Episode 93 - Mirrors

## Mirrors

A black background with a simple thin white boarder that vertically surrounds halve the image. Within the border an ornate mirror is depicted in white with a human hand depicted in red reaching out of it, the surface of the mirror rippling like water. Bellow this image but still within the boarder the words "93.MIRRORS" are written in white

### Author

William A Wellman

Moth reunites with family, Riot faces her reflection, and Yaretzi enters a hall of illusions. The theme of tonight's episode is Mirrors.

> ***Content warning**:* *Abuse, Animal death (Bert as usual, Topsy the ghost elephant), Violence, Kidnapping and abduction, Death + Injury, Blood, Sexism and misogyny, Needles, Birds, Gun Mention, Gunshots (including sfx), Strangulation/suffocation, Static (including sfx), Emotional Manipulation, Bugs, Body horror, Consumption of Inedible Materials, Alcohol Use*
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## Intro - Parting Glance

Nikignik speaks to the Dreamers of someone who no longer looks like their reflection, all their actions being shown back to them in opposites, the only thing they now had in common being that whenever they looked in a reflective surface, they stared back. They wonder if it would be easier to go their separate ways, and one day they cover all the mirrors, so they didn't have to look at them anymore. Years pass before they uncover them again, but instead of them they only see their reflection, as it was supposed to be, and a goodbye message written in lipstick.

Nikignik sits in an imaginary casino in the Prime Dream, the centre of which three people sat.

## Story 1 - Your Lucky Day

Moth Scarberry sits in a replica of what moth calls "the old commune" in the Prime Dream (see Episode 87 - Boxes) with Frances Duckworth (see Episode 60 - Flies) and Bill Scarberry. Frances tells Moth that she should slap Moth, asking what moth though moth was doing (see Episode 68 - Sands). Moth apologises, but also acknowledges that an apology wasn't enough, that moth hadn't meant to ruin everything. Francess tells moth what happened to her in Episode 60 - Flies, moth tells her that moth hadn't had any intent of the Botco Drones going after anyone else, and Bill points out that moth had only indented it for him. Moth reminds him that he'd always told moth that they had medicine in the Dreaming Boxes, but now Bill was cured. Bill goes quiet, and Moth rephrases in a question if Bill had been cured. Moth comes to the realisation that he hadn't, and Bill confirms this, that what had happened to him had only been slowed down, but not stopped. But now they got some more time together, as long as it lasted. Moth breaks done, telling him that moth didn't want as long as it lasted, moth wanted Bill to live, that was why moth had done it. Bill tells Moth that they'd cross that bridge when they got to it.

Frances mentions that she missed Florida as it was all bridges, and Bill tells her he'd meant the bridge over the river Styx. Moth scoots closer to bill to lean on his shoulder, asking if he could tell moth one of his conspiracy theories, which Bill does go into a rant about the Pyramids in Egypt. Frances comments that it'd taken a long time for the flies to get moth, asking where moth had gone. Moth simply tells her that moth had found a friend (see Episode 32 - Automobiles). Frances announces that she was joining the Stonemaids.

### Interlude 1 - The Underside

Nikignik tells the Dreamers that he could tell them with confidence that there was nothing in the mirror waiting to reach out to get them. Most of the time. Occasionally their reflection would serve as apertures into deep places, other dimensions, of shadows where creatures approached light like fish swimming towards beams of sunlight the penetrate water. They might even reach up to touch their own face and feel naked air for the first time. If was for the best, if the Dreamer was human, that they never met these creatures.

## Story 2 - Bad Reflections

Other Riot sits in her glass cage in Anderson Faust's lab (see Episode 87 - Boxes) watching on as Olivier Song is stuck with a needle by Anderson in order to extract his blood. Olivier asks Anderson what he was doing with it, and he tells him that it was for "the collection" but he may find a later use for it. Riot asks if he was planning on making another clone. Faust tells Riot that to call her a clone would be to compare particle collider a wheel, there wasn't a word for what she was yet, being the first successful example. Riot asks him what she was then, and he tells her that Operation Willson wasn't about cloning in a traditional sense, Other Riot was Riot Maidstone at her last haircut, in age, in personality. Riot thinks to herself that she was the same painting as Riot Maidstone, only with the wrong signature. She says aloud that she never had a childhood, and Anderson comments that she may not get much of an adulthood either, a normal clone could grow its own genetic code overtime, whether Riot would age, how long she would live for, where both unknowns.

Olivier observes that Faust seemed worried, and asks why, he tells him it had nothing to do with any of his experiments, only he'd recently double crossed a coworker (see Episode 92 - Omens) and was afraid she'd respond in kind. The lights suddenly go out, before moments later being replaced by emergency lights, this surprises Faust who goes into the corner of the room and watches the door, giving Riot and Olivier the heads up that if he had to destroy evidence that would include the two of them. Riot tells Olivier that she knew Faust had hurt him, but if he died, she wanted to be the one to kill him, Olivier agrees to this and sets about busting them out, whatever had been limiting his abilities having apparently gone away with the lights. The back door comes flying from its hinges, revealing Diggory Graves, Cindy Lockheart and Riot Maidstone on the other side (see Episode 91 - Orders). Faust comments that they were not who he was expecting, but regardless, if they took one step inside his laboratory everyone who wasn't him died an agonizing and painful death.

### Marketing - Conflicting Stereotypes

Lady Ethel Mallory interrupts Nikignik's broadcast with her marketing segment. She tells the Listeners that she spoke to them not as the Botulus Corporation's chief marketing officer, but as a familiar public figure. She says that she was shocked and disappointed at the messaging that emerged in the interview in Episode 92 - Omens. She tells the Listeners that she was as surprised as they were to hear these things about her, rhetorically asking Faust if he was intimidated by her, or just be a woman in a position of power. She tells the Listeners that she had struggled against conflicting stereotypes her entire carrier, but despite that she had remained herself. The claims made in the interview were a clear attempt to discredit her many years of hard work at a time when she was lobbying for reform within Botco (see Episode 91 - Orders)

### Story 2, Continued - Bad Reflections

Riot Maidstone tells Faust that he was lying, but Faust tells her that he wasn't. Cindy tells him that if he tried anything she'd kill him, and he informs her that he'd happily die for his life's work, though thy wouldn't live to celebrate, and orders them to lay down and wait for Box security to come and arrest them. Othe Riot tells them to please back away, as Faust would do it, but Riot tells her that she wasn't leaving without Olivier. Faust tells them that they had three seconds to back down, stating to count down. Oswald Biggs Botulus (see Episode 87 - Boxes) makes his presence known, standing behind Cindy, Riot and Diggory. He tells Faust to hold on, in the process spooking the other three at the door into the room. Oswald tells Faust that there had been a reallotment of resources, asking if he had what he'd needed from Other Riot and Olivier. Oswald tells him that he had, though asks what Oswald wanted them for. He tells him that Percy Reed wanted them free, and as it was Percy got what he wanted. Percy also makes his presence known, now wearing a silver robot in the shape of a boy.

Diggory is the first to recognise Percy, and Percy tells them that they didn't have to carry him anymore. Oswald tells the group that the only reason he wasn't killing any of them was because Pery wanted them free, so they could go. But he tells Percy that after that their business was concluded and if any of them ever crossed his path again, he couldn't guarantee any goodwill. Faust begins to object to them setting them free, but Oswald tells him that he was putting him in charge of operation Willson, which causes Faust to wordlessly open the glass cage containing Olivier and Riot. Other Riot stands still as Riot and Olivier embrace. Other Riot accepts her fate that they weren't there to rescue her (see Episode 83 - Hopes). But Riot approaches her and tells her that she wasn't going to leave her. Other Riot tells them that before they went, they should probably remove her tracking chip, and Riot preforms an impromptu surgery with her sword. The group runs out of the Dreaming Box.

### Interlude 2 - Contiguous Mass

Nikignik tells the Dreamers that they were not formed of one creature, but rather an infinitude of smaller organisms, coalesced and replicating to form a contiguous mass. This was why Indescribable life was rarely so simple as a single physical form, when they create bodies, they were temporary and manifold and many, barely able to contain the expanse within. To maintain a stable form that encompasses all of their complexity would be like assigning a body to a hurricane, to a supernova, to a black hole. He tells the Dreamers that he was careful in my choices of form, when he took one. He did not wish to drive their fragile minds to madness when they beheld him.

## Story 3 - Different Truths

Yaretzi tells Polly that patience was often rewarded, as they look over the Carnival that The Count had told them about in Episode 64 - Stations (see Episode 70 - Lines), having returned to Coney Island on Yaretzi's instincts to find a form of Ghost Carnival. Polly tells her that if this turned out to be deadly, it was on her and her trust in vampiric secret dealers. She tells him not to worry, as Mort was having fun. Polly asks her what she wanted to do first, and Yaretzi asks him what the "Hall of Illusion" was, and he tells her that they were going to find out together. Yaretzi leads the way to one of the tents, entering first with Polly following close behind into a mirror maze. Polly stops to admire his reflection.

Yaretzi asks him if they were going to talk about it, and he tells her that now was as good a time as any, as they'd spent enough time running from it. She asks him what they were going to do now, finding that as they get deeper into the maze their reflections became more distorted. He tells her that he'd been thinking about that, and he was pretty sure it was up to them. They were going to have to build something, from the ground up. The mirrors continue to get stranger, Yaretzi finding her reflection to be cast as a warrior, or a priest. She asks Polly what he wanted to build. He tells her that if Barb was gone (see Episode 83 - Hopes), which meant tow things. One was that he was going to have to find the soul fire he'd given him (see Episode 54 - Roads), and two, that the residence of the Resting Place Hotel were without a place to stay. That if they were going to make a home for themselves, it wouldn't be bad if they could make a home for others as well. They come to a mirror the reflects Yaretzi as a great wolf, and Polly as a blazing inferno. Polly comments that the likeness of the reflections weren't very good, and Polly tells him that they reflected alternate truths, and asks him if their truth was going to be one where a Demon and a hunter of Demons took their undead ward and started a hotel. He tells her it wasn't going to just be any hotel. If he was doing it, it would be a work of art.

## Outro - Mirrors

Nikignik waxes poetics about mirrors. He tells the Dreamers that reflections could be at times uncomfortable, but a mirror could not tell them about themselves, spirit or otherwise. It was dead glass, and they were a living being, as immutable as starlight and as impossible to define as beauty. They would never look upon themselves as kindly as those that loved them. They did not see their insecurities and needs, their blemishes and cracks. They saw the corner of a smile, a joyous laugh, a brightness of the eyes and a quickening of the spirit. And sometimes, too much of themselves. These a mirror could not capture. He tells the Dreamers to gaze upon their reflection, if they would, but know it ill-defined them.