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Source: collected/028-volaxis-episode-1.mp3
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00:00:00.080 Speaker 1 [gentle music]
00:00:41.740 Speaker 1 Volaxis. Chapter One: False Flag.
00:00:48.220 Speaker 1 Reese Greystone strolled through the ration house, pretending to look at the food on
00:00:53.440 Speaker 1 the shelves. He waved at an elderly woman. He helped a lost child find their parent.
00:00:59.780 Speaker 1 He was a model citizen, greeting everyone at the door and making a show of being
00:01:04.640 Speaker 1 seen. And if he had to stay in this pigsty a moment longer, he was
00:01:10.420 Speaker 1 going to rob the place himself. Seriously, how long did it take to rob a store?
00:01:16.660 Speaker 1 Reese walked up to the counter. The middle-aged man shook visibly when he
00:01:21.100 Speaker 1 approached. Reese took a step back, and the man calmed. Then he took another step
00:01:26.360 Speaker 1 closer. He began shaking. They even behaved like livestock.
00:01:33.760 Speaker 1 Reese looked for a house pin on the man's clothes out of habit. He shouldn't have
00:01:37.720 Speaker 1 bothered. He wouldn't find a house pin within 10 square blocks of this place. The
00:01:43.460 Speaker 1 man was houseless, so he couldn't own property. Perhaps they'd gone too deep into
00:01:48.460 Speaker 1 the commonery for this one. Did they even know who he was? There wasn't
00:01:54.280 Speaker 1 much point if they didn't. His role today was to play hero. These people were to
00:01:59.740 Speaker 1 play the bystanders assaulted by the FMR terrorists in a robbery gone wrong, but
00:02:05.340 Speaker 1 ultimately saved by the legitimate Twinestone mage who happened to be in the area,
00:02:11.360 Speaker 1 Reese. He looked up and down at the man behind the counter.
00:02:17.240 Speaker 1 "Are you the tenant of this shop?" "I am, my lord." "I'm not your lord."
00:02:24.500 Speaker 1 The man grimaced as if in actual pain. He was well-trained, at least.
00:02:29.620 Speaker 1 "I beg pardon, but you are. T-This is a Greystone
00:02:35.700 Speaker 1 tower, sir. Your tower." Ah. See, now that didn't fit the
00:02:41.580 Speaker 1 storyline. Saving his own profit was something a noble would do, but it wasn't
00:02:47.560 Speaker 1 a noble thing to do. Couldn't they have robbed a commonery tower instead? There were
00:02:53.400 Speaker 1 some of those left, right? He couldn't remember.
00:02:58.740 Speaker 1 By then, Reese had been there long enough to attract a few dozen gawking commonery.
00:03:03.380 Speaker 1 As he surveyed them, they looked away, each pretending to be busy, like
00:03:08.740 Speaker 1 livestock. A small crowd of people who idled around the shop, never quite able to
00:03:14.200 Speaker 1 decide which of the identical bags of bread flour they wanted. Basically, people who
00:03:19.680 Speaker 1 were doing exactly what he was doing. Were they the robbers, perhaps? He
00:03:25.580 Speaker 1 hadn't been told this part of the plan, at his own insistence. It was hard to act
00:03:30.660 Speaker 1 when you knew what was coming, after all.
00:03:35.440 Speaker 1 So Reese leaned on the counter and continued to play his part. The flowing sleeves
00:03:40.700 Speaker 1 of his robe spilled onto the rough wooden countertop. It looked like the grime had
00:03:45.800 Speaker 1 sunk an inch deep into the wood. This was the kinda place that never got clean
00:03:51.060 Speaker 1 again, no matter how much you scrubbed. A little fire might do some good, actually,
00:03:56.680 Speaker 1 especially now that he knew it was his property. He motioned for the shopkeeper to
00:04:01.260 Speaker 1 lean in with two fingers. Somehow, the shaking man quivered even more as he drew
00:04:06.900 Speaker 1 closer. Did he have some kinda condition? Nihlus would be interested in that.
00:04:12.440 Speaker 1 "Have you been robbed already
00:04:18.360 Speaker 1 today?" "No. No, sir." "Are you sure?" The shopkeeper nodded
00:04:24.340 Speaker 1 enthusiastically. If this man shook any harder, something was going to fall off. He
00:04:29.820 Speaker 1 hooked a thumb at the door behind him. "My sons are working in the storeroom, sir.
00:04:35.620 Speaker 1 They have clubs." As if on cue, four men filed out of the wooden door behind the
00:04:41.660 Speaker 1 counter. Their laughter stopped as they took in the scene before them, their
00:04:46.420 Speaker 1 quivering elderly father looking up at Reese in his imposing duelist robes as he
00:04:51.940 Speaker 1 leaned over the counter. The largest of them, the oldest brother perhaps, made a
00:04:57.320 Speaker 1 show of adjusting his belt. They were indeed armed with clubs.
00:05:03.080 Speaker 1 Reese spread his hands in a show of peace. "Hold on, fellas. I'm not the one
00:05:08.740 Speaker 1 robbing you."
00:05:11.020 Speaker 1 He was still thinking about how stupid that sounded when he heard a single footstep
00:05:16.000 Speaker 1 behind him. Someone slipped their thin arm casually around his torso, almost like a
00:05:22.000 Speaker 1 lover embracing him from behind, and then he felt a sharp object press into his skin
00:05:27.100 Speaker 1 above his right kidney. He gritted his teeth and fought the urge to defend himself.
00:05:32.000 Speaker 1 This was all part of the plan. Just part of the plan. "Don't move, Noble."
00:05:37.900 Speaker 1 "Took you long enough." "You're gonna walk nice and
00:05:43.880 Speaker 1 slow into that back room. Don't make trouble. I know what primed magic looks like."
00:05:49.380 Speaker 1 "Ha. I don't think so. If you think you can threaten these people
00:05:55.280 Speaker 1 while I stand by and do nothing..."
00:05:59.160 Speaker 1 The knife plunged into Reese's side, and his world shattered with pain. He gasped
00:06:04.740 Speaker 1 and threw himself forward and felt the knife slide back out of him. In an instant,
00:06:09.060 Speaker 1 the attacker was on top of him again. The knife flashed toward his throat. Reese
00:06:14.288 Speaker 1 threw up his green glowing right hand. He caught the knife in the metal that had
00:06:18.968 Speaker 1 grown like webbing between his fingers. The tip of the blade punched through the
00:06:23.468 Speaker 1 iron, stopping inches from his throat. He held it there, struggling between his
00:06:28.888 Speaker 1 fingers. His attacker leaned on the knife with her entire body weight. It was a
00:06:33.948 Speaker 1 silent struggle. Real fights were like that, a quiet fight for control, marked
00:06:39.748 Speaker 1 only by the sounds of effort, and then the final dying sounds of the defeated.
00:06:46.047 Speaker 1 But that would not be him. His mind raced. This wasn't a farce like they'd
00:06:51.748 Speaker 1 planned. This person was trying to kill him. They were trying to kill him. Reese
00:06:57.428 Speaker 1 used his right hand, now covered in an inch of fresh iron, to wrench the knife from
00:07:01.728 Speaker 1 his attacker by twisting it out of her hands. She had dark hair and tired eyes.
00:07:07.528 Speaker 1 Her yellowed teeth were locked in a grimace of rage and determination.
00:07:13.508 Speaker 1 Unexpectedly, she shifted her weight and let the knife be taken from her, then faked
00:07:17.748 Speaker 1 a jab at his face with the other hand. He flinched to block, and she used her knife
00:07:22.888 Speaker 1 hand, now empty, to punch him in the throat with quick, efficient blows. One, two,
00:07:28.368 Speaker 1 three. The room began to go black as Reese coughed. His vision was red at the
00:07:34.068 Speaker 1 edges. He tried to push away, but he was up against the counter. He tried to throw
00:07:38.828 Speaker 1 her off as she hit him again and again, but she moved with his weight. Reese
00:07:44.648 Speaker 1 Greystone refused to be a victim. He refused to die on the floor. He was
00:07:50.648 Speaker 1 a twin stone mage, not some common street urchin. He roared
00:07:56.608 Speaker 1 in pain and defiance, spraying blood in her face. Then Reese's hands glowed blue
00:08:01.948 Speaker 1 this time. He slapped the ground to the left and right of them, and the stone simply
00:08:06.908 Speaker 1 fell away as if made of sand. He saw her eyes go wide for only an instant, and
00:08:12.828 Speaker 1 then they were both falling through the hole he'd punched in the ground. They
00:08:18.328 Speaker 1 smashed onto the stone floor one level down. Reese heard an awful popping sound as
00:08:23.128 Speaker 1 they hit, unable to determine whether it was from his own body or from his enemy. He
00:08:27.848 Speaker 1 tried to sit up, but his body screamed in protest. The attacker was getting up next
00:08:32.648 Speaker 1 to him, so he prepared himself to defend. But instead, she started limping away.
00:08:38.968 Speaker 1 By the time he forced his own body up, she had already disappeared down the flight
00:08:43.048 Speaker 1 of stairs. That was when he heard the sound of zip lines through the hole in
00:08:49.008 Speaker 1 the ceiling. He saw flashes of people in black outfits and masks. Everyone get
00:08:55.008 Speaker 1 on the ground. This is the FMR. We'll be relieving you of your personal belongings.
00:09:01.008 Speaker 1 Lay nice and still while we collect them now. That's right. Nope. Stay
00:09:06.608 Speaker 1 behind the counter. And you, empty that register. Of course.
00:09:12.308 Speaker 1 Now they come. A few seconds later, someone poked their head through the hole in the
00:09:17.248 Speaker 1 ceiling and lifted their mask to look down at him. Reese? What are you doing down
00:09:23.128 Speaker 1 there?
00:09:25.388 Speaker 1 Someone stabbed me. I'm taking a shortcut. Meet me on the ground. What about the
00:09:32.088 Speaker 1 But Reese wasn't listening anymore. This was so much bigger than another false flag
00:09:38.088 Speaker 1 operation. He glanced at the stairwell. He'd never be able to catch her that way.
00:09:43.128 Speaker 1 Something warm was running down his side, and his mind was getting fuzzy. Every step
00:09:48.848 Speaker 1 was agony. So he stumbled into the closest stone wall before he could think better
00:09:53.948 Speaker 1 of it. His hands glowed blue, and a section of the wall disintegrated. Reese
00:09:59.968 Speaker 1 let himself tumble through the hole into the early morning air. The street,
00:10:06.328 Speaker 1 six floors below, rapidly grew closer. Wind roared in his ears.
00:10:12.368 Speaker 1 As he fell, he wondered if he would pass out and fall to his death. A stupid
00:10:17.628 Speaker 1 thought. He'd practiced this a hundred times. But as the ground flew up at him, just
00:10:22.828 Speaker 1 like a hundred times before, he was certain he would die. With a force of will, his
00:10:28.748 Speaker 1 fingers, and only his fingers, glowed blue. He thrust his fingers into the side of
00:10:33.788 Speaker 1 the stone tower racing past him. They sunk into the stone as if it were made of
00:10:38.928 Speaker 1 water. But in his stupor, he'd waited too long to slow his fall. His
00:10:45.068 Speaker 1 left arm ripped him upward violently, and he heard and felt an awful
00:10:50.768 Speaker 1 tearing sound in his shoulder. Reese screamed, but kept channeling his stone
00:10:55.628 Speaker 1 absorption. If he stopped, he would be hanging from the side of a building with a
00:11:00.748 Speaker 1 dislocated shoulder three stories up. He rode the side of the building down,
00:11:06.288 Speaker 1 dragging one hand through the stone to slow his fall. The pain was
00:11:11.648 Speaker 1 unbearable. He clenched his teeth so hard he was worried they would break next.
00:11:18.348 Speaker 1 Reese fell in a sad, boneless pile to the street at the ground level. It
00:11:24.248 Speaker 1 was hardly heroic. Fire ran through his shoulder. Lava boiled on the other
00:11:30.108 Speaker 1 side of his body where the knife wound was. He looked up at the pale blue morning
00:11:36.048 Speaker 1 sky through the gaps in the stone towers. Little black silhouettes moving on thin
00:11:41.508 Speaker 1 black lines that ran between the buildings like a black spider's web. Even though it
00:11:46.928 Speaker 1 was early, people still used the zip lines. Traffic never truly stopped in Valaxis.
00:11:54.548 Speaker 1 He just stared upward. There was no way he was getting up. He couldn't.
00:12:00.748 Speaker 1 So he just lay there in pain, waiting, knowing how stupid he'd been. How
00:12:06.688 Speaker 1 impulsive and reckless he'd been with his own life. And two of House Greystone's
00:12:12.108 Speaker 1 greatest treasures. Not that his father needed two more stones of power, but if his
00:12:17.268 Speaker 1 attacker collected them off his dead body No, no, that was unacceptable. He would
00:12:23.056 Speaker 1 not arm the underground mages. So he had to stay alive.
00:12:29.616 Speaker 1 Some eternity later, a young woman burst through the street door at the base of the
00:12:34.496 Speaker 1 tower. Stop.
00:12:37.896 Speaker 1 She heard him, of course, stopped, and turned to look back at him.
00:12:43.916 Speaker 1 That was when he realized he was in no condition to fight her again. She looked
00:12:49.716 Speaker 1 around in confusion, probably wondering why her victim had gone to such great
00:12:54.796 Speaker 1 lengths to lay prostrate at her feet. Surely it must be a trap. No,
00:13:01.216 Speaker 1 not a trap. I'm just an idiot. She stood over him,
00:13:07.096 Speaker 1 but just far enough out of reach to dodge. It was dark down there on the ground.
00:13:13.336 Speaker 1 If she was from the Free Magic Resistance, the real Free Magic Resistance, not his
00:13:19.296 Speaker 1 team dressed like them six floors up, this would be familiar territory to her. They
00:13:25.155 Speaker 1 loved dark, tight, filthy places like this. Not unlike other vermin, really.
00:13:31.256 Speaker 1 When no one sprung out of the alleys to get her, the woman brought her foot back for
00:13:35.636 Speaker 1 a swift kick to his temple. And though he tried to dull the blow with a quick layer
00:13:40.216 Speaker 1 of iron plating on his head, the boot struck and Rhys started falling again,
00:13:46.456 Speaker 1 this time into complete darkness.
00:13:54.176 Speaker 1 Chapter Two South Bloom Towers
00:13:59.096 Speaker 1 Tessa watched the noble sleeping in her bed, and somehow it felt wrong. He
00:14:05.056 Speaker 1 shouldn't get the bed. She would have put him on the floor, but he might do that
00:14:10.416 Speaker 1 stone-melting magic thing again and get away. More likely, given his injuries,
00:14:16.396 Speaker 1 ruin her floor and hurt himself. He seemed prone to that kind of
00:14:22.356 Speaker 1 thing. Maybe she should have just killed him and taken the stones for herself. It
00:14:27.436 Speaker 1 was an unbelievable fortune. If she could sell them without being killed in the
00:14:32.756 Speaker 1 process, no guarantees there. Too late for all that anyway. Things were already in
00:14:38.736 Speaker 1 motion. A safer deal, hopefully. It was always smart to take the safer deal, even if
00:14:44.756 Speaker 1 you got paid a little less. Tessa was happy to let someone else take the heat from
00:14:49.116 Speaker 1 this one. She looked out the window again. If she stuck her head out the window
00:14:54.996 Speaker 1 and angled it just right, she could still see a sliver of blue sky. It wasn't a good
00:15:00.776 Speaker 1 idea to make a habit of that, though. Besides the eternal rain of pigeon droppings,
00:15:05.576 Speaker 1 she might get a face full of human droppings. People usually threw their waste down
00:15:10.556 Speaker 1 the chutes in the center of the tower. But it was a long walk for some, and the
00:15:15.716 Speaker 1 window was right there. Tessa looked down the rows of identical stone towers
00:15:21.796 Speaker 1 outside. A few wretched souls stumbled around through the alleyways below, but most
00:15:27.596 Speaker 1 of the traffic was on the zip lines far above. She got up and paced around the room,
00:15:33.216 Speaker 1 stealing occasional glances at the door. Dawn, Frisk, and the others should have
00:15:38.196 Speaker 1 been back by now. Didn't they know how big this was? Everyone in the FMR
00:15:44.156 Speaker 1 would know soon. And that's what she was afraid of. Two stones of power.
00:15:50.576 Speaker 1 And a noble hostage to sweeten the deal. I shouldn't have told Dawn.
00:15:57.176 Speaker 1 There was a rustling sound behind her. Tessa spun around, heart pounding, and
00:16:01.556 Speaker 1 reached for the knife in her belt. The movement made her arm roar in pain. She
00:16:06.256 Speaker 1 winced and awkwardly used the other hand instead. It wasn't there. Her knife wasn't
00:16:11.696 Speaker 1 there. A glance to the side. She'd left it on the desk. The pale man looked at
00:16:17.736 Speaker 1 her sleepily from her bed, unmoving. He'd lost a lot of blood on the way
00:16:23.716 Speaker 1 here. He looked so much different than the furious warrior who had jumped off a
00:16:29.396 Speaker 1 building to chase her. Who did stuff like that? Even if you were a mage, you were
00:16:35.056 Speaker 1 still human.
00:16:37.496 Speaker 1 It smells like feet.
00:16:42.876 Speaker 1 Yeah, well, welcome to South Bloom. The smell grows on you. Who's Dawn?
00:16:49.096 Speaker 1 Your boss.
00:16:55.176 Speaker 1 I'll kill him first, saving you for last. Tessa walked over to
00:17:01.156 Speaker 1 the desk and slipped her knife back into her belt, then sat down, propping her chin
00:17:06.796 Speaker 1 up on the uninjured arm. This man wasn't a threat anymore. Real life wasn't like
00:17:12.636 Speaker 1 those rooftop plays. Your enemies didn't get back up after wounds like this. They
00:17:18.236 Speaker 1 just laid there, waiting for the mercy of death. Your killing days are over. Look
00:17:24.216 Speaker 1 at yourself. The noble just grimaced. A feral, bloody grimace.
00:17:30.316 Speaker 1 His body was falling apart, but his spirit just didn't know when to quit. So
00:17:36.216 Speaker 1 who are you? FMR? No. And it was the
00:17:42.176 Speaker 1 truth. That was her brother's thing. Freedom fighter. Revolutionary.
00:17:48.996 Speaker 1 It was gonna get him killed. He was the idealist. Tessa's vendetta was
00:17:55.216 Speaker 1 much more personal than that. Yeah, well, we'll see when my
00:18:00.636 Speaker 1 erasers get to work on you.
00:18:06.076 Speaker 1 It's funny you should mention that. And then the noble spirit was finally
00:18:12.116 Speaker 1 cowed. The grimace turned ugly. Fearful. Apparently there were
00:18:18.116 Speaker 1 things that scared him. You're lying. You don't have an eraser.
00:18:24.400 Speaker 1 Tessa leaned back in her chair, trying to look relaxed, trying not to mess up her
00:18:30.240 Speaker 1 throbbing arm any further. It was definitely broken. When she didn't answer,
00:18:36.420 Speaker 1 he tried a different tactic instead. You got a name? Doesn't matter.
00:18:44.180 Speaker 1 Why?
00:18:47.480 Speaker 1 Because in just a little bit, you won't remember my name, your name, or anything
00:18:52.700 Speaker 1 really. Just, uh, what's the word? She knew the word.
00:18:58.500 Speaker 1 Everyone knew the word. It was the Magisterium's favorite weapon.
00:19:04.420 Speaker 1 Oh yeah, blank. The noble winced, and again with that look of
00:19:10.520 Speaker 1 fear. It surprised her. This guy had been willing to chase her
00:19:16.380 Speaker 1 off a building, but he was afraid of losing his memories? How was death not
00:19:22.420 Speaker 1 worse? He swallowed audibly, but continued speaking, also
00:19:28.199 Speaker 1 feigning confidence. Humory, what's your name?
00:19:34.200 Speaker 1 She thought about giving him a fake name. It was the smart thing to do. But really,
00:19:40.160 Speaker 1 what did it matter? This catch was so big she was either going straight to the top
00:19:45.760 Speaker 1 or going right down with him. It was almost enough to make her regret sticking him
00:19:51.140 Speaker 1 up. Almost. But her temper did what her temper did.
00:19:57.720 Speaker 1 Tessa. Nice to meet you, Tessa. I'm going to kill you
00:20:03.480 Speaker 1 last.
00:20:06.260 Speaker 1 She rolled her eyes, and for the ten thousandth time, she looked at the door to her
00:20:11.260 Speaker 1 squat little apartment and wondered when the cavalry would finally get here. Best to
00:20:17.220 Speaker 1 just keep him talking if he was going to be awake. He might not survive another blow
00:20:22.380 Speaker 1 to the head.
00:20:24.480 Speaker 1 And you are? Rhys Greystone. A
00:20:29.940 Speaker 1 slow, knowing smile spread across his face. She stared flatly at him.
00:20:37.040 Speaker 1 Am I supposed to know who that is? Greystone? Like,
00:20:43.640 Speaker 1 the name on the barrels?
00:20:47.060 Speaker 1 The what?
00:20:49.400 Speaker 1 Greystone. It's on all the barrels of grain that come in from the south.
00:20:55.480 Speaker 1 Yes, that Greystone. The barrels, the grain, the horses, the
00:21:00.920 Speaker 1 people. It's all ours. That and a thousand more things.
00:21:07.320 Speaker 1 So, I'm supposed to be impressed because you make barrels?
00:21:13.040 Speaker 1 Rhys looked around as if searching for someone else to explain this to.
00:21:19.120 Speaker 1 One, I'm wasting my time. We can agree on that.
00:21:24.880 Speaker 1 Two, I changed my mind. What? And then
00:21:30.540 Speaker 1 Rhys raised a glowing green hand four feet from her face.
00:21:36.600 Speaker 1 I'm killing you first. Goodbye.
00:21:41.640 Speaker 1 Then his glowing green hand flickered and died. He looked at his hand in alarm
00:21:47.660 Speaker 1 and confusion, as if it were a misbehaving machine he could shake back into working
00:21:52.540 Speaker 1 order. Tessa leaned back in her chair again. I force-fed you a null
00:21:58.360 Speaker 1 stone while you were sleeping. Small one, but it'll do the trick eventually, I
00:22:03.080 Speaker 1 think. You, you Tessa raised an eyebrow,
00:22:09.380 Speaker 1 waiting. Commonry trash!
00:22:13.780 Speaker 1 Basement-dwelling, waste-bathing, tunnel-crawling.
00:22:19.800 Speaker 1 That was when the apartment door finally opened. Two men she didn't recognize stood
00:22:25.860 Speaker 1 there. Tessa rose from her chair. Dawn? Donnie? Where? Right here.
00:22:32.900 Speaker 1 Dawn stepped out from behind the other men. It's okay. They're with me. Tessa let
00:22:38.520 Speaker 1 her hand slide off the knife hilt and moved back out of their way. The two burly men
00:22:44.459 Speaker 1 came in. They wore all black, unadorned uniforms. They looked
00:22:50.760 Speaker 1 surprised, for some reason. The one without facial hair shot a glance at the other.
00:22:56.420 Speaker 1 What, did they think she'd been lying about this? We'd better put a hood over him.
00:23:03.160 Speaker 1 Lord above, girl. You said you found him in a ration house? Yes.
00:23:09.360 Speaker 1 Then he jumped off a building, and we dragged him here. The two men exchanged
00:23:15.000 Speaker 1 another look. The same look, actually, just played again. Is he disarmed?
00:23:21.740 Speaker 1 I fed him a null stone.
00:23:26.080 Speaker 1 One of the uniforms gave her a sharp nod, and then they wrapped up Rhys Greystone in
00:23:31.020 Speaker 1 a few blankets and lifted him as gently as they could. It was done quickly and
00:23:36.220 Speaker 1 professionally. I want it when it comes back out, too.
00:23:42.120 Speaker 1 Tessa just managed to catch Rhys' disgusted reaction before they left the room.
00:23:48.020 Speaker 1 She was certainly playing into his fiction of the commonry. Well, he might be able
00:23:53.300 Speaker 1 to let a null stone sliver go, but this was a fortune to her. Dawn
00:23:58.960 Speaker 1 idled in giddy anticipation out in the hallway, watching the two men carry the
00:24:03.840 Speaker 1 concealed Rhys away. This is big. Tessa, do you understand
00:24:09.840 Speaker 1 how big this is? Nope. She tried to put both hands in
00:24:15.820 Speaker 1 her pockets, winced, then put only one hand in her pocket. That's the
00:24:21.700 Speaker 1 son of one of the most powerful houses in Velaxis, and he fell right into our laps.
00:24:28.420 Speaker 1 Really now, is that what you told them? Well, no. Don't
00:24:34.296 Speaker 1 worry. I told them you helped. You told them I helped?
00:24:41.176 Speaker 1 I seem to remember doing a lot more than just helping, Don. Don turned to
00:24:47.236 Speaker 1 her and placed his hands on her shoulders. Then he lifted them off her
00:24:53.076 Speaker 1 shoulders and grasped at the air as if trying to crush two invisible rocks
00:24:58.596 Speaker 1 suspended there. You don't get it. That's okay. You don't need
00:25:04.636 Speaker 1 to get it. Just, I love you. I love you, I love you, love you, love you, love you.
00:25:11.016 Speaker 1 Tessa gave him a faint smile. This was next level, even for Don.
00:25:16.956 Speaker 1 We getting drinks later then? Drinks? Tessa, I'm gonna buy you a
00:25:22.556 Speaker 1 tavern. I'd like to buy my own tavern, if that's all right.
00:25:28.796 Speaker 1 He pointed a finger at her and flashed a brilliant smile. Ten taverns. You can
00:25:34.776 Speaker 1 have your own damn tower once we topple the Magisterium.
00:25:39.636 Speaker 1 Hold on, Donnie. I'm not waiting that long. I want to get paid, like, right the
00:25:45.376 Speaker 1 hell now. They know that, right? Of course, sis. Of course. He
00:25:51.036 Speaker 1 started to spin away from her, but she grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him
00:25:55.236 Speaker 1 back, gently. Donnie, tell me I'm gonna get paid for
00:26:01.096 Speaker 1 this. He grimaced, and Tessa knew things were about to get
00:26:06.816 Speaker 1 ugly. Control, control, control the anger.
00:26:14.956 Speaker 1 Listen, if you get paid, then there's proof you were involved.
00:26:20.956 Speaker 1 Honestly, Tess, we're lucky you're not going to the Eraser, too.
00:26:26.176 Speaker 1 The world started to boil and close in on her all at once. Her
00:26:31.996 Speaker 1 vision narrowed to a point. I'm getting paid.
00:26:38.956 Speaker 1 Tessa, please don't make this a thing. She fired a simmering look at him, and Don
00:26:44.756 Speaker 1 took a step back, hands raised. He was not ruining this for her.
00:26:50.636 Speaker 1 Payday didn't matter. She wasn't going to buy a tavern. She wasn't
00:26:56.516 Speaker 1 going to buy drinks. She was going to buy something far,
00:27:02.256 Speaker 1 far more important. Don knew that, and that made it hurt even worse.
00:27:08.876 Speaker 1 He knew what he was withholding from her. I want to talk to them, your
00:27:14.816 Speaker 1 goons at the FMR. Tessa, it's not going to bring her back. You
00:27:20.776 Speaker 1 can't buy something like that. You can, actually. There's a price.
00:27:27.616 Speaker 1 Don started to speak again, but stopped as Tessa brought her hands very
00:27:33.316 Speaker 1 slowly to his shirt collar and grabbed it tightly. She ignored the
00:27:38.996 Speaker 1 blaring alarm of pain in her right arm as she pulled his face toward her.
00:27:45.096 Speaker 1 Even though she was a full six inches shorter than him, he recoiled from her.
00:27:51.036 Speaker 1 Take me to them. I can't. I can't.
00:27:56.796 Speaker 1 Listen, they're taking him to To
00:28:00.896 Speaker 1 And then she released his shirt and walked right past him, because she knew where
00:28:06.116 Speaker 1 they were taking Rhys now. It was almost too easy to get information out of her
00:28:11.256 Speaker 1 brother. He might be the revolutionary, but he was a coward, in his own way.
00:28:17.736 Speaker 1 Tessa, don't Don't go. They'll kill
00:28:23.596 Speaker 1 you. She didn't look back. No. They
00:28:29.656 Speaker 1 won't.