Shadows in the Smoke S1E30 - "Sorry to Disturb Your Slumber"

Shadows in the Smoke S1E30 – "Sorry to Disturb Your Slumber"

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
Mr. Lloyd, the Limehouse Lurker pulls you through this puddle of blood, and for several long seconds you see nothing.

[The sound of something moving through water. A heartbeat]

Kim
You only hear the sound of your heartbeat in your ears, and feel blood pouring into your nose, through your mouth, along your airways. And then, blissfully, your lungs meet fresh air.

[A cavern. Water dripping]

Kim
Well, not quite fresh. Stale. It takes a few seconds for your eyes to adjust to your new location. It is dim in here. But looking around, you can tell that you are somewhere beneath London itself, lost in the catacombs underneath the city. And then you see the small form of the Lurker standing next to you, waiting patiently for you to get your bearings. I think a little pleased with itself, looking at the state of you after your travel. Mayhaps the journey was prolonged for the Lurker’s own amusement.

The Limehouse Lurker (Kim)
It asks what I do. I feed and I call.

Kim
It sort of quirks its head at you.

The Limehouse Lurker (Kim)
Like how you call.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
It’s really the feeding I’m more concerned with.

The Limehouse Lurker (Kim)
For now, little Rabbit. But others will come, and others will feed.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
See, now that’s a bit of a problem. I don’t suppose there’s any way I can get you to stop that, is there? No, no, don’t answer that. Don’t answer that. I understand being a creature of a certain nature. Some have said the same thing about me. I can’t expect you to change who you are overnight. These others, they will do the same damage that you’ve been doing?

The Limehouse Lurker (Kim)
Oh yes.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Hmm… See now that? That I can’t abide. I’m not a fan of those who make their living harming the weak and defenseless, draining the lifeblood of a civilization. Whether they be aristocrats or vampires, they’re not my favorites.

The Limehouse Lurker (Kim)
It’s not long now, little rabbit.

[Bats shriek and flap their wings]

Kim
And it starts running through the catacombs of London. And as it does, a thick swarm of bats all come screeching and screaming past you.

That is a Clue for The Limehouse Lurker.

Let’s go back to the Boy Tour.

[A melancholy cello]

Kim
Cass. Gianni, an Italian temple. Olive skinned and breathtaking. How do we know Gianni is having the time of his life?

Cassandra
Gianni was radiant that evening, as if the gas lights themselves bent toward him. Laughter spilled from his throat with the easy confidence of someone entirely at home in his own skin. The tavern’s smoky air seemed to clear around him. Even the captain’s hardened crew couldn’t help but smile in his presence. When music struck up, Gianni was the first to rise, drawing others with him into a dance. Moving from sailor to sailor, peppering each with kisses, a sheen of sweat breaking across dirty skin, his eyes never leaving Captain Broadmoor’s. He spoke Italian in teasing tones, and upon reaching the captain, swirled a seductive finger through his curling chest hair. Gianni pulled the captain to his feet, smiling as they slow danced amongst the throng.

[Deep, distant ambient tones]

Kim
Mr. Hutchinson and Miss Thanero.

Cassandra
Sister Charlotte is still pleasuring herself, and Ena walks over to her and grabs her by the chin and looks her straight in the eye.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Do not place your eyes upon this man ever again, or I shall rob you of that oh-so precious sight, robbing you still of your ability to look upon the masterwork and achieve your highest place. Now get out.

Kim
And so she does.

Cassandra
She turns back to Mr. Hutchinson.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Alright, dog. Let’s go talk to your demon.

Cassandra
And she walks off in the direction of the wine cellar, leaving him to hobble along behind her.

T.
With his tail between his fucking legs… Mr. Hutchinson was absent-mindedly fingering his chest hair, and at that tone switch from Ena, drops. And something in being commanded by a goddess like that triggers something in him to oblige. But something about being spoken to by another person like that rankles his humors.

Mr. Hutchinson (T.)
Is this because I made that comment about Erichthonius?

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
No. It’s moreso about the varied company you keep.

Mr. Hutchinson (T.)
I meant what you made her do. Is that just something you enjoy?

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
I like to watch.

Mr. Hutchinson (T.)
You don’t like to participate?

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Watching is a form of participation.

Mr. Hutchinson (T.)
You know what I mean. Is it that you choose not to, or that you can’t?

Cassandra
She does not answer, because she does not have to in this moment. She’s gonna let him wonder.

[A cavernous space. Water drips.]

Cassandra
And she walks through the door of the wine cellar, and across the scattered summoning circle from when they rebound the demon, and leans against the wall with her arms crossed, next to where the demon is housed in the wall.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Come along then, you’ve got some questions to ask, don’t you?

T.
Is she… visible?

Cassandra
I left her with her face out, if memory serves.

T.
Hutchinson looks towards Ena, and looks back at the face in the wall. Removes the little black book from his coat pocket.

Mr. Hutchinson (T.)
[Clears throat] Sorry to disturb your slumber, but I have some questions for you.

Kim
You hear a voice whisper…

The Demon (Kim)
Ask…

T.
Fingers the pages of the book, trying to narrow in on the exact wording. Knowing too many stories about how this could go awry.

Mr. Hutchinson (T.)
What exactly is it that Brathwaite wants with me?

Kim
Mr. Hutchinson, Demonic Insight reads as follows: When you have the Darkened Threshold marked and seek answers about someone’s darkest desires by consulting a demon anchored in this world, roll with Sensitivity. Trying to see if Most Beloved is at play… It probably is. You’re talking with a demon.

T.
I took this girl’s corpse as one of my Personal Quarters items after that Threat. I’ll mark it to make it straight.

Kim
Sounds good to me.

T.
5 and 1 is 6, but +1 is 7. Okay, now I’m glad I took that Sensitivity. I was miffed early, now I’m happy.

Kim
Alright. So on a 7 to 9, you will receive an answer, which can come in the form of a Clue at the Keeper’s discretion. But on a 7, you must perform a minor blasphemous act in order to receive your answer. We’ll find out what that is shortly.

T.
[Grumbles]

Kim
Mr. Lloyd.

[The bats grow fainter]

Robert
This swarm of bats passes over Morgan and disappears, and he is no longer there, having himself vanished down some unknown doorway. But his voice lingers, calling after the Lurker.

[Mystic drones]

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
I see you have old magics. That should make this a bit more interesting.

Robert
And wherever the Lurker had run off to, Morgan rounds a corner and steps in front of him.

The Limehouse Lurker (Kim)
It vanishes.

[A cavern. Water dripping]

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
It does a great deal more than that. So, it seems like you and I aren’t going to get out of this without someone’s blood being spilled. I want you to remember that, when the time comes. I gave you an exit, and you didn’t take it. So I guess my last question for you, before things come to that…

Robert
And in this moment, for just a flash, as though another image has been superimposed upon him, Morgan appears so much larger than he ever has. A towering figure, bedecked in black armor made of beetle shells. An enormous cloak with a hood. And underneath that hood, a faceplate – pitch dark, resembling nothing more than the darkness of a new moon.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
What are you afraid of?

Kim
This ancient being looks at you, briefly cowed, but then it maintains its composure.

The Limehouse Lurker (Kim)
It would walk with me.

Kim
And starts walking again down the catacombs.

Robert
Morgan follows, no fear or hesitation whatsoever in his step.

[A mystic drone, reminiscent of the Man in the Sun Mask]

The Limehouse Lurker (Kim)
There is a legend of my kind. That we were once the beloved servants of the sun. Cursed, we were. Cursed to never look on his shining face again. His beloved children, left to the darkness.

Kim
And as the Lurker walks with you, they gesture upwards, and you see that there is a small shaft of moonlight from a hole at the top of the catacombs that has been patched over with bits of wood, bits of cloth. An attempt to make this passageway entirely unreachable by the sun. That is a Clue for the Limehouse Lurker.

[“Grandfather Waltz” from The Nutcracker plays]

Kim
Miss Douglas, the audition continues and now you’re at a Christmas Eve party. Your wings have vanished, and now you’re in the simple dress of Clara, the protagonist of The Nutcracker. You are dancing in the arms of your godfather, Drosselmeyer. But as you are spun in this grand pas de deux, you realize that the performer playing Drosselmeyer is none other than Theodora Brathwaite.

Theodora Brathwaite (Kim)
Come, child. I have a gift for you.

Natalia
Maesie, for the first time, stumbles a little bit.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Uh… How are you… Are you also auditioning?

Theodora Brathwaite (Kim)
Shhh, child. We must all dance our parts.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Right, right.

Natalia
Maesie keeps dancing.

Kim
Theodora Brathwaite goes over to the large Christmas tree, and picks out a gift wrapped in sapphire blue wrapping paper. Natalia, what’s inside? This will be a Clue for the Nutcracker.

Natalia
Okay, if anyone has any thoughts also, please throw them my way.

T.
I have a pitch, but it’s not Nutcracker-related, specifically.

Kim
That’s okay.

T.
The dude when you were coming out of the water, he had a flintlock in your face, right?

Natalia
Yeah, he had a pistol in my face. I did want to make it about myself, but if it’s The Nutcracker, maybe… Hmm. Hmm, hmm… Cause I feel like that does play into, like, how does the royal ballet train its featured dancers? With violence, and… you know?

T.
Mmhmm.

Natalia
Oh, okay. I know exactly what it’s gonna be.

Maesie pulls the sapphire ribbon slowly off the box, and opens it to find inside a very familiar pistol, still smoking. But instead of the smell of gunpowder and gunsmoke, it smells distinctly of pine.

Kim
Let’s make our final trip down Madam Morvain’s Boy Tour.

[A melancholy cello]

Kim
T. Thomas, a rather plain young man. Barely a man, really. But clean, and able. How do we know Thomas is doing this out of desperation?

T.
On his last night in port, Captain Flint has one starred entry in his guidebook. The reason he came to London in the first place, and the reason he made sure that his ship stayed for three nights. For he’s not interested in the soft, perfumed flesh, nor in the statuesque beauties, or even the oiled bacchanals that London has to offer.

He takes a night walk to a pine forest outside of the city limits, where Thomas Delaware – once Tomás de la Guerra – lives on his own in a small cottage. He came over after the Mexican-American war and is, like any immigrant, ostracized. He barely speaks English, but those who do not see that as an impediment value him.

For when the full moon rises, he offers something much more primal for the men who seek him out. And as his change begins and his chest hair thickens, and he grows into his monstrous lupine form, Flint Broadmoor has never seen anything more beautiful. And as the animal musk mixes with the smell of gunpowder as they tangle together underneath the trees, and even as the silver shillings that Captain Broadmoor presses into his hand burn them, Thomas is grateful. For he knows that he will still be able to live whatever life he calls this.

[A cavern. Water dripping]

Kim
Mr. Lloyd.

Robert
Am I correct in believing now that he has given me both answers? The vampire is truly gone, as per the rules?

Kim
The vampire could still be present, but won’t ask or do anything to you. If you would like them to be gone, they could be.

Robert
I think they’re gone.

Kim
Okay. They have answered your questions and now they have left, leaving you in the catacombs of London.

[Magical ambience]

Robert
Morgan has expelled a great deal of power tonight. It doesn’t take it out of him, it doesn’t make him feel exhausted. But it is like exercising a muscle you haven’t worked in a long time. There is a familiar soreness to it. Alone in this ruined catacomb – possibly older than the city of London itself – Morgan pulls a handkerchief out of his pocket and dabs his brow, stare up at the moon peeking through the many times patched hole in the ceiling.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Right. I’ll be with you soon enough. I promise. I’ve just got some business here that I have to take care of first. And with a subtle gesture of his hand, he opens the ways again and transverses through the hedge, back to Hargrave House.

[A cavernous space. Water drips]

Kim
Miss Thanero and Mr. Hutchinson. The demon in the wall speaks.

The Demon (Kim)
It seeks answers. I have answers. But first, take of my flesh and eat it.

Mr. Hutchinson (T.)
I don’t see where they keep the Eucharist down here.

Kim
You are made aware of a small knife that is next to the walled-up demon.

Mr. Hutchinson (T.)
Ah. You can’t blame me for hoping.

T.
Hutchinson ignores the knife, grabs his own from his thigh holster.

Mr. Hutchinson (T.)
You have any particular part you’re willing to part with?

Kim
The demon says nothing. Only waits.

Mr. Hutchinson (T.)
Alright. Out, vile jelly.

T.
Pokes the knife into the eyeball, twists, and pops it out, leaving the optic nerve dangling. And in one swift motion, sucks it off the tip of the knife, swallows it down in one.

The Demon (Kim)
Is it good?

Mr. Hutchinson (T.)
I’m the one asking questions.

The Demon (Kim)
It speaks of the lady in sapphire. Her interest in you.

Kim
You feel the demon’s eye now look upon you as well, Miss Thanero.

The Demon (Kim)
Her interest in all of you. The sapphire woman seeks answers. Seeks secrets. She stalks strange creatures coming from America. She sends fleets of ships to follow Ponce de Leon after his fountain. Soldiers in search of Gilgamesh’s magic plant. The Sapphire woman seeks immortality.

Kim
That is a mastermind clue.

Cassandra
Ooh, spooky!

Kim
Evidence that Mrs. Brathwaite has been looking into the possibility of immortality.

Mr. Hutchinson (T.)
Well, I appreciate that. But I was actually asking after her daughter, Tatiana.

The Demon (Kim)
Ahh… Have you not noticed? The young Miss Brathwaite is a skilled hunter, and she knows only to strike when the moment is right.

Mr. Hutchinson (T.)
Well, I’ll keep my eyes open, then.

The Demon (Kim)
Do. You made quite a showing at the Midsummer Masquerade. The young Miss Brathwaite took notice.

Mr. Hutchinson (T.)
Given this, I’m sure she knows where to find me.

Kim
The demon just chuckles

Mr. Hutchinson (T.)
Well then, be seeing ya.

T.
Take the other eye and eat it.

Kim
We will end with Miss Douglas.

[“Finale and Apotheosis” from The Nutcracker]

Kim
Miss Douglas, the scene changes again. The Christmas tree has grown to an enormous size, and a small corps de ballet of children dressed in mouse greys surround you and knight you with a rat mask, cinching it tight around your head. They crown you the Rat King and hand you a sword. And leaping on to the stage is the Nutcracker Prince. It is a tall figure with their lips pulled back and their teeth exposed, none other than the Sculptor themselves. Who does not hold a sword, but rather a wet set of ice picks. The Sculptor bows to you as the music reaches a crescendo, then raises their weapons.

Natalia
Lord, okay. Maesie is used to being an animal, wearing an animal skin. So this is comfortable for her. This guy is creepy, though! She does not like him. And she’s also gotten the feeling that this is a weird, liminal space. Theodora having been here and then suddenly having disappeared, and the gun that she just saw. So she is feeling on edge and she is feeling defensive, and she raises her saber likewise.

Kim
This is gonna be a Night Move.

Natalia
Mmhmm.

Kim
With Vitality.

Natalia
I do have a question. Because I have a Personal Quarters item that I started writing and then I clearly haven’t finished the sentence. So if you could just remind me, the music box causes what?

Kim
A music box inscribed “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy”. The tune it plays, however, is unrecognizable, causing strange dreams and delirious visions. I forgot you had that. How appropriate.

Natalia
Yeah. So this dream sequence has already been very strange. And in hearing the music of the Sugar Plum Fairy and all of this other music from The Nutcracker, Maesie think son that music box that she received.

[A music box winds up and plays]

Natalia
Instead of hearing the actual music, starts hearing that strange music that the music box produced. And dances to that rhythm instead of the music here. So I’m going to invoke that and roll with advantage.

Kim
Go forth. This is a unique Night Move in which I don’t ask you what you’re afraid will happen. The stakes of it are known to me, and you will find out.

Cassandra
Oh.

Natalia
Let’s find out.

T.
Let’s not.

Natalia
That’s a 12.

T.
You wanna dance?

Natalia
Let’s dance.

Kim
Describe your triumph over the Nutcracker Prince. How do you stab the Sculptor in this liminal space?

Natalia
Hearing this otherworldly syncopated tune that the Nutcracker is not privy to (because it exists only within Maesie’s mind), she dances to a rhythm that he simply cannot keep up with. Her movements are too unpredictable.

[“Finale and Apotheosis” from The Nutcracker slowly fades back in]

Natalia
And she twirls around him in this grey outfit with this rat mask, and she first slices the back of one hand so that he drops one of the ice picks. Twirls around him to the other side, catches him by the throat, and angles the blade at his genitals, slightly pushing into draw blood and then throws him across the room.

[Rapturous applause]

Kim
Miss Douglas, you come to your senses to the sound of rapturous, thunderous applause from Zelia Gagnon and her company, crying…

Zelia Gagnon (Kim)
Bravo! Bravo! A true artist.

Kim
And crumpled in the corner, where you had stabbed and thrown her, is Albertina Welk.

Natalia
I’m not okay! Okay. [Clears throat] Okay.

Maesie stands in the glory of this applause, not having realized what’s going on behind her. Her heart is beating so fast. She is overwhelmed with joy. She is crying at having felt this magical dream dance, and having done it well. Having done something she’s never danced before, so well. And she thinks on Albertina, who has told her that she is one of the best dancers, and is so excited to tell her how well she did. And turns, after taking a bow, to leave the stage, and sees her in the corner, bloody and unmoving. Everything in her demeanor changes. She is on her knees by her side, trying to… to hold her, to find life in her.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Albertina! Albertina, I’m so sorry. Albertina.

Kim
Albertina says nothing. Only lies there, dead and motionless. And then you feel a strong hand on your shoulder.

Zelia Gagnon (Kim)
There are always cuts in the audition process. Welcome, child, to the Royal Ballet

Kim
I have a question for you, Miss Douglas. How does Zelia and her company welcome you almost the Royal Ballet? This answer will count as a Clue.

Natalia
Zelia Gagnon, taking the lead, brings Maesie, and all the other dancers follow her, toa  line of ballet shoes. Allowing Maesie to choose out her very first pair, officially sanctioned by the ballet. And she finds, when she goes to put them on, that the toes and soles are lined with shards of glass.

Kim
Before we go into the Dawn, are you sure you’re okay with this, Natalia? Because I can kill another Side Character.

Natalia
No. Like, I kind of love it. It feeds very much into her character. It makes me sad. It makes her sad. But it’s okay.

Kim
Yeah, okay.

[An ominous, rumbling woosh]

Kim
Welcome to the Dawn. What an eventful night.

[Gentle piano]

Cassandra
Wow.

Natalia
[Snorts] Tell me about it.

T.
How dare you.

Kim
So, no threats were resolved today, so we don’t have to worry about collecting any rewards. Nor were there any moves that were resolved in the Dawn, so let’s immediately go to Dawn Questions. Did the hunters resolve a Threat?

[A series of No and Yes]

[Laughter]

Natalia
Let’s do that again.

Kim
So used to saying yes to that. Did the hunters resolve a Threat?

[A chorus of No]

Kim
Did the hunters answer a question?

[A chorus of Yes]

Kim
Did the hunters get an Echo in the Night?

[Another chorus of Yes]

Kim
What were your echoes?

Cassandra
Mine was the sheen of sweat from Anthony, and then the sheen of sweat on the sailors in Gianni’s scene in the Unscene.

Robert
Speaking of sheens of sweat, Rabbit mocked his brow with a handkerchief.

Natalia
I got that one, but I also got the line of slippers from the first Unscene that Robert described, and then in the ballet.

T.
I had Augustus playing with his chest hair after it was described in the Boy Tour.

Natalia
You also got the pine forest.

T.
I really tried to fit in “eat my cake and have it too” to echo the Marie Antoinette, Robert, but I just couldn’t do it.

Natalia
I really wanted to get a humble exterior hiding beauty within it, and I totally forgot to do it.

Kim
Miss Thanero, did you express a clear preference for the beautiful over the mundane?

Cassandra
I don’t believe that I did.

Kim
I don’t think so. Did you appear in London Society wearing risque or avant-garde fashion?

Cassandra
Forever yes.

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

Natalia
Yeah, I told Albertina about going to jail, before she died.

Kim
RIP.

T.
Before you killed her.

Kim
Did you subtly or not so subtly invoke your oceanic heritage or your love for the sea?

Natalia
Um, yes, I did do that as well. I’m trying to remember when. I have it checked off, but I can’t recall.

Kim
I think you did it when you were confronting Mr. Higgins.

Natalia
Oh right, yes. Very much using the powers that I have from the ocean.

Kim
Mr. Lloyd, did you have a face-to-face encounter with a dark entity?

Robert
I did.

Kim
And did you perform a ritual?

Robert
I did that as well.

Kim
Mr. Hutchinson, did you encourage a fellow hunter to let loose for a change?

T.
I encouraged Maesie to take her dancing to the stage.

Kim
With disastrous effect.

Cassandra
Oh.

Natalia
Thanks, man.

T.
We got Clues! It’s part of the job.

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

T.
Yeah. Ena and I had a date, and I told her about fighting vampires with Abraham Lincoln – Senator Lincoln.

Kim
Does anyone level up?

Cassandra
I do.

Natalia
Yeah.

Robert
One away.

Kim
Miss Douglas and Miss Thanero, you get to pick advancements.

Natalia
I am going to increase an ability modifier, and I’m going to boost my Sensitivity again. So now it’s at 3.

Kim
You did have a really supernatural experience today.

Natalia
Very much so.

Kim
Miss Thanero?

Cassandra
I am going to choose an additional move from my play book.

Kim
Okay.

Cassandra
I am going to take something from the new Undeniable playbook that just came out. I am going to take The Menagerie.

T.
Ooh…

Natalia
Describe it!

Cassandra
The Menagerie reads: You have a private room in Hargrave House, down a little-used corridor, accessed only with a jeweled brass key tied to a velvet cord. When you take this move, add the Jeweled Key to your Personal Quarters and tell the Keeper to put The Menagerie in play.

T.
That’s all you know?

Cassandra
Oh no, I know so much more.

Kim
There is a brand new room available to be explored in Hargrave House. But only Miss Thanero gets the pleasure of exploring it.

T.
Rude.

Natalia
We’re never going.

Cassandra
Sucks to suck.

T.
Question about that: Can you do that during the Night, without it being a Hargrave House?

Kim
Yes. She can choose to explore the Menagerie while the rest of you all do a London Night Phase, should you want to.

T.
Tight.

Natalia
That’s kind of cool.

Kim
I can’t wait to see that room in play. Hopefully soon.

Before we leave each other, hunters, I have one more scene to show you today.

T.
Is it nice?

Cassandra
No, probably not.

[Sinister ambience]

Kim
Travel with me, if you will, to the darkened streets of Limehouse. We see Jenny Johnston locking up the opium den for the evening, and beginning the short walk home. She pauses in her promenade, clears her throat for a bit. Odd. Something in her stomach, perhaps. She walks further and then pauses again, and nearly swoons against a brick wall.

And then Jenny Johnston doubles over, as a small pair of hands emerge from her abdomen and rip her open from the inside. And stepping out through her body is the Limehouse Lurker, who begins to feed on the body of Jenny Johnston.

Moments pass, before we hear the sizzle of burning flesh as a silver chain is throne over the Limehouse Lurker, and they are bundled into a carriage.

Travel with me once again to the genteel country seat of Mrs. Theodora Brathwaite.

[The Sapphire Woman’s theme plays]

Kim
Young men in dark clothes pull the Lurker, shrieking and kicking, onto the well-manicured lawn of Theodora Brathwaite. We see the Sapphire Woman herself step out of her immense mansion, wearing a sapphire blue dressing gown. Wordlessly, she crosses to the men and hands them both several thick bank notes.

Theodora Brathwaite (Kim)
Tell Mr. Higgins to treat my guests with a bit more care next time. Off you go.

Kim
And they depart in the carriage. Gently, Mrs. Brathwaite lifts the silver chain off of the Limehouse Lurker.

Theodora Brathwaite (Kim)
My apologies for the rude introduction. I believe that you and I might be able to help each other. You were growing a bit cramped in Limehouse. Those hunters were hot on your trail. I could provide you a safe haven. I welcome you into my home. I have heard rumblings of others of your kind, drawn to your ancient power. I would give you all safe haven.

Kim
She holds up one slim finger.

Theodora Brathwaite (Kim)
In exchange for one thing.

Kim
The Lurker looks at her.

The Limehouse Lurker (Kim)
Name it.

Theodora Brathwaite (Kim)
I wish to see a demonstration of your wonderful gift.

Kim
The Lurker moves towards her, bearing its fangs. And again, Mrs. Theodora Brathwaite raises a hand in pause.

Theodora Brathwaite (Kim)
Not on me. Teddy, would you come outside, dear?

Kim
And we see the Dapper Boy, dressed in blue night clothes, walking out onto the lawn of Brathwaite hall. Mrs. Theodora Brathwaite does not address him at all. Instead, she continues to look at the Lurker.

Theodora Brathwaite (Kim)
I have brought you, O ancient one, a gift. Show me how you make others of your kind.

Kim
And quick as lightning, the vampire leaps upon the Dapper Boy.

Hunters, the Limehouse Lurker is no longer able to be resolved. The Lurker is now a servant of Theodora Brathwaite.

[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 coven of vampires, our Kitten Marlowe patrons, in supporting artist-driven storytelling. Thanks for listening.