16:54 <banana> Bob's two hundred thousand dollars richer but that's not the only obstacle to getting across town. 16:55 <banana> Andy Burnham has his back: https://limits.thomascastiglione.com/media/metroshuttle.jpg 16:58 <banana> He's sitting up the front because that's where there was a seat available. Two stops from Canal Street, a departing rider shuffles past and drops a bit of paper in his lap. 16:58 <tom> He doesn’t need to check to know it’s going to be hard to hide this. But he does anyway, wincing at the deep purple welts already blossoming up and down his whole left side, but particularly just above the knee where most of the blunt force was concentrated. He staggers up the stair into the bus, pauses like an idiot for a second remembering he doesn’t have to pay anything, and shuffles 16:58 <tom> to his seat. 17:00 <tom> He kind of rolls his eyes before sighing and picking it up. He’s half expecting it to be empty save for a Cry Laughing emoji that he’ll look up from right as the sniper squeezes the trigger, but he’s too spent to give much a shit after a night’s work. 17:02 <banana> It is pretty small - looks torn from a notepad - but it's handwritten and there's a little more text than that. "Mr. Goreman, congratulations. I'm informed that your skills and gumption played a key part in (1/5)" 17:03 <tom> Oh come on. 17:03 <banana> They do come on! The notes, that is. Next stop a woman gets on with a pram, and it's the infant inside who waves their arms in some spasm of emotion, hurling another bit of paper toward your leg. 17:04 <tom> Bob smiles uncomfortably as he returns the infant’s wave half-heartedly. 17:05 <banana> Sourjack's handwriting: "the successful commission of our first shared enterprise. Your share has been forwarded and Mr. Haldane, replete in his new nodalities, tells me you now need protection for a (2/5)" 17:05 <tom> There’s a moment of intense reflection where he considers trying to pop those safety-seals on the window- you know, the ones they put in after all those busses full of people burned up- and rolling, but the the throbbing, three-dimensional nexus of pain embedded in his torso says otherwise. 17:06 <banana> It would be much safer to wait for Sackville Gardens and get out at the stop. 17:07 <tom> Well, if Soyjack wants to keep playing this game... he is getting paid quite well to put up with this. 17:08 <banana> Nobody boards at the stop, but if Bob's remaining seated, the guy behind him taps him on the shoulder. "Terribly sorry," says a square-jawed businessman. "You've dropped your ticket." 17:08 <tom> “Thanks man,” He answers, dully, offering up his hand over his shoulder to take it. 17:10 <banana> The smile of a good deed done for a stranger. It looks like a bus ticket, but what it says is "beneficiary. I'm encountering issues gathering the information I need to do that. Could your paramour (3/5)" 17:11 <tom> What, Paramour? Like the band? 17:11 <tom> Alright now he’s getting agitated. He’s looking around the bus trying to guess who it’ll be next. 17:11 <banana> On the edge of Greensill another passenger boards, handing over a page with some embarassment. "I- forget it, guess this must be yours." 17:12 <tom> “Oh, thanks. I was gonna have to go back to the office otherwise.” 17:12 <banana> "perhaps be protected by the forces in which we have chosen to deal? I can penetrate these mysteries in order to establish a cordon of my own but I won't proceed without (4/5)" 17:13 <tom> This time he’s got it. It’ll be the driver for sure, right. 17:14 <banana> It's the driver. There's no pretence at all - when Bob reaches his own stop at the west end of Little Bolton the driver is waiting for him to pause, glare, et cetera. "Ere, I'm suppose to give this to you. If that's okay." 17:15 <tom> “Sure man, thanks.” He sounds worryingly, deeply sincere to the average Briton. 17:16 <tom> At least the driver knows this is embarrassing for all involved. 17:17 <banana> "Thanks for riding the Free Bus." The man is relieved. 17:17 <banana> The final bit of paper just reads, "your authori{s/z}ation. A secret dragged into the sun risks indisciminate bounces of light. 17:17 <banana> Yours obviously, 17:17 <banana> Sourjack" 17:17 <tom> Bob thinks a bit about how tough it would be to pull this off without him missing a message or the order getting messed up. Can’t help but laugh to himself. 17:18 <tom> Well, if he wants to talk back there’s the phone at the safehouse.. which he just left. 17:18 <tom> So he supposes it’ll have to wait unless there’s any indication that creepy fuck is expecting him to answer now. 17:21 <banana> Nobody else harasses him on the walk through the old town centre. 17:22 <tom> People keep saying this city is run down or whatever but it’s pretty nice compared to a lot of places he’s been. 17:22 <tom> I guess their New York is just, always three hours away. 17:23 <banana> At the speeds you can drive in America, sure. 17:23 <tom> He tries to hide his limp as best he can, and the line up medical patches up his leg should make it look like a simple bruise. 17:23 <tom> He doesn’t have, like, a big wad of cash right. S.J. set this up all digitally, right? 17:23 <banana> Mari opens the door for Bob when he arrives. "Hey bibi, later we've got- oh my g- bism- what?" 17:24 <tom> Finger guns. ”We’re gonna make it, kid!” 17:25 <tom> For some reason he wont face his left side to her. 17:26 <tom> He refreshes the balance on the account Richard helped him log into on his reticle. 17:26 <banana> Mari: "Get INSIDE, what the fuck. Get on the sofa. What did they do to you?" 17:26 <tom> He protests. ”Heyhey hey, what’s the proble-” 17:27 <tom> He doesn’t actually, like, resist, but his face is all buttoned up into a cringe as he’s lead to the sofa. 17:28 <banana> Mari: "You're limping like a man with a patellar fracture. Are those gauze pads? They're seeping. Get your pants off as - as unromantically as possible." 17:29 <tom> “Ha, be gentle senpai.” 17:30 <tom> His face is flush but it’s not clear if it’s not just burning shame at her worrying. He does as asked, revealing the string of welts goes up under his shirt all the way to the shoulder. 17:31 <tom> “It’s not as bad as it looks, okay.” 17:31 <tom> “Didn’t even break the skin. 17:31 <tom> “ 17:31 <banana> Mari's hands are everywhere, positioning him like interconnected lumps of meat, one leg up on the coffee table. Her face is a professional mask. "That's what it looks like. Something that could have been worse.. how's your shoulder doing?" 17:32 <tom> “No problems, the plexiglass shield redirected the force past it.” 17:33 <tom> “You know what pilots say, ‘any landing you can walk away from is a good landing’?” 17:33 <tom> “Well, we walked. And I have the money-” Does he? He refreshes the balance. 17:34 <tom> “So your birthday gift’s comin’ early. One-hundred-forty K should just about zero out your debt, right?” 17:34 <banana> For just a moment her eyes well up, then it's gone. "Bob... . . . So your shield got hit and it was deflected onto your left side. Here, here-" She presses on sore bits too-accurately. 17:34 <banana> "What were you hit by? And what the hell are you talking about?" 17:35 <tom> “Just an old John Deere. Wasn’t even going that fast.” 17:35 <tom> Blank look. ”Hhhoh, a tractor.” 17:36 <tom> “You know, paying for.. your school?” 17:36 <banana> Mari: "..I guess if you go out to fight werewolves a tractor might be involved. So were there any sharp bits? Any cuts apart from this mass around the knee?" 17:36 <tom> “I mean maybe you’ll have about another fifty to go-” 17:36 <banana> "Whatever you're doing can wait until I've got a diagnosis. Okay, baby? That's the first thing." 17:37 <banana> "So, about the cuts?" 17:37 <tom> Crushed, but trying to hide it: ”I don’t think so- there was some shrapnel when it went up but I was flat on my ass.” 17:38 <banana> Tractors don't usually go 'up'. "I'll trust you on that, which means we don't have to worry about septicemia. Now, your knee. I'm going to put my hands on here gently, shouldn't hurt after a second, but then I'll need you to bend your leg back and forth - as far as it will go. Ready?" 17:39 <tom> “Ye-yoooooo!” 17:41 <tom> F.O.R.T. guys are allowed to holler as much as they want when a field medic is working them over. As long as its a combat injury. 17:41 <banana> In sympathy: "Ouch. Okay, I felt the bone shift a little. Please keep the leg still now. What this means is that your knee is broken, a little bit- the front part of it, cracked without penetrating into the limb. But the whole thing will be stressed." 17:42 <banana> "We don't have to take you to the hospital. You'll heal a lot quicker if you do - maybe just a couple of days on a ward, then a brace. Otherwise it will be weeks and there is a risk of setbacks." 17:42 <tom> “Am I gonna miss the rest of the season, doc?” 17:43 <tom> Weakly: ”Do they have a special visa for guys who arrive through the Narnia closet?” 17:43 <tom> “Because otherwise that’s gonna open a whole can of worms.” 17:43 <banana> Mari: "Please don't.. call me doc other than when I'm doing this, I guess. Doc right now is.. fine. I just don't want it to be a frequent thing." 17:43 <tom> “Just funning, kid.” 17:44 <banana> She doesn't mind kid. It's like an old-timey Hollywood thing. 17:44 <banana> "Um.. you won't need a visa for treatment, ordinarily they'd check your status in there. But I can get around that, or I can with Sumi's help. Shit, Sumi is going to be here in forty minutes." 17:45 <tom> “Wh- Oh, no, you don’t need to bring her in on this.” 17:45 <tom> “I don’t need the Anime Club seeing me like this.” 17:45 <banana> Mari: "No, she's just coming over for dinner." She's got his leg braced between pillows and is hunting around for something in a medical kit that's kept in the bathroom. Plastic rope.. things. 17:46 <banana> "If you need to go to the ER now then I'll have to get her to cancel, yeah, although.." there's a worried note in her voice. 17:47 <tom> He summons whatever energy he has left to sit upright and raise his hands. ”No, no way, you gotta- you know. Can’t let the terrorists win.” 17:48 <tom> Swings his arm. ”You know, stiff upper lip.” 17:48 <tom> “Blitz.” 17:48 <tom> Oh, as an afterthought: ”If I dial 911 here I won’t get anything, will I.” 17:49 <banana> Mari: "Mm. We did have the Blitz here, or they did, years before my parents even arrived.." 17:49 <banana> She's tied some padded thing around Bob's knee now, and sits back, looking more like his girlfriend. Or like his girlfriend's illusionary projection that the world accepts rather than update its priors. 17:50 <tom> Then that’s it then, the last real hurdle. 17:50 <tom> Mission success. 17:51 <banana> "The thing is that Sumi's kind of.. it's not a good day for her today and it would be really nice if we could have her for dinner. You made it here, by walking, I guess, please don't walk on that any more today. Would it really be ok if.." 17:51 <tom> Bob does a weak little fist pump from a slouched position. 17:51 <tom> “Sure, sure. You want me to keep the conversation light? No, uh,” he gulps. ”Tough topics?” 17:52 <tom> His voice comes out just a little strained there. 17:52 <banana> "No, actually. Don't treat her like there's something wrong. We haven't really talked about Sumiya..." 17:53 <banana> "I'll help you get these on." A fresh pair of pants, without the blood and rust and ectoplasm. 17:53 <tom> “Sure, sure.” He levers himself up and pulls them on with barely any bitching. 17:54 <tom> He gives the apartment a quick look-over. The flier’s still in the closet where he left it- any cleaning he should get on before a guest gets here? 17:55 <banana> Mari's gone to wash her hands, visibly setting aside the Tractor Thing. You've talked about the dangers of the job and she does, in fact, hate it, but thinks that Bob's work is basically necessary. Heroic, actually. Which is no excuse to not be careful. 17:56 <tom> Let’s not dispel that lie too quick, Bob thinks, glowering. 17:56 <tom> He taps the visor again to update his bank account. 17:57 <banana> "Sumi is fine for the most part. You've known her mostly on the upswing, but that's most of her. The rest is just.. bad memories that get overwhelming, hope that you can't hold onto all the time. Nobody's obligated to be always 'on', right?" 17:57 <tom> “You said she got uh, booted from-” 17:57 <banana> Bob's account has been exceptionally updated. 17:57 <tom> “What was it, I’m really sorry. I’m only pulling up Horny Hill.” 17:57 <tom> “You guys have funny clubs.” 17:58 <tom> There it is. The anxiety just sorta unspools inside him so he can really just focus on how much his leg hurts. 17:58 <banana> Mari: "You're probably thinking of the Spring hill, 'coz we haven't got that other one. They tried to force her into therapy. So no trying to rationalise away the sads, please." 17:58 <tom> “Oof.” 17:59 <tom> “You mind if I waddle out for a smoke really quick?” He keeps telling her he’s trying to quit, but surely... 17:59 <banana> "It's a huge ethical violation in my opinion." Mari's voice is clinical again for a moment. "Which doesn't hold much sway." 18:00 <banana> "The bathroom fan's broken again, outside will have to do!" 18:00 <tom> “Mind if I ask why, or-” He scrunches up his nose. ”I’m not trying to be messy.” 18:00 <tom> Well in any case he kinda hobbles out with the pack and lighter in each hand. It’s not too cold yet, right? 18:01 <tom> He takes her constant reminders that smoking will kill him in good humor, but has not really made a move to stop. 18:01 <banana> Getting there. England is real chilly. It's no wonder people left, really - although you learn about Jamestown and think maybe they were exaggerating - then again this place has farms, with storehouses for the winter. 18:01 <banana> Virginia has farms, now, but mostly pork. 18:02 <tom> They keep saying when the Gulf Stream current collapses this whole place will be as cold as Finnmark. 18:02 <tom> Bob smokes in peace. 18:02 <tom> By all metrics, this is all going really well so far. 18:02 <tom> Where’s the floor gonna fall out? I mean, it’s coming. 18:03 <banana> It's just a shame he can't really smell what Mari's cooking over the cigs. 18:04 <banana> The twilight issues forth a friend. Sumiya opens the gate, moving it carefully with hands wrapped in her shawl. "Mister Bobalina." 18:04 <tom> “Sumiya.” Bob is exceptionally polite, but relaxes when he remembers what Mari said about acting casual. 18:05 <tom> He grinds out the cigarette out of respect. ”One of those days.” 18:05 <banana> Sumi: "Sumiya Darling is what my grandparents call me. Do you get a stipend from America to make the death sticks look cool?" 18:06 <tom> “Look cool, oh no pilgrim, I’m just keeping one finger on the eject button.” 18:06 <banana> "The weary warrior, enjoying a break, freezing air making an excuse for his stubble..." 18:06 <banana> She slips past to go in. 18:07 <tom> He rubs his chin. It’s not that bad, surely. He tries to keep clean shaven. People in other countries have.. ideas about army men with beards. 18:07 <tom> Pilgrim? God. Gotta stop watching those old Westerns. 18:08 <tom> Well, that done, he follows her in. Doing his best to show he doesn’t care about the bandages Mari has neatly arranged in a grid up his body. 18:09 <tom> “Feel free to hang out as long as you n- want. We’re gonna be watching G.O.T.G 2 later and I’m gonna try and fail not to weep like a bitch when Yondu dies.” 18:09 <tom> Every time. 18:10 <banana> Sumi: "I can't believe I know so many rewatch-the-movie people. Looking forward to it." 18:10 <banana> Dinner is fish and broccoli with breadsticks in white sauce. Packaged mousse from the empanada place. When the hunger's been quelled a little, Mari says: "What did you mean about a debt, Bob?" 18:10 <banana> Really puzzled tone there. 18:11 <tom> Bob chews thoroughly and swallows before speaking. Confused: ”You know, you gotta pay for school?” 18:11 <tom> “...The reason why all the graduates I knew spent two tours in the sandbox?” 18:11 <tom> “For the GI bill?” 18:12 <tom> “It’s okay if 140 doesn’t cover it. I got regular work now.” 18:12 <banana> Mari: "Yeah, thanks to Nick the Clegg with the wooden leg. My parents paid for her the first time round and now I've got to like, dedicate a percentage of my residency and take out a credit card." 18:12 <banana> Sumi looks back and forth. "Mare bear, you must know about the Americans." 18:12 <tom> “Just give me the number and I’ll get it paid up. It can’t be more than 400.” 18:13 <banana> Mari: "Ohhh no. Did you think- oh baby I'm so glad we got you out, even if you have to fight wolves now." 18:13 <tom> “What?” 18:14 <tom> He’s genuinely blanking. 18:14 <banana> Sumi: "I hear they're basically on the brink of collapse at this point. The student debt's a bubble and it's reinflating the.. other bubbles, or something similarly involving childrens' toys." 18:14 <tom> “Is it... not?” 18:15 <banana> Mari: "I do have debt from school. I owe them six thousand pounds, and I really appreciate that you'd want to pay it." 18:15 <banana> "But I have years to go, and I can't ask you to commit to anything like that for the rest of the course." 18:15 <tom> “Wait that’s barely ten thousand dollars.” 18:16 <tom> Bob reels. 18:16 <tom> “And your country is just like that?” 18:16 <banana> Sumi: "No, it's shit and getting rapidly worse. When I took Classics I didn't pay anything, because education is how we propagate society." 18:17 <tom> Bob closes his lips around a cigarette that is no longer there. So we’ve just got one hundred and forty thousand pounds? 18:17 <banana> Mari: "Doctors make more money in America, but the amount students pay is... obscene." 18:17 <tom> “Do you guys have like.. a charity that takes donations?” 18:19 <banana> Sumi: "Obscenity is fun, but I dunno if anyone's been able to turn their student loans into a kink. We'll have to google it." 18:19 <banana> Mari: "Here's the good stuff." Referring to some extremely inexpensive wine. "Donations for what?" 18:20 <tom> “Not the hospital. You know, you guys.” 18:20 <tom> “I’ve just come into cash, in fact.” He giggles like a schoolgirl. ”The Jokers on Wallstreetbets are at it again.” 18:21 <banana> Sumi: "Your girl here can reach into mirrors and steal lumps of faery gold." 18:21 <banana> Mari: "Yeah, I can do that because I'm a total idiot. But it's true that we don't really need financing, just.. care. Obscurity." 18:21 <tom> “Sure, sure. I wasn’t thinking of giving more than half.” 18:22 <tom> “Gotta look out for your peeps, you know.” 18:22 <banana> Sumi: "If it's idiotic to steal from- ah, forget about it." 18:22 <banana> Mari: "My suggestion? Keep the money but.. stick around. While having money. If anyone does need help, you'll be able to give it." 18:22 <banana> "In more ways than just that one." 18:23 <tom> “Sounds good.” Bob still isn’t going to stop refreshing the balance every few minutes for the next few days. 18:23 <tom> Just wanna make sure they don’t do him like MTGox. 18:23 <banana> "Now I want to take you to the hospital tomorrow just to point at a functioning public service." 18:24 <tom> It’s clear something’s still on his mind, but he lets himself fall into the back of the conversation for a while while they chat. Sumi’s had a day just he has, so he can take a backseat. 18:24 <tom> “Oh wow, it’ll be like a day at the zoo.” 18:24 <banana> Sumi: "They won't thank you for it, given what corona did to everyone's hours." 18:25 <banana> Mari: "Yeah. I got lucky to skip it. But Bob actually is hurt, point-fracture that will bond much faster if he can be kept bed-still." 18:25 <banana> "I am not keeping this guy from jogging around and climbing up things without the aid of burly nurses." 18:25 <tom> Does Mari have any special insight she’s relayed to Bob about the pandemic? That’s still going on, isn’t it- but he had his shot when the army guys rolled it out in December for the tacteam. ”Is the new variant gonna punch through my shot?” 18:26 <tom> “Is that a thing?” 18:27 <banana> Mari: "I don't think anyone cares anymore. A few people end up in critical care but it's.. not worse than influenza, at least not the kind we've got after winters without immunity." 18:27 <tom> “So we’re just gonna.. have covid now.” 18:27 <banana> Sumi: "You mean they've given up, even your teachers. Bob, are you ok? What happened to your leg?" 18:27 <tom> “Just a drunk farmer on a tractor.” 18:28 <tom> “But the compensation be good.” 18:31 <tom> They are being quiet a little too long. This is not good. 18:32 <tom> Bob eats some bread sticks. 18:34 <banana> Sumi finishes her wine in a gulp. "You know he's lying, Mari?" 18:34 <banana> "To both of us, or is there something I'm not to know here?" 18:34 <tom> Bob shudders. 18:35 <tom> “Hey hey it’s not like that-” 18:35 <banana> Mari: "No, Sumi, Bob has legitimately been hit by a tractor. I love him anyway, but it was very stupid. I've seen the wounds just now." 18:36 <banana> Sumi: "You've made a compensation claim in the space of an evening, have you? They do warn us that americans are litigious." 18:36 <tom> This is all starting to unspool very fast. Bob swoons. 18:36 <banana> Mari stares helplessly at that one, trying to come up with something. She's not a natural liar either. 18:38 <tom> Bob’s forehead glistens with sweat, and he takes off his sunglasses. Rubs his eyes. God, it’s the silence that really kills you. He looks at Sumi, who of course is meeting him eye for eye. 18:38 <tom> “What, I’m not allowed- you guys of all people should get this-” 18:39 <banana> Mari: "Huh?" 18:39 <banana> Sumi: "What the hell, Bob?" 18:39 <banana> "What do you think you know?" 18:40 <tom> “You think I don’t want to tell people what’s up? Hey, Mari-” Bob turns, just a little too quickly, so the snappy joke comes out as all snap: ”You know what a ‘Pandoran’ is?” 18:41 <banana> Mari puts her hands up. "HEY. Please, you need to both calm down. We're having a- a Harlequin level misunderstanding. Third-last chapter shit." 18:42 <banana> Sumiya is nonplussed. What does that even mean. 18:42 <tom> He’s breathing faster, now. Before she can answer: ”Me neither.” Leans back in the chair, pinches his lip with his thumb and forefinger. ”Hopefully nobody fucking knows.” 18:43 <tom> He winces. ”Oh shit, Sumi- I’m fuckin’ sorry.” 18:43 <banana> Mari: "If it's something you need to talk about, there's. Uhh." 18:44 <tom> Bob undergoes an instant change. ”You guys have stuff I don’t know about. You know, stuff you still won’t talk about- Mari.” 18:44 <tom> “And I’m the good-ass soldier, Need to Know basis, huh? Yeah, I don’t ask.” 18:44 <tom> “So I’m an open book. If you want to ask me a question, fine. I’ll give it to you- but you gotta turn that favor back.” 18:45 <banana> Sumi puts her knife and fork together on the china plate with a clatter, then rearranges them into a neat little X. "You don't ask. But you're bursting with the need to tell." 18:45 <banana> "I'm going to go and start the movie, ok? You guys come join me when you've worked it out. I know you've seen it before." 18:45 <tom> He reclines back into the chair and crosses his arms. 18:46 <banana> She's getting up before Bob can say anything else. Mari seems inclined to let her go... 18:46 <tom> “Thanks, Sumi-” He hopes that comes across as apologetic. 18:46 <tom> He just kinda crumples up as she walks away. Nice one. 18:46 <banana> Mari: "???" ?? ":(" 18:46 <tom> Grabbing for any lifeline he can: ”Mari..” 18:47 <tom> “You can’t be mad I’m not just.. you know what would happen if I told any civilian stateside what we do?” 18:47 <banana> "Um." She looks for where Sumi went (toward the front room, presumably), thinks hard for a moment. "Look, I can be mad, but I'm not. Ok? I could be, anyone could be. That's just how it is." 18:48 <banana> "What's a Pandoran, if you don't mind?" 18:48 <tom> He rubs his chin. ”Mean as hell and thick as grass. Ten feet tall and covered in teeth.” 18:48 <tom> “Baker and Dagger got their medals posthumously.” 18:50 <banana> "And you were in Dagger, right?" 18:50 <tom> “Yes ma’am.” 18:52 <banana> Mari: "I'm sorry bibi. For what happened, and because I fucked up a bit here. I haven't made it clear to people that there are secrets you have to keep." 18:52 <banana> She actually looks guilty. 18:52 <tom> “There’s a word that keeps coming up in all these meetings you have me at..” 18:53 <tom> Bob winces. Been doing that a lot tonight- but he’s on a timer, here. They’re going to miss Drax talking about his turds. 18:53 <tom> He puts his hand on her knee, squeezes just so. ”What’s a ‘keeper’?” 18:53 <banana> "The winter hill loves 'secrets'. Or do you mean.." 18:54 <tom> “You said Cheiron didn’t really do anything to you.. then what?” 18:57 <banana> Mari thinks about it for a moment, looks at Bob with something like desperation on her face. "Okay. Just a sec though." 18:57 <banana> She loves the movie but doesn't care what bit they're up to. "I'm going to take Sumi one of the mousses. I'll be back in a moment." 18:57 <tom> That’s the worst thing in the world, that look. It just makes him want to die. 18:59 <tom> Bob sits there and wants to cry. 18:59 <tom> But he doesn’t. 18:59 <tom> Instead he has some more fish. 18:59 <banana> It takes a couple of minutes and quiet voices, then the TV gets louder and Mari returns to the kitchen. 19:00 <banana> Mari: "I mean, you've figured out this is something we don't talk about." 19:01 <tom> “Is she going to be okay? I mean-” Bob leans out to make sure Sumi is enjoying the movie. ”I didn’t mean to ruin her day worse.” 19:02 <tom> The transition to civilian life is never an easy one, they say. 19:02 <banana> "She'll be completely fine tomorrow and then she's gonna give you the shit-eye until you do something really nice. I don't know what it'll take." 19:02 <tom> But they also can afford not to spend any time in a VA hospital. 19:03 <banana> "Keepers, Bob." 19:03 <tom> Nice, Bob can do. Nice is pretty easy for Bob. 19:03 <tom> But he sure as shit isn’t going to interrupt her now. 19:03 <tom> He’s set aside the plate, trying to push himself up to an attentive posture. 19:03 <banana> Mari: "Once again it's unfair to you, like not knowing to hide the hunting, so.. from my point of view this comes down to whether it's worth it, to ever be able to really know someone who isn't a changeling. You.. know where I come down on that, right?" 19:04 <tom> Bob doesn’t interject with his own theories on whether it’s possible to know anyone, peirod. 19:05 <tom> “If I didn’t you wouldn’t have been there the morning after.” 19:05 <banana> "I would like to remain there. It's nice there. Here is the-" Mari holds up multiple hands to make air-quotes- "clinical version. 19:07 <banana> "There is an older world than this one - Faerie. You know that much. When the dales and woods and shit were young, the faeries were there. We were there, sort of." 19:09 <banana> "Humans came along, traditionally supposed to be via evolution from plains apes, and made friends with the elder race. Or some of them. There are two kinds of fae. The Seelie and the Unseelie. It's an old word that I assume means something like 'nice'." 19:09 <tom> Bob, being a military man, has no particular frame of reference to use as he tries his best to assume the stance of the contemplative, somber listener. 19:09 <tom> “Nice.” 19:09 <banana> "Seelie fae will treat with people, if they're in the mood for it, do tasks for gifts, play harmless tricks. There were agreements made." 19:09 <tom> “And that’s what you guys are, right.” 19:10 <banana> "Sort.. of." 19:10 <tom> “Uh huh,” He bids her on. 19:11 <banana> Mari: "So there are still.. well, they might be the original fae, I don't know. There are beings out there, sometimes called goblins, they act like I said. Nice, at least within their natures." 19:11 <tom> He reaches for his pocket. No, no, he hasn’t seen any, mentions don’t count. 19:12 <tom> “Are they like you, with that slick active camo?” 19:12 <banana> Mari doesn't notice, she's on a roll. Mostly enjoying getting this out. "Goblins are fine. Most of the not-fine ones are.. different, more and less human. Bigger. Elves, or true faeries, or, some of them, Keepers. It's an occupation, not a species." 19:13 <banana> "We call these extremely unseelie fae keepers because they keep us, after they catch us. I was completely human, unless you ask the BNP." 19:14 <tom> Bob’s eyes do something strange. It’s not clear anything is registering at first, but his pupils suddenly shrink. 19:14 <banana> That Mari notices. "Are you with me so far?" 19:14 <tom> “You mean, like- they just roll in-” 19:16 <banana> "It's kind of the other way around. The true Fae, elves and goblins alike, they aren't directly connected to this world anymore. They live on the other side of dreams, in Arcadia." 19:17 <banana> "It's separated from normal-arse England by the Hedge, but you can.. fall in." 19:19 <banana> In a sudden rush: "We're drawn in, caught, trapped, Kept. It's awful. It can last for a long time. If we make it out alive then by the time we get back we're also fae. The silver lining which is also another cloud. We are Changed." 19:20 <tom> Bob, numb: ”how’d they get you?” 19:20 <tom> “Who got you?” 19:20 <banana> Mari's trailed off, watching Bob. He seems to calm her. "Doesn't matter. It can happen to anyone." 19:20 <tom> “Jesus Christ.” 19:21 <banana> "Each of us calls the thing that had us our 'Keeper'. Collectively, they're the enemy.. we escaped, right? They want us back. They have people for that." 19:21 <tom> Bob leans over onto the table, crushes his eyes closed. For a moment it looks like the waterworks are about to start, but in a moment the flood of feeling draws back just enough that he can breathe. 19:22 <tom> “The... what was it..” 19:22 <tom> “Huntsmen?” 19:23 <banana> "That's it I think. The details behind the word. I shouldn't have taken you to dinner, then or now, without explaining this much.. I just wanted to- to put it off. Think about other things. Even tractors." 19:23 <tom> Bob, who woke up for three months every day expecting her to be gone: ”Yeah.” 19:24 <tom> He gulps. ”It was some kind of pissed off spirit.” 19:24 <banana> "What, no 'you shouldn't have had to tell anyone, kid'?" 19:24 <tom> “Went into the tractor- those motherfuckers forgot to empty the tank on spooky night.” 19:25 <tom> “I was- I was getting to that part.” He can’t even pretend to look mad at her as a bit. 19:25 <tom> “But I mean, you shouldn’t.” 19:25 <banana> "No, I should. It's not fair, but that's just how it is." 19:25 <tom> If she should, then he should. And right now she still thinks he’s a hero. 19:25 <tom> But he doesn’t say that. 19:26 <banana> Mari: "So that was a spirit as in...? Actually, I don't know what those are as in." 19:26 <banana> "Riann would know, or Hatch of course." 19:26 <tom> Since he already asked for details and she gently let him down for now, he won’t push it. God, already pushed it too far tonight. 19:27 <tom> “Then I just have one last question.” He looks out at Sumi in the living room, watching the colors from the screen play out across the sofa. 19:27 <banana> Ultimately, Mari seems fine. She's really resilient, maybe more so than some of the hunters he knows. Or has a really good facade, same thing. 19:27 <tom> He leans on his elbow, trying to sound conspiratorial. 19:27 <tom> “How do you kill one?” 19:36 <banana> Mari: "They have more power than anything that exists in the modern world and if you draw their attention, your children and their children have it still, unto the seventh generation." He's not hearing a 'no'. 19:37 <tom> He’ll think about that one for a while.