https://youtu.be/NsdsKqgdMXw?si=cH43cJ51K9O59A7K

Intro

[Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] w [Music] [Music] [Music] testing testing testing good evening this is your friendly neighborhood Storyteller nobody and this is the inaugural Voyage of our new Chronicle the dark of Bethany tonight's episode again the inaugural the first in the season is called a flying so once again I am nobody the Storyteller your favorite friend number one fan and the narrator of the dark of Bethany episode one a flying hey hey hey how we doing all how's it going not bad not bad at all it's good to see you didn't keep you waiting too long did I oh no not at all I've only been here about a minute and I'm watching TV excellent excellent welcome welcome how we doing pretty good throat's a little sore I think I'm coming down with something hopefully not but yeah is a season unfortunately welcome welcome Bo how we doing another day at the office in the book you know you work in an office now well it is an office because it's an office but do I leave this do I leave my four walls no never have to drag that carcass out of this out of these four walls you like being drun but you know we got to keep it PG only in certain situations thank you very much again I understand no no King shaming just uh letting you know we got to keep it PG we we we are on on the public Airwaves and and for the record neon this is he's one of the the players of our usual troop he will not be playing um in Bethany but an active ear an active captive studio audience is always a good [Music] thing nice to meet you you already know Diva [Music] India we have missives out and we are hopeful um of their response but I'm not sure that that will actually U what will come of it looking at the RSVP I I I noticed a lack of things a lack of Y or Nays so without laboring the point too very much if we are all am minable I am raring and ready to to begin but before doing so going once going twice going as many times as necessary are there any questions concerns hypotheses or just simply Corners we'd like to round [Music] off all right good oldfashioned camarad Ral silence in preparation of the many hopefully enjoyable events that we will have in front of us so for the record and without any shadow of a doubt this is the start the beginning of the dark of Bethany season 1 episode one entitled a [Music] flying tonight's troop will be played by divasa on Discord who will be playing exactly who will you be playing Diva um tonight I am India Love A princess cowgirl s and we'll see how this goes excellent excellent and lastly but not leastly in this uh Grand epic beginning of the dark of Bethany we have neon pixie sticks on Discord who will be [Music] playing Lita Cambridge she is spooky this is a good thing well then you've come to the right place while we are just leaving Halloween season the horrors in the world of Darkness are a consistent constant weight they're like the weighted blanket of our real world everpresent and familiar enough to lull one into a false sense of security and safety the horor of the everyday and the sheer unbridled monstrousness of man's inhumanity to man is the one Conant everyone knows that there are only two things Eternal death and taxes that's not the case for the denisons of this shadowy world in which vampires exist werewolves how and many other magical mystical and Supernatural things abound in the dark we close our eyes and open our minds to the idea of swooping across a verdant plane the Midwestern states of these United States we swoop and soar South along the great Mississippi River and just before we find ourselves in the Gulf of Mexico we moved du west across the state of Louisiana and just as we break the border between Louisiana and Texas there resides a do domain built around a city the domain of Bethany Bethany Louisiana which straddles the border between all things Louisiana and all things Texan it is a melting Mel Ming pot of foreign influences the domain and the city the town the I blinking you'll miss it less than one horse town was begun with a church church that still resides to this day a church which is the centerpiece of every aspect of the marketing of the the area Bethany sits not only on the border between Louisiana and Texas but Bethany inhabits its main street is the primary route moving from Carthage or the capital of East Texas into shreport which is the capital of the region both for The Mortals that abound and exist during the daylight hours as well as those things that bump back against one another during the dark shrie Port is the center of the universe for East Texas South Arkansas and Northwest Louisiana it controls the Commerce the E and flow and the politics of these three states and these Three Counties all of the humans and Kindred in the area when they say that they are going to town are pointing toward shreport it is the capital of the region it is the center of power it is all things important to all persons entertainment education the opportunity to do more than exist to experience what night life may actually be like is it as vibrant and kid scopic as you've seen on movies and TV shows and is crime yes all of those things and more and like any verdant Camelot like any Capital it needs its watchtowers it needs men on parapets keeping the infidels The Barbarians the angry hordes from being able to Simply ransack and pillage and one of those Towers one of those watchtowers one of those men along the parit is Bethany itself and this is where we will be beginning and in the nick of time with all due haste we have Noble Wayfair who tonight will be [Music] playing Discord a little dirty there it cut off the first portion of course it did Matty Woodburn another Resident of our lovely Bethany as a watchtower city as a watchtower place a pin prick along the highway a blinking you'll miss it existence Bethany is weary toward strange ERS and Outsiders as well as insiders it's the gateway to [Music] shreport and before we get down to what how we're going to dive into the small evening existence of these particular kind starting in anti alphab medical order as the sun sets and your cold lifeless body resurrects once more what if anything are your evening oblations MADD probably not terribly difficult from when she was still alive get up get ready toss her hair back in a ponytail check messages see if the new any orders come in just go about her day seeing if she has been summoned for some [ __ ] that she hates as is always the case ask and you shall receive because the very first message the very first annoying chime of the answering machine is from none other then Kaylee Temperance the rightand woman for Liam Rodriguez the scorge of the area second only to Regent Wolford and Kaylee in her annoying fall Californian accent so um like I know it's only a few minutes until sunrise so you'll probably get this like tomorrow but um well you know the scoop you know what to do you know where to be Liam is in a mood as always so yeah um see you there and just as you can hear the fumbling of the receiver she gets ready to hang up oh yeah hey um my cabinet that you built to hide uh my little sleeping the spring and then the line goes [Music] dead her eye roll is audible it is without a doubt that you as per usual are unfortunately put upon it is without a shadow of a doubt unfortunately far too often were your services of body are used at someone else's agency the fact that the scorge Rodriguez could not Dain the time or effort to reach out directly is another sign of that it's not a red flag it is a huge Cape that is draped across the table of your life bright and Scarlet and [Music] leaking and as per usual when Rodriguez calls you know what that means that you will be leaving your family property you will be leaving your homestead not to make your nightly bread but to head into downtown Bethany to the Thriftway where Rodriguez has his own semblance of a Chantry built into the back of the huge building there just off of 79 and State Line Road it's always a hassle because 79 from the peak oil field just Southwest of town all the way until buncome road is a Speedway it is everyone hustles as if they have everywhere to be at once and it's often the primary location where Panola County and the parish generate a vast amount of income so there will be the usual part car for Penola County sitting somewhere on the side of of the Methodist church next to the Family Dollar and then you'll see the Cado Parish sheriffs just on the other side a State Line Road by the oldtime store or just across from lick Skillet waiting for that inevitably speeding tourist or [Music] local and as you prepare loading up the truck with whatever you think you might need we slide anti alphabetically North to Lita Rising for the evening the sun dropping just below the horizon line what if anything are your evening oblations well I think I'd probably start with trying to get my blush of life going trying to pass for get as much passibility as I can going because it's so hard for me and then on top of that I'm probably dressed in like Nick toob or something really totally covering but still letting me blend in a little bit like I'm trying to pull off Muslim dress in small town so my life is probably going to be awesome tonight and uh I'm going to try to arrange a deal to buy some uh blood [Music] bags so you're going to attempt to make connection or um dial up someone involved than the site Hustler Market it's the local resource for all things less than above board the idea of purchasing obtaining stealing or otherwise engaging in gaining some sustenance is a difficult thing this far south of SHP this far in the middle ofth nowhere the all of the most of the medical resources are heavily scrutinized and and heavily maintained because it is such a relatively long 30 minutes to get into the nearest portion of the city and it is such a long 30 minutes to get into any portion of either Carthage or shreport people go missing all the time and yet blood typically does doesn't to be so kind as to first and foremost would you go ahead and roll for your blush of life which is using the fake casting lots Channel just north of us right there and use either Inc canoe or rim of darkness and roll 1 d10 you can also use the slash awaken or slash Rouse if you're going to use Ino and it'll give you your outcome all right success and what that means is that the dictates of the Beast make no immediate Demand on you it doesn't unlike it's usual come roaring into Life by kicking open all of your mental doors demanding to be fed it doesn't seize you up by the throat and drag you along to dance to its tune and feeding itself and satiating itself in a pool of blood instead it's just a TI at the back of the mind your everpresent suser Whisper of feed me satiate me serve me constantly there just beneath the surface of every facet of your potential immortality and so as you done your hijab covering your bright red hair what do you do about your face because as you polish off the full length sleeves and dress covering all of your very emaciated gray dead skin there is still the unsightly aspect of your face it's it's taking weeks to get accustomed to it while your skull isn't poking through the very thin skin on your face it might as well your cheekbones are more pronounced there's the salow divot in your cheek where your skull and your jaw hinge there's the slightly pointed aspect of your chin Which is far bonier than it once was never a heavy woman never extraordinarily muscular it is all the more obvious that even blushed even tapping into the strength of the Beast that you are in fact a dead thing well there's nothing for it but to put on a mask so I put on an mask that happens to look like a skull face excellent and as you finish Dawning and making your preparations to head out into the night you're not as exactly sure where you're intending to head but getting out of the cloer that has become your life is a song that just won't stop playing speaking of songs and resurrecting for the evening and preparations and oblations India the sun is set and once more you have been returned to a semblance of Life what if any are you evening [Music] oblations definitely first thing on waking she would wash up because uh old habit that hard dressing for the [Music] evening and a uh denim short sleeve button up and a pair of dreans putting on her uh belt buckle you know getting ready uh grabbing her napsack to put on the horse cuz she's going to go down and brush and care for her horse before she does anything else um however much time that would take she's not super worried about going any one place or not and she does have a landline in this renovated Barn Studio and it's just by design that the people in the house have forgotten that there is such thing as a landline everybody's using cell phones now so she usually has the landline to herself and she check her messages you move toward through the renovated Barn space towards grabbing your napsack and your very professional brush to brush out your horse's man and their coat and we pause considering moving back through the barn towards the landline and sure enough that annoying slightly sweet to tobacco scent hits your nose it's a familiar stench it's one that without a shadow of a doubt has become part and parcel of your new existence of what home is and sure enough there is Jim McKing a stall in the barn most of the the rats and mice that abound have taken to avoiding the space since you've moved in they most of the Casual Wildlife including the barn cats and several raccoons and coyotes that hung out in the area have immediately started giving the place a wide birth their sense of self-preservation being penultimate yet without a shadow of a doubt here's Jim with his head literally in the lion's mouth without paying any attention whatsoever busily working mucking the stall based on what you see lying against a door here and stacked in the pallot over there he's been working this entire time while you've been upstairs [Music] dead and as per his way he pauses stretches his back and oh o is love that you and turns to find you there brush in hand napsack in hand pondering moving towards the landline which is roughly about 10 ft past where he is McKing the [Music] stall we talked about this G no you talk I listen but it's not going it's not going to do itself too hard Sheila says these need McKing so I mck and then I'm going to go downtown you you got like four messages some stupid guy uh the the store owner oh [ __ ] I'll go listen to him oh no worry I deleted them for you I know you don't like talking on phone uh sh [ __ ] I guess I know where I'm going oright could you make sure Sarah gets extra o she's been a pretty good girl L she is she's very good girl I don't know why she's so mean lately mean yeah she bit Bonito I don't have to check that out maybe she's got a stone in her h or something but uh she looks fine I think maybe being too nice he's been giving her too much sugar cubes just like your brother think he can buy [Music] friends hey now you know we don't think ill dead oh no ill is the truth he he thought he could buy friends that's the reason why your your Paw's Dog bat him TW twice or is it three times I forget maybe so but good guard good dark guard dog yeah you don't make friends with a monster by being [Music] nice she just kind of goes silent for a minute and looks at him but just kind of processing that sens because she's already aware of what she is he doesn't know but she knows so she just kind Qui for a minute indeed but um you said you're going into town yeah yeah yeah the uh Hutchinson you leav any soon no no I have uh this stall and then the far Paddock I have got the finish and then I'm going to go deal with the hutchinsons they have a a a I I know you don't like to party with anyone but they're having a a a a bonfire and the beer free is they've got you know CU going as well I heard well you go have a good time I got to go find out what this guy want I'll probably be taking my truck okay I'll I'll tell Sheila don't worry her okay okay you say so she turns and uh still holding on to to her napsack but then puts the brush down because she knows she's not going to have time to brush out her baby before she got and gets in the truck and starts heading to where she knows she need to be sad though it is the truth of the matter is that as small and out of the way as bad than he is it is a major source of income for both Penola County and kado Parish in regards to easily low investment traffic issues 79 literally is the main street it is center of the town it's the center of the domain and it crosses the State Line Road perfectly here so that most people don't pay too much attention the stoplight the red light there at the center of town comes at the most inopportune moment because it's a straightway in both directions for easily 7 and 1/2 8 miles it is a natural inclination on such roads both the state line and 79 to apply a little speed to to apply a little recklessness to enjoy the feel of the the road and get where you're getting as quickly as possible and it never fails there's always traffic when you move down State Line Road and when you move east or west across 79 there is always far too many people doing their absolute best to get to various places as quickly as possible and as many locals have fallen prey to both of the parish and County police officers the sheriff's department it is a force of habit for most to just floor it it's a force of habit for most to do their best to drive their foot through the floorboard in this [Music] area for those of us who are driving in the area do you all take any special precautions when moving down State Line Road or moving across 79 to get to the Thriftway where the scorge himself is well usually in attendance be as law abiding as possible no no loud music uh keeping to the speed [Music] limit Maddie Lita perhaps some loud music but that's about it oh I've got a sports car might Rev a little bit of some lights but probably not more than that the sad truth is both kado and Penola usually do everything they can to not really bother any of the local cause they recognize cuz they know that the average citizen of in the area from wasam down to Carthage and man from Bethany all the way into stport really don't have the funds necessary for a useless well-meaning well-intended extortion scheme that is Highway Patrol they know this doesn't stop them from being pettily after certain members of the community predominantly the Hutchins but then there are several other families that have lived in the area for the last three generations or more that get targeted as well so as you all roughly near and around the same time find yourself moving across 79 you see the Peno County Sheriff's Department both of those uh the long-haired fell that no one bothers to learn his name except for Lita and his boss the the white shirt who actually still goes out on patrol they pulled over one of the younger Hutchins the boy that was on the uh football and track team that managed to get to State and well piss his life away after one fight or another they have him pulled over and rifling through his vehicle as per usual empty bottles and cans falling out as they rumage and dig knowing what they'll find because this is a every other week occurrence some folks can't learn some folks have a habitual need to break every social more and every taboo and as per usual there usually one of the Hutchinson's involved arriving at the Thriftway roughly around the same time you all each get a chance to see the bolo County's idea of Swift and polite justice as as the Hutchinson kid is roughed up a little his car is tossed most of his belongings you know the spare blankets the water bottles the beer the unopened whiskey bottle and several [Music] other embarrassing items are just pulled out and tossed on to the side of the road car is slow and Rubberneck as once again another Hutchinson is in trouble with the law most places the Thriftway would be a place of last Refuge Penny Pinchers and those without the funds to to do better or to find better those who find thrifting and searching for used this gently discarded items treasure but not in Bethany Bethany the Thriftway is a kid to Macy's there are all manner of treasures from textiles to tossed off Banquets and buffets and all manner of things that have been passed down for Generations things that you can't find anymore but are considerably less than antique things that have been well loved for and cared after smelling deeply of Murphy's Oil or pine saw and as per usual the counter is being run by several easy on the eye ladies of various Shades and Hues and as per usual Queen B of them all is Kaye and she's busily barking orders politely in that fall California accent oh my goodness oh yeah mhm and so forth and so on putting on ears most people think that she's vacu isn't empty-headed they wouldn't be wrong but they'd also be underestimating the exact nature of her skills who gets there roughly on time or as expected and who tries to get there [Music] late I got horses to get back to so I'm going to try to get this over and done with as soon as possible even though I know it's about to be some [ __ ] Maddie would probably be as close to on time as possible without being late but just barely making it little little accent Defiance and whatnot probably show up fashionably late so arriving fairly close to one [Music] another India and madic you guys are pulling in roughly about the same time give or take a few seconds here and there having come from two relatively desperate sides of town the property The Love Ranch being by far uh considerably [Music] closer gives you a small leg up in terms of [Music] time as you all make your way in is there anything that you all might be disgusting hey I of no see hey how are you doing preparing for whatever this is about to be ah yeah about to be some [ __ ] I bet you know that drawer that you built for me that chest drawers yeah what up it's working perfect mind you I just had to put a beeswax on the track and it's gliding good again but I am enjoying it so much thank you I am glad to [Music] hear oh my God it's is it like funny that you guys are like here I thought sure and just for a second the real her Peaks out that flash of instinctual enmity that want of your blood that want of divesting you of something not because it would profit her anything but simply the act of taking like um Liam wants to see you guys you know the way back back we're waiting on a couple of others y'all got anything y'all need I know y'all can't afford anything but you know like um [Music] hi I'm sure Indi face is doing that like eyebrow up girl who you playing with sort of look just like watching her but she realizes it would be problems if she really got into it with this one so she's just going to keep her tongue and step around [Music] her oh my God you smell so nice today what is that Irish Spring it's nice to know that you guys wash [Music] and as you all move through the space towards the huge door it was at one point a security door for some facility out there in the dark the Panola County area as a whole is filled with gas planes and DS and the natural gas Fields they have their own watchtowers and service areas and it's just a mess of lost facilities out there some of them of course crossing the border into kado Parish but the few that were still in operation in the kado parish area are considerably better maintained they're still active people are still using the vast majority of them because of his proximity to shareport and because of its proximity and the pipelines that run from there down to New Orleans it is in a constant state of needing repairs and updating but those in the Panola County area there are several that are lost because the maps to them and the paths to them have been obstructed over the years via the storms the settling of the area the rising of the waters and things just get lost and it's clear that this door before all of the filigree was applied and carved into the iron was one of those such places being a tremier mie and even being middle of the p back as far as practicing all of the esoteric [ __ ] that they try to jam down your throat part of the brainwashing of understanding the pyramid and how to get ahead and this that and the other this door is warded several times over several hundreds of times over what the warding is actually for is anyone one's guess you've never seen or anyone have a problem entering or exiting the space especially when no one comes here without an invitation but even in all those times of being invited you've never seen anyone be rebuffed you've never seen anyone respond with a pained Grimace or any of that like but as you stare at this door there's always this raising of the hackles looking at it there are a series of wards that are maintained in this door normally they go in the jam next to it they go on the wall next to or on the floor beneath they very rarely ever go actually on the door yet this one not only has them but it has several of them and they're carved into this rot iron security [Music] door mdia is just going to stand there and wait for someone to open the door as they usually do speaking of doors opening you're looking go on just looking at it kind of longingly like someday someday I will be able to do that indeed he do and speaking of doors opening the light tinkle of the bell at the front of the store rings and Jangles as entering is Lita how are you actually dressed now we have an idea that you dressed mostly as a fully covered individual wearing your carved or 3D printed mask but what does it ACC look like I think it's a high fashion thing I think it looks like high fashion from the Middle East it's a lot of flowing [Music] lace uh definitely a lot of layers um it's probably open uh showing off for figure a little bit but not like making a big deal out of it and [Music] um yeah it probably is mostly black mostly black is good I'm think black with the nice white mask the moment that the bell sounds you all can feel kayle's ew she doesn't say it but without any shadow of a doubt her immediate disdain moves through the space as if it's an actual presence it's the actual person it's an actual monster all of its own breathing and life it is so heavily apparent she doesn't have to say ew you know the look on her face as she affects her again very very fake California Valley Girl accent Kaylee grew up in wasam she literally grew up 7 miles from the center of town before she ran away to California and had to come back with her tail between her legs at least she tells everyone she ran away to California she tells everyone she went to Hollywood to try to make it big and refuse to sleep on some producer's couch those in the know those in your community in the kindrick community know that that is nowhere near the case there's no way that she could have risen to the rank that she has Within the local Chantry structure if she had not slept on some producer's couch there's no way that with her midling intellect and her bright personality that she could have excelled as high or as fast as she has it's just an impossibility she definitely gave and received far more than she would ever mention and she takes that exchange of her flesh and and her mind and her life out on [Music] everyone oh my god um hi um yeah I'm taking that you're respected too [Music] right I believe so well doesn't really matter what you leave does it welcome in you know where to go I believe so and as you make your way through the everyday Treasures that is part of the many items on display the buffets and credenzas and the lazy boys and the racks of clothes that been passed down for Generations that have slowly begun to come back into style the truth of the matter is standing in this space you have raised the property value your shames that you're wearing beneath all of your many layers is easily worth a month of the average salary in the area the shoes that you ignore the reddish dust picking up and staining it there another 2 weeks to a month of someone's salary the slacks which hug your all too wafish thin hips are simply beyond the price range of anyone in the area you're not wearing the boots the jeans the you know car heart or Levis and Wranglers that most others are wearing you're not even wearing the knockoff halt that Kaye is wearing you're wearing actual finery the thread count on your items alone just on the gloves that you're wearing would be a pipe tree for most we're we're not going to talk about the jewel en crusted White Plain mask that you're wearing that's another small fortune for the average person in this [Music] area it's good and as you move through the space aware as you are that this is one of the many centers of power in and around Bethany the Thriftway is built on a top and Underground stream or river though not one that anyone could drink from or most people couldn't drink from most Kindred couldn't even waste the time drinking from the river that runs beneath Bethany beneath the Thriftway is a river into the Land of the Dead there's Souls upon Souls upon Souls forming a line of power that pulls underneath the Thriftway and you can feel all of those long departed Sorrows of the Dead beneath your feet with each step it's literally like walking into your favorite restaurant and being enlivened by the scent of all of your favorite foods and they standing by the door awaiting entrance into the actual center of the Thriftway into the easily accessible Hall of power for the Kindred our m in [Music] India you knew India from grade school you knew of her from grade school your father being the rich city Professor who had more money than well enough to make people jealous and you felt that jealousy begin welling up while you were still alive every day there was another rumor tossing your direction every day there was another insinuation as to you believing that you were better than everyone every day the Casual cruelty of the children made sure that well here you are dead and Loving It because you are free of all of those Petty childish [Music] evils [Music] maybe just a little I wave and say [Music] hi no and I'm kind of looking up and down you don't try to blend in at all do [Music] you and then she looks to M I wish he would hurry up and open the damn door one of these things is not like the [Music] other normally at at this point of waiting because you usually always have to wait Rosa Lee the actual security and not the Assassin of The Scorch which is the role that Kaylee actually plays Kaylee for all of her pretense of being a bodyguard or a watcher is a coldblooded killer she has been responsible for the passing of no small few Kindred who screwed up and attempted to make a run on shreport whether they were actually doing so or just fleeing towards the city as anyone's guess but at the end of the day Kaye is usually the weapon that Rodriguez uses to exterminate and Rosal Lee is The Shield that many have broken themselves against so usually it is Rosal Lee who is opening the door and ushering everyone in a quick once over peering into their soul and weighing which weapons they have on their person without touch yet instead of Rosal being the entryway into [Music] space Jonathan Conor the right hand to Regent wolver opens the door his auburn hair falling as exactly as he plans it to looking as if it is in fact unkempt and wild and luxurious but very much a planned and practiced [Music] thing well don't that beat all I ain't got to waste time let y'all know that y'all are late so I ain't going to do that but just let you all know you know as expected y'all females types can't get nowhere on time where is Joi and [Music] AOK well darling they're clearly not here exactly that's the problem y'all Laing men folk in your life come on in hurry up so I can close this door and follow after him the moment you all step Across the Threshold that static electricity that runs along the skin every time that you visit it is not in fact in place that small scent and hint of ozone that permeates this space every other time that you've all visit it does not in fact permeate the place and as he closes the door you all notice for the first time in for ever a set of keys is used to turn the lock this side of the door Ros Lee never uses a key she never has to there's always the s of ozone in the air and the feeling static electricity running along your skin all of those missing Stars the very real niggling concerns at the back of your mind mixing in with that subtle constant reminder of your individual hungers there's a small [Music] Mr Connor intimately not biblically but intimately time and time again at several points along the way in growing into who she is with this promise of immortality he has been there as the hurdle she's had to clear he has excelled at several facets that made him a quickly Rising Star amongst the local area Chantry he also has several glaring traits that make him odious to most yet his quick meteoric rise brought him to the attention of the Regent of wolver and herself you're not sure whether he's being kept as a chained tiger or as a lap doll but either way he doesn't fail ever to remind people that he is the right hand to the Regent he is by far more important never with an earshot of wolver or Rodriguez but always whenever there's an opportunity to scratch and adjust himself he [Music] does come on now y'all ain't no there a standing on ceremony I know how much y'all want to look for a mirror and pretty yourselves up but some of y'all are beyond [Music] help India is currently counting to 100 in her head well I don't know Johnny Boy a neat ponytail versus some messy hair looks like it just rolled out of bed now I ain't smart as man you trying to say [Music] something do I ever as far as I can tell but don't stop people from flapping there Mr Connor oh yeah he SC Rodriguez I got uh the women folk you asked for AOK and uh Joi ain't with them of course they're not they were sent along earen ladies thank you all for being here right this way Regent Roven will be delivering what we need to speak about I take it that Mr Conor has been Pleasant enough oh well yeah I'm just showing them in make sure the door is locked I I believe Regent Wong has need of You by her [Music] side of course of course you can show me and I'll let let and she already knows thank you Mr con and when he sidles pass Rodriguez Rodriguez adjust the gloves the well worn ioner leather gloves that he wears every day every night of every week of the year he has never exposed his hands to anyone and rumor has it that it's because he doesn't want to mus his manicure [Music] ladies thank you all for arriving as promptly as you have I'm sure that you have quite a few questions the Regent will impart the bulk of the intelligence but to prepare you it is unfortunately that time again and when he says it of course it is mhm Andy you're saying do we do we know what time he's talking about yep everyone does and everyone dreads it it's a time of year where without a shadow of a doubt and without beating the horse too much Beyond its uh excess is the time when individual Kindred who cannot blend in with Society either need to be staked for their own well-being or remain out of sight being as Bethany sits on 79 it is along the bright shoe Railway it is these major line that most of the traveling circuses and carnivals use when moving into sheveport and through shareport South and East to their final destination which is in the panhandle of Florida for the off seon roughly every four to 5 months there's another Carnival or another circus that moves through and sets up camp and has visitors from Carthage and stport and wasam and causes an influx of Outsiders to the area it is a high alert moment for Bethany because in many of those carnivals in many of those circus are undesirables and many of them are a slew of individuals who bring with them the attention of local law [Music] enforcement they are not only a threat to the common good potentially but they are a to the sanctity of Bethany the inviability of shreport and any Kindred foolish enough to not cross their tees and Dot their eyes and every time one or two conival or circuses Ro R through the area five or six local Kindred are assigned to check the broaden dun Street out the carnival to get up close and personal and find out who who and what's what before any trouble can get outside of their own little Campground and all of that being equal and it's very rarely that it's beyond the pale it is very rarely that is something that can't be handled it's very rare that is not something that could be handed down by Kaye for any and everyone to do yet this time there's Regent involved this time there is an actual local power handing the marching orders it's another one of those things that's a gut check in considering that so as we are aware that it is unfortunately that time again are there any questions before we move in to speak with the region what's my good axes are still in the safe yes yes of course they are then Lita you were saying what's with the words they seem less Dynamic than [Music] usual subtlety is usually not our strong suit and that's a good question entirely unfortunately that is a bit beyond your pay grade I'll will allow you this me as you've been productive enough to realize that difference the energy that runs through Bethany can unfortunately like all sources of energy be damned can be stoppered can be drawn away by those who are aware WS here are to ensure that that doesn't happen and when it does well the reason for tonight is they get together [Music] can I use where the Shroud bins here to see how thick the local shroud is you may is that the ritual or is that a discipline that's discipline that's my Oblivion too excellent fire away when you're ready it's a rouse mhm actually it's a rouse check to start it and it's uh the role is what these three okay apparently I cannot get a reading on loal [Music] shroud oh my dear boy that is entirely in entirely another matter alt together tap into the strength of the [Music] Beast with your usual deathly power even covered and obfuscated and obscured as it is there is the emanation of a very hungry growl that escapes as your eyes already looking cloudy and roomy and having a hue that is just off from what normal folks would believe is humanly possible just a hair to dead would be an apt description they go completely dead as your Beast Rises to the four there's a small uptick in the natural monstrousness and the aura around you those sensitive enough or paying any due attention would easily notice the prowling and stalking of your Beast closer to the surface and to make matters worse as your Beast crawls closer to the surface you realize very much that Rodriguez as per his tossed off answer was not lying there is so much force and power of Otherworldly energies bouncing off the very walls ceilings and every particle of the air around you that it is impenetrably bright peering into the essence of the anti-life that is oblivion you have vision goggles onless someone shined a th000 watt flashlight in your face is what it feels like oh oh probably not do that again for a minute are you okay Miss Cambridge I believe so H belief is important but fact is more so right this way leading you all through the back room the back space you realize that basement are rare it was a sign of wealth that Miss Cambridge grew up with but for the average denisen of the Bethany area much like in parts of the Mississippi Coastal area and just like in New Orleans and just like in Baton Rouge basements are not worth the trouble that they bring it's a sign of unnecessary expenditures and to have one that's well done is well even more expensive but instead of it being a basement the floor itself gently slopes lower and lower the further into the building you go so what is from the the outside only a twostory warehouse styled building is actually a four-story fortress of mystical energy it is the center of the local Regional Chantry it is also one of the many places where the Kindred in the area meet for intelligence briefings which is basically what this is because as you all move further and further into the building lower and lowerer into the underworld that is this space Regent wolver gently smiling as Mr Connor Whispers this or that under his breath into her ear and you're not sure whether she's humoring him or egging him on but yet lo and behold there they are sitting at where a mounts to is an in table just off of the center large picnic styled Viking ass long table that has served as the center of the Bethany Tower at one end of the tower is the prince herself looking as always bored and frustrated with the administration of hurting the cats that are the Kindred Community to her right is Sher Pierre Valentine himself his luxuriously permed and slightly wavy hair picked out into a natural that's easily 4 to 5 in his well qu and well manicured beard and mustache and the unnerving Jewel like kyus kaleidoscopic aspect of his hazel green eyes underneath all of that that Cafe ol skin and you know that you all are the only non Regional business owners there's miss himz the local everything business ties to sh Port there's Michael who is UN disputably the most gifted Kindred when it comes to makeups and cosmetics and the idea of classical [Music] Beauty so good of you to arrive says Miss wolver as she stands and Rises and moves to each of you extending her hand good to see you yes Maddie will shake her hand and miss love it is lovely to have you all here I do apologize about all of the theatricality My atache Connor is well a man of certain Vision uh Prince if I might and she looks towards the prince Miss garciaa who just simply nods her head and gets back to making note of one thing or another Well ladies it is unfortunately your turn for centry Duty and we have a special request I'm sure you all are aware that from time to time we are beset by Outsiders that we cannot easily shoe along Outsiders that threaten our every night [Music] wellbeing unfortunately very rarely and unfortunately far too often one of those such Outsiders and inters is the Shackleton Freak Show circus event Carnival yes it is quite a mouthful but it should be because as far as we are aware the shackletons are neither Kindred nor kind this particular Carnival has been run out of our area roughly eight times in the past 100 years and yet every time we attempt to politely Usher them on they return with the Fury and Vengeance Calamity occurs in their wake every time they are forced along so to assist with removing the Potential Threat of what happens in their wake we would like you three to investigate the property to ensure that Shackleton is not in fact being ushered on by some mad ansula is not being hounded by some potential Lupine we want you all to find a reason for the local authorities to be responsible for driving them on to deter them from making it closer to shrip and unfortunately as per our rituals and our plans it is in fact your [Music] duty and is your cycle to peek an eye and an ear into the defense of Bethany and shareport do we have any questions you said you don't believe their Kindred or kind but what do you you believe they are besides problems yes we aren't sure and try though we might to scry upon them there has been a surprising lack of information being gleaned they are right at this moment settling in and setting up or at least that's what we believed unfortunately one of the forward Scouts we sent into the area where they are amassing has proven that they are in fact more than setting up they are in fact ready for business there's no way that they should have been able to ease pass the berry to get here without drawing attention we should have known all of our SC forward Scouts in the berry in Carthage in Fat Bottom Palms saw neither hide nor hair of them yet they are setting up right now on the grounds of the Strickland Springs Cemetery they managed to make it through all of our centuries they did not pass through Jonesville they did not pass through wasam they did not pass through Elian Fields yet here they are and they are already operational book of Nod speaks of the wildblooded and spirits of the earth that roamed in ancient times no we are hoping that they are not in fact something unaccountable for it's the reason why we're hoping for subtlety we're hoping that we find something that might point the local authorities in their Direction something that will have the kind pursuing them elsewise so that when they leave the area when they are driven on the usual Calamity will not fall Upon Our shoulders believe we can manage that excellent I knew you all would and as she says so she reaches into her sleeve adjusting her bang Bangles and bangls around her left arm arm and produces Three Stones three volcanic rock stones that are polish smooth and shiny you can almost see yourself in the reflection of them would you each take one I will that sure will keep this upon your person at all times until your task of this matter of safety is completed if you should find yourself in dire stengths remember it is better to Die With Honor than to live with [Music] failure at which point the prince stops her writing Mary Carlson Garcia is one of the few gangle princes of the Tower she unlike most prin Believes In Action first and she shakes her head at that remark from the region what Miss wolver means Regent Miss wolver means those little dads doohickeys that she just gave you that stupid pocket lint so that we can keep an tab on you if you expire if you [ __ ] die that will ensure we are able to retrieve your courts before anyone finds out that you are one of us what Miss wolverin means is that this [ __ ] circus is a goddamn problem what Miss wolverin didn't tell you is we knew they were coming a month ago or at least the [ __ ] trir knew they were coming a month ago and lost track of them so what you do here will be respected and appreciated if you need [ __ ] help call the phone tree and we'll get somebody out there to you [Music] okay India very carefully lowers her head but tries to hide a smile because that's her grand [Music] Maddie will give her a wide smile and give Mr Connor a stink eye side eye and as you all exchange pleasantries and make your way out if there AR any further questions it is 45 after the hour I like a quick 10 and be back at 55 after I might use my The Binding Fetter before we leave this to to see if there's any feeds [Music] around welcome back if anybody who's already [Music] back like pass me come on yeah sp sp and yes um while we await for neon yo excellent um when we stopped away I did hear you say you wanted to look for a Fetter in the local trir Chantry is that still accurate well they have I mean just if they have it out well let's tend to this as you guys are walking towards the door making your way back up and out in the care of course of Mr Connor the attache of regent wolver giving the adult Kindred time to speak amongst themselves once more um would you be so kind as to go ahead and Ru your wits plus Oblivion okay so that me what's the difficulty as high as you possibly can get uh okay well fate as is always the case speaks very loudly when it wishes to be observed so as you all you three the tryptic of our newest round of centuries for the Bethany area having just received the stone from Regent wolver having just been privy to some of the intering Strife between the power players of the Bethany area while you three are on your way out your monster who and what you actually are underneath all of the faximile and pretend of being alive and human comes roaring into clearcut Focus [Music] would you be so kind first let's see how composed you are in this moment would you be so kind just go ahead and Rule your dexterity athletic DC you failed by one would be so kind as to go ahead and roll your dexterity Athletics DC 4 because as as you glance and Glimpse and peer into the darkness that separates this world from the next you realize the source of some of the local kindred's power the trere the scorge this Chantry this building this Legacy of all the Kindred who have come before you it's only the tip of the iceberg a feder is what binds the souls that refuse to move on to this world is their access point to gain a view of the land of the living and feds can be cherished items hated items people places things areas it could be their favorite tree a locket it could be things handed down from one hand to the next through an entire family line something as small as Grandpa's face favorite Zippo it could be great aunt Mayo's pearls it could be the wallet that was repurposed and handed down when every male of that particular family turns 21 it could be a pair of shoes it could be a metal of Valor and knowing that it could be any number of things your eyes are always open looking for something [Music] to indenture The Souls of the Dead to your own purposes to bend them to your will to have a bargaining chip to use in your favor and much like the river the creek the pool of energy that this building uses the expense in this basement the expense in this lower level the expense in building this space was just not one of financial means it was in fact built with and The Souls of countless dead this entire area during the Civil War all four years of it in the 100 years before and and all of the years since has been a hub for controlling living beings it has been the hub for the plight of humanity it has been the center in this area for the stain on the national Soul Many of the homesteads passed down one hand to the next since the founding of the area were in fact not homads but plantations many of the families as inter first as they are now were and are parcel to the lineage that came from humans being kept as animals as property and worse many of the families now who have generational wealth passed down because of the plots of land and how well maintained they were all of those Generations ago came at the cost of human suffering and that Legacy and those Ties That Bind those Shackles on those living individuals continued into the Afterlife there are souls bound to the very Stones Beneath Your Feet there are souls tied to the Fleck of gems and jewels and crusted in the walls their are souls bound to Connor's clothing the items hung about them the buttons therein the leather that was in fact at one point on some humans back are bound to a veritable Army of the Damned Souls who are unable to move on because of the suffering they live through the energy wafting and facilitating in this place is built upon the suffering of the living it is built upon and infused with all of those souls and seeing it for what it is being bombarded with that truth and the hungry dead the bodyless hungry Dead all around you is in fact far far too much your Beast your intrusive thoughts raises to the for you attempt to protect you to keep what little bit of Sanity is possible in the Kindred community and yet it is not enough Fain snapping into place realizing that you are Behind Enemy Lines fingers twitching and curling into claw likee fax similes and prepared fight and flight because you are 100% Behind Enemy Lines all of those Souls who are forced into being bound here all of those Souls who are unable to move on merely need an ounce of awareness of them to begin attempting to cross into you to return to a semblance of life through you through the ambulatory corpse that you are while outside of Lita's understanding as to where you all are and what's actually happening she stumbles it looks as if she broke a heel but she's not wearing high heel shoes and she starts to go down a snarl of angry invective issuing from her throat what do you India and MADD do as she begins to fall as if she's being beset or being tackled by the starting line of the Houston Oilers how much this with India feel she's not typically magically inclined or um anything but like I I was I supposed Spirits would cause from from the hairs to raise up on her that is a very good question how much of what Lita is experiencing would you feel not very much you all didn't open yourself to that reality that has been always around you it's another Tuesday for you all it's Wednesday for you all you are heading out of here you're getting out of the Lion's Den you are escaping with your skin intact there's no one holding too much over your head simply just go look around find some reason to bury an entire business under legal troubles and you're in the clear you won't be dealing with angry Kindred you won't be dealing with those coyotes out there in the wild you won't be dealing with the lupines which you've heard so very much about so as far as things go on the scale of 1 to 10 this is about a five at the best yet Lita takes a pratfall snarling as if she's being attacked well if she's actively snarling I will interpose myself between her and the Regent I'm giving her a little more space like stepping back uh cornered animals misbehave badly so she's giving uh Lita Bas and girl you you don't look so [Music] good $5,600 Lita $5,600 that's what it would take to competently repair your shoes and the scuff in your slacks as well as to properly clean what you are wearing the Fabrics that now have the physical reminder of all those Souls at play around you the staining that happens when you meet the ground $5,600 down the [ __ ] drain because these idiots and you realize that it's not your voice it's not your anger it very much is you but it's the you that smiles back when you stare into the mirror contemplating on drowning the world and you're in pain because it has been a pain getting this far as what you've traded for immortality aren't just your looks it is the ignorance of the world as it is beset by Spirits monsters and darkness every day every night nonstop and yet here you [Music] are I think I'm going under control at some point it was instincto it was a it was a moment it definitely is a moment but as you slip back into yourself as you re take the range of your existence back into your full control and agency $5,600 a lot might as well just burn the outfit and there is inding a reminder of what your life was like before it ceased to be before you had the promise of immortality and there's Maddie moving to physically interpose herself between you and the dignitaries of the area and there you are on the ground your palms touching all of that filthy red dirt and of course over is aache Conor looking as if that's where you belong it's too on the nose to say that he's staring down his nose at you because that's exactly what he has been doing this entire time that you've known of his existence and now you've granted him the physical opportunity to do so and he is pleased he is ecstatic and he hasn't said a word but there it is that small smirk and Quirk of the lips is see far be it for me to care but are you all right uh just had a moment there sometimes just the all the Vibes of these places can overwhelm a person of course I understand you female sorts have a delicate Constitution I'd AER to help you up but I wouldn't want to be misogynistic I'm sure you can find your way to your feet so we can get you all about where you need to be doing yes Dy you I'm surprised you understand what that means right this way [Music] please and speaking of Duty speaking of responsibility the debt that you all pay for the promise of immortality here on the edge of shet ports furthest extreme moments earlier to be exact roughly 25 moments earlier Joi when the sun set and your answering machine was doing that annoying thing that it does by flashing its light Skyward turning your pitch black resting place into a disco upon Awakening what are or would be your evening oblations ablations you mean my morning ritual yes okay um the first situation would be uh setting everything up in the house just right within my little apartment uh a kind of uh OCD induced trance as even the most Minor Detail is clear to joi's eyes and it's infuriating if there's something out of place out of line if uh you know I don't have the the right thing in the right spot for whenever I come in because I get distracted a lot and if things aren't in my muscle memory positions I can often times just not interact with them uh because they just aren't where I remember them being then after I've spent the long arduous hour and a half hour and 45 minutes just making sure that the house is in line um just check my answering machine before heading out there is a semblance there's an understanding that if not for bad luck luck a lot of people wouldn't have any luck at all so as you go to hit play on the answer machine which has seen the rise and fall of capitalism and American exceptionalism of the late 70s and early 80s the fuel shortages that inspired the boom that occurred with the Reliance on fossil fuels from all the gas Fields there just west of you actually the tape inside the machine begins to unspool and your doorbell rings incessantly and and in and in time yeah with a very extreme kind of winse at the obnoxious unexpected noise so just angrily turn towards the door there's a way that things are done done in Bethany that aren't done anywhere else in the world simply because they can't be Bethany is a one-of-a-kind institution it is a repository for those who shouldn't be able to make an inport those who didn't make an in sh port and those who don't want to make it in shreport shreport is the grand stage for Northeastern Louisiana it is the grand stage for East Texas and Southern Arkansas it is the Hub of the universe and keeping that Hub spinning in time to the world around it and safe from it are places like Bethany there is a way that things are done one of the ways that things are not done is for you to be disturbed before you've had the opportunity to satiate whatever hunger you might think you have to finish your evening ablations of writing not just your apartment but your your store there is a way that things are done you are even being the quote unquote new person in town there are the there's a way that things are done and this is not it by any stretch of the imagination and to add insult to all of that injury of throwing your night off of throwing things into disarray to adding to the failure of the reliable as your and machine unspools and you turn towards the door and you see a face you were hoping to never see up close and personal Miguel Ruiz a former Bethany allamerican wide receiver Miguel Ruiz who even with all of the luck of the angels on his side with all of the physical gifts that should have had him playing for the NFL wound up dead Miguel Ruiz for whom he has made it his personal mission to see you fail as publicly as often as possible Miguel Ruiz who for all of his attempts to ruin your good name as far as the rest of the world is concerned is a good upstanding fellow he is the exemplary ideal of what a upwardly mobile member of the clan of the Rose is always Immaculate always well addressed always polite and Charming always except for when you two are alone except for when you have the opportunity of looking into those deep chocolate brown eyes and seeing all the hate and enmity there for your very Eternal Immortal existence and he's standing there in his lamb scam jacket with his $5,000 T-shirt with his handcrafted boots and jeans that cost more than most vehicles in the area and let's not forget that three karat diamond in his right ear and that horribly incensing smirk on his lips and he Rings your doorbell incessantly and and and now if he just held it it would be one long single note which is annoying but less annoying than the fact that he's purposely interrupting that one long note so that it purposfully tickles the most annoying part of the brain when hearing it and just when you get a c to the Rhythm he holds it longer fite how little I want to interact with this man there is a uh a grand disparity between how little I want to interact with him and how little I wish for this to continue so I'll just kind of very slowly open the door just to crack and and look him you know in the face how may I help you I don't think you can but somebody put a bug in somebody's ear you're up where is uh your butt buddy Aoki I'm not entirely sure he he just goes out and about yeah well guess what is that that time okay what do you mean that time the [ __ ] circus you're not paying attention to anything that I'm saying they were right about you I'm so you know honestly I feel like I'll just pick up more details along the way than I will listening to you because things that come out of your mouth if you only knew what went in my mouth here this is for you and he stands his gloved hand and he doesn't wear gloves he always takes pride in his nails being perfectly manicured and lightly polished he takes pride in his physical appearance save when you two are alone he acts as if you are a leopard and you are contagious the last time he showed up at your place he was wearing a full-fledged mask and goggle as if you would splatter all over him grabbing a a washcloth from the side he'll just kind of reach out and grab the package with it giving equal treatment to uh Miguel's uh disrespect and just kind of is that all probably wait yeah I think that's all you can understand okay hey you uh you got a bit of a stain there on Your Collar if you want to take care of that would you be so kind is go ahead and roll your manipulation to subut contest it oh it's terrible it's it's horrid but you know what I'm feeling froggy let's get it that what brother just R bro there we go [ __ ] it that's a good sign for tonight it is a great sign for tonight that's a great sign for tonight excuse me and what does Mr Rodriguez say holy [ __ ] no I mean he knows I'm lying but [ __ ] is that a messy when you say there's a stain on his collar the sneer of disdain that drops across his face is enough to cause even your already dead blood to freeze and he takes a step forward and you are sure that a punch a gunshot a stab a vicious attack of some sort is in the offing his fang snapping into place don't [ __ ] waste my time your cousin will die if you keep keep [ __ ] being childish take the fact that you lost [Music] everything kind of gingerly sets the the package aside before looking back at this this feral entity I'm sorry but if you touch my cousin you'll lose more than just your Childer that is on the grand scale of things that are the absolute worst to possibly say while the threat against a family member is right up there probably like number three because a threat's only as good as the person willing to follow through with it your reply and remark instead of in sensing him to the point where he kicks Open Your Door does the opposite there's a moistening at the corner of his eye there is a trembling of the lips that is both rage and actual loss Kindred don't feel it's the memory of emotions that runs through them as they age less and less of that memory is able to be acted on less and less of that muscle memory is there and the fact that you were able to wound him to the core that quickly that directly says a lot his fang still in place the moisture in his eye he reaches forward slowly gingerly as if lost in a dream and just pulls your door closed and as the door closes there's just this shuttering as the the moment of Courage that was required is passed and now Joi can on the other side of this the sealed facet within his his sphere of protection or at least as he believes it to be can just shakily reach up and Slide the dead bolt shot package is simple far too simple for the average it's your turn it is your turn and several others there's a volcanic Stone inside as you turn it over and feel how polished and how well shaped it is there is a small semblance of warmth to it the white mixed in with this volcanic rock makes it look as if those cracks and crevices that are polished completely smooth or lightning touched it what looks like when youve seen trees and people struck by lightning sprawled throughout this completely black absence of light Stone you and your short time have managed to make just enough allies elsewhere in the world specifically with Coleman to have people who speak for you to keep you dead enough that Miguel can't act on any of those things he would much rather do you know that one night eventually Coleman won't be able to speak for you you know one night if you don't Garner enough political and social support that Miguel will have his way with you and you are sure that it will not be anything quick or fast about it you dread the moment being given into his actual care the only thing keeping him from finding you one night alone is Coleman and the twins if they lose any political standing and you don't get any political standing it is over for you luckily his job protecting the harpy of shreport means that there's very little time for him to act on what he would much rather do to you and so when it's your time as it is now to attend to the boundaries of Bethany to act in a security and watchful manner for the domain you do your absolute best to exceed at doing so because any failure you are sure he will attempt to capitalize on any failure which would weaken Coleman and the twin standing you are sure that he will make sure everyone knows was your fault was your responsibility was your doing and so as the direction care of Coleman's careful almost blocky script in the letter is heated with all due importance there is a carnival as per the three to four times a year they make their way through Bethany that is setting up within the domain of Bethany which will draw visitors from as far away as Carthage and shreport and wasam into the area the more people that come into the one horse town that is Bethany the greater the scrutiny also the hangers on that will come with that crowd of people could in fact end up being a threat to the masquerade and so as per your duty you all rotate like all of the Kindred and Bethany rotate who's up to bat who's responsible and unfortunately for you you are up to bat yeah so just kind of uh mindlessly uh turning the stone over in his hand and considering what he's got to do tonight what his duties are he'll just uh take a few steps back into his private space and uh open a locked cabinet collect a jar of chloroform from it and slip it into his coat pocket grab a rag in case he's got to move anybody out quick uh quietly that ain't of the blood and uh head out make a uh and and this this is a symbol that the entire coder is being called up the bat correct yes you guys are according to letter it is they're being said according to Coleman in his inimitable way as he writes and you can hear his voice Joi it's that time again unfortunately the chir dropped the ball and there's some people doing things that they shouldn't be doing we want the local police to make sure that they can't do that no more get on out to Strickland Cemetery grounds and find someone doing something that we can report to the police now snitches get stitches and we hoping to pass those along so they move on without causing too much trouble you reckon you can accomplish that with a a nod to himself as a plan begins to formulate I'll um you know dial up India if uh she's got her phone on her if she has a phone dialing India you get her answer machine not only do you get her answer machine but as the beep clicks over for you to leave a message hello Mr Rodriguez I told you I'll tell her when she gets up M Mr Mr Rodriguez oh hello oh I'm sorry hang on one second love family wrench bright love family wrench who is this uh friend of India is she in right now maybe who are you uh just uh uh Henry Henry uh this is Henry Elman hm I don't know you she don't know you I'll pass the message okay thank you yeah yeah yeah I got work to do what do you want no no nothing I'm sorry bye bye flick the phone and then just with a heaving Dev hopes to out that she she's got a similar letter and then heads out his way towards the uh the carnival speaking of heading out as we move back into the Chantry space moments later moments that have petered away and information exchanged and the understanding of what Bethany was built upon as Mr Connor as atache Connor opens the door out into the Thriftway is there any information exchange is there any conversation is there any plan device or how you all are getting out the Strickland bet would be to all go in one car so we can discuss how we want to do this I'm not like I said one of those magical sords I'm good at hunting though sure we going to have to be real low key about all this if y'all have any thought again that would be the good time to discuss such things so who call we take still the calls can how say I guess we left here or I mean whatever we all want to do but I feel like we should all take the same car that's that's fine I don't think mine will sit everybody though so I'll ride with somebody else I do agree with that however I got a truck and your know all right girl we guess we can take your truck I mean I don't want to put too many miles on mine you know how nosy people here are take it into the damn mechanic he's Che my eight sports card doesn't really yeah as you all are standing in the doorway of the Chantry talking you're in the store itself the public facing part of the store which is not a problem because everyone keeps in themselves for the most part but it does allow you a view of the parking lot it allows you a view of 79 right out front where everyone you know the main street of the town is and the problem with that is while being aware being for warned is being forearmed as you all are discussing how to get where you need to get to you see that the congregation of hoodlums that are the local motorcycles Club run by the Hutchinson are looking and peering at the cage that is the sports car that Lita drove in it is is a vehicle that draws the eye it draws the attention and even the hutchenson who couldn't tell you the price of a bag of rice are impressed by all of their ostentatious wealth on display one of them is leaning down and looking inside the driver's window his hand resting on the top of the car you can feel the grease and sweat from where you stand that he's soaking into the hood of the vehicle and watches a few of his cords are laughing and chuckling one of them pointing at the license plate the other one you know actually full-fledged kicking the tires with the toe of his boot you can smell the alcohol sticking to their skin and their clothes and you feel dirty are looking at them all of that luxuriously dirt bro and life encrusted hair soaked in with the grease of their exertions for the evening seems as if they had come into town to come into the center of town to go to the Quick Stop partially because the owner of lick Skillet the local liquor store right there across uh the State Line Road doesn't serve them because every time they have even the mest wh of alcohol they do something stupid well I suppose that's an argument for uh not sticking out I suppose I guess we better go rescue your car Poe so and Maddie will walk out I thought they didn't make v12s anymore this for piece of [ __ ] got 12 vales on it and you hear that from the far side of the car as one of them actually has his cheek pressed against the ground looking up underneath the chassis of the car oh [ __ ] that they got a whole look this line right here boy get your face off dirt oh honey why are you doing that it's it's the ground I have worse things on my face speaking of Wich hey how you doing IDI how are you boys look at her here she's a cousin she ain't no cousin I don't know her you damn fool I'm hurt Woodson or Woodburn oh hey guys and it is literally like watching a damn burst all of the machismo and testosterone that was immediately ramping up to begin cat calling or worse turns into Rocket's big brother older Uncle oh hey little C and they start crawling and clamoring around you closing off nearly every exit as these huge prison muscled body sweating out every ounce of alcohol almost immediately closes down around you it's a wall of flesh and smelling of used oil and whiskey closing in and drawing closer and closer while normally that'd be off offensive in every facet your Beast realizes that underneath all of those overgrown pumped up muscles is the stuff of Life all of that closeness crowding in for you too close to run away should you decide to act on what's in your heart hey you W bur's uh daughter no that's wood bur's knees oh that wood bur my and they're patting each other on the back and clamoring to get their hand in your hand and pull you in for a one-armed hug which would leave you smelling like a very left taking right stick and Mom's not being the word it is a wall of flesh and activity now y'all are not good it's good that I like you cuz the lady that owns his car she she's a right [ __ ] well you had to be a [ __ ] look at that this is a forign piece of and he one of them actually uses the back of his boot to kick the tire it rattles even I be looky if I could even and they go on about how to probably fall apart and in a quarter mile or how much is expensive to fix it and that is why we have sensible vehicles for the area right now now let's move along I know there's like what the reunion next month is that next month or is it the month after around Christmas I don't remember it's a BF fire tonight we going to be out near the the circus just came in yeah the [ __ ] was and they go on and on in their exchange you hear that something you should never hear here the circus is employing Hutchinson's as security well maybe I'll see you out there I was thinking about going out there I heard it was back in town didn't they get run off a couple years ago no no that's the other one this this ain't the strace corn this is the straple horn boy that ain't the damn name don't really matter who the they are they just paying and they don't mind us drinking up ball they Hooch and round and round they talk and each time someone says something someone else has to say something even dumber louder and oh boys I've missed family but you guys better get on to work now you're going to get you know more alcohol cuz I know the place down the road ain't going to sell you enough oh no no no not at all uh uncle norber is over there getting at the quick stop we just rode in with him all right well I'll tell you what y all get on to work after he's done and I'll bring some of my lady friends over to the to the uh circus and we can all get together and hang out we and would you be so kind as to tell me what is your total of your manipulation and either subterfuge or persuasion oh like barely anything uh let's see I have you said manipulation mhm that' be a grand total of one oh you glossed over it and you move past it because because they're outdoing each other they're in comp constant competition with each other it's a race to the bottom and anyone can come in first Norbit huderson Uncle Norbit while morbid is the leader of the clan he is the most experienced and probably the deadliest because he moves with intention Norbit by far is the feest he is the middle Uncle he's the Perpetual middle child between the triplets and he where he goes people disappear the last person who crossed him even incidentally was left by the road with half their face missing they were too afraid to point a finger or insinuation at the Hutchinson's it just so happened that lber went out drinking that weekend and let the bean spill to impress the waitress and that's how everyone knew what happened Norbit of the Three Twins is the only one who's only served five years in actual prison he smart enough and dangerous enough to leave victims alive Norbit being in town to pick up alcohol means that he is ramping them up for something he is purposely manipulating his younger cousins and kin getting them liquored and amped for something and as you attempt to get them to back off the car it doesn't take much to attract his attention to get his eye to start a plan that will take days or weeks to reach fruition and for someone or something to be well [Music] paint Andia having gone to school with some of the hutchinsons seeing so many of the extended cousins and can in one place takes you back to grade school where even then there was a heavy Reliance on getting to Valla by the dumbest most violent way possible they surrounded a kid and began kicking him with their hands and yes as silly as it sounds that's exactly what they did they took off their shoes and placed them on both hands and kicked a kid with their hands when the teacher tried to stop them from kicking the kid with their hands the teacher fell victim to their pack lighta the only thing worse than the Hutchinson's criminal records is their willingness to add to it they treat their prison record like like a resume and they do everything they can to Pat it your father once taught lbit and promised to never ever engage with a Hutchinson ever again lbit in presenting his reasons for why America was a first world nation called his left hand the east coast and his right hand the west coast and he punched his debate partner with the full might of the USA this is why America is great this is why we will never be and the kid who was a local res didn't have any Heritage stretching outside of the US dropped out immediately withdrew and left school that night and never [Music] returned y and they're interested in your car and now they're interested in Maddie and the sheer amount of tattoos that are visible let alone hidden behind dingy t-shirts and cut off leather jackets and no not neatly cut off but literally they just took the seams and tore and ripped and turned them into battle vests could populate the entirety of Los Ang and [Music] Sacramento India is very torn between getting closer and helping M and staying the absolute [ __ ] away from grabbing distance of those guys you just like uh uh if you're watching Maddie she doesn't seem too terribly concerned I think I'm going to let Maddie handle this she seems to have it [Music] maybe until she mentions that she's going to bring girls out to the sarcus is that d right there oh yeah ain't that old boy sister oh yeah I went to school with him real [ __ ] American hero he was hey there miss [Music] love oh my God looks like we going to be able to do a cold one too look at her all dressed up with a mask on where you going to hospital dear yeah we don't mind getting down with the freaks if you know what I mean I like that M's just going to reach up and Pat got one of them on the shoulders like well seems like we have our plans then I will see you what like two or three hours oh no y'all can ride down with us come on get on ride on [ __ ] I ain't riding B I'm going to drive no you're going to ride and and they literally start shoving each other to prove who's going to ride with whom and as they get completely out of honey H honey cuz I need to get it freshened up she wants to wear that kind of makeup out there to the circus and Lord but speaks I don't really think it matters a little flavor never hurt nobody you boys you bringing them with or you dragging them along which one is it going to be we got to get back out there oh hey Uncle L hey this is cousin MADD from wood burs boy and just like that they're offsite of races scrambling and talking over each other again in a competition and a race to the bottom to make introductions nope when they're all talking India leans close to M maybe we should just get in the car now h on I'll be there in a moment you got to say hi to Uncle then she will walk on over to the uncle again while Excuse me while morbid is by far the deadliest of the triplets Norbit is the middle child who should not be crossed because just in the sheer competition of rockus of these nar wells and soon to be America's Most Wanted members of the Hutchinson family as they get louder and louder and begin to crowd in space he lashes out with the 24 oun can of beer in his hand catching one of them in the throat sending him to his knees and calm yourself you can't handle your [ __ ] you ain't going to get no more now what the [ __ ] is going on are they coming with or we dragging them along you you're you're wood Bur daughter sure am we got some work for you there's a couple of tents that need uh tendon two these folks ain't really take care of their [ __ ] how much you charge and as he says how much you charge he steps closer with the 24 o can in his hand it is clear that while morbit is in fact the deadliest that L that Norbit could easily compete eat with that if he so wanted but instead he takes pleasure in every ounce of pain and you can't hurt the [Music] dead how much you charge at this time of night let's call it double time 40 an hour 40 an hour you best take less than that come on let me grab the girls Shea jerk her head to the girls have them come on over India leans next to uh did she just sell us I think we're as worrying about that sort of [Music] thing well hopefully the India know she can prettyy much handle herself um I don't think she has her guns on her tonight even though usually um but concealed carry but uh all else fails she turns into what she turns into and can handle it so she shrugs and steps up gives them her prettiest m who's riding with who we got to go he calls out and moves towards a monster of a rat bike is literally the worst thing you can possibly see heading in your direction it's held together with far too much Ingenuity and far too much hate if it runs into something short of a tank you are ass sure that whatever it runs into two will no longer be whole or in one piece afterwards and as he swings his massive leg up and over and on he nods to the others who are immediately ignoring their choking cousin who still hasn't caught his breath and rushed to Star hopping on and point you can ride with me no she can ride with me it don't [ __ ] matter who she rides with just [ __ ] get on let's go I think all right with you on your a pretty spot machine [Music] mhm you got tools there right it's a circus they travel with tools doesn't mean they're good ones any hole in the dark cuz any hole in the dark well let's get on India will just pick a random biker cuz they're all the same smelly sweaty this what it don't matter so she walks up behind One tips her hat and then climbs over the side hell no hang on to your [ __ ] I got the fat you ain't got [ __ ] shut up and just like that snarling of the oldest most grizzled experienced wolf quiet all the pups all of their rockers ma cheeso dissipating and then the bike start up and it feels like you guys are in the middle of a pack of wolves each of the bites hand tuned and adjusted is not only loud but you feel the power vibrating from the motor it feels as if you are on top some monstrous ancient dire Beast too large to live too stubborn to die and then they're off there's the old aphorism of driving like a bat out of hell and somehow even that image doesn't quite sum up how they take off with a start how they immediately go from zero to two [ __ ] fast in the blink of an eye They Ride Like not only there is no tomorrow that they can outrun the devil and all of his angels in one Fell Swoop and if they tear past the Peno County Sheriff's Department an uneasy feeling settles cuz normally the car would have lit up and took off after one of them or at least wi one of them out of the pack and took one of them down but instead the light remain off the car remains unmoved and the Hutchinson's tear through the dark at [Music] night while you all race through the countryside heading towards the Cemetery grounds will this circus is setting up Joi Carnival suck the reason why Carnival suck for Bethany not only they bring undue attention but there's a [Music] chaotic Beauty to them the lights of their Midway the constant barkers the attention the energy it's a swirling mess it's like a painting brought to life like the act of creating art every second all of its own valtion the people the laughter the tears the screams of Terror from the ferris wheel or the Tilt the whir or people cheering themselves on as they lose more and more money at one of the gains it is the cent of youthful Indulgence is the scent of a summer morning the sun rising just beyond the horizon line the birds singing and the World in perfect chaotic order with itself it is a [ __ ] mess some of them more poetic than others some of them Wilder and more fanatic than others it is a place where if you are not carefully in control of your Beast it will easily consume you it's too easy to step between a tent or behind a game with someone in toll and experience a few moments of that hot life all of their excitement and joy and sadness swirling together into a soup that would take you along an epic adventure in a matter of seconds being able to taste all of that excitement all of that fear all of that life filled with SH sugar and alcohol and starchy Foods fried deep enough and dark enough that even their blood feels as if it's artery clogging it sucks cuz you have to be on your best behavior whenever you go to the circus that comes through you have to be careful to make sure it's not someone who's local and also make sure it's not someone who someone would miss all of the effort to properly hunt in a place that teases you to do just that it's its own form of [Music] Hell wonderful it's like tossing a wolf into the uh the Sheep enclosure and telling him no yep very much that and as you get closer taking it that you take the the back alleys up and around you don't take 79 up and take Don long down down and towards the cemetery or do you or do I oh yeah 79 could take you all the way up to um 20 and then you Circle back down around 2625 and then make that left right on into the Cemetery grounds Strickland like most of the cemeteries in the area are either built on or not far from an actual church this in this particular case the Strickland Springs Cemetery is literally down the road from Strickland Springs Baptist Church one of the funny things that no one's ever quite figured out about the areas why are there so many [ __ ] churches there are more Church purch per capita in the domain of Bethany than the entirety of shreport than the entirety of Carthage you wouldn't be too far off the the bat saying that there are more churches in the Bethany domain than there are in both places combined there's Long Ridge and there's Strickland there's Mount Pleasant there's the McKay Hendrick Church there's the Episcopal Church there Shady Grove there's the squirrel camp Camp non denominational agnostic Church there's the alian fields Baptist Church there's Mount Zion there's the crossroads there's it is literally you could throw a rock in any direction and head at least two different churches almost as if it's a network a net of you're not sure what but when you're in your paranoid moments and making wild leaps of fancy it's one of the things that often crosses your mind during your living days you didn't think too much of it there church just churches but you've seen Kindred lose their [ __ ] When approaching certain churches you seen Kindred lose their way in the dark when you're getting near certain cemeteries certain graveyards hell you were hunting closer when you first moved back into the area and you came came across uh daily Creek just Southwest of town and you're not sure how but you found yourself 5 miles further west than you intended just kept walking that something was calling you drawing you eating up all fractions of time and yet here you are how are you going to get the Strickland yeah I'm getting the strong impression that maybe avoiding uh avoiding that is a good [Music] idea it's a great idea so how are you getting strickling you going to take uh strickling Springs row up and around the back way or you're going to take the fast easy way to get there which just you know head down 79 up to 25 down 26 25 right past the church right no [ __ ] that we're we're taking the Strickland Springs right I'm looking at it on the map right now it's fine it's fine we'll just avoid wait a second doesn't this run me right past the [ __ ] Cemetery yes and you remember that as you're making the right off of Old Town Road onto Strickland as you merge off of Old Town on to uh 1205 and you're moving past the Farms out there in the distance you can see them in the night because unlike most places the roads out here don't have as many Street lamps so all of the light all of the activity in the houses just off the road are visible from the road even moving along at a perfectly legal healthy clip of 55 M an hour you can see all the activity in the farmh houses and the plantations and the ranches as you make that right and while for you having grown up in the area this is a hub of activity truth be told and the distance that you've driven you have only seen less than 1110th the population per capita that the average driver and streetport sees on a daily basis for you this is downright claustrophobic you you passed 17 houses and there's more going up in the distance you've passed five actual Ranch Estates there just too many people moving into the area pretty soon you're going to have your own uh middle class intelligencia moving in like those folks southeast of town out there in know that gated community living right next to each other no land between the houses City's getting closer and closer day by day ah [ __ ] there's 18 You' passed 18 plots of land with homes on them and the Roose just eating itself up as you move along Spring Road and you get to that fork in the road now do you remember whether you need to take Strickland Springs North or do you follow it on to your right let's see uh I may I may have misheard it where's the specific destination of this circus Strickland Springs Cemetery grounds Strickland Springs Cemetery grounds yay so as you're there at Strickland Springs 1205 you can either go left or right at the crossroads at the fork as a fork actually but you can go left or right you remember which one you're supposed to take [Music] [Music] I'm thinking I'm thinking left might be my my direction here I believe right takes me up towards the Baptist Church [Music] right and there it is you've been on these roads longer than most people have had their licenses most of the people are driving tonight and in and a around and coming in from treport coming north from Carthage have not been driving in this area anywhere near the length of time that you've been in the area off and on your time away and your time back yet here you are at a common fork in the road and you kind of lost your way takes you a second to realize you need to make that left and take 1205 all around but there it is there's a problem there's magic out here in the dark there's other energy [Music] M those [ __ ] fairies that I don't know exist and with the circus my bad and all of its liveliness occupying the entire Southwestern grounds of the Strickland property because that's really what the road is the Strickland Springs Road was named after the church just like Bethany was named after its founding church and all of this all of this space all of this great big space between the ponds and the lakes and The Creeks but technically belong to the founders of the Strickland Springs Church and you see it bursting out of the night sky like a comet the lights from the feris wheel from the Tilted world the sound of people enjoying life begins to reach you even through the windows of your vehicle you can feel yourself getting amped up and you get close because most of the people that you're going to see aren't from the area most of the people that you see aren't from Bethany aren't from wasam most of the people that you see would be careless and think that everything's as hunky dory as possible they just go on with living their lives without realizing that you and those like you are in their midst you could easily make someone disappear you don't mean to be salivating but that's what comes to mind the moistening and preparation for consuming mass quantities [Music] and as you round the bend there at stri Strickland Springs Road and you cross the invisible threshold onto actual Church property the trees opening up to reveal circus tent after circus tent after circus tent after circus tent most of the car carnivals and traveling midways that make their way through the area they're small Affairs five tents at the most eight vehicles at the most but as you reach the edge of the road and you see what lay out there ahead of you theyve taken up the entire South Western portion of the Strickland property there there are easily 12 to 20 tents of varying sizes there are easily at least 35 40 Vehicles not counting all of the people the tourists who are parking across the street ruining the paddock there filling the space they're literally taking their lives in their own hands because there aren't any lights outside of the carnival there aren't street lights on Strickland Springs Road in this area so you're literally running through the dark to get to the light of the carnival so any car any vehicle moving along the road any clip is putting everyone's life in jeopard and no one seems to notice or care at the risk normally there'd be a sheriff's Patrol sitting in the road to make sure every made it along safely normally there'd be several individuals from the local municipality from either Panola County or the Cado Parish there to make sure that this was in fact a safe environment but there's not there's no Sheriff's patrol car there's no County Parish patrol car there is the Hutchinson seal and orange w on a blue background the Orange is supposed to be red but it's been washed several hundred times to the point where they don't even try to make it red anymore it's just a bright orange wolf's head on a blue background you see several Hutchinson cousins moving back and forth some of them holding those huge mag lights that double as clubs in a pinch openly drinking one is holding an actual 40 o as he checks some teenager's ID in the other hand you see that shock of red hair moving between the crowd making a way for one of the clowns to get through to wherever they're going as you slow and decide on whether you're going to pull to off the road wher everyone else is parking or find other allotment for your vehicle you see the Hutchinson's on premises acting in some capacity that is unsettling how just wouldn't know honest days work if it beat him over the head yet here they are H there's very much this moment of just oh [ __ ] not now as he pulls in and he just going to uh leave his vehicle with the general [Music] assembly As You Pull It Go on putting it elsewhere in my mind like going off and finding somewhere else to put it with just uh not only could stand out but make it a lot easier for the [ __ ] if they notice him and if they notice his vehicle for the Hutchinson to vandalize the [ __ ] thing and if things could not get worse as you exit the vehicle and join a crowd of folks who are getting ready to make their way across the street you hear it and you're already dead blood freezes you're already unmoving noncirculating vat stops your ears perk up without any active effort on your part your head turns down the road as you hear the very Earth itself crying out in pain as a sound of massively overcharged sport motorcycle engines eat up the entirety of the night the carnival seems calm by comparison as you hear just a slew of high revved engines moving at a quick Pace in your general [Music] direction um you know cut the car as soon as possible just kind of duck myself in between all the vehicles try try and like move as as casually and as like non eye-catchingly as possible as there's very much the impression that my job tonight may very well end with me getting curb stomped by a bunch of uh rednecks would you be so kind has to roll your comp the direction of the would you be so to roll your composure in stealth DC [Music] three you are rude [Music] nobody you know that whats do this risk it for the biscuit okay [Music] well some part total failure some part of you knows that you can take them some part of you knows that you are [ __ ] dead they can't hurt you anymore you can take whatever they dish out and return it provided you get the right opportunity provided they don't see you coming you can make them they it too costly from them to do anything except for leave you alone permanently especially here with all these people no one ever point a finger at you caught between the of your Beast to master the its environment to be the apex predator as far as it is concerned you lose your way ducking between vehicles and making a left and making a right and trying to quiet that unending voice of destroy them stop fleeing take everything they have from them pushing it down forcing it out of sight trying to no know we we got to do this smart we could just you find yourself at the edge of the road you duck behind a van cut across a truck and you're putting as much distance between you and the bikes as possible Until you realize they never ride by themselves there they never ride by themselves so if you heard the sound echoing off the trees to your South it means that oh [ __ ] like coming from the North and you find yourself at the edge of the paddock right next to the road as you are now several score of feet from the group of tourists who are getting ready to cross the street in front of these bikes to go to the carnival you instead of being lost in the middle of the crowd of people are by yourself at the road's Edge as the Monstrous Franken Stein based rat bike that is only owned by one person that you've ever known brave enough to drive such a ridiculously offensive vehicle nor but at the head of a pack of Hutchinson's brown bags of alcohol strapped to various sadle bags are being held in various laps amidst Lita Maddie and India riding on the back of several members of the pack with Maddie arm wrapped tightly around uncle Norbit as he leads the pack into the paddock where the vehicle apart so they literally drive right past you his head watching and tracking you as if you are food just a kind of very uh uh Meek wave like single single motion wave as they drive by as his eyes are kind of on uh on the girls more than uh more than Norbit and lbit and all them [ __ ] it's just the the thought going through his head is why why what have I done to deserve this racing through the night under your own power is one thing racing through the night with someone who doesn't care about potentially running anything in everyone down with their vehicle is another and another level beyond that is where you three are because the Hutchinson literally drive like they have the key to immortality as if nothing can hurt them as if they could literally run through walls and being as close to them as you all are you know that their scent very well might be able to even if their bodies can't there is a very defined aggressively masculine stench and sweat to them mixed and mingled with alcohol and whatever drug they happen to get their hands on on top of mot

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