Shadows in the Smoke S1E7 - "Such Lovely Skin"

Shadows in the Smoke S1E7 – “Such Lovely Skin”

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
Before we get into today’s Dusk Phase, I want to briefly step out of character and share that as of the time of this recording, it has been six days since the release of our very first episode!

Cassandra
Yay!

Natalia
Woo! [Claps]

T.
Yay! Okay good, we’re allowed to talk about it. Yay.

Kim
Yeah, we’re allowed to talk about it. Yeah, so how… How’s everyone feeling? I know it’s very early days. By the time you all are listening to this we’ll be all the way in June, but for us it is in the middle of May, so it’s all very fresh right now.

Natalia
So excited. So, like, thrilled by all the support we’re already getting, and can’t wait to do more.

Kim
Yeah! Already it’s been so cool to see a bunch of people listening. Like, folks I know. But also brand new people that I’m just getting to know!

T.
Yeah, the response has been so nice. And connections being drawn between cast members and audience members.

Cassandra
Yeah! [Laughs]

T.
And I’m feeling fully called out whenever I’m reading off my notes now, knowing that there are reactions happening that I’m not privy to, cause my view is elsewhere.

Cassandra
Just leave it to Kim and me to troll anyone, because Kim and I can’t, like, control our face. And any time someone says something, Kim and I are like… [Gasps]

Kim
It’s true. Yes. If you’re not following us on social media, I recommend you do so. You can find us at Kitten Marlowe most anywhere. But it’s an excellent excuse to watch Cass and I make funny facial expressions as people are trying to do serious narration.

Cassandra
It’s all really, like, us just delighting in how thorough everyone is. Like, it’s so complimentary. It’s not in any way, like, derogatory. Kim and I are just like [Gasp] “Oh, I like that. It’s so funny and cute!”

Kim
[Laughs]

T.
It’s also so fun, like the Instagram and the Discord. Like, the engagement got me so excited for this next session, too. Like, “Yay! We get to play again with all the people and make the thing!”

Robert
It has been very exciting. Um, it’s been so much work, but it’s been such good work. Like, it feels good, doing this for ourselves. I spent all day yesterday editing Behind the Masks, which is our bonus video podcast that we’re going to be doing. Vidcast? I don’t know what… Anyway. But yes, it’s been so great. And honestly, seeing the reaction on the Discord after the first episode has been huge. Like, that’s what made this feel really real, I think.

Kim
Yeah. So if you’d like to get involved on our Discord community, if you’d like to give a listen to our behind the scenes show Behind the Masks, you can head over to Patreon.com/KittenMarlowe. Tiers start at just $2. If tha’ts not in your budget right now, totally understandable. If you’re enjoying the show, we’d appreciate giving us a review. You can rate us on your podcatcher of choice. You can also email us at KittenMarloweProductions@gmail.com if you just want to drop a line and tell us that you’re enjoying the show, or if you have any questions, or just want to say hi. We’d love to hear from you. Thank you so much for listening.

T.
Thank you.

Cassandra
Yay. Thank you.

Robert
Thank you!

Kim
Alright, everyone. Serious faces back on. Let’s go to the Dusk.

[An ominous, rumbling woosh]

Kim
I have a brand new feature to introduce to you this Dusk Phase.

[Soft, contemplative piano]

Kim
That’s right, every session we’re unlocking more and more of this game.

Cassandra
Gasp.

Kim
So, the Dusk Phase is designed to set up the Night Phase. And last session, you all went about London, we did our Unscene. That is what is now going to be referred to as a London Night Phase. I am now here to introduce a new use of your Night Phase – the Hargrave House Night Phase.

T.
Ooh…

Cassandra
I just got goosebumps. I’m nervous.

Kim
You all live in a very grand, very mysterious, very old house that has a lot of secrets and a lot of history within it. You may choose in your Dusk Phase to spend your Night Phase exploring one of the rooms of Hargrave House. What this means is that during your Night Phase, your hunters will take no actions. You will not roll any dice. You will not get an Unscene. You will have no opportunity to resolve a Threat that Night Phase. So it’s a pretty costly decision to make. Let me tell you why you might want to do a Hargrave House Night Phase.

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. At the end of the phase, each hunter gets to claim one item mentioned or implied during these prompt narrations and add it to their Personal Quarters. And, the room is now Unlocked.

I have twenty six rooms in Hargrave House available for you to explore.

T.
[Sputters]

Cassandra
[Also sputters]

Natalia
We’re never gonna get through them all. I can’t wait.

Kim
And each room will unlock a custom move or a resource that you can use for the entire rest of not only this season, but just the campaign in general.

T.
Oh…

Kim
And they can be really powerful, sometimes game-breaking, custom moves.

T.
I just love the idea of like living in a house and being like, “You know what? I’ve been here for a couple weeks now. I should find out where the kitchen is.”

Kim
[Laughs] Exactly. But yeah, I will let you all ruminate with that. Maybe we’ll see if we feel like doing a Hargrave House Night Phase tonight, or a night in the future. But, first order of business: I’m owed some moves, please. Mr. John, I would like The Quickening, if you please.

Cassandra
My body is so ready for this.

Natalia
I’m so scared.

T.
Alright, I’m rolling with Composure or Sensitivity. So 0 or 0.

[Rolls, then laughs]

That’s an 11.

Kim
[Gasps]

Cassandra
Dang! Okay.

T.
The story knows to save that, wait for that.

Natalia
John has it under control.

Robert
Fully in control of the curse.

Cassandra
Yeah.

Kim
Alright!

Natalia
For now.

T.
So, I just have a 10+ hit, which – my body is stronger and faster, dope. And I roll with advantage when taking Vitality actions until the next Dawn Phase.

Kim
That could be useful!

Natalia
Oh god. Don’t say that.

Cassandra
It’s the side eye for me, with that.

Kim
Secondly, Miss Douglas, are you interested in doing Moonlight Upon the Waves tonight?

Natalia
I am not. Because I think I know what we are doing with our Night Phase today.

Kim
Alright.

T.
Getting a snack.

[Everybody laughs]

Natalia
From the kitchen! Hargrave House!

Kim
Lovely. Now, I would like to invite you all to answer a Question, should you like to. We are currently at 8 Clues for Sally No-Face, and we are at 3 Clues for the Demon of Kilburn Abbey.

T.
Gang, you wanna… You wanna answer some questions about Sally No-Face?

Natalia
I think we should.

Robert
I think we’ve got a shot.

Cassandra
I feel like we can safely hit “Where is the killer hiding?” or “How is the killer choosing their victims?”

Natalia
Well Robert, I think you have a pitch for, “What is the killer’s true identity, right?”

Cassandra
Oh, yeah. Yeah, I wanna hear what Robert’s got.

Robert
Yeah. I’m gonna make a pitch for going for “What is the true identity of the killer?” And part of that pitch is that we do still have this Threat’s Mask available. So even if we roll a failure, we can’t technically fail this roll.

T.
Sure. My only resistance to that is who cares? [Laughs] I mean, I do wanna know the true identity, but… I don’t know, the way it was presented was like, “and then we understand their motivations” and I don’t… I mean, fuck them!

Kim
So all it says is that you resolve the Threat by empathizing with the killer and then bringing them in peacefully. Like, I don’t know… There’s a lot of ways…

Cassandra
[Laughs]

Kim
That is somewhat open to interpretation. All that means is that Sally won’t resist capture. It is kind of up to you as to what is happening once that moment has happened.

Cassandra
Just wanna be friends with her.

T.
The completionist in me is also like, well yeah, let’s go for the A+ question. If everybody’s down with that, I’m down to go.

Kim
So your Clues for Sally No-Face are as follows:

A receipt for several bolts of very expensive fabric, which fell out of the Dapper Boy’s pocket. Rumors of Clara Yarborough frequenting a townhouse in a stylish neighborhood that is always well-lit at night. A gold embossed card, inviting Miss Doulgas to an extraordinary new exhibit of art and medicine, but no address or date is given. Rumors of Dame Margaret Teasdale going on about having discovered the fountain of youth. A name,c urgently without meaning and whispered by the Lady Thames: Victoria Callas. Dolly Merryweather’s finger, perfectly preserved. The subtle smell of indigo, and a sloyd knife – which is used for woodcarving.

Alright, so who’s got a pitch for Sally No-Face, and what Question are we setting our sights on?

Robert
So, my pitch for “What is the true identity of the killer, and what drove them to this madness? - Complexity 8”, is that Sally No-Face is none other than Vittorio Clemenza.

Natalia
Fucking yes, that’s what I was gonna say!

T.
Mmhm, mmhmm. Vittorio Clemenza, aka Victoria Callas.

Robert
Yes.

T.
When they go out in women’s faces…

Natalia
Ooh!

T.
To masquerade as the gender performance of their choice. Which I can empathize with a little bit more. The means leave something to be desired. But I think Victoria Callas and Vittorio Clemenza are one and the same.

Cassandra
I have no future in detective work. I didn’t clock any of this.

Kim
I’m the GM, and this is taking me by surprise!

Cassandra
I kind of love it. I was kind of on board initially with the Complexity 6 “How is the killer choosing their victims?” But I love this combination of what Robert and T are describing, and now I think this is the winner.

Robert
See, I think we could still go down to the Complexity 6 and just describe how Vittorio is choosing his victims.

Natalia
Mmhm.

Robert
But I think the obvious clues here are receipt for several bolts of very expensive fabric instantly ties it to them. The subtle smell of indigo, indigo being a dye, would also make sense for Vittorio.

T.
Mmhm, mmhm.

Natalia
If we’re implying that Vittorio is also the mysterious figure, that would tie them to dropping the invitation and the sloyd knife, which is a woodcarver’s knife. Their mask was like made of wood.

Kim
It’s true! And also, like… You know, this isn’t a Clue. And obviously I didn’t know where you were going to lean this answer. But in the scene with Miss Douglas just this last Day Phase, Vittorio did intimate that he knew the nature of Miss Douglas’s transformation, which would lend credence to…

Natalia
And there’s only one person…

Kim
Yeah. And Sally watched it.

T.
And took an interest in you. Also, this gives Vittorio prime access to be able to invite well-to-do nobles to this townhouse in the wealthy neighborhood, which I think is the location of the exhibit. I think the secret of the fountain of youth is being displayed here, which has gotta involve some kind of living embalming or like waxification, with this perfectly preserved finger? But I think all of that is happening at that same place, and Vittorio, like, talking to the people who know how to dress. Also, we’ve got… correct me if I’m wrong, but we have the woman with the sapphire necklace at the modiste’s shop.

Cassandra
Yes. Ena made eye contact with her in the carriage while I was getting fitted for my dress.

Kim
Yes, exactly.

Robert
And as for, uh, what drove them to madness. Speaking as someone who has worked both in garment construction and retail…

[Everyone laughs]

Robert
I think that’s enough!

T.
Not while I’m sipping my coffee, Robert!

Kim
No. I’m gonna need more of an explanation, Robert, than just an irate costumer.

Robert
I was going to suggest trying to create these beautiful garments, these beautiful designs, only to have them not appreciated by the people that he’s putting them on. Or, the people that he’s putting them on aren’t beautiful enough to live up to the garments.

Kim
So now he’s making people more beautiful, to be worthy enough of his garments.

Natalia
His designs.

Robert
Yeah.

Kim
This is very interesting, because he’s the one who spilled the tea on Margaret Teasdale. So it’s possible he was trying to advertise his own services.

Natalia
Oh interesting, that’s also valid.

T.
I also think there’s something to be said for the inverse of that, which is not making them beautiful enough to be worthy of the garments. But like, these people who think they’re so beautiful and think they’re so important – like yes, I have also worked in retail and in the hospitality industry. And the richest motherfuckers are the people you want to punish the hardest.

Cassandra
[Gasps]

T.
So, yes. Give them what they want, to their own detriment.

Cassandra
Uh huh.

Natalia
Here’s the thing, though, is Clara wasn’t rich, though. She’s from Whitechapel. She was poor.

Kim
It’s true.

T.
No, but she was beautiful. So he’s giving these young, beautiful faces to these young, rich biddies. But you’re also, like, trapping them in this expressionless body where they can’t emote themselves, because their emotions are the worst.

Robert
So it’s kind of a gene thing. Ala “I’ll give you your wish. I’ll make you beautiful. But you’ll live to regret it.”

Cassandra.
Ooh.

T.
Absolutely. A full monkey’s paw.

Cassandra
We’re so smart.

Natalia
Have we done it? Have we solved it?

Robert
Are there any we haven’t used yet?

Cassandra
I think we have to roll in order to figure out if we’ve solved it.

Kim
So let’s see … We’ve got the receipts. The townhouse being the location of the extraordinary new exhibit of art and medicine. That invitation being given to Miss Douglas because Vittorio saw Miss Douglas in the modiste and saw the pelt and followed her. Margaret Teasdale having discovered the fountain of youth – Margaret Teasdale would obviously be visiting the modiste. Maybe the exhibit is where this, like, proto-plastic surgery is happening. Victoria Callas being the sobriquet that Vittorio uses while they are operating as Sally No-Face. The perfectly preserved finger maybe hinting that in addition to stealing face, Sally is engaging in some, like, living embalming going on? Which is very interesting and freaky. The indigo being just a common dye used in the garment industry. And a sloyd knife for woodcarving, employed in the creation of Sally’s mask.

That all lines up for me. This is going to be a flat roll if we’re going for the Complexity 8 question. Let’s go ahead and read the Answer a Question basic move.

When the hunters have an open, freewheeling discussion about the answer to a Question, once they have gathered a number of Clues equal to half the Question’s Complexity and have reached a consensus, roll plus the number of Clues incorporated into the answer or otherwise explained away, minus the Question’s Complexity. On a 10+ the answer is correct, and an opportunity can be pursued. On a 7 to 9 as above, but the Keeper will add an unwelcome complication to the answer, and/or pursuing the opportunity will be more dangerous. On a 6 or below, the answer is incorrect and the Keeper reacts. On a 12+, the answer is also a Mastermind Clue. The Answer a Question roll can never be taken with advantage or disadvantage. The success tier can be increased by putting on the Mask of the Past, but only if every hunter does so. Alternatively, if the threat has an unused Mask associated with it, it can be put on to increase the success tier of the roll, without additional Masks needing to be used.

So who’s feeling brave? Who wants to roll a die.

Natalia
I believe in us.

T.
I volunteer as tribute.

Robert
Why don’t I take one of them and you can take the other? That way the blame’s not on either of us.

Cassandra
Split responsibility. I like split responsibility.

Natalia
Mmhmm.

T.
For sure. Also I wanna… I know we’re not solving this question, but I wanna pitch that indigo is the marker for how Vittorio would choose their victims.

Robert
That’s good, that’s good.

T.
Alright.

Robert
Alright.

T.
You ready?

Kim
Go forth.

[Dice hit the table]

Natalia
Someone say something.

T.
I got a 6.

Cassandra
[Gasps]

Robert
I got a 5.

[An eruption of cheers]

Natalia
We did it!

T.
Oh, baby!

Kim
That’s an 11!

T.
Can we do the Mask anyway to push to a 12? Like, we got nothing to lose.

Robert
We can!

Natalia
Well, we can save it for when we’re…

Cassandra
Confronting her.

Natalia
Facing them, yeah.

T.
Oh, okay. Okay, okay. I thought this was our last opportunity.

Natalia
I am down to use it eventually. I do want to.

T.
I just want to use them all.

Cassandra
I think we hold it for safety for the confrontation, to make sure that that’s not a fail.

Natalia
And then if we need to bump that one to a 12, then we do it then.

Cassandra
Then we can. Then we can burn it then.

T.
Okay, good.

Kim
Alright. Well done, hunters. So you have now unlocked the opportunity to resolve Sally No-Face. I will remind you all that Threats can only be resolved in the Night Phase. Of course, you can always wait for another Night Phase to do it, should you want to. Just, now the opportunity is available to you.

So, speaking of that, have we decided, hunters, whether we are going out into London tonight, or whether we are staying in?

T.
I mean, we gotta go to London…

[Much cross talk about a London Night Phase]

Cassandra
Yeah, I think we gotta go deal with this.

T.
We can get a snack anytime.

Kim
[Laughs]

Cassandra
T’s like, “I’m not hungry for that anymore. I’m hungry for blood.”

Robert
We’re going to an art gallery! There’s going to be like cheese and wine and stuff.

Cassandra
There will be snacks!

T.
Canapes!

Cassandra
Hors d’oeuvres.

Robert
Yeah, exactly.

T.
Servers who see where we’re coming from.

Kim
Alright. Well, I can hazard a guess, but I do officially need to ask you all. Hunters, one by one, what is it you plan to do tonight in London?

Natalia
Fuck up Sally No-Face.

T.
[Laughs]

Natalia
I mean resolve a Threat, sorry.

Robert
Going to the exhibit.

Cassandra
Yeah, I’m ready for this exhibit of art and science.

T.
Setting a trap at this exhibit of art and science.

Kim
Alright. Now it’s time to introduce the Unscene. I would like to go to the theatre.

[An ominous, rumbling woosh]

Kim
Tonight’s Unscene is A Night at the Grand Guignol: Good for Her.

[The hum of audience members in a theatre]

Kim
Every class of people in London is represented in the audience at the Theatre Grand Guignol. They have come to watch a production of Good for Her, a story about a nanny that murders the upper-class children in her care.

Paint the Scene: As the limelights pop to life and the crimson curtain is raised, what do we see as we scan the stage that shows how the nanny lives a modest life, compared to the rich family she serves?

[A broken, music box melody]

Robert
As the curtain comes up and we see the characters for the first time, the children are dressed in fine silk garments, but we see the nanny darning her own woolen socks as she waits.

T.
The set is built in such a way that it looks like the nanny goes downstairs to a basement in order to go to her living quarters, but the actual basement is on a second floor above the rest of the house. The house downstairs: beautifully appointed wallpaper, chandeliers, grandfather clocks, the whole nine. But the upper part of the set is just bare, wooden, with no decoration to speak of.

Cassandra
And I think in that room that she resides in, there is only a single window on the wall, and this window is foggy and grungy and dirty, whereas like all of the windows downstairs are very beautiful, letting in a lot of natural light. And then there is also a crack – like an opening in one of the panes. So there’s just a constant draft in the nanny’s quarters. So she’s just never warm. She never experiences warmth.

Natalia
We see in the set dressing where the nanny lives a simple table with mismatched chairs and only a single place setting with silverware and a plate and a bowl. Versus the bottom floor of the house, where the family lives, has a grand table with many gilded chairs, chalices, and plates, and finery galore.

Kim
So, off we go to Vittorio Clemenza, or Victoria Callas’s, exhibit. I must ask, hunters. This is a quite fancy, stylish affair. What are we wearing tonight?

Natalia
Maesie has donned a new dress that she got from Vittorio’s the other day that is, while still tartan print and woolen, it is a much more fine cut. It’s not so, like, every day. The gown is much longer, there are details to the bodice that are made in pearls and in gold. And she wears a few more trinkets and jewelry, so a lot of gold hoops, gold bracelets on her wrists. And shoes, cause  she has to…

Robert
Morgan is wearing his finest clothes, which is on a sliding scale, admittedly. Black trousers, no patches or threadbareness to them. A simple cotton shirt. A Harris tweed vest, and a black sack jacket that is not the nicest in the world, but at least is clean and whole. He is still wearing his thick hobnail boots, though.

T.
Mr. John is wearing a checkered suit, so it’s very fine, tight squares of dark grey on black, with a matching waistcoast, a very high, stiff, starched collar, but this, um… almost garishly, like, carnation-box pink bowtie, with a matching kerchief. And, for the occasion, doffs his Stetson and replaces it with one topped hat. But hiss hoes, as always, scuffed, travelworn, and comfortable.

Cassandra
Miss Thanero this evening is wearing an immaculately tailored, full men’s tuxedo. Like, a suit. Like, the highest thing that you can have on, that is what she is rocking tonight. She has a very similarly starched collar to Mr. John, but with a gold cravat that is dimpled with a shiny, like, owl’s eye in this immaculate green that’s like kind of similar to some of the color that’s in her eyes. She wears full, like, white gloves on her hands. There’s gold rings over the gloves. A beautiful, like, white – brand new, contrary to everyone else’s shoes – a brand new white leather shoe with a 1-inch heel. Very nice, for the times. Her hair is immaculately sculpted. There’s two gold olive branches kind of circling back in a halo through it. And then she is also carrying a black cane, with an owl-head topper on it this evening. And naturally, her gold sunglasses. Because we do wear our sunglasses at night, in this house.

T.
I have one more question for everybody. I know we all live and work in Hargrave House – is this the first Threat we’ve resolved together? Like is this the first time we’ve all come together to use our various abilities?

Cassandra
Mmm..

Robert
I think so. I think that makes sense.

Natalia
Yeah, I would say yes.

T.
Yeah. It feels right, right? This feels kind of like…

Natalia
Origin story.

T.
Yeah.

Cassandra
Yes.

T.
So I think we’re getting ready. One Shot, though I think he can dress the part, si stil kind of uncomfortable in like a formal suit that is not, like, broken in. And is adjusting and taking it down, looking in the looking glass, and is, uh…

Mr. John (T.)
You know, in my 30s, I was all over the plains when I wasn’t, uh… anyway. I don’t suppose y’all out here have anything to compare it to. The plans, that is. The ocean, maybe, but the plains ain’t like the ocean. The ocean fences you in, keeps you jailed to this island. Fixes itself as a threat to those that try and tickle the horizon, ere the earn the skill. The plains dare you toward that horizon, coax you in deeper, lure you, saying, “it’s just over this next ridge.”

Spent the better part of the ‘50s knee-deep in sawgrass, learning how to hunt from the Lakota. The son of an abolitionist friend of mine, long-haired kid, called him Pahaska. In my 30s, he must have been 8 or 9. Anyway. We were tasked with a Great Hunt. Now sometimes you hunt buffalo, you hunt elk, something to feed your kin. Sometimes, you hunt so you don’t get hunted yourself. Wolves, you get them hungry enough, come down to the plains to bag a buffalo themselves.

There’s a myth, sort of a romance in my homeland, of the lone wolf. Something of a mascot – plenty of pioneers eking their way toward the Rockies fix themselves on a lone figure, out against the elements. But those same men that lionize that lone wolf forget about the other people that circle their wagons with a campfire at night. A lone wolf is a goner. Wolf can’t survive without their pack. Hunters need one another. And I tell you what, a lot more dangerous than a wolf pack is a bison herd – there is something to be said for safety in numbers.

I got a telegram from that kid, who’s, uh… well, his career didn’t turn out what I hoped for him, told me there won’t be much left in the plains but the wolves soon. All this to say, when you’re trying to hunt something that hunts you, you have to use live bait. Something small, unassuming critter. A wounded heifer, a baby deer…

T.
And I take out an indigo handkerchief, and press it into Mr. Lloyd’s shirt pocket.

Mr. John (T.)
Or a rabbit.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Wouldn’t be the first time.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Mr. John, I do not know what a bison is, but I have to disagree that the ocean is a fence? The plains are actually much more what is keeping you contained, if you really think about… Your diatribe was wonderful, of course. Very colorful.

Mr. John (T.)
Diatribe!

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Sorry.

Mr. John (T.)
I would of thought of it as a rallying speech to get the blood pumping. We’ve got serious work doing here tonight. And Miss Douglas, I don’t mean to affront you when I talk of the ocean like this. I’m speaking to folks like Miss Thanero and Mr. Lloyd and myself, who are unable to traipse about it as you seem to be able to.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
It would really suit you to take into consideration to who you’re talking to…

Mr. John (T.)
Never had much skill for that, and…

T.
And I doff my top hat.

Mr. John (T.)
I do apologize.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
It’s alright.

Mr. John (T.)
But that’s part of my point. All of us hunters, we’ve got something special that we bring to this. I’ve got y’all’s back when it comes to a fight, but I don’t how to suss out who I’m talking to or what I’m supposed to say to them once I do.

Cassandra
I think at this point Ena just slowly walks up to Mr. John and starts to straighten his bowtie.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Well, darling. When it comes to social status and knowing how to navigate a room, I’ve got that talent in spades.

Mr. John (T.)
I’ll be sticking close to you.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
That sounds delightful.

Natalia
And I think right before we leave, Maesie looks at what everyone’s wearing and goes…

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
You’re all wearing trousers!

[The table erupts into laughter]

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
No one said I could wear trousers! Ah, it’s too late now!

Cassandra
Just stomps outside, just mumbling.

T.
And as she stomps outside, I turn to the other two and say…

Mr. John (T.)
We especially need to keep an eye on that one.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Agreed.

Kim
Let’s go back to the theatre.

[A broken, music box melody]

Kim
Natalia. Describe Act One, in which the two children are very abusive towards the nanny.

Natalia
Act One takes us through the nanny doing her job, and simply trying to take care of these two children who are in her care. And all they want to do is disobey. They want to throw their toys across the room at her. They want to knock their bowls of food to the ground and spill it and stamp it into the carpet. They want to jump on the beds, even though they know they’re not supposed to. Anything they can do to torment this woman, they can and they will.

Kim
I’d like to take us all to the exhibit.

[A London street at night]

Kim
Your carriage pulls to a stop in front of an enormous townhouse. Yours is one of many carriages on this street that are parked out front.

[Quiet, muffled music]

Kim
The townhouse itself is relatively nondescript from the front, other than the blazing, burning lights shining out of every window. The sound of music and dancing and riotous voices inside. A man in a trim suit stands near the front door, his hands clasped, his face wrapped in gauzy white fabric.

As the four of you approach, he holds out his hand.

Bandaged Man (Kim)
I’m afraid this is an invitation-only affair.

Natalia
Maesie starts, like, digging through her, like, dress. Like…

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
This would be so much easier if I had pockets. Fuck!

Natalia
And pulls out the invitation that was presented to her.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
It’s for the four of us, I presume. There’s hardly any information on it, I just assumed… yeah.

Bandaged Man (Kim)
Welcome, Miss Douglas and guests.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Thank you.

Kim
And he steps aside, and the door is opened for you.

[Distorted string quartet music]

Kim
As you enter the exhibit, the sound of music greets your senses first. It is loud in here, and there is a press of people dancing and drinking and laughing, having rendezvous in corners. You enter into an immense foyer. There’s staff in the same trim suits, the same bandaged faces, that are passing, holding silver trays of little canapes.

But most notably, there are a number of mannequins displayed all over this foyer, each one wearing exquisite finery. Each one displays a face, or part of a face, that has been nailed to the smooth, featureless expression of each mannequin.

Musicians play furiously, ceaselessly, each of their faces wrapped in bandages seeping blood.

I have a Paint the Scene for you all, here. What do you see or experience that is beautiful on the surface, but entirely artificial underneath?

Robert
There is an exquisite display of roses, absolutely filling the corners and reaching up to the ceilings of the room. But as you get close to them, it becomes very apparent that both the roses and their leaves are simply made of paper.

Natalia
There is a long, elegant banquet table set for easily 100 people. Each place setting has multiple plates, hundreds of glasses on the table, and all of the silverware is gold. But as soon as you pick one up and scratch it a little bit, the gold starts to flake off and the metal underneath starts to show through.

Cassandra
In the center of this room, there is a beautiful chandelier that looks like this incredible, like, cut glass. It looks incredible, it’s dazzling. But when you get up close to it, it’s all rough edges. It’s not refined. Instead of, like, beautiful crystal, it’s almost, just… grungy shards of glass.

T.
Many of the guests attending this party, rendezvousing in corners, appear beautiful from the outside. There are men, dazzling and waxing about their prowess with women in the corners. A careful eye could see the exchanging of bank notes, and that inspires the tittering of laughter and the appreciative listening.

Kim
Hunters, what are you all doing here?

Casandra
I feel like Ena is gonna stay rather close to Maesie. I feel a very big sense of protection. She’s clearly on one today, just really feeling herself. And I feel like that could be a dangerous emotional state for her to be in without supervision.

Robert
The morning’s opium largely worn off, Morgan is somewhat paranoidly looking around for potential exits, small alcoves where he could get alone. Anywhere where he could hide, run, or get an intimate moment with someone.

T.
Mr. John is keeping an eye on Mr. Lloyd. And I think doing a similar perimeter sweep, keeping an eye out for exits. But in the inverse way. Like, looking for places where somebody could strike an ambush, where somebody could get him alone and then try and take him out. So less for privacy and safety’s sake, but more for security. For defense.

Natalia
And Maesie isn’t going far, but she is creeping ever so slowly towards the dance floor with every passing moment. [Laughs]

T.
Mr. John does notice that, and then thinks, “You know, Lloyd’s got… his own devices.” And also kind of zeroes in on that dance floor.

Kim
Mr. John, as you are approaching the dance floor, one mannequin catches your notice. It is dressed in a red velvet gown. The very gown that you gave Vera Hale just a few weeks ago.

[The music fades into dark, sinister tones]

T.
I go up to it. It has a… a face pinned to it as well?

Kim
It does. It is the face of Vera Hale, nailed to this mannequin and painted in exquisite makeup.

T.
I finger the fabric of the garment, and I’m rolling it in such a way it, like, is starting to bunch and threatening to tear under my thumb as I’m gritting my jaw. I’m doing everything in my power to look at this mannequin as if I were appreciating it like an art piece. But in my mind I’m flashing back to every night that I’ve had with Vera, every time I’ve spent my evening with her, every story that I’ve told her, everything that she was brave enough to share about herself with me. And something more animal seeps into my posture.

Natalia
Oh, no… No. No!

Kim
This was the result of you not choosing “You don’t draw any unwanted attention” from last night’s As Cruel as the Harlot’s Curse. You not picking that…

Natalia
[Sighs]

Kim
Basically sealed Vera’s fate.

Natalia
God damn it, there being consequences to our actions.

T.
And not for me.

Kim
Especially because you said in I think Episode 2, you had an exchange with Vera where you said, “if you don’t want your face ending up like Clara Yarborough’s I suggest you tell me what I wanna know.”

Cassandra
[Gasps]

Kim
And I was like… Sometimes players give you their own foreshadowing.

Cassandra
Bro.

Natalia
Motherfuck. Everyone, stop talking to Kim.

Cassandra
Dang.

T.
I was trying to be cruel, only to be kind.

Whatever semblance of a plan One Shot had, vanishes. Whatever, like, “We’re going to dress up in well society and pretend” and “Oh, I’ve got your back,” “I’ll watch the exits”… That’s gone. Now this is a revenge mission. Now I’m out for blood.

And I take off my top hat and I put it on top of the mannequin, smooth my jet black hair back, kind of flick my hands out. And I begin looking around at the socialites not as somebody observing an out of place environment, but as a hunter.

Kim
Mr. John, as you are scanning this room, you hear a young voice pipe up.

[The tones grow more threatening]

The Dapper Boy (Kim)
Well now. It was not wise to tell Miss Hale about me, sir. She got it in her head to tell me to stay away from you. Tried to get rid of me. I don’t like being spoken down to, Mr. John.

T.
I kneel down so that I’m at eye level with him.

Mr. John (T.)
Well let me tell you what your mistake is, here. Because if you had just heeded this young lady’s warning and steered clear of me, you wouldn’t have caught my notice. Cause let me tell you something, son. I’m done speaking down to you. I’m done speaking to you at all. After tonight, the next thing you hear from me will be the last thing you ever hear.

[The distorted string quartet comes back into focus]

Kim
Miss Thanero, as you are moving through the exhibit, you hear a voice call out.

Dame Margaret Teasdale (Kim)
Well if it isn’t my darling Miss Thanero! Oh, to find you here, in all places!

Cassandra
Ena like visibly, like, just takes this, like… Very deep, like, in through the nose, like, absolutely trying to just calm. Cause she’s here for such different reasons. And Dame Teasdale is not one of those reasons! So I think…

[Inhales]

She just gets steely. And she turns around with, like, a wicked smirk. Absolutely not thrilled tos ee this woman right now.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Oh my dear, dear Margaret. It is a delight to see you out this evening.

Dame Margaret Teasdale (Kim)
I do find you in the most scandalous of places!

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
One could say the same for you.

Dame Margaret Teasdale (Kim)
Isn’t this party absolutely delicious? You know, this is where I met my very good doctor.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Oh my goodness, really? I never would have guessed! I mean, look at all of these beautiful creations, from the faces to the garments. It is a dream.

Dame Margaret Teasdale
Yes. You know, I could perhaps introduce you. Should you like to.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Oh goodness, really? I absolutely wouldn’t want to be a bother.

Dame Margaret Teasdale (Kim)
All in good time. But first, drinks!

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Oh yes, please.

Kim
And she slips an arm around you and starts leading you off towards the waiters holding champagne and canapes.

Cassandra
And I think she goes, but I think Ena is absolutely laying in wait. We’re just looking for a window.

Kim
Mr. Lloyd. Lingering on the edges of this party.

[The Woman in Sapphire’s theme starts playing]

An Unfamiliar Voice (Kim)
I can’t help but admire your choice of pocket square.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Thank you, guv. It was a gift.

An Unfamiliar Voice (Kim)
[Chuckles] Guv. I do appreciate your unorthodox nature, sir.

Kim
You turn, and you are speaking to a very finely attired woman, wearing a sapphire blue choker at her throat.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Didn’t mean no disrespect by it, ma’am.

The Woman in Sapphire (Kim)
I assure you, I have been called much worse.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Well I have to say, it seems we match tonight.

The Woman in Sapphire (Kim)
It is my signature color.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
And a lovely one it is, at that.

Kim
Miss Douglas, as you approach the dance floor, you hear a slightly muffled voice say…

[A Beethoven string quartet]

Sally No-Face (Kim)
Might I have this dance, Miss Douglas?

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
You may, if you tell me who you are. Seeing as you know who I am.

Kim
You turn to see a figure in a white coat, wearing a wooden mask. They extend a gloved hand towards you.

Sally No-Face (Kim)
All in good time, Miss Douglas.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Thank you for the invitation.

Sally No-Face (Kim)
I draw only the most interesting, the most beautiful to my galas. And you, my dear, are indeed interesting. Such lovely skin…

[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… My mom and dad, Janet and Randall Dalton, in supporting artist-driven storytelling. Thanks for listening.