The Patina continues towards Sasnak Traveling while making new friends and awakening old.
The Patina continues towards Sasnak Traveling while making new friends and awakening old.
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. 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.
- Today’s Special: Jam Tomorrow by Doctor Turtle. Link & License.
- Today’s Special: Jam Tomorrow by Doctor Turtle. 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 2 Episode 43: Sordid Romance Tales
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:
For our next holiday this season, Merry Christmas! May this podcast be one more gift for your ears this year as you celebrate however best suits you. And fittingly, with the end of the year here, we invite you to revel in this episode with us as we come to our Season 2 finale! Just like Season 1, we do expect to be back with you in two weeks with the next episode, but if you do want something to listen to in the meantime, you can always check out our Patreon, where we just hit 50 campfire conversations published!
And whether by being a patron, or just by listening and enjoying what we do, your support keeps us moving in the mornings (and prepping the episode in the evenings). We’re super excited to announce two new patrons today! Callum of Brackenwood and James Gunter, come on down and join the ranks of the Campfire Crew! And a reminder to patrons who haven’t heard their names: if you would like to, make sure you check your DMs to tell us how you’d like to be announced to the rest of our dear listeners.
And finally, a blush and a giggle to Fern for another romance novel! You’re our Patina Johnson, and while that won’t make sense quite yet, we promise it’s a great term of endearment.
And with that, we wrap up today’s announcements and head into Season 2, Episode 43: Sordid Romance Tales. 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]
Kit (as Birdie): Last time on a Knight of Shreds and Patches,I came to terms with a lot of things. I had a conversation with quite a few people. I had conversations with Marathon and with Camden and with Cassidy and all in all, I guess I came to realize that it's okay to give yourself away to people sometimes. And, you know, it's not always the greatest thing to stay bottled up and alone and moving from place to place, even if it makes things easier. It's good that loving other people and and caring for other people and being cared for in turn is hard because that means that you've worked towards it together and it makes it more meaningful and I don't think I'll ever leave the Patina. They're my family.
[radio static]
Episode Start:
Nick: It's a bright summer day as the rig continues ever westward following the path marked by Cassidy and Marathon as they attempted to triangulate the signal that they're tracking. The journey has begun to wind as the Patina looks more for places to stop and jobs to take or places worth resting, as the journey looks to be much longer than some of the other legs of this trip have been. We see the group - everyone clustered in the rig comfortable during one of the more uneventful parts of the trip.
Penn: Marathon is sitting basically upside down in the seat. She's got her rear tucked towards the vertical wall of the seat and her head is hanging down off of the horizontal part of the seat so that her hair is hanging down out of her face because it's gotten a little too long, and she's just feeling a little silly, peering at her two teammates in the front of the rig.
Cameron: Emma is driving. It's a flat straight road at the moment. It's very boring.
Sydney: Cassidy is sitting in the back next to Marathon, not as non standard as the way that Marathon is sitting but she's definitely a little slumped in the corner with one leg up on the seat. We can see that Cassidy now no longer has the brace being worn as part of her regular outfit. She's still treating her left arm a little bit more gingerly, but it's not getting in the way in the way that it previously had been. Cassidy is holding lightly onto it to keep it from escaping over any particularly large bumps, escaping the casual control of joints in place.
Kit: Birdie is obviously sitting in shotgun next to Emma, and she's currently perched stretching the seat belt out as far as it can go so that she can turn and face the other three in the car and she's sitting up on her knees on the seat - she trusts Emma with her life and trusts that she will not crash the rig while she is reading one of the romance novels that she pulled from the box in the back.
Kit (as Birdie): [dramatic reading voice] Patrick had said that they would be safe from the bandits here overnight, and yet, Isabella couldn't call herself entirely. She moved to the entrance of the cave, her chest wet with the spray of the waterfall -
Penn (as Marathon): [overlapping] Wet chest! Wet chest!
Cameron (as Emma): [overlapping] What the fuck! No!
Sydney (as Cassidy): [overlapping] Ohh
Kit (as Birdie): Hold on! Hold on! [resuming reading] - concealing their sanctuary. Her thoughts swelling and growing along with her most secret flower -
Cameron (as Emma): [pained noise]
Sydney (as Cassidy): [laugh]
Kit (as Birdie): - as she heard her companion moving in the cavern behind her. She had never spent the night alone with a man before, yet alone such a man as Patrick.
Cameron (as Emma): [snort]
Kit (as Birdie): Dark and brooding and fatally handsome. She could tell from the sound of rustling fabric and dripping water that he must be removing his wet clothes.
Cameron (as Emma): [laugh]
Kit (as Birdie): Dare she turn around before he could dress again in drier garments? She had always wondered...
Cameron (as Emma): [laughing] Oh no.
Penn (as Marathon): Don't, don't look.
[Birdie & Emma laughing]
Sydney (as Cassidy): Ah see so he had a wet chest too. And he has wet clothes on his chest.
Kit (as Birdie): They both have wet chests because they're in a cave.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh~.
Cameron (as Emma): Being in a cave doesn't necessarily mean that your chests are wet!
Kit (as Birdie): They're spelunking! They're sexy spelunking.
Penn (as Marathon): [overlapping] Ahh~
Cameron (as Emma): [overlapping] I don't think that's what they're doing Birdie...
Sydney (as Cassidy): [overlapping] They're going to be sexy spelunking.
Cameron (as Emma): No, Marathon. No.
Kit (as Birdie): [giggle]
Penn (as Marathon): Oh, oh. [laugh]
Kit (as Birdie): Spelunked your mom last night.
Cameron (as Emma): Oh my god.
Penn (as Marathon): Sexplunking.
Kit (as Birdie): Egh.
Cameron (as Emma): [overlapping] No~ no no, no, no, no.
Kit (as Birdie): [overlapping] Sex-plunking...
Penn (as Marathon): Birdie, Birdie - What hap-
Kit (as Birdie): Yes?
Penn (as Marathon): Did Isabella peer?
Kit (as Birdie): Did she dare?
Cameron (as Emma): Obviously she did. It's a romance novel and they're alone in a cave.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Maybe she's restraining herself and it's a super slow burn.
Cameron (as Emma): No because her chaperone has been there every single other time.
Sydney (as Cassidy): [sigh]
Cameron (as Emma): Obviously she's turning around.
Penn (as Marathon): I don't know. I think that she should just go for it, ya know? [laughing]
Cameron (as Emma): [sigh]
Kit (as Birdie): Well of course you think that.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well going forward in this case is is looking at this other person's chest,
Cameron (as Emma): [overlapping] In the dark.
Sydney (as Cassidy): [overlapping] and being appreciative so - [end overlap] yeah, in the dark even.
Cameron (as Emma): In a cave.
Sydney (as Cassidy): In the description of the scene, was there like any any piles of junk or anything? [Iron Man reference anyone?]
Kit: Birdie's flipping through the pages trying to read but the road is getting more bumpy so she's moving.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Nah it's fine. That's it's a pretty common like trope -
Kit (as Birdie): I got really distracted, so
Sydney (as Cassidy): - that they're inventing stuff. Yeah.
Kit (as Birdie): Okay.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh, nausea. Nausea training. Oh, okay it's kicking in.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Marathon, if you throw up on me you're being left behind.
Penn (as Marathon): Nah, no worries Miss Cassidy.
Kit (as Birdie): [said like a creepy child in a horror film] Left for dead.
Penn (as Marathon): I am training for my spins again. I'm gonna get better at [deep breath while trying not to barf] at spinning. At spinning.
Sydney (as Cassidy): [very confused] Why?
Cameron (as Emma): Do I need to stop the rig, Marathon?
Penn (as Marathon): Nope, nope.
Penn: Marathon flips herself back up onto her seat.
Cameron (as Emma): Okay, thank you. Seatbelt.
Penn: The sunglasses that she had that were hanging off the top of her head flip back down onto her eyes.
Penn (as Marathon): Yep, I gotcha. Safe and sound.
Sydney: Cassidy takes her leg off the seats and puts it a little bit further away from Marathon in case there was a splash radius.
Penn (as Marathon): Hey you can you can set your leg back down. No worries. I'm not taking up too much room over here.
Sydney (as Cassidy): No I'm just making sure that I'm not gonna get covered by anything that I'm not consenting to.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh, no worries. No worries. Exactly like uh, Patrick is not consenting to this peer from Isabel.
Kit: Birdie - she has the book in one hand with her finger marking the page that they were at but her other hand is reaching back towards Marathon to poke at her face, just
Kit (as Birdie): Your face is so red - are you blushing?
Penn (as Marathon): Well I was upside down.
Kit (as Birdie): Are you blushing Marathon?
Penn (as Marathon): You know what, I am in the car with my friends,
Kit (as Birdie): Mhm.
Penn (as Marathon): - and um, I am next to a wonderfully uh dressed and s-s-
Sydney: Cassidy is looking at Marathon with her eyebrows raised.
Penn (as Marathon): - wonderfully dressed and very secure uh, in the joints, Miss Cassidy in the back next to me.
Kit (as Birdie): Mhmmm.
Penn (as Marathon): And um yeah, so what if I blush a little bit you know?
Kit (as Birdie): Mhm. Mhm mhm.
Cameron (as Emma): Huh. I don't know if I've ever heard "secure in the joints" as a compliment before.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah.
Kit (as Birdie): As opposed to Emma and I? What
Cameron (as Emma): Who are loose in the joints? [laughing]
Kit (as Birdie): [laugh] I'm loose in the joints.
Cameron (as Emma): [laughing] How rude.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well, there are some people who would say that that's a strength - flexibility.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, it is. You know it comes in handy sometimes,
Cameron (as Emma): You know, up and to a point.
Kit (as Birdie): You never know when you'll need it.
Penn (as Marathon): I try to, I - you know what I end up in so many holes.
Kit (as Birdie): [laughing]
Cameron (as Emma): Oh~.
Sydney (as Cassidy): [sigh] Marathon.
Penn (as Marathon): So many holes. Okay? No, I wasn't - [almost frantic yelling] I wasn't even trying to-! [normal voice] Oh my - [deep breath and sigh]
Kit (as Birdie): [giggling]
Penn (as Marathon): You guys- this is an example of it happening again.
Kit (as Birdie): You know where I grew up?
Cameron (as Emma): In a cave?
Kit (as Birdie): In your mom's holes. [laugh]
Penn (as Marathon): Fuck Birdie! Dirt!
Kit (as Birdie): [laugh]
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah that's what she was saying.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah that's what she was saying. [laugh]
Penn (as Marathon): Oh my...
Cameron (as Emma): [laughing]
Kit (as Birdie): Got 'em!
Penn: Marathon plops back into her seat with her arms crossed, playfully pouting.
Penn (as Marathon): Okay, whatever. I'm gonna grumble over here about it.
Cameron (as Emma): Grumble, grumble, grumble, grumble.
Penn (as Marathon): Grumble, grumble, grumble.
Kit (as Birdie): Grumble, grumble.
Kit: Birdie will turn around to sit properly in her seat. The seat belts locked. [laugh]
Cameron (as Emma): [sigh]
Penn (as Marathon): We are driving safely.
Cameron (as Emma): Uh huh.
Kit (as Birdie): You're driving safely.
Sydney (as Cassidy): We are continuing to read the romance novel to see if she's gonna turn around.
Cameron (as Emma): She is.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well you never know! We- it hasn't happened yet.
Cameron (as Emma): Just because there's no chaperone there, not the sexy kind of chaperone.
Penn (as Marathon): Okay who wants to put down on some. I am, uh quarter triangle says she doesn't turn around now.
Kit (as Birdie): Hmm.
Cameron (as Emma): Marathon all of our money is in a pool.
Penn (as Marathon): [sigh] Look. It's fun this way.
Cameron (as Emma): Oh, okay. [laugh]
Penn (as Marathon): And how do you know? How do you know what I have in my boots? [laugh]
Sydney (as Cassidy): Alright, fine here. You know what, I'll, I'll trade a - I give someone a shoulder massage.
Penn (as Marathon): Yep.
Kit (as Birdie): Oh~.
Sydney (as Cassidy): If she doesn't turn around.
Penn (as Marathon): And I'll trade shoulder massage back if she -
Sydney (as Cassidy): Okay, but you can if I win here -
Cameron (as Emma): I mean y'all can just do that.
Sydney (as Cassidy): No but I can only do, I can - I can give better than I can receive because I have a hole still in me, Marathon.
[lots of unhappy with phrasing noises]
Penn (as Marathon): I see.
Kit (as Birdie): Um. I think that's also debatable cause you have one arm.
Penn (as Marathon): Welp.
Sydney (as Cassidy): No, I have two.
Kit (as Birdie): Well you have one functional arm.
Sydney: Cassidy waves her second arm to demonstrate its functionality.
Kit (as Birdie): Mhm~.
Penn (as Marathon): I do feel bad, Miss Cassidy, but you know what's going to feel better?
Cameron (as Emma): A shoulder rub?
Penn (as Marathon): A one arm massage from one Miss Cassidy once we find out this person does not turn around.
Cameron (as Emma): I'll let y'all have this bet but she's definitely turning around.
Kit: Birdie gathers herself and she opens the book again, finding the line with her finger
Kit (as Birdie): Okay, okay. [resuming reading] Dare she turn around before he could dress again in drier garments? She had always wondered the size of his maypole... what the fuck?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Wow.
Kit (as Birdie): [laughing] What's a maypole?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Are you go- you wouldn't even be able to tell yet.
Penn (as Marathon): [very confident] It's like maple.
Kit (as Birdie): Hold on! Hold on! We're -
Cameron (as Emma): It is not like maple.
Kit (as Birdie): [laughing almost to crying] Not like maple. I don't even know what a maypole is.
Penn (as Marathon): I -
Kit (as Birdie): Um. I don't even know!!
Cameron (as Emma): It is a large pole you erect in the middle of town and then you dance around it with ribbons when spring starts.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yes.
Penn (as Marathon): I was thinking maple.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Especially when you use the word "erect" you can really get a good idea.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah. [laughing] So I realized as I was saying it that was the word my brain had selected.
Penn (as Marathon): Look, it's not just me. Okay?
Kit (as Birdie): Okay, okay. Um [centering breath] okay. She as she as she always wondered the size of maypole, okay, okay, okay. But so, okay, okay. [resuming reading] Suddenly before she could turn around,
Sydney (as Cassidy): Hmm?
Kit (as Birdie): - a sizable bear [bursts out laughing]
Cameron (as Emma): [laughing] Oh no.
Penn (as Marathon): Okay.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well.
Penn (as Marathon): Birdie does this count?
Kit (as Birdie): - emerges from, from the caves maw and [giggles]
Penn (as Marathon): Birdie does this count as her turning around or not turning around?
Kit (as Birdie): I guess it's like Schrödinger's cat.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well it sounds like I'm right.
Cameron (as Emma): [laughing] Schrödinger's maypole.
Kit (as Birdie): [giggles]
Sydney (as Cassidy): Hmmm.
Penn (as Marathon): It sounded like she didn't turn - Okay. Okay.
Kit (as Birdie): It's Schrödinger's maypole because she will never know.
Cameron (as Emma): Oh my god... [dying a little inside]
Kit (as Birdie): Until she turns but like she'll never get the chance to turn around because she's about to get mauled by a bear.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well that may just means, yeah, the guy will nobly charge in to go fight the bear or whatever. And then, you know, he'll be bare handed and bare chested against the bear and
Kit (as Birdie): What if -
Cameron (as Emma): Gah, a Bear is a very different type of chaperone.
Kit (as Birdie): You know, they didn't give like a description of the bear. Maybe it's just like a really hairy guy.
Penn (as Marathon): Could be.
Sydney (as Cassidy): I guess we'll have to wait and see.
Cameron (as Emma): I~ [laugh]
Penn (as Marathon): That's true. Well, I'm willing to concede this one.
Cameron (as Emma): I don't I don't know if it's better if it's a real bear or if it's a hairy guy. [laughing] Can't make up my mind.
Kit (as Birdie): This is when they have a threesome.
[laughing]
Cameron (as Emma): I don't know if she's ready for that.
Kit (as Birdie): Fair.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, if it's her first time she's been alone.
Cameron (as Emma): Birdie, she's never she's never seen a maypole before.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah.
Kit (as Birdie): Mhm.
Penn (as Marathon): That's somebody's jam.
Kit (as Birdie): I'm sure. I think I'm gonna close the book. [giggle] I think I'm gonna close the book right now. I don't think I can handle another use of the word maypole.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Oh, you just can't handle another maypole?
Kit (as Birdie): Mmmmmmm. I it's -
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah.
Kit (as Birdie): It's done.
Penn (as Marathon): It is finished, in the wise words of... someone at some point.
Kit (as Birdie): It is time.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, it's fine. Well, we'll come back and read it later once we've recovered our constitution.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah. Composure.
Kit (as Birdie): It's yeah. Okay.
Penn (as Marathon): Well, so the bets still on for now.
Kit (as Birdie): Maybe after the the man thwarts off the bear in full naked - full frontal.
Sydney (as Cassidy): He's gonna - he's gonna thwart off the bear. Wow.
Kit (as Birdie): [giggle]
Penn (as Marathon): Thwart off.
Sydney (as Cassidy): I mean -
Kit (as Birdie): I'm about to be three for three here.
Cameron (as Emma): It depends, Cassidy. Is this an actual literal bear? Or is this a large hairy man?
Kit (as Birdie): What if it's a large hairy man thwarting off
Sydney (as Cassidy): We'll just have to see.
Cameron (as Emma): Because there's you could have two very hopefully you would have two different outcomes.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Maybe this is secretly a shifter romance. And it's a bear and a bear.
Kit (as Birdie): Maybe he just has rabies.
Cameron (as Emma): Oh no~.
Penn (as Marathon): Hmmmm.
Cameron (as Emma): A historical shifter romance?
Penn (as Marathon): She's gonna have to choose between the bear guy and Patrick who is shiny and sucks blood.
Kit (as Birdie): A werebear.
Cameron (as Emma): No, no. What if it's also why choose?
Kit (as Birdie): [gasp]
Cameron (as Emma): [overlapping] It's a why choose shifter historical romance.
Sydney (as Cassidy): [overlapping] And then you get the threesome. [end overlap] Yeah, but they have to she has to have her journey of self discovery as she realizes what she really wants from life.
Kit (as Birdie): I think -
Penn (as Marathon): That's good.
Kit (as Birdie): I think that we're writing a better book than what this is going to end up being.
Cameron (as Emma): I mean, we definitely are.
Kit (as Birdie): I think that we should all become romance novelists.
Penn (as Marathon): [thinks it's a great idea] Oh!
Kit (as Birdie): We should retire and become romance novelists.
Penn (as Marathon): I see a strong future for three of the four of us in doing that. And one of us is not a writer necessarily.
Kit (as Birdie): [sing song] Come on, Marathon.
Sydney: Cassidy looks suspiciously at Marathon.
Penn (as Marathon): I - I- my writing skill might - you know what if I was able to dictate.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah we'll -
Penn (as Marathon): There's my strength.
Cameron (as Emma): We'll do a combined pen name and we'll just all write as one author and you can be more of an ideas gal.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Patina Johnson.
Penn (as Marathon): [laugh] Patina Johnson.
Cameron (as Emma): Patina Johnson. That's our name.
Penn (as Marathon): I love it.
Kit (as Birdie): [laughing] Patina Johnson.
Penn (as Marathon): Well, when we finally decide we've had enough of the money and the excitement and the heroics, we should become Patina Johnson.
Nick: And the rig continues on word, the sounds of good natured joking spreading along the road. A few days have passed and the Patina finds themselves at a large obstacle. Not a surprising one for anyone who has traveled this way before, but one that is going to cause problems because you have come to the the widest river that any of you have ever seen anywhere else. The water is a deep murky Brown and surprisingly warm in the summer sun and you struggle to see the far shore with the width of the river and you know that it is far too deep to attempt to drive across and that there are not any good places to attempt to ford the river in any close location.
Sydney: Cassidy, seeing that they've reached the river, gets out her region map and having come across this river before she knows that the easiest way is probably going to be a ferry and gets to work trying to locate the closest one if it's even something that they had intel to mark on the map beforehand.
Nick: The ferry stops are fairly well established in this part of the world. You know that within a few hours drive, there's a stop that sees a visit by one of the ferries that goes up and down the river every few hours. They tend to go up the river, down the river, and across the river to help with whatever travel is happening around here. And you have the nearest stop marked on your map, Cassidy, it's somewhere you've been in your travels before and after a short drive, you are able to pull to a stop. There is a broad wooden dock where you know that the ferry will pull up. The ferry is a very large flat bottomed metal river craft big enough to hold the rig without any concerns and still take on any other passengers. You don't get to see the ferry on your arrival - you hope that there will be another stop today, but there is also a small crowd gathered here waiting for a chance to use the ferry for travel.
Kit: Birdie has pressed herself up against the window of the rig and is just looking at the river and very simply says,
Kit (as Birdie): Wow, that's big. That's a really big river.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah.
Kit (as Birdie): Are we sure it's not a lake?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well, you can see it down the horizon in both directions.
Kit (as Birdie): Maybe it's just a really long lake.
Sydney (as Cassidy): I mean, it could it could be a really long lake. If it's a really long lake that's connected to the ocean.
Kit (as Birdie): Oh, well, yeah. Okay.
Cameron (as Emma): That means it's a river.
Kit (as Birdie): Well, I'm just saying...
Sydney: Cassidy points to the path of the river on her map, and then holds it up to show to Birdie.
Kit (as Birdie): Oh.
Penn (as Marathon): I hope we get the teal ferry. That one's my favorite.
Kit (as Birdie): You've been in the ferry before?
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah, I always had good luck when I got the teal ferry.
Kit (as Birdie): Oh, is this like when you were -
Cameron (as Emma): Are there just a bunch of different colors?
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah, there's the purple ferry, the red one, there's scarlet. There's like it see the colors get more complicated as they add more, I think, but
Kit (as Birdie): You have to go start going for shade names then. [laugh]
Penn (as Marathon): Mhm. Don't ever get caught on chartreuse ferry.
Kit (as Birdie): Oh okay.
Cameron (as Emma): Okay. What if that's the one that shows up next?
Penn (as Marathon): [groan] Not chartreuse ferry, please.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well, the good news is we're probably quite a long way from Tree All, so I doubt the ferries are the same ones. Maybe chartreuse ferry is the good one here.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Penn (as Marathon): Maybe. I dunno, nothing good has ever come off of chartreuse ferry.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well
Kit (as Birdie): What happened to you?
Penn: Marathon looks off and has an it's a hard to distinguish shade. It's almost yellow in her eye.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well, I'm gonna get out and stretch and I guess get to waiting.
Kit (as Birdie): Okay.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah, it'd be good time to do some calisthenics, I guess maybe meet some of these fine folks we might be sharing a ferry with.
Cameron (as Emma): Do we have to?
Penn: Marathon is pulling herself out the window.
Sydney: Yeah, Marathon. You go meet those fine, folks and -
Cameron (as Emma): Marathon can you not use a fucking door?
Penn (as Marathon): Uh-
Kit (as Birdie): [surprised laugh]
Penn: As Marathon gracefully hops out of the window and starts walking towards the other people, she barely turns her head back and gives a little wave and she's like
Penn (as Marathon): It's cooler this way.
Kit (as Birdie): Oh...
Cameron (as Emma): Is it? [laugh]
Penn: We hear a faint
Penn (as Marathon): Hail and well met!
Cameron (as Emma): We're letting her go talk to people?
Kit (as Birdie): I don't - [laugh]
Cameron (as Emma): That's what we're doing right now?
Sydney: Cassidy is doing shoulder flexibility exercises and being thankful that she is not the one talking to people this time.
Kit (as Birdie): Should -
Cameron (as Emma): [long groan sigh]
Kit (as Birdie): Should we make sure she's not-? I don't know. Maybe she's fine. I think she's fine.
Cameron (as Emma): Honestly it's hard to predict.
Kit (as Birdie): I'm not giving up shotgun to her.
Cameron (as Emma): I don't think she'd want it. She wants to sit next to Cassidy.
Kit (as Birdie): [giggle] Yeah.... Sorry, Cassidy. [clears throat] Hmm?
Cameron (as Emma): All right, three more sets of that, Cassidy. [laugh]
Sydney (as Cassidy): Ahh. All right, thanks.
Cameron (as Emma): I feel powerful.
Sydney: Cassidy is grimacing but she is doing the exercises knowing that it will help and the more but she does them, and the more that she sticks to the regimen, the faster she'll be back to shooting her bow.
Cameron (as Emma): Unless it starts hurting. If it actually starts hurting, stop, okay? [pause] Okay?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Okay.
Cameron (as Emma): Thank you for the acknowledgement.
Kit (as Birdie): You know, Emma, you should really look into being a physical therapist.
Cameron (as Emma): Um.
Kit (as Birdie): [laugh] Just a suggestion.
Cameron (as Emma): I -
Kit (as Birdie): Just, you know, I think that people would see you and be like, 'Ah, yes, I trust you.'
Cameron (as Emma): I don't, I'm really only able to help here because I have also had joint troubles.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, except I've also had joint troubles and I would be a terrible physical therapist. So we've got -
Cameron (as Emma): I don't think so.
Kit (as Birdie): - the two - Hmm.
Cameron (as Emma): Why?
Kit (as Birdie): Well~
Cameron (as Emma): I think you'd be very encouraging.
Kit (as Birdie): I'm the kind of like walk it off kind of person, you know?
Cameron (as Emma): Okay, well, that's not great. [laugh]
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah. You know, you know, you fall from a couple stories and you walk it off and you know, keep going.
Cameron (as Emma): Well,
Kit (as Birdie): It's just -
Cameron (as Emma): No, okay. I see your point. I see your point. Yeah, don't do that.
Kit (as Birdie): You know,
Cameron (as Emma): Maybe stop and -
Kit (as Birdie): if you make it your new normal...
Cameron (as Emma): - take care of yourself.
Kit (as Birdie): Mhm. Well, if
Cameron (as Emma): No, don't accept it as your new normal.
Kit (as Birdie): [tiny grumbles] Anyways. [laugh] I'm definitely... yeah. mhm, mhm, mhm.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah. Okay.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Cameron (as Emma): No.
Kit (as Birdie): Mhm mhm mhm.
Cameron (as Emma): Let's try to maintain wellness and not just deal.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, I - that is a new a new practice that I'm putting in place as well as -
Cameron (as Emma): Knowing that sometimes you do have to just deal because like we were discussing earlier, the joints they just don't quite joint the way they're supposed to. Uh~
Sydney: Cassidy got two sets through and is now making the face of I -it is hurting too much for me to finish this today. Looks disappointed and then stops and walks back to the rig and climbs up on the step outside of Birdie's window.
Cameron (as Emma): Okay I'm proud of you.
Kit (as Birdie): You did good.
Cameron (as Emma): Good job stopping.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Ah~. I want to be back to health.
Cameron (as Emma): Yes, but that is a process. And if you- [short laugh] this is what I kept trying to tell Marathon when she was healing, and I know that you're going to handle it better, but if you don't take care of yourself while you're getting back to your your normal shoulder movements, then you're just going to either prolong it or make it so that you never go back.
Sydney (as Cassidy): [sad] Yeah, I know.
Cameron (as Emma): So you got to take care of yourself through the process. That's why we still have your in the back seat so if you need to put it on, because your shoulder is just real tired out you can do that at any point.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah...
Cameron (as Emma): Because there is a comfort tool to help you not stress out your shoulder even more than being shot already has.
Sydney: Yeah, we'll get there. It's easier when I get shot in like the leg because then I just put crutches on and it doesn't actually stop me from shooting.
Cameron (as Emma): Okay, I didn't know quite where you were going until you said the shooting thing because I know
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, like mobility is like whatever. I have enough arm strength.
Cameron (as Emma): [disbelieving laugh] Mobilities like whatever. Really?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, I'm very privileged to say this.
Cameron (as Emma): Okay, yeah, that's it -
Sydney (as Cassidy): [small laugh]
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah~
Cameron (as Emma): As it is normally my knees that are causing me problems just for being too loose, it's, I don't know that I'd rather it be my arm, but if it's not specific you would prefer your leg to be injured versus your arm so that you can shoot better overall.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yes.
Cameron (as Emma): It was easier for me to deal when it was my arm than when it was when it's my legs that are super bugging me.
Sydney (as Cassidy): I'd just rather not be shot again. Or hurt again.
Cameron (as Emma): I mean, that is that's the that's a great goal. I think we should go for that.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, let's let's do that.
Cameron (as Emma): Let's aim for not getting shot.
Sydney (as Cassidy): [sigh]
Kit (as Birdie): That would be ideal.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah.
Sydney (as Cassidy): I'm gonna go rummage around for some food.
Cameron (as Emma): Okay.
Sydney (as Cassidy): It's at least snack time. I don't know if it's it's quite dinnertime yet, but I'm hungry.
Cameron (as Emma): Well, you just did a bunch of exercises, so if you're hungry, then it is snack time.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah. Go get some snacks.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Do one of you want to go check on Marathon?
Kit (as Birdie): Uh~
Cameron (as Emma): [sigh] Not particularly, but I will.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, I mean, she's probably fine.
Kit (as Birdie): Maybe she's making us friends. Maybe she's succeeding wildly.
Cameron (as Emma): Do we want friends right now?
Nick: On Emma's question, we move to check in on Marathon. She was accosted almost immediately on the edge of the crowd by two women. They're both wearing flannel shirts. One is in khaki shorts, the others wearing overalls. One has short cropped dark hair and the other has surprisingly voluminous blonde hair that stands high above her head and Marathon appears locked in conversation with them.
Penn (as Marathon): Y'all really don't have to give me your various salads or cheeses or hot dishes.
Cameron (as Debbie): Oh no, but dear we bought plenty.
Penn (as Marathon): I -
Kit (as Betty): We really overpacked for this trip.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah. And we appreciate - you know what?
Penn: Marathon looks up for a second.
Penn (as Marathon): You know what? Yeah actually, that would be really nice. We would appreciate - yeah,
Cameron (as Debbie): Honestly, you'd be doing us a favor if you took some of them.
Penn (as Marathon): Well, you'd be doing me a favor. I'm bringing back some nice food. So uh, would you guys - what were your names again?
Cameron (as Debbie): I'm Debbie.
Kit (as Betty): I'm Betty. It's nice to meet you. And you said your name was?
Penn (as Marathon): My name is Marathon.
Kit (as Betty): Marathon.
Cameron (as Debbie): Marathon.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah. I don't know if y'all uh, yeah, you got you - you all radio types?
Cameron (as Debbie): No.
Kit (as Betty): No, no, not us. [laugh]
Penn (as Marathon): You two have great voices for radio, that's all I was saying.
Cameron (as Debbie): Aw well thank you.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah.
Cameron (as Debbie): You're so sweet.
Kit (as Betty): We're pretty off the grid.
Penn: Marathon is currently holding three different disposable pans full of treats and hot dishes.
Penn (as Marathon): Well, y'all are the ones that are very charming and delightful.
Kit (as Betty): You know, I'll get your baggie of puppy chow to go, yeah.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh, wow. Well thank you! I appreciate it. It was Betty - is that right?
Kit (as Betty): It's Betty yeah.
Cameron (as Debbie): Yes, you got - you got it, sweetie.
Penn (as Marathon): Thank you. Oh my gosh. Yeah, y'all, y'all are - I'd say we made solid introductions.
Kit (as Betty): Mhm.
Cameron (as Debbie): Mhm.
Penn (as Marathon): We friends?
Kit (as Betty): Oh, yeah. We're friends.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah, yeah. My team, my my compatriots over here, they love making new friends, so if y'all wanted to go chat them up, I'm sure they would love - you guys just have a spirit to you.
Kit (as Betty): Aw~. You're so charmin'.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh, not as much as you Betty. If we end up on a scarlet ferry I would happily share a dance with both of you. Either of you.
Kit: Betty will look at her wife and cover her mouth and giggle a little bit.
Kit (as Betty): Oh, that's quite kind of you. I've got two left feet. I'm sure Debbie here could help you out though.
Cameron (as Debbie): You know, Betty, you're all right if, you know, we just kind of like, as long as you don't try to lead dear, you're -
Kit (as Betty): We all know what happens...
Cameron (as Debbie): She is, she is right. She no, yeah no.
Kit (as Betty): Mhm.
Cameron (as Debbie): But that'd be that'd be lovely Marathon if we do end up on the scarlet ferry.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah.
Cameron (as Debbie): Yeah. And we and we'd love to meet your lovely ladies over there in that -
Penn (as Marathon): Yes, definitely.
Cameron (as Debbie): - in that big ol' truck.
Cameron: Debbie is standing up on her tiptoes waving at the rig.
Cameron (as Debbie): Yoo-hoo!
Penn (as Marathon): That big and strong one, that's Emma. That one that scrappy and just overall, um
Penn: Marathon makes a quick calculation in her head.
Penn (as Marathon): You know, one of the coolest people I know uh, Birdie - and I'm sure she'd be able to tell you more about herself, and Cassidy is over there as well. The one well, looks like finishing up some sort of stretches. I made a very bad mistake and she was caught in very unfortunate accident recently that she's healing from.
Kit (as Betty): [concerned midwestern mom noises]
Cameron (as Debbie): [concerned midwestern mom noises] Oh dear.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah, it's pretty rough.
Cameron (as Debbie): So you like her?
Penn (as Marathon): Well, I I mean,
Cameron (as Debbie): Just the timbre have your voice changed, dear.
Penn (as Marathon): [uncomfortable being seen so clearly by basically strangers] [laugh]
Penn: Marathon tries to smooth herself out two separate times.
Penn (as Marathon): I mean, yeah. Yeah. What uh, [small laugh] yeah.
Kit (as Betty): Oh, Debbie's -
Penn (as Marathon): How could you tell? My voice you said, okay.
**Cameron (as Debbie):**Yeah. Everything dear. You're blushin' and you can't make eye contact anymore. And you're staring an awful lot -
Penn (as Marathon): I can make -!
Cameron (as Debbie): You're staring an awful lot at her shoulders.
Penn (as Marathon): They're nice shoulders, okay?
Kit (as Betty): Oh Debbie's just teasing you. It's all right. What a lovely attractive group of -
Penn (as Marathon): Yes.
Kit (as Betty): - women.
Penn (as Marathon): True.
Kit (as Betty): We just love to see others.
Penn (as Marathon): Yes. And we would love - I bet y'all have that adventuring spirit, adventuring blood in you.
Kit (as Betty): [laugh]
Cameron (as Debbie): Um.
Penn (as Marathon): I'm sure y'all make great uh, you know, adventurers, fighters.
Cameron (as Debbie): Mm.
Penn (as Marathon): General defenders of goodness and goods.
Cameron (as Debbie): I don't know about that, sweetie.
Kit (as Betty): We don't do much fighting, but
Penn (as Marathon): Ah could have fooled me. Look at those muscles, Betty.
Cameron (as Debbie): No that's from all the stirring for the casseroles.
Kit (as Betty): Oh, yes. You would, you'd be surprised by how thick they get.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh...
Kit: She crinkles her nose.
Cameron (as Debbie): Quite thick. Quite thick.
Kit (as Betty): [giggle]
Penn: Marathon is stuffing her face with a little cookie.
Penn (as Marathon): [mouth full] You know? You're pretty good at this baking stuff, I really think you should go talk to Birdie.
Kit (as Betty): Oh, Birdie the -
Cameron (as Debbie): Does she bake?
Penn (as Marathon): Uh-
Penn: Marathon swallows.
Penn (as Marathon): No Birdie is very interested in baking. Yes. Uh,
Cameron (as Debbie): Oh!
Penn: Marathon sees that the Patina is drifting to a lull in their own conversation and she waves.
Penn (as Marathon): [yelling] Birdie! Birdie!
Kit (as Birdie): [yelling from a distance] What??
Penn (as Marathon): [yelling] I have somebody I have some people for you to meet.
Kit (as Birdie): [yelling from a distance] Okay.
Kit: And Betty, Debbie, and Marathon watch as Birdie clambers out of the rig and is just glancing back at Emma and Cassidy while approaching the three of them.
Penn (as Marathon): Betty and Deborah, this is Birdie. I'm going to take our treats back to the rig,
Kit (as Betty): Oh!
Penn (as Marathon): - but I would love to see you guys again, especially if we're on scarlet ferry. Birdie, these two lovely ladies have lots to share about -
Penn: Marathon gives little eyebrow waggle.
Penn (as Marathon): - baking.
Kit (as Birdie): [betrayed] Oh!
Penn: As she walks back to the rig.
Kit (as Birdie): [panicking] Um, you know. Mhm.
Kit: If Marathon looks back, she can see Birdie just glaring daggers at her before turning back to Debbie and Betty and giving just the most brilliant smile while nodding. [laugh]
Cameron (as Debbie): You can call me Debbie, dear. Deborah's a little bit formal.
Kit (as Birdie): Oh, well, thank you. I appreciate it. [awkward laugh] Yeah,
Cameron (as Debbie): She just went ahead, right on ahead and ditched ya, didn't she?
Kit (as Betty): It's really unfortunate, you know?
Kit (as Birdie): Oh, no, no, it's fine. You know, Marathons just, she's probably gonna go drop off the food. I'm sure. [laugh]
Cameron (as Debbie): Mhm.
Penn: As Birdie turns to check, Marathon has set down the food in the rig and is casually striking up conversation with Emma and Cassidy.
Kit (as Birdie): Yep.
Cameron (as Debbie): That doesn't look like she's hurrying back.
Kit (as Birdie): No.
Cameron (as Debbie): Does it?
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah. Mhm. You're - you know what? You're right, Debbie. Yeah, that you are. [annoyed laugh]
Penn: Marathon catches Birdie's eyes and gives a little nod and a low finger gun.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, she's uh, she's real fun, Marathon.
Cameron (as Debbie): And just about as subtle as a brick through your window.
Kit (as Birdie): Um, you know you two actually if you did, I overheard something about about dancing on one of the ferries. I I can definitely say that Cassidy over there is very, very talented dancer, I too myself can actually dance. Marathon over there, I doubt that she'd make it two steps before you know getting one of your toes in. So
Cameron (as Debbie): Well we'll, we'll see if the scarlet ends up being the ferry that we have come along next.
Kit (as Birdie): We'll really hope so. [giggle] Well, thank you for all of the snacks that you gave my compatriot. I'm sure they will be lovely. They smelled lovely from what I could tell walking over past Marathon.
Cameron (as Debbie): As she briefly past you,
Kit (as Birdie): Yes.
Cameron (as Debbie): - as she has ran off into the distance.
Kit (as Birdie): Mhm. Deserted me. Mhm. Mhm.
Cameron (as Debbie): Yes - very, very elegantly.
Kit (as Birdie): Oh, yes.
Kit (as Betty): Uh huh.
Cameron (as Debbie): [laughing] Don't don't feel any pressure to stay over here if you don't want to, sweetie. You can head on back over to your friends.
Kit (as Birdie): Well, you two are very nice.
Cameron (as Debbie): Betty and I are happy to keep talking to you, but do not feel pressured at all. [laughing]
Kit (as Birdie): [laughing] Can I? Could I ask for some of the puppy chow, actually?
Kit: And Betty will turn around and get another little baggie of the puppy chow and say
Kit (as Betty): Oh, here you go, dear. No worries at all. We have a coming out of our ears.
Cameron (as Debbie): And don't and don't share that with her.
Kit (as Birdie): Oh, I won't.
Cameron (as Debbie): It's yours.
Kit (as Birdie): This is all mine. Oh, well. Thank you, you two. I'm glad that we made friends. [laugh]
Kit: And she's going to turn around and skip back to the rig.
Kit (as Betty): What a lovely gal.
Cameron (as Debbie): So adorable. And you know, so so awkwardly ditched. [both laughing] The finesse with the wing womaning just wasn't there, you know?
Kit (as Betty): Do you, you know, do you reckon that the taller one looks a little familiar from the derby games?
Cameron (as Debbie): A little bit and she had she, you know, she is wearing skates. [laugh]
Kit (as Betty): Oh, well, that too. But then it's probably just my imagination.
Nick: After a couple of hours, plenty of rest and snacks are shared, a ferry does make its way oh so slowly up the river. To everyone's surprise, it is a bright green, a ferry without any particularly surprising features or rules associated with it, but it has enough space to take on the crowd and the rig and we see, as the ferry with a large chugging diesel engine slowly crosses the massive river allowing the Patina to get to the other side.
As the Patina continues their journey west, we find them in a camp with the open sky above them. The stars somehow seem even brighter here than they've seemed along the journey so far. There's no trees to block them in any direction as the ground has become flatter and flatter as you continue the journey. And the Patina is around a campfire finishing a hearty dinner after a day of easy travel.
Penn (as Marathon): This is terrific soup and it pairs very well with these bars and curds and cookies. Great job Miss Cassidy. Great job Birdie for continuing charming relations with Debbie and Betty on board our lime ferry.
Kit (as Birdie): [annoyed] Mhm. Mhm.
Cameron (as Emma): Didn't you bring all the food over before Birdie went over there though?
Penn (as Marathon): That was just the first three trays.
Cameron (as Emma): Oh.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, we got a couple more - they gave us like field rations I guess,
Cameron (as Emma): Oh wow.
Sydney (as Cassidy): - but we're still eating them now.
Cameron (as Emma): I thought this was it. Okay.
Kit (as Birdie): Well I got my own thing of puppy chow. So
Penn (as Marathon): Which I am not going to be jealous of.
Kit (as Birdie): Mhm. Mhm.
Penn (as Marathon): I refuse to let myself be jealous of, even if it feels like that's the feeling I get inside me.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Marathon what-?
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah sounds like that's working.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, you were trying to set Birdie up. I think getting an extra bag of puppy chow is not as rewarded as she could have been.
Penn (as Marathon): It's true. That's true. You know what? I am labeling that as a wing woman success. Putting it in the win column right there. The wing column right there.
Kit (as Birdie): I told him that you are a bad dancer.
Cameron (as Emma): [cackles]
Penn (as Marathon): Huh. So as I'm setting you up, you're tearing me - this is this uh
Sydney (as Cassidy): Sounds very cooperative. It's all part of the moves.
Kit (as Birdie): Mhm.
Cameron (as Emma): It's like a seesaw.
Penn (as Marathon): True. You know what? Birdie - if it works to tear me down, then let it work.
Kit (as Birdie): I'm better at flirting than that. So
Penn (as Marathon): Far be it for me to get in the way of your process.
Kit (as Birdie): Mm hmm.
Penn (as Marathon): I'm just here to plant seeds.
Kit (as Birdie): Sure.
Sydney: Cassidy takes another bite of soup. It is a curry inspired spicy dish with a bunch of long noodles in it.
Kit (as Birdie): Cassidy this dishes inspired tonight. Absolutely amazing. Thank you.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well, it's it's really nice to be able to use both hands.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, that that would help.
Cameron (as Emma): Makes it so more of the seasoning ends up in the soup. [laugh]
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah can you taste any of the turmeric?
Cameron (as Emma): Oh my gosh, I was tasting it so strongly.
Kit (as Birdie): It's um,
Cameron (as Emma): Amazing.
Kit (as Birdie): Yep. My favorite.
Cameron (as Emma): Uh huh.
Sydney: Cassidy is raising an eyebrow at Marathon.
Penn: Marathon is sheepishly sipping soup out of the bowl. Not conspicuously at all. Not covered in any stains of turmeric.
Penn (as Marathon): [soup slurp] Yep, great. Great seasons in here.
Kit (as Birdie): Mm hmm.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Uh huh.
Penn (as Marathon): [bashful] I looked for more turmeric. I'm sorry.
Cameron (as Emma): I'm sure we'll be able to get some on Sasnak.
Kit (as Birdie): It is known for its spices.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, it has the benefit of moving around so it can kind of collect all of the various trade.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Sydney (as Cassidy): We should be there - not too much longer.
Kit (as Birdie): [squeak] Oh!
Sydney (as Cassidy): I've been trying to talk to people when we're stopping in towns and still listening to the Sasnak news on the radio.
Kit (as Birdie): [squeaky] Yeah. Yeah. It's gonna be really fun. [clears throat]
Sydney (as Cassidy): Uh huh.
Cameron (as Emma): It is kind of weird how you can't really predict when you're gonna get there because it's wandering.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah. Like we're getting closer, but it's one of those like, if it goes in a different direction as we start getting there when we [laugh] our approach time doubles.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah, we'll just have to track that signal once we get close enough.
Kit (as Birdie): Yep.
Cameron (as Emma): I figure eventually you'll be able to see it right? It's a big moving city.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah you can usually see it.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Birdie did you ever leave Sasnak before you left Sasnak?
Cameron (as Emma): [laugh]
Penn (as Marathon): Big leave.
Kit (as Birdie): Um. I mean I did on like a thing with the Ramp Girls once on a job. It was just to retrieve a few things that dropped off the side - it was their equipment that was pretty important. And they, but they had like, really fast little dirt bikes and we were only on the ground for 15 or so minutes so we didn't lose the town, you know, but that's about it. I um, yeah. It's not really smart if you live on Sasnak to get off of Sasnak.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah.
Kit (as Birdie): How fast is it moving?
Kit (as Birdie): It's not moving very fast. It's a whole city, but you know it's it's just a risky thing because if you spend a long enough time out there like if you decide to have a little break from Sasnak and you go out there for half a day or a day you can completely just not be able to catch back up.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, unless you're prepared to go for like a you know, eight hour run.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Cameron (as Emma): Oh, gross.
Penn (as Marathon): That'd be fun training.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, anyways, no, people don't really leave unless they're looking to properly leave.
Penn (as Marathon): Well, we'll be properly visitin' - visiting.
Kit (as Birdie): [high voice] Yep.
Sydney: Cassidy moves to start picking up bowls and then hands her bowl off to the person sitting next to her because she is feeling it in her arm.
Penn (as Marathon): I gotcha. No worries.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Thank you, Marathon.
Kit (as Birdie): [giggle]
Penn (as Marathon): Easy peasy. Just friend to friend happy to help out with some bowls.
Cameron (as Emma): Proud of you Cassidy.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Nevermind, I'm feeling strong enough to do it.
Kit (as Birdie): No!
Penn (as Marathon): Oh too late!
Cameron (as Emma): Never mind, I'm not proud of you anymore?
Penn: Marathon holds the bowls above her head.
Cameron (as Emma): This is great solutioning.
Penn (as Marathon): Well, can you reach? Ope, ope!
Kit (as Birdie): [giggle]
Sydney: Cassidy sits back down and is not playing this game.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah exactly. Back to rest.
Penn: Marathon splits off towards a corner of the camp, happily humming to herself as she sets off to wash bowls.
Cameron (as Emma): All right, Cassidy, that was a lovely dinner. I'm going to go and continue my Knight work before it becomes fully night.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, fair. I'm gonna sit here and stare off into the distance because I, my hands are forcibly idle.
Cameron (as Emma): All right, enjoy that, then. I'm going to go.
Cameron: Emma nods awkwardly and walks away to the back of the rig.
Kit: Birdie take stock of everyone leaving, and then will go to sit next to Cassidy from where she was across the fire and will sit there in comfortable silence for a few seconds before turning to Cassidy.
Kit (as Birdie): Um, so like, they totally don't have to talk about this at all if you don't want to talk about it, but I did want to ask you how you felt like post feelings talk with Marathon? Like I said we don't have to talk about it, but you know, talking to someone outside of Marathon about it.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah the interested party?
Kit (as Birdie): [laugh]
Sydney (as Cassidy): As opposed to the interested party right here.
Kit (as Birdie): Mhm mhm.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Oh, eavesdropper extraordinaire.
Kit (as Birdie): I don't know what you're talking about.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well, how did you know it was a feelings talk?
Kit (as Birdie):
[deep breath - almost gasp] I'm really good at guessing and I'm also psychic, of course.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Oh, wow.
Kit (as Birdie): Mhm.
Sydney (as Cassidy): It's such a gift to have you among the company.
Kit (as Birdie): Yes. I am truly a gift to have around, you know. Um really though - I it's it's it's less of a gossipy thing and more I wanted to check on you, you know?
Sydney: Cassidy takes a long breath in.
Sydney (as Cassidy): I mean, there's a lot of complicated feelings. Marathon's cool. She's picking up the ways of the mercenary life.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah. Maybe next time I won't get shot. [forced laugh]
Kit (as Birdie): [short laugh] Yeah, that would be ideal.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah I mean, I, I don't know. I don't have a good grasp on where I see things going because the last time I dared to dream that far in advance, we never made it. So
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah no, I get it. It happens when you're adventuring, you know, when you're traveling and doing dangerous things all the time.
Sydney (as Cassidy): It's nice having her here.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Sydney: And Cassidy looks over at Marathon cleaning the dishes that she couldn't clean.
Kit (as Birdie): She's very - I don't know how else to say it - but goofy. [giggle]
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah.
Kit (as Birdie): Very genuine, I think.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah.
Kit (as Birdie): And I don't know, it's an admirable trait to have.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Remember when she first joined up, and she was just lying about everything all the time?
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, it was really fun for those first few weeks when she really was not genuine, but then I think she realized that she's not actually that amazing at lying.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, I also talked to her a little bit about it, so.
Kit (as Birdie): Oh, really? Okay. Well, that's good. Yeah, I was trying to help her out there for a bit, but
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah.
Kit (as Birdie): You know, she's grown a lot from that point.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah. I think she's growing in a good direction.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah. I think that too.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Alright, Birdie - give me some sordid romance tales from your past.
Kit (as Birdie): Oh, well, there was this hotel keeper that I stayed with for a year. [laugh]
Sydney (as Cassidy): Wow. A year.
Kit (as Birdie): A year. I know. It was when I was in Quirk. And -
Sydney (as Cassidy): Oh in Quirk.
Kit (as Birdie): Yes. Yeah it was one of my big city moments. I wasn't with an adventuring group for that year. I just was there and I needed a place to stay and there was this innkeeper. I don't know, we just, we got along really well and it was a mutually beneficial thing. I stayed there and was a very entertaining gift to have around.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Oh of course.
Kit (as Birdie): Of course. And they were very sweet.
Sydney (as Cassidy): What was the name of the inn? Because I - that's - I grew up in Quirk, so like, if it was - it's a big city.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah. Yeah. Um, so it's called The Haven, because the innkeeper that I knew was named Haven, and they thought it was very, very clever.
Sydney: Cassidy has tilted her head like a dog that just heard a strange sound.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Haven huh?
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, yeah, they were.
Sydney (as Cassidy): I don't recognize the name of the hotel, of the inn.
Kit (as Birdie): It'd only been around for a few years I think when I - not even few years when I was there.
Sydney: Cassidy is pondering - is pondering something quite interesting.
Sydney (as Cassidy): How old was this Haven?
Kit (as Birdie): Oh. [lets out breath] Um. We never really talked about it, I guess. But I mean, like we could, I mean, it was I could tell that they were within a few years of me. I think they are probably four years older than me, maybe? I don't know. Somewhere in that. Are you-?
Kit: Birdie starts putting together why Cassidy is making her thinking face.
Kit (as Birdie): Do - did you know someone by the name of Haven?
Sydney (as Cassidy): I did. Uh huh.
Kit (as Birdie): Oh, okay. Wow. Um
Sydney (as Cassidy): Did she have [laugh] uh, bright red curly hair?
Kit (as Birdie): [voice going into panic mode] Yeah. Yeah, um, you know that that's, you know, that's ringing a bell. Um. [awkward and concerned laugh]
Sydney (as Cassidy): Huh.
Kit (as Birdie): Gosh, yeah, that's that's funny. Um, well how - were you guys like little friends growing up or-? Oh...
Sydney (as Cassidy): No, no I left Quirk before I ever got even that mature and Haven's not really uh, someone that I'd ever [laugh] want to date anyway.
Kit (as Birdie): So you were just like, neighborhood neighborhood kids, you know?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, yeah, she was definitely um, in my neighborhood. She was she was pretty often - actually um, we were close enough in the neighborhood setting, that she ended up eating dinner with my family a lot.
Kit (as Birdie): Uh
Sydney: And Cassidy looks like she's about to give somewhere between a extremely bad pun, and reveal an incorrect answer to a quiz prompt.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Um because uh, I'm pretty sure that Haven was my sister. [laugh]
Kit (as Birdie): [high frequency noises]
Kit: Birdie is making noises that only a dog would be able to hear because it is so high pitched, and her mouth is just a sort of hanging open.
Kit (as Birdie): [sounds tight as if air is restricted] That's, that's funny. You're funny, Cassidy. You're so funny. [laugh crying]
Penn (as Marathon): [calling over from dishland] Birdie! Birdie are you okay? Are you choking?
Kit (as Birdie): [cough] No.
Penn (as Marathon): [calling over from dishland] Do you need help?
Kit (as Birdie): I'm fine. Actually.
Sydney (as Cassidy): [laugh]
Sydney: Cassidy is now just cackling to herself because she thinks this is hilarious because it's been so long that she doesn't have an attachment to this person really except that they spent a few years growing up together.
Kit (as Birdie): [sounding very torn up about this] Why are you laughing? This isn't funny.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Birdie this is hilarious. It's the smallest world.
Kit (as Birdie): [freaking out] Oh my god. Oh my god.
Sydney (as Cassidy): [laughing]
Penn (as Marathon): [much concern] I'm coming over!
Kit (as Birdie): I just -
Sydney (as Cassidy): No I mean it's - yeah, she's gotta be by the time that you were there she's an adult.
Kit (as Birdie): Well yeah.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Everything's all good. She's she's - she was my next closest sibling, so she's you know, a year older than me.
Penn: Marathons walked up with clean bowls at this point.
Penn (as Marathon): Did Cassidy just trivia face you, Birdie?
Kit (as Birdie): [horrified mumbling] I slept with Cassidy's sibling.
Sydney (as Cassidy): [laughing]
Kit (as Birdie): [panicked laughter]
Penn: Marathon's jaw drops for a little bit.
Penn (as Marathon): The likelihood...
Kit (as Birdie): I think I need to lie down. I think I need to lay down. [deep breathing]
Sydney (as Cassidy): It's okay, Birdie. We're -
Kit (as Birdie): Okay.
Sydney (as Cassidy): I've got some very good genes -
Kit (as Birdie): We're cool?
Sydney (as Cassidy): - running in our family.
Kit (as Birdie): We're cool? We're cool, though? We're cool?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Oh yeah I don't care.
Penn (as Marathon): Congratulations? I guess?
Sydney (as Cassidy): You were both adults.
Kit (as Birdie): [deep breathing]
Sydney (as Cassidy): She'd always talked about wanting to be a bartender as a kid, like mixing drinks for her friends and all that. Owning her own tavern now, that's fun, that's, that's cool that she got there.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, yeah that's, that's um
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, you got to - our family was... by the time you get down to the end, we were pretty independent kids. So
Kit (as Birdie): Yep. Mhm. Yeah, that's um,
Sydney (as Cassidy): But wow. Yeah. Congrats.
Kit: Birdie's eye is just twitching a little bit.
Kit (as Birdie): That's, you know, yeah, I'm really glad for them too and I totally didn't break their heart really bad. Um.
Penn (as Marathon): [being super helpful :P ] Ooooh, now that... Oooh.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Penn (as Marathon): That's,
Kit (as Birdie): That was the the sordid part of that.
Penn (as Marathon): That's the meat,
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah.
Penn (as Marathon): - meat sauce to the spaghetti right there.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Knowing knowing that context, we don't need to describe any more physical acts.
Kit (as Birdie): No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, we're gonna need to do that though. I don't think that...
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, so okay, so tell me tell me how things ended then.
Kit (as Birdie): Um. Well, I had a thing. I um, you know, had spent a year there and I -
Penn (as Marathon): This was a year thing?
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah. Yeah, it was it was a year thing. Sorry.
Penn (as Marathon): Ooooh.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, it was a it was a full year and I -
Penn (as Marathon): Did you do a classic Birdie, Birdie and ditch or,
Kit (as Birdie): Well, it was uh, it wasn't quite as classic back then, but it certainly was something I uh, I did. Um. I just, [pained sigh]
Sydney (as Cassidy): Uh huh.
Penn (as Marathon): Ooh. Well.
Kit (as Birdie): It [scrambling to find words] Okay. Okay.
Penn (as Marathon): [sounds like she knows she should say it but doesn't believe it] It was a sucky thing to do, but you're a fresh person?
Kit (as Birdie): I had this - I guess it wasn't like an epiphany, it was like, ego death of some sort.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Uh huh.
Kit (as Birdie): And I had this like, really bad time in the middle of the desert and I decided that I needed to leave immediately or else I would, I don't know. I didn't - I wasn't really thinking straight at the time. And I just, I just left. Um.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah. I mean, that happened to me in the desert around Quirk too. So
Kit (as Birdie): Something about it. It's something in the air.
Penn (as Marathon): Something about the desert around Quirk, huh?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah. Isolation and all the stars.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, that's
Sydney (as Cassidy): And all the dirt.
Kit (as Birdie): It's...
Penn (as Marathon): So wait, does Cassidy's sibling even know you're alive?
Kit (as Birdie): I don't know.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh~ sheesh! Yikes!
Kit (as Birdie): It's [sigh]
Sydney (as Cassidy): I mean, she probably doesn't know I'm alive either.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Sydney (as Cassidy): She also um, didn't know me as Cassidy. So
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Sydney: Cassidy gives a broad totally guileless smile.
Kit (as Birdie): We didn't really talk much about like family or anything. Both of us were pretty closed off at that point, I guess.
Kit (as Birdie): Dang for a year.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, we've got some family fun times that.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Everyone- our family has has much good, happy fun times. Yeah.
Kit (as Birdie): Yep.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Everyone was totally left unscarred.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, I'm sure.
Penn (as Marathon): I think that's something that we should talk about at some point, huh?
Kit (as Birdie): [squeak so much] Actually, fine.
Sydney: Cassidy slaps her thighs and goes
Sydney (as Cassidy): Welp, you guys can do that, but I'm gonna go have a different conversation with my maps.
Penn (as Marathon): So close.
Kit (as Birdie): Okay, have a good night, Cassidy.
Penn (as Marathon): Have a wonderful night Miss Cassidy.
Kit (as Birdie): [dying of humiliation] Marathon.
Sydney: Cassidy stands up and winks at Marathon and then winks at Birdie
Kit (as Birdie): [dying inside]
Sydney: and then winks at Marathon again and then goes to retire to her tent.
Kit (as Birdie): [quietly whimpering]
Penn: Marathon is sitting now by the fire with Birdie and leans back with a satisfied, not a smug, but a satisfied smile.
Kit: Birdie is sitting crisscross on the ground completely leaned over with her face in her hands because she doesn't know what to do with herself.
Penn (as Marathon): That? That was a lot, Birdie.
Kit (as Birdie): [said through hands and gallons of embarrassment] Cassidy asked to hear a sordid love affair. I didn't know anything.
Kit: Birdie will sit up and she will take a deep breath.
Kit (as Birdie): Do you know what? This is fine. This brings Cassidy and I quasi closer in some way.
Penn (as Marathon): And this would we like to examine that some way a little bit closer?
Kit (as Birdie): [starting to cry again] No.
Penn (as Marathon): Okay. Well exactly.
Kit: I'm, I'm good for right now. I'm having a very weird emotional time, because I'm -
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah.
Kit (as Birdie): - about to see my family again. And -
Penn (as Marathon): Aww.
Kit (as Birdie): - I just had like this huge bit of personality development. And now I'm [fades into crying mumbles]
Penn: Birdie, I am really glad that I can be here for you, but in this very moment, I think you have some stuff to stew on.
Kit (as Birdie): [emotionally wrecked] I don't want to stew anymore.
Penn (as Marathon): I'm going to bring Emma some cookies.
Kit (as Birdie): [crying] I don't want to stew anymore.
Penn: And Marathon drops a no bake oat cookie into Birdie's lap and gives a little teasing ruffle of her hair before bringing some cookies to Emma.
Kit: Birdie has a second ego death by the fire. [laugh]
Nick: Marathon, you leave Birdie quietly blubbering to herself by the fire and you go to find Emma. Emma, where does Marathon find you?
Cameron: So Marathon finds Emma in the back of the rig near where the Knight is curled up as small as it can curl up in the back. And as Marathon comes into the back of the rig, Emma is climbing down from where she was probably sitting in the cockpit of the Knight and she's got a tablet out that she's clicking around on that has a wire plugged into it that's connecting into an open panel in the Knight's upper thigh. She looks stressed in a successful way. And as Marathon climbs into the rig, she looks up.
Cameron (as Emma): Oh!
Penn (as Marathon): Hey.
Cameron (as Emma): Hello.
Penn (as Marathon): Look like you earned yourself a cookie.
Penn: Marathon holds a cookie down to her.
Cameron (as Emma): I think I almost earned a cookie.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh...
Cameron (as Emma): Hold on.
Penn (as Marathon): I already started on mine.
Penn: Marathon's got a big obvious bite out of her cookie.
Cameron (as Emma): That's fine. Eat yours. Just
Penn (as Marathon): I'll wait. I'll wait,
Cameron (as Emma): hold on. Hold the reward for a moment.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah, what you're working on?
Cameron (as Emma): Okay. Um. I think, I think I have everything hooked back up the way it needs to be and I am fairly certain that the malicious AI is well isolated. So I'm still, I'm still gonna want to talk to Birdie's smart software sibling about that once we get to Sasnak, but I think I think I fixed it. I think it's fixed. I think I think the Knight is fixed.
Penn (as Marathon): Fixed, like,
Cameron (as Emma): Fixed as like not just in like a yeah, we could turn it on if like the world was imploding and we had to and like it would work, but like, no, I think it would actually like work.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh, I can't say I know the mechanical distinctions, but that sounds really impressive Emma.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah, yeah. Yeah. So I think, yeah uh~. I think I'm gonna - this is weirdly stressful - I think I'm gonna turn it on.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh, oh, cool. I get to be here for it.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah. Do you want to see it turn on?
Penn (as Marathon): Hell yeah.
Cameron (as Emma): I don't think it's gonna do much because I do have, like I said, I'm pretty sure the malicious AI is all contained and stuff but I don't want to fully engage everything, just in case it's not.
Penn (as Marathon): I've barely seen this thing on. Yeah.
Cameron (as Emma): It'll leave some parts of it dormant, but I think mechanically, I think I can think I can turn it on.
Penn (as Marathon): Okay, well,
Penn: Marathon holds up the cookie playfully.
Penn (as Marathon): Well I've got your reward waiting for you.
Cameron (as Emma): All right. All right. All right.
Cameron: Emma is kind of excited, bouncing a little bit as she moves around completing the final things that she wants to make sure are closed and stuff before she turns the Knight on and she leaves the tablet plugged in and takes a deep breath and climbs back up to the cockpit and sits down in it. And looks down at Marathon and has like a five year old smiling on Christmas excited to open presents air about her. She's looking at Marathon and she's like,
Cameron (as Emma): All right, ready?
Penn: Marathon with a cookie in each hand gives a little salute.
Cameron (as Emma): All right this would be so disappointing if this doesn't work.
Cameron: And Emma presses a button on the tablet to activate the Knight.
Nick: And you activate the Knight. There is a long, long pause between your activation and when the Knight's running lights flicker on.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh shoot!
Cameron (as Emma): [excited successful cackling] Yes!
Cameron: Emma settles down slightly further into the cockpit and using the controls, lifts up the hand closest to Marathon and waves at her.
Penn (as Marathon): Dirt! Oh, ah. Hey!
Penn: Marathon once realizes it's not going to punch her, she sweatily waves back.
Cameron (as Emma): [laughing] Why did you flinch?
Penn: It's a giant, giant robot mecha - it could crush me that's all I'm saying.
Cameron (as Emma): I'm not gonna crush you! [returns to mad scientist laughing] It worked!
Penn (as Marathon): You just got it working. Perfect. There were, no doubts. Nice job Emma.
Cameron: Realizing that she's in the tight confines of the back of the rig. Emma let's go of the controls and gleefully claps her own hands in front of her chest so that she's not potentially knocking anything over in the back of the rig.
Cameron (as Emma): Oh~, I'm so happy. [contented sigh] All right. Well, ta da! Look!
Penn (as Marathon): It looks terrific and terrifying. Nice job.
Cameron (as Emma): Great. That was the goal. That was the goal all along.
Penn (as Marathon): If I'm a bandit, consider me shaking in my boots.
Cameron (as Emma): Well I mean, yeah, you thought I was gonna crush you just waving, so I think that came across successfully.
Cameron: Emma presses a button in the dashboard of the Knight and turns on the Knight's speakers.
Cameron (as Emma): [over speakers] Hey Cassidy. Birdie. Guess what? [said with a voice that should have a wink along with it]
Kit (as Birdie): [still going through it] Yes?
Cameron (as Emma): [over speakers] Guess what?
Kit (as Birdie): [oof it's rough] What?
Sydney: Cassidy appears around the corner looking excited.
Cameron (as Emma): [over speakers] Hello there. [pleased laugh]
Cameron: Emma has the Knight wave again it Cassidy.
Kit: Birdie's walking over while taking the first bite of her cookie. And her makeup is just running down her face in streaks.
Kit (as Birdie): [going through it, but now there is a cookie in her mouth] I'm really glad you got it back on, Emma.
Cameron (as Emma): Oh my gosh, Birdie are you okay?
Penn (as Marathon): Come here Birdie.
Kit (as Birdie): [cookies probably help with ego death, right?] I'm having a moment.
Penn (as Marathon): Come here. Let me get you in a side hug.
Kit (as Birdie): [cookies help most things] I'm okay. I'm having -
Sydney (as Cassidy): Birdie's having a long night.
Cameron (as Emma): What did y'all do to her?
Kit: Birdie takes the second bite of the cookie before she's done with the first bite. So she's just like,
Kit (as Birdie): [mumbled cookie jumbles]
Cameron (as Emma): Okay.
Sydney (as Cassidy): We realized we had a um, a common backstory link.
Cameron (as Emma): Oh.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah.
Cameron (as Emma): Fun.
Kit (as Birdie): [giant robots make everything better too] The Knight's on.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah. Good work Emma.
Cameron (as Emma): The Knight is on! Thank you. Marathon! Marathon - cookie.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah?
Cameron (as Emma): Give me cookie.
Kit (as Birdie): [friends help too] Emma deserves cookies.
Penn (as Marathon): Do you want me to just toss it up to the cockpit or
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah just throw it. Just throw it.
Penn (as Marathon): Okay.
Penn: Marathon gives a little underhanded hook up to Emma in the cockpit. Lands gently in her lap is the target.
Cameron: Emma catches it and takes a triumphant bite of cookie.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah~!
Kit (as Birdie): [pitiful but supportive] Wooo.
Sydney: Cassidy is giving Emma a clap.
Sydney (as Cassidy): A round of applause.
Cameron (as Emma): Thank you. Thank you. Software is still a concern. We'll want to look into that in Sasnak, but we've got a giant robot again.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah...
Penn (as Marathon): Patina is unstoppable. Unbeatable.
Sydney (as Cassidy): All right, all right Marathon. Let's not,
Penn (as Marathon): S- oh.
Kit (as Birdie): [small laugh]
Penn (as Marathon): Sister fuckers!
Sydney (as Cassidy): - go too far here.
Kit (as Birdie): No~!
Cameron (as Emma): Wait, wait, wait, wait wait wait what?
Kit (as Birdie): [sobbing]
Nick: After some lengthy explanations and good-humored sympathy for Birdie, the crew is able to fall asleep and the next morning sets out again further west. As you continue across the vast emptiness that is this region, you start to see telltale signs of Sasnak. Large ditches dug into the prairie grasses, piles of refuse scattered, some of it very old, mostly decomposed, some of it appearing much newer. The path of these ditches seems random and it's very difficult to track where exactly Sasnak is because the cuts into the ground don't show signs of erosion like you would expect. They all look about the same level of new in this plain. You spend days traveling west heading sometimes further north, sometimes further south, as you look for any sign of the great city. Eventually, you're lucky enough to meet a band of merchants who have seen it and are able to give you the most recent heading and it's only about a day's travel from where you are and you head that direction. Once you're close enough finding the city is easy, you just follow the rumbling in the ground beneath you.
And on the horizon, you see a small group of buildings. Unimpressive, but surely, it must be what you've been looking for for these past weeks. But as you get closer, you realize that it isn't as small as you expected. The scale is almost incomprehensible as you drive and every time you think that you must be near, you realize that Sasnak is still further from you, still bigger. And once you finally catch up to this city, and get your first good look at it without the haze of vast distance between you, you see massive caterpillar treads on a huge round steel platform criss crossed with welds and rust and patches. And perched on top of this moving platform are crystal domes lit by the sun and internal light. You can see the specks of people hanging over the side of the city performing maintenance and keeping lookout and above it all rises tall precariously leaning towers built out of containers and scaffolding. At the very top of this city is what can only be described as a crow's nest, some sort of viewing platform with glass windows and a waving pennant in the breeze. And that's your first look at Sasnak Traveling.
Kit (as Birdie): You know it's, it's smaller than I remember it being.
[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. 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