Shadows in the Smoke S1E11 - "A Low Country Boil"

Shadows in the Smoke S1E11 – “A Low Country Boil”

Kim
Shadows in the Smoke is intended for mature audiences, and may contain material that some people find disturbing. Please see the episode description for content warnings, and listen with care.

[Shadows in the Smoke theme]

Kim
Welcome to the Dusk.

[Soft, contemplative piano]

Kim
Now ordinarily, the first thing I would do in the Dusk Phase is get some dice on the table for some of our moves that are rolled in the Dusk Phase. But Mr. John, you went shopping today and bought some books. And I would love to know when your fellow hunters arrive back at Hargrave House to find little parcels waiting in front of their doors, what do they find and what is inscribed inside?

T.
Miss Maesie Douglas will find an English translation copy of Fairy Tales Told For Children By Hans Christian Andersen. With an inscription on the title page that says, “Never give too much of yourself away.” And the initials ABH.

Morgan Lloyd will find a new copy, since it’s a new book, of Alice’s adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol. With the inscription, “To help you arrive wherever it is you want to go on time.” And likewise, ABH.

And then Miss Thanero will find a copy of Homer’s Iliad, and a candle wrapped to it. A note on the candle says, “For your ears” and an inscription on the title page of the book says, “For the fairest.” And the name Augustus.

Natalia
Do we know One-Shot’s real name?

Kim
[Laughs] No, none of you know.

Natalia
Okay. I didn’t think so.

T.
So One-Shot heads back to his room, which as far way from the rest of the hunters as possible. If there’s like a belltower in Hargrave House, it would be as near that as possible.

Kim
Okay.

T.
And when he closes the door, we see the walls are lined with bookshelves. Because books, in addition to being a great way to pass the time and learn something, are an innocuous sound muffling. So he closes the door, flips one of the bookshelves in front of it so it adds an additional level of sound dampening. And then takes the primer that he bought for himself, finds a place where it would fit alphabetically by author. Has the moment…

Mr. John (T.)
Giles…Wade… Giles first, I guess.

T.
And then as he slides it into place, has a moment, strokes his mustache, and goes…

Mr. John (T.)
You know, you think an occultist might have a book or two about demons…

Kim
[Laughs]

T.
That’s a tomorrow problem.

Natalia
[Snorts]

Kim
[Laughs]

T.
His furnishings are sparse. A wardrobe and matching bureau. A simple full-sized bed, in front of which is a large steamer trunk. The unique part of this bed is that it is situated within an enormous wrought-iron cage covered in peeling gilding, with a plague bearing the words Justin Slo-an in Cyrillic. There is a single manacle in the cage, connected to a plate on the floor, that anybody watching would notice is too wide for human beings’ wrists. Which doesn’t matter, because John fastens it around his neck and then slips into bed… and waits.

Kim
Let’s do a Quickening roll. Excellent segue.

T.
[Rolls dice] 6 and 1 is 7.

Kim
So you control the transformation, but just barely. Mr. John, take the Condition: Drained.

T.
So as he lies in bed, there’s this kind of thrumming. And immediately, the manacle gets tight around his neck as it bulges and swells. His shoulders likewise almost begin to bubble up, and he breathes through grit teeth that as he [Inhales] sucks back through his lips, that you see are sharpened. There’s a ruffling on the skin as this sort of pores opening all around the head and back. And then he inhales, grabs onto either edge of the bed, and just breathes until it passes. And he settles back down into his natural form.

Kim
Next, Miss Douglas, would you like to do Moonlight upon the waves tonight?

Natalia
I would not, because we have a plan for this evening.

Kim
I’m very curious to hear this plan, alright.

T.
We talk without you, Kim

Kim
[Laughs]

T.
It’s all compliments.

Kim
Thank you. So, next I would like to invite you all to Answer a Question, should you like to. We have gathered zero Clues for the Creature of Cremorne Gardens

Cassandra
[Laughs]

Natalia
It’s fine. We’re fine. No one’s sad about it.

Cassandra
Everyone’s okay.

Kim
But we have gathered five Clues for The Demon of Kilburn Abbey. I will remind you that we have two different Questions we can answer concerning this Threat. One being, “How can the demon be driven from the abbey?” Complexity 6. And, “Why was the demon bound to a girl?” Complexity 8. Either way, you’ll be making this at a negative. How are we feeling about answering one of those today?

T.
Let’s hold off. I don’t have any theories.

[The cast overlaps agreements]

Kim
Fantastic.

T.
I also have to go back and consult this occultist.

Kim
So hunters, are we interested in going out into London tonight, or would we like to stay in?

T.
I just had an ordeal, I’d like to stay in.

Natalia
Maesie is so sad that there was no fish man present, and she needs to sulk in the house. And that’s okay.

Cassandra
I’m also staying in. I have seen too much today.

T.
Pajama party?

Robert
Yes.

T.
Pajama party? Pajama party?

Robert
And from a purely mechanical standpoint, I want to see these rooms.

Natalia
Pajama party.

Cassandra
No, we all have to go the room in our pajamas.

Natalia
Yeah!

Kim
Alright, so it sounds like we are doing a Hargrave House Night Phase.

Natalia
Yay!

Cassandra
Yay!

Kim
This is very exciting. We’re one of the first people that, like, are doing one of these.

Natalia
That’s so cool.

Cassandra
I’m excited.

Kim
If the hunters choose to explore Hargrave House during the Night Phase, pick a room in whatever way you see fit and assign a prompt to each player. The entirety of the Night Phase is spent resolving the Hargrave House room prompts. The hunters will not make any moves during this phase. At the end of the phase, each hunter gets to claim an item mentioned or implied during these prompt narrations and add it to their Personal Quarters. The Keeper can veto any they deem unreasonable or otherwise ask for adjustments to a player’s idea. The room is now unlocked.

They say, “pick a room in whatever way you see fit.” So, what I did a couple weeks ago… I gave the players the names of the 26 rooms that are available to be explored during the Night Phase. And with Robert’s help, Robert wrote up cute little descriptions of the doors for each of these rooms. And that is all of the information that Cass, T., and Natalia have in order to make their decision as to what rooms to go into. They told me off-mic a handful of rooms that interest them, based on that very little information that they were given. And I of course have some rooms that I’m very interested in being explored. So I think the way that we’re going to do this is every time you all choose to do a Hargrave House Night Phase, I am going to present four rooms to you. And then you will pick unanimously which one you want to go into.

So your four rooms available today are as follows:

[Spooky ambient drones]

Kim
The Confessional. The gothic style of this door makes it look as though it belongs in a cathedral, not a home. Those whose hearts are heavy with sin feel a morbid draw to open it and take the long walk down its stone corridor.

The Conservatory. A beautiful room of green and glass is visible through the large window on this door. The sun-dappled charm of the conservatory is only marred by its association with one of Hargrave House’s most infamous residents.

The Larder. The cold room behind this nearly airtight door holds a wide variety of food for the hunters of Hargrave House. A blast of chilled air and a cacophony of smells greet whoever opens it.

And finally, The Music Room. There is a visible mend in this door from where it was damaged years ago. Faint notes can be heard through it on a quiet night.

[Soft, contemplative piano]

Kim
Where are we interested in exploring today?

T.
Yeah, before we get too far away from it. Robert, you wrote all those descriptions?

Robert
I did.

Natalia
Oh my god, you haven’t read all of them? They’re so good.

T.
No, I read them all. I just didn’t know that Robert wrote them. I assumed they were from the game. They’re so good.

Kim
No, Robert wrote those.

Natalia
They’re amazing.

Kim
Thank you. If you want to read more of Robert’s writing, he and I are writing a ttrpg together. More information about that is available on our Patreon. Okay. Shameless plug over.

Natalia
Um, I was gonna suggest midnight snack in our pajamas at the Larder?

T.
I do love the idea of a midnight snack and the Larder. I would also… If we’re feeling any type of way, I’m interested in the Confessional because it’s on theme for the threat that we’re facing right now?

Natalia
Hmm.

Cassandra
I was gonna say Conservatory or the Confessional. I can also be 100% down for a snack in my jammies, so…

Kim
They’re all fun.

T.
We invoked snacks when we introduced the rules for the Hargrave House. Let’s go Larder.

Cassandra
Okay. I’m down. Let’s do Larder.

Kim
Alright. To the larder we go.

[An ominous, rumbling woosh]

Kim
I think at the top of this Night Phase, I would love for all of us to meet in the foyer of Hargrave House and head to the Larder. Am I invoking this just because you all promised me a pajama party and I wanna hear what all of your nightclothes are? Yes, that’s exactly what I’m doing.

T.
The Quickening dampened, John unfastens his manacle. And feeling drained – like, his last few attempts to resist the curse have been easy. No problem at all. So now feeling this drain come over him, the immediate thing that happens every night, whether the curse takes hold or not, is a hunger. John then slips out of bed, goes to that bureau, and withdraws a knit flannel onesie. Head-to-toe underclothes that button up the front and have a flap at the back, that are just plain white cotton. But, because of who this man is, there are stains at his armpits that will just never leave from the night sweats. But he dons that, and then wraps around it a peacock blue smoking jacket with a gold lapel and quilted gold embroidery, with a sash that he tightens tight. And bunny slippers.

Cassandra
I think for Ena, just because she spends so much of her time in avant-garde fashion, when it comes to sleeping comfort is the most paramount for her. So she is actually just wearing a very simple Grecian shift in layers of simple white silk. Unbelted, just very like flowy, sleeveless. And she steps out of her room and goes and starts to pad down the stairs towards the Larder for a little snack.

Robert
Morgan is actually probably still wearing what he wore that day, just with the unessential elements stripped off of it. So he’s down to just his button-down shirt with he sleeves rolled up and his trousers. No shoes, no belt, no vest, no hat. Nothing like that. The main thing that people might notice about him that’s a little bit different today is on one of his arms, he does have wrapping where he bandaged up his fresh tattoo.

Natalia
Maesie picks up the book that she finds outside of her room and is intrigued by the inscription in it. Because she doesn’t know anyone with these initials. But she figures there’s lots of weird things in Hargrave House. It’s just something that happens. And she takes the book and puts it on a shelf in her room that is basically almost bare, because she has, like, no possessions. And it just becomes one of her new possessions. And then she strips down completely, because she does sleep int eh nude. And, knowing that in this house, maybe not the best move right off the bat… she grabs the Viking flag that served as a blanket on her bed and kind of wraps it around herself like a poncho, and goes on her merry way down to the Larder.

Mr. John (T.)
Well, seems like I’m not the only one whose tummy was rumbling in the middle of the night. Unless I’m interrupting something.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
No, I’ve just been looking for a fish man all day, and therefore the appetite has sprung upon me for fish.

Mr. John (T.)
Not for men?

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
No, not in a weird way. No. just… sort of in a… in a fish way. No one be weird. No one look at me!

Mr. John (T.)
No appetites are weird, young lady. I didn’t mean to insinuate anything. I think all appetites are perfectly natural. Then again, me saying as much probably don’t comfort you none.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Well Maesie did have a rather busy day, terrorizing the local police force. So she certainly probably does have an appetite for fish, or any other good snacks.

Mr. John (T.)
Rabbit, I didn’t know you ate, skinny thing like you.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Lost a little blood today, so, you know. Have to refresh the stocks.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Would you like a fish?

Natalia
Maesie holds up like a tin of sardines right up into Rabbit’s face.

Robert
I think maybe something a little less pungent today.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
I also have mackerel, if sardines are not for your liking. Or herring! There’s so many good fish.

Mr. John (T.)
It’s been a while since I’ve had a kipper. Let’s see if we can’t avail ourselves of the store, shall we?

Kim
So the four of you arrive at the Larder.

[Empty, ambient tones]

Kim
The Larder has thick stonework to keep the damp out and the cold in. As you enter, we see wooden shelves wedged between the stones, and piled high with jars of fresh produce and sacks of dry goods. We see meat hanging from hooks. The occasional fly buzzing lazily about.

As you all enter the Larder, I have a Paint the Scene for you all. The residents of Hargrave House are known to have some peculiar dietary needs and demands. What is being stored here at your request?

Robert
In a little corner on one of the shelves, there’s just a collection of jars filled with honey. And suspended within in the honey are the white petals of a moonflower. Rabbit goes over to one of those, unscrews the lid, runs a finger inside, tastes it, and puts the lid back on the jar.

Natalia
Filling a rather large section of one of the walls is a big tank full of sea water. Within which, there is an ever-rotating amount of sea creatures for Maesie to consume, fresh and alive, that she normally would get from swimming. But sometimes the hankering just hits you and you don’t really want to go out to get all that, and it’s kind of hard to get fresh fish delivered to you. And she presses her face up against the glass and just, like, looks around to see which one she wants to eat tonight. And then lightning fast, just rips a lobster out from the bottom of the tank.

Cassandra
Ena has a whole shelf of one of these things that has smoked owls eggs, honeycombs steeped in bay leaf, some dried seaweed scrolls… But tonight, she wants some pickled pomegranate seeds that are pickled in brine and ash. And on the jar itself you can see the pomegranate seeds floating in it, but on the jar it says, “For clarity” in Greek. And she just twists the cap off, and in a most unladylike way, starts to pick them out with her fingers and eat them.

T.
There’s an expression “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse,” and One-Shot John lives up to that expression. Nightly, per his request, a horse is led down the streets of Belgrave Square and butchered. The blood collected in a cistern, and then the offal taken away. But the rest of it is consumed. Raw.

He does not, however, go to it on this evening. Instead, picking through the rabbit food. Cabbages and carrots and vegetables.

Kim
Mr. John being like, “I have no idea who asks for that horse to be here all of the time. It must be one of the other hunters.”

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Has anyone ever seen someone eat this horse that just hangs out in the larder? Cause I’ve never seen anyone touch it. And there’s always a different one every day.

Mr. John (T.)
I don’t try and get into the business of our roommates and the fellow boarders around here. You got a hankering for seafood, ain’t none of you ever had a Low Country boil, I’m sure?

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
What’s that?

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
I don’t even know what that is.

T.
And John starts gathering potatoes, shrimp, andouille sausage. In lieu of andouille, if there’s just fucking bland-ass British sausages…

Kim
While a meal is being prepared, let’s go to the second prompt. T., there are more things in the larder than are dreamt of in mundane culinary philosophy. What do you see, preserved in brine and sealed for age and purpose unknown? Why does its mere presence here make you uneasy?

T.
I don’t think it will be a mystery to anybody why it makes me feel uneasy. But, going to open what I think is a package of kippered herring, I discover that they are in fact not fish fingers, but lady fingers. There are human beings that have been butchered and pickled and kept in preservatives. The innate “oh god, cannibalism” of it all that unsettles John. But in addition to that, the fact that they’re labeled as kippered herring puts him in two minds. The first being that herring are preserved like this in order to use them as rations on long sea voyages. Which could indicate an imperial foray or attack, or possibly a re-booming of the opium wars. And if that is the case, that indicates that there is a soldier that he crown is employing that subsists on human flesh. Or, herring are also used to train hunting dogs. And what hunting dogs to be trained to attack humans, by a hunter of Hargrave House.

Kim
Prompt three. Natalia. Residents of Hargrave House still talk about the carcass of a bizarre creature that was once stored here, said to be the last of its kind. Describe the beast’s defenses, natural and unnatural, that made it such a fearsome foe. Then narrate a scene that demonstrates why bringing even its lifeless form back to Hargrave House was sheer hubris and most unwise.

Natalia
There has been talk for as long as any of the hunters can remember of a fateful night, brought on because of the discovery of a large black jungle cat, hunted in the forests of central America, that one very intrepid Hargrave House hunter insisted he needed to bring back to Hargrave House. Simply because he heard tales of the dark fur glistening like slick oil, that left its victims paralyzed, coated in a sticky residue that did not seem to wash away, no matter how hard they tried. And then slowly but surely left the victims paralyzed, only for that paralysis to wear away and leave behind an incredible thirst. A need to quench. And the victims would follow the nearest sound of running water, until to come across two gleaming eyes in the darkness, and a creature whispering out the sound of a rushing river. And these victims were never heard of again.

In the desire to bring this creature back to Hargrave House, no one really knows how it was brought down. But its presence in the house, even dead, proved to be deadly itself. It was brought to Hargrave with great talk of a presentation of scientific research to be done on the properties of the fur. And having stored it in the larder, the fur came into contact with all of the food that was present. And serving the feast to hundreds of researchers and scientists and great minds of London, so many of them found themselves with this unending thirst, that so many drowned in the river. And Hargrave hasn’t really put on that kind of scientific presentation as such in a long time.

Kim
Finally, Cass. Special provisions are being staged here for an upcoming anniversary dinner. What is being commemorated? What key ingredient will serve to remind attendees of the cause for celebration or remembrance?

Cassandra
In a corner of the larder, the air hums very faintly – not with he cold, but with memory – over this table that is spread with a very interesting variety of food items for people to eat. And this meal is to remember the First Hunter of Hargrave House. And these provisions at the table are not necessarily meant to nourish, but to anchor. And each item that is a part of this spread is a ward against forgetfulness. It’s a tribute, but it’s also a tether to the dead. So on this table there are blood orange preserves, sealed in black wax – that are rumored to keep a heartbeat in a jar for a night. There is charcoal-crusted rye bread. The crust itself is etched with runes from the old woods, and it’s the kind that burn blue in the candlelight. There is goat cheese, aged with myrrh and crushed moonflower – sweet on the tongue, but said to reveal glimpses of the hunter in dreams, if eaten alone. There is a pie with venison and wild juniper, made with a blade carried by the First Hunter. The meat in this pie never spoils, no matter how long it rests. Lastly, there are salted plums, soaked in ash wine. They are bitter and dense, and they will be eaten at the end of the meal to seal the spirit’s passage and remind the living that they remain. And the final thing that no one in Hargrave House will touch is a single silver-laced fig under a glass dome. And that is not offered to the guests, but to the ghost of the First Hunter. It is never touched, and it is always gone by morning.

Kim
So, that concludes the prompts for the Hargrave House Night Phase. I would like to see the tail end of your scene here, hunters.

[A cozy fire]

T.
John, looking around, goes…

Mr. John (T.)
We’re gonna need a place to set this. Ah, here.

T.
And goes over to that table and just, one arm, shuffles a bunch of that off to the side. The fig in the glass dome goes to the very edge of the table, teeters, and then settles. And he comes back with an enormous pot that normally he would just be able to take. He goes…

Mr. John (T.)
Would any of y’all mind giving me a help with this?

Cassandra
Ena walks over and just takes it out of his hands and carries it over to this table with no issues.

T.
He notes that. Feels some type of way. And then goes over and says…

Mr. John (T.)
Alright, everybody come on. You’re not gonna need any silverware, so forget about all of that.

T.
Takes the Blade of the First Hunter and just kind of chops it into one of the shelves. And then goes and removes the lid, and steam immediately issues out of it and settles down on the low, cold floor like a miasma, revealing a spiced medley of shrimp, corn, potatoes, and sausage in what is just a very simple but very fragrant Georgian traditional dish: a Low Country boil.

Mr. John (T.)
Have at it!

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
We just all eating out the pot, then?

Mr. John (T.)
Damn right! Unless you wanna go hungry.

T.
And just grabs a hot, steaming piece of corn.

Mr. John (T.)
Ah! Ah! Hot.

T.
And then shoves it into his mouth.

Mr. John (T.)
It’s still hot!

Natalia
Maesie starts picking just the shrimp out of the pot and eating them whole. Like, not even peeling them. Just, whole shrimp, into her mouth.

Mr. John (T.)
[With his mouth full] All the nutrients is in the tail. People don’t tell you that. But get the crunch, and that’s what keeps you going the next day.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
[With mouth full] What are you saying?

Natalia
She’s just shoving whole shrimp, just…

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
The spices are really good!

Mr. John (T.)
Nothing you don’t already know, sugar.

Cassandra
I think Ena goes for one of the sausages and just picks it up, like it’s not to her. And then just starts chewing on it, almost like a cigar.

T.
John, seeing Ena kind of like daintily pick the one sausage, has a moment like – two fistfuls of potatoes and shrimp, barely pausing to chew… sets one down, picks up a little napkin, and dabs the corners of his mustache and tucks it into his pajamas. And then goes back at it.

Robert
Rabbit, using his knife, pulls a single sausage out of the pot. And, finding a slice of bread somewhere in the house, puts it in there and just sort of eats it like a sandwich or a hot dog.

T.
John leans over to Maesie.

Mr. John (T.)
At least two people in this house understand the importance of a good meal.

T.
And gives her like a kind of avuncular nudge with the elbow.

Natalia
Maesie like smiles up a him, and just like drooling sauce. Is like…

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
It’s really good! I just – can you make this every night, please?

Mr. John (T.)
For you? No problem. You’ve got a little schmutz right there.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Where is it?

T.
And takes a paprika-soaked thumb and smears a little mustache across her upper lip.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Did you get it? Is it good?

Mr. John (T.)
Yeah, it’s great.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Ena, is it good?

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
You look great, darling.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Thanks.

Kim
I think that’s the perfect way to close out what a charming Night Phase.

[An ominous, rumbling woosh]

[Gentle piano]

Kim
First of all, good job everyone! I thought that was really fun!

T.
Yeah, I liked that a lot.

Kim
So, at the conclusion of a Hargrave House Night Phase, you all get to claim one item mentioned or implied during any of your four prompt narrations, and then add it to your Personal Quarters. What would people like to take from the Larder?

Cassandra
I’m going to take the Blade of the First Hunter back to my quarters.

T.
You mentioned several food items that you would have had by request. Is there a chance that Ena would have ambrosia in the larder?

Cassandra
I’m gonna say yes.

T.
I would like to pocket a bottle of that.

Natalia
For Maesie, I’m gonna take a piece of never-ending, forever fresh meat pie.

Robert
And then for Morgan, I’m gonna go simply and just take the candied moonflowers that I described in my Pain the Scene.

Kim
And now the Larder is unlocked. Let me tell you all the move that is now available to you.

Whenever you succumb to the sudden urge to consume raw flesh in the Larder, you draw the attention of the pagan swine god Moc’h, whose influence is still felt here long after the reckless hunter who venerated him was banished from Hargrave House. Roll with Sensitivity. If the flesh belonged to a humanoid creature, roll with Advantage. On a 10+, Moc’h reveals secrets in the meat (ask the Keeper for a Clue) and you are sated for now (clear an appropriate Condition). On a 7-9, same but take the Condition: Ravenous instead of clearing one. On a miss, Moc’h demands a sacrifice of riches, status, or blood (Keeper’s choice). During the next Night Phase, describe how you satisfy the request or retire this character after narrating a scene where they are consumed by their own bloodlust.

Natalia
So that’s crazy.

T.
So the fun move is cannibalism-augury?

Kim
Yep!

Robert
I mean, to be fair, it’s only cannibalism if you want the advantage. Otherwise it’s just meat eating.

T.
Babe, why am I going here if not for the advantage? What’s the point?

Kim
We seem to be under the implication that Mr. John regularly succumbs to the desire to consume raw flesh in the Larder.

T.
I mean, yeah. This one just seemed like it was targeted.

Kim
[Laughs]

Cassandra
It does feel highly personal.

Kim
Well, I look forward to a scene with Mr. John meets Moc’h.

Robert
Technically, you can trigger this just by eating sushi in the Larder.

Natalia
I was gonna say yeah, raw flesh is not something that’s foreign to some of us.

Kim
Well, that move is now available always. For not just this season, but the entire rest of the campaign, for anyone who lives in Hargrave House. So, uh, enjoy. And I look forward to one or many of you meting Moc’h.

T.
Emphasis on “meat.”

Kim
Let’s go to our Dawn Questions, please. Did the hunters resolve a Threat?

[A chorus of no.]

Kim
Did the hunters answer a Question?

[A second chorus of no.]

Kim
Did the hunters get an Echo in the Night?

Natalia
We couldn’t. You said we couldn’t do it.

Cassandra
Not allowed.

Kim
You’re not allowed to on Hargrave House Night Phases. Miss Thanero, did you secretly show a vulnerable side to someone?

Cassandra
I’d say yes. Either in the scene with Maesie in the bedroom, or when we were dreamwalking.

Kim
Yeah, certainly. Yeah, two opportunities where you did that. Did you appear in London society wearing risque or avant-garde fashion?

Cassandra
I’d say avant-garde, absolutely.

Kim
A perpetual yes. Miss Douglas, did you trust someone with sensitive information, despite knowing the risks?

Natalia
Not this time.

Kim
Did you assert your independence or stand up for yourself?

Cassandra
Oh hell yes.

Kim
Mr. Lloyd, did you counsel someone using your supernatural affinities as the basis for that advice?

Robert
I told our mortician friend that he should take a long vacation.

Kim
Yes. Encouraged Mr. Gastrell to leave town, with the promise that you would look after the body of the girl. And did you perform a ritual?

Robert
In looking after the girl, I performed a ritual.

Kim
You did, yes. To bind the demon temporarily to you. Mr. John, did you use violence to solve a problem?

T.
No? Strangely?

Kim
Yeah this was like a rare, non-violent day for Mr. John. You went to the theatre, you bought books, and then you cooked.

T.
One could say I violently gave my friends gifts.

Natalia
One could say that. I don’t know who that one would be.

Kim
Did you share a treasured memory from the States during an intimate moment with another character?

T.
Yes, I did. I talked about saving P. T. Barnum from a shark attack in the Potomac.

Kim
Alright. That concludes our Dawn Phase.

[An ominous, rumbling woosh]

Kim
I’d like to be cheeky and go to the Day just very briefly in this episode. Because T., you mentioned to me off-mic that there was something that you wanted to do at the top of today.

T.
Yeah. I mean, look. I as a human being had the realization that I went to an occult book store, and I was so fixated on the buying books for my friends of it all” that I forgot that I have a job. So I would love to return to Richard Harlowe’s bookstore and ask him some questions about this goddamn demon I’ve been investigating.

Kim
Yeah, fantastic. So I think a couple of days have passed. But it is nice and early, Mr. John, and you make your way to Sir Richard Harlowe’s little shop and his personal study.

[Birds chirping, early morning]

T.
Yeah, maybe instead of a, like, sliding the book on having a realization, it’s… John wakes up, like from a could sweat. Little horse burp.

Mr. John (T.)
The bookstore. Dick. Demons. Dick demons.

T.
And just pushes his way out through the door, still in his smoking jacket, muttering…

Mr. John (T.)
Dick demons.

T.
To himself, and goes to the bookstore and just kind of batters on the door.

Mr. John (T.)
Dick, I know it’s early. But I got… Eh, there’s a morning wood joke in here, but I ain’t gonna make it. I gotta talk to you. I got some pressing matters.

Kim
Mr. John, no one answers.

T.
[Sighs] They never do. I would just like to open the door by force.

[Dark, unsettling bells – with sinister undertones]

Kim
You lean your shoulder into this door and force it open. And upon entering, you realize why the door provided so much resistance. The door – and nay, this entire room itself – is covered and coated in delicate silver thread that sticks to your shoes as you step into this study. The room is quiet and still, but there is a large shape seated at Richard Harlowe’s desk, covered and cocooned in that same silver thread.

Mr. John (T.)
Well, shit.

T.
I close the door behind me, and I kind of look around. First of all, before I go inspect this shape, that I’m currently assuming is Richard Harlowe… I want to look around to see if there is perhaps something that made this thready mess. Can I say web? It feels like a web.

Kim
You don’t see anything.

T.
Okay. Looking, I go deeper into this. I’m like…

Mr. John (T.)
Swear to god, John. Sometimes you got more dollars than sense.

T.
And go to this shape. Is it my boy?

Kim
You part the threads to see the body of Richard Harlowe. Sans eyes, sans tongue. His body completely hollowed and preserved, wrapped head to toe in delicate silver thread.

[Shadows in the Smoke theme]

Kim
Shadows in the Smoke is a Kitten Marlowe production. This episode was edited and produced by Kim Dalton, and featured a theme song by Jake Pierle. You can find out more about us by visiting KittenMarlowe.com, signing up for our newsletter, or following us on socials. For Discord access, an exclusive behind the scenes show, and more, visit Patreon.com/KittenMarlowe and join Abigail Agnew and all of our incredible Kitten Marlowe patrons in supporting artist-driven storytelling. Thanks for listening.