1.03 We Swept It Under The Rug

The gang returns to daylight after a harrowing encounter. Gordon makes a mess. Fran’s out of a gig. Ibra throws their weight around. JJ scours the stacks.

-- links --
Website: wanderingpathpod.com
Support our show: patreon.com/wanderingpathpod

-- cast & crew --
Created by Mischa Stanton
Produced by Bex Taylor-Klaus, Lyn Rafil, & Mischa Stanton

Gamemaster: Mischa Stanton
Ibra: Bex Taylor-Klaus
JJ: Lyn Rafil
Gordon: Ian McQuown
Fran: Mayanna Berrin

Sound design: Mischa Stanton
Cover art: Lyn Rafil
Music: Independent Music Licensing Collective
Production & House Manager: Erin Bark

-- about --
The Wandering Path is an actual-play podcast putting complex characters, resonant themes and engaging new mechanics at the heart of immersive adventures. We’re making the stories we want to see in the world, one game session at a time! Join us for our first season, as we dive to the heart of the City of New Prosper: a techno-magical metropolis on the rise, where those who seek to craft themselves a new future will first have to settle the debts they owe the past. New episodes every other Monday.

— Transcript —

Lyn: Previously on The Wandering Path.

[SFX: Theme music plays in background of recap].

Mischa: Boggin’s Bee-stro. Haunted? A showdown at everyone's favorite fun time zone led to a victory over a spooky electro phantasm. Though the birthday party was definitely ruined. What the heck was that? Does anyone know? And who's this Inspector Ravona lady? She just gets to decide Boggin’s is closed? Doesn't she know Fran needs to get paid somehow? Well, every day's a new day in New Prosper. And hopefully the light of dawn will illuminate some answers for our heroes. All caught up? Okay, then let's see what's around the bend, today, on The Wandering Path.

[Theme music fades out].

Mischa: Good morning, everyone. 

Bex: Morning. 

Mischa: It was… 

Mayanna: A night. 

Mischa: Definitely a night. 

Ian: Filled with ghosts. 

Mischa: How'd y'all sleep? 

Ian: Bad. 

Lyn Not well. 

Mayanna: Not very well, no. 

Lyn: Also, both extremely well and horribly. 

Mischa: Yeah? 

Lyn Yeah. 

Mischa: Tell me about that. 

Lyn Um, you know when you're so tired that you don't realize you go unconscious, and you're like, “I must have slept very deeply, but I don't feel good when I wake up.”

Mischa: Yeah, for sure.

Mayanna: There was one time I fell asleep on a sheetless mattress. [Laughter]. I was in the middle of laundry. And I just laid my little head down on my sheetless mattress. It's that kind of night. 

Mischa: Gotcha. [Laughter]. I mean, definitely for JJ and Samira, who fell asleep in the laundry room? 

Lyn Yeah. 

Mischa: Did that- Was that real? Did that really happen?

Lyn That was real. 

[Laughter].

Mischa: Great. Um, I want to start this little wake up sequence with Gordon, actually. 

Ian: Sick.

Mischa: Gordon, you– it was a rough night. 

Ian:Yeah. Spectres abound. 

Mischa: Yeah. 

[SFX: soundscape begins, birds chirping lightly in the early morning]. 

Mischa: Before you fell asleep in Ibra's apartment–

Ian: Okay.

Mischa: –did you remember that you have, like, an extra baking task, and that you are not near your kitchen? 

Ian: No! Oh, right, I have to cook because of the route. I have to do the route. 

Mischa: Yeah. 

Ian: Oh, fuck. [Laughter]. No, wait, okay, okay, okay. So, I have to get up at, like, four in the morning, usually. 

Mischa: Yeah.

Ian: How far am I from the, the kitchen? 

Mischa: A commute. 

Ian: Fuck. No. 

Mischa: You know, your kitchen's in the Edge. And, , the Come Up is closer to the center of town, kind of adjacent to Minetown. 

Ian: Oh no. 

Mischa: You can catch a bus early in the morning. Buses run 24 hours in New Prosper. 

Lyn Love that.

Ian: Okay, that's good. Okay, so I mean, I must, like, have some sort of alarm that gets me up at like three in the morning. Or maybe I– Or do I forget and I sleep through it, I wonder? 

Mischa: I can leave it up to you. Or we can let the dice decide. 

Ian: I think we gotta- I mean, we just fought a ghost. Like, I don't know how much I– I mean, I clearly forgot. So maybe Gordon forgot. 

[Laughter].

Mischa: Do you wanna roll for it? 

Lyn: Gordon has the highest intelligence of the party, though. So maybe not.

Mischa: That's true. 

Mayanna: Does he?

Lyn Yeah!

Ian: Alright, here we go. And [Dice rolls].

Mayanna: Oh.

Ian: 10.

Mischa: Yeah! With the modifier? 

Ian: Yes. 

Mayanna: Oh no.

[Laughter].

Bex: Oh buddy.

Mischa: 10's enough to remember to set an alarm, I think. I think it's probably so ingrained into your, like, daily routine-

Ian: Great.

Mischa: –to make sure that alarm's going.

Ian: Great.

Mischa: Um, maybe. maybe with a 10, it's the same alarm–

Ian: That’s what I’m thinking.

Mischa: –that you would set if you only had to go downstairs, so you might, like, lose. 

Ian: So I'm late. 

Mayanna: Oof.

Mischa: Yeah, a little bit. 

Ian: And I have to bake everything that I usually bake and everything on Cecilia's route. 

Mischa: Yeah. 

Ian: So I have double the baking and I'm late by 45 minutes. 

Mayanna: This is sending me.

Ian: This is a bad day. 

Lyn Yeah. 

Ian: And I just fought a ghost. 

Mischa: Yeah, so you wake up. 

[SFX: Alarm ringing in rapid beeps]. 

Ian: Okay. 

Ian (Gordon): (Gasp).

Mischa: Four AM. 

Mayanna: I'm so stressed. 

Ian (Gordon): Oh no.

Bex: (Quietly) Oh no.

Mischa: Immediately, oh no? 

Ian (Gordon): Oh no. 

Ian: Yeah, it's that kind of wake when you shoot up out of bed, and your eyes open, and you realize you've made a terrible mistake. Um, and I don't think I'm quiet about it at all. I think I wake everybody up in the, in the house on accident. 

Bex: I think I'm already up, actually. I'm waiting for calls. 

Mischa: Fair enough. Then Fran and JJ roll Perception checks, and I will roll for Samira. 

[Dice rolls].

Mayanna: Oof. Um, 5. 

Mischa: No, that's fine. 

Lyn Dirty 20. 

Mischa: Okay.

Ian: Sick.

Mischa: Fran, dead asleep. 

Mayanna: (Fake snoring) Honk mimimimi.

Mischa: Absolutely nothing.

Ian: That’s cute.

Mischa: The sleep of the newly jobless. 

Mayanna: (Fake snoring) Honk mimimimi. 

[Laughter].

Mischa: I think you probably, maybe you've already decided–

Mayanna: Checked out.

Mischa: –that like, there's no way. 

Mayanna: Truly. I was like, “wow. Is this what the other half lives? Is this how the other half lives?” 

Mischa: No, it's not. Cause they don't have to worry about paying for meals. 

Mayanna: It’s true.

Mischa: Um, JJ, the clatter of Gordon rummaging through the–

Ian (Gordon): Oh god.

Mischa: trying to gather–

Lyn (JJ): Another ghost!

[Laughter].

Lyn (JJ): We’ve been followed! 

[Laughter].

Ian: Dropping pots and pans. [SFX: metal clanging]. I think I'm looking for–I'm not looking for pots and pans. 

Mischa: Why did you hide your clothes among the pots and pans last night? 

Ian: It's just–It's just habit, you know? They feel most comfortable among the kitchen things, and I didn't want them to get misplaced. [Laughter]. So I'm grabbing my apron out of the cabinet, and my–

Mayanna: You put it, like, in the freezer.

Ian: Yeah, well, I put my rolling pin and stuff that is always on my belt in with the other kitchen stuff, so it would be comfortable. 

Mayanna: That makes sense. 

Ian: And now I'm getting it all out. 

Mischa: So it would be comfortable!

Mayanna: That makes sense.

Ian: I definitely accidentally open like I accidentally it's so early. I reach into a cabinet and pull like a glass out and break it on the floor [SFX: glass shattering] I think on accident.

Mischa: No!

Ian: I think I'm actually breaking things in the apartment. Um, and then, okay, so how do I get there? Bus? I mean, is bus the only option? 

Mischa: Um, you can– so, in New Prosper, transit on the ground is mostly by bus, or they have like, rent an e-bike stations, you know, like a, like Citi Bikes. 

Ian: Yeah. 

Mischa: That you can rent. They’re like, not great, they don't go super fast, um, you have to pay like, an Astra deposit probably.

Ian: I think what Gordon would do, I, I, here's my pitch. Okay. I think I freak out and go, 

Ian (Gordon): Help! Anyone? Do you guys? I have to get across town! 

[SFX: frantic rustling of clothes and kitchen items shuffling around].

Ian: And I think I ask the, the group, like, if anyone has any idea– cause I think I'm just panicking. Cause I'm 45 minutes late with double the baking. 

Mayanna: Oh, God, that sentence. 

Lyn (Disapprovingly) Mm-mm.

Bex: I think I've been only half asleep all night, if at all, because I'm waiting for a call from Paz's mom that she's woken up and that I can go visit.

Ian: Mm-hmm.

Bex: Um, so I think I come out as soon as the first thing breaks. 

Ian: And I'm like sweeping up the broken glass [SFX: broom quickly sweeping against the ground] and I’m vibrating like, 

Ian (Gordon): I'm super late, I have to get out of here. Do you know the fastest way I can get across town? 

Bex (Ibra): Uh.. E-bike. Do you know how to ride one? 

Mischa: Are you proficient with vehicles?

Ian:  I don't think so.

Mischa: Then I don't think so. 

Ian: Well, but I guess I am supposed to take her–Cecilia's route so I can drive the truck. 

Mischa: Yes. 

Ian: The tuk tuk. 

Mischa: Yeah. Okay. Okay. 

Ian: So I must be. No, yeah, I must. I know how to ride a bike. 

Lyn Maybe not all vehicles. 

Ian: I gotta know how to ride a bike. I'm a cute little boy. 

Mischa: Sure. [Laughter]. 

Ian: I definitely know how to ride a bike.

Lyn I dunno if you're a little boy. 

Mayanna: He's Tombo from Kiki's Delivery Service. 

Ian: I'm Tombo from Kiki's Delivery Service. I know how to ride a bicycle. That was Tombo's whole deal. 

Mayanna: That was his whole deal. 

Mischa: Okay. Okay.

Ian: I take it back.

Mischa: You go down to the garage where you find Ibra’s e-bike and you put a big propeller on the front. No, I'm just kidding. 

Bex: I'd be into it. 

Mayanna: That's so funny. 

Ian (Gordon): Yes, yes. Do you have a bike? Is there a bike? 

Bex (Ibra): Yes. Yes, I do have an e-bike. Do you– is it okay if I take you? Cause I, I kinda really wanna be on call. I wanna be able to get back to the hospital. 

Ian (Gordon): Do you mind? It's so early. I'm so sorry. 

Bex (Ibra): I'm sure I have time. Paz is a very deep sleeper. 

Ian (Gordon): Oh my god, thank you so much. Yes, yeah, can we– I think we just have to go right now. 

Bex (Ibra): Oh, uh, yeah. Can I put on pants? 

Ian: And as you're doing that, I'm literally going back into the cabinet and I break another thing as you say, “can I put on pants?” [SFX: rustling and glass shattering]. 

Bex (Ibra): Gah- and shoes. Okay. 

[Laughter].

Mischa: You put on your clothes while Gordon fumbles around for every single object he brought into the apartment in the first place. [SFX: even more rustling and shuffling as Gordon tears apart the kitchen].

Bex: I scrawl a note on a post-it for these two to put on shoes before going in the kitchen. 

Mayanna: Oh, that's so funny. 

Mischa: That's excellent. 

Lyn I'm looking out because I woke up. I have my wrench. I'm like, 

Lyn (JJ): Oh, it's just you– It's too early for this! 

Ian (Gordon): I'm sorry! I'm so sorry. 

Ian: Smash. [SFX: Glass shattering].

Lyn (JJ): (Incredulous and worried stammering).

[Laughter]. 

Mischa: You grab your riding leathers and your helmet and the big basketball-sized marble of Astra that powers your bike. And you head down to the garage and open the door. [SFX: motorized garage door opening]. And Gordon, you get on in like the, you know, the passenger position, hug around the waist. 

Ian: Also in my mind, the Astra, you said it's basketball-sized?

Mischa: Mm-hmm.

Ian: I don't know if this is canon, but in my mind, it plugs into the bottom and then it's sort of like spins. [SFX: component locking into place, electronic hum stirs as the bike powers up].

Mischa: Again. I love the idea of all of these motorized vehicles. You just take a big crystal and you plug it into the front wheel well, and it powers the rest of the thing. 

Mayanna: Yes.

Mischa: So yeah, I like the idea of like it gyros inside the front wheel well.

Mayanna: That's very cool. 

Ian: It glows and it's super sick. 

Bex (Ibra): (shockingly awkwardly) Let's ride. 

[Delayed beat, then cackling laughter].

[SFX: electronic motor whirs louder as it kicks into gear]. 

Ian: I think as you pull away, my apron, which is only like half tied, is like flailing behind me like a white cape.

Mischa: And you're off in the western direction of the Edge. Back in the apartment. 

Mayanna (Fran): (Snoring).

Mischa: JJ, you're up. 

Lyn I'm looking for a broom? 

Mischa: Okay. 

Lyn I'm opening every closet like, 

Lyn (JJ): Where are the cleaning supplies? 

Mischa: Where are the cleaning supplies? 

Bex: Um, they probably still don't have a lot of cleaning supplies. It's, it's still like– it's a clean apartment. It's just, you know like, it's not what it– it's not what it should be for someone who would have been taught. 

Mayanna: Is it clean because it's sparse? 

Bex: Yeah, it's mostly clean because it's sparse. And there's– I clean up the dust, but it's like, there's spots I miss. 

Mayanna: There’s not a lot of stuff there.

Bex: And I'm not good at this. All my stuff is in the laundry room though.

Lyn (JJ): Oh, that makes sense. 

Lyn I climb over Samira like, 

[SFX: light rummaging and rustling].

Lyn (JJ): Broom, broom is over. 

Mischa: Roll for Samira. Um, she goes, 

Mischa (Samira): Keep it down! 

Mischa: And she pulls one of the folded bedsheets back over her shoulders and turns the other way. 

Lyn (JJ): (Mocking) Whatever.

[Laughter].

Lyn: I like, nudge her playfully with my foot, like a fake kick, like, 

Lyn (JJ): (Mocking) Meh meh meh meh meh.

Mayanna: Exactly like that. 

Lyn I don't know, I feel like the broom is like, awkwardly behind her head, like, 

Lyn (JJ): Fine, I might broom your head. 

[SFX: rustling and thuds].

Mischa (Samira): No. Ow. I’m sleeping over here, gosh. 

Lyn (JJ): Yes, you're so sleepy, huh? 

Mischa (Samira): Yeah!

Lyn I just like, fake sweep her head for a second. 

Mischa (Samira): It's called a slumber party, not an awake time party.

Ian: Sleep bubbles coming out of the nose. 

Lyn (JJ): You're doing a bad job at it. Bleh. 

Mischa: Um, and yeah, so you're, you're gonna sweep up the glass. 

Lyn Yeah, I sweep up the glass. [SFX: sweeping].

Mischa: Okay, great. Yeah, I think. Actually, Fran, do you want to roll a contest to see if you or Samira is awake first? 

Mayanna: Yes, okay. [Dice rolls]. 9. 

Mischa: I rolled a 7.

Mayanna: Hey! 

Lyn Wow

Mischa: Fran, you wake up– 

Mayanna (Fran): (Yawn).

Mischa: –and you find JJ sweeping.

Mayanna (Fran): Uhh. Why is there glass here? 

Lyn (JJ): I think you know why. 

[Laughter].

Mayanna (Fran): Okay. 

Ian: There's a note under Ibra's note from Gordon that just says, 

Ian (Gordon): Sorry!

Mayanna (Fran): Oh God, what happened? Did he have like a freak out? What's going on? 

Lyn (JJ): I– It's hard to tell what's a freak out and what's normal–

Mayanna (Fran): Yeah.

Lyn (JJ): –when it comes to the things breaking.

Mayanna (Fran): Do you have a dustpan? 

Lyn (JJ): Oh.

Mayanna (Fran): I can, I can, cause you know, every, the worst part about sweeping is the dustpan awkwardness. 

Lyn (JJ): Um… 

Ian: I'm sorry, what, what's dustpan awkwardness? 

Mayanna: Okay. So, you know, like. You've got like a normal sized broom, and it's long, and then you've got this dustpan that's small. 

Ian: Oh.

Bex: That's what it is!

Lyn Like the handheld one. 

Mayanna: So you've got to hold– you're kind of in this weird middle ground where your body kind of looks like an upside down Y, where you're holding the dustpan against the ground because you have to make a vacuum tight seal, and then you're pushing it with a normal sized broom, and it's just awkward.

Lyn (JJ): There are the, there are the–

Mayanna (Fran): So if you need a buddy. 

Lyn (JJ):–long handled dustpans, but I didn't see the, you know, the dustpans that are like– 

Mayanna (Fran): They make long handled dustpans? 

Lyn (JJ): Yeah. 

Ian: Ibra doesn't have a long handled dustpan though. No way.

Mayanna (Fran): Oh my god, that's so smart. 

Lyn (JJ): Yeah, it's not like the weird shovel. 

Mayanna (Fran): Yes, you're so right. I have seen those. It's just been a while. Okay, I'm gonna go find a dustpan, because I–I can't watch it. It makes me so sad when I see it. So, for my own sanity, I'm going to help you. If there's a dustpan. 

Lyn (JJ): Thank you. 

Mayanna (Fran): You're welcome. 

Lyn (JJ): (Stilted) If it helps you, then it helps me. 

Mayanna (Fran): … Okay, you don't have to say it like it's a question. If that's how you feel. You know your inner world. You can just, it's okay. You can, you know, if that's how you feel, that's great. 

Lyn (JJ): Okay.

Mayanna (Fran): It's not a question. You know yourse–you know yourself. 

Lyn (JJ): Yeah?

Mayanna (Fran): I imagine.  

Lyn (JJ): (Unconvincingly) Uh huh. 

Mayanna (Fran): Okay. I'm gonna go get a dustpan now. 

Ian: Lord. 

Mayanna: Meanwhile, you take out your little like, crafting ideas notebook and write “long handled dustpan.” 

Mayanna: Of course I do. Of course.

Ian: I was wondering if she was only gonna come back with one just. 

Mayanna: Wait, okay. What tools do I have? Or like, what are the cleaning supplies that are available there? Is there anything? Is there a rod in there you don't care about? 

Bex: I was thinking that the only duster I had was, like, one of those old ones that's on, like, an extendable rod.

Mayanna: Oh, like a feather duster thing? 

Bex: Yeah, like a feather duster thing. 

Mayanna: Alright, I'm gonna take, I'm gonna take the rod off that. [Laughter]. And now it's a height adjustable dust pan. That's what I'm gonna do. 

Lyn You're innovating. 

Mayanna: I have to. It's in, it's just, it's just who I am. 

Mischa: A, B, C, always be crafting! 

Mayanna: Yeah, always be crafting! Uh. Do I need to roll for that? 

Mischa: No. 

[Laughter].

Mayanna: This is my free–

Lyn Roll for dustpan?

Mischa: It's fine, you can just do it. 

Mayanna: Hooray!

Ian: You crit fail on dustpan. 

Mayanna: Just gonna like, unscrew the top of the duster and then just start Frankensteining this dustpan with now a height adjustable rod on it. 

Mischa: Sure, you're clambering around the laundry room for crafting supplies [SFX: more rustling and rummaging] and Samira's like, 

Mischa (Samira): I guess I'm awake now. [Laughter]. I– there's no–

Mayanna (Fran): Oh my god, you were– Oh, I'm so sorry. I just thought that was a pile of sheets. 

Mischa (Samira): What did you call me? 

Mayanna (Fran): Are you not–

Mischa (Samira): I’m just kidding. I’m just kidding.

[Laughter].

Lyn (JJ): Ha ha, you're a pile of sheets. 

Ian: God, she's such a pile of sheets. 

Mischa (Samira): And proud of it. 

Mayanna (Fran): Okay, slay. 

Mischa (Samira): You guys, yesterday was so weird. 

Mayanna (Fran): So weird. 

Lyn (JJ): That was a lot. 

Mischa (Samira): I have never been in a place that was going through all the kind of haywire stuff like that. 

Mayanna (Fran): (Sigh) Yeah.

Lyn (JJ): You've never been haunted? Is that what you're saying? Great. Cause neither have we. 

Mischa (Samira): Haunted?

Lyn (JJ): Right? It was a ghost! 

[SFX: ominous music starts] 

Mayanna (Fran): Yeah. 

Lyn (JJ): That was a ghost. 

Mayanna (Fran): It was a ghost. 

Lyn (JJ): And it's haunting. 

Mayanna (Fran): Haunted. 

Lyn (JJ): Haunted. 

Mayanna (Fran): Spooky. 

Mischa (Samira): No, you guys, stop messing with me. Like, I know the power went out, and like, all the machines malfunctioned, but like, and we had to call emergency services in, and they, you know, shut down the building, and it seemed pretty unsafe.

Lyn (JJ): The– But the creature.

Mayanna (Fran): Right, but you saw the being? 

Mischa (Samira): The what? 

Mayanna (Fran): The being? The like, floating electrical…

Lyn (JJ): The electricity…

Mayanna (Fran): …being?

Mischa (Samira): What are you guys talking about? 

Lyn: Insight check!

Mayanna: Yeah.

[Laughter]. [Dice rolls].

Lyn: Bad roll. Oh no.

Mayanna: Oh boy, let's see here.

Lyn: Oh, it's plus 5 though. So 10. 

Mayanna: Bad roll for me as well. 2. Garbage. Garbage.

Ian: It’s way too early for you guys to be insightful.

Mayanna: Yeah, I'm like, yeah, whatever like I think on some of them Like is she she's either in denial or something bigger is going on, but I don't have time to think about this I'm too exhausted. 

Lyn: Like that's not my circus.

Mayanna (Fran): That's a whole other day. 

Mischa: That’s fair.

Lyn (JJ): You know? The ghost? That we fought?

Mayanna (Fran): Yeah.

Mischa (Samira): Okay, now I know you're messing with me. 

Mayanna (Fran): Why did you run out of the building? What was–what was?

Mischa (Samira): Cause the lights were going and there was like an electrical… 

Mischa: And she thinks about that for a second. And she gets like a confused look across her face. And she goes, 

Mischa (Samira): You know, it was… unsafe. 

Mischa: But she doesn't seem very sure.

Mayanna (Fran): Oh...kay…

Lyn (JJ): Um, are you…?

Lyn: I check her for a fever. 

Mayanna: Ooh.

Mischa: Roll Medicine? 

Mayanna: Nice. [Dice rolls].

Lyn: I'm like, 

Lyn (JJ): Are you good? 

Lyn (Afar) Um, why am I'm rolling only fives? (Normal) Um, that plus medicine. 8.

Mayanna: Nice.

Mischa: Samira's a dwarf, so her skin's slightly cool to the touch, like a flagstone that's been sitting in the shade. But that's normal, not concerning. She seems okay physically.

Lyn Oh, okay. 

Mayanna: Like normal, regular. 

Lyn (JJ): (Repeated, questioning humming).

Mischa: She touches your face back. 

Lyn  Yeah, we're just patting each other's face. 

Lyn (JJ): Bop.

Mayanna (Fran): Is this–

Lyn (JJ): Bop.

Mischa (Samira): Is this what we're doing now? 

Lyn (JJ): Bop.

Mayanna (Fran): Should I go? 

Mischa (Samira): Are we doing this? 

Mayanna (Fran): Should I leave? 

Lyn (JJ): I– Ugh. 

Mayanna (Fran): Should I be seeing this? 

Lyn (JJ): Yeah. Why would you not? 

Mayanna (Fran): I don't know. I just don't know if it's like, 

Ian: Mating rituals.

Mayanna: Yeah, I'm like, 

Mayanna (Fran): Is this like a religion? I don't know. 

Lyn (JJ): No, no, I don't think so. 

Mayanna (Fran): Okay. Alright. 

Lyn (JJ): Are you feeling okay? 

Mischa (Samira): Yeah, I feel fine. 

Lyn (JJ): (Doubtful) Okay. 

Mischa (Samira): Anyway, I gotta go home and get my materials for the rest of the day. 

Mayanna (Fran): Okay.

Mischa (Samira): Um, thanks for, is Ibra here? 

Mayanna (Fran): No. 

Lyn (JJ): Uh, they left. 

Mischa (Samira): Oh okay.

Mayanna (Fran): Yeah. 

Mischa: Um, she takes out, wherever you guys are getting these post-it notes from, she gets one. And she writes underneath the two notes that are already there, like, “thanks for letting me crash,” but the I in “letting” has a little heart for the I– 

Mayanna: Cute. 

Mischa: –for the dot.

Mayanna: Alright, so they are now gone? 

Mischa: Yeah, Samira, and she, yeah, she grabs her stuff, she's like, 

Mischa (Samira): I'll Catch you a little later. 

Lyn (JJ): See you later. 

Mischa (Samira): Do I have like, do you have like room in your tightly knit schedule for me later?

Lyn (JJ): Always. 

Mischa (Samira): Okay cool.

Lyn (JJ): Probably. 

Mischa (Samira): Great.

Lyn (JJ): Yeahhhhhh. 

Mischa (Samira): Thank you.

Lyn (JJ): Fine, I'll see you later. 

Mischa (Samira): Thanks. Byeeeee.

Lyn (JJ): Byeeee.

Mayanna (Fran): Okay, that was so weird. 

Lyn (JJ): (Whispering) That was weird.

Mayanna (Fran): That was really weird. 

Lyn (JJ): That was weird.

Mayanna (Fran): Um, is there anything in your experience, is there like a spell that like makes that happen? I don't know, she just seemed very unsure of what she was saying. 

Lyn (JJ): She seems to have not remembered the thing at all. 

Mayanna (Fran): The thing that happened, like, yesterday.

Lyn (JJ): Yeah. 

Mayanna (Fran): Like, not even 24 hours ago. 

Lyn (JJ): A very visible, important thing. 

Mayanna (Fran): Yeah. You remember it. 

Lyn (JJ): Yeah, I remember it. 

Mayanna (Fran): I remember it. (Sigh). I don’t know, that seems really weird. Did somebody, no one was here besides us, right? 

Lyn (JJ): No, not that, I mean, ghosts can apparently appear at places, but–

Mw: That is fair, that is fair. 

Lyn (JJ): But.

Mayanna (Fran): Idon't know, that seems really, I don't know what is possessing me, but do you remember that weird dream?

Lyn (JJ): Yeah. Unfortunately. 

Mayanna (Fran): Um, like, is this part of that? Was it like a prophecy? Cause, I don't know, they– Remember they were like really like not, they weren't like seeing what we were seeing. 

Lyn (JJ): Were they– It was both that they couldn't turn away, but they…

Mayanna (Fran): Didn't want to?

Lyn (JJ): They couldn’t… 

Mayanna (Fran): Is this part of that? 

Lyn (JJ): I don't like that. 

Mayanna (Fran): I don't like it either.

Lyn (JJ): Um…

Mayanna (Fran): I'm gonna… Let's get this glass off the floor. 

Lyn (JJ): Yeah, let's keep– let's sweep our problems away! 

Mayanna (Fran): Yeah!

[Laughter].

Mischa: You attempt to sweep your problems away. 

[SFX: sweeping, broken glass clinking] [SFX: Ominous music ends].

Mayanna: It's a temporary solution, but it's the only one that I can come up with right now at, what is it, like 5 or 6 in the morning? 

Mischa: Yeah. 

Mayanna: Yeah, I'll deal with this in a couple hours when it inevitably bubbles up inside of me again.

Lyn After breakfast. 

Mayanna: After breakfast. 

Mischa: Speaking of breakfast

Ian: Let's go! 

Mischa: Back at the Baker's Guild. [SFX: whirring slows as e-bike powers down]. Gordon, you, like, I think Ibra, like, slows the bike to a stop, but you're like, bounding off of it to run inside. 

Ian: Which is actually what I do in real life, too. 

Mayanna: Oh my god. 

Mischa: (Incredulous) Bound off the back of a motorcycle? Ian!

Ian: My mom always used to yell at me. She'd be like, like, my mom would be pulling the car into the driveway, and I would open the door before the car stopped. She'd be like, (yelling) “Stop doing that!” 

Mischa: Yeah. I'm with your mom, actually.

Ian: (Muttering) Yeah, I know.

Mischa: Ian, that's not safe. 

Ian: I always get out of the golf cart before it stops rolling. I'm going to roll my ankle. 

Mayanna: Why do you do that?

Ian: I don't know. I have no patience, I guess. 

Mischa: Hold on. Stop the podcast. Let's have a talk about like–

Mayanna: Patience.

Mischa: –safety. 

Ian: Yeah. It's always this, I mean, it must be ADD. It's, it's always the same thing. Like doing six things at once, right. 

Mischa: Yeah okay.

Ian: Listening to a book podcast while doing the dishes and texting. So, you know what I mean?

Mayanna: And free rolling out of a moving vehicle. 

Ian: Yeah. Let's go.

Mayanna: We do those all at the same time. 

Ian: Barrel roll!

Mayanna: Yeah. (Giggles).

Ian: Yeah. Okay, so I barrel roll off of the e-bike. 

[SFX: jaunty music begins, fading in with rhythmic, energetic piano].

Mischa: Yep. 

Ian: And I bolt into the kitchen. 

Mischa: Sure. 

Ian: The–

Mischa: It's constantly, always bustling. You hastily get your ingredients prepped and get started. Um, do you have a strategy for trying to get all this done?

Ian: Yes, I do. So for those of you who don't bake at home, bread requires– the hotter the environment, the faster your bread will rise, right? The colder it is, the slower it will rise. [Intrigue]. So the first thing that I do is I think I crank–I can't turn the temperature up. No, I can. Screw it. I turn, I go to the thermostat and I turn the temperature up in the whole main kitchen.

Mischa: Oh.

Bex: Oh no.

Ian: So even though I'm just at a station, I'm so panicked that I'm like, I got to do this fast. And I turn the heat up, not thinking about how it's going to affect anyone else, I've just realized now. 

Bex: Oh no.

Ian: But therefore all of my bread rises like a little bit faster and I make up the half hour that I've lost.

Mischa: Sure. 

Mayanna: My goodness. 

[SFX: music ends]. [SFX: soundscape begins, ambient fans and occasional shuffling of metal mixing bowls and sheet trays in ovens, light chatter of other bakers].

Mischa: Why don't you go ahead and roll. What is this? Survival? 

Ian: Sure. 

Lyn Something like that?

Mischa: Something like that. 

Ian: 15. 

Mayanna: Nice. 

Mischa: Yeah! With the thermostat change, you yourself only lose, you know, that 45 minutes that it took to get you to the Baker's Guild. 

Ian: Yeah. 

Mischa: Um, but, you know, you're like an hour late, but like, that's not as bad as it could have been.

Ian: I bake everything that I need to bake, and I bake all of Cecilia's stuff. 

Mischa: Yes. You are good to go, you scramble. 

[SFX: brisk music begins, rhythmic ukelele strumming with building complexity and chaos]

Mischa: I think maybe you grab like, an intern, you know, you're a junior baker but there's gotta be like, you know, people even below you like apprentices or people like, hopefuls, frosh…

Ian: Yes.

Mischa: Prospects.

Ian: Prospects.

Mayanna: Ooh.

Mischa: You know, little prospects, little prospies running around.

Mayanna: Cute.

Mischa: And you get one of them to like, help you load up your little tuk tuk in the communal garage.

Ian: I'm like, 

Ian (Gordon): Steve! Pick up that thing! Gretchen! Help me over here! 

Mayanna (Prospie): (Flustered yell).

Mischa (Prospie):  (Timid yelp). (High pitched) Okay, Mr. Baker. 

Ian: They're also all two feet shorter, because they're all like, preteens, right? 

Mischa: Yeah. (Giggles).

Ian: So it's just me commanding a bunch of like, fourteen year old small people carrying giant stacks of bread. 

Mayanna (Prospie): (High pitched, light Brooklyn accent) Boy, this is the big time. This is my big break.

Bex (Prospie): (Squeaky) Who even is this guy?

Ian (Gordon): (Angrily) Stop talking and move the bread! 

Mayanna (Prospie): (Timid) Sorry, okay, sorry! 

Bex (Prospie): (Startled) Ah sorry!

[Laughter].

Mischa: And I think right as you get it loaded up and are ready to head out, [SFX: motor revs] like, you're in the garage, you're sort of pulling out, and you go, “Okay, Prospies, thanks for all the help”, and you drive away. [SFX: motor of tuktuk, driving off into the distance]. In that moment is when everyone else in the Baker's Guild realizes that their proof times are off because someone messes with the thermostat. Can you roll Stealth for me? 

[Laughter].

Mayanna: Nice.

[Dice rolls].

Ian: 19! 

Mischa: Nice! 

Mayanna: Nice!

Mischa: Okay, no one saw you do it. No one knows why the rest of the bread is ruined in the entire city today.

[Various yells of horror, disappointment, and disapproval]. 

[SFX: Music ends].

Lyn (JJ): It's all too airy. 

Mayanna: Yeah.

Bex: There's bubbles everywhere. 

Ian: Yeah, and it's all flat and pancakes, right? Because it's like, if it overproofs, then it doesn't spring as much. 

Lyn It spreads.

Ian: So it's like a bunch of like pancake bread.

Mischa:  I'm so glad that all of my players know so much about the process of baking bread. Because I don't know a lot about it. And I'm really glad you guys do. 

Mayanna: I'm learning every day. 

Lyn I just watch Bake Off on occasion. 

Mayanna: Oh, I do love Bake Off, but yeah, I never… Yeah, this is good. This is good education for me. 

Mischa: Um, Ibra.

[SFX: pensive, ambient synthesizer music begins]

Mischa: You drop off Gordon, I think probably at that point is when you get a text from… Do you have Paz's mom's contact address programmed into your Sidekick?

Bex: I want to say for emergencies, yeah. 

Mischa: Okay, yeah, she texts you and it just says “she's awake, you can come.” 

Bex: I'm speeding. Safely. [SFX: electric motor whirs to life]. I am obeying all the traffic laws, but I am also in stretches where it feels safe. Just (nyoom noise).

Mischa: Yeah, sure. You zip zoom through the cars. There's a little bit of traffic on the roadways, counting to detours for the collapsed bridge. But you, with your nimble Ducati-ass e-bike, like top of the line, crotch rocket model.

Mayanna: Ducati-ass.

[Laughter].

Bex: “Ducati ass crotch rocket.”

Mischa: Yeah. 

[Laughter].

Mayanna: I need assistance. 

Bex: I love you Mischa.

Mischa: You managed to zip through and around and head over to the center of the city, Minetown, which is the largest district in Lower Prosper. It was built out from the original Astra Mine that was used by the Fortress, which is now Upper Prosper, during their war with the Balvarox 60 years ago. That mine sort of grew out into like a miner's town, like one city in and of itself. And then when the city got too big to be contained by one district, this became the largest district. It's a lower class part of town. The buildings were hastily constructed and not rebuilt unless they fell over. So everything is kind of corrugated metal, not great insulation, stacks and stacks and narrow streets. But for your Ducati-ass crotch rocket, not a problem to zip through. 

Mischa: You make it to a hospital, a pretty decent hospital, [SFX: bike motor slows down], newer than a lot of the buildings around it, I would say. Where do you leave your bike? 

[SFX: soundscape begins, passive sounds on the street outside].

Mayanna: Ooh. 

Bex: Um. 

Mischa: Do you just leave it or? 

Bex: I think I have some sort of like, portable lock mechanism, so I look for some sort of rack. 

Mischa: Sure.

Bex: Something nailed down, bolted down.

Mischa: Sure. Really, that was my question, like, do you take the time to park it or do you just, like, again, Gordon-like–

Mayanna: Yeah, roll.

Mischa: –just kick off in the middle of, like, the emergency room and just leave it in the street.

Bex: I think that's Ibra's first initial impulse is just like, alright, dump, go! And then, as they're, like, four steps away, they're like, 

Bex (Ibra): (Stammers) Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, forgot something.

[Laughter].

Ian: Gingerly walk back to the bike. 

Bex: Yep. 

Ian: So cool. So lame.

[Laughter]. 

Mischa: You head into the hospital, you head up to the nurse's station. 

[SFX: door opens. Soundscape changes to hospital interior: quieter, shuffling of staff and patients in background, occasional beeping of equipment].

Bex: First thing I do is I fish out what looks to be like, a small leather bound journal from a zippered pocket on the inside of my motorcycle jacket. And I don't take it out much, so I think like, the zipper gets stuck for a second trying to get it out. Like (struggling grunts). [Laughter]. So it's, it's a black leather string around a black leather binding, and there's a shining family crest emblazoned on the front. And it looks like a hand, like an extraordinarily symmetrical hand with thumbs on both sides, you know? 

Mischa: Oh, yeah. Like a Hamsa or?

Bex: Yeah. Awkward turtle. 

Mischa: (Laugh). Like an awkward turtle. Yeah. 

Bex: And it's the crest of house Bracha.There are official cards and ID and things inside, but usually just flashing the front crest is enough to get most people to stop asking questions and start finding answers. I put it on the table and say, 

Bex (Ibra): I'm looking for Pazmina Voxana. 

Mischa: The nurse looks through their patient roll and at first, like, gets a furrowed brow and says, 

Mischa (Nurse): You said Pazmina…

Bex (Ibra): Voxana?

Mischa: And she looks down, and like, can't find it for a second, and then finds it. 

Bex (Ibra): (Relieved sigh).

Mischa: And points you to the correct room. You bolt up there. You enter her room. 

[SFX: soundcaspe shifts to Paz’s room, heart monitor faintly beeping intermittently].

Mischa: She's awake. She seems in decent spirits. She, like, you know, weakly, but like, waves to you as you come in. Um, Paz’s mom, Esme. Looks like she has not slept all night. An elf woman, auburn, short curls, darker skin, pointed ears popping up through, deep bags under those eyes. You walk in, I think she probably sighs in relief. 

Bex: I think I go to give her a gentle hug. 

Mayanna: Aw.

Mischa: Yeah. 

Bex (Ibra): Hey. 

Mischa (Paz): Hey. 

Bex (Ibra): Hey. 

Mischa (Paz): I'm still here. 

Bex (Ibra): Yeah, I'm glad you are. Sorry it took me so long. 

Mischa (Paz): No, it's cool. That last night was nuts.

Bex (Ibra): It was. I have never seen anything like that. That was wild. (To Esme) Did Paz tell you? 

Mischa (Esme): She told me a little bit, but she was very out of it when we came to the hospital last night. I– thank you so much. I'm so glad that you were there to protect her, Ibra. I am always so glad that you are there for her. 

Bex (Ibra): I'll always..

Mischa (Esme): We, we cherish you very much, this family. 

Bex (Ibra): Aw, and I cherish y'all. Aw. That's so sweet. Esme, that's just, you're so nice to me. 

Mischa: Paz says, 

Mischa (Paz): Yeah, last night was… Ibra, did we get attacked by like a like a spirit? 

Bex (Ibra): Yeah!

[SFX: ominous, thrumming music begins in background].

Mischa (Paz): Like a floating– 

Bex: Like a-a-a sparky– sparky jelly ghost? 

Mischa (Paz): Horrible. 

Bex (Ibra): Yeah.

Mischa (Paz): It like–

Mischa: And she looks over at her mom and says 

Mischa (Paz): (Whispers) It like, burrowed into my brain a little bit?

Ian: Yikes. 

Mischa (Esme): Yes, this is where I would like a little bit of clarity. What the shit happened?

[Laughter].

Bex (Ibra): That's a really good question. Fair, valid, important. And I don't have a good answer yet. Um, basically, we got attacked by electric jelly? It hit me, but not as bad as it hit Paz. And I gotta say, from what I felt from it, not comfortable. Um, so I-I definitely want to go into figuring out what happened. But I do want to check Paz, how are you feeling right now? 

Mischa: She gets a hollow look in her eyes. She like, kind of falls deep into herself. 

Mischa (Paz): I don't know. I feel okay. I'm a little weak, but…

Mischa: And she trails off and she kind of like, looks in a–and like her gaze drifts off to the left a little bit. Like she's got like a little bit of a thousand yard stare. 

[SFX: ominous music suddenly ends].

Mischa: And then she comes out of it, and she's like, 

Mischa (Paz): You know, the doctor said that like, you know, I got my scans. They wanted to keep me for 24 hours to just make sure everything was okay. 

Mischa: She turns to her mom and goes, 

Mischa (Paz): Are you sure that–

Mischa: And Esma goes, your father will pay for this room and we will say nothing more to him. I have nothing more to say to him. But he will pay for this room as that is the deal. 

Mischa (Paz): Yeah, okay, then I guess, I guess I'm here for 24 hours. But I feel all right. You know, food’s–for hospital food, pretty decent. 

Bex (Ibra): That's fair. We've had some really bad stuff. 

Mischa (Paz): Yeah. 

Bex (Ibra): Yeah. Oh gosh, you remember that one that you went to a couple years ago? It smelled so bad. 

Mischa (Paz): Oh my god, I swear. That the person in the cafeteria was using Astra to make all that food and had not seen real meatloaf in like 15 years. 

Bex (Ibra): It must have been, cause everything– (disgusted) oh my gosh. 

Mischa (Paz): Brown–brown cube, not my favorite meal. 

Bex (Ibra): Not really. 

Mischa (Paz): Not my favorite meal, brown cube. 

Bex (Ibra): (Chuckles).

Ian: Astraloaf.

Lyn Proximal loaf. 

Mischa: You know what, honestly, very funny Ian. I am gonna go with brown cube. 

[Laughter].

Lyn Brown cube. 

Bex: Astraloaf is so much better than brown cube. But that's why brown cube is the worst meal. 

Mischa: It's just like a puck of carbon that you charge magic through and it pops up into nutrition. 

Lyn: Like in Spy Kids.

Mayanna: Yeah

Mischa: Yeah, absolutely. Just like in Spy Kids. 

Mayanna: So funny.

Ian: Or Back to the Future when they microwave the pizza, right? 

Mischa: Yeah.

Mayanna: Yes.

Ian: It's like this big and it goes bing!

Mischa: That's what I'm saying. Yes. But I mean, much like microwaves in our real actual life, these ones are made by turning on a magic spell for a minute. 

[Pensive hums].

Ian: Yeah.

Mayanna: That's so funny. 

Lyn Whoa. Microwaves. Makes you think! 

Bex: I love this.

Bex (Ibra): Yeah, I, I… (Deep sigh). Esme, I cannot explain what happened last night, but I can give you a rundown of what we saw. 

[SFX: soft, dark, somber guitar music begins].

Bex: And I proceed to give her a decently detailed rundown of what the ghost looked like, what we learned its vulnerabilities were, what it was like to actually break through it, what it was like to feel its icy tendrils attack, the fact that it was–seemed to possibly be sniffing out electricity, and I was worried about why it went after Paz.

Mischa: Esme sighs tiredly. 

Mischa (Esme): I did not want this for you kids. We thought that when the war was over we would spare you these kinds of turmoils. We did not want the children we raised in this city to follow us in our warrior footsteps. I am glad you are competent enough to protect my daughter, but I mourn for you a little bit, Ibra. I am so sorry. I am sorry it has come back around. 

Bex (Ibra): Wha- Back around? 

Mischa (Esme): I have to make a phone call. 

Bex (Ibra): (Confused noise, cut off).

Mischa: And she goes, she leaves the room and she goes to find a phone. 

[SFX: somber music ends].

Bex: I start a group chat. 

Mischa: Yeah. 

Mayanna: Great. 

Ian: If only the listeners at home could see all of our faces. 

Mayanna: We get so stressed. 

Lyn: It was wide eyed, pursed lips. 

Mayanna: Yeah.

Lyn: Glancing around.

Mayanna: Like “Oh oh. Oh oh.”

Ian: Sorry. What were you saying?

Bex: I start a group chat. Fran, Gordon, JJ, and myself. 

Mischa: What do you name the group chat? 

Bex: Um, I name the group chat Electric Jelly. 

Ian: Sick! 

Mayanna: Nice!

Ian: And while I'm on my deliveries, I see the group chat pop up and it's titled Electric Jelly. And I'm like, 

Ian (Gordon): What is going on? What?

Mayanna (Fran): Ohhh, that's so funny.

Mayanna: And then I just go

Mayanna (Fran): (Staticky filter overlay) Ha ha! 

Bex: First message is, in quotations,

Bex (Ibra): (Staticky filter overlay) “I'm sorry this is coming back around again.”

Mayanna (Fran): Hmm. 

Lyn: JJ, while sweeping up glass, reads this and thinks that it's the electric jelly speaking through the device, and is like, 

Lyn (JJ): (Panicking) Um! Uh!

[Laughter].

Mayanna (Fran): No, that's like, funny. It's like, cause of last night. Cause it's– Cause it was electric jelly. 

Lyn (JJ): (Staticky filter overlay) Are you the ghost question mark.

Ian: Oh god.

Bex (Ibra): (Staticky filter overlay) No, comma, I am Ibra period 

Mayanna (Fran): Yeah. 

Bex (Ibra): (Staticky filter overlay) You have my number, period. 

Ian (Gordon): (Staticky filter overlay) JJ, comma, calm down dot dot dot.

Mayanna: (Giggles). And then I just send like a sticker of like a dancing cat. 

[Laughter].

Ian: And then after–

Mayanna: Just to break up the tension. 

Ian: After a minute. And then I say, 

Ian (Gordon): (Staticky filter overlay) Has anyone thought about contacting that government official lady?

Mayanna (Fran): (Staticky filter overlay) Yes. 

Bex (Ibra): (Staticky filter overlay) Inspector Ravona?

Lyn (JJ): (Staticky filter overlay) Who were you quoting? 

Mayanna (Fran): (Staticky filter overlay) Yeah! Who were you quoting?

Bex (Ibra): (Staticky filter overlay) Esme.

Mayanna (Fran): (Staticky filter overlay) Oh!

Bex (Ibra): (Staticky filter overlay) Paz’s mom said something very cryptic and sounded important. Sorry for no context. I wanted to write it down before I forgot. 

Mayanna (Fran): (Staticky filter overlay) Oh okay. 

Lyn (JJ): (Staticky filter overlay) Fair.

Mayanna (Fran): (Staticky filter overlay) That makes sense yeah. So is this like that job you were talking about last night? 

Bex (Ibra): (Staticky filter overlay) It’s feeling like–

Lyn (JJ): (Staticky filter overlay) I have to go to work!

[Laughter].

Ian: All caps. 

Mischa: That seems like a great time for me to punch in– I had some other stuff to do in that scene. 

Bex: We can go back.

Mischa: We'll come back for it.

Mischa: Well thanks, Bex. 

Ian: Oh my god. 

Mischa: Um Ibra, that sounds, or– JJ, that sounds like a great time for the next thing I had planned, which is while you're sweeping up glass and getting Ibra's Apartment back to nominal [SFX: sweeping, glass clinking], I think Gwen calls Ibra's phone. 

[SFX: low bit phone ringtone].

Lyn Oh, the landline. 

Mischa: Yes. 

Mayanna: (Intrigued) Ooh.

Lyn: Oh, I pick up. 

Lyn (JJ): Um, Ibra–

Lyn (Mumbling aside) What's your last name? 

Bex: Bracha-Shinmar. 

Lyn (JJ): Ibra Bracha Shinmar's phone. This is JJ speaking. They're not in right now. Please leave a message?

Mischa (Gwen): (Staticky filter overlay) JJ, JJ. It's me. It's Gwen. 

Lyn (JJ): Oh! Hi, hi, boss. Yes, hello. 

Mischa (Gwen): (Staticky filter overlay) I heard what happened at Boggins Bee-stro last night.

Lyn (JJ): Oh. 

Mischa (Gwen): (Staticky filter overlay) You were there. 

Lyn (JJ): Y-yes. They-they contacted you? That makes sense, I don't know what–Gr-great, um, I'd love to debrief? I have questions. 

Mischa (Gwen): (Staticky filter overlay) JJ, this is very important. 

Lyn (JJ): Okay. 

Mischa (Gwen): (Staticky filter overlay) Right now, right this morning, before you do anything else. 

Lyn (JJ): Okay. 

Mischa (Gwen): (Staticky filter overlay) Tell me what happened. 

[SFX: bright, suspenseful music begins, ambient echoing synths]

Lyn (JJ): Um, okay. So, we were there and celebrating Paz's birthday, everything was normal, and then suddenly the lights flickered, all the arcade machines started glitching. And a strange spectral being came out of the machines and attacked us, and we killed it. 

Mischa (Gwen): (Staticky filter overlay) (Incredulous) You killed it?

Lyn (JJ): We killed it. I think we killed it. Um, it was destroyed, or at least we destroyed its–what we knew its presence to be. 

Mischa (Gwen): (Staticky filter overlay) JJ, that's incredible. 

Lyn (JJ): (Unsure) Yeah! 

Mischa (Gwen): (Staticky filter overlay) I can’t tell you how relieved I am to hear you talk about this. Do not disrupt the rest of your day, but we have much to discuss when you can find the time to come into my office.

Lyn (JJ): Okay. Um, I'll be there relatively soon. 

Mischa (Gwen): (Staticky filter overlay) Excellent.

Lyn (JJ): Thank you. 

Mischa (Gwen): (Staticky filter overlay) Goodbye. 

Lyn (JJ): Goodbye. 

[SFX: line clicks on other end, hanging up].

Mischa: Always a very firm goodbye on the phone with Gwen. 

Mayanna (Fran): Uh, everything okay? 

Lyn (JJ): Um, that was, that was Gwen.  

[SFX: suspenseful music ends]. [SFX: landline clicks into receiver].

Mayanna (Fran): Uh huh. 

Lyn (JJ): Um.

Mayanna (Fran): Tall lady, right? 

Lyn (JJ): Yeah. So tall.

Mayanna (Fran): Yeah, so tall. 

Lyn (JJ): So tall. (Giggles).

Mayanna (Fran): Anyway. 

Lyn (JJ): Um, she called. She, she knows about the incident. 

Mayanna (Fran): Okay. 

Lyn (JJ): And she was–she said she was relieved?

Mayanna (Fran): Okay.

Lyn (JJ): Based on what I told her. Which is…

Mayanna (Fran): Well that’s good, right? That’s good for you?

Lyn (JJ): I think so, kind of? I don't know what to make of that yet. 

Mayanna (Fran): Yeah.

Lyn (JJ): But she did say that she wanted to talk when I could, so I should… let's see, I don't, I mean, I don't really have to go to, (annoyed grumbles).

Mayanna (Fran): I mean, technically I'm unemployed, so like you can go. 

Mischa: Yeah, Fran, as you're saying that, you get a text from Sid. 

Mayanna: Oh, god. 

Mischa: The owner of Boggins’ Bee-stro. 

Mayanna: (More upset) Oh, god! (Resigned) Okay. 

Mayanna (Fran): (Staticky filter overlay) Hiiii. 

Mischa: And it just says, 

Mischa (Sid): (Staticky filter overlay) (Rough gravelly voice, New York accent) Boggins closed til further notice. I’ll let you know when we’re back.

Mayanna (Fran): (Staticky filter overlay) Further notice? What’s the timeline there Sid?

Mischa (Sid): (Staticky filter overlay) Governor’s office. Closed us down. Under orders. I’m getting paid back. 

Mayanna: And then I think I said like an emoji that's like, (a sound like huh? and wha? combined), like “what about me?” Like,

Mayanna (Fran): (Staticky filter overlay) And what does that mean for my salary?

Mischa: No response. 

Mayanna (Fran): No!No, no, no, no no no no. (Frustrated groan). Oh, okay. All right. You go. I'll clean this up. I have to (deep breath) I have to find a new job. 

Lyn (JJ): (Concerned) Oh. 

Mayanna (Fran): Like, soon. 

Lyn (JJ): Um. 

Mayanna (Fran): (Despairing) Oh, god. Okay. It's fine. I'm chillin You're good. I, you-you-you– this is my problem. 

Lyn (JJ): I can look for things at the office. 

Mayanna (Fran): No, stop. You focus on you right now. I'm–I'll be okay. It'll be fine. 

Lyn (JJ): It is the office of labor placement. 

Mayanna (Fran): I know, but I have very particular preferences for my profession. I just like, I like to kind of keep a fluid schedule. 

Lyn (JJ): Okay.

Mayanna (Fran): I like I have time for, like, my interests, you know, so it's like, I don't know. I'm very picky. 

Lyn (JJ): So, part time or full time with flexible hours?

Mayanna (Fran): Yeah, actually, yeah, that's exactly, yeah, you nailed it. 

Lyn (JJ): Yeah. 

Ian: Right then Gordon texts the group in sort of a panic because the route isn't going well, cause I have double the route and I go, 

Ian (Gordon): (Staticky filter overlay) (Stressed) Hey, does anyone help me distribute this bread today? Because I’m really really behind.

Mischa: Fran, would you rather go with Gordon on his route or with JJ to meet the person who gives out jobs.

Mayanna: Oh my god. Oh my god. I… want to help Gordon. 

Mischa: Okay.

Mayanna: I want to help Gordon. He's helped out at our bistro and I I know that I'm dealing with an unemployment situation, but that's my that's my bud.

Mischa: Cool.

Mayanna: So I'm gonna go help him first.

Mischa: Sick.

Mayanna: Great. I'll just be like,

Mayanna (Fran): Hey if you do hear of anything when you're at the labor office like let me know. Sorry. I'm being so weird about this. Like, you offered to help me with something, and I feel like I just kind of, like,

Lyn (JJ): No.

Mayanna (Fran): I was being strange, so I'm sorry about that. 

Lyn (JJ): You don't have to apologize for anything. 

Mayanna (Fran): (Sigh). That's really… Thank you. Thank you. 

Lyn (JJ): You're great. And you're good at things. That’s what– I mean, I'll just take a look at things that match what you want for your future.

Mayanna (Fran): Thank you so much. I’ll see you later. Ah, okay, go, go, go, go!

[Overlapping frantic chaos].

Lyn (JJ): Gordon is stressed. 

Mayanna (Fran): Yeah.

Lyn (JJ): I'm stressed. 

Mayanna (Fran): Yeah. I’m gonna go.

Lyn (JJ): We're all stressed.

Mayanna (Fran): (Yelp).

Lyn (JJ): (Yelp). Okay. 

Bex: I love this friendship so much. 

Ian: The tuk tuk pulls up out front and you hear like a, 

Ian (Gordon): (Imitating a car horm) Meep, meep.

Mayanna (Fran): Alright, that's my ride, I guess. 

Mayanna: So I run downstairs, and I go help Gordon.

Mischa: Absolutely. You traipse off on a bread filled adventure. 

Mayanna (Fran): Wee!

Ian and Mayanna: (Chanting) Bread, bread, bread, bread, bread, bread. 

Bex: It was between bread and dough, that's my favorite part. 

[Laughter].

Ian: Oh no! That's a point. 

[Laughter].

Bex: I got my first party point–

Ian: That's the first point.

Bex: –and that wasn’t from the DM.

Mischa: Whoa, the players can just give out party points now? 

Ian: I'm the keeper of the party points.

Lyn Well there were–

Mischa: Who's running the ship?

[Laughter].

Mischa: Before we cut to break, I do want to come back and finish this scene with Ibra in the hospital. 

[SFX: hospital soundscape resumes, faint beeping of heart monitor in background]. 

Mischa: So Esme has stepped out of the room to make a phone call, to go find a phone to make a phone call. When she closes the room [SFX: door shutting], it's just you and Paz alone with the steady beeps and hums of hospital medicine equipment.

Bex: I finish sending those texts and I turn back to Paz and I say, 

Bex (Ibra): Well that was weird. 

Mischa (Paz): (Whispers) Yeah, dude, that was crazy. 

Bex (Ibra): What did she mean? 

[SFX: soft, melencholic piano music begins].

Mischa (Paz): So here's the thing about my mom. She's an elf. So she's been around for longer than, like, me or you or even my dad. So she remembers a lot of stuff from her life that like, we weren't really around for. Sometimes she does that. Sometimes she like, something will happen or like, I'll be in school and, like, tell her about my classes, and she'll just get like, really abnormally happy? Like, like, really huge grin on her face. And sometimes I'll come home and tell her about like, I don't know, some–something I saw in the streets, you know, somebody almost ran somebody over with a car, and she'll get just like really depressed. She, she kinda has some like oversized reactions to stuff sometimes, I guess. 

Bex (Ibra): She's got like that big empathy thing? 

Mischa (Paz): Yeah, maybe. And you know, I'm, I'm giving her a lot of leeway cause like, I'm her baby, and I am in the hospital again. So, I just, you know, she's gotta feel what she's feeling. (Sigh).

Bex (Ibra): Yeah, but like, “sorry this is coming back around again,” seems like. I…

Mischa (Paz): Listen, there's chronic illness stuff, and then there's getting attacked by like, a crazy jellyfish electricity monster. I don't know. 

Bex (Ibra): Yeah, I, (sigh) honestly she could mean anything, I just, I'm sorry that you're back here right now. 

Mischa (Paz): Hmm, thanks. Hey, can I ask you one extra thing? Always. 

Bex (Ibra): Always. 

[SFX: music transitions to bright, suspenseful, building hums]

Mischa (Paz): It attacked you too, right?

Bex (Ibra): Yeah. 

Mischa (Paz): When it did that, did you, like, see anything? 

Bex (Ibra): What did you see? 

Mischa (Paz): I don't know. It was like a. It was like remembering a dream a little bit, but there were like tall white columns. Everything was kind of bright. It was like, but not like from the engines beating down from the upper city. It was like, just bright everywhere. Just like… shiny? Is that anything? 

Bex (Ibra): Like a pretty star with a ring around it? 

Mischa (Paz): No, no, just like… I don't know. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe it was a dream. 

Bex (Ibra): No, no, no, no. It's, don't, don't sell yourself short. I like listening to what you have to say. 

Mischa: Roll Persuasion.

Mayanna: Ooh.

Ian: Yeah. This scene is adorable and terrifying. 

Lyn I know.

Mayanna: I know!

Bex: 7. 

Ian: Yikes. 

Mischa: Yeah, with a 7, I think she just goes, 

Mischa (Paz): No, I-I, it was probably just some like, I don't know, cross wire in a brain, like a, I don't know, like a seizure or something? It was electricity, and our brains are made of that, so. I, I don't know. 

Bex (Ibra): It was electric jelly attacking your electric jelly. 

Ian: (Exasperated) Oh, my god.

Bex (Ibra): No? Okay. 

Mischa (Paz): (Singsongy chanting) Jelly party, jelly party.

Bex (Ibra): (Joins in chant) Jelly party, jelly party. 

Mischa (Paz): Next time, jelly party, less painful for me. 

Bex: Next time, jelly party, let's go less electricity. 

Mischa (Paz): Sounds good. Just jelly. 

Mischa (Paz): Just jelly. Ooh! We can do like multiple flavors–

Bex: And I'm gonna start crawling in like around the wires and starting to cuddle I'm like, 

Bex (Ibra): We could do all different types and we can make our own jelly. 

Mischa: And as you guys plan this jelly party, we sort of move out of the hospital room and fade out.

[SFX: Midroll theme music begins].

Mischa: Hey there. It's Mischa. This is the rest stop. Come take a break beside the path with me, just until we catch our breath. Oh baby, we are rolling! It is so exciting to finally see what y'all think of this show! We've been working on this for so long, passing it to just our friends, whispering, waiting. But seeing it finally out in the world, and hearing the reaction to our first batch of episodes has brought us such immense joy!

Mischa: Thank you so much for being here! Please keep telling us what you think, shout us out on social media, or drop us a line through the contact form at our website, wanderingpathpod.com. Thoughts, theories, questions, early ship pairings, we want to hear from you. And if you especially want to get our attention, you can sign up with us at patreon.com/wanderingpathpod. You can get ad free episodes, blooper reels, behind the scenes art assets, and whatever else we can possibly think of. But more importantly, you'll be helping us keep this show going for as long as possible. We're all independent creators trying to make our way in the world, doing what we love, and trying to keep a roof over our heads. And we really do need your help to make that happen. If you're in a position to help us, and you want to bring us life, sustain us, and bring us to new seasons, it would really mean a lot to us. One more time, patreon.com/wanderingpathpod. Okay, that's it for now. Let's get back on the path and back to the show.

[SFX: Midroll theme plays then fades out].

Mischa: So, Gordon. 

Ian: Hello. 

Mischa: With Fran in tow, it's gonna be the busiest day of your young baker life. 

Ian: But I really am so glad that I texted her because a lot of these places are like, you know, you get to a block and you have that building and that building– 

Mischa: Yes.

Ian: And that building. So now we can park and split. 

Mischa: Absolutely.

Mayanna: Nice. I love it.

Mischa: I would love to play a little minigame with you. 

Ian: Oh, snap. Really? 

Bex: Woo!

[SFX: upbeat, lighthearted music begins].

Mischa: Yeah, this minigame is titled Gordon's Deliveries. 

Mayanna: Yay! 

Ian: Gordon's Delivery Service? 

Mischa: Yeah. (Chuckles).

Mayanna: Gordon's Delivery Service. 

Mischa: Exactly. 

Mayanna: Press start. 

Mischa: So, basically, I, I would just–I just want you to tell me about one of the deliveries you have to make today.

Ian: Oh my god, this is so good. 

Mischa: So yeah, so you and, and Mayanna, Fran–

Mayanna: Here I am!

Mischa: –please feel free to jump in.

Mayanna: Yeah! 

Mischa: You have so many deliveries today. Tell me about one of your deliveries. 

Ian: Well, actually, honestly, I was thinking about the hospital when they were talking about the food earlier. 

Mischa: Okay. 

Ian: Because we probably bring a bunch of bread to the hospital.

Mischa: Sure. 

Mayanna: Oh, yeah. 

Mischa: Okay.

Ian: But maybe it's not their hospital. Maybe it's not where they were. 

Mayanna: Une hospital. 

Mischa: Yeah, I mean, there's got to be more than one hospital in the city, right? 

Ian: Right.

Bex: Yeah Paz’s been to all of them. 

Mischa: (Chuckles) Yeah, fair. Yeah, which hospital do you visit? 

Ian: Okay, I'm going to say we visit– Oh, oh, wait, oh, but it's all heart, right? We call them hearts and stuff like that? 

Bex: Yeah.

Mischa: Yes.

Bex: Heart pavilions. 

Ian: Heart pavilions. Okay, so it would be the Emerald Heart Pavilion. 

Mischa: Okay. 

Mayanna: Ooh.

Ian: (Satisfied hum) Building story, doing things. 

Mayanna: I love it. 

Lyn: What if every hospital is named after a thing that was mined? 

[Excited sounds].

Mayanna: Groovy.

Ian: Holy shit, that's amazing. And it's a, it's like a small to small medium hospital. It's not a huge thing. It's a smaller facility. Like an outpatient facility. 

Mischa: Sure.

Ian: But it still has a little kitchen. So we deliver them, I wanna say, four flats of various hot buns. 

Mayanna: Ooh.

Mischa: Sure. Every scene that we create is going to have an NPC who is expecting Cecilia and gets you. 

Mayanna: (Gasp).

Ian: Oh, god. 

Bex: (Giggles)

Ian: Okay, great. Got it. Got it. The guy who runs their commissary, I think has a crush on Cecilia.

Mayanna: Ah.

Mischa: Excellent. Yeah, let's start strong. 

Bex: As she should. 

Mischa: As everyone should. 

Lyn As everyone should. 

Ian: All of everyone. Yes. 

Mischa: Yeah. 

[SFX: motor of tuktuk speeds by].

Ian: So, I think we get there, and maybe there's, it's a bigger building, so we go in together. 

Mayanna: Yes. Sure. 

Ian: Me and Fran. 

Mischa: Okay. 

Ian: And when me and Fran are walking up to like, the back dock where we can drop the stuff off, that guy's already there. Like, he's always waiting. 

[SFX: Music ends. Soundscape begins. Exterior on the street outside the hospital. Ambient sounds of cars, bikes, and pedestrians go by].

Mischa: Yeah. 

Ian:On the stroke of whatever time. 

Mischa: Yeah, the guy who runs the commissary here, the commissary manager, he's a middle aged capra, mid thirties. He's got long, splitting antlers, and broad shoulders, and like a dark brown top coat of fur with like a white underneath his snout and his chin.

Ian: Very well groomed. 

Mischa: Yeah. And he's there with his hands on his hips, waiting at the loading dock, and sees you pull up, and gives a big wave, but the moment you step out, his face like, darkens like a storm cloud moving in. 

Ian: Yeah. 

Mischa: He's like, 

Mischa (Head of Commissary): Oh (flustered grumble). Uh. Hi. 

Ian: Hey! 

Mischa (Head of Commissary): Thanks, you’re the bread-bre- bread delivery? 

Ian: Yeah, I'm Cecilia’s–

Mayanna (Fran): (Cheerful) Bread delivery!

Ian (Gordon): Fran. 

Mayanna (Fran): (Sheepish) Sorry. 

Ian (Gordon): My route. 

Mayanna (Fran): Sorry. 

Ian (Gordon): Helping me. 

Mayanna (Fran): Okay. 

Mischa: That's big Cecilia energy! Woah! 

[Laughter].

Mayanna: And I look at you for a second and I see like a spectre of Cecilia. 

Ian: Behind me? And then I, and then my eyes twinkle. 

Mischa: And he goes like, 

Mischa (Head of Commissary): Is your, um, Cecilia's, uh, not coming in today?

Ian (Gordon): Oh, she's out for the week. I'm so sorry. We're a couple minutes late, but we just wanted to drop you off your bread and thank you again for patronizing the Baker's Guild. 

Mischa (Head of Commissary): Sure. 

Ian (Gordon): (Murmurs) not that you have a choice. 

Mischa: Come on in. 

[Laughter].

Ian: And that's a point for me! 

Mischa: Yeah, that’s definitely a point.  I’d already moved on to the next thing– 

Mayanna: “Not that you have a choice!”

Mischa: I was already moving to the next thing, and then like, I was like, wait a minute. That was too funny. 

[Laughter].

Ian: (Afar) A party point on the board and I've lost my pen, so I can't even get it down. (Normal) Oh, I got it. Okay good.

Mayanna: Nice. Nice.

Ian: Okay. So I say that, and we head in. Also, I want to say, I might be wrong. You can nix me on this, but I want to say that maybe there's a romantic holiday that's like coming up. So maybe even he got her like, not like a dating gift, but just something, a little memento– 

Mayanna: A card or something.

Ian: And maybe it's in his hand. 

Mischa: Sure. 

Lyn Like a lollipop with a card

Ian: Right.

Lyn –in it like Valentine’s day.

Ian: And then he's like hiding it behind his back as we walk up. 

Mischa: Sure. Let's make a holiday. This is fun. 

Ian: Yes.

Mayanna: Ooh.

Mischa: We're never done world building here on the show about building a world. What season does this holiday take place in Mayanna? 

Mayanna: Ooh, spring. Sorry, I'm basic.

Mischa: That's okay. Um, Lyn, what stage of romance is this holiday celebrating? 

Lyn: Oh, this is entirely like, crush reveal. 

Mayanna: Aw.

Ian: Oh.

Lyn Like, it's, it's not, it's not cuffing season. 

Mischa: Sure.

Lyn It's not like, oh, there's like things happening. It's like, it's the reveal.

Mayanna: It's the “I like you” day. 

Lyn It's the I– it's “I like you” day. 

Mischa: Yeah. Bex, ,what is a traditional gift given on this holiday? 

Bex: Since it's all about crushes, um, it's those jawbreaker candies. [Laughter]. Um, but they're, you're supposed to suck them down enough so that you can chew them and crush them. 

Mayanna: Aww. 

Mischa: Okay, so– 

Ian: So nougaty center. Or a soft nougaty center.

Bex: There's something it's, it's like, you know, the Tootsie Pop center with the Tootsie Roll but– 

Mischa: Yeah, it's hard candies with surprises in the center. 

Bex: Yes!

Mayanna: Aw!

Lyn Like a Wonder Ball!

Mayanna: Yeah, it's a Wonder Ball. 

Mischa: I wonder if you like me.

[Adorable cheers].

Mischa: It's Wonder Day. 

Mayanna: Wonder Day!

Ian: So, we see that I see it, and we all know Wonder Day is coming up.

Mischa: Yes.

[SFX: soundscape shifts to echoey hospital hallway].

Ian: So as we're walking in and he's already flustered, over my head completely, and I'm like, 

Ian (Gordon): Oh, Gregor, who you got a crush on? Someone in the facility? Eh?

Mischa: Yeah. 

And I'm like, giving him a little elbows. 

Mischa: Um, roll Persuasion. 

Mayanna: Ooh.

Ian: Oh, you said Persuasion? 

Mischa: Yes. 

Ian: 15. 

Mayanna: Nice.

Mischa: 15, yeah. He goes, 

Mischa (Gregor, Head of Commissary): (Flustered stammering) Oh, you know, Cecilia just works really–This isn't, it's not for the– for the thing it coming up. This is a separate–

Mischa: It's so clearly wrapped, like a candy wrapped in a nice box with like a ribbon. 

Mischa (Gregor): (Extremely unconvincingly) Oh, this is this is for something else. It's just like an appreciation… 

Mischa: And he like, tries to like, shuffle it, as he's covering for it, like shuffles it kind of behind his back and like reaches back for a refrigerator to like, chuck it into.

Ian: The minute he says Cecilia, Fran and I like, freeze and look at each other. 

Mayanna: Yeah, I was like, 

Mayanna (Fran): Oh. My. Gosh. 

Ian: And then we both like, blush and we get like that huge Spongebob smile. 

Mischa (Gregor): Well, wha–do you guys like, do you know her? Do you like…

Mayanna (Fran): Oh, we know her. 

Ian (Gordon): Oh, we know Cecilia very well. 

Mayanna (Fran): Yeah, we know her. She's our, she's our friend. 

Mischa (Gregor): So, not for anything. This is a completely, uh, you know, very important. Oh. What's her deal like?

[Laughter].

Bex (Ibra): I’m dead.

Mayanna (Fran): Her deal. Like in what way? 

Ian (Gordon): Yeah, Gregor? 

Mischa (Gregor): Just generally, like, her… Does she…hiking or?

Mayanna (Fran): Is she hiking? Nooo.

Ian (Gordon): Definitely not a hiker. 

Mischa (Gregor): So like.

Mayanna (Fran): She’s not hiking. 

Ian (Gordon): No, no, no, no, no. 

Mayanna (Fran): She is busy. 

Ian (Gordon): Yeah. 

Mayanna (Fran):  And she's very like ambitious. 

Ian (Gordon): Work oriented. 

Mayanna (Fran): Work oriented.

Mischa (Gregor): Got it. Got it. 

Mayanna (Fran): Yeah

Ian (Gordon): I think she likes wine? Maybe? 

Mayanna (Fran): Yeah, wine. 

Mischa: Gordon, I want you to roll History to see if that's true. 

Ian: Fuck yeah. 

[Cheers].

Mayanna:Ooh.

Ian: Oh yes, but my History stat is fucking absurd. 

Mayanna: Oh no!

Ian: Oh wow! I have a plus 6 history and I still only rolled a 9. 

Mayanna: Oh no! But that's still good. 

Lyn (JJ): Could be worse.

Ian: I'm gonna say that's a misfire on my part.

Mischa: I think you probably saw her drink a glass of wine once.

Ian: One time. 

[Laughter].

Ian: Wine time. 

Mayanna: What kind of wine was it? 

Mischa: Red?

Ian: Red It was red. It was a red wine colored wine. But, but, I've just told Gregor–

Mayanna and Ian (Gordon): That she loves wine. 

Mischa (Gregor): Cecilia loves– likes a glass of wine at the end of a long day. Yeah, of course. I love that. Maybe, hmm. Just, funny coincidence. Both of us liking a thing. 

[Laughter].

Ian (Gordon): I know. 

Mayanna (Fran): Yeah. 

Ian (Gordon): Well, good luck with that one, Gregor. 

Mischa (Gregor): Sure, and you said she's back, uh.. are you my? You're my new? Delivery guy?

Mayanna (Fran): Next week, right? 

Ian (Gordon): No, I'm the permanent guy. 

Mayanna (Fran): Oh! 

Ian (Gordon): No, I'm just messing with you, Gregor. I’m sorry. (Laughs).

Mayanna (Fran): Yeah.

Mischa (Gregor): (Awkwardly stilted laughs).

Mayanna (Fran): Ah, he’s kiddin! He's a kidder.

Mischa (Gregor): Such a– such a goof. Okay, next week though?

Ian: His teeth are gritted a little bit. He's like stomping the floor. 

Mischa: Yeah, he starts like, he starts like idly chewing like a little bit of cud in the back of his mouth. He's like, 

Mischa (Gregor): Okay. Hm.

Ian (Gordon): Yeah, she's going to be back next week, right? 

Mayanna (Fran): Yeah, next week. 

Ian (Gordon): In all seriousness. 

Mayanna (Fran): Yeah. 

Ian (Gordon): Next week. 

Mayanna (Fran): Next week. 

Mischa (Gregor): Okay, cool. Great. Okay. And, um. Everything, oh, yeah.

Mischa: And he finally, like, inspects the flats of bread that you brought. Um, he's like, 

Mischa (Gregor): Oh, this looks good, smells good. 

Ian (Gordon): Four, four pallets of warm dinner rolls. 

Mischa (Gregor): Excellent.

Ian (Gordon): Hey, thank you for everything you do in keeping people safe. 

Mischa (Gregor): Well, you know, we'd much rather give them this stuff than, I don't know, like, brown cube.

Ian (Gordon): (Incensed) Don’t even talk about brown cube.

Mayanna (Fran): Ugh, god, I hate brown cube. 

Ian (Gordon): Are you kidding me? Carb cube? 

Mayanna (Fran): The worst. 

Mischa (Gregor): Ugh. The starches, it just, it gets caught up in my palate. I've been tasting it for days. 

Ian: We all stand there for a minute just like, in disgust, thinking about brown cube. 

Mayanna (Fran): Ugh! Ugh! 

Ian (Gordon): Okay, well, nice meeting you, and see you never! 

Mayanna (Fran): Yep. 

[Laughter].

Ian: No, I don't feel that, that's crazy.

Mayanna (Fran): See you tomorrow! 

Ian (Gordon): See you tomorrow! 

Ian: Oh yeah, cause, oh wait, do we do, is it a daily delivery route? 

Mischa: Yeah, I mean, probably. 

Mayanna: Every morning.

Ian: So we’re gonna see him later–

Mayanna: Every day.

Mischa: It’s a daily appointment, or, you know, five days a week at least.

Ian: Yeah. Great. So I'm like, 

Ian (Gordon): Well yeah, so see you tomorrow. Can't wait to get to know you a little bit more. Gregor. Alright.

Mischa (Gregor): Great.

Ian: Shake his hoof.

Mischa: Yeah. He has hands. I wanna be clear, capras have hands.

Lyn: I am anticipating that every new NPC you come up with now has for Cecilia. So there's gonna be a week long of like just seeing–

Mayanna: “Oh, you again.”

Lyn –how beloved Cecilia is.

Mischa: No, no. I think. Unfortunately, this is the first time we're playing this game. I think now we have to take it as a given that everyone has a crush on Cecilia. Not all of the scenes can be about how everyone loves Cecilia. 

Mayanna: That’s fine. 

Lyn I know, it's just want the bit of every single person hiding a box.

Mayanna: It’s like “ (Excited) Oh. (Disappointed) Oh.”

Ian: So we drop off the stuff. 

Mischa: Yeah. 

Ian: We get back in the tuk tuk. 

Mayanna: Yeah. 

Mischa: Sure. And you're on your way. 

Ian: And we (light sputtering raspberry, imitating a motor).

Mischa: Yep. Just like that. 

Mayanna: That's exactly what it sounds like. 

Bex: That was such a soft puff.

Mischa: Sorry. Yeah. Sorry. Can you run that one again? 

Ian: Yeah, one more time. So we get in the tuk tuk and we're on our way. (light sputtering raspberry, imitating a motor, with a little warbling puff in the middle). 

Bex: Oh, it had a little toot in there. 

Ian: Yeah. There we go. It was a little clunky at the end. 

Mayanna: It’s so soft. I love it. 

Ian: Tuk tuk's small. 

Mayanna: Yeah. Little guy. 

Ian: Okay. So something's been tugging at me. 

Mischa: Okay. 

[SFX: suspenseful, rhythmic music begins].

Ian: Um, we all fought a wraith yesterday. Like, what– how do we feel the day after that extraordinarily strange, unsettling thing happened? 

Mayanna: I wonder if like, as we were driving to the next thing, maybe it occurs to both of us that we should probably talk about it? 

[SFX: soundscape begins behind suspenseful music, motor of the tuk tuk rumbling in the background].

Mayanna (Fran): We should probably talk about it, right? 

Ian (Gordon): Yeah. What was with that Ravona woman? 

Mayanna (Fran): Oh, god. Well, yes. I, I mean, are you, do you have any feelings about the fight we had? Before we get into that? Because I do have thoughts on that as well. 

Ian (Gordon): This is horrifying. There-there– Okay, we're not talking about it. There was a spectre.

Mayanna (Fran): Right.

Ian (Gordon): In town. Have you ever fought a spectre before? 

Mayanna (Fran): I've never, no. No!

I've never fought a spectre before.

Mayanna (Fran): Of course not. (Sigh).

Ian (Gordon): But, we're walking– oh god.

Mayanna (Fran): I know, we're walking around holding bread like, (mocking, stressed noise that sound) like. 

Ian (Gordon): Like everything's fine. 

Mayanna (Fran): Yeah, it doesn't make any sense. 

Ian: Emotionally, like I light a cigarette even though I don't smoke. You know, like, let's just take a second. 

Mayanna: Do you have a stale muffin? Do you have a stale muffin to chew on?

Ian: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I pull out a muffin, that's what it is. I pull out a stale muffin out of the bag and I'm chewing on it. And then I turn to Fran and I go, 

Ian (Gordon): This is scary, right? 

Mayanna (Fran): Yeah, yeah. It's very scary. And, I don't know, it's– it seems like something that even the people who should know about it don't know anything. It's very weird. The Ravona lady, I don't know, like she seemed like, I don't know, unsure of what to do? Which, for my government officials, I'm not super engaged in politics. But, I would like them to at least have a sense of the threats to my daily life. That doesn't seem like a high bar to hit, right?

Ian (Gordon): I agree.

Ian: And I don't, I don't say this, but like, it sort of has the weird feeling of when something really earth shattering happens in your society and culture, but no one's dealing with it. 

Mayanna: Yeah. 

Ian: So it feel, that, you know what I, you know what I do say is, 

Ian (Gordon): It feels like something really big is coming. 

Mayanna (Fran): Yeah, yeah, it does. And like, we had that weird dream. 

Ian (Gordon): Right! I didn't even think about the dream! 

Mayanna (Fran): Like, and then a frickin creature shows up in our lives. And ruins a very nice, intimate friend birthday party. And, yeah, we're just supposed to, we're just supposed to go on, like, everything's just regular and normal? 

Ian: My heart's like beating more. Like, the more we talk about it, the more stressed out I'm getting. So we can't like, we can't stop the route, because we're halfway through, but I'm really starting to get anxious about it, and I, and I either, I turn to you, I look at you, and then I text the group, I say, 

Ian (Gordon): (staticky filter overlay) We have to go talk to someone. 

Mayanna (Fran): Yeah, I agree.

[SFX: suspenseful music fades out].

Ian: And I really want to go talk to Ravona. 

Mayanna: I would, I, that would be great. I mean, do we even know how to get in contact? She gave us a business card, right?

Mischa: Yeah she did.

Mayanna (Fran): I mean, I don't know. Do you think she would tell us any, any more? 

Ian (Gordon): She has to. 

Mayanna (Fran): I hope you're, I hope you're right. I'm– I love the confidence. I'll go with you.

Ian (Gordon): Great. 

Ian: And I take a couple other gnaws on my muffin. 

Lyn: In response to the text. I'm also going to say like, 

Lyn (JJ): (Staticky filter overlay) Going to talk to Gwen. We'll also follow up. 

Mayanna (Fran): Awesome. 

[SFX: soundscape ends].

Mischa: JJ. You probably had something on your calendar before last night's combat.

Lyn Yes.

Mischa: Last night's thrilling something. 

Lyn: Yeah. 

Mischa: What was it? 

Lyn I think today I probably had, like, an engineering class–

Mischa: Sure.

Lyn –that I actually can't avoid.

Mischa: Sure. 

Lyn Um, or something where I'm just like, 

Lyn (JJ): I shouldn't, but if I say that I'm going to (pensive hum), I could go maybe to the library and do the work for that class. 

Mischa: So you're like, how are you feeling? Like you're, you're someone with such a strict minute by minute schedule and like, you're ready to just throw it out the window and do your own thing today?

Lyn: It's like, um, I only rolled a 4 for a sweep our emotions earlier. [Laughter]. So, um, but is like desperately attempting to. Or… 

Mischa: I would like you to roll a Charisma save. 

Mayanna: Oh, no. 

[Dice rolls].

Lyn 5. 

Mischa: Okay. So that was a save for whatever class you are blowing off. What are you actually doing this morning? 

Lyn I think I'm going to go to the library? Research?

Mischa: Great. So I think if you're expected at shop hours, um, with a 5 charisma save, um, I think the instructor is going to know. “Ugh, JJ always, always, always, always blowing off class to go work on alternate projects, head in the clouds, you know, needs to buckle down and really get to work if they want to go far in this field.”

Lyn: (Nervous fake laugh) It's not like that's on purpose or anything. 

Mischa: But the teachers are going to know it. The students are going to know it. I think it's, it's, you know, with a 5, like, word spreading a little bit in your program. 

Lyn: Yeah. I'm also so nervous that I can't hide it. 

Mischa: Yeah, for sure. 

Lyn It's not subtle. (Laughs).

Mischa: It’s not subtle. So what's the text you send to the instructor for not showing up then?

Mayanna: Oh god.

Lyn (JJ): (Staticky filter overlay) Hey Professor Ewan.

Lyn It's only because he said Gregor earlier and now I'm thinking of Ewan McGregor. 

Ian: So hot.

Bex (Ibra): Oh no.

Ian: So hot. 

Lyn (JJ): (Staticky filter overlay) I’m going to do some independent study at the library to learn more about infrastructural engineering.

Lyn (JJ): Not a lie. 

Mayanna: Wrote, “not a lie” in parentheses. 

[Laughter].

Lyn No, in my head I go, “not a lie.” 

Mischa: Yeah.

Lyn (JJ): (Staticky filter overlay) If there's any assignments that are due next week for lecture, let me know. Thank you. 

Mischa: I think it's– he just texts back, 

Mischa(Professor Ewan): (Staticky filter overlay) Remember your hourly quotas for the semester.

Lyn (JJ): (Soft groan). It's fine, I have time, I have time in the day, I have time. Yeah, I didn't, I didn't wake up not in my room and have– it's fine. I can do it.

Ian: Yikes. 

Mischa: Thank goodness this isn't like a text to speech program. 

Mayanna: Oh seriously.

Lyn Exactly.

Bex: I wish it was.

Lyn: It's fine. I'm like, power walking through campus while texting too.

Mayanna: Aw.

Mischa: Yeah sure.

Lyn I run into a trash can. [SFX: loud metal thud].

Ian: That's what I was doing. 

Lyn Yeah. I-I apologize to it.

Lyn (JJ): I– Sorry. Oh, that's a trash can. Um, sorry! Anyway!

[Laughter].

Mischa: Great. So you head to the library. Which library do you want to go to? 

[SFX: rhythmic, buoyant, plucky synth music begins].

Mischa: So in the Come Up, there are a plethora of different guild libraries scattered throughout the district. There's the Technology Institute, the Academy of Arcana, which features magic and history and philosophy a little bit. There's the Medica, which is a big medical library. There's the Architects Guild, which holds a lot of, presumably, like, infrastructure, probably a lot of your like, structural engineering reference materials would be there. And the School of Rhetoric maintains their own sort of like humanities library. 

Lyn: Yeah, I think the two interests that I think that JJ would be– find worth pursuing are looking for what I think would probably be in the Arcana one, which would be history and magic to learn about supernatural appearances. 

Mischa: Mm-hmm.

Lyn Or the Medica library to see things about amnesia, because did not like what happened with Samira earlier today.

Mayanna: Ooh.

Mischa: Ooh yeah. Great. Which one of those do you want to go to? First, I guess. 

Lyn First. 

Mischa: I mean, you know, they exist until, (mischievously) until I blow them up them later. (Faux evil chuckle).

Lyn: I think, okay, I think I'll first do the Arcana library.

Mischa: Okay. 

Lyn I'll do that and then it'll probably be the sense of, like, gnawing, something was not right this morning, it's making me really uncomfortable, and I can't ignore it, then I'll probably end up checking out medical later.

Mischa: Sure, for sure. You head through the Come-Up over to the Academy of Arcana. 

Ian: The Arcademy for short. 

Mayanna: Oh yeah. 

Mischa: Hmm. I don't know. 

Ian: DM hates it. DM hates it. 

Mischa: Thumb out to the side, shaky a little bit…

Ian: Aaaand?

Mischa: Mild thumb up! 

Ian: Oh! 

Mayanna: Hey! 

Lyn It can be shortened to like the Arc also. 

Ian: Ooh. 

Mayanna: Ooh.

Mischa: I like that. 

Ian: There it is. 

Mischa: I legitimately like that. 

Lyn Yay!

Mischa: I’m sorry, Ian, but I legitimately like that.

Ian: Thats the winner!

Mischa: The Academy of Arcana is the school devoted to recording history, philosophy, ethics with the teachers what the teaches call Thought Design, training you to take in the historical context and implement it in new and unique ways, which is why this is also the main school for spell designers, mapping out the arcane mathematics of brand new spells and uses for Astra.

Mayanna: (Whispering) Oh, that’s so sick.

Mischa: That freedom of mind is encapsulated in this enormous library. It's a huge building with floating crystal edifices, grand bookshelves with swooping curling designs lining every wall, made to look even larger and more impressive by illusory magics. Illusory Terrain, Stone Shape, you're not exactly sure which spells are doing what, but one thing's for sure, magic flows freely here. The building's design is whimsical and inspiring, but also, to the outsider's eye, super imposing. 

Lyn Like floating crystal spire things to light up the stacks, situation? 

Mischa: Larger than life, maybe like, tricks with forced perspective that as you approach it like, it seems even larger. 

Lyn Like at Disney World. 

Mischa: Like, just like at Disney World. If Disney World was a…

Lyn Huge library?

Mischa: Well, I was gonna say–I was gonna say if Disney was in the business of paying people to make new magic, but that is what they purport to do. 

Mayanna: Ooh that’s…

Lyn Wow.

Mischa: So yeah, I guess I was trapped by my own sentence structure on that one.

Ian: Shot across the bow. 

Mischa: Yep. Their library, for visitors? Honestly, probably only restricted section. I think you probably need to be a student of the Academy of Arcana to really access the full breadth of the materials they keep here, especially the stuff about magical research. 

Lyn Hm.

Mischa: Um, but history stuff, philosophy stuff, you know, essays written inbound. 

Lyn: I think in this case I'm looking like history of magic like, or history of magical phenomenon.

Mischa: Sure, what are you looking for? 

Lyn Um, I am looking for essays in history on like the domestication of Astra to some degree of like, how did the grid come to be? And like the magical equivalent of like, how do solar flares impact like, radio waves? Like I'm trying to find like, like wild magical occurrence plus electricity in this case.

Mischa: Sure. Okay, I love it. 

Ian: Do you know that moment when someone says something and you instantly understand how much smarter they are than you? 

Bex: Yeah, I had that feeling with Lyn a lot. 

Ian: I just had that moment. 

[SFX: music ends].

Mischa: Lyn, go ahead and roll investigation for me. 

[Dice rolls].

Lyn: 17 plus investigation? Um, plus five. So 22. 

Mayanna: Nice.

Mischa: Whoa! Big money!

Ian: Matches the vibe.

[SFX: low, reflective, somber music begins].

Mischa: Yeah, I think you can get access to news articles about when they were building the grid out from Minetown. 50 years ago, you know, it's not the technical documents, but it's like journalists trying to put that in layman's terms for the people. It's a lot of like, 

Mischa (Journalist): (Staticky filter overlay) (Mid-Atlantic accet) Whiz bang, look at this brand new technology. 

Lyn Sick, love that.

Mischa: Like big like, World's Fair energy. But essentially it is a technology that grew out of Shield spells that were inscribed into the fortress during the war. They were building magical protections for their fortress so that they could keep the Balvarox, these roving beasts that were rampaging across the entire world, at bay. And once– you know, that was in their desperation what they needed to get up and running, but the ability to control spells from a remote location and send them through conduits to affect a different part of space was the technology that sort of, you know, once the war was over, and the city was expanding, kind of led them to create an electrical grid. Basically, like, the way electrical generation works here is, you send a little bit of, um… 

Lyn Intention? 

Mischa: Intention, yeah. Will. Thought into these crystals and it generates a spark. And the purer a piece of Astra is, the more focused and intention can be. Your Guiding Bolts. But if you get an impure piece of Astra, one that's sort of frosted dull oddly shaped, still useful, still can generate, you know, electrical power. And so they do. So at one time, it sort of used technology from the war to improve peacetime and found a way to use what was previously discarded resources. So it was a big–

Lyn Like recycling?

Mischa: Yeah, or not recycling, but like, look at this use we found for shale after you frack it, you know? 

Ian: Shout across the bow again.

[Laughter].

Mischa: Don't do fracking maybe!

[Laughter].

Mayanna: If you think about it. 

Mischa: Hot take on the Wandering Path podcast. Fracking? Bad. 

Lyn You heard it hear first, RuPaul!

[Laughter].

Mayanna: The people versus RuPaul. 

Mischa: Oh my god. 

Lyn That's a party point for Lyn.

[SFX: music ends].

Mischa: Yeah, so what you're getting from the news articles that you're seeing in this library is like, look at this way we're continuously using the world to improve people's lives using what we've learned. We're going to build the best society the world has ever seen. 

Lyn (JJ): Very optimistic, considering that we just got attacked through it. 

Lyn Um, okay. Well, if it was around 50 years ago and it came from the Pit.

[various deepened voices saying “It Came From The Pit.”].

Lyn: Kind of like upon seeing like, oh, duh, obviously electricity generation, if it's about the grid, it all like goes back to mining and the Pit. It was around 50 years ago that they started introduc– like expanding the grid. My parents probably–

Mischa: Yes. 

Lyn –were around to see that. 

Mischa: Yes. 

Lyn And maybe– that was probably what they were studying. 

Mischa: Right. So your– So remind me, JJ, your parents were around during the Balverox War. Where– They're half dwarves. They have a lifespan long enough where they were around. 

Lyn Yeah. They were like teenagers or something during that.

Mischa: Okay. 

Lyn Yeah. Based on the timeline you just said, it probably would have been new enough that they eventually did work on the grid in its expansion. 

Mischa: Sure. 

Lyn But they weren't, like, the inventors of the grid. 

Mischa: Sure. 

Lyn Otherwise, we'd live in a much better house. (Chuckles). That's how they were able to get out of Minetown, probably.

Mischa: Sure. 

Lyn Was that they… It was like, that was their elevator out. 

Mischa: It was a big, it was a big infrastructural effort. This city probably, if they were trying to build a city, they probably had incentives, and that's how they were able to afford to get out of Minetown. 

Lyn Yeah. 

Mischa: Yeah. But JJ, you got a 22 and this, this doesn't feel like enough of a reward. What else do you want to know? 

[Laughter].

Lyn: Now I just look up to see if my dads are mentioned in any papers. 

Mayanna: That is so funny. 

Bex: So good.

Mischa: Ooh. I want you to roll history. It's going to be a pretty high DC, I think, for them to appear in a paper in this library. 

Lyn I dunno. [Dice rolls].12 plus five. 17. 

Mischa: I don't think with a 17 that’ll do it. 

Lyn No. Oh that’s okay.

Ian: Damn.

Mischa: I think, I think it's a lot of. Again, if you're looking for news articles about the–the first time they built the grid out, um, it's a lot of like, 

Mischa (Journalist): (Staticky filter overlay) (Mid-Atlantic accet) Look how the population of New Prosper is coming together for a better tomorrow!

Lyn: Yeah, they'd be more likely to be listed in like, an essay or a research paper that's in the restricted section as opposed to mentioned in a news article. Yeah, I think that, you know, I look for any mentions of my dads, like seeing, like looking through the pictures of the things of like,

Lyn (JJ): Are they in the background of this news–? No. Oh, it's so grainy. Ew. Is that–? No probably not them.

Mischa: You know what else I'll give you with a 22? Here's what I'll give you with a 22. What you're getting is news articles about when it was first built. And so there's not a ton of like technical documentation here, but you with a 22, you also notice what isn't here, which is to inlay infrastructure into a landscape is not without physical risk. A lot of these newspapers are propaganda, like, look how we've pulled together, but there's no mention of, like, and there were two people injured on the job today. So– 

Lyn: Or even, like, delays in… 

Mischa: Right, or, or even mysterious things that might be people misremembering a wraith attack. 

[Various hums of understanding and intrigue].

Lyn Yeah. 

Mischa: Um, with the 22, I think that probably occurs too.

Lyn: I noticed the  absence of something. 

Mischa: Yes

Lyn Okay.

Mayanna: Weird. 

Lyn (JJ): Yeah, I'll probably talk to my dads later about it as a first for firsthand accounts. Um, but oh shit. What time is it? I do need to go to work. Gwen needs to talk. Oh shit. 

Lyn I'm messaging them like, 

Lyn (JJ): (Staticky filter overlay) Going to talk to Gwen. Any questions for her? 

Bex (Ibra): (Staticky filter overlay) On my way.

Lyn: (Staticky filter overlay) Oh, okay. 

Ian: Feel free to cut this. 

Mischa: Okay. 

Ian: But then I text, um, “Our route ends at the coffee shop outside of Gwen's office.”

S: (Giggles) No. 

Ian: Dammit! 

Bex: Ah!

Ian: I tried!

Mischa: Good attempt, no. 

Ian: Thank you. 

Lyn That'd be funny. 

Mischa: Um, so Ibra, you're on your way to Gwen's. 

[SFX: down trodden, thoughtful rhythmic music begins].

Bex: Yeah, it's– Paz has gone back to Nappyville, and it is not time to go back to school at all.

Mischa: No?

Bex: No matter what, Ibra is, is not going back to school today. 

Mischa: Yeah. Are you also kinda ditching? 

Bex: I am. 

Mischa: Okay. Legit. 

Bex: I'm not supposed to, but I'm absolutely ditching. I feel kinda bad about it, but like, I'm-I'm doing great right now! I'm gonn–, and things are weird, and I'm handling them, so I'm gonna go handle them.

Mischa: Okay, I'm gonna roll to see how much you like the class you're missing today. 

Bex: Oh here we go.

Mischa: You don't like the class that you're missing. 

Bex: Oh, hell yeah. Easy!

Mischa: What is, what class is it? 

Bex: What don't I like? What don't I like? What do I want that's probably required for judgeship that my dad wants me to take? Fuck. 

Lyn: Contract law.

Mayanna: Ooh.

Bex: Contract law. Definitely contract law. 

Mayanna: Ooh yeah.

Bex (Ibra): Yeah, there's too much to do. I don't want to go to contractual law.

Mischa: Yeah, sure. 

Bex: And so when they get the text from the gang being like, hey, things aren't okay. They're like, I'm feeling the same thing. And then JJ's like, I'm going to go talk to Gwen. They literally text, 

Bex (Ibra): (Staticky filter overlay) O. M. W. T. JJ.

Bex: “On my way to JJ.”

Mischa: Ibra’s the kind of texter that like is really into text acronyms and will make up new ones for new phrases without telling their friends what they mean yet. 

Bex: Yep. I love playing characters that communicate written in a very bad way. [Laughter]. Yeah, I think the entire trip to Gwen's is just a lot of numbness and not good emotions for trying to ride a bicycle through traffic.

Mischa: Yeah. Yeah, fair. 

Bex: I think I take extra time. I think I might get there the same time JJ does because I'm just–I'm going so slow. 

Mischa: Yeah, sure. So yeah, so maybe you guys like meet up outside the front door of the building. 

[SFX: music ends.]

[SFX: soundscape begins, exterior of the magistrates office on campus in the Come-Up. Light sounds of the streets, pedestrians walking by].

Lyn (JJ): Hey, how's Paz? 

Bex (Ibra): Oh, uh, good. Sleeping, yeah, good, good sleeping, a good sleep, yeah.

Lyn (JJ): Okay, she's okay? 

Bex (Ibra): No.

Lyn (JJ): (Worried) Oh.

Bex (Ibra): But, um, she's gonna be? I–I don't know, she's, medically she's cleared, but, I (sigh) you know? 

Lyn: I give Ibra a hug. 

Bex (Ibra): Thanks. 

Lyn (JJ): Yeah, um, I'm glad that physically Paz is okay. 

Bex (Ibra): Me too. 

Lyn (JJ): How are you? 

Bex (Ibra): I'm great. (Blows raspberry).

Lyn (JJ): (Sarcastically) Yeah, same. Super awesome. 

Bex (Ibra): Every day above ground is a good one.

Lyn (JJ): We're doing– we're doing so good (voice breaks). 

Bex (Ibra): Killing the game. 

Lyn I just start crying. 

[Laughter].

Bex: I give you a hug. I give JJ a big hug. 

Lyn (JJ): (Panicking) I, I've never shot not an object. Like, it's always been cans and bottles, but it was a living thing? Maybe? Maybe I killed some– we killed something? 

Mischa: You take your gun out and like look at it in your hands. 

Lyn: It's on, like, it safety's on everything. Like,

Lyn (JJ): I-I-I'm not suppo- (panicked crying) 

Bex (Ibra): You didn't know. 

Lyn (JJ): (Rapid deep breaths)

Bex (Ibra): No. It's okay.

Lyn (JJ): You did great. You're excellent. 

Bex (Ibra): So did you. 

Lyn (JJ): Yeah, I-I shouldn't have done great. 

Bex (Ibra): But you did. 

Lyn (JJ): I shouldn't have. 

Bex (Ibra): But you did. 

Lyn (JJ): I don't know how to feel about that. I'm not like you, you know. I don't know what happened and I don't like it. I don't like not knowing things. There's a lot that I don't know, to be fair. That's why I'm here. 

Bex (Ibra): It's not nice to not know what your body's doing or why your body's doing it.

Lyn (JJ): (Deep sigh). 

[SFX: suspenseful, high pitched thrumming music begins].

Lyn (JJ): Samira didn't know what happened last night. 

Bex (Ibra): None of us know what happened. 

Lyn (JJ): No, no, no, no, no, no. She didn't remember that there was a fight. 

Bex (Ibra): But she was just there?

Lyn (JJ): She doesn't, she doesn't hide things, she doesn't– It was like she– It was blocked from her blocked. 

Bex (Ibra): Blocked.

Lyn (JJ): She doesn't do that. 

Bex (Ibra): Did the Ravona people– 

Lyn (JJ): I don't know.

Bex (Ibra): –do something. 

Lyn (JJ): I don't know. Like we all remembered that it happened. 

Bex (Ibra): Yes. 

Lyn (JJ): She remembered that it happened last night. She went to bed like “that was fucked up. That was a ghost.” And this morning she didn't even know that anything dangerous happened. Well, she knew that there was danger, but she couldn't say why it was dangerous. 

Bex (Ibra): That's so weird. 

Lyn (JJ): I don't… Did Paz? 

Bex (Ibra): Paz remembered. Paz, Paz remembered all of it and, and then some. Paz told me that she saw something extra in the attack. But she wouldn't go into it. I think it really rattled her. So I, I didn't want to push and, and. But she definitely remembered. And, and remembered even maybe more than we did. 

Lyn (JJ): Oh. 

Lyn: I think, like, in that moment, JJ really expected Paz not to remember. Like, you just see my face fall.

Bex (Ibra): I’m sure Samira's okay. I'm sure it's something weird and fluky. 

Lyn (JJ): Yeah, yeah, um, we should talk to Gwen. Gwen will know more. Gwen sounds like– it already sounds like she knows more. Maybe she knows–

Bex (Ibra): Yeah. Yeah. 

Lyn (JJ): –what's going on. Um, it's fine. 

Bex (Ibra): Have you heard from her? 

[SFX: music ends, soundscape resumes].

Lyn (JJ): Oh, she called you earlier. 

Bex (Ibra): Uh?

Lyn (JJ): Or your house. Well, your room. Your place. Your phone. 

Bex (Ibra): Right. 

Lyn (JJ): Or the. The… She called.

Bex (Ibra): I should clean up all that glass that Gordon left. 

Lyn (JJ): Oh yeah, we swept it under the rug.It's fine. 

Bex (Ibra): Yeah, that's where I usually sweep things. It makes more sense.

Lyn (JJ): Yeah, we saw a lot under there. Honestly, at first we were like, we “shouldn't do this.” But then we were like, “oh, there's so much there. It's cool.” And then–

[Laughter].

Bex (Ibra): I mean, I don't know if you saw my–

[Laughter].

Mayanna: Putting a hat on a hat, you know? 

Bex (Ibra): I don't know if you saw, but my dustpan's kind of crappy.

Lyn (JJ): Oh, oh, Fran fixed it. 

Bex (Ibra): What? Okay, well, I will have to deal with this later, but that's so cool. 

Lyn (JJ): Fran honestly has been really killing it with cleaning supplies recently. 

Bex (Ibra): Dang.

Lyn (JJ): I think that. You know, obviously fashion is the big one, but like there, I think there's something there.

Bex (Ibra): There’s gotta be, Fran can do anything.

Lyn: You're so right. 

[SFX: soundscape ends].

Bex: We're like walking in the building at this point.

Lyn We have also swept it under the rug as this conversation is happening, 

Bex: We're really good at sweeping under the rug guys. 

Lyn This is why we're friends. 

Mischa: Um, you head into Gwen's office, and as soon as you walk through the. The main door of the department, her office door opens [SFX: door latch clicks and swings open], like the-like the moment you walk through the threshold. Her office door opens and she gestures you straight back. She asks you to close the door and have a seat. 

[SFX: door latches closed]. 

[SFX: suspenseful, mysterious music begins, swelling over time]

Mischa: And then she sits at her desk leaning forward, says, 

Mischa (Gwen): Thank you both for coming. I spoke to Inspector Ravonna last night. 

Lyn (JJ): Oh, good. 

Mischa (Gwen): Late last night. Um, I was shocked that she knew you. I was concerned that she knew you, that she was calling about you. Nevertheless, I, I'm– providence that you are the two people that work for me and with me, Ravona called me and said that you both were involved in an incident last night for which she had tasked me to find a team to stop such incidents. I spoke to you both yesterday about something I couldn't talk very much about.

Lyn (JJ): Yes.

Mischa (Gwen): This was it. 

Bex (Ibra): Oh.

Lyn (JJ): Oh. 

Mischa (Gwen): I find it hard to believe. Like it almost stretches credulity that you should find yourselves at the center of it when I tried to keep you as close to the edge of it as possible. 

Lyn (JJ): Yay? 

Bex (Ibra): Happy accidents? 

Mischa (Gwen): What happened? 

Mischa: Now, you don't have to tell me again, but do you tell her everything?

Lyn Yeah. 

Bex: Yeah. 

Lyn There's nothing–

Bex: The only thing held back is Paz's revelation of something in the attack. 

Mischa (Gwen): Now, you all remembered it this morning. When I called you, JJ, this morning, when I called you at Ibra's apartment, that was, that was right? 

Lyn (JJ): Yes, that, that was me. 

Bex (Ibra): Yeah. 

Lyn (JJ): We all crashed at the same place. 

Mischa (Gwen): Sure.

Bex (Ibra): Slumber party. 

Mischa (Gwen): I don't need to know. 

[Laughter].

Mischa: She's constantly dealing with students in her office. [Laughter]. These are college kids, like she knows. 

Lyn: That was just so funny! 

Mischa: She says, 

Mischa (Gwen): Okay, when I called you, you seemed to have full memory of the incident. 

Lyn (JJ): Yes, um, but not everyone who was there. Um.

Mischa (Gwen): Yes. 

Lyn (JJ): Me, Ibra, Fran, Gordon, and Paz all have recollection. Samira doesn't. 

Mischa (Gwen): Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. 

Lyn (JJ): Um, I don't know about Cecilia. 

Bex (Ibra): I haven't asked. 

Lyn (JJ): That would be the only other people who would have been there. 

Mischa (Gwen): I'm going to start off here with an important piece of information that the two of you need to know going forward. When we talk about this next, I won't remember either.

Ian: (Whispering, horrified) What? 

Lyn (JJ): What does that, um? 

Mischa (Gwen): We're not sure. That's why I asked you to find candidates with a general skill set and knowledge base. For some reason, something is happening to this city, and only certain people can remember it. Which makes it hard for those of us who can't to try to solve it. 

Bex (Ibra): Do we have parameters for who remembers?

Mischa (Gwen): Not yet. 

Lyn (JJ): Oh. 

Mischa (Gwen): It seems as far as I've been able to investigate entirely random? 

Lyn (JJ): Archives, libraries, any, like– can-can records be kept of these occurrences? 

Mischa (Gwen): We've looked, um, it's hard for some of us to even remember what we're looking for as we're looking for it. How do you, how do you search for the absence of a needle in a haystack?

Lyn (JJ): You would have to know that there's a needle in there to begin with. 

Mischa (Gwen): Exactly. 

Lyn (JJ): Oh.

[SFX: music fades then transitions to more hopeful, pensive music]. 

Mischa (Gwen): Maybe. I hope, I pray, that you two will have better luck than I. Ravona's been in touch with you. You spoke to her. 

Lyn (JJ): Yes. Correct. 

Bex (Ibra): Once. Last night. 

Mischa (Gwen): How'd that go? 

Lyn (JJ): She was nice. We gave her pizza. 

Bex (Ibra): She liked the warmth. 

Lyn (JJ): But Ravona is in charge of this investigation, and she, does she recall?

Mischa (Gwen): Yes. That's why she's in charge of it. 

Bex (Ibra): Oh, okay. 

Lyn (JJ): So we should certainly keep in contact with her. How would you like future proceedings with you about this to…

Lyn I'm writing everything down, and I'm going to do it in paper and pencil. 

Mischa (Gwen): Tell me everything you can. I'll retain as much of it as I can. And when I don't remember, be gracious.

Lyn As a test, I will write everything down, what she says, I'm like, 

Lyn (JJ): For your proof for you later, so that you can be assured of that this memory, these events, this conversation should happen, will you sign here? 

Mischa (Gwen): Yes.

Mischa: And she signs a grand flourish of a signature. Gwenivere Concordis. It's like big and loopy. We pray this 

Mischa (Gwen): We've, I–I think maybe we've–we’ve had to have tried this before. I… See. Here it is again. I don't remember what happened. 

Lyn (JJ): Oh.

Bex (Ibra): We should mark this page, file it somewhere so we can take a look at it. 

Lyn (JJ): I'm going to file this in four separate locations. 

Bex (Ibra): Oh.

Mischa: Whoa. 

Bex (Ibra): I like it. 

Lyn (JJ): Yeah. 

Mayanna: Quadruplicate. 

Bex (Ibra): Get rid of as many variables as possible.  

Lyn (JJ): Physical, digital, the weird graphite paper copy. If we don't know how it affects memory, I'm worried that it might affect recordings in some way based on the research that I did this morning.

Bex (Ibra): Oh, what’d you find this morning?

Lyn (JJ): I didn't find anything. 

Bex (Ibra): Oh.

[SFX: music ends]

Mayanna: Hm.

Ian: How quickly is her memory of the thing fading? 

Mischa: Um, well, you're not there. 

Ian: I know. I'm just curious as in, in wondering.

Mischa: Maybe one day you'll find out.

Lyn Oh!

Mayanna: Devastation.

Ian: Drops mic. 

Mischa: She sort of takes a moment to herself. I think. 

[SFX: pensive music begins]. 

Mischa: I think, Ibra and JJ, this is probably the most rattled you've ever seen Gwen by a wide margin. The least rattled person in the world. And she has to take a moment and be like, 

Mischa (Gwen): Okay. Okay. Okay. So, you'll be in contact with Ravona. You obviously have remembered it for at least a day. That's good. Um, yes, very good. You let me know how I can assist you. 

Lyn (JJ): Let's write that down, just in case you don't remember telling us that. 

Mischa (Gwen): “I am relying on JJ and Ibra for assistance and aid.”

Mischa: And signs it. 

Bex (Ibra): When we were talking about, , when we were talking about this in the before times, when it was all theoretical,  it was a job placement, right?

Mischa (Gwen): Yes. The governor himself has set aside discretionary funds for those who can help do something about whatever it is. Did you say spectres? 

Lyn (JJ): Spectre, ghost, creature from some…

Bex (Ibra): Somewhere else?

Lyn (JJ): Extraplanar, extraterrestrial, I don't–?

Mischa (Gwen): Fascinating.

Lyn (JJ): It did not look like anything that I am aware of that exists in this material plane.

Mischa (Gwen): Fascinating. 

Bex (Ibra): I-I-I hate to return to the monetary aspect of this, very important job, but you tasked us with finding a group that had all these traits. Um, could I throw our hats in the ring for this placement? Um, I know that last night put one of us out of a job, and I think this would really help.

Mischa (Gwen): Ibra, you've got it. This is it.

Bex (Ibra): All of us?

Mischa (Gwen): Yeah, there's four of you, and you defeated one of these things last night between the four of you? 

Lyn (JJ): We did, yes. 

Mischa (Gwen): You didn't even know it was coming, I couldn't tell you. You already did it? You're hired. 

Lyn (JJ): Okay. 

Bex: I text Fran. 

Bex (Ibra): You have a job. 

Mayanna (Fran): (Staticky filter overlay) Whaaaaaaat, oh my god! 

Mayanna: And I send a little, like, squiggly dancing dude.

Mischa (Gwen): And here's your first assignment. I stopped by the site of the bridge collapse yesterday after I spoke to you. There were mysterious signs, things that couldn't be explained except by malice, and we're following those leads as well. Somebody causing some havoc, casting some spells. We're tracking down all possible mundane and mundanely magical leads. But I couldn't tell you for certain that this isn't being caused by what you're currently investigating. Would you do me a favor as your first assignment and go and check that out?

Lyn (JJ): Of course. 

Bex (Ibra): Yeah. 

Lyn (JJ): We're on it, boss. 

Mischa (Gwen): Great. 

[SFX: transitions to more hopeful, yet still apprehensive].

Lyn (JJ): If we're working on this a lot, I might not be able to meet my quotas for engineering classes.

Bex (Ibra): And I don't think that contractual law class will work for any of my investigation time. 

Lyn (JJ): Oh, and access to other guilds libraries would be probably really helpful. 

Bex (Ibra): And site access as well. 

Mischa (Gwen): That might be a little harder. I will do what I can for you, but without being able to explain why you're doing what you're doing, for fear that the person you're trying to get permission from for a certain task might not remember it ten minutes later, I will do what I can for you. I'm here. I'm on call for this. This is an assignment task to me directly from the heads of state and the leaders of this city. And I have not failed them yet, and I don't intend to fail them now. I'm so grateful that two people I trust are already on the case. 

Bex: We blush. 

Mayanna: Aww.

Lyn (JJ): Thank you. We don't take this lightly.

Mischa (Gwen): Get to it. 

Lyn (JJ): Yes, ma'am. 

Bex (Ibra): (Whispering, stressed) This is heavy. 

Lyn On the way out, I just like clutch Ibra's hand like in a death grip. 

Bex: We're just holding hands on the way out. It's really cute, but also like, we're so anxious. 

Lyn Our forearm like, veins are completely popping out. 

Bex: We're just anxious babies at our cores. 

Lyn: As we leave, we will also text Electric Jelly chat.

Ian: Jesus. 

Lyn (JJ): (Staticky filter overlay) Talked to Gwen. There's a lot of stuff going on. We need to meet up and also talk to Inspector Ravona. Also we all have a job. Yay! 

Mayanna (Fran): Yay! 

Lyn (JJ): (Staticky filter overlay) Or more job! Yay! 

Mayanna (Fran): (Staticky filter overlay) Yay! 

Bex (Ibra): (Staticky filter overlay) Paid position! Yay! 

Mayanna (Fran): (Staticky filter overlay) Woo!

Ian: Gordon, how do you feel about more jobs? 

Ian: I don't know! I have a route! I was thinking about that while they were talking about it. Am I gonna go to the bridge with them or am I gonna be delivering bread? I have to decide. 

Mischa: Yeah, you do. 

Ian: Fuck me. I'm not gonna decide right now.

Mischa: Okay. I guess you'll keep me and all of our listeners in suspense. 

Ian: Let's table that discussion for until tomorrow. 

Bex (Ibra): Two weeks to think about this.

Ian: Yeah.

[Theme music fades in].

Mischa: The Wandering Path was created by me, Mischa Stanton. And produced by Bex Taylor-Klaus, Lyn Rafil, and me. This story was game mastered and sound designed by me, Mischa Stanton, and was played and performed by Bex Taylor-Klaus, Lyn Rafil, Ian McQuown, and Mayanna Berrin. Cover art by Lyn Rafil, and music courtesy of the Independent Music Licensing Collective. Our production and house manager is Erin Bark. 

If you like what you're listening to, please tell your friends and let them know where to find us. Our website is wanderingpathpod.com, where you'll find links to subscribe and follow us wherever the path leads. We're also on Patreon, patreon.com/wanderingpathpod. We're so grateful for anything you contribute to help us keep making this show. Thanks for wandering with us. Till next time!

[Theme music fades out].