A Knight of Shreds and Patches Transcript Episode 24: There’s Been Some Practice Going On 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 –
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:
Thanks for putting in your auditions and applications, and spreading the word! Looks like we’ve got a solid pool of candidates, and we’re excited to see who stands out as we begin evaluating. With the holidays here, we will be reviewing applications through the rest of the year and will be reaching out to all applicants the first week of 2022.
And with that, we wrap up today’s announcements and head into episode 24: There’s Been Some Practice Going On. And so...
Join us, for now our tale to yours attaches To carry hope: a Knight of Shreds and Patches.
[hurdy gurdy music ends] [electronic beeping] [robotic powerup noise begins] Distorted Robotic Voice: Power restored. Systems online. Reconfiguring audio connection. [robotic powerup noise fades to radio frequency static]
[over radio] Sydney (as Cassidy): Last time on A Knight of Shreds and Patches, we dropped Modem off at the Advantia conclave outside Eagle Hill. Susan a sketchy Advant in a suit paid out for services and apparently has grand plans for the Knight which I did not appreciate. But we got in and out with no issues. Then Emma and I got to the ocean, I gave a bit of a history lesson, and we finally worked through what our plan is while we wait for Wyatt and Zee-o. [radio static]
Episode Start:
Nick: It's been three months. Cassidy and Emma, you have both settled into your lives in Eagle Hill. The money you received from the Advantia has been stretched a long way, but neither of you are the type to sit still and wait for something to happen to you. It's early morning on a blustery February day.
Sydney: The camera zooms through some wind with a light dusting of snow as the sun is beginning to rise. It's not hard to see by but it's not the brightness of the day. And the camera zooms through this weather towards a long skeletal metal spire reaching into the skies and keeps zooming and Cassidy's on the side of it. She's harnessed to the thing, she's moving up it with all the proper safety precautions. It's the same technique that you use to climb a tree, there's always a couple of points of contact, you're always tied into the next girder or the next rung where there's a ladder. But Cassidy is going up to the top of this thing it looks like and has been at it for a little bit since there was light to see by.
Nick: Much like climbing a tree, even though this is a metal construction, as you get up to the top the wind causes it to bend back and forth and you know that it's not much, but when you're that high off the ground, even with all your experience climbing, it feels like a lot. It feels unstable, like you're going to be flung off and back to the earth.
Sydney: Yeah, and this tower is definitely on the tall side of trees that Cassidy has been in. Cassidy gives a solid glance down and looks down at Eagle Hill beginning to wake around her and appreciates the height that she's climbed to. She's not particularly scared of heights, but there's a little bit of vertigo just realizing how far she's up in the air. And she holds on to her straps that are tied into her harness just as a reminder that she's pretty safe.
Nick: And we see Cassidy come to a cluster of wires and antenna towards the very top of this tower. There's a single slow blinking red light that is less bright now than when you started the climb as the sun is beginning to rise. And you sit back in your harness and take a minute to catch your breath, knowing with this kind of climbing that whenever you start to get tired, you should stop to rest almost immediately - it's part of why this climb took so long. And we see Cassidy touch the side of her head where her ever present headset is attached. For a moment, all we see is the beginning of a sunrise, the blinking red light, and smooth jazz from Eagle Hill's radio station starts to filter in in this quiet moment. And then the moment is broken by a gruff voice from the foreman on the ground.
Nick (as foreman): [over radio] Cassidy come in. How are you doing up there? You about ready to get started?
Sydney (as Cassidy): [over radio] Yep, I made it up to the top. Well start to get to work, the second half of it.
Nick (as foreman): [over radio] Now the thing that you're going to want to do remember this is just preventative maintenance, there's no need to detach anything, there is a transmission going on and the Parliamentarian doesn't like for there to be any interruptions to the broadcast if we can avoid it. So that being said, that does mean that the power is hot. Be careful. You're gonna want to clean off any debris that you see, birds’ nests, mud, dust and report any wear and tear that you see up there.
Sydney (as Cassidy): [over radio] Will do.
Nick: And Cassidy sets to. She pops open some circuit boxes and starts to clean dust and spider webs out from them. She can't help but wonder what's up this high building webs. And I'm gonna need you to make a average Mechanics check to see how well you do at this preventative maintenance.
Sydney: Can I have a blue die from being able to ask the foreman stuff as I'm going through?
Nick: Yeah.
Sydney: Because Cassidy is not a mechanics person, unsurprisingly. I am flipping a story point. Cassidy has two greens by base so this is a yellow, a green and a blue against two purples. At this point Cassidy kind of wishes she had Emma around to help advise but not right now; Emma is still sleeping.
[dice rolling]
Sydney: Two advantages.
Nick: So you figure out pretty quickly that some wires have been disconnected here. The signal has seemed weaker lately. That's part of the reason they sent you up here to do some maintenance. But you just don't feel confident enough to reconnect them the right way, so what you do is you take your ever present notepad and a pencil and you sketch out very detailed exactly what the wiring in the circuits look like so that you can show it to the foreman when you get down to the ground. Now the problem with that is they may need you to climb back up again, and that takes forever, but it's better than knocking out the radio supply for the entire city.
Sydney: That's the conservative choice to make in this situation. And this is a pretty safe way to make sure that nothing gets broken and taking a little bit longer and doing it carefully is almost as good an impression as just doing it right the first time because it illustrates the care.
Nick: The foreman down below has been distracted by other jobs trusting you to do your work. And you do what you were told to fairly quickly. You know, you have a long climb back down if you're going to do it safely. And you take a minute sitting at the top to listen to the music of Eagle Hill and watch the sunrise.
[radio static]
Sydney (as Hollister): [over radio] Thanks for tuning in this morning to K-EGG. There's a nice sunrise outside and I hope you people are enjoying waking up in the morning and starting to go about your day. We're just going to ease you in with a little bit of this smooth jazz. Activities going on today, there's a new round of voting like there is every day, Parliamentarian always has stuff that they want opinions on. Do your civic duty, make sure you vote when you get a chance. And of course to do that, make sure your glasses are around and at hand and available. Everyone here knows how it works, but keep your glasses nearby.
We're going to be raising the tides up a little bit today. The generators are chilling out a little bit but got to get the flow moving back through them. So we're gonna store up a little bit while we've got the moon on our side. And there's going to be a live concert down on docks tonight. If you're in the mood for some Sam Seagull and the Superfriends, there'll be playing live, go pick them up, bring a few blankets, and maybe a popcorn kernel to just sit and enjoy life. That'll be around sunset, so that'll be at about 4:30. This concert is brought to you by the Hyacinth Harpoons, they are the ruling family in charge of the northeast quadrant of a city. They're known for their fishing and seafood processing capabilities. So if you're ever in the area, go check them out. They're just inside the wall on the way up out of town.
And I would be remiss if I didn't bring up the results of yesterday's baseball game. The Yellow Sox had a resounding victory over the Mint Sox with a score of 17 to 1. I would not be surprised if the Mint Sox were to get relegated soon. They've not had a great season and that's a pretty bad look for them. But that's about it for today's news. We'll get back to the music and I'll check back in maybe around noon. There's not too much going on today so just enjoy the tracks. And again, this is K-EGG and I'm your host Hollister. Have a fantastic morning.
Nick: Cassidy breaths the high altitude air as the sea breeze begins to change direction with the sunrise, takes one more look around before gathering herself and beginning the long climb back down to show the foreman what's wrong with the wiring. And we get a wide view of the city of Eagle Hill. The sun is climbing across the sky and later on in the day, we come to Emma.
Cameron: So from this wide shot of Eagle Hill, you notice at this height that there are a surprising number of baseball fields within the city. And the shot slowly zooms in until there's just one baseball field still in the camera shot. It's off to the side, it's a smaller one, does not look like a professional field, but still, you can tell that people here really care about baseball from the upkeep of the place. And the camera zooms in and there is an active baseball game in progress. And coming up to bat next is Emma. She is wearing a maroon jersey. The team that is currently out in the field is wearing a neon orange. It's a very bad combination. At first and third base where there are runners from Emma's team standing they clash majorly. It's gross. We see up at the scoreboard that the game is currently Maroon Sox five, they're just calling themselves the Orange Sox but really that is misleading, the Orange Sox six and there are two outs. And as I said, runners on first and third, and Emma is up to bat.
Nick: And I'm going to need you to roll a Melee attack at hard difficulty. And go ahead and flip me a story point to upgrade that.
Cameron: Alright, so my pool for playing baseball is two purple, a red, and two yellow and a green.
[dice rolling]
Cameron: A failure.
Nick: This is the closing pitcher for the Orange Sox. She has a long braid that she keeps tossed over one shoulder and long arms and legs that gives her more leverage and the ball more curved than you would expect. The first pitch is a slider, high and inside. You saw her get a strikeout with this exact same pitch right before you and even doing that, you're backed off the plate. It's scary. This pitcher can throw for sure. The second pitch is right down the middle. You know this is your shot, you swing with everything you have, and you're early. It was a changeup, your timing was off, and you're corkscrewing around having not made connection as you watch the ball go into the catcher's mitt, in slow motion, you can feel your heartbeat. Your team's calling encouragement from the bench and the bases. The smattering of the crowd in the community stands are also cheering. The pitcher winds up, she lets go. You swing and you make contact, the ball flies deep. Your teammates are running at the first sound of the crack not watching. But you can't help but trace the path as it goes further, further and further back in the field, and into the waiting mitt of the left fielder. And the game is over: six to five. Half of the crowd cheers the other half makes a disappointed noise before they begin to pack up their gear and leave the stands. You're disappointed. But it was a good game.
Cameron: As the fans for Emma's team are leaving, you realize that all of them are wearing sunglasses. And they did organize that because of the nastiness of the other teams’ uniforms.
Nick: It's a small but dedicated following for the Maroon Sox. You carry your bat. It feels heavier as you head back to the dugout. And you're met by the man who invited you to join the team in the first place, someone you've met a while ago and one of your new and dearest friends Shawn. Shawn Ward, who you ran into, by happenstance months ago. What does he look like?
Cameron: Shawn is a large man. He is probably 6'5". At Emma's height of 5'8", he's just so far up there that you can't really tell, you just know it's over six foot. He's tall. And has the triangle shaped upper body, massive intense shoulders and strong arms. Does not look like someone you would expect to be playing baseball, although you can see how the upper body strength would lend itself well to playing baseball. Built a little bit larger than your normal professional baseball players of today. But that all makes sense because he's a blacksmith, so he's used to wielding hammers around rather than baseball bats. So beyond being tall, which is the first feature that you notice about him, he has dark hair that's cropped fairly short to his head, probably because he is a blacksmith and dealing with a lot of fire and intense heat, so it both keeps him cool and keeps him from setting his hair on fire. He has light brown skin and has a tattoo on his forearm of a maroon sock. He has been on this intramural team for a very long time.
Nick: He smiles at you. You know him really well. You know that you and him share a respect for the game. Coming out and playing is what's important and the loss stings, but you made good contact. You did what you could, and there's no pity there, just mutual 'you'll get them next time' feelings. And even with the warmth emanating from him, he has a scary face. He's wearing just ragged canvas pants that have seen better days because the baseball pants that come with the uniforms are too short for him to wear, so he just wears what he can to make do, and he is a scary looking guy. You've gotten to know him so you know that he's kind and protective and loyal, but he has the kind of face that when he's thinking people think he's mad at them and make an effort to go somewhere else. He has thick brows and they frequently draw together into a scowl when he's not thinking about it. But at this moment, he holds out his hand for a sportsman high five and smiles to you and says,
Nick (as Shawn Ward): Well, Emma, you uh, did the best you could. That was a heck of a swing. You weren't choking up on the bat, like I told you to.
Cameron: Emma has to jump to try to give him this high five, because he did hold his arm up too high.
Nick: He smiles but as you jump, he brings his arm down to make a solid high five. He's not trying to make anybody uncomfortable and his size frequently does that. So,
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah, she uh...
Cameron: Emma looks back behind her towards where the neon orange team is still celebrating around the pitcher's mound.
Cameron (as Emma): She's got a really good arm that Wow. Yes, but No, I was not choking up on the bat. I was more just desperate to hit it.
Nick (as Shawn Ward): It was a good swing. But you got to remember where the fielders are, too. I know -
Cameron (as Emma): Well see, they move, Shawn.
Nick (as Shawn Ward): I know. I know.
Cameron (as Emma): Left field is big!
Nick (as Shawn Ward): Look - Do you want me to give you advice? Or do you want me to chuck you under the chin and just say 'great job, Tiger. You'll get them next time?'
Cameron (as Emma): You can do both.
Nick (as Shawn Ward): Alright, which would you like first?
Cameron (as Emma): I want to be told I did a good job.
Nick (as Shawn Ward): Hey, Emma.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah?
Nick: He sets a hand on a shoulder engulfing it and leans down slightly. His deep brown eyes are peering out from his thick eyebrows.
Nick (as Shawn Ward): Emma, you did a great job.
Cameron (as Emma): Aww thank you! You played very well yourself.
Nick (as Shawn Ward): Yep, I sure did. Now, if you choke up on the bat, you'll be able to swing faster, which will help with those breaking balls. Or you could go to a lighter bat. I know that's the bat that we mostly use, but we could figure it out. We could get you something that swings a little quicker.
Cameron (as Emma): Eh I mean, I don't know.
Cameron: Emma is still holding the bat from walking back over from home plate.
Cameron (as Emma): This one just - it? It's got a good weight to it. It feels - like looking at it and holding it. It looks like it weighs as much as it does. Does that make sense? It feels right. I don't know.
Nick: Shawn's mouth opens like he's going to say something when you ask if that makes sense. Then he closes it again, and shakes his head and says,
Nick (as Shawn Ward): No, that does not make sense.
Cameron (as Emma): Ahh I don't - so,
Nick (as Shawn Ward): Is it the density? Are you do we need to find you a equally dense but lighter bat? Is that what you're asking for? I don't think that's regulation.
Cameron (as Emma): No, no, I think it's [sigh] - Have you ever gone to pick up something and it looks super heavy and then you pick it up and it's much lighter than you anticipate and you end up kind of like throwing it?
Nick (as Shawn Ward): All the time.
Cameron (as Emma): That's how I feel about some of the lighter bats that we've tried to practice, like they I don't know they feel flimsy? Like I'm not worried about them breaking but they just - it doesn't feel like a real bat.
Nick (as Shawn Ward): You baseball purists always wanting to use wood. But until the Maroon Sox make it to at least the minors, we're going to be using metal. That's the league rules.
Cameron (as Emma): [sighing] I know.
Nick (as Shawn Ward): Anyway.
Cameron (as Emma): The wood bats just have such a better sound. I don't know.
Nick (as Shawn Ward): I prefer metal myself, but to each their own. Look -
Cameron (as Emma): Also, they don't heat up as much, although I guess that's not an issue right now.
Cameron: Emma looks in it's still slightly snowing. It's calmed down since this morning, but - I guess it's not so much snowing as there was snow that fell this morning and it's still windy enough that some of the snow drifts are getting picked up and flung around.
Nick (as Shawn Ward): Look, you did well. I don't want to take away from that by giving you too many things to think of at the same time. A lot of it's just practice and you've gotten really good. People are starting to plan their defensive schemes around you. That's -
Cameron (as Emma): That's weird.
Nick (as Shawn Ward): Oh, it's what they do. That's how you win baseball games. If we could get any of our fielders to move based on who is batting, we might actually break 500 this year.
Cameron (as Emma): See if it's hard to plan based on who is batting when it hurts to look at the batter as they're coming up to home plate.
Nick (as Shawn Ward): If you want to issue an official complaint to the intramural board, then you go right ahead, but I've been down that road and it's not worth it.
Cameron (as Emma): I just want to be able to wear sunglasses.
Nick (as Shawn Ward): Anyway.
Nick: He claps you on the back just a little bit harder than is comfortable, as is his way.
Nick (as Shawn Ward): I gotta be getting back to work. They let me take an extra long lunch so I could come out here but that filament won't spool itself. You know how it goes.
Cameron (as Emma): Yep. Have fun?
Nick: He smiles crookedly.
Nick (as Shawn Ward): It will be a meditative experience. I don't know about fun, but it gives you time to think. And tomorrow? We're still good to do some self-defense?
Cameron (as Emma): Yes.
Nick (as Shawn Ward): All right, you can bring your bat, bring your gloves and your sparring pads and we'll see what we can do.
Cameron (as Emma): All right, will do.
Nick (as Shawn Ward): Good game.
Nick: And he turns to the rest of the group who has been packing up and says,
Nick (as Shawn Ward): Good game everyone.
Nick: And they all in unison say good game back like as a ritual, and he strides off carrying several baseball bats with a large baseball mitt slung over the end of one like a rucksack. And strides off from this quiet neighborhood deeper into the city towards where he works. And we get another wide view of Eagle Hill. Life in the city moves onward like it always does. The sun creeps its way across the late winter sky. We come to the members of the Patina in Eagle Hill, clustered around the rig where they have it parked in a old and dusty warehouse behind the Crochet Club.
Sydney: Cassidy is sitting at a looks like a picnic table that they dragged in from somewhere maybe it's always been here. It's the metal with the wood slats and it's really not that comfortable, but it's somewhere to sit. And she's munching on a little hand pie, like meat pie, that she picked up on the way back. She's actually flipping a knife catching it by the tip of the blade and back and the camera zooms on it, you can actually see that it's the knife from the train - the one that she smuggled into her dress. It rode all the way in with her. And she finishes the last bite have her dinner and with that hand, flicks it across the room into a small target. And it doesn't hit the bull's eye but it's pretty close. The camera follows it in as it spins and it does the proper amount of rotation to line back up so that it sticks. And that target board is hand painted, but it's nice like it was done with care and is now very thoroughly chipped and full of nicks and dings from where you can tell there's been some practice going on and there's a couple of other knives that maybe look more suited for throwing like that they're actually properly balanced.
Nick: The knife sticks deep into the target shaking and vibrating with the force of the blow. A couple of feet away in an open doorway stands the young man who was charged with taking care of the rig and guarding it as part of a deal with the Crochet Club that Mo'nae made for you. The rig is guarded. It is under the protection of the Crochet Club and people don't mess with it. That's why you feel comfortable leaving for work. And he turns quickly to where Cassidy is standing, having thrown that knife, looks pretty pale, and says,
Nick (as Dresden, aka Beltbuckle): Hey uh, watch where you're throwing that thing. That, that could have hit me.
Sydney (as Cassidy): No, I wasn't going to. You weren't in front of the target.
Nick: He takes a step back. And yes, the target has been hit innumerable times. A lot of practice has happened here. But we see on the wall just a couple of small holes made by a knife where the blade was not on center and one hole directly in the door jamb where he had been standing. And he says,
Nick (as Dresden, aka Beltbuckle): What about that?
Sydney (as Cassidy): No that was uh, early attempts? See there's a reason I didn't opt to throw a knife in previous engagements. I'm more of a archer.
Nick (as Dresden, aka Beltbuckle): Could have fooled me.
Nick: And he chuckles uneasily.
Nick (as Dresden, aka Beltbuckle): Anyway, that's in the past. I guess I'm Beltbuckle now and I'm guarding the rig. So it's not how I expected my life to go, I expected to get rich robbing that train, but you know this is simpler. It's a good life. And I'm glad to have met y'all. How's your day gone?
Nick: And we see Emma pop up from behind the truck.
Cameron: Emma was in the back of the truck. While the warehouse that the truck is parked in is old and dusty and a wee bit drafty, the area surrounding the rig has been cleaned pretty thoroughly. And from the stacks of items littered around the back of the truck, it is obvious that Emma has been doing an inventory of all of the tools and little bits and pieces of machinery that were tucked away in the back of the truck. She pops out of the back of the truck holding a handful of additional screwdrivers that as she has found and tosses them gently, she leans down a little bit before tossing, she doesn't just throw them, into the rather large pile of screwdrivers that's already sitting next to the back of the truck. There's not a huge range of sizes even really, like there's a lot of the same screwdriver, like it may have gotten lost, and then another one had to get purchased, and then that one got lost, and then it needed to be repurchased, and then that was just a never-ending cycle. So she pops out of the back of the truck, tosses the screwdrivers, and
Cameron (as Emma): Are y'all gonna have this conversation about the knives every single time Cassidy practices?
Nick (as Dresden, aka Beltbuckle): Is Cassidy going to continue to throw the knife as I walk into the room?
Cameron (as Emma): I don't see how she's supposed to predict when you're going to walk into the room, Dresden.
Sydney (as Cassidy): I mean we can always try moving the doorway.
Cameron (as Emma): Okay, I don't think that's a good solution either.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well the target can't move. No.
Nick (as Dresden, aka Beltbuckle): No, of course not. It's too stuck to the wall with these super accurate knife throws.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Exactly.
Cameron (as Emma): That is not how that is stuck to the wall.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Maybe you should stick your head around on the far side of the doorway if you start hearing thumps, although to be fair, this was my first knife today.
Cameron (as Emma): The offer is still on the table for me to move the board. As you can see, I am well supplied.
Cameron: And Emma gestures to the pile of screwdrivers.
Cameron (as Emma): I can shift it over for you.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Why do we have so many?
Cameron (as Emma): I don't know. There has been at least one screwdriver in every single box that I've opened.
Sydney (as Cassidy): I mean, I know Pallie had mentioned at least once or twice that she had misplaced one, but uhhh, I suppose there's something to be said for convenience. It's always in the box at hand.
Cameron (as Emma): That's true. You don't have to spend long looking for one because they're everywhere. Anyway, I think the original question - uh, my day went well, Dresden, how has your day been?
Nick (as Dresden, aka Beltbuckle): It was pretty good. Mostly just checked on the rig pretty regularly, traded out with someone, went and had lunch down at the deli down the street. That was pretty good.
Cameron (as Emma): What'd you get?
Nick (as Dresden, aka Beltbuckle): A san-sandwich.
Cameron (as Emma): Okay, what [sigh] What type of sandwich?
Sydney (as Cassidy): [overlapping] So delis do have multiple kinds of sandwiches. It's kind of one of the things that are known for.
Cameron (as Emma): I've been working my way through the menu. I want to know if you got one that I have gotten before.
Nick (as Dresden, aka Beltbuckle): I always get the lobster roll.
Cameron (as Emma): Oh, no, I have not tried that one yet.
Nick (as Dresden, aka Beltbuckle): Yeah. Well, sort of a delicacy here since that's one of the main meat sources.
Cameron (as Emma): Yup.
Nick (as Dresden, aka Beltbuckle): They don't skimp on it down the street. They'll really give it to you.
Cameron (as Emma): Yep, I am avoiding it on principle. [laugh] Those things are terrifying.
Nick (as Dresden, aka Beltbuckle): Well you're missing out. Well it's dead. The sandwich isn't going to hurt you.
Cameron (as Emma): I know the sandwich isn't going to hurt me, but I don't like the lobsters. They're concerning.
Nick (as Dresden, aka Beltbuckle): You said your day went well. Did you win?
Cameron (as Emma): No~.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Awww.
Cameron (as Emma): It was close but their closer had a really good arm and - heh - I did not go up to bat in a good position from how the rest of that inning had gone so far. So
Nick (as Dresden, aka Beltbuckle): It was the Orange Sox, right?
Cameron (as Emma): Yes.
Nick (as Dresden, aka Beltbuckle): Yeah. If they manage to make it up to the minors after this season, it's going to be because that closer. She's murder.
Cameron (as Emma): If they go to the minors, do they have to change their uniform color?
Nick (as Dresden, aka Beltbuckle): No, it's tradition.
Cameron (as Emma): Oh no.
Nick (as Dresden, aka Beltbuckle): You do it by neighborhood, right?
Cameron (as Emma): Mmm.
Nick (as Dresden, aka Beltbuckle): Except for maybe the majors if you have sponsorship, but that's kind of frowned upon. How will the spirits of baseball know that you're you if you change your uniform color?
Cameron (as Emma): Um.
Nick (as Dresden, aka Beltbuckle): No, it doesn't make sense.
Cameron (as Emma): Okay.
Nick (as Dresden, aka Beltbuckle): It's just like a traditional thing. It's kind of like a lot of people don't wash their uniform until they lose because -
Cameron (as Emma): Eww!
Sydney (as Cassidy): That's gross.
Nick (as Dresden, aka Beltbuckle): It's like good luck. You keep
Sydney (as Cassidy): Why?
Nick (as Dresden, aka Beltbuckle): The dust is good luck. If you wash it, you might lose the good luck.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, but if you washed it like right before you won your first one, because you were washing it every time then now you have a tradition of it being clean when you win.
Nick (as Dresden, aka Beltbuckle): Well but like the game that you won the winning sticks to the dust there. That's the thing like people do that. I just assumed Emma's uniform was so clean all the time because they haven't won in a while.
Cameron (as Emma): No, that it's because I clean it.
Nick (as Dresden, aka Beltbuckle): Have you tried not cleaning it? Maybe you would win?
Cameron (as Emma): Well, so we didn't win today, but we won our last game.
Nick (as Dresden, aka Beltbuckle): And then you washed your uniform -
Cameron (as Emma): And I washed it before then.
Nick (as Dresden, aka Beltbuckle): - and then you lost.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah, but we have. We won the past two games prior to this one and I washed my uniform prior to both of those.
Nick (as Dresden, aka Beltbuckle): Look, ladies, I don't mean to tell you your business, but baseball isn't about logic or cleanliness. Baseball is about heart and superstition and logic and sometimes statistics but mostly heart.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Didn't you, it's about logic and also not about logic, which I suppose is a consistent statement if the not logic is critical to it, but I thought baseball was about like physicality. That's why Emma is looking so buff.
Nick (as Dresden, aka Beltbuckle): No, the game is 100% mental, 10% physical, 20% luck.
Cameron (as Emma): I very much disagree with that. Also -
Nick (as Dresden, aka Beltbuckle): Which of us grew up in the home of baseball? Because I'm pretty sure it was me.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah, that just means you were brainwashed, it doesn't mean you're right.
Sydney (as Cassidy): And we bring a fresh outside opinion to whatever's going on here.
Cameron (as Emma): And clean uniforms, apparently.
Nick (as Dresden, aka Beltbuckle): Pretty sure this game has lasted a million years. We don't need a fresh opinion.
Cameron (as Emma): Okay, but you can't not wash your uniform for a million years. No one is going to want you on their team.
Nick (as Dresden, aka Beltbuckle): You wash it when they put it into the Hall of Fame.
Cameron (as Emma): Okay, but then you're not wearing it anymore.
Nick (as Dresden, aka Beltbuckle): I feel like we've gotten a little off topic. I'll admit I'm messing with you a little bit. It's a little fun to see you all get flustered and I don't really get to talk to people that much guarding this warehouse. Cassidy, how was work?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Ah, I uh, had to climb the radio tower twice.
Cameron (as Emma): Ohh.
Nick (as Dresden, aka Beltbuckle): Oh, like the main one? The big one?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah. The big one. That was a lot of climbing.
Cameron (as Emma): All the way up?
Sydney (as Cassidy): All the way up.
Nick (as Dresden, aka Beltbuckle): That's like 250 feet.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeahh.
Sydney: And Cassidy unwraps another meat pie and starts eating a second one - they're still warm, because that's the point of the meat pies. And she grabbed them on her way back.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, it was uh - I got up to the top and I couldn't tell what should have been plugged in and shouldn't have. So I had to, I drew the schematic and I brought it back down. And the foreman was happy to help, fortunately, sometimes people get annoyed when you're being too cautious. But in this case, he appreciated it. But the tradeoff was is after lunch, I got to go right back up again. It was a lot, but got paid. Starting to get the reputation out there a little bit. Especially it's the you know, it's tallest structure in the city now. So
Nick (as Dresden, aka Beltbuckle): Not too many people will climb the radio tower like that. Probably how you managed to get hired in the first place. But it's not easy work, I would assume, I've never done it. I don't have any interest in being that far off the ground personally.
Sydney (as Cassidy): It's pretty fun.
Cameron (as Emma): I just know it gets colder as you go up and I'm not interested.
Sydney (as Cassidy): It was a little chilly, especially this morning, because I started pretty early.
Cameron (as Emma): Oh, yeah. I'm also not interested in waking up early.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, I suspect - I thought about like trying to get you on the radio or something, but I figured you were probably going to be sleep for like three more hours. So,
Cameron (as Emma): See so if you called me, I'd answer and then I would just go back to bed.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well, maybe next time.
Nick (as Dresden, aka Beltbuckle): Well, lovely seeing you. I'm about halfway through a magazine, so I'm going to go sit down and read that. Also, I think there's a vote coming up. So I should probably know what I'm voting about. I think there's an insert in the back of the magazine. But if you could do me a favor, Cassidy, I know we met on that train but if you could not throw any more knives in my direction, I'll be far away from the target.
Nick: He says seeing Cassidy about to say something snarky.
Nick (as Dresden, aka Beltbuckle): But if you could just keep the knives out of my general area, I'll be able to focus a little bit more on reading. How's that sound?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, sounds reasonable. Wouldn't want to piss off the guy who's doing such a good job keeping people away from our piles of stuff.
Nick: And out of his back pocket, he pulls a magazine. It's like a lightly bound newspaper. Like the paper is not particularly high quality. It's almost a pamphlet that's just really thick. And it's been rolled, and he unrolls it and out of a breast pocket he pulls out a pair of round spectacles and sets them on his nose and he goes and sits on a crate over in the corner and starts paging through the magazine and nodding to himself.
Cameron (as Emma): Hey, one quick last question, Dresden. Do you know anyone who needs a screwdriver?
Nick: He stops from where he was turning pages, one finger close to his mouth where he was about to lick his finger for turning the pages doesn't look up for a second drops his hand and looks up.
Nick (as Dresden, aka Beltbuckle): Is that a euphemism?
Cameron (as Emma): No. Now, I -
Nick (as Dresden, aka Beltbuckle): Are you hitting on me, Emma?
Cameron (as Emma): I can see how you would think that but no. Literal -
Nick (as Dresden, aka Beltbuckle): I've felt the attraction too, but I figured that we would talk about that more in private, honestly.
Cameron (as Emma): Literal question. Do you know anyone who needs an actual literal physical screwdriver?
Nick (as Dresden, aka Beltbuckle): For what?
Cameron (as Emma): Screwing things...screws into the wall?
Nick (as Dresden, aka Beltbuckle): See look, Cassidy, there she goes again.
Sydney (as Cassidy): You gotta stop misconstruing things there, bud.
Nick (as Dresden, aka Beltbuckle): You're probably right. I just nobody understands my humor. It's so good. I'm so funny.
Cameron (as Emma): You are so funny. But do you know anyone who needs a screwdriver?
Sydney (as Cassidy): There will be the right person out there for you.
Nick (as Dresden, aka Beltbuckle): Oh, thank you Cassidy. I know you said that sort of like -
Sydney (as Cassidy): Maybe they'll need a screwdriver.
Nick: He wiggles his eyebrows.
Cameron (as Emma): They make great gifts.
Nick: Stopping in mid thought and says,
Nick (as Dresden, aka Beltbuckle): Actually Emma, I'll take one if you're just handing out free hand tools.
Cameron (as Emma): See now that sounds inappropriate.
Nick (as Dresden, aka Beltbuckle): Okay, you got me. I was trying to be okay. Okay, okay, I'm going back to my magazine.
Nick: And he slouches down having been viciously defeated in verbal jousting.
Sydney: Cassidy looks over far enough at the angle that Dresden can't see and eyebrow waggles at Emma.
Cameron: Emma shrugs and looks completely uninterested. [laughing]
Sydney (as Cassidy): So how's the sorting going? Are we are you finding what you need to get the Knight working in a way that you're confident on.
Cameron (as Emma): Umm. So I found all the parts I needed to fix underneath the shoulder where it gotten hit in the drone fight. So that's all repaired. I've been working with the software, I did find one of Pallie's interfacers, and was able to get that hooked in and was able to find where the boot up process kicks off. So like I'm figuring it out. Still haven't found any notes are anything helpful.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Lovely.
Cameron (as Emma): Even having only met her once I'm positive Pallie had notes like she had to have.
Sydney (as Cassidy): It, yeah, I really seems like a thing. I her results were so good. I don't know, I honestly, I never paid that close attention.
Cameron (as Emma): I think experience wise, like stuff that I know how to do already, I don't make notes of anything. But like the first time I did it, I kept notes so that when I went to go do it again, I had something to refer back to and didn't have to start from scratch again. And I feel like with a project like the Knight, it seems like something that someone would document -
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah it does
Cameron (as Emma): - the process. Like I would 100%, because who gets to work on technology like this, like, it's so cool. And there has to be something back here. But beyond the screwdriver population, it's all been pretty basic stuff that you'd expect, like we've got a good amount of sheet metal that'll come in handy for future repairs. I found some stuff to fix the screen, or at least [small laugh] touch up the screen in the exo suit. With how big a crack it's got I don't know how back to 100% I can get it but we can get it,
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, that's fair. I mean, it's gonna be better than a sticky note.
Cameron (as Emma): Yes, even if it doesn't have perfect vision in that section, like you should at least be able to see some shapes to not be completely just in the dark for that quadrant of the screen. So like there's been some helpful stuff like that, but I was really wanting to find things that would help figure out the Knight.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah.
Cameron (as Emma): And so far, it's all just been on the mechanical side for it and that's the part that I felt more confident in initially. So
Sydney (as Cassidy): That's the part that I would have any hope of helping with.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah...
Sydney (as Cassidy): Not that I am that good with mechanics anyway. But you know, I know how a gun works. And I know how my bow works.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah, I have started, heh, since I haven't been getting a ton of useful info to delve more into the software stuff and I'm kind of scared to touch things in case I mess it up. I'd really like for the Knight to have enough fuel so that I could try to turn it on and like actually see what it's doing while I'm going through things rather than just directly interfacing it without having any feedback from the Knight on what I'm doing.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, that makes sense. We don't have Zee-o to listen to it.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah, so since I don't, we don't have the fuel at the moment. I have been looking into the structure of the arms to see if there is a way that I could incorporate in the slingshot crossbow thing that I talked about within the arm.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, that sounded exciting.
Cameron (as Emma): So I think in the left arm, I think there is space in the forearm to do that. What I'm trying to figure out right now is how to store projectiles for it in a way that doesn't, one hamper the Knights movements at all and then two doesn't get in the way of it using the sword still, and I want the elbow joint to still be fully functional. So figuring that out, but found a place to tie in for the actual if I do the slingshot piece, tie in the bolts at the wrist to then be able to pull back to the elbow.
Sydney: Where's the Knight right now? Is it just standing up in the thing?
Cameron: I think it's lounging against the truck. We got a enough fuel for it that we were able to remove it from the back of the truck and just set it down next to it so that Emma had the space to clear out the back of the truck and figure out what all was going on and had better lighting to see it while she was working on it.
Sydney: So Cassidy is looking at each of these spots in turn trying to build up her mental map of at least what Emma's doing and thinking, she doesn't know the specifics, but at least like the Okay, cool, so there's gonna be range capabilities and the arm still gonna work. And that's the spot where we can maybe plug in things to know, at some point in the future, maybe just soaking knowledge.
Cameron: As Emma is talking, she is using her left arm as the presentation device, like pointing to her wrist, putting two bolts into her wrist and then being like if you pulled back and pulling back her right arm to the elbow, miming what it would look like if you did that.
Cameron (as Emma): And then the other thing that I still am working on with some of the smaller prototypes is figuring out a way for it to automatically reset itself so that you don't have to try to get all dexterous, with the right hand of the Knight to be able to reset it to shoot again. So I have things that are working in small, small mode, the concern is the scaling that up and maintaining the strength that it's going to need to do it.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah.
Cameron (as Emma): Um so because the elastic part for pulling it back to add the tension is going to be a lot tighter and stronger on the Knight because we want the projectiles to go a great distance.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, I would prefer to not have to shoot them from within [laugh] arm's reach even arm's reach of that guy, but
Cameron (as Emma): [laughing] The goal is to get at least be able to shoot outside of sword range.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, that would be...
Cameron (as Emma): You know, give you a little bit farther. But yeah, it's I think it's going to work.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well, I am confident in your ability.
Cameron (as Emma): It's just figuring out where I can splice in and not mess up the arm, how it's functioning right now. But Shawn did mention that he could help create some of the pieces that I need.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Ohh.
Cameron (as Emma): Since he's got the full smithy set up. And that's going to be a lot harder for me to put together out of random stuff that I have. If we want it to have any strength to it.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah. How's your training going with him? I know, I'm seeing the results pay off. But how's the technique?
Cameron (as Emma): I think it's going good. I'm definitely feeling like much less of a danger to myself.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Always good.
Cameron (as Emma): Which, yeah, perk there. You know, I think the biggest thing I've noticed, I think is -
Cameron: Emma has her elbows bent and is holding her arms how you would if you were doing the chicken dance, bending her arms up and down.
Cameron (as Emma): - beyond just like the overall my arms feel stronger, which I've noticed when moving stuff around in the back of the truck. I feel like my grip strength got a lot better. So I'm less likely for, if I am in a fight with somebody, I've been doing a lot better at not letting things get ripped out of my hands.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Solid. [laugh] As a trying to whack people with things, that's an important step.
Cameron (as Emma): Mhmm. Trying not to get myself unarmed, or disarmed rather. But it's been going good. Shawn's a very patient teacher and
Sydney (as Cassidy): Important.
Cameron (as Emma): I think the fact that he is so much taller than me is helping prepare me better too, because if I can win in a fight against him, and he has a much longer reach than I do, that is a much better setup for fighting anyone more towards my height where we would have equal range.
Sydney (as Cassidy): How have you been doing in your sparring? Are you uh, taking a couple of points off him yet?
Cameron (as Emma): I have made contact. [laugh]
Sydney (as Cassidy): Oh, that's progress. You hadn't last time we talked.
Cameron (as Emma): Yes. Um I finally realized that if I aim low, like at his thigh or calf, I'm far more likely to hit because it takes him longer to get down there to block it.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, makes sense. He's a big dude.
Cameron: But most of my swings, he just catches them with his hand, which like,
Sydney (as Cassidy): Oof.
Cameron (as Emma): It's [laughing] obviously not very effective, for me at least, very effective for him in defense, but I'm having fun learning which
Sydney (as Cassidy): That's good.
Cameron (as Emma): I didn't anticipate actually.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, I mean, considering you're half of a mercenary company and -
Sydney (as Cassidy): Uh huh.
Sydney (as Cassidy): - our main purpose is fighting. It's good that you're not hating it.
Cameron (as Emma): Yes.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well, we'll see how it goes. But it sounds like you're making progress if you're feeling up to it, and we have a concrete list of the components and stuff that we need to go source for the next round of upgrades for the Knight, I mean, I've been working and taking odd jobs and you know, starting to build that network of contacts around. We might be able to go look for something maybe not fighting, but some adventuring outside of the city in some less civilized areas and hunt some wild tech or -
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah. One thing I'd like to do before we do that, and it's something that Shawn and I have talked about a few times now that I am more competent, going to try out the exo suit.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, that would be a good idea. You know, if you get it working, you - he probably won't be able to block you with his bare hands.
Cameron (as Emma): Yes. So the strength addition is there. But I am also going to have to move slightly differently.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah.
Cameron (as Emma): Uh I have been creating pieces that can be inserted in to size it more for me, but it is still built for someone slightly broader shouldered and taller than me.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, Iokua and Wyatt both are - they're not our size.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah. So I've created another armor piece for my chest, because Wyatt's was wide enough it started interfering with my shoulders.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah.
Cameron (as Emma): So I created a smaller one for me, that can hook on there. But we're going to get me into the suit and then once he sees how I'm moving in it, he's going to give me some additional things to try outside of the suit to help make my movements within the suit more streamlined.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Uh yeah, remind me to buy him a drink next time we're at the Bird's Nest, because, you know, he's got the broad education going thinking of how to get you trained in the exo suit too like, it's all important stuff. I would not be able to do the exo suit training because I've used it to do some heavy lifting on occasion, but bows don't scale the same way with raw strength.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah.
Sydney (as Cassidy): And I've got my bow tuned to my drawstring and guns it doesn't help, so that's not really my tool.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah, I definitely got the better end of this deal with him training me and me just having to be the last slot on his baseball team.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, definitely could be worse.
Cameron (as Emma): Like, because I enjoy being on the baseball team. So like, that's not really any trouble for me to go through there. But I'm very appreciative and I think he's appreciative that his baseball team got to play. But I feel like I'm getting more out of this because I get to play baseball, and I get to learn how to be useful.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Teaching can be pretty fun, so,
Cameron (as Emma): And I mean I hope I'm a fun student.
Nick: Through the warehouse you hear a pleasant calm tone as the day's voting for Eagle Hill begins. You see Dresden's round spectacles light up blue, and he's tapping at the sides of the frames and moving his head minutely up and down. The camera zooms out over Eagle Hill, where life is moving onward and people continue to learn and live and grow.
[hurdy gurdy music swells]
Outro:
Aly (as Zee-o): End of episode. Commencing end credits. The following information will be placed in the show notes for your added convenience.
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:
Sydney Whittington as Cassidy. Sydney can be found on our Discord server, which is linked in the show notes, and on Twitter @ sydney_whitt.
Cameron Robertson as Emma. Cameron can be found on Twitter @ midnightmusic13 and on Instagram @ reading_and_dreaming. Cameron is also a player on Tabletop Squadron, a Star Wars Edge of the Empire actual play podcast.
And Nick Robertson as narrator. Nick can be found on Twitter @ alias58. Nick is also the GM for Tabletop Squadron, which you can support @ Patreon.com/TabletopSquadron
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.
Until next time… ...Audio Offline. [hurdy gurdy fades]