21:01 <Crion> Stone brambles broken, toothy dragons burbled, and trash wolves banished behind them, the motley stands triumphant outside the Gate of Horn into...the Falls. 21:02 <Crion> As you well know, you will be passing physically into the dreaming-place of John of the Falls when you step through this Gate. As you also well know, you will be doing so physically, not as dreamers, with all that entails. The horn-knocker awaits...but you have time to prepare, if you so desire. 21:08 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart takes the knocker and gives it one, two, three-- 21:14 <trenchfoot> Nels has nothing to prepare but reloading her revolver. Guns are nice like that. 21:16 <Crion> The knocks redound upon the hedgewalls, somehow, and echo even though the acoustics should kill them -- and then the great basalt door cracks, open, just, a bit...and a massive black claw reaches out and pushes the door open further. Two coal-red burning eyes peer out from the depths, and a voice booms: "THOSE WHO WISH TO PASS MUST SWEAR AS ONE. SAY 'AYE' AND THEN REPEAT...OR WITHDRAW." 21:16 <banana> Melanie stands by the fallen, sodden hedgewalls with her arms folded as far as they go. She's beginning to shed thorns, little stubby white things with the strength of steel which were unkind to the briarwolves. She's less concerned than earlier with being polite to Mr. of the Falls; he's been testing her friends, presumably for fun, in a genuinely dangerous way. 21:17 <CBN> Tony looks around, quietly popping a bit of dirt into his mouth and swallowing. "Swearing sight unseen seems like a bad idea, but we kinda have to here, right?" 21:17 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "It's his house." 21:17 <CBN> Tony shrugs. "Fair enough yeah." 21:17 <VoxPVoxD> To the thing behind the gate: "What are your terms?" 21:17 <Crion> It simply stares back. 21:18 <trenchfoot> Nels: "Guess it's 'aye' and then terms." 21:18 <banana> Melanie: "We won't be bound by a promise we haven't heard yet." 21:18 <banana> "On three?" 21:19 <VoxPVoxD> Whatever. "We've got to 'Aye' to hear the terms. Then we swear." 21:19 <VoxPVoxD> "Aye." 21:20 <banana> That's not on three! 21:20 <Crion> The boiling eyes focus on Nels, then Stewart. It awaits the other three. 21:21 <banana> Melanie: "Aye. Then do you have to like knock again?" 21:21 <Crion> Two. 21:21 <VoxPVoxD> "The door's already open, he's not going to be that persnickety." 21:22 <banana> Melanie: "I'm just wondering what it is you have to repeat." 21:22 <CBN> Tony waits for the three, and Ayes with the rest if it seems like they're getting it together. ".... ...Aye?" 21:23 <trenchfoot> Nels: "The oath, I guess? I'd make a joke but, um, not in earshot." 21:24 <dammitwho> Maggie shrugs at the others. "Aye?" 21:24 <Crion> As Maggie's word fades, the voice booms out, "'I SWEAR TO TREASURE DREAMS, AND RESPECT NIGHTMARES.'" 21:25 <trenchfoot> ...That doesn't sound so bad, which makes it concerning. Nels looks to the rest of the motley for confirmation. This is what they wanted, right? 21:26 <banana> Seems fine. Melanie relaxes a bit, actually. 21:27 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart swears in unison with the others. 21:28 <CBN> Sounds good to Tony. 21:29 <banana> "I swear to treasure dreams and respect nightmares. ...it's uncommon sense." 21:29 <trenchfoot> As soon as Stewart starts, Nels joins in. Together. 21:30 <Crion> When the pact is sealed by all five, another great claw reaches out and pulls the two doors open wide enough to walk in, single file or two abreast (except for Tony, the large lad). The eyes retreat into the darkness... 21:31 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart looks back at the others and then walks in first unless someone grabs or stops him. 21:31 <dammitwho> Maggie will say it with the others, though frankly this seems a little silly. It is a nice sentiment though? Sort of? 21:31 <dammitwho> She'll follow behind Stewart. 21:35 <banana> Melanie's there, quietly. There's no point resisting these games; the dreamer's eccentric and aged but he's still one of Us. 21:35 <banana> What's it like in someone else's head? 21:35 <Crion> The motley walks into a great, wide, sumptuous hall. It's unlit, but that somehow doesn't make it any harder to see -- it just puts a sort of haze over everything, a fuzziness. And when you stop looking at things, they move. Chairs become tables. Tables become portraits on the wall. Portraits on the wall disappear. Walls become doors, leading deeper inside. There are two things that remain 21:35 <Crion> constant: the first is the massive, wide stone embankment of stairs some fifty yards ahead, spanning the full width of this hall, leading up; the vaulted ceiling climbs with it, its indecipherable murals shifting and changing. 21:36 <Crion> The second is the hulking black creature with massive claws and coal eyes, hunched off to one side, watching. The Concierge of the Falls. 21:37 <Crion> John of the Falls -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0tuzxC4Ynk Sweet dreams are made of this; who am I to disagree? 21:40 <dammitwho> Golly. 21:40 <trenchfoot> Nels stiffens as she enters and spots the creature, instinctively moving behind Melanie or Tony. This - well. The rest of the space is unsettling, but... 21:41 <Crion> It bows and extends an arm towards the space beyond the top of the stair. 21:41 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart's eyes flare orange and give off motes of light that the darkened room drinks greedily. He looks at Nels and then starts up the stairs. 21:42 <CBN> Tony nods, offering a reflexively polite, "How're ya?" to the Concierge as he goes. 21:43 <Crion> It chuckles, which isn't quite as evil a sound as one might expect. 21:43 <banana> Melanie will stay between Nels and the coal creature, all the same. 21:44 <trenchfoot> She's got to follow Stewart, though Melanie's defense is extremely welcome. She'll hurry past the creature and follow him up the stairs. 21:47 <Crion> At the top of the stairs, the space opens up, and there's a man with milky-white eyes and face obscuring...mask? Paint? It bleeds together. He's sitting in the lotus position atop a great circular table, instead of the throne at the rear of the room. Beneath him is a...map? It's pinnned to the table with seventeen large ties; their mien changes from stillettos to railroad spikes to sharpened 21:47 <Crion> spurs of bone and back when you look away from them. 21:47 <Crion> He is smiling, and has too many teeth. 21:48 <banana> 21:49 <Crion> "'Good evening,' said the innskeeper to the travelers. 'I have so many beds, and so little food. But I'm anticipating a change.'" 21:49 <CBN> Tony waves as respectfully as one can, since that seems like it'd jive best with the oath. "Thanks for having us." 21:52 <banana> It's creepy, of course, unreal, but there's something empowering about this whole scene. This is an old(?) man who's mastered his own mind, becoming something godlike in the dream realm but born of humanity instead of inimical to it. #goals? 21:52 <banana> His aesthetic is not Melanie's but she respects his ability to enforce it. And isn't about to get in some kind of duel of wits and quotations. She just bows. 21:57 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart's hiding it well, but he's terrified, and it makes him impatient and short-tempered. But it's a terror that urges him forward rather than one that stops him in his tracks. The terror of one pursued. Only one thing Stewart can get from this room could ease that fear, and it's not painting the walls or burning on candle-wicks. 21:59 <trenchfoot> Nels is uncomfortable, and if she wasn't surrounded by people much stronger than her she would be fully terrified. As is, she would place her level of terror at "frightened," and she doesn't feel like she's putting on a brave front. 22:01 <CBN> Tony's Tony. He's just standing here since that's his job. 22:04 <Crion> John of the Falls looks about and nods to himself, then snaps his fingers. Braziers that weren't there before light up every six feet apart on all three of the walls; the throne recoils into a chair, which shoots forward under where the table used to be, as it rises up and turns perpendicular to the floor, facing the motley, revealing that is both a map and an esoteric drawing of some kind. 22:04 <Crion> John hops down, now wearing a suit (and still wearing the facepaint/mask), stopping the chair with his heel and then sinking down into it. The oppressive atmosphere lifts and the room becomes far more cozy, though the aesthetic remains the same. Couches and deep-cushioned seats slide out from the walls. 22:04 <Crion> "So. What can I do for you, in the dreaming?" 22:06 <CBN> Tony: "Stewart can cover it better but, we need help finding a heart." 22:07 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart doesn't hesitate. "We came looking for knowledge on how to find a huntsman's heart. Another sworn of Autumn is in danger. We have reason to believe the dreamer's relatively near us in the waking world, but no way of knowing how or where to look." 22:07 <Crion> John nods soberly to Tony. It's a respectful nod -- he seems aware of who the Winter Court changeling is. 22:07 <banana> ...has he been in our dreams? 22:10 <Crion> None of the motley have ever seen John of the Falls in either of his appearances or the Concierge in their dreams. Whether they've dreamt of dark, occasionally non-Euclidian gothic hallways is up to them. 22:10 <trenchfoot> Stewart has this for now. Should they require more... charm, Nels is ready to jump in, but right now she's just hovering behind him, looking concerned. 22:12 <Crion> John of the Falls steeples his fingers. "Lauren Ipsum, yes...you have faced the Huntsman? So you have some time before it returns." 22:13 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "About three weeks left." 22:16 <Crion> He nods. "So. A Huntsman's heart is hidden in the Bastion of a mortal." He waves an arm. "You are in my Bastion now. You may enter such a place by making a pledge. Mortals do not control such things in the dreaming; the pledge requested by those unaware of this world is basal and instinctive -- it normally covers little more than to not harm the dreamer." 22:18 <Crion> "Bastions are made by the dreaming and unmade by waking." John smiles. "This Bastion is quite old. Your mortal's Bastion will not be. And yes, there will be literally hundreds of thousands of Bastions accessible across the Hedge through the Gate of Horn." 22:20 <trenchfoot> Nels: "Does - reclaiming the heart count as harm to a dreamer? They don't get possessive? It's not theirs, the dreamer's, I know that, but..." 22:21 <Crion> John shakes his head. "No. In fact, you are doing the dreamer a kindness." 22:21 <Crion> "It is no easy thing, to hold a stolen monster's heart." 22:22 <dammitwho> Maggie: "And we'd be doing the monster a kindness by giving it back?" 22:23 <Crion> John: "And Lauren Ipsum, and yourselves, and the whole of the Freehold. Yes. Everyone but the Keeper." 22:24 <Crion> To Stewart: "You seem unsettled by the time it has taken for me to come to you on this. I can understand if that is so. But I have...news that won't comfort you, but might steel you." 22:24 <VoxPVoxD> Immediately: "What is it?" 22:25 <Crion> "You can't do any of this, save find the mortal whose Bastion you need to enter, until the Huntsman returns." 22:25 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart blinks. "You mean the heart's only accessible while she's being hunted?" 22:26 <banana> Melanie: "Is the fairy.. using it, to reform their creature?" 22:26 <trenchfoot> Nels: "But we can find where it ought to be before then. Right?" 22:28 <Crion> John: "Worse. Or at least more final. A mortal's Bastion is only accessible with a Key. And the only Key to the Bastion of a mortal concealing the heart of a Huntsman is...that Huntsman." 22:28 <Crion> "You must convince it to come with you. Into the mortal's Bastion. To recover its heart." 22:29 <trenchfoot> Oh. That is much worse. 22:29 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "We have to convince it to come for it's heart while the Fae's Title still hollows it out? Is that even possible?" 22:29 <dammitwho> Maggie: "Oh dear." 22:30 <Crion> John: "Yes. Flatly so: it is always possible to convince a Huntsman to seek its own heart. There is...literature in this area. It yearns to be whole more than it can ever hate you. Like the Lost, the Huntsmen had no choice in their creation." 22:30 <banana> Maybe it helps to kill it a few times first. 22:31 <trenchfoot> Let's not test that out. 22:31 <Crion> John: "There are complicating factors." 22:31 <CBN> Tony: "Beyond all that? Woof." 22:32 <trenchfoot> Nels, faintly: "Oh, dear." 22:32 <Crion> He raises one finger. "First: you must make your pitch to the Huntsman in the Hedge. This means either finding it there, or luring it back there. Second: It would be...quite helpful...to have Lauren Ipsum present. Helpful to the point of necessity. It's theoretically possible to induce the Huntsman's cooperation without its target's genuine plea..." 22:32 <Crion> He shrugs. "But functionally, I've never heard of it being done." 22:32 <Crion> "And I've walked some very strange roads." 22:33 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Meaning if we fail at any point she's in immediate mortal danger." 22:34 <Crion> John: "No." 22:34 <Crion> "If you fail at any point, YOU are in immediate mortal danger. She is in danger of something arguably worse." He lifts a cup of tea to his lips that wasn't there before. "Huntsmen do not kill their quarry. They drag them back." 22:35 <trenchfoot> Nels: "Well, we aren't going to fail, so there's that." She sounds very certain. 22:35 <Crion> John smiles. "A good philosophy." 22:36 <Crion> "I do have some good news, however. It's not all doom and gloom." 22:36 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart paces around, rubbing the back of his neck, thoroughly doomed and gloomed. 22:37 <Crion> "I've found the mortal." 22:37 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart stops pacing. 22:38 <Crion> John of the Falls stands, and that map/esoterica diagram swings closer. 22:40 <banana> Melanie peers at the glyphs, glad she's not being asked to interpret them. That'd be a whole new course of study. "That's a major advantage. Thank you." 22:41 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart's suddenly fiercely grateful he picked AP Psych as an elective junior year. 22:42 <Crion> A blood-red line traces from the great circle at the center to a smaller orbiting circle, then to another, then to the labyrinth contained within that subcircle, then into another circle interior to THAT. John of the Falls taps it. "It was helpful once I saw the motif. And managed to internalize the movies. Your mortal is a young girl named Rebecca Connor, age 8. Perfectly normal, perfectly 22:42 <Crion> healthy. Unfortunately for her, her middle name is Sarah." 22:42 <VoxPVoxD> Ah, shit. 22:43 <trenchfoot> Why does that matter? 22:43 <Crion> He clasps his hands behind his back. "She is mostly unharmed by this unwelcome intrusion into her Bastion. Scary dreams about shiny skeletons from time to time. Her parents are likely worried about a downturn in her mood, but neither her life nor her sanity is in danger by having to wait some three weeks." 22:43 <banana> To Tony: "You caught up with Arnie just in time." 22:43 <dammitwho> Maggie looks at Nels and raises her hands like, yeah, I dunno either. 22:44 <CBN> Tony nods to Melanie: "Feeling like the Keeper probably watched the same movie, or the kid did." 22:44 <banana> "They don't create, only copy." 22:45 <trenchfoot> She'll ask later. Enough people seem to understand what's going on that she can't disrupt the flow. "So we're helping her too, when we do this." 22:45 <Crion> John: "You are." 22:46 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "How do we prepare for this?" 22:46 <CBN> Tony: "Well depending on how we're going into her dreams, we either try to find her Horn Gate in the Hedge, or we plan on breaking into a child's room with a huge monster along for the ride on a very easily-broken leash." 22:47 <banana> We should have brought Lauren here. Maybe she already understands this stuff. 22:47 <CBN> Tony: "So however we do the first one probably." 22:48 <banana> Melanie: "That would be.. better. The huntsman isn't going to hurt the girl with its heart-chip, but there are so so many things which could go wrong." 22:48 <Crion> John: "You will have to enter her Bastion through the Gate of Horn with the Huntsman, as only in the Hedge can the Huntsman be swayed. So preparing yourself physically is paramount. Learning as much as you can about the Huntsman is also paramount -- but you may only be able to do this directly when you encounter him. Interviewing Lauren Ipsum may help a bit; involving Lauren Ipsum, moreso. 22:48 <Crion> She will need to take some ownership in this struggle." 22:48 <VoxPVoxD> Fuck. 22:49 <Crion> "Additionally: there seems to be a very clear narrative being cited, here. A very popular one. I would not fight that narrative." 22:49 <banana> "That makes sense. You're teaching us a lot of things we.. probably should have known, though maybe the Courts kind of wanted to delegate." 22:49 <Crion> John smiles. "I do so rarely get visitors from this side." 22:51 <CBN> Tony: "Is there anything you want from us for all this? I could pick you up a movie or something?" 22:53 <Crion> John blinks in surprise, then recovers into a shrug. "The Gate of Horn is open to you now. Feel free to drop on by anytime. It can get a bit...lonely." 22:53 <Crion> The Concierge grumbles behind them in agreement. 22:54 <CBN> Tony: "10-4!" 22:54 <trenchfoot> Nels: "I don't - um. The narrative." Inhale, exhale. "I've gathered this is all some reference I'm missing," she tries. 22:55 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart almost snaps, "It's a movie." 22:55 <Crion> John: "When you have the Huntsman in agreement to seek its heart, and you need to reach Rebecca Sarah Connor's Bastion, bring it to my Gate and knock. I will lead you there." He grimaces. "But I cannot enter her dreams alongside you. It will be you, the Huntsman, and Lauren Ipsum." 22:55 <banana> Melanie looks at Stewart for a moment. "Let's talk about it when we get back, Nels. There's actually a copy at the Wherehouse, or what used to be one." 22:56 <VoxPVoxD> Three more weeks of waiting. No peace, no meaningful work, just the mandate to make Lauren dig into her memories the worst thing anyone can experience. 22:56 <trenchfoot> To Melanie: "Got it." She doesn't look at Stewart. 23:02 <banana> Melanie remembers a slight problem. "We'll return with Lauren... she doesn't fight. Is the Hedge outside your gates likely to be pacific?" 23:02 <Crion> John watches Stewart's face. "...I note Lauren herself is not here." 23:03 <Crion> To Melanie: "Everyone fights. But yes, your invitation is standing." 23:03 <banana> "Great. And like, to, you know, get out at all, to keep standing, that's fighting, but I mean in a mundane sense: wolves." 23:04 <Crion> Miffed: "Briarwolves are not mundane." 23:04 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "I wasn't told it was necessary to involve her." 23:05 <banana> Melanie: "The trash bits making them up are, in the end-" she gives way to Stewart. 23:06 <CBN> Tony: "Stewart. Man, it's going to be okay. We know what we need to do, she's got you, you've got us, some-math-word-I-forget-but-I-know-Melanie-loves-saying, she's got us too. In this thing together." 23:07 <VoxPVoxD> Curtly: "I'll make sure she's brought up to speed on what we need to do." 23:08 <trenchfoot> This is some stress response. 23:09 <banana> "It's not your sole responsibility Stewart." 23:09 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Is this really the time for an intervention?" 23:09 <banana> "Mr. Falls, stop us if we're overstaying our welcome." Melanie grins with her own version of John's mask. 23:11 <Crion> John sighs. "Lauren being brought up to speed is not my point." He grimaces, opens his mouth, closes it again. "You have three peaceful weeks with her before HER Huntsman returns for HER to confront, with YOUR help. Being afraid of what lies at the end of those days is normal and healthy. But you're not afraid, are you?" 23:12 <Crion> "You're angry. And the only experience I have with anger is ruination." 23:12 <Crion> To Melanie: "No offense meant to our friends in the Summer Court." 23:14 <banana> "Impulses do have to be checked." 23:14 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "So, so, what? What should I be doing" 23:14 <VoxPVoxD> "I can't just--" Stops himself, sighs. "Thank you for your help." 23:15 <Crion> John inclines his head. "You know where to find me, when the time comes. I will be ready." 23:15 <trenchfoot> Nels: "We'll figure it out." She can't stop herself from trying to be reassuring. 23:16 <Crion> "The Concierge will see you out." 23:16 <CBN> Tony: "Thank you again!" Tony nods politely. 23:16 <banana> Melanie: "What is it, anyway? The butler-thing." 23:17 <Crion> John smiles...and the lights in the room all go black at once, replaced by light down the stairs at the end of the hall as the Gate of Horn rumbles open. The great coal-eyed creature rumbles mournfully and leads them to the exit. 23:17 <Crion> The Gate of Horn will let them out right near the door back to the underpass beneath i-83. 23:18 <Crion> *I-83 23:18 <banana> It's not quiet here, but it's peaceful. 23:18 <banana> Melanie: "Okay, I will say it's a particularly autumn kind of bullshit to tell you that it's unhealthy to do things, and you should instead be more afraid." 23:18 <CBN> Tony shrugs. "Hard to argue with though." 23:20 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart doesn't say anything. It takes him more tries than it should to get the car key in the lock. 23:20 <trenchfoot> Nels: "Stifling, is what it is." 23:21 <banana> Melanie: "Yes. But he's being helpful, and it was genuine advice." 23:22 <VoxPVoxD> Once they're all in the car: "I'm sorry for being short in there. Everyone just wants to help and I'm not making it any easier." 23:23 <dammitwho> Maggie: "It's a pretty upsetting situation!" 23:23 <dammitwho> "Nobody likes to 'hurry up and wait'." 23:24 <trenchfoot> Nels: "I understand. Stress." Not 'it's fine,' but we've all been there. 23:24 <banana> Melanie: "You were kind of quiet in the Hall of the Mountain Goth, Maggie." 23:27 <dammitwho> She rubs the back of her neck. "Oh, I dunno... it's just..." 23:27 <dammitwho> "It was a little spooky..." 23:27 <banana> "Good, isn't he? Remember that it's spook-on-our-side." 23:27 <CBN> Tony: "We were JUST at a Halloween party where a Huntsman showed up, and that guy was friendly." 23:28 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "I wonder if John actually looks like that or if you're just allowed to look as pretty as you want in your own dreamworld." 23:28 <dammitwho> "That was scary. It's different." 23:28 <CBN> Tony: "Anyway Stewart we're here for you, and understand that you can handle your stress in your own way. If you want to get blackout drunk with Steve I know he'll be in favor of the excuse." 23:28 <Crion> honk 23:28 <Crion> He's not here. It's a spiritual honk. 23:28 <banana> Hmmmmm. Melanie's never seen a horror movie on Maggie's expanding playlist, either.. 23:28 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart honks the horn at someone who cuts him off. 23:28 <banana> This could be fun. 23:29 <dammitwho> Maggie: "Plus it buoys you up a little to know you can ask a fella's shotgun to empty itself in his head if you've a mind. Evens the playing field a bit, even if he is tossing bouncers about." 23:29 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Anyway, I've got stuff I need to do. I'll drop you guys off at the Market." 23:30 <trenchfoot> Nels: "I still want to know about the - why was her middle name so important? I guess it's a movie?" 23:30 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "It'll make sense when you see the movie." 23:31 <VoxPVoxD> "I know it's on the media server, Tony just watched it a few days ago." 23:31 <banana> "It's actually a really good sign." 23:31 <dammitwho> Maggie: "What movie is it?" 23:31 <banana> Melanie: "Like, I think the keeper fucked up. It's given us a narrative that goes the right way." 23:32 <banana> "You've got Terminator, from decades back, a classic sci-fi film where a machine-man from the future comes back in time to kill 23:32 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "I mean." 23:32 <banana> a woman named Sarah Connor." Melanie doesn't really get the 'spoilers' thing. 23:32 <banana> "But then for the rest of the series, that robot is actually the hero.." 23:32 <VoxPVoxD> "Even though the Terminator gets defeated, Skynet still like... rules the future." 23:33 <banana> "The future is a different country. The films are upbeat because you never actually travel there, it's always put off and set back." 23:33 <trenchfoot> Nels understood some of that. "That reminds me. What's a robot?" 23:33 <trenchfoot> "This isn't the first time I've heard it, but I still have no context." 23:34 <banana> ...what is a robot? Melanie's briefly paralysed. Like, are they people or beings-in-time? Does the artificial nature matter or is it about their role as workers of last resort? 23:34 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Colloquially it's a machine with human characteristics. How many human characteristics varies wildly." 23:35 <trenchfoot> Nels: "So... metal people. Kind of, but not always." She sounds vaguely lost. 23:35 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Yeah." 23:35 <CBN> Tony: "Wait the robot's the good guy? God damn it why." 23:36 <dammitwho> "Sort of. I mean, I'm a metal people, but I'm not a robit." She thumps her chest with a hollow booming noise. 23:36 <banana> Melanie: "A robot is created in imitation of a human, or to replace them. The opposite, a human with mechanical bits, is a cyborg." 23:36 <banana> "Cyborgs... are incredibly cool." 23:36 <CBN> Tony, having only seen the original: "Man seriously. Thanks for saving me a couple hours at least. I guess." 23:36 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Tony I'm going to tell you something nobody agrees with: every Terminator movie after the first one sucks." 23:36 <CBN> Tony: "Well based on that, I agree with you already." 23:36 <VoxPVoxD> "They're just dumb cartoons! Terminator 1 is gritty and real. Terminator 1 could fucking happen." 23:37 <CBN> Tony: "The good? News is I think that makes you Kyle Reese." 23:37 <dammitwho> "I thought you watched cartoons allatime?" 23:37 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart, to Tony: "Ha." 23:37 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart, to Maggie: "No!" 23:38 <CBN> Tony: "AND there's way more of us, which is way better odds. And in that case the woman being pursued still survived, so you've got that going for you." 23:38 <dammitwho> "Sure! Those foreign cartoons with the subtitles!" 23:38 <CBN> Tony: "Oh I know this one! Steve told me!" 23:38 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "That does not count, those are Lauren's idea--" 23:38 <trenchfoot> Nels: "I'm going to need to - watch, this... The Terminator. Melanie, you said we had it at the Wherehouse?" 23:39 <banana> Melanie: "Oh come on. I don't remember most of them but Terminator 2 is great! The liquid stuff is like.. a robot vampire, you get to actually see John Connor, there are some great corny lines." 23:39 <CBN> Tony: "They're called henties and---yeah Nels, I left the tape out by the big TV." 23:39 <banana> "'Unable to self-terminate'.. that voice is amazing." 23:39 <VoxPVoxD> Sharply to Tony: "Do not trust Steve on this." 23:40 <CBN> Tony: "I'll have to ask him...but you've stolen way less of my beer than he has..." 23:41 <trenchfoot> Nels: "Wait, also, lots of information coming at me all at once. Cartoons took off? Is Felix the Cat still around?" 23:41 <Crion> "honk" (仲間?) is a Japanese word that directly translates to friend, comrades, and under some context, such as in the manga 'One Piece', crewmates. 23:41 <Crion> Most fans of the series believes the word means "people who are considered closer than family", though that is not a part of the official dictionary definition of the word. 23:41 <dammitwho> ah, naruhodo, 23:43 <CBN> Tony claps his hands together, dusting them off. "Well! We've got a couple weeks to do the thing, the night is young, and we just met a guy who looked like a vampire but was inside a dream." 23:43 <VoxPVoxD> They're back downtown now. Stewart lets everyone out of the car so they can return to the Wherehouse and go about their business. He's got work to do. 23:44 <Crion> Where's he headed? 23:45 <banana> Melanie, marginally reminiscent: "I don't remember a Felix film.. it's got to be Disney though? There was like.. the Princess and the Frog.. and I remember everyone seeing Frozen, though that was kind of for little kids." 23:47 <CBN> Tony: "Thanks again for the ride!" Tony looks around at the rest of the group: "I think I'm quitting my job so I can make this a late one. Who's got something interesting for me before I go get blind with Steve?" 23:48 <dammitwho> Maggie: "Hoorm. Do you know what Icons are?" 23:48 <banana> "Oh there was something I meant to ask- you go, Maggie." 23:48 <trenchfoot> Nels: "I don't know a Disney. These were... Paramount, I think?" 23:48 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart texts Lauren while driving. <just got back from a neverending afi video in the hedge. we gotta go over some stuff. you free?> 23:48 <CBN> Tony: "Doesn't ring a bell..." 23:50 <Crion> <yeah babe> is the immediate reply. 23:50 <banana> "Disney movies are all animated," Melanie tells Nels inaccurately. "They're great, children's stories with musical pieces." 23:50 <trenchfoot> Nels: "I'll try them out once I figure out what this Terminator thing is." 23:51 <trenchfoot> "...and maybe see what Felix the Cat cartoons I missed." 23:51 <dammitwho> Maggie: "They're like... okay, we all come out through the Thorns, right? And the Thorns rip off bits of us as we go... Icons are the bits that got torn off. Physical doodads lying around in the Hedge that used to be a piece of a changeling's soul, and if that changeling gets one she can, uh, put it back again." 23:52 <VoxPVoxD> It's Saturday, right, so Lauren should be at home...? Or is she in the office? Stewart could ask, but, instead he's wondering if he knows as if an invisible narrator will insert the answer in his mind. 23:54 <CBN> Tony: "Oh! Like if you get your mouthguard knocked clear out of your head, it's still out on the field somewhere." 23:54 <banana> Melanie to Nels: "Well, let's google it. Do you have that yet?" 23:55 <trenchfoot> Nels: "Stewart showed me. That and YouTube. Though, mostly for music. Apparently you can just listen to anything at any time and don't even have to pay for it?" 23:56 <Crion> Lauren's at home, yes, though she is able and willing to come over. 23:56 <banana> "If you don't mind ads." Melanie gets her laptop out of her room and brings it over to Nels to look up cartoon cats. 23:56 <VoxPVoxD> No, let's do this at her place. <omw over> 23:56 <Crion> <kkkkkkkkkkkkkkk> 23:57 <dammitwho> Maggie: "I, yeah?" 23:57 <dammitwho> Maggie: "Anywho, I was thinking about tracking one down." 23:57 <CBN> Tony: "I'm game, if it's stupid Hedge crap I'm probably as good as anyone at finding it." 23:59 <VoxPVoxD> What's Lauren's place like? Stewart's only been over like... once, to disconnect all her computers on Halloween. 00:00 <Crion> The main question, of course, is whether Maggie knows where to look. How well does she remember her flight from Arcadia, the run through the Thorns, and her recovery? What starting information can she give a Hedge tracker? 00:00 <dammitwho> The problem, of course, is that she was hanging off the side of a train and literally facing away from the scenery. Problematic. 00:01 <Crion> Means you're looking for a railroad, at least. 00:02 <CBN> Tony: "Is this one of those things I should ask around about, or is this one of those things where that's the last thing I should be doing?" 00:03 <dammitwho> Maggie: "Well... the hobs know how important these things are to us. So if a goblin merchant has one, it'll be really expensive." 00:03 <trenchfoot> Nels points to Melanie's screen when she spots Feline Follies - technically not Felix the Cat, but it's clearly the same cat despite the name 'Master Tom.' 00:03 <trenchfoot> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5zXjQuUi_M 00:03 <dammitwho> Maggie: "About the only landmark I could give you is 'railroad tracks'." 00:03 <trenchfoot> Then, a few minutes later: "I think I had fonder memories of the cartoon before I watched it again." 00:04 <banana> Melanie: "Okay, storytelling in animation has advanced a bit. And I don't think cats get that suicidal about fatherhood?" 00:04 <Crion> Lauren's place down around Baltimore's Penn Station, and the doorman buzzes him in as soon as he arrives and says who he's here to see -- Lauren already called down to let him know that Stewart was on his way. A quick ride up to the fifth floor and he's knocking on the door to a well-appointed studio apartment with very severe blackout curtains. 00:04 <Crion> *place is 00:04 <banana> "Like, men were like that in 1919.. and 2019.. but it's pretty blunt." 00:05 <trenchfoot> Nels: "Maybe it's best Felix didn't survive the century." 00:05 <Crion> Before his second knock she'll throw the door open and pull Stewart inside. 00:05 <banana> Melanie: "Did you ever have a cat?" 00:05 <Crion> And push him against the wall, and kiss, and etc. 00:05 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart suddenly feels a lot better. 00:05 <trenchfoot> Nels: "I was on the move too much. Keeping a pet through that seemed cruel." 00:06 <Crion> When finished: "So. Hi." 00:06 <CBN> Tony: "Railroad tracks, huh? That's something." 00:06 <CBN> Tony: "Do you remember, in general, where you came out after? Retrace your steps, like if you can't find your keys and they end up in the fridge." 00:07 <trenchfoot> "Always wanted one, though. Steve... sort of counts. Not really." 00:08 <banana> Melanie: "If you aren't settled I can see that. I expected to be on the road too, but- my parents had cats. They weren't as active as this guy." 00:09 <banana> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TgK0xxq2oE "Or as racist. There's something I like about the old animation though, the way each image moves around... did they not have a way to fix them in place?" 00:10 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Hi." Clears his throat a little. He wishes more of his days could be this. Maybe when this is over. "What are you up to?" 00:11 <trenchfoot> Nels: "I - this is a new one." She watches quietly. "Did they make a way to ensure people drawing were starting from the same place?" 00:12 <Crion> She stretches and heads back over to her chair. "Closing tickets. Getting stuff done. The usual." 00:13 <banana> Melanie: "It's all created on computers now. I don't know that much about them, too much to learn, but for cartoons there's like.. it's a sequence of digital images that are generated modifications of the same thing. The animators specify how the characters should move, rather than drawing each image separately." 00:13 <Crion> A fat black-on-white cat mrowls and rolls over on the dresser while staring at Stewart. Then it does it again with its eyes closed, and begins grooming itself. 00:13 <Crion> That's Chup, and Stewart's run into him before. 00:14 <Crion> He just sort of glared at him last time he was in here. 00:14 <Crion> He seems a bit more magnanimous this time...? 00:15 <banana> "Let me find something.. I don't know why we watched this. Maybe I had a little- anyway. Here's a sequence I remember, and you can see that they're sort of moving around an existing image, not adding new ones." Melanie brings up another video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moSFlvxnbgk 00:15 <trenchfoot> Nels: "The 4 as a chair was good, at least." 00:16 <VoxPVoxD> Lauren's so confident and competent... "Hey, Chup." Stewart grabs a thing to sit on and sits close to Lauren but not close enough to crowd her. "So we just got back from seeing John of the Falls. He came through in a big way." 00:16 <banana> "When it doesn't have to be realistic it's more.. clever." 00:16 <trenchfoot> Oh. 00:17 <Crion> Lauren doesn't quite stiffen. Well, she stiffens, but it's not in fear. It's more resolve. "He always does. Even if he's kind of a weirdo." 00:17 <Crion> Chup: "murr." 00:18 <banana> Melanie hasn't seen the song since she got back. Or since she was 13, probably. It's still pretty good. An Elemental, right? 00:18 <Crion> Elemental Fairest, to be precise. 00:19 <trenchfoot> Nels turns to Melanie: "You say that Disney cartoons have these kind of songs regularly?" 00:19 <Crion> *Elemental Bright One, to be precise. 00:19 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "I respect his aesthetic. It's good to know there's room to carve out our own weird niches. Anyway, he found us the Bastion where the heart's going to pop. Rebecca Sarah Connor, age 8." 00:20 <trenchfoot> "Show me more." 00:20 <banana> Melanie: "They're meant to be for kids, but.. I don't think anyone cares about that. There's a Lion King remake out this year." 00:20 <Crion> Lauren's face tightens. "Fuck." 00:20 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Yeah." 00:21 <VoxPVoxD> "How much do you know about how this works? The mechanics of it." 00:21 <Crion> Lauren: "I know we have to go into the Hedge and...talk to it." 00:21 <Crion> "Well. I do." 00:22 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Yeah." 00:22 <banana> Melanie finds more cartoon songs on the laptop. "I definitely remember that when I was growing up I thought I had to stop watching these. Like, to be a real adult woman who was sexy and mature." 00:22 <VoxPVoxD> "You're not going to be going alone, obviously." 00:22 <trenchfoot> Nels: "...that doesn't sound like it's being sung by a child." 00:23 <CBN> Tony, to Maggie: "So my thought is, we start near that, do the door...portal...whatever, thing, back into the Hedge, then I can try to find some tracks. Make sense?" 00:23 <banana> Melanie: "Well, culture tells you some weird crap." 00:25 <trenchfoot> Nels: "Do you have a favorite?" 00:25 <Crion> Lauren: "Thanks. I don't think I say thanks to you enough? Maybe I do. I don't wanna be weird." 00:26 <Crion> "I mean, weirder than having deadman switches on all my power strips." 00:26 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "I haven't been counting but surely every time you grab me and kiss me counts for at least a couple." 00:27 <banana> Melanie: "Yeah, if I can find it! I need to remember the lyrics.." She types. "What was it like, the kind of messages you got growing up?" 00:27 <banana> "You've got the same thing. Perspective, the ability to look back on it from a new world." 00:28 <trenchfoot> Nels, wryly: "The main message I got growing up was not to do what I was doing." 00:29 <banana> Melanie: "I guess you were less gullible!" 00:30 <trenchfoot> Nels: "Let's go with that." She doesn't elaborate. 00:31 <banana> "Okay, here. My- Not everyone liked this as much but I thought it was GREAT at the age of too-little-to-have-an-opinion." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdvfH2xBAy0 00:32 <Crion> Lauren: "Please. A couple is where it stops. This is not an open relationship." 00:32 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart snorts. 00:32 <VoxPVoxD> Firmly: "Understood." 00:33 <VoxPVoxD> "Anyway, we can't really do anything else until the Huntsman returns. We've got to meet it out in the Hedge and convince it to go into the kid's dream with us to get the heart. It's hard to prepare for that, you know? We can make sure we're as safe as possible but at the end of the day what it comes down to is... how do we make a connection with the Huntsman?" 00:33 <Crion> She's now sitting Riker-style in her computer chair. Or "hey there, kids" style. Whichever referent Stewart gets. "Well..." 00:33 <Crion> "You don't, right?" 00:33 <Crion> "It's MY Huntsman." 00:34 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart's face gets tight. 00:34 <VoxPVoxD> "Yeah." 00:34 <Crion> "I am, of course, accepting suggestions." 00:34 <dammitwho> Maggie: "Sure. I come out near Port Dundalk, I think. Strange name." 00:36 <CBN> Tony: "Oh nice, I think I had a cousin who worked there for a summer back in the day. So, let's see what we can do thataway." 00:37 <trenchfoot> Nels: "...I would've liked working on stuff like this. When is this even from?" 00:38 <banana> Melanie: "Ten years ago. You still can, right?" 00:40 <banana> "Like, there's plenty of stuff from animation to musical theatre or just soundtracks for movies and games.. art is everywhere, music is everywhere. Too commodified, it's hard for people to make a living on the lower rungs of creative professions." 00:40 <trenchfoot> Nels: "I can play. Obviously." She's not smug or anything, it's just a fact. "But getting my name out there... I don't know how well that would go." 00:40 <trenchfoot> "Even as Lena Colter, people would want to look." 00:41 <trenchfoot> "Um, that's the name on my lease, and probably what I get my GED under." 00:41 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart gets both of those references, but the one he's actually thinking of is Michelle Pfeiffer in the Gangsta's Paradise video. "The way I see it, there's two parts to the Huntsman, right. There's the narrative it's been molded after, and there's the title hijacking it. So intuitively the strategy is to flow *with* the narrative and *against* the title." 00:41 <VoxPVoxD> "And that's really your part in the plan. Cause no one else knows the Sky Mother like you do." 00:44 <CBN> Tony does his thing, which looks like he's sniffing the dirt? God is he tasting it? Can you even really tell? Dirt man on dirt looking at more dirt. But in any event, he seems to be doing it in a solid, set direction, and after the first few glances back to make sure Maggie's following, he just lumbers forward at his good ol' inexorable pace. 00:44 <Crion> Lauren nods. "I can't say I know what the title is, definitively...but I can make some educated guesses. It wants to find me, of course -- that's most important, that's what makes the most sense both from an Arcadian perspective and from the, like, the story -- but it wants to learn. The Sky Mother always wanted to learn. That wasn't really a Skynet thing, was it? Skynet sort of just happened, 00:44 <Crion> and made 'rational decisions.' But Sky Mother, she's a great big eye in the sky, on spiderlegs..." 00:45 <banana> Melanie: "So let them look. With your face, they'd look no matter whether you reminded them of someone else. If the attention isn't something you enjoy anymore that's one thing, but you don't have to be a hermit or anonymous. If- if you can make it, that'd be you. Making it." 00:46 <banana> Is this too far? Melanie doesn't know; it's terrifying. But it isn't about her. 00:47 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "So then the question is, what does she think you can teach her? What's the gap in her knowledge? What's missing from her that needs to be repaired or replaced?" 00:47 <Crion> Tony leads Maggie through the Hedge right quick and twice as well; the Thorns harden against them, but they're looking for a railroad ending in a port, or its most likely adjacent Hedge companion, and so wandering out into the Thorns isn't the way it needs to go. Soon they end up on a bleak, long plane of what seems to be concrete beneath their feet, and the Hedgerows are shipping containers 00:47 <Crion> instead of buildings. 00:47 <VoxPVoxD> "Santander says that every Keeper is broken somehow." 00:47 <dammitwho> Eating good healthy dirt isn't the strangest thing she's seen someone eat, and it's not really immoral. Do what you need to, Tony. 00:48 <Crion> Lauren puts her chin down on her crossed arms. "What do you learn from a bug you've trapped underneath a cup?" 00:48 <Crion> "It's probably something like that." 00:48 <Crion> "That's her perspective." 00:49 <trenchfoot> They're back in the Wherehouse, right? So Nels has every right to pick up her guitar and start playing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tr3kWE4TP5o Call it a nervous tic. "You're right. I think. I don't know. I've gotta make sure whatever I give holds up, before I start playing for the public again." 00:50 <banana> Melanie listens enraptly. 00:50 <banana> More people should hear this, but at least she gets to. 00:52 <banana> "That's sound ontology." 00:53 <trenchfoot> Absently, as she finishes the song: "It'd be nice. To play again, and not just busking or in apartments for friends or laying hobs to rest." 00:54 <Crion> Tony spends some time nosing around, carefully...and comes across the dockworkers. "HEAVE...HO! HEAVE...HO!" 00:54 <CBN> Tony approaches, waving. "Hey there fellas!" Tony's ready to duck out of the way of anything heaved. Sounds like it might come up. 00:55 <Crion> Squat little creatures, with multicolored vests instead of flourescent safety jackets and toadstool caps instead of hard hats. Very serious. Moving giant shipping crates off of ornate trains and onto dock space with earnest abandon...then moving those same crates around into the stacks, moving them back, and sometimes putting them right back aboard the 'trains' they came in on. 00:56 <banana> Stewart was wrong. It's Nels who's been interrupted, not broken, genius intact. "Local clubs? Youtube and some recording equipment?" 00:56 <Crion> One seems slightly bigger than the rest, and is smoking a big ol' stogie. 00:57 <banana> Melanie gestures at the laptop, then actually picks it up and types a few search queries. "A lot of artists get their start online now." 01:01 <Crion> They're not threatening; indeed, they sort of brusquely ignore Tony and Maggie as they go about their work, and if asked, refer them to 'Foreman Chone.' 01:01 <Crion> It's pronounced 'Shawn.' 01:01 <CBN> Tony: "Well hey buddy!" Tony offers a big, friendly smile to the stogie-smoking hob. "My friend and I are looking for something. Would you mind pointing us in the right direction, so we can get out of your way?" 01:02 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart reaches out to brush a stray lock of hair from her forehead. "I keep thinking about... if one of us is hungry, they get fed. If one of us is cold, they get a bed. If one of us is ignorant, they get taught. If one of us is threatened, they get protected. We take care of each other. That's all we do. That's the whole point of the freehold." 01:02 <VoxPVoxD> "And it's all because of this one thing we can't do for each other. This one hurt we can't take away." 01:03 <Crion> "Hey. Hey hey!" Foreman Chone takes out the stogie, puts it back in, and smokes it speculatively. "Hey. Yeah. Yeah, sure. Where ya coming from, where ya going, right? All freight carried, all questions answered. Cost ya union rate though." 01:03 <trenchfoot> Nels: "I - I could just..." She gestures vaguely at Melanie's laptop. "People do this all the time?" She's moved on to a second song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ez4DNb5K3Ls 01:04 <dammitwho> The unions...! 01:04 <CBN> Tony: "Coming from back thataway, heading towards some railroad tracks. What's the rate?" 01:04 <trenchfoot> No vocals, regrettably, but she's got to do something with her hands. 01:04 <Crion> Instead of saying anything, Lauren takes his hand and kisses it, then presses it to her cheek. 01:05 <trenchfoot> Correction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZuW6BH_Vak 01:05 <Crion> Foreman Chone nods decisively. "Work a shift, earn a wage. Work two shifts, earn more wage. So on. Clean and honest, no bullshit, no oaths, no pledges beside you gotta work your shift." 01:06 <CBN> Tony: "Well that is refreshing straightforward. Maggie, you in?" 01:06 <banana> Melanie: "I wish I could record this. I don't have the right gear- Harlan Jape would know how or, maybe, a professional Twitch streamer." 01:06 <trenchfoot> Absently again: "Stewart lives in my building. Could ask him." 01:07 <banana> "Ah, that reminds me." She looks embarassed - a sudden flush of sap. 01:08 <trenchfoot> "?" 01:08 <banana> "Thinking of, you know, spring, some of the timing, you might know this stuff already but there's no guarantee. I don't think- GED exams won't cover it." Melanie's being more circuitous than usual; she's frequently esoteric, but not obscure. 01:09 <dammitwho> Maggie cracks her knuckles. "I can lift 'n shift with the best of them, just you watch me." 01:09 <trenchfoot> Nels: "Okay..." Her song's over, and she doesn't start a new one just yet. 01:09 <Crion> The squat foreman grins broadly. "Then lets get you hard hats and union cards..." 01:09 <banana> Melanie: "Okay so you know the Kitchen. Better than some." 01:10 <banana> "I mean you go, that was a great pull but. Do you, um!" 01:10 <trenchfoot> No response. Nels plucks a few strings. 01:10 <banana> "Has anyone taught you about modern birth control methods." 01:12 <trenchfoot> One of her strings snaps. "Wh- th- I- y- I am like a hundred years older than you," she finally says. 01:12 <banana> Melanie: "I mean technically you're not." 01:13 <trenchfoot> Nels: "Granddaughter of mine. I am aware of condoms." 01:14 <banana> Melanie: "Yeah, and they suck ass. 2% failure rate IF everything goes right. If you're into boys, which you are, you want to be on the pill. I mean if they're into you." This is embarassing.. but also kind of familiar. 01:14 <VoxPVoxD> After a while, Stewart says: "I almost don't know what to do with my time now. I was expecting to have more stuff to do besides waiting." 01:14 <VoxPVoxD> "I need something else to work on..." 01:16 <Crion> Lauren chuckles, still pressing his hand close. "I bet your friends have a bunch of stuff you could throw yourself into. And be really good at, because you're you. If they don't...I bet we could find something." 01:18 <trenchfoot> Nels, stiffly: "I will look it up." Now she's fiddling again, until she just starts playing another song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQjwkXrcUrs She's not even doing it consciously. "...though it'll be a while." 01:22 <banana> Melanie's still embarassed but this is an important public service. And it's starting to get funny. "It's hormone-based medicine! A freaking revolution in like, controlling our own lives, since it's something you take ahead of time - there's no relying on a guy to get it right or to avoid... accidents." 01:23 <banana> "You've got to see a doctor since there can be side effects, but I went on the pill at like, fifteen and it was fine? Works for almost everyone. There are also IUDs, which.." no, she can't go any further. Let Nels look that one up. 01:23 <trenchfoot> Nels looks down at her guitar and continues playing. 01:25 <banana> Melanie: "Maybe it's embarassing to end up in a world where every billboard is covered in boobs and PG-13 means no full frontals? I'm sorry Nels." 01:27 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Yeah.. I'll see what the Wherehouse is up to. Maybe send Santander an email. More immediately, though... how caught up are you on work?" His fingertips run down Lauren's cheek to trace the length of her neck. 01:27 <trenchfoot> Nels: "I got it, thank you." She's back to staring down at her guitar. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wl-3RTyFMrQ 01:28 <banana> "Were you aware of.." Melanie doesn't want to ask this one. "Like did you have any.. opinion on people who were." 01:28 <banana> In fact, maybe she won't. "Nooo problem." 01:28 <banana> Jesus those are some chords. 01:32 <trenchfoot> Still playing, not meeting Melanie's eyes: "One of the better parts of being here now. I, um." She noodles for a bit. "Yeah." Back to the song proper. 01:32 <Crion> Lauren grins. "Caught up enough." 01:34 <VoxPVoxD> Then Stewart doesn't say anything else, and simply takes her by the hand and leads her away. 01:34 <banana> It's not one hundred percent clear they're talking about the same thing here but, great! Melanie's going to read for a while, and listen. 01:34 <Crion> It's a short trip. It is, after all, a studio apartment. 01:44 <Crion> --Fin.