S3 E16: Walking Through Dreams

Michelle Kelly:

Professor Marlowe reaching out to Mama Amoretta to report their findings about the crystal components found at the Arclight. A worrying hypothesis that organic material has been mixed with the crystals in order to affect memories. As JJ and Jo convalesce in the Cypher City Clinic after their foray into the sewers, May August arrives for an apology and a reunion of the three August sisters. April August, while lucid, has no memory of the years she went missing. JJ calls upon her found family, the two other investigators, to help get to the bottom of it. As April gets more and more distressed trying to access what she’s missing, Jo puts on the set of goggles that she took from the Clockwork Aqueducts and is pulled into April’s mind.

Kenzie Tartaglione (Game Master):

The face that you see in what should be April's mind continues to melt in front of you. A melting that you have seen before. But in that moment you blink and it's like it never existed.

It hasn't been an easy case per se, but it's never... A lot of the recent cases have not been easy. You are about to leave the office before 8 p.m., which has become a point of contention in your personal life. Waving goodbye to Mama through the door of her office and JJ sitting behind the front desk finishing up paperwork, waiting for Zion to pick her up. Her roller skates habitually hang on the hook near the door, left in disuse for quite some time now. But she seems happy without them.

You walk out the door of Lamplight Investigative Services and push through the front door to your own home. One that reminded you a little too much of your mother's house, but one that she loved and when she loved something, it was really hard for you to say no. Soft music travels down the front hall from the study. A slight smell of burnt in the air left over from an attempt at cooking.

You recognize the song, Dream House, by a rather famous jazz artist, Adrian Kiss. It wasn't often that it was played within these walls, the idea that too many times and it would lose its meaning. But your wedding song, your first dance. The lights buzzing as if they were as excited as the crowd at your wedding to watch what was a long time coming play out.

The door to the study is cracked, the music louder as you get closer. The room lit with a warm light from wall lanterns and her desk work lamp. You could see her through the door, standing, both palms pressed against the drafting desk, pencil in her mouth as she thought through a problem. Her hair was pulled up into a bun, strands having fallen framing her face. Sometimes it reminded you of university, her little quirks that she never grew out of. You watch for a few seconds longer. She pulls the pencil from beneath her teeth and makes a mark on the draft paper before you push the door open.

She turns immediately, her smile lighting up her face, her amber eyes crinkling. There are deeper lines there than there used to be, but it only makes her prettier. She looks at her watch, and then eyes you.

Kenzie (Melrose Quagmire):

So, you listened to the last conversation we had it seems. That's a first.

April Consalo (Joanna Gilmore):

I’m only 10 minutes late. I'd say it's an improvement.

Kenzie (Mel):

And it’s much appreciated.

Kenzie (GM):

She walks towards you and grasps your arm and kind of stands up on her tip toes and just kisses just gently to the side of your mouth in a welcome.

April (Jo):

Working hard today?

Kenzie (Mel):

Oh well, just the usual minor adjustments past the deadline like normal.

Kenzie (GM):

Mel had been working for Weatherby Industries since her move to Nova. Recruited may have been a better word for it. She had been making a name for herself back home and it was noticed. And it had always been a long shot: Jo and Mel. The distance was a lot. But when she came to the city it all just kind of fell into place. And lately she'd been working on this project that, you know about, sworn to secrecy, of course. But a project for Weatherby Industries called Number 629, also known as a Transcendent Sustaining Board. It was a medical technology meant to impact the survival rate of injured individuals who were being transferred by emergency vehicle within the city.

She kind of walks backwards towards the drafting table, sets the pen back down.

Kenzie (Mel):

Always a deadline, never a rush it seems.

April:

Jo comes up behind Mel and wraps her arms around her and puts her chin on Mel's shoulder.

April (Jo):

Well let's take a look. I see here with that figure and that one it seems... You're a genius.

Kenzie (GM):

You feel her chuckle and kind of sink into your touch. And as you're looking at the notes on the draft paper, a sketch of a device that you've grown used to seeing in different iterations, you have to blink again because for a moment you see an odd circular device, familiar and strange all at the same time. But it's been a long day. And what should be on the paper when you look again, is on the paper.

April:

Jo kind of like smooths out the paper with her palm and blanks a few times before giving Mel a quick kiss on the cheek and releasing her.

April (Jo):

You fancy anything particular for dinner.

Kenzie (Mel):

Well, my attempt at making Charlie's dinner was less than fruitful.

April (Jo):

I did notice. So I thought maybe I could take over, although I am the best cook in the house, but that doesn't really...

Kenzie (Mel):

Which doesn't say much.

April (Jo):

Say much, no.

Kenzie (Mel):

I'm okay, actually. I'm not too hungry this evening. But, Charlie will be happy you're home.

Kenzie (GM):

Charlotte, Charlie, either really. A name you chose together, a name abridged from either of your families. Something new. And that she was, that she had proven in the past eight years.

Kenzie (Mel):

She’s in her room if you want to do bedtime.

April (Jo):

I think I've got a few dozen stories in me tonight.

Kenzie (Mel):

She misses you.

April (Jo):

I know.

Kenzie (Mel):

I'm not saying that to be mean.

April (Jo):

No, no, I- I- of course I miss her too. I do. But things have been...

April:

For a second, Jo comes up empty. She knows she has an excuse, but she can't quite remember what she's been working on. She shakes her head to try to clear it.

April (Jo):

It's been busy. You know, lots of cases.

Kenzie (Mel):

Of course.

April (Jo):

And I don't want to carry it home with me. I really try not to. I -

Kenzie (Mel):

Well here!

Kenzie (GM):

And Mel kind of like puts her hands on your shoulders and rubs them down your arms.

Kenzie (Mel):

Let it go with me right now and walk up those stairs and look your daughter in the eye and wish her good night.

April (Jo):

I will. Thank you.

Kenzie (Mel):

And then come back down and if you need to unload I'm here for you.

April (Jo):

Wasn't I going to make you a delicious dinner?

Kenzie (Mel):

Yes, but we can talk over that.

April (Jo):

I'm joking, you don't want anything that I'm going to make.

Kenzie (Mel):

Maybe, maybe, maybe a piece of toast will suffice.

April (Jo):

Sure, sure. I'm gonna go see Charlie.

Kenzie (GM):

You walk from the study and as you leave you turn back for one last look at your wife before you leave the room. Your heart jumps in your chest as you see a flash of a white and gold mask in place of a face. You shake your head blink and it's gone. This last case, this last case, well it had been a doozy.

Jo exits the study, walks back down the hall towards the front door where the stairway is, and walks up them. You pass photographs on the wall, pictures you have had commissioned, of you and Mel, Charlie as a baby. All of it so similar to what you grew up with, thinking you’d leave your mother and her habits behind in finding out that weirdly enough as a child they did calm you and you brought them with you. Those photos almost placed in exactly the same structure as the ones you would find back home of you and yourself and your mother and well and no one else.

You come up the stairs and you see to your daughter's room, lights on inside still. It's not too late. It's not past her bedtime. You hear a radio playing some sort of show in the background as you walk down the dark hallway.

April:

Jo approaches the doorway to her daughter's room and does a gentle, special knock. It's their little signal.

April (Jo):

Can I come in?

Kenzie (GM):

You hear this swift rustling as Charlie like picks herself off off the ground,

Kenzie (Charlie):

Mama!

Kenzie (GM):

And like rips the door back open and just hugs you tightly around your waist.

April:

Jo picks her up and does that thing where you like flip kids upside down really fast and then flip them right side up. And sets her down on her feet before kneeling to be at eye level with her.

April (Jo):

Good to see you, honey. How are you?

Kenzie (GM):

Charlie has the same golden brown skin as her other mother but the same hair you had as a child, long, blonde waves and she has always been a kid too smart for her own good, too mature for her own good, more understanding than any eight-year-old should ever be. And she like grabs your hand and kind of like tugs you further into her room. And she says,

Kenzie (Charlie):

Well, today at school, Miss Margaret said something that was wrong. And so I said the right thing and I got in trouble.

April:

Jo picks Charlie up and sets her on her knees and looks at her in her little face.

April (Jo):

Well, you spoke the truth, right?

Kenzie (Charlie):

Yeah?

April (Jo):

And what you said was kind?

Kenzie (Charlie):

It wasn't mean! I just raised my hand and she called on me and I said what she had done was wrong.

April (Jo):

Well what did she say, sweetie?

Kenzie (Charlie):

It was just the wrong answer to a problem.

April (Jo):

(Laughs) I see. Well, you know, I used to do the same thing back in my day and it did not endear me to any of my professors, that's for sure, but...

Kenzie (Charlie):

But you're not mad at me because mom wasn't mad at me either, but I didn't know if you'd be mad at me.

April (Jo):

Honey, of course I'm not mad at you. For being smarter than your teacher?

Kenzie (Charlie):

She wrote a note home that you have to sign.

April (Jo):

Alright, I'll sign it. I don't even need to read it.

Kenzie (GM):

And she smiles this big toothy grin at you. The last tooth that she had lost just starting to grow back in but the space for it is still there.

Kenzie (Charlie):

Okay, that's good because she was like way wrong.

April (Jo):

Oh, honey, I believe you. You know, your mother and I, when we were in classes together, we used to sort of get in trouble as well.

Kenzie (Charlie):

Really?

April (Jo):

Well, you know your mother's the smartest person in the world, except for maybe you, and I also thought I was pretty smart, so we were always trying to catch one another in a problem or find something that the other had done wrong and I know it feels good when you're smart and you figure something out but sometimes you do have to let other people be wrong.

Kenzie (Charlie):

Okay.

April (Jo):

I don't think what you did was wrong but we can't always correct everyone else, you know?

Kenzie (Charlie):

No, but that's okay.

April (Jo):

Oh, you are my daughter, aren't you? (Laughs)

Kenzie (GM):

She kind of climbs off of your lap and goes to climb into bed and turns around with like a very Kind of like a lack of expression on her face. She's a very neutral thing frame and says,

Kenzie (Charlie):

When is mom going home?

April (Jo):

Sorry honey, what do you mean?

Kenzie (GM):

And they just smile back again.

April (Jo):

Honey.

Kenzie (Charlie):

I just said do you want to read a bedtime story?

April (Jo):

Yes, of course, of course. which one? The one with the sphinx or the one with the miner?

Kenzie (Charlie):

The sphinx, please.

Kenzie (GM):

And she pulls from underneath her pillow a little book and hands it over to you.

April (Jo):

All right. So…

April:

And Jo starts to read a very fantastical story.

Kenzie (GM):

Jo knows this book by heart, but for her daughter she still goes through the pages as if she didn't. And you're about a page in when you pause because you're looking at a newspaper article about a explosion in a mine outside of Nova. You turn the page, you're looking at an article about the new governor of Nova and you turn the page and you keep turning and it's just all newspaper articles and you look up and your daughter, sitting on her bed, you watch her face begin to melt.

Jo I need you to take a condition. I need you to take frightened.

As this face melts back into the face in the darkness that was melting when you touched April and you can now feel yourself touching someone, touching someone, you can feel this, you don't know what it was, disappear from your grasp, and you're back in a hospital room with Mama and JJ and May. And April has stopped screaming. And her chest is heaving and her eyes are slightly rolled back into her head.

Part of the move that you have, I believe, allows you to roll to Figure a Person Out. So you can make that roll now.

April:

Okay, I got an eight. I think I want to ask what do you love most? Or like what do you care about most? You know? And then what are your feelings towards what you just saw? Because she saw something too, right?

Kenzie (GM):

You can recognize that she is in an altered state at this moment, but you kind of grab ahold of her and you kind of ask these questions of her aggressively and like kind of just very rapidly. And to the first question of what do you love most, she says,

Kenzie (April August):

I don't know anymore.

Kenzie (GM):

And then to the question of what are your feelings towards what you just saw?

Kenzie (April):

I’ve never seen it before. I hate it.

Kenzie (GM):

And then her body begins to seize. And you can hear footsteps running down the hallway and the nurse from the front desk comes bustling in, door slamming open, almost clipping May. And she says,

Kenzie (Nurse):

What is going on here?

Kenzie (GM):

And she sees the state of April and rushes over, kind of like pushing Jo out of the way and starting to take vitals and try to secure the situation.

April:

Jo is still very emotionally overwhelmed and sort of like, almost like she skipped some time herself, feeling like she just woke up from a very long sleep. And as she stumbles out of the way, she's like,

April (Jo):

Sorry, sorry, I didn’t - I'm sorry.

Kenzie (GM):

A couple other nurses kind of like rush in the door as this is happening. May takes a few steps towards her sister and is trying to listen to what the nurses are saying and kind of like has unconsciously grabbed JJ's hand and squeezed it.

Atlas Mathews:

I think JJ is standing there like eyes wide, probably actually like looking to Mama and then when May like squeezes her hand, she like looks down at it in kind of shock.

Danielle Halen

: Mama will kind of take this moment seeing how flustered everyone else is to go and escort them out of the room so the nurses can do their job while also just trying to reassure them being like,

Danielle (Mama Amoretta):

Let’s just take a step out. The nurses are gonna do their jobs, gonna figure out what's going on. They’re gonna help okay? Let’s go.

Danielle:

And just get them out of the room

Atlas:

JJ will nod and start walking, but she won't let go of May's hand.

Kenzie (GM):

Jo, as you have not yet taken these goggles off, you still see coming from April what you saw when you put them on, this odd strand of purplish light flowing out from her as if it was attached somewhere else, like flowing out of the room. Now you can see floats down the hallway and around the corner.

April:

I think I follow it.

Kenzie (GM):

As you, Mama, pull them out, Jo keeps walking and like turns to look down the corridor and Jo, see out of the room, you know that all of those individuals who have been unconscious for weeks, days, months, you see many, many different strands of colored light flowing out of this room and flowing out into the lobby in a way.

I will say, you watch the one coming from April snap and disappear. But the rest stay.

April:

So they're all leading towards the lobby?

Kenzie (GM):

Obviously exiting the clinic. They are coming from that room in the clinic and going somewhere that is obviously not the clinic.

April:

Jo hesitates and has this like instinct, almost like I guess of like curiosity of like, I could see what they're all dreaming about or like know where they came from or like even know who they are, but as she sees this sort of like amorphous misty smoke thing, she knows that she needs to see either where it's leading or potentially where it's coming from. So she follows it out into the lobby and outside of the clinic.

Atlas:

JJ will drop May's hand.

Atlas (June July August):

Where the fuck do you think you're going?

Atlas:

And takes off after.

Danielle:

Mama looks to May, gives her an apologetic look and hands her the basket and says,

Danielle (Mama Amoretta):

I don't know what's up with them. I gotta make sure they don't leave before they're discharged.

Kenzie (May August):

Okay, I'm just gonna stay here with April.

Danielle (Mama Amoretta):

Yeah, those are for you by the way. You can help yourself to anything in there.

Kenzie (GM):

She looks down and sees her favorite sweets, looks back up at you and says,

Kenzie (May):

Thank you.

Danielle (Mama Amoretta):

Of course.

Kenzie (May):

I know I don't know you very well, but I know that you've kind of always been there for JJ and I really appreciate it.

Danielle (Mama Amoretta):

Yeah, well, you know, I like to think I know JJ kinda well and JJ certainly knows y'all well enough to tell me what y'all like, so... Just thought it'd be nice. Anyways, I gotta catch up with these two before they continue to get themselves more hurt.

Kenzie (May):

I'm sure I'll see you soon. Thank you again.

Danielle (Mama Amoretta):

Hopefully not with more injuries.

Kenzie (May):

I agree.

Danielle:

And she'll rush on out after them, cane clacking.

Kenzie (GM):

Mama, you follow your two adopted children and you watch them go. Jo isn't like running. She's just walking in a dedicated pace. Kind of throws open the doors to the front of the clinic and you watch her stop. You watch JJ come up behind and kind of stop. As Jo, you see outside of the clinic, of these strands of different colored light, almost like mingle together into one and arch up high over the buildings around you. I think you're smart enough to gather, go in the vague direction of where you all kind of just came from a few days before.

They do kind of like get cut off by the tall buildings at some point, so you can only see them for a certain amount of time, but that is the general direction they are heading.

April:

Jo gets kind of like overwhelmed seeing that and like seeing how many strands of light there are and like thinking about all of those people in the hospital and she takes the goggles off and like lets them fall against her chest.

Kenzie (GM):

Just the visage of that light disappears immediately.

April:

And she lets out this like huge breath of relief and just trains her eyes to where the light was moments ago in the sky. Even though she can't see anything anymore, it's like she can feel little ribbons or strings. And maybe it's a concussion, but she can feel herself start to like tear up. Kind of in frustration, I guess. And then she hears JJ.

Atlas (JJ):

(Heavy breathing) Where are you going?

Danielle:

I’m holding the doors open for JJ.

Atlas (JJ):

Thank you. Jo!

April (Jo):

I’m not going anywhere now. I saw... This is going to sound crazy. It truly is, but I need you to know I saw light. Some sort of like physicalized light beams. I'm sure it has to be some sort of refraction of... It was connecting those people in the hospital to the tunnels, like ribbons or string or something like that directly connected and I could see it.

Atlas (JJ):

I can't believe they let you out before they let me out.

April (Jo):

You are so lucky I am not pushing you off of your crutches right now. I am being deadly serious.

Atlas (JJ):

Okay.

Danielle (Mama Amoretta):

Maybe that's a trace of a magic or whatever those crystals there that were being used or something. There’s some residual effect that you might have found

Kenzie (GM):

The thing that you all would know is that everyone within the clinic who is in that room who is laying unconscious was there because of that drug that you just recently got your hands on.

April:

Jo looks down at the goggles and studies them and notes again that the crystal is inside and she says,

April (Jo):

I mean, sure, I guess, but why would they still be connected? It's just residual?

Danielle (Mama Amoretta):

Based on what I understand about the crystal that was used in the substance that they took. It's like a used normally for technology, but it was bonded with some kind of... it was described as something like almost symbiotic, parasitic even? And once it was removed, it would make both factors inert. I'm using real fancy words right now. I'm just quoting someone else to be honest. I don't understand what most of this means.

Atlas (JJ):

We’re skipping a major part of this, which is you touched my sister and she started screaming and then seizing. And then you ran away. So I get it. You saw these like beams of light, but

April (Jo):

I’m actually not sure why she screamed. I...

Atlas (JJ):

Oh great, neither am I.

April (Jo):

Well, I'm sure we can ask her, but we also have other things going on, so...

Atlas (JJ):

Can we ask her? Because last I checked, she was unresponsive now. So... Actually, Jo, I have a few questions for you. Sorry if that's inconvenient to the timing.

April (Jo):

Alright, yes, I-I-it-that - I guess technically is my fault, but I-I didn't know what would happen. I just had a gut instinct and I was trying to follow it and honestly, I saw some pretty terrible things as well and, you know, I didn't start screaming, not blaming her, I want to be clear, but like, I did go through something as well. So perhaps if you could not berate me.

Atlas (JJ):

What did you see? What did you do?

April (Jo):

So, alright, I found these.

April:

And she like holds out the goggles off of her chest.

April (Jo):

I found these in the tunnels in one of the offices. They were like hanging on the wall and I just thought they looked easy to carry so why not grab them? And then I had this friend over and I put them on and I could see inside her head.

Atlas (JJ):

Was this before or after you started seeing beams of light everywhere?

April (Jo):

Oh god, I am being serious. I - okay,

Atlas (JJ):

I know, I'm sorry.

April (Jo):

JJ, here.

April:

And Jo is going to take the goggles off of her own neck and put them on JJ's neck.

April (Jo):

Alright, so you're going to put them on and then you're going to grab my hand and you'll see something. Then will you believe me?

Atlas (JJ):

If I see something.

Kenzie (GM):

You put them on, before you touch Jo, you see these strands of light flowing out of the clinic and up over the tops of the building. You grab onto Jo as she asks you to do. Nothing changes.

Atlas (JJ):

I see some light.

April (Jo):

Right? Okay.

Kenzie (GM):

They’re not there in your normal vision. They're kind of ethereal in all different colors. And as they move out of the clinic, they form into one strand and kind of like flow over the top of the nearest buildings, away from you.

Atlas:

JJ will take them off. She'll hand them back to Jo.

Atlas (JJ):

I still didn't see - you know what? Whatever you did to April. Do it to me. Here you go.

Atlas:

And she'll put out her hand.

April (Jo):

Sure, fine, alright.

April:

And she, with just a beat of hesitation, puts the goggles back on. She like looks up briefly and clocks the lights again and then reaches out and grabs JJ's blue hand.

[ad break begins]

Kenzie:

Pardon the interruption, but here’s another show we think you’d like.

Harper Sage Pettit (Storyleader):

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Harper (Falon):

This is my friend Fletcher, they’re the most wonderful witch. They’re going to be great.

Michi Zaya (Fletcher Agar):

Ugh, its hard to be awake, especially when the sun is right up.

Harper (Falon):

This is Alma. She is a gravedigger. She’s very familiar with the magics of the other side.





Tatiana Gefter (Alma of the Vale):

Our gods are gone.

Harper (Falon):

And Hoku, our Starchild, knows of all things up in the sky.

Jenine Florence Jacinto (Hoku Bayani):

I still haven’t found the Starekeeper.

Harper (Falon):

And Neu, our weaver. New can weave the most fantastical fabrics and put the most wonderful meaning in them.

Cristina Delgado (New Threestrings):

I know that we shouldn’t trust oracles, but if it’s Falon’s, maybe its the only one we can trust.

Jenine (Hoku):

My friends and I have been tasked by Falon to leave the lastings.

Harper (Storyleader):

She seems just a little confused. No one really leaves the lastings.

Kenzie:

This collaboration is an official selection of the 2025 Rainbow Roll Fest, taking place on June 27th-29th. Keep an eye out on the queeRPG socials for more information.

[ad break ends]

Kenzie (GM):

As Jo grabs your hand, you are holding Zion's hand, walking up towards the front door of your childhood home every year for Founders Day, a tradition that had been instilled in you since you were a child, something you'd never want to miss out on, a familial celebration. The day that the establishment of Nova happened, the anniversary of that day, was just an excuse for your family to get together and have a wonderful dinner and listen to music and dance and see one another every year, especially since you, May, and April have moved out from your home, you've moved away, you've all gone on with your own lives. It's a great day to all come back together. And Zion kind of looks over, looks a little bit down at you and says,

Kenzie (Zion):

Are you ready for this?

Atlas (JJ):

With you I'm ready for anything.

Kenzie (Zion):

I mean I know you’ve kind of given me the rundown of a family but I'll let you know I'm a little bit nervous on seeing everybody in the same place for the first time.

Atlas (JJ):

They're mostly harmless, they just... I've always said...

Kenzie (Zion):

I don't think there's gonna be anything wrong. just, you know, I want to make a good impression.

Atlas (JJ):

There is nobody that I care about that could meet you and not fall in love.

Kenzie (GM):

He kisses you.

Atlas:

She’ll like, bask in the kiss for a moment and then like bump into his side.

Atlas (JJ):

Just be you. There's no one better to be.

Kenzie (GM):

He reaches out and pushes the doorbell and you can hear from through the door this sing song tone that your younger sister April, when she was a kid, like hacked into the doorbell and put in and your parents never took it out. And you wait outside for a moment. You could go in, it's your own house, but there seems to be a little bit of a - since you've moved out, there seems to be a little bit more of a, I don't want to walk in on what is now just my parents' home.

But as you're thinking of that, the door rips open and you see your younger sister, April, a little bit frazzled, even though she's dressed well for the occasion, hair a little bit frizzy, just looks like despite the fact that she was coming for a holiday, may have been working earlier in the day and showed up without fixing herself entirely. And the door rips open and she looks at you with a smirk on her face and she looks at Zion and she goes,

Kenzie (April):

Oh, are you in for something tonight?

Kenzie (GM):

And like reaches out, grabs Zion and pulls him through the front door, paying no attention to you.

Atlas (JJ):

Get back here and give me a hug. No, don't just keep going further into the house.

Atlas:

And JJ will trail behind them.

Kenzie (GM):

She kind of pulls Zion, who is like looking back at you a little nervous, a little terrified of what's happening and pulls him directly into the kitchen where your father is bent over an oven checking out dinner and your mother is pouring a glass of wine for your older sister May who is there currently next to her is an individual, brown skinned, little bit taller than May, bleached pink hair that you know as Hugh, who is May's husband, as well as the not currently the owner but will inherit a textile company within Nova. And he is sitting right behind May and watching your mother pass the drink over to her and it looks like him and your mother have been in some sort of conversation and it's just on pause right now. And April kind of like throws Zion into the kitchen as you run up behind and your dad looks up and your mom looks over and everybody kind of has eyes on Zion who is just like,

Atlas (JJ):

Be gentle with him. He's tall, but he's not invincible. Everyone, this is Zion.

Atlas:

And then JJ will like walk over and be like,

Atlas (JJ):

Hi, Mama.

Atlas:

And like, give her a kiss on the cheek and like walk over to her dad and give him a hug.

Kenzie (GM):

As soon as you do that to both of them, there's like a stop in your breath and a flicker in your mind. It's been like a really long time since you've done that. But that's weird because you saw them like three months ago.

Atlas:

I think she'll take the moment to hold, like hug her dad a little bit tighter as she feels that.

Atlas (JJ):

It’s really good to see you.

Kenzie (GM):

He pats you on the back, kind of pushes you away just so he can like look at you and says,

Kenzie (James August):

JJ, you were always sentimental out of everybody. Love you for that.

Atlas (JJ):

You know me. May I see you hiding behind Hugh, get your ass over here.

Kenzie (GM):

May walks around her husband and hugs you and looks up at Zion who she has met previously. Both your sisters have met him previously, it's just your parents have not yet. April just threw him into the deep end for really no reason except for her own entertainment. He's like, looks at May with like a bit of relief that he knows someone in the room who's acting normally

Atlas:

And JJ will like make May do a little spin and just be like,

Atlas (JJ):

Where did you get this skirt? I'm sorry, you're not going home with it. I am.

Kenzie (May):

No, you cannot take it, it was a gift. Hugh got it for me.

Atlas (JJ):

Okay, I guess he can stay.

Atlas:

And JJ will like punch him in the arm and be like,

Atlas (JJ):

It's good to see you too.

Kenzie (Hugh):

Thanks.

Atlas (JJ):

Anytime.

Kenzie (GM):

He’s so awkward. Like just like knows your family has been around them a lot and it's just still one of the most awkward people you've ever interacted with, which fits May.

Atlas:

I expect nothing less from my sister.

Kenzie (GM):

Zion is just kind of like standing in the middle of everything and looks over at your father, looks over at your mom and goes,

Kenzie (Zion):

Well, it's nice to meet you. I would be remiss if I didn't mention that my Mama taught me well.

Kenzie (GM):

And pulls out a not expensive bottle of wine, but a good enough bottle of wine. And is like,

Kenzie (Zion):

So if you guys want to use this this evening, please feel free. Keep it for yourself if you don't, but just always need to bring a gift when you meet new people.

Atlas (JJ):

April, get back over here.

Kenzie (April):

What do you want from me?

Atlas (JJ):

A hug, I told you at the door before you threw my boyfriend into the deep end.

Kenzie (April):

Fine!

Kenzie (GM):

And she hugs you. For the first time walking down the hallway you see Ada who isn't new to you but is April's pretty much long-term partner. They're not married, they probably never will get married, but Ada is currently running to take the seat for Cypher on the governor's board of Nova. It’s a new seat that hasn't previously existed, but Ada has been a big proponent of making sure that the way Nova is treated is the way Cypher is treated and has kind of like made this seat appear with the caveat of you have to run to be elected to that seat. And so she's currently running, but when you see her, you see as she turns the corner and comes into the kitchen, the face of a girl you know covered very briefly as if you blink and it's there and it's gone, a white and gold mask.

Atlas:

I think JJ's face falls for a moment and then she regathers her composure.

Atlas (JJ):

And where have they been hiding you today? Because you also look like a million bucks.

Kenzie (Ada):

Thank you. They haven't been hiding me. I've been working.

Atlas (JJ):

Gold is absolutely your color, I mean… Is that a new piercing? Is that - ?

Kenzie (Ada):

Oh!

Atlas:

And she touches her ear and there is like this pretty long feather earring that's hanging off just one ear. And she goes,

Kenzie (Ada):

You have your sister to thank for that, actually.

Atlas (JJ):

Oh, is she better at it now? Because I have quite a few scars on my own ears that would prove otherwise.

Kenzie (April):

Okay, well you were my test subject and she's my professional subject.

Atlas (JJ):

I'm glad that I could make it easier for her.

Kenzie (GM):

Hugh kind of steps forward and puts an arm on your shoulder and is like,

Kenzie (Hugh):

JJ, nice to see you again.

Atlas (JJ):

Nice to see you as well.

Kenzie (Hugh):

How’s…

Kenzie (GM):

And he pauses for a very, very long time, but it doesn't feel like it's long for anybody else in the room. But you stand there and watch him for a significant period of time that everybody else just seems to like be existing. And you notice that as you're looking at him, there's not quite anything behind his eyes. And eventually he comes in and goes,

Kenzie (Hugh):

How’s business?

Atlas (JJ):

Maybe we shouldn't have brought a bottle of wine, are you feeling alright?

Kenzie (Hugh):

I’m great, I'm good. How are you?

Atlas (JJ):

I'm doing well. I was at...

Atlas:

And JJ's mind blanks for a moment.

Atlas (JJ):

Work is - work is good. We - at the um…

Atlas:

She’s thinking very hard as the detective agency and this picture don't line up, but she can't quite have a word for it.

Kenzie (GM):

And you meet Zion's eyes and you don't know how you know Zion.

Atlas (JJ):

I’m… uh…

Kenzie (GM): You’ve lived in Nova your entire life, and Zion is not from Nova. There's no way your paths would have crossed.

Atlas (JJ):

Zion, why don't you, why don't you tell my dad about how we met? I'm gonna start setting the table.

Kenzie (Zion):

Yeah, I can do that, of course, yeah.

Kenzie (GM):

As you go into the dining room to set the table, you hear Zion go,

Kenzie (Zion):

Hi, nice to meet you. My name's Zion. Yeah, JJ and I met.

Kenzie (GM):

And then you don't hear anything else.

Atlas:

I’m going to come up with a reason to walk back into the kitchen, assuming I'm just like not, like they got quieter or something and I can't hear them.

Kenzie (GM):

You come back into the kitchen and every single person in it is frozen.

As that appears to you, you feel a tug on your arm and Jo, you are trying to shake JJ out of whatever is happening.

Atlas (JJ):

Okay, I get it, you're pulling my leg. Honestly, with April in the other room, I wasn't...

Kenzie (GM):

Your arm keeps shaking and the room kind of flickers in and out, going dark, coming back up to everyone being frozen, going dark, and Jo appears in front of your face, like shaking you back to reality.

April (Jo):

JJ, JJ, hey, hello?

Atlas (JJ):

Oh… I believe you.

April (Jo):

Yeah, I'm sure you do.

Atlas (JJ):

Those are some weird glasses.

April (Jo):

I'm not sure why this didn't work for you with me, but I suppose they're mine now.

Atlas (JJ):

You've always been the cool one!

April (Jo):

I mean, yes. But you're - you’re okay?

Atlas (JJ):

Yeah, I'm fine.

April (Jo):

Good.

Atlas (JJ):

It was just honestly it was- I was just on a date with Zion. I- I didn't realize.

April (Jo):

Oh, lovely.

Kenzie (GM):

Jo, weirdly enough, when you touched April, you saw your own life. When you touched JJ, you saw hers. You know that number one, she doesn't have a relationship with her parents. So there'd be no reason to introduce Zion to them. Number two, that house doesn't exist anymore in the sense that her parents own it because JJ got moved to Nova with her entire family. And three, her sisters are not engaged and married. You know enough about JJ's life to know that none of that was true, that you just saw.

April (Jo):

JJ, I... I did see, um, your date.

Atlas (JJ):

No you didn’t.

April (Jo):

Alright, well, I was going to try to play along, but, Mama, I saw something in JJ's life that didn't occur. It's not real. And it was quite frightening, honestly, for me, just as a bystander, and I'm assuming it was quite upsetting for JJ, although she will not be upfront about it.

Kenzie (GM):

JJ actually when I ask you, in the moment it was happening, it felt real. So coming out of it and realizing it wasn't, what are JJ's feelings?

Atlas:

It’s hitting her very hard to have like, I forgot exactly what I said last episode, but it was like, sometimes you want to like, sometimes all you want to do is be like, I want my mom, and you know, you can't have her. And so she's just kind of hit with this like longing that's been there since May showed up. But I think she's just gonna like, whisper after Jo says that,

Atlas (JJ):

In the moment it was really nice.

April (Jo):

Yeah, it was.

Atlas (JJ):

And Zion was there, wasn't lying lying.

April (Jo):

God!

Atlas (JJ):

Was he or was he not?

April (Jo):

He was there, of course. He's always there, everywhere you are these days.

Atlas (JJ):

I rest my case.

April (Jo):

Can't separate the two of you. Everyone's so happy about it. Blah blah blah.

Atlas (JJ):

I know isn’t it nice.

April (Jo):

Anyway, no offense, Mama. Zion is lovely.

Atlas (JJ):

Isn't he?

Kenzie (GM):

Mama, you've watched twice, first Jo, then JJ, go like completely still for a second before coming back into reality and then hearing that they lived this whole thing. And they both have done it in the last five minutes.

Danielle:

Amaretta feels tired just hearing this. She doesn't even know what levels of exhaustion these two are operating on because they had to see whatever this was on top of their many grievous injuries. So she's just kind of sitting there, just there, processing all this information, not really processing all this information because how do you process this? And she'll just kinda look between the two of them and go,

Danielle (Mama Amoretta):

Maybe it's best we don't do that again and we get some rest for now.

Atlas (JJ):

But I - I just don't get- Okay. Full disclosure, the vision... maybe... is making me feel some things.

April (Jo):

You can do it. Go ahead.

Atlas (JJ):

But not all of them are bad. And that is confusing and hard. But I don't get why April... I don't understand what happened to April. As hard as it is now to be out of the memory. What did you see in her brain? Did you see...

Atlas:

And the did you see me, is not said, but it is implied.

April (Jo):

JJ, I actually saw my own vision. I didn't see April's. You were there, in mine, for a moment.

Atlas:

And you see it like 0.5 seconds of a like, like nice look of just like, awww, and then like, wait.

April:

Jo immediately shuts it down and is like,

April (Jo):

Alright, alright, enough. Okay, don't be so... God, I'm not used to you having... feeling things.

Atlas (JJ):

Okay, me either, but are you... Wait, you saw your own art-

April (Jo):

My own vision. Yes.

Atlas (JJ):

Are you o-

Atlas:

And JJ will like reach out a hand as if to touch Jo's shoulder, but will stop and let Jo kind of make the next choice.

April:

Jo doesn't move, she just kind of like squints her eyes a little bit and is like

April (Jo):

(groans) There’s something, I-

April:

Jo looks up at the sky and sees the colored lights again.

Atlas:

JJ will put her hand on your shoulder.

April (Jo):

I can see those and I see these visions and you know those visions are very similar to what we saw at the gala and - oh! Oh my god I think all those people… all those people I wonder if that's what they're seeing. In hospital they're - right? They took the drugs. The crystals are inside their bodies and there's crystals in these goggles and -

Danielle (Mama Amoretta):

So you think they're trapped in that vision state?

Atlas (JJ):

They’re seeing the better version of...

Atlas:

And JJ will take her hand off your shoulder.

Atlas (JJ):

Oh my god.

Danielle (Mama Amoretta):

So, do you think maybe that during the whole time these people are in this weird cult they actually think they're living out this fantasy life instead?

April (Jo):

I think it makes sense.

Danielle (Mama Amoretta):

That is… Well, I don't like the idea of people being caught in some deep dream.

Atlas (JJ):

It's not a nightmare.

Danielle (Mama Amoretta):

No matter how nice it is, you're still not living your life.

Atlas (JJ):

In a way they might be living a better version of it.

April (Jo):

No, they're not living their life. But maybe somebody else is?

Danielle (Mama Amoretta):

And that's why they keep saying they get new faces soon, they're...

April (Jo):

More people are taking the drug and falling into these comas and then they're available bodies, I guess? Something? And why would they be suspicious? They're in a dream world. They don't know.

Atlas (JJ):

They're in their dream world. Obviously it's an actual - but it's the world they...

Atlas:

And I think JJ gets a faraway look in her eye for a moment. And then she like shakes it off.

Atlas (JJ):

The lights. Do you think they're connecting to the person that's using their face? Or are they using their actual body?

April (Jo):

I don't know, I can't imagine any of science behind any of this. It feels less like science and more like magic, but - but we saw April, didn't we? We saw her and you said it was different.

Atlas (JJ):

I didn't see… was there a line connecting April?

April (Jo):

Yes. But it was flowing out of her, but it was severed. It isn't going in the same direction anymore.

Atlas (JJ):

What?

Kenzie (GM):

It’s not going at all now as you have looked multiple times through these goggles. Whatever severed it, severed it completely. It's not leading anywhere. There is no light coming from her anymore.

April (Jo):

So whatever these are, she's safe from it. I don't know if this light is going to lead us to the Faceless who's sharing the face or if it's leading to some sort of energy source, I don't know, but we might have to go back.

Danielle (Mama Amoretta):

I think it's worth checking out, but not in the state y'all are in.

April (Jo):

Mama, I-

Danielle (Mama Amoretta):

Not in the state y'all are in. I know you want to go Jo, I know. I understand, but we can take our time with this. It's okay. We don't want to rush into this either. If we get one shot at this, we gotta make sure it's a good one. So that means we have to be in our best shape.

April (Jo):

Alright.

April:

Jo yanks the goggles off of her face and like pinches between her eyes, pinches her nose.

April (Jo):

Fine, sure. We will get rest. Make a plan. Strategize.

April:

There’s a ghost of a smile on her face as she sidelong glances at Mama, slightly acknowledging that she usually does none of those things.

Kenzie (GM):

Your choice of rest, are you all headed back to your own houses? Are you all headed back to Lamplight Investigative Services? I know JJ is, because that's where she currently sleeps,

Danielle:

Amoretta will also go to land flight, realizing the other two are following and internally cursing because she was planning on not resting and going and investigating the mines by herself and being a hypocrite!

Atlas:

When we start walking, JJ wants to fall behind kinda with Jo if possible. And then when she thinks Mama can't hear her, they will turn to Jo and go,

Atlas (JJ):

Do you think we're the good guys here?

April (Jo):

I know it was nice to see it, but it wasn't real. People deserve to live their real lives.

Atlas (JJ):

What if their real life just hurts?

April (Jo):

It's still theirs. It belongs to them.

Atlas:

JJ will nod, but there's still a troubled look on her face.

Kenzie (GM):

You all may get back to Lamplight Investigative Services, the building, the room, the office. It feels safe after the last few days that you've been through. It feels normal. It feels where you belong. You come into an office with no one else but the three of you. And on the countertop, there is one letter. And the one letter has just “Jo” on the front of it plus the address for Lamplight Investigative.

Atlas (JJ):

I wonder who that's for.

April (Jo):

Shut up.

April:

Jo takes it, rips it open. What does it say?

Kenzie (Zeke Emory):

Dear Jo, I know we have not spoken in many weeks and our initial meeting was more odd than I can confidently say any other in my life. So, I must first offer my apologies for breaching this divide, though I hope you would not think too poorly of a letter. Per our very unusual discussion, I learned a thing or two about your interests. Unsurprisingly, I have come into tickets for the Symposium. And while my husband would accompany me, if asked, I would prefer to attend with someone who would show a little more excitement for new technical innovation. I also got wind of something that might pique your interest. Whatever it is I am uncertain of, but on the itinerary of events is the Viola Weatherby Memorial Presentation. I could not imagine what that would entail, but as she was a mutual interest for us, it stuck out to me.

Please write to me or if you prefer, you may call in the evenings between the hours of 6 and 9 p.m. That is when I am usually available to take calls and let me know your answer. I hope you have been well. Regards, Zeke Emery. P.S. I know you may not be the only one interested in this. I may be able to secure more tickets if that would be of help to you.

Kenzie:

This series stars Kenzie Tartaglione as the Game Master, Atlas Matthews as JJ August, Danielle Halen as Mama Amoretta, and April Consolo as Joanna Gilmore, with Michelle Kelly performing our episode recaps. You can help us out by listening and sharing, rating and reviewing, or coming over to our Discord. Also, you can join our Patreon to get access to our episode talkbacks and more. Thank you for listening!