Our heroes get played.
Transcript is below the cut!
HANNAH
Hello and thank you for listening to Inn Between. A brief trigger warning: this episode contains a high-stress psychological situation, with elements related to abusive behavior. If you think this may be a problem for you, I recommend you check out our transcript at thegoblinshead.com/listen. This is episode 2.12. Please take care of yourselves.
Let’s go to the inn.
Long pause.
TESSA
Previously, on Inn Between…
Theme song.
MELTYRE
I’m telling you, the farther we go in this forest, the weirder things get.
FINA
There’s not a lot worse you can do then drawing the attention of the fey. We have to keep our heads down.
VELUNE
We’ve been subtle, I’m sure we’ll be fine.
ROBIN
Well well well! Now what do we have here?
Theme song ends. Tavern sounds. No dialogue for a few seconds.
MELTYRE
Uh…Betty? What’s um…h-how’d we…how’d we get back to the inn?
BETTY
I…don’t know.
MELTYRE
Where—
(pause to look)
Where are the others?
BETTY
They’re not in here.
(calling)
Fina?
MELTYRE
Woah, you—are you okay?
BETTY
What?
MELTYRE
You look awful. Your nose—
BETTY
(in pain)
Oh—Grikith.
MELTYRE
Were we in a fight? I can’t remember—
BETTY
You’ve been hit in the head.
MELTYRE
I—ahh. (hiss) Yeah. Uh…that’d explain why I can’t remember, but—
TESSA
(sadly)
Here you are.
Glasses land on the table; Meltyre yelps.
TESSA
Oh, I’m…so sorry to have scared you, young wizard.
MELTYRE
No, it’s-it’s okay. Uh, Miss Tessa? How long have we been here?
TESSA
Only a few minutes. Are you…well no, I suppose that’s a bit of a silly question under the circumstances, ‘are you all right.’
BETTY
Why?
TESSA
We heard about your friends. Your run-in with the fey…I’m so terribly sorry.
MELTYRE
(stuttering)
Wh-but—w-what are you talking about?
TESSA
Well you all left here together yesterday, dear, and then we heard about a terrible struggle…and only two survivors.
BETTY
(softly)
No.
MELTYRE
You’re not saying—y-you mean—they’re not—
BETTY
(dully)
Dead.
TESSA
I couldn’t believe it myself. You are all so brave. It’s a shame, if you ask me, a real shame.
MELTYRE
No, no, that’s-that’s not right. That’s not possible.
TESSA
I’m so very sorry.
Footsteps walking away under the next line.
MELTYRE
But—wait—
(footsteps end)
Betty, what—what happened? They can’t be dead, can they?
BETTY
I don’t…know…
MELTYRE
Maybe the…fey magic messed with our memories or something, but—dead, though, I—
BETTY
How?
MELTYRE
It’s not possible.
Brief silence.
BETTY
No.
MELTYRE
No what?
BETTY
It is possible. I…told Fina. This would happen.
MELTYRE
That what would happen?
BETTY
That we’d be the only two left.
MELTYRE
(panicked)
What-what are you talking about? Why?
BETTY
It was a…made-up thing. A game.
MELTYRE
What?
BETTY
They’re…they’re dead.
MELTYRE
No! No. This is wrong, there has to be something we’ve missed or—or—
BETTY
Tessa wouldn’t lie.
MELTYRE
Then maybe she got ahold of some bad information!
BETTY
No.
MELTYRE
But—
BETTY
(harshly)
Stop.
MELTYRE
What do you mean stop?
BETTY
I mean you should shut up for a second.
MELTYRE
(disbelief)
But I—
BETTY
Shut. Up.
MELTYRE
…Betty are you…are you serious?
BETTY
(gritted teeth)
I said, stop talking.
Awful, awkward pause.
MELTYRE
(softly)
No.
BETTY
What?
MELTYRE
I’m not just gonna stop talking, you—You’re giving up on them so easy! How can you do that?
BETTY
Do what? They’re dead.
MELTYRE
You don’t know that for sure!
BETTY
You’re in denial.
MELTYRE
You’re not listening! How do you know—
BETTY
(angry)
Why else would we have left them behind?
MELTYRE
I don’t know! Maybe we didn’t have a choice! Maybe we split up! Maybe—
BETTY
We wouldn’t do that.
MELTYRE
We’re working on incomplete information!
BETTY
Why are you being like this? You’ve had people die before.
MELTYRE
(sputtering)
G-w—So have you!
BETTY
Fina came back.
MELTYRE
I wasn’t talking about Fina!
Silence.
BETTY
(darkly)
Who told you about my clan?
MELTYRE
I um—I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought that up.
BETTY
Who?
MELTYRE
Fina did. She didn’t mean to, don’t be mad.
BETTY
Mad?!
MELTYRE
Okay, well—be mad, but not now, okay, it’s not helping—
BETTY
You’re not helping!
MELTYRE
What do you want me to do!
BETTY
Shut up!
Bitter silence.
BETTY
Sorry. I just…need to think.
MELTYRE
About what? You’re not thinking, you’re just accepting what you’re told like—
BETTY
(sharply)
Like what?
MELTYRE
(shaky)
…You’re just…so sure they’re gone.
BETTY
You’re sure they’re not.
MELTYRE
That’s…fair.
A pause.
MELTYRE
So what if they are dead.
Another long pause.
MELTYRE
Maybe I can…take up necromancy?
BETTY
Do you hear yourself?
MELTYRE
(sighs)
Yeah. You’re right.
And again, a pause.
MELTYRE
It just doesn’t make any sense.
(a pause; nervously laughter)
Or maybe it does and I just…I don’t want it to.
(a pause)
…Betty? Are you—
BETTY
(truly and properly broken)
It happened again.
MELTYRE
What did?
BETTY
(voice shaking)
I lost…I lost my clan. I shouldn’t…
MELTYRE
Shouldn’t what?
BETTY
Shouldn’t have let this happen.
MELTYRE
Betty…there’s no way you didn’t do everything you could to save them.
BETTY
No, I…this is the third time.
MELTYRE
I—I don’t understand.
BETTY
(voice thick)
I keep losing my family. I should know better.
MELTYRE
…Know better than…You think of us as family?
BETTY
That’s what clan means.
MELTYRE
That’s um…
(clears throat)
Are you okay?
BETTY
…No.
MELTYRE
Yeah. Sure…sounds about right.
Pause.
MELTYRE
What do we do now?
BETTY
Do?
MELTYRE
I’m still not convinced the others are dead, okay? But if they are, we should…we should find out what happened to them anyway, right? Even if you’re right? Tell Sterling’s mom and—and Fina’s dad. And should we still be going after Avaline?
BETTY
(tearfully)
Aren’t you even sad? What are you—
MELTYRE
I’ll grieve when I’m sure, okay?
BETTY
(shaky)
I don’t know if I can…do anything. Right now.
MELTYRE
Well, we can wait a little while, but…we might be short on time. We don’t know…
(discouraged)
We don’t know anything.
(awkward pause)
Hey, look, I know it’s not…ideal? I guess? But…I’m…still here, okay?
BETTY
What do you mean, ideal?
MELTYRE
I know you’d rather have Fina.
BETTY
…I’d rather have all of you. (Beat.) You’re my family too, Meltyre.
MELTYRE
You know, Lydda always told me she wished she had an older sister.
Betty chuckles softly.
MELTYRE
We’ll figure this out. Okay?
BETTY
Okay.
Footsteps.
TESSA
Meltyre? This just came for you by messenger.
Paper noise.
MELTYRE
A…letter?
TESSA
Do young people not write letters anymore?
MELTYRE
No, it’s just…I don’t know who’d know I’m here.
BETTY
Who’s it from?
TESSA
The messenger didn’t say. Excuse me.
Footsteps, and a paper rips.
MELTYRE
That’s weird.
BETTY
(suspicious)
Yeah…
MELTYRE
Oh, there’s something in it…it’s…what?
BETTY
A necklace?
MELTYRE
My mother’s necklace. Lydda had it, that’s…
Paper noise.
MELTYRE
‘To Meltyre the Wizard, it is with a heavy heart that I inform you…’
(fear)
What?
BETTY
What’s it say?
MELTYRE
(faintly)
No…no, no, gods—
BETTY
Meltyre.
MELTYRE
(freaking out)
Lord Charles sent a battalion to the nunnery where my sisters were hiding—they burned the whole place down, and my sisters were inside, they’re—
(crying now)
Gods, they’re dead, Betty, they’re dead!
BETTY
(confused)
Dead?
MELTYRE
(crying)
No, no, this can’t—they can’t—
BETTY
When?
MELTYRE
What does it matter when? It’s over now, everything’s over, I—
BETTY
When, Meltyre?
MELTYRE
(through sobs)
Uh—gods. Um. Two days ago. Betty, I—what am I supposed to do? How could I have just…left them?
BETTY
(almost to herself)
That’s not right.
MELTYRE
What?
BETTY
This…this isn’t real.
MELTYRE
How can you—What are you talking about?
BETTY
Letters don’t travel that fast, not this far.
MELTYRE
I thought they were safe, I thought they were okay—
BETTY
It’s not real, Meltyre.
MELTYRE
What?!
BETTY
It’s not real!
The tavern sounds stop abruptly, replaced with nighttime sounds, crickets. Velune is struggling, choking, and Fina is whimpering.
MELTYRE
What the—
BETTY
Help Velune.
MELTYRE
Yeah, yeah, okay, Velune! Friar! It’s okay! It’s not real! Velune!
Velune’s choking turns into coughing, then gasping breaths.
VELUNE
(belabored)
Oh sweet—sweet Pelor—
BETTY
Fina. I’m here, it’s me.
FINA
(tearful)
Who are you?
MELTYRE
Velune, are you okay?
VELUNE
(shaky, even tearful)
Praised be the name of Pelor, for delivering me again from the pit.
BETTY
(gently)
It’s not real, Fina. Come back. Come back to me.
FINA
(uncharacteristically vulnerable)
…Betty. Betty. B-Betty, oh my gods! You’re Betty!
(catching her breath, steadying)
And—and I remember, okay. I remember now.
(shuddering breath)
Oh gods. I haven’t lost my mind. I—I haven’t, right?
BETTY
No, you’re okay.
FINA
(deep breaths)
Okay. Okay. Good.
(pause; shouting)
What in every god’s name just happened?
VELUNE
Is Sterling all right?
MELTYRE
Uh…Sterling?
STERLING
(devestated)
Leave me alone, I failed you.
MELTYRE
No, you didn’t, it’s some kind of a illusion spell.
STERLING
(crying)
I did, I did—
MELTYRE
No, it’s a lie, Sterling. You hear me?
STERLING
A lie.
(voice returning to normal)
It’s a lie. It’s a lie?
FINA
(furious)
Somebody’s messing with us.
STERLING
That…wasn’t…real, none of that was real?
MELTYRE
This is all a big illusion. One that-that’s designed to make us see our personal hells, or something.
VELUNE
It was a shockingly effective illusion.
MELTYRE
You couldn’t see through it?
VELUNE
I…it’s d-difficult to describe. Part of me knew it wasn’t real, but the…the feel of it, and the lack of air, I—I panicked.
FINA
Were you being buried alive again?
VELUNE
(quietly)
Yes.
STERLING
Gods.
FINA
Where were you, pretty boy?
STERLING
(quietly)
Alone. Somewhere I’d…rather not revisit.
MELTYRE
That must have been a seriously powerful spell.
VELUNE
What could be strong enough to cast something like that?
MELTYRE
I-I don’t know! A beholder, maybe? Or a god, or…
FINA
A fey?
VELUNE
Oh dear.
MELTYRE
Yeah…that’d do it.
(pause)
I-I just…don’t understand why Betty and I were together.
MYSTERIOUS FEY
(echoing, playful, a smooth, pleasant voice)
It’s because you seem to share the same worst case scenario. Which is interesting!
Drawing weapons under the next two lines.
BETTY
Who’s there?
STERLING
Show yourself!
FEY
Mmm…no, I don’t think I’m gonna do that.
FINA
Who do you think you are?
MELTYRE
What do you want from us?
FEY
Nothing, really…it was just a game. A little icebreaker.
BETTY
Show yourself, coward!
FEY
Oh, we’ll meet, my dear. You’re here for Avaline, right?
VELUNE
Then you know where we can find her.
FEY
Of course I do.
STERLING
Then where is she?
FEY
Oh, come now, what fun would it be if I just told you? No. No, this is much more entertaining. I’ll see you all in a bit. Bye now!
Heavy pause.
STERLING
Are they gone?
FINA
(hiding worry)
Hey, um, anybody got any idea what just happened to us?
VELUNE
It seems we are not as stealthy as we’d like.
MELTYRE
The fey know we’re here.
Long pause, and forest sounds fade out. Theme song.
TESSA
Next time, on Inn Between…
MELTYRE
This is it. The place Dame Avaline disappeared.
STERLING
We’re looking for someone, a missing woman. Can you help us?
TOWNIE
I don’t know any Dame Avaline, but there’s that vengeful hermit woman in the woods who might know something.
FINA
Oh man…no way.
Credits:
Episode 2.12, “The Game,” was written and directed by Hannah Wright, with assistant director William Wright. The show is produced and edited by Katherine Ayers.
The voice of Sterling is Marquis Dijon Archuleta; the voice of Betty is Kaleigh Christopher; the voice of Fina is Riley Jones; the voice of Velune is Kira Mills; and the voice of Meltyre is Austin Mowat.
This episode featured the voice of special guest Shade Oyemakinwa as the mysterious fey. Check out their work at LovelyMissOye.wordpress.com.
Fina’s guitar is played by Eli Isbell, and our theme song is by Eli McIlveen.
Transcripts for this and every episode can be found on our website, thegoblinshead.com. Find and follow us on twitter, @inn_between_, or support us on patreon, at patreon.com/thegoblinshead.
If you like our show, work through some personal fears with a close friend, or leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. Thanks for listening!
Theme song ends. Tavern sounds.
TESSA
Well don’t look at me, I wasn’t even in this episode, technically. Illusions do not count!
End transcript.