Episode 5 - Waiting

[00:00:01] Speaker A: You're listening to the All Night Society, an actual play podcast brought to you by Queens Court Games. Well, every adventure, no matter how dangerous, no matter how interesting or uninteresting, they always come to a close. Same is true for this one, which means Joshua Crozier, hero of the evening so far as finagling away into Malinkov's VIP lounge is concerned. It's time for you to head home. Seems like a bad idea to take the van back to wherever you are. If for some reason the police were to have their attention drawn to this place, you wouldn't want to be in the vehicle that all the assailants piled out of. How do you intend to resolve that predicament and return whence you came? [00:01:24] Speaker B: I think I will go ahead and call myself a cab. It seems the simplest, safest option, given everything that has happened tonight. [00:01:33] Speaker A: Benefits of the cab, including the ability to pay with cash. No one's gonna attract Joshua Crozier home, that's for sure. Well, your cabby is like any other cabbie, notable only in his lack of notability utterly forgettable behind the wheel. He barely manages to register your presence as you enter, glancing into the rearview mirror only long enough to make sure you don't look homeless or sketchy a middle aged white man. That makes it easy to pass muster. And soon enough, the wide wheelbase of the Crown Vic rolling out into traffic and taking you home. This is the first moment you've had to yourself, really to yourself, not counting the few moments in between sending Ivy off to do that or watching Rebecca skitter off to do this. For the first time in, God, a dozen hours, you're alone with yourself and your thoughts. What's going on in that head of yours? [00:02:33] Speaker B: I feel change. Not just on the horizon anymore, changes here in more ways than one. When I was first contacted by the prince, told to go meet Damien at a restaurant, my mind was solely on, let's figure out what this is, get it over with so I can get home and get back to what I do best. And now, before I've even had time to think about it, I am now a key player in likely one of the most important historical events of the last few decades. And what surprises me the most is that for the first time in a long time, really the first time ever, I see opportunity around me. As much as I had grown comfortable with my lifestyle, staring at the strings at the board, figuring out who to bite next, I think somehow in the last couple nights, I've almost outgrown it. And at this point, I think it might be time for Josh Crozier to make a change. [00:03:41] Speaker A: It sounds pretty ominous when you put it like that. What kind of change you have in mind? [00:03:47] Speaker B: I was brought up as an assistant, occasionally a fist, and little more than that. John Thicketts told me about how advancement, climbing the Ladder, how all that worked, but he never prepped me for it. He never told me how I could do something like that. And yet somehow, the last couple nights I have almost as if second nature just played my hand in a way where I can see the rungs of the Ladder before me. Maybe I'm even a couple up already, I don't know yet. [00:04:24] Speaker A: You are referring to your erstwhile dreams of Houndhood? [00:04:27] Speaker B: Yes, I am. And it's different. It's scary, for sure. I know what can happen. Somehow I feel like this might be a calling for me. And even more than a calling, a means to an end. Because for too long I've been sitting idly by. But now I am on the cusp of being able to move more freely, gather more resources. I can finally achieve in Chicago what I came here for. [00:05:04] Speaker A: Well, what is that goal thus far? We know about John Thicket's ish we know about your son ish we know about your general disapproving of most things criminal and eagerness to punish those who transgress. But that leaves a lot of options so far as what Joshua Crozier's real mission is concerned. [00:05:30] Speaker B: The night I had to leave my son behind in that blood soaked house. The day I died, the day I saw Rachel die I have seen things since my embrace, but yet I don't think anything will top the sheer awfulness of that day. My missions in Chicago really are all the same thing. I want to finally put to rest what happened that night. I want to find the last few stragglers who were involved in the death of my wife. I want to find out who John Thickettz was and why he chose me. And I want to find my son. [00:06:21] Speaker A: Do you imagine that being named a Hound will help you accomplish these things? How do you figure? [00:06:30] Speaker B: Right now I am Josh Crozier, the Shuddin Neonate who has never done anything of consequence. Few people have spoken to me. I assume that few are really aware of my presence. Even fewer have actually spoken to me. And as a Neonate, intrinsically in the way these games work, I am a pawn. It's my pawnhood that got me here in the first place. The problem is that the pawn is always the first sacrifice to protect a king. I think I'm done being a pawn. I'm done looking over my shoulder every second as a knight, a bishop, whatever proverbial chess piece, a Hound embodies. I can move more freely, I can attack more strongly, and I don't have to be as afraid of the other pawns. [00:07:22] Speaker A: I do appreciate your sensible outlook there, but to continue the metaphor, bishops and knights are also sacrificed to protect the King, and the king in this case, the prince rather, has formed himself a nice little defensive position with his new Neonade friends. The Losambra are coming, that much is certain. Tomorrow night, we'll figure out under what circumstances they arrive in Chicago. But peacefully or violently, for better or for worse, no matter how that plays out, your role so far makes you responsible. I don't think it's much of a reach to say that if things go awry, you'll be among the first that Prince Jackson puts up as sacrificial lamb. [00:08:10] Speaker B: Knights and bishops, sacrificed as they may be, are done so much less readily. Even if a move is made to sacrifice them to protect the king, well, many times they can hold their own in surprising ways. [00:08:25] Speaker A: I do hope so, for your sake. Lucky for you, your promotion does seem imminent. You've acquitted yourself well. In front of the sheriff, in front of the other hounds, prince Jackson made an informal offer of status that will no doubt be cemented over the next few days. I can't speak for what will happen with the power you receive, but for the first time, it seems like you'll actually get that power. And that's good news. [00:08:54] Speaker B: I knew that throwing ganges over a balcony would pay off. [00:08:58] Speaker A: Is that your official position? That it was something you did to please the court and not a product of in the moment rage? [00:09:07] Speaker B: If anyone asked me directly, it would be a simple matter of I did my duty, because what else could I do in that moment? But privately, the slow motion replay in my head of watching him tumble all the way down, well, that's something I enjoy privately. [00:09:25] Speaker A: Something for the Justice Spank Bank, as it were. [00:09:30] Speaker B: I wish you hadn't called it that. [00:09:32] Speaker A: But, yes, sure, while tortured as the metaphor may be, it does lead us to an interesting segue. Thoughts of Genji's demise are things that you're going to indulge in private. And in time enough, your cabby will have delivered you unto your home. Schmendrick shares her living quarters with a rat, I suppose you could say also with Big Bob. Rebecca has roommates, insofar as wildlife counts, and Ivy is locked within the doors of the Chantry. But Joshua Crozier. You live alone. Tell me what that walk is like. Stepping out of the cab onto the sidewalk that last minute, minute and a half before you enter your home. [00:10:24] Speaker B: Routine is the key to effectiveness. So after I step out of the cab, I will stand on the sidewalk outside of my honestly, a little dilapidated apartment building, look both ways down the street, see if there's an unusual number of people hanging out tonight. I mean, there's always people outside. Doesn't matter what time it is. [00:10:49] Speaker A: Well, how many is a normal amount? [00:10:52] Speaker B: A few groups of two or three. There's always someone looking to get something out of someone else. Usually a couple deals like that going down, a few late night stragglers on their way home. Sometimes they even sing drunkenly and happily in some way. I like hearing that. The tall buildings that flank my own are gapped by alleyways. And of course, I do my best to peer into those, see if anyone's peering back. There's not usually cars parked along the street, so anytime that I do see some, I see if anyone's waiting around, just sitting behind the wheel, anything like that. There's not really any trees to speak of up and down the street, so really the alleyways are the only cover anyone's going to get. But after I spend a minute or two outside pretending to enjoy whatever night air a slightly smelly, rundown neighborhood would afford, I would head into my actual building. [00:12:00] Speaker A: So you make your way up the stairs, first floor or second floor apartment? [00:12:05] Speaker B: I am in a second floor apartment. The rusty metal staircase is noisy enough that if, say, a large group of people were to rush up them very quickly, well, I would have at least some chance of being aware of them. [00:12:22] Speaker A: To say nothing of the additional security from your windows. Someone wants to come in that way, they're going to need a ladder at least. [00:12:30] Speaker B: Of course, I learned pretty well that trying to surveil someone in an apartment that is not on the first floor much trickier. [00:12:42] Speaker A: I think Charles learned a similar lesson in high school. [00:12:46] Speaker B: I try not to compare myself to Charles if I can help it. [00:12:51] Speaker A: That is good advice for any kindred. So, Charles'history aside, you find your way to the door, you slide the key into the lock, you throw it open. You don't have company this time. What does Joshua's haven look like? [00:13:06] Speaker B: Spartan is the one word I would apply to my Haven. I know that some kindred like to emulate the feel of being alive, of having a proper home that you come to every day and it smells like you and it's all yours, and you go to bed, and I can't bring myself to do that somehow. The only furniture there is to speak of is a cheap Ikea dining table with even cheaper Ikea chairs flanking it. Only one of them is visibly used. [00:13:41] Speaker A: Well, the very first important question that I have is, did you build the table and chairs yourself? [00:13:47] Speaker B: I did. I had some experience in assembling tables and chairs. Rachel and I were not exactly high on the hog starting out. [00:14:00] Speaker A: Right, because you had to do the new family furniture thing. Building a crib, getting a bigger table, the high chair. God knows. Those don't come assembled, do they? I don't actually know. [00:14:14] Speaker B: Well, if they normally do. Mine didn't. [00:14:16] Speaker A: Well, that's nice. The furniture, at the very least, gives the place a sense of being lived in. It would be a bit eerie if someone walked past your apartment, took a little peeksy inside, and saw nothing but bare carpet and walls. Keeping up appearances is part of the masquerade. Good on you there. But I have to wonder if someone were to dig a little deeper, if they managed to make it past all the locks, is there anything I mean, aside from the corpse sleeping in the bedroom, is there anything that would give away that things aren't quite exactly what they seem? [00:14:54] Speaker B: Depends on what you mean. If not exactly what they seem refers to my proclivities. And carefulness, the large cork board on the wall above the kitchen table, covered in papers and strings it is might paint me as eccentric, but as far as being an undead horror, well, I haven't bothered to plug the fridge. [00:15:22] Speaker A: Hmm. Man, that's how the hunters get you. Although, in Joshua's case, I think it's safe to assume that by the time the hunters are checking the fridge, things have already gone a bit pear shaped. [00:15:35] Speaker B: I also haven't really been worried about hunters all this time. I've been laying low enough that I at least thought I was safe from their gaze. And to be honest, since my embrace, the only thing I've been worried about are others of my kind. But now that I think about it, and now that I'm drawing a bit more attention, I think I would go plug the fridge in. [00:16:02] Speaker A: Can't hurt to be careful, right, Josh? [00:16:05] Speaker B: It cannot. [00:16:06] Speaker A: I do think you're right about the hunter bit. It's a bit ironic that the vampires who are trying their hardest to appear human end up being the ones with the most hunter trouble. Going out to parties, especially in Chicago transiting at night. It's suspicious when you exhale and there's no steam on your breath. Or occasionally you shake someone's hand and forget that your flesh is a bit waxy, a bit cold. Being antisocial does spare you from many of those interactions. The little ones that might give you away. But, hey, as you said, it's not something you've had to worry about. [00:16:49] Speaker B: Not until now. [00:16:51] Speaker A: Not until I brought it up. Well, that's how it goes. So, aside from your college student bachelor furniture and the evidence of a meticulously organized mind on the wall, is there anything else that counts as decor? Anything you brought from the old life into this one? [00:17:15] Speaker B: Nothing on display. I am all too aware of the lovely kindred practice of finding out, tracking down and then twisting the old contacts, the old attachments of one another. I wouldn't dare to risk putting up a photo of Rachel or even Isaac, where a ghoul kicking the door down could easily just grab it and be off. The only photos I carry of that particular part of my old life are in my wallet. Nothing on the walls, nothing on the mean. [00:17:54] Speaker A: Of course, there's the deep secret parts of your life that you wouldn't want to put on. I mean, surely you had a favorite baseball team when you were alive, right? I think it's actually against the law to be a citizen of Boston and not have a hyperinflated sense of pride towards your sports teams. [00:18:14] Speaker C: Is that true? [00:18:16] Speaker B: I must admit, I was a bit of a Red Sox nationalist. But almost immediately after that night, even the Red Sox felt small, inconsequential. [00:18:31] Speaker A: That's fair. And as we know, it's not like Josh had a ton of time to pack before leaving his hometown. But it does say something that you left all of it. There are essentially two eras to your personhood. There's living and there's dead. The only thing that ties those two together is John Thicket's and his mess. And aside from that, nary the twain shall cross. Sounds lonely. Of course, the situation is surrounded by sadness. That part makes sense. But in the meantime, there's been nothing to fill that void. It's all business, all the time. Is that the case? I mean, kindred aren't human, but you're still possessed of a human brain. There has to be something aside from work, right? I would say surely you can't spend every waking hour hunting down people who deserve justice. But in your case, I'm not actually sure that's true. It just strikes me as strange, a little sad, even if the only two modes Joshua has is hard at work and fast asleep. [00:19:52] Speaker B: Admittedly, that's how it's been for some time. If I'm not tracking down the next receiver of my judgment, I'm digging through DHS files, through the bureaucratic mire that is the foster care system, trying to find details about my son, where he went, where he was, anything that might help in finding him now. [00:20:18] Speaker A: Well, I guess lonely was the right word after all. But I suppose that's changing now, too, isn't it? Based on what you told me in the last three days, you've spent more time with other vampires than you have in the last three years. [00:20:36] Speaker B: I have. [00:20:39] Speaker A: How's that working out for you? It's bad enough that you're forced to socialize. Worse still that you can't pick your company. [00:20:46] Speaker C: Worse? [00:20:47] Speaker A: Worse still? That right out the gate, you end up in the middle of all of this. Are you adapting well to this group, project lifestyle? [00:20:57] Speaker B: I think so. There were some initial growing pains, and it's likely that there will still be some. It's been an awfully long time since I've had to play nice with others, work with others. But at the same time, it's a dangerous thing to try and climb the ladder without support. Official support is something I'll have to work on. But someone on my left, someone on my right, someone watching my back. That's not something to be sneezed at. [00:21:29] Speaker A: Well, I have two immediate questions based on what you said. First of all, you can't say the phrase there were some initial growing pains and expect that to slip by uninterrogated. But second, you honestly expect me to believe that Joshua is happy ivy LaRue is on his left or his right. Or behind him, god forbid. [00:21:51] Speaker B: It's hilarious how you ask two different questions, and the answer to both is the same. Ivy LaRue meeting her in that restaurant was my growing pain. Seeing a tramir come sauntering in like she owns the place the way they all do didn't exactly make me feel eager to be working with others again. But I have to admit, she didn't eat me in my sleep. And given what happened both with the gasoline incident and with Malinkov, I won't say I trust Ivy LaRue, because trusting any other Kindred, especially a tramir, is going to get you killed. But Ivy LaRue seems capable, if nothing else. [00:22:38] Speaker A: Well, I won't tell her you said that. If it makes you feel any better. [00:22:41] Speaker B: I'm sure I'll get to sooner or later. [00:22:44] Speaker A: You do raise an interesting point, though. It's not that kindred trust one another. It's just that your mutual interest in survival tends to lead to cooperation and occasionally saving one another. Did your sire ever bother to cover the Blood Curse? I don't expect John Thicketts was particularly interested in sharing Kindred history, but for something that defines the Banu hakeem as much as that curse does, I wonder if he would have made an exception. [00:23:16] Speaker B: John Thicketts would have given me enough Kindred history to survive to know who to talk to and who not to talk to. So in saying that, he would have given me enough history to illustrate the fact that talking to the tramir is in itself, a dangerous game. [00:23:37] Speaker A: Well, for better or for worse, he's right. It's interesting that your first voyage into Coterie Hood involves acting directly opposite to the wisdom he decided to share. But, hey, man, you're right. So far, so good. And it's not like it's just Ivy, because, God, that'd be terrible. You have two other faces to keep you company. I would hope, at least for Rebecca's sake, that you don't carry the same attitudes about her as you do Ivy LaRue. [00:24:08] Speaker B: I'm not quite sure yet what to think about Rebecca. Rebecca is certainly the first gangrel I've ever interacted with. And I'm not sure if her vintage is something that's just Rebecca, or if that's something to expect from all gangrel. I simply don't know. That said, like Ivy, she seems capable enough. And I have gotten the impression from her that she though she may be outdated just a tad, the knowledge she carries with her can't be understated or overappreciated. [00:24:46] Speaker A: Can you say the same for schmendric? [00:24:50] Speaker B: Schmendrick? I think I might like schmendrick. She is eccentric, perhaps on the verge of careless at times, from what I've seen. But she has talent. She has ability. She has a damned good poker face. Well, maybe we shouldn't talk about the face. [00:25:14] Speaker A: That was a low blow. [00:25:19] Speaker B: And above all, she seems to have a sense of right. The people in the back of the van tried to kill her, tried to kill all of us. And yet she was disturbed enough by what she believed Bronwyn might do to them that she pleaded with me to take them away. And while I don't agree with Clemency for people who attempted to burn me alive. There's something in that that speaks to me. [00:25:49] Speaker A: It is a little weird that the least human looking of you seems to have retained the most of their human morality. Food for thought. But I'm sure we'll get to see all of those assumptions and feelings put to the test as time marches forward, as your respective agendas cross or are crossed by one another. God knows what plans are waiting just on the other side of this last crisis. But that's not even something we can think about until this crisis is resolved. Tomorrow night, you have a vote to take, cases to be made, people to be persuaded. I understand that's not Josh's strong suit, politically averse as he is, but surely you have a preferred outcome? Yes. [00:26:40] Speaker B: I am completely for the bringing in of the Lasambra. As I said to Prince Jackson, we need fighters. We need people who can help us hold the line. If those fighters happen to come from the other side, fantastic. If their very joining entails a further weakening of the other side, even better. And the fact that the La sambra know the Sabat, know where they are, know how they behave better than any Camarilla ever could, well, this is how wars are won. Granted, the incident with Malinkov illustrated a potential sticking point that, I must admit, I hadn't fully appreciated before. [00:27:32] Speaker A: You mean the violent murder part? [00:27:35] Speaker B: That would be the one. [00:27:37] Speaker A: It does bring back those words, right? You invite the Sabat into your city and this is what you get? [00:27:47] Speaker B: As I said, I didn't fully appreciate that particular possibility. Clearly, I have some information I need to gather on the Lasambra. But that said, there are further measures we can take to prevent or at least mitigate issues like this. And if we're honest, if a Lasambra decides on a whim to go on a violent, masquerade violating murder spree, well, we have judges around, don't we? [00:28:23] Speaker A: You are especially well positioned, if that's the outcome. Throwing gins up a balcony is one thing, but Joshua Crozier, war hero of the Camarilla? That has a nice ring to it. But dreams are dreams for now. Could be that by the time dawn comes tomorrow, it's all a moot point that Lasambra have been forbidden entry into the Camarilla, forbidden entry into Chicago, and that very first little toe dip of Joshua into the tides of kindred history could be over just as soon as it began. I guess that's one good thing about being a vampire. There's no such thing as tossing and turning. As your mind races with intrusive thoughts, you hard pressed to meet a vampire who has trouble falling asleep when the time comes. So as the sun inches forward towards the horizon, you feel the familiar lethargy of the day sleep approaching. There's no amount of want or worry that will keep you from it. You'll have no more thoughts tomorrow than you do right now, just like that, it'll be time to act again. I'm excited for what happens, but, as they say, that's a story for another night. Well, the night has ended for Joshua, and so too it shall for Ivy LaRue. You watch your, I guess, most slash least favorite banu hakeem slide into the seat of a cab, off to his own haven. You also have to make your way home in this evening the sun, of course, major reason behind that. But also, if word travels quickly through Chicago, as you expect it does, the Regent is also going to want to know how you spent your night. Now, of course, Ivy didn't drive out here this evening. Joshua left the van behind, but you know better than to take it. I suppose you also feel very strongly about being caught behind the wheel of so gauche a vehicle. [00:30:45] Speaker D: Oh, absolutely. Not a big driver these days. Anyway. I would call a black rideshare car because I need to make sure that whoever is going to be taking me doesn't ask any questions about why I look the way I do tonight. And money talks. When you're being paid that much for the use of your car, it doesn't matter. You ask very few questions. You would be a little more like a chauffeur and less like somebody who's giving a ride to a friend. [00:31:24] Speaker A: Sure, I'll buy that. And if nothing else, you get the satisfaction of being picked up in said vehicle. Impress your friends here and dropped off in said vehicle. Impress your friends there. Getting to the south side of Chicago from, I mean, anywhere that isn't the south side of Chicago always carries its own temporal constraints. You have to make your way back to the highway at some point, which can mean going north to go east to go south. [00:31:56] Speaker C: All of which is to say that. [00:31:57] Speaker A: Ivy has a bit of a ride on her hands, certainly lives further away than Joshua or Rebecca does. You paid extra for the silence. How are you using it? [00:32:12] Speaker D: It's been a hell of a night. I'm mentally exhausted, I'm hungry, which is never a good feeling. Dealing with Malinkov is an emotional slog. I've interacted with him twice now, and that is two times more than I ever wanted to have to interact with him. So being put through the emotional wringer, I'm incredibly happy that the fight with him ended as quickly as it did, due in part to my abilities and Rebecca's claws. I would hate to think about what could have happened if things had taken longer, if we'd actually given Malinkov the time to do what Lasombra do. It's a terrifying thought, and all of these scenarios are just bouncing in my head as I sit in this silence, like the what ifs and the what could have happened and what happens next. With Malinkov in the right hands, tomorrow is just a night away. And there's so much that hinges on the decision that comes tomorrow. And my brain is just running crazy in every direction with this anxiety, and it's not a quiet car ride for me in that sense. [00:33:41] Speaker A: No, doesn't sound like it. It's also a little strange. Second to Rebecca, perhaps you've seen the most of what undying life has to offer in its darker moments. Malinkov wasn't the first person who'd forced you to use your thermoturgical gifts in self defense. But the way you describe it, it sounds like this one hit a little different. [00:34:10] Speaker D: Of course it does. Before, it was kind. You know what humans are capable of. They've got bullets and knives and the sun. Kindred are different. There is so much that makes kindred unique. So many powers granted to us by the blood. The Lasambra are not a clan that I've had a bunch of experience with. You read the history, you understand all of it. I mean, I can't tell you how many books I've read that mention the Lasambra and the Anarch revolts and the wars and all of that. I had to learn all of it. But until you can see it up close, I think it was the fear more than anything else. Right. Obviously, the darkness did not matter for me. That was not a thing that had me concerned. But with Malinkov being as old and as decorated a war hero as he was, it's obvious that he is incredibly powerful. He was the agent of war that the Lasambra sent. He was the one who we were supposed to talk to for matters of war. So clearly he was powerful. And I think that's what worried me most about going into this. And I'm really, really happy that we did not give him the chance to show us just how powerful he could be. [00:35:45] Speaker A: Combination of his own hubris and some surprising results on your own parts did save you a lot of trouble. [00:35:53] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:35:55] Speaker A: It's very easy to imagine another version of events where you're spending several nights mending your own wounds, assuming we'd even. [00:36:06] Speaker D: Be allowed to get to that point. There's a very real possibility we didn't make it out of there. There's a very real possibility that what happened to him would have instead happened to us. And I do not like the universe in which that is the reality. [00:36:23] Speaker A: Well, one of you was leading with a stake in your heart, that's for sure. [00:36:29] Speaker D: I've never been staked myself, but I can't imagine, based on everything I know about it, that it's in any way fun. [00:36:39] Speaker A: What have you mean? [00:36:41] Speaker D: You know, stake through the heart. You go into Torpor, and first off, the thought of Torpor in general is I'm not super keen on going to sleep and then not really just being dead to the world for however long it takes. And I obviously know that the older you are, the worse it is. I don't even know how long I would be. In Torpor, for which I think is another one of those anxiety things, because I don't think it would be ten years, but I also don't think I'm lucky enough that it's only a week. I don't know the time frames right. And haven't really talked to enough people about it to know. [00:37:27] Speaker A: I mean, it is rude to bring up. [00:37:29] Speaker D: Exactly. It has to be uncomfortable to have a wooden implement driven through your rib cage. That can't be fun. It has to hurt. I mean, you know much as it can, right. [00:37:47] Speaker A: Unfortunately, the only thing that I can say is that it's actually worse than you think it is. The stake isn't what sends you into Torpor. A wooden stake through the heart only paralyzes a vampire. You're still conscious, you're still capable of thinking, and that's about it. You could wiggle an eyelash, maybe get your pinky to twitch, but aside from that, you were conscious, for lack of a better word. And what drives you into Torpor is the hunger building as the sun sets and rises and sets and rises, and you can't feed, so you sit, incapable of motion, until your inability to provide sustenance for yourself drives you into the sleep of ages. It's everything you thought it was, but with an extra seven or eight days of slowly starving. [00:38:47] Speaker D: Well, great. That is worse. Thank you. [00:38:51] Speaker C: But what do you have to worry about? [00:38:53] Speaker A: You took care of Melanchov. A little bit of claws, little bit of blood, sorcery easy peasy la Sambra sleazy. But I can't help but wonder, of course, you'd never admit this with anyone around, but I suspect even you were surprised by the result of your magic. [00:39:18] Speaker D: I have to say this out loud. [00:39:20] Speaker A: It's just you and me here. [00:39:23] Speaker D: I know I am very, very powerful and I have a number of great things that I can bring to any table, but, yeah, I was not expecting it to hit that hard. I don't know if it was a little extra oomph from his words. I don't know if maybe my beast was just sick and tired of listening to him go on and on and on and pick and pick. But, yeah, that was a very, very intense hit. [00:39:59] Speaker A: And, of course, everyone is certainly proud of you for helping bring that conflict to an early close, but it's going to linger, that hint of doubt, knowing that you can't do that on demand. It might not go as well next time. You can't count on that level of power when you're making your plans. [00:40:22] Speaker D: No, but neither can Rebecca, neither can Josh, neither can Schmendrick. None of us can. [00:40:30] Speaker A: It's not a competition. [00:40:32] Speaker D: Well, first, everything is a competition. The point that I was trying to make is that I can't guarantee that level of power all the time, but I can do everything in my power to, I don't know, be more prepared. I can study more, I can read more, I can learn more, improve myself more, give myself the best chance I have. [00:41:00] Speaker C: Next time. [00:41:02] Speaker D: The more I study thalmaturgy, the stronger I will get, and it makes everything that I know stronger. My understanding of thalmaturgical powers only improves all of my thalmaturgical abilities. [00:41:16] Speaker A: Hey. Here's to hoping you're right. [00:41:20] Speaker D: I'm very rarely wrong. [00:41:23] Speaker A: I suspect that would depend greatly on who you yes. [00:41:31] Speaker D: Yes. [00:41:32] Speaker A: I'm certain I could dream up a couple people who might disagree. Certainly without even trying. I've thought of two Joshua, whose opinion I know you don't care so much about. But in the not too distant future, you're going to have to temper yourself because you're not addressing an ordinary banu hakeem. You're addressing a Hound of the court. At least if Joshua gets things his way. [00:41:57] Speaker D: If Joshua crozier expects me to change my tone when addressing him in normal matters that do not require a hound, he has another thing coming. [00:42:11] Speaker A: Well, be that as it may, that's not actually the most serious of the two names that came to mind. The other person, who I'm certain will disagree with you on a great many things, is actually responsible for the home you're currently driving back to. Now, the Regent, in many ways, is the father of the Chantry, but unlike other fathers you might know, it doesn't appear that he's bothered to wait up for you. [00:42:38] Speaker D: I'm actually shocked that he's not waiting up. There have been so many things that have come out in the last 24 hours, and for him not to be waiting to grill me about them? I'm stunned. [00:42:53] Speaker A: Well, allow me to posit that just because he's not sitting in the reception room of the Chantry waiting for your report does not mean that he is not waiting. I'm sure it brings him some amount of satisfaction to know that you have to go to his office. Wandering through the Chantry's labyrinthine corridors to find him. But no amount of regal trappings can take away from a particularly unpleasant errand for all the trinkets and bobbles and relics that decorate the Regent's office. It's not going to be any more fun to talk to him in there. And now you stand outside his door. [00:43:36] Speaker D: This is one of those moments where, if my lungs still worked, I would take a deep breath before reaching up to knock on the door. As I reach up my hand, there's a little bit of a pause and then just a nice, firm three knock on the door. [00:43:50] Speaker A: You may enter. [00:43:51] Speaker D: I walk into the Regent's office still wearing Josh's coat, still covered in blood, and I stand in front of hmm. [00:44:01] Speaker A: Miss LaRue. Seems like the night has gotten the better of you. [00:44:05] Speaker D: It was certainly an eventful evening, Regent. [00:44:09] Speaker A: So I hear. An escaped mad dog of a lasambra, a chase through the city, a fight, as evidenced by he just gestures. And yet here you stand. Which leads me to believe that you have brought great credit upon yourself and our clan this evening? [00:44:29] Speaker D: Undoubtedly, Regent. It only took two hits for the Lasombur to go down, and mine was one of them. [00:44:37] Speaker A: Well, I hope you don't think me brood for stealing away your opportunity to brag about your Thomaturgical achievements, but surely that is not the most important part of the story you came here to tell. [00:44:50] Speaker D: Of course. Malinkov has been dealt with. He's with the prince. And tomorrow we meet to vote on the La sambra entering the Camarilla. [00:45:02] Speaker A: Indeed. An unfortunate turn of events that the prince has decided to allow the common rabble of our good city to voice their opinion on things. [00:45:13] Speaker D: I see his point, though. He needs to give everybody a vote to remain in power. [00:45:19] Speaker A: Yes, of course. He must allow every kindred their say in order to justify the accession of the Sombra into the Camarilla. But to focus on the vote at hand is to miss the original sin of this horrific display. There'd be no need to vote. If the prince had simply listened to wiser minds and refused their offer in the first place. [00:45:40] Speaker D: I'm sorry. Refused? Why would he have refused their meeting? [00:45:46] Speaker A: Oh, no. Let them come. Let them display themselves in front of him immediately. Stake them, and then turn them over to our house for interrogation. The Lasambra are a scourge upon this earth. I needn't tell you someone who is a student of our history. The number of tramir, to say nothing of other clans who have sacrificed themselves to keep the Lasambra's machinations from poisoning our world, from ruining the Masquerade. To think that they can change their tone, to give them access to our secrets, all in the name of some rekindled friendship, now that the other dogs they associate with are barking in the Middle East. It's absurd. The prince is more concerned with cementing his legacy than what is right for this city or the Camarilla at large. [00:46:41] Speaker D: Regent, respectfully, I think you're missing the bigger picture here. The second inquisition. They took a lot from the Camarilla, and the Beckoning has taken a lot from the Camarilla. Surely you have to understand how bringing a warrior clan to our side is beneficial. [00:47:07] Speaker A: Is that what you would do? To bring the warriors who have spilled so much of your family's blood to dine alongside you? To join at your table with the. [00:47:18] Speaker D: Conditions that Prince Jackson has set? Absolutely. You don't survive as long as they have against the forces that they've faced without being good. If they weren't, they would have been wiped out long ago. Lord knows the Camarilla has been trying for a very long time. The thought of bringing in a group of kindred who are good fighters to replace the ones that we've lost gives us more power in nights to come. [00:47:46] Speaker A: The gangrel are good fighters. The Bruha are good fighters. The Lasombra excel only at shadow, subterfuge, manipulation and deceit. [00:47:59] Speaker D: Do we not excel in the majority of those things as well, Regent. [00:48:04] Speaker A: Yes. Then why would we invite competition for our very important role as pillars of those craft in the Camarilla? [00:48:12] Speaker D: But Lusombra are not looking to replace any one clan. Their inclusion in the Camarilla would be to benefit Kindred as a whole. [00:48:22] Speaker A: You speak for Clan Lasombra now? [00:48:25] Speaker D: No, of course not. [00:48:27] Speaker A: You seem to be arguing on behalf of their motives. [00:48:30] Speaker C: I assume you'd only do such a. [00:48:31] Speaker A: Thing if you had unflinching command of their desires. [00:48:35] Speaker D: Of course, that is not the case, Regent. [00:48:38] Speaker A: So you don't know what the Amici are planning? [00:48:42] Speaker D: No. But I also don't know what the Prince is planning. I also don't know what you are planning. I don't know what my sire is planning. I don't know what any of the elders are planning. Ever. [00:48:58] Speaker C: Well, allow me to take at least. [00:48:59] Speaker A: One small piece of that uncertainty away, because I am planning to use the full weight of clan shamir in this city to vehemently oppose the admission of the La Sambra into the city, into the Camarilla, into our thoughts, any longer than is required to refuse this whole disgusting diplomatic bargain. And I expect those who call themselves loyal to this Chantry, to this clan, and to the pyramid that empowers me to make these decisions, to cooperate in convincing their fellows and the remainder of the city's kindred to see the truth of the situation. Our clan has never succeeded when there are dissident voices among it. Miss LERU, I trust you won't make the same mistake that Karna or Goratrix before her have made. [00:49:52] Speaker D: I dig my fingernails into the palm of my hand. Of course, Regent. The enemies of the House and the clan are my enemies. Allies are my allies. Of course, I cannot guarantee that I can change the minds of my coterie mates. [00:50:13] Speaker A: No. Nor would I ask you to at the moment. Your inclusion among their number is of greater benefit to the clan. And unfortunately, as Prince Jackson has freed the genie, so to speak, of this democratic question, neither you or I can be certain that the vote will turn our way. Ultimately, I will have to accept the will of the people and come to terms with their decision. I will not have to accept, nor will I accept any meddling from people who call themselves loyal in the meantime. Am I clear? [00:50:52] Speaker D: Crystal. [00:50:53] Speaker A: Excellent. Gabrielle did say you have a good, loyal heart. I'm pleased to see she wasn't exaggerating. [00:51:01] Speaker D: I care very deeply for this clan, Regent. [00:51:06] Speaker A: Actions speak louder than words, Miss LaRue. And given the hour, we have precious little time for words. The sun calls. I suggest you return to your quarters for the evening. Spend what moments remain before the day's sleep finding new resolve. We'll say. I look forward to your full throat of cooperation come tomorrow. [00:51:29] Speaker D: Of course, Regent. I turn around and leave, bringing the door behind me as I go once I'm out of sight, I just shake my head and look up at the ceiling and just go through the motions of letting out a big sigh as I walk back towards my quarters. [00:51:48] Speaker A: It certainly puts a pickle in your plans. [00:51:52] Speaker D: It does. It really does. [00:51:55] Speaker A: But to clarify, he did say he doesn't want to hear that someone has been speaking against the will of the house, whatever that means. [00:52:04] Speaker D: It's a very tough situation. Clan Premiere has to present a united front. It's the only way the clan works. And there are too many ears listening about and finding information like that, hearing these little gossipy bits. It's a risk. [00:52:24] Speaker A: Nah, but what isn't these days? [00:52:26] Speaker D: Yes, but some risks are. Should I take an umbrella or not? Not. Should I go against my entire clan? They don't carry the same weight. If anybody were to find out that I was going against the Regent's wishes doesn't bode well for me. [00:52:47] Speaker A: Suppose that depends on who finds out and what they want. [00:52:51] Speaker D: Life is a game of calculated risks, and unfortunately, I haven't figured out my ODS yet. [00:52:58] Speaker A: Well, the time for ethical calculus is quickly winding down. I assume you're not going to spend what little remains of the evening wandering about the Chantry, is it? Off to bed with Ivy? [00:53:12] Speaker D: Not without a shower first. I am covered in blood. [00:53:16] Speaker A: It's a good point. [00:53:18] Speaker D: There's kind of a ritual after my shower where I go and I sit down in this big oversized armchair. It's a red armchair with, like, a deep red Victorian pattern just very, very faintly across the whole thing. And it's my favorite chair in the whole Chantry because it sits among this little corner of my room that is just filled with plants. It's kind of my own little greenhouse situation. There's a really full monstera that I've had for about a year and a half now, and it's getting some really good leaves on it. And then there are some really full hanging ferns, and I have these artificial sun lights so that the poor things can get sunlight, because otherwise I'd never be able to keep them. And I sit there and I brush my hair out, which, thank God, is much less sticky than it was before when it was caked in blood. And I just enjoy the plants. It's like the one thing that still feels like and these plants don't serve a purpose, aside from being pretty. Like, we have all of the magical and medicinal plants in the greenhouse, but these plants are for me. Portia doesn't have plants. [00:54:38] Speaker A: It's a bit ironic that in order to be reminded of living, you have to surround yourself with things that can die. [00:54:46] Speaker D: That's very true. But there are other things that remind me of life. The violin takes me back. I play it sometimes, even now. It's weird when I think about it that I have, like, half of my room dedicated to my life, when really there was a lot about my life that I didn't like. But when I'm sitting in this chair around these plants, I see this beautiful violin on the wall. Just reminds me that I used to be mortal. Long time ago, but it's part of my past. And so I sit there, and I finish brushing out my hair, and I lean back in the chair, take some time to pick some dead leaves off a fern. I cannot get what the Regent said out of my head, but I need to focus on something else, because it doesn't do me any good to mull about it. Eventually, I get up, I go to put on pajamas. It's a weird thing that I still carry over from my time as human. I just like pajamas. Go into the walk in closet, take a look at the sea of black clothing in front of me before going over to the drawer where I keep all of my pajamas, grab whatever's on top. Weird rituals. I don't know why I can't get over the pajama thing. Then I go back out, plop down on the bed. It's a big, comfy bed. It's far bigger than it needs to be, with way too many pillows. And there's this oversized, tufted like statement headboard that I had made because I thought it was cool, and that framed this enormously, ridiculous bed and the myriad pillows scattered about. As I'm sitting there, I reach over to the bedside table and I grab a journal. There are so many journals around this room. The bedside journal is mostly for notes, thoughts. So the first thing I write is, rebecca handy in a fight with all the social skills of a feral cat. Because this is someone who would rather hiss and use her claws than talk, as evidenced by the bouncer at the door and pretty much everything about her. For schmendrick. I write down schmendric. Nosferatu. What more can I say? Hideous to look at. Self deprecating to the point of exhaustion. Useful, though Josh Crozier talks a big game. Can command a room, acceptable firefighting skills. Josh crozier confuses me. I mean, they all confuse me to different degrees, but Josh Crozier and his suspicion of me is very, very funny. I know why I'm suspicious of him, right? I have gone through years of studying Kindred history. I know everything about clan interactions. This dude has been a Kindred for, like, two decades, and he holds the world's biggest grudge against me. Like, I understand that he's upset about the whole blood curse, but at the same time, he hasn't been a Kindred long enough for that to even be a thing for him. I doubt he's ever actually tried to drain a vampire, so I don't see what his problem is. But he's suspicious of me, and he can be, and that's fine. I'm suspicious of him. Spendrick doesn't stand for anything that's weird. [00:58:29] Speaker A: That you know of. [00:58:31] Speaker D: That I know of. She hasn't made a point of expressing her allegiances any which way throughout this process. She seems to only care about food and making mischief, which, like, fine, but at some point you need to stand for something. Otherwise people assume you can't be trusted. Like, yeah, I'm a Tramier and you can't trust me because I'm a Tramier. But it's not that you can't trust me because you don't know what I stand for. You know what I'm about. I make it very obvious. Rebecca's kind of similar in that way too. She hasn't really made a choice and pallying around with Anita. It's not a good look for her or for me by association. [00:59:17] Speaker A: I don't know that she'd agree. [00:59:20] Speaker D: Anita or Rebecca? [00:59:22] Speaker A: Either of them. [00:59:23] Speaker D: No, I'm sure Anita thinks it's the smartest thing Rebecca's ever done, which says a lot about Anita. [00:59:29] Speaker A: You're beholden to a very specific worldview. So is Rebecca. But those two things aren't the same. [00:59:36] Speaker D: No, not at all. [00:59:39] Speaker C: As they say, that's a story for another night. [01:00:01] Speaker A: Oh, my gosh, Mendrick, what have you gotten yourself into? [01:00:08] Speaker E: Unfortunately, I got into exactly what I expected to get into, this being my first time coming to Chicago in my undead life. And I had half expected to keep a low profile while I set up my haven started into my investigation. But no trouble seems to follow me and it always, always finds me. Back when I was alive, it was the same thing, trouble. But I always seemed to be able to escape it without any real repercussions. [01:00:42] Speaker A: I mean, you say that, but I don't recall anyone forcing you to bloodhunt another vampire when you were in New York. [01:00:51] Speaker E: No, but also yes. The problem in New York was the sabat. For the longest time, I was party to finding a few and assisting in that whole mess. I couldn't do it any other way, though it was a difficult place to live at the time. [01:01:12] Speaker A: Being freshly embraced is bad enough, but being freshly embraced into what is still, I guess you'd say still technically a battlefield, that's even worse. [01:01:21] Speaker E: Yeah, I was not expecting that. But we worked it out in the end, I guess, more or less. [01:01:29] Speaker A: It's cameraicity now. [01:01:32] Speaker E: Small victories. [01:01:34] Speaker A: I find two things a bit strange. One, that Lady Green didn't mention any of that when she was making her offer of immortality. And second, you didn't mention any of that when you were discussing things with the coterie. [01:01:49] Speaker E: It's one of those things you kind of want to leave behind you when coming into a new city is that whole desire to lay low, as I've mentioned before, and just boisterously coming out and saying, hey, I fought sabat in the past, didn't really feel correct. As for Lady Green's part, I think it was one of those do or die moments. Like my choice was literally become one of them and fight alongside them or just die. And I think she saw enough potential in me that just throwing my human life away and doing nothing with it would be a mistake. [01:02:25] Speaker A: I don't disagree with you. And hiding something from a coterie mate, that's entirely different from actively lying to them. [01:02:34] Speaker E: Yes, but it's also lying. I can't deny that I have hid things from my father, my mother. I was lying to them by omission, essentially. [01:02:46] Speaker A: Well, those are your words and not mine. Who knows? Maybe we'll luck out and we'll never have to address what happens when your coterie mates learn the truth. [01:02:58] Speaker E: It's not so unexpected now, I don't think, because I did mention I have tracked La Sombra before, while in New York, no one really seemed to question it or really ask how far that rabbit hole went. [01:03:13] Speaker A: Yeah, that's an excellent point. It's their fault if they didn't read more into it or ask questions. [01:03:19] Speaker E: Maybe they will later and I'll have to fess up entirely. [01:03:23] Speaker A: Well, we can leave that question to the mystics and augers to ponder about. In the meantime, your unlife is awash with brand new consequences. Tides of history swirling around, poor little schmenzicks stuck all in the middle of them. It's a little funny for someone who is as unassuming as you are to now twice be caught up in the titanic struggle between the Camarilla and the Sabat. The first as a foot soldier. Okay, yeah. I mean, everyone in New York spilled a little bit of Sabat blood, right? [01:03:59] Speaker C: That's not a big deal. [01:04:00] Speaker A: But now you're a diplomat, a bodyguard. You're smack in the middle of all of this. [01:04:08] Speaker E: I don't like being called a diplomat or really a bodyguard. I don't know who I'm guarding. But I guess that is kind of the role I have taken for the moment. [01:04:18] Speaker A: Perhaps taken is a less accurate word. Given, inflicted with. [01:04:25] Speaker E: Ah, yes. [01:04:28] Speaker A: But then again, I suppose you're no stranger to that either. Schmendrick the Nosferatu has been taking orders from folks a lot more than I think the average Onlooker would expect. [01:04:39] Speaker E: I mean, I do my part. It's easy with my line of work, if you want to call it work, to simply take a request and type in the right code, and it's done. If you know how to do it, it's fast. So taking orders and doing what is required of me has never been entirely difficult or taxing. [01:05:00] Speaker A: Does that feeling change now that the orders are leading to a drastic sea change in overall kindred life? [01:05:07] Speaker E: Yes. It's such a monumental upheaval. I have more than enough reason to dislike the La sambra and the Sabrat in general. I don't agree with their views on humanity, so I am certainly at ODS with them. But if they join the Camarilla, it's going to have such an impact on our futures. It's going to be a domino effect. [01:05:31] Speaker A: And no matter which way those dominoes tumble, towards good, towards ill your name's on it. [01:05:38] Speaker E: Yeah, at this point, I can't grasp the outcome, but a part of me really looks forward to seeing what may happen if the little sombra are admitted, even if they aren't admitted, that is surely going to cause some sort of ripples. [01:05:53] Speaker A: I mean, it's really just a question of how many vampires meet final death, right? If the prince is serious about his terms, then a pretty significant number of Sabat elders are going to meet the sun. If lusambra are refused, then the same centuries of bloodshed continue. [01:06:13] Speaker E: One way, I think, comes out a little bit brighter, at least in my opinion. [01:06:19] Speaker A: Is that what's guiding your morality in this moment? The principle of least harm? [01:06:26] Speaker E: In a sense, perhaps. Because I'm painfully optimistic, but I believe it could work. We could bring them in, educate them on how we do things. And the deaths, so many unwarranted deaths. The kind of killing that Malinkov has done could be avoided. So, in my experience, some in the Camarilla, while not open about it, can be just as bad as Malinkov. [01:06:51] Speaker A: You're absolutely right in that regard. At the end of the day, trying to distinguish between Malankov's kind of evil and Bronwyn's kind of evil, what's, the. [01:07:02] Speaker E: .1 is hiding it, that's for sure. [01:07:06] Speaker A: Well, that gives me a fresh perspective. I hadn't considered that. You consider people like Melankov and people like Bronwyn cup from the same cloth? [01:07:16] Speaker E: More like two sides of the same coin. Regardless, it's at least a step in the right direction. But I would be lying if I said I would blindly trust and follow our rules unquestioningly. [01:07:30] Speaker A: Well, at the very least, after tonight's performance, we know who's going to be first in line in the prince's phone book when the next La Sambra gets out of control. [01:07:39] Speaker E: Indeed. [01:07:40] Speaker A: But, hey, you have plenty of time to worry about that in the future. Not so much time to make your way home and get ready for the next night. It's only a couple hours until the sun comes up and you don't live on this side of town. Joshua skittered off into a cab. Ivy called an uber black. A nice fancy one. [01:08:02] Speaker E: That sounds like her. [01:08:03] Speaker A: I don't suspect schmendric is going to take the same kind of opportunity. [01:08:08] Speaker E: Yeah, unlike other kindred, I don't really get the luxury of calling some sort of ride service to get home. No Uber blacks for me, so I basically come to the decision to steal the know the van Damien gave us for the picking up of the lasambra from the airport? [01:08:28] Speaker A: Can't steal it. He gave it to you? [01:08:31] Speaker E: I was under the impression it was temporary, but at the same time, it is now tied to a crime, so I'm going to try and not hold on to it for too long. [01:08:42] Speaker A: Yeah, just get you home, stuff it somewhere. Go back to your regular business. [01:08:48] Speaker E: Exactly. [01:08:50] Speaker A: Well, I'm curious as to what that routine looks like. I know that you spend most of your evenings quietly and happily inside your little shipping container. But on the occasions you do have to leave the house, there's got to be that moment of coming back home. Big Bobs, big storage, big gleaming sign. Walk me through that. You ditch the van, you're sloughing along the sidewalk on your way back home. Tell me what that's like. [01:09:17] Speaker E: Well, as I'm heading home, I have my keys flipping around in my hand. This is one of the habits I have, is just I like the jingle. On your way there, you would walk by the very empty parking lot. It has my car in it, which I'm relieved to see it's still in one place isn't exactly the best part of town. But there's also a truck, and that truck belongs to Big Bob. And the fact that he is here four in the morning means that him and the missus are probably having another fight. [01:09:47] Speaker A: Oof. [01:09:48] Speaker E: Yeah. Normally in these situations, I'd bring him something nice like a coffee or milkshake, but tonight, smelling like gasoline, wearing a. [01:10:00] Speaker A: Relatively short dress and most of a lasambra. [01:10:06] Speaker E: Yeah, there's that problem, too. I'm just gonna sneak by. I try as best as I can to not alert Bob to my presence, which I have a couple of abilities under my belt to do this, and I head on in. [01:10:21] Speaker A: Does Big Bob have a big dog? [01:10:23] Speaker E: He does not. No. Nothing's going to alert him. [01:10:30] Speaker A: And then to your shipping container. [01:10:33] Speaker E: Yeah, see, the first thing you run into is the lock on the outside. That's fairly standard big bolt lock. Right. I take my keys, open that up and walk in. It's probably not what you would expect from a shipping container. Wiring it up with electricity was a bit of a pain, especially hiding the electrical wire from Big Bob. But there are the easiest light source I could find is a bunch of Christmas lights just adorning the walls. The inside of the door has several locks on it because who wants to be disturbed in the middle of their day's sleep? I'm not entirely sure if that's legal to keep a shipping container locked from the inside, but at least if they run into that problem while opening it up, it might give me until nightfall before they figure out how to deal with it. It might not. [01:11:32] Speaker A: Now, I'm certain the Chicago police have more important things to worry about. [01:11:37] Speaker E: Well, let's put it this way. If a vampire were to be upset with me for something and call in a group of police with a tip during the middle of the day to check out my storage container, hopefully that would take a little longer for them to break into. [01:11:54] Speaker A: Yes, that is angle I had not considered. [01:11:58] Speaker C: But you thought ahead. [01:11:59] Speaker A: Good on you. [01:12:01] Speaker E: I've got a few amenities. A fridge, of course, for all my juice boxes, an ice cream maker. Don't ask. [01:12:10] Speaker D: And of. [01:12:10] Speaker E: Course, my computer. This computer is an absolute beast of a machine that has been modified and modified again. It kind of resembles more of a living organism at this point, with cables and cooling outstretched in every direction. Of course, I try to keep it tidy. Wires are tied together neatly, but that doesn't make it look any less imposing, I guess. [01:12:34] Speaker A: I bet you're the reason no one can buy a graphic card these days. [01:12:38] Speaker E: Oh, goodness, no. I would have no need to make a bot to claim a bunch of graphics cards. I don't like those kind of people. [01:12:47] Speaker A: I'll add that to the Schmendrick's kindred morality list that I'm making. Keep humans safe. And also buck scalpers. Exactly what is the ratio of space, then? I don't know how large a standard shipping container is, but what percentage of your available floor space is filled up with this sprawling mechanical brain that you've built? [01:13:12] Speaker E: Nearly all of it. There's my chair, which is the height of correct posture and comfort. A beanbag. And in the corner is a bed. But most of the container is, I guess, the fridge. And the computer. [01:13:29] Speaker A: It must get incredibly hot in there. [01:13:32] Speaker E: I mean, I do have quite a bit of cooling on the PC, so that helps. [01:13:37] Speaker A: Well, thank God Big Bob isn't the kind of guy to check his big electric bill. [01:13:42] Speaker E: He may have already, and he may have questioned me about it, and I may have supplemented just a tiny bit. [01:13:52] Speaker A: Yeah, guys like Bob, that always seems like the right way to stop them from asking any more questions. Schmendrick, what are you doing? You're costing me $30 extra a month in electricity. Just hand him $30, walk away. Problem solved. [01:14:05] Speaker E: See, Big Bob, he's lovable and all, but money is kind of his motivator. I'm not sure how that came to be in his life. It never seemed like a motivator before, at least from the stories he tells me. I assume it's maybe financial difficulties in the home, but I don't pry. [01:14:25] Speaker A: Of course, that would be impolite. [01:14:27] Speaker E: Far more polite just to harass him. [01:14:30] Speaker A: Oh, that's teasing. That's all in good fun. [01:14:33] Speaker E: Exactly. [01:14:35] Speaker A: I think your overall joyful approach to the world is one of the things that sets you apart most from the people you've been forced into socializing with recently. How's that group dynamic working out for you? [01:14:50] Speaker E: My current coterie is interesting, at least. I mean, I've been in coteries before. Several, in fact, so this isn't new to me, but the derision between the members, it's never been this intense before. It's clear to me that none of us want to be working together for individual reasons, but we seem to have gotten along for the most part, of course. Emphasis on the most part. [01:15:17] Speaker A: Scale of one to ten, one being least favorite codeary ever, ten being best codeary in the history of the universe. How does it rank? [01:15:25] Speaker E: Insufficient data going to have to see how it works out. [01:15:30] Speaker A: That's fair. [01:15:31] Speaker E: Our job at present has been very interesting, though, so if I had to scale the interest based on job alone, I would say it's heaven. [01:15:39] Speaker C: Yeah. You haven't exactly had many quiet nights. [01:15:43] Speaker A: Here in these last few. [01:15:45] Speaker E: I mean, I want to say at least it can't get any worse, but this is some major stuff that we've encountered, so I expect it'll get more exciting before it dies down till being normal again. [01:15:59] Speaker C: Oh. [01:15:59] Speaker A: If there's one thing that I know about vampire life, is that it can always get worse. But you're not alone. For better or for worse, Ivy is capable. Rebecca can hold down her own. Joshua is single minded, but not insufferably. So have you managed to draw those initial lines on the friendship map in between Kotri members? [01:16:25] Speaker E: I believe so. First. There's Joshua. I can't say I've really worked with any Banu hakeem before, but I welcome the challenge. [01:16:34] Speaker A: The challenge? [01:16:36] Speaker E: Well, yeah, there's always that concern about being eaten, but I think we have more in common than he might know. I jive with him. Not the whole eating kindred thing, the private eye thing. Not sure if he was a cop in life or yeah, I got some knowledge about that sort of thing. [01:16:56] Speaker A: So you see the two of you as having overlapping interests, overlapping skill sets. [01:17:02] Speaker E: Yeah. I'm not sure if he really has the same drives that I do, but he definitely seems to be in the pursuit of some sort of justice and. [01:17:11] Speaker A: I appreciate and what about Rebecca? [01:17:16] Speaker E: I get major recluse vibes, especially from what I've heard about her. She's strong and capable, but also definitely ready to move on her way. Then again, I understand all too well the desire to lock yourself away and focus on the things that interest you while simultaneously avoiding all the things that bother you. Nosferatu vibes. [01:17:39] Speaker A: The Nosferatu and the gangrel do have that in common. You at least have your clan to fall back on if the need to socialize is bubbling up and can't be squashed down. But the gangrel are always loners at heart. [01:17:52] Speaker E: Seems almost a little sad. [01:17:54] Speaker A: She is in an unfathomable position to be that old, that wise. All the things that have followed her from before the embrace, arriving in Chicago with one thing on her mind and immediately being forced to tend to something else. I mean, I understand why her vibe is the way it is. Ivy, on the other hand, I expect there's a significantly less understanding between the two of you. [01:18:22] Speaker E: I suppose, honestly, I kind of right now, see her more like she has a lot of strength to her, but it's different. While some folks know, given the gifts of muscles and incredible feats, ivy is the type that has worked hard for everything she has. Hard work is definitely something that I appreciate, but too much hard work leaves you a stick in the mud. And I'm left wondering if there's any personality in her beyond that. [01:18:54] Speaker C: I suppose if there is, yeah. [01:18:57] Speaker A: None of you have managed to see it yet? [01:19:00] Speaker E: Not yet, sadly. Granted, being a tramir, will she ever let me see it? They're very secretive. [01:19:08] Speaker A: I suppose the answer is if the pyramid orders her to. [01:19:13] Speaker E: Lisa nosferatu. Don't order me to not be me. [01:19:16] Speaker A: Oh, I feel like someone could sooner order the sun not to come up in the morning than order you not to be yourself. [01:19:24] Speaker E: That actually brings a smile to my face. I think there were a few moments in New York where I was told to turn the schmendrick down a little bit, but it never worked. [01:19:34] Speaker A: Well, on the whole, I'd say those are fairly pleasant thoughts, coterie wise, the very least. You're not steaming off to bed filled with regret and anger over the company that you've been forced into. [01:19:48] Speaker E: Perhaps it's because I've had a few potaries in the past that working with other clans isn't so difficult. But like I said, there's this intensity to this one. I wouldn't be surprised, if we were continued to work together, that there might be some sort of disagreement. High percent chance of someone being eaten. [01:20:10] Speaker C: I wouldn't worry about Josh too much. [01:20:12] Speaker A: It's only a problem he starts drinking. [01:20:15] Speaker E: Gives me the willies a little bit. [01:20:18] Speaker A: Well, terrible as it might have been. [01:20:20] Speaker C: Knowing how the Banu hakeem choose to. [01:20:22] Speaker A: Slake their thirst, you can at least understand where the Trimmy were coming from when they decided to put that whole blood curse thing on them. [01:20:28] Speaker E: Yeah, I can see it. Doesn't mean I really approve of it, but I can definitely see it. [01:20:35] Speaker A: No, and I wouldn't ask you to engage in that kind of moral mathematics at the moment. If for no other reason, then you'll need all of those faculties come tomorrow night. There's a vote. You have an opinion on the outcome? Yes. [01:20:48] Speaker E: Yeah. The la. Sambra entering the Camarilla. I still have trouble wrapping my mind around it. [01:20:55] Speaker A: You've already indicated that you're in favor of the motion. Are you enough in favor to put your weight behind it? [01:21:02] Speaker E: Like I mentioned earlier, we can bring them in and educate them. And as much as I've seen of Sierra, she is respectful. Though the price she agreed to for her people is far too steep for my liking. [01:21:21] Speaker A: Do you suppose that it comes from a place of desperation or a place of cruelty? Is she willing to pay that price because there's no other option? Or do you think she agreed to pay the price because the blood of her elders doesn't matter so much? [01:21:36] Speaker E: It's definitely desperation to kill half of your own just to gain entry, to seek a change, despite the numbers. Like, I don't want to turn it into a numbers game, but this is half of their clans. [01:21:50] Speaker A: Well, I'm not a ventru, but a more legalistic mind might point out that prince Jackson's agreement only says an elder of the Sabat. It's entirely possible that the magisters could come with armloads of staked. [01:22:04] Speaker E: Zemis that is a loophole I considered. And for the peace, it would be the better choice. Though, depending on the circumstances, this is something I'd be willing to agree to. I admire Sierra's conviction, and in a lot of ways, I fear it. [01:22:24] Speaker A: People capable of that level of dedication are dangerous, as I would expect one. [01:22:31] Speaker E: Of the La sambra to be. [01:22:33] Speaker A: Well, on the bright side, you've at least endeared yourself to this La sambra. [01:22:38] Speaker C: Who knows? [01:22:39] Speaker A: Maybe when their secret camarilla coup is over, they'll spare you from the fires. [01:22:45] Speaker E: I don't expect a coup. There's just something about the situation. You don't start a coup agreeing to losing a massive amount of elders. You want all of your people waiting on the sidelines for the order to attack. I don't think this is that sort of situation. [01:23:05] Speaker C: Do you think you'll be able to. [01:23:06] Speaker A: Persuade Chicago's other kindred of that position? [01:23:10] Speaker E: It'd be difficult, honestly. My worry lies with the idea that there is something after them, and that they are bringing trouble our way, but I can't confirm that. And of course, Sierra's not going to mention anything about danger coming with them. I mean, beyond them being. [01:23:32] Speaker C: I mean. [01:23:32] Speaker A: If that's what you're worried about. I would keep that to yourself, yes. [01:23:38] Speaker E: But I will be cautiously ready for that outcome as well. [01:23:43] Speaker A: I'm looking forward to what comes of it. None of you are particularly adept in matters of politics, but that lack of practice also adds a certain earnest quality to your arguments. Everyone distrusts a flashy presentation when it comes to advocacy, but there's something nice about watching someone who's not used to the podium take it to make a point. [01:24:07] Speaker E: It's like you're getting raw, unfiltered opinion, rather than the political jargon you get from someone that has practiced. [01:24:17] Speaker C: You'll have to be careful. If you play your hand too well. [01:24:20] Speaker A: People will start trusting you about this more than the prince. [01:24:23] Speaker C: And I wouldn't want to be in. [01:24:24] Speaker A: Your shoes when that rumor gets out. [01:24:27] Speaker E: Oh, goodness, no. I wouldn't want that either. [01:24:30] Speaker A: But for now, your position aligns with his in such a way that accomplishing your goals will also make him look good. So that bodes well for the immediate future. As what happens after that, well, I guess that's a story for another night. [01:24:47] Speaker E: Thankfully, I get to see that other nightmare. [01:25:11] Speaker A: Well, Rebecca, you've had a night, haven't you? [01:25:14] Speaker F: Certainly a night to remember it's. I don't think centuries are going to take that out of my mind. [01:25:23] Speaker C: It was that intense. [01:25:26] Speaker F: First time I've ever faced another vampire in combat. I mean, Tucson was a century ago, but Malinkov was not one of those, vicious as he was. [01:25:39] Speaker C: It's actually kind of amazing that you've managed to go this far in your life without having to go toe to toe with another kindred. [01:25:46] Speaker F: I'm certain I got on Silas's nerves a few times, but that's why we had the distance get away from each other before we were at each other's. [01:25:56] Speaker C: Ah, so all those empty square miles. [01:25:57] Speaker A: Of desert are good for something. [01:26:00] Speaker F: Precisely. Not just yelling out into the void enough for two vampires to work out their frustrations and still work together for a greater purpose. Seems Chicago's not like that. [01:26:12] Speaker C: Well, for someone who's never killed a vampire before, you seem to be an awfully quick student of it a little. [01:26:19] Speaker F: Worryingly, so actually, I haven't been on the warpath since Tucson, and that was, as I said years ago, it's a little worrying how quickly the beast took hold at the door. And then when Malinkov presented himself, it was little easy to sink my claws in and let go. [01:26:39] Speaker C: Well, for better or for worse, it ended quickly. God knows what might have happened had you been allowed to indulge your beast for any significant amount of time. [01:26:50] Speaker F: I have the coterie to thank for that. Ivy and Schmenderk managed to keep me from tearing a human's throat out during the entrance, and goodness knows that that's a rule broken. [01:27:03] Speaker C: I wouldn't let Ivy hear you say that too loud. Lord knows the amount of gloating that would come from her believing she is the only thing responsible for keeping you from falling to pieces. [01:27:15] Speaker F: Oh, goodness. Like she needs a bigger head about it. I can't deny it. Having a team is new, but it has its benefits. Certainly help take down Malancause. [01:27:29] Speaker C: Maybe not. I guess we'll see if a team is still useful in a week, in a month, in a year. Vampires are solitary creatures. You, more than most, are a solitary creature. And you've been forced into a new way of living on so many different levels, also very quickly. From wide open deserts to choked, grimy city streets. And now they've assigned you friends for the journey. [01:27:58] Speaker F: I would say it's an extension of our duties, even. We stand as vigils against the darkness, our lives then, dedicated to protection, if you can even call them lives at this point. Malinkov, while not the expected threat, was no different than things we fought before. Greedy, egotistical leech just wanted to take and destroy and leave nothing behind him but chaos. And I helped put that down tonight. I think Silas would understand that I'm just protecting people, following my purpose. [01:28:37] Speaker C: I mean, it sounds logical to me. [01:28:40] Speaker A: I hope Silas would see it your way. [01:28:42] Speaker C: I would hate to see some kind of moral dispute come between the two of you, but as you've presented it, I think it's a fair enough case. [01:28:51] Speaker F: He's old and stuck in his ways, but so am I. One of us will have to give eventually just how things go. Sometimes with company like that, I guess. [01:29:02] Speaker C: The predicament you find yourself in is where does that logic stop? Malangov was hurting lots of people, but so do corporations. So do certain police officers. So do criminals. Are you responsible for dealing with all of them as well? [01:29:20] Speaker F: I hadn't considered it, actually. I'm a steward. But can I really give myself that kind of power over humans? It almost seems. Godlike, I don't like that feeling. I have a feeling it's going to be something I'll have to consider, especially if I want to keep protecting those I care about. [01:29:40] Speaker C: Well, it'll be interesting to see how that pans out in the long term, but as we've established, there are tonight problems, and there are tomorrow night problems. [01:29:49] Speaker A: And there are next month problems. [01:29:52] Speaker C: God willing, whether or not you have to turn your claws against mortals to uphold your oath will be a next month problem. [01:29:59] Speaker F: Yeah, one step at a time. [01:30:03] Speaker C: It's funny you mentioned that. That's the same thing they say about losing your humanity. It's only one step at a time. But hey, no matter how you feel about your walking the line between beastial and Lucid, you did accomplish your objective. And you can rest soundly knowing that you've put one of the bad vampires finger quotes out of commission. I'm curious. I don't think we've ever really gotten to know what a good night's sleep looks like for Rebecca. Not the where or the how of it, or anything like that. So as you depart the glory pit for the evening I mean, for one, how do you get home? [01:30:43] Speaker A: It's a hell of a walk. [01:30:45] Speaker C: You could probably make it in time, but I don't know, it's the kind of risk that you'd want to take. [01:30:50] Speaker F: I wouldn't be as old as I am if I took risks. Like walking until the sun rose. Schmenderk's got a car. I'm going to ask her for a ride. The place is fairly obvious. It's a bunch of silos pointing out on the horizon. Can't miss it. [01:31:07] Speaker C: Well, there's truly nothing more human than bumming a ride from your friend who has a car. [01:31:12] Speaker F: Maybe I'm better at the mortal thing than I thought. Sure, there's a few new things, but I'm getting the handle of it seems. [01:31:21] Speaker C: Yeah, we'll make a millennial out of you yet. She'll deposit you in front of your grain silo home adjacent to river. That five or six decades back, choked with the refuse of industry, so she drops you off at the gate. What does the last bit of that trip look like? [01:31:39] Speaker F: There's no rush. I've crossed over this area too many times to count. Simply jumping a fence, ignoring the trespassers will be fine sign and heading towards the silos. There are a bunch of dark, gray concrete towers standing out in the darkness. Almost like something out of a fairy tale, really. Except the graffiti, I think. Kind of takes away from the whole dark and brooding, mysterious hideout part. And they look lifeless, for the most part. Seems like nobody's here. Not until you get into the middle one. That's where the birds are. My birds, I mean, I don't own them, but they live here and they don't raise a fuss when I walk in. They've become accustomed enough to my presence not to squawk or dive at my head. But in the corner aside, in this lifeless, bone filled, feather strewn place, there's a small rope ladder as I scale it and signs of both avian and human influence vanish. I find my little home away from home, you could say. [01:32:51] Speaker C: I don't think I realized till this moment that the sign as to whether or not you own a bird is if it attacks you when you show up. [01:33:02] Speaker F: I mean, that's what they say about friends. Your friends don't attack you, right? That's why you call them friends. [01:33:07] Speaker C: I'm not familiar with that phrase. Is that Navajo? [01:33:13] Speaker F: I think it's just a thing you can apply to friends in general. [01:33:17] Speaker C: Well, I hope that you and Joshua remain friends, because when the bono hakim tend to attack, that's a road you don't want to go down. [01:33:25] Speaker F: I could deal with talons being dragged into my shoulder. Yuka and I had those first few issues, but I'd rather not. Josh's fangs take their place. [01:33:35] Speaker C: It's a popular sentiment among kindred. So inside your hideaway, one rope ladder and some concrete walls away from the rest of humanity. The way you've described it so far, it feels pretty barren. Have you even bothered with a bed? [01:33:53] Speaker F: I have, even though I don't necessarily require one. Too many times where the sun's risen, I've had to make a home out of anywhere. But for a more permanent place, I have a little straw tick mattress made of canvas. It's rough, but it's cozy. Better than the floor, for sure. Aside from that, the only real luxury I have is this old oak chest. I think I found it on the side of the road when I came to Chicago. It holds a few valuable things my kensa, a few beaded pieces of jewelry. Most importantly, a weaving. I made it for the cabin back home. It was actually the first piece I made after Silas changed me. It's made in the two Grey Hill style, vibrant colors. My own work made with wool from my people's sheep. It's a reminder of the life that I once had and the life that I now live. And while I certainly don't need a blanket to shiver under in Chicago cold, it provides a different kind of warmth. [01:35:01] Speaker C: That answers my question. I was about to wonder, are these blankets traditionally pieces for decoration or pieces for utility? [01:35:08] Speaker F: They're to be used, after all. I mean, you don't make a blanket just to hang up on a wall. Some people do, but you're far too special just to lounge about, to be looked at. [01:35:21] Speaker C: I mean, have you met white people? [01:35:24] Speaker F: Too many, it seems. [01:35:26] Speaker C: So this blanket, which is a reminder of your humanity, of your oath of the conditions Silas put on your embrace. Is that a comfort tonight, considering what happened? [01:35:40] Speaker F: It is, actually. It's sort of grounding. Tonight I tore something apart. I was a whirlwind of destruction. But now I'm holding something I created with those same hands that tore Melancavis under. I'm not just capable of being a monster, I still have a spark of good in me. I can make beautiful things and protect these beautiful things. [01:36:10] Speaker C: Well, that, we can be assured, is a fairly unique sentiment among your coterie. I find it hard to imagine Ivy or Joshua or Schmendrik saying the same kind of thing. But for the most part, you seem to be getting along with most of them. How is the coterie life treating you so far? [01:36:30] Speaker F: I don't believe Silas and I counted as a coterie. It was just the pair of us, and it's certainly the first time I've heard that word used in terms of vampires, but it's strangely comforting. Sure, there's three new names I have to gather, and clans that I have a vague understanding of since Silas told me of them almost 200 years ago now. But tonight we accomplished a lot, and I don't think we could have done that without each other's respective talents. Sure, we butt heads, and I barely know these people. I believe over time, as with most things, something good could come of it. The four of us could, who knows, protect things, do something right, even as we have our schemes and squabbles and all the other things that come with being undead. [01:37:27] Speaker C: Does the same patience you apply to the group also transfer onto the individuals? It doesn't seem fair to say that you feel the same way about Ivy that you do about Schmendrick. [01:37:44] Speaker F: Thereabout is different as fox from a hen, I think. Very, very different individuals, those two. Ivy is talented. I think that goes without saying. She's I mean, she put down Malinkov just as I caught my claws in him. That's something to be said. And she explained this whole Sabat Camarilla thing to me as if she was implanted in her memory. But I wonder if she's going to be able to put aside all of her own things to help us as well. We are a coterie now, whether we like it or not. But all that knowledge didn't come at nothing. She's got a bit of a prideful attitude, the sort that makes you think that the other people around you are just props in a play. Hope she can see that all of us have something to provide to our coterie. [01:38:38] Speaker C: That might be a tall order. What about Schmendrick? [01:38:43] Speaker F: I say this with all fondest, but she is strange, so strange. And I'm not just speaking about her appearance. I've seen terrible, hideous things, and I'm not off put by that. But the girl's got an interest in things I have no notion of knowing. That bull left clicky thing she was doing with the screens? Not sure how it works. That, and I could see how you could get lost in it. Some days. It just seems like she vanishes into her own world when she's clacking away and pointing out the what are they called? Videos. But much like Ivy, she's got talent. But more importantly, she's got heart. I think she's a little overwhelmed by it all, but she's a good person. She's got to find a steady path. [01:39:39] Speaker C: That is a rather interesting comparison, that both Schmendrick and Ivy are immersed in things you don't understand, like powerful, mystifying things. One of them is magic, and the other is the Internet. [01:39:54] Speaker F: Both count as magic to me, so far as I'm concerned. [01:39:58] Speaker C: But you did raise a good point about heart. All power, whether magical or technological or purely physical, all hinges upon the discretion, patience, morality of the people who wield it. From what you were saying, it sounds like of those two, there's one you trust a bit more with power than the other. [01:40:22] Speaker F: There's a sense of humility. I think Ivy lacks it, but Schmendrick seems to have it in swaths. And since we're all together, maybe we'll rub off on each other. Ivy might come down to earth and see us as our equals. And who knows? schmendric might learn to take her eyes off her screen and engage with the rest of us a bit more. And who knows? Maybe we'll pick up some of those neat doo hickey tricks she seems to have up her sleeves. [01:40:50] Speaker C: It's a good thing it's just the two of us. I can hear the rest of the vicodery just moaning. [01:40:55] Speaker B: Okay, boomer. [01:40:56] Speaker C: From the back of the van. But there is one person who has yet not been subject to our scrutiny. Mr. Joshua Crozier. What's your read on him? [01:41:08] Speaker F: I haven't spoken much with the man, not on a personal level. He and Ivy certainly seem to be at each other's throats. Thankfully not literally yet. And from what I understand, the history between their clans is tense, so perhaps that's to be expected. But Joshua himself, he seems noble, as if there's some part of himself, his humanity, that he's trying to cling to. And while it can come off as little harsh, maybe a little too rough around the edges, I think his intent is good overall. What I fear is that he's going to lose that spark, that hope, and he'll descend into that hunger that Ivy seems to tease him so often about. Probably not to be teased about anymore when it happens. I can't imagine joking about something as serious as that. [01:42:06] Speaker C: I think you might be overstating the risk of falling victim to Joshua's proclivities. I guess that is the difference between the two of you, right? You both have a vigilante streak and an obligation to protect people, but they are motivated by very different emotions. [01:42:28] Speaker F: He seems almost vengeful. I'd say. I certainly felt anger when I was first taken by Silas, but Joshua has this deep seated rage that I think is just boiling beneath the surface. What remains to be seen, however, is if he can keep that up, the discipline to keep it boiling up. And that I can understand. I've certainly my own beast, for lack of a better word, to keep chained up. [01:43:00] Speaker C: And what happens when he can't? [01:43:02] Speaker F: Well, you saw what happened to Malinkov. I just hope it doesn't have to end with that much death. [01:43:10] Speaker C: No. Fingers crossed, for both your sakes. But on the topic of large amounts of death, you're about to find yourself party to that kind of decision. The vote is tomorrow. And as far as I understand, you're in favor of allowing little sombra to join the Camarilla, despite Prince Jackson's cost. How are you reconciling that feeling with your otherwise sturdy moral code? [01:43:39] Speaker F: Admittedly, I'm quite new to this entire conflict. I had to be lectured about it backstage in the Succubus club. But considering the price that Sierra is willing to pay, I think it could be worth something. Your elders make up the bedrock of everything your clan are. If she's willing to give up that and more. And the rest of her clanmates, she's looking to forge something new. And in their newly formed states, perhaps they can be watched. Malinkovs might not happen. They can work together in a way that prevents the uprisings that one would expect, the bloody messes, the chaos that the Sabat seem to bring with them if they truly are willing to commit their blood to this cause. [01:44:28] Speaker C: You're pinning an awful lot of hope on an if. There isn't. [01:44:32] Speaker F: Prince Jackson pinning a lot on an if? I mean, he did when he was inviting them both to the city, knowing history behind the two. [01:44:41] Speaker C: Maybe. Although I wouldn't say you and Prince Jackson share the same morality. His calculus here is a bit different than yours. [01:44:53] Speaker F: Wouldn't be the first time. But at the very least, we can agree to a point that they should enter and be watched. [01:45:02] Speaker C: Well, at least Chicago can rest a bit easier knowing that among the Watchers, they count a gangrel with ferocious claws and an unyielding perspective on right and wrong. If this whole Assambra thing turns out to be a bit of a mess, I think we both know the first people that Prince Jackson's going to call upon to see that put down. [01:45:26] Speaker F: I've had almost 200 years to hone my abilities, and I've stead vigil for those nights. If another Malinkov seeks to rise up out of this lot, I'll be the first one to greet them, claws at the ready. [01:45:42] Speaker C: It's interesting that you frame it that way. Every prince needs a scourge. After all, Trosh is looking to become a Hound. Maybe you will also find yourself a position among the prince's favorite executioners. But as they say, that's a story for another night. You've been listening to the all. Night Society, an actual play podcast brought to you by Queen's Court Games. 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 queenscorpg.