Kult: Divinity Lost - Downfall, Episode 3

[00:00:02] Speaker A: Hello, friends, and welcome once again to another single serving tabletop adventure from Queen's court games. My name is Aaron, and tonight I will be your game master as we pierce the illusion in M. Marshall's Downfall, a story of love, lust, greed, and entitlement from the screams and whispers collection for cult divinity lost. This should be our final session, and I cannot wait to see what comes out of these. For players, it's I don't know what's gonna happen. I'm here as much for the ride as you are. As always, you can find links to this scenario and assorted social media by taping exclamation point scenario or exclamation point cast, respectively. If you're joining us live on Twitch or in the show notes. If you're joining us later via YouTube or your favorite podcast app now we will continue on this journey. You've already met them, you know who they are. But on the off chance you've gotten here, and this is the first episode, you've seen two things. One, gonna introduce these folks so you can get to know them. Two, pause now and go back and watch the first episode. And the second episode, we are telling the story of downfall in sequence. It's gonna be real weird if you just start here, but along the way you will get to meet first as the girlfriend, Kendall. She is our art aficionado and overlay overlord. I didn't work on that beforehand. Anyway, it's QCG's very own v lock. [00:01:27] Speaker B: Hi. [00:01:29] Speaker A: And also here we have the twin sister, Aisha, QCG's resident social media guru, international traveler Larper extraordinaire. It is Laura Tutu. [00:01:41] Speaker B: Hi. [00:01:43] Speaker A: As the classmate aid in returning to our table by way of Nat 20 Productions, where at time of recording, he had just finished an incredibly successful fundraiser for Planned Parenthood. It is PJ McGaugh. [00:01:55] Speaker B: Hello, everyone. [00:01:58] Speaker A: And lastly, but certainly not leastly, our very special guest playing the Professor Francis. He is the founder of Sidekick Productions, recent guest on the NBC series Poker Face. We are delighted to welcome and so sad this is the last session that we will see Joshua penguin. [00:02:15] Speaker C: I am devastated as well the last. [00:02:19] Speaker A: Session for this one, because I think based on the experience we've all had together, we will definitely have you back. Our audience has really loved having you here. We have really loved having you here. And honestly, even if the audience hated it, I had fun. And we run the channel, so. Oh my God, they can hear us. Anyway, before we begin, please note, cult divinity lost is an adult horror game and as such, this scenario will include topics that some viewers may find uncomfortable or objectionable, including blood and gore, body horror, drug and alcohol abuse, pornography, sexual content, self harm, and torture. Please, please, please consult the full list of content warnings in chat before continuing by using the command exclamation point safety or looking in the show notes if you're catching up after. Now, the cast and I have completed a thorough safety and consent questionnaire. We've discussed these themes in a session zero and between sessions, and we've agreed to hold ourselves accountable to a code of conduct that will ensure our table remains a safe and respectful environment for collaborative storytelling. All of that said, for one last time, let's do our check in v, are you in a mentally safe place to continue with this scenario? Do you understand how to use our available safety tools and are you committed to maintaining a safe and respectful environment? [00:03:30] Speaker D: I am. [00:03:32] Speaker A: Laura, are you in a mentally safe place to continue with this scenario? Do you understand how to use our available safety tools and are you committed to maintaining a safe and respectful environment? [00:03:41] Speaker E: Yes. Yes, and yes, I am. [00:03:44] Speaker A: Wonderful. PJ, are you in a mentally safe place to continue with this scenario? Do you know how to use our available safety tools, and are you committed to maintaining a safe and respectful environment? [00:03:55] Speaker B: Yeah, buddy. [00:03:57] Speaker A: And Josh, are you in a mentally safe place to continue with this scenario? Do you understand how to use our available safety tools, and are you committed to maintaining a safe and respectful environment? [00:04:06] Speaker C: I sure am. [00:04:08] Speaker A: Well, excellent. There's enthusiasm abound. I think it is misguided. We're gonna see how they feel about 15 minutes from now. But with all of that said, let me tell you a story. [00:04:41] Speaker C: No, this work, it's incredible. But the. The things you've described, the sexuality, the violence. [00:04:48] Speaker A: Are. [00:04:49] Speaker C: Are you okay? [00:04:54] Speaker D: The last time we talked, he was twitchy, nervous, picking at his skin. I have no idea where to find him. Trust me, I've tried. [00:05:08] Speaker A: Your body is throbbing with base urges your waking mind simply fails to comprehend. Crawling under your skin, there's something inside you, something that wants to break free. [00:05:24] Speaker B: With all of the experiences that I gave for him, that he grew from, that he manifested, those things became in him a new person. [00:05:40] Speaker E: I lost my brother once when he moved to New York. I will not lose him again. [00:05:58] Speaker A: We return to New York City on the cusp of something incredible. It's only been a few nights, but our quartet of would be investigators have grown closer and closer and closer to Aisha's twin brother, Noah and the mystery that has claimed him from this world. Along the way, we've also learned a little bit too much about those people and their motivations to find Noah. There's a party tonight. I presume you're all getting dressed up for the occasion. Aidan's insisted. But as you put on your makeup, as you slide into your little black dress, as you adjust your tie, as you pick out the perfect scarf, one has to wonder what the mood is like in your own head. And as you stand in front of that mirror and confront the objectives that lay out before you, the immutable goal that you must achieve, the thing that has driven you to participate in this process. What's going through your mind? The professor has been made an offer he can't refuse, promises of power and satisfaction beyond which any person could achieve not only the erasure of all his past mistakes, but, further, the ability to climb to the heights of literary fame that have thus far been denied him. And all he has to do is make sure no one makes it to Noah. That stands, of course, in opposition to Aidan and Kendall, each of them having their own needs that only Noah can mean. For Kendall, it is the pain inside of yourself that won't be gone until you can see him put in his place for the things that he has done to you, for the fact that he showed you to the world. And for Aiden, it's the pain you will feel inside of you when the wealthy masters who pull the puppet strings of your life decide, in the absence of, of one recruited soul, another. Fine. If you don't have homegrown Noah, store bought Aidan is fine. And lastly, the only clear soul among them, tortured not by ulterior motive, but by her proximity emotionally to her brother Aisha, who knows that something is terribly, terribly wrong in the depths of her soul, but is perhaps using her faith as a shield, as a window to prevent her from seeing all the way through the illusion. That, of course, is only my perspective. So I'm interested to know that again. As you sit alone, there's something electric about this moment. You know you are close. You know it's coming. What's the speech you're giving yourself? What are the excuses you're making? What are the promises and plans that you're etching into your memory as we get ready for a party? [00:09:24] Speaker E: I think I just need to know the truth at this point. I know what I saw in that dream. [00:09:36] Speaker A: But. [00:09:40] Speaker E: Dreams are ephemeral, a reflection of our own emotions, our own struggles. It could mean nothing, could mean everything. I need, I need to know. I need to know either way, if what I saw was true. [00:10:17] Speaker A: Has the gravity of it landed yet? [00:10:26] Speaker E: I don't think so. It still barely makes sense. [00:10:37] Speaker A: Tempted by the illusion, visions of limbo in things beyond. Noah walked into your dreams in a way that was real, more real than anything else in the past. Faced with it, this little spark of divinity allowed to drift down from the heavens, catch on your clothing. [00:10:58] Speaker B: And you've. [00:10:59] Speaker A: Turned your back on that. [00:11:14] Speaker E: God works in mysterious ways. [00:11:20] Speaker A: All the gods do if the cosmology of our universe is to be believed. But some of us aren't content to wait on the wills of gods. No. We are the ones who forge our own destinies. Isn't that right, Kendall? [00:11:40] Speaker D: Oh, yeah. As I sit here getting ready, I just keep telling myself that if Aiden is right, if Aiden can actually find Noah, if his party contact can get us closer, that puts me one step closer to giving him what he deserves, I guess. [00:12:10] Speaker A: Have you paused to formulate a plan? Is there a specific action that you're looking to bring to fruition, or is this more of the I'll know humiliation when I see it? [00:12:26] Speaker D: I mean, I imagine I'll know it when I see it, right? Based on, oh, gosh, I mean, what we read in those journals of his. He's gotten into some things that I'm sure he would hate getting out there on the Internet. And if we do come across him in a questionable situation, well, we've all got cameras, right on our phones, don't we? And, man, Internet speeds these days so fast. [00:13:09] Speaker A: Put it on TikTok. Oh, yeah. [00:13:12] Speaker D: I mean, I'd get banned off TikTok real fast, I think, but not before a lot of people saw it make. [00:13:21] Speaker A: It halfway around the Internet, before those moderators catch on. Yeah, that might, of course, stand in opposition to Aiden's plans. Your employers, they're into a pristine product, well trained but innocent. That's kind of the brand. And also, if Noah is Internet famous, it's a lot harder to get him smuggled away to some corner where he can live a quiet life of service and servitude. Yeah. [00:13:58] Speaker B: But thankfully, they are open to other opportunities, other potentialities, especially if they like, you know, innocent but submissive and capable. I think I have some eyes on them. People have fit those descriptions. And they may not know it yet, but they do. So there's always a possibility out there. [00:14:23] Speaker A: Of a second chance. You don't make it to the top of those hierarchies without inborn flexibility. The world moves too fast. It's too complicated for rigid thinking. But sometimes you don't need a complex plan. Professor, your situation is actually quite simple. You don't need a machiavellian scheme. You're not having a crisis of faith. You don't need to find Noah and punish him. You need to find Noah at all. [00:15:00] Speaker C: In fact, I really shouldn't find Noah. I have spent so many years knowing that something happened to me. And I was right. I was right all of this time. I've made so many dumb mistakes over my life. I've been through so many terrible relationships, terrible situations. Terrible sex partners, terrible families, terrible everything. And yet, in the back of my mind, I always knew that I was special. And I saw things that no one else did. And I was right. And all I have to do is stop these three people from finding Noah. [00:16:06] Speaker D: Eileen. [00:16:10] Speaker C: It'S so easy. [00:16:12] Speaker A: So easy. But I'm interested in one question, because I remember not too long ago how you spoke about Noah and what he meant to you and the way that he inspired you and how you knew that this kid was gonna ride a rocket ship of talent up into the fame filled stars. And now it seems you've moved on fairly quickly, that it's a different trajectory you're concerned with. [00:16:44] Speaker C: I mean, self preservation is what we're. We all have that deep down, we all are the ones who care about ourselves more than anyone else. Because the first thing I learned growing up in that God forsaken little town is that no one's gonna care about me except me. And when I moved to New York City, no one's gonna care about me except me. And when I got this job at NYU, no one's gonna care about me except me. So, yeah, Noah is incredibly gifted. But so am I. And I deserve every single chance that I can have to get what I want. And I don't know what's gonna happen to Noah. I don't know what they want him for. Maybe they want him for something great as well. He clearly has a gift, and they can see that. So Noah's gifted? I'm gifted. I. As far as I'm concerned, we are both destined for greatness. And all I have to do is stop these three from messing it up. [00:17:55] Speaker A: It's that simple. Well, I'm looking forward to seeing how you accomplished that. The other three of them seem pretty driven. But driven is the word as we come to this party. Driven from the place you're calling home across town, to the apartment that Lee has given you. The address to. Apartments? A bit underselling it. More like a condo, I think, once it has two floors and internal staircase. We have gone beyond apartment, right? That's definitionally something. The building is in a posh neighborhood, and it deserves the pride of its address. Aiden, you don't know where Lee got that kind of money, but he's always seemed to have it, even though he doesn't travel in the same circle. Kendall. You've been hauled to these kind of parties before, professor. You've been invited to them. But, Aisha, this is well outside your comfort zone. So, assuming the four of you arrive within one standard deviation of fashionably late, you're probably standing alone on the sidewalk as the cab deposits you. And you stare up at this glass and steel monstrosity, the kind of building you've only seen in pictures describing the way that russian oil tycoons hide their wealth. [00:19:34] Speaker E: It may be out of my comfort zone, but I. I was never the type to really judge. Just because it isn't something that is good for me does not mean it is something that is bad for anyone else. [00:20:02] Speaker A: You've come to handle the busyness of New York City fairly well. I've expected at least a little more anxiety going from a town of 500 people to a square block of 500 people. [00:20:21] Speaker E: It is quite possibly the most overwhelming experience of my life. And I know that makes me sound podunk and naive and foolish, but. Well, I made the choice to stay. I couldn't tell you why. And I think even though I am standing still and waiting for the others to arrive, I could keep twisting the rosary in my hands over and over and over and over and over again. Some kind of an outlet for that seer. [00:21:09] Speaker A: I don't know. That podunk sounds so bad. Compared to being the kind of person this city turning you into. The kind of person where you're willing to turn your back on a promising student pursuing power. The kind of city that creates people like Aiden and Kendall and Francis. Maybe staying back home saved you from something worse. But on the topic of something worse. Hello, Kendall. It seems you're gonna be waiting for aid in a moment. Just some good old quality time with your boyfriend's twin sister. What's not to like? [00:21:50] Speaker D: Couldn't be more perfect a time, really. Uh, having said that, though, she did kind of fuck up my apartment, so I'm still not really okay with that. And we haven't really talked about that too much. She wasn't really, uh. She wasn't super forthcoming with information when I asked what the hell happened, but, I mean, all the locks were on and nobody had come in the windows, so. Pretty sure it was her. [00:22:37] Speaker A: Curious to me that you are still in the place of mind where you've seen some incredibly bizarre things. You've witnessed people who. Aiden was quite evasive in that alleyway. There's nothing. It's not normal. So I'm curious what it is about your brain that when you see a pattern of behavior emerging over people who you would generally presume are level headed, have their feet squarely on the ground, Aiden sees something visibly upsetting in an alleyway and says, I wouldn't worry about it. You come into your apartment and find belongings scattered across the room, the bed in the center of the bedroom. And Ayesha says, I wouldn't worry about it. How long are you not gonna worry about it? [00:23:45] Speaker D: Here's the thing. There's only so many fucks to give on a standard. In a standard amount of time, right? Right now, there's one thing that I'm focused on and that's finding Noah. And Aiden's fucking weird. And he pisses me off in more ways than one. And I still attribute every. Everything that happened with Noah, in part to Aiden and the shit that he got Aiden or the shit that he got Noah into. Giving him any credit. [00:24:26] Speaker A: You're giving him any credit for what appeared to be a fairly genuine reconciliation in a tunnel full of your weakest moments. [00:24:38] Speaker D: Maybe, but grain of salt, because Aiden is the kind of guy who will say anything to get whatever he wants. You've seen him. You've experienced Aidan talking to people, being flirty and friendly. And with that guardian. I mean, come on. He would say anything to get what he wants. And I don't know, maybe. Maybe he was being genuine. But I have to wonder why. [00:25:16] Speaker A: Suppose we'll find out in good time. [00:25:18] Speaker D: Yeah. One way or another, I suppose. [00:25:23] Speaker A: A time like now, say that Aidan and Frances arrive on the scene within a few minutes of the conversation. The small, polite nothingness conversation going on between Kendall and Aisha from opposite sides of the block, to come standing in before. Can I, just for my fun, get everyone to observe the situation for me? [00:25:56] Speaker D: 1512. [00:26:03] Speaker B: 1315. [00:26:08] Speaker A: All right, then I'm going to say it is probably the case that, uh, all of you notice this in varying degrees, but your reaction to it is going to be slightly different. New York is a surveilled city just like every global city. So you're no stranger to looking up at a streetlight and seeing the small ball of an NYPD camera on it. And you're no stranger to seeing a Google car or something like driving down, driving in New York City stopping and starting down the avenues with all the little camera balls on it. It's post 911, so there are no blimps. But you do see those homeland security helicopters and the Coast Guard looking around camera turrets on the bottom of them. And there's not a building with this price tag anywhere in the city that doesn't have a camera above the door and a camera in the doorbell. Which is why the sheer number of them calls attention. Because consider for a moment how ubiquitous these things are that they have escaped your general notice. And there have to be, even more to the point where you do notice them, that you have an acute feeling of being watched. And behind those little black covers, you can never quite tell what the camera is looking at. But on occasion, you can grab a glance at the little red dot that tells you the camera's on. And it's weird the way that they follow you. Is it possible that a camera makes eye contact? It's a weird feeling. But weirdest of all for Aiden Kendall, you were not used to being on those kinds of cameras. But your attitudes are somewhere else. Professor, you've lived here long enough. Aisha, your brain is somewhere else. It might be weird, but it's not rising to the level of anxiety. It's not causing your heart to beat faster in your chest. It's not reminding you of men with tattoos and guns and plans for you if you fail. So, Aiden, will you roll your disadvantage? For me. [00:28:43] Speaker B: That'S going to be a 14. [00:28:47] Speaker A: You are on the cusp of having it under control. Looking around, you see your eyes darting. You can tell that you're being worked up. You don't want to reveal that, but at the same time, they're there. They gave you a deadline, Aiden. Time is coming. You can look down at that expensive watch paid for with the money that they gave you in advance to deliver Noah. And see it counting down to what? To the van they'll throw you in the back of, to the empty wave warehouse. They'll tie you to a chair in to some strange, exotic destination where you will become another missing person in New York and live out the remains of your life doing God knows what. Until someone with more money than morals gets bored of you. And they are watching you. They are watching you right now. The consequence of that is you have done, for the first time, an unfortunately poor job of keeping yourself under control. It's not a total breakdown. You're not going off into a screaming fit or anything like that. But the other three can see that you are agitated. And it probably doesn't have anything to do with the fact that you might be nervous going to parties. [00:30:22] Speaker B: All right? It's okay. People like you, you're gonna show them how much they're gonna like you. It's gonna be great. Just remember, do what you can to survive. And if these people could just hurry it the fuck up, I swear to God, we could all be in a much better place when tomorrow comes. No, we all have to have problems, and we have to have crises, and we have to have feelings, these fucking redundant feelings all the time. Oh, I'm angry. Oh, I'm hurt. Oh, I'm scared. We all fucking are. All the goddamn time. Why the fuck can't we move any faster? That's all. Inside, on the outside. Outside, all you see is Aidan going, you look beautiful. The makeup's great, but we're in a hurry. We really gotta go. So whenever you can, just like, good enough is good enough. Don't worry about it. [00:31:26] Speaker E: You're leading the way. Aiden. [00:31:30] Speaker D: Yeah, we don't know where we're going. [00:31:34] Speaker B: Oh, so you know what? You're right. That's on me. Hold on 1 second. [00:31:41] Speaker A: All right? Should be. [00:31:44] Speaker B: I mean, we're really close, according to my app here, so just make sure we stay close and everyone just, you know, have a good time tonight. Be cool. [00:31:55] Speaker D: Are you okay? [00:31:58] Speaker B: I'm always okay. What are you talking about? Come on. I'm going to a party. I do that for money. I'm good. [00:32:05] Speaker D: Okay. All right. Well, sometimes you can be a little less okay, apparently. I'm sure it's fine, though. [00:32:13] Speaker B: Well, we all have our weak spots. What can I say? Inside or outside? I'm always okay. [00:32:25] Speaker A: Inside. In this case, meaning inside the lobby of this building. It is, as they all are, granite or something approximating granite across the bottom. The normal accents of gold. Or something approximating gold. A desk with a security guard. Two or three watching some security cameras. And then in the distance, four or five stairs up that lead you to a bank of elevators. One for each set of 20 odd floors. Lee has given you the floor they are on. Your name with some plus guests is in the guest registry, so you won't have to spend too much time convincing the guards that you belong here. But like so many eyeballs, so many cameras, you've seen banks where they have to have something pointing at every teller and then something pointing at every screen and something pointing at every door. Or casinos where everyone's watching everyone and the camera's watching all of them. This place is surveilled it goes beyond the normal security mindset and into something it looks like the COVID of a Guardian article about how London has too many things watching people. And it's not just the little bubbles, the nice, polite ones. It's those 1980s monsters on the wall. Kendall, you'd swear some of them are just webcams that someone has stapled onto the wall material. And every step you take is punctuated with the tiny little whir as they trace your steps forward. You arrive at the elevator. Aiden, you are in the lead. The rest of you, is this the time to make conversation? Or the time to deliberately avoid making conversation by taking in your surroundings? [00:34:41] Speaker E: Remarkably, I'm not much of a nervous talker. [00:34:50] Speaker A: But the, uh. [00:34:55] Speaker E: The sensation of being watched from quite possibly all angles might be one of the most unsettling things that I've ever been party to. That fucking dream notwithstanding. [00:35:12] Speaker A: It'S actually a curious thing, the way that you would react differently to being watched. New and unsettling for Aisha, re traumatizing for Kendall, a little exciting for the professor, and a portent of harm for the classmates. But hey, at least the elevators work. It arrives, you step inside. And it's only after having that moment that, aiden, you feel your finger where you pushed the button. It's a little slimy. [00:35:54] Speaker B: I know. These buildings kind of. They get used by certain, shall we say, after school activities because they're in low keep and low, uh, maintenance. There's not a lot of people in them. It seems a little everyone. If it's. If the room's a little stickier than you remember, let's just pretend someone else had a great time before we got to it, because it's a little sticky. [00:36:25] Speaker A: Kind of calls to mind getting into a filthy bathtub. You've been at the kind of motel that charges enough to where you let these things slide, but you still run water to the tub a couple times, or the film that forms on a pair of shower shoes, if that's the thing that any of you have experienced. A slightly moldy melange to it. Mushroomy kind of. Kind of has that mushroom humidity to it. At least it's not inside the elevator as well. Although the smell is strange, not wafting into your nostrils, Aiden. But the professor. You've. You've lived in these kind of apartments. That's why you could afford that apartment, because you got the New York City smell discount. Vaguely fungal, slightly trashy, a little wet. The kind where you could never quite find the source. And no matter how many times you sprayed the counters down, that just gave you orange and bleach and fungal and trash. It's wafting in rhythm to the air conditioning, like there's something foul up in that vent above you, something unclean, but who has time to lurk on that? You press the button, the elevator goes rocketing up with the speed that I'm guessing Aisha finds alarming. New York City elevators, when you have to cover that many floors that fast, they do not. I believe the engineering term is fuck around. [00:38:35] Speaker E: The fact that it makes my ears pop every time. Every time. I hate it. [00:38:43] Speaker A: It does have a very pleasant elevator music. Even though you won't be here for a while. You're expecting smooth jazz, right, Kenny G. But there's something like vaguely imagine drumming bass that doesn't defend your dad. Somebody has managed a way to get in the same way that they've made hip hop pop in a version that is palatable for country music fans. Apparently the same thing here has happened with, I want to say, like late nineties, early two thousands, upbeat, high BPM and the kind of people who can afford this building. You wouldn't think it's possible, but here we are. But I think it's the heartbeat that's going to catch your attention in that. Is it a heartbeat? I don't know. Feels like it. The thump and the beat of the music which you are all hearing, you are all stewing in this. It seems the two defining features of this song are that rapid, fluttering heartbeat, the kind that comes after you have been startled because there's that high bpm from running and working out where it's kind of controlled, you know where it's coming from. And then there's that snap when someone touches you and you weren't expecting it and your body reaches 40,000 years back into the dark to remember how it needs to stay alive. It's only for a split second. The electric meat coming to life inside of you is captured by this and countering that, providing a nice back and forth. It's a. It's like it's a beeping technological close, but not identical to a smoke detector. The kind with the batteries that are going low, not the kind that's telling you to avoid the fire. Those two things together, just this constant heartbeat. 100 2130. It's going fast. And that electronic medical beeping punctuated by the ding of the elevator pulling you out of the hypnosis that you've fallen into or giving you reprieve from the deliberate effort to ignore it, and you step out into a hallway it's carpeted, but not the bureaucratic industrial carpet that you would find in a hotel or a cheaper apartment complex. This is money. It's spongy as you walk on it in a way that would suggest comfort if it also didn't feel so wet. It's marshy, it's humid. It doesn't. It doesn't squish audibly. But you know when you're walking down a sidewalk, your eyes up or you're in your phone, you take a step, and just the way the ground gives under you makes you go, oh, no, I've stepped in something. And it's either mother nature or that dickhead neighbor's dog, because your body just knows by way of gait that something is wrong. And there it is. But you can look down. The carpet's actually in immaculate shape. It's not wet either by smell or, God forbid, if you try by touch, but just the texture in a way that is but shouldn't. And as you walk down this hallway towards the number that Lee has given you, you cannot escape that feeling of walking into a marsh, of exploring through some kind of a verdant tunnel. And there's still that lingering trace of a heartbeat. But, hey, why let that get in the way of a good time? We reached the party door. I hope you all brought your hats. [00:43:28] Speaker D: I definitely didn't. [00:43:31] Speaker E: I don't look good in hats. [00:43:34] Speaker A: I understand that intimately. Remind me when the game is over, I'll show you a picture and you'll be like, yep. [00:43:46] Speaker C: I have imagined a hat and scarf combo. Of course. [00:43:51] Speaker D: Obviously. [00:43:53] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:43:54] Speaker B: Well, I had a character. The only hat that I've worn that I liked is my lucio hat, but that is neither here nor there. Going back into character. Alright, everyone, you made it to the scene. We're at the party. Everyone have a good time. Remember your safe words. And please don't yell for me. Have fun. And I'll, uh, I'll look around. [00:44:18] Speaker A: By Z's. [00:44:19] Speaker B: And I walk away. [00:44:21] Speaker A: So you open the door and it spills out into. Well, something. Even if Aidan hadn't described it. You can put into your brain the kind of parties you think he goes to. It's the kind of parties that Hollywood thinks we all go to. Wall to wall bodies, red cups, flowing liquor. Everyone is entirely too attractive for. For the room. Scantily clad, touching, twisting, beautiful. And that's the image that Aiden sells for himself. It is the image he has sold to you. Even as he gives this speech outside, he's gassing himself up. He's gassing you up, and then you open the door to. I mean, it's the kind of party where if you showed up and you had your liquor ready, you might pretend that you had not arrived. Because instead of dozens of people gyrating amongst one another, lubricating themselves with substances legal and illegal, there are a paltry five, maybe seven in the room. It's obvious Lee had planned for more. There's enough liquor to cause a public health crisis on the bar. Thousands of cups. The music. Oh, that music. That sounds familiar. Playing too loud from the stereo. Too loud, generally. Especially too loud, considering how not populated the room is. And of the six or seven faces you see, none of them belong to Aidan's friend. [00:46:16] Speaker D: Uh, Aiden. Are we. Are we at the right place? [00:46:29] Speaker B: I don't see how that's possible. [00:46:31] Speaker A: Or here. [00:46:33] Speaker B: We'll make use of the time. This party is fucking weak. I'm gonna text. [00:46:40] Speaker C: If you put as much work into your writing, Aidan, as you put into the stories you tell about yourself, you could have a much better fictional experience. [00:46:48] Speaker B: Mmm. And, you know, and if you do the same thing with how much you put into your students, I'm sure your writing would get noticed. Professor Wilmot. [00:47:03] Speaker E: You know that thing where you hear a terrible comeback like that and you have to pretend like you didn't hear it because it's polite? [00:47:10] Speaker A: Mm hmm. [00:47:12] Speaker D: Oh, I can't. I can't pretend like I didn't hear it because I definitely heard it. [00:47:20] Speaker E: I don't know what you talk about. [00:47:25] Speaker B: Storyteller. I am in the middle of texting Lee as I'm want to do, and I'm going over with them. The address, the time, the expectation of the party, the dress, everything. I'm gonna take a small, classy photo of feet so that no one's face can be. But to show there's, like, seven humans here, and send that and be like, hold on. [00:47:46] Speaker C: Sit. [00:47:47] Speaker B: Hey, Lee, I got some special people in town. Promised them an absolute sponsor of a party. This looks like it is already dead on arrival. Am I at the right place? Send. [00:48:01] Speaker A: Ooh, dead on arrival. Hang on to that language. Lee doesn't respond, but that's not important because you. You can hear the ringtone that Lee has for you. You and Lee are buds. You and Lee go way back. What is broier? What is the broiest? What is the most bro thing, aside from giving your bestie their own ringtone? And I'm sure it's obnoxious in, like, an archer, the animated series way, but it's an in joke that you don't have time to explain. So when he doesn't respond to you, but you do hear it coming from down the hallway, under normal circumstances, you wouldn't be able to pick it out from between the music. But that's. That's your song. That's your jam. That's your buddy's jam. It's about that one time with those three chicks, right? It's coming from down the hall behind the closed door. [00:49:01] Speaker B: I'm gonna go do some investigations. Don't go too far. You may not be here too long. And I just go storming over to where I hear my theme song, I guess. Coming from down the hall. [00:49:14] Speaker A: Mm hmm. Well, I'm gonna ask these things to happen in sequence. First of all, Aisha, will you roll your perception to observe a situation? Aiden, as you push the door open, I'm assuming you're not being subtle about this roll to keep it together. [00:49:43] Speaker B: That's a total of six. [00:49:46] Speaker A: All right. Aidan's gonna have a great time. [00:49:49] Speaker E: Ayesha, that's a 19. [00:49:53] Speaker A: All right. In culture, divinity lost, there are sometimes you want to roll well in a situation, and there are sometimes you want to roll poorly in a situation. So if you're a game master looking to run this for yourself, this is a time when both of your players have done the opposite of what is going to feel good. Because, Aisha, you are perceptive. You have spent a lifetime watching people and being able to learn things about them by the way that they stand, the way that they move, the way that they speak. Right. It arms you with a vocabulary for the encounter when you see that someone's mood is a certain way or that they're wearing certain shoes, or if the way that they carry their body might reveal something about their personality. Right. You're an expert in this very informal science, and it is because you are an expert that I will defer to you here. What is it you learn when the people aren't moving at all? [00:51:04] Speaker E: I feel like I would learn that there are potentially extenuating issues. What. What kind of not moving you can. [00:51:21] Speaker A: They have skin. It's real skin. It's doing real skin things. And they have eyes. Real eyes that are doing real eye things. It's not plasticky, they're not mannequins, but also, it's like someone walked into a room, snapped their fingers, froze time, and left this here for you to discover and then forgot they were supposed to snap their fingers again. [00:51:57] Speaker E: Oh. [00:52:02] Speaker A: It's important to note that they've all based on the position you've entered. They all have their backs to you, or at least are in quarter profile. [00:52:20] Speaker E: Game master, are there any further details you are willing to divulge? [00:52:25] Speaker A: Well, you can ask questions based on observing the situation. Sure. You get two. With a great role like that, something like, what is out of place here? What is the greatest threat? [00:52:46] Speaker E: Yeah, I suppose knowing what the greatest threat is could be beneficial in this moment. [00:52:56] Speaker A: This is going to. This is going to grind right against that faith we were talking about earlier. Sometimes the universe speaks to you directly in the matter of a nonfiction article. Other times, it speaks in metaphor. The dream was real in a way it shouldn't be. This is fake in a way it shouldn't be. And that connotes a connection between these two places. This is as weird, but in the wrong direction as the dream you had while taking a nap. Brain is suddenly thinking about how anglerfish use the light to attract prey, how a Venus flytrap emits a certain scent. I guess, given your upbringing, you could say it probably smells a little bit like bait. [00:54:22] Speaker E: And. [00:54:25] Speaker A: I forgot one very important thing, and this is just between you and me, and I'm super sorry. Scale of one to ten, how weird would it be if you were looking over these people and like, nothing. [00:54:49] Speaker E: Nothing as in expression? Nothing as in features. Nothing as in. [00:54:59] Speaker A: Yeah. Ken doll is to genitals as these people is to face. [00:55:12] Speaker E: On a scale of one to ten, that's probably about a 13. [00:55:18] Speaker A: Okay, so everyone else, important for you to know that Aisha is sitting at about a 13 right now while you roll to keep it together. Aiden, you don't have this problem. Actually, when you open the door to see Lee, he's very much alive. Well, at least for a given value of alive. You've known that Lee is thin, tall, not normatively attractive, but attractive enough that he can make up the rest with prestige and power and money. You've always seen him playing that Dane cook kind of joker, role playing the room with humor. That's what you liked about him. And he's always been animated, very busy bee flitting around the room. You see him curled on the floor of a bedroom. The bed has been torn apart, and not in the dangerous way, but in the some people had some good times here kind of way. There are so many condom wrappers. But he's not in the bed. He's on the side of it. If you've ever been drunk and had the spins and decided that you need floor time instead of bedtime positioned, he's obviously twitchy, curled up like that. He's holding a mug, a plain mug from the campus, but it's shaking in his hand to the point where you knew it once had coffee in it. But now that has stained his sleeve and the floor around him. And in the moments that he can keep himself still, he uses that energy to flit around the room, looking into corners, looking past corners, or just picking at his skin. He doesn't react when you open the door. But the role of yours being as bad as it is, is going to be a result of what I can only see is a transformation of sorts. Because as he's picking at himself, finding different parts of his body, you come right in the middle of that, which means you get the perfect view of this bulging, veiny vortex pattern over his skin, over his stomach, like tangled tree roots, over someone who had a bit too big of a meal for their frame. And as Aiden is reaching to scratch at it, I. Is it. I don't think veins are supposed to run away from you when you try to touch them. And that is too fucking much. So describe to me how you lose it. You didn't get a full and complete failure, so you don't have to. Don't have to go that far. But this is not something you can keep to yourself. [00:58:56] Speaker B: I'm already under so much stress, anxiety, you know, I have literally a deadline. Probably the most purest of terms I could possibly say that in. And here is my one connection to getting this whole fucking fiasco over with. And they are strung out. No, there's. There's more than strung out. [00:59:20] Speaker C: And. [00:59:21] Speaker B: And. And I'm. [00:59:21] Speaker A: And I'm. [00:59:22] Speaker B: And I'm angry. I'm so angry at Lee for being this way and having this problem that he's having. And I just start kicking him over and over again. Not hard, just on the. On the base of his feet, just so he knows that I'm there, maybe to snap him out of it. But I can't stop screaming. What the fuck? What the fuck? In a series of repetitive statements that has long since lost any meaning or value, I am just thrashing and I am swearing at this body on the ground, trying to rest some control over it already losing control of myself in the process. [00:59:57] Speaker A: So you're going to lose one stability. Even though it feels really good to do so. For Francis and Kendall, this is the situation you find yourself in. So assume that those two things happen simultaneously. Aiden is screaming from a room down the hall. Aisha is frozen, investigating these people in a way that is not appropriate. For the record, you see faces. That's what's unfolding. You were promised a party. This is not. And two of the people you came with are screaming, downhill to crazy town, as best you can tell. [01:00:42] Speaker D: Okay, look, I turned to Francis and I just say we need to get the fuck out of here. Obviously, there's this. This party is not the place. And I think Aiden may have actually lost his mind, so. And I don't know what the fuck is going on with Aisha. Still mad at her about the apartment, though. So if you want to take care of Aisha, I can go grab Aidan and we can just get the fuck out of here. [01:01:14] Speaker C: I think that's probably the best idea. Yeah. [01:01:17] Speaker A: Okay, great. [01:01:19] Speaker C: Doesn't seem like anything we'll find here anyway, so. [01:01:22] Speaker D: No, definitely not. Definitely don't think Noah's here. And I'm just gonna, like, walk past. I'm gonna kind of, like, bump up against Aisha a little bit as I walk past to kind of, like, try and shake her out of whatever's happening. A little preemptively, but also because I'm a little agitated and I just kind of storm off down to where Aiden is. [01:01:47] Speaker A: Professor, will you roll to see through the illusion for me? That is your sole statistic? While you do that, Kendall, you. Aiden's busy, very nearly kicking the shit out of his friend. So you arrive either. I'll leave the choice up to you, Aiden. Either, as he is collecting himself to say, okay, I can stop kicking him and figuring out what's happening, or while he's realizing the kicking isn't working and has decided to do kicking too. This time it's personal. [01:02:19] Speaker B: If. If Aiden is having any moment of realization that the tactic of trying to kick someone's, you know, the bottom of their feet isn't having any effect, I'm gonna say at this point in time, I'm taking a step back, fixing my hair, dressing my collar, screaming, fuck. But using that as my emotional dismount back into my perpetual facade. Fuck. [01:02:45] Speaker A: Fuck. For what it's worth, Kendall, what is your base perception? Just your bonus plus one. Okay, so you can see something invisibly wrong with Lee, but by the time that you get there, he will have pulled down, like his shirt or Aiden will have jostled him into something. Aiden. There is some, like, a moaning, a sickness when someone is just really high fever. Can't keep food down. That kind of general grumble. But, Kendall, pointedly, you will not see the tree trunk experience checking in on. Checking in on Francis for a second. Though. What did you roll? [01:03:27] Speaker C: 14. [01:03:31] Speaker A: Then it's a good news bad news situation. Kendall has just explained to you that, like, we gotta move. Noah's not here. That's a problem. And you're like, okay, well, yeah, find Aidan, whatever. And you're starting to wrap up the posse to go and move to the next thing. It's when your eyes travel from the hallway. You're looking back to Aisha. And there's that corner where the door to the exit is. And also a guest. I don't know. They're dressed like a partygoer. They have too many arms. And then just one solitary finger. Then looking at the watch, digest that a second. But as part of the penalty for the partial success, you are not going to be subtle about this. This is an electric bolt at the base of your spine that says, oh, shit. Right. And that urgency will come off as disingenuous. Kendall. Aiden. [01:04:52] Speaker D: Aiden, what the fuck? [01:04:57] Speaker B: I looked at Kendall, I look back down to Lee. Does Lee. I'm guessing at this point, if I have been snapped too, to look at Kendall, is Lee in any way, shape or form different? [01:05:10] Speaker A: No, the physicalness of Lee has not changed. It is just that when Kendall came in, he had managed to cover up the worst of. Of the things. And at this point, he like the moaning, and there might be a little bit of just like, ah, is that. Oh, she's not your type? [01:05:33] Speaker B: No, she's a guest. And I can see that you are not in a place to be taking guests right now, Lee. You know, I get it. You party too hard, you part too close. The sun there. Dicarus. I get it. Kendall. Sorry. I was frustrated. I'm a little embarrassed. This party is not what I was promised it was going to be, and it certainly is not what you all deserve. And it's not we're gonna find. And I look to Lee in the bed, our friend Noah. Lee. Friend Noah. Help me out, buddy. Come on. Come on. Danger zone. Help out, Goose. Okay. [01:06:18] Speaker A: It's his fucking fault. [01:06:24] Speaker D: I. Noah's fault? What's Noah's fault? [01:06:30] Speaker A: Oh, he was here with the. A woman, and then. Oh, God. And then he's like, reaching to, like, touch his face, starts to put his hands up to kind of push himself off the floor. The right wrist slides. Because this is not a weight bearing dildo that he has found with his hand. And it rolls out as he pushes it. They just. Can you give me some? Some just. It's water or coffee or something. [01:07:11] Speaker D: Oh, my God. I'm gonna walk back out to the other room. I'm gonna grab a red solo cup, fill it up with water. I'm actually gonna grab two. Two red solo cups filled up with water. The first one for his face and the second one for his body to drink specifically, but one is definitely going to try and wake him up on the outside. [01:07:39] Speaker A: Kendall, as you head out into the. Call it the living room. That's not really appropriate for this kind of space, but at least it's common vocabulary. Aisha, apropos of nothing, would you describe for me what the most attractive human being you can think of looks like? [01:08:04] Speaker E: Uh, sure. Um, tall, well built, green eyes, dark hair. [01:08:25] Speaker D: Maybe a bit of a beard. [01:08:27] Speaker A: Mm hmm. Saving me a lot of work of describing to Kendall what the people in the room look like now. Aisha, I don't think you're going to know when they changed or if they changed. Was it always them? Were these the real people, or were the mannequin people the real people? I don't really want to think about that too much. And. And the more you try to. To grab at it, the further it's going to go away. [01:09:09] Speaker D: Ugh. [01:09:09] Speaker E: What the fuck is going on? [01:09:17] Speaker A: Kendall? Not for nothing, it is fucking weird to shit for you two. You did not see faceless Kendall people, but you definitely did not see magic Mike. But if cast by Aisha in this room. [01:09:30] Speaker D: Okay, great. I was. Yeah, I. I kind of look at Aisha, and I'll look at Frances, too. Before I say this out loud, I have this small thought where I say it would be very strange if a whole bunch of new people showed up and just sat in the same place as the other people were sitting. [01:10:02] Speaker A: Sat. As an understatement. Standing in the exact same place in the exact same way, holding the exact same drinks that are the exact same amount of empty. [01:10:13] Speaker D: Yeah, but. But you know what? I gotta. I gotta ask it anyway because it's the only thing that makes sense. We got some new people in, I guess. When did they show up? [01:10:36] Speaker E: Uh, I. [01:10:42] Speaker D: Just. [01:10:43] Speaker E: Now. [01:10:48] Speaker D: Right. Okay. [01:10:54] Speaker E: Sure. [01:10:57] Speaker D: Uh. [01:11:00] Speaker E: Okay. [01:11:04] Speaker D: Are they doing anything at this point? [01:11:09] Speaker A: You really want me to answer that question? [01:11:15] Speaker D: You know what? I have water to take to the other. To the other room, so I think I'll. I think I'll go do that. [01:11:36] Speaker C: Yeah. [01:11:37] Speaker A: And that means that, uh, aiden, you're gonna want to move fast if you're thinking about doing that thing I think you might be thinking about doing. It is obvious that Lee is in a bad way. Unresponsive, on the verge of delirium. If you have questions you actually want to get answers to. It's going to take more than water or coffee to bring him to a place where he can cognate. [01:12:05] Speaker B: Beginning with my hands, I can feel every instant of my body trying to not extend, but I have to force through that touch, this filthy. And I'm gonna touch just a gentle hand, and I just gently begin to kind of like, you know, like rub the arm like a. Like a caring person. And I say, hey now, buddy. Hey, listen, I need you to take a deep breath and feel better, okay? And as I'm doing that, I'm gonna take a deep breath, and I'm going to try and heal this man. [01:12:43] Speaker A: All right? Roll your healing hands. Advantage. I see that face, but you don't worry about it. Okay, so that would be. [01:12:58] Speaker B: That is a 15 total. [01:13:00] Speaker A: 15. Excellent. I don't know the last time you did this. There's a part of me that wants to believe this is why you show up at certain parties. That Aiden is the kind of person who's rescued more than one of his friends from an overdose, but doesn't actually understand why. But as you reach to touch him, he's. He's feverish hot. And underneath his skin, you can feel this. What comes to mind for me is an airport massage chair, where it has that rolling toughness under it that stretches the fabric of the chair under you. But that's Lee, that's your friend. That there's something in there that reacts to your touch. It's a bit like working out a knot where you feel it at first, and then you push that energy out of you. You open up yourself and let that conduit pour out. This thing you don't understand, into Lee. And you can feel it break out from under you. The tissue starts to loosen. It goes from jaundiced yellow, pallid, sweaty, to that normal, rosy, nerdy pink blush in his face. You can see in real time as something better approximating consciousness fills up his eyes. And for the first time, it's not fear or confusion that you see. There's a little bit of lingering confusion as he experiences this, but then healthy. So on a 15, you've stabilized Lee. And because it is a complete success, he also heals one entire level of the damage that has been done to him. He takes a few deep, clear breaths, like the first time when you're coming on the back end of a cold and your sinuses open for the first time, and you can fully breathe, and it fills up your whole chest. And your face is now alight and he sits up on his own power, reaching up to touch on his shoulder, where your hand is. Oh, fuck. Aidan. Oh, God. Buddy. Huh? The party. Whoa. I don't know what. Something must have. Okay. All right. And this is when Kendall appears with me, two cups of water in hand. [01:15:48] Speaker D: Okay, so. Oh, uh. He's looking a lot more lucid, Aiden. [01:15:59] Speaker C: Yeah. [01:16:00] Speaker B: My boy, uh, he rallied. That's what he does. He got a little bit of the, shall we say, the. The bad out of him. He's doing better now. I think some water will probably help him, so. [01:16:13] Speaker D: Okay. And I'm just gonna hold the water out to Aiden, because at this point, there's a bunch of weird ass shit going on, and I'm not into any of it. [01:16:26] Speaker A: He takes it, gulping eagerly. You're not an EMT. You're not gonna tell him not to drink it that fast. That's a Lee problem. But he gulps it down. And then there's the after. Thanks. Noah's person. I'm sorry. I think the last time we met, I was. Whoa. [01:16:48] Speaker D: Yeah. [01:16:51] Speaker A: So the party, huh? [01:16:56] Speaker B: Yeah, buddy, the party. We want to talk to you about that. Like, it's seems different than what I expected. And. And not for nothing, but I was kind of hoping Noah was gonna be here. Nothing. Nothing bad, but, you know, just want to reconnect to the guy. [01:17:15] Speaker A: I know. I mean, you just missed him. And I'm not gonna, like, look, I'm not the kind of person who talks shit to, like, your friends or my friends, but, like, I don't know where the fuck he gets off because, like, this party was so fucking important and he knew that. And then he shows up and he's just like, hey, everybody got a fucking cooler thing going on. And all of a sudden, all my guests are wandering out the door to go do this 120 days of Sodom bullshit. It's not cool, man. [01:17:44] Speaker B: Yeah, no, dick move. Dick move. Uh, was he. [01:17:48] Speaker D: 120 days of Sodom? [01:17:51] Speaker A: Oh, God. Yeah. He was so up his own ass, it, like, at the end of pain, one finds pleasure again and just, oh, like that writer shit, you know? No offense, Hayden. Writer shit. I don't know. And I caused, like, a little bit of a thing about it. I was asking him. And then, like, this woman came along and she was like, I don't think we need to worry about that. It's more time for us to be alone. And as he says that, you can see a discomfort twist through him, as if the words are triggering a memory, which is triggering a somatic response. It's possible that his vertebrae just popped. [01:18:35] Speaker D: Into a new shape. [01:18:36] Speaker A: Or is he just shrimp posturing? I don't know. But then he shakes it clear and stiffens again. Like, yeah, I got. He, like, had a. There's a flyer or something. I don't know if there's one around. I just. Fuck. Is this, like, a thing, like, Kendall, you like, like poison lipstick? Is that real? I don't know. I. She got a fucking hold of me, and next thing I know, I'm on the floor, dosed out like I've never been before. [01:19:06] Speaker B: Hey, man, they slip him in all kinds of drinks, all right? What matters is you're doing better. You got out of your system. And, uh. [01:19:11] Speaker A: Um. [01:19:13] Speaker B: Kendall, do you have. You have the other. Can we give him the other water just to be safe? [01:19:18] Speaker D: Yeah. Here you go. [01:19:21] Speaker B: Good. Good. [01:19:22] Speaker A: Storyteller. [01:19:22] Speaker B: When I heal people, is there, like, a visual effect to it? [01:19:26] Speaker A: No, not like. Not like glowing hands, not like anything on the body. It's just more reversing what has happened. So the parts of his skin that were a little rashy. Not so much anymore. [01:19:39] Speaker B: Do I have everyone's permission to try it one more time, or do you want to do something? Kendall, I don't want to step on your toes. [01:19:44] Speaker D: Oh, I was just going to ask him a question, but go ahead. [01:19:49] Speaker A: To your point, PJ. I believe it's like a once per scene, once per person. Kind of like Pathfinder. You have to get hurt again before we can do it kind of thing. [01:19:57] Speaker B: Understood. Understood. Anyway, please continue. [01:20:01] Speaker D: Me, this woman that Noah was with. And as I say that, like, it's hard not to sound a little jealous and a little hurt, but it's not jealousy the way that somebody else in this room might be jealous. It's just the feeling of rejection, I guess, more than anything. High cheekbones, black hair. [01:20:32] Speaker A: His eyes are rolling back in his head. He is having an experience. You are describing this woman. It is lighting up all the really good neurons, and hes going back somewhere real nice as he nods. [01:20:51] Speaker D: Oh. Oh, okay. All right. Okay, great. Um. Yeah. And I look to Aidan because I see him kind of giving me that look, and I'm like, he. Noah wrote about this woman in his journals in the lost and found. [01:21:14] Speaker B: Okay, well, that sounds like that's, uh. That's the person. It's not two cocaine chic blondes, but, you know, it's a start. [01:21:24] Speaker D: Yeah. [01:21:26] Speaker B: Hey, Lee, man, we're gonna let you be. I think. I think you need a few minutes horizontal and in rest this time. And we're gonna go see if we can't drag Noah kicking and screaming. Okay, man? Because that's not cool. [01:21:42] Speaker A: You know what? You are such a bro. I mean, like, don't cause too much trouble. He's obviously, like, you know, he's been disappeared. And then this, like, some dude. Something's going on, right? Like, I just go easy on him. [01:21:54] Speaker B: Of course, of course. But bros don't let shit slide like that, man. We're gonna. We're gonna check him and we're gonna bring him back. Don't worry about it. So you said 100 days of Sodom and there's, like, a flyer somewhere. [01:22:04] Speaker A: 120 days of Sodom? Yeah. I don't get the reference, but, I mean. [01:22:11] Speaker B: Who says you have to? It's okay, man. You. You sleep well. Lay down. Got the water. Kendall, why don't we. Why don't we give Lee the room? I think. I think we're done here. Please, man, go easy on yourself. Okay? [01:22:24] Speaker A: He manages the weakest fist bump as you depart. [01:22:30] Speaker D: As we walk out the door and close it behind us, I just look at Aidan and I say, where do you find these people? [01:22:39] Speaker B: Everyone is desperate for something. Everyone's looking for someone to secretly give it to them and make it easy. I just make it easy. [01:22:48] Speaker D: Okay. [01:22:50] Speaker A: As that conversation in the room is happening, I am struck by irony. Because for two people who are super, super concerned about why Noah isn't here, I imagine Francis and Aisha are having an opposite reaction. In the living room, you have been staring at focusing on these. These gorgeous people. Someone very literally not me. I did. Yes. But in universe, someone has reached into your brain, pulled out the things you like and put them there for you. And I'm imagining that Aisha is approaching this, if not of curiosity, then by raw magnetic power and this little cluster kind of parts to reveal a figure seated in a chair. The chair does not match the furniture here. Everything here is expensive and fashion, like, fast fashion. But for furniture, it's too many f's to say at once, so I'm not going to do it that way. But you know what I mean. And then there's this rickety wooden. I mean, it doesn't look fashioned by a carpenter. It looks like somebody had some misshapen pieces of wood and a kind of flat thing that they could hammer roughly into the shape of a chair. Francis might have a harder time coming to the conclusion. But Aisha, even behind the. The thin, white grocery bag plastic that is covering his head, you can recognize Noah. And there is the exhale inhale that sucks the plastic in and out as he sits. [01:24:52] Speaker E: There is no hesitation as I run forward and rip the plastic off of his head. What the fuck is he doing? [01:25:01] Speaker A: The face is there, and it shows no recognition. Despite him being close enough to touch. This. This Noah. This vision of Noah. This version of Noah. Things have become very dreamlike. Even as you charge forward. There's that running through sand and syrup feeling you get when you're in a dream. You can't escape. You see him, but it's not. It's not like watching a real person. It's like watching someone through a tv camera closed circuit. And you realize that the inhale and the exhale isn't. It's not normal breathing. There's an excitement to it. There's that amped up pleasure feeling to it. But no, it's too rhythmic. When you're in the throw of something erotic, it's like sprinting up the stairs. Your heart is racing and you're just grunting and breathing. This is. It's meditative. It's the breathing you'd have to train to do. [01:26:18] Speaker E: Can I reach him? [01:26:21] Speaker A: You try. You're charging forward with all of the urgency, and it's half the distance. Half the distance. Half the distance. Half the distance. And then you finally reach him and you're able to put skin against his. And it's like forcing two atoms together. The energy that is released, that explodes out of this. This wave of heat and sulfur and acrid, its brimstone, its sand turning to glass, its iron ore burning the rock away. And then the very acute sensation as Noah's eyes snap back, staring directly at you. And you can feel something move in your stomach. It's at that point that you realize you're alone in an infinitely blue plane with something that it could be your brother. It could be something purporting to be your brother. It's a dream. But you don't remember going to sleep. And suddenly you remember where you've heard that breathing come from. Because it's very important for expectant families to know how to support one another when it comes time to deliver. And the lamage method has a very, very solid track record in reducing complications and stress in maternity situations. [01:28:28] Speaker E: I don't think I can even comprehend what this means. [01:28:37] Speaker A: I understand what. [01:28:42] Speaker E: Is there anything else around me in this vision? This plane? [01:28:47] Speaker A: There's nothing around you. For an infinite number of miles in every single direction. You are a solitary speck in the middle of an empty universe. Just you and your brother. [01:29:01] Speaker E: Can I move towards him again. [01:29:04] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. Whatever bubble you've popped stepped into. The geometry and the physics aren't super explainable, but you're here with him as you would be at the playground, as you would be at the dinner table back in your hometown. It's not clear he's entirely present. [01:29:32] Speaker E: Is the plastic bag. Is it still on his head? [01:29:35] Speaker A: I was in the impression that you'd ripped it off. But if not, then we can say you did or you do it now. Either works. [01:29:41] Speaker E: Okay. Yeah. Sorry, with the. With the plastic bag off his head, I. Can I see his expression? Can I see what? Is he saying anything? Is he looking around? I don't. [01:29:55] Speaker A: He's staring directly at you. Through you, into you. It is the most intense stare you have ever seen in those eyes that are also your eyes. And it's not. It's not pained. Its ecstasy in the original meaning of the word. A feeling that is so intense, it transcends the ability to be felt and becomes simply, chemically overwhelming. His eyes are just a little wider in a way that might suggest panic, but everything else about his posture is right exactly where it should be. It doesn't look like it hurts. It looks like it feels too good. [01:30:50] Speaker E: Noah. [01:30:55] Speaker A: Doesn'T respond. It's just that breathing. He's focused very heavily on that breathing. [01:31:04] Speaker E: I. I'm gonna take his face in my hands. And over and over again. Noah? [01:31:19] Speaker D: Noah? [01:31:21] Speaker E: Noah, I know you're in there. [01:31:24] Speaker A: Will you roll to see through the illusion? For me. [01:31:38] Speaker E: That'S a nine. [01:31:42] Speaker A: The world tears around you. This is like paint thinner being poured over the portrait of your reality. You become acutely aware, in every single sense that you are no longer located in the material universe. That you know that this is somewhere different. And it's somewhere cold, and it's somewhere alien, and it's somewhere empty, and it's somewhere hostile. Do you have had doubts in your life about the strange things that happened to you? You've been able to brush away those things that hover in the corner of your eyes or whisper just below your capacity to hear them, because you are a woman of faith. But as the walls of this house that you have built for yourself are blown in every direction with gale force winds, you recognize immutably and undeniably in. In the very core of your being that this is something else and it is real. And you see, Noah, you have the distinct impression that what is novel and new to you is curiously, troublingly ordinary to him. And when your focus finally returns from this fray, there's no possible way that all these things would be shifting and moving around you without drawing your attention. So you turn back. It's Noah's eyes, it's Noah's face, it's Noah's voice. But there's something else behind the wheel. And speaking out with this lurid and languid and sultry tone that, despite having no reason to, you know, belongs to the woman in the notebook, reaches forward, leaning, kissing you just about below the nose, above the lip, and says, don't worry, I've taken him somewhere wonderful. He's mine. And then, with the force of a parachute being pulled, you are ejected from this place, taking 15 g's of psychic gravity as you come flying back into the universe that you knew, you used to know belonged to you. Like you've been stretched out on this gigantic rubber band into something ethereal. And it finally snaps back. And Francis, what you see as this happens is a very ordinary student being collided with that. Aisha stumbles forward into them. A drink goes flying. Oh, what the fuck? And despite all the panic and confusion, Aisha, you are back in a room with attractive people, not so many of them as you were promised. That moldy smell now replaced by Jack and coke. Frances, you see behind her a figure with too many arms and a broad, broad smile. Too broad. Way too broad. [01:35:40] Speaker C: I'm gonna walk to Aisha and grab her because I saw her stumble into another student, but. What's going on? What happened? What are you. Are you. Do you need to sit down? You. You. Are you sick? [01:36:04] Speaker E: Yeah, I, um. Right, yeah, I think. I think I need to sit down. [01:36:11] Speaker D: For a little bit. [01:36:12] Speaker E: I am. [01:36:16] Speaker C: Here. Let's. Let's. I look around for the least dirty area in the place, and I guide Aisha to sit down. Do you want me to get you a drink? Water? Alcohol? What will calm you in this situation? [01:36:47] Speaker E: Honestly, I think alcohol of some kind seems appropriate. [01:36:55] Speaker C: One. Whatever they got coming up. And I go and I grab the first thing that I can find that would be alcoholic for her and bring it back in a red solo cup, as everyone else has. [01:37:10] Speaker A: Well, our good friends at Red Solo have to email them, supporting them as they do, but it's a smorgasbord of alcohol. You can say what you want about Lee, but he knows how to stock a bar. So, Kendall and Aiden, we can say that this is the scene that you arrive on where something has happened and that Aisha is in need of a bit of a break. But Aisha is not the only one, as we have reached the halfway point of our final episode of Downfall. We are so close to finding out the truth. The question is, do we still want to? Either way, we're going to check in. We will let you know in about ten minutes. So get up, stretch. Find your own alcohol if you need to, and we will see you in just a little bit. Hello, friends, and welcome back to cult divinity lost. We are playing downfall. You will notice that some of our cast have changed their outfits. We will talk about that in just a moment, because with Aiden having rescued Lee from himself and learned some things about Noah's plans, and a few strangely attractive women, with Kendall, Aisha, and Professor Francis all having their own moments at this party, I think we can all agree that we've plumbed the well of clues there. And all that remains is to find Noah. All roads lead to him. Yes. [01:38:43] Speaker D: Yes. [01:38:45] Speaker A: So then we return to the elevator down into the lobby with all of its cameras, all of his eyes watching, watching, watching. And it is as Aiden departs from the elevator, I assume the last person, you strike me as a kind of. No, everybody else first kind of guy. Is that correct? [01:39:04] Speaker E: Yeah. [01:39:05] Speaker B: I always want to make sure that people see all the great things I'm doing for them. [01:39:08] Speaker A: All the. [01:39:08] Speaker B: All the. All the awesome efforts and little gifts that I give them. So I definitely want to make sure, like, yeah, no, by all means, everyone off first. Catch up. [01:39:19] Speaker A: Coming in from the back of the elevator, the four of you proceeding towards the door. That is, when, even though they're not open and there shouldn't be a breeze in this part of the building. Like a little tumbleweed, a flyer comes swooping across the floor. Past the professor, past Kendall, past Aisha, just in time for Aidan to snatch it out of the air. It's handwritten, the kind of thing you would see forming a band flyer at a music shop, for example, or those of you familiar with community theater. The kind of hand designed, photocopied performance sheet. And it just says, 120 days of Sodom and gives the address for something. But if you were to present it to Aisha, suffice it to say she would recognize the handwriting. [01:40:16] Speaker B: I am going to gently rally everyone together and show them all together, this flyer saying, a little birdie told me this is where our boy should be at. Everyone recognize anything? [01:40:32] Speaker E: That's Noah's handwriting. [01:40:37] Speaker A: 120 days of Sodom, the title. And then underneath the phrase, it is always by way of pain, one arrives at pleasure. Which Professor Wilmot, I expect you will recognize as a quote by the Marquis de Sade. [01:40:55] Speaker C: It's definitely Noah's handwriting, because after his excellent work that he's done, he descended into writing things by hand, which made it really impossible to read his chicken scratch at times. But he did know my penchant for the Marquis de Sade. And this is a quote that he and I discussed a lot. [01:41:20] Speaker A: Penmanship is a little jerkier than you will remember. I'm sure there's an explanation for that somewhere. Also say that given the party advertised, it would not do you well to show up dressed as you are. I suppose, Professor Francis and Aiden, you have the best sense of this, but once you get into a subculture, you have to dress like you belong. If you show up in a suit and tie to a party like this, they're not going to let you into the door. I'm wondering which one of you is going to bring that up to Kendall, who I'm sure has the outfit in her closet but might not be excited to wear it, giving what happened earlier today. But more importantly, Aisha, who I don't think packed anything like that in her. [01:42:09] Speaker C: Luggage. [01:42:16] Speaker A: Who'S going to jump on that proverbial hand? [01:42:18] Speaker C: You know, I think that, um. I'm sure, of course, everyone understands 100 days of Sodom. I'm sure they've all watched the movie. Who hasn't? I mean, it's just a really. It's a. It's a really exciting film, but, um, we're not really dressed for a themed party like this. I think everyone, I know that time is of the essence, but why don't we take a couple hours and go shopping for something that's more appropriate? [01:42:49] Speaker A: I don't know if we have the. [01:42:50] Speaker B: Time to go shopping for a few hours before we then go get dressed and get even more pretty fied to go to this party. I think we should raid some. [01:43:01] Speaker C: It's 120 days. I mean, it's gonna be a long party, obviously, so we can take some time and we can. We can go and at least show up. And if we're gonna. Hopefully, Noah's gonna be there. We want to look our best for him. [01:43:17] Speaker B: Okay. If you want to go shopping with the professor, go ahead. Be my guest. I'm gonna go home and get changed, and I'm gonna get their ASAP. Uh, you're all choice. You can make whatever choice you want. [01:43:30] Speaker D: We should probably all go together. God forbid you show up first and then just disappear into the halls, the rooms. [01:43:42] Speaker A: I. [01:43:45] Speaker D: It doesn't make sense to just all show up and then just get inside and hope that we can all find each other. [01:43:54] Speaker E: I, um. I understand that I am probably the outlier here. It's, uh, not my scene. I. I've got basic black in my suitcase. It sounds like I just need, um, accessories. [01:44:16] Speaker D: Um, I can. I can help out with that. [01:44:24] Speaker E: Sure. Thanks, Kendall. [01:44:26] Speaker D: Yeah. Yeah, sure. Great. [01:44:32] Speaker C: That's so thoughtful of you to have that already for her. Perfect. We don't have to go shopping now. [01:44:39] Speaker A: Indeed. [01:44:39] Speaker B: Like you said, this is perfect. We can, you know, use our time better and hopefully to find Noah in one piece. And, you know, before 120 days of Sodom becomes 200 days of Gamora. [01:44:52] Speaker A: I think we'll leave something to be desired after the original. Well, I'm. I'm gonna go off on a limb and say that nobody brought their outfits with them and that we will have to transit back to our respective houses. Is that correct? [01:45:08] Speaker D: Yeah. I mean, as close as Big John's is. Would kind of rather just go back to the apartment. [01:45:17] Speaker A: Well, we can do that. As I understand it, though, the housing situation is such that you all live in different parts of the city. You can't exactly ride share and have one person dragging you up, and then down and then east and then west across the various boroughs of New York. I think this point. Subways, taxis, ubers, etcetera, are on the menu. [01:45:44] Speaker D: Yeah, whatever will get us there quickest. [01:45:49] Speaker A: Well, then three of you will make it back to your residences absent any kind of interesting moments. Sorry. Aidan, on the other hand, how about you and I pause and have a little chat together? First question, though. Taxi man. Uberman. Uber black. Private car, I think. [01:46:13] Speaker B: Uber black. [01:46:14] Speaker A: All right. Yeah, yeah. So thumbing it down into your phone, which is easy because you're always on it, and it says, you know, seven minutes arrival time. Fairly typical. Don't know if you are paying enough attention to realize that this car shows up a little faster than normal. It's a black sedan, something fancy, something german leather interior. Very nice vehicle. The window rolls down and the man looks over up at you. Savings is mid forties. Has that kind of Midwest dad build. In 20 or 30 years, he'll have grandpa strength, you know, so that strong, obviously active, but not, you know, beefcake swolleness, right? A little bit of a gray and some fairly short cropped hair. And he just looks up at you and says, aidan. Yeah, yeah, that's my name. Cox. His head to the back seat. On our way, open the door. [01:47:22] Speaker B: I sit down, buckle up and just start getting on my phone right away. [01:47:29] Speaker A: Then I wonder if you will notice something. Can you roll to observe the situation for me, of course. [01:47:39] Speaker B: Okay, that's pretty good. And that a little worse. Now that's a 1414. [01:47:48] Speaker A: Still good enough. You will then have your attention stolen away from the phone by the sound of automatic door locks. Kicking. Minding your own business. You're getting pretty far in candy crush. And then it's chunky as every single door locks. You're probably stopped in traffic because it's New York. In any given moment, you are stopped in traffic and the driver is staring directly into the rearview mirror. [01:48:22] Speaker B: I slyly go to press on the two buttons. My phone that can activate the emergency response just in case, but want to see what's going on here because this is awkward. Hey, buddy. Um, I'm not a. I don't know much about bmws, but child safety locks. What's up? [01:48:46] Speaker A: Safety? Yeah, safety for you and for us. Cracks his neck just enough for you to see a man with a tattoo. [01:49:04] Speaker B: I let go of the two buttons so I don't activate the security. So I put my phone. [01:49:10] Speaker A: Drop my phone, I should say. [01:49:12] Speaker B: Sorry about that. I put my phone on the couch or the seat next to me. [01:49:21] Speaker A: We appreciate the effort that you've been putting into the situation, Aiden. We really do understand that the people you're associating with have made it kind of hard to stay focused. And maybe that you don't have what it takes to really bring things home. But that's okay, because the situation has changed. We don't need Noah. You're gonna go to the party. You're gonna find him. You're gonna find him in, let's say, a pretty interesting situation. No matter what happens to him, you'll leave him there. You're gonna bring us the baby. [01:50:10] Speaker B: I'm gonna bring you the baby. What, like an actual child or like a puppy? Or like a fucking muppet? What are you talking about? [01:50:19] Speaker A: Yeah, I know. A baby, Aidan. There's a child, rather, and he looks down at his watch. There will be a child fairly soon. Whoa. [01:50:30] Speaker B: Okay, look, I don't know what you've heard about me. I'm not exactly a doctor. I can't deliver a child. All right, look, I can do a lot of amazing things. Things? But I'm not really about bringing life into this world. [01:50:46] Speaker A: I wouldn't worry about it too much. The situation is a bit bigger than I think your mind is willing to accept right now. You've been seeing strange things, meeting some strange people, maybe having dreams that you don't normally have, Aidan. Getting the sense that maybe the world is bigger than you've been led to believe so far, but it's parts of it that have been hidden from you. [01:51:16] Speaker B: What do you know about any of that? [01:51:19] Speaker A: I think it's better that we not talk about it. In this line of work, asking questions is how you arrive at catastrophe. But you don't want to take my word for it, that's fine. I'm going to ask you straight up. Having seen what you've seen so far, are you sure you want to know more? Those places you really want to go? Or maybe do you think it's better for yourself, for the life that you want to lead when this is all over, to just not know, trust us and get on with your life. When it's over. [01:52:01] Speaker B: We'Ll ask questions. A wise man listens. You have my attention. So you need a baby. You need me to get rid of these absolute hanger ons. These these. These savages that have been following me all fucking week are gonna do that. Cause I just. I just want distance from all of this. I have so many better things to do for you. For me. And if all you need is a fucking baby, I'll get you the best dumpster one I can possibly fucking find at this party. [01:52:31] Speaker A: It's a very particular baby, Aiden. But don't worry. You'll know it when you see it. And it's not all bad news. We don't need you to hurt any of your friends. I cannot imagine. Once they see what's going on, they'll be in a hurry to take responsibility for it. And because we're not dealing with our normal clients, willing to double the usual fee. $1.5 million for the baby, Aiden. [01:53:07] Speaker B: 1.5 million. Untraceable, as always, for the baby, distance on this entire project. Entire problem. And then we don't talk for, what, a couple months? [01:53:17] Speaker A: You know how it's always been. You come to us when you need money, and we have things that we need doing, you think about how long that amount of cash will suit you. And as always, we'll be watching for when you need more. All right. [01:53:36] Speaker B: All right. Well, all right, then. See, now we're talking business. Now we're talking my language. I love this, you know? I love what we can do together. All right. You know it's a deal. You got it. [01:53:49] Speaker A: Excellent. Without missing a beat, the moment transforms back into ordinary traffic. Slamming on the horn, yelling at people, navigating back. No need to leave a review on this one, but you might want to go back to the company and explain why you ditched that last ride. [01:54:14] Speaker B: I'm already on my phone, opening up the uber, canceling the order, and saying, other plans send. [01:54:28] Speaker A: Well, Aiden's going to spend some time imagining what he's going to do with that money. My next question comes to Kendall and Aisha, because I 100%. I have no idea what women get up to in dressing rooms or when they go shopping together. That is a mystery to me, in the same way that the mysteries of this universe are mysteries to you. But I'm intuiting that given your relationship, it is not going giggly. Fun times in Kendall's closet of mystery and outfits? [01:55:05] Speaker D: No, I mean, look at her. She pulled this out of her suitcase and thought that this is all that she would need. [01:55:17] Speaker E: I mean, some of us don't go tromping around with our tits out all the time, so. [01:55:22] Speaker D: Oh, well, sweetie, you know, you gotta flaunt what you got. I understand you don't have much to work with, but that's okay. Okay. No. No shame here. It's fine, it's fine, it's fine. [01:55:35] Speaker A: We'll. [01:55:35] Speaker D: We'll doll you up a little bit, but you gotta. You gotta lose this. Like, you can have it open and, like, be a little flirty with it, but, like, this whole, like, up to the neck matron look, it's not really gonna fly. Do you need a dress? Do you. Do you have something you can just pull down and hike up at the same time? [01:56:02] Speaker E: I have a dress. I told you, I just need fucking accessories. [01:56:07] Speaker D: Okay, all right. Okay. Uh, hold on. Let me see if I can find it. Uh, because, you know, last time, uh, I knew where everything in this apartment was, and then this happened. But, you know, it was in a little box under the bed. So give me just a second, and I'm gonna go and find the little black. It's actually like a little zip up thing, and inside there's just all manner of different accessories and toys and things. And something tells me she won't want to wear any cuffs or anything, which is fine. Fine. But I do think it's a little. A little funny. I grab a really cute red harness for myself, and, you know, maybe it's a little shitty of me, just. I admit that fully, but I grab the other harness that I have readily available, and it just so happens to be a pentagram harness. And again, maybe it's a little shitty, maybe. But I also find it kind of funny. So I will hand it to her and say, here you go. If you need help, let me know. There's a lot of straps. It gets a little confusing. But we can. We'll make sure you look great. I promise. [01:57:33] Speaker E: Sure. [01:57:34] Speaker B: Thanks. [01:57:36] Speaker D: Yeah, absolutely. [01:57:39] Speaker A: Here to say that Ayesha's not going to do this channel in front of Kendall, right? [01:57:43] Speaker E: Absolutely fucking not. I will take the dress that I brought along and trot off into the bathroom. And it's shitty of me, I know. It's not that I have a problem with folks who do not have the same level of modesty. Like I said, it's. It's just not my thing. [01:58:15] Speaker A: But, uh, it's totally fine. I don't dress like that either. I mean, who can judge you? [01:58:24] Speaker E: Uh, the dress is rather short, though. I think they call it, like a bodycon dress. [01:58:34] Speaker A: I'm nodding like I know what you're talking about, and everyone else is nodding because they do know what you're talking about. But I'll google it later. [01:58:41] Speaker E: It's very tight and very short, and it takes a little bit to get into the harness, but I get into the damn harness. [01:58:50] Speaker A: Yeah. It's the on the way part that I think is going to attract your attention. I expect that the conversation you've had with Kendall's put you in a pretty foul mood, but it's rarely the case that the anger bubbles up in you. So, literally, because it's contoured. Right. You said it's a tight bit of material, which is why it calls a specific attention to the way that you feel, like a bloating, a pushing just below your rib cage but above your pelvis, and then this. This cramping sensation, but it's more like. Like rolling. You can imagine a wave of this tension and pain that starts at your belly button and kind of radiates upwards, and you reach down to maybe just rub it something, or you bend a little bit, which is when you feel the joints in your hips just carrying this. This weight and how awkwardly your body is sitting. Because, I mean, I don't know that you've been really aware of how wide your hips are, but there's something pushing at them. You can kind of notice not with particular speed, but definitely observable, like in the kinesthetic sense of your body. You can feel your skeleton arranging itself, shifting as if to accommodate something. When that bolt of realization hits you, that is when the wave of nausea comes crashing in. If you were to put the symptoms into Google, well, two things would happen. One, you would end up on an article for morning sickness, and two, you would start getting unsolicited marketing emails for cribs, diapers, baby formula, etcetera. It's probably not something that you are familiar with. You've lived a good life. But Kendall, were she to be experiencing the systems symptoms would have a very different kind of reaction because the body has skipped the part where you wonder if it's just sickness or if it's a pregnancy scare and has gone quite a bit forward. [02:01:30] Speaker E: That's. That's not possible. It's not. It's not possible. I don't. [02:01:38] Speaker A: Oh, no. For so many reasons, I. This isn't. I missed my period a week ago, and I'm worried. This is. I've been seeing my doctor for a while. We've painted the room. We're arguing about names. Someone said Aidan. That's a douchebag name. I don't want my kid called Aiden. [02:02:00] Speaker E: I don't understand. I don't. And as much as I don't want to, I keep remembering that fucking dream. That dream. [02:02:18] Speaker A: Kendall. Ayesha's been there a while. [02:02:23] Speaker D: Go up. Hey, Aisha. Um, like I said, the. The straps are really complicated. There's like, you know, 13 of them or something. Um, do you. You need help? I can help you, Aisha. [02:02:42] Speaker E: Oh, no, I'm fine. Sorry, I. Nervous stomach. [02:02:53] Speaker D: Okay. Look, I'm. I'm sorry about being shitty earlier. We're all under a lot of pressure, but you don't have to be nervous. We. I mean, we kind of know that Noah's gonna be at this thing, right? And, like, I get it. You're nervous to see him again. But I. It's gonna be fine. Okay? [02:03:19] Speaker E: Yeah. Yeah. 2 seconds, Kendall. Promise. I'm almost done. [02:03:25] Speaker D: Okay. All right. Let me know if you need help, though. [02:03:32] Speaker E: Yeah, sure thing. [02:03:34] Speaker A: Okay. Taking a moment to turn to the mirror. A little bit of cold water on your face always helps. Why else would they do it? In the movies, that's when you see the distortion of your figure wearing what you are now. But it's shifted a bit to accommodate a wonderful nine months. But it's starting there, the bulge that draws your attention. But looking up, that's when you realize that that's not your face. It's close, but it's not you. What? Noah looks swollen and in pain. This is not a pleasant experience. There is an exhausted agony on his features. And you can see, like, a claw shape. It's a hand. But there aren't enough fingers that stretches against the fabric from the inside. You feel the flush of the heat coming up into your chest, radiating up through your heart. You can feel the. You can feel the heartbeat, like in your gums. This is like acute sense of something alive. And right at the moment you make eye contact with your twin in this mirror, the illusion snaps, and you're fine. Your heart's still racing, but the pain, the ache, the swollen sensations, all gone. Even the knowledge has passed. It's just you staring into the mirror, looking at the way you look in this new outfit. I would like you to roll to keep it together. It's always easy for me when I'm waiting to make a GM call, and someone's like, oh, my God, no, this is messed up. And I'm like, okay, good. You understand. That's why we're getting the dice out. Excellent. We're all on the same page. [02:06:11] Speaker E: By a miracle of God, that is a 15 on the nose. [02:06:15] Speaker A: A miracle. If God indeed the virgin birth and all that coming to mind, it couldn't possibly be the case that you were in this situation. Not to suggest that you are a virgin. I don't have that information, and feel free to not. But we do know one of the things required for reproduction and that it hasn't happened in nine months ago. So the point is that absent a miracle, faith shall see you through. [02:06:49] Speaker E: I'm. I'm exhausted. I am dealing with unimaginable tragedy, and everything's off kilter. And you'll be fine. We'll. We'll see Noah, and I'll talk to Noah, and I'll know that everything is glowing. To be fine. [02:07:14] Speaker A: Indeed. Well, allow us to fast forward, if you all don't mind, towards the reconvening outside of this apartment complex where the party is to be taking place. Say apartment complex it will be in someday. An apartment complex. Right now, it's an artist's loft. It's an old warehouse building converted into four stories of open floor space. And the kind of place you'd have the little cubicles built up where people can see, but it's very, very high ceiling, so it's just like, some privacy walls. And you put 15 or 16 people in it who don't make a lot of money, and they make statues of stuff, that kind of joint. If you're not familiar, I'm sorry, because that was like, a really. I really wanted to live in that kind of place when I was a kid. Not gonna. I'd probably be the coolest damn thing in the world. I didn't realize it was wrapped up in artistic failure and poverty. Anyway, we're standing outside of that location. The windows are boarded up or blacked out with curtains. The door, likewise. But that single doorway does not have a curtain or some kind of tint. It is plastered shut with the flyers you have in your hand. Hand. But I suspect your entrance is going to pause as each of you sees the others dressed as you are. [02:08:47] Speaker D: Aiden, your shoulders are showing. I don't think I've ever seen you without your look. [02:08:59] Speaker B: Thank you, I guess. And I really like the way that you put on red today. We are both just blowing our expectations out of the water. [02:09:09] Speaker D: Just really changing it up a little bit, huh? [02:09:13] Speaker B: I thought it was time to let them out a little bit. I have to keep them in sleeves the whole time. I'm being facetious. Of course. Aisha, I love what you've done. I'm blown away. This is. This is such a great step in the right direction. [02:09:32] Speaker E: It's, um, it's new. [02:09:37] Speaker D: Looks, uh, I mean, it looks pretty damn amazing, if I do say so myself. Um, but it's my harness, so that's, you know, that helps. [02:09:47] Speaker A: All three of you sleeping on. [02:09:51] Speaker D: Oh, yeah. No, it's there. There is a moment where I feel like I made a choice to wear the cuffs, right? It was an accessory because I was like, yes, of course. No, this totally makes sense. I was not expecting Noah's favorite professor to show up with a ball gag around his neck. And I'm gonna be quite honest with you, game master. I don't know how to respond to that. Aside from not responding to it. I don't. I just. [02:10:33] Speaker E: I don't. [02:10:34] Speaker A: Well, let me plant a censor thought in your head, if you don't mind, because you read things in that journal that were quite surprising, that you don't recall ever coming up in your relationship with Noah. And when we checked in the beginning of the story, you were content to blame those on Aiden. But look to the way that Aidan is dressed and look to the way the professor is dressed. Maybe you were wrong about who was responsible, but I'll let you sit with that negativity. Let that little worm crawl around digesting the worst of your thoughts so it has plenty of energy to turn into a big, beautiful, angry butterfly. Aiden, first time you've seen the professor like this? Professor, the first time you've seen Aidan like this. [02:11:29] Speaker C: I'm glad to see that we all got the memo to dress the part. I'm surprised that we were all able to slip into character so easily. [02:11:42] Speaker A: See? [02:11:42] Speaker B: We all look great. Look at you. You had this hanging up in your closet. Aisha got a handout from Kendall, and here we were wanting to waste a couple hours shopping when we already had the goods. This is what I'm telling you, people. We don't have to go off and wait and sees it now. And, professor, that ball gag looks terrific on. [02:12:02] Speaker C: It's an old, old, old gift from a friend. [02:12:13] Speaker E: I mean, the shirt's actually kind of great, isn't it? [02:12:19] Speaker C: I definitely think that. I would love to wear it in classes, but the other people who I work with have dress code feelings at NYU. And apparently. [02:12:29] Speaker E: I was gonna say. [02:12:31] Speaker A: Yeah, nothing else. It would be a very distracting lecture. [02:12:37] Speaker C: We don't want to distract my students. That's right. [02:12:41] Speaker A: Team has assembled, dressed for the part and ready to. To enter the building. From the outside, the sounds still, you get the normal city noise, but there's nothing going on, as far as you can tell, beyond that portal, that entryway. It's not until you reach out and touch it that something else occurs. Which begs a question. Who is the first person through the door? Motivated, no doubt, Aisha, by your desire to find your brother. Let Aiden have his parties. Let Kendall have whatever she's after. Francis will certainly follow. But you have the closest connection by far, right? When you place your hand onto the little push bar, that is when you hear it ringing from in front of you, but also around you, like a movie theater soundtrack rumbling up from beneath the seats. It's the sound of music and thumping of feet. There's the jingling of chains, a slight undercurrent of moans that become screams that become moans again. Push the door open to reveal what will, at some point, probably be the security desk. The entryway. They'll have the little mailboxes on the right. On the left will be the desk for reception. At the moment, it's just bare walls. The floor is littered with empty syringes. Food packaging. And stairs go down. [02:14:34] Speaker E: Of course they go down. I think there's a moment where I do look back at the others, and there is fear. A lot of fear. Interpidation. But I keep thinking about that dream and what Noah said. And maybe. Maybe he was right. Maybe it's time to start letting go. [02:15:39] Speaker A: Why do you hang on to the place that you're from and the person you were? [02:15:49] Speaker E: It's safe. [02:15:57] Speaker A: It's home. When Noah made the decision to leave, you were obviously devastated. Was it because, of course, as you said, that he was entering a dangerous world? Obviously dangerous. How right you have been proven. The vindication must feel bittersweet. Or was there perhaps a lingering touch of jealousy that only one of you was brave enough to step out of the nest and find out what the rest of the world has. That you chose safety, but also stagnation. And he was willing to take a risk. [02:16:49] Speaker E: I know what people say about me. I know that they call me frigid and cold and stuck up. [02:16:56] Speaker A: But you think you made the right decision. [02:17:14] Speaker E: Staying. I'm coming here. [02:17:18] Speaker A: Dealer's choice. I imagine that a conscience full of conflicting information, one of those leapt directly to mind. You made the decision subconsciously. [02:17:39] Speaker E: Not in a million years, not for any promise of rapture or salvation, would I leave my brother behind. [02:17:55] Speaker A: Despite all the consequences. [02:18:02] Speaker E: And maybe in finding him, I find a part of myself. [02:18:19] Speaker A: Well, let those thoughts guide you as you descend the stairs. Entirely too many stairs for the depth you are proceeding, each a little more off kilter than the last. At first, perfectly normal, horizontal, bare concrete. And then the concrete starts to blacken, and each individual step bends at a strange angle. There's a hint of apprehension, as your natural body says that you take the next step. Gravity's gonna fuck you. It's at a strange, bizarrely twisted angle. But then it seems that every step you take forward, your foot lands in the exact correct place. And there's a darkness in the stairway that at first feels just like a trick of the light. You've experienced this in the hallway leading to big johns. But it's not until that sense of proprioception grabs you and you feel. Feel the need to reach out to touch the wall. And you realize the wall's not there. And your hand stretches out into an infinite blackness for just a second before, like an old tv station, moving the antennas, trying to get the picture to come back, something approximating normalcy settles in. They say approximating because. Because as the four of you arrive at the bottom of this stairwell, you see a large pair of hewn wooden doors, immaculately carved. Definitely not the kind of thing that came with this building. It calls to mind a cathedral, or at least a chapel. Standing in front of it is a gentleman with a full leather hood, his eyes visible holes for the nose, none for the mouth. Rivets in all the places that you would expect. Rivets. He has a leather cuff in his hand that is attached to a chain that attaches to three young men, younger than Aidan, old enough to not cross any laws. Don't get on me, twitch. Each of them wearing a spiked leather collar, a hook in the back that leads to the leash, and not a whole lot else. And as they hear you, the four of you find that landing. Their attention turns to you. Everyone stays on moving. [02:21:03] Speaker D: I look at Aidan because this is not. I mean, this is more his scene than any of ours. [02:21:12] Speaker A: I. [02:21:15] Speaker D: Kind of gesture towards the figures. [02:21:23] Speaker B: I see this from Kendall, and I kind of take a big deep breath in, realize it's now my time to lead this operation. I pull out the flyer, unfold it, show it. Just say, hi, we're here for the party. Usual. By the way. I've been trying to contact a buddy of mine. I'm sure he's been indisposed for a while. Have you seen Noah anywhere? [02:21:53] Speaker A: Everyone is quiet. Neither man nor beast moves, speaks. It's not even entirely clear they regard you. They're staring in your direction, but you don't get the eye contact feeling. There's an emptiness there. Something a little uncanny. [02:22:21] Speaker B: I'm looking around at the. Oh, I'm sorry. Were you gonna say something? [02:22:25] Speaker A: No, my means, okay. [02:22:26] Speaker B: I'm looking around at the tall, leather faced individual, looking around at everyone. Hi. Hello. My name is Aiden. I'm speaking with you right now with my words, and I would appreciate just some civil reciprocation. Looking for Noah, and I'm pretty sure this is the place. We just want to, you know, obviously enjoy the party and catch up with him. Been trying to text him, but I imagine he's not wearing any pants. Case in point blankness. [02:23:01] Speaker D: Can I go to the door? Can I, like, try and get around them and go through the door? [02:23:08] Speaker A: Sure. As you do. Roll reflexes. Sure. [02:23:14] Speaker D: Okay, that is 14. [02:23:25] Speaker A: Very well. You take that first step forward, and it is like crossing a threshold. It is immediate, like an effects transition that is just. It's too short. One moment you're watching this, I assume the dom and his triplets sitting in front of the door. You take one step forward and he drops the leash. And this thing charges at you. I say this thing because a three headed beast. Human shoulders. But. But not three individual humans this point, they come up off their knees, charging at you. But you notice that the wrists and the ankles, they don't bend the way humans would. The legs are furrier. It's. It blurs between this. This thing you understand and this you don't. And as their jaws open, glistening with saliva, you realize they're too long and they have more canines than a human mouth should. And it isn't until with your 14 that you lurch backwards, stumbling, that you see the three headed dogs jumping forward, lurching onto you. 14. Minor complication. You will lose that point of stability, raising your hands reflexively to defend yourself. Everyone else watching this happen. You just see Kendall fly backwards of her own volition, as if pulled by some kind of Michael Bay wire device, screaming out, panicking, scrambling, and then raising her hands up to defend herself. [02:25:43] Speaker E: I may not like her, but I'm not just gonna leave her on the floor. [02:25:49] Speaker D: Kendall. [02:25:49] Speaker E: Kendall. [02:25:50] Speaker D: Get this thing off of me. [02:25:53] Speaker E: Kendall, there's nothing here. [02:25:54] Speaker D: What are you talking, what are you, the fuck are you talking about? Are you blind now too? [02:26:01] Speaker E: Kendall. [02:26:02] Speaker D: Somebody needs to get this fucking thing off of me. Get this fucking thing off of me. Get this fucking thing off of me. [02:26:08] Speaker B: I'm going to immediately brush over to her, assuming there's from my worldview. There's nothing on her. I'm gonna help her to her feet. Uh, as hell to her feet. I'm like, it's okay. We've had a long day. Kendall, what are you doing to me right now? Kendall, take a deep breath, okay? You're safe. God damn it. Been a long week. What can I say? So sorry about all of this. Can we go through? Is that okay? Can we do that? I say to the big broly man. [02:26:42] Speaker A: It's when Aiden calls attention back to the. The handler that you realize that his three pets are still there. The doorman, the handler. He barks a single word in German, a command used for police dogs. The doors open slowly, widely. They turn and walk inside. The sight that opens up is carnal. The roar of the music is immediate, hitting you like a blast of hot air from an oven you see stretched out ahead of you, at least as far as the lighting allows you to see. Just hundreds, possibly different bodies in different states of undress. Some bouncing to the music, some bouncing for other reasons. All of them pressed so close, hot, sweaty together. [02:28:03] Speaker B: Okay, well, now we are here. Welcome to the 100 days of sodom. A little bit of an embarrassing moment, but, hey, we can recover. I always do. So why don't we just go have fun and, you know, they say divide and conquer. I'm gonna go find her. Boy. You all have a great time doing, you know, stuff, and then we'll reconvene later. All right? And I proceed to take out my phone and start texting in vain into the universe, hoping I can manifest a Noah at this party. [02:28:40] Speaker A: I imagine the lack of any cell phone signal will make that difficult and that it's probably when you look down at the phone to text your buddy, you notice it's not going through. You look up, maybe left to Kendall or right to Francis. And that is when the doors slam behind you. [02:29:09] Speaker D: I'm pretty sure. I hated here already. Already not having a fun time. Straight up not having a fun time. [02:29:18] Speaker C: Maybe we should. [02:29:22] Speaker D: Yeah, no, I. [02:29:27] Speaker B: Look, we know he's here, all right? And we know that this is probably the last chance we're gonna get to see him. This is. This is the safest bet, so if we can find Noah now, we can. [02:29:38] Speaker D: Oh, hold on. What do you mean, last chance? We'll get to see him? [02:29:44] Speaker B: I'm. I'm sorry. Okay, so let's just assume this party actually lasts for a hundred days. What do we think is gonna be left after a hundred days are done of this guy having his Sodom and Gomorrah? What the. Assuming he's not dead somewhere, this place is giving us the heebie jeebies. What do you think it's actually doing? [02:30:03] Speaker A: If he's been here for under days. [02:30:05] Speaker B: If he's been here for one day, that means we need to get him. Him out of here before he loses himself to this. According to. [02:30:11] Speaker E: And I don't know why you're still running your fucking mouth, Aiden. And I'm gonna start looking for my brother. [02:30:17] Speaker B: Finally, someone who speaks sense. Kendall and I proceed to walk after. [02:30:21] Speaker A: Her, following Aisha into the sea of bodies. At least as far as you can tell, there's nowhere else to go. It's kind of a sea of bodies in every direction, which is strange, because there was. There was a door there just a second ago. [02:30:41] Speaker E: I mean, there's nowhere to go but forward and through. [02:30:52] Speaker A: Navigation might prove difficult in a room with no defining features. You know that there are bodies behind you where there used to be a door. You know there are bodies in front of you to the left and to the right. The only age you have, like a beacon sitting up front of the room, a big old lighthouse, is the DJ booth. All the lights and smoke and pyrotechnics thumping from there. But it is as you inch forward, because inch you must through so many different sweaty, ecstatic bodies, they don't make room for you in the way a normal crowd would. They are too much in thrall to this place and the things that it is. But as you proceed, it's strange how a hand, Professor Francis, reaches out to grab you, and at first it seems just like someone who is a bit off their feet, right? Or calling you over to dance. You've been to these clubs. Normally, there's a bit more politeness about initiating physical contact without permission, but it's not unheard of. And your attention turns to perhaps review the person propositioning you for a few minutes on the dance floor and you see their face and you see the pain and the horror in it. Someone who is lost and eyes red from crying and then their body being swallowed back up into this thing, pulled away as one hand out reaches for you and you cannot help them, or Aidan, as you take a step forward and the crowd splits just enough for this idea. Platonic beauty. If I reached just behind your eyeball and plucked out that one brain cell that has everything you like in it, he or she steps into your way and is already unbuttoning the top bit of her harness as she steps forward and pushes her body against yours and says, do you have time for me, Kendall? There's a different kind of energy in the room. If you've ever wondered what it feels like to be famous and have your own little red carpet moment, there is no one who is so gauche, we'll say, to call it out directly, but you can recognize that knowing look in their eyes, like that person you know from high school. And there's a moment where you're like, is that who? Yeah, I remember you. Followed up by a host of people who know what you're into and begin to dance, solicit as if they might have a chance. But Aisha, you will have to witness this alone. Suffice it to say, you are all alone in your own way, perhaps occasionally able to spot just a little bit of the other person as the crowd undulates and naturally separates you. But walking through the middle of it, surrounded by a small little circle on an island by herself, a halo, if you will, Aisha is able to stride among these bodies with nary single finger out of place. Wherever you want to go, this place will let you go there.