Mayday Plays - KULT: Divinity Lost 🪽 The Atrocity Exhibition, Episode 1 - "The Midnight Preview"

Episode Date: June 12, 2023

KULT: Divinity Lost 🪽 The Atrocity Exhibition, Episode 1 - "The Midnight Preview" by Mayday Roleplay

No. Hello. Good evening and welcome to Made a Roll Play. Thank you for joining us at a more nocturnal hour as we have been invited to Peruz one of Arts finest. Geekback Queen and his atrocity exhibition, a published module from Cult Divinity Laws. But before we begin our festivities this evening, some general housekeeping is in order. We'd like to thank our handler level patrons, contributors, their involvement allows us here at Mayday to continue to produce and tell stories for your viewing pleasure.

So thank you, Ong, OJPEN, Bimble Ward, Cameron S, Eric A, Jonathan M, Ren, WTF, and Alex Johnson. If you too would like to contribute to all that is made, be sure to find us on Patreon. Your access, you'll get access to our early releases art and our Discord server built around our wonderful community there. If you want to catch up on our completed seasons and shows like Tales from the Loop or Vegas by Night,

look to our VODs on YouTube, Spotify and SoundCloud for our podcast friendly recordings, and as always follow us on all major social media platforms or a website for updates on future content and other news. Cult Dominity Lost is a horror game and this actual play is intended for mature audiences. Be advised there may be violent themes, adult language, and exploration of darker subjects. Please take care of yourself and be aware. Some things to look out for tonight would be body horror, gore, corpses, the disappearance of people, religious iconography, violence against family members, and death. Safety tools are used at our tables,

and X-card can be employed at any time. And so, unless there is anything else, are we ready? Okay. Let us begin. Let us begin. What I'm about to tell you may be unpleasant, but for those who are not yet awake, listen carefully.

Your world is a lie. You are trapped in an illusion, and you need to wake up. Others have seen it where the doors lead. Others have heard it and know why the earth rides and screams. Others who will not hesitate to sacrifice you on the altars of old gods. There is only one way forward, knowing the truth. Your world is a lie.

You are trapped in an illusion, and you need to wake up." Three weeks ago, Mary Elle De Bois perched obsessively at the window of her office that outlooks the loading port of the Cecil Thorne Art Center in downtown DC. A final truck unloads its contents, rolling them in and out of sight. And De Bois, like clockwork, turns and tries to exit with haste. In the first step, she stumbles, resting a hand on her desk, and though well manicured, she catches a tinge of discoloration on the skin around the nails. Reaching for an ornate tin on her person and shakingly swallowing its contents, she takes a moment to regain her composure. De Bois, the single picture frame that holds a family portrait,

with her husband, Anthony, and a do-eye child on her hips. De Bois breathes. The moment is past. It's quiet, a Tuesday, and the gallery is typically closed for private showings, maintenance, and exhibition changes. The rumbling of cartwheels above DuVa interrupts this lol as she ascends the staircase to the second floor

to her gallery. By now, it has been stripped of its usual standing collection, Baron Wolves, frame nine dark colored crates of various sizes at its center. She is met by Mary Johnson and Alonzo Tussette, security and staff at the center. She is met by Mary Johnson and Alonzo, Alonzo to set security and staff at the center. And Mary begins to roll off tasks from her clipboard. The caterers have followed forwarded their menu options for the event. I have a list of potential invites for the evening. I can't seem to track down the contracts for the musicians we used from the Tully exhibit last year. Any chance you, and as the list strones on,

Maryel seems to ignore it all, as she moves about the crates until she meets Alano's eyes, who have been watching her. She stretches a smile across her face and at him. That's fine, Mary. Why don't you go do all of that while I begin setting up with Mr. Toast set? And before Mary could retort, Alano ushers her out of the gallery, shutting the door in her face. Mary exhales in frustration over the growing pattern of treatment since the starting the planning of this exhibition and resides and returns back downstairs to her office. As she descends those stairs, the maintenance man begins the rollout of banner

that holds the face of a troubled man, and the words written in blood red that reads, I'm going to do a little bit of the same. I'm going to do a little bit of the same. I'm going to do a little bit of the same. I'm going to do a little bit more careful. I'm going to be a little bit more careful. I'm going to be a little bit more careful. I'm going to be a little bit more careful.

I'm going to go. Incredible. The world we live in. Oh no. We'll never know. Alright, before we continue on, let's introduce our cast for this evening, starting with love. Hey, I'm Lev, and today I'm going to be playing Cole Du Bois, the use pronouns they he she. Hi, I'm Amanda, and I will be playing Dr. Isadora Swan. She, her. Hi, I'm Caleb James Miller. I'm gonna be playing Hugh Le-

You might have needed yourself for that only me. I'm- That's because she was here. Okay. Okay. Am I good? Okay. Hello. I'm Caleb James Miller. I'm gonna be playing Hugh Letho. His pronouns are he-him. My name is Sergio and I am playing Cecil Throne and his pronouns are he-him.

I'm Zach. I will be playing Mint or M-I-N-T and both of our pronouns are she-they. And I am Eli. I will be your storyteller this evening, and I go by any and all pronouns. It's 9 p.m. and the rain has carried on for hours, putting a damper on most of the Halloween activities for the weekend. Yet, flocks of umbrellas, ed, and flow over the growing coil of rain-slick-in vehicles that put the deposit guests into the foyer of the Cecilthorn Art Center. On its turn, a black town car rolls

into the entrance as the valley opens the door. Lev, just write coal as he gets out of the car. Coal is a kind of like medium build kind of a person. I have a very specific vision for their hair and it's gonna be a real specific internet dating. Kind of, it'll date the internet on Tumblr for a while. They were, they were fan-casting Ben Bard's a serious black for the Baratars. That's the hair that Cole has.

Just like Shaggy and like kind of cut short. I'm embarrassing for them. Yeah. Well, you know, it's 2010. That was hot. They're fair. They've got like a smattering of freckles across their face. And the brightest makeup they could find, like blues and purples and pinks and golds. They've got these like long snake earrings hanging from their ears. And they're wearing what looks like an incredibly sheer body suit.

That you can see the biggest tattoo, which is Raven Wings, that kind of curl from their back up and over their shoulders and around their chest over their top surgery scars. They had planned to wear their usual leather jacket with this body suit, but someone, likely their mother, hit it, and so he's gone with this kind of white blazer, black, really like loose-legged, like flowy-legged pants,

platform combat boots. And the thing that comesgged pants, platform combat boots. And the thing that comes out with the platform combat boots is a cane. It's like a silver-headed cane with what looks like maybe like a tiger or mountain lion on one end of the flathead kind of facing outward. Sleep black cane the rest of the way.

Yeah, that's cool. The valley quickly with an umbrella, like rushes over to kind of keep the water off of you and eventually just kind of abruptly kind of shuffles you towards the dry part of the inside of the building because they have so many. They're not trying to like totally like push you, but they are urgently trying to get you to the end.

But by the time you get there, yeah, you're in the foyer, or you're in the general foyer, just moments before opening into the center. There's a receptionist outside who's looking at invitations. And as you, as the couple in front of you, an older couple walks by, and she asks for your invitation. Good evening. Hi. You, my, my mother is running this gallery. I'm supposed to be here Cool, right? Yes, look it goes and like flips through a

Notepad as if and like kind of read something as if there was already something there Of course actually before you go in miss Mr. Du Bois, have you actually seen your mom? She left the house several hours ago with strict rules and when I was to arrive, so I'm here when she wanted me. That's all I know. Where is she? We're not sure. We were hoping she was going to be riding in with you as that was a mentionable possibility. But you have come alone, so I will make sure Miss Jensen knows that. My father, is he here yet? No. Neither of your parents have arrived on. Yes.

Thank you. Of course. If you have them a call, see if I can't help. I thought that would, that would be great. Thank you. Uh, what was your name again? Sorry. Uh, I'm Stacy.

Stacy, right? Yeah. Great. Yes. Stacy. You know, and she's, she kind of like, you know, points towards the door to kind of allow you entrants into the Cecil Ford Art Center.

Cole will kind of walk in. Like taking kind of joy in the echoing clack that their cane makes on the hardwood floor. And they'll pull their phone out and probably try to call their dad first. Okay, you call your father. Yes. It rings and rings and rings some more. So eventually you get your father's voicemail, which is very abruptly brief. Hi, this is Anthony de Bois.

Please leave a message after the beat. And it just beat. Hi, dad. Mom told me to be here at a specific time and she's not here and you're not here. And I know you're not boning in a gallery. So where the hell are you? And then hangs up and begrudgingly tries their mom next.

Yeah you immediately just in a huff go from one speed dial number to the next speed dial number on your phone and again same thing it rings all the weights of voicemail. And you get a more eloquently flowery put email of voicemail from your mother. And then the beep. Hi, mom. Did you send me here to run your gallery opening? Or were you going to do that? Stacey is looking for you. She looks like she's about to lose her fucking mind. So just like let me know if you're planning to show up.

Great, love you, bye. And then like shocks themselves by saying love you. I never happens. What was that? Okay, I guess they'll start kind of going through and just kind of keeping a sharp eye out for any kind of familiar silhouette that might be their parents might be Cecil Throne, might be anyone who has any kind of authority here. Okay, yeah. As you kind of like finally hang up the phone and huff and kind of turn around,

you kind of get the kind of look of what the Cecil Thorne Art Center is. It's a two story gallery that has a basement, but you are on its main floor. It's a very ordinate looking old rotunda-ish looking building. It's definitely got a lot of dark banisters and low lighting to kind of set the macabre of the event for tonight. You also see the banner up in the background

where like kind of like the calf, there's a general cafe that's been kind of transformed into like a buffet station. So there's like serving of catering and small little appetizers and stuff. But right behind that, you'll see the banner of Geekbackweed, the atrocity exhibition. There's a violinist and a piano player kind of in the corner playing just general music and just a plethora of social lights from all over the DC area. People you've probably met before,

over the DC area. People you've probably met before, but it's just like a wash. I don't remember a single name of anyone that I've seen. Oh, these gallery openings. I've already intentionally didn't try to remember them. I mean, as you're kind of walking through the gallery, walking through that main floor, kind of being unintentionally mingling amongst people. You do spot a couple of people. One is Rahim Nassar. He's a Tunisian paint dealer. Someone you've met often on that your mother has dealt with before.

He's a beautiful Ebony Mann, about six feet tall, very well-trimmedined beard and stuff like that, a very emerald green suit that he's wearing with a nice black inlay and a nice little gold pocket square. He's a very lavish kind of man you have found over his years never afraid to wear very colorful and beautiful suits. You also do spots as you're kind of walking through two people from back in the

day, from college. One is Samantha Church, who knows the local journalist in the area, and the other one next to them is Mint, Secure. Introduce your character. As you are sitting in the middle of all this mingling in the main floor with Samantha Church who seems to be kind of constantly looking around, expecting somebody. Yeah, so mint is peacocking because that was the time that people would do this thing. They have mint green. Everything they have on is mint green. They have this like poofy like shoulder off top with like an oversized like dramatic flannel like oversized buttons like

chunky tree they have probably six skirts stacked on top of each other that also our pockets for things later they have these are they mark like they might be marching boots they might be cowboy boots, they have like pompoms on them. So they're here and they have a champagne flute in their hand. Is this the kind of gallery that would have champagne at it? Oh yeah, absolutely. There's nempanen drinks. Yeah. Okay, anything you want. Okay, I feel like they would still bring their own, like, bring your own flute sort of philosophy. And yeah, they are chatting about anything, anything that, like, if someone notices, like, paintings that might not even be revealed yet, if they see a sculptor that, like,

they've seen their work before, then they're chatting about that. I don't think Samantha's listening, but Mint is absolutely speaking about everything. Samantha does that that cursely kind of like keeps looking back at you to try to like engage with you, but you can tell that her attention constantly keeps looking at the crowd. And especially where the entrance of the event is Sam, are you good? I just mentioned that the juxtaposition of a specific place to look at art and the freedom that artists are supposed to provide and you didn't say anything. You didn't even look affected. Yeah, yeah, the juxtaposition of stuff.

God, you would expect more people to show up because of the rain just like fast or just like get in and get out. There's just, you know, just waiting. I'm sorry, are you waiting for someone specific? Yes, kind of, Maryl, you know, oh, yeah, she's what I figured she would be here by now. She's usually early to these things, but there's something that I've been meaning to ask her. So, yeah. Like I said, you know, this is like part of business, right? You know, like a lot of this is mainly business. So I'm trying to get my business done first. Right, at the gallery. Yeah, the gallery. Not to be theatrical, they say, and their jewelry like, is audible as they say that. Not to be theatrical, but it is, like you said, it is raining.

This is the perfect time for a grand entrance. I would have made a grand entrance, but I technically don't have an invitation. So I had to get here early. But it's implied. She's probably going to make an appearance. Relax. All right, all right, all right. I will relax a little bit.

She sets back a little bit and drinks. So tell me about the judge. She goes, like, tell me about the Dutch physician of the subject. She kind of blows her eyes. The very fact that I had to break, sneak into this place and just goes off, off from there. I think Cole wanders up somewhere

in the middle of this conversation and just stands behind Samantha with like a, like two champagne glasses in their hands. You haven't changed, Mint. Cole, wonderful, wonderful, that you're here. Is that for me? No, and they don't.

Oh, okay. You haven't changed either. I try not to. Surprise to see you here. Yeah, I'm surprised to see you here too, De Bois. As they turn over. As a gunman. It's fine.

You're here, like when you take some You see, it's fine. It really takes a big journalism. That's exciting. I mean, I have a column. It's going good, you know. Congrats. I heard you're back in town just for now. For now? California was...

Not what I expected. Hmm. Rarely is. Not in a bad way. Not in a bad way. Hmm. Wouldn't that be fun? We can miss you out here in the East Coast. I'm sure you haven't.

Hmm. Are they paying you to be here? Oh God, no. My mom just, you know, I'm back under her roof. So I have to follow her little ways you know how does sorry trouble and paradise something worth quoting for the newspaper? no not to you I mean if you want to meet up again later though, I wouldn't say no. Are you asking?

I know, are you even going to show up if I do? I mean, I showed up pretty well last time, didn't I? Hmm. Half their half not. You said you're not missing it? No, I'm not missing it. Oh, I thought you'd seen her. I assumed someone had. Well, aren't you'd seen her. I assumed someone had.

Well, aren't you their child? Wouldn't she know? Unfortunately, and no. She left the ages ago. She left the house, told me when to be there. Had a car pick me up, hid my leather jacket. You know how it goes. I haven't seen her in a couple hours.

I'm surprised she's not here, although. You know, maybe she got cold feet and got tired of hiding art away where people can't experience it, right, Mint? I'm sorry, I've never seen that your boss get cold feet about anything. That's... It was meant to be a joke, I didn't really deliver it correctly. I'm still getting use to that. Speaking about paintings and having them delivered, how does your mom manage to put

to go either such an eclectic piece of art? No one's been able to get Vakwins work together in one room? Canater shared her secret. To Nathalie. It runs in the main light, so. Can I quote you on that? I don't see anything wrong with that. I'm gonna miss her off all the better. Go for it. That one thing.

It's meant that the event hasn't even started yet. Just asking, sorry, it's just I could be a little tenacious as well. Speaking of which, I actually see somebody I want to talk to. Maybe I'll leave you to it. And she'll get up and she'll head into the crowd towards where you would see Brahim kind of be lurking about, Cole. Can I just like touch Cole's arm for a minute be like, what is going on? You and Sam. Like once, years ago. Are you sure?

First off, time is relative. What is a year, but a moment that we understand. Oh my God. Second. Oh, this seems a little messy. Huh, she's kind of out to get you. Well, that's so absolutely. Out to get your family.

I've said it, she's out to get your family. This is messy. Yeah, that's exciting. Something will happen to this fucking event rather than people creming their genes over art that other people should actually be seeing. The Freudian slips are sliding, honey.

Okay, have fun. Be safe. Stay dry. You never... You don't have an invitation, I heard. I don't. I have... God, I need my advice. Stay tuned. Always.

If you need anything, you know I'll help you. I'll wait for messy shit. Especially since your parents aren't showing up. I don't want to spoil anything, but there will be... obvious indications of my participation in this evening. If you just want to smooth things over with the staff, if anyone starts asking. Yeah, I can distract with the best of them. Who knows, to me, that make me useful.

I'm sure that you have that in hand. Hands. I've missed you. that you have that in hand. Hands. I've missed you. I've missed you too. Please help me make sure I don't get kicked out. I can do that. Good. Cecil's a family friend. Yes, you look great.

The leather jacket? I love the leather jacket. But a second jacket. Second jacket. I mean, she didn't see this of it, so she'll shitter pants. The tattoo? Oh no, not the tattoos, the fact that I'm almost full tits out.

If I have to, tits still, you know. See, I don't even, I don't even process tits anymore. You just see so many of them, they don't even surprise you. It might as well be like a hand or an ear. Cole grabs the front of their sheer drum suit and just pulls it down only for mint.

That's me. And I just feel closer to you. I love that. Thank you for being vulnerable with me. I mean, Isadora. Isadora. Isadora.

Isadora. Um. Um. Um. Um. Um. You're on the second floor of the gallery. You're about to second floor of the gallery. You're about to walk into the

Hewitt gallery, which is supposed to be showing photographic collections of schoelarts, including some from the D.S. Dead, the Smoortos in Mexico and the Catacombs, the Parisian Catacombs. But even though there's much art ahead of you, you seem to be more preoccupied with the people walking around. Describe yourself and what you might be looking for in the faces of those who are patroning upstairs. So Isadora is a 5-7 tall slinky very primmed put together female with a very navy blue vest and like a very loose, loose sleeve white shirt and

very like a cream pantsuit with very tall like five inch heel boots that look like they are designed to both stomp people, but also like work that runway. So they're those boots. And she's sipping champagne, just observing everyone, but very analytical. In a way, almost like she is kind of seeing what your portions are, almost like mathematically and just scaling people

and very kind of being judgmental about little flaws. Do you stay outside of the gallery or outside on that little gallery around until someone at least will catch her eye? It's a thing around until someone at least will catch her eye. I would be ideally someone if male usually above six foot, almost like if you're looking for, let's say, a perfect specimen. She's looking for what she would ideal, like an ideal man, very tall, almost very broad shoulder. And then for females, she's also looking for good proportions and unique characteristics.

So, I feel like I'm not going to roll this. I was gonna say, I can be the first roll if you like. Second, oh God, why did I do that? I was gonna say I can be the first role if you like It's fine. I just need to make sure I'm giving you the right thing Actually, I don't need you to roll As you're as you're kind of just constantly, you're kind of just waiting, looking around, you're kind of like eyeing the entrance of this gallery because it's easier to just mark people as you're coming and going. A few moments pass and you see a couple. One is they're very young about eight mid-twenties.

The woman is wearing a very nice like soft silver kind of dress. She's got long hair that's put up in a very nice updo, very petite, with very doe-eye-like eyes, and then she's on the arm of a tall gentleman with dark hair, and they kind of just eventually stroll into the into the hue of gallery. Oh, excellent. Do they make eye contact with me? Would any of them make eye contact with me? Or do they both?

Sure, I think the woman probably made eye contact with you. She kind of just looked just at a glance and just because you were in the vicinity, you guys both look at each other. But she kind of casually buses it off and keeps walking back in I'm gonna clock them. I'm gonna from afar. I'm gonna just kind of keep my eyes and really actually Measure them like almost like I like start to do like their height figure out their weight their BMI their

What type? like start to do like their height, figure out their weight, their BMI, their, what type. I'm like, okay, what kind of skin do I notice any imperfections, all of that? I'm not paying too much anyone around. I'm actually focused really much on them. I mean, I mean, at a cursory glance, you don't, you get a general vibe that they kind of fit a little bit, but if you want to

No more, you have to get closer. Oh, I'm going in guys. I just want to make sure I'm going straight in Okay, yeah So you're gonna start walking into the Huey gallery Yes Okay Um Yeah, it's a very dim-letted room um with nice little silhouetted, just like pieces up against the wall of just various anatomy, like pictures of skulls, you know, the catacombs of just walls

made out of bones and stuff like that, just instruments of death and violence, very up close, very personal, um, the up in your face. Oh, I'm gonna get really, like just, I will get, like, distracted it for definitely a couple seconds on the, the bones specifically. Yeah, you, can I almost reach out and touch it, but like kind of like, yeah, but I'm gonna like yeah, because it's like it's almost tempting to touch. You know, reach out to this painting, right? Like you see like it's a bunch of like bones scattered on top and there's just kind of like this skull and you like move towards it. You kind of like this skull. And you like move towards it. You kind of put this hand.

There's just this alluring feeling towards it. And like as you just get closer, you just kind of, it's almost like a sensation as you're like moments from touching away. Just like you feel this energy that you could just reach out and grab those bones and take them for yourself like they're standing right there. And you can just kind of as you're getting engrossed into it, you just kind of feel this sensational pool. Do you keep going towards it?

I'm going to stop it. When that sensational pool happens, it's going to shock me out, and I'm going to go ahead and use that to take a sip and down the rest of my champagne, because I don't want to lose control right away. So I'm gonna go and head towards that couple, like head towards that duo. Okay.

Feeling that like exhilaration and deciding to reject it, you kind of go back to the task that you had at hand. In the other gallery though, in the, I'm not gonna have its name gallery. I have its name gallery. Um, and the Rose and Feel Gallery. Um, and the Rose and Feel Gallery, it's filled with, um, a mixture of things.

Um, it's mixed with, um, iconography of funeral practices from a plethora of cultures over the middle ages and stuff like that, furs and pelts, you know, dress wear and a bunch of other stuff. And standing in the back is an older gentleman, Caleb. Can you introduce Kee-Doo as he's kind of looking at some funeral, as some funerals regalia in the back corner of the Rosenfield Gallery?

I absolutely can. This is exactly where he would be. I was just thinking it too. So it makes, it's perfect. Hugh is older. He's probably in his late 50s approaching early 60s. He is dressed in a three-piece suit within additional sweater over that, some sort of loose fabric over that, and then finally an overcoat. Probably looks way too hot for the inside of this gallery, with as many people as there

are circulating around. But he has brought all of those layers high to his collar. He's trying to make himself unassuming. He's standing in the corner of the exhibit itself, but is very interested in many of the funeral practices. He's there admiring the arts. He walks with a cane, just a very simple steel cane with a black leathered handle towards the top of the silver ball at the highest point. He looks a little like John Slattery, the actor from Mad Men, Silver Fox, tight little mustache, neat, perfect white hair that's been slipped back and parted off to the side. He does not look like a very easy person to walk up to. He looks like a grumpy old shit already and even in his stance he

brings that about. And he has this very concentrated look on himself as he's taking in these art pieces and the other most notable piece and maybe the only sort of piece of skin that you can make out besides his face is on his neck. There's a brand that is showing about half a cross that must end in a full cross that runs underneath his collar. It is very notably not a tattoo. It is somewhere that he was almost like cattle branded. And of course anyone who really looks at him long enough might recognize him from the back sleeve of the book deviant, because of course he is a relatively famous author who stepped away from the scene.

But he's taking in these art pieces. And he probably even has a little pad of paper where he is writing down notes on each of the things he's seeing. As you're kind of scribbling away, you hear like the gentle murmurs of an elderly couple who's kind of also perusing these artifacts and stuff like that their hand in hand Definitely in like their sixies or sevenies, but they're kind of just gently by that you kind of notice them They walk by you the man gives you a nod if you guys make eye contact

But they just kind of Carry on as you continue to go. I definitely give them like the white person cross in the street and I got in front of your car smile. Like, please, this is just courtesy. Continue moving. Do not talk to me. Yes. And they definitely pick up on that, that vibe and continue on their way as you kind of go back to like scribbling in your book about something and a couple seconds later you kind of get this feeling

that something is looking at you watching you from behind from behind you. I think that this is familiar for Hugh but it's never enough that he can make Olms with it, so he's definitely going to unabashedly, never one for like intrigue is going to turn around directly and try and make eye contact with whatever is staring at him. You do a complete 180 and as you're kind of like spinning you feel like you thought there was something in your peripherals like a body a mass of object and when you fully turn around there's nobody there. You know you clock you know like clock in the distance the couple who's still kind of

now looking at some other pieces that are in the stuff, but there was no one directly behind you. I think that there's this level of frustration in his chest, this big deep sigh, and he probably stares down that couple a while, just wondering if maybe for some reason it's their fault. But as soon as he's there, he's staring, probably not very socially coothed here, but he's staring middle distance into where he thought

he felt that and he'll stay like that until he starts to feel comfortable again, just sort of old man peering off into the distance until it feels right. Yeah, you stare off into that distance and you mull that over for a minute, but then when you finally go back to what you were going to do, you turn around and there is a man sitting standing next to you, standing right there at the same place that you were looking at. He's an older gentleman. White and feature. He's got gray silver hair that's kind of slick back. He's wearing like a dusty trench coat.

Suit and tie. Looks very serious kind of man. How you doing? I'm doing just fine. No, and I know you from something? No, you don't know me We got one of those faces though. If you do know me, I don't want to talk about it I feel like you you do something like I Don't you like an author or something? I

Might be I might be an author What's the name what's the name? I might be an author. I might be an author. What's the name? What's the name? You're Hugh, right? Hugh Leffert, right? Yeah, that's my name. Is there an ending to this conversation anytime soon or are we going to do introductions for the next 20 minutes

and then I'm gonna have to sign some pieces of shit paper back you brought with you? Oh, shit. I'm not a fan man. That's... Though my wife would maybe want a book. I mean, do you care copies on you? No, of course I don't care if fucking copy. I mean, what kind of an asshole would I be? I don't know. I mean, authors, the kind of assholes. Yeah, yeah, we are. But we like to be left a fuck alone. Did I come here to ask you about your job cleaning up

fucking toilets or whatever it is you do? I don't quite clean up toilets, Mr. Letho. My name is William Reeve. I'm a detective on the private end of things, it's good to meet you. How the fuck did you get a ticket here? I have my ways, Mr. Letho. I have my ways. It's good to meet you.

I'm sorry if I came off rough. Detectives are a hard thing to be. I understand. It's hard being a writer to Mr. Letho. No, no Especially a famous one It is the easiest shit in the world to spout out whatever it is stuck in your head and think it matters enough that somebody might read it Makes me want to write a book that convinced me really hard Well, you know what when you get into the business, I'll trade you agents, and then you can be just as famous as I am, and maybe you'll like it better.

Huh. Why take you up on that offer? Well, by all means, you're already in the right place for it. God knows Thornal probably give you a deal before the day's over. Hmm. Why is that? Is this a Thorn God to do with anything? He likes to get his hands and things. Many pots, many. He's just sticky. He gets shit stuck to him. That's all it is. Can you stuck to him? Maybe. I'm stuck to plenty of people.

That's what being famous is. It's an unfortunate connection to everyone without actually wanting to know them. Including the ones that Propositean drew for your last book, right? Sure. Yes. you for your last book, right? Sure. Yes, deviant was a chore. It was something I thought would change the world and instead it changed some bank accounts. You mentioned Cecil's got his hands and a lot of things. What kind of things? Like art? Like art trade? I think you're standing in it, friend. He'll take anything that suits him. He's got an eye about things.

Real good eye about things, and that's what's cursed him. Sometimes you can see too much in people. Most of us are shit. So you would contribute all of the prepping and planning of this little sworey tonight to be all of Cecil's doing? Not the boi? I know that I'm supposed to hear and suck Cecil's dick, and suck the boi's dick, and suck everybody's dick,

but I don't intend to do either. So if you're asking me, who's camp I'm in, I'm in camp I'm not sucking your dick. Not asking, I'm, it's for you to suck my dick, Mr. Leather, I'm just, I'm just asking who, who, who moves the mountains in this establishment? If you know anything about the art world, you'll always know it's who's got the deepest pockets.

We are a glorified money laundering super store, baby It's just whoever wants to move it that day and sure Cecil's Cecil's usually that person, but I don't know this is this whole ordeal is different. It's not every day I get out of bed and it's not every day I leave the door that's crossed from that bed but something like this is the reason for that and that should tell you everything and if it doesn't I'm not gonna tell you anything more. What's a detective doing here anyways? Why am I telling you this shit? What's going on here?

You're just a mile of words. I'm just here because a friend of a friend was looking for some help. And I'm just asking questions, Minglin, you know? Who's your friend? Mr. Latho, that's a little outside of your pay grade, unfortunately. So, if I'm to get this straight, the detective, whose job it is to ask questions of everyone,

whether they'd like it or not is upset that I asked a question you're not ready to answer. It just seems a little hypocritical. No, you had no... It's okay. It's okay. You're gonna be a little bitch about it. You're not gonna tell me. That's fine. That's fine. However you want to proceed with Mr. Letho, we were just having civilized conversation. You didn't have to answer things. You're not under trial, not under arrest, not under investigation. I'm just enjoying the art.

So mine, so far this has been a good conversation. Did I upset you or something? Never, Mr. Letho, never. You've actually given me more information than I could ever hope for and expect. Good. Well, whatever it is you're interested in, whatever brings you here,

just the best thing you can do is rope people in on it, more people that now, shockingly, the more things get done. That's all I'm saying. As you guys are having this conversation, you're interrupted with the gentle like coughing of a older man as somebody taps on the detective, reaves his shoulders since he's kind of in front of you. And it's the old man that was in the, who was kind of a little bit of head of you with his wife.

And he seemed a little worried, not a little worried expression on it. You guys have been talking for several minutes now. And he's like, I'm sorry to interrupt you, gentlemen, but have you seen my wife anywhere? I just looked around for a moment ahead of her and I turned around and she disappeared. Did you see her go that way?

No, didn't see your wife. Rhee's also shakes his head now, says that they didn't see her. He kind of looks and shifts around and nervously then thanks you both and kind of heads in the way that they came in where you first had seen them cross you and out that door kind of see if you can track down where his wife had gone. Big exhibit, a lot of things to look at, I'm sure she just went wandering. Some of these things are actually beautiful despite all the bullshit that took it to get here.

He will be an observed the situation. Okay. Let me look at my handy dandy player resource sheet to find out how I do that. That's a little post-reception. Yes. Okay. Cool. I see it right here. That's okay. I have a 17 base and my perception is a plus one. So an 18. An 18. Alright. Which means you can ask me two questions from that list.

Okay. Beautiful. So I get two questions off this list to get information on what I just saw. I'd like to know what is being hidden from me from this situation. Okay. That's my first question. Oh, also we had something before we get into that. We had something we needed to roll at the top of this. So I have this handy, dandy, incult. There are these great advantages, disadvantages, and then dark secrets that sort of define what I am. I have a disadvantage called cursed,

meaning that you can affect some moves against me if I fail a role at the top of the session. So if you'd like, I can roll that now and see what goes on. Yes, okay. So this goes for the whole session. If I fail this roll you can make these holds against me at any point. Um, and I fucking tank that terribly. I have a three which means the GM takes three hold. The GM can spend hold to make a move for the curse. For example, you or someone you care about have an accident, something of yours is taken from you, et cetera, et cetera. Bad things happen to me because of what's happening to you. So you officially have...

Yeah, anytime I have three moves that you can use against me. Okay. And if I refuse what you are making happen to me, you can attribute dire consequences of my curse directly against me. So I can say no, but you make it worse for me, not worse for the situation. Okay. Okay. Okay. So that goes to that. You have three of those that you can use at any given moment, which is fucking not great,

but hey, that's a cool system. And then, yeah, the question was, what is being hidden from you is that it's not necessarily in this room, but you feel it kind of permeating out, you know, like it's touch reaches this part of the building. But if you were to continue to follow it and go out towards the door of the gallery, you would notice that that radiating, bad feeling that you've had since you've gotten in here is coming from Du Bois gallery,

which seems to be roped off and closed currently. If you were to peek outside the door, that's what's kind of hidden from you. Is that you feel a source of something. Got it. Yeah. I think as that question rises in me, Hughes' right arm begins to twitch almost violently. And in the same way that someone might get tremors off of medication, his arm begins to shake, his wrist especially, and he holds it to himself almost unconsciously, leaning a little harder

on that cane so that he doesn't alert the detective, but begins to drift over towards that red take-doth area of Du Bois exhibit. And my second question is what should I be on the lookout for? What should you be on the lookout for? Detectives. Detectives. Outside of, yeah, he's, you clock will reaves for a second who's clocking your sudden drifting, driftingness. But if you were to follow the, the feeling out of the Hewitt gallery and over towards

the Boas, the door of the Boois gallery that is closed. I think the question again was I'm sorry. What should I be on the lookout for? So the first was what is hidden from me and the other is what is what should I be on the lookout for? As you start to santa over there and you eventually get to the front of Du Bois gallery, you're immediately stopped by two people. Well, it looks like security guards. And they give you this just very selling monotone. We're sentenced as the gallery is closed until midnight and night. But as you kind of like look at them, you kind of clock, there's something off about it. Something strange about

the way that they're just blankly staring at you. They're almost glazed at over, but even that when you kind of just keep clocking them, you get this really musty like sent to them, like very deeply earthy. But again, it's just more of that bad vise, but something about them particular. They look human. They look somewhat present, but something about that just bothers you. Do I get the sense that they're like disassociating from the experience? Like they're not really present? Yeah, but it's hard for you to tell whether or not it's just because they're at a boring

gallery and they're just security or that, but just the slight discoloration on their skin tone and stuff like that. And they're general slouchiness and that overly musty smell that you just can't quite remember what that actually smell is. But it just smells rank seems to put you off to them a little bit. Okay. So there's an ability I have with my advantage called authority, which is like close to hubing an academic authority in his field. Sure. And when we started our game session, I got three options, right?

Yes. And it gives me the ability to gain access to people or places under the pretense of engaging in your research or studies. Is there any way I can apply that move here and look to the two unconscious guards and say, no, I totally get it. By the way, whatever patchouli you two fuckers are wearing is smells fantastic. But I'm actually here because of the Du Bois and I was invited to take a look at their exhibit because I'm working on my second book. I don't know if you know me but I'm Mr. Leather, I'm a special guest of Cecil and the Du Bois and they said I was assured access.

I don't know if I'm going to end or now, but I just want to know that you two are going to be okay when later inspiration strikes and I need to get the old pen out. The Dubois gallery is closed until midnight tonight. All attendees have to have the invitation with the skull to be able to preview the gallery. Yeah, well, I hope you too liked working here, because when Cecil hears about this shit, it's over for you to hear. You're gonna go back to working at a fucking Wendy's, okay?

Bullshit, and I'll cane myself away. Outside another car, town car, starts the roll in as the valley quickly opens it and puts an umbrella over the people who are exiting. It's pushing 10 o'clock now, 10-ish, a little after 10. Sergio, introduce Cecil and your date that has joined you this evening as you guys are fashionably late for this event. The door opens and before you see Cecil, you hear his laugh. It's just obnoxiously.

This laugh that comes from a man who has no problems and steps out a five-five individual, rather short with a completely shaved head, shaved face, very clean, almost kind of glowing as if he's just come from a facial or something. He looks vaguely Anglo-European of descent, but he's not classically handsome. He's not actually that attractive of a man,

but he really uses his money to look as attractive as possible. He's dressed in a very nice like blue suit and a collared shirt that has a beautiful pattern on it, open by several buttons, probably maybe one more than they should be, no tie, and he extends his hand and pulls out a beautiful tall blonde woman that's maybe in her, maybe at best mid-twenties. And just has a beautiful row top and bottom of white teeth and just kind of shines them at the crowd at anyone who's kind of still outside and makes his way inside with his beautiful girlfriend Adeline on his arm. Amazing. Yeah, you and Adeline are, you know, carried in under umbrellas until you guys reached the foyer

where you meet Stacy who greets who like immediately straightens up the moment she sees you and she greets you with a very big smiley face. Mr. Sthorn, good evening. Miss Adelaide. Everything going accordingly, Stacey? As well as we hope for. Yeah, exactly. Yes.

That doesn't seem very confident This all needs to go perfectly you understand Yes, and as far as I'm aware it is going perfectly though Mr. Boa has yet to show her face That's unusual It is but it's fine Miss Jensen is it has been making rounds and making sure that everything is remaining in top shape. Maryl's been doing everything to make sure this is all perfect. I'm sure she's just finishing, you know, doing the finishing touches or whatever. Have you seen Hugh Letho as he made it into the party yet? Oh, yes, Mr. Letho has been here for

quite some time. I believe he's just mingling. Excellent, excellent. Does it seem like everyone's here? Are we still missing a lot of people? We're getting the last bit of trickles and I feel that some people might not show up because of the brain, but overall we have a healthy amount of attendees and their guests. Yeah. of attendees and their guests. Yeah. Stacy, I'm here. She left those here. There's a bunch of other people that I made sure we're here. Everyone's going to show up.

Believe me. Yes. Yes. And cold of war is actually here as well. They arrived on time at 9. Cool. Well, I'll make sure to say hello to them. All right, Stacy.

We're going gonna go in and mingle. Right. She gestures for you to enter into the doorways as you enter into the main room of the gallery. And yeah, there's tons of people here. There is the people, there is a photo booth area off to the side for those. And as you kind of start entering and mingling, you're immediately approached by Samantha Church. Mr. Thorn. This is the journalist, right? The journalist, yes. You remember Samantha's last article about the Art Center which involves a performance artist who fell off the top balcony. Yes.

This is Thor to evening. Yes, lovely to see you. How are you? Doing well, doing well. Everything up here, standard around here. You enjoying the party? It seems tip-top. Well, that's good. We spared no expense. Yeah, yeah. It seems like expenses were not spent. Care to quote through the journal?

This will be a night to remember. Quote me on that. Okay, okay. Yeah, I mean, how does one successfully pull one of the hardest collections together, I wonder? Excellent question and a question I think that is probably best for Miriel, who is around here somewhere I'm sure. My ability is to bring the people with the talent together to get the job done. That's what I'm good at. That's what I've been doing for nearly 20 years here at the Cecil Throne Arts Center. So you're not involved in the acquiring of assets for your gallery?

Oh, I, I mean, I acquire assets here and there, but no, I'm much more hands-off. I let the folks who have the passion for the art do the real searching and rescuing, as I like to say. Good, that's good to know. Because I mean, Mary L, I mean to say. Hmm. Good. That's good to know. Because I mean, Mary L. I mean, wow. Putting all of this together takes a lot of... A lot, you know? It's going to be her finest work yet.

I'm so excited for her to premiere it. No, I'm excited for it too. Have you seen Miriel? Mary L? No. Actually, she has been the conversation of talk. I'm excited for it too. Have you seen Miriel? Miriel, no. Actually, she has been the conversation of talk. I think if she doesn't arrive anytime soon, we're going to start pulling a pool of when she's actually going to arrive. Or if she will know.

No, no, no. She's here somewhere, don't you worry. Don't worry about that. Okay, okay. Well, cool. She won't let you. Man. Darling, I have so many people to speak to,

but it was lovely to see you, and I will see you again soon. Yeah, and she allows you to walk off, you've given her enough time. Is there some more specific you're trying to go to now that you are in here? Adelaide's kind of gone off to grab a drink and mingle herself. She's

chatting up some rich older man. Oh, she's already left my arm. Oh, did you have it on your, I mean, if you wanted her on your arm, in the end, in the end, Cecil would have just been complaining about Samantha to her. So I'm sure it makes sense at some point she would have kissed me on the cheek and went her way. But yeah, I think at this point, I am just trying to make my way in and I probably do want to find you. But if I find a cold first that might change things, it just kind of depends who I see first. Maybe I'll see someone else else like Mint or the doctor. See, let's see, let's see, what can we roll to see who you might find first?

Mint and coal. Have you guys moved away from mingling down at the bottom over this last half hour or so. Cole's probably started wandering a little bit more, avoiding as many people that their mother would want them to talk. She was possible. They probably talked in the seer for a little bit, but yeah, I think they're just kind of wandering up and down and I think they're starting to make their way toward the gallery doors Okay, to see if their mother's inside or something like that. So you want to head upstairs Yeah, I think I think I think they're on the verge I think as Cecil's coming in there on the verge of going upstairs Okay, man, are you following them? Just so that everybody knows,

there's like three floors of this. There's the basement that has a theater that's playing a documentary. And then the two Isadora and Hugh have already been upstairs at the two other galleries that are open currently. Yeah, I think Mint is probably coming through the galleries. I think they stop at the Van Asking Gallery. That's probably the one they're spending the most time in.

But it's either between that or the Rosenfield, because I think the middle ages and death in general are gonna get their attention. Okay, so you two have, so Cole and Mint have moved their way upstairs. Yeah. So yeah, the only person that you would probably have caught then Cecil is Hugh, who I assume is coming downstairs

from the gallery after his exchange with William Reed and the bad inkling he got. So that's what it's worth. So you see him huffing down the stairs. I think the opportunity when I see him running down the stairs to kind of get close to the stairs, but then immediately turn and say, ladies and gentlemen, the award winning millions of books. So, Hugh Letho is here. No, gentlemen, I told you not to do that shit, Cecil. And I'll extend my hand to help him down like he's a feeble. I mean, there is a shade of red that has come over you that can be in no way

construed his embarrassment. It is just blind rage as he is giving this half-hearted little wave of his hand and like it's halfway towards like swatting away birds that he's like just fucking stop please. You, my man, you have to accept the fact that people love you. That's why I brought you here tonight. As Cecil, when you asked me to be here, we did not have any conversation of this being in a public setting you said that we talk that we this wasn't part of the deal and I think you know that. Enjoying my multi-million dollar art center is not part of the deal you don't you're not

having a nice time. Listen. How's the champagne? The champagne is good you know that. It's important. It's Italian. Oh I'm sure you know exactly where it came from and not just how much it costs I mostly know how much it costs and they tell me that it's from Italy of course so it could be from

bum fuck nowhere but God it cost thousands of dollars so we have to drink it right as long as the people think it's expensive. That's all that matters. Right. You So how do you feel? Are you excited? No But is that a surprise? I don't think so. It feels weird to be out of the house My skin's crawling, but and let me say I am honored that you have come out for me. It really means a lot For you is assuming a lot, that's doing a lot of heavy lifting in your language. But, let you have it, Cecil.

I mean, I've already told you, I'm willing to do anything for you now that you've done this for me. I mean, look, that next book of yours, I want to help you get that distributed. Sure, if it ever gets finished, I swear you'll have a hand in that pot. You having details you could tell me about it? What's it about? Maybe the subject? About the book? Yes! It's bad luck to talk about something before it's done. It's like asking the artist in the sketch stage. That's the question you and I you I don't I don't believe in luck. It's about being ready and about being prepared Right, I'm sure that every artist would agree with you Well look you I want you to enjoy yourself. I won't make a spectacle again. But at the

end of the night, I want you and I to go to my office, share a little drink. There's just some paperwork I need you to sign to make this whole thing of your appearance official. And you know, we'll discuss maybe next steps. Certainly you want to produce another book, right? Yeah. Yeah, and you promise we'll get to talking just you and I one on one. We, I've got some ideas about how to make that happen. Okay. Sure. We can talk about the book and I'll sign whatever you put in front of me. Excellent, excellent. In the meantime, enjoy yourself.

Please drink, eat. There's a lot of beautiful women here if you like to flirt. No, God, fucking no. Are you kidding me walking around with some 20-year-old of my arms? Not for me. I've grown past that age. Anyone I could have loved is probably already dead. Oh, God, you're so grim, Hugh. Jesus Christ. Well, we're in the fucking death art exhibit, aren't we? Did you read the label on the tin, Cecil? You can't let something like death get you down. You know what I mean? We got a lot of life left to live in us, you. I think we're all hurtling towards it. We might as well be open with the tiger on the table.

You see my girl over there that walked in with that line? Yeah. 23, about to be 24. That's very tight, Cecil. I don't know what you want me to say here. You have no idea why I never date him past 24, but so if you see another cute one, you point him out to me, okay? Sure, we'll get you a little waiting list going

Can I ask you something? What do you think they just die off on the vine at 24 or do they become too smart to fall for your bullshit? Insider secret gentleman never tells right? No I've soon as you show me the gentleman. I'll agree. Look, when you have as much money as me, relationships get boring. You know what I mean? You gotta keep things fresh. You gotta keep things moving in this industry, you know?

On that we agree. It all gets boring, Cecil. That's why things like this are so important. I know that you probably don't see it yet, but you actually had a hand in a moment here that might actually change lives, whether it was just in your building with your Italian champagne or not.

Did something here. Which is... How many times I influenced people in their lives these days? Oh, I remember. I was like, Oh, I forgot. I was like, Oh, I forgot. I was like. Oh, I regret fucking saying it in the first place. God damn it, I'm trying to teach you something. Not jerk you off.

I'm already bored with you. I'm going to take a look around. Can I see if I see mint? I am not looking for her. But if I notice them, that would mean something. Yeah. That would mean something Yeah, give me a second mint Yes, you're up in the galleries and away from the general audience Of everybody kind of in the more more quiet of the festive eat everybody who wants the mingles more down in the main floor

The rest is just quiet strolls through the remaining three galleries that are open. What are you doing up there? Are you still with Cole? Are you just now finding a place for yourself? It's getting late. It's getting closer to midnight. So if you're trying to get something accomplished tonight, like you had planned,

probably a good time to start doing that. I think seeing that the the events of the evening are about to pick up she's going to start getting like a little bit of solo gallery time in if there's a section of the like death-focused gallery that has more like sculptural pieces. She's going to just be admiring it for a few minutes, you know, doing the walk around and thinking deep thoughts, no one else is thinking, and then she'll reach into her pocket and pull out a small porcelain doll and look, do another walk around, but not as someone like looking at a gallery piece, but as someone building a piece, adding to it, and just says, do good work, and hides it

in the sculpture. She does this probably four more times throughout the gallery. She hides it behind, she hides it in sculptures. She hides it in things that are just elements of the gallery like plants to fill walls. She hides it under the table with the fancy cheese and wine. She puts it at the like the little like kiosk desk where people are checking in.

There are probably like 10 to 15 dolls in the gallery by the time she's done. In just one of the galleries, are you spreading these 15 dolls across all of the galleries upstairs? All of them. As much as I'm allowed to. Are they stagnated pieces or are you, are these movable pieces? Do they get to start to travel and wander? The more crowded it becomes, the more they start to like, toy soldier meander about the gallery. And just to double check you are only doing it in these upstairs galleries on the second floor, you did not drop anything on your way up in terms of the main floor or in terms of maybe

something that heads down towards the basement. I want like two on the main floor, where people are arriving. But I think seeing that the like, But I think seeing that the like Giva Cois, is this name? Giva Queen. Giva Queen. That his section of the gallery is sort of like walled off. She'll put things next to it, but she's not going to try to like sneak one in yet. Yeah, I don't know.

Maybe I would notice one of those little dolls like on that. Every, every, every single time you put down one of these dolls, you hear this cricking that comes from it, just the moving a naturally of limbs and it's just the the sound they make when they kind of do their thing or start doing their process. But you have successfully planted as many as you would like throughout this gallery for your, for your purposes. Cecil, as you are finishing or growing tired and weary of you and his melodrama, or growing tired and weary of hue and his melodrama, you are approached by someone that you are familiar with. Mary Jansen, who is one of the curators here,

and she's a very tall slender woman with very curly hair. She's dressed in a very professional grade dress, and she's holding what she's known as, what she's famously known for her clipboard. And she's about to start telling you the rundout of what's going on, especially the fact that Mary-Ella is missing. When, like, at your foot,

you just see this, like, mechanical porcelain doll smack up against its boot and then fall over. And then it seems to try to slowly crick itself back up into place and upright. against its boot and then fall over. And then it seems to try to slowly crick itself back up into place and upright. Yeah, my smile completely drops. I look at it, I just go mint. And then I will, I'll say, Mary, you look lovely,

but I need to go and I'll kind of blow past her. She's like, wait. She's a talker. I'll be while I'm walking, talk and walk. Yes, mint is here. Miss church brought her. And why no one take her out if she's in. Because she was a guest that was probably,

she was a part of the guest of the invitation that was sent personally by Dubois. So I felt that I needed to think more creatively. You could have invited her in for a special thing in my office and then securities there. And they throw her ass out. Yes, but I figured with the press attached that we didn't want the drama of throwing her guest out. Fair, special, fair, the last article. You're a beautiful, beautiful mind, Mary, you're right.

You're right, that's the smart one. I know these are the artos, yes, yes. You're always looking at us. I appreciate that. I figured it was a minor inconvenience, and as long as she doesn't do anything outlandish, we can contain it. See, that's the thing. If she doesn't do anything outlandish,

I know this crazy little thing, okay? Where is she? Do you know where she is? Last time I saw Caught them. They were talking with Sam and cold of water, but I have been making rounds as you can see Mariel is nowhere to be found and I am running her exhibition right now Among the other things that I would love to talk to you about right now about the things that are going on Okay, listen Mary, don't worry about it. Why don't you take a break? Why don't you have some wine or some champagne? It's from Italy by the way. I am going to go upstairs

But everything's fine and I'm talking like very publicly out with her and then as soon as like I'm about to leave I just pull her and I go you look so fucking sexy and I'll just let her go and I'll start heading up the stairs. She like rolls her eyes. And like straightener to self up and just goes back to like doing the things you need to do because she has other things that that are going around. Where are you heading? I'm going upstairs. I'm going to see if I can find mint. OK, yeah, you go upstairs. And as you continue to walk, you

do eventually catch another one of those little porcelain dolls walking around. What a stench. And what's it? Mint, when you, when the one gets snatched, you were very much aware that that one has been snatched. Oh, interesting. I think they go to see what the hell happened.

I think at that, that first they were like, sort of into the dolls and like getting more and more hyped up with everyone They place and then when they feel that disturbance they are quickly Irritately walking towards the source. I Think I'll see her approaching and just kind of hold myself open just as I have with everyone else mint So glad you could make it. How's that limp of yours? Are you still in a cast? No, I'm good. My God, you look wonderful. Almost as if the accident didn't even happen to you.

Yes, well, I have been spending more time in the sun and a little bit more conscious of where my blood is in my body, and that's been great. That's good. That's good. That's a kind of technique. I think I've studied with some masters with as well. Yes, it's wonderful what the right processes can do. Do you have something of mine? This, hold up the little thing. Yes. Is this yours? I... It's...

So you've returned to my gallery after injuring yourself to continue to make a fool of yourself? Only a fool would call my art, foolery. It's much deeper than that, Cecil. I don't expect you to understand, but I do need this to occur uninterrupted if you could please. Minnes, which you don't understand is if you keep coming to a place where you hurt yourself, you could hurt yourself again. And I try to snap the little arm off of the doll. Am I able to? Yeah, I can just, okay. Yeah, it's porcelain. It snaps, but mint, one that,

something about that just doesn't sit right with you. It's, one, you know, you even feel, it's almost like you can kind of feel that residual snap. Cecil, I understand that we have a complicated relationship and that most of my work is a little more, uh, Gorilla girls at the peak then you would like, but please open your mind just a little bit. I'm doing good work here, okay? You are doing excellent work, Mint. You're doing excellent work for me because when we go to a trial for your silly little lawsuit against me, I'm going to mention that there are a hundred plus people here who saw you return to where you hurt yourself to once again make a fool. Ever heard of insurance fraud,

Mint? I don't have time for this right now. Mint, Mint, I don't want to ruin your evening here, and I'll hand back the little porcelain doll to her. Enjoy yourself. I want to make sure that everyone here gets a good look at you. Hmm. You know what, Cecil?

Keep this with you. Just as a show of good faith. What an honor, the amazing mint and her doll. Beautiful, I love it. Yes. Maybe one day it'll be in an exhibit like Guy Vaqueens. Let's hope so. Well we can certainly wish, right? I enjoy your night. Seeil. Cool, cool. I see you, beautiful, cool. How are you, and I'll walk over to Cole. Cole had been, Cole had heard Cecil's announcement

of Hugh and had been kind of frozen in stasis of do I go upstairs or do I go down there to talk to you? I don't know what to do. And I think they've been, instead been watching Cecil talk to Mint trying to like stay in the shadows to try and like intervene if Cecil tries to throw a mint out. But as soon as he turns on them, they try to turn like they're going to the stairs.

You get bigger and bigger every time I get you cold. Last time I saw you you were a little more... It's nice? No! I think for the first time Cole is struck dumb mentioning their top surgery and such a ridiculous way it's pride It was like vaguely positive He's one of those over-allies. He has to just nail that. Yeah, yeah. I'll only even quietly, does it bitch?

I'm sorry. Am I being offensive? I am just trying to be open and accepting of you. I appreciate that, I guess. Cole, I've known you your entire life. I mean, you're like family to me. I just want to know what's best. You know, I just want to make sure you're okay. Yeah, you've always been like my creepy uncle. Listen, sweetie, have you seen your mother?

No, have you? She told me you're here. Everybody keeps saying that they're gone. And I mean, I just know they're here somewhere, but did she answer her phone? Have you tried calling her? Of course, I've tried calling her, and either she or my father answered. I was on my way to the gallery to see if they've just

shut themselves up in there. I know they're not doing anything wrong. Oh, well, my God, why would you even think that? I mean, Jesus. I mean, honestly, if anyone else at this party had disappeared and wasn't answering their phone, I would make an assumption. If you weren't answering your phone, I would make an assumption. That'd be a right assumption, yeah.

Yeah, I know. I've walked in too many times. But my parents... Well, let's go together. Let's see if they Yeah, I know. I've walked in too many times. But my parents... Let's go together. Let's see if they're in the gallery. I'm sure they are. I think I'm gonna like look at Mint

and then look to try and like catch you in the downstairs. But I feel like Cecil's like taking my arm and is just kind of leading the way. So I think Cole kind of lets it, let's it go for now. And just kind of gives me the high sign of like, go on, do your thing. Did you bring anyone with you? Plus one? No. Did you?

Always. Of course you've met Adeline, right? I've, she's been around for at least a year or two. No, did you? Always, of course. You've met Adeline, right? She's been around for at least a year or two. I've been in California for a while. I don't keep track of your money. Oh, that's right, California. I was actually treating you. Yeah.

It was a little bit different than I expected, but I'm only home for a few months, and then I'll be going back. Oh, that's fun to will. We'll all have to have dinner together sometime. Wonderful. You all are heading to Duwaz gallery. Yeah, I think we're gonna try to sneak in

to see if we can find Maryl in there. Yeah, Maryl, okay. Yeah, you both there as you guys are having this discussion eventually walk up to the security guards that are there and they give you the same repetitive response. The fog gallery is closed until midnight tonight. Those with the skull on their invitations are allowed in. I'm their daughter. I'm supposed to be in there. Do you know who I am? My name is on the building. If there were any two people you could piss off at this party, we should not be the two. be the two. A pause for a moment and then again with a little bit more volume and a little bit more push. The Dubois gallery is closed, so midnight tonight attendees must have a invitation in order entrance at midnight. I'd fire you if I didn't appreciate how sticking to your guns you are. Did, did, did, did, Maryl put you up to this?

You would know that it might not have been Maryl, but Alano to set who is head of security here at the gallery. Another person you have yet to see out of everybody here. Can you tell Alana to get these assholes out of our way? Yeah, yeah, do they have a walkie-talkie or something on them? Yeah, actually, if you look down on their hip, they have a walkie-talkie. It doesn't seem like it's just buzzing off there. It doesn't even seem like it's at the right channel. I'll snap it off of his belt and I'll try to turn it to the security channel and a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot, or do you hear me? This is Cecil over and out. As you ring in, is Adora, you've left you for a while, you have been stalking a couple

We've left you for a while. You have been stalking a couple in the Rosenfeld gallery. I mean, I'm sorry, the Hewitt gallery. They've been admiring the photographs of Parisian catacombs and a skull art. Eventually, the woman whispers something in the man's ear really quickly and walks off out of the gallery. Maybe she's going to the bathroom or something, she's just but she's just left him so they have separated. Who do you want? Who do you keep your eyes on? The woman that walked off?

Or the man who's still kind of just half-heartedly looking at the photos? Amy, Amy, my knee. No, our head towards the bathroom. Okay, our head towards where she went. Yes. Yeah, you yeah, you beeline. I mean, the guy is just kind of like hands and pockets just looking at this art and stuff like that. But you head out of the gallery. You catch her going down the hallway and what looks like she's going to the restroom. What are you doing? I'm going to take one of the rings on my finger and drop it and go ahead and bend down and pick it up and it'll be like excuse me miss and I'm going gonna go ahead and go after

Sure, yeah, I mean when you go in She's at the sink seems like she's washing and freshening herself up When she turns and looks at you. I'm sorry. Excuse me. Oh, I'm so sorry. I'm going to and I'm gonna take my wig. Wow, you have amazing symmetry. Did anyone has ever told you that before? I'm sorry. You dropped this. That's the reason why I stopped you. And I'm gonna hand the ring out.

You're trying to influence somebody. Yes. Romney and influence others check. Okay. me and influence others 13. Okay. So a 13 is a success with a complication. So you will get what you want, which is her receptiveness to your wrist. But there's a complication that I will add to it. She takes your flattery and then as you're holding out the ring she kind of takes it from your hand and she kind of like inspects it and she just kindly gets it back to you. She's like,

no, I don't own a ring. I get it's beautiful though. I know. Oh well then I got better fine lost than found because I'm sorry, just happened to see it on the floor as you were walking by. I just assumed it was you. Well that's really sweet of you. That's really kind. I hope you find whoever stole that. Yes, absolutely. I'm so sorry. I have to ask. Are you like, you're on that TV show, right? You're on the sitcom, the one that's on Netflix. Correct? Yeah, I am. I'm trying to be lucky about it. You know, sorry, sorry, I just invited to this segment. Yeah, yeah, I was on that show. Yeah.

Gosh, I have to I have to say, uh, your comeback of how you've like from your post recovery of everything, I have to say, just flawless. It you, you look amazing. I just wanted to say that you're actually inspiration a bit on that. Oh, oh. And then I'm gonna be like, kind of just almost like,

especially like around her eyes, especially just kind of like a zam, it'd be like, unique gifts. Ah, and then I'm gonna go ahead and take the ring and be like, I'd go find the owner and walk out. Yeah um we'll let a second um this is the little check your call with this That's true. You've razzled the story. Yeah, you do all of that. And she's just kind of alarmed a little bit by how close you've gotten to her. But she accepts the compliments and she seems receptive all of all before you immediately

just walk out. And she's just kind of eyeing you and the strangeness of it but you've definitely left an impression on her and she's got even maybe a small smile to the interaction of how regardless of how strange it was, where are you heading now that you have dined and dashed from the bathroom? now that you have died in the dash from the bathroom. Okay, good. I, because Isadora was more trying to leave an intrigue, especially for her. She's gonna go ahead and slightly put the ring,

kind of actually no slide it into her pocket. Just wanna get caught with it. So she'll go ahead and slide it into her pocket, grab the champagne flute, and pass by the gentleman, and accidentally see if I can bump some champagne onto him. Okay, roll me another... specifically his pants and crotch. Roll, roll another influence, influence other since you are now influencing another person, a fairly different person. So that's role plus charisma.

Aw, darn. I got a four. You got a four? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, you absolutely spill champagne on him, but it's not in the cute way. You know, it's not in the way that you wanted it, where it was like flirtatious and silly and you know like oh I just bumped into you. It was like you essentially dumped champagne on this dude's cross. Like openly, like you essentially went like this because he just turned slightly as you were about to bump into him and you just he just watched you dump it onto his pants and you just like what the fuck? pants and just like what the fuck sir we know that between the two of us that was unacceptable and very inappropriate to be doing that in public so I'm

gonna ask you to calmly go and get yourself an order and I'm gonna storm off and walk off and leave him awkward off and leave him awkward. He's angry at shit. He doesn't follow you and pursue you, but he's not going to allow like upset noise in there. And as you like awkwardly shuffle out the woman that you saw shuffles in and heads towards the loud noise that she recognizes as her partner. Wait, is the out-situation that he was jerking it in an art gallery? No, it was more like he just wet himself, but I wanted to just... Oh, okay, okay. That's much more civilized, thank you.

I honestly was like, are we trying to incline this man has dick out? I was trying to embarrass him so bad that he just wants to go to like dash out because if you got stuff down your pants. What an incredible like influence other role that we're gonna have. There's a lot of stuff. I'm trying to influence him to believe and pissed himself. This is a doctor. Yeah. And you make a dash for it.

A seed has been caused at the Hewitt Center. Cecil and Cole, you guys are trying to radio a lot. And the moment you radio in Cecil, the immediate thing you get responses, it's the voice of a lot. But it's very aggressive and to the point I said everybody stay off this line and immediately. Alano, this is Cecil. Hello, could you have someone to escort me into the gallery please now? Nothing But as your as the silence reaches over it and you're about to you know hit the

Yeah, I'm about to use my forked tongue advantage You before you get into that You hear commotion coming down stare, going on downstairs, as people seem to be excited, buzzing, and stuff like that. And you even start to see flashes of cameras. And as you guys head towards the balcony, and stuff like that, even you meant, Isadora, if you want to get lost into this crowd, as people seem to start gathering about. You all see Mariel Dubois, who is finally entered into the gallery with husband Anthony and Arm, and she is smiling as if she was supposed to be here at this very moment.

And everybody is very quite excited. She's mingling and talking and shmusing all the way and stuff like that. Grabbing a drink, being just her normal self as everybody seems to be gathering around to get a bit of Maryl as they were expecting to get more time with her as it starts to grow closer and closer to midnight. Arriving precisely what she means to. I turn, yeah, I turn to Cecil and I'm like, well, there's our answer. Good. Everything's running accordingly.

It's going to be wonderful. We're going to make a lot of money. This is going to be great. Is there any chance I can sneak a doll onto Mary? I will help you with that. If I know that's what you want, I will help you with I'm just saying. Okay, okay. Okay, hold on, hold on.

Cole, you can definitely help in a way. Yeah. Cole, you can definitely help in a way. Yeah. I don't know if I know that this is happening, but if I, if Mint has any indication that that is her plan, I want to help. I think, I think Mint goes up to you and she's like rolling her shoulder. She's like, I need you to do me a favor. I just, it's for the performance.

I need you to give this to your mom. I'm going to hold out a doll. And it's like, I think it's been like, like hastily fixed and snatched from another sculpture, but it's here. Fucking horrific, absolutely. Does she need to know it's there? Or can I just plan it on her?

Better if she doesn't. Better if she does. Great Better if she doesn't. Great. I take the doll and take my cane and start pushing my way through the through the crowd in a very self-important way up to my mother until I can get to my mother. Yeah, she's she's schmoozing, you know, she's just she's just the life of the party everybody, you know, people are just kind of hurtled. It's taking you a couple of seconds for people to like move out of the way

so that you can get through, but you finally do. And then as soon as you do, she immediately clocks you and she just throws her arms out. She's like, call and then goes in and like kisses both of your cheeks and like, is that thing where she like caresses underneath your chin and to get best thing where she like caresses underneath your chin and to get a good look at you.

I was hoping you were going to wear the other jacket that I laid out for you, but you look nice. Well, you took my first option, so I figured my second option would have to do. And as we're like doing the like close kiss, I'm gonna get a little closer than I usually do do in trying just like deposit the doll in her handbag or in her pocket or something. I want you to act under pressure. Because you are trying to plant something

stealthily on on your on your mother. stealthily on on your on your mother. 18 18. Yeah, it's easy. She's carrying currently she hasn't like taking off her coat yet and her her purse so she's definitely has put it in. You were able to put it in the clutch of her bag because it's small enough to fit in there. It gave you one of the smallest versions of their little dolls, so plopped it in the bag as you give them a hug. Where have you been? Why the fuck was I supposed to be here two hours before you? Well, I've been getting ready for this event as as you can see, there's a lot going on. And I wanted to make sure you got here on time because I was surprised that you were even going to show up at night at the clock.

But I'm proud that you did, you did it. I didn't have an option when you sent someone to collect me. Well, I was at the house, where the hell were you? I was at the house where the hell were you? I was out! Getting the final preparations and stuff, putting everything together, it's fine! I don't think Cecil is very far behind and he's like, Mario, you made it fashionably late! And looking stunning! Thank you, thank you!

I'll give her kisses on the cheeks as well. Yeah, she like shows it off to you and she's like, yeah, yeah, she does that. And then, you know, just smooth it up, but it's good. Yeah. A little late running behind, but it's fine. As I'm walking with her, like I'll take my arm under hers and maybe I even do the same with Cole.

So the three of us are kind of walking in unison. I'll say to Maryl, how are you feeling? You good? You have the strength tonight? Are you doing well? I am feeling stronger than I have in years, Cecil. I don't think you should worry about me at all. I have all the big in the world with great nights.

Yes. Like I told Cole, you're like family to me. I just want to make sure you're okay. Anything you need tonight, you let me know. I'm here for you, okay? This is a big night. I think your presence is exactly what I need here tonight, Cecil. You always bring just the right amount of energy

and just the right amount of attitude that and the right amount of money, right? And the right amount of money at your donations always keep my interest worldwide. Well, as long as we make a lot of money and we bring a lot of attention to this to the center, I think this is going to be a beautiful exhibit. Oh, it's just the start.

Midnight, midnight soon. Do you have some very very adamant guards up there that would not let us in to find you? Oh, Alano is keeping this very tight. We don't want to start things too early. Why waste the fun? The experience is in the unknown, you know? And I just want to make sure that nobody gets it until it's just the right time. Cole, I didn't know that your mother was so cryptic. You haven't spent enough time with her then, excuse me, and Cole is immediately trying to get away from these two people that she goes on.

You think travel abroad would make one more open-minded and I guess not. Oh she, he whatever they are, they're just kind of breaking up this show, you know what I mean? Damn! Damn! Incredible! You really have to be patient with her. I've been as patient as I can, but I think after tonight, Cole will finally really get the real perspective of what I'm trying to accomplish. This is going to be my finest gathering of exhibition Cecil. You believe it, I believe it. Yeah. The paintings are they really that good? Once you play your eyes on them, Cecil,

once you really see the power that they have inside of them, you'll get it. Like all trends, beyond our understanding, Cecil, there's more out there. And she's getting closer to you, like very manic, the more she kind of more explains it. You know, Giba Queen accomplished more than we could have ever done in our lifetime.

He found the answer to things, you know? This is the first time I've seen her kind of like this. Could I roll my sixth sense to kind of get a better idea of what is going on here? Sure. Sure. How I do? Ooh.

Nine and a six plus soul. So that's 17 total. 17 total. 17 total. Later. So what is that? What is that success in late first? Choose up to three options, usable any time during the session. You have an intuition for things, both good and bad.

This was actually meant to be at the start of the game session. So we'll say I have three options. My options are act first in a threatening situation. Sends whether someone wishes good or ill towards you and discover or sends a clue or lead where you're off track. So I'm going to use that second option. I like the sense whether all of this manic energy that I'm feeling from her is for good or ill towards me specifically. I guess I could use it almost like, is this going to make me money or not?

I mean, absolutely. You get the money vibes for sure. Like you, you know just alone what Marya was able to accomplish. You know as if somebody who is an art collector and in the space, the rumors and stuff around this exhibition, that once Skiba Queen had passed, his artwork was scattered across the globe into private

collections, into a couple of galleries that you were known for public viewing. But the overall collection has never been put together in one place. So the fact that Mary-L had managed to do this in such a short amount of time is almost impressive. Even you yourself can't move something like that. So you've been impressed by it, but at the same time, that impression from you is a little bit odd.

No one's that good. And that puts a sour taste in your mouth. That yes, it's going to make you money, yes. But like, Maryl did something. And the fact that you're recalling Samantha Church's conversation with you and the lateness and stuff like that. And you start to feel that that burial obsession that you've been entertaining these last few weeks has something bigger underlying that you don't quite fully know about.

I'll keep an eye on her for the rest of the evening, but I'll save those other two options for later. And I'll just continue to introduce her to the other people in the party. Yeah, you guys, shmuz around. Okay, Hugh, you've, after your conversation with Cecil after the rival of Mariel, what are you doing? What are you up to? What are, what are you doing? What are you up to? What are, uh, what are you feelings? Um, I think that he has been wandering the party since, uh, Cecil left him, um, just trying to take stock of everything that's happening and engaging with the art, especially because if there's one thing about this whole situation at least he can appreciate that but once Muriel

appears There's a sense of him that actually wants to engage with the Du Bois, but does not want to be seen doing so just because of Like he doesn't want the attention that that's going to bring to the public. So he's hoping to either catch Mr. Dubois or Mrs. Dubois in a moment of quiet so that he could introduce himself or at least get a handle on these people. And he doesn't like preferential treatment but he would like to be in that exhibit in a context that doesn't draw attention to him. So I think he's thinking about that as well. Yeah, I mean, I don't think it's hard to find Anthony Dubois.

He kind of as soon as his wife started to get into that mode that she is infamous for, he skulks his way to the bar and is just sitting there whiskey whiskey, glass can hand, kind of shaking it around and taking a sip. He doesn't seem like, seems tired. You know, like, I've been to the one too many of these. It's always the same thing.

And now I'm at a bar. Yeah. Waiting for it to end When you arrive and jump up to him. Okay. Oh Mr. Letho Good to see you mister Dubois. Yes, absolutely. I'll have whatever you're having. It's in the correct glass So I know it's harder than this champagne bullshit.

Good man. And he turns around and he orders another drink for you and eventually you get a whiskey meat handed to you. To the atrocity exhibition? To the art. To the art, man. He holds it up. How are you doing Mr. Dubois? Are you enjoying yourself? You look about as lost as I am in this place. You know when you do this kind of stuff, almost every once, twice, thrice a year for decades, you know, they just start kind of feeling like the same, you know. Right, loses its lust or after a while, but there had to be a time that some of this made sense to you, right? Yeah, maybe 20 years ago, but you know, what is happiness but a happy wife? You do it all for her, huh? Yeah, at least this, the art, the session with it, you know.

God, she's been doing this for weeks now, just barely coming home. Always here at the gallery. So really would love to see what this is all about. I mean, cost me a pretty penny as well. So this has been a process. She's been looking into acquire these pieces for a long time. I'm guessing. Oh, she's been obsessed with VecQueen for far beyond this, but recently has taken up

the active interest of putting the collection together. She's always talked about it, but something's compelled her to get it done now. I mean, we've even talked about pushing this back another year, but she insisted it had to be today. Oh, art always has the right time to happen, so I see her in that regard. Uh, this intrigued session for herself. What do you think started her down this rabbit hole? her down this rabbit hole.

I don't know. I think it was that summer she did a broad like way back when I can't even remember. She knew that Queen had at a certain point and towards the end of his career his life stuff like that. He lived fairly long, surprisingly. I know they keep showing a young man, but, you know, he was fairly in his years and is prime at the end of it. People like to remember you have a, like, you best. I get it. Exactly. But after that, she'd always had a deeper fascination about it. If it was coming up in conversation, but I think she's just processing everything now and just wanting to make one last final hurrah, one last goal. Check the bucket list off.

How do you feel about everything that comes together with this? I mean, really, I mean, we're drinking over whiskey. There's got to be some level of truth. You can give me a happy wife, happy life is one story, but sort of died with the last generation. I want to know what you're thinking. And I think I'm going to use the move, read a person, to really try and see what this guy is up to, past the dinner conversation because I know no one's gonna give me a straight answer and an art exhibit, it just doesn't happen. Totally.

Do you have to roll for anything or is that just something that activates? So I'm gonna roll plus intuition and then if I succeed at the highest I get two at the middle I get one question and at the lowest I accidentally reveal my intentions and I have to tell you what my intentions are and that goes home with Mr. Du Bois and you can make a move based off that Okay, so I have a 15 plus my intuition is a 16 and 16 total. So I can ask two questions. But the way this works in cult is I asked my first question, the conversation continues based on whatever information I use or learn. And then I can ask my second once that threads pull through. But some of these I can't actually act on I was looking at.

Like for example, there's a question here called, are you lying? If I learn that you're lying, I can't use that just because I just learn the information. It's sort of like a, I can sense it, but it's not on the subject sort of thing. I think my first question is to start this off as, you know, kind of germane to what we were already doing is how do you feel right now? I'm trying to get a sense of what he really feels. He's given the happy life, happy wife thing, and he's given the tired. Oh my God, it's so much work, but ha ha, we love her.

Um, but I want to know what he actually believes to this exhibit, to everything that's happening with his wife, to everything we've talked about so far. I think that's the most important thing to be able to do is to get the idea of what he actually believes to this exhibit, to everything that's happening with his wife, to everything we've talked about so far. It's something in the way that he phrases

the obsession over Gibeck-Win, that suggests an underlining suspension of intimacy that Maryelle might have had, but also you sense a bit of grief behind it, not in grief in that aspect of it, but grieving that this is a process that might be coming to an end for him, or the process of truly understanding why somebody might put together a death exhibition. And he seems to be kind of keeping himself together in that notion by telling you that a happy wife, happy life. And it's all the constant routine that he shares with it with Maryl.

So I get the sense that maybe Maryl and the artist had a much closer relationship and that this is sort of the ending of that story for the two of them. Possibly that or even even step forward that it's just a personal thing for Maryl as well. Right. Separate from a relationship with Becklein. So she was almost as muse for a time, or at least regarded him with enough respect and appreciation that that thing felt real. Fascinated by him. As far as I heard in the rumors of Becklein, he dabbled in mysticism and stuff like that,

and I'm mysticism is what fueled his art, but mysticism can mean anything. It's a sham to get people to find you interesting. I mean, that was what I based my entire first book on, the idea that people take that subjective dream and make it reality. When people take these things a little too seriously and start convincing themselves they can control life and death, that's a shame. I was hoping he was more based in the reality of death and thwarting it.

Maybe is. Maybe I just have a bitter spin to it. Art is subjective, right? It is. It's very subjective when you're the husband. And then I think my last question will be, oh God, I hope there's a really good, sweet answer to this that doesn't mean anything terrible. But I think I'm gonna ask what are you about to do? And that comes in the context of like,

what I can glean off of what they intend. It's not like I get a direct answer, but I get some intuition into what he might be planning next from this conversation. I think all he's planning is to sit at this bar and drink and just enjoy it. So I don't get the sense that he's like worried about any next step, a goal he's in calm,

submissive state of mind. Yeah, he's, yeah, he's kind of stuck in that solaness. It's not, he has no intentions to act on what your intuition feels that he's underlying to. Okay. It's just, just a tiredness towards it. You know, I'm done with it, or it's, you know, just let it ride out

for a little bit longer kind of situation. Right. Well, Hugh raises his glass to Mr. Dubois and says, well, you know what, whatever happens next, just get what you need to out of it that's all we can do with art, right? Exactly. He kind of like tips his glass towards you to kind of toast to, um, kind of nod and acknowledge a good conversation that he had with you, the very

least. Um, Cool. Did you want to speak to you? You see Q and your father kind of talking as you slipped off away from your mom once you got the first chance. Yeah. I wanted to get caught up with Cecil and her. Yeah, I think Cole is looking for like the first out they can find whether it's Samantha or Mint or their father. And I think as soon as they see their father and Hugh sitting together at the bar, it's another like beeline through the crowd to get to them. Going to their father first to not to make sure they don't look too desperate to talk to you. Just kind of like leaning over and kissing on the cheek high dad. Mr. Letho, it's the pleasure to have you here.

Yeah, thanks. I appreciate that. Yeah, it's good. This your kid and he looks to do. Well, like, yeah, my, my child, Cole, Cole, Cole, I need we've exchanged emails a couple times. You talked a few times. Yeah. Yeah. I talk to you.

Well, talking is a little bit of a, I sent an email, you responded to that email. I sent another email, you responded to that email. I said the third email you didn't respond to that. Did I like you? I truly couldn't tell. That's typical. Yeah, I would love to talk to you about descendant,

your latest book. I mean, all of the research you did on cult, I'm really actually very interested because I, and then they kind of like break off and look at their dad, like they're not sure if this is something they can talk about publicly. Yeah, you know, Mr. Dubois was just telling me that he's had enough art for the day. Listen, as a favor to your father and I'm sure as a favor to maybe the good conversation we had, let's take over here. I could tell you a little bit about Deviant

and Descendant coming next. If you're interested. Amazing, sorry. I meant Deviant. I've read that you were going to Descendant next, so I got a little over excited. And this is like the least cool. Anyone has seen Cole this entire time.

They are like rambling and like looking at their dad. Like, can you believe it? It's you let them. Listen kid, it's fine. A lot of people are excited about that second book. It feels like it's the only thing anybody wants to fucking hear about, but. That's not the only thing I want to hear about.

I promise I want to hear about anything over here you can show me the emails and I'll read what I said and see if I still believe it. Fantastic thanks dad will talk to you later and they kind of kiss his cheek again and follow he So you're a duplicate, huh? Unfortunately. That sounds like fucking hell. It was. Yeah, it really growing up, it sucked ass. But, you know, trying to get away from my, for my mother's everything. Lead me to your books and I would love to hear your take on,

on, on cults and specifically, specifically developing cults and how they form and what, what you're interested in. Follow certain practices? The Inception of Colts? Inception practices, what might lead them to do one thing or another? It's just, it's been an area of interest for me for a while. Well, listen, when I was in East Texas for deviant, it wasn't necessarily about the start

of cults, it was about the end of them. A lot of my history comes into those that are still out there walking about. But they all start the same way. It's an idea that pervades existence. It's something that takes over the mind. It feels bigger than us. It becomes so big that a whole group of people can't seem to make a right with the idea of it. I think it all starts because someone thinks bigger than we intended to. We break the code a little.

That seems...defeatest. Hello, I'm Hugh Letho. Well, have you, um, I don't know what you're doing for descendant. I know you were in Texas for deviant. Um, have you done any research into anything? Uh, I don't know, maybe in like, out west, um, Arizona, New Mexico, California, Oregon. I don't really like the sun. Of course, California, Oregon. I don't really like the sun. Of course, yeah, that's not funny.

That's just wasn't enough for me. Why are you Californian? I, I, I, I, I got that look about your kid. I spent some time in California, but, uh... Obviously, I'm back home for a little bit. Yeah. I... I understand you're not interested in the sun.

That's, um... Mm-hmm. Listen, can I ask what the fuck you're getting at? And Cole starts looking around and seeing if anyone's eavesdropping or just nearby and any kind of interest in the conversation that they're having. kind of interested in the conversation that they're having. Um, is that something I should roll? You're just generally looking around to see if anybody's nearby? Yeah.

And I mean, also I realize that I have repressed memory and if conversations, the nature of your repressed memory usually based on your dark secret, in situations associated with your repressed memory, role plus zero to determine if the memory surfaces. little than roll. Yeah. 10. So you start mentioning about, you know, you start listening off the names of the different states and when you finally

get to California, you just quickly have this like glimpse of a dark basement and a slab of fucking stone and a smell of iron and blood in the air. Um, I'm so sorry, what was the question again? I was asking what the fuck you were trying to get at there and then I listened, are you alright, Cole? Yeah, Cole. You got this look on you. Uh, every, every, I'm fine.

I'm, Cole, as you're getting your bearings and stuff like that, you kind of like, you're still kind of trying to keep both sense of your surrounding. And as you kind of look over to the side, you pick up the silhouette, the form of somebody you think you recognize, someone with like dark brown hair, and what looks to have like a notable tattoo on the back of her neck. And you kind of start leaning over to the side as like, he was trying to ask if you are okay. See, like you recognize this person. Excuse me. You know very well.

I'm, I'm, I'm, can you excuse me for just like three minutes? I, I, I think I see someone I know and I can't let her, I can't let them get away. I haven't seen them. Excuse me and they just start like running as fast as they can with their cane. Oh, shit. Shit.

Yeah, you pull a B line, you know, as you've been doing all night, just B lining left and right. You B line towards this person whose back is to you. They're wearing like a very nice, simple like white dress and stuff like that. They seem to be talking to somebody. But yeah, they still seem very familiar. Somebody you recognize. You think it might be Sasha. But yeah, you're like not even trying to politely interrupt the conversation.

I grab around their elbow and whip them around and say, what the hell are you doing here? When you turn that person around, you realize that you do not know who the fuck this person is. It is just like, it's an older woman in her mid-30s and stuff like that. And she's frightened by the fact that you just legitimately turned her around. I think Q is watching from behind with one hand on his whiskey, just fucking laughing his ass off at whatever crazy bullshit

this is. Do I? Can I help you? Can I help you? Do I know you? I'm so sorry. You look like a friend of mine from college. Yeah, I, you, the, oh, that's a necklace. I Did you know you money? No, no, no, no, no, my

How old is this woman? She's like in her mid 30s, you know Yeah, my whole is like mid 20s happy. Oh, it's one of these like all The your necklace it my friend had it tattooed that looked, please forgive me, please enjoy the rest of the gallery. Sorry. It turned back. Yeah, I mean, she goes back, like, she's looking back to her her the person she was talking to in a like you know just like

cannot believe what just happened um mint you are enjoying your evening it's been a night you have dolls afoot uh it's pushing closer to getting towards that midnight, we're about 11.30. What you doing? What you up to? I think this mint is going to be sort of getting a vibe check for the gallery, but also sort of me asking, do you think this would be a good time for do you think mint would think this is a good time for her performance or does it not seem like the peak of the gallery yet? I think 30 minutes before the the intended time for you to go

and view the gallery is just the right time to put anything down so that you're not upstaging Mary L. Of course. Mint is going to find her way to of the multiple floors. The entrance to the main gallery is that on the first floor? No, all the galleries are on the second floor. The main floor only houses like a small cafe area

and then several hallways at Lita like offices and just like the beautiful open rotunda space that you can look up to the top. Okay. Cool. Then yeah, it starts to gather on the second floor and you start to see the dolls from various parts like follow her, like a duck, a bunch of ducklings, and you can hear like as she's walking she's like to me children

and she gathers in an empty spot and like swings her skirts around dramatically to sort of clear the space around until there are all of the dolls sort of finally lined up and sort of waits expectedly for people to quiet down and when they don't she starts tapping the champagne glass in her hand until things quiet down. I will say, Mint, that you were outside of the one that you gave to Cecil and the one that you gave to Mariel. You are missing two more dolls that have not come back to your fold. You didn't feel your severing of your connection to them but they are not here. Oh shit. But you're tapping on the glass and people are kind of

slowly starting to settle down. If it settle says this, he is going to call over the videographers that are like getting B-roll of the event to make sure they get it. And then he's going to have a front-road to whatever this is, and he'll probably spend most of the time uproariously laughing. Yeah. Things eventually start to get quiet. You know, the music slowly stops playing and the wool starts to go even Mary L's kind of, you know, was talking, but has slowly stopped

to give you attention. You have the floor as these dolls are in front of you and you are here with all of those dolls. I think she takes the champagne float and sets it down and right as she's about to speak, she instead just smiles. She smiles specifically at Cecil and at the Du Bois and a slightly more pointed smile at Cole, and then gestures to the dolls like a choir director, queuing them to speak, and sort of repeat what they've heard.

I think it sounds like a recorder. Like someone's put a bunch of tape recorders and a bunch of dolls and set the blue sun in our gallery, but they all start a chorus of whatever they've gathered while around the people that they've been by. Uh, and you said I, two dolls are missing and I think it's the ones that I gave to the do. Those are the two, those are the two outside of the ones that you were that you gave to Cecil and Marielle those are still in their persons but the rest of them unless you've called those ones back I called all my babies back oh then yeah yeah then then those two are with you then sorry unless

Cecil did you let yours go? Okay, yeah, then, then you're missing two out of the ones outside. Yeah, so you're just missing two. Okay, and I think I play, they just start playing in this like, like polyphonic mess. And once I identify the ones that I gave to Cecil and the ones that I gave to Mr. Boa, I kind of silenced the other two.

Like, I feel like I'm conducting these dolls and I silence everything but those two. And it replays entire conversations that Cecil has had, including like him being frustrated with security. Um, Mr. Boa saying probably the most shallow things we've ever heard. People insulting the different galleries. I think there's a little bit of of Letho like being honest about how he feels about being here. Like there's just things that should not be repeated being conducted and queued in this chorus of dolls. And then she makes them all form a line. And she takes a, yeah, she takes a sledgehammer, but a small one, a small hammer out of her pocket.

hammer out of her pocket and slowly starts to crush these dolls into like a powder and then starts to rub the powder over her person and into her pockets and over her clothing to the point where she looks like a ghost and And I don't think I think she saves the last two. She saves the main throne and Du Bois dolls last. They're the only ones that are repeating over and over as she's covered in their dust. And this performance is probably about 10 minutes, but she's completely silent. This happens. You're muted. There are two notable things that pop up amongst the vicophony of all of this stuff between the patrons

saying all that stuff. The random things that Cecil and Maryl have said is two main things. It's a conversation that has happened between Maryl, Samantha Church and Brahim Nassar that happens off to the side but now has become more public. Brahim has accused Mary L. and outright about stealing one of the art pieces from the atrocity exhibition, the tears of Jeb Har. It is one of the pieces that

was in his private collection and was somehow stolen from him and somehow made his way here, the Cecil Arts Center. So both him and Samantha Church are attempting to accuse her of art theft. But it was a hush, hush matter off to the side when Maryelle had a moment to step away when they first confronted them.

The last thing you see, which is probably the last doll that gets crushed before you powder yourself with them, is what sounds like a scuffle happening. And you hear Hugh and Cecil would have recognized the voices in that. You Hugh recognized the voice of William Greaves, the detective that you were talking to. Cecil, you recognize the other man's voice as Alano to set. They seem to be fighting about something.

And then as they're having this argument, there seems to be a bit of a scuffle, a crash on the ground. And for a moment, you hear a lano break from the loud, serious tone of confronting Reeves to this almost panic. And he just seems to be read for what you can hear in the scuffle just panically shaking and saying it's coming, it's coming. They're here in the gallery. And after he kind of repeats that over and over again, eventually it just stops. And then Alana gets serious again and he tells starts to tell Reid hey you're not supposed to be down here get the fuck out

here and they start to to continue to argue and then just as that starts to happen mint crushes it and continues that final bit of the ritual of painting themselves with that last bit. But now a hush has slightly fallen on the gallery as everybody is taking in Mint's performance. I don't know how for how long Cecil put up with, he found it amusing at first, but now he feels like there's things that have been said that he didn't want to be heard. I think he'll probably signal to somebody and he'll even use his forked tongue advantage to

get somebody to basically drag Mint away. No, A-light before anything I was gonna say is a door would have started clapping to see if I could give people like because it's quiet for a minute to just kind of just solo clap to see if anyone else starts. Cole is absolutely clapping too. Having kind of recovered a little bit from their reaction earlier. I think, eventually people start to clap. It's not the full audience, but people are trying to be good sports about it, but you do get, have a lot of a sea of glares. As Cecil is calling the security and like they're all sort of congregating on Mint's

thing, can I look for the Dubois and the crowd? See their reactions to this? Oh yeah, you see, Mario. She seems calm, smiling. I haven't seen bothered by the fact that that came to light. I have an artistic talent advantage that might influence some of these reactions a little bit. Sure, if you want to try to, yeah, you know what, roll me and influence rolls since you are trying to present your art.

Okay. I rolled a 14, so I get to choose an option. Sure, an option. The effect, I think, I want the effect that they look up to you, that I take plus one for the rest of the scene from the general public. Okay, yeah, I mean, people, you know, you know, art sometimes takes a little processing. You know, we gotta take it in, you know,

and you were covered in doll dust, porcelain, and you know, people are just kind of, you know, they probably just think it's part of the whole thing. Yeah, and they start to eventually, start to like clap and then stuff like that, you know, and like receptive kind of just playing into the absurdity that this would have never have happened if it wasn't planned. And you did it such a solid performance that people think that this was supposed to be a part of the... She starts like shaking people's hands and touching people's shoulders and

leaving porcelain prints on people's like black tie events like clothing. It's on the floor like the sledgehammer that she was using to crush like did not respect the floor. There is a spot. It's cracked. And she just And I think with all of that hype that's happening now with the audience happening, I don't know if that's putting Cecil to ease that people are receptive to what is happening, but Mary L. leans into that. And she comes up to the center of the audience, now that everybody seems kind of receptive to convert, to paying attention after that display. And she's like, well, that was surely unique and something.

And we think meant for being a part of this, especially evening, as we are, you know, I would assume that by now the time it took you to gather all these dolls, do this whole performance and experience all this, we're about close to midnight. So, Mary L begins to kind of set the stage, is like the lights that were kind of up

start to kind of dim down a little bit to kind of add to the general ambiance of stuff that she kind of just speaks out loud. And she kind of just lays into the history of Guyback Queen. And she starts off with saying, lays into the history of Guyback Queen. And she starts off with saying, triumph delimore, the triumph of death. That is what Guyback Queen hoped to accomplish in his life,

and thus manufactured the atrocity exhibition, pulling from all of the dark macabre and the pain and toils of humanity and life, give a clean seem to have found the universal truth that lies beyond death. And I've spent my countless years exploring and enjoying the art that he has come to make into this world. And I hope tonight you all will equally share in that true enjoyment. So if you have an invitation that has a skull on it, please join me upstairs to the front of my gallery and let us begin to explore the life and the art

of one of history's finest painters. And everybody starts to kind of rummage through their invitations and slowly people start to depart from the main floor and even from the top gallery of people who are watching and Slowly start making their way towards the boss gallery every single one of you has a invitation or is attached to somebody with an invitation that has that red skull on the invitation.

Do you all head up together? Yeah, I think so. Oh, absolutely. Cecil probably just watches Mint with a smile and then once they're making their way up I think he'll go up as well. Yeah Mint Samantha finds you and and goes with you and leads you along to come up with you to that kind of like nudging you and

And being like good job like didn't expect the you and and being like good job like didn't expect the the addedness of of their conversation but love the actual touch. She's like really whispering in your ear laying on about excellent and proud. Um, she's got this like pick pan effect because they're not moving the porcelain dust from them for the rest of the evening. This will be here. And it's like they have fulfilled what they needed to. They are the weirdest looking person in the room. So they are just almost more normal than they've been the entire night.

Isadora, are you doing anything as you've been kind of ducking low since you would you Splash somebody and I wanted to so I thought a low profile and going up but I would actually like to pass by Mint at one point and compliment on As I pass up be like like, excuse me. Yes. I have to say that was definitely a showstopper. What inspired you to do that? Well, when I fell off this building a few weeks ago, I knew that I had come back and perform again and really sort of make my mark inside as much as I did on the outside.

I'm gonna like, is there anyone with like one of the champagne trays walking by like near us? Yeah, there's so many people's for me. I'm gonna make sure I grab two and extend one out and I'll be like, oh, I beg you to please continue this story. Oh, well, of course, some of this I can't talk about yet because we have a trial date. But most of it, it's on YouTube, honestly. Oh, you can do go on, go on. The tricky thing about shingles is, and they just go on. Go on. The tricky thing about shingles is and they just go on. I'm gonna take my phone

down to start like you tubing like trying to find the cliff. Yeah. They are they're so fucking excited. They take your arm and regale their survivor story. God bless. Oh I'm taking all this in. God bless. Oh, I'm taking all this in. All right. So as you guys gather together in front of, um, in front of De Bois gallery, um, you finally hear like the clock. You guys, uh, there's a clock in the museum. Finally strike midnight and starts to kind of chime one, you know, two, three. And as it keeps going and stuff like that, eventually like the two guards who are out front kind of, you know, robotically almost just kind of shuffled take off the fucking rope and move off to the side.

And then grab the double doors of the boss gallery and finally open it. And as it opens and stuff like that, you don't see any real light, it's really dark at the entrance of this gallery. I sneak up to my mom super snarkily and say, you didn't think to light the exhibit? Is the whole point of it death is a darkness and actually there's no art in here and it's all another performance art piece, Mom. Why don't you go inside and see for yourself?

Fine. Are you the first to go in? Yeah. Where are you the first to go in? Yeah. I think Cecil's not far behind and he's got Adeline in his arm and he's definitely like, did someone forget to turn the lights on as he's making his way in? Okay. As you guys slowly start to shuffle in and yeah it's very dark in here for, you know, many of you who have perused through these galleries before prior in general and stuff like that, know that they're fairly deep and stuff like that. They're meant to accommodate

any kind of range of pieces, both, you know, sculptures to wall paintings. And you know, the ball holds the largest gallery amongst the four, as she's the largest patronage to the overall place. But as you guys kind of enter and stuff like that, you finally get like almost halfway through before you finally get some type of illumination, enough for you guys to kind of huddle together under this bit of light.

And across all the way to the end, our eight paintings spread evenly across the back wall. And then one like, alter mantle that holds like a more stationary piece that's at its center. But yeah, you guys slowly start to kind of huddle in. And these paintings are a series of just things that come out of like self-portraits of moments. Some of you who have studied these paintings would know them by name. A coal, like coal and mint, and mint and those also who know that there was eight boil paintings that were made followed by one. I never pronounce it a trip, a trip, right, which is like a trip, center piece,

a trip, sorry, a trip, yeah. And there are various names. One is called the prison, which is a south portrait of a young Vecquine on flank on either side. Our corpses representing the body. The next is the coupling, which is a dark bedroom with crumpled sheets and empty wine bottles of rotting food where two corpses rest in the afterglow of love-making, representing feelings and passion.

There's the wanderer, which is framed in moonlight, a robe figure transvestes, invests desert, seeking an indescent, indescrib-indistinct city, representing the intellect, three angels, the diamond chained upon a pile of skulls that reach up towards three stone angels, representing imprisonment in the illusion. The fool's wisdom, the disembowelment of a man that offers his in trails to a sephorum in exchange for divine insight representing instincts. A tonneau caldo, a crucified of Valkyrie in Stans before a burning ruin while anarchist stance in the background that represents the force

of life. The fused of ignorance, which is a deep within the Parisian catacombs, Halo figures, examples of stigmata, vaquines, inanimate corpse representing the will. And finally, the last of the paintings that are up there is the triumphant door. A halo death stands above Adam and Eve slipping into a churning chaos of purgatory that represents the consciousness. And as you guys are watching or looking at all of these vastly, vastly stricken oil paintings that even feel now as you're looking at them that seem to be almost running with life of the, you know, rich, these dark, crimson reds and these bright stuff and the torment that you just see across

it is, you feel this odd energy just as you're kind of witnessing the torment of the, you know, the torment and the, and the, the macabre that you feel from, it was like, and you kind of even wonder what Vacquian was even trying to accomplish. And it kind of puts you all at unease as you kind of are trying to, and everybody's kind of trying to lean in in this dark room because it's kind of even like too dark to see. People are starting to kind of gather closer

and closer to these paintings and stuff like that just so that they can kind of make stuff out. Cause as much as the only light that is added on top of the one that you guys are under, is just the faint lights that kind of illuminate each painting. So, you know, people are slowly out of their curiosity, leaving the light entering into the shadows to get just a little bit closer to seeing what these paintings are.

Meanwhile, Marielle is allowing people to take their moment to kind of really fill in. She's slowly making her way to the triptic at the center and kind of getting behind it. Anthony's kind of in tow as he's kind of wanting to be there for her first initial species being the kind of spouse and support like he always does. And your surprise Cecil is you're kind of depending on if you continue if you go for it to look at the paintings where you stay within the light with everybody else here, you would notice that a Lana was finally showed up here. And as now, you know, you haven't seen them all night at all outside of that root exchange

over the walkies and that one brief moment in men's performance. But now he's here out of the blue. But he's slowly making his way towards Mario. I'm probably going to cross to Mario anyway and just kind of whisper to her, honey, don't you think a little bit? We could have invested a little bit more in lighting and practically falling over myself here. It's all for the grand purpose of it, Cecil. You can't... You can't question why. Is there a reason why Alano has been treating me like dog shit?

Should I... Is there something going on? I can't say. As far as I know, Alano has treated me as sweetly as he always does. So you wouldn't mind if I fire his ass? Why would you fire his ass? He has made sure that this collection has been handled from maybe a certain talking to. Maybe a certain talking to you. Why don't you count how much money you end up getting out of this exhibit? And she goes, like, tries to straighten up your jacket and stuff like that, trying to brush you off from this moment.

Why don't you wait until you count all your bills at the end of this exhibition, and then question whether or not you want to fire a Lana? How about that? Enjoy the moment, Cecil. You have a way with words, Maryl. Yeah, I am actually kind of intrigued by one of the paintings over there. I think I'm going to check it out. Well, don't go too far. The Grand Finale has yet to be revealed, because the trick did is not yet opened. But once it is, you'll really, truly understand why we're doing this tonight. In your proposal, I don't remember the trip, did you?

The trip that isn't... Oh, yeah. It was always a part of it. Eight oil paintings and the trip did. The tears of Dev Dra. Ah, ah, now I remember that name, yeah. Yeah. All right, well, I'll go to enjoy it. Just don't be upset if people start opening their flashlights on their phones. I don't think we'll have to worry about that. Can't have your phones, these days aren't even that really good. They're all pixely in the dark. Maybe a reason I did it. And she kind of walks away and heads towards that trick.

And by the time she reaches it, Alano is there standing right behind her and Anthony Dubois is there as well. And Mary L kind of gives them a couple more beats to allow people to kind of just start to mow and think and discuss the painting before to kind of just start to mull and think and discuss the painting before she kind of calls them over to come back to that center like light that illuminates all of you. And you guys kind of hurtle together.

And all you are is now surrounded by darkness, the paintings behind you standing before Mary-El de Bois, Anthony de Bois, and Alonso Tosette right behind the trip did. And Mary-El just starts to just continue to explain about the turmoil and the life of Giva Queen. He had seen, you know, talking about his time down in the catacombs of Paris, trying to learn the dark secrets about death and immortality. And that what Vec Queen was trying to get out of the atrocity exhibition was not a final mark on the streak of his time on earth, but to open us to the idea that there is something more beyond death waiting for us. And death is not the end, that is chess, the beginning.

And actually kind of, you know, opens up this, um, trap, did. Um, what you guys see with inside of it, I should kind of pulls the left open, pulls the right open. It's this enormous, you know, it's an enormous case of exquisitely carved, writhing corpses decorated on it, like six-tieria, it kind of pulls it back left, right. And inside of it, there's like a series of pentagrams and symbols and patterns with an a dark circle. And as you guys are kind of even like watching all of this stuff, if you guys were to kind of look on the floor, you would notice that these patterns and stuff like that are also kind of been put on the

ground. It's been too dark to kind of really notice it, but you know, it's there in the inkling paintings. Yes. As soon as I see, notice any of the pentagrams. Can I use my advantage enhanced awareness? Okay, let me see. What is it plus? Okay. So to see through the illusion. I got a 16. On a success you have visions about the place and maybe able to speak with entities tied to it. So I think I'm just kind of like focusing on the trick dick and the parts of the ground that have pentagrams on them. And to be clear this is the tears of a jaraba that we're looking at. Yeah, tears of Jebbro. That's in the center of it. And the floor below it, like below our feet. The floor below it you notice now that there's like paintings or something that matches the inside of the inside of this thing. Yeah, the pentagrams and the patterns that kind of are inside of it is now the whole thing is kind of open.

We're stepping on those runes the same that the centerpiece is. Yeah. As cold. You're your thing. What does that do again? Sorry. Uh, it says, so it says, um, when you focus your senses at a location where the illusion is weak, role plus soul on a success, you have visions about the place and maybe I'll just speak with entities tied to it. So I'm just like, I'm just kind of trying to get, I don't have to like talk to anything or anything like that. I think I'm just trying to get vibes based on like if the illusions like wibbly

and like especially if it's near the trip dick or the like pentagrams on the floor. I think is what I'm interested in. pentagrams on the floor, I think is what I'm interested in. Cole, when you clock the patterns on the floor and recognize patterns on the floor, you kind of start looking up at the paintings, and as you do, you kind of see it, the ripple, the veil, and you just feel the sense of undying power and undying dread that just starts to fill you here. And as you're trying to connect all the dots of just that wash of feeling that's come

over you, you see it. Your mother, reach for a knife behind her back and plunge it straight into your father. Once twice, thrice pulls the blade out as the splash of blood covers the tears of Gibra. And as that happens, a giant shake fills the room. As everything starts to grow darker, dimmer, the lights start to fade a little bit as the light, as the pentagrams and the patterns with the filled with the blood of Anthony de Bois starts to illuminate this art piece. And as that continues to happen, you see a lano to set. And he just starts to shift in his body. His body starts to lurch forward. As his skin starts to grow and expand to something, you all have never seen before.

A creature twisted from the thickness of your darkest imagination. And as that happens, the panic sets in with the people in the crowd. the panic sets in with the people in the crowd. As people start to back away into the darkness of the out of the safety of that illuminated light, as Alonno's body continues to twist and contort and conform into something hellish. And as people start to dip into the shadows, they then start here, the screening of people being grabbed by things. The sound of bodies being ripped apart in the darkness. And it becomes just an overwhelming sound of screens and mush and gulch and blood and gore and you don't know even what's happening.

And Mary L is there in the midst of all this chaos. Eyes at Alano like she has been waiting for this moment all of her life that she has succeeded in one of the deepest goals that she has ever set herself to do. And she is waiting for the reward she's been waiting for. I think Cecil runs over to her and is like shaking her like, what's going on? What the hell's going on? And she doesn't even take her eyes away. She's looking at Alano and she's almost kind of reaching

her hands out to them. And she's like, I found the answer, Cecil, to immortality, to overcoming death itself. And he is here for just a small price and she looks at you every single soul in this gallery. And she starts to manically laugh and she continues to watch a lot of just transform in self. What do you want to do? Are you going to stay where you are at? I'm going to say what have you done? And yeah, I'll probably like throw her back and start looking for a way out. Cool. What are you doing? You're watching all of this happen. As people are pushing past you, you, shoulder checking you, push, push, push, pull, throws himself down, like over top of their dad. And it's just like trying to staunch the bleeding

and like trying to get him to talk dead. Is that what you do? Well, you're gonna be okay. I'll call an ambulance and they're like fumbling for their phone, like hands, like with blood, and just like trying to like keep him awake and alive as they try their best to dial 911. He's murmuring something in this state, but the wound is deep and stuff,

but you're trying to hold him together. Mint, as a door, you are witnessing this stuff. You guys are also being pushed around by the group of people who are trying to escape. You hear everything that's a door, you are witnessing this stuff. You guys are also being pushed around by the group of people who are trying to escape. You hear everything that's going on. Are you trying to escape? Are you trying to act? Are you trying to, you know, you meant would see coal down on the ground and stuff like

that, but they are incredibly. He's right there next to Alano and this form that's transferring and the manical joy of Mary-Al just enjoying the moment, you know. I think if I see Cole next to this very obviously dead man, I'm going to try to like rip them back and Move like hall-ass if I have to try to start dragging their dad to towards the door it's just obsessive we're going cold let's go no no my dad my daddy's gone he's gone he's gone help him he can help him just wait more than once he's been stabbed more than once let him go let's go grab and throw them towards the door.

Is the door, what are you doing? Are you finding a way out? Are you leaving the safety of this circle of light? I'm not. Or are you continuing to witness the events that are happening in front of you? I was gonna say, can I investigate? Cause that was the first thing I noticed

is, cause I'm in the circle of light. Is that actually, like I'm seeing that's probably one of the safer spots, but I also want to observe. If you want to observe the situation you may. Absolutely. Well, I mean observe the the up as observe the situation. Okay. Oh, I got a 20. Got a 20, hell yeah, very good. So you can ask three questions. That's on the list if you're looking at it

or I can list you the options and you can ask the questions. Oh yeah, go ahead and list if you like. So the options that you have to ask, you can ask three out of these questions. What is my best way through this? What is currently poses the biggest threat? What can I use to my advantage? What should I be on the lookout for? What is the hit? What is being hidden from me? And what seems strange about this?

What seems... hmm... I wonder what is strange about this? I'm gonna take that one off the table like in kind of a two and a thing wrong here. It's just a beverage day in a gallery. This performance art. Okay, what's, what can I use to my advantage? What can I use to your advantage? I would say right now your current advantage is being in light because you are able to see around yourself because the darken it wants to get once you leave this light it's dark so you least know what's

around you in the general sense being here from what is refracting out of the circle. So you're in a better place than anything else. So you can kind of make out the silhouettes of bodies and the things that are grabbing at them. This light, is it like attached? I just have to know. Like, is it like up on the ceiling? It's not a removable, it's one of the ceiling lights. And all right, I'm put there to kind of make this scenery.

Second question is What is my best way through this? You know that the best way through this is not where everybody else is going. Everybody else is heading towards the door that they know because they know that there's only one way and one way out of these galleries and stuff like that, so they're going for the main door. You know that the main door is being one occupied by a bunch of people and two that it's close and locked and nobody can get out currently. So you think that they're has to but you know that buildings have escape routes or they

have to have a fire exit of some kind there has to be other options to get out of a room that only has one door technically. So you know that that's probably your best option is to not go where the rest of the people are going and that there might be some more else in this gallery to do ask your last question. Oh god, I'm stuck between two. Hold on, sorry. Okay. What is being hidden from me? What is being hidden from you? As you're kind of gathering yourself and you're looking around and you're trying to get your bearing, you're trying to figure out the game plan, you are going into an analytical mode. You know, you are scientists and you are not phased by the chaos, you use the chaos to your advantage.

And as you're kind of sorting that out and you're coming to the conclusion that you might need to go in the opposite direction of everybody else, you see a woman fall onto the ground. And what you clock is actually the woman that you saw earlier, the one you were schmoozing on in the bathroom. She grabs on the, she's landed on the floor

in a bathroom. She grabs on the, she's landed on the floor in a, in just a, you know, in a panic. And she seems to have been running away from something and she's still kind of like frantically crawling. And as she's like now more clear in the light, that's when you see it. It's a person, a creature, a body? Yeah. But it grabs her by the fucking ankles and ganks her back into the darkness. I'm gonna just so you know, I'm gonna crouch down and like, like a position like a catcher and I'm gonna be watching to see if, because

I'm at that low angle, see if I can catch any other reflections of height and all that, and just, kind of just see if I could see any outlines of anything else. Yeah, I mean, you, this woman's like looking at you, frantically trying to reach and grab for your hands, maybe hope that you're going to save her. I will extend a little bit out, never outside but just in the light. I'm gonna be like but as she's like fighting as being dragged in there you're just watching this humanoid looking body of a person just slowly drag her back into the part of the dark that you can't see. And then you just hear the sounds of crying and ripping and tearing apart. Was it humanoid in a way of like actual human faces

or is it like to store it? It's got a human, it's got a human face but the skin seems to be pulling off of it like it's not able to retain its muscle and its skin and its form. The body seems a little out of proportion and you can definitely smell this deathly earthy, terrible musk of dead body. Something you're very familiar with, the smell of corpses. We try this one off away, guys. I have still two options left with my sixth sense. One of them being at first in a threatening situation. This can include even acting prior to a surprise attack. I think I might use that option and Cecil knows his way

around this gallery. And I think he is heading the direction of what he believes is like a secondary exit, a fire exit. Absolutely. Yeah, you have that inclination. This is your gallery. This is your domain, your home. You built this, so you know that there are places that you're not supposed to, places that you know of

that are built into the walls, that are cement for staff, easy access, and in the event and emergency. And you're heading towards one of that. It's in the back left corner of the gallery. I think if I'm heading there, and if I, as I'm heading there, I'm looking for people like Cole and Hugh trying to make sure

that I can signal people that I know are necessary to help. What are you doing? I haven't yet to get to you. You've been in this focophony of chaos and stuff like that. You're seeing people being snatched into the darkness and you hear terrible things on the other side. When all of this happened, he was really focused on that painting of the man offering his entrails to the angels. And I think he was thinking over that thought that him and Cole were developing the idea that

pervades human mind. And then as all of this is going on, he is like eerily calm through all of it. In fact, just leans a little heavier on his cane and he's watching Miriel with a very serious concentration to see what she's doing following the stabbing, following the explanation of her deeds. He's trying to see if there's anything she's trying to do as all of this is going on, but if Cecil is trying to get his attention, he is going to take every opportunity to make sure that Cecil doesn't fucking die. This way, come here. So he'll start to hobble over if Muriel is not up to anything that needs attention.

Yeah, Muriel's just encapsulated with the transformation of Alano that's happening before her. Can we block Alano in the room? Is it such a big form that like it's moving in the shadow? It's he hasn't left the spot that he was at the center stage where Mary L went to stab at the beginning of this. He's right there on that pedestal just growing in form.

He's turning into this creature that you can't really even articulate into words, even being a writer. Mint, coal, you see people making moves to following Cecil. Are you guys following them or are you staying here in the light? I think I follow. And if they're able to be pulled, I pull them. Yeah, I don't think Cole has any kind of ability to resist. So I think they're just kind of dragging along behind you. It's going to be fine. We just need to get safe.

Just stick it out. My mom just stabbed him. She just stabbed him. And like it was nothing. Like they've been married for her. just need to get safe. Just stick it out. My mom just stabbed him. She just stabbed him and like it was nothing. Like they've been married for the quarter of a decade and is just like babbling. Isador, you clock that inkling of where you feel

like you needed to be, you see the group of people that are following that direction outside of the norm of everybody going in the opposite way. Are you following them? I will do a double glance back because I heard that what they were saying, but I will go ahead and follow. Like I'll just be like, okay, and then you go, you follow. Yes. Hugh, as you've been kind of observing Marielle this entire time, and you've been trying to move forward, trying to listen to Cecil,

but you've been fixated on the fact that all of this. And that earlier feeling that you had that drew you over here and stuff, it's just radiating from Milano, radiating around Mariel. She kind of continues to reach out to him. And when he finally kind of finishes off into this twisted humanoid monstrous form and stuff like that,

you witness him scoop Mary L up in this most beautiful fashion, like lovers gently embracing each other for the first time after being separated for so long. And you see the act almost beautiful amongst this grotesque beauty that's happening. But as you see like Mary L, she's kind of tears in her eyes, tears of joy that this all happening and you see this kind of moment where this creature kind of strokes away one of those like tears. You notice that Maryl stops smiling. You're now like kind of hobbling along,

trying to follow Cecil, who's trying to get you guys to flee. And as you watch that smile drip from her face, you just start hearing Maryl crying out in agony. As she too starts to go into her own transformation, as her body starts to solidify into stone. And then from her like behind her in her back, this just wings start to sprout out as she like turns into almost like a statue of an angel. And as you like continue to witness this insane moment and this wretched transformation of Mary-Alde Bois, she finally just like Alano, the creature that had embraced her lets her

go and she kind of just falls on the ground. And as she kind of looks around more beast than human, the statue of an angel, she screeches this long, deafening screech into it that makes you all pause and look. And I think that's a good place for us to stop to. I hate you. I'm going to try to go. I don't like you. You're fun. You're this fun. That was a lot of fun.

OK. What if we just kept playing for like four hours? No, we could. But then there's just so much more. And so I want to let your best. So processing. So our night has just begun then. Oh, there you go.

The night has just begun. We have more to do. best. So processing. So our nights just begun then. Oh, there you go. Our night has just begun. We have more to do. Thank you so much, everybody, for joining us tonight as we are playing through Colt Lost, Dominity. If you liked what we are playing through, and want to play Colt for yourself, be sure to check out ColtRPG.com, where you'll be able

to pick up the books and all of that stuff. We also want to thank Red Moon Rollplaying playing who is helping contribute to this actual play and has now made us kind of follow up with Colt a little bit, right? Absolutely. Yeah. But we're made a role play. Thank you guys so much for joining us. If you, there are tons of other stuff that you guys could be checking out in the meantime

until we come back into week's time on the 24th to continue this playthrough. There is our Vegas by night series, our vampire, the masquerade campaign of 16 episodes of fantastic shenanery in the city of Las Vegas as a group of fledgling's tried to make their mark on the city. We also have our tails from the loop campaign, our little wholesome campaign featuring the kids from Wake Wind Colorado. Oh Montana, sorry. You were there Eli. I was there. I was there.

I think about Colorado a lot because Vince actually runs our orpheus campaign, which we'll be doing slowly into the summer. So look out for that, but you can catch up on the previous season beforehand. And also, you know, in our coming future is also our doom-to-repeat series, our Delta Green campaign, our Arc 3 is on the horizons in our fall. So catch up! We got, you know, 23 episodes of Jess, you know, more for in shenanigans, so be sure to check that out. But yeah, thank you for joining us tonight guys and just for the new likes.

Thanks for having me, I'm gonna do a huge hiller. Awesome stuff, you know. We can't wait to play again. Oh yeah, we'll see you guys soon and have a good rest of your weekend. Bye guys, bye. Bye everybody.