This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:08] Tommy Nolan: Previously on, Once More, with Dragons. Our hapless heroes made moves down memory lane, meeting D'syraeah's parents, Evelyn's piano bar, and Graygory's old partner, Parker Cackett. In the flashbacks, the Users, Antankarus, the now deceased Laura Louver Cooper, and Tim Taylor all help our crew climb away from crime. Back in the present, the gang takes some of Tim's trinkets and sets out to the Starlight Station to track down Anne's friend. Will they make it there? Find out. In today's episode, Arc One, Chapter 6 of The Lights of Emperia, falling over ourselves to get all of the mystery right-up-free.

[1:30] Tommy Nolan: After recovering from the attack on the Demps Hohenstein by some unknown understudy forces, some flame elementals, perhaps, the burning down of this terrible opening night, no one will ever see how Act 2 possibly ends. Um, you were rescued by Anne Tankaris, uh, equipped by Tim Taylor, and sent on your merry way with train ticket in hand down the main drag of Imperia, Nathan Lane. As you walk down this uh sidewalk, you notice uh you're headed towards the Starlight Station, the uh where your tickets are taking you. Um on your way, you're gonna have to pass the uh burnt husk of the Demps Hohenstein, um, which is no longer the street in front of it is no longer abandoned. You actually see uh a crowd seems to have gathered in front of you, and there seems to be some kind of um makeshift stage set up there.

[2:27] Emily Clark: Well, I think we all know what this calls for.

[2:31] Christi Esterle: I do love a crowd, and I do love a stage.

[2:36] Jesse McAnally: Is that for me?

[2:37] Emily Clark: That's for us, isn't it?

[2:40] Christi Esterle: Well, there's only one way to find out.

[2:42] Emily Clark: I stroll right up towards the stage without thinking.

[2:46] Tommy Nolan: There is a Wait, wait! Um uh Graygory, you make it to the bottom uh stairs of this makeshift stage in front of the still smouldering ashes of the Demps Hohenstein. There is a uh uh halfling in what looks like a very formal officer's suit standing on a stool, uh giving some impassioned speech there. Um he's in the middle of it, he's like, I today, today I stand before you with a heavy heart to commemorate the tragic loss of our beloved mayor, Laura Louver Cooper, in the recent Dempse Hohenstein Theater.

[3:21] Jesse McAnally: Uh what can I I'm can I help you, sir?

[3:25] Tommy Nolan: Um, yes. Um uh okay. Um is the stage tall enough where I can climb up, or is it a little too high where I'm kind of jumping and reaching because I'm a little dwarf man?

[3:35] Tommy Nolan: I've got bad news. There's a staircase with a uh railing. It's like three steps.

[3:39] Jesse McAnally: Three steps. You can do this, Graygory.

[3:41] Jesse McAnally: Oh, okay. Hold on.

[3:43] Jesse McAnally: I go. Does it have a handrail though?

[3:46] Tommy Nolan: It does. Uh so uh good luck. Uh why don't you uh Graygory, I'm right behind you, Graygory.

[3:53] Emily Clark: You're not going up there without me.

[3:55] Christi Esterle: Oh no, not again.

[3:57] Jesse McAnally: I'm just going to watch the two of you get killed.

[3:59] Emily Clark: Not this time. Here. I I'm gonna just grab Graygory, and I'm just gonna grab him and just toss him on the stage, and then I'll I'll follow him.

[4:08] Jesse McAnally: Oh, okay. So there I'm alright, Graygory. Are you okay?

[4:12] Jesse McAnally: I'm ready. Throw me. I'm I'm ready for this.

[4:14] Christi Esterle: You never learned how to make an entrance, did you?

[4:19] Jesse McAnally: This is my entrance.

[4:21] Christi Esterle: That's the problem. You need to learn when you just do it.

[4:24] Tommy Nolan: Uh let's roll. Uh Evelyn, give me a strength roll to see how well you can pick up Graygory. Um, and Graygory, give me Dex, uh dexterity roll to kind of see how well you land on your feet as she throws you onto stage.

[4:36] Emily Clark: 16.

[4:37] Tommy Nolan: Boom. Uh uh uh uh 11.

[4:42] Tommy Nolan: It's a l it's a little clumsy, Graygory, uh, as Evelyn hoists you by your petard and uh uh sends you flying.

[4:50] Christi Esterle: You're a dragonborn. Can't you lift a dwarf?

[4:54] Tommy Nolan: And where do I land in relation to the person speaking?

[4:58] Tommy Nolan: You uh with a you got a 16. Um with that, you land just a little up uh downstage left of this podium that's been set up for this.

[5:07] Jesse McAnally: Enough to just upstage them?

[5:09] Tommy Nolan: Absolutely. Listen, people, whatever this person says is absolutely ridiculous and totally nonsense. Um, the mayor was a crook and I have proof. Good night, everyone.

[5:23] Tommy Nolan: Uh there's murmurs amongst the crowd. Um also, uh uh Evelyn and D'syraeah, you noticed uh Graygory looks different. Um he looks a little younger somehow, and his voice is different somehow. Um it's very strange.

[5:39] Christi Esterle: Uh but that's what he's having. Graygory, did you lose a couple of decades off your face?

[5:46] Jesse McAnally: What what what are you talking about?

[5:48] Christi Esterle: You've been using like the Grecian formula, haven't you?

[5:50] Jesse McAnally: Um, the only Grecian thing I know are the Grecian urns.

[5:53] Tommy Nolan: Let's let's be honest, guys. This uh halfling uh who has been giving this speech, uh, hops down off of his stool and runs up behind you and says, Excuse me, sir. Did you say that the mayor, our beloved mayor and my boss, Laura Louver Cooper is crooked?

[6:11] Tommy Nolan: He starts to cry. No, she's ashes.

[6:14] Jesse McAnally: She was crooked before.

[6:17] Tommy Nolan: You uh Graygory King. He's not well. Um you see behind you there's a giant portrait of Laura Louver Cooper's pink dressed beehive topped uh visage uh with like black flowers around the frame that's on the back of this stage. People are crying, or they were crying with handkerchiefs out, but now this whole mob is uh uh looking angrier and angrier at you.

[6:42] Jesse McAnally: Um I pull take a look towards my my two compatriots. Uh watch this. It's a performance of my life. I knock the poor gentleman out of the way, and I grab the microphone with my new youthful energy. And I want to roll for persuasion.

[7:01] Christi Esterle: Uh, for the audience?

[7:03] Tommy Nolan: Yes.

[7:04] Christi Esterle: Okay.

[7:06] Tommy Nolan: Sure. I think you might be at a disadvantage here. Uh, this is gonna be a tough check, Graygory. These are people here for Laura Louver Cooper's funeral.

[7:15] Jesse McAnally: I got this.

[7:17] Jesse McAnally: So, I'm rolling. Uh-huh. That is a got it. Another 16.

[7:22] Tommy Nolan: A 16 persuasion. Um, this uh um uh audience uh contemplates you for a second. You hear a couple like sniffs in the background, and then you hear uh a distant voice that goes GET him!

[7:37] Tommy Nolan: Um and then uh you immediately uh, Graygory, feel the cold steel of some kind of magical handcuffs around your wrist. As um, I know this feeling well.

[7:50] Jesse McAnally: Oh, hey, oh wait.

[7:52] Tommy Nolan: As uh this uh halfling has righted himself and stands up and he says, sir, it is going to be my duty as new infra mayor to place you under arrest. Take him away, fellas.

[8:03] Jesse McAnally: Um you're oh okay, you're just arresting civilians now. You're just as crooked as the last administration. You think that this was all done by coincidence, that this death was not a political.

[8:15] Emily Clark: Gregory, do us all a favor and shut up.

[8:18] Christi Esterle: Please have mercy, little interim mayor.

[8:22] Tommy Nolan: Are you the interim mayor? Alright, I'm going to I stand before I I interpose myself between um Graygory and the interim mayor. Uh-huh. Please, kind sir, as you can see, my dear companion, he was so torn up by the loss of Laura Louver Cooper and the dear the dear Demstone Steen Theater. We we all were. But as you can see, he is his mind. It's not what it used to be. You understand.

[9:11] Tommy Nolan: Um that sounds like a persuasion check, D'syraeah. A very good one.

[9:16] Christi Esterle: Okay. She was always she was always she would always whip this out in the second act. Ooh, Nat 20, ladies and gentlemen.

[9:24] Tommy Nolan: Um, the um uh uh halfling um contemplates you, D'syraeah, and walks over to Graygory and and looks you uh up and down. You're actually about eye to eye, halflings are about your height. Oh boy. Um, and he says.

[9:41] Tommy Nolan: You're not an understudy, are you?

[9:45] Jesse McAnally: I've never understudied a day in my life.

[9:48] Jesse McAnally: Just call me an usher, my garbage people, garbage people understudies.

[9:51] Tommy Nolan: I didn't expect you to use that long dragon tongue to lick boots.

[9:54] Tommy Nolan: You say that from on stage, Emily, because you did.

[9:55] Christi Esterle: Of course, please, can you go easy on this poor, unfortunate, misguided, insane, ludicrously overdressed. Strangely younger than he should be looking dwarf.

[9:57] Emily Clark: That's not me. Um I heard it really good. And then I do some um up close magic and pull a card from my hand.

[10:06] Tommy Nolan: While your hands are behind your back, you pull a card.

[10:09] Jesse McAnally: Yes, it is. You have a dexterity check high enough for the role.

[10:14] Tommy Nolan: Everyone's pulling out their A game for the funeral today. Give me a give me a slide of hand roll with disadvantage, because you are handcuffed.

[10:22] Jesse McAnally: That was a three. Um uh a bunch of cards shoot out of Graygory's sleeve uh and just kind of splatter the ground underneath him. Um, and this uh halfling contemplates you, uh uh looks at you, D'syraeah, and says, I'm I'm very sorry, miss, but uh, we're going to have to crack down on behaviors like this now. You were quite persuasive, and if you'd like to come down with me to the UTCB to plead your case for your compatriot here, I I would be willing to hear it out, but we must do some processing here.

[10:57] Tommy Nolan: Um start chanting A CAP, A CAP, A CAP, and trying to learn to lean toward the crowd. Uh the crowd is having none of it. Um they you've never seen a more uh uh Graygory had a bad experience on stage long ago. I think we've hinted at that we've never quite specified it. Whatever that was, this is twice as worse. Uh people start booing you.

[11:20] Jesse McAnally: Boom. I've done what I can.

[11:22] Christi Esterle: No, he he was hailing a cab.

[11:22] Jesse McAnally: A cab!

[11:26] Jesse McAnally: I need a cab wink, wink, free for glory.

[11:32] Christi Esterle: Come on, read the room, buddy. This is why I spend most of my time with my cats.

[11:38] Tommy Nolan: Uh the halfling steps back up to the podium, wrenching the microphone uh from the floor where you had dropped it, Graygory, um, and says, and this is why we are going to replace the Demps Hohenstein with my newest initiative, the Tactical Hub for Handling Understudy Neutralization and Defense. A state-of-the-art training and research center for the UTCB.

[12:06] Jesse McAnally: Research center, is that what we're calling camps now?

[12:09] Tommy Nolan: He he uh looks at you, Graygory. I'm sorry, what was the name of that again? Uh Tactical Hub for Handling Understudy Neutralization and Defense.

[12:18] Jesse McAnally: Thunder for short.

[12:20] Tommy Nolan: Oh, right. Okay, sure. He smiles a little bit and uh he uh at your uh uh how proud he is of that acronym. Um he says the Thunder is I think most of the funding went into going to into making that acronym. It will be a beacon of strength and authority here in Imperium. We aim to hold understudies like this man accountable for things like this theater fire.

[12:46] Tommy Nolan: Time has come to put them in their place, he says. And the audience cheers.

[12:52] Jesse McAnally: My place is downstage center.

[12:57] Christi Esterle: Someone speaking their mind is arrested. What of the glorious stage? Are you just going to let this temple of theater be replaced by a mere administrative building?

[13:12] Tommy Nolan: Do I understand you correctly? It is much, much more than an administrative building. It will have cutting edge research also beneath the facility. We will be constructing a high secure—

[13:24] Jesse McAnally: You shut up.

[13:28] Tommy Nolan: High Security Detainment and Response Center.

[13:32] Jesse McAnally: All I'm hearing is that there is one less stage for my glory to shine on.

[13:39] Christi Esterle: She's got a point.

[13:37] Tommy Nolan: She does have a point. He takes his hat off and comes down. Uh uh, you're still off the stage, right, D'syraeah? You're like yelling this from the crowd.

[13:45] Christi Esterle: Um, he walks down to you and says, uh as he takes his hat off and kind of kneels down and says, That may be true. There may be one fewer uh performance venue here on Nathan Lane in Imperia, but these are the sacrifices we have to make. If we are to continue any points at the painting, Laura Louver Cooper's wonderful work in reading the understudies from the streets. Then well, we're gonna need a place to do it.

[14:15] Tommy Nolan: Take this man away! And he's I nudge Evelyn before they get to me. Hey, Evelyn. This is your time to shine. Get that microphone.

[14:25] Emily Clark: Really? You think they wanna this you you think this is it? You think this is my moment?

[14:30] Tommy Nolan: This is the moment. Get them to move for you, cuz we know what happens after that.

[14:36] Emily Clark: Alright, I'm stomping on down.

[14:38] Emily Clark: Stomping on down.

[14:40] Christi Esterle: You'd got this.

[14:42] Jesse McAnally: Alright.

[14:43] Emily Clark: I'm picking up my microphone, and I'm gonna belt into it with all of my Evelyn Forte power. Uh, it's gonna be a really important performance role, I think.

[14:54] Christi Esterle: Oh, okay.

[14:55] Jesse McAnally: Start this riot, Evelyn. You know what to do.

[14:59] Jesse McAnally: Uh 15. Um, you uh what do you what do you sing? What are you performing?

[15:06] Emily Clark: Um, uh I got rather. I got no sec. I got my Greg, who can ask for anything? I do uh uh uh like soft shoe narrator.

[15:22] Jesse McAnally: Still with your hands behind your back. There's like a there's like an officer like holding you, Greg.

[15:29] Emily Clark: I start doing those Ethel Mormon like oh notes. Yo, ah, just holding it out. Uh uh Evelyn for me. I think you you have your uh arms extended in like a jazz hand finish. Um and as you do, you feel uh cuff around your left hand as one of the officers comes behind you, and yoinks your arm behind you and says, Wow!

[15:57] Christi Esterle: Um, and this uh uh halfling says take her with them. This is the authoritative police trying to hide public performance. This is what they're taking away from you. Don't forget this. This this is your speech is like they're like pushing your head into the.

[16:12] Jesse McAnally: Yes, we are being pushed into it. Where is the where is the interim mayor at this point? Is he still next to me?

[16:16] Christi Esterle: He yeah, he's standing at this post. He, I think, has uh uh stood up, but is still standing at the corner of the stage, just kind of watching this bizarre show.

[16:26] Emily Clark: Uh well, I'm either going to save them or I'm going to join them. I jump up on the stage, I grab him with one hand, take it take my dagger with another, and say, Let them go, or the interim mayor gets it!

[16:39] Christi Esterle: That's what I'm talking about, D. This is this is the desire I know. Do not test me. I have had a very difficult day.

[16:50] Jesse McAnally: She's enunciating hard. You don't want to mess with her right now. Don't fuck with a girl with.

[16:55] Christi Esterle: I have a s I have a staff that will pummel a theater ghost in 15 seconds flat, and I am not afraid to use it. Um, the crowd has gone silent as you are starting this threat against um uh the intra mayor. Um, and uh you you've got this dagger in his back, he's got his hands like this. Um, and he uh kind of sighs and he says, enough.

[17:19] Christi Esterle: And he snaps his fingers, uh, D Serea. And you feel that dagger just get flung upwards out of your hand, and it sails through the air. Um this all happens very quickly. Another officer walks up behind you, starts wrestling you away as he catches this dagger and walks back over to the podium and thunks, uh stabs it into it and says, It is for this reason that we must be a united front of Imperians.

[17:51] Jesse McAnally: See the violence inheriting the system, people. Don't close your eyes anymore.

[17:55] Christi Esterle: You're like yelling this out of like a half-cracked window in the back of uh an old party westkin.

[18:01] Emily Clark: 100%.

[18:02] Christi Esterle: Oh, sorry, I was closing my eyes because it's all so spooky.

[18:08] Jesse McAnally: Umited front against the understudy threat. And I, Brad Brad shit, what the fuck is his name? Damn it. Brad Shitfats' name. That's a very great thing. He thinks he's so great. And I, Brad B. Wendelroe will be the mayor that this fight.

[18:33] Christi Esterle: I beg your pardon. Brad um, what was that name again?

[18:35] Jesse McAnally: Brad B. Wendelroe.

[18:37] Christi Esterle: I didn't vote for him. Isn't that funny? I think uh c excuse me. Can I just get something in here? Can I can I you know please, uh, I need to look into my bag for something, could you?

[18:51] Jesse McAnally: Uh, you're uh the officer who's kind of like holding you is like, uh yeah, but make it quick.

[18:56] Emily Clark: Okay. Um, let's see. I have a I who which do we still have the lighter?

[19:01] Jesse McAnally: Uh it got stolen from you by uh the cloak in the Petink Inn.

[19:09] Christi Esterle: Bogger. I remember these things.

[19:11] Jesse McAnally: Uh you would remember it. It says RPW.

[19:14] Christi Esterle: RPW. Um, where's Desiree's cat right now?

[19:16] Jesse McAnally: Probably in my sack.

[19:18] Christi Esterle: I think in your in your bag, uh, which is far away is the paddy wagon from Desirea being arrested at the moment. Um, it's right behind the stage. You get the sense they used it to haul parts of the stage here.

[19:28] Christi Esterle: I start. Come here, come here, come here, come here. Come here, come here, dog. Come here.

[19:32] Jesse McAnally: I'm not sure if I look different, but come on over here. Get over here.

[19:36] Christi Esterle: Uh he pokes their head out of this this bag. Addie?

[19:42] Christi Esterle: Addie, go. Meow, meow, meow, meow.

[19:44] Jesse McAnally: Uh uh, Addie hops down uh and runs off towards you, Greg. Um and I nudge toward the paddy wagon door handle to I'm assuming it has one.

[19:53] Jesse McAnally: Uh it does on the outside. Um exactly that. Uh Addie uh uh tries to uh uh come on, you mean you mutt get up there. Um let's see. Uh Addie is able to hop up and uh both you and Evelyn at this point are in the paddy wagon and D Sere is being uh hauled in that direction. Um Addy's able to hop up and uh uh land on the um uh handle for the wagon.

[20:19] Christi Esterle: Uh but just before uh the little uh click of the door opens happen happens, another member of the uh uh militia here walks up and says, Mangy cat and grabs Addie and that does it!

[20:35] Jesse McAnally: There we are. That was that was not good. That was you you you don't know the hell you're gonna do.

[20:40] Christi Esterle: Alright, I am okay. I am wild shape. I'm wild shaping into a cat I wild shape into a cat and I start scratching and biting and clawing. I am tearing up, I am screeching like mad and tearing at the style with trying to hold on to the bottom.

[20:57] Jesse McAnally: Roll for initiative. I think we do need to roll for initiative, please.

[21:02] Christi Esterle: Um you roll a D20 and you'll add your initiative modifier to that, which is in the middle of the page.

[21:07] Jesse McAnally: Okay, I got eight.

[21:08] Christi Esterle: Eight for Greg.

[21:10] Christi Esterle: I got a three.

[21:12] Jesse McAnally: Oh, geez, where's my initiative modifier?

[21:15] Christi Esterle: Four.

[21:16] Christi Esterle: A four for a D.

[21:18] Christi Esterle: I got I got a six.

[21:21] Jesse McAnally: We were just supposed to go to a train station today, guys.

[21:25] Christi Esterle: I know. Well, you were the one who decided you wanted to do an impromptu performance.

[21:29] Jesse McAnally: It's not a performance.

[21:30] Christi Esterle: I saying that, but it's coming out. Meow, meow, meow, meow, meow.

[21:33] Jesse McAnally: His spit meal.

[21:33] Christi Esterle: Yeah, look, Greg, it was good. Uh up first is uh Brad Bradby.

[21:39] Jesse McAnally: Come on, old grandpa, let's go. Uh, although you I will give you the surprise round that you got D Serea for uh wild shaping into a cat.

[21:46] Christi Esterle: So you are now what kind of what kind of cat are you?

[21:49] Christi Esterle: I am a fairly good sized um white Persian with a flat angry face and big fluffy tail, and I am just, you know, uh screaming and spitting like anything. So I am I, you know, break my claws against this guy, and I am, you know, I guess I'm wriggling out of his grip, so um uh you're gonna claw at this cat roll plus to hit for the cat.

[22:21] Jesse McAnally: Uh clauses plus zero to hit. Okay, got an eight.

[22:26] Jesse McAnally: Uh you slash at Bradby, um, who uh uh has kind of lunged to grab you and pick you up, and he just like uh like uh my like I used to do to my younger brothers, he just holds you further away and your claws can't quite reach him. Um as you slash at him.

[22:40] Christi Esterle: Um, Bradby looks entirely non plus by this whole thing. He's just kind of ugh sighing as he's doing this. And he like walks you over to the paddy wagon.

[22:52] Christi Esterle: Um and he uh uh reaches up, and uh, there's like a uh a side door that seems to lead to like a tiny little cage in the side, and he opens it up and he puts you in it and thunks it closed.

[23:06] Jesse McAnally: Um as you hiss the whole way. Uh Greg, you're up next. You are in the backseat of this paddy wagon with uh Evelyn across from you. Both of you are handcuffed. You are the only two um uh occupants of this vehicle.

[23:21] Christi Esterle: There are about 30 officers surrounding this area. They were all here for this funeral.

[23:27] Jesse McAnally: Oh this feels right, Greg. You and me up to our old shenanigans again.

[23:36] Christi Esterle: Yes, but I remember you being a lot younger last time.

[23:39] Jesse McAnally: Um I'm not like you.

[23:42] Christi Esterle: Yeah, this is very weird. We'll we'll have to unpack this later. But you want to try flipping this?

[23:47] Jesse McAnally: Obviously. Alright, so with a knowing glance to Evelyn, we try to smash into the sides of the paddy wagon to flip it over and smash it.

[23:57] Christi Esterle: Okay. Um, why don't both you and Evelyn uh let's call this an athletics check? Um let's have you both roll and see how it goes.

[24:06] Jesse McAnally: Okay.

[24:08] Christi Esterle: Uh dirty 18.

[24:09] Jesse McAnally: Okay. How'd you do Evelyn?

[24:12] Emily Clark: Uh, I got an 11.

[24:15] Christi Esterle: Uh, we I think we cut to, like, we're we have an interior shot of Greg, this inspiring speech you've made, and you're like, ah, it's just like the old days.

[24:23] Jesse McAnally: Um, and we see this dramatic music as you both like, you know, get up and try and shoulder thump into the side of this paddy wagon, and then we cut to a very far away shot of this paddy wagon surrounded by like a three dozen officers, and we see the whole paddy wagon just like boop, just like shuffle a little bit to the side, and we see it like boop.

[24:45] Christi Esterle: Uh getting older, Greg. I don't know what to tell you.

[24:49] Jesse McAnally: Oh, that makes one of us. Um you um uh the three of you now at this point, uh uh hear some murmuring from outside this paddy wagon as we move on to uh Evelyn's turn.

[25:02] Emily Clark: That's what I hear the way you do some piece and carrots. Um hey, hey, I'm a dragon. Should I blast some flames?

[25:15] Christi Esterle: Well okay, I could blast some flames at those guys, maybe back to the show. I'm game for these schemes, but I I'm noticing a proximity issue right now.

[25:24] Emily Clark: There's like a is there a proximity? I don't know if I've got like bars or access to this side of their cave, but I am probably, you know, like waving my paws like trying to these numbers as best I can as like without that biology.

[25:37] Jesse McAnally: Yeah, there is a little opening, you know, like uh uh bars out the window to the outside, Evelyn. It is pretty cramped quarters in here, so um you gotta put position the magic fingers out the paddy wagosy and get it out there.

[25:51] Emily Clark: I was gonna blast it out, you know. Um, okay, can I use uh you can't just draw Paddywagosy like that?

[26:00] Christi Esterle: Oh, I'm sorry, did I offend anyone? It just took me by surprise.

[26:05] Jesse McAnally: Oh, is Greg Gory canceled now?

[26:08] Christi Esterle: Paddy was not in my notes.

[26:12] Emily Clark: Um hey, do do any of we have we we're handcuffed, right?

[26:18] Jesse McAnally: Yes, you are.

[26:19] Emily Clark: Okay, but uh but do I have my tail handy?

[26:23] Jesse McAnally: You also have your mouth handy.

[26:26] Emily Clark: Okay, okay. Well, alright. I was trying to use your mouth on the patty when ghost.

[26:36] Christi Esterle: Yeah, you wanna uh there's like a little lock uh on the outside. Um there are bars that would reach around. Can I reach my tail through and try to knock that off?

[26:45] Jesse McAnally: Yeah, let's call this um uh man. Does sleight of hand apply to tails?

[26:52] Christi Esterle: A sleight of tail.

[26:53] Jesse McAnally: Roll a sleight of tail, Jack.

[26:56] Emily Clark: Alright. Oh, this is terrible. This is simply terrible. I'm having the worst luck.

[27:06] Emily Clark: Uh it's it's a one.

[27:08] Christi Esterle: It's a one.

[27:09] Jesse McAnally: Oh I don't know what to tell you guys. I think this is gonna go well.

[27:15] Christi Esterle: I have faith in this.

[27:16] Jesse McAnally: Your uh your uh tail uh just barely makes it out of the the little bars in the door before you feel thump uh uh something smacking it, and you hear a muffled voice a muffled voice go, hey, stop that.

[27:29] Christi Esterle: Uh I didn't think there was a guy out there.

[27:32] Jesse McAnally: You uh there's like 30 guys out there.

[27:34] Christi Esterle: Well, you know.

[27:35] Jesse McAnally: Um you take two points of uh bludgeoning damage from this uh uh uh Billy Club.

[27:42] Christi Esterle: Um terrible.

[27:43] Jesse McAnally: And uh you see uh I think um the three of you can see this based on how this sets up. A face appears at the window. Um, and it is uh the the face of Bradby.

[27:54] Christi Esterle: Uh he must be on someone's shoulders or something.

[27:57] Jesse McAnally: Um but he looks through and says, I know you must be upset in this moment. Terrible things make us do and think terrible things, but I promise this is what's right for the city.

[28:10] Emily Clark: And I I'm sure your time in our rehabilitation center will be good.

[28:16] Christi Esterle: I punch him right in I headbutt him right in the face, mid-word.

[28:20] Jesse McAnally: There are bars between the two of you. You can try and do that if you want.

[28:24] Emily Clark: I just want to cause him as much pain as it can, even though it might also hurt me.

[28:29] Christi Esterle: Uh okay. Uh you uh uh go ahead roll uh uh we're playing Calvin Ball with the order now, but that's okay. Uh so sorry. Roll him roll an unarmed strike.

[28:41] Jesse McAnally: Uh that's a uh D20 plus one.

[28:44] Emily Clark: Okay, so alright. That is a natural 20.

[28:49] Jesse McAnally: Look at that. You uh you get him. You butt uh uh you butt heads into this um uh damage. Go ahead, roll uh d20, so double damage, roll two d4.

[29:00] Emily Clark: That is a three.

[29:01] Jesse McAnally: Um you uh headbutt him and go ah! Then he grabs his eye.

[29:04] Christi Esterle: Um and you uh take that gramps. Turn about his fair play, and he says, I'll be seeing you down at the station.

[29:13] Jesse McAnally: We'll see. He uh you see his hand extend and he pushes, or it looks like he's manipulating something on the outside of this paddy wagon.

[29:22] Tommy Nolan: Um, and then the three of you feel this uh uh just a very brief shock that originates at your feet uh inside this paddy wagon, um, and then your vision goes black.

[29:37] Jesse McAnally: Well uh this is a problem because I am I think I unwild shape if I fall unconscious.

[29:43] Christi Esterle: Uh yeah, yep.

[29:54] Tommy Nolan: Hello everyone, it's me, Tommy, your dungeon master, and welcome to Intermission. Thanks so much for listening. I don't know if hashtags are a thing anymore, but ours is once more cast. So if you are using a hashtag somewhere, that's the one to use. Our troupe this week, as always, includes Evelyn Forte, the brassy mouthed dragon-born sorcerer, played by Emily Clark. Find Emily at Stealing Focus on YouTube. Disarea the magnificent, our high elf druid, and daughter of theatrical royalty is played by Christi Esterle, aka the Diva. Find her at Musical Hell on YouTube. Graygory Highland, the bumbling two-timing dwarfish rogue, is played by Jesse McAnally. You can find Jesse's other podcasts, Musicals with Cheese and Carried Away in a podcatcher of your choice.

And of course, I am Tommy Nolan, MusicalMash here and elsewhere on the internet. Our podcast artwork is by Derek Trost, and thanks, as always, to BPN for having us on the network. You can find all this information and more at oncemorewithdragons.com. There you can also sign up for our Patreon. Thank you, loyal patrons, for sticking around with us. We're happy to have you here. Also, any reviews you could plop into Apple Podcasts or any other place that takes reviews will always help our podcasts reach more people's faces or ears, I guess. You really don't watch a you'd listen to a podcast, don't you? Hey, one more thing. If this podcast gives you a hankering to play some D&D or some other tabletop game, check out my D&D service.

It's at threedragonsinatrenchcoat.com. There you can sign up to play a game of your own with me. Sounds fun. I like it. I bet you'll like it too. Anyway, they're blinking the lights, so go, go, get back in there. Grab your seat. The act two's gonna start now. Shh, here we go. Enjoy.

[31:44] Christi Esterle: Some unknown amount of time passes, but the three of you come to, including you, uh D'syraeah, and you're very cramped in what is now a very tiny cage uh for your uh uh normal elf-sized body.

[31:58] Jesse McAnally: Can they squeeze through the bars?

[32:00] Christi Esterle: Um probably not. Um like it's uh uh you know, picture like a uh portable cage for a um uh, you know, like when you take your cat to the vet.

[32:10] Jesse McAnally: Gotcha.

[32:10] Christi Esterle: Um, but through the bars you can see uh uh just barely before you pass into the loading uh uh area. You uh have passed through Pendulum Plaza, um, and you're being taken to um the main government building there. This is uh the clockwork center. Uh it is the building upon which Pendulum Plaza gets its name. It's at the very end of the plaza. It's got a big uh uh giant pendulum that swings back and forth and a huge clock face at the top that keeps the time. This is where the mayor's office is. This is where the understudy take care of brigade has been centered, um, although you get the sense that they might be moving soon. Um, and you uh uh see as this paddy wagon kind of uh uh rolls into this loading area, and then things go dark for you all for a second. Um, and then the three of you wake up in uh separate cells uh in what appears to be some kind of uh uh holding area.

[33:09] Emily Clark: Am I still handcuffed?

[33:10] Christi Esterle: Uh you are no longer uh the three of you find yourselves no longer handcuffed, um, but you notice that your weapons have been removed from you. Um there uh you're in a uh what appears to be a long row of jail cells. Um Evelyn and Gregory, you are across from each other. Uh D'syraeah, you're on Greg's side, um, right next to him, Evelyn. There appears to be some other figure uh sleeping in the bed next to you in one of these jail cells. Um but this is where the three of you come to in a in three locked jail cells.

[33:45] Jesse McAnally: Hey ladies, another successful day, right?

[33:49] Christi Esterle: Oh my gosh.

[33:51] Emily Clark: I I gotta check something if that's alright with you guys. Um I I start p I take off both my socks and my shoes really quick, and I'm like, hold on. And I count the rings around my leg. Yesterday, there was 40 to 50 of these. Now there's only about 19. What the fuck happened, guys?

[34:16] Jesse McAnally: Greg, as you take off your shoe, um, something that you don't remember being there before uh uh falls out, and it's a miracle you didn't notice this when you were walking around.

[34:27] Jesse McAnally: I have a lot of things going on in my life right now. There's a lot of things that I'm just not now noticing and being able to unpack. I I wasn't expecting to get into the specifics of the topology of Graygory Highland's socks.

[34:41] Christi Esterle: Not again.

[34:42] Jesse McAnally: But uh there Gregory, do you ever wash your feet?

[34:46] Jesse McAnally: When would I have had the chance? I was literally on fire yesterday. Give me a break, mom.

[34:52] Christi Esterle: Jesus. Um not on fire when we were in a hotel room. Goodness sake.

[34:58] Jesse McAnally: Um a small smells like a it smells like a very old cheese over here.

[35:04] Christi Esterle: You get blaming on the other guy in the cell.

[35:06] Jesse McAnally: Um the other guy.

[35:08] Christi Esterle: Who's the other guy?

[35:09] Jesse McAnally: Who is the other guy with?

[35:10] Christi Esterle: There's a there's a figure beneath the blankets there. They seem to be asleep.

[35:14] Christi Esterle: Okay, who's in whose cell?

[35:15] Jesse McAnally: Uh it's across from uh what did I say? Um there you're all in separate cells. Uh Gregory and Evelyn are across from each other with the hallway in the middle. Um, so it's on uh uh Evelyn's side. Um all that to say, Greg, you flip your shoe over as you take it off, and a small blue crystal falls out.

[35:39] Jesse McAnally: Looky there.

[35:41] Christi Esterle: I heard a clinky clanky sound. What was that, Greg? What came out of your shoe?

[35:44] Jesse McAnally: It looks like a small blue crystal.

[35:49] Jesse McAnally: Oh. You recognize this crystal, Greg. This is that small shard of Resilium. Tim Taylor talked to you about this. It was his family's prized possession.

[36:03] Jesse McAnally: Um not sure that's a yes or a no from Tim the Toolman Taylor.

[36:13] Jesse McAnally: I don't remember stealing it, but it does feel in character for me to have stolen this.

[36:20] Christi Esterle: Um and uh you hear uh a voice from that uh fourth cell. Uh it's a high-pitched voice, and it goes, uh, well, the three of you be quiet.

[36:32] Jesse McAnally: No.

[36:32] Christi Esterle: Never either you do either you tell us how to get out of here or shut up.

[36:37] Christi Esterle: You see this uh figure stir under these blankets and then fly up towards you. It is about it is a maybe uh foot-tall uh flying humanoid that you immediately recognize as a fairy. Um he uh he's got like a uh a black goatee um and fairy wings, uh, and he flies uh towards the Well we all know the theater is full of fairies.

[36:59] Jesse McAnally: Cute.

[37:00] Christi Esterle: Uh he flies towards you and says, uh, will will you be quiet? My my hearing's tomorrow, and if I can't get my rest, then I'm short I won't be good in front of the magistrate.

[37:12] Emily Clark: Oh, I can tell you a thing or two about performing.

[37:15] Christi Esterle: Um be me and you'll be better at it.

[37:18] Jesse McAnally: Is that what brought you to this jail cell?

[37:21] Christi Esterle: He says.

[37:22] Jesse McAnally: No.

[37:23] Christi Esterle: What brought you? What is what is keeping you in this jail cell? You just flew through the bars.

[37:29] Christi Esterle: Um he uh uh he flits back in. Um and he indeed is able to fly in and out of the bars, and he he kind of uh sits down on this bed and sit and sighs and says, I'm sure they'd find me anyway if I I gotta dial in this voice. Um I'm sure they'd find me anyway if they uh went searching for me. Uh and he uh flies over to you, Evelyn, and extends his hand and says, My name's Rhyme Well Mirando, whom I have the pleasure of meeting today.

[38:00] Emily Clark: Oh, look at look at this guy. Look at this little guy. He's very cute. I love him.

[38:05] Christi Esterle: Rhyme Well Mirando. Wait, wait, wait. I've read about this person for like a couple years during the last election cycle. They were impossible to get away with. I okay, do a rap for us right now. I know you do that. Do that right now.

[38:16] Jesse McAnally: Gregory, Gregory, please.

[38:21] Christi Esterle: No, that's what they do. They're really good at this. Watch this.

[38:23] Tommy Nolan: He kind of goes back and sits down and uh uh slumps his shoulders. He goes, No, I'm afraid I threw away my shot.

[38:33] Christi Esterle: Oh.

[38:34] Emily Clark: You know, I don't think he's cringe at all. I like He's not. He's a sweet boy. I love him.

[38:40] Christi Esterle: He's Ernest. You know what? I like Ernest. Not every note gets hit, but you know what? He's trying.

[38:46] Jesse McAnally: You know what? You know what? You could speak for yourself, Gregory.

[38:51] Jesse McAnally: I do, and I will.

[38:53] Christi Esterle: Hey, he he kind of contemplates the three of them and says, hey, thanks. Thanks, y'all. How did y'all get a thrown in the clink?

[38:59] Jesse McAnally: Got thrown in the clink and you gotta think that.

[39:02] Christi Esterle: We're gonna do it.

[39:03] Jesse McAnally: Okay, so no, come on! I got a knack for this.

[39:07] Christi Esterle: He he pulls out he pulls out a little notepad and like starts taking notes and says, Oh, if we ever, if we ever get the show back up and running, that's pretty good.

[39:14] Christi Esterle: Are you are you uh a free agent right now?

[39:17] Jesse McAnally: Yes, yes, I'm extremely available.

[39:20] Christi Esterle: Well, uh, we're we're I don't know if we're free anything right now. I I'm not quite sure if they'll uh our our show was shut down, but if we ever can get back to uh Lace Fairyablace, I I'd love to have you audition.

[39:34] Jesse McAnally: Maybe we should ask more questions. Your show was shut down, you say.

[39:38] Christi Esterle: Yeah, I I I don't I don't know. They are accusing me of being an understudy. I don't even I can't imagine sound familiar. I they they came to do a license check, and I I had a license to do magical theater, but uh they were they accused me of forging it, and I I'm not quite sure, but they they shut down uh my the whole theater.

[40:00] Jesse McAnally: So you're saying the government is corrupt.

[40:02] Christi Esterle: Those licenses can be hard to get.

[40:04] Jesse McAnally: I'm not quite sure. I I wonder if maybe I didn't file some correct piece of paperwork or something, but you know, this is uh this is good rehearsal for me to plan what I'm gonna say for the magistrate tomorrow.

[40:16] Christi Esterle: I wouldn't uh I definitely write right right to Rikers. I'm not gonna lie. You gotta work on that a bit more. Like work on a second draft. I'm not buying this.

[40:24] Jesse McAnally: Let me let me try this. Um uh if it if it pleases the court, I'm here to say that my name's Rhyme Well, and it's not my day.

[40:35] Christi Esterle: Better?

[40:36] Jesse McAnally: Masterful, masterful! Yes. And I don't know how I'm gonna afford bail. It's so expensive.

[40:41] Christi Esterle: Didn't you like win the Pulitzer or something?

[40:46] Jesse McAnally: The fairy Pulitzer.

[40:49] Christi Esterle: That doesn't come with a cash prize, you dolt. The industry is changing. I don't know if awards mean anything anymore. It's just bragging rights, Greg. It's always something, these these social elites. They're always trying to ask for more.

[41:01] Jesse McAnally: Um, all right, let's figure this out. You can fly out these bars. Why don't you fly in here and we can get out of here?

[41:11] Christi Esterle: Because I think this government system isn't gonna save us. I think we all know that this government system is only gonna bring us down. So, how about we break the system, break the chain, and be the change we want to be instead of talking about how great everything is.

[41:25] Jesse McAnally: Gregory, that was the best thing I've ever heard you say. Are you well?

[41:29] Jesse McAnally: I think I'm just feeling a little bit of a change in me, and youthful rebellion is now my thing.

[41:37] Christi Esterle: As opposed to senior citizen rebellion, which is one before.

[41:41] Christi Esterle: He he flies into your cell, Greg, um, and he says, I would love to have you in our production of Lace Fairy Ablase. I think you understand what we're what it is we're trying to say.

[41:53] Jesse McAnally: Of course we do, my dear. I grab him in my palm like a firefly.

[41:56] Christi Esterle: Alright, alright. Easy, Greg. Be nice to the very kind triple threat. The fairy community has always been very nice to us.

[42:03] Jesse McAnally: I pull him very close to my nose. Like we're nose to nose.

[42:06] Christi Esterle: He he sniffs and says, Are you eating cheese in here? What is that?

[42:09] Jesse McAnally: That's my feet. It'll be a good thing. He hasn't washed in the past.

[42:11] Christi Esterle: It's a whole thing. We're used to it by now. Don't worry about this, my my my little my little rhymey friend. What I want you to do, how well do you take instruction?

[42:23] Christi Esterle: Uh uh, it de it depends. Did I make the instructions myself or are other people giving me the instructions?

[42:29] Jesse McAnally: I will be giving you the instructions.

[42:31] Christi Esterle: Okay, I'll do my best.

[42:33] Jesse McAnally: Okay. Um I'm pretty sure your hands could fit into these locks and work as a lockpick if you follow my instructions very clearly.

[42:43] Christi Esterle: Okay.

[42:44] Jesse McAnally: Are you willing to try this so that are you willing to risk further imprisonment and further damage to save others and actually get out and find freedom?

[42:54] Christi Esterle: Little little man. You are quite the Yes.

[42:59] Jesse McAnally: Yes, I am.

[43:00] Christi Esterle: Awesome. And then I just put him right next to the lock on the outside of the cake. Uh he like beaks his eye in. He actually puts his whole head in the lock first. Um and then pulls it down and says, Oh yeah, okay, I think I can't. And he like sticks his hand in and he like rummages around a little bit. Two left and a right.

[43:17] Jesse McAnally: Alright.

[43:20] Christi Esterle: You hear one click and he goes, Oh, uh uh, okay, okay, now what?

[43:25] Jesse McAnally: Three rights in a and then a little bit of a jerky movement up.

[43:29] Christi Esterle: Alright. You want me to Okay. And then you hear two more clicks, click, click. Uh, and then he says, Oh, wait, and then I think. And then you hear click.

[43:40] Christi Esterle: And then Greg, the door to your cell. Creaks open.

[43:44] Jesse McAnally: Alright then. Ladies, it's been great knowing you. Come on, I'm Glory!

[43:51] Emily Clark: Gregory, let me out, or I will wild shape into a cat, and then I will come over there and strangle you.

[43:57] Emily Clark: I don't know.

[43:58] Christi Esterle: And I will stop being your friend.

[44:10] Jesse McAnally: Friends?

[44:11] Christi Esterle: Alright, alright.

[44:13] Emily Clark: If that's what we are, why is it I'm the butt of every joke?

[44:17] Jesse McAnally: Why is it that I seem to be the one that always gets blamed when we have collectively found ourselves in situations?

[44:23] Christi Esterle: Because you're the one who starts it!

[44:25] Jesse McAnally: I think when you point one finger at me, there are three that point back at you.

[44:30] Emily Clark: Oh, I'm sorry, that was just my tail.

[44:33] Tommy Nolan: Now, uh, Rhyme Rhymewell looks very scared and surprised of all of you. He said, like, you three don't seem like friends.

[44:41] Christi Esterle: Well, who's some buddies?

[44:43] Emily Clark: I thought we were friends.

[44:45] Jesse McAnally: I thought we were pals.

[44:47] Christi Esterle: You know, wherever I go, you know, we go together wherever.

[44:52] Jesse McAnally: What three things do we have in common aside from our age?

[44:56] Christi Esterle: Truly, there is nothing that draws us together.

[44:58] Jesse McAnally: So, really, I think it's healthier if we all go our own several ways.

[45:02] Christi Esterle: I tried to save you from a fire.

[45:04] Jesse McAnally: And did you succeed?

[45:07] Christi Esterle: I tried.

[45:08] Jesse McAnally: Well, there we are.

[45:09] Christi Esterle: I think maybe I don't even know where my cat is right now.

[45:13] Jesse McAnally: Alright.

[45:13] Christi Esterle: Okay, look, little fairy boy. Can you just let me out? You P2 are the only people I have right now, and I do not know where Addie is.

[45:24] Jesse McAnally: I'm so sorry that your dog is missing.

[45:27] Christi Esterle: That is not any of my concern.

[45:31] Jesse McAnally: I think it's time that I focus on me, and y'all can ride that toxic jossip train all the way back to manipulation station.

[45:39] Tommy Nolan: And then I head toward the door, and yeah, me and Rhyme Guy are gonna plan to get out, but then the door to get out of the cell also locked.

[45:48] Tommy Nolan: Uh yeah, and I will say as well, uh, Rhymewell is not following you.

[45:53] Jesse McAnally: I think he is.

[45:55] Christi Esterle: I grab him.

[45:55] Jesse McAnally: No, no, I grab him in that very kind of aggressive way.

[45:58] Christi Esterle: Let him, you release the fairy, just let him let us go.

[46:02] Jesse McAnally: Put your composer, lyricist, actor, rapper, whatever he is today down.

[46:08] Christi Esterle: Renaissance man.

[46:09] Jesse McAnally: Renaissance man!

[46:10] Christi Esterle: Oh, don't forget Felon. He helped release a very well-known thief.

[46:14] Jesse McAnally: So no matter what, he's trapped with me.

[46:16] Tommy Nolan: Uh, he contemplates you. Uh, Greg, will you roll a dexterity saving throw?

[46:22] Jesse McAnally: You got it.

[46:24] Tommy Nolan: That was, uh, what's where's my dex? Hold on. Uh, and saving throw will be in a different box. So that is an 18.

[46:29] Tommy Nolan: An 18. Okay.

[46:31] Christi Esterle: Um, he tried to bite you, but you're able to, uh—

[46:31] Jesse McAnally: That's a nip, buddy.

[46:36] Christi Esterle: Yeah, he's kind of like gnawing down on your thumb.

[46:39] Jesse McAnally: Give me one reason why we should stay together as this trio. If you give me one reason that I believe, we will get you out.

[46:45] Tommy Nolan: Rhymewell says, the power of the collective is stronger than the forces of individual oppressors.

[46:52] Jesse McAnally: That's a good answer, but I didn't ask you.

[46:55] Christi Esterle: Okay. Well, he said.

[47:14] Tommy Nolan: Uh, all of the lights in this jail cell just change from, uh, and they get a little more colorful and brighter, and spotlights appear as you do this, uh, uh, short bosom buddies, uh, together wherever we're going.

[47:32] Tommy Nolan: Let's do, can I get a performance check from, uh, D'syraeah and Evelyn?

[47:37] Christi Esterle: Okay, performance.

[47:41] Christi Esterle: Uh, dirty 20.

[47:43] Jesse McAnally: Oh, ooh!

[47:43] Christi Esterle: Uh, okay.

[47:45] Christi Esterle: 18!

[47:46] Jesse McAnally: Greg, it warms your heart.

[47:48] Jesse McAnally: It does.

[47:49] Christi Esterle: Um, give me a cue line. Hold on. One of you.

[47:55] Jesse McAnally: Um, now I get the girl.

[48:01] Christi Esterle: Well, sit down and love give it a devil well.

[48:07] Jesse McAnally: Sit down and tell you!

[48:13] Tommy Nolan: And we montage, and Rhymewell, uh, pops the locks open on, uh, D'syraeah and Evelyn's jail cells, and the doors swing open, and then Rhymewell like pushes—we cut to Rhymewell pushing his ear up against the door there and listening, and then opening the door out of this jail block, uh, and looking left and right.

[48:31] Tommy Nolan: There's a long hallway that seems to lead down, uh, uh, to the left and to the right. You can't see anything, uh, in either direction.

[48:40] Christi Esterle: Rhymewell, you're a good little thief. I might—you'd be really good in like a thieves guild.

[48:45] Jesse McAnally: Not even—not I'm not even just trying to gas you up, my friend. Like, truly, you would fit in well. Like if this composer lyricist brilliant, like, you know, ego thing doesn't work out for you, um, just steal.

[48:57] Christi Esterle: You're saying if I run out of original ideas, I can find them elsewhere?

[49:03] Jesse McAnally: Uh, let's be clear. You've had one original idea and a bunch of stuff, uh, pushed to you by Disney, but yeah.

[49:09] Christi Esterle: Who's Disney's—oh please, there hasn't been an original idea in music theater since, uh, since who even knows when? They're all adaptations.

[49:20] Jesse McAnally: Hey, Rhymewell, hey, Rhymewell, I noticed you biting your lip during our song. That mean you like it a lot.

[49:27] Christi Esterle: I listen, if we're able to remount Feriablase, y'all three will be on the top of my long list.

[49:37] Jesse McAnally: It's like a short list but long. Awesome, so where are we again?

[49:43] Christi Esterle: We're in a dark hallway.

[49:45] Tommy Nolan: You, um, here's what you would know. You are somewhere in the bowels of, uh, Clockwork Center, which is like the civic center of Imperia. Lots of like, this is a massive, you know, 30-story building. Um, everything from the understudy take care of brigade is housed here. The mayor's office is here. Uh, there's a bunch of other like bureaucratic nonsense that goes on around here. Um, at least where you're at, you seem to be, uh, you guess you would guess you're subterranean somehow.

[49:48] Christi Esterle: Can I see anything? Because I can see up to 60 feet in darkness.

[50:17] Tommy Nolan: Sure. Um, to your right appears to be more jail cells as if the holding block continues down that way. To your left, it looks a little brighter and you hear, uh, the murmur of voices and the shuffle of feet, uh, but that you, your guess would be the way out, so you're guessing the way out is toward the shuffle of feet.

[50:35] Jesse McAnally: Uh, well, uh, there are people over there moving, and as far as jails, is there anything that looks like our stuff or other prisoners?

[50:43] Tommy Nolan: Um, you, uh, the next block, uh, to your right, like you're, uh, like the one you're in, there's another outside door there. You don't hear anything from that direction, but it doesn't mean there's not anyone that way. You don't—to answer your question, D, you don't, um, see any sign of your stuff, nor do you see any sign of Addy.

[51:00] Christi Esterle: But we do kind of know that people are around.

[51:02] Tommy Nolan: Yeah, you would get this. I mean, this is a jail cell. There's gonna be people everywhere, yeah, probably.

[51:06] Christi Esterle: Rhymewell, come here.

[51:08] Tommy Nolan: Yeah.

[51:08] Christi Esterle: I'm willing to believe that anyone locked them in here is done so unjustly like the rest of us. I want you to go down that hallway and just start unlocking doors. So as you said, we are stronger together and stronger all together. We're gonna keep heading towards the door and take care of the people down there.

[51:22] Tommy Nolan: Alright, so you go, we'll go this way.

[51:24] Christi Esterle: Wait, wait, wait, hold on. Can I—I just need—will you do me one favor?

[51:28] Jesse McAnally: Sure.

[51:29] Christi Esterle: Could you say you believe in fairies?

[51:33] Tommy Nolan: I believe in fairies, bro.

[51:36] Christi Esterle: He like lights up really brighter and says, thanks, it's so embarrassing every time I have to ask that, but it really does help.

[51:41] Tommy Nolan: And then he flies off in the other direction.

[51:44] Jesse McAnally: I like the bro, bro. I give a little golf clap just to get encourage him.

[51:50] Tommy Nolan: He gets brighter.

[51:52] Jesse McAnally: Hey, Evelyn.

[51:53] Emily Clark: Yeah.

[51:54] Jesse McAnally: I don't really believe in fairies.

[51:55] Emily Clark: No, don't say that.

[51:57] Jesse McAnally: Don't say that.

[51:58] Emily Clark: Don't say that, you jerk.

[52:00] Jesse McAnally: I clap a little harder.

[52:01] Christi Esterle: Jerk!

[52:03] Jesse McAnally: Hey, God!

[52:04] Christi Esterle: Of course he does, rhymey boy.

[52:08] Tommy Nolan: He's gone.

[52:09] Tommy Nolan: Um, Rhymewell has flown off towards perhaps more jail cells to help stage your revolution.

[52:16] Christi Esterle: Wow.

[52:16] Tommy Nolan: Uh, prison riot, I think is what you're looking for.

[52:19] Christi Esterle: Feriablaze for real, though.

[52:21] Jesse McAnally: Yeah.

[52:22] Christi Esterle: Um, you, uh, you have it coming.

[52:25] Jesse McAnally: Yeah, have it coming.

[52:28] Christi Esterle: Um, as you, uh, make it to the end of this hallway, um, you just as you're about to approach what looks to be the opening into the other room, you hear a bell sound.

[52:38] Tommy Nolan: Ring.

[52:38] Christi Esterle: Um, and then, uh, you hear just vaguely some voices go, oh, lunch.

[52:43] Tommy Nolan: Um, and then the shuffle of feet, and then the ding-dong of an elevator.

[52:47] Christi Esterle: Um, and then it is quiet, uh, beyond this hallway.

[52:51] Jesse McAnally: Um, is there stairs?

[52:53] Tommy Nolan: Uh, there's a big room here.

[52:55] Christi Esterle: You, uh, uh, do you want—are we sneaking into this room?

[52:58] Jesse McAnally: I don't want to love to sneak into this room.

[53:01] Christi Esterle: Could I get, uh, stealth rolls from all who are sneaking?

[53:05] Jesse McAnally: I will—I do my best.

[53:06] Christi Esterle: We are not naturally stealthy people.

[53:10] Jesse McAnally: Um, that is a 12.

[53:12] Christi Esterle: Oh, I got a 19!

[53:14] Jesse McAnally: Ooh.

[53:14] Christi Esterle: I'm in good stealth right now.

[53:16] Jesse McAnally: I got a five.

[53:18] Christi Esterle: D'syraeah, uh, you trip.

[53:20] Jesse McAnally: You don't take any damage, but it's loud.

[53:22] Christi Esterle: Clang clang clang.

[53:23] Tommy Nolan: Um, I don't know what clanged there.

[53:25] Christi Esterle: Uh, how graceful of you, D'syraeah.

[53:28] Jesse McAnally: God, are those your placement knees?

[53:30] Tommy Nolan: Um, and I think there's a gasp, uh, from, uh, you, Evelyn and Greg. Um, but you don't hear the like shuffle of feet running towards you.

[53:39] Tommy Nolan: Um, and as you poke your head out into this room, um, you find that you are, uh, in the Understudy Take Care of Brigade Offices, the UTCB.

[53:51] Tommy Nolan: Um, little curious that this is connected to the prison, but you know, let's not unpack that. This is, uh, uh, you look above the hallway that you just exited from, and there's a big sign that says "holding" above it.

[54:02] Tommy Nolan: Um, and, uh, the place you enter into seems to be the like workspace of these, uh, folk in the Understudy Take Care of Brigade. You may remember Laura Louver Cooper brought this up, uh, in the bar.

[54:15] Christi Esterle: She was bragging about at the Petink Inn what a good job they had done of removing the understudies from the street.

[54:22] Tommy Nolan: Um, there are a, uh, variety of like evidence boards all around.

[54:28] Tommy Nolan: Um, you see there's one board that's dedicated just to photos of the burnt down Demps Hohenstein.

[54:33] Tommy Nolan: Um, you see, uh, uh, another board with like a bunch of red yarn on it that's connecting like different silhouettes of different people.

[54:41] Tommy Nolan: Um, there's a bunch of file cabinets and desks here.

[54:44] Tommy Nolan: Uh, you also see, uh, uh, there's like a glass wall that leads out into a bunch of desks, and at the far end of those that room are the elevators.

[54:52] Tommy Nolan: It does seem as if everyone has gone off to lunch, luckily, um, and they perhaps don't do a good job of guarding their holding cells.

[55:00] Tommy Nolan: Um, but that's where you find yourselves. What do you do?

[55:04] Jesse McAnally: Well, I got us this far. Y'all want to carry some weight?

[55:08] Christi Esterle: I am going to investigate to see if I can figure out where they took put our stuff or if there's anything on these boards that seems significant.

[55:16] Tommy Nolan: Sure. Um, you find, um, there's a bulletin board with a bunch of pictures of the burnt down Demps Hohenstein, and in front of that is a table with a bunch of different bagged items.

[55:28] Tommy Nolan: Um, you see in one of them what appears to be a burnt up, uh, shoe, uh, that seems to be there.

[55:36] Tommy Nolan: You see, uh, oh, in the corner of the table, there is a small, uh, plastic bag with what looks like a small silver lighter in it.

[55:46] Tommy Nolan: Uh, there's also, um, a, uh, big, uh, at the top it says "main suspect," and there is a picture of a man you recognize, Raymond Phoenix Wendelblaze.

[55:58] Christi Esterle: Um, beneath the, uh, sign that says "main suspect" in this kind of like arson investigation board.

[56:06] Jesse McAnally: I think if there was one person that didn't do it, it's, it's, it's Wendy.

[56:11] Christi Esterle: I think he was kind of dead at the time, so I think we can safely rule him out.

[56:15] Jesse McAnally: Yes, Gregory.

[56:17] Christi Esterle: Is there a marker or anything nearby?

[56:18] Jesse McAnally: I'm just gonna—there's a big sharpie.

[56:21] Christi Esterle: Do you draw X him out?

[56:22] Jesse McAnally: You like draw a little bit.

[56:23] Christi Esterle: If he's doing that, I'd like to look a little closer at this shoe and the lighter.

[56:27] Tommy Nolan: Yeah, um, they are both items that you recognize. The burnt up shoe, uh, perhaps by comparison you can tell this is the other tap shoe of invisibility.

[56:36] Christi Esterle: Um, I believe you have the first one right now, D'syraeah.

[56:39] Christi Esterle: This one now.

[56:41] Jesse McAnally: We don't have our stuff.

[56:42] Christi Esterle: Yes.

[56:42] Jesse McAnally: I was gonna say, is this the original or is this the other one?

[56:45] Christi Esterle: I would—a fair question.

[56:47] Christi Esterle: You would know, D, that this is not—you took the—you had the left one.

[56:51] Christi Esterle: I have the origin—I have the other one. This must be the one that got was in the theater.

[56:55] Tommy Nolan: Um, you, uh, also take a look at the lighter, uh, and it is that one that says RPW.

[57:00] Christi Esterle: Um, you can deduce from the information on the bag there that these are all objects that were recovered from the burnt down theater.

[57:06] Jesse McAnally: I take the RPW lighter and try to do like a lighter trick with it, um, to show how cool I am.

[57:11] Tommy Nolan: Uh, okay. Um, do me a favor, Greg.

[57:14] Jesse McAnally: Uh, roll—you're not a magic person by much, right?

[57:19] Jesse McAnally: No, I am not.

[57:20] Tommy Nolan: Okay, roll an arcana check with, uh, disadvantage.

[57:23] Jesse McAnally: Okay.

[57:24] Jesse McAnally: Oh, bollocks.

[57:25] Tommy Nolan: Okay.

[57:27] Jesse McAnally: That is a seven.

[57:28] Tommy Nolan: Um, did you roll it twice?

[57:30] Jesse McAnally: Oh shit, no.

[57:32] Jesse McAnally: That is still a seven.

[57:34] Tommy Nolan: Wow.

[57:35] Jesse McAnally: The second one was fourteen, so.

[57:38] Tommy Nolan: Okay.

[57:39] Tommy Nolan: Uh, you click this lighter, um, and foom, on top of, uh, this, uh, table with all this evidence on it, right up against this bulletin board with all these pictures of the Demps Hohenstein, a giant anthropomorphic fire elemental appears.

[57:55] Jesse McAnally: Put it back, put it back, put it back!

[57:58] Christi Esterle: Can I add a little personal touch to this?

[58:00] Jesse McAnally: Sure.

[58:01] Christi Esterle: In doing so, it burns off my beard and my hair on my head.

[58:06] Christi Esterle: So now I have nothing on my face anymore.

[58:10] Tommy Nolan: Uh, completely.

[58:13] Tommy Nolan: Yeah, the, uh, Greg is changing by the second, y'all.

[58:16] Tommy Nolan: Um, but yes, this big fire elemental, uh, now stands on this table. You feel the heat.

[58:21] Tommy Nolan: Um, you can see these kind of black and white photos of the burnt Demps Hohenstein start to bubble and char on their own.

[58:27] Tommy Nolan: And this fire elemental kind of looks towards you, Greg.

[58:30] Tommy Nolan: Um, it doesn't have a face or any kind of expression.

[58:33] Tommy Nolan: Alright.

[58:34] Tommy Nolan: Uh roll for initiative.

[58:36] Tommy Nolan: Uh he's not fighting you.

[58:37] Jesse McAnally: Oh, cool.

[58:38] Tommy Nolan: Hi, buddy.

[58:38] Tommy Nolan: How are you doing?

[58:39] Tommy Nolan: He waves back at you.

[58:40] Jesse McAnally: Ah.

[58:41] Tommy Nolan: Oh, alright.

[58:42] Tommy Nolan: Um, we haven't a good one or a bad one today.

[58:45] Tommy Nolan: Uh what are you doing with the lighter right now?

[58:48] Christi Esterle: I I just am holding it indefinitely open.

[58:51] Tommy Nolan: Okay.

[58:51] Tommy Nolan: He just stands there and looks at you.

[58:53] Jesse McAnally: Awesome.

[58:54] Jesse McAnally: Um something with the lighter, do something with the lighter!

[58:57] Jesse McAnally: Do you know the way out, little fiery friend?

[59:00] Tommy Nolan: Uh, he looks at you, uh, he kind of shrugs.

[59:03] Jesse McAnally: Awesome.

[59:04] Tommy Nolan: All right.

[59:04] Tommy Nolan: I got an idea, guys.

[59:06] Tommy Nolan: Um let's pretend we are this demon fire elemental and hold this in front of us and trick everyone that might come across us.

[59:16] Tommy Nolan: And then maybe this riot that we started will join beyond us and think that they're led by this fire elemental.

[59:23] Christi Esterle: Sure.

[59:23] Christi Esterle: How about you close the lighter and we put it back before we all burn to death?

[59:27] Jesse McAnally: How about we do what's fun and I race out of the nearest room?

[59:31] Jesse McAnally: Um I swear to God, Greg, if my staff gets burnt.

[59:35] Christi Esterle: I feel caught in the middle here.

[59:37] Christi Esterle: I'm I'm, you know.

[59:38] Tommy Nolan: I will say, uh, Evelyn, you've been uh standing around.

[59:40] Tommy Nolan: Have you done any investigation in this room before?

[59:42] Tommy Nolan: You run out of it.

[59:43] Christi Esterle: I want to give you that opportunity.

[59:46] Tommy Nolan: You're headed towards the elevator.

[59:49] Emily Clark: I'm looking looking around at the other walls.

[59:53] Emily Clark: What else is on the walls away from the other stuff?

[59:57] Tommy Nolan: Give me an investigation roll, Evelyn, as uh I as Greg bolts out of this room uh followed by a fire elemental.

[1:00:04] Tommy Nolan: No, leaded by a fire elemental.

[1:00:06] Tommy Nolan: Okay, led by a fire elemental.

[1:00:08] Tommy Nolan: All right, investigation.

[1:00:09] Emily Clark: We got 10.

[1:00:11] Tommy Nolan: Um, you um hmm.

[1:00:13] Tommy Nolan: With a 10, there is a larger, what looks like older evidence wall.

[1:00:18] Tommy Nolan: Uh, you know, crazy person board with red yarn on the other side.

[1:00:21] Emily Clark: Oh boy.

[1:00:21] Tommy Nolan: There's one empty spot at the top.

[1:00:23] Tommy Nolan: Uh the whole board is labeled the understudies.

[1:00:26] Tommy Nolan: And under that empty spot at the top, it says the puppeteer producer.

[1:00:31] Tommy Nolan: Beneath that are uh five different strings that lead off to a whole bunch of different notes and things.

[1:00:39] Tommy Nolan: Uh a couple different pictures of different people, no one you recognize.

[1:00:42] Tommy Nolan: Um, and you don't have a lot of time to look at it before you hear uh Greg uh running the other way, and then you hear bing bong as the elevator doors open.

[1:00:54] Tommy Nolan: These doors won't stay open forever.

[1:00:55] Tommy Nolan: So either you're with me or you're against me.

[1:00:57] Tommy Nolan: Let's go.

[1:00:58] Jesse McAnally: Alright.

[1:00:58] Jesse McAnally: We sang the song.

[1:00:59] Jesse McAnally: We agreed.

[1:01:00] Emily Clark: Alright.

[1:01:01] Emily Clark: I'm coming.

[1:01:01] Emily Clark: I'm coming.

[1:01:02] Emily Clark: I'm still looking for my stuff.

[1:01:04] Christi Esterle: But don't we want to know who the puppet producer is?

[1:01:07] Christi Esterle: The producer puppet?

[1:01:09] Christi Esterle: There's no image at that out the same day we find out who burnt down the theater.

[1:01:18] Jesse McAnally: Let me glump on away.

[1:01:18] Tommy Nolan: Alright, alright, alright.

[1:01:19] Tommy Nolan: But I'm locking this in my memory bank.

[1:01:22] Christi Esterle: Okay.

[1:01:23] Christi Esterle: We know that's a lo-that's a lockbox made of marshmallow.

[1:01:26] Christi Esterle: It'll melt.

[1:01:26] Jesse McAnally: Yep.

[1:01:27] Jesse McAnally: So that's why I'm telling you, Greg, please don't forget.

[1:01:30] Tommy Nolan: We we are in the elevator as it is going up.

[1:01:33] Tommy Nolan: Absolutely.

[1:01:33] Tommy Nolan: Like the doors close, girl from Epanema starts playing.

[1:01:37] Tommy Nolan: There's a variety of buttons.

[1:01:38] Tommy Nolan: There's one that says mayor's office, there's one that says lobby.

[1:01:40] Tommy Nolan: Um, there's one that says evidence.

[1:01:42] Tommy Nolan: Um why would they label these?

[1:01:45] Christi Esterle: We go to evidence, that's probably where they're keeping our things.

[1:01:48] Emily Clark: Go to evidence.

[1:01:49] Emily Clark: I've got an idea.

[1:01:50] Emily Clark: They can't arrest all of us for the same crime.

[1:01:53] Jesse McAnally: So I think you should drop off.

[1:01:57] Christi Esterle: They can.

[1:01:58] Jesse McAnally: No, not if we get married really, really quick.

[1:02:01] Christi Esterle: Yes, Greg, yes.

[1:02:03] Tommy Nolan: You're having this conversation in the elevator.

[1:02:05] Tommy Nolan: The fire elemental is just standing next to you looking at you.

[1:02:07] Tommy Nolan: It's very hot in here.

[1:02:08] Christi Esterle: Um as you're like kind of please put that away.

[1:02:11] Christi Esterle: I refuse.

[1:02:12] Tommy Nolan: Contemplating what button to push.

[1:02:14] Christi Esterle: I say you you go to evidence.

[1:02:16] Christi Esterle: Let me go to the mayor's office.

[1:02:18] Tommy Nolan: Uh, I don't think I should be able to do that.

[1:02:20] Tommy Nolan: I do not trust you away from us.

[1:02:22] Tommy Nolan: I am sorry.

[1:02:23] Tommy Nolan: We did the we did the song and everything, but we are sticking together.

[1:02:26] Tommy Nolan: And I am not going into anything else with nothing but my but nothing but one more wild shape, and you and whatever this lighter thing can do.

[1:02:35] Jesse McAnally: His name is Brighty, and he's gonna light us to something great.

[1:02:38] Christi Esterle: So, what's for the evidence?

[1:02:41] Christi Esterle: Brighty is not Nick not a not a uh substitute for my staff or my cat.

[1:02:46] Emily Clark: I guess.

[1:02:47] Emily Clark: Alright, I hit the evidence button.

[1:02:49] Tommy Nolan: Uh the uh lift uh that you're in jerks upwards and then to the side.

[1:02:54] Tommy Nolan: The whole the whole way you can hear this whole thing is kind of powered by some kind of clockwork mechanic.

[1:02:59] Tommy Nolan: Um there's this like grinding like tick tick tick tick of gears uh as you get whisked away to the evidence floor.

[1:03:06] Tommy Nolan: Um and uh the doors open.

[1:03:09] Tommy Nolan: Um and they open to a um nice looking person uh uh nice looking person uh seated at a at a desk.

[1:03:18] Tommy Nolan: It's uh uh a human person wearing kind of a lab coat with big spectacles, um, who's taking notes at this desk and they look up at you at the elevator um and they go uh uh hello, how can I help you?

[1:03:31] Jesse McAnally: And then I point brighty at um them and say, Let us in or we're gonna burn this place to the ground.

[1:03:37] Jesse McAnally: We are under studies and we will do nothing but but destroy you, so you better do what we say.

[1:03:45] Christi Esterle: He's had a very trying day and I think he is I think he's do.

[1:03:49] Christi Esterle: You've seen what our fires have done in the past.

[1:03:52] Christi Esterle: It has been a week for us.

[1:03:53] Christi Esterle: You do not want to be another victim.

[1:03:54] Christi Esterle: Look at your mayor, show us where our stuff is.

[1:03:57] Tommy Nolan: Uh this this person isn't moving.

[1:04:00] Tommy Nolan: Uh their hands are kinda at the desk, and they're like, Okay, okay, calm calm down.

[1:04:04] Tommy Nolan: I'm I'm I'm happy to help you out.

[1:04:05] Tommy Nolan: I'm I don't want any trouble.

[1:04:06] Tommy Nolan: You're not pushing an alarm, are you?

[1:04:09] Tommy Nolan: They uh uh look at you and say, No.

[1:04:11] Tommy Nolan: And well, we can see them.

[1:04:13] Tommy Nolan: Uh there their hands have been on top of the table.

[1:04:15] Tommy Nolan: I think you have noticed, Iserea, that one of their hands is trying to uh go under the table, but uh they they're like, Oh, okay, sorry.

[1:04:22] Christi Esterle: D, I'm glad we're finally agreed on something.

[1:04:24] Christi Esterle: This is the way to go about this.

[1:04:26] Christi Esterle: If you're going to get us in trouble, I'm going to keep it as minim I'm trying to minimize the damage.

[1:04:31] Jesse McAnally: Whatever.

[1:04:31] Jesse McAnally: It's what I do, I'm a healer.

[1:04:34] Christi Esterle: I I don't want any trouble.

[1:04:35] Christi Esterle: How can I help you?

[1:04:36] Tommy Nolan: They say.

[1:04:37] Jesse McAnally: We want our stuff back.

[1:04:39] Jesse McAnally: And maybe other people's stuff too.

[1:04:40] Christi Esterle: We'll take all the stuff.

[1:04:42] Jesse McAnally: Yeah, everything you want to do.

[1:04:43] Christi Esterle: I just want I just want the things that were taken from us this morning.

[1:04:46] Christi Esterle: I also want my thing.

[1:04:49] Jesse McAnally: I'll take whatever you want.

[1:04:50] Tommy Nolan: Uh uh, they look very confused and say, You you want all the there's a lot.

[1:04:54] Tommy Nolan: It's like the whole evidence locker.

[1:04:56] Tommy Nolan: It's there's a you do you have like a a bag or anything?

[1:05:00] Tommy Nolan: It's gonna be hard to carry.

[1:05:02] Christi Esterle: We have a lot of people coming up here in a couple minutes.

[1:05:04] Jesse McAnally: Don't worry.

[1:05:05] Jesse McAnally: There'll be enough to go around.

[1:05:06] Tommy Nolan: Uh cut to uh Rhymeswell who's like got his hand jammed in one of the lockers, like darn it, and like trying to like click it.

[1:05:15] Tommy Nolan: There's there's like a big slime monster on the other side who's just kind of sloshing back and forth.

[1:05:20] Tommy Nolan: He's like, slow.

[1:05:21] Tommy Nolan: Has he gotten anyone out?

[1:05:23] Tommy Nolan: Uh you wouldn't know, but it's a fun uh cutaway for the audience.

[1:05:26] Tommy Nolan: It doesn't seem like it yet.

[1:05:28] Tommy Nolan: Um we uh uh cut back to the evidence floor.

[1:05:32] Tommy Nolan: Um and uh uh this person stands up and says, Fine, fine.

[1:05:35] Tommy Nolan: Uh I have to sweetheart, I can see you've had a very trying day.

[1:05:39] Tommy Nolan: Just um just kind of go away and pretend you didn't see us, and we'll we'll be fine.

[1:05:44] Tommy Nolan: Uh uh they're like, Wheeler, I I can j here, trade these.

[1:05:48] Tommy Nolan: I'll I'll get in the elevator, you get out.

[1:05:50] Tommy Nolan: Does it sound cool?

[1:05:51] Christi Esterle: That's too dangerous.

[1:05:51] Christi Esterle: You you you have handcuffs on you?

[1:05:54] Jesse McAnally: Uh no, I'm a I'm a doctor.

[1:05:57] Tommy Nolan: Okay.

[1:05:57] Tommy Nolan: Um is there any rope nearby?

[1:06:00] Tommy Nolan: Uh there might be some in evidence.

[1:06:02] Tommy Nolan: There's uh you can imagine rope gets used in crimes a lot.

[1:06:06] Christi Esterle: Alright.

[1:06:06] Christi Esterle: Evelyn go in there and check for rope.

[1:06:08] Emily Clark: Alright!

[1:06:09] Emily Clark: Uh Evelyn, you uh walk behind this desk um as this uh poor person with their hands up uh uh uh is just seated there with while Greg threatens them.

[1:06:19] Tommy Nolan: Um and uh you I push the elemental slightly closer.

[1:06:22] Tommy Nolan: They're like face flickers in the light of the elemental.

[1:06:25] Tommy Nolan: Um Evelyn, there's a uh it looks like a large door to like an industrial um freezer almost.

[1:06:31] Tommy Nolan: And you pull the lever and open it up and you walk in.

[1:06:33] Tommy Nolan: Um, and it is like the Indiana Jones uh uh Ark of the Covenant crate storage house in here.

[1:06:41] Tommy Nolan: Uh there are nothing but shelves as far as the eye can see in different aisles of different big crates.

[1:06:47] Jesse McAnally: Got a few crates in here, fellas.

[1:06:49] Emily Clark: Any rope though.

[1:06:51] Tommy Nolan: Uh, possibly.

[1:06:53] Tommy Nolan: Possibly follow her and see if there's anything that looks like our stuff.

[1:06:57] Tommy Nolan: Uh let's do investigation checks for all who aren't currently threatening this poor doctor.

[1:07:03] Christi Esterle: Okay.

[1:07:03] Christi Esterle: How often?

[1:07:05] Jesse McAnally: I do like random kissy faces at the doctor just to freak them out.

[1:07:09] Tommy Nolan: Investigation.

[1:07:10] Christi Esterle: I've got a 19.

[1:07:12] Jesse McAnally: I also have a 19.

[1:07:14] Christi Esterle: They're really investigative.

[1:07:16] Tommy Nolan: Evelyn, you find both rope and handcuffs.

[1:07:19] Emily Clark: Hey, look what I found.

[1:07:20] Tommy Nolan: And uh D'syraeah, you uh quickly deduce the kind of Dewey Decimal like system that they're using in here.

[1:07:27] Tommy Nolan: Um, and it's pretty simple.

[1:07:28] Tommy Nolan: The newer things are closer to the door.

[1:07:30] Tommy Nolan: Um, and you do find a box that's labeled uh Demps Hohenstein, uh, and then that it's got today's date on it, and you pry it open, uh, and you find a crossbow and a veil and a staff and a saber, uh, a couple other things.

[1:07:43] Tommy Nolan: Um, the all your weapons that had been confiscated from you.

[1:07:47] Christi Esterle: You look around for something else.

[1:07:48] Christi Esterle: We are not leaving here empty-handed.

[1:07:50] Emily Clark: I got our things.

[1:07:51] Christi Esterle: How much empty-handed do you want to be?

[1:07:54] Jesse McAnally: I want other people's things.

[1:07:55] Christi Esterle: If you don't know anything about me, eat Evelyn, give me that rope.

[1:07:59] Emily Clark: Alright.

[1:07:59] Emily Clark: Alright, well, I'm going to do another investigation check, but I am going to check to see if there is um anything, any pertinent evidence to um things that we have been discussing.

[1:08:12] Tommy Nolan: Uh, sure.

[1:08:13] Tommy Nolan: Yeah, give me another investigation check then.

[1:08:16] Christi Esterle: Uh, that was not quite so good.

[1:08:18] Christi Esterle: I've got an 11.

[1:08:19] Tommy Nolan: You uh kind of rifle through some of the different crates near where you found your stuff, and you do find one uh that is labeled the subcellar playhouse.

[1:08:30] Tommy Nolan: Um it's a very tiny box.

[1:08:31] Tommy Nolan: And you do pull out a piece of paper.

[1:08:34] Tommy Nolan: Um it is a license for magical theater.

[1:08:38] Tommy Nolan: Um, and it is a license for lace ferriables.

[1:08:41] Tommy Nolan: Um and it it's in a it's in a plastic bag, um, and it has a stamp on it that says um uh a forgery.

[1:08:49] Tommy Nolan: You uh also find in uh uh kind of shoved underneath that box uh another piece of paper that looks exactly like this uh magical theater license.

[1:09:02] Tommy Nolan: Um it's just a plain piece of paper.

[1:09:04] Tommy Nolan: It's not stamped forgery.

[1:09:06] Tommy Nolan: Um they all look pretty much exactly the same, but I think as you compare the two, you can tell that the one they've bagged as evidence is a uh very well-made but still recognizable forgery of a proper government document, and then the one you pulled out from under the crate.

[1:09:21] Tommy Nolan: Uh looks like the real deal, at least to your layperson's eyes.

[1:09:24] Christi Esterle: Interesting.

[1:09:25] Christi Esterle: Alright.

[1:09:26] Christi Esterle: I bag both of those.

[1:09:27] Christi Esterle: I grabbed the first thing that looks shiny and head out.

[1:09:32] Tommy Nolan: Uh sure.

[1:09:32] Tommy Nolan: Here, Greg.

[1:09:33] Jesse McAnally: I throw the sh whatever the shiny thing is at him.

[1:09:36] Jesse McAnally: Right here, I want to say that I have in the time that Desiree has done this, Evelyn and I have both hogtied this individual and shoved one of my socks in its mouth.

[1:09:45] Christi Esterle: Gregory, that is torture.

[1:09:47] Tommy Nolan: This this doctor's like, yeah, no, we did good, did you?

[1:09:51] Tommy Nolan: And then I get real close to his face.

[1:09:53] Tommy Nolan: I go back and find a handkerchief and then switch it out so that at least the four man's not choking on Gregory's odor.

[1:10:00] Tommy Nolan: Okay, now we go to the lobby.

[1:10:02] Christi Esterle: But first Well, first, uh first, Greg, I'm gonna need you to roll a perception check for me.

[1:10:07] Jesse McAnally: You got it.

[1:10:08] Jesse McAnally: That is a four.

[1:10:09] Tommy Nolan: Um yep, everything's fine in this room you're in.

[1:10:12] Jesse McAnally: Awesome.

[1:10:13] Tommy Nolan: Um, I feel like someone else should check this out.

[1:10:15] Christi Esterle: But while I get close to this doctor, I get like no-sa no's flame almost touching both of our faces.

[1:10:21] Christi Esterle: And I say, When you go home to your family, you will know that the only reason why you get to see them again is because I let it be that way.

[1:10:29] Christi Esterle: You are not someone that gets to walk away from this horrid government that we live in and just profit off of it as if nothing matters.

[1:10:38] Christi Esterle: This what you do matters.

[1:10:42] Tommy Nolan: Alright, what uh what do you guys feel about this room?

[1:10:45] Jesse McAnally: Chaotic, neutral.

[1:10:46] Jesse McAnally: Chaotic, yes.

[1:10:48] Tommy Nolan: Uh Greg, you feel something smack you in the face.

[1:10:50] Jesse McAnally: Oh boy.

[1:10:51] Tommy Nolan: The lighter falls out of your hand, and on the way it uh closes, your fire elemental dissipates.

[1:10:56] Tommy Nolan: Um you uh brighty, pardon me.

[1:10:59] Tommy Nolan: Brighty dissipates, and you are grappled by some uh it feels like someone threw a blanket over you or something.

[1:11:04] Jesse McAnally: You're wrestling with it.

[1:11:05] Jesse McAnally: It's hurting my freshly burned scalp, so um uh I guess this is another dex check.

[1:11:11] Tommy Nolan: Roll uh a dexterity throw for me, please.

[1:11:14] Jesse McAnally: You got it.

[1:11:14] Jesse McAnally: That is a dirty 22.

[1:11:16] Tommy Nolan: You are able to wrestle whatever this cloth is away from you.

[1:11:21] Tommy Nolan: Um Evelyn and D'syraeah, you had seen this thing fly out of the evidence court or headed straight towards Greg.

[1:11:28] Tommy Nolan: And Greg, you wrestle it away from your face, and it is the Phoenix-backed cloak.

[1:11:35] Jesse McAnally: I might be a T-bird again.

[1:11:37] Christi Esterle: You get over here, buddy.

[1:11:38] Tommy Nolan: While he's doing that, I pick up the lighter and pocket it because it's obviously not safe in his A.

[1:11:44] Christi Esterle: Brighty.

[1:11:45] Tommy Nolan: Um, you uh put the brighty lighter uh in your pocket, D'syraeah.

[1:11:50] Tommy Nolan: Greg, are you putting the cloak on?

[1:11:51] Jesse McAnally: It has stopped fighting you.

[1:11:53] Jesse McAnally: I will never stop trying to be a T-bird, so yes, I try to put it on.

[1:11:56] Tommy Nolan: It fits on you.

[1:11:57] Tommy Nolan: You're uh this understudy cloak hangs well atop your Usher uniforms.

[1:12:03] Tommy Nolan: Um, and uh just as you put it on, you hear behind you a click click click, and then a bing bong, and the elevator door opens.

[1:12:13] Tommy Nolan: There stands the very, very short facade of Brad Bendelrow.

[1:12:22] Tommy Nolan: Oh, it's the mayor, nobody elected in a fair election.

[1:12:25] Jesse McAnally: Oh boy, I'm so glad to see you.

[1:12:28] Tommy Nolan: He looks aghast.

[1:12:29] Tommy Nolan: And I and then and then the credits music will start playing.

[1:12:38] Tommy Nolan: Wasting tongues for give a follow that nobody wants to grow old.

[1:12:42] Tommy Nolan: It's time for the original to come and break the mole.

[1:12:51] Tommy Nolan: Don't stop, don't stop, don't stop.

[1:12:53] Tommy Nolan: Let your send this guy's five.

[1:12:59] Tommy Nolan: But don't stop, don't stop.