Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00:00 Hey Al.
Speaker 1 00:00:01 Hey Barry,
Speaker 0 00:00:03 Did you hear about the dungeon master who was eating chocolate during game?
Speaker 1 00:00:08 No, I did not.
Speaker 0 00:00:11 It was a really big problem. He got accused of fudging the dice. It's time for compelled dual. Hello everybody. And welcome back to compelled dual I'm Barry
Speaker 1 00:00:35 And I'm Al
Speaker 0 00:00:36 And we are a single player, co DMed, D and D five E actual play podcast.
Speaker 1 00:00:42 And one last time previously on compelled dual.
Speaker 0 00:00:49 Oh, I would take a step away from that thing. If I were you children, you have no idea what you're toying with.
Speaker 1 00:00:58 Neither. Do you
Speaker 0 00:01:00 Everybody role initiative,
Speaker 1 00:01:04 Nat 20. Fuck. Yeah, no fucking way.
Speaker 0 00:01:09 Nat 20 each shit old man,
Speaker 1 00:01:12 His voice booms down the lighthouse as he yells enough of this and he casts circle of death.
Speaker 0 00:01:24 Oh, that doesn't sound like fun.
Speaker 1 00:01:26 No, especially not. When he casts it at eighth level. Ah, so you and fi both instantly take 59 necrotic damage.
Speaker 0 00:01:36 I would like to use my one and only seventh level spell slot to cast a spell called divine word.
Speaker 1 00:01:44 What word do you want to use to kill your father?
Speaker 0 00:01:48 Enough
Speaker 1 00:01:51 Out of this pit rises Aasha Decar Aasha gets up on her. Tip toes gives your father a long lingering kiss. He starts to relax into it. And then she dives sideways and pulls him into the fucking hole.
Speaker 0 00:02:12 We did it. He's gone.
Speaker 2 00:02:17 This
Speaker 3 00:02:17 Is your inheritance and your responsibility.
Speaker 2 00:02:22 You
Speaker 3 00:02:23 Know what to do.
Speaker 0 00:02:26 Le L sine will not become his father or his distant ancestor or any of the murderous despots in between. He does not let go of his sister's hand
Speaker 1 00:02:41 By the stairs stands the ghost of sore Shana. Hey Leo, we find you standing in a tower of looks to Golan, having just, well, I guess not killed your father, facilitated the death of your father and ending the massive broken promise that has been magically powering Ashur for the last 10,000 years. And in front of you stands the ghost of your ex-fiance. So what are you doing?
Speaker 0 00:03:39 Leo? Just stares at him. He doesn't move. He doesn't say anything. He's just frozen
Speaker 1 00:03:51 Sorin kind of shuffles awkwardly. Doesn't quite look at you and says, I, uh, got your message. I didn't really have time to reply though. Sorry.
Speaker 0 00:04:12 I should have sent it sooner. And I just realized that I had forgotten what your voice sounded like. And then Leo starts fucking sobbing. He has to lock his knees to keep from absolutely collapsing in grief.
Speaker 1 00:04:29 You feel fear, reach out to grab you. And then just after you feel something weird, there is a pressure holding you up, but it doesn't feel like a person is touching you. If that makes sense. There's no warmth. There's no feeling of anything touching you. It's kind of like laying back on damp sand. Like there's definitely something there, but it doesn't give you the kind of sensory input you would expect.
Speaker 0 00:05:17 He's like crying so hard that he can't see, but he grips at fee's arm really hard and jerks his head toward where he thinks the door is.
Speaker 4 00:05:28 Just, just go, just go tell him we're alive, please.
Speaker 1 00:05:34 Leo, your sister loves and supports you so much, but your girl is so fucking autistic. She goes, oh, thank you. And then just fee shaped cloud of dust as she bolts for the door.
Speaker 4 00:05:53 <laugh> no, really don't fight me on this. Somebody's go out
Speaker 2 00:05:57 There. <laugh>
Speaker 0 00:06:00 Leo like laughs hysterically for a second and then goes back to sobbing again. He's in a glass case of emotion right now.
Speaker 1 00:06:09 You hear sore and let out a little watery laugh. And it sounds like it is echoing down a hallway.
Speaker 0 00:06:20 Once Fe's gone, Leo is going to let himself sink down onto the floor. Just slowly going down to his knees is Sorin. Like Correal like if he tried to touch him, would his hand hit anything?
Speaker 1 00:06:37 Yes and no, he's not. Cial the way you expect him to be. It's almost like he is having to think about it and consciously react to where you are putting your hands.
Speaker 0 00:06:54 Leo still ugly crying, looks up at where sore and is still kind of holding him up where he's kneeling on the floor and just smacks a hand into his chest.
Speaker 2 00:07:07 Why
Speaker 4 00:07:07 The fuck would you die for me? You had people that needed you, Laura. I needed you. I let you go. And it was the hardest thing I've ever done. And you had a whole life ahead of you and you died for me. And now I have to carry that around for the rest of my life. Fuck you,
Speaker 1 00:07:28 You feel his arms wrap around you a little tighter again, it doesn't feel like a person is touching you. It's just this weird pressure. I wanted justice. I felt like no, I knew something was wrong. And after I started pulling back the layers, I, I just couldn't stop. I wanted to make things right. And I wanted you back and you feel a finger tuck some of your hair behind your ear. It wasn't for you. It was for me. And I would do all of it again. Well, maybe not the dying part.
Speaker 2 00:08:21 <laugh>
Speaker 0 00:08:27 Yeah, the, uh, dying part. Not generally advisable. I know you probably saw that there were other people, but you know, that doesn't mean that I didn't, that I don't.
Speaker 1 00:08:43 I know you don't owe me an explanation for being happy.
Speaker 2 00:08:49 <laugh>
Speaker 0 00:08:51 Do I fucking look happy sore
Speaker 1 00:08:55 Now I know, but you have, I've seen it. I want you to be
Speaker 0 00:09:06 You're leaving aren't you?
Speaker 1 00:09:09 Yeah, I am. I just, uh, had the chance to say goodbye and I took it.
Speaker 0 00:09:19 Hang on for a little bit. There's someone that deserves that chance more than me. Leo takes his knife out and casts sending to Laura lie. The message says either teleport up to the tower or find someone that can teleport you. There's someone you need to talk to.
Speaker 1 00:09:40 There's a long pause and then a pop of teleportation magic. And then you hear Laura's voice trembling. So Sorin turns away from you gets to his feet in one fluid motion and just says, Lauralie, you watch Laura. I sprint across the room and just dive into a hug. And SWO wraps his arms around her super tight. Laura. I is just sobbing.
Speaker 0 00:10:26 Leo's not gonna interrupt their moment. He just stays there, curled up on the floor, but he feels more alone than he ever has in his life. All of that grief that he hasn't had the chance to acknowledge ever since he found out Soren died is just a raw gaping wound right now. But he holds it together because breaking down in front of Laura, Eli is not gonna help the situation. Any
Speaker 1 00:10:57 Laura Eli is still just crying. You see Soren one semi translucent hand, just patting her hair down.
Speaker 2 00:11:07 It's
Speaker 1 00:11:07 Okay. It's okay. It's okay. And Laura, I just goes roll on the wild magic search table for Laura. I really quick, Laura, I starts glowing. It kind of hurts your eyes to look at her. She is still crying, but just glowing, like a light bulb now. So is still just patting her hair down squinting a little bit. Now I know. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I love you so much. I just, I needed to say goodbye. I'm so sorry. I didn't say goodbye, Laura. I pulls back a little bit goes
Speaker 2 00:12:07 Goodbye.
Speaker 1 00:12:08 No, no, no. Don't stay. Please stay sore. Pulls her back in, bears his face in our hair. I, I can't, I can't stay. I, he looks at you over her shoulder. I am still so angry about everything that happened. And I think if I stayed, I, I wouldn't be able to hold on to everything. And I don't know how to stop being angry. I'm afraid that eventually the only thing that would be left would be the anger. And I don't want that. I don't want that. I love you so much. And whatever comes next, I, I need to be able to keep that
Speaker 0 00:13:12 It takes Leo a really long time to get to his feet. It's like, he's got a 10 ton weight on his shoulders, but he walks over and just pulls Soren down until their foreheads are pressed together. Okay. Just before you go, did I do it?
Speaker 1 00:13:37 Do what
Speaker 0 00:13:40 Did I make you proud?
Speaker 1 00:13:47 You never needed to. I love you.
Speaker 0 00:13:54 I love you too goodbye. So
Speaker 1 00:14:01 He reaches down kind of prize Laura lie off of him and nudges her toward you. She latches on super tight, still sniffing. And then he says, goodbye, take care of each other,
Speaker 0 00:14:19 Leo nods, and then leans down to just bury his face and lower lies hair for a second. We will.
Speaker 1 00:14:29 There is no response. When you look up, he's gone
Speaker 0 00:14:41 For Ferra. Sine walks out the front doors of the tower of Lux to Golan and into an entirely new world. The reigning Archduke of Australia is dead. The lies and secrets and dark magic that have kept her family's dynasty. Afloat for millennia are gone and the world, as she knows it has effectively been saved. So what my big question is to you now, Al what does feed do in this brave new world? Her adventure is over. What does she want?
Speaker 1 00:15:25 I think that every grand plan and every title that fee has ever had, has been forced on her. So I think she wants peace and quiet. If they can do it without the captain getting arrested, she would like to settle in Pearl port. She gives up her title as pirate queen. I think she'll still spend as much time as she is needed out with the fleet. But I think her greatest ambition now is to find a community that she can be a part of and that she can help and live a quiet unremarkable life.
Speaker 0 00:16:15 Fe, we find you several years after the battle of Luxal Golan, you are perched on a bar stool at the rusty cut list Tavern on the island of Parla Cove, surrounded by the loud jubilant sounds of pirates from across the world, drinking and laughing and fighting and singing. There are several other members of the crew around you in this ballroom, you see boots and Pelican. Canoodling in a corner booth, you and glasses, both looking a little bit older than the last time we saw them have commandeer to pool table in the far corner and are going at it. They're both cheating. Doc is sitting down at the far end of the bar with a book propped open in one hand and a double whiskey neat in the other. And Ascot is fluttering back and forth between everybody with a clipboard, trying to make sure that you've gotten all your supplies from the open seat next to you. You hear a gro as somebody sits down and plunks a drink down in front of you, followed by where in cava name is Sabine. We've gotta be upstairs in five minutes.
Speaker 1 00:17:34 Not everyone else is here yet, dear. And you know, you have to tell her an hour earlier than when she needs to show up. When she's on mission,
Speaker 0 00:17:43 The captain looks mildly perturbed for a second, but then cracks a smile. He's back in the full swing of his duties as pirate king of the Zeph Isles. After all of that ended, mostly these days, the fleet is preoccupied with helping to reestablish the supply chain to V V. That was demolished by the Australian blockade and also helping with rebuilding efforts in and around Pearl port. After the city was sacked. He rolls his eyes and leans over to give you a little kiss on the cheek. I did this time. I've already tried the rings. Do you want to give it a shot and see if she'll answer you
Speaker 1 00:18:23 The grins and then reaches down to twist the wedding band around her finger and feels the buzz of magic in it.
Speaker 0 00:18:33 A sort of modified sending spell ripples out through this Artest ring that glasses made for the three of you. You can't send words through it. It's not like an actual sending spell or like your beacon coin, but it sort of just makes the other rings glow. Whenever one of you moves it around or triggers the magic in it. You don't get a response on the ring, but there is a light like a flash bulb from the empty bar stool. On the other side of you and Sabine appears there sitting very primly in juxtaposition to how absolutely covered in blood. And so she is she's in her black leather beacon armor. A few strands of hair have come loose from the slate, gray braid crown around the top of her head. And she looks very calm. All things considered. Hello, dear. Sorry. I couldn't answer the ring. I had a knife in someone's throat
Speaker 1 00:19:40 Fee is not even phased by this. She takes a sip of her drink and goes, oh, we assumed it was something like that. Did everything go well,
Speaker 0 00:19:52 Sabine digs through the front of her armor and pulls out a coin that she puts down on the bar top and nods at the bartender who starts making her usual before turning back to you in the captain with a big mischievous grin her one gold canines sparkling under the lights of the bar. Well, I mean, it depends on who you ask. The facts of the situation are that the professor that had been embezzling from the archeology funds at Northridge university in Gemara has been, uh, neutralized. And all of those missing artifacts got repatriated back to dower. So I'd call it a net success with the mystery that it had been founded to solve pretty much done and dusted the beacon under Sabine's leadership has taken on a new role in the world. At large, it took a long time for the wounds of the schism to be repaired and for everything to work itself out. But now it mainly functions as a big international espionage society that focuses on rooting out corruption. So yet you're not phased by this. This is another Tuesday for Sabine. The bartender comes back over with her drink and she takes a swig out of it and reaches down to squeeze at your knee. I didn't miss the meeting, did I?
Speaker 1 00:21:20 No, but you cut it pretty close and then fee leans over to give her a kiss.
Speaker 0 00:21:27 She kisses you back and then stands up off her bar stool and grabs her drink. Oh, well I can just take this one to go. Let's get upstairs. She goes to walk past you and the captain pouts at her and goes boy, equal distribution it kisses, please. Sabine rolls her eyes, but does lean in and kiss him too. And then the two of them stand up and start moving for the stairwell. Are you going?
Speaker 1 00:21:54 Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 0 00:21:56 You all head up to the upper room of the rusty cut list that serves as the meeting space for the pirate court. Most of the other pirate monarchs are already up here seated around this round table. The pirate Queens of, to Beatrix still branch and her wife, Ingrid are both sitting there talking amongst themselves. Aro the red is a little further around the table, smoking a long stemmed pipe next to her, the new pirate queen of doer Zara veer, this young wood elf woman in the equivalent of like her late teens, early twenties is whittling at a piece of wood. Kaia of clan missed foot. She who wrote the snapping turtle pirate queen of Oskia is just chilling on Kat's other side. There are five empty chairs, three of which are four. You Saab being in the captain
Speaker 1 00:22:57 Fee turns to the captain with her eyebrows raised and says, I told you they weren't here yet.
Speaker 0 00:23:03 He scoffs and flops down into his chair, kicks his heels up on top of the table. Oh, leave it to the Australians to be late and out this still open door in the hallway. You hear a brassy voice reply heard you were talking shit into this room. Strides Eleanor Ash, thorn outfitted in sturdy sailors, garb, dark curly hair, and a long braid down her back, an empty scabbard at her belt because nobody's allowed to have weapons in parlay Cove. She flicks the captain in back of the head on the way past him and then folds herself into one of the two empty chairs. Sorry. We're late. Her majesty the pirate queen couldn't decide what color feather she wanted to put in her hat this morning. And then into this room walks one less Petris. She is dressed so ostentatiously. She's got like thigh high leather boots with elaborate jeweled buckles this very well-tailored over coat of dams and gold trim, a big ass tricorn hat, a top her head with a fluffy purple feather in it and her hair still jaw length. Still very curly has been dye purple to match the feather on her shoulder sits a crackling fire spirit that you know, to be Bernie cinders, but he has transmogrified himself into a S smokey fiery parrot.
Speaker 0 00:24:49 And at the base of her throat pinned through the fabric of this frilly pirate shirt that she has on is the broach that belonged to defiance. The round red gem, gleaming softly. She gives you and Sabine and the captain a one armed hug and a quick kiss on the cheek before she goes to sit in the empty seat next to Eleanor and purchase her elbows on the table with her chin in her hands. Okay. Everybody's looking fabulous. We should get down to business. I think several of us have somewhere to be pretty soon after this.
Speaker 1 00:25:24 Indeed, we do. Uh, where's Laura, I
Speaker 0 00:25:28 KASA kind of smirks and reaches up to SCR Bernie cinders on top of his fiery parrot head. Yeah, well, I was gonna bring her along for like first mate training so she could learn the ropes and everything, but she saw glasses downstairs and refused to move. So,
Speaker 1 00:25:45 Uh, young love fee turns to the table at large and says, uh, just to start us off, not to speak over you, dear. She says to the captain, but we've had a rash of Asurion ships bound for Pearl port with relief supplies, getting rated. And we would appreciate if that would stop. Also, my brothers being insufferable about it
Speaker 0 00:26:11 Acro into the red stops with her pipe halfway to her mouth and her cheeks go kind of dark, ah, ah,
Speaker 5 00:26:20 My bed
Speaker 0 00:26:23 And this entire table full of pirate. Monarchs breaks out laughing. The captain cackling slings an arm around your shoulders and Sabine, trying to look dignified and failing, reaches down to squeeze at your hand. The, you are surrounded by friends and loved ones and the extent of your problems is such that they can be solved by a joke and shared laughter. You are happy.
Speaker 1 00:27:01 Our camera zooms over the fields and gentle, rolling Hills of central Australia and into the city of Valenti hall. Leo it's been a few years. What have you been up to
Speaker 0 00:27:22 A lot? Following the events on looks to Golan. Leo does assume the throne of Australia and become the arch duke, but only for the purposes of facilitating a complete dismantling of the Australian monarchy and government and theocracy, all of it. He's just there to facilitate that and ensure a peaceful transition of power. And then he's done. I think after that, his goals are basically to spend a couple more years with Zed adventuring around and cleaning up whatever messes are left. And then he just wants to settle down and have a home and be a home for the people that he loves
Speaker 1 00:28:11 Our camera zooms in tooth bed chamber of one Archduke LA sine. It's not super early in the morning, but about time to be rising. And you hear a pounding at your door, ASEs, Petros yells rise and shine. Sleep ahead is your last chance to pull a runaway room?
Speaker 0 00:28:37 What was, what was times it go away? Leo tries to roll over and just bury his face in Z's neck.
Speaker 1 00:28:47 Uh, Zed is not in bed next to you.
Speaker 0 00:28:50 Okay. Leo's awake now. His eyes snap open and he sits up in bed like a Jack in the box popping up, huh? Be out in a minute.
Speaker 1 00:29:03 All right. We still got a full day planned. And then you hear footsteps down the hallway and Esso whistling, uh, fantasy wedding March
Speaker 0 00:29:14 Before I get ready to go. Can I roll an investigation check to see if and when Zed came back last night and if he left any evidence?
Speaker 1 00:29:23 Yeah, go ahead.
Speaker 0 00:29:25 Um, I still have proficiency from my Phantom thing.
Speaker 1 00:29:29 No, you don't. After everything with the ghost hole, Leo, you lost all of your levels in Phantom rogue. I will leave the option up to you, whether you would like to go straight level to cleric or just change your up class.
Speaker 0 00:29:47 Yeah. It doesn't really make sense to get rid of all his rogue levels. Cuz that's like mechanical, physical things. He learned like slight of hand and being very stealthy. So I'm gonna change my subclass to mastermind. So with the amount of rogue levels that I have, I don't actually get that much. I'm able to unknowingly mimic the speech patterns and accents of any creature that I listen to for up to a minute. So Leo's really good at impressions now. And also I get proficiency in another gaming set and two more languages. I'll take proficiency in playing cards and I will learn or, and Sylvan. And also I can use help as a bonus action. So I only get plus three to this investigation check. Now 12,
Speaker 1 00:30:43 I'm gonna be honest. You are not the most organized person at the best of times. And for the past few months you have been mired in wedding prep, both because Leo wants his wedding to be good. And because since you are the arch duke, it has to be a public event. You did not have the option to do it privately. So the room is just full of wedding to try this. And Zed is way more careful about putting his shit back where it goes than you are. So you don't know that you can tell the difference between oh yeah. Zed was in here yesterday morning and oh yeah. Zed was in here this morning and just left before I woke up
Speaker 0 00:31:25 Leo narrows, his eyes gets out of bed, puts on a black satin bathrobe that he has had made specifically for the occasion of breakfast, hair and makeup. All of his grooms people also have matching black sat and bathrobes and he's gonna go downstairs for breakfast. Keeping an eye out.
Speaker 1 00:31:48 You make your way downstairs to breakfast. Sitting at the table are fee Sabine, ESA, Eleanor Rav Finn, your mother, your aunt Nora and one Celica Mor
Speaker 0 00:32:05 Leo sits down and reaches immediately for a quaff of coffee. Good morning, everyone has anybody laid eyes on my Bero this morning by chance
Speaker 1 00:32:17 Eyes immediately swing to ESA who just takes a long sip of her coffee and then puts it down, looks around and says, I don't know why everybody's looking at me. I ditched the bachelor party once it was clear things for getting too rowdy for me.
Speaker 0 00:32:35 Oh, things got rowdy at the bachelor party ESA. And you didn't think to lead in with waking me up out of a dead sleep this morning with that,
Speaker 1 00:32:48 They were literally with one of the two highest ranking priests in the country. I figured Verity would handle it.
Speaker 0 00:32:56 Okay. So where's Verity
Speaker 1 00:32:59 KASA, put the finger up and then puts it down slowly. <laugh> and ravine puts his head in his hands.
Speaker 0 00:33:15 You know what? No, this is my day. We are gonna have a nice breakfast. We are gonna go to hair and makeup. We're gonna look fabulous. Everything is gonna go off without a hitch and nothing is wrong because this is my day. Mom Celica. So glad to see you made it. Did you get everything cleared up? Okay. Back in Toon,
Speaker 1 00:33:35 There is a moment of silence and then Celica elbows your mother in the side. And she looks up from where she was poking at something on her plate and goes, Hmm. Oh yes. Uh, one of my students almost blew up the entire building, but it was okay. You know that for starters, your mother didn't want to come back to the palace at Valenti hall, for reasons that became obvious when she was there for more than a few days, it made her extremely scattered and confused a lot of the time. So she packed up and moved into the tower where Celica Tildra and ravine made their home for many, many years. Although she and Celica still won't admit whether or not there's something happening between the two of them. But after you and ravine both brought up the points to the two of them that perhaps being alone in the woods was not good for either of their mental health. The two of them set up a school for a wizardry and AR near the city of lock with the enthusiastic blessing of king war and Don chaser. Nora gesturing with her fork says, it's fine. We only lost track of them for what six hours, how much trouble could they have gotten up to in six hours?
Speaker 0 00:35:00 Why did you say that? It's fine. It's fine. Everything is fine. Nora, do you know when LAR and ARA are supposed to make it in?
Speaker 1 00:35:11 Uh, probably on the midmorning barge with Linn cam, they sent me a message this morning saying that they had gotten outta town Leo in the last few years, your aunt Nora, your uncle, Aaron and your uncle bras have all moved back to mainland. They didn't particularly want to move to V. They just all had to because of your father, but Lark and ARA elected to stay back in V because essentially their entire lives were there. Last you heard ARA is working in the Tony's garage and running a kind of side hustle out of it, selling some AR items that she makes on commission and LA is doing the most. According to ARA their profession currently is giving Tara readings in the park and being thrown money by attractive young men.
Speaker 0 00:36:09 Yeah, that's what they deserve. That's awesome. Leo not slams a blueberry muffin and a mimosa and just gets up and claps his hands together. Okay. Everything is cool. Everything is great. I need to go get started on my hair or it won't be ready by this afternoon. I'll see you all upstairs. And he whirls around on his heel and just walks out of the dining room. As soon as he is a decent distance down the hall, he's going to reach into the satin bathrobe and pull out his knife, which he did tuck in there and cast ascending spell two Z. That says, if you are not dead, you're about to wish you were what the fuck happened last night. You will not ruin this day for my mother.
Speaker 1 00:37:06 There is a long pause and then you get a sending back reluctant. It's a long story. I'll be in touch in a minute to explain. I'm sorry. I love you. I'm sorry. I love you so much. I'm sorry.
Speaker 0 00:37:29 Leo stands there for a second. His grip tightens around the knife, but then he slowly puts it back in his bathrobe and goes upstairs to get his fucking hair done
Speaker 1 00:37:47 A little while passes. You get your makeup done and your hair fi Donna are helping you into your robes. Everyone has kind of filed in to get themselves ready. LA and ARA have shown up by this point and Tony with an eye, which is a pleasant surprise. Somebody tries to do her makeup and she gives them the most venomous look you've ever seen. <laugh> ARA also declines LA is having the time of their fucking life. Z's mom, Lynn stone bloom, and her wife Camilla have shown up. There's not much to do as far as getting Lynn ready. She's extremely butched. She's not gonna have it. Uh, she's wearing a simple, but very nice DY and some nice pants. Camila did her own hair. Her locks are twisted up into an elegant updo. She looks amazing. And everybody's just kind of chilling when a wizard from the order of I Luna kind of shuffles in gives an awkward little wave and says arche Laro. This is for you and holds out a stone of far speech.
Speaker 4 00:39:03 Yeah, I
Speaker 0 00:39:04 Bet it is. Leo tries to untangle one hand from where fi and his mom are swarming around him, trying to help him get dressed and picks up the stone and looks down into it.
Speaker 1 00:39:18 You see Zed, stone bloom, your partner of many years, the love of your life, the man you are marrying, not four hours from now. He looks extremely hungover. His hair's kind of hanging loose. He's got his face in one hand. And as soon as he sees you, he says, all right, listen,
Speaker 4 00:39:42 I'm listening.
Speaker 1 00:39:45 So, uh, baby, here's the thing.
Speaker 0 00:39:50 Leo goes rigid and bats fee away from where she's trying to adjust something on his robes.
Speaker 4 00:39:57 You don't
Speaker 0 00:39:58 Ever call me baby, what the hell did you do?
Speaker 1 00:40:02 All right. So, uh, things got a little hectic last night and we may or may not have gotten like, just a little bit, just like a tiny bit arrested, maybe a little,
Speaker 0 00:40:16 Oh, Leo throws both hands up and bats everybody away from him and then brings the stone of far speech back up in front of his face.
Speaker 1 00:40:26 Uh, uh, <laugh>
Speaker 4 00:40:28 Uh, I'm sorry. We, we are getting married in like three and a half hours, Z who is in there with you
Speaker 1 00:40:38 Z scrubs, a hand down his face, looks over his shoulder and then turns back to the stone of far speech and says, uh, well, well Mia left. They said, and I quote bye suckers. And then they turned into a fly and flew out the window. Uh, so it's just me. The captain and Verity
Speaker 4 00:41:02 Verity
Speaker 1 00:41:05 Ravine looks up from across the room concerned, sweetie. The skeletal Sparrow starts to fly in circles around his head, as he says, uh, what about Verity?
Speaker 4 00:41:17 Shut up Rahan oh my God, Zed. That is our efficient, there are three fundamentally necessary elements to this wedding, two groups and an efficient. And you mean to tell me that two of them are in, oh
Speaker 0 00:41:33 My God, you are so lucky. You are not here right now.
Speaker 1 00:41:37 Zed puts a hand up and makes a vague gesture and says, look, look, look, look, boss, it's fine. You just need to come bail us out. You just, you just need to come bail us out.
Speaker 0 00:41:50 What did you do?
Speaker 1 00:41:53 Well, all right. Uh, so we were all pretty toasty and the captain repeated a proposition that he had made before vis Avi, me stealing a boat.
Speaker 0 00:42:06 Leo drops the stone of our speech to his side for a second and just stares into the middle distance before bringing it back up. Who stole a, what boat did you steal, honey?
Speaker 1 00:42:20 The, the barge,
Speaker 0 00:42:23 What barge said?
Speaker 1 00:42:26 The, the one that is owned by the palace.
Speaker 0 00:42:31 You stole the Royal barge. You stole my boat, my boat. That is also gonna be your boat in three and a half hours. Supposedly,
Speaker 1 00:42:43 If you wanna get technical, we got arrested for assaulting a member of the city guard. And that was Verity.
Speaker 0 00:42:48 What is Verity even doing there? She's the high priestess of Kiva. How does this happen?
Speaker 1 00:42:54 She said she wanted to get wild. And in the background you hear a long, low grown <laugh>.
Speaker 0 00:43:01 That
Speaker 1 00:43:01 Is distinctly in Verity's voice.
Speaker 0 00:43:06 Yeah. And I did pass that law last week that said that regardless of political status, everybody is equal under the law for every time I try to do something good. Okay. Okay. Okay. Here's what's gonna happen, said I'm not gonna bail you out.
Speaker 1 00:43:26 Uh, that, that seems like it would get in the way of us getting married in three and a half hours and then said, looks off, away from the stone and says three hours and 20 minutes.
Speaker 0 00:43:39 Oh, Leo is a man on the edge. At this point, he looks down into the stone of far speech with a big manic smile. You heard me, I'm not coming to bail you out. You're gonna wish I had come to bail you out. Hey Lynn,
Speaker 1 00:43:58 Across the room too far away to hear the stone of far speech, but close enough to hear you yell. Lynn stone bloom looks up from her book goes, eh, and from the stone, he hears that he go, no, no, no, no, no.
Speaker 0 00:44:12 Leo does not look at Lynn. He is looking down into the stone of far speech with absolutely no mercy. Guess where your son is right now.
Speaker 1 00:44:23 Lynn turns a page in her book and then goes jail.
Speaker 0 00:44:29 Leo says absolutely nothing. He just reaches down onto the vanity, pulls up a coin purse and holds it out in her direction.
Speaker 1 00:44:39 The entire room goes dead, silent for a second. And then you hear the sound of a book closing and Lynn goes, oh, you gotta be fucking kidding me. And she gets up, walks over, takes the coin purse and says back in a bit and Z from the stone of far speech says softly pitifully. Why? I thought you loved me.
Speaker 0 00:45:06 Leo bites his tongue and shakes his head and smiles despite himself. I do more than anything. I will see you at the end of that aisle, you Jack ass. And then he hangs up the stone of speech
Speaker 1 00:45:31 Three hours and 15 minutes later, you find yourself standing at the end of an aisle in front of all of your loved ones. And also many, many, many strangers who invited themselves to your wedding because you're a public figure. And then the door opens and in bust's Verity, her hair is not done. It is a mess. She is wearing her priestess robes and like adjusting how they're falling as she's walking in, gives everybody a big smile and an awkward Courty that looks like she's stole it straight from feet and then busts up to the altar and gives you a big thumbs up. And then after a moment, Zed slides in Lynn is walking him down the aisle. He's sort of matching her attire. The out eye that he's wearing is a little longer and a lot more embellished heat Grimes as he locks eyes with you. And then turns it into a big smile, gets to the end of the aisle, grabs your hand. And in a very quiet voice says, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry.
Speaker 0 00:46:46 Leo tries really hard to glare at him for a second, but then smiles slowly and softly and squeezes at his hand, Hey, we made it.
Speaker 1 00:47:04 His smile also goes really soft and he squeezes your hand back and then looks around this big chapel at all of these strangers again, who invited themselves to your wedding because it's public. And then in an undertone says, how long do we have to do this shit? Still.
Speaker 0 00:47:29 Leo also turns around to look at this big audience with a big fake political smile. And through his teeth says I filed the application paperwork yesterday, exactly six months from the moment we say I do
Speaker 1 00:47:49 Thank fuck Verity on this alter to your side, puts her hands together, gives a beatific, smile to the crowd and says, hi everybody. Last night I found out with Jay, is it out what jail is? I didn't like it dearly beloved. We are gathered here today. And Leo at the very back of this crowd, you see leaning against the wall, a tall figure, lanky, dark hair, dark robes. He would almost look like an El, if not for the height, the curling horns going up from his forehead and the big glowing silver purple eyes. Kim camera of the Lord of bones gives you a sharp smile, raises a champagne flute, nods and disappears,
Speaker 0 00:48:56 Leo grins, and then turns to look at said, as Verity continues to pro on, he reaches into the pocket of his robes and wraps his hand around the hill of Kim's blade and casts a message can Tripp ed said, don't worry about them. Okay, it's us. It's just us
Speaker 1 00:49:24 Zed. Still with that soft fond smile on his face. Nods and sends a message back. Yeah, it's just us
Speaker 0 00:49:45 Fee. We find you waking up in a big, soft bed in the late hours of the morning. You can tell by the angle of the sun coming in through the window, the mattress feels pretty empty. The captain and Sabine aren't with you. But as you're lying there, you hear the sounds of Seagul crying and people milling about in the street outside. The typical sounds of a morning in downtown Pearl port, what are you doing?
Speaker 1 00:50:20 He's gonna get outta bed, pull something on and head downstairs.
Speaker 0 00:50:27 You reach the bottom of the stairs in this very nice cozy townhouse where you live when you are not living and working on the ship and are met with the sound of food cooking and the smell of fried potatoes and eggs. There's a living room off to your left with a couple big comfy couches and mismatched arm chairs, a guitar leaning up in one corner and a half finished, big ass jigsaw puzzle on the coffee table. And before you can hang the right into the kitchen, somebody is pressing a mug of hot coffee into your hand morning sunshine. The captain and Sabine already rolled out. They said not to wake you up.
Speaker 1 00:51:15 Fee takes the mug coffee with a grateful smile. Uh, thanks, Fen. Where did they head out to?
Speaker 0 00:51:25 The coffee is made to your exact preference, lots of sugar, a little splash of cream, caramel and vanilla delicious. And when you look up at the person that has given it to you, fand Torme is standing there in simple sturdy clothes in the Zeph Ailes fashion with a hideously frilly apron tied over them. He's got his hair up in a messy bun. And the hand that wasn't giving you your coffee is already busy, straightening something on an end table. This is his house, you and the captain and Sabine just occupy the guest room. When you feel like being on dry land for a little bit, he raises an eyebrow at you and kind of pops his hip against the doorframe into the kitchen. Well, um, Sabine got a beacon call early this morning about some disgruntled ex noble in Australia, causing problems and rallying people to their cause. So she had to go and to everybody surprise, the captain stole another boat that he shouldn't have and had a court date. So you're stuck with us for today. I'm afraid breakfasts on the table. If you want it
Speaker 1 00:52:46 Fee takes a sip of her coffee and goes, oh, breakfast. I owe you my life and then walks into the kitchen.
Speaker 0 00:52:56 As you walk away to your back, F says, you owe me your life for things other than breakfast fee. Remember the tree that tried to kill us. Remember the cave full of coldest. I made eggs and hash Browns. Don't patronize me
Speaker 1 00:53:15 Fee, tosses him a two finger salute over her shoulder and says duly noted. And then she's gonna go in the kitchen and get some breakfast.
Speaker 0 00:53:25 You walk into the kitchen and dining space of this townhouse. It's a bit cramped, but very well upkept and sitting at a round wooden table in this little breakfast nook, surrounded by brightly lit windows. Domin Sandis is paint. Sous is painting their nails. Occasionally stopping to take a sip of coffee. They slowly raise an eyebrow at you. If you're not interested in the hangover special. I got several millennia of experience as an intern, which means I can always find the best bakery and a one mile radius. There are pastries on the counter,
Speaker 1 00:54:11 As much as I like friends, cooking appreciated. And then fi is going to go grab a pastry and a very small portion of hash brown and egg.
Speaker 0 00:54:22 Mia has bought food for a lot of breakfast, corporate meetings. It's the best donut you've ever fucking had. You sit down across this round table from them. And before you have even truly gotten into your breakfast, this big red crystal on the edge of the table starts to light up and vibrate.
Speaker 1 00:54:47 She picks it up and holds it up to her face
Speaker 0 00:54:52 On the big flat surface of this crystal. You see static that crackles and ripples, and then solidifies into the face of one ravine. CLL who looks very sweaty and very tired, but also very happy
Speaker 8 00:55:15 Oh fee. Hey, I didn't know that you all had made landfall recently. How's it going?
Speaker 1 00:55:23 Uh, it's going pretty good. Well, we've been on land for a week and my husband is already in trouble with the law again, but she raises her donut. Mia bought me breakfast.
Speaker 0 00:55:36 Rafa goes through a couple complicated looking facial expressions.
Speaker 8 00:55:41 Yeah. Well the thing is that we were actually calling to talk to Mia. Um, I'm I'm gonna put Ave on the line.
Speaker 0 00:55:50 On the other side of the stone of far speech, you see the camera lens shift to big blue skies, fluffy clouds, ragged tangled undergrowth, and here a couple mumbled exchanges before somebody else picks it up. Shifts the angle and you are looking at ARVE Mar who has a big excited smile on her face goggles down over her eyes. All of the zoom in lenses clicked in
Speaker 8 00:56:28 Oh, Ferra, not the person I was expecting to see, but I think you could have some insight to offer on this,
Speaker 1 00:56:35 Uh, hi Ave. Are you sure? Cuz Mia's right across the table.
Speaker 0 00:56:41 Mia finishes painting their pinky nail and goes Nope, too early.
Speaker 1 00:56:47 I take it back. I'm the best you're gonna get
Speaker 0 00:56:50 AATE shrugs. And then you see the surface of this stone of far speech. Get blotted out. As she reaches in to tap her finger against it a couple times and switch the camera view around you see impossibly tall trees, big coniferous Pines shooting up into the sky. You see a quick flash of giant humanoid bones and then the familiar surface of a stone circle with ancient roots inscribed around it. The place where you and your brother landed long ago, right after trying to kill each other, you hear the sound of a fingertip on stone. And then the camera view snaps back around to a based face.
Speaker 8 00:57:45 So I focused my research into figuring out how to integrate the Australian portal system back into the international web Florian and sitter here, by the way, say, hi boys.
Speaker 0 00:58:00 She tilts the stone away from her a little bit. And you see Flo and GVAs in a very big sun hat and very dark sunglasses. He also looks like he has the like zinc sunscreen, smeared under both eyes,
Speaker 4 00:58:20 Sid GVAs who is still technically the high priest of Kim in Australia
Speaker 0 00:58:26 And has apparently taken a sabbatical is also standing there looking measurably more miserable. He's got a Perol popped up over his head. He does not acknowledge you through the stone of far speech. He just looks down at the ground and kicks a rock. The stone of our speech pans back over to Ave.
Speaker 8 00:58:51 Anyway, we're having fun. Your friend IVA has been a wonderful guide. We just had some questions about whether you or Leo or Mia could decipher some of the ruins around the portal.
Speaker 1 00:59:07 I'll take a whack at it. Show me
Speaker 0 00:59:10 Ave pans, the stone of horror speech back towards this engraved circle on the ground. Uh, roll me a history check with advantage.
Speaker 1 00:59:24 That is in 18.
Speaker 0 00:59:27 Okay. So fee, I'm looking at your character sheet right now because of a storm sourcer feature. You do actually speak and understand Prial, which is the language that these ruins are written in
Speaker 1 00:59:44 What
Speaker 0 00:59:47 I said, what I said, you had your subclass switch back in season two, but the ruins around the circle at the Citadel and Pearl port had been altered. You couldn't read them, but these, you can now read and through deduction and basic logic, you can figure out that they are older than any influence that Kimra and Kiva have had on this planet. They're oldest shit.
Speaker 1 01:00:21 Oh, oh, okay. Do you wanna tell me what they say or should I just leave it ambiguous and translate them for ARA a <laugh>
Speaker 0 01:00:30 Their coordinates essentially. It's like looking at a map and seeing latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates,
Speaker 1 01:00:40 Huh? I've relayed this information to ARVE.
Speaker 0 01:00:46 She breaks into a big grin and whips around a look over her shoulder.
Speaker 8 01:00:53 So it is laying. I was right, boys break out the shovels
Speaker 0 01:00:59 And then there is a low magical hum and the stone goes dead. F walks back into the kitchen and sort of leans back against the wall and crosses his arms over his chest. Okay. So no beacon business for you today. No fleet business. We could use some help down at the fish market, especially from somebody that has access to Atellica spell.
Speaker 1 01:01:30 Uh, absolutely. If he just shoves the rest of her donut in her mouth gets up claps her hands and does a little finger gun at Mia. And then she's gonna head out.
Speaker 0 01:01:45 You emerge into a bustling square in downtown Pearl port. You see the familiar faces of a neighborhood you have grown to know and love bustling around you. Several people raise a hand in greeting, call out to ask how you're doing and you follow F the few blocks over and down towards the fish market. Again, familiar faces, friendly voices. You have a community. You have people that know and care about you. None more so than the person behind the tiny hand that grips at your skirt and tugs. As you go to move your way down this street past all of the artisans booths and street food vendors,
Speaker 1 01:02:50 Uh, fee looks down to see who's tugging on our skirt.
Speaker 0 01:02:55 You see a tiny storm folk child like equivalent of two, three years old, long curly, dark hair that flashes with an Opalescence of pink and gold in the sunlight solid white eyes, big and beaming up at you. She tugs hard at your skirt again and says in a very articulate voice
Speaker 4 01:03:29 Where's captain where's presence.
Speaker 0 01:03:32 And then from one of the booths off to the side, you hear Ugh,
Speaker 4 01:03:37 Naomi for pity's sake
Speaker 0 01:03:40 And a very familiar storm folk woman with similar dark curly hair to this little girl comes running out into the street. Sabine's friend Mira scoops her daughter up under one arm, gives you a sympathetic look and goes.
Speaker 4 01:03:59 I'm so sorry. Everything is give me, give me gimme right now, Adam and I are praying. It's a face
Speaker 2 01:04:06 <laugh>.
Speaker 1 01:04:07 It probably doesn't help that the captain's spoiling her rotten
Speaker 2 01:04:12 Little
Speaker 0 01:04:12 Naomi from where she has been hiked up under her mother's arm. Like a sack of potatoes glares at you bail fully.
Speaker 4 01:04:21 I'm not roting
Speaker 1 01:04:24 Feed bites back a laugh. So as to not patronize this very small child and then kind of bends to get on her level and gives her a kiss on the forehead. No, you're not rotten. You're sweet. Huh?
Speaker 2 01:04:40 I,
Speaker 0 01:04:40 I am.
Speaker 1 01:04:43 Feed's gonna pinch one in Naomi's cheeks. Give her another kiss and say, we have to run sweet girl. I'll see you later.
Speaker 0 01:04:51 You and fend take back off through the fish market, weaving back and forth between the crowds. And as you stop at the corner right before the docks, you look up across the street and through this sea of people bustling around doing their shopping. You see a very tall figure. They are wrapped in a long stormy cloak, comprised of shifting colors of purple and blue and gray and dark green. They have a shock of stark white hair cut into a very severe undercut and big all Iris electric, blue eyes, Kiva grins at you raises one hand in a wave. And then your attention is drawn away by a big group of people bustling across the street. And when you look back up, she's gone Finn kind of elbows you in the side and nods over at you. You good?
Speaker 1 01:05:54 She is still staring at the spot that Kiva just disappeared from. Uh, yeah. Yeah, I'm good. Um, yeah, let's go.
Speaker 0 01:06:07 You and Finn make your way down to the docks, which are busy as ever. It's been years since the sack of Pearl port, but there is still some lingering damage. Most of it in this part of town has been repaired. There's just a couple more peers that need fixed up. So you and F head down to a work crew that is getting ready to start laying down some new framework and you feel the ring on your finger buzz
Speaker 1 01:06:38 Fee reaches down and twist it a couple times.
Speaker 0 01:06:43 You look up on the sheer face of this cliff, rising out of the water that the city of Pearl port is hu out of. And you see a familiar hole in the side of the rock. It is the cave that you snuck out of the Citadel through when you were getting ready to fight defiance. Uh, the, the captain snuck out of his court date. He's hanging out inside the mouth of this little cave. You look up, see him and he grins winks at you and the ring on your finger buzzes. Again,
Speaker 1 01:07:21 He reaches down and twists at her ring again, and then she casts control winds and just blows some wind right into his face.
Speaker 0 01:07:34 By the time he makes it out of this cave and down the cliff to the docks, he looks like a member of an eighties hair metal band. Thanks to that control, wind spell. He jogs over to where you and Fen are. Standing, goes up on his tip toes to kiss you on the cheek and then kind of rocks back and forward on the balls of his feet for a second.
Speaker 1 01:07:54 So, ah,
Speaker 0 01:07:56 We've got about 20 minutes before they start looking for me. So I need to run back to the ship.
Speaker 1 01:08:02 Are you staying
Speaker 0 01:08:02 Or going last?
Speaker 1 01:08:05 Hmm, I've got too much to do to participate in shenanigans. She's gonna lean in and give him a kiss. I'll see you tonight though. Assuming that you don't get arrested for ditching your court date again,
Speaker 0 01:08:23 They've gotta catch me first. He just turns on his heel and runs
Speaker 1 01:08:30 Fee calls after him. Good luck with that love.
Speaker 0 01:08:35 He doesn't turn around, but he does reach up one hand in a wave as he sprints off through the fish market. Next to you. Finn rolls his eyes and leans down to shoulder. A massive beam of wood that he starts carrying off towards the construction. Well, Mia's been wanting to take a vacation anyway. Maybe all of us can pile on the ship and head to east cliff until the statute of limitations runs out.
Speaker 1 01:09:04 Oh, that would be fun. I haven't seen head a woman rose in a while.
Speaker 0 01:09:09 Yeah. And I wouldn't mind the change of scenery. He shoots you a little half smile and reaches over to nudge at you again. It's been good to have you home though. And you note how easily he says it, how earnestly he believes it. F Finn is just as much at home here and now as he was that morning, all those years ago, when you two were joking in the bathhouse, right before ESA made it back to bell Andal he is home and after a long, hard fight for it. So are you, he nods down the docks at all these other members of your community who are helping with the rebuilding effort and winks over at you. Come on, let's get to work.
Speaker 1 01:10:18 Leo, you arrive at the docks of Al you were on the mainland to handle some business, but you step off the ferry, bringing people to and fro everybody on the docks waves. A quick greeting to you. You are a bit of a fixture in the little village that has started to reclaim the island. You head up the road in the direction of the lighthouse and stop before you get there to turn off into a little cottage, with a big fenced in yard, a little garden set up in a makeshift greenhouse in one end, a lot of big trees, a couple of goats and chickens wandering around as you open the gate and walk in, you hear shrieking laughter and Callie, be careful.
Speaker 0 01:11:17 Leo closes his eyes and size deeply, but then he's gonna follow the source of the noise
Speaker 1 01:11:25 Under one of the big trees in the yard. You see Zed standing, his hair's down. He is looking up into the tree and crouched on one of the branches. Is your daughter Cali, the equivalent of about three years old. She looks a lot like Zed, very round face, golden monolith, eyes, little tiny points of tusks coming up from her bottom lip. But she's got a little bit of U around like the cheek bones and through the nose and very much the same like cool undertones that you have. Although her hair is like dark, dark, she's got little pigtails and she is dressed for a party in a very cute little dress that is now thoroughly grass stained and covered in dirt. She sees you before Zed does and giggles and yells daddy look,
Speaker 0 01:12:27 Oh, I'm looking. He walks over to stand next to Zed and looks up into the tree. I really can't leave you two alone for more than an hour. Can I
Speaker 1 01:12:40 Said looking extremely embarrassed, says I was watching her. She just wanted to come out and play and scammed up the tree and Kelly from this branch beams and says I'm big.
Speaker 0 01:12:59 No, you're not. What you are is about to break your neck, baby, jump down. Daddy will catch you. Come on.
Speaker 1 01:13:09 Okay. She jumps out of the tree. Z catches are very fluidly and gives her a little kiss on top of the head and goes, all right, get over. There we go. She is still beaming. She goes, I got super high up.
Speaker 0 01:13:27 Yeah, you did. And your dress is not looking so good, huh? Baby, which you don't care about because you're a toddler. Okay. Callie, you wanna help us with something really important?
Speaker 1 01:13:42 Her face goes deadly serious in the way that only little kids can.
Speaker 0 01:13:47 Okay. I know for a fact that your aunties and your uncle are gonna be here very soon. I had to stay on the mainland a little bit longer than I thought I would. And we don't have dinner started yet. I need to talk to dad about something really quick. So can you be a great helper and go inside and get all the potatoes out of the pantry? For me,
Speaker 1 01:14:12 Kelly nods very solemnly and says
Speaker 6 01:14:16 Datos, okay.
Speaker 1 01:14:19 And then looks at Zed and goes, put
Speaker 6 01:14:22 Me down
Speaker 1 01:14:25 Zed pauses for a second and then says, do we say please? And Kelly size dramatically and kind of flops backward in his arms
Speaker 6 01:14:37 Down please.
Speaker 1 01:14:40 And Zed sets her on her feet and she bolts into the house.
Speaker 0 01:14:46 Leo watches her go and waits until she gets back in the house and shuts the door before turning back around to Z. I know I promise to be back sooner so I could baby wrangle while you cooked dinner. But come on, man. We both saw her. What did you let her do? Roll around in the chicken
Speaker 6 01:15:05 Coop.
Speaker 1 01:15:07 <laugh> listen. I take full responsibility for the fact that she goes stir crazy. If she doesn't run around the dirt every three hours. But the point stands that if I didn't take her out, she was gonna break something and it wasn't the chicken coop. It was just the ground next to it.
Speaker 6 01:15:26 <laugh>
Speaker 0 01:15:28 I'm not even mad. I'm fondly amused, if anything, but like really, I had a couple appointments back on the mainland that ran long and I did see the ship and the ban she coming in when I got back to town. So can you handle dinner by yourself? Cuz I have to go clean her up. She's gonna need a bath. And everything.
Speaker 1 01:15:49 Zed gives you a sideways look and says, implying that I wasn't already gonna be handling dinner myself. He pulls you in to give you a little kiss on the cheek and says, boss, you got many skills. Cooking is not one of them.
Speaker 0 01:16:05 You don't have to be a Dick about it. I think despite himself, Leo's kind of shifting back and forth nervously and he is gonna take a second to look over his shoulder into the kitchen window and make sure that Kelly isn't destroying anything.
Speaker 1 01:16:22 You watch Kelly very deliberately walk outta the pantry, holding one potato and stand up on her tiptoes to put it on the counter. And then walk back into the pantry.
Speaker 0 01:16:35 Potatoes.
Speaker 1 01:16:38 Zed puts a hand over his mouth. So he won't start laughing super loud potatoes. He asked her to cut the potatoes and then he scrubs that hand over his mouth and says, you know, my mom always used to tell me one day, you're gonna have one just like you. And I used to think it was a threat, but now I realize that it was a curse
Speaker 6 01:17:02 <laugh> <laugh> yeah.
Speaker 1 01:17:07 Zed is still like looking through the window, smiling fondly at your daughter, but he pauses swivels 90 degrees and gives you a look. Uh, are you good boss?
Speaker 0 01:17:24 Leo goes from staring into the middle distance back to looking through the kitchen window and watching Cali pile up her potatoes on
Speaker 1 01:17:33 The counter.
Speaker 0 01:17:35 Oh no. Yeah. I'm great. Your mom was right. We got one. Just like you, you ever wonder what would happen if we try it again?
Speaker 1 01:17:48 Z snorts and says, yeah, maybe we'll give it a shot once our daughter's old enough to be raised with.
Speaker 0 01:17:57 Um, I, I don't think we have time for that.
Speaker 1 01:18:02 There is a long moment of silence as Zed buffers come again.
Speaker 0 01:18:11 Yeah. Uh, I went over to the mainland this morning, cuz I had a couple of healing appointments set up couple folks that needed my help, but I also needed to go to a healer. So I went to see Verity about a hunch that I've been having lately. And it turns out I was right.
Speaker 1 01:18:31 Another pause and then Zed says seriously,
Speaker 0 01:18:38 Oh yeah. As serious as it gets
Speaker 1 01:18:42 Z fully scoops you up.
Speaker 0 01:18:47 Okay. I appreciate the enthusiasm, but you know that I get nauseous. And besides I'm delicate, according to Verity, there are two of them.
Speaker 1 01:19:00 Leo, you are onerously dropped to the ground.
Speaker 0 01:19:06 I think he fully falls on his ass in the dirt. I'm not even gonna roll a deck safe for it. He just glares up at Z. What part of delicate? Didn't you get? Asshole?
Speaker 1 01:19:20 Z has paused to buffer again, hands just kind of up. And then he goes, ah, shit, sorry. <laugh> and then reaches down to help you up. All right. Dinner. Yep. Oh,
Speaker 0 01:19:35 Leo reaches out and gets him by the back of the vest before he can get any closer to the house. Oh no, no, hold up. If you mention this to anybody tonight, you're sleeping with the goats. Got it.
Speaker 1 01:19:52 Zed stares into the middle distance for a long moment. I am being so silent. I'm gonna go make dinner. And then he reaches back and delicately untangles your from his vest and goes inside. What are you doing?
Speaker 0 01:20:13 Also going inside to give Cali a bath and get her into a new set of clothes, but then heading down, back into the village and out to the docks to get ready for all of our people who were coming in for Equinox, dinner,
Speaker 1 01:20:31 The ship and the ban dock. Well before anybody else is supposed to get in and you see Sabine fee and the captain all standing on the docks next to each other and KASA and Eleanor heading down the gang plank of the bane with Laura, Eli on their heels. As you get down there fee spots you first and gives you an excited wave.
Speaker 0 01:20:57 Oh yeah. Leo's running up to give her a big hug. He probably hasn't seen her since this time. Last year
Speaker 1 01:21:04 She squeezes you super tight. Laughs says, yeah, it's good to see you too.
Speaker 0 01:21:11 Is it? Is it good to see me stop robbing our boats? And then he lets go of her, moves down. The dock gives Sabine a big hug and a kiss on the cheek and then pulls the captain into a bro hug.
Speaker 1 01:21:25 The captain gives you that bro hug. And as he's doing it, he's saying scandalized where certainly not robbing the boats.
Speaker 0 01:21:34 I mean, I don't believe that, but I guess technically it's not my business anymore. Is it? That's liberating. I like that. I like things not being my business. And then he runs to the other side of the docks to pull ESA, Eleanor and Laura, I and do a big group hug.
Speaker 1 01:21:53 They all go into this group hug with you, Laura. I makes a little me noise as she gets squished in the middle ESA is the first to extricate herself from the group hug. And she goes, yeah, yeah, it's great to see you and everything. Where's my baby,
Speaker 0 01:22:10 Leo Squin and kind of side eyes. Her, I don't know. My baby is back at the house. Having just been changed into a fresh set of clothes because she spent the afternoon rolling around in the garden and getting dirty and grass stained. But she will be very excited to see you. Everybody else should be teleporting from Valenti. Andal up to the new circle in the lighthouse any minute now. So let's just go. We're walking. We're walking.
Speaker 1 01:22:42 Yeah. Everybody walks up the road to your house with you. As you walk in, you hear the sounds of a knife very quickly going across the cutting board and Kelly chattering, ESA walks in, throws the door open and yells junior Andy ESSA's here with per and Kres and runs from the kitchen. ESA scoops. Her wrapping carries her into the like main living room. Eleanor watches them go with a big goofy, fond smile on her face.
Speaker 0 01:23:17 Leo walks through the living room and leans up to give Callie a kiss on the cheek where ESA is holding her and then turns to kind of glare, overhead big ESA a little bit. You didn't bring her anything explosive this time, right?
Speaker 1 01:23:36 ESA pauses, where she had her hand reaching into her bag slowly, pulls it out and says, no, I did not.
Speaker 0 01:23:46 Okay. Proud of you. And then Leo's gonna walk back through the kitchen, out the back door and go to make sure that all of the tables are set up outside. Cuz they are about to feed a lot more people than their house can have inside it.
Speaker 1 01:24:03 As you step out in front of the house, all of your people are starting to file downhill from the lighthouse. You see ADRA a little bit ahead of the pack just because the slope down from the lighthouse is a little hard on her chair. And she ends up going a little faster than she means to every single time. And Tony not far behind her Lark, pretty much keeping pace with her on their Heelies. You watch your aunt Nora call something after them. You can't quite make out the words, but you assume it's something to the tune of. Please slow down. Lynn and Camilla are there. Your mother and Sica are there. Ave and Florian are arm and arm whispering to each other while Sid just head down charges ahead of them.
Speaker 1 01:24:50 Mia has fend by the hand and is just towing him down the hill. <laugh> at the back of the pack. Your aunt Nora gives up on yelling after her kids next to her are walking your uncle Beres and your aunt J this tall willowy VIN woman with dark hair up in an updo. She looks a little awkward. This is the first time she's come to one of these since leaving her husband because he was not allowed to attend cutting through to the front of the pack or ravine. And verityde has their son journey. Who's the equivalent of about four by the hand and is like bent down saying something like narrating as they're going down the path. And ravine has their little baby daughter cherish, who is like a baby baby, just like in kind of a fantasy baby Bjorn. And he raises a hand and waves at you as they go down the hill, you don't know who they got to be the donor. They already carried both of the babies, but they look like a fair bit like ravine, uh, journey has very dark blue skin, a very veritable cloud of coilly dark hair and little deer like ears sticking up. And you can't really tell much about cherishes features just because she's so small, but she has like a very similar hair texture. Very similar ears looks a lot like Verity so far. Her hair is like stark white
Speaker 0 01:26:21 Leo jogs up the path towards the lighthouse towards all of them and just navigates the massive group hug as best he can. <laugh> I think he mostly just takes it one at a time, but once he gets to Verity, he pulls her in, puts his mouth right next to her ear and goes, tell no one
Speaker 1 01:26:44 That already makes a little me noise next to your ear. <laugh> and then extricate herself. And she still got journey by the hand and she just goes okay. And we're walking down the hill and we're about to get to the house. Remember we look both ways while we're going down the road and journey just goes both ways.
Speaker 0 01:27:07 I think before a Donna and Celica get any further down the road, Leo does dart over and give his mom a really big, tight hug.
Speaker 1 01:27:17 She squeezes you back super tight and in your ear, she just very quietly says, congratulations.
Speaker 0 01:27:29 Yeah, can't figure out what kind of humor it is that I should have seen that coming.
Speaker 1 01:27:36 She gives you another squeeze and then pulls away and gives you a little kiss on the cheek. And then she's gonna grab Celicas hand and keep going down the road. Your entire extended family found and otherwise gathers at your house for a nice dinner and a quiet evening together. Verity looks so tense about talking for like so much of the night. She is trying so hard not to spill the beans. She is just staring into a cup for like half of the night. Ravine keeps giving her like weird looks <laugh> and she says nothing. Zed also looks extremely worried that he's going to accidentally say something. He makes eye contact with Verity a few times and they just nod each other towards the end of the evening, you find yourself standing on your front porch. Everybody is kind of chilling out. Talking amongst themselves. Fee is standing next to you. And in the front yard journey and Callie are chasing Dexter who is just like stopping every couple seconds to puppy play bow and then run the other direction, the leans over and elbows you on the side. Hey,
Speaker 0 01:29:03 Leo elbows are back and then leans over to put his head on our shoulder. Hey
Speaker 1 01:29:12 Fee, reaches an arm out to squeeze your shoulders and says, this has been really good. Huh? And you know, she's not just talking about tonight. You stand there with your sister, looking over a world that you have helped to save and an island that you have helped make a home. Again, the sounds of your family, all around you, your daughter laughing and unafraid, dark times that you thought you wouldn't make it out of firmly in the past and the future stretching out in front of you, unknowable, mysterious a little bit scary, but ultimately hopeful.
Speaker 0 01:30:13 Leo loops an arm around his sister's waist and looks up the hill towards the lighthouse that starts to gleam a beacon against the dark. Yeah, this has been really good.
Speaker 1 01:30:39 And that is where we are going to leave the vow signs to their bright, happy futures. That is the end of our first campaign.
Speaker 0 01:30:58 This was a good story. Let's tell another one. We'll see you all soon.
Speaker 1 01:31:07 UN compelled dual.
Speaker 0 01:31:22 Hey, everybody Barry here with the final post script of campaign one. And for the first time
Speaker 1 01:31:29 I am here too,
Speaker 0 01:31:30 I'm not gonna go through all of the usual stuff because if you're listening to this, you've heard it all before. Instead, what we would like to do is say a few very, very sincere thank yous.
Speaker 1 01:31:46 We're gonna start out by thanking all of our patrons. Thank you, honey pots, Hannah Jones, kit, Kat morbid simplicity, Erin general Lilly weeks in general, Lily weeks, Laurel sleeper, Sam. I am summer rose, YY Lilly, Ren wild Anthony, Zoe Olson, cherry skulls, Alex Corrin, dowel, and peculiar wizard. The financial sport has really helped us with everything from upgrading our recording setup, to paying for our hosting fees. So we could keep publishing the show to paying for our auto transcription. So I didn't have to spend hours and hours typing out every word of every episode. Seriously, thank you so much.
Speaker 0 01:32:34 Another huge, thank you. Goes out to our amazing cover artist, a Jimenez who has given us three seasons worth of absolutely awesome art to use for the show as well as some really kick ass commissioned official art
Speaker 1 01:32:52 And speaking of art, thank you to all of the other artists that we've gotten official portraits from. Those are on our website and on all of our social medias. We've gotten official portraits of Leo and fee and Sabine, the captain and Zed. All awesome. And thank you to everyone that has made any fan content for the show. It's been really awe inspiring and humbling. You all rule.
Speaker 0 01:33:21 Thank you to my amazing, talented, beautiful, and most of all, patient wife, Chelsea for basically being the third member of our two person production team throughout the entire making of this campaign. She has done everything from website maintenance to guest, starring in bonus episodes as ESA a couple times to helping with the Patreon rewards, helping with transcripts, being a sounding board when we're trying to get something figured out, she's done it all and this show would not be here without her. So thank you so much, Chelsea,
Speaker 1 01:34:01 Thank you to our close personal friends that we basically used as a test audience for the first few episodes they've been with us for the last two years that we've been working on this campaign. And it has meant a lot.
Speaker 0 01:34:15 You guys know who you are, thank you for the advice. And most of all, the encouragement, we would not have been brave enough to do this without you.
Speaker 1 01:34:25 And most of all, if we haven't mentioned you already, thank you, everyone who has listened has been an instrumental part in us getting here and we can't thank you enough.
Speaker 0 01:34:40 So you may find yourself asking here at the end of all things, what's next good news. There is something next kind of bad news. We don't really have a concrete release date for it. There's lot going on. We're getting ready to move. Things are absolutely bananas right now. So we don't wanna make any promises that we can't keep, but you should look for the beginning of campaign two to start rolling out sometime around
Speaker 6 01:36:03 Shit.
Speaker 1 01:36:03 Okay. Shit. God it
Speaker 11 01:36:11 Your call to automatic voice message.
Speaker 8 01:36:17 Is it? Oh shit. It's recording. Uh O'Connell
Speaker 11 01:36:22 Is available at the tone. Please record your message. When you have finished recording, you may hang up or press one for more options.
Speaker 6 01:36:34 Fuck.
Speaker 1 01:36:37 Hey, it's me obviously. Um, long time. No seat. No, that's stupid. I don't know why I'm trying to be funny. <laugh> I don't even know if this is working or if I'm just talking to fucking nobody and no, no. Um, I, I don't know where I am. I keep trying to get out, but it's I don't know if it's this place or it's just me. I don't think I'm doing so hot. If you couldn't tell you probably could. Uh, I'm trying to get out. I, I need you to believe that I'm trying to get out. I need you to believe that I'm gonna get out. I wanna go home. Sorry. Sorry. Uh, I'm sorry. I know I'm not making sense. I, I, I think I need to go. I, I need to go, uh,
Speaker 6 01:37:55 I love you. I'm sorry.
