Latest / Dubious Creatures Presents / The Vampire With No Name 1.16 - In For It

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The Vampire With No Name 1.16 - In For It · Dubious Creatures Presents

• 1:16
  The A highway wanders through the desert.
• 1:22
  A tumbleweed drifts past a dusty dive bar.
• 1:26
  A coyote shrieks out to no one in particular.
• 1:30
  Someone's bleeding out in a bathroom stall.
• 1:33
  The stars tonight are bright, but not nearly bright enough.
• 1:38
  This place does not exist, and yet here you are.
• 1:46
  Welcome to San Arroyo Kindred, we here at Dubious Creatures
• 1:50
  present to you. The Vampire with no name.
• 1:56
  Evening for once seems to be going in your general favor as
• 2:05
  the four of you are heading back to where you parked your car
• 2:09
  just outside of the Three Flags Truck Stop.
• 2:14
  You have a place and you have a time, So what do you do in the
• 2:19
  interim? Well, is there anything else we
• 2:22
  need to get done tonight? I don't.
• 2:25
  Think so. Not unless we've whipped up
• 2:29
  under the lead. I don't rush out of those.
• 2:34
  And I guess I should probably go eat something.
• 2:38
  Eat something. Not a bad idea.
• 2:42
  Yeah. I'm going to drop you off
• 2:44
  somewhere or. Yeah, sure.
• 2:47
  There's this bar section, this sound there.
• 2:49
  I think Carson mentioned it to me and there was a karaoke.
• 2:52
  Bar all right then, off we go. I'll just head back to my hotel
• 2:59
  room. I've got some things I got to
• 3:01
  get done. I really, really want to shower.
• 3:06
  That's fair. So few destinations in mind,
• 3:13
  there is a few things you all notice when you drive back.
• 3:22
  The 1st, it's relatively mundane.
• 3:26
  Jeremy and Ash, you both appear to have text messages.
• 3:34
  Oh Jeremy for you it's again fairly mundane.
• 3:40
  It's from Linda. OK, she just, it just says, hey,
• 3:45
  stranger. How?
• 3:48
  How far back was it? Looks to have been about an hour
• 3:54
  back probably. You probably got it while you
• 3:58
  were fixated on that jukebox back at the truck stop and just
• 4:01
  didn't notice. That that's fair, he will text
• 4:06
  back. Hey.
• 4:08
  Well, you're waiting for reply Ash.
• 4:11
  Text on your phone is slightly more alarming because it's from
• 4:16
  it's from Emily. OK, just OK, just one.
• 4:21
  Word help. When Ash sees that, they are
• 4:27
  going to let out a deep sigh and say I'm dropping you all off at
• 4:32
  Raleigh's hotel. I have a very urgent matter that
• 4:35
  I need to attend to. You OK?
• 4:39
  We'll see. OK.
• 4:43
  And ash will text text back on my way to M.
• 4:49
  There isn't a reply. Do I get a read?
• 4:54
  Do I get a read receipt when? You get a read receipt, there
• 4:57
  just isn't a reply. OK.
• 4:59
  Well, that that's at least that's at least somewhat.
• 5:04
  It's good. It's good.
• 5:05
  OK, Ash has locked in on overprotective sibling mode and
• 5:12
  so is is driving as aggressively as they as they yeah semi
• 5:19
  legally can. I see.
• 5:22
  Well, in that case, Ash. Oh dear, don't make me roll a
• 5:30
  drive. Check.
• 5:31
  Well you said that you were driving semi legally, so if you
• 5:35
  could get me an either for you it would just be either
• 5:38
  dexterity or composure. Well, I'm going to rule
• 5:43
  composure, but I'm going to I'm going to rouse for this because
• 5:47
  I have 0 dots and dice or zero dots and drive.
• 5:53
  I'm going to pop willpower. 4. Successes.
• 5:58
  OK, that's. Better.
• 6:01
  So as you are driving semi recklessly back towards the
• 6:10
  Palmdale bit of a close call, you barely nearly run a red
• 6:16
  light just as you notice a police vehicle parked directly
• 6:24
  across from where you're coming into the intersection.
• 6:29
  Oh, oh, Oh yeah. Only it's not a Santa Arroyo PD
• 6:35
  vehicle. It's a Sheriff's Department car.
• 6:41
  Not better. Not necessarily, no.
• 6:45
  But fortunately, you're able to. You're able to keep your head
• 6:51
  about you to the point where you don't immediately get pulled
• 6:53
  over for traffic violations. Well, that's good.
• 6:56
  That's good. Although is it just you or have
• 6:59
  you been noticing more of those on the street lately?
• 7:07
  Tara's been recruiting apparently has the budget
• 7:12
  regardless. You somewhat unceremoniously
• 7:15
  drop off Astor, Raleigh, and Jeremy at the front steps of
• 7:22
  Palmdale before racing off towards Feldspar Hill.
• 7:27
  We're going to stay with Ash for a second as you head towards
• 7:37
  sort of northwestern districts of the city.
• 7:44
  Just a budding that low rise where the foothills eventually
• 7:50
  extend into one of the mountain ranges that directly border the
• 7:55
  city limits of Saint Arroyo. If you squint in the distance,
• 8:04
  you even might be able to make out the distant lights.
• 8:10
  The massive wind farm that has, due to its proximity, given this
• 8:17
  neighborhood, another name. San Quixote, for I'm sure the
• 8:24
  most flattering of reasons. The Crawford residence is, well,
• 8:31
  it's one of those Crawford MC mansions that couldn't decide if
• 8:38
  it was postmodern or Adobe and kind of just decided to be both.
• 8:45
  It's it's a large house. They're far larger than really
• 8:51
  anyone reasonably needs it to be.
• 8:55
  And it's a place that for the better part of your adult life,
• 9:00
  you've been trying to avoid. But that's not what's
• 9:04
  immediately on your mind right now.
• 9:07
  What's immediately on your mind right now is the fact when you
• 9:12
  pull up into the driveway, you see highlighted in the
• 9:18
  headlights of your car the words PSYCHO BITCH spray painted onto
• 9:28
  the garage door. Big red streaks of paint.
• 9:35
  Ash is going to pull into the is going to pull into the driveway
• 9:43
  like and is barely going to turn off their car before just like
• 9:48
  barreling out of the driver's seat and heading to the front
• 9:52
  door. Front door is open and as you
• 9:57
  barge in kind of the main den area clustered around the
• 10:04
  polished wooden dining table, there's, well, there's two
• 10:10
  people you're never happy to see and one person you're a little
• 10:13
  surprised to see. Your father and your brother who
• 10:19
  appear to have been in mid conversation with your sire, but
• 10:25
  all three seem a little surprised to see you.
• 10:29
  Ash inhales, waits a half second before like saying where is she?
• 10:40
  Your dad just gives you that stone faced expression and
• 10:45
  you've well gotten predominantly used to.
• 10:51
  Zach's the one who speak up. It says She's in a room.
• 10:56
  She won't. She won't let us in.
• 10:59
  I'll, I'll, I'll see to her and. Where the fuck were you?
• 11:05
  Your father speaks up. Working.
• 11:09
  And be a first. Ash rolls.
• 11:13
  Ash rolls their eyes and smiles and says, in fact, Mary's
• 11:19
  helping me with some stuff. I'm trying to find a new career
• 11:23
  path. And Ash offers a pleasant smile,
• 11:27
  trying to stifle down all of the feelings.
• 11:32
  Father, one Josiah Crawford, junior, now fixed, is that
• 11:39
  piercing stare on Mary, who as ever is the picture of decorum,
• 11:46
  just says yes. Your ASH is of course very
• 11:53
  invested in Emily's current legal predicament, as are we
• 11:58
  all, although I thought you were currently dealing with that
• 12:04
  other matter we discussed. We have a ash like the the the
• 12:13
  most coded way they can think of is going to say we had a
• 12:17
  promising lead and if you'd like I can give you an update when
• 12:23
  I'm done seeing to my sister. She she looks like she's about
• 12:28
  to say something, but then stops.
• 12:31
  And your father immediately fills the space by just stalking
• 12:36
  off angrily, not really in any direction in particular,
• 12:40
  muttering absolute goddamn disgrace.
• 12:44
  And there's nothing we can do about this, Mr. Crawford.
• 12:48
  It's, it's the Internet being the Internet.
• 12:52
  You're daughter at a very public incident and certain individuals
• 12:58
  when faced with tragedy have a tendency to connect dots that
• 13:02
  don't exist. I'm sure someone from SAPD would
• 13:09
  be more than happy to post up. Yeah, of course, because people
• 13:14
  who have nothing to hide immediately go to the goddamn
• 13:17
  cops. Ash is going to take the
• 13:21
  opportunity and the argument to extract themselves from the
• 13:25
  situation and head down the house towards Emily's room.
• 13:31
  Zach goes with you. Ash will.
• 13:38
  Ash looks up at Zach and like over their shoulder.
• 13:42
  And it's like you said that she wasn't letting any of you in.
• 13:47
  Perhaps you might want to keep back a little bit, at least
• 13:51
  until things are maybe a little settled.
• 13:55
  I don't understand how you're the expert on this considering
• 13:58
  you're never fucking around. Because I'm at least still there
• 14:03
  for. Right, I forgot, silly me.
• 14:09
  Ash holds up their hands and says.
• 14:12
  I am not wanting to do this tonight for the sake of both
• 14:19
  Emily and the fact that Astor would like me to be nice to you.
• 14:25
  I'm going to respect both of them.
• 14:28
  So we're going to try to do this and we're going to try to be
• 14:32
  like non murderous, OK? That is probably going to
• 14:37
  require some kind of persuasion check.
• 14:41
  Yeah, sure, absolutely. I'd like to.
• 14:44
  Would awe help in here. Say it would if you'd like to do
• 14:48
  Charisma plus Persuasion. OK, that is five successes.
• 14:55
  When you mentioned Astor, it looks like he's ready to start.
• 14:59
  Well, a whole other thing. But then he looks to the door to
• 15:05
  M's bedroom and takes a deep breath, exhales slowly.
• 15:14
  That's fine. Ash like Ash like gestures to
• 15:20
  like the next door down and is like just stay back a little bit
• 15:25
  and I'll talk to her and we'll see where we can go from here.
• 15:29
  All right. You're the expert, apparently.
• 15:35
  Ash. Ash waits before they turn their
• 15:39
  back to Zach before rolling their eyes and Ash was going to
• 15:44
  just go to Emily's door and like lean on it knock on the door
• 15:52
  frame. Hey M Dash dash.
• 16:02
  Hey I I saw I was outside. I'm so sorry.
• 16:08
  I I understand if you want to be alone right now, but I want to
• 16:17
  be here. Want to help however I can.
• 16:22
  You know the door unlocked and it opens just a crack and you
• 16:26
  see Emily. There's two versions of Emily.
• 16:33
  There's before and there's after.
• 16:40
  Before, No, he was basically the mother figure you never got, but
• 16:48
  after she's this waifish, shrunken, sunken eyed shadow of
• 17:02
  the bright, playful sibling you grew up with.
• 17:05
  And that's what's staring at you furtively right now.
• 17:12
  Hey, listen, I. He was here, Ash.
• 17:19
  Uncle Freddie. Yeah, he was.
• 17:22
  He was in the goddamn house. Ash, no.
• 17:29
  Oddsensis can just talk. Yeah, yeah, I want to talk to
• 17:35
  you about this. And Ash slips inside and like,
• 17:43
  let's Emily lock the door. Can you, could you describe him
• 17:52
  like if he were doing like a police sketch?
• 18:02
  I I her back is to you a 2nd. She looks like she's shaking and
• 18:13
  then suddenly her shoulders droop and she turns around to
• 18:18
  face you and her eyes are glassy and unfocused.
• 18:27
  He told me to tell you something.
• 18:31
  Ash like stands ramrod straight, fist clenching.
• 18:37
  He told me to tell you when it was just the two of us.
• 18:42
  He said if I can get to her here, I can get to her anywhere.
• 18:53
  Stay in your lane. This is your only warning.
• 19:00
  And then suddenly she blinks. Her eyes refocus and she starts
• 19:06
  looking around frantically. Ash.
• 19:10
  Ash. Ash is going to reflexively,
• 19:14
  like hug her, like very tightly, like, just like holding her head
• 19:21
  against their shoulder and just Ash like, leans down and says,
• 19:35
  I'm so sorry. I they close their eyes and
• 19:41
  they're trying to think of like, how far this goes, how much has
• 19:51
  has gone on here. And they're trying to rewind the
• 19:53
  first time that Emily mentioned Uncle Freddie, like how long ago
• 19:59
  it was. Casting your memory back, you
• 20:05
  remember it happened very suddenly, just after you had
• 20:17
  graduated from high school. Suddenly the one point of
• 20:22
  stability in your life was scared of her own, Shadow made
• 20:33
  the decision to leave. Well, not easier, but maybe more
• 20:45
  appealing. They're.
• 20:48
  Going to I just I think has there been anything else
• 20:57
  anything that you've any other changes around here I.
• 21:03
  Don't I don't I don't. She's she's near catatonic with
• 21:10
  anxiety. Ash is going to stop like trying
• 21:16
  to probe and we'll just like told her and if like whatever
• 21:22
  she needs to like let out or anything will be there for her
• 21:27
  I. Wish you were warmer, I might
• 21:32
  make this a bit more comforting. I'd like to try.
• 21:35
  Can I put on the blush of life to try to make her warmer?
• 21:40
  Give me a rose check. Yeah, No.
• 21:42
  Best rose check ever. Yeah.
• 21:45
  No, that's worth the hunger going up.
• 21:47
  I. Don't know why, but all of a
• 21:54
  sudden you feel something shift, something change, but stirring
• 22:02
  in your gut sharpens. But at the same time, suddenly
• 22:08
  you feel your heart stir to life, feel blood begin to pulse
• 22:17
  through your veins again. You didn't really realize that
• 22:21
  you'd missed that feeling until it was gone, and it strangely
• 22:31
  almost has a calming effect. That extra bit of warmth of the
• 22:36
  embrace causes her to curl into you a little tighter.
• 22:43
  The panicked whispers recede and her breathing becomes a little
• 22:49
  bit more steady and you just hold her like she used to hold
• 23:00
  you when you were kids. You were having a really bad
• 23:04
  day? Asked her few minutes after
• 23:16
  getting deposited outside of Palmdale.
• 23:20
  You get a phone call. Answer it.
• 23:25
  It's from Zach. Oh, hi.
• 23:30
  Hey. Are you good?
• 23:34
  No. No, I'm the kind of the exact
• 23:41
  opposite. Yeah, I I don't know what's
• 23:45
  going on. Emily had another.
• 23:51
  When I was away. Picking up her new meds, some
• 23:53
  fucking terminally online kids. Well, let's just say it's going
• 24:02
  to be a bitch getting the spray paint out somehow.
• 24:08
  I don't know what all the crazy shit that's happening and the
• 24:13
  switchyard and that fucking laundromat incident thing.
• 24:18
  They think that apparently they draw the conclusion that my
• 24:23
  sister is a secret serial killer or some shit.
• 24:28
  What? What?
• 24:33
  Yeah, it's a. That's it.
• 24:40
  Yeah, and I had to, I had to find that out on fucking Twitter
• 24:44
  before I even got home. And then I get home and she's
• 24:46
  having another episode. Well, is she OK?
• 24:54
  Yeah, she's. Ash got there, didn't, didn't
• 24:58
  they? Yeah.
• 25:02
  Well, at least she's safe. Because they are always there to
• 25:09
  save the fucking day. Hey, hey, come on now.
• 25:15
  That's not fair. Anyway what what I was?
• 25:19
  Trying to say is that I might have to take a rain check on
• 25:22
  that because I don't know the heck that's talking about.
• 25:30
  Council. Right now going to get full it's
• 25:37
  full PR mode so. You know me, I'm chock full of
• 25:45
  bad ideas. I think you should not be
• 25:50
  around. Recuse yourself for a little
• 25:54
  bit. You're allowed.
• 25:57
  To realize. I I understand, but there's not
• 26:01
  much you can do while walking around being a giant ball of
• 26:06
  tension. It's not helping the situation
• 26:09
  you. Get tired of being correct.
• 26:13
  I'm just curious. It's great.
• 26:21
  Yeah, You doing anything tonight?
• 26:25
  Astor pauses for a moment and kind of looks down at herself,
• 26:28
  and it's like, oh man, I really, No, I'm not actually, I could
• 26:35
  use a ride. Not having your car is really
• 26:38
  inconvenient. Yeah, sure, I can.
• 26:41
  Where are you right now? I can come pick you up.
• 26:46
  Like text the address. Thanks for coming to get me
• 26:52
  again. Are you at the?
• 26:53
  Palmdale that's. Where we got dropped off?
• 26:56
  Friend of mine staying here. Yeah, yeah.
• 27:06
  Yeah, it is. She's like.
• 27:08
  Doing some movie or something. Aster takes a moment, it looks
• 27:14
  at Raleigh and is like she's totally staying here.
• 27:18
  Seen her a few times all. Right, Yeah, that might take me
• 27:26
  a second. Just need to make sure
• 27:28
  everything's. Cool here and then.
• 27:34
  Yeah. Thanks.
• 27:39
  I do need a shower though. Please.
• 27:41
  Like you're going to have to hang out in the house for a
• 27:43
  minute because, like, you need a shower.
• 27:48
  Is there a way I can respond to that?
• 27:51
  That's sounding mildly problematic because he kind of
• 27:53
  got me in a box here. Holds back a laugh as Raleigh's
• 28:04
  just spewing dumb shit like take a shower with her.
• 28:13
  Well yes, no I don't know, just come get me K bye.
• 28:21
  Like nervously hangs up. Hash You exit Emily's room,
• 28:31
  having kind of tucked her back into her bed.
• 28:36
  There was some much needed shut eye to see your brother sitting
• 28:45
  kind of at at the base of the wall, kind of looking at his
• 28:50
  phone with a little bit of a bit a little bit of a bemused smile.
• 28:58
  Ash is going to go sit next to him.
• 29:03
  You're right, you seem happy about something.
• 29:06
  Do you want to share with the class?
• 29:10
  I'm reconnecting with my ex-wife.
• 29:13
  I'm sure my therapist would be proud.
• 29:18
  You know, she really does like you, so that's I'll say
• 29:25
  something. OK.
• 29:30
  That's go for it. Yeah, OK.
• 29:35
  I mean, she seems to be a bit shrug and was like seems to like
• 29:41
  you and frankly Ash like groans. Just I'm trying to extend an
• 29:52
  olive branch here and I'm I'm being shitty at it because I I
• 29:55
  don't actually do that therapy yet and like.
• 30:00
  You ever considered it? Probably.
• 30:04
  But yeah, I, I, what I'm saying is I know that like, whatever
• 30:13
  I've done, like I have no hope with Dad, but like, I want to at
• 30:19
  least like Astor seems to like, you know, be cool.
• 30:25
  And I'm sort of doing, there's some stuff I'm doing with her
• 30:30
  right now. Nothing.
• 30:31
  Nothing like. Sort of stuff you're doing.
• 30:35
  We're work project sort of thing.
• 30:41
  You can't pottery. Anyways, I can't go into
• 30:50
  specifics right now of. Course you can.
• 30:53
  Well, listen, it's I'm trying not to fuck up this thing with
• 30:56
  Mary. You're not fucking our legal
• 31:01
  counsel, are you? God, I wish.
• 31:05
  Oh, sorry, but but no, no, no I am not but.
• 31:11
  It's shit like that. Listen, but I'm trying.
• 31:17
  To place no choice. I'm trying to like be like a non
• 31:24
  fuck up and part of that I think is like, you know, trying to
• 31:32
  hold down work and do shit and like, I don't know, at least try
• 31:36
  to be on good terms with more than one person in my family.
• 31:40
  And what I'm saying is that I would like to begin detaunt.
• 31:47
  OK. Ash extends one hand towards
• 31:53
  Zach. It's like peace.
• 31:58
  Don't fuck Mary. He grabs your hand.
• 32:02
  Frankly, I think she's out of my league, so I I'm.
• 32:04
  Yeah, no shit. Yeah, no, I've I, I, I at least
• 32:07
  don't fuck. Mary.
• 32:09
  Cross my heart of the die. Cool.
• 32:14
  Yeah, I think she's, I think M's going to be all right for
• 32:24
  tonight. But I had a question.
• 32:29
  Well, since we're in suddenly detente, I guess, why not?
• 32:37
  You're more involved with the family business.
• 32:44
  Not. You at least have knowledge that
• 32:50
  I don't. I mean, yeah, but you know how
• 32:53
  Dad gets about his regrettable decisions.
• 33:03
  Yeah. Well, at least I think at least
• 33:07
  I think they're regrettable. But I had the unfortunate curse
• 33:10
  of a growing up in the latter half of the 20th century, so I
• 33:15
  guess things were just different back in his day.
• 33:20
  Ash snorts. A little bit, yeah.
• 33:27
  Have you ever dealt with Frederick Worth?
• 33:32
  Where'd you hear that name? Around town, part of the work
• 33:39
  I'm doing for Mary, I'm doing some.
• 33:42
  Are you writing his obituary? It can't.
• 33:49
  I'm I'm doing some digging into like some Old Town history
• 33:53
  things and it came up. I mean, Freddy Werths, he's
• 34:00
  like, he's the kind of the guy who put little Hollywood on the
• 34:06
  map in the 1st place. I mean, he knew our, he knew our
• 34:09
  granddad. Dad got into business with him.
• 34:13
  I think it was after it was when Crow's foot was looking like it
• 34:24
  was about to go under. I want to say 1970 something.
• 34:37
  Right, OK, but. He's, I mean, like he's dead,
• 34:43
  like, you know. Right.
• 34:46
  After everything went after everything went belly up in the
• 34:51
  80s, I think he, I don't know, went down South and eventually
• 35:01
  just. Picked up.
• 35:05
  Kicked to the bucket somewhere in the vicinity of San Diego.
• 35:10
  All right, Yeah, yeah, No, I was just like it came up with when I
• 35:15
  was looking into some old historical stuff and I, I don't
• 35:19
  know the, the name struck a bell.
• 35:21
  I must have heard it somewhere. And I wasn't going to ask that,
• 35:25
  obviously, but I, I, it's they they shrug and said just
• 35:31
  curious. They say lying like a liar.
• 35:39
  If you'd like to give me one more role.
• 35:42
  Yeah, yeah. But composure plus subterfuge.
• 35:46
  Sure. Yeah, yeah, no, this is a great
• 35:48
  one because I'm going to suck this one, so let's do it.
• 35:53
  I'm I'm I, I kind of want to feel this one.
• 35:57
  So I'm just, I'm not even going to razzle or anything.
• 35:59
  You're just going to rot on this two successes.
• 36:06
  OK, well, you can tell right off the bat, Bat.
• 36:15
  Zach. Doesn't really believe you, but
• 36:21
  at the same time is used enough to you barely telling him
• 36:27
  anything that he doesn't look like he's going to press the
• 36:32
  issue, especially given tonight's events.
• 36:39
  They are going to reach up and pat Zach's shoulder because they
• 36:47
  are in a weirdly emotional state right now and say I know that
• 36:58
  will let me know if if she thinks anything's wrong.
• 37:02
  But like if you think something wrong, something's wrong and you
• 37:13
  like you want some help or anything.
• 37:16
  Man, I don't know if you've noticed, but while you were away
• 37:23
  living your best life in the Bay Area, it was just one big, near
• 37:31
  constant panic attack. You understand why I had to
• 37:34
  leave, right? Like it wasn't going to be, like
• 37:45
  there wasn't a choice. Like if I'd stayed, like
• 37:53
  somebody was going to die. What, you were going to
• 38:00
  challenge dad to a no olds barred boxing match?
• 38:04
  Come on man. I wasn't.
• 38:09
  I was right there in the trenches with you, but for some
• 38:13
  fucking reason, never mind. I understand.
• 38:19
  I just I couldn't have stayed. I had if I if I'd stayed here, I
• 38:27
  wouldn't have fuck, I'd probably have just been AI would have
• 38:32
  been even more of a fuck up. I'm like that's saying
• 38:37
  something, but I did. I had to do that and I know that
• 38:43
  wasn't good for anybody, but it was the best outcome.
• 38:54
  Are you maybe? Yeah, I, I don't think I can
• 39:08
  convince you of this really. But I needed to leave to be so
• 39:14
  that I could be the person that I wanted to be.
• 39:21
  Yeah. Congrats Ash, you got to self
• 39:25
  actualize and I got to be here with him.
• 39:32
  Yeah, I was 8 freaking teen. I think I can be.
• 39:39
  I think it could be understood if I would, if I decided to do
• 39:42
  something a little selfish. Not.
• 39:44
  When our sister is 1 bad day away from being fucking
• 39:50
  institutionalized. Ash, I can get you wanting to
• 39:57
  get the fuck out of San Arroyo. I can get you wanting to get
• 40:00
  away as far away from dad as possible.
• 40:05
  You didn't just leave me and the dust, and she's never going to
• 40:11
  say that to your face. Ash nods.
• 40:18
  It's like. Yeah, OK, that's it's fair.
• 40:27
  Sorry. I you should go be like going
• 40:33
  and like go gal Levant around town or whatever this is.
• 40:42
  I think my gal levanting days are a little behind me.
• 40:47
  Oh, you can still do it, cowboy. Come on, don't.
• 40:49
  Don't put the Crawford name to shame.
• 40:55
  Put the name to shame implies that we'd get some dignity
• 40:59
  stored away somewhere that I clearly don't know about.
• 41:05
  Maybe it's the Maybe it's the treasure on the hills that they
• 41:07
  keep joking about. And the family gold.
• 41:10
  I'm pretty sure the Castillos stole that, the bastards.
• 41:16
  They shrug. Probably then gave it all to the
• 41:22
  church. Those fuckers.
• 41:27
  Bastards, all of them. Great Ash is like Ash is like
• 41:33
  postponing the realization that they're not going to have to
• 41:37
  talk to Mary about all this and just groans upon that
• 41:43
  realization. I don't want to this night as
• 41:55
  yeah, get out of here. Do it be like at least one of us
• 41:59
  should at least have something resembling a social life or a
• 42:03
  tempting 1. Not sure if it counts as a
• 42:09
  social life if it's just you trying to make up for.
• 42:14
  I'm saying go ex-wife, do your, I don't know, whatever.
• 42:20
  You are in no position to be giving relationship.
• 42:23
  Advice. I had a number of great
• 42:26
  relationships while I was in college.
• 42:28
  You have, I don't know. Well, OK, She she's pretty
• 42:32
  great. I'll I'll say that.
• 42:34
  See, only people who have never been in a great relationship
• 42:41
  start a sentence with their body.
• 42:43
  Count. I did not I I said I have been
• 42:47
  in a number of great relationships.
• 42:49
  I did not say anything about that.
• 42:50
  You inferred that stir. Am I wrong?
• 42:55
  I mean, I'm me. So that's, that's like shrugs.
• 42:59
  And it's like, I can't blame people for human nature.
• 43:06
  You see, the ego didn't skip a generation.
• 43:08
  Please. It's, it's right.
• 43:10
  It's right there next. It's right there next to the
• 43:13
  pride. I don't.
• 43:15
  Know it's not like this has been you want like a ride or
• 43:20
  something. I have my car so I'm good.
• 43:23
  If that's fair, I guess the Detente doesn't really extend
• 43:26
  motor vehicles. Yeah, I, I besides, I've got to
• 43:31
  talk with Mary and swear it it like they hold up both hands.
• 43:37
  It is just business. It better fucking stay that way,
• 43:43
  because if you complicate our sister's upcoming trial with
• 43:49
  what's between your pants, I don't care if you're a former
• 43:53
  Golden Globes, I'm going to beat the living shit out of you.
• 43:56
  I'd let you all. Right, glad we got that settled.
• 44:04
  He sits up, looks back down at you, says did you really think I
• 44:16
  got a shot? I mean, she likes you.
• 44:22
  I think you can't. You can't be all bad.
• 44:26
  And you say that? Get him champ.
• 44:33
  You suck at motivational speeches too.
• 44:36
  With that, he. Starts walking down the hole.
• 44:41
  So, Mary. Yeah.
• 44:47
  How do you want to approach that?
• 44:48
  Because you can still hear her talking with your dad.
• 44:54
  I think like it. It's like, are they in the
• 44:57
  living room? Yeah, they haven't.
• 45:00
  Moved from that spot so little. Unusually less shouty
• 45:08
  conversation with your brother's.
• 45:09
  Only been maybe a couple minutes all told.
• 45:17
  I think they're going to try and enter the living room in a way
• 45:20
  that they could maneuver so that they're in Mary's line of sight
• 45:23
  but not their father's. Mary seems to be doing an
• 45:28
  admirable job of keeping your dad at a low simmer as opposed
• 45:36
  to a uncontrolled boil. As I said before, Mr. Crawford,
• 45:42
  at this stage, the last thing you want to do is make some
• 45:49
  grand public statement. The public at this exact moment
• 45:56
  in time isn't exactly looking for a savior.
• 46:01
  They're looking for a scapegoat. Please do not put your daughter
• 46:06
  in that position, however unfounded these allegations
• 46:11
  might be. Ash perfect timing.
• 46:16
  Walk me out. Certainly, Ash says, and gives
• 46:25
  and like walks into their father's eye line and says EMS
• 46:32
  sleeping, EMS resting now. Think she should be fine for
• 46:39
  now. But yeah, that was a rough one.
• 46:45
  Interest in how you always manage to show up just as things
• 46:48
  are going straight to hell. Ash, like very carefully just
• 46:56
  bites their tongue, doesn't mention how they often are the
• 47:00
  ones who pull them out of hell, but simply instead not Miss
• 47:07
  Jill. Let's and we'll walk with Mary
• 47:14
  out to the front. And you can see she has her own
• 47:19
  town car as you exit out under the driveway.
• 47:25
  She says well, glad to see the rumors about your father are
• 47:34
  completely based in reality. Yes, I mean, frankly it's yeah,
• 47:42
  he is him and all the sense of he would probably I, I sounds
• 47:47
  like a great client for a law firm, but also he is AI can't
• 47:51
  even imagine what he's like to work with.
• 47:53
  I can only imagine what he's like to live with.
• 47:57
  I was a defense attorney in Los Angeles.
• 48:02
  Ash. I know exactly what kind of
• 48:06
  person your father is. Yeah.
• 48:10
  I don't have the time to play therapist so and I do have other
• 48:15
  pressing engagements tonight. Given the situation that you're
• 48:20
  already wildly aware of, there's unless there's anything else.
• 48:25
  Two things. The first is we've found a lead
• 48:30
  for one of these items. We've been directed to some sort
• 48:33
  of church service. I have you now.
• 48:38
  Yes, over at Saint Francis. Sounds like that's AI.
• 48:46
  Wasn't expecting vampiric religions but here we are.
• 48:49
  Oh no, it's very much a thing. I mean, anthropologically
• 48:54
  speaking it makes sense. Oh, no domain of science has
• 49:00
  anything to do with it. See, the other thing is Freddie,
• 49:12
  he did something to Emily. He was here.
• 49:18
  Yes. I.
• 49:23
  Suspected as much. When we were alone, he had a
• 49:32
  message for me. Like she, he had turned you into
• 49:36
  a goddamn answering machine. Threatened me to stay out of his
• 49:42
  business. And I would recommend you do so.
• 49:46
  He is not someone who is in your caliber to deal with.
• 49:54
  My sister has been seeing him for years like that is one of
• 50:00
  the things that has been, for lack of a better term, a
• 50:07
  symptom. Can could he have done all this
• 50:14
  to her? Yes.
• 50:20
  Ash closes their eyes and they like that.
• 50:24
  Basically they they move in front of the garage so that they
• 50:27
  can't be seen from like the front of the house.
• 50:30
  You really shouldn't have told me to stay away from him.
• 50:33
  I. I could, if I wanted to enforce
• 50:39
  it in a far more direct means, not unlike what I suspect Mr.
• 50:43
  Worth did to your sister, if you prefer.
• 50:49
  I'm going to kill him. I wouldn't recommend that not.
• 50:54
  Because I think you'd be unsuccessful if you put your
• 50:58
  mind to it, but because there is a serious penalty for that sort
• 51:03
  of behavior if it is not sanctioned.
• 51:07
  Fuck. They smack their fist against
• 51:13
  the side of the house. Is there any way I can protect
• 51:20
  her? Any way to like ward ward him
• 51:26
  off or get him to like get hands off?
• 51:32
  Ash, I'm not entirely unsympathetic.
• 51:40
  So the answer's no. He's treading a very fine line
• 51:46
  and he knows it, and he's doing it deliberately because he knows
• 51:50
  that we know, because he is a person who holds grudges.
• 52:04
  What the fuck does he have with my?
• 52:06
  I mean if I ask what the fuck does he want with her, it's
• 52:10
  probably it's grudges. Either asshole in the house or
• 52:18
  the asshole who spawned him. That I cannot answer.
• 52:24
  That was very much before my time and if there is one lesson
• 52:32
  to take away from this whole sad debacle is that he is dangerous
• 52:36
  in a way I do not think you are fully prepared for and you have
• 52:43
  more pressing issues besides. For the time being I will keep
• 52:58
  my hands off, but if anything happens to her, you're going to
• 53:03
  have to order me. Ash.
• 53:07
  Groford, you are an inheritor of something I don't think you
• 53:13
  quite yet comprehend. It's not simply that your
• 53:18
  actions reflect upon me, they reflect upon your entire
• 53:24
  bloodline. And I am not Speaking of the
• 53:27
  sordid legacy of the Crawfords. You are of the Clan of Kings and
• 53:41
  it is high time you learned to fight with something other than
• 53:45
  your fists. They a smile or don't say so we
• 53:54
  find some way to legally beat him at whatever he's playing
• 54:00
  out. Mr. Werth is also of our clan.
• 54:09
  Omitted lay a black sheep in that regard.
• 54:18
  Clan of and. When I tell you that Members of
• 54:21
  the Ventru stand upon their dignity, I am not being entirely
• 54:25
  metaphorical. You could kill him.
• 54:29
  That is certainly a way to deal with the situation.
• 54:34
  But if you want revenge for what he has done to your family,
• 54:42
  don't strike at him. Strike beneath him.
• 54:52
  Now you're doing it. Ash nods.
• 54:59
  Thank you, I'll. It was nice seeing you here,
• 55:11
  even considering the circumstances.
• 55:13
  And I do appreciate everything you were doing for Mary.
• 55:20
  When this is over, we'll have a longer conversation and perhaps,
• 55:31
  maybe then you'll understand the unique role you've been given in
• 55:38
  all of this and the responsibility that entails.
• 55:43
  But right now, I would focus on what's directly ahead of you.
• 55:49
  I've got to go prepare for church tomorrow.
• 55:53
  Tread carefully. I will.
• 55:58
  I've not had much use for it, but I can still appreciate the
• 56:07
  trappings of religion. I really wish we had more time.
• 56:16
  They're going to head to the car and head off and I don't think
• 56:24
  they know where they're going to start off with, so they're just
• 56:27
  going to drive I. Think that's an excellent segue
• 56:32
  towards what's the three that have been dropped off at the
• 56:37
  Palmdale. Been up to Aster you, of course,
• 56:41
  Sir. Waiting on a ride.
• 56:43
  Which just leaves Raleigh and Jeremy.
• 56:50
  I'm at least going to hang out down here until the others have
• 56:55
  either gotten a ride or left, just to make sure that they're
• 56:58
  all right. St.
• 56:59
  Arroyo is Saint Arroyo. It is indeed.
• 57:08
  I think Jeremy's also going to stick around, at least until
• 57:11
  Aster gets picked up. Yeah, Jeremy, interesting fact
• 57:18
  about the slightly, I guess, worn down art deco esque lobby
• 57:28
  area. Near the hotel bar there is a
• 57:35
  piano. Well, I don't.
• 57:39
  I don't need to look a gift horse in the mouth.
• 57:42
  He's just going to like very slowly scoot in that direction.
• 57:47
  I wish him the best of luck. Not nearly.
• 57:50
  It's not nearly as nice as the one that Provence.
• 57:55
  In fact, you experimentally tap a few keys.
• 57:59
  It's in desperate need of a tune up.
• 58:05
  I'm going to fix it and then start playing.
• 58:10
  Absolutely. Go ahead and give me, we'll call
• 58:18
  it just a straight Charisma plus performance check. 7 successes
• 58:29
  You play Anything in particular? He's going to sing Piano band by
• 58:35
  the leisure. Of course.
• 58:41
  I was trying to think of something that would like like
• 58:43
  line up with everyone being alone, looking all lonely and
• 58:46
  despondent and that's just a little on the nose that I think
• 58:50
  he would find that funny. And dude, you start up this
• 58:56
  bittersweet ballad, and there are some people even at this
• 59:02
  time of night, kind of spread out throughout the lobby area.
• 59:07
  And as you begin the first few verses, people almost
• 59:19
  hypnotically are drawn around you 2, then three, then four
• 59:27
  until got. Not necessarily a crowd, but a
• 59:31
  small audience. Pretty soon when that chorus
• 59:37
  line comes around, everybody's singing just slightly off key
• 59:43
  with you and it's ridiculous and also very cathartic.
• 59:52
  It it, it's like playing like Journey, like there's at least a
• 59:56
  decent chunk of the people are going to start singing y'all.
• 59:59
  It's, I think it's a law somewhere.
• 1:00:01
  I think you just have to at a certain point.
• 1:00:05
  Yeah, it's, it's part of the bylaws.
• 1:00:06
  You know, you're required to just saying, if you hear Journey
• 1:00:10
  it, it, it comes from, you know, having lived through the 90s and
• 1:00:13
  early 2000s, it just happens. Exactly by the power of Y2K.
• 1:00:19
  Yeah, he just kind of like looks over as he's playing towards
• 1:00:25
  where he slipped away from Esther and and Riley, and he
• 1:00:28
  actually flashes like an actual smile.
• 1:00:31
  It's like a a little small thing that like turns the corner of
• 1:00:34
  his lips up and then just keeps going.
• 1:00:39
  Riley will nod and smile back. It's she understands what it's
• 1:00:44
  like to be in your elements and everything, clicking into place
• 1:00:49
  and feeling like you belong. Astor just.
• 1:00:55
  Enjoys seeing Jeremy smile, genuinely brings her happiness.
• 1:01:00
  It's. A nice moment of peace.
• 1:01:06
  After everything you've all collectively been through these
• 1:01:11
  past few nights, Can you imagine?
• 1:01:14
  It's a nice moment of peace for everyone else because let's face
• 1:01:23
  it, no one's really here because they want to be, and misery
• 1:01:30
  adores company. And as you end off the last few
• 1:01:39
  keys with a bit of a flourish, there's a small bit of applause.
• 1:01:47
  Just a time for Zach to walk through the doors.
• 1:01:52
  Oh. Wow, I'm gonna start a.
• 1:01:55
  Karaoke night or something? Jeremy, without speaking, is
• 1:01:59
  actually gonna flip into God. What would be the funniest thing
• 1:02:03
  he could do here? He's a girl.
• 1:02:06
  Yeah, that's a good thing. Don't kiss.
• 1:02:08
  No, he doesn't sing it, but he's gonna.
• 1:02:11
  Play. He's just playing it.
• 1:02:12
  Yeah, no, if you do that, then even ingest, I think the Disney
• 1:02:17
  lawyers are gonna burst through the wall like the Kool-aid Man.
• 1:02:20
  For a Socal 1, Van Halen's love walks in.
• 1:02:26
  Yeah, he, he picks a suitably like romantic a, a song that
• 1:02:34
  might not normally be on piano. It's probably one of the, you
• 1:02:38
  know, Rocky songs, maybe something by, let's say, Elton
• 1:02:43
  John, you know, 'cause he's. Going to lay in like.
• 1:02:45
  You know. You feel the last night.
• 1:02:50
  Oh, we're not allowed to. We're not allowed to mention the
• 1:02:52
  Disney stuff. It's a.
• 1:02:56
  Song that won't get us that we I can't you know, directly mention
• 1:03:00
  it, but just. Assume the song.
• 1:03:01
  Title we just can't play 10 seconds worth of.
• 1:03:03
  That guys, we are treading on the thinnest device.
• 1:03:08
  He's he, he, he plays a rousing love song popularized by Elton
• 1:03:14
  John in partnership with a bunch of movie studios, and he he just
• 1:03:18
  starts out. He, he, he without even, he just
• 1:03:20
  like smiling goes all and just starts.
• 1:03:24
  Astor is shooting you the dirtiest look.
• 1:03:28
  Yeah, Zach, again, this just kind of looking at the whole
• 1:03:31
  thing very bemused. I'll wave.
• 1:03:37
  Holy shit is that? Yep, these are my friends.
• 1:03:46
  That's Jeremy playing the piano. And I don't need to introduce
• 1:03:50
  Riley. Everyone knows her.
• 1:03:52
  Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, Jake.
• 1:03:53
  Like Jeremy Reed. Mm Hmm.
• 1:03:58
  Holy shit. What?
• 1:04:00
  He's the person that I asked if could stay at the house.
• 1:04:05
  What have you been up to? A lot.
• 1:04:10
  It has been a busy couple of days.
• 1:04:14
  Hi. Hi, big fan Zach Crawford.
• 1:04:19
  Thank you. That's.
• 1:04:22
  Pretty good. I've heard a lot about you from
• 1:04:25
  Astor because we've been hanging out.
• 1:04:27
  Oh yeah, all they said. And bad things, I'm sure.
• 1:04:30
  Pretty good things too. Wow, I'm shaking your hand.
• 1:04:39
  Wow. OK.
• 1:04:42
  Well, I need to go somewhere else.
• 1:04:48
  You need to visit your human. I'm going.
• 1:04:52
  To go check on my boyfriend and you 2 have fun.
• 1:04:58
  Bar is not half bad. You need a drink.
• 1:05:02
  The ambiance is definitely a lot better than I remember it being
• 1:05:06
  just looking over to the manically grinning Jeremy this
• 1:05:11
  crowd of admirers. Yeah, he, he, he after he
• 1:05:18
  finishes the current song, he, he will, he will switch into,
• 1:05:25
  probably switch back into like Billy Joel.
• 1:05:27
  And he's just going to start like playing through a bunch of
• 1:05:29
  like songs that he's pretty sure people could sing along to.
• 1:05:34
  And he's just going to start like cycling.
• 1:05:36
  Before you, you cycle into the next song after he's going to
• 1:05:40
  like come over and be like, you have a spare key.
• 1:05:45
  You don't know how to get there. Give me a heads up before you
• 1:05:49
  get back. Cool.
• 1:05:53
  Great. Bye.
• 1:05:54
  Have fun, you too. Yeah, cool meeting.
• 1:06:01
  Yeah, bye. Have fun.
• 1:06:06
  Lot of emotions, Lot of feelings.
• 1:06:09
  Lot of feelings. I've told music has that effect
• 1:06:12
  on people. Yeah, Jeremy's gonna play like a
• 1:06:17
  handful of more songs and then probably finish off for the
• 1:06:20
  night and then 'cause he, he definitely needs to go find some
• 1:06:22
  place to feed. So he's he, he's doing this for
• 1:06:27
  the Flood before he like. Well, his thing, given your
• 1:06:34
  predator type, you're kind of, you're kind of sitting in a
• 1:06:42
  buffet right now before we switch the scene.
• 1:06:48
  Jeremy. Yeah, if you could go ahead and
• 1:06:51
  give me a manipulation plus subterfuge.
• 1:06:54
  Yeah. I can do that for a second 4/4
• 1:07:01
  successes. After the willpower OK, if you
• 1:07:03
  choose you can feed successfully.
• 1:07:12
  He's really hungry. Yeah.
• 1:07:15
  I, I think, I think Jeremy is going to feed.
• 1:07:21
  I, I, I imagine he'll, he'll be, he'll like slow walk out and
• 1:07:25
  kind of expect someone to follow him maybe.
• 1:07:31
  Looking for an autograph maybe looking for other things?
• 1:07:39
  Yeah. What strikes you the most about
• 1:07:42
  what happens next is how easily it happens.
• 1:07:49
  And it tastes really good, better than any drink you've had
• 1:07:59
  in the last decade of your life. There's something very
• 1:08:09
  comforting about that. There's something very familiar
• 1:08:12
  about that, and there's something very deeply scary
• 1:08:15
  about that. Yeah, I think Carson wasn't
• 1:08:22
  really lying when he said it was.
• 1:08:26
  You might not have known exactly what I was talking about, but he
• 1:08:29
  was right when he said that it was.
• 1:08:32
  Whatever I was on was much better than.
• 1:08:34
  Alcohol. How much do you take?
• 1:08:40
  Just the the 2. OK.
• 1:08:45
  Just the two. I know if they had, they were
• 1:08:50
  looking for a knockout. People signing for them when
• 1:08:53
  they're presumably a little woozy from necking and that's
• 1:08:59
  late, yeah. Yeah.