The party now traverses the open desert, and has stumbled upon the sunning spot of a desert nymph. Desperate for company, she offers the party some refreshment. Is she to be trusted as a generous creature, or do her actions betray more sinister intent?
The party has finally left the canyon behind and now trudges through the desert proper. After struggling to get their animals to cooperate, they venture forth into a sea of sand dunes and eventually meet a desert nymph.
When she offers the group refreshment, some are more reluctant than others to partake. Eight begins demonstrating new abilities in an effort to protect their friends, while Rialla and Jokul push aside their paranoia in an attempt to garner information about what lies ahead. In addition, Art begins to realize that perhaps Eight is not just a person that never removes their armor.
Transcript by Dax
Upbeat piano intro music ends [00:27]
Relaxing background music fades in [00:28]
Dax: Jokul you lead Maeve out into the desert and you feel the sand start to give a little bit under your feet with each step.
Desert wind sound effects begin [00:35]
Dax: You don’t sink but you do feel that give and..you find that Maeve is following you, but she is not happy right now. And in fact you see her hooves are sinking a little deeper with each step that your feet do.
[sound of dice colliding]
James: And-
Dax: Eight you run into a similar issue with Bessie and the cart as that, although Bessie is not giving any attitude, unlike Maeve. You are finding it difficult to lead the cart over the sand..but you’re making it through it’s just..it’s taking you a little while.
Neil (as Arthas): May I help...carry the cart?
Wren (as Eight): You..you would like to...carry..the...cart?
Neil (as Arthas): Just go up in the back and lift.
Wren (as Eight): Hmm.
Neil: And I walk behind it, grab onto the back, and help lift it.
Wren: How heavy would we say it is?
Dax: Hoo...I was just thinking that. How heavy would the cart be, ‘cause it’s got...not a ton of stuff, but it does have all the excess supplies that couldn’t fit on Maeve’s saddle.
Neil: Sounds like I’m rollin’ brawn.
Dax: Why don't you go ahead and make a..uhm, just make a straight brawn check but why don’t you make it medium difficulty.
Neil: And that’s how many extra purple?
Dax: Uhh that'll be two.
Neil: Okay. I have a net one success.
Dax: Perfect. You lift up the back of the cart no problem. And in fact at first you...lift it up so high that Bessie goes with it.
[James makes a surprised donkey noise]
Dax: And this mule is..kinda just dangling there. Her little metallic feet are curled..like “alright this-this is my life right now.” And she’s swaying a little bit. Uhm..and then you-you realize how that was a little probably too much and you-you set it down just enough. So you’re now kind of treating the cart like uhh..a wheelbarrow in that you are giving it just enough lift where it can go over the sand dunes no problem, and Bessie is able to follow wherever Eight leads her.
Neil: Nice.
Wren (as Eight): Why thank you, Arthas. I believe-
Neil (as Arthas): Absolutely!
Wren (as Eight): Bessie appreciates the assistance.
[Eight begins baby talking]
Wren (as Eight): Don’t you Bessie? Don’t you Wessie?
Wren: And I’m pettin’ Bessie on the head the whole time. Dragging my feet through the sand.
Cole: Away we go!
Wren (as Eight): Rialla! How much-
Dax: You all saw through the-
Wren (as Eight): Further? Do you have a vision yet?
[Dax laughs]
Dax: Eight’s like that little kid in the back of the car: Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?
James: Are we there yet? I can see that.
Dax: You slog through for about an hour. Uhm..and the entryway from the canyon which you exited, is long out of view and, slowly, you begin to crest a very large sand dune. And as you come over the crest you see below you a rocky outcropping? And sitting amongst that outcropping are various cacti and succulents. And a woman sits on a rock, and she is laying back very luxuriously as if she is sunning herself. Her eyes are closed, her rustic looking brown skin is very dark..almost..almost leather-like, and her pale, yellow hair almost the color of wheat, is swaying in the desert breeze.
Cole: And she’s just..wait is there any…[laughs] is it just like this one rock in the middle of the desert, nothing around and then just a person?
Dax: Well there’s a little outcropping so there..it’s like-
Cole: Oh outcropping, okay.
Dax: Rocky floor and then there’s this large rock that she’s laying on and, uhm, there’s also these succulents and cacti that are around her.
Wren (as Eight): Look! A person! Should we go bother them?
Wren: I say as I’m already walking as quickly as I can-
Cole: To go bother them.
Wren: Through the sand towards them.
Cole (as Rialla): I-oh-wai-ah-oh..mm..
[James laughs]
Cole: I’ll reach and grab Jokul’s hand and squeeze it for the impending second-hand embarrassment that I’m sure is going to ensue.
[Cole laughs]
James: At this point we’re used to it to the point that it’s just like, “Yeah might as well”.
Cole: I feel like no matter how many embarrassing movies I watch, I never get used to the feeling of “Tssss….oooooh!” [laughing] Yikes!
Neil: Hauling the cart that way I guess now.
Wren (as Eight): Come along Arthas!
Dax: [laughing] That’s right! Arthas is just carrying the cart so Arthas is like “Oh, okay we’re going.”
[Neil laughs]
Wren: I just keep goin’ until I get close enough to this person and I...I get within a stone’s throw of them, probably I don't know like medium...medium range or so?
Dax: Alright.
Wren: And I just call out,
Wren (as Eight): Greetings! I am Eight!
Dax: Her eyes shoot open. And she looks like...from her position she would be normally looking up. They shoot open, she turns her head down so that she looks at you and says,
Dax (as the stranger): [in a slightly higher pitched voice] Oh!
Dax: And she leaps off the cart and now you that see she is wearing a green dress of some sort? It’s about knee length, uhm it doesn’t have any sleeves to it so it’s got that little bustier top and it almost is decorated to look like leaves.
Wren: Hm.
Dax: And she-she stands up straight and she starts [imitates excited clapping] clapping her hands together and she says,
Dax (as the stranger): Company!
Dax: And she rushes out behind the rock for a moment and then when she comes back out she’s carrying a tray of a wooden pitcher, and wooden mugs. And she sees,
Dax (as the stranger): One two three four...
Dax: And she looks down at her tray, she sets the tray down, runs back around, comes back out with another cup. And she waves, and she’s got this wide smile on her face.
Dax (as the stranger): Welcome! Welcome! Please, come! I never get company.
Wren: I turn to look to the rest of my companions and I smile and say,
Wren (as Eight): She appears very friendly!
Neil (as Arthas): Agreed!
Neil: Disconcertedly so.
[James, Wren and Cole laugh]
Cole: I feel like Rialla and Jokul are like, “What’s the catch?...what’s the catch”-
James: Yeah, exactly. And Jokul’s like, “There’s a crazy druid in the middle of the desert offering me food...hmmmm.”
Dax: Uhm, Jokul and Rialla I’m going to have the two of you make a perception check for me-
[James and Cole talking over each other a moment]
[Sound of dice colliding]
Cole: Aha!
Dax: And I’m going to have you make it with...uhh with a boost.
James: Ooh! A boost.
Cole: [in a sing-song voice] I have two yellow die and a boost!
Dax: Yeah so whoever...whoever has the higher perception skill gets the boost.
Cole: I have two ranks.
James: Oh. I have uh-
Wren: What’s the difficulty on the check?
Cole: Oh yeah difficulty.
Dax: Make it medium difficulty.
James: So that’s two purple-
Cole: Two?
[sound of dice hitting tray]
James: Hey! Cool.
Dax: So..what your net result is that the one threat cancels out your green die, then you have the two failures. So, they wipe out your two successes. So you would turn your yellow die to make it have just the advantage, and then the blue die you would turn to just an advantage. And so you have a triumph and two advantages as your net result.
Cole: A-ha!
Wren: Which is a success. Because a triumph is also a success.
Dax: Yup.
James: Yes.
Dax: And-
James: I-I ended up with a advantage and three successes...so I-
Dax: So, the two of you are standing at the crest of the sand dune and you see Arthas and Eight barreling towards this woman. You-well, you see Eight and Arthas heading towards this-this person down in the rocky outcropping and the two of you notice that her eyes when she’s pouring whatever she’s pouring out of this wooden pitcher change from the brown that they are, and they flash red. Ever so slightly. But, other than that...there’s nothing about her demeanor that indicates any ill will. Rialla you got a triumph-
James: It was just a, “poof I’m doing magic!”
Dax: You got a triumph, Rialla. So, as you’re walking closer and you come up upon this rocky outcropping you also smell something very acrid. Almost...almost like a sickly sweet smell.
Wren: As I approach the woman, uhm, I just introduce myself again.
Wren (as Eight): I am Eight! And this is my companion, Simply Arthas! Who might you be?
Neil (as Arthas): Hello!
Dax: She looks and you and she kinda says,
Dax (as the stranger): I am Deirdre! I’m one of the desert nymphs. [pauses] Oh! I’m sorry I...I don’t really know what to do! I-I so...very infrequently get company. I...I know that you must be thirsty..
Dax: And she starts pouring whatever it is from her pitcher, into these cups and she hands one to Eight and one to Arthas. Uhm, she says,
Dax (as Deirdre): I-I have cacti juice...um..after offering drinks I’m not entirely sure what to do though…
Dax: And-and you notice that her hands..she’s wringing her hands as if she’s nervous.
Wren: Before Arthas takes a sip of that cup I hold up a palm to you and hope that you understand that I’m telling you not to drink that, and I take a-a small sip and I am going to hold that in my mouth for a moment. And I’d like to see if I can detect poisons or other toxins present in it.
Neil: I have already consumed the entire cup.
[James laughs]
Wren (as Eight): Ooh...oh no, friend.
James: It can’t kill him..
Dax: So, we’re going to do this in...two different...things so, I would like...Eight, go ahead and...yeah do your medicine check. Arthas, I would like you to make a...I gotta find it because I-I wrote down how it would work, I didn’t write down which specific skill. ‘Cause smart.
Wren: Which..what difficulty would you assign the check?
Dax: For you go ahead and do medium.
Wren: ‘Kay.
Neil: Is it resilience?
Dax: Yeah go ahead and make a resilience check, I’ll give ya that one.
[sound of dice shaking and then hitting a tray]
Neil: So it’s brawn, and I have a level in it, so I roll…one yellow and three green?
Dax: Yep-
Neil: ‘Kay.
Dax: And yours go ahead and make a medium difficulty as well.
Wren: Two success, two advantage.
Neil: One failure. I fall down like a..like a dropped plank.
James: Blah!
Neil: Wham!
Wren: Drop that cart-
James: At least you didn’t get any threats...
Dax: So, Arthas, you consume this entire mug. And it’s very...almost sickeningly sweet. It is..not exactly pure sugar? But it is very sweet. It doesn’t really have a discernible, like fruit flavor, it’s very subtle, it’s kind of an after..after you drink it you get this taste in your mouth similar to a watermelon, but it’s nowhere near...even as pungent which is funny considering how subtle watermelon is in its flavor.
Neil: Yeah.
Dax: But you do get that overwhelmingly sweet feel to it as this-this thick juice is coming down your throat. And within moments, your limbs start to feel very jello-like, and you feel the need to just sit down on a nearby rock and just...you feel very relaxed. Very...calm.
Cole: Oh boy.
Dax: Eight. You hold the liquid in your mouth and your sensors are reactive to that liquid and while you don’t taste the sweetness or even that flavor that Arthas did, you still tell that it-while it’s not poison...there is something in this juice that is not naturally associated with cactus. You can tell that it’s some form of a...a hallucinogen. Not something you’re used to dealing with in your herbs and your medicines that you’ve studied in your tower. You know it’s not harmful, but it’s not natural.
Wren: I spit it out.
Wren (as Eight): What did you put in this?
Dax: She looks over you.
Dax (as Deirdre): I didn’t put anything in it. It’s cactus juice!
Wren: I don’t like that.
Wren (as Eight): Deirdre-
Cole: Uhm, after seeing Arthas kinda slide to the ground I’ll let go of Jokul’s hand and I’ll go over to Arthas.
Cole (as Rialla): What did you do to him?
Dax: She turns and looks at you.
Dax (as Deirdre): I didn’t do anything. Would you like some cactus juice?
Cole (as Rialla): I don’t think so.
Dax: Her face turns a little disappointed and says,
Dax (as Deirdre): Oh. Well that’s a shame. Company usually likes something to drink.
Wren: If I might, uhm...could I use my mind reader ability on her?
Dax: You can try. Uhh, okay, which one are you using?
Wren: Using Strength of Mind: Mind Reader. As an action-
Dax: Okay.
Wren: Make an opposed discipline vs discipline check targeting-
Dax: Alright.
Wren: A living creature in medium range. So I’ll need to know her discipline, and I will roll her discipline as my difficulty.
Dax: It’ll be just two green.
Wren: So two purple. So I’ve got two green and a yellow, for my discipline skill, and I’m doing this, in essence probing her mind to see what she’s thinking with respect to what-whatever she’s thinking and what her emotional state is. So…
Dax: Okay!
Wren: Let’s see what happens! Weeee!
[rolls dice]
Neil: Good luck!
Wren: Uhm...well I have two successes leftover.
Dax: Why don’t you explain how you picture this-this ability working?
Wren: Aft-after I ask her what’s in the juice, and she says,
Wren (imitating Deirdre): “Oh it’s just cactus juice!”
Wren: Uhm, I turn-
[Cole snickers]
Wren: I turn and look at Arthas-
James: That voice!
Wren: And see…[laughs] see Rialla kinda hovering over...over him and I stand up straighter and just look straight at her with my arms down at my side and my eyes go purple to red again as I basically scrutinize her. And uhm…
Cole: Thought you were talking about Rialla for a minute. I was like holy shit!
Wren: No, Deirdre! Deirdre, sorry. As I-
Cole: Okay, yeah.
Wren: As I scrutinize Deirdre and I say,
Wren (as Eight): I don’t believe you’re being entirely forthcoming with me, Deirdre. What...is in this drink?
Wren: And I probe her mind. Without even really knowing how I’m doing it? Just by concentrating on her, uhh, to see what she’s thinking and what her emotional state is.
Dax: As you do this, she looks straight on at you and she shows no emotion on her face. You probe into her mind and you...almost feel the magic rush from your toes, up your legs, up your spine and through your fingers. And you can feel almost as if it was an extension of yourself reaching out and, feeling as if you had two hands reaching around her head and grasping her head and...tendril-like fingers reaching into her brain. And you feel no ill will, you feel...confusion? As to your concern you feel...worry that there is disappointment in this new company. You...can tell that she has done nothing other than produce juice from the cacti that surround this rock that you found her laying on.
Wren: I un-tense and as I settle down my eyes go back to regular purple.
Wren (as Eight): This is just juice from the cactus then.
Dax (as Deirdre): That’s what I said.
Wren (as Eight): What is the name of this cactus? Do you know?
Dax (as Deirdre): I call it ‘Elephant Fruit’, just because it looks like big elephant ears?
Dax: And you look at this cactus and these leaves….the cactus, uhm...leaves or whatever the term is for..they...they are quite large? And they’re very rounded like? And you can see that there are little pink flowers dotting across it.
Wren (as Eight): I see.
Wren: I turn to Rialla and walk a little closer.
Wren (as Eight): There’s something strange in these cacti, but...I do not believe she has caused any intentional harm.
Cole (as Rialla): I see.
James: How-how is Arthas dealing with this scenario? Is he just like, limp noodle on the ground like, “ahh..”?
[Wren laughs]
Neil: Just, completely glazed over. Eyes just...eyes open wide, just slack-jawed.
Cole: Hashtag “blaze it!”
[Wren, Cole and James giggle]
Neil: The blunt hit Arthas too hard.
Cole: Oh my god…
James: I mean..
Cole (as Rialla): Does-
James: You’re stoned in the desert. Hey, cool…
Cole (as Rialla): This happen to...everyone who drinks this?
Dax (as Deirdre): Well...I think you are probably the…
Dax: She pauses and she taps her chin and looks up.
Dax (as Deirdre): You’re probably the third set of company I’ve ever had. Most people stay, they drink the cactus juice, we have some snacks, we laugh, we talk and then they go on their merry way.
James (as Jokul): Perhaps Arthas drank too much.
Cole (as Rialla): Are you unable to leave this place?
Dax (as Deirdre): Why would I want to leave? This is my home.
Cole (as Rialla): You just seem very lonely.
Dax (as Deirdre): I wouldn’t call it lonely. I have the plants, I have the rocks, I have the…
Dax: She looks around.
Dax (as Deirdre): I have the bugs.
Cole (as Rialla): I suppose that’s fair. How long have you been here?
Dax: She looks over at the cactus and how tall they are.
[James laughs]
Dax (as Deirdre): I would say...eighty years now?
Wren (as Eight): Eighty years. [pauses] When’s the last guest you had?
Dax (as Deirdre): Hmm...perhaps...twenty years ago?
James (as Jokul): A lot of people travel this desert.
[Wren and Dax at the same time]
Wren (as Eight): [whispering loudly] I am very concerned…
Dax (as Deirdre): No, there are people that live in the desert, but they don’t...they don’t come visit me.
Wren: Leaning in, to Rialla again.
Wren (as Eight): I am very concerned. Was this...part of your vision?
Cole (as Rialla): Not this part, no. I felt like we had to come this direction though. And-
Wren: Looking around, in-in the sand around here.
Wren (as Eight): I doubt there would be any way of telling if her previous guests...managed to leave or not.
Cole (as Rialla): I don’t think she’s…
Dax: How loud are you saying that?
Wren: I’ll say that loud.
[Cole sighs, exasperated]
Dax: She turns to you and her eyes immediately turn to a bright red. She scrunches her face and she pouts her bottom lip out.
Dax (as Deirdre): That’s not very fair. I’ve always been nice to my company. They’ve never stayed longer than their due.
Dax: She crosses her arms and kinda.. Hmph!
Cole (as Rialla): Eight-
Wren (as Eight): I am sorry.
Cole (as Rialla): I think we need to work on your uhm...your whispering? Yes?
Wren (as Eight): If you say so. I am not very good at...subtlety?
Cole (as Rialla): I...apologize. Uhm..we’ve been travelling for a little while and it’s been uhm...it has been a lot..And uhm..it’s hard to know who we can...trust or not. We were afraid that you..poisoned our friend and..that’s on us. I’m sorry.
Dax: Her arms are still crossed and she’s looking almost like a very petulant teenager at this point.
Dax (as Deirdre): I suppose that’s fair. While I may not get company often, not all of them are fun to be around. So I suppose I understand.
Dax: She straightens up and puts her...she uncrosses her arms and her eyes go back to that brown. She says,
Dax (as Deirdre): I suppose...you wouldn’t want anything to eat, then, would you?
Cole (as Rialla): I-
James (as Jokul): I believe we got off on the wrong foot, perhaps, by jumping to the worst conclusions. So..perhaps it best we start over and...get to know each other better I guess. So..I-I’ll accept some of the...the cactus juice if Arthas didn’t chug it all.
Cole (as Rialla): I suppose we could stay for a meal.
Dax: Deirdre immediately brightens up and pours two mugs of cactus juice and she hands one to Rialla and one to Jokul. And then she runs around behind the large rock again and when she comes back out she has another tray of, uhm, what looks like slices of cactus? So they’ve got this like dark green thin skin and then this pale green flesh, and they’re sliced almost to look like uhh cantaloupe slices? And she comes out and she...she sets the tray down and-and points to it, offering slices. She says,
Dax (as Deirdre): All I have to eat around here are cactus..uhm, unless you’d like some dried bugs.
Wren (as Eight): Oh, yes my companions would love dried bugs!
Cole: I’ll give Eight a..a gentle pat on the back of the head.
Dax: She smiles and..[giggles femininely] and laughs a little bit. Says,
Dax (as Deirdre): I was only joking. I don’t like bugs. They’re my friends!
James: [laughing] Quickly! Hide the bag of bugs!
[Wren can be heard laughing]
Cole (as Rialla): Thank goodness. Will this...cacti have the same effect as...the juice...do you know?
Dax: She shrugs.
Cole: I know these are like, different plants, but like would I be able to kind of make a..I don’t know some sort of educated guess?
Dax: Why don’t you go ahead and make a survival check.
Cole: Mkay. Any purple die?
Dax: Uhm...I’m gonna make this a hard difficulty because you are not used to these plants?
Cole: Yeah. Not used to the terrain. ‘Kay..
Dax: Why don’t you explain to me how you fail this?
[James giggles]
Cole: Oh, what?! Rude..
Dax: Genesys is a narrative game. You gotta get used to explaining your failures as well as your successes.
Cole: I-I mean I guess I’m probably inspecting it but I just..I don't...I just don’t recognize it. I’ve never seen it before and I’ve studied plants and...honestly I'll probably take one of the...if she’ll let me, I’d like to take one of the cacti and study it a little bit and...get to know it.
Dax: Alright. So, you pick up this piece of fruit and you’re looking at it and you’re like, “Yup! That-that’s fruit all right!” Uhm..
Cole: Mhmm.
Dax: It looks harmless so it should be harmless! Right?
Cole: After seeing the effects of the juice though..I would drink the juice super slowly. Like, super super slowly and the minute I felt anything like kinda makin’ me woozy I would stop.
Dax: Okay. Go ahead and make a resilience check.
Cole: I’d prolly take like two sips and wait to see what that does.
Dax: Yeah. So go ahead and make it medium difficulty.
Cole: ‘Kay so that’s a green, a yellow and two purple.
[sound of dice hitting a table]
Cole: Uhh...two advantages, two threats. That cancels out..and then the green die is blank and then I’m left with one threat.
Dax: Okay. You...take two sips and you see that the edges of everything you look at start to look a little fuzzy. But that’s pretty much the only effect it has on you.
Cole: So I know that it’s a pretty uhm...how fast does that kick in like, take two sips-
Dax: You take your first sip. You’re fine. You take another sip, ‘cause even though it’s sickeningly sweet it is cool. After your second sip you wait a little bit and that’s when the edges just start to…
Cole: So I know that it’s potent.
Dax: Yeah, big time. And just think that, Arthas just gulped a whole thing and even though he’s big he’s really feeling it. In fact Arthas what-what are you doing? I know-
[Cole giggles]
Dax: You’re slumped on the ground and you’re kinda glazed over but...you’re feeling totally relaxed, man. What’re you doin?
Neil: Pretty much just...EV static, that’s all. Not really thinking about anything, just sorta starin’.
Dax: So you’re kinda just watching everybody interact, wondering why is everybody...so concerned it’s just cactus juice?
Neil: Pretty much-
James: Why is everybody upside down?
Dax: Yeah!
Neil (as Arthas): I’m counting sand grains, gimme a minute.
[Dax laughs]
Cole: Oh….my god…
Cole (as Rialla): I don’t suppose you could tell us if uhm, well I guess you haven’t seen anyone in a very long time. Is there anything we should know about this part of the desert?
Dax: She looks around.
Dax (as Deirdre): Well I usually don’t go too far from my home. The only thing I could probably say is just watch out for some sand storms.
Dax: And she picks up one of the cactus fruits and she’s just nibbling on it.
Wren (as Eight): Deirdre, are sandstorms...common? How frequent do they happen?
Dax (as Deirdre): They’re...relatively frequent. It just depends on what the god of wind wants to do. If they’re...feeling bored then they may...whip up some sand. If they’re...feeling calm they’re calm, like they are now.
Wren (as Eight): [muttering] God of wind..?
Cole: Looking towards the direction that we’re going do I see anything?
Dax: You see nothing. Everything is very calm. The sun is getting lower-
Cole: Oh no no I just meant like, I mean any uhm...eh uh..I don't know, mountains or...someplace where a town could be or-
Dax: So to the right is the edge of the canyon wall, so that high rock wall that you were walking in and amongst these past few weeks. But everything else that you see is just sand. After a while, Arthas, the effects of the juice wear off. You probably only felt the way you did for...maybe thirty minutes?
Neil: And thus began Arthas’s crippling addiction to cactus juice.
[Cole laughs]
Dax: Oh no.
[Neil chuckles]
Dax: So-
James: You have to live in the desert because you’re addicted to it now, yay! Nice knowin’ ya.
Dax: The rest of the early evening passes on. Deirdre tries to get you to try some cactus fruit slices but none of you seem very willing so she’s-she’s fine just eating it on her own. Those of you that were willing to drink the cactus juice...Arthas...would find themselves feeling varying degrees of hallucinations.
James: Jokul would partake..just because, I mean...we don’t have the rations to support ourselves much longer so..better to just take it while it’s offered and suffer-
Dax: For the fruit?
James: Yeah. Like-like he’s-
Dax: Okay.
James: He’s not like eating a whole cactus but he-he’s sipping and basically just partaking of small amounts of it.
Dax: When you eat the fruit it is a very subtle flavor..almost like what we would know as cantaloupe. But you feel no odd effects.
James: And cantaloupe is...liquidy so..perfect for a desert!
Cole: Yeah I think after we sit for a while and she’s in better spirits and we keep her company, uh we would probably set out once again.
James: Travelling at night is probably more comfortable anyway.
Dax: You’ve had your break-
Cole: Did we uhh sorry quick question ‘cause now that I’m thinking about what I usually picture Rialla in, it’s usually what she would wear back home in the cold, rainy city. Did we get like, cooler clothes while we were in Isha before everything went to crap?
Dax: You would’ve been given before you left, some robes similar to what they normally wear. Whether-
Cole: Okay.
Dax: You put them on when you left the city is a different matter, but you would have been given more-
Cole: Oh!
Dax: Looser fitting robes.
Cole: ’Cause my-my general garb is pretty...not…
James: Yeah ‘cause we-
Wren: All heavy and-and dark in color?
[Wren chuckles]
Cole: Yeah..
James: ‘Cause they-they gave us the outfit for the wedding too so…
Wren (as Eight): Can somebody give me a tune up, please?
Cole: [in a sing-song voice] I will...go sit near Eight!
[Cole laughs]
Cole: I will go sit near Eight.
Wren: Yay!
Wren (as Eight): I have the tools right here!
Wren: I hand just like, a bunch of little, like, picks and brushes and stuff.
Cole: You-
Dax: So, Rialla make a mechanics check for me.
James: I don’t believe...Jokul’s ever...seen Eight get a tune up? Because I think he was unconscious the last time...that Eight did that? But-
[Cole makes a high-pitched “eek” noise]
Dax: Uhh...
James: Jokul-Jokul’s just gonna watch be like...
Dax: I think the last time Rialla gave Eight a tune up, Jokul was...wandering the Village of Kesh-
Wren: The cave.
Cole: Yeah. Uh-huh-
Wren: I think it was in the cave, yeah.
Dax: Yeah…
James: Yeah.
Cole: Uhm, as I’m about to start doing this, I’m uh I’ll say to Eight,
Cole (as Rialla): You’ll have to walk me through this again, it’s been a little while.
Wren (as Eight): Of course!
Dax: Go ahead and-
Cole: Does that give me a boost?
Dax: Get a boost, yeah...
Cole: Yeah!
Wren: Yeah!
[Dax laughs]
Cole: Heyyy!!
[Cole laughs]
Neil: I assume that I’m just being gripped by hallucinations again.
[sound of dice shaking and hitting a table]
James: Weee!
Cole: Two successes and-
Dax: If you’re drinking more cactus juice then definitely you are, but other-if you’re not then you’re probably at this point sober. And-
Cole: [laughing] Sober?
Wren: You-you see-
Dax: You just see...you see Rialla huddling over Eight and she’s using tools to poke at their back? What is that?
Neil: Yeah that’s why I’m just-
Cole: I have-
Neil: Super...super into the “clearly it’s just a dude in armor and...things are gettin’ real weird”.
Wren: Was there a difficulty assigned to the...the check?
Dax: Yeah go ahead and uh, sorry...add av...do...go ahead and do medium difficulty.
Cole: So, out of the-the gree...three green die I have two successes-
Wren: Eh-heh..
Cole: The boost was an advantage…
Wren: Woo!
Cole: I have a failure and two threats.
Wren: Huh!
Neil: Oh god.
Cole: How bad do I-
Dax: So you succeed-
Cole: Oh okay.
Dax: You succeed...uhm, ultimately. You succeed but you-
[Cole sighs]
Dax: Something goes slightly wrong. Why don’t you tell me what happens? As you’re giving Eight their tune up.
Wren (as Eight): Just..poke there..yep, just like that. Be-oh! Not so hard..
Cole: Can I...over tighten something?
[Wren groans]
Dax: You’re-You’re poking and maybe one of the tools jabs in a little harder than you intended.
Cole: I’m doing something and my hand slips.
Dax: Yeah..so something gets moved to where it really...shouldn’t have been and Eight-
Cole: I’m used to working on people not…
[Wren makes an exasperated noise]
Dax: Eight your consequence is that uhm...maybe your left arm feels...a little-a little tight for a little while, for the rest of the day your arm’s gonna feel a little tight.
Wren: So what, like take a strain or something?
Dax: Yeah.
Cole: Oh no! Oh that’s horrible!
Dax: But other than that you-the rest of your limbs and your joints feel very loose and limber, she got all the rest of the sand out of them, so wi-that’s just a small price to pay.
Wren: That’s true!
Wren (as Eight): Thank you, Rialla. It’s been a while, we’ll have to keep working on that.
[Wren grunts as if stretching out their shoulder]
Cole (as Rialla): I’m sorry, did I mess something up?
Wren (as Eight): No. Not at all.
Wren: I would never...out-out of character, I would never let her know if she did something...too tight, or anything wrong so...even though you ask-
Cole: Awww!
Wren: I would never actually tell you.
Wren (as Eight): No everything’s fine. Oh! It’s just... [grunts] feels good...to get all that grit...out of the joints...oh..
Dax: Now Jokul and Arthas, this is the first time you’ve seen this happen. What are you doing in reaction to this whole...interaction?
James: Hmmm...probably just...like more or less just like watching over Rialla’s shoulder, sitting there eating a piece of cactus. Just like...if-if she’s like opened ‘em up and he..like tweaking things, Jokul’s just like, “What’s that do? What’s that? What’s this?”
Wren: Well with the plate’s coming off-
Cole: I feel like Rialla’s super used to like, I don’t know, pointing things out to Jokul too? Like he probably knows a thing or two about medical things? Probablys small things, but…
James: Yeah well, it’s like...you-you’ve patched up Jokul so many times that it’s like..”oh, okay”.
Cole: “You should wrap it like this and not like that!” and “Oh if it looks-if you do..” [begins making blah blah noises as they trail off]
Wren: You would notice though like as you’re movin’ around in the frames and everything, uh the-the little fleshy bits are still reminiscent of a human form. So, most of the stuff under them would look familiar, you’re just not really sure how it works.
James: Being polite, and being like, well if Rialla is out of the picture or something happened to her and I have to fix ‘em I-I need to figure out how to-
Dax: I need to have at least watched it once.
James: Yeah, exactly like…
Dax: What about you Art?
Neil: Hmm. I guess I just sorta try to like...stay quiet about everything. The tune up’s gotten me a little bit like...curious? But also, do I wanna ask?
Dax: Man, you are subtle for a giant-kin.
Neil: Well yeah this is...these people are weird. Surgery’s already kind of a new concept to me, and now it’s just like, “You can do it on anyone at any time?”
Dax: [trying not to laugh] So...you finish refreshing up with Deirdre, and you head on your way. And although she is disappointed she does wish you the best of luck on your journey. You follow the canyon wall until the sun begins to set, and as the night grows cooler and darker you figure, “We’ll walk a little further. Walking in the cool might be a good idea.” You walk maybe an hour after the sun sets, until all the walking and all the movement in the hard stone and then the soft sand begins to really take toll on your bones. And you set up camp for the night. And that is where we are ending it today.
James: Okay!
Wren: Yay!
Calm piano continues during the outro [33:40]
Dax: Thanks for tuning in to Roads Uncharted. I hope you’ll join us next time!