A Knight of Shreds and Patches Transcript
Season 3 Episode 3: Smorgasbord
Transcript by Cameron Robertson
Intro:
[hurdy gurdy music begins]
Nick: Welcome, listeners, to A Knight of Shreds and Patches. An immersive actual play podcast. This episode features the talents of –
Penn: Penn Van Batavia as Marathon Messenger and Gwendolyn Rozenthall.
Kit: Kit Adames as Birdie Foundling and Vaus Foundling.
Cameron: Cameron Robertson as Emma Blackwood.
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:
Can you believe we’ve been on the air for three years? I can, but that’s because I’ve been editing for three years plus a couple of months in preproduction, but it is a grand occasion, and we’re so happy you’re here to experience it with us. Wish the Knight a happy birthday on the 25th! (If time for fictional characters is even experienced linearly…) And we have a new patron this week: Tara Evans-Ellis! We bequeath unto you the honor of lighting the Knight’s metaphorical birthday candles.
And for anyone else who wants to explore just how questionable the fictional linear time flow is, check out our Patreon, which gives you access to bonus episodes, campfire conversations, and other fun rewards.
And with that, we wrap up today’s announcements and head into Season 3, Episode 3: Smorgasbord. 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]
Penn (as Marathon): Last time on a Knight of Shreds and Patches, we ventured our way up to the Eaves which is the rickety, constructed top part of Sasnak Traveling where the class stratification can be seen even further than from the ground. We eventually made it to Birdie's childhood home, an old shipping container and we met Vaus, one of Birdie's quieter siblings, and we also met Nona, Birdie's old upstairs neighbor, who was a charming old lady. We settled in and picked beds and decided that before we'd find Birdie's sister Winifred to help us out with some AI technicalities with the Knight, we decided that we'd go to Merchants Alley before all that, get some shopping done. And on our way, we passed by some sort of speechmaker, some person of authority, um I think actually, Cassidy mentioned her name was Gwendolyn an old Patina member if you can believe it, but yeah, she was given some sort of speech. It was not very convincing about the people of Sasnak Traveling needing to stay calm or somethin'- some political bullshit like that, you know what I mean? But yeah, I'm really excited to get to Merchants Alley, once we're there, you know, hang out maybe I'll maybe I'll pick up some new cigarettes. I've been kind of craving since we ran out of Maples, but I'm just excited to be back in a big city. And you know, maybe spending some quality time with Cassidy will be nice little perk to this little shopping endeavor.[radio static]
Episode Start:
Nick: We see the members of the Patina striding purposefully down a busy street trying to get away from the political demonstration that they just left. Even though the public figure, Gwendolyn, had already left the square, people continued to have loud opinions and security continued to tighten, enough so that it made more sense to move on. The Patina had come to the street market of Sasnak as a sort of reward for having finally made it to the city and found somewhere to stay, they find a quiet alleyway and discuss what their plans are next.
Kit (as Birdie): So uh, food?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Food.
Kit (as Birdie): Food then shopping, nail polish, tattoo artist - did I get everyone's wants, question mark?
Penn (as Marathon): Is there anywhere I can like, is there like, a track or like, like a gym? A professional athletic facility?
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, but it's for the professional athletes of the city.
Penn (as Marathon): Damn.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah not a citizen.
Kit (as Birdie): You're not a citizen and I suppose you - there's probably like a recreational track, but it's going to be pretty full of people.
Penn (as Marathon): I'll just stick with you guys. You guys - I'm just happy to be here.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Let's just find some food,
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah.
Sydney (as Cassidy): - and then we can go off or not and figure out what we want to do.
Kit (as Birdie): If you want Marathon, we can explore or something like that so you can get some energy out just by walking. It's a big city.
Penn (as Marathon): It's true. I -
Kit (as Birdie): With lots of stairs.
Penn (as Marathon): I'm just happy. I I've missed being around this many people.
Sydney (as Cassidy): [overlapping] Really?
Kit (as Birdie): [overlapping] Really?
Penn (as Marathon): Yes, severely.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well, congrats. Welcome back.
Penn (as Marathon): Thank you. Thank you.
Kit (as Birdie): I like a nice mid size town.
Penn (as Marathon): And they don't all know me and hate me, [laugh] so that's a big positive.
Kit (as Birdie): You know what -
Sydney (as Cassidy): I can imagine that is an improvement.
Kit (as Birdie): This town might have the most amount of people that would know you as being like, sportstar Marathon Messenger.
Penn (as Marathon): I don't even need them know me as anything. Just knowing there's other souls around, you know?
Kit (as Birdie): Aww~.
Penn (as Marathon): Going through the same life. I don't know I'm getting a little whimsy about it. Not that kind of whimsy.
Kit (as Birdie): I'm proud of you.
Sydney (as Cassidy): You need to go strike up a conversation with someone random at the bar, and we'll sit at a booth and eat some good food and watch you.
Penn (as Marathon): [laugh] Well, I'm happy just hanging out. I am happy talking with the people I do know very well, but with the backdrop of other people.
Sydney (as Cassidy): [overlapping] Ah.
Cameron (as Emma): [overlapping] Oh.
Penn (as Marathon): I feel safe.
Cameron (as Emma): I was gonna say, we'll just absorb your socialization with strangers, like from a distance by osmosis.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah yeah.
Penn (as Marathon): I can also do that, if you would like to live through me vicariously. I have lots of stranger energy right now.
Kit (as Birdie): [giggle]
Sydney (as Cassidy): I don't even have the need for vicarious stranger talk, but - Birdie what's good? What's food?
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah!
Sydney (as Cassidy): Give us your secret local place.
Kit (as Birdie): Okay, um, there's a lot of local places. So a lot of the Merchants Alley is going to be food products and so it's not like there's a restaurant anywhere, there are several bars and a lot of places to sit. Like I think down a ways, there's a big seating area for everyone. But basically, the farther towards where we came from you go, the better the food gets and the farther down in the direction that we're going goes it's it's it's tourist stuff, because you know, it's the it's the thing that tourists first hit,
Penn (as Marathon): Mm.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Ah.
Kit (as Birdie): - but like each of the stalls have kind of perfected their own things, if that makes sense. They specialize in one thing, so it's a lot of like picking and choosing small things to eat and making a meal from it.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well let's then just find a table, go spread out, find some stuff, come back and we can eat whatever we've discovered.
Cameron (as Emma): Go grazing?
Sydney (as Cassidy): [dreamy] Yeah~.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Penn (as Marathon): That sounds great.
Sydney: Cassidy digs into the money bag to distribute an amount to everyone for grabbing dinner without needing the communal bag that she is not letting out of her sight, having heard the tales of the Sasnak pickpockets.
Penn (as Marathon): I want to try a little bit of what everybody gets. So get a little bit extra you know what I'm saying?
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, we'll, we'll get some -
Sydney (as Cassidy): Family style?
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Penn (as Marathon): Family style.
Kit (as Birdie): I think every - I don't think I saw any places that had been closed while I was gone. So I think I can try and give recommendations for you guys if you want. I don't know or you can just go on a free for all.
Sydney (as Cassidy): I saw a place with a big like spit of meat that was just being roasted and I'm gonna go find that.
Cameron (as Emma): Mm.
Kit (as Birdie): Mhm.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh that sounds fun.
Sydney (as Cassidy): And then I'll and then I'll come back.
Penn (as Marathon): Tell me where not to go.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah, is there any way we should definitely avoid?
Kit (as Birdie): Um, I'd just say to stick to the places and the carts and the stalls from here up, and I guess anywhere from the seating area to the top of the Alley if that makes sense. There's no top but you know what I mean. Don't go any farther than the seating area because then it starts turning into just like really overpriced jerky on a stick.
Penn (as Marathon): Mm.
Cameron (as Emma): Well and Cassidy's already got the meat covered it sounds like, [laugh] so
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah. So I'd say get what you can from like as far down as possible and then start coming back towards the seating area.
Cameron (as Emma): All righty.
Kit (as Birdie): I'm gonna go get cronuts.
Kit: And she's gonna dash off to go get cronuts.
Penn (as Marathon): Catch you there!
Nick: And the group scatters to go and find food and bring it back. Birdie, you're able to grab everything that you want. The smells are nostalgic, and you're able to find a table tucked into a corner where you can crowd watch and eat comfortably, and you keep anyone else from getting near projecting the aura of dibs that keep other people from trying to share a table with you. And as people make their way back to the table and find Birdie, what kinds of food do you bring for the group?
Cameron: Emma is returning with several, we'll call them tubs, of different types of macaroni and cheese. So there's one that's a barbecue brisket mac and cheese. There's probably some different types of cheese among them, but it's a great assortment. Lots of noodles.
Kit (as Birdie): Ooh you went to the Noodle Hut!
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah.
Kit (as Birdie): I love that place.
Cameron (as Emma): There were there were too many options, Birdie. [laugh]
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, they've probably expanded since I was there. They already had like 20 when I was there.
Cameron (as Emma): I didn't even make it a quarter of the way through the mac and cheeses. [laughing]
Kit (as Birdie): [laugh]
Cameron (as Emma): But I grabbed the best looking ones and I asked the guy at the counter if he had to pick which ones he would, so these were the recommendations of the stall so I'm they're probably the best ones. That would make sense.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Penn (as Marathon): Ahh damn. Emma, that looks so~ yummy.
Cameron (as Emma): I have plenty of noodles to share, Marathon, as instructed. What are you donating to our picnic? Our smorgasbord?
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, what'd you get?
Penn: Marathon walks up with three different paper containers and she sets them down.
Penn (as Marathon): I brought - okay. I was very proud of my little finds. I found something that specialized in food that was like stuff my Nana made, like Incantation food.
Penn: And she opens the first box.
Penn (as Marathon): I found cornbread -
Penn: And she opens the second box.
Penn (as Marathon): - and collard greens. And I know you got cronuts already, Birdie, but I got some banana pudding here too. And
Kit (as Birdie): Oo~.
Penn (as Marathon): I had a little taste - they gave me a little sample! A sample of the banana pudding and it was so good. I covered sides hopefully. But um, fresh corn bread. Emma have you had corn bread?
Cameron (as Emma): [obviously] Yes?
Penn (as Marathon): Yes. One of my favorite kinds of bread. I would think as a bread appreciator, you would - you'd enjoy it, but I don't know how you -
Cameron (as Emma): I mean, corn bread is very good. And there are many flavors of cornbread. So,
Sydney: Cassidy walks back and with a resounding thump drops a stack of bamboo steamer baskets on the table.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh, yum.
Sydney (as Cassidy): All right. I got meat and other things. So
Penn (as Marathon): And other things.
Sydney: Cassidy unveils the top layer of the baskets.
Sydney (as Cassidy): We have: steamed pork buns.
Cameron (as Emma): Mmm~.
Penn (as Marathon): Mmm.
Kit (as Birdie): Oo~.
Sydney (as Cassidy): They're full of like, rich and shredded meat stuff.
Cameron (as Emma): Well, they smell delicious.
Sydney: Cassidy puts that basket down on the table to reveal the next level.
Sydney (as Cassidy): We have: soup dumplings,
Kit (as Birdie): [gasp]
Sydney (as Cassidy): because -
Penn (as Marathon): Whoa.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Then you can drink your food while you eat it.
Cameron (as Emma): [snort]
Sydney: And Cassidy puts that middle basket down revealing the bottom one.
Sydney (as Cassidy): And~ these are what they called steamed kebab dumplings. So they have a big ol' spinning spit behind the stand and they were shaving it off and then wrapping that meat into these dumplings -
Cameron (as Emma): Mmm.
Sydney (as Cassidy): - and then steaming those.
Penn (as Marathon): Wow~.
Sydney (as Cassidy): So -
Penn (as Marathon): Oh my god.
Sydney (as Cassidy): - we have much meat.
Penn (as Marathon): Much meat good, Miss Cassidy. [excited meat noise]
Cameron (as Emma): Y'all, I'm concerned we don't have enough food. I think we're going to starve. [/s]
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah well these baskets also, we have to give them back at the end, but they have the little branding around the side so that we're just doing the marketing. It's a very good maneuver when we start eating them and everyone sees how good it looks.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah, everybody thinks we're - they're like, whoa, what's that cool team of muscular and wizened -
Cameron (as Emma): Very impressive women.
Penn (as Marathon): - women? Yeah.
Kit (as Birdie): [giggle]
Sydney: Cassidy looks around and sees that there are dumpling baskets that like every other table.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, well.
Kit (as Birdie): They're pretty popular.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, we're much more noticeable.
Penn (as Marathon): We're influencers you might say.
Kit (as Birdie): [giggle]
Penn (as Marathon): At influencing people.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah something like that.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah.
Cameron (as Emma): [sigh] Birdie, what flavor of cronuts did you get?
Kit (as Birdie): So
Cameron (as Emma): I want to know how much room I need to save for cronuts.
Kit (as Birdie): So I got three of my favorite things. Like first got the cronuts, and I got an assortment. I just did like a pick six and I did the ones that I mostly remembered liking. So I got two originals, and then one lemon, I got a maple one - a maple ganache one for Marathon.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh, thank you!
Kit (as Birdie): I got one with raspberry rhubarb jam and I got one with cappuccino because it sounded good.
Penn (as Marathon): Wow, these look terrific.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Ow this is hot. [mistakes were made]
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, don't don't yeah, don't eat it yet. They're very hot. I also got - I went to the Fruit Palace and I got a bunch of fruit skewers because I know sometimes it's hard for us to get like fresh fruit on the road and stuff so
Penn (as Marathon): Wow! [so freaking excited about food]
Kit (as Birdie): I got ginger spiced pineapple skewers and spicy watermelon skewers.
Penn (as Marathon): [under breath] Oh my god. [normal] And this is fresh?
Kit (as Birdie): Mhm. Yeah.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Power of the Domes.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, the gardens are all like hydroponic so we can kind of grow everything.
Penn (as Marathon): Dang!
Sydney (as Cassidy): Or is that the Breadbasket? What's the other one?
Kit (as Birdie): The Gardens is the name of the district that the gardens live in. So
Sydney (as Cassidy): It's been a while since I've been here.
Kit (as Birdie): [laugh] Yeah.
Sydney: Cassidy stuffs an entire pork bun into her mouth.
Kit (as Birdie): I also got some -
Cameron (as Emma): There's more??
Kit (as Birdie): - libation.
Cameron (as Emma): Oh okay. Okay. [laugh]
Kit (as Birdie): [laugh]
Penn (as Marathon): I can't believe we almost forgot.
Sydney: Cassidy gives a thumbs up.
Kit (as Birdie): It's kind of edible libation. So you know, we can save it for later or I guess you can drink the juice if you want, but at the Fruit Palace, they were selling moonshine soaked fruit.
Penn (as Marathon): Oooohhh.
Cameron (as Emma): [laughing in scared] Oh my god.
Penn (as Marathon): Also something my Nana used to do. [laugh]
Kit: And Birdie will pull out two jars. One has a reddish tint and is filled to the brim with bright red cherries, and the other one is green and is filled with pickle spears.
Cameron (as Emma): That seems like an amazing thing to combine with this amount of food that we're about to eat. [laughing]
Penn (as Marathon): Wow. Pickle moonshine.
Cameron (as Emma): [in background dreading the level of drunk she knows they can achieve] Oh my god.
Kit (as Birdie): Pickle moonshine.
Penn (as Marathon): Pickleshine.
Kit (as Birdie): Pickleshine.
Sydney: Cassidy takes a giant swallow.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Pickleshine.
Kit (as Birdie): [giggle]
Cameron (as Emma): [shudder noise] [in background] Oh my god Cassidy. [laughing]
Sydney (as Cassidy): You can eat those buns in more than one bite.
Kit (as Birdie): Oh, really can you?
Cameron (as Emma): Uh huh.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, I think I'm pretty sure you can.
Kit (as Birdie): Okay, thanks for checking.
Cameron (as Emma): Didn't it burn your mouth?
Penn (as Marathon): I could eat more and one bite, I bet, Cassidy.
Kit (as Birdie): I don't -
Cameron (as Emma): Marathon - don't say stuff like that in front of us. That's - we don't need to know.
Sydney (as Cassidy): We're not - just throw up the food.
Penn (as Marathon): Wha- I - [sigh]. [defeated] I'll take it slow.
Sydney (as Cassidy): We're not chubby bunnying the pork buns all over the table.
Penn (as Marathon): That's - good idea.
Cameron (as Emma): [crying softly in background]
Penn (as Marathon): Birdie could you pass that pineapple? I don't think I've had pineapple before.
Kit (as Birdie): You haven't ever had pineapple before?
Penn (as Marathon): No, that's why I'm very excited.
Kit (as Birdie): Oh my god. Take it.
Kit: Birdie will hold up the pineapple skewer that has thick yellow quarters of pineapple rings dusted with a light yellow goldish powder.
Kit (as Birdie): Just uh, be careful. It's like a ginger spice mix, so it's gonna be like a little sour and a little -
Penn (as Marathon): You're talking to a former Cinnamon Challenge person so
Kit (as Birdie): WHAT?
Penn (as Marathon): - no worries. I got this.
Cameron (as Emma): I'm surprised you're still alive, Marathon. [laugh]
Penn: And Marathon sticks a chunk in her mouth and her eyes go wide.
Penn (as Marathon): [mouth full] Ooh - it's so - it's tangy!
Sydney: Cassidy grabs a pickle.
Kit (as Birdie): You know, pineapple makes it feel like tingly in your mouth because the pineapple is actually eating you back.
Penn (as Marathon): Wait, really?
Kit (as Birdie): [wise pineapple elder] Mhm.
Penn (as Marathon): That's sick!
Kit (as Birdie): Because it's really acidic, so don't have too much or you're gonna get sores in your mouth I think, [laugh]. That's what Winifred used to tell me, but I think it was just make me stop eating them.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Equal opportunity dining.
Cameron (as Emma): I don't I don't know if you'll get sores in your mouth, but you can definitely like make your tongue raw,
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Cameron (as Emma): - and it starts feeling real funky.
Cameron: Emma is just sitting holding a container of macaroni and cheese and is just eating mac and cheese.
Kit: Birdie is enjoying her cronut first. Dessert first kind of person.
Penn (as Marathon): I'm so thankful that we get to be here and share this food and the good company. And yeah, that's my given thanks. Sending that one to you, Nana.
Kit (as Birdie): Nana?
Penn (as Marathon): Sorry, she's on my mind a lot today. She would - I - this food,
Penn: And Marathon gestures to the dishes she brought back and the mac and cheese.
Penn (as Marathon): It just - ah god. This takes me and we got all this great new food. [loud exhale]
Sydney: Cassidy has had one bite of every mac and cheese.
Kit (as Birdie): Which one's the best?
Sydney (as Cassidy): I - so I'm - There's a lot of good interesting things and a couple of mm~ just interesting?
Cameron (as Emma): Mhm.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Do you remember what all of them were?
Cameron (as Emma): Uh~ probably. So the one with the brisket is the barbecue brisket. That one is garlic parmesan.
Kit (as Birdie): Ooh~.
Cameron (as Emma): The one next to it that has the peppers in it was, oh, it was it was a chili one - with -
Penn (as Marathon): [said with awe] Chili Mac.
Cameron (as Emma): - green chilies and habanero peppers. Maybe?
Kit (as Birdie): Ooh.
Cameron (as Emma): It's spicy.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, yeah. The spicy was pretty good.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah, that one is apparently one of their most popular and then next to the spicy, the one that looks rather boring is indeed just normal mac and cheese.
Kit (as Birdie): Oh, it's their like six cheese one.
Sydney (as Cassidy): The classic.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah it's their - it's their base mac and cheese and they have like six or seven cheeses listed. Like it's it's still a lot. It's not plain mac and cheese, but -
Penn (as Marathon): So thick!
Cameron (as Emma): - it's their plain mac and cheese and it's very gooey.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Mac and cheeses. Yeah.
Kit (as Birdie): Mhm.
Sydney: Cassidy eats another pickle.
Cameron (as Emma): Um and then -
Kit (as Birdie): Is that the dessert mac and cheese you got there? The one with the fruit and stuff?
Cameron (as Emma): Yes. So the fruit is pears.
Kit (as Birdie): Oo~.
Cameron (as Emma): And then oh was the cheese gruyere?
Kit (as Birdie): Brie or gruyere?
Penn (as Marathon): Gorgonzola?
Kit (as Birdie): Oh, that would be good. Maybe it's all three.
Cameron (as Emma): Ugh no gorgonzola is disgusting. It's not gorgonzola. That's gross.
Kit (as Birdie): [continuing the mystery] Is it gruyere and brie?
Penn (as Marathon): [still thinking about gorgonzola] I'm sorry. [laugh]
Cameron (as Emma): [still thinking about gorgonzola] I think it's - [laugh]. Don't be putting that weird, funky mold cheese into my mac and cheese Marathon. [laugh]
Penn (as Marathon): Definitely fair.
Sydney: Cassidy goes back for another bite of the yet undiagnosed cheese.
Cameron (as Emma): I think that one's just a gruyere. I don't remember them adding anything else in it - besides the fruit, obviously.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, I actually think this weird one is the best.
Kit (as Birdie): Oh~!
Sydney (as Cassidy): I thought that the brisket was a little too sweet. But the way that the fruit and the cheese come together, it actually feels less sweet.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah.
Sydney (as Cassidy): And it might be because I like pepperier brisket. But
Cameron (as Emma): It's not a very peppery brisket and it's not a very tangy barbecue.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah.
Cameron (as Emma): It is a sweeter barbecue, so I would agree.
Sydney (as Cassidy): So this is good interesting. That one was maybe more just interesting. The classic is solid.
Cameron (as Emma): The classic is [happy mouth noise] - it's pretty good. But I think I like I like the chili one. I like the spicy one. It hurts my mouth in a way that I find pleasurable. [laughing]
Penn (as Marathon): It hurts my mouth, but it also is like a cream like it's got that creamy, filling my mouth. Like
Cameron (as Emma): [snort laughing] Uh huh!
Penn (as Marathon): I don't know how to - how to describe that feeling.
Kit (as Birdie): Uh huh...
Cameron (as Emma): [pained, holding in laughter] It's a great description so far, Marathon.
Sydney: Cassidy pops a soup dumpling into her mouth.
Kit: Birdie will take one spoonful of the spicy mac, one of the old fashioned mac and one of the gruyere and pear mac and will sit back down to enjoy her macaroni and cheese.
Kit (as Birdie): I'm sorry what were you gonna say though, Cassidy? You were gonna say something before I got you into the macaroni and cheese tangent.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Oh um.
Sydney: Cassidy has been working through eating like one to two bites of everything on the table before digging into anything specifically and starts going for the cornbread and the collard greens.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Marathon, what was your Nana like?
Penn (as Marathon): Oh, um. Well, she's pretty nice.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Or maybe is your Nana like? I don't - I imagine you haven't seen her in a bit, since you've been here.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah, I haven't. I um, love to know what she's up to. But uh, no, she was she was really cool. She was really supportive after - after my dad uh uh, after my dad passed - no use dancin'. She she brought me fights and supported my athletic career and raised me up real nice and respectful.
Sydney (as Cassidy): How old were you when you're fighting?
Penn (as Marathon): Oh, you know, I started uh, well my dad was an athlete and I started let's see. Well, based on the grade I was in probably around 13, 14.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Hmm.
Kit (as Birdie): Wow.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah. Nice little age bracket. But uh, yeah, she didn't put up with a lot of my nonsense like you guys do. [fond laugh] We were really dependent on each other for a while and I was sending her a lot when when I was doing ice derby, I haven't - I feel really really really bad that I haven't talked to her in a long time. And that feeling just gets more and more it just gets a little worse every time and then I get stressed stalled on it and I just don't do anything. And I - Birdie I imagi- I'm not - I realized that you had that feeling but in a much deeper way and that we are now approaching that and I appreciate your bravery in that and it is -
Kit (as Birdie): [laugh]
Penn (as Marathon): - forcing me to realize I need to have courage talk about - talk to my Nana if I can, if hopefully. You know, I hope she was proud of me. I think she was.
Sydney (as Cassidy): When did you stop seeing her?
Penn (as Marathon): Well when I moved up to Tree All it was hard to keep in touch. She's kind of old fashioned, um
Kit (as Birdie): Snail mail?
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah, yeah snail mail if it can get there it's not really reliable to get all the way out there sometimes but
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, where is Incantation relative to Tree All?
Penn (as Marathon): It's down south and a little farther west. Pretty pretty far down south.
Cameron (as Emma): When I was picturing it I was picturing it right outside Tree All.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh no.
Cameron (as Emma): I thought that's how you ended up in Tree All. I didn't realize it was south of Eagle Hill.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Like in the Allium area or -?
Penn (as Marathon): No um - trying to think. I don't know if there's a Big Seven around there.
Sydney (as Cassidy): It's just in the middle of nowhere?
Penn (as Marathon): I mean, it's one of those places you know? It's out by the mountains - not the Alpine-
Cameron (as Emma): [laughing] That's not that helpful over there.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah, that's fair.
Cameron (as Emma): It's a lot of mountains.
Penn (as Marathon): I mean, biggest city around there will be Knox, but even that - it doesn't really approach the big 'uns like,
Sydney (as Cassidy): Okay, yeah. I I've seen Knox on the maps at least.
Kit (as Birdie): I think I - I passed through Gracelan. Is that somewhere near?
Penn (as Marathon): Oh, Gracelan. Yeah somewhat.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, I was catching a ride with some musicians.
Penn (as Marathon): Fuck Gracelan. That's all I'm saying.
Sydney (as Cassidy): That's a that's a long way to go to go to Tree All. Is it just for ice derby?
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah, I mean,
Sydney (as Cassidy): Cause that's the place they play it.
Penn (as Marathon): My dad, I fol- a lot of what I ended up doing was following in what my dad was really into, and he was really into ice derby. They had little, little league stuff coming to Knox and we'd travel, you know, the days, weeks sometimes to get over there. And yeah, I don't know I - on a whim I was trying it out and I was pretty good and I got - you know, they were they were hunting for for some talent down there and I moved up to the smaller leagues. I just kept moving up north until I got to Tree All. And it just got bigger and bigger until I got up to Tree All.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah.
Penn (as Marathon): Pretty quick rise.
Kit (as Birdie): Is your Nana your dad's mom?
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah, yeah. I didn't really uh - those were the only two adults I had my life. I'm not - there was, it was lot of mining around there.
Kit (as Birdie): Mhm.
Penn (as Marathon): I think Dad mentioned something about - I I didn't ask too much. I was pretty young by the time dad passed, so something about somebody passing in the mines.
Kit (as Birdie):[supportive friend noise]
Penn (as Marathon): But there's no reason to be sad about it. It's uh, I - it made me the woman I am today. There's things I am much sadder about, let's say it that way. [laughing]
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well, let's ignore those because we're here having fun for our first night before we -
Penn (as Marathon): I just tried pineapple!
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah!
Cameron (as Emma): Heck yeah!
Kit (as Birdie): Now have some alcoholic cherries.
Kit: And she's gonna hold out the jar.
Penn (as Marathon): Birdie we're here talking about your drama.
Penn: And Marathon takes a swig of the cherry shine.
Kit (as Birdie): [betrayal] What?
Penn (as Marathon): Who - who are we visiting next that we should emotionally and mentally prepare for?
Kit (as Birdie): I figured we'd go to Winifred next because she is technically who is going to be able to help us the most.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Computers sister? Computer guardian? Whatever the flavor.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, we might have to seek out Juno. I don't know.
Penn (as Marathon): I'm feeling a little tipsy, but just so we're clear - why are we here? What's our plan? Like, I love jammin. I love visiting Birdie's family. And if that's the if that's if that's why we're here, that's why we're here.
Cameron (as Emma): So what I need help on is the software aspect of the Knight. I want to make sure that that the AI that took over it is [chucking out noise] out of there. I have essentially built a gate up around it at the moment, but I don't trust my building prowess in that particular arena, really at all. So while it is working, and like if we had to in a pinch, we could use it, it is at the point where I would probably be the one driving because something could go wonky still, and I don't trust it quite yet.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah...
Cameron (as Emma): So like that's my goal really, is I've got it physically good, but that's not the part that took over when Cassidy was in it. So that's not - [tech concern laugh]
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, I'm not very excited to - it would be good to have someone who has experience with dealing with this kind of software stuff and is also not affiliated with any larger organizations that like to control technology. So
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Sydney (as Cassidy): And then also there are supplies and jobs here we can take theoretically. We're kind of on the eastern edge of where Sasnak tends to go, so if Sasnak then decides to go west, we're so going towards your treasure thing. And we can get off whenever we want assuming we've got the Knight stuff dealt with. I want to see Gwen when she's not giving a speech just to like get a chance to catch up with someone who's known me longer than Emma.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, I mean seeing my family is just part of helping us get along in our her journey.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah.
Kit (as Birdie): I don't necessarily know if we would have been on Sasnak if we hadn't needed a software expert that could have helped the Knight just because we you know, there's it's always a gamble with Sasnak, you know, so, yeah. Mostly, we're mostly here for the Knight.
Cameron (as Emma): We're here for the Knight and to work through Birdie's trauma and to help her family heal.
Kit (as Birdie): I -
Sydney (as Cassidy): We're here to support you as much as you need us to, but since we're here, you could consider talking to more if your family and we'll all make faces and um, try not to sleep with any of them.
Cameron (as Emma):And we'll be incredibly charming and very good friends for you to have so that they're very proud of you.
Penn (as Marathon): Look, I'll be very respectful.
Kit (as Birdie): [laugh] I'm not worried about any of you guys making a bad impression.
Sydney: Cassidy is eating three more dumplings all at once.
Penn: As Marathon continues to suck down pineapple, she mentions
Penn (as Marathon): I I appreciate the breakdown. Thank you very much, everybody.
Cameron (as Emma): Cassidy can you pass me a pork bun over here?
Sydney: Cassidy points to a specific one and then waits for Emma to nod before handing it over just in case there was any preference.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah that one looks beautiful. Thank you.
Cameron: And then Emma reaches over and takes the skewer pineapple from Marathon and takes a piece off and hands it back to her. [laugh]
Penn (as Marathon): Oh, I'm sorry. Did anybody else want some pineapple?
Kit (as Birdie): I got two skewers. It's okay.
Cameron (as Emma): It's your first time having it - I'm willing to having you go for it, I just want a piece. [laughing]
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah, no.
Penn: And Marathon self consciously sets the three quarter eaten pineapple skewer back in the middle of the table.
Sydney: Cassidy grabs a piece of pineapple.
Nick: And so having planned out what their next steps are the Patina finishes their meal and scatters across the market to finish their errands and any preparations that they want to make before finding Winifred, the apparently very talented software specialist. What is one thing that we see from each of you as you shop through one of the most comprehensive markets you've been in in a very long time?
Cameron: Emma is buying some new clothes cause while her clothes were very sturdy and high quality, it has been a while, and having some additional ones that aren't quite as warm would probably be wise. So she wanders through a few stores and comes out at the end of this wandering of hers with a few bags and is wearing a new outfit. So she's got on dark teal overalls, so she still has lots of her pockets that she had in her cargo pants, probably still the same pair of boots because they hold up well and then has a burgundy t shirt on underneath the overalls as her new outfit for the day, but looks as if she has purchased additional items as well that she's carrying.
Kit: Birdie probably went with Emma for part of the time have left a little earlier because she just knew the layout and what she wanted pretty quickly and comes out with only one bag because she was getting mostly summer clothes. Then she goes to sit out on a part of the building that contained quite a few shops stacking upward so that she could look down at Merchants Alley and see the people bustling below.
Cameron: And quickly Emma runs over and grabs Birdie and they rush off to go buy nail polish because since they have new clothes, now they need new colors to match. [laugh]
Kit: [laugh]
Penn: Marathon has been paralyzed by choice once again during this shopping excursion and has mostly been holding shopping bags for everybody either sitting on benches or just following in the background. But she does try and she stops by a little counter where she sees different brands of cigarettes. And as some of the other members of the Patina continue moving she tries to quickly stop and get some Maples, but they were unfortunately out and she had to settle with some Voyagers from Sasnak instead of her beloved Tree All Maples. And she's got a new pack and she gives it a slightly anxious sigh worried that they might not live up to the expectation of her favorite brand, but we'll see how they work and she quickly catches back up.
Sydney: Cassidy made the rounds looking for tattoo artists but everything ended up either the art like the flash tattoos weren't necessarily the style she was looking for showing that the artists were maybe not who she was looking for, or the lines were long or the store was closed with a little sign on the door that just said 'Out Sick Today' and the sign was a little rumpled like maybe it wasn't just today and ends up showing back up to rejoin the Patina with only a small - rather than a consumable shopping bag, closer to a carved wooden gift box, and she sits down next to Marathon while waiting on the others to finish their nail polish spree since being a climber it's hard to have nails that are in great enough shape to wear polish and shares with Marathon the contents of the box which is a couple of new fountain pens and nibs and a couple of bottles of very vividly colored inks.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh these will make such pretty maps.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, I'm hoping so. Inks and nibs I think are especially a - that's a big city luxury more than a functional like you can get black and blue in outer places for like ledger keeping. But I've got this is a metallic red and this is a deep purple.
Penn (as Marathon): Mmm. Those will look great.
Sydney (as Cassidy): I've got a good tealish green over here for maybe some evergreen action from where we're coming from.
Penn (as Marathon): What are you going to use the purple for?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Flourishes? I don't know. Writing love notes.
Penn (as Marathon): [laugh]
Sydney: And then Cassidy looks at Marathon and then looks away and closest the box.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh, well, I I can I can write too.
Penn: And Marathon has a quick flash to the last thing that she wrote. Her handwriting is like that of a third graders.
Penn (as Marathon): Or, you know, I can - may be a better speaker, but uh nice nice catch. No tattoo?
Sydney (as Cassidy): No~.
Penn (as Marathon): Different kind of ink?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Everything - yeah, everything was was busy or I dunno. I'll have to - maybe I'll ask Vaus where they got theirs done.
Penn (as Marathon): Mm. Mhm.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, I'm a little picky sometimes.
Penn (as Marathon): It's all right. They're all touristy here anyway.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah we got to find the back alley tattoo artists.
Penn (as Marathon): I ended up being bag lady for these to nail uh - I guess, I don't even know - I don't want to come up with something insulting.
Sydney (as Cassidy): You can treat yourself too, Marathon. Go go buy something.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah, I'm just kind of overwhelmed. There's a lot a lot of stuff. I like being around all the people but all the - I'm not - I I haven't been doing a lot of things, like shopping, in a long time. I did get some Voyagers. They didn't have Maples at the stand I stopped by, but
Sydney (as Cassidy): Is that a another - is it a brand you've had?
Penn (as Marathon): No not. I've actually, I've only had one other brand and it was - it just didn't - I'm worried. I'm worried. I haven't opened it yet.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well hopefully it's good.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah. Would you uh, now like this might be bad. I would - I would feel better, if somebody shared one of the first ones with me. Would you be willing to be that person? No pressure.
Sydney: Cassidy throws a glance off into the distance.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, sure.
Penn (as Marathon): Cool. Okay.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, I just have memories attached to - eh it's all good.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah.
Sydney (as Cassidy): We can enjoy a smoke looking off into the city from our boxcar.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah, and we can make new memories, hopefully. That'll be cool.
Penn: And Marathon starts unpackaging the Voyagers and starts to light one up.
Penn (as Marathon): Nothing wrong with keeping the old and making new.
Sydney: Cassidy nods and nudges Marathon with her shoulder.
Penn (as Marathon): You know, I think I get this quiet thing a little bit more.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yes. Quiet with all of these people everywhere around us.
Penn (as Marathon): Well, yeah! You know, we get to sit - we get to - it's just us, you know? Like there may be all around us, but I don't have to talk to any of them. I don't have to expect anything. They don't expect anything of me. It's it's nice to just have some solo time.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well, solo - I'm sitting right next to you.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah. No, that's - I mean, just us two, like -
Cameron (as Emma): [yelling from a distance] Hey Cassidy!
Penn (as Marathon): - just hanging out.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Ahh duo time.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah, duo time.
Cameron (as Emma): [yelling from a distance] Cassidy!
Sydney: Cassidy looks up. Looks around.
Cameron: Emma is waving from over by the nail polish stand.
Sydney (as Cassidy): [yelling back] Emma!?
Cameron (as Emma): [yelling from a distance] Do you want a dark purple or a dark blue?
Sydney: Cassidy squints and then decides she needs to go over and see.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Not that alone, Marathon. [sighs in these kids are annoying]
Penn (as Marathon): No.
Sydney: And goes to join the crew at the nail polish stand.
Sydney (as Cassidy): I think the dark blue.
Cameron (as Emma):Okay, because I mean, we can totally do both, but I thought that these two looked the most like you.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well, that looks like a bottle of nail polish.
Cameron (as Emma): [mimicking noises]
Sydney (as Cassidy): I mean that - so the purple matches this flower.
Cameron (as Emma): Mhm.
Sydney (as Cassidy): And the blue matches that flower.
Sydney: Cassidy is pointing to a flower on one forearm and a flower on the alternate the backside of her bicep.
Cameron (as Emma): I- honestly Cassidy I think probably most of the colors are going to coordinate with some of the ink on you.
Sydney (as Cassidy): It's all tactical.
Cameron (as Emma): Anyway, we have a lot of options.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well, yeah, let's - we can get a few.
Cameron (as Emma): Oh no, I mean we - Birdie and I have already selected a lot of options. [laughing]
Sydney (as Cassidy): Oh, what is this one for?
Cameron (as Emma): For you.
Sydney (as Cassidy): But my my hands are always so like screwed up.
Cameron (as Emma): And?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Okay.
Cameron (as Emma): That's the cool thing about nail polish - you fuck it up and then you can reapply it and make it look nice again. It's meant to chip off. It's not permanent. It's just there to make you happy.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Okay, well then you can go paint my nails when we're back in the place.
Cameron (as Emma): Awesome.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Oh expert nail person.
Kit: Birdie will come out in that moment with a little baggie of two nail polishes that she picked out for herself.
Kit (as Birdie): [excited] We're painting Cassidy's nails??
Cameron (as Emma): We're gonna paint Cassidy nails. Yes. [very pleased]
Sydney (as Cassidy): Apparently we're painting Cassidy's nails.
Kit (as Birdie): And we're not going to have to like hold her down for it?
Cameron (as Emma): [tone of 'of course not'] No.
Kit (as Birdie): Really?
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah~.
Kit (as Birdie): Willingly?
Sydney (as Cassidy): I can appreciate like, a delicate splash of color. It's just not practical.
Kit (as Birdie): [laughing]
Cameron (as Emma): [laughing] Yeah, but it's fun. It doesn't have to be practical. It's pretty.
Kit (as Birdie): [yelling] Marathon!
Penn (as Marathon): [yelling from a distance] What's up?
Kit (as Birdie): [yelling] Do you want some?
Penn (as Marathon): Uh...
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well if you're painting mine, you gotta paint hers.
Kit (as Birdie): I know.
Cameron (as Emma): Oh we will paint hers, it's just if she wants a color specific to her or not.
Penn (as Marathon): [yelling from a distance] Orange?
Kit (as Birdie): [quietly] Orange?
Penn (as Marathon): [yelling from a distance] Is that - is that a good color?
Kit: Birdie's making a face.
Penn (as Marathon): [yelling from a distance] Is that a bad color? You guys, just give me whatever color you think looks looks good.
Penn: Her voice starts to trail off a little bit at Birdie's face.
Cameron: Emma turns to look at Cassidy and is trying not to laugh.
Cameron (as Emma): So I know how you feel about orange food, what is your opinion [said at same time] on orange nail polish? [laugh]
Kit (as Birdie): [said at same time] On orange nail polish?
Sydney: Cassidy has an eyebrow raised back at Emma.
Cameron (as Emma): [laughing] Is that an appropriate color?
Sydney (as Cassidy): No if we're for going for - if we're looking at Marathon, we want that shade of green right there.
Sydney: And Cassidy points to on on the stand.
Cameron (as Emma): Okay, we'll get that one then.
Sydney (as Cassidy): It's a good contrast to her hair.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, the nice dark green.
Cameron (as Emma): Mm so it'll look really nice when she runs her hands through it. [laughing]
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well, hopefully she waits till it dries.
Kit (as Birdie): Do you pay a lot of attention to her hands?
Cameron (as Emma): Hmm. It'll contrast well with your hair too. [laughing]
Kit (as Birdie): [laugh]
Sydney (as Cassidy): My hair is mostly brown.
Cameron (as Emma): [laughing] Yeah green and brown - it looks like nature Cassidy.
Kit (as Birdie): It's a lovely complimentary.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, it's not as red as Haven’s.
Cameron (as Emma): Well, I've -
Kit (as Birdie): [betrayal!] Okay.
Cameron (as Emma): I've never Haven I wouldn't know that.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Haven's hair is that color.
Sydney: And Cassidy points to one that is pretty bright coppery red.
Cameron (as Emma): Oh that's pretty.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah...
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah. Birdie it's seeming more likely.
Kit (as Birdie): What? What's seeming more likely?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Okay. Hmm.
Kit (as Birdie): What? I -
Sydney (as Cassidy): Okay, it's - this is the safe haven here.
Kit (as Birdie): [shuddering exhale] [laugh]
Cameron (as Emma): It's okay, Birdie.
Kit (as Birdie): No-
Cameron (as Emma): I don't think it's likely that Cassidy is going to sleep with one of your siblings in retaliation.
Kit (as Birdie): I don't trust her [overlapping] around Winifred.
Cameron (as Emma): [overlapping] It could happen!
Kit (as Birdie): I don't trust her around Winifred.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Is Winifred likely to try and -
Kit (as Birdie): Yes.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Now I kind of want to meet her.
Kit (as Birdie): No~!
Cameron (as Emma): We're gonna meet her, Cassidy.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Okay, well, I look forward to tomorrow.
Kit (as Birdie): Noooo. [cries in younger sibling]
Cameron (as Emma): All right, I'm gonna go buy these colors with Marathon's green in addition.
Sydney (as Cassidy): I mean, I already wanted to meet her because I'm sitting - sleeping in her old room and it has gun racks on the wall. So like,
Kit (as Birdie): [sounds so sad about it] She's really cool.
Cameron (as Emma): That's your type of lady. I'm gonna go pay.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Have fun~.
Nick: The rest of the evening in the market passes as you all continue to window shop and spend time together. And having shopped and relaxed and re-supplied with all the essentials, you all head back to the Eaves of Sasnak and to the home where Birdie grew up and set about spending a peaceful evening together. What does it look like as you all relax in this shipping container home where Birdie spent her formative years?
Kit: Vaus likely cleared out before the Patina arrived back at the boxcar with a little note to the Patina saying 'Glad to meet you. See you soon.' in very neat, lovely handwriting. And so now they've all gotten into their pajamas for the night and -actually I think they've spread out any extra pillows and blankets they can find including what was already on their beds, are in the small living area on the couch and the recliner chair that is old and squeaky but comfortable nonetheless. And Birdie has found herself perched on one side of the couch in a long sleeved silk pajama shirt with matching shorts and she has a little face mask on that is pretty much just made of lightly green tinted cream and her hair has been pulled back into a long french braid probably by Cassidy at some point earlier in the evening. The moonshine cherries and pickle jar are on the small coffee table. They're half empty.
Sydney: Cassidy is laying out on her stomach with her one hand in front of her as Emma paints it, knees on the ground and her feet kicking in the air behind her. Her pajamas are just flannel shorts and a tank top.
Cameron: Emma's sitting cross legged on the floor in front of Cassidy painting Cassidy's nails and is wearing a cropped dark purple tank top and long, wide legged flowy dark blue linen pants and probably already has her nails done and is now working on Cassidy's second layer.
Penn: To complete a triangle with Emma in the middle, Marathon is lounging backward on the ground propped up on her elbow and she's wearing a crop top. It's ripped but not where it's cropped. It's ripped in the shirt part, so it looks like it was like a well made crop top shirt and then it's just got some holes, some burn marks in it. And she's got some light gray sweatpants and a flannel tied around the waist - purple flannel.
Kit (as Birdie): Marathon?
Penn (as Marathon): Hey what's up?
Kit (as Birdie): Okay, so if you're done fishing the pickles and cherries out and like having them, I'm going to paint your fingernails okay?
Penn (as Marathon): Sorry uh yeah, let me - I'm gonna wash them off real quick. I'll be right back.
Kit (as Birdie): You don't want pickle fingers to be polished?
Penn (as Marathon): I don't want permanent pickle fingers, no.
Kit (as Birdie): [sad] Okay.
Cameron (as Emma): Oh god the smell of pickles combined with nail polish.
Sydney (as Cassidy): This is already pretty strong.
Cameron (as Emma): Just like -
Penn (as Marathon): Rancid.
Cameron (as Emma): - following your hands around while you move. Ugh.
Penn (as Marathon): Rancid.
Cameron (as Emma): Ugh.
Kit (as Birdie): The moonshine already smells a little like nail polish.
Cameron (as Emma): That's true.
Penn (as Marathon): That's true.
Cameron (as Emma): But -
Penn (as Marathon): Almost more like nail polish -
Cameron (as Emma): - on your hands.
Penn (as Marathon): - remover in a way.
Cameron (as Emma): Ugh.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah~.
Cameron (as Emma): Wash your hands. Go wash your hands.
Penn (as Marathon): Yes yes. I'll be right back.
Kit (as Birdie): Okay.
Penn (as Marathon): Where's where's the bathroom, Birdie?
Kit (as Birdie): Um
Penn (as Marathon): Do you have or do I need to go outside? Do I need to go to Nona's?
Cameron (as Emma): [laughing]
Kit (as Birdie): [laughing You do not need to go outside. The bathroom is tucked in the back there behind Winifred's room.
Penn: Yeah Marathon heads to the bathroom.
Cameron (as Emma): So you liking the color so far, Cassidy?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Oh, it's it's actually really pretty on my nails. So
Cameron (as Emma): [magical fairy godmother mode activated] Yeah~.
Kit (as Birdie): It is! It's so pretty.
Sydney (as Cassidy): It's a shame I gotta go scale some concrete later.
Cameron (as Emma): I mean, just don't use your nails to grip the concrete.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well, that's why I keep them so short. But
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, that's the only reason -
Cameron (as Emma): I know so they -
Kit (as Birdie): - you keep them so short.
Cameron (as Emma): [sighs in ace]
Sydney: Cassidy looks at Birdie with a raised eyebrow.
Kit (as Birdie): What?
Cameron (as Emma): So that - that should keep your nails out of the way, yes?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well I keep my tongue long, so
Kit (as Birdie): [trying not to laugh]
Cameron (as Emma): I don't see what that has to do with climbing Cassidy.
Sydney: And she looks back at Emma innocently.
Cameron (as Emma): Or scaling concrete walls.
Cameron: Emma is just staring at her mirroring the blank stare back.
Cameron (as Emma): Anyways.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Climbing is a multifaceted sport.
Kit (as Birdie): [sigh]
Cameron (as Emma): [sigh] Anyways, if you mess up your nails, we can just repaint them. And it can be if it's just one nail, we can just fix that one and it doesn't even have to be the same color. It could be a different color. We can do whatever you want.
Sydney (as Cassidy): [suitably chastened] Okay.
Kit (as Birdie): [laugh]
Cameron (as Emma): If you don't want to paint your nails, we also don't have to paint your nails after this.
Sydney (as Cassidy): I mean if you're if you're willing to keep them in maintenance or whatever, like
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah.
Kit (as Birdie): They're cute~.
Sydney (as Cassidy): I'm happy to be -
Cameron (as Emma): You keep them trimmed for whatever activities you need them trimmed for and I'll paint them.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Mhm. It's not like there's been that many of those lately anyway. We're on the road so much.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah not a lot of climbing.
Kit (as Birdie): Mhm.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well because I've been hurt. I don't - did you - did you know this?
Cameron (as Emma): Oh my god. Did you get shot?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah! I actually got shot recently.
Cameron (as Emma): No way.
Sydney (as Cassidy): But I'm like, almost healed now.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, it blew your whole arm off.
Sydney (as Cassidy): I had to regrow a whole arm and a shoulder and -
Kit (as Birdie): Mhm.
Cameron (as Emma): Wow.
Sydney (as Cassidy): - like part of a collar bone and a couple of ribs like it was pretty bad.
Kit (as Birdie): You're so strong. [laugh]
Cameron (as Emma): You are looking remarkably well.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Thanks. I I've been told I heal fast.
Cameron (as Emma): Mhm. Like, like a gecko. [laugh]
Kit (as Birdie): Oh. [laugh]
Sydney (as Cassidy): [laugh] Gecko feet are really good for climbing though.
Cameron (as Emma): Yep. That's why I went with gecko. [laugh]
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, little squishy pads on there.
Cameron (as Emma): Mhm. Yup.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Gecko feet was actually my my nickname in - I didn't even go to high school.
Kit (as Birdie): [laugh] So the cartographers called you -
Cameron (as Emma): You ruined your joke halfway through. [laughing]
Sydney (as Cassidy): Gecko feet was my nickname in comp(ulsory) ed(ucation). There.
Cameron (as Emma): Mmm. Okay.
Kit (as Birdie): Mhm.
Cameron (as Emma): Welcome back Marathon. [laugh]
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah. Hey! Uh, my hands are nice and clean and scrubbed. And just so you know, I can you know, the cargo container is - it is hard to have private conversations. Let me just tell you from everything that I have been able to hear from the bathroom, not that anything was bad.
Kit (as Birdie): Mhm.
Penn (as Marathon): Just so everybody is aware.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Ah yes.
Cameron (as Emma): Mhm.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah it's a metal box.
Penn (as Marathon): Yes.
Cameron: Emma sets the nail polish brush back into the container and leans over to the bag of all of their new collection next to her and picks out the green and passes it to Birdie and says,
Cameron (as Emma): Here's the green Cassidy picked out for you.
Kit (as Birdie): Thank you very much.
Kit: And she'll shake it a little bit and tap it against the palm of her hand and pat the seat of the couch next to her for Marathon to come over and be with her.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh, yeah. I didn't realize this was a professional experience.
Kit (as Birdie): No, it's just fun to have someone else do it for you.
Penn (as Marathon): Cassidy any any uh specific reason on the green?
Sydney (as Cassidy): [long pause][zero inflection] Nope.
Cameron (as Emma): [snort laugh]
Penn: Marathon is giving the biggest shitty grin.
Cameron (as Emma): [laughter continues]
Penn (as Marathon): Okay, okay.
Cameron: Emma has to pause painting Cassidy's nails because she's laughing. [laughing]
Sydney: Cassidy is not very well holding in a smile.
Cameron (as Emma): [laugh into long exhale]
Sydney: She is not making eye contact.
Cameron (as Emma): [centering herself] Okay, okay.
Kit (as Birdie): It's the color of the jacket that you were wearing when we met you.
Penn (as Marathon): [quietly to self] I think I was wearing a blue jacket... [normal] So you liked - you guys, you guys liked that old old uniform? That old thing or,
Penn: Marathon starts sticking out her nails to Birdie, kind of in an awkward way. It's a little obvious she doesn't know how this works.
Kit: Birdie gets the bottle open and grabs Marathon's hand and wrestles it into the position she needs it in.
Penn (as Marathon): Hey what are you - Oh, sorry. Yeah.
Kit (as Birdie): Okay!
Penn (as Marathon): Okay. Sorry.
Cameron (as Emma): Yes. I liked your jacket, Marathon.
Kit (as Birdie): It was very nice and standard issue.
Sydney: Cassidy is continuing to not make eye contact.
Penn: [laughing] Marathon tried to make eye contact with Cassidy. Tries to shift her gaze multiple times. And starts getting a little silly trying to turn her head.
Kit (as Birdie): Stop moving.
Penn (as Marathon): Sorry.
Sydney (as Cassidy): I mean it was a it was a pretty sharp uniform.
Kit (as Birdie): [mocking] Sharp.
Penn (as Marathon): Sharp. Thank you. Thank you. I appreciate the feedback, everyone.
Cameron (as Emma): Mhm.
Penn (as Marathon): So um, you guy - Emma, Birdie - you guys done this, done this nail stuff very much?
Cameron (as Emma): Oh, yeah. All the time.
Kit (as Birdie): Mhm. Yeah.
Penn (as Marathon): What's your work history like with this kind of thing?
Penn: Every time she looks at Birdie with her nails, she turns her head away really quickly.
Cameron (as Emma): Like, how often have I been painting my nails?
Kit (as Birdie): You want our nail polish CV?
Penn (as Marathon): [uncomfortable laugh] You know what I - is that is that a disrespectful thing to -
Cameron (as Emma): No!
Kit (as Birdie): No.
Penn (as Marathon): - ask during this kind of thing? Or
Cameron (as Emma): It's just weird. I don't know. But like, I mean, lots of cousins and I mean, kind of like a dress up doll for my older sister for a while so she'd get new colors and so my nails were always some obnoxious color.
Kit (as Birdie): Mhm.
Cameron (as Emma): And then I had to get really good at painting my own as I grew up and started doing mechanics, because like Cassidy was climbing, I was constantly messing up my nail polish because metal.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, oil.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah. Washing my hands a lot. It was just, but I got to change the color a lot.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Penn (as Marathon): And I have a pretty like, regimented filing routine. Is that going to interfere with this at all?
Kit (as Birdie): No, not really. [so many lesbians saying things but not saying things] You have a regimented filing routine.
Cameron (as Emma): Don't file the top of your nail.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Sydney (as Cassidy): See Marathon also understands the value of short nails.
Kit (as Birdie): Oh my god.
Cameron (as Emma): [sigh] For all that climbing of concrete.
Penn (as Marathon): It is -
Kit (as Birdie): Mhm.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah.
Penn (as Marathon): You know what, I'm an avid climber of concrete and I would just like to say my, you know, the long tongue does come in handy.
Cameron (as Emma): Oh my god. [laughing]
Kit (as Birdie): Oh, my god. Okay. Anyways. Um.
Penn (as Marathon): [laugh] I'm sorry. You know, that was - I apologize.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah so no private conversations is what we're saying.
Penn (as Marathon): Yes.
Sydney (as Cassidy): We gotta go -
Cameron (as Emma): Noted.
Sydney (as Cassidy): - down into the city.
Cameron (as Emma): [laughing]
Kit (as Birdie): Janus always used to paint my nails when I was younger. When she'd be doing hers and I just would ask her to do mine, so I'd go with whatever color she got at the time. Yeah.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh, that's cute.
Kit (as Birdie): And then, as I got older, I would start asking Winifred if I could paint her nails before she went on dates and stuff. And so I'd sit with her while she got ready and I'd do them.
Penn (as Marathon): That's so cute.
Sydney (as Cassidy): I mostly - I got my nails painted a couple of times by older siblings, but then I'd go out climbing and I'd come back and they'd be all beat up and then they'd get mad at me for having it not last. So
Cameron (as Emma): I mean, it's not meant to last.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well.
Cameron (as Emma): You can definitely get manicures that are, but we're just using normal nail polish.
Sydney (as Cassidy): I dunno. I was always I was outside exploring a lot more than a lot of my siblings. So
Penn (as Marathon): What's that nail polish that makes your nails like really long and scary? I had a teammate who would put that one on all the time or whatever. That's not what this one is right?
Cameron (as Emma): Um
Sydney (as Cassidy): Gonna grow some big old werewolf claws?
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah.
Cameron (as Emma): This is just like a paint for your nails.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Cameron (as Emma): You can you can get probably what your teammate had was fake nails where they go in and extend it.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh like a surgery? Or
Kit (as Birdie): No~.
Cameron (as Emma): No~. No, no, no.
Kit (as Birdie): Like, like, acrylic is like you get these little add ons that are glued to your nail.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh.
Kit (as Birdie): And then they smooth it out by using gel nail polishes and stuff. Or you can just get press ons where you just glue them to your fingers and then they come off in a week.
Penn (as Marathon): Huh.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah so those probably weren't your teammates real nails if they are talon like.
Penn (as Marathon): Okay. She kind of scared me. And now I realize there was less to be scared about. Okay.
Cameron (as Emma): Not necessarily. [laughing]
Penn (as Marathon): No? Okay still scary.
Sydney (as Cassidy): I mean, it's it's the person who doesn't need their nails.
Cameron (as Emma): It depends on what part of it was scaring you.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah. Or they use it for slashing things.
Penn (as Marathon): I was -
Sydney: Cassidy makes a cat paw gesture.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh.
Cameron (as Emma): Was the scary thing that you thought that she could grow her nails that long?
Penn (as Marathon): Yes.
Cameron (as Emma): Or was the scary thing that her nails were that long?
Penn (as Marathon): Both kinda.
Cameron (as Emma): Oh. Okay. Well, so the first one probably
Penn (as Marathon): Not true.
Cameron (as Emma): Not true.
Penn (as Marathon): I realize now.
Cameron (as Emma): But yeah.
Penn (as Marathon): You know, I just it's just it was the it was one of those things that I just didn't question too hard. You know what I mean? Like, I didn't exami- I had my initial thought and then I didn't examine it much further.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah.
Penn (as Marathon): Now I'm realizing Yeah, yeah.
Kit (as Birdie): Okay.
Cameron (as Emma): No, so this won't make your nails do anything besides be a different color.
Penn (as Marathon): Okay, cool. Thank you. I'm sorry.
Cameron (as Emma): No, you're good.
Penn (as Marathon): I appreciate this service you're doing doing me, Birdie.
Kit (as Birdie): [laughing] Yeah, of course. I don't mind.
Kit: She turns Marathon's hand to paint her thumbnail.
Penn (as Marathon): Cassidy, how'd you pick your color?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Emma held up two and I pointed to one.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh, fair. So Birdie did you just hold up two and that's how we picked mine?
Kit (as Birdie): Oh, no. Cassidy chose yours.
Cameron (as Emma): Just kind of pointed directly at it -
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Cameron (as Emma): - from a large sea of nail polish colors.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh~.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, like zeroed in on it.
Cameron (as Emma): Mhm.
Kit (as Birdie): Like a sniper.
Sydney (as Cassidy): What a coincidence. Emma just finished painting mine and I'm gonna go -
Penn (as Marathon): Oh, I'm not gonna
Sydney (as Cassidy): for a walk.
Kit (as Birdie): No~.
Penn (as Marathon): Cassidy I'm not gonna make a big deal out of it. I swear. I promise. Unless [clears throat] do you uh, unless anybody wants - unless you would like to share another Voyager or finish the one that we did not finish or our anybody wants to finish a Voyager.
Cameron (as Emma): Cassidy I'm gonna need you to sit still at least until your nails are dry.
Sydney (as Cassidy): [deep breath]
Sydney: Cassidy crosses her hands over each other and interlaces the fingers so that the nails stay dry, and then starts pacing.
Cameron (as Emma): That's fine.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, just try not to go out at night alone here.
Sydney (as Cassidy): I was just gonna go out on the deck anyway.
Kit (as Birdie): Okay. Okay. Just making sure.
Sydney (as Cassidy): If you hear a thump and then a series of progressively further and further away thumps,
Penn (as Marathon): Oh.
Sydney (as Cassidy): - probably come find me?
Kit (as Birdie): Uh huh.
Cameron (as Emma): Is that cause you're running or something happened to you?
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Penn (as Marathon): No, I think the joke is that she falls off.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah. Yeah.
Cameron (as Emma): Oh.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Thank you Marathon.
Cameron (as Emma): Okay, don't do that.
Kit (as Birdie): Oh, yeah. Don't fall.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well that's - I'm trying not to.
Penn (as Marathon): I thought it was funny. Just to you're aware.
Kit (as Birdie): You're a climber.
Sydney (as Cassidy): I know.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah but her nails are painted now Birdie.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah I can't use my hands.
Penn (as Marathon): True~ aww~.
Kit (as Birdie): Her nails are painted, she can't...
Cameron (as Emma): She's gonna fall!
Kit (as Birdie): She's like a cat when you put things on its paws. Have you ever seen that?
Cameron (as Emma): Yes. They like -
Penn (as Marathon): I haven't seen many cats.
Cameron (as Emma): - do like the weird like -
Kit (as Birdie): Flappy things.
Cameron (as Emma): - flappy arms.
Kit (as Birdie): And they don't know what to do.
Penn (as Marathon): I'm not a huge fan.
Sydney (as Cassidy): But cats are the best.
Cameron (as Emma): Why don't you like cats, Marathon?
Penn (as Marathon): Ah, they were always messing with my geese.
Kit (as Birdie): Oh my god.
Cameron (as Emma): Okay. So you're choosing geese over cats?
Penn (as Marathon): Well, yeah, the geese - geese were cool with me most of the time.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Geese like attacked Birdie!
Kit (as Birdie): [sad and traumatized by geese] Yeah.
Penn (as Marathon): Well, that's just because you didn't warm up to it.
Kit (as Birdie): What?
Cameron (as Emma): How are you supposed to warm up to a goose?
Penn (as Marathon): Derek just needs a little time. A little effort a little -
Kit (as Birdie): Effort??
Penn (as Marathon): - just takes a little bit to get to know - like crack his shell a bit, you know? He's worth it once you get to know him.
Cameron (as Emma): I don't think you're supposed to do that to birds.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Shells?
Kit (as Birdie): That's crazy.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Is the shell under the feathers?
Penn (as Marathon): That's a little belligerent. Well, yes. Actually a little known fact about geese - they have turtle like shells just under the feathers.
Cameron (as Emma): That is not true.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Is that uh, is that another thing that you just got told and ->
Penn (as Marathon): No that I did make that up.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Okay. Okay, good.
Cameron (as Emma): That is incredibly false.
Penn (as Marathon): Thank you. I didn't pay too much attention animals class, but I did pay that much attention.
Kit (as Birdie): In animals class?
Penn (as Marathon): Animals class.
Kit (as Birdie): I mean, I guess.
Cameron (as Emma): Okay, so you don't like cats because cats and geese are natural enemies?
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah, that's basically it. Yeah.
Cameron (as Emma): Okay. Well, I like cats.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, me too. Okay Marathon. Give me your other hand.
Penn (as Marathon): Okay.
Kit (as Birdie): Just don't do anything with that hand for a couple of minutes. Okay?
Penn (as Marathon): Okay. I'm gonna freeze it mid air.
Kit (as Birdie): Okay.
Penn (as Marathon): Do I flap it to get it to dry?
Kit (as Birdie): Don't flap it -
Cameron (as Emma): No~.
Kit (as Birdie): - because you're gonna your entire body's gonna like move so you can like,
Penn (as Marathon): That's true.
Kit (as Birdie): - blow on it very lightly.
Penn (as Marathon): I'm just not going to touch it.
Kit (as Birdie): Okay, okay.
Cameron (as Emma): Okay.
Penn (as Marathon): So what - sorry I'm so fragile about this. So what can we expect from your your your sister tomorrow, Birdie?
Sydney (as Cassidy): I hear she's a danger to sleep with one of us. So
Penn (as Marathon): Oh~.
Kit (as Birdie): She's a hazard.
Penn (as Marathon): A sleeping hazard. Is that -
Cameron (as Emma): [laugh]
Penn (as Marathon): No, I don't know, that doesn't feel very respectful to say.
Kit (as Birdie): No -
Penn (as Marathon): I I take that back.
Kit (as Birdie): She, she just flirts with everyone. It's kind of her thing. I don't know if she's still like that, but
Penn (as Marathon): Well, I plan to be very respectful.
Kit (as Birdie): Okay.
Penn (as Marathon): Just like I was with Vaus.
Kit (as Birdie): Mhm. I mean, I trust you to make a good impression on her, like I said. It's just, you know, she she flirts with everyone. She's very, very smart. She kind of disorients people at first, I think.
Penn (as Marathon): Now, how long ago was that? That you last knew her? How long ago has it been since you've seen her?
Kit (as Birdie): Seven years.
Penn (as Marathon): That's a lot of time to like, change as a person, you know?
Kit (as Birdie): I mean,
Cameron (as Emma): Not not if your personality is flirting.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah,
Penn (as Marathon): That's true.
Kit (as Birdie): I mean,
Cameron (as Emma): like, that doesn't.
Kit (as Birdie): The thing is -
Cameron (as Emma): That doesn't change
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well unless she had some like major trauma or anything from -
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah, yeah. You know.
Sydney (as Cassidy): - anything.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah. No, it's - what I what I'm saying is she doesn't she might not flirt as much anymore, but the way that she talks to people disarms them. She's just a very like,
Cameron (as Emma): Charismatic.
Kit (as Birdie): Everyone always loved Winifred when I was younger. Everyone always wanted to be around Winifred. She's magnetic, I guess.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Sounds bad for computers.
Penn (as Marathon): [laugh]
Kit (as Birdie): Uh huh. I'm sure.
Cameron (as Emma): [so disappointed] Cassidy. [laugh]
Kit (as Birdie): [sigh]
Sydney: Cassidy takes a swig from one of the moonshine bottles.
Kit (as Birdie): She [sigh]. She was dating someone pretty long term, but I don't know if they fell off because of the accident and stuff like that. But she was dating one of the nurses that worked in the Patch that was closest to here that we knew when I was growing up. They could have settled down. I don't know.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well, Vaus said that they know where she is, so. Well, maybe.
Kit (as Birdie): Well, I think it's mostly based off of whether or not she's going to be working a job if we try and go find her tomorrow - if she's out or if she's not out. So.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Ah yeah.
Cameron (as Emma): Okay, so cast your vision forward, based on their personalities from seven years ago, since the last time you saw them -
Penn (as Marathon): This is a good question.
Cameron (as Emma): - and where they were at in their life.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah. Who do you - where do you think they are now?
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah how - what are you think everyone is up to? Like, what do - I want, I want to know, -
Kit (as Birdie): Um.
Penn (as Marathon): We need to play M.A.S.H.
Cameron (as Emma): - how close -
Kit (as Birdie): Ugh.
Cameron (as Emma): I don't think we need to do that. I just -
Kit (as Birdie): I guess -
Cameron (as Emma): I want general vibes for each of them,
Kit (as Birdie): Okay.
Cameron (as Emma): - and this is a good way vibes.
Kit (as Birdie): Okay, so Winifred was already pretty grown up when the accident happened. Like she was in her late 20s when it happened. So it's like she, I think her personality is pretty secure where I was when I last saw her, so what I described you should be pretty close. Of course, unless, you know, she couldn't bounce back quite from everything that happened with the accident. But anyways, um
Penn (as Marathon): [long breath] Oof.
Kit (as Birdie): For the twins, it completely depends. Janus was the one who taught me how to steal things, so -
Penn (as Marathon): Must have been pretty good.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Or like thrown in jail. [laugh]
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, so she was either like, she she was talking about settling down, but she was kind of the best of both worlds. She love books and stuff and then she'd go out and steal a bunch of books. Not from the local bookstores, but the ones in the domes a lot of times, especially if they were manuals for Juno and Winifred and stuff. But, you know, she could have left that behind, but she was always mischievous and always really nice, though. She was fun to be around. She was kind of a party. I don't know. [thinking noise] Juno is a complete toss up. Um.
Cameron (as Emma): That's the octopus sibling?
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, octopus hardware mechanics.
Penn (as Marathon): Not that he was an octopus? Or they were an octopus?
Cameron (as Emma): No. [laughing]
Kit (as Birdie): No, yeah.
Cameron (as Emma): The one who kept having -
Penn (as Marathon): Pet octopi?
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah, the octopus trainer.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, they kept trying to train this octopus named Biscuits here.
Penn (as Marathon): Biscuits. That's a nice name.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, Juno [sigh] - Juno is really smart and it's not that they, they're, they applied it in a lot of ways. Some more practical than others. And I mean, I remember when I first met them, they had kind of like a prototype of grav skates, like what Marathon has, but they
Penn (as Marathon): Oh that's sick.
Kit (as Birdie): They didn't work great and they actually ended up reversing and so they got stuck on a pipe.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh like -
Cameron (as Emma): Oh no.
Penn (as Marathon): - like stick skates.
Kit (as Birdie): With magnets too
Penn (as Marathon): Like stick -
Kit (as Birdie): on the pipe.
Penn (as Marathon): - shoes!
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah. But I mean honestly, like as he went on and stuff, he was always talented and they were always good at pretty much everything that they wanted to do. It's just that what they wanted to do didn't align [giggle] with the most logical thing sometimes. So I suppose that maybe Juno is off doing something really interesting and cool. Maybe, maybe, maybe they're like down in the Guts and stuff. Like, I don't know, doing some sort of like, super secret thing.
Cameron (as Emma): With their octopus army!
Kit (as Birdie): With an octopus army that they fitted with robot armor.
Cameron (as Emma): Oh god.
Penn (as Marathon): That sounds sick.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Sounds like city ending,
Cameron (as Emma): That's terrifying.
Sydney (as Cassidy): which is probably - there's a lot of people that live here.
Kit (as Birdie): It's something that they would do, believe me. [laugh]
Sydney (as Cassidy): Need to consider more consequences.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Cameron (as Emma): Dang.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Penn (as Marathon): How young were Juno and Janus when you left?
Kit (as Birdie): They were both 24 when I left, so they just were kind of getting started with everything professionally. I mean, despite the fact that we had been doing everything professionally for a long time, people just didn't take us seriously. Or pay us enough.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, it's easy to take advantage of the either the kids or the I don't know. less well renowned?
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah. And we were both, so you know.
Sydney (as Cassidy): I mean, it's been a few years, maybe that's changed. Maybe they're like - Gwen is up there being First Sword, maybe Winifred's First Shield or something. First Computer? I don't know what council titles are.
Kit (as Birdie): She could be. I mean, it's not like my family would be less renowned or anything. We had a good reputation. We got jobs. It was just that we tried to keep a low profile because of - I think I said in front of you guys that I called Gwendolyn a Tin Can earlier. That's kind of what we call Gwendolyn's whole posse.
Penn (as Marathon): Like the - not our Knight, but the knights here?
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah. Mhm.
Sydney (as Cassidy): I don't remember all of the Sasnak structures of government and everything. I know, the First Sword is like a high honorary position, but it's also maybe the head of enforcement of Coliseums laws, like whatever -
Kit (as Birdie): Pretty much. It's sort of like a figurehead that is meant to keep order -
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah.
Kit (as Birdie): - in the Domes and up here. But people up here don't really like them, so they stay in the Domes. But yeah, I um, we had to keep a low profile, because when all of us were still kids and were living alone, they'd try and split us up. So we couldn't really take huge jobs that were well paying unless they were through the Ramp Girls or the Drain Boys.
Penn (as Marathon): Hmm. I appreciate all this insight, Birdie.
Kit (as Birdie): Well, it's important to
Sydney (as Cassidy): Before we go diving in to the Foundling family relations.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah, it sounds like a -
Sydney (as Cassidy): Tangled in their net.
Penn (as Marathon): Mhm.
Kit (as Birdie): [laugh]
Sydney (as Cassidy): I don't know, maybe we'll just yeah, delicately pluck the strings because it's - nothing bad will ever happen.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah. [uncomfortable laugh]
Cameron (as Emma): It certainly won't if you say it out loud.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, we're gonna go talk to Winifred and she's gonna go 'Oh, yeah, I've seen that before. I think I fixed that last week.' And she's gonna like clicky clacky on the keyboard of the Knight and then everything will be great. And then we'll just leave. We'll roll on.
Kit (as Birdie): Yep. And there won't be - won't be any issues. No hold ups. No need to get too comfortable.
Penn (as Marathon): Just remember who uh complimented your shoulders first, Miss Cassidy.
Kit (as Birdie): [laugh]
Cameron (as Emma): [laugh] If Winifred can fix the Knight that fast, would we just head out or do we want to stay and do jobs for a while?
Penn (as Marathon): It's a good idea.
Kit (as Birdie): I mean, the longer we stay, the more money we're going to spend.
Cameron (as Emma): That true.
Kit (as Birdie): So if we'd like to keep how many triangles we have,
Penn (as Marathon): Well, how many triangles can we make?
Sydney (as Cassidy): We'd need to do fairly beefy jobs.
Kit (as Birdie): It's either we leave, get out of dodge as soon as possible because just being off of this town will save us money, or we do jobs to stay afloat.
Sydney (as Cassidy): We came in with pockets full but we're spending money parking the rig and paying for food and everything. From last time we were here, yeah, we were we were working just to hold on to our spot on board.
Penn (as Marathon): Well, luckily we already paid for parking, right? And we kind of got that covered for however long we need for now.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah.
Kit (as Birdie): Mhm.
Sydney (as Cassidy): I mean, we're not in immediate need. It's just we're not going to be going out shopping every night. [laugh][
Penn (as Marathon): Mhm.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Sydney: Cassidy has her hand out in front of her and she's looking at the nails in different angles.
Kit: Birdie will flip Marathon's hand again to paint her thumbnail, and will look up at Marathon.
Kit (as Birdie): How's your other hand drying so far?
Penn (as Marathon): Good. Um, does this color like compliment my hair?
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, it looks nice. That is a very good point.
Cameron (as Emma): It's very nicely contrasting.
Kit (as Birdie): Mhm.
Penn (as Marathon): Cool.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, it's weird how that works.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Cameron (as Emma): Very, very odd.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh, now you guys are being a little, a little strange about the question.
Kit (as Birdie): What? No.
Cameron (as Emma): Mnm. Not at all.
Kit (as Birdie): No~!
Penn (as Marathon): Hmm.
Cameron (as Emma): Nope. Cassidy - you happy with your color choice?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, I'm happy with both of them.
Cameron (as Emma): [laugh]
Kit (as Birdie): [giggle]
Penn: [laughing] Marathon narrows her eyes a little bit playfully.
Kit (as Birdie): Did you um, end up finding a tattoo artist?
Sydney (as Cassidy): No~.
Kit (as Birdie): Oh no.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Everything was busy or not quite what I was looking for. I'm just gonna ask Vaus in the morning.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, I'm sure that - yeah, honestly, they're probably the best person to ask.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah well. Most of their exposed skin was tattoo. So,
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah. I think their entire leg is done too - the one that's not gone. That was a bit of a surprise, I won't lie. I guess they lost it in the accident or another accident, but
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well.
Kit (as Birdie): [sigh] Yeah.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Maybe I'll exchange more than a couple of words with them.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah who knows?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Maybe I'll only need a couple of words. I'll get the name of an artist and a location and salute at them and walk off.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah. You can probably wrestle a good three words out of Vaus.
Sydney (as Cassidy): All right. That's the goal.
Penn (as Marathon): They seem cool. I dunno. I like it.
Cameron (as Emma): I'm sure they would write it down for you if they didn't feel like talking. Especially if you offer them a cronut.
Sydney (as Cassidy): True.
Kit (as Birdie): They'd also sign it.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, do we have - we brought back a couple of cronuts and leftovers, but we didn't leave a lot.
Kit (as Birdie): No yeah, I think the cronuts were just pretty sweet.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah.
Kit (as Birdie): And after we had such a huge meal. So we have those for tomorrow's breakfast. We have
Penn (as Marathon): And banana pudding.
Kit (as Birdie): Um, we have Nona's cookies.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, true.
Kit (as Birdie): Banana Pudding. So
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, we'll have to - if we're gonna be staying here for a while -
Penn (as Marathon): You have a fridge?
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Sydney (as Cassidy): We'll just have to go get some normal staples, or we can move stuff up from the rig. Because we brought some stuff up already, but we know we're camping out here.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah not to offer you up Emma, but people around here kind of barter for a lot of staple things. So we could probably ask around for eggs, milk, bread, things like that - meats and stuff. Because a lot of people need sinks fixed or plumbing things done, or like little mechanic things like repairs for -
Cameron (as Emma): All right. I'll be a handy woman.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, it's just when you know, when you're in a city that kind of eats your money, you want to be able to hold on to it as much as he can.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah, that very much makes sense.
Kit (as Birdie): There is some money to be had in um, X bike mechanics work.
Cameron (as Emma): Huh.
Kit (as Birdie): So we'll have to see if there's an opening.
Sydney (as Cassidy): That's the motorcycles?
Penn (as Marathon): Tell me more about this X bike.
Kit (as Birdie): [laugh] Well iIt's extreme motorcycle racing.
Cameron (as Emma): I saw one of the billboards for it earlier.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah. Very dangerous. Zan was into it.
Penn (as Marathon): Mm.
Kit (as Birdie): It's kind of the ultimate thrill seeker thing. It's technically a race, but it's like an obstacle course race, almost. So like, if you're not knocked out of the race by the obstacles, and you even just pass the finish line with both wheels, you get a lot of respect for that. And usually there's only one or two. So there's always a clear winner.
Sydney (as Cassidy): I mean, I guess if it's - yeah, if you can cram on enough safety gear that you have a chance to get up and wreck another bike another day. Like I could see the appeal.
Kit (as Birdie): Mhm.
Cameron (as Emma): Working on bikes could be fun...
Penn (as Marathon): Motorcycles - already it sound scary enough.
Kit (as Birdie): The beauty of being an X bike mechanic is that after every single race, there are about 20 bikes that you either need to completely reassemble -
Cameron (as Emma): [laugh]
Kit (as Birdie): - or fix in at least three major ways.
Cameron (as Emma): Hey, I mean, consistent business.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, and it pays a lot cause entertainment is kind of big here.
Cameron (as Emma): I mean, I like working on our bikes.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Might be worth checking out.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Once we find Winifred tomorrow, I'll go see if I can't submit my request to go meet Gwen.
Cameron (as Emma): Okay.
Sydney (as Cassidy): She might have mercenary work. If there's anything that's not too distasteful.
Cameron (as Emma): Mm no, I want to go work on X bikes now.
Kit (as Birdie): [laugh]
Cameron (as Emma): That sounds way more fun.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well we can do both.
Cameron (as Emma): I will still do any mechanics on any mercenary stuff. Okay, that's fine. Yes.
Kit (as Birdie): It's only after races.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh, you were talking about long term? [laugh]
Cameron (as Emma): No, I wasn't talking long term. I was talking for a while we're here.
Penn (as Marathon): Okay.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Emma's quitting her job in the Patina to go be an X bike mechanic.
Cameron (as Emma): I don't -
Penn (as Marathon): Sounds exciting.
Cameron (as Emma): I don't know if I want to live here y'all. [laugh]
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Cameron (as Emma): I'm - ah mm.
Sydney: Cassidy walks out and looks out the front door of the shipping container.
Nick: Cassidy you look out over the Eaves and see stacked shipping containers silhouetted by the light of the shattered moon as the city of Sasnak continues through the night towards a destination only it knows.
[hurdy gurdy music swells]
Outro:
Penn (as Marathon): Welcome back folks, you’re tuned to Going the Distance: Traveler’s Guide on road dial 1558. That’s a wrap on today’s log and we’re set to loop after these considerations. Further detail for the following is cataloged in the show notes.
This has been A Knight of Shreds and Patches, an actual play podcast using the Genesys game system from Fantasy Flight Games. The show is edited by Sydney Whittington, and features the talents of:
Kit Adames as Birdie. Kit can be found on Twitter and Instagram @ venusvultures. Kit is also a voice actor for Elevator Pitch Podcast, a queer genre-hopping anthology podcast that can be accessed on Spotify and YouTube.
Penn Van Batavia as Marathon. She can be found on Twitter @ acquiredchaste and in drag as horror king JOHN on Instagram @ john.is.risen. Penn is an indie TTRPG designer whose most recent work includes SLICE IT OUT, a grisly carving RPG about cutting pieces of yourself out to fit in. Check out faer other work at pennharper.itch.io.
Sydney Whittington as Cassidy. Sydney can be found on our Discord server, which is linked in the show notes, and on Twitter @ sydney_whitt. She’s also a contributing editor and occasional guest player for the Orpheus Protocol, a cosmic horror espionage actual play podcast.
Cameron Robertson as Emma. Cameron can be found on Twitter @ midnightmusic13 and on Instagram @ reading_and_dreaming. Cameron is also a player on Tabletop Squadron, a Star Wars Edge of the Empire actual play podcast.
And Nick Robertson as narrator. Nick can be found on Twitter @ alias58. Nick is also the GM for Tabletop Squadron. Nick can also be found as a player on the Orpheus Protocol.
This podcast features the musical talents of Dora Violet and Arne Parrott. You can find Dora at facebook.com/doraviolett. You can find Arne at atptunes.com.
The official artwork for this podcast was created by Rashed AlAkroka, who can be found on Instagram and Artstation @ rashedjrs.
You can follow the Patina on Twitter @ akosap_podcast or visit the website: www.akosap.com. To further support the show, consider joining the Patreon at www.patreon.com/AKoSaP, where we’ll be bringing you weekly content including bonus episodes, campfire conversations, and other fun rewards.
Until you tune back…
…stay bold and stay kind