S2 E13: Friendship Heist

Tatiana Gefter:

Hello, everyone, my name is Tatiana Gefter. I use she/they pronouns and I am playing Alma of the Vale with The Gravedigger playbook.

Michi Zaya:




Hi, my name is Michi Zaya. I use any pronouns and I am playing Fletcher, The Witch.

Jenine Florence Jacinto:

My name is Jenine Florence Jacinto. I use they/them pronouns and I play Hoku Bayana.

Octa Delgado:

Hello, my name is Octa. I go by they/them pronouns. And I will play Neu Threestrings from The Weaver playbook.

Harper Sage Pettit:

Hi, my name is Harper Sage Pettit. I use they or she pronouns and I will be your guide for this season of queeRPG, Of Kith and Pen.

Kenzie:

The content warning for this episode includes betrayal, complex and complicated relationships, and threats of poisoning..

 

Octa (Neu):

Dear Falon, I am sitting in the lighthouse of the memory wells here in Middledwell and I'm just sitting down to compose my thoughts and I thought writing to you may help. I'm with letter Alma. Fletcher and Hoku are trying to get a memory potion to help my friend, Foster. I think something really bad has happened to him. He doesn’t remember me. I was thrown from a machine and almost fell to the ground. The air was moving so quickly is very scary but I think I have something more important to tell you. I think you should know. Have you ever come across The Preservation? They are strange people. They wear black, they have weapons and armors and Professor Peppers is one of them. There’s a few more, I’m not going to put their names in here for now, but I think you should know about them. They want to make sure that nothing bad happens but they don't seem to be doing good things to avoid that. And I'm not sure if stealing, breaking people’s stuff, and being so shady is a good way to do good things. They seem very convinced that what they are doing is right and every time I find someone who is so sure about what is the right thing to do, I always get a weird feeling. So we're trying to gett Foster back and we are learning a lot about what is happening with the gods. You see it is human. In your next letter I would like to know, I think we would all like to know, what the color purple means to you. If you could write back to us with that we would appreciate it. Basically there is this purple human figure and it's going around snatching the great gods. Sometimes by force, sometimes by scolding them, and I just saw through a thoughtsmore, events from almost twenty years ago. I think a group of kith from reading from a book in the old language and they may have brought it back. It looked like a ghost. I heard them chanting something and I wanted to review the thoughtsmore to check it up again. I'll try to send it back to you. And it seemed angry and vengeful. Falon, are you are you still sure we are the right kith for the job?

 

Harper (Guide):

Neu, you're really fixated on Foster. What again specifically happened between you and Foster? Because it's been something that's kind of like come up a couple times but you've not gone into the exact details.

 

Octa:

Neu and Foster were together in Loom Acadmey. They were learning how to be weavers but it was a very, very formal education. It was very, very strict, very specific because it was a boarding school and Neu wasn't vibing with any of that. So Neu kind of made a couple of friends, Rania and Foster and decided to have likea bit of a really, really intense really bound, almost like very queer platonic with Foster. And they made plans to flee together but right before they could flee, while they were weaving a scarf for Foster, they had a premonition and oracle manifest in that piece of clothing, that said that Foster would be in grave danger if they left. So Neu lied to Foster and covered the plans that they two had together to leave and kind of outed him to the to the professors. Neu basically snitched. And then Neu left anyway. Super, super remorseful, Neu went back just two days after and found out that Foster had gone. Rania didn’t know where, professors didn’t know where. No one knew where. And Neu spent months trying to find foster all across The Lastings and never found Foster again. Since then Neu has trusted no oracles basically. The only oracle that Neu has even remotely close to o trusting is Falon’s but that is also a bit touch and go. There’s this guilt of oh I left him and it was a pretty intense deal before. OH, I left him, he hates me, he’s gone. And now it’s like, oh I left him, he hates m,e he’s gone, and something horrible happened to him anyway! So Neu just finished writing the letter for Falon, goes through Alma,

 

Octa (Neu):

Hey, Alma, if you could give this a little read, I think maybe we could send this to Falon.

 

Tatiana (Alma):

Yeah, yeah. Let me take a look at this. Mm-hmm. Yeah, I mean yeah that is - that is all - that is all the truth about what has happened. I guess we haven't really been talking to Falon, huh?

 

Octa (Neu):

It’s only been a couple of days. Almost three days right now.

 

Tatiana (Alma):

Yeah it's only the like three or four days, you’re right. Zey wouldn't be expecting to hear back from us so soon. I mean a lot has happened in the past three or four days, so I think it's right that we send zem a letter. Yeah, no this looks good around.

 

Octa:




And Neu will turn the paper around and write in big letters with nice calligraphy, “Falon,” on the other side of the paper and be like,

 

Octa (Neu):

Do you have anything to burn this?

 

Tatiana (Alma):

Burn?

 

Octa (Neu):

Yeah, that's how Puck said we can send things their way, right?

 

Tatiana:




Alma just kind of starts rifling through her bag. She probably does have matches from needing to light like pyres and stuff. So she pulls out some pretty like heavy duty matches because they're usually you put them in with the body.

 

Octa (Neu):

Do you think this is going to be more reliable than moths?

 

Tatiana (Alma):

I mean we are a little far from home so the moth I feel like they might get a little tired flying all the way back by themselves and we also would need to go back to the ship, unless they have months here in the memoriam. I don't know how they do things here. So if we burn then I would say that's likely enough. It'll at least be more immediate anyway.

 

Octa (Neu):

I hope this works.

 

Octa:




And Neu will just burn it and think really hard about Falon.

 

Tatiana (Alma):

Anyway how are you doing after the whole –

 

Octa (Neu):

You’ve read the letter it really sounds like we unpacked something really big.

 

Tatiana (Alma):

Yeah, yeah it does sound that way.

 

Octa (Neu):

I think maybe we should try and see if we can understand what is this thing that human wants back. Is it the gods? Is it these lands? Is it it's things? We’ve seen a lot of things that come from really - from an old time. Maybe it just wants the machines.

 

Tatiana (Alma):

Maybe but it's dead. Like ghosts and stuff they don't really - they can't really take much with them. You kind of just have what you had when you died. I'm not saying this is gonna happen but if one of us were to die like right now, just kind of drop dead, we would just be wearing this clothes and like have our bags and stuff. Like we wouldn't have anything extra. You don't really get to take stuff when you die. I don't know why but I mean clearly this ghost is not like normal ghosts because they can, you know, mess with the gods.

 

Octa (Neu):

We don't know what kind of kindnesses they were given when they passed. Maybe the human just needs some help.

 

Tatiana (Alma):

So it's like, okay… so, so you're saying it could be like the human isn't able to be at rest because it was never like formally put to rest. Okay, I mean I could definitely do that, I would just need to find the body.

 

Octa (Neu):

How do they look? It just looks like purple and big and made of light. I don't know anyone like that.

 

Tatiana (Alma):

I've never a human body before so I don't know. I'm still waiting to hear back from my mom if she knows anything about he-mans but she’s never mentioned them before so I guess (sighs) we’ll have to see. If we were to find the body I could, in theory, put the spirit to rest.

 

Octa (Neu):

In the poem, in the verse, it says “in twilight’s shroud a haunting ale unfurls” and then it goes “where shadows dance and silence slowly swirls” so  that could be a hint towards where we could find them. So something dark but with a little bit of light so that we can have shadow. There should we winds and then it ends up saying a haunting verse of humans lost below. So something under the ground.

 

Tatiana (Alma):

Like a cave.

 

Octa (Neu):

Maybe.

 

Tatiana (Alma):

We should ask the others. I really wish poem’s weren’t so vague.

 

Octa (Neu):

Oh, that's why they’re beautiful.

 

Tatiana (Alma):

Yeah, they're more beautiful when we're not trying to save the world.

 

Octa (Neu):

But think about it, if it wasn't the poem, maybe no one would remember. Like if it was just like boring instructions or like maybe people wouldn’t remember.

 

Tatiana (Alma):

Maybe, I guess you have a point. This is all so confusing.

 

Octa (Neu):

I would like to find the others and I’m worried about Foster and I don't know if I want to distract myself from the whole Foster thing with this or if I want to distract myself from this with the whole Foster thing.

 

Tatiana (Alma):

Oh, buddy.

 

Tatiana:

I would like to spend a token to ease Neu’s pain if just for a moment.

 

Harper (Guide):

How do you actually do that though?

 

Tatiana:

I'm just gonna kind of put my hand on Neu’s shoulder, kind of lean down a little bit and put my hand on Neu’s shoulder and I go,

 

Tatiana (Alma):

Listen I can't tell you, you know, what the right thing is to do in this situation. Which one takes priority over the other, but you are one of the kindest people I know and you care so much about other people. I know whatever happens you are gonna figure it out and it'll all work out so think of it less as distracting yourself and more as trying to connect the dots a little bit maybe. You can't have one of these problems without the other and they both require you to be solved. We may not be the right kith for the job but you are definitely the right kith for this job.

 

Octa:




Neu gives like one of those long exhales from when you've not really breathed properly for like a few hours and will just go like right next to Alma and give them a big slow hug.

 

Octa (Neu):

Thank you so much. Yeah bit by bit we can connect the dots.

 

Tatiana (Alma):

Don’t get overwhelmed. Let's chip at this one thing at a time. And I guess the first thing is finding our friends. I wonder if they also got followed.

 

Harper (Flower):

Is there anything else you need? There's lots of memories here that you could examine but I don't have really any idea which ones to show you but there's so many.

 

Harper (Guide):

And with that we'll jump over to Fletcher and Hoku.

 

Michi:

Fletcher is inside Ludo’s potion shop making a potion with the spare cauldron.

 

Harper (Guide):

Let's get you to do a wild roll to see how quickly you're able to get this potion going.

 

Michi:

Unnatural twelve.

 

Harper (Guide):

Very successful potion making. What does that look like for Fletcher as the sleepy boy is sleepy but making a good potion still.

 

Michi:

So, Fletcher’s turned into like a little bit of like a grandma in the kitchen situation where like it's a very like organized chaos. Occasionally Kalix will come and ask Fletcher what’s going on and Fletcher will be like,

 

Michi (Fletcher):

Hand me that. Do this.

 

Michi:




And so Fletcher just has gone straight into hyper focus work mode because this is what Fletcher has been training for and it’s very cooking montage. There’s bubbles and spells and timings and Fletcher gets really close to the cauldron and like is staring at it like he could burn his little nose if he isn't super careful. And there's like a lot of like fun science of like colors changing and then he's being very precise which is unusual for little sleepy boy. He makes his potion.

 

Harper (Guide):

Do you think that maybe in some of like the previous failed potions that maybe the stakes weren't as high and then maybe also a cute boy wasn't nearby?

 

Michi:

It's like when you work out a little harder at the gym because somebody caught your eye. Maybe Fletcher’s a little bit like, I'm about to prove myself.

 

Harper (Guide):

Fletcher’s feeling the pressure and acting very well under the pressure and also showing out. And we'll say since you did so well with this, normally like potions take like hours to brew, but you get it done in about an hour. And Hoku as you're maybe getting bored, you hear the door like open up behind you and Fletcher and Kalix come out with this like stoppered bottle of a - what does this like memory potion look like?

 

Michi:

It's kind of like an inhalant. There’s only like a little bit inside of the stopper and like it's a fairly like large bottle but it's basically half full and you can kind of see a little bit of like steam rising from it and like swirling inside the bottle. So you can tell that something’s sort of like building inside the bottle and it kind of is gaining more potency as it says stoppered because it's like continuing to like steam out and it's like filling with a little bit of gas wherever it can. I'm gonna say it looks like a sort of like barkley forest green color.

 

Harper (Guide):

You have the potion. What's the next move for the three of you?

 

Jenine (Hoku):

So, should we go and get Foster?

 

Michi (Fletcher):

Well I don't want to go and get Foster without Neu and Alma. We should probably find them first.

 

Harper (Kalix):

We honestly we could go get them and we could use force. I could probably take him but I am good at grabbing.

 

Harper (Guide):

And again he kind of like motions like with his hands like raw.

 

Michi (Fletcher):

You’re also good at throwing. Yeah let's go find our friends.

 

Jenine (Hoku):

Okay so towards the –

 

Jenine:

And then whispers.

 

Jenine (Hoku):

The memorium.

 

Harper (Kalix):

It's not necessarily a secret Hoku, why are you whispering?

 

Jenine (Hoku):

(whispering noises) Secrets.

 

Harper (Kalix):

Alright, well I guess let's be off then.

 

Jenine:

Hoku would lead but would go and like different - would zigzag like they did last time. Are we still being followed?

 

Harper (Guide):

Go ahead and give me a heart roll, Hoku. Because part of the reason why you were outside was to keep watch.

 

Jenine:

Eight.

 

Harper (Guide):

Yes, you are not seeing anyone close by. Nobody tailing you. In your whole time of watching outside, you're like checking in on the little rainbow god but you're also peeping around to see if there was somebody close by keeping tabs on you and it seems like you've successfully lost them. You have that little spot on your torso that's kind of hidden away. The mark of The Starkeeper. When you got it back in your later school years like it was super exciting but you hadn't really done anything with It, nothing happened to it since appearing. You feel kind of like twingy, itchy sort of feeling there right where the spot is under your apron.

 

Jenine:

I go to the side real quick and just like check what's happening there because I think that's where there's a zipper in the dress, under the apron, built in a way that anytime that Hoku wanted to check on it, he could, but after so long he's just given up. But every dress is built with that so like unzips the zipper or like the clasp that's there to see what's happening.

 

Harper (Guide):

What does the mark of The Starkeeper actually look like?

 

Jenine:




Every mark is gonna look different but it's still going to be some cluster of stars or constellations. And for Hoku’s it's the constellation of the wanderlost, which is a traveler who journeyed so long they forgot their destination. Those born under it are often adventures and or lost. For Hoku - there's always fine line between adventurer or lost for him but like that's the mark that is there.

 

Harper (Guide):

Is there a constellation that would give feelings of, not the opposite of that, like that feeling still lingers for Hoku but as Hoku looks down at this mark, it's starting to give feelings of newness. Maybe found something that is lost, something being restored.

 

Jenine:




I think it's gonna be the constellation that is associated with the grand god of forgotten dreams because it is something being remembered again. The way that Hoku has interpreted the god of forgotten dreams is one that, yes they've forgotten but Isleen helps find those forgotten dreams. So it is remembering and in that constellation it is where you start to remember something that is lost or finding something that is lost.

 

Harper (Guide):

And so as Hoku looks down, the mark of the Starkeeper looks a little different. It is a little bigger. It seems to be glowing a little bit and has changed like the previous mark is still there but it is almost this new intermingling with that sign of Isleen as well. So Fletcher and Kalix, you just kept walking and then all of a sudden and realize that Hoku’s not there. You look back to see him come like snapping back up his little apron. Hoku how are you feeling about this and does it show on your face?

 

Jenine:

There is this look of slight fear because I don't know if there there's a record of the mark of The Starkeeper changing and like thinks back like the last time constellation changed, that was time travel and all that. And like starts getting in the math of it but then he thinks back about finding the small forgotten god and is like oh this is a sign that something good and something different is happening and I have found something. So this is related and there's this newfound excitement in the daytime that Hoku has. ‘Cause like yeah we're in the day all the time, Hoku is with their friends and is like having a blast but it's the stars that he's always been fascinated about and now there is something different that he's excited to explore. So there is this fear and excitement that is on his face and he starts like jumping a little bit and like stops and then hyperventilates for two seconds and then jumps again and then joins his friends.

 

Harper (Kalix):

Is your friend okay? You're my friend too but you know them better.

 

Michi:

I don't know.. um Hoku, are you okay? Did you drink too much tea again?

 

Jenine (Hoku):

No I didn't drink a lot of tea I mean I'm hydrated so that's pretty good but there's something different about the mark of The Starkeeper that I've had for a bit, that I don't think I told any of you guys about but that's okay, we don't have to deal with that. But yeah everything’s cool, everything's great. I'm just finding something lost and that's kind of cool.

 

Michi (Fletcher):

What?

 

Jenine (Hoku):

So mark of The Starkeeper. That’s how my big thing of knowing who The Starkeeper is and why I wanted to focus on it a little bit more. And normally it is the constellation the wanderlost. Adventuring, lostness, all that fun jazz. I can give you a little paper about it, I do have a little pamphlet but anyways, I'm getting sidetracked. And it's and it's kind of changing and glowing a little bit more than usual because normally it doesn't glow that much but it does sometimes. And it's changed to the god of forgotten dreams from back home. So that's kind of cool.

 

Michi (Fletcher):

Oh.

 

Jenine (Hoku):

Yeah.

 

Michi (Fletcher):

Do you think that means we might find Isleen?

 

Jenine (Hoku):

That'd be kind of cool if we find Isleen like outside of The Lastings because that means there's something here.

 

Michi (Fletcher):

Yeah, I really miss the gods.

 

Jenine (Hoku):

Oh also I saw a little tiny god earlier.

 

Michi (Fletcher):

You saw tiny god? Which one?

 

Jenine (Hoku):




I don't think it's one of ours but it was -  

 

Jenine:




And I look around to see if anyone's throwing water.

 

Harper (Guide):

You’ve walked by the fountain in the town center. The water’s like splashing up into the sky creating that like mist and yeah you definitely - you would see that little rainbow god.

 

Jenine (Hoku):

So if you look –

 

Jenine:

And I like move both Kalix and Fletcher into the spot and make sure that they're right next to each other but I don't do it on purpose, I'm just like they have to see it. I know nothing. I'm very oblivious about what’s happening here.

 

Jenine (Hoku):

So if you look right - do you see that like the colors, right there? You'll see it a little – hi, hello. I want to introduce you to my friends.

 

Harper (Guide):




And sort of like shimmers and flies about a little bit as like the wind carries it. And you can definitely tell that it is like showing out a little bit.

 

Michi (Fletcher):




I see it! Oh that's really cute.

 

Jenine (Hoku):

Yeah.

 

Michi (Fletcher):

Where did you learn that song?

 

Jenine (Hoku):

I don't know. You know it just kind of happened.

 

Michi (Fletcher):

Oh that's really smart.

 

Jenine (Hoku):

Followed the instincts.

 

Michi:




Fletcher waves of the little god.

 

Harper (Guide):




It waves back.

 

Michi:

Fletcher will take out a little bit of like leftover like water for potion and sprinkle it in the air as an offering.

 

Harper (Guide):

I think you get a token. I think both of you get tokens. Hok, kalix, and Fletcher moves along after a few moments of taking in that small beauty, and then eventually arrives at the memorium. You swing the door open as Flower is sitting there like talking about all the different memories that they could show the group. Neu and Alma you hear the door swing open as Flower says,

 

Harper (Flower):

Well, I could show you the birth of a god. Also the last human, that one was pretty interesting but honestly just whatever you like - ohh welcome, welcome. I'll be with you in a moment.

 

Tatiana (Alma):

Oh hi, guys.

 

Harper (Flower):




Oh you - you know - you know these folks. Yes please, please come join us. I was just telling them about some of the memories that are available that they could they could see. Is anything sticking out to you.

 

Octa (Neu):

Excuse me, did you say the birth of god?

 

Tatiana (Alma):




And the last human.

 

Harper (Flower):

We have those.

 

Octa (Neu):




Oh.

 

Tatiana (Alma):

Well now that we have more people that could actually see the thoughtsmores!

 

Tatiana:

And Alma’s gonna pull Hoku and Fletcher over.

 

Tatiana (Alma):

Why don't we do all of them?

 

Harper (Flower):

That sounds like a wonderful and invigorating idea. Follow me!

 

Harper (Guide):

So, birth of the first god. This takes place in Towerfell, a large metropolis. Gathered in a large city square with these sort of like massive backdrop ports that you saw The Starkeeper show on but like huge. They go up the whole sides of these buildings that make up this town square. And a large group of kith gather and celebrate life, music, and love and through their kind of like almost like a weeklong ritualistic celebration, a massive shimmering form of a phoenix appears above the crowd and casts a blessing of vitality over everyone. And on that day they gave this god the name Luminale, their god of life and vitality. And then the vision or the memory of the last human also takes place in Towerfell. This was years before the birth of the first god. Kind of surrounded by all these kith is a decrepit, old human laying on the ground. And again the kith are very small in comparison to this human. And they don't share a common language of tongue. They are using some sort of simple language through hand signs and gestures. And basically the memories or the message that is passed along through these hand signs from Lavender is, “Forget the memories of us. If you do then we will never come back.”

 

Octa (Neu):




Maybe when all of those kith got around and started reading from the book, they broke kind of what Lavender was asking of the kith. Forget that humans.

 

Tatiana (Alma):

But who and why? And if we forgot them for so long that they have never been a problem before, why are they back now? Who brought them back?

 

Jenine (Hoku):

Was it The Preservation?

 

Tatiana (Alma):

I don't know if The Preservation was technically like stealing stuff and reading about them until after the gods started disappearing.

 

Michi (Fletcher):

Well didn't Professor Peppers or uh… Loretta - didn't Loretta say that The Preservation comes from the time of humans.

 

Octa (Neu):

What are they preserving the? Is it knowledge about the humans because that sounds like something we shouldn't preserve.

 

Michi (Fletcher):

And that book that Lavender wrote said that once something is believed in, it's given power so what if The Preservation believes in bringing back humans.

 

Tatiana (Alma):




I was on the right track by not believing in them in the first place.

 

Michi (Fletcher):

Alma! Humans are real!

 

Jenine (Hoku):




Alma, this is not the time to discuss this.

 

Tatiana (Alma):

Sorry, I’m sorry. This is a lot. I’m really overwhelmed.

 

Octa (Neu):

Maybe preservation… maybe they really don't want to bring the humans back but they are doing it anyway just because they're trying to not bring them back. It's like when they tell you to not think about honey flakes and you just think about honey flakes because you're really hungry.

 

Tatiana (Alma):




Yeah I know about the honey flakes.

 

Michi (Fletcher):

Do you want some honey flakes? I have some in my pocket it.

 

Harper (Guide):




Chandler, you notice him like walking over to a desk close by and they pick up a vase and they're holding it over their head and their going,

 

Harper (Chandler):

One, two…

 

Jenine (Hoku):




Chandler stop. Chandler!

 

Harper (Chandler):

I'm trying to make myself forget about the humans.

 

Tatiana (Alma):




I don't think that’s goind to work.

 

Harper (Chandler):

I can – do I need to do it one of you instead and then you could do it to me?

 

Harper (Guide):

And then starts like walking over to Alma.

 

Tatiana (Alma):

No, no, no, you stay back. Even if all of us in this room forget about the humans, The Preservation is still like, you know, out and about doing their thing. And we've kind of been talking about humans a lot, so everyone that we've talked to humans about also have been thinking about them.

 

Harper (Chandler):

We need to bunk everybody else on the head first and then us.

 

Tatiana (Alma):

No bonking!

 

Michi (Fletcher):

Wait I thought we're doing a big mission to make people remember things and now we gotta make people forget things?

 

Jenine (Hoku):

Yes and no. We want people to remember the gods but forget the humans.

 

Jenine:




Also, just a quick check, we weren't followed were we? There's not one that was like hiding here, right? There’s not someone from The Preservation that's currently hearing our entire conversation is about to go like run to the Professor, right?

 

Harper (Guide):

Give me a heart roll.

 

Jenine:




That was a six.

 

Harper (Guide):

You're not sure Hoku, maybe taking in everything, you've kind of given up your focus on the watchfulness that you were doing.

 

Jenine:

Sick, yeah, nothing's wrong.

 

Harper (Guide):

Alma, like outside one of the windows, up the tower you see little shadow (whoosing noise).

 

Jenine:




So what we have to do is stop The Preservation.

 

Tatiana (Alma):




Shut up! Shut up! I will be right back.

 

Tatiana:




I just very non-chalantly like,

 

Tatiana (Alma):

I'm just going to go to the bathroom guys, I’ll be right back, okay?

 

Harper (Flower):

We have a - we have a bathroom in here.

 

Tatiana (Alma):

Oh, okay, yeah! I'm just gonna – I’m more comfortable just going back to my ship, you know how it is (whistles).

 

Tatiana:

And she's just gonna walk outside and start sneaking up to where she spotted –

 

Harper (Guide):

There is nobody up there. There is a black feather though.

 

Tatiana:

Alma’s going to grab the feather and come back and just kind of hold it.

 

Harper (Flower):

Well that was a quick trip to the ship and back.

 

Tatiana (Alma):

I realized that I could hold it.

 

Harper (Flower):

That's quite a beautiful feather you have.

 

Tatiana (Alma):

Isn't it just?

 

Harper (Flower):




Seems raven-like.

 

Tatiana (Alma):

Doesn't it just?

 

Octa:




Neu just looks at the feather, looks at Fletcher. Looks at the feather.

 

Harper (Guide):

Give me an intellect roll Fletcher.

 

Michi:




Seven.

 

Harper (Guide):

It could very well be Loren’s, but it could also very well be Riften’s. Loren’s feathers kind of have this like bluish, dark bluish hue to them and it does have that but you've not spent a ton of time with Rifton and it could also be Rifton. So you're leaning more towards Rifton.

 

Michi:

Could Fletcher smell the feather?

 

Harper (Guide):

You smell the feather and it definitely smells a little less familiar but it could also be that Loren’s changed some.

 

Michi (Fletcher):

Um… I'm not sure. It doesn't seem like Loren’s but I don't really know the other raven that well.

 

Tatiana (Alma):

Either way we know what it means.

 

Jenine (Hoku):

We have raven friends?

 

Tatiana (Alma):

Friends are a word to use in this particular instance.

 

Jenine (Hoku):

I see – I – yeah –

 

Tatiana (Alma):

So this has been the lovely Flower, thank you very much for all your help. Been invaluable. I'm sure we will return should we need anything else. In the meantime, friends, I think perhaps it's best that we be on our way and start accomplishing some of our goals.

 

Michi:




Before leaving, Fletcher would like to ask Flower and he hasn't introduced himself but he just goes,

 

Michi (Fletcher):

Excuse me, uh Flower, memory librarian, excuse me?

 

Harper (Flower):

Yes… what do you need?

 

Michi (Fletcher):

My friend can't see them the memories, the thoughtsmores, and because of that they really have a hard time believing us about the things inside of them. Is there any way to make someone who can't see thoughtsmores see the thoughtsmores.

 

Harper (Flower):

Unfortunately there's not. If you can't see them, you just… you can't.

 

Michi (Fletcher):

Why is that?

 

Harper (Flower):




Some people are blessed with the sight and some aren't. It's just the same way as some of us are more apt to be able to do magics and control those and some aren't. We all have our strengths. We all have things that we're good at and it doesn't mean we're less than, it's just -we're different and that's honestly kind of beautiful.

 

Michi (Fletcher):

Thank you, Flower.

 

Octa (Neu):

So are we going to try and get –

 

Jenine (Hoku):

The plan!

 

Octa (Neu):

The plan.

 

Jenine (Hoku):

We did step one and step two. This is the final plan, right? This is what we're supposed to – we’re supposed to be (whisper noises).

 

Octa (Neu):

I don't know how to talk like this. I'm not used to it. Are we doing the potion thing or are we doing - ?

 

Tatiana (Alma):

Uh-huh, yeah, we're getting your potion thing, your potion thing specifically because that will help us with the other potion.

 

Jenine:




Hoku finally understands where the math is going.

 

Tatiana:




Does Fletcher understand where the math is going?

 

Michi:

No. He’s just along for the ride.

 

Tatiana (Alma):

We're going to find our friend to catch up.

 

Octa (Neu):

So we're going to Terrara’s headquarters?

 

Tatiana (Alma):




Pretty much.

 

Jenine:




Hoku turns to Fletcher.

 

Jenine (Hoku):

I'm now lost. Are you lost?

 

Michi (Fletcher):

I'm pretty sure we're at the memory archives so no I'm not lost.

 

Jenine (Hoku):

Understood.

 

Jenine:




And I just follow the friends.

 

Tatiana:




Where is the headquarters?

 

Harper (Guide):

It’s on the edge of town opposite of where your ship landed. So you have to kind of go from end to end once again. It's probably getting late again with all the walking around that you're doing. Would you find a place to sleep or are you gonna do a stealthy mission by night?

 

Octa (Neu):

We could and go in. Maybe we  could get some suit, some like business suits. I just go there as if - as if we were belonging in there.

 

Tatiana (Alma):

You wanna do a disguise? You wanna do disguises?

 

Octa (Neu):

Maybe that helps. Unless we wanna just do like –

 

Tatiana (Alma):

I was just kind of thinking about just kidnapping Foster in the middle of the night.

 

Octa (Neu):




That's a good idea.

 

Jenine:

Hoku is still in the mind of disguise and you see them just turn their apron around and make it into like a backpack.

 

Jenine (Hoku):

Oh we're not? We're not doing the disguise? I can –

 

Jenine:




And then fixes the apron back on.

 

Tatiana (Alma):

What do you want to do, Fletcher?

 

Michi (Fletcher):

Well, I am not sure how we're gonna do this but I think we should all know how the potion works. So here's the potion.

 

Michi:




Fletcher takes out the pretty vile feel like billowing steam… steam is not the right word is it?

 

Jenine:

Vapor?

 

Michi:




Vapor! Vapor! Thank you, thank you.

                                 

Michi (Fletcher):

So this is the potion. Foster doesn't have to drink, shoud not drink it, but just has to be able to breathe it in. And that should work. If foster breathes it in like at least three times the potion should be able to get to Foster's brain and help bring the memories back.

 

Harper (Guide):

Chandler’s hand shoots up.

 

Harper (Chandler):

Um, so what would happen if someone drank it.

 

Michi (Fletcher):




You’d just tend to remember a lot more than most people would want and you become really aware of how your entire body works and I don't think you wanna feel the way that like, you know, like your veins work. And then all of your body cells start talking to you and it's really not not pleasant. They made us try it in Witch Academy as sort of like a beware thing because a lot of people wanted to drink it ‘cause it looks really pretty and so some of us drink it as like not - not a punishment but it was - it was what our professor described a teaching moment.

 

Harper (Chandler):

Chandler 's hand shoots back up.

 

Jenine:




Hoku’s hand raises too.

 

Tatiana (Alma):




We're not giving you a teaching moment.

 

Harper (Chandler):

No I'm not - I don't - I don't want a teaching moment. I was just thinking like if Horace is such a jerkbutt maybe we could make him drink some if we need to.

 

Tatiana (Alma):

We’re not engaging in biological warfare.

 

Harper (Chandler):

This isn't biological warfare. It's giving somebody a drink.

 

Jenine:




Hoku put his hand down.

 

Harper (Chandler):

Right, Hoku! We could - we could make them drink it.

 

Tatiana (Alma):

We're not poisoning people! We’re not about that.

 

Harper (Chandler):

Horace is a jerkbutt.

 

Tatiana (Alma):

I know, okay? I did kind of break his machine so that seemed like a good fun time for me, but we’re not poisoning people. Since it's something that Foster needs to breathe in, if we sneak into Foster's room in the middle of the night and just kind of hold it under his nose.

 

Octa (Neu):

And then we don't need to kidnap

 

Tatiana (Alma):




And then we don’t need to kidnap them, which is, you know, a bit of a bummer on my end because I did kind of want to.

 

Octa (Neu):




We could kidnap Horace.

 

Jenine (Hoku):

So we're not kidnapping but are we taking Foster with us after they smell the potion? And who is going to give Foster the - who is the sneaky sneak sneaks?

 

Tatiana:

Hey uh god, what skill would be required for sneaking around?

 

Harper (Guide):




Swift

 

Tatiana:

Thanks god.

 

Tatiana (Alma):

So I think Neu is the sneakiest amongst us, not just because they're small but also because they're very agile. Hoku, you're also a bit sneaky.

 

Harper (Guide):

Chandler raises his hand.

 

Harper (Chandler):

I can sneak. There's a lot of times in school y'all didn't even see me.

 

Tatiana (Alma):

Why would you say that?

 

Harper (Chandler):

And there been times recently where you've not seen me?

 

Tatiana (Alma):




Why would you say that again?

 

Harper (Chandler):

Because it's a fact. Why would I not let you know a fact especially when it's relevant to the situation? I've had no other opportunity to tell you this before. It’s fitting right? Kalix it's - it fits right?

 

Harper (Guide):

Looks up at Kalix and Kalix just kind of like shifts over, crosses his arms.

 

Harper (Kalix):

I’m not engaging with this.

 

Octa (Neu):




Chandler, is it because you were trying to not be seen or because you felt unseen?

 

Harper (Guide):

Kind of like around and starts to say something and then just like puts his head down and doesn't say anything.

 

Michi (Fletcher):




Hey, Kalix, are you sneaky?

 

Harper (Kalix):

I’m the largest among us so probably no.

 

Michi (Fletcher):

I’m really small but I’m not sneaky either.

 

Tatiana (Alma):

Okay, so here's what I think the plan is going to be. There's going to be a small team of Neu, Hoku and Chanlder, sneak into the complex, find Foster and do the potion. You just put it under Foster’s nose, let him breathe a little bit, and then you're good. And then Fletcher, myself, and Kalix will serve as watch. If anything starts going down in the complex we will cause a distraction. Does that work for everybody?

 

Harper (Kalix):

Yes. I will throw Fletcher as a distraction. We can be performers.

 

Tatiana (Alma):

You could be performers! Okay, yeah, like a circus.

 

Harper (Kalix):

Yes. I just came up with that on the fly, pun intended.

 

Michi (Fletcher):




I’m kind of scared of circuses but I could be in one, I guess.

 

Tatiana (Alma):

It’s a fake circus if that makes you feel better.

 

Harper (Kalix):

Why are you afraid of circuses?

 

Michi (Fletcher):

Why is the circus fake?

 

Tatiana (Alma):




Because we're not in a circus.

 

Jenine (Hoku):

I mean we can go back and see a circus if you wanted to.

 

Michi (Fletcher):

I don't wanna see a circus.

 

Harper (Chandler):




Why are we focusing so much on circuses, I need something heavy.

 

Tatiana (Alma):

You don't need anything heavy, I'm giving you actually nothing heavy.

 

Harper (Chandler):

What if I need to bonk someone?

 

Tatiana (Alma):

I don't think you need - I don't think that'll be a problem. I don't think that'll be in – I don’t think that’ll be a thing for you, I'll be honest. I think we'll be okay without your banking capabilities.

 

Jenine:




During this Hoku sits next to like tries to find like a shadow from the night sky and just goes,

 

Jenine (Hoku):

Hello is anyone in here? Hi! I'm looking for a little bit of assistance. Anyone in the shadows? Hello?

 

Harper (Guide):

What is Hoku hoping to accomplish with this?

 

Jenine:




Hoku hopes to find like a little forgotten god of shadows to hopefully like help cover us when we go inside. Or specifically like maybe guide us through and just a little guy in the shadows.

 

Harper (Guide):

So Hoku you know that you typically - you do need to show like affection for or appreciation for, in some sort of ritualistic manner, even though it could be like small, what is Hoku doing to try to like show offering or admiration for a small god of shadow?

 

Jenine:




So he has a chai from back home and usually chai is a black tea, so he pulls out like a little like serving of it and like puts it down and like tries to find it there's like a little acorn, the top of an acorn to make it a little cup and puts like the little chai in it and like puts it down in the shadow, like the darkest point of a shadow. Just puts it there as like an offering. That’s a token, that's  how I’m spending that token. And that’s what he's doing and now he's just kind of like laying on the ground, head in hands looking at - like little paws are kicking behind as they're like looking at the shadows, trying to be as welcoming as possible.

 

Harper (Guide):

A few moments go by and eventually you see like the shadow kind of like shimmer and move kind of like swirl up the chai tea leaves and all of that, up into the air and kind of like crumbles it up and makes it into like a fine powder and it flies on the wind. And then like this shadow like shifts out and kind of wraps around you in almost like a hug.

 

Jenine (Hoku):

Tee hee. I’ve made a new friend. And I think they will help us get sneakily through.

 

Octa (Neu):

Wow, who is this?

 

Jenine (Hoku):

What is your name?

 

Harper (Guide):

And the shadow just moves and shimmers again. No name is coming to you but it definitely is like a small and forgotten god of moving shadows.

 

Jenine (Hoku):

How does Wisp sound?

 

Harper (Guide):

Shimmers, twirls, and moves tightly around you.




Jenine (Hoku):

This is Wisp.

 

Octa (Neu):

Hello, Wisp.

 

Tatiana (Alma):

Hello, Wisp.

 

Michi (Fletcher):

Hi, Wisp!

 

Octa (Neu):

Great to meet you.

 

Harper (Guide):

You all would kind of like be on this like ridge at the edge of town, looking out at this like flat area where there is a large building. It looks pretty new and looks like it is a factory of some sort with this fence around it. So you will make your way there. I imagine Alma, Kalix and Fletcher post up somewhere close by in case something goes wrong. Hoku, Neu, and Chandler sneak around to the back where they find a little dip in the ground where they can like kind of crawl up under the fence and start searching the complex. You all go ahead and give me a swift roll.

 

Octa:




That's a dirty twelve.

 

Harper (Guide):

Chandler is like he said, very sneaky. There are times where you forget that he's even there but yeah you have the shadow that's helping out but how do the three of you work together with the shadow to explore this compound?

 

Octa:




I think we will try to, fit of all get a little bit of a sense of direction. So if it's a factory for health and safety in the workplace regulations, it will have probably a map. So we're gonna try and maybe find that map first. And then we're gonna move through the smaller kind of like service corridors in between the machines and just like always kind of like move three steps, stop for a second, listen, and then move three more steps.

 

Harper (Guide):

And I imagine like kind of like tucking into like these like little crevices, little like corners and like different people walk by and one of them says something about like the residential corridor, how they're pissed about night shift now over some sort of mistake and Horace has put them on that. And eventually you work your way over to that residential corridor. You do find Foster’s room. Most of the folks live in these bigger bunk rooms. The higher ups, and Foster is one of those, has their own room and it has like a little nameplate on the door.

 

Octa

:


Neu turns around, spooked.

 

Octa (Neu):

Hey, hey, Hoku.

 

Jenine (Hoku):

Yeah.

 

Octa (Neu):

Chandler? Did we get the potion from Fletcher?

 

Jenine (Hoku):

Yes.

 

Octa (Neu):

Okay, good, does anyone know how to open doors stealthily?

 

Jenine:

What kind of a doorknob is this?

 

Harper (Guide):

This facility also looks different than all the ones that you've been in before. It’s like a nice like nice - it is new. It is very sterile like especially in the residential corridor. It's like white walls, white floor. It's kind of hard to sneak here. Thankfully there's not anyone out and about since it is late into the night. And it is a white door with a simple stainless steel handle that kind of like pull down on. Very industrial.

 

Jenine:




Does the door look like it's in or is it an outie?

 

Harper (Guide):

It's an in.

 

Jenine:




Hoku walks up to the door and just taps it very - taps the door knob very slowly to see if it is locked.

 

Harper (Guide):




It is unlocked.

 

Jenine:




And then slowly opens the door.

 

Harper (Guide):

Just kind of like very slowly creaks open. And it is a simple modern room. A sort of closet area with lots and lots of those like jumpsuits just like lined up on hangers. A simple desk off in the corner and a bed nestled away. And it's not a very big room and there is a form sleeping on the bed, back towards you.

 

Jenine:




I hand the potion to Neu and I just keep myself posted at the door.

 

Octa (Neu):

So, we're doing this right?

 

Jenine (Hoku):

Yeah I watch the door for you.

 

Octa (Neu):

Are you sure – maybe we shouldn’t do this. What if he wakes up and doesn’t want to come with us?

 

Jenine (Hoku):




There’s one way to find out.

 

Octa (Neu):

Okay, let’s go. Step by step.

 

Jenine:




I gave Neu a little hug before they do it.

 

Octa:

And with a little bit more bravery this time, Neu grabs the cork and stealthily gets as close to Fosters nose as they can. Kind of like holds the bottle and just really slowly, trying to minimize the pop of the stopper.

 

Harper (Guide):

The stopper comes off. The vapor goes up into the nose of Foster as he sleeps.

 

Harper (Foster):

(grunts and snores)

 

Harper (Guide):

And starts struggling.

 

Harper (Foster):

(coughing)

 

Harper (Guide):

And kind of like sleepily like rolls over and through squinty eyes sees Neu there.

 

Harper (Foster):

You… you? You - what are you doing here?

 

Octa (Neu):

You know who I am, Foster?

 

Harper (Foster):

Yes, I know who you are. What are you doing?

 

Octa (Neu):

I'm trying to help you.

 

Harper (Foster):

Help me? Help me!

 

Jenine:




I close the door.

 

Octa (Neu):

Yes, you're out of The Lastings. No one has known anything about for months and I tried writing to you, I tried sending flaming papers and now I find here and you didn’t even recognize me earlier. Something's wrong with you.

 

Harper (Guide):

And he looks at Neu with an intensity of a thousand burning stars.

 

Harper (Foster):

I spent months thinking about you. I in no way, shape, or form have forgotten the betrayal that you pulled on me. I thought you would take a hint and leave my life for good, but apparently you can't even be bothered to do that.

 

Octa:

And Neu’s color kind of like drops. Their ears kind of almost flop slightly, their shoulders slump they take a half stumbling step backwards.

 

Octa (Neu):




So you did recognize me, you just didn't care that he threw me off?

 

Harper (Guide):

And in this moment of kind of confusion, Neu, I imagine your vision is kind of getting that tunnel, sort of like sinking feeling as black is kind of like coming around your line of sight, kind of engulfing your surroundings. And you don't notice it because again you're kind of reeling, he reaches over to a little switch on his night stand and says,

 

Harper (Foster):




I was hoping to push you off myself.

 

Harper (Guide):

And hits the button and you hear a siren start going off.

 

Jenine:

I grab Neu and we run out but I leave like the biggest glare to Foster and I go,

 

Jenine (Hoku):

They were trying to save. They were trying to pay you back. I guess that was wasted.

 

Jenine:

And I just run and make sure Chandler’s behind me and take Chandler's hand.

Kenzie:

Hey everyone! Thanks for listening. You can follow queeRPG on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @queeRPGpod. queeRPG is made possible by all of you who listen and share the show! If you like what you hear please rate and review. It helps other people find the pod. You can also support the show by signing up for our Patreon at patreon.com/queeRPG. If you’re interested in seeing transcripts for the episode, all of those from previous episodes and episodes to come can be found on our website queerpg.com! Until next time!