Chapter 12: And To Fight Is Just To Choke

An illustration of a diner, windows lining the front, the building topped with a giant hot dog sculpture. A black sillhouetted boar stands in the lower right, lingering in front of the diner. Quote: "do they have any seafood?" -Carpenter.

## Credits

### Featured Voices

* Lucille Valentine as Paige
* B. Narr as Faulkner
* Méabh de Brún as Carpenter
* Jimmie Yamaguchi as Hayward
* Mintaka Angell as Felix
* Calder Dougherty as Daggler

## Episode Guide

As the town of Bellwethers draws near and the police chase draws in, Carpenter, Faulkner and Paige make an unexpected stop for breakfast.

> *"The Chitterling thanks you for your humble plea. While he considers your fate, would you like some scratchings?"*
>
>

## Description

### Inside Paige's Car

The radio produces only static. Paige jokes about the fact that she has ended up driving Carpenter. She drives North, towards Bellwethers, in search of the Wither Tide. She acknowledges how “ridiculous” this entire situation is. She thinks this will provide her leverage against her father and his scams - that he would listen to her for once. Then she comes to her senses, and realises that she fears returning after all this and facing a reality where no one had noticed she had gone missing.

Paige uses the car horn as an alarm clock to wake Carpenter and Faulkner. She succeeds, much to Carpenter’s annoyance. It is at this point that we find out Carpenter has been asleep all day, and she states that it’s because they trust Paige. Faulkner explains that he’s still in pain. They have arrived at the border junction. She tells them there’s a service station and a restaurant nearby, and that she’ll call herself a cab to come pick her up. Carpenter tells her that she can keep the car, that she and Faulkner will make their own way North. Paige refuses, because she doesn’t know if she’ll keep it. She’s still under contract. She’s obliged to return to work and to call her father. Carpenter understands that Paige may need to call the police, but asks for a little time if she chooses to. Carpenter thanks her. Faulkner and Carpenter begin to discuss their next moves, before Paige returns and asks if they want to get dinner.

### The Chitterlings Chapel

The trio get a table at the Chitterlings Chapel, their table number is Stable 29. All three grow increasingly frustrated with the automated service they receive. Carpenter thanks Paige for dinner. Faulkner realises what day it is, but checks with Paige who replies that it is the Day of Emergence, the Second Week of Dwindlings. Faulkner turns to Carpenter excited, and Carpenter asks for seafood before saying they need three orders of crab and a tea kettle. Paige, confused, asks what’s going on. Carpenter tells her that it’s the Day of the Fiddler Crab’s Feast. Faulkner places the order at Carpenter’s direction. It is one of the Parish’s holy days. Paige asks if they are sure that the Wither Tide will be waiting for them in Bellwethers. Faulkner seems confident in his god, Carpenter seems less convinced but does not argue. Carpenter leaves to collect their food. Faulkner tells Paige he’s never been to the Linger Straits, before asking if it’s nice. Paige replies that parts of it are. Faulkner marvels over electronic mail, and Paige replies that only those working for big companies have access to it - otherwise they have to pay for access at internet cafés. Faulkner replies that The Saint Electric prefers radio, and electronic mail didn’t take off in the Peninsula. However, there is a church in Glottage for The Wirebitten Child regardless. Paige expresses her doubts about returning home to Faulkner. Faulkner invites her to stay with them, and although she’d be complicit, she’d be part of something. Carpenter returns with the food and explains the celebration. Faulkner explains that he didn’t have this growing up. Carpenter explains her own family's celebrations, including tearing off the crab's legs with the person sitting next to you and saying “My flesh for your teeth”, and so on. The trio do so, and then begin to eat. Paige comments that she used to do something similar on the Binding Day of the Saint Electric. Her mother would bake the cake of the Saint, and her father was in charge of setting it alight. How he would set off the smoke alarms, fuelling an argument. Faulkner comments that he used to do that as well, how his father would buy the premade cakes and was always afraid it would burn down their house so he and his brothers would stand around with fire extinguishers just in case. Nana Glass was an expert on the Feast. Carpenter and Em would raise their glasses of psychotropic tea and toast “Devlin - Drowned, Dragged, Delivered.” Paige has heard of Devlin. Paige suggests the Parish get the Trawler-Man’s name on a petition in order to legalise his worship again. Carpenter is put-off by this. In response, Carpenter tells the story of her parents’ deaths. That her parents were sacrificed to something they didn’t understand because “a god must feed”. She is unwilling to believe the world could be a better place now. Paige calls a truce, and repeats the after dinner toast. Carpenter bitterly replies that it doesn’t mean anything if they don’t believe it. She repeats it and toasts them anyway.

Paige acknowledges that she should leave. That it has become too weird, and unexplainable for her to stay. Faulkner asks her if she has a final toast she’d like to make. In reply she says that she read something once about the last war between the nations. Something about the new gods - the chemical gods and the propaganda gods. That when the soldiers met each other and didn’t want to fight, they wouldn’t dare utter the name of any god at all in their greetings and farewells. Instead, one soldier would say, “May your peace find you on a lonely road” and the other would reply, “May your peace walk on with you for a while.” Faulkner comments that he likes that too. Paige expresses sympathy for them, and hopes they can find a way forward that doesn’t involve anyone else getting hurt. She says goodbye to Carpenter after saying she’ll take care of the bill, and Faulkner tells her to take care. Faulkner tells Carpenter she’s getting crumbs everywhere. Instead of bickering, Carpenter apologises and asks if they can leave. She wants to be close to the river.

### Paige Calls Her Father

Paige tells her father’s voicemail that she took a few days off work, that she’s okay and coming home soon. She says she hasn’t forgotten Sam’s graduation present, but that she hasn’t had much time to think recently. She acknowledges that he would call her selfish for this. She acknowledges that she’s lucky. After a moment, she tells him that everything will be okay and that she just thought he’d want to know. She ends the phone call.

### Carpenter and Faulkner's Heart to Heart

Carpenter talks about what she loves about the river. The isolation. The quiet. Faulkner reminds her that she isn’t alone. She replies that she knows, almost frustrated. She apologises for causing a scene earlier. Carpenter confides that she used to feel the same way as Faulkner, that she believed she had once been chosen by the Trawler-Man too. Now, she apologises for saying the conversation wasn’t about Faulkner earlier. She tells him she always forgets that he converted. She wonders what it was like coming to the faith without any of the entanglements she has, Faulkner tells her that there’s always entanglements. A car pulls up on the road, and Faulkner wonders if it has come to pick up Paige. He expresses fondness for her, which Carpenter agrees with. She tells Faulkner that she doesn’t know if she wants to get to Bellwethers. Faulkner replies that he knows, to which Carpenter quickly adds that it isn’t because she doesn’t have the stomach for it. She has lost her faith - she doesn’t think the Trawler-Man is talking to her anymore, or at the very least she can’t understand him. She feels as if something has been stolen, but is unsure of whether to grieve it or to expect its return. Faulkner replies that he doesn’t understand, but sympathises. She is angry, at all the pain she suffered and the voice that was there through it, and the fact that the pain and the voice has gone now because she is living. Now she wonders if it had ever really been there at all. She asks Faulkner if he has any doubts, to which he responds that he’s not as straightforward as she thinks. Faulkner tells her that he never had talent for anything else, and that he found his own way to it. He acknowledges that there is a cost to the path ahead. He expresses a desire to lead the Parish, to take back the territories and re-establish themselves. Faulkner tells her that she’s allowed to laugh, but Carpenter doesn’t. She asks if he feels sorry about what happened with Stanton. He says there are others he feels worse for. Carpenter tells him that “a god must feed”. Faulkner replies that he thought he would have to kill Carpenter a little while ago, and that he didn’t feel bad about it. He thought she was a warning. He tells her that if she makes up her mind in Bellwethers, he will find the Wither Tide and return to the Parish. Carpenter asks where she would go, and Faulkner tells her she can go wherever she likes. She echoes Faulkner’s earlier statement about himself, that he knows how to hold faith no matter what - something he makes look simple but isn’t. They both acknowledge that they hated each other.

### Hayward and Daggler Receive New Information

Felix tells Hayward that something has happened in Bellwethers, in the North. Hayward tells Daggler that he suspects it's the same god they are searching for. Daggler tells him to wind the windows down and turn up the radio, that he wants to feel something. They are not far behind Carpenter and Faulkner now.

## References

1. ↑ Episode Release Announcement: https://twitter.com/TheSiltVerses/status/1409490026761687044
2. ↑ Official episode synopsis at https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/5fec690f8211cf453a1b89e2