Episode 123 - Evolutions

## Evolutions

A black background with a white border split into seemingly randomised section by two small white lines that run perpendicular to the border. Within the border a triple fish ouroboros is depicted in white. In the centre of the ouroboros a red circle with a small figure inside that resembles an embryo. Below these images up still within the border the words "123.EVOLUTIONS" are depicted in white

### Author

William A. Wellman

Polly tends the bar, Indrid returns to the church, and Hector walks in the woods. The theme of tonight's episode is Evolutions

> ***Content warning**:* *Abuse, Animal cruelty or animal death (Beast the Bear), Contemplations of Suicide, Kidnapping and abduction, Death + Injury, Blood, Bugs, Birds, Misgendering, Emotional Manipulation, Drowning, Body horror, Alcohol Use, Religious Violence, Child Sacrifice*
>
>

## Intro - Glacierbound

Nikignik speaks to the Dreamers of someone confronting something trapped in a glacier which they found on an expedition. They find it half formed, but recognise themself in it, whether this is metaphorical or literal is unspecified, finding that through the thing in the present past and future blend together, the best result of their present, anxious to distance themself from the past and hurry for the future. As the ice melted and shifted so did their sense of self and identity.

Nikignik sits in one of the windows of the Grand Crossroads Hotel.

## Story 1 - Bartender Burdens

Polly works at the bar tender at the Grand Crossroads Hotel, Dimes having taken a day off for to take their hound to another dimension. He serves a table at which Nolan Thair, Ricou Chapman and Alice (see Episode 96 - Horizons) sit, giving Alice a glass of water with sugar in it. Alice tells Polly that she'd asked for the water in a bowl, as she didn't want to drown. He apologises and begins to look for a bowl as The Count (see Episode 114 - Organs) approaches and sits at the bar, Polly commenting at him being up early. The Count tells him that he'd had a long night. Polly strikes up conversation with the trio in an attempt to avoid talking to The Count, asking if any of them had any plans for the rest of the day. Nolan explains to him that they'd been working hard on renovating their house (see Episode 77 - Rebels) for to prepare for the winter. Polly asks if they were new to town, Ricou tells him they were, but he'd used to live nearby (see Episode 15 - Cards). Alice comments on how it was interesting that people invented new selves to fit their new shells.

Polly drifts back to the Count, who comments that he seemed burdened, contrary to how he though devils were. Polly tells The Count that his entourage kept breaking his things, The Count offers to kill the person who was doing to, but Polly tells him this would only leave him with more blood to clean up. Polly asks what The Count had meant when he'd told him that the Northmost Woods were dangerous (see Episode 114 - Organs) and that Mort was dead. The Count ignores the question and instead tells Polly that he was a fascinating case as a Devil with friends. Polly tells him that he'd recommend it to anyone, explaining to him that he'd gotten bored of his work and change had found him in Mort and Yaretzi, who's safety he was invested in. He asks the question again of why he thought Mort wouldn't be safe. The Count explains to him that the last twenty years had been a prelude, and now it was spring, and it was going to be intense. He could only offer his condolences about Mort, that when people died, they got to keep the memories. That to leave a mark on someone’s life was akin to immortality. Polly Vorpals into Yaretzi's office and tells her that they were going to go get Mort.

### Interlude 1 - Mote of Cells

Nikignik talks to the Dreamers about the beginnings of life on earth, and from it all that came and evolved. Nature on fire and frozen and on fire again, tides washing away the land, continents cracking. He tells the Dreamers that it would be an arrogance, to see themselves as the end of the line, rather than one more section in its journey. There was always to be another ending, another beginning. And now, as the world warmed and the oceans rose, as their race was evolved again by the impossible whims of Marolmar (see Black Water), a new age dawned. And it hastened steadily along, a heartbeat of change that kept the same gentle rhythm, driving growth in every cell; and the line went on.

## Story 2 - Someone's Living Daughter

Following the events of Episode 122 - Creeps and Episode 117 - Natures, Indrid Buckley leads Johannah Wicker back to the Church of the Hallowed Name (see Episode 111 - Winds). Johannah, having taken the Sandals of Steady Footing from Indrid's bag, is walking beside her along the passing tree branches. She asks Indrid where she got them from, and Indrid tells her that the Church had given then to her because she'd been a member of the Church for a very long time, and they trusted her with delicate work. Joannah tells Indrid that Mrs. Wicker hadn't told her about a Church, mentioning Bob Wicker she asks if anyone in Indrid's family had died.

Indrid grows annoyed with Johannah (see Al Buckley), commenting that she asked alot of questions, which Johannah agrees with, telling her that for all she knew Indrid could be kidnaping her. Johannah remarks that she'd been kidnaped alot of recent, mentioning Al (see Episode 107 - Absences), but Indrid remains calm, telling her that she'd seen him brief when she'd retrieved her from Downing Hill Public Library. They arrive at the Church, see that Mrs. Wicker was waiting for them at the gates. Johannah stops, asking Indrid if she had to go as she was cared of her mother punishing her. Indrid tells her that she only did this because she loved her and says that she'd tell her of Johannah's good behaviour and that she was kidnaped. Johannah goes to Mrs. Wicker, who embraces her and collapses into a weeping hug. Indrid finds that Mrs. Wicker hadn't been standing alone, joined by the Vicar.

### Marketing - Because I Ask

Lady Ethel Mallory interrupts Nikignik's broadcast with her 'marketing' segment, telling the Dreamers that that day she'd gone for a journey through a flat village and come across sone people gathered in the parking lot of a building, though she'd kept her distance. She regrets having not approached them, afraid of intimidating them, of that they might recognise her voice and hate her (see Episode 103 - Crossroads). She laments on why people didn't love her when that was what she'd designed her image for, asking why she was never good enough to be genuinely loved, if she pushed too hard for it. What was so wrong about asking for the attention she knew she deserved.

### Story 2, Continued - Someone's Living Daughter

Indrid joins Th Vicar by his side as Mrs. Wicker expresses her gratitude at having Johannah back, The Varc telling her that the Church looked after its members. She tells them that she had to return to Fort Freedom, and the Vicar wishes her a safe journey. Mrs. Wicker and her daughter leave, and The Vicar leads Indrid into his office, telling her that she'd done well. He asks how much trouble Dowing Hill had given her, and she tells her that she didn't believe they'd even noticed her presence. He tells her that if this was the case, then be haps they would be able to return some things the library had taken from them, using Laurence Abbott as an example.

Indrid asks if The Vicar remembered Al, and that Solomon Reed had stolen his skin after the Churches' Spring Sacrifice (see Al Buckley). The Vicar tells her that he did, that Solomon had been punished for this (see Epsiode 47 - Regrets), and Al's soul was free now. She tells him that she's seen him again in the library, that his drum had not been destroyed, assuming that Downing Hill had kidnaped him. The Vicar tells her that he hoped she wasn't brining this up because she wanted Al back, if they did retrieve him, it would be to release his soul to Heaven. She tells him that she would want nothing more for Al, and he tells her that they would get him back and set Downing Hill ablaze.

### Interlude 2 - Multitude of Lights

Nikignik tells the Dreamers that life began as a speck of light, and in a moment, it grew, leapt like a fire, consumed all it could. And then, when it had nothing left to burn, it flickered out and was gone again. A great multitude of lights was the universe. To the outside observer, a light turned briefly on and off again. But inside the light, histories and countless lifetimes stretching back to time primordial. What a thing it was to be lost in those miniscule, melancholic spheres, where every second was so important, for it was so short as to be measurable in seconds. No wonder, then, that his kind scoffed at the thought of the Dreamers' significance.

## Story 3 - Hector Walked

Hector Mendoza finds himself lost and alone in the northern Hallowoods following the events of Episode 114 - Organs. The creatures of the woods ignore him, including the Jesters of the Cort of the Faceless King who only mock him for being the man heaven and earth had forgotten. But Hector continues to walk, through hostile and strange environments, till his shoes had worn away and he found a replica of himself laying face-up in a pond, only without Hector's prosthetics (see Episode 86 - Royalties). He takes his shoes and continues to walk until he finds the pit that Beast had fallen into and crawled out of in Episode 114 - Organs, it's prints leading off into the woods. Realising that he had gone full circle, he speaks to Jonah Duckworth, despite his absence (see Episode 112 - Watchers) that he was going home. He stands and waits for the shuddering peaks to appear, and when they do, he begins to clime them (it is unknown how of if he was expecting this to happen).

He collapses on a snowed over clearing, openly weeping from exhaustion, thinking how nice it would be to give up and die, to rest until spring when the thawing snow would wash him into a bog. He attempts to get up, only to collapse again, and instead opts to close his eyes. When he opens them again hours later it's to the rustling of fabric and the Quilt standing above him. He mistakes them for the Grim Reaper, telling them that he knew it was his time. The Quilt points further up the mountain, and Hector is horrified to realise that they were telling him to keep walking.

## Outro - Evolutions

Nikignik waxes poetics about evolutions, telling the Dreamers to not be frightened of the self that lived in the past, for they had much to teach them. To not live in fear of the self that dwelled in the future, for they were shapeless yet, and could be moulded. To worry only about the self that resided in the present, as it could not control how it had arrived, but it could choose where it would go. And one choice would not bring them any closer to the future, but they would find day by day that the present self had become a little bit more like the future they pictured. It was odd how the changes stack up over time, odd how often they did not see them coming, odd the power of life to transform so drastically, and yet in the moment, feel so natural.