Episode 25 - Lineage, Part 1

[00:00:00] Speaker A: You're listening to the all night society, an actual play podcast brought to you by Queen's courts games. [00:00:37] Speaker B: Well, this probably isn't the way that you wanted the night to go for so many reasons. I mean, God, I don't know. Do you want to list them for me? [00:00:46] Speaker C: Are you talking about the fire or Schmendrick getting kidnapped or. Oh, gosh, there was something else, right? [00:00:55] Speaker D: I'm definitely missing half my face. [00:00:57] Speaker C: Oh, right. That too. [00:00:59] Speaker D: I would really like that back. [00:01:01] Speaker B: Let's not hog all of them. Alex, you're pretty new to this, but I think you can still tell ordinary vampire night from less ordinary. [00:01:11] Speaker A: I mean, it's not every day you get to german suplex a stranger and then kill them with a pair of high heels. Oh, I legit committed a murder, guys. I don't know how I feel about that, but that was so fun. [00:01:25] Speaker B: In fairness, I wouldn't worry about it. He was already dead. [00:01:29] Speaker C: Also, you've committed, like, two other murders since becoming a vampire. [00:01:34] Speaker A: Yeah, but nonsense. Becoming this heroic figure? I have to have a good rap sheet for when I become friends with the commissioner. [00:01:45] Speaker D: Who do you think the commissioner is in this situation? [00:01:48] Speaker C: I think he legitimately means the commissioner of the city like he thinks he's Batman. [00:01:54] Speaker A: I'm trying to fit the part. I don't know, but that was still so cool. [00:02:01] Speaker D: Can I express profound disappointment in the fact that I am Owen two on shoes right now? Owen four, technically. [00:02:08] Speaker B: Yeah. You are starting to develop a pattern of behavior, aren't you? [00:02:12] Speaker D: Listen, I didn't choose to stab anyone this time. [00:02:16] Speaker B: Congratulations. What's the reaction you want from me here? [00:02:21] Speaker D: I want a head pet. [00:02:22] Speaker A: I'll pat you pet pet. Your shoes made wonderful daggers. [00:02:28] Speaker B: Anastasia. I cannot help but feel like they're missing something here. Something that happened tonight that was outside of the ordinary. Can you help us out? [00:02:38] Speaker E: I mean, I'm pretty sure I'm the most important thing that happened tonight. [00:02:42] Speaker D: I'm missing half my face. [00:02:46] Speaker B: No need to rank order these things in by level of importance. So I do think we captured all the big ones there. Burning building, dead vampires. Maya making it out intact enough to walk out. It could have been worse. Schmendrick missing Maya's face. [00:03:05] Speaker E: Interrupting my entrance. [00:03:07] Speaker B: You hate to see it. Which means, once again, as is typical for this coterie, we have found ourselves walking into a night with one plan and then having to improvise a new one about halfway through. [00:03:22] Speaker D: Thank God we are masters of improv. [00:03:24] Speaker B: It's worked every time so far. I'm pretty sure yeah. So let us deal with these as they have arisen. First order of business, being near burning buildings is bad for most vampires. It would be like three burning buildings for Ivy at this .4 if we're going to talk about the other place, which we said we wouldn't do. But I'm just saying, Maya, it's your second that you know of. Totally fair, but all the same, probably don't want to be around one. There's a Schmendrick problem to get at the bottom of. Annika has more information about it, but right now she's concerned about her own life and livelihood. And on top of all of this, the alleged child, Jason Newberry, has arrived. With more to say. I'm going to go off on a limb and say that the three of you who started the evening together are reacting to this in wildly different ways. I would like to hear from you in the order. Um, most interesting. That's why we're going to start with Alex. [00:04:31] Speaker A: I don't know, man. I just got here. Who's Jason Newberry? He's a vampire. He's a milk raven. What? Again, I don't know anything that's going on. And the fact that vampire mommy and vampire Auntie are very upset kind of genuinely worries me. [00:04:55] Speaker B: Honestly, I'm surprised you can muster those kind of thoughts. I would imagine you're still under the thrall of the violence and the beating heart is not so accurate. But did you really come down from the glorious heights of having bested another creature in mortal Kombat so quickly? [00:05:12] Speaker A: Oh, make no mistake, I'm still playing it in my head like a highlight reel. The two arms around the waist, the strength in my legs, the arch of my back, the sickening sound of his skull crack and splatter on that ground while I go to work with two high heeled shoes. The ingenuity of that is basically poetry. And the domination of a lesser being was enthralling. But at the same time, this is also present in my brain. And now I'm living in this kind of unusual gradient between glory and confusion. [00:05:49] Speaker B: Yeah, I don't think that goes away. I think that's a pretty standard kind of vampire existence. [00:05:55] Speaker A: Oh, good. So it's like a Friday night at the bar every day. Great. [00:06:03] Speaker B: And nearby. Alex, I'm sorry about your face. Maya. I do imagine that is taking up the preponderance of your mental resources. But if we pretend for a moment that something else has to be the most important issue facing you right now, which would you pick? Missing Schmendrik. Burning building. Newberry child. [00:06:24] Speaker D: I'm not thrilled about the building, so let's start there. But more importantly, the appearance of Jason fucking Newberry's childa is honestly making the face thing feel less bad. [00:06:35] Speaker B: Wow. What's the opposite of not a backhanded compliment, but a front handed insult? [00:06:41] Speaker D: You know when you're in a lot of pain and then something shows up to distract you? That's where we're at right now. Because the only thing that's going to distract me from the fact that I'm missing half my face right now is murdering the childa. [00:06:53] Speaker B: Well, we'll get to that in just a moment. Ivy, as the one who. I don't want to go on record as saying it, but you do usually have your shit more together than other people, at least compared to the rest of this room, you are the most level headed. What about you? [00:07:12] Speaker C: Well, I got my little outburst out of the way before this malkavian, this supposed childa of Jason Newberry showed up, so I'm a little more level headed than I was about 30 seconds before, but. Wrenches, best laid plans, all of that. So when she introduces herself, I don't immediately react because I'm just kind of standing there dumbfounded, like, is this a joke? Are we being pranked? What is happening right now? And she's not making a move to attack us or anything like that, which I would kind of assume that Childa would. It's, um. I find myself confused. [00:07:57] Speaker B: Join Alex in that corner. Anastasia, you've gone through a tremendous amount of effort tracking down Miss Larue, Miss Lugassi. The Bruhaj gentleman is a surprise, but whatever. He's in their company. So many nights spent listening to the man in your head give you instructions. So many nights spent following them from place to place, trying to see where the best place to catch them would be. And now you stumble upon them like this. [00:08:28] Speaker E: These guys look like a bunch of weirdos. [00:08:31] Speaker B: Well, for one, you don't know the half of it. Second. Was this the right night? Was this the right decision? Do you have the right people? [00:08:41] Speaker E: Honestly, I feel like this probably worked out because it was meant to work out this way. And maybe this was just meant to be. I mean, these guys obviously need a lot of help, and maybe I could help them too. [00:08:57] Speaker B: That does seem to be the way that the coterie makes new friends. Have a need, make an unlikely ally. Wouldn't be the first time. I would be remiss, though, if I didn't ask that same question in reverse. Ivy, Maya, Jason Newberry's Childa is here. And whether or not you believe her, it's possible. [00:09:21] Speaker A: Is it likely? [00:09:22] Speaker B: I don't know the answer to that question. But whether or not you believe her, the fact that she alleges such demands a certain consideration. So as the dumbfoundedness on Ivy's face falls away, Maya, as you distance yourself more and more from the wound on your face and anchor yourself back in the reality moment, what is that reaction like? And hey, not for nothing. I mean, like, I know there's player storyteller confidentiality, but when I asked her what was going on with you, she's like, these guys are a fucking clown show. [00:09:57] Speaker D: I'm going to kill her. Listen, if she's actually Jason fucking Newberry's childa, we'll find out in the Diablo. [00:10:04] Speaker B: That's one way of getting that information. [00:10:06] Speaker D: Surely as soon as my brain registers that this is actually potentially Jason fucking Newberry's childa. Even if she's not, it's a problem I don't feel like solving elegantly. I've already activated my arms of Aharman, and I'll throw her against the van. You have 10 seconds to tell me why we shouldn't kill you right now. [00:10:32] Speaker B: All right, first things first. Make a rouse check. [00:10:35] Speaker D: Well, that is a hunger gain, but that's fine. I'm technically full. I might get even more full in a second. [00:10:44] Speaker B: And then from there, I believe it is wits and oblivion. [00:10:48] Speaker D: Holy shit. Six successes. [00:10:52] Speaker B: Well, Anastasia, I think it is safe to say you will not be escaping that grasp anytime soon. Maya turns her attention to you, and from the shadows come tendrils like arms, like tentacles gripping you even though they only manage two dimensions at a time. You are hurled with not insignificant force against the side of the van, the metallic bang of your body slamming against it. [00:11:18] Speaker D: You have 10 seconds to tell me why I shouldn't kill you right now. [00:11:23] Speaker E: I squint my eyes at her. [00:11:25] Speaker D: 5 seconds. [00:11:28] Speaker E: I heard you guys put my dad in the ground. [00:11:32] Speaker D: Technically, he's in torper. [00:11:35] Speaker E: Tell me more. [00:11:37] Speaker D: Which means that he's not getting up. [00:11:39] Speaker C: Anytime soon as Maya's right in her face. And obviously this person is not responding at all to these threats. I'll step up and I'll just put my hand on Maya's shoulder and lean in and whisper, maybe we shouldn't do this. And I gesture to the parking garage, you know, where people could potentially see us. Can we maybe have this conversation, I don't know, literally anywhere else? [00:12:07] Speaker D: Do you think I give any fucks what the kind think right now. [00:12:10] Speaker C: No, I'm very aware that you don't. And that is part of the grander problem, I'm sure. But look, can we at least get in the car? [00:12:20] Speaker D: I give a long look to Ivy. Fine. [00:12:26] Speaker C: Look, if you're so worried about her, stick the puppy on her. Make him play guard dog. It'll be fine. [00:12:32] Speaker D: Fuck it. Let's go. I'll let the arms drop. [00:12:36] Speaker B: Well, that solves one problem. Temporarily. Just as quickly as they appeared, so too, do the arms of Aharman dissipate. It's not a gentle lowering you back to the ground, Anastasia, but you'll make your way there all the same. With the assistance of a little bit. [00:12:50] Speaker E: Of gravity, I brush off all the dirt and dust and I straighten myself up. I look at everyone squarely in the eye and I say, all right, what's up? [00:13:05] Speaker C: Look, you have adopted a very interesting attitude for somebody who is very obviously on the wrong side of. And I turn and point at Maya. Her attitude. So why don't you go ahead and do me a favor and get into the van before I have him? And I point at Alex. Put you into the van. [00:13:22] Speaker A: And if I put you into the van, there will be a u sized hole through it. So maybe we should just all play nice and just let this night go by. [00:13:33] Speaker E: Okay? I look at them both, and I sideways shuffle to the other side of the van. [00:13:39] Speaker B: Well, I'm sorry, Alex. It does not look like you'll be having the opportunity to demonstrate your strength again this evening. But as the coterie plus one piles into the van, I am obligated to ask two questions. First of all, who is driving? And second, where is everybody else sitting? [00:13:57] Speaker C: I drove here. It only makes sense that I would drive out of here. [00:14:01] Speaker B: Makes sense to me. [00:14:02] Speaker D: Due to multiple circumstances, I can neither drive nor sit in the passenger seat right now. [00:14:07] Speaker B: No. That would make a very interesting red light camera picture, wouldn't it? [00:14:12] Speaker D: To be fair, all red light camera pictures of me are monstrous. [00:14:16] Speaker B: Point taken, Alex. Anastasia. [00:14:20] Speaker E: I go towards the passenger seat just. [00:14:22] Speaker A: By default, feeling that my job is now to be the guard dog. I'm going to sit behind this new vampire because she may have a few seconds to make bad choices, but I will have fewer seconds to separate her head from her neck. Where is this coming from? [00:14:43] Speaker B: Yeah. They put all that effort into teaching you how to not look like yourself and what it's like to feed. They did not cover how to come down from the murder. High chase that. [00:14:53] Speaker A: Yeah. No, it's got some pep to it. [00:14:58] Speaker B: Pequint. That's a good adjective. [00:15:01] Speaker A: Pequint. I like that. I am going to start using that word. Pequint. [00:15:09] Speaker B: So it is, then. Ivy behind the wheel, reaching up to turn the large key against the bare console. It's certainly not decorated the way yours is or possessed of the same accessories, but it'll have to do. Maya in the back, which gives you the perfect view of Alex's attentive glower. And, Anastasia, you're the one I cannot quite put my finger on. So you take a seat. But to this point, your attitude has struck me as a little laissez fair. So is this a kick your feet up on the dashboard moment? Are you filled with the radio? What's the move? [00:15:48] Speaker A: Here it is. [00:15:50] Speaker E: Absolutely. Putting my feet up on the dashboard and leaning back with my arms crossed. [00:15:56] Speaker C: Get your feet off the dashboard. [00:15:58] Speaker E: It's more comfortable this way. [00:16:00] Speaker C: I do not care. Get your feet off the dashboard. [00:16:04] Speaker E: I really want to stretch my legs. [00:16:07] Speaker C: No. First off, I know that it doesn't matter because we're vampires, so legs off the dashboard. [00:16:16] Speaker E: You are such a buzkill. [00:16:18] Speaker C: Yeah, I've heard that a lot. Right, Maya? [00:16:21] Speaker D: Oh, buddy. [00:16:23] Speaker B: It's in the middle of this conversation that you will be interrupted with a tap on the glass. It seems you've forgotten one passenger. Annika disables ghoul, a tool of clan Tremir. I would say she's polite about it, but given the circumstances, the look on her face is less. Excuse me, miss. And, uh, what the. [00:16:48] Speaker C: What's your name? [00:16:51] Speaker E: Anastasia. [00:16:53] Speaker C: Anastasia. Great. Why don't you go in the back? Because my friend here, actually, I want her to sit in the front with me. Thanks. That'd be great. Thanks. [00:17:04] Speaker E: So I get out of the van and go to the other side where the sliding doors are, and I make a move towards the back, and I gesture towards Alex. You. You're the guard buddy, right? [00:17:17] Speaker A: Yes. You lead and make sure you don't do anything stupid. [00:17:22] Speaker E: That's cool. I like leading. [00:17:23] Speaker B: I'm not 100% sure that Alex understands how being a guard works, but there are so many things that we have to attend to this evening. I think that lesson can wait until later. But the injury is roaring. The passengers are seated. Annika arriving in the passenger seat. Not much more to say on the matter. As a ghoul, she's used to the kindred taking charge. Ivy, you're behind the wheel. Last I checked, you are a kindred. What are we doing? We have to go somewhere. [00:17:55] Speaker C: Yeah, we do. And obviously, Schmendrick's place is kind of out of the question. And as loathe as I am to admit it, unfortunately, the Ducheski manor is the best place for all of us right now. It's safe. And even though I don't want Maya anywhere near it, it also has everything I need for the ritual I'll soon be conducting. [00:18:14] Speaker A: So. [00:18:15] Speaker C: Makes sense to me. [00:18:17] Speaker B: No, we're going straight for. Huh? [00:18:19] Speaker C: Oh, yeah. I mean, how else are we going to prove that she is who she says she is? Know. [00:18:27] Speaker B: No, you are right. It's certainly less involved than Maya's plan. Is this an announcement you share with the rest of the class, or is this a situation where the band just starts rolling and everyone else can deal with it? [00:18:37] Speaker C: Definitely the latter. And if anybody but Anastasia asks, I will answer. But if Anastasia asks? Not really inclined to answer her questions. [00:18:46] Speaker E: Right now, I don't really care about where we're going. I just assume it's part of the deal. So I reach into my pocket and pull out a bit of string, and I tie the ends together. I make a cat's cradle. And then I offer it to Alex. [00:19:00] Speaker B: I'm dying to know what Alex thinks of this. [00:19:03] Speaker A: I take my eyes off the road for a bit to look over at the cat's cradle, the strings between her fingers. And I look up at Anastasia. Sorry, I don't knit. I'm not a good knitter. And I turn back to watch the road. [00:19:18] Speaker E: It's a game, silly. Pinch the two strings. [00:19:23] Speaker A: Strings are games. [00:19:24] Speaker E: It can be. [00:19:26] Speaker A: Okay. [00:19:27] Speaker E: I explain in great detail how the esteemed pastime of cat's cradle is played, and then I offer the game to Alex once again. Look, I don't know how long this ride is going to take, so we might as well do something, right? [00:19:40] Speaker A: Yeah, it's probably better than a game of punch buggy. Although, if I'm being honest, I think I would kick your ass at punch buggy because I only have to win once. But that being said, I will give this a shot. So I just pinch these two strands here, or do I put my whole hand in? How does this work? I know you just told me, but I need, like, my first time and. [00:20:03] Speaker B: All before we get too far. I think this is a question we can answer mechanically. Alex, I will let you decide, based on the way you're approaching this, to roll either wits and dexterity if you're being, I hesitate to use this word, intellectual about it, or dexterity and craft if you're taking a more homegrown approach. [00:20:25] Speaker A: I think it's safe to assume that I'm a hands on kind of guy. I'm a very hands on vampire. I'm going to be doing this with craft and dexterity. That is zero normal successes and one hunger success. It is a bestial failure. Oh. [00:20:47] Speaker B: Could any result be more narratively appropriate? Here's the thing, friend Alex. You are hyped up from having committed violence. There was fire. There was a threat to your vampiric existence. Somebody challenged you to a duel of brawn, and you triumphed. The triumph doesn't make those desires go away, though. It only heightens them. So now you are presented with a second challenge, a second puzzle. And I don't know if Anastasia meant it this way, but there's a certain smugness about the way that she presented this to you. As if she knew you were going to fail and was waiting to embarrass you in front of these people or just demonstrate her own superiority. And there's a part of you, an alien part of you, a toothy part of you, that will not abide such a thing. It wasn't that many nights ago where you had a similar feeling. And if I recall, it ended with you hurling ivy across a scrap yard. I would appreciate it if you didn't act out that way now. But also, it's not really up to me, is it? It's up to the beast. So do us all the great favor of explaining how your best you'll need to dominate comes out of this game of cat's cradle as the fabric gets. [00:22:10] Speaker A: Interwoven between my fingers and then latched around my wrists in my pure lack of focus. And the rage begins to build as this puny little string has dared to bind me. My muscles begin to grow taut as I snap them from my wrists and just rend the string into little tassels to just fall dead in the air. And my shoulders begin to raise and haunch as I look this new vampire in the eyes and I say, listen, new girl. If you ever try to challenge me again, you will one v. One me, you little shitter. And you will do it like a fucking man. If you use string one more goddamn time, that will be the noose that I hang you from across the bridge with. Do you understand me? [00:23:00] Speaker E: It's just a game, buddy. But okay, I get it. Not really your thing. [00:23:07] Speaker A: Everything's a fucking game. And I win because that's what I was born to do. What was? No, no. Don't you fucking let you get away with no no, we're gonna do this. Boxing gloves, the ring. We're gonna fight. I just met you and I wanna break your fucking face in. [00:23:31] Speaker D: Calm down, Rocky. [00:23:33] Speaker C: I mean, I think so does Maya, in fairness. I call out from the front seat, but I lock eyes with Anastasia if she catches me as I'm speaking and I just say, just apologize to him so we can move on. [00:23:48] Speaker E: I take a breath, I let it out. I look at Alex and I say, super sorry you feel that way. I guess we just can't play games together. [00:23:58] Speaker B: Classic Ivy non apology. [00:24:01] Speaker C: You're gonna actually want to apologize to him, I say as I see the shoulders kind of raising a little bit more. [00:24:08] Speaker D: Whatever. [00:24:09] Speaker A: With that, my hand reaches up your neck, takes you by the chin, turns your eyes into mine. The minute we make eye contact, I thrust you against the side of the car. I get my eyes right into yours with a stern and furrowed brow, and I say, you will apologize to me and you will make it very genuine and you will make it very nice. Because my hand is already in the one place it has to be to make it so you never have to apologize again because you will not have a mouth to do that with. Do you understand? [00:24:44] Speaker E: I'm sorry that I asked you to play a very innocent game and that you couldn't handle it. [00:24:52] Speaker C: Oh, no. [00:24:54] Speaker B: Ivy, I think at the rate things are going, you're going to have to pull the car over. [00:24:58] Speaker C: I was kind of leaning that way when he pushed her up against the side of the car, but as soon as she says that, no, you're absolutely right. I'm going to pull over because this is not going to be great. [00:25:10] Speaker B: Well, Ivy, Maya, you have a difficult time estimating Anastasia's size based on her oversized clothing and generally baggy demeanor. But that is something that Alex will quickly solve as you see his hands going to grip various parts as if he is about to tear your new guest asunder. Maya, I know you're not opposed to that plan on principle, but I can't imagine you're going to let the violence just happen. Also, Ivy, eyes glued to the rear view mirror, unsafe driving conditions happening. What's going on with two of you as this unfolds? [00:25:49] Speaker D: To be quite honest, I haven't flown or traveled economy in a very long time. And right now I'm getting this distinct feeling of when you get into an airplane and you can hear the two people who sit behind you find out that they're from the same podunk, backass, midwestern town that has three people in it and they're going to talk the entire flight. [00:26:17] Speaker B: I don't know that I'm familiar enough with that experience. Does it often end in violence? [00:26:22] Speaker D: Boy, do you want it to? Sometimes. Either way, I turn to Anna and Alex. Would you two please shut the fuck up? I've had a very bad night. It's only getting worse. And right now, I don't see any problem with kicking you both out of the car and letting you deal with the authorities on your own. So why don't we shut up? Because mommy's very tired right now. [00:26:50] Speaker B: Alex, I am not going to wade into the who is mommy and who is auntie? Conversation, but we have established that both Maya and Ivy are figures of authority, so to speak, in your life, your unlife as it is, the beast is fickle and irrational, but it also has its own survival instinct. And there has to be some part of your clear thinking brain that realizes ripping Onastasia limb from limb would create new complications, in addition to earning the ire of Maya, who is plainly tired of this shit, and Ivy, who you've never seen mad. But you've wondered about it, haven't you? So what I would like you to do, for my sake and also for Anastasia, is would you roll willpower for me? [00:27:40] Speaker A: I have a pretty good amount of resolve. My willpower is pretty high. Hopefully I don't fuck this up. We'll see what happens. [00:27:46] Speaker B: That is three successes, just barely enough to get the job done. That means Miss Le Roue will not be making a drive. Check to see if she can pull to the curb before you hurl Anastasia out the car. Whether or not you open the door first. [00:28:01] Speaker A: Coming back into my senses, having the beast placated a bit and put back into its cage. You can see my kind of tense triangle of haunched shoulders and back slowly begin to deflate. And my hair, that's almost standing on end like a lion's mane, is starting to kind of fall naturally. My eyes go from this dilated largeness to the normal size of Alex's doughy, dumb eyes as I look into this new human person, vampire person that I've just met, and I realize my hand is around their throat and jaw, and that's not something a man is supposed to do to a lady he just met. So I immediately recoil my hand and I did a bad thing. Just crosses my face as I look to her and I say, you know what? That's unexcusable. I overreached with my hand, literally. So thank you for the cat's cradle game. I will strive to get better at it so one day I can beat you in a game of strings. I will buy you a new string and we are just going to have a great rest of the ride to the house. Nice to meet you. Don't do anything because I'm still guarding you. [00:29:26] Speaker B: Maya, it is so important for me to know the face you're making as this unfolds as you watch it. [00:29:34] Speaker D: Until now, I've just been pinching the bridge of my nose. I know that vampires don't really get headaches in the same way, but somehow my body has figured out how to have a tension headache from everything that has happened so far. And as the baby vampire apologizes for not knowing how to play cat's cradle, you just hear a thunk and then a second thunk as I start slowly hitting my head against the window. [00:30:11] Speaker B: Ivy, I'm assuming you're not taking your eyes off the road until the car has come to a stop, which means you have a few seconds to witness this in the rearview mirror and the van rumbles to a gravely stop on the curb of this road. You're on the south side of Chicago, so there's places you can park and pull over. It's not like a country road. You're gaze traveling from left to right as you look over your shoulder, passing over Annika, who has a mortified look. She's used to vampires being in control. She's used to the tramir being calm, cool, and collected. What she's witnessing now does not bring the greatest credit upon the clan and house tramir. I want you to understand that she is as professional as ghouls come. So when she gives you that look, even though there's only a pinch of it there, imagine how much it had to build up to escape her self control. [00:31:11] Speaker C: I just give her a knowing nod because yeah, no, this is not what I signed up for either. If I'm being honest, I don't have to say anything to her. Just the nod will do. [00:31:30] Speaker B: If nothing else, further questions would require an act of willpower that she's not willing to muster. Given the volatile situation in the back of the van. It is worth noting, though, she is your regent's property. Who knows what she might have to say, but it seems that we have diffused the bruja shaped bomb in the back of the van, as far as I can tell. Anna, have you learned your lesson at this point? Are you going to wind back the antagonism of your bruja friend, at least long enough to make it to the house? Or is there yet mischievous energy inside you? [00:32:12] Speaker E: I put my feet up on the seat in front of me and I lean back and I just pull out another piece of string that I've tied together. And then I start making star shapes with one hand as I stare out. [00:32:23] Speaker B: The window, being careful, I hope to not let Alex see. Well, unless there are further conversations that you are dying to have right now, we can say that the trip proceeds without too much further incident. If you were heading to the chantry, that would be a short drive. It's on the same side of town. Alas, you are not crossing through downtown. That means getting on the Kennedy freeway, cruising through the urban court of Chicago on one of its many elevated highways before taking a ramp off onto a side street and on then towards the manor. Maya, you've seen this building before. Alex, Anastasia, this will be your first time seeing the gilded age mansion not maintained as well as you would expect of famous architecture. It's a two story gothic affair, vaguely Munsters Adam family looking, considering the paint and the overall state of the building. There's a beautiful conservatory on the right side which is also adjacent the driveway that Ivy will be pulling up into. Ivy, I'm assuming you're in a bit of a rush to get people inside, which means straight through the gate, up the driveway, park, and then last time we were here, this is where you gave Maya the speech. Is there time for another onboarding session? The house rules, as it were. [00:33:49] Speaker C: To save time, knowing that I would like to get everybody inside as fast as possible, I would have been having this conversation leading up to the house just in the couple minutes ahead of time. For Alex's sake. It's because I don't want him to forget the rules and out of sight, out of mind. And I don't know Anastasia from Adam, so same principles apply. [00:34:14] Speaker B: Remind me and our listeners the bullet points of the IP's manor rules. [00:34:20] Speaker C: The rules are actually quite simple. First rule, don't touch anything. Rule number two, don't talk to anybody. And rule number three, don't touch anything. Very short list. [00:34:31] Speaker B: Short enough that even Alex, with his brain filled with cat's cradle thoughts can remember them on short notice. [00:34:38] Speaker A: Don't touch. Do it. Told. Got it. [00:34:41] Speaker C: Good boy. [00:34:43] Speaker B: Well, from one good boy to another, as the van pulls into the driveway and comes to a stop. Kriegor of course, appearing in the doorway, coming out to bid his mistress welcome home. There's a bit of surprise on his face. Unable to hide the shock of having seen so many. [00:35:04] Speaker C: Know I know. Just get them inside, take them to the kitchen. Take Annika to the sitting room. [00:35:12] Speaker B: Yes, of course, mistress. Is everything all right? [00:35:17] Speaker C: No, thank you for asking. [00:35:19] Speaker B: Very well. Will you be requiring the others? Shall I assemble the family? [00:35:23] Speaker C: Not right now, no. We need to formulate some plan. I might, but right now, no, thank you. [00:35:30] Speaker B: Of course. And I'm sure you only skipped over this because of the sense of urgency. Which one is Annika? [00:35:38] Speaker C: Right. No, of course. You have no reason to know. And I'll lean in a little bit closer and point in Annika's direction and say she's the regent school. So if you. [00:35:53] Speaker B: Ah, yes, of course. Then I will see she is quite well attended to. Thank you, mistress. [00:35:58] Speaker C: Thank you, Gregor. [00:36:00] Speaker B: Gregor then crosses in front of the van, giving both Anastasia and Alex an opportunity to witness him in his full tall, emaciated glory. The ducheski are known for a great many things. Physical prowess, not among them. So as this race like man opens the door in a very formal way, the kind of stuff we trained for. You hear him reaching out to Annika with a depth in his voice. Young mistress, if you'll accompany me? Annika, casting her eyes to Ivy for a moment. [00:36:36] Speaker C: I'm going to get everybody here settled, and I'll join you in the sitting room very shortly. Annika. [00:36:42] Speaker B: She nods. There's a bit of hesitation, but she knows better than to defy kindred. Greenworld will escort her through the home to the room as ordered. Annika, unlike Anastasia, will make that with no commentary along the way. Speaking of Anastasia and her commentary, you will exit the van in some order. The door leads into the kitchen. It is a very dark and cast iron affair, neglected, of course, because no one in this home has need of the cabinets or the stove or the fridge or anything like that. All the lighting has that edisonian look to it. Thick filaments, bright orange glow. And despite that, the entire building is still a bit dark. It's old. It's rustic. You can see in places Ivy's been trying to put things together, but most of the furniture is well over a hundred years old. This is a place out of time. It's hard to tell if you're walking into a gilded age mansion or a haunted house. It has vibes of both. Ivy, remind me, did you give instructions to the two of them, or are we just filing into the house? [00:37:58] Speaker C: Oh, no, I definitely gave them instructions as we were driving up. And once Grigor leaves, I turn and I say, that was very, very good. Following rule number two, let's see if we can also follow rule number one. Don't touch anything. [00:38:14] Speaker B: I can say historically that rule number two has not been the easiest one to follow. Small sample size only Maya to think about so far. Alex, you know Ivy well enough to know the things she takes seriously. Everything she says has a bit of that serious edge. But contextually, this is her haven. You know how secure Schmendrick felt about hers and how you can copy some of those emotions onto ivy. Obviously it is a more stately place. It is occupied by Herman Munster. And based on your vampire knowledge, which at this point does rely a lot on movies, you can still get that Renfield vibe. I'm sure you can understand this is. [00:38:56] Speaker A: Unfortunately a battle I will be having of being almost anxiously polite until I become bored with curiosity. So I will probably sit there at the table, kind of bongoing on said table until I realize that I have probably been doing nothing for 30 minutes. I'm very bored and this place is very new and I'm wondering what's in that really big cabinet. I wonder if they have bodies there or like something mundane like an ironing board. [00:39:29] Speaker C: It's not a cabinet, it's an elevator. [00:39:32] Speaker A: That's a fucking elevator? Yes, you have an elevator. [00:39:38] Speaker D: It's technically a dumb waiter. [00:39:40] Speaker A: Is that like a. [00:39:41] Speaker C: That's not a personal attack, Alex. No. [00:39:43] Speaker A: Okay, I was confused for a bit there for a second, but you have an elevator in your kitchen. How rich are you? [00:39:54] Speaker D: What you have to understand, Alex, is that Ivy is not a self made man. This is all daddy's money. [00:40:03] Speaker C: Not gonna play this game, not gonna do it, not tonight. Has Grigor returned from dropping Annika off at the sitting room? [00:40:11] Speaker B: Would it be convenient for you for that to be the case? [00:40:14] Speaker C: Very. [00:40:15] Speaker B: Then yes. He appears in the doorway, not willing to enter the room as that would be intruding, but making sure you see him as he skulks there. [00:40:24] Speaker C: Grigor, can you take Alex and Maya and I gesture towards the two of them to the library and then have one of the others bring down my chalice and my knife, please? [00:40:36] Speaker B: He nods knowingly. Very few reasons you would need that equipment. And of course it makes sense that you wouldn't want the others in the room. He proceeds then over to Maya first. He remembers her face. Miss Lagasse, if you'd be so kind to attend me to the library. [00:40:55] Speaker D: I just beckon to Alex and follow. [00:40:58] Speaker B: Well, easy as that. Ivy. It appears you've gotten what you wanted. You are alone with Anastasia in the kitchen. It will take some time for Grigor to make the necessary arrangements, summoning his family as he sees fit. [00:41:11] Speaker C: As everybody starts piling out of the kitchen, I'm digging through different drawers, pulling out this and that, putting away bowls and things that are just cluttering the countertop from the last time it was used. I reach down and I pull out a big white cloth, and I drape it over the island in the center of the room. [00:41:32] Speaker E: I am looking around in complete fascination. I've never been in a residence this old. And I turn to Ivy, and I say, so what are we doing here? [00:41:43] Speaker C: Well, you have made a very bold claim tonight, coming in and saying that you are the childa of Jason Newberry. Now, of course, given my history, given my group's history, I can't just take something like that at face value. So I need to confirm it. And that's what we're here to do. [00:42:03] Speaker E: I'm telling the truth. Why would I lie? What would I have to gain from. [00:42:08] Speaker C: Misrepresenting myself for representing yourself as the childa of the malkavian primogen of the city of Chicago, you mean. [00:42:19] Speaker E: Well, fine. What would I have to gain from not saying that? [00:42:24] Speaker C: It's not about what you have to gain by not saying it. The point is that you've said it. So either it's true, which we'll find out, or it's not, which we'll find out. [00:42:34] Speaker E: Why not just take me at face value? [00:42:37] Speaker C: Why would I do that? I just met you and your father, if he is your father, tried to kill me on several occasions. [00:42:47] Speaker E: Well, that sucks. [00:42:49] Speaker C: Yeah, it does. [00:42:52] Speaker E: I mean, it sort of appears that you guys repaid the favor by holding. [00:42:58] Speaker C: Him accountable to the primaging council. And if I'm being perfectly candid, I don't think they're really holding him that accountable because he's only in torpor. [00:43:07] Speaker B: But I've noticed something here that I wonder if Ivy has picked up on for someone who presumably will go with it for now, is Jason Newberry's child. She doesn't seem to have the clearest picture of who Jason Newberry actually is about who a primogen is. Why, that would be important. I think Ivy is mistaking a lack of knowledge for something else. Is it possible that rather than being snarky or malicious, Anna just doesn't actually know it's possible? [00:43:46] Speaker C: I suppose there is that universe in which that possibility is correct. [00:43:52] Speaker B: I would not presume to tell Hremir how to conduct her research, but that does seem like a line of inquiry worth pursuing. [00:44:01] Speaker C: Okay, Anastasia, let's assume for a moment that I believe you, that you are Jason Newberry's childa. You don't know what he did to us. You don't know why the whole city, including Maya and myself, would hate him. Hell, you barely know what a primogen is like. Honestly, you are too cavalier about this whole thing. If a ventru came in here spouting off this connection or the other, they'd at least have done their homework, and you haven't even done that. I'm willing to attribute that to just various Malkavianisms, but do you see why I need to be? [00:44:42] Speaker E: Ah, okay. You're one of those guilty until proven innocent. [00:44:47] Speaker C: Uh, when Jason Newberry's involved. Absolutely. Yeah. He burned a fucking hotel down. [00:44:54] Speaker E: Didn't you guys just burn down a building? [00:44:56] Speaker C: No, we didn't. Thanks. [00:44:59] Speaker E: It sure looked like you guys did. [00:45:02] Speaker C: Oh, my God. What exactly are you doing here? Why exactly did you come and seek us out? Because the entire time that you have interacted with us hasn't seemed like there's a reason for you to be here except to give witty comments about how this night has gone or hasn't gone or what's happened to Maya's face. So before we dive into this, before I go through the trouble of all of this, why don't you tell me what it is exactly that you're hoping to get out of this interaction? [00:45:36] Speaker E: Look, I just know that my dad has been missing for a while, and I just want to get some answers. [00:45:41] Speaker D: And I'll figure it out from there. [00:45:43] Speaker C: What answer do you want? He's in torfor. Go talk to the primaging council. I don't have answers for you beyond that. [00:45:49] Speaker E: Okay, first off, what is the primaging council? [00:45:53] Speaker C: Oh, my God. Really? Really? You really don't know what the primaging council is? [00:45:58] Speaker E: How about hypothetically, we just assume that I haven't left or been out in a really long time, and I'm just looking for my dad. [00:46:10] Speaker C: What do you mean? What are you talking about? I don't understand. Your dad is a primogen. Your dad was on the primogen council? [00:46:20] Speaker E: Yeah, I don't know what that is. [00:46:23] Speaker C: How can you be the child of a primogen and not know what the primaging council is? [00:46:29] Speaker E: I mean, to my knowledge, I just exist. I don't really have any answers for you. It was just me and my dad for a very long time. [00:46:38] Speaker C: Okay, so why are you here, though? Why do you think that I have answers? Why do you think that Maya has an answer? For you. [00:46:47] Speaker E: Oh, well, my dad told me to find you guys because you would know what I'm seeking. [00:46:54] Speaker C: How did he tell you to find us? [00:46:57] Speaker E: Just a voice in my. [00:47:02] Speaker C: Like a voice? [00:47:04] Speaker D: Well, his voice. [00:47:06] Speaker C: No, because he's in torpor, so he can't be communicating with you. [00:47:11] Speaker E: Look, lady, I know what my dad sounds like. [00:47:14] Speaker B: In fairness, ivy, for someone whose job it is to develop new and exciting ways to use the blood to break the rules of reality, you've seen weirder things. [00:47:27] Speaker C: Yes. [00:47:28] Speaker B: It's not impossible. [00:47:31] Speaker C: Look, all I know is that he was staked, and given how much time has passed, I'm certain that he's in torpor right now. So. Last time I knew there wasn't any way to communicate outside of torpor, because that would be ridiculous. Unless somebody's been feeding him while he's staked, and that. I don't want to consider that, either. [00:47:57] Speaker E: Somebody staked my dad? [00:47:59] Speaker C: Yeah, the primaging council, when they found him guilty of crimes. [00:48:06] Speaker B: What an interesting thing to hear. Two people who are so sure of their version of the world, suddenly realizing that something has to give. The two of you have very different realities that cannot possibly survive contact with one another. Only one of you can be right. Is Jason Newberry awake? Is he not? Is he talking to. [00:48:31] Speaker C: Mean. [00:48:32] Speaker B: It's implausible, but. And I think that eventually, this leads us back to where we started, didn't it? At this point, there's only one way to be sure. First things first. We have to establish if she is who she says she is. Otherwise, you've got nothing more than another malkavian on your hands. Which means it is narratively appropriate for the youngest ducheski to arrive, the daughter holding in her arms a bundle of tools of objects. Ivy, why don't you describe for me what it would look like were someone to bring you a parcel of ritual objects. [00:49:14] Speaker C: Well, there's only two objects in Rosalia's hands. A matching pair of delicately carved cherry boxes with polished gold trim. She places the boxes one next to the other on the island and opens them up before taking a step back, revealing two artifacts nestled in a lush velvet lining inside. The first is an ornate silver chalice. The cup itself has sacred geometry etched all around the outside and is obviously ritualistic in nature, as opposed to decorative. It's also highly polished, both inside and out, and has been tended to a great deal. Which tells you how important a ritual item this is to me. I take it out and inspect it to make sure there isn't anything left over from the previous ritual that could taint the results of this one. And before you say anything, no, it's not because I believe it was improperly cleaned before, or that I would even have a reason to think that it's just part of my checklist. When I'm satisfied with my findings, I place the chalice down in front of its crate, close the lid, and move on to the next. The second one houses a silver dagger, one with a slightly curved blade and a beautiful mother of pearl handle. The hilt has these delicate silver strands wrapped around it, which are purely decorative, but there aren't so many that it would inhibit the usefulness of the mother of pearl. I go through the same routine as I did with the chalice, observing the blade from all angles to ensure its cleanliness. I set the dagger down next to its box and close the lid, taking the chalice and stepping aside so Rosalia can grab the chests and remove them from my space. [00:51:06] Speaker B: And she will. As is the way of things, that gives Anastasia some time to look upon the work. I don't know about you, but if someone approached me and started preparing by placing a knife and a goblet on the kitchen island, I would have questions. [00:51:26] Speaker E: Wait. What's all this? What are we doing here? What's going on? [00:51:32] Speaker C: I told you. We're going to find out if you are who you say you are. [00:51:36] Speaker E: And exactly how are you doing this with the blood? How are you getting the blood? [00:51:45] Speaker C: I narrow my eyes a little bit in a genuinely confused manner and gesture very slowly towards the knife. [00:51:55] Speaker E: Look, I didn't allow myself to get dragged all this way, riding in your dumb van to get cut open and killed by you. [00:52:05] Speaker C: Anastasia, if I wanted you dead, I would have let Alex kill you in the car, or I would have let Maya do it in the parking garage. But you're here right now with this knife on my table because I don't want you dead. [00:52:20] Speaker E: Look, lady, how am I supposed to know what you're into and what you're not into if you're just, like, super freaky? [00:52:28] Speaker C: As she continues to talk, I turn and I grab the boxes from the younger Ducheski, opening them back up and starting to place the items back inside. Fine. You know what? You don't trust me? Great. I don't trust you. You want my help? We're doing this. Either that or there's the door. [00:52:47] Speaker E: I am stunned by her response, and I turn to her and I say, look, I just don't know what's going on and what you're trying to do. To me, what even is the ritual where you can just cut me open, check out my heart, let a crow eat it, and then it's going to speak poetry? Because, no, I'm not up for that. [00:53:07] Speaker C: Why do you think that's what would happen? [00:53:10] Speaker E: I've watched a ton of horror movies, and I have no idea what kind of kinky shit you're into. [00:53:15] Speaker C: And I close my eyes and hang my head and just reconsider so many choices of mine. No, Anastasia, I am not going to carve out your heart and feed it to a crow, who definitely does not live here. I just need some of your blood, and I'll gesture towards the chalice enough to fill the cup. [00:53:43] Speaker E: Oh, well, that's okay, then. [00:53:47] Speaker C: Great. [00:53:48] Speaker E: I don't want any scars, though. [00:53:50] Speaker C: Oh, my God. You're a vampire. [00:53:52] Speaker A: You don't have. [00:53:53] Speaker E: I don't want to have it be ugly. Like, make it look nice. [00:53:58] Speaker C: Oh, my God. I am purposefully going to make it ugly now, and then it'll go away because you're a vampire. [00:54:07] Speaker B: Well, speaking of irritated expressions, I cannot imagine it is only ivy giving one. Maya, you're not having the greatest day. And even on your greatest day, spending a protracted amount of time in close quarters with Alex Scott is not something you have ever looked forward to. It was only a few moments after being let into the house that he started getting distracted by all the things around him. Whatever peace and quiet you were hoping to find in this library, I think it's safe to presume that is not the case. So the two questions that I have. First, Alex, what are you getting into? Because we know you're getting into something. And second, Maya, how, by the grace of God, have you not lashed out at this brouha yet? [00:54:54] Speaker A: It's a great thing. I don't have to breathe because I'm humming and hawing and sighing a lot, making a lot of noise. I'm very frustrated as my finger dances across all these many books. There's no dewey decimal system at all here. And I have no idea where to find the action books. Clockwork orange, 20,000 leagues under the sea. I would kill for a goosebumps right now. I don't know what any of this is, but I'm not going to pull any of it out because that's rude. [00:55:29] Speaker B: No, I think the closest you'll find to an action book is that one history of the popes, where they get into the Medici's in the 1450s. That's when things got a little wild. But even then, it's in German, and it's pretty dry. [00:55:42] Speaker A: Yeah, dry Germans aren't my bag. I just wish there was a number system so I know where I could find the good books and not the stuffy. Uh, Maya? Maya. Hey, Maya, you know books, right? Maya, you know books are these. Maya, where can I find the books with, like, plots and not, like, plotting? I know from what I've gathered from YouTube, like, plotting is a thing, and I retract my hand like an old nosferatu movie, an old vampire film. Plotting. [00:56:19] Speaker D: I genuinely can never tell if you're being serious or not. [00:56:26] Speaker A: Thank you. No, I'm serious. I mean, not deathly serious. Just looking to kill some time with a book or something. [00:56:40] Speaker D: No, I get it. But this library isn't made for that kind of thing. I get the sense that this is reference only. [00:56:49] Speaker A: Oh, my God. [00:56:51] Speaker D: I reach up and pull a copy of local flora and fauna of ancient Mesopotamia. [00:56:57] Speaker B: Not for nothing, at least that one has pictures. [00:56:59] Speaker A: Oh, my God. I get why babies have iPads now. Oh, my God. [00:57:05] Speaker D: If I had an iPad to give you, I would do it. [00:57:08] Speaker A: Yeah. Okay, so I'm going to regret this, but as I am on firing board, like, on fire, how bored I am. Maya, would you like to talk to kill time? [00:57:35] Speaker D: Generally, no. However, I get the sense that you are going to keep asking me questions, so, fine. [00:57:43] Speaker A: Look, it's either that or you gave me a ball and I bounce it against the wall like a prison inmate. [00:57:48] Speaker D: To be quite honest, I was wondering, if I threw a stick, would you chase it? But I have none. [00:57:54] Speaker A: Convenient for both of us. [00:57:57] Speaker D: You would, wouldn't you? [00:57:59] Speaker A: At this point? Only because I'm bored and it's something to do. [00:58:05] Speaker D: All right, Alex, I have the feeling that you're not going to stop asking me questions until I start answering. So I'm going to give you a very important canaanite lesson. Nothing comes to you for free. So you get to ask me a question, and I will ask you one in response. Got it? [00:58:25] Speaker A: Understood. [00:58:27] Speaker D: And because I'm polite, you can go first. [00:58:31] Speaker A: Oh, okay, cool. So, Maya, are you from Chicago originally? [00:58:44] Speaker D: No. Alex, do you really think that you're a superhero? [00:58:51] Speaker B: Oh, wow. [00:58:52] Speaker A: Just jump in ten spaces. You know what? I don't know what to believe anymore. But I do know that I have strength that I've never had. I have feelings that I've never felt before, and I have loved ones that I can never see again. [00:59:15] Speaker D: In fairness, that is about 66% of puberty. [00:59:19] Speaker A: Well, I've been told I'm now a baby. Again. So my body and me, right. Just growing a second time. [00:59:27] Speaker D: Oh, if only it were that simple. [00:59:31] Speaker A: No, I don't think anything will be from now on. Second question. Maya, what's your favorite type of. What's your favorite type of blood? [00:59:49] Speaker D: You want a real answer? [00:59:51] Speaker A: Yes. [00:59:53] Speaker D: To be honest, I really miss cocaine. [00:59:57] Speaker A: Okay, so, clarifying question. They make cocaine blood. Is that a thing? [01:00:03] Speaker D: If you know the right people. [01:00:05] Speaker A: Holy shit, waffles. You mean to tell me there's a place that makes. Wait a minute. No, I've seen some tv shows. You're talking about cocaine and someone else's blood, right? [01:00:15] Speaker D: There you go, buddy. [01:00:16] Speaker A: I'm learning. [01:00:19] Speaker D: Turnabouts. Fair play. What's your favorite kind of blood, Alex? [01:00:23] Speaker A: Dude, blood guy. But wait, that didn't sound right. So I like fighting guys for their blood. That doesn't sound great when I say it out loud. [01:00:34] Speaker D: It doesn't, but I also don't believe you. Well, do you actually want your prey to struggle? [01:00:43] Speaker A: Yeah, I want them to challenge me, and then I want to take it from them. I'm stronger because they're weaker. Because that's what I want. [01:01:01] Speaker D: Stronger. [01:01:05] Speaker A: But not women, though. I can't do that again. [01:01:10] Speaker D: I smell blood in the water. So I'll sit up and lean forward in my chair. Now, did someone hurt their friend when they woke up? [01:01:22] Speaker A: No. [01:01:25] Speaker D: Mommy. [01:01:28] Speaker A: No. Just a total stranger. Wrong place, wrong time. [01:01:38] Speaker D: If Alex is not absorbed in his own drama and his own self pity, he might see a very brief look across my face. [01:01:46] Speaker B: Why is that? [01:01:50] Speaker D: You don't need to know. Not a huge fan of wrong place or wrong time, people. [01:01:57] Speaker A: I was trying to stop a crime in progress. Having no business being there, came to find a giant metal container filled with women, young, innocent women that had been taken from their homes. And I tried to save them. It was then that I was tired bit. I turned into this, and I woke up. [01:02:25] Speaker D: Like you said, the camarilla preferred the term embraced. [01:02:30] Speaker A: Embraced. [01:02:32] Speaker D: It's like telling someone their dog went upstate. [01:02:35] Speaker A: Right? Yeah, I know. We talked about that when I went on feeding day. Yeah. Anyway, so I found someone and I ate a bit too much. And it does. It's not something I want to do again. Not her. Not like that. [01:03:04] Speaker D: Did you eat meat in a form of life? [01:03:07] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. Burgers, steaks, fried chicken, you name it. [01:03:11] Speaker D: You know where that comes from, right? [01:03:14] Speaker A: Yeah, but generally speaking, I don't have an empathy for cows. [01:03:21] Speaker D: Why? [01:03:23] Speaker A: I don't know. Because the vegans make it annoying. [01:03:28] Speaker D: Valid. [01:03:29] Speaker A: I mean, they're always like, oh, they're out there in terrible conditions. They're pooping on their feet. They're dumb animals. They're farting and killing the environment. And I'm just like, I don't care. They're tasty and they're dumb animals. [01:03:46] Speaker D: So kind of like humans. [01:03:51] Speaker A: I mean, when I was a human, I didn't think that was like humans. [01:04:00] Speaker D: So you're not human anymore? [01:04:05] Speaker A: I know a part of me wants to rise to every challenge and destroy every obstacle in my way. But at the same time, a part of me still has some of the old Midwest values knocking around. I don't want to take a life from someone. It's not my place to take it. And I didn't even know that I could eat without killing someone until feeding day. And that's on me. I got to deal with that, I guess. [01:04:36] Speaker D: I mean, in fairness, you don't. You never had to. In fact, who told you? You did. There's never been a point where anyone said, you have to stop. We're apex predators. Ever met wolves? Lions who just take a bite from a gazelle and walk away? [01:04:57] Speaker A: I mean, I think we've all seen lion Hamlet. To know what happens when you overfeed too much in your environment. And don't tell her I called her. This mama ivy did make a good point. You eat one whole person, that's one less person you can keep feeding from. [01:05:20] Speaker D: Overpopulation is a severe problem in this world. [01:05:24] Speaker A: That's their problem. That's not our problem. [01:05:28] Speaker D: Exactly. That's basically what I'm saying. Humanity has been spreading across the globe, consuming resources, destroying the planet. You don't think that nature has found a way to manage that source of agony? [01:05:44] Speaker A: Last I checked, this was supposed to be a curse. This was supposed to be something old and align. [01:05:54] Speaker D: But you said it yourself. You've got superpowers now. You're stronger than ever. You're faster. I bet you could tear a person apart with your bare hands. [01:06:06] Speaker A: I did. And I killed a guy with your shoe. It was fucking dope. [01:06:11] Speaker D: Yeah, I'll bill you for that later. You know that feeling inside the one that was in the van as well? That coiled rage? [01:06:18] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:06:20] Speaker D: That's your power. [01:06:21] Speaker A: Look, my whole life on life previous, before this happened, my entire existence was understanding that I'm a product of the community I'm living in. That I have to protect it, even if that means protect it from myself. I am not a stranger to knowing what it feels like to know that every room I'm in, no one is safe there. Because I'm there. This is no different from that. It's just elevated. And living with that responsibility has taught me to act second, think first. If people have problems, it's their problems. It's my job to get involved when it's my job. Does that mean that I can maintain that forever? I don't know. Because there's a very real war going on in my head to hurt people every single day. And I don't want to be that guy. And if me being a superhero allows me to turn all that fence just one day longer, then maybe that's what I got to do. I don't know how long I'll be able to hold it, but that's all I got. [01:07:38] Speaker D: That's so funny. You keep describing your former life and having to protect people from you. You're so wrapped up in the person you were when you were human. You're not. And you don't have to be. Not to mention, I don't think that Ivy has expressed this to you yet. But regardless of your little moral code, this heroic part in you that thinks that you need to protect the world from you, the rest of us are not playing that game. I didn't before I turned, and I don't have to now. You may be taking some sort of high road, being good and noble and trying to limit yourself, but no one is going to take the high road back. Especially not now. [01:08:34] Speaker A: Maya, my question. Do I get to choose? Do I get a choice? [01:08:43] Speaker D: You can choose whatever you want. But you should go in with the knowledge that if we know that you're going to be a man of honor, it's just going to be one more advantage for us. [01:08:55] Speaker A: Okay? Maya, today I ripped a whole man in half with my bare hands. Something past Alex. Couldn't even hurt him with a punch. And I killed what I'm pretty sure was another vampire with one of your shoes. And I enjoyed it. I may be struggling along to figure out what the hell I'm going to be, but I know one thing's for sure. If the only way to ensure safety for myself and those around me is through violence, that's not new for me. And if someone wants to take my kindness for weakness, I'm going to rip their spine out of their back like I'm pulling a shoelace from a shoe. [01:09:41] Speaker D: I just want to stress to you, in between all of these declarations of heroics, that not everyone is playing the same game you are. Ivy doesn't. Not really. I certainly don't. Never have. I've never had to care about keeping innocence alive. Here. I have to do what I do to stay in control. You know that feeling you got in the car when you got really upset at a piece of string ride? [01:10:17] Speaker A: That. [01:10:18] Speaker D: That feeling that your purpose is to dominate over the weaker things? That's what keeps you alive. None of the chivalry, none of the. Oh, yes, I'll step aside and let you walk all over me. Because like I said, as soon as we find out we can, someone is going to. The camarilla are very, very good at pretending that they're noble and care about each other's feelings and that they want to work together and steward the kindred in a sort of weird coexistence, but they want just as badly to dominate each other. But it's all the same shit. Everyone wants to be on top. And regardless of the flowery words, calling it a pyramid, calling it your primagen council, your princes, it's all the same fucking shit. Everyone just wants to be on top so they no longer have to be taking orders. [01:11:24] Speaker B: Alex, how are you internalizing what Maya is telling you? [01:11:30] Speaker A: There's definitely a conflict. As before in my mind. Maybe the old Alex, maybe the new Alex. Just two halves. Shoulder angel, shoulder, devil just playing badminton with ideas. On one hand, I can't help but feel like there's some moral wrongness there. A selfishness, a greed, a fear. But on the other hand, from everything I've experienced, seen, and heard so far, this may become the new precedent. This may become the new reality. And dear God, this may become the new morality. And maybe if I'm going to survive, I may have to figure out what that means for me, what I need to do and what I need to be. [01:12:16] Speaker B: The two options have been fairly clearly articulated. Ivy says you have to resist what you are in order to protect yourself. She's speaking of the masquerade. She's speaking of the attention that comes to vampires when they slaughter their way through humans and so on and so forth. Maya says no, you have to take that urge to dominate, wear it like a cowl, dress up in it like armor to protect yourself from the other vampires. [01:12:49] Speaker A: I mean, it doesn't make any sense, right? Like eating willy nilly, creating violence all over the place. That does not even a vampire society make. We have no food. We turn to ourselves. We eat each other. We have no infrastructure. We just do as we will and please. And then it's only by the word of the strongest do we go on leading. Very little left if we are to thrive in any society, then we must create rules of engagement of that society which must be respected. Because when they become too powerful, too unbalanced, it must seek balance within itself, rise up and either take the top out or crush down, remove the bottom and leave nothing left. So engaging in this doesn't make any sense, but it feels good, but it can't work. [01:13:44] Speaker B: In fairness to Maya, she never said anything about eating your way willy nilly, about flaunting your powers in public. She just said, instead of being afraid of how powerful you can be, instead of wallowing when you've achieved some level of supremacy over another creature, you can let that guide you. There's room for discretion in every kind of plot and path, right? But perhaps that's something you will have to investigate with her a little more carefully as the nights go on on the topic of conversations people are afraid of, I believe we've reached the part of the explanation process in the kitchen where Ivy is holding a knife. But that is a ritual, the outcome of which will have to remain a mystery. Because when it comes to the secrets of Anastasia's blood and Harkotary's reaction to the information hidden therein, that's a story for another night. [01:14:48] Speaker A: You've been listening to the All Night Society, an actual play podcast brought to you by Queen's court games. If you've enjoyed your stay, consider supporting us on Patreon for access to exclusive art, audio, and private fan only games. For more content, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok at Queens court games, or on Twitter at Queenscourt Rpg.