The Patina has story time with Cassidy and a little contest.
The Patina has story time with Cassidy and a little contest.
Cast:
- 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, which you can support at Patreon.com/TabletopSquadron. 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.
- A Little World by Yusuke Tsutsumi. Link & License.
- Happy Greece Traveling (ID 1339) 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 31: Confuse It or Lose It
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.
Kit: Kit Adames as Birdie Foundling.
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:
We’ve got new patrons to thank! We send forth the heartiest of Patina thanks to Mossrocks and Nick’s Mom and Dad! May your seas be calm, your skies be clear, and your chests be wet. And if you’re not already on the roster of the campfire crew, consider backing our Patreon, where you can plunder the booty of bonus episodes, campfire conversations, and other fun rewards.
And with that, we wrap up today’s announcements and head into Season 2, Episode 31: Confuse It or Lose It. 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, my inevitable spider friend showed back up! I'm a lot more confident saying inevitable now because I thought I had finally shaken it, but it managed to find me without me having any advanced warning, and then I made it all of thirty yards before falling into a hole trying to stall for the rest of the Patina to help get us away unscathed. I'm assuming there were all kinds of shenanigans to keep my many-legged friend busy, but I'm glad it worked, since I was sitting all cozy in my hole trying not to get stepped on until Birdie dropped off Emma to help pull me out and we were able to get away relatively intact.
[radio static]
Episode Start:
Nick: The first thing that we see is sunlight glinting upon camera lenses as they slowly track across the horizon. The metal monstrosity that had just so recently attacked the Patina stands unmoving, watching in the distance something that's not visible to anyone else, before beginning a stately walk along the tire treads left by the rig. Unhurried, but inevitable, moving into the distance like it has all the time in the world. The next thing that we see is the rig parked in a copes of trees, the mechanical attacker left somewhere in the distance as the motorcycle being piloted by Birdie tears into the small clearing with Marathon hanging on to the back fender riding on her frictionless grav skates. We see the Patina spring into action loading the motorcycle back on to the racking on the outside of the rig, and everyone piling into the cab as the tires spin, throwing decaying leaves and dirt into the air and the rig heads off away from where the recent conflict was, driving as fast as it safely can through the obstacles of the sparse woods.
Sydney: Cassidy’s behind the wheel, head forward and looking out the windshield focusing intently on not hitting anything.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well welcome back to the rig. How is everyone doing?
Penn (as Marathon): [she got the hype] Oh my god, that was - that was so fun [realizes fun probably isn’t the best word to use] or uh, that was intense. Oh my gosh. I mean, not fun. That was scary. [clears throat] Hoah.
Sydney (as Cassidy): I mean, it's it is a big angry robot thing, but like he's not that fast.
Kit (as Birdie): So you knew that thing pretty well then, huh?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Uh yeah. It's not my first time seeing him. Them? It?
Cameron (as Emma): I don't know if the spider cares what pronouns you use.
Penn (as Marathon): Always, always safe, just to be respectful.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well, let me just go back and ask it real fast.
Kit (as Birdie): Hmmm…
Cameron (as Emma): What if we don't, though?
Kit (as Birdie): Better not
Sydney (as Cassidy): No, we've tried to talk to it and didn't go super well.
Kit (as Birdie): Hmm.
Sydney (as Cassidy): So yeah, so that's a big spider thing that just follows me. Kind of thought we had lost it.
Penn (as Marathon): Wait, if if it like follows you follows you?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah. I mean, it's not that fast, so it's not a huge deal.
Penn (as Marathon): How does it follow?
Sydney (as Cassidy): [makes I don’t know noise]
Kit (as Birdie): Oh, that's kind of terrifying considering that, like, you know, [deep breath]
Penn (as Marathon): Is it your Advantia nanites?
Sydney (as Cassidy): It could be. I didn't see it before I had them. But I also didn't see it till I left the cartographers. So who knows?
Cameron (as Emma): But you did see it prior to joining the Patina?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Oh, yeah. It's been following me for like, more than 10 years.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah. So okay, so we're positive it's you.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Oh yeah. It's not the Knight, I don't think, considering it was chasing me and not the Knight.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah, that that does track.
Sydney (as Cassidy): But I would have to imagine that there are other people with the same stuff I've got going on besides me that it should be doing something else. So I guess it just doesn't like me.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh, gosh, do you think it killed Ciphera?
Cameron (as Emma): I, I doubt that it killed Ciphera, Marathon.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Unlikely. There wasn't a bunch of dried blood all over the legs or anything.
Penn (as Marathon): Okay.
Sydney (as Cassidy): I mean, it's not really like it -
Penn (as Marathon): Ehh
Kit (as Birdie): Has it ever killed someone before?
Sydney (as Cassidy): No. It mostly just follows and like watches. It doesn't like going in big cities. I don't think it likes large groups of people. So like when we were in Eagle Hill, it was pretty fine. Although I actually wonder if we taking the train, as far as we did, as fast as we did was enough to confuse it or lose it. And then we picked it back up or we went back.
Cameron (as Emma): [agreement] Mmm.
Sydney (as Cassidy): But yeah, I guess it follows me. And I guess we were having to go through all the dense woods.
Sydney: Cassidy goes around the one tree that's in the middle of the road in these sparse woods.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Sydney (as Cassidy): That because we were having to go so slow, it was able to catch up. But it's not - it's on average, much slower than we are, or at least slow ish. Typically the way that we used to deal with it, because it showed up a couple of times with the Patina, was take another vehicle, drive three days off into the distance, hangout, and then meet back up a few days later so that it spends a bunch of time going off in a different direction than then it'll show back up six months later or something maybe.
Kit (as Birdie): Huh.
Penn (as Marathon): Well.
Sydney (as Cassidy): It's just kind of a watcher that really wants a piece of me I guess?
Penn (as Marathon): Is that sustainable?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well I’ve been - just don't settle down anywhere and it's fine.
Cameron (as Emma): Or if you're gonna settle down do it in a large city.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, exactly. So I dunno, you know, it's spooky. It got a little too close for what I was comfortable with today because I wasn't looking for it because I didn't think it was still here but yeah, I mean, it's not - it's just there.
Kit (as Birdie): [does not sound as if this should be being accepted this easily] It's just there.
Penn (as Marathon): I'm just - why you?
Sydney: Cassidy takes her hand off the gearshift to give a one arm shrug.
Penn (as Marathon): Hmm. There's something about Cassidy.
Cameron: Emma has scooted back into the corner of the passenger seat so she can look more straight on at Cassidy and has crossed her arms and has got her eyebrows furrowed, frowning a bit as she's thinking.
Sydney (as Cassidy): I've got that raw animal slash wild tech magnetism?
Penn (as Marathon): [chuckles in I find Cassidy attractive]
Kit: Birdie’s sitting behind Cassidy and when Marathon says there's something about Cassidy she wiggles her eyebrows a little bit but doesn't say anything.
Penn (as Marathon): Yep I guess, you do have a certain magnetism about you Cassidy, so [awkward laugh] da-but uh~
Penn: Marathon slicks back her hair and it flops back down onto her face.
Penn (as Marathon): But do you - did you jump into any like ruins or anything is a kid that that thing is chasing your for or is it maybe not your nanites but is it like, I don't know, some some - did you get like a prosthetic limb stolen from somewhere or that you haven't shown us or something?
Sydney (as Cassidy): I mean, the only other thing that's not my implant is my radio. And I guess it lights up when that thing got close, but it's because it's broadcasting whatever giant angry signal I guess.
Penn (as Marathon): Hmm.
Sydney (as Cassidy): I don't know. I just assume it doesn't like me.
Penn (as Marathon): Emma, did you build that radio?
Cameron (as Emma): No.
Sydney (as Cassidy): No, I there was a inheritance.
Penn (as Marathon): I see. Did that thing kill who you inherited it from?
Sydney (as Cassidy): No! They have
Penn (as Marathon): No because you said it didn’t kill anybody.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, they were they retired. They settled down and I was not ready to get off the road when the cartographers decided they were now ranchers and farmers.
Penn (as Marathon): Hmm. Hmm.
Cameron (as Emma): Did the spider follow the cartographers?
Sydney (as Cassidy): I never saw it. The first time I saw it was when I was well, learning to fight with the militia in Payments Owed which is like forever west of here.
Cameron (as Emma): [much thinking] Hmm.
Sydney (as Cassidy): So I don't know. I don't know if I just got unlucky and it was wandering around and took a liking to me.
Kit (as Birdie): You're just so likable Cassidy.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Oh, I know.
Kit (as Birdie): Mhm.
Cameron (as Emma): Apparently, there's animal magnetism.
Penn (as Marathon): [chuckle]
Kit (as Birdie): So many wonderful things to appreciate about you.
Kit: And she's looking at Marathon.
Penn (as Marathon): I think Birdie is making a move, Miss Cassidy.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Ooh~
Kit (as Birdie): Oh, definitely. Yes.
Penn (as Marathon): Okay. No, wait. [clears throat]
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well, hey, Birdie, you want to go get some dinner?
Kit (as Birdie): [Marathon gay panicking in the background]. Yeah, I would love that actually if you want.
Sydney (as Cassidy): [Marathon gay panicking in the background]. Cool. All right. Let's eat when we get to the campsite.
Penn (as Marathon): Okay. Okay. That’s great. This is good. This is a fun, fun little bit. [recovering from gay panic]
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, it's so funny how um, how easy it is to just, you know, -
Penn (as Marathon): [clears throat]
Kit (as Birdie): - just so nice to you know, communicate our feelings. And
Penn (as Marathon): Yep. I bet it is.
Kit (as Birdie): Are you okay, Marathon? You look a little red.
Sydney (as Cassidy): So, so Emma?
Cameron: Emma still has her arms crossed, staring at Cassidy.
Sydney: Cassidy’s focus has remained on the road, but she’s not immune to that voice being aimed at her.
Cameron (as Emma): I, I'm thinking through everything that I remember from the few journal entries Pallie had where she talked about it.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Oh yeah, I think Pallie had some theories.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah. I think she agreed it's definitely you that it's after. So it'd be it's got to be something in the tech that you have that you have had with you since the first time you saw it. So if the headset lit up, that's…
Sydney (as Cassidy): I mean, it's possible.
Cameron (as Emma): It’s possible.
Sydney (as Cassidy): There was only a couple of things or just as me.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah, because it it'd be - what else do you have? Your - you've got your piano. I don't know why it would track a piano.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah it could be the piano.
Cameron (as Emma): That would be -
Penn (as Marathon): Is it tracking your gun?
Cameron (as Emma): [thinking voice] I don't know if there's any tech in the gun that it could track.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well cause it - Yeah. And it was looking at me this time and the gun was in the rig, so I guess it - well that also rules out the piano.
Cameron (as Emma): [overlapping] Oh yeah that rules out the - yeah, the piano was over… Okay.
Sydney (as Cassidy): It was too busy stomping on the ground above the hole that I fell in.
Cameron (as Emma): I mean, did you have any other tech on you besides your headset in the hole?
Sydney: Cassidy does a pat down of herself checking her pockets and her hidey holes.
Sydney (as Cassidy): No~. I don't think.
Cameron (as Emma): All right, so -
Penn (as Marathon): Process of elimination.
Sydney (as Cassidy): So you got two things.
Cameron (as Emma): It's gotta be either you [laughing] as a person.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah,
Cameron (as Emma): or the headset.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Or the nanites I guess but yeah, I think the nanites are-
Cameron (as Emma): I was including that is part of the you the person.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Sure.
Cameron (as Emma): That would be the signature it'd be picking up on, but I know you said like every six months but we could test it the next time it comes up you just hand one of us your headsets and we run off and we see if it follows you or if it follows us.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, that's true. I mean we can go back and test it right now.
Cameron (as Emma): I understand why Pallie didn’t want to test this.
Kit (as Birdie): Let’s not please.
Cameron (as Emma): Let’s not?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Okay. So then that case, I would say we drive for a little bit longer tonight.
Cameron (as Emma): Uh yeah.
Sydney (as Cassidy): And then if it starts getting thick forest slow going again, I'll take the motorcycle and go off and camp for a couple days and meet back up.
Cameron (as Emma): I-
Penn (as Marathon): I mean you've got the experience.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, I mean, it's I at this point, it's like, I don't know, it's not that fast. It’s inconvenient.
Cameron (as Emma): [nerd with a puzzle voice] Why would it track your headset?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Your guess is as good as mine. It has a flashlight and a radio and a battery, I guess.
Cameron (as Emma): It's probably something to do with this a signal or a signature it's giving off rather than the actual functionality of it.
Sydney (as Cassidy): If you need to mess with it, just be careful. [laughs in priceless heirloom]
Cameron (as Emma): Uh huh. Let me ponder for a little while longer. Figure out what exactly I want to look for. Because I'm gonna have to scan to see if I can pick up on something that -
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, fair.
Cameron (as Emma): - could potentially. Hmm.
Nick: Cassidy, like you had said, this was something you thought from your past that you wouldn't be seeing again. You knew how to handle it before - how are you feeling having seen it again, as a surprise?
Sydney: It's like a familiar threat in a way that it's been with her for so long that she's learned how to deal with it and it's like a controlled thrill. In that like, yeah, if she screws up, it's gonna get her but it's the same kind of thrill as climbing where as long as she's careful, it's going to be fine. And it's surprising that it caught up to them at this point, but it's a challenge that she can face and she's quite sure she will be successful at facing. So it's not really scary or intimidating. It's more surprising. It's surprising that it happened without her expecting it. More than that it's surprising that it is still following and it never lost them and it's always here. It is always here and that is somewhat normal for Cassidy.
Penn: Marathon is slumped in the back resting up after having exerted a lot and we can see that she's got her hand reached into the pocket of this letterman's jacket, one of her new outfit additions, and we can see her kind of palming the wanted posters of Cassidy and the Patina from Allium before pulling her hand back and shaking her head as if deciding that this is not the time to do that.
Cameron (as Emma): [mostly to self] Why does it have so many cameras though?
Cameron: Emma has just gone into a spiral of thinking about this spider.
Nick: And the rig continues onward into the evening light and further still taking just a little bit of risk to build more distance between the Patina and its apparently constant pursuer. You all stop well after full dark and set up camp with much less light than you normally do, feeling at least partially safe for now with the extra miles you put on the road today. And once equipment is cleaned and tents are set, and a fire is built and dinner is cooked, we see Cassidy, Emma, Birdie, and Marathon seated comfortably eating together in the quiet night.
Sydney: The remnants of a tomato and noodles soup - almost a stew - is was very thick and chunky and also had fish in it because there is a lot of fish to work through, but protein full, spiced flavorful - sit in wild tech pot, as Cassidy leaves it out to see if anyone needs another round.
Penn (as Marathon): Don't mind if I do. This stuff is terrific. Thanks for uh, thanks for dinner, Miss Cassidy. Now if you -
Penn: Marathon looks over a Birdie.
Penn (as Marathon): You know if you ever, you know, wanted me to - uh Yeah [clears throat], you wanted me to um
Sydney (as Cassidy): Marathon are you good?
Penn (as Marathon): Sorry, I had some fish in my throat.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Oh I don’t care
Cameron (as Emma): [laughing]
Penn (as Marathon): If you ever wanted to cook something with me, you know, that'd be pretty, that'd be pretty cool. You know? [cool laugh] Maybe you could show me - maybe you could show me how to cook a little bit. Yeah, there we go.
Cameron (as Emma): That'd be a useful skill to learn.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, that can be arranged.
Penn: Marathon gives a very strained finger gun as she's also trying to scoop some of the stew with her other hand.
Kit (as Birdie): You look really flushed, Marathon - are you okay?
Penn (as Marathon): [awkward betrayed noise]
Cameron (as Emma): She's just really close to the fire.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah~.
Cameron (as Emma): That's got to be it.
Kit (as Birdie): Of course. Of course.
Penn (as Marathon): [very high and strained] Yes. Yep. I’m just close to the fire.
Sydney (as Cassidy): [sultry] Birdie how was your dinner?
Kit (as Birdie): [oh so smooth] It was wonderful. Thank you Cassidy.
Penn (as Marathon): [strained] Fuck. God damnit.
Cameron (as Emma): [cackling]
Sydney (as Cassidy): Happy to hear it.
Kit: Birdie is just wearing this shit eating grin [laughing] while also just looking back and forth between Cassidy and Marathon with a slowly, increasingly smug look on her face.
Kit (as Birdie): Anyways.
Penn: Marathon comes back over and sits cross legged with the rest of the Patina and her fresh bowl of stew and a refill for Birdie.
Penn (as Marathon): So I know we had Cassidy share time today already. Cassidy are you in the headspace to receive a flashback that you may not be prepared for?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Oh you mean the giant spider thing?
Penn (as Marathon): Um~
Cameron (as Emma): Nope different. Different.
Penn (as Marathon): Different.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Oh good.
Penn (as Marathon): Another one.
Kit (as Birdie): Oh.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Sure.
Penn (as Marathon): Okay, there we go, there we got a sure.
Penn: And Marathon reaches her hand into this Letterman's jacket. It's very crisp right now. And she pulls out five folded and faded pieces of paper and sets them down for the Patina to see through the campfire light. And it's the five faces of the old Patina when they past through Allium, and it's wanted posters for each one of them. Cassidy, Wyatt, Iokua, Pallie, and Owyn.
Penn (as Marathon): So Emma and I found these in that abandoned rest stop-y building.
Sydney: Cassidy has turned her head sideways with the look of a curious animal.
Penn (as Marathon): I knew one was you and Emma said she recognized some of the rest.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah I grabbed all the ones that I believed were Patina - all names I had heard before. And Wyatt and Pallie, obviously, who I knew.
Sydney (as Cassidy): You hadn't heard Wyatt and Pallie’s names before?
Cameron (as Emma): No I had but I'd seen them in person too, so I kind of recognize the picture.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well.
Kit (as Birdie): Cassidy, you got your own wanted posters? That's so cool.
Sydney (as Cassidy): [soft laugh in it’s not that cool] Yeah well there's a reason I don't want to go back to Allium.
Cameron (as Emma): They’re old posters, at least.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah. Well, I'm hoping it's been a couple of years that they've, well - at least they're not actively looking for me. Those posters look old enough that if they’d just been hanging on the wall of a place that went out of business.
Penn (as Marathon): But these are Wyatt and Pallie, right?
Penn: Marathon is pointing at two of the posters.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah.
Penn (as Marathon): I think I've heard you guys talk about them.
Cameron (as Emma): Mhm.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah. Wyatt's still around somewhere. Pallie…. Emma met her.
Cameron (as Emma): Mhm.
Penn (as Marathon): Who are the who are the other two?
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah who’s this girl? She's hott.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah, but the - yeah, she seems she does seem pretty pretty, you know?
Kit (as Birdie): Not as pretty as Miss Cassidy though, right?
Penn (as Marathon): [sigh]
Sydney: Cassidy is looking at this poster.
Cameron (as Emma): We thought you might like to have the art of all of them, so
Sydney (as Cassidy): Huh.
Cameron (as Emma): I'd say they're yours to do with as you wish. If you want to throw darts at the Wyatt one, I'll help you pin it up.
Sydney (as Cassidy): [laughing on an exhale] No. I had some fond memories of Wyatt. It wasn't all back and forth fighting.
Cameron (as Emma): I don't know if I ever was there for those memories. [laughing]
Sydney (as Cassidy): Maybe not? [short laugh] Huh.
Penn (as Marathon): Well.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, that one - well, so that one is Iokua. He's our resident, buff, pretty guy who everyone can't help but talk to.
Kit (as Birdie): Oh, yeah, he was the guy who wanted the pet raccoons, right? I remember Emma telling me about that.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, exactly. Theoretically, he's still somewhere, but he skedaddled after uh Pallie got killed.
Penn (as Marathon): Did you talk him out of keeping the racoons?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Uh well Pallie, Pallie was the responsible one. But yeah, he didn't, he didn't see the point in continuing to sit around after two of our people have died in like six months of each other.
Penn (as Marathon): Is -
Penn: Marathon points over at the Owyn poster.
Penn (as Marathon): Is um, she one of the people that died?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah she was the other one.
Kit (as Birdie): [feels bad for the hott comment] Oh, sorry.
Sydney: Cassidy reaches out and takes the wanted poster and looks at it.
Cameron: Emma is watching Cassidy very closely monitoring emotional response levels.
Penn: I think most of the Patna is probably looking at Cassidy.
Cameron: Emma has a lot more background on what was potentially going on with Cassidy and Owyn from listening to Pallie’s journals, so she knows what type of relationship was there.
Kit: Birdie’s scratching the back of her neck and kicking herself for joking about the poster to make a jab at Marathon, but she is looking at Cassidy.
Sydney: In the poster we see a early middle age woman with white straight hair kind of flipped over with a side shave on one side, an impish nose, high cheekbones, and a defined jawline.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, well, this was Owyn. She was our actually our explosives expert, and also the Patina chef. Now I am, but it's fine. I learned from the best.
Penn (as Marathon): I’m sorry, Cassidy.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah. Well. If I~, if it had been a year ago, I would have still told you it was my fault. I don't know if I 100% believe that anymore, which I guess is progress.
Cameron: Emma smiles ever so slightly recognizing this progress.
Kit (as Birdie): It is.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah. But she, well - we made it out of Allium fine, and then got ambushed by Allium agents in Detritus, which is the next major city over, not on the order of the seven. But yeah, ended in a firefight. I saved Wyatt and Iokua, but I did not make that last shot, so that was her. Rest in peace.
Sydney: Cassidy folds the wanted poster back up and has it in her hand leaning on it with her finger on her scar.
Cameron (as Emma): You know, based on the story that Wyatt told me, Iokua 1,000% has at least one racoon at this point.
Sydney (as Cassidy): No, I hope so. He really liked them, he just kept talking about them the whole time. I didn't even meet this guy, but all the raccoons.
Cameron (as Emma): I think that was a really sad story, so like,
Penn (as Marathon): [overlapping] Yeah, thank you for sharing.
Cameron (as Emma): [overlapping] I think that's the reason I'm focusing - [end overlap] That's why I'm focusing on the raccoons from that story, because the rest of it was sad. The raccoons were a highlight.
Sydney (as Cassidy): No, but we had we had such hope. We took the Knight into battle against that giant thing and uh, lost. Y’all done with the food?
Penn: Marathon has yet to touch her new bowl.
Penn (as Marathon): Um, yeah, here, just let me finish it. Well, I'm just gonna put it back in the bowl. Um yeah. Do you - do you do any, like, remembering rituals or anything?
Sydney (as Cassidy): No, that was Wyatt's thing.
Penn (as Marathon): I don't know. Feels like this is a call for that. I don't know.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yes. Let me remember all the - I dunno.
Penn (as Marathon): You don't, don't have to but what were like the cool some cool memories with with Owyn?
Sydney (as Cassidy): She was the one that I think pushed us into helping the revolutionaries in Allium. She was so - she couldn't sit by and just watch the injustices perceived or otherwise being committed. They were they were actual injustices. That's - Allium had a lot of problems but a year and change of being a revolutionary later and a bunch of people died. And Allium is as it ever was so. Allium’s stupid. They have -why do they have balls as currency? They always roll away.
Penn (as Marathon): Sounds like she was pretty, pretty epic. Pretty, pretty moral.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah.
Penn (as Marathon): Do we? Do you think that lives on in the Patina at all?
Kit (as Birdie): I mean, explosives. Not to brag. [totally bragging] Sorry.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, we got explosives. We got muscles. We got cooking.
Kit (as Birdie): She had muscles? Sorry.
Cameron (as Emma): [laughing]
Sydney (as Cassidy): No, yeah, you can't really see it from this picture Birdie.
Kit (as Birdie): [laugh] Well, I think she sounds really cool.
Sydney (as Cassidy): She was.
Kit (as Birdie): And Allium is stupid.
Penn (as Marathon): True.
Sydney (as Cassidy): She was in the Patina when I joined. So we were in it together for three years.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, Allium was was pretty bad when when I went there. It was the second major city that I visited after leaving Sasnak. And compared to Mellow Tone, it was a pretty big shift in the way that things ran. I kind of lived pretty off the grid as possible. And I can only imagine how it was when you guys were there trying to change how it was. I really only stayed because I had a group to make some money with. I left as soon as I could.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, it's, I mean, I think there's pieces of the city that are really cool. They got a lot of like technology and stuff. Of course, all the seven do but
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Sydney (as Cassidy): It's rigidly ruled to put it lightly.
Penn (as Marathon): And the Aluminum suck.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah.
Penn (as Marathon): The the Allium Aluminum.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, yeah, the ice derby?
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah, we hate him.
Sydney (as Cassidy): But well yeah here you go. This is -
Sydney: Cassidy holds up a poster of herself.
Sydney (as Cassidy): - young Cassidy from you know, three, four years ago.
Penn (as Marathon): I think you’ve matured into yourself a little bit.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, it's all these gray hairs.
Penn (as Marathon): For the better.
Kit (as Birdie): It’s a really flattering image.
Sydney (as Cassidy): All these scars.
Cameron (as Emma): [laughs in younger sister] That's a much nicer way to phrase it than I was going to Marathon.
Penn (as Marathon): How -?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Wow Cassidy you look so much older now.
Cameron (as Emma): [laughing] Well, I was gonna say I always forget how old you are.
Kit (as Birdie): Damn. [laugh]
Penn (as Marathon): Damn.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Hopefully that's a compliment.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
Kit (as Birdie): It's really a flattering drawing of you maybe should keep it.
Sydney (as Cassidy): I’ll frame it, put it on the wall on the rig. It’s not like having a wanted poster of myself sitting in our vehicles gonna ever get us in trouble.
Cameron (as Emma): Nah.
Kit (as Birdie): I mean I think it’s -
Penn (as Marathon): It'll be cool.
Kit (as Birdie): -just like cool bragging rights.
Penn (as Marathon): But you know, I’d prefer a wanted poster of the current Cassidy if you catch me, you know, if I was to hang up a poster-
Cameron (as Emma): You want us to be wanted right now?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, I thought were you saying we should be more moral?
Penn (as Marathon): God dammit.
Kit (as Birdie): You should draw a picture of Cassidy, Marathon, if you want a picture of her now.
Penn (as Marathon): You know what, I I um.
Cameron (as Emma): How are your art skills?
Penn (as Marathon): But no, I I I could - dirt. I'm not good drawer. Sorry.
Sydney: Cassidy shrugs.
Penn (as Marathon): I could.
Kit (as Birdie): You couldn't capture her beauty.
Penn (as Marathon): I couldn't. No.
Kit (as Birdie): Her magnetism.
Penn (as Marathon): Goddamnit. Dirt.
Kit (as Birdie): [giggle]
Sydney (as Cassidy): I think you draw little lines around it to show that it's magnetic.
Cameron (as Emma): They've got to be little wavy lines. That's what denotes the magnet.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Oh okay. My comp ed only lasted till I was you know, 11 when I left, so I picked up pieces of it on the road.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah, I'm gonna go ahead and say that we shouldn't make wanted posters of ourselves.
Penn (as Marathon): No, I was
Cameron (as Emma): So maybe
Penn (as Marathon): [under breath just trying to be smooth.
Cameron (as Emma): It’s not the best plan.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Let's just go get fancy commissioned art, because we're uh
Cameron (as Emma): When we're on Sasnak we can commission a family portrait.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh, that sounds fun.
Sydney (as Cassidy): We're gonna hang it over our fireplace?
Kit (as Birdie): Oh, I know someone who can do that. That'll be nice. That'll be really nice.
Penn (as Marathon): We should stand in the most awkward looking poses.
Cameron (as Emma): We can pick out matching outfits.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah.
Cameron (as Emma): It'll be great.
Penn (as Marathon): But, uh, thanks for a second Cassidy sharing time and thanks for a little Birdie sharing time. Appreciated it you guys. I know, sometimes it's hard to talk about those things, but appreciated it.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Happy to help.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Just how many things can I have? My past is very active today, I guess.
Penn (as Marathon): Nothing wrong with an active past. keeps you in an active present.
Cameron (as Emma): I mean, there's kind of an issue with an active past when it's a giant spider chasing you, but
Penn (as Marathon): It's an inconvenience apparently.
Sydney (as Cassidy): It’s a stately pursuit.
Cameron (as Emma): Oh okay.
Kit (as Birdie): I'm sure.
Sydney (as Cassidy): But downside of being on the road this long is I have made a lot of friends and lost some of those. So
Penn (as Marathon): Well to not losing.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yup.
Penn (as Marathon): Am I right?
Cameron (as Emma): Are we toasting the soup?
Penn (as Marathon): No.
Penn: Marathon has pulled out from her pack a little flask of libation. Marathon passes it over to Emma after toasting up this wooden flask.
Cameron: Emma toasts and then ever so slightly tips the flask to take a miniscule amount of this libation and still makes a face like it's one of the nastiest things she's ever tasted, and then passes it over to Cassidy.
Sydney: Cassidy looks skeptically at Emma.
Cameron (as Emma): It's not arena juice.
Penn (as Marathon): I would never hype unwillingly.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Appreciated.
Kit (as Birdie): [giggle]
Penn (as Marathon): Hype responsibly.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Let me know when you do that so I have an example of it.
Sydney: Cassidy takes a big swig.
Penn (as Marathon): You're so funny, Miss Cassidy.
Kit (as Birdie): [giggle] Oh, yeah, she's very funny.
Sydney (as Cassidy): This is interesting. Is that black licorice?
Penn (as Marathon): Hey! Ding ding ding. Got you some sambuca there.
Cameron (as Emma): [shudder noise]
Sydney (as Cassidy): It's unique. Why do you have a flask of this?
Sydney: Cassidy says she hands it to Birdie.
Penn (as Marathon): It was on sale.
Kit (as Birdie): [giggle]
Cameron (as Emma): I wonder why.
Kit: Birdie will sniff the flask a little bit to try and get the sense of black licorice that Cassidy said and shrugs and goes
Kit (as Birdie): To sales!
Kit: And then will take a large chug. Just one though and then pass it back to Marathon.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh. [impressed laugh] Nice Birdie.
Penn: Marathon after having everyone else taken a sip, toasts it up and while side eyeing Birdie throws back just a little bit more than her.
Cameron (as Emma): [laugh]
Sydney (as Cassidy): I mean, if we're gonna make an event out of it, I can go get another bottle from the rig. Not of that.
Penn (as Marathon): Well, I’m not try- I’m not - what do you - I'm not trying to start a competition or anything.
Kit (as Birdie): You kind of are though.
Cameron (as Emma): I mean, I think we probably don't want to start a competition because we do probably want to leave relatively early tomorrow, since you know there's a -
Penn (as Marathon): See exactly.
Cameron (as Emma): - spider on our tail.
Kit (as Birdie): Are you challenging me?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Sounds like Emma is going to be driving tomorrow.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh.
Cameron (as Emma): I can do that.
Sydney: Cassidy goes back to dig in her stuff on the side of the rig and produces an unlabeled green bottle.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah, party tonight~!
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah you were totally making it a contest.
Penn (as Marathon): [pshaw]
Kit (as Birdie): Okay, okay.
Penn (as Marathon): Well, if it is a contest, let me just let - Birdie I will whoop your ass.
Kit (as Birdie): Okay. Okay, well.
Cameron (as Emma): This seems like a bad contest. I don't think anyone wins in this contest.
Penn (as Marathon): Cassidy are you in?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Oh, of course.
Cameron (as Emma): Oh, gosh.
Penn (as Marathon): Hell yeah.
Sydney: Cassidy raises the bottle.
Sydney (as Cassidy): To fallen friends.
Penn (as Marathon): To fallen friends.
Kit (as Birdie): To fallen friends. I don't have a drink. [laugh]
Kit: [laughing] And Birdie’s gonna turn back around in her own backpack and grab the only full bottle that she keeps in there that has a little label that she hand wrote that says ‘For Emergencies’ and will twist off the cap. It's just a unlabeled brown bottle.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Maybe we should get glasses.
Penn (as Marathon): Mm. If we're making a contest out of it, yeah.
Cameron (as Emma): If you're going hard, why not just go hard, Cassidy? Why’d you need a glass?
Penn (as Marathon): No it's a contest.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Oh all right. Good point. Emma.
Sydney: Cassidy takes a glug.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Okay.
Cameron (as Emma): If we're if we're if we're gonna make mistakes, let's commit to them. [laughing]
Sydney (as Cassidy): Oh yeah, you're you're such a good influence Emma.
Cameron (as Emma): I'll I'll drive - that's my contribution. [laughing]
Kit: As Birdie pulls off the cap, whatever it is, it's strong. There is a little hint of lighter fluid.
Nick: And we see with a decidedly lighter tone, the Patina seated around this smoldering fire exchanging tales and drinks in equal measure. Emma looking on, what would the emotions that Emma is looking on with be?
Cameron: So this is not how Emma would deal with emotions, but also there were a lot of emotions at least on Cassidy’s side, and if Cassidy needs to drink and have a drinking contest to not be sad, then she should do that. So probably more like mild amusement rather than judgment. And it's possibly mild amusement because of how everybody's gonna feel the next morning.
Nick: And we hear the clink of glass bottles above the crackling of fire and in the distance, a lonely singular howl - far away, unthreatening, but echoing into the empty night. The sun rises on a hot, humid, and oh, so bright morning. A high whine of flying bugs pierces the skulls of the Patina, who considered themselves winners last night, but maybe not so much this morning as they prepare to leave. How's everybody doing?
Cameron: Fantastic. Thank you for asking. Emma is probably picking up some slack cleaning up camp, but seems to be, you know, just in a great mood, like skipping is occurring, she's probably whistling occasionally. Not trying to be super obnoxious to the ears and sense of sound and sight to her friends who she knows are not at their best this morning but is still having a good morning and is enjoying it.
Kit: I’m doing a dice roll for myself to determine how badly hungover Birdie is.
Nick: Okay, everyone roll Resilience, but Birdie, you have two black die because you were drinking basically fuel, Marathon you have one black die for drinking cheap sambuca, Cassidy it's a straight roll because you were drinking nice whiskey. Average difficulty I think.
Sydney: I'm rolling a yellow and a green against the two purples.
[dice rolling]
Sydney: I got two successes and two threats.
Nick: So you succeeded. I would say you're not more than inconvenienced by however you're feeling. What do you think those threats would be?
Sydney: Cassidy is ably doing all of her camp tear down duties like getting her tent put away and everything. She is carefully keeping her body between her eyes and the sun so that she is always in the shadow of herself. Because it is very bright outside for some reason.
Cameron (as Emma): It's because it's morning, Cassidy.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, I mean, but the sun is just really bright today.
Cameron (as Emma): [laughing] Because we're not in a forest.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well, that yeah, I must be I must just be used to sleeping under trees.
Cameron (as Emma): Mhm.
Sydney: Cassidy gives a sly look to Emma before going back to cleaning up.
Penn: I'm rolling four green, two purple and a black.
[dice rolling]
Penn: One success, two advantages.
Nick: I think you feel pretty much fine. Which makes sense with your experience with drinking Marathon. How's your morning looking?
Penn: Marathon is feeling all right - is still feeling hungover, but in a way where it's like, oh, this time the drunk is just carrying over a little bit into the morning. She is feeling very goofy, if not a little nauseous. At least she claims to have won the drinking game even though everyone lost count. And we see her kind of hunched over the bowl of last night soup that didn't get totally cleaned up and it's just cleaning out a bowl into her mouth real quick of this tomato fish stew.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Marathon that did sit out all night.
Penn (as Marathon): That’s all right, I- nothing the ol’ iron, iron, iron stomach can't fix.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, all that alcohol will purify it?
Penn (as Marathon): Yup. You're looking uh, [pause to activate suave] the sun is not the shiniest thing out here Miss Cassidy. You know what I mean?
Cameron (as Emma): [sigh]
Sydney (as Cassidy): It's pretty bright Marathon.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah, exactly.
Penn: And she gives a finger gun and her crisp Letterman's jacket has a little spill of sambuca on it still.
Cameron (as Emma): Marathon. Don't make yourself sick and throw up in the rig, please.
Penn (as Marathon): Nah no worries. No worries. I'm pretty good at throwing up outside of stuff. So
Cameron (as Emma): Great. Great.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah, open windows.
Penn: Marathon specifically shouts a little loud.
Penn (as Marathon): So Birdie, how you doing?
Kit: Birdie’s tent flap slams open as if it was a door. And you see Birdie crawling on all fours out of her tent wearing a pair of mirrored aviators. And she's like,
Kit (as Birdie): [dying] What do you want?
Kit: For reference, Birdie on a two green, two purple, two black, rolled three failures and a threat.
Penn (as Marathon): No, I was just wondering, has it -
Penn: Marathon is talking a little loud on purpose.
Penn (as Marathon): I was just wondering, you know, how does it feel trying to go tit for tat yeah, ya know, with the -
Kit (as Birdie): [does not sound great] I feel great Marathon. I don't know what you're talking about.
Kit: She's starting to disassemble or tent but she's stumbling and she's very disoriented from how bright it is outside even with the sunglasses. Her shirts on backwards.
Penn (as Marathon): Here let me help. Oh!
Cameron: Emma jogs over for where she was next to the rig holding a water bottle.
Kit (as Birdie): Thank you, Emma, for being such a good friend.
Cameron: And grabs Birdie by the shoulders and gently sets her down on a rock facing away from the sun, hands her the water bottle, and then started taking her tent down.
Penn (as Marathon): Did you puke last night Birdie?
Kit (as Birdie): I don't want to talk about it.
Penn (as Marathon): Ah okay. Well hey, that's good, though. Good sign.
Cameron (as Emma): It's okay. Marathon’s 1000 percent gonna throw up once we started driving.
Penn (as Marathon): [cocky laugh] Nah not the-
Penn: We hear a stomach rumbling.
Penn (as Marathon): Um, no, not me. No.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well, we know who has windows seats, I guess.
Cameron (as Emma): All of us?
Sydney (as Cassidy): And we also know who won the competition.
Kit (as Birdie): It just -
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah, it was, it was me. [laughing]
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, it was me.
Penn (as Marathon): No-
Sydney (as Cassidy): No, it was probably Emma honestly.
Kit (as Birdie): I think Emma won, won this one.
Sydney (as Cassidy): I think it was a good exercise.
Penn (as Marathon): Emma, you were counting? Right? I think I remember asking you to count. But also you went to your tent.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah, I mean, I was counting and y'all were all even and then I left.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, I mean, we were at seven when I think Emma went to bed.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well, when Emma stopped answering.
Penn (as Marathon): I definitely hit nine. I definitely hit nine.
Cameron (as Emma): That that is too much. But I think I'm I think I'm winning, probably.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, I think you won in this scenario.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well I'm gonna go nap in the rig now that my stuff's taken down. I'll wake up for lunch. Thanks for driving.
Cameron (as Emma): Sounds like a plan.
Kit (as Birdie): [is getting worse] Thank you for driving Emma.
Cameron (as Emma): You're welcome.
Kit (as Birdie): You're such a good friend.
Cameron (as Emma): ]Birdie do not try to keep up with Marathon.
Kit (as Birdie): You know,
Cameron (as Emma): She is so much bigger than you. [laughing]
Kit (as Birdie): Sometimes it's not about what's good for me. It's about winning.
Cameron (as Emma): It is not worth the joke, though.
Kit (as Birdie): But I almost made it. I kept up. I kept up.
Penn (as Marathon): Birdie uh, do you want you want to piggyback ride back to the rig?
Kit (as Birdie): Only because my head feels very, very much like that gloop that Renn gave me, yes.
Penn (as Marathon): Ah you remembered a name? Okay. Yeah, I got you.
Kit (as Birdie): Oh, yeah, I remembered a name [mocking noises]. I'm sorry Marathon.
Cameron (as Emma): No I feel that was deserved. That was deserved, Birdie.
Penn (as Marathon): Nah that was definitely deserved.
Penn: Marathon hoists Birdie up.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah. I think I'll just keep talking to Cassidy in the in the car during lunch. You can just nap the rest of the day. No worries.
Kit (as Birdie): Appreciate it. Yeah, really appreciate it.
Cameron (as Emma): All right. Before you nap, you're going to finish that water.
Kit (as Birdie): Uh huh.
Cameron (as Emma): Okay?
Kit (as Birdie): I got it. I am. Thank you
Cameron (as Emma): Marathon yours is already sitting on your seat. You're going to drink that before falling asleep.
Penn (as Marathon): Okay, okay. Yeah.
Cameron (as Emma): Even though you, you still seem fine in a drunk way, you’re - drink the water.
Penn (as Marathon): Don't worry. Plenty of experience drinkin things this last few hours. So.
Cameron (as Emma): I mean, yes, you did have a lot of experience drinking the past few hours.
Penn (as Marathon): Thanks, Emma.
Cameron (as Emma): [mom friend sigh]
Sydney: Cassidy is now curled up in the backseat of the rig with a bandana over her eyes fast asleep.
Penn (as Marathon): There you go Birdie.
Kit (as Birdie): Thank you.
Penn (as Marathon): Gentle gentle.
Kit (as Birdie): Thank you. Appreciate it.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Penn: Marathon without noticing sets Birdie into the backseat very gently and then walks over to the other side of the rig to get into the backseat and then realize is that Cassidy is there next to Birdie.
Penn (as Marathon): Dirt! Sorry, sorry.
Cameron (as Emma): I guess you're upfront with me Marathon.
Penn (as Marathon): Yep. Yep. Yep.
Kit (as Birdie): Thank you for your sacrifice.
Kit: While Birdie is laying down and putting her pack underneath her head,
Nick: And with several suppressed groans of agony, the camp is left and the rig continues onward with its hall of hungover heroes.
[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:
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, which you can support @ Patreon.com/TabletopSquadron. 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