LPN Deep Dives: HOFAS / Episode 8: Bones for Brains

Summary

LPN Deep Dives: Crescent City – HOFAS / Episode 8: Bones for Brains

Release Date: July 14, 2026
Hosts: Natalie Jean & Jackie Zebrowski
Main Theme:
A humorous, in-depth breakdown and fan discussion of Sarah J. Maas’s Crescent City series, focusing this week on the increasingly high-stakes, multi-POV events of House of Flame and Shadow, with a special emphasis on Ethan’s questionable smartness (“bones for brains”), the power-dynamics of the Viper Queen, Lydia’s covert actions, and tunnel explorations with Bryce, Nesta, and Azriel.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Opening Banter: Bones, Marrow, and Aging (01:19–06:45)

• The hosts kick off with lighthearted banter about skeletons, bone faces, and “bones for brains,” poking fun at Ethan’s intelligence.
• Jackie muses on the concept of bone marrow, sharing an anecdote about a friend eating only marrow before a night out and regretting it (03:11).
  • [04:10] Jackie: "Back then...could have been pukin’ for a lot of reasons...that’s the fun of being young. But, like, if you do that at a 40th birthday party...not as fun anymore."
• Discussion shifts to aging, self-acceptance, and the myth of women’s “prime” being in their 20s.
  • [05:26] Natalie: "That is a really powerful thing to say to women in their 20s who are like, 'is this it?' Because the message gets sent over and over...that that's your prime...But that is only because that is the time you are the most vulnerable and the most naive to be taken advantage of."

2. Cosplay, Sisterhood, and Skeleton Mishaps (06:45–11:11)

• Jackie and Natalie riff on cosplaying as Crescent City characters—Jackie in her sister’s borrowed (dirty) Bryce shirt, Natalie with “bone hat” hair for comic effect.
• A neighborly woe: the accidental destruction of their patio skeleton by roofers, leading to a search for replacement arms and speculation about skeleton repair.
  • [08:19] Natalie: "They gotta pay for skeleton surgery. Yes. You're not gonna just throw that skeleton out because he lost his arms."
  • [09:19] Jackie: "Can everyone please pour one out for Mr. Bone Face."
• Light mockery of NFT culture and podcasting for the public good, contrasting their wholesome, humorous podcasting goals with the “manosphere” and podcasting scams.

3. Chapter 13 Deep Dive: The Viper Queen’s Power Moves & Ethan’s Blunders (14:05–35:13)

Setting:

Ethan, the “fumble bumbler” of the crew, seeks an audience with the Viper Queen in the labyrinthine meat market.

The Power Dynamic

• The Viper Queen makes Ethan wait five hours before granting him a meeting—pure intimidation.
  • [15:06] Jackie: "It's a fun bitch move to make though. ...It's like, I'm in here. I could talk to you but I’m not gonna."
• Their interactions are fraught with manipulation, highlighted by the Queen toying with and taunting Ethan, especially about his feelings and ambitions regarding Sabine (the current wolf leader).
• The Viper Queen is depicted as "so hot" and “impossible not to want to cosplay.”
  • [15:22] Jackie: "Every time Viper Queen is in a chapter, I'm like, you can't dress like Viper Queen again. ...I just want to be the Viper Queen."

The Bargain Conversation

• Ethan wants to know how to free Tharion from the Queen's grasp.
• The Queen seems to want Ethan to kill Sabine to secure his friend, leading to Ethan inwardly panicking about having to make such a choice.
• She ultimately proposes Ethan fight in her fight ring (not kill Sabine) as the price.
  • [31:04] Natalie: "No, she wants Ithan to get into the fight ring. ...Just one time though. And just for her the following night."
• The hosts revel in Ethan’s lack of strategy and the Queen's frustration that he isn’t making her work harder—highlighting how outmatched he is.
  • [32:46] Natalie: "More than anything, she's irritated that he's not making it harder."
• Terms are set with Ethan requiring Tharion be released and allowed to dry out from venom.
  • [33:01] Natalie: "Smug and satisfied, the Viper Queen gets up, indicating the meeting is over."
• Parting barb: The Queen tells Ethan to “Make your brother proud,” further twisting the knife about his family trauma.
  • [35:42] Natalie: "Make your brother proud." (Ouch.)

4. POV Shift: Lydia (The Hind) and Covert Resistance Moves (36:09–61:25)

The Asteri Palace

• Lydia returns to her ornate yet oppressive chambers after her meat market visit, reflecting on the double lives the powerful lead (buying drugs is normal in this society), her feelings of isolation, and her precarious position as a double agent.
  • [39:58] Jackie: "She's bad to the bone."
• Brief Real Housewives digression, comparing the debauchery of the Asteri to reality TV.

Pollux Scene

• Pollux, Lydia’s cruel partner, is depicted in a darkly comedic yet disturbing segment; she feigns early menstrual cycle (using magic contraceptives) to evade his advances.
  • [44:33] Jackie: "I love in any fantastical series when they don’t explain it... You don't you want no baby juice in magic world? We got no baby juice for you."
  • [47:53] Jackie: "I like it when my partner gets hard because I’m in pain."
• Use of period stigma is discussed as a shield for bodily autonomy, a recurring theme in fantasy romance written by women.

Lydia's Coded Call

• Lydia uses a burner phone, hidden in tampon boxes (a gendered safekeeping method her male partner would never discover), to contact OPHION and initiate a secret plan to save Rune and potentially trigger a resistance comeback.
  • [50:29] Jackie: “So uncomfortable that you could do a whole war crime inside the boxes of tampons and they wouldn’t know.”
  • Notable tangent: Natalie shares a real story about hiding cash in "gross girl health cereal" to escape an abusive marriage, drawing powerful parallels to Lydia's situation and the real-world organization Unchained at Last.
• The call reveals how decimated and disheartened the resistance is following heavy losses; Lydia’s plan is a last hope.
  • [57:21] Jackie: "Agent Daybright, I...I don’t think that there’s anyone to mobilize."
  • [59:19] Jackie: "I felt like there was no hope....I think that's part of the reason why I was struggling with this book when I first read it..."
• Lydia smashes the phone and scatters it out the window, a gesture of finality and desperation.
  • [61:01] Natalie: “Lydia ended the call and crushed the phone in her fist until only shards of plastic and glass remained.”

5. Tunnel Adventures: Bryce, Nesta, and Azriel (62:05–74:02)

Setting:

Bryce, Nesta, and Azriel wade through freezing tunnels in search of escape and answers, dressed in scavenged and sentimental gear.

Character Moments

• Discussion of why Azriel, with wings, is still slogging through tunnels—maybe ceilings too low. Humorous conjecture about his personality and intelligence versus Ethan.
• Nesta confides to Bryce about her recently manifested eight-pointed star tattoo, which matches Bryce’s chest scar. The hosts speculate on the significance and the potential for a Nesta-Bryce bond.
  • [66:24] Jackie: "Feel my breasty scars. That what you’re asking about?"
  • They joke about whether this marks them as “best friends”… Nesta stoically declines.
  • [67:29] Natalie: “Are they? …Nesta does not smile.”
  • Dialogue spins off momentarily on cauldron magic and trauma healing in the SJM multiverse.

Encounter with Giant Skeleton

• The group finds a massive, intact skeleton—"not a worm skeleton, but something like the Sobex, only bigger."
  • [71:12] Jackie: "How scary would that be if you saw a full skeleton but there was just hands growing out of it?"
• The hosts riff on “worm folk” and festivals, and speculate jokingly about what manner of creature left such remains.

Cliffhanger: Worm Attack!

• Just as they’re examining the carved archway and mysterious male figure, the city’s legendary worm erupts from the river behind them.
  • [74:02] Natalie: "The midden guard worm...exploded from the river behind them."

---

Memorable Quotes

• Natalie (05:26): “That is a really powerful thing to say to women in their 20s…that that’s your prime…only because that is the time you are the most vulnerable.”
• Jackie (15:06): “It’s a fun bitch move to make though. …It’s like, I’m in here. I could talk to you, but I’m not gonna.”
• Jackie (31:47): "Get the weakest one. Get them solo to be able to do your bidding. Make them wait out there for five hours."
• Natalie (33:01): “‘Smug and satisfied, the Viper Queen gets up, indicating the meeting is over.’"
• Natalie (35:42): "Make your brother proud." (Ouch.)
• Jackie (47:53): "I like it when my partner gets hard because I’m in pain."
• Natalie (54:10): “...unfortunately it is still legal to marry a child in the United States in 34 states currently in the year 2026…”
• Natalie (61:22): "She's so hot. I love her. She's so scary."

---

Important Timestamps

• 01:19 – Intro banter, bone metaphors, aging, and body image
• 06:45 – Cosplay, skeleton mishaps, and podcasting for good vs. evil
• 14:05 – Chapter 13 analysis: Ethan’s meeting with the Viper Queen
• 18:02 – Recap: Hind’s instructions for rescuing Rune, layers of trust issues
• 25:41 – The Viper Queen’s taunting psychological approach to Ethan
• 31:04 – The fight ring bargain, Ethan’s naiveté, terms of the deal
• 36:09 – POV switch to Lydia (The Hind); life at the Asteri Palace
• 43:31 – Pollux confrontation, period magic as a shield, consent commentary
• 50:04 – Lydia’s covert phone call, tampon-box espionage, real-world connections
• 62:05 – Back to Bryce/Nesta/Azriel: tunnel slog, star tattoos, trauma bonding
• 71:04 – Discovery: giant skeleton, "worm folk" theorizing
• 74:02 – Massive worm attack cliffhanger

---

Highlights & Tone

• The episode blends analytical and passionate discussion with irreverent, personal, and often raunchy humor.
• The hosts frequently jump from close reading to feminism and body politics, pop culture, personal anecdotes, and back again to SJM world-building.
• The MVPs of the episode are the power plays of the Viper Queen, the emotional and psychological resilience (yet loneliness) of Lydia/The Hind, and the endlessly suffering—yet somehow endearing—tunnel survivors Bryce, Nesta, and Azriel.

---

Listen Next / Reading Assignment

Read up to Chapter 16 for the next episode (per Jackie at [74:53]).

---

This deep dive is perfect for fans who want both a critical AND comedic take on Crescent City—especially those who enjoy wildly tangential humor and personal asides about sisterhood, skeleton mishaps, and the realities of being a woman, both in fantasy and real life.

Transcript

[Ad Voice]

Prime presents perfect pairings. What pairs with Reacher on Prime. Reaching for a sparkling punch delivered with Prime. It's an unbelievable feeling when you're enjoying a punch at the same time. Preacher is enjoying punching people. Wow. He's still punching people. Entertainment meets fish. Fast delivery. It's on prime.

This is a Monday.com ad. The same Monday.com helping people worldwide, getting work done faster and better. The samemonday.com designed for every team and every industry. The samemonday.com with built in AI scaling your work from day one. The same Monday.com that your team will actually love. Using the same Monday.com with an easy and intuitive setup. Go to Monday.com and try it for free. Yes, the same Monday.com.

[Natalie Jean]

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

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Natalie, are you actively threatening me right now? You're a skeleton. Are you a skeleton of Ethan's smarts?

[Natalie Jean]

Ouch.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah, I said it out the gate. Ethan ain't that smart, all right. And I bet he's just got bones for brains. Uh oh. She's crickling and crackling. Uh oh. No heads.

[Ad Voice]

No.

[Natalie Jean]

There's skin inside these bones.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

What else are the bones capable of? There's a face.

[Natalie Jean]

There's a face in the bones.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

But I will say that bone face has really great eye color. I really feel like you really. You bone faces make it pop with just a little bit of baby blue.

[Natalie Jean]

I don't know if you should be speaking on bone faces.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, why is my face not bony enough for you?

[Natalie Jean]

It's fleshy.

Sorry.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Sorry to disappoint everybody.

[Natalie Jean]

If.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Especially if you're watching the filmed version of this for the first time. Unfortunately, face covered in flesh.

[Natalie Jean]

It's lush, plump flesh.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And you got good flesh underneath that bone face, though.

[Natalie Jean]

Thank you. It's very upsetting to think about skin inside of bones.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Maybe that's all marrow is. What if it's skin? You don't want to skin the inside of the bones, do you?

[Natalie Jean]

I wonder if any anyone's ever tried to figure that out. Probably not.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah. You should ask a doctor in your life.

[Natalie Jean]

Maybe scientists should look inside of bones.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah. Be like, is bone marrow cancer also skin cancer? And if that is the case, wouldn't you also be doing different things besides just taking the marrow out of the bones?

[Natalie Jean]

Why do they. And I know, it's a fancy thing at a restaurant, right?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

You suck marrow out. No. Yeah. You're so not that. But man, I'll never forget specifically one time before we went to go out on my 30th birthday when we were all going to go on a party

[Natalie Jean]

bus, we weren't there. We were in Los Angeles.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

You didn't get to go on this. We had a great time at my 30th birthday, and we all went out to dinner beforehand, and we were all very broke, but we were trying to go out to a nice place. And I remember our buddy Kellen only ate for dinner. He got the full bone marrow. Bone that was just a marrow smear that you put on some. Some like little pieces of bread. But that's all he ate. And that was so sick, because before you go on a party bus to drink all night long, you don't just.

[Natalie Jean]

Not marrow.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Marrow.

[Natalie Jean]

Don't just eat bone marrow.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

You know, it's not enough to line the stomach. And it really was. I just remember him. He was so sad as he puked on the street later that night.

[Natalie Jean]

Kellen. Back then, it could have been puking for a lot.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

It could have been pu. For a lot of reason. And that's the fun of being young. But, you know, if you do that at a 40th birthday party, I feel like it's not as fun anymore.

[Natalie Jean]

Pukin.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah.

[Natalie Jean]

But then when you get to your 50th, you're so out of that. Maybe it's fun again again.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

It goes full circle. I mean, at least, I don't know.

[Ad Voice]

The.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

The women and Real Housewives of New York seem to be having a blast in their 50s. So I think that's really our 50s.

[Natalie Jean]

The new 20s.

Discuss. I hope not, because you do really dumb and bad things in your 20s, generally, and we should know better.

[Ad Voice]

Yeah.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

But technically, if you think about this, then aren't your 30s and your 40s for doing great, and then you throw it all away in your 50s?

[Natalie Jean]

Okay.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Living to die. Yeah. I mean, my mom says if she were given millions of dollars, she'd never go back to her twenties. Ever. Ever.

[Natalie Jean]

Never.

I wouldn't.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

She's like the youngest. I would go. She said specifically 37. She said that's the youngest. She would go. And I was like, okay, I can see that.

[Natalie Jean]

Mid 30s and up. Yeah, all the way.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

That's about it. And I really, honestly, I took it to heart. And I remember when she told me that when I was really struggling in my 20s, and it did make. Feel better.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, good. I. I think that's a really powerful thing to say to women in their 20s who are like, is this it? Because the message gets sent over and over again by terrible Gross people. Not all men, but a lot of men. That. That's your prime. But that is only because that is the time you are the most vulnerable and the most naive to be taken advantage of.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And so look at her. Does she look like the kind of creature that would take advantage of you? No bone face.

[Natalie Jean]

And this is the choice that I

[Jackie Zabrowski]

made for me in my 40s to scare away everybody.

[Natalie Jean]

Yep.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

This is why we cosplay. Honestly, highly recommend in your life if you'd like to scare people. Just start cosplaying every day. And not that it means that we're broken mentally. It means that it could scare people. Because we want to live in the books, guys. We don't want to live out here anymore. We want to live in the books. Yeah. So put a wig on it. Have a smile. Put a wig on. Maybe put a bone face on it.

[Natalie Jean]

Put a bone on it.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Because it's also fun to think, like, why did your hands get birthed earlier?

[Natalie Jean]

Was it because they were inside the bones?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Because they were inside of the bones. And this is why. This is what women should be thinking about. You know, how do we birth the hands from inside of the bones?

[Natalie Jean]

Exactly. Mull on that for a while, won't you, Nahla? Not marrow for a minute.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

But I do want to say thank you, Natalie, because Natalie let me borrow her Bryce shirt because I brought a shirt that I was gonna have to dirty up. And now sisters share dirty shirts.

[Natalie Jean]

You.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I didn't. I remember last time, I just kept making fun of how she was covered in her own make. So I guess this time I'm covered in my sister's make.

[Natalie Jean]

Now the makes on you.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, no, the bakes.

[Natalie Jean]

Now the makes have turned.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, the makes.

[Natalie Jean]

That is what you asked for.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah. And so thank you.

[Natalie Jean]

You're welcome.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I. But it is. It is nice. It's sisters helping each other. And even when they have a bone face, even when we're down in a

[Natalie Jean]

tunnel now it's technically I kind of bone hair because I had to pull it up.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah. For those not watching the video, it's

[Natalie Jean]

more of a bone hat.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

It is probably for the best because I imagine it would sound a little muffled and probably def. The point of us speaking into a microphone.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, it did. I tried. Yeah. I wish. I wish that I could keep this on my face.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, she wishes for a bone face. I don't know what to do, because on our. On our patio, we had a skeleton that was beseeching from across the way to another skeleton. And while they were Working on our roof. They broke the arms off of our skeleton. And now he's armless and he beseeches nothing.

[Natalie Jean]

They broke the skeleton?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yes.

[Natalie Jean]

They gotta pay for a new skeleton.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I'm like, excuse me.

[Natalie Jean]

Actually, not even getting rid of that skeleton. They need to pay for skeleton surgery. Yes. You're not gonna just throw that skeleton out because he lost his arms.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Bring him to the bone doctor. Are you the bone doctor?

[Natalie Jean]

I mean, I'll. I'll take a side of him if you want.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah, yeah.

[Natalie Jean]

His arms back. I bet we could glue his arms back on.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

We gotta find him first. So right now I gotta go out and just find skeleton arms so I can attach it to it.

[Natalie Jean]

Oh, they just threw them away.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

They threw them away.

[Natalie Jean]

Oh, my God.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah, and I know you're busy. Nobody wants to be up on a roof. Nobody wants to be putting it. What, are they working? Yeah, and also they were on very little ladders, very high up in the air. And I. I remember thinking, God, I wouldn't want to do that. And I imagine if your skeleton.

[Natalie Jean]

But think about my skeleton.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Can everyone please pour one out? Pour one out for Mr. Bone Face.

[Natalie Jean]

Well, maybe you can find skeleton arms that are like. Like, like lizard arms or something.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

That is fun. And also, I do use skeleton hand arms for our salad togs.

[Natalie Jean]

You could just tape those on.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

We could just really Little salad dog on the full skeleton. Actually, that's it. See, this is why you bring your problems to other people. We can't keep it on the inside. We got to come on podcast than you, Natalie.

[Natalie Jean]

See, we're. We're using podcasting for good, unlike the manosphere.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah, some of them are using it for evil. But I tell you, if I had stocks that I wanted you to buy, I'd tell you about them, but I ain't got none.

[Natalie Jean]

Nobody will give us any. We keep asking, keep begging.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And I'm like, nfts. I was like, are they still doing those monkey pictures? Can someone do one of us?

[Natalie Jean]

Apparently that was a scam and none of them are worth anything.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

No.

[Ad Voice]

What.

[Natalie Jean]

What? Any of the ABN people

[Jackie Zabrowski]

who may have bought one. Sometimes you see a monkey picture and you think, I gotta spend lots of money on that.

[Natalie Jean]

I gotta get my hands on that. I can't touch it. It's not real. But I gotta think about my mind fingers. Gotta get on it.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

But maybe you could hold the skeleton hand. Salad tongs and maybe.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, see, that's what we should be selling. Skeleton fingers that can hold NFTs in

[Jackie Zabrowski]

them and Honestly, it's like, you know, it is like the other swords where it's like, that can only kill dead things. And maybe that's what we need. This is what they roof people were doing. They were telling of us, of our future, girl.

[Natalie Jean]

Thank you, roof people.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Ah, wow.

[Natalie Jean]

Also, thank you for fixing roofs and getting on ladders.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Thank you for doing it so I don't have to. I mean, look at me, I'm dirty. I'm covered in my sister's neck. I can't get up there. I'm on a tunnel.

[Natalie Jean]

That. That is an isolated clip is just a lot to take in. Not understanding what we're talking about. Covered in your sister's mate.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

But everybody I know, we know that you guys are following along word by word, and we thank you for your service.

[Natalie Jean]

I was using my dog's poop in the joke in my mind. So it's not my poop.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, I'm glad that we've talked this out because as I put this on, I fully accepted I was covered in your make. And I was surprised that, honestly, even though I made the joke last time, it really is. I think you're a vegetarian.

[Natalie Jean]

Oh, it doesn't smell that bad.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

That's the. I think that's. It's the plants. I think that's what does it. And actually, I feel like I'm covered in fibers. So I feel like I could sell this as a fiber shirt and people would get it and people would purchase it, like the protein chips and the fiber chips now that they have out, which is ridiculous because yesterday I was like, doesn't taste any different. I bought for 8 and a half dollars, you can buy 10 ounces of Doritos where they're like, this time it doesn't have artificial dye in it that's going to kill you. But don't worry, you can still buy the ones with all the artificial stuff in it. You think they just take it out?

[Natalie Jean]

Thanks, rfk. You've really helped save the world. But there's fiber in it. There's extra fiber.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I think they're putting fiber dust on the outside of the chips for some reason.

[Natalie Jean]

What is it?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Fiber dust? I think. I think it's crushed up feeds.

[Natalie Jean]

This gotta be one of those things. Where do you know that white bread has had all of the nutrients removed through the bleaching process? And so when it says, like, fortified bread, they've taken all of it out to bleach it and then sprinkled vitamins on top of it. It's like the bread Would have had

[Jackie Zabrowski]

a lot of this vitamin dust. And I mean it's what they do with white rice and as well. So, you know, guys, why have nutrients in our food? That's what chewy fruities are for. And apparently you're only supposed to what, eat in 24 nerd clusters a year or else you're gonna die of carcinogenic levels. But I've never eaten only 24 nerd clusters in one sitting. It's this one study that came out that is just like they're so carcinogenic you couldn't even think about eating more than like 20 something. Me. Meanwhile, every package has like hundreds in.

[Natalie Jean]

They took Zantac off the market completely because of like a low risk of something like that. But they're not going to take nerds clusters off.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

How dare they try to strip the world of our nerd clusters.

[Natalie Jean]

I know. Government overreach. Once again, I'm the president in this scenario.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Honestly, I would trust you dressed like this more.

[Natalie Jean]

President Skull hat.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Thank you, President Skull hat.

[Natalie Jean]

Okay, so we are back at chapter 13. We are buzzing through and last week we had only one scene in the chapter. That is not the case for chapter 13. No. We're seeing a number of different environments. And we are. Oh, we're back. Oh, we're back with the well intended but fumble bumbler Ethan.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Bones for brains. Wolfhound dust.

[Natalie Jean]

Dust is floating around in there. He is making shockingly an impulsive and sure to fail decision in this chapter.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I bet he's gonna fumble his way

[Natalie Jean]

through it, falling upwards just like so many in our nation. So after making him wait outside the office for five hours, which power move the Viper Queen has deign to meet with Ethan at his request.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

God, that is. It's a fun bitch move to make though. It's like, I'm in here. I could talk to you, but I'm not gonna.

[Natalie Jean]

And I might. So you should maybe wait around. But I'm not sure if I will. But you can if you want, I guess.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

God, Viper Queen.

[Natalie Jean]

So hot. Unfortunately, she is.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

It's difficult. Every time Viper Queen is in a chapter, I'm like, you can't dress like Viper Queen again. You can't dress like Viper Queen again. I just want to be the Viper Queen.

[Natalie Jean]

You need more silk outfits. But you won't. You won't do it.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I know. It's the silk jumpsuits. It doesn't have enough give like the second you can make silk stretchy, I'll be your. I don't think it works like that worms make. Come on. Worms. I mean the silkworms. I feel like they could start adding some zest in there. Like the fiber dust. I don't know. Add it to it. Maybe it could stretch.

[Natalie Jean]

Sprinkle some fiber dust on them. Yeah, we got ideas. Let me in the meetings.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah. No one's asking us to be in them. They let us wait outside for five hours but they never bring us in.

[Natalie Jean]

Never bring us in.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Why?

[Natalie Jean]

I think we'd be doing a better job honestly with these ideas. The Viper Queen has finally said, okay, come into the office. As a reminder, Ethan, along with the Fae boys, along with Sigrid and the sprites are all kind of trapped underneath in the labyrinthine quarters of the meat market. Because they kind of just blew Sabine's face off. And then the Ripo Queen saw it. She was like, get underneath. And now you have to hide and figure out what's. What's going to happen. Right. So he's still under there. They're all still under there. But he has kind of made a side quest to go meet with her privately. If you also recall, they had just been confronted with the Hind and all of her mystique. Also in the last time we had reached this little group and God, but

[Jackie Zabrowski]

not the character mystique from X Men. Because in my brain when you just said that I immediately saw the Hind and Misty kissing and I had to bring this up just because.

[Ad Voice]

Wow.

[Natalie Jean]

I would watch that.

Would watch that tip.

[Ad Voice]

The Peloton cross training series makes every workout personal. Peloton IQ helps you move smarter with personalized guidance based on your performance ready to lift heavier weight. Suggestions help you choose the right dumbbells. While form feedback perfects your posture and rep tracking keeps count. Get accurate real time support from your built in personal coach. Work out confidently on the cross training series.

This is a Monday.com ad the same Monday.com designed for every team. The same Monday.com with built in AI scaling your work from day one. The same Monday.com with an easy and intuitive setup. Go to Monday.com and try it for free.

[Natalie Jean]

No, this wasn't a kissing scene. She came in to. They didn't know why she was there. It seemed like she was doing a deal of some sort of and. But apparently she was also there because she claimed to have a be basically be on a journey the trajectory to Free Rune and they need to help her or he will die according to the hind. And this is obviously troubling to them because they don't trust this person.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

No.

[Natalie Jean]

But they really don't have any options. So they're probably going to follow her instructions. She basically laid out a plan for them. Said you do this, this, this and this, and if you don't run's going to die. And that's like, great.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Well, it's just so scary because it's like she's shown her hand, right? She's expressed that she's Agent Daybreak. Like, she's tried.

[Natalie Jean]

They sniffed Rune on her and they

[Jackie Zabrowski]

sniffed Runar, but at the same time, it's like. Or is she just torturing him and is this a fudgeing trap?

[Natalie Jean]

Are the double agent triple agents? Are they secretly quadruple agents?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

We don't know Runes not there to be like, yes, she is that. And especially with where. What he's dealing with right now. I don't even know if he would if he were out.

[Natalie Jean]

But yeah, because he mad.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

He's mad. Oh, man. And there's like, no, they're not giving him any therapy in. In the torture rooms, you know, for him to process.

[Natalie Jean]

You would think that they would let them have breaks where they could process it so they could be torture longer. Because if you start to, like, emotionally

[Jackie Zabrowski]

heal, isn't that like a part of it? Yeah, you let them physically heal. Don't you want them to emotionally heal?

[Natalie Jean]

The therapist in be like, let's talk through this again.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Bring us into the torture meetings. Like, we. We should be asked these things.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, we should be. We should be consulted.

Yeah.

On the torture.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

So meanwhile, I'm, like, scared of this whole book just because of the. The amount of torture in it. No, I. Yeah, but I'm strong. Look at how dirty I am.

[Natalie Jean]

I. Yeah, I'm not good with it. So they. So she has now taken Ethan's request for a meeting, although she's met him in one of her dingier offices, which, again, I kind of see as a power move. Right. Because, like, your first. I would be like, oh, you take him to the most palatial. But that actually reeks of insecurity. If you don't give a. About this person, you bring them into that room and you're like, yeah, what do you want? Like, I'm not bringing you in my fancy quarters.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Especially someone like Ethan, where it's like, no, I'm not gonna show out for. I don't give a what you think about me.

[Natalie Jean]

As he sits in front of her, she doesn't look up from her computer where.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Another power move after five hours of making him sit there. Yes, okay.

[Natalie Jean]

Or she's Undoubtedly doing some kind of underhanded deal on the computer. But I like to think she's just, like, playing solitaire.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yes. Oh, my God. Trying to finish her, you know, like that.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah. Oh, that old ski one.

[Ad Voice]

Yeah.

[Natalie Jean]

Remember the windows? Yeah.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

She's got to have the legs, like, go up like this.

[Ad Voice]

Yes.

[Natalie Jean]

Oh, my God. That just took me back, dude. So finally, after she finishes her game, she acknowledges his presence by asking what he wants.

Ithan crossed his arms. On the desk itself sat a statuette of Kathona carved from black stone. In one arm, the goddess cradled an infant to her bare breast. In the other, she extended an orb, Midgard, out into the room. Kathona, birther of worlds. He touched it idly, gathering his courage.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I wouldn't be touching nothing in that room. No, I. You don't know what, that she deals with shady stuff. Ethan paws off the merchandise. Did you buy it? Don't touch it.

[Natalie Jean]

It's just such a little kid move.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

He's such an Ethan. Like, he's so himself. Like, Ethan, stop being yourself. Stop. But pause down.

[Natalie Jean]

And I know he. The writing was meant to say you, like, reached out for the orb, like, you know, like the statue. But in my mind, he's reaching the other, like, the free boob, because there's one boob that's like breastfeeding. And then he's just, like, holding the other boobs.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I gotta hold the milk inside of it. What if the milk comes out of it? So that's what he thinks. He just thinks all lactating things are always like. You have to put, like, a finger over it to make sure it doesn't. Like a water bed, even a statue.

[Ad Voice]

Yeah.

[Natalie Jean]

So he asks her what she has planned so far as far as Sabine goes. So that was his first. When he. She asks what he wants, he says, what are you planning on doing about the whole Sabine situation? Because Piper Queen was there for when they. The boys blew her face off, and that's probably, like, a big deal to do. And the Viper queen pulls out a cigarette and tells Ethan that she knows what's going on. Amelie took her back to the wolf quarters and hooked her up to first light and her face grew back. And she's pretty much up and about now, and she's not really overly concerned about it. I wonder if when you grow your face back, it's like a facial, right?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

That it's like baby skin. Then it's like when you put this stuff on your feet.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah. Like when you do, like a. This, like, appeal.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yes. Oh, My God. And baby feet, right? Wasn't it called baby feet? The. The masks you put on your feet? And then.

[Natalie Jean]

I know I've never done it. I know you and Jeff have done it.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

We've done baby feet before.

[Natalie Jean]

I hate the name.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

You leave skin everywhere. So, I mean, I tell you, man, you got baby feet after that. It sloughed off, though.

[Natalie Jean]

Shrinks the bones.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah, that's what it is. It's kind of like. It's fast binding. It's like the red light version of binding.

[Natalie Jean]

That's great. What every girl wants. Little fe. Little tiny feet.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

The t. Petite feet.

[Natalie Jean]

And then everybody goes.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

The.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah. The face has grown back. She's just playing like, she doesn't give a. Ethan's kind of stunned that her face has already grown back, that it's gone that quickly, that she's recovering. Vipe toys with him, trying to get him to admit he didn't want Sabine to survive. He grumbles at her, and he's like, no. Because she kind of wants him to, like, admit he wants to take the wolves over and he won't. He's just going like, I don't want.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

No, I wouldn't.

[Natalie Jean]

And it abuses her.

Smoke rippled from her mouth as the viper queen sized him up. Her tongue darted over her purple lower lips, Tasting. Scenting the way snakes smelled.

[Ad Voice]

Cool.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

She's so cool.

[Natalie Jean]

I'm glad that I don't smell with my tongue.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah, you know what?

[Natalie Jean]

Me too.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Especially because while we're doing the show, I'd just be like, so I could know what was going on. And that would be really difficult.

[Natalie Jean]

Sniffing.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Sniffing and licking. Jackie Zabrowski story.

[Natalie Jean]

The Jackie. That's your. That's your autobiography. She points out that this is the first time that she and Ethan have ever met. So this is actually their introduction to one another. And she's, you know, he's not even being polite and introducing himself. She's absolutely toying with him. He's like, oh, nice to meet you, or whatever. She knows of Ethan, though.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

She can feel how stupid he is.

[Natalie Jean]

She loves that man, you know, she loves that.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, yeah. She doesn't want any man thinking that they are smarter than she is.

[Natalie Jean]

So she kind of watches his reaction as he's trying to gauge what she wants. And she's like, I remember who you are. I remember you went against Sabine and ordered a pack of wolves to go out and save humans during the attacks. Interesting. He retorts that, yeah, he was doing a nice thing. It wasn't because I hate Sabine. And it wasn't because I want to be the boss. It was just because it's being nice.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Ethan, shut your snout for a second, all right? You just. Immediately, I feel like it's like one of those where, you know how like a therapist, like, after you say something and then the silence, and then the therapist will not say anything and waits for you to fill the silence with more thoughts. And I feel like that she's just like, go ahead. You'd hang yourself. You say whatever you want. Go ahead, say it.

[Ad Voice]

Oh, yeah.

[Natalie Jean]

And she obviously already kind of knows his. His thoughts and feelings. He's not very good at being stoic about stuff. So it again, seems like she's trying to get out of him that he wants to overthrow Sabine, but he won't directly say that. He points out that she also sent her people out to save humans during that. And she mocks him, saying, yeah, it was the nice thing to do. Viper Queen is always helping people. We know that much.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, yeah. It has nothing to do with what she's gonna have them in the pocket she can hold.

[Natalie Jean]

Ethan tries to cut through the Viper Queen's manipulations by saying that he is not here to play games. Oh, my God.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

But I do play some ball and sometimes video games. But, like, I wouldn't come here to play them.

[Natalie Jean]

Do you have video games here? Maybe we could play them.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, no. I mean, even. Damn it, I'm not playing games.

[Natalie Jean]

She tells him wolves are so boring because he doesn't want to play games. He asks her why she lets Sabine go, since she obviously doesn't seem to like Sabine very much either. But Viper Queen's like, nobody likes Sabine. Obviously, she sucks. The Viper Queen, however, continues to play her game of riddles, pondering on why Ethan let her go. You know, she was down bad.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah, you really could have have took care of business.

[Natalie Jean]

You could have cut her head right off, especially get First Light back.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And I love that the Viper Queen's

[Natalie Jean]

like, why didn't you. Why wouldn't you just then cut their head off?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Because she would.

[Natalie Jean]

And then she kind of goes, oh, well, it should be cig, though, right? In wolf law, that's who should be killing Sabine. Ethan tells her the only way that it is wolf legal to have Sigurd kill Sabine would be to have it done so in, like, a manner in front of pack members, so that basically you become the new leader. So if that happens, it's not considered an assassination. But if she just, like, done that in the meat market, that would have just been like jail. So the. The. The games of war. Suddenly Ethan feels dread. Does the Viper Queen want him to kill Sabine in exchange to free Varian? Because at the end of the day she knows this is what Ethan wants. She wants to see what she's going to be able to get out of him. Ethan has no idea. But he's basically asking what can I do to get Tharion out of this bargain that he's made with you? And suddenly he's like oh my God. She wants me to kill Sabine to do this. The Viper Queen likes seeing him squirm and asks what his brother would think of him out down here consorting with the meat market folk. But she doesn't give him a direct answer to what she wants from him yet.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

It is crazy too that like you'd think the Viper Queen doesn't have time to know how to say something that's really upsetting. I'm just a lowly like whatever wolf. But man, they all know so much. You're just like God. You gotta him up. Do we have to bring him up? Always. You always got to. Oh, just a little knife in the side.

[Natalie Jean]

It's a game of gates. A game of light. First light.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Lovers light.

[Natalie Jean]

What are they fighting for? I guess first light.

[Ad Voice]

Right?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I guess first light. Freedom.

[Natalie Jean]

First light, freedom.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Give me first light. Freedom.

[Natalie Jean]

I mean, we don't know what the Viper Queen wants. The Viper Queen is very mysterious and we don't know what her end game is. So I guess she could want.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I feel like her MO is just her on top. Like her doing great. I feel like that's all she really cares about.

[Natalie Jean]

I feel like there's something else there we don't know yet.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Not yet.

[Natalie Jean]

So she brings up his brother, obviously to. To trigger him. He won't give her the satisfaction of anger and just point blank ass asks what it will take for her to free Tharion and for them to all leave together. No, it's not going to be killing Sabine. The Viper Queen says that would be. That'd be distasteful. I'm not getting involved in politics. No, she wants Ithan to get into the fight ring.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Of course.

[Natalie Jean]

Just one time though. And just for her the following night.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I'm sure that's fine.

[Natalie Jean]

There's no. There's no trick there.

[Ad Voice]

Sure.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Wow.

[Natalie Jean]

She just likes to have special private entertainment for herself. You see.

He should have brought Mark with him. He'd have thought this through. Who spotted any pitfalls a mile off?

Yeah, you probably should have brought Mark with you.

But Ethan knew If he walked out, if he went to get someone else, the option would be off the table. It came down to him and him alone, man.

You did not really. You just didn't think about this at all.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah, but also, you know who was thinking about it? Viper Queen. Yeah, of course. You pick off. You get the. Like the weakest one. Get them solo to be able to do your bidding. Make them wait out there for five hours. You think all of this wasn't just manipulation of the Viper Queen?

[Natalie Jean]

She didn't even have to. He voluntarily went solo.

[Ad Voice]

Yeah.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And it's just. Oh, my. Oh my God. He means well.

[Natalie Jean]

He means well.

Yeah, he was.

He is trying to get theory now he just does not think at all. So he basically hears these things. He. He's like this. I feel like I'm missing a thing here. But he says, so far, I do fight. You'll all let us go together.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Okay, that makes.

[Natalie Jean]

That's like a good deal for me.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Imagine her just like openly, like. Yes, that's what I mean.

[Natalie Jean]

Like, just. I feel like more than anything, she's irritated that he's not making it harder. She's like, yes. Yep.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

That's. Yep, that's. That's what I'm gonna do.

[Natalie Jean]

Yep.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, you don't want. In writing. You don't want any kind of like magic kind.

[Ad Voice]

All right.

[Natalie Jean]

Yep.

[Ad Voice]

Yep.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

That's what I'm gonna do.

[Ad Voice]

Yep.

[Natalie Jean]

Thanks for the meeting. He tells her he won't take any of the venom, which at least he thought of this part of the bargain, he said, I'm not going to take Venom to fight for you. And also part of the bargain is that she has to release Tharion and let him dry out from her venom as part of the deal. Who said I was offering? Her lips curled, which is a hot thing to say. I just. In my head, she just became Samantha Jones for some reason. I don't know why. Who said I was offering? So Ethan stares at her, trying to think real hard about what trap this could be.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

It would be funny if she identified as like a Charlotte. You know, like, you find out that the Viper Queen is just like.

[Natalie Jean]

I just wanted. I wanted a husband.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah. And I just, you know, I just really. I was a stickler for the rules, but nobody wanted. Wanted to know what my rules were.

[Natalie Jean]

If only a man would choose me, then I wouldn't be like this anymore.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Maybe. Has anyone asked Viper Queen, like, have you gotten laid recently? Because I feel like that would help.

[Natalie Jean]

You know, getting a man would help you.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I think she'd love to hear that. I'm surprised Ethan doesn't bring that up. If you'd like, thought about going on a date with someone.

[Natalie Jean]

I need a boyfriend.

Yeah.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

She just rips off his face.

[Natalie Jean]

Oh, damn. I've done it again.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I keep killing my fighters.

[Natalie Jean]

So Ethan is thinking, he tries really hard. He's sinking. He's like, is there a trick?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And you could. That's where you smell the smoke. It's not the smoke coming from the Viper Queen. It's just from the cogs in his brain and they're going to.

[Natalie Jean]

Then he says, I guess I'll do it.

[Ad Voice]

Okay.

[Natalie Jean]

Smug and satisfied, the Viper Queen gets up, indicating the meeting is over. She said, all right, it's a deal. She tells him, tomorrow night, bring your friends. If you'd like, we're going to have a fight. And then if after the fight, everybody can leave.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh my God. So it's a bringer too? I thought you had your own fan base.

[Natalie Jean]

Viper drink minimum.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh my God.

[Ad Voice]

Good.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Good Lord. It's in the middle of Times Square. Oh, great.

[Natalie Jean]

They're not gonna take the train there. So she walks to the door. Ethan follows her, and as he passes

through the doorway, the Viper Queen smirked and then added, before she slammed the door shut in his face.

Make your brother proud. Ow. What?

[Ad Voice]

Ah.

[Natalie Jean]

Wow.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

You know, Mother is proud. I just imagine him like behind the door to be like.

[Ad Voice]

Like.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I can't. Cuz actually, technically he won't be able to see it cuz he lied. Is he here? In the last couple of books. Wait, but is he here though? Could have talked to him. Is he going to be the audience?

[Natalie Jean]

Connor.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

God, he needs his brother so bad and he just can't have him.

[Natalie Jean]

But I do think that Tharion kind of acts as a big brother to him, which is maybe why he needs him to be released. Also for other reasons. But. But I think he does Ms. Therian. We cut over to Ms. Lydia, who has returned to the Eternal City and is sitting before a grand vanity in her private chambers in the Asteri Palace. This is later in the same day where she had just been at the meat market, where we had seen that previous scene where she had confronted the boys and sprites. She's now back at the palace. She brushes her hair in the mirror, looking over the room, which is gaudy and ostentatious. Flaunt, perverse of. You know, it's a perverse flaunting of troves of wealth. It's what the Asteri want to show.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I Do feel like in this instance, like she'd be so upset. It would be like that moment in the craft when her hair starts falling out where she's just like, why? Why is my hair falling? It's like, girl, you need to take some of that stress off your plate.

[Natalie Jean]

Right. Well, that. That character deserved it.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Or you're cursed. Yeah. Or it's like the craft and maybe you've got like a witch spell on you. But we're not at that place with any of the witches in this book. Yeah.

[Natalie Jean]

Because she's also a witch. So. Yeah, she and his sister's a witch. And a sister's a witch.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Witches.

[Natalie Jean]

But her daddy is not. That is a deer shifter.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

God, man, I, I don't think it's. It, is it below your status if you're a witch, a deer shifter?

[Natalie Jean]

I think it also depends on like their ranking in their own communities.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

True. But like obviously like mommy would be high up. Right. So I, I feel like.

[Natalie Jean]

Well, but the hind was raised with daddy, which we don't know too much about yet. Daddy was very powerful in some ways very wealthy. Remember he had. We learned already that, that she had been in the underling part of. She'd been in the mystics chamber with her father when she was.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Right.

[Natalie Jean]

So that means he was very important.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yes. To be able to get all the way in the asterisk palace, all the

[Natalie Jean]

way to the mystic secret place where not everybody believes it exists.

Not just a deer shifter, I guess.

I guess not just some old deer shifter. I think that they're all. I think that's how that works. That if she's a deer shifter, he was also a deer shifter. Right. Or could it be another animal?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Or is it like. What is it like the gene cross hatching where it's like. Or does. If you're both, does that cancel it out? Then you maybe you both can't be. I don't know.

[Natalie Jean]

I don't know.

[Ad Voice]

I don't know.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Let us know. Chromosomes.

[Natalie Jean]

Chromosomes. They got chromosomes there on that planet. So she thinks about how no one even gave it a second thought that she had gone to the meat market that day to procure some illicit substances. Because much like the bourgeois everywhere, their serene buttoned up exteriors hide the twisted deviant impulses they can hardly control behind closed doors.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

That's why we watch the Real Housewives.

[Natalie Jean]

It's unfortunately just our entire government, I think.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Ah, yeah. They're not as fun.

[Natalie Jean]

It's not as fun. But yes. So when she said, I'm going to get Drugs.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

They're like, okay, have a good time getting drugs.

[Natalie Jean]

So she, that's how she had the excuse to go out there. And yet even as she fights to overthrow these parasites, which is this true bravery, her allies, the real ones in her heart, don't believe that she is any good. And with good reason. I mean, she's had to perfect this veneer of evil and cruelty to survive.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

She's bad to the bone.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Face, that's you.

[Ad Voice]

The Peloton Cross Training series makes every workout personal. Peloton IQ helps you move smarter with personalized guidance based on your performance ready to lift heavier weight. Suggestions help you choose the right dumbbells while form feedback perfects your posture and rep tracking keeps counting. Get accurate real time support from your built in personal coach. Work out confidently on the Cross training series.

Everyone's talking about protein lately, but how do you actually get enough of it? Muscle Milk. Muscle Milk has a great tasting new formula with no artificial sweeteners, flavors or added colors. It's high quality, complete protein designed to support healthy muscles with fewer ingredients than the previous formula and 2642 grams of protein for when you're stuck in meetings or need a post workout recovery. Available in chocolate, vanilla, cream, cookies and cream, and strawberries and cream. Try the new great tasting Muscle Milk today available in stores nationwide. Muscle Milk protein for all.

[Natalie Jean]

So here she was, alone, praying that Declan, Emmett and his friends would meet her. Praying that she'd correctly judge the Sprite Queen many levels below.

So we still don't fully know what that means, but it did seem like she was doing some kind of test on the Sprite Queen for some reason. And again she asked the sprites. Sasa. Malal. Malala.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Malala.

[Ad Voice]

No.

[Natalie Jean]

Reithi, Rithy, Masa.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Sasa.

[Natalie Jean]

Sasa. Sasa. Wreathy. And I thought it was Mala or something like that. Look it up.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Arethus.

[Natalie Jean]

That's the queen.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Arethus is the crane. And it's Malana Sarsa.

[Natalie Jean]

And I didn't mean to call her Malala.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I think I, I mean, honestly, Malala would fucking be so respected as to also be named after this amazing sprite.

[Ad Voice]

Right?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah.

[Ad Voice]

This.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, it's this. Right, who we should be reviewing.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yes. So I mean, that's not, that's like, that's big talk. Right. So Milana, Reithy and Sasa.

[Natalie Jean]

Thank you. We got to make sure we get it correctly.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah. So because we do respect the sprites

[Natalie Jean]

here and Malala very much so we

[Jackie Zabrowski]

probably respect her more. I'm gonna say. I, I should say we Respect Malala more.

[Natalie Jean]

Lala's incredible. So yes.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Behind, behind, behind.

[Natalie Jean]

Her thoughts are interrupted by a nude and wet Pollux. I was wondering if you're gonna show up as an ink and Pollock.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, I thought about it but I didn't. I couldn't really think of how to properly be just mean and wet man. It would all mean wet man. That's what I cosplayed as it would be.

[Natalie Jean]

Whatever you came up with would be disturbing.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah, I know that. Oh yeah, yeah.

[Natalie Jean]

He eyes her critically, noting that she isn't ready for the event. They have been summoned for that evening. And it's true, she's still in her dressing robe and doesn't have any intention of getting out of it. She reveals to him that her cycle has started and that he'll have to make an excuse for her.

Pollock slicked back his blonde hair and stalked over to her, his heavy swinging with each step.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, why aren't you looking at me, Natalie? You don't want to think about me as a mean wet big dick hanging man right now.

[Natalie Jean]

His white wings dripped a trail of water over the cream carpet.

Rigelus personally asked us to be there. Take a tonic.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

You suck as a partner. But Boneface, you're very good at being a scary mean wet man.

[Natalie Jean]

Thank you.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yikes.

[Natalie Jean]

It's gonna be tough. Probably looking at that beautiful male angel and hating him and finding his perfect

[Jackie Zabrowski]

body repulsion so repulsive.

[Natalie Jean]

I did, she said, letting a bit of her temper show. It wasn't a lie. She had taken a potion one of her emergency contraceptives. Lest her usual plan fail. It had jump started her cycle two weeks ahead of schedule.

Oh clever girl.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

You got to. I love. I love in any any fantastical series when they don't explain it. It's like when they're just like don't worry, we got potions for it. You don't you want no baby juice in magic world? We got no baby juice for you. And I honestly thank you. At least in the magic world like you don't have to deal with condoms. You can just take a no baby potion. Oh yeah.

[Natalie Jean]

No it's great. That happens in many romantasy books and it is because most of them are written by people of periods and and have the potential to have a baby. And we don't have things on this planet like they always take that medicine. It's the least important.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah.

[Natalie Jean]

And so in the fantasy world.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Thank you. Thank you. That's where we get taken care of guys in the fantasy world.

[Ad Voice]

So.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

So Sad. Like it's just so sad. And they laugh and they laugh.

[Natalie Jean]

But this is something that can happen with some of the contraceptives and stuff we have now is that it can make your period shift around. Yeah. Which she did to be. To have it early. Which was. Was clever. And I think it. The fae only have periods like a couple times a year. And I don't know if that's the same for witches and shifters. Somebody let us know because I don't know how to look that up. Yeah, I don't remember. But the fae ones are supposed to be absolutely miserable. Even more than human spirits, because it only happens once or twice a year. And so when their periods come, it's a reason to be able to get out of something. Which is why she's done this. And also Pollux, like many dumb males, he's repulsed by the idea of the. The period. And so he sniffs to make sure he can smell her period before confirming that he understands that she's not lying to him. Because he's like, great.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Early.

[Ad Voice]

Good.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

So glad. Love this, love that. That's how you're using your power, hon.

[Natalie Jean]

Great.

Keep sniffing.

She thinks about actually though, she gets. She's relieved when she gets her period because he doesn't want to have sex with her then, which is so awful to think about being in that situation where she's technically a consenting partner. But she hates every second of it. And so when she has a period, she gets. Gets to feel like the immediate relief that he will want to have because

[Jackie Zabrowski]

she's too disgusting to touch during those time periods. I guess you gotta keep letting him think that. Yeah. And also it sucks if a shifter only bleeds a couple times or less than that. Then she doesn't even get a monthly reprieve. I'm trying to just do like a very general search and it's not giving me much, so.

[Natalie Jean]

Witch, shifter, period.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

When, when, how many times? So is it hard for them to

[Natalie Jean]

have a baby too? I believe so. I think that's true for all of the. The veneer. As he stands over her, she winces with the pain of her cycle and watches as he starts to get an erection.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Cool. I like it when my partner gets hard because I'm in pain.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah. That's awesome. Kill him.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And I'm not talking about the kink side of it. I'm not talking about two consenting people into something that they both are consenting. I'm talking about this piece of garbage

[Natalie Jean]

watching his partner suffer.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah.

[Natalie Jean]

Gets a boner yeah, that's great. Cool. She forces herself.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Honestly, I'm glad I didn't dress up as him, because I would have, at this point, started sawing my penis off of my body. That would have been great. Content would have been really cool. But I. I feel like the algorithm really doesn't want to show a. A, Like, a ripped off penis anymore. And I don't know why we're begging for it.

[Natalie Jean]

Begging for it.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Sod off.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah. So she forces herself to lean into him. Like she likes that he's getting an erection, but she's.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

You know what, man? If there's one thing the hind is good at, that it's plain pretend.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah. And he walks away, likely preparing himself to go bang another person that night. Fifteen minutes later, Pollux, fully dressed in a tuxedo, leaves their room. Lydia lays under the sheets of what, honestly, sounds like a really comfortable bed.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

It better be, as much as these

[Natalie Jean]

stairs suck, you know, they have nice sheets.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

You know, it's fluffy, dude.

[Natalie Jean]

She waits for a good 10 minutes after he leaves her anxiety mixing with her period symptoms and discomfort, before she finally stands up and gets out of bed. She's got a plan.

She hurried into the bathroom, still humid from Pollux's shower, usually so hot she wondered if he was trying to scald the evil from himself, and pulled out the bag of feminine hygiene products that she knew he'd never open, as if touching a tampon might make his shrivel up and drop off.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

God, if it would. Oh, if it would. Shoving tampons into his mouth as he sleeps.

[Natalie Jean]

Oh, that'd be fun. Apparently, her resistance sources, they basically send her whatever the midgard version of a burner phone is in boxes of hygiene products, which is a very funny touch and commentary on how uncomfortable CIS hetero men are with anything to do with periods. So uncomfortable that you could do a whole war crime inside the boxes of tampons and they wouldn't know.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Especially bad males. I mean, I will say I think that now, at least at this point, a lot of them have, like. I feel like, at least in the ones I know all of that has changed. But it is crazy that for so long. For so long, you couldn't even bring up a period in front of. Of someone male.

[Natalie Jean]

Well, you also told not to.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, yeah. Shame. Be shameful. Have shame.

[Natalie Jean]

What was our sin?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

You know, it's really crazy. I started to unpack this the other day because I went to a podiatrist and I was like, oh, my God, that's so disgusting.

[Natalie Jean]

That's so.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And I was talking to Jeff about it, and he's like, why didn't you tell me that you were going to a podiatrist? And I was like, I don't know. It, like, had to do with, like, my feet. And I just thought. And he was like, you do understand that's like me going to the doctor for, like, my back or for anything or going to your terminology. He's like, like, it's just a part of your body. But it was weird until he said that that I hadn't thought about it. And I was like, oh, I mean, yeah, I guess I don't know why I was ashamed. And now I'm saying on a microphone, it's like, because it's like, that's an old people thing. That's only for yucky people. That's a gross thing where it's like, why? Because you're going to a doctor to take care of your body and.

[Natalie Jean]

But like, as a. As a, you know, a fem bodied person, you're not supposed to ever have issues shoes.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And especially, like, something with, like, your feet or where it's something that it's not sexy enough. Right. And it's like, meanwhile, so many female identified people have to shove their feet into, like, contorted forms into shoes to try to make certain people think that it's sexy. And also, it hurts your feet sometimes. All right.

[Natalie Jean]

I gotta say, though, I love a heel. I still do.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

You're gonna be seeing a podiatrist someday. But I got a good one, don't worry. And we're not ashamed.

[Ad Voice]

Sexy.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I know. It's. We're not ashamed, Natalie.

[Natalie Jean]

No, no, we're not ashamed. I don't give a. But I understand where you're coming from. That. That. That is, like, ingrained in you so young.

Yes.

That you really have to kind of. Sometimes those things just crop up without you even realizing it.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

It really was like, I didn't think

[Natalie Jean]

about it at all.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And he just was like, you don't need to keep that from me. And I. I didn't even realize I was right.

[Natalie Jean]

And it's not because your partner is at all judgmental about you or in any way. Jeff would have never been like, about that.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

No, not at all. In fact, all he wants to do is take care of me.

[Natalie Jean]

Yes. But it is just beaten into us so young.

[Ad Voice]

Yeah, man.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

But anyway, thank you for listening.

[Natalie Jean]

Also makes me. This whole story, actually, I was gonna mention this makes me think the idea of, like, being able to get away with a Big crime, because nobody wants to look in the tampon box. It makes me think of the story of the founder of one of my favorite organizations, which is called Unchained at Last, who has fought through. Literally crawled through broken glass to illegalize child marriage in the US because, yes, that's correct, it is still legal to marry a child in the United States in 34 states currently in the year 2026, down from almost 50 states less than a decade ago. And that's thanks to Unchained At Last and some other organizations. And anyway, the founder, Freddie Reese, who was forced into a marriage in an ultra Orthodox Jewish community in New York, she escaped by when her husband. You know, she couldn't. She had no rights as a human because she was forced into this marriage. And when her husband would beat her, he'd come back with gifts as the apology. And so she would secretly go return them and pocket the money, and she would hide the money inside of a box. Box of, like, girly health cereal that he would never have, like, touched. It was the only place because it was, like, gross girl health cereal.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, my.

[Natalie Jean]

And so she saved up money for, like, five years to escape him through doing that. So just made me think of that, putting in the tampon box. Anyway, she's amazing. You should watch her TED Talk. And if you ever have extra money, Unchained At Last has done more for ending child marriage in this country than any politician has ever done.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Thank you. Unchained At Last.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, she's awesome. And you can listen to our. If you want to hear about child marriage in this country, you can lose my other show Someplace Underneath. We did a series on it.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

It's a little different from what we do here, so it is very important to talk about. And thank you, Natalie.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah. Lydia turns the shower on.

[Ad Voice]

Okay.

[Natalie Jean]

So she has this burner phone, and she is basically doing everything she can to mask that she's using a phone. So it's just like, you know, there's. They've got stuff going. They're spying on everybody all the time, but they have some big event going on right now, so they're probably a little distracted. They're not thinking about Lydia doing something that they have. They are very much tricked by her, which is, like, an impressive thing to do to what is essentially an angel or like a. Like a star creature.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Right.

[Natalie Jean]

So fool them. But. So she puts the shower on, which makes sense. She's having her period, you know. Oh, she needs to take a shower. And.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

But she's not doing that.

[Natalie Jean]

She's not doing that. Instead, she's pulling this burner phone out of the tampon box. She's nervous. She gets these phones sent to her regularly, but she never uses them. She's only used it one ever time ever. Otherwise she just. Usually every time they are brought to her, she destroys the last one. And it's just. Just in like a worst case scenario, you. You're supposed to use it. She dials a number and a voice on the other end speaks in a code. Finch, tiles and flooring. I guess she's from Flushing.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, it's Fran Drescher. Yeah, she would be an undercover agent.

[Ad Voice]

Honestly.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Maybe she's not trying to take care of those kids. I think she's trying to pull one over on max Maxwell Sheffield.

[Natalie Jean]

Mr. Sheffield, I'm gonna ruin your life. He loves it.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

God, he got begging her to ruin his life.

[Natalie Jean]

Oh, my God.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

He's like, please get rid of the kids.

[Natalie Jean]

Have you seen the bot on that girl? So she responds with her code asking. So obviously the code is that, oh, she's calling a floor and tiling company.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And her code is code.

[Natalie Jean]

It's a code.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

This is a code.

[Natalie Jean]

It's a code.

This is a code. She responds asking about a certain ashwood flooring. You think if she got the name the wood wrong, that they would have hung up? You're like, it was not cedar.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

No knee. Never a ball saw in this factory.

[Natalie Jean]

The phone call that commences is clipped and urgent. The receiving agent seems stunned to hear that it's Agent Daybright on the phone. Because this is really means this is a big deal. She tells the agent on the other side of the phone she needs all members of OPHION to gather and prepare.

The female on the line cleared her throat.

Agent Daybright, I. I don't think that there's anyone to mobilize. And Lydia not expecting that. The agent goes on to explain that they have taken a number of losses recently, and once Agent Silver Bow, AKA Cormac, died, many remaining members left. The cause. They fled.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I know it was like a really big fight, guys, but we could have just waited a little bit longer. We've been doing this for so long. Nope.

[Natalie Jean]

They're done. The agent reveals that there are only a couple hundred members of OPHION left standing, which is really bad. This is not what Lydia wants to hear. She asks to be connected to command, and the agent tells her that they have gone into hiding. And besides, she's not authorized to send Daybright to command. Lydia persists. She must patch her to Them she has what could possibly be the only option of survival if not victory.

It was the work of a few minutes to get the human mail on the phone for Lydia to use the passcodes to identify herself and verify her identity as well as his.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

It's got to be scary over the phone. It's gotta be scary over the phone.

[Natalie Jean]

And we're still not privy to this conversation. So we only have little bits of what her plan is here. But she explains it to this commander and it sounds like she is telling this commander the same timeline that she had given to the Fae boys and Ethan and Tharion and the, you know, the. You know, the meat market situation. Two days they're all supposed to meet.

Oof.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And you're telling me there's nobody?

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, I mean, they're so already. It's almost like you already feel so. You're like, well, might as well try this, you know?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah. And it really. Honestly, I feel SJM did a really good part. I think that's part of the reason why I was struggling with this book when I first read it, that I. I felt like there was no hope. And I was like, there's no. How is there any hope? And. But then in your brain, it's like,

[Natalie Jean]

I mean, it's still a book, Jackie.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Like, you still have to, like, something is gonna happen. But I remember being so genuinely upset that when I first read through this book, I was just like, I think that Crescent City is not my favorite. But now. Or. But now I'm going back through it and realizing how integral all of this is and what is. I mean, we don't know what's going to happen. But I. This rereading of it now understanding more like I'm liking it a lot more in the reread.

[Natalie Jean]

That's good.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yes.

[Natalie Jean]

I'm glad that you don't hate it more.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Or else I'm not sitting here going, when will it end?

[Natalie Jean]

That was my. That's my main gripe so far with fourth Wing series is everyone died. So many people died.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, yeah, man.

[Natalie Jean]

So many.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Ain't nobody precious at Basgaya. Oh, yeah, dude.

[Natalie Jean]

So, yes, she has given these instructions to the commanding officers at Ophion. Who knows who's going to show up? Who knows what they're even able to do at this point. But you know, she's doing this to help Ophion, however, and the rest of the world. But they don't know that. They will also be aiding Lydia rescuing Rune during this entire process. But it's not a Full trick. Like, she is trying to help the cause. Cause as well.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And also, he is one of the, like, rebel people that need to be saved. She just also happens to them.

[Natalie Jean]

Lydia ended the call and crushed the phone in her fist until only shards of plastic and glass remained. Then she opened the bathroom window, pretending to air out the steam as the tiny pieces blew into the starry night.

That's strong, dude. I wish I could do that.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I know.

[Natalie Jean]

She's so.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

She's so hot.

[Natalie Jean]

She's so hot. I love her.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

She's so scary.

[Natalie Jean]

But now we're back to tunnel town.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Honestly, in my brain and the more in with this rereading process that I feel like in the same place that Lysandra lives in my brain is where Lydia lives in my brain of, like, how I feel about.

[Ad Voice]

About her.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

How like. Like in watching her grow. In what, like, where she gets to and what happens with her. I really. I love Lydia. I'm not gonna say I love the hind. I love Lydia.

[Natalie Jean]

Oh, yeah. I love Lydia. Also love Lissandra. So. But we're not there. We're in a tunnel.

Sorry.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And we're not talking about Throne of Glass. We're talking about Crescent City.

[Natalie Jean]

And there is wormhole, and that's where they are.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Do you think the worm's gonna come again? No, there's no way. There's no but.

[Natalie Jean]

Ain't gonna be worming through their worm tunnel.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

No. Not when I'm this dirty. And look at how pink my shoes are.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, they don't want to ruin their. Her shoes. They're like, slay.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Thank you. Won't slay.

[Natalie Jean]

I wish I had feet to wear shoes.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I know. Oh, no. Do you think they're so jellyfish that they might cut off? Yeah, maybe just for the shoes.

[Natalie Jean]

Oh, they get little feet.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

They pretend like they have little feet, but it's really just sliding underneath their huge, disgusting, slimy body. Yeah, I got feet now. Can you guys see?

[Natalie Jean]

So we are back with Bryce. We're back with Nesta. I'm here back with Azriel. Thank you. Bryce is here.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I've got my sister's dirty shirt on. Somebody get me in this tunnel.

[Natalie Jean]

And you're wearing you. You brought Hunt's hat with you, which, when you put it on, made me sad. I was like, oh, she brought the hat.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And I know that, like, honestly, in thinking about putting this on where it's like, she wouldn't have thought to do that. She was in the middle of a battle. But maybe. Maybe it was part of what her Keeping him with her during it.

[Natalie Jean]

Because. Keeping her hair out of her. Her face.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Exactly. Because then she doesn't have to put it all the way up, but it's still like she can still battle, you know?

[Natalie Jean]

But like also like whip the hair around.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah.

[Natalie Jean]

Use it. So.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yes.

[Natalie Jean]

They're. They're. Once again they are. They've been tunneling and tunneling. They've been walking and walking and walking. They're cutting through yet another river pass. This one is waist deep and freezing. The water stings. Bryce is still open wounds on her palms. So her palms are still bleeding, which is very perplexing. Her knees have healed.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

It's not good.

[Natalie Jean]

And nobody knows why. They reach the. The mouth of the tunnel again through after the river and once again begin walking through this tunnel in wet, freezing clothes and boots. You'd think Azrael would have flown them over this. But maybe the tunnel ceiling was low or something.

Yeah.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

The rapids, like maybe just like he didn't want to get wet.

[Natalie Jean]

He did get wet though.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I know but like he doesn't. I imagine he doesn't like it when his wings get wet. Yeah.

[Natalie Jean]

Why didn't he fly though him?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah, I guess just maybe it was low. Yeah. It's. It has to be that. Not because he wasn't thinking. Because Asriel. We know he ain't talking much. We know he's thinking in there though. Oh, my weight.

[Natalie Jean]

Oh, oh, oh. I have wings.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I know. I have to remind myself. Jackie, they're not all Ethan. Okay. We have to. We save the stupid mail comments for Ethan.

[Natalie Jean]

We technically don't know enough about Asriel to really know how smart he is.

[Ad Voice]

Is.

[Natalie Jean]

We understand he is clever in the sense that he has had many adventures that we've watched. But now we've been in the minds of the other two bad boys. We need to know what he's thinking.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh God. And we're gonna find out by the end of this year, I bet.

[Natalie Jean]

As they trudge through this leg of the tunnel, Nesta asks about Bryce's star scar again. Because she's been asking a bunch about what this is. What's happening. As they've been like. Like spending time together and Bryce is uncomfortably cold and she's irritated and asks why she keeps asking about her star. Nesta hesitates for a moment and then seems to make a decision to share some information about herself. She tells Bryce that she recently had a tattoo on her back. One that manifested and not one she chose. And it just so happened to be another pointed star. If you know. You know what that bargain tattoo is about?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I love you, Cassian. I love you. You're still at the forefront of my brain.

[Natalie Jean]

He's not here. She says it bared an uncanny likeness to Bryce's scar.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Feel my breasty scars. That what you're asking about? Yeah, I do. Like, every time I draw this scar, I do think I like that. I nestle it between her breasts as if it's like. Like how many people are like, oh, I'm not staring at you, titties. I'm just looking at that scar on your chest.

[Natalie Jean]

Well, in my mind, that is where it is on her.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Right.

[Natalie Jean]

I think it is.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I feel like it is.

[Natalie Jean]

I do think it even says at one point, like, it points down into her cleavage.

All right.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah. Okay, ackies, rise up.

[Natalie Jean]

Where's your sword? You're not allowed to have.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I'm not allowed to have it, Natalie. I'm not allowed to have it.

[Natalie Jean]

You can't have a sword boner.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I'm not to be trusted.

[Natalie Jean]

So she wonders if there's any reason for this eight pointed star, as if, like, maybe there's lore about it on Bryce's planet. Bryce doesn't really have a good answer for why they might have the same shaped tattoo, slash scar. But she jokes that it must mean that you. That she and Nesta are going to be best friends.

Are they?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Ah, I like that. Bryce, like, right. Nesta does not smile. Nesta right.

[Natalie Jean]

Says,

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, is that good? I think that means she's saying, right. Like I hear right in the silence. Oh, she's grimacing. But I feel like that means, yes, we're besties, right? I like. It is. It's a off. It's a tunnel off, man. It really depends, like, because Bryce is a. But she's more charming than Nesta is. That's why I like these little moments of like, I bet that's gonna be besties. And Nessa's just like, I'm not gonna smile about that.

[Natalie Jean]

She already has two best friends.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah.

[Ad Voice]

Anyway.

[Natalie Jean]

No, not her sister.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I know. I like that it's not her sisters, because I like, like that. She's like, no, you're just my sisters. You're just my stupid cauldron sisters. I'm. I want my Valkyrie sisters.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah. She's getting better with the friendship part of her sisterhood. But her real best friends are not her sisters because they're just very different. And that's okay.

And to be fair, it's because of

[Jackie Zabrowski]

trauma and, you know,

[Natalie Jean]

and then you

[Jackie Zabrowski]

go into A cauldron. And it's like, can't it all be water under the cauldron? Cauldron.

[Natalie Jean]

Oh, she's bringing the cauldron up again.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, my God. Wow.

[Natalie Jean]

Let it go into some amorphous, sort of, like, other world in the water.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And she's the only one that was shoved into it. She's not the only one shoved into it.

[Natalie Jean]

People pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to get surgery to change their body.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Just get it for free in the cauldron.

[Natalie Jean]

I'm begging.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Ready to be cauldron made.

[Natalie Jean]

I think the big paradox is that you can't go in the cauldron if you want to go in the car.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah. I guess that's, like, part of, like.

[Natalie Jean]

Oh.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

It's how you can't get, like, power if you want the power or whatever. And why we're not boring. Magic. I think we want it. Too bad.

[Natalie Jean]

I know.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Natalie, I've been meaning to talk to you. I think we gotta take it back a little bit.

[Natalie Jean]

So we don't want any of it.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I think we need to be a little less desperate. I think we have to. I don't know how I know. We have to be more like. Oh. Like, I would. Like, I guess would be magic.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

We need more aloof on us like. Or like a loaf of bread.

[Natalie Jean]

Yes, please.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yes. Sourdough.

[Natalie Jean]

Oh, my fave. So, you know, Bryce makes this joke about being best friends. Vanessa just stares at her blankly. And then she says, listen, I don't know about us being best friends, but she knows enough about feisty to listen to signs and mystical guidance. And she. So she basically says, I'm new to the fey world, kind of, but I've been around long enough to know that we need to listen to this, like, the guidance of, like, the mother and everything.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yes.

[Natalie Jean]

She smirks and says that's when she smiles instead of when the best friend thing. She says, that's why I haven't killed you, because even though you jumped in the water and I was. Might have otherwise killed you, you were following your instincts or your fate. Your fin stick stinks instincts.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Well, that sounds like you're following your fins, Natalie. I feel like that's a Sharon. Yeah. Or a shark.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah. Oh, yeah. Like a tail fin. Yeah. But, yes, she said, basically, I followed you and didn't kill you because you were listening to the mother Gaia. This strikes Bryce as interesting. But before she can inquire further, they round a bend and are suddenly faced with a massive, intact skeleton.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

With bone. Hair with bone. Hands and hands. Oh no, flesh hands. You got flesh hands. I mean flesh hands that you birds from within your bones.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah. How scary would that be if you saw a full skeleton but there was just hands growing out of it?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Very upsetting. I mean that's what I'm saying. I. You very you. I thought you were threatening me up top when you were growing your hands at me.

[Natalie Jean]

I couldn't help it. Just happened. This, you know, this is a big new shocking thing in the. In the middle of the room.

[Ad Voice]

Yeah.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

It's like something you probably want to bring up. Hey, I noticed this anomaly over here.

[Natalie Jean]

Hey. We've been watching through dark tunnels for three or four days. I think this is a different thing. I think. Wait a second. Have we seen other skeletons?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Are you my mother?

[Natalie Jean]

Mommy. So yeah, they're suddenly.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Whoa, whoa.

[Natalie Jean]

Big giant intact skeleton.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Natalie Jean]

Bryce is obviously immediately creeped out. It's not a worm skeleton, but something like. Looks like the Sobex almost, but bigger. So great. Each tooth is as big as Bryce's hand. Yikes. Azrael says eyeing the husk that this does not even appear to be the meal of a worm folk.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Because I like worm folk. That's nice of just like all the worm. Wormheads out there.

[Ad Voice]

Worm folk.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, I bet they do have a community center.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And they learn how to slime together.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah. They just think they just get all wrapped up.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah. But I guess they are all trying on shoes and pretending like they're humans. Which I imagine is part of their pastime.

[Natalie Jean]

It must be. So it's not one of their meals though because when they eat they don't slurp the marrow off the bone. They chomp on down.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Gotcha.

[Natalie Jean]

So they wouldn't leave a skeleton. They wouldn't just. Just suck the meat off.

[Ad Voice]

Yeah.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I feel like the bones are part of it. I love a crunch.

[Natalie Jean]

That's what they do. So that's not their meal. What is going on here? Azrael also says he does not in fact know what this is and would be happy to never know. And I'm with him on that one. Let's just say let's pretend we didn't see it.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Chalk it up. The tunnel. How about it's just. Oh, that's big tunnel being tunnel.

[Natalie Jean]

Huh? Big tunnel. They just decide to move on and not think too much about it. As they pass it though, they will be punished. It's probably ominous. I don't know. After they pass it, right. Like immediately afterwards they see that the carvings which have almost seemed to be one continuous long story suddenly change. There's no longer big sweeping scenes. Instead it is one large image.

An archway had been etched, stars glimmering around it. And in that archway stood a male figure, the image created with impressive depth. His hand was upraised in greeting. And Bryce might have looked closer had

[Jackie Zabrowski]

the midden guard worm not exploded from

[Natalie Jean]

the river behind them.

And he wants to sing.

[Ad Voice]

Aw.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Is that why the dune worms come up for air?

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, they're trying to.

They're trying.

It's like America's Got Talent.

[Ad Voice]

Oh.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Or like the Masked Singer. So it's like maybe the. The. Like the hologram was the outside. He's like, you thought I was a man, but technically I'm a worm singer.

[Natalie Jean]

Listen to me sing. I'd like to leave this cave.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

What if then you find within the worm it's actually just Corey Feldman? That would make a lot of sense.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, it would.

[Ad Voice]

It would.

[Natalie Jean]

It would.

Jackie,

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Please read up until chapter 16 for next week.

[Ad Voice]

Everyone's talking about protein lately, but how do you actually get enough of it? Muscle Milk. Muscle Milk has a great tasting new formula with no artificial sweeteners, flavors or added colors. It's high quality complete protein designed to support healthy muscles with fewer ingredients than the previous formula and 26 to 42 grams of protein for when you're stuck in meetings or need a post workout recovery. Available in chocolate, vanilla, cream, cookie, cookies and cream, and strawberries and cream. Try the new great tasting Muscle Milk today. Available in stores nationwide. Muscle Milk Protein for all.

Yo, it's Jay USO from WWE and I'm Jimmy uso. Chumba Casino and WWE are hyped for the biggest event of the summer. SummerSlam. I know I can't wait. There's nothing better to do while we're waiting than playing Chumba Casino. Sign up today and you can win a VIP experience with Chumba Casino and with WWE. E4 SummerSlam. So what are you waiting for? Play Chumbo Casino and enter for your chance to win. Let's jumble.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Only available in permitted states.

[Ad Voice]

No purchase necessary.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

See terms and conditions for details. BMW Group would be prohibited by law. 21/ sponsored by Chumba Casino.