LPN Deep Dives: Crescent City / Episode 7: Ruhn's Horny Adventure

Summary

LPN Deep Dives: Crescent City – Episode 7: Ruhn's Horny Adventure

Hosts: Natalie Jean and Jackie Zebrowski
Release Date: December 4, 2024
Podcast Description: Natalie Jean and Jackie Zebrowski delve deep into Sarah J. Maas's acclaimed adult science fiction novel series, Crescent City, providing comprehensive breakdowns and engaging discussions.

---

1. Costume Conversations and Personal Anecdotes

The episode kicks off with Natalie and Jackie enthusiastically discussing their Halloween costume plans inspired by characters from the Crescent City series. Jackie expresses a desire to emulate the Viper Queen, sparking a playful banter about wardrobe transformations:

Jackie Zabrowski [00:31]: "Man, I am just. I feel as though I need to get the slit. I need the Snake contacts. I think I have to do it."

Natalie complements Jackie's choice, highlighting the allure of the Viper Queen persona:

Natalie Jean [00:46]: "I mean, you're very sexy. I like the jacket. I think it's very Viper Queen of you."

The conversation seamlessly transitions into Natalie revealing her plans to dress as Greta Gremlin, intertwining personal stories and humor:

Natalie Jean [02:13]: "But this is probably gonna come out after Halloween. I do think that the more I become Viper Queen, I'm just gonna get a whole new wardrobe out of it."

2. Exploring Crescent City Chapter 7: Ruhn's Horny Adventure

a. Plot Overview

The hosts shift focus to a detailed exploration of Chapter 7, titled "Ruhn's Horny Adventure." They dissect pivotal plot points involving key characters—Bryce, Hunt, and Ruhn—and the unfolding mystery surrounding Luna's horn.

Jackie Zabrowski [09:17]: "So last episode, Bryce and Hun were having a bit of a bond because she needed help in recouping the memories about Danika. She was too scared to face it alone."

Natalie elaborates on the evolving dynamics between Bryce and Hunt, emphasizing their growing mutual respect and collaborative spirit:

Natalie Jean [09:46]: "This is the first time that they start, like, Hunt starts to see her on an equal level rather than just seeing her as the bratty party girl that he had."

b. Character Analysis

Ruhn: A central figure whose actions drive much of the chapter's tension. His mission to locate Luna's horn introduces significant conflict, especially with the antagonist, Kristalos—a demon bred by the Prince of the Pit.

Jackie Zabrowski [23:36]: "So the demon is called a Kristalos. And the demon that is hunting the horn is the demon that attacked the angel. And Bryce and presumably the pack of devils are all together, hunting it."

Bryce: Portrayed as emotionally vulnerable, Bryce grapples with traumatic memories and her strained relationship with her brother, Ruhn. Her interactions reveal deep-seated emotional scars and her struggle to reconcile past and present.

Natalie Jean [35:50]: "She's just hurt."

Hunt: Exhibits a blend of stoicism and latent empathy. His professional demeanor is juxtaposed with moments of concern for Bryce, highlighting his complex character.

Jackie Zabrowski [55:14]: "Hunt is a little sheepish because I think maybe he's realizing how much Bryce is freaking out."

c. Themes and Insights

Mythological Parallels: The discussion draws parallels between the narrative of Crescent City and classical myths, such as Rome's foundation myth involving Romulus and Remus, enhancing the story's depth and relatability.

Jackie Zabrowski [14:09]: "Fancy the twin wolves do. I don't remember if we ever have a direct connection to that, but it does make me think of the origin myth of Rome."

Trust and Betrayal: The strained relationship between Bryce and Ruhn underscores themes of trust, betrayal, and familial conflict, adding layers to the character development and plot progression.

Jackie Zabrowski [36:27]: "A half breed slut like that, I mean that. That's like a slur in Midgard."

Trauma and Healing: Bryce's emotional journey reflects the broader theme of coping with trauma, as she confronts painful memories and navigates her path to healing amidst external chaos.

Natalie Jean [43:35]: "It's a lot. And also, like, bringing back up a bunch of shit she probably doesn't want."

3. Emotional and Psychological Underpinnings

Natalie and Jackie delve into the psychological dimensions of the characters, particularly focusing on Bryce's mental state and the impact of past traumas on her present actions. They discuss how Bryce's experiences shape her interactions and decisions throughout the chapter.

Natalie Jean [52:03]: "I think that, like, he's a lot more rugged than I look in a Ruhn costume."

The hosts also touch upon the coping mechanisms employed by characters, juxtaposing Bryce's vulnerability with Hunt's internal struggles:

Jackie Zabrowski [50:41]: "Or just also having to, like, understand. And I think in the opposite perspective of, like, him dealing with the emotions of another person that he has not had to deal with, with it and."

4. Concluding Insights and Future Directions

As the episode progresses towards its conclusion, Natalie and Jackie reflect on the dense world-building and intricate lore introduced in the earlier chapters of Crescent City. They acknowledge Sarah J. Maas's prowess in crafting a richly detailed universe, setting the stage for more complex narratives in future episodes.

Natalie Jean [58:27]: "It's just the front half of this book is so dense with lore and setting up the world and we know SJM's very good at it. But now the story is starting to really churn, and I know that it will clip along from here."

The hosts express anticipation for upcoming chapters, indicating plans to continue their deep dives with a focus on unraveling the escalating mysteries and character arcs.

Jackie Zabrowski [57:40]: "She doesn't bite his head off. She doesn't tell him to get away. They just are kind of talking as she exits the scene."

---

Notable Quotes

• Jackie Zabrowski [14:25]: "The mythos is supposed to be that their two twins were left at a riverside. Their names are Romulus and Remus and they're found by, I think a wolf who nurses them. And then they go on to create the city of Rome."

• Natalie Jean [35:50]: "She just hurt."

• Jackie Zabrowski [23:54]: "We are with Ruhn in this chapter."

• Natalie Jean [25:19]: "I can't imagine being that down low and then water is seeping through."

• Jackie Zabrowski [34:01]: "He's just like, get out of here, Justinian. I don't have time to talk about this and talk about my penis."

---

Conclusion

In Episode 7 of LPN Deep Dives: Crescent City, Natalie Jean and Jackie Zabrowski offer an insightful and comprehensive analysis of Crescent City's Chapter 7, "Ruhn's Horny Adventure." Through their dynamic discussion, listeners gain a deeper understanding of the characters' motivations, the intricate plot developments, and the underlying themes that drive the narrative forward. Their engaging dialogue not only unpacks the complexities of Maas's world but also intertwines personal reflections, making the episode both informative and relatable for fans and newcomers alike.

---

For an ad-free experience and more in-depth episodes, subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts.

Transcript

[Natalie Jean]

Welcome to Crescent City with your hosts, Natalie Jean and Jackie Zabrowski.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Man, I am just. I feel as though I need to get the slit. I need the Snake contacts. I think I have to do it.

[Natalie Jean]

You think it's the Snake contacts that you're missing?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah, because I don't know what else this needs.

[Natalie Jean]

I mean, you're very sexy. I like the jacket. I think it's very Viper Queen of you.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

It was already at my house.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, that'll. You know, I feel like Viper Queen. Although I did purchase my dress for last week just because I didn't have anything that dark green and slutty and. And I do think that the more I become Viper Queen, I'm just gonna get a whole new wardrobe out of it.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Cause, I mean, her fits throughout the book, they're described very fun and interesting to me.

[Natalie Jean]

I know this is not gonna be the last time you see Viper queens in this, even though.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Viper's Queen.

[Natalie Jean]

Oh, my God. Viper's Queen. We could go as her for Halloween. No, don't you dare. No, you'll never be my Halloween costume. Although I've already gotten most of it together. But this is probably gonna come out after Halloween.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I don't even. What do you mean you have your Halloween costume?

[Natalie Jean]

I've got the big pieces already.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh. Are you keeping it a secret as to what you are?

[Natalie Jean]

I guess not at this point, because I feel like pictures will be out. Because we're gonna go as I'm gonna be Greta Gremlin, and my husband is gonna be the way to kissed scientist. Because even though we know that maybe, you know, like we were talking about last week on the episode with Viper Queen, we were where, you know, Greta Gremlin is not, I guess, the epitome of sexiness to a lot of people. A, because she's a Gremlin, and B, because maybe she kind of forced herself upon that scientist, but that scientist. Not that we should victim blame.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

No.

[Natalie Jean]

Kept going back for more kisses. And maybe you could say he was trapped by her in the back room in Gremlins 2. Or we could look at it. He was entranced by her seduction. And that is how I'm going to look at it, because you can't take Greta Gremlin away from me. Greta Gremlin is a huge part of, like, what helped me understand that I could be sexual. And it wasn't shameful.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

She's canceled.

[Natalie Jean]

Don't cancel Greta Gremlin. Please. Please don't take her from me. I need Greta Gremlin. But I Didn't want to do a full face. So I'm doing like, I got the hair, I got the ear, like I got the like well made professional ears. But then my face, rather than wearing a full face, I'm just going to do makeup. A Greta Gremlin.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Okay. Yeah.

[Natalie Jean]

Like Hyper Queen.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah. Like you're not gonna put it prosthetics on your face.

[Natalie Jean]

I just didn't want to go through all of that. To go over to you guys's house.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

For Halloween, you have to over line your lips.

[Natalie Jean]

That or I go and get like a bunch of filler that is going to seep out of my lips. But I do it just to become Greta Gremlin.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Like the lady from Chimp Crazy.

[Natalie Jean]

Yes. And just to say yes, I want to look like the Dolly Parton of chimps. And I think that, like, Jeff will get over it. I don't. I know that he has specifically said please never get fillers but for Halloween costume. For a Halloween costume. I think that that would mean he would definitely not want me to get fillers for a Halloween costume to go over to your guys house for Halloween.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Why?

[Natalie Jean]

I. You know why? I think it's because he doesn't match my freak. And maybe you should think about that, Jeff. Maybe you should match my freak a little bit. I mean, I say that, but he's the one that came up with the idea for me to be Greta Gremlin. And him.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

No, I do think he matches your freak. General he really does match my freak.

[Natalie Jean]

He matches my freak.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I think he would even find you attractive. I mean, I'm not saying he wouldn't. If other men. Ouch. Ouch.

[Natalie Jean]

You're hurting me. Ouch.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I'm saying you look very handsome and pretty in your Ruhn costume.

[Natalie Jean]

Oh, thank you. I do. I worry. You know, Ruhn is a really pretty dude.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah.

[Natalie Jean]

But I feel like he's a lot more rugged than I look in a Ruhn costume.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Well, you are. You are a woman.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah. Yeah. But I do have the fake tattoo arm sleeves and I even put tattoos on my neck.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I know. Why'd you cover them with the necklace?

[Natalie Jean]

Well, because I feel like the necklace is important because he feels like the kind of dude that would wear a.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Necklace, but you can't see how cool your neck tats are.

[Natalie Jean]

But I did get neck tattoos on there. Oh, God, man. We were just talking about neck tattoos. I think I want one. I think they hurt a lot.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

You're gonna get a neck tattoo?

[Natalie Jean]

Why not? You do act like in movies that's what makeup's for. I say put makeup on it. I'm not gonna get a neck tattoo.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I say wait until you're, like, 70.

[Natalie Jean]

And then start getting neck tattoos.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

That's what I probably will do.

[Natalie Jean]

I think that, like, unless sunshine.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Unless I'm getting some. Oh, actually, probably by that point, they'll have anything that, with a camera can just. Can transform you into anything else at that point. But I was gonna say, if I'm getting to play, like, fantasy characters and movies in. In my 70s, like a. Like a old witch and stuff, like, I'll hold off on getting tattoos, but although they'll probably just be able to cover them with some kind of.

[Natalie Jean]

They already can really cover them very, very well. Just throwing that out there.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

They didn't for a long time. I got really for it as a stunt person. Even though you are correct. I was one of the only stunt women was on tattoos, which I understand can be a big pain in the ass when you're like costuming. But all the dudes.

[Natalie Jean]

Well, now they've got spray guns. So the last thing. The last shoot I did, I couldn't have any tattoos for them. So the aerosol spray guns, like, it covers. But also it took me a week to get it off. Like, I had to scrub a scrub, a scrub, a scrub, a scrub, a scrub scrub. I think it actually would last four days on shoes, man. Technology really kind of crazy. Wow. High five.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I don't think you were trying high five, but your hand was there.

[Natalie Jean]

Thank you. Oh, and you went out and you grabbed it. Thank you, Natalie.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I kept reaching out my. You kept reaching out your hands.

[Natalie Jean]

I did. So I was doing it to you. Viper queen. You bitch.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Keep raising up your palm and somebody will slap it.

[Natalie Jean]

Although, you know, I will say Ruhn is not here with arms raised. All right, we are coming in hot.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh. To Ruhn.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah. Sorry, Natalie. Sorry if it's gonna be difficult for you to get through this episode because you're so attracted to Ruhn and therefore so attracted to me.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I am. I. I cannot cross that line because I am married to your brother.

[Natalie Jean]

Man. That would really him up.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

You are very sexy, and Rune is an attractive character.

[Natalie Jean]

Objectively.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I love you, honey. I choose you every time, my dear. Love my husband, who definitely listens to every moment of this.

[Natalie Jean]

Listen. He's going to hear you say this. I know he's going to hear. So does mine. Oh, man. Every minute of our romantasy deep dives. Do they both. Oh, they slurp it up.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

They just Sit with their. Their. Their chin in their hands and they just lay on the ground. They kick their feet in the air and they go.

[Natalie Jean]

I wa, wa, wa, wa.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Wonder.

[Natalie Jean]

I just imagine it's like a. Oh.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Is that Greta Gremlins?

[Natalie Jean]

It was, but then I was also thinking about Muppet Babies. I was thinking about Jeff and Henry as Muppet. Oo. Oop.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Chihuahua.

[Natalie Jean]

That's. Yes, that is it. That what I was thinking of. Thank you for following my brain jumps Natalie. That is.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I'm also just a Muppet Baby. Stan. It's one of the best cartoons of all time, and nobody can change my mind about it.

[Natalie Jean]

I'd love to go back and watch more Muppet Babies because I am a huge. Like, I've seen the Muppet show, man. I had the DVDs and I watched the Muppet show all the fucking time and. But I never went back and did a rewatch of Muppet Babies.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

It's a good one.

[Natalie Jean]

I will, man. I've been thinking about doing Fraggle Rock recently.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah, Fraggle Rock is also fantastic, man. Jim Henson, man.

[Natalie Jean]

Hey, look what they were doing with those Muppets, huh?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

What was he doing with the Muppets? No, he wasn't. He was not doing stuff to the Muppets. No, he wasn't.

[Natalie Jean]

No, I don't think so. I think we would have heard about it by now. Yeah, I would assume. Unless they really covered it up.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I mean, if he was good enough at hiding it, he deserved.

[Natalie Jean]

And I've watched multiple documentaries on Jim Henson, and I feel like they would have uncovered it at this point. Or maybe not. So now I guess we're gonna live in the mystery, everybody. Speaking of mysteries, I'm the hot brother today, everybody.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

So last episode, Bryce and Hun were having a bit of a bond because she needed help in recouping the memories about Danika. She was too scared to face it alone. Too sa. Had to face it. And I get it.

[Natalie Jean]

You.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Sometimes you need a little help from your friends. I wouldn't call Hunt her friend, but they are now kind of having moments where they are getting to connect, let's say. Yeah.

[Natalie Jean]

And I would say that this point, this is the first time that they start, like. I feel like Hunt starts to see her on an equal level rather than just seeing her as the bratty party girl that he had. And I think that, like, Bryce also recognizes that, and I think, like, helps them reach a new level so that they can continue on in, like, they're discovering together, rather than, like, her discovering and him following after now, they're going. You can immediately see the difference. They're both gonna go talk to Ruhn then.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And she just so happened to notice that maybe he's not gross to look at.

[Natalie Jean]

Ah, yeah. Maybe he's like super, super hot or something. I don't know or whatever.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

But they have both had a little bonding at the end of the last chapter. They. The fact that they want to torment Ruhn, who Bryce is supposed to go meet.

[Natalie Jean]

And it's just because I'm really hot and everybody knows it.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah. And they're just jealous. They're haters.

[Natalie Jean]

Prince of the Vaal Bearen.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Fae and Shadow powers and a sword and star. Starborn. Starborn.

[Natalie Jean]

Starborn.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

It's a lot. So they are, like, sort of excited to both see Ruhn's face when they see. When he sees that Hunt is also arriving at this meeting.

[Natalie Jean]

Have I been calling my weed mirthroot? Maybe. Is it sad? Yes.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

No, it's fine.

[Natalie Jean]

And when I say I've been calling it, I mean to myself as I roll a joint by myself. Yes.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Well, when you play D and D tonight, you can tell them about it.

[Natalie Jean]

Do you think that they'll like me at the campaign? I'm doing, like, one of my first campaigns this evening, so we'll see. I'm not bringing Ruhn. I'm only bringing Backston Bigglesby. So you'll hear more about him in the future, I'm sure.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah. Our house tonight is going to be. The dining room is filled with people playing D and D and my backyard will be a bunch of people doing aerial circus stuff for a show, like a rehearsal. So that's what our house is like.

[Natalie Jean]

We live a normal life. It's fine. But DD technically, is very, very normal of us to do. And we're not even doing it for content. We're only doing it to smile. And none of us don't. None of us know how to do that. So we're all like, why are we doing this? What?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

To have fun without clicks?

[Natalie Jean]

I don't know it, but I guess I should start dressing up as Baxton. That'll really put them in their place.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah. So you. I mean, that does get you into character, right?

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, you're right. Oh, my God. I'm gonna buy costumes for Baxton. That's the last Natalie. I feel like I just heard Jeff's ears somewhere perk up. Where he heard me talking about buying more costum. No, he wants to shut that down, but no, he's.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

He heard it because he's like my wife's excited and happy about it.

[Natalie Jean]

Well, he is. Right now he's dungeon mastering it, so, you know, he is very excited about how excited I am about it.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

If you can't pay rent, maybe you can make a big tent out of all of the different outfits that you've purchased.

[Natalie Jean]

See, there you go. Forever room and board.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah.

[Natalie Jean]

You're welcome, husband. Where are we gonna put him? Oh, you wanna know where we're gonna put him, Jeff? Right up. Yes. Yeah. Hope you got room.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And Bryce and aunt meet Ruhn at the statue where Ruhn requested they meet. If you'll recall, he said there's no cameras there and he's trying to have a secretive meeting about something they don't understand yet. So they go and meet him at Luna's statue, which is already. We've heard about quite a bit already in this book. It's a 30 foot high moonstone statue of the goddess Luna.

[Natalie Jean]

A silver tiara of a full moon held by two crescent ones graced her upswept curling hair. At her sandaled feet lay twin wolves, their baleful eyes daring any pilgrim to come closer. Across the back of her throne, a bow of solid gold had been slung, its quiver full of silver arrows. The pleats of her thigh length robe draped across her lap, veiling the slim fingers resting there.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Fancy the twin wolves do. I don't remember if we ever have a direct connection to that, but it does make me think of the origin myth of Rome, which is. Yeah, me too.

[Natalie Jean]

Could you explain it further? Just because I can't remember the details.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

The mythos is supposed to be that their two twins were left at the. They like got left at a riverside. Their names are Romulus and Remus and they're found by, I think a wolf who nurses them. And then they go on to create the city of Rome.

[Natalie Jean]

Also like chimp crazy. Maybe that's what Tanya thought she was gonna do.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Nursing them.

[Natalie Jean]

Oh, she wasn't nursing them. That was someone else nursing the monkeys.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I think it was a d. Different other intense ladies.

[Natalie Jean]

Yes. Yeah, it was. And who, insanely enough, wasn't the craziest person in that docuseries.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

The woman who nursed the chimps was not the craziest person in that documentary.

[Natalie Jean]

Would you, if you were had milk coming out of your nipples and you knew that that milk could go into the chimp's mouth and keep it alive, would you do it?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

You just put it in a bottle. You don't have to put it to.

[Natalie Jean]

Your nipple bottom doesn't that steal away the memory of what having a mother could be?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

What?

[Natalie Jean]

Can you imagine the gnashing of a chimp's mouth on your nipples? I hear it hurts enough with a baby. And they don't have any teeth.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Just so upsetting.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

To think about.

[Natalie Jean]

I do think about the nursing of chimps probably too often since watching that docuseries. Speaking of intrusive thoughts, I think that's because we had the question. Jeff was like, you really wouldn't do that. But you're right. I guess I'd pump. But also I'd go to a monkey store and buy monkey milk. I don't know. I don't think I would rely on my breasts.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

We should be going to monkey stores more often.

[Natalie Jean]

That sounds fun. I don't know if you need monkey milk all the time, but just. Just for a flight of fancy, would.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

You try monkey's milk?

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah. Yeah, definitely. But I'm. I'm pro. I'm a pro lactose kind of.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Sure.

[Natalie Jean]

Although I'm mostly oat milk now. Oh, who me? What? Who me?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

It's more humane.

[Natalie Jean]

Confessions. Oat milk. It's creamy.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I do love oat milk. And it's more humane.

[Natalie Jean]

Thank you.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

You're welcome.

[Natalie Jean]

I. I took it as you thanking me for my non.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

If you remove a couple meals of meat and dairy out of your weekly diet, it does a huge service to the planet.

[Natalie Jean]

It's bad for the environment. Look at us. What did I watch a couple of documentaries and now I know everything about it. The moomoos make the bad juice for the sky. And you can put that in your pipe and smoke it.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I can't even try to attempt to translate what that just meant.

[Natalie Jean]

Moomoos make bad juice of the sky. It's methane. Anyway, I'm sorry.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Ah, pigs actually create even more, I think.

[Natalie Jean]

Whoa. So it's not just the moo Moos.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Because they're a little bit smaller and they can cram them in and they can fart bigger. Yeah. Because there's more per square inch. You can put more of them in.

[Natalie Jean]

Oh. Oh, that makes sense. That makes sense. I thought it meant I was like, so inside of them. The smaller amount inside of them compounds the fart to make it bigger than the outside of them. That's the science. I thought you were about to tell me and I was going to believe you.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

You could be correct.

[Natalie Jean]

I don't know.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Anyway, we're with Ruhn in this chapter.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, I'm sexy.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And as they had hoped, Ruhn is Annoyed as hell that Hunt is there with Bryce.

[Natalie Jean]

Give my mirth root back.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

But they have this moment where Bryce, like, links arms with Hunt and goes, we're together all the time. And they both, like, smile at Ruhn, which is like, whoa. That's a bonding moment right there.

[Natalie Jean]

But also, you. You definitely know she's doing it to annoy both Hunt and Run at the same time.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I don't know, Runt.

[Natalie Jean]

I mean, I'll put them together. All right. Yeah. Shake them up into a jacket smoothie.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Hunt seems pretty happy that she's touching him. I don't know. Call me crazy.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Rune invites them. He's kind of in the corner near the statue, which is flocking. There's Taurus flocking all over the place. It's not like they're all. This is a very busy thoroughfur. But we learn a little bit about his shadows because we know he's got shadows as part of his magics. But he has been able to combine his very unique magics to create this basically like people. It's almost like what Azrael does in Acotar, where you suddenly can't really see them anymore. Like, you. Almost like you look past them when you're inside of his shadows. Like, if you see his shadows, you can't really see them anymore.

[Natalie Jean]

God. You know what I mean? Yes. Yeah. Yeah.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Instead, when, like, you pass by, you just don't see anything. You don't notice them.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah. Because you're not, like, looking for it. Yeah, I think.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah. So he kind of goes, like, come inside my shadows. And they all go around to this corner and to be asked that question. And then. So they hide in that little corner. And maroon, because we are with Rune's POV at this point. Roo notices the nearest tour guide pointing out the empty hand of the statue where the mysterious horn was once perched to the number of tourists who are standing by. So Luna's horn was taken during that blackout at the beginning of the book. And so the place where it once sat is now just kind of an empty. You can tell there's something sat there.

[Natalie Jean]

Right.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

So Bryce and Hunt ask why they're here. Ruhn tells them the truth, that his father tasked him with finding this horn.

[Natalie Jean]

I need help.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And, well, Bryce is sort of like, okay, what do you. You don't have time for this right now, bro. It's petty. It's like, nonsense. Oh, wow. Okay. Your dad wants the freaking horn. What do you need? But he tells them they need to make time for this because he has Found some info in the Fay archives. The horn was an ancient weapon forged by the fae in the long ago war against the demons when the demons first came through the rifts from hell. Okay, everybody listening?

[Natalie Jean]

All right. Yes. Ancient weapon. It is missing. Made by the fae.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And this is all history. They all know. Right? So it. The horn itself had done enough damage that the demons look for it for ages afterwards to destroy it. But not just any fae forged the horn. It was the first starborn prince who did it.

[Natalie Jean]

Whoa.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And I don't know if you remember the current starborn princess.

[Natalie Jean]

It's me.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

That's right. It's a rune, duder. It's the opposite.

[Natalie Jean]

That's a rude dooder. I get it. I get it. I'm sure a lot of rude dooners are still listening to this.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I know that some of you are out there. I know some of you have read both. Both these books and the series and the Dune series.

[Natalie Jean]

I don't know a lot of you, but you know, I know they exist.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

So that is the first starborn prince created this horn. And the horn was something that really helped them seal the demons away from them trying to take over the planet Midgard and shot them back to hell. And now we have a starborn prince is born every generation.

[Natalie Jean]

And that's me right now.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

That's Ruhn.

[Natalie Jean]

Right now. That's me.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

But that is the history that they know of this. But Ruhn has some more. I was writing the script.

[Natalie Jean]

Were you tired?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yes.

[Natalie Jean]

I like when I can notice how tired Natalie is by how stupid it gets. It's not stupid. I think it's zany. And I think it's fun.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Ruhn has some more rude news.

[Natalie Jean]

Spelled yes. R, U, H, D, E. Rude news. Just so we're all clear.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

The head demon, who's basically, I guess, a creature called the Prince of the Pit. So we're kind of learning lore alongside and not always explained immediately in this book. So in this scene we talk about the demon who runs hell is called the Prince of the Pit.

[Natalie Jean]

Yes.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And he has found some information that that that head demon has created a beast to hunt for the horn. Ruhn holds up the phone to display a picture of what he's found. You recognize it?

[Natalie Jean]

Ruhn said softly. Bryce shook herself as if to bring herself back to reality and rubbed her thigh absently.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

That's the demon I found attacking the angel in the alley that night.

[Natalie Jean]

So the Prince of the Pit has created this demon and we call this.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Demon Rune has revealed he's discovered the name. It Is called a Crystalos.

[Natalie Jean]

Yes. Did I do that right? Yes.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

So the demon is called a Kristalos. And the demon that is hunting the horn is the demon that attacked the angel. And Bryce.

[Natalie Jean]

And Bryce.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And presumably the pack of devils. The pack of devils. Everyone, we all together, right?

[Natalie Jean]

We following.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And it's clear the crystal is because it dwells in the deepest pits of hell with no light. And it makes me think of the deep sea creatures you see, you know.

[Natalie Jean]

At the big fangs, but they're all kind of like translucent.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah, yeah.

[Natalie Jean]

Yes.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

That's what makes me think of God.

[Natalie Jean]

Don't ever make me go down there. I'd rather be shot into space than ever go into any kind of deep sea. Don't put me in a submarine. I don't want to see it. I don't want to know.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I don't want to know what situation you're in where you have to go down in a submarine.

[Natalie Jean]

I feel like at some point, some. I guess I'm going to assume like either a demon or a goddess is going to be like, up or down? Like, I guess up. Can I choose? Neither. But if it's up or down, I guess up. Up or down, Natalie. Up or down?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Up. Because I want to see space, but I really love the ocean. I love the ocean floor. Those DC creatures are so fucking cool. But I think going one of those ships would be absolutely mortifying and, like, upsetting my. One of my bio teachers and professors in college went down on the same ship that. What's his name who did the Titanic?

[Natalie Jean]

James Cameron.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

James Cameron went. Same ship that he went on, different time, went down. And she said she was. She's not afraid of, like, enclosed spaces, but she said even her. Like she was getting kind of panicked because it leaks water while you're down because of the pressure.

[Natalie Jean]

Like, I'm laughing because I'm so scared of water that thinking about that almost gives me a panic attack. I can't imagine being that down low and then water is seeping through. I know.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Like, even though it's supposed to.

[Natalie Jean]

No, no, no.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I know it knows it's supposed to, but it's still. Like, psychologically, you know, you are. You are.

[Natalie Jean]

There's nothing to do.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Miles underwater and water's coming into the thing. But I think we know at least now from what's happened in recent. If you do die that way, you won't even know.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, it'll be over real fast.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

You'll just. You'll just. You'll implode, I think.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, the pressure is too much anyway. But we're not there, Jackie. We're not there right now. We're not going down there. No one said up or down to you. So sometimes you just gotta talk yourself back down. You know, you get yourself up there and then talk yourself back down. Anyway, ready or not.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Bryce doesn't understand how no one has ever put this together before. How after all of the people searching for the horn for these years, after all of the. The research that everybody's tried to figure out what's going on, how has no one put it together? But Ruhn tells her that he had to go deep, far back into the Fae archives to find this info. And not many people have access to them in the first place. It's an obscure piece of information that nobody took very seriously. That this demon was created to search for the horn. And nobody really knows what happened to the horn. They assume it was destroyed. And that this horn in the statue was just a replica to like show you this symbolic thing from the past.

[Natalie Jean]

Like the Natural Museum. The Museum of Natural History is what I meant to say. Even though that stuff is real, but there's also portions of it, like I know that caveman isn't real.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Well, a lot of dinosaur bone structures and museums aren't really the bones. They keep those far away from people. Cause they are precious.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah. And people can't be trusted to keep their greasy hands to themselves because, you.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Know, like History Museum, whenever they have the like whole like life sized bones of like the bigger dinosaurs, a lot of those aren't really the bones.

[Natalie Jean]

Whoa. Fake bones.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Fake bones. In fact, Ruhn needed to have the archives that he found translated from the old language of the Fae, that very few people even speak anymore. He reiterates history. They all know that the first starborn prince, whose name is Pelias, fought the prince of the pit with the horn one sealing the northern rift mostly. Although people can. Demons can still escape from it sometimes. But that horn was the thing that saved their whole world. And again, the one that is sitting in the middle, they. They thought it was.

[Natalie Jean]

Was.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, well, we assume once it's sitting in the center of the city. Named after the goddess Luna. Lunathian. This is just to show you what the looked like.

[Natalie Jean]

Yes, but it was real. Why would you put it out there?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Hide in plain sight?

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, I guess you're right.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

There's obviously some connection from this horn that Rune is supposed to be looking after. And the creature that is looking for the horn also attacked a bunch of people right and that's the thing that Bryce is supposed to figure out. And so none of them really understand why now and how this has something to do with the murders. But they all agree it seems too coincidental that the horn disappeared at the same time this creature attacked Bryce. So this is a lot of information for them all to take in in process. But haunting, of course, is, you know, he's loyal to the ox, regardless if he wants to be or not. He has to go tell them all of this stuff and tell them to start looking into it, start researching stuff. And so he goes off, away from the other two to make a call to Justinian, who we met in the barracks earlier in the book. He asks him to go look into the history of the Crystallos. And he broods at the same time about having to work with Ruhn to find the horn. And so Justinian is sort of showing up in this call for us to kind of get a sense of how Hun's feeling, like as the reader's perspective.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And we also kind of get a little bit of, I don't know, Justinian picking up on some perhaps vebs. He says something along the lines of, you know, it's been a long time since everything happened. You do have. Maybe you don't like Ruhn, but the other one's like, I don't know. Have you ever looked at her before?

[Natalie Jean]

Pretty hot. Been quite some time since Shahar. You might want to be thinking about deeper mountains. Is that something that you would say to a person? That's attractive.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Deeper mountains.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, I've been looking for deeper mountains, and you are the plateau. I guess you don't want to tell anyone that they're a plateau. I feel like that's not.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

That sounds. Yeah, you've really plateaued, my heart. No, it's like.

[Natalie Jean]

Because, like, you're a safe space deep in the mountains. It's like. It's like, good. It's like where you can see like a lake.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Like nestled.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, like nestled. Like where I want to nestle my face. You know what I mean?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Okay, now we're. Now actually that's something that's mentioned in this next chapter.

[Natalie Jean]

Deep mountains.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah. Because Bryce's mom wears the necklace. They. They basically she talks about a thing that she's trying to sell just upon a different part. I didn't put it in the script, but in part, she's trying to sell to a leopard shifter this famous painting called the Embrace, which is a real famous painting. But in. In this world, the Embrace is a man's face nuzzled in between breasts. I forgot that that's also happening in this moment.

[Natalie Jean]

I could feel it. You know, maybe I just, like, was picking up on leopard shifter vibes, you know?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

You've got leopard shifter vibes.

[Natalie Jean]

You think so? Oh, my God. Thank you.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah, I'm.

[Natalie Jean]

I would be really bad as a shifter.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Why?

[Natalie Jean]

Because I think you're supposed to, like, think about the animal and then you become the animal, and I think about animals a lot.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, so you'd accidentally just like, all.

[Natalie Jean]

Of a sudden, I'm shifting. It's like, God damn it, I'm in the middle of a show. I can't shift right now. Although it would be fun if all of a sudden I was like a Komodo dragon.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Y. Also, can you imagine the numbers?

[Natalie Jean]

Oh, you're right. Shifter. All right, guys, I'll work on it, okay?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Can you try?

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah. What? I'll mage myself. What is it? When I start. I'll start reading it in the books. I don't know. I'm learning about.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Okay, so he gets off. He's. Whenever Justinian brings this sort of nudge up toward. He, like, kind of nudges, like hunt. You know, he just hangs the phone up. Of course, course.

[Natalie Jean]

Of course he does.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

But during that interaction, he's also watching the people pass by and notices a little acolyte. And we get like, a tiny description of what is going on there. They essentially have, like, nuns and. But they are beholden to Luna, so they're like Luna's acolytes. And he looks at a little like a very young acolyte passing by, and he gives her a smile, and he's surprised to find that she actually smiles back because most people don't smile back at him. Or like, he never. He never smiles at anybody.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, it's because he's so scary. Scary looking.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

So he just notes that. Wow, that's okay. That's a brave little acolyte. Yeah, but maybe it's just because he never smiles. And maybe if he smiled, people would smile back at him.

[Natalie Jean]

Think about that. Always on the defensive, right?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

It's interesting, though, he's smiling all of a sudden. I don't know.

[Natalie Jean]

It's because you could hear his dick go, yeah, yeah, like a slide whistle.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

So. So he. He's just like. He's like, get out of here, Justinian. I don't have time to talk about this and talk. Talk about my penis. How it feels about anybody.

[Natalie Jean]

Well, also, you think about it like, it's not like, oh, he's chosen not to have relationships. Like, he's still a slave to Micah. He is a part. Like he's got so much work to do. It's not like he's even choosing. This is probably. He just hasn't even like opened his heart for a moment to let himself feel anything.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah, he's got to be killing people all the time.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

He's glad. So Hunt is glad in this moment in the book to have a lead, but he's super irritated that he has to now work alongside Rune, that son of a bitch. As Hunt goes off to make the call to Justinian, Bryce and Ruhn talk over what has just been revealed still inside of Rune's shadows. Bryce wants to know if the Autumn King has anything to do with the murders. She had said she didn't believe that he did before, but now with this new information and the fact that he's supposed to be looking for the horn, she's like, did he do it right? And Ruhn is adamant that he doesn't think his father did it. Even though Ruhn hates his dad, he doesn't have any reason to believe that he committed these murders. She asks why Ruhn has told her any of this, like any of the things that. Like the warnings and everything. And he tells her he wants to help her. He wants to help her investigation too. She gets angry and basically says, we can work together out of necessity, but doesn't change our personal relationship, so don't even try to be my brother.

[Natalie Jean]

She's just hurt.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And in this moment we get a tiny sense of what happened between them in the past through their argument. And because she said it doesn't change our personal relationship. Rune feels hurt and he says sarcastically, he wouldn't expect her to listen anyway. Why would I listen to you?

[Natalie Jean]

She seethed.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I'm just a half bred slut, right? Oof, that's rough to come back from. Like calling somebody, including your family members, a slut is hard when you're saying it in anger. If you're like making jokes also with.

[Natalie Jean]

A half breed slut like that, I mean that.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

That's like a slur in Midgard.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It's not something that you should certainly call your fucking sister, Rune.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Although we don't get a sense of what she said before that and where.

[Natalie Jean]

It'S like it's also remembering that hurt people, her people. And you think about that for a second. You think about. And we don't know what was going on between them. Right.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

So you do have to take that in consideration. Maybe she said something just as horrible. Although he should know better as being the older, much older brother.

[Natalie Jean]

I know, but, you know, man, siblings are. Oh, God, are they the ones that know exactly how to attack? And they can attack, like, so with.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Like, such a precision, just.

[Natalie Jean]

And exactly. They don't need much to take you out at the knees, and you're just like. And it just makes you not want to be vulnerable with anyone. And weirdly enough, it's funny because MJ and I have talked about this a lot. MJ and their brother, they grew up and they acted like brothers growing up.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Mj, your co host from your other podcast, page seven.

[Natalie Jean]

And Henry and I acted like sisters. We were definitely more vicious with our words. Well, let's be real. I was vicious with my words. And Henry just took it.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

He was busy wearing your mother's dresses as capes to play Phantom of the Opera, which is a real thing that happened.

[Natalie Jean]

Or he was playing one of his made up. You know, he's playing the Flying grape, which is one of his made up characters, you know, so who knows what was happening? He didn't have the time to call me a half breed slut is what I'm saying. And maybe it's for the best.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

So, I mean, probably because during that argument, it was what ended their relationship. And he. He cringes because he knows that's not a good thing to say. And he tries to tell her she knows it was just in the heat of the moment, but she shrugs him off, essentially kind of calling him a poser rich baby, and storms off after Hunt, who's finishing up his phone call, leaving Ruhn alone in his shadows.

[Natalie Jean]

Which is so not fair either, Bryce, because you have to remember, it's not like he had a great upbringing either. And you know that.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah.

[Natalie Jean]

So you also know it really hurts him to call him a poser rich baby when, like, that's just not what he is. But on the outside, it looks like, oh, you're just hanging out with your bros in your big frat house, smoking your mirth root, not giving a shit.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Hey, 75 years, punk.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, man. You gotta live the life, man. But also, he knows that he is, like, born for more. He's. He is. He's a prince. He's a starboard prince.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

He didn't have a choice. No matter. It just found him.

[Natalie Jean]

But it ends with him. Whoa.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

It ends with him. It ends with him. So, yeah, Run is left alone in his shadows, just sitting there, very Eeyore core, just in the corner in the shadows, just going, oh, man. Everybody left. Bryce had to run back to work, where Jesupa immediately begins barking orders at her because, of course, she was called away from Griffin's to meet run when.

[Natalie Jean]

She probably was supposed to be out to be working.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And so Jesupa's like, where are you? What you gotta do? And so this is the leopard shifter section, where they talk about the breast nuzzling. She has to deal with this shifter who she thinks is pretty pervy, before she can start to do her own research on the horn. Even though she has all this info now she needs to look through.

[Natalie Jean]

I do feel like it's got to be really difficult to trust any kind of shifter, you know, because they're literally shifty. That's the thing. They live a whole lot like a separate brain life as a different animal that, like, I feel like I wouldn't trust a shifter. They have to have some Lisandra with not understanding, but throwing a glass.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Lissandra lover. Yeah, but like, they can't be fully animals when they shift because then the animal would just be like, where's a bug? Where's a book?

[Natalie Jean]

Right.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Hungry?

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, give me a bug. So I guess they do have a human brain in there, at least somewhat.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Right? I would assume it probably is more primal or something.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, like a little bit more unhinged. Like you can't really control it. Quite. I guess it also would depend on what kind of animal you turn in into.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Tasmanian devil.

[Natalie Jean]

That would be awesome.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Tasmanian devils are not actually very exciting.

[Natalie Jean]

What, they don't spin around?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

No. And they're tiny.

[Natalie Jean]

What are they? Also really, really mean.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I don't know if they're mean.

[Natalie Jean]

That's my lore. I'm sticking to it. According to me, they're all mean.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

They give you one star on Yelp.

[Natalie Jean]

Oh, God, I hate when we get. And don't get me started on badger reviews. Oh, it's just like, oh, you're gonna take the word of a badger? Badger.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

All they do is complain.

[Natalie Jean]

No, I'm busy being eeyore core over here. Right. Oh, my tail is going to fall off again.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, yeah. You're being ruined right now. Yeah. Now she's back at Griffin's and she has. She's got to deal with this thing, and then she. She gets the leopard out and she goes back down. She starts searching through all of these stuff in. Because you figure if anybody has any info on this stuff, it's gonna be Jespa and some of her weird books.

[Natalie Jean]

Oh, yeah.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

But she can't find Anything. She's searching and searching, and she just is like, I have not to add to this information. So she gets frustrated and she becomes impatient. So she's just like, okay, I'll go back. I'll start listing locations of Danica again. And she finishes it out from earlier that day, this time without Hunt, who had remained outside making all the phone calls to get people on the tip of trying to find what's going on with the horn. So she's alone this time.

[Natalie Jean]

By the time the sun was near setting and Syrinx was ready to be walked home, Bryce would have traded what was left of her soul to a reaper just for the quiet comfort of her bed. It had been a long fucking day, full of information she needed to process and a list that she'd left in her desk drawer.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

So she basically goes home just exhausted and. And just passes out in bed. So there's no more interactions. She's feeling emotionally drained completely from this.

[Natalie Jean]

Well, this is a lot of information. And also, like, bringing back up a bunch of shit she probably doesn't want.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

To deal with, dealing with her brother, thinking about Danika.

[Natalie Jean]

It's a lot.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

It's a lot. So the next morning, Bryce is back at the office, and she gets a call from Jesiba asking her, well, demanding demands that Bryce go up to her personal office to get a specific file. So this is the first time we've been in Jesupa's office, which is kind of on the second floor with the big window overlooking. I don't know why I always think of, like, a grocery store for some reason, because the manager usually sits up in the top of Big ass. Gross.

[Natalie Jean]

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. That you could, like, see down. Yeah, Gotcha. Yeah. Yeah.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

So I. That's what I envision her. Her office looks like. And so we have never entered in here. But now Bryce has to go up to get something for Jesica. And as Bryce is going up, she doesn't really. She's not happy about doing it. She's, like, distracted by other stuff. And Jesper, kind of guess, like, gets a little hint of snippiness in Bryce's voice, and she does not care for it. She threatens to turn Bryce into a worm.

[Natalie Jean]

Okay, Jesiba, you're already very scary. You don't have to threaten to turn everybody into animals.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

But she makes it very clear that Bryce is not to question her commands.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, her requests.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

It. The. The conversation reminds Bryce that Jesupa has, as we've learned, already transferred to the house of flame. And Shadow on her own accord, which.

[Natalie Jean]

Scary.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Sketchy at best. Not really sure why she did that, but it seems like for nefarious purposes, probably, yeah. So as she enters this. This office space that we haven't seen yet, filled with Jesupa's treasures and wonders, she turns on the overhead lights.

[Natalie Jean]

The lights illuminated a dismantled gun hanging on the wall behind the desk. The godslayer rifle, gleaming as fresh as it had the day it had been forged. She could have sworn a faint whine radiated from the gold and steel, like the legendary lethal gun was still ringing after a shot.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Just annoying.

[Natalie Jean]

Very scary. If that was coming at me, I'd be like, oh, end it. Make that stop.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

So she notes also that the gun is broken into four pieces, but can easily be reassembled. It's almost set up like it's artwork. And maybe you wouldn't even think that it worked, but it does.

[Natalie Jean]

I love our researchers. Note. Note our novels. Chekhov's gun moment.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

It's very good.

[Natalie Jean]

It's a God Slayer rifle on the wall. Don't worry about it, guys. Yeah, yeah, sure, yeah, it's there. It's ready to be used, but yeah, we don't know. We don't know. I don't think we need it or nothing. Just so you guys know that we know that there's a God Slayer rifle on the wall.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

But thank you, Jess. We don't necessarily get a full description of what the God Slayer rifle is, but you can kind of assume from context clues what it is. A very powerful weapon that is also extremely rare. Bryce also knows another major piece of info. A very specific, very special bullet sits in the safe in that room, etched with the words memento mori, just like in the meat market. So this is a weapon, Like a major weapon, it seems it's called a God Slayer. So put it together.

[Natalie Jean]

It seems pretty scary. Yeah. Yeah.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And so, you know, just of note, she. She does Jessica Jesiba's bidding, but also gently in that conversation, as she finishes retrieving the file for Jesiba, decides to just ask Jesper if she by any chance knows, you know, off the cuff, anything about, like, Luna's horn or something.

[Natalie Jean]

Not that you're. I know. Not that I would own something. I don't know. Yeah, especially when your voice gets up. Have you thought about that? Jesus.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Jesiba is quiet for a moment and then asks if this is something to do with her investigation. Jesiba immediately knows what's up, and it's.

[Natalie Jean]

Almost like she's hundreds of years old or something. And, like, remembers that Luna's horn is missing or remembers I just, like, her friends. Like, I'm just going to ask. Just who knows?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I mean, why not? But then, Jesiba, see, it seems to, like, likes. I don't know, like, make her prickle up or, like, something. She has a weird reaction and she just says, I don't know anything. And she just, like, hangs up the phone. So that's not helpful. Bryce returns to what else she has to do that day, dreading the words the viper queen has told her, look towards where it hurts most.

[Natalie Jean]

No, that's like, the opposite of where I want to look.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Please, please, do I have to?

[Natalie Jean]

It's like every. Every week when I go to therapy, I'm just like, oh, I know we need to, like, get through it and, like, process it and everything, but, like, can I just be fixed? Can we just snap our fingers and I'm fixed. Apparently, that's not how it works.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, that's what they.

[Natalie Jean]

What?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

That's what they want you to believe.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, they're all scam artists. Therapists are scam artists. That's not true. I desperately need my therapist.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

No, it's very, very helpful. Before she can proceed, though, Hunt begins to blow up her phone. She answers it like, hello, there's been another murder.

[Natalie Jean]

His voice was tight, cold. She nearly dropped the phone.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Who? Oh, God. Oh, my God, not again. She's in a panic. It's not what she wanted to hear that day. Hunt tells her that they need to get over there. He basically shows up at the front door of Griffin's and says, we're going right now. She tries to brush it off and say, oh, I can't. Like, I'm busy right now, like, trying to be, like, kind of standoffish about it.

[Natalie Jean]

That ain't working with Hunt, babe.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And he's basically like, get in. We're going shopping.

[Natalie Jean]

Yes, please.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

So she starts to follow him. And I think in this moment, Hunt mistakes her tone for her normal kind of flip and behavior because she kind of tries to brush it off.

[Natalie Jean]

But he doesn't know her well enough yet.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

He's not really realizing she's starting to spiral from panic. Also, he seems. He's probably so used to death at this point that he probably doesn't even think about, oh, yeah, another mutilated body.

[Natalie Jean]

Or just also having to, like, understand. And I think in the opposite perspective of, like, him dealing with the emotions of another person that he has not had to deal with, with it and. Or care about in hundreds of years, you know, and, like, that's not something you could just flip a switch. And all of a sudden you're like, hey, what's up? What's going on? Let's, like, get into this. Let's process it together. That's just not who he is. She's like, what, are you upset? Somebody died. We got to get. We got shit to do.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

So she kind of just agrees or at least follows him out without fighting too hard.

[Natalie Jean]

Bryce's entire body was taut to the point of near trembling as she and Hunt approach the magiscreens blocking the alley a few blocks away from the old square gate.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Basically screens so people can't see the carnage behind where the crime happened. So this is nearby where they were the day before. And she's having a hard time focusing on what's going on. She's getting sort of that feeling that people can get sometimes where. I mean, at least I know this feeling of when you start to, like, panic is mixed with, like, dread and depression or, like, sadness, and then you start to get almost, like. It's like almost feeling, like, fainting a.

[Natalie Jean]

Little bit when it's just. I think that it's like when you're so overwhelmed with a bunch of oppressive emotions that you almost can't function, where it's almost like you can't even stand up. Like, you actually do feel faint. You must sit, because it's just too overwhelming. And. And I've had that experience before. I'm sure you have had that experience before when it's just too much.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

So she's doing that and trying to make it look like she's not, like, doing that, which is another thing that happens a lot when you're in that situation.

[Natalie Jean]

I'm fine. No, everything's fine. And you just want everyone to stop looking. You don't talk to you out. You'll be fine.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah. Yeah. But she hears. She's present enough to hear his words that the body they're going to see right now, it looks like it was an acolyte from Luna's temple, just like they had seen the night prior.

[Natalie Jean]

Blood had splashed across the bricks of the building, pooled on the cracked stones of the alley floor, splattered on the sides of the dumpster. And beside that dumpster, as if someone had chucked them out of a bucket, sat clumps of red pulp. A torn robe lay beside the carnage.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Ew.

[Natalie Jean]

Another one of these, man. Just ripped apart into chunks.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Chunks, I feel like.

[Natalie Jean]

Do you think if you see the third body ripped apart by, like, Chunk by chunk, do you stop? Does it not affect you as much? I think, wait. You gotta wait till you see, like, a hundred bodies of red pulp.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I think you should never, never feel nothing for that. I think probably that's, like, a good sign to stop doing whatever job you're doing.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah. If you keep seeing all the red pulp, maybe go somewhere else.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Or if you're not affected by it. I mean, if you just see it and you're like, oh, there's some lumps, and you don't care that maybe you shouldn't do that job anymore.

[Natalie Jean]

I mean, Hunt certainly needs a therapist, but, you know, we won't need to deal. Like, I'd love to talk to some of the therapists from Lunathy. And just in general, just to see how they get.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

How do you deal with.

[Natalie Jean]

How are you doing? Because I know therapists definitely need therapists, so I don't know, man.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

So seeing this is not helping her fainting spells. She's really getting, like, basically dizzy of what I would call it, not just from the crying scene and. But, Oh, I don't know, all the ptsd.

[Natalie Jean]

She walked into the murder scene in her own apartment when your best friend's.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Torso was laid across your bed and you.

[Natalie Jean]

Yes. In your own bedroom where you could see where they were reaching for each other as they were pulverized. Yeah. I think she's got a couple of bad memories in there.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

She's about to basically drop when a hand. She feels a hand on her shoulder, and it pulls her away from the scene. But it's not Hunt. Ruhn has suddenly appeared, and he is brothering the heck out of her. I know he is telling her to look away, that she doesn't need to be at this crime scene, even though that's really what she'd prefer. She kind of yanks herself away from him and says, don't touch me.

[Natalie Jean]

Doesn't need anybody to fawn over her. She doesn't need any help. She's still at that portion run.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Chastises Hunt for bringing her here. Basically saying, why did you do this? You're an. Hunt is a little sheepish because I think maybe he's realizing how much Bryce is freaking out.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

But he also says, I told. I warned her about it. And the boys begin to bicker about her, basically. And as she walks away, and, which.

[Natalie Jean]

Man will take care of me? I know that that's not what you should feel, but that's just how I feel.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

It's. She doesn't want it, but it's Also both of them doing it out of a concern.

[Natalie Jean]

Concern and care. Yes.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

So that I don't think that's like the worst thing on earth. It's maybe a little irritating, but it's because they care about her and they both are telling her how to feel in certain ways. But it's like other opposite ends of the spectrum and she doesn't really need that from either of them. She just decides after Rune shows up she just starts walking away. Both of them really. And just lamenting her past. She's thinking about how in the at different days she would start this healing process by dancing. And she doesn't even have that. And that is also bringing her a lot of sorrow in this moment. Just sort of lamenting who she was before all of this.

[Natalie Jean]

A rain kissed scent brushed her nose as Hunt fell into step beside her. And there he was. Another memory from that night.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

She means the night of the murders of course, because he had sewed her up if you'll recall. Even though she's not super aware. I don't think that he did that. She knows he was there because of being in the police station.

[Natalie Jean]

Imagine the patches of what you remember from an experience like that. You know, or I could assume and.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I guess remembering his scent from that night.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And that's probably. I don't know if it's like a super negative thing, but it's like another trauma thing probably to have another sensory memory of that. That.

[Natalie Jean]

That night while looking at the carnage of an acolyte on the street. Yeah, it's a lot.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

But she doesn't bite his head off. She doesn't tell him to get away. They just are kind of talking as she exits the scene. And he seems to try to be getting her to talk. And he asks her how she survived that night. How did she survive the Kristalos?

[Natalie Jean]

I didn't survive, she mumbled, crossing a street and edging around a car, idling in the interaction.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

It got away. But the crystallos pinned Micah ripped open his chest.

[Natalie Jean]

She nearly tripped over the curb and whipped around to gape at him.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

That was Micah the. The angel. We've learned just now the angel that was being mauled in that alley was the Archangel Michael, Micah. And this is something Bryce didn't know before this moment. And that's where we need to end today. We are going to need to work through more chapters per episode moving forward. But there's just so much stuff happening.

[Natalie Jean]

It's just the front half of this book is so dense with lore and setting up the world and we know SJM's very good at it. But now the story is starting to really churn, and I know that it will clip along from here. We had to get the world building. We had to get the world building in there.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

We have. There's so much information in those. Those chapters. That's all we should do today, because it's like, enough. And I want to go. I want to go. Go down.

[Natalie Jean]

Whoa. Just because I'm run doesn't mean it's time for you to make a move. Up or down?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Up.

[Natalie Jean]

It. This show is made possible by listeners like you, thanks to our ad sponsors. You can support our shows by supporting them. For more shows like the one you just listened to, go to lastpodcastnetwork.com.