaker 0 00:10:07 Orders that she was, of course you had, the diverse is killed. That makes sense.
Speaker 1 00:10:16 She reels back a little bit, looking shocked. I, how do you know about that's irrelevant? Listen, fi I see where you're coming from with this. I know you want to protect Leo, but you can't. He has proven time and time again that he will not content himself to play a long game and he will not fall in line. There is no saving him. Please just come home. We can fix this. We can be a family.
Speaker 0 00:10:55 He takes a step back from her family. I have a family. I have people that know me well enough to know that I wouldn't take that offer. And that loved me enough that they wouldn't make it a family. That's what you've been thinking that you've been pursuing. That's the reason you've had so many people killed or let them die. And fetus starts taking off on her fingers, Soren his parents, the family of someone that I love very much at this point. I wouldn't be surprised if my uncle and Leo's mother are on the list and every person that is going to die in this war, that you are helping my father manufacturer. If this is what you being in my corner looks like I would rather stand alone.
Speaker 1 00:11:51 This woman for all and purposes is your mother. I would like you to roll an insight, check with advantage.
Speaker 0 00:12:00 I'm going to use a reroll off the gift of the storm right here. I'm going to use a second one. That one's a natural 19. So it's an 18 because I have negative one to insight. But still
Speaker 1 00:12:15 When you mentioned your uncle and Leo's mother, you watch a lot of react in a very strange way. You level these accusations at her and you see her eyes go up to the family portrait, hanging over Nora's fireplace in the study, leveling on the face of a young valor and Val sign. Then she looks down at where there is a magnificent wedding ring around her finger. She looks back up at you and for a moment, she looks deeply afraid. And in that moment, you realize that you have called her out on a couple of secrets that she thought nobody knew about as you are having this realization, the door to the study bursts open behind you. Leo comes running in with Zed and Eleanora hot on his heels and your aunt Nora reaching out for them from the doorway as if she was trying to stop them.
Speaker 1 00:13:24 Leo skids to a halt right next to where you and Alicia are standing in front of the fireplace, raises his eyebrows and goes, you know, my uncle mentioned that the arch Duchess was here and I was wondering who had dug up my mother's corpse and dragged it all the way to vog folder. But I see what the situation is. Now. Elatia looks over at him with a very distasteful expression and goes shortly after you disappeared, your mother unfortunately took ill and died under the custody of the priesthood amongst the Golan. And Leo just throws his head back and laughs, that is such a load of horse shit. A Lasha a more subtle version of that fearful look that you just saw her have crosses her face briefly. And then she stomps it down, puts the arch stuff, just mask right back on. You know, this is all your fault, right? You could have just signed the papers, lived a comfortable life out in the countryside with your fiance. Or if not that you could have at least had the decency to die when you were supposed to, but now we're all here. So great job, Laurel,
Speaker 0 00:14:43 Without missing a beat fee snaps, I think you should leave. We have nothing else to say to each other.
Speaker 1 00:14:51 Elisha turns over to you with this look of utter desperation. I came here with a peaceful solution fee. The path that I am offering is the one of mercy. Please think it over. And then she picks up her cane turns on her heel and walks out of the study. There is a long, silent moment where all of you are just standing around, looking at each other and then Leo lunges forward and hugs you super hard. You scared the shit out of me. I'm so glad you're okay.
Speaker 0 00:15:31 Fi hugs and back and says huge dumb ass. I said, I had it handled. She wasn't going to hurt me.
Speaker 1 00:15:39 And I wasn't going to just leave you alone. And he kind of turns to look at your aunt and survey the situation going on in this room after a lawsuit has left, oh fuck. Things are bad. Aren't they?
Speaker 0 00:15:54 Well, they're certainly not good. I and fie reaches up and like pinches the red rhinos. I don't know what we do from here. I don't know. They know we're in the city. They know where we're staying
Speaker 1 00:16:10 Your aunt Nora steps into the room, into the middle of this conversation and puts both hands up. I understand that everybody is very stressed right now, but this is a conversation for tomorrow. You will look like you haven't rested in days and I can promise you safety under my roof. If nothing else, the information that you are both alive is already out there. There is nothing that anybody can do to stop it. And if Morlin wants to try to come here and get you himself, she turns her head over to where her armor and her sword are still in the open cabinet on the wall. And her jaw sets very hard. I wish he would. I wish he would try everybody try to decompress the best you can go lay down. We will figure this out in the morning. Okay.
Speaker 0 00:17:05 Oh, okay. Um, yeah. And Fiji kind of regs the hand back through her hair and goes right. There's nothing we can do.
Speaker 1 00:17:17 There's never nothing we can do for Laura. Go to bed, try to rest, uh, sent a DRA in before you do. I need to talk to her about the security system on the house.
Speaker 0 00:17:32 We'll do a thank you. And he's going to walk out and get a DRA. Apparently
Speaker 1 00:17:42 You and Leo both leave walked downstairs. You find a DRA in the foyer, kind of gathered with everybody else. Looking just as confused as the rest of them. You direct her up to her mother study. You see her roll off, down the hallway towards the elevator and everybody else heads back upstairs for the night. You see Leo and said peel off into their room together, ravine and a Verity who is more subdued than you have ever seen her go off into their room. Everybody starts bunking down for the night. And then coming up from behind you, you feel two sets of fingers, laced between yours and close around both of your hands on your left. The captain tilts his head and frowns at you a little bit.
Speaker 0 00:18:31 You'll write their loss as all right, as I'm going to be
Speaker 1 00:18:41 On your other side, Sabine, squeezes at your hand, and reaches up to pet your hair back from your face. And that's the best that any of us can ask for. I think we should all go to bed.
Speaker 0 00:18:56 Yeah. I'll discuss the things that I learned tonight with the two of you in the morning. I suppose, honestly, I, I am exhausted. I'm I'm just going to lay down and feed just kinda pulls her hands out of both their grips and goes to the room and goes to take her trans Leo. I would think it takes you a bit to settle down after that adrenaline rush. But nonetheless, you have managed to get a full night's trance by the time that you are aroused from your semi-conscious state, by the rapid weight redistribution of Zed, getting off the bed next to you and the mattress bouncing back,
Speaker 1 00:19:54 He opens his eyes and sets up
Speaker 0 00:19:57 Zed. Winces when he sees that he's woken you up and just grimacing goes, if we're doing this, you should know that I haven't slept past 7:00 AM. Unless I was like actively dying since I was about eight and I can try and stay in bed, but I get bored.
Speaker 1 00:20:18 Leo sits up with absolutely atrocious, bedhead and squints over at him, but then relaxes back against the headboard and smiles. And you should know that I haven't gotten out of bed before 10:00 AM without an entire pot of coffee since I was about 40, but I'm willing to compromise. If it means that we get to keep doing this
Speaker 0 00:20:43 Zed, grins and reaches up to her up the back of his neck and goes coffee, I can do. And he hold that a handy.
Speaker 1 00:20:51 Leo takes his hand and gets up and gets ready for the day.
Speaker 0 00:20:56 You're a party had a difficult day yesterday. So everybody else is still in their rooms by the time you get downstairs. So the only person that is in your aunt's dining room is your cousin Lark, who is just doing tarot spreads next to a plate that appears to be just muffins with like an attempt at like an apple web. So they can say that they're not just eating muffins for breakfast.
Speaker 1 00:21:21 Leo just pauses and leans in the doorway morning, Lark. Uh, do you know where a guy could get some fucking caffeine around here?
Speaker 0 00:21:32 LARC looks up immediately flashes a big grin. It's been a bit of an adjustment reintroducing yourself to them. Like age was pretty much the same, but there's a certain level where Assurion nobility. Even children, especially boys are expected to be very reserved and very quiet. And you remember Lark being extremely in the background, extremely silent. And they are not that now they flashy this big grin and then very really say, oh yeah, Adrian brewed, ridiculously strong coffee this morning. Uh, she didn't trance. I would go get it for you. But, and they flip another card. I'm doing terrace reds to see if your dad's going to bust it and kill all of us. So I'm focusing
Speaker 1 00:22:26 Leo blinks at them for a second and then goes, you know what? That is so valid of you. I'm going to, and then goes off to find coffee.
Speaker 0 00:22:38 Yeah, that's going to go with you. You get the sense. He is not super comfortable being left alone with your relatives. You walk into the kitchen, the coffee pot is not hard to find. There is an odor emanating from it.
Speaker 1 00:22:54 I'm going to pour myself a cup and take a very cautious sip.
Speaker 0 00:22:58 It is like gasoline. It is rocket fuel. This is the strongest, most bitter, most burnt tasting coffee you've ever tasted in your life.
Speaker 1 00:23:12 Okay. Alright. Yep. Milk, milk, milk, and sugar.
Speaker 0 00:23:16 As you are desperately searching for milk and sugar to put in your coffee. The back door from the kitchen pops open and there is a clatter as Adrian slides in, she's not in the chair. She's got her leg braces on and she's on crutches. And she's got a bag that is making metallic rattling noises that are a bit ominous on her back. She looks at you, nods says, if you empty the coffee pot, I request that you refill it.
Speaker 1 00:23:50 If I refill it, I'll do it with something better than whatever the fuck you put in there. God,
Speaker 0 00:23:57 She blinks owlishly. She has like dark, dark circles under her eyes right now. I didn't put anything special in it. I just double bird it.
Speaker 1 00:24:08 Yeah. Well it served its intended purpose. It woke me up. Why have you been up all night?
Speaker 0 00:24:15 Atrius size, swings yourself over and hops up on the counter and just sort of like absently rubbing at one of her thighs and goes, well you see mother mentioned that we might have issues with certain people trying to breach our secure perimeter around the house and that we might require a little more firepower than usual out of the security system. So I was up all night, beefing up the wards, extending the parameter a little bit, trying to make sure that there are no weak spots and making sure that what we do have is strong enough to take out a fully grown dire Wolf. And then she pulls a thermos out of her bag and grabs the coffee pot from you and refills it, as she says, I know uncle Marlin's powerful, but I mean, I'm good. She takes a long swig of the coffee that she just poured into her thermos, no milk, no sugar straight faced.
Speaker 1 00:25:14 That's very kind of you to put all that work in Adrian. Thank you. Do we know if we have any other measures put in place to figure out what's happening next? Or are we just playing a defensive game at this 0.8
Speaker 0 00:25:32 Or takes another swig of her coffee? I mean, not to be rude, but I have no idea because I was up all night and you walked into my house on announced, as she saying that there is the sound of footsteps on the stairs and Verity rushes into the kitchen with ravine on her heels. She pauses long enough to grin at use at an address and say, hi, sorry to rush out. Um, we have to grab breakfast or we're going to be late. And she just starts grabbing like random food stuffs like fruit, half a loaf of bread and just like stuffing them in a rucksack.
Speaker 1 00:26:09 Leo watches her do this turns over to ravine and goes, nah, no problem. Where are you? Two headed
Speaker 0 00:26:17 Ravine reaches up to like blearily rub at one of his eyes and coughs up a small cloud of spores into his hand and then says, uh, important Intel gathering mission into the city behind you on the counter. Adrian says they're going on a bus tour. I got them tickets last night. My girlfriend has a hookup at the transit agency.
Speaker 1 00:26:46 Okay. Be careful out there. I hope you have fun. Just remember how many people want all of us dead
Speaker 0 00:26:56 Verdi. It ties her rucksack closed and goes, thanks. They mostly want you dead. So I think we're going to be okay. Have a great day though.
Speaker 1 00:27:05 Yeah. You know, Verity, surprisingly. You're right.
Speaker 0 00:27:10 Really awesome. She stops to give you a big bear hug and Zed, a big bear hug that makes that kind of uncomfortable. And I was like, huh. And pads are on the back a couple of times. And then she grabs her van by the elbow and he goes, whoa, okay guys, we're going as she tugs him away,
Speaker 1 00:27:30 Leo drains his mug of coffee. Hey Adrian, do you want to show me that double brewing thing that you were talking about? Fi you are woken up by sunlight slanting in through the curtains over the window of this guest suite that you are trancing in. There is the slight shifting of weight on the mattress that can only be expected when it is accommodating three people. And you feel the captain flop one arm around your waist and sling a leg over the two of yours. He's totally out snoring to beat the band. On the other side of you, Sabina's kind of curled up into a ball with her arm hooked through yours also still out. You're not sure exactly what time it is, but judging by the angle of the sunlight coming in through the gap in the curtains, you can kind of estimate that you have over tranced by a little bit. What are you doing?
Speaker 0 00:28:34 I am being as careful as possible, trying to get out of bed,
Speaker 1 00:28:39 Roll a self-check
Speaker 0 00:28:42 Natural 1821
Speaker 1 00:28:45 In some feet of unholy acrobatics. You managed to disentangle yourself from the middle of the captain and Sabine. Both of whom are snuggling with you and get out of this bed without disturbing them.
Speaker 0 00:29:03 She pauses for a moment to do a victory pose, and then she's going to head downstairs
Speaker 1 00:29:09 Before you go. You see the captain in his trance, kind of splay a hand across the empty space on the mattress and make an unsatisfied noise and then scooch over a little bit and wrap an arm around Sabine. The hallway is pretty quiet. When you walk outside, you don't really hear any movement or anything coming from any of the other guests suites. But down on the corner, Arivale is sitting on the floor with her knees pulled up to her chest, holding this weird looking crystal apparatus in her hands. You're too far away to see what's really going on, but there seems to be some kind of image flickering in it. And you hear tinny, distorted yelling, coming out of it. Airway size pushes her goggles up on her head and goes, look, I'm very sorry about your porch furniture, okay? But he's on a high fiber diet and he's used to scavenging. So these things happen. Put him on the line. Phineas Phineas, look at me. You see Arivale yell at this little image of Phineas in this stone for a minute before making a couple more apologies and sticking it back into her bag. She looks up sees you and puts her goggles back down over her eyes. Oh, good morning.
Speaker 0 00:30:30 Good morning. Sorry to hear that. Phineas is terrorizing the babysitter. Where is everyone?
Speaker 1 00:30:37 Oh, um, well your brother and his boyfriend are playing handyman for your cousin. ATRA in the backyard. Laura lies doing something. Selleck is sniffing around Adria's lab ravine, and Arivale went on some kind of sightseeing tour. I'm not really sure what's going on there. They were holding hands and kissing a lot, which is par for the course. And who am I forgetting? Oh, and Eleanora went to the Australian embassy.
Speaker 0 00:31:07 Oh great. Why did she do that before? Any of us had had time to consult with anyone else on a plan about what to do about this whole situation.
Speaker 1 00:31:17 I mean, Colossae showed up with donuts this morning and mentioned that because Eleanora is technically the queen of Esther myth that displaying the fact that we had a foreign power on Leo side might help us with political leverage. I don't really think Eleanora was listening. Calissa did that thing where she tosses her hair and bats her eyelashes real hard. And you know, it's not that I blame her. I've short-circuited like that around Calissa before
Speaker 0 00:31:44 Everyone has, but I have so many questions. First of all, Colossae was here. Second of all, coalesces coming up with schemes in this situation and not informing anyone else. Actually. That's not a question that's par for the course for the class. And third of all, I didn't actually know that you two knew each other that well,
Speaker 1 00:32:05 We dated for like a year back when we were both at the order of I Luna, I've been to the palace multiple times. You really don't. Anyway. Yes, Alyssa scheming, we all know this. Yes, she was here. She showed up briefly and then she and Eleanora walked off together. And frankly, I'm not sure of what role I'm playing in all of this yet. So I'm taking the prudent option, sitting down, shutting up and staying out of the way
Speaker 0 00:32:32 I envy you have you seen my aunt,
Speaker 1 00:32:36 She's already digging a little notebook out of her bag, starting to scribble in it. Uh, I think she's in her study.
Speaker 0 00:32:45 Cool. She's the most experienced with all of this situation out of any of us, I'm going to see if she has any thoughts.
Speaker 1 00:32:54 You make your way down this long hallway through the upstairs of the house. And as you near the door to your aunt's study, you overhear the sounds of a conversation coming from inside.
Speaker 1 00:33:09 You hear the impact of something heavy being slammed down on a desk, and then your aunt's voice supremely frustrated saying, what do you mean you knew? And then a second unfamiliar voice replies. Well, I mean, I didn't have concrete evidence, but let's look at the state of affairs. The heir apparent to the throne of a nation dies under mysterious circumstances, precipitating his ambitious, younger brothers, meteoric rise to power. Some of us have cracked open, literally any political intrigue novel ever Nora. So I was able to infer you hear the sound of furniture scraping, like someone is standing up from their chair and then your aunt says, and what you didn't think to talk to either of your sisters about these suspicions. Baret is what the fuck, this other voice snorts quietly and goes since when has anyone in this family talked to each other, I'm going to be real with you, Nora. I still don't know Darren, his kids' names. I've been starting off their birthday cards with Hey buddy, for the last several decades, There is a clatter and multiple squawks of protests from inside this room.
Speaker 0 00:34:33 I'm going to hesitantly opened the door.
Speaker 1 00:34:38 You opened this door to the scene of your aunt with a much smaller Australian Elvin man in a headlock. He's on the shorter side, very lanky jet black hair, the same bright piercing blue eyes as Nora and your father and Leo all have. And these thick Coke bottle glasses, a skew on the end of his nose. As you look behind them, up to the family portrait that's on the wall. You are able to deduce that this is the older version of the little boys standing next to Nora in the painting. That appears to be her twin Nora pauses, still with him in the headlock and fixes you with a big fake smile Ferrara. Good morning. You've never met your uncle Berez. And then she lets him go and shoves him away a little bit harder than she probably means to.
Speaker 0 00:35:35 I can come back. If it's a bad time,
Speaker 1 00:35:39 Your uncle Barry is apparently he pushes his glasses back up on his nose and hardly goes, oh, please don't go. Your aunt Nora is just glaring daggers at him. As he dusts off the front of his clothes, he's dressed very primly. He has like a fussy little Travon on, I would say, pleased to meet you, but circumstances are bleak. Nora asked me to come over to see if I could help parse all of this out. I've lived in vault folder longer than she has and pissed off far fewer people. We were just bouncing around ideas about how we're going to approach all of this.
Speaker 0 00:36:21 Uh, good, good feet sits down at one of the chairs. We just need a way to pressure my father's stop all of this. I don't particularly care what happens to him. And I won't argue that voter doesn't need to be kept in check, but this is going to lead to needless bloodshed. It already has
Speaker 1 00:36:45 Your uncle walks over and sits in the other chair in front of the fireplace. And Nora goes back and sits at her desk, brass pinches his lips into a very thin line in an expression you have seen echoed in Nora and your father before and nods slowly to himself. Well, unfortunately I don't know anyone who is still breathing, who has ever been able to sway Moreland from doing something that he puts his mind to, but under cutting the legitimacy of the war is something that could perhaps be done. We would just have to present the relevant evidence to the emperor vog folder, Nora snorts from over at her desk, just, okay. All right.
Speaker 0 00:37:34 I'm gathering that he doesn't take house calls
Speaker 1 00:37:38 Your uncle winces a little bit. No, it's more along the lines of a several months long waiting list to have a prayer, getting an audience. I mean, you could attempt to make your case before the Senate, but that's more bureaucracy, more red tape, more time, which I think we can all agree. We don't have
Speaker 0 00:38:01 No, we don't. Uh, I think we should also try and publicize the fact that Leo and I are alive and opposed to the war as much as possible. I don't know how much sway either of us really has over the people of Sheria, but it has to count for something. Given the scale of the military response,
Speaker 1 00:38:24 Your uncle purchase his elbows on the armrests of the chair and steeples his fingers in front of his nose. Nodding slowly, two birds with one stone. Then on a fundamental level Ferrara, I will be honest with you. Volga Boulder is not that much different from Australia. There's a lot of political pageantry and Palm greasing that frankly I've always found very boring, but I have dipped my toes in it during my time here. You've in layer L make your grand folder and political debut start moving around social functions, gaining allies, and you might be able to get a backdoor to the emperor himself from over at her desk. Nora shakes her head sharply that's too risky. They can't just be showboating around in public. If folder and operatives don't kill them. Australian ones will
Speaker 0 00:39:20 Well point the first. I don't see what other choice we have. And point the second, at least Leo will have fun politically showboating. It's his favorite hobby?
Speaker 1 00:39:31 Your uncle Brian stands up from his chair and brushes off the front of his waistcoat again. All right, it's settled. Then I will start seeing what kind of social engagements we can get you to involved in. And we will pray to Kimra that you and your brother's political acumen is faster than Moreland's itchy trigger finger. I have nothing further to offer towards our plans and I have a book club meeting this afternoon. So Nora, if you don't mind, your aunt is still sitting at her desk and just fully puts her head in her hands go. And he turns around and leaves the study. After a long moment, Nora finally looks back up at you. All right. Well, the Volter and social scene is not exactly my favorite thing, but I know enough about it. To know that you can't be going around to parties in clothes that you have clearly been sleeping and bleeding in for several months. Why don't you go downstairs and find Larkin ATRA and tell them that you all need to go shopping.
Speaker 0 00:40:42 We'll do T gets up, give the clipped little curtsy and then leaves the study. Leo, you are outside with your twin cousins, Zed, Lorelei, and Arivale supposedly you are all working on the security system. Practically speaking, what this means is everyone, but Adrian's EDIS sitting in the grass like the queer kids during gym class in middle school, Asia is calling instructions up. Whereas ed is on a ladder against the roof of the Roadhouse. Adrian has settled into her chair again, which is why is that is up on the roof. Try and do a fix rooms to it. Lark is redoing a couple of Arivale braids that have gotten a bit loose.
Speaker 1 00:41:37 Leo lays down on his side in the grass and kind of purchases chin in his hand and calls up to Zed a little to the left,
Speaker 0 00:41:46 Zed yells back. You can't even see where I'm at. And then there's a pause. And he goes, Hey,
Speaker 1 00:41:54 Don't make jokes that you're not planning to give me context to understand
Speaker 0 00:41:58 You got no idea what my plans are. Roll me an insight check really quick.
Speaker 1 00:42:05 22
Speaker 0 00:42:07 Lorelei is sitting out with all of you. She's a little bit apart from where you Arivale and Lark are all sitting, picking at the grass. You watch her hand movements get a little like faster and more jerky and you watch her jaw tense a little bit. And then you hear an ominous wood on stones, scraping sound.
Speaker 1 00:42:32 So I turned towards the source of the noise.
Speaker 0 00:42:36 You turn in time to catch the bottom of the ladder that at is standing on scurry across the pavement, as it just completely falls out from under him, Zed from above the roof goes, whoa, I'm going to roll a Dex check for him. Yeah, he's fine. He lurches forward and grabs the gutter as the ladder just clatters to the ground. And he looks down over his shoulder and goes, what the fuck?
Speaker 1 00:43:07 Leo jumps to his feet and sprints over there and picks the ladder back up so he can get down. What the hell happened.
Speaker 0 00:43:16 Everybody has kind of gotten up Arivale and LARC have also run over with you. Andrea has started wheeling herself across the grass. Laurel. I did not get up. You ask what the hell happened? And that goes the fuck. If I know I was just standing on it and it just started moving. Holy shit.
Speaker 1 00:43:38 You okay?
Speaker 0 00:43:40 I'm fine, boss. I just, uh, I mean, I've gotten pretty good at Landon gracefully, but the prospect of having to practice that skill is always a bit of an adrenaline spike. He looks like a little bit freaked out. He like runs a hand back through his hair.
Speaker 1 00:43:59 Yeah. Okay. Enough with the ruins for now. I think Adrian, I did want to bring up, um, I have something that could help out with the security of the house. I'm just wondering how pet-friendly your family is. We do have access to a guard. Dog is what I'm saying.
Speaker 0 00:44:18 There's a pause. And then Lark's head snapped to the side and they look at you and Adrian goes, ah, camera's teeth. Here we go. And mark says, you have a dog.
Speaker 1 00:44:30 Okay? Taking that as a positive reaction. So in that case, Leo up dumps his bag on the floor and a bunch of loose bones come clattering out.
Speaker 0 00:44:41 And he casts animate dead and animates. Dexter who has been disembodied in his backpack for the entire time. You animate Dexter. He bounds through his little Wolfie feet. Does one of those spectral echoing barks and Lark goes, oh, I love him.
Speaker 1 00:45:02 This is Dexter. He's a very good boy, but he will rip the throat out of anybody that tries to hurt any of us. So it's potentially a security benefit.
Speaker 0 00:45:12 LARC is not listening. LARC has grabbed Dexter by his little head and is sitting on the grass, petting him a DRA from the other side of them says noted. It's not going to be a problem. If he gets table scraps for the next infinity meals, is it
Speaker 1 00:45:29 Adrian? He has made of bones and has no stomach.
Speaker 0 00:45:33 He's also a dog. And Lark has a problem. Zed from your other side, puts his head in his hands and says, I feel like I'm going to burst the fucking blood vessel.
Speaker 1 00:45:42 Don't we all honey, uh, Laura, like, can I talk to you for a second?
Speaker 0 00:45:47 You say this and everybody kind of turns to look at Laura lie, where she's still sitting in the grass and has not reacted to any of this. You watch her rip up a big fist full of grass, and then just scatter it at her side and then say sure thing. And she gets to her feet and just walks past you inside.
Speaker 1 00:46:09 Leo follows her inside and pulls her into the kitchen or the dining room or whatever room is open. Okay? So I'm going to lead into this with the fact that I saw that
Speaker 0 00:46:23 Lorelei crosses her arms over her chest and looks like she's trying to stare a hole into the floor. You watch her draw attends again. Saw what
Speaker 1 00:46:34 Laura, you have known how to cast telekinesis since you were 50 and you weren't subtle about it. When you tried to kill my boyfriend, just now,
Speaker 0 00:46:44 My intention was not to kill only to maim,
Speaker 1 00:46:48 Maiming people. Isn't cool either. What has gotten into you,
Speaker 0 00:46:54 You know, sore never stopped trying to bring you home, right? He died trying to make things right for you and all that time you were what? And she gestures towards the backyard running around with him. Did you ever actually love him?
Speaker 1 00:47:15 Of course I did. Leo reaches down and starts fiddling with the engagement ring. That's on his finger looking devastated.
Speaker 1 00:47:27 I loved him more than anything. And leaving him destroyed me, losing him, destroyed me. I will never be okay. Again, Lorelei, when you lose someone that you love as much as you and I love to soar, and it takes a piece out of you that you never get back and you've got two choices. You can fill that hole inside you up with things that, that make you bitter and hateful, but that only makes the hole bigger. And you have to keep dumping all of that bitterness and hatefulness into it, just to stay upright. And eventually it will eat you from the inside out. Or you can fill it up with things that would make that person proud and you can get up and you can keep going. When I broke off my engagement with Soren and left Australia, I was not a good person. Maybe I'm still not, but I am trying to be better and set is helping me be better. I am done with trying to fill up the space, sore and left in my heart with things that will only hurt me. I am trying to make him proud. Would he be proud of what you did out there just now?
Speaker 0 00:48:52 I don't know because he's not here. And I, and Laura throws her hands up and they're shaking a little bit and I'm angry. I'm angry all the time.
Speaker 1 00:49:08 So I'm high all the time. And it is okay to be angry because sometimes anger brings justice when it's focused on the people that deserve it. But there are people you need to be angry with. Laurel, I said is not one of them. The people who made all of this happen, the people that killed Soren, I'm angry with them too. And when the time comes, I'm going to make that anger mean something. But until then, I'm not going to Mr. Practice and I'm not going to let it make me worse. And neither should you.
Speaker 0 00:49:52 Lorelei opens her mouth to say something. And as she's doing that fee whips around the corner into the kitchen with the captain and Sabine on her heels takes in the situation and says, uh, are we interrupt? Ding something. Laura lies sounding very bitter says no. And she just turns on her heel and leaves.
Speaker 1 00:50:19 Leo finds the nearest chair and just sits down and puts his head in his hands.
Speaker 0 00:50:25 Sabine kind of Krantz her head back around the corner and looks after Lorelei and says, should someone go talk to her? What's going on?
Speaker 1 00:50:38 I was engaged to Laura lies big brother for quite a few years. And he died in a pretty violent way because of me
Speaker 0 00:50:52 Savine winces and interrupts. I know I knew Soren pretty well by the end,
Speaker 1 00:51:01 Leo visibly flinches. Yeah. She's having some issues with me and said, it's a complicated situation. I did fully break things off with Soren before I left Australia, but it just feels pedantic to try to explain it to her at this point. Anyway, please give me any information about anything else that's going on because I feel helpless and irredeemably shitty in my current situation,
Speaker 0 00:51:36 Fi grimacing says, well, uh, apparently our surviving uncle is going to try and get us in a position where we can make some political maneuvers. Vis-a-vis getting the bolder and emperor on our side. I suppose which distasteful though, it may be, seems like the only solution we have
Speaker 1 00:52:02 Political maneuvers. Leo drops his hands from, in front of his face and purchase his chin on his fist.
Speaker 0 00:52:09 You'll like this too LARC and Adrian are supposed to take all of us shopping for some suitable attire to go to high class Voltaren parties and rub elbows with the relevant people.
Speaker 1 00:52:24 Leo jumps to his feet, looking much more animated than he did before and goes, let's go, let's go. Let's go.
Speaker 0 00:52:32 All right. You all head to the backyard and get Lark, a dry Arivale and Zed and had out
Speaker 1 00:52:42 Fee. You get dragged somewhat against your will into a very elaborate shopping montage. Lark, very excitedly leads your party out into the city of Boulder. Through the winding cobblestone streets, to a pretty elegant looking Australian tailor shop. They seem to be on first name basis with the girl behind the counter Zed. And the captain both seem highly unenthused about the entire situation. Arivale is mostly indifferent as she browses the shelves, but Leo and Sabine, both shriek enjoy. As soon as they walk in and immediately dive the shelves. Arivale commonly browses. The shelf picks out some nice utilitarian outfits for herself, tight fitting breaches, nicely trimmed waistcoats Sabina is more concerned with dressing up the captain and Zed than she is with finding anything for herself. Leo, meanwhile is already emerging from a fitting room in a very closely fitted slinky set of Australian formal robes with a slit all the way up to his thigh and a set of matching stilettos, all glimmering under the low light of the shop, he poses very dramatically and goes, who could say no to this? And then Leo turns over to you fee with a mildly feral expression on his face, grabs you by the shoulder and goes, okay, we're finding something for you now,
Speaker 0 00:54:21 Oh, this isn't going to end. Well, I go with him.
Speaker 1 00:54:25 He drags you off through these racks of beautiful garments, richly, beaded, and embroidered, and stops at a mannequin in the back corner of the shop. He points at it in fat weekly, which is interesting because this dress is not your style at all. It does have the high collar and long tight sleeves that typically factor into your fashion choices, but it's much tighter and less fluffy than the dresses you usually go for. It's got this long slinky, black skirt, the color, and the sleeves are all made of this very sheer black fabric overlaid with intricate shimmering, black beading, all the way down and the back of this dress dips all the way down. Just big open back intricately, beated, bodice, Leo grins, over at you still wearing this very high fashion outfit that somehow manages to leave very little to the imagination and goes, you should go try that on.
Speaker 0 00:55:42 Sure. She gives him kind of an indulgent look and then grabs the dress. And he goes to try it on
Speaker 1 00:55:49 You go back, you try it on the low cut back of this dress does do quite a lot to expose the silvery white Lichtenberg scars all the way down your back from your incident with the lightning strike. It fits you pretty well. You walk outside. Leo starts a slow clap and Sabine, and the captain both stop what they are doing and gape at you.
Speaker 0 00:56:17 It's not something I would usually go for, but, and he kind of rolls her shoulders and pulls her hair back to start braiding it. And she picks the white streak out with her thumb. I think it's a good change. I think it's good for everyone to know exactly where I stand. Now.
Speaker 1 00:56:41 The captain who has a horrendously tied neck tie loose around his neck, stares over at you and goes, do this role for us less
Speaker 0 00:56:51 Fi laughs. But she does both hands up in her hair, do a quick twirl.
Speaker 1 00:56:57 You see him lean over and whisper something and Sabine's ear. And she smacks him in the shoulders. So hard,
Speaker 0 00:57:05 I would say share with the class, but I don't want to add feed gestures at Leo traumatized certain company. She finishes getting her hair and kind of a rough braid picks up her shield. What she left outside of the little changing booth and says in any case, I certainly feel ready for whatever comes next
Speaker 1 00:57:29 From the doorway of this boutique. Adrian goes, I mean, you're all going to want to change back into your other clothes because we're not exactly going to any parties tonight. We'll just pack all of this up into garment bags and head back toward the house. I do have one quick stop. We need to make before we get home, though, Leo looks at deeply sad to have to take his outfit off, but he does go do so and change back into his clothes and carry it out in a garment bag.
Speaker 0 00:58:01 Yeah, fee's going to change back as well as she's getting the dress packed away. She says, and where are we stopping before we go back to your house?
Speaker 1 00:58:14 Atrius cheek stark and a little bit, uh, little local mechanic shop, very charming. They have really good prices and rare supply though. And I need a couple of things for the security systems. So Lark breaks out into a shit eating grin. What she means to say is that she's going to go see her girlfriend Adria's eyes narrow and her head snaps up toward them. I swear to Kimra Lark. One more word. You're going in the bubble and Lark shuts up
Speaker 0 00:58:51 The doesn't matter. Okay. Mechanic shop cool lead the way.
Speaker 1 00:58:56 And you all make your purchases. Lark digs a very large sack of coin out of their bag and pays for all of your new outfits and everything. And then ATRA leads your party down through a winding set of streets and alleyways outside. And you end up in kind of a semi residential, not super populated area of the city at a rundown looking storefront. There is a parking lot riddled with cracked pavement that opens up into three rickety garage doors and a small office with grimy windows over which there is a sign that says man, Cheney and son, mechanics ATRA and Lark move confidently towards this office. And Lark pulls open the door. HR rolls in, are you following her?
Speaker 0 00:59:58 Fi gives the place a very dubious look, but decides to trust her cousins that she's just met against her own better judgment. And yes, walks inside.
Speaker 1 01:00:11 Everybody else follows you. Your whole group, Lark ATRA Leo Zed Sabine. The captain Arivale are all very cramped inside this tiny little lobby in this office space. There's no one here. There's a long front desk stretch all the way across the length of this lobby. A lot of handwritten receipts and paperwork scattered across it. ATRA frowns boosts herself up out of her chair a little bit and leans over the desk and yells back through an open door into what appears to be the garage area. Hey Tony
Speaker 1 01:00:59 There is a metallic clatter and an amalgam of no mish cursing from this room off to the side of the office. And after a couple more seconds, this little, no mish dude comes hustling in he's somewhere in the neighborhood of three feet, tall, dark hair about jaw length. That is slicked back with Palm aid flat against his skull. He's got on a blue heavy-duty cotton shirt with a little embroidered patch on it that says Tony T O N Y, and a gold chain hanging around his neck. He skids to a halt behind the counter looks at all of your party, gathered there and then back to ATRA and goes, Hey, Hazra what is this little astray area up in here? What do you want? Atria looks exasperated. I'm looking for a very specific mechanical part and your cousin Tony goes and then whips around his shoulder and yells back into the garage.
Speaker 1 01:02:19 Hey, Tony feasts squints and says, but isn't he Adrian puts one finger up with extremely rigid posture. Don't ask about it. Just trust me another few seconds pass. And another no-mess person comes sidling out of the garage. They have straight black hair in a stacked Bob that has held back off their forehead with a banana clip. Also have a gold chain around their neck and a blue sturdy shirt with a name tag on it that says Tony, but it is spelled T O N I, they have a pair of thick leather work gloves on and kind of brace their hands against the front counter. Look over at the first Tony and go, yeah, boss, what do you need, Tony? The first looks over at them and goes not you yet pots. Uh, right. I'm deeply unsettled by many of the things that are happening right now.
Speaker 1 01:03:26 Tony, the second Tony with two eyes looks over at you and goes, ah, you and me both tuts, Hey Dre, you here to see Tony Adrian puts a hand up to her forehead and goes, yes. And then the new Tony leans back over their shoulder into the garage again and goes, Hey Tony, a couple more seconds pass. And then this little no-mess lady comes barging her way out of the garage into the lobby. Buzz cut completely shaved head, just small remnants of dark hair, big dough, like dark eyes lightly pointed, no mish ears. She is also in a heavy duty blue cotton shirt with a name tag on it that says Tony, but it is spelled T O N I. She walks in already starting to yell at the other two Tonys and then pauses swivels her head to the side, sees all of you standing there, but more notably Adria's standing there and kind of scrapes one hand back across her buzz, cut a Adrian, uh, you know, usually, uh, drop me a line when you're thinking of coming by, uh, ATRA face going darker and darker blue by the second ghost. Uh, yeah, I, uh, these are my cousins and their various romantic attachments and Arivale, who's very cool. Um, I was just in the market for our runic adapter and I thought I would drop by. Cause I know you guys always have the best prices.
Speaker 1 01:05:20 Tony, Tony, with one eye Tony with the Buzzcocks kind of tilts her head to the side and grins and goes, ah, come on. You know, you just flatter in us, so you get a better price. All right, let's see what we got. Come on. And she nods you back into the garage behind the counter
Speaker 0 01:05:41 Fi reaches up to pinch the bridge of her nose nods and then walks back.
Speaker 1 01:05:47 Leo and Zed are looking at each other and barely biting back laughter Sabine. And the captain are both absorbed in some other conversation amongst themselves. Arivale also looks mildly interested, but you all move back around this counter and into this garage. It is fucking wild feet. You have no idea what an automobile looks like. So there are just these massive metal contraptions lifted up on stilts in this garage, big wheels, rumbling engines, the smell of coal and steam and magic. Tony's one, two and three followed you out of the lobby. But underneath one of these Voltaren contraptions, you can see another pair of little no-mess legs dangling out Fiji
Speaker 0 01:06:50 Gestures towards this person and says, so let me guess. That's also Tony.
Speaker 1 01:06:56 The first Tony that you met T O N Y waves vaguely towards this pair of legs dangling out from under this machinery and goes, well, his real name's Palo, but we call him Tony. Cause he's just so buff. Show him Tony. There is an almighty clatter as the skull lighter slides out from underneath the machinery that Tony T O N E Y, as you see on his shirt was working on long dark hair, pulled back in a low pony tail gold chain around his neck, stands up, flexes his arms and goes ha. And he's ripped as hell. Just the Buffet's gnome you've ever seen.
Speaker 0 01:07:43 I hate it here. Fi nods to herself, eyes closed and says, I don't know what I expected. We need a runic adapter. Apparently.
Speaker 1 01:07:57 Uh, Tony T O N E Y. The very buff one goes and goes and starts climbing up the shelves in the back of the garage. Kind of like a cryptid it's very unsettling to watch. He disappears up towards the ceiling and there is a very awkward pause. And then he returns what this little metallic part that he very gently places in Adria's lap and then reaches out and presses a hand against the side of her face and kind of pats it ATRA grins. And then turns back to what appears to be her Tony nods. Very cordially. We appreciate it. I'll catch you up later. We're still on for trivia at night down at the pub, right? T O N I Tony, this little lady with the Bose cat grins at her and goes, yeah, that's even the blockade. Didn't stop trivia night. You bring in a bunch of fucking weirdos into my shop. Sure. As hell ain't gonna
Speaker 0 01:09:00 Offended.
Speaker 1 01:09:02 Tony looks over and tilts her head at you. I call up like a Sam.
Speaker 0 01:09:08 I didn't say you were wrong. I just said I was offended anyway. Lovely to meet you. Should we be getting back?
Speaker 1 01:09:16 Adriana is fiddling with this little mechanical part in her lap and then looks up at a clock hanging on the wall of the garage and goes, oh God, it's almost our established inner time. We need to go. Now mom's going to fucking kill us. Lark. Now Lark looks panicked and then grabs at the back of her chair, looks up at the clock and goes, okay. Uh, may I, Adrian goes in the interest of us, not both being grounded for the rest of our lives. Yes. And then LARC reaches down to their big clunky goth boots that they have on under their sun dress and clicks out a pair of roller skates and just fucking goes. So Lark is using their magical item, the Heelys of speed to just shove a DRA in front of them and go, they're like 60 feet in front of all of the rest of you.
Speaker 0 01:10:18 He kind of put their hands up and goes, I mean, she can't ground us, but I do worry about the two of them and whatever shenanigans they're about to get up to on the way back. So, and then she gestures out the door. Let's go
Speaker 1 01:10:33 Leo whips around and puts a hand up. Thank you. Tony's and then he sprints, he's going, he's using his cutting action to double dash.
Speaker 0 01:10:44 You all make your way through the streets of older larks Heelys of speed. Give out after about a minute, they keep the wheels out, though. They're just going, but you all drop even with them. And ATRA by the time you get back to the Roadhouse fee and the captain and Sabine are being gross, as you walk along and Arivale who is a chronic speed Walker has gotten out ahead of all of you by a bit as you've been walking. Zed has reached down to not quite hold your hand, but like lace a couple of fingers together. You walk up your aunt, Nora street and real perception for me really quick,
Speaker 1 01:11:31 25
Speaker 0 01:11:34 Dexter's in the front yard. You left him in the back, but he is out front pacing, back and forth on the inside of the gate. And as you walk up, he puts his front paws up on the fence and wines.
Speaker 1 01:11:53 Leo opens the front gate and walks in and kind of leans down to pet has had, Hey buddy, what's what's going on? It's okay.
Speaker 0 01:12:04 The extra wines again. And just like he does that thing, that dogs do where he tries to bury his head in your body as much as he can, like he nuzzles up against your stomach and like turns his face sideways.
Speaker 1 01:12:18 Oh, okay. Dexter coolant. It's okay. But Leo looks around at the rest of their party. He's being weird. We should go inside.
Speaker 0 01:12:32 Arivale had like paused on the front steps as you fussed over the dog. And she says, well, that bodes terribly. And she's gonna open the door step inside. Uh, two questions. Are you going and are you taking Dexter?
Speaker 1 01:12:51 Yes. To both of those questions,
Speaker 0 01:12:55 You all move inside. Kind of as a cluster, Dexter is glued to your leg. You walk inside and you hear the sound of something shatter against a wall and your aunt Nora yelled get out of my house more or less.
Speaker 1 01:13:18 Leo immediately whips back around to look at fi and whispers. Oh,
Speaker 0 01:13:23 Fuck. Feed took a step back when she heard that and she has her fingers pressed in the base of her throat, looking wide-eyed in the direction of your aunt's voice from the sitting room. You hear your father's voice, Nora. I know you've always had issues with authority, but you would do well to remember to whom you speak. And Nora fires back. I speak to my least favorite sibling. And there's another smashing sound. You hear your father gasp and go hurtful Nora yells back. Oh, I'm sorry. Did I hurt your feelings? I know. Why don't you go tell Val about it? Oh, wait. Smashed.
Speaker 1 01:14:20 Are they still in the sitting room?
Speaker 0 01:14:23 As far as you can tell they're in the sitting room. Yeah.
Speaker 1 01:14:26 Leo looks over at fi and says, do you have your wand?
Speaker 0 01:14:32 What? Yes, but
Speaker 1 01:14:35 I have a plan and I don't have time to explain it. Give me her want, what the hell do
Speaker 0 01:14:40 You mean? You have a plan?
Speaker 1 01:14:42 Look me in the eyes and tell me that we are going to run from this. Give me your wand fee.
Speaker 0 01:14:50 <inaudible> out of the holster on her hip and hands it to you.
Speaker 1 01:14:55 Leo reaches down to his belt and pulls Kim rolls blade out of its holster. He tries to act like he's fussing around with it, but as he does, so he's going to cast a message. Can trip to Sabine telepathically. He says, I am about to do something really, really stupid. I need you to not let fee or sad to stop me. And if it goes bad, I need you to promise me that you're going to get them out of here. This is our crisis deadline.
Speaker 0 01:15:36 You meet Sabine's eyes. And for just a second, this look of horror and shock flashes across her face. And then it is gone. And she replies under said, do what you have to do.
Speaker 1 01:15:56 Leo reaches down to his Bracer and zaps Kim rolls blade into it, and then takes fee's wand. In his dominant hand, stands outside the door of the sitting room and waits.
Speaker 0 01:16:12 You hear another search and then your father says, Nora, I don't have time to deal with you acting like a petulant child. I'm here to see my children and the door opens.
Speaker 1 01:16:28 Leo does his best to move fully in front of fi
Speaker 0 01:16:33 Your father stands in the doorway. Nora is behind him. Clearly winding up to throw another teacup at a wall. She stops looking at all of you in absolute terror. And your father starts to smile. Hello children. You're late. Let's talk. And that is where we're going to wrap on season two.
Speaker 1 01:17:12 I feel like I'm going to be fucking sick.
Speaker 0 01:17:19 Um, I'm feeling whatever comes after hysteria. What in the
Speaker 1 01:17:24 Fuck is going on?
Speaker 0 01:17:27 We'll find out next time.
Speaker 1 01:17:46 Hey, everybody Barry here with the postscript, that sure was a season. Huh? Anyway, you can find us on social media on Twitter, Tumblr and Tik TOK at compelled duel. We also have a lot of other cool stuff available, like an official website and official Spotify profile. You can find all of that stuff linked on our various social media pages. If you're interested in supporting the podcast, we ask that you consider heading on over to patrion.com/compelled duel, where starting at just $2 a month, you can get all kinds of cool perks, like early access to episodes, access to exclusive Spotify, playlist and bonus content, and even handwritten letters from your favorite character every month. If you're interested in supporting us in ways, other than pledging to the Patrion, if you're listening to us on apple podcast, we ask that you consider leaving us a rating and a review because that helps us get promoted to a wider listener base and helps us grow our audience.
Speaker 1 01:18:47 And as always, we rely very heavily upon word of mouth advertising. So if you're enjoying the show, we just ask that you tell a couple of friends about it. And if they like it, ask them to tell a couple friends as well, and now comes the kind of sad part we are going on. Hate us for a little bit while we plan and record the first part of the final season of our first campaign, but not to worry, there will be plenty of fun bonus content for you to interact with while we are gone, we will have lots of character playlist going up on the official Spotify. If you're a member of our Patrion, we will have several bonus episodes going up. We're going to be posting our first public bonus episode around the holidays. Lots of stuff is coming. And as far as season three, you can look for that to go live on Friday, December 17th, 2021. However, if you are a member of our Patrion and you'll be getting access to that on Thursday, December 16th at 9:00 AM PST, or if you'd like to join us on our YouTube channel for the live premiere of the season, that will be going up on Thursday, December 16th at 5:00 PM. PST. Here we go. Y'all we'll see you soon.
