Episode 2 - Be Our Guest

[00:00:01] Speaker A: You're listening to the All Night Society, an actual play podcast brought to you by Queens Court Games. [00:00:39] Speaker B: Everyone went to sleep as the dawn came with a certain number of apprehensions, favors they would owe, secrets they let slip, trouble they might be getting themselves into. But when the sun finally relinquishes its grasp on the sky and allows you and your species to rise once more, the time for worrying about those things has passed. Not because those anxieties don't exist anymore, but because it's a bit too late to do anything about them. Tonight is the arrival. You have an appointment to keep at the Prince's order with something so important, he asked you to spread yourselves over the city of Chicago and make sure that a whole handful of interlopers kept their eyes pointed somewhere else. Really, this errand could be anything, but also it could be anything. And there's nothing the beast hates more than walking into situations it doesn't understand, that it hasn't. Scouted approaching danger that it can't measure. We'll see how that paranoia infects our kindred as the night goes on. But first, when the night comes, so does the hunger, and they need you all to make a rouse check. [00:02:02] Speaker C: Rousing success, of course. [00:02:06] Speaker D: Hunger gain. Who would have guessed? [00:02:09] Speaker E: Fortunately, Rousing success on my end. [00:02:13] Speaker B: It does seem appropriate that Joshua's beast first compels him, rolling in your stomach like a long, lazy wave. It's not an overpowering hunger, not at this point. Not yet. More like the elbows of this alien creature, just stretching as it wakes, reminding you that it exists. After all, Joshua's beast is a paranoid, dangerous creature trapped inside a paranoid, dangerous creature. Schmedric, on the other hand, what do you suppose it is that has you reaching for another juice box tonight? What has your beast on edge? [00:02:55] Speaker F: My recent altercation in New York has kept me a little on edge, and the knowledge that I'm already getting myself into trouble after coming so far is, I imagine, my beast finds it disconcerting. [00:03:14] Speaker B: Ultimately, the beast only knows three things to fight, to feed, and to flee. If you're in one of those modes, it's fairly easy to keep it satisfied. But you aren't fleeing. And so far as it can tell, you're not fighting, which leaves only one outlet for that anxious, predatory energy. Alas for Joshua, there is not time enough to commit to the hunt tonight. But, Schmendrick, you're prepared for these kind of eventualities, aren't you? [00:03:47] Speaker F: I am. I try to keep as many juice boxes as I can on handy, but some days it's easier to get them than others. So rationing is also part of my plan. [00:04:02] Speaker A: It's tough. [00:04:03] Speaker B: Whole blood only keeps for so long. I think 40 ish days is what the Red Cross says, before it spoils and it loses its palatability. Well, before it loses its potency. When you stretch yourself all the way to that last little bit of shelf life, OOH is it even worth it to stain your gullet with something so old and rancid? Maybe it beats falling into torpor or succumbing to hunger frenzy, but I imagine it's like trying to suck the moisture out of a carpet to avoid dying of thirst. That same level of visceral revulsion, to debasing yourself to that level to survive. I don't think that schmendric has gotten herself into that much trouble, though. But just to see, would you please make a predator roll for me? Two successes, more than enough. You aren't stocked up like a angry Texan ready for the apocalypse, but the key is balance. Go on, explain yourself. [00:05:14] Speaker F: Well, if you don't properly rotate in the stock and use it as it comes, then you are going to end up with that rancid blood that is less than palatable. And at that point, it's just a waste, right? Because you can't drink it or you can. But why? You don't need to torture yourself like that. Just keep a good count of your stock. Cycle it in, cycle it out. [00:05:40] Speaker E: And no wasting. [00:05:41] Speaker F: Try not to waste at least running. [00:05:44] Speaker B: Your haven like a restaurant. First in, first out. Make sure the stock comes in when it needs to. [00:05:51] Speaker F: And always have a little backup, just in case your shipment doesn't arrive when it needs to. But not too much. [00:06:01] Speaker B: Can never be too careful with the second inquisition around. Too many blood banks get robbed, too many trucks go missing, and then people start looking. Of course, schmendric would never knock off a Red Crossband. That's just not how she do. Right. [00:06:18] Speaker F: Yeah. The occasional breaking into a clinic, only taking what I need, nothing more. A bag of blood here and there might just seem like an error in the paperwork rather than a big snafu on the clinic's part. In that situation. It also comes into play that you need to cycle your sources as well. You can't just go to the same place again and again and again. [00:06:42] Speaker B: It's a tremendous amount of effort to protect yourself from that horrible sight, allowing someone to see your true form before you sink your teeth into them. Is it worth it? [00:06:55] Speaker F: To me, it is extremely worth it. And I imagine in some ways, it's not too different from those that actually have to go out and select the night they are feeding. In fact, it may even be more stressful because they're out there. They need food now, and the only place they can get it from is like active, intelligent prey. [00:07:17] Speaker B: Is that true, Ivy? Joshua, how much effort do you put into keeping things safe? [00:07:25] Speaker C: I have a small, dedicated group of people that enjoy being around me, and it's not very hard to convince them to spend a little one on one time with me, hang out, get a little close, and then once things are done, we act like nothing ever happened and go back to how it was. It's a relationship that I've had to work on, but it's very beneficial for me to have it set up this way. [00:07:58] Speaker B: So what would you call that if you had a collection of creatures that you kept cloistered in a group? Right. Some were sheltered, safe. You had easy access to them on a regular basis, and you cultivated them, made sure they were strong, made sure they were all taken care of. That way, they would provide the most sustenance. What would you call that? [00:08:19] Speaker C: Oh, gosh, if I had to give it a name, it's almost like a herd. A herd of cattle. [00:08:26] Speaker B: Cattle? I mean, your word, not mine. [00:08:30] Speaker C: Well, yeah, they're food. They're cute to look at, nice to enjoy once in a while, but ultimately, they're food, cattle. [00:08:41] Speaker B: It's interesting how they go from being people to animals when the hunger strikes, isn't it, Joshua? I imagine your conscience stays generally cleaner, considering your feeding habits. [00:08:56] Speaker D: My conscience does stay relatively cleaner. My feeding methods are procedural, we'll call them. I take my time, look for the right target, and make sure they are deserving of the justice I dispense. And then, just when they think they've gotten away with it, that everyone's back has turned to them, that's when I come. And while I don't drain them dry, typically there is a sweet satisfaction knowing that I have dispensed the judgment to whose right I have been handed. [00:09:34] Speaker B: In those particular social circles, the slightest hint of weakness or a single misstep can be all that stands between one of them and prison. Or worse. Taking a few pints off of someone before they knock off a liquor store might be justice all its huh, it's. [00:09:52] Speaker D: Its own sweet, specific brand. [00:09:56] Speaker B: Well, sweet is not a word that I would use when it comes to Rebecca's dietary needs. If I recall, you haven't fed from a human in the better part of two centuries. [00:10:07] Speaker E: Regardless of the needs that dictate our existence, there is no need to draw mortals into this. Sure, it might be more satisfying for some others to drink of human blood, but for me, it is just one step from being a monster. I prefer to take my sustenance the way I once did in life, albeit in a different form. Besides, no one's going to miss a stray cat or particularly wobbly stray dog. [00:10:37] Speaker B: Your ancestors have cultivated animals and survived off the land for dozens of generations, and even now, you do the same. Suppose you and Ivy have that in common. You both have a herd of animals that you tend to. [00:10:52] Speaker E: I would look at them as something other than animals. People, in her case. But anything that keeps me closer to what I once was, I will take it. [00:11:03] Speaker B: Everyone has a choice. Everyone makes sacrifices. Nothing ever tastes so good as hot blood from human veins. Nothing makes the beast swell and bask like that. Crimson coppery, beautiful bliss of fresh, fresh blood. And those of you who find sustenance elsewhere are making a deliberate choice to deny yourself that pleasure, all to pursue something that father kindred honestly don't care that much about. [00:11:38] Speaker C: Weird flex, but okay. [00:11:41] Speaker F: To be fair, the exotic flavors have hit my palate before, and I found the price too high. [00:11:48] Speaker B: Well, at least for tonight, that won't cause any issues. Our four kindred meet up in a predetermined place errands to run, tasks to accomplish. What is the plan? [00:12:04] Speaker C: We have a rented house where we plan to keep the guests safe until tomorrow night. So the four of us are going to meet up, travel to the rented house, prepare it for our purposes, so windows, that sort of thing, then head to O'Hare, pick up our guests, bring them back, and keep them safe until tomorrow. It should be easy. I absolutely hope it's that easy. I don't like it when you chuckle like that. [00:12:48] Speaker B: I have no control over these situations. It's all dice. It's beyond me. Or something like that. Anyway, so the four of you rendezvous at the let's call it the Sky Hotel. The place you rented through Sky Hotel. [00:13:06] Speaker C: Ah, yes. Good old sky hotel. [00:13:10] Speaker B: I hear they're doing terrible things to the rental market. But you know what? That's capitalism all the same. As the hours pass, you know it's time to get on the road. It's a half hour to O'Hare. Probably want to get there early. [00:13:27] Speaker C: Absolutely cannot risk being late for this. And we know where our car is going to be parked, so situating ourselves near all of that makes sense. [00:13:39] Speaker E: Nothing like being punctual. [00:13:41] Speaker D: Got to be there in time for any complications to come up. [00:13:45] Speaker B: Of course. Rebecca, have you ever been in an airport? [00:13:51] Speaker E: No, I haven't. I came here to Chicago through a series of trains and cars, but not by air. [00:14:00] Speaker B: You've seen them? Of course. It's not like you need someone to explain the strange metal Skybirds to you. [00:14:06] Speaker E: Gosh, as if they can make it any less condescending. But no, I'm familiar with them. Just haven't had any experiences. [00:14:14] Speaker B: Firsthand, just one more piece of your daily life that reminds you how far out of time you are. [00:14:21] Speaker E: Everything feels alien nowadays. Kenny finds solidarity with my own kind. [00:14:29] Speaker B: Well, I'm sure the second that you're done here, you'll be able to return back to your normal life. Easy peasy. [00:14:37] Speaker E: Yep. Do whatever Gen just wants me to do and forget it ever happened. [00:14:43] Speaker B: Well, as mentioned when you visited the airport and Noah flyboy Grewall, O'Hare is never empty. It's a different kind of busy than the streets. No one is ever happy at an airport, right? I suppose you have, on occasion, someone meeting a loved one, but that happens well outside the terminal these days. Once you're inside, it's just people stuck in a transitory moment, trapped in this place with $15 hamburgers and $12 bags of trail mix. I suppose it seems pedestrian to those of you with eternal life. Those of you for whom travel includes entirely too many dangers to be worth the effort. Vampires are sedentary creatures. This amount of to and fro is not for you, but that underscores the importance of what's happening here for you. That someone would travel into the city by air already commands a certain amount of importance. And when you stack on top of that, all the things that you've had to do. This is not your average meeting, but you've been given the location to wait. And judging by the lack of armed federal response to your arrival, flyboy seems to be keeping his end of the bargain. All there is to do is wait outside a bookstore, pretend like you belong until the flight arrives. I would like to know what does pretending to belong look like for you? [00:16:21] Speaker F: Well, in this scenario, I am actually too curious to keep my nose out of it. And I am going to use my abilities granted to me through obfuscate to remain unseen and relatively quiet. [00:16:34] Speaker B: Are you referring to unseen passage? [00:16:38] Speaker F: I am indeed. [00:16:39] Speaker B: All right. Sometimes it just takes a little more effort to be out in public. In this case, you draw upon the. [00:16:45] Speaker A: Power of the blood. [00:16:47] Speaker B: So I'll need you to make a rouse check. [00:16:49] Speaker F: A rousing success. [00:16:52] Speaker A: Well done. [00:16:53] Speaker B: Maybe the beast is just as curious as you are. So, for the others of you, you lost sight of schmendric almost immediately after leaving the car. You assume she's around. So how does a motley crew of mismatched kindred attempt to disappear into the crowd? [00:17:14] Speaker D: I had to do an awful lot of this back in Boston when I was looking into my fellow members at the Boston PD, for example. So I have some practice at just melting into a crowd. I don't do anything in particular. I just make sure I'm a member in the crowd and nothing more. [00:17:34] Speaker B: Are you pacing, sitting, shopping? [00:17:38] Speaker D: Just idly lounging. Perhaps leaning against the wall or something like that. [00:17:44] Speaker B: Be easy enough for Joshua to pass as a mid range businessman selling God knows what. Easy to ignore in an airport like this. What about you other two? [00:17:55] Speaker E: Oh, gosh. Not the first time in uncharted territory. But considering this is entirely new to me, I am used to being isolated. I try to do something similar to that. Finding isolation in a herd of people. I'm looking at the keychains in a gift shop. Just idle movements to distract myself until the moment comes. [00:18:19] Speaker B: See anything you like? [00:18:22] Speaker E: The keychains with names seem fun. Wonder if they have mine here. [00:18:25] Speaker B: Well, I mean, Rebecca's a crazy common name, right? [00:18:29] Speaker E: Sure. I'll just have to look around some of the shelves. [00:18:32] Speaker B: Are you going to go so far as to buy it? [00:18:34] Speaker E: Both of you, to assume that I have money on me? [00:18:36] Speaker B: That's a fair. Uh, Ivy. Rebecca's shopping for chachkis. Joshua's doing his best impression of someone who's ignoring his boss's phone calls. What are you up to? [00:18:50] Speaker C: I'm taking it easy, sitting on a seat, reading a book, because I always have a book with me. Makes the time go by much faster. [00:19:01] Speaker B: Well, you already know the next question. What are you reading? [00:19:05] Speaker C: As nice as it would be to be able to bring a ritual book out from the Chantry, sadly, it's not going to be one of those. What would I be reading? [00:19:15] Speaker F: The same book schmendric is currently reading. Sorry. [00:19:21] Speaker C: I was like, what book is Schmendrick? I would be reading a book that I got from one of my book club friends, is how I talk about them. It's a book on medicinal uses for plants. [00:19:42] Speaker B: All plants or just that one? Plant? [00:19:47] Speaker C: All plants. It's a good size book. [00:19:51] Speaker B: Anything interesting in there? [00:19:52] Speaker C: Not really. It's like, oh, sage is good for cleansing a room, and Aloe vera is good for sunburns and really basic stuff. And then it's just a lot of New Age witchy stuff. [00:20:07] Speaker E: Is that sage ethically sourced? [00:20:09] Speaker C: I mean, it has to be, because if not, what's the point? And it can't be white sage, right? It has to be a different kind of sage. [00:20:20] Speaker E: Yes. [00:20:22] Speaker B: Well, your attempts at mimicking ordinary human behavior don't require a great deal of performance in a place like this. The cardinal rule of the airport is to ignore everyone else in the airport. Right. Time marches on, though, and eventually the flight you're waiting for lands terminal five, as instructed. Gate m three. You're watching the passengers deep plane, scanning their faces one by one, looking for your cargo. Now, sometimes you can spot a kinch from a mile away. It's the way they carry themselves, the way they look. Just slightly out of time, just slightly out of place. And in this instance, even though you know by description, the people that you're looking for, you might have been able to guess who they are. There are two. A young woman, short, but with broad shoulders and a very muscular frame. Long, chestnut brown hair stretching well past her shoulders into the middle of her back. Her features would place her somewhere with an East Asian ancestry, but beyond that, you couldn't pin it down with a long black coat, a kind of formal New York look, interrupted by an incredibly colorful belt tied firm around her waist. She's beautiful. Beautiful enough to attract the attention of plenty of people as she exits the aircraft. But those gazes don't linger too long once they catch sight of her companion. [00:21:56] Speaker A: She is as short as he is. [00:21:59] Speaker B: Tall, also possessed of a strong, burly frame. But where she's put some effort into maintaining a semblance of blush in her cheeks, the man is nothing but pale, anemic skin stretched tight across sharp cheekbones. And those hollow, dangerous eyes searching across the crowd don't really help that emaciated, dangerous look. He has a bald head, a wild, untamed beard, viciously chapped lips, the kind that hurt to look at. His hands are weighed down with god, you'd guess, at least half a pound of thick jewelry. As instructed, they approach the rendezvous location soon enough, joined by a pair of mortals. You can tell by the doting, puppy like way they attend to their masters. [00:22:58] Speaker A: That these are ghouls. [00:23:00] Speaker B: But where you have been given the benefit of knowing who you are waiting for, it's not entirely clear that they know who's supposed to meet them. [00:23:10] Speaker C: Once I noticed them, I would close my book, put it in my bag, and stand up and start walking over to them. Hopefully, making eye contact is enough to let them know that I know who they are. [00:23:25] Speaker B: It doesn't take long for the pale faced giant to notice you beelining for them. He directs his associates attention in your direction. Why else would a stranger be coming over to say hello? Of course, you're the person that they're here to meet. How do you introduce yourself? [00:23:45] Speaker C: As soon as I get up to them, I extend a hand and I say, hello, my name is Ivy LaRue. [00:23:53] Speaker B: The gentleman seems content to just stare, but the woman, at least, has better manners. She extends her hand out, grabbing yours in a very firm, business like shake, going so far as to pull you closer enough to lean up against your shoulder and whisper into your ear, thank you, Ivy LaRue. Clan la. Sombra appreciates the welcoming committee. [00:24:20] Speaker F: Before anyone has a chance to respond, there is a sound just behind Ivy that just says, oh, letting you know that I've been right behind you the whole time. [00:24:32] Speaker B: Well, that's two surprises you have to deal with. [00:24:35] Speaker C: Yeah. So two things happen at once. First, my eyes go a little wide because I was not expecting these people to be Lasombra, but, I mean, the prince obviously knows who they are and what they are. So I'm not here to question. I'm just here to get them from point A to point B. So I try and regain my composure as I WAP my hand behind me to just quiet, schmendrick. [00:25:05] Speaker B: Shush. Mommy's talking. [00:25:07] Speaker C: Exactly. And then I respond and say, of course, it is my absolute pleasure. [00:25:16] Speaker B: For her part, the woman doesn't seem to notice or mind Schmendrick's presence, but you can tell the gentleman is aware. She presses on. I'm told you've arranged accommodations for us this evening. [00:25:28] Speaker C: Yes, there is a car for us. And we have rented an acceptable place to sleep for the evening, which has already been prepared. [00:25:38] Speaker B: The man snorts. [00:25:40] Speaker A: Acceptable. [00:25:40] Speaker B: I'll be the judge of that. [00:25:42] Speaker C: I give a little sideways glance at him, look him up and down, and then look back at her. With any luck, the next 24 hours will be uneventful. [00:25:54] Speaker B: I certainly hope so. Well, by all means, Miss Leroux, please lead on. Our ghouls will tend to our backs. [00:26:02] Speaker C: With that, I turn on my heels and reach out to where Schmendrick was, whether or not she's still there. [00:26:08] Speaker B: Still there? shmendrick. [00:26:10] Speaker F: Sure as awkward as that must be. [00:26:14] Speaker B: So Ivy's groping into the open air and then finally finds a nosferatu. [00:26:21] Speaker F: Can I help you? [00:26:23] Speaker C: Let's go. [00:26:24] Speaker F: All right. [00:26:26] Speaker C: And I catch Rebecca and Josh's eyes and motion them outside the terminal. [00:26:34] Speaker B: You decide to buy that keychain, Rebecca? [00:26:38] Speaker E: I don't have the cash for it, but seeing that everyone's gathered up, might as well make my move. [00:26:45] Speaker B: Back to the parking garage, then. The prince has arranged transportation. A black van, not a shipping van. Or a U Haul van. One of those nice ones, like a party van. You were given keys. Who's driving? [00:27:01] Speaker D: I would drive. [00:27:03] Speaker B: Joshua takes the driver's seat. Who's riding shotgun? [00:27:07] Speaker F: I am. Right up at the front. If anyone tries to sit, I'm already there. Just still partially invisible for the moment. [00:27:14] Speaker B: Really breaks the rules of shotgun when you can turn invisible, you know? [00:27:17] Speaker F: Yeah, it does. [00:27:18] Speaker E: I do love the thought of someone trying to sit in the front and. [00:27:20] Speaker F: Schmendrick just poof appears occupied. [00:27:25] Speaker C: I want that to be Rebecca so bad. [00:27:28] Speaker B: So the other two of you enter the rear of the van alongside your guests. Joshua brings the engine roaring to life, and then it's off onto the streets. For her part, the woman, she's introduced herself as Sierra von Burris, and she's fairly quiet. Her compatriot, on the other hand, wastes no time in running his mouth. And he scoffs. Ugh, what a shithole. [00:27:56] Speaker C: Gets nicer the farther away from the. [00:27:58] Speaker B: Airport you go, little girl. I've been on the front line and fought wars with the worst this planet has to offer. And let me tell you, despite having seen all of that, this is the shittiest, shit filled shithole I have ever seen. [00:28:15] Speaker C: You're so pleasant. [00:28:16] Speaker B: Oh, I don't have to be pleasant. I'm Malinkov, the first and last of my fucking name. And I've been fighting on this planet, as stated, longer than your time as a Lick. Front lines were mine, and I destroyed everyone and everything in my path, Canite or otherwise. So don't bother lamenting the fact that I'm not pleasant, little girl, because I don't give a fuck. [00:28:44] Speaker C: So you've been on the front lines, you fought kindred and kind, and now you're in Chicago. What brings such a decorated soldier to our little shithole? [00:28:59] Speaker B: Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize this ride was supposed to be an interrogation. Are you the good cop or the bad? [00:29:07] Speaker C: Um, I'm not the cop. I point at Josh. He's the cop. I'm just trying to make conversation. On our 30 minutes drive outside of. [00:29:16] Speaker B: The airport, Sierra chimes in. We're here to discuss important matters. I'm sure the Prince provided you with whatever knowledge you needed to complete this task. [00:29:28] Speaker E: Man, the outside the window is so interesting, I can't take my eyes away from it and totally ignoring what's going on in the car right now. [00:29:36] Speaker B: Melanchob crumbles. So I've got a cop. And what are you? Some kind of he's leaning over his face, making a 180 around yours, looking down your neck. Whose blood is in your veins? [00:29:53] Speaker C: I'm trying really hard not to be snarky about this, so I'm going to bite my tongue a little bit. I am of Clan and House Tremir. Of course. [00:30:03] Speaker B: Oh, the clan that murdered its way into the curse and the know. It's not something I can stand behind. No wonder nobody trusts you. [00:30:13] Speaker C: I don't need anybody to trust me. [00:30:15] Speaker B: Knows that a fact. [00:30:17] Speaker C: It is. I just need them to fear me. [00:30:21] Speaker B: Is that the case? And he just gives Rebecca a rough elbow? You obviously an outlander. I can smell the dirt on you. You trust her? [00:30:31] Speaker E: Trust is a strong word. But when it comes to our colleagues, we need to, at the very least, know who our enemies are. [00:30:38] Speaker B: We need to know who our enemies are. And she doesn't count? The one over there? That would suck the soul out of her in a heartbeat if it meant getting a little bit more of that power. Must be a lot of fun to suck up to people like her. Kiss their feet just to avoid being thrown to the wolves where you belong. Tell me, how is the view at the top of the ivory tower? Or can you see anything from up there? Considering how far you're buried up their ass? [00:31:05] Speaker E: God, he is looking for a fight. [00:31:08] Speaker C: Of course he is. I like the view just fine. Makes it easier to look down on the others. [00:31:16] Speaker B: Oh, my apologies. I didn't realize you spoke for the Mutt. [00:31:21] Speaker E: I am so tempted to say something insulting, but I'm not going to rise to that, pettiness. I'm just going to look out the window. I am not going to give him the attention he's looking for. [00:31:31] Speaker B: That's right. [00:31:32] Speaker A: Good dog. [00:31:33] Speaker B: Heal. He turns his attention back towards the. [00:31:35] Speaker A: Front of the car. [00:31:37] Speaker B: I noticed you two have been awfully quiet. Bunch of trusters up there. Is that what's going on? [00:31:44] Speaker D: Well, no. I just haven't been spoken to until just now. [00:31:48] Speaker B: This one, he's looking at Sierra. She's ignoring him for the most part. He knows a little bit of respect. He can't possibly be Camarilla. What's going on here? Who are you? [00:31:59] Speaker D: I am Joshua Crozier, blood of Hakeem. [00:32:03] Speaker B: Banu fucking Hakeem. Oh, man. We have so much to talk about when we get back to whatever fucking rat hole you're having us stay in. You know, before I came here, I was murdering so many of your family members in Afghanistan. You have to tell me who your sire was. I might have killed him. Actually. [00:32:23] Speaker D: No, you didn't. [00:32:25] Speaker B: Well, can't get them all. Still can't help notice that you're here and not there. [00:32:31] Speaker A: So I guess running from your problems. [00:32:33] Speaker B: Like a coward is better than staying home and standing up for what you believe in? [00:32:38] Speaker D: At this point, I am just probably actually physically biting my tongue. [00:32:44] Speaker E: Could I just give Josh a little look in the mirror? Just a little raised eyebrow, like I'm feeling it too? [00:32:51] Speaker D: Man, if you do, I do not see it because my eyes are just locked on the road. [00:32:57] Speaker B: And of course, there's no need to ask what you are. How the prince would ever allow a walking masquerade breach to crawl out of its rat's nest in the sewer to greet us is beyond me. That's almost disrespectful. [00:33:18] Speaker F: I chuckle from the front seat, turn around so that I can face him, take off my hood, glasses, mask, and just say, want to see what I can do with my ears? And I start wiggling my little bad ears around. Pretty cool. [00:33:36] Speaker B: The disgusting tricks. I guess you have to find strength in your own afflictions, don't you? Make sure people are laughing with you instead of at you, even though deep down you know that you're just hunter bait. [00:33:52] Speaker F: I'm not too worried about it. [00:33:53] Speaker B: Maybe you should be. The ride continues constant needling from Malinkov, while Sierra remains stoic and silent, only engaging if someone bothers to engage with her. Joshua, you're behind the wheel. Will you make a wits and streetwise roll for me? [00:34:14] Speaker D: I got three successes. [00:34:17] Speaker B: You do enough driving in Chicago and you're familiar enough with public works. You can tell when these municipal annoyances are simple bureaucracy or when something else is going on. In this case, after the first or the second or the third diversion, a road closed, a police cruiser blocking a lane, you realize you're being funneled. [00:34:43] Speaker D: I don't make any immediate obvious exclamation or anything like that. Two things 01:00 a.m. I able to try and figure out roughly where I'm being funneled to. And second, am I able to figure out a way to get out of it? [00:35:07] Speaker B: Yes. On both accounts, there's a particular choke point of an intersection, a freak of Chicago city planning, where six different roads come together, so the light is always a mess, people constantly getting into accidents there. [00:35:24] Speaker A: No matter what time of day, traffic. [00:35:26] Speaker B: Has always stopped around that intersection. And based on the diversions you've been forced to make so far, if you continue on that route, you're going to end up there. You can escape the rat's nest here. No offense, Fendrick. [00:35:42] Speaker F: None taken. [00:35:43] Speaker B: But it's going to cost you a lot of time. [00:35:46] Speaker A: You're going to lose an hour by. [00:35:48] Speaker B: The time you're done dealing with this mess. [00:35:52] Speaker D: Provided that the sun is not an imminent risk, I would spare the time, like I said before, not give any indication that something is wrong. I will talk to the coterie about that later. I don't want to frighten our guests, but just whatever route I have to take. [00:36:12] Speaker B: Joshua Crozier, champion of discretion. It's a few more blocks before you find the turn you need to make, but you do manage to sneak off to a side. Street. No one else knows what's going on. No need to ask questions. It does, of course, give Malinkov plenty of time to complain, plenty more time to rub in your collective faces the myriad shortcomings of your clans. It's just words, though, right? Eventually you'll end up at your Sky Hotel. You have a few hours before the dawn. [00:36:49] Speaker D: As soon as we stop, before just turning to whoever's closest to me and just saying, hey, I think we need to be on the lookout here. [00:37:03] Speaker F: I've been in the front seat the whole time. I'm sure I would have noticed the fact that we are doubling back a lot. And in response to Joshua, I just slowly nod and it's like I've been watching. [00:37:14] Speaker E: Think we got company? [00:37:16] Speaker D: It's hard to say right now. I know somebody wanted us to go somewhere that wasn't here. [00:37:26] Speaker C: How confident are you that we weren't followed? [00:37:29] Speaker D: Am I allowed to look around the street, just see if there's a car that I've seen a number of times? [00:37:37] Speaker B: Of course. Call it Wits and investigation. [00:37:42] Speaker D: Four successes. [00:37:44] Speaker B: I mean, there was that one police motorcycle that followed you for a few more blocks than you would have liked, but he's not still around. Aside from that, no. No tailing that you could detect. [00:37:56] Speaker D: After looking around, I'll nod to Ivy and say, no, there's nobody on her tail. [00:38:05] Speaker C: Well, that's good, at least. [00:38:09] Speaker D: I think it goes without saying that we should be careful nonetheless, right? [00:38:15] Speaker E: Be wise to take a few precautions, especially with the guests we're going to have stay over. [00:38:22] Speaker B: What do those precautions look like? [00:38:26] Speaker F: The fact that we were routed on the road the way here was dangerous. That means people probably know we're here, what we have. I mean, we've always expected that. The fact that half the people already knew who we were carrying before we did. So I would be definitely taking some extra precautions to put alarms up, barricades some areas, things like that. [00:38:53] Speaker A: By alarms, I'm assuming you mean things just to create noise. You certainly don't want the alarms to ring the police, right? [00:39:03] Speaker F: No, it's more of like if they enter, it might scare them off. If anyone is human, they might go, oh, shit, we've been found out, and alarm goes off, like, a couple seconds later would actually be preferable. [00:39:16] Speaker A: The word noise maker keeps coming to mind. That seems like I'm underselling the achievement of setting up an ad hoc alarm system. So why don't you make a Wits and Technology role for me? [00:39:28] Speaker F: Oh, that's one of my good subjects there. I, however, get one success. May I spend willpower on them? [00:39:37] Speaker A: That's entirely up to you. [00:39:38] Speaker F: I'm going to. [00:39:39] Speaker A: I think it seems unfair to roll that many dice. Only get one success, right? [00:39:45] Speaker F: So two successes total. [00:39:47] Speaker A: Not for lack of knowledge, perhaps for lack of materials. You end up in a situation where anyone looking at what you've done will certainly appreciate the effort, but you know, in your heart of hearts, it is not your best work. [00:40:00] Speaker F: I don't tell anyone that it's not my best work. Leave that to me to worry about. [00:40:05] Speaker A: I believe that's called an Ivy LaRue move, right? [00:40:08] Speaker C: Yep. Very familiar with that. [00:40:11] Speaker F: I imagine in other circumstances this would be a I would be more honest about it, but this is my, like, one of the things I'm really good at and don't want people to lose faith in me. [00:40:26] Speaker A: Absolutely. It's a matter of your personal brand. [00:40:29] Speaker C: Clearly the answer is just be better. [00:40:32] Speaker A: Yes. Have you tried doing that again? But correctly? All the same, the other three of you watch schmendrick. I hesitate to use the word bouncing, considering the severity of the moment, but it's also schmendric, so I think, yes, bouncing around the rental home, stringing up this, that, and the other. It has all the familiar symptoms of someone setting up a security system, but it's difficult for any of you to make a judgment call on usefulness or effectiveness of those plans. [00:41:05] Speaker E: I mean, I definitely wouldn't know. I'll take it at face value. [00:41:09] Speaker A: Maybe that is why Rebecca is so nice, because so much of vampiring these days involves know, hideous amounts of technology, but much more than she's used to. So it's like when you change the ringtone on your grandmother's phone and she is just so impressed. Oh, my God. How did you do that? Are you some kind of techno wizard? [00:41:30] Speaker E: I think Rebecca definitely would consider schmendric a techno wizard of sorts. [00:41:34] Speaker F: I prefer the term technomancer. [00:41:37] Speaker E: All right, if that's what you kids call it these days. [00:41:41] Speaker A: Elsewhere in the domicile, three more vampires. What are you up to? [00:41:46] Speaker E: There was a mention of putting up barricades with furniture. I would be doing that. It's simple, but if it's enough to dissuade a potential intruder, it'll do. [00:41:58] Speaker A: What kind of barricades are you establishing? [00:42:02] Speaker E: Probably long lines of the classic chair under the doorknob. Maybe if there's an Otoman or chair, I'd be pushing that into the doorway. Anything that would obscure easy entry. [00:42:14] Speaker A: I mean, chair under the doorknob, that's a classic, right? Can't go wrong with that. Unfortunately, the home itself is not built with security in mind. You can barricade a lot of the entryways through that kind of home alone engineering, but totally securing the place with barricades of that nature, I think, would void your security deposit. [00:42:40] Speaker E: Of course, everything within reason, so long as it's enough to give us that extra oomph. [00:42:46] Speaker A: You know, as I've explained to my girlfriend hundred times, look, those three extra seconds matter. Joshua, Ivy, two other vampires are flurrying about the place, putting last minute security measures into operation what are the two of you doing? [00:43:04] Speaker D: While helping out with other room proofing duties. I would just sort of be looking out the window for any signs of anyone, like waiting around or trying to hide themselves in an alley. Anything like that, for sure. [00:43:22] Speaker A: I mean, Helen, you go so far as to walk the perimeter of the building, right? [00:43:27] Speaker D: Yeah. And I likely would at the point where it looks like we're wrapping up with our preparations, but it's still dark out, I would just go around and give the area a once over. [00:43:39] Speaker A: Why don't you make a wits and. [00:43:40] Speaker D: Awareness role for me for successes? [00:43:44] Speaker A: It is not the case that you find someone lurking in a bush with binoculars or leaning up against a nearby lamppost with their hand on their ear. Totally suspicious. However, there is a bit more activity in the area than you would otherwise expect. Just one or two extra things here and there, a couple extra pedestrians, a couple vehicles that aren't nice enough, you would guess, to be in this area, like, full time. There's nothing that leaps out immediately as suspicious and worthy of investigating, but there's a whole lot on, just not right in the air. [00:44:30] Speaker D: I am certainly put off by this, but I would mask any reaction or anything until such time as I am back. And once inside, I would pull somebody aside and say, hey, as if the driving thing wasn't weird. Something's not right. [00:44:54] Speaker C: Well, shit. So that's very concerning for me. I really wish we were able to be better prepared for this through nobody's fault except the courts. [00:45:12] Speaker D: I wish I knew more about what not right is, I don't know, there's more people around than usual, and there's just a weird feeling in the air. I can't explain it, but there's nothing they taught you that might help? [00:45:35] Speaker C: Just to help myself. And I give a sheepish smile. I'd planned on doing this ritual later tonight anyway, but now I feel like I really have to. [00:45:49] Speaker D: What kind of ritual? [00:45:52] Speaker C: Just Tremere things. [00:45:56] Speaker D: So I'm going to be 100 with you. That makes me significantly less confident in whatever you're about to. [00:46:03] Speaker C: Wow. Wow. So judgy mr. Banu. Hakeem. It's just something that my sire taught me when we were hiding out in the desert. If there's danger, I will wake up a lot easier than you guys will. [00:46:21] Speaker D: Okay, good. I am now reassured. Thank you. [00:46:26] Speaker C: Oh, I'm happy to calm your nerves. Slight eye roll, as I say it. [00:46:34] Speaker D: At that point, I would just kind of look around and say, well, whatever you got to do, do it. [00:46:41] Speaker C: It's five minutes. Literally five minutes. It does not take very long at all. [00:46:47] Speaker D: I would just nod at that and then go back to finishing whatever preparations are left for the room itself, as if nothing had happened at all. [00:46:57] Speaker A: Well, Miss LaRue, why don't you walk me through the process of what your ritual entails? [00:47:05] Speaker C: Of course. I pull out a small bag filled with the ash of burnt rooster feathers and bones, and I go to the couch in the middle of the living room by the front door, because that's where I'll be sleeping for the day. I reach into the bag and grab a handful of ashes and put them into a bowl that I'd grabbed from the kitchen earlier. I drag my finger across the palm of my hand until I start bleeding, and then I drip my blood into the bowl, mixing it up with the ashes until it forms a kind of paste. And once it's all combined, I dip my hand into the bowl, and using the paste, I draw a circle on the floor all the way around the couch until the bowl is empty. And that's it. [00:47:54] Speaker F: Easy peasy. [00:47:55] Speaker C: Could do it in my sleep. [00:47:59] Speaker A: So the coterie has done the best they can. For some of you, that feels like more than enough. For others, that could be. The one regret that you have in the last moments before your immortality is squandered in a moment of ill prepared vulnerability. But no matter how you feel about the moment, time waits for no kindred. And as you feel the sun stretching its way towards the horizon, the familiar weight of the day's sleep begins to settle in, curling around your shoulders, pushing you down towards the earth. And one by one, each in your own ways, each in your own places, sleep claims you. The day sleep, in many ways, is what defines kindred almost as much as the blood as the beast. It goes without saying that very few kindred keep their havens in a one night rental. So, Joshua, is this the roughest sleeping you've had to do? For lack of a better word, this. [00:49:09] Speaker D: Is not even somewhat the roughest sleep I've had to take. [00:49:15] Speaker A: I mean, that sounds like a story that I want to hear. [00:49:18] Speaker D: I mean, let's not dilute ourselves. It's rough. It's especially rough because I know I'm involved in something that I don't want to be involved in. But I feel that I've likely had an unusual number of days sleeping in uncomfortable, even downright dangerous locations. A decent chunk of my post mortem existence has been spent on the run from threats, real or imagined. There were nights where I would be in some small, salty little East Coast town and see some sign that I was being pursued by those from Boston. And with no warning, with little to no preparation, I would just and what that meant is that more than once I was sleeping in the back of a car, huddled under a blanket as best I could manage, or that I was sleeping in locations far more public than most kindred appreciate. But this is certainly the first time since my arrival in Chicago that I've had to sleep in such conditions. [00:50:31] Speaker A: Not only dangerous, but to make matters even worse, there's a Tremere around. [00:50:35] Speaker D: I have not forgotten about the Tremere schmendric. [00:50:40] Speaker A: I imagine you are less concerned with the lineage of your compatriots, and to whatever degree you are unsettled by the overall threat level of the situation, that won't stop you from getting to sleep. Not every vampire dreams, and those who do dream don't dream all the time. But if tonight were one of those nights where the day's sleep comes with some kind of vivid imagery playing in the movie theater of your mind, what's showing tonight? [00:51:13] Speaker F: I think it would start off a little more abstract, just this kind of impression in the darkness that there is someone I need to see or something I need to see. And as the dream starts to coalesce, I'll find myself in some labyrinth. The craftsmanship is technically very exquisite, but it's a drab catacomb at the same time, not unlike the ones beneath Paris, if they were a little nicer and less skull like. And as I travel along this impression that something's either waiting for me or something's waiting for me to discover it, I start finding these strings, little red strings tied to the walls which I begin to follow. And before I can hit that point where I'm able to leave or succeed in my dream, it stops. Because dreams are like that. [00:52:15] Speaker A: They are so unfortunate that you can have these vivid hallucinations and then right when it starts to get interesting, you'll either wake up or your brain will. [00:52:24] Speaker B: Change gears and it's gone. [00:52:28] Speaker F: I think the one that is kind of worth remembering about this one is it seemed more important it wasn't just a dream about going to a mall, only to be teleported into a different area with your friends or anything like that. This seems to have meaning in some way or another. [00:52:48] Speaker A: Well, God willing, you'll be able to pick up your trail again at some point in the future. If for no other reason that I want to know where this labyrinth goes. [00:52:56] Speaker F: We'Ll just have to wait and see. [00:52:59] Speaker A: Elsewhere in the bungalow, Rebecca, you found a little bit of ground to call your own. I'm going to go off on a limb and say this isn't the roughest you've had to sleep because there's a roof over your head. But what is the most unfortunate set of circumstances you have found yourself trying to make a quick shelter in? [00:53:20] Speaker E: I mean, sleeping rough is just a part of existing for as long as I have, and especially as expansive as a territory that I once occupied. But this tension, it reminds me a bit of my first night in Tucson. I was under an unfamiliar prince fighting an unknown threat. Not too different from these circumstances. Although I would admit it'd be a bit surprising if a werewolf came and knocked on the door. But I have my doubts that'll happen. [00:53:52] Speaker A: Well, God willing, it won't come to that. Ivy. Then what is it you are dreaming about? [00:54:02] Speaker C: I'm walking up stairs. Very, very long flight of stairs, never ending. And as I'm walking, the steps behind me that also lead nowhere, that came from nowhere, begin crumbling and far off in the distance. [00:54:23] Speaker B: Wait. [00:54:24] Speaker A: Can I guess? [00:54:25] Speaker C: Yes. [00:54:26] Speaker A: Far off in the distance, you smell gasoline? [00:54:33] Speaker C: I'm guessing. I can't say no. [00:54:36] Speaker A: I mean, it's your dream. I'm not going to tell you how to live your undead sleeping life. I just feel like it would be remiss of me as a storyteller to not mention that you can smell gasoline. [00:54:54] Speaker C: Well, gasoline is a smell that I should not be smelling, given that, last I checked, I was inside a house, so that feels like a dangerous situation to me. [00:55:07] Speaker A: Yeah, I would accept that judgment. That sounds fair. [00:55:11] Speaker C: Well, then, let's see if my ritual paid off. [00:55:14] Speaker A: Fingers crossed. [00:55:17] Speaker C: God right. That is four successes. [00:55:23] Speaker A: Well, Gabrielle would be so proud of you, wouldn't she? Having the foresight to commit to the ritual before entering the today's sleep. And then also having done it correctly, so that when you hear the crunch of a shoulder of a boot into the door, when you get that acrid whiff of chemical accelerant into your dead nose, that your body animates itself, the beast comes roaring to life, demanding your attention to deal with this threat. And it is certainly a threat, because as your undead eyes snap open, there are three figures in various stages of dousing the place in fuel. They don't look like professionals. The word methy comes to mind in one case. Thugs, more like, but thugs dowsing you and all of your friends in gasoline. Nevertheless, you don't have to check your watch to know that their timing could not be worse for you. There's an overall slime of lethargy in your movements. Your body knows it should not be awake. Well, my little witch, what's on the agenda? [00:56:39] Speaker C: Have they noticed me? Have they noticed that I am awake? [00:56:43] Speaker A: No. [00:56:45] Speaker C: Fantastic. I would like to prep two rouse checks worth of blood for Scorpion's touch. [00:56:56] Speaker A: Well, having failed both of those rouse checks, your hunger is going to increase. [00:57:02] Speaker C: That's not good. But that's why I only did two. [00:57:09] Speaker A: I have more bad news. [00:57:12] Speaker C: Yes? [00:57:14] Speaker A: You are waking up. So you'll need to make another rouse check for that. [00:57:19] Speaker C: That is a rousing success. So I only gained the two hunger from Scorpion's touch. [00:57:24] Speaker A: Could have been a lot worse. [00:57:26] Speaker C: Could have been this would have been awful. Awful for, um for them. I mean, it's gonna be awful for them anyway, but it would have been worse. Well, maybe also Josh. I guess it depends on just how hungry I was. So as he comes around, I wait until he's close enough and I reach up and I grab the top part of his forearm so I'm far enough up that my wrist makes contact with the top of his arm. [00:58:01] Speaker A: All right, will it be dexterity and brawl to make that attack? [00:58:06] Speaker C: That is one success. [00:58:08] Speaker A: One's enough to do it. So you lurch forward off of the couch, gripping him just below the elbow, allowing the toxic icker now oozing from your wound to make contact with him. It's not a kindred who's attacking you, so he falls unconscious. Why don't you tell me what that looks like? [00:58:27] Speaker C: As soon as I reach up and grab him and see him notice me, I kind of give a little smile in the half second before the poison takes hold. And he was leaning down as he was pouring out the gasoline and probably pulled back as I reached up to grab him. So as he falls, it's like a rag doll where his knees kind of buckle underneath him, and he falls his knees forward, but his head back, and he hits the coffee table with a loud thud. [00:58:57] Speaker A: Oh, it's like a TikTok video gone wrong. [00:58:59] Speaker C: Yeah, it is. [00:59:00] Speaker A: Your assailant collapses. But the noise of the can and the noise of his head as it impacts the coffee table are more than enough to attract attention from his colleagues, who expected nothing but careful, professional silence in this moment. It starts with, hey, you okay? From the other room as they hear the noise. But it's not long before eyes are on you and the two remaining attackers realize that there is more going on here than they were initially led to believe. [00:59:28] Speaker C: Well, luckily, I have a little bit more blood ready to go. [00:59:32] Speaker A: You do? And we'll see how much use that is to you, because these thugs were instructed very carefully, and no part of that involved fight off the half dozen vampires asleep in this building. So the very second they realize one of you is awake, they start bolting in opposite directions. One of them running towards the large lightproofed window where a thick tarp is keeping the living room safe from the sun's rays, and the other running left towards the exit of the building front door. [01:00:09] Speaker C: Well, that's an easy choice. I have to go with the one who's going for the tarp. It sucks if one gets away, but it would be much worse if there was a whole bunch of UV light in here. [01:00:19] Speaker A: That depends, I suppose, on whether or not you noticed the one running towards the door drawing a lighter out of his pocket. [01:00:30] Speaker C: Do I notice that? [01:00:31] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:00:31] Speaker A: I'll give you that benefit. While Ivy decides how she wants to spend the next 6 seconds of her life. The rest of you, there's noise enough, smell enough, that your own beasts are stirred. Lacking the pharmaturical skills and foresight to ritualize yourself into waking, you will have to rely only upon your humanity to get the job done. All three of you have garnered enough successes on your humanity role to bring yourself up out of the day's sleep, which is great news, because the last thing you want to be when the building's about to catch fire is asleep. So these things happen simultaneously. Joshua rebecca schmedric. You rise up from the day's sleep immediately. You can see one man on the floor, one running for the door, one running for the window, unfortunately, you are just waking up. So, Ivy LaRue, it falls to you. Have you made a decision yet? [01:01:39] Speaker C: I guess I'm going to go for the guy at the window. I really don't want to. I really want to be able to take both out, but I can't. So I guess we're going for the window guy. And if this doesn't hit, though, it's going to be real embarrassing. [01:01:51] Speaker A: It's going to be bad. Yeah, it's going to be embarrassing. But on the bright side, you won't be embarrassed for long. [01:01:57] Speaker C: Wow, that's fair. [01:01:58] Speaker A: So it's dexterity and athletics. [01:02:03] Speaker C: Only two successes. That's upsetting as well. [01:02:07] Speaker A: Well, it's certainly not a dignified sight to see a witch with her shoulders back, flexing her gullet to spew viscous tarlike crimson poison across the room. But this isn't the kind of moment where you're worried about looking pretty. So he does his best to raise an arm, protect himself however possible, from the torrent of poisonous goo now flying through the air. He's neither athletic enough to successfully dodge the stream, nor is he versed enough in the kindred universe to know that dodging it won't matter so much. So he raises his hand, in effect, catching it. You see the spatter of vita against his fingers, droplets landing on his face against his eyes as the other hand is reaching up. Now, impotently to tear down your impromptu lightproofing work, he slumps against the glass, fingertips dragging helplessly against the tarp as he ragdolls to the floor. Oh, thank God. The other gentleman sees the writing on the wall, in this case, his friend Haha. He sparks the lighter and throws it into the room. The roar of fresh flame is immediate, but thankfully, Ivy was able to wake fairly quickly. These gentlemen weren't able to douse the entire structure before she interrupted their plans. There are rooms in the building that are totally safe. Whether or not you avail yourself of that opportunity immediately, though, is going to depend on the results of your frenzy checks, and I will need each of you to make one. [01:03:53] Speaker E: Oh, boy. [01:03:56] Speaker C: Three successes. [01:03:58] Speaker E: Two successes here, three successes. [01:04:03] Speaker D: Also three successes. [01:04:07] Speaker A: Well, I have good news for three of you and bad news for one of you. What do you want to hear first? [01:04:13] Speaker C: The good news, please. [01:04:16] Speaker A: The good news is that most of you resist the urge to immediately flee deeper into the home and get away from the fire as quickly as possible. There are three sets of hands to help deal with this situation. The bad news, of course, one of you. The beast is in control. So, Joshua, Rebecca, Ivy, you see the flame roaring up into the entryway that demands most of your attention, leaving only the teeniest piece to notice the scurrying, scuttling form of an asferatu just ripping down the hallway. [01:04:59] Speaker F: See, with two successes, I was all excited that I could be useful, but apparently I'm not going to be today. [01:05:07] Speaker C: Nope. We should have asked what the difficulty was for those roles. So we didn't get lulled into that false sense of security. [01:05:13] Speaker A: Yeah, but where's the fun in that when you know the results ahead of time? I mean, if you'd caught fire, that would have been enough, but you don't want to be in a world where a two is enough to resist frenzy when fire is involved. At that point, you've crossed into some territory that has bigger problems attached to it. That said, rebecca joshua. Ivy, your house is on fire. [01:05:44] Speaker C: I would very much like it not to be. [01:05:46] Speaker A: What are you going to do about it? [01:05:49] Speaker C: In rental units, generally, there's like a small handheld fire extinguisher. Any chance I'd be able to quickly search for one or wits and awareness, please? [01:06:02] Speaker A: Two successes, you know, it should exist. You don't remember where it is off the top of your head. What about the other two of you? [01:06:13] Speaker E: Oh, gosh, this is terrible. I mean, there's a kitchen, we could get water bowls. [01:06:22] Speaker C: It's a gas fire. [01:06:25] Speaker A: Well, kitchen is a reasonable guess as to where you would keep your firefighting equipment, right? [01:06:32] Speaker E: Yeah. So at the very least, let's give that a peek, whether it comes in the form of a bowl of water or hopefully, hopefully a fire extinguisher. [01:06:42] Speaker D: Well, this is the kind of rude awakening I was terrified of. I will say I would be assisting in that. Just tearing open cupboard doors, throwing plates everywhere until I can find this thing. [01:06:58] Speaker A: All right, well, for team based actions, whoever has the largest pool is going to be the lead on that one. And then you can add one bonus die for everybody who is assisting. So, in this case, fairly certain that Joshua has the larger pool, why don't you make your role with a plus one bonus? [01:07:19] Speaker D: That would be a five success. Messy, critical. [01:07:25] Speaker C: Of course, it's a messy crit. In what universe would this not have been when you got the messy. [01:07:34] Speaker A: I want? So I'll ask it this way, joshua's not allowed to answer. For the rest of you, if you were going to search a kitchen for anything, fire extinguisher, your favorite mug, whatever, how would you go about it? [01:07:50] Speaker C: Open up the cupboards, take a look inside, pull some of the stuff in the front out to see what's behind it. [01:07:57] Speaker A: Right. That seems clean and efficient. Right. That's not what Josh does, because in this moment, Joshua's not in charge of the search. Joshua is providing a vessel in that moment for the beast to accomplish its own survival objectives. And the beast doesn't really care about making a methodical search. It turns out the beast goes about searching cabinets the same way that it goes about searching for food or thwarting danger. You just rip it open and shake it until what you want has been accomplished. [01:08:29] Speaker C: Oh, I don't think we're getting that deposit back now. [01:08:33] Speaker A: When the beast is in control, it doesn't care so much about regulating its resources. Right? It has no desire to pace itself, to care about the masquerade, anything like that. Joshua, can you make a rouse check for me? As the Beast demands access to your superhuman speed? [01:08:55] Speaker D: I'd rather not, but I guess, luckily. [01:08:59] Speaker C: It'S not up to you. [01:09:01] Speaker A: Yeah, I'm going to take that decision out of your hands. [01:09:05] Speaker D: That would be a hunger game. [01:09:07] Speaker A: Hey, man, there are pros and cons to every situation. Cons in this case. You feel the Beast demanding your blood on the pro side. It's gonna use it to save your life. Can you be that mad at it? Ivy is correct. There's no way you're getting your security deposit back after this. But amidst the tornado of just raw physical activity cabinets ripped open, ripped apart, the floor becoming a carpet of broken dishes, of kitchen miscellaneous, there is, staring up from the middle of it, a red canister, a beacon of hope, a kitchen rated ABC fire extinguisher. And without waiting for anyone else, joshua is already on the move, seizing it up, running towards the door. There's only one thing standing in the way between Joshua and his first steps towards a professional firefighting career, and that is the willpower to stare down the flames. Will you make that willpower check for me? [01:10:19] Speaker D: Four successes. [01:10:21] Speaker A: All right, Josh, walk me through it, then. What does your heroic moment of firefighting look like? [01:10:29] Speaker D: Given that I am a tad stressed at the moment, I wouldn't describe it as heroic looking. I rip the pin out of the extinguisher so hard that the top threatens to break and gritting my teeth like a madman. My eyes just going wild. I just hose down every spot of flame I can see. Gone are the lessons of aim. At the bottom of the flame, just anywhere I see a flicker of light, I'm going to douse it in foam. [01:11:06] Speaker A: You've got superhuman speed. You caught the fire. At its early stages, ivy was able to prevent your attackers from making too much progress. You can bring the fire under control. If you were the kind of person who had to breathe, you would definitely have earned yourself a hearty sigh of relief. As the last flickers of flame are smothered out by the white cloud of chemical suppressants. From the distance outside, you hear the rolling, slamming noise of a van's side door and then the squeal of tires. One of them managed to get away. Two of them are still unconscious. What happens now? I'll remind you, you have a terrified friend in the other room and also some guests. [01:11:55] Speaker E: Considering the unusual approach that, I mean, led to the fire being put out, I think first things first is to handle the other disaster happening, and that is our friend schmendric. Where is she, by the way? Is she still scuttling across the walls like a lizard? [01:12:11] Speaker A: I mean, you lost track of her almost immediately. But she can't have gotten that far, right? [01:12:15] Speaker E: Right. So that cris averted. I'm going to look around for Schmendrick. I'm going to help her get back into a good state of mind. [01:12:25] Speaker A: Schmendric, will you make a willpower roll for me real quick? I'm just trying to get a gauge on how much of your shit you have together by the time Rebecca finds you. [01:12:34] Speaker F: That would be one success on my end. [01:12:37] Speaker A: Frenzy only lasts so long as the threat exists. When you're no longer hungry, when you're no longer angry, when you're no longer in danger, the beast recedes. In this case, when Rebecca makes it down the hallway, it's not too hard to find Schmendrick. You only have to look for the door that's been burst off of its hinges as she fled into the exact opposite corner of the building. She's huddled in the corner, looking as much a beast as you have ever seen her. There's no joy. There's no jolly. There's no smirk. There's a snarling creature still trembling with sheer terror. You know you're going to live, but the afterglow of that moment still has purchase on your limbs. Suffice it to say, if your heart beat, it would still be racing. [01:13:32] Speaker F: In that case, once I see Rebecca approaching me, I try to stop the shakes, stop the tremors. [01:13:40] Speaker E: Is everything yeah, yeah, we got the fire know Josh did what you'd expect, but don't worry, it's all out. [01:13:51] Speaker F: Good, good. I wanted to help. I really just I couldn't. [01:13:55] Speaker E: My muscles, they hey, hey, no big deal. Don't worry. I know just what it's like when you get burned out in a place like this. [01:14:07] Speaker F: Everyone's okay? [01:14:09] Speaker E: The guests, I mean, our unexpected guests are currently lying face down on the floor, but everyone else is fine. [01:14:19] Speaker F: Okay, that's good. I'm so sorry. And with that, I will slowly get to my feet, kind of hang off of Rebecca a little bit. [01:14:28] Speaker E: Oh, I definitely have, like, a mom arm around her. I'm helping her walk out the door. [01:14:33] Speaker A: Is that, like, an official term? The mom arm? [01:14:37] Speaker E: You know, like the soccer dad arm? I'm sure Josh knows more about that than I would, but, you know, the hey, bud, come on. Let's go get an ice cream that we can't have ice cream now? Oh, I can. [01:14:50] Speaker C: Schmendrick can have ice cream. [01:14:51] Speaker F: Oh, I can have all the ice cream. Yo. Fine. [01:14:54] Speaker E: We'll go to an ice cream parlor after we have all this business suited out. [01:14:58] Speaker F: That sounds nice. [01:14:59] Speaker C: I mean, it's the middle of the day, so we should probably wait until it's nightfall, but sure. [01:15:04] Speaker E: Yeah, that's what I meant. [01:15:06] Speaker F: Still a great idea. I wholeheartedly approve. [01:15:09] Speaker A: Oh, that's fair and well. Although Rebecca did tell one small lie, because you have no idea how your guests are holding up, but we'll save that question for a moment. Ivy, Joshua in the living room. What's the mood in there? [01:15:26] Speaker C: The fire's out. I'm much calmer about the situation. And now I'm hungry. And there are two bodies. One of them is fine for me. But before I get to eating, I would like to do one more itty bitty little blood. Sorcery one more little thumb thing. [01:15:51] Speaker A: What's a little more blood? Sorcery between friends? [01:15:54] Speaker C: Exactly. I would like to use a taste for blood. I'm trying to see if these guys are just random, like random thugs, or if they were sent here, perhaps by another kindred. [01:16:14] Speaker A: Sure. [01:16:15] Speaker C: So I would go to the one who knocked himself on the coffee table. Well, is he covered in gasoline and the other guy is less covered in gasoline? [01:16:24] Speaker A: To be clear, you are covered in gasoline. [01:16:27] Speaker C: You know what? That's fair. It doesn't matter. You're right. [01:16:30] Speaker A: I don't think it matters that much. [01:16:33] Speaker C: It doesn't? Okay. Then I would go to the one at the coffee table, just because I'm very happy with how that played out. And seeing him crumpled in a pile after hitting the coffee table makes me giggle. I go over and I lift his arm, the arm I did not grab. And I drag my finger down his forearm to make a little cut. And then I just dip a finger in and have a little taste. I don't know. Two successes. So I'm going to blame the gasoline. [01:17:08] Speaker A: Totally fair and likely the culprit. [01:17:13] Speaker C: But that's okay, because the gasoline isn't going to stop me from eating him. Right? [01:17:19] Speaker A: I mean, that's between you and this unconscious man. [01:17:25] Speaker C: Well, an unconscious man who also tried to kill me. So I'm just going to go ahead and drain him because why the hell not? [01:17:36] Speaker A: Hey, you know what? You earned it, though. That body has your name all over it. And you know what? It's only fair that he returned to you some of the blood that you spent fixing this whole mess. [01:17:50] Speaker C: Exactly. [01:17:53] Speaker A: I will say, like, if you drain him, that's a stain, because you don't have to kill him. [01:18:01] Speaker C: Right. Fine. I'll just drain as much as I need to. I'd like to slake two dots worth of hunger from him. [01:18:13] Speaker A: The heady gasoline overtone takes away some of the joy of feeding in this moment. [01:18:20] Speaker C: True story. [01:18:23] Speaker A: But blood is blood. And as you mentioned, you earned this. And of all the people around, he deserves most to give it to you. But it would be a cruel and inhumane thing to pull every last drop of life out of this creature. And you have monstrous tendencies. But you're not a monster yet, right? [01:18:44] Speaker C: I mean, I did just spit poisonous scorpionated blood at some humans. [01:18:52] Speaker A: You know what? Fair point. But let's cross one line at a time, right? I guess all that's left is what now? With the threat eliminated and your captives captive, there's only so much time before the curse demands you return to sleep. Ivy, at the very least, knows that these two gentlemen will wake up before you do. So you've got to do something with them. So Joshua ivy's enjoying a culinary moment. What are you up to? [01:19:25] Speaker D: There are two things I would like to do. Both of them pretty simple on their own. First off, I would like to bind the other guy's hands behind his back before he can wake up. [01:19:38] Speaker A: Of course. Is Joshua the kind of person who carries zip ties or flexi cuffs, just in case? [01:19:44] Speaker D: I'd say so. There's, like, a billion things zip ties can be useful for. And then once I have that all well and situated, I would like to go check on our guests. Are they awake? And also okay, well, let me ask this to start. [01:20:06] Speaker A: How many vampires are you expecting to find? [01:20:09] Speaker D: Well, I'd say the ideal is two anymore or less. And we kind of have a problem. [01:20:16] Speaker A: Good news. There are two. [01:20:20] Speaker D: Well, what do you know? [01:20:24] Speaker A: Neither Sierra nor Malinkov managed to rise. They're laying there slumbering peacefully. [01:20:34] Speaker D: That is good. Given that the immediate threat seems to have passed, I think I would just let them continue sleeping for a while. We can explain things when they wake up and wonder why there's scorch marks all over the place. [01:20:55] Speaker A: Of course. [01:20:57] Speaker F: I do have a pressing question. Given that Malinkov arrived with Ghouls, where are they right now? [01:21:07] Speaker A: Excellent question. They didn't ride along in the van with you? [01:21:12] Speaker C: And it's not the guys that are here? [01:21:16] Speaker A: No. [01:21:18] Speaker F: A mystery to be solved later, I guess. [01:21:21] Speaker A: Yeah, those pile up. You got to be careful with it. [01:21:25] Speaker C: Yep. [01:21:26] Speaker A: But all else being said, lakotari did manage to survive the day. That's not normally the kind of thing you have to worry about, like, at a high level, because most times you just go back to your haven, or in Ivy's case, the chantry, and you're like, there's nothing to worry about. The very first time that you try leaving your haven to sleep somewhere else, look what happens. This is why vampires don't like to stay away from home. [01:21:53] Speaker C: I should never leave the chantry walls. [01:21:57] Speaker A: Thankfully, the remainder of the day is uneventful. When the sun relinquishes its claim on the sky, there's no new danger. Only four vampires rising into the night. With sunset comes hunger. So let's see what the beast demands of you this evening. [01:22:15] Speaker C: Luckily, my beast is not too upset that I didn't drain that mortal. [01:22:20] Speaker F: I wake a little peckish, probably due to the events during the day. Unfortunately, I don't have my supplies here, so going to have to go without. [01:22:31] Speaker A: The vampire equivalent of low blood sugar. [01:22:34] Speaker D: Unfortunately, I'm hungry anyway, but I'm not any hungrier. [01:22:39] Speaker E: Now, I'm definitely a little hungrier than I entered the sleep with, but, I mean, who can blame me? I did just have to sort out a fire incident. [01:22:51] Speaker A: If I recall, Joshua did most of. [01:22:55] Speaker E: The sorting out I was adjacent to it. Still quite stressful, as you can imagine. Works up an appetite. [01:23:02] Speaker F: You sorted out the Me problem, and I thank you for that, at least. [01:23:06] Speaker A: I could do that. Is a level of camaraderie that most vampires wouldn't feel towards people they just met. I guess that's what makes Rebecca endearing. Joshua, I will return to you for a question. Aside from the four members of the coterie, how many vampires are you expecting to be in the house tonight? [01:23:29] Speaker D: Well, the number hasn't changed since last time, so two. Is there a problem? [01:23:39] Speaker A: Well, which would you find more alarming if there were fewer than you expected, or if there were more than you expected? [01:23:45] Speaker D: More. I'd say more. [01:23:48] Speaker A: Well, I have good news on that front. There aren't three or four or five vampires in the room where you left Malankov and Sierra. [01:23:56] Speaker D: There's two, right? [01:23:57] Speaker B: OOH. [01:23:58] Speaker A: Try again. [01:24:02] Speaker D: Well, we can't have negative vampires, so I'm going to guess zero or one. [01:24:06] Speaker A: I'll answer that in a second. But as to whether or not negative vampires can exist ivy? [01:24:13] Speaker B: LaRue? [01:24:13] Speaker A: Anyone? [01:24:17] Speaker C: Fuck you. I just saved everybody's life not that long ago. [01:24:24] Speaker A: Negative isn't about achievements. Negative is about attitude. [01:24:28] Speaker C: No, I understand that, but I think I get a pass for being a negative. Like, because I just saved everybody's life. I'm just saying. [01:24:39] Speaker A: Well, let's put that to the codery. There are three of you, so the vote should work out. Does Ivy get a pass? [01:24:47] Speaker D: Yeah, she gets a pass. [01:24:52] Speaker C: Don't all talk at once, guys. [01:24:57] Speaker A: All I can say is that the speed with which they did not leap to your defense speaks volumes. [01:25:04] Speaker C: Are you kidding me? Ivy will remember this. I need you to know that I. [01:25:12] Speaker E: Watched you perform witchcraft. And considering my cultural implications with that, I'm not exactly keen to trust you yet. [01:25:19] Speaker C: Well, I'm a premier. Nobody trusts me. That's the whole point. [01:25:23] Speaker E: So you're asking me to trust you? [01:25:25] Speaker C: I'm asking you to give me a path on being negative because I just saved your life. It is a different question. [01:25:33] Speaker F: You know what? [01:25:34] Speaker E: Fair enough. It's kind of your default mode. I apologize for assuming otherwise. That felt mean. I'm sorry. [01:25:43] Speaker C: I hate this group. I hate this group. I'm going to just stay at the Chantry. I'm going to tell Abraham not to let me go out and play with my friends anymore. Friends? [01:25:54] Speaker A: I know. [01:25:55] Speaker C: As soon as I said it, it felt so wrong. [01:25:58] Speaker F: You know what? [01:25:59] Speaker E: You're not invited to when we go and get ice cream for Spundrick. You could just stay in the pantry and read your books. [01:26:04] Speaker C: Good. I can't eat it anyway. What the fuck do I care? [01:26:08] Speaker E: Atmosphere. [01:26:10] Speaker F: To be fair, nobody wants to watch me eat ice cream, so we're kind of all on the same boat. At least I can taste it. [01:26:17] Speaker A: Did you just forget that Charles exists? [01:26:19] Speaker E: I was going to say Charles might. [01:26:21] Speaker C: Schmendrick and Charles on an ice cream date. [01:26:26] Speaker A: I'd watch that. Spinoff. Actually a Schmendrick, charles buddy cop movie. [01:26:30] Speaker C: With rebecca as chaperone, making sure there's. [01:26:34] Speaker E: Space for the Holy Spirit in between. [01:26:37] Speaker A: Well, Josh, I guess you have a problem then. You are correct. There are not negative vampires. And it could be worse. There could be zero. That would be double bad. But at the moment, there's only one. Sierra has awoken. Malinkov is nowhere to be found. [01:26:59] Speaker D: I do my best to swallow the immediate oh, shit. That's rising up in my chest. And I just say, any idea where your friend went? [01:27:10] Speaker A: Even before you ask the question, you can see uncertainty on Sierra's face combined with just the slightest hint of worry, and you ask your question and she responds, shaking her head, I have no idea. [01:27:27] Speaker D: Is this normal for him? [01:27:29] Speaker A: To be clear, nothing about these circumstances falls under the purview of normal, as either I or my associate understand it. But more to your point, no, he's not done anything like this before. [01:27:43] Speaker D: I guess this would probably be related to our rude awakening. [01:27:51] Speaker A: If you mean to insinuate that Malenkov had anything to do with our assailants today, I suggest you think very carefully about who you're speaking to. [01:28:02] Speaker D: I apologize. That is not what I meant to insinuate. What I meant to insinuate is that two unusual things happening back to back. Well, I have to draw certain conclusions. [01:28:15] Speaker A: No, what you need to understand, Mr. Crozier, is that we are delegates of Clan La Sombra here on orders of our superiors. I'm not sure how you handle things in your particular bloodline, but for us, that means something. And the idea that my associate would sabotage these negotiations through some act of perfidy or treachery borders in the kind of thing that someone in my shoes. [01:28:39] Speaker D: Might find offensive again, I apologize. Not what I meant to insinuate. I'm simply too aware that there are likely unforeseen bad actors that may be part of the equation. [01:28:55] Speaker F: Perhaps we should be worried. I mean, he was here when we went back to sleep, and now he's gone after this fiasco, right? [01:29:03] Speaker E: And it can't be something like he was taken, because they would have taken the rest of us, and they tried to kill us earlier, so clearly they have no vested interest in any of us remaining. [01:29:14] Speaker F: Is it possible that Malunkov had enemies? [01:29:17] Speaker C: Um, their la. Sambra they have enemies everywhere. [01:29:22] Speaker F: Touche. [01:29:23] Speaker A: Sierra chimes up. Yes, let's mock Clan La Sombra in the third person in the presence of their esteemed delegate. That seems like a wise and diplomatic course of action. [01:29:36] Speaker F: Sorry, no offense was meant there. Sierra. [01:29:39] Speaker B: Oh, of course. [01:29:40] Speaker A: Not only that, we have enemies everywhere, and it's only a matter of time before one of us flies off the rails to get involved with them. Is that what you meant? [01:29:49] Speaker C: Absolutely not. [01:29:50] Speaker A: You'll have to understand, if I don't necessarily believe you I do. [01:29:56] Speaker C: Completely. I, too, have enemies everywhere. The Lusambra have a history within the Camarilla. This is a Camarilla city. It's more than likely that there are a lot of people here who have. [01:30:11] Speaker A: Never heard of Malinkov, have never heard of him, having never been here. Is that what you meant to say? [01:30:19] Speaker C: Of course, it's nothing specific towards Malinkov himself. [01:30:24] Speaker A: Right. It's just a general sense that our clan is up to no good and the only right thing to do with us would be to kidnap and butcher us. [01:30:31] Speaker C: There are people who hold that belief, yes. [01:30:35] Speaker B: Yes. [01:30:36] Speaker A: I'm sitting in a room with four of them, apparently. [01:30:38] Speaker C: No, obviously not. [01:30:40] Speaker F: I am on Team Let's Look for Malinkov, so I would like to see him safely returned. [01:30:46] Speaker E: Look, I'm sure no offense was meant on anyone's part. We're all just confused and frazzled and we might as well begin looking for a trail. [01:30:55] Speaker A: Well, far be it from me to interject myself into your prejudice, but you have two problems. First, you have no idea where to look for Malinkov at the moment. And second, we are due at Elysium. Now, I know I'm just a hideous lasambra, but it seems to me that we shouldn't start our evening by missing an appointment with the prince. [01:31:23] Speaker C: Of course. Let's get the car packed up and be on our way. The sooner we're out of this place, the better. [01:31:29] Speaker A: Well, it's not like you have any packing to do. [01:31:32] Speaker C: Well, we do. We have a little bit of packing. We have a couple of things to get in the car that we didn't show up with anyway. [01:31:39] Speaker F: We're not going to just leave those things here. [01:31:41] Speaker C: No, they're still alive. They're still useful. If nothing else. Surely the sheriff would want to chat with them, see what's what. Somebody has to know something, and we have two somebody's, or you have two? [01:32:00] Speaker A: Nobodies, that is very true, but in either case, those are mysteries for someone else to solve. For the time being, you can pile your guest and your two finger quotes guests into the van and make your way downtown. [01:32:19] Speaker F: There is something I'd like to do once our guests are in the back of the van with us. And this may seem petty, but these men did attack us while we were sleeping, so I'm going to look for a wallet on one of them. [01:32:33] Speaker A: Well, in that, you would not be so fortunate. Your friends were not so endowed with criminal intelligence that they knew what to watch for when it came to dowsing vampires in fuel. But they are smart enough not to bring identifying documents with them to a crime scene. [01:32:50] Speaker F: That's fair. Perhaps. I'll handle it this way. I'll straight up look one of them in the eye and say, what's your name? [01:32:56] Speaker A: It should come as no surprise that neither of them feels like being cooperative. And while they're not entirely sure what awaits them, they have an inkling it's not good. The longer that they can hold out, the better their ODS. So your inquiry is met with nothing but stone angry silence playing hard to get. [01:33:19] Speaker F: That's fine. This will suffice. And I'll take out my phone and take a picture of both of their faces and go back to my seating arrangement in the van. [01:33:28] Speaker A: Very well. Ivy, is it your intention to show up to Elysium wearing yesterday's clothes and reeking of motor fuel? [01:33:37] Speaker C: No, I would very much like that to not be the case. [01:33:42] Speaker A: What's your plan, then? [01:33:44] Speaker C: I'd like to make a detour stop off at the Chantry. I don't know if to be seen with is the right phrase, or if it's that I don't want them to see the Chantry, but one of those is true. I'd probably have Schmendrick order me an Uber using one of her fake accounts so I don't have to take a train, God forbid a bus. We just don't have that kind of time, you see, has nothing to do with being fussy. No, nothing at all. [01:34:20] Speaker F: That's something in my ability to do. But my question is, is Ivy the only one that smells of gasoline for. [01:34:26] Speaker A: The ease of things? We'll say that, yes. She's the only one who was actively doused. [01:34:33] Speaker F: All right, then that's absolutely fine. I need not ask her to pick up clothes for me as well. [01:34:39] Speaker B: In that case, no. [01:34:42] Speaker A: On the second thought, you also reek of gasoline, because I love where this is going. [01:34:48] Speaker F: All right. Yeah. I can totally call you an Uber and get you a free ride somewhere, but can you bring me back something to wear as well? [01:34:57] Speaker C: I take a look at Schmendrick and I eye her up and down, and there's a pause. [01:35:04] Speaker F: I wear clothes like regular individuals. [01:35:09] Speaker C: Yeah. No, I get that. You don't have any weird skin condition or anything. Right? It's just like this, and I make a gesture in front of my face. [01:35:26] Speaker F: It's just that yeah, it's just this. And I gesture at all of me. [01:35:32] Speaker C: Yeah, but nothing that I'd have to scrub out of clothes. Right. Like your skin's not going to peel off onto my shirt when you take it off. [01:35:44] Speaker F: I'm not oozing or cracking, if that's what you're asking. [01:35:47] Speaker C: That is what I'm asking. Thank you. [01:35:50] Speaker F: All right. Yeah. No, I'm not doing that. [01:35:52] Speaker C: Okay. Sure. I have something, I'm sure. [01:36:00] Speaker F: Thanks. I appreciate that. [01:36:04] Speaker A: So, Ivy hops a ride share to the Chantry to make herself appropriately presentable. Joshua ferries the rest of you towards the Succubus Club. The drive from your rental to the Succubus Club is much shorter than the round trip to the Chantry. You will arrive well in advance of Ivy's return. And assuming Schmeder does not want to enter Elysium and then come back out to change, that leaves Joshua and Rebecca with the sole responsibility of escorting your guest inside. Guests, rather. [01:36:41] Speaker E: Hopefully we can do so without raising too much of a ruckus. [01:36:45] Speaker A: Well, it seems unwise to me to haul your captives in through the front door on know public busy street. That might be the kind of thing you want to talk to the sheriff about. [01:36:53] Speaker E: First, we do have our burners. [01:36:57] Speaker D: While I am parked just sitting near the Succubus Club, I want to pull out my burner phone and give Damien a call. [01:37:06] Speaker A: It only rings once before a familiar voice picks up on the other end. Yeah? [01:37:13] Speaker D: Hey, Damien. Josh Crozier. We did everything that was asked of us, but there was a complication. I might need a small favor. [01:37:25] Speaker A: Cut to the chase, crozier. What's going on? [01:37:27] Speaker D: We were attacked in the middle of the day. Luckily, nobody was hurt, even as they tried to immolate us. But long story short, I have two captives in the back that I can't take them out on the street. [01:37:43] Speaker A: Obviously, you have the delegates with you. [01:37:47] Speaker D: I have a delegate with me. I was going to get to that in person. [01:37:54] Speaker A: Shit. Okay, you at the SC now. [01:38:00] Speaker D: I'm just on the street. [01:38:02] Speaker A: All right. Drop your friend off, have them come inside, take the van to there's a parking garage on 17th in Wabash. You know where that is? [01:38:14] Speaker D: Yeah, I can get there. [01:38:16] Speaker A: Take them there. I'll have someone meet you to deal with the rest of things. [01:38:20] Speaker D: All right, sounds good. Thanks, Damien. [01:38:22] Speaker A: Yes. [01:38:24] Speaker D: After I hang up the phone, I would turn back and look at Sierra and say, all right, I'm going to drop you off at Elysium, and then I have to make a little trip of my own to get rid of those two. [01:38:38] Speaker A: Of course, she turns to Rebecca, making no effort to hide just the slightest edge of disappointment that she has to be escorted into so esteemed a location by a gangrel and says, well, then, it's the two of us. [01:38:54] Speaker C: Yes. [01:38:55] Speaker E: I give Sierra a nod. It looks like it. She's clearly not pleased to be with me, but most of the people I've had to associate with tonight aren't. But that's just politics. And quite frankly, the sooner she's in, the happier I am to be rid of her at this point. [01:39:14] Speaker A: Clan gangrel making no friends with clanless ombre. But business is business. So the two of you depart the van, curbside great service, and strut your way into the Succubus Club. So while Ivy's on the South Side of Chicago playing a live action version of What Not to Wear, joshua and Schmendrick are making a delivery. Damien was kind enough to tell you the vehicle you were looking for, the person you would be meeting in this parking garage. So you don't even have to make a complete lap of the place before you spot the person you were told to meet. Waiting next to a black sedan with tinted windows is a small, slight woman, pale skin, looking in her early 20s. Like Sierra, she has incredibly long hair. You imagine if it were falling flat, it would be well down to her waist, but it's braided in a thick plate she's dressed in a smartly cut business suit, pants, never skirts, looking down at her fingernails with a slight taste of boredom until she spots your arrival. Schmendrick. You'd recognize bronwyn anywhere? [01:40:37] Speaker C: Oh, fuck. [01:40:41] Speaker F: Joshua, turn around. I'm sorry, we're not doing this. We're not delivering these people to that person. [01:40:51] Speaker D: Okay, what do you suggest we do with them? [01:40:54] Speaker F: I don't know. Cut them loose? What are they going to say? Like, hey, you guys, what are you going to say? You were dumping gasoline on a house full of people and it went wrong. [01:41:05] Speaker A: Your captors are incredibly confused right now. [01:41:09] Speaker D: I think what they would say is they would run back to their master, whoever it might be, and tell them exactly what we've been up to all night. Now, Schmendrick, don't get me wrong, I trust your judgment. But as it is, I've already told Damien that we have captives and he decided to send Bronwyn. So I don't see much other option. [01:41:30] Speaker F: We give them to her, we're not going to learn anything. We're not going to know why this happened or who paid them off or anything like that. [01:41:40] Speaker D: No, I'm sorry, that wasn't super helpful, but beyond the point. Whatever you think Bronwyn is going to do to these people, I mean, Damien sent her. Damien knows that they're coming. Damien would ask questions if they didn't come. See what I'm saying here, schmendric. [01:42:01] Speaker F: Yeah, I do. Okay, my dudes, here's the deal. I am actively talking to these people at this moment. I'm going to put a locator on one of you. I'm going to pin it to somebody's clothes. Hopefully they let you keep your clothes. No promises, but I'm going to try. And I don't know what I'm going to do yet, but I don't want to condemn you to hell. Let's just put it that way. So with that said, and I'm assuming no input on their parts, I'm going to put like a little transmitter type thing so I can kind of GPS them for as long as that will work. [01:42:46] Speaker A: What are you thinking, Josh, watching this happen? [01:42:50] Speaker D: I have zero idea what to think. schmendric is clearly upset about something. I have little to no idea what. So far I've gotten vagaries at best. But in the interest of one trying to figure out what exactly the problem is here, while also slaking Schmendrick's apparent thirst to do something, I would let it happen. [01:43:21] Speaker F: You know, guys, I was just going to tie your names and faces to the account I used to rent that house, so you'd have to pay for the damages. But this seems like a decent enough punishment, but hopefully it's not permanent. I wish you luck, Schmendrick. [01:43:38] Speaker D: As soon as we finish this drop off, you are explaining everything. [01:43:44] Speaker F: Yeah, I'll do my best. [01:43:46] Speaker D: No, you won't do your best. You will explain everything. [01:43:51] Speaker A: Well, for their part, your captives can only play confused audience to this exchange. And if you want to put devices on their clothing. It's not like they're in any position to fight back or disagree. [01:44:06] Speaker F: Would one agree to eating it? I don't know if it'd work if they ate it. [01:44:10] Speaker A: I doubt it. [01:44:11] Speaker F: Okay, just clothing, then. [01:44:13] Speaker A: I mean, if you want to make them eat it. [01:44:17] Speaker F: Now, give them that little dignity. [01:44:19] Speaker A: It's the little things that keep us human, right? So with that accomplished, the beacon's set you make your delivery bronwyn is Kurt but polite, more interested in seeing the task accomplished than anything else. They disappear into the back of her car, and that's that. Whoever you are, you don't merit further input on her part. And with a polite veneer plastered over slight annoyance, she gives you a just quick one handed wave and off she goes. [01:44:57] Speaker F: As we part ways, I'm staring daggers into her, but I say nothing as. [01:45:03] Speaker D: We load back up into the van and I start the engine again, take it out of park, I'll just say, all right, so about that explanation. [01:45:16] Speaker F: That is a very dangerous woman who runs a group of blood letters. Essentially, I guarantee you those men will be tied up in the basement and bled dry over a long period of time. [01:45:31] Speaker D: I would leave it at that and just focus on getting us to Elysium first. Any questions I have from that point can be asked later. [01:45:45] Speaker F: In my case, that's pretty much the best case scenario. I don't really want to discuss it further right now, especially considering the events over the last few days. [01:45:58] Speaker A: There's a time and a place for everything, as they say. Well, Ivy is making her way back from the chantry. Joshua and Schmendrick are returning to Elysium after a short detour. Rebecca, you've got a lasambra on your arm. Metaphorically speaking, one hopes the prince will be satisfied with their handling of events thus far, or that their involvement in his lasambra schemes won't see them burdened with lasting consequences. But that's a story for another night. You've been listening to the All Night Society, an actual play podcast brought to. [01:46:45] Speaker B: You by Queens Court Games. [01:46:47] Speaker A: If you enjoyed your stay, be sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast app. For more content, including exclusive art and audio, follow us on Facebook or Instagram at Queenscorp games or on Twitter at queenscorprpg.