Transcribed by Michelle Kelly.
## Intro
Welcome to Imperial City, and to the first episode of The City That Never Dies. I’m Rhi, the GM and editor. If you’re joining us as a fan of our previous show, The Magpies, we’re so glad to have you with us on this next adventure. If you’re a new listener, welcome! And let me tell you a little bit about the show. We’re playing Blades in the Dark, a game about scoundrels on the margins of society trying to claw their way to the top of the underworld, all while evading the lure of their vices and the consequences of their actions. It’s about daring heists, dangerous alliances, and hard choices.
For this story, we built out a brand-new setting: Imperial City, the capital of the Empire, set in a Roaring Twenties-inspired era. It felt like the perfect time and place to set our band of smugglers loose.
If you enjoy what you hear, please take some steps to support us! We’ve got a pay-what-you-want Patreon, where any amount of money each month will get you access to all future bonus content. We’ve also got a merch store with t-shirts and stickers featuring logos from the Magpies, The City That Never Dies, and Clever Corvids Productions. And of course, please leave us reviews wherever you can! This is a new show on a new feed, and reviews are a great way to help people find it.
Next, I’d like to tell you about this month’s featured charity. RefugeeOne is a Chicago-based organization that supports newly arrived refugees as they settle into their lives in the Chicago area. Their support ranges from finances to housing, from food to toys, from mentoring to tutoring to job placement. They’re preparing for a few hundred Afghan refugees to arrive in the next few months and could use some extra help. Visit refugeeone.org/donate if you’re able to support financially, and if you happen to be in the Chicago area, check out their site for other volunteer and donation opportunities.
Now then. Let’s get started, shall we?
## Story begins [00.02.33]
Rhi: We open up on a film. Black and white images of train passengers flicker past, a little grainy, a little jittery. The train car in the film is spacious and bright, and everyone inside is dressed in the latest fashions. Two men sit side by side holding hands as they read a newspaper, the headlines filled with tales of fame and fortune. A young person checks their makeup in a small compact and two children run to the train windows and point outside in excitement. The film’s title appears: Welcome to Imperial City, the City of Light.
Then, the film fades away into reality. Still a train car, but this one is crowded. A few of the bulbs are burned out. Luggage and people are crammed into the narrow seats. But even so, they hurry to the windows and peer out as the conductor announces:
Rhi (as Conductor): Next stop, Imperial City!
Rhi: Some cities never sleep. This is the city that never dies.
We swoop out from the train car and see the city itself, a gleaming beacon built on cliffs surrounding a large, dark bay. Skyscrapers reach towards the stars above, ships of every size move across the water, and our train rattles away across a massive suspension bridge built over the bay. And above it all, at the highest point of the city, sits the Imperial Palace. A towering fortress of white marble, glass and gold watching over the capital city and the entire Imperium.
We move into the city itself, through streets filled with goat-drawn carriages, cars and buses. Past factories spewing smoke, with striking workers outside. Through office buildings filled with corporate workers. Past storefronts, cafes, theatres and stadiums. Until finally, we find ourselves at a small Bluecoat station with uniformed officers milling around outside. At the back of the station are a handful of jail cells. One holds a few well-dressed, giggling drunks, another holds a man who insists loudly, over and over, that he didn’t steal anything, and in the last we find four individuals recently arrested and waiting for bail.
Minna: So, I think that kind of like—actually, I think tucked under one of the bunks in the corner, with her knees drawn up before her, is Arlene Graeme. She has dark brown eyes, fair skin with a scattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks and a mouth that looks like it wants to smile. Her hair is cut in a very short, curly bob. It’s kind of coppery, kinda those ones that highlight the cheekbones and don’t go much further than that. And from day to day her clothing style kinda changes. Today, um, she has got a boxy green tweed coat which is currently open because she is inside and also trying to—can’t sit on a seat like a normal person right now.
Rhi: [laughs]
Minna: And kind of a knee-length skirt, woolen stockings. Her shoes are not currently on, they are kind of like, tossed across the cell. And she’s looking, like, extremely bored.
Josie: Echo, as the only name she’s known by, is a very, very tall slender woman. And by tall, I mean approaching seven feet. But she’s not bulky. She has very pale skin and blonde hair that is almost white done back in a short braid. She’s dressed in a grey button-up shirt and a dark red tie and long, black trousers. On her hands she always wears black leather gloves and about her shoulders is a heavy long black trench coat. Right now it’s just sorta draped on her shoulders and she doesn’t have her arms in the sleeves. Instead, she’s got them crossed over her chest.
She has a very neutral expression on her face, which is kind of the norm for her. She has gentle lips and soft eyes, but it’s made a little weird by the fact that despite the fact she’s leaning against the wall with her arms crossed in a very naturalistic pose, she is extremely still. Like, no involuntary motion still. And the fedora that she usually wears is on the bunk beside her. Whenever a Bluecoat passes the cell, she just follows them with her head very softly and quietly but very uniformly, and what little expression can be seen on her face seems to indicate she’s enjoying kinda fucking with them.
Rhi: [laughs]
Josie: But she’s not really saying much. She’s quiet.
Aki: Uh, next you will see, probably sitting on one of the bunks, very uncomfortably as well, would be a very, very tall Tycherosi woman fitted in a dark suit with two small horns that look like they’re growing rather freshly and her body is scattered with red scales, especially on the forehead and around her sharp, blackened eyes and cheekbones, and of course all over her digitigraded legs. And she has sharp talons, long curly but especially stylized hair, which is this red-black ombre, red being her natural hair color. And finally, she has this long, noodle-like tail which has noticeably been docked incorrectly, so there is no possible fur-like growth, it’s simply just an ugly tail. And her aura radiates “gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss”.
[laughter]
Rhi: And what is her name?
Aki: Oh yes, her name is Darling Tsering.
Kim: So, sitting on the floor, you know, with their arms propped up against their knees, is a non-binary person in their—looks to be about their early to mid-60s. And their name is Valerie Sullivan. And the way that they present is that they’re very fashionable, very on the pulse as far as the current looks and trends go. They have some very glam-style makeup but very masculine-presented clothing. They’re currently, I think, wearing suspenders with, you know, some pants that are rolled up to the knee with some high socks. Probably a vest as well and some kind of tie or bow-tie. And they have short, cropped, greying hair with some, you know, white strands in it. Couple beauty marks on their face and some—a deep like, plum slash wine-colored lipstick. This is, you know, someone that absolutely looks like someone that would be out on the town. Very in their element just, you know, being kinda glitzy but in their own unique kind of way.
Rhi: You all are such a damn good-looking group, what the hell?
[laughter]
Rhi: [laughs] I’m mad about it, Jesus!
Josie: [giggles]
Rhi: So good.
Josie: I’m not. I’m proud of everybody.
Rhi: [laughs] This is so good. So, the four of you are sitting around in this cell. You’ve been here for probably about six or eight hours. There’s not a clock in here, so you’re not sure exactly how long. But you got picked up last night and have been waiting here for a while. But fortunately, your wait is over. A couple Bluecoats come up and one of them starts to unlock the door to your cell, uh, and she says:
Rhi (as Bluecoat): Alright. Your bail’s been paid. Your ride is waiting out front. Don’t do it again, etc.
Kim (as Valerie): Much obliged.
Josie: As she’s finishing the last words of that, Echo has already slipped her arms into her trench coat and is moving past her. Just like, “Eh, I don’t care.”
Rhi: [laughs] Yeah. So yeah, door slides open with a clang, the other Bluecoat who was there will lead the four of you up to the front of the station.
Minna: [laughs] Can I just say that there’s definitely a moment, like, Arlene definitely is like, lagging behind for a second because she has to stop and shove her feet into her shoes and like, put her coat on.
Rhi and Josie: [laughs]
Rhi: Imagining, like, hopping down the hall trying to get your foot into your shoe, yes. So, you’re all brought up to the front of the station, your belongings that were confiscated the night before are returned to you. I think some things are jumbled up, you probably have to pass things back to each other.
Kim: I think Val, when they get their belongings back starts fishing into the pockets of one of their jackets and returns their hand back as if to make a, you know, a handshake to the Bluecoat. Looks them straight in the eye and is like:
Kim (as Val): We’ll make sure this doesn’t get out, right?
Rhi (as Bluecoat): Yeah, Miss Barsotti was very generous in paying your bail.
Kim (as Val): Very good.
Kim: And they’re gonna wink as they, you know, slip a bill in their hand. [laughs]
Rhi: Yeah. The Bluecoat shakes and the smile gets a little bigger and will nod back, and then yeah, their hand just slips into their pocket. [laughs]
Aki: Darling has been pouting this whole time. She is very, very, very visually upset, or rather embarrassed. And so, when she’s getting her things back she’ll be like:
Aki (as Darling): Yes, yes, the white feathered boa. That is mine. That is mine. Please hand it—oh! It’s missing a few things. That’s fine. It’s not like it was irreplaceable or anything.
Aki: And she’ll put it on and simply turn around and leave with as much, um, puffy grace as a snobby bitch can.
[laughter]
Minna: I think Arlene catches up and just kind of like, touches her elbow lightly and gives her like a little smile.
Aki (as Darling): [grumbling]
Aki: And then Darling will lick her, like, her own thumb and wipe where there’s a dirt smudge on your cheek a little bit.
Minna: Oh…Darling!
[laughter]
Josie: Adorable.
Aki (as Darling): We spent a night with pigs, doesn’t mean we have to look like we walked out of a pigsty.
Minna (as Arlene): I mean, we did.
[laughter]
Aki (as Darling): Yes, but I’d rather not look like it.
Josie: Echo, for her part, is having the reverse of that scene in the movie where a character keeps removing new weapons from their…
Rhi: [laughs]
Josie: Except it’s not weapons, it’s pouches of bolts and wrenches and tools that aren’t really recognizable and probably confused the Bluecoats a lot. And she’s just finding new places in her big, long trench coat to slide and hang these little pouches so it looks like they’re not in there. It’s a wonder she doesn’t—the coat doesn’t clank. But I guess that’s part of the heavy thickness of it, is so there’s no sound. So, she was first out of the cell and last out of the station, I think.
Rhi: [laughs] So, the four of you make your way out of the station, down the steps. And waiting in the street is a fairly sizeable, not top-of-the-line but still fairly nice black car. Leaning against the passenger side door with her arms crossed is your handler, Bailey Barsotti. Bailey is an Akorosian woman. Light skin, short dark curly brown hair she keeps cut quite, quite short. She is short and fat and very beautiful. She has gotten romantically involved with half the enforcers in the gang and the other half are hoping that they’re next. She is rarely seen outside of her perfectly tailored three-piece suits. That is in fact what she’s wearing right now. Arms are crossed and she looks rather thoroughly unimpressed with the four of you as you’re coming down the stairs. And in the back seat, head poking out of the window, is Pearl.
Aki: [delighted gasp]
Rhi: Aki, do you wanna tell us about Pearl?
Aki: Pearl is a very large, I wanna say semi-adult, because she’s technically young but would count as an adult, I guess, for them, umbral tiger. Yes.
Josie: And what do umbral tigers look like?
Aki: Like ghost tigers. Like—like, I would assume tiger-sized, but I guess they would look more like panthers really, right?
Rhi: Yeah.
Aki: And with some noticeable whiter stripes, or lighter stripes, but it’s all in dark shade tones. We match every single time we leave together.
Rhi: [laughs]
Kim: Well, black goes with everything, so.
Aki: Mm hmm. And I was gonna say, the minute I see Pearl I just raise my hands and go:
Aki (as Darling): Mumma’s here, darling! Come here!
Rhi: Pearl tries to climb through the window, but is a little too big, so Bailey like, rolls her eyes, leans over, opens the door and Pearl will lope over to you and give you an affectionate headbutt. Bailey just heaves a sigh and is like:
Rhi (as Bailey): Yes, the cat is fine. I got your car from the impound lot, it’s back at the garage.
Kim (as Val): All in one piece, I hope?
Rhi (as Bailey): Er, I mean, I could drive it, sort of.
Kim (as Val): Good.
Josie (as Echo): There goes my hopes for getting a different model.
Rhi: [laughs]
Kim (as Val): I don’t need to hear it from you, doll. Alrighty? The Drake’s a fine car.
Rhi (as Bailey): Uh…
Rhi: Bailey kind of makes a face.
Rhi (as Bailey): Boss wants to talk to all of you, so uh, pile in.
Kim (as Val): Oh, won’t that be fun.
Rhi (as Bailey): Oh yeah. It’s gonna be a real treat.
Josie (as Echo): I’m sure they just want to congratulate us on a great job in getting out of prison.
Rhi: l think Bailey just has to crane her neck back because you’re probably a good at least 18 inches taller, if not more.
Josie: Uh huh.
Rhi: And is just like:
Rhi (as Bailey): Yeah. That’s definitely what he wants to talk to you about.
Rhi: And then just walks around and gets in the driver’s side.
Josie: Echo, in return, tries to flutter her eyelids but can’t really. Like, she just can’t move them that fast. So instead, she puts her hand to her cheek and is like “ain’t I a stinker” but in a very smooth pose that contrasts with her super-soft composure.
Rhi: [laughs] So, everybody piles in. I imagine that Pearl is just sprawled across a few people’s laps.
Josie: Aww.
Kim: Who has Pearl’s butt? Who gets the tail?
Rhi: [laughs]
Aki: Well certainly not me, I have the head.
Minna: Arlene. [laughs]
Kim: Yeah.
Rhi and Josie: [laugh]
Rhi: So, you all pile into the car and Bailey will drive you off into the city. You were picked up in Veldaire Hill, which is one of the many districts in Imperial City. Veldaire Hill is home to a number of residences, businesses, one of the colleges of Imperial City and a Bluecoat station, where you all spent the night. It’s about mid-morning and as you drive through the streets traffic isn’t too bad and there are a fair number of people out on the street. A lot of what looks like college students making their way to and from classes. There is already a group of lectric cross fans pre-gaming for the game later this afternoon.
Josie: Go Thunder Goats!
Rhi: [laughs] Yes, it is a Thunder Goats game, there’s a lot of Thunder Goats fans out. People say that the Thunder Goats fans make up for their team’s consistent losing by making any game day a party day. They start drinking early and finish drinking late. Well, of course, officially not drinking. Because that would be illegal and a crime. And these are all good, law-abiding citizens who would never touch alcohol.
Josie: Of course.
Rhi: Those people are just very excited, and that’s why they’re stumbling around and laughing.
Josie: [laughs]
Rhi: And from there, you drive down into Corvus Row, which clearly transforms from a sort of mixed residential college town type area into more of a business and market district. There’s a lot of new construction happening, new, taller buildings going in. Lots of businesses ranging from just small, individual storefronts to big warehouses, big shopping centers. And you eventually pull up outside of the Nightcaps warehouse. The Nightcaps, about a decade or so ago, ran a fairly well-known, fairly profitable distillery here. But then the Immortal Emperor, in his infinite wisdom, advised by the ministers of the Imperium, determined that alcohol and the consumption thereof was a bane to productivity. And we couldn’t have that. Nothing should interfere with the prosperity of the Empire. And so, an Empire-wide prohibition on the production and sale of alcohol was instituted.
And the Nightcaps, as a great many organizations did, adapted. They continued producing alcohol. Just in secret now. So, while officially the Nightcaps just run a warehouse, you all know that their distillery is constantly at work beneath the warehouse proper. So, Bailey parks the car out front and gets out and leads you into the warehouse. And over to the very back where the Nightcaps leader has his office. She knocks and pokes her head in, says:
Rhi (as Bailey): Hey Grandad, I’m back with the Whisky Jays.
Rhi: And you hear a:
Rhi (as Voice): [heavy sigh] Yeah, send them in.
Rhi: So Bailey will push the door open and gesture for you all to enter.
Kim (as Val): Hiya, Benny.
Rhi: The man sitting behind the desk in this office kinda gives Val a curt nod. It’s a nice office. Nice wooden desk, wood paneling. There’s some paintings and framed photographs on the wall. One of the photographs is a picture of a somewhat younger-looking version of the man behind the desk with a much younger version of Bailey. She looks like she’s probably a pre-teen.
Josie: Aww!
Rhi: You know, it looks like it could be really kinda any corporate office, except for the, uh—well, it looks like a baseball bat, but you all know kinda from the heft of it that it’s just a solid piece of metal propped up next to his desk. It’s always there, this isn’t a particular threat against any of you, but it’s kind of a reminder that Benny Barsotti, while he may be a mafia leader and businessman, frankly, at this point, came by his nickname of ‘The Bruiser’ honestly. So, he waits for all of you to filter in and Bailey pulls the door shut behind you, with her outside. And he looks over the four of you for a moment and says:
Rhi (as Benny): So, you all fucked up.
Kim (as Val): We did. I won’t deny it.
Rhi (as Benny): That was a lot of our product that the Bluecoats smashed and poured down the drain.
Kim: I’m trying to think of a way I can spin this. Out of character, game master, we didn’t recover any of that, did we?
Rhi: You—basically, what happened is you all were doing a run with a lot of whisky and got busted by the cops, and they threw you in jail, impounded your car and just took all of the whisky and dumped it. So, you saved nothing.
Josie (as Echo): On the plus side, Shadowfields is probably our friends now.
Rhi (as Benny): I don’t think they dumped it in a way that’s going to make it easily consumable by the folks down there. But it’s a nice thought.
Kim (as Val): What can we do to make it up for ya?
Minna (as Arlene): An extremely drunk dog in Shadowfields is now our friend.
Rhi (as Benny): Ugh. Val, asking the relevant question, what can you do to make it up to me? Well, I have calculated the cost of the contraband and you all owe us 12 coin.
Rhi: Now, as a point of reference, 10 coin is like selling a small house.
Aki: [sucks in breath]
Rhi: So, 12 coin is a lot of money.
Aki (as Darling): 12? What was the whisky made of? Solid gold?
Josie: So Darling could sell her place and it still wouldn’t cover it?
Rhi: Yes.
Josie: [laughs]
Aki: Speaking of Darling, y’all see her eyebrow visibly twitch involuntarily at the mention of owing and prices.
Minna: [laughs]
Rhi (as Benny): So, once you all repay us for the money that you’ve cost us, then I will consider it water under the bridge. But until then, you’re on the hook. And if you don’t pay, if you try to skip out on your bills, there will be consequences.
Kim (as Val): Loud and clear.
Rhi (as Benny): Since we’re clear on that—
Rhi: And his demeanor kind of changes very quickly from “I’m gonna fucking eat your faces” to, you know, affable businessman—
Rhi (as Benny): I do have a task for you that hopefully you’ll handle better. I need you to swing by Hops and Robbers.
Minna: [gasps] I forgot!
Josie: What was Hops and Robbers again?
Rhi: Sorry, I had to pause for a second cause that hurt me to say.
Kim: Rhi just took two psychic damage.
Rhi: I did, yeah, that was painful.
Minna: You allowed this.
Rhi: I did, I did.
Minna: You had veto power.
Rhi: I did. But…here’s the thing. It’s such, like, it is 100% a brewery name.
Josie: [laughs]
Minna: Rhi has been hurt by breweries in the past. [laughs]
Rhi (as Benny): I need you all to swing by Hops and Robbers, pick up some cases of their beer and just bring it back to our warehouses here for distribution. Nice. Simple. Easy. Should be hard to fuck up.
Josie (as Echo): I don’t know boss, after so long behind bars, we might be changed people.
Kim (as Val): She doesn’t mean that.
Josie: Throughout all the wisecracking, Echo’s face doesn’t change at all. At all.
Minna: I love Echo already.
Josie: [laughs]
Kim (as Val): How much beer do you want?
Rhi (as Benny): I’m aware, Val. Gatwell’s got the amount set aside, he knows how much to give ya. And uh, well, I figure you all will need a day or so to get yourselves back in order after your trying ordeal.
Rhi: He like, looks as Echo as he says that.
Josie: [laughs]
Rhi (as Benny): So I’ll tell him to expect you tomorrow night.
Kim (as Val): Works for us.
Rhi (as Benny): You’ll get paid as usual, although if you’d like to put any of that payment towards your debt, you can do that once the job’s done.
Kim (as Val): Very well.
Rhi (as Benny): Alright. Get out of here.
Kim (as Val): Alright.
Rhi: Like, makes shooing motions with his hands.
Kim (as Val): It won’t happen again.
Rhi (as Benny): Better not!
Kim (as Val): Thanks, Benny.
Rhi: He kinda gives you a little salute as you all file out.
Kim (as Val): Well, that coulda been worse.
Rhi: Bailey is just kinda out there and nods and is like:
Rhi (as Bailey): Yeah, definitely coulda been a lot worse. But uh, here.
Rhi: And she reaches into an inside pocket of her jacket and takes out train passes and is like:
Rhi (as Bailey): Here, get yourselves home. You know, let me know if you need anything, as usual. But otherwise, I got business to take care of here.
Kim (as Val): Okay. Take it easy, Bails.
Josie: Echo waves stiffly.
Rhi: Did Pearl come in with you all, or did Pearl wait in the car?
Aki: No, Pearl comes in, Pearl comes out. This is how it works, I must walk my cat.
Josie: [laughs]
Rhi: Alright yeah, so Bailey will lean down and give Pearl a scritch on the head, like:
Rhi (as Bailey): Alright, see you all around. Try not to get arrested again.
Kim (as Val): Will do.
Josie (as Echo): There go my hopes of fixing up the Glamdring. Or The Drake, as you call it.
Kim (as Val): Listen, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it. Sure, it’s a little rough around the edges, but it’s still perfectly fine and working.
Josie (as Echo): Yes, but Glamdrings are perfect for show pieces. We can’t have it breaking down on the job.
Kim (as Val): Yeah, that’s why I always tune it up. It’s fine. We don’t need to, like, get into all the nitty gritty and the bolts and the—listen, I know you wanna tinker with it, I know, but it’s just—
Josie (as Echo): You mean why I have to fix it up?
Kim (as Val): No.
Rhi: [laughs]
Kim (as Val): No. I’m the one that fixes it up, you don’t touch that car.
Rhi: [laughs] Echo constantly touches the car.
Josie: [laughs]
Josie (as Echo): It’s not like my hands get dirty.
Kim (as Val): It’s not about your hands! I don’t care about your fingernails, doll. It’s just I don’t like it when other people touch my car. It’s not personal. Just, don’t touch it. I have it under control, really.
Aki (as Darling): Repeat that again, Echo. Your hands don’t get dirty?
Josie (as Echo): Well, they can get dirty, but they are easy to keep clean.
Aki (as Darling): Everything gets—gets dirt—no, no one speak to me, I haven’t had a bath yet or my morning coffee, or my afternoon tea. I’m leaving. [grandly] Goodbye!
Rhi: [laughs loudly]
Kim (as Val): Bye, Dar.
Rhi: So, what I’m picturing there was Darling like, swans off. But you all end up at the same, like, subway station anyway. [laughs]
Josie: [laughs] Uh huh.
Aki: It’s exactly what happens. But I have to announce that I’m leaving so you know that I’m leaving.
Josie: [laughs]
Rhi: So yeah, I think in Corvus Row the subway here is a subway, it starts off underground. And since it is about mid-morning it’s not too busy. You definitely get a lot of looks because of the tiger.
Minna: [laughs]
Rhi: There’s a couple, like, subway employees that are kind of like, standing off to one side whispering to each other, and it’s clear that they’re debating, like:
Rhi (as Subway Staff): Should we go say something? I feel like we should say something, but also, it’s a tiger, and I just—I don’t—we don’t get paid enough, man. I’m not. I’m not.
Rhi: So— [laughs]
Aki: When I notice, I look at Pearl and look back at them and look back at Pearl, and then it dawns on me.
Aki (as Darling): Oh, I don’t have her leash on.
Aki: And I just pull the leash out and snap it on.
[laughter]
Kim (as Val): You know you can’t walk ya tiger unleashed. That’s how accidents happen. You gotta keep your pet on a leash, Darling.
Rhi: [laughs]
Minna: I think Arlene turns to the nearest unnerved people and is like:
Minna (as Arlene): Don’t worry, she’s a big softie.
Kim (as Val): Real friendly.
Minna (as Arlene): Just don’t mess with her.
Rhi (as Subway Staff): No, wasn’t—was not…was not gonna mess with her. Thank you, ma’am, for putting on the leash. I appreciate it.
Aki (as Darling): Oh no problem at all, it was clearly my fault.
Rhi: They both like, retreat back into the little ticket stand and are just clearly staying there until you go away.
Josie: [laughs]
Aki: I straight up look at Pearl like:
Aki (as Darling): Why didn’t you tell me I didn’t put your leash on? We’re telepathically linked, you should remind me of these things.
Aki: [laughs]
Rhi: [laughs] Yeah, I think Pearl is probably watching, like, a rat scurry down the side of the tracks.
Aki (as Darling): No, don’t eat that. You have no idea where it’s been. We take the premium rats only.
Rhi: The subway rattles up, you all pile on, and head out back towards your various homes over in Kestrel Heights, which is on the downslope side of the city. Imperial City is built on a large cliff overlooking the bay. But it is sort of—the whole cliff slopes down towards the bay, and so Kestrel Heights is closer to the docks, not at the elevated heights of some of the other fancier, wealthier districts. As the train moves along the tracks, it eventually comes out of the cliff, essentially, as the ground slopes away. And it goes from being a subway to being an elevated train. And so, you all can look out the windows at the skyscrapers, the streets. You can see glimpses of the dock and the ships in the bay, until eventually you pass into Kestrel Heights and make it all the way out to the riverside neighborhood of Kirin Cove, which is where most of you live and have your base of operations set up.
Josie: On the train I think Echo gently reaches out a hand to pet Pearl and is like, kind of murmurs very quietly:
Josie (as Echo): Are you letting me pet you yet?
Aki: I think Pearl is still getting used to you, especially your hands. So if anything, it’s like one lick, one nip at your finger just to make sure she knows what it is, are she’ll just—she’ll let you, once or twice.
Josie: Echo seems silently pleased at this and then it like:
Josie (as Echo): Okay, we’ll work on it.
Rhi: [laughs]
Kim (as Val): It’s progress.
Rhi: Alright, so you make it back to your stop. Are folks heading off to their respective homes first?
Aki: Yes.
Josie: Um, I mean, yes, but Echo lives at the hideout, so… [laughs]
Rhi: Yes.
Kim: I think Val is headed to the garage to just do a once-over on the car.
Rhi: Yeah. How about Arlene? Where’s she headed?
Minna: I think she’s been cooped up for a while, so she’s just burning energy. She’s gonna go for a walk.
Rhi: Okay. So, yeah, Darling and Pearl head off for their home. Arlene just strikes out down the street, and Echo and Val head for the garage, which, if I recall correctly, let me pull up the Crew sheet, it’s an underground garage, right? We put it in a—it’s like a cave?
Josie: I imagine there’s, like, a small business kiosk or building up to next to like, a ramp that leads down.
Rhi: Yeah, that’s what I was gonna ask, is how do you access it? So, I imagine there’s like, stairs maybe, in the little businessy area?
Josie: Yeah. Random detail, the staircase that leads down from the storefront essentially is a wrought spiral staircase, clearly transplanted from somewhere else, and doesn’t really fit the aesthetic here.
Rhi: Yes. I love it. Who slides down it?
Kim: I don’t—yeah, I don’t think Val does.
Rhi: Yeah, I was just gonna say I feel like at least one person in this group routinely slides down the spiral staircase.
Minna: I feel like Arlene watches Echo do it once and just like, follows her and is like:
Minna (as Arlene): Catch me!
Rhi and Josie: [laughs]
Josie: Aw, yay!
Rhi: Oh, that’s cute. And the shopfront is not open. It has been closed for a while, because it’s not actually a functioning public garage, it’s just your lair. So, I think let’s start there with Val and Echo, as the two of you head down the stairs in the garage. What does the garage look like?
Josie: I kinda like the idea of it being furnished, but this clashing with a lot of it. Like, I imagine there’s a lot of exposed stone walls cause it’s underground, right? So, I like the idea of this big, plush, silky couch up against this fucking cave wall.
Rhi: [laughs] Yeah. Yeah, I imagine that Darling would wanna make sure that if she has to be here, she will be here in comfort.
Josie: [laughs]
Kim: At the same time though, I really like the idea of random pieces of furniture being thrifted or second-hand or like, somebody obviously left this out on the sidewalk and someone is just like, “Oh, that’d be good for the lair.” And um, it’s just a real clash.
Josie: [laughs]
Rhi: Yeah, I love the idea of just a bunch of mismatched odds and ends.
Kim: Yeah.
Josie: Yeah, it’s a very—it’s like low-budget bat cave. [laughs]
Kim: Yeah.
Rhi: Josie, how does—since Echo is kinda the main mechanic for the crew, and since Echo lives here, um, what is kind of the, like, workspace setup like? How does that look?
Josie: Well, thinking back to garages I know, like, the ramp just kind of leads into a work area. I think it’s pretty small, so it’s just a stretch where the pavement kind of comes down and then turns into metal plating. And then like, one or two parking spots off to the side for other cars that are probably really filled with different junk. And then kind of cordoned off in the middle of the room near that section is like, a very seemingly-disorganized array of toolboxes of varying heights and cables that either come out from underneath the plating or from the other room where Echo usually stays, leading over to like, power tools or hookup vehicles that might require ectoplasm, stuff like that.
Rhi: Yeah. I’m also imagining that like, most of the room is lit with just like—it wouldn’t be fluorescent lighting, but just kind of like, real harsh, unpleasant, like, bare bulbs. Except there’s like, over where the little sitting area is set up, there’s a couple really nice, fancy lamps.
Josie: Yeah! [laughs]
Kim: Do we have sconces?
Rhi: Yes.
Kim: Yesss.
Rhi: And Kim?
Kim: Yeah?
Rhi: Tell me about the car.
Kim: Yeah. So, the Glamdring is—also called The Drake—is, out of context for—sorry, you first.
Rhi: Yeah, I was gonna say, to clarify, Glamdring is the model of car that we’re going with here.
Josie: Or at least the brand.
Kim: Right, Glamdring is the brand.
Rhi: Yeah, the brand of the car.
Kim: And the make is a Drake. Did not intend that to rhyme. But anyways, out of context for our real world, the Drake resembles somewhat of a 1920s/1930s Bentley and it’s a, like, a pastel, minty green, bluish teal color. And it has, you know, one of those convertible roofs that you can push down, like, towards the trunk.
Minna: What color’s the roof?
Kim: Black, just basic black. Um, and like a black leather interior. It has, you know, those two spotlights for headlights that are just very round on top of that, you know, tall face right at the top of the car. I’m not a car person. This is so hard to describe.
[laughter]
Rhi: No worries.
Kim: It’s a little, like, much like Val themselves, it’s a little worn down. They’ve had this car for a long time and like, back in its heyday, maybe like 10, 15 years ago, this was the It Car, and it’s still a pretty popular car but, you know, the paint’s probably chipping a little bit and the tires could probably use some extra air. It probably rumbles in a certain way that’s slightly concerning, but like, it still works, it still is operable. It gets the job done, It’s a sturdy boy.
Rhi: I think that there’s clear tire skid marks on the pavement, as if the person who last was driving this in was having a little trouble with the brakes. [laughs]
Kim: Oh no.
Rhi: And came to a very sharp, abrupt halt. [laughs]
Josie: [laughs]
Rhi: Because, uh, Val is the only one—Val is the Drake-whisperer, Val is the only one who can get this car to work properly. Anybody else who tries to drive it is like, “What the fuck?”
Josie: I’ve seen its interior. I should know how this works. It doesn’t make sense. [laughs]
Rhi: [laughs] So Kim, you said that Val was gonna go check over the car. What does Echo do?
Josie: I think Echo, I think, has some banter back and forth with Val about the car, but her normally very even, calm pace quickens a little bit as she plops her trenchcoat on a coat hanger and enters one of the side rooms that is her room. And people are allowed in there, it’s not a secret to the other characters what’s in there, but she kind of keeps the little window covered and a lot of the big cables that lead over to the work area come from there. And she sort of rushes over into a side room after exchanging some banter, shuts the door and then there’s a rumbling sound, like an industrial air conditioner almost is running.
Kim: Oh jeez.
Rhi: Yeah. So, let’s go over to Darling. You’re at home. You’ve had a bath. Pearl has probably also had a bath.
Aki: Of course.
Rhi: Uh, what do you—what are you doing on this late morning, now that you’re back at home after a night in jail?
Aki: Well, I’ve definitely taken a very nice, long bath. Given Pearl her nice, long bath. I’m definitely in some sort of silk robe and I have the kettle on because, like I said, I haven’t had my morning coffee nor my afternoon tea, so now I have to have some sort of beverage related to caffeine in order to function properly. Semi-properly. I’m still functional.
Rhi: [laughs]
Aki: Darling is a functional gay, if anything.
Josie: [laughs]
Rhi: What does your house look like?
Aki: Mm, I believe it is semi-nice, I will say. And by semi-nice I mean it’s probably on the smaller side despite having, like, three to four bedrooms. So all of the décor will slowly clutter over time. We’ve got lots of lesbian houseplants by the window.
Kim: Yesss.
Rhi: [laughs]
Aki: Basically growing onto the walls at this point, and Darling’s definitely had to use rope and a stick and other adhesives to help it grow to its beautiful full length of however long it’s gonna grow. And, um, we’ve got velvet curtains, very lush cushions, this is just the living room too, you know, there’s a chandelier in here, too.
Rhi: [laughs]
Aki: Where did she get that from? We don’t know yet. But she’s very proud of this chandelier that she has to clean. Like, it’s cleaned, but like, getting it cleaned is definitely like, hmm, it’s a chore.
Minna: I am— I love the houseplants. I’m curious how they’re growing.
Aki: Oh right.
Minna: Because this is a world that doesn’t have a sun. Do you have radiant energy somehow set up in your home, or…?
Rhi: There might be… there could be like, plants are maybe—maybe they’re mushrooms rather than houseplants, so they don’t need sunlight?
Josie: Or just some other form of nocturnal plant, I’m sure those exist.
Rhi: Yeah.
Josie: Like, I mean, cave plants you can probably just have on the surface in this world.
Aki: Yeah. Probably—there’s definitely probably some fake ones in there just for show and décor, but in terms—there’s definitely—
Minna: Well, there are some that can grow in darkness.
Aki: Yeah, like, there are plants and whatnot that can grow—mushrooms probably, yeah. I think it’s fair to say that Darling probably actually grows mushrooms for when she wants to cook something. That would be nice.
Rhi: Yeah. So, I think we’ll go from there over to Arlene, who didn’t go home. Just struck off into the streets.
Minna: Honestly, I think she’s just kinda like walking along, like, the river in Kestrel Heights.
Rhi: Okay.
Minna: Like it’s probably not set up as a place to be walking, necessarily, but she’s just getting out some energy. I think she actually got some decent sleep in the bunk, because she was probably allowed to stretch out and sleep, but now she’s like, I just, I just gotta walk. Gotta do something. And like, probably stopping with street vendors to grab some food or something.
Rhi: Yeah. So, I think, yeah, walking along the river you can see there’s a few bridges that lead across the Veridane River and one of the bridges, kind of as you’re looking out, you can see a big, big truck rattling across carrying a bunch of recently-finished cars into Kestrel Heights. And looking across the river to the Ironworks district, you can see, you know, it’s always dark here in this world and time that you live in, but at least in some parts of the city you can kinda make out some stars. Above Ironworks they’re just gone, completely disappeared behind smoke and smog. And then, you know, as you look up the river, you can see the lights of Copperlight Island strung up. The Ferris wheel, the lights around the edge of the big carnival tents. What do you think Arlene buys from these street vendors to munch on?
Minna: I’m trying to think what street food…
Rhi: Meat on a stick.
Minna: Yeah.
Rhi: [laughs] You can’t go wrong with meat on a stick.
Minna: You really can’t go wrong with meat on a stick. So, I think there’s some of that. Maybe some like, fried mushrooms or something.
Rhi: Ooh, yeah, like maybe fried mushrooms and eel on a stick.
Minna: Yes. Classic, classic Akorosian food.
Rhi: Mm hmm, yep. So yeah, we see Arlene just sort of wandering along and munching, enjoying the freedom, just as everybody else is, before they have to come back together to start working on their next job. So, the Whisky Jays spend some time recuperating from their brief stint in jail and the next, well, what time do you think you all get together to start prepping for this pretty straight-forward smuggling job? You just have to go pick up some beer and drive it back to Corvus Row.
Josie: I’m thinking like, maybe 10pm?
Rhi: Okay.
Kim: Yeah.
Rhi: So yeah. So the following night, you all gather at the garage and—actually, first, so this is a Transport score and I assume that you’re using the car?
Kim: Yeah.
Rhi: The Drake?
Josie: Mm hmm.
Rhi: Okay. So what kinda loadout do each of you wanna have?
Kim: Uh, normal.
Josie: Also normal.
Minna: Normal.
Aki: Yeah, normal.
Rhi: Alright. So, have a normal amount of items for everyone. Let’s start figuring out the engagement roll. So, we’re got one for luck. “Is this operation particularly bold or daring?”
Josie: Nah.
Kim: No.
Rhi: No, not really. But it’s also not overly complex, so you don’t take any…no negatives on that. Plan’s detail is not really exposing a vulnerability. Friends—you have gotten your friends or contacts, your employers in the Nightcaps have tipped you off about this job, by which I mean they told you to do this job.
Josie: [laughs]
Rhi: “Enemies or rival interfering in the operation?” Yes. So that’s minus one. So that zeroes out. So this is just gonna shake out to a one die roll.
Josie: Woo.
Rhi: And that is a 3.
Kim: [groans]
Josie: Good start, everyone.
Minna: Awesome. Awesome, awesome, awesome.
Rhi: So, you’re gonna be in desperate position when the action starts. So, Hops and Robbers, the brewery, is located down in the Docks district. It is a fairly new acquisition by the Nightcaps. Just been kind of bought out in the last few months. Previously, it was kind of a little independent criminal operation. And the owner, you have never worked with the owner before. His name is Anton Gatwell, and part of the reason that Benny was so interested in bringing his operation on board is not just for the brewery, but because Gatwell is an ex-Bluecoat and he is able to use his connections in the Bluecoats to basically make sure his little criminal enterprise can operate for free. And Benny is hoping that, you know, Gatwell can put in a good word for a lot of the other Nightcaps operations and cut down on the amount of money that he has to spend on bribes.
Josie: [laughs]
Rhi: So, the four of you, five with Pearl, pile into the car, drive down to the docks and this is like—it’s not right on the waterfront, it’s a little back into the city itself. It’s just, you know, it’s an area where there’s clubs and hotels and lots of speakeasies in this area. Not super actively patrolled by the police, so it’s a little easier to get away with serving alcohol down here. And you pull up around back of where the Hops and Robbers brewery operates out of. What kind of business do we think they use as a front?
Kim: Ooh… Hops and Robbers. See, a part of me wants to say laser tag, but we don’t have that yet.
Minna: [laughs]
Rhi: No!
[laughter]
Rhi: No.
Minna: My immediate thought was a pet store focused only on bunnies, which makes no sense.
Kim: Do we even have bunnies?
Rhi: [through laughter] I don’t know!
Minna: I just heard Hops and my brain was like, “What else could that be a pun for?”
Josie: Oh no…
Rhi: Oh my God.
Josie: What if it was a theatre venue?
Minna: Ooh.
Rhi: Okay, yeah… I like theatre. So, it’s a theatre that every show is mysteriously—like, the majority of the shows are mysteriously cancelled and the ones that manage to be put on are terrible.
Kim: Oh no.
Rhi: [laughs]
Josie: But they have cool effects, with like, steam and stuff.
Rhi: Yeah. [laughs] So, you pull up at the H&R Theatre.
Josie: On the H&R block.
Rhi: [laughs] And who goes to knock on the back door?
Kim: I think Val does.
Rhi: Okay. So Val, you knock on the back door. There’s a little bit of a delay before the door kinda cracks and you can see a, like, middle-aged Akorosian man with kinda slicked-back black hair peering out at you. Then he opens the door and is like:
Rhi (as Man): Uh hi, can I help you?
Kim (as Val): Yeah, we’re lookin’ for Gatwell. You heard of him?
Rhi (as Man): Yeah, that’s me.
Kim (as Val): Oh.
Rhi (as Gatwell): Who are you?
Kim (as Val): Uh, we were sent by Benny.
Rhi (as Gatwell): Mm. What did he send you for?
Kim (as Val): Uh, just a quick pick-up. Drop-off. He said you had some goods for us.
Rhi (as Gatwell): No. I don’t have anything. He didn’t tell me I was supposed to have anything prepped for you all.
Kim (as Val): Really? See, that sounds kind of out of character for him.
Rhi: Yeah, you, uh…you’ve been around for a while. And you’re just kind of—from the body language, you have a reason to suspect this man might not be being entirely honest with you.
Kim: Yeah. Alright, um…
Kim (as Val): Listen. If you can’t get us what we’re looking for and you are Gatwell, can you get us to someone who can help us out? Because we’re supposed to be here doing a job for him.
Rhi (as Gatwell): No, I mean, I don’t have any product ready. Come back in like, a week or something.
Kim (as Val): Uh, we need this by tonight.
Kim: And I think I’m gonna roll Consort here.
Rhi: Okay. So, this is gonna be desperate.
Kim: Oh, Jesus.
Josie: Mark xp. [sings victory tune]
Rhi: Yeah, you can mark xp.
Kim: In…in Resolve, yeah. Uh sure, alright, I’m just gonna go for it. [rolls dice] Okay. I rolled a 5 and a 6.
Rhi: Okay. So, that’s a 6. So, what are you trying to accomplish?
Kim: I think I just, I just wanna appeal to this guy a little bit. Like, if he has something to hide, Val’s just gonna approach and be like:
Kim (as Val): Hey, listen. If you’re in trouble we’ll help you out. If, you know, you really, truly don’t have the stock and it was just a misunderstanding, we understand, but Benny really wanted this done by tonight. It’s really nothing major, just a little bit of beer that he wants thrown up in the trunk. Just a, like, average amount. If you have anything at all that we can bring back to him, even if it’s half the cut, I think that’ll be fine.
Rhi (as Gatwell): Look, I…sorry, I really—I don’t have anything left.
Kim (as Val): Left? What, did you use it all?
Rhi (as Gatwell): No…yeah—yeah, I—there was a show, uh, and a lot of people…came.
Josie: Can you see living presences in the ghost field?
Rhi: Yeah.
Josie: I think Echo, while this is going on, wants to take a peek and see if there’s more than the usual number of people in the building behind him.
Rhi: Okay, yeah. I think just looking into the ghost—well no, I think that would be an Attune roll. I think for this it’ll just be risky, standard effect.
Josie: So not desperate on this one?
Rhi: No, this one it doesn’t really make sense to be desperate. And Kim rolled well on the last one, so things are not spiraling wildly out of control.
Kim: Yet.
Rhi: [laughs]
Josie: I got a 3.
Rhi: Oof. Okay. So, something bad happens, but I do wanna give you some information here as well. Lemme think…
Josie: And I think Echo’s blue irises just like, light up a little bit. It’s more like lights than like, phantasmal ghost stuff.
Rhi: Yeah. So, what you see is that the place is emptier than you would expect. There’s only a couple people moving around besides Gatwell, which is odd, especially if there was a big show that had tons of people here drinking all of his beer. So, that’s weird. In terms of the complication, I think maybe I’m just gonna start a clock for A Ghost Comes Over to Investigate You.
Josie: Okay.
Rhi: Cause you’re kind of an odd presence in the ghost field.
Josie: Yep.
Rhi: So, we’re gonna say Curious Ghost…we’re gonna make that…so we have Curious Ghost, 1 out of 4. That’ll be our consequence there.
Josie: A curious ghost is what you get when George gets too curious.
Minna: No…
Kim: Who is also dead.
Aki: [laughs]
Rhi: Oh no.
Minna: Nooo!
[laughter]
Rhi: Womp womp. Okay, so Darling and Arlene, the two of you can—like, you all have been doing this smuggling thing for a bit. This transaction should not be taking this long. Like, the fact that Val is over here still talking to this guy is weird. So, if the two of you want to do anything, investigate, try and figure out what’s going on…?
Minna: I think Arlene’s gonna like, kind of drift off. Because I assume she’s been hanging towards the back of the group anyway, so she’s gonna try and like, subtly drift off to try and find another way in.
Rhi: Okay, yeah. Give me a…
Minna: Probably a Prowl?
Rhi: Yeah. Give me a Prowl roll. I think this’ll be risky, standard.
Minna: 4.
Rhi: Okay. So yeah, you pretty easily find like, a back window that is propped open that you can climb in through. I think the consequence is just gonna be that you…
Minna: Maybe there’s something that she can’t avoid landing on?
Rhi: Yeah, yeah that’s what I was thinking.
Minna: Like, the floor is just covered in stuff.
Rhi: Oh, okay, here’s what I’m thinking. You jump in and the floor is just, like, wet because something spilled back here. And you just slip and bang your head on the floor.
Minna: [sucks in breath]
Josie: Ouch. [laughs]
Rhi: Yeah. So that’ll be…we’re just gonna call that level 1 harm, I think.
Minna: Yeah. I’m gonna go ahead and resist it, though.
Rhi: Okay. So, you’ll be resisting with Prowess, so however many dice you have in that first row, go ahead.
Minna: Oh, Prowess is my good one. 4, so I’m gonna take two stress.
Rhi: Okay. So you, yeah. You’ll take two stress to avoid that harm. Tell us how you avoid slipping and falling and bonking your head.
Minna: So, I think she jumps down, she feels her foot go out from under her and she just like, very firmly puts her shoulders back against the wall. Like, quietly, but with a hand clutched over the open windowsill.
Rhi: Yeah, just brace yourself. Yeah, so Darling—
Minna: Take a deep breath, don’t panic and just deal with it. [laughs]
Rhi: Yeah. Darling, is there anything you wanted to do at this juncture?
Aki: So we’re already essentially vibe checked this guy and—
Rhi: He is lying, like a liar.
Aki: Lying like a liar.
Kim: Who lies.
Aki: I think what I would like to do is just kind of, not push my way inside the house, rather it’s my turn to talk [laughs] to him.
Rhi: Yeah. [laughs]
Aki: And simply go:
Aki (as Darling): Who are you stalling for?
Rhi: Ooh…good. I like this angle. Gimme a roll?
Aki: What roll be this?
Rhi: Um…
Aki: Could I say this is Consort?
Rhi: Um, I think so. Because you’re not being manipulative, you’re asking for information. It sounds like a threat, but I think that’s just how Darling talks.
[laughter]
Rhi: Everything Darling says sounds a little menacing.
Aki: That’s just the girlboss energy.
Rhi: Yeah.
Aki: And a little bit of the gatekeeping energy.
Rhi: [laughs] So, go ahead and roll whatever you’ve got in Consort. I think this is gonna be risky, standard.
Aki: I got a 4.
Rhi: 4, okay. So you do it, but there is a consequence. So, he kinda looks around at the group of you that are here. He hasn’t realized that Arlene is missing. And he kinda grimaces and is just like:
Rhi (as Gatwell): [sighs] Alright look, I know this is gonna put you all in a bad spot, but the Brigantines reached out and they had a better deal for me, so I sold ‘em.
Kim (as Val): You sold them?
Rhi (as Gatwell): …yeah.
Kim (as Val): How much did they pay?
Rhi (as Gatwell): More than what Benny was offering.
Kim (as Val): I’m getting at how much more. I’m trying to figure out now if we have to buy out the Brigantines.
Rhi: He will—I don’t have an exact amount in mind, but he will quote a number that’s like, 50% more.
Kim (as Val): Shit.
Rhi (as Gatwell): Look, they got here a little bit before you did.
Josie (as Echo): And you are aware of Benny’s nickname, yes?
Rhi (as Gatwell): I am not scared of Barsotti.
Aki (as Darling): Then you should be very scared of me. Be a dear and tell us which way they went.
Rhi: I think give me a roll. This sounds like a Command.
Aki: Okay, so you said Command. I will roll for that… you want a picture? [laughs]
Rhi: [laughs] Nope, I believe you. You get a 6?
Aki: I did.
Rhi: Okay. So, you do it and he just kind of makes a face and is like:
Rhi (as Gatwell): They were heading east on 22nd Street, I think heading for their boats that they got down at the docks.
Kim (as Val): Alright, then I guess we’re snatching these things out from under ‘em.
Josie (as Echo): I’ll start the car.
Kim (as Val): No, you will not!
Rhi and Josie: [laugh]
Rhi: Arlene, did you want to Prowl around inside, or do you just wanna like, come up behind this guy as this conversation is winding down so you hear what’s going on?
Minna: Yes, I think narratively I would like to do that. And then she is like, kinda makes wide eyes over his shoulder at the group and like, points back the way she came and puts up a hand with two fingers, like, “Two minutes”.
[laughter]
Minna: And she slides back off the way she came.
Rhi: [laughs loudly] I really love that visual, it’s very good. Just, “Hi, guys!” [laughs] So he retreats back into the brewery, Arlene hops out a window and I’m imagining just kinda jumps into the car as it’s starting to move. And you all head off.
Minna (as Arlene): Hey, he broke faster than I thought.
Josie (as Echo): Yes, well Darling is scary.
Minna (as Arlene): She is.
Minna: I think she holds out a hand to Darling for a high five.
Aki: I give you a high five. I’ve learned what these are over the years.
[laughter]
Rhi: I’m imagining it’s the most delicate, refined high five. It’s not like a slap, you just put your hand against hers.
Aki: Yes. It’s very gentle.
Minna: Listen, I’m sure neither of them high fives like a normal person.
Rhi: No.
Josie: [laughs]
Kim (as Val): Listen, it’s really not that difficult. You just, you just, you know, you put out your hand and then— [slaps hands together] you know, nice and solid.
Rhi: [laughs]
Kim (as Val): You gotta commit.
Aki (as Darling): I’m committing to touching you. I just don’t want to apply force yet.
Kim (as Val): It’s a frickin’ high five! You don’t have to think about it, Dar.
Josie (as Echo): To be fair, me and Darling both have to worry about the amount of force we put into a high five.
Aki (as Darling): Yes, you’re all built so…flimsy. And small.
Rhi: [laughs loudly and claps]
Kim (as Val): Well excuse me that we can’t all be, like, amazing and tall and just completely strong and completely gorgeous.
Aki (as Darling): Why, thank you.
Josie (as Echo): Oh Val, thank you for saying that I’m amazing.
Kim (as Val): I mean, you are, doll. I was also talking about Dar.
Josie (as Echo): Does this mean I get to drive the car?
Kim (as Val): No. Sweetheart, if you want driving lessons I’ll get you a rental, but you’re not touching my car.
Josie (as Echo): I know how to drive.
Kim (as Val): Good for you, I’m glad you know how to drive. Still, I’m the only person who drives my car, because it’s my car. I don’t know what you’re not picking up what I’m putting down here.
Josie (as Echo): We need to get a Val-certified license.
Kim (as Val): It would be hard-won, doll. Hard-won.
Rhi: Are you guys having this conversation as you’re driving down?
Aki: Yes, absolutely.
Josie: Oh yeah, 100%.
Kim: Yeah.
Aki: Yeah.
Rhi: Okay. Somebody give me some kind of roll to see if you can pick up the trail.
Josie: I’m not good at Survey.
Aki: If this counts as a Hunt, I do have two.
Rhi: Yes, Hunt would be excellent here. You are tracking a target. Okay, so yeah, what did…I think this will probably be a risky, standard. So, what did you get?
Aki: We take the highest, right?
Rhi: Yep.
Aki: 5.
Rhi: 5, okay. So you do it, but consequence. I think that the reason you’re able to catch up, or get sight of them, is that they are in a—they don’t have a car, they are in a goat-drawn wagon. Because the city is in this sort of weird transition state where cars are becoming more common, but they are not—they haven’t fully overtaken. And particularly in areas where there’s just not as much money, a lot of people still use goat-drawn vehicles. As a point of reference for those who may not be familiar, the goats in question here are not like your regular-sized goats that you would see on a farm. These are Akorosian draft goats and they’re the size of a horse.
Josie: Fuckin’ chonkers.
Rhi: Yes. I think you catch sight, because they have, um, it’s just like an open wagon, and you’re able to see the crates that are stamped with your goddam Nightcaps logo on them being carted off down the streets.
Kim (as Val): Fuckers.
Rhi: [laughs] Darling, you spot this up ahead, and I am going to start a clock for you all catching up to them.
## Outro [01.07.57]
Thanks for joining us! The Whisky Jays will return in two weeks. The City That Never Dies is a Clever Corvids production. Visit our website at clever corvids dot net and follow us on Twitter at clever underscore corvids for the latest on this and other shows.
The City That Never Dies is GM’d and edited by Rhi. Check out her business Skill Check for copyediting and accessibility consulting for the RPG community at rpg skill check dot net.
Arlene Graeme is played by Minna Reilly. Find her on Twitter @mynaminnarr.
Darling Tsering is played by Aki. Find her on Twitter @akinomii_art (aki-no-me underscore art) for more TTRPG Content.
Echo is played by Josie. Find her on Twitter @dragongirljosie, and check out her art at josie-art.com.
Valerie Sullivan is played by Kim. Find her on Twitter @kimdianajones.
Our opening and closing theme music is from Something by Kai Engel and is used under a Creative Commons license. Blades in the Dark is the creation of John Harper and is published by Evil Hat Productions.
Here’s our very first jumbotron message, from Kickstarter backer Richard Kreutz-Landry. “A huge shout out to the Clever Corvids for setting a truly heist standard for Blades in the Dark AP content. Duskvol things considered, it’s one of my favorite TTRPG groups. The Magpies was aviary great show, the nest around, and I’m so eggscited to hear Project Bluejay. Thank you all!
Richard is a friend of the show and an absolute monster who paid good money to make me read all those puns live on air. Thanks, Richard.
And thanks to all our patrons for their ongoing support of Clever Corvids Productions.
## Blooper [01.10.03]
Rhi: That was a lot of our product that the Bluejays…not the Bluejays.
Minna: [laughs]
Rhi: That the Blue—
Josie: Eeh!
Rhi: Listen, you all should be proud that I haven’t messed up any of The Magpies with their former names yet.
Josie: [laughs]
Kim: [sings comedy stinger]
Rhi: It’s gonna happen.
Minna: I am proud.