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The Vampire With No Name S1 Epilogue Part 2 · Dubious Creatures Presents

0:40
Music. A highway wanders through the
1:20
desert. A tumbleweed drifts past a dusty
1:24
dive bar. A coyote shrieks out to no one
1:28
in particular. Someone's bleeding out in a
1:31
bathroom stall. The stars tonight are bright,
1:35
but not nearly bright enough. This place does not exist, and
1:42
yet here you are. Welcome to San Arroyo Kindred.
1:49
We here at Dubious Creatures present to you the Vampire with
1:53
no name. What have the rest of you been
1:59
up to, if anything, during this time?
2:03
Wishing that I had Nick's phone number so I could, you know,
2:09
properly apologize. Yeah, you haven't seen hide or
2:14
hair of him well since that night.
2:18
The sewers. Hope he's OK at least.
2:22
Don't know what happened to Anselm either, I mean granted
2:28
he's probably due for some kind of karmic punishment, but at the
2:33
same time knowing what you know now.
2:37
Yeah, you do weird things, wild things, crazy things for love.
2:45
Ash, Jeremy. I think Ash has been sitting in
2:52
a lawn chair or like in a deck chair that's like looking out
2:56
over the hills. And I wouldn't say dissociating,
3:04
but like intentionally spacing out because they want to be
3:10
doing stuff, especially now that the movie night sort of dead.
3:15
And unless somebody puts a movie on that like Ash could like talk
3:19
over, they're sort of kind of space.
3:22
They're, they're sort of kind of just, they're doing like the
3:26
mental equivalent of of like internal doom scrolling.
3:31
That's fair. There's a lot that you really
3:36
don't want to think about right now.
3:38
Yeah. I asked her, what does your
3:45
movie collection look like? Really nerdy A.
3:54
Lot of boxed editions of certain things.
3:57
No, no, I got one. I'm going to dig through until I
4:00
find it and then I'm going to put it on.
4:01
I'm going to put on Willow. Oh, Astor would totally have
4:05
Willow. I know, I know.
4:08
Ah yes, the original Lucasfilm's classic.
4:13
Well, classic in the heavily implied manner that only such a
4:24
unique alum cyst of the times can really be.
4:30
But it's it's the right notes of like serious to like light
4:33
hearted that I think kind of fits the vibe.
4:36
And if people want to talk over it, they can, cause it's
4:38
ancient. It's no Lord of the Rings, but
4:44
honestly that's perfect for right now.
4:50
At least it is not a movie starring anybody.
4:52
Who 80 year old vampire is going to say that I strike a bear?
4:59
Striking resemblance to one of the bit actors.
5:02
Thank you. God that's so annoying.
5:11
Yeah. So when do you really plan on
5:16
actually leaving? Next couple of nights, once I
5:23
know Taylor's ready to go, I'm just wrapping up any loose ends.
5:33
I think we've got a plane ticket for a couple of nights back to
5:38
LA. Been fun.
5:41
Yeah. And.
5:46
Like, I know you're, you've got a life to get back to and
5:50
everything, but past Beaker 2 has been like, I don't know,
5:56
I'm, I'm going to be really cheesy and say that I feel like
5:59
we're all connected at least like on some level right now,
6:02
like. We all survived some major
6:07
trauma together that, like, bounds us together.
6:11
Yeah. So yeah, I mean, if hey, if you
6:15
ever do make it out to LA, hit me up.
6:22
I think if I leave this, I think if I leave the city again, I'll
6:25
die, but I'll die again. But.
6:28
I was talking to a friend and they said I sound better than I
6:34
have in years. Well, that's good.
6:38
That's good. Oh, whatever is going on, I
6:41
think you guys are good for me. I mean, just on the from the day
6:51
I the night we met and tonight, I mean, you're, I don't know,
6:56
like you seem a lot better. I am yeah.
7:02
It hasn't got him back real bad yet, but like it's always there,
7:07
but it's it's not as overwhelming.
7:10
Now I'm I think I'm hallucinating a lot.
7:19
And so if I'm ever like I'm not like trying to drama dumb.
7:24
I'm, I'm trying to say like if you if I sometimes seem like I'm
7:29
not really there, That's why. I understand.
7:36
Also what exactly did I say to ask her if she like looked
7:39
really mad at me? I I wasn't paying attention.
7:43
The vibe I got was like that if that, if she laughed like or
7:50
that like her sister left, she'd die or something.
7:54
I don't know, it was a lot. Yeah.
7:59
Was 2 statues and then like one filled with pieces from the
8:04
other left. That's crazy, right?
8:17
Little Yeah. Yeah, yeah, a little.
8:20
You know you're experiencing life in a Stanley Kubrick film.
8:29
I don't know, do you have any long tracking shots for me?
8:34
You know, kind of like does the things with my hands to like
8:37
frame the shots. Kind of like, honestly, there is
8:44
a beauty here. Like beyond this town in this
8:49
desert, there is a beauty. I wish things could have gone
8:53
differently. Also since I'm not going to be
8:58
here you 2 ever fucking come across Henry pass more.
9:03
I mean Ash more than Jeremy. Please give him a good punch
9:08
along the jaw for me. I think I can drive him nuts.
9:12
I mean, hey, that's even better. I.
9:15
Think. I don't that man deserves no
9:23
peace after what he did. Awesome.
9:29
I think I'm racking up, I think I'm racking up people for
9:32
everybody here that I that I should, that I should punch if I
9:37
encounter them. And remind him how I kicked his
9:40
ass while I was bleeding out in my hotel room.
9:45
Kelly Asher Action. Star.
9:49
I'll take it, yeah. You're hey your manager, is he
9:56
any good? Yeah.
9:59
I mean, I mean, my dad kind of does a lot of that for me, did a
10:06
lot of that for me, made a lot of, I don't want to say choices,
10:12
but pushed me to a lot of stuff, introduced me and my boyfriend.
10:20
I guess that means I technically my boyfriend had father approval
10:24
before we even started dating. It's like you guys care for each
10:29
other a lot. Just US against the world.
10:32
Yeah, that's cool. Other than there've been rough
10:40
times. Like, you know, in any
10:42
relationship, you probably all read about it.
10:47
Stupid drama from Red Asphalt. Chronically not reading the
10:53
news. I don't read dirt sheets.
10:57
Yeah, well, I felt like it was everywhere, but that's mostly, I
11:01
guess probably the LA life. Yeah.
11:06
I liked LA. It was pretty.
11:08
It was like a garden. I was I played the piano and and
11:15
like overlooked the ocean. It was pretty, it was peaceful.
11:23
It's all. On screen you see Mad Martigan
11:33
trapped in that crow's cage, the rest of the group clearly still
11:41
trying to figure out what it is to do with this stranger that
11:47
met at the crossroads. Around that same time, you also
11:52
hear the sound of a car pulling into the driveway as Astor Crow,
12:01
you have arrived. Everyone's Outback.
12:06
If you want to just go through the side gate, sure, they'd be
12:09
ecstatic to see you you. Not.
12:15
Coming. I'm going to go make cast some
12:16
food. I'm not ready to be around
12:21
everyone yet. Yes.
12:24
It's like, is she, is she, wait, is she back?
12:30
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
12:32
Just just just I I appreciate the food.
12:35
Just put one second, one second. You can go back to college.
12:38
I'm going to go into the kitchen.
12:40
Yes. Go on.
12:43
Follows you like an excited puppy puppy.
12:46
Ridiculous. Let me have this, man.
12:49
It's been You're not the only one that's been going through
12:52
it. I know and I'm sorry.
12:57
It was my booty call so. Yeah.
13:01
So if anything, this is all your fault, right?
13:05
OK, you're clearly feeling better because you you know your
13:09
dickish sense of humor has returned.
13:12
You walk back out through sort of sliding window door that
13:19
every house in California is court mandated to have and
13:23
Raleigh. You first hear a sound that it's
13:28
been a long time since you've heard that familiar fan
13:33
squeeing. Turn around and see Crow and her
13:37
plus one. Start to give a salute to Crow
13:41
and say glad you're feeling better.
13:44
Oh my God, Oh my God. Oh my God.
13:45
Oh my God. I am sorry in advance, Raleigh.
13:51
And they call her from the shallows, Queen Babylon.
13:56
I am such a huge fan. It is lovely to meet you.
14:03
Yeah, I'm, I'm Cass. He comes over and like
14:06
immediately shakes your hand a little too rapidly.
14:09
You already know who I am. So yeah, yeah, yeah, no, that.
14:12
And oh, hey, he just kind of waves nonchalantly to the two of
14:16
you and then continues. I, I just want to say like
14:21
Bill's about cancelled before it's time, man.
14:23
It, it, it's up there with Firefly and the rest like
14:26
series. I have no idea what the network
14:28
was thinking. None of us do.
14:34
It's such a bummer that you didn't get called back for like
14:36
that. I think like Red Wave, I mean,
14:40
you must have heard, right? Like Red Wave's doing like
14:43
season 7, kind of like not even a cameo.
14:47
I mean, come on, I. Mean yeah, now I would have.
14:53
I would have loved to play that role again.
14:57
Oh my God, I'm you're here and you're, I'm shaking your hand
15:02
and you're apparently an actually a you know which is,
15:12
you know, you know, I'm, I'm. It's a new development.
15:15
Yeah, you know, I'm, I'm, I'm with it.
15:17
Like, you know me and Krobe and cohabitating for a while, so you
15:22
know I'm I'm cool. Yeah, I mean that.
15:26
Don't expect you to broadcast it on all social media.
15:30
Not that anyone would believe you anyways.
15:32
Oh hey, before. We had that discussion.
15:36
Hey, hey, hey. That was one time.
15:38
One time and I, I thought that guy was Vin Diesel.
15:42
Turns out it wasn't. It was just some bald guy with
15:46
the really mean right hook. Ash is going to give Crow a
15:56
potency enhanced hug that's like and we'll say glad you're back,
16:02
hope you're doing OK or better. Learning a lot about myself, I
16:10
guess. A lot about all this shit.
16:14
Thank fucking think the Divine for Cass and Sarah.
16:21
They've been incredibly. Patient.
16:28
Addiction sucks. And it does.
16:34
Yeah, it's, I mean, apparently you guys got some kind of who do
16:44
the makes things a little less dramatic.
16:49
So that's nice start. But yeah, it's, you know,
16:54
you're, you're always ever in recovery, so.
16:59
Yeah, that's true. Oh yeah.
17:02
Recovery. Something somebody could fucking
17:06
learn. Hey, I feel like I'm completely
17:11
justified. Our household has been very
17:14
stressful lately. Yeah, that's fair.
17:19
Yeah, I should probably cut down a little.
17:24
I'm sorry. I'm killing the vibe you're.
17:26
Fine, come on movie night, watch movies.
17:31
I'll talk about all the famous people I know that have been in
17:34
these movies. This might be the best night of
17:39
my life. And I mean, I'm we're relatively
17:43
sure Astor still has the majority of my my films in
17:47
there. So after this is done, I don't
17:50
know, I can give you another commentary track on something.
17:53
This is the best night of my life.
17:57
Are you sure we have Bill's a pub in there somewhere?
17:59
Full stop, it's your best night of your life so far.
18:04
I don't know what's going on with you, but I dig it.
18:06
Jeremy's giving him, like, just a sad smile.
18:10
Rose going to face palm with all these interactions and go and
18:16
sit down by Jeremy, who I'm assuming is still sitting on the
18:20
floor. Yeah.
18:24
And she's going to get down slowly, but she's going to work
18:29
her way down. Yeah.
18:33
Lock on some of the pillows and just enjoy the movie.
18:39
Enjoy this last little bit of time with everybody.
18:44
What do you mean last bit of time?
18:47
He's leaving. I gotta get back to LA.
18:52
I forgot that you were just out here for the movie.
18:56
Yeah, any of you ever do make it to LA, feel free to help me out.
19:05
Nah, we're from we're from San Diego.
19:07
So I think we just spontaneously combust.
19:11
I understand I I've stepped foot in an SDCC convention hall more
19:17
than once. I mean, love your work, love
19:20
everything about you, but fuck you for stealing the Chargers,
19:22
man, that was low. It was like one thing and you
19:27
had to take that from us. I don't know it's LA as LA takes
19:33
everything from California apparently.
19:36
Oh, white shit. He snaps his fingers.
19:39
Sarah, didn't you say wasn't there a thing fanboyed a little
19:47
too hard? And I figured out there was a
19:49
thing that you guys had to do. Oh.
19:51
Fuck yeah, we we promised the creepy lady in Historical
19:57
Society basements and treasure to replace the one we took.
20:03
I have an idea. We should do that soon.
20:08
Yep, I will sneak into the Crawford attic and I'm sure I
20:14
can find something that is older than sin.
20:19
Great, that settles that. How soon do you think you can
20:24
get that? Tonight, if I leave, I'd prefer
20:32
to do it tomorrow. I got a couple more nights so
20:36
flight isn't till the end of the week, so all right.
20:40
For the moment, in this exact moment, there is peace and there
20:51
is merriment and there is the magic of Warwick Davis and it's
20:58
enough for tonight. However, another night
21:06
eventually comes. So if everybody, yes, even you,
21:11
Maria, could go ahead and give me a Rouse check.
21:15
Yeah. Me.
21:20
Beast Snyder in a cord. No hunger in Greece.
21:23
Same. Doing good tonight.
21:26
Jeremy's not doing too bad. I'm doing terribly.
21:32
Ash quits plus awareness or investigation.
21:38
We're gonna arouse for this because that's not a great pool.
21:43
Great Beast does not get hungrier.
21:46
Oh, we're gonna pop a will to try to reroll some of this 3
21:50
successes. 3 successes. That's a pretty well.
21:56
That's a pretty middling success.
21:58
So what do you think you find? One of the things that the
22:04
Crawford estate has is that there is the the Crawford
22:10
Western Museum, which is a a like a western film museum that
22:16
is in town. And I think some of the overflow
22:19
is in the family attic instead of in a warehouse somewhere.
22:23
So I think this is going to be, we will say it's a prop Bowie
22:32
knife from like the 40s. You think that this might be
22:40
from old Josiah Crawford's senior last hurrah on the silver
22:46
screen, in point of fact. Yeah, they they will like.
22:52
And knowing that it's like it's going to a museum, they don't
22:57
feel like they're giving it away.
22:59
Museums are places where rich people show off their stuff, so.
23:07
Yes, but it occurs to you you only have your friend's account
23:16
of what happened down there. Yes.
23:19
Whatever this place, whatever this place is, it's maybe a
23:24
little bit more than just that. Yeah, but also from the
23:29
descriptions there, it was kind of freaky and I want to bring a
23:32
nice. Gift.
23:34
It's only polite. Yes, because I really don't want
23:38
to be further indebted because that's we are already racking up
23:43
too much stuff and we want Raleigh to not be dragged back
23:47
here because a vampire in a museum thought we had reneged on
23:53
a deck. Well then, who's coming to
24:00
dinner? I'll go because I was there
24:04
before. Also.
24:08
Mainly because I have questions I'll.
24:13
Go, because I imagine that even if Jeremy decided he wasn't
24:18
going, he'd freak out and then end up there anyway, so it might
24:21
as well just skip the intervening step and just go.
24:24
You do have an uncanny talent to show up in the right place at
24:28
the exact wrong time. Yeah, and in this case, from the
24:32
story I was told, I'd rather be walking in with the coterie than
24:37
doing something else. Astor.
24:40
Well, of course she's going got to see it through.
24:47
Once again, you find yourself outside the Jay Connelly
24:53
Historical Society. We knock this time.
24:59
Yes, 100%. We knock, we announce ourselves,
25:03
we ask to be let in. Yes, we are absolutely knocking.
25:12
Maria. Yes.
25:16
Wherever we find you at this early hour in the evening.
25:22
I think since it is early, I think she's doing essentially
25:29
rounds through the public facing areas of the museum seeing if
25:34
the day staff has moved anything around because they always get
25:37
it wrong. See if there were any field
25:42
trips that came through, any kids messed with anything.
25:45
They always leave everything so parody sticky.
25:51
Yes, there are washrooms for a reason.
25:59
Well, as you make your general rounds, expecting the lovingly
26:04
curated items, all these various bits and pieces of San Arroyoian
26:09
history, some behind glass, others in elaborate infographic
26:16
displays, there's someone over by the Red Rocks Puebloan
26:28
exhibit, that old collection of artifacts scrounged out up from
26:39
The Cave systems near the iconic butts and mesas.
26:47
That locale? You haven't seen Mr. Kilpatrick
26:52
in a while. Mr. Kilpatrick I know it has
26:58
been a long time, but generally I expect that when one is locked
27:04
in a gilded cage and outsiders should at least make a show of
27:10
asking to enter. We're going to do this whole
27:15
song and dance Maria every single time.
27:22
Custom is important, especially since you've left me very little
27:29
else. Maria, you're not a visiting
27:38
dignitary, you're under house arrest.
27:45
I am well aware of my situation. Maria, go ahead and give me a
27:54
whit Splitsons. I roll.
27:57
Just the one. Oh good, he's going to be rude.
28:06
They always are. This one.
28:10
What does this one possibly have against you?
28:12
He's not nearly old enough to remember all of that.
28:18
I'm going to go ahead and chalk it up to my clan's reputation.
28:25
Or his. Maybe you've heard stories.
28:29
Perhaps the only clan to scare the Camarilla more, at least in
28:33
ages past. He certainly seems to be in a
28:37
bit of a mood. Granted, he's never worn a dress
28:40
very flashy, wearing somewhat ratty hoodie over faded shirt,
28:52
jeans and somewhat worn in sneakers, complete with that
28:59
somewhat nondescript baby face of his.
29:02
And he could be anyone could run into a street corner anywhere.
29:09
Well, Deputy, if we are not standing on ceremony to
29:14
business. Yeah, let's do that.
29:19
How good are you at a, you know, doing?
29:24
He kind of just waves a hand in front of his face.
29:29
Very. Can you do it to other folks
29:35
though? Yes, this domain knows that
29:41
well, I think. I got orders from up top to
29:47
offer you a, call it a reduced sentence in exchange for your
29:54
assistance in this manner. Well, now who's being
30:00
ceremonial? You're pausing for suspense.
30:06
It wasn't my idea. Long story short, we need a body
30:13
altered. As you wish.
30:19
You've met Raleigh already, right?
30:25
I think she kind of cocks her head in a slow, smooth parody of
30:37
a human gesture of thinking. I'm not certain I have.
30:44
Redhead good looking Bo Yeh Hai paid you a visit not all that
30:51
long ago. There are cameras in the museum,
30:56
right? There are, so most likely he's
31:01
verified this information so there's no point in lying about
31:04
it. No, but you can tell he's even 1
31:08
success on insert. You can tell he's whatever this
31:12
situation is, he's clearly not happy about it.
31:14
You can tell just by the body language by the way his fists
31:17
are bald and shoved into the pockets of his.
31:23
Hoodie Ah yes, Rally who was not made aware of my situation.
31:35
You're not careful. Fledglings might just start
31:39
disappearing. My lessons are very compelling.
31:44
That sounded like a threat. You don't know what you do know.
31:50
What my job is right? I am well aware.
31:58
So don't fuck with me, not tonight.
32:00
I'm not in the mood. Well, I've agreed to your task.
32:07
I gathered you want me to fake a death.
32:15
Yeah, going to transport you out through the boiler, boiler room
32:22
entrance. You're going to be under watch
32:26
the whole time. So please don't give anyone an
32:30
excuse. Not because I particularly give
32:33
a shit about what happens to you, but because you know.
32:38
So much paperwork, the bane of us all.
32:44
Taking you down to the county morgue, we've already sourced a
32:47
body about the rights, height, weight and body type.
32:52
And that's when you hear a knock at the door and his head
32:55
immediately snaps in this direction.
32:59
Which door is it? Is it like the front doors or
33:03
the side door? I believe it would be the main
33:06
doors, no? No, no, no.
33:10
We would have gone to the side door.
33:11
Yeah, then forgive me. Yes, then it is indeed the side
33:15
entrance. Now, Deputy, I would not want to
33:20
delay your task. I am well aware of your job, but
33:24
may I? I'll be watching.
33:29
I assume you're not going to go blabbing this to any Tom, Dick
33:34
or Vlad that comes walking through those doors, Yeah?
33:39
What reason would I have to do so?
33:42
So it can learn he just backs up and the moment you lose sight of
33:51
him, you lose sight of him. I think Maria will take her
34:04
rubber gloves off, smooth the scales on her hands a little
34:08
bit, go over to the door and loudly unlock it, and then step
34:14
back. Whoa, what is Jeremy and Ash's
34:26
unvarnished reaction to this? Well, I mean, it looks like a
34:36
woman in some aspects. Ash is processing because the
34:42
closest thing they can think of is a Klingon, which isn't
34:49
entirely a negative connotation, but Ash does their best to like,
34:56
keep a neutral face and keep a polite smile and say hi.
35:02
We're here for a delivery. Dear God that they're
35:06
multiplying. I think Jeremy's reaction is
35:10
actually going to kind of depend on what the background music is
35:12
doing. In a word, the background music
35:20
is tense, not quite as intense as it was in the recent
35:28
circumstances, but there's always that creeping little
35:34
number as the heroes tentatively walk towards the mouth of that
35:41
cave or grotto that holds something lurking in its depths.
35:48
She notably hasn't turned on any lights, she's just getting by by
35:51
the glow of her red eyes. There's also In the Darkness.
35:59
What Bach you're playing that's tense.
36:06
She again kind of slowly cocks her head.
36:12
I'm not playing any music at the moment.
36:15
If you would like a Bach, that can be arranged, fledgling.
36:20
But do come in. You do have something that
36:24
belongs to me after all. Yeah, well, sort of nudge Ash to
36:29
to go in first. Or something bad happens.
36:34
Yeah, Ash is. Ash has a messenger bag slung
36:39
over one shoulder, since they don't want to be carrying a
36:43
knife around in California, law does allow you to carry a
36:46
sheathed blade. But still, it's pretty.
36:49
It's pretty conspicuous. So they will enter and they will
36:54
give a polite bow of the head and say my name is Ash Crawford,
37:01
Clan Fontrue. Lovely museum, I've been here
37:05
many times. Jeremy Reed, I'm a Vulcavian.
37:12
Well, a pleasure to meet you both.
37:14
My name is Maria. Winters plans to meet Sea, and
37:19
she will incline her head gently as well.
37:24
I forget, did Ash offer a hand to shake?
37:27
They will, yeah. Maria will shake the hand, if
37:33
you recall she has snake scales up her forearm and slightly
37:38
pointed claws and it feels weirdly smooth even for snake
37:43
scales. You don't feel normally when you
37:47
shake someone's hands. You feel the ridges, the
37:49
grooves, the lines, even to a certain extent, the unique
37:56
patterns of the fingerprints. There's none of that.
38:02
It's almost frictionless. She doesn't shake either.
38:08
It's perfectly still in the air, perfectly smooth in the ocean,
38:13
in the motion. And then she pulls her hand
38:16
away. I am gathering that the vial
38:20
could not be saged. Ash, I think like as Maria's
38:27
hand withdraws, they like sort of like do the like handclasp to
38:33
like just sort of feel like almost as if they're trying to
38:37
feel the memory of it before putting their hand back.
38:41
Unfortunately, the sorcerer's what have you required the
38:48
consumption of the item. So I have, as you negotiated
38:56
with my friends, brought recompense and they're going to
39:04
and they'll reach into the messenger bag and pull out the
39:07
Bowie knife and say if the family cataloging is correct,
39:16
this was a costume knife, though it's I understand it's still
39:22
quite sharp. That belonged to my grandfather,
39:25
Josiah Crawford. He wore it on the side of his
39:29
last film, which was filmed right here in town about 60
39:34
years ago. You are of those Crawfords.
39:40
Guilty as charged, unfortunately.
39:42
I think she, from within a pocket, pulls out another pair
39:48
of plastic gloves, slips them on and gingerly takes the knife and
39:55
sort of fiddles with it, uncurls the blade and puts it back.
40:01
I remember this film. I remember this knife.
40:09
I watched it another lifetime ago.
40:14
You do realize that technically this does not fit the time
40:18
period I requested? Or did they not tell you that?
40:24
They they look over it, it's like, unfortunately, no, I if it
40:31
is unacceptable, I can see about scrounging something.
40:38
I have at least the name does give me some some pull with the
40:44
Western museum in town and there's Knick knacks and and
40:52
artifacts of surprising value that are just locked in crates
40:58
over there. Maria, go ahead and give me an
41:01
intelligence plus called either craft or etiquette.
41:06
Sure. I don't know how we process a
41:12
messy critical here, but. Oh man.
41:16
Because here's the thing, unfortunately, maybe you
41:22
underestimated these fledglings because technically they
41:28
fulfilled the spirit of your deal, if not the letter of it.
41:35
That they did. That doesn't mean you have to be
41:40
happy about it, however. I think she turns heads over to
41:50
a nearby table and slips the knife into one of those bags
41:56
that you can lay or vacuum seal and says, well this is a unique
42:06
addition to my collection. The spirit is fulfilled, if not
42:14
the letter. So I ask you this, did you feel
42:21
a sting at the loss of the artifacts?
42:25
Any sense of loss of history? I was present for the ritual and
42:34
yeah, yeah, I did. Yeah, I wished we could have
42:41
saved them. Right now, Venus, we came from
42:47
somewhere else, he called it, and it took it all and it was
42:54
like inviting something bad. It was there, it was old, it was
43:01
worse somehow. She narrows her eyes slightly,
43:10
inviting someone worse in to remove a man and his entire
43:19
history, one who struggled the most valiantly to keep going.
43:28
And perhaps you do understand the barest taste of the sting I
43:35
feel to have a hole in my collection, no matter how
43:38
minuscule. That said, you have endeavoured
43:44
to fulfill the bargain, so I will consider it paid.
43:53
You don't mind me asking what Why?
43:58
Why do you collect these things? Is it the knowledge of the
44:04
history or? That's and more.
44:13
Perhaps it is something about being a creature that might live
44:16
through so much history to see it's left behind.
44:24
A passion in life becomes an obsession in death.
44:31
Once you can feel the weights of what these things have been
44:35
through, they cease to be mere objects.
44:44
I'm going to lean on. So you're here.
44:46
I'm going to rouse recremunition on our floor.
44:50
Maria here. Give me a rouse.
44:54
Check 5 successes and I get hungrier so I'm up to three.
45:01
Bach or something like it. That's correct.
45:05
And there was a cave, and there's something lurking inside
45:09
of it. This woman, Maria, you see her,
45:17
but she's different, smaller, softer, more human and
45:23
terrified. There's something in The Cave.
45:30
There's something in The Cave that's coming for her.
45:35
There's something in The Cave that did come for her, and she
45:40
keeps looking back. You were wrong.
45:46
Once Upon a time, she wasn't the dragon, she was the damsel in
45:53
distress, and the ones she was waiting for arrived too late and
46:02
you're back. You don't like how frequently
46:06
this is happening? Jeremy's like staring at her and
46:11
he like tilts his head and he asks, what did you keep when you
46:18
were the damsel in The Cave? Ash is going to look down, look
46:25
up at Jeremy like. The fuck, dude?
46:31
Yeah, I think. Maria's Serpentine eyes
46:34
immediately slide over to meet Jeremy's.
46:37
There's a wisp of a forked tongue indicating some kind of
46:42
emotion, but it's not clear what.
46:46
And she says, pardon, what did I keep?
46:54
You collect things, things that matter.
46:59
Someone was late, wasn't they? Like someone was really late and
47:04
you were waiting for them and then, right?
47:13
That I'm sorry, for once that looks a little bit taken aback
47:20
in a remotely human gesture before the mask slaps back on.
47:28
That is not a question for present company, but I do
47:35
appreciate your inquisitiveness, child of Mel Calf.
47:39
Yeah, we we shouldn't take up more of your time.
47:42
I'm sure you've got things to do.
47:47
As a matter of fact, I do. So we'll get out of your hair
47:52
and let you do that. Don't be strangers.
47:57
Of course, thank you for your time and I'd like to maybe, if
48:05
possible, see about an after hours tour.
48:09
Now that's I would be all too delighted to give.
48:15
Ash will politely not and say good evening and look towards
48:20
everybody else and like giving like we are leaving glare.
48:25
Raleigh is definitely going to grab Jeremy by the back of the
48:28
shirt and pull him along if he does not leave.
48:32
Oh yeah, he was definitely, like dragging his feet, like he was
48:35
about to say something else. And just like, feels you guys
48:37
pulling it back. It just lets them do it.
48:43
Ash will hold the door closed behind them.
48:46
And once, once they are, once they've got him like 20 feet per
48:50
minute, we really need to work. So sad they they left her.
48:58
They got there too late to see her.
49:02
Oh, we really need to work on your time and bud.
49:05
Yeah, yeah. That that, that would definitely
49:08
have been an inside thought in that moment.
49:11
What? Well, we're all in one piece.
49:17
We are going home. Raleigh doesn't have any more
49:20
debts here. We're good.
49:24
Let's go. You.
49:27
Know I. Do want to know if Crow and or
49:30
Astor left with the group? Yes, that was actually going to
49:35
be my question because, well. Oh yeah, Astor would have held
49:42
the door open for everyone. It's like, Yep, come on, let's
49:45
go. The the only one who's getting
49:49
actively dragged out is Jeremy because we we worried about him
49:53
saying the wrong thing and then suddenly asked becoming
49:55
furniture. Told Sebastian that you said hi.
50:02
Bastion. He is still around then.
50:09
They currently have him locked up.
50:11
For how long? I don't know, is it normal for
50:20
your group to do the whole blood bond thing?
50:27
I think she will outright put a finger to Crow's lips.
50:31
That is an important question, but not one you truly understand
50:40
yet. And.
50:43
He lied to me. I imagine he did.
50:49
Was he always like that? It is hard to say.
50:53
I did not think so and then he left me to rot.
50:59
I'm sorry. The sins of the sire are not
51:03
yours. But there is more to that story
51:11
that is not for you to hear. And I'm going to try and
51:15
covertly signal to crow that we're not alone.
51:22
And that's why I'm being cagey about it.
51:26
Like if I could uncharacteristically warmly take
51:32
her hand and trace it into her palm or something like that,
51:37
essentially telling her to come back later.
51:39
I have an. I have an OK insight pool.
51:43
Yeah. Maria, give me a got either
51:50
widths or composure plus subterfuge.
51:55
And I am going to reroll failures 5 successes while.
52:02
This strange Afidian woman has been talking to you.
52:08
She's taken one of your hands, crow, and has sort of been
52:13
tracing the lines on your palm, one claw like nail.
52:23
As the conversation wears on, you realize she's not tracing.
52:28
No, she's writing. You feel her on the flesh of
52:33
your palm. Spell out NOT ALONE.
52:56
Pro is going to take that and sort of like close her hand
53:02
around Maria's fingertips. In a moment of just like fucked
53:11
headspace, she's going to try and give Maria a hug.
53:17
I don't think Maria can do anything for the sole reason
53:23
this happening to her is so far from her mind, not just in this
53:29
moment, but ever. If Crow does it, she she gets a,
53:35
she gets a hug. It's a weird, it's a weird hug.
53:39
Maria doesn't hug back immediately because she's so, so
53:44
weirdly cold and smooth. When was the last time someone
53:50
held you like this? Do you even remember?
53:57
Probably before The Cave. It always ends the same way.
54:05
There's before cave and after. I think all she can really do,
54:15
being what she is, is rest a clawed hand on the back of
54:19
Crow's shoulder. She will let Crow hug it out,
54:24
but that's as far as she can go. Step back, wipe tears from her
54:33
face, thank you, and she'll turn around and take off.
54:41
I think Maria mouths a word, but nothing comes out, and then Crow
54:49
is out the door. Door shuts and you're left there
54:53
with nothing but your thoughts and your uninvited guest.
55:03
Well, that was convenient. Riley's face is fresh in my mind
55:08
now. You see him step out from behind
55:14
one of the displays, positively lemon sucking grimace plastered
55:19
across that nondescript face. Is 1 hour.
55:27
We'll come to you. The rest be pretty
55:30
self-explanatory from there. And with that just turns on his
55:35
heel and starts walking at pace towards where you know the
55:40
hidden boiler room entrances. I think Maria just picks up the
55:46
bag with the knife in it and moves to her backroom to store
55:51
it. Has to re establish the
55:55
familiar. They still don't get out, do
56:00
they? This isn't a prison, it's a time
56:06
capsule. The world out there left you
56:13
behind a long time ago. Outside, some of you are a
56:18
little relieved when a crow finally exits.
56:23
OK, good. Riley.
56:28
Yeah. Your phone buzzes and you can
56:32
see Taylor has sent you a photo of a bunch of packed bags with
56:37
him leaning in from the frame, an exaggerated smile on the
56:40
thumbs up. You all see me and I look happy,
56:46
light in my eyes, the excitement, the smile as I look
56:50
down at this photo and I look at the rest of you and go.
56:57
I am never going to forget any of you.
57:02
You. Better stay in touch.
57:05
Of course. Look, yeah, and if you know any
57:09
of you ever get out to LA, hit me up and we'll have a good
57:13
time. And you all have my number.
57:18
Feel free to bother, it bother me as much as you want.
57:23
Ryan it was it was a trip. Yeah.
57:34
And I'll send you my manager's number.
57:39
Thanks. Maybe you can work on whatever.
57:48
Look, I've been trying to even somebody to cast me in a musical
57:51
for a while. Maybe I can get you to write
57:54
some music for it. I've been written since I went
57:58
on the Bender, just didn't have the energy for it anymore.
58:03
I understand, but you're a fantastic writer.
58:08
Thanks. And a fantastic musician.
58:10
And look, I will make it happen. I get cast in a musical.
58:14
I'm getting you to write some numbers for me.
58:18
I I think Jeremy tilts his head like he's listening for
58:22
confirmation about the happy ending from the music I.
58:27
Was going to go in for another hug this evening.
58:31
Yeah, no. Everyone is getting getting
58:34
hugs. Everyone's getting hugs.
58:35
Group hugs. Group selfie probably.
58:41
Team not dying on three. Yeah.
58:45
Team not breathing on three. Yeah.
58:50
What's that corny old slogan? Wherever you are, you're home.
58:59
It doesn't have a happy ending, does it?
59:04
Sandra Royal There are no happy endings.
59:10
It's fine. Good luck.
59:15
You too. You're already close to
59:18
downtown, so you walk now you practically stride to restrain
59:25
yourself from skipping a little. It was, wow, a lot.
59:33
It was everything. It was the whole kitchen sink,
59:37
but she did it. And obviously things are going
59:43
to be different from here on out.
59:47
But yeah, Taylor, Taylor's always had your back, right?
59:52
Surely maybe if you ease him into it, maybe you can have your
59:58
back on this too. I.
1:00:01
Mean you know it's US against the world it's.
1:00:04
What we always said exactly. All you know for sure is that
1:00:09
you're going home, and that's a good feeling.
1:00:11
And that feeling fills you as you make your way back to the
1:00:15
Palmdale, make your way back up to the room.
1:00:21
Mummy, you do you open the door. Taylor rushes in to fill the
1:00:28
space between you and plants, the mother of all kisses.
1:00:34
I wrap my arms around him and if we did not have a plane to catch
1:00:42
I might get distracted but. Yeah, no, but it's good to feel
1:00:50
good. Yeah.
1:00:54
He just fully like, tackles you onto the bed giggling like a
1:00:58
kid. It's like, oh fucking a lay.
1:01:03
It's done. We're done.
1:01:07
We're going home. I can see clearly now the rain
1:01:10
is gone. Not that it ever rains in this
1:01:16
fucking place. No, no, I mean at the desert,
1:01:20
rain doesn't come very often. Yeah, but man, he kind of rolls
1:01:26
onto his back as he lay next to him.
1:01:30
We're going home. It's going to be so good to be
1:01:35
back in the condo. Yeah, now I do believe I
1:01:39
promised someone all the cheeseburgers.
1:01:43
That you did. Yeah, OK.
1:01:50
I got the plane tickets out of Mira Loma.
1:01:53
I got everything packed. You seen the propped Cortana
1:01:57
from the set anywhere? I swear it was in our.
1:02:00
I swear we had it. No, I have no clue.
1:02:05
Yeah. I mean, that's fine probably.
1:02:07
I mean, I don't think, I mean even in a regional airport, I
1:02:09
think I'd have a bit of explaining to do with that one.
1:02:13
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Even if it's a prop.
1:02:17
Yeah, OK, OK. Our flight leaves about an hour.
1:02:29
And I mean, it's not a giant airport, so it's not like
1:02:33
there's a lot of security to go through.
1:02:36
It's, I mean, what will we do with all this spare time?
1:02:41
I don't know, I can think of a few things.
1:02:45
Why don't you explain them to me with less clothes on?
1:02:48
Now there's so many less clothes on you can just, you know, fade
1:02:52
to black for a SEC. If only you got that far.
1:02:56
No sooner are the two of you in a state of familiar undress,
1:03:01
making out like teenagers. The phone on the side table
1:03:06
rings. Going to look at him and just be
1:03:09
like, we can ignore that, right? Yeah, no, it's probably just a
1:03:15
housekeeping or something. You wait for it to ring out and
1:03:24
it it keeps ringing. Oh fucking hey.
1:03:32
I think it's another. I swear to God if I never see
1:03:36
this fucking city again. That'll be too soon.
1:03:43
OK, hold on. He reaches over, picks it up.
1:03:47
Yeah. Hello.
1:03:48
Hi. Oh, it's for you.
1:03:57
OK. Take it and sort of like put it
1:04:02
between the my ear and shoulder and be like this is Raleigh.
1:04:09
Hi, Miss Asher. Sorry to bother you.
1:04:12
I realize it's late. There's a Mr. Kilpatrick down
1:04:18
here to see you. He says it's urgent.
1:04:22
Yeah, I'll, I'll beat it down in a minute.
1:04:30
That's OK. Yeah, again, sorry to bother
1:04:33
you, but yeah, he apparently, apparently he needed to get
1:04:39
through to you. I really like to checking out
1:04:41
soon so we can handle all the down the front desk.
1:04:46
OK. Yeah, yeah.
1:04:47
We'll be down in a minute. All right.
1:04:51
And the woman on the other end of the phone hangs up.
1:04:54
Well, that OK, Somebody better be dying.
1:05:04
No, no, just. If that's Toby, it's all a Toby
1:05:09
but another because I swear to God there are only so many
1:05:13
angles you can capture before you have to have at least one
1:05:16
cut. We're not all.
1:05:18
It's not fucking like yeah everybody loves how one take
1:05:21
fight scenes sound, but the actual logistics are.
1:05:26
Yeah, yeah, it's it's fine that we should probably check out
1:05:32
anyways so we can go do that. It's just a friend I'd made.
1:05:38
I hadn't had a chance to say goodbye to them yet.
1:05:42
OK, Little Miss popularity. So I'm good at.
1:05:49
I mean, I'd love to get, you know, stalked once.
1:05:54
You know what? Now, after the whole Olivia
1:05:55
situation, I probably shouldn't make that joke.
1:05:58
Yeah, yeah. That that too soon.
1:06:01
Yeah, whatever happened to her anyway?
1:06:03
I'm hoping that I metaphorically scared her off.
1:06:11
I kind of confronted her the other night.
1:06:14
You didn't. Beat the shit out of her.
1:06:17
No, I didn't beat the shit out of her.
1:06:19
OK, because I mean that Camden creep at it, come in, don't get
1:06:24
me wrong, but. Yeah, well, didn't beat the shit
1:06:28
out of her. I just was a little scary and
1:06:33
just told her to drop it and it would be better if just forgot
1:06:38
about the whole thing. And I think he was successful.
1:06:43
I don't know, but yeah, come on. That's, I mean, go find my
1:06:49
pants. The the bluest of bulls.
1:06:54
Well, well, once we get back to the condo, we can turn off our
1:06:58
phones and not leave for multiple days.
1:07:02
We can spend multiple days in bed.
1:07:04
I think at that point, I think we're in bed.
1:07:06
Yeah, I was actually thinking, so you know my dad steals that
1:07:12
place out in Catalina Island, right?
1:07:16
Yeah. So here's the thing.
1:07:20
I mean, we just finished a major shoot.
1:07:24
And I mean, I think, you know, with all the shenanigan re and
1:07:28
your diagnosis, I think we've earned a bit of a vacation,
1:07:33
right? And by that I mean a vacation to
1:07:35
some place that is, you know, caught up to the rest of us in
1:07:39
the 20th century. Yes, I said.
1:07:42
The 20th century. Yeah, yeah, I I agree.
1:07:45
I agree. And so you know.
1:07:48
Whenever you're showing me photos, it's a beautiful place.
1:07:52
You know, sun fun. Less sun for me, but plenty of
1:07:57
fun. Right, well, I'm just saying,
1:08:00
you know, good place to turn into a little den of depravity
1:08:10
until we finally work up the nerve to head back to the
1:08:15
mainland. Yeah, yeah, I think I can be
1:08:18
convinced to spend a week or two in a dent of depravity after all
1:08:24
of this. I knew there was a reason I
1:08:28
liked you, all right? Kisses you on the side of the
1:08:34
head and says, all right, I'll grab our stuff.
1:08:37
Meet you down there at 5 just. Quickly shuffle back into my
1:08:41
clothes, I grabbed my phone and all that stuff, probably 1 of
1:08:45
like my purse and stuff before heading down to the the desk to
1:08:52
handle all of the check out and say hi to Nick.
1:08:57
Head back down into the lobby and you don't see him.
1:09:03
I'll still approach the desk and check out first, and if the
1:09:06
person's behind the desk, ask, you know, if maybe Nick took a
1:09:10
seat by the bar. Oh, yeah, I, I believe he
1:09:14
stepped out for a second. I think he's.
1:09:19
Yeah. But you're all set.
1:09:22
Glad you enjoyed your stay at the Palmdale.
1:09:25
Of course. And put like key cards on the
1:09:30
desk and say, yeah, it was, it was great.
1:09:35
Well. We're pleased you enjoyed your
1:09:36
stay till next time of. Course.
1:09:41
You had a do the front doors looking around for him.
1:09:47
You don't see him anywhere. There's a fair few people out
1:09:51
here looks like. Oh crap.
1:09:53
There's a fair few people out here.
1:09:57
Crap. Immediately the familiar song
1:10:04
and dance, flash and cameras questions.
1:10:07
Miss Asher. Miss Asher, is it true you just
1:10:09
finished your shoot? Miss Asher, is your diagnosis
1:10:12
going to be affecting any projects you you feature in in
1:10:16
the future? Oh God, how do they always find
1:10:19
you? You know, I'm slightly less
1:10:23
annoyed now than I usually am because honestly, I would much
1:10:30
rather deal with these vultures than some other vultures that
1:10:34
I've met in the last week. So I'm going to just kind of do
1:10:39
my best to field questions and kind of like take a couple of
1:10:45
steps back towards the, the, the entrance of the hotel and.
1:10:52
You see hot on your heels, you see Taylor walking out.
1:11:03
God, 2 bags under one arm. He's got another rolling behind
1:11:08
him. Like hey, hey, off with you.
1:11:13
Yeah. Animals smiles at you.
1:11:16
You smile back. Then the gunshot rings out.
1:11:25
You look down. There's a spreading stain cross
1:11:36
your borrowed flannel, and another, and another.
1:11:41
As you jerk back from the impact.
1:11:47
The whole world's gone silent. You look up into the tear
1:11:58
streaked, teeth bared visage of Olivia Lamarck holding a pistol
1:12:08
as she fires into you point blank.
1:12:10
Bang, Bang, bang. Screaming, screaming in pain.
1:12:18
Agony. Because God damn it, it's not
1:12:23
supposed to be like this. Raleigh, everything sounds so
1:12:32
far away. You're not hurt.
1:12:39
But all the people, all the cameras?
1:12:48
Oh no. This is a trap and I walked
1:12:57
right into it. Fuck that.
1:13:04
All you want to do is run. But what have?
1:13:15
What do I do? What you been doing for most of
1:13:20
your adult life? Pretending.
1:13:26
You said it, not me. Give me charisma plus
1:13:36
performance. And I have a speck in acting.
1:13:44
Does my stunning or fame play into this?
1:13:49
What's the expression? Live fast, die young, leave a
1:13:54
beautiful corpse? I think you know it does.
1:14:01
And for Fame 3, would that be three extra dice?
1:14:05
What indeed? That is 9 successes.
1:14:12
Raleigh. Raleigh.
1:14:13
No. Raleigh, please.
1:14:16
Please. You couldn't have this.
1:14:22
Couldn't be more convincing If you choreographed him in
1:14:25
advance. He's holding you.
1:14:27
He's trying desperately to staunch the bleeding with his
1:14:30
bare hands. He's got your head propped up on
1:14:33
his knee. Raleigh.
1:14:36
Raleigh, please. No, no, no, no.
1:14:43
My head With shaking hands I reach up and cup his cheek,
1:14:55
making him look down into my eyes in this moment as I bite
1:15:04
out the words. I love you.
1:15:08
I am. So sorry and seen you've done
1:15:18
this so many times. You let the light go out in your
1:15:23
eyes, your head rolls to one side, your hand gently drifts
1:15:30
back down to the earth, and 1000 camera flashes voyeuristically
1:15:39
capture this moment for all time.
1:15:45
I'm sure that they'll attribute the blood tears to something to
1:15:51
do with my condition. Was it?
1:15:56
Ash said. Not.
1:16:01
Not in this city, not here. Things only come here too, and
1:16:13
this place does not exist. And yet, here you are.
1:16:25
That's where we're going to end Season 1.