115. Gran Turismo

The motley finds an old friend in need.

### Play of the Game:

Scott as Braum, for being a master interrogator, and taking the piss out of a panhandler.

***"Racing games are difficult to play with other people: either you crush them, or they do the same to you."***

Far away, across a continent and in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, Sophia and Jack stare up at a 20 foot tall chimera wreaking havoc on a Hawaiian beach. Sophia's never seen anything like it before: the snout of a pig, the eyes of a hawk, the ears of a mouse, and covered in both scales and fur; Jack says the Crystal Circle has taken to calling it "Grolf". Noting that the beast seems to be growling from four different throats at once, Sophia convinces Mab to play and, drifting up into the air on an umbrella, she soothes the chimera. By harmonizing with Grolf, Sophia manages to put it to sleep, and Jack "sends him home".

At a nearby bar, the two celebrate their success and get to know each other better. The piskie asks Sophia whether she believes Kithain can make up their minds to have sex with someone within ten seconds of meeting them. The sidhe laughs off the question, but then phones up Patches and Braum to get their takes on it. Jack eventually drops the pretense and propositions Sophia, and the two spend the night together before heading back to Cross' Shadow.

Before Sophia's return, Patches checks in on progress at the Grand Bes Din: things are moving along well, and they're on track to complete the new wing by the end of the summer. Braum goes out searching for Zistor Flexx, and mostly comes up empty… until a glimmer of recognition flickers in the eyes of a man in the tunnel near the hospital. Braum shakes the information out of him: a man who looks an awful lot like Zistor works at the nearby Nelson Garage!

Upon Sophia's return, before she can even take in this new information, she has some notes left for her: Sir Xaeron painted a cabin near a lake, with a note that she could "find him there". Incisor, too, wanted to talk with Sophia and Patches: "What are we gonna do about Braum?" She's upset with the troll and his stubborn Seelie nature, but is talked down from a fight by the motley. When Braum comes in to apologize to her, she asks why he doesn't take a shot and try to hit her: "He doesn't hit friends," Sophia smiles, melting the redcap's heart. She demands Braum go thrashing with her that night, and the four try to come to a consensus about Claude. While Halleah was freed from her oaths to Boli, it hasn't free Claude from having to both protect Halleah and bring her to justice… so they decide to keep him in stasis for a while longer.

The motley head to Nelson Garage, hoping to get a lead on where Zistor may have gone. Asking a young man about their wild-haired friend, he laughs: the man in their drawing *is* Nelson, the owner! At the far end of the garage, underneath a blue Viper GTS with white stripes, a younger-looking Zistor is directing a six year-old girl on what the problem with it might be. "Sandra, a car isn't just like one person, it's like a whole town," he tells her. The motley interrupts to introduce themselves to him. He is naturally quite suspicious, and even more so when Patches tells him that she's come to find "a really brilliant mechanic" to take care of her new Lamborghini. Nelson takes the car's muffler out, showing it to Sandra. Patches offers to take it and use her considerable resources (and forge!) to get a replacement quickly; when Zistor confronts her about the real reason she's there, she admits that she's heard of him and is trying to "recruit" him. When his back is turned, Patches fixes the muffler with a punch, but before she can return it to the man, Sophia outs her, pointing out that she fixed it when he couldn't. Zistor is exasperated that the motley hasn't left yet, and offers them cups of coffee. Patches takes the opportunity to infuse his mug with enough Glamour to bring him back, and the Zistor they know and love starts to reappear before their eyes.

He sends Sandra off, and tells the motley that she is his niece, but that his brother Richard is an Autumn person… and that there's "no hope for her". Sophia refuses to believe it, and privately vows to help the girl in any way she can. Patches ducks across the street to Richard's house where she finds her chimerical rifle being used as a paperweight. Shaking off the Banality of his home, they return the newly-awoken Zistor to The Spark, where he heads off to find Talus. But… where is Kyoko? Patches manages to override Keypad, and they find the pooka sitting on a stool, looking in on Boli….