010 - Bounty Hunters - Italian Vintage

Content Warnings
- Discussion of nightmares
- Being restrained
- Discussion of killing/death
- Blood (mentioned)
- Alcohol

[Show intro plays]

ROVER

Hello everyone, and welcome back to Remains To Be Seen, the DnD show where one group's past could determine the other groups' future. I am your host and DM, Rover Elliott, he/they pronouns, and today I am here with...

ANNIE

Annie Ruby, she/her.

ELIZABETH

Elizabeth Simpson, she/her.

Jo Mendacium, give me all your pronouns.

MIRA

And Mira G, she/her.

ROVER

And who are you guys playing?

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Josie, who just woke up from the same nightmare she's been having for years.

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

Corwin, who also just woke up from the same nightmare she's been having for a while, with a special twist and a new bottle of wine.

JO [as VIKTOR]

Viktor Valthayne. I...have been up for a couple of hours by now.

MIRA [as UNA]

And Una, who's very surprised that she actually has an ability to wake up.

ROVER

So, Mira, do you want to give us a recap of everything that happened in the past couple episodes?

MIRA

So...Viktor decided to figure a little bit more about the very weird husk that we found downstairs. You know, investigating what happened to Jonny. And with a little bit of help from Una, there was a discovery of...Jonny actually, well, the husk, not potentially even being Jonny. It seemed to be made out of cogs and other mechanical parts. There has been another discovery that the husk has been caved in, rather than something broke out of it. And I wrote in here, "Viktor finding out knowledge from the basement." That's basically what I wrote in here.

There was interrogation of Merrick by Corwin and Josie, discovering that Merrick is, quote unquote, "very bad at gambling." And I have a note here, "interrogating Merrick: he said he knows fuck all."

[Laughter]

Yeah.

ANNIE

And he did.

MIRA

Una collected a couple of books from the basement, one of them being on weaponry, how to make body parts out of metal, and "Cogs, Couplings, and Other Conventions of the Clockwork..." and that's the book in Infernal, that Una collected.

I believe Viktor, Josie, and Josie, at some point joined in Corwin upstairs interrogating Merrick further, just basically giving him life advice about "gambling is bad, dude, and this is why you're in this mess."

In the meantime, Una decided to provide a small burial to the two people that we have taken off this plane of existence. She found a couple of coins on them and a letter which said, "Do not come back with nothing," signed by G. And then she decided to provide a little bit of a ritual, rite, placed coins on each of the bodies and wrapped them up very tightly, so kind of paying them some respect.

And then we went to bed, taking turns on keeping watch. So we had a couple of very interesting things happening for everyone. Viktor had a little bit of a...Viktor was talking to himself/to the stars, romantically—

[Laugher interlude]

Josie was having a nightmare. (Laughs) Quote unquote "nightmare that she has been having for the longest time." Then Corwin was going down on the trip as well, with some Italian bells and wine appearing on the nightstand. And Una, I think it was during her, her shift, she had a little bit of a visitor—a cloaked figure who did not speak a word, that appeared downstairs and has given her a notebook. But also left a cloak behind, which then Una used, just stashed away, just, I think she draped it over the bodies or something like that. And then she went to bed.

And then, I believe we might be waking up now.

ROVER

So, I want to come back to Viktor saying he would be up for a couple of hours.

Oh, yeah.

ROVER

So, I need to know for sleep levels, and for other stuff, how long have you slept?

Viktor would have slept...how late was it when we went to bed?

ROVER

I think about 12, 1 maybe, max. But, like...

(Sighs) For mechanical reasons, because I don't want to fuck myself over, I'm going to say he had enough rest that it would count as a long rest.

ROVER

Mmhmm.

I don't think it was very...what's the word? Restful?

ANNIE

Yeah.

ELIZABETH

Yeah.

I think he feels like shit. As if you had a nap for two hours, and everything's worse afterwards. Because...for a long time now, almost a year, he is waking up right before the sun can even peek over the horizon because of a severe pain in his left hand.

ROVER

Can you give me a Perception check? This is before everyone wakes up.

[Dice thunks]

Oh, I'm really shit at that. This is only an 11.

ROVER

From what you know, you have been awake the entire time before Corwin wakes up.

Right. Oh yeah, shit, yeah.

[Apartment ambience begins: Slow ticking and whirring]

ROVER

You have not noticed, in any time of you being awake during to take watch, or before that, you have not seen the wine bottle there until everyone wakes up. Which is currently, now. Good morning, everyone.

Corwin, you wake up, and you, immediately next to you, you can see the bottle of wine. And a reminder of what it was said is, "Grateful for your gift. Indulge in mine." In Italian. Signed by Alloric. Which is a name you guys have seen on a little note that Jonny made asking, "What did he say? What did he say? I think it's Alloric."

Can I—I'm so sorry to interject here—

ROVER

All good.

But can I just ask, who had last watch?

ELIZABETH

I think it was Corwin.

Just for your knowledge then, I think you would have seen Viktor jolt awake holding his arm...I don't know if you're also sitting at the door, but he would have left the room, and he would not have returned by now. I don't know how late it is right now, but he's not upstairs.

ELIZABETH

Oooh, interesting. Okay so, if Corwin was last watch, then she...

ROVER

Corwin wakes up for her last watch, and then that's there.

ELIZABETH

Oh, okay, and notices the wine when she wakes up for her last watch.

ROVER

Yeah.

ELIZABETH

Okay, so, since that would have happened when everyone's asleep, I'm gonna say that she had a kind of, you know, quiet kind of freak out moment, and she would have gone ahead and probably pocketed the note. She'll show it to anyone who asks later, but she won't, she's not gonna just leave it there. Okay, and then so, jumping ahead I think to when everyone else starts to wake up, and Viktor has yet to return.

ROVER

Okay.

MIRA

How is Merrick doing?

ELIZABETH

Oh, yeah. Is—how's Merrick?

ROVER

Merrick is...where have you guys left him? Did you guys leave him to sleep on the floor? Or on the sofa?

MIRA

Close enough to keep en eye, far away so he doesn't hear or see anything.

ANNIE

Yeah.

MIRA

That's my answer.

ANNIE

Exactly.

ROVER

So, random set—on the floor in the kitchen?

ELIZABETH

Yes.

ANNIE

Sort of, he's on the floor in the common area somewhere.

ROVER

Amazing.

ANNIE

He's tied up and covered with some kind blanket or something.

MIRA

He was given a blanket, yeah.

I think I put a blanket over him, like as if you were covering a bird cage. Being like, it's night now!

[Laughter]

ANNIE

Yeah, cause he was talking shit to us and saying mean things, and then you put a blanket over him, and I kicked him in the ribs. Yeah.

Yeah, and I think I specifically told him if he ever calls Corwin "princess" again, I'm going to gut him.

ANNIE

Yes, right.

ELIZABETH

Yes. Which Corwin did not hear.

No.

ROVER

And, I think Merrick was wrapped in spider silk, was it?

ANNIE

Yeah.

ROVER

Cool. Yeah, you guys all wake up. Can I have a Perception check from—Viktor isn't there when everyone wakes up, right?

No.

ROVER

Then can I have a Perception check from Josie and Una?

[Good dice tower clacks]

ANNIE

9. I don't see anything much.

ROVER

Okay.

MIRA

That is a 23.

ROVER

Good to know. Corwin, when you got the bottle of wine, where did you put it? Did you put it anywhere else?

ELIZABETH

So, yeah...so she would have gotten up, had her kind of private moment of freak out, done her best to kind of steel herself, and I think she would have put the bottle of wine on the kitchen table, to be maybe slightly less suspect?

Oh, that's good.

ELIZABETH

Yeah, she would have put the bottle of wine on the kitchen table.

ROVER

Okay. Then Una, you can indeed see...the kitchen door is still slightly open from before. And you can see, on the table in the kitchen, you can see a bottle of wine. I need to know if the card is still on it or not.

ELIZABETH

The card is not still on it. She would have pocketed the card.

ROVER

Got it.

MIRA

So the wine is there on the kitchen table.

ROVER

Yeah.

MIRA

And is that, that's where Merrick is as well?

(Laughing) On the table.

MIRA

No, in the kitchen!

ROVER

I think he's somewhere on the floor there, right? Yeah.

[Laughter]

ANNIE

Yeah.

MIRA

(Laughing) Sacrificial lamb on the table.

Okay, if I may, I think the bottle of wine is on the kitchen table. Below the kitchen table is a tied up Merrick.

MIRA

Is Merrick. (Laughs)

ANNIE

Yeah.

With a blanket over him.

ELIZABETH

Yes, no that makes sense. That makes sense. Cause Corwin would have—she put the bottle of wine on the table, she checked to make sure that Merrick was still breathing...

[Dice clunks]

ROVER

He is still breathing.

ELIZABETH

Yes. And then would have gone on her watch. And she probably has the note in her hand. Like, it's something that she has been kind of quietly mulling over and worrying about throughout her watch.

MIRA

So if Una is noticing the wine, I think she...well, obviously cause Corwin was checking on Merrick before, she would probably make her way to the kitchen to check on Merrick as well...if he's, like, snoring.

ROVER

Merrick is not awake.

MIRA

Merrick is not awake? Then yeah, she'll be like,

MIRA [as UNA]

Oh! That's...that looks rather fancy. Have you guys seen that?

MIRA

And she literally would waltz back in, holding the bottle in her hand. Is there any actual label describing the, like, you know...I'm not going to pronounce any names, but...

ROVER

It is a very expensive, Italian wine. It is a deep, red wine. (Singing) Give me a History check Una.

MIRA

Oh!

Oh, yeah!

[Dice thunks]

MIRA

Oh, it's a 17.

Oh, it's good though.

ELIZABETH

That's good!

MIRA

I've got high History.

ROVER

You don't, you don't recognize the name of it. You do know that it might probably be from, like, a very...some kind of expensive bar, maybe, in Italy? However, it's...you can't tell it.

MIRA

Right. Is there a year written on the bottle? You know how they typically do?

ANNIE

A vintage, yeah.

MIRA

(Laughs) Is it vintage?

ROVER

Oh, that's a good question. No, I don't think there is a year on it.

MIRA

Ooh.

ELIZABETH

Interesting.

MIRA

Ooh, ahh, ooh, ho ho.

ANNIE

Oh ho ho.

The wine is so fancy it doesn't tell you how old it is.

ANNIE

If you have to ask, you can't afford it.

[Laughter]

Exactly.

MIRA

Okay, so Una would walk in to everyone, going like,

MIRA [as UNA]

Well, that one seems to be enjoying themselves. I think he's actually kind of snoring. And this looks very fancy. Did you guys see that before? I don't think I recognize...

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Yeah who, who ran errands? It wasn't there when I got up, who ran errands? Vik's not here.

MIRA [as UNA]

Oh!

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

Yeah, Vik went downstairs. I don't know what's going on with him. I, I...we should probably go check on him. But the wine...(unintelligible noises). Was kind of hoping one of you knew what was up with it? It appeared, it was there when I woke up for my shift. It...yeah.

MIRA [as UNA]

Oh!

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

I was the shift before you, and it wasn't there for me. That's interesting.

MIRA [as UNA]

Yeah, it wasn't there for me.

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

It, ah...it had this note? It's written in Italian, but it basically just says, thanks for the gift, it...

ELIZABETH

She kind of passes around the note.

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

It's nothing. Honestly, I'm more concerned with how it got here than with why it was here. But maybe something to do with us being here in Jonny's space?

ROVER

Does anyone speak Italian other than Corwin?

I think no one does.

ROVER

Okay. You guys can determine, for the people that have seen the note, where Alloric's name was called, you can recognize the name. That it was also on the note.

MIRA

So it was Alloric, right?

ROVER

Yeah, it was Alloric.

Actually, Ro, I think I will take this opportunity to ask a question, even if I'm not in this scene right now.

ROVER

Mmhmm.

When you speak Spanish, for instance, you can kind of get the general gist of something written in Italian. Do we go by these rules? Or do we go by DnD rules, if you do not know that language, you also cannot kind of get it, because they are similar, kind of shit.

ROVER

I am gonna determine it as DnD rules of not recognizing it. Because, also, I don't speak Italian myself. I don't speak any of the...

That's all fine, that's all good!

ROVER

So I don't want to immediately say, "oh, it looks like this." No.

Mmhmm.

ROVER

There's no, there's no such thing as the word of wine on it. So I don't think you guys will get it.

Okay! I'm not there anyways.

ROVER

It's also very fancily written. So yeah.

MIRA

Oh, is it like—ooooh. Kind of...is it, like, very fanciful writing?

ANNIE

Oh! That's right!

ROVER

Oh, you—okay, Madame, Madame Scribe background is coming through.

MIRA

It is coming through.

ROVER

Alright.

MIRA

So if Una was to have that note, I would say she probably could hold it, like as the last person after Josie, because Viktor's not there. If she can have at least a few minutes to analyze the writing, she probably would try to determine like, oh is it very flourished? Is it something like that? Just kind of doing this.

ROVER

It is very flourished. It is very, very much, if you would open a scroll, and it is written by an actual, very dramatically feather-and-ink kind of situation. You are looking at someone who...as a scribe, you can know that this is someone who likes a little bit of flare. Likes a little bit of drama. And that's also very much knowledged in the way they write.

MIRA

So, also, given that...I think if Una was to spend enough time with it, she would be able to potentially copy it. And that's what she kind of would have been trying to focus on right now. Just to study it for long enough.

ROVER

I will say, mechanically, if you have the note and are allowed to study it—because officially, it's Corwin's note—let's say if you use your next long rest to actually study it, then I will say you can copy it.

MIRA

Okay. I don't think she would be asking for the note to stay with her for that long. So I think she would just try and retain in her memory what it looks like, so if she comes across that writing again, she might be able to recognize it quicker, or something like that.

ELIZABETH

Yeah.

ROVER

Yeah. Write down that anything that is written by Alloric, you have Advantage on.

MIRA

Mmm! Thank you!

ELIZABETH

Corwin will pass around the note. She's trying to, you know, kind of, be transparent here, but she is going to be kind of antsy until it's back in her hands. Like she really, she just, she wants it back.

MIRA [as UNA]

So, how do you know this person?

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Yeah, who's Alloric?

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

I, I don't. Not really. He was just...I mean, I met him once. I did a...I dropped a letter off to him when I was with the temple. It doesn't matter. I don't know him. I met him once. We had a 30-second conversation.

MIRA [as UNA]

A letter. From who?

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

I—I don't, I mean, I was just doing deliveries for the temple? Like it was just a, I just dropped stuff off at his place. He lives in Italy? He lived near my parents. I stopped by and saw them while I was there.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

If he's sneaking wine bottles into our room while someone's awake and on watch, I don't think it's not a big deal, but I also think we need to find Vik before we can do anything else.

MIRA [as UNA]

Yeah.

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

Yeah, I'm mostly concerned—he rushed out of here. I think he went downstairs?

ANNIE

Can I ask above the table, Jo, you mentioned that Vik is often not sleeping with other people and stuff, so this might be something Josie already has at least some context on, of you kind of being avoidant about...or is that not a thing we're gonna stick with?

I'm going to rule that Josie doesn't know Viktor well enough, I think.

ANNIE

Okay.

I think they've worked together, but I don't think they're that close.

ANNIE

I just meant have I seen you leave before, not like know what's going on.

For your perspective, Viktor does not sleep in the Don't Go Inn. He sleeps in the library. I feel like that's an open secret.

ANNIE

Mmm. Okay.

However, he's incredibly social, apart from that. Like, he's more social than Josie would be.

ANNIE

Yeah, for sure.

He's in the bars, he's with people.

ANNIE

Okay.

ELIZABETH

Yeah, so I think Corwin is going to just kind of abruptly turn,

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

I think we need to find Vik.

ELIZABETH

And just go downstairs and try to find Vik. Where is Vik downstairs? Unless we're, if we're...

MIRA

I don't think it's smart leaving Merrick by himself, so if you both are going, Una will probably stay behind, if that is a configuration that you guys are okay with?

ELIZABETH

Yeah, for sure.

ANNIE

Yeah, I think that's probably fine.

MIRA

That's fine. You guys can go and find Vik. I'm just gonna hang out with Merrick, watch him sleep.

[Laughter]

ROVER

Okay.

MIRA

You smell different when you're awake.

[Laughter]

What?! (Laughs)

MIRA

I'm not gonna say that of course!

ANNIE

It's staying on the recording now!

MIRA

It wasn't in Una's voice, it's fine!

I know. Mira, you scare me. Not Una!

[Laughter]

MIRA

(Laughing) I'm sorry.

[Shop ambience begins: fast ticking, whirring, and occasional dings]

Alright. Viktor is downstairs. He's not wearing his bounty hunter clothes. So everything he's wearing right now, apart from his still...he doesn't have other, other trousers with him. The rest is very pastel.

He has an off-the-shoulder pastel pink shirt on, that would move up to expose his belly button if he ever raises his arms. With long, bell-shaped sleeves that are currently held up to his elbow by just a length of rope, like you would do with a kimono. And he's on all fours, currently scrubbing the blood away. And he has his back turned to the stairs, so you can't really determine what his facial expression is right now.

However, what you do see as he's scrubbing the floor, is that the black marking on his left hand has grown. It is now reaching up to his wrist.

ELIZABETH

Interesting.

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

Ah, Vik? Are you okay? What are you doing? It's like 7am?

ELIZABETH

Corwin is gonna come and I guess start kneeling beside you and like, Prestidigitating the floor next to you. She's not intruding.

ROVER

So it really is a point of, you're scrubbing the floor, Corwin comes up and it's a quick little bit of soap smell before the floor is clean.

ELIZABETH

It only does one square foot at a time, so I think she's just working on a separate section of floor just next to Vik. She's not like, yeah, just next to him. It's co-play.

ROVER

By the way, the soap smell is because we did an improv question and Lizzie said that Prestidigitation smells like soap. That's the clarification for that.

Anyway, continue.

Question: does Prestidigitation just cover it up for an amount of time? Or is it gone?

ROVER

It's gone.

ELIZABETH

No, it can clean or soil. So like actually clean it. But only one square foot at a time.

MIRA

So there's like a pixelated square. (Laughing)

ANNIE

Yeah!

He stops, he stops mid-movement. He was...even in profile, you can tell he was about to ignore you. And then he stops, seeing you using Prestidigitation. And then he just looks up at you and be like,

JO [as VIKTOR]

Could have needed that an hour ago. Shit. Okay.

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

I was awake, if you'd asked.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

You could have asked, Vik.

JO [as VIKTOR]

Oh, you're all awake. Great. Where's Una?

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Watching Merrick.

ANNIE

And Josie's gonna be leaning on a counter over near the stairs, with like, I'm gonna say a mug of coffee.

Where did you get that!

ANNIE

Not moving to...she would have taken it out of Jonny's kitchen.

Yeah yeah yeah!

ANNIE

And she's not moving to help clean at all. She's just leaning there, going...

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Why're you down here?

[Laughter]

I love her so much. (Laughs) Head slowly turning to Josie, looking at the mug, and be like, fully relaxed now, is like,

JO [as VIKTOR]

Wait, do you have coffee? For fuck's sake, I should have—

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

C'mon, I'll make you one. Let's go.

JO [as VIKTOR]

Yes please.

ANNIE

(Laughing) I'll go up into the kitchen and make some more coffee for everybody.

ROVER

Does Corwin still want to stop anything for Vik?

ELIZABETH

Yeah, Corwin will stay with wherever Vik is, cause she's curious what's going on, and he hasn't answered her question.

If you want to, you now have a moment where Vik is about to get up, and Josie already left upstairs, so they are alone right now. If you want to do...if you want to kill him, I mean if you want to do anything. (Laughs)

[Laughter]

ELIZABETH

Corwin pulls a knife.

ROVER

If you want to make them number 23.

MIRA

Hasta la vista!

It would be an honor.

ELIZABETH

She's not ready for the trauma!

Yeah.

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

What is, what's going on? Why—what is...

JO [as VIKTOR]

You mean in general?

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

Are the markings—

JO [as VIKTOR]

Oh.

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

Are the markings on your hands different than how they were yesterday?

He's like, holding it up, looking at it, flexing it a little. It doesn't look like rotten flesh or anything. It's generally just as if you have a lot of black paint on your hand and have tried to wash it away. He's like,

JO [as VIKTOR]

Well, I mean, it's just a thing.

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

What kind of thing? I mean...

JO [as VIKTOR]

Can I ask a question first?

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

You can ask.

JO [as VIKTOR]

Are you a paladin?

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

Yes.

JO [as VIKTOR]

Like, I'm not—oh. Well, I didn't expect that quick of an answer. Because...I don't think I've ever met a paladin who would hide what god they are affiliating with. And you are wearing literally no insignia whatsoever. And I'm...

He is going to come closer. Is like,

JO [as VIKTOR]

I must say, I'm very intrigued by that.

ELIZABETH

Ah, Corwin's gonna take a step back.

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

Well that makes two of us. I'm very intrigued by whatever is going on with your hand. Does it hurt?

JO [as VIKTOR]

Only in the morning.

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

So does it hurt right now?

JO [as VIKTOR]

Mmm, no. Not significantly. It gets better when you do something that's distracting you from the pain, I guess.

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

Yeah, I get that.

JO [as VIKTOR]

I'll make you a deal. I'm going to tell you all my shit, if you tell me yours. And I feel like we're not quite there yet. No offense, Princess, but we met like 12 hours ago.

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

That makes sense to me. No arguments here.

JO [as VIKTOR]

It is nothing you have to worry about. It is something I have to worry about, if that makes it better. And I...since you are a paladin, it is nothing you can heal, if that is why you were asking.

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

Alright well, I trust you, but if there's, I mean obviously it's your thing.

JO [as VIKTOR]

You shouldn't.

(Laughs) I mean, he's, he's being facetious here, but like,

JO [as VIKTOR]

You shouldn't. I mean, we just met 12 hours ago.

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

I trust you with regards to how well you know your own body and what's a problem or not a problem for you. But—

JO [as VIKTOR]

I've explored it a few times.

And he winks and just leaves to go up the stairs.

ELIZABETH

Corwin rolls her eyes—

Good!

ELIZABETH

—and just kind of calls after him,

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

The whole point in having a team is being able to help.

I feel like Josie felt that conversation upstairs and was like, (dramatic sigh).

[Laughter]

ANNIE

I feel like Lizzie's line there went very under appreciated though!

ROVER

Wonderful. Yeah, so before Viktor goes up, Josie goes up. And we have upstairs now: Josie, Una, and Merrick. Una and Merrick in the kitchen.

MIRA

Oh yeah. Merrick is still snoring, I guess.

ROVER

Let's find out.

[Dice thunks]

Yes.

[Laughter]

He rolled a 3. Absolutely. Somehow, this man is having the best sleep of his life.

He likes to be swaddled. (Laughs)

MIRA

I mean, you know what...

ROVER

Yeah.

MIRA

It's just the swaddle! (Laughs)

ELIZABETH

He's in those sleep sacks.

It's like a weighted blanket.

MIRA

A sleep sack, yeah! Yeah, a weighted blanket.

ANNIE

Some people find being tied up comforting I guess, I don't know.

MIRA

Oh, there you go.

Ooh.

ELIZABETH

We don't judge.

[Apartment ambience begins: slow ticking of a clock, soft whirring]

MIRA

So when Josie walks into the kitchen, I mean Una would have been sitting at—not at the table because obviously, if Merrick is underneath it—kind of like pulled the chair back and facing the window. I would say...it might be the first time when you're not seeing her being on her guard. Because she's just sitting there kind of lost in thought.

When Josie walks into the kitchen, Una would just be like,

MIRA [as UNA]

Everything okay with Vik?

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Yeah. He went downstairs and decided to do some restless cleaning.

MIRA [as UNA]

Oh.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

But he's coming back up for coffee. I'm making some more. You want one?

MIRA [as UNA]

Sure. Although, I was wondering, if I can properly refresh myself in the bathroom, if you don't mind watching Merrick as well?

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Oh. Please. I'll stay here with him. I don't think he's going anywhere.

MIRA [as UNA]

I feel like I haven't bathed in ages.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Mmm.

Oh! Does Una stink?

ELIZABETH

Does she smell like mothballs?

Yeah.

MIRA

No...

ELIZABETH

Like a sweater left in the closet for too long?

[Laughter]

MIRA

I think I did say that if she has a normal scent, the smell, it would have been potentially, like, ink, but like an herbal, the herbs that are being used to make an ink with.

ANNIE

Yeah. Old paper and ink and dried herbs. Delicate and muted. Is what I have in the notes.

ROVER

Yeah.

MIRA

Yeah. That's—yeah. But no, she probably would just...she makes that comment because she literally, it's kind of true, she feels like she hasn't bathed in ages, like—

Yeah yeah yeah yeah.

MIRA

She appeared out of nowhere, and then we were just like, go go go go go. Sleep. And now it's like, "oh." (Laughs) But no, she, yeah, she probably would have just gone to a bathroom, and if there's a basin or something, would just take the time to refresh herself.

[Apartment ambience fades. Sound of water rushing from a tap]

That would be it.

She would examine...that's the thing. It would be the first time, for Una, behind the closed doors, it would be the first time when she would actually be able to examine her body, and how everything looks, since she woke up.

ROVER

Mmhmm.

MIRA

She didn't have a chance or a pretext to be in an area where she can literally just strip and have a look over what's going on. Because, once again, like, "do I have all the fingers? Every toe?" Kind of thing. Oh no, she was without shoes when—

ELIZABETH

Any new scars.

MIRA

Any new scars, kind of thing.

ROVER

Yeah.

MIRA

Or a spreading scar kind of thing.

ELIZABETH

Oh!

[Annie laughs]

[Shop ambience returns: fast ticking, whirring and dings]

ELIZABETH

I think Corwin will come back upstairs, but before she does, she will go over to the bodies and kneel down, and just kind of whisper a quiet,

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

(Whispering) I'm sorry.

ELIZABETH

And then she will go upstairs and join the others.

ANNIE

I did want to ask, by the way, this can, this can probably come up more in character later on, but surely there's kind of a procedure for the bounty hunters dealing with corpses? Surely there's something that we normally do, some kind of standard operating procedure?

Yeah, we call Brian.

ANNIE

I'm happy to make that be what it is: call your supervisor and they'll come down and deal with it.

You call your supervisor, and then they will deal with that, yeah yeah yeah, I feel like.

ROVER

I feel like it is very difficult to drag bodies onto a train from Oxford to London.

ANNIE

Right, but he would come down and sort the arrangements locally, at least.

ROVER

I think so, yeah. I think he's...

Yeah.

ANNIE

Cause like, cause like...any bounty hunter team out on a job would want to continue moving on the job, and...

ROVER

Yeah, exactly. I think it's...I think it would be more of a point of...actually no, let's talk about this together.

ANNIE

Okay.

ROVER

How, what would the quickest way be to get rid of bodies in the bounty hunters sector that is not like we're hiding illegal bodies for a reason...

ANNIE

Right, well I think, I think that the implication that I was getting at with Brian there was that, like, we have networks of people in major cities—like funeral parlors, effectively—

Mmhmm.

ANNIE

—that work with the bounty hunters. Since we're legal, it can a completely above-board, like...where we at least get them into their morgues and sort everything from there. Like our supervisor will contact with them to get them in the morgues, and let them...

ROVER

Ah, yeah, I will say, I will say that is a possibility. I will indeed say, I think Brian does most of the paperwork stuff.

Okay.

ANNIE

Right.

Alright. I feel like, because there must be mechanisms in place for the Wanted Dead bounties...

ROVER

Yep.

So I feel like maybe there is, as Annie said, like funerary homes that are in contact with the bounty hunters, like get a percentage of the payment, essentially. And then you have anonymous graves or something like that.

ELIZABETH

Yeah.

ANNIE

Yeah. Or ways for like, I almost feel like the funeral parlors or mortuaries will have, because this is a legit industry in this world, they have methods of trying to identify and find next of kin, and then putting in—

Yeah, yeah yeah yeah. Someone is doing that...

ANNIE

Cause we're not hiding the bodies that were killed during a legal operation of combat.

ELIZABETH

Yeah.

ROVER

Absolutely not.

Yeah. Oh, god we are horrible. Jesus fucking christ. Oh no.

ANNIE

Yeah, awful! Absolutely atrocious, yes.

MIRA

My brain completely finished off, so—did we murder, did we commit murder legally or illegally? Sorry. (Laughs) My brain just switched off.

ANNIE

Legally.

ELIZABETH

Legally.

ANNIE

Well, legally-ish. They attacked us. They broke in and attacked us, so...

I feel like there are people in place who would deal with the paperwork.

ANNIE

Well, yeah, exactly. And also like, it would make a lot of sense why the government is trying to de-legitimize us once again if this is standard operating for us.

ROVER

Yeah.

ANNIE

We're killing a lot of fucking people. So they probably don't like that very much.

Because only the government should be allowed to kill...to kill people. (Laughs)

ANNIE

Exactly. That's exactly right.

We hate Tobias in this house*. (Laughs)*

ROVER

The interesting thing is, it is not just killing random people.

ANNIE

Right.

ROVER

It is sometimes even, like, certain people—could be governmental people, could be even religious temples—could literally ask the bounty hunters for help, for either figuring out missing people...

Right.

ANNIE

Right.

MIRA

Yeah.

ROVER

Figuring out...even figuring out certain murders, because you guys just know more about weapons and killing strategies. But also to kill people that are actually doing crimes in a way that are terrible.

ANNIE

Yeah.

Yeah yeah yeah yeah.

ELIZABETH

Yeah yeah yeah.

ANNIE

We're a little bit closer to PIs than assassins.

Yeah, right.

ROVER

Basically, yeah. And you guys can be assassins.

ANNIE

Right.

ROVER

And then you're looking at, like, the Tier 3 rank of assassins, which you guys currently are very much not.

ANNIE

Right.

ROVER

Who are probably wanted themselves. Which is, for example, I can give a good example, Miguel.

Yes.

ANNIE

Mmm.

ELIZABETH

Yeah yeah yeah. Fair.

ANNIE

Oh, yeah!

ROVER

Which is also for him very—yeah you guys wouldn't know that, but above table, it is very good for him that he is under governmental guidance.

Yeah it's very—Miguel, to me, is like when the government is employing hackers—

ROVER

Yeah.

—that already hacked the government, being like, "come to our side."

ANNIE

Yeah, it's a white hat, white hat assassin.

[Laughter]

ROVER

Yep basically.

Basically.

ANNIE

(Laughing) I love that.

ROVER

Back in game.

ANNIE

Yes, sorry.

ROVER

So we have...you guys have a funeral parlor that could be there, anonymous graveyards...

ANNIE

So how—so we need to be contacting Brian. That's what I'm gonna talk to everyone about when they come up for coffee.

ROVER

I think I'd say: contact Brian, and they will figure it out. You guys can have people, they can have people sent there to, to help you guys out.

MIRA

Okay.

Viktor, by this point, is sitting on the table, cross-legged, mug in hand. He is sitting on this table, like it's the best morning in his life. He seems to be content the moment coffee touched his lips.

ANNIE

Valid and real.

MIRA

Yeah.

Yes. Like I am. (Laughs) My coffee's empty right now. But yeah.

MIRA

Ah, if I may, I would say that Una probably would take a very short amount of time to refresh herself, and then she would be back with everyone, probably grabbing another cup of coffee from Josie, going like,

MIRA [as UNA]

Thank you. That's very kind.

We reconvene with coffee. Aw, that's cute.

MIRA

We have a coffee date!

ELIZABETH

(Laughs) Yes.

ANNIE

Coffee date!

ELIZABETH

How does...how does everyone take their coffee? Corwin takes it with just a splash of milk.

ANNIE

I was gonna make a point that today, we're all taking it black because no one's been restocking Jonny's fridge. Anything perishable in there is gone.

MIRA

That's a good point.

ELIZABETH

Smart. Smart.

ROVER

Mmm, yeah no. When she opened the fridge, it's like, "Ah, let's close that again!" Very quickly!

ANNIE

Yeah, let's close that back up! Yeahhhh we'll leave that closed!

ROVER

It smells terrible. It is rotting.

No, I don't think we have opened the fridge. I feel like, I feel like Josie...

ANNIE

Josie would have known better.

Yeah, we have survival instincts. Never open the fucking fridge.

ROVER

Yeah.

ANNIE

I ain't opening that.

ROVER

You can smell the rot.

MIRA

Does the fridge look like a fridge? Or is it like a built-in?

ANNIE

It would have been more like an ice box at that point in time?

ROVER

Yeah, I think it would be more like an ice box kind of thing.

We do have cars in this shit, so I feel like we also have fridges.

ANNIE

Yeah, that's fair.

ROVER

Yeah. Yeah, you know what, there's fridges.

They look more steampunk probably or something like that, but.

ROVER

I will say that they are a fridge, and it's probably a little bit more steampunk because of Jonny.

ANNIE

Yeah.

MIRA

Okay.

ANNIE

Oh yeah, that too! Alright, anyway, so, so, when we're all around the table, Josie's gonna be like,

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Alright. Well, we need to send for Brian, and then hopefully not wait here the whole time until he gets here. Are we sending Merrick back with him? Or are we gonna try and make him show us whatever the hell he was talking about in Dover?

MIRA [as UNA]

I...I don't think keeping him alive is a wise idea. That's just...

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Alive?!

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

Keeping him alive?! We cannot just...

MIRA [as UNA]

Okay.

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

We cannot justify killing a man who's bound.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Una, I see your perspective, but this is more legal than you think it is. He'll be handled by our supervisors. It's more paperwork if we kill him. Just believe me on that one.

JO [as VIKTOR]

Oh, yeah yeah yeah. There's...(sighs) With his debt, there's every likelihood they might become a bounty hunter themselves, if they have anything to offer.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Yeah. Brian'll sort them out.

JO [as VIKTOR]

This is how Safra recruits anyways. And then they can decide for themselves whether being alive or being dead is better. I don't fucking care. I think the main part is, should we tell Brian about the secret room downstairs? Or should we keep that to ourselves for now?

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

I think...I think...Well okay, I'm thinking...how loyal to Safra is Brian, versus...

JO [as VIKTOR]

Oh, very.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Because, specifically, I'm not asking him to betray her, but is he...he's not a lapdog. If we tell him something and say, "Don't tell Safra, she might get weird about it." He would probably be on...would he be okay with that from us, or would we need to keep that from him in order to keep it from Safra?

JO [as VIKTOR]

I don't think he would listen to us. I don't trust him...

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

He might listen to me. We're, like, besties.

JO [as VIKTOR]

I know that you're drinking buddies...

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

But I'm asking. But I'm asking.

JO [as VIKTOR]

I know, I know. I...(sighs) I, for now, would rather have enough cards close to our chest than playing with open ones, with an open hand, rather.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

I agree. I think that's safer.

JO [as VIKTOR]

So I think we close that room, leave everything that is in there, in there, and...I don't know.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

And we'll go...we'll go talk to, what was the assistant's name again?

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

Krillis. Krillis.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Krillis. We'll go talk to Krillis and keep the room to ourselves for now. We can always let that out later.

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

I agree. Yeah, once we say something, we can't take it back. So better to get all the information from Oxford we can, and then tell Safra.

MIRA [as UNA]

Do you guys, at any point, think that maybe Krillis attacked that husk downstairs?

JO [as VIKTOR]

Mmmm why leave it there, then?

MIRA [as UNA]

It was caved...okay. This is, well because moving it probably would have been very cumbersome. But whoever—

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Well, okay—

MIRA [as UNA]

My theory is, Jonny left it there to pretend to be him. Whoever came in and attacked it wanted Jonny dead.

JO [as VIKTOR]

(Thinking noises)

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

I think there's two options. I think that that's a distinct possibility. But given what we saw of the technological makeup of that body and how much more advanced it is than everything else here, it's entirely possible that whoever came in here knew about that machine that was down there and came in to take a specific part of it, and dealt with Jonny on the way. That is a distinct possibility we also have to explore.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

That they knew it was a machine and were trying to…

JO [as VIKTOR]

A heart.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

…open it up and take something out. A heart, for example, cause that's a known quantity.

JO [as VIKTOR]

Oh, shit.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

You said the chest cavity was hollow except for some parts, right? There was space in there.

JO [as VIKTOR]

Yeah. No organs. So...

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

So...

JO [as VIKTOR]

Oh that's...that's bad. That's really bad. We are not going to tell Brian.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Yeah no, I agree. We definitely keep that one to ourselves.

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

Deal.

JO [as VIKTOR]

Fuck.

MIRA [as UNA]

So...

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

But Una, I think, I think what you're saying is smart. Because Krillis…one way or another, it took us that long to find that secret room, and Krillis would have known about it in advance.

JO [as VIKTOR]

Maybe.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

So it's entirely possible that even if he's not the one who went down there, he knows who is and might have shared information.

MIRA [as UNA]

So how do we find that Krillis guy, then?

JO [as VIKTOR]

Oh, we have the address.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Well...we'll go to his house.

MIRA [as UNA]

Well, if he's at home.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Yeah. You have to start somewhere.

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

We'll go to his house and investigate, yeah.

JO [as VIKTOR]

We can just wait there, too.

MIRA [as UNA]

Right. So what do we do with this guy?

JO [as VIKTOR]

Merrick. (Sighs) Right.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Yeah, we gotta figure out how...

ANNIE

I mean, cause it would take forever for Brian to get there. We'd have to send back...

It's two hours, right?

ANNIE

Trains two ways.

MIRA

Una is constantly keeping an ear out if his breathing pattern is changing, so he doesn't hear any of that.

ANNIE

Mmhmm. Good, good call.

ROVER

He is snoring. He is sleeping. He keeps rolling like garbage.

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

Is there an option to just leave Merrick here? I mean, he's tied up, he's sleeping...

JO [as VIKTOR]

That would be…Yes. Exactly. Yep.

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

Brian'll be here in two hours.

JO [as VIKTOR]

Yes.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

As long as we know, once we know Brian's on his way, and we give him all the details—

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

I think we can lock up okay and do that.

ANNIE

Is there, like, telegraph lines?

ROVER

There are telephone booths.

ANNIE

Telephones? Oh, right!

ROVER

Telephone booths.

ANNIE

I keep forgetting we're further forward than I think we are. Yes, of course. So yeah.

ROVER

Yeah!

It's this type of game where we have telephones.

ROVER

It is the type of game where I was like, I don't want to deal with letters taking five years.

MIRA

Well, clearly they can just appear throughout the night anyway, so (laughs).

ROVER

Yeah exactly!

MIRA

If you guys are out loud suggesting to leave him there, Una is opposing hard.

MIRA [as UNA]

I am not feeling comfortable leaving someone that knows what we look like, before he is actually in the hands of someone that, as you said, can handle them.

JO [as VIKTOR]

Oh.

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

But why—

JO [as VIKTOR]

Yeah, I mean, we'll call Brian first. We're not going anywhere right now.

MIRA [as UNA]

Okay.

JO [as VIKTOR]

We'll call him first. And then figure out from there.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Yeah.

JO [as VIKTOR]

I really, I just wanna know why this Krillis person didn't, didn't notify anyone about Jonny disappearing way sooner.

MIRA [as UNA]

Okay.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

I agree. I think once we know Brian is on the way, we have enough sorting through papers and fixing shelves downstairs to do, to keep us occupied till he arrives.

MIRA [as UNA]

Okay.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

And we need to make sure that that secret room is very, very well covered. More well hidden than it was when we got here.

MIRA

So this is Una asking the question, not me as a player, which I did earlier.

MIRA [as UNA]

So...how do you let him know?

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Oh, we'll just, we'll just call him.

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

Oh, there...yeah there...

Viktor, Viktor doing the...the millennial telephone sign.

ANNIE

I was gonna say, the millennial phone, yeah!

ROVER

The good way of doing it!

Where you have your pinky and your thumb out, and holding it to your ears. And then...and then it's like, seeing Una being confused about it—

MIRA [as UNA]

So it it, like, a form of a sending stone? What—?

JO [as VIKTOR]

Ah...right, yes, it's—

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Pretty close. It's a similar idea, yeah.

JO [as VIKTOR]

Do you…

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Do you not have telephones? Are you not familiar?

MIRA [as UNA]

Well, not that I can recall.

JO [as VIKTOR]

Ooh.

MIRA [as UNA]

But once again, take into account...

ANNIE

I'm gonna just share a look with Vik.

MIRA [as UNA]

Take into account that I also don't remember a lot of things about myself, specifically.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Completely fair. That's fair.

JO [as VIKTOR]

It's...I wanted to bring that up. I mean, better now than never.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Yeah.

JO [as VIKTOR]

Is there anything you remembered since being here? I mean we didn't do much exploring of Oxford, I guess, but...

MIRA [as UNA]

Um, I guess, seeing a couple of things around here made me remember, I used to do a lot of writing.

JO [as VIKTOR]

Mmm.

MIRA [as UNA]

A lot of writing. I remember a lot of books, and...

JO [as VIKTOR]

Oh good, books! I like books.

MIRA [as UNA]

Just, I think...

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

Did you—

MIRA

Mmhmm?

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

Do you...you remember a lot of books. Do you remember the library? Cause Oxford is known for its libraries.

MIRA [as UNA]

I was kind of hoping that if we have the time to stop by somewhere that has a lot of books—libraries, potentially the universities. It's very strange, cause I could give you a description of certain features of a person, I would not be able to recall the name. And the other way round, I remember just doing a lot of writing, carrying scrolls.

All the buildings around here are kind of, because the architecture in Oxford—

MIRA

FYI for everyone, it looks very same-y for everywhere.

ANNIE

Yeah.

MIRA [as UNA]

Just, yeah, just seeing those buildings kind of jogs my memory, but I, I'm afraid that's all.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

I'm sure we can make an excuse to stop by a library. Vik's not gonna let me say no, so—

Viktor in the background looks excited like a little puppy.

[Laughter]

He's not saying anything because, like, when you can't really say words because you're too fucking excited, you're like—

ANNIE

Ah! Oh!

(Squeaks) Library?! (Laughs)

ANNIE

MIRA

ELIZABETH

MIRA [as UNA]

No, just a place with books.

JO [as VIKTOR]

Okay.

MIRA [as UNA]

That would be, that would be ideal for me.

JO [as VIKTOR]

Wonderful. I'm so glad you're on the team.

[Laughter]

MIRA

Just like holding onto her hands like, ah!

Yeah yeah yeah!

MIRA

The gloved hands of Una. (Laughs)

Yeah, I feel like with Una he's a bit more careful. Like he would give her a way out...

ANNIE

(Laughs) Don't stab me. Don't stab me.

No, no no no. It's more like he does not know if Una is touchy-feely. With Corwin, it was already established with helping her on the hoverboard, that this is an okay thing to do. And with Josie, he just feels comfortable around her.

ANNIE

Yeah.

He's like, Josie would punch me if she doesn't like it.

ANNIE

Yeah.

But with Una, he's a bit more careful. But like, grabbing you by the hands, be like,

JO [as VIKTOR]

I'm so glad you're on the team. Should we, should we um, oh we should—oh fuck, we should call Brian, and then...

MIRA [as UNA]

Tidy up downstairs.

JO [as VIKTOR]

Yeah.

MIRA [as UNA]

I already took care of the bodies, by the way. I just took some time yesterday, whilst you guys were talking to Merrick.

JO [as VIKTOR]

Yeah, I saw.

Rover, how much do I know about the Cult of Hades?

MIRA

The bodies and their faces are literally wrapped up in blankets. It's mummified.

ROVER

You can’t see the faces.

ELIZABETH

Yeah, so we couldn't see the coins.

Oooh, okay.

MIRA

Sorry. I'm so sorry. I might have just—

Yeah, I'm taking it back. It's fine. It's fine.

ANNIE

All good.

Okay, then my second question: is the wine bottle still on the kitchen counter, or table?

ANNIE

Oh yeah.

ELIZABETH

Yeah, it is. Corwin hasn't put it away yet.

I put wine in my backstory, Ro.

[Laughter]

Can I roll something to know something about this wine?

MIRA

(Laughing) Wine. I put wine in my backstory. Just a line: wine.

ROVER

Yeah, roll me something first.

Ahh...History?

ROVER

History or Nature.

MIRA

I mean, are you trying to recall something that you may know about the wine?

Yes.

MIRA

Or are you trying to...

ROVER

Oooh.

Viktor is going in his wine-specific mind palace.

[Laughter]

ELIZABETH

Incredible.

Trying to figure out whether he has seen a bottle like this before. I think it's unusual that there is no year on it. And he wants to, without tasting the wine, figure out what the fuck is up with that.

MIRA

I rolled for History earlier, so I guess it would be History? Cause I was also trying to figure things out. Yeah.

ROVER

History, yeah.

Amazing.

[Gentle dice thunks]

MIRA

Is it a 1?

(Giggling softly) It is a natural 20.

[Laughter]

On, like, the most important roll on this fucking campaign!

ANNIE

I love it! I love that crits always happen in the dumbest places.

ROVER

So it is a very...so you rolled a natural 20 on the knowledge of the wine.

MIRA

(Laughs) Knowledge of the wine.

ROVER

I need to know: has Viktor ever been to Italy?

No. He definitely has never left essentially Great Britain as the islands.

ROVER

It is this very deep, like again, a very deep, rich wine. But it also has this deep, rich flavor. With a natural 20, I could give you the success, I could give you everything that you can know about this specific wine. You have never tasted it before.

Mmhmm.

ROVER

So, once again, even with a natural 20, I feel like—and you can correct me if that isn't—I feel like Viktor wouldn't know it. Genuinely wouldn't recognize it. Cause it is a very specific flavor that Viktor has never tried before because he's never been there.

It is from a very specific place, and...yeah.

Okay. So I would know it's not imported into the UK. This is not a brand of wine I would encounter in England.

ROVER

No, absolutely not. And if, if it would be, you will have to, Viktor would actively have to find the wine book of wine books to figure out which location has everything, which...because it's such a rich and specific flavor that you're gonna actively have to sit down, study every single specific flavor to figure that out, because of the origin of this wine.

Right, okay. That's fine. I'm happy with that.

ROVER

Does that make sense for a natural 20?

Yeah.

ROVER

Okay.

Okay, I will ask one question I think that could be included in the natural 20.

ROVER

Absolutely.

Does...does the label look like it's hand painted, or like it's made by some sort of machine. Does it look more hand crafted or more mass produced?

ROVER

Ooh, definitely more hand crafted.

Alright. Yeah that, I feel like that's a good base of knowledge. Yeah yeah.

ROVER

Yeah. Because I wasn't able to give you everything because Viktor hasn't been there, I'm gonna give you advantage on your next roll.

Oooh.

ELIZABETH

Oooh, kind.

Let's go to Krillis then, shall we?

[Laughter]

ELIZABETH

I was gonna say, yeah, are we good to kind of pack up and then go find a telephone, call Brian, get that moving?

MIRA

Yeah.

Can we speedrun Brian?

ELIZABETH

Yeah.

MIRA

Yeah.

I'm okay with just locking Merrick inside the bathroom with an extra rope tied around them, gagged.

ANNIE

No, cause I think—I think we can fast-forward through it, but I think we should be staying till Brian gets here and picking up shelves downstairs.

MIRA

Yeah.

ANNIE

We need to pick up the shop and make sure we hide the entrance to the back room, so Brian doesn't find it. Stuff like that.

Okay, so what if we call Brian, and the, whatever 2-3 hours, we spend on eating fucking breakfast and tidying up the thingamajig. The fucking shop. Does that sound good?

ROVER

I need the Brian conversation with, over the phone, I need that to be role-played.

ANNIE

Okay. Do you want me to call?

Yes.

ROVER

Sure.

Please. (Laughs)

ANNIE

Sure, great.

ROVER

Alright, so there's a telephone booth outside.

ANNIE

Would Jonny not have his own phone?

ROVER

I don't...ooh, good question actually. No, you know, Jonny would absolutely have his own phone. It's Jonny.

Yeah.

ANNIE

Yeah.

ELIZABETH

Smart, smart.

ANNIE

So I'll be calling from the shop then.

ROVER

So, he picks up, blah-blah-blah-blah. Just start telling him what you, he asks you what you will need.

ANNIE

Yeah.

[Shop ambience resumes: fast ticking, whirring, and occasional dings]

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Well, alright Brian, so we made it to the shop. We discovered a couple sort of minor clues. We're gonna be going to talk to—

ANNIE

Sorry, name again, for...?

ELIZABETH

Krillis.

ANNIE

Krillis.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

We're gonna go be talking to Krillis after this here. But while we were here last night, some thieves broke in and attacked, so we had to deal with them. We've got a cleanup and a captured person to bring back for you. So, if you could make your way out, we don't wanna leave them unattended. But we're gonna get on with the rest of the day.

ROVER [as BRIAN]

(Distantly, over a staticky phone line) Alright, perfect. Do so. I...how, what time do you need me to be there?

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Soon as you can be, for preference. Cause there's...it's entirely possible that we wanna try and catch another train tonight, but that's only if we finish everything we can do here today, so. It's up to you when you can get here, though.

ROVER

He pauses for a moment, and then you, for...for a quick moment, you hear nothing, before he starts talking with,

ROVER [as BRIAN]

(Over the phone) Definitely make sure you get home tonight. We...we have heard news. Between me and you, Josie, Miguel was here.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Oh, shit.

ROVER [as BRIAN]

(Over the phone) Yesterday. The House of Six have arrived. They have not only decided to talk about the Protectors. We might have, we might have the Bounty Hunters become illegal again.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Well, at least—

ROVER [as BRIAN]

(Over the phone) Keep this between us for now. I do not want to cause more uproar. Safra is stressed. Everyone is stressed. We are gathering a lot of the hunters that we have nearby to try to be back today.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Well, okay. You're gonna have to figure out what to tell Vik when you get here.

ROVER [as BRIAN]

(Over the phone) I know.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

If you want that between us, you're gonna have to figure out what to say to Vik. I'm just...but as you say.

ROVER [as BRIAN]

(Over the phone) Yep. That's, that's fine...

Do I hear my name mentioned more than once over the fucking phone?

ROVER

Give me a Perception check.

I'm assuming that we are cleaning up while you are having this conversation, because I think that's a funny scene.

[Laughter]

MIRA

Yeah.

ANNIE

Yeah, I agree!

I'm sorry, Perception, you said?

ROVER

Perception roll, yep.

Ah, 16.

ROVER

Ooh, 16.

ANNIE

I'm gonna say this here though. Because we've already had the conversations about not really—like, Vik and I have had the conversations about not trusting Safra and being ready to go to ground ourselves, I'm actually saying that for Vik's benefit, to make Brian think Vik's not around. And I'm trying to make eye contact.

MIRA

Oh, there you go. Nice.

ANNIE

When I say that.

Right, it was more for me, do I notice.

ROVER

Okay.

ANNIE

Yeah yeah yeah. Right exactly.

ROVER

Okay, yep. Absolutely.

Rather than, do I know what you mean. Okay, yeah yeah, cool. I do.

ANNIE

Right, so my point is I'm not opposing the roll.

Okay.

ANNIE

I'm gonna be looking at you.

ROVER

Amazing.

ROVER [as BRIAN]

(Over the phone) I will, I will figure it out. I, I will be there as soon as possible. I will figure out the paperwork, and then I'm gonna go back. I don't think I can leave Safra on her own currently.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

No, understood. I wouldn't either.

ROVER [as BRIAN]

(Over the phone) I'm gonna make sure that people are watching her, but...

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Yeah. No, I completely understand. We'll, as soon as you get here, we'll talk to Krillis and we'll try to join you on the same train back.

ROVER [as BRIAN]

(Over the phone) Okay. And nothing from Jonny yet?

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

No, like I said, mostly what we have is small scrap paper leads. But Krillis is, Krillis is the most interesting person to talk to about it now. But what you got, what you got's more important. So we'll collect what we can and then get back.

ROVER

Give me a Deception check with Advantage, because he cannot see your face.

ANNIE

Of course. Of course.

[Dice tower clacks]

18.

[Heavy dice thunks]

ROVER

Yeah, he cannot see your face, so that says a lot. And he's autistic, that too.

[Laughter]

So taking experiences from me, basically, he will not notice.

ROVER [as BRIAN]

(Over the phone) Alright, cool. Good to know. I will be with you guys in about two hours.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Great.

ROVER [as BRIAN]

(Over the phone) Make sure that the bodies aren't in sight. You know the drill. Blah blah blah. I'll see you in a bit.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Yeah, yeah you know me, Brian. You don't gotta worry about me.

ROVER [as BRIAN]

(Over the phone) Yeah, I know.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Deal with Safra. We'll see you when you get here.

ROVER [as BRIAN]

(Over the phone) Gotcha. See you in a bit.

[Phone clacks and static ends]

ANNIE

Josie's gonna hang up the phone

[Phone clatters]

and look straight at Vik and go,

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Vik, upstairs. Now.

ROVER

And that's indeed where we're gonna end the episode. Thank you all so much for listening. Funny thing at this recording, I can already say, this is the first recording before tomorrow, in our time, the first episode of this route will be released. And this is the first episode, or first recording after the first Protector episode was released and the Session 0s. So thank you all for the support, first of all.

ANNIE

It's been amazing.

Yeah.

ROVER

It's been fucking amazing. I'm very, very proud of our team. And we'll see you guys at the...I will see you guys at the Protectors route very, very soon, and next week. And other than that, what happens with this group remains to be seen. Buh-bye everyone.

ALL

Byeeee!

[Show outro plays]

ROVER

Remains To Be Seen is an original podcast created by Dyaflame Studios and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution non-commercial share-alike 4.0 international license.

Today’s episode was produced by Rik den Breejen and edited by Rover Elliott and Jo Mendacium. It starred:

Elizabeth Simpson as Corwin Duvall
Jo Mendacium as Viktor Valthayne
Annie Ruby as Josie
Mirah Fae as Una
and Rover Elliott as the Dungeon Master

The intro and outro were composed by We Talk of Dreams, and the transcript was written by Elizabeth Simpson.

To get in touch with us and keep up to date with our antics, follow us on Instagram, BlueSky and TikTok @ DyaflameStudios or view our website at www.dyaflame.com

Check our show notes for additional credits, links and transcripts.