The Patina continues having two wildly different adventures in the Guts.
The Patina continues having two wildly different adventures in the Guts.
Cast:
- Marathon Messenger is played by Penn Van Batavia. She can be found on Twitter at @acquiredchaste and in drag as horror king JOHN on Instagram at @john.is.risen. Penn is an indie TTRPG designer whose most recent work includes SLICE *IT* OUT, a grisly carving RPG about cutting pieces of yourself out to fit in. Check out faer other work at pennharper.itch.io.
- Cassidy Shard is played by Sydney Whittington. She is our wonderful editor. She’s also a contributing editor and occasional guest player for the Orpheus Protocol, a cosmic horror espionage actual play podcast. 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 that can be accessed on Spotify and YouTube.
- Our GM and narrator is Nick Robertson. Find him on Twitter at @alias58. Nick is also the GM for Tabletop Squadron and 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.
- "Flag of No Country" by Julia Kent. Link & License.
- Mist and Clouds by Kai Engel. Link & License.
- Wherever I Lay My Hat, That's My Wife by Doctor Turtle. 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 3 Episode 26: Search and Rescue Mission
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 and Gwendolyn Rozenthall.
Kit: Kit Adames as Birdie Foundling and Vaus Foundling.
Cameron: Cameron Robertson as Emma Blackwood and Janus Foundling.
Sydney: Sydney Whittington as Cassidy Shard and Winifred Foundling.
Nick: Nick Robertson as GM and Narrator.
Sydney: Hello listeners, this is your editor, Sydney, with today’s messages:
For today’s fun calendar fact, did you know the year 2025 is a perfect square year? 45 * 45 is 2025, and the last perfect square year was back in the days of 1936, which I suspect not many of our audience were around for. (Those few immortals and young nonagenarians joining us, we’re glad our show pleases your refined tastes.) But you know who’s not a square? You, dear listener. You’re hip and cool, even if you don’t remember 1936.
And if you do find yourself needing some more listening content as you contract a case of magical longevity, consider backing our Patreon, which gives you access to bonus episodes, campfire conversations, and other fun rewards.
And with that, we wrap up today’s announcements and head into Season 3, Episode 26: Search and Rescue Mission. 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]
Cameron (as Emma): Last time on a Knight of Shreds and Patches, Marathon and I fell for an uncomfortably long time through the bowels of the Guts. Don’t worry though - weirdly we’re totally fine, or as fine as we were when we fell in Marathon’s case. We landed in a laundry room for the Drain Boys in this giant pile of jumpsuits in all these pastel colors, which was handy cause Marathon’s clothes were basically octopus slime and I’d like to keep my clothes from becoming octopus slime, so now we’re undercover Drain Boys. We tried to radio up to Cassidy and Birdie but unsurprisingly with all the metal and infrastructure between us there was too much interference. So that sucks. Good news: I found where we were on the map. Bad news: I think it’s going to take a few days for us to make it out of here. We found like a Drain Boy dormitory or camp with supplies so we’re resting for a bit to hopefully let Marathon feel a bit better before continuing our hike, and I know the few hours we’re taking to rest here are the right choice cause if it takes us a few days to get out we’re going to have to sleep at some point anyway, but I’m very concerned about Birdie & Cassidy. More their mental wellbeing than their physical wellbeing, although thinking about it now I’m also concerned about them physically if they run into any more octopus swarms cause the up close and personal Patina team fell through the floor and they’re both injured. Shit. Fingers crossed [stressed laugh] they avoid octopuses or only see them at a distance I guess. [deep breath] Mentally neither of them was doing well before we fell and the tension between the two of them was immensely uncomfortable and very heated…and I can’t imagine a scenario in which us falling didn’t make that exponentially worse. The amount of trauma us falling, most likely to our deaths from their view cause I’m sitting right here and lived it but I’m still trying to figure out how we’re okay - that amount of friends getting killed trauma they have between the two of them is terrifyingly large and that’s just going to make both of them lock up even more. And it being in the Guts for Birdie adds a lot of layers….Oh and actually us falling and getting crushed for Cassidy too… Ooh I really hope they’re doing okay.
[radio static]
Episode Start:
Nick: Emma and Marathon, you pass a surprisingly comfortable few hours sleeping in this base camp that the Drain Boys have made down in the Guts for the longer expeditions. The beds are comfortable, the temperature is well maintained, and besides the gentle rumble of the city that feels like white noise, it's really quiet, and you sleep until you feel rested. Emma, you had told Marathon that you were just going to sleep for a little while, but -
Cameron: I lied.
Nick: You instead, let the two of you get just about a full night's sleep. We find the two of you awake and packing up to hit the road. You know it's going to be a bit of a journey to get out of here, but you feel well supplied and well rested.
Penn (as Marathon): You sure that was only four hours? I feel great.
Cameron (as Emma): Uhh.
Penn: Marathon gives a little stretch as she crouches down.
Cameron (as Emma): Yep, definitely just four hours. I mean, when I think, when you've gotten crushed or octopused as many times as you did, four hours probably does feel like a full eight hours.
Penn (as Marathon): I'm sure. I'm sure. Have you see my watch?
Penn: Marathon pats her pockets.
Cameron (as Emma): Oh, you had it on, didn't you?
Penn (as Marathon): Thought I did. Oh, I don't want to lose that.
Cameron (as Emma): No, it's your radio. That would be bad.
Penn (as Marathon): God, okay, okay. I gotta look for it. I gotta, I gotta -
Penn: And Marathon starts crouching down to look under these little bunks.
Cameron: Emma also starts wandering around miming looking for the watch, and while doing so has slipped it out of her pocket and is setting the time back four hours. [laugh]
Nick: Emma, that is a great idea to maintain morale. I'm going to need you to do a contested Skullduggery check against Marathon's Perception to see if you're able to do that without being noticed.
Penn: So I have three greens in Perception.
Cameron: All right, so that's three purples. Normally, any allies within a range would get Heightened Awareness from me, but since I am the one hiding it, I'm not granting that. And so I have a yellow and two greens against Marathon's three purples.
[dice rolling]
Cameron: Two successes.
Nick: Okay, Marathon does not notice your sneaky watch technique.
Penn (as Marathon): You found it!
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah it - are you sure you didn't take it off? It was behind the headboard of the bunk bed.
Penn (as Marathon): I don't know. I hope not. I gotta make sure this thing clips right. Yeah, maybe it just want the tight enough.
Penn: Marathon comes over to start slipping it on.
Penn (as Marathon): But thank you.
Penn: And she picks up her pack and pats her jumpsuit to make sure she hasn't forgotten anything in her pocket. Realizes there was nothing to be in the pockets anyway, because these are not our clothes, and instead, places fists on her hips in a ready to go adventurer stance.
Cameron: Emma picks her newsies cap up from the bed that she had slept in, and pulls it down onto her head.
Cameron (as Emma): All right, you ready to get walking? You look ready to get walking.
Penn (as Marathon): I am. Oh, I just, I feel all rested and energized. Let's go~ let's go meet up back with the rest of the team. Radio coming through it all?
Cameron (as Emma): Nah, still nothing.
Nick: This pathway that you find yourselves on is very different from the Guts that you experienced at the beginning of your journey. The hallway is very wide. The floor appears to be polished concrete, which is very interesting, considering a majority of the floor you've interacted with has been metal up until this point. There are gentle curves to the hallway as you continue onward with alcoves like the one that you spent the four hours in, as Marathon thinks [laughs], every few 100 yards. The lighting is low and sporadic, but you never find yourselves in the dark. Marathon, you're reminded of what it was like to walk through the back hallways of a ice derby arena when it was closed and no one was around, just some emergency lighting that was enough to see by. It is peaceful bordering on creepy, but after you found yourselves in a life and death situation, this is a welcome change, and the hallway goes on further than you can see, which just reinforces Emma's thought that this is going to be quite a long hike.
Penn (as Marathon): I hope we can patch through soon. Um I'm kind of, the longer we go without talking to them, the more worried I get about Birdie and Cassidy. You think they are able to kind of work through that tension~?
Cameron (as Emma): No.
Cameron: Emma has a really pained look on her face and is shaking her head.
Cameron (as Emma): I don't, I don't think so. Don't, don't have good feelings on that. Um.
Penn (as Marathon): I feel like you especially, but I feel like the both of us are like the social lubricant, you know, like the gel -
Cameron (as Emma): I would say peacekeepers, but okay.
Penn (as Marathon): [laugh] Yours is, yes.
Cameron (as Emma): [laugh]
Penn (as Marathon): Peacekeepers.
Cameron (as Emma): Less - yeah, mhm. Just less.
Penn (as Marathon): Less visceral.
Cameron (as Emma): Yep.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah.
Cameron (as Emma): I, I don't, since we were all together earlier, we never tried out the radios, but I don't, I don't have a lot of faith that they're gonna start working again while we're down here at all, just with the amount of metal. Like I guess if we ended up in the same tunnel as them potentially, and there was nothing blocking between us, possibly could work, but it's gonna be a while until we would end up in a situation where that was the case. Um, [thinking sigh]
Penn (as Marathon): Maybe they have, like, a telegram or something down here? I don't know, like,
Cameron (as Emma): Well -
Penn (as Marathon): A terminal?
Cameron (as Emma): If we can find a terminal, I can, I can send a message to Winifred. I don't think Cassidy and Birdie have anything on them that could receive a message, but I know - I've got Winifred contact info because she'd sent me stuff previously and sent some questions on the Knight, so I can, I can send her a message as a heads up, and we can hope that they get back in touch with the Foundlings when they're back top side, but I don't -
Penn (as Marathon): Well, let's make that priority two then. One, get out. Two, send a message.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah, any, any screen looking thing that you see in the walls as we're walking, let me know. Be on the lookout.
Penn (as Marathon): Keeping my eyes out. But what kind of state are we gonna find them in? Do you think they're gonna leave the Guts?
Cameron (as Emma): [distressed sigh] I would hope so.
Penn (as Marathon): Worst case scenario they get lost looking for us lost down here.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah. I mean, I guess if we get out of here and go track down the Foundlings and they haven't heard anything from them, like we can assemble the Foundlings to do a search and rescue mission, but I would hope that they would continue on, just for safety reasons, because we fell through a hole in the floor. That's not a safe place to hang out, as evidenced by the fact that we fell through the floor. So
Penn (as Marathon): Indeed.
Cameron (as Emma): I don't know if they'll fully leave. I hope they do, just so that they can be around other people and not strictly each other, because that's not healthy.
Penn (as Marathon): God, Cassidy is gonna be so freaking angry.
Cameron (as Emma): Mhm.
Penn (as Marathon): [groan]
Cameron (as Emma): Yep.
Penn (as Marathon): But hey, you fell down the hole with me. So,
Cameron (as Emma): Oh yeah, I don't, I don't - I was agreeing that, yes, Cassidy is going to be very angry. I don't think Cassidy is going to be angry at us for falling through the floor. I think Cassidy is going to direct that at Birdie. I don't think it should be directed at Birdie, but I think that's what's going to happen because Birdie is the only one there. Although we might get yelled at when we get back too.
Penn (as Marathon): For falling through a hole.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah.
Penn (as Marathon): That's how it goes. Well, I guess one foot in front of the other?
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah, [sputtering into laughter] that's all we can do at the moment, is just try to get out, so
Penn (as Marathon): Emma and Marathon working on the way out.
Penn: Marathon holds up a hand for a high five.
Cameron: Emma returns the high five.
Penn (as Marathon): We got this. Teamwork!
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah, you know, it's not, this isn't the way that I would want to be having the two of us have our own friend mission, but, um, we're here now, so take advantage of it.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah, I imagine this is how most two person missions end up, so - or start, I guess.
Cameron (as Emma): After a nap and a lot of walking? [laugh]
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah yeah, let's say a nap and walking. Yeah, okay, not being separated from the rest.
Cameron (as Emma): [laughing] Not falling through a floor? Yeah, mmhm. Oh~.
Penn (as Marathon): Well, um
Penn: Marathon continues walking in step with Emma.
Penn (as Marathon): What's been fresh with you since we've kind of taken up residence here? [laugh]
Cameron: Emma just gives Marathon an incredulous look because they've been here the whole time together.
Penn (as Marathon): I'd love to hear more about this Rye guy.
Penn: Marathon gives a teasing shoulder bump.
Cameron (as Emma): Sure we can do that. What do you want to know? Ask me questions. I'll answer. Let's fill the time.
Nick: We flash back to before Emma and Marathon woke from their peaceful rest to Birdie standing over an unconscious Cassidy having just been shocked by an electrical malfunction of the circuit key as they attempted to finish their mission. The contrast in environment is pronounced when you hear the sharp edged grumble of a much closer drive train for the city of Sasnak, the rattling and creaking of loose welds and rusty metal and the near pitch blackness after the flash of the high powered electricity. Birdie, Cassidy appears to be unconscious and you probably haven't felt this alone in quite a while. The circuit key, your objective, is on the ground nearby to Cassidy, smoking slightly.
Kit: Birdie is stuck in place for a count of three, just not being able to process what just happened. As her eyes track to Cassidy's form on the ground and the smoking circuit key she will sprint - it's not really a sprint, it's more of like a limp run - and is going to try and make sure that Cassidy is still breathing and her heart's beating at the very least, so then she can figure out how bad she needs to freak out.
Nick: Yeah, Birdie why don't you go ahead and make me an average Medicine check to see how badly injured you think Cassidy is, but you will have two black die because you are pretty stressed and barely conscious yourself.
Kit: Birdie will be rolling two green, two purple and two black. One failure. [laughing]
Nick: Birdie, you are just too shaken up to do a full assessment here. You can tell that she's alive. Cassidy is breathing, but besides that you can't tell how long it's going to be until she wakes up. You know a shock like that can put someone down for the count for quite a while.
Kit: Birdie is going to start trying oldest ways in the book to try and wake her up, just shaking her shoulders and saying her name, and she's not gonna like do anything really more than that. It's very apparent that Birdie is not doing very well with this right now and she's on the verge of actually freaking out and not being able to handle the situation at all, so she has to pull back and just hold Cassidy's hand while she tries to calm herself down. And she's just mumbling to herself.
Kit (as Birdie): [soft and many starts and stops] She's not dead. She's not dead, and you didn't kill her. [mumbles] That's a good start. And, you know, I just uh - and you know she's not, she's she's still here. It's okay. We're okay. Um. And we just, we just gotta wake her up. And um if we - once we wake her up, [mumbles] then she can, she can come and help you get out. And we can, we can find Marathon and Emma, we can get out all together, and it'll be fine. Okay.
Kit: Then she's very tightly holding on to Cassidy's hand because it makes her feel better that she can feel Cassidy's heartbeat, if she holds on tight enough.
Nick: Yeah, you can feel Cassidy's heartbeat, and you are glad you can, because that is the only real sign of life. She is limp, she is unmoving, and your attempts to wake her seem to be completely ineffective.
Kit: Birdie will very quickly swipe under both of her eyes and go into her backpack and just try to do anything to help the situation. Trying to put something not hard underneath Cassidy's head, doing things that don't necessarily help but that make her feel better. And she's continuing with the mumbling of,
Kit (as Birdie): [trying to talk self into not panicking and kinda failing] Maybe we shouldn't have just - we should have just stayed. We should have waited. Maybe maybe this is - this was just a really bad idea and we shouldn't have, we shouldn't have gone forward with this. And then if she didn't grab the key out of the wall, and it would have been fine. She - she'd still be here to help you. And I just, god, this is really all your fault. Oh, my god. Okay. Okay if she doesn't wake up - if she doesn't wake up in the next couple minutes, we can just figure her out. We can just go and find, find help, and it'll be fine if we get found by the Drain Boys, it'll be fine, and we'll just deal with it afterward, and I can and it can be fine. Yep, everything's everything's gonna be fine. [now addressing sleeping Princess Cassidy] Now, you know, Cassidy, everything's gonna be really okay, um and I'm really sorry, [voice tight with tears] and I really wish you hadn't grabbed the key, because it kind of shows that you weren't really taking care of yourself first. You have no regard for doing things outside of your way, and I'm really mad at you right now. So can you wake up so I can yell at you? It makes me feel really bad to just kind of yell at you while you're not awake. And you really gotta, like, figure this out on your own time. You're really frustrating me right now.
Kit: And she'll just turn around again and try to stop herself from yelling at Cassidy's unconscious body.
Kit (as Birdie): [back to self help talk] 15 minutes. 15 minutes and then we'll go find help. That sounds good. [bit of anger creeping in] And now you can actually treat her wounds and maybe help her a little now that she won't be mean to you when you try and help her. That sounds good. Good plan.
Nick: So Birdie, mechanically, you can only do one First Aid check a day on a character, so you're not going to be able to heal any of Cassidy's wounds, but you can do a Medicine check to treat for shock and make sure that she's as comfortable as possible, and that there's not as much of a risk for infection, which down in the Guts, you know, is always a pretty big risk. So go ahead and make me a hard Medicine check to see how comfortable Cassidy will be if and when she wakes up.
Kit: I'm rolling two greens and three purples. One success and two threats.
Nick: Great. So the threats are that Cassidy is still going to be in a heck of a lot of pain when she wakes up, but the success means that there isn't any risk you can see of long term, permanent damage. So what do you do to make her as comfortable as possible during that 15 minutes?
Kit: Birdie is going to very gingerly, if Cassidy fell and is still sat up against the wall, she'll hug her and lay her down into a better position to make sure blood flow is getting to her legs and her extremities and all that. And then will put Cassidy's backpack underneath her head. And I'm assuming Cassidy brings some sort of folded up heat reflective blanket, like one of those really small ones - I'm sure all the Patina members have one, but a little survival blanket that she'll unfold and cover Cassidy up with and as the minutes tick by, she'll very hastily scrawl out a note to Cassidy that she'll leave next to her backpack, saying, 'Went to get help. Be back ASAP.' And it's very shaky. She rewrites it a couple of times, and there's little crunched up balls of paper thrown next to the final note that she leaves. And after the 15 minutes pass and Cassidy hasn't stirred, she starts to get herself ready to leave.
Nick: Yeah after those 15 minutes, Cassidy is as comfortable as you can make her. You've left her a note, and otherwise there's been no change. So do you strike out to look for help?
Kit: After standing back up and getting her bearings, she'll take a deep breath and say out loud to Cassidy,
Kit (as Birdie): I'm gonna be right back, and I know that if you wake up, you're gonna freak out on me. Don't freak out on me if you wake up, okay?
Kit: And she's gonna leave to try and find anyone in the nearby vicinity who can help them.
Nick: Yeah, so as you start to look for help, are you trying to climb out of the Guts closer to civilization? Are you trying to make your way towards any of the well traveled routes you know the Drain Boys use? What is your strategy here?
Kit: Birdie is not going towards the entrances because she's at this point, desperate enough to even take the help of any Drain Boys that happened past her, so she'll go down the paths that she knows better and try to just keep a lookout for any of the Drain Boy posts that she knows, or anything that might lead her to someone she might already know down in the Guts, as the Foundling family have made their own connections with people throughout the years.
Nick: As you are making this hike, go ahead and make me a average Perception check with a black die because it is dark and you are stressed.
Kit: That's gonna be two yellow, one green, two purple, and one black. Two successes and three advantages.
Nick: Great. As you are walking, you have this flash of nostalgia as you notice that in the shadows where the floor and the wall join in this narrow corridor that you're walking, there is a pile of bolts and scrap metal that's been left in a particular pattern. You stop to look closer because it looks like one of the secret trail markers that the Foundlings used to leave down here to mark where they had passed or where a cache of supplies had been. And you think it's probably a coincidence, until as you look closer and shine some light on this trail marker, it is exactly what you remember the Foundlings used to leave as a marker for themselves, and even more surprisingly, there is no dust on it. This looks fresh. It hasn't been kicked. It looks like it was put here recently. It's a pile of bolts and scrap metal that's about the size of your fist. It's something you wouldn't have noticed if you didn't know what to look for, and it makes a little square of interlocking bolts with a piece hanging off the side that you know the piece on the side is pointing towards the recommended route. It is pointing past a tight knot of pipes, and as you look closer, there is a very narrow route between two walls. It's not even a hallway - it's one of the gaps that Sasnak has a lot of wiring travel through, but you know you can shimmy down it if you really want to. It's claustrophobic, but someone has left a marker here that that's the direction to go if you need help.
Kit: Birdie sees this, and in her complete frenzy, she almost walks past it. After realizing how new it is, there's only one Foundling that would be down here close enough to when she was that could have left it for her. Her legs take over her entire body, and she starts running as quickly as she can down this narrow path, recklessly, not really caring for the wires in the walls. And she starts repeating under her breath,
Kit (as Birdie): [panting] Juno. Juno. Juno is here. Juno is here.
Nick: And so we leave Birdie as she scrabbles down this extremely tight passageway and move back to Cassidy as she regains consciousness some amount of time after Birdie has left her here in the dark.
Sydney: Cassidy realizes that she is awake, tries to open her eyes, and then very quickly shuts them and goes,
Sydney (as Cassidy): Fuck me it's bright.
Sydney: Reaches back and finds floor instead of her pack, and then realizes that she's laying down, goes to sit up, and is met by a wave of nausea, and stays where she is, and then remembers what happened.
Sydney (as Cassidy): [groan]
Sydney: She lays there gathering energy for a few seconds before a tiny sharp pain at the end of one finger, forces her eyes open, and they manage to adjust this time as she pulls her hand back from a small rodent that tried to capitalize on the fresh meat.
Sydney (as Cassidy): [tired] Go away.
Nick: The rodent sniffs at you judgmentally and walks away as though making it clear it was not afraid of you, but that you're not worth its time. Cassidy, you may not realize this, but thanks to Birdie's ministrations while you are unconscious, you are not in a debilitating amount of pain. When the nausea fades, you'll be able to potentially get up and move around. You don't have to wait for rescue, you just may not know what the best move is from here. You also recognize that with the blanket and the way you've been positioned, someone treated you for shock while you were unconscious.
Sydney: Cassidy letting her stomach settle and the room balance in its level of light, she realizes that it is, in fact quite dark when her eyes are working correctly. She goes to sit up and look around and goes,
Sydney (as Cassidy): Birdie where's - ?
Sydney: And then turns her head back and forth and sees no one.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Okay.
Sydney: Sitting up, she looks around and surveys the room, the long cat walk over to where she pulled the circuit key out. Perhaps inevitably, there was something that she should have seen if she had been looking for it, if there was any way that looking for it would do anything. And then she sees a couple of balled up papers next to her, and reaches down to grab one and sees Birdie's message written crookedly and then scribbled out.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Okay, so she's helping, except not?
Sydney: And then looks around and grabs another one and sees the same thing.
Sydney (as Cassidy): [pained oof] My head hurts.
Sydney: And she grabs her pack, drags it towards her, and then puts it behind her and sits against it, against the wall.
Sydney (as Cassidy): I guess we'll just wait then until you know you over there with your your rat friends come back and come to swarm.
Sydney: Cassidy takes a deep breath and looks across the room back at where the circuit key is. There's no sign that anything was there or had gone wrong, though she can't really see it.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Okay, Mr. Rat, tell me why why why do the Guts just decide that everyone that you come down here with just disappears, probably to be dead? That feels like a bad way to run a city. Like we come down here with someone who grew up here, who knows everything that there is to know about it, and then bad stuff happens to us, and we just go, okay, couldn't avoid it. I guess I should have, like, sat down with Birdie and had her explain everything she's ever seen down here like it's, I guess it's my fault for not prepping the group if I'm theoretically in charge. You can't just casually stroll up and expect anything ever is gonna go right without having a plan, without having so much plan.
Sydney: Cassidy watches this rat as it scurries to the far side of the room, looking for something else.
Nick: The rat scurries into the shadows, leaving you even more alone in the dark Cassidy and as you are left with your thoughts, you're surprised when just a couple of minutes later, the rat comes back, dragging a length of octopus tentacle that has been chewed off of something and is longer than the rat's body is.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Oh, you got a big treasure there, bud.
Nick: It hisses at you and goes back to chewing.
Sydney (as Cassidy): While I'm just talking to you, and you know, hoping that Birdie comes back before I have to decide to path find my way back out, [sigh] Why~ did I have to listen to Marathon? She wants Birdie to go first cause Birdie knows things, except, apparently it doesn't matter. And when I lead, we're fine and then we're Birdie leads we're not. Except, of course, when I, you know, go grab the stupid thing. Is that just - have I not learned enough lessons? Can't have fucking any influences on your leadership, on your decision making. Gotta keep a clear head. Gonna bring three of everything, just in case, but if you knew what those things were, maybe you'd be fine. Maybe you wouldn't lose all your friends to a bandit ambush, or lose your your crew mate to a Allium agent hit mission, I guess? Is that what your stupid city is trying to teach me? The same lesson that I keep trying to learn.
Sydney: Cassidy goes to try and stand up and does it, if shakily, and then walks over slowly, back towards where the circuit key was. Did Birdie take the key with her?
Kit: She put it in Cassidy's backpack.
Sydney: Having looked around and not seen the key anywhere, and is just looking to see, could she have seen - could she tell from now up close that that circuit was live, or is it always just luck?
Nick: Cassidy, go ahead and roll me a Fortune die on if it was bad luck or not that you got shocked.
Sydney: I got two Fortune pips.
Nick: With two Fortune pips Cassidy, now that the heat of the moment has faded and you are looking at this circuit where the circuit key was lodged, you can see that there is a high voltage connection that you broke open when you seized the key. It's something that if you had taken some time you would have noticed and would have known to avoid just with your experience that you've had.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, that probably serves me right. Fuck~.
Sydney: She drags herself back over to her backpack and sits back down on the floor. It is not a smooth motion.
Nick: As Cassidy wrestles with the realization that this issue with the circuit key was potentially avoidable, we jump forward an indeterminate amount of time to Emma and Marathon, who are continuing their easy hike through the more civilized parts of the Guts. Emma and Marathon, you have been hiking for several hours at this point, and you have not run into anyone. It seems as though the scenery is repeating over and over again. It is very easy to fall into a trance as you walk through this repetitive scenery.
Penn: Marathon is continuing to ramble as Emma and her continue walking.
Penn (as Marathon): And so, you know, I've got this naturally flirtatious attitude. But -
Cameron (as Emma): What~?
Penn (as Marathon): I know. Well, I don't know if Cassidy and I are, like, exclusive or not exclu- If Cassidy wants it to be exclusive, I I that would be something I'm, I'm totally interested in. But same time, I don't want to, like, cramp her style, and so I'm just like - I feel like, I'm like, I need a DTR, you know? I need another, like, define the relationship moment. But I also, like the same time I wanna - that's a lot. Ah, she's go- It's just it never feels like the right time and I'm like, this whole thing reminds me kind of [stressed exhale] of Luna again, like working towards affection or something, which is, I mean, that's kind of what it is anyway. I don't, I don't know what, what do you think Emma? What what of this pickle?
Cameron (as Emma): So I can from interactions that I have observed, I can see why you would be confused based on the tone that Cassidy is using whenever she talks about y'all's relationship with the rest of us there. The normal Cassidy sarcasm is turned up to, like 15, normally because Birdie and I are poking fun at y'all a little bit. But I think you can, you can have the conversation of, do we want to give this a try and be exclusive while we're doing that without doing a full conversation of where your relationship is currently at. And I think y'all probably need to have that, because like with that doctor lady who fixed you up after you fell off of a building -
Penn (as Marathon): Dr. Tawny Fowler.
Cameron (as Emma): Dr. Tawny Fowler, yes, it was - when she came up in conversation at Nona's when you were very high - I don't know if you remember -
Penn (as Marathon): No.
Cameron (as Emma): [laughing] this conversation happening at all.
Penn (as Marathon): I'm sure I rambled lots about her.
Cameron (as Emma): Yes, and it was, it was highly [brief pause] obvious - I was gonna say was highly insinuated - it was obvious. It was not [laugh] - that you were attracted to her. I don't know if it was in like in a scary Doctor fashion, or you really got to know her as a person while you were that concussed, but
Penn (as Marathon): [short laugh] Didn't. Um.
Cameron (as Emma): [laugh] Yeah okay, I figured. But Nona knew someone related to the doctor - I don't,
Penn (as Marathon): Oh.
Cameron (as Emma): I don't remember who, but knew someone related to her and offered to make the introduction in like a non-
Penn (as Marathon): [overlapping][in background] Oh shoot. What did I say?
Cameron (as Emma): [overlapping]- 'you fell off a building and need medicine' setting. [end overlap] So it - you -it - you were oscillating wildly,
Penn (as Marathon): God.
Cameron (as Emma): between 'yes, but no, definitely don't' and like looking at Cassidy and Cassidy was like, 'No, I [peak sarcasm] totally think that you should do that'. It - [laugh] I think you need to have that talk. I don't think anything that you said at the time can be held against you because you were, you were you were not all there. Um.
Penn: Marathon's hands come over her mouth.
Cameron (as Emma): But like, I think you need to have that conversation so that um,
Penn (as Marathon): Mm.
Cameron (as Emma): - you do get hurt a lot, so just on the off chance that you are once again under the influence of heavy pain medication and are not quite in full control of the filter of the words that you're saying, having that established already probably a good move. But I don't think you need to, like, decide, are we calling ourselves girlfriends or, like, anything like that, just the do we want to give this a try and not see other people while we figure it out?
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah.
Cameron (as Emma): I think would be a good, healthy first, second, third step. I don't - however many steps you've taken so far,
Penn (as Marathon): [overlap] I dunno.
Cameron (as Emma): [overlap] that would be the healthy next one.
Penn (as Marathon): I just want to make sure Cassidy's got space. I mean, she needs it, I think.
Cameron (as Emma): Mhm but, but also, also Cassidy's an adult, and if she feels like something's moving too quick, or she becomes uncomfortable, she'll tell you.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh yeah. [fond laugh]
Cameron (as Emma): So I like,
Penn (as Marathon): Okay, yeah.
Cameron (as Emma): I under- I understand the the like, recognizing past relationship trauma as a potential sore subject, but I, I - this is going to sound like it's very simple as I'm saying it, being removed and not part of this conversation when it has to happen, but saying where you're at that you are very interested in a relationship and you want to give it a try, and you are not planning on seeing anyone else while Cassidy is interested in that also being a thing. I think you got to trust her to let you know if if she reaches a point where she needs some space, or things are becoming uncomfy, or anything like that.
Penn (as Marathon): Mm.
Cameron (as Emma): So I think, I think you saying where you're you feel comfortable being and then just letting, letting her come to you and approach you with whatever, whatever level of commitment she's comfortable committing to.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah.
Cameron (as Emma): That's, that's probably your - like putting the least amount of pressure on Cassidy possible is probably the best route.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah, that's my current strategy. So I appreciate that your advice is kind of in line with that. I know I really appreciate talking to you about this. I feel like it's a lot of teasing, which is fun,
Cameron (as Emma): [soft laugh]
Penn (as Marathon): but I do appreciate advice as well. I just am always a little, a little um cautious coming to you for advice, because it feels like you're more of like a Cassidy confidant, you know? But I don't, and I know we're both friends too. I just -
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah. I mean, I'm a, I'd say I'm a Cassidy confidant, as much as Cassidy talks about her feelings, so~
Cameron: Emma makes like a so not a lot face.
Penn (as Marathon): Ah~.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah, eh? I mean, I've, I've known Cassidy longer than you and Birdie have, but so that's probably why I'm the default there, but I'm your friend too, and I'm not, I'm not gonna go tell Cassidy anything you tell me in confidence and vice versa, so. And if, and if you, if the if the teasing ever gets to be too much, and you want me and Birdie to cut it out, we can do that.
Penn (as Marathon): I appreciate it. I think the teasing is fun for now. I mean, obviously we're trying to have like I, I'm trying to pursue like, a, like, a serious-y thing. So as long as those two things can coexist.
Cameron (as Emma): I think it'll, I think it'll all work out.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh ah dang. Well and this is definitely not gonna be stuff we can talk about for, like, I don't know, like a week after this whole -
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah, yeah. Maybe don't start this [overlap] conversation immediately.
Penn (as Marathon): [overlap] - falls through the hole incident.
Cameron (as Emma): Um, but [laugh] But, yeah, I mean, oh I had a had a thing to say and then you pointed out very wisely that [laughing] tensions are going to be high when we get back um and that distracted me. I don't know what I was going to say. I'm sure it was very sage and it will come back to me, and I will let you know.
Penn (as Marathon): Yes, I appreciate your sage advice.
Penn: And Marathon gives a little curtsy and continues walking.
Penn (as Marathon): Uh~ how about are - so I know you said, like, some of the stuff you've done with Rye - are you like, interested in that relationship in a casual, platonic, or romantic sense? Either of the three? All three?
Cameron (as Emma): I would say at the moment, no on the romantic. That could, that could always change, but at the moment, I've got zero interest being anything but friends with him.
Penn (as Marathon): Fair.
Cameron (as Emma): And we're like the few times we've gone and had tea or we went and we visited the bookstore a few times, like it's, it's fun. I enjoy talking with him, but [unsure noises] I think, I think I'm more of a friend person than a romantic person in general. So it could change, but also we're gonna, we're gonna leave the city. So
Penn (as Marathon): That's true. You could always pursue something casual.
Cameron (as Emma): I'm definitely not a casual romantic person.
Penn (as Marathon): I see.
Cameron (as Emma): Cause I think I need, I need to be close enough with the person to be able to develop the romantic feelings, and then at that point we're leaving. So,
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah.
Penn (as Marathon): Not a hopeless romantic, Emma?
Penn: And Marathon's got a cheesy smile.
Cameron (as Emma): I mean, I am with other people's romances. [laugh]
Penn (as Marathon): [chuckle]
Cameron (as Emma): I just don't need it to involve me. I enjoy reading our romance novels.
Penn (as Marathon): And orchestrating your own in real life?
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah. You know, playing matchmaker is fun, but I'm, I'm I'm fine not being involved. [laugh]
Penn (as Marathon): Are you at all concerned with like, I know you were definitely enthusiastic it seemed like about Cassidy and I, you know, being interested, but are you at all concerned about the Patina flow with that?
Cameron (as Emma): Nah.
Penn (as Marathon): Okay.
Cameron (as Emma): Not really. I don't, I - I'll try to come up with more words for you than just no. Um. Y'all have been slowly developing the relationship and like, as as as y'all progress, it'll like, things will definitely continue to change with just like group dynamics wise, if y'all are an item, but I think we're, we're all good at going off and like having our own interests. We don't need everybody to be there to do an activity.
Penn (as Marathon): Sure.
Cameron (as Emma): So like, I don't, I don't see the fact that y'all are pairing up, leaving me and Birdie like alone without anything to entertain us. [laugh] I'm perfectly happy if y'all want to wander off on a date, and I will, I'll read a book, or I will work on the Knight, or I'll, I don't know, build a watch. I'll do something.
Penn (as Marathon): [short laugh]
Cameron (as Emma): Like I can, I can keep myself busy.
Penn (as Marathon): That's good. I just, I'm trying to be mindful of a lot of different things.
Cameron (as Emma): I appreciate it, and I do definitely think there are groups where it would definitely cause issues. But I think amongst the - all four of us have have been independent enough in times past that we're all pretty solid on our own. And if you and Cassidy start spending time together all the time like I'm not gonna be jealous. If y'all go do something super duper cool without me, I'd be jealous that you did the super duper,
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah.
Cameron (as Emma): - super duper cool thing and I didn't get to do that, but not because that y'all were together on it.
Penn (as Marathon): We'll make sure to not have any tech building sword swashbuckling adventures without you.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah, don't leave me out of those. I'll be sad.
Penn (as Marathon): No, I just, I just also want to be careful in a way where if Cassidy decides that this is not the kind of thing she's interested in, then the we can still maintain - cause like, Patina is most important thing to me. Like, I cannot state enough how much this has, like, changed my life for the better, even though, you know, I'm wandering around in a dank sewer. Um.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah I mean present circumstances excluded.
Penn (as Marathon): Excluded, yeah.
Cameron (as Emma): Uh huh.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah, but yeah, I don't know. I just want to make sure that, like, the flow wouldn't be ruined, and that we could all still work together. Because I don't know, I have a lot of respect for y'all, and I have a ton of respect for Cassidy. Smart, talented, cool, pretty, like, I just wanna - yeah.
Cameron (as Emma): I think if, if you, if y'all, if y'all don't end up working and becoming a permanent item like, I can, I can see some, some awkwardness initially, when the decision is made.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh yeah. [laugh]
Cameron (as Emma): Like, y'all figuring out how to relate to one another again, and me and Birdie trying not to say anything that makes either of y'all uncomfortable. But, I mean, I think, I think we'll be fine. I'm not not super duper concerned. I'm saying super duper a lot, I'm just realizing, I think this tunnel is getting to me.
Penn (as Marathon): I've always just assumed it was a Thunder Bay affect, but
Cameron (as Emma): It kind of, it kind of is, but I feel like I've been saying it way more within this conversation than I normally do.
Penn (as Marathon): Mm.
Cameron (as Emma): Like it's definitely in my normal vocab, but everything is super duper right now I guess because we're alive.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah. Hey - we're alive.
Penn: Marathon stops to give another high five.
Cameron (as Emma): High five, and we have super cute jumpsuits.
Cameron: And Emma does a Vogue pose.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah~!
Penn: Marathon does a little flex.
Penn (as Marathon): [muscle noise]
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah and hopefully everything's fine with our friends when we get back up to them, but in the meantime, everything's great down here. [laugh]
Penn (as Marathon): Yep. Little smelly, but what can you ask for from a sewer?
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah, it is.
Penn (as Marathon): I'm gonna I'm going nose blind. So
Nick: Marathon, you do notice that for whatever reason, this section of the Guts smells almost neutral. You think probably a majority of the smell is just what's left clinging to you and Emma and this area seems a lot cleaner and a lot more pleasant than where you came from.
Penn (as Marathon): This place is pretty nice actually. You think we'll find a terminal around here?
Penn: Marathon starts peaking around ridges.
Cameron (as Emma): There's got to be one at some point. Like, especially, like, I thought we would have seen one already, because this seemed like a, at least some sort of established settlement for the Drain Boys. But,
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah, like what if you're a lost little Drain Boy down here? Are you just doomed?
Cameron (as Emma): I mean, I guess you just walk down this tunnel.
Penn (as Marathon): I guess.
Nick: As you were having that thought that you're surprised there isn't a terminal around, you come around one of these gentle bends and the hallway is suddenly different. You find yourself at the entrance to a different kind of passageway. It is a little bit more narrow than what you had been walking down up till this point. The ceiling is a lot higher. You can't see how far up this passage goes and interestingly, there is what looks to be a train track, like a very small train track, inset in the floor. You don't see any carts or anything, but on a stand next to where this track starts, there is, in fact, a terminal. And Emma, as you take a glance at it, you can see that the screen is black with a single green blinking cursor in the top corner, as though waiting for input.
Penn (as Marathon): Ah score!
Penn: Marathon rushes over.
Cameron (as Emma): Wow. I guess we just needed to talk about it again.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah, it's ears were itching.
Cameron (as Emma): All right. Welp.
Penn (as Marathon): Okay, let's watch the hack master do it.
Cameron (as Emma): Let's, let's see. [deep breath] All right, everything on the city talks to each other. So
Cameron: Emma starts typing in commands to try to figure out which segment of this city's environment this terminal is currently tied into.
Nick: I am going to need you to make me a hard Wild Tech roll, please.
Cameron: My Wild Tech roll is a yellow and three greens against the three purples.
[dice rolling]
Cameron: Two failures and two advantages. So I would like to utilize my How Convenient talent and make a hard Mechanics check that if I am successful, one device involved in the current encounter subject to GM approval spontaneously fails, either because of something I did, or just lucky timing. And I would like for it to be that just the security on this terminal fails and I have full access to all of the paths that it can make connections to, so I can do the thing that I want to do.
Nick: Yes, I think that if you can pass that Mechanics check, we could argue that the correct part of this computer system might fail.
Cameron: So my Mechanics roll is three yellows and one green and three purples.
[dice rolling]
Cameron: Three successes and a Triumph.
Nick: Okay, so based on that check, the security that this system uses to keep people from tampering with this terminal just fails. Looks like it was kind of old. It was a hardware attachment, and it just gives up the ghost as you are working with this terminal, and you suddenly have a lot more access than you would have otherwise. And you see that this terminal is mostly quarantined to some local systems down here, but you think you might be able to do some more with it than normal. Its main function is as a control for some sort of conveyance system that uses these tracks, something you could use to get around much faster.
Cameron: From Marathon's viewpoint, she sees Emma typing in a whole bunch of codes and I think the terminal is making the [error beep] noise after each one failing to do whatever it was that Emma was trying to do. And then suddenly the terminal just goes fully black for two seconds and then pops back up and has a welcome message on it and just has so much more information listed on the terminal than what it was showing before.
Penn: Marathon is propped against the terminal facing Emma, so she's not really paying attention to the screen and is just studying Emma's fingers and facial features as she's frustrated and then finally makes a breakthrough.
Cameron: And you see Emma just get a big old grin on her face.
Cameron (as Emma): All right, I can work with that.
Penn (as Marathon): Hey~, master hacker indeed.
Cameron (as Emma): Uh huh.
Cameron: And Emma is taking out her tablet from her bag, opens a hatch in the back of the terminal and wires her tablet into it. I would like to use my Triumph to get my email out to Winifred that I was trying to get out to say that Marathon and Emma are alive and to please tell Cassidy and Birdie.
Nick: Yeah, you can use that Triumph to get a message out to Winifred letting her know exactly what is going on.
Cameron: I am essentially just sending her an email giving general location information, as best as Emma can do that with the very sparse map that we're working with here, just so that if Winifred knows where they are based off of that description, she would be able to provide an accurate time estimate to Birdie and Cassidy, whereas Emma just guessing at the moment. So Emma is typing that up on her tablet and then hits send.
Cameron (as Emma): Okay.
Penn (as Marathon): Okay?
Cameron (as Emma): So mission accomplished there.
Penn (as Marathon): Eyyy.
Cameron (as Emma): Email has been sent to Winifred.
Penn (as Marathon): Check!
Cameron: She detaches her tablet and puts it back away.
Cameron (as Emma): And I think you're going to like this next bit.
Cameron: And back at the terminal, Emma types in a few commands.
Penn: Marathon's eyebrow raises.
Cameron: Emma hits enter.
Cameron (as Emma): All right, now we wait. I don't know how long this is going to take.
Nick: There is a long pause, and then Emma and Marathon, you feel a sudden rumbling and almost lose your balance as you feel Sasnak, you would assume Sasnak is changing course again, like the Turning that you experienced earlier, but not as intensely.
Penn (as Marathon): It's rumbling. Grab, grab something.
Cameron (as Emma): That that one was not me. That was not what I was - that that's not what we were waiting on.
Penn: Marathon looks up at the ceiling, afraid of what might come tumbling down while she grips onto this terminal.
Nick: After a tense few seconds the city stabilizes again. There's no destruction. Nothing falls from the sky. But you can only assume, even down here, that the city has changed the direction it's going in, and as you wonder about if the surface has had any sort of disaster. You hear a much lighter rumbling, and out of the darkness comes what looks to be a little two seater minecart with a simple lever for control that gently bumps into the back of the terminal.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh!
Cameron (as Emma): So that that that's what I was expecting.
Penn (as Marathon): It's, it's awesome.
Cameron (as Emma): Coincidence, coincidence I think, on the Turning.
Penn (as Marathon): Okay, hopefully.
Cameron (as Emma): But um yes, your chariot awaits.
Cameron: And Emma dramatically bows towards the mine cart.
Penn (as Marathon): Cool, this - hey, this is sick. It's, uh, I appreciate that we're not gonna have to walk so much anymore. It is a little child sized, but nothing I can't squeeze into.
Cameron (as Emma): Yep, just, I guess knees up by your chin, I suppose. We'll fit. It'll be fine.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah. Uh teamwork wins again. Mostly actually just Emma being proficient at things.
Cameron (as Emma): [laugh]
Penn: And Marathon holds her hand up for high five.
Cameron: Emma returns it.
Nick: We flash back to Birdie. Birdie you have continued through some very tight passages. Every few minutes you run into another one of these Foundling trail markers, and eventually you find yourself in a tunnel about the size of an air duct, and you push open a grating and find yourself back in a normal sized hallway. Heading towards you, you see a familiar outline, someone that you hoped to find but didn't expect to down here in the Guts, and they are hurrying towards you.
Kit (as Birdie): Juno?
Nick: The outline pauses for a second, and then you are almost blinded in the light as the person ahead of you turns on a flashlight and then points it down at the ground. Says,
Nick (as Juno): Oh uh, sorry. I didn't know you were, had made it as far as you had. What are you doing down in the Guts, Birdie? You okay?
Nick: Before Juno can even finish their first sentence, Birdie is dead sprint towards them and is just tackling their sibling and a hug.
Nick (as Juno): Oh shit!
Nick: Juno flinches as though he's expecting you to tackle him aggressively and then they realize that you're jumping into a hug, and they manage to change their reaction to catch you.
Nick (as Juno): Whoa whoa kiddo. You- you're- what's going on?
Kit (as Birdie): [breaking down again] I really need your help.
Nick (as Juno): Okay.
Kit (as Birdie): [crying] Because I think I really messed up this time.
Nick (as Juno): Um~. Sure.
Kit (as Birdie): [crying] [sniff] Sorry. [sniff] Oh, I'm sorry. Um we were down here on a, like this stupid run to get, like, a circuit key thing. [sniff]
Nick (as Juno): Oh, interesting.
Kit (as Birdie): [crying] And um, we just - it - we got split up and and then Cassidy got, like, electrocuted, and she's unconscious and I just, we want to just get back up to the [sniff] to the top. We don't know where Marathon and Emma are. [sniff]
Nick (as Juno): Huh. Yeah, that sounds pretty rough. Well, I'm glad you found me.
Kit (as Birdie): [crying] Thank you for leaving the marks.
Nick (as Juno): Yeah...
Nick: He looks a little sad.
Nick (as Juno): I think I'm the only one who still uses them. I just kind of put them for nostalgia, but hey - it worked out and we're together now and I'm gonna help.
Kit (as Birdie): [crying] Okay.
Nick (as Juno): You don't have anything to worry about. Anything you need, I got you friend. We're gonna be just fine little sister.
Kit (as Birdie): [crying] Okay.
Nick (as Juno): All right.
Kit (as Birdie): [crying] Can we walk and talk? [sniff]
Nick (as Juno): Yeah, oh yeah yeah yeah yeah. Where did you leave your unconscious and electrocuted friend?
Kit (as Birdie): [crying] Uhh
Kit: And she's just gonna point back from where she came.
Nick: He realizes what a hard question that would be, and holds up a finger, and then reaches into he has a messenger bag slung across one shoulder, and pulls out a - it looks like a notebook and then as he starts to unfold it, there are pages and pages of extremely detailed hand drawn maps. And he says,
Nick (as Juno): Okay, so we are here.
Kit (as Birdie): [crying] Uh huh.
Nick (as Juno): You pointed that way.
Kit (as Birdie): [crying] [sad affirmative noise]
Nick (as Juno): And I'm assuming you probably were in this section here. I didn't - you didn't set off any of my perimeter sensors, and I didn't see you on any of the cameras I have access to, so you can't be here. So where do you think you might have left your friend?
Nick: And as Juno has been talking, they folded the map out and out and out of this notebook, and you see the most comprehensive map of the Guts that you've ever seen and you did not think that something like this existed. This is the work of years and years.
Kit (as Birdie): [crying] Uh~ wow. This is really impressive, Juno.
Nick (as Juno): I didn't just sit around being sad while you were gone. Well, I did that too, but,
Kit (as Birdie): [crying] Ah shucks.
Nick (as Juno): Also been mapping.
Kit (as Birdie): [crying] [sad laugh] [sniff] Um, I think I saw your first marker right here.
Nick (as Juno): Oh.
Kit (as Birdie): [crying] It was by this, like, narrow, narrow passage thing. [sniff] And then there it was in a bigger room with like a catwalk, and it's like a door to the outside, so I think here?
Nick (as Juno): Okay, yeah, and you probably came this way. Ooh. Yeah, that's a that's a tough route. We're gonna go a much easier route, Birdie.
Kit (as Birdie): [crying] Okay.
Nick (as Juno): Just follow me.
Nick: They start to head off, then they stop, turn around, look you in the eyes, give you another big hug and say,
Nick (as Juno): Hey, Birdie, it's gonna be okay. We're gonna take care of this.
Kit: Birdie's bottom lip starts trembling, and she goes,
Kit (as Birdie): [crying] [the following is the transcribers best attempt at parsing the sad teary mumbles of a distraught Birdie as she recounts her sad tale to her sibling] Yeah [assume this bit was something about misplacing friends] ... and whenCassidy was being really mean and you know, I don't think it was my fault, well Cassidy said it was cause you can control everything about everything and I just said I was trying to tell her that you can't really do that, [sniff] and I was...
Kit: And she kind of just trails off.
Nick (as Juno): Yeah, that's uh, the brave Birdie I know and love.
Nick: And Juno leads you away into the dark, Birdie, back towards your hurting friend. Somehow, the shadows aren't as deep now that you're with someone from your past.
[hurdy gurdy music swells]
Outro:
Penn (as Marathon): Welcome back folks, you’re tuned to Going the Distance: Traveler’s Guide on road dial 1558. That’s a wrap on today’s log and we’re set to loop after these considerations. Further detail for the following is cataloged 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 and in drag as horror king JOHN on Instagram @ john.is.risen. Penn is an indie TTRPG designer whose most recent work includes SLICE IT OUT, a grisly carving RPG about cutting pieces of yourself out to fit in. 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 and occasional guest player 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 you tune back…
…stay bold and stay kind