Episode 78 - Runaways

## Runaways

A black background with a white border of loose and unconnected scribbles. Within the border there is a three eyed deer depicted form the neck up, possessing large antlers tangled in foliage, an arrow drawn in red is passing through them. Bellow this image but still within the border the words "78.RUNAWAYS" are written in white.

### Author

William A. Wellman

Ray drives for safety, Clara tries to keep it together, and Olivier sits in the rain. The theme of tonight’s episode is Runaways.

***Content Warnings:** Animal death (Dogsmell as usual, several deer), Violence, Kidnapping and abduction, Death + Injury, More Blood Than Usual, Needles, Body horror*

## Intro - The Precipice

Nikignik narrates to the Dreamers dealing with their decision to leave their known life behind. The life they had been given had rules, a simple set of choices, from school to marriage to children to retirement to death, everyone in their life having already taken the next step and hoping that they would soon follow. And follow they had until now, but they had reached a precipice, and to take the next step would be to fling themself down upon stone. They take to step, heading north, free and wild.

Nikignik sits in the back seat of Ray next to Moth Scarberry as moth tries to outruns sleep (see Episode 62 - Provisions).

## Story 1 - Travel Buddies

Ray finds himself finds himself struggling with knowing how to fix emotional troubles, asking moth how moth was doing. Moth tells him of how moth couldn't' stay awake, and Ray point out that Moth had been awake for two days straight, that maybe a little sleep could do moth some good. Moth tells Ray that moth couldn't fall asleep, because moth's dreams were worse (see Episode 62 - Provisions). Ray tells moth that moth wasn't a machine, that moth couldn't run all night like he could, but Moth tells him that moth didn't know what else to do. Ray asks what moth's dreams were like, getting no answer in response and realising that Moth had fallen asleep. Ray decides against waking moth up, and listens to the radio to past the time, catching the marketing segment from Episode 77 - Rebels: Truth is Truth, and celebrating to hear of Riot and Valerie Maidstone's freedom and escape form the Botulus corporation (see Episode 72 - Errors). Ray sits and wonders about moth's future, his thoughts being interrupted when moth wakes up screaming, causing Ray to pull over to the side of the highway to tend to moth. Moth asks if what moth was experiencing was real, that moth couldn't tell anymore, moths' dreams felt so real, right up until they didn't.

Moth asks where they were going, but Ray tells moth that him and moth were partners, travel buddies, so no one was going to be taking moth (see Episode 68 - Sands), they were going to fix things. Moth asks how they planned on fixing it, that whatever it was it was in moth's blood, and the people in moth's dreams were telling moth there was only one way out, that all moth had to do was call. Ray lists off a few people who he knew who might be able to help, someone called "the Spindle" who lived at a place called "the Rock" as well as referencing Mr. Raven, Mr. Writingdesk, and Irene Mend. He tells Moth that they had eight or nine hours till they reached the Rock. Ray tells Moth of how the RV Gang had pulled off their heist, and Moth asks if Ray thought they'd see them again. Ray tells moth that it was in the nature of the road to see people again when they least expected it.

### Interlude 1 - Home In The Ruins

Nikignik tells the Dreamers of them being offered a deal and accepting, that they could not be blamed for this as humankind loved their fantasies of being considered special. He tells them not to give in to flattery, that they were being used, to be clear on purpose before they signed anything. But one way or another they were still there, along time latter, left by their cosmic being like a tool at a construction sight. Or perhaps they still had one task left. They wonder if anyone would notice is they left, if anyone would care if they took their gifts and built their own homes in the ruins of all that they had once been. Nikignik tells the Dreamers that this depended on who dealt them in. Ther would be ramifications, however small, however far-away their master was now, and the consequences could bleed down for generations.

## Story 2 - What The Light Will Bring

Clara Martin sits around a fire with the rest of the summer campers, eating the fish that Arnold Eggers and Victoria Tepiani caught in Episode 76 - Lungs. Arnold tells Clara that the fish tasted good, and she thanks him for catching all them. Victoria comments that the fish was better then what they'd eaten in the last few days, so she couldn't complain. Friday Rescher comments that Victoria not complaining would be a first, but Victoria throws back that Friday was the most miserable person she'd ever met. Harrow Blackletter tells her that she was "throwing stones at glass houses", and Victoria tells them to stop repeating everything she said. Friday tells her that Harrow was more afraid of her then anyone, and Victoria tells her that this wasn't true, looking around for verification on this statement from the others, which Arnold provides by telling her that she wasn't scary, just mean sometimes. Clara asks where Edgar 'the spider' Rescher was, and Friday tells her that he was out eating, probably going after the ghost they found in Episode 70 - Lines. Arnold questions their discovery of this, but Clara tells him that as long as he was careful he would be fine. There's a sudden sound in the pines and Victoria stands up, that she was afraid of what the light might bring and that she wished she had her rapier. Clara agrees with this, sharing her experiences with the Froglins to justify this to Harrow.

Friday expresses a wish that Olivier Song were with them (see Episode 15 - Cards), that if they were they'd already be back at Downing Hill Public Library. They hear a sound, a guttural bellow, this time much closer and prepare for a fight, and Clara draws her bow and catches sight of three little green burning lights, seeing Arnold, Harrow, and Victoria keeping low with Friday having vanish, to no surprise of Clara's. The three lights get closer, close enough for Clara to identify them as the glowing eyes of a three-eyed deer. She lowers her bow, turning to the others to tell them that they were safe, when the deer lets out a wail and opens its mouth to reveal a second set of jaws within the first, and more lights appear in the trees as the herd of three eyed deer descend on them "like ravenous ghosts".

### Marketing - Soften the Hearts

Lady Ethel Mallory interrupts Nikignik's broadcast with her marketing segment. She tells them that since her interview with Dashiell Spade in Episode 77 - Rebels: Truth is Truth, listeners had filled her mail with support, talking about how brave she was for confronting a dangerous man face-to-face, that if they had been there they wouldn't have been able to remain civil, and that they hoped it to open the eyes and soften the hearts of the stonemaids. But she'd also been receiving mail asking if what Dashiell had said about Valerie and Riot Maidstone was true. She reassures the listeners that it wasn't, that Valerie and her daughter were receiving medical treatment due to unforeseen further complications from prolonged exposure to the Black water. But if the listeners had any further questions last Ethel had checked the official Maidstone coordinator was Melanie Flores, and that they should do to her for information.

### Story 2, Continued - What The Light Will Bring

Clara shoots the nearest Deer with an arrow, missing as the deer barrels forward, pushing her to the ground and knocking off her glasses. She looks up to make out the shape of another deer descending towards her, and she begins to back away, running further into the woods with the deer hot on her heels. She screams out to Friday for help, hoping for her to show up with some sort of weapon, and she calls for Dogsmell, and something impacts the deer behind her. She turns around to see a Starwolf (though she does not know it by name) tangled with the deer, locked in combat, the giant wolf winning as the deer lets out a scream cut short. Clara stays still, unsure if the wolf had noticed her or not, when it speaks up, telling her not to look at it. Clara realises that the wolf is Victoria, saying as much, only for Victoria to repeat what she'd initially said. Clara tells her that she wasn't, this being partially true due to her missing glasses. Victoria tells Clara that she [Clara] could see ghosts (see Clara Martin and Covenants), and that Victoria was doomed to created them.

Clara tells Victoria that she didn't have to do anything, and reminds her that they were all in trouble, asking her if she could help. Victoria tells her that she couldn't, "not after last time", that she didn't want to wake up and find everyone dead. Clara reminds her that she was talking to her, that it wouldn't be like "last time, whatever that was". This is when Victoria informs her that "last time" she'd killed Harrow. She apologises, telling Clara that she [Victoria] had to go, that Clara "never saw [her]", and apologises again, quickly retreating and leaving Clara alone.

### Interlude 2 - First In Thoughts

Nikignik tells the Dreamers of how he once admired authority. That things were simple and there were no moral grey areas. Everyone had the job they had been assigned, Syrensyr to fine-tune his industry, Tolshotol to protect the universe, and Nikignik to sit at the gates of the counil of heaven, and if anyone approached, to notify the council. But then he'd found joy in running. Initially it had been only an idle daydream of leaving his post, until one day it was reality, and he's run, and he'd visited the forests and deep celestial caverns where "the voice [the] called [to him] dwelt". Much had happened since then, but at least he led a more exciting life now, free of anyone who could tell him to sit still.

## Story 3 - The Weather Smiles

Olivier approaches Riot about how she was handling the recent development of her having a Clone (see Episode 74 - Riots). Riot tells him that it was strange, that if didn't feel real or right but she was trying "not to be a dick about it". She asks him how he was doing after the events of Episode 72 - Errors, he tells her that he was healing himself, and she starts asking questions about how his regenerative abilities worked, if he was immortal, if he could heal other people, if giving himself freckles or getting rid of a mole could count as 'healing'. Olivier tells her that it was something he'd learned from Downing Hill, asking if Riot knew about Indies. She initially thinks he's talking about indie bands, but he specifies he means 'indescribables', which she just takes to mean "indescribable indie bands". Olivier cuts to the point and tells Riot that healing was alot of work to do to oneself and almost impossible to do to someone else, but he supposed you could change things about your appearance if you wanted to. Riot asks if this was why Olivier had blue hair, but Olivier tells her that he hadn't understood why it was blue either for a long time, but then one night Friday had told him that they were going to meet god and stuck him with the binding stone. Riot asks if Friday had been Olivier's friend from Downing Hill, and he confirms this, also taking the time to pull out a drawing of Walter 'Walt' Pensive he'd drawn. Riot finds this very touching, pointing out that this was the last page in Walt's Almanac meaning that it was completed, and asks when Olivier had even met Walt. He tells her that he'd only ever seen him from afar, but he'd seen him closer the day he'd gotten killed (see Episode 36 - Swords)

Olivier asks if he'd earned the right to say with the rest of the group an at the Scoutpost. Riot reassures him that he didn't need to be or do anything to be worthy of staying with them, that he belonged with them. Riot kisses him on the forehead, causing Olivier to blush and ask why she'd suddenly done that. She tells him to forget she had but concludes by telling him that he didn't have to earn anything, that he was there and that was enough. Olivier confesses that he was trying to figure out what he was doing, that he wasn't part of the Downing Hill Arcane program anymore. He introspects and end up crying against Riot's shoulder. She comforts him.

## Outro - Runaways

Nikignik waxes poetics about Runways, telling the Dreamers could be frightening to break out of their mundanity and give chase to a future. But he tells them not be discouraged, because from their empty beds a garden would rise, and the travels would bring them as many friends as enemies. The changing horizon would be easier on their eyes each day, and when the sun rose it would bring no terror, only the peace of the morning.