Episode 71 - Trials

## Trials

A black background with an uneven squared white border. Two figures can be seen within the border, humanoid outlines. One of them drawn in white lays limp, the other drawn in red sits as if phasing through the first with its knees to its chest, it's face has been obscured by a splatter of red. bellow this image but still within the border are the words "71.TRIALS".

### Author

William A. Wellman

Nolan pictures the future, Clara steps up, and Riot prepares for a heist. The theme of tonight’s episode is Trials.

***Content Warnings:** Animal death (Dogsmell as usual, Edgar the spider is fine), Self-harm and suicide (discussed), Kidnapping and abduction (discussed), Death + Injury, Birds, Bugs (worms, fireflies), Body horror, Electrocution*

## Intro - Innocent

Nikignik narrates to the Dreamers someone who faces a verdict from The Faceless Court, knowing what it would be and the truth of it sends cold shivers down their spine, wishing that their dread inquisition could not sense the darkness within them. But they did, for they were darkness too, long shadows with masks of gnarled root and fungus and bone. The Faceless king pronounces his verdict, and they close their eyes waiting for the end, hoping that it will be brief. When they look again, it was upon a forest of black pines, the slowest death, the death of the world itself.

Nikignik sists on top of the porch roof of the home that belongs to Alice, looking down as she speaks to Nolan Thair.

## Story 1 - She, Like A Summer Night

Nolan Thair sits on a porch and has a conversation with Alice. She asks him what had brought him into the Hallowoods, and he tells her that he'd originally felt he had no place left to go, intending to become one of the sleepers (see Episode 6 - Frogs), but now he felt like there was something special about the place, something that made him feel seen. He asks why she was in the Hallowoods, and she tells him that she knew the sleepers, but that she wasn't one. She tells him that she used to work in the floral department at a supermarket before the night of black rains, that she'd been able to feel every minute of her life draining away. But when the rain fell, it'd been serene, and had called her. But it hadn't quite worked, as she'd been killed by a bear, or something like a bear, before she'd been able to reach the water. When she'd gotten up again, she'd been surrounded by beauty, her fireflies. She hadn't expected to find a community, but she had, Winona Carline visited her, and she had many strange neighbours, she'd be happy to consider Nolan one. Nolan asks her how she knew Winona (see Episode 59 - Friends), and she tells her that her [Winona] van had broken down a few years back, she'd told her that she wasn’t upset, that it was in the cards for them to meet. Alice expresses her love for Winona, though not explicitly romantic.

Nolan tells her about Ricou Chapman, that he thought he [Ricou] wanted to hold on to him [Nolan], but he wanted his own life and was worried about getting held back. He wasn't used to having people close to him, but now he could finally choose what he wanted, friends, a garden where he could invite the friends over for a cold tea in the summer, maybe a piano. Making those things real would be a challenge. She tells him that she couldn't help with the piano or the garden, but now he had a friend he could invite around. He asks her what the real estate market looked like, she asks if he could live in a ghost house, he tells her he couldn't, and she tells him that it narrowed it down slightly, but she could still think of a few places.

### Interlude 1 - Executioners Still

Nikignik tells the Dreamers that gone were the courts, and the gavels, and the judges and juries, but there were many executioners still. Some still clung to the long-faded letter of the law, for others, morality was thinly defined by the Botulus Corporation Codes of Conduct, but for a majority the only law they followed was one that lurks in their chests. Some followed none at all, taking what they needed to survive and think of nothing else. No courts, only trees to judge them now, and a world around them that knows not right or wrong—only growth, and blooming life, and the warmth of a sun rising on a new age, that blots out the horrors of the past as if waking from a bad dream, in their eyes and your thoughts and your hearts, and for all their troubles, he hoped that when they lay finally to rest, they rested peacefully, finding no scales, no judgment, no weighing of their heart. Only rest.

## Story 2 - Be Tougher

Clara Martin yells at Friday Rescher and Victoria Tepiani to be quiet, them getting into an argument after the events of Episode 68 - Sands. She tells the other Summer Campers that she didn't know why they were in the middle of a forest with no Winona, asking Friday if she knew. Friday tells them that Winona had left them there to die. Arnold Eggers speaks up, announcing that he'd lost his library card and asks for someone to help him look for it. Clara has a moment of realisation, feeling for her own and being unable to find it, and asks if anyone still had their card, which none of them do. Friday exclaims that Winona had taken them knowing their worth, but Clara tells her to not say things that she didn't know were true. Friday accuses Clara of calling her a liar, and the two argue briefly before Friday turns and leaves. Clara goes to follow her, but Victoria tells her not to worry as Friday would be back on her own. Clara asks the group what they had to work with survival wise, and they set about pooling their resources, coming up with some cloths, two loafs of almost stale bread, and Clara's compound bow. Clara asks why no one had packed a compass or survival tools, but Arnold points out that she hadn't either. Victoria points out that no one knew they were missing as they weren't expected back at Downing Hill Public Library for at least another ten days, Arnold [indented as an insult] tells Harrow Blackletter that maybe C. S Blackletter would send The Omen with chocolates and kisses from home. Clara tells them that they needed to figure out where they were, asking if anyone saw any familiar landmarks, but none of them do because they'd spend their lives at Downing Hill.

Victoria asks Clara what actually happened with Winona in Episode 68 - Sands, and Clara tells her about Winona not actually being from Downin Hell (see Episode 56 - Thorns). Victoria asks why Winnona might have taken their library cards, and Clara has the realisation that it was so that they couldn't find their way back to Downing Hill, or at least not as easily. Victoria points out that they could die out there, that she hated it when Friday was right. Clara calls out to Harrow and Arnold, saying that they all had magic (see Covenants), asking if anyone had any ability that could be useful to them, or get them home. They all say that they don't, and Victoria tells Clara that she should go and make up with Friday because they were going to need all the luck they could get (see Friday Rescher).

### Marketing - Warheads and Woe

Lady Ethel Mallory interrupts Nikignik's broadcast with her marketing segment. She tells the listeners that when Botco was built life was booming in America, it had been the age of innovation. But by the time her career was beginning, all those hopeful stars had dissolved into warheads and woe. Laws and governments were in place, but they had so much weight to carry. So when the Botco began its growth, they reshaped the world, corrupt officials had tried to stop them, but they were determined to "save America’s people with [their] revolutionary solutions." With the new lack of constricting regulation, they had been free to prioritize better solutions for quality of life, dreaming experience, and advertising effectiveness.

### Story 2, Continued - Be Tougher

Clara finds Friday easily, sitting at the edge of a cliff. Friday tells her that she didn't like being followed, but Clara tells her that she wasn't sure that was true, that she wanted to make sure she was okay. Friday tells her that she'd [Friday] been right, and Clara tells her that she knew but it wasn't just about being right it was about keeping everyone calm. She notices that Friday is staring down at the bottom of the cliff face. Friday comments about how Clara was awfully concerned about the "Victoria clique", but Clara tells her that she liked her, she was her friend, and she [Clara] was on her [Friday] side, but right now she needed Friday on her [Clara] side. Friday tells her that they were all going to die out there, Clara tells her not to say things like that, that Friday might be the one to help get them through this, but Friday tells her that wasn't how her ability worked. Clara looks over the edge of the cliff and sees a body, long rendered by age and rain into blackness and bone, in the midst of its form, a ghost sat rocking, its face was blurred as if scrubbed out of a painting. Clara asks her to explain to her how her [Friday] abilities worked, and Friday tells her that she [Friday] got good luck, but everyone around her got bad luck. telling her that she kept her void knife to dampen this effect, and it still got through. That the situation they were in was all probably her fault, that she shouldn’t have come. Clara tells her that bad things happened, it wasn't all Friday's fault, but Friday tells her that she probably didn't know what she was talking about.

Friday tells her that she'd had a family before Downing Hill, a mother and a twin sister (see Penny Rescher), Penny had terrible luck, but their abilities cancelled each other out and kept their mother safe. But men in white cars (see Mr. Raven and Mr. Writingdesk) had found them and taken Penny away. And it went very badly for their mum after that, because she wouldn’t leave her. It had been unlikely that Downing Hill would find her, or that they would accept her when she was already older than some of their students, but they did, just her luck. If she did try to tap into her ability, she might make it back, but someone would die, and she might not end up back at Downing Hill, she might go to someplace luckier. Clara tells her that she needed her, she'd endured some of the worst things to ever happen to her alone, and she'd appreciate, just this once, not having to mussel through it by herself. The others were setting up camp, and she wanted her to come with her, in the morning they'd find their way home., standing up and offering her a hand. Friday tells her that she didn't want to hurt her, but she was sharp, she hurt everyone. Clara tells her that what's she'd said had hurt, but she was still her friend, and Clara was going to get them all out of there. The two walk back together, leaving the rocking spirit to rot.

### Interlude 2 - Court Illustrator

Nikignik tells the Dreamers that in relaying to them facts and diatribes about an indescribable universe, he must sometimes reduce impossible and maddening complexity into simple terms. She when he said the Council of Heavens, they may picture an orderly collection of celestial beings, calmly working together for the good of the cosmos, administering justice and due process, where all stood as equal. This was incorrect. The Council was more akin to a busy courtroom, overrun with furious arguments. The judge struck blows with his gavel, the lawyers accepted bribes and underhanded deals, the defendant had been stabbed to death, and the audience bickered in loud whispers. It was a family of tyrants and reptiles, and alliances and competitions evolved constantly in their wake. Thankfully they rarely saw fit to call him to the stand.

## Story 3 - Out Of Pages

Riot Maidstone comments on her almost being out of pages in Walt's Almanac, as they kept on seeing weird things, and Olivier Song tells her that they'd have to find her a volume two if that was the case. The two sit either side of a dim camp stove, Riot keeping an eye on the sky on account of her feeling as if she was being watched as of late (see Nikignik). Riot asks if they (see the RV Gang) thought they were ever going to make it back to the Scoutpost, Diggory Graves asks if returning was not their intention. She tells them that it was, but for them to return alot of things had to go right for them in a few hours (see Episode 70 - Lines), Olivier asks if she regrated coming all the way out there, because she still had the time to turn back. Riot tells her that she was glad she'd come all that way, that she didn't think she could just live her happy stupid life knowing her mom (see Valerie Maidstone) was trapped in some terrible box dungeon. For all the trouble so far, it’d been worth it. they were there and she was ready (see Episode 49 - Rescues). Diggory tells them that their mother was a ghost of sorts (see Irene Mend), they warned Scoutpost children about her (see Episode 7 - Nightmares). She frightens them, but even so, they felt indebted to her. they would help her if they knew how. Olivier tells them that she could hardly remember her parents, she'd wound up at Downing Hill pretty young, but she'd always wondered what they'd been thinking, did they think it was best for her, had Downing Hill paid them, or had they just wanted to get rid of her. But maybe it was best no one was around; they'd probably be disappointed that Riot and her Friends had gotten her expelled (see Episode 15 - Cards). Riot tells her that maybe, but if they were going to be proud of her for letting Solomon Reed use her bones as drumstick that was a different problem (see Season One). Maybe one day Riot would forgive her for trying to kill her so many times.

Olivier points out that Diggory had broken their arm (see Episode 12- Homes), but Diggory points out that Olivier had cut them into thousands of pieces (see Episode 24 - Storms), Riot adding that Olivier could heal herself. Diggory asks Riot if it would be weird having her mother back, and Riot tells them that she didn't know, it hadn't always been easy being so close, as there’s nowhere in an underground survival bunker they could really get privacy. They were on each other’s nerves a lot, but she was hoping it would be better, because she though that she might be better after all she'd been through, she just hoped she didn’t still see the same old her. Olivier tells her that they'd have plenty of time to think about that once they got her mum out. Riot tells the group that she appreciated them. Diggory announces that if they were all done eating, it was time to do their rescue.

## Outro - Trials

Nikignik waxes poetics about trials. Telling the Dreamers that they did not go through life smoothly, rare was the day that did not bring some new trouble, trifling or titanic. In time, they could become overwhelming. But even so, he tells the Dreamers to be brave. It was not an easy thing to live, but still here they were, for this, they should be proud. They could let go of old burdens when you can, refuse to pick up that which would crush them, and for what they must carry, scream or protest as much as they required, but he believed in their ability to see it through. At the end they may look back upon this time and remember not the rush of storms, nore the thousand hot coals over which they walked, but the moments of forgetful happiness that made the tribulation worthwhile.