In which our hunters prepare to engage with the Gentry. Mr. Lloyd teaches Mses. Douglas and Thanero a lesson in etiquette, while Mr. John takes a nighttime stroll.
---------------------------
Content Warnings: Suggestive Comments, Descriptions of Gore, Ocular Trauma, Body Horror
Shadows in the Smoke S1E22 – “Butterflies Will Drink Tears”
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]
[Hoofbeats on cobblestones, tubular bells ringing, ethereal ambient hum]
Kim
Miss Thanero in the golden carriage of the Man in the Sun Mask.
Cassandra
Ena, just prior to getting into the carriage, looked around to see if anyone would see her getting in, but also was maybe looking for someone in particular. But doesn't see anything out of the ordinary, gets into the carriage, sits rather heavily, and sighs.
Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
I'd say it's good to see you, brother, but I'm a bit tired of hearing about family lurking in the smoke.
The Man in the Sun Mask (Kim)
And here I thought you might be pleased to see me, sister. Most people are.
Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Of anyone I might have stumbled across, you are by far the most favorable.
The Man in the Sun Mask (Kim)
[chuckles] Well, rest easy, sister. I’m not here for a social call.
Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Oh, bother. I was really hoping that we could catch up.
The Man in the Sun Mask (Kim)
I’m here as a favor. Of a friend of mine.
Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
A friend of yours, you say? And how could I possibly be connected to this friend?
The Man in the Sun Mask (Kim)
I believe he lives with you, or did. A Mr. John, he goes by.
Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Ah, yes. A man with so many stories, but full, at the moment, of a great deal of hot air.
The Man in the Sun Mask (Kim)
I do believe you’ve grown quite casual, sister. This man, John, knew you and knew me by extension.
Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Casual might not be the right word. There is a certain humanness he makes me feel.
The Man in the Sun Mask (Kim)
I believe you inspire similar feelings. This man does fancy you, sister.
Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Brother, I would not have taken you for a matchmaker.
The Man in the Sun Mask (Kim)
This man amuses me. I enjoy his stories. He asked me to speak with you, to put in a good word on his behalf. I would entreat you to treat him with kindness.
Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Oh, brother. Are we truly back on Mount Olympus, children kicking rocks? [The Man in the Sun Mask chuckles] I suppose I could grant him the luxury of my attention. But he’s got some explaining to do. He’s been absent, and that is quite hard for me.
The Man in the Sun Mask (Kim)
His absence is not entirely his doing, sister.
Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
What do you mean?
The Man in the Sun Mask (Kim)
Your man is being pursued.
Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
By whom?
The Man in the Sun Mask (Kim)
The servants of Mistress Beaumont.
Cassandra
I think Ena, in a very uncharacteristic moment, blushes, having just had this rather intimate moment with Hazel.
Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Um, well, that is, um, interesting, to say the least. What of this pursuit? How long has it been going on?
The Man in the Sun Mask (Kim)
The hunt began on the day that you sealed the demon away.
Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Hmm. That does make a certain amount of sense as to why he was absent at so crucial a moment. Perhaps I will do what I am known for best and extend an olive branch.
The Man in the Sun Mask (Kim)
It would be very good of you, sister.
Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Why does this matter to you?
The Man in the Sun Mask (Kim)
I told you. John is a friend.
Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
But what benefit do you gain from attaching your sister so earnestly to this wild American?
The Man in the Sun Mask (Kim)
I suppose I am interested to see what happens. If he knows who you are, then does he know that you cannot love?
Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
I don’t know that it is so much that I cannot love, but that I fear the outcome of what would happen if I did.
The Man in the Sun Mask (Kim)
And it is that outcome I am very intrigued to see.
Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Well, you do so love your stories.
The Man in the Sun Mask (Kim)
We should do this more often.
Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Maybe not more often, but every once in a while would be alright.
Kim
The carriage slows to a stop in front of Hargrave House.
Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
I’m sure I’ll be seeing you, brother, as I’m sure you will be seeing me.
The Man in the Sun Mask (Kim)
You see me every day, sister, when you look out your window.
Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
I suppose I do. I bid you farewell, brother.
The Man in the Sun Mask (Kim)
Farewell, sister.
Cassandra
And Ena gets out of the carriage, gives him one last look, closes the door, and turns over her shoulder to go into Hargrave House.
Kim
The carriage pulls away and, as it does, the sun sinks below the horizon.
[An ominous, rumbling woosh]
[Suspenseful, slow piano music]
Kim
Welcome to the Dusk, everyone. The first thing that we do in the Dusk Phase is roll moves that are rolled in the Dusk.
T.
[Groans.]
Kim
Mr. John.
T.
So, Mr. John is not at Hargrave House but holed up in a corner of a distant warehouse, waiting for the workers to leave. He enters through a grate, a drain to the sewers. He lifts it up. This will be his shelter for tonight. It’s been a different one every night since the hunt began. But now, with this token from The Man in the Sun Mask, his watch returned to him, he’s just rubbing it constantly as a source of comfort. So I’m going to make this roll with Advantage.
Kim
Alright, go ahead and mark that Personal Quarters item.
T.
Boxcars, baby. That’s a twelve.
Kim
There we go!
Cassandra
Hell yeah!
Natalia
Thank god.
Kim
So, on a 10+, your body is stronger and faster, and you’ve managed to keep the Quickening in check. You roll with Advantage when taking actions that use Vitality until the next Dawn Phase. On a 12+, you can control your transformation. If you wish, change into the feral beast. Are you interested in that today, or are we holding off once again? I’ve given you this option once before and we resisted.
T.
I will not. Not yet.
Kim
[Laughs.]
Natalia
Dude! I wanna know what you turn into!
Cassandra
You’re gonna burn all your masks and no one’s ever gonna know.
Kim
You are such a tease.
T.
Can’t spell tease without T.
Natalia
Is it even teasing if you don’t even do it?
Kim
[Laughs more.]
T.
So, I mean, the creature, the monster, is not hunted. It is a hunter. I’ve got a condition I wanna clear before you see the teeth.
Kim
Ok, that’s fair. However, your heightened sense of hearing and smell will help you uncover an additional clue no other Hunter will be able to detect. During the Dawn Phase, tell the Keeper what the clue is. It cannot conclusively answer a Question by itself.
T.
Cool.
Kim
Miss Douglas, will you be doing Moonlight Upon the Waves tonight?
Natalia
I will not.
Kim
Alright. I would now like to invite you all to answer a Question, should you like to. We have the Creature of Cremorne Gardens; the Question we’re currently working on is “What does the creature want?” which is a complexity 4, and we have gathered four clues. We have the Spidersilk Seamstress, which has three different Questions we can be working on (the complexities 4, 6, and 8), and we have gathered six clues. And then we have the Limehouse Lurker; we’re still working on the threshold Question, “Is the vampire young or old?” We have unfortunately only gathered one clue concerning the Limehouse Lurker, which means we cannot even attempt to answer that Question. But, for the other two Threats, Creature of Cremorne Gardens and Spidersilk Seamstress, how are we feeling today? Do we want to make an attempt at answering either of those Questions?
T.
I think we should take a stab at Cremorne Gardens.
Natalia
You think so?
T.
We’re rolling with zero, we have our pitch, we know what we think he wants.
Natalia
Yeah.
T.
And I also think if we are wrong, because we’re not rolling with extra clues, that has story implications for Maesie.
Kim
Alright, so the clues that you have gathered are as follows: A rumor that Madame Tussaud’s is creating a Horrors of the Sea waxwork; we found that flyer in Simon Piedmont’s flat. Mr. Simpson told you that there have been numerous reports of drunk and disorderly behavior at Cremorne Gardens at night. Simon Piedmont and Beulah Thrum told you that Miss Thrum’s engagement ring went missing right after her attack from the Creature. And Moc’h, the pagan swin god, gave Maesie a gift on behalf of the Creature of Cremorne Gardens; the gift was a large, flawless pearl. The Question is, “If the Creature is real (which it is), what does the Creature want?” And we resolve the Threat by luring the Creature to you, then destroying it or convincing it to go back wherever it came from, or, you know, otherwise resolving the Threat peacefully.
T.
Well, two of these seem like courting tokens.
Natalia
Mhm.
T.
The engagement ring, whether it’s, like, purpose is engagement for the Creature or not, and the pearl seem like, “Hi. Here’s my pebble. Be my penguin.”
Kim
So you’re proposing that the Creature is trying to do, like, The Bachelor. Like, will you accept this pearl?
T.
I for sure do.
Cassandra
[Gasps.] I love that.
T.
You wouldn’t get a selkie flowers. You would get her pearls and shiny things.
Kim
Especially considering Maesie’s name.
Natalia
Meaning pearl.
Cassandra
And Maesie had done some, like, swimming in the Thames long prior to the Creature of Cremorne Gardens coming up. So, like, our boy’s had some time to watch, to pine, to long for.
Kim
So possibly, you know, Maesie taking to the water in her selkie form, that’s what drew the attention of the Creature of Cremorne Gardens.
Cassandra
Yeah.
Kim
That’s why the Creature appeared in the first place. That’s very interesting. Alright, so that’s two clues for sure. The ones I feel are a little harder are the Madame Tussaud’s waxwork and the drunk and disorderly behavior. What are we thinking about that?
T.
We have evidence for the siren song, right?
Natalia
Mhm.
T.
I think there’s reasons other kinds of songs could influence other behavior. It hangs out near Cremorne Gardens. I think this creature has been observing humanity and is watching, like, what dating looks like, because it’s like, “Well, she’s not all sea creature. She’s also part person. So what do people do?” And then in trying to, like, sing along and be part of the music and the dancing is amplifying their natural tendencies toward revelry and drunkenness.
Kim
Oh, ok.
Cassandra
Mhm.
T.
You know, can you imagine the creature sitting along kind of on the banks of the Thames going, [warbling song] and then people are like, “Yeah, absolutely let’s drink more.” and then it just continues to amplify.
Natalia
I was thinking also in terms of that, like, him creating sort of a social situation where it is acceptable to, like, flirt with someone.
Cassandra
Oh, that’s cute, too. Yeah.
Natalia
It’s easier for him to get away with being a fishman in a drunken crowd than it is for him to get away in a sober crowd. So…
Kim
[Laughs.]
Robert
It’s also probably easier for him to be a fishman in an exhibit of Horrors of the Sea, so this is maybe a place where he and Maesie could go, or whoever his chosen one is.
Natalia
Oh my god, on a date.
Robert
Yeah!
T.
“Here’s a place where we can hang out where people aren’t going to think that I’m a monster.”
Kim
[Laughing] This is the most wholesome resolution I’ve ever heard.
Natalia
It’s not even a Threat. This is just, like, a man in love. [Laughs.]
Robert
It’s just an awkward guy. Look, we’ve all been there, Fishman. I don’t think the engagement ring and the Horrors of the Deep advertisement need to be quite so literal, so much as it is the Fishman trying to replicate what it sees humans doing seeking a mate.
Kim
That’s very sweet. So this will be a flat roll. Who would like to throw some dice on the table?
Natalia
I’ll roll half of it.
T.
I’m feeling hot. I’ll do this. [Rolls dice.] That’s another 5.
Natalia
I got a 2, so [laughs dejectedly].
T.
Do we wanna Revelry?
Kim
Right now, your answer is correct but there will be a complication in resolving this Threat. If you choose to spend a mask, the resolution of this will be much easier.
Robert
I feel like we should spend the mask, because we’re probably going to have to spend a mask solving it if the resolution is more complicated. So, why not spend it now and just make it more straightforward?
[Piano music fades away]
Kim
The Mask of Revelry reads as follows: Each Hunter narrates a flashback to the last truly fun day they had.
[A crowd of people talking]
T.
April 14th, 1845. The Hungarian docked in New Orleans and the couple has their wedding day. They danced until they were out of breath, and he drank until he was out of sense. They sit on Canal Street eating catfish po’boys and snuggling. She’s griping she’s so fat she can barely fit into her dress. And he’s drunkenly slurring,
Mr. John (T.)
You’re s– perfect size. You’re the perfect… everything. You’re… perfect for me.
T.
He pauses.
Mr. John (T.)
I have money. I– my– I don’t right now, but you wanna be my queen of fucking diamonds. I can give you diamonds.
Constance (T.)
Motherfucker, I know.
T.
She smiles and hands him his father’s watch.
Mr. John (T.)
Where’d you get that?
Constance (T.)
I took it off ya. Poor boys don’t carry gold watches. I know and I love ya regardless.
Mr. John (T.)
This was my father’s watch.
Constance (T.)
It’s yours now. Read the inscription on the back.
Mr. John (T.)
You're mine now, too.
T.
She gazes out at the water.
Constance (T.)
Yeah. Yeah, I am now, too.
[Crowd sounds fade, replaced by softly crashing waves]
Natalia
Recent days in London have been some of the best days Maesie has experienced in a very long time. Dancing with friends, scaring men, flirting with young ladies. And London is wonderful, but it is laced with an undercurrent of longing and nostalgia that she never experienced when she was on the island of her people with her selkie family. And, in particular, nothing compares to a late summer day, with the sun sinking low and sparkling off the sea, where she and her cousins darted between ships in a Scottish port, staying out of sight, hiding in the shadows. And then climbing onboard from one skiff to another and pulling out one fish after another of the haul that fishermen were bringing in. Not enough to make it hard for them to sell their wares, but enough for them to know that they had been there. That someone was playing with them and taking their stores. And bringing all of that fish home and just having a feast of crab, and shrimp, and herring, and anything they could get their hands on.
[Waves fade, replaced by lively birds chirping]
Cassandra
The memory gleams like sunlight broken across water. For one brief day, she had set aside temples, councils, and the endless weight of judgement. She mounted a restless horse and thundered across a green, English hill, its mane whipping in the wind like a banner. Below her, children laughed as they chased a red kite straining at its string. She pulled on the reins, bringing the horse to heel. She dismounts and approaches the children, reaching a hand for the string tethering the kite to the earth. As the kite whipped and pulled, fighting for its freedom to soar ever higher, she laughed, loud and unguarded. No wisdom pressed upon her shoulders, no war stirred at the edge of thought. Only earth beneath, sky above, and the fleeting truth that even she could belong to joy.
[Birdsong fades, replaced by leaves stirring in a breeze]
Robert
We see Rabbit a few years ago, almost unrecognizable, not because of any physical difference between now and then, but a sense of joy and power that seems to radiate from every inch of him. He and his companion, another handsome young man, sit quietly on the mossy hillock in the woods, a blanket between them spread with berries, cheese, and wine. Their fingers mingle with each other, touch each other gently.
Rabbit’s Companion (Robert)
Tomorrow’s the big day.
Robert
The other man says, his left hand lazily entwining in Rabbit’s hair.
Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
I can hardly wait.
[Wind sounds fade away]
[Suspenseful, slow piano music]
Kim
Alright, mask spent. This bumps up the Creature of Cremorne Gardens to a full success. Congratulations, Hunters! All the creature wants is to go on a normal human date with Maesie Douglas.
Cassandra
I live.
Natalia
I’m good with that. I like it.
T.
We’ve got vampires, we’ve got fae abductions. Like, yeah, let us– We can have a nice one.
Natalia
Let us have nice things.
Kim
I’ll be interested to see the ramifications of this. That Threat is available to be resolved whenever you choose to, which leads me into the next part of the Dusk Phase. Hunters, are we doing a London Night Phase or a Hargrave House Night Phase today?
Natalia
Hargrave!
Robert
Yeah.
T.
I’m down for Hargrave.
Cassandra
I wore my pajamas to manifest the Hargrave House Night Phase.
[Everyone laughs.]
Kim
So, similar to the last time we did a Hargrave House Night Phase, I’m going to give you all brief descriptions of four rooms that I have made available for tonight’s exploration. The rooms are:
The Ballroom. Heavy oaken double doors, decorated with carved roses, block any entry to the grand room beyond. They have remained shut ever since a party held for fae dignitaries ended in disaster.
The Bell Tower and Parapets. A slender door hides a narrow spiral staircase leading to the rooftop of Hargrave House. The mewling of cats can be heard above.
The Yellow Girl Room. This door is a beautiful example of the Baroque style, covered in intricate gilded patterns and motifs. Upon closer inspection, there are skulls, hourglasses, and wilting flowers in the design.
And finally, I’m bringing this one back: 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.
Where might we like to explore today?
Cassandra
These are good choices, Kim.
T.
Very good choices.
Cassandra
It’s hard. Also, shoutout again to Robert for writing those door descriptions.
Natalia
Yes.
T.
[musically] Second shoutout for Robert!
Cassandra
Immaculate work. No notes. I… Okay, so my pitch would be, just because I’m personally in my gardening era, I love the Conservatory.
Kim
[Laughing] Very cottagecore.
Cassandra
Very cottagecore for me. So I definitely like the idea of that one, but I also really, I like the Ballroom.
T.
Same. I know Nat pitched the Conservatory when we were first given the list of rooms, and you pitched the Yellow Girl Room. But the Ballroom just cause of the fae overlap it does.
Natalia
I feel like it would be good.
T.
It feels on point.
Robert
The Ballroom is my first thought as well with my second choice being the Bell Tower, which no one else mentioned, so.
Natalia
Oh, I like the Bell Tower, too. My two votes this time are the Ballroom or the Bell Tower.
Kim
I put the Bell Tower forth kind of for, like, the Mr. John angle cause it’s implied that you sleep right near there.
T.
For sure. That is a draw for me as well. And I was drawn to the Bell Tower in our initial gos. Truly, like, this would be an impossible choice if not for, I think, the draw of the fae dignitary line.
Natalia
Mhm.
Kim
Alright, so it sounds like we’re doing the Ballroom.
[An ominous, rumbling woosh]
[Low ambient drone]
Kim
As night falls over London, I’d first like to peek in on the activities of One Shot John. I’m just intrigued to know how it is you’re spending your evening considering your very successful Quickening roll.
T.
For the past many, many nights, John has been feeling hunted. He’s been feeling cornered. He’s been feeling drained. No longer feeling drained, but still feeling hunted, this animal part seems to come into the night air. As he inhales, gritting his teeth and bracing for the transformation, that animal part of himself says, “You are not prey.” And as the sinews of his muscle enlarge, a tendency to lean forward rather than walk upright, his teeth ever so slightly sharpened along the incisal edges, and maybe the hairs stiffer, more bristly, maybe even more spiny, as this halfway between human and animal being, but still in control of his reason. He leaves the West India warehouse along the docks on the Isle of Dogs and goes hunting.
Kim
Inside Hargrave House, Hunters, we’re staying in tonight. What are we getting up to?
Natalia
Maesie is lightly waltzing down the hall, just humming a little tune to herself, and just making her way. Not really going anywhere, she’s just meandering through the house.
Cassandra
I think we see Ena in, like, the foyer of Hargrave House having just come in from seeing her brother. She’s unpinning her hat and taking her gloves off, and I think she sees Maesie just waltz across the entranceway.
Miss Douglas (Natalia)
[Hums a little tune.]
Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
You’re certainly in a good mood, Little Pearl. Practicing your dance steps, are you?
Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Every day. There’s never not a moment that I’m not.
Cassandra
Ena continues to walk across the hallway heading for the stairs.
Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Maesie, love, have you seen Rabbit anywhere?
Miss Douglas (Natalia)
I cannot say that I have, but if I do, I will let you know.
Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
That would be perfect, dear. I have a little something for him.
Miss Douglas (Natalia)
[Gasps.] What is it? What do you have?
Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Let’s just say Rabbit misplaced something and I stumbled across it.
Robert
After a little bit of searching, the two ladies find Rabbit in the back garden where he’s been spending a lot of time these days. Not doing traditional gardening, but talking to the plants, giving them gentle strokes.
Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Hello, Rabbit! It’s a lovely night.
Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Hello. It is, isn’t it? Almost can see the stars through the smoke. Almost.
Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Are you feeling better after your run-in with that delightful demon?
Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
A bit better, yeah. Can’t quite shut the eye the way I used to, but it’s nice to have it open again.
Robert
He says, deliberately not looking at Miss Thanero.
Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Well, it seems your eyes haven’t been shut on purpose, from what I understand.
Cassandra
And reaches into her coat pocket and just pulls out the rabbit foot dangling from, like, one finger. And is just kind of waving it back and forth with, like, a shit-eating smirk on her face like, “I know what you’ve been up to.” [Laughs.]
Robert
Upon seeing that, Rabbit’s face hardens from the sort of, like, dreamlike state he’s been in to sudden seriousness.
Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
You didn’t steal that, did you?
Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
I didn’t steal it. I received it to hand back to your care.
Cassandra
And she extends it, but it’s still, like, dangling from the one finger.
Robert
He reaches up and takes it from her very gently.
Cassandra
Ena crosses her arms.
Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Interesting company you’re keeping these days.
Cassandra
And there’s just, like, a hint of jealousy in it. Just a little. Just a little slight.
Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Did she send you a message or just the gift?
Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
She extended the gift, but also a rather veiled invitation to a masquerade.
Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Alright, I really would love to know who we’re talking about especially if there’s a party?
Cassandra
Ena just looks at Rabbit.
Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
The name she’s going by right now is Miss Beaumont, but might be more proper to call her The Weaver.
Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Do you have a girlfriend?
Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
[stuttering] Not exactly, no.
Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Rabbit, do you have a girlfriend?!
Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Uh, no. Decidedly not. I do not. No. I belong to no one and no one belongs to me. If she has invited us to a party of hers, I think I might need to go over a few basics of how to deal with her crowd with the two of you.
Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
I’m always up for learning something new.
Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Well, I think I know the perfect place to have this discussion.
Robert
And he stands up and starts heading, focused, towards the Ballroom.
[Slow, echoing violin music]
Kim
As you open the door, you see ornate, sharp-edged chandeliers that are dangling from the high ceilings in this room. There is the lingering scent of floor wax, citrus, and candle smoke. All of which fail to mask this overwhelming musk and decay that is also lingering in this unused, sealed room. Along the wall, there is a long refreshment table that bears a single empty punch bowl. I have a Paint the Scene for all of you, including Mr. John. This ballroom has gone unused for years since a fête held for a delegation of fae ended in turmoil. During their furious exit, the fae marked this ballroom as anathema: tainted ground on which no fae would tread. Which of these marks can the Hunters perceive marring the space?
Robert
There are small cracks throughout the walls and floor of the room. And out of these cracks are growing small green plants with long leaves and yellow flowers. This is St. John’s Wort, the one flower that no fairy holds dominion over and is, therefore, considered anathema to them.
Cassandra
As we look at the floorboards and we see this St. John’s Wort pulling out of it, we see that the floorboards are warped in unnatural whorls as if the parquet tried to curl away from unseen footsteps.
T.
Looking up toward the ceiling at the chandeliers, you might think for a moment that the disuse has caused cobwebs to coat the ceiling. But if you were to get up close and look, you would know that as the fae left, the instruments of the minstrels that were playing at this ball all had their strings suddenly wrenched from them and like latticework, dash across the ceiling, only perceptible where they completely enmesh. But they are razorsharp, making flight in this room impossible.
Natalia
And if the Hunters were to run their hands along the walls of this room, they would notice the wallpaper has been torn as tiny spikes of iron have pushed their way through the paper to cover the entire room in a cage.
[Violin music fades]
Kim
So, I would be intrigued to hear your thoughts here before we get into our next prompts, because our next prompts involve a flashback to the night of the fae ball. Is this bit of storytelling just for us, the players, or is this something that you are all experiencing as you enter this room via some sort of vision of the past? There isn’t any advice in the book itself as to what is the true answer here.
T.
Could it be one of you, possibly Rabbit, was there at the ball?
Robert
I was going to say, it makes sense. If this is some years ago, it makes sense for Rabbit to have been there, but not as an agent of Hargrave House.
Kim
Oh.
Robert
I think Rabbit is bringing them here to tell them the tale of what happened in this room and give them advice. But we’re not literally seeing these flashbacks, but Rabbit is remembering them.
T.
Well, okay, hear me out though: once upon a December, you’re a magic person. Can you for, like, pointed parts of the ball create mistlike silhouettes that act out as it’s happening?
Robert
Yeah, no, that fits well within Rabbit. I think now that he’s starting to get his magic back, his storytelling is coming back as well. And, you know, what better a storyteller than who can provide their own pictures.
Cassandra
I love this narratively, so much.
[Violin music returns]
Kim
With the knowledge that this is kind of Rabbit conjuring these scenes, I’m still gonna have the rest of you narrate the action of these scenes. So let’s go to our second prompt. Cass, the night of the fête some years ago. The fae have their own arcane etiquette, elaborate and alien. How does young Merricat Ovelia, a servant of Hargrave House, transgress against fae propriety in the execution of her duties?
Cassandra
We see Merricat Ovelia navigating this candlelit ballroom carrying a silver tray of wine. She is untrained in these labyrinthian courtesies of the fae, and she makes the mistake of meeting the eyes of a visiting fae lord, directly, as she pours his glass. It is a simple act of politeness in human society, but among the fae, it is an unforgivable breach in their etiquette. Only equals or rivals can have and share an unbroken gaze, and a servant daring it is read as insult and even challenge. And worse still, Merricat placed the glass on the table instead of directly in his hand, denying him the recognition of his presence and breaking the unspoken chain of acknowledgment.
Kim
Natalia, the fae take Merricat with them to serve in the Feathered Abbey, but a part of her remains behind as a promise that one day, all will be restored. Which of Merricat's body parts, still full of life, do the hunters keep here? How is it stored and protected?
Natalia
In the very middle of the room, there is a pedestal upon which sits a silver tray and a wine glass. And resting in the wine glass, balanced delicately, is a glass orb in which Merricat’s severed eye floats. The fae took her away, but, ever a servant of Hargrave House, the fae left a part of her here to watch over this room so that she could continue in her duties. The eye turns slightly and watches anyone who walks through this room.
Kim
Mr. Lloyd, you have shown your fellow Hunters all of this, this cautionary tale of defying the fae etiquette. The fourth and final prompt of the Ballroom is not a flashback but rather a present event. Robert, tonight, a contingent of fae return Merricat, transformed by her time among them. As her body part is reattached to her new form, how does Merricat speak of her time away and of the hunter whose memory gave her the strength to endure until her return?
[Violin music fades]
Robert
As the shadow and smokelike images that Rabbit has conjured to tell this story begin to dissolve back into the corners of the room, a bright light appears close to where the eye is kept. Something far more colorful than the magic that Rabbit has been doing, almost a rainbowlike prism of light, opens up into a portal as if a door were opened in midair, showing beyond it a beautiful forest, allowing the sounds of birdsong to float into the previously silent ballroom. Three figures enter through this portal. Two of them are tall, elegant. One is wearing a cloak covered in mossy green feathers; the other has her neon red hair tied back into an almost spikelike hairstyle. And between them is Merricat, no longer the simple serving girl employed by Hargrave House, now forever changed by her time spent at the Feathered Abbey.
She has grown more beautiful, but also more alien. Birdlike details have noted upon her countenance. Her face growing a little narrower, her nose growing a little longer, her limbs also thinner and more like the legs of birds. But still beautiful. She smiles, thanks the two who opened the portal for her as they step back through and close it behind them, walks up, grabs the eye out of the glass, smashes it against the table, and slides it back into her empty socket. She blinks a few times, and you notice, looking at her, the two eyes are actually different colored now. The one that had left in Hargrave House was a pale blue that her eyes were before she left; the other one has become brighter, sapphirelike, brighter and iridescent, like the feathers of a hummingbird. Rabbit bows to her.
Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
It’s been several years since I’ve seen you. And last time, I believe our positions were switched.
Robert
Merricat smiles back.
Merricat Ovelia (Robert)
It’s good to be back in Hargrave House. Tell me, is Roger still here? I’ve missed him terribly.
Robert
A sad look breaks the momentary happiness in the room.
Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Roger is no longer in this world or the Other Kingdom. He has, uh, entered the Land of the Dead.
Robert
Merricat’s face breaks at this. It is clear that the memory of her friend Roger was the only thing that kept her grounded to the Mortal Realm during her time in Fae, and his loss will change her future in as of yet unknown ways. As Merricat leaves the room, her face fallen, Rabbit smiles at the other two women here.
Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
As I tried to illustrate, and I think Merricat did better than I could, going to a party hosted by the Other Folk is not exactly an easy task, even if it is a fun one. I don’t have the time nor the knowledge to let you know about every intricacy of the people we might meet there, but I can give you a few general pieces of advice. And I can answer any questions you might have to the best of my knowledge. The most important thing you should know is the law of hospitality. The Other Crowd, they take it seriously. As long as you are an invited guest, and don’t break the rules of being an invited guest, no harm will come to you. But, if you do step outside those bounds, then you are fair game. Your life, your soul, and things far more precious than either will be forfeit.
Miss Douglas (Natalia)
I do have a question. Have you kissed Miss Beaumont yet?
Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Yes. I don’t see how that is exactly relevant to the situation at hand.
Miss Douglas (Natalia)
It is incredibly relevant to me. I need to know.
Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
The Lords and Ladies are not quite so… rigid in their views of love and courtship as mortals are. I have kissed her and that doesn’t mean anything—
Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Did she like it?
Mr. Lloyd (Natalia)
I think she did, yes.
Miss Douglas (Natalia)
This is so exciting, Rabbit. This is so great.
Kim
I mean, Mistress Beaumont does have a record of killing her paramours.
Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Yeah, but Rabbit’s had a demon inside of him. He’s fine.
Kim
Alright. [Laughing] Back up to heaven.
Robert
I like how you answered that in character.
Kim
[Laughing] Yeah.
Natalia
[Also laughing] God was talking to Maesie.
Robert
[Chuckles]
Cassandra
Ena is standing, snickering quietly at Maesie completely missing how serious Rabbit is in this moment. And Ena poses a question of her own.
Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
She extended the invite to myself and to you, Rabbit, but did not mention any other parties being invited. Would that break with custom if Maesie or Mr. John came along to help deal with this problem?
Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
I would expect that what you received was not the actual invite but rather the prelude to it. We shall have to see, when the actual invite comes, whether Miss Douglas and Mr. John are invited as well. If they are not, I would highly, highly recommend they not go.
Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
This is good information to have. We shall want to be as respectful as possible in order to resolve this.
Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Well, just remember: just because they cannot lie does not mean that they always tell the truth. Dark is not evil and light is not good. Butterflies will drink tears and blood if they have the chance. Their eyes are the one thing about themselves they cannot change. Don’t stare too long, as that could be taken with more meaning than it has. But if you are ever unsure of who you are talking to, glance to their eyes.
Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Rabbit, what are you gonna wear?
Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
I haven’t the foggiest.
Kim
I’d like to peek back in one final time on the activities of One Shot John.
T.
Mr. John emerges from the Thames at Westminster Bridge and easily scales the stone up to Norwalk. Walks down, past St. James Park, and through Belgrave Square. And glances at the shadows cast by the figures in the ballroom and smells his companions within, but that is not his quarry this evening. He continues past into Hyde Park, past the Crystal Palace, and begins loping through the woods, returning to Kew Gardens. And like a truffle-hunting pig, searches under every grove and every glade until he finally finds a circle of mushrooms. He marks the spot.
Mr. John (T.)
Soon. Not tonight, but soon.
T.
For he is a hungry predator, but he is also patient.
[An ominous, rumbling woosh]
[Soft piano music]
Kim
Welcome to the Dawn. The first thing we do in the Dawn is resolve moves that are resolved in the Dawn. We have a couple of them. First of all, because we did a Hargrave House Night Phase, all of you get to take a token from the Ballroom that was either directly mentioned or implied during any of the Ballroom prompts and add it to your Personal Quarters. You as well, Mr. John, even though your character was not physically present.
Robert
Rabbit is going to take a handful of St. John’s Wort.
Cassandra
I think I’m gonna take the punch bowl.
T.
How about… I forget their names if you mentioned them, Robert, but the fae dignitaries that brought back Merricat?
Robert
Yeah, I didn’t name them.
T.
But one had a hair ribbon, right? I’ll take the ribbon that was tying her hair.
Cassandra
Ooh.
Kim
I love that. A fae’s hair ribbon.
Natalia
I will be taking a bottle of fae-preferred wine, such as what was being served by Merricat.
Kim
What’s unique about this wine?
T.
It’s not liquid, it’s gas.
Natalia
Intriguing.
Kim
Very intriguing. Alright, go ahead and add that to your inventory.
T.
It’s starlight that you liquefy it to get it into the bottle, but the moment air touches it, it sublimates and returns to photons and waves. So you have to, like, get it very quickly.
Kim
I love that. And the Ballroom is now unlocked. The move that is unlocked is as follows: Merricat Ovelia can act as an etiquette guide and translator on behalf of the Hunters when dealing with the fae. For any future encounters with the fae, on three occasions you can enlist Merricat's aid to roll with Advantage. The marking of the third and final box marks the expiration of Merricat's hard-won knowledge. Before returning to the Feathered Abbey to renew her studies, Merricat gives a farewell gift: it is called The Transgression. You have been taught an act that, when performed, will cause all fae who witness it to immediately vacate the area and shun you. Never describe it. When performed, take the condition Boorish.
Natalia
That sounds like it’ll be helpful.
Kim
Sounds like it could be, certainly. And also, Mr. John, roaming through the streets of London, you get to define a clue for me for any of the active Threats.
T.
Spidersilk Seamstress.
Kim
Okay.
T.
Within the Crystal Palace, the location of the Great Exhibition of 1850 or 1851, one of the rooms, boarded up and out of use cause it was just storage for the people building it, has been recreated in a mirror image of Victoria’s throne room.
Kim
Ooh. Alright, let’s go to our Dawn Questions. Did the Hunters answer a Question?
[Collective yeses]
Kim
We did. Did we resolve a Threat?
[Collective nos]
Kim
Did we get an Echo in the Night?
[Collective nos]
T.
We weren’t allowed.
Kim
Nope, you’re not allowed to on Hargrave House Night Phases.
Natalia
Mom said no.
Kim
[Chuckles] Miss Thanero, did you express a clear preference for the beautiful over the mundane?
Cassandra
Yes.
Kim
Yes, with Mistress Beaumont, certainly, in her workshop.
Cassandra
Yes, absolutely.
Kim
And did you appear in London society wearing risque or avant-garde fashion?
Cassandra
The forever yes.
Kim
Miss Douglas, did you assert your independence or stand up for yourself?
Natalia
I scared a boy real bad.
Kim
Yes, you did indeed. And did you mourn being unable to return home?
Natalia
Not today.
Kim
Mr. Lloyd, did you have a face-to-face encounter with a dark entity?
Robert
Unfortunately, no.
Kim
I mean, it’s kind of vague. It depends on whether or not you count, like, seeing the Lurker in a vision, but I think that’s too murky to count.
Robert
Yeah, I think face-to-face implies they see you as well as you seeing them.
Kim
I did imply that the Lurker kind of looked through the vision and looked at you.
Robert
But I still think it’s a no.
Kim
Okay, that’s fair. I can lead a horse to an experience point, but I can’t make them take it. And did you make love to a dark entity because it felt good?
Robert
No, I did not.
Kim
You know, we have the implication that you’ve been spending your evenings in the company of Mistress Beaumont but we didn’t see it, so, yeah, that doesn’t feel like a yes to me. Mr. John, did you use violence to solve a problem?
T.
Yeah, I pressed Rabbit up against a wall and told him not to keep secrets anymore.
Kim
And did you share a treasured memory from the States during an intimate moment with another character?
T.
Yeah, I regaled The Man in the Sun Mask about saving young Emily Dickinson from falling off of horseback and nursing her back to health.
Kim
Yes, you did. Does anybody level up?
T.
I do.
Kim
You get to pick an Advancement.
T.
I will be increasing Vitality to 3.
Kim
Oh, marvelous. Alright, dear Hunters, both within Hargrave House and outside of it, sleep well. And I’ll see you all in the morning.
[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 our cats, Virgil and Dante, and all of our incredible Kitten Marlowe patrons in supporting artist-driven storytelling. Thanks for listening.