The Patina moves forward with a lighter equipment load, but heavier hearts.
The Patina moves forward with a lighter equipment load, but heavier hearts.
Cast:
- Pallie Fisher is played by Rhi. Find her on Twitter at @rhiannon42. Rhi is the GM and producer of The Magpies, a Blades in the Dark actual play podcast, and the owner of Skill Check, a document accessibility service for the RPG community.
- Marathon Messenger is played by Penn Van Batavia. She's an indie TTRPG designer who just launched a new game, Wasmannian, a solo RPG about bees, wasps, and otherness in a binary world. You can find Penn on Twitter at @acquiredchaste.
- Cassidy Shard is played by Sydney Whittington. She also edits the show. Find her on Twitter at @sydney_whitt.
- Emma Blackwood is played by Cameron Robertson. Find her on Twitter at @midnightmusic13 and on Instagram at @reading_and_dreaming. Cameron is also a player on Tabletop Squadron, a Star Wars Edge of the Empire actual play podcast.
- Birdie Foundling is played by Kit Adames. Find her on Twitter at @venusvultures. Kit is also a voice actor and writer on Elevator Pitch Podcast, a queer genre-hopping anthology podcast.
- Our GM and narrator is Nick Robertson. Find him on Twitter at @alias58. Nick is also the GM for Tabletop Squadron. Nick can also be found as a player on the Orpheus Protocol.
Music & Sound Credits:
- This podcast features the musical talents of Dora Violet and Arne Parrott. You can find Dora at facebook.com/doraviolett. You can find Arne at atptunes.com.
- old radio Channel search sound effect by Garuda1982. Link & License.
- Motorcycle ride by roman_cgr. Link & License.
- Which That Is This? (Long Version) by Doctor Turtle. Link & License.
- Love After Midnight (ID 701) by Lobo Loco. Link & License.
Art Credits:
- The official artwork for this podcast was created by Rashed AlAkroka, who can be found on Instagram and Artstation @rashedjrs.
Find Us Online:
- Our Website
- Twitter
- Join our Patreon
- Join our Discord
A Knight of Shreds and Patches Transcript
Season 2 Episode 38: Classy Character for Metal
Transcript by Cameron Robertson
Intro:
[hurdy gurdy music begins]
Nick: Welcome, listeners, to A Knight of Shreds and Patches. An immersive actual play podcast. This episode features the talents of –
Penn: Penn Van Batavia as Marathon Messenger.
Cameron: Cameron Robertson as Emma Blackwood.
Sydney: Sydney Whittington as Cassidy Shard.
Nick: Nick Robertson as GM and Narrator.
Sydney: Hello listeners, this is your editor, Sydney, with today’s messages:
Hope you’re having a sufficiently spooooky October! And I phrased it that way because if you’re not someone who wants to experience the spooookiness, we hope you don’t have to. No Halloween horrors on this show, at least. But, if you do find yourself in the mood for any unknowable horrors, consider backing our Patreon, which gives you access to bonus episodes, campfire conversations, and other fun rewards, including a totally normal and not at all unusual book of questions. And I definitely wasn’t coerced by any unknowable horrors into saying that. Nope.
And with that, we wrap up today’s announcements and head into Season 2, Episode 38: Classy Character for Metal. And so...
“Join us, for now our tale to yours attaches
To carry hope: a Knight of Shreds and Patches.”
[hurdy gurdy music ends]
[electronic beeping]
[robotic powerup noise begins]
Distorted Robotic Voice: Power restored. Systems online. Reconfiguring audio connection.
[robotic powerup noise fades to radio frequency static]
[over radio]
Sydney (as Cassidy): Last time on a Knight of Shreds and Patches, [sigh]. So Marathon decided to start a fight and I got shot by Julianna. Then Birdie managed to defuse the fight after Marathon punched Julianna, and was done with our shit and decided to get out while the getting was good. At least we're not dead. [sigh] So I took the opportunity to educate ol' Marathon Messenger on why picking fight engagement terms is very important. if we're going to pick a fight, maybe do it while I'm not standing right in front of everyone with my gun on my back,
and not while Emma's sword and exo suit are still in the truck? We're not really in a position to go fight more now. Birdie's off carousing, and none of us want to see her get hurt in the crossfire, and it has been pointed out to me that rushing off while I'm still actively bleeding
is maybe not the most level-headed decision to make… Emma does make a good battlefield nurse, at least. Real shame I keep having to be administered to. I hope Birdie is being rewarded with some ethically gray fun, and I'll stop there, because I also hope we never see the Rust again.
[radio static]
Episode Start:
Nick: The first thing we see is a tank silhouetted in the night. The figurehead of the Rust and their main resource as they ply their trade as mercenaries. You would say that this is the lifeblood of the company. The next thing we see is Birdie, a recent addition to the Rust, climbing out of the tank. She appears to be wearing a long, slightly oil-stained dress shirt - partially buttoned. It looks too big for Birdie, as though she had borrowed it from someone else, and she is tucking it quickly into the pants as she brings her equipment and maybe some other things out of the tank. Birdie, what is your goal as you work yourself free from a very recent amorous encounter?
Kit: To get the hell out of dodge. Birdie's hands are obviously full with a very heavy lockbox. [laugh]
Nick: As you climb out of the tank with a very heavy metal lockbox, go ahead and make me a hard difficulty Stealth roll to see if you can do that without waking up anybody in the camp or waking up Kelsey who's dozing in the tank.
Kit: Alrighty. I'm going to flip my Story Point for this because I feel like it would be important to not get caught. So that dice pool is going to be two yellows, one green, and three purples. It is one success and two threats.
Nick: So the success means that you don't make any noise as you climb out of the tank. I wouldn't worry about the threats, it'll be fine. So having stolen a majority of the money from the Rust, what is Birdie's plan? Where she going?
Kit: Besides tearing down her tent and packing up her things as quietly and quickly as possible, she'll be going to the motorcycle that Teno's been using and is going to try and hotwire it or see if she can find the keys in any useful vicinity. But if she can't find them within 15 to 30 seconds, she's just going to hotwire it.
Nick: You're able to break down your tent and your camping supplies. You've gotten yourself a little bit better put together as you've worked through that. And as you walk over to the motorcycle, your threats kick in in that Teno appears to be waiting for you, leaning up against the side of the motorcycle as though they had a suspicion something like this might happen.
Cameron (as Teno): [smug cat with cream] Good~ morning.
Kit: [awkward I'm uncomfortable pacing] Hey~ Teno. What's up?
Cameron: Teno is just staring at you with a faintly knowing smile and doesn't say anything - just continues looking at you.
Kit (as Birdie): Look, it's only fair. You know, I I said, you know, this is mercenary stuff like the stuff that's not necessarily nice all the time is what I do. But I don't think this is the right place for me.
Cameron (as Teno): Oh, I agree. Do you want to take it over here?
Cameron: Teno stands up and grabs the handlebars of the bike and starts walking it away from camp.
Kit (as Birdie): [confused high voice] Okay.
Kit: [laughing] Birdie's gonna walk behind Teno, glancing around from side to side, making sure that they're not waking anyone.
Cameron: Teno continues walking until they're a fair ways away from camp to where they can speak at normal volumes with no one hearing them. And there's a group of trees that they can stand behind to disrupt the line of sight between them and the camp so nobody sees them either.
Cameron (as Teno): Honestly, I was expecting you to leave a few hours ago.
Kit (as Birdie): I was really tired.
Cameron (as Teno): [heavy dose of innuendo] Well you were busy.
Kit (as Birdie): Did we keep you up?
Cameron (as Teno): It - you would be shocked at the lack of um, noise dampening that the tank has on the inside.
Kit (as Birdie): Pretty echoey, yeah.
Cameron (as Teno): Yeah, I think it's um - you can't hear a lot from the outside, it's it's soundproof that way but you can hear stuff from the inside and it kind of amplifies.
Kit (as Birdie): Mm hmm.
Cameron (as Teno): Mhm. It's okay, I was awake anyway.
Kit (as Birdie): So you're not going to like fight me for this?
Cameron (as Teno): For what?
Kit: Birdie will gesture with the lockbox that she's currently holding on to with both hands.
Cameron (as Teno): Meh. No. I've got my cut. [small laugh] I don't let Kelsey hold on to it.
Kit (as Birdie): That's good.
Cameron (as Teno): Not that ever planned for this situation but never was sure if how long I wanted to stay around. So I figured it was easier if I didn't have to go through the whole, 'okay, well, this is yours and I'll keep the puppy and you can have the house' and all that stuff.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah. Why don't you just go then? You can leave too.
Cameron (as Teno): I probably will at some point in the not too distant future, but I don't want to leave in the middle of nowhere. I'll wait for us to end up in a decent sized town where there's - town or city. City probably - better option where I can find a new crew.
Kit (as Birdie): Mm.
Cameron (as Teno): I don't like being by myself.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, we're a lot like each other in that way, I guess.
Cameron (as Teno): Yeah. Plus, I foresee much dramatics and theatrics occurring after this and I kind of want to be around to watch it play out, so
Kit (as Birdie): [giggle]
Cameron (as Teno): [sigh] I'm assuming you want the bike?
Kit (as Birdie): Would be helpful if I didn't have to walk all the way.
Cameron (as Teno): Mhm.
Kit (as Birdie): The Patina went.
Cameron (as Teno): I figured. I did empty all my stuff out of it, so
Kit (as Birdie): You're the best.
Cameron (as Teno): I just conveniently needed the stuff in my tent last night, so
Kit (as Birdie): Mhm.
Cameron (as Teno): I can be just as offended as everyone else that you stole my bike. [dramatic air]
Kit (as Birdie): No, at least I gave you your stuff back.
Cameron (as Teno): True. [laughing] Although I don't think you get credit for that. I took stuff before you could take it.
Kit (as Birdie): [laugh] Well, no, I'm just saying, you know, to others it - I don't know. [giggle] Thank you. Really.
Cameron (as Teno): I was surprised when you left with us, and I'm not surprised by this. This is-
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Cameron (as Teno): Thi- you, you - you need the type of family unit that you have with the Patina. You - it's, it is - it was obvious how much they all cared about you and how much you cared about them from the way that you spoke about them and I think that that's the best place for you to be. You don't want to be here.
Kit (as Birdie): They're good people.
Cameron (as Teno): There are good people. Great arms.
Kit (as Birdie): Very wonderful arms. And they make me feel good about what we do. I feel like maybe we're doing the right thing.
Cameron (as Teno): [barf noise]
Kit (as Birdie): I know right?
Cameron (as Teno): Oh, sorry. No, that's [laugh] - I am happy for you.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah...
Cameron (as Teno): As as much as the the the noble hero thing kind of makes me want to hurl, I do think it works for you.
Kit (as Birdie): You can get a lot of in, like those endorphin thingies from doing good things for the sake of goodness. And they have soup, Teno. Good soup.
Cameron (as Teno): Y'all - y'all's food did smell way better than ours.
Kit (as Birdie): So good. Yeah.
Cameron (as Teno): Now I feel like you're just rubbing it in and that's quite rude.
Kit (as Birdie): [giggle] And they're going to Sasnak. You know, I figure it's time to uh, [deep breath] time to go back. I guess.
Cameron (as Teno): Time to do a check in?
Kit (as Birdie): It's about time. Seven years too late.
Cameron (as Teno): I highly doubt your family will think it's too late, Birdie.
Kit (as Birdie): They like to keep me on my toes.
Cameron (as Teno): Still, all the stories you've said about your family are just as adorably disgusting as how you talk about the Patina, so I don't think that - I don't think you'll run into any issues seeing your family again. I think they will be overjoyed that they get to see you. As was I. I am I'm glad we had this time. This was a lot of fun.
Kit (as Birdie): [laugh] I was really glad to see you. Really.
Cameron (as Teno): It was good.
Kit: Birdie will set down the lockbox and starts unclasping the bracelet she stole in the town that they were in most recently. And she'll take Teno's hand and clasp it around their wrist and say
Kit (as Birdie): It really brings out your eyes.
Cameron (as Teno): [maybe possibly very touched] Aw, thank you.
Kit (as Birdie): There you finally have a friendship bracelet from me.
Cameron (as Teno): Now we can be friends for forever~.
Kit (as Birdie): [giggle] You'll have something to remember me by.
Cameron (as Teno): [annoyed at emotion] Gosh darn it Birdie.
Cameron: Teno reaches out and grabs Birdie by the shoulders and pulls her in for a hug.
Kit: Birdie takes a good few seconds squeezing Teno and then will pull away and look back at the camp.
Kit (as Birdie): I better start going before people start realizing I've gone somewhere I really shouldn't have.
Cameron (as Teno): [sigh] Yeah. I um, I suggest walking the bike a bit further before turning it on.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah~.
Cameron (as Teno): Probably give yourself another half hour or so.
Kit (as Birdie): Mhm.
Cameron (as Teno): They'll still be asleep.
Kit (as Birdie): That's good.
Cameron (as Teno): They all had a lot of emotions yesterday, they're gonna sleep in today.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Cameron (as Teno): Plus, it sounded like you tired Kelsey out. [snort]
Kit (as Birdie): I did my best, okay? I don't...
[both laugh]
Kit (as Birdie): Well, I wish you the best of luck with that group.
Cameron (as Teno): Thank you. Enjoy your time with your new family.
Kit (as Birdie): I will.
Cameron (as Teno): Tell them I said hello.
Kit (as Birdie): Alrighty.
Cameron (as Teno): And that I hope Cassidy is not dead.
Kit (as Birdie): She's pretty resilient.
Cameron (as Teno): I guess if she is dead, don't say that I hope she's not dead.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Cameron (as Teno): But if she's alive, tell her I'm glad she's alive.
Kit (as Birdie): Okay. Okay. I will.
Cameron (as Teno): Mhm. And tell Marathon good job pushing Kelsey off a cliff. That was very entertaining.
Kit (as Birdie): [laugh] I will be certain to pass along that message as well. I'm sure she'll be very uh, very happy to hear that someone approved of her decision.
Cameron (as Teno): I'm just gonna play that clip in my mind whenever I'm feeling upset and I think it's gonna help a lot.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah Kelsey did look pretty stupid rolling down the hill.
Cameron (as Teno): Mhm. [obvious that they're smiling thinking about it]
Kit (as Birdie): [laugh]
Kit: Birdie will gently punch Teno's shoulder and say,
Kit (as Birdie): I'll see you around, okay?
Cameron (as Teno): Fly safe, baby bird.
Kit (as Birdie): [fake teary voice] I'll try.
Kit: She'll very dramatically turn and start walking the bike towards Southwest.
Nick: And Birdie pushes the motorcycle out of earshot of the Rust and as she gets far enough away to start the bike, the beginnings of a sunrise are visible behind her.
The next thing we see is the Patina continuing their journey in the rig minus one member, listening carefully to a audio clip that Emma had spooled up.
Rhi (as Pallie): [over radio] I don't know how much longer Gwendolyn is gonna put up with us. It'd be easy to put all the blame on Wyatt. He's the leader. He makes the decisions. He's the one who decided to drag us all out of Ramhorn. I don't know how long we'd have all been happy there playing farmers, but it was nice for a while - feeling safe. So yeah, that was his choice and Gwendolyn's pissy about it. Pissy about a lot of his choices. But it ain't like either of us are stepping up to take over. I'm no good making the tough calls needed out here and Gwendolyn might not always like what Wyatt says, but she knows that disobeying orders is the more dangerous choice. That hasn't kept her from arguing with him, though. More and more over the last year since Tashi left. I tried to tell him that it'd make his decisions go over better if he talked to folks first - made the rest of the team feel like they had a say even if his mind was made up. He said he didn't want to waste hours arguing in circles about something that's already done. And I can't quite blame him, especially when it comes to Gwendolyn. She argues with him when he doesn't open it up for discussion. Can't imagine how bad it get if he invited it. I think she's getting tired of banging her head against the brick wall that is Wyatt's leadership though. She's great to have on the crew. Two sets of power armor go a long, long way on jobs. Been keeping us plenty busy while we're wandering around trying to cross paths with Sasnak. She looks out for Cass and Owyn and keeps them out of the worst kinds of trouble. But Gwendolyn's got options and I suspect before too long, she's gonna take one of them. Pallie out.
Penn (as Marathon): So that's your friend who's in Sasnak right now?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah. Emma, how'd you get it playing through the speakers instead of stuck to the Knight?
Cameron (as Emma): You know uh, it's amazing how things connect, Cassidy.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Cables.
Cameron (as Emma): Uh yeah. Essentially, I plugged the Knights finger into the back of the cab.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Oh.
Cameron (as Emma): And um -
Penn (as Marathon): There's a port for that?
Cameron (as Emma): [laugh] Yeah. And then I just connected it up into the radio.
Sydney (as Cassidy): That's surprisingly convenient.
Cameron (as Emma): Uh huh. Honestly, I'm not entirely sure quite how it's working, but it is working.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah.
Cameron (as Emma): So I'm not - I'm just gonna go with it.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, I mean, radios I guess can just like go down whatever antennas and stuff if it if it was close enough, like, sure.
Cameron (as Emma): Mhm.
Penn (as Marathon): Sure.
Sydney (as Cassidy): But yeah. There you go. That's Gwendolyn.
Penn (as Marathon): Well, speaking of that um, you know, I have a lot of feelings right now. I don't know. I kind of want to punch something I kind of want to, you know, just lay down and never move forever. I kind of want to cry. I I don't know. But instead of doing any of those things -
Sydney (as Cassidy): I also kind of want to lay down forever and not move so I can like heal.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah, you should keep doing that actually. But uh~, well, your friend's in Sasnak. We were originally going kind of as a pitstop with Birdie, but we do have a bunch of triangles now. Do we - what kind of game plan do we want to go? Do we want to try and get supplies there and just keep going or?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, we may as well still stop. [sigh]
Sydney: Cassidy is stretched out in the back at the cab. Her outfit is a little different because she doesn't have two hands, currently. So she's got a tank top with one strap over her good arm and the other one tucked away, a pair of khaki shorts, and Monet's giant revolver strapped to her hip that is too shiny and not matching her weapons style, but it is something she can use with one hand. And her hair is back instead of in a proper crown braid It's in a long fishtail braid down her back where she'd got Emma to help as they were breaking camp in the morning.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, I mean, we've got a bunch of currency. They've got supplies. It's still worthwhile to go check up on Gwen, I think. I mean, she'll have contacts on the on Sasnak to be able to find some jobs, or at least people - I don't know.
Penn: Marathon is sitting in the passenger side seat with her boots off and her feet on the dash, and what looks like a really faded Hawaiian shirt and slacks. And she bangs her fist on the side of the passenger door - not too hard, but just frustratedly.
Penn (as Marathon): [sigh] It feels like - physically we're getting close and we were going to do this thing with Birdie's family, and she like jumped out on it last minute. Did have something to do with that?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well, she has told us in the past that she has issues committing and often goes from place to place before settling down like it's entirely possible [laugh] -
Penn (as Marathon): I'm just, I'm not over it.
Sydney (as Cassidy): - we felt too settled down.
Penn (as Marathon): Are we, are we boring?
Cameron (as Emma): I do not think you're boring, Marathon.
Penn (as Marathon): Appreciate that, Emma. What what do you think about Sasnak?
Cameron (as Emma): I mean, I think we should still go. I was very much looking forward to seeing the giant moving robotic city. I think it - having heard a lot about Gwen, it would be cool to meet her, but also Sasnak's a big city that we know we can hit before we go off into wherever we're going after that.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, well, and we still probably need a computer aid? [laugh] Expert? I don't know. Someone to bounce ideas off and less [sigh] dangers of dragging the Knight around.
Penn (as Marathon): Well, I guess we'll figure it out when we get there. But plan is to get there. Right?
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah. I [small laugh] since the software person we were gonna go to was Birdie's sister, I guess it's possible we could still find her without Birdie.
Sydney (as Cassidy): We have a name.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah.
Penn (as Marathon): And that's better than nothing. And you know what the news the fact that we have news on Birdie, which apparently Birdie has not conta- I feel like that's a good in. So
Sydney (as Cassidy): Honestly, yeah. We know Birdie's name.
Penn (as Marathon): True. [laugh]
Cameron (as Emma): And it will and it seems like if we ask the Ramp Girls, they could -
Penn (as Marathon): Oh yeah~.
Cameron (as Emma): - probably tell us, right?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah.
Cameron (as Emma): Because Birdie has the crush on one of them.
Sydney (as Cassidy): [laugh]
Penn (as Marathon): Look with Birdie out of the picture, you know [I'm gonna hit that laugh that turns into sad laugh] - I can't even make a joke about Birdie being gone.
Cameron (as Emma): Wait -
Penn (as Marathon): Dirt!
Cameron (as Emma): Wait are you talking about hitting on Birdie's Ramp Girl?
Penn (as Marathon): I was but it felt so wrong. And I don'- Yeah. I'm just not over it.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, Marathon is just eminently on the market with Birdie gone.
Penn (as Marathon): I wish. [laugh] Sometimes. Now Cassidy, what - what are your [fumbles to stop]. What uh, do you have an inspiring speech for us now that Birdie is - now that we have decided a course?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Uh~. Let's go to Sasnak. Clap, clap, clap. I don't k-
Penn (as Marathon): Yep.
Sydney (as Cassidy): That's all I got Marathon. I don't know if you noticed, but I have a hole in me.
Penn (as Marathon): [sigh] Fuck.
Cameron (as Emma): Inspiring.
Penn (as Marathon): Yep, sorry.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Emma, you want to give a speech?
Cameron (as Emma): Mmm.
Penn (as Marathon): Okay, well, we should find some place to rest up before we hop on to Sasnak. I don't know if um
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah are you doing okay with all the bumping around, Cassidy?
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, everything is just gonna hurt for a bit, but
Cameron (as Emma): Wou-would you prefer we pulled over though and stopped?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Oh I don't care. I mean, it's gonna take a few days to get close to the last sighting anyway.
Penn (as Marathon): And we should just like, I don't know, take an extended - I don't know how you feel about jumping on one of these big cities with like, a gunshot wound, but like maybe we could take an extended rest or something.
Sydney (as Cassidy): I mean, they've probably got good care on the city.
Penn (as Marathon): That's true.
Sydney: Cassidy gestures with her ripped shirt slang.
Sydney (as Cassidy): It'd probably be good to see a real doctor sooner.
Cameron (as Emma): [mock offense] Well, excuse you.
Sydney (as Cassidy): I appreciate your being able to keep me alive, Emma. Thank you.
Cameron (as Emma): [laugh] No, it is alright. I'm well aware of the fact that I'm not a doctor.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, I got a little bit less wires in me than the stuff that you're good at fixing.
Cameron (as Emma): Mhm.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Better at fixing.
Penn: Marathon takes her feet off the dash and spins around.
Penn (as Marathon): Do you need any more pillows Miss Cassidy, by the way?
Sydney (as Cassidy): I-
Sydney: Cassidy looks around at all of the camp pillows being stacked in the seat next her. [laughing]
Penn (as Marathon): I know I can find another in there somewhere.
Sydney (as Cassidy): I mean it's fine.
Penn (as Marathon): Are you sure? I think - I think you could use another pillow if the bumping is hurtin'. Let me - why don't we, why don't we stop, I'll grab her another pillow.
Cameron: Emma looks up in the rearview mirror and makes eye contact with Cassidy behind her.
Sydney: Cassidy makes the face eyes up to the side and then back of tolerating the amount of care that's being given, but feeling too taken care of.
Sydney (as Cassidy): I can sit in the back of the rig just fine. I might not be able to shoot a bow or my rifle for a while, but
Penn (as Marathon): Okay~, but I just know we've got more pillows.
Cameron (as Emma): We'll just have to try to not end up in any situations that require the use of your bow or your gun.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah.
Penn (as Marathon): Easy!
Cameron (as Emma): Is it easy, Marathon? [laugh]
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well, I got this giant piece, you know, this is this is a practical weapon. [sigh]
Cameron (as Emma): It's a little shiny.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, I might get with you when we're sitting in camp.
Cameron (as Emma): You're polishing it too much, I think.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well, it started gold in the first place and we can put a, [short laugh] put a Patina on it.
Cameron (as Emma): Haha. Good joke.
Penn (as Marathon): Uh~
Sydney (as Cassidy): Try and make this a little more practical. It's so big.
Penn (as Marathon): What exactly does that word mean?
Cameron (as Emma): [snort]
Sydney: Cassidy closes her eyes and takes a deep breath and waits for Emma.
Cameron (as Emma): Patina?
Penn (as Marathon): Yes. I feel - I was embarrassed that I had not known up until this point and I am currently embarrassed that I'm asking question, but it had to happen at some point and this is that point.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah yeah no. All right. So you know when you have metal that is left outside for like a really long time and it changes into like a blue green patina? [laugh]
Penn (as Marathon): Sure. Like a-?
Cameron (as Emma): It's like a discoloration of the metal. It's like rust.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh, okay.
Cameron (as Emma): But not as shitty. It's pretty.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, it keeps the metal protected rather than like eating away at it.
Penn (as Marathon): Like the torch, right?
Cameron (as Emma): Yes.
Penn (as Marathon): The big torch?
Cameron (as Emma): Yes.
Penn (as Marathon): Cool.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah. And like the depending on what acids and oils it comes in contact with it patterns up differently and you can shine it back up to be all clean and shiny metal again, but patina is like, you know, it's classy character for metal.
Penn (as Marathon): Well look at us. Classic, classy and full of character.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Thankfully, the metal went through out the back for me. So
Penn (as Marathon): [sad again]Yeah, and we have one less character.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well I hope Birdie's doing all right. Maybe she uh, I don't know.
Penn (as Marathon): I hope she's not. Just kidding! Fuck. Dirt.
Sydney (as Cassidy): I wonder if she slept with Kelsey or Deathstalker first.
Cameron (as Emma): Obviously, Kelsey, right?
Sydney (as Cassidy): I mean, probably. It depends on maybe Deathstalker would finally make a move.
Penn (as Marathon): Uh no. Let me tell you, that was not the kind of woman to make a move.
Cameron (as Emma): Birdie's voice didn't do -
Penn (as Marathon): And I know women that don't make moves. I am one.
Cameron (as Emma): [laughing] Oh god.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well Marathon you can get there if you really, you know, dedicate yourself to the task.
Cameron (as Emma): [recovering from laughter] What I was saying is Birdie's voice didn't do the high squeaky thing at all when talking with Miranda.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah.
Penn (as Marathon): Mhm mhm.
Cameron (as Emma): So I'm just not feeling it, you know?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well and she didn't have the arms. Kelsey's -
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah!
Sydney (as Cassidy): - out there doing pull ups. It's kind of hard to ignore.
Cameron (as Emma): Mhm.
Penn (as Marathon): Birdie's really an arms person.
Cameron (as Emma): She likes big strong women.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Who doesn't?
Cameron: Emma while still driving raises her hand.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh, congrats.
Cameron (as Emma): [laugh]
Penn (as Marathon): Miss Cassid, uh -.
Cameron (as Emma): Thank -thank you?
Penn: Marathon turns back around in her seat.
Penn (as Marathon): Uh Cassidy just uh [sultry laugh] would you say -
Penn: And she sneaks her bicep in between the seats so that it's visible from the back,
Penn (as Marathon): - would you say that this is um, the muscular standard, you're thinking?
Penn: And she gives a little flex
Sydney (as Cassidy): Marathon you're gonna hurt your arm if you poke it through the seats like that.
Penn (as Marathon): I don't know -
Nick: The rig hits a bump.
Penn (as Marathon): Ow! Okay. Yeah.
Cameron (as Emma): Sorry. I am trying to avoid the bumps, Cassidy.
Penn (as Marathon): Okay. Thank you, Emma for making the temp to avoid the bumps.
Cameron (as Emma): You're welcome, hun.
Sydney (as Cassidy): But yes, you're the strongest person in the Patina except for maybe Emma. Good work Marathon.You guys should have
Cameron (as Emma): Don't say shit like that Cassidy.
Penn (as Marathon): [overlapping] I should arm wrestle Emma.
Cameron (as Emma): [overlapping] What the hell?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, you should have an arm wrestle.
Cameron (as Emma): No!
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah.
Sydney (as Cassidy): I can't arm wrestle you, I'm wounded.
Penn (as Marathon): [overlapping] You can referee.
Cameron (as Emma): [overlapping] You've got one good arm.
Penn (as Marathon): You can referee. Why don't we next - when we stop for dinner Emma, armwrestling contest?
Cameron (as Emma): [laughing] Why though?
Sydney (as Cassidy): So that there's a clear title carrier of who the strongest person - who has the strongest arms in the Patina.
Penn (as Marathon): That would alleviate some of my sadness.
Cameron (as Emma): [sigh]
Penn (as Marathon): It would, truly, to beat you.
Cameron (as Emma): If we arm wrestle, can we also do push ups? Because I bet I can beat you in push ups.
Penn (as Marathon): Okay, no way. No way. Okay, okay.
Sydney (as Cassidy): No, this this all sounds good. Yeah, we need a third task then.
Penn (as Marathon): Strength gauntlet. Cassidy, you're refereeing.
Nick: We leave the Patina in their negotiating of terms to check in on Birdie. Birdie, you had the general direction that you knew the Patina would be heading. I need you to make me a hard Survival check to see if you are able to pick up their trail.
Kit: Okay, so it's gonna just be two greens and three purple. One threat.
Nick: So Birdie, it can't be that difficult to follow the tracks of a truck as big as the rig. You know that periodically, whoever's driving will attempt to change the terrain, or drive over rock or through water, something, just in case you're being tracked. It's something that they've done as a routine as part of travel during your time with them, but even so, one person on a motorcycle should be able to find them. The problem that you find yourself running into is the pure area that you would need to cover to pick up the trail and that's what gives you trouble. If you had been able to find this right away, you probably would have been able to meet up with the Patina before dinner, but as it stands, you're not sure how long it will take. What is something that you run into on your journey as you're looking for your friends?
Kit: At some point, it would be smart for her to pull over to not only get her bearings and maybe do a little scouting if she can't quite pick up where the Patina's trails lead off to. She'll try and stay out of the more dense woods given that the rig likely wouldn't be able to drive through there. But Birdie finds herself at the top of one of the rolling hills in the area as it's able to give her a slightly better vantage point than she may otherwise have and it's kind of just her taking a second for herself and remembering what it's like to travel alone because she's just been doing it on and off for so long that it's almost familiar to her. She's just taking in being able to watch the sun rise up and soaking it in for a second. It feels good. It's probably not a great pain day for her considering that she slept on a floor of a tank. She stretches a little bit and as she goes through her stretches and gets ready to resume her driving, she looks over when she starts hearing little panicked, almost tapping noises and variable high pitch chirping and she sees this really ugly baby bird. Not like one of the cute ones that is fluffy with the down feathers, but just one that is very - it hasn't quite gotten to the feather stage yet - it's all skin and bones right now. But obviously, it's just fallen from its nest or something's happened to it. And Birdie goes over and she makes a face, but she does pick up the bird and touch its little head with her pointer finger to try and soothe it - it probably doesn't work. This baby bird is very distressed at the prospect of being picked up by some giant monster. She's getting poked at by the baby birds beak and she's like,
Kit (as Birdie): Ow okay, okay. Okay.
Kit: And she lifts it back up to where she sees the nearest nest in one of the lower bows of the tree. She's like,
Kit (as Birdie): That's a mean baby bird. Maybe that's what other people think about me. We don't have time for that.
Kit: [laughing] She's gonna go back to her bike and shake her head a few times and then start driving again. And after readjusting, she gets focused back in, it's actually a lot easier for her to stay focused on a singular goal when she's by herself sometimes.
Nick: Your journey isn't exactly quiet on this motorcycle. It is a functional machine, but you can't help but think about the fact that Emma would be able to tune it up a lot better than it is now. The Rust was not interested in doing any more than keeping things running. You also wonder what the Patina is going to make of you bringing another machine back to them, especially this one with a sidecar. It is not the most space efficient vehicle but it's what you had available to you. You continue in the general direction you know the Patina is traveling. As the sun gets close to setting, you stop to refill a canteen at a stream that you find near the road and I need you to roll me a Perception check at average difficulty.
Kit: Okay, that is two yellows, one green and two purple. A single success.
Nick: Great. As you look up from where you are kneeling by the stream, you hear a gentle rustle in the bushes across the stream from you. Some sort of wildlife and peering into the shadows you notice a large hulking shape, push its way free of the underbrush, and you are tremendously conscious of how thin the stream is, how ineffective a barrier it is, when you find yourself face to face with a massive adult brown bear. It makes eye contact with you and wufs gently, unsure how to react.
Kit: This probably isn't the first time Birdie has seen a bear or a larger, more dangerous animal while traveling alone, and so her first reaction is to just leave the area calmly. She'll nod to the bear because she's nice like that. And will put her hands up and begin very calmly and slowly leaving to go back to her bike.
Nick: Roll me a Charm check at hard difficulty to project your lack of threat to this apex predator.
Kit: That will be two yellows, one green and three purple. Two successes, one triumph, and a threat.
Nick: Great. So the bear does not feel threatened by you. Probably because of the your projection of calm and also your lack of stature. What would you like to use that triumph on?
Kit: As she backs away to her bike, she angles herself in a new way because she's trying not to turn her back to the bear and sees a track line that she had previously missed that was left by the Patina and after inspecting it, she realizes that it's fairly recent and will hop on her bike and start driving again with reinvigorated motivation to find the Patina.
Nick: And as you speed away you look over your shoulder to see the bear stand on its hind legs. It is even larger than you thought it was as it watches you go and you breathe a sigh of relief as you pull away.
Kit (as Birdie): Bye buddy.
Nick: It waves that you.
Kit: Aw~! She waves and she's so confused.
Nick: So the Patina, somewhere nearby is making camp for the evening. It is difficult for you all to feel motivated to push for additional distance having lost a companion. What is setting camp up like without Birdie there to fill in part of the routine?
Sydney: Cassidy is doing a lot of standing around because she can't super helped a lot.
Cameron: Yeah, I think Marathon and Emma are discovering a lot of things that like they approach their next regularly scheduled task and the task before it hasn't been done because it was something that either Birdie or Cassidy would normally do. And it's either something like Cassidy can't do right now due to only having one usable arm and being in great amounts of pain or Birdie's just not here, and so then we have to backtrack from that task to go to the other task and it's just kind of chaos.
Penn: And it's awkward. And it's sad. Is Emma good at cooking?
Cameron: Emma can cook but does not have the giant list of soup recipes in her head like Cassidy does. She's probably getting a fair amount of guidance from Cassidy on how to use the darn pot.
Sydney: So we see Cassidy walking Emma through preparation of one of the Patina's staples, unable to contribute outside of knowledge and fetching spices.
Penn (as Marathon): [from a slight distance] Emma I spilled the tumeric back here.
Cameron (as Emma): [stressed sigh]
Sydney (as Cassidy): Marathon, don't touch the stuff. Let me do it.
Penn (as Marathon): It's really yellow.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, and it's hard to replace.
Cameron (as Emma): Oh, where did where did you spill it? Please say the ground.
Penn (as Marathon): Um. Well, the good news is most of it spilled on me. Um. The bad news is there's a good portion that has made itself into the rig, so
Cameron (as Emma): [sigh] Gosh...
Sydney: Cassidy is squeezing her eyes together in despair.
Penn (as Marathon): But it is mostly here still.
Cameron (as Emma): [less than enthusiastic] Great.
Penn: And Marathon walks back from the rig with yellow stains all over her clothes, but a arm full of spices.
Cameron: Emma goes to face palm and then realizes that she's cutting an onion and that's probably a bad idea and averts disaster.
Sydney (as Cassidy): I can still grab stuff. I'm not useless.
Penn (as Marathon): No Cassidy! Stay- stay resting. Here - have another pillow. I brought it from the rig
Cameron (as Emma): If you move too much you're gonna stress Marathon out.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, but all these pillows are gonna get dirty because they're sitting on this rock.
Cameron (as Emma): Well cause they're gonna have tumeric on them?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Oh that too.
Penn (as Marathon): I'll wash them! I'll wash them. I'll make sure they're nice and clean for you, Miss Cassidy.
Nick: And at this point, you hear the sound of a engine in the distance. It sounds like it is approaching rapidly from the direction that you all traveled.
Sydney: Cassidy immediately has that giant gun in her hand and she's crouched near the edge of the rig.
Penn: Marathons already got her skates up and is crouched on the opposite side of the rig in a strategic position.
Cameron: Can I roll a Mechanics check to recognize the engine sound after having been around Teno and their bike for almost two weeks?
Nick: Yeah, you can. That would be an average Mechanics check but with two black die because you're not exactly working with the engine directly.
Cameron: Okay, well, I do have a Knack For Mechanics, so I'm going to remove the two black die which means I'm rolling three yellows and two purples.
[dice rolling]
Cameron: Two successes.
Nick: Great. With two successes, this is definitely one of the motorcycles from the Rust.
Cameron: Emma, as the initial noises of the engine became audible, had paused chopping the onion and tilted her head to the side listening and looks conflicted about her next course of action, but sets down the onion and goes ahead and picks up her sword from where she has it down next to where she was sitting and says
Cameron (as Emma): That's one of the Rust's bikes.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Oh good. I'm sure they totally have nothing to come settle with us.
Cameron (as Emma): It's only one of them.
Penn (as Marathon): I'm ready to clothesline somebody. Just give me the, give me the word.
Cameron (as Emma): Kay maybe maybe don't. Um.
Sydney: Cassidy is settling into her stance flinching a little bit because she definitely moved too fast.
Cameron: Emma is armed but doesn't look like she's particularly preparing to ambush the rider.
Kit: Birdie can gauge the radius of the camp pretty well, so she gets to the outskirts so she can have enough room to properly stop and just to show off a little she'll do like a fish tail stop with the bike. And at first it's a bit hard to probably recognize her as she's not wearing her normal get up. She's in these looser army green pants and a well worn dress shirt, and she's got her helmet on that covers a lot of her face. But her body language is very relaxed and at ease as she gets off the bike and yanks off the helmet. Her braids come down and she's just beaming at the Patina.
Kit (as Birdie): [such excitement] I made it back in time for dinner!
Penn (as Marathon): [excited yell] Birdie!
Kit: [laughing] Birdie is gonna run up to Marathon.
Penn: Marathon starts bolting over to Birdie.
Kit: Birdie is just gonna run and has her arms out wide for just the biggest hug.
Penn: Marathon, catches her and picks her up and spins her around.
Penn (as Marathon): [excited] Oh, I missed you so much. I thought you were gone forever. Why'd you leave? Why'd you leave?
Penn: And then Marathon sets her back down and puts her hands on her hips and gives a deep breath out while looking down.
Penn (as Marathon): [long exhale]
Penn: And then she looks up at Birdie and punches her in the face. Marathon was definitely pulling the punch but it definitely has the power to send Birdie reeling if she's not prepared for it.
Nick: Birdie roll me a hard Resilience check with a black die because of how surprised you are.
Kit: So that's two greens and three purple and a black. One failure and three threats. [laugh]
Nick: So Birdie, you get absolutely decked by this. You're surprised and it hurts both physically and your ego.
Kit: Birdie absolutely is not expecting Marathon to wind back and so she's just knocked completely down, but it doesn't hurt as much as she knows it could hurt with Marathon, so she mostly just pushes herself up and her hand is cradling the side of her face that Marathon hit and she's like,
Kit (as Birdie): [jaw clenched in pain] Ow! What the hell?
Penn (as Marathon): [overlapping] [yelling] What the fuck, Birdie!? What did you- why did you - [panicked breathing] Cassidy, Emma - somebody talk. Um - Birdie I, you know what? I'm, I'm not sorry. I've been waiting to do that, but I missed you so much. I really, it was really, I just -
Kit (as Birdie): You could just let me talk first.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah I'm sorry.
Sydney: Cassidy is sitting with her head tilted listening for any accompanying engines or any other approaching people because her first instinct is, of course that Birdie is bait.
Kit: Birdie, while pushing herself up and still rubbing at the soreness that's developing on her cheek, sees Cassidy and is like,
Kit (as Birdie): There's no one following me.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Are you sure?
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah. Teno made sure of it.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh, Teno! Your friend who works for the Rust.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah. Who said oh, yeah, I had a message from Teno for Marathon and Cassidy. Cassidy, they said that, well, they said at first that they hope you're alive and if you are alive, then they're glad that you're alive.
Penn (as Marathon): So you didn't even know Cassidy was alive.
Sydney (as Cassidy): I got shot, Marathon. I don't know if you noticed.
Kit: And then they did say that Marathon, it was pretty cool to see you shove Kelsey down the hill.
Penn (as Marathon): Okay, well, it was a bad decision, so -
Kit (as Birdie): It was.
Penn (as Marathon): - they're wrong on both counts.
Kit (as Birdie): Why - why would I lead them to you guys? I -
Sydney (as Cassidy): Why would you leave in the first place? I mean, we can draw conclusions here.
Kit: Birdie makes an indignant face and points back at the motorcycle.
Kit (as Birdie): I [huff], I wanted to make things right. I- I brought their entire lock box. I- I screwed them over for months. They're they're not going to be able to recover from that.
Cameron: Emma sat back down and was chopping onions again, as she trusts people way too much just by default, and is totally cool with Birdie being back. [laugh]
Kit (as Birdie): I was gone for, [awkward laugh] what? Just under 48 hours?
Penn (as Marathon): Well you made it seem like you were leaving for good Birdie and -
Kit (as Birdie): I had to make a ruse!
Penn (as Marathon): What do you had to - to- What about us? What- what do you mean? Well, you did - So you didn't clue us into your ruse. [overlapping] I understand that a lot of things happen really quick, but -
Kit (as Birdie): [overlapping] You didn't clue me in that you were going to shove Kelsey down a hill.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah. But I didn't expect you to just leave. I thought you were gone for good. That really, really messed me up, Birdie.
Kit (as Birdie): I kept them from hurting you guys. Me. I did that. I I kept them from going back and trying to finish you off. I wanted to make sure that they weren't - they weren't gonna come back and try to hurt us. I-
Penn (as Marathon): [long exhale]
Penn: Marathon is running her hands through her hair and she's pacing turning back from Birdie.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Your efforts are appreciated.
Kit: Birdie's face is one of shock. I don't think she expected that they would be this mistrusting of her and her actions.
Cameron (as Emma): [very chill] Maybe just in case for this happen- if this ever happens again, we come up with a code word or something that you can say before you leave?
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah...
Penn (as Marathon): I don't want you to leave again, like
Kit (as Birdie): [kinda heartbroken] It was a spur of the moment thing. I - [distressed noise] Cassidy had been shot. You just [struggling for words] nearly killed Juliana. It was only going to get worse. They have a lot of people. They, they they were willing to go through a lot of other means than what we were. I guess it was my own way of protecting you guys. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have run off without telling you.
Penn: Marathon suddenly falls down into a criss cross with her hands still running through her hair over and over.
Penn (as Marathon): Dahhh...I don't know what to think.
Sydney: Cassidy walks towards the direction that Birdie came from assessing the state of the tracks you left.
Kit (as Birdie): I tried to be careful.
Sydney (as Cassidy): I mean, we try to be careful too, but you found us, so
Kit (as Birdie): Because I know how you guys drive.
Sydney (as Cassidy): And the Rust who had been with us for two weeks wouldn't?
Cameron (as Emma): No we were following them the whole time.
Penn (as Marathon): They weren't detectives.
Kit (as Birdie): Not really no. They trusted me to stay in the place where they keep their lock bo- but I could have driven off with the whole damn tank if I had wanted to.
Cameron (as Emma): Mm. Don't bother.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah, it's good you didn't do that.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Kit (as Birdie): Well I wasn't - I wasn't going to-
Cameron (as Emma): Oh! Wait! Oh no, actually. Nevermind. That would have been fine. Yeah. I could have fixed it.
Kit (as Birdie): [confused murmuring] Fixed?
Cameron (as Emma): Um, while you were there they didn't happen to try to fire the tank did they?
Kit (as Birdie): No... I kept - I just told them to make camp and so we made camp.
Cameron (as Emma): That's good. Um. Because it it won't fire and um, that might have [laughing] caused them to turn back around to come find us, so
Kit (as Birdie): Oh~.
Cameron (as Emma): Yep! I took the firing pin and a good amount of the wires out of the tank so uh,
Kit (as Birdie): Ah~.
Cameron (as Emma): It's a cool driving vehicle now, -
Kit (as Birdie): [laugh]
Cameron (as Emma): - that has some armor.
Kit (as Birdie): [overlapping] That's really cool.
Cameron (as Emma): [overlapping] I guess it still looks really intimidating.
Sydney (as Cassidy): You said you took their money? The lockbox?
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, it's in the sidecar.
Sydney (as Cassidy): So they don't have a big gun and they don't have the funds to do anything to fix it.
Penn (as Marathon): But they do have a lot of attitude.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well they have a lot of reason to come find us then.
Cameron (as Emma): They're also down a bike.
Kit (as Birdie): And sharpshooter. And Teno wouldn't do anything like that.
Sydney: Cassidy sighs and reholsters the pistol.
Cameron (as Emma): Cassidy did I need to add anything else to this before I turn it on?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Did you already out salt?
Cameron (as Emma): Yes.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh, soup.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Okay.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh, Birdie, you're covered in Tumeric.
Kit (as Birdie): Oh, it's fine. It's fine. It's not my clothes.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Here. I'll show you - I'll walk you through how to get started.
Kit: Birdie just watches after Cassidy because she can probably tell that she's still not comfortable with the way things are left now.
Penn: Marathon stands back up from criss cross near Birdie and reaches out for a more calm hug.
Kit: Birdie accepts the hug. [laugh]
Penn (as Marathon): I'm just glad you're back. And um, I don't know if I'd call what happened a mistake yet, but I make I made a lot of mistakes too. So I get it. Um. Let's have some soup. Want some of mine? [laugh]
Kit (as Birdie): [laugh] I'm okay.
Cameron (as Emma): We have enough soup for everyone, Marathon.
Penn (as Marathon): [very relieved] Perfect! Okay fuck I'm so hungry.
Kit (as Birdie): [giggle]
Cameron (as Emma): Cassidy doesn't know how to cook for less than four people. [laugh]
Penn (as Marathon): Um.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, we end up with breakfast soup [chuckle] if we have less.
Cameron (as Emma): That's true.
Penn (as Marathon): Do y'all want to do the strength contest still later tonight?
Kit (as Birdie): You guys were gonna do a strength contest?
Cameron (as Emma): Yep, I was um, I was volunteered -
Kit (as Birdie): [laugh]
Cameron (as Emma): - for an arm wrestling contest.
Kit (as Birdie): Fun.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, we had to see who had the biggest arms because Marathon already beat Kelsey.
Kit (as Birdie): Mhm.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah, and I just thought it'd be nice to have Cassidy as a referee for such a intense physical strength activity just to you know, show show her -
Cameron (as Emma): [sighs in your flirting is exhausting me]
Penn (as Marathon): - what, you know, the kinds of physical strength things that we as the Patina can do. Not any -
Kit (as Birdie): [overlapping] Not just you.
Penn (as Marathon): [overlapping] - individual specific.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah. Mhm.
Penn (as Marathon): But I will win.
Kit (as Birdie): Yes, Teno was very complimentary of all of your arms.
Cameron (as Emma): Oh thank you, Teno.
Penn (as Marathon): Wow, even yours?
Cameron (as Emma): [snort]
Kit (as Birdie): No.
Cameron (as Emma): Marathon!
Kit (as Birdie): No, no, no, not mine. No, no, mine. Nope.
Penn (as Marathon): Okay. Okay.
Cameron (as Emma): [laughing]
Kit (as Birdie): [long sigh]
Sydney: Cassidy plops down on the dirt next to Emma near the fire.
Sydney (as Cassidy): [sigh] Okay, Birdie. So you left because stuff was happening. Why did you come back?
Kit (as Birdie): I left to keep you safe, and came back because I was always planning on coming back, because -
Sydney (as Cassidy): Cause the conclusion that we can draw is you left because we'd hit the point of attachment and you weren't down for that. And then now you're back again.
Kit: Birdie looks away and runs her tongue over teeth and takes a deep breath and will think for a few seconds on how she wants to word it. And then look back at Cassidy.
Kit (as Birdie): [from the heart] Look. I had doubts. I have doubts constantly about whether or not I'm doing the things that are right for me and are what I'm meant for. And I - you're right. I bounce around a lot. I'm not - I'm flighty. I don't stay with groups very often, but you guys are who I'm meant to be around, okay? I never doubted that. You guys are my family and I care about you. And I care about what we do and how we do it and I don't want to go back to doing things the way that left me feeling hollow and bad. I - I want to stay with you guys. I I guess I just thought I was, I was really clever. And I wanted to - I guess this was the only way I could think of showing you guys that I was good and right for here. So I'm sorry. I should have communicated my actions more and I'll try to do it better. I - please don't doubt that I'm - my-my loyalty or that I'm not, that I don't want to be with you guys.
Sydney: Cassidy takes a deep breath with their eyes closed and then nods.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Cameron (as Emma): I was sold without the speech but it was a lovely speech.
Kit (as Birdie): Thank you.
Cameron (as Emma): I'm glad you're back Birdie.
Penn (as Marathon): [very emotional] I~- I can't really talk right now. [fighting tears] Thanks, Birdie.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, I'm glad you're back Birdie.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah.
Kit (as Birdie): Always glad to be back, back with you guys.
Penn (as Marathon): [emotional exhale]
Kit: Birdie's gonna punch Marathon in the bicep. It doesn't do anything.
Penn (as Marathon): Careful.
Kit (as Birdie): Come on, Marathon.
Penn (as Marathon): Careful.
Kit (as Birdie): [overlapping] C'mon. Gotta - soup.
Sydney (as Cassidy): [overlapping] All right Emma pull that cord after you seal that up, and then we'll start it cooking and then just rest it in the fire.
Cameron (as Emma): Okie dokie.
Penn (as Marathon): Birdie um, [clears throat] [sniff] we didn't uh, finish some of your, some of your old stuff if you wanted to, you know, help us finish setting up.
Kit (as Birdie): Oh, yeah, yeah, I can do that.
Kit: And Birdie will go about her parts of the routine that haven't been filled in quite yet and she'll set up her tent in the same way that she always does. And look down at her turmeric colored clothes.
Kit (as Birdie): Why do you have tumeric all over you, Marathon?
Cameron (as Emma): [sigh]
Sydney (as Cassidy): She doesn't know how spices work and she wouldn't let me do it.
Penn (as Marathon): We're making soup!
Kit (as Birdie): [giggle]
Penn (as Marathon): And Cassidy needs to rest.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Cassidy can handle carrying a spice jar.
Penn (as Marathon): Cassidy can handle carrying a spice jar but should handle sitting on some pillows.
Kit (as Birdie): [giggle]
Cameron (as Emma): Marathon for some reason opened the spice jars next to the rig instead of bringing it over here.
Penn (as Marathon): I was trying to pour a moderate amount. Moderate amount as asked for in the recipe.
Kit (as Birdie): [laughing] You were measuring with your heart, Marathon.
Cameron (as Emma): I don't think you measure turmeric with your heart.
Kit: Birdie is doing everything she can to not laugh. She's biting her lip and putting her hand over her mouth but it is
Sydney (as Cassidy): You know, I've got this hole in my chest. I bet if I reach in I can grab it and then we can measure with my heart.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh, okay, we've -
Cameron (as Emma): [doubtful] Uh~.
Penn (as Marathon): I was actually been wondering how big is that hole in your chest Cassidy?
Cameron (as Emma): [overlapping] You know, it's too high up and too to the left.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Oh it's like eight inches across. Huge.
Cameron (as Emma): No~.
Penn (as Marathon): It must be pretty cold in there too.
Cameron (as Emma): [little too focused on the mechanics of getting to someone's heart...] You're gonna have to get through your ribcage that's not going to work.
Kit (as Birdie): [le gasp] Marathon.
Penn (as Marathon): [smug laugh] See I'm getting pretty good at this ribbing thing.
Kit (as Birdie): It's ooh- uh okay. Cassidy is warm and fuzzy and nice on the inside and we all know that. She's just covered by several several thick layers of hard exterior and that's cold. [overlapping] But the inside is really nice. [laughs]
Cameron (as Emma): [overlapping] Just the exterior is kinda spiky. [laughs]
Penn (as Marathon): Don't push it too much, Birdie.
Cameron (as Emma): [laughing]
Kit (as Birdie): [laugh]
Sydney (as Cassidy): Cassidy is shaking her head.
Kit (as Birdie): Oh come on! [laugh]
Cameron (as Emma): So time for this armwrestling match?
Penn (as Marathon): Oh, yeah~. Let's call it a match for now.
Kit (as Birdie): [laugh]
Sydney: Cassidy raises her eyebrows and looks at Birdie before looking back to them.
Kit: Birdie will mumble so only Cassidy can hear
Kit (as Birdie): [mumble] Don't look too closely at Marathons' biceps, you'll hurt yourself. [normal volume] I mean what?!
Penn (as Marathon): Look as closely as you want!
Kit (as Birdie): [fake gagging]
Cameron (as Emma): [laugh]
Sydney (as Cassidy): I'm not the only one in the audience here.
Kit (as Birdie): That is none - that I'm not -nope.
Penn (as Marathon): Cassidy I think you gotta make sure that both for biceps aren't like loaded or something before you know we start.
Kit (as Birdie): Loaded?
Cameron (as Emma): What the fuck do you mean loaded?
Penn (as Marathon): You know, Emma -
Kit (as Birdie): You want Cassidy to pat you down.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Marathon's just got those guns, you know Emma?
Cameron (as Emma): That's not how muscles work Marathon.
Penn (as Marathon): Well you just got to make sure that, you know, we're not cheating or anything, Cassidy, you know? Yeah. As the referee.
Cameron (as Emma): How would we cheat?
Kit (as Birdie): Marathon wants you to pat her down.
Penn (as Marathon): Well, obviously you've never arm wrestled uh Tree All style.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Alright, let's let's decide some rules first. Basic rules. No modified. No -
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah, yeah.
Cameron (as Emma): Outlaw whatever Tree All style is.
Penn (as Marathon): As the referee as the referee you you should do you should check but only if you want to.
Sydney (as Cassidy): No I've been told I have to sit still and not do anything. I can't even touch of spice jar much less like get up to go do activities.
Penn (as Marathon): Here we can come to you. Here.
Penn: Marathon gets up off the ground.
Cameron (as Emma): I don't know, feeling up our biceps seems like pretty vigorous activity that Cassidy shouldn’t partake in.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, no. I- I'm gonna have to follow your advice, Marathon. What a shame.
Penn (as Marathon): It's all right. You know, I - I've checked it myself.
Penn: Marathon slaps her bicep a little bit.
Penn (as Marathon): Um, let's get the good light is right here. Okay, I'm ready. Let's uh, plop down right here, Miss Emma.
Nick: And as the Patina relaxes back into their companionship, the sounds of their competition echoes through the forest, the gentle sound of the joy in each other's company.
[hurdy gurdy music swells]
Outro:
Penn (as Marathon): Welcome back to MTR 1153, that was just the end of today’s broadcast and we’ll be right back to the music after this little break. The particulars of the subsequent can be found in the show notes.
This has been A Knight of Shreds and Patches, an actual play podcast using the Genesys game system from Fantasy Flight Games. The show is edited by Sydney Whittington, and features the talents of:
Rhi as Pallie. Rhi is the GM and producer of The Magpies, a Blades in the Dark actual play podcast, and the owner of Skill Check, a document accessibility service for the RPG community. Rhi can be found on Twitter @ Rhiannon42.
Kit Adames as Birdie. Kit can be found on Twitter and Instagram @ venusvultures. Kit is also a voice actor for Elevator Pitch Podcast, a queer genre-hopping anthology podcast that can be accessed on Spotify and YouTube.
Penn Van Batavia as Marathon. She can be found on Twitter @ acquiredchaste. Penn is an indie TTRPG designer whose most recent work includes Wasmannian, a prompt game about gender and wasps. Check out faer other work at pennharper.itch.io.
Sydney Whittington as Cassidy. Sydney can be found on our Discord server, which is linked in the show notes, and on Twitter @ sydney_whitt. She’s also a contributing editor for the Orpheus Protocol, a cosmic horror espionage actual play podcast..
Cameron Robertson as Emma. Cameron can be found on Twitter @ midnightmusic13 and on Instagram @ reading_and_dreaming. Cameron is also a player on Tabletop Squadron, a Star Wars Edge of the Empire actual play podcast.
And Nick Robertson as narrator. Nick can be found on Twitter @ alias58. Nick is also the GM for Tabletop Squadron. Nick can also be found as a player on the Orpheus Protocol.
This podcast features the musical talents of Dora Violet and Arne Parrott. You can find Dora at facebook.com/doraviolett. You can find Arne at atptunes.com.
The official artwork for this podcast was created by Rashed AlAkroka, who can be found on Instagram and Artstation @ rashedjrs.
You can follow the Patina on Twitter @ akosap_podcast or visit the website: www.akosap.com. To further support the show, consider joining the Patreon at www.patreon.com/AKoSaP, where we’ll be bringing you weekly content including bonus episodes, campfire conversations, and other fun rewards.
Until next time…
…Signing Off