Transcribed by Michelle Kelly.
## Intro
Rhi: Welcome back to Imperial City. As always, thank you so much for joining us. We’ve gotten some really lovely reviews lately, and they’ve brought us all a lot of joy. So if you want to make us very happy and help new people find the show, please review The City That Never Dies wherever you can! You can also support us through our merch store, which has awesome t-shirts and stickers, or through episode sponsorships.
If you can, a monthly contribution to our Patreon is a great way to support us. We’ve got this show up and running and, thanks to our current Patreon backers, it’s self-sustaining. But we want to do even more. We’re currently recording a bonus mini-series, and Josie’s working on a campaign actual play of her own. But the future of projects like those is much less certain. The money we raised through the Kickstarter is enough for us to get them started, but to continue projects like that, we need ongoing income. So if you’re able, a dollar or five on Patreon helps us get closer to building this production company into a place where we can tell all sorts of stories.
Next, Kim’s going to tell us about this month’s featured charity.
Kim: The Clean Air Task Force was rated as one of the most impactful climate change organizations by Vox News in 2021. They advocate for better policy, regulation, and energy use at the state and federal level, and have expanded to international advocacy as well. They focus on not only eliminating carbon and diesel emissions, but methane as well, a highly overlooked pollutant. They also campaign for revolutionary technological solutions, such as zero-carbon fuels, carbon capture, and more. To learn more about their impressive track record, and to donate, visit catf.us. That’s catf.us.
Rhi: If you’re a listener in the United States, we’re in a significant election year. November seems a long way away, but we need to start doing the groundwork now to get candidates who represent the changes we want to see. The last two years have been a resounding demonstration that vote blue no matter who doesn’t work–we need candidates who will actually fight for healthcare, wage increases, civil liberties, the environment, and so much more. Finding and supporting those candidates early is crucial to their later success.
If you’re in Canada, especially in places currently facing active threats from facist demonstrators, please stay safe. Do what you can to protect your neighbors, especially those of Asian descent who are facing increased hostility and violence now. And if you live elsewhere around the world: find something in your community that you can do to help make things a little better for yourself and your neighbors. Taking care of each other might feel small, but it matters.
Now then. Let’s get started, shall we?
## Story continues [00.03.29]
Rhi: And in some ways it’s probably almost a relief when you see the Bluecoat checkpoint, because at least this guy will have to shut up for a little bit. But there is a Bluecoat checkpoint. They’ve just— they do this periodically to make it look like they’re enforcing the prohibition rulings. They’ll just shut an intersection and you know, search cars, check IDs, that sort of thing, before they let people keep going. And you all have found yourself in line towards one of those now, and they’ve got people posted up so that like, you can’t just pull a U-turn and go a different way. You’re kinda stuck. So, your risky position that you’re in is you’re about to get to a Bluecoat checkpoint. You have a little bit of time to prepare and figure out how you’re going to deal with them, but you are going to have to deal with them in some way.
Josie: I think Echo looks at Daring and Arlene like, “You two are the social people, you tell me what to do in this situation.” [laughs]
Aki: Uh, just a question of how we are seated in this car. Is it just Echo up front so no one’s in the passenger right now?
Rhi: Uh, no. Matty’s in the passenger seat.
Aki: Okay.
Rhi: Arlene, Darling and Pearl are in the back.
Josie: Aka the compartment.
Rhi: Yeah.
Josie: [laughs] I imagine there’s one of those slidey things, though.
Rhi: Yeah, I think there’s kind of a bench in the back compartment area, but yeah, otherwise the three of you are riding with the liquor. [laughs] But yeah, how do you all wanna proceed here?
Aki: Hmm…
Josie: Can I do a flashback?
Rhi: Yeah!
Josie: You know those countr— compn— companies that have contacts with the ferry?
Rhi: Yeah.
Josie: Uh, I want to have brought a stencil to stencil the boxes with that company’s logo, so hopefully they are disinclined to mess with it.
Rhi: Okay, yeah. Yah. Okay, I think that’ll be like a one stress flashback, I think that’s…
Josie: Yay.
Rhi: Take a little bit of time and effort, but not impossible.
Josie: Do I gotta roll about it?
Rhi: For that part, no. That’ll just kind of help if you’re convincing them not to touch stuff, cause it’ll look a little more legit. I think it’ll give you some, we’ll say, improved effect when you’re trying to talk them into not searching the stuff. But yeah, is there anything else that people would like to attempt to do?
Aki: Maybe… provide… documentation of sorts where its, like, “Oh, this is a planned shipment, here you go, this is what we have on our stuff, you don’t need to check us because we’re totally legit. We have our most normal-looking people up in the front.” [laughs]
Rhi and Josie: [laugh]
Rhi: Yeah, I think that’s be another one stress flashback to put that sort of thing together. But you can have that and like, Darling can pass those papers up to Echo. So, yeah, I think the vehicle in front of you gets waved forward, you drive up to the intersection and are stopped. A Bluecoat walks over and waits for you to roll down the window, is like:
Rhi (as Bluecoat): Cargo and destination?
Josie: Echo will rattle off the name of the company, uh, say the —whatever the docks are called where we are actually heading, um…
Rhi: uh huh?
Josie: And hand over the cargo manifest, basically.
Rhi: Okay, yeah. Um, give me a roll.
Josie: Okay.
Rhi: Probably gonna be Sway.
Josie: I’m going to… well first, what’s a Devil’s Bargain look like?
Rhi: This whole situation is going to hold you up for a while. And you’re gonna have to make some rolls to drive a little bit faster to get to the ferry before Mist is done with her shift.
Josie: Uh, I think I’ll just push myself with this roll.
Rhi: Okay. I’m gonna kind of transform that flashback into an assist if Darling would like, for those documents.
Aki: I would, yeah, maybe I just like pop open, you know, the slidey slide and, you know, give the documents. And maybe I do this sensually, I don’t know. [laughs]
Josie: Uh—
Rhi: [laughs]
Josie: I don’t know how you accomplish that, but I’m impressed.
Aki: I got a good face. A good face and pretty eyes. And maybe, maybe, some level of enchantment and misdirection.
Rhi: [laughs] So yeah, you pass them up and so you can get an extra die from Darling there as well.
Josie: Uh huh. That’s a 6.
Rhi: Okay, damn.
Josie: It was that lucky Aki touch.
Aki: I’m telling you, the Darling misdirection of sensualness…
Josie: [laughs]
Rhi: [laughs] So yeah, you hand over the papers. A couple other Bluecoats walk around to the back and slide the back door up, and I think Darling and Arlene, where you’re sitting you’re not immediately visible from the back. The boxes are stacked up in such a way that you can’t be seen. But you kinda see the flashlight sweep across and you just hear the two of them that are back there muttering like:
Rhi (as Bluecoat): Ugh, this is a lot of fucking boxes. I don’t wanna— do you want— I don’t wanna bother. Yeah, it’s fine. It’s fine, Whatever.
Rhi: And they just slam the thing again [laughs] and come back around like, to the woman who’s looking at the apers like:
Rhi (as Bluecoat): Yeah, all looks good, everything clears out.
Rhi: And she’s like:
Rhi (as Bluecoat): Alright, here you go. Drive safe.
Rhi: Hands your papers back and will send you on your way.
Josie (as Echo): Thank you, officer.
Rhi: [laughs] And they will move on to harrass the next person. So yeah, I think from there you’re able to kind of— you’re able to navigate to through Portmarch into Kestrel Heights, up to the river, and yeah, you’re able to get to the docks on this side. And this is the point where you need to obtain a ferry.
Josie: Yes. Uh, are there any there already?
Rhi: UH, yeah.
Josie: Okay. So, I dunno, I was thinking we already stamped the boxes with that company, maybe someone can flashback to have arranged something, or try to persuade our way on with it?
Rhi: When you pull up, Matty is going to declare that he is very good at talking to these sort of people and he can—
Minna: [worried] Mm. Mm-mm.
Rhi: Get you onto a ferry, and is going to go to open the door to do exactly that.
Minna: Please somebody else have had something set up. [laughs]
[laughter]
Aki: Well, the other thing I was gonna say was I can go attempt— because Darling is persuasive. Um…
Rhi: If Darling wants to already be out and moving when he’s making this declaration…
Aki: If— well, would—
Minna: [laughs] Can I assist by stopping him?
Rhi: Yes.
Josie: [laughs]
Minna: By stalling him.
Aki: How do— does that I mean I just get an extra die?
Minna: Yes, I’m taking a stress and you get an extra die. [laughs] Or effect level.
Rhi: And it is indeed the stress of redirecting this extremely obnoxious dude.
Minna: Mm-hmm
Rhi: But yes, when you make a roll here to, uh, to persuade someone to load your stuff onto the ferry.
Aki: Yes, yes, yes. I will say I’m going to be leaving Pearl on the truck, just cause it’s easier. And also, yeah, yeah.
Rhi: Yeah, probably for the best.
Aki: And we do have a link, so it’s not like, you know, if I get in danger, I’ll be like, “oh ho, Pearl help!” and Pearl will be like, “Uh, Mom needs help,” and I don’t know, I guess drive us there? I don’t know.
Josie: [laughs]
Aki: But like, we’ll figure out the big cat logistics.
Rhi: [laughs]
Aki: But yeah, uh, I guess… I’m trying to think who would make the most sense to go to. Like, not for my context of anything, just like, in terms of— I guess whoever’s official-looking working on this stuff.
Rhi: Yeah, yeah. There’s a person—there’s a few ferries docked here that some are being loaded, some are being unloaded, and you see the person with the most authority imaginable. A person with a clipboard.
Josie: [laughs]
Rhi: I have been the person with the clipboard a few times, and let me tell you, if you are holding a clipboard, people assume you know everything. That you are in charge and that you have all of the power. So, the clipboard conveys an astonishing amount of authority. So.
Josie: It’s true.
Aki: I go up to the clipboard person and just go, um:
Aki (as Darling): Hello, excuse me, uh, are you— I’m assuming you’re in charge, you look like you’re in charge. I’m afraid we’ve missed our ferry and we’re with, uh, we have a shipment from, uh… Denny Dacotti’s Plates.
Aki: [laughs]
Josie: I appreciate you improving that.
Rhi: [laughs] Go ahead and give me a roll. We’ll see how this goes with this person.
Aki: Uh, I guess this is Sway, technically, but could I—
Rhi: Yeah, yeah you are lying—
Aki: I’m straight up lying.
Rhi: –quite a lot here.
Aki: Yeah, okay. That works for me.
Josie: You do have an extra die.
Aki: Yeah, and specifically, if I don’t have any die in said skill, but I have the aid, does it just become one die?
Josie: Yes.
Rhi: Yes, it would just be one die. But you can also push yourself or get a Devil’s Bargain and get it up to two, if you like.
Aki: I think I’m okay. I want to see what happens. [pause] You wanna picture?! [laughs] You wanna— [clunking sounds]
[laughter]
Aki: You wanna picture? [laughs]
Rhi: [laughs] Oh my God.
Josie: I mean, I would appreciate a picture. I believe you, but I like making you send a picture every time.
Rhi: [laughs] Oh, man. Okay, so a 6. [sighs] So, what was the name that you gave? For the company?
Aki: Denny’s… Denny Ducotti or something.
Rhi: Denny Ducotti, okay.
Josie: Denny Ducotti’s Plates. [laughs]
Rhi: The clipboard person looks up and is like:
Rhi (as Clipboard Person): Oh, uh, you new? Yeah, Ducotti told me that he hired some new drivers. Yeah, we got some space on the one that’s leaving now, if you all wanna pull up. You have all your paperwork and everything?
Aki (as Darling): Uh, yes, yes, yes we have.
Aki: Wait, does the documents that I had before count?
Rhi: Yeah, the paperwork, yeah. The papers you showed the cops will also work here.
Aki: Yes, and I just pull ‘em out of pant pockets and just go:
Aki (as Darling): Yes, yes, yes, here we go. Sorry for the trouble.
Rhi (as Clipboard Person): Ah, no, it’s no problem. We had a couple other deliveries cancel so we’ve got the space. Just glad we’ve been able to accommodate you. Do try and, you know, be on time in the future, but we can take care of you this time.
Rhi: And he’ll, you know, look at the paper and make a— sign a couple things and, you know, put most of them on his clipboard and hand one back to you. And then he’ll wave at the truck to kinda wave you forward. I wanna cut back to the inside of the truck. What is the conversation with Ar— how is Arlene keeping this guy, keeping Matty from going out to— it’s gone from “I’ll handle this” to “I need to go help and make sure that she’s doing it properly”. How is Arlene preventing this from happening?
Minna: [laughs] I think she has some very urgent questions, uh, that need to be asked right now. I would like to rely on your expertise, good sir. [laughs]
Josie: Ooh.
Rhi: Mm, you’ve had to defuse a mansplainer as well. [laughs]
Josie: and Minna: [laughs]
Rhi: Yeah, I think if you’re able to start asking him questions, that will distract him enough that when the clipboard person waves the truck forward and, I assume, Echo immediately starts driving up, that there’s no issue with it. You pull the truck up to the dock, everybody clambers out, open up the back, and some of the dock workers start coming over to help unload and Matty immediately is like:
Rhi (as Matty): Oh, no, no, no. No. I can’t have you touching this cargo, it’s very important, very delicate. I need only the best, my trusted people here.
Rhi: The dock workers start looking offended and the clipboard person kind of frowns and is like:
Rhi (as Clipboard Person): We can handle it from here, really. Like, this is our job? Sir?
Rhi: [laughs] You know, basically just getting fairly irritated with him. But the underlying thing is, your job is done, you’ve done the delivery. Normally you would not continue on with the cargo from here, and you need to continue on with the cargo from here.
Aki: Uh, am I there yet, technically?
Rhi: Yeah, you’re all there at this point and, you know, you can try to defuse the situation socially, you can try to just sneak onto the ferry…
Aki: Yeah, I was gonna say, what if— [thinks] mm, ahh, mm, do I actually care about this guy? Wait a minute.
Rhi: Your boss cares about this guy a great deal.
Aki: Yeah, yeah—[mumbles] I was thinking maybe instead what I’ll try to do since I’m very social and tall, so much taller than them, is I will slip on by, pat Matt—[laughs] on the shoulder and just be like:
Aki (as Darling): Oh sir, I think we should just let them do their job, and why don’t you tell me more about this… about the plates that we are delivering. There you go, that’s the word.
Aki: I was like, “What am I? What is the word? I cannot say the Plate Escort Service, that is the only thing—”
Rhi and Josie: [laugh]
Josie: I’d like to throw an assist at you.
Aki: Ooh.
Josie: I think Echo will just get out of the truck and will be like:
Josie (as Echo): I will supervise them.
Josie: And then give one of the dock workers just like, a very stiff shrug, like, “I don’t actually care, I’m just mollifying him”.
Rhi: [laughs] So yeah, Echo will take a point of stress and yeah, you can get an extra die on that.
Aki: Does this count as Sway or Consort?
Rhi: Uh, I think it is… you’re manipulating him, you’re not really being open and honest here, so I think it’s still gonna be Sway.
Aki: That’s what I was thinking, it’s like, technically by content, but it’s also like, the intention is not necessarily malicious. 5.
Rhi: So, you do it, but there’s a consequence. Between Darling and Echo kind of, you know, conveying to the dock workers here that like, “We’re suffering as much as you are with this guy, probably more because we have to keep working with him,” you get that solidarity going and they’re like, “Okay, yeah, like we’ll take over.” They will get everything loaded. The problem is that they— the consequence is that they’re just gonna go with your stuff to Copperlight Island. You are not on the ferry with it.
Josie: Mm.
Aki: Oh…
Josie: Well, how long does it take to get across? Well— Matty’s gonna make us go across with it, isn’t he?
Rhi: Um, he… I mean, he is going to insist that you get over there to meet it when it’s delivered.
Josie: I mean, how long would it take to get across the bridge? I mean, I think we could conceivably, like, get over there in time while it’s unloading.
Rhi: Probably, yes. But it’s just kind of, you know, making sure you’re— it’s navigating over there and getting there before anybody figures out what you have, stuff like that. It’s a little bit of— it’s definitely doable, like this is not an insurmountable challenge, but, you know. You don’t have your eyes on the cargo. You could also have somebody sneak on and keep an eye on it while it’s in transit, if you wanted to try that.
Aki: Yeah, I was gonna say technically I think the only non-busy person would be Arlene, but I… did leave Pearl in the truck. So—[laughs] Does that make sense?
Minna: Maybe we throw a cat in a boat. [laughs]
Josie: I was thinking we could just leverage the truth that like, he really wants someone to watch after it, so can you take one person along with you, and then we meet up.
Rhi: Mm.
Aki: Oh, that’s true.
Rhi: That could also work. Minna, what are you thinking? Minna— Arlene hasn’t done as much recently.
Minna: I almost feel like Arlene wants to like, try and sneak on to that ferry to like, at least have one of them with the cargo.
Josie: Okay.
Rhi: Yeah, Let’s do that. So I think while this conversation is happening, you know, Matty is blustering about how:
Rhi (as Matty): If we’re going to let these people carry the cargo then we have to get over there and be waiting for them when it arrives, but we also can’t leave until I’ve seen everything safely loaded.
Rhi: Arlene, if you wanna slip off and try and sneak onboard?
Aki: Could I aid by pushing Matty into the truck?
Minna: [laughs]
[laughter]
Rhi: Yeah, cause a little bit of a scene to distract folks? Yeah.
Aki: Yeah, it’s straight-up just gonna be, cause he’s talking, I’m leading him away and then— and he’s like, “Oh, but we can’t leave, I have to see it,” and maybe the truck, one of the passenger seats windows or whatever is faced so that he can watch it but also be ready to go.
Rhi: [laughs]
Aki: And so, I think as a display of dominance I just pick this man up and throw him into the passenger seat.
[laiughter]
Rhi (as Matty): How dare you? This is— I— this is my business—
Rhi: [laughs] And I just imagine he’s like, yelling and you just slam the door.
Josie: The sound of the car starting up. [laughs]
Aki: Mm-hmm.
Rhi: Yep.
Minna: [laughs]
Aki: He goes “This is my business” and I go:
Aki (as Darling): No, this is our business. This is officially our business and I assume that I’m going to be awakening something in you.
Aki: And I close the door and I’m like, ready to leave.
Rhi: [laughs loudly]
Josie: [laughs]
Minna: Amazing.
Rhi: So, Arlene?
Minna: Do you wanna know what I rolled?
Rhi: Yes.
Minna: I don’t know what the position and effect was, but I rolled a 5.
Rhi: Okay. Risky… I think risky, greater given what all is happening. And also just like, they’re busy working, they just wanna get this done. They’re not necessarily looking for stowaways. So, you do it but there’s a consequence. I think that you, like, you slip into a spot to hide where, like, you’re hidden on the journey, but it’s gonna be very difficult for you to get out unnoticed once you arrive and they start unloading.
Aki: [laughs] You— you— you— you hide in the box—
Rhi: So I think that will be your consequence.
Aki: You hide in the box and then you get stuck in the box.
Rhi: [laughs] “Why is this one so much heavier? It doesn’t sound like plates.”
Minna: Arlene is both alive and dead right now.
[laughter]
Rhi: So, you pile into the truck, drive off. You can’t take the truck onto the island, so I think I just need some kind of roll or rolls for kind of how you, uh, navigate the crowd quickly without causing a scene in order to get over to the docks.
Josie: Hmm. Can we just be imposing enough? Echo and Darling?
Rhi: Yeah, if you wanna take the approach of just sort of being tall and striding with purpose and assuming people will get out of your way.
Josie: [laughs]
Rhi: What action do you wanna do for that?
Josie: Either like, Sway or Command I think? [laughs]
Rhi: Yeah.
Aki: I have a point in Command.
Josie: Yes.
Rhi: I was almost thinking that it’s Command.
Josie: Do we wanna do it as an assist or as a group action?
Rhi: Uh, up to you guys.
Aki: Do group actions work when there’s only technically two of us in the group?
Rhi: Yeah!
Josie: That’s a fair point. I’ll just assist your roll.
Rhi: Alright, so yeah, you get to add one die to this Command roll that you’re making.
Aki: Mm-hmm. Ah, yes! Thank you for the one die, that’s a 6.
Rhi: [laughs] This is gonna be the smoothest score ever cause you all have just rolled so well. Yeah, so what I’m picturing is like Darling and Pearl in the lead, just striding forward expecting people to get out of the way. Echo is like, right at her elbow, just kind of also walking along staring ahead. And then you’ve got Matty just kind of like hustling along behind you, just being like:
Rhi (as Matty) [blusters] I— you— uh— will you please slow down? I cannot catch up to you.
Josie (as Echo): Hold my hand if you need it.
Aki (as Darling): Would you like me to carry you, little man?
Rhi (as Matty): No and no! I am fine. I just— ugh— let’s just— just keep moving!
Rhi: He’s increasingly flustered.
Aki (as Darling): Just walk with purpose. Your things are getting away from you.
Aki: I say, not giving a single fuck.
Rhi: [laughs]
Josie: [laughs]
Rhi: So yeah, you’ll head on down towards the docks. And I think with a 6, you will get there just like a couple minutes after the ferry has docked. So they are just barely starting to unload. Arlene is on the ferry, currently hidden, soon to be not hidden as the ferry is being unloaded.
Josie: And I take it nothing happened in transit?
Rhi: Uh, no. You all rolled very well, so it wasn’t really—[laughs]
Josie: Uh, I think Echo’s just gonna offer to help and hope she can find the Arlene box and handle that herself.
Minna: [laughs]
Rhi: [laughs loudly] Okay. Um…
Aki: I was also going to say I will offer to help, because that’s my whole baby in a box. [laughs]
Minna: [laughs]
Rhi: [laughs] Yeah, okay. So you two can go over and offer to help, which I think will actually make Matty feel better. I will need rolls for you to— they’ll accept the help, I think especially since they now have this understanding of like, you’re not doing it to get in their way, you’re doing it because your boss is an asshole from their perspective and like, they get it. I think I’m gonna need rolls for finding the box of Arlene.
Josie: [giggles]
Minna: [laughs]
Aki: Can I persuade you to allow me to use Hunt?
Rhi: Uh, I mean yeah, you are trying to find a— to locate a target. So I’ll allow it.
Minna: You could even probably use— wait, Pearl isn’t with you, never— is Pearl here?
Aki: Pearl is with me, because we said that—
Minna: You could probably use Pearl too. [laughs]
Aki (as Darling): Yeah, no, it’s like—[laughs] it’s like mom on a mission time. You see me— I’ve already picked up a grown man in front of the majority of the people—
[laughter]
Aki: And now I pick up a whole tiger, walk in, throw the tiger— not throw, but you know, like, throw the tiger into the ship and now it’s my turn to get it—[laughs] like, let’s go.
Rhi: [laughs] Uh yeah, so you can roll Hunt. What would you like to roll, Echo?
Josie: I was just thinking Survey.
Rhi: Okay, that works.
Josie: Which I have no dots in. But it’s fine.
Rhi: Yeah. So this’ll be risky, standard, I think.
Aki: 5 is the highest I got.
Rhi: Okay.
Josie: [rolls dice] I got a 4.
Rhi: Okay, so you do it, you both do it, but there’s a consequence.
Josie: Arlene sneezes.
[laughter]
Minna: Maybe someone notices that you’ve got a tiger sniffing things out and takes issue with it, or thinks that’s suspicious.
Aki: I’m okay with one of them going, “Hey, hey, hey, that’s against—” I don’t know, legislation. [laughs]
Minna: [laughs]
Rhi: Yeah… so—
Josie: Legislation? [laughs]
Aki: Yeah, I don’t know! I couldn’t think of the word!
Minna: Law? [laughs] Regulations?
Aki: [laughs] Thank you. I even started with an R. [laughs] But I was still like, “I don’t know, what the fuck am I gonna say?” Yeah. [laughs]
Minna: [laughs] No, no, I love it though. I love the line as is. “That’s against, I don’t know, legislation!”
Rhi: [laughs] So I think what happens is that Arlene does sneeze, but you both— it’s like, as you’re both kind of back here in the truck and so, you both hear [laughs] and find her at about the same time. And so, you know, one of you can pick up the Arlene box, whichever one of you wants to carry her.
Josie: I think—
Minna: The more you call it the Arlene box the more I laugh. [laughs]
Josie: [laughs] I think mama dragon needs to carry the Arlene box.
Rhi: Yeah.
Aki: I carry it like it’s no problem at all. [laughs]
Josie: [laughs]
Rhi: And then, yeah, Echo, you grab another box, you’re here, you’re helping, it’s great, and you head out of the ferry just in time to see one of the other ferry workers who’s carrying a box with your stencil on it trips and drops it.
Josie: Can—
Rhi: And there is a shattering sound.
Josie: Can I resist this consequence?
Rhi: You can, yes. [laughs]
Josie: I would like to do that.
Rhi: Yeah.
Josie: Um, guess this is a Prowess? Because I think Echo just wants to spring into action and catch it.
Rhi: Yeah, yeah.
Josie: I got a 3.
Rhi: Okay, so you’ll take three points of stress, but you are able to lunge forward and— I don’t know if you wanna catch the box or like, catch the person by the back of the shirt to keep them from falling, however you go about doing it.
Josie: Uh, I mean, how suave do I wanna be here?
Rhi: I think that’s something that only you can answer.
Josie: I think Echo, without really thinking about it, there’s an ability I might take that reflects this better, but I do have those springs in my calves now. I think Echo just sees it and without really regarding whether this is fast for a normal person to be able to move, dashes forward and like, baseball slides to catch the crate and then immediately slides into standing position.
Rhi: Nice!
Josie: It’s a very unnatural maneuver, because it’s like she’s clicking herself back up into that position. But yeah, she immediately takes a running slide to catch it, picks it up and says:
Josie (as Echo): I think I will finish with this one.
Rhi (as Worker): Oh, um… yeah, yeah, thanks. Good save.
Josie: Echo nods and loads it.
Rhi: Yeah, I think that like— it’s a thing where it looks weird, but people’s first thought isn’t gonna be “Oh, clearly you are a robot,” it’s just like, “Oh, wow, they’re really fast.” [laughs]
Josie: [laughs]
Rhi: So yeah, and I think when you walk over, Matty is of course standing next to the cart, observing as everything is being loaded in and giving directions. But when you come over with this one he is going to look at you and say:
Rhi (as Matty): Oh, thanks for getting that one.
Josie (as Echo): It’s no problem.
Josie: She sets it into the carriage.
Rhi (as Matty): No, don’t— don’t put it there. Slide it over that side.
Josie: Echo very slowly slides it over.
Rhi: [laughs]
Josie: Not responding.
Rhi: [laughs] He had one moment of being a halfway decent person.
Josie: Mm-hmm!
Aki: I’m gonna put the Arlene box wherever I please and that is also out of the way, and if he gives me lip I give him a look and I just go:
Aki (as Darling): Not one more word, mister.
Aki: As I open my box where my daughter pops out.
Minna: [laughs]
Minna (as Arlene): Ah, thanks for the, uh, save. Oof.
Aki (as Darling): Get a good stretch, now.
Minna: She’s like, doing stretches. [laughs]
Rhi: [laughs]
Rhi (as Matty): Oh, alright, I guess that one can go wherever you need it to, then. Yeah, that makes sense.
Minna (as Arlene): Oh, are you still here? Hi!
Aki: [laughs]
Rhi: [screams with laughter]
Josie: [laughs loudly]
Rhi (as Matty): Of course I’m still here! This is my property, I have to ensure that it arrives safely. We’re almost there and then I can start getting everything arranged neatly.
Rhi: He just, he seems very frazzled. Gosh, yeah, I think I’m just gonna have one more roll just to navigate through the carnival without running into any issues. But if you succeed on this roll, this’ll probably be a group action of some kind, but then if you succeed you will arrive safely without any issues.
Josie: Group Prowl, I guess?
Rhi: Yeah, could be a group Prowl. I would also allow, like a group Finesse since you’re driving a vehicle, or like, Study or Survey.
Josie: I like Finesse.
Aki: Yeah, I was gonna say Finesse sounds like it makes the most sense.
Rhi: Yeah. Who wants to lead?
Josie: I do not have the stress left to lead.
Minna: I have stress left.
Rhi: Okay.
Minna: Or if you want to, I don’t care. [laughs]
Aki: No, yeah, no I was like, if you have the stress, if you can handle the stress you can go for it, because I also can but like, I’m fine with whatever,
Rhi: I think it probably makes sense for Arlene to take point since she’s the one who got the best overhead view of the island.
Josie: I got a 3.
Aki: 5.
Minna: 2. So I’m gonna take two points of stress and our result is a 5.
Rhi: Okay. So there is a complication.
Aki: May I suggest a complication?
Rhi: Oh absolutely, yes.
Aki: It just takes really fucking long. And Matty talks a lot.
Rhi: [laughs] I mean, that could cause you to suffer harm, I guess. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, everybody’s gonna take level 1 harm, Headache, or whatever the hull equivalent you think that would be, Josie.
Josie: Uh huh.
Minna: I would like to resist the headache.
Rhi: Yeah, go for it.
Minna: It’s a 3.
Rhi: Okay. So three points of stress.
Minna: Ah. That was an idea that I had. [laughs]
Rhi: That suddenly— yeah, you just took a lot!
Josie: Mm-hmm.
Minna: Uh huh. It’s fine. I forgot. Anyway. But I’m not— I don’t have a headache and I don’t have to deal with less effect. There we go.
Rhi: But yeah, so you finally make your way to the speakeasy location. You unload all the things and Matty is like:
Rhi (as Matty): Well, this was a little bit unconventional at some points. I think that it probably could have gone a bit smoother if we’d followed some of my advice, but you know, everything is here, it’s all intact. So, thank you for your assistance.
Rhi: And he like, pauses for a second, holds up a finger, kind of a “Wait here,” and he will crack open one of the boxes, kinda take out a couple bottles, shake his head, opens up another and then:
Rhi (as Matty): A gift for you.
Rhi: And he will present you with an unopened, kinda old, like, it’s definitely bottled before prohibition, bottle of liquor. Probably worth a coin or two.
Josie (as Echo): Thank you.
Rhi (as Matty): And you are all, of course, welcome back here anytime and your first round of drinks will be on me.
Rhi: And so, yeah, he’s just gonna sort of set about unpacking all of his things and muttering to himself and you all can just kinda slip out [laughs] while he’s distracted.
Josie: How much did this count against our debt?
Rhi: That is a good question. Well, so typically the way that it’s been is like, Benny is still paying you and you can decide how much of that payment you wanna turn back into the debt.
Josie: Ah.
Rhi: I think that this was just gonna be a two coin job.
Josie: Okay.
Rhi: And then you got this bottle that you can sell for probably another coin.
Josie: Do we just wanna put our two coin towards the debt?
Aki: Honestly, yeah.
Minna: Yeah.
Rhi: Alright. So that’ll get you up to halfway. You’re at 6 out of 12.
Minna: Yay!
Aki: Yay.
Josie: Yay.
Rhi: Alright, so let’s go into our downtime scenes. Darling, what are you up to after this relatively easy and calm drive across the city to deliver some things?
Aki: I decided, well, I still have a kid to train. [laughs] And I should probably do that since it’s been a while. Um, see how Trix is doing as well. So that is where I’ll be going.
Rhi: Alright. Yeah, so I think we see Darling and Trix in the basement of the house where Trix lives with her moms and siblings. And what, uh, you know, you’ve been teaching her self-defense. What do you think you’re specifically working on today?
Aki: Trix is like a skinny, scrawny girl, right?
Rhi: I think so, yeah. She’s like 16. I think, like, gangly. Like, she hit her height growth spurt real early, but is still just kind of— it’s that awkward teenage phase where your limbs are just kinda everywhere.
Aki: Mm-hmm. Oh my God, I can help with that as Darling is quite long, too.
Rhi: Yeah.
Aki: If anything, then, based on just age and now that I have a better idea of, I guess, body type, I think we would be going with a lot more finesse rather than just, like power in this case. I’m not making her lift nothing, it’s all been entirely form and then perhaps sparring if she’s ready for it. And I think today I will look at her specifically and go:
Aki (as Darling): Alright. Today we’re going to learn how to cheat.
Minna: [laughs]
Aki (as Darling): Fighting is about form, yes, and is about, you know, all these other disciplines and whatnot, but if you were to get into a real fight in the real world that isn’t tournamented, you can’t expect, you know, “Oh, no eye shots, don’t kick me in the groin”. Also, pocket sand.
Aki: And [laughs] I just wanna use pocket sand.
Rhi: [laughs]
Josie: The return of pocket sand.
Rhi: Yes.
Aki: It’s a lot of how to use the environment, per se, to help her. So if she’s like, fighting, I don’t know, let’s say in a bar, well, there’s lot of glasses and bottles and liquids. Use it. It’s very dirty fighting that Darling is essentially gonna teach, but she won’t be like, you know, grabbing:
Aki (as Darling): Ah, look at this, an antique lamp.
Aki: And using it as a bat or anything, but she’s like:
Aki (as Darling): That is what you could use in this situation.
Aki: You know?
Rhi: Yeah. And I think Trix is just like, soaking it up and is, yeah, just like— I think that you’ve definitely noticed that as you’ve been working with her she’s— you don’t know if this is carrying over into the rest of her life, but at least when she’s training with you she seems a lot more confident, just as you’re showing her how to do stuff, and then as she’s able to do those things, to learn how to do it. And, you know, learning how to fight dirty is just fun. She’s having fun with it. And I think that, you know, after she’s practicing the correct form for throwing pocket sand into somebody’s eyes—
Minna: [laughs]
Rhi: [laughs] At some point she’s just gonna be like:
Rhi (as Trix): You’re really good at this.
Aki (as Darling): Oh, well yes, I’ve had many years of this kind of work.
Rhi (as Trix): So, you teach other people?
Aki (as Darling): Oh yes. Lots of children specifically.
Rhi (as Trix): Oh. I didn’t know that many kids were looking for self-defense training.
Aki (as Darling): It’s a rough world. It was more of a boarding school type of situation anyway, so they were here and this was physical education, amongst other things. I was an all-rounded tutor. Or den mother, really.
Rhi (as Trix): Oh. Huh. Cool.
Aki (as Darling): If you’re wondering how you’re doing, you’re doing very well. Though I do not condone the amount of violence that I am teaching you, per se. You know, some people deserve it, but I’m not saying go around and just, you know, pocket sand everyone in the face. It’s more so, well, if you have… need of an outlet. I personally find it very soothing to just practice.
Rhi (as Trix): Yeah. And like, if somebody starts some shit, I can finish it.
Aki (as Darling): Exactly. Though remember, remember we’re trying not to get arrested.
Rhi (as Trix): Right.
Aki (as Darling): We just want to make a point.
Rhi (as Trix): Okay. Yes. Yeah.
Aki (as Darling): In your case it is not really a survival necessity. It’s more of a— it’s confidence. It’s fitness. It’s a lot of things. Your parents might see it as discipline and whatnot, but realistically I’m just giving you quite a fun hobby.
Rhi (as Trix): It is fun. Can you show me how to do the thing with the breaking a glass in somebody’s face again?
Aki (as Darling): Oh yes, yes, yes. Like this.
Rhi: [laughs]
Aki (as Darling): But remember, you can to make sure your hands are wrapped with something, which is why I usually— I’m a bit luckier, I have scales, but for you, you’re going to need to maybe pull off a handkerchief, rip off— don’t rip off your shirt, but rip off a piece of your shirt, you know, wrap it. And then go nuts.
Rhi (as Trix): Okay.
Rhi: So yeah, you continue practicing your dirty fighting techniques for the day. And then we will fade over to the garage. What is Echo up to right now? A day or two after the score.
Josie: I think if you’re just inside the garage, you hear the distant humming of like— it sounds like one of those floor-bound, really strong air conditioners, right? Like, some machine whirring very loudly from the other side of Echo’s door. Echo is in her room, which is— there’s technically a bed. She doesn’t need to use it and it’s kinda jam-packed with all sorts of tools and toolboxes and weird arcane gadgets and paraphernalia, as well as one really big ectoplasmic generator. She is in sort of her casual clothes, so it’s basically rolled-up sweatpants and a tank top revealing the various porcelain-like plates that make up her body and showing some of the gold machinery on the inside. And the blue-painted decoration on her body. And I think just in her side there’s a thick tube that’s plugged into her, because she’s juicing up.
Minna: Mm-hmm.
Josie: And I think she’s like, tinkering with something and the door is slightly open, so you can hear the generator going.
Minna: So I think you see Arlene slide down the stairs, cause you know she doesn’t take those stairs with her feet.
[laughter]
Minna: We’ve established this.
Josie: Yes.
Minna: And she like, comes poking her way across the garage until she finds Echo.
Minna (as Arlene): Oh, hey Echo.
Josie (as Echo): Oh, um, hello Arlene.
Josie: She taps a button on the generator and it goes [wub-wub-wub powering down sound]
Minna: Are you too busy to chat?
Josie: She looks down at the indecipherable mess of metal and scrap she’s got that she’s tinkering with.
Josie (as Echo): Yes, I have time.
Minna (as Arlene): Do you want any help or anything?
Josie (as Echo): Um, do you know how to build a moon clock?
Minna (as Arlene): I don’t think I know what a moon clock is.
Josie (as Echo): Then I don’t need help, no.
Minna (as Arlene): Okay. [laughs]
Rhi: [laughs]
Minna (as Arlene): I just thought I’d offer. You know, you’ve been in the city a lot longer than we have, I was just wondering like, I dunno, it seemed like maybe you weren’t as comfortable on Copperlight island. Is it just the like, the eating thing, and the sticking out?
Josie (as Echo): Yes, that’s basically it. There are a lot of things that I can’t do now.
Josie: She kind of taps her arm and it sorta makes the tap of— it’s almost like tapping plastic, it sounds like [tap tap]
Minna (as Arlene): Yeah. I didn’t wanna, I mean obviously didn’t wanna bring that up, I just— are there places you do like to go? What’s your favorite spot now?
Josie (as Echo): Oh. Um. Well, there’s a park up the slope a bit. There are some parts of town I enjoy. I like looking at the water.
Minna (as Arlene): The water’s nice to look at.
Josie (as Echo): Yeah. I— I’ve never been to the lighthouse, but I do want to go there at some point.
Minna (as Arlene): I haven’t been yet either, I’ve been meaning to.
Josie (as Echo): Maybe we should do that.
Minna (as Arlene): Yeah, let’s do that sometime!
Josie: Echo seems a little taken aback by the enthusiasm.
Minna: [laughs] Literally Arlene just came here to try and find a fun outing to go on with Echo.
Rhi: [laughs]
Josie (as Echo): Where— I’m not sure— where were you with Darling before this?
Minna (as Arlene): I don’t think you’d really know it, it’s not like a big, well-known town or anything.
Josie (as Echo): Okay. But Akoros or…?
Minna (as Arlene): Oh yeah, Akoros.
Josie (as Echo): Okay.
Minna (as Arlene): I’m from Akoros, I think.
Josie (as Echo): I was technically born here, but my family is from Skovlan, so.
Minna (as Arlene): You kept in touch with that stuff?
Josie (as Echo): No.
Minna (as Arlene): Oh. Sorry to bring it up.
Josie (as Echo): It’s fine. Do you want to do that lighthouse trip?
Minna (as Arlene): Yes! Whenever you’re not busy.
Josie: She gently wipes her hands, which come a lot cleaner a lot easier than normal hands do.
Josie (as Echo): I will get dressed.
Minna (as Arlene): Oh cool, awesome. I am already dressed. [laughs]
Josie (as Echo): Yep.
Josie (as Echo): [laughs] Echo can’t really laugh, but looks like she might.
Rhi: [laughs]
Josie: And then goes to get ready.
Minna: [laughs]
Minna (as Arlene): I’ll be here.
Rhi: Yeah, so I think we end on the two of you heading into the subway to make your way over to Beacon Hill and the lighthouse. To see what you can see all the way up there.
Josie: Yay!
Minna: [happy purr]
Rhi: I think that’s where we will end.
## Outro [00.49.20]
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 CleverCorvids.net and follow us on Twitter @clever_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 RPGSkillCheck.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 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.
Today’s jumbotron message comes from Kickstarter backer Violet Wren, and it’s for The Collective: Cal, Sarah, Shelby, John, and Rachel.
Violet writes: Thank you all for making our quarantine game such a blast! It sure was explosive. Y’all are dynamite. Is Rhi groaning from the puns yet? I regret nothing.
I am sighing heavily, Violet, and I am also very grateful for your support. And of course, thanks to all our Patreon backers, whose ongoing support makes this show possible.
## Blooper [00.51.20]
Minna: Raja, please. Raja has only just now noticed my pop filter, which I finally put on, and he’s like, “I’m curious about this.” No.
Rhi: Om nom nom. [laughs] “I must rub my face upon it and make the best sounds. “
Minna: [laughs]
[cat purring loudly]
Rhi: I can hear him purring. That’s wonderful.
Josie: Aww!
Minna: [laughs]
Josie: Baby!
Minna: He decided to hang out in my lap for a second.