Episode 60 - We've Been Waiting

Speaker 0 00:00:00 Hey, Barry. Speaker 1 00:00:02 Hey Al, Speaker 0 00:00:04 What's the best spell to comfort your friend with What old person. It's time for compelled dual. Hello everybody. And welcome back to compelled dual IML Speaker 1 00:00:33 And I'm Barry. Speaker 0 00:00:34 And we are a single player, co DM D and D five E actual play podcast. Speaker 1 00:00:40 Previously on compelled dual. Speaker 0 00:00:44 This priest is gonna use an ability that they have called summon demon. Speaker 3 00:00:49 Kivas fucking thunder IED not sign up for this. Speaker 0 00:00:53 Are you suggesting we take our trans 50 feet above the priest that could very easily untie themselves and cup that our throats? Speaker 1 00:01:01 No, Speaker 2 00:01:03 <laugh> Speaker 1 00:01:05 No. What I'm suggesting is that we all take our trance in the big tower with the creepy death hole that eats people in it. Speaker 0 00:01:13 Great plan Speaker 1 00:01:15 Everybodys. Thank you for your input. I am trying my best. I am trying my best. Speaker 0 00:01:23 You managed to get off a greater restoration. As you're sitting there trying to fix a Donna's hair. It has no effect Speaker 1 00:01:33 Leo Grimes and under his breath whispers Speaker 2 00:01:38 God, Speaker 1 00:01:38 What did he do to you? Speaker 0 00:01:41 A Donna half turns with your hands still in her hair and goes, what Speaker 1 00:01:46 Do you think? There's a world where we can both be okay. Said, Speaker 0 00:01:51 I don't know. I hope so. I wanna think so. Speaker 3 00:01:59 Lost wasn't Speaker 1 00:02:00 Kiva's name. Speaker 3 00:02:03 I woke up to see Speaker 1 00:02:03 Lee and you were gone and Speaker 3 00:02:04 I looked out the window and saw you fucking walking into the ocean. Speaker 0 00:02:10 I Don't know. I Where's Leo, You are hearing hundreds upon hundreds, thousands upon thousands of voices, all moaning and then wailing and then shrieking in unison. Come on in. We've been waiting. Come on in, on, in waiting, Speaker 2 00:02:38 Been, Speaker 0 00:02:44 And then you black out Leo, you wake up, you are somewhere warm. You can feel almost sunlight on your face. It's it's like imitation sunlight. It's not quite right, but you get what it's going for. You open your eyes and see directly above you that there is a skylight on the ceiling of whatever room you're in and outside is the inky void of the outside of a magnificent mansion spell, but directly inside the skylight, seemingly emanating from it are rays of sunlight. Dust modes caught in them. Wherever you are. You are laying on something warm and soft. The air smells of oil and leather and rich soil. Speaker 1 00:03:59 Leo's first act as he regains consciousness is to just stare at the ceiling and go, Ugh. Speaker 0 00:04:06 So you do because you are in a not insignificant amount of pain as you do that, almost instantaneously. The skylight in your vision is completely blocked out by the head of one missis, Petris appearing right above your face. Good morning. Sunshine. Are you aware that you almost took a Swan dive into the death hole? Speaker 1 00:04:33 Leo blank slowly? Oh shit. Is that what that was? Oh God. Oh God. Where's fee. Speaker 0 00:04:42 She's fine. Everybody's fine. We're not in the fucking tower anymore. I wanna go on record saying that. I thought that was a bad idea by the way. Speaker 1 00:04:53 Yeah. Yeah. Congratulations. You were right. I was wrong in other news. Water is wet. Z was there. Where's that? Speaker 0 00:05:01 I think you sit up, as you're saying this KASA is sitting on a chair next to the bed that you're laying on. Kind of twirling. One of her knives. Ed's having a complete fucking meltdown outside. Go ahead and roll insight for me. Speaker 1 00:05:19 21. Speaker 0 00:05:22 Kas's freaking out. You can kind of see from the speed at which she is twirling this knife from the way that her fingers are plucking at the fabric of the shirt she's wearing from the set of her jaw. She is extremely worried and not processing it very well. Speaker 1 00:05:44 Oh God. When will I be done fucking things up. Leo's gonna try to sit up and get outta bed. Speaker 0 00:05:54 As you get up, you notice some things about this room that you're in. You were laying on a bed with a very low frame, piled high with blankets and pillows. There is in addition to the skylight, a fireplace across the room with a bunch of cushions on the floor around it. Other than that, a lot of the floor space is clear. You see a punching bag hung up in the corner and a lot of free space to move, except for the corner opposite the punching bag in which there are several little planters. Speaker 1 00:06:34 He looks around kind of confused at the new surroundings, but doesn't pay them too much mind. He's gonna go try to find Zed, Speaker 0 00:06:43 Uh, Rome quick con save Speaker 1 00:06:48 Dirty 20. Speaker 0 00:06:50 Okay. You still have your level of exhaustion from last night to what? With all of the tra walking and general restlessness, but you do not take an additional one, which would've happened. If you had rolled under a 10, you stumble a bit but managed to get outta bed. And I think you're heading towards the door when steps in front of you and goes, whoa, you wanna have a conversation before you make a break for it? Speaker 1 00:07:16 Not particularly. I've got people out there that need me Speaker 0 00:07:20 Fees. Trancing and Z does not need to talk to you right now. He's having a conversation with Eleanor. Try again. Speaker 1 00:07:30 What happened? Speaker 0 00:07:32 Yeah. That's what we'd all like to know. Since from our perspective, you tried to jump into the world's largest, well, of sacrifice of sentient. People like a Leming, but with more trafficking and Nero Mancy, Speaker 1 00:07:48 I didn't, I wasn't awake. I was dreaming and Soren was there and Speaker 0 00:07:57 KASA Flint's back. Like you have just slapped her. Speaker 1 00:08:01 He told me to jump. They halted. They all told me to jump and I didn't know it was the, oh my God. We need to get Laura lie out of there is Laura lie out of there? Speaker 0 00:08:11 Yeah. Yeah. She's downstairs. We got all of us out of the tower, because between you trying to jump in the well and be wandering into the fucking ocean, Speaker 1 00:08:20 She did what? Speaker 0 00:08:22 She's fine. We're all fucking fine. Speaker 1 00:08:27 Okay. Okay. Okay. It was calling me whatever the hole on the floor is. It was calling me. It wanted me to jump in. It said it had been waiting. I know it's probably hard to believe that this isn't more of my typical self-destructive bullshit, but you've gotta believe me. I didn't know. I wasn't awake. And it was calling for Speaker 0 00:08:59 Mesa, takes a step back and just crosses her arms over her chest. And you watch her jaw Twitch. Look at me in Speaker 4 00:09:09 My eyes and promise me Speaker 0 00:09:12 That you didn't know what you were doing. Speaker 1 00:09:24 Did I know that I was taking Awan, dive into the death hole? No, I wasn't awake. And Soren was there. And do we know anybody named Athelia or ASHN Speaker 0 00:09:39 KASA blanks and goes, Speaker 4 00:09:43 Do we, uh, AIA, like Soren's and Athelia what are you talking Speaker 0 00:09:48 About? Speaker 1 00:09:50 Sorin? Doesn't didn't have an aunt. What are you talking about? It was just his two uncles. His mother's brothers? Speaker 4 00:09:59 No, his, his dad had a sister. She died when she was Speaker 0 00:10:02 Little. Speaker 4 00:10:04 Right. I, I know he told me that. Why is she relevant? What are we talking about? Speaker 1 00:10:14 Ophelia and Ashin oh God, Leo's gonna try to shove pastes and run out into the hall. Speaker 0 00:10:24 Uh, yeah. Rollex we'll do a Dex contest. You have disadvantage because of exhaustion. Speaker 1 00:10:32 Uh, even with disadvantage, that's a 16. Speaker 0 00:10:36 Okay. Alyssa Getz, a 15, you manage to slip past her out into the hallway. What are you doing? Speaker 1 00:10:45 What hallway am I in? Because I'm just now remembering all of the names of Sabine's siblings on the doors. From the last time I was in here, I remember that one of them was Ashin. I'm trying to find that door Speaker 0 00:11:04 You're in the right hallway. You see the staircase way far ahead of you going down and all the doors with the names of Sabine siblings in front of it, there are a bunch of new rooms crowded into this hallway in a way that doesn't really make sense. Spatially Sabine siblings have all kind of been bunched up further down, but the door that you just came out of is labeled the same whale. Those doors are with the names, Leo and Z. You see another one further down the hall that says Ave another one that says KASA and ele Nora. So on, so forth, you can head right down the hallway and you do see the name plate that says Ashin on it. Speaker 1 00:11:53 I throw open the door, Speaker 0 00:11:56 Roll a Wiz, save Speaker 1 00:11:59 13. Speaker 0 00:12:01 That doesn't do it. It is inky. Blackness, just like the doors of Hugo and CIL that you opened yesterday. You think except directly on the other side of this door with her hands braced against the doorframe is the little girl from your dreams gone is the cheerful pet that you remember from your dream. She is staring you down with her jaw set defiantly. She is about the equivalent of 13 years old, all limbs, like she's just gone through a growth spurt. She is a pale little kid with white hair and extremely like hawkish features. She's wearing a night gown as if she has just been tugged from her bed in the middle of the night. And you see, as you look at her, that it and her face are smeared with what you think is Ash. She continues to stare you down and then nods and disappears and you have proficiency and performance. Speaker 1 00:13:21 Fantastic. I'm probably gonna need that to pretend that I'm okay right now, Leo slams the door, shut Wes around until his back is against the wall out in this hallway. And just slowly sinks down to the floor and puts his head in his hands. They were all dead. They were all dead. Oh God. They were all Speaker 0 00:13:47 Deads had rushed out the door on your heels and she skids to a stop in front of you. What are you talking about? What's going on Speaker 1 00:13:59 From the spot where he's curled up on the floor. Leo looks up at her, his jaw going very tense. I need you to not tell said, and I need you to not tell my mom Speaker 0 00:14:15 She pauses and then takes that one of her knives and starts twirling it again. Yeah. <affirmative> yeah. Okay. Just please. Don't leave me out of the loop again. Speaker 1 00:14:30 Whatever's in that hole in the floor, in the tower. It's old and it's dead and it wants me, Melissa. It wants me. Speaker 0 00:14:49 Well, Speaker 1 00:14:50 Fuck fee. You wake up from a brief rest. Still feeling like you have been run over by a cart. When the captain dragged you sopping wet and very confused back up to the tower. You walked in to something utterly horrifying, namely your brother unconscious on the floor and an absolutely inconsolable Z more upset than you have ever seen him in the entire time. You've known him screaming at all the people coming down the stairs about how Leo had just tried to jump into the hole in the floor at the base of this lighthouse. Yeah. You could say fee was a little upset by that. <laugh> absolutely. And obviously evacuation of the tower followed rather quickly, but honestly, everything between the moment you walked back into the lighthouse and waking up in this bed that you're in right now is pretty much a blur. You open your eyes to the inside of a bedroom that is unmistakably. Speaker 1 00:16:05 So beans it's decorated very much in the way that the captain's quarters back on the ship are lots of sheer Gazi, red and yellow and orange scarves hung up all over the place. There's a big wide floor length mirror on one side of the room and a small wood paneled area on the floor that looks to be a dance practice space. The decor in here is eclectic in a way that's somehow still cohesive. There's a lot of like small mismatched rugs layered across the floor. Lots of knacks from various travels. And you would assume beacon missions set up all over the bedside tables and a desk in the far corner. The wall directly opposite from where you are lying in this bed is just covered. Floor to ceiling, side to side with T up pieces of art. There are a few beautifully rendered sketches and watercolors mixed in that you notice have Flore and signature on the bottom, but there's also like macaroni art and finger painting projects. Speaker 1 00:17:21 And like those little hand print turkeys that kids make in elementary school. And as you're lying there, you start to notice more of the signatures on some of this artwork. There's a glitter and crusted holiday card tacked to the wall. Signed love OB on there's a lumpy lopsided clay pencil cup on a desk with the name Colette scratched into the side. There's a childish drawing of a big Manor house that looks like the one you're probably inside now with a family of 12 stick figures out in front of it, with the name ASHN in big blocky letters at the bottom of it and hanging from the ceiling in a corner is this little handcrafted mobile made of sticks and yarn tied together. That is spinning slowly beneath the weight of all these little folded paper, animals like little paper birds and a little paper bear. And all of these little animals have to Seine from Sid written on them. You are alone in this room. You have no way of knowing what time it is. The outside of the windows in here is that inky extra cleaner void of the magnificent mansion spell. What are you doing? Speaker 0 00:18:50 Fee sits up and looks at all of this art for a very long moment and then takes a deep breath, gets up and she's gonna head out. Try to find anybody at this point. Speaker 1 00:19:06 Your hand is poised over the door knob. When you hear the sounds of a muffled argument from out in the hallway, you hear Saab's voice hushed, but very intense. You cannot be serious after everything that she has just been through. You can't give her a little time. And then you hear the sound of the captain sounding very stressed, biting back will pardon the fuck outta me, Seine as the person who pulled her outta the ocean. I know it's at risk here and I won't have either of you on this rock for a second longer than you have to be. So I could argue that time is the one thing we don't have Speaker 0 00:19:46 Fear opens the door. Speaker 1 00:19:49 The captain insabine are right outside. The captain is still very damp hair drying in salty curls down around his shoulders. And Sabine looks exhausted. They're up in each other's faces a little bit as you open the door and you notice that the captain has a scroll of parchment and a wax seal clutched in one hand Speaker 0 00:20:15 Fee looks at both of them and then says, you know, if the two of you are going to fight about me, you could at least do it somewhere where I can see and enjoy it. Speaker 1 00:20:24 They both freeze. And then pivot slowly to look at you. The captain deflates a little bit looking kind of guilty, but Sabine jumps straight into care. Taking mode takes one step over the threshold of this door and gets both hands up around your face. Oh, thank Kim. You're up? Okay. Do you need anything? Do you need more blankets? Are you cold? Speaker 0 00:20:46 Uh I'm I'm okay. Uh, is, is everyone else? Is, is Leo up yet? Speaker 1 00:20:53 She Grimes? No, he's still transferring it off, but lesses with him Z's um, Zed needed to step away for a minute. I know coming back into the magnificent mansion spell, isn't ideal what with the killer priests downstairs. But I think at this point it's better than the alternative and Finn and Mia and ravine are setting up a guard rotation. Speaker 0 00:21:19 We have ravine guarding the highly trained murderers. Speaker 1 00:21:25 Yet we weren't going to, the prisoners are being really mean to him when we took him down. But then he did the mushroom thing and they all screamed. And one of them peed their pants. Speaker 0 00:21:36 Understandable. <laugh> Speaker 1 00:21:40 The corner of Saab's mouth twitchees. But then she looks at you and goes back to an expression of grave concern. Anyway, we're all safe. Everybody's okay. You should be laying down. She snaps around to glare at the captain over her shoulder and resting and not worrying about anything else. Speaker 0 00:22:04 Sabine I'm okay. Fee turns to the captain. What do you need to talk to me about? Speaker 1 00:22:14 The captain looks back and forth between you and Sabine with the expression of a man caught between a very big rock and a very hard place, but then slowly unrolls this scroll of parchment in his hand and holds it out to you. Just, uh, just need your signature on that blast and your seal. If you don't mind, it's the missive to the pirate court. A hat Pelican helped me out with some of the bigger words. He's better with that sort of mumbo jumbo than I am, but it has our demands and everything we need just needs to be signed off on by the pirate queen of Australia Speaker 0 00:22:55 Fee wins, but takes this role of parchment from him and looks it over. Speaker 1 00:23:01 Okay. Role history for me, Speaker 0 00:23:04 21, Speaker 1 00:23:07 You believe that Pelican in another life may have been a lawyer. At one point, this document is drafted impeccably. It outlines everything you need your reasoning behind. It goes in and cites clauses and sub clauses of the pirate code. Like something, something according to clause 14, subsection B, you have to give us ships because this, you put your name on documents back when you were still grand Duches for a brief time that were not as well crafted as this it's gonna get the job done. Speaker 0 00:23:45 Okay. Well, midnight swam aside. I'm certainly well enough to sign a piece department Quill, please. Speaker 1 00:23:54 They both make their way into Sabine's bedroom. Seine posts up at the end of the bed with both arms crossed over her chest in a really pinched expression. The captain looking more and more fearful by the second hustles over to her desk and bees himself lighting a candle to get the wax seal melted down before he digs a Quill out of his bag and hands it to you Speaker 0 00:24:18 Feel so side eyes be <laugh>, uh, trying to gauge how much trouble she's in, but signs the document. Speaker 1 00:24:28 Oh buddy, I'm not even gonna make you roll insight. You are both. You're not even in the doghouse anymore. You're you're gonna have to sleep outside the doghouse <laugh> Speaker 1 00:24:38 But you sign your name. The captain comes over with the melted wax seal and defiance, his broach clutched in his free hand, pours the wax onto the parchment and presses the back of the broach, which is engraved with an elaborate very Elvin looking seal down into the wax. And you have just formally submitted a request for aid to the pirate court. He rolls the parchment back up, tucks it away, right? Let's be on my way. Then I'll be taking the ban. She, but with my crew, she's a faster ship and she'll move more unnoticed through Australian Walters. Is there anyone you want me to leave behind help you feel safe? Boots, you, Speaker 0 00:25:28 Oh, you're leaving. Right? Um, she shakes her head, sits back down on SI's childhood bed. Apparently she reaches out and kinda grabs captain's hand and squeezes will be all right. Um, you could leave, uh, you and sunshine and glasses. If you think you can spare them. I think it would help Laura. I will be busy and I don't want her to get lonely. Speaker 1 00:25:57 I reckon I could do that. I know how to work. The cannons and Maryam Adler's here. I can bring her along to keep the crew in shape. He gets one hand behind your head fingers, lacing through your hair and just leans down to kiss you on the forehead. I'll be back before you know it last and I'll bring a surprise. Speaker 0 00:26:20 <laugh> can't wait if he's gonna reach up and get him in a bit of a longer kiss. And then as she pulls away, she says, come home safe, please. Speaker 1 00:26:35 He leans in and kind of bumps his forehead against yours and gives you that big rake ish grin. Well so far, I've got a hundred percent record of happy returns. I don't have intend to break it. Now he gives you one more little kiss and then turns over to Sabine, pulls her in for a kiss as well. And that's for you. If I comeback alive, will I not be in trouble? Sabine, smirks. Like she's trying to make a joke, but you can see how fragile she is under it. <laugh> I'm going to tell you yes, because I'm afraid that you would choose death over my wrath. If I didn't, what fee said, you come back to us. The captain also looks very shaken, but manages to cover it a little bit better than Sabine did. He takes one last long. Look at both of you and then turns on his heel and walks out the open bedroom door, whistling a sea shanty quietly to himself. Speaker 0 00:27:44 He watches him go and then deflates and turns to a being and says, please don't be mad at me. Speaker 1 00:27:58 I'm not mad at either of you. I'm just Concerned. I know that it wasn't your fault what happened, but that doesn't change how scared I was when I woke up and looked out the window and saw you walking into the ocean and the captain, He has a point he's right. But I just, when he brought you back, I had never seen him look so helpless in my life. It's so quick that you almost don't catch it, but briefly her eyes dart from you over to the wall of her siblings, art. And I've got a lot of experience with the lengths. People will go to when they feel helpless like that. I'm concerned. Speaker 0 00:28:56 I appreciate that. And I love you and I'm sorry. I scared you. But every step we take closer to finishing all of this is one step closer to me and you reclining on a beach somewhere and speaking personally, that's what I'm working towards. Okay? I'm right. I promise. Speaker 1 00:29:27 I'm glad that makes one of us Speaker 0 00:29:34 Come here and she's gonna grab her hand and just tug her over to the other side of the bed and throw an arm over her and just lay down Speaker 1 00:29:45 Seine stiffens for a moment like she wants to fight you on this. Like she doesn't want to lay down, wants to stay up, keep doing things, keep taking care of people. But after a moment, her exhaustion winds out her shoulders, slump forward, and she practically collapses onto the mattress next to you. She curls up into your shoulder and it is alarming how fast she falls into her trance. And as you're laying there, Sabine's deep even breathing, washing over your shoulder. You notice that for the past couple seconds, you've been smelling smoke, but as she relaxes and takes her trance, it fades away. Speaker 0 00:30:40 The captain hops on the ban tree. He makes a vague mention of sending a message ahead to one of the ships that is still down in the Zeph Isles to meet the rest of the pirate monarchs at parlay Cove and get them to all meet up somewhere that is slightly closer to Lester Golin. So he'll be away for less time. And then he and the crew head out Leo, when Zed gets back to the room that the two of you are apparently staying in, there is no evidence of the freak out that implied that he had. He is cool and calm. He doesn't bring up what happened, but that's mostly because he doesn't say pretty much anything to you that day. Speaker 1 00:31:32 Yeah. Leo's matching that energy. He's not talking about it either. Speaker 0 00:31:37 The two of you sit in a protective silence for a few hours. You get called down to dinner. You go about the motions of your day. The next morning you wake up and Zed is already out of the room. What are you doing? Speaker 1 00:32:00 I want my dog, man. Speaker 6 00:32:04 <laugh> Speaker 1 00:32:06 I've had a bad couple days. I want my dog Dexter still on the ship. I'm gonna try to leave the magnificent mansion and go down to the ship to get Dexter. Speaker 0 00:32:15 You step out through the portal. Zed is sitting on the beach like directly outside and his head whips over to look at you. And he says, and where the hell are you going? Speaker 1 00:32:29 Leo stops frowns at him and kind of tilts his head to the side. I'm going down to the ship to get Dexter. Is that okay with you? Speaker 0 00:32:42 Z Z's jock lunches and he shakes his head. Looks away from you, just staring out at the ocean and kind of rips up a little beach weed at his side and just tosses it into the sand. You shouldn't be going anywhere by yourself. Just Speaker 1 00:33:05 I'm awake. It's broad daylight. And I'm heading in the opposite direction of the tower. I don't think I need a chaperone said. Speaker 0 00:33:14 Yeah. Well, I didn't think you fucking needed one in our bedroom either. Speaker 1 00:33:19 There is no need for you to Speaker 0 00:33:22 Obviously there's a lot of fucking need. Speaker 1 00:33:27 I don't think Leo can rain listen before it happens. He gives Zed a really bitchy look. Speaker 0 00:33:34 <laugh> Speaker 1 00:33:35 Okay. I get it. That my record, as far as risk taking behavior goes is not exactly Sterling Z, but as one of two people on this island who a has the full picture of what's going on and B is responsible for fixing this whole shit show. I would hope that it would go without saying that I'm not going to be voluntarily diving into any ghost holes in the near future. What happened happened because I was trancing directly over the fucking thing. And I, I don't wanna talk about this. I shouldn't have to talk about this. I am a grown ass man. I am pushing 132 years old and I don't need a babysitter to go get my fucking dog. Speaker 0 00:34:22 You watch the muscles and Zs jaw Twitch again. And then he gets to his feet in one fluid, graceful motion shoves past you to the portal, holding the door open and says, you know what bus do, what you want. You were going to anyway. Speaker 1 00:34:44 Oh no, no, no, no, no, no more plausible deniability. We are in this. Now you have gotta start saying the quiet part out loud. Tell me what you really think said. Tell me how you've been freaked out from the jump about the ghosts and the bones and the Nero, Nancye and everything. That's a huge part of me. Tell me about how after everything we have been through after all the work I have done trying as hard as I can to get better that you still can't trust me to not try to get myself hurt. Tell me about how you think I'm fucking crazy. Speaker 0 00:35:19 You're fucking acting like it. You know what? Yeah, sure. I'm the asshole here. I have one back slide in the worst year of my life and you get to surprise me with fucking interrogations on my sobriety. Like I'm a flight risk, but fuck me for showing some concern after I have to stop you from jumping into the fucking hole where your ex died Speaker 1 00:35:47 In. If one earnest question is what counts as an interrogation for you, I would be enchanted to know what you call keeping me on lockdown because of something that happened while I wasn't fucking conscious, but you know what, honey, keep on. Not trusting me. You were going to anyway. And Leo turns around and marches down to the ship and gets Dexter. Speaker 0 00:36:18 You get outta the ship, snap off an animate dead. And Dexter's up? What are you doing? Speaker 1 00:36:26 I go find his leash and I take him for a walk. I'm not going back in that fucking magic house right now. Speaker 0 00:36:37 So true besty. As you're walking through the woods, Dexter suddenly starts pulling on the leash and let's out a woo Speaker 1 00:36:47 Dexter, Dexter heal. It's a rabbit heal. Speaker 0 00:36:55 Dexter continues pulling and lets outta wine. And then you hear Verity's voice through the trees. Speaker 4 00:37:01 Is that my good boy? Speaker 1 00:37:06 Assuming I survived this obedient school for you. Leo drops the leash and lets him run next. Speaker 0 00:37:13 Both through the trees. <laugh> you hear various, uh, Verity cooling noises and then, Speaker 4 00:37:20 Oh, does he want rib scratch ins Speaker 0 00:37:22 And then a sound like a XLOPHONE but bad <laugh> Speaker 1 00:37:27 Oh, Leo moving much slower than his dog is going to follow the source of these noises. Speaker 0 00:37:34 You find Verity in a little clearing kneeling on the ground, furiously scratching at Dexter's ribs. She looks up as you walk in and goes, Speaker 4 00:37:44 Hi, Leo. I found min. Speaker 1 00:37:48 Yeah. Awesome. Speaker 4 00:37:51 It is. I was out with your mom earlier and she was telling me about the, her lore of ol and apparently mint is invasive here. So I can take as much as I want. Speaker 1 00:38:02 Leo's like actively trying not to cry. Yeah. That's that's great. <laugh> you know what Verity, tell me about the mint. I could use something to take my mind off things. Speaker 0 00:38:16 Verity squint at you for a long moment and then says Speaker 4 00:38:20 You seem upset. I'm told I'm a bit of an empath. I can sense these things. Speaker 1 00:38:26 <laugh> Yeah. Um, you got me, it's been a rough couple days. Zed and I are kind of on the rocks right now. Speaker 4 00:38:43 Oh, I knew that already. Speaker 8 00:38:46 How Speaker 0 00:38:48 Verity looks at you? Like you're being weird <laugh> and says Speaker 4 00:38:52 Venus is in retrograde. Speaker 1 00:38:54 What's Venus. Speaker 4 00:38:56 Don't worry about it. Speaker 8 00:38:59 Okay. Speaker 0 00:39:02 The mint <laugh> Speaker 4 00:39:06 Oh yeah, the mint I'm gonna make a tea. Speaker 0 00:39:09 And then she just goes back to picking mint off the ground. Speaker 8 00:39:13 Why? Speaker 1 00:39:15 No, actually this is what the therapist said was a constructive coping mechanism. Verity, can you help me Speaker 4 00:39:23 With what? Speaker 1 00:39:25 With not losing my goddamn mind, but if you need something more concrete, I would love to get a little starter garden set up in front of the magnificent mansion if that's okay. I'm frankly surprised anything can grow on this island at all. All I can feel here is death and anger and loss. Speaker 4 00:39:53 That sounds hard. I found Tany too. Speaker 0 00:39:57 And she pulls some Tany out of her bag and shows it to you. Speaker 1 00:40:01 Yeah. Awesome. So just some starter flowers, like right in front of the door. So I don't move more than five feet away from my new prison and make my boyfriend mad. That would be great. Speaker 0 00:40:13 Verde tilt her head. And she says, well, Speaker 4 00:40:18 I don't know what we could get started right in front of the door. Since it's on the sand Speaker 1 00:40:23 Potted plants perhaps. Speaker 4 00:40:27 Oh, that's a good idea. I don't have any pots. Speaker 0 00:40:31 She looks away troubled. Speaker 4 00:40:33 I don't know where we're gonna get pots. I haven't seen a pot here. I guess if there's a pot or we probably haven't locked up in the basement. Speaker 1 00:40:41 There are pots in my room and you can go into my room to get the pots. Not for anything else. Speaker 4 00:40:51 Oh cool. Yeah, we can get that set up. Then Speaker 0 00:40:55 She hops to her feet and says Speaker 4 00:40:57 Dexter, come on. Speaker 0 00:40:58 And she starts heading off back towards the beach. Roll me a quick charisma check. And I will also roll one for Verity. Speaker 1 00:41:08 I rolled a five. Speaker 0 00:41:10 Verity gets big fat plus zero, but she rolled a seven. Dexter goes with her Speaker 1 00:41:17 You little fucker. I got into a fight with my boyfriend for you I'll remember this Dexter. Speaker 0 00:41:24 Dexter stops turns around. Does the puppy play bow barks at you and then goes after Verity <laugh>. Speaker 1 00:41:31 Leo goes after them back towards the house. Speaker 0 00:41:35 Verde runs ahead of you and is already up the stairs as you're walking in and you hear people talking from the direction of the little dining room off the main entry hall. Speaker 1 00:41:46 Do I hear Z in there? Speaker 0 00:41:48 You do not. You hear your mother. Speaker 1 00:41:51 Okay. I'm gonna go in, Speaker 0 00:41:54 In the dining room. Your mother is sitting at the table, casting something showing off that kind of disjointed cat's cradle. You've seen her cast a few times and across the table from her looking at it intently with a bundle of herbs under one of her hands is semore down at the other end of the table. KASA and Eleanor are sitting together drinking tea, Speaker 1 00:42:23 No energy for small talk. Leo just sits down at the table and puts his head down Speaker 0 00:42:28 A Donna nods. And distractedly says, hi sweetheart. And then turns back to Sica and says, do you see what I mean though? Sica still staring intently at this cat's cradle goes no. Yeah. I know what you mean. It's fascinating. I mean, I'm sure it's not, you know what I mean? Just from an arcane perspective. It's the spell work is fantastic. I can see the bones of it. A Donna visibly PRS <laugh> <laugh> uh, well thank you. And you hear a loud sip <laugh> from down the table. Speaker 1 00:43:11 Leo picks his head up off the table enough to open one eye and look down at a Donna and Selica Speaker 0 00:43:18 Uh, roll insight really quick, Speaker 1 00:43:21 28, Speaker 0 00:43:23 Uh, a Donna's blushing, just a little bit. Sica has grabbed one of her hands in both of her own and is looking intently at the threads of magic wrapped around at Donna's fingers. And a Donna is looking very intently at where Sica has grabbed her hand. Speaker 1 00:43:43 The one of Leo's eyes that is visible goes very wide under the table. He points at KASA Casas, a message cant trip and telepathically says, are you seeing this shit? Speaker 0 00:43:56 You hear KASA snort and then cover it with a cough as she replies gly. Yeah, I'm seeing this. And as she cough a Donna and Celica pull back from each other and a Donna looks over and goes, uh, KASA, sweetheart, are you all right? And KASA takes a big sip of her drink and then says never better. <laugh> Speaker 1 00:44:23 Leo's just staring, just staring frantically back and forth between a Donna and Selica under the table. He points at Eleanora and casts. Another message can trip what the fuck is going on. Speaker 0 00:44:38 As you're doing that, Selica blinks a few times rapidly and then abruptly stands up and gathers this bunch of herbs on the table and says, uh, thank you for these. Uh, I'm gonna go whip up a couple of things. Uh, I, I will see if I can think of anything that would, uh, uh, help with this whole situation. It seems like maybe I could make gloves. I can make gloves. We we'll see if that works. And then she leaves she's out <laugh> and is out. And Eleanor responds to your message. I mean, you have eyes. Speaker 1 00:45:16 Yes. And right now they are the size of dinner plates. Leo sits up very slowly. So, uh, Verity found mint and said, and I had a really bad fight and I cried Speaker 0 00:45:33 Your mom immediately turns to you and goes, oh no, honey is everything okay? Speaker 1 00:45:39 Um, jury's still out on that. It's a bit of a complicated situation. Mom, do you like women? Speaker 0 00:45:47 There is a moment of silence broken only by sounds from the foyer of someone walking across the floor and then Verity yelping <laugh> and then hurried footsteps back across the foyer and up the stairs. Your mother squint at you and tilts her head and then says, honey, of course I love women as a feminist. Solidarity is very important to me. Speaker 1 00:46:12 No, <laugh> not like that. Well, I mean, yes, like that girl power go for it. But I, I mean, do you like women Speaker 0 00:46:26 From down the table, you hear Eleanor struggling not to laugh and on a squint a little more and then says, honey, what are you talking about? Speaker 1 00:46:38 Okay. Um, I am trying to find a way to put this delicately to you. My mother, are you inclined toward the fair sex? Do you see a reasonably attractive woman and consider perhaps holding her hand or kissing her gently under the Moonlight Speaker 0 00:47:01 Wheezes and the confusion wipes off of a Donna's face. And she rolls her eyes and then turns back to the table, as she says, oh sweetheart, everyone thinks of their girlfriends. That way Speaker 1 00:47:12 They don't Speaker 0 00:47:14 At the same time. As you say that, Eleanor anda in unison both also say they don't next to you. Your mother says, oh, oh, oh, Speaker 1 00:47:30 Leo just sits there with a thousand yards stare. I mean, on one hand, congratulations on the other. I feel insane. Speaker 0 00:47:41 Huh? And then from out by the front door, you hear footsteps again. And then Verity goes, oh, come on. Speaker 1 00:47:51 Yeah, I should go check on Verity. Um, mom, I'll leave you here with Eleanor and KASA. They're both professionals at liking women and can definitely help talk you through this show. You the ropes help you with your orientation. I should not have picked that word. That was a bad word depict that came out of my mouth. Just now Speaker 0 00:48:11 <laugh> a Donna nod slowly. And as you get up from the other end at the table, KASA says you also like women <laugh>. Speaker 1 00:48:21 Yeah, but I'm like not great at it. Ask Eleanor. Speaker 0 00:48:26 Eleanor does kind of the Soso head nod and taking a sip of her drink says, well, some aspects, Speaker 1 00:48:34 Thank you for the highly inappropriate ego boost that you just gave me in front of my mother, Eleanor, I'm gonna leave now by ladies, Leo fucking runs. He does not care. He runs out of this room. Speaker 0 00:48:50 Verde is standing just inside the door to the magnificent mansion, holding one of the garden pots from your room and looking like she is about to cry. Speaker 1 00:49:00 Leo also looking like he is about to cry pauses in the middle of the foyer and just looks at her incredulously Hey, Verity, everything going. Okay? Speaker 0 00:49:14 No. And then still holding the pot. She just sticks her arms out the door and you watch this garden pot dissolve into smoke and drift away because any object that you take outside of a magnificent mansion spell, dissolves into smoke. You gather that she has done this a few times now. Speaker 1 00:49:39 Okay. I could solve a problem. I can do this. Verity are the plants outside. Speaker 0 00:49:45 Yeah. Speaker 1 00:49:46 Have you thought about maybe instead of taking the pots outside, you bring the plants inside. Speaker 0 00:49:55 You said you wanted the garden to be outside. Speaker 1 00:49:59 What I want is so far out of the picture at this point, Verity, thank you for your help. I need to go lie down and he just walks away. <laugh> he walks upstairs and takes a nap. The, the next few days pass with a pretty hefty amount of tension inside this magnificent mansion. Spell Sabine is being very careful to upkeep the casting of this spell in less than 24 hour cycles so that you don't all get dumped out onto the beach when it ends Finn and ravine and Mia keep up their guard rotation on all of the prisoners down in the basement, the teen squad are running out of card games to play and starting to get bored, which is making you anticipate some vandalism in the near future. With the notable exception of the one teenager who is not native to this friend group, Sid stops by maybe once a day, just a quick check-in barely gets over. Speaker 1 00:51:06 The threshold goes I'm alive and then turns around and walks back out Verity and Ave, Andes and ele Nora all seem reasonably chill. Like they're just content to sit around and wait for what happens next. S Celicas not around a lot. You hear a lot of crashes and bangs from inside her and to Linda's room in the hallway that has been set up for all of you inside the spell. A Donna seems to split her time between trying to help out around the house, keep things tidy. And honestly just checking out and staring at walls for hours at a time Leo and Z are being downright frosty with each other, like sitting at opposite ends of the dinner table and not talking levels of frosty. And as for you and Sabine, neither of you are people inclined towards just sitting around and waiting to see what comes next. Speaker 1 00:52:11 And that coupled with the fact that you both really miss the captain a lot has added a lot of tension to the situation it's late afternoon. Coming up on dinner time on your fifth day in this magnificent mansion spell, you are walking through the foyer past Leo playing fetch with Dexter across the marble floors. The cl cl of bony little feet echoing off the walls. And before you can hang the left into the kitchen, you see Sid standing in the doorway and Sabine standing just inside. She's got both hands planted on her hips and her head tilted to the side. Yeah. Understood. Sid, glad to see that you're alive. You could at least stay for dinner. And really I would tra a little easier at night knowing that you're here and safe rather than up in that tower. Sid still in his higher offense robes with big dark restless circles under his eyes curls his lip at yeah. Well, I'm the higher of offense. I'm the voice of Kim. I'm safer in that tower than I've ever been with you. Speaker 0 00:53:25 I'm gonna kill him, Speaker 1 00:53:27 Rolled a hit. Speaker 0 00:53:29 I'm not actually gonna hit a 15 year old. Speaker 1 00:53:32 That's very noble of you. And before you really get the chance to think twice about it, he spins around on his heel and marches back out of the doorway, up the beach and out of sight. Sabine closes the door and turns around absolutely silent. And the look on her face is gutting to behold. She stares blankly ahead of her for a second and then reaches out one arm to catch one of the semi-transparent Seine servants that are running around this mansion. This one looks to be about the equivalent of 15 hair and a long braid down her back, bells, jingling around her ankles. Real Seine posture, very stiff, clears her throat and goes, um, go get dinner started. Okay. And then she walks right past you and up the stairs, Speaker 0 00:54:31 The casts, a bail full look at the door, and then she's gonna follow Soine. Speaker 1 00:54:36 You're far enough behind her that you just barely catch the swish of her skirt around the door frame, into her bedroom. And you hear a muffled sob Speaker 0 00:54:48 Think goes in. Speaker 1 00:54:52 Sabine is sitting on the edge of her bed, head bowed, looking down at something clutched in her lap. As you take a few more steps into this room and look around you notice that she is holding the little stick and yarn mobile that had been hanging from the ceiling with all of the little folded paper animals with Sid's name on them attached to the end. She doesn't look up at you as you come in, just delicately curls her Palm around a little paper, crane. He's right. You know, he's got no reason to trust me for anything, especially not to take care of him. Speaker 0 00:55:36 He sits down on the bed next to her and hesitantly puts a hand on her back. Well, that's not true. Speaker 1 00:55:46 Sabine actually bristles a little bit. Her shoulders go very stiff under your hand. And she snaps her head up from looking at this mobile to stare at you. How would you know that you weren't there? You didn't see the things I saw. You didn't make the mistakes I made. And you were not the one who is running around sweeping floors and making beds and cooking meals and keeping up a home for people that don't want it anymore. Fee roll me a perception check please. Speaker 0 00:56:20 Uh, 21, Speaker 1 00:56:23 Something very strange starts to happen. As Sabina is talking, it starts off really subtle. You just smell something kind of crisp and accurate on the air. It smells like somebody downstairs maybe burned some toast or something, but then it gets stronger and stronger. You notice yourself struggling to breathe. Although you can't see any smoke, your lungs are on fire. And the room is suddenly extremely hot, just uncomfortable levels of heat washing across your skin. As you look up at this wall full of all of the art that sabine'ss made for her over the years, you don't see flames, but you see the edges of the paper start to scorch and glow and curl in on themselves as if the paper is being consumed by fire. And you come to a pretty quick realization that everything about this magnificent mansion is tied to Sabine. It is tied to her magical power, and apparently it is tied to her mental state. And that is fostering a situation that is bad and potentially dangerous. Speaker 0 00:57:40 Fee's gonna kneel down on the ground in front of Sadine and get both of her hands in both of her own someone you trusted took advantage of you. That is not your fault. That is hers. Speaker 1 00:58:03 That's not the way they see it. I tried so hard to get what was left of us back together to bring us all home. And Florian's got his whole career in VUL and Colette and Jay have the dance troop and Oberon's living in some backwater town so far up in the mountains. They'll never find him and sit hates me for not doing better. They don't wanna come home. And that's all I wanted after everything. I just wanted to bring them home. Speaker 0 00:58:40 So being, it sounds like they are home fee kind of looks around at the magnificent mansion, spell around them. This isn't their home. It's your memory of it. Isn't it better that they're all places that have a future and not stuck in the past. Speaker 1 00:59:08 The broom starts to cool off all of the pictures on the walls. Stop this process of invisible burning and return to the way they were before. And the little paper animals that had crumbled into Ash in SA be's hand reform, but she looks bone deep, sad curling in on herself and staring at Sid's childish handwriting across the paper. Yeah, no, you're right. It's good. It's a good thing. I guess I'm just scared of being stuck in the past alone. I need a minute. I'm sorry. Speaker 0 00:59:56 Are, are you sure Speaker 1 00:59:59 Positive? I'm in no fit state for company right now. Speaker 0 01:00:07 Okay. She gets up, gives Sabina a kiss on the top of the head, if she's okay with it and she's gonna walk out, she pauses in the door frame and says, Sabine, you have a future too. You know, with us, if you want it. Speaker 1 01:00:35 I do. You know, I do. It's just coming home has always been the easy part for me. And no matter how many times I do it, leaving is always the hard one. I'm gonna need some time to figure out how to leave home for good. And it's something I need to do on my own. Speaker 0 01:00:59 I'll be here when you do. I love you. Speaker 1 01:01:04 Yeah. I love you too. Speaker 0 01:01:08 Okay. He's gonna go. Speaker 1 01:01:11 You leave and start off down the hallway. And before you take two steps, you hear an unholy commotion coming from downstairs. There is the Scrabble of bone on marble. And then a second later you hear an irate voice yelling, Dexter you no good Mon girl. That's one of my good boats. Speaker 0 01:01:34 What I'm gonna investigate that Speaker 1 01:01:40 You follow the source of this commotion down the stairs and in the foyer. See Finn and Mia who are apparently not on guard duty right now. And also Dexter. No Leo insight. Dexter is running across the floor with a knee high black leather boot clutched in his mouth. And Mia is scrambling after him. Meanwhile, Finn is standing back next to the door with the other boot raised in his hand, getting ready to throw it looks up, sees you grins and slowly brings his free hand up to put a finger in front of his lips Speaker 0 01:02:27 Fee bites down on her lower lips. So hard and just nods. Speaker 1 01:02:32 He waits until Mia turns the corner of one of the downstairs hallways and then tosses the other boot. He walks over to meet you at the bottom of the stairs. Trying really hard not to laugh. Speaker 0 01:02:45 He just puts a hand over her mouth. So she won't laugh either watching Mia chase after the fucking bone dog. <laugh> she leans over to Finn and says so, uh, not to make things tense, but I think there are a couple things you might wanna ask them about not right now, but soon Speaker 1 01:03:12 Dexter spectral barking. And Mia's cursing. Fade off down this hallway. And Fen turns to look over at you. Frown things I wanna ask them about, oh, are you talking about the, uh, imortal Demi God dragon from the moon thing? Speaker 0 01:03:33 Hmm. Speaker 1 01:03:34 Oh fuck. Did they not tell you? Speaker 0 01:03:37 No, no, but I, I knew, uh huh. Speaker 1 01:03:44 Oh yeah. They told me about everything right after the whole incident with you and Leo happened and we all moved in here. Speaker 0 01:03:53 They, you, and you're just feed gestures down the hall, come again. Speaker 1 01:04:02 Fen shrugs in that very OUS, Torme style of taking everything in stride and just runs a hand back through his hair, starts pulling it into a ponytail. Yeah. They got really weird and surprised too. When I said that it didn't change anything about us way. I see it. As long as they've lived, all the things they've seen, all of us must be like insects to them, but they've never made me feel that way. Not once. So why would it change anything? Speaker 0 01:04:37 That's really cute actually. Speaker 1 01:04:41 I mean, thanks. We're doing our best. I don't know. I love them. They love me trying to bring anything else into the equation. Just makes it messy. You know, I should go get their boot back from Dexter though. They're gonna kick my ass. Speaker 0 01:05:00 Yeah, you do that. I need time for my brain to settle. Speaker 1 01:05:05 Uh, well, as far as I know, verities outside hunting for herbs, Leo's upstairs being Leo about things Z's somewhere suing. I think the arch DUS is in the kitchen helping with dinner. That seems like it would be a pretty calm environment. Speaker 0 01:05:25 Yeah. Yeah. Um, good luck with your dragon partner and the boot and the dog I'm gonna, and then fee gets up on our tip toes and gives F a little kiss on the cheek. I'm I'm gonna go Speaker 1 01:05:43 As you walk away and Fen goes to pick up the boot that he threw. He yells after you. I wanna make it clear that the whole dragon thing is not, um, it has no place in, Speaker 0 01:05:55 Please don't say anything else. Speaker 1 01:05:59 He ignores your request. I'm not into dragons. Well, I mean, I guess I am, but not like that. Speaker 0 01:06:07 I'm leaving fan. And he walks into the kitchen. Speaker 1 01:06:12 This magnificent mansion spell has a big functional kitchen that looks like it is well accustomed to cooking for a family of 12. As you walk in, you see a Donna in an argument with the little teenage spectral Seine that you saw real Seine instruct to go make dinner earlier. A Donna's like waving this little magical construct off and busying herself with several pots on top of the stove. No, really, sweetie. It's okay. I can handle it. I can do things. She leans down and pops a casserole dish into the oven and then stands back up, looks at the magical construct. Again, I'm perfectly capable. That will be ready in. She spreads her hands apart. And you notice that the magic between them that previously fragmented and stilted cats, cradle is strong and glowing. And then you see the little leather fingerless gloves pulled down over both of her hands with a little buckle around each of her wrists. There's a small clear crystal on the back of each of them that glows in time with her magic. She Pierce into the center of this cat's cradle looks back up at the magical construct and goes exactly 28 minutes. I have got this. Go help someone else, please. Speaker 0 01:07:47 Um, what what's what's happening here? Speaker 1 01:07:53 A Donna's head snaps up to look at you and the magic dies between her hands. Oh, um, I was just trying to help make dinner. I understand how a magnificent mansion spell works. It's meant to give us all an opportunity to relax, but I, um, she starts shaking her hands, kind of flapping them back and forth. I need to, um, feel useful to stay present. So I figured I would make dinner tonight. Speaker 0 01:08:22 Uh, UN understandable. Actually, can I help? Speaker 1 01:08:27 Yeah, absolutely. That would be great. I would love some company in here. Not that you're a hot company, sweetheart. She reaches out and pats this little magical construct of teenage Seine on top of the head. You know what? We could use your help with laundry, cuz I hate doing laundry. Wet clothes are bad for me. The little spectral Seine shuffles off to go start on laundry apparently. And a Donna pulls her hands apart in that same motion. Again, the very bright, strong web of magic appearing between them. Speaker 0 01:09:06 Oh, Speaker 1 01:09:07 Okay. And Leo's gonna be in a mood again tonight. So I should probably make the stuffed peppers that he likes. Ferara sweetheart, can you help me with a little side project that I'm working on? Speaker 0 01:09:20 Yes I can. I, I can do that. Your magic looks better by the way Speaker 1 01:09:28 A Donna looks up from where she's been staring into this cat's cradle and it dissolves between her fingers. Oh yeah. Um, Selica made me these and she holds both hands up, showing off the fingerless gloves. It helps with the magic. It doesn't help with the <laugh> and she kind of reaches one hand up taps, a finger to the side of her head. But you know that little girl. Oh, what's her name? Um, um, vivacity. Speaker 0 01:09:59 Verity. Speaker 1 01:10:01 Yes. Her she's so sweet. She went back to the cave and got all my notes for me. So I've been writing everything down. She waves a hand off towards where there is indeed a pile of papers, stacked on a counter. I'm doing everything I can to stay here because I'm not any good anywhere else. Anyway, Selica was nice enough to make me the gloves to help out with my magic. So I asked her what her favorite dessert was and she said lemon Ang pie. And I said, okay, that sounds great. So I need help making a pie. Speaker 0 01:10:41 Oh, okay. Um, I've never baked before. Speaker 1 01:10:46 Oh, that's fine. This is easy. I'll handle the lemon curd. It can be a little finicky. She puts a big mixing bowl to the side and then pushes another big mixing bowl down the counter towards you. How about you just separate those eggs and we'll get to work on the miring Speaker 0 01:11:06 Fee. Looks around the counter for eggs. Speaker 1 01:11:09 There are indeed eggs on the counter. A Donna has gotten all of her Melo from this magnificent management spell. It's all sitting there. Speaker 0 01:11:18 Fee's gonna move the eggs. So they're not touching quizzically. <laugh> is this, does this help Speaker 1 01:11:27 A Donna who is partway through squeezing juice out of a lemon into a measuring cup, looks over at you and goes, what are you doing? Speaker 0 01:11:39 I'm I'm I'm separating the eggs. Speaker 1 01:11:45 She stares at you for a long time. Okay. So maybe we take this down a notch. How about you just put the crust in the pie pan. Speaker 0 01:11:56 Do I see a pie crust? Speaker 1 01:11:59 There is a lump of dough sitting on the counter, surrounded by like flour and several other baking tools. Yes, you do see it. And there is a glass pie pan sitting up there as well. Speaker 0 01:12:15 I put the dough in the pie pan and start trying to squish it flat Speaker 1 01:12:20 A Donna's eyes if possible, get even bigger. And she goes, oh, not like that. Do you Ferara sweetheart, do you not know how to cook? Speaker 0 01:12:33 No, I do not. Speaker 1 01:12:35 Okay. And that's fine. I'll help you. I'll teach you. Um, right now, the best way you can help is by washing dishes when I'm done, but feel free to hang out. I would love the company Speaker 0 01:12:49 Felix, down at the floor for a second dejected and says, okay. And then she goes and sits at the table. Speaker 1 01:12:59 A Donna goes over and grabs your misshapen blob of pie dough out of the dish and puts it back on the counter starts rolling it out with a rolling pin. She's not really looking at you as she works, but somehow you still feel like her entire attention is upon you. It's okay that you don't know how to do these things. Speaker 0 01:13:22 <laugh> Speaker 1 01:13:23 Shit. I mean, when I met your father, he didn't even know how to make toast. Anyway, separating eggs means this and you watch her crack an egg over the side of one of the mixing bowls and actually separate the yoke from the white. And as far as putting the crust in the pan, you have to roll it out first fee. It strikes you that you've never seen a rolling pin before, because a Donna pulls one out and you have no idea what it is. You think it's a weapon for a second. You get a little scared that she's about to hit you. And then she starts rolling this pie crust out and cutting it out into an appropriate shape, laying it delicately into the pan. By the way, I've been meaning to ask you, are you feeling okay after the incident? The other day I tried to ask Leo, he won't talk to me. Speaker 0 01:14:21 Um, I had a little bit of a scratch in my throat for a few days, but I'm feeling all right now. Thank you for asking Speaker 1 01:14:33 A Donna purses, her lips and finishes pressing this pie crust into the tin. Oh, um, yeah, that makes sense. Can you hand me a whisk please? Speaker 0 01:14:47 He pauses like a rabbit in the eyes of a Wolf <laugh> and then gets up and goes over to where the utensils are and just picks up something Speaker 1 01:14:59 Rural investigation, Speaker 0 01:15:03 Dirty, funny Speaker 1 01:15:06 Feet. You don't know what a whisk is, but you grab one of the metal utensils in a jar on this counter, just praying for all you are worth. And a Donna looks at you, very impressed. She reaches out, grabs it and starts whipping up the beginnings of lemon curd. In one of these mixing bowls, Speaker 0 01:15:27 Feet does a fist pump behind her back. Speaker 1 01:15:30 A Donna keeps mixing. She's still not looking at you, but she says, I mean, as far as I can tell the thing in the tower and the island are two different things, do you understand? Speaker 0 01:15:47 No, not really. Speaker 1 01:15:52 There's the thing in the tower. And then there's the island. And the thing in the tower is wrong and twisted and hungry. And it wanted nothing to do with me, but the island she's old and she's confused. And <laugh>, she's a lot like me. That way. This place has been around for a long time for a and whatever it was first and foremost, it used to be a home. She throws a piece of parchment paper across this pie crust, weighs it down with a little bit of dried rice from the container on the counter and pops it into the oven. Speaker 1 01:16:44 That's what a home wants, right? It wants to be lived in the home, wants to welcome people. But when you're old and confused and you rich and your original purpose has been corrupted, coming home starts to feel a lot like dying. I mean, the island tried with me the first couple years I was here. I didn't have a home. It wanted me to come home. And so I told it, no thank you because home is not a place. It's not walls. It's not a point. You can plot on a map. It's people. And I had that. I had a person, someone waiting for me. She finishes with this pie, filling and sets these mixing bowls aside, and then sits down on the other side of the counter from you and brings both hands up to press against her forehead. I worry about Leo though. The thing that wants him, it's meaner and it's smarter and there's no bargaining with it. The island hates it. It's the thing that confused her. It's the thing that took all her good intentions and made them hurt people. Speaker 0 01:18:25 O okay. I'll keep that in mind. I'm worried about 'em too Leo. It's several days later, everyone has been kind of, you think they're trying to be subtle at trying to get you involved in conversations and trying to get you and Zed in the same location. They have not been subtle at all. You and Z have continued to be frosty. Zed is actually sleeping down in one of the common rooms of the bang of the mansion. You don't know where it is late at night. Everybody is kind of bunked down for the evening. What are you doing Speaker 1 01:19:24 If it's night and he's alone in his room? I think he's just laying there staring at the wall and then eventually makes the decision to stand up and try to stealth out of the magnificent management spell. Speaker 0 01:19:42 Okay. Uh, Rome, stealth Trek, Speaker 1 01:19:48 32. Speaker 0 01:19:50 You manage to sneak down the hall that everyone's rooms are in. You hear ravine in his inva room, talking in his trance quietly. Just mumbling. You hear the telltale sounds Calisa and Eleanor, both sleeping like windmills in their room. Various noises of people resting. You don't disturb anyone. You get down the stairs and Zeta, sleeping on the foyer. Knock out on a couch. Speaker 1 01:20:29 I'm gonna try to stink past him out the front door. Speaker 0 01:20:33 Roll stealth. Speaker 1 01:20:37 Well, that was a four on the die, but it's still a 19. Speaker 0 01:20:44 Okay. You slip out the front door. Where are you going? Speaker 1 01:20:51 Up to the tower and through the front door. If it's not locked, Speaker 0 01:20:56 Uh, it is locked. <laugh> Speaker 1 01:20:59 Cool. Fun. I'll roll. Thieve stools on it. Not 20. So that's a 35 to get into the tower. Speaker 0 01:21:13 Okay. You unlock the door easily roll. It was safe. Speaker 1 01:21:18 24. Speaker 0 01:21:21 As soon as you open the door, AIFF of wording flares on the back of it, but you manage to beat SIDS, fell safe DC. So you walk in, hear footsteps on the stairs and then Sid's head pokes out over the stairwell. He sees you. And he just says, Speaker 4 01:21:43 Come on, man. Speaker 1 01:21:46 I have questions and concerns. All right. I just want to talk to the big guy for a couple seconds. Is there a chapel anywhere down here, could you give me directions or do you hate me so much that you don't want to? Speaker 0 01:22:04 Sid me dramatically rolls his eyes and then says Speaker 4 01:22:08 It's the door to the right dumbass. Speaker 1 01:22:12 Yeah. Great. Cool. It is past your bedtime. Go take your trance. Speaker 4 01:22:18 Fuck you. Speaker 1 01:22:20 Fuck you too kid. Don't worry about me. I've got this, Speaker 4 01:22:24 Whatever. Speaker 0 01:22:26 And Sid goes back up the stairs Speaker 1 01:22:29 Question is the ghost hole bigger than 20 feet across? Speaker 0 01:22:36 It is not. I would say it's about 10 feet across. Speaker 1 01:22:41 Okay, cool. Before he goes, looking for this chapel, Leo's going to drop a cliff of wording spell over the ghost hole. He gets a lot of wiggle room as far as hyper specific conditions go with this cliff of wording spell. So he's going to specify that if he crosses the limit of the spell, it's going to trigger a third level, sending spell to Seine that says, if you're hearing this, I did something stupid. I'm at the tower. I needed answers. Teleport up here, get me out. Don't listen to me. And then he's going to follow Sid's direction into this chapel. Apparently Speaker 0 01:23:31 You walk into the central chapel of the entire Kim light religion. It is where a land Val sign and Justice's mother's kitchen was a high soaring ceiling has been added onto it. Grand stained glass windows, and a bunch of pews, a big altar at the other side, from where you're standing. But with the knowledge that you have, you can see the bones of what it once was. What are you doing, bud? Speaker 1 01:24:06 I shut the doors behind me and I start drawing cliffs on the floor to let me cast commune as a ritual spell Speaker 0 01:24:22 Much like the last time you cast a commune, spell Kim pops in mid motion. He's reaching behind him for something and you watch his bony hand close and then open again. And he looks around and he goes, Speaker 9 01:24:38 Did we have to have this talk right now? Speaker 1 01:24:43 Yeah, we really do, because I had just gotten past the point of my life, where I wanted to throw myself into the Abys and then all of a sudden I'm doing so without my consent, I get that the rules of the spell say that you can give me a yes or no answer to the questions I'm asking, but have I not earned some fucking honesty by this point, Kim, can I ask you a question and have you give me an answer and have it actually help me for once in my life? Speaker 9 01:25:21 Are you ready to ask the right questions? Speaker 1 01:25:26 What's the hole on the floor. Speaker 0 01:25:30 Kim doesn't have lips, but if he did, you know, they would be curling. Speaker 9 01:25:38 It's a legacy, Speaker 1 01:25:43 Something I don't support. So why does it want me Speaker 0 01:25:49 Kim steps to the edge of this commun smell, looking down at you Speaker 9 01:25:59 At its core. It's nothing more than a broken promise, but looking, how does it feel? Speaker 1 01:26:14 Leo's going to walk back to the door of this chapel and open it again and look out into the bottom of the lighthouse. Speaker 0 01:26:25 Roll away safe. If Speaker 1 01:26:28 A 14 Speaker 0 01:26:31 You're halfway across the room. When Kim says Speaker 1 01:26:38 Leo freezes, wherever he was between the chapel and the big hole and the floor. This is it, right? This is the end. It's gonna take me no matter what I want. Speaker 9 01:26:55 Turn around. Speaker 0 01:27:01 I can't. Speaker 9 01:27:03 Yes, you can. Speaker 0 01:27:09 And you watch the light flare from within the circle of stones. You hear, as Kim is telling you to turn around so's voice calling Speaker 10 01:27:24 Leo, Leo, Speaker 0 01:27:33 I can't. Speaker 9 01:27:35 What other choice do you have? Speaker 1 01:27:40 Leo? Doesn't turn around. He's still looking at the circle of stones in the floor where he just heard Soren's voice. You're dead. You're dead. And it's my fault. And I'm sorry, but you don't get to take the people. I love you. Don't get to take my boyfriend. You don't get to take my sister and you don't get to take me. And he turns around and walks back into the chapel, closing the door behind him. Speaker 0 01:28:15 LL stands there. He looks the most honest you've ever seen him. It is the first interaction that you've actually had with your D E where he's not putting up a front. He looks at you, the silver purple lights, where his eyes should be. That match the light in that circle of stones, glimmering and says, Speaker 9 01:28:46 How does it feel Speaker 1 01:28:49 Hungry? Speaker 9 01:28:52 Exactly. Anything that can feel hunger is alive to some degree it's alive. It's old. It's clever. It's cruel. It's a part of me after all. It knows what you want. Of course, it'll try even old, angry things want to stay alive. Speaker 1 01:29:28 How do I stop it? Speaker 0 01:29:30 He tells his head again, leaning over the edge of this commun spell teeth bear. Speaker 9 01:29:38 It's a broken promise layer. You LA you already know what you have to do. Speaker 1 01:29:48 Yes, I do. Speaker 0 01:29:52 The immune spell ends and camera disappears. Take a cleric level. Speaker 1 01:29:58 Okay. Um, I get a stat increase or a defeat. This level. I'm gonna take the ma Slayer feet. So from now on when a creature within five feet of Leo cast a spell, he can use his reaction to make a me weapon attack against that creature. When he damages a creature that is concentrating on a spell, that creature has disadvantage on the saving throw. It makes to maintain concentration. And he has advantage on saving throws against spells cast by creatures within five feet of him. Speaker 0 01:30:33 So what you're saying is that with your magic items and all of your abilities and this new Fe Leo has by divine Providence become a weapon specifically designed to kill Marlon Valin. Speaker 1 01:30:46 Yeah, pretty much Speaker 0 01:30:48 Absolutely electable. You stand alone in this grand chapel, staring up at these stain glass images of Pierite saints. After a moment you recognize the largest of them. The one in the center is Archduke Lander, vals sign staring down at you, wearing the circuit that you now wear on your head. And then the door opens behind you. Speaker 1 01:31:21 Leo whips around to see who's there. Speaker 0 01:31:25 Zed is standing in the doorway. He shifts back and forth on his feet, nervously for a second and reaches up to rub the back of his neck with one hand and goes, uh, Hey boss, Speaker 1 01:31:39 Leo goes rigid and just looks at him. Hey, um, I mean, I would've woken you up, but you wouldn't have let this happen. And I learned a couple really valuable things and also, Hey, still alive. So Speaker 0 01:31:58 He Grimes and then goes, uh, you sort of did wake me up on your way out. And Barry, you can go ahead and mark that as a failure for your circle. Um, because Z's passive perception is 20. Speaker 1 01:32:15 Oh, good. So now I CRI on a 17, the next time we fight something. Speaker 0 01:32:19 Yeah. That's the bright slide Speaker 1 01:32:22 Leo wins and then his posture stiffens. And he immediately goes on the defensive look, I get it. I get how this looks, but I just had questions. Okay. And I set up things to protect myself in case whatever the hell is in that hole on the floor, tried to start messing with me again. I just, I had questions. I'm sorry. Speaker 0 01:32:51 Zed takes a really deep breath and then says, I love you. And you scared the shit outta me. And I followed you all the way up here. Cause I didn't wanna stop you because I didn't wanna have a fucking fight about it. Especially if you weren't gonna do anything. And then I was standing right inside the door and you walked out and you walked toward the fucking hole. And I thought I was gonna have to stop you. And you turned around and I just, I'm sorry, I'm an asshole. All right. Speaker 1 01:33:20 What it, what Speaker 0 01:33:21 Please don't make me say all that again. I was psyching myself up for like five minutes. Speaker 1 01:33:27 Leo takes a step forward and reaches a handout towards him. Hate to ask this question again, but do you want the good news or the bad news first Speaker 0 01:33:39 That deflates? Why is there bad news in response to the thing that I said, Speaker 1 01:33:46 The hole in the floor wants me in it very badly. So you were right to be scared about me being out of the magnificent mansion, spell and off on my own. The bad news is that you were right. Speaker 5 01:34:07 Fuck. Speaker 0 01:34:09 He scrubs the handovers face. All right. All right. Um, okay. We can handle that. We can. Yep. And the good news is Speaker 1 01:34:21 The good news is that this time it tried to get me and I told it to go fuck itself. And I'm still standing here. So maybe it worked. You remember back in to June when I was so obsessed with my birthright, with what I thought I was owed, this is a millennia of betrayal and murder and lies. That's what I'm air to and the betrayal and the murder and the lies they want me, but they don't get to have me. And that's because of you. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you the way I did. You were just worried about me. You should have been fuck. I'm worried about me. Speaker 0 01:35:18 No, I was, I was being a Dick. We talked about some shit that brought up some bad stuff for me. And I was not ready for things to go to shit right afterward. And I wasn't ready to have to go from that to being worried. And it all got tangled up. I don't know. I'm not, I'm used to worrying about people and I'm not used to having people that I wanna look out for, worry about me. And that's my problem to deal with not a reason to keep you under fucking house arrest. I I've had that done to me and I fucking hated it. And I was being a Dick. Speaker 1 01:36:01 Yeah, you were. But so was I Leo waves around at the stain glass windows in the candles and all of the Kimer light trappings of this chapel, you know, I don't believe in any of this. Right? It's all a lie. Speaker 0 01:36:27 All right. He pulls you a little closer, puts one hand on the back of your head and says, you don't believe in any of this. You don't want it. What do you want? Speaker 1 01:36:43 You, Leo takes a step back, hops up to sit on top of the altar and pulls him in and kisses him Speaker 0 01:36:54 Z kisses you back, and then pulls back with a pop. And breathlessly says, you know, I think this must be some kind of SAC. Speaker 1 01:37:06 I think that I don't care. So fee you spend the next couple weeks mired in a waiting game. Fortunately Leo and Z seem to kiss and makeup in a pretty prolific way. Sine also mellows out a little bit. And as the days go by, you start to see Sid hanging out around the magnificent mansion a little bit more just for lunches and afternoon tea initially. But after a while, he starts staying for dinner before retiring back up to the tower, you come downstairs one afternoon to the front door, swinging wide open onto the beach. What do you do? Speaker 0 01:38:00 I look around to see if anybody's in the foyer. Speaker 1 01:38:04 Dexter's there knowing on one of friend shoes Speaker 0 01:38:09 I'm nod at Dexter. Good boy. And then I go outside, Speaker 1 01:38:18 Out on the beach. Verity is combing through piles of driftwood, looking for any kind of organic material that she can use for either spells or potions and a little bit further up the beach. Eleanor and KASA are sitting on a sand dun seemingly deep in conversation, but then KASA gets up, leans down kisses, Eleanor on the forehead, and then turns and walks back toward you. Speaker 0 01:38:54 Fe shoots are a little wave. Speaker 1 01:38:57 Oh, this is KASA. We're talking about. She fully comes over and gives you a big hug. Hey, good to see you up and about. Um, it's going. It sure is going, huh? Speaker 0 01:39:11 Uh, sure is KASA. Should I take that as a hint that you wanna talk about something Speaker 1 01:39:18 She scowls and then sits down on the beach next to you grabs a piece of driftwood and starts doodling in the dam sand next to her. I mean, it's just Eleanor and I were talking and doing some frankly really optimistic thought experiments about what we're gonna do if we survive all of this. And you know, when she doesn't want to go back to Esther by any stretch of the imagination and I can't go back to veal Speaker 0 01:39:56 You, you can't, Speaker 1 01:40:01 I can't walk down those hallways again without my parents. I just, I can't. And we've talked about this obviously, and both of us brought it up to Sabine who was very accommodating and said, oh yeah, that's fine. You can join the dance trou, but I have two left feet and Eleanor gets stagefright. So, Speaker 0 01:40:24 Oh, I'm, I'm sorry. Speaker 1 01:40:28 You don't need to be, I mean, losing a home just means getting the chance to find a new one, right? Speaker 0 01:40:43 Yeah. Yeah. That's fee plasters on a big smile. I'm sure you'll find somewhere that makes you happy Speaker 1 01:40:53 Stiffens and narrows her eyes. As she looks out onto the waves crashing against the beach. I found a person that can, it's just the place that's complicated from right behind you. You hear the front door of the magnificent mansion, spell open and Leo just yelling and cursing at the storm. God damnit, Dexter. What have I told you about digging in my flower bed? I'm gonna go ahead and roll perception for him. 21. He's good. He starts checking on these few Spragues of lavender and seagras shooting up through the sand in front of the door of the magnificent mansion, but then you see his eyes go sort of glassy and his face go vacant as he turns his head and looks toward the horizon. Oh fuck. Speaker 0 01:42:05 Fee turns from her conversation with KASA and smiles and says, Leo, have I ever mentioned how much I love it. When you walk into conversations and say, oh fuck, Speaker 1 01:42:18 Okay, can I clarify you me tower? Now he turns around and starts jogging up the road to the tower. Speaker 0 01:42:29 What do you, he turns back TOSA and says, if we don't get back in touch in 10 minutes, send somebody after us. And if it's been 20 assume we're dead. And then she starts jogging up the road after Leo <laugh> Speaker 1 01:42:46 You see him barge past the two front doors to this tower, I'm gonna roll a Wiz. Save for him 25. He's fine. He charges up the stairs past Sid. Who's going, what the fuck are you doing in my house? And making a bead line for the lantern room, which fee you have not been into yet? Speaker 0 01:43:11 That I have not. I'm hoofing it up the spiral staircase, trying to like hike my skirts up high enough that I can run yelling. Can you explain or are we just gonna keep doing this Speaker 1 01:43:22 Leo from a couple flights above you yells in a minute, Speaker 0 01:43:27 You are so annoying Speaker 1 01:43:30 Fee. You get your first experience with the top of this lighthouse, just a circular room lined with shelves of skulls and grave goods and requi labeled with names. It is deeply creepy. Speaker 0 01:43:52 Eh, he's Australian. She's fine. Speaker 1 01:43:55 As you move your way through this room, you heard Leo yell over his shoulder. It's okay. Take whatever you want. Just don't touch anything of uncle vows. Speaker 0 01:44:03 I'm not gonna grave. Rob our aunt. Tell me what's going on Speaker 1 01:44:08 Out here. Come Speaker 0 01:44:08 On. Speaker 1 01:44:10 He has moved a shelf to the side and opened up a long closed door to make his way out onto a narrow balcony. Speaker 0 01:44:22 I'm fucking going out there. I guess Speaker 1 01:44:25 You go out there and you see Leo squinting at something way off in the distance to the east. He reaches down to the bag at his belt and pulls out his crystal ball and you see kind of similar, bright blue magic to a Donna's start to spark from his fingertips and disperse into it like clouds. He casts clairvoyance. So he gets a view from a mile out to sea. There's a moment where he stares down into his crystal ball and then sucks in a sharp breath. Oh God, no. Speaker 0 01:45:10 Um, I, I look into the crystal ball. Speaker 1 01:45:15 You see a huge multi mastered sailing ship approaching with a plethora of ships. Backing it up. You're a little confused at first about why Leo looks so panicked because your initial thought is that it's the captain coming back with reinforcement. But as you look down into this crystal ball and watch these ships get closer, you start to see the familiar build of them and the flags that they fly. Your brother looks up at, you face a mask of sheer terror. That's the Australian Navy he's coming. And that's where we're gonna end for this week. Speaker 0 01:46:12 Screaming, crying, et cetera. <laugh> Speaker 1 01:46:15 Oh, oh, oh, you thought it was bad. It only gets worse. We'll see how much worse it gets next Speaker 0 01:46:21 Time on compelled dual we're in the end game folks, Speaker 1 01:46:27 Hey, everybody Barry here with the post script, just clearing up a couple housekeeping things here at the end of the episode, as always, I'm gonna go ahead and plug our social media profiles. You can find us on Twitter, Tumblr and TikTok at compelled dual. We have lots of other cool stuff going on. However, an official website, an official Spotify profile, our official merch store, stuff like that. You can find all that stuff linked on any of our various social media profiles. If you're interested in supporting the show, we ask that you consider heading over to patreon.com/compelled dual, where starting at just $2 a month, you can get access to all kinds of cool patron perks, including early access to episodes, access to exclusive playlists and bonus content, and even handwritten letters from your favorite character every month. If you're interested in supporting the show in ways, other than pledging to our Patreon, we ask that if you're listening to us on apple podcasts or Spotify, that you leave us a rating and a review, since that helps the show get promoted to a wider audience, we host a weekly Q and a show on our YouTube every week. Speaker 1 01:47:37 And we would love to see you show up for that. Ask a couple questions. We always have a really fun time. And as always, if you like what you're hearing on the show we ask that you just tell a couple friends about it. And if they like it, ask them to tell a couple friends as well. Word of mouth advertising is the most powerful tool we have at our disposal. Our release schedule is going to be a little bit different from now until the end of the campaign. So that's going to mean that our next episode will actually be coming out on May 20th, 2022. And then the episode following that will be out on June 3rd, 2022. And of course, if you're a member of our Paton, you'll be getting access 24 hours before both of those dates. Thank you guys so much and see you in two weeks.